How wrong we were to think that immortaility meant never dying
ALIAS
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/14/
POWER
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/35/
AGE
https://a.tumblr.com/tumblr_ldvmsnoon81qzjb28o1.mp3
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Jan 12, 2017 19:02:04 GMT
Post by Mason Warner on Jan 12, 2017 19:02:04 GMT
 Stress Fracture Fidgeting with the bat concealed in his jacket, Mason followed Alice into the cosy apartment. He’d been eagerly discussing with Alice how best to demonstrate her new power and his invisibility had been a real roadblock. Seeing her take a punch from a visible person was a lot more dramatic and impressive… and obvious as to what was going on. However, Mason had a baseball bat from years ago that he’d kept under the illusion that he might one day need it and – suddenly – a plan was born.
He was fidgeting through nervous energy, still hyped on the bizarre adrenaline rush that accompanied sneaking onto buses. Not having to pay was a nice bonus, but making sure that the doors weren’t closed on him and that nobody brushed or bumped into him was certainly a challenge that was not without its risks. Consequently he was even more excited than he would have been normally about introducing Claire to Alice’s ability and inviting her to join their super team.
There was a noticeable bump in the weird field around him – which he was now certain provided the mechanism for his ability – where the bat was hidden. It was still invisible according to Alice so the power must have automatically stretched to accommodate this foreign object. He felt tantalisingly close to unlocking his power’s secrets and yet still as hopelessly confused as ever.
“You gotta see it,” he said in agreement, before realising that Claire might not be aware of his presence. He surveyed her kingdom of grocery bags and …art stuff? with a fond smile on his face. It suggested she planned on sticking around in San Francisco for a little bit more, which was nice. Plus, he found her arty side just so cool. He waved and cleared his throat. “ I’m here too, by the way. Sup, Bod-Mod?”
He grinned to himself. That one rhymed and everything, there was no way she couldn’t love it.
“You really, really gotta see it!” he emphasised. Without even taking a breath, he turned to Alice, the excitement radiating from every pore. “Can we do it now?”
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How wrong we were to think that immortaility meant never dying
ALIAS
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/14/
POWER
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/35/
AGE
https://a.tumblr.com/tumblr_ldvmsnoon81qzjb28o1.mp3
Inactive
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Jan 12, 2017 18:00:32 GMT
Post by Mason Warner on Jan 12, 2017 18:00:32 GMT
Training? It was apparent that Mason hadn’t thought his “jump off a high shelf” alternative through as Dom quickly dismissed it with a swift image of Humpty Dumpty Alice. He felt guilty – he’d actually made a worse suggestion through his reluctance to be potentially responsible for what could only have ever been mild damage to her anyway. For all his inner monologue of feeling a new responsibility with the development of their powers, he clearly had more to learn.
Then he laughed, despite himself, at Alice’s loud and proud call for somebody to punch her. Her dramatic stance and fiery, wild expression was something else – a little glimpse into what could be her future. But for now, it looked a little ridiculous in context.
With a sharp inhale, Mason managed to keep himself from laughing at her next words. “I’m not a kid anymore.” Hoo boy. He wondered if he’d said the exact same sentence at her age. Having left school at 16, Mason had certainly felt like he knew everything there was to know by 18. He’d been wrong, obviously, but he could remember that strange age where you desperately wanted to be a fully-grown, serious adult – until it happened, of course. Like Mason, Alice seemed to have some underlying maturity. She had a job and lived by herself after all. But there was some emotional and personal growth that could only be acquired through time and experience. In several ways, Alice was definitely still a “kid”.
When Dominic hit his mark, Mason couldn’t help but wince.
He watched Alice’s face intently. She’d flinched… but that was all. Suddenly it seemed like her eyes had lit up, a subtle variation in her expression, and Mason found himself beaming.
“Your power rocks!”
He chuckled to himself.
“Feeling something is a good start. Hmm… Does it feel like aluminum foil, maybe? Saran-Man needs a sidekick –” Mason gasped suddenly, struck by inspiration. “We could be the Wrappers!” He added a quiet, “Yo,” for emphasis.
