[Today something strange is going on in the plaza; Billy and Tommy are there and hanging out, chatting awkwardly and messing with their powers. "Billy" is tossing bursts of blue light into the air like fireworks, and "Tommy" is flashing between one side of the plaza and the other, skidding a bit over the pavement like he's out of practice. They don't seem to be there for any particular reason, but if people happen to question it, they're more than happy to strike up a casual conversation. Just don't expect a straight answer...

At some point they split off to visit their usual haunts (the battle dome, the coffee shop, the school, some of the other stores, and in Billy's case, the sky) but they never seem to be very far from one another, for some reason.

Eventually they'll be back at home, and that's when the journal comes out:]

Hey, people, got a question for you. My little bro is really fixated on getting a piercing. It's probably the boyfriend's fault. Anyone know how to do that in a way that won't make him lose an ear? Like, not involving ice and a needle?

Oh my God. Tommy, shut up... okay, well, kind of what he said. Minus the gore.

You're getting holes poked into you, dude, that's gore by definition.

Not if it's done professionally.

Yeah, I'm sure you'll find a real pro on Paper Facebook.

Don't you have somewhere to be? [ With the most put upon, quietly frustrated sigh. ]

With my speed? I'm already there. At the same time. [With a smug tone equal to that frustration.]

Thanks for making this a total wash. Sorry for wasting your time, everyone. If you know the answer just contact me privately.

Hey, are you getting a Prince Albert while you're at it?

OH MY GOD. [Maybe a little over dramatic. The journal is slammed shut.]


(( this is a JOINT POST between Billy selfhelp and Tommy dickmoves. At Tommy's request they have SWAPPED APPEARANCES, so Billy is pretending to be Tommy and Tommy is pretending to be Billy. As such, their powers are being faked - Tommy via enchantment and Billy via disguised teleports - and their personalities might not be up to par with what their CR is used to. They're identical twins aside from hair and eye colour (which is easy to fake) so it's a pretty good swap. The game is to see how many people can be pranked! So, you know, have fun with it. Journals used will be selfmoves and dickhelp.

Please specify in the subject line who you're tagging! If not, you might get a random or both of them. w/e. Three-ways are not discouraged but they are slow, so bear that in mind...! ))

[As terrified as he is to do this - and as reluctant as he is to bring up the topic just as people are starting to move past it - he's pretty certain that a lot of people need the sort of prodding he's here to suggest. Even if it's just to plant the idea in the heads of those who've been trying to ignore... well, everything. He's seen it already, with his friends- the silence, the dodging, the unease. He's felt it every day, from the moment he wakes up from the nightmares to the moment he falls asleep, with sporadic moments of peace in between. Talking to Teddy... helped. Undeniably, it helped. It didn't make everything perfect - it never does - but the difference has been noticable, and he wants to share that. Thus...

This is both audible and written (sans the excessive pauses) for full accessibility.]

So... that draft. Was horrible. I'm sure we'd all rather just forget about it... I know I would. But my own stupid head's pretty intent on remembering it all so far, and I'll bet anything that I'm not the only one. You can't just... ignore this, or pretend it'll go away eventually. Same applies to a lot of the stuff that's happened to all of us here.

This's got me thinking. Remember when the Malnosso offered that... kid therapist for sessions with us? And they thought we might actually go for it? Well... what if we did it ourselves? I mean, that's become kind of a lost cause now, especially with her missing now, and... I don't know. The idea of doing therapy with a little kid seems... [Well, he's young too, and he managed, so he can't really point fingers. But still. Hrngh.] ...The stuff I'd need it for isn't really kid-friendly. I know plenty who'd say the same if they admitted it.

But we need it, don't we? I know so many people who just... need to talk about what's happened to them, here or at home or wherever else that bad things have happened. Even if they don't want to. No, especially then. And I don't think we have anyone qualified, unless you're hiding under a rock for lack of clientele. ...That's possible, I guess. If that's true, protip: you're needed.

If not... I'd never claim that I'm qualified, but I grew up with this- my mom's a psychologist. My whole life I've had the value of therapy drilled into me. I've been reading up for about a year now, learning all I can for... basically this reason. And I know how much it can help.

So I guess this is basically a PSA: Talk to someone. Find someone trustworthy, someone who'll listen. Make yourself talk. And encourage your friends to let it out if they're having trouble with something, too. And... sorry if this might sound egotistical... while I'm not a therapist, I'm a good listener. So if you don't know who to talk to, here's an open invitation. Even if nothing comes of this, I think it's really important that somebody do this. So... there it is. And if anyone else wants to make the same offer, I can... I don't know, make a list or something. Whatever people need. Suggestions are totally welcome.

I told a friend once who'd needed this... who was helped by it, too... I think it still applies. People don't go to therapy because they want to. They go because they need it.

That's all. Thanks for hearing me out.

[Today Billy's mostly going to hang around in case he gets any responses, but at some point in the near future he's going to seek out a select few whom he knows are going to do their best to ignore his advice. Brace yourselves.]

