The Help Box

[birdical]

Who: Elleru's Help Box and you! [OTA]
What: Someone decided the best way to figure out what help people need was to just ask.
Where: Anchor, housing level
When: Thoughout March and into April
Misc: Wasn't sure if this needed to go in the log comm or the network comm, given the format of it, but feel free to hit me up at grimmhooke or on Discord if you've got any questions!

A box has appeared outside the barracks.



It looks something like the above, save for that it is literally rough around the edges: the box itself is fairly nice, but the slot in the top looks as though it was clawed out with a jagged knife, the edges having barely been smoothed over. There's a lock on the front, hanging above some writing painted in a childish, curlicue script. It reads as follows:

❀ Need Help? Looking for Something? Fill Out A Card. I Want to Help You. ❀

And above the box is a bulletin board with a number of colorful, paper flowers pinned to the corners. That must be for replies. Get creative with notes, steal the flowers from the board, ask a vague question with no real answer -- have at it Anchorites, as Elleru's Help Box is open for business... or trolling. Or both.

Comments

[birdical]

['What are my skills?' is one of those questions Elleru honestly has a hard time answering. She was raised knowing her place in the colony; it's only since she's left that she's had to consider what it is she wants to do and what she's capable of beyond that role.

There are a couple of ink blots on the reply, as though the pen rested there while she thought of a suitable answer.]

I am stronger than many people, and good at digging. I enjoy reading and making crafts, such as these flowers, and am learning to cook. Most of all, I like to meet new people, am a good listener, and am a quick learner. I may not have many skills yet, but I am learning more each day.

[superposition]

[ Hmm... Well, whoever this person is, they certainly sound earnest. He can't help speculating on their identity, though. He's assuming female, based on the embellished handwriting, and possibly quite young - which narrows the field considerably, it turns out. Poison's not this whimsical, Cho wouldn't ask before helping... Ami, maybe? He's not sure. "Good at digging" could be very useful for the mining operation he's working on, depending on how good "good" is, but without knowing for sure who he's talking to, he's not sure it'd be right to suggest it.

It is perhaps worth noting that letter-writing is the medium most conducive to Qubit actually thinking through the consequences of his words. ]

How about morale operations? The suggestion box is a good start, but think bigger, more proactive. In circumstances like ours, it's easy for people to become isolated and slip through the cracks. What we need is more of a sense of community.

[birdical]

So we are in need of a group project rather than a party? The little robots have thrown so many, but not everyone appears.

[Why don't people like parties where they can get drunk on tree sap, or high as a kite with a hookah, or pelted by snowballs in a sudden freeze?]

[superposition]

[ Gosh Elleru we can't all be about sex, drugs, and rock n' roll ]

Bear in mind, the robots are following instructions left for them decades or centuries ago. They're putting on the festivals of a bygone generation. They don't (perhaps can't) understand we aren't their old masters & don't celebrate the same things.

Not to say parties don't have their uses, but a communal project would have more lasting effects. Something that benefits everyone in Anchor, even if it's not strictly necessary for our survival. A way for residents to engage with their neighbors & give back to the community.

[ He had to unfold the flower to make that all fit, but he refolded it afterwards. It may have taken a couple of tries. ]

[birdical]

[Not with that attitude, Qubit.]

I will ponder on this communal project. It must be something worthwhile. Until then, perhaps we could reach out to those in isolation and let them know they are welcome.

Do you have any suggestions for someone like that?