tushanshu | (no subject)

[The feed clicks on to reveal a red-headed teen with yellow eyes, who's currently peering at the device like it's going to explode.]

Okay, power button. Check. I thought this could be like that episode of The Twilight Zone where they execute people by blowing up in their rooms and that maybe someone was clever for a change and made the self-destruct button look like the on/off. But! Obviously not, because I'm still here.

I think I'm getting paranoid. It's like there's this voice in my head going -

[Bart holds two fingers up to either side of his head, so they stick up through his hair like ears.]

"Trust nothing."

[He puts his arms down, and he really drops them. They're just suddenly gone, and the camera picks up maybe two frames of the action, but even that's a little lost in a yellow flash. Bart only laughs with relief.]

Hey! Look at that, they weren't lying about that either. Now, if it would just hurry up and work all the time.

So, uh. Hi. Bart Allen. Anyone know where to find the games on this thing? I gotta pass the time until the rest of you slow down.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Bart scratches the side of his neck. There's a hesitance and carefulness to his tone that makes the whole thing sound like a prolonged 'Ennnh'.]

I grew up fighting aliens and flying spaceships and going to school. Every day the world could blow up and be back again the same second like nothing had ever happened. Wake up the next day and do it all over again.

[Blink. Well, that was different. She hadn't quite expected him to give in so soon, and she had to pause and consider his statement (she's assuming he's being honest, at least, if he has to encrypt it) and make sense of it. Hmm.]

Like a time loop? Repeating the exact moment in time again and again?

[He's holding back on a huge amount of it, and only giving her the basics so that she doesn't nose around for more.]

Sometimes. But not always. It was all VR. I didn't loop. I grew up.

[Hrm.] I'm not big on the whole technological aspects of things, but wouldn't that imply you've been in a coma for your whole childhood? Is that what happened? [She doesn't sound or look very convinced, because somehow that didn't sound right to her. Not that he was lying, but that something didn't sound like it fit in place and she couldn't tell what.] An experiment?

[Bart's arms are crossed and pressing tightly into his chest. A deep crease has formed between his eyebrows, and, when he talks, his shoulders tense upwards and stay there.]

Could we not?

[Aaaaand nerve struck. She raises her hands in surrender, a gesture of peace.] Okay, that was too far even for me. Sorry about that. I meant no harm, honest.

[His shoulders relax, but he doesn't let go of his arms.]

It's okay. A little harsh on the word choice. Sticks and stones.

Very bad word choice. [She agrees, at least she's aware of it.] Guess I'll put that topic to rest.

If it helps, my childhood consisted of ghost ships and a gorilla trying to marry me, so the weird isn't exactly foreign to me.

[Water under the bridge.]

What - did you take a wrong turn and wind up in Gorilla City?

Wish it were that simple, but no. It's a whole lot of bizarre that I think started when my dad found the boy of his dreams. Not quite sure he'd be happy about me telling you about that. [And thus, the summary of Traci's life in one word. Bizarre.]

Found the boy of his dreams or found the boy of his dreams for you? Who... happened to be a gorilla?

The first one, and uh-- it was a little more literal than metaphoric. [That was really weird when he told her.] I'm not my mom. I wouldn't marry a monkey. [Kidding. Maybe. Well no, her dad can be quite a monkey.]

You've lost me.

You might want to get used to that.

Nuh-uh. The thing about speedsters - we're used to keeping up.

Pretty sure you'll run way ahead of me if I'm not careful.

Don't worry. I always double back.

(no subject)

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video; now baseline encrypted; that moment when you might as well say hi I'm Kid Flash

video; now baseline encrypted; she's pretty much calling him that in her head

video; now baseline encrypted; good job Bart

video; now baseline encrypted; good job Bart

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