wilderlands | Problem Child

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Problem Child

...So, uh. Got some things I should probably tell you guys.

[ Kevin seems a little nervous, he has trouble doing "eye contact" with the mirror. ]

I guess like... first of all, I'm Kevin? I'm from New York? I skate? I've met some of you but not everybody so...

[ He shrugs. ]

You ever known somebody who... uh, has a personal problem? But it turns out that if you know 'em and are around 'em all the time it kinda winds up to be their crap ends up being everybody's shit to deal with?

It's kinda like that.

[ Everything about trying to explain this is awful. Everything. ]

The thing with me is... well..

I'm... kind of a vampire?

[ There. He said it. Getting that part out helps him square up and face it a little better, his gaze steadies straight on the mirror. ]

Actually, not "kind of" at all. I'm definitely a vampire. I drink people's blood. I have to. Been doing this shit a good while, too. The Green's got my back with the whole sunlight deal, but I still ain't exactly keeping down regular grindage if you know what I'm saying.

[ Kevin winces a little. He tried. ]

So... here's the deal: I need to drink blood sometimes. Otherwise I get hungry, and when I get hungry I stop... being able to be a person so good? It's bad. Trust me.

[ Please, please trust the self-described vampire. ]

It's not a lot all the time, I can go a bit if I'm full up, and I can stretch it on animals and junk like that, but it's... yeah, dog.

[ He makes his lungs pull in air and breathe it back out in a long hwoo. ]

The other thing is it's probably... if I'm gonna be real with allay'all, I don't want to put my teeth in you? I mean, I got 'em.

[ He takes a second to drop fangs and show the mirror before pulling them back in, which probably does a whole lot of good for his image with the team. ]

It does stuff to people, though? And I don't want to be like that if we're gonna be doing this Lord of the Rings shit together, alright? If we're gonna be real, I'm gonna be real.

[ Kevin's shoulders sink a little as this sudden surge of confidence falters. ]

I don't know what I'm supposed to do about this, but I'm not lying about it and I'm not gonna sneak around. And I mean.... if y'all wanna run me off into the woods, cool, but I'm gonna end up stuck comin' back like any of the rest of us.

If I could just go find someplace else to be, I mean...

[ He smiles weakly. ]

You wouldn't be hearing this.

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Why wouldn't it be? [Dixon sounds as angry as he is confused, now, and has the sickening realization that he's completely outnumbered by a bunch of city liberal folks.]

[Brainy is keeping everything entirely calm and cool but there's something about his eyes that's a little different than usual. They're sharper, almost predatory.]

Because someone's sexual predilections are not an indication of someone's moral character or their worth.

Edited 2018-05-15 04:39 (UTC)

Great, let’s just start defending the fags here, that’s real on-topic.

[He says as if he didn’t just derail everything.]

Can we not fuckin' do this right now?

Do what?

The thing you're doing?

And what's that?

Being a dickhead.

[ Kevin's expression has taken on a very classic old-person-why-are-you-like-this quality. ]

You just derailed most of this conversation under the pretense of defending yourself from offense.

[His voice stays just as calm.]

Am I not allowed to do the same?

Oh, Christ, you're one of them? You're kidding, I let you touch my face.

[Now he's just going off spraying toxicity at anyone in range, without honestly any regard for what he's even angry about.]

[Brainy looks up at him through the broken shards.]

My species is known for its intellect, Mr. Dixon, something that sometimes led to my people holding certain biases against other sentient beings. Usually nothing overtly violent, just the subtle recognition that we were superior beings compared to all others, due to our superior minds.

You see, the Coluan intelligence scale rates the average Coluan as a level 8. Earth in its entirety - every mind, every computer, every single data processor on the planet - is a level 6. As in, the average individual Coluan has a mind with more processing power than your entire planet.

Every Coluan knew that we each carried something greater than a world inside us.

I myself am 12th-level intellect. My family line was so intelligent that the standard scale was no longer adequate as a measure and two new levels needed to be added for us alone. I would say that the divide between our two minds is akin to that of a human and an ape, but a closer approximation would be that between a human and an ant. By all rights, you should be nothing to me, less than Coluan, less than sentient, even - at least by my people's measure.

[Except...]

Except as far as I'm concerned, the biases of my people are the part of Coluan society that should be laid to rest the most now that they're all dead. Because something my species had far too much difficulty understanding was that intelligence isn't the only measure of a sentient -- traits likes selflessness, creativity, love, courage... they are so much more important.

And ultimately, someone's worth isn't tied to a single trait that somehow overrules all else.

Just...an idea for you to consider. I know it'll take considerable time for you to process it. Comparatively. It's not your fault - you're only human.

[He's not sticking around. The point isn't an argument. The point is planting an idea. It's not going to take that quickly, and he's not going to wait around to be abused or going to waste time trying to justify his existence. And the poor young man that started this conversation deserves to have this end here. So the mirror cuts out.]

[The fact that Dixon actually listens to this lecture is a miracle unto itself, because he at first opens his mouth to protest, tired of feeling condescended to yet again with some variant of "I'm smart and you're stupid so my opinion matters". But he does listen, even if he almost nopes the fuck out at the comparison to an ape and then an ant. He probably wouldn't if Brainiac hadn't given him medical attention a few weeks back.

