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abraxasooc2021-07-18 11:55 am
abraxasmods) wrote in abraxasooc2021-07-18 11:55 am
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TEST DRIVE MEME #2
TEST DRIVE MEME
Welcome to the second test drive meme for Abraxas! This meme is run a little bit differently than most in that you'll be asked to choose one of the two different arrival scenarios below for your character to take. If you have any questions about this mechanic or anything else related to the TDM, please take a look at the questions below or ask one of your own under the Questions header below. For general game questions please still use the FAQ.
Our previous TDM has some answers to relevant questions as well, and feel free to look at our Game History page! Anything on that page - including information about the Horizon and the Singularity - can be assumed to be told to newcomers after they arrive, whether they are prisoners or honored guests. For more information on Ambrose and the apprentice mages, please see our NPCs page.
You awaken suspended in the abyss, silent darkness stretching out in all directions. If you try to yell, you'll find that the sound doesn't carry. If you try to move, you'll find it's impossible to tell whether or not you're actually getting anywhere. If you reach for an item you were carrying last time you remember being awake, your hand will only touch bare skin.
You're naked and floating helplessly through the void, and what little air you have in your lungs is running out.
There's a pinprick of light that almost looks like a faraway star but as it grows it becomes clear that it's actually quite close. Through the opening you can see a bright room, but it's hard to make out any individual objects, as if you're looking from beneath rippling water.
A hand plunges through and you realize water is just what it is. Whether you take hold of the hand or not it will grab you and yank you up through the surface, lifting you out until you're sprawled on solid ground. Once you catch your breath, you can get a better look at the surroundings: tall trees and even taller stone pillars surround the platform you're laying on. Behind you is an ornate fountain, the base of which is so deep and so dark you might be compelled to scramble away from it lest it suck you back in to that endless abyss. Ahead of you are the walls of a large castle with several tall towers reaching up towards the sky.
If you had any powers, they feel unusually weak. Attempts to use magic or enhanced strength or powers of any sort fizzle out without any effect, but they don't feel completely gone, either.
Set into an indent on a marble slab behind the fountain is a card baring the image of one of the arcana.
An apprentice mage - the one whose hand lifted you out of the fountain - brushes the water off on their robes and runs back to join a group of three others, who all stare intently at a mage with highly decorated robes and a large, heavy book. He peers up at you for a moment and starts flipping through the book.
"I beg your pardon," he says, so absorbed in the pages of the book that he doesn't bother to look up, "I am Ambrose Rhett, the High Mage of the Kingdom of Thorne. One of my apprentices will explain everything in a moment, but please refrain from yelling and thrashing about until then. You're quite alright, and screaming gives me a hell of a headache."
Regardless of your response, he keeps flipping through the heavy tome, until he stops on one specific page, stares at it for a moment, and then exclaims:
"Aha!"
Ambrose's expression brightens, eyes twinkling with delight. He waves one of the apprentices over with a fine silk tunic, pants, and some basic sandals and with a wave of his hand they reshape to fit you perfectly.
"Oh, thank heavens," he sighs, closing the book and approaching you with a sort of worn-out relief.
Now that he's not hunching over the book, he doesn't seem quite so stuffy and inapproachable. The apprentices all seem quite relieved at his jovial outburst, and the one that handed you the tunic stops to take the tarot card down from the marble slab. If you show any curiosity about the card, they'll let you take a longer look, but won't let you touch it.
"Please, come with me, you're an honored guest here," he says, motioning for you to follow him towards the castle, "As promised, my pupils will explain your current situation. And, ah - if you had any magic of your own, or other special abilities you can't access right now, fear not, they'll return within the week. The summoning takes a lot out of you."
One of the apprentices steps forward and rattles on and on about the castle, Thorne itself, the names of a bunch of royals and nobles, and of course, your reason for being here. The Kingdom and the world itself is in great peril, and tales of your exploits have reached far and wide across universes. If asked about these exploits, the apprentice will simply smile and shrug. The High Mage was happy to see you and that's good enough.
Once inside the castle you're taken to the North Wing, which has been set up as living quarters for you and your fellow newcomers. There are four people to a room, but each generously-sized bed has opaque curtains that can be drawn around it. You can meet your roommates here and discuss your shared situation (the newcomers who were summoned back in June may have a great deal of information to tell you), or you can wander around and meet the others.
