maskormenacelogs | (no subject)

Nightfall had errands of her own to do in DeChima. Since she was doing them for someone else she was in full costume, and only the time of day kept her from being swarmed by the locals en mass. She was grateful to the work day, and was taking in the sights due to the lack of real crowds.

When she spotted Erik and his use of his power she smiled and approached him, all smiles and politeness.

"Hello sir. My name is Nightfall, and I was wondering if I could ask you a question."

It wouldn't be the first time his use of his abilities had attracted attention, even in this place where so many have them. He doubts this will be a hostile encounter, like can sometimes happen to the imPorts, because based on her costume, she's one too. At any rate, he's not ashamed of what he can do and won't stop doing it even if it displeases half of the people who live in this place.

"What question would that be?"

"Would you classify your power as telekenetic, elementalist, mangeticist, or something else?" She pauses for just a moment, a planned pause to make it look like she unintentionally just dived in. "I'm from a world where we classify power types. If I have incorrectly assumed your world does the same, I apologise."

She wasn't actually sorry, because this allowed her to communicate with another imPort who was clearly open about their powers. More open than her, even. She was also trying to figure out how many people came to this world with powers and which ones didn't. This seemed like a good way to start. This was an attempt to gather valuable data.

(In reality, she just wanted to talk to someone who might be on the same page after spending days talking only to civilians while in the position of 'hero'. She would not, however, admit this to herself.)

"In my world, someone either has powers or they don't. There's no classification beyond that." That classification is problematic enough, because those who have powers are outnumbered and feared by those who don't.

"My powers, though, are manipulating metal and magnetic fields." So that would fit in one of the groups she mentioned, if they did use classifications.

She smiles and nods. "It isn't uncommon for worlds with powers to not have a classification system. In my world we've had superpowered individuals throughout all of history, but a lot of worlds are new to such people." Nightfall's own world has had some similar problems in the past, of course. A part of her goal as a hero has been to lessen the fears felt by the unpowered.

"So you could be both a magneticist, and an elementalist depending on if the manipulation of metal is purely magnetic or not. I'm a psychic! My powers are classified as being in a couple sleep-based fields." It was only fair she shared, after all.

A psychic. Isn't that wonderful. He wishes that his helmet had been one of the things that came to this world with him, though he's learned enough by now to know that there's no guarantee it would work the same way against psychic powers from a different world.

"In my world, it's been within my lifetime." Which makes him part of the first generation to have some sort of powers. Maybe some day there will be need for a classification system, although that thought still gives him problems.

At that comment, she shows a little concern. "How has the unpowered population been taking it? In some worlds it goes well, but in others..." She gives a weak smile. "Well, in even my world, we've only had real human rights in America for a few generations. Before things were less well defined, but now that science understands things it's a lot easier."

That was mostly true. A few things were very much behind, and she knew it, but it was a lot safer to be super-powered now than it was when her great-great grandparents were alive. It was mostly on the social front that work needed to be done, now that the legal front actually had protections even for those whose powers went out of control at first.

"They hate and fear us." Because humans don't understand them, and they fear what they don't understand. There have been a few exceptions over the years, but that's what they are: exceptions, not the rule. "Every so often one of them comes up with a plan to wipe us out." Which, so far, has obviously not happened.

"At the moment there are more of them than there are of us, but there are more mutants born every generation. It won't always be so unfairly skewed."

"I'm sorry." And she really is. "I can't fully understand how terrible that must be to experience, but you have my sympathy." What she's not saying is that she sort of gets it on some level. Her powers are scary. Not only is she a psychic, a classification that sets a lot of people on edge, but she's a nightmare psychic, a sub classification with a history of individuals who are just plain awful. Were it not for her carefully crafted image she would certainly be actively feared.

But she can't say that. That's not public information. So instead she comments on the generational aspect of things. "There being more and more individuals with powers being born is also true of my world. Scientists estimate that up to ten percent of the world's population has some sort of power set. That includes small things, like the ability to hear for much farther distances than the average human. It's estimated that ever since the industrial revolution we've experienced at least a single percentage of growth each generation."

Another thing she isn't saying is that the unpowered humans have not been reacting all that well to that news. The majority of them are fine, but a loud minority has been calling for what counts as eugenics to deal with the perceived problem.

Erik has omitted a few things too, such as the fact that he told the humans they should be afraid, and has personally given them plenty of reasons to be so. It's human nature, and mutants won't survive if they don't accept that, and come up with some way of ensuring their survival.

"You're outnumbered by that much and you have no problem with the humans?" There's no telling what humans will do in the face of a perceived threat, when they have the power to wipe it out.

