sixthiterationlogs | [MINGLE] Post-Bunker Support Group

WHO: Mark Watney
WHERE: Town Hall & Inn
WHEN: 6 September 2018, Evening
OPEN TO: ALL - MINGLE
WARNINGS: Warn on your threads, please. PTSD is probably a given.
NOTES: Support group mingle! If your character needs some support after the latest meta plot or just generally, send them on over to Town Hall. Also, feel free to do top levels having to do with signing up for a tube monitoring shift. Please let me know if you want a Mark thread, I have notifs off for the post.

So, I have been down to what we all seem to be collectively calling the Bunker. It is... something, to say the least.

For some people it feels like hope and for others despair, and I can honestly see both sides of it. Some people need to feel like they have some control, even if it's illusory — Having a puzzle to possibly solve makes them feel less adrift. For others, it's too much reality, or the perception of, anyway. I can't say I'm personally convinced by any of it.

See, I've been here since the start of whatever this is, with a group that's almost entirely gone now. It's been five months since we were birthed into this expanded world, and I don't know if it's any more real than the last. That isn't me putting on a tin foil hat, that's just respecting the environment. Mars was the same way: You do what you need to do to eke out a life, to survive or even thrive, but it's dangerous to think you have any real control. Everything can go to shit in the blink of eye, and then you're tumbling around in an airlock while your entire food supply is turned to dust.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying people should stop hoping to get home, stop trying to figure it all out. I'm just saying we might all be a little easier mentally if we could express how scary it is to know, deep down, that the rug can be pulled out from under us at any moment... And then to accept that feeling that way is okay.

With that in mind, after a little meditating during my daily work in the fields, I put up two notices on the blackboard in the South Village inn:

Volunteers to monitor the bunker tubes for new arrivals, please sign up for a shift on the paper on the bar.

That's one thing we can do, at least. Just the illusion of control, but still important to some people, and definitely helpful for anybody new.

Below that:

Support Group Tonight
Town Hall - 7:00 PM
Everyone Welcome

I don't know how many people will actually show — We've got a surprisingly stubborn, resilient group, in my experience. But even if it helps just one person, it's worth doing.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She doesn't mind. Being around him is never boring, for one thing, and he keeps her on her toes. He's also finally given her a way to be useful around here.

It's important to her.

It also means that she's going to care about him regardless, because that's what happens when she's around anyone for a decent amount of time. Thoughtful gifts tend to bolster that, too. Tony may be eccentric and flighty, but this sort of thing proves that he cares, which is way more important.]

Oh wow. It's amazing.

[She runs her hand lightly over the decorative pattern before she has to gently set it aside so she can put her arms around his neck in a very tight hug. No, she's not giving him an option.

The corners of her eyes sting, but she manages not to completely fall apart.]

Thank you.

Oh- [ Okay this is a thing. It's- he reaches up, tentatively patting her back. He's a little tense, a little awkward, she asked for a thing and he made sure she got her money's worth- or at least her labor's worth. She's been helpful and useful, so. A little extra Stark Flair seemed appropriate. ]

The head screws into the handle so if you ever want a curling or crimping iron or something, let me know and you can swap them out after they're finished.

[ All hail old timey modular design. ]

[It doesn't last long, Tony. Don't worry.

She releases him and takes a step back, her grin more relaxed than it has been since they'd discovered the bunker.]

I'll keep that in mind.

[She's pretty sure she can figure out a curl regardless, and crimping was pretty out of style, but she appreciated the sentiment.

She takes an idle glance around the room as she picks the iron and box back up, hugging them against her chest.]

I'm surprised so many people showed up.

[ Good, he was starting to feel a little put on the pot. ]

Solidarity can be a powerful motivator. We're social creatures- or at least I think I read something like that. In the face of adversity we huddle up like a jr varsity team trying to figure out the next best play to counter the bullshit the universe is throwing at us.

[ Because it's a lot of bullshit and if they circle the metaphorical wagons they can try to keep the young and relatively innocent further from said bullshit. ]

That sounds about right.

[It's an analogy she's keenly familiar with, at least. Ex-cheerleader and all that.]

At least in football you have some kind of shot at winning. And a lot less 'bullshit.'

[It sure feels like they can't win, anyway.]

Well if we all pull together we might survive long enough to find our own solution- or at least find a way to rig the system in our favor.

[ If there are rules, there are loopholes. If there are systems? They can be manipulated. ]

Think you can take a rough headcount, tell me how many tinderbox kits I should get finished before it starts getting cold?

I'll add it to my list.

[Which she does, making a quick note and giving the task it's own page so she can make a list.]

The one good thing is that we do have a pretty good group of people here.

A nice spread of skills and talents and personalities. So far? No real outstanding assholes so that's good.

[ Definitely makes building shit easier, not having to worry about someone demanding a gun. ]

I think everyone realizes that's the last thing we need, but it usually doesn't stop at least someone from taking that title.

[She's not about to look a gift horse in the mouth, though.]

[MINGLE] Post-Bunker Support Group

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