ANON TEXT; 11/18; 1400 hours

[controlledvariable]

i have something i want to share with everyone. and before you get on about me being anonymous, i'm doing things this way not cause i'm scared or trying to hide, but cause it's not about me, it's about the initiative, and us, and the city we lost.

i'm not here to talk about how stupid i think this is, i'm sure other people will do that better than i could. what i want to do is remind people that the initiative aren't some faceless enemy or benefactor, they're not anything special, they're just people.

we forget that too easily.

especially up here. how many of you, especially the people who're behind all this. how many of you even know their names? the whole twelve members of the initiative that are up here, who we can talk to so easily. who are relying on us to help them save exsilium, while you get up on your high horses and act like they're unreachable.

we need to stop looking at the initiative whenever we want someone to blame, and we need to stop acting like they're supposed to solve all our problems. we have to do this ourselves, and taking the base hostage isn't the way to do that.

i guess i lied about not talking about how stupid i think this is.

i'd apologize, but that'd be a lie too

anyway. dr sponde, the initiative member who told us about the nuclear attack, gave me a drive with a series of... i guess you'd call them memories, before i left exsilium. they're different files, recorded or written by the initiative members who chose to stay behind and die so we could have a chance to fix things. so we could live. they're to themselves, mostly. things they want to remember for when we've changed the timeline, because they won't be the same people they were before then, they never are, when we go back in time and make it better.

i think they might help people remember who the real enemy is, because this infighting isn't going to get us anywhere.

maybe i should have shared this sooner, but it felt too private and personal, they were given to me to keep safe, not to spread around, but things are a little desperate right now. i picked the one you're about to read because it's addressed to us, and it seems pretty relevant to what's happening right now.

there are more, and i can send them out if people would like to see, but i'm a little busy over here, too, so i hope what you're about to read is a good start.

please think about what you're doing, everyone. and please try to do the right thing.

Hello. My name is Wei Song, and I am here to tell you this isn't your fault.

You will not be able to see most of us again, and this isn't your fault. You won't be saving us, and this isn't your fault. You can't. There's no way to manipulate time and not cause ripples that change the surface of history in ways too innumerable to count. That's the beauty in time, that's the magnificence in history. You are the outliers that can point, and do, and change, and you won't be saving us.

You'll be giving this world, and your homes, a chance, and that alone, that chance, is enough.

You will not be able to keep us, and this isn't your fault.

Depending on what you decide to do as a group, the face of our Earth will change. Events in history, political movements, natural disasters, good and bad come from even meddling once in the way of events until now. We've seen it before. Those of you here since earlier in the project remember better than any of us can, no matter how we try to preserve our memories so that when the world changes because of what you've done, we remember the way things have been.

That's no longer possible. All of you who are here now will carry this burden as long as you stay stabilized in our home. You are the Givers, the Memory Speakers, the Witnesses to a Thousand Futures. I'm sorry. It's not a burden anyone should bear, but we were too desperate, and too frightened, to find a way to ask. We can't cross over into your worlds.

But the United Earth can.

What the Initiative wants, what drew me to this organization when I grew up and found myself dissatisfied with the way of living I knew, with how complacent and complacently horrific the United Earth was toward people, toward the planet, toward everything that lived or existed, is reassertion of Free Will. We don't seek Utopia. Hundreds of thousands of novels and stories and videograms and artwork have been made to show how the idea of Utopia is flawed. How at it's heart, it's rotten. People are prone to conflict, to great acts of kindness, and great acts of terror. The United Earth wasn't why this world was lost to so much nuclear damage. That was humanity, Humanity as a Collective, working in fear.

The United Earth believes in the idea of Utopia. That there's a perfect state of being, a perfect world, and a perfect place for every creature within it. Everyone is happy, because people aren't allowed to know differently. Emotions and reactions are as controlled as daily, weekly, monthly regimens, more than we've spoken about with you. More than we knew, as outsiders.

