revivalproject | 001 - Speed Is Productive!

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001 - Speed Is Productive!

WHO: Tommy Shepherd and Anyone
WHERE: Hotel and Greenhouse
WHEN: First Days on Agra 10
WHAT: Settling In and Learning Practical Skills
WARNINGS: N/A yet, will update if change

Finding Pear Dice - Greenhouse Exploration

There is a serious issue here, namely that Tommy hates moving at snail pace. Part of the issue with being a speedster is that the mutation that made him move fast made a lot of the rest of him fast. Which included two things that were already a problem here on Agrii Whateverthefuck: his brain, and his metabolism. There was literally no turning off how fast his brain ran, even when he was choosing to operate in the sorts of time frames that humans do. Sure, he could slow it down some, but in the end how fast it ran meant that walking at normal human paces left his brain bored if there wasn't other stuff to do. Exploration, as it were, wasn't exactly the easiest for Tommy to manage. Which flowed into the second issue, his metabolism.

As much as Tommy wanted to speed around, make a full mental map of this place, figure out how to start improving it, he couldn't. His body needed food to fuel it, and speed was something that had to be sacrificed for the basic rule of survival. Which was literally the opposite of what Tommy had always thought he should do. He had managed to survive everything by running away, running to find answers, or otherwise using his speed as a survival strategy. Which meant not having enough food to maintain speed very long was sort of frustrating.

This was what led to Tommy staying in a relatively small area for his initial explorations. More than that, this is what led Tommy to a glass building, and through the doors. Was it wrong that he smiles the second he opened the doors and realized what was going on? Probably. Maybe not. Food. There is food in here. It isn't cooked, it isn't starch, but it's something.

And more than that? Another glowy orb. As weird as the previous one had been, this one Tommy is prepared for. Or so he thinks. When he touches it there is a moment of immobility as the system uploads to his brain, and a jolt that goes through him when a glitch prevents him from getting everything. But what he gets is enough to leave a grin on Tommy's face as he cracks his knuckles.

"Talk about a worthwhile project."

The only question is where to start. And the answer is easy. Bypass the seeds, ignore the broken irrigation system, and he makes his way up to the over-grown upper level. He moves to twisting, curling, monstrous vine covered in what looks like small cyan bananas. He plucks one down and just devours it in three bites. The peel is nutritious, and good for fiber, his new knowledge tells him. The flesh inside tastes something like a pickle, but one seasoned with lime. Full of good vitamins. Tommy laughs and pulls off his long-sleeved shirt and ties it around him at an angle to make a sling. Like he cares about being shirtless right now. Food is a great first step.

Over the next hours and days he starts doing more than a recurring task of gathering food. For one thing, overgrown plants absolutely have lots of dying and choked material below them. Tommy spends a lot of time squatting under plants, crawling around, and otherwise pushing things aside to start pruning back this dead material. It will be great fertilizer, his new knowledge tells him, even sets himself up a corner where he starts piling material until he can clear an area or tools enough to start a compost pile. When he isn't slowly working his way through one area he's trying to water everything he can. The problem, of course, is the process of watering, how to carry water from the fountain outside and in to the plants. This he solves rather clumsily, with a large, cup-like leaf from some durable sort of plant from a more tropical corner. The thing is more durable than he was expecting, and he doesn't care too much about the repeated treks. He even pours the water into a second leaf he pokes some small holes into near the top to make it more like a watering can.

Sometimes there is an advantage to fast brains: creative solutions to problems. And so it is, somehow, that digital age and tech loving Tommy Shepherd becomes, well, a farmer.

Personal Space - Hotel Exploration

In the early mornings and evenings when light isn't nearly deep enough for him to really want to work by, Tommy gets to the other tasks of living. Which means heading back to the hotel with a small selection of fruits and vegetables from the overgrown green house, together with some of what he can handle that is left over from the Whale Comb ~~those cherries are a serious advantage for someone who has trouble getting drunk~~. He walks through the halls and up to the third floor where he's set himself up, and if he passes anyone in the hall he offers over a piece of food, usually one of the cyan bananas he's come to enjoy that taste like pickles made with lime in the brine, or a crimson red cucumber that tastes, just faintly, like tomatoes seasoned with oregano. That one, he knows well, is starchy as hell, and that's great for survival.

