...And also these.

[thespaceopera]

[ Calibration Rooms ]
( for N-Z characters )

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ROOMS BY CHARACTER

N - Q Nami Natasha Romanoff Nelkeila Tarid Nux Nyssa al Ghul Octavia Blake One Peggy Carter Phèdre nó Delaunay de Montrève

R - U R. Daneel Olivaw Rapunzel Remy LeBeau Riku Robin Redbreast Rogue Santanico Pandemonium Shawn Hunter Stefan (Alesci) Salvatore Steve "Orion" Rogers Steven Quartz Universe Souji Seta Stiles Stilinski Syeira Tadashi Hamada Tekhetsio

V - Z Vash the Stampede Vima Sunrider Vision (The) Wanda Maximoff Wrath Yamanaka Ino

Comments

[grounds]

[Mid-swing, you stop, suddenly elsewhere. It's another camp, much different than the one you were just in. The sky's dark. It's raining. What light there is comes from a few scarce bulbs and fires.

There's a fight.

You're circling a man, much larger than yourself. But at the same time, you see yourself--Octavia?-- circling him, same sword in hand. It's confusing, but understandable. For whatever reason, you don't dwell on it much. The two exchange strikes with their--your-- swords. You feel the strain in your arms, almost to your teeth.

A sharp kick to your side or your leg, and you're thrown down into the mud. It hurts, your vision blurs, but you're up again. You go for him, full well aware of the outcome.

Again and again you're beaten down and up once more. You even get a good punch at his face. Then it's over, life spared by a woman-- Indra.

The blows and blood and bruises are everywhere, you'll be feeling them for a long time. It's okay, they're worth it. Soon, the crowd disperses, and you're hoisted up by a man, Kane. He asks what you're trying to prove. Through coughs, you rasp: "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." It's a good lesson.

---

Medical. It's what makes sense. You're getting patched up, still very sore and in pain. The door hisses, and you look over. It's Indra.

What does she want? She states you fought like a child, but you didn't give up. You have spirit and strength. She can teach you, as her second. An apprentice. You agree, and you'll start tomorrow.

As Indra leave, you can't help but feel something. Maybe pride, maybe accomplishment. No matter what it is, you've earned her respect.]

[grounds]

[You stay quiet. That's good. You don't want them to find you, you know that now.

A couple minutes pass. More talking, more footsteps, some almost on top of you. But eventually, they leave. You feel more relaxed.

The hatch above you is slowly lifted open. You're free to get out now. When you do, the area around you isn't at all what it should be.

There's a giant metal ship behind you-- the drop ship, sent from the Ark-- and a camp surrounding you. Tents and the occasional shoddily built hut stem out from giant metal ship. Enclosing the camp is a fence. Sharp stick, pieces of metal, poles, rods, almost anything possible to salvage is used. It's safe.

A young man walks towards you. It's your brother-- No. Octavia's brother. Bellamy. He stops in front of you and reaches out. Except it's beside you. Turning, there's Octavia, only different. They hug like they haven't seen each other in weeks. You go entirely unnoticed.

His arm still around her shoulder, they begin to walk away. You watch them, and Octavia looks back, eyes staring right at you. She knows you're there. No one else seems to. Only now does it register; there are dozens of others milling about, all teenagers.

Where you go now is up to you. Inside the dropship. Into a tent. Out a hole in the fence. Or just stay where you are.]

[takeabow]

[ catches the sheathe and the memory plays for her.

she's very still when it's over ]

What... happened to you?

[frigidaire]

[ he's almost at the panic point when the hatch opens, when he's able to drag himself out into clean air and bright light. as long as it's not the cloistered, close feeling of the darkness he's fine. he thinks.

but when he sees Octavia -- bright eyed and under her brother's arm, with her eyes piercing back at him -- he feels like the breath is kicked out of his chest again. he suddenly feels more like himself, understands why his limbs weren't working, why nothing felt right but didn't feel wrong either.

the camp is strange, and he wonders if maybe he's just back on the ship somehow. and maybe he should just stay put, keep himself in one place until all of this fades away but he doesn't. instead he walks out into the camp and right up into the drop ship. it looked space ship like, right? it might be the way out. ]

[evildetector]

Did you know that you're dating a monster?

