01 ☣ voice

[vaccination]

Bullshit is showing up here with everything on me but my comic books. All those Savage Starlight issues, gone. Just like that. Fuck you too, Initiative.

[A pause. Ellie's never really addressed a group of people. Technology is crazy. Okay, there was a point to this whole thing.]

... anyway, guess I just wanted to say thanks to the people that helped me out when I got here. I found who I was looking for, so. Didn't wanna leave anyone with a cliffhanger.

Comments

[vaccination]

Do tell. Definitely not for research purposes, of course.

[controlledvariable]

Oh, of course not.

[She doesn't believe that for a second!!!]

The trick is to learn how to dislocate your thumbs, and to always carry a hidden knife.

[wow that's not a bit morbid or anything.]

[vaccination]

[Ellie already does one of those things. Not too keen on learning how to do the other.]

Uh. Noted?

[controlledvariable]

[Steph huffs a laugh, but it's directed at herself.]

Sorry, my boss has always been a bit intense about this kinda thing.

[She's not sure if she's talking about Bruce or Babs. Maybe both.]

I'm actually not cool enough to get put in any death traps, everyone always wants to take the big name heroes hostage, you know?

[vaccination]

Is your boss a big name hero?

[Heroes with bosses. -2 cool points.]

[controlledvariable]

They kinda run the world.

[So she's talking about Babs.]

In a good way, I mean. Not like a creepy dictator way.

[vaccination]

In a heroic way.

[Sounds nice.]

[controlledvariable]

In a 'making sure everyone is safe' way. They help coordinate all the other heroes, so that we can do the most good.

[It's pretty obvious that she loves Babs a lot.]

[vaccination]

Are there a lot of you?

[controlledvariable]

Not enough, sometimes, but maybe that's just 'cause we're spread so thin. Or 'cause there are just as many villains as their are heroes.

[She doesn't have a definite count. Bruce would, but he's not here.]

We've got a few big teams, though, so I guess you could say there are a lot.

[vaccination]

That's pretty neat. We don't have superheroes at all, where I'm from. Don't think we ever did.

[controlledvariable]

It seems like most places don't. All the people here, and aside from my world, I've only heard of a few others where vigilantes and superheroes are a thing.

[She doesn't sound too worried about it, even though she wishes there were more.]

[vaccination]

How's it feel to be fictional?

[controlledvariable]

[That earns another laugh.]

It's alright. We have comics back home, too, so it's not like I was shocked to learn about the superhero genre. [with a little less amusement, she adds:] It's mostly just frustrating when people don't take me seriously, 'cause all they're used to is brightly coloured pages in books.

[Not real people who have to go through all that shit, who get hurt and killed just for trying to help people.]

[vaccination]

It's not too hard to believe once you've taken a good look around this place and seen some of the people here.

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[controlledvariable]

[She hesitates a bit, before deciding to add an encryption]

You'd think that, but I guess elves and dragons and stuff are easier to swallow than some girl running around in a costume.

[Her expression is more rueful than bitter, but there's still a hint of it there.]

private

[vaccination]

It's kinda the reverse for me. You're a regular human in a costume, they're... shit I see in fantasy artbooks.