There's also a dining hall stocked with a rotating 24/7 buffet in celebration of the new honored guests. Somehow, your very favorite food is part of the rotation (or at least an attempted recreation of it given the limited technology available to the Thorneans). The town surrounding the castle is all abuzz as well, with most shops and services willing to give free samples of their wares to the new arrivals.
You may also notice that your sign is embroidered on your tunic: the same image you saw on the card from before with the name of the sign itself beneath it. If you ask the castle residents, they'll tell you a little bit about your sign (and will mostly stick to the positives, although some might point out the negatives).
Last (and, if you ask anyone else in the castle, least) there is a worn stone staircase leading underground to the dungeon. You can go there, if you wish, but all powers are restricted in the dungeons and spending too much time with the prisoners will lead to some suspicion being cast upon you. If you ask anyone why the prisoners are being held there, you'll be told that they pose a potential threat to the Kingdom (and, by extension, the entire world) and are awaiting trial.
"Drat," Ambrose says with a frown, "And here I thought we'd worked out all the kinks this time."
The High Mage looks up from his book, wide-eyed as he stumbles back. If you look behind you, you'll notice that in the time it took Ambrose to browse his book, the tarot card hanging behind you has reversed and is now hanging upside down. An apprentice runs to snatch it from the pillar and put it back with the rest of the deck.
The apprentices seem apprehensive, but Ambrose regains his composure and resists the urge to insult their newly summoned captive. Instead, he turns to the apprentices: "Get them clothed and we'll send them to await trial."
One of the apprentices drops a baggy, rough-feeling tunic, a pair of pants, and some worn sandals in your lap and glares down at you until you put them on (if you refuse, they'll tell you they can kick you back down that well if you don't want to cooperate).
Once you're fully clothed, another apprentice clamps some heavy iron shackles around your wrists and leads you on. The High Mage is far ahead of you already, muttering some long string of Thornean curses before he stands up straight and pauses, spinning to face you.
"One more thing," he says, holding one hand in the air and chanting something under his breath, "Can't have you getting too troublesome."
If you had powers, the slight connection you still had to them slips away completely and you're left with nothing as the four apprentices drag you towards the castle. Despite your prisoner status, they will answer your questions to the best of their ability.
Once you arrive at the castle you're brought to the dungeons and thrown into a locked cell. There are four people to a cell, and two sets of bunk beds with a thin and lumpy straw mattress. If you're over six feet tall, these beds are going to be awfully uncomfortable. You might as well meet your roommates. Once per day you're dragged out to an enclosed courtyard for one hour of recreation (with some crude weights, benches, and balls lying around but not much else), where you can meet the rest of the prisoners, but you can also talk to your immediate neighbors in the cells on either side and across the hallway. Just don't yell too much or the guards will snap at you to be quiet.
Everyone in the dungeon is fed one meal a day, and for a prison meal it's decent: a bit of meat, a bun, and a salad. It would seem that the Thornean chefs take too much pride in their craft to send bad food to the dungeons. The meals are all served in equal portions, though, so the smaller prisoners may be overfed and the larger ones may be getting hungry. Feel free to fight for food or share with your cellmates.
Crudely embroidered on the back of every prison tunic is the same image that was on your card and the name of the sign beneath it. A guard may explain a bit about the sign, and will be blunt and honest but not overly negative about it.
You may be blessed with a visit from one of the more welcomed newcomers, and they may sneak you some extra food or a small book to read or they may share some of the information they've gathered. The guards will even interfere if the honored guests are being overtly cruel to the prisoners from now on.
Questions
How many slots are open?
Currently, there are only four slots open for new players. We will process activity check before opening applications, so we will have a better idea of the exact count then. Existing players can apply for a second character withour restriction.
How do I choose a scenario for my character?
Pick whichever situation appeals to you most. Whether your character is honored or imprisoned has nothing to do with their personal morality, or how highly they regard themselves and their own accomplishments. Anyone can be put into either situation.
Can I try out both scenarios?
You can! But please keep in mind that only the one you eventually choose can be game canon, if you decide to keep any of your TDM threads.
