A LONG AND COMPREHENSIVE PREP VIDEO
May. 25th, 2020 08:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dr_riley posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
smk_network[The video opens typically, with a close-up of Drake leaning over the screen with his arm extended over it, as many self-recorded videos tend to do. Once satisfied that he's broadcasting, he steps back and the room around home comes into view. He's still in his green fatigues - thinks it makes him look authoritative - and has his name patch on for the benefit of anyone who doesn't know him and tunes a little late. The room is plain and unremarkable, but there are crates and piles of equipment behind him.]
Hello, everyone. My name is Doctor Drake Riley, and this broadcast is for those Apprentices who've signed up to join the search parties being organized in order to find... [He closes his eyes for a moment with a little sigh, unhappy about having to say such a ridiculous name out loud and with a straight face.] ...Dreamfinder.
First things first. I'd like to reiterate that I cannot recommend this errand to the inexperienced. This will be a test in wilderness survival and endurance. The environments are dangerous and unpredictable and there won't be anyone but your team to help you quickly if things go sideways. That said, I'm aware that each team will have what passes for a medic. You'll also want to decide on team leaders. When things get hairy, you'll want someone to look to for direction. That isn't to say you shouldn't work together as equal members of a team - only that you won't want everyone yelling different directions in the heat of an emergency. A good team leader will consider everyone's input, but will have the final say.
As for equipment, I'm afraid I was unable to acquire everything I wanted for your packs, so I beg of you, please be careful, take the time to really consider this mission, and use your supplies wisely and sparingly. Oh, and if I mention a thing that isn't provided, write it down so that you can find it for yourself, because some very important things are not included.
All right. Onto equipment. I have a backpack for everyone. Comes in two parts. [He holds the frame up for display.] Heavier than I'd hoped for, but the external frame should allow some air flow and help reduce back pain. Your storage will be a canvas bag that's been waterproofed. Each team will have two tents, crowded, I know, not my decision. Make sure you have larger members of the group carrying them. Canteens for everyone, children get the smaller ones. Mesa, you'll have sunglasses and sunscreen. Jungle and Bayou, you'll have fishing kits. [He holds a little tin up to the screen and opens it, revealing two hooks and a spool of line.] I tried to get you some ponchos, but I guess this place doesn't have rain or something.
Torches - or flashlights, for you Americans - are nearly useless. [He holds up one of the tiny keychain penlights.] Medical kits are equally insufficient, so for God's sake, don't twist an ankle. [mutter] Which you wouldn't have to worry about if I'd been able to get sturdy boots... All I have for you is gauze, tape, and antiseptic. And I've got some rope, tissues, and glow sticks. Apparently, you'll have to provide your own toiletries. Don't go crazy; soap and toothpaste ought to be enough. If you have lightweight, shelf stable food, like dehydrated meals and small, high protein snacks, bring enough of those for two or three days. [He holds up one of his own powerbars in one hand and an MRE in the other as an example.] Something like these.
[Lastly, he displays a few of the glow sticks, glasses, and bracelets.] The glow sticks are not toys. I mean, I suppose, technically, these ones are, but don't go snapping them for fun. These are for testing the depth of a place when a torch can't reach that far - like down a hole or in a cave or cavern you're unsure of. You could also use them to mark cleared, safe areas, or to attract the attention of other team members. Their use is up to you, but try not to waste them.
As for communication, I couldn't get radios, so you'll have to use your mirrors. I've been told that they can be used like radios, though, in that you can tune multiple devices to one channel. So do that. I want every group to decide on their own channels for communicating amongst themselves, and I want all groups to have a channel dedicated only to communicating with someone here, like Lydia or Mr. Crackshell - wait, I think they're both going... I don't know, someone here, like myself, who can organize a rescue party if one of the groups is in distress. Does that make sense? I'm not sure that makes sense. Okay, for example, Jungle stays on channel 13, so that if someone's been separated and is getting eaten by a snake, they can call for help and only the other Jungle members can see it and respond, see? You don't want chatter from the rest of the network. If the whole team is in trouble, broadcast it on, I don't know, channel 4, to which someone here will be listening. Let your leadership decide on what channel to isolate to and stick to it. Lydia, or Mr. Crackshell, you decide on what channel the teams should use if they need outside help and make sure they know what it is.
Next up, packing! I am not going to be packing your bags. But I'll put one together here in this broadcast so you get an idea of how to do it. [He maneuvers the mirror to focus on the floor and kneels in front of one of the canvas bags and a lot of equipment that's been laid out around it. The first thing he picks up is a rolled up tarp.] Heavy, less used things go in first. If you have a cook kit or extra socks, which I wanted to give you but can't, they go on the bottom. Camp stove, also on the bottom. Also not provided. Food and rope, going in. Glow sticks. Try to pack so that heavier things are nearer your back. Rain gear, which - again - you'll have to bring for yourself, goes on top. Strap your tent to the top, like so- [He puts the tent underneath the top flap and cinches it tight.] I wasn't provided sleeping bags or mats, but if you have them, the mat should be at the bottom of your bag, and your sleeping bag can strap to the bottom using a Canadian jam. [He pulls the loose end of his rope back and forth, tightening it around the bag every time.]
