Cisco Ramon (
franciscoramon) wrote in
riverviewlogs2017-08-10 08:17 am
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Entry tags:
- marvel (616): teddy altman,
- marvel (mcu): sam wilson,
- marvel (mcu): tony stark,
- the adventure zone: taako taaco,
- ✖ dc comics (rebirth): jonathan kent,
- ✖ dctv (flash): cisco ramon,
- ✖ dctv (flash): eddie thawne,
- ✖ doctor who: bill potts,
- ✖ marvel (616): angela,
- ✖ marvel (mcu): margaret 'peggy' carter,
- ✖ the adventure zone: lucretia,
- ✖ the adventure zone: lup taaco,
- ✖ the adventure zone: magnus burnsides,
- ✖ yuri on ice: yuri plisetsky
[open] cancel your reservations
who: cisco + anyone!
what: catch-all, amnesia event
when: august
where: anywhere; if you want a starter, please hit me up!
warnings: discussion of murder, use of alcohol to cope, will add more as needed
i. pre-amnesia (august 5-10)
ii. amnesia (august 12-19)
iii. post-amnesia (august 20-31)
iv. misc
what: catch-all, amnesia event
when: august
where: anywhere; if you want a starter, please hit me up!
warnings: discussion of murder, use of alcohol to cope, will add more as needed
i. pre-amnesia (august 5-10)
[ Cisco knows that he is probably opening himself up to a world of headaches and unnecessary trouble, but there have been plenty of new arrivals, and more and more he is noticing that people who show up from non-technologically advanced worlds simply have no support system to really teach them all the cool things they can do even with their phones, not to mention other machines and devices. So, one day when there's a lull between projects for the RPD and other emergency services, he goes to a print shop and has flyers made:
TECHNOLOGICAL CULTURE SHOCK??? NEED LESSONS ON HOW TO USE YOUR PHONE, LAPTOP, OR OTHER ELECTRONIC GADGET??? STOP BY THE ADDRESS BELOW FOR A FREE INFORMAL LESSON!!!
Normally it's the kind of announcement he would make over the network, but what if someone is really struggling and can't even get on there? No, flyers seem like the way to go for this crowd. Cisco adds some fine print at the bottom, below the address for his workshop, but all it says is:
*NO HIDDEN AGENDA JUST A HELPFUL DUDE WANTING TO SHARE THE WONDERS OF TECHNOLOGY, LESSONS ARE FREE BUT TRIBUTE PAID IN CANDY IS ALWAYS ACCEPTED]
ii. amnesia (august 12-19)
[ The changes in Cisco are not, at first, as obvious as they may be in other people. He remembers Riverview, and everyone he has met here, and all the details of his life in this place. He remembers his name, all the movies and video games that he loves, all the technical skills and scientific know-how necessary for his job. He even remembers most stuff about his own past - that he worked at S.T.A.R. Labs, that he's a member of Team Flash and friend to Barry Allen. That he is a metahuman, with various abilities tied to manipulating multidimensional energy.
The only thing that has been carved away from his memory is, in fact, Eobard Thawne. Cisco doesn't remember his mentor's betrayal, or being murdered, or the circumstances that surrounded him discovering his powers. All of the shame and dread he's been carrying about his powers, because of Eobard and the things he'd said and done, has just vanished. In addition, Cisco's trauma over that whole experience is, for the moment, covered over. To anyone who knows him even a little he will seem inexplicably younger. Quicker to smile and laugh, volumes more trusting, and also a lot more inclined to talk about some guy named Dr. Wells in a positive, even devoted manner.
Cisco will spend this week doing what he usually does - working at his workshop (still offering those lessons), trying out new restaurants, shopping for graphic tees and games and movies, exploring the safe parts of the city a little - but with an extra spring in his step. If you've wanted your character to find out about him being a metahuman, now would be a good time for it! ]
iii. post-amnesia (august 20-31)
[ The not-remembering? Had been good. But when that's done, and all of Cisco's memories are restored to him, the transition is... rough. Putting it mildly. Back when all of it had happened, there had been so much going on - one life-or-death situation after the other - that he hadn't had time to linger too much on how he was changing, being shaped into an older, sadder, more broken version of himself.
Now, though, there is no big crisis, no distraction to divert his attention. One minute he is the old, sunny Cisco - the one he still thinks of as the person he was supposed to be - and the next, it all comes rushing back. The contrast is stark, and it's kind of fucking him up a little. Or, rather, a lot.
