text; un:thunderbird

[tanker]

hey, everyone

I'm thinking of going outside the walls for a bit of a look around. Anyone interested in going out? Fair warning, it could get hairy, as we don't always know what to expect out there. I'm trained in combat, could always do with good navigators, maybe someone who knows a bit more about the lay of the land, too, but everyone's welcome to join.

I know I'm not the only one wondering about what's out there.



And, completely unrelated... I just moved out of the communal housing and would like to build some furniture for our new place. Simple stuff - shelves, to start with - but I don't have much experience in this. Anyone willing to lend a hand?
Alternatively, if you have any old stuff you'd like to get rid of, I might be interested.

Comments

[alchemyfreak]

[Ed grins at the response before turning with a clap and pressing the spear back into the wall. Another blue flash and the wall is good as new, like it was never disturbed in the first place.]

Yeah, it comes in handy. Genetics like you were born with them?

[Some people here had claimed genetics was the difference between magic and science, but different worlds all had different rules. One thing seemed to remain consistent, if science was involved in someone's "powers" it was usually through experimentation, so the idea that John was born that way sort of throws him for a loop.]

[tanker]

[ John nods, rubbing his hands together off camera. ]

Yeah. Mutants, where I'm from, are born with what we call the X-gene, which is a different one from the rest of the human race. And this gene gives us, basically, superpowers. They tend to kick in during teenage years, but some are born with their mutation clear in the way they look.

sorry for the late reply!

[alchemyfreak]

[Ed listens thoughtfully before nodding.]

I've spoken to someone before... who had been experimented on.

[It's not his business to give out, but he's curious about the differences there. If Laura had been born that way, what had the experiments been for? To test what she could do? The narrative didn't fit both situations, but maybe they were from different worlds like most people here.]

Not to pry, but are you... Where you're from are you considered outcasts?

[tanker]

[ It's cool, John has met Laura. He knows she's here, and others are, too. Like Lauren. ]

Yeah, I have as well. I've met a few.

[ John nods, biting on the inside of his lip for a moment. ]

We are. We're on the fringes of society, and the moment our powers become public, it's harder. I've been lucky - I joined the Marines, who had needs for men like me. But I know too many Mutants who have been abandoned, homeless, orphaned. Why do you ask?

[alchemyfreak]

Marines..?

[someone's from a largely landlocked locale.]

I have a friend here, she thought I was like that. Either it's pretty common or I'm starting to think you're all from the same world.

[tanker]

A branch of the military, where I'm from. We're Navy, though most of my operations ended up being on land.

She thought you were a Mutant?

[alchemyfreak]

Never heard of it. I was military back home too, but we don't have anything called Marines or Navy.

[Whatever ... That meant.]

Yeah. I showed her alchemy, just like you. That was the first thing she asked.

[tanker]

I thought your alchemy was science - you were a scientist in the military?

[ Not that they don't have them, back home, but there's something about Ed that says he's seen a lot of actions. That's not usually what happens with R&D. ]

Makes sense, since, back home, we don't have anything else.

[ That he knows of. ]

[alchemyfreak]

Yeah, I was a State Alchemist. It's a specialized branch of the military for alchemists who pass an assessment every year. The title comes with a research grant and access to restricted libraries that no one else has.

Where I'm from homunculi and chimera aren't supposed to exist either, but they do. Sometimes just because you don't know something is out there doesn't mean it isn't.

[tanker]

[ Well, that's a lot of info in only a few words. While chimera is a word that John knows, homunculi rushes right past - he has no idea what it is, and while his curiosity is definitely piqued, he feels like it might be a conversation for another time. ]

True. I won't pretend I know everything about my world. There are still Mutants with powersets I would never even imagine is possible. And it's part of why I think this moon is so interesting, too. There's so much to learn from each other, here.

[alchemyfreak]

[There is a lot there, but Ed doesn't bat an eye at John moving past it, instead focusing on the part about where they were.]

Honestly, there's a lot to unpack about this place. Even people from the same world aren't necessarily from the same version of that world here. I don't know anything about mutants and their powers, but I imagine they must be useful for survival on your world. They'd probably want to exploit that where I'm from. It's refreshing to be somewhere that isn't trying to use people for their abilities here.

[tanker]

It is. Back home, it's... complicated, and messy, and being a Mutant is not something I would ever change about myself, but I don't know if I'd wish it on anyone. The government does try to use us, and if they can't, they try to imprison us.

[ It's not an easy life to lead every day. ]

But here... It's the first time, in a very long time, where I've felt like I could just be myself and not run any risk for it.

[alchemyfreak]

[That didn't sound easy, and it struck a little too close to home for Ed. Not necessarily for being a State Alchemist, but with the reveal of what the government had been doing with chimeras the whole time.]

This place is equalizing, even though everyone gets to keep whatever makes them different here. We're all starting from scratch, even the people running this place showed up as refugees from another if I have my facts straight.

[tanker]

Yeah, it's - reassuring. This place has been good, so far, and I'm more than willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.