i_speak_softly | Fifty-Fourth Theory [Video]

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Fifty-Fourth Theory [Video]

((Forward-dated to tomorrow morning.))

[Don sends Leo off to battle today. He's not worried, only slightly disappointed that he doesn't get to go too.]

[When it becomes clear that the weather is settling in for a good storm, Don begins setting up a day's worth of entertainment.]

[The journal feed comes on with a shaky image of a television screen. After a few moments the picture stabilizes, and Don leans over to address his audience upside-down.]

Hi everyone. I'm going to be watching some movies while we wait out this weather. You're welcome to join me.

[Anyone in Luceti, with or without power, so long as they have a journal handy, may see the following films, with short breaks in between:

10:00 AM: "Star Wars: A New Hope"
12:30 PM: "Jurassic Park"
3:00 PM: "The Last Samurai"

After a somewhat longer break for dinner, the movies will resume.

7:00 PM: "Beauty and the Beast" (Before starting this film, Don will filter the video feed against

tailasoldastime. He'll unfilter when the movie ends.)
9:00 PM: "The Elephant Man"

... Don has never seen this last one all the way through. Maybe tonight he can finally do it.]

[While watching the movies, Don will work on restoring the computer files he deleted during last month's experiment.]

((Talking during the movies is very much encouraged; please threadjack/do log-type things!))

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[Come 3PM, Japan will pop into this random chat. The Last Samurai is fascinating to him....]

Ah...it's started....

... Japan-sama?

Ah... [Right. Riiiight, the last time they spoke Japan was still... He sighs.]

Simply...Japan is fine. I apologize for my behavior before. The Malnosso...

[... Oh. Say no more.]

[He's still going to call you -sama though.]

You've seen this one before?

[Thank goodness. He is glad Donatello can read between the lines with him.]

Yes. It stars many famous actors from my home country. But with a Hollywood budget...! It's very interesting.

[Don is hopeless at recognizing actors - all humans look more or less alike to him.]

I like how both sides learn from each other. I try to do something like that in my work.

Your work....?

[Shyly:] I build things...

Ah.... [right, he heard about that] ...So do I, on occasion. What do you build?

Vehicles, mostly. [Sadly:] Not so much here, though.

Yes, the parts seem sadly lacking... Perhaps building self-powered vehicles would not be as difficult...

I have a bicycle and some hang-gliders, but... it's not the same.

[... It's probably somewhat late-ish by the time Robert returns home from Helios' party. Despite the fact that part of him had wanted to stay longer, he feels obligated in part by the fact that Don would've been home alone... and the fact he's worried the blizzard might have knocked out the power.

It's dark when he first walks in, and so his voice is curious as he closes the front door behind himself.]

... Don?

Down here. [That is, on the floor by the coffee table. The TV is off, and he's filtering his running journal entry before he starts the next movie. Who needs light?]

How was the party?

... It... was certainly exhausting, being around all those people... [With nobody else to cling to, unlike the Christmas ball.

Robert smiles fondly a moment later ~~probably for reasons that haven't happened yet~~.] But... it was nice... I did enjoy it, and... and I hope Helios did too.

... Have... have you been alright? I... I did not want to leave you too long...

[He'll ask more about this in a minute.]

I've been watching movies with everyone. [Finishing the filter, he turns the TV back on and cues up the title screen of the next DVD. Once he's gotten it started, he moves back to the couch and resettles himself amongst the blankets.] Join us?

[... That reminds him of something Mike said long ago. Movie nights with the Hamatos.

Or Hamato. Robert doesn't mind right now.]

... Of course...

[He shifts onto the couch near Don - not so close that his body heat is overwhelming, but close enough so that maybe it helps warm the blankets.]

Which is this, if... I may ask?

[It reminds Don too - of Mike's insistence that Robert would not like any movie the Hamatos liked. The one he just put on is a Disney flick, and it still has violent scenes.]

[Deciding not to mention that, Don dips his snout in Robert's direction, reading the warmth coming off him.]

It's called "Beauty and the Beast". It's - a love story.

[Robert ought to know romance is not usually Don's genre, but something about the way he says this might suggest he has a special affinity for the movie.]

"Beauty and the Beast"... [Robert repeats the title, thoughtfully.] ... How fascinating. And you say it is a... love story?

[He knows someone named Beast. Perhaps this will be relevant...]

... That is a little unusual for you...

