As some of you may have noticed, a very significant portion of this crew isn't ready to stand up and fight if something happens, whether it be on or off the ship, as our recent shore leave proved.

If you don't want to learn how to fight, that's fine. However, if anyone is willing to learn, I'll offer what free time I have to teach basic hand-to-hand. I'm a trained Marine, and while I come from what some of you might consider the future, the basics on using an opponent's strength to disarm them have remained the same over the generations.

I'd like to focus on teaching people how to disarm an armed opponent and escape without injury, but if anyone wants to learn anything more advanced, feel free to contact me either here, or privately.

I'm not interested in arguing the pros and cons of civilians getting involved in a fight, so save your breath if you're going to raise complaints. I'm trying to make sure people who want to defend themselves have the tools they need to do it. All things considered, we could use a little more of that right now. ["And a little less irresponsible behavior" goes unsaid, but implied. Shepard is all for cutting loose and having fun, but not when people have been disappearing and dying all willy-nilly. Right now is a time for srs business.]

[For quite some time, Walter has been shuffling about, sitting in corners and observing things on his own time. Perhaps you've seen him in passing, but he surely hasn't spoken a word since he woke up on the ship. He's still not certain if he's alive, dead, or somewhere in-between.

Though he did consider his communicator before, he simply didn't know what to say to it until now. And even so, he doesn't think he has enough to say to warrant a video like so many others posted on the feed. He just wants to try and speak for now. Baby steps! So if you're tuning in to his post, you'll hear a few moments of hesitated breathing, with the timid voice of a 30-something man with all the social grace and experience of someone only half his age following.]

It's lonely here. Lonely and cold.

Feels like home.

[there's a sharp exhale, as if he's silently laughing at himself.]

I'm not the only one who thinks that, am I?

[ Maybe you recognize him from his little panic attack after falling naked out of the goo tube. Maybe you've never seen him before in your life. Either way, Cillian's looking into the device, held with the steadiness of a master Skyper, his blue eyes underswept with dark smudges. ]

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

[ The Bible verse is recited low, steadily, in his thick Northern Irish accent. At the end, one eyebrow twitches up, wry, and he licks his lips briefly. ]

I'm confessing, I was never the type to keep a video blog. Bit weird, being that you can see me and I can't see you. It's just it's, erm, it's different to acting.

[ He tugs the lobe of one overlarge ear, catches that he's digressing. ]

Erm. My point was. Actually, I've a couple of questions, though I've read around a bit, and since I'm getting the impression not all of you are brand new to this circus I was hopin' to get an easy answer. [ And he adds, muttered, wry and almost bitter: ] Or a computer, if you've got one you've not already given to a Suicide Girl.

Right. Questions. Can we smoke on the ship? Does anyone know what the letters O-P-R and the numbers on my arm are meaning, apart from letting me get around places? Am I gonna get in trouble if I share someone else's room? And where do I go to get more insulin?

[ He nods once, a little jerkily. ]

Yeah, that's the lot of them. Cheers.

[ had tony been anyone else, this would have been accidental. the device would have turned on and you'd get to see what most people would find a pathetic guy nursing what looks like some form of space booze. but no, this is intentional and while tony is looking way more interested in his glass for a good moment or two when it comes on, he does eventually turn to face it. he waves with his free hand before he speaks. ]

You know, I find it stupid that our resident- whatever you wanna call Spock, our real first officer, the one who actually has that designation off this ship, is telling us that we should go talk to someone because of loss and how it's so tragic. Personally, I find talking about that shit to be bullshit because what, they're going to tell you that it's a universal thing and how it'll go away. I'll let you in on a little secret, they lie, because what's going to happen is you'll never get over it and you'll be stuck spending all your time whining at people who really don't give a shit about you. And before all of you psych kids come yelling at me, I'll have you know that little Ms. Sommers was getting high and I just want to say, that is definitely not a healthy coping mechanism, is it? [ he pauses. ] I know what you're going to say now, well, Tony, look at you, you're drinking right now, what does that say about you?

That says I've been doing this for years. That I've gone on benders and I've given speeches that are coherent while drunk off my ass and I've built shit better than all of you while say it with me drunk. Honestly, I'm not particularly going to give a fuck about what you're going to analyze about it. Because someone else has said it before you did, you can't say anything I haven't heard already. Fact of the matter is, sometimes people like to drink. And sometimes, people deserve the right to drink when they've been a really good person about not doing it much, if at all, for nine goddamn months. Not including the time I was randomly home, where the same was true. 

And I know, you all want to know if I'm got some gloom and doom shit to tell you. I don't, because Eridan already beat me to that with finding a dead body in the pool and whatsherface having the theory about that list being a hit list. Ironic that her Sherlock, the one on the list ended up dying right after.

