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1 [@dodger//video]
Getting pretty crowded on floor 4... damn.
[This is the first time a lot of people have seen Dodger - he tends to stick to audio-only responses, and doesn't spend too much time on the network in the first place. But he is a man dictated mostly by impulse, and impulse says that he may as well do a video. Maybe people will be more open with a face to put to his name. Even if it's as scarred-up and creepy as his.
Dodger's room is currently lit only by the desk lamp he's sitting next to, and jars full of fireflies hung by strings and tacks from the walls ( much like fairy lights). They're segregated by color, and one would guess they've been there a while from how they wander complacently along the glass. If one squints, they may be able to see all the beer bottles on his floor - he's generally tidy, but apparently not when it comes to his drinking habit.]
Figure I should get to know a few more people, since this dorm place is filling up and the damn crying festival is winding down. Name's Dodger, I'm a mechanic, I collect bugs. Not in general, just got a liking for these little freaks - I'll pay a dollar per bug if anyone feels like finding me a few more. Anyone who wants to step up and tell me what kinda job and hobbies you got, start some sorta friendly exchange... I could use the company.
And get your 'dodger' jokes out of the way before you reply. Artful, jammy, baseball, all that shit - don't wanna hear it.
[This is the first time a lot of people have seen Dodger - he tends to stick to audio-only responses, and doesn't spend too much time on the network in the first place. But he is a man dictated mostly by impulse, and impulse says that he may as well do a video. Maybe people will be more open with a face to put to his name. Even if it's as scarred-up and creepy as his.
Dodger's room is currently lit only by the desk lamp he's sitting next to, and jars full of fireflies hung by strings and tacks from the walls ( much like fairy lights). They're segregated by color, and one would guess they've been there a while from how they wander complacently along the glass. If one squints, they may be able to see all the beer bottles on his floor - he's generally tidy, but apparently not when it comes to his drinking habit.]
Figure I should get to know a few more people, since this dorm place is filling up and the damn crying festival is winding down. Name's Dodger, I'm a mechanic, I collect bugs. Not in general, just got a liking for these little freaks - I'll pay a dollar per bug if anyone feels like finding me a few more. Anyone who wants to step up and tell me what kinda job and hobbies you got, start some sorta friendly exchange... I could use the company.
And get your 'dodger' jokes out of the way before you reply. Artful, jammy, baseball, all that shit - don't wanna hear it.
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So uh. You're some kinda biology nerd, huh. [Dodger's never had a formal education, nor has he ever pursued the interest, so his knowledge on the subject is lacking at best.] I'm running on the assumption they're some kinda alien lifeform - they've been cooped up in those jars for a few weeks without eating, most bugs don't last more than a day or two like that.
But hey, I won't stop you if you wanna study a couple of them yourself. Anything I can learn about 'em is worth something. [Maybe not money if he can avoid it, but something.]
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I'm not really a scientist, I've only just started looking into engineering and science classes at the university to get a sense of what we're dealing with here. I don't think I could make any important observations, but I won't say no to a closer look.
I'll even do some bug-catching for free if you join me.
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Just gotta suggest we hurry, fuck knows when they'll run out of energy and I wanna make sure they're fed and bred before then.
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I'd be interested to know when they die, too. If they can't eat anything on this planet, it'd tell us something. [ A pause. ] Do you think the offspring would, uh, amplify the emotional reactions?
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[He's been playing with them for this long, though, he may as well keep going until they're all dead.]
....Didn't think about that side of things. I guess either the larvae wouldn't have their venom sorted yet, or it'd be way more powerful than the adults. [In which case the adults would only have to be kept for breeding, if he can figure out how to extract the venom from the larvae.]
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Jokingly: ] You could be quite the threat, mister.
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[The threat comment gets a genuine laugh out of him. Yes, of all the things Dodger's done in his life, breeding Fangirl Feels fireflies will be his magnum opus.]
'Mister' makes me sound old, it's just Dodger. Anyway, we can try cross-breeding them if you want, but I'm pretty sure any combination would be enough to break someone if they weren't careful. And we'd have to handle them in swarms.
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I don't even think we need to be worried about them getting into the wrong hands considering most of the people here could blow us up if they wanted to, anyway.
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Testing on non-sentients would be a pain, they can't describe what they're feeling. I bet we could get a few willing test subjects if we tried. [Or non-willing but unable to defend themselves, that works too.] Anyway, first thing's first - we need some new bugs and a way to feed them.
...Might be onto something with color-matching them to food, they'll land on things that match their glow. I guess I gotta figure out what flavor they're after.
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Could be camouflage, but I don't suppose you've noticed any natural predators for them? Other than people swatting at them. [ He makes a humming noise. ] Why would they bite people if they're not getting anything out of it?
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Far as I can tell they're not native to this world, they don't seem to congregate anywhere specific or look for anything when they're loose. [He thinks it over a moment.] Might be a wasp thing - just attacking anything they might think is a threat.
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You'd think they'd swarm then. But I guess that's the most reasonable explanation. Do you know what happens if you get bitten by more than one?
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[He hesitates on the second question.]
If you get bitten by two, the effects stack. Blue and yellow together, you get anxious and sad. Two blues in a row, you get twice as sad. Thus why I don't wanna fuck with them more than I have to.
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[ He quickly jots down that information. Not that he has any idea what to do with that. It seems important. ] I wouldn't know how to acclimate a species to a particular environment. That might be a better question for someone who works with animals.
But for now, I'll bring what I have, you bring what you have? Where's the best place to spot them?
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Right, okay. I'll follow your lead. Any other skills I should know about?
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[He smirks.]
What about you, what've you got for me to work with? Or am I just gonna be watching your back while you catch bugs.
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Fixing a car is about the best I can do. I'm not a fighter, either. If we need someone to punch things, I can call in backup, but... you seem like you can handle yourself pretty well. I can do the same.
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