Watch the movie. [He's hoping that by the end he won't have to explain why this is important to him.]

[He listens with rapt attention as the narrator tells the tale of the prince and the enchantress.]

[Robert studies the screen with curiosity, listening to the whole tale with some measure of scrutiny. Cursing someone for a social faux pas? That seems a little harsh.

... But at the same time, he's not having the easiest time seeing why the curse is a humongously bad thing. It didn't really change much, did it?]

... What an odd reaction, though... it was cruel...

[...They are not going to get the same message from this movie, are they.]

She's teaching him a lesson about appearances.

[Most likely not, nope.]

Appearances...? Do you mean... physical appearance?

Sort of. But also about how to know who you can trust.

[Maybe that's a lesson Robert can understand - or at least see the need for.]

... That is an important lesson... [At the least, it has many important consequences. Robert nods a little at it.

... Of course, once the intro gets to actually showing the Beast, however briefly...]

...

That... looks very much like the Beast here in Luceti...

[Don grins delightedly.] It's him.

... Oh, it is?

[For a moment, he wants to say that's impossible. But... but the turtle sitting next to him... well, Ingrid said in one world, he was fictional as well.

Huh.]

... How remarkable.

[Softly:] But... he seems like a nice person to me.

[Sincerely:] He's my hero.

[He's quiet a moment, watching Belle greet the townspeople, then says:] I think she was my first crush.

[... In a way, Belle does look like the sort of person one would have feelings for. Soft, pretty, slim... Not that Robert is much of a judge.

But someone Don has feelings for... or had feelings for - must be a wonderful person.

Robert just smiles, and threads his fingers in the blanket near Don.]

... She must surely... be a beautiful person, then.

[Stopping there, Robert? How disappointing.]

Wait 'til you see what she does.

[Hardly stopping. Robert would hold Don's hand if he wanted - he just doesn't want to impose on him now, especially when too much body heat might be a bad thing.

Still... he doesn't move his hand.]

I will be delighted to see...

[... All this singing and dancing is reminding him of himself as a princess...]

[Fine, be that way. Don scoots over six inches to sit shoulder-to-shoulder with Robert.]

[He gestures to the screen, where Maurice is showing Belle his new invention.]

I always watch this scene twice when I'm alone.

[Oh, this is nice. Robert smiles and shuffles to press into Don's side, comfortingly revelling in the heft of his side against him.]

Oh...? Is this a scene you enjoy, then?

One of my favorites.

[Though he can't explain why without sounding completely ungrateful.]

[He settles down with his head on Robert's shoulder.]

So. Who was at this party?

... Quite a number of people... Giles, Frederic, and Ginia were, of course, to be expected, but Grune and Link also made appearances.

[... There might have been others too. ~~But they haven't posted yet.~~]

... At least I... was familiar with the majority of them this time...

You enjoyed it?

I... I did. [Robert smiles shyly at that. Something might tell Don that he definitely enjoyed something about the outing.]

[That's a little suspicious, but Don won't ask - he wants to reinforce the idea that it's okay for Robert to go out even when Don has to stay in. To that end, he tilts his head back to smile upside-down at Robert, even if it's a little forced.]

I'm glad.

[~~Not even the mun knows what happened at the time of this posting, but it probably involves kissing Helios.~~ And Robert wouldn't actually hide it from Don if he did ask.

In fact, he says, a little tentatively:]

... If... if you want more detail later, I... certainly can provide it.

[... He trusts Don not to be too bothered by it, and... well. It's not like it isn't the worst-kept not-secret he has anyway.]

You don't have to tell me anything.

[To be honest, part of him would rather not know. He returns his attention to the movie, where Gaston is informing the villagers, in song, of how great he is.]

[Robert doesn't realize he'd rather not know, and assumes this is more an attempt for Robert to save face than anything.

Still, the movie is sufficiently distracting at this point that Robert turns his eyes back to it.

... Gaston comes off as a real ass to him.]

[Yup. Splinter had made clear to his impressionable boys which of Gaston's traits were worth emulating, and which were not.]

He's a strange villain, isn't he?

He... certainly is. And... ethically repugnant, to... say the least.

Does he not understand the concept of consent...? [... Yes, this is what Robert fixates on. And the fact he's a parody of masculinity? That hasn't even registered.

...

~~He does have kind of a nice-lookin chest though... not that it excuses anything.~~]

I don't think he understands she's saying no.

