Tᴏɴʏ "ɪʀᴏɴ ᴍᴀɴ" Sᴛᴀʀᴋ (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
liverletdie) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
maskormenace2016-03-20 10:41 pm
liverletdie) wrote in maskormenace2016-03-20 10:41 pm
Entry tags:
- erik lehnsherr | magneto,
- harleen quinzel | harley quinn,
- hiro hamada | n/a,
- tadashi hamada | n/a,
- wanda maximoff | scarlet witch,
- † bette kane | hawkfire,
- † billy kaplan | wiccan,
- † charles xavier | professor x,
- † count dooku | darth tyranus,
- † daisy johnson | quake,
- † dick grayson | nightwing,
- † emmett brown | doc,
- † jeff winger | wingman,
- † kanaya maryam-lalonde | psychopomp,
- † mark vorkosigan | peter michael kane,
- † newton geiszler | n/a,
- † normie osborn | n/a,
- † peter parker | spider-man,
- † qubit | n/a,
- † sabriel | abhorsen,
- † santo vaccarro | rockslide,
- † the (twelfth) doctor | stop that,
- † tony stark | iron man
VIDEO
[ So hello, Imports, many of you have seen some parts of Starktech before, but Tony Stark's office is a little different. There's a moment of discomfort, when the hand pulls back -- actually using the communicator is obviously not natural to Stark, who pulls back after a moment to show he's not alone. It's also Charles Xavier in the shot, but other than a tip of his head, he doesn't acknowledge him at first. ]
There we go. Alright, evening everyone.
If I haven't introduced myself to you personally, that's a shame, and we should change that. I'm Tony Stark. My friend here -- [ A gesture backward ] is Charles Xavier.
But before we get started on why we're here, I want to give a little bit of a history lesson. And excuse my missteps, I'm not a professor by any stretch of the imagination. [ An eyeroll in someone's direction. The someone in question, merely smiled serenely but wasn’t about to take Tony off the hook. Not in this instance. ] I'm better at doing than explaining. Always have been.
But that's just the way things are, and since I'm something of a relic here -- [ A grimace. He recently just had an anniversary. ] -- and since I've been ported away from home for a long while, I want to talk a little bit about what I've seen. You see, this whole thing with Russia? It's a bit like watching an old show remade -- kind of. We're used to being disliked -- whether as Superhumans, mutants, metahumans, or imports, or whatever it is you go by back in your own world. That's just how it is, when people suddenly start manifesting with more power than we know what to do with. It's natural to fear us. I've known people who could destroy the world if they wanted -- I've even seen it come close a time or two. To put it mildly. To go from normalcy to the verge of a disaster movie? It's difficult for the best of us, and not everyone is the best of us.
Back before -- in the City, we spent a long time dealing with this. See, when I first arrived, we weren't easily controlled, or well regulated. We...did things. At one point, Godzilla took over, someone summoned a fleet of demons -- and cthulhu, and then an import defaced the moon. [ It was a dick. The rumors about a dick on the moon were true. ] See, people didn't like that, and they stepped up, and started an organization called Vulcanus. They infiltrated us at one point. Then they started going to other worlds in an effort to stop us. They even used Sea Turtles as guinea pigs to give themselves superpowers. We even went to a world where they took control, and us imports were essentially their property.
I won't lie, it's bad, and we shouldn't be treated like that. By any stretch of the imagination. But everything that's happening, the way Russia kidnapped some of us, and tried to brainwash the rest of us... we've been through it before, and come out the other side. Hell, Lachesis saved us that last time, but we still persevere every time. But I don't know about you, but I'd rather it not be a battle every time. And we need to do more, we need to be better at convincing the world around us that we should be welcome. Which, actually, is why we're talking to you today.
[ Alright. Tony had taken care of the history lesson, so now it was Charles’ turn to pick up the professor baton.
Rolling his chair slightly more into the frame, he nodded towards Stark before turning his attention to the camera feed. ]
‘May you live in interesting times” I believe is a quote that many of us have heard and I have to admit that since arriving here three months ago I feel as if I’ve been living in very interesting times indeed.
