01 💥VIDEO.

[selfconducts]

[ The video that follows has production values of noticeably good-to-high quality; rather than simply record this with the communicator Baal's made use of the producer contacts Persephone introduced him to, since first impressions are everything, especially for a message like the one he's about to make.

As usual he's dressed sharply, gold chain and lightning bolt pendant standing out against the deep purple turtleneck he's wearing underneath the jacket of his red suit, and he's being recorded while seated on a pristine white couch in front of a black marble coffee table, one leg crossed over the other, clasped hands resting on his knee. Yes, he did put this beautiful room together within about a week of being here, what of it? Baal winks and then smiles warmly toward the camera, very poised and confident, though sincere. ]

H'lo. No doubt most of you won't have heard of me yet, but I can promise that'll be changing very soon. They call me Baal, which may tell you-- [ He cocks his head slightly. ] Yes, I'm a god. And yes, I fully intend on living up to the name by running in the upcoming De Chima Ambassadorial elections. If I don't yet have the reputation it takes to win then so be it, but it'd be against my nature to not even try.

[ "Baal" means "Lord," for those following along at home who might catch his meaning-- "living up to the name" and all. He continues, still smiling, though it relaxes into a slightly more neutral expression: ]

Where I come from, every 90 years there's an entire Pantheon's worth of us; normally twelve, though this time round we've been blessed with thirteen. Humans-turned-gods with superpowers. [ He snaps his fingers and the power in the room flickers, static sparks flickering around his hand. ] Our jobs being not only to take care of one another during the short time we'll have these powers for, but to inspire change and progress in humanity, who's in turn then meant to go on to change and progress the world even further. We can change people, but we don't get to change the world itself.

Some of you may have even experienced a taste of this already if you've attended any of the other gods's concerts.

[ Not going to namedrop, because that's a lot of names -- Persephone, Inanna, Baphomet, Lucifer, Cassandra/Urdr, Dionysus, fuckin' Woden -- and he doesn't know much of what they've all been up to yet, but if anyone's been moved by one or more of them then he expects that those people will know exactly what he's talking about anyway. ]

It's been a while since I performed... these days, this sort of thing's become my job. It's all right, I don't mind it. I'm the one of us that's good at it. [ It's hard to tell if that's a joke or not. ] But there's your context: the way I see it, the imPorts of this world are like a bigger version of a similar concept. Considering how ultimately our stays here are only temporary, it's a mindset I think most of us would benefit from moving forward. No matter what we want to do with our lives here, we can't hide from what we are. Don't fear it and don't apologise for it. Use it. All of us have the power now to affect humanity here for the better. Influence them and provide them with the tools to make their world better. Or worse. But obviously that's not what we're going for.

In a perfect scenario, we'd be more self-sufficient rather than rely on the US military and government for employ and housing that could go to the people who actually live here, too-- another thing I'll be working on should I be elected. And while I'd like to go on about how it should be us [ "Or me" ] who step in and handle the situation if-and-when an imPort goes dangerously off the rails as opposed to an insultingly inadequate prison sentence, I understand that's apparently somewhat controversial. So I'll let it rest for now. Come back to it again when I win.

Either way, the premise is simple: we also don't leave the world a worse place than when we started. Handle our own shit amongst ourselves when it goes that far.

[ Then, smiling broadly again, he sits back. ]

All right. I know some of it probably sounds vague, but I think I've covered enough to give you all an idea of what I stand for. If not, ask. Otherwise, for now-- [ He claps his hands twice, saying: ] Clap off.

[ And with a spark, the feed cuts and abruptly goes dark. ]

Sermon 002 | Video

[jadus]

It is evident that a significant portion of us are from a shared history. Certain key points in time have been especially active. Certain groups are disproportionately represented.

This warrants further study, and preparation. I believe it may be possible to predict who will arrive. Who might be vulnerable to permanent loss. Perhaps these incidents can be prevented. But more information needs to be compiled.

I have seen mention and fragmentary evidence of attempts to construct a timeline, but no current and complete examples. I am willing to take up this task.

I require information from those who recognize the Galactic Republic, Galactic Empire, Rebel Alliance, Jedi, Sith, the Force.

Provide dates under any system you are aware of. Tell me your final day before arrival. Give references to major events. Tell me if you died. Tell me of any others that have since left this planet. Tell me if anyone here was known to you before, and why.

My colleague Darth Marr and I are the first I am aware of. We are from a point 32,823 after the Tho Yor Arrival, 21,423 years after the founding of the Republic, and 1,350 years after the restoration of the new Sith Empire. For five years, both Republic and Empire have suffered under an invasion from the Unknown Regions, which we learned was orchestrated by our former Emperor, Darth Vitiate. On the day of my arrival, I sensed his death.

Others will have many uses for this data. My primary concern is the possibility of his arrival on Earth. His presence inevitably brings cataclysm. I want to calculate the probability of this event, and prepare accordingly.

[He has attached a link to his timeline in progress]

001 { video }

[athnvas]

[ when the feed comes on, it’s mostly just annabeth looking a bit intense. not too scary, really, but close to it. especially with how she’s staring directly at the camera with her dark grey eyes, sitting at a table at fauxhalla.

possibly familiar grey eyes, but that depends on the company you keep. ]

I’m looking for personal accounts of what happens when people disappear. When they get ‘ported out’ or whatever you want to call it. [ her lips press into a thin line, like she’s trying to keep herself from reacting more loudly, or extremely, or just in general be more pissed off. ]

Some people think they get sent home but I know not everyone does- but is there anything else? Do they always just leave, or do they come back remembering what happened? Is there any way to know the difference based on when they leave? Anything about what they leave behind here? How normal is it for people to remember their time here when they leave?

[ her finger taps on the wood of the desk, a kind of nervous tick as her eyes scan the room around her. there's a feeling like she has something more to say, but is holding it back with some frustration. after a brief pause, she exhales through her nose. ]

How much time has to pass before you know for sure they’re not coming back?

[ a pause, and then that’s the video- abrupt cut to the end of it and everything. ]



PRIVATE: CLOSE MAGNUS CR

[ the feed comes back up to a collection of people, with annabeth’s head tilted down, her thumb and forefinger massaging at the bridge of her nose. ]

Magnus was ported out. If he comes back and someone else finds him first, just...can you let me know?

[ there’s a kind of half-break to her voice, there, but she does swallow it back well enough as she cuts the video. ]

[Video]

[faithfulson]

[ Luke looks a little nervous when he pops up on the network, and he takes a deep breath, before forcing himself to start before he can change his mind. ]

Hi, everyone. I'm Luke Skywalker; I was training to be a Jedi Knight back home, before coming here. But... since coming here, I've been questioning... a lot, about the training I've received.

So, since there are so many of us here from various points in time, I want to hear your stories: legends, teachings -- anything you've heard about the Force, either side of it, I want to hear it all. Even if you're not a Force user yourself, I want to hear anything you may have heard, even if it's just unsubstantiated rumors. There's something important I'm trying to find, and the more information I have, the better.

[ He paused a moment, biting his lip. ]

I know this is public, but aimed at a certain group. I apologize, but I know there are others from my reality that I haven't met yet, and this was the best way I could think of to reach everyone.

[ He paused again, but this time a small smile came to his face. ]

Though, as I understand it, our lives are a... moovee? For some worlds. Hearing stories from people that are completely removed from our galaxy would be helpful as well.

Thank you in advance, everyone.