[ It shouldn't be too noticeable, but this particular incarnation of the Doctor is appearing just slightly rattled right about now. The whole experience of whatever happened to him is just weird. Of course, he's learned more about what happens to people who have lost their bracelets, but experiencing it for himself is another thing entirely.

And, on top of that, he's just come back to his house, only to find that it's completely empty. The feed will show him standing in an empty room, circling twice, and then shrugging. ]

Right, so, it seems I've lost some time, which is something, coming from me.

[ No point in saying anything about Ianto and Jack. He knows what this means; they're missing, and not only from the house. He doesn't trust himself to speak on that subject, so he goes for another angle. ]

What've I missed? I don't need a long speech, but a summary is alright.

[ it has been a while since Kaworu showed his face and made a post, hasn't it? This time around he is at the park. His really pale skin is red from the sun - probably burnt, too, because Kaworu is like an albino - and it's obvious he is feeling the heat, but he is sitting under a tree in the shade ]

Hello. [ have a gentle smile, everyone! ] I hope everyone is alright, even though recent events show us it is getting more dangerous. Even so, there is still much to see and learn in this world. Only recently I've found there are small fans to place inside houses to refresh the place. [ yeah he didn't know about that sort of fans )8 ] Even after so long here, there is much for me to learn.

I suppose it makes me curious: what is the most fascinating thing you have seen in this world?

I do have another question. [ but of course. And it'll be a bit more personal ] After the war has ended and if the Gods and the travelers win, would you wish to stay in this world, or would you rather return? And why?

[ the feed flickers on to spike laughing. damn. it's a rare sight these days, but it doesn't seem completely mirthful anyway. ]

Seems like I missed another exciting week. [ he was off-bracelet about 10 days, and he's shaking his head. of course it would be when the city needed him. ] Don't even have a bloody excuse this time, so I may as well throw myself on the mercy of you all.

[ the laughter has stopped and he looks a bit distant for a moment. ] Training in the Arena. I'm doing it, every night. Doesn't matter what your power is or anything, just be there.

I need a snack.

[ and we're done. ]

I thought I would leave this a few days so things had a chance to get back to normal, but I have a few questions I'd like to ask. Some people have made the observation that the little- flying things, what were they, ice fairies? That their bites had unusual effects for some who were exposed to them.

I'm curious about the properties of their venom, if that's what was happening. If you experienced unusual symptoms during the last invasion, and you'd be comfortable discussing the onset, nature, and duration of your experiences, I would truly appreciate it.

[He's curious for a few reasons. First, if this was a venom, he wants to check in on these people and make sure they haven't all gone off and quietly died in their apartments (this is far too morbid to say out loud on the network. Second, if it wasn't venom, if there's enough range in the symptoms or if any of them seem magical, then it may have been a curse, and it is worth knowing if a curse can be transmitted by animal bite, even if that animal is magical. Third, if it was a curse and there are people out there who experienced it without having been bitten, then they may have a huge problem here, since Thiazi has history of infecting city dwellers. If something like last time is beginning, he wants to begin collecting data now, before everyone goes crazy and starts killing each other. Again.

None of this shows in his expression, which is all gentle-medical-professional.]

Thank you for your time.

( Maria's at the Citadel, for anyone that's familiar enough with it to recognise the location. For anyone that isn't she's hoping to push you a little into getting familiar with it )

We don't know when this will happen, that's obvious enough. We all have our groups and ours jobs, but what when the war really hits? Most of the training has been more focused to combat and those wishing to fight.

I want to focus on defense. Not everyone is going to fight - you made that choice with your group. Everyone should be able to defend themselves. To feel safer. Would you rather be able to help yourself, or wait until it could be too late for someone to help you.

( Just going for the worst case scenario here, not the expected. But if you expect the worst hopefully you can get something better. Or be shocked a little into going with her suggestion )

There are a lot of options, included weapons training and unarmed. I teach hand-to-hand combat at the Citadel and self-defense at the school. I'd rather see someone try, and take a chance at helping than not make it through because they couldn't. Think about it.