Our spies, the few we had left, will still live in the United Earth towns and cities they call home. They'll mourn in private, with a grief greater than any you will know, because this is their home. That's okay. Grief isn't an exercise in outdoing one another. Grief is something we're raging with right now, screaming at, railing against, crying over without tears, accepting, avoiding.

We will die, with the people who are our families, our neighbors, our farmers and lovers and communities. This is the United Earth's response to what we are: people who don't fit into their idea of Perfection.

We are the Imperfect. So forgive us what flaws you may. The Imperfect have brought about Imperfect Warriors, and we can't ask for more.

Those of us that believe in Gods pray. Those of us that believe in Science calculate.

You will not see most of us again, but you will remember. For that, I am sorry. But please, if the words of a doomed man will mean anything, consider what you fight for. Not for us. Not even for this world, though we can thank you with words now we'll never recall later, but for you. For your homes, or the homes of friends. For places you may be going back to, or ones you will never see again with living eyes.

Fight for Freedom. Freedom to make great decisions. Freedom to make terrible ones. Freedom to save the world from humanity, and Freedom to live by making our own choices, and your own choices, in this landscape, and in all the ones we have yet to see.

You will not be able to save us, and that isn't your fault.

But if you choose not to help this world, if you let it founder, if the United Earth perfects it's mechanisms and forces Perfection on every world and universe it touches until something bigger, badder, and more convinced it's right comes along to stop them?

That won't be your fault. But it will be your decision.

May you rest with that in peace.

Wei Song
Repercussions Analyst and History Engineer
Father of Two, Husband of One
Deceased September 30th, 3313
"May we have the courage to change
what we can, and the wisdom to know
what we cannot."

[[OOC: you can still sign up to write one here if you'd like your character to recieve a file!]]

Comments

text

[outshine]

[ oh my god no you're going to make her cry... ]

Share all of them. Every single one. They were written for a reason.

video; private

[controlledvariable]

[Nevermind that she was anonymous for the post itself, nevermind that she has mixed feelings about the Initiative themselves, still. She wants Trish to know who has these memoirs.]

That's probably what I'll end up doing.

[Hopefully it'll make a difference.]

Are you alright?

text.

[unmasking]

[What does he say?

He's still not clear on time travel being a solution for anything. But he can see a world going this way. His world almost went this way countless times. Magneto's flood. Reed Richards trying to take out all the scientific geniuses so he was the only one left. The years upon years in which they tried to replicate the super soldier serum. One bad decision after another, and Peter isn't ignorant to the other mistakes. He knows about Japan, about the effects left there, and he knows what humanity is capable of.

He also doubts their plan, though, and he hates himself a little for it. There are too many problems with it, too many things he sees, and too much potential for things going the wrong way. He's aware of the missions, but he hasn't looked into doing one himself yet. He'll have to, he knows that much, and he doesn't know what to make of it. Too much knowledge combating with logic here, as well as a desire to save everyone.

But like Wei Song said, humanity led this world to this point, just like his world had been damaged, too, by the scientific accomplishments, or just by people who were born with a little too much in-born power that led them down a darker path. If humanity can accomplish this one way, can't they accomplish it another?

Peter isn't confident in anything he has to say, but he has to say something.]

This whole thing is a mess.

But it really isn't about us, is it? We made the mistake in thinking otherwise.

[He rereads his words over again, considering adding a change to the "we," but ultimately deciding against it.]

permanon, permatext.

[controlledvariable]

that's what i'm trying to get across

it's about the people of this world, and the people back home who are all at risk

text; replies unlikely!

[totallytrustworthy]

that's exactly who we're doing this for whether you agree with it or not.

anontext; well she's going to try anyway!!

[controlledvariable]

bullshit

if that was true you would've talked to them insead of doing this

Not Here;

[maipokerface]

[At first Mai reads like she reads most things of this nature - as propaganda and pieces simply meant to jerk at people's heartstrings. Politicians playing their games, scientists crafting brief moving words in the hopes of swaying those with more sense.

This isn't her war. This isn't her fight. And she believes both of those more completely than most might. One doesn't grow up mired in the vestiges of a generations long war without coming to understand at least a little of what is and isn't their fight.

