redshiftlogs | october 2019. welcome to the void.

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october 2019. welcome to the void.

Who: Everyone in Anchor.
What: Fourth Introductory Mingle
When: The Month of October 2019
Where: Around and outside the city.
Warnings: Please add any warnings in the subject lines.

Redshift: Welcome to the v͖͕̺̲̘̱̜͎o̴̦̣̠̦̘̹͞i̯̖d̛̪̬͈̱̦̝͍̕.

Click here to read what characters will experience when arriving in Anchor.

a. sini express delivery service.

There's something odd rolling through Anchor. Whether they wake with it next to their beds or find it sitting neatly in some corridor as if placed there just for them, characters will start finding items that are distinct and unique enough that they have to belong to someone. But where are they coming from? And whose are they?

The easiest way to find out is probably to walk around with the item held high yelling "Does this belong to you?" but that's not a good way to cover a lot of ground.

Don't worry, though! There's someone (something?) to help you. Chiming in periodically from communicators or intercoms across Anchor comes a voice that might sound a little familiar to anyone who made it as far as that spaceship wreckage in the wasteland. Softly laughing and humming, this some-one-thing will cheerfully coax characters in the right direction, giving tips and offering little clues to anyone who might be confused about whose item they have.

Characters struggling with identifying whose item they got might hear a helpful voice whispering out of their device as they move around the city - "Warmer, waaaaarmer...oh no! COLD!" They might hear a laughing voice coming out of a nearby speaker, giving tips or riddles about the person the item belongs to - "Her eyes are grey!" or "What kind of spider is sweet as pie?" Sometimes, it'll just be amused giggling at the efforts of those trying to find their object's owner. That bubbly voice is everywhere, encouraging residents to solve the riddle because "It'll be wooooorth it. Pinky swear!"

And no matter what, it can't be turned off or muted, and it doesn't respond to any direct attempts to communicate in return.

b. flu season.

No one probably takes special notice, at first. It's a sniffle here, a cough or chill there. 'Tis the season in some universe, after all, and even the advanced decontamination process isn't completely flawless. But what starts as a tickle in the throat gets a little worse over the span of a week, or in some cases a lot worse.

Whether laid up for a few days or longer, afflicted characters can expect to feel a few consistent symptoms. Dizziness, lightheadedness, chills and fever, coughing and sneezing (that kind of sneezing that comes in annoyingly long bursts and makes you feel like you've shot your brain out of your nose).

Oh, and hallucinations. Mild ones! Nothing to write home about! (If you even could, anyway.) Hallucinations are the last stage of this mild interuniversal flu, an annoyance more than anything...

And it leaves some people immune, and some people even more susceptible to what might follow.

c. harvestival festival.

Something good is happening in the agricultural sector. Weird, right?

But lo, the whole place has started to bloom seemingly overnight. Tiny fruits become noticeable, then large. Edible vegetation is flourishing, and you can tell which vegetation is edible thanks to the flocks, gangs, and small herds of creatures that have emerged from the still-wild depths of the sector. None of these creatures are aggressive except as a means to protect themselves when scared. Unused to strangers as they are, they'll probably let you get pretty close! Which means you could hunt them, I guess, or try to lasso and bring home some critters to the farm and fenced areas.

The food varies wildly. From electric pink berries the size of a pinkie to giant purple melons nestled in beds of vines. The tastes are as exotic and strange as the fruits themselves. A few people might even recognize some kinds of fruit from home. The root vegetables, squash, and edible vegetation is as colorful as the fruit, though a little more weirdly shaped. Why does that carrot-seeming thing look like a coiled spring? Who knows? You can't judge its life.

The culinarily inclined can take harvested goods to the kitchen areas and start experimenting, but beware! Even plants that look like they could be from Earth or other areas that the residents of Anchor know probably taste a little weirder or more intense than normal. Your best bet for a good recipe is to taste a little bit of everything before you get started. The spicy, the melony, the crunchy, salty, and sweet. There are no available records of what any of these things are, so you'll have to make it up as you go! The only consistent thing across all the agricultural sector's bounty is that NONE of it is poisonous. And none of it will get you high, Klaus and Kabal, so don't get your hopes up.