[Hence, doesn't know he's doing anything wrong. Don is curious to see whether Robert will pick up on this gray area.]

[... Nooot quite.]

How could he not? It is... fairly evident, even to me.

[Yes, getting into a serious discussion about ethics due to Beauty and the Beast. Only Robert...]

[In the most affectionate tone:] That's because you always expect no.

[More seriously:] Gaston can only imagine yes, so that's what he hears.

[That... makes a very selfish sort of sense.]

... Ah... well, I suppose he... should learn otherwise, then. It is... not good to be ignorant...

[As Robert knows himself. Ignorance leads to all sorts of problems.]

[An hour, a bowl of popcorn, and much commentary later, Don gets up to change the DVD. He settles back onto the couch as the black-and-white credits flicker onto the screen, curling close to Robert and seeming much more anxious than he did earlier.]

[In response, Robert curls back, letting a hand drift almost reassuringly to Don's shoulder.]

... Is... is there an issue...?

[Don doesn't answer. The opening scenes of the movie should be all the explanation Robert needs.]

[... Even Robert can tell that this movie is going to be horror incarnate.

But he sputters, aloud, when he sees the cartoonish words in black and white -]

"Freaks"...?!

[That is a clearly disgusted sputter.]

[Don slides down to rest his head in Robert's lap, his shell towards the back of the couch, one leg partially drawn up. He's just going to watch the movie from here.]

[That's okay. Robert doesn't mind; his fingers lay lightly on Don's arm.

He's too busy focusing on the inexplicable things on the black-and-white screen.]

... These are... a-absolutely appalling conditions...

[Abruptly:] I've never seen the end of this.

[That sounds both sad and understandable.]

Why not...?

I can't get through it... None of us have finished it.

[With infinite gentleness and understanding:] You do not have to, if you... do not want to.

I do... [And he falls silent again, biting his thumb and focusing on the movie.]

[The imagery in the movie is disturbing for so many reasons. Dark and grimy and gray, full of crowded streets and fires belching smoke and strange angular buildings... not a piece of foliage in sight.

... But the actual travesty is yet to come. Good gods that surgery...]

... how on Terra is that permissible...?

[Don squeezes Robert's knee, but Robert probably won't know what this means, because Don isn't entirely sure himself. It's somewhere between "Thank you for understanding this is wrong", "Don't leave", and "Enough commentary", probably with other important ideas mixed in there as well.]

Huh. Drake would get a kick out of this.

It's the best.

[Normally he would ask who Drake is, but what's the difference? Everybody likes action movies with dinosaurs!]

I guess if you like dinosaurs eating people.

I like it when it's fictional. [It's fun to see the reptiles win!]

[That does make sense.]

You don't have those anymore in your world?

... Dinosaurs?

[Smoker, if you have living dinosaurs in your world, Don will be very cross with you for not saying so sooner.]

[.... Oops.]

Right. I mean, they're mostly extinct, there's only an extremely select few islands, but skirting around the edges looking for Baroque Works you can always find a few.

Not to mention Drake turns into one. [Did he forget to mention that? :|]

Smoker, what?

[Sorry, can't formulate a more intelligent question right now.]

Not the case for other worlds I take it?

[He can't help it that all your other worlds are weird, okay? :|]

Dinosaurs have been entirely extinct for millions of years!

Oh. What killed them all?

The theory is a massive asteroid impact...

[Look at the turtle man! James barely blinks an eyelash. He does find himself intrigued by the movies, and without anything better to do.]

Never heard of Star Wars.

[Of course the minute the ships appear, James is even more intrigued! They look nothing like ships from home.]

Space opera? Hmm

Heathen.

[Honestly, 'space opera'? You need to sit down, shut up, and get converted to the cinematic religion that is George Lucas's greatest work.]

What. [James sounds honestly confused and indigent.]

It reminds me of the old space operas from home! Besides space battle looks nothing like that! And where the hell are the biodomes on the ships?

[Poor man from the future. Everything he knows is wrong, at least according to Lucas.

However the story is interesting enough.]

This is nothing like daytime TV. This is about good and evil and the fate of the universe. And give the effects guys a break, it was the 70's.

Daytime TV? Space Operas as Daytime TV? ...What.

[Wrong kind of Space Opera. Think Space Opera Premise in huge Holo-theater. Pick your point of view! Fun for the whole family as you can pick your rating too!

