riverview | Entries tagged with the black tapes: alex reagan

[So when the message turns on, the phone is at an odd angle for Alex who normally just does audio posts. But it's being filmed from above her, even though you can see that she's not holding it. Or not standing on the ground either. Instead, the red of the sofa in Alex's office is seen, and she is standing on it and jumping up to try and reach the phone.

Or the coffee that is also hovering just out of reach. Or her laptop which ditto.]

Come on, what the fuck is happening right now.?! Oh my gawd, just come here!

[And she jumps again, but realizes that the light is on on her phone.]

Um. Help? Things just starting doing this!

[And she waves her hand to indicate what this is, making the items move in time with it like she's scrolling through her ipad. Guess who's got magic now!]

11calls

[The post that appears first is a picture of poor Cameron Waltz from the Arts party. Where he's crying after his fantastic boyfriend Jeff has just serenaded him in public. Anyone who knows Alex knows that she's not the person who would put it up, and as soon as someone mentions it to her, it comes down and is instead replaced with an audio post.]

Yeah, sorry about that. [She assumes people 1. know that she wasn't the one who did it and 2. that the person who did it is gonna hear holy hell for it. Hear holy hell and also do penance which is what the rest of this post is about.]

While I've been living in America since college, I'm definitely a Canadian at heart. And in Canada, we have a proper Thanksgiving Holiday while America is celebrating Columbus day. [Yeah, the distaste in her voice for that "holiday" is totally palpable.] And before anyone makes a crack about copying America, our Thanksgiving started in 1578 and was made an official government holiday in 1879. For Americans playing along at home, that's 50 years before Plymouth Rock, and something like 90 before it became a federal holiday in America.

So, I'm inviting people to stop by tomorrow for turkey and stuffing and all the stuff that goes along with a proper Canadian Thanksgiving. We're not going to do a sit down dinner, not really, given that it's a Monday, but we're gonna have food and proper pumpkin pie which is not custardy and Nanaimo bars which are. I'm making them. I'm making them right now actually but don't worry, I've been making them since I was like ten. It's the only thing I can make other than coffee.

[Literally the only thing, because Alex burns toast.]

11calls

[Hey look, it's yet another post that does not happen at three in the morning. It seems that Alex is actually sleeping for the most part. It's kind of amazing. And she's also sounding extremely chipper, even if there is the faintest of whispers of 'Richard' from somewhere behind her. Look, she locked the thing in the drawer of her desk and it still keeps saying the name of the person she has a crush on. It's all Jeff's fault. But she's not going to mention it at all. Nope, it's not even happening. Instead, she's focused on something else.]

So I was talking with a friend recently, or at least recently-ish anyway about games. Like board games and things like that. Did you know that dice and games were used before recorded history on Earth? And that dice were found in tombs in Iran that date back to 2800–2500 BCE? So honestly, playing games is like something that really seems universal and kind of timeless as well.

Which brings me to my next question, and trust me I really do have a point. What sort of games did you play at home? Do you have copies here? What sort of games do you want to see if you have copies of?

I'm putting together a game night, either renting out a cafe, or if need be the school, and I'd like to include something from everywhere if possible. Board games, dice games, card games, it's all going to be welcome here. If nothing else, it'll be a nice distraction from everything else. [Everything else here meaning all of the love festival stuff that's going down.] And the goal is to play five games you've never played before, so come on down.

I'm not even limiting games like Monopoly or Uno or whatever. [Even though she probably should just based on her experience. She's also definitely not bringing Mario Kart. Alex does have some sense of fair play and wanting to keep friendships in tact. For now anyway.]

Also hi if you don't know who I am. I'm Alex. Alex Reagan. Welcome.

interconnectedness

How does one get a cat to leave them alone?

nobasisinfact

It seems someone felt it appropriate to put some sort of concoction in my tea. While not completely debilitating I find the results, irritating.

I'd appreciate it if someone happened to know exactly what idiotic concoction of the month is supposed to cause color blindness. Complete color blindness.

