001, video.

[areou]

( you better bet the first thing she did upon arrival was test out her new powers. fucking finally. it's about time she got something cool out of being a demigod. so, you know, without bothering to check if anyone she knows is around, she'll just pop in on the network and see what's up. like the cool kids do. there are a couple undead confederate soldiers standing behind her, looking mostly confused because, let's be real, they've never seen a cellphone before. )

Alright, show of hands. Who here is a demigod? Bonus points if I don't know you.

( one of the soldiers clears his throat and a southern ma'am can be heard behind her. she turns her head, like she'd forgotten they were there and then suddenly remembered. she jabs a thumb over her shoulder. )

Oh, right. That's Jethro and his friend there is Tull. Those aren't their real names, but that's what I'm calling them. They're here to pay off their debt to Ares, so until they meet some horrible demise or I say otherwise, they work for me. They won't listen to anyone else, so don't even try.

( she salutes at the camera and the soldiers awkwardly follow suit. )

See you around, punks.

VIDEO

[khajidont]

[ When the feed turns on, Jaime’s leaning against a station wagon in what looks to be the middle of Heropa’s Park. Only it’s not quite just a station wagon - it’s seated on its tail, strewn with paint, windows shattered with the sharp edges covered in glitter glue, bashed to hell and back and with more than a few dog plushies glued on top of it. ]

Hey. Uh - hey to all you newbies too, but this is kind of a grim topic, and one you’re probably not gonna have to worry about for a while. I’m pretty sure everyone’s had their fill of talking about who’s been ported out these days, so instead I wanna talk about what happens after we do get ported out. We can just let it happen and let all of our crap be traded among whatever friends we got left and let the rest get seized by the government, but just because we’ll all be ported out eventually doesn’t mean that we can’t have some control over it.

I’m talking about making a will - and leaving letters behind for the people you care about. It’s not like it’s fun to do, and depending on how people come and go, it’s something you’ll have to update on the regular, but it can mean a lot to the people left behind. If there’s people here you care about, just consider leaving a little something behind. Maybe we don’t get the choice of saying good-bye ourselves, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be prepared for it. That, and it’d be a real shame if so much of what we’ve built up as, like, a community just gets handed over to the feds ‘cause nobody else wants to deal with it. So... food for thought. I know the letters I’ve gotten have meant a lot to me and, chances are, the letters you’ll leave behind will mean a lot to other people as well. It's easy to get all cynical about living here, so why not leave something good behind?

[ He pauses, glancing up at the fixture he’s leaning against. ]

Oh, yeah. I’m probably gonna get dinged for vandalism or whatever, but if you’ve got superstrength and the government asks you to get rid of this, do me a favour and leave it up for a few days.

[ Totally stonefaced, he adds on: ] It’s a Grahamorial.

[ He thinks Will would approve. ]

VIDEO: 001

[fource]

Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Quatre Raberba Winner. It's nice to meet you all.

It's only been a few days since I arrived in this universe, and I acknowledge that I'm still adjusting. There are a number of differences between the Earth Sphere that I'm familiar with and this world, some of which could put my home to shame. The level of medical care available here alone should be a cause for celebration. At the same time, I see report after report of conflict between the people who were born on this planet and those of us from other universes, which... [he probably can't just say "means this place still needs some work," so after a moment of frowning off to the side of the camera, he just moves on to the crux of his navelgazing.]

...My understanding is that my fellow new arrivals and I will be invited to a "swear in" within a few days, where we are asked to declare our loyalty to the laws of this country in exchange for certain benefits. I'd like to announce my intention to decline to swear this oath-- not out of disrespect for this country and its laws, but in protest on behalf of the native citizens. If we want to address the root of the difficulties between natives and imPorts, in order to even the differences between us, it must fall to the side with more power to make the first move. With that in mind, I'm uncomfortable with the idea of accepting free housing, guaranteed employment, and a living stipend for my presence here if those same rights aren't extended to the native citizens in this country. We didn't choose to come to this universe, but neither did they, and I can't accept the idea that we are awarded privileges that they are not. It’s no surprise that our relationship is rocky if the foundation that starts it is so unequal.

I would like to make my intentions clear now so they are not misunderstood. I can only speak for myself, but this seems to be the least I can do.

With all of that said... [for a moment, he looks uncertain, like a normal teenager instead of someone who just rattled off a bunch of nonsense about political responsibility] they mentioned that no one back home notices that we're missing, and that when we return, it's as if we never left. How is that... has anyone been able to confirm that's the case? For everyone?

Thank you all for your time.

[ Text ] ; Totally anonymous

[battysitter]

Let's say some guy is looking for the perfect hair.

What substitute for Fabergé Organics shampoo and conditioner, and Farrah Fawcett spray is there? Because I know they existed at some point. [ Steve isn't obvious I don't know what you are talking about ]

Less related to amazing hair, what did you guys want to do after school? Like, what job did you want? What kind of future, I guess? I don't mind my job right now, but I kinda realize it's not a career.

voice.

[vdova]

[ Natasha sounds, well. Agitated is probably the best term for it. She's working her jaw, a bit, before she speaks, trying to find the right words to say without revealing too much but also not enough. ]

Out of curisosity, did anyone else get ambushed by a bunch of papparazzi near the theatre in Nonah? Apparently there was a movie premiere going on — one geared towards the stories and adventures of imPorts, and all of us were invited, whether or not we wanted to be.

[ She tsks, clearly one of the people who did not want to be invited and were anyway. ]

I have to say, if this is the welcome we're recieving here, I'm not sure how to take it. The spotlight isn't really my style.

[ She pauses, as if she's about to hang up — but thinks better of it at the last second. ] I give the movie two stars, by the way. Absolutely unrealistic, everyone knows there are no trees in the Midwest.