OPEN | Decisions and colourful confusion

[makeanentrance]

Who: Quentin Beck makeanentrance and open!
What: Pride Parade, Job and Guild decisions, Various prompts for the month
When: June
Where: Various places around Central City
Content Warnings: Will update and label threads if something comes up.


Lunchtime

It had been about a week since Quentin Beck had arrived in this universe. He had adjusted relatively quickly yet there were many questions he still had. This was evidenced by a disorderly pile of papers that were strewn across the table he was seated at.

He was in one of the fast food places within the shopping center, across the road from the hotel. It was lunchtime and many people were coming and going around him but he paid them little mind. He was halfway through his meal of burger and fries, distracted often by what he was writing on the papers. Some larger title words could be seen:

GUILDS PROS AND CONS

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

TELEPORTATION?!?!

Beck himself was not in costume on this day. Dressed plainly, he still somewhat stood out. That bowlcut hairdo was distinctive and he was a heavy-set bulky man with a craggy face who looked rather uncomfortable in his plain blue shirt and loose black pants. He liked being in a costume. It allowed him to be something more than himself - but it also allowed him to hide under that mask of a pseudonym or cloudy helmet. It was so much harder just being himself. But here was not the place or time for a costume - and besides, not easy to eat with a helmet on.

Pen in hand, he began scribbling more notes under the Job title: Film work. Psychiatry. Chemistry. Robotics.

He pauses, frowning at his words then picks up a fry, popping it in his mouth.


Pride Parade

Then one day the city became decked out in a world of colourful banners and flags.

Beck was a bit naïve on this. He'd always been caught up in his own little world, not really gotten involved in personal relationships and so while he was aware of Pride and what it meant in vague terms, it wasn't his first thought when he saw there was going to be a parade. If someone was going to give him a label, he could well be Ace, possibly Bi and female leaning if he actually cared to get involved with anybody - but for the most part he didn't and while he enjoyed attention, he often just liked to be left alone when he wasn't causing a villainous scene. And he always considered himself to be male, so that part wasn't even a question in his mind.

Seeing all the sparkle and colour around, though, made him feel like he could blend in and maybe enjoy the parade, regardless of what it was for. This was why he had decided to actually put on his Mysterio costume. It was certainly bright and colourful: a rather form-fitting green bodysuit with a purple cape over his shoulders; golden clasps that resembled eyes, thick golden gloves and boots. He debated on the helmet but eventually decided to wear it as well. It completed the costume and he could maybe go out and enjoy the show without people having to see his face. It could be useful for people to not see what he was feeling by visible expressions.

He headed out, striding toward the crowds and was soon caught up in them. He felt he was being pushed forward, even into the parade and it was all a bit confusing. He saw more colourful costumed people. Was this a superhero parade? There were cheers and bursts of glitter in the air and Beck became turned around, trying to find a good spot to watch but now he was stepping along with the parade instead.


Wildcard

[ooc: More prompts may be added during the month/events. If you want something else in particular, contact me at quentinbeck or PM or feel free to make your own starter anywhere around the city in the comments!]

Comments

[doctopoda]

Yes. It was something I'd wanted to do back home, one day. This technology could do a lot of good...

[Gesturing at an actuator. Otto would never share that exact technology, certainly not after how badly it went, but he's perfectly capable of adapting it. Not including amoral AI. You know.

Thinking of those vague future plans, though, brings another question to mind.]

Tell me, did Curt Connors exist in your world?

[makeanentrance]

We're acquainted.

Is he here?

[doctopoda]

No, no, I'm only curious. He was a good friend of mine back home.

[Also, the Lizard Curt he briefly met has gotten him a little concerned.]

He was a physics professor at NYU there. No dangerous projects that I knew about, the worst thing he ever had to deal with was college kids. But I met another version of him once, who did...worry me.

[makeanentrance]

Was he a giant Lizard Man?

[Bluntly to the point.]

[doctopoda]

[Otto snorts.]

Yes, he was a giant lizard man. The Curt I know was fond of them - kept on sneaking the things into his dorm room when we were all at school. But it was a hobby, he wasn't working with them.

[As far as he knows? But they were pretty close, they talked often. Otto's sure he'd have heard about it.]

[makeanentrance]

I don't know him that well. Only really in passing and he has been part of the Sinister Six but usually when I wasn't part of the group.

He does stand out though.