[There's a grumble after a few seconds.]

Because of course, this place would do something this stupid.

yakyuuman

[ Here's Jyushimatsu, looking somehow a bit chipper than the past weeks. His voice is within no-indoor ordinary levels, at least. ]

Hey everyone! I'm Jyushimatsu! I've got an important announcement to make, so you can have a break from this whole romantic thingamajig!

If you still wanna take part in the softball match I talked about a few weeks ago, I'm gonna open up a few training sessions starting next week! There's no pressure at all but I'd reeeally like to see a lot of you participating! If you like sports or you're even just bored I've got slots open for quite a few of you!

There's also a request! Since there will be teams it's super important to have an uniform for them, doesn't it? If there's a tailor around or just someone good at designing shirts hit me up! I can pay you! The uniforms don't have to look super professional or anything! The whole teams thing is just for fun!

Annnnnd... I guess my teams also need names and symbols, huh? Any ideas?

[ It can be anything at all - he'll consider even the most ridiculous shit. Bring it on! ]

bardish

[ Here's Jeff Calhoun, wizard dad/teacher of youths, broadcasting live from his classroom at Gramarye. It looks a bit... chaotic right now, as there are winged origami hearts flapping around, and some kids equipped with butterfly nets and... y'know, magic, trying to round them up.

Amidst the chaos, the hearts are chirping out what sounds suspiciously like people's names, which the kids are reacting to with various degrees of shouted denials and peals of laughter.

Meanwhile, Jeff looks about as harried as if he's reporting from a warzone. But he puts on a nervous smile and waves at the camera. ]

Hey-- hi! Uh, so... one of my students got a little too into the spirit of Dragosta and brought these [ GESTURING TO THE BAT-WINGED MENACES. ] lovely cards in to share with his classmates and--

[ NO, he can't keep the charade up! ]

Okay, look, he pranked the class. And it's gone totally out of control! A batch of these little fuckers-- [ Cough. A student mock-gasps, 'Language, Mr. Calhoun!' Cue: adolescent giggling. ] --little... scamps... flew out the window, so if you see any? Don't be alarmed, and for the love of god, don't throw rocks or anything at them! If you miss, that projectile of yours will come crashing down on some innocent bystander, and I can't have that blood on my hands, because it's totally my fault for leaving the window open in the first place and failing to rule my classroom with an iron fist and--

[ BREATHE, JEFF. It's just, look, he's pretty sure this is some kind of karmic retribution for all the teachers he terrorized as a teenager, himself. ]

Uh, so just. Ignore them! They're harmless, really. All they do is follow you around shouting the name of whoever you might have a crush on.

[ Hence the kids' reactions to the various names the cards are shouting. Their secret crushes, revealed! It's totally embarrassing! ]

The enchantment should wear off in a couple of days!

[ Meanwhile, one of the origami hearts from hell lands on his desk and starts to chirp a name... but all it manages to get out is a 'CAM--' before Jeff's swatting it with a notebook. SHUSH, HEART.

...

Gosh, he actually feels kind of bad for smashing it with a notebook. Poor enchanted bat-heart... Jeff seems to remember he's still recording, so he flashes another nervous 'EVERYTHING'S FINE' smile at the camera. ]

Okay, that's all, I gotta get back to cleanup-- Bye!

[ But hey, FEEL FREE TO SAY YOUR CHARACTER'S BEING TERRORIZED BY ONE OF THESE HEARTS AS WE SPEAK. ]

evite

[ do you know what happens when it's late and raining too hard for a girl to go down to the garage to work on her own personal episode of pimp my ride? late night text posts happen. this time, it's a shit post. sorry, not sorry. ]

riverview, we need to have a talk.

[ it's very serious. ]

att: are you fucking kidding me.jpg
if i could give this zero stars, i would.

thestoriesarereal

[The video turns on with a very pensive looking Lucy.]