Navigation.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Geez... this is getting too pathetic to watch. The boy's so dead on his feet that he's finally admitting it, and that takes some doing. (Said the kettle.) ]

Oh, for God's sake. Come sit down before you hurt yourself.

[ He pats the next bed over, which is conveniently unoccupied. Although actually, he just sort of tacks the gesture on in the process of crouching down between the two, so he can fish out Peter's glasses or whatever. (Leaning toward "or whatever," since he's 99.9% sure Peter doesn't wear glasses.) As he's reaching underneath the bed, he adds- ]

Anyway, think of it as a learning experience. Now you know you can't go running roughshod over your immune system indefinitely.

[Peter's more concerned with hurting all the equipment in this medbay than he is with hurting himself, but that's still fair. He doesn't even bother trying to protest, he's tired and he hates to admit it, but Qubit's right. Even Spider-Man isn't invincible.

He half stumbles over and drops himself ungracefully onto the bed next to Qubit's, reaching over to grab the pillow and huffily hugging it to his chest. He's so annoyed, Qubit. So annoyed.]

I don't have time for this. I have a ton of things that I need to get done.

[Maybe once he stops sounding like he's getting ready to lose his voice he can go do those things. Maybe.]

Yeah? How do you think I feel?

[ You know how Qubit is, Peter, he hates being sick and useless at least as much as you do. And he has an equally long to-do list.

Finally he gets a hand on the glasses - but to his surprise, they ping his tech sense hard. He pulls them out and sits up, turning them over in his hands as he inspects them, his brow furrowing. More of Stark's handiwork? It feels like something of his... ]

At least your hair looks better.

[As shitty as he feels, he still has to take a jab or two at Qubit. It's like his favorite hobby now.

He watches Qubit inspect the glasses, dropping his chin a bit to rest on top of the pillow he's holding. Honestly Qubit's probably less likely to break them right now than he is.]

They're Tony's, I think. Cole found them, said they "wanted to be with me". Which I don't get, but... I dunno. Weird stuff's happening again. I found some lady's book the other day and creepy child ghost voices made me solve riddles to find her so I could give it to her.

[ Hahaha fuck you too kiddo! No but actually Qubit doesn't even acknowledge the jab, because he's really concerned about this thing suddenly.

Because Tony Stark doesn't wear glasses, either.

So unlike the armor, this isn't a gift explicitly given to Peter. This merely "wanted" to be given to him. What does that mean? Cole's a powerful empath - it's possible he could have picked up on some kind of psionic imprint left behind by the previous owner, which would imply that these were intended as a gift for Peter but never delivered. But there's another, more chilling possibility - that the glasses were given a will of their own. That they actively wanted to be given to Peter.

But why? For what purpose? The first one that jumps to mind is possibly also the most insane, but - is it really?

Think about it. You need an out. You need a plan B, in case your grand scheme goes wrong. You have a fully digital consciousness, and a protégé who owes you his life, who'd do anything for you... and whose life you don't truly value. Is it really so farfetched?

No, of course not. It's genius. That's why Modeus thought of it first.

Qubit's stomach twists, and for once, he hopes he's wrong. Without a word, he puts the glasses on.

~~There. Sure glad I don't look stupid in this.~~ ]

[Wow Qubs you are PAR-A-NOID.

And now Qubit is wearing a pair of tacky glasses. Congratulations, Qubit, you are truly the biggest nerd and everything looks kinda blue. Peter watches silently, arching an eyebrow but not thinking too much of Qubit trying them on. It's not like he's going to break them or anything.

Oh by the way Qubit, the glasses are talking in a nice lady voice. That's not weird, right? Peter can't hear that side of the conversation so HAVE FUN GOOFUS.]

Unauthorized user detected. Identify yourself.

[ Okay yes he is but it's JUS-TI-FIED. Usually. Sometimes.

