subnautica | VIDEO ⚙ LISTENED TO THE ENGINE ROAR.

[ gentle cooing: ]

What a precious little coeurl you are...!

[ sorry, the cats. they're 2cute. she clears her throat and shrugs a shoulder. worlds, huh? like what the warriors of darkness were talking about... ]

Hm. With awe, mostly... sometimes homicidal tendencies, but that is thankfully less common. Myself and my closest friends may be some of the most powerful adventurers, yet I've only almost been a victim of murder twice!

[ ... a beat. ]

Perhaps thrice.

I'd say it's far more common for people to ignore our abilities or say that we aren't quite as powerful as we seem.

Is it not the same in your world?

[ excuse him?

???

for a second, he looks a little more than confused before he realises it was directed at the cats- if their approving purring is anything to go by. okay. that's more understandable.

he listens carefully, all the same, and looks a little distressed - if resigned - to what is being told to him. biting back a sigh, he shakes his head while he tries to explain his world's state of things. ]

-The, um, homicidal tendencies and suspicion are things I'm used to the most. They're suspicious of... [ a pause. ] ...of metahumans. Don't think they can be trusted. At all.

[ you are also a precious little coeurl.

allu just presses her fingertips to her cheek, eyes averted as she thinks. ]

'Metahumans'... an interesting name.

I do not think you will find that this is the way you will be treated here. At the very least, I will not treat you that way. You are more akin to me than I am those... others.

[ ... that 'you' is meant to be a general 'you' right?

because otherwise roderic is going to do his best to not look awkward and uncomfortable. (which is difficult because he always looks vaguely uncomfortable with something.) ] Ah... thanks. That's comforting to hear. Everyone here on the base have been nothin' but nice folks since I came here.

You been liking it here so far, I take it? [ seeing as how no one here seems to have murderous intentions for anyone. ]

[ if it helps you sleep at night, sure. ]

Oh, I'd like it far more if my wife was here. And if the stars were the same... but that's neither here nor there.

And if I didn't have to take refuge in a dome of death. And if I weren't underwater for most of the time.

Everything else I am fond of.

--oh, no, I don't like the Hyur--er, human... population, either. I think that's all.

… Right.

[ that's a lot of things to not like, actually but hey honest is the best policy for this sort of thing. (and roderic knows he has no right to judge someone with that.

he of a glass house on a glass hill on a glass planet. ) ] It gets better over time, I guess. I mean- Could be worse for us. The base before all the improvements was-

[ a pile of garbage. ] -sparse but things are improving real fast thanks to the others. Who knows what we'll be doing next month.

I'm not one of those people with any sort of powers, so anything I would have to share must be extremely boring. Though, there are people exceptionally talented in various things in my world, which are looked up to with hope and admiration, but there's nothing supernatural about it. They might be elite, they might be amazing, but they're far from 'metahuman'.

But, if you still want to know about a boring world where people don't have any kind of magical abilities I'm still willing to share.

But, I would understand if you wouldn't want to hear, especially from someone like myself who isn't even worth anyone's time.

No, no- I would like to hear about it from you. It's interestin' to hear 'bout how other worlds deal with people being more... than what they're used to, in general.

[ yeah. let's go with that. ] Not every day I hear them being looked up to, honestly.

Really? Isn't it normal to look up to those who are simply better than you?

[ that's... a field mine of a question for him... so let's take the hypothetical approach. ]

Um- It depends on the person, I guess. Some tolerate, some might even admire but they're far and in between where I'm from.

Overall, a lot of people just don't trust metahumans. Don't think they're supposed to be around or the like due to incidents in the past. [ he shrugs, personally dissatisfied with his own answer but it's the closest he's gonna get without upsetting himself. ]

Edited (why can i not remember this rule of thumb im so sorry) 2016-11-17 07:13 (UTC)

What sort of incidents? Did something happen to make the masses afraid?

Lotsa things over the course of history where I'm from. Seeing abilities being used in public and people getting hurt 'cause of it. Or abilities being used in nasty crimes like robberies or fraud. For an example, there was a reported boom of metahuman criminal activities in the 1920s in the wake of the Collapse of Empires.

