expiationnet | video; un: goo

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video; un: goo

[It's a rare video post from Morph, starting with a selfie-style shot of their smiling face, and a distant view of trees behind them.]

I still can't believe it happened, but my home showed up? And it's not a half-burnt, demolished ruin like the last time I saw it. Here, take a look.

[Then they turn the camera to show that they're standing on a driveway that leads up to a literal mansion which is as promised, intact and very non-destroyed looking.]

This is Xavier's School for 'Gifted' Youngsters. A full tour would be pretty boring, but there is something here that you absolutely have to see.

[The video feed cuts off and then restarts in a metal hallway, right outside a set of doors that promptly open up into... a big metal room. Other than an observation platform at the top of the room that's lined in glass, there's nothing all that notable about it.]

This is what we call the Danger Room! Long story short, the Professor has this alien squeeze that gave us access to some awesome technology. Talk about side benefits, right?

Computer, let's run simulation Juggernaut 24-A.

[With a shimmer of light, there's suddenly an entirely new landscape around Morph - they're now standing in a construction yard, with stacks of steel beams and construction equipment visible behind them, along with the slightly more distant buildings of a city.

There's also a huge armored guy standing in the construction yard, who's distinctly confused expression is still visible despite the helmet. "Hey, whuzzat?"]

This is where the X-Men do a lot of our training! It's all fancy holograms set up to put us through our paces. Using the Danger Room, we can plug info about our opponents into the computer and practice fighting them like it's... nearly the real thing. It's not perfect.

[Morph is paying no mind whatsoever to the holographic Juggernaut approaching behind them, who's looking angrier and angrier.]

Stop by sometime if you want to check it out! You don't have to load up a program with enemies in it, that's just what we use it for-

[At that moment the Juggernaut bellows out, "STOP IGNORING ME!", swinging a huge fist at Morph. They promptly drop their device, leaving the view tilted up at a grey, clouded sky as there's the SLAM of an impact that makes the device rattle.]

Whoops! I'm okay! Computer, end program!

[There's another shimmer of light before the view changes to a metal ceiling, the feed cut off shortly after.]

(OOC: The X-Mansion now exists in-game! Here is the info page, and a log for checking out the mansion will be going up a little later.)

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okay slow down a sec, are you really suggesting we start threatening the locals? 

If they ever end up trying to pick a real fight with us? Sure.

Even dumb animals know how to remind you that they can means business if you get any dumb ideas. So why shouldn't we?

because terrorizing people just makes them hate and fear you??

and that's assuming they'll act like normal people. it might not work at all if this is in their programming. they were nicer before the reset, but I have no idea why. 

Better hated and feared than indirectly encouraging any foolish notions that they can treat us however they like by just rolling over and taking it. It's much easier to prove that you're not as bad as they thought, than to teach somebody to no longer be a bully.

Probably because they had their memories wiped. Does "putting something back to factory settings" mean anything to you?

[Well that's a familiar line of thinking. Morph has heard it before, though they've much more often heard the opposite side from Xavier himself. There's a pause before they send a reply, mostly because Morph is trying to summon up the memory of those speeches.]

so you think we oughta be worse than them? show that we're the criminals they think we are? proving their fears right just means they'll go from being wary to full-on hating us, and that'll be far worse than the cold shoulders we're getting now. 

and yeah, I know what that means. but I was also told that this place used to look a lot less modern, but it's still the same city it was a month ago. just without glitches. it doesn't seem like everything completely went back to the start.  

Just the 'living' things?

Clean out your ears. I've never said that we should terrorize them or throw our powers around pointlessly. We are talking IF they become as bad as the 'normal' humans of your place tend to get towards you mutants, which is *pretty* bad as far as I've understood.

Do you know what is absolutely necessary if you want to hope for any form of co-existence?

woah, I didn't think of it that way! you're right, the world itself didn't change. just... the living things that weren't the Chosen? Rogue's injuries didn't go away with the reset. our bodies and minds stayed the same. 

yeah I... gave you a pretty grim idea of what my world's like, huh. it wasn't on purpose. it's not like a mutant can't go out in public without trouble, but whether or not there's more danger really depends on a lot of things, including whatever the news is saying about us lately. 

you're gonna say cooperation, right? 

Please. Try to at least take this seriously, will you?

The answer is obviously respect. Forget all that romantic nonsense about peace and picking flowers together, and look at the hard facts of history.

You don't need shared goals, values or even a language. All that's required is that you bring enough power to the table that it will force the others to look at and actually see you. Only once they can no longer ignore you, your voice will be heard and mean anything.

[This is approaching the rhetoric they've heard before from people like Magneto, but... coming from Nura, they're far more willing to listen.]

well I never was the best student. 

I have a question, teacher! what do you think about using that power to protect them instead of threatening them directly with it? is that impressive enough to count? 

Absolutely. Putting somebody into your debt in a way they can't ignore qualifies just as much as as using your wits or whatever other resources or means you have. Choosing that way will be pretty risky for you and those close to you, though. So I wouldn't recommend it unless you are very sure that it's going to work.

The main point is that you need to be in a position where they can't just dismiss any contracts or promises they made to you.

The sweet balance is being too much of an obstacle for them to just ignore, yet not enough of a threat to frighten them into an attack. They must want your cooperation when the chips come down.

great! 'cause that's the strategy the X-Men use. 

it might be tough to pull off, but the Professor's dream is for mutants to live in harmony with humans, and that means showing that our powers can help people. if the locals end up being a problem, I'd rather take the same tactic. it's way better to convince them that we're good guys than to start making demands, even if the demand is for respect. 

Somehow I get the feeling that you only heard the bits that you wanted to hear, but whatever. I'm not your babysitter.

Just be careful that you don't end up being used like a fool and then tossed away.

hey, I was paying attention! debates like this are pretty common back home. not everyone agrees on the best way to do things, as you can imagine.

I don't mind putting in the work. that suits me better than intimidation, personally. if it doesn't work out... then I can always consider doing it some other way. 

Do whatever you want. I can only tell you what worked in our case.

hey now, you said youkai were hiding away from humans. was this something that happened before that point? 

We hide our existence from broad knowledge, but that doesn't mean that we don't co-exist.

... are you saying the people who need to know, know? 

[Wow, okay. The implications of that were far beyond what Morph had been picturing in their head.]

Of course they do. What do we have our ministries for, if not to deal with all the pesky political stuff? There's probably more youkai living in the big human cities than there are in small secluded villages by now.

Makes sense, too, since there's just more fun to be had for the younger folk there.

okay, I can admit that when you were talking about being hidden away, I was picturing it like some sort of 'totally hidden but in plain sight' thing. what you're describing does sound like it works better.

I did tell you we are co-existing with humanity, except in our own way, though. Like hell we'd act like scared prisoners over a couple of weaklings with an over-grown ego.

If anything, then we're like Switzerland.

that sure sounds like an ideal place to be. 

don't worry Nura, I'll keep all your centuries of wisdom in mind. 

That's what they always say before they call me next morning, wailing at me to bail them out of jail.

But like I said, you're a bit too old to be one of my students, so you do you and I'll do me. Hopefully we'll even both keep our heads on our necks that way.

aw hey, if I need to be bailed out, I'll probably call Rogue first. :)

the locals aren't so bad that we have to do anything drastic yet. it might not end up mattering at all. so don't start worrying just yet, okay? 

How reassuring.

I won't. Even if they wanted to, they wouldn't be able to catch me anyway.

[Which has never stopped him from worrying about his students or teachers, though. Hell, even Karasuma.....! ]

that's the spirit. 

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