[ yep. self-sabotaging. maybe he'll kick himself for this later, and maybe he won't. for now, though, he's just wrapped up pretty tightly in his own self-loathing, and he tosses the sword down to lie with the skateboard. ]

[takeabow]

I could be doing worse.

[ resolute. she really believes she could be doing worse. obviously that wasn't really him ]

[evildetector]

[ if he remembers saying this part, he's definitely going to kick himself: ]

Want me to prove you wrong?

[takeabow]

I really don't. You can't, and you shouldn't try.

[ her tone his shifting as she's preparing more for being on defense ]

[unbearablynaive]

[He blinks, but it quickly resolves into a smile at the now-recognizable Wrath.]

Recently, I'm afraid. Is this a safe place to conduct your training?

[unbearablynaive]

There are no bees here, no. [The little globe sounds amused.]

This is the Mind Stone. It is an object of great power, and has been misused or used irresponsibly for most of its existence.

[digthefuzz]

[It's utterly and completely horrifying, and some aspects hit Kurt so close to home.

My... my mother...

And then, he's in the darkness, hearing voices again. He doesn't even breathe now because he's so worried. And he wonders, if this where the men brought him? Or is he back - did he actually go back?

Ultimately, Kurt decides to wait quietly and try to listen, to see if he could recognize any of the voices speaking from what just happened, and to try to make out what they could be saying.]

[pirasea]

You don't have to keep asking me for my authorisation code. I'm sure you've already realised I have none.

Which is, I take it, a problem.

[unfulfilledpotential]

[He's not even trying to hide his laughter this time.]

With that kind of enthusiasm, how could we not go?

[As Shawn continues to drive, he slows down, and the road ahead fades into yet another memory. This time, Shawn's lying on a couch in some apartment, his entire body covered in spots from the dreaded chicken pox.

His older brother chooses that moment to remind Shawn of his priorities, that he needs to apologize to a close friend of theirs, one who nursed them back to health over these past couple of days. ("Oh, you know the one I mean - her names rhymes with Noschmanga?")

"It's not my fault, Jack," Shawn says, the irritation clear as he sits up. "This is what happens when you're friends with a couple and they break up - you're forced to choose sides. Cory's my best friend." If he couldn't be friends with both, then he'd end things with Topanga.

The remorse's clear on Jack's face as he apologizes - when he was sick, with a super high temperature, he'd blurted out Shawn's true feelings - but Shawn shakes his head. It's uncomfortable for Topanga too, and he really doesn't think she's coming back.

There's a knock at the door, and - well, there's Topanga. As Jack leaves to give them some space, Topanga tells Shawn that she gets it.

Except Shawn interrupts to say, "You know he used to tell me how wonderful you were? But guys always say great things about their girlfriends until they break up. That's when the truth comes out. You know I've waited fifteen years to find out what he really thinks about you. Do you know what he--"

Topanga cuts him off, insisting she doesn't want to hear this and that all she came here to do was to tell Shawn that he is an unappreciative little jerk. "If you're so uncomfortable around me that we can't be friends now that I'm not seeing Cory, then maybe we were never really friends at all." She dares him to say that to her face too.

"Now that you've broken up, he still tells me how wonderful you are." Shawn stands up now, with a sigh as he faces her. "But I wanted to tell you to your face that if I knew that you and I weren't friends anymore, it'd break my heart too."

He means it; even if Cory & Topanga's relationship didn't last, she's still one of the most constant things in his ever-changing life. Topanga stares at him for a second, breaks out into one of the most genuine smiles Shawn's ever seen, and then says, as she pulls out a can, "Want some soup?"

Relieved, Shawn jokes, "Will you feed it to me?"

