driftfleet | first photo | action + video

Entry tags:

first photo | action + video

Who: Shawn Hunter and YOU!!
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: SS Golden
When: September 19, evening

[As weird as Shawn's world was, it was never this weird. Instead of waking up in his apartment, where he should be, he's in some giant ship - and none of it feels real. This can't be real life. It just can't.

He's not on the giant ship for long, though: he finds himself beamed (like space sci-fi beamed??) onto a new place, with confetti and chocolate pudding that looks kinda suspect - but he'll eat it, food is food. Still blowing the confetti out of his face, he'll wander around, taking photos along the way. Every single one's uploaded to the Fleet, and well- there's gonna be an abundance of artsy photos, from various places on the Marsiva to the stations around the SS Golden. (People are optional.)

About an hour after the last one, Shawn's settled in the kitchen and he's fiddled enough with the comm device to realize that he goofed. Big-time. So when the feed clicks on, he looks more apologetic than usual.]

Look, I don't know how I got here - and normally? I'd be kinda down with living in outer space and being on some reality show. Problem is, I'm about to go to college, and I worked too hard to throw all of that away for... whatever this is.

[Making a face, though he's not quite aware of it:] Since I'm stuck here until God-knows-when, is there any way I can call home? Or figure out if anyone else I know's along for the ride? Thanks, uh, and sorry about all the photos earlier. I'm still kinda new to this thing.

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Sounds about right. It's weird, and it kinda feels like cheating because you suddenly know the future? But...yeah, I guess it's good to know what's in store.

[He nods. ]

I know, right? I went home, for a while, but my body didn't leave. I just stayed here while they...I don't know, put memories into my head. But there are people I know here, who are from some past place as far as they're concerned, but I never remember them going anywhere from where I am in my memory of home.

...If that makes sense.

I.. guess. [He's gonna skirt around the future thing, because he never drummed up the courage to ask about future-him.]

Makes as much sense as anything else around here.

[He's sure it'll hit him like a ton of bricks later, but it feels too surreal and dream-like to register. This is a bad movie, inspired by one too many marathons of Timecop or Pokemon or... something.]

We're in outer space, Atroma technically has the power to rewrite a ton of universes... and instead, it decides to kidnap a few hundred people and put them on TV. That about sums it up?

[Sokka doesn't blame him. He's not sure HE would want to know where he'd be in that many years ahead. ]

That's pretty much it. Unless entertainment actually translates as political power to them, they're really, really wasting their resources.

Or they're really, really bored. Which is still bad, considering all the stuff they could be doing instead, but when I get bored...

[He laughs, mostly because he is not totally proud of past Shawn's shenanigans.] Well, let's just say I spent a lot of time in detention. Your world still had that, right?

I don't think this place's like an extended detention, but it's the weirdest reality show I've ever heard of.

Errr. I think I remember something about that in the Fire Nation? But the Water Tribe doesn't really have schools per say, so I never had the delight.

But hey, I'm always a big fan of boredom shenanigans.

That's a shame, man. You definitely missed out on the grand tradition of detention slips and hourly scowls from teachers who think you could do way better. [He's shaking his head, as if it were dishonoring his cow or something similar.] Boredom shenanigans're the best, but also kind of the worst if you get caught.

If you didn't have school in the Water Tribe, how'd you guys learn stuff?

Oh wow, and hourly scowls are the best kind! The more disproving the better.

The tribal elders taught us stuff. We'd just congregate around them and they'd dispel their wisdom.

I'm pretty sure my teacher had it down to a science. Dude gave us detentions at least every other day.

Man, I'd trade with you any day, 'cause that sounds pretty cool. Just checking: no tests or exams or anything like that, right? [He knows he should've studied. He just DIDN'T.]

Wow, what a buzzkill.

Nope. Nothing like that. Of course, if you don't learn from your basic survival and hunting lessons you can, y'know, die. So there is that.

He meant well. I think.

So grocery stores weren't a thing for you either. That really sucks. [Shawn can't say he envies the guy much now.] Was it hard to go from hunting and surviving to... well, a place like this?

[Because frankly, he has no clue what century they're in.]

Other places in the world do, but I come from the South Pole, soooo not so much there. no.

[He gives a shrug. ] It was a little weird, but I still hunt and fish when we go to planets with stuff to eat. It's always good to have extra meat on board.

OH!

[He is impressed by the hunting and the fishing, because he is a city boy born and raised, but first--] Does that mean you're like your world's version of the Eskimos? Because I met one once. He was crazy good at withstanding the cold.

[Sorry, Sokka. This one barely passed world geography.]

I haven't met one but from what I understand, probably? I mean, when you're born in the snow and ice, you get pretty used to living in it.

Plus. Y'know. Layers.

Well, yeah - I'm from Philadelphia. We're no strangers to snow either, but it's not exactly the Arctic.

I think. I hear global warming's a thing now, so it could be weird in the future.

That's in that [sorry, he's going to butcher it] ah-meruh-ica place, right?

How...does the globe get warm, exactly? Did it come off its axis? I'm pretty sure that would kill you all though...

You've got it.

[Helpless shrug.] I don't think so. Something about the ice caps melting and pollution? My best guess, technology messed up our weather big time and so the Earth's getting warm in places where it shouldn't be.

Ohhhh. Okay that...actually makes sense. We were dealing with some of that when I was home last. Except it was angry spirits, but that kinda thing usually gets them angry.

Hey, angry spirits sounds way more terrifying than people messing up the weather. Mostly because I've never seen an angry spirit.

Sorry you've met one in person.

I've met a couple. Got dragged into the Spirit World once. No bathrooms. It was the worst.

But my friend is pretty skilled at like...calming them? And stuff??? So it usually turns out okay.

[He makes it a point to NOT learn how the Avatar stuff works. It doesn't make sense to his scientific mind. ]

Let's keep it that way. Indoor plumbing and staying in the world of the living? Seems like good life goals right about now.

[It's amazing how many people take those for granted sometimes.] Plus, while your friend sounds like a pretty amazing guy, calming down a ghost isn't part of a common skill set.

I think they're the best life goals.

No, it's not. He's the Avatar. It's...kind of a big deal where I'm from. It's this one person who's reincarnated like...forever?

Huh. I guess... if you keep getting reincarnated, you'd better learn how to talk to ghosts.

[He's got nothing. The confusion on his face probably speaks for himself.]

I think it's because the Avatar is supposed to be a bridge between the two worlds?

[He shakes his head. ]

I don't get it either, man. And I live there.

[Helpless shrug.]

I'm starting to think there's a lot of things I won't get... but hey, as long as I don't need to get 'em for reality TV, we'll be good.