SEPTEMBER CATCH-ALL

[burlyboy]

WHO: Magnus (Burnsides flavoured!) and YOU!
WHERE: ALL OVER.
WHEN: The month of September.
WHAT: Assorted! As usual, wrestling, dogs, carpentry, and just general buffoonery are all prompts that you can go off of if you want to play - feel free to create your own starter if you like, or contact me so we can plot something out and I'd be happy to make one for you! Just PM me or contact me on Plurk @ WISDOMBITCH.
WARNINGS: Some discussions of Magnus being a bad murder axe boy.

Comments

ARCHIE

[burlyboy]

[ Do you know what sucks? Being confronted by the fact that other people think that what you do - what you have been doing since you were young, in fact - is kind of a not cool thing to do. Okay, yes, Magnus is obviously aware that killing is not exactly expected in most of his circles, but he's not the bad guy here! It's not like he goes and does it for fun!

Either way, he's in a decidedly bad mood when he swings by Archie's house for one of their customary hang-outs and breezes right past his buddy to go flop face-down on his couch with a groan.

Hey Archie, ask him what's wrong. ]

[h2no]

[why would he ask him what's wrong? magnus hasn't shown any signs of being-- ah. there it is.

he shoots a look to mightyena, who had barely got up from his spot in the sun before magnus had stalked past him. that in itself is worrying behaviour... archie looks outside for a moment to see if uncle jesse or alf have come with magnus then, satisfied his pal came alone, pads into the sitting room. he crouches next to magnus's head, then puts a hand on his back.]

Did ya accidentally stand on Alf's paw?

[burlyboy]

No, but good guess. I'd also feel terrible about that.

[ Magnus lifts his head, but only enough to rest his chin on the couch's armrest, which looks really uncomfortable, but it's the only way he can stay pouting (and keep Archie's hand on his back because he's the only guy he knows who's willing to indulge his need for constant physical contact) and look up at Archie at the same time. ]

I fucked things up with Tina, and I dunno how to fix 'em. You deal with those kids from your world a lot, right?

[ Archie's ordinary! Ish! He'll know what to do! ]

[h2no]

[maybe later in the conversation archie will get magnus to shift so he can sit on the couch too (his knees are gonna get stiff if he stays like this too long and that is THE WORST feeling ughhh) and they can get some good ol' cuddles goin'.]

Ah... I think she mentioned that. [he frowns, curing his free hand under his chin. he doesn't think about the pit forming in his stomach, considering that it must've been magnus who had been the supposed murderer. he understands how it could've happened and why, but killing someone is still a Big Thing.] What happened?

NIKE

[burlyboy]

[ Magnus may be distancing himself from carpentry as a profession, but when he hears that someone would like to learn - well, teaching someone else how to do it is a different beast entirely. Besides, a friend of Archie is a friend of his.

He doesn't really know much about Nike beyond the barest basics (she's someone Archie knows who wants to learn how to build shit and that's about it), but Magnus is a friendly sort, and he doesn't need to know any more than that to go on and knock at a stranger's door, knocking just a little bit harder than strictly necessary. He doesn't mean anything by it; he's just a big guy. ]

[drizzle]

[The strong knock of the door will catch her attention. A little too much. It kinda reminded her the way her grandmother would knock whenever she was pissed off at Nike after finding out about one of her antics. Just the memory of that time will leave Nike wondering if she should even open, but...after a while she will decide to. Face whoever was outside with courage!

There was a large figures outside her door that she didn't recognize. Then again, she had a suspicion on who it could be by Archie's description of the fellow.

A weak, polite smile will be given to him as she opens the door further.]

Magnus, I presume? Archie's arm wrestling friend?

[Okay, Archie never, ever added that tidbit, as Nike did it for the sole purpose of helping her gain some confidence in talking to the guy before her. It was a first meeting him, but she was determine to make a good first impression to not sully Archie's name in the least bit.]

[burlyboy]

We cuddle dogs a lot more often than we arm wrestle, but yeah, that's me!

[ Naturally, they have arm wrestled before. They're two brawny men that say the word bro way, way too often. Of course they arm wrestle. They're also just soft brawny men that enjoy cuddling dogs even more than that. He sticks out his hand immediately for Nike to shake. ]

Hail and well met, Nike! Archie tells me you're fixing to do some carpentry work, and lemme tell you, I'm your guy.

[drizzle]

You do? How come I wasn't invited to this dog cuddling session?