Okay so....I know it's a bit early to think about this--but, better to get a head start on this than to have it sneak up on you.

Does this place do anything for Halloween? Or for the month of October? I know it could be different in other worlds, but where I'm from there's trick-or-treating, people dressed up in costumes, and loads of candy.

There's also spooky and scary stuff, but I'm not really thinking about that.

[No, she's just thinking about the candy, and the costumes and the other fun things that can happen--but mainly it's the candy.

Oh, and movie marathons about wizards and witches.]

If anyone could let me know, that'll be great! Thanks!

mistyday

[A video is posted on the network, Youtube-style with a young woman simply sitting at a table and talking to the camera. Judging from her surroundings, she's sitting in the dining area of one of the communal housing suites.]

Hey, y'all! I know there's a lot of you I haven't met yet, but my name's Misty. And this...

[She lifts up her hands from under the table to reveal a baby alligator, who at the moment is contentedly sleeping nestled in Misty's arms.]

This is Rhiannon. I've gotten a few questions about her, so I thought I'd clear some things up:

First of all, no, I did not steal her from the zoo. I'm a witch and she's my familiar, given to me by the River Guardians for getting through their maze of hell or whatever it's called. I helped her hatch and everything.

Two, she ain't gonna bite you, unless you do something stupid, like try to poke her. Like I don't know where some of y'all were raised but you think it'd be common sense not to go around messin' with alligators. [She shakes her head in disbelief. Some people.] Plus, you know, she's magic, so she's real smart and knows what's goin' on and will listen to me.

Three, I don't know how much bigger she's gonna get. I mean, normal gators can get to be like ten feet or so, but she's not exactly normal so who knows? Maybe I'll have to get some place for her out in the jungle or somethin' where she can be more at home, but we'll see.

[Truth be told, she'd rather not have to leave the communal housing, but she already loves this scaly girl more than anything, so whatever's best for her, she'll do.]

Point bein', you don't have to be scared of her or worry that I'm gonna abandon her in the sewer or some shit. I been around gators all my life and I wouldn't do anything to hurt her. If you got any more questions or just wanna meet her, I guess just leave a message on this video!

madeupnames

[The feed is mostly full of textbooks, the spines all turned enough that they're legible; it's math, chemistry, social studies, all the fun things nobody misses from high school. And on the right side of the screen is Peter, sitting with his cheek on his palm and his elbow pressed beside a blank page of paper. He looks kind of sleepy, like he'd just nod off if he didn't have the feed to focus on.]

So I've got this essay I need to write by tomorrow, and I'm having a hard time getting — personal, and all that. The prompt's asking about what inspires you, specifically. [He looks to read it word-for-word:] 'What motivates you in your day to day life?' And I mean, I've got a lot of motivations, but trying to put it to paper is giving me a wicked case of the fogbrain.

[He tucks his pen under his nose, holding it with his upper lip for a moment before letting it fall pitifully to the table. He sighs.]

What motivates you guys? Into doing what you do? What makes you put your shoes on in the morning, huh?

And don't just say 'to avoid stepping on pointy stuff barefoot'. That's a cheap and obvious answer—

[Peter startles violently as birthday music blares behind him, so much so that his pencil goes flying through the air and RIP's somewhere off-screen. Pam the pancake making robot seems to be flying onto the scene in the background with freshly made pancakes and festive lights blinking all over her.

A little lighter arm pops out, preparing to light a lone candle on the stack of flapjacks.

Peter mutters, mortified:]

...I thought I disabled Birthday Mode for repairs...

[He looks back at the robot with his hand pressed to his temple, and clears his throat.]

... Pam, uh. My - my birthday was two days ago. Two days. It's August 10th. And, uh, it's... it's the 12th now.

[Peter watches as the AI seems to try to process this, tapping his finger on the table and thinning his lips at the awkward silence. Pam's little plate-holding robo-arms lower slightly, the generic birthday MIDI file slowing to a depressive stop as the party-themed lights and lighter are shut off together. A pause of nothing. Then she turns and dejectedly wheels away into the community kitchen with her plate of pancakes.]

