[Mahdi is wearing his hair down, a rarity for him. He's dressed in a loose-fitting shirt, nothing too impressive, sitting in his room and smiling.]

I've learned a lot since I arrived here a year ago. Most of all, I learned that people are more than just a sum of their good and bad deeds, People are much more complicated than I ever understood at first. So I want to thank everyone for being patient with me - or uh, not, as the case may be - because it's been a chance for me to learn. Thanks.

Have you learned anything really surprising while you've been here? I'd like to know.

...On the note of anniversaries, um, I'd like to go out dancing? Somewhere with really upbeat electronic music, that's my favorite. Sort of as a personal celebration for making it this far. Maybe I'll have a dinner or something too, if I can think of something nice to make. Would anyone like to come with me? Dancing, not to dinner. Dinner's still in planning stages. I'll need a buddy, or um, a bodyguard, because I'm so small. It's not good for me to go crowded places on my own. I'd feel more comfortable if I had someone big and tough by my side! Or just tough. Pretty much anyone's tougher than me.

[As if to prove him right, a small black kitten crawls up his arm and begins chewing on his hair.]

Truffle! How many times have I told you, I'm not your mama! You don't need to groom me!

A whole week, and nobody's died and nothing's exploded too badly that I've heard of. It's almost unnerving. Probably can't count on it lasting, though. If anyone still needs help with repairs - well, I can do some basic stuff, at least. And any heavy lifting needed.

( [filtered to those who expressed interested in his squad] )

[Filtered to Remy]

Want to watch some kids run their first trial-by-Danger-Room? Buy you a beer after.

[Filtered to Barbara]

I'm running some intro training for some would-be spec ops recruits, if you're interested in watching and giving a second opinion.

[OOC: I'll put up an OOC plotting post sometime Wednesday, along with the log - it's not too time-sensitive! And for interested parties who didn't catch the OOC post earlier, there will be other opportunities for recruitment. Rosters don't stay static!]

[Kili doesn't waste time with formalities. He looks strained and tired, dark shadows lining his eyes. No doubt he hasn't been sleeping well.]

I'm looking for Thorin Oakenshield. He's a dwarf like me, dark hair, blue eyes, probably carrying an elvish sword. I've been told he is here, but so far I've been unable to locate him.

[His hands are trembling slightly as he draws one over his face, rubbing lightly.]

If anyone has information on him, please tell me. [A moment of hesitation.] My name is Kili and the best place to find me would be the training rooms.

I miss home. I know that's normal, I know - I know there's nothing that can be done about it. I try to keep that in mind so it won't get to me so much. Everyone is so nice and helpful, even with everything going on. I'm very thankful, and - I would like to think I have made some friends.

[There's a pause, and he sighs softly. He suddenly isn't sure why he decided to start this feed.]

It's weird... one of the things I miss the most is hearing my language. [a little exhale, followed by a contradictory smile.] I wasn't used to speaking English for so long until I came here.

... Are all of you from English-speaking countries?

[This is the breathless voice of someone in panic.]

Does anyone know how to get chewing gum out of hair?! It's kind of an emergency...!!

Please help me. I don't want to cut it!

[ The screen comes on, this is broadcasting more or less like anything flagged with a tiny 'important!' flaggy sign on a forum would have been. Tony looks to be in a good mood, he's clearly been working, and still is, apparently, seeing as it's a few of his workshop.

(Dummy can be seen sweeping, if one pays attention to this while Tony's speaking, instead of to Tony, they will see DUM-E2 sweeping, Jellyroll accidentally drop something on a swept part of the floor, and then some sort of robot whirring fight - at some point DUM-E-JR came over - ...starts?

No, it doesn't, because Max comes in and quietly picks up the knocked over thing and gives the little broom to DUM-E-JR who is delighted, tells the others to power down for a bit.)

