001 | video

[doubleblind]

[The video starts with, oddly enough, no person in view, though there’s a stack of books and a pile of papers spread out on the floor. Cosima leans into the frame, grin wide and open, as she settles in front of the computer, lying down on her stomach and propping herself up on her elbows. She adjusts her glasses with one hand and waves with the other.]

Hey, everyone. I’m Cosima. And before you ask, I'm not Alison or Sarah, don't let the nearly identical faces confuse you! We're identical quintuplets, and believe me I know how crazy it sounds, the odds are so incredibly slim, it's completely improbably, but not impossible. We're living proof of that.

Anyways, I've been here a couple weeks now and I'm pretty much settled in and left with a few important questions!

[Well, in all honesty, it's more than a few. Cosima's barely stopping herself from conducting an impromptu survey. She figures, it can wait though. People might be more receptive to her more detailed surveys in the future if she starts out with something much more simple. If she can get a few people excited about intel gathering with this post that’s really all she needs. She smiles again, hands moving in small circles, displaying her practically uncontainable enthusiasm.]

So I've got three questions for everyone! [She holds up three fingers for emphasis, and begins counting them off with each question she asks.]

Number one, I'm wondering if any scientists or science inclined, would want to start a journal club of sorts? Nothing too formal. Just something fun to exchange ideas and knowledge about where science is in our different worlds and the state of science here. I'm totally willing to organize the whole thing, but I wouldn't say no to some help.

Number two! Let's talk about powers. Did you have any back home? Are super powers even a thing where you're from? Do you like your powers? I'm just curious. If you don't wanna say what they are, that's cool. We can keep things as vague or specific as you want.

And number three, what do people around here do for fun? I'm open to any and all suggestions to cure boredom.

[She ends the video the same open smile she started it with, as she unearths a pen from her scattered papers and taps it against the screen.]

Comments

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[glitterateur]

Haha, whoa, quintuplets? That's awesome!

[Why in the world would Sarah not have bragged about more siblings? A mystery! A mystery for another time, however. There are survey questions to answer here.]

Anyway no powers here! And my powers are awesome, also you can do basically anything you want to cure boredom as long as it's not illegal. There's a ton of craft stores in every city!

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[doubleblind]

You know what's even more awesome? Quintuplets separated at birth and reunited when they're adults.

[This is exactly the type of enthusiastic response Cosima was hoping for.]

I have to ask, do you use these awesome powers for legal or illegal purposes?

[video]

[justimprobable]

Identical quintuplets? Got to say that sounds a bit fun, for someone who grew up an only child. You ever swap places?

[She smiles warmly. Cosima's adorable, and her enthusiasm just makes her even more so.]

And I can't say much about science myself, but as for the rest... [She lifts up one hand in front of the camera, and with a moment's concentration the appendage turns to smoke, wisping around a bit in the breeze. She turns it back with another instant of focus.]

I don't have these back home, but I suppose you could call it a "thing". Just depends on what you mean by home - planet, or universe?

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[doubleblind]

[Her eyes go wide with excitement when Clara shows off her powers. She's obviously impressed.]

Holy watershed, do that again? I mean, totally up to you, but I'm never gonna figure out how that works if I don't see another demonstration. And let's go with both? I want to hear about both.

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[enucleation]

I'm not sure if we can call them "powers", but different biology, definitively.

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[doubleblind]

Are they based in science?

[video]

[hands4healing]

Hi. [Winry smiles brightly back at her vid feed.] I'm Winry. I...don't have any siblings.

I'm not a scientist but I am an engineer! [And she likes meeting new people.] I've been working for StarkTech for a while now.

[She ticks off one finger and then the second one.] We don't really have powers back home but we do have alchemists. And some people think that's the same as magic. Or...something. But it's a type of science back home.

And for fun, I take my dogs to the beach.

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[doubleblind]

[Cosima raises an eyebrow. She's heard of alchemy, who hasn't? But she always assumed it wasn't real. More in the realm of fairy tales and fantasy novels, and definitely not a real science.]

Alchemy's science? Now, that seems impossible.

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[huntergames]

[ She's met Alison, but not Sarah (or Helena while she was here). The resemblance is unreal. ]

Identical...

[ They're both so pretty, too. ]

Oh, um! No, I didn't have superpowers. We had to rely on our own strength and weapons to fight.

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[doubleblind]

Strength, weapons, and training I'm guessing?

[voice]

[thegriffinofdeath]

[It's always nice when people leave questions to answer.]