Considering Qubit was half-expecting the glasses to immediately attack him, this outcome is sort of anticlimactic. The glasses talk. All right. Audio as opposed to telepathic, which is a point in its favor, and it's definitely not Stark's voice, which is a much bigger point in its favor. ]

You first. What -

[ - and then he starts coughing up a lung. Whoops. It would appear he was so focused on the possibility of this pair of glasses attacking him that he forgot his own body has been trying to kill him for days. ]

Smooth.

[He really can't poke fun at Qubit for hacking his lungs out, but he does anyway. It's fine, he makes up for it by heaving his sickass self to his feet and getting Qubit a cup of water.]

She say anything to you? She was all "Hey Peter" when I put them on, and I kinda noped out pretty hard.

Peter-

[ SIT DOWN YOU FOOL HE CAN GET HIS OWN WATER - okay no he can't even stop coughing enough to articulate that, much less do it. By the time Peter gets it to him, it's subsided somewhat, and he gratefully takes a drink. ]

Cheers.

[ Okay. Is he good to get off the floor now? Maybe? He tries anyway and succeeds, but has to lean on the bed for a bit because whoops stood up too fast.

... Is he still wearing these stupid glasses? He's gonna take those off and have another look at them, not stink-eyeing them as strongly as before, but he's still not a hundred percent cool with them. ]

It just said I'm unauthorized. [ Which, fair, since they're not his, but... ] It wasn't reading your mind, though, if that's what you're worried about. For whatever reason, Stark's seen fit to give you your own account.

[ He hands the glasses back to Peter, despite feeling a little reluctant to do so. ] Is that all you've done with them yet? What do they do?

Edited 2019-10-11 19:36 (UTC)

[Peter takes his seat on the bed next to Qubit's again, keeping a close eye on the funky haired wonder while he pulls himself to his feet. Since it doesn't look like Qubit's about to hit the floor again, Peter resumes his pillow hugging while reaching out to take his glasses.]

It's just an AI, it's definitely not reading anyone's minds. I don't know what they're for, though, I've only put them on once for a few seconds.

[He hesitates, staring at the glasses for a few seconds, a frown creeping onto his face]

Honestly... I'm curious? But if these things really did come from home, I don't know if I'm ready to hear what they have to say about it.

Hmm. So - correct me if I have this wrong - when Cole handed you these, that was the first time you'd seen them.

[ Which is already strange in and of itself. It's less treasured possession than uninvited houseguest. ]

You think they're from some point in your future?

Yeah, that was the first time.

[Everything about this is strange. Everything is strange and nothing is ever okay these days.]

I mean, if they're from any time, it would have to be my future. If Loki hadn't told me I'd been uh... brought back, or that I'm going to be brought back, I don't think this would be freaking me out so much.

[He's clearly frustrated, tossing the glasses onto the bed next to him and stopping to rub at his face. uuuUUUGHHH.]

This is stupid, I don't even know what they do. I shouldn't be freaking out about this at all.

[ Now, Peter, there's no right or wrong way to feel about something. Your emotions are what they are, and they are valid even if you think they're inappropriate.

... is what someone with a relatively healthy emotional life would say. Qubit, on the other hand, sort of agrees with that assessment. Yeah, Peter, why are you freaking out about this? That kind of foreknowledge could be invaluable! Shit, Qubit would love to hear spoilers about the future of his world - that way he'd know what to prepare for, what he might be up against going forward. So the idea of maybe not wanting to know, that just... genuinely doesn't make sense to him. ]

What's the problem? I'm not sure I follow.

Edited 2019-10-13 01:15 (UTC)

I don't-- I don't know, honestly. I think I'm the problem. I don't know, I've been... I guess a little anxious lately. [A LOT anxious lately, but moving on.] I just... I guess I'm worried that they're gonna tell me something that I don't wanna hear, and I don't think I can handle any more bad news right now.

[Which feels stupid and pathetic and as soon as the words leave his mouth, he wishes he could take them back. He's a super hero, man, he's supposed to be ready for anything and everything at all times. Right now he just feels like he's being a whiny little wimp and he kind of hates himself for it. Just a bit.]