As for what a Canadian jam is, [gets up close to the mirror with a length of rope for a brief demo] it's essentially two slipknots. You need a stopper knot at the end, and you can just make a little overhand knot like this, or, preferably, use a slipknot you can pull out easily. This loop here is a bight. Now make the same knot - a simple overhand with a bight - but make that bight much bigger. That's what you can tie around things, and just like you can pull a slipknot out by pulling the tail until the bight comes through, you can pull on this loose end and the loop gets smaller. You can cinch it very tight, very easily. Loosen it by pulling on the stopper knot.
Tuck any loose cords or rope away, tie your canteen to the outside of your bag for easy access. Other things you'll want easy access to are your torches, fire kits, and med kits, and others should know where your med kit is if they need to help you. Not everyone will get a knife, so you'll have to share. [He holds up the knife, unsheaths it and turns it around for viewers to look at, then resheaths it and ties it to the side of the bag.] You can tie it to the bag, put it inside on top, or keep it on your person, but make sure you can get it quickly if you need it.
[He finally heaves a great sigh and rests his hands on his knees, looking right into the mirror.] I really wanted a lot more for you. This isn't nearly sufficient, even for an experienced hiker or reconnaissance team. I mean, there's not even a bloody water filter or fire starter. I strongly encourage all teams to communicate with each other and provide each other any missing equipment they can scrounge up. If you have a tarp? Bring it. Two? Please let someone borrow it. Matches, firesteel, water tablets, etcetera, please, please share. Actually, here's a list of what I wanted for you, but couldn't get:
[He shuffles a few worn and crumpled looking sheets of paper and reads off of them.]
Water filter or tablets.
Fire starting kits, or waterproof matches, firesteel, lighters, a piece of flint, someone who can-can....magic it into existence, whatever you need to start a fire. Important: If you can't find something to purify water, boil it. But not in your canteen, you'll need to use a cup or something. Which brings me to...
Mess kits, camp stoves, and fuel.
Bug spray and ponchos for the wet environments.
Goggles and respirators for Progress, in case of poisonous fumes or gases.
Meals ready-to-eat and ration bars or small snacks.
Actual tor- ...flashlights. And extra bulbs and batteries for them.
Whistles.
Gloves.
Extra socks and sturdy boots.
Sleeping bags and mats.
Field medication, such as painkillers, antibiotics, fever reducers. All you need is someone contracting scarlet fever.
Binoculars.
Soap and toothpaste.
Flares. Optional.
You can come and pick up your supplies, such as they are, at the Mission board. I'll be there from 9am to noon tomorrow, and if you miss me, stop by the Emporium because I'm not lugging this into my living space. I encourage everyone to come and communicate with each other in person about what extra essentials they might have and be willing to share.
That's it, mates. Best of luck. You're going to need it. [He gets up, reaches forward, and the video ends.]
no subject
Date: 2020-05-26 04:12 am (UTC)Dude... Aren't you forgetting something? Here? You're inexperienced. You're giving advice like you've been out there and know what the fuck you're talking about. I get that you want to help, I do. But you're gonna fucking confuse people and that's not helping. These mirrors don't have "channels" they're fucking magic smart phones. You just set it to whoever you want to talk to.
text
Date: 2020-05-26 04:39 am (UTC)here's the file
list.txt
no subject
Date: 2020-05-26 04:43 am (UTC)[He scratched the side of his cheek, sheepishly, trying to figure out just what Drake had asked of him. It had something to do with the mirrors, was it?] Channels? Ahh... the mirrors aren't TVs. They're just like... phones, except you can see the other person you're talking to, and you can write to them, as well. [Hi. Texting really isn't a thing, yet, back in his world.] You can lock it to who you want to talk to, if you need to. Maybe you can... I don't know... lock it to a group of people? I'm sure others have been able to do that. I'm not 100% familiar with these yet.
no subject
Date: 2020-05-26 05:04 am (UTC)As for the mirrors, perhaps I was misinformed, because I was told they could isolate to a single feed - call it a chat room if you want, smartphones can access chatrooms. Regardless, one person needs to be able to reach the rest of the team all at once, hello, mayday, jungle team, come and get me, not have to go through one person at a time. You're being eaten by a snake, you don't have time for that.
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Date: 2020-05-26 05:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-05-26 05:11 am (UTC)Try minding your own business when your friend gets swallowed by a 20 foot catfish. It happened. And we saved him with magic... and a fishing pole.
[She takes a breath, trying to calm down. He's trying to help...]
Listen... All I'm saying is you can't prepare for everything. Not in this place. And, I mean, scarlet fever? They can cure that shit with magic. We need to be more worried about the corruption. And there's no way to prepare for that.
no subject
Date: 2020-05-26 05:20 am (UTC)I certainly hope it can be locked to a group. That's something everyone should try to figure out before leaving; exchange mirror numbers or whatever, because if you're in trouble, you want your whole team to know it without putting it in the community classifieds.
no subject
Date: 2020-05-26 05:32 am (UTC)You know what, fine. Alright. I take it all back, go out naked, you'll be fine. Magic will take care of everything. Have fun, and do write me a lovely postcard.