[ He offered the words with a smile, before sobering and continuing. ]
One of my first encounters with a local here in this world was a woman who was expressing her concerns over imPorts and some of the destruction that has been caused over time. One of my first experiences was when the city of Heropa was overtaken by a jungle and from there, the situation with the Soviets came to head.
When the Soviets first kidnapped imPorts, I was one of those who traveled to France, to talk with the French about aid. It was an eye opening experience for me, as the French had a number of questions and concerns when it came to imPorts.
[ Lifting a hand, he motioned towards Stark. ]
As Mr. Stark explained from his first hand experience of previous situations, the unknown factor surrounding imPorts, is allowing a fear of our abilities to take root in people's’ minds, particularly when they are getting sensationalist media reports about imPort activities.
So we’ve come up with an idea.
We want to try and adopt a more proactive attitude in reaching out to the international community and offering humanitarian technology and innovations that can come from imPorts. To this end, StarkTech has already committed funds and tech innovations in the fields of medical equipment and infrastructure; such as clean waterways and stable electricity.
I do want to be clear that we are only pursuing humanitarian innovations and technology. Nothing military, even in a defensive capacity. The goal here is to show the world that while we are powerful and/or come from worlds vastly more advanced than this one, our abilities need not be looked upon as merely weapons and feared as such.
[ Don’t know about anyone else but Charles had taken a little exception to the Soviets’ claims that imPorts were little more than weapons for the United States. ]
We’ve only just started to toss these ideas around and our hope is that there may be other imPorts who would like a chance to contribute to this effort? I understand that recent events have given us reason to feel cautious. But as a community, we have such a wide range of experiences, skills and abilities that the chance to offer our assistance on an international level, could afford us the opportunity to help show the locals of this world that they don’t need another Vulcanus.
[ Stark leans forward then, a bit more self-satisfied smile on his face than is strictly necessary, but then again, it’s Tony Stark. ] We want the community’s input, at the very least, but more than that, I’d personally like to see more people involved, no matter what your expertise is in -- there’s a place for everyone. So don’t hesitate to speak up, or ask questions, if there’s something that comes to mind.
[ It was Charles’ turn to nod in agreement with Tony’s words, before he continued. ]
This is an initiative that will work best if it comes from as many of us as are willing to offer time, ideas, and assistance. Large or small, it only needs to help show the international community that they don’t need to believe the Soviets’ insistence, that we are no more than weapons of the United States.
There we go. Alright, evening everyone.
If I haven't introduced myself to you personally, that's a shame, and we should change that. I'm Tony Stark. My friend here -- [ A gesture backward ] is Charles Xavier.
But before we get started on why we're here, I want to give a little bit of a history lesson. And excuse my missteps, I'm not a professor by any stretch of the imagination. [ An eyeroll in someone's direction. The someone in question, merely smiled serenely but wasn’t about to take Tony off the hook. Not in this instance. ] I'm better at doing than explaining. Always have been.
But that's just the way things are, and since I'm something of a relic here -- [ A grimace. He recently just had an anniversary. ] -- and since I've been ported away from home for a long while, I want to talk a little bit about what I've seen. You see, this whole thing with Russia? It's a bit like watching an old show remade -- kind of. We're used to being disliked -- whether as Superhumans, mutants, metahumans, or imports, or whatever it is you go by back in your own world. That's just how it is, when people suddenly start manifesting with more power than we know what to do with. It's natural to fear us. I've known people who could destroy the world if they wanted -- I've even seen it come close a time or two. To put it mildly. To go from normalcy to the verge of a disaster movie? It's difficult for the best of us, and not everyone is the best of us.
Back before -- in the City, we spent a long time dealing with this. See, when I first arrived, we weren't easily controlled, or well regulated. We...did things. At one point, Godzilla took over, someone summoned a fleet of demons -- and cthulhu, and then an import defaced the moon. [ It was a dick. The rumors about a dick on the moon were true. ] See, people didn't like that, and they stepped up, and started an organization called Vulcanus. They infiltrated us at one point. Then they started going to other worlds in an effort to stop us. They even used Sea Turtles as guinea pigs to give themselves superpowers. We even went to a world where they took control, and us imports were essentially their property.