She shakes her head. "We do have some problems. But I think the majority of humans welcome and accept us. I mean, we're all human too - we just have powers, be it due to genetics or mutations caused by outside sources," or the occasional alien, mage, or person from another dimension. Or robots. Never forget the robots.

"I think that a part of why we've had such success in gaining proper human rights for superpowered individuals is because of the fact so many of us are active in socially beneficial ways. I'm a part of the Illinois Junior Hero League, for example. But a lot of people whose powers aren't combat-level, and even some whose powers are, go out of their way to be active members of their communities. When unpowered individuals see us in their daily lives, and as positive impacts on those around us, it becomes harder to hate us wholesale." She then gives a weak smile. "That isn't to say that some powers aren't seen as scary just by existing though. Some powers have more or less legislation involved, be it for the protection of those individuals, or protection from them."

She absolutely means psychics. Also the occasional pyrokenetic individual. And those whose powers count as memetic hazards. Though, in that latter case she can kind of see where some of the more draconian legislation was coming from...

"But, even with all that, in America at least we have a robust social structure that is good at finding and diagnosing what powers someone has at an early age, if their powers are genetic, and offering," demanding, "payment-free training. So a lot of powers that used to be seen as inherently dangerous just aren't anymore."

She was absolutely not going to mention that the American government, and many others who deployed the same tactics, was particularly fond of recruiting combat-level individuals and psychics in general whenever possible. Regardless of how young they were. Conscription into the government was common in societies that just didn't get how superpowered individuals functioned, and it sounded to her like he came from a society that was still in that stage of development. She had a feeling he wouldn't believe her if she informed him all recruits did so of their own consent.

(Inasmuch consent a child - raised by the government for years to think the hero biz was the best way they could be helpful to the world - could consent.)

He maintains a neutral expression through all of this, careful not to give anything away. He's not angry, he's just skeptical. What she's saying doesn't fit with his experiences of humans. Ten years of peace with his neighbors hadn't mattered as soon as they figured out what he could do.

"I think you would get along well with a friend of mine. He's also a psychic." Maybe the devoted optimism is related to having psychic abilities. Maybe it's something else.

"Humans seem more interested in being rid of those who have powers than in making sure we know how to use them."

"Maybe some day I'll get to meet him. Even if my type of psychic powers are atypical, it's always nice to meet others in the same category." The devoted optimism in Nightfall's case is more thanks to conditioning and a world that's already dealt with the majority of its 'super humans! oh no!' drama.

She then gives a small frown. "I'm sorry. Our world went through some similar things a long time ago. I hope that your world realises that having powers doesn't make you less of a person, and that it would be wrong to hurt you because of those powers." This, well this is completely genuine. She'd been to a few worlds experiencing similar 'growing pains' in the past, and it was never pretty.

"Maybe. If he shows up here, I doubt it would take long to figure it out." Because of being psychic, but also because of the likelihood of Charles sharing that information with the population at large as soon as possible.

Not that Erik would fault him for that. There's no reason to hide here.

"It's a mutation. We're more evolved than they are."

That wasn't the point of Charles' dissertation, Erik.

That line sets her ill-at-ease. While it was a common bit of miscommunication, a scientific paper's results taken out of context, that sentiment was not unheard of in her world. Most of the people who spouted it either wanted to put all people with powers on a pedestal, or wanted to put those without under their heel. Sometimes it was just ignorance, or a way to prop oneself up when ones super power had a visible effect on the body while in school, but this man didn't sound ignorant and he was certainly not a schoolboy.

She doesn't show this concern though, and tries to continue the conversation in a natural way. She'd been trained to have conversations such as these, but at the same time she still felt the need to dance around a little.

"Oh! Hmm... I don't know how it works in your world. Evolution I mean. But in mine it's less that we're more evolved, and more that we're evolving in different ways. Kind of like how no cat breed is more evolved than any other. A house-cat without a thoroughbred bloodline is no less or more of a cat than a Blue Russian, nor is one more or less evolved. They just display with different traits." She gives a sheepish smile. "We might have an odd way of looking at evolution, though."

While that last bit was true, and she'd even met someone who came from a world where creatures underwent what was called evolution while really being more like metamorphosis by her world's vocabulary, she was still concerned.

"Evolution is mutation." Maybe not in her world, but that's how it works in his. "It's how a species adapts to survive, or how one species becomes better suited to survival. There's a mutation on a gene, they survive to pass that mutation down, and eventually there's an entirely new species." As far as he's concerned, having that mutation on that gene is a matter of evolution.

"That psychic friend is also a geneticist." They've had conversations about this, in other words.

"That sounds very similar to what it means in my world. Though I suppose in our case it isn't any one gene that causes powers, but a large number of different mutations built up over time. Sometimes the powers manifest on their own, other times they require outside stressors. But in the end the majority of abilities have some genetic component." She looked at him, watching his face.