He goes back to having nightmares almost as often as he did in those first weeks after his death, which means he isn't getting a whole lot of sleep, and it shows in the dark circles under his eyes. Cisco withdraws somewhat - not enough to worry that he's abandoning anyone, but he takes longer to answer texts, doesn't reach out to people first, doesn't go out and about in the evenings. He is quieter, with considerably more strain behind his smiles. He throws himself into his work, staying in his workshop long hours, sometimes falling asleep there, for a few fitful hours. When he can't work any more, he spends a little more time than he should in some nearby bars, drinking a little more than he ought to, trying not to think about the person he is now compared to the person he was the week before. ]
iv. misc
[ Come plot something! ]
for tony
And it's not all bad. He's here to mend things a little with Tony (not that they had really gotten broken, exactly). Plus, after hiding away in his house for days on end, it's progress, just being out in public and around people.
Cisco cleaned himself up a bit before he came, but he still looks a touch haggard - his clothes are clean but there are circles under his eyes, and whenever he thinks no one is looking his shoulders slump, the smile dropping from his lips, leaving him quiet and glum. He waits for Tony just outside the bar, arms folded over his chest, trying his best to look better than he feels. When he sees the man approaching he lifts a hand in a little wave. ]
Hey, Tony.
no subject
He still offers a wryly knowing smile as he gestures towards the door.]
After you.
no subject
Cisco leads the way into the bar, makes his way towards a booth tucked away in a corner, not too close to the press of people. It's busier than he would like it to be, but there's at least some privacy and quiet a little ways from the bar itself, and Cisco knows this is a place where they'll bring drinks to the table, and not take too long about it either.
Once they're settled, Cisco smiles at Tony. Or, at least, he tries to. It comes out a little tight, a little strained. ]
I've been saying I'm gonna start going around in a gas mask, now. [ Sort of a weird way to start the conversation, but he's sure that Tony's mind isn't too far away from the topic at hand - the amnesia, and in this case what had caused it. ] If there's gonna be spores and all that shit in the air, dicking with out heads. Just a gas mask all the time. Think I can make that work? New fashion trend?
[ He's trying to be funny, but the jokes are not quite landing right, yet. Cisco is working on it. ]
no subject
Maybe just go with an air filter over the mouth. Like a medical mask on steroids. Gas masks can be a little intimidating.
[Not that he hasn't been tempted to stay in the armor more often than not, talking about intimidating. He's managed to resist the urge so far.]
no subject
Maybe I wanna look a little intimidating.
[ Still a joke, and still a pretty feeble one - everything about the way Cisco presents himself makes it pretty clear that he prefers coming off as completely harmless. ]
I should be acting like a good scientist and trying to figure out why the spores hit different people in different ways, but I just-
[ And Cisco shrugs, again. He seems to be doing a lot of that, recently. It came down to a mix of not wanting to risk exposing himself to them a second time, and also not really wanting to know the answer to the question. ]
I can't believe some of the shit I said to people. I got about a dozen awkward conversations to go, on damage control.
[ He imagines it's even worse, for Tony. ]
no subject
Honestly not sure where to even start.
[Most of it, he'd rather pretend never happened anyway. He'd hit on Barnes of all people. And Loki. Jesus, that's a headtrip.]
Do I owe you an apology?
no subject
[ It's meant as a wry joke, but it might not be a bad strategy, honestly, if things really are as messy and tangled as Tony's expression and tone of voice seem to indicate. Cisco is curious just how bad it had gotten, but it's hard to know how to ask without sounding invasive and gossipy.
Tony's question catches him off guard. The truth is, Tony had been a touch rude to him. But the moment Tony asks if he ought to apologize, Cisco realizes he doesn't even need one. A smile stretches across his face - not rueful, this time, but bright and genuine. He shakes his head from side to side emphatically. ]
Naw, man. We good. You can check me off that mental to do list.
[ He doesn't want Tony thinking that he invited him here to wring an apology from him, or for any other reason than to give Tony some company and someone to talk to. And one of the ways he can think to do that is by giving Tony someone to vent to about the whole thing. Cisco knows from experience that sometimes, particularly when things are painful and very personal, it's nice to have someone who is removed from the core of the situation, to talk to.