Once he gets up to the hallway he lives in and puts the rest of the food away, it's about securing the place. Checking over windows that may be present to make sure there are no new cracks or hole. Checking the pile of dried leaves he gathered from the green-house and laid out on the floor to make something like a mattress ~~mostly a barrier from the floor to maintain warmth~~, and making sure his little degree of personal items are still around.

After that he goes down the hall and starts cleaning up other rooms. More people might come, and you never know what space they'll want for themselves. And he hates doing nothing.

When all of that is done Tommy sleeps. At least, he tries to. His body doesn't like more than four hours of sleep, stupid being fast. Which means often in the darkness of the night and early morning, Tommy moves quietly through the halls, one hand on the nearest wall to keep himself going in a straight and predictable line. Hopefully he doesn't scare anyone or start a fight.

[OOC: Wildcard or other starters available on request. You can message me here, find me on plurk @

churbooseanon or discord at Churby#4290. Happy to take Tommy's TDMs canon unless you wanna choose otherwise ~~except Billy, mostly because we changed up timing, hit me up on that one bro~~

Will do brackets but prefer prose.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Well that's something. And look, Vision isn't even upset at him. That's... helpful. He looks a bit shy but he nods. Yeah, that's good, he's not in trouble and he can keep going.

"That should help some. I've already had questions. I just wish we could label things. Tell people not to touch this or eat that until we review it."

He nods. "Yes, precisely. And so if you do come across anything that might make a suitable writing surface, or perhaps a sap that is sticky enough to hold a note to the wall, we could use them to begin labeling plants. Charcoal can work as a basic writing tool, and if we find something juicy enough we could use it as ink. A dark berry, perhaps."

Being low-tech is sure a thing. Sure, they can make styluses out of plants. Maybe even find something feathered, or make nibs out of metal bits.

"Or we could be less complex and color-code the plants with flowers or bits of discarded waste. Red is generally a good 'do not touch' color, yes?"

Well, red tends to be the color of 'do not cross' with their family, so Tommy agrees with the idea. He considers it and nods.

"I can hit up the garbage pile outside of the hotel. I mean, we can't exactly use a lot of stuff here, it'll break down. But if you wanna make ink, you are going to need someone smarter than me to help out."

"That would be excellent, thank you." And he huffs a little at the smarter than me comment. "Oh, I imagine it will be a case of trial and error. My main advantage in this area is that not only do I have a good working knowledge of the theory behind such matters, I do not exactly require sleep."

He taps the stone in his forehead, which briefly flares. "Additionally, I can make fire without any tools; very useful, if we want to stick to charcoal writing materials to begin with."

Listen, Tommy isn't going to argue about him not being smart. He's got a GED the Kaplans made him get, and sure he finished it quickly, but that doesn't mean he's smart.

"Seems like a lot of people can be fire starters. Mom's got that little lizard thing, B can just about wish it. I probably could have if I worked at the whole vibrations thing a bit better, but that doesn't seem to work right here."

See, another way that he's not very useful.

A lot of the work they're set up to do is less about being smart and more about brute-forcing their way through, though. Like gathering food. It's going to be a lot of work every day to keep the populace fed - but it's also very satisfying in a visceral way.

"Vibrations? How do you mean?"

Oh wow, doesn’t he know? Tommy holds his hands up and begins to demonstrate, letting his hands vibrate at super speeds so they would be a blur to people.

“I can vibrate me. But I can also manipulate things like this. Molecular acceleration or something. Used to make explosions. Now I can make things crack or heat up a little.”

He watches, fascinated, and even laughs a little in delight. "I see. That could certainly come in handy - even if the effect is lessened here. Something similar happened while we were under the Atroma's control - most of us kept our powers, but they were dampened so as not to cause a hull breach or anything similar."

"Yeah, I can see how that would be an issue," Tommy agrees, sighing. He hates... He hates feeling weaker. These were things he went through a lot to learn to do. And it hurt him. To be less useful.

"I mean, they still let me run fast, but I don't even KNOW if I can run as fast as I used to. But, like, heroes push through shit like that. And that's why people like them."

That's why people like him is the implication of those words.

The Vision frowns, but it takes him a moment to gather his thoughts as to why that statement strikes him the wrong way.

Finally, he says, "A person is not a hero because of what they can do, Tommy. A hero is someone who uses what they have to do the right thing. If Steve Rogers were stripped of his abilities, he would still rescue a child from oncoming traffic. That is what makes him Captain America, not how many motorcycles he can benchpress."