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How wrong we were to think that immortaility meant never dying
ALIAS
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/14/
POWER
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/35/
AGE
https://a.tumblr.com/tumblr_ldvmsnoon81qzjb28o1.mp3
Inactive
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Post by Mason Warner on Jan 9, 2017 20:17:43 GMT
Training? Perhaps Mason should not have been quite so astonished when Dom failed to come out with the precise, definitive answer he had been hoping for. After all, this was hardly a subject that was broached on an intellectual level (except maybe amongst dedicated comic book geeks, he supposed) – just like Mason, Dom’s experience of superpowers seemed limited to film and TV. Reading was not something Mason really did, even if the majority of the material was in fact pictures, so he’d never gone through a comic book stage.
So apparently Alice was the authority on this now, and even she didn’t have anything to offer just yet. He was pleased to have made a somewhat useful suggestion himself, though, and beamed smugly as Dominic declared his idea as sounding “kinda right”.
He then proceeded to dismiss the idea with long words like “symptomatic” and Mason dropped his smugness.
“I don’t know…” He peered closely at Alice’s face. “Those eyes look kinda red. Either you didn’t get enough sleep or there really is a demon lurking in there.” Mason made a crucifix with his fingers and backed away.
It was taking a while to get used to the fact that his slapstick comedy would be lost on everybody. Yet another reason for him to figure out his power as quickly as possible, he guessed.
“Woah, woah, woah, why do we have to keep risking doing damage to young girls to figure out powers?” he protested. “At least try and see if you can handle jumping from a relatively safe height first or… or something.”
Mason was still feeling quite guilty about attempting to stab Claire with keys, even if it hadn’t actually harmed her. Dom was going to have to be the one throwing punches around here if Alice really wanted to pursue that idea because Mason had had quite enough of all this woman-beating. He was especially hesitant to risk anything with Alice because he hadn’t actually witnessed first-hand any of this miraculous stair-diving. Seeing was believing, after all.
“Or you could take a punch… that could work too,” he admitted quietly, not wanting to seem a) like a spoilsport and b) like he didn't trust Alice. He wanted her to feel confident about this new ability (whatever it was) after all.
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How wrong we were to think that immortaility meant never dying
ALIAS
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/14/
POWER
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/35/
AGE
https://a.tumblr.com/tumblr_ldvmsnoon81qzjb28o1.mp3
Inactive
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Post by Mason Warner on Jan 8, 2017 12:06:15 GMT
Training? God Dominic was such a showman – and Mason loved it. The flickering of electricity, crackling softly as it tumbled from his palms, was completely unnecessary but at the same time worked excellently as part of his sales pitch as a teasing visual hint to the powers they all possessed now. Mason was beginning to realise that Dom’s entire life was one long sales pitch, and he greatly admired it.
“I agree,” Mason said affirmatively, a fierce nod of his head punctuating the sentence. “Until I can figure out my power, I’m forced to live with it 24/7. I don’t wanna do that in complete secrecy and fear for the rest of my life. I want to use my power and I want to, you know, live my life as much as possible.”
It was so exiting to hear Dominic in agreement, making the idea of fighting crime seem so much more tangible. Mason had never so strongly and so quickly latched onto an idea in his life. He wanted to be a superhero. He wanted to be a superhero. He wanted to be a superhero. They could be superheroes!
Alice’s question was startling. He hadn’t even processed fully what had happened, but she was right to be confused. How had she done this? And what was all this about falling down stairs?
Mason instinctively turned to Dom to answers, automatically deferring to the smartest one in the room for this kind of thing, but reconsidered. Surely throwing out an idea wouldn’t hurt… it could get the ball rolling towards the actual answer and put Alice a bit at ease as she worked out this new power. For all her joy, he was sure that there’d be a little uncertainty lingering.
“Um,” he began confidently.
He eyed up the wreckage. It looked a little like it had limbs pointing in all directions, similar to the end result of a really unfortunate fall down several flights of stairs. “Maybe you kind of… stocked those injuries up for later to use on something else? You could be like, transferring your injuries to other things.”
