ten_fwd_ooc | TEST DRIVE #6 - The Bridge and Ten Forward

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test drives

TEST DRIVE #6 - The Bridge and Ten Forward

Option 01. Ten Forward: The first thing you see is a bar. A large, lively bar filled with many different faces and many different smells, sights and sounds. This is Ten Forward, the Enterprise's off-duty lounge; feel free to get acquainted with your fellow travelers and try to find somebody who's in charge: this is your new home now, after all...

Option 02. The Bridge: Well, aren't you a lucky duck? You've found yourself in hallowed quarters. Wherever you were before, you're not there anymore. Now you're in a room that could be some kind of command center or control room; there's a captain's chair flanked by seats for his chief officers, computer panels and stations at each interior wall, and before you a broad viewscreen that shows the wide expanse of space rushing towards you. Have you ever wanted to be a starship captain for a day? Well, here's your chance. Feel free to roam around, but try not to touch anything shiny.

[OOC: The Bridge isn't usually available for in-game posts, so if you've ever wanted to play there, here's your chance!]

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[And Alec won't blame him for that. Unlike some people. Because he at least gets it.]

I tend to get really paranoid. Not quite tinfoil hat... but I do know an actual reality where wearing tinfoil hats does prevent people from effecting your emotions. Interesting that one. There's a part of their population whose magic is triggered by ingesting certain kinds of metals.

[The 'boy' despite all appearances is actually quite a bit older than Magento as well. It's just that his aging, both physically and mentally has been slowed down to an almost imperceptible level.]

Sadly, no. My life doesn't work like that. If someone's going to be made the fool, nine times out of ten it's going to be me.

(First time in three days that I do, finally! Not a fun New Year's.)

[ Really what sets him off? People down playing his fear and minimizing what's setting his paranoia off. For a psychiatrist Charles does a REMARKABLE job of not addressing his best friend's mental illness at all. And when you have someone as powerful as Magneto having a panic attack and being paranoid...well...

Just not being dismissed and having his points acknowledged does a huge amount to keeping him stable.]

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean people aren't trying to kill you. Or worse.

[ But THAT bit? He's interested. ]

Any kinds of metals or certain ones for different powers?

[ He'll get used to that idea eventually - after all it's not unheard of. But those older than him tend to lord it. But if someone has a naturally different life span, the difference in mental aging makes sense to him. ]

Everyone has their lot in life, our wills be damned.

[ He may be teasing. He may just being honest. ]

(Glad to hear it! I need to stop sleeping my entire off days but god I'm so exhausted.)

[Yeah, telling someone like Magento that they're wrong about something doesn't tend to end well.]

[That whole sane thing Alec had going on? It cracks. For the briefest of moments there's a very haunted and broken look in Alec's eyes. It's not wild eyed or twitchy so much as someone who has seen really, way too much and can't take any more. Of someone who should be locked up in a padded white room screaming into the walls. It vanishes quickly, but it's definitely there. And he mutters to himself.]

Personally, I'd rather kill the assholes who did this instead.

[But the crazy is gone... really... and he latches onto Magneto's question like a lifeline.]

Certain metals can do certain things. It's called Allomancy There's... sixteen of them, if I remember correctly, sixteen is an important number in that universe. And each metal is paired, one being an alloy of the other. So you've got steel and iron. Iron pulls on nearby sources of metal and steel pushes away nearby sources of metal. Zinc inflame emotions and brass dampens them. Most people who can use allomancy can only burn - as they call it - one metal. And then you've got the really rare ones that can burn all sixteen. Oddly, it's one or all, not anything in between.

[Alec scratches his head thoughtfully at that point, thinking it over.]

Dunno why, but that's something that I've noticed a lot. One or all. Anyway.

[There's a shrug and a snort. Alec takes him at honest because...]

I actually have an alternate version of myself that literally is the Fool. Like a personification of the Tarot card. And free will is an optical illusion.

(Isn't that the point of a day off? To be able to sleep it all if you want to be able to? Though admittedly then you don't get stuff done.)

[ It doesn't, more so because he's so very often right.

Magneto's gaze sharpens, focuses. It's not predatory, though he has that. He worked with people for years inside the walls of a psychiatric hospital, has a great deal of experience with them, professionally. And personally, he's quite intimately acquainted with it. So he moves, slowly, reaching over with an up turned palm, putting his fingers lightly on Alec's hand. Ground him in the here and now.]

There is no judgment on my end for that feeling.

[ It's not soft, merely quiet. Firm and understanding.

And he listens, linking how metals feel and sense to him with what they do in another universe. Iron and steel he can easily understand. Zinc and brass seem backwards, somewhat, though he has to admit brass has a more soothing resonance than zinc, which in large amounts can prickle in his ears like ceaseless buzzing. ]

That is odd. Interesting however.