(He thinks it's one. He's pretty sure it's one. It might actually be more than that.)

The answer, Vision, ~~at least in Tommy's world~~ is two motorcycles. Mostly because that's how many Tommy can bench press and he's been told by hero nerds like Teddy that he's on par with Steve for physical strength.

"I don't know," Tommy shrugs, and he's about ready to wave Vision's suggestion off. "Could be that what they do matters too. And I'm not saying that normal humans can't too. Kate, she's a badass and she's only human. Hawkeyes are like that. But superheroes are what they can do."

And he needs that super because no one will let him be considered old enough to do anything else.

Yeah, that's entirely too many motorcycles. Physical strength could definitely come in handy, though.

"Well, I suppose that depends on the difference between a hero and a superhero; it's not quite so clear-cut in my version of Earth. Iron Man is the most famous and--arguably--popular of them all, and his powers are in his technology."

And then he splays his hands to show it's not that important to him. "Even so, you are still the fastest person here."

It's not enough motorcycles and Tommy is ashamed of how small that number is. But Tommy does look testy at the idea of Iron Man being the most popular. Why can't they pick someone really cool, like... Well he doesn't know who their world has.

"Yeah, we've got different classifications back home. You've got your smart tech people, your just REALLY well trained people, your aliens, your mutants, your mutates... We've got tons. I think Spidey's pretty famous back home. But most of the Avengers are."

Still... Vision has a point, and Tommy smirks.

"Nice being the fastest on a planet for once."

Clearly Wanda is the coolest Avenger, but for some reason everyone's afraid of her. Probably their mammal brains.

He shakes his head ruefully, noting that he'd either be a smart tech people or...not given his own category. "We have only a handful, and almost all linked in one way or another to the Infinity Stones. If there are any full-time residents of Earth that are aliens, they're passing as human." Skrulls, probably. Thanks, declassified SHIELD data!

The Vision grins back and nods his head over to the next planter, which looks full of the massive potato-like tuber plants. "And to keep you fueled you prefer the starchy foods to those with high protein content, yes? We may have just the thing here." Cooking them sounds like someone else's problem, but--Wanda could probably help with that.

"I'd put money on there being Skrulls on Earth somewhere. They get everywhere."

Like legos after a little kid has a bit of a tantrum. Not that Vision necessarily knows about them. He does consider Vision's question thoughtfully, though.

"So, like, I do need a good bit of protein to maintain my muscles. But starches burn quick, they're good for me functioning on a day to day basis. Basically I used to maintain a diet in the five digit calorie range, over multiple meals and snacks a day. Not saying I eat my body weight every day, but sorta close? Think of me like a hummingbird. Except I burn a lot of energy when I sleep."

No hibernation-like sleep for him. Maybe once, but his circumstances killed that. He burns too much in his sleep and is always ravenous in the mornings.

"But I'll eat just about anything."

"You're not wrong," he mutters. Skrulls could be very tricky, even if he thinks he's never met one himself. He's not sure, though. You can never be sure.

He nods; that makes sense, except for the burning energy quickly when he sleeps. Humans were supposed to be better at hibernating than that - but then, every mutant is different, according to Kitty, and he'd only ever known a few of them. Nothing like the sample size he'd need for any kind of reliable conclusions on how they work.

"The information from the data point is very useful, then. We'll have to find the legumes for protein, but the large tubers should be calorie-dense enough to sustain you if you feel too hungry."

He smiles, once again a bit rueful. "Although I cannot help with the taste of anything, I'm afraid; I don't experience it in the same way you do."

The thing is, he's comparing himself to normal people. Sure, he doesn't burn as much when he's asleep as when he's awake, but it's still a thing. Hell, he even runs hotter than most people. Typically almost an additional five degrees over most people.

"Yeah, beans and noodles are the best thing ever. But mostly noodles with protein enriched tofu. Always worked for me."

Taste... Tommy shrugs. "I don't care about taste. I've never cared about it."

Better hope nobody thinks he has a fever before he can explain that.

"Tofu might be difficult without soy, but we'll see what we can do. There might be an equivalent we can make, once we have some proper kitchen supplies. Noodles only require a starch and something to pound and slice with." One of the good parts of cultures that take pride in their traditional food-making styles is that few of those techniques use anything with a lot of technology.

