Video

[runs_on_batteries]

Good evening, Voidtreckers. I'd like to announce a council meeting in three days. It's overdue and I believe we have a number of items to discuss.

Please council members take some time over the next few days to come up with and notify me of topics we need to discuss so I can prepare an agenda. If anyone who is not a council member feels strongly about a certain topic we should consider, either tell me or seek out a council member so they may relay the information.

Comments

video;

[blitzcheer]

Whoa, this turned into a talk and a half!

[ He was barely paying attention, and then there was a series of back and forth? Open meetings closed meetings open meetings? ]

Anyway, I guess we all get a say on what we think, right, then you take it to the meeting? 'Cause I'm another vote from the public for opening this up. Why not? [ A small shrug follows it. ] It sounds this is for the better of everyone on the train, and wouldn't it be easier for people to chip in with their ideas? The gym's got to be big enough for whoever wants to come!

We can come up together with ideas for stress relievers or fun days, or whatever else that's important. We're in this together anyway, right?

Re: video;

[mtsilver_conquor]

Well said.

[blitzcheer]

[ Oh hey, one of the people he saw in all that-- ]

Aha- let us know how it goes! I guess you will-- [ a general you, a 'council' you ] --but even giving opening it up a test run can't hurt, can it?

[mtsilver_conquor]

I don't think so, and like I said, there's ways to do it and protect those new to the role FM being overwhelmed.

I am going to be recording it though and making the transcripts and said recording public. So, no matter happens, people will get to hear what happens at least.

[blitzcheer]

That works. [ The recordings and transcripts, that is. ] Is there anything like that for the other meetings? I dunno a lot about them--everything I've read is on that welcome leaflet.

[ Admitted somewhat sheepishly. ]

[mtsilver_conquor]

Sadly, no. This is the first time I've been able to record like this, and I plan to have full transparency with the process.

Point and I'll see to it that's changed. I'm Eva Iden'no, by the way, and not all of us who ended up on the council actually ran for it. I got voted in because I'm good at listening and people think I'm a good leader for some reason.

[Because she is.] But, just because I didn't want the job doesn't mean I don't take it seriously.

[blitzcheer]

[ That gets him to blink, around the part about voted in. But before he asks- ]

I'm Tidus. [ Introduction comes first! ] You got voted in? So... people can say they wanna join, or other people can vote and make 'em?

[mtsilver_conquor]

A little over a month ago, Stark-san put out a call for those on the train to nominate who they wanted on a council. I was one of them and then I was voted in about a seven-day after that. I could have refused, but I didn't because I have a duty by those who voted for me, and I tended to do carry it out to the best of my ability.

Honestly, I'd like to see us get through at least four months of a stable council before we have another election. Ideally six, but that's hard given we don't have control over who leaves, but that's my thoughts on it.

[blitzcheer]

[ Maybe that's normal, that sort of voting, Tidus doesn't know. It sounds weird to him, but his proximity to any type or knowledge of politics is barely basic, so he'll leave it, focus on the other stuff. ]

Did you lose some of the people who used to be on the council?

[ Is that why the election for new ones recently happened? ]

[mtsilver_conquor]

That, and our numbers have grown and keep doing so and will keep doing so.

And people will keep leaving. I've been here from the start, but that doesn't make me immune from leaving, either.

[blitzcheer]

Ohhh, I getcha. [ A nod. ]

Well, do you think there's a better way of doing it? It's kinda why I like the open idea of this whole thing. Everyone knows what's up, gets a say. Sure you can go to one of the council people later on, but if someone's interested in this stuff, they get to toss a gil in. Everyone's working together. [ Or, the people who care. ]

You'll still need people who're keeping track of this stuff... but if there's more people involved, that means it's easier to pass on work when somebody goes, right? And you're trying to do that with your transcripts...

[ His thoughts may be a little all over the place with this council business. ]

[mtsilver_conquor]

I agree. I just don't know how it's going to be handled yet, but it should be open to everyone somehow.

Yes, and I plan to have backups of the transcripts left with people I trust, though doubtless the rest of the Council'll want the same, so it'll work out in the end.

Re: video;

[runs_on_batteries]

Yes, you can take what you think to any of the council members.

[He sighed.]

I've already stated a number of times why not. This is the very first meeting and there are some people on the council who haven't been in a leadership role before. We're going to offer transcripts of the meeting and we'll talk about opening all subsequent meetings.