Didn't matter if it was by accident or on purpose. There was always something that made the general public distrust and loathe- [ don't say 'us' roderic. ] -the metahumans more and more. Started making them think that being a metahuman meant something was wrong with you the moment your powers came out.

In that context I can see. People generally get scared of things that are different in that way and what they can't understand.

I think I might know a little bit about how that feels.

[ he looks a little surprised to hear that summarised so efficiently and so on the mark. then looks even more surprised by that last statement.

really? he does?

he wants to press more about that subject but roderic does not have the courage nor the tact to approach that possible topic. so, instead, tries to be sympathetic because it's never easy to be in that sort of position. ] Wouldn't want anyone to experience that, ever. It ain't nice place to be in since it can get tiring.

[ there's a brief pause on his end, both to catch the cat on his shoulder as they almost take a tumble down and to debate what to say next. ]

... In my experience, it's been easier if you had friends or someone close by your side.

I suppose. I try not to keep people near me however. It's better that way.

[He smiles a little bit. Though on the base it wasn't working out that way.]

There are some people that don't agree though.

Really now? Well, in my experience- They're gonna stick to you like glue.

[ in a good way, he means. roderic can think of some people of his very own and they are the world to him.

... even after all that's occurred. ]

C'mere, Coco.

[She'll grab that conversational hook in a second, but first there's a cat that needs removing from Roderic's shoulder.

....And another one that needs to get off the keyboard of the computer she's working at, ffffffuck hang on, bolting]

Ack! [ excuse roderic as he tries to stave off the inevitable heart attack he feels assault him when he realises someone is in his personal space and intruding on it- quick way to get is attention at least.

when he's sure he won't croak from the most embarrassing and overdramatic of reasons, he turns his attention to her and can't help be bemused at the sight before him. it is a pain he is familiar with and he wouldn't wish it on anybody. especially if it was coming from one of his... daisy's cats. ]

Need help with Dark Tail there?

[One cat in each arm. Coco gets set down pretty quickly - some of the cats are more comfortable with the whole pixel wraith thing than others are, and Ami doesn't want to get scratched.

Dark Tail is one of the comfortable ones, though he sometimes gets exuberant about the oversized laser dot and scratches anyways. Sometimes you just...have to make sacrifices.]

He's fine... [And the computer also seems to be fine.] We need self-warming cat furniture so they don't sit on the equipment all the time. [Next project??]

[ hmmm. judging by how he jots down a note about the self-warming furniture under a 'possibility' list, he seems to think so too.

but first- ]

After I finish this current project of mine, I think we can see to that. [ he lifts the shield generator that he's been working on for the last few months, almost ready for a test run but he just needs to work the kinks out is all. ] You been settlin' in alright?

[...there...are cats...and that's a distraction for a moment before he grins.]

Depends on who you're talking to. Most mortals aren't supposed to know about us and can't really see everything we see anyway. Monsters are usually anger or want to kill us, though some of them can actually be friendly? And when you meet people like yourself it's...interesting.

[Yes thank you for being vague, Percy.]

[ roderic 'vagueness is in my blood, probably' pyre has no stones to throw from his glass house so.

the cats meow a friendly greeting, almost drowning out roderic's response. ]

Can't see what you see? [ huh. colour him intrigued with that statement. he's heard that happen from time to time- but only related to matters of magic-oriented metahumans or the like. ] Does it have to do with whatever interesting happens with you guys if y'all ever meet up?

[He's more of a dog person than a cat person, but you know what animals are cool so he chuckles to himself anyway. Instead, he doesn't seem to mind elaborating and shrugs in response.]

Something like that? If there's a lot of us in one place monsters tend to show up anyway, but most mortals see it as something else. You learn to get really good at making up stories to explain what they're seeing. Being somewhere like this where a lot of people have abilities and are out in the open? It's kind of a nice change.

[ oh wow. he never heard of the possibility of something showing up just because a group of metahumans were around.

no wonder they gotta learn how to tell tall stories fast. must be a pain if it was in a city or somewhere crowded like a park or a museum or something like that. but what really gets his attention is the last bit in the end because he agrees with that wholeheartedly if the small smile is anything to go by. ] Yeah. It's really nice.