( Are you going to be able to count on the gods to revive you when it comes down to the end? )

( FILTERED | military group )

We need to get together. Knowing each other and our abilities will help us start putting together a strategy. The better we can work together now gives us a better chance when we need to work together. We have to be able to rely on each other.

[Hawkeye's had it rough lately, but he's resiliant. Still, he needs more distractions than just work and "the war effort". All work and no play makes Hawkeye go a little crazy.

He appears on the network with a deck of cards in hand, shuffling with moderate skill. Well, okay, he's not accidentally flinging them all over the room, at least. (Beat that, Nine.)]

Hi there! It's your friendly neighborhood inebriate calling. I was thinking...

One thing we used to do back home in between waves of casualties or shifts in post-op was have poker nights. We'd gather around in someone's tent -- usually the Swamp -- and play poker and drink. Mostly drink. Snacks were an option, but only if you could stomach food that might start moving. Army food, y'know?

No IOU's, though. Not when anyone can just up and disappear without notice.

Anyone interested?

[Helena has been here for about two months now and has spent much of that time sulking and skulking instead of shoving her face all over the network. Not without reason, since hers is more of a shared face, and she hasn't wanted to broadcast that too much.]

[She's done a little digging about the topic at hand already, but there's one thing she wants - personal touches, experiences. Basics are one thing. Environment and interaction are another.]

i must know about the shadow control

tell me all that you know

all that you think is important

please

[She wants as much information as she can get, before she tries to use it again.]

War's comin'. [It's a steadfast tone she uses, jaw hard and eyes piercing.] I can feel it in the air. I've fought me whole life, and war is something I know.

[She sits back, dropping an axe on a pile of them. It's crude, but usable. Ygritte picks up a spearhead, intent on sharpening it.]

I know it's hard for some here, t'kill. All raised in comfortable castles, I s'pose. I don't know none o' these prophecies or gods or even the likes o' most here. I don't have much t'be fightin' for, but what's mine is mine here, and some people back home should be livin'.

So for those who need'em, I've weapons enough. I plan to take put one in the belly o' every giant I see, and I know giants. This is no Wall, this is no Castle Black and them Crows, but this is as much my home as were above the Wall ever was.

[She points the spear's tip at the locket.]

I'm ready t'fight.

ooc: so ugh, this is in honor of last night's episode. Spoilers are likely.

So here's a question. How many of you've- No, I'm not going to start with that.

[ It's too depressing, and he'd rather try and stay as upbeat as he can. ]

What've you got waiting for you back home?

[ Oh, he knows sometimes there's no getting around the difficult things, and that's not his point. He doesn't believe in sugarcoating anything.

And now that he's said this, he's just realized he's been a bit one-note with his transmissions, since both of them have had to do with their homes. ]

It's just that I've been thinking, it puts this war we're supposed to be fighting into perspective. Thinking about the people and places I want to keep safe does that for me.

[ Alright, maybe he'll get laughed off the network for saying what's on his mind, and really, he's okay with that. He just had to put his thoughts somewhere, so he did. ]

[Alastair is pale, and he looks like he's gone through hell. For those who know him, or at least recognize him, he looks several years older than he did only a few days ago. He takes a deep breath and runs a hand through his long hair and looks directly at the camera.]

For any of you who might still be skeptical about what's at stake, you need to hear this.

[He looks away, bracing himself for what he's about to say.]

All of you need to hear this.

[He looks back at the camera again, and there's a new intensity to it, a desperation. His voice cracks slightly with the despair lurking beneath the shock he's still feeling.]

My home is gone. Destroyed. If you have ever had any doubts before, listen to me now. Your homes are in danger. I watched my world crumble and die and there was nothing I could do to stop it. It withered and died because Yggdrasil is withering and dying.

Think what you will about the gods and their methods but this war isn't for nothing. You have something to fight for, and you need to fight for it or it will be gone. Gone in death and destruction and more pain than you can possibly imagine.

[He swallows and looks away again, the pain crossing his face as he tries to compose himself.]

I know because I watched it happen.

