thistle rite: podcasting

[reportinastorm]

WHO: Flora + Thistle + everyone
WHERE: On a screen near you
WHEN: Day 79 morning

[The first thing that happens is a brief mass cube call.]

Hello everyone! I'm Flora, recently arrived on Thistle, and I have a couple of announcements to make.

First, I've written a short guide for new arrivals and added it to the book in the clinic. It covers the basics of this place without diving too much into details. I've also printed copies of it, which I encourage everyone to take and hand out.

Second, I'm planning a periodic newscast with some other members of Thistle. You'll find a mirror outside your barn, if you haven't already. Our first broadcast will play on it in ten minutes, discussing information Blossom shared recently. Thank you!

[She hangs up without waiting for a response, though you can call back if you like. Either way, there are decorative mirrors wrapped in paper and labeled "FOR NEWS" delivered to every barn (and some more trustworthy Weeds).

In ten minutes, every mirror displays a clear image of Thistle inside their barn. Flora starts off:]

Hello, everyone! Welcome to Thistle's newscast. Today's report is on some new information Blossom revealed. To start with, I want to make sure everyone is on the same page.

If you're not aware, this place, and the people in it, are in this state because of a conflict with the Wolf Kingdom. The fallout of the conflict is what Blossom has been intending to repair by bringing us all here, though it's not clear anyone knows all the details of what happened.

One thing that is certain is the incident that incited the conflict was the death of the Wolf King's daughter, supposedly at Blossom's hands. The wolves are still seeking revenge for it. Recently, some people have encountered the Wolf King's son and others working for him. In particular, Clover recently brought back the Wolf King's daughter's body, which he had been preserving.

As of yesterday, Blossom confirmed something some people have suspected... That it was, in fact, her body. She is the Wolf King's daughter, and rather than having been killed, she ran away to live in this pasture for her own reasons. Her "death" at her own hands was a misunderstanding that escalated to the point she apparently couldn't correct it. Instead, she's been trying to mislead the wolves in the mist with her scent while we help to fix things.

[FLORA DOESN'T SOUND VERY IMPRESSED WITH THIS.]

I personally feel this is further proof of the power of information. There can be severe consequences when people don't know what's really happening. What do you think...?

[The broadcast then transitions to discussion with the rest of Thistle (in threads below.) Eventually Flora wraps up.]

Thank you for joining us! I'm hoping to do my next report on priests and demons, and their benefits to the flocks. If you have any information in that area, please reach out to me!

(( If you want to call/visit Flora/Thistle please indicate that, otherwise feel free to use this as a mingle in whatever location! ))

Comments

[pictureimperfect]

[turning off his mirror transmission]

Aaand cut!

[reportinastorm]

[pleased]

I think that went well. We'll have to see how people respond, of course.

[pictureimperfect]

You did a good job! You're sure to receive rave reviews.

[reportinastorm]

Well, I don't know about that. I'm just getting started, I'm sure there are areas for improvement.

[survivaltricks]

[he'll be catching her in person. . . wherever she is post-newscast, his staff resting against his shoulder]

That felt very professional.

[reportinastorm]

Well, I am a professional.

[survivaltricks]

I'm starting to see that.

[she certainly had REPORTER VIBES, but until now, he didn't actually know she was a reporter]

Is this what you do for a living back home?

[reportinastorm]

...Not quite this. Most of my time is spent on field research, and then writing stories for our magazine, not live reporting. And we don't have the technology infrastructure to broadcast video, so it would be radio even if I did.

[leonheartedly]

[he is here for discussion, but also:]

It's really just like tuning in for the news . . .

[reportinastorm]

That is the idea.

[leonheartedly]

It's a good idea.

Can't say I've been on this end of it, though.

[reportinastorm]

I bet you could be good at it if you wanted. You clearly have attention to detail and the desire to help people out, which are the most important things.

Calling Flora on the astralphone

[wants_the_phd]

Well done! I'm impressed!

You work fast.

[reportinastorm]

Thank you. There's still lot more that I have to learn, but if I can help out a little with what I know so far it's a good start.

[wants_the_phd]

No, this is great! Very well organized and consise. I think this'll help a lot.

I'm excited by the thought of regular updates, too. Especially once people start bringing info to you to broadcast, instead of having to rely on mass cubecalls or town halls or whatever.

[reportinastorm]

Yata helped a lot with the mirrors. A broadcast like this would have been much more complicated to implement otherwise.

[dadinside]

[that's a lot of words. he's heard a lot of this before though, so he was easily able to follow along.]

It's almost like you do this for a living.

[reportinastorm]

[I assume he is just at Thistle]

Well, not this specifically. But I am a reporter.

[dadinside]

[yes, he is once again visiting Thistle.]

And you learned so much in such a short time.

[he sounds... impressed? about as much as his monotone voice can convey anyway.]

[reportinastorm]

Well, I got a good head start from Tyr. He gave me some fairly comprehensive notes. And I still have a lot more to learn.

[papartner]

Hell yeah, nice. Adding the mirrors for the visual is a great touch.

[reportinastorm]

Mm, Yata's ability is really useful for that.

[papartner]

Was it his idea?

[reportinastorm]

Yes, he suggested it when I was talking about doing some kind of broadcast.

[wooliefrand]

[BELATEDLY SOMETIME NEAR THE END OF THEIR RITUAL

a starpiece lands at flora's feet]