Before I answer the question about powers, I have one for you...you are clearly a scientist. Does that preclude you from believing in magic?

[The answer was yes a frustratingly often amount of time.]

voice

[doubleblind]

I'm skeptical, but open to the possibility of it being a reality in worlds that aren't mine. I subscribe to a show, not tell philosophy when it comes to magic.

[At least she's honest and not completely closed to the idea of magic being real.]

[ursawhiner]

[Wow, quintuplets but more importantly journal club?]

Did you say journal club? And science?? I'm totally into that!

Also uh, I didn't have powers back home and mine are only okay. Sneezing kittens means I'm never bored, I guess?

[doubleblind]

[That's the enthusiasm she's looking for! He might be younger than the volunteers she was hoping for, but she isn't going to discourage him.]

Yeah? Awesome. I'll keep you in the loop once I've got it figured out.

Sneezing kittens? You up for showing me that?

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[enustari]

[Enjoy this wobbly video clearly filmed in bed. She woke up like this, etc.]

Mages have always been around as a small, but significant minority in my world. [Significant in influence if not numbers.]

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[doubleblind]

Let me guess, you're a mage.

[akito]

Ah! That's so cool! Did you get here with Miss Alison?

[ BUT FOR THE QUESTIONS... ]

Number one... That sounds fun! I don't really keep journals, but you can come visit Xavier's someday and look at my workspace!

Two... Super powers aren't a thing, but technology is advanced enough in some areas that it makes up the difference - mostly when it comes to manipulating the atmosphere.

Three! I like to play video games, design robots and mechanics, play with my dog, and skate.

[doubleblind]

[Cosima jumps right to question three, grinning excitedly.]

You design and build your own robots? Seriously? I'd love to see your workspace.

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[newwaver]

Looks like you found someone to cure your boredom already.

I'm almost jealous.

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[doubleblind]

I'm not sure what you're talking about.

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[bassriff]

Sup?

[wow, there's a nerd one to match sarah's punk. figures. anyway, there's a screen full of grey skin, pointy ears, fangs, and weird eyes. she's starting off with obvious inhumanity.]

The Porter didn't give me jack - it's all my stuff. My Earth's a lot wilder and weirder than this one. [or this earth's just crazy boring. either way.]

[doubleblind]

[An enthusiastic nerd one who leans in closer to her screen. Cosima's first guess is some very extensive biomodifications, possibly someone dedicated to self-directed evolution and neolution, which is a little worrying that the trend extends this far, but also incredibly interesting.]

Hey. You gonna tell me all that [She gestures to her own face.] is natural too?

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[deciphered]

Journals, huh? What's your field of expertise?

[doubleblind]

How specific do you want me to be? Generally, biology. Though my focus is Evo Devo and genetics. I've also been dabbling in some physiology, pathology, and epidemiology lately.

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[hsalf]

Hello Cosima. Harrison Wells, particle physicist.

A "journal club" sounds a tad juvenille in wording, but I think an exchange of ideas can lead to nothing but good for all our understanding. As for your second question - superpowers exist in my world, though only emerged less than a year ago due to an explosion of dark matter into the atmosphere.

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[doubleblind]

Seriously? What do particle physicists call it? Journal clubs are places of intellectual discussion and debate, as well as reviewing new and seminal literature in the field. I wouldn't call that juvenile.

[She frowns, feeling like her intelligence is being questioned. His second answer can wait until that's cleared up.]

video.

[tardily]

[ Unlike Mr. Party Pooper up there, he likes the name journal club. Mostly because it works and it's much better than paper, thesis or research club. Which is probably why he's just grinning. ]

One, journal club is probably the best idea I've heard lately. And I'm not saying that because I'd like to stretch my science wings that might have been a little confined. [ A little, he says like he doesn't live with someone who leaves scorch marks on the garage floor. ] And two, super powers are a thing. New thing, but definite thing that goes from controlling the weather, superspeed to reincarnated hawk people. They might be a little older but— they weren't exactly showing their faces before.

And I love my powers. Superspeed. Here. And lightning throwing but that's— a weird surprise one. [ For once, rather than answering does he have superpowers at home, Barry just runs right on past the quesiton. ]

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[doubleblind]

[Cosima appreciates the vote for journal club, especially from someone who seems to be a fellow scientist. She wants the club to be accessible to all, not some elite thing, which is why the name seems perfect to her. She grins, hands gesturing enthusiastically.]

Thank you. I'm totally biased, but I have to agree. What's your field? I'm going to come back to those awesome sounding powers, but you skipped right over what science you study.