Mason finally looked towards Dom, certain that the actual answer would now be revealed. He could only hope that he’d been in the right ball park at least, or even just playing the same sport.
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How wrong we were to think that immortaility meant never dying
ALIAS
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/14/
POWER
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/35/
AGE
https://a.tumblr.com/tumblr_ldvmsnoon81qzjb28o1.mp3
Inactive
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Post by Mason Warner on Jan 7, 2017 12:47:36 GMT
Training? It seemed like Alice was one of those golden-hearted individuals who forgave you in a heartbeat which was refreshing. Once his arms had started to tire and his voice was feeling a little breathless from all his chanting, Mason gently lowered her back down to the ground. Instantly she’d spun around and pulled him into a hug, the happiness rolling off her in waves. All the animosity, that fiery anger that she’d displayed just a few moments ago, was gone to be replaced with complete jubilation.
Apparently “Prom Queen” wasn’t going to cut it. Which was fine, he supposed a little sulkily. “Hey, I remember our prom queen being pretty intimidating. I suppose you’re right though, you need something that packs a little more punch.”
He held back from suggesting “Punch-Packer”.
There was something both terrifying and exhilarating about Alice’s realisation. She was right. It was like they were straight out of this year’s superhero blockbuster – without the fancy costumes and alien invasions. The sense of responsibility that they’d been talking about at Claire’s apartment came floating back to him, filling his reserve of determination to a level he hadn’t realised was there.
Maybe it would be today, maybe it would be tomorrow, maybe it would take years of movie montage magic, but Mason was going to figure out his power. He needed to be useful and powerful – he knew that there was more to it than this permanent transparency. There had to be!
“Do you think it’s possible? Could we all get together, persuade everyone to work in a team… and do what, fight crime? Help old ladies cross the street kinda thing or save the world?”
He squared his shoulders and planted his hands on his hips.
“Whatever it is, count me in.”
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How wrong we were to think that immortaility meant never dying
ALIAS
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/14/
POWER
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/35/
AGE
https://a.tumblr.com/tumblr_ldvmsnoon81qzjb28o1.mp3
Inactive
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Post by Mason Warner on Jan 6, 2017 21:13:45 GMT
Training? There was no laughter, not even a polite chuckle from Dom. With a horrified intake of breath, Mason realised that he’d said entirely the wrong thing.
He stuttered and stammered wordlessly for a second before freezing up entirely. The silence was awkward and seemed to stretch on for an eternity – and then some. There was nothing he could think of that could take back what he’d said and turn it into something else; his words had clearly condemned Alice to being locked out of their cool superhero gang, after all. Even a simple apology seemed wrong… not enough, somehow.
Maybe he could quietly slip away, unnoticed in all his invisibility. Leave her to cool down.
No, that didn’t actually work in his experience. That was how he’d lost Jane, by letting her have those long “cooling down” moments. He knew now that she’d actually spent them sitting and simmering with disappointment, resentment, anger, whatever – building them up over time until she’d decided that Mason just wasn’t good enough for her any more. In the end, after years of thinking about it, he decided that she’d probably been a little bit right about that.
Thankfully he didn’t have the time to put together any kind of plea for forgiveness because Alice Morrow was angry and she was not going to be quiet about it.
He winced, glancing to Dom for any kind of guidance, and tried his best to think of something, anything to say. And then, suddenly, he heard a groan of metal and only just managed to whip his head round in time to see an entire shelving unit fly across the warehouse and explode in spectacular fashion against the brickwork.
“What the-”
He blinked. Pinched himself. Lightly, then firmly slapped himself.
“ALICE!” he exclaimed delightedly, running towards her. “You did it, you did it!”
He kind of hoped that she picked up on the fact that he was getting closer from the way his voice carried, because otherwise she was about to get an even huger shock than he was intending. Planting himself directly behind her, Mason wrapped both arms around her and lifted her into the air. It was even easier than he expected and he laughed delightedly as he swayed from side to side.