[A fake pout will be given as she can't help want to over-react at the assessment; even though she was surprise to learn he likes to cuddle dogs too. In Nike's case though, she has a tendency to cuddle any form of animals.

Accepting the hand to shake, as firmly as she can, she'll smile happily.]

Great! I'm really glad in getting this chance to meet you. I actually have a few projects I want to do when it comes to this stuff. I know how to use a hammer to nail things with and use a knife to chip wood with, but other than that I may need help. Do you know how to construct small houses for animals?

RED

[burlyboy]

[ This place is, by necessity, a little quieter than the life Magnus is used to. Which is fine and dandy, even if he does get bored every now and then, except for the fact that he needs to keep himself busy as much as possible - that's just his way. After a while, he gets sick of carving in the yard and decides to relocate to the park where he can at least get a little people watching done while he works, be surrounded by different voices and faces, maybe even go and grab one of those fancy coffees once he's through.

When Red comes across him, he'll find him perched on a park bench, hunched over a wooden figurine of a jellyfish, big hands almost entirely folded over its bell as he carefully shaves the bottom down so that it'll be able to stand on its own with a meticulousness that doesn't seem to wholly suit him. Shortly afterwards, he attends to the bell again, carving what seems to be a series of thin, tightly woven spirals and stars, tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth. Detail work is always the most difficult part, but then again, it's always the most fun too. ]

[versusseeker]

[It is actually Pikachu that notices Magnus first, leaping off from where it had been sitting on its trainer's shoulder and giving an excited trill.] Pika! [That's his buddy from the Swear-In - he never forgets good pets like the ones Magnus gave.]

!!!

[Red is just about ready to chase after him when he recognizes the Pokémon's target - Magnus, right? He walks over a bit more calmly, in that case, hovering behind him for a long, silent moment as he works, tilting his head to the side curiously at observing the delicately crafted little carving he seems to be working on.

[Well. That's pretty neat-o Sharpedo. He won't say a word about it until Magnus notices that he's standing there, though.]

[burlyboy]

[ Magnus' head jerks up as he hears Pikachu's now-familiar voice, and he's careful to sheath his knife before setting it and the Voidfish carving aside, reaching out to give Pikachu a scritch behind one ear as soon as he comes near. ]

Hey, Pikachu - and Red, too.

[ Does Red want to sit? Magnus brushes some errant curls of wood scrapings from off of the seat beside him just in case, though he's not considerate enough to rid the park of them entirely; instead they're just scattered on the ground. ]

You two enjoying a nice walk?

[versusseeker]

[Pikachu takes the seat before Red can, leaping up onto the bench and nudging Magnus eagerly. More pets, more pets, more pets. Meanwhile, the trainer is still staring at Magnus's carving, pointing to it with one hand and tilting his head to the side a bit as if waiting for an explanation.]

JORAH

[burlyboy]

[ Magnus wouldn't exactly call himself a habitual drinker, but hell, he enjoys a good drink every now and then, especially after a hard night's work. Luckily for everyone involved, he's changed out of his uniform before hitting up the closest bar and only a large, wooden bear mask is visible poking out of the pack slung over his shoulder. He grabs a napkin as he slides onto a bar stool, rubbing away at the black make-up smeared across his eyes as he takes a look around the place, seeing if any of his co-workers wound up here too. It's hard to miss him, really; he walks around like he owns whatever place he winds up in, he's pretty damn big, and then there's those sideburns...

Well, it's a good thing he doesn't mind attracting a few stares. Or drinking alone, for that matter, because he doesn't recognize a soul in here save for the bartender, even if he is eyeing the dartboard hung inconspicuously at the back of the bar. ]

[khaleesipls]

[ There’s an empty glass already at the station to Magnus’s left, property of the grizzled brute caught up in a brief round of what are you looking at with a local at the men’s room door. He’s on his way back, a dead stop in his swagger lost in the din of the jukebox and conversation when he spies the wooden mask.

He squints at it, dim with drink and suspicion. Like he’s caught a glimpse of himself in a funhouse mirror.

It’s the sideburns that save them.

When he refocuses on the lout on the other side of the pack, his recognition is near instant -- confirmed in a longer look sidelong before he sits. All the tension has left him by the time he’s slouched back onto his adjacent stool, a prickly old knight nicked with scars, with thinning hair gone silver at his ears. A nastier scar hooks from under his ear to this throat, vanished into the open collar of his shirt. Which is checked. His blue jeans aren't especially medieval either.