Wait, Pam — Aw, c’mon, I can still eat them! Hey—

[Peter drops his arms.

... Note to self, fix her internal clock...]

enveloped

[The video starts with a tall, bearded man wearing a tailored suit sitting on the edge of a very executive looking desk in an equally executive looking office.

He smiles before speaking in a low, steady voice, his arms by his sides. Purposely left uncrossed. No fidgeting. He's comfortable in front of a camera, but not without practice.]

To be forcibly removed from our homes, support networks, and everything we’ve ever known is no small matter. For some, the experience can be traumatic. You may struggle with day to day life, or find yourself feeling unsafe in your new home. Holding down a job or making connections with other people can feel difficult, or even impossible, when you're uncertain of your environment and place within it. Everyone copes differently.

Very few of us asked to be here, and it's necessary the city is prepared to deal with the very real problems experienced by its displaced citizens, and accommodate their needs as efficiently and empathetically as possible in order to create and maintain a happy, healthy society. My name is Cameron Waltz, I'm a negotiator and cultural mediator from Earth, and I've been appointed the role of public representative to present our needs to the city council, and ensure our voices are being heard.

I'm looking for feedback on how your life has changed for the better or the worse since your arrival. I'll start with a few questions, none of which you have to answer, but would be very helpful in solidifying the case I'm building.

Please answer as honestly as you're comfortable. Anonymous commentary is allowed on this post, and you're welcome to be as vague or as specific as you'd like, without fear of discrimination.

I greatly appreciate any and all responses. With your help, we can find the holes in the existing social services system and work together to close them.

Thank you for your time.

--text attachment

-Have you felt adequately supported by the city, and its representatives?

-Do you struggle mentally or emotionally with your expatriation on a day to day basis?

-Are there aspects of life in Riverview you find more difficult than others?

-If you’re a minor, or know a minor, have you found the social services offered adequate?

-Are you satisfied or dissatisfied in the career provided for you? Do you find yourself changing jobs often?

-Do you struggle to make ends meet?

-If there's any one thing the city could do to improve your life, what would it be?

satansniece

What's up, Riverview?

[The feed turns on and there's April in her boring office, at her boring job for the boring government, being so incredibly bored that she's actually decided to do some real work. Who knew? Unfortunately, she's done about all she can do that doesn't involve actually interacting with other people, so she begrudgingly takes to the network.]

I'm April, I'm new, and for whatever reason, I get to do this now. [She points the lens at a new looking placard that reads "Assistant Director of Cultural Development." As she pans back to her face, she's still rolling her eyes.] I guess it kind of makes sense since I did a lot of this stuff working for the parks department back in Indiana, but there wasn't exactly a ton of culture going on there beyond harvest festivals, cult meetings, and farmers markets, so I might need a little input here. [She pauses, seemingly deep in thought for a brief moment, spinning her chair around slowly.] I'd say if anything, I'd really like to carry over planning meetings for any cults that might be interested in our city services.

I guess since it's going to be my job to help organize events and holidays and stuff, they'll probably want me to have a good idea of what everyone actually wants to see happening around here. [She wrinkles her nose, displeased at the idea of having to actually care what it is that people want, let alone hear about it. Maybe the people here aren't as horrible as they are in Pawnee, but she isn't holding her breath.]

My personal favorite is Halloween, and I don't really see why we should wait to celebrate it considering we're in a different reality, so my first proposal would be impromptu trick-or-treating, light mischief, and maybe a pizza party followed by some casual grave robbing. I'm open to suggestions, though.

dancingmd

[Nine years. Nine years since she stepped back through the portal, nine years since she returned to the Enterprise, nine years that inevitably faded some of the memories of this place - but not everything. The faces she knows. Even if she forgets now where that cute little corner market was or what the hell half these gifs and memes mean anymore (if she ever understood in the first place) Beverly never forgets a coworker, a patient, a friend. And she left them all in such a hurry. The portal's connection to her time and place had been tenuous, she had to go then, or risk losing her chance to go home all together.

