caughtinanetwork | 01 ♕ ACTION / VIDEO

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01 ♕ ACTION / VIDEO

["Solf J. Kimblee" is currently standing near the coral, staring intently at the circles inscribed on his palms. Of course it isn't actually Kimblee, but rather Frank Archer, a newer arrival who comes from a world very similar to Kimblee's. He's certain he knows what the alchemic circles are supposed to do once they're pressed together, it's just a matter of figuring out how to get them to work. It's been years since he studied alchemy at all, and back then he wasn't able to activate any arrays. But that's not important now - he's in Kimblee's body, therefore he should be capable of using Kimblee's alchemy.

He claps his hands together suddenly, lining the arrays up perfectly before pressing his hands to the coral. He can feel something stir beneath his hands, but it's over before he can really process just what it was. Archer frowns. He pulls back, examines his hands again, and tries once more. Again, nothing happens.]

I don't understand. It should work!

[There's quite a bit of frustration in his tone. He's making Kimblee sound rather petulant, sorry about that.]

If I'm him I should be capable of doing what he does. He's capable of doing what I can!

[But that's because he's a weapon, and it isn't exactly difficult to figure out how to use the gun arm and the cannon.]

Dammit. [He goes back to examining his - or rather, Kimblee's - hands again for a moment, before opening the SFC to video.]

[The video opens to Kimblee - or rather Frank Archer in Kimblee's body - attempting to smile. It's not really working and comes off looking more aggressive than anything else.]

Hello, Vatheon. I'm afraid I haven't properly introduced myself. Now is hardly the best time for it, I'm afraid, but I do have a few questions for you all.

First of all - are these "curses" relatively common? I would really rather not be swapping bodies with people every week or so.

Secondly, for those of you who have swapped into bodies with powers, can you use those powers? Are they relatively easy to control?

Thank you very much for your time. Until this "curse" is over, I appear to be stuck in Kimblee's body; my name is Lieutenant Colonel Frank Archer. It's a pleasure to meet you all.

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The so 'called' curses aren't just swapping bodies. They entail other oddies happening as well.

Oh? Such as...?

[This doesn't sound promising at all.]

Let's see... From my time here, I've been transformed into a - GENIE! Some odd diseases. Something about a dream world. Turned into a witch. Errr. Wizard. Then something with EMOTIONS!

That's all the curses I've been awake for, anyways. I've missed a few due to being in - COMA!

...Do comas just happen around here?

[That's what it sounds like, at any rate...]

Does anyone know how these curses happen? Does it have something to do with the coral?

[It's totally magical, right?]

Yes. I'm still trying to figure out why I fell into coma, when I, Mr. Crocker, had fall randomly into coma, even when I've very well had touched the coral on a daily - BASES!

That's just a plain silly question. The coral is - MAGIC! [Slight spazz]

...Magic.

[The most skeptical look, good sir.]

There's no such thing as magic.

[This guy just doesn't look crazy but also angry at the same time]
OF COURSE THERE IS!

HOW THE HECK DO YOU THINK THIS HAPPENED?!

Edited 2012-09-23 01:45 (UTC)

I don't know. I wouldn't go so far as to assume magic of all things, however.

[Don't mind the fact the man is shoving a pen up one of his nostrils in a crazed state before groaning and snapping back and dryly states]

The person who's body you're currently inhabitly would say otherwise.

[Well, maybe alchemy but around the same idea]

[Before getting wilded up again] IT IS MAGIC IT IS!

[...........what is he witnessing...]

I... see...

[Not at all, but he'll try to placate the crazy man here...]

Magic, then. I take it that's something common in the world you're from?

Yes. It - IS! In fact this bodyswap - CURSE! Only stirs up memories from back home.

I'm afraid I can't answer your second question definitively, but it would appear--based solely on observation--to be the case that it varies, depending on individual and nature of these "powers."

[He would like to know more, but it's hard enough keeping individuals straight here, much less getting them to cooperate for research.]

As for the first, curses are somewhat irregular, but relatively frequent. This is easily the most disruptive one I've seen in my time here, though. They tend to be more innocuous. In any case, there used to be a method for determining when a curse would occur, but things have changed within the past month and now they're unpredictable. For the time being.

[...Well, he's certainly seen some strange things here in Vatheon, but a talking animal? Maybe it's a chimera. That would explain things. And it would save his sanity. Or well, what's left of it. ~~Not that there was much there to begin with...~~]

Thank you for the information. This is the first "curse" I've experienced, and it's... certainly a bit disruptive, yes.

[It's not exactly a bad thing, but just when he was getting used to the automail...! What a pain.]

I appreciate all the information, Mr...?

Call me Tech. Curses only seem to last for a week, at most. I'm unaware of any deviation from that, so at the very latest you should be back to normal within a few days.

Ah, that's certainly good to hear. I suppose there isn't any advance warning for these curses?

