002 | video

[ringen]

[ Tonight, the video feed shows Gaby tossing a roughly palm-sized object up into the air and catching it repetitively; for those who venture to look more closely it's a door knob. For those who venture to look even more closely, there is a nearly-unhinged door somewhere in the background. Sorry, Heropa 006. ]

I'm curious. Now, I'm sure this question has been posed many times before, but I'd still like to know. How many of you already had powers before you were brought to this place? And how many of you were--for lack of a better term--completely ordinary beforehand? And how did you adjust to your newfound powers, if at all?

You see, I've been here for quite some time now, but still find it a little difficult to compensate for this--hm, unnatural strength? [ she doesn't want to call it super strength ] That I've been given. I assumed I would get used to it over time, but perhaps there's something more to it than just that.

[ She sighs, and stops tossing the thing up and down, now holding the broken-off doorknob up to be seen. ]

In other news, there doesn't happen to be anyone here with the power to fix doors very quickly, does there? I can certainly fix it myself, but I'm afraid I might make things worse instead.

Comments

[driftsintobuffetline]

My fiance kind of can. Fix doors, I mean. He does this ...numbers thing and matter goes where he wants it to go.

[mathemagier]

Back for a day and already you're volunteering my services.

[ringen]

[ she looks thoughtful. ] That all sounds very scientific and complicated. How does that work exactly?

video | id reads "karen starr"

[boobwindow]

I can fix some things since I live by myself. A door wouldn't be so hard, but it depends on the damage.

[ Is it just the hinges or did someone get punched through one? ]

[ringen]

Mostly, I'd just forgotten that I can pull the entire door off while trying to turn the doorknob. Not the first time this has happened, honestly, but it got me wondering how people adjust to these powers.

[ it only someone got punched through. That would've been way more exciting. ]

[nofairsky]

I can fix the knob for you, and the frame if that's damaged too.

[A door doesn't just come unhinged without pulling out a bit of wood.]

[ringen]

That's a very generous offer, actually. Though I wonder if there's a way to... Fortify the door, so to speak?

video;

[oceanthief]

I'm still normal for a gem - but we can do a lot of things that humans can't. So I guess it's really about how you look at things.

[she shrugs lightly]

But some things you just never get used to.

[ringen]

I must admit, I've never met a "gem" before.

[ She tilts her head to the side. ]

What is it that you "never get used to," if I may ask?

[dualismum]

They aren't exactly powers. More like biology, though the Porter and the government consider anything non human a power somehow.

I do have inhuman strengt though. For how long have you had yours?

[ringen]

[ She sort of squints her eyes at him, mostly because he doesn't appear to be nonhuman, but then again it didn't appear to her at home that the Cold War would continue into the 21st century, yet here they are. ]

More than a few months, now. I've been getting by just being careful all this time, but now I suppose I have to... train myself, or something like that. What about yourself?

video;

[shittybirthday]

Kinda had that same problem myself when I wound up back here. The, uh. The super strength issue, I mean.

[ringen]

It seems to be a popular selection for the Porter to bestow upon us imPorts. How did you adjust to yours?

voice.

[bosewicht]

I used to be ordinary. It feels like forever ago.

What have you done to learn it? Your unnatural strength.

voice

[ringen]

[ That first bit stirs her curiosity, but she decides not to press on it for now, instead answering his question. ]

Not much, admittedly. I've been getting on by just simply living with it, but I haven't... disciplined myself, so to speak. I feel like I've gotten the hang of it, for the most part, and then there are days when you just forget and you rip the door clean out of the frame.

[douchebag]

I don't know if I'd call myself completely ordinary—[ Because Felix has an ego and it doesn't agree with such a preposterous notion. ]—but I couldn't do the shit I'm supposedly able to do here.

[ringen]

Well, if I were to correct myself, I would say no one is truly completely ordinary, or they wouldn't be brought here. [ Gaby's been here a few months and has noticed there's always something about the imPorts that set them apart from each other, regardless of their new powers. ] But what is it that you can do now?

