video.

[revivalism]

[ Simon comes into view unsmiling and still, standing framed by one of the unadorned walls of his room. ]

Those of you who aren't human. Or are more than only human. If you lie low, or pass, or hide—why? [ He's quiet, with an Irish accent and a cadence that's steady verging on mumbly, and intently focused. He's not uncomfortable, not fidgety or uncertain, but he isn't quite at ease, either, in front of a camera. He's only using video to make a display of his bloodless face and white eyes. ] Has something happened to you here? Or is it a habit you've carried from home?

We may not be in the minority, altogether.

[ That's less threatening than we could outnumber them, right? Right.

That's also the end of what he'd planned to say ahead of time; he shifts back from the screen, looks aside, and nearly disconnects before more occurs to him. ]

If you want to talk and don't trust this to stay private, I'm in room two hundred on the third floor. You can... [ Leave a note, he almost said, but he's yet to see paper or pens. He raises his eyebrows like a shrug. ] Paint your answer on the wall.

Or knock. I'll be here.

Comments

text; private.

[treasonista]

How inciteful.

[ That's not a typo. Unless this post has been hacked. Then it totally is. ]

text; private.

[revivalism]

I'm only curious.

[seidhr]

[Not so long after his broadcast, there's a little knock on Simon's door. A very little knock. Like a beak or a fingernail, tapping, persistent in its lack of rhythm until Simon comes to answer.

No one is there. But there is something! Whether he discovers it now or later, this has been left above his door, much too high for anyone of average height to reach.

(You did ask for it.)]

[revivalism]

[ He totally asked for it. And he's too new, maybe, to be as unnerved as he should be, or to know if he should do anything about it other than stare—but he does stare up at it for quite a while, once he's seen it, and the decision to leave it be rather than find someone to come wash it off isn't made without reservations. That is really creepy, sir, but if he's going to have a message permanently spray painted in red above his door (insert allusion to Passover here), it's exactly the sort of thing he'd like it to say. ]

video;

[evo_lution]

I kept on the down-low when I first rolled in, but an organization back home had me on a dissection slab when I was like ten so... ya know. Caution. [ Exaggerated shrug. ]

People here seem to be pretty cool with everything though. Docs included.

video;

[revivalism]

They seem friendly. [ His tone is mild, but that isn't a compliment. Or agreement, really. Anyone can seem friendly until it suits them not to.

As for dissection—he sympathises. ] Are you all right?

video;

[newnova]

[ Sam debates whether to answer as himself or as Nova. Technically he's only human, just with alien tech. AWESOME alien tech.

But anyway, in the end he goes with himself. ]

Where I'm from, superheroes hide their true identities because if they didn't, then supervillains would come after their families.

But then there was this whole registration thing a while ago... [He shakes his head.] ...I dunno, it happened over in New England. I didn't really pay attention. [ At the time, he wasn't a superhero yet. ]

video;

[revivalism]

[ If you look very closely, one corner of Simon's mouth might look like it's being held a little higher than the other. It might be the beginning of a smile—not a judgy sort of amusement, as he has zero room to judge people in masks, but a touch of wonder. Very literally like someone hearing that beloved childhood stories might be real. ]

Superheroes.

[ To confirm. It doesn't sound quite like a question. ]

The 'registration thing' didn't work out.

[ Neither does that. ]

anonymous, harry-osborn-strength.

[unmakes]

maybe i don't want to want to be labelled as some kind of freak?

ooo mr osborn so strong

[revivalism]

You're afraid of a label?

[culver]

It was a habit.

[revivalism]

Should I take the past tense as a good sign or a foreboding one?

Video

[acapriciousthing]

I choose to look human because it makes people more comfortable. I'm pretty honest about what I really am though.

[Also she walks around with a skeleton most of the time so who is she kidding?]

Video

[revivalism]

They could adjust.

text. anonymous. encrypted 100%.

[adhesion]

habit. + hasn't come up a lot.
I don't think it matters to most people here.

∞ -anonymity

[revivalism]

It's come up now.

[ And you're all mysterious and encrypted, is what he's getting at. ]

[hedoniste]

I'm discreet at home by necessity. It isn't necessary here.

( so she isn't. )

[revivalism]

I'm glad. [ After a moment— ] You're the one who doesn't care for Catholics.

[ He might have named contacts in his comms device based on that poll. Possibly. ]

video. ok juST THIS ONCE

[traumata]

Seriously?