[So... he's probably delayed this long enough, even if a part of him would love to delay it indefinitely. Not only is it a month overdue, but now that he's home again and fully recovered from whatever had been affecting his mind, putting it off any further will just make things more difficult. Frightened as he is of the consequences, he won't get anywhere if he keeps hiding. It's time to apologize for the damage his spell caused, and make things right... if he can.

First, Billy seeks out those he knows personally, friends or acquaintances whom he remembers being affected or involved. Whether they're people he hasn't spoken to since the spell was in place, or people who visited him while he was possessed and halfway out of his mind, he'll try to be as thorough as possible. Teddy accompanies him from place to place, bless him, and they can be found walking hand-in-hand through the village and talking quietly, though Billy will be speaking with the people he's looking for on his own. Teddy's there for moral support, nothing more; the rest is his responsibility.

After those visits, presumably the hard part is over, but there's one thing left to do - reach out to those he couldn't find, missed, or simply doesn't know, as well as the general populace who'd probably noticed strange things going on at the time. They deserve to know about... well. To put it bluntly, the menace to society that he can be. Not that he'd give that reason out loud. Certain people would take issue with it.

They'd be wrong, but.

This time, he uses the journal network, his voice tentative, worried, and sick with guilt, and it happens later in the evening:]

...Hey... it's Billy. Um, Kaplan. I'm kind of a witch. You might not know me. Sorry if you do. ...Last month, October 1st, I was sent back from a Malnosso abduction... kind of a mess. I wasn't thinking straight, and... I cast a spell. It... it screwed with a lot of people. Badly. I don't know the full extent of the damage it caused, or how far it went, but- I do know that- people were hurt. And I know I might not be able to make things right again, either.

["Might". His hope for that one is still pretty pathetic; the forgiveness he's already received is something of a miracle to him. The day's meetings are still weighing on him, and there's an ache in his heart that refuses to go away.]

...Still. I- I need to apologize. Whether or not the Malnosso were the cause, it's still my fault. S-so I'm sorry. I'm sorry... I'm so...

[....]

...I'm... not going to use magic anymore. I'm done. I'm no good. At it. I mean. I- sorry. ...This won't happen again. And if you want to yell at me, or get a better explanation of what happened, or... whatever you need, I'll... be here.

Thanks. For hearing me out.

[And... that's that.]

Hey, ah... Vision - I mean, Jonas - of the Young Avengers got sent home. Sorry, if you knew him.

[Why is he always full of bad news? Ugh... let’s try to be less depressing for a while.]

There’s something else I wanted to talk about today: since I got here almost a year ago I’ve noticed how there’s this huge range of cultural norms across the multiverse- which makes sense, different worlds have different standards, I get it. People who are accepted in one world aren’t tolerated in another. Luceti’s kind of an anomaly, where there’s really not much, if any prejudice. I mean, there’s the whole Malnosso versus Us mentality, but that’s because of what they do, not what they are. Basically what I’m saying is that I think that’s great, and I want to do my part to keep encouraging that universal acceptance here for the people who might not be able to get it back where they come from, open up discussions to people who might not be sure about who or what they are, um...

Okay, this is a really roundabout way of saying I want to start an LGBT club. If you don’t know what that means, here’s a breakdown:

[Below is a jotted list-

L = Lesbian = girls attracted to girls
G = Gay = guys attracted to guys
B = Bisexual = guys and girls attracted to BOTH guys and girls
T = Transgender = People who feel like they were born in the body of the wrong gender (or genderfluid)
*Q = Questioning = Anyone not sure about the above or if they apply

And then it returns to voice.]

Those are really oversimplified, and there's still a lot of other words people use to define themselves, but you get the gist of it. I’d really like to meet up with anyone who matches any those descriptions, or feels like they might, or are just curious about it. I’m gonna put up some posters with suggested meeting times and places, but if you have any questions or just want to talk about it, you can use the journal (it’s okay to be anonymous!) or come right to the school. I’ve got a table set up and I’ll be here pretty much all day. I don't know if this is going to go anywhere, but it's worth a shot, right?

One last thing- we’re looking to make this a safe place, so if you plan to come just to make fun of people: we have a Hulk.

[And true to his word, Billy will be at the school, curled up in a chair at a plain table littered with papers. He’s designing posters and doodling various symbols to use for logos. Come bother him if you like?]

[He should have seen this coming- it's like it's some kind of retaliation for what he'd done on Teddy's birthday. He still manages to be surprised when Teddy shoos him out of the apartment some time after breakfast on the 9th, barely given time to grab his coat and stuff his laptop into a bag before he's been officially banished from his own home.

...Well then. Looks like he's in the wind today. First things first: while he isn't usually the type to announce this kind of thing, thanks to having the afternoon to himself (whereas usually his birthday is filled with doting parents and obnoxious little brothers vying for attention) he's feeling indulgent enough to go for it, and he remembers something in particular...]

