dreams in digital

[thespaceopera]

[ Calibration Rooms ]
( for A-M characters )

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1. Check the first letter of your character's name as its written in our tags. A-M names comment here, and N-Z names go to the other post.
2. Make a note in your comment if anything especially triggering or graphic might show up in the Calibration. If you're not sure if something's worth noting or not, we suggest listing it anyway, just to err on the side of caution.
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4. Post your comment! It's fine if everyone's Calibrations end up looking and reading very different from one another. As long as you're having fun and following our guidelines, you're good to go. :)
5. If you have any questions or concerns during Calibrations, you are welcome to send them towards the mod team at any time, as always.

ROOMS BY CHARACTER

A - C Akeldama Alisha Diphda Allura Baku Ben Douglass Belthazar Carl Grimes Connor

D - F Escha Malier Eithan Paine Felix Gaeta

G - I Glenn Rhee Grievous Haggar

J - M James T. Kirk (OU) James T. Kirk (AU) Kaname Bucanneer Keith Kitty Pryde Kogarasumaru Kolivan Krolia Lance Leia Organa Leilani Lavellan Libra Loki Lordon Gesh Lup Maggie Rhee Magnus Burnsides Manji Messer Ihlefeld Mikleo Mirage Farina Jenius

(last updated: 1/21/19)

Comments

[dothelokimotion]

[ loki cocks his head. ]

It is like Thor's.

[ the red cloak is a little longer than the one thor would wear and the top is lined with fur. if you touch it, you hear the distant applause at the back of your mind. ]

[tempredmental]

[Gingerly, Keith reached out and touched the fur, the applause causing him to be curious.]

Then who...?

[dothelokimotion]

[ the cheering gets minutely louder. blurry people seem to appear before you, but cannot take substantial form yet. loki watches him, bemused, red eye glinting. ]

Do you want to feel worthy? Try it on.

[tempredmental]

[Keith looked back at Loki again at the suggestion. Well... if he was okay with it...

He hefted the large cape to his shoulders. Why not?]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Once you put it on, everything starts to melt away. there are legions of people gathered in the aisles, cheering for you, yes you, eyes bright and shiny with admiration. the applause is thunderous that it masks the beating of your heart. even your — your friends seem to smile at you, respect you as they bow in acknowledgement. and when you turn and raise your hands, it only gets louder. you summon mjolnir to your hands and raise it above your head.

and the watering in your eyes? it's only the light.

"Loki"

The name jerks you out of the scene like a snap of a rubberband. ]

oh man, that's awesome... I never saw any of the deleted scenes before!

[tempredmental]

[Keith had never felt comfortable in front of a crowd, but his own feelings were drowned by those in the memory... after all, this was Loki's calibration, and the idea was to experience it from his point of view. Keith's own feelings of having to be "on" in public were pushed to the side as the applause boosted him instead. The admiration, the respect, all of it... and, in a way, it was like a goal that was finally accomplished after such longing and desire to be considered worthy and to belon-

The emotional whiplash from the voice was a lot to take in. Keith turned to look for the source...]

they're excellent

[dothelokimotion]

[ there's no one there except Loki who seemed to be observing, but not making any kind of commentary. the light in the observatory flickers, ebb and flow. he smiles faintly. ]

Did you enjoy that? It is what dreams are made of. What magic can do.

The stills of Rene Russo inserted in there amused the daylights out of me. LOL

[tempredmental]

[Keith swallowed.]

I don't know. Any time I've been in a situation in public like that, I don't really like it. But, this... this was different.

[He carefully removed the cloak, trying separate the two emotions in his head.]

I'm not really the type that likes being in front of crowd. I can see how someone might like that, though... if that's their thing.

[dothelokimotion]

[ loki cocks his head. ]

Sometimes you do not believe in acknowledgement until it can be seen and heard.

[tempredmental]

No... I believe in it. I just... [Keith sighed.] I don't need it on that level, I guess. Just the people around me who I care about is enough. [But no less important. Keith craved his team's acceptance, and often pulled away when he felt out of place.]

[dothelokimotion]

Whatever level it may be, it never matters until you are seen.

[ whether loki wanted it, big or small, he knew precisely how it should look. because he knows what other people have. and he knows what he is missing. ]

[tempredmental]

[Keith considered that, looking to one side for a moment.]

I guess. Maybe, just... we want different versions. That's probably why I understand it, even if it's not exactly what I was hoping for. Having that acceptance, people who care and respect you, being part of something and belonging... it's the same no matter what version of it we want, right?

[dothelokimotion]

[ loki cocks his head. ]

That may be so. I would not know much of it. I've never held much of acceptance or respect.

[tempredmental]

Mm.

[Keith didn't know what to say to that, so he looked around again for a moment before spotting the glowing blue cube. It looked a lot like something infused with Altean quintessence, but he knew it wasn't from his own world. That meant it likely could be something completely different and definitely dangerous. He set the cape back where it had been hanging and approached the cube carefully.]

What does this do?

[dothelokimotion]

[ loki follows his gaze, unreadable. ]

That is the Tesseract. An object that holds power over all space.

[tempredmental]

[Keith considered how Mjolnir had made him feel, and he was wary. But, these places tended to work on the rule of three, so...

Carefully, he reached out to touch it.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Once you lay your hand on the Tesseract, memories starts to form in your head (cw: death). It is a litany of pain, fear, anger, pain, loss, why did they leave me here, why did they abandon me, I thought they loved me, I thought they understood, why did I have to die, why, why, why

When it fades, it leaves a lingering sense of pain behind, like someone has taken to your mind with a scalpel. The pain eventually fades, leaving you with a dull throb. ]

[tempredmental]

[He was just batting 1.000 here today. Keith ripped his hand away, holding his head for a moment. It was hard not to see Zarkon in Thanos' physical appearance, but Keith knew they were different people. Give him a minute... he'd come around again. And, somehow, he even managed a small quip as he recovered from that pain.]

Is it me, or is this Fleet full of people with painful memories?

[dothelokimotion]

[ loki cocks his head. ]

I cannot speak for the Fleet. Only myself.

[tempredmental]

Maybe it's just Atroma bringing out all the painful stuff in these rooms, but I seem to be getting them all this time around.

[Keith shrugged]

I... wouldn't expect you know about anyone else's memories unless you know them close enough that they would have shared.

[He gave a weak smile.]

[dothelokimotion]

I have seen my fair share of late.

[ thor's, certainly. a few others. ]

The mind is organized differently for each. I keep my pain out here, but I protect what matters.

[tempredmental]

You don't feel things like this are too personal to share?

[It made Keith wonder what 'mattered'.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ sorrow flits through his expression. ]

Everything I have ever loved is gone. Why does it matter what is shared now?

[tempredmental]

[Keith frowned a bit.]

Just because you lost things doesn't mean a memory can't still be personal.

[He took a breath.]

I lost my dad when I was young. He basically was my world. But there's stuff about him that I don't share with just anyone.

[dothelokimotion]

[ loki softens minutely. ]

What is important is kept hidden. Pain is only pain. I make sure it remains, unerased by the other stories told.