So when he sees that grimace and reluctance, he thinks maybe Tony could use a little encouragement. Maybe by way of counter example? There is a pause as their drinks get delivered, and Cisco fishes a little umbrella out of his, setting it down gently on the table. ]
I spent a whole week going around singing the praises of somebody I didn't remember was a supervillain, and now I don't even know how many people I talked to about him. Maybe I should just issue a retraction on the network, huh? "My b, that guy I told that cute story about was actually a monster, sorry for the confusion."
no subject
Yeah, I feel you on that one.
[And he lifts the glass to take a good long drink. He's pretty sure he didn't actually talk to anyone about Obi by name, but he'd sure thought plenty of nice things about him, hadn't he? Obi's an issue Tony's made a point of not letting himself think about much, even after all these years. So much for that.
He makes himself set the glass down again, though. It would be so easy to just keep drinking.]
My one saving grace is that I think most of the people I talked to already know how much of an asshole I can be. So probably not much of a surprise to them. [He flashes Cisco a quick grin.] Small mercies. But I'm sorry anyway.
no subject
Cisco is visibly curious, but he doesn't pry - just waits for Tony to elaborate, if he wants to. ]
You weren't an asshole. [ He says it almost automatically, because Cisco isn't the sort of guy who lets people talk badly about themselves around him. Although... he gives a little shrug. ] Okay, you were maybe a tiny bit dismissive. But we're talking level 2 rudeness here. The minimum threshhold for an official asshole ranking is a solid 7. You didn't even come close.
[ Cisco takes a long drink of his rather sugary cocktail, wondering at the difference in Tony, despite what he's saying. With amnesia he hadn't been horrible, but there'd been a distraction about him even as he and Cisco spoke. An entitlement and casual selfishness. ]
To small mercies.
[ Belatedly, he lifts his glass for a toast. ]
no subject
Salute. [It's a wry agreement, but a genuine one.] And now I have to wonder about exactly what breed of asshole you've been meeting that you have that kind of a system for it.
[He shakes his head a little as he takes another, smaller sip. He knows exactly what he was like in the bad old days, and he's pretty sure no one else in the universe would categorize it as a level 2 of anything. Granted he hadn't been as bad to Cisco as he could have been, for which he is profoundly not sorry.
The trouble is that as much as he regrets a lot of it, things had felt so much easier when he hadn't felt a need to care about anything. It's like having a nice relaxing vacation and only realizing in retrospect that you were the most obnoxious kind of tourist ever. There are so many reasons why Tony's head is a complete and utter mess at the moment.
None of which are Cisco's problem. But Tony can't help but give him a slightly curious look.]
You only forgot some things, right?
no subject
Let's just say there've been a lot of people over the years who didn't think a guy named Ramon had any place being a mechanical engineer or working at a place like S.T.A.R. Labs, and a few of them got pretty invested in seeing me fail.
[ Hartley Rathaway being, of course, the number one culprit. He'd always been ready for Cisco to make any mistake, watching him all the time, interfering constantly, cracking snide just-that-side-of-offensive jokes, and generally making a nuisance out of himself. Then again... Cisco gets it, now. Dr. Wells manipulated both of them, pitted them against each other so they would compete and strive harder than was healthy, and to divert their attention from him and what he was up to...
When Tony asks about the things he'd forgotten, Cisco drops his gaze, twisting the stem of his cocktail glass between his fingers and generally looking uncomfortable. But he knows how it goes. If he wants to encourage Tony to feel like he can talk about stuff, he has to put his money where his mouth is and talk a little too. Clearing his throat, he says: ]
Yeah. Just the stuff about that guy I mentioned. Didn't forget him entirely, just the super fun second half of the story where instead of being a totally awesome mentor he was actually an evil murderer from the future who betrayed all of us and tore my heart to pieces literally.
[ He says all of it in a rush, with an overly bright tone of voice, like he can make it not awful by just saying it as if it were a joke. But there's no amount of shrugging and trying to smile is gonna make that one not sting, especially not when it all feels so weirdly fresh from re-remembering it. Cisco takes a significantly bigger gulp of his cocktail, not bothering to savor it this time. Maybe that had been an overshare, but he'd spent a whole week saying nice shit about Eobard and it feels only right to cancel it out by saying the bad stuff, now.]
Why couldn't it have been something good, like- like forgetting they ever made that live action Avatar movie? Sign me up for that selective amnesia.
no subject
Well that sounds...horrifyingly familiar. Maybe not the time travel part, but the rest of it? An eerie enough similarity that Tony can't help but clear his throat.]
