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wilderlogs2018-03-07 06:14 pm
wildermods) wrote in wilderlogs2018-03-07 06:14 pm
THE SQUAD DOES AN INTRO - [modplot] [event]
THE SQUAD DOES AN INTRO
In their homeworlds, they suddenly hear water flowing over stone, the wind through the leaves, and the gentle rattling of Kodama. The hushed sound of treetops waving in the breeze lull them to sleep whether they want it to or not, and in what seems like a dream they fall through a tunnel that passes through layers of dirt and roots and then through seemingly endless boughs of trees.
During this impossibly long fall, spirits whisper in their ears. They tell them that they must save the Wilderlands and the Green. They tell them that they will be given the power or weapons to do it - or that they're already strong enough as they are. They tell them that in the times they're not needed, they may find themselves trapped in the faerie realm known as the Brugh, but that the mirrors will let them speak, and the mirrors will let them see.
And they tell them that they're about to become lost in the forest and that there are others like them, just as lost.
When they wake up, they find themselves in the ruins of an abandoned city; the forest has overtaken it, threading new life through the decay, but the green of the leaves and vines pales in contrast with the broken buildings and streets. Every single building in this city was once a vibrant shade of emerald, and even now, after the slow ravages of time, the green ruins glimmer like they're hewn from precious gems.
The only things that aren't that bright shade of emerald are the statues. Countless statues are scattered through the abandoned city, shaped like men and women and children and pets, all dressed in 1900s era Earth-style finery. These figures are extremely intricate, almost too detailed to be believably carved by a human hand. Many of them are smashed and broken.
Some of the statues don't look human. Among the humans are little beings shaped like china dolls that are made of stone like the rest, instead of porcelain. And in the middle of the city, standing near each other are three strange petrified figures: an axe-wielding man that looks like he was made of metal before being petrified, a man who looks like a human-lion hybrid, and a living scarecrow. All three have expressions of surprise or anger on their faces.
When the characters are brought into this place, the magic that brought them in seems to have trouble getting them all in the same place at first. They find themselves spending brief amounts of time in one spot (sometimes just minutes, sometimes longer) before they're teleported again. Each time they teleport they find themselves near someone new, someone just as lost as them. Those that don't speak the same language may find some difficulties communicating, but over time, the magic of the Wilderlands will kick in, and plant a whole new language in their heads. This magic works faster the more they emotionally connect with other and find understanding without words.
The teleportation keeps zapping them in different places all over the city -- and sometimes outside it, where they can see an abandoned road made of yellow brick that trails off into the distance. Fortunately, the people they keep getting paired off with seem like normal people just like them, and beyond that, they're entirely alone in the ruins.
Probably.
✦ Post in actionspam format. Plots and mod-run events in the game are meant to be in actionspam format to keep a brisk pace.
✦ Please see the OOC post linked up top for more information about the event.
no subject
[ Robbie sounds suddenly firm. He’s come to a command decision that, weirdos who may or may not be aliens notwithstanding, he can’t afford to think this isn’t Earth. He’s thought about it for maybe 20 seconds now; it’s a gaping black hole of stress. He’ll go crazy with worry, if they’re missing or dead and his body feels like flat soda AND he’s not on Earth. He can only cope with so much. ]
It can be 'Earth no' when I find my friends. Then we can deal with 'Earth no’.
[ Robbie watches with mild interest as the medical supplies are brought out – he keeps glancing up at the sky, expecting an alien deathship to go sailing by and he'll find a way to bounce up to it …
Except the fucking machine seems to have sucked his powers dry.
Superhero. Robbie refocuses on the metal and goggles face, then moves in for a better look at the proffered ring, the same symbol on the belt buckle.
A less than sign and a star. Or maybe an L and an asterisk. Something like that. Robbie's never seen that design before, and the implication is clear: the design belongs to this guy. ]
Yeah, Earth has superheroes. [ There’s a funny little smile on his face. ] Fat lot of good we do most of the time.
[ He crouches down and gestures at the stranger’s ringed hand, keeping up a conversation that’s not quite one-sided and definitely not two-sided. ]
What are you, new or something? Old and hibernating for a century? Ancient and living past K.N.O.W.H.E.R.E.? I’ve never seen that logo, and I thought I knew everybody.
[ Not personally, but it pays to recognize all active heroes. Never know who’s going to team up with who. This L* though, he’s fresh off the gamma radiation truck.
Another beat, and Robbie holds out his bad arm. He can’t do anything like this, and the worst that could happen is death. He might already be dead, big deal. ]
If you want to help me, forget my hand. Help me find my team or get a message to the Avengers. Something useful. Please.
no subject
[But Brainy can offer no comfort there. He still has no clue what's going on.]
[Robbie confirms that his world has superheroes and asks questions. 'New' he catches. 'never seen' also comes through too. He doesn't recognize the logo and isn't sure why. Brainy figures out that he's possibly assuming that he's from the same world.]
[Brainy takes out his omnicom and performs a scan of Robbie's hand. The little light that spreads over it tingles a tiny bit but otherwise doesn't cause any ill effects.]
