01 - video/action

[winn]

Who: Winn & you!
Broadcast: video
Action: on the Marsiva
When: now!

action;

[ it's the smell that makes the first tug towards wakefulness, or rather the lack of it - over the years, winn's gotten used to waking up to a familiar aroma of an apartment that's just a little too dusty, has just a little too many clothes that really should have been washed yesterday lying around, maybe some residual takeout smell that still lingers from the night before because he's forgotten to properly ventilate - none of it is hitting his nose now, and his mind is not taking it well. groaning, and rubbing his eyes with one hand, his other reaches for his bedside table to pick up his phone - only to hit air.

well that's weird.

eyes finally blinking open, he finds himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. shifting in bed - he finds himself falling to an unfamiliar floor.

what the hell?

he's dreaming, right? he has to be dreaming. or maybe it's a freaky fantasy like the one kara was stuck in - though why would anyone waste disgusting alien hallucinatory-leach things on him? and besides, this - this looks absolutely nothing like his ideal fantasy world! well, just in case it'll work (he'd fill really silly if he passes up the simplest solution for being too simple and it'll end up being all that it takes!), he shuts his eyes tightly, pinches his arm, and mumbles to himself ]

I hella reject this fantasy. You are rejected, fired, gone!

[ opening his eyes again, he finds that unsurprisingly - the only change that transpired is that his arm now aches. well, what else was he expecting? pulling himself up to his feet, he decides he might as well try to figure out where he is - and how to get out of here.

and then he spots the window. blurting out a girly scream, he turns his back to it, his knees nearly buckling under him, and his face losing color. slowly, he turns back towards it and chances another peek, chuckling nervously at his own behavior, trying to ridicule his fear away ]

That's a pretty good green screen -

video;

[ the face that appears on your screen is pale and clearly very shaken. actually, he kinda looks like he's going to be sick, doesn't he? good thing that space tech isn't 7-D! ...unless it is in which case, now would be a pretty bad time to find that out... ]

I got a couple questions for -- whoever's watching this - or - [ he looks around, waving his free hand to gesture around the room - wherever the less voluntary cameras may be ] this - If this is a reality show, when's elimination? Cuz I - I volunteer to go home! I mean let's face it, there is no point to keep me in the running - unless elimination's actually eh, elimination [ he runs his finger against his throat to illustrate his point ] in which case -- my vote is still on home, thanks -

This...isn't really space, is it? [ he chuckles nervously ] I know 'beam me up' was my birthday wish for like 3 years running, but you're over a decade late and this is so not what I had in mind - [ he clears his throat. not the point! and not something he needed to share with - potentially an entire galaxy. actually, this whole broadcast was probably pretty dumb, way to make himself easy prey. ok, no worries! he can still salvage this! ] Anyway! Little help, a lotta help, Xanax, I'll take what you got, thanks. [ clearing his throat again ] Over? [ nailed it. ]

Comments

[ladybro]

Not here. Thankfully. [ but it's been known to happen. world-hop through enough mayfly dimensions while trying to escape a sort of metaphysical parasite and you see some wild shit. ] But it's a common complication. Familiar faces with different experiences. Or different faces with familiar names.

[winn]

Wait - I'm confused - is it common, or does it not happen here?

[ladybro]

Crap, yeah. Sorry. That was tough to follow. Lemme try again.

[ DEEP BREATH. ] It's common. It happens here. Just not yet to me while I've been here. Thankfully.

[ implying, of course, that it's happened to her while not-here. ]

[winn]

[ it's common. it happens here. his luck is terrible. conclusion = figure out a sign with kara so she knows which winn to kick. unless it's evil!kara. no, that's just a stupid thought, there can never be such a thing as an evil kara, he doesn't care how many worlds are out there. ]

So basically, if someone's getting mad at me for no good reason, first thought should be 'evil twin'.

[ladybro]

Honestly? It's not a bad motto to espouse no matter where you are.

[winn]

You have a lot of evil twins where you're from?

[ that's just a depressing thought. somehow, handling it in a place where everything is crazy and wrong feels more manageable. another him at home? that's just a violation of everything. ]

Or are you magical-kidnappy-world hopping?