I won't lie, it's bad, and we shouldn't be treated like that. By any stretch of the imagination. But everything that's happening, the way Russia kidnapped some of us, and tried to brainwash the rest of us... we've been through it before, and come out the other side. Hell, Lachesis saved us that last time, but we still persevere every time. But I don't know about you, but I'd rather it not be a battle every time. And we need to do more, we need to be better at convincing the world around us that we should be welcome. Which, actually, is why we're talking to you today.
[ Alright. Tony had taken care of the history lesson, so now it was Charles’ turn to pick up the professor baton.
Rolling his chair slightly more into the frame, he nodded towards Stark before turning his attention to the camera feed. ]
‘May you live in interesting times” I believe is a quote that many of us have heard and I have to admit that since arriving here three months ago I feel as if I’ve been living in very interesting times indeed.
[ He offered the words with a smile, before sobering and continuing. ]
One of my first encounters with a local here in this world was a woman who was expressing her concerns over imPorts and some of the destruction that has been caused over time. One of my first experiences was when the city of Heropa was overtaken by a jungle and from there, the situation with the Soviets came to head.
When the Soviets first kidnapped imPorts, I was one of those who traveled to France, to talk with the French about aid. It was an eye opening experience for me, as the French had a number of questions and concerns when it came to imPorts.
[ Lifting a hand, he motioned towards Stark. ]
As Mr. Stark explained from his first hand experience of previous situations, the unknown factor surrounding imPorts, is allowing a fear of our abilities to take root in people's’ minds, particularly when they are getting sensationalist media reports about imPort activities.
So we’ve come up with an idea.
We want to try and adopt a more proactive attitude in reaching out to the international community and offering humanitarian technology and innovations that can come from imPorts. To this end, StarkTech has already committed funds and tech innovations in the fields of medical equipment and infrastructure; such as clean waterways and stable electricity.
I do want to be clear that we are only pursuing humanitarian innovations and technology. Nothing military, even in a defensive capacity. The goal here is to show the world that while we are powerful and/or come from worlds vastly more advanced than this one, our abilities need not be looked upon as merely weapons and feared as such.
[ Don’t know about anyone else but Charles had taken a little exception to the Soviets’ claims that imPorts were little more than weapons for the United States. ]
We’ve only just started to toss these ideas around and our hope is that there may be other imPorts who would like a chance to contribute to this effort? I understand that recent events have given us reason to feel cautious. But as a community, we have such a wide range of experiences, skills and abilities that the chance to offer our assistance on an international level, could afford us the opportunity to help show the locals of this world that they don’t need another Vulcanus.
[ Stark leans forward then, a bit more self-satisfied smile on his face than is strictly necessary, but then again, it’s Tony Stark. ] We want the community’s input, at the very least, but more than that, I’d personally like to see more people involved, no matter what your expertise is in -- there’s a place for everyone. So don’t hesitate to speak up, or ask questions, if there’s something that comes to mind.
[ It was Charles’ turn to nod in agreement with Tony’s words, before he continued. ]
This is an initiative that will work best if it comes from as many of us as are willing to offer time, ideas, and assistance. Large or small, it only needs to help show the international community that they don’t need to believe the Soviets’ insistence, that we are no more than weapons of the United States.
video.
You think I don't know what that's like? I've lived among gods as a normal person, I've stood toe-to-toe with people so powerful they could end the universe. I held a gem that could alter reality as we know it. The problem is, that when you take that away, you're saying that we're not capable, that none of us are. That we're resigning ourselves to a future here where humans can't evolve, can't become exceptional, because of something that we can't control.
I've seen that happen back home. I'm sure Mr. Xavier's heard something similar. People tried to do that pretty frequently with the Mutant population, all the while encouraging people like my Avengers and I to continue our work, despite the fact that most of us are more powerful than most mutants combined.