Never been 'round this many accepting folks before. It's a- [ he doesn't miss his world, not by a long shot, but it doesn't feel right to badmouth it in front of someone else.

for some reason. darn guilt. ] -breath of fresh air.

Can't disagree with that. I didn't even know it was kind of common here until Kon made the couch fly. [What. Oh well, whatever.] People aren't that great at accepting abilities where you're from?

[It's really the only logical thing that makes sense.]

Pretty much. It's kinda rare to meet anyone who has a good opinion of metahumans where I'm from. They're known and they're disliked most of the time.

[ no need to sugarcoat it. he shrugs, trying to look nonchalant but the frown deepens in thought.

(though that could be from the cat on his shoulder taking a swipe at his ear. ack!) ] I mean... They, the public, are apparently fine if the abilities come from magic amulets or technology or radioactive mist but genetics? Nope.

[Should he say anything? Maybe he should leave it alone since Roderic seems like he has the cats under control, but. This is an interesting subject to him after all so it's not that hard to stay focused for the time being.]

They don't really call our kind metahumans, but I get it. Anybody ever tell them there's really not a difference?

'Course. Lots of discussion 'bout it but personally? A friend of mine used to do that- A lot. [ here he smiles a little bit at the memory. for a pair of guys who were trying to keep on the downlow, ackerly always raised eyebrows whenever that subject came up and he had to say something about it.

(for now, it seems the cat has settled down after roderic gives them a firm headpat. for now.) ]

Never really worked out most of the time but I guess it was the principle of things for him. He was- He was a good guy.

["Was." Was is a word Percy's familiar with and his expression seems to indicate there's a lot he has to say on the matter. But then again it's not really his place to pry about it.]

I think I can understand that. You never know if it'll work this time if you don't keep trying and if it doesn't work at least you know what to expect.

[Roderic's given him enough answers. Maybe it's only fair to exchange that.]

Mortals are supposed to be sort of protected from what we see but that doesn't always work. I've explained it to a few people before and it was always a little...[He makes a hand gesture that seems to indicate he means "awkward."] But sometimes it worked out. One of my mortal friends even ended up joining our side of things once she got over how weird everything was. [And a shrug.] The principle of things.

[ mortals? does that make him divine or immortal somehow? not every day you meet someone who meets those classifications back where he's from. ]

Glad to hear that it worked out for her. it can be pretty overwhelming from my experience.

[ roderic likes to think he made it sound neutral enough, maybe referring to himself or someone else entirely. to be honest, his friend lie's reaction comes to mind. how puzzled she looked when they had first met, explaining everything they could to the best of their abilities and aw shit.

let's try not to think about lie. ] Um- Sounds like something dangerous must happen back at your place if you gotta protect the citizens from what happens there. Like a lot.

It was a little...[Worrying? Look Rachel taking on the Oracle freaked him out at first because of what happened to May Castellan, but things are fine now. Rachel's fine.] Overwhelming's probably a good word, but if anybody could handle it it'd be Rachel.

[But anyway...] It was just a couple of wars. I think we're finally really in a time of mostly peace now, but for a while we had a pretty big job on our hands. Nothing like this place.

Shit. That's a lot for you guys to go through. [ bit of an understatement, sherlock.

a couple of wars is nothing to sneeze at where he's from. last one was pretty devastating and was still felt decades later. he couldn't imagine being in a succession of them.

plus it sounded like he and his friends had to… rebuild? restore? definitely something in the aftermath of all that. ] Sounds like you have some experience with this sort of situation we're in then, huh?

[ the whole 'making the best out of it all' thing. ]

[It sure is something. It's only been a few weeks for him since Gaea's defeat (along with his time here) but even so it's something that leaves him a little more than happy to be here.]

It's what we're trained to do. [More or less, he thinks.] Heroes like us are meant to take on quests and make the most of it. This is a little different than most of the quests we've been on but that's not a bad thing. [He pauses, looking up at the ceiling in thought.] Dunno about Magnus, but Annabeth, Reyna and I recently got out of a battle before showing up here. None of us are that surprised to be here.