[He takes a deep breath and looks back once more.]

If you... if you have any questions, I'm ready to answer them.

[ Nine looks calm, and there's nothing in his expression to suggest that everything's not all as it seems. But either way, his attention's focused outward, on whoever might be listening or watching. ]

You lot, whoever's been here for awhile now: you've probably got little bits and pieces to remind you of home, right?

[ Whether it's bits of stuff that remind people of where they're from, or actual things from their worlds, it doesn't matter. The thing itself isn't important; it's the meaning assigned to it and what it symbolizes that is the thing. Although, sometimes, objects in themselves can be important.

But either way, the Doctor's going somewhere with this. Just give him a moment to get there. ]

And I'm guessing you've got memories of where you're from, things you've done, people you've talked to.

[ It's brief, but the Doctor's brow furrows for a second before smoothing itself out again, almost as if it never happened. ]

What if all of that started going away?

[ Yes, he's only just realized some of his memories have slipped, and it's not making him very happy. This is just sort of a temperature check to find out if others are being affected as well. ]

[The past few days have been exceptionally strange, even by Jamie's standards. Not particularly good ones, either, with people he knows disappearing all over the place and that funny sort of foggy thing that's been happening with some of his memories. However, when the ghosts start turning up in the city, he decides enough is enough and flips on the bracelet to see if he can get more information.]

Now, listen, I know there's been some odd things happening the past few days, with people coming and going like they are. But has anyone else noticed that people've been coming back differently? Sort of transparent-like, almost, like they're not really there at all. Ye can't understand what they're saying, or get them to understand what you're saying, or do much with them at all.

Don't know about the rest of ye, but I'd almost say they were some sort of g--

[And it's right in the middle of that word that he vanishes, leaving behind only the sight of a stall at the stables he normally works at. A split-second later that's gone as well, as his bracelet goes dead and he vanishes from the lists, like anyone else who's disappeared recently.

It's not until the sun's nearly set later that day that he reappears in the same spot, although the feed doesn't automatically kick back on along with him. Seeing the way that the light's shifted, though, he knows he's been gone for at least some time - and there's likely a few people that are going to be worried. His first instinct is to go to them rather than try and use the bracelet, and he immediately takes off from the stables, heading back towards the house in Thor. There's still questions to be answered, but sometimes it's hard for him to avoid giving into his impulses first.]

(ooc: any messages left will be replied to, just with a small delay due to his temporary disappearance.)

[ Nine has been busy this morning. He's gone walking from place to place, seeing all the major landmarks that he can, going from the Great Library in Odin to Draupnir in Freyr and now to Gefion Park in Baldr, where he can be found seated on a bench, arms spread out to the right and left of him as he takes in the fresh air and the splashing sounds of the water coming up to meet the shore.

It's pleasant, and it's calm, but even as he sits there, it's clear enough that he's not sure what to make of this.

They're here to fight a war, and with the city being so recently turned upside down by the flooding, this moment of calm feels out of place somehow. Of course, he could be very wrong, but in his experiences, reprieves are often very brief, and it wouldn't surprise him if that holds true for all of them. And that's only the tip of the iceberg of the things that are on his mind, really. As he takes a look around, he says: ]

If I didn't know better, I wouldn't believe a flood had just swept through here.

[ After that, he doesn't say much else, because why ruin the silence with a lot of pointless talking?

As to what he's doing sitting on this bench, well, he's come to the conclusion that he's still got quite a few questions about himself and also for his other selves, past and present, that are roaming about the city. But short of going up to one or two of them who seem most relevant to his questions, grabbing them by the collar, and demanding answers (that's just far too drastic, and not likely to get results), he doesn't know what to do.

And that is why he's there, keenly aware of consternation coiling its way up through him the longer he sits there until it seems as though something's about to burst.

But instead of bursting, Nine just squares his shoulders and stands up abruptly. ]

Well, come on, you're not getting things sorted sitting here.

[ And it's on to the next landmark spot, unless someone wants to intercept him. ]

[Irving is in his office at the radio station, sitting behind his desk. He smiles cordially at the viewer.]