See, if we take that away, all it does is that it says that we can't be better versions of ourselves. It also says that what makes you unique should be erased. Now, I'm not personally the kind of person who really waxes poetic about that sort of thing, but what's to say that next it isn't my brain, that can still invent things to make me superpowered, is just too much? What about someone that's just too clever? You're going to take a step down a slippery slope, if you start on that path.
I even considered nullification, when I started looking for solutions to the SHRA. I even built a nullifier. Multiple times. The problem with that sort of thing? Not only is it it the slippery slope, but there's no guarantee it'll work as a long-term solution, and when you take that away from people for any amount of time, they're going to react in an extreme case when it's returned.
video.
I'm been no stranger to gods or powers, myself. But I'm also no stranger to the ways people react to those gods and powers. You didn't mention it in your history lesson, how far Vulcanus went to wipe us from their planet. New Vesuvius was horrific, but there was worse. It's almost a certainty that they were involved in the eventual death of that planet, perhaps even the entire universe. And that isn't even the first I've seen die. You may be well older than I am, but don't think I haven't seen things comparable to your experiences.
And if there is one thing I have concluded, it's that we don't have the luxury of idealizing ourselves. We are not the future of humanity, many of us have nothing to do with humanity. Thinking of us in that light is no truer than as interdimensional parasites, though that at least is more accurate, in the strictest terms. But if we really want to be honest and objective about the situation, maybe we aren't capable of these powers, as a whole. Not if what we can't control is being a danger to ourselves and others. That should be the bare minimum requirement to having the sort of power we wield.
But if those powers are the only thing we consider as making us unique, if we aren't capable of being exceptional without them, what sort of empty vessels would that makes us? If that's what you really think of it, the sort of implications that question reflects on the natives of this world are, quite frankly, troubling.
What it comes down to, and why I am talking about the big picture, is that the lives of this world's inhabitants are more important than our allowance to feel special. That shouldn't even be up for debate, it's simple math.
Re: video.
[ He's -- essentially -- tuned out at this point. If she's going to ignore everything he has to say, then he isn't interested. She doesn't have the capability to do it, he thinks, anyway. ]
video.
...Why would that be a concern? While it may happen on the imPort sourceworlds, there's no real precedent to think humans will suddenly manifest powers on their own. Unless they start stealing them, like Vulcanus did.
video.
Thirty years ago, nobody had heard of superpowers. Now they're everywhere. Things like radioactive waste, chemicals -- things that are in high supply here.
Just because it didn't happen in the City doesn't mean it won't happen here. I've been to a lot of worlds. More than just where Lachesis sent us, and it happens over and over again.
And you still never answered my question about how we'll keep people from destroying it. Or the fact that we can still get around it. You can take away powers, but all you're doing is constraining it to either the very powerful, very intelligent, or truly turning it into a government resource. None of which is going to solve that problem you keep bringing up.
video.
I don't know how to keep it from being destroyed. Secure it competently, I suppose! Obviously destroying it wouldn't just be considered a neutral occurrence, but a criminal act. I don't have an in-depth plan, or a detailed schedule for implementation, just an idea. But most of your questions could probably have been more easily answered if it were something more than that, instead of something of the top of the head of someone without the scientific training to put it forward on her own.
Maybe not even a good idea, but it's an idea nonetheless, which is the most I've seen presented towards the problem in over a year! And even if it were to happen, it wouldn't be overnight. Selecting one city as a test site to evaluate the social ramifications and overall results would be better than just committing to four right from the beginning. And, I mean, what's to keep imPorts from just moving away to render all the effort moot?
I'm not pretending that I have all the answers, but this is one idea, and the only one offered thus far. According to you, it's a bad idea. And alright, I get that. But maybe, instead of picking away at how bad the bad idea is, we need to start looking for alternatives. Here's a bad idea, so what are the good ones?
If we keep ignoring the problem, then eventually, someone else is going to supply the idea. And theirs will probably make mine look brilliant by comparison.