01. un: hound - [Voice]

[cantilevers]

[He was still learning this whole earpiece device, so excuse him for it turning on and there sound like someone was fiddling with the setting. Where was his far more technologically inclined smart kid to help him? Ah well, he did realize it was on sooner than later thankfully.]

Uh... sorry? [Chagrin tone.] I was curious about an idea, since I still consider myself fairly new to this situation. Here's hoping you all with entertain me here:

What does a sense of community mean or feel like to you?

[A beat of a pause.]

Is it friends and family? Is it gathering places and camaraderie? How about a sense of people uniting for a specific purpose in mind? Everyone here has their own agendas and their own interests, and, with no overt crime present at the moment, it's curious to me how we could build a sense of community around these parts.

Comments

[levindicated]

Can’t get along with everyone, after all. [Even though Cid seemed to have no issue mingling even with people who seemed to not like him. ]

Aye, a measure of loyalty is required.

[And nothing Vander laid out was unreasonable, though Cid viewed his rules even more loosely.]

I think its enough for people to just live. I think people naturally will align themselves towards peace and productivity. …Not everyone, mind. There are some real bastards out there.

[cantilevers]

No, but that doesn't mean I won't interact with them anyway. I don't particularly care if people like me or not. [Vander was normally social enough to navigate those waters anyway.]

I appreciate loyalty. It's nice to know that you do as well.

[Well, his home wasn't exactly happy to just live. He'd learned that lesson when a bunch of them decided to murder him so... work in progress he supposed.]

There are, yeah. However, the bastards can at least pull in the same direction if they see a benefit to themselves, their goals, or those they are allied with. It's about managing agendas.

[levindicated]

Damn right. Can’t please everyone. [As much as Cid tried at times. His personality rankled many people- in spite of his charm and draw.]

That is always the issue, isn’t it? I can’t help but appreciate it here in Etraya. Suddenly, we’re all quite aligned, aren’t we? For all its flaws, for all the trouble, I think you’d be hard pressed to find someone who just wanted their world to end.

Its these base commonalities that must be identified and nurtured if we are to stay focused, eh? After all, it’s not just a sprint. This appears to be doing its best to take years… Even if I find that maddening.

[cantilevers]

Can't please but can serve now and again.

Agreed. Everyone has stakes when it comes to their worlds, but how we all go about achieving that goal is vastly different. I've heard it said that some expect this place to battle royal us at some point, which will be unfortunate.

Has there ever been townhall meetings to nurture commonalities, or are people simply intermingling and forming loose bonds with each other over time? Not that I'm suggesting formal gatherings, but it was something we did back home. Ideas of many and all that.

[levindicated]

Not since I’ve been here. We’ve been tossed about by circumstance so often- I think we’re just trying to find our bearings. Though- I noticed this lot gets together to chit chat on Chirpr fairly often.

We do need to get a bit more organized, don’t we?

[Cid doesn’t touch on the Battle Royale bit only because he’s sure it’s true.]

[cantilevers]

Ah well, I was reading a bit on Chirpr, but I didn't participate. People did seem to come together for the fun of it. That's understandable given that whole... uh train situation.

Probably. United we rise, divided we fall and all that. Not everyone will want to get on board and that's fine, but organization seems like our best chance in this place.

[levindicated]

Oh, come now. You gotta participate- it’s all in good fun. And you never know what’s coming. More to the point, it’s a good way to make friends. Make someone hesitate before they stick a knife in you.

So it is. You got a meeting place in mind that can hold a hundred people and an elephant? Or… A good pitch?

[cantilevers]

It's best I keep some of my open public network appearances to a minimum at times. [He had a few people here who didn't particularly like him.] I've also been fortunate meeting people on my own. The people around here who want to stick a knife in me aren't the types to hesitate, and my charming disposition won't give them pause either.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I need to write and practice any kind of speech for at least a few weeks. It's been while since I rallied a big group, and I feel like there might be some hecklers in this crowd.