“Prom Queen, Prom Queen, Prom Queen, Prom Queen…”
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How wrong we were to think that immortaility meant never dying
ALIAS
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/14/
POWER
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/35/
AGE
https://a.tumblr.com/tumblr_ldvmsnoon81qzjb28o1.mp3
Inactive
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Post by Mason Warner on Jan 6, 2017 18:28:49 GMT
Training? Mason pouted in mock offence. “Well, at least Saran-Man’s unique,” he huffed.
He was quite relieved that Dominic had drawn the focus away from Mason’s ineptitude for the moment, and was equally quite excited to see if Alice had developed a cool power. Maybe it was laser eyes. Mason hoped it was laser eyes.
Unfortunately Alice shrank away from the question, the disappointment weighing each word of her response down like a dejected anchor. It made Mason feel entirely guilty for the amount of resentment he had for his own power – at least he had one. His ability bought him instant access to an exclusive, thrilling club that Alice just couldn’t be a part of until her own powers surfaced. Mason was sure that they would. He could practically see the laser eyes already.
Her pathetic little smile was heart-breaking and her next words hit a little too close to home, causing Mason’s heart to twist painfully. He guessed she was talking about him, saying that she could be lucky not to have any powers. Clearly he hadn’t covered up the negative side of his power acquisition quite as well as he’d been outwardly trying to.
“Well, Will hasn’t started breathing fire yet either, maybe the doctor’s medicine just doesn’t work the same way on everyone,” he suggested. “I mean, that’s okay, you guys could be our number one fans cheering from the side-lines while we do the dangerous heroic stuff. You could have matching uniforms, maybe get together a little cheer routine…?”
He was trying his best to cheer her up in one of the only ways he knew how – joking excessively about ridiculous situations. Laughter was the best medicine, right?
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How wrong we were to think that immortaility meant never dying
ALIAS
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/14/
POWER
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/35/
AGE
https://a.tumblr.com/tumblr_ldvmsnoon81qzjb28o1.mp3
Inactive
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Post by Mason Warner on Jan 4, 2017 22:06:16 GMT
Training? Alice definitely suited the role of a (quirky, admittedly) cheerleader. Mason could even imagine the bright blue pom-poms, although the image in his head did come across as a little grotesque as he considered it further.
“Not too similar in colour,” he suggested with a grin. “Otherwise it might look like you were shaking decapitated heads.”
Then she casually threw out the notion of a "proper hero name" and Mason’s immature little mind was whirring once more. “Yes! I … We all need one, something amazing to go with these new abilities. You’ll be "Prom Queen" if you keep up this show,” he added teasingly.
His brainstorming for his own superhero title was interrupted sharply by the disappointment on Dominic and Alice’s faces.
“Oh.”
He looked down at the stupid coin and shoved it back into his pocket. It was upsetting to have let them down, especially after Dominic’s power had come so naturally to him. Maybe control over special abilities was reserved for those clever enough to understand them. Mason hadn’t even finished high school… no wonder he was so useless.
Dominic, however, was definitely far more intelligent, and Mason knew the value of taking advice from those cleverer than yourself. He might just know what he was talking about with all this “feeling” stuff.
Mason searched for that fuzzy feeling again, the one that seemed to spread across his entire body like an extra layer. It was so quiet that he hadn’t really noticed it until just now but it felt familiar somehow, as though it had been there the whole time.
“If I really think about it, it kinda feels like goose bumps.”
It was embarrassingly mundane compared to Dominic’s description. He closed his eyes, trying and trying to find that mysterious layer.
“It feels like I’m wrapped in super, super light saran wrap. I’m not sure if it moves or stretches but that could be-” He paused, grunting as he strained himself to try and mentally lift the layer. “Nope. It’s there, I just don’t know how to stop it.”
Mason laughed as an idea occurred to him, distracting him temporarily. “Hey, maybe I could be "Saran-Man".”