It-- it's stupid, I know. I should just get it over with, huh?

[ Ah. So it's not so much that he's stressed out about this in particular - it's that he was already stressed out, all the time, and the addition of the glasses hasn't helped.

Is it any wonder, though? He's been spreading himself impossibly thin, even with Qubit picking up a substantial number of his to-dos. Every time there's an emergency, Spider-Man swings to the rescue. Never asks for anything in return, never turns down a request... never considers the cost to himself.

Qubit folds his arms, his expression softening. In this moment, he's struck by how young Peter looks.

He hasn't forgotten about the Thanos incident. The tremendous guilt Peter's placed on his own shoulders, the tremendous level of responsibility he's taken on in response, when it wasn't even his fault... Even if he were unambiguously an adult, that kind of pressure could break just about anyone. That Peter's borne it for as long as he has is nothing short of miraculous. ]

... Not necessarily.

It isn't urgent, unless you've got a flight booked home in the morning. And clearly, you've got too much on your mind as it is.

[Qubs my dude you have hit the nail right on the head. Everyone else comes first, as far as Peter is concerned. Thanos was at least partly his fault, even though he was far from the only person who had failed to stop him. Some days the only thing keeping Peter going is knowing that there are people here that need his help, and now with this mystery intruder situation going on, he feels even more pressure to not show any fear or weakness because this dude could always have found another way to watch them. Being sick like this is on top of everything else is already dragging him dangerously close to his breaking point, finding out whatever is going on with these glasses may very well end up being the straw that breaks the camel's back.

But Qubit thinks it's okay for him to wait, and Peter respects his judgement (for some reason). Being reassured that he's not just being a wimp about this is something he really needed to hear right now. He visibly relaxes, a relieved sigh escaping him as he glances at the glasses.]

Yeah, that... that's fair. I'll wait until I don't feel like a literal dumpster fire. [He's quiet for a few seconds, before he turns to Qubit, looking almost apologetic in a way. He really hates asking people for things or favors, ok.] Would-- would it be weird if I asked you to hang onto those for me? Just- so the temptation isn't there, y'know?

[ It's funny Peter should ask that, since Qubit was just considering whether he should offer the same arrangement. On the one hand, it does remove the temptation from Peter, but on the other hand it adds one for himself...

Still, it's hardly a decision at all. He nods and picks them up. ]

Sure. Do you mind if I - [ cough ] - if I give them a once-over? Try and suss out what they're for?

[Surely Qubit will respect Peter's privacy and not pry too much, right? Right???]

Nah, I don't mind. I can probably tell them to give you access if you can't get into them yourself.

Appreciate it.

[ There, he asked permission for a change. Now he doesn't have to feel as bad when he can't resist hacking the shit out of them. It's cool, though, he totally respects Peter's privacy! As for Stark's, well... the man's not exactly here to complain about it.

He pockets the glasses, finally taking a seat on the bed. It's taken some of the burden off Peter's mind, clearly, but it doesn't resolve any underlying issues. And as long as he's got him here, he can't let those go unaddressed any longer. ]

... You can't go on doing this to yourself, Peter. It's killing you.

[wooooow Qubit, wooooooooooooooow. See if Peter ever lets you look at his cool stuff again.

Aaand here we go, lecture time. If Peter was feeling any better, he'd probably leave. But seeing as he feels like a tire fire, he just sits there and sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose like man, he can already feel the headache coming on. Or maybe that's just his sinuses.]

I'm not doing anything. I got sick, it happens.

[Why yes he is being deliberately obtuse how could you tell??]

You know that's not what I'm talking about. It's - it's this ongoing pattern you have, over and over, of thinking you can handle more than -

[ - he cuts himself off, shaking his head and waving his hands slightly. Start over. ]

Poor choice of words. Look, I'm not trying to decide for you what your limits are. No one but you can make that determination. But you can't just - you're not -

[ He's visibly struggling to find the right words. He already knows arguing and/or lecturing is the wrong approach, because Peter's just as stubborn as he is, but it's a hard impulse to fight even when he is running on all cylinders. On a better day, maybe he could find that middle ground, compelling without being condescending, but for now he just - flails his hands in frustration and gives up. ]

I'm worried about you, Peter! Can't you see that?