Edited 2016-12-12 19:05 (UTC)

I don't really know what you mean by 'metahuman.' Can you tell me some more about it?

[Also Zelda may be. Smiling a little.

Your cat friends are cute, Roderic.]

[ roderic nods in reply, smiling a little in return but it's kinda hard to do that when the cat on his shoulder is trying to bat at his ears. ]

Not a problem at all, miss. Seems only fair I explain bit 'bout myself. [ just. let him think of where to start. he realises now that things he knows about metahumans - the categories they can be placed under, their origins - can be kinda overwhelming at the first go.

so the basics? no- the basics of the basics? yeah. ]

Ah- Where I'm from, metahumans are people who differentiate from normal people since they have abilities or powers that are, sometimes literally, outta this world. Like having the ability to fly or the ability to read minds or the ability to understand the speech of animals. Things like that.

[Ignore her when she giggles and waves at the little kitty. LET HER LIVE HER LIFE.

But right. Focus.]

'Metahuman' means someone who has power unlike most other people. [That makes sense. She nods in thought.] In my home, some study in these arts, passing powers down the generations taught to them by the Goddess Hylia herself. Others are blessed or chosen by the Gods, or find magic in weapons and objects of power.

We are treated as we ask to be treated: looked to as heroes, respected as leaders. Feared as villains. Those who protect with their gifts are known as protectors. Those who misuse their power are like any other bullies, who must be stood up against and fought.

Does that answer what you wanted to know?

[ he's quiet as he tries to put the information and put his emotions aside but-

his emotions are kinda why he asked in the first place. to hear these sort of answers to let him know that it's alright, it's fine. somewhere, out there that maybe there is a chance for people or beings like him after all. that there's a plan for someone with good intentions or someone with good intentions will be seen as such.

it was- it was something he needed to hear. ]

Um- It does. [ he coughs, pretending to clear his throat not because of emotion but because of the cats all over him. ]

You mentioned a goddess from your place. Hylia, right? Is she still... around before you came here?

[ because that intrigues him. he never heard of a metahuman who was given their powers by a deity before.

(well, a confirmed deity.) ]

[That is... a complicated question. Zelda isn't ashamed of what she is, and neither is she afraid of being found out. Yet she knows that openly speaking of herself as Hylia reborn would be a dangerous path. She has no desire to invite disaster in that manner.]

Hylia sacrificed her immortal life to help defeat a great evil. Her gifts remain with her people, and her presence is still felt in them.

[She noted the emotion, however, and it is of a greater concern to her. She hopes it is a good emotion.]

It sounds as if it's very different where you're from, Roderic.

... Pretty much, yeah. [ no point in lying or glossing over his world. there was a reason he asked the network about this after all. his world certainly didn't have an acknowledged deity who gave their lives for the people. definitely would have helped with the public perception of metahumans where he's from. by a lot.

he scratched the back of his head, looking pensive on how to describe the situation without making it too grim. no need to upset someone he just met or have them get bogged down by his old sob story. ] It can get kinda messy for a metahuman if they're not careful. They learn real quick to be quiet 'bout their powers and to keep it to themselves.

... Most of them. [ ackerly thought you should dress up up in bat black and prowl the city at night to fight crime. that's stupid. ]

[Her expression turns to one of sympathetic sorry.]

I'm sorry. It is unjust for the world to force good people to hide any part of themselves.

hmmm
weeeeell idk if you can call this 'metahuman' but we got some crazy shit in my world
giant robots everywhere, technology similar to this, idk l0l

i heard about a group from back home where they were trying to be superheroes, but then that didn't turn out so well, idk why tho

for me personally my mech is pretty good >:3
i run around in my mech and protect my country from the giant robots!!

[ huh. he's heard of superhero teams not working out in the past. it's kind of why he knows laarni is so bitter at the mere idea of someone trying to be a superhero back home.

(then again, laarni and he don't have the best relationship so-)

much as he wants to ask more about that, he's a little bit distracted at the last bit because hello. that definitely quips he interests. ] You pilot a weaponised mecha that's designed to protect at a national level?

That sounds pretty cool. [ no, scratch that. it was cool.

dangerous, but cool. ]

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