two ✤ video

[lingeringhope]

[Hope still hasn't quite grasped human niceties, so he appears on the network suddenly, with no leadup and no greeting. As usual, he looks vaguely stressed and displeased.]

It has become obvious to me that I don't quite know how you creatures work. I need your hope, and unlike Fear I don't intend to bombard you with imagery just in case something sticks. Whether you like me or not, we're working together, in a way - without me, you'd all starve, without you, my power is lessened. I know you all so desperately want to go home, and without more power there's really no chance of that. So I have a proposal.

[He leans in, just a little.]

Bring me things that inspire hope in you. Place them on the altar in my temple over the next week or so, give me some idea of what it will take to draw hope out of you humans. If you can imbue them with more power - inspire hope in others with your ideas, work together, form bonds - that's even better.

As you all seem to enjoy being disagreeable, I do have more incentive then simply helping me out. Whoever brings me the thing that gives me the most power will receive my blessing. It's quite rare and valuable, it will impart to you the the ability to heal others for a certain amount of time. Since you all seem quite squishy and easily injured, I've no doubt that would be useful.

In addition, if I receive enough power, I'll waste some of it on a treat for all of you. So there's plenty of reason to help me out. Get to work.

[And that seems to be that. No farewell here, just Hope shutting the feed off. Feel free to ask him questions, if you'd like. He might even answer.]

Comments

video;

[vdova]

[ So this is the guy who brought them here. Natasha's eyes are narrowed, and she's not very impressed. She considers, for a moment, even not responding at all, but...

She clicks the feed on, expression neutral, arms crossed, like she's interviewing him. ] What happens if we don't?

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[64th]

I'm not squishy. That's rude.

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[swill]

[When you mash buttons long enough, something's bound to happen. This something happens to be a video call, which makes Hawkeye recoil for point-four seconds when he sees his own face pop up on a square of the phone screen. And while the guy on the other end of the wire looks like he's had it up to here with some nonsense or other

well... he's not the first fella to look like that in the vast history of Ever, and he can't bust Hawkeye down a rank or four or five, and he certainly can't invite him to afternoon tea in a cell in Leavenworth. Which really just made this easy.

Show him the cookie before you whistle for him to sit pretty, you son of a bitch.] You know, if you were a little more intelligent you'd be an idiot. What the hell do you think you're doing? Calling us creatures? Giving us treats? If you want to help us so badly then you should have given us that grand prize days ago. Do you want to know what's going to help the squishy, easily injured people sport some hope around here? It won't be something temporary- I mean, it'll help, and you sure as hell better make good on that promise- but we need something concrete too. Get us a damn hospital. Even pets get vets. Give us one of those and I'll roll over, show you my belly and wag my tail off any time I catch a whiff of ya. It's really not that complicated of an idea. Show people there's less of a chance of them dying- getting sick, losing an arm, whatever- and suddenly they feel better. Trust me, it works. It works very well.

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[smited]

[ as cullen is still very unfamiliar with this whole 'technology' thing, there's a close-up of him squinting at the phone before he realizes, oh. it's working. ]

Or you could not waste power and instead send us home.

[ he is so unimpressed. ]

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[bekommen]

[Have some extreme side-eyeing, buddy.]

You gotta be fucking kidding me.

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[unabatedly]

You can claim all you wish that you cannot send us home. It does not mean any of us will believe you.

[ And if he thinks for a single moment that they should be grateful, should do things for him, whatever he might be... Neria says nothing for a moment, simply watching, attempting to piece all of this into something understandable. ]

But for argument's sake, let's assume you cannot under any circumstances send us back. What reason do we have to trust you? And what would it take of you - of anyone - to go back where we came from?

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[isacrowd]

[So this is who she has to work with? Jeez] You could probably learn to say please and thank you.

Either way, you're my ticket home, so count me in.

[Yes, she rolled her eyes a little. Children.]

Video

[fierycharm]

What exactly are you expecting to see? A rock? My favorite jacket? [His only jacket right now.]

I mean, it's not like I'm gonna walk down to the corner store and find something hopeful there. [Food, sure, that warm fuzzy feeling? Not as much.]

I mean, I guess I could draw you a little picture if you don't mind some stick figures, but I really don't see what you're expecting to get.

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[closerift]

[ .......

meekly: ] Will we lose what we've given?

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[hybridification]

Wait so are you the one who gave us the phones?

[notjustinthemirror]

I'll be the bearer of bad news for you: Every single asshole in this place has only one hope, and that's to go home.

So everything on your altar is gonna suck.

audio.

[baths]

[ this is so, so beyond her but chris and mike are still in rough shape... being able to actually do something about it immediately catches her interest. ]

"The ability to heal others." ...You can really do that? [ her tone is more curious than disbelieving. learning that cursed mountains and flesh-eating monsters are real will do that. ]

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[casperdisaster]

Um. What if what we have isn't like a ... physical thing? Like. It's music? And some pictures. And they're on my phone. So.