"Scientists have figured which gene carries the mutation, and they've found ways to exploit it and weaponize it to use against us." This is not a situation where he's just going to lie down and refuse to fight.

"As far as I know, no one has yet figured out what caused the original mutation in the first place. It works the same way otherwise. Sometimes powers manifest on their own, and sometimes there's a stressful situation."

She frowns at that information. "I'm so sorry. It's a lot harder for genetics to be weaponised in my world, since it's usually a combination of mutations instead of one gene at fault. It sounds like the situation is a lot more dire in your world because of this and the fact that the mutation didn't appear until well after the field of genetics began."

Nightfall puts her hands together in front of her, fingers interweaving a little with the tips pointing at the ground. "We know what caused some powers in some populations, but not most of them. A prevailing theory is that the uptick in superpowered individuals that started around the age of industrialisation was caused by pollution. But people can't agree on whether or not it was triggering the genetics that were already there to come into play, or if it caused the mutations to begin with. Some mutations can be tracked back through the bloodline of affected individuals, too."

"The humans are afraid of what they don't understand, and they will use anything they can to fight that fear." It's been that way pretty much for the entire history of humanity, and he's tired of dealing with it in his own life.

"The current theory is that it's because of nuclear power. That somehow the development of it caused the mutation." It's the only theory he's heard, in fact, either because it hasn't been disproven or no one has come up with a better one. "Sometimes the mutation just appears, and sometimes it's passed down to children." Specifically, along the Y chromosome, but that fact hasn't been discovered yet in his time.

She frowns and gives a small nod. As much as she wants to speak positively, she can't offer anything she hasn't already without more precise knowledge of his world. And in the end, well, who was to say that the culture in that world was similar enough to know for sure that there was any hope for mutants and the average human to get along? She couldn't exactly force someone to be optimistic when they were in danger of being exterminated.

"Do scientists know if it's a mutation of any specific gene?" She tilts her head to the side just a fraction of an inch, clearly curious. "In my world there are a few genes that have been confirmed to be prone to mutation around certain types of radiation." She pauses, then looks a little bashful. "Um... Sorry if asking so many questions is a problem. As a member of the Illinois Junior Hero League it's in part my job to know as much as I can about this type of thing, and that sometimes helps me to help people find out things about their powers before they get the chance to take any testing." And also to have a rough idea what types of powers she's likely to run into within areas with a high quantity of specific people groups, but this didn't seem like a good thing to admit to someone who said people were using genetics to eliminate his people, and she really didn't want to explain to someone about the Pennsylvania Amish and the whole debacle that lead to this type of classification. "Thanks to learning it for my work, I gained a big interest in it, and I really like to know how this stuff works in other worlds, too."

As far as he knows, no mutants in his world have a power that allows them to see the future, certainly not in any way that would show how overall relations between humans and mutants go. He's been isolated from the mutant world for most of the last twenty years though, so there could be plenty he doesn't know yet.

"It's one specific mutated gene, and geneticists know what it is. A friend of mine, the psychic, can reach out and find the minds of other mutants, or mutants whose powers haven't manifested yet, and locate them that way, but as far as I know, no one in the mutant community has a way of knowing who will produce mutant children or grandchildren. The humans were on their way to developing that technology, but we were able to stop that particular scientist's research before he got any farther than developing a weapon that could wipe out any current mutants."

She gives a small nod at that point. "That's probably for the best... Using that technology to find and support mutants and those who carry the mutation would be good, but it sounds like the people of your world can't be trusted to use it responsibly at all." There's a genuine look of sympathy suddenly. "It feels like it would be terrifying to know that all someone needed to do to kill your entire population is to find out how to target a known element. I'm sorry that you have to experience that. It sounds like for all our worlds share similarities, they have different complications that make it hard to tell how to help..."

The idea of someone finding out how to weaponise her genes against her was terrifying enough, but the idea of someone being able to weaponise the genes of every super powered individual in order to destroy them all was on its own level of horrific. The loss of life would be catastrophic. Everything that she and her teammates did in order to normalise the presence of people like them would have been for nothing...

"My psychic friend can find other mutants, though as far as I know there's no way for other mutants to do it yet." He doesn't know if it would even be possible. That sounds more like something Hank would do. Though of course there would still be the risk of the technology falling into the hands of the humans, and then they would have the same problem again.

"Though we do have bigger concerns as a species right now."

Barbara is doing errands of her own, and her stuff is stacked precariously on her lap as she wheels through the street. A few outdated laptops, a bag full of of computer parts, another packed with mice, keyboards and ink cartridges, and various small, cardboard boxes emblazoned with Microsoft Galaxy or RWB Development. (Why isn't any of this in the tote bag strapped to the back of her chair? Because it's full of books and school supplies, that's why. Can't hurt to get out ahead of the next school year.)

