PARADISA

If anyone is interested in picking up a full time job somewhere, or even a few hours here and there, I could use some assistance over at the magic shop I run. Just about everyone else who used to work there is gone, so any and all help is appreciated. Oh, I'm Alvin by the way. You can contact me here or stop by the shop.

[Tim stares at his journal for awhile, contemplating all of the different things he has read and said in the past year he has been here. It still boggles his mind to think that he has been here for that long. So much has changed and yet there are other things that have remained the same.

When he had first arrived, if someone had told him he would still be here a year later, he would have been defiant and ignored them. These days, he's more comfortable with being here than he has ever been, and he's not sure how he feels about that.]

I remember last year's Valentine's Day was an introduction to how crazy this place could be. I think this year's Valentine's Day definitely one upped last year's in that regard. Hopefully, nothing toocrazy happened to anyone.

[All of that being said, there was one good thing that came out of all of the shenanigans from last year...]

( Steph )

[Tim has been doing his best to gather as much information as possible on what's been going on. He has silently observed other entries that have been made (since "Alvin" would freak out and not say much in the way of helpfulness), taking notes, and trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Unfortunately in Paradisa, the castle always seems to hold a few key pieces of information hostage, and can completely alter reality at a whim. While such circumstances are not enough to deter him from investigating by any stretch of the imagination, they are enough to make him want to focus on something they can potentially control to some degree; safety.

Sets his detective mind aside for the moment, and focuses on what someone like Alvin would think of this situation.]

Okay, we need to do something about this situation and we need to do something about it fast! I have a sinking feeling that something else is going to happen sooner than later. We need to try and pool our resources to work together and keep one and other safe. Everyone should have someone they can touch base with regularly. Also, we need to create some kind of emergency system so we can quickly respond to someone who is in trouble. Maybe we can pick a couple of locations for all of us to stay in and rotate people in-and-out to stand guard.

[Tim stares at his journal for a good few minutes, trying to decide what to say or write. After spending nearly a month lost in a sea of research or working, his brain is having a hard time getting back into "social Alvin Draper" mode.

He browses some of his old journal entries to recharge his memory. After a few more minutes pass, an idea pops into his head. Maybe Cass' curiosity will lure her in to respond or she'll track him down to give him a look.]

So, hey. I've got a strange request--or at least it might sound strange! I promise it's not as strange as it sounds. In fact, it's a lot of fun.

When I first came here, I was running a pencil and paper game for my friends, using a D20 system. The game we were playing was Warlocks and Warriors. You pick a base class, draw up a character sheet, and then a storyteller guides you through stories. You roll the twenty sided die to help determine the outcome of different challenges. At one point, I had a group of three which is a good number for beginners. Unfortunately, two of the players went home. Well, that's not really unfortunate for them! But you know what I mean.

If anyone is interested in playing, I could teach you, or I'm sure my girlfriend, Stephanie Brown, would be happy to help. She also plays with me.

[After growing tired of scribbling all over walls, starts writing in his journal.]

loneliness + alienation + fear + despair + self-worth ÷ mockery ÷ condemnation ÷ misunderstanding × guilt × shame × failure × judgment n=y where y=hope and n=folly, love=lies, life=death, self=dark side

[writes the equation over and over.]

From what I've seen and observed on the network and in person, I think the majority of people who need medical aid or are trapped have thankfully been attended to. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the state of the city. Reminds me of what happened to the city I'm from, back home. It got hit by a huge Earthquake and it took years for it to recover.

Unlike back home, there are a lot of different people here, with a lot of different skills. Once people have had time to rest up and recover, would anyone be interested in putting together a habitat recovery team? Many of the citizens in the city are in need of supplies, too.

[Filter to Hermione.]

Hey, how are you holding up? I haven't had a chance to check out the store yet, have you? I'm going to head out there in a couple of hours.

[Filter to Kara, Cass, and Steph.]

Looks like another expedition is being planned. At this point, with my injuries, I'd only hold everyone back. Steph and Cass, the two of you should go on the expedition and collect as much information as you can.

Kara, will you stay here with me and help me with aiding the citizens and cleaning up the city?