What happens if my character refuses to comply with Ambrose?
Prisoners will be dragged against their will. Honored guests will be forgiven for their moment of panic or anger if they have one, and Ambrose and the apprentice mages will try to calm them and persuade them further. If they put up too much of a fight and/or start actively attacking anyone, Ambrose will warn them once that he's willing to put them back in the well where they came from (see below), and if they continue to fight he will make good on that promise.
My character intends on causing a lot of trouble (destroying parts of the castle, murdering the castle staff, etc.), what would happen to them?
Characters who make too much trouble for the mages and other staff would be thrown back in the well (which will mean drowning in the void, not returning home). Brawling with other PCs and causing minor damage is fine and will be greeted with a cranky attitude (if they are an honored guest) or a punishment like denial of food or temporary solitary confinement (if they are a prisoner), and there will be plenty of opportunity for destruction and murder later, but for now the Thorneans have no desire to keep huge liabilities around.
I want to wildcard a prompt or use one of the prompts from the original TDM that isn't on this one (eg. the library), can I do that?
Yes!
Is the power loss for the prisoners permanent?
No, although honored guests will regain their powers first due to the lack of interference from Ambrose, the prisoners will be able to regain theirs soon enough as well.
Can the prisoners talk about anything private, or will they be overheard at all times?
There are guards patrolling the dungeon, but they aren't always within earshot. Most of the attention is being focused on the new guests, so the prisoners will have some opportunities for privacy.
The first prisoners in June were just thrown in their cells without being told they are awaiting trial. Will they be told differently now that the new prisoners are here?
Yes, all prisoners new and old will be told that the Court has shown mercy on them and they will be given a fair trial sometime in August to determine their fate.
Whether or not that's actually true - and whether they believe it, even if it is - is another story, but they will all be informed.
Can my character leave the castle?
Honored guests can leave the castle itself, but cannot leave the surrounding town.
Can my character eventually side against Thorne if I choose to make them an honored guest/can they side with Thorne if I choose to imprison them?
For this TDM, it will be easier for welcomed characters to side with Thorne and for imprisoned characters to side with one of the other two factions, so we encourage you to take a look at the factions and see where you might want your character to go.
However, that is not set in stone and if you change your mind, characters in Scenario 1 will be able to betray Thorne, and characters in Scenario 2 can work themselves into Thorne's good graces.
How much will my choice of scenario affect my character's plot later on?
This choice will affect characters throughout August, but our August event will wrap up the honored guests vs. prisoners plotline, so your character won't be imprisoned for too long. This decision - and every other major decision you make in game! - will also be used to flavor some mod surprises that will be coming down the line.
Don't get too anxious about this choice, though; this is just one choice you'll get to make in a game that has a lot of them, and every character in both scenarios can work their way towards many, many individual goals and outcomes. You're not locking yourself out of anything in the future via the choice you made on the TDM. It will primarily impact the immediate future with the far-reaching effects being up to each player.
Are TDM threads mandatory for my application?
No, you may use other samples, but we encourage you to post to the TDM and get a feel for this game and its mechanics before you join. If you do not have a TDM thread you will still need to choose one of the two scenarios on your application.
What if I haven't settled on a sign yet?
You can ignore sign-related prompts if you're undecided (or try out different signs in different threads).
Our previous TDM has some answers to relevant questions as well, and feel free to look at our Game History page! Anything on that page - including information about the Horizon and the Singularity - can be assumed to be told to newcomers after they arrive, whether they are prisoners or honored guests. For more information on Ambrose and the apprentice mages, please see our NPCs page.
Arrival
You awaken suspended in the abyss, silent darkness stretching out in all directions. If you try to yell, you'll find that the sound doesn't carry. If you try to move, you'll find it's impossible to tell whether or not you're actually getting anywhere. If you reach for an item you were carrying last time you remember being awake, your hand will only touch bare skin.
You're naked and floating helplessly through the void, and what little air you have in your lungs is running out.
There's a pinprick of light that almost looks like a faraway star but as it grows it becomes clear that it's actually quite close. Through the opening you can see a bright room, but it's hard to make out any individual objects, as if you're looking from beneath rippling water.