His whole body is shaking, and he's pretty sure his heart slamming away inside his chest is visible from the outside. Sometimes he feels so wired up it's like he expects his brain to just explode in a flash of light and kill him. He tries to find calmness and comes up dry, so he just stays paralyzed, absorbing Brainiac's words. And he wants to believe. He wants to believe there's something that makes a life worth saving even if it's that of an idiot, a drunk, a loose cannon, a violent, emotional loser who can't do anything right and makes everyone else's life harder.

He wants to believe that maybe Chief was right and there's some good in him deep down.]

I don't have time for this, [he says once he moves past that paralyzing rage enough to function again. He walks away from the mirror and snatches at his pocket for his lighter and cigarettes. He'll apologize to Kevin about this all going south later.]

[ Robbie sobers up fast when he realizes Dixon's serious. ]

How about lots of reasons? I don’t think we should bring our universe’s shitty baggage – which is basically duct taped Piggly Wiggly bags - to a multiversal group. What difference does it make to your personal happiness what someone does in private, if everybody's having a good time and nobody's getting hurt? How about it’s kind of skeevy to be using sex as an insult? Or did you know fellatio is common in both gay and straight couples, so unless you’re the definition of straight-laced or only date plants, you just “insulted” your own partners?

[Joke's on you, Robbie, Dixon's a virgin.]

I don't have time to listen to this liberal homo shit. You people do whatever you want, I don't give a damn. Just don't be trying to justify it at me.

[ That's really not the point. ]

Busy schedule of listening to yourself gag on your own foot? I can see how that just fills up your day.

And you obviously care, or you wouldn't be such a tool. I bet if somebody made out at the campfire you wouldn't be able to keep your trap shut. And this is coming from a guy whose mouth is the freaking Washington Square Arch.

Why, are you about to start kissing up in front of everyone? Whip it out and get Brainiac to blow you? [Who's got two thumbs and knuckles down on stupid opinions? This guy!] Get out of my face, Robbie, I wasn't talking to you when this started and I'm done talking to you now.

Yeah, cause I do that all the time, right? And why are you dragging Brainy into this? He doesn't bother anybody -

[This needs to stop. All Kevin wanted was some help over something really intimidating to ask for help for and people just keep diving in and swinging. Kon gets up and hunts Robbie down just in time to see him responding. He can be seen snatching his mirror out of his hand mid-sentence.]

[He points at Robbie.]

You. Chill out. New guy doesn't deserve having everyone turning him asking us for help over something really intense into a slapfight.

[He looks into the mirror at Dixon.]

As for you...

[Part of him wants to flip his lid and in the past he would've totally lost it but he's had a few years of tempering influences that have made him a little more grounded. One of them is here now and if Kon wasn't stuck in the Brugh he'd be tempted to go look around to find what Kal is up to in the ruins to ask him to intercede. But he's the one that's here in this minute and Kal deserves to occasionally have other people do the Super thing to break up a slapfight so he doesn't have to.]

[So Kon takes a deep breath and tries to keep his cool, tries to think of what Kal or Ma might say. His voice stays calm and he gives Dixon a look that's more disappointment than rage or indignation.]

You know, that guy you're making those comments about has saved planets, man. He may act all uptight and serious, but he takes care of people. That's all Brainy ever does, round the clock.

Hell, he's saved your life. He and his team saved all of time and space once. Every timeline, every universe, including yours. I heard about it once when the team was talking about old missions. He almost sacrificed himself to do it, but luckily that got prevented.

So maybe just keep in mind one of the people you're casually disrespecting for the sake of a lame cheap shot cared about you enough to die for you without you ever knowing. If that doesn't make you think twice about the hate you've got knocking around inside you, that you're willing to let slip out at good people the second you're pissed...

That'd be disappointing. I've seen you look out for people, dude. You can be better than that.

[And he cuts off the discussion there. He's too shaky and sick from his dementor-based food poisoning and this needs to end somewhere.]

Edited 2018-05-15 18:52 (UTC)

I didn't ask anyone to save my li- [But then Kon's gone and cut the connection, and Dixon's left grasping at smoke. It's true, he didn't know about Brainiac. He also doesn't particularly care, because he has no evidence of it. The concept of a debt that heavy can't be introduced to him in a minute, without context, without a chance to absorb it. He can't so quickly reform his idea of Brainiac as the kind of snotty green guy who did one thing nice for him and then has been condescending ever since.

But how Kon finishes the lecture burns. It burns real bad, and he doesn't know how to handle it. He's never known how to handle emotions, always been prone to extremes that sometimes get his body to outright shut him down. As a kid he would scream himself hoarse and cry until he puked; as an adult he drinks himself into a stupor and puts his fists through walls and sometimes people.

And he knows right now that that's what's happening, that he's riding a wave of anger that he can't get a grip on, digging himself a hole, sabotaging himself. He can't help but think that that's just how he is, some immutable fact about his character, some defect incapable of being righted.

You can be better than that. Some deep part of him wants to hold onto that, but he holds onto it like he's holding a hand over a flame. But right now he's not, and that gap is what hurts. He doesn't know how to bridge the gap. He doesn't even know how to start. He grasps around for someone, anyone, to blame and keeps coming up with nothing, backed into this corner with all his goodwill squandered.

He finally tosses the mirror aside and goes to have that cigarette and listen to some music. He's shaking hard enough that it takes him nearly a full minute to get the lighter going.]

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Problem Child

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[cw: slurs]

Re: [cw: slurs]

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[cw: leaning into the homophobia]

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[cw: getting really vulgar]

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