[ More to puzzle over. And possibly poke at later. ]

Are there others? Members of the deck?

[ Free will often is an illusion. ]

[That never does help matters.

The physical contact, slight as it is, startles Alec and he briefly panics and almost vanishes. It's completely impossible to go into everything that runs through his mind at that moment, but the big running theme is 'you shall not touch the big "players" in another reality' and Mageneto is a very big player.It's okay to talk to them. Talking impressions can fade when you leave, but physical contact stays longer in the memory. And staying in the memory is meddling and you shan't meddle. But what do you do when one of them touches you? He shoves it all down and completely ignores it (because he has healthy coping mechanisms), though he sounds a bit rattled for his first few words.]

Gold. Gold is interesting. Gold lets you see who you might have been. And Electrum - that's it's companion metal -lets you see a few seconds into the future.

[His voice levels out as he focuses on the questions and not on the person speaking them.]

Well... yes, but he's sort of... um... the fear of being made a fool. That voice in the back of your mind that tells you everyone is going to laugh at you when you do something sort of thing. The thing that prevents you from doing stuff because you might get embarrassed. Though there are places where the other members of the deck are real too.

[ Never. Course, him dealing with his trauma might help.

And he'd have to be completely blind to not notice the reaction - even if he can't guess the reason - he still takes a step back, hands slightly upraised. Hey, no harm meant. And he won't do it again. ]

That is interesting.

[ And he'll let him focus. ]

What are the other members a personification of?

[Deal with trauma?! HA! Don't be ridiculous. What sort of insanity is that?

There is relief in Alec's posture when Magneto backs off.]

If you ever meet a guy named Hoid, he could probably tell you much more than I can about it. Hoid or Kelsier. Though, Hoid might just insult you...

[From what Alec knows about Hoid, it's entirely possible, depending on who he is pretending to be at the time. They've never met.]

Let's see... But, there's the Blind King, the fear of death and Endings; his children, Death's Shadow, the fear of betrayal, things hidden and the Thief in the Night, the fear of secrets being stolen and the loss of self. The Wanderer, the fear of the unknown, beginnings and the wild; he and the Blind King are brothers. The Ashling the fear of fire.

Um. Here and There, the fear of the journey, roads, of what's on the other end. They're identical twins and the guardians of what's know as the Ways. The Raven, the fear of war, destruction; the Piper, the fear of the loss of children -that's where the story of the Pied Piper comes from.

The Drowned Girl, she's the Ashling's daughter and the fear of water and drowning. Annnd... the Fates. The fears of who you were, are and what you may become.

[If Alec were to hazard a guess, he'd say the last three haunt Magento the most.]

[ Oddly enough, he'll encourage others to deal with what they've been through.

He just goes back to leaning against the wall. Listening.]

With everything going occurring here, I shall keep that well in mind.

[ Not just who he is and what he may be, but who he was as well. ]

Is it commonly known they are the embodiments of the archetypes or unknown?

[Probably because it's easier to help others than it is to help yourself.

Alec glances about them.]

And there will probably be a lot occurring here. Tricksters tend to get bored easily. They might cause problems as much as the leakage.

[Hopefully, they'll never meet.]

Unknown. They call themselves the Forgotten for a reason. People tend to forget they exist. They also only let themselves be seen when they wish to. Otherwise your eyes just sort of pass right over them. Perhaps you see a woman with a strange shadow out of the corner of your eye, but when you turn to look... there's nothing there.

[ It's partly why.

He appears casual - except he's still tensed. And glancing around. ]

A trickster and a reality wrapper. Interesting.

[ Not much fun in that. ]

I've heard of those types of beings.

[Alec just doesn't want Q to notice him. He feels like he's on a ticking clock, wondering when the cat will notice the rat.]

Tricksters tend to make the best and worst reality warpers. They have the imagination and the will to change it, and usually don't care as much.

[While, Alec puts himself in that category, he's not going to flat out admit it to Magento. If he figures it out on his own, then good. If not... then not.]

Yeah. I can't remember if I've ever seen any on your world before though.

[ He can understand the logic - he understands all to well the need to hide in plain sight. It's just not something he enjoys, generally. ]

I've heard it say that tricksters by default are reality warpers, though the inverse is not true.

[ He may or may not figure it out. He's still getting his bearings. ]

I think there's a great many things in my universe most haven't seen.

[The repercussions are usually worse for Magneto than for Alec. People try to kill him. Alec just gets bounced.]

Yeess... I could probably agree with that one. Tricksters needing to be able to cheat reality and the rules to play their tricks after all. Like the difference between Loki and Franklin Richards.

[Hopefully Alec's politeness will at least earn him a good point or two.]