A hand plunges through and you realize water is just what it is. Whether you take hold of the hand or not it will grab you and yank you up through the surface, lifting you out until you're sprawled on solid ground. Once you catch your breath, you can get a better look at the surroundings: tall trees and even taller stone pillars surround the platform you're laying on. Behind you is an ornate fountain, the base of which is so deep and so dark you might be compelled to scramble away from it lest it suck you back in to that endless abyss. Ahead of you are the walls of a large castle with several tall towers reaching up towards the sky.
If you had any powers, they feel unusually weak. Attempts to use magic or enhanced strength or powers of any sort fizzle out without any effect, but they don't feel completely gone, either.
Set into an indent on a marble slab behind the fountain is a card baring the image of one of the arcana.
An apprentice mage - the one whose hand lifted you out of the fountain - brushes the water off on their robes and runs back to join a group of three others, who all stare intently at a mage with highly decorated robes and a large, heavy book. He peers up at you for a moment and starts flipping through the book.
"I beg your pardon," he says, so absorbed in the pages of the book that he doesn't bother to look up, "I am Ambrose Rhett, the High Mage of the Kingdom of Thorne. One of my apprentices will explain everything in a moment, but please refrain from yelling and thrashing about until then. You're quite alright, and screaming gives me a hell of a headache."
Regardless of your response, he keeps flipping through the heavy tome, until he stops on one specific page, stares at it for a moment, and then exclaims:
"Aha!"
Scenario One: Welcome to Thorne
Ambrose's expression brightens, eyes twinkling with delight. He waves one of the apprentices over with a fine silk tunic, pants, and some basic sandals and with a wave of his hand they reshape to fit you perfectly.
"Oh, thank heavens," he sighs, closing the book and approaching you with a sort of worn-out relief.
Now that he's not hunching over the book, he doesn't seem quite so stuffy and inapproachable. The apprentices all seem quite relieved at his jovial outburst, and the one that handed you the tunic stops to take the tarot card down from the marble slab. If you show any curiosity about the card, they'll let you take a longer look, but won't let you touch it.
"Please, come with me, you're an honored guest here," he says, motioning for you to follow him towards the castle, "As promised, my pupils will explain your current situation. And, ah - if you had any magic of your own, or other special abilities you can't access right now, fear not, they'll return within the week. The summoning takes a lot out of you."
One of the apprentices steps forward and rattles on and on about the castle, Thorne itself, the names of a bunch of royals and nobles, and of course, your reason for being here. The Kingdom and the world itself is in great peril, and tales of your exploits have reached far and wide across universes. If asked about these exploits, the apprentice will simply smile and shrug. The High Mage was happy to see you and that's good enough.
Once inside the castle you're taken to the North Wing, which has been set up as living quarters for you and your fellow newcomers. There are four people to a room, but each generously-sized bed has opaque curtains that can be drawn around it. You can meet your roommates here and discuss your shared situation (the newcomers who were summoned back in June may have a great deal of information to tell you), or you can wander around and meet the others.
There's also a dining hall stocked with a rotating 24/7 buffet in celebration of the new honored guests. Somehow, your very favorite food is part of the rotation (or at least an attempted recreation of it given the limited technology available to the Thorneans). The town surrounding the castle is all abuzz as well, with most shops and services willing to give free samples of their wares to the new arrivals.
You may also notice that your sign is embroidered on your tunic: the same image you saw on the card from before with the name of the sign itself beneath it. If you ask the castle residents, they'll tell you a little bit about your sign (and will mostly stick to the positives, although some might point out the negatives).
Last (and, if you ask anyone else in the castle, least) there is a worn stone staircase leading underground to the dungeon. You can go there, if you wish, but all powers are restricted in the dungeons and spending too much time with the prisoners will lead to some suspicion being cast upon you. If you ask anyone why the prisoners are being held there, you'll be told that they pose a potential threat to the Kingdom (and, by extension, the entire world) and are awaiting trial.
Scenario Two: Imprisoned
"Drat," Ambrose says with a frown, "And here I thought we'd worked out all the kinks this time."
The High Mage looks up from his book, wide-eyed as he stumbles back. If you look behind you, you'll notice that in the time it took Ambrose to browse his book, the tarot card hanging behind you has reversed and is now hanging upside down. An apprentice runs to snatch it from the pillar and put it back with the rest of the deck.