The bartender replaces his empty glass with a fresh one. ]

His drinks are on me.

[ Jorah tips his thumb to Magnus, without so much as a how do you do. Of course he's wiping makeup off his face. Why wouldn't he be. ]

[burlyboy]

[ When Magnus glances over beside him, it's almost a relief to see someone as grizzled and scarred as Jorah. Sure, it tells a tale of a man with a difficult life, who's been in more fights than not (and has clearly won most of those fights, otherwise he wouldn't be sitting here), but for better or for worse, to Magnus? It spells out normalcy he's been sorely missing after rubbing elbows with so many people that don't understand how he operates. Unlike them, he's certain this fellow could take a look at the massive amount of scars studded across Magnus' body and know that they came from battle, and not have a huge problem with it.

So that's nice. Nicer still is the offer of a free drink, which makes his bushy eyebrows shoot upwards in surprise, though his mouth is curved in a definite smile. ]

Hey, thanks, guy! [ He grabs another napkin and scrubs a little more furiously, now, but he's gotten most of it off by now. ] That's real kind of you. What's, uh... what's the occasion?

[ He doesn't look like the sort of guy who just goes around offering people free drinks. What does he want? ]

[khaleesipls]

Jorah, [ says guy, by way of introduction. ]

There isn’t one.

[ He certainly doesn’t look like he’s here to celebrate anything, worn down, soused and alone. The line between tolerance and welcome is hazy, here -- no one knows him, in this place. He hadn’t intended to speak to anyone, and he’s avoidant of Magnus’ study, one hand turned up to feel for the scarf that’s come loose under his collar.

But his determination to avoid conversation was much more set in stone two or three drinks ago. And Magnus bought him a steak. ]

I saw you digging people out of the destruction in Maurtia Falls.

AMADEUS

[burlyboy]

[ Now that Magnus has recovered from most of his injuries, he's finally ready to get back in the game. Sure, it's all technically fake, but that doesn't mean it doesn't still take athleticism, and the ability to take a hit or two, especially with the crap they've got planned for today. To mark his re-entrance to the ring, they've got some fun props and tricks up their sleeve, and Magnus would be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to hearing the crowd's gasps.

Magnus enters the stage as I'Morko, wooden bear mask on his face, wooden bear claws gripped in both of his fists, a large furry cape tied around his neck and - well, the rest of his costume fits the bear theme too. He bounds onto the stage with a roar, fog machines and wind machines roaring behind him. The crowd boos him enthusiastically, to which he turns and grimaces at them, flexing and mashing his wooden claws together before he spins to face his opponent, a heroically posing man in an eagle costume that's as cheesy as Magnus'. They each give a speech befitting of their station ("I showed mercy to you at your weakest moment I'Morko; how is it that this is how you repay me?" "You should have struck me down when you had the chance! Only strength matters in this world!") before getting into it.

It's a pretty good showing of wrestling, all things considered, but it's still scripted. It is wrestling, after all. ]

[chulk]

[Amadeus was rather enjoying his instant fame with none of the drawbacks of the Hulk's prior history. He was already well liked in his world, but a portion of the population remained wary and for good reason. But here, he was just another hero. No one expects him to lose it at any second.

He enjoyed being the Hulk and now he has a lot more freedom to move around as him. The seats are a little small at his current size, but it's bearable. He cheers and boos in all the right places, but eventually it's clear the audience's attention isn't solely focused on the match.

He isn't sure exactly how it happened (he knows exactly how it happened), but somehow the crowd is yelling for an imPort showdown. Amadeus is only half-heartedly trying to redirect the crowd's attention.]

Hey, come on it wouldn't be fair to those guys.

[He's really just waiting until he deems that the demand is high enough before trying to take over.]

[burlyboy]

[ Magnus and his sparring partner exchange worried looks. This hasn't happened before, and despite Magnus' proclivity for actual fights, he sticks to the script, just like he's told. They've got a whole narrative going here. To go off-script would be to betray the fiction they've been building up, and more than that, how the hell are they supposed to work this in?

His partner looks even more worried than Magnus does, on account of the fact that he already knows Magnus could snap his neck if he wanted to. What's this guy gonna do? ]

It's okay, [ Magnus mutters to his partner. ] Let me ham it up, see if we can, uh... sort this out.

[ With that sorted out, he puffs himself up before saying, loudly, theatrically, ] You wouldn't stand a chance against I'Morko! Enough with this cattle! If you're not afraid, come and face me like a man!