[gainedlove]

I've always been really super tough! But, um, nothin' other'n that. An' I learned how t' pull my SOUL out, but I can't do it here anymore. It's weird.

[ringen]

You--

[ did this little girl just say-- ]

What do you mean by "pull your soul out"...?

[marriedmedium]

Ooh, what if it was both? I've had my little talent all my life, darling, but coming here added a few more. It's been rather nice, actually.

[ringen]

[ Gaby gives a teasing little smile. ] Now that hardly seems fair. A lot of us haven't had any our whole lives before coming here and you get to have more?

[classification]

Ordinary. Those with "powers" were relegated to stories. Or, if you wanted to stretch, a certain project in the military. There are things such as armor enhancements where I come from that give various "powers" to the wearer. Mine had cloaking. My "power" here is invisibility. Not entirely creative, but I found there was little to adjust to.

[ringen]

So you were given a "power" that essentially does what you already could at home, but using technology. Interesting. I was completely ordinary in all respects--no powers or technology or anything. It's interesting to see how the Porter handles us imPorts in different ways.

voice;

[unwiseheart]

Already had. [ But Gaby knew that. ] Do you need me to drop by with a toolkit?

voice;

[ringen]

[ Yeah jeez way to tell her what she already knew. ]

The frame's damaged as well so I'm afraid the fix isn't so simple, but you're welcome to drop by all the same.

voice;

[matadorable]

I got better with my powers after some practice, but my powers are a little different from yours.

You know, a woman named Maria Posada woke up here with super strength. Maybe you could try talking to her? She's a wonderful person, I am sure she'd love to offer suggestions if she has any.

voice;

[ringen]

What might yours be? If you don't mind me asking.

It seems that "super strength" is a popular one for the Porter to give to us imPorts, hm? I'd love to reach out to her if you think she could spare a few moments to chat.

video;

[justmakeroom]

I was...completely ordinary. If you told me about superpowers back home a few years ago, I would have thought you were joking. [ Or insane. But it's hard to think of anything as being insane anymore, after the dead started resurrecting to eat the living. ] But now, after everything, I really wish I had these powers back home. Could have used them.

video;

[ringen]

I would've thought the same. Super powers are things from stories. [ although she knows at least one person at home who may as well have had super strength. ] Though I think mine might get in the way more than it might help if I were to have it at home, unless I can keep it under control.

text;

[pillz]

could amke u a new door
a better door

in real life this shit can be bs
how long u been fuckin wit this power
one of mine keeps fuckin up and its been like 6 months
sorry 2 be a killjoy

[ringen]

And how would you do that exactly?

I've been here about 7 months give or take.
You make it sound like you have a defective power. What does that mean?

video

[sweetdreamsare]

Had my powers before I got here, they popped up when I was around thirteen. It was SO awkward at first, took a long time to get myself adjusted.

And if you still need a door up I could give ya a hand. If you got tools and it's not in splinters I can get that sucker up in like a millisecond.

[ He may or may not have run into closed doors at superspeed in the past. And not just the distant past.

...It was last week. ]

video

[ringen]

So you grew up having your powers, then. What a way to hit puberty. What was that like?

video;

[earnedmystripes]

I can help. [Beat.] ...Uh, with the managing your strength part, not the door part.

video;

[ringen]

A few people have suggested I have a sparring partner for this sort of thing. Or someone who can take a hit so I can see how far my strength goes. What's your approach?

video;

[heroforhobby]

[He speaks in Japanese, but at the bottom of her viewport would be subtitles, like a movie.]

You have to imagine the thing you're handling is something you don't wanna break or crush. Like a tea cup full of boiling hot water, an ice cream cone, or a kitten.

[He moves his hands as he talks, miming like he's holding something fragile.]

It'll become habit.

video;

[ringen]

[ Huh. That's new. ]

It's the becoming habit part of that I continue to have some problems with, sadly. Handling things carefully is sensible enough, but letting it become something you don't even have to make a conscious effort for is the difficult step, I suppose.

You sound like you're experienced with this.