The apprentices seem apprehensive, but Ambrose regains his composure and resists the urge to insult their newly summoned captive. Instead, he turns to the apprentices: "Get them clothed and we'll send them to await trial."
One of the apprentices drops a baggy, rough-feeling tunic, a pair of pants, and some worn sandals in your lap and glares down at you until you put them on (if you refuse, they'll tell you they can kick you back down that well if you don't want to cooperate).
Once you're fully clothed, another apprentice clamps some heavy iron shackles around your wrists and leads you on. The High Mage is far ahead of you already, muttering some long string of Thornean curses before he stands up straight and pauses, spinning to face you.
"One more thing," he says, holding one hand in the air and chanting something under his breath, "Can't have you getting too troublesome."
If you had powers, the slight connection you still had to them slips away completely and you're left with nothing as the four apprentices drag you towards the castle. Despite your prisoner status, they will answer your questions to the best of their ability.
Once you arrive at the castle you're brought to the dungeons and thrown into a locked cell. There are four people to a cell, and two sets of bunk beds with a thin and lumpy straw mattress. If you're over six feet tall, these beds are going to be awfully uncomfortable. You might as well meet your roommates. Once per day you're dragged out to an enclosed courtyard for one hour of recreation (with some crude weights, benches, and balls lying around but not much else), where you can meet the rest of the prisoners, but you can also talk to your immediate neighbors in the cells on either side and across the hallway. Just don't yell too much or the guards will snap at you to be quiet.
Everyone in the dungeon is fed one meal a day, and for a prison meal it's decent: a bit of meat, a bun, and a salad. It would seem that the Thornean chefs take too much pride in their craft to send bad food to the dungeons. The meals are all served in equal portions, though, so the smaller prisoners may be overfed and the larger ones may be getting hungry. Feel free to fight for food or share with your cellmates.
Crudely embroidered on the back of every prison tunic is the same image that was on your card and the name of the sign beneath it. A guard may explain a bit about the sign, and will be blunt and honest but not overly negative about it.
You may be blessed with a visit from one of the more welcomed newcomers, and they may sneak you some extra food or a small book to read or they may share some of the information they've gathered. The guards will even interfere if the honored guests are being overtly cruel to the prisoners from now on.
How many slots are open?
Currently, there are only four slots open for new players. We will process activity check before opening applications, so we will have a better idea of the exact count then. Existing players can apply for a second character withour restriction.
How do I choose a scenario for my character?
Pick whichever situation appeals to you most. Whether your character is honored or imprisoned has nothing to do with their personal morality, or how highly they regard themselves and their own accomplishments. Anyone can be put into either situation.
Can I try out both scenarios?
You can! But please keep in mind that only the one you eventually choose can be game canon, if you decide to keep any of your TDM threads.
What happens if my character refuses to comply with Ambrose?
Prisoners will be dragged against their will. Honored guests will be forgiven for their moment of panic or anger if they have one, and Ambrose and the apprentice mages will try to calm them and persuade them further. If they put up too much of a fight and/or start actively attacking anyone, Ambrose will warn them once that he's willing to put them back in the well where they came from (see below), and if they continue to fight he will make good on that promise.
My character intends on causing a lot of trouble (destroying parts of the castle, murdering the castle staff, etc.), what would happen to them?
Characters who make too much trouble for the mages and other staff would be thrown back in the well (which will mean drowning in the void, not returning home). Brawling with other PCs and causing minor damage is fine and will be greeted with a cranky attitude (if they are an honored guest) or a punishment like denial of food or temporary solitary confinement (if they are a prisoner), and there will be plenty of opportunity for destruction and murder later, but for now the Thorneans have no desire to keep huge liabilities around.
I want to wildcard a prompt or use one of the prompts from the original TDM that isn't on this one (eg. the library), can I do that?
Yes!
Is the power loss for the prisoners permanent?
No, although honored guests will regain their powers first due to the lack of interference from Ambrose, the prisoners will be able to regain theirs soon enough as well.
Can the prisoners talk about anything private, or will they be overheard at all times?
There are guards patrolling the dungeon, but they aren't always within earshot. Most of the attention is being focused on the new guests, so the prisoners will have some opportunities for privacy.
