Video - Imagination 15

[adregem]

(Gen - in Purple. | Roland - in Dark Blue.)

[ The ICP flickers to life and in video, two individuals stand side by side. One is stern and still, with heavy eyes and crossed arms. The other with duo-colored hair is smiling, but their gaze is sharp and attentive. The announcement seems to be coming from the Dining car. ]

Good morning, everyone! After a rather … difficult … last mission, it seems that everyone’s scrambling for ideas, and answers. It’s … certainly been in my mind. Some have even called for a change in leadership, which is understandable, but I think might’ve ruffled a few feathers.

I really think that after everything we’ve been through, a fight about who’s running what is the last thing we need.

[ Roland transitions smoothly, with a nod in agreement. ]



Leadership’s always been about action, and in that sense, no one necessarily needs a title to be a leader in their own right. We’re all here to make train life a better place in our own way...so let’s do it. Let’s talk. No more barriers, no more walls. Just everyone who’s ever been interested to say anything about the train, coming together.

How’s the 18th of Imagination, sound? We can do it in the Music Room’s upper floor, so we maximize space.

[ Gen nodded, and added sheepishly: ]

Yes, so - Roland put things a lot better than I could, but he’s been here for a lot longer. But, pretty much, what he said!

Please - everyone, no matter what team, how involved you were in the mission - whether you saw things fall apart for yourself - please come. We’d want to speak to the Team Leads and the Council members, of course, but.

Now isn’t the time for us to bicker over power. We need to work together to find a better way to work - or more people are going to end up getting hurt.

[ Roland’s gaze grows more stern. Like he’s remembering something as he talks. Could just be the catch of the light. ]

There’s a lot we need to discuss either way. As one. Every voice heard, every talent taken into consideration so they’re exactly where they need to be.

[ Shrugging, Gen flourished a little with his hands, and said - ]

Ah! And there’ll be snacks! So even if you’re worried you might not have a great idea … if you’re feeling shy … you can at least come for the food, my friends.

Come for the candy! Stay for the attempts to keep us all from exploding. It’s a win-win!

[ And with that said, the two make their individual salutations - Roland nodding again and Gen waving nicely - before the announcement ends. ]



(OOC: Expect threeways/fourways/whatever-have-you-ways wherever appropriate! The said Open Log will be posted on the 5th of December. This is not a council meeting, but a player-driven initiative :) Come one, come all! Please feel free to throw in stuff OOCly here. )

Comments

[consider8]

I understand where you are coming from, but...

[How to say this delicately.] ...considering everyone's viewpoints may be an impossibility. And... not everyone is capable of setting aside their own emotions to clearly identify what they want to see happen and what needs to happen.

... [She's been a part of splatfests, and has seen how powerful differences of opinions can be. But those are all fun and games and this is putting people's lives on the line...]

Not everyone thought would be grounded be... informed. Not every viewpoint would be valid. How will the council decide what should and should not be heard?

[To be honest, she doesn't even trust that her own thoughts and views have value to a setting like this.]

[fun_thementalist]

... Trust me, I do understand where you're coming from as well.

But you can't decide ahead of time, only certain people are 'allowed', and other people's opinions aren't 'valid'. That's a recipe for disaster. Who's making that decision? What's the criteria? Why are people being excluded? What factors are coming into play?

Conflict is, sadly, inevitable. But consensus is actually a very human- I mean. A very social trait. People are naturally going to disagree, but we've also survived as long as we have, as various species, because we can work together.

Certainly, there will be misinformed ideas, and I'm sure a few people will try to make silly claims. But they can still be heard. Their concerns are still important. Theirs might just not be the deciding factor in what course is ultimately taken ...

[ Shrugs ] But that really, really won't be my call.

[consider8]

[Eight took the full measure of what he just said and -- blunder aside -- agrees with it for the most part. She's not sure what this is really like, as for the most part she was used to fascist leadership over democratic rule. This was all very new to her.]

[But she wasn't about to dismiss a new idea out of tentacle.] Alright.

I had planned on going anyway.

To hear what is being said and to hear what the leaders think should be done.

I want to stay informed.

[fun_thementalist]

That's really the best, first step. Getting a good feel for where other people are coming from, becoming better educated.

[ Gen shrugged a little. ]

I mean. Honestly, after ... everything ... just now ...

I can't imagine things getting a lot worse. But saying that really feels like jinxing things, doesn't it?

[consider8]

[Where's the lie?]

It's true.

A lot of people are very upset. And it sounds like a lot of people are right to be upset.

Are all missions that... way?

[fun_thementalist]

I can't really say. I've only been on just one, before that - and no. It didn't seem like this one at all.

[ Gave her a wry little smile. ] Really, I haven't been here for a lot longer than you have, my dear. But all the same, this can't be the only way of doing things.

[consider8]

[Hmm... it was enough to get her to think.]

Was there a meeting after the last one, too?

[fun_thementalist]

Not like we're suggesting. I'm not sure a trainwide thing's really been done before, but I could be wrong.

