person man, person man, hit on the head with a frying pan

[jacksonian]

WHO: Mark and whoever
WHERE: Everywhere!! But mostly De Chima and Maurtia Falls
WHEN: Throughout November
WHAT: Catch-all for November with stuff. Hit me up!! Please!!! Open prompts below; PM me if you want something that isn't these things.
WARNINGS: Mark's life sucks; I'll edit this header if any particular suckiness comes up.


1. dog dog dog dog dog dog dog; De Chima/Maurtia Falls
[ In De Chima or in Maurtia Falls, you might find a rather strange sight: a small stocky man walking an enormous stocky dog. This is Mark walking his dog Captain, a scarred and warlike pit bull that pulls at the leash and constantly wags his tail. Mark's expression is still a forbidding glower, but Captain's doggy face is open and bright-eyed and happy; there's no one he doesn't want to make friends with.

And Mark, unfortunately, doesn't know good leash technique, and also (in spite of his own roundness) doesn't outweigh his dog by that much. And so when Captain wants to make friends, Mark is dragged along behind him. And that is why, if you're walking around, you might be approached by a dog trailing a very sour-looking little man who's hissing - ]

No, don't - stop - heel -

2. come make $$$$; Maurtia Falls
[ PKE, LLC, up in Maurtia Falls, is beyond luxurious. The office is appointed with a sort of brushed-steel-and-pine classiness, like it's furnished from the expensive part of Ikea; the receptionist out front is attractive and aloof, and people who are waiting get offered mineral water from glass bottles.

There are any number of reasons that you might have ended up here: you might have received an advertisement in the mail, or a random notification on your phone, or you might have seen the advertising that targets imPorts. All of this advertising will have offered help in investing, getting rich, or opening a new business - generous funding to get everyone a little bit wealthier.

Mark, sitting at his desk, smiles a smile that can generously be described as oily when you're shown in. And he purrs - ]

Please, sit down. Tell me about how you'd like to make money.

3. kicking some grass; De Chima
[ Mark doesn't like to practice where he can be seen. Definitely not. So when he's worked up and anxious, he goes out far away from his family, far away from the people who know him, out into the forests of De Chima. On the unlikely off-chance that your character happens to wander by, they'll be treated to a very strange sight: a small fat man vigorously practicing a judo kata, face miserable, before punching a tree. He turns as soon as he hears them, though, eyes flashing with anger as he snarls - ]

What the hell are you doing here? Go away.

4. fuck it; anywhere
[ Mark's eating ice cream. Come have ice cream. ]

Comments

[helpline]

[ Well that's confusing. The Doctor can't help but look at Mark with a worried expression on his face as Mark just glares at him. ]

Again, the timeline. If this universe does have cloning technology in the first place, pop us in, clone us, pop us out, clone who was technically created in this timeline continues to exist in the timeline with relatively less damage to the Web of Time.

[ He's still frowning a little, still a bit confused at that sheer anger before the Doctor continues with. ]

Of course, this is all hypothetical.

[jacksonian]

[ He shakes his head stiffly. ]

Except that's not how cloning works.

[helpline]

[ To the Doctor's credit, he doesn't say "nuh UH", mostly because he's interested in why Mark got so angry about the idea of cloning in the first place. ]

How does cloning work then?

[jacksonian]

[ Tersely: ]

A cell is cultivated and grown. It becomes an embryo. That embryo grows into a baby. That baby grows into a person. That's how.

[helpline]

Then how come in films the clones always pop right out of the cloning machine fully grown?

[ said...100% seriously, sorry Mark, this is straight up the Doctor not wanting to let on the fact that he knows more about clones than expected. ]

[jacksonian]

[ Mark's jaw clenches. ]

Because films are fucking stupid? What kind of a question is that?

[helpline]

Spoken like someone who hasn't seen the right kind of films!

[jacksonian]

If the films are about cloning, then they can fucking go burn up in a fire. How many of them have evil clones?

[helpline]

[ note to self: Mark has issues with the concept of evil clones as well. ]

Oh, I'm certain some of them do. Not all of them, though.

[jacksonian]

Okay. And how many do you think just have the clones having the exact same personality as their progenitors?

[helpline]

[ Mark, it's a good thing that you're (relatively) open with the clone thing cause damn son, you're obvious. ]

Depends on the film, of course. Some have the same personality, some have evil clones, some are nicer, some have clones that are more of a generic clone army.

[jacksonian]

[ His eyes flash with anger, and he spits - ]

They can go fuck themselves, then.

[ They, of course, being the cast and crew of the aforementioned films. ]

[helpline]

They probably haven't had much experience with clones to begin with. [ There's a pause as the Doctor continues. ] Unlike you, I'm assuming.

[jacksonian]

[ His chin jerks up defiantly. ]

I am a clone.

[ And then, looking the Doctor directly, furiously in the eyes: ]

If they're pieces of shit, then don't act like they're things I should have watched.

[helpline]

Good on you for owning it, [ the Doctor idly mused, with a nod. ]

Had I known, I wouldn't have recommended them in the first place.

[jacksonian]

[ Sarcastically: ]

Oh, that definitely makes it better, then. You only recommend pieces of shit to people who can't know any better. Great.

[helpline]

I wouldn't have recommended them if I knew it was such a point of contention for you! You can like something and still acknowledge it's flaws.

[jacksonian]

Okay. And you acknowledged those flaws...when, exactly?

[helpline]

Well I think the 'evil clone' thing's a pretty major flaw.

[jacksonian]

[ A dissatisfied grunt. ]

Whatever. Do you actually know any clones?

[helpline]

Sort of. That planet that I mentioned earlier, Messaline, they had a progenation machine, but that's more offspring than clones. Gangers don't count. Madame Karabraxos...well, you don't want to hear about her.

[ Said seriously and with a hint of sadness in his voice. She killed off her clones like it was nobody's business! Fun times! ]

I suppose the closest thing I can think of is the Sontarans? They're a clone race, sort of potatoey. They're a society built on war, to the point where taking care of the sick is seen as dishonorable. I'm afraid I haven't had much contact with the Sontarans, one particular potato excepted.

[jacksonian]

[ That takes his annoyance down a very small notch. Very small. ]

Well, if you don't have much experience, don't talk about it like you do. It's not like the holovids. Cloning isn't instantaneous. And a clone is their own person. Just because someone's a clone doesn't mean they're going to have the same personality as their progenitor.

[helpline]

I know that much, [ the Doctor can't help but grumble, trying to regain the smallest bit of dignity & seeming like he knows things. ]

[jacksonian]

Well, except that you were talking about clones with fake memories. Which means that you're still assuming that a clone is just someone who can be swapped out for the original. We're not.

[ Then - ]

Why don't I want to hear about Madam Whoever-it-was?

[helpline]

She wasn't particularly decent to her clones.