Tony was aware of all that, but that's how his life works now anyway, so whatever. ]

I know my place isn't the only one that got bashed in a smidge with all those bombs. Yikes. Now I'm not puking my guts out, I've got most of my repair done as far as I know, so I'm up for commissions again, or just lending a helping iron hand if you need one. [ He doesn't want this to seem too altruistic. ] We'll just call it collecting good karma or something. Just bring me shit to fix if you've got shit that needs fixing. [ Still happy, still actually kind of working on things during that whole talk. But he seems to be done now, turning and halfway through a sentence to JARVIS when he shuts the feed off from across the little corridor between two long tables. ]

[ The silence in the background is full and steady, which makes the fast, uneven breathing behind the tablet a little more out of place than it might have been. ]

My friend, he- Jericho. [ a huffed breath out. ]

They- it wasn’t even an accident. He didn’t have a pulse when I... when I got here. [ not a certainty, the accident part. but a guess. a good guess his head's rushing to already, but he's too upset, too angry to think it through right now. ]

I don’t know how long it’s been but you- you could tell that with the right equipment. With the fractures and the head trauma that’s- that’s a lot of- [ work to do is what he doesn’t say.

no he won’t say that. ]

Whatever it takes, I’ll- whatever the white coats use to bring people back, we’ve gotta use that. There has to be a way, there just...

There has to be.

Is everyone okay?

( She's looking worse for wear, has lost a lot of the muscle she'd managed to build up since getting here. Still, she offers a little grin, a cushion on her lap that her hands are idly twisting into, before she remembers the cup of tea nearby and grabs it up, warming her hands around it. )

So, uh. Okay.

( Eloquent, Linton. )

Do-- is anyone here familiar with Gwen Harwood? She's an Australian poet. I was thinking about her a bit, but I haven't been able to track her down. She wrote this thing, once about how death has become obscene, and philosophers...

( Ellie tilts her head, running her fingers through her hair, gaze not really focused on anything. )

It's been a while. But it's really good. I don't even know if anyone here is that into literature and poetry and stuff except for Dagger. Any takers?

Yo, hey. This is Jesse Pinkman, for you guys that ain't met me yet.

[And for those who do know him and saw him down in the catacombs: he's looking infinitely better now. Bathed and trimmed his facial hair and everything, no longer appearing like he's at death's door.]

I know people are still sick and we got a lotta rebuilding to do, so I totally get it if nobody shows. But if you been here a while, you know we do this thing were we get together at the end of each month to make cookies for the new guys who show up on the 1st. You know, set up a tent and feed the hungry and answer questions and whatever. Even with it being a shit month, I don't think it'd be fair to let those guys down. So I'm gonna be out there, and you're, um, welcome to come and help bake and give stuff out, too.

I'll be baking all day on the 30th, the door'll be open and you can just drop in. Unit 409.

Hope everybody's doing okay.



(( No baking log again this month because what is time, so handwaving that, but here's an example of what the newbie log thread will be like. No need for permission to participate! Jesse lets everyone help out and teaches anyone who doesn't know how to bake. ))

[Those that have seen Thorin before might recognize that his beard is fluffier than he normally keeps it, and his hair is loose. A lot of this having to do with the cast he still wears, but takes great lengths to keep out of the recording.]

One thing I have never understood about other races is your flippancy with names. At birth, my people are taught to guard the name they are given, and to address ourselves in the Common Speech wherever there are outsiders. I know many others do not practice this: they have but one name and give it freely to the world. I have always accounted this to foolishness.

[He stops to sip his beer, and when some runs into his prominent chin hair, he catches it with the same hand.] Then there is the matter of your "science." Which has yet to be proven to me as different from what my world knows as magic. Though many are swift to claim they are not the same, science only seems different in the name it is given.

We are brought here by the power of Men. But if we are expected to fight against forces we may have never encountered before, I want to know how did they come by it? And how is it theirs to wield?

Or perhaps 'science' is simply a word that means nothing.

[ the name attached to this account, and thus with all applicable comments within this entry, reads Haruka Takahashi, as usual.
for those of you just joining us at home, some info. ]

If you're only interested in useful posts, you can skip the rest of this. I'm only out to waste the time of those who want it wasted, today.
For anyone else, color me curious.

Water, Wind, Light, Flame, Earth, or Darkness.

Pick one, please.

To clarify, "light" doesn't mean good and "darkness" doesn't mean evil, or bad. Or vice versa; there's no moral alignment to any of them.
And I didn't "skip heart", so don't bother bringing that up.

[ tetchy. ]