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How wrong we were to think that immortaility meant never dying
ALIAS
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/14/
POWER
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/35/
AGE
https://a.tumblr.com/tumblr_ldvmsnoon81qzjb28o1.mp3
Inactive
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Post by Mason Warner on Jan 4, 2017 13:17:58 GMT
Training? There was no way that Dominic could be feeling anything other than utterly glorious right now. As if it were even possible, it seemed that Alice was even more ecstatic than Mason regarding the display of Dominic’s power. Her whole face was lit up with a wide-eyed, open-mouthed excitement. He found himself hoping even more fervently that she had some hidden power waiting to be discovered just so that she could inspire that same look in herself. If there was anyone of the group who would wield superpowers with the delight and awe that they deserved, it was Alice.
For the moment, it seemed like she was reserved to the spot of enthusiastic onlooker which, in fairness, she was doing a great job of.
“You gotta get yourself some pom-poms,” he insisted, shaking his own imaginary cheerleading accessories. “Cheerleading’s serious business.”
It meant more to him than she probably realised as she attempted to locate him with her eyes. Of everything that Mason had to adjust to, he was finding the lack of eye contact particularly difficult. It was just so unnerving to have everyone constantly looking through you as though you didn’t exist, like a cruel schoolyard prank. He’d get used to it, he was sure, but the ability and its side effects were still entirely new to him.
“Turn something else invisible?”
He nodded slowly. “Yeah, yeah, I should try that. My clothes go invisible, right? There must be something that makes that happen… Uh…” It was very hard to think of how to manipulate his power when it seemed to have a mind of its own.
Mason reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin, clenching it first in his fist and then holding his palm open with the coin pinched between finger and thumb. Theoretically, it was no longer in the bounds of his body and so should be visible now.
“Can you see it?”
He looked between the two of them and flipped the coin casually before catching it in his other hand. Again he held it up between his finger and thumb, this time concentrating on it with the same determination that six-year-old Mason had when he was pretending to be a Jedi using the Force. Frustratingly, it didn’t feel like there was any kind of control at all.
There was something there though, barely present. It felt like his hairs were standing on edge. Maybe a side effect of Dominic’s lightning bolt… Maybe something else.
Whatever it was, he couldn’t seem to budge it in any way. He looked hopefully at his companions. “Anything?”
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How wrong we were to think that immortaility meant never dying
ALIAS
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/14/
POWER
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/35/
AGE
https://a.tumblr.com/tumblr_ldvmsnoon81qzjb28o1.mp3
Inactive
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Post by Mason Warner on Jan 3, 2017 22:54:53 GMT
Training? Positively giddy with excitement, Mason inhaled deeply and let out a cry of joy, whooping with all the enthusiasm of an over-excited football fan watching his team tottering on the cusp of victory.
“Dude! Dude!”
Mason found himself applauding, stifled it a few moments later in embarrassment. No need to get carried away. He was a full-grown man after all.
He cleared his throat. “That was very impressive,” he said in his most serious voice.
Dominic was impressive. In that one instant the whole world had stood still, frozen in the blinding light that he had conjured. Amidst the radiance he stood firm, shoulders square, arm out-stretched – a mighty shadow face to face with the pulsing electric glow. It was a devastatingly magnificent performance.
It was over as quickly as it had begun and Mason had had to blink furiously to get his eyes to adjust before he began his impromptu cheering routine. Even now as he tried to suppress his juvenile excitement Mason could still envisage the light show. His heart raced, clawing him temporary freedom from the imaginary – yet all too real – weight pressing against his lungs.
The abandoned duffel bag on the floor caught his eye, as it had Dominic, but he wasn’t quite interested enough in its presence to comment on it. Instead, he spun excitedly on his heels to face Alice and beamed. “I don’t believe for a second that you’ve escaped the doctor’s witchcraft, but all in good time. My moms always told me that the late bloomers were often the greatest flowers…
“Um, whatever that meant…”
He blushed. “Anyway, I don’t really know how to experiment. I don’t seem to have any control. Yet,” he added positively, almost entirely for Alice’s benefit. “What do you guys think I should do?”
Mason was feeling like a bit of a dead weight. He could only imagine how Alice felt. If only Claire were here – she definitely had work to do. It was awfully hard to measure up to Dom’s heroic brilliance but at least she could do something awesome. Being permanently, inexplicably invisible was turning out to be far more inconvenient than amazing. Still, he could keep trying. Something might eventually happen, right?