[ He's full of bravado, but if Amadeus looks carefully, he'll be able to see that both of the actors are broadly nervous about this whole ordeal. Magnus' eyes keep darting to his boss behind the booth as if to say: is this right? is this okay? please don't fire me. ]

TAAKO

[burlyboy]

[ Since Tina's... kinda-sorta-not-really talking to him, that means that Magnus has to make her something to say, hey! I'm not a big scary murderer! Except for when I am, but never towards you!

Which is to say, he's making her a horse figurine. He's awfully proud of how it's turned out to be honest, mane blowing in the wind, head tossing magnificently, one foot held aloft as though to stomp against the ground at any moment, but halfway through varnishing the damn thing, he runs out. ]

Aw, dip. [ Magnus peers inside the container, but no, not a scrap of varnish left. He doesn't really want to run out and grab more and leave the horse with an uneven coat of varnish, and he doesn't have extra, but he's pretty sure he saw Taako painting over his nails with a nice, clear polish while he was watching TV the other day.

It's not ideal, but it'll do! He immediately makes a beeline for Taako's nail polish collection and, after a moment's thought, grabs a fetching forest green colour to go with the clear top polish.

Which is how Taako comes back home to see Magnus, three nails on his left hand having been painted forest green until he decided to work on his horse instead, painstakingly brushing clear nail polish onto the figure, stroke by stroke.

It's taking him a lot longer than he thought it would, but now he's committed. ]

[shittywizard]

[ Taako doesn't really care, as his entire cosmetic collection here is courtesy of his job, so it's not as if he paid for it. In fact, he has even more free polish in the bag he's setting down on the counter, but really, it's the principle of the thing. ]

Yeah, cool, you can totally borrow my nail polish for your tiny horse, Magnus, thanks for asking.

[burlyboy]

Thanks, Taako! You're the best.

[ Magnus gives Taako a big, cheesy grin and a thumbs-up. He is perfectly aware that the guy's being entirely passive-aggressive right now, but this right here is why passive aggressiveness doesn't work on him; he'll treat it like they're being absolutely genuine if it amuses him.

And it is amusing him, even if a tiny spark of a conscience deep in his heart says, you should probably apologize for using up his nail polish. ]

Gotta say, I'm a fan! I get why you like it so much now. [ He wiggles his green fingernails at Taako. They're not terribly well done. ]

Some time after Tina gets detention

[continuousgroaning]

[Tina's not proud of the fact that she's gotten in trouble at school. She's SO not a troublemaker, and she knows her parents would have been ashamed of her, and that's enough to make her feel filled with regret.

And then there was the problem with Magnus.

After talking to people, taking some of their suggestions to help get some of her anger and aggression out, Tina's done some soul searching and decided she's been more than a little unfair to him. Her world's morals don't apply everywhere, and it's not like she and her family weren't in with some... kindasorta shady people back home, anyway. Mickey being a prime example, even if he HAD turned his life around.

But how to make it up to him? Tina's not sure, and she's REALLY bad at confrontation. So she does little things to show him she's not angry at first, like leaving him containers of food with his name in the fridge, and making sure Alf and Uncle Jesse are always well brushed, and the next time she encounters him in person, he'll find a teary-eyed teenager wrapping her arms around his waist in a bear hug.]

hearteyes

[burlyboy]

[ Magnus can see that Tina's trying, in her own way, to be... nice? Hell, he doesn't know. Maybe she feels bad about ignoring him, but she's still not comfortable around him. He's already talked this out a bit with Archie who's deadset on the fact that Tina will just sort it out on her own, but Magnus has never been one to leave well enough alone.

It's only not knowing what else to do or say that lets Tina have her space. When he comes home from work that day, kicking off his boots and letting his heavy pack fall to the ground beside him, the last thing he's expecting is a pair of arms wrapped around his middle. He looks down, surprised, half expecting it to be Angus (who has no reason to hug him, frankly, and only does so when he's glad they're not dead, so probably not him), but he's gobsmacked at the fact that it's Tina. He's a little more hesitant to hug her than normal, but he's never one to resist a good hug, so it only takes a second for him to hug back. ]

Hey, Tina. Is, uh... is everything okay? Did something happen?

[continuousgroaning]

'm sorry. [This is muffled, and she feels herself getting teary, but she steps back, stands up straight, and takes a deep breath.]

I've just... I've been thinking a lot, and I've not really been fair to you. Ever since... you know. So I wanted to say I'm sorry.