The first prisoners in June were just thrown in their cells without being told they are awaiting trial. Will they be told differently now that the new prisoners are here?
Yes, all prisoners new and old will be told that the Court has shown mercy on them and they will be given a fair trial sometime in August to determine their fate.
Whether or not that's actually true - and whether they believe it, even if it is - is another story, but they will all be informed.
Can my character leave the castle?
Honored guests can leave the castle itself, but cannot leave the surrounding town.
Can my character eventually side against Thorne if I choose to make them an honored guest/can they side with Thorne if I choose to imprison them?
For this TDM, it will be easier for welcomed characters to side with Thorne and for imprisoned characters to side with one of the other two factions, so we encourage you to take a look at the factions and see where you might want your character to go.
However, that is not set in stone and if you change your mind, characters in Scenario 1 will be able to betray Thorne, and characters in Scenario 2 can work themselves into Thorne's good graces.
How much will my choice of scenario affect my character's plot later on?
This choice will affect characters throughout August, but our August event will wrap up the honored guests vs. prisoners plotline, so your character won't be imprisoned for too long. This decision - and every other major decision you make in game! - will also be used to flavor some mod surprises that will be coming down the line.
Don't get too anxious about this choice, though; this is just one choice you'll get to make in a game that has a lot of them, and every character in both scenarios can work their way towards many, many individual goals and outcomes. You're not locking yourself out of anything in the future via the choice you made on the TDM. It will primarily impact the immediate future with the far-reaching effects being up to each player.
Are TDM threads mandatory for my application?
No, you may use other samples, but we encourage you to post to the TDM and get a feel for this game and its mechanics before you join. If you do not have a TDM thread you will still need to choose one of the two scenarios on your application.
What if I haven't settled on a sign yet?
You can ignore sign-related prompts if you're undecided (or try out different signs in different threads).
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ahhh sam!
it wasn’t a very involved conversation, almost over by the time sam is by the door and the voice has peter flinching. wide-eyed, earnest surprise that slips out with - ] Carbonfibre wings -
[ flushes, because what a greeting, remembers he’s actually talking to someone else and says something hurried, quick apologies of goodbye before he rushes up to the man. ] I’m - literally like thirty minutes ago? Does time work the same way here?
[ but it’s not the main thing he wonders, now face to face with someone from his own world, familiar even if he doesn’t know him well, and he can’t help the blind panic of a kid way out of his depth. this is beyond the friendly neighbourhood, and only a little beyond what they had tried to stop on titan, and he keeps talking: ] Sorry, Mr Falcon, sir - [ whats his name again??] - Did you just get here too? I was just fighting Thanos with Mister Stark and this wizard guy and some aliens and then -
[ and then they lost; they lost the stone, the fight, so so closely and then there was ash and nothing and he forces himself to take a breath. ] - Do you know why we’re here? Is it different from what that Ambrose guy told us? [ there’s something of a blind sort of trust to peter, at times, but he chooses to put it to sam instead of a mage from another dimension. ]
no subject
the questions he expects, and sam prepares to start in on the answers he has. ] Thankfully, yeah - not a whole lot here's the same, but time should still-
[ except then there is that. mention of thanos, of stark, and yes okay at least he's got the wizard part right (strange is going to hate that but sam counts it as a win). even if the whole situation catches sam off just enough that he needs the second or so to recenter. what does he mean thanos? and stark? last sam checked peter was at school in new york, wasn't here?
unless time really didn't work the same. which is a conversation sam is not prepared to have just yet, he doesn't think.
so sam sets his hands on peter's shoulders, trying to calm him. because the panic he sees there is real and he doesn't blame him, not if the last thing he remembers is... ] Hey- kid? Breathe. You're okay. [ and sam will wait until peter does before nodding, once, and letting his hands drop. ]
You can call me Sam, to start. But I've been here for...well. A couple of months now, but that's - anyway. [ in all honesty, sam doesn't know where to start. this is out of his territory in so many ways. he wonders if he can hold off on the details of it all until he finds strange again, but also isn't sure if that's fair, either.
so he gestures to the hallway. ] You up for a walk? And I'll do what I can to answer your questions on the way. As for Ambrose, that's up for debate, but the whole Singularity situation is real, and his reason for bringing us here was, as far as we know, to help with it.
no subject
[ a couple of months? that implies that there's no way time works the same way. because while peter might not have actively seen sam in any of the fight up on titan, there's no way anyone who fought by captain america would've missed something like that happening on earth.
so that means - what? that sam is from peter's past? did he just mess up some sort of time travel law like in back to the future and share something he shouldn't have? but the other had made no indication he didn't know what peter was talking about earlier either.
but, this has to be a contemplation for another time soon, with information he doesn't have, and when sam invites him, it feels terribly like a lifeline and he's eager to take it. ] I'm up for a walk, definitely!