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How wrong we were to think that immortaility meant never dying
ALIAS
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/14/
POWER
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/35/
AGE
https://a.tumblr.com/tumblr_ldvmsnoon81qzjb28o1.mp3
Inactive
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Post by Mason Warner on Jan 1, 2017 21:58:15 GMT
Training? While Mason was certain that he could have continued to crash in Claire's small but perfectly comfortable apartment, he couldn't help but feel like he was taking advantage of her kindness by intruding into her small and private space. Instead, he'd been fortunate enough to shack up with Will who had the luxury of his own separate office. He'd also been lucky in convincing work that he would need to work from home for the foreseeable future following his horrific accident, which side-stepped the slight issue of his transparency for the moment.
Dominic had begun to set the dream into motion. Mason had almost heard something click into place - mechanical, clockwork - when it had come to his attention that an actual, real life base was in the works. It was even right in SoMa which was most convenient for someone whose options of independent (and honest) travel were limited to walking. Okay, so it probably wasn’t the glitziest of superhero-caves just yet, but Mason was feeling cautiously optimistic.
They were led in, positively buzzing with excitement. It seemed like Dominic was quite literally buzzing, but Mason was gradually getting used to such things.
He peered around at his surroundings. They were a little gloomy - the bricks were old, the roof was both rusty and had a leak, there was very little in the way of furnishings and the space wasn’t particularly large either. Thinking about it, it probably wouldn’t have passed his own health and safety checks had he been on an inspection job.
All this gave it a great deal of dark, gritty character.
It was perfect.
“Dude!” Mason exclaimed, spinning to admire the place further. “Dominic, this is great, exactly what we need.”
He shuffled his feet nervously at Dominic’s electrocution comment. “Uh, yeah… Please try not to kill us, it’s not good for our health.”
He hung back at the suggestion of testing. There was nothing he could think of to pursue his own power beyond continuing to stare at mirrors, angrily scowling at them in the hopes of intimidating his invisibility into submission for even just a few seconds. Unfortunately, it seemed to be incredibly stubborn, and was so far unrelenting in its activation.
Still, he was looking forward to focusing on the task at hand and helping the others to get to grips with their powers. There was still something childishly thrilling about the whole thing, which Mason was clinging onto like his life depended on it. This was going to be fun.
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How wrong we were to think that immortaility meant never dying
ALIAS
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/14/
POWER
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/35/
AGE
https://a.tumblr.com/tumblr_ldvmsnoon81qzjb28o1.mp3
Inactive
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Dec 18, 2016 14:58:12 GMT
Post by Mason Warner on Dec 18, 2016 14:58:12 GMT
Side Effects May Vary Practising was good. Establishing limits and applications was something that Mason actually had some experience of. Magical powers, not so much, but he felt like he could at least be a little useful in the process of experimenting with them. There was so much about his own power that he didn’t understand yet – its passive and unyielding nature was a little difficult to work with, after all – so his only hope in controlling it was by learning how it functioned.
He wasn’t feeling overly optimistic yet about his own ability, but he was hopeful that he could help the others get to grips with theirs. Persephone’s seemed pretty tame but he’d be more than happy to help out if it turned out to be more complex. The experimentation had already started with Claire’s newfound toughness and, well, who could be better placed to assist Dominic than an ex-electrician?!
Claire’s reaction to the new potential nickname wasn’t awful, but he could do better. It was becoming apparent that he was seizing potential projects like they were limited editions – anything to distract himself. He took on board the two shakes of the head. It had to be something else.
Her humour was well-intended and he laughed perhaps a little excessively in response. What he’d actually been after was a concrete offer of assistance… there was no way he could live a normal life independently now without revealing his invisible nature. She’d definitely tried to reassure him though, and he appreciated that she was trying to do so at his level. Maybe it was just hard to get across to the others that a grown man was requesting babysitting.
“Well, Tater Tat, with all these recent events I wouldn’t be surprised if it did start snowing here.” He laughed. “And in June, of all months, why not?”
