002 ☁ Video & Action

[temperedtempest]

[If you're listening to the journal, you might see and hear the flash of lightning and an accompanying rumble of thunder. A quick glance outside will tell you it's a clear, cloudless day; but on the journal you might spy a miniature raincloud floating just under the steady hand of a woman kneeling in the grass.]

[Back home, Ororo had a neat little

Comments

[voice]

[infireandflame]

[That little raincloud beneath her hand is more than enough to raise his interests. Chimeras, homunculi, other alchemists... those are things he's used to, and those can't create and dismiss the elements like that. Call it morbid curiosity.

After all, it's always good to identify potential dangers to oneself, and the ability to make it rain is definitely a problem for him if what he's heard about being drafted to fight has any truth to it.]

Interesting ability you have there.

[voice]

[temperedtempest]

[Ororo is not quite used to people having such subdued reactions to her abilities. It was either terror at her being a mutant or worship as a goddess for the uses of her powers; both extremes, never a "oh that's a cool thing you can do there," that she gets here in Luceti.]

Thank you. It's proved to be quite useful over the years.

[voice]

[infireandflame]

How is it done, if you don't mind my asking? An innate skill or something a bit more... scientifically enhanced?

[voice]

[temperedtempest]

I have a connection with the elements, and the weather responds to my thoughts and feelings. And yes, it is an innate gift, one I was born with. [which should be easier to understand than "it's in my DNA."]

[voice]

[infireandflame]

Most of the abilities with which I'm familiar are ones that are gained through science, so something of that caliber -and with that sort of fine-tuned control- is quite impressive.

Then again, it's good to know there is someone here who can counter my own should the need arise.

[voice]

[temperedtempest]

[there will be some moving around on Ororo's end; she'll be setting the journal down and sitting beside it in view of the camera - she feels like this will be an interesting discussion.]

In contrast, most of the abilities that I've seen from my world are genetic. Control becomes a necessity.

But, you said something about countering your own gifts? What is it you can do?

[voice]

[infireandflame]

Understandable. Innate or not, if one can't control their particular talents, they run the risk of not only harming themselves, but those around them.

The manipulation of fire. It's a skill learned through alchemy, but it's one that, in Amestris, is unique to myself. I suppose you could consider it a specialty of sorts...

[voice]

[temperedtempest]

Ah, fire manipulation. I imagine that it would be difficult to master, regardless of the method of learning the skill. Can you conjure it, or is it limited to controlling an existing flame? [She's seen both, Magma and Sunspot for the prior, and the dangerous Pyro for the latter.]

[voice]

[infireandflame]

It's admittedly limited. Without a spark, there isn't much I can do in terms of flames, but manipulating them requires adjusting the levels of oxygen in the atmosphere, which is doable regardless of whether or not fire is present. The results of that on its own aren't quite as flashy, though.

[voice] sorry for the late! ):

[temperedtempest]

You're capable of adjusting the oxygen levels in the atmosphere? That's quite an ability, I can't imagine the level of control and concentration that must require, flashy or not.

[voice] no worries! :)

[infireandflame]

Adjusting the oxygen is what creates a path for the flames. It... wasn't easy to learn, though, and harder still to do it properly and without mishap. Even now, there are still times when I won't attempt it for fear of accident, despite the control and concentration being second nature now.

Your skills are innate, you said? Is it something you've always been capable of or is it something one would have to mature into? And if so, how did you discover that you had that ability?

[This is all absolutely fascinating to him. The science geek in him is pleased.]

[voice]

[temperstempests]

Manipulation of any sort is always difficult to master, I've found. Moreso when the abilities in question are destructive in nature. That you've achieved a level of it is commendable already... Although truthfully, I am more impressed at your restraint in experimenting and just letting the flames loose. [Storm remembers her encounters with Pyro, who has almost exactly the same ability, but displays less... sanity. Yes.]

My powers, on the other hand... Well, like all mutations, it was one I had to grow into. Mutant abilities lie dormant typically until they manifest at puberty, you see. [And she'll carefully ignore that last question of yours, Colonel. Sorry.]

[voice]

[infireandflame]

I've been made to loose them once before, and upon my own people. It was an experience I would prefer never to repeat.

[He has to laugh at that -not because it's funny, but because this is the first time he's really spoken with someone at length who genuinely understands... to an extent. The circumstances are different, but it still seems to him as though those with her world's mutations are similar to those in his who have an affinity for alchemy.]

I don't suppose your world is devoid of people who would consider you to be part of an "all-around freak show" just because you possess abilities that others don't, would it?

[voice]

[temperedtempest]

[Well, at least his laughter isn't mean-spirited. Ororo will just smile a bit in response to the laughter, though his comment about freakshows turns her voice a little somber.]

No, it's not. Mutants have only just begun emerging in recent years, and the general public hasn't ... responded very favorably to our kind. People have the natural tendency to harbor rather extreme feelings with regards to that which they don't understand, I'm afraid. [Because they can either hate and fear you, or tell you that your powers make you a goddess to be worshiped.]

[voice]

[infireandflame]

Unfortunately, that tendency seems to be one shared across worlds as well and it seems humans are inherently flawed in that respect. You're revered or despised without a middle ground, and should there be a moment where what sets you apart is forgotten or unnoticed, it doesn't last. Your biggest supporters come from individuals who are either the same or accepting, while your biggest contenders are those who can't accept the differences or don't share your mindset despite your similarities.

It's... disappointing.

[voice]

[temperedtempest]

You're not the only one I've met with these issues. That these problems transcend entire worlds is unfortunate, to say the least.

But of course, in the end, it all boils down to their not understanding or comprehending us and our powers. It may take years upon years, but I believe a peaceful co-existence is possible, if we can change that.