driftfleet | (no subject)

Who: Remus Lupin
Broadcast:
When: January 14th, early evening

[Remus sits on the floor in James' room, back against the bed, holding the communicator in one hand. The other is tangled in his hair; he pushes his hand through the tangled curls again and again throughout this little speech. Still, he smiles pleasantly enough. This first part is easy, after all.]

Right, hello. My name is Remus Lupin, I've been here a few months, and I've noticed a bit of a trend among those taken. There's quite a few of us with-- well, abilities, for lack of a better word. Abilities that most human beings don't have. They vary, of course, but-- it's an odd consistency. I've met more people with magic than I usually do in a year. Something to think on, perhaps.

In any case: even if it's a meaningless connection-- something that has no significance beyond sheer entertainment value-- I'd be interested to hear what everyone can do. Whether you call it magic or alchemy or even if it's-- god, I don't know, if you have a talent for juggling, I'd be interested. I want to know more about what kind of company I keep.

[His smile fades, now, and he hesitates visibly.]

For example, I, ah. I'm a wizard. Wand and all. I can do magic, which means anything from transfiguration to charms to knowing what plants to use to brew a good cold remedy. It's hardly infallible, but it's certainly useful. And, ah . . .

I'm a werewolf as well. The sort that only changes once a month. It's lasted here, but I seem to have control over it. I take quite a few precautions, so-- so it won't be a problem. I'm not the only werewolf here, nor the only other supernatural creature, but--

[He shrugs. His face is pale, now, the little scars standing out sharply against his skin-- but he forces himself to keep talking.]

I'm used to keeping it a secret at home. And I'm sure others are as well. So I suppose this is a . . . a way to let everyone know. Even if they don't want to tell anyone else, they know they're not alone.

[His mouth twists in a wry smirk.]

That, and I'm tired of keeping it a secret.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Quidditch. Don't make it into two words, just slur it. What's lacrosse like?

[A beat, and then, wryly:]

If you ever meet James, talk to him about it. He'll fit you up for a position and explain all the rules and shanghai you into the team before you've had a chance to think about it.

Like hockey but on a field. Sort of.

[ he just assumes everyone knows sports, okay, he doesn't even consider the fact that Remus' world might only have Quidditch or whatever it is. ]

I bet I will. He seems pretty cool. It'd be nice to play a sport somehow here. It gets boring on these ships. I don't have magic though, and I don't think werewolves are meant to fly.

We most certainly are not. Anyone that isn't a bloody bird isn't meant to fly, but here we are.

[He really hates flying-- but okay, this is interesting. He knows some muggle things thanks to his mother, but most of them are foreign. Hockey, he has no idea what that is.]

Be a bit more specific, yeah? I mean, you don't have to go into rules or anything, but-- all right, a field, do you whack people or defend the goal or what?

[That's pretty much what all sports are made up of, right? Hitting people and trying to throw balls at goals.]

Yeah, you'd think being flown around would be fun but it's pretty awful.

[ Bird Dave tried to fly him down a hill and it was something that Isaac did not wholly enjoy. he didn't hate it either, but. beside the point. ]

Oh. Well you chase a ball around the field with these sticks that have nets on them. You try to get the ball in the goal, but you can tackle. [ he shrugs. ] But yeah there's a goalie and you can whack people but you're not supposed to, against the rules. But I've done it before. Sometimes you have to. How do you not know hockey?

The same way you don't know about Quidditch. Besides, I'm only half nonmagical, and my mother had no real interest in sports, frankly.

Wait, so you're only half magical? What kind of magic can someone fully magical do? I guess being a werewolf could have its disadvantages.

[ sorry, remus, the wizarding world is something foreign to him, okay. be patient with the dumb wolf. ] I only really played lacrosse, though, because my dad wanted me to do swimming.

Ah, no, there's no difference in magical ability. Some of our greatest witches and wizards have come from fully nonmagical families. The only difference is cultural exposure, honestly.

Why swimming?

Huh. That's pretty weird.

[ and it sounds totally fake, but this is Remus and he's pretty sure the guy isn't lying. he can tell there is something different about him, but that could well be the fact that it's growing closer to the full moon and Remus is, after all, a werewolf. ]

He coached the team but I don't really like swimming that much. [ he shrugs, there are clearly Other Reasons, but Isaac is nonchalant about it all. ] Besides, I like contact sports. Keeps me focused.

[YOU sound totally fake, Isaac, don't judge his world's shitty rules.]

You'll have to show me sometime. I can float, but that's about the extent of my swimming ability. When we land on a far warmer planet, of course.

[ he comes from a world where there are magical tree stumps and ghost ninjas and werewolves. he can't judge, not really. ]

Yeah, probably not on Salty Ice Planet out there. I can teach you, though, it's pretty easy, especially if you know how to float. That's the hardest part. [ he shrugs easily. ] Being magic doesn't help you learn that stuff? I mean if you have magic do you even need to know how to swim?

Yes and no. Yes, mostly, you do, because while I do have magic, it's an ability, not an endless resource. If I were in the middle of the ocean, I could transform something, if there were things around me to transform, if I had my wand, if I wasn't too exhausted. And it doesn't, unfortunately, help you learn stuff-- honestly, it's best to just think of it as a talent. Much like having good reflexes means you're naturally inclined to sports, but doesn't help you in educational pursuits.