Mason liked the idea of renting a warehouse. It fit with his vision of having a base (a mental vision which was currently borrowing a little too much from the Batcave for the interior) and it seemed a good way of ensuring relative privacy.
“I’m sure you guys have it covered, but if you want me to check out a warehouse or two I can probably do that pretty stealthily,” he announced, the hesitant pride that been rising in his voice suddenly collapsing as his foot slipped off the coffee table with a thud. It dragged a set of keys with it, drawing even more attention to his act of clumsiness.
He chuckled. “Or, uh, not. Count me in for any experiments though. We don’t need to figure out everyone all at once, but I’d like to be there with the ones who are available. It’s not like I can go into the office right now anyway…”
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How wrong we were to think that immortaility meant never dying
ALIAS
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/14/
POWER
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/35/
AGE
https://a.tumblr.com/tumblr_ldvmsnoon81qzjb28o1.mp3
Inactive
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Dec 10, 2016 19:28:35 GMT
Post by Mason Warner on Dec 10, 2016 19:28:35 GMT
Side Effects May Vary Mason perked up a little as Alice provided the catalyst for a more positive turn in the conversation. It was far easier to think of the concrete, achievable things they could do with these powers than it was to think of the fears and restrictions that undeniably came with them. It was how Mason usually dealt with incidences of low mood; pouring himself into something productive until his sunny disposition returned. He especially appreciated the way she almost smiled in the right direction, evidently grateful for his reassurance and reassuring him in turn with her acceptance.
“Some kind of base of operations would be good,” he agreed, grinning at Dominic encouragingly. “Just a temporary hideaway to work out all these new changes… I don’t think Tats would appreciate the repair costs of a power experiment gone wrong.” Mason motioned towards the tattoo-bearing Claire so that everyone could keep up with his nicknaming.
Nothing was fitting just yet. He’d slap a nickname on her eventually, as he did with all his friends and colleagues, but he was feeling a little insecure after the apparent failure that was “C-Laire”. Okay, it wasn’t one of his best, he could admit to that.
“Maybe I’ll be able to actually do something with my power,” he added hopefully, glad that nobody could see the frown etched on his face.
Oh, wait, nobody would have seen him motioning towards Claire either. Too late now. Stupid invisibility.
Mason shook himself, trying to pull himself back into a more cheerful mindset. “You guys seem to be able to hide your powers for the most part, so we could keep it secret outside of the base until we have stuff figured out.” A thought occurred. “I uh… might need some help though, until I learn how to turn this power off. If that’s okay…”
He scratched his head. Somehow he’d managed to make his mood worse by thinking of his own problems. Go figure.
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How wrong we were to think that immortaility meant never dying
ALIAS
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/14/
POWER
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/35/
AGE
https://a.tumblr.com/tumblr_ldvmsnoon81qzjb28o1.mp3
Inactive
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Post by Mason Warner on Dec 4, 2016 11:34:22 GMT
Side Effects May Vary Alice had also slumped down on the sofa, a prominent pout working its way into her expression. Of all those had just been talking about their powers, the consequences of revealing them, the possible reactions and rewards… she had been the one to most greatly affect Mason. It seemed like the fact that she was – so far – perfectly normal and still holding their abilities in a positive regard had been overlooked by everyone else. Here was proof that not everyone was going to hate them.
“Al,” he whispered softly, trying not to interrupt. As Claire had witnessed, he wasn’t the greatest whisperer, but the group was too involved with the discussion at hand to notice him. “I’m here.” With that, he placed a hand hesitantly on her shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. He’d tried to give her as much warning as possible, aware that his invisibility would make such an act far more disturbing than intended without prior signals.
He nodded fervently at Dominic’s suggestion that her powers hadn’t developed yet, sharing the smile at the downtrodden-looking girl. He could understand and appreciate Will’s caution, not quite agreeing with Persephone’s cutting remark that the guy was “frozen”, but he valued Alice’s positivity a thousand times more. Any encouragement in her direction was sure to only do good for the group’s morale.
