001 ☀ Video

[foreshadower]

[ The Shade, in all his immortal wisdom, seems to be holding his comm away from his face, like he's peering at the screen, holding it as far away as he can, while he peers at it. Finally, he nods, before he starts speaking. ]

Now, now. We're settled in, yes? I thought it was very polite to even give us these fine homes, these jobs, even these fine...tattoos. [ A look from him, a curl of his lip. ] Makes it feel a little more permanent than our usual little trips.

But you know, it's so odd, I was so used to being allowed to go where I please, I heard of few restrictions, beyond the necessity of play along, and yet! Apparently, we're not welcome to leave the country, without first warning our benefactors that we're leaving.

[ He paused, before pulling a sheaf of paper out of seemingly nowhere, shadows lengthening behind him, before light seeps back into the room. He speaks, and it's very obvious he's reading straight from the paper. ]

It is not safe or recommended to travel abroad without government knowledge. Please note that your status will designate AWOL if travel without governmental knowledge becomes habitual.

So. That's a little controlling, is it not?

Comments

voice;

[shutterbugged]

Like you said, they've already tattooed us. I'm not exactly thrilled, but I can't say I'm surprised, either.

Thanks for letting us know. Other than the note, you didn't get in trouble, did you? [He winces. The fact he has to ask the question is a little too reminiscent of his school days. None of this is surprising, no, but it still chafes.]

voice;

[foreshadower]

Oh not so far, no.

Let's hope that they hold to their word and leave me with only a warning, hm?

voice;

[shutterbugged]

Don't take this the wrong way, but if the worst it gets is notes from Teacher, we'll be doing a darn sight better in this universe than the last one. Or any of our other field trips, for that matter.

voice;

[foreshadower]

Hm, well the first shot is a note from them.

It looks like after that, it may be quite a bit more dire.

voice;

[shutterbugged]

That's euphemistic. Theirs, or yours?

voice;

[foreshadower]

That depends on them, I think.

voice;

[shutterbugged]

[A sigh, mostly mental.]

Did they tell you what would happen next, exactly, or was it all vague supervillainish threats?

voice;

[foreshadower]

Oh, quite vague. Just simply that I will be known as AWOL. How tragic.

voice;

[shutterbugged]

Privileges revoked, that kinda thing?

voice;

[foreshadower]

My.

How dire.

voice;

[shutterbugged]

If they're on the up and up, it's not completely unreasonable. I mean, if we register we're basically in their employ.

If they're not on the up and up, at least they're giving us warning signs.

voice;

[foreshadower]

I'm not at all used to the government being able to track my every motion, if I can be honest.

voice; custom encryption

[shutterbugged]

Yeah, the whole "tattooed upon arrival" thing? Big warning sign, that one, doncha think?

voice; piggybacking on the encryptions

[foreshadower]

I'm honestly surprised it stuck.

I'm not exactly made of flesh and bone.

perma-etc;

[shutterbugged]

...Really.

I mean, I believe you, I'm just... more surprised than I should be, maybe, considering they managed to get the tattoos on us on arrival.

Not to be nosy, but when you say "not made of flesh and bone"...

[foreshadower]

You're no more surprised than I am.

I'm -- It's complex. I still retain a human body, for the most part, but it's not something I've examined in depth.

[ More like he seems mostly to be a shadow construct himself. ]

The fact that these tattoos stick leads me to believe that I may be more mortal in this land than the last -- or at least more solid.

[shutterbugged]

Jeez. That's not creepy at all.

[A beat, then he clarifies:] I mean, that your physiology's changed like that, without you having a say in it. Solid or not solid, I'm not judging.

[foreshadower]

Indeed, it is. It's the only explanation I can offer, of course, for what happened.

I've never fully understood what it was that I am, regardless.

[shutterbugged]

...Sorry? I mean, that sounds rough.

[On impulse, he offers:] Me, I got bitten by a radioactive spider.

[foreshadower]

That's practically comical.

How fortunate for you. Or unfortunate, do you have the size of a spider too?

[shutterbugged]

I ain't laughing, but the universe just might be. [Beat.] Multiverse.

And no, I come in standard human size, thank God. The shrinking schtick is Ant-Man and Wasp's. [Dropping those names with a self-awareness that is still totally lacking in irony.]

[foreshadower]

Spider-Man, And-Man, and Wasp.

If only you knew Kafka, you could make a gathering of it.

[shutterbugged]

"As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams, he found himself transported from his bed into a gigantic lab complex in Florida." I dunno, it doesn't have the same ring to it.

[What? He reads.]

[foreshadower]

Don't forget the part where he's a cockroach as well.

I think you four would make a fine team, with your...bug names.

[shutterbugged]

The book actually never specifies. I read that Nabokov thought he was a beetle.

I guess we could, but leaving Black Widow out in the cold like that? That's just mean.