[ Re: the paint, mostly. Or maybe just all of it. ]

i love you

[revivalism]

... What?

[ Look at all his new friends. Aren't they pretty? ]

I already know your answer.

private.

[darkart]

Are you one of the ones who got the apology?

private.

[revivalism]

[ After a moment to cope with the lack of context: ]

Yes. Are you a friend of hers or Natasi's?

( text | anonymous )

[pushfall]

In most cases I don't think it's so much habit as it is survival.

[revivalism]

Survival here? Or at home?

text; private

[humanistic]

[although it's a much delayed text and comes after painful hours of staring and deleting fifteen answers and deciding not to answer and then, fuck it, answering anyways]

Is this a poll or an invitation to a support group?

text; private

[revivalism]

Do you think a support group would help?

[mindtricks]

[ the display of a bloodless face and white eyes would be more disconcerting if anderson hadn't seen worse.

she's reacting more to his words, the tenor of us versus them that seems to underlie the message. (it reminds her of erik.) ]

Not everyone is hiding.

[revivalism]

No one should need to.

[ He is—at the moment—more interested in proving he can relate to the resident monsters and freaks and soothing any skittishness there than in making everyone else nervous.

But it would be a bonus. ]

[rebelled]

There are hunters here at times. People here believe they're at risk if they reveal what they are to them.

[with good reason, maybe. but what can you do?

oh also--]

Why would you want people to paint on the wall?

[revivalism]

I've seen more graffiti than paper. Someone's already taken me up on it.

[ He starts moving toward his door—he'll show you—but in the meantime: ]

Do you think people here would stand for that? The hunting.

text; anonymous

[strayed]

[Hello dead guy who looks just about as dead as the guy she helped at the jump.]

Why does it matter?

text;

[revivalism]

I can't hide. I'd like to know if I should be worried.

I don't like to think of anyone being ashamed.

I'm curious.

[deservesadaisy]

[Ivan doesn't decide what to do right away. He reads some of the public responses, weighs his options. It could be some sort of trap, but if it is, it seems more likely to be a political one than any sort of physical danger. And he has a weakness for seeing what happens when someone stirs the pot, always. He's not sure enough his encryption is good, yet, and frankly this seems a conversation better had in person anyway.

He knocks.]

[revivalism]

[ Simon shed his suit jacket as soon as he cut the feed, but he's otherwise still neatly put together—no rolled-up sleeves or loosened tie here, and were someone to mess up his hair they'd probably be doing him a favor—when he opens the door. He's not surprised but also not too fast to look welcoming or step back from the doorway to invite the man inside. The only other person who's taken him up on the offer to chat in person warned him she was coming, first. ]

Hello. [ The once-over Ivan receives is a search for weapons (zero) as much as for anything overtly inhuman in his appearance (zero point two five—he's pale, that's something), and it's very quick. ]

text; private

[outofclothes]

Technically it's the rules. It's not something I try to do.

[Usually. Mostly. Sometimes shit happens.]

text; private

[revivalism]

What rules?

Video

[redhotsummers]

I definitely don't think we are in the minority here.

[Humans definitely seem to be.

Alex gives a bit of a shrug.]

I think I would have hidden, if I had a chance. No one likes to be considered a freak.

I just never got the chance.

[His 'specialness' showed up with a bang, after all.]

Video

[revivalism]

Why not?

[ He looks human—not that that means anything. But it does limit the possible causes of exposure. ]

[video]

[circumitus]

Never hid anything. Simply never felt inclined to bring up the subject unless relevant to the current situation or been asked. No reason to feel threatened when there's so much diversity already.

[video]

[revivalism]

Was it the same where you're from as it is here?

voice; WHUP HELLO

[handelaar]

[While he hates the network - would rather speak in person on any given day - he also doesn't give a fuck about what he is other than how annoying it is to explain to anyone from earth. (Or so he thinks.) And right now? He's working, attempting to catch up to everything that fell by the wayside in the past months.

Network it is.]

Don't explain because it's annoying as shit. Doesn't mean anything here, anyway.



[Netherlands you still. Didn't explain. And also sound very bitter about it all.]

voice; however late you are i will always be later to something, somewhere

[revivalism]

[ ... Yeah, what. ]

Explaining is annoying? Or—what you are is annoying?

[ That isn't a veiled attempt at an insult, swear to God. ]