Riley out!
[friendly little wave]
[What's not seen is how he throws his mirror across the room in a temper]
no subject
Date: 2020-05-26 05:38 am (UTC)Thank you, Dr. Drake. I'm sure these items would come in handy depending on how long we'll be out in the given locations. I'll try to take some of your advice to the team, should they need it, and it was good of you to take the time to try and look out for us.
no subject
Date: 2020-05-26 06:01 am (UTC)It sounds like you still managed to get a great amount of stuff. We can add what we have from previous missions, I'm sure.
...There are no... mirror numbers. It's almost like... when you arrive, the mirrors just add your name to the network or however it works. I have no idea. You'd have to ask Merlin how this works. [He gave Drake a helpless shrug. He was feeling quite helpless, at the moment.]
no subject
Date: 2020-05-26 11:50 am (UTC)[Eleanor groans in frustration as Drake cuts the feed. Taking a second to calm down, she taps out a message to him for whenever he turns his mirror on again.]
I wasn't telling you to mind your own business, bud. I was saying that I was minding my own business when that happened.
Listen, I know you're trying to help. That's awesome, really. I just think you're going a little overboard. It's not that none of that would help. We've just done fine without it for almost a year. Maybe try starting small instead of making people feel like they've been doing shit wrong for this long. We were all chosen because we can do this. We have to work together to make this work.
no subject
Date: 2020-05-26 01:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-05-26 05:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-05-26 05:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-05-26 05:34 pm (UTC)You understand telling me that someone was swallowed by a great ugly fish and all you had was magic and a fishing pole is not assuaging my concerns at the enormous lack of preparedness. If we were all "chosen," as you say, then I have to assume that I have something valuable to contribute, so I'm not about to sit around while people get eaten by fish. That is exactly the wrong thing to do, just like running out into the jungle without a pair of boots is the wrong thing to do. Speaking of, I hope someone on your team has an extra pair, because I doubt the fainting girl brought any. You may want some smelling salts for her as well. I have three left, and if you think she'll need it, you're welcome to have one before heading out. FYI: she fainted twice at the strategy meet.
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Date: 2020-05-26 06:36 pm (UTC)Also, the amoebas will add a little pizzazz to otherwise boring drinking water. It's like the toy in a box of cereal!
no subject
Date: 2020-05-26 06:51 pm (UTC)I'm not saying you're completely wrong. You just need to understand that you're asking a lot from people. There are literal kids here. I'm willing to bet a lot of people here don't know what half the stuff you said is.
Also, how are you going to buy shoes for everyone? Do you know their shoe sizes?
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Date: 2020-05-26 07:12 pm (UTC)And if someone's being eaten by a snake, we'll kill the snake, and make sure that person doesn't lead or trail for the rest of the trip. Or I could carry them!
That time I was swallowed by that fish god? I had to carry a Zora Princess around almost the entire time, because she refused to walk. But, once I killed the parasite that was bugging him, he spat us out and we were fine.
no subject
Date: 2020-05-26 08:21 pm (UTC)Well I would know shoe sizes if this'd been better organized, or I had time to make inquiries.
[And then his shoulders sink and he looks very tired]
I know there are literal kids here. That's my concern, that's why I'm asking a lot. Eleanor, you're making my point for me, you were unprepared and someone got eaten. They got out on a prayer, that's great, but do you know how on edge that's making me for the literal kids going out there? And the new guys who haven't got any gear or experience and the barest minimum of magical training? And especially the people who are both?
If I can't convince anyone to reconsider, then I at least want to know they're equipped for any challenge and able to protect and provide for one another.
[frown] Hang on, wait, are you saying I wasn't clear? What wasn't I clear about? The knot? I explained how to do a Canadian jam. Rather well, too, I thought. [He shakes his head] Anyway, not everyone needs to know what I'm talking about, just the ones who can explain it or do it for others. Like you. You can help the little one and the fainting one with whatever got lost in translation, yeah?
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Date: 2020-05-26 08:26 pm (UTC)Re: (video)
Date: 2020-05-26 08:34 pm (UTC)Re: (video)
Date: 2020-05-26 08:35 pm (UTC)Anyway. That's good thinking, what team are you on? [flips a page...then another] Ah - you're with the argumentative one, good. She's got real leadership potential. You and her need to keep the team safe. Put the boy, Malcolm, in the middle, I do not want to hear about him coming to harm.
Good luck, keep each other safe, come back alive.
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Date: 2020-05-26 08:43 pm (UTC)Re: (video)
Date: 2020-05-26 08:51 pm (UTC)adding to the people who will make his brain hurt
Date: 2020-05-26 09:18 pm (UTC)[even Nadine Ross didn't carry that much and she was downright militant]