And now... now she's back, exhausted by the weight of war and the toll of death, new lines etched into her face. When the portal specialist told her it had only been a week since she'd left, she had to laugh. Of course. It seems this place isn't ready to let go of her.

Though not typically a frequenter of the network, it is the easiest and quickest way for her to contact multiple people at once. She doesn't want anyone (else - apologies to Lucretia) to be caught unawares by her sudden reappearance, so she leaves a quick video message:]

Good Morning. This is Dr. Beverly Crusher [of the USS Enterprise no more] reporting that I have returned to Riverview.

[For god's sake, woman, this isn't a mission log. She offers a smile - it's a little sad, but a smile nonetheless.]

I wanted to apologize to those I left without proper goodbyes. I hope you got my messages, at least. I'll be at my apartment for the rest of the day if anyone wants to stop by. Thank you.

citharede

[ It's three in the morning when she posts this video.

Here is Athena, hanging her head and part of her torso off the edge of her apartment building's roof and filming herself upside-down, the dark streets below outlined in streetlights and marked by the occasional pedestrian. ]

How do you do, fellow kids. [ She dangles one arm alongside her head, hanging on to her device one-handed. ] I'm super fucking bored which I didn't think would actually be physically possible on a moon in another universe, but anyway.

Who wants to go on a firefly hunt? Catch a bunch of the fuckers, turn them loose in a department store. Or an office building. Or a coffee shop. Anywhere we can get in easy and run away fast. [ She rolls over so she's filming herself against the backdrop of the night sky now, instead of the street. ]

Whoever catches the most wins something, whoever gets bit loses automatically and has to go jump in the river.

secretarialhand

[When the video feed turns on, it shows a pale young elven man with an extremely calm demeanor, sitting at a desk made of heavy, dark wood, and anyone who's been to Gramarye Magic Research will recognize that wallpaper. His hands are folded neatly in front of himself, and he's dressed in a simple blue tunic, pierced ears lifted, alert and attentive.

Lifting his chin slightly, he pins the camera with a serious expression.]

Our name is Csevet Aisava, and we have recently been placed in charge of administrative tasks at Gramarye Magic Research.

[A pause.]

It is clear that whoever preceded us in this position was far more invested in research than paperwork. We would like to request that any in the employ of the Research Center please turn in copies of all necessary receipts and reports since...

[Another pause, and he lifts a hand to shift a paper into better view.]

...January first.

They may be left at our desk, or submitted by mail or electronically.

[That last word sounds awkward, as if he's only said it a handful of times in his life and doesn't entirely understand what it means. Csevet hates not entirely understanding things, and there's an undercurrent of that as well, his ears pulling back against his head a little.]

Our thanks.

partiallysquirrelblood

[The video starts, showing a young woman with a bright bucktoothed grin, wearing a squirrel ear headband. There's a squirrel in a pink bow riding on her shoulder.]

Hey there Riverview. I'm Doreen Green. Also the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. Normally, there's kind of a whole secret identity deal? But between showing up in costume and all the scans it...didn't seem really like it would work out here.

This is Tippy-Toe [The squirrel hops off Doreen's shoulder so the camera can get a better look at her.] She's my best squirrel friend and also the most awesome squirrel on this or any other planet. This is absolutely true, and I won't hear anyone say otherwise.

...well technically I will, since it's not like I'll suddenly go deaf if someone does say otherwise. I'm just going to ignore them.

honeybadgerer

[ the feed opens up to a girl dressed in a bright tshirt and smiling broadly at her audience, waving her hand enthusiastically. there are prominent scar marks on her face. ]

Hi Riverview! My name's Gabby and I'm new here! I was in New York before. The one with the superheroes. And now I'm here! Unfortunately, I think I lost all my stuff? And my caseworker kind of freaked out when I gave her the list, so maybe you guys can help me!