Not from Earth. Home is Colu. Not from... [He tries to find the words, for once grasping in a way that's driving him slightly nuts when he has near-perfect recall for things he's taken care to actually try to learn.]
Am Legion. Legion of Superheroes. Legion of wanderers. From many worlds. Wanderers of many worlds. Wanderers of...outside. Outside of worlds. Ah... dimensions?
Have seen many Earths. Yours? [He shrugs because he doesn't know for sure, especially with his omnicom's dimensional scanner working so unreliably at the moment.]
[He takes Robbie's hand in his own, gently manipulating it to straighten out the bones and tendons. He cracks open a chemical ice pack already wrapped in a soft fiber cloth and places it on Robbie's hand.]
Hold.
no subject
[ There’s a very long pause as Robbie runs down the massive list of superhero teams he has largely committed to memory, with the aid of a rewritten Animaniacs song for the 50 State Initiative teams. Eventually, he has to admit it. ]
There’s no Legion on my Earth. You’re way too advanced for the Roman legions, and I think 'I am Legion' got banished into a pig, so unless you’ve got a tail under -
[ There’s a huff of pain when the ‘alien’ starts working his hand. On the off chance that this is real, Robbie tries to tough it out and pretend the sound was exasperation. ]
Why can’t my brain come up with a cool alien? If this is how I go out, I want fifty feet high sentient silicon-based flowers with antimatter guns. I don’t want doctors from Colu.
[ But he obeys immediately and keeps the pack in place. ]
Your planet sounds like a sneeze. So which empire is that in? Kree? Skrull? No, not Skrull. I think they blew it all up or something. Oh, what about the ones with the feathers, hang out with the X-dudes? Shi'ar.
Not that I don’t appreciate the help, but are you going to get cranky if you find out I’m a superhuman, not a mutant? Hypothetically speaking. I’m asking for a friend. I'm booked up on cranky aliens, but I have space for a benevolent skygod. The old one wasn't interested in first aid.
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[Brainy is quiet as if he's listening and thinking about it as Robbie talks, snapping together and mixing some kind of gel in a tube. He briefly lifts the hand Robbie is holding the ice pack with away from the wound, and applies the gel. It absorbs quickly into Robbie's skin, leaving his hand dry not long after. It has a cooling effect that soothes the skin and somehow reaches the ache underneath.]
[Then he starts putting on a padded finger splint that holds his pinky and ring finger together and starts taping it.]
[When Robbie's done talking, he finally speaks up again. The words are very dry and just slightly amused.]
You talk much.
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You talk little.
[ Robbie grins, but it falls away quickly. There’s too many unpleasant questions that he can’t answer to hold the beat after a fledging repartee. ]
You turn up somewhere, and you only know it’s not Earth. You meet an alien – hi! I’m Robbie – who’s totally convinced this is Earth and trying not to freak out about six different things. They start with is that goo bio-compatible with humans or did you just poison me?
[ Despite the alien's jibe, Robbie isn’t about to stop talking. His mouth is good at outracing his thoughts. ]
Where’s the rest of the Legion? How did you get here? Why aren’t you worried?
((These words)) are still untranslated. Anything outside the brackets is translated.
[He finds words that they both understand, as the language of this place slowly comes to him.]
((There)) appears ((to be)) some form of translation in this world. Some unknown force ((that)) imparts knowledge ((of a)) different language. ((I've met)) several others and it worked (((only)) sporadically.
[He keeps taping up Robbie's hand.]
((To)) answer your ((questions)), yes, the ((bio-gel)) is compatible with human physiology, I have no ((clue)) how or why ((I was)) brought here, the ((location)) of my team is currently unknown, and no, I'm not ((worried)) because ((the only thing)) that exceeds their capacity to drive ((me to the very)) limits of my patience is their competence.
Wherever they ((are, they'll)) be fine until ((either)) I locate them - or more likely, ((given)) the nature of one of my teammates' powers - they find me.
[Shikari would be able to guide them to him eventually. Depending on how many dimensions away he's been transported to, it may take considerable time, but they'll still find him somehow.]
Blue words are translated.
The gel isn’t going to burn through his hand slowly. Robbie isn’t the only hero separated from his team, but Poncho de aLeón has faith in his.
He feels like shit in comparison. Robbie doesn’t think his are coming. He thinks his team is dead because he’s wasted so much time getting back to them. The miracle that he’s trying to avoiding hoping for would be there being sent here, too. If he doesn’t tell himself it could happen, he won’t be disappointed.
But he owes them that kind of faith, he thinks miserably. They went down swinging; not one person turned tail and ran, except possibly himself.
Did he burn his powers out causing an explosion this time? It would explain why his powers refuse to react to any stimulus. Flexing his hand against the tape hurts despite the cooling gel, and nothing happens. The tape disappointingly doesn’t loosen.
He should say something – Robbie knows he’s being too quiet. It’s abnormal behavior. ]
Your friends are coming for you? Hey, that’s great! That might be the best news I’ve had in a week, but there's not a whole lot of competition. Runner up is I’m with an alien and we’re being affected by a force, if not the Force, and I still don’t have telekinesis. Lame.