Mason liked Dominic’s approach, embracing ideas of independence and responsibility. They were strong attributes. Powerful. It reminded the room of the weight of the choices they were each going to make. For Mason, it was a no-brainer. Unless he could find a way to make himself visible again, there was no way he could return to his normal life. He just had to hope he wouldn’t be forging this new path alone and – thankfully – it seemed like he wouldn’t have to.
It took a few seconds to process the idea. There really was no going back… Every single aspect of his life was now tainted by his power. Even just going to the store for milk and eggs would be complicated by his invisibility – he could just imagine the look of horror on the poor cashier’s face as his groceries floated ominously down the aisles.
This was really it. At the end of the day, Mason was forced to embrace his new identity as fully as possible. It was the only way he could really see himself surviving. Being able to use these powers for good was just a happy side effect, and to do it with others by his side was a luxury that he couldn’t afford to lose.
Previously forgotten amidst the excitement, the heaviness in his chest quietly returned.
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How wrong we were to think that immortaility meant never dying
ALIAS
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/14/
POWER
http://only-super.proboards.com/thread/35/
AGE
https://a.tumblr.com/tumblr_ldvmsnoon81qzjb28o1.mp3
Inactive
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Nov 29, 2016 17:52:03 GMT
Post by Mason Warner on Nov 29, 2016 17:52:03 GMT
Side Effects May Vary The young executive was painting an intoxicating image of glory in Mason’s mind. He could see himself standing boldly atop a building, grateful damsel under one arm, his other raised to shield his eyes from the blazing flames that he had just rescued every single resident from, cape billowing, shoulders broad, charismatic grin catching the flashes of paparazzi cameras…
Except they’d catch nothing, because Mason was invisible now.
He was quite pleased that no one could see him snap out of his blissful reverie with a jolt. There was no way he could explain his sudden drop without it seeming ridiculous. He may have decided that invisibility was pretty damn cool, but that didn’t mean that it came without its disappointments. The image in his head was just a whole lot less majestic when he couldn’t actually see his physical form as the centrepiece of the picture.
Will proceeded to put a complete downer on the situation, embracing the role of the bearer of bad news. Claire’s protests had seemed sensible, urging caution rather than completely dismissing the grandeur of Dom’s vision, but Will was here with brand new, scary information that challenged what Mason thought he’d already known.
So there were others out there with powers? People who had stayed predominantly underground for centuries? That didn’t seem a fair life. Even if Mason was capable of finding an off-switch for his ability – which was remaining assuredly non-existent – he wasn’t sure that he’d like to deny what was now a part of himself. For all that Will’s words concerned him, Mason wasn’t quite ready to deny that delightful dream that Dom had planted within him. Maybe this was destiny? Maybe Mason was about to discover what it was like to feel purpose… He couldn’t let go of this so easily.
“You can get past fear.”
Mason tried his best to attract everyone’s attention as he spoke. Being unable to catch anyone’s eye made conversational cues difficult.
“It’s like when you’re a kid learning to ride a bike. It’s scary when your mom first lets you go and it’s scary when you get your first scraped knee.”
He was getting lost in the metaphor, not quite so accomplished at making speeches as the other two men were. A nervous chuckle was enough to get him going again.
“Just cause you get one scraped knee doesn’t mean you stop trying to ride the damn bike,” he said slowly, looking from face to face. It was interesting viewing reactions when people weren’t consciously looking at you. The emotions were closer to the surface. “I’m not saying that these people haven’t suffered but… what, they just decided to give up and hide forever?”
His brow furrowed as he concentrated on what he was saying. Man, this speech stuff was real hard.
“I’m not trying to tell any of you guys how to live your lives now that you’ve got these powers, and I’m not saying it’s wrong for you to wanna hide but… I won’t. We can work out a way of using our powers, come out in the open without terrifying normal people. Maybe it was wrong of the doctor to mess with us like this but maybe it'll come to something good.
“If we show the world that we’re not afraid of these powers then maybe we can help others like us to be a little less afraid as well.”
He shrugged, running out of steam, and dropped into the comfy-looking empty space on the couch beside Claire. Had he been rambling? He wasn’t even sure what his initial point had been, but he hoped that the room was a little less doom and gloom now.
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