Not anymore. Before, it was possible to monitor the energy level of the coral in the plaza, which typically correlated with the onset of a curse. But that appears to have stabilized while the curses remain a constant. As far as I'm aware, there's no way to accurately predict them so long as the coral is in this state, but one every few weeks is a safe bet.

The energy level? What is the coral?

[Is it a robot? A living thing? ~~He is from 1915 and a landlocked country, what is this~~]

That certainly is frequent. How do you all put up with it?

And that would be the question I wish I had an answer to. But I'm working on it. The best I can tell you that is the coral is key to our being here. The locals call it a god, I have my doubts.

[Not that he's so willing to put his faith in some scraps of documents from an abandoned lab either, but.]

And some of us don't put up with it. The supposed science behind the curses in fascinating, but realistically they're an inconvenience all around. What can you do?

Would it be possible to destroy the coral and leave, then?

[Not that he's interested in that since he's sort of dead back home. But hey, destruction is always fun!]

Is there some sort of science behind these curses?

[Tech grins slightly. Now they're getting into his subject.]

Opinions differ, and that is mostly due to a lack of understanding of how this place operates on a physical level. Some evidence suggests that this city is a plane of existence that is created for or maintained by the coral itself. If that's the case, then destroying the coral could potentially return everyone home, but it could also leave us without a physical plane of existence. Which would be unfortunate, to say the least. However, there's also evidence to suggest that this world is much more conventional, and the coral itself is the only meta-dimensional aspect. As for the curses. It seems very likely that they're at least influenced by science, but that doesn't explain the near supernatural degree of their effects--much like what you are experiencing now. It's probably safe to assume that science is working through the coral in some way.

As I've come to understand, curses have no set pattern. They last for a week and come once a month or once every two months. It isn't certain. The power indicator on the coral however strikes me as rather curious. However, this swapping of bodies is a first to me. The effects are as inconsistent as their arrivals and just as unpredictable.

I've found myself in a rather unusual yet perfectly wonderful form which I've come to relish. Suffice to say this week promises to be far more pleasant than the past curses I've had the pleasure of experiencing.

They're that common? What other curses have you experienced?

[Goodness, texting is so much easier when you have two normal hands! Do forgive the brief message; he's from 1915 and what is this.]

[ Nah, it'll take some getting used to. He's from 1889 himself but half a year and you pick up things. ]

There were several that changed my physical being for one. Certainly something I hadn't thought entirely possible. And another that took control of my mind. These curses are far more dangerous than they seem initially I'm afraid.

It took control of your mind? That sounds horrifying. How many curses have you dealt with? I suppose a better question would be how long have you been here?

A rather embarrassing state of affairs, I assure you. The entire matter brought shame to the house I serve. I have been in residence nearly a year here myself. Ten months to be precise, if my memory serves me well enough.

That certainly is a long time. Outside of the curses, have you enjoyed your stay here?

[ Ooh, what a loaded question. ]

To say I've enjoyed myself is a rather subjective thought. Has my stay in the city been free of conflict despite these occasional happenings, then yes. My master and I have managed to carry on well enough as we have.

Your "master"? It is good to hear that this place is enjoyable, however.

I certainly wouldn't use the term "enjoyable". Livable, certainly but it isn't without its share of difficulty.

[He had been observing from a safe distance using his own body. As much as he would have loved to use his “specialty” just to make sure no harm comes to the body of his errand boy, he knew that the Lieutenant Colonel may pick up on it just as his new friend Hawkeye did. Selim had picked a Café on the other side of the plaza for this task.

Just what was it he was trying to do? He soon put it together the moment Archer pressed his hands to the coral.

Thankfully it seems the male was incompetent when it came to alchemy otherwise Selim will owe Kimblee again for allowing harm come to his body.

Stepping outside of the café and crossing over in easy strides as the male contacted the network. He’ll make sure not to sneak up on the guy.]

Excuse me, mister? Are you trying to use alchemy?

[Archer starts when he hears someone talking to him. His default reaction is to turn the gun arm on them, which really just ends up with him taking a more defensive stance against a... child. Well. That's not embarrassing at all--

Wait a minute. Archer recognizes the boy after a moment - it's the Fuhrer's son. The one Mustang totally killed. Well, he looked dead from where Archer was standing, at any rate, and Mustang was holding the body...]

Ah, yes, I am.

[The response is a bit distracted; Kimblee did tell him that there was an alternate world. It's possible that this is the boy from that world.]

[A cute smiling child who was probably looked around ten years old. He’ll hold out his hand.] May I see your hand?

[He suppose he should say Kimblee’s hand, but he’ll wait off on that.] I’ve been studying alchemy at the library. I hope I can qualify to be a State Alchemist when I’m older. Maybe I can help you, but we should probably try it on something else, mister. The Coral will probably make it stronger and you would get hurt.

[Archer isn't all that keen on being upstaged by a child, but at the same time this is something he would like to try before he returns to his own body. After a moment of hesitation, he holds out one of his (well, Kimblee's) hands.]

The Coral would strengthen it? How?

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