[ he doesn't have to be told twice, almost springing into the invited walk, though sam's last point makes him frown. ] Wow - I mean, this should probably seem kind of cool in a couple of days, but what about everything back - back home? [ back to testing the waters, now, a little apprehensively. ]
no subject
peter jumps to the opportunity for the walk, jumping into the hallway and sam joins him not long after. he's still processing a bit himself, what it means, how they even get here, and honestly the only reason he's got a place to start is that the feeling that peter is about to have? is probably going to feel a bit like what he hasn't yet gone through. reverse deja vu. is that a thing? ]
There's a lot going on that will probably seem cool, once the shock wears off. [ sam slides his hands into the pockets of his trousers, walking casually down the hallway, letting peter pace or follow or really get out any of that energy as he needs to. ] So you know how I just said time moved the same here? I was wrong, apparently. You and I are from...I don't know. Different times, I guess? Strange probably could explain it better - he's here too, by the way - but...
[ sam sighs, not because he's worried or down. if anything, he has the kind of levity that comes when you know you're about to give good news. sam looks over at peter with a small smile, then shrugs. ] To cut to the chase here, kid, the war is over back home. We won.
no subject
- It's good that Doctor Strange is here, right? Well, probably not good, because that means we're not where we're supposed to be, but he knows all those magic tricks - [ peter is really just a collection of half-finished thoughts, and he'll feel bad about it later. sam probably had better things to do than be dealing with this - babysitting a lost kid.
but right now, all of peter's attention is on him as he continues and his pace stumbles, just a little. ] Wait what? [ if reverse deja vu wasn't a thing before, it certainly is now.]
We did? [ eyes widen, and there's something like full-bodied relief. or hope. the sort of impulsive knee jerk reaction that he can't seem to keep down, even if its short lived. ] Oh man - that's really good. That's great to hear, Sam, but - I mean, is everyone okay? [ he hesitates, because a part of him doesn't want to know. isn't sure if its the heightened senses amplify the anticipation as he waits for the answer, or if its plain old dread. maybe its bad knowing the future, maybe he shouldn't be asking. ] Things seemed really bad, if the last thing I remember is anything to go by.
no subject
Well, I mean, that depends on where you think you're supposed to be at all, but he's useful here. There's a lot of magic in this place- that Ambrose guy's a wizard, and there are a bunch of others here too. Doesn't hurt to have someone who knows a bit about that stuff on our side.
[ peter's half-brought up thoughts make some sense, and while sam's not usually one to surround himself with the fast-talking geniuses of the world, he's been in enough conversations with tony stark to at least follow along.
which, you know, brings him immediately to the topic at hand. and exactly where peter brings himself to. part of sam had been watching when he gave the news, if only because he can imagine - especially if peter is from when sam thinks he's from - how good that feels. a good lot of them had taken a beating, in that first battle. and the rest had just stopped existing at all. knowing that it all clears up, that in the end they win - it has to feel good.
he needs to watch out for this kid, though. because he's asking all the questions that sam had kind of hoped to avoid. he's not going to lie to him, that was a decision he made when he first started this conversation, but that doesn't make it easy. so sam ends up taking a moment, one of his hands coming to rub at the back of his neck. ]
No, by the end, everyone wasn't okay. We lost some good people. [ sam thinks of natasha's unmarked grave, of stark's funeral, of watching steve disappear into the machine, and the wrinkled face he saw minutes later. sam exhales, slowly, as the memories hit him again - it's been months, but being no stranger to loss or to war, he knows it's still relatively fresh. ] That's what happens in war, especially when the fight is on that scale. But we knew what we were getting into, and- [ because another thought settles, then, and it's sam's turn for his eyes to go a little wide. he's been thinking about the actual end of the war, here, but the fight with strange and stark and everyone on that planet, with thanos, that was before the blip. ]
You're okay, though. Really. I'm pretty sure when you're all on that planet- anyway, Thanos did the whole snap thing, and half the universe stopped existing, me included. [ there's an odd kind of tension, when sam mentions that, but it also feels so long ago. so much has happened, since then. ] But they get us all back, and we have a last big fight with Thanos and his army, and we win.