Usually it seems to be split up into our color teams, but ... I mean ... the things out there don't care what colors we're assigned. That alone makes it seem kind of weird to divide us in here, doesn't it?

[consider8]

[She sees the sense in that.]

Why is everyone in different colors?

[fun_thementalist]

Now, that is a good question, isn't it?

We don't know why we're put into separate teams, or how it really divides us up. It just ... is the way it is. And apparently we're taking these team designations as logical even though we don't get how they work?

I'm not saying dividing stuff up is a bad idea - I want to be nowhere near a fight, let me be clear - but we maybe should try to do it. Like. In a way that makes sense to us.

[consider8]

[Eight can see the sense in that, too. She fully agrees that technicians like Senku and healers like Ichigo should not be putting themselves forward into any sort of combat sense, but that they also provided important function for the benefit and welfare of everyone.]

[Nor was she so arrogant to assume that she was the first person to ask this question.]

You're... on the orange team, right? I was on the purple, and it seemed like we spent most of the time traveling, since we had to go to the different stations.

[She's not really getting to a point, she's mostly thinking out loud, here.]

[fun_thementalist]

I am! Even though I'm really not as, err. Clever as most of the people on the orange team seems to be. Maybe they put me here just because I'm rather awful at fighting anything.

Though we spent a lot of our time trekking through the jungle, too. Lots of things to repair, lots of robots to dismantle. I definitely got my steps in, you could say!

[consider8]

[That actually sounded like fun. If she had her ink pack, she would even be able to help fight them off. Perhaps someday.]

Did you bring anything back?

[She asked the important questions.]

[fun_thementalist]

I got a few things for Senku-chan! Bits and bobs from robots. I really don’t know too much about it, hopefully I didn’t pick up a bunch of broken junk.

[ He’s pretty sure everything he found was in decent enough condition, Gen put in effort in his scavenging. ]

Oh, and some things that might be editable, too. I’ll need to check with him to see.

[ Cacao! Maybe. They had to see how processing it went. ]

[consider8]

[That made sense.] Does he have you collect a lot of things?

[Cacao would be good, though! She'd have no idea how to process that, but fresh chocolate would be delish~]

[fun_thementalist]

I'm always dragged into a lot of work.

[ And he always said yes, which was the real point of the matter, when you got down to it. ]

But he does such incredible things with even the most basic of materials! First thing he decided to do when I met him, was build a power plant. And I'll remind you, we had rocks and sticks to work with, my dear.

[consider8]

[Ohh... But rocks and sticks...? Hmn...]

Hydro-electric?

[fun_thementalist]

Ah! Eventually.

But at first, he used raw manpower to help charge up the dynamo that he built.

[ A pause, and then a rueful sort of expression. ]

And. Yes. By raw manpower, I mean me. And other people. But also me. I'm not built for that, my dear! My poor arms were going to fall off! It was terribly cruel.

[consider8]

[If he was expecting sympathy, he was about to get none.]

That's good for you, then! After 1,000 years of being stone I think your arms needed to be moved around a bit.

[She chuckles.] Is everyone from your world awful with physical strength and coordination?

[fun_thementalist]

Gee, thanks! [ Gave her a bemused little laugh, but really, he had that coming, didn't he? ]

[ Huffs! ] My coordination, my friend, is great. I've got a lot of dexterity and I certainly can hit a target in a game of darts.

[ Laughs a little, though, this time more genuine. ]

But most people there are actually great at the strength sort of thing. I don't know why the train decided to kidnap us instead of the people on the Gorilla Team, but there you are.

[consider8]

[She laughs, imagining a team made entirely of gorillas. Of course, due to an oversight of the Shelladorf's institute gorilla exhibit she was confusing gorillas with yeti, which makes the mental imagry all the more amusing.]

Perhaps you were picked because of your technological expertise. There are already a lot of really strong people on board, but it seems that specialty skills are more uncommon.

[She can think distinctly of the lack of people responding to Della's request to fix her leg a couple of days ago. She was surprised Senku didn't take the job, but then she remembered that he received a concussion.]

Between us, I don't know what more I could add that better combatants are able to contribute.

[fun_thementalist]

Technological expertise? I'm afraid you've got me mistaken for my much, much more clever friend.

[ Gen laughed a little, and then tilted his head at her, considering. ]

I'm thinking you're adding something pretty worthwhile just now, did you know?

[consider8]

I am?

[It was true that she was the only Octoling on the train, as well as the only one made of ink. Still, considering the expertise of everyone else, she was pretty sure she was a B-lister at best.]

[fun_thementalist]

Yes.

[ His expression softened slightly. ]

You're actively doing your best, despite everything that's happening, to find out more information so you can help better.

Many people wouldn't even bother, sad to say. Trying to get answers and then learn from them is a habit more people should get into, don't you think?

[consider8]

Hm...

Don't think too badly of people who don't. This is the second time I've been in this situation. And I'm the only Octoling here.

It would make sense for me to try to find out more. Everyone is nice, but I have to also do a lot for myself.

I think you're thinking that I'm better than I am.