Mm... Yes. Like the inside of a whale's belly or ...

[Alec's shadow flickers just briefly before he pauses and wiggles a finger in his ear.]

Sorry. Channeling the Fool for a second. Speak of the devil and he shall appear sort of thing.

But you've seen a lot.

[ He's rather them try to kill him than someone less able to defend themselves. It's why when he's not being "dead" he makes damned sure he can be seen. ]

Yes, exactly. Though Franklin's still young, and like any child, has a perchance for mischief and pranks. Perhaps not helped by the rest of us.

[ Mutants have a sense of humor. They have to. ]

Understandable.

More than most. At least for those from Earth, it seems.

[Which is really... good of him. Very few people will do that. Painting a target on yourself is hard to do. Alec respects people like that.]

And hopefully he'll keep on and follow his parent's and family's heroic footsteps.

[It's the only way to deal with things sometimes.]

What was the most interesting thing you've seen? Or... thing that you never could believe could have existed, really?

[ He's been shaped to endure it. He'd rather others not share that burden. ]

I have no doubt he will.

[ Faith in something good? More likely than anyone thinks. ]

Us. All of us. The differences, the similarities, the complexities of our powers. Even when you look at psychics, no one's powers work completely the same way.

[Alec tilts his head curiously, listening to Magneto. It's not what he thought he'd say, but then again his interactions with the man has been limited and then again each one, as he just said, is different.]

No, they don't really, do they? In a way, I guess, everyone is a reality warper. Their perception of who they are changes what they do in reality... and in the case of powers, how they express it, I imagine.

[It's not something he's ever really thought about before. Never need to think about before. But the thought is there now and he'll chew it over.]

[ There's many things that have enchanted and delighted him. But really - for all his nature, power fascinated him. How they worked, how they turned out, what people did with them. Perhaps that was the engineer in him. ]

It's not quite to the level that a certain very terrible 'documentary' on quantum physics would make it out to be, but I suppose that's true. I've heard it questioned if we don't have some unconscious control over how the final expression of our powers works out, rather than it being completely random.

I can't say I've seen the documentary. What was it about? It sounds like fuzzy science.

[He then makes a bit of a humming noise.]

There's possibly some merit to that. I was born with the ability to control all four elements and I should be able to merge them in someway, but I've got a complete and utter mental block on it because I was told as a child that if I were to use all four, I'd be killed. Been trying for years now... can't do it.

It is fuzzy science, basically this "theory" which states our consciousness controls the world.

[ He's not impressed with it. ]

Yes. It does happen occasionally with some people and their powers.

[ He's pretty sure it's happened with Rogue. ]

[Alec laughs hard. Really. Laughs, like he's just heard the funniest joke in the world, and ends up with a hiccup, leaning against the wall.]

Oh. That's hilarious. That is ... That... is... Oh... They couldn't be more wrong...

[He hiccups a laugh again.]

Getting told you might get killed for using it does that to you.

[Probably. Her and Cyclops... depending on... things.]

[ Magneto actually relaxes a little at the laughter, leaning against the wall. ]

They have this entire segment about an experiment where people thought negative things towards beakers of water and positive things to others and claimed the molecules changed.

[ And his is a world where unstable molecules exist but this is just stupid. ]

Yes, it would.

[ And a few others. ]

[Another hiccup of laughter. For a moment it looks like Alec is going to slip to the floor, but he catches his balance.]

All right, now that's just plain stupid. I mean, I've heard and seen some pretty stupid shit in my life, but that... hippie molecules... or would that be mood ring molecules? That's just... ridiculous.

I mean... just... what reality are they living in?

[ Oh come on Alec, that would have been hilarious. ]

One borne of too many LSD experiments? I had to watch it just to see how badly the science was.

[He's not the Fool. But, he has apparently given himself the hiccups.]

You mean [hiccup] you watc [hiccup] watched it willingly? [hiccup] No one got [hiccup] you drunk or [hiccup] paid you?

Did you [hiccup] end up [hiccup] drunk by the end?

That is the BEST stuff. Marvel crack at its crackiest is wonderful.

Excalibur was Marvel owns it's crack, I love it.

I heard the early run was pretty insane.

It was. I may have a massive chunk of it on my hard drive. Also I know a little of mistborn!

Hopefully your harddrive will keep. And Mistborn/Sanderson is awesome.

My birthday present this year was a 4TB external. I'm goooood.

Excellent! ... I should back up my stuff...

It's a huge peace of mind.

Re: It's a huge peace of mind.

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And I just totally stole your comment about fitting into the spaces for Alec's app

Glad to help :)

It really does work very well

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You realize I'm going to have to watch that AGAIN just so Mags can bitch aobut it now

I'm so sorry. Really, I am. No one should watch that, it sounds like.