[ this is a real conversation he's having in real life. if he were home, he'd think it's so cool. oh, who is he kidding, it's a little cool here too, under the many many layers of 'horrible' ]

[ladybro]

[ there is a moment where she needs to consider her secret identity. sure, she's already said lots. but -- should she say more? it isn't like this is a normal situation, with manhattan rising around her and life-as-she-knows-it chugging along.

being stuck here is a situation that deserves a candid approach. so: ]

I did. I was. I've done the world-hopping thing, once. I've seen plenty versions of [ myself ] otherwise familiar things that I wish I never did.

[winn]

[ trying to ignore the 'wish I never did' part of the conversation, because it's just breeding another panic attack in the pit of his stomach, winn moves along to what he really needs to know here. ]

How'd you hop? Was it always one creepy world kidnapping you from another? How many have you been on?

[ladybro]

Too many. [ kate won't go into details about how many of these worlds were more like between-dimensions. mayfly worlds whose denizens were more like unfulfilled ideas, hungry to be made whole. jealous of the young avengers and their complete existence. ]

But if I tell you how, you're never gonna believe me.

[winn]

[ he looks around him before turning back to the camera as if saying have you seen where we are? his tolerance to the unbelievable has always been pretty high - winn believed in the weird and otherworldly when most people still thought it was crazy and paranoid to - but after being kidnapped into outer space to entertain faceless masses, he's pretty sure there's nothing left he wouldn't believe. ]

Try me.

[ladybro]

[ DEEP BREATH. ]

A girl. She could kick star-shaped holes in the...walls between worlds. Do worlds have walls?

[winn]

They gotta have something separating them - walls is as good a term for it as any, I think -

[ he's not finding that particularly hard to believe. then again, his best friend flies around and saves the world with, among other things, freeze-breath and laser eyes. ]

Any idea how she did that? [ he probably won't be able to build a fabric-of-reality-breaking machine but what does he really have to do but try? so far his suggested pastimes are laundry and cooking. ]

[ladybro]

She just...could. It's something she could do. [ vague enough. her world is no stranger to super-powered beings, but america chavez at least thrived below that particular radar. ]

I bet she could always do it.

[winn]

[ well, it's not like he really knows how kara's powers work, it's kind of an unfair question. ]

Though if it's acquired, it'd be a pretty great power to happen on about now.

[ladybro]

Tell me about it. If she ever ends up here along with the rest of us zoo animals, I'll -- I'll let you know.

[ ... ] I'm Kate.

[winn]

I'd really appreciate it - thank you -

[ he smiles ]

I'm - Winn. And I keep forgetting to say that today.

[ladybro]

Don't sweat it. I didn't say it either. [ until now. ]

[winn]

Ha -- sweating in space. We're in a climate controlled environment, I don't know why that's a weird thought -

[ and completely irrelevant whoops ]

How long have you been here, Kate?

[ladybro]

A few weeks. Not long. [ ... ] I'm sure the others will do a better job answering your questions.

[ sorry i can't be more helpful. ]

[winn]

You'd be surprised -

[ he hasn't gotten too much out of anyone. which is. disturbing. inner conspiracy theorist is going full defcon 1 ]

But at least everyone's being really nice about all of this. [ he supposes the sour pusses just don't go online ] I appreciate the distraction - I'm sure you - remember that if you're not still there. I'm pretty sure I'll still be there in your shoes, unless I stop being here -

[ladybro]

People are decent, right? In the fleet. [ well except for like 70% of her ship who are cranks or strangers or psychopaths except for her and...luke skywalker. cough cough. ] Enemy of my enemy, I guess.

[winn]

They make a good first impression -

[ but he hopes they're decent ]

Fingers crossed they're not all manipulative evil twins! [ crossing his fingers tightly for the camera ]

[ladybro]

[ alright, that deserves a chuckle. ]

I like your optimism.

[winn]

[ aww yeah, 10 points winn! now he's just at. -1908435903405972. he smiles. ]

Hey, we're a living dollhouse in space for seriously bored aliens, what's there not to be optimistic about!

[ladybro]

I've started to wonder about our demographics. Space-housewives? Gossipy teens? Night-auditors at space hotels?