[blitzcheer]

Hey, just adding my thoughts. This thing's open for anyone to listen in on, right? [ A one-shouldered shrug. ]

I wanted to give my support to the idea.

[runs_on_batteries]

...

[Well that threw him off. He was expecting another person wanting to pick a fight with him.]

It is. I'll note your support, kid. What's your name, by the way? I don't believe we've met yet.

[blitzcheer]

Tidus. I showed up at the last stop. [ He answers amicably, following it with a beat. ] And you're Tony, right? I'm one of those deaf guys that didn't hear about you 'til I was on the island.

[ To use Tony's words to Lightning there, though his tone is slick with humour when he repeats it. ]

[runs_on_batteries]

Nice to meet you Tidus.

[He nodded and then breathed a laugh at that.]

You have to learn to be some degree deaf around here or you'd never have a moment's peace. People talk on this thing too damn much.

[He wasn't really complaining judging by the smile on his face.]

Is there anything about the train I can fill you in on?

[blitzcheer]

Well...yeah, sure. Since we're talking about this. [ Right? Might as well. ]

The council, I get the idea of it--trying to figure out how to make this ride better for everyone, right? But there isn't anything about what you focus on around, not what I've seen. Like, what you do, or try to, or what's useful to bring to you guys, you know?

Unless I missed something. [ Tidus looks off camera beside himself, the space around him visible as a lower bunk bed. A crumbled welcome leaflet flaps into view. ]

I've got this thing, and it lists a bunch of names and that's about it. ....Sooo- [ he thinks for a second, searching for a way of asking the inevitable. His mouth tilting on one side. ]

Am I blind too?

[ Said, as if there was the possibility, but let's hide behind a joke. Was there more about this council and he just missed it? Is it in the library?

...it's in the library, isn't it. ]

[runs_on_batteries]

[Exactly why he asked. He gave the young man credit though. He was willing to ask questions and hear the answers which boosted Tony's opinion of him. And despite what others might say, he really did want to help the newcomers.

Also excuse him, he's going into professor mode.]

So Tidus, we have two systems of leaders active on the train. We have the council and we have team leaders. The train council, is a group of elected representatives who meet regularly- that's the goal anyway- and make decisions for the train as a whole. This may include projects for making the train more passenger friendly, creating and enforcing rules, dealing with trouble that arise on the train, etc. For instance, a few of us have been working to create communicative devices for when we're on missions and on board. But think bigger picture stuff for them.

The other group is the team leads. These people are selected by their team. They've shown leadership qualities and are your go-to if you need anything with day-to-day living around here. Their most important job, though, is on missions. They're the ones who need to know if you go to a different team so we can make sure we don't lose anyone. It is their responsibility to keep their team safe and accounted for. They're the ones that have earned the trust of their team and who you should listen to.

Does that help?

[blitzcheer]

...I guess so, [ technically, yeah, ] but you got that in writing? Somewhere people can find that out on the train?

I think it'd help out if you don't! [ He still isn't a hundred percent sure they don't, so he tries to keep it sounding like the friendly questioning and suggestion he means it to be. ] Make things less confusing what you guys are about, y'know?

[runs_on_batteries]

It was...

[He held up his index finger and got up from his seat in his office. The sound of him leaving the room could be heard and then another minute it opens again. He comes back into view as he flips through the papers. He sighs and then mutters to himself.]

Some of this shit is just asinine.. Eva, what the hell are you doing, honey..

[Dropping it on his desk he shook his head.]

This will be corrected.

[blitzcheer]

[ Tidus stays sitting on his bed awkwardly, feeling sympathetic from the sounds of the muttering he catches.

Poor Eva, apparently... ]

Sure! Hey, 'least you know now. I figure everyone's trying their best. S'not like the train or whoever's running it is giving a hand. [ Speaking of sympathies- ] It must've sucked when our watches suddenly decided they can talk with your phone project.

[ He waves his left hand when he says that, the SCA with its purple strap still around his wrist. ]

[laurefindil]

Hello,

Pardon me for interrupting, but I have some questions.

I just joined when the elections were held and honestly did not know many of those nominated. I still don't know several, yourself included, aside from a brief chat when I turned in my questionnaire.