Erik's coin trick catches her eye, and it draws a wry grin. "Bet that comes in handy." Not everyone buys out half the computer store when it's got a sale, Barbara.

The computer parts mean nothing to him except as a pile of metal, with his lack of knowledge of them. Even though there are plenty of them available to him here, along with people who could teach him how to use them, he still prefers to do things by hand. It's what he's used to.

"On several occasions," he replies. Not specifically with a coin every time, but he's good at being creative when the situation calls for it.

She nods, gazing up at that coin with clear fascination. "You've obviously got the fine motion control down. Not a new power?"

"No. This is one of the first tricks I learned." It was a hard-learned lesson, too, but one he's sure never to forget, either.

"As a kid?" Her voice is a bit more solemn, now, if no less curious; she's seen metahumans run the whole gamut, when it comes to their powers. How they're treated, how they're trained.

She doesn't know what world this man's from, but she figures that kind of spectrum holds true more often than not.

"As a matter of fact, yes. I was fourteen when I learned this trick." And he'd kept practicing, for nearly twenty years after, so that one day he could use it on the man who'd taught it to him in the first place. Now it's just a good way to fiddle with something and keep his hands busy.

She nods; she can't tell if that's good or bad, so she's not making any assumptions. "I have - a close friend." She stumbles over the description, a little bit. She's only recently realised that her feelings for Dinah run a little differently than that. "She came into her powers around that age, too. Sonic scream, nearly tore the living room apart."

"I nearly tore a gate off the hinges." He doesn't have to say where that gate was, or why it happened, and he doesn't intend to. It's enough to know that he hadn't meant to do it, or known why he had.

"Sometimes it seems tied in with puberty, or a stressful situation. Sometimes it just happens."

Gabby isn't stalking him. She's just casually following at a cautious distance. It's hard not to recognize Magneto, Master of Magnetism, even if he's not currently wearing a giant flowing purple cape (though he should, since that's the best fashion choice ever and Magneto is a fashion icon as far as Gabby's concerned).

Unlike Laura and Logan, she's got no adamantium on her, not on her claws and not on the rest of her bones, which she figures gives her an advantage on sneakiness.

But not having a full body metal skeleton isn't the same as being free from any metal. She's got a phone and some coins of her own and other various bits that she hasn't thought about. And sneaky as she may be, as well trained as she is... this is Magneto. He's been at this a lot longer than her. It's probably inevitable that he'll notice her. She just hopes she can figure out if he's currently a good guy or a bad guy before that happens.

He knows she's there, just like he knows everyone else on the street is there. It's extremely rare for anyone not to have any metal on them at all. It takes him a few minutes to realize that the metal representing one specific person hasn't changed, and in fact seems to be following him, rather than heading down the street on their own business.

He catches the coin and slips it back in his pocket while he turns around to see who's behind him. "Can I help you?"

Whoops, caught. She hesitates for a moment just in case he's talking to someone else before wandering out as casually as someone who was just hiding in a bush can manage. Behind her, Jonathan growls low in his throat, but he stays where he is for the moment.

"Uh, hi! I'm just... conducting a survey?" She reaches into her pocket and grabs a receipt and a bit of paper. "So like, on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being helping old ladies cross the street and ten being laughter and monologues while setting off a doomsday weapon, how evil would you say you are?"

"I'm not evil." People clearly think that he is though. "All I've ever done was fight for mutants." Someone's got to do it, and giving the humans what they want is no way to ensure their survival.

"Right, right." Gabby nods, flashing her thumbs up at him. "Cool, that's great. I mean, I am a mutant, and I like being fought for, so that's awesome. I just... gotta know if you're fighting for mutants in a murdering humans kind of way or what. Cause some of my friends are human, and I like them."

Edited 2019-07-07 05:17 (UTC)

"I haven't harmed anyone since I arrived here." It's less of an issue here, because there are so many people here with some kind of powers, and even if those without them have a problem with those who do, there are enough powered individuals to deal with a threat.

"I don't just randomly attack humans in the street or something."

"Just checking! Alternate universes and stuff, you never know." She reaches forward for a companionable (and extremely awkward) arm punch. "And don't listen to what anyone else says: purple and fuchsia look amazing together."

He knows that there was another version of him here already at an earlier point. He doesn't know if that other version of him was from the same world as his or a different one, and it's not important, really. It seems there are some differences between versions of him, is all.

"Has someone said they don't?"

Not that he really cares what others think.

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Aaa, Sorry I'm late!

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Ack! I thought I replied sooner. I'm so sorry!

obviously it sometimes takes me awhile too

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