[Being from the entertainment field and not the sciences, Beck hadn't been involved in any terrible science accident unlike a lot of the other villains. He didn't have any special powers before coming here. It was all special effects, manipulation and trickery. He himself hadn't gone through any transformations - at least not when he'd been alive. And death and Hell had only been temporary, even if he had been horribly tormented later by a demonic entity. He just hoped that that didn't happen here.]

[doctopoda]

Ridiculous name.

[The Sinister Six. What had that Otto been thinking? But Otto waves a hand; it's irrelevant now.]

Do you think you'll stay here in the city?

[makeanentrance]

Better than the Savage Six.

[Beck says offhandedly but with a twinge of disdain before the conversation moves on.]

Here? It's pretty convenient, yes? Or do you recommend somewhere else is the place to be?

[doctopoda]

[Otto grimaces in silent agreement. It is better than the Savage Six!]

It all depends. I went to Excelsior for the jobs - there's a big scientific community there. But I'm afraid I couldn't tell you what the local Hollywood is.

[He's been way too caught up in his own shit to pay any attention to the local pop culture stuff, honestly!]

[makeanentrance]

I'll take a look around the other cities later then.

[He pauses, looks down at his papers and something catches his eye. More cautiously, he asks the next question.]

So, when you got here... Did anything... um... Did anything change? About yourself.

[doctopoda]

[Slightly cautiously as well:]

...yes, it did. I can do this now. [He holds up a hand. It appears to vanish!] It's fairly common for people to end up with some sort of power from the Confluence.

[makeanentrance]

[Beck looks at the disappearing hand then frowns back at his paper again. At least that answers part of his silent question.]

Can you control it?

[doctopoda]

I can now.

[He puts it back!]

It took a lot of practice. From what I understand, it always does.

[makeanentrance]

Guess that makes sense.

I... I think something happened to me too. I'm still trying to figure it out.

[doctopoda]

Really? What's been happening?

[makeanentrance]

[He takes a deep breath before he begins, clearly a little rattled by what had happened.]

Earlier, when I was in my hotel room I... I just wanted to go grab the remote, you know? Watch a bit of TV. But it was on the other side of the room and... I don't know... I was feeling a bit tired and lazy.

But suddenly I was on the other side of the room, and I hadn't... moved. I mean, I hadn't walked there. I was just there.

[He grimaces.]

It made me feel a bit nauseous.

[doctopoda]

Teleportation. I can see that being disorienting.

[Also handy, Otto imagines, but only if one can control it. And, presumably, the side-effects aren't too nasty.]

That's how mine started too, at first - triggering unintentionally.

[makeanentrance]

So can you make your entire body disappear?

[doctopoda]

Yes, I've gotten much better at doing it intentionally. It's actually camouflage - see?

[He does it again, holding his hand out over the table and moving it side-to-side to make it easier to see. It's a very good effect, but if there's a trick to maintaining it in motion, Otto's not discovered it yet; once the background changes even a little, you can tell where his hand is pretty easily.]

It's just a matter of practice. You might also be able to find someone else with teleportation powers to talk to. There's people who can do practically anything, around here.

[makeanentrance]

That'd be really convenient. Hiding in plain sight.

Yeah, I'll have to figure it out. Could get me out of a jam, quick.

[He's faked teleportation - and other - powers before but it's very different to actually have them.]

[doctopoda]

Yes, it could be very useful. I've tried to...retire from that sort of thing, here, but that's easier said that done. There's always something happening.

[He's not from a world where superheroes and villains were really a common thing; he's very much still adjusting to this sort of comic-book life.]

[makeanentrance]

Retiring isn't always such a simple thing to do.

[By his tone it's clear he's had experience trying.]

It seems like here they expect us all to be heroes.

[doctopoda]

[Otto snorts.]

They make it very hard for people like us to live normally. It's practically illegal.

[Even if you join the Society, you're just on the hook for villain-type things. Only unaligned people seem to be allowed to just...be regular people, and all they've got standing between them and the law is Ms. Sterling.]

[makeanentrance]

Yeah, all these rules and regulations and sometimes you ... just want to be left alone. To live your life.

Nothing to do with crime or superheroes.

[doctopoda]

I do miss that. I'm too old for all this nonsense.

[Otto looks rueful. There's no going back, of course - his old life is gone, dead. But for what's left, he'd still very much prefer to be free of both crime and superheroes. He'd be willing to help Peter out now and then, maybe even pitch in some recovery efforts, like the Alliance does do sometimes. But he was never a fighter, not in his right mind. It isn't something he wants.]