Why are the Team Leaders not considered part of the council?
How often are elections held?
Is there a recourse if a council member is found to be lacking--or more likely, what is the replacement policy if one leaves the Train?
What are these rules that the council will be creating and enforcing? If someone doesn't agree to abide by the Council's rules, do we have a fair way of dealing with them? Not everyone comes from a World where this is a thing. I do, I served on Elrond's council for over 3000 years, but some seem more anarchical or have severe phobias to authority. Decisions on how to deal with our fellow VoidTrekkers with those issues definitely need to be transparent.
Will some things be brought to the greater group for voting or will it all be decided on by the Council?

Regarding the Team Leads, you say they are selected by their team. When does this happen?

Forgive me for so many questions. Thank you for your time.

[runs_on_batteries]

I'd rather you ask than make wrong assumptions. So ask away.

Unfortunately with the constant influx of passengers who keep arriving every two weeks, it didn't matter when we held the elections. At some point there would be a group who had just arrived and didn't know the train well enough to make the most informed decisions. It had been about six months since our first election and our numbers had increased dramatically so it was time regardless.

The reason the Team Leaders are not part of the council is because they serve a very different role. You can have a man who is a great leader in battle or crisis situations who isn't great at politics and vise versa. It's a different skill set.

There are some who are great at both, which is why there are some cross overs. Also, they're selected differently. The council, had a much more formal selection process and it was train-wide. For these people, it doesn't matter how many are from the same team. As you can tell Orange is more represented and that's alright. If they're good leaders, they're good leaders.

For the Team Leaders, these were originally selected by the team because of how small the teams were. When the leadership was arranged last time we had at most twenty people on board and a number of those were children. It was fairly obvious who among each team was a good fit for the role of leader. However, times have changed. Ask for a reconsideration of leadership among your team if you'd like. Dread, Sarai, and Luke will be supportive of this among the purple team. They're good people who, like the rest of us, are doing their best given the tools we have.

As things have changed so much from our first election, we are in need of setting up systems to answer the majority of the rest of your questions. When there were only twenty of us, it was decided that we didn't need set rules and we would figure out what to do if something happened when it occurred. This doesn't make sense any longer so we certainly will need to come up with a plan now.

I've noticed there are some who have issues with authority. It's in part why we're using a republic system government. It's the most 'people-friendly' style of government where I'm from. We want to make the decisions and workings of the council transparent. We're going to provide transcripts of everything said during the meeting and, as it stands now, I'm going to be working on how to get the whole meeting on the ICP so everyone can see it.

Originally I was concerned an open meeting might discourage the new members- we have some young individuals who are taking on the mantel of leadership for the first time. You could understand how intimidating that might be at the very beginning, can't you? However, it seems I'm being overruled on this, which is fine. That's the whole point of this government.

Decisions like whether we'll conduct another survey or election for other topics will be decided as it comes up. You can trust we will take that seriously. Just keep in mind everyone on the council are representatives that were voted in because a hundred individuals trusted them to make decisions for them. Not everyone chose to vote but everyone was given the same opportunity to do so. We're twelve people who want to make this place run smoothly and keep everyone safe.

Have I answered all your questions?

[laurefindil]

I completely understand. Dealing with a constant influx and outflux of people is something we had to cope with in Imladris, as well. Having a solid core of leadership is important. As long as the people's voices are heard, of course.

I was thinking of the Team Leaders more as an advisory role, since they have their fingers more on the day to day needs of their team. They could bring specific trends to the Council's attention, that might otherwise get overlooked. But it was just a thought.

I have no issues with the leaders, I was just curious and now seemed like a good time to ask. Thank you.

If I might suggest, perhaps having an Ombudsman or someone who people can go to go bring up anonymous issues, or if someone has an issue with the Council themselves? They would not be part of the Council themselves, but if they feel that something is a valid concern or something several have brought up, they would bring it to the Council for attention.

Also, having a Secretary whose duties are to create an agenda. It is fine if people go to an individual Council member to bring up something that needs to be addressed, but some may not know any of the Council Members yet or feel shy and not want to bother them. But if there is someone whose duties are exactly that, it might help. Again, just a thought.

I understand there is a delicate balance between wanting to encourage the new Council members and let them get comfortable in their roles, and making sure that the people they are representing feel comfortable with the leadership of the Council. Unfortunately closed meetings are, as you've discovered, not the way to do that. Limiting the discussion or comments from non-council members during the meeting might help. Perhaps have a separate place where comments can be submitted by those watching, and if any are important, address them during the new business section?

I do see this is something you take seriously. I look forward to seeing what the Council will do for us.