I'm missing my MAC-10 machine pistols, nunchucks and knuckle busters. Anyone knows where to get those? Oh, and a proper bullet proof suit.

Thanks!

hylights

[The video opens on Zelda sitting in her office at Gramarye. She smiles once the video begins, a little subdued.]

Hello. I hope everyone's faring better after the events of a couple of months ago.

[She considers saying more, only to shake her head slightly. Best to let terrible memories lie. Besides, that's not the point of this broadcast.]

This is going to sound like a strange question, I'm sure. But I was wondering if anyone had advice on what sort of things are useful to buy when moving into a new home? I'm looking at apartments at the moment... they have furniture in them, but I'm not sure what else usually goes into a living space, especially here in Riverview.

[There are just a lot of gadgets that seem useful. And fascinating. But how many of them are practical? That's the real question. After a moment, Zelda has to smother an awkward laugh.]

It's probably obvious that I haven't done this before. [She looks down for a moment before holding up a magazine, folded open to a page advertising a dehumidifier.] And... I’m interested in how these work, but how necessary are they? How humid can a home really be?

devilstongue

[The camera clicks on, and is a little wonky and dark for a moment until a lavender hand corrects it to face the right way. An old dark-wood table comes to view, covered in dripping candles and shiny knick-knacks, and the room is covered in tapestries and drapery, like someone tumbled through a fabric shop and grabbed anything pretty or vaguely mystical.

You can almost smell the incense through the camera.

On the other side of the table is your friendly neighbourhood circus man, dressed about as colorful as the room and smiling coyly as he looks into the camera. (Or at least he fucking hopes he is, stupid modern technology.) Those solid red eyes reflect some of the candlelight, and the baubles and jewelry he wears glimmer as well - all to draw attention and make him look even more devilish.]

Good evening, gentlepeople of Riverview! I hope you are having a lovely time, working together in this little sanctum of ours until we find our way home.

I am Mollymauk Tealeaf, a not-so humble entertainer, here to bring you mystery and magic to your life!

[Leaning back, he flicks his hand and a fan of cards appear in it, the backs decorated with moons and suns. It looks old and expensive, and very well-used.]

Have you felt lost in this place? Uncertain were your life will take you after appearing here? Looking for guidance and signs on how to proceed?

[He sets the cards on the table, making a gesture with some quick sleight of hand to turn one up. It's a very intricately and finely drawn star.]

The cards are always here help you. Past, present and future lies in them, and at Cards of Curiosity, they can answer your questions.

[There's a bit of a movement again, and the cards all have turned over, showing different faces - a serpent, a sun, a tower. Molly smiles again - all fangs, this time. Some people liked a little goosebumps with their entertainment, and he knows how to work his lineage to his advantage.]

Come visit me as I interpret the mystique of the cards. For answers, for guidance or simply just for fun, I promise you an experience like never before!

[Insert Street Here], at the corner. Let your quest for answers lead you there!

[A little wave, and the camera turns off. Molly leans back against the beanbag and exhales. Things were easier in person, but hey. Baby's first commercial.]

riverview network

Entries tagged with the black tapes: alex reagan

Eighth (lack of sleep note) accidental video post.

Seventh (lack of) sleep note. A picture and later a post.

Six (lack of) Sleep note. Game night. Audio as always sn@pnwsalex

Text, un: ambiguity

(I refuse your merry making and offer annoyance instead) Voice: TheStrandInstitute

⚾ 003! video; un: yakyuu.luvr

CAUTION: BEWARE OF STUDENTS (video; un: j.calhoun)

002 # text # un: skyenet

video @L.Mills

video; @dreamsunwind

Video | HAPPY... LATE... BIRTHDAY??? | @p.parker

#1 video; @waltz

video | @snakehole

@b.crusher | video

001 - shenanigans

@mer.aisava; video

[video | un: unbeatablesg]

[ video | un: honeybadger ]

video. | un: z.hyrule

video @molly

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