Sorry - probably could've started there.
:'(
Oh.
[ so sam disappeared too? he wonders if it felt that shitty for everyone. that if everyone knew they were going. it's good news, at the end - reversing that snap, everyone coming back. it's great news, knowing that the good side still won. ] Yeah, yeah that happened to me too. [ quiet, as if the words slip out on some autopilot, even if the hyperfocus swivels to one single phrase that makes his ears ring. makes him worry, because sam breaks the news too gently.
he doesn't want to know. he doesn't. but his throat is dry when he croaks out: ] - who? Who did we lose? [ there's a selfish thought there, one he doesn't want to allow because that doesn't seem fair, because losing anyone of them would suck and the world would be worse for it, but he can't ignore it, can't avoid the inevitable thought of i hope it wasn't tony.
and sam is telling him that's what happens in war like a soldier who knows exactly what he's talking about, and of course he does. but peter doesn't. peter doesn't get it
not yet, at least. hell, peter didn't even know what the heck he was getting himself into until he was holding onto an alien donut ship for dear life. and so, he braces himself. ]wow ouch
who?
sam had been at stark's funeral. he'd seen peter's grief first hand. and while it had been at a distance, and while it had technically been a....what? older? version of the kid who stands in front of him, it was still him. peter parker, a kid from queens, who'd stepped in when stark had given him a chance and now look where it led him. sam slows to a stop, then, in the middle of the hallway they'd been walking down. there were people around them, distant and direct in their own lives. their own work. a hand lifts to rub at his face as he tries to figure out what he wants to say, his eyes scanning the space around them both.
but there's a truth to that, too. that sam had been explaining this in the way he knew best - as a soldier, as someone who chose to join the war, when he wasn't much older than peter himself. sam wonders, briefly, how much of this peter chose at all, but that's a dangerous thought to fall into. a dark road to go down, considering the end of the road places blame a dead man.
so sam simply tasks a breath and looks over to where peter has probably stopped walking, where peter is probably looking at him. there's a seriousness to him that peter may or may not recognize - a kind of mantle that sam had only recently taken on, fully, for himself. there's a sense of loss to it, yes, but also a sense of responsibility. of carrying on a mantle that the war against thanos had taken.
he supposes he'd have to tell peter at some point he became captain america, but one step at a time. ]
Do you really want to know? [ there is no pity in his question. rather, it's asked with a sense of honest curiosity. sam may not know the ins and outs of time travel, but what he'd heard from banner, from strange, there are certain things that can't be changed. ]
Cause I'll tell. [ i will not lie to you. god, he hates this. ] Or at least I can tell you what I know, but I don't know what good it'll do.
omg years later i am so soRRY
No, [ the honestly slips out before he can bite down on it. he casts an almost desperate look around them, keeps himself still. too aware that they created a bit of a roadblock within the hall, senses prickling at every passerby. ] - no, I mean, I don't want to -
[ he tries to ignore the worst case scenarios that come to mind at breakneck speed as he looks back to sam.
this was part of the job description, wasn't it? he was an avenger now! except he never did get that run down, choosing to leap first and think later and when did that ever work out well. there's dread in his gut, and honestly this isn't good. sam wouldn't be trying to spare his feelings so much if he was and he can't help but think of the time when uncle ben died.
his throat is very, very dry. ] - but please tell me.
[ feet planted firmly, and he realizes he's wringing his hands. then realizes there's no pockets in this starter outfit to shove them into. ] - Because otherwise I'm going to just keep thinking about it, and then I'll still have to ask you tomorrow or something, and then we'll both be thinking about it.
[] and besides, knowing the future means you can change it, right? whatever happened, it can change, with them here....right? ]