[WELL, if Qubit had continued with that first line of thinking, Peter was absolutely going to jump all defensive. Of course he can handle it, he's handled worse than this and it hasn't killed him yet, GOD MOM he's a super hero for fuck's sake!!!

But no, then Qubit has to go and change his approach up, which immediately takes the wind out of Peter's sails. Peter can't even be mad or annoyed, because he's too busy feeling guilty for making Qubit worry about him. Uuuuugh look Qubit's just blurting this shit out, he can't even form a coherent argument right now. That makes Peter feel even worse, and on top of just feeling like complete shit, it's like- what can he even say? He has no argument, he can't even say 'I'm fine' all bullshit-like because he's clearly not fine right now, and he knows it. He isn't even feeling well enough to be all 'fuck this shit I'm out' and ditch Qubit in the medbay, so really he has no choice but to sit here and face this shit.

So maybe his eyes are just a bit misty when he pointedly looks away from Qubit, because maybe he feels really bad about all this. Maybe.]

I'm sorry. I just-- I don't know what else to do. Every time I turn around, there's something else going wrong. I feel like if I'm not like constantly paying attention, I'm gonna miss something and someone's going to get hurt, or worse. I know you're worried about me, I know- I know a lot of people are, but I can't... I can't lose again. I can't let this-- whatever this is beat us.

[Is someone carrying some Thanos baggage why yes he is.]

[ It's terrible to see Peter like this, so run down and exhausted that he's already on the verge of tears, trapped in a self-destructive spiral for fear that if he slips up, or rests, even for an instant, people will die. Qubit's voice quiets, but the worry never leaves his face. ]

I understand that feeling. I do. It's such an easy trap to fall into.

[ All the times he's gotten blindsided, in spite of his constant vigilance. The first and worst of them, the one that only Hornet saw coming, the one that brought Qubit's world crashing down around him. It's been more than a year, but in quieter moments he still finds his mind going back to it. If he'd only seen it in time, if he hadn't been blinded by admiration and good intentions, if he'd only known how Tony felt-

maybe things would have turned out differently. ]

But... you can't be all things to all people. You can't be everywhere, save everyone. You won't save everyone. That's one of the cruel realities of what we do.

[Welp Peter may have been winding down from being cranky a minute ago but that pent up aggravation just comes right back to the surface. There's just A Lot of baggage, a lot of being unable to forgive himself, and it's been building for a long time. He's going to feel so bad about losing his cool here in a bit, but for now? It's cranky time.]

Do you think I don't know that!? Like- shit, man, I know that better than anybody! Like, I get it, half the universe is a lot of people, like of course I couldn't save them all! This isn't on that kind of scale at all though, this is-- this is manageable, this is something I can do! Don't sit there and tell me that I can't!

[There's what, thirty people here tops? Totally manageable. At least Peter thinks it should be, but he's also uh SEVENTEEN and doing everything wrong with regards to his own personal well being. But he's a superhero so he should be fiiiine.

Either way, he's had enough of this lecture already, and he really doesn't want to actually cry in front of Qubit, which he is dangerously close to doing, so he clumsily shoves himself up from his bed to leave. He only makes it to about the foot of the bed before he has to stop and steady himself against it thanks to a sudden dizzy spell, but dammit he tried.]

Edited 2019-10-17 19:09 (UTC)

Peter! Hey! [ PETER BENJAMIN MARVEL COMICS PARKER YOU COME BACK HERE THIS INSTANT-

Qubit drags himself up after him and grabs Peter's arm, although within a second he's already doing it not to stop Peter but to steady himself. Space flu is bullshit. ]

It's not all on you, Peter! You don't have to take everything on yourself! Thanos killed those people, not you! There is nothing you have to atone for!

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