And yet... the teenager finally sighs out at the device in her hand as she finishes reading, bowing her head over it. And her shoulders finally slump. After a moment she presses the heel of one hand against an eye, fingers skimming under the concealing fringe of her dark bangs.

Damn it.]

Voice

[maipokerface]

[Typing in general isn't her forte. Technology isn't her forte. In the end she turns to voice, the usual apathy mulled somewhat.]

You know this is just to sway anyone who reads it, right?

text, unlikely to reply (because Chloe's trying to keep him from fighting on the internet all day)

[alittlesweptup]

You realize you're just supporting the points we've been trying to make all along, don't you? They're people who make mistakes with no more right than us to dictate what happens in this war. And it's up to us to pick up the pieces and make something happen - to make decisions - if we're to get out of this alive

People have been choosing to not help, to wait and sit on their hands. Using emotional manipulation to win friends when your talking points aren't even consistent is a cheap hand to play

(Convenient these came up now, eh? If these are legitimate, keeping them from the general population when transmissions like this were clearly meant for them makes you no better)

anontext SIGH YOU GUYS

[controlledvariable]

i'm gonna say what i said to your little friend: if you really cared about making a difference, you could've just talked to the initiative instead of doing the stupidest possible thing you could think of off the bat

i want people to help, too, but what you're going about it completely the wrong way. and i'm not trying to win friends, i just want to make people think about this

(they're legitimate. and i didn't realize some of them were meant for us at first cause i tried not to pry, i was just asked to keep them safe)

[Not that she didn't watch them a while ago anyway, but she'd talked to Saul about it, and he'd suggested it might be best to save them for when they really needed them.

Like now.]

voice;

[deadelfwalking]

Manipulative.

anontext

[controlledvariable]

just trying to remind people what they're fighting for

[ensorceler]

[ THANKS ANON!STEPH NOW SHE'S CRYING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CAFETERIA, wow this has been stressful and why did they quote Thomas More. At least she sought out a quiet corner first, maybe in the kitchen in the pantry or something.

No response on the tablet, but she'll continue to stalk anything public once she can see through her tears. ]

[controlledvariable]

[Sorry Anne :( ]

text

[salvagedsoul]

A "drive"?

text

[controlledvariable]

[REALLY SIR THAT IS WHAT YOU'RE ASKING ABOUT]

a diamond drive. a way to store electronic files

video;

[originalgaangster]

[ Sokka doesn't enjoying reading it, but he makes himself do it. People died down there. Regular people. And it also makes him angry. Angry that these people want him to lay down his life, to risk his future with his sister and his friends and his family. ]

Maybe they shouldn't have kidnapped us then.

[ He's not the best at sounding like a stoic bad ass, especially after reading that very emotional appeal for aid, but he's fighting back the well of emotion. ]

This is stupid. What are we supposed to do? Think about how sad it is and then--then just go along with whatever they say? Maybe taking over the transport pad wasn't the right plan and maybe the Mutineers are doing the wrong thing but the Initative took me away from my family. My war was done with. A hundred years worth.

This isn't my fight. I just wanna go home.

permanontext

[controlledvariable]

no, they shouldn't have.

they've made mistakes, a lot of them, and they should be held accountable and we should have more power in how decisions are made

but the way these people have gone about it is the wrong way, and the more we keep thikning of the initiative as if they can't be talked to or reasoned with is just making things worse.

voice;

[taggingwomprats]

[Luke reads it. And for a few minutes, he sits in his little nook (he's still crawling through the guts of the station when he has time, trying to slow down the advance) and thinks.]

Look. I know... that the Initiative has their heart in the right place. I know that the United Earth is a threat, but they pulled a bunch of people here without permission and without asking for help.

Back home I have my own evil empire to face and my friends are fighting and dying back there, just like the Initiative is here. I understand what it's like - I've been on the run for the last three years of my life, trying to stay one step ahead. We've... I've lost a lot of friends.