James tone is slightly wary on the next question.]

...Which group of 70's do you mean?

[Don is thinking more along the lines of Master Splinter's "stories", only set on a spaceship. Which would already be an improvement, though still not in the same league as Star Wars.]

The 1970's. When this movie was made. And when we barely had space travel in the real world.

...1970's!

[Yes, James sounds shocked beyond all reason. That was a long time ago. That's even farther back than the 2000's!

James is suffering from Culture shock, allow him a moment to reboot.]

Uh... Wow. It's pretty good for that far back.

[Taking this as a backhanded compliment.] Yes, I know, I come from a world of primitive backward science. Should I expect you to have produced a better science fiction movie by tomorrow?

[... There might be a case of mistaken identity going on here.]

[James is silent a moment, confused.]

What? I never said anything about your world! We haven't even met!

...Have we?

Aren't you the one who implied that SHELL does nothing more than play with chemistry sets and robot kits?

What the hell is SHELL? And whats wrong with chemistry s-

[James finally realizes what might be the problem.]

...You're kidding. I do not sound like Tony Stark! ...do I? I don't think I sound like Tony.

Wow. Uh, I think there has been a slight case of mistaken identity...

The Scientists, Hypothesizers, and Engineers of Luceti League.

I don't know who Tony Stark is, but you sound a lot like someone who calls himself "Iron Man".

[Guarded - unsure whether you are or are not that person.]

Huh. That sounds interesting. You guys working on getting out of here, or trying to understand the Malnosso or something?

Who the hell is Iron Man?

[James sighs.]

My name is James. James Gumshoe.

Mostly theoretical so far, but we're hoping it will lead to something.

[Long pause.] A very confident individual. [That's the nicest thing he can think of to say.]

Donatello Hamato. Sorry about the misunderstanding. ... But not about calling you a heathen.

It sounds promising. I'm neither a scientist nor an engineer, but I am interested. This is probably one of the better places I've been kidnapped to, but I'd still rather be home.

[Well, that pause speaks volumes.] I see then.

Nice to meet you. And no worries.

Look, sorry about the space opera thing. I've seriously never seen this before, which really isn't a big surprise since things from that far back didn't really survive to my time. Which is a shame, because this is kinda interesting.

Likewise. [He's beginning to think the two of you will get along just fine, once you watch this movie and officially redact your "space opera" comment.]

When this is over I want to hear about your world, but if we keep talking now I'm going to have to make you watch it again.

[By the end, he probably will, though he'll also be wistfully wondering how such a movie would look in his time, with the change of perspective features and everything.]

Sounds good to me. Not that I'd object to watching it again.

[You are earning back a lot of points, Mr. Gumshoe.]

[Don will be silent for the next ninety minutes or so, after which he'll sigh happily before saying:] Are you still there?

[James would be happy to know that.]

What...? Oh, yeah. That can't be the end, right? Please tell me that is not the end? There's so many unexplained things!

[You have much to look forward to, initiate.]

There are two sequels and three prequels. Want to borrow them?

God yes.

Even if the ships they are using violate all my knowledge of space travel, I find myself really not caring.

[Conversion accomplished.]

I'll bring them over when the weather clears. Where do you live?

Ah, Community House 7, floor 4, room 18.

[James recalls some of the conversation before.]

You said you had some questions?

Mind if I ask them in person?

((We could date an appointments thread to the 18th, during the brief break in the snow?))

Not at all. It'll be more fun that way.

((sounds good to me! 8D Your appointments or mine?))

The next clear day, then.

((Bouncing over to yours momentarily!))

[He sleeply said to the book as he flips it open to see the movie just as he wakes up]

Tha' looks like that Luke guy...

Mm-hmm. [Who else would it be?]

Guess he was an actor when he was younger, cool.

Ah, no, he worked on a farm...

[You should have watched the beginning of the movie.]

...Farm boy to actor to monk? Whoa.

No, he -- Did you just start watching now?

Yes?

[He also sounds half-asleep]

[Well, he's not about to summarize the whole movie.]

I'll play it again sometime. It makes a lot more sense from the beginning.

Oh, that's not problem, I'll just ask him later!

[You are half-asleep and not making any sense. Trying to talk further would only give you opportunities to embarrass yourself, so Don will shut up.]

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Fifty-Fourth Theory [Video]

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[During Jurassic Park] / [voice]

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[Voice] Star Wars for James

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