"Because it's more important to keep yourself fueled? Or because you had little choice?" The Vision works on one of the plants for a moment. "In the Fleet, we had unlimited food out of protein gel dispensers. Those who complained least were those from backgrounds where they never had enough food."

Tommy's skinny, okay? The Vision is concerned that it's not just because of his metabolism.

Little choice. Tommy looks away nervously. This isn't something he wants to deal with. To explain. But damn if Vision wasn't... a bit more on the nose than he meant. And Tommy isn't all that skinny. His body is at it's peak now. No doubt he'll pick up a bit more muscle definition in the future, to take a bit more after Pietro. But he's picked up a lot of weight since he was last with his birth parents.

"I've been keeping myself fed back at home. I spend a good portion of my money on food. And the Kaplans always stuff me when I visit."

To be fair, he spends time with people like Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes and Thor, so. A skinny build mostly means he's not massive.

"I'm glad they do. And it will be a task to keep us all fed here, but--"

He spreads open his hands.

"I don't mind helping you find the best foods for your needs. It's a balance to my not needing to eat."

Speedsters don't need to be brick walls. Though he is about as durable as one. And where Steve needs that bulk to lift nearly a ton, Tommy does it like he is. So there's definitely something to be said for the compression of his mutation.

Still, Tommy clearly seems a bit awkward on this topic. Like there's a lot to say, but he's not willing to say it. Which he isn't. He hasn't even talked to his twin about his birth parents and that situation.

"I mean, that seems like a fair trade. And given... given our relationship, it's only right for me to let you help. So yeah, whatever you can do will help. I'm doing my best not to use my speed much at all, to try and burn less."

And it's driving him up the walls.

If Tommy wants to talk to him about it, he will. If he doesn't, well, the Vision can come to his own conclusions. But if he's spending most of his money on food back home, it means he's not getting enough from the rest of his support system, and that's somewhere he can help here.

"Once we have the food situation settled, which should be soon, I don't see why you couldn't use your speed. It seems like a very useful ability, all told. I would just hate to see you overexert yourself. Is that something I should worry about?"

The rest of what support system? He’s an emancipated adult that skipped out on the support offered by his twin’s parents when he couldn’t handle not being able to help Billy anymore.

Tommy looks around the greenhouse and looks ready to laugh. Settled? He thinks this will be settled soon? Good luck.

“I hope to be able to use it. Right now it’s a bit like I’m on crutches, held back like I am. Have to act like this around most people. I just usually have time to function at my own speed.”

He reads. Tell no one.

“I haven’t been pushed to the point of exhaustion in a while. I’ll be fine.”

The lack of support system? That's the problem right there. Not that the Vision knows any of it.

He hums thoughtfully. Soon is a relative measure, but he's sure they won't be the only ones that decide to use the agriculture data point. It's better than trying to rely on scavenging for food, at any rate.

"Would you say you need to do so at least a little every day to keep yourself functioning properly? Wanda finds sometimes that if she doesn't use her powers after a time they build up and cause her distress, so we try to allow her to use it in many small ways, or occasionally visit a deserted area and practice on a larger scale."

Way to ask hard questions, Vision. Tommy crosses his arms over his chest and frowns severely at his almost-father.

“I’m not like Billy and Mom,” he admits, and isn’t it strange how readily he calls her that and yet he hasn’t referred to Vision as anything other than his name. Yet. Not that he’s called Wanda that to her face. “They’re energy and magic in a different way. They channel it from elsewhere. It pulls through them. Or does back home. Granted Billy went a LONG time without using it after an incident at home. But me?”

How can he explain this in a way another person can understand? And then he’s got it. Because maybe Vision is the only one in a long time who can.

“Your brain is sorta like a computer, right? You think many times faster than a human, right? Or you can choose to. Me? I am always running that fast mentally, except when I force myself to run and think slower. Which requires using up so much focus. Like I’m a computer that is using up all its RAM to deliberately run a game at five frames a second. Eventually that deliberate ratcheting down wears on the system something fierce. Speed isn’t just my name as a hero. It’s what I am. Captain Rogers can live without bending a metal table in half. Thor can live without carousing. Hawkeye can live without shooting things. I can’t live full time at a snail’s pace. Hell, I only sleep four hours out of every twenty.”

Edited 2019-09-06 04:33 (UTC)

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