Greetings, Asgard. As you've may have noticed, with the departure of both Professor River Song and Vislor Turlough, I have been filing in with news and weather. 

But I would prefer it if someone with both the investigative passion of Professor Song and the scientific keenness of Mr Turlough would take on the role on a full time basis! 

Anyone interested in either role, or indeed any role that you think is missing from the radio station, should feel free and encouraged to apply to me, using the bracelet or coming to my office in the station in Freyr district. My rates are reasonable and I encourage a friendly, creative atmosphere to work in.

Thank you all for your time and patience.

[OOC: Here is the plotting post for anyone interested and anyone who has questions!]

[Sitting at a small desk in her room at the welcome hall, Claire has tons of paper with her bubbly cursive writing etched all over it. She's found the library and has a small stack of books piled up on the desk as well. She's not usually the studying type, but something's caught her attention today and she needs some help figuring things out.]

I've got a few questions about powers. I know there's guides on the bracelets or whatever, but I want to hear what other people have to say.

[The pencil she's using is tapped against her lip a few times as she thinks over how to word things. And finally, figuring it out, she grins.]

Has anyone here been able to switch to something else that's in their house? Or to the power of another house entirely?

[She glances down at her paper, and writes a quick sentence down upon it.]

And okay, this question is probably pretty personal, but how many of you have different abilities back home? I've heard that a lot of people here do. I was thinking about it, and was curious to figure out if anyone here has had their real powers come back to them? It's kind of important that I figure that part out.

[She acts like she's going to say something more, but then her jaw clamps shut. Seconds later, the video cuts off and Claire waits for responses so she can write them down. ]

[It's true. It's taken him some time to get himself settled given the current state of things (both physically and with his own inability to believe his lot straight away) but now that he has, Mohinder has devoted some of his attention to figuring out this communication device. There are several false starts before he manages.]]

My name is Mohinder Suresh.

[Though he looks Middle Eastern or Indian, he has a purring British lilt to his voice.]

A few days ago, just after the flood waters receded it seems, I arrived here without knowing why or how I might be tasked to help so that I may one day return home.

I'm sorry to say that I still do not know, but I am willing to learn. My skills might be few here. I am-- I had been a geneticts. A lecturer. A researcher. Until recently, I taught classes at a University in Madras on human evolution.

I was also told that I might have an ability. In my world, such things are possible to a few with evolved human genes. I do not possess such markers in my genome, however, so I am not sure how this might even be possible.

[Yes. He's always quite verbose.]

I would like to talk with anyone willing. I could trade information for...cleaning perhaps. Or cooking.

Thank you.

[ spike has no idea what's gone on the past couple weeks, but he doesn't seem concerned about it. his little gray cat is on his shoulder as he addresses the camera. he grins, other than being really exceptionally well-rested he's just glad to be back around and he's hoping he didn't sleep through anything mega important. ]

So... hey... what did I miss?

[ nope that's it. ]

[It's Joffrey and he's got a rather sour expression on his face, as if that's anything unusual.]

I can't be the only one who thinks the handling of recent events has been absolutely disastrous, can I?

Speaking as a fellow ruler, the lack of common sense involved is, quite simply, baffling. We're already short on food and resources, and yet more people have been taken in. Are we expected to subside on bread and water so every wandering soul can crowd the city?

Perhaps these refugees should have thought of this before they chose to live somewhere vulnerable to floods.

And, I'd like to add that many of us would be willing to return home and ease the burden, if our leaders are so intent on picking up strays. It's not right to subject us to this squalor when we don't want to be here in the first place.

[There are rather dark circles under this Doctor's eyes, but he carries on as if he's not exhausted. As always, he's leaning forward. At attention.]

First, I want to say that I'm quite proud of the efforts in Alfheim. You really pulled together as teams. Not only did you have excellent leadership, but everyone kept their heads. Pat yourselves on the back if you didn't blister it.

Second: I'm going to talk a bit about love and loss. Hot topics these days, seems like.
( and he rambles at length )