What I do have to ask, though, is that maybe if you're feeling liking admitting that you just want to drink your stupid sorrows away or your issues away, I don't care, but you should maybe head up to the tenth floor, it's weird up here. Quiet. Kind of creepy. Whatever. And even if you don't feel like it you should at least come find me and maybe make it so I don't have to hunt down every bit of alcohol on this ship to make it so I don't remember this entire month. 

[ 100% stark encryption to natasha romanoff | unhackable ]

If you don't bring vodka and lots of it to where I am, I will be very mad and feel so very betrayed by you. Besides, I know I'm not the only one who wants to drink. And no telling on me to you know who. 


[ ooc | okay so the people who this is filtered away from are as followed: howard stark, jon snow, the starks from asoiaf (including alayne), petyr baelish, pepper potts, betty ross, both lokis, libby, and i think that's it? you can do action in this if you would like, just tell me. it's not required obviously, but the option is there because tony did say to come up if you'd like. and my apologies if i am slow when i tag. ]

[ the screen opens up with quiet, sad singing in the background; low, voiceless, and wordless, like church chords to a child's ears. but far from happy. some might recognize it as legolas' voice.

in the center of the screen is frodo, sitting with worn, sad eyes at his feet. around his neck is something not there before, two chains now. one of them is the evenstar, and seems to glow with a faint light.

behind him is a glimpse of gold and muted green, but the elf doesn't say much, not even when frodo speaks up. quietly, over the soft singing, voice heavy. ]
To those that knew them--..Ara--Strider, a great healer on this ship and one of our company has left. Along with him, the Lady Arwen Evenstar.

If I were to know anything of those dear friends, it would be that they would not have you mourn them, for they are bound to home and lands that need their strength.

[ he looks down, staring at the pendant around his neck, smiling faintly, his voice very soft. ]
As they have helped restore mine. I do not know what roads are left to either of us, but I will hope to see them again, when our journeys are done.

[he glances over his shoulder]

Legolas, do you have anything to say?

[legolas does not, in fact, have anything to say. all he does is scoot over and not-so-creepily loom over the frodo's shoulder to peer at the device.... and reach over to shut it off. rood elfs.]

[ooc: frodo and legolas will both be respondin' if you had cr with aragorn or anything like that or idk comment on his lovely singin. ]

Hello?

[ The device is on now, not directed at anything in particular - the user's obvious inexperience is shown by the fact that you only have the glimpse of blonde hair and the rest is angled at a wall, but the voice takes no notice and keeps on speaking to it. She has had the object for a week now, simply sitting in her pocket - near forgotten with the still present shock of simply being here. Until earlier, when she had found it again by chance and remembered it's existence.

Where did this come from? ]

I thought that I heard voices speaking from this some time ago.

[ there's a whirl of color and she has adjusted to, by luck angle the camera to focus on her, if only for a moment before she has her fingers obscuring the view. In case it is not entirely obvious, the user has little or no knowledge whatsoever of the purpose and function and when she removes them from the lens, it is now pointed downwards towards the floor.

Yes, it's another one of them. ] 

_{[ Oh hey. It's that Australian sounding kid again. What's he up to this go around? He goes straight to video, not really bothered with his text for a change. ]}

Salutations! I have a few matters to address, but I'll cut to the chase here and smoothly segway into the questions I have queued in my noggin for some time now.
I am curious, if a qualify for a position, how one fellow goes about becoming a part of the gunnery team. I recall an anonymous gent mentioning it to me and I'm curious in my wits. Are there any persons present who have experienced this before? Before that question is properly answered, I also request further information on this matter such as the commitment level along with the work load and any benefits that are obtainable at this time for assisting the ship in such a way.

The other question I have is I am wondering what date it is and if by chance I missed it somewhere when I first arrived here. It's likely; I've still yet to do a complete exploring of my new environment. In any case, do people go on holiday or recognize certain events from their world on the proper day or just when they are feeling nostalgic?
Last I remember, my 16th birthday was coming up faster than a jack rabbit on a hot date in summer, and I was just wondering when I would have the bliss of identifying myself as a sweet sixteen.
Actually, last I looked it was April of 2012, so it's actually a good while from that date, but I want to be readily prepared.

_{[ He talks rather rapidly, a youthful tone carrying his voice. A moment to adjust his glasses. ]}

In addition, I'm shitting my knickers here from excitement. Sixteen is a pretty big fuss!
Anywhoodles, any sort of info would be smashing.
I am still in dire need of a handkerchief. An actual one, and not something severed from a table cloth, and another holster of some kind to equip both of my babies in.
Welp, I think that's it. This is Jake English, over and out!

_{[ He performs a little number, spinning the runs rapidly and smoothly in his hands before posing and giving a wink.
It's just like a teenager to swing them around like that over a network, of course.. The feed ends, and a private text is sent out a few minutes later. ]}

( [ private text ==> knives chau ] )