Ickle Meatships!

[bluebrassmonkey.livejournal.com]

Hopefully no one sues me for semi-stealing the SLEEP meme format but!



ICKLE!

Think about or think back on the childhood days/younger days of your character (or your character now if they already are kids). There's a huge playroom with a mountain of toys....

Have fun, Kids! And no fightings!

Comments

[madeofwyn.livejournal.com]

"Whatcha doing?"

Have a bouncy ten-year-old, B5. One who is really, really interested in knowing why you're green. She's not alone, though...

[justabarkeep.livejournal.com]

... her twelve-year-old brother is also here, looking considerably less interested in whatever's going on in this corner.

[emotionl4arobot.livejournal.com]

"Studying the behaviour of younger members of several species in order to learn more about them." Well she did ask.

[madeofwyn.livejournal.com]

"... why?" Wyn asks, sounding completely baffled. "You could just ask."

[justabarkeep.livejournal.com]

"'Cause he's boring. Let's go, Wyn." Tal is way too cool to be over here with the budding sociologist and his crazy sister. He'd much rather be punching someone.

[emotionl4arobot.livejournal.com]

"I can't ask about some topics," Brainy answers in a tone that comes out as 'how can you not know this already?' "And I can't build a comprehensive database on what behaviour is acceptable and what isn't without constant observation of those around me. While this group is of a younger mean age than I would normally consider worthwhile for study, the data could be useful."

Tal just gets a look like Brainy has seen more intelligent lifeforms at the bottom of a petri dish. "Science isn't boring."

[madeofwyn.livejournal.com]

Wyn just shrugs. "Or you could do it with trial and error like everyone else who experiments. I mean, how else are you supposed to learn anything?"

[justabarkeep.livejournal.com]

"You're also looking at us like we're zoo animals." Tal points out, folding his arms and glaring at the green kid talking to his sister.

[emotionl4arobot.livejournal.com]

"Observational research is just as valid, especially with this particular type of project," Brainy argues back. "Not to mention trial and error isn't practical when dealing with something already widely known about."

He spares a glace for Tal, but obviously finds Wyn the more interesting person to talk to. "Well if I were to adopt the view point of the rest of my species..."

[madeofwyn.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, but this research is all... squishy." Wyn says after a minute of flailing to find the right word. Her English skills aren't quite up to par yet, so bear with her. "You don't have a big enough group to know if the behavior you're observing is a characteristic of the species or just the individual, and if whatever you're researching is so widely known, why are you even bothering to do it? You could be doing something original and more fun instead."

[justabarkeep.livejournal.com]

"You wouldn't have far to go." Tal points out, already resigning himself to simply making smartass comments from the edge of the conversation. His sister is having fun, for whatever reason, and so obviously he can't leave her alone with the creepy green boy.

[emotionl4arobot.livejournal.com]

Brainy frowns, suddenly confused. "How is this squishy? That doesn't make any sense."

The point about his sample size he understands, however. "I know that," he says a little defensively. "But I can't seem to access any of the information systems I would normally, since there aren't any computers around, and I don't have a laboratory to work in. So I'm trying to... improve my social skills, I suppose."

It's something that'd be easier if Tal wasn't there as well. "Well clearly someone hasn't moved beyond early evolutionary stages," he mutters just loud enough for them both to hear.

[madeofwyn.livejournal.com]

"It's squishy like... it's not hard science? You know, it's not biology or chemistry or physics or something, it's more like what Dr. Muller does." Wyn says, furiously waving her hands in an effort to explain.

Wyn heard that comment, Brainy, and she doesn't like it one bit. "Hey, leave my brother alone!" she says, giving the Coluan a sharp look. "If you were really trying to improve your social skills, you'd know not to insult other people."

[justabarkeep.livejournal.com]

"Listen, asshole, her English isn't great yet, so shut up about her word choice, yeah?" Tal hisses, instantly jumping into overprotective-big-brother mode. He's a bit beyond caring whether or not the green kid insults him, but his baby sister is off limits.

[emotionl4arobot.livejournal.com]

"Why don't you tell him that?" Brainy snaps back, pointing at Tal. He doesn't understand exactly what the insult means, but he doesn't have to in order to get that it's an insult. "I wasn't trying to insult her word choice, I just didn't understand what she meant."

[justabarkeep.livejournal.com]

"And I'm telling you why, so back off." Tal snaps, looking as if a punch to Brainy's face was imminent. (Although it would be an exceedingly bad idea, it'd make him feel better for a moment or two.)

[madeofwyn.livejournal.com]

"Right! Both of you, we are starting this conversation over again!" Wyn says, her tone daring the two older boys to argue with her. "Hi, green boy who is interested in studying us in order to improve his social skills. I'm Wyn, and this is my brother Taliesin. Everybody calls him Tal, and you probably should too." she continues, determinedly cheerful.

[emotionl4arobot.livejournal.com]

Brainy keeps glaring at Tal, but grudgingly goes along with it. For the moment. "I'm Brainiac 5. From Colu."

[madeofwyn.livejournal.com]

"Nice to meet you, Brainiac 5!" Wyn says cheerfully, throwing a sharp elbow into her brother's ribs. She is going to make this new conversation work, goddamnit.

[justabarkeep.livejournal.com]

Tal shoots a glare at Wyn, but grits his teeth into something that might resemble a smile. "We're from the Gaeltacht Quarter."

[emotionl4arobot.livejournal.com]

He frowns a little more in thought now. "I haven't heard of that before. Which planet is it located on?"

[madeofwyn.livejournal.com]

"What planet-- oh! Colu's your planet!" Wyn says, grinning excitedly. That makes sense, but she hadn't quite been able to put two and two together until now.

[justabarkeep.livejournal.com]

"You're supposed to be the smart one? Jesus Christ." Tal mutters, shaking his head. "We're from Earth."

See, Brainy? Tal is an equal-opportunity snarker.

[emotionl4arobot.livejournal.com]

He doesn't care. Brainy still doesn't like him on principle.

Of course, he's not exactly helping the situation when he looks at himself, then back at Wyn with a 'are you stupid?' expression. "I'm green and inorganic," he explains very slowly and clearly. "Where did you think I was from?"

[madeofwyn.livejournal.com]

"I wouldn't have known you were inorganic without taking you to one of the labs at the university and doing some tests, and then the researchers would have been mad at me and would probably put you in a box somewhere to be watched for a really long time or until you died because we haven't actually found any aliens yet which is why it's kind of cool to meet you. And the green could have been a skin condition, which would have been rude to mention." Wyn says, clearly still trying to help Brainy with his social interaction problems.