We still don't grab people off of random planets and make them fight for us. We take volunteers, but we don't force anyone. We don't hold the threat of the Empire over everyone's head - people can see they're bad enough on their own.

[Ugh. Luke breathes out and tries to rearrange his thoughts.]

Sithspit, what do I even mean with this thing? The mutineers might be going about this the wrong way, but they've got a point. The Initiative is willing to put their lives on the line - I understand that - but I think they do need to let us have more of a say how everything is run, not just on the moon because we happen to outnumber them here.

anontext

[controlledvariable]

okay but here's the thing

and i'm gonna make it real big because apparently saying it a bunch of times already hasn't gotten the point across

WHY DIDN'T THEY JUST FUCKING TALK TO THEM???????

Text;

[charming_jerk]

dropping this on everyone NOW? i don't even know if i can believe it

[He doesn't want to.]

permanontext;

[controlledvariable]

it's real

i'm showing people now because i think they need reminding that the intiative are people

[iciclerain]

It would have been better to know this earlier. [Asch sounds sort of annoyed, but mostly just... tired.]

There are more like this, I take it?

anontext

[controlledvariable]

it didn't seem right sharing them unless i really had to

and yeah, there are more. most of them are more personal

text. private.

[boughtabookstore]

Truly excellent timing.

audio. private.

[controlledvariable]

[unsure.jpg]

Was that sarcasm?

text

[nobleminded]

[...Well it would have been nice to know this before he spent the last few weeks complaining that the Initiative was just trying to pretend like it never happened. Not that he supports the mutiny, but still.]

How many more are there?

text

[controlledvariable]

a fair few, i haven't counted exact numbers

text;

[limitstorm]

[ there... are very few words. riku's never been much of a person to get close to people; he's a man with a plan and he's always been goal-oriented to a fault, to the point where he blazes past people without most of a second thought. but this... is different. this is a different world with a people he's started to get to know, who he knew well over the course of a year.

and they're suddenly gone. he's been tasked with the heavy burden of keeping peace through all worlds and maintaining world order, back home, and this is the pinnacle of failure. ]

It's funny. It seemed real at first, but reading this... it's like touching rubble.

How many are there?

permanontext;

[controlledvariable]

that's one way to put it

[a painful way, but still.]

i didn't count them, but there's a decent amount

text;

[quackery]

[She could say a lot of things, but in the end, she goes with the following.]

it must have been hard to have these, knowing what everyone wrote and not being able to tell anyone with a clear conscience.

[She means that completely sincerely.]

so thank you, whoever this is.

text; private

[controlledvariable]

[but it's not anon, so Ahiru can see Steph's name attached.]

thanks, ahiru

are you okay?

text;

[doubleoohbaby]

Trying to sway a fight with sentimentality? Bloody women.

text;

[beardedflannel]

Someone sure knows their way around women if that's who you figure's behind this.

voice;

[undealt]

[gods, but aren't there a lot of protests here. gold can see this for what it is- he does truly believe it's emotionally manipulative. a less personal kind of manipulation than what he suggested to saul, maybe, but still something to tug at heartstrings and get people to move. any one in five people he knew in storybrooke would have thrown themselves on ten thousand bombs after hearing that.

it's different here. and it sets his teeth on edge. he wants to be here even less than they do and even if he doesn't come down hard on either side of this mess, he knows what he wants. either the war ends or the initiative gives up and sends them all home, eradicating any trace of them having ever been here, and judging by everything, the former is their best chance and poses the least risk.]

My, but they truly miss the point, don't they? [it's almost laughable.]

anontext;

[controlledvariable]

[s q u i nt

because Saul's mentioned this guy, and he didn't sound exactly happy about it.]

which "they" are we talking about

text

[lazyinlove]

[AA catchphrases aside, this is disturbing. There is important, new, frightening information being conveyed here.]

what does that mean. why can't we save people? what happened before??

anontext

[controlledvariable]

[Oh, Stanley, she thought you knew.]

whenever we go back in time to change things, there's a ripple effect. we aren't affected because we aren't from this world, but any natives will likely be changed, either in small ways or big ones.