Okay- first of all, question for everybody. Now that I know about that whole... Valentine's Day thing that's supposed to happen every year, does anyone know how to avoid it? Or should I just lock myself in my room for a few days and hope for the best?

And second, to the X-Men? If the team training is still on for today, it's probably safe to go ahead and assume I won't make it. I'm allowed to have plans on my birthday. But happy birthday to Logan whenever he gets back- 180 is a pretty big landmark, right?

[Hopefully he won't get killed for that one, but he just couldn't help himself. Even if the accuracy of that number is questionable.

The rest of the afternoon will be spent in the following ways: goofing off in the Battle Dome with some self-indulgent hologram scenarios blatantly ripped out of Star Trek, wasting time in Seventh Heaven with excessive amounts of coffee and his laptop like a proper teenage hipster, and then, when his battery's running dry, returning to building #5 to bully Teddy into feeding the laptop's power cord under the door, at which point he'll be curled up on the floor outside his apartment playing Minecraft or something while he waits for his boyfriend to finish... whatever he's doing in there.]

[Okay, so. Post-draft, he's given himself a few days of seclusion and bed-rest (apparently being infected with a zombie virus is exhausting), and even Billy can freely admit to himself that he's been pretty depressed lately, a fact for which he feels no shame considering that depression was well and truly earned. One can only spend so much time fretting, moping, and dwelling on one's own misery for so long, however, and today? He's decided that enough is enough. Billy will be going out today, limping around the village and visiting the people who were on the draft whose fate he's still uncertain of. The ones he can't find or has no reason to actually visit, he'll check with a light location spell, and he'll spend a few hours at Seventh Heaven people-watching out the window while he doodles in a book that Teddy had given him containing a series of patterns (much like this) that resemble inkblogs, and bit by bit Billy's turning them into something like this instead. It's been a tiring week, though, so you could always catch him napping on the table, instead.

At some point he'll attempt to find Peter, and when both a location spell and a teleport fails, he tries to teleport to the apartment he'd been staying at instead, finding it almost completely emptied. All he manages to dig up is a small cartridge that, after a moment of scrutiny, he identifies as a web fluid cartridge. His fanboyish glee at the discovery is tempered by the fact that the empty apartment means one more piece of bad news.

After his visits and window-watching is done, he'll return home to make the announcement, along with one more message-]

Hey out there... just wanted to let his friends know that Peter Parker went home. So... sorry. Yeah.

[Locked to Loki]

...We still on for tomorrow, or do you want to take a break? Because... you know. [Draft. Awfulness all around. He wouldn't blame Loki if he wanted to take a week off.

Later on in the evening he'll be over at Ben's barbeque, if anyone wants to bother him while he's there.]

[...This doesn't look like Prison #42. At least, not as he recalls it. Billy pushes himself upright in the grass, squinting in the early evening light, and absently lifts a shaking hand to his ears. There's no device there, nothing to prevent him from casting any spells... a fact he proves to himself with a wave of his hand, conjouring up a shirt to go with the unfamiliar white pants he finds himself in. What's all this about, exactly? Some new trick that Stark and Richards came up with to keep their prisoners placated? Or has he - against all odds - been freed and dumped somewhere in the wild?

What've you gotten yourself into now, Kaplan?

Cautiously he lets his magic take him up to the tree line, resting on a high branch to get a better look around. Up ahead, not far in the distance, he can see a village, but it's so small and old-fashioned that he doesn't recognize it at all. Wherever he is, it's pretty remote.

Well, whatever. What does location matter to a witch who can teleport? His priority is finding Cap and the rest of the Young Avengers. Teddy's probably flipping out right about now. Dropping back into a crouch, he sits himself down on the branch, cross-legged, and lifts his hands again, letting the glow return to them, and begins chanting under his breath-]

"IwanttobeinNewYorkIwanttobeinNewYork..."

[Yeah, he's pretty noticeable like that. Especially since he'll be there until he's discovered, pointedly not teleporting to New York. Awkward.]


[In the morning, however, things are a bit different- he's settled (sort of), he's rested (a bit), he's informed (just enough). And he's sorted out how to use the journal. Thus, around mid-afternoon, he sends out a message:]

Okay, this is weird, but... let's give it a try. Hey, uh, whoever's listening out there. I've heard there are people from all over the galaxy, and lots from Earth, especially. That's where I'm from, too. I was wondering, though- are there people living here who'd be considered "super heroes"? Here or on your own world, I mean. I'm actually-

[Actually... he really shouldn't just announce it. What if someone from the Initiative is here and remembers him when they get back to Earth? Even a slim chance isn't worth the risk.]

...I'm actually a huge fan of the superheroes from Earth! You know, heroes like Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-man... I've been a fan since I was a kid. Though I guess it's not unusual for someone from New York. There's a ton of superheroes living in the city these days.

Sorry for rambling so much. To be honest, I'm just nervous... I've never been to another world before.

[....]

Teddy? You here?


[ooc: first dibs to action (chronologically) goes to Buffy, otherwise he is free to be met wherever/whenever. Also if you could have a look at his permissions post I would be much obliged!]