nexus_sages | Interdimensional Cable

Today in the forum, someone has set up a techno-pile of video gadgetry. At the heart of it is a television, and an old one at that. The screen is large enough, but it sits in a retro wooden fixture that gives it the appearance more of furniture than of an entertainment system. All the better for it to hold the weight of a number of video-playing devices from across the ages and dimensions.

On either side of the pile of plastic boxes and tangled wires stacked on top are a set of outdoor lounge chairs. One, sat up like a chair, is empty. The other, fully reclined, is full of a whole lotta dead dude. It’s Harrowheart, who can’t possibly understand the vast majority of what he’s lying next to, a lit cigarette between his lips and his arms dangling off the chair and onto the grass. His floating hands are hard at work twisting knobs and pounding on the top of the television. Now and then the screen flickers with a hint of a signal.

Without spending the energy to lift his head, Harrow calls out to any passers-by, “Hey! What’s your favorite movie? People keep tellin’ me about ‘em, but I ain't ever seen one. I wanna find a good one and invite everyone over to watch it. Help me pick one out, will ya? And if y’ain’t ever seen a movie either… I dunno, weigh in on someone else’s recommendation?”

(( OOC Info: I want to stream a movie in-character! I love streaming movies, usually it’s a really good time for everyone involved. I’ve never done one IC, but I think this is a great opportunity to start. I’ll take any and all IC movie recommendations (real movies only!) and by next Wednesday I’ll try to decide which one we watch. The better your character talks it up, the better its chance! I’m shooting for next Saturday the 21st at around 8 or 9pm Eastern for a start time, but I’m going to be flexible if people know they can’t make it. I want as many people to be able to enjoy this as possible! If you’re interested in the idea or have any questions shoot me a PM and I’ll PM you back with answers and details and remember to get back to you when the movie and time are decided. ))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Of course I'm kiddin'! Now you know somethin' about undead folks. We all like makin' morbid jokes. And bone puns. But it's gotta happen naturally, y'know? I can't just tell you one right now."

He motions to the television and says, "So you say you watch movies? You know any good ones to suggest?" A healthy change of topic: mindless entertainment. Machines watching machines.

"It's nice to know the bad death jokes are multiversal," the Ghost remarks quietly.

"Yeah," Blaze mutters. She gets it. You have to laugh about that stuff. But the change of topic is a good plan. The television gets looked over again, this time with the appraising look due a good antique, Blaze leaning in to check out the different video players attached to it.

"Uh... Jesse was talking about these zombie movies a while back. Especially the ones made by some guy called Romero. I don't know, maybe you'd like them too. Probably got plenty of action and live people getting devoured." Recommending the zombie movies to the dead guy? Is that stereotyping if another zombie recommended them to you first? And they're like one of three ancient movie genres you know? And these suggestions are suspiciously secondhand?

"Wh-what? Why would breathers want to make movies about gettin' eaten by zombies? That's pretty much the last thing humans on my world would wanna remember, right next to a big ol' dragon burnin' down the countryside. But I reckon the humans win, huh? So it all turns out okay for them in the end."

"What other kindsa movies do you know? My buddy Jim says there's romances. You much of a romance bot?"

Listen, looks can be deceiving when it comes to romance. For all he knows, this lady is crazy about 10 copper trash rags where the guy gets the girl, the girl gets the girl, the bot gets the human.

"Guessing that's it. Ghost says those kind of movies aren't so popular in our time, but maybe the end of the world's more exciting when it hasn't happened yet. Bet there's some about dragons too. Hell, our people'd be fine with those." For different reasons, admittedly. It's easier to tell kids stories about monsters you already exterminated.

Looks are often deceiving! Maybe not with Blaze, though. Her optics dim for a moment, which judging from her voice has to do with thinking hard. "I don't... think so. Seems like it'd be hard to get a good story out of that stuff anyhow." In her defense. They wiped her memory a lot. "Action movies are fun! I heard of one called 'The Terminator'. Must about some assassin, so that could be good."

"The Terminator? Shoot, that sounds good already! It's a movie about the guy who does the termination! I like this idea, I like it a lot... I feel like Terminator's what we oughta watch. Jesse said somethin' about some movies called True Grit and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. I can't tell what those're about from the names! I mean, grits are good, sure, but a whole movie about 'em? And I don't wanna watch a movie about ugly people. I see enough ugly on the daily."

He elbows Blaze encouragingly and asks, "If you could write a movie, what would it be about?"

"Grit's dirt, isn't it? Or stubbornness." She can't make out what they're about either. But she figures Jesse knows more about movies than anyone else she's met.

She gives him a startled look. Strange question! "If I wrote a movie? Light, I don't know. Not my kind of work. Have to be something about the war, I guess. They have movies in Azeroth?"

"Stubbornness! Shoot, I bet that's what they mean by grit. I was thinkin' grits as in the little centers from a kernel of corn. You make a kind of oatmeal out of it. It's good stuff! Westfall-style food."

Then he shakes his head and says, "No movies where I come from. We got still pictures, though. Photographs. I think if I wrote one... Shoot, it ain't easy to come up with a movie idea. All I can think about is war too! Maybe I'd make a movie about how hard it is for the poor folks in Westfall so the king would watch it and send us some aid?"

He looks to the Ghost and asks, "How 'bout you, man? You got any movie ideas?"

"Huh." His explanation's noted: not a kind of food she's heard of before, though she's more interested in the rest of what he says and cocks her head with a frown. "That's... not a bad idea. You shouldn't have to tell a king to take care of his people, though."

Hmmm...

The Ghost looks between them before it answers. "Um... well... maybe a story about exploration. A mission of discovery out to the beyond!"

Harrow smiles at the Ghost. He hadn't expected it to be that forthcoming or that creative! He holds a hand up to high five it before he realizes. Oh. It has no hands. Do not put your greasy mitts on its optic. Instead he gives it a thumbs up and a nod before he turns back to Blaze.

"What's leadership like on your world? Do you folks... Vote? That's what they do on my friend's Earth. I think the whole idea's strange."

Probably for the best: as soon as Harrow lifts his hand, the little bot dips a bit further behind the sketch he gave them.

"Strange?" She's amused? Is that a good sign? "About half the posts on the governing council are filled by vote, yeah. Our lead officers fill most of the rest. There's one faction who want the City united under a monarch - seems like a fool's idea to me, but they make themselves useful."

"What's foolish about monarchy?" Harrow asks, surprisingly non-defensive. "I think it's a good thing. If you can't vote for your leader, you don't doubt 'em. You follow their guidance, and folks work better as one. I think if humans voted on my world, we'd have a whole lotta political uprisin'. We wouldn't be one united race, that's for sure."

Blaze snorts, but there's a kind of pride in it. “They are human, aren’t they? They’ll question their leaders no matter what, if they’ve got functioning brains. Monarchy isn’t gonna help. I mean for a start, who’re you going to pick? How’re they supposed to represent everyone in the City? And what happens when you get an unfit monarch? If you can’t vote them out then an uprising’s your only option. People don’t like how an election turns out, they just complain and make more banners for the next one.”

Interdimensional Cable

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