Yeah, but think how disappointed you'd be now when you suddenly remembered it was an actual thing.
[A weak joke for a weak joke, but the faint smile that accompanies it dies back off quickly enough. Tony's only putting off the inevitable and he knows it. He could deflect all day, but after a while it's going to get awkward. And he likes Cisco too much to put him off that obviously. And Cisco doesn't look any happier about sharing than Tony feels, which does help in a weird way.]
I knew a guy kind of like that. Turns out that finding out your business partner is dealing under the table to terrorist groups kind of puts a damper on the whole weapons manufacturing thing.
[Well, Cisco had wanted to know about his former line of work.]
no subject
So there is some precedent, and even before Tony starts talking about how he'd known a guy like that, Cisco already suspects just from the lack of gasps and fanfare, that somebody's stabbed Tony in the back, too. There's a kind of weary acceptance that comes with having been through something like that. A lot of things that might not have seemed possible before look different after someone close to you has hurt you like that.
And so Cisco, too, does not react much, externally, to what Tony tells him. He nods, jaw tight; recognition. The details may be different, but even so. ]
He was selling your tech to terrorists?
[ The slight emphasis on the 'your' is because Cisco gets it. Just how personal that would feel. He is an engineer, too. He knows that the relationship between someone and their inventions is a lot more emotional than most people would think. Cisco had felt wretched when Captain Cold and Heatwave used his guns to rob banks; how much worse must that be, if it happened because of a betrayal, and on a so much grander scale? ]
That's seriously fucking low. I hope his ass is in jail.
no subject
Or maybe it's just that he never quite managed to work through the latter. It's not like it's hard to remember exactly what Stane did, but even after all these years it's somehow strange to think of the man who'd practically held him up at his parents' funeral and the man who'd stood over him and literally ripped his heart out of his chest and know that they were the same guy.]
Less in jail, more dead. [It's blunt and unapologetic, but Tony at least knows how it can sound.] But he was, you know, trying to kill me. Repeatedly. So hey.
no subject
[ There isn't any relish in Cisco's voice when he says it is good that the guy who had betrayed Tony is dead, but there isn't any hesitation or guilt, either. In general, Cisco thinks killing is bad. He thinks that arresting people, bringing them to justice through official channels, ought to be the norm. But there are exceptions to every rule. And he likes Tony. If this guy had betrayed Tony and tried to kill him repeatedly, he's glad Tony was able to defend himself, and end it. ]
My guy, too. Or... erased from ever being born. Which is pretty much the same.
[ He's stopped trying to understand the exact logistics of it. All he knows is that Eddie's sacrifice had worked, that he'd watched Eobard dissolving into thin air. If that wasn't as decisive as death, then nothing was.
Cisco raises his glass towards Tony, the set of his jaw still grim, but just a touch of dark humor in his voice. ]
To shitty people not being around anymore. And also, a toast to fuck magic bullshit-ass spores digging up shit that oughta stay buried.
no subject
I will seriously drink to that. On both counts.
[And he does, though he's still trying to moderate himself. It's weird to think about, to know that he owes who he is today to that whole shitty situation. That he isn't still the guy who drank too much and hit on everything that moved and gave no fucks about anything.
It doesn't mean he felt any particular need to be reminded of it. So fuck bullshit spores indeed.]
You doing okay otherwise?
[Tony eyes him over the rim of his glass as he asks. His own head is a mess, he can only imagine Cisco must be feeling similar.]
no subject
Still, it's hard, being honest. At first all Cisco does is give a bare shrug, eyes fixed on the table like it's suddenly fascinating to him. Which is pretty clearly a 'no', even though it's meant to seem neutral. ]
The thing that's weirding me out the most is... I guess 'cause it happened gradually and in the middle of all this other chaotic shit, I didn't really realize how much he- how much this stuff changed me.
[ It's the truth, but it just sounds so maudlin, even though he's trying to keep his voice clinical and detached, that Cisco scoffs at himself, scornful, shaking his head. He finishes the rest of his drink (so much for moderation for him) and explains: ]
Like... I survived, sure, but I'm never gonna be the me that I was before. That Cisco didn't make it out.
[ And he concludes with one last shrug, as if he could convince Tony or himself or anyone that this is only some weird annoyance he's making a detached observation of. ]
no subject
[Tony flicks him a look that's both wry and understanding. He probably doesn't have to explain to Cisco just how much of a different person he'd been, moreso than just ten years of missing time could account for.]