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[Then he starts to pack up his supplies again.]
Robbie. You said that was your name, yes? [Slyly.] If there's any room for it amidst your babbling, you may have mine.
[It's an insult and yet not. The words could be much harsher than they are.]
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Yeah, it's Robbie. Man, I don't like getting my head messed with by this language thing.
[ He shakes his head, as if that will clear away whatever tech, telepathic, or magic effect that's swapping out Klingon for English. ]
And it's banter, not babble, Borgface.
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[He finishes packing up his medical supplies.]
As for that name...
[He flicks his hand with a fluttery little gesture as if waving away the absurdity of Borgface.]
You may call me Brainiac 5.
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[ Robbie pulls a face at Brainiac 5. It's a hodgepodge of incredulity, boredom, and disbelief. He makes a T with his fingers, careful to leave the wrapped ones out of it. ]
Timeout. Is the translation magic borked, is it alien naming rituals, or did you just codename me? Because if that's how you want to play it, then it's Speedball to you.
[ He really wishes that his uniform wasn't connected to his powers. Robbie feels like his presence is just lacking in street clothes, no matter how much he draws himself up to his full height. ]
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It's not just a codename. It's a title. It's as much my name as my given name.
In some ways, perhaps more.
[It was rare for anyone to even use his real name. His title as Brainiac had meant more to Colu than his real name, back when they were terrified of him and it was meant to be a warning label.]
[And now, after he's made it into something heroic, it's even more significant - and even more important to him.]
My friends call me Brainy.
[The blocky box with the dials and readouts attached to his belt starts making beeping sounds and Brainy unclips it from its strap and takes a look at it, pressing some buttons on it.]
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Brainiac 5 is a title? Like Lord or King?
[ He looks askance, but Robbie can’t decide if he’s scandalized about what an awful nerd-title it is or the fact that Borgface is alien royalty.
But he rolls his eyes hard at Brainy. ]
God, so much to say and only the first one really lands, you know? I’ll give it my best shot.
You don’t get to just announce that you’re Brainy. I don’t try to walk into a room all “my friends call me Sexy.”
[ A beat, and then he mimes rewinding his gesticulations. ]
Does this mean we’re friends?
[ Rewind. ]
But, oh, Lord Grey Matter the Fifth, such abbreviating is a hanging offense!
[ Rewind. ]
If you aren’t blue, I’m not calling you Brainy, bub.
[ He pokes Brainy in the shoulder for finality and moves closer to look at the device. ]
Hey, is there writing on that? I want to see if the linguistic voodoo works on text.
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Are you quite finished?
[Still, the words could be harder than they are.]
It's not a royal title. It would be... difficult to explain without the proper historical context. [And first contact with a stranger isn't a great place to announce you're descended from supervillains.]
[Brainy holds up the device, which has alien text scrawling across one of the screens. Robbie will see that the magic does help translate but instead of translating it to English, it translates to the new language that's being implanted in his head. The words probably make very little sense even translated, given that they're highly technical terms.]
As I said before about my team, we are dimensional wanderers. Whenever we arrive on a new world in a new dimension, an environmental assay must be performed to ensure that there are no toxins or contagions that would be harmful to our physiologies - and we must ensure that we're not introducing dangerous non-native pathogens that could be harmful.
[The device suddenly goes ding with a sound that's almost like a kitchen timer and Brainy checks some of the displays.]
[Then he starts taking off his gear. First he takes off his flight ring so he can take off his gloves. The skin of his hands is green and slightly callused. Then he puts the gloves away in a pouch at his belt and puts the ring back on. After that, he unhooks the rebreather and re-coils it at his belt. Then he pulls the hood down and lifts the goggle up so they rest in his blonde hair at the top of his head. His face looks almost human, but the strange white implants on it add an alien touch.]
[Brilliant green eyes that match the wreckage around them peer at Robbie curiously. He arches an eyebrow just slightly.]
Is green an acceptable shade for me to be called by my own nickname?
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Yep, I’m good. But I’m reserving the right to revisit the matter for now. You can skip the history lesson forever.
[ It’s not the time for something tedious and long There’s plenty of time for jokes, though at the moment Robbie’s intent on the scrolling text. He's sure that he’s reading the words, but most of it means nothing to him.
Robbie does start as GRAVIMETRIC ANOMALY: crawls across the screen, but the NULL that follows it crushes that stupid squeak of hope. ]
Dimensional wanderers… [ He’s mumbling as Brainy starts disconnecting tech. ] This isn’t your f- holy HAL, you really are a B-
[ Borgface, but that suddenly doesn’t seem acceptable as a joke. ]
Bright green, and, uh… no. See, Brainy’s a smurf. All smurfs are blue.
[ Robbie looks apologetic, but he’s dug this verbal hole for himself and this is where he lives now. He can’t see his way back to asking if Brainy's dimension hopping is causing the teleportation. ]
It's a nice shade of green? It's not too vegetable.