As Topanga nods, the memory fades back into the road. Shawn starts driving again, but slower than before because he's got a present for Sokka. In his free hand, there's a red thermos. If Sokka takes it and opens it up, he'll find a warm cup of chicken noodle soup to slurp down for the rest of the ride.]

[touchofrogue]

...uh-huh. [Very matter of fact, and yet very... she believes the terms she is looking for is 'highfalutin'.]

I'm bettin' you've got no idea how that sounds, do ya.

[Just a gander or a goose.]

[unfulfilledpotential]

They're super common. Most people have one, though their ride's probably not half as sweet as mine.

[Technically, it's his friend's car. Details like that don't matter right now.] Iii... you know, that's a question I can't answer easily, but it uses gas? You turn the engine on, and as it uses up gas, you can make it move across the road.

Hey, you can even listen to music while you're on the road - and if you want me to stop somewhere, there's green exit signs to tell us where to go. [He gestures to the glove compartment, as well as the exit sign that's popped up beside Shawn. Curiously enough, it seems to move with the car, as if begging to be read in full.

As always, the graduation tassel and Chubbies' keychain hanf off his rearview mirror.]

[timelapsed]

Whoa, hey, Pennbrook University! That's where you're gonna be going, right?

[wolfuncaged]

[That's...an odd question. Fenris makes a dismissive noise.]

Why would it bother me? It is as it is.

[unbearablynaive]

The muttered voice continues uninterrupted in the background, not seeming to react in any way to Loki's presence. The fog and jewels, both outer and inner, remain a stubborn yellow rather than the familiar blue, but the fog seems to coalesce in front of him into a very familiar sceptre shape. If approached it will vanish, but the stone itself remains in the center of the room.

Waiting.

[unbearablynaive]

I'm afraid not.

[The voice sounds apologetic rather than confused, though.]

[touchofrogue]

That's alright. [Shaking her head.] So why are we in 'an object of great power'?

[Her tone does not seem to particularly indicate much consideration for 'great power.']

[unbearablynaive]

[Plenty of spares, indeed. No wonder the Stone was relieved to be given to a different type of user. As the memory fades (he does, at least, recognize it as a memory) the Vision feels a brief stab of anger but it's quickly replaced by disgust. Willing volunteers or not, there's no call for that kind of experiment on sapient beings, especially not with the cold lack of empathy present here. Aware that his emotional state might react badly in a mindscape, though, he focuses for a few moments to calm himself.

When he's cleared his mind, the Vision sets the photo down and goes over to where Wanda's avatar is sitting by herself. Perhaps this time she'll react to him.]

cw: self-hate, rejection - /...offers some prunes?

[touchofrogue]

[Maybe that glass case was over the trophy for a reason there, buddy.

Either way, in the dimmer light the candles on the mantle seem brighter, as does the fire in the coffee table. The air carries just enough of a chill that Kurt might be glad of his fur.

The fire crackles a little louder, and of course there are other sources of light in the room - the Tiffany lamp by the door, the hurricane lamp by the window - if Kurt feels the need for some more light to make up for the fact that, well, that glass case was over the trophy for a reason.]

[unbearablynaive]

[The voice sounds pleased at the question.]

It is more representative of the mindscape than any other single source. He takes great care to organize all the data he receives.

The Mind Stone specifically is used as it is connected directly to his mind.

[touchofrogue]

Okay. [Sure, she'll bite.] So who is 'he?' An' if we're in the Mind Stone, metaphorically, then what is that?

[Pointing a gloved finger at the podium, though showing no indication of moving forward to grab one.]

[unbearablynaive]

My apologies.

[The globe vanishes, to be replaced by a life-sized, hovering (but still yellow and made of fog-circuits) representative of the Vision, who now speaks in a very similar voice.]

It is the same stone. I'm afraid there is something paradoxical about it. [Obviously.] Should anyone try to use it in here, they would find themselves affected badly as well.