futurology | one, video; un: sharpshooter

[ This apartment may look a bit familiar. It's certainly the same one that Kaz was in in his previous post. This time however, the message features Jesper. Still decked out in his awesome 90s clothes, b-t-dubs. Yes, there are riots out there. And yeah, riots suck. But Jesper looks like he's doing pretty ok, thanks for asking. ]

Hey, so I know you guys are a real generous bunch. [ He grins. ] This might sound like a weird request, but given the way people were hoarding them back at the supermarket, I figure everybody's stocking up on canned food, right? Since I guess the food inside takes forever to spoil.

[ He shrugs. Yes, he was one of the people who looted the DollarClub. No, he does not look any worse for the wear. Instead Jesper produces a can of beans for the magitek. It's empty, actually, but he gives it a little spin if anyone needs to take a closer look before putting it down on the couch. ]

So I thought to myself, 'Jesper, I bet a lot of people are gonna just throw those cans away after they're done with them,' and that's a real shame. So if anybody has empty cans laying around, think you could send them my way?

[ He smiles again, this time the can seems to, um. Float? In mid-air? Does he know he's doing that? ]

I promise, they're for a good cause.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Maybe if Jesper had actually had real training he would know how to put this into words. ]

No, I'm trying to practice my fabrikating. I can feel out metals and glass and stuff, kind of... make it move and change the composition of it, but metal is the easiest. It's what I have the most practice in.

['Fabrikating.....' Does he make clothes or something, this is a mystery that needs to be unraveled—or not, thanks Jesper for taking this a natural step further and explaining.]

So it's like metalbending, except you can change the type of metal you're working with. [That's pretty cool, dude.] Whoa, even Toph can't do that.

[Does this mean Toph isn't the greatest metalbender in the universe.....]

You know somebody who can do that?

[ Dude, hook a guy up! ]

I mean, I don't have any real training so it's not gonna be too good for now. But maybe with some practice...

[ I mean, we're talking years of practice. Or lots of coins. ]

[Bro, he totally would if she were here. As it is:]

Yeah, Toph! She's one of my best friends back home. She's my earthbending teacher and one of the best earthbenders in the world. Except she can't do all the stuff with glass that you can.

[But, hmm, since Toph isn't here....]

Have you talked to Peridot? She can do stuff with metal too, but I don't know how good she is.

[Vague 'stuff' because he's only seen her do it once or twice.]

Woah, she sounds pretty cool. I have another grisha friend back home, but she's a heartrender. Her powers and mine couldn't be more different.

[ Haha, oh Aang, Jesper can't do anything in glass unless he actually learns how to. But that's beside the point.... ]

Yeah, she seemed pretty excited (to put it lightly) when she saw what I could do. I think hers work with magnets?

I guess so, I've never asked.

[She's always been too busy telling him about Camp Pining Hearts, tbqh. Plus he's also far more interested in this 'grisha' business.]

What's a 'grisha' though? Is that someone who can do what you do?

[ Jesper has avoided the shipping talk so far... will he be so lucky for long? ]

Oh, yeah. Grisha are just what we call people back home who can do what I can do. There's different kinds and all that, I'm technically a Fabrikator because I can manipulate solids.

[Magic 8 ball says: Don't count on it.]

A 'Fab-ri-katerr'? [What a weird name for something like that but who is he to judge.] Can you manipulate any solid you want?

[Just because he prefers metal right now doesn't mean he can't manipulate everything else under the sun, right....]

Basically, I think? Metals, plastics, glass... Non-living stuff. I'm not really sure about wood, though. When I was little my mom taught me how to take the color from flowers and use it to dye fabric, but I haven't heard of too many people doing that.

[ THAT'S... not actually a power fabrikators should have, Jesper!! Just keep thinking you're a normal fabrikator, buddy. Ok. ]

I mean, technically I'm what's called a... a durast? Alkemi can do like, powders and gasses, I think? But fabrikators are kind of the lowest rung in terms of powers compared to other grisha.

[ I always forget if they capitalize these terms so let's just go with it. ]

The divisions were made up by this country called Ravka that has a whole army divided by what people can do. So there's people who can heal or kill people, and people who can control wind and water, that sort of thing. You can see why "manipulating solids" falls kind of low when you compare it to "able to stop someone's heart with a flick of their wrist."

[Dang.....he's jealous. If only he could master every material there was in the world instead of just the four elements. (But then again, that'd be a loooooot of practice so maybe not.)

Most of the technical names - Alkemi, Fabrikator, Ravka - fly by his small mind, but he zeroes in immediately on "stop someone's heart". His brow furrows at the thought - why would anyone want to stop someone else's heart? - but he tries to push through nonetheless.]

If they can stop someone's heart that easily, does that mean they can start it again? And does that mean they could do the same with other organs in the body?

[ Doesn't help that most of those terms are in fantasy-russian, but they are a military organization, so it's not too hard to guess why they'd want someone that dangerous on their side. ]

Kind of. Heartrenders and healers are the same kind of grisha, just one specializes in dealing damage while the other works on repairing it. I had a friend back home who was a heartrender, she could put people to sleep with just a flick of her wrist. I don't know if it works by lowering your pulse or if she can target other organs specifically though, I didn't go to school for this like she did.

[He wrinkles his nose a bit that.]

Sounds complicated. How come you didn't go to school for that stuff? Were you too busy?

[ Jesper makes the same face in response. ]

There's kind of only one option for grisha schools back home, and it involves getting drafted into the Ravkan military. I'm not big on swearing allegiance to a foreign country in exchange for an education.

Oh....

[Aang deflates some at the answer, voice trailing away.]

How come they don't have normal not-military schools for that? What if something bad happens because someone didn't get the right training?

That's usually why most grisha end up in indentured servitude or on some slaver's ship to Shu Han. Or, you know... cornered by the druskelle.

[ Just going by his tone, that's obviously a bad thing. ]

Let's just say there's as many downsides to having powers as there are upsides, in my world.

Well, I'm glad you're trying to learn here then instead of back home.

[Because boy does that sound like not a fun time.]

I'll make sure to bring you a lot of cans so you can practice then.

Yeah, I don't really tell people I have powers back home.

[ It's really not a fun time, like at all. ]

Thanks, buddy. I'd appreciate it!

[ Boy, people are so helpful. ]

one, video; un: sharpshooter

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