It's not always a bad thing, though. Yeah you change, but. You also learn. And you know better for next time.
[For an engineer, a chance to figure out what went wrong and correct those weaknesses is everything. Well, for Tony, at least. As tired and weighed down by all that's gone on as he is, he likes who he is a whole lot better these days.]
no subject
[ It's a bit of an invasive question and Cisco knows it. He probably wouldn't have asked, if he weren't a touch tipsy. But the fact is, he doesn't really have anybody else to ask. Strange, that even when it comes to reacting to betrayal and trauma, he's worried that he might not be doing it right. But Tony, he thinks, must be. He'd gone from being an (apparently slightly dickish) weapons developer to being a superhero and a much more friendly person.
For Cisco, it feels like he's going down the opposite path - like Wells had made him more distrustful, more paranoid and inclined to arm himself against all possible harm and think the worst of everyone and the world. He doesn't feel wiser, or better, or stronger. He feels like a meaner, brokener version of the person he was before. ]
no subject
And okay, maybe that's because he's never exactly made himself approachable for it. None of it is anything he's felt a particular need or want to dig back up. But all of it's right there in the forefront of his mind at the moment anyway, so why not?
He lets out a long breath, slumps back in his chair and tries to put his thoughts in order.]
That's a more complicated question. I could say I learned that anyone could turn on you, but honestly I already knew that.
[He'd been in the business world since his early twenties. Backstabbing was nothing new. Maybe not on Stane's scale, but still.]
Better to say the whole situation taught me what's really important. Near-death experiences kind of have a tendency to do that.
no subject
Doesn't that mean he is a worse man now than he had been before? ]
How do you deal with that? With knowing anybody could turn on you?
[ Cisco drops his gaze; Tony is sitting there, talking about personal growth, how he'd taken something awful and made himself a hero because of it, and here Cisco is, dragging the conversation back away from that hopefulness, being so relentless and pessimistic. He really is worse, isn't he? ]
Sorry. You don't gotta answer that. I don't mean to keep asking so many questions, I just... there's nobody I can talk to about this. And I didn't already know it, like you did. I keep expecting everyone I meet is gonna try to kill me. Sorta makes for a stressful day.
no subject
Honestly? It's something I've always known. I deal with it because that's just how my life is.
[It's one of the few things Howard had made it a point to teach him. Thanks, Dad.
But Tony studies Cisco as he looks away, eyebrows drawing together into something thoughtful. Tony's always been a cynic, but from the sounds of it, the idea is newer to Cisco. And he's the last person he would ever suggest for inspirational speeches, but a big part of Tony feels like he should at least try.]
I get that. You think I walk around in a full body suit of armor because it's fashionable? But it's...eventually you just stop looking over your shoulder all the time. You know it could happen, but you're ready for it instead of just expecting it.
[And even then, it can still blindside you. But he's pretty sure that's not something Cisco wants to hear.]
no subject
He keeps on staring at his drink glass, listening to the advice Tony is dispensing. It's helpful, more than he can say, just to hear from someone that they understand. That he's not a total nutcase for worrying about it happening again. He'd had to hide it from Barry and Caitlin, the way that fear clung to him, insinuated itself into his everyday life. He'd covered it up for so long, that just saying it, and hearing Tony tell him it's understandable, and it'll get better... it means a lot.
Cisco finally looks up, then. There's a tiny smile tugging at the corner of his mouth - weak, and hesitant, but there. ]
Yeah.
[ Instead of being paralyzed with fear over what he'd do if he found himself in that same position again, he should work on being ready. Not by assuming everyone is a secret supervillain, but by learning how to protect himself. With precautions, yes, but also maybe... with his powers, too. As a last resort. ]
Thanks. For... [ For the speech? For listening? For showing him he isn't alone? He can't imagine saying any of those things out loud, so he just finishes: ] ... just, thanks.
no subject
He's not good at this. Tony has no illusions about that. But he also knows that sometimes all you really need is someone who understands, even if that person isn't actually particularly helpful. Someone you can commiserate with in a way that doesn't feel patronizing. There are reasons Tony's never really considered therapy.
So he shrugs a little, leans back, and attempts to play it as cool as he can. Cisco seems like he's doing the same thing, so hey.]
And I mean. You know where I am if you ever want to talk.
[He can listen, at least. Hard to mess that up.]