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Entry tags:

[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)

[ 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! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[No matter how many times he's told by someone that they know more than he does, it's still weird. But Magnus isn't really surprised that Taako would've talked about him. He's not really upset by it.]

No worries, man. You can make it up to me by telling me about this Earth thing.

Wait—you guys don't have dwarves and elves? Or magic?

[ Cisco is already appreciative of how chill Magnus has been about the whole situation. If it were him, he would be way more paranoid about a stranger knowing stuff about him - even if it were second-hand. But then again, maybe if he had all his memories, Magnus would be paranoid about it, too. Cisco can't help wondering how different Magnus would be, if he remembered those 100 years which had seemed to scar Taako pretty deeply, even if he tries to hide it most of the time. ]

No gnomes or uh- dragon-born or orcs or any of them, either. Just humans, and animals. And not talking animals or whatever, just... regular ones.

[ Regular by his own standards, anyway. Cisco tries to be sensitive with his language, remember that Earth isn't the default for a lot of people here, but it can be difficult. ]

There are a few people with special abilities, but it's not the same as magic, where anybody can learn. Just... a group of folks who got changed when a particle accelerator exploded.

Interesting. Very interesting.

[He's nodding along as if he's taking mental notes, as if this Earth is a college course he's taking.]

You'll have to explain to me what a particle accelerator is.

[Soon enough, they come upon the front gate to the zoo, and this is much more interesting to him than science could ever be.]

... Later. First we gotta see the bears!

You should've seen me the first time I met like, elves and aliens and vampires. I completely lost it. I'm talking total fanboy mode. We've got stories about magic and stuff, it's just not real. I've been in this place for like, half a year, and I'm still not used to magic being real. It's just so. damn. awesome.

[ As for the particle accelerator, Cisco had already assumed he would need to explain, sooner or later - though it had always been possible that Magnus would pull a Taako and dismiss it as a random science thing without ever asking for or desiring an explanation. Either way, he's ready. He'd gotten plenty of practice explaining what a particle accelerator was to all kinds of different audiences, back when they'd been designing and building the damn thing, not to mention after it exploded.

But that can wait, because he gets swept up in a wave of Magnus's enthusiasm. He scoops up a little paper map of the zoo, unfolding it and looking around for... ]

Ah ha! There, see. We gotta head in... that direction, they're near the back of the zoo.

[ And together the two of them set off, in the direction of the enclosures where the zoos bears are kept. It's a nice day, and the zoo is more crowded than Cisco has ever seen it; they make their way around little groups of people, past the aviary, the otters, the building that holds the nocturnal animals, the giant structures being climbed over by dozens of nimble monkeys. ]

Nearly there, I think, you see them?

[On their way over, Magnus stops at least for a second at most of the enclosures they pass. When Cisco points out the bears, Magnus is distracted (but not far behind), waving his fingers happily at some monkeys.]

Oh—Right, right. The bears, totally.

[He catches up with Cisco and looks ahead. His face lights up when he sees the bears.]

Oh, boy, do I!

[He makes a run for them, but not so fast that he's leaving Cisco behind. A jog. When he reaches the grizzly bear enclosure, he leans into the fence excitedly.]

Yup, these are just about like the bears I have at home. [He's not disappointed to see that they're similar—rather, he's just happy to be lookin' at some bears.]

[ There's something about Magnus's enthusiasm that is thoroughly infectious. Normally, Cisco's pretty meh on bears. Doesn't really have anything against them - unlike gorillas, and bees, and some other insects - but doesn't exactly go gaga over them, either. But when Magnus dashes over to the bear enclosure, Cisco jogs to keep up, laughing his head off. ]

Okay, but now I gotta know, have you, like, ever actually fought a-

[ It's completely stupid, how it happens. Cisco is so delighted by the fine weather and the good company and the fun of it all, that he is thoughtless. The section of fence that they are standing near, which keeps zoo guests from falling down into the sunken habitat for the bears, had been damaged by all that acid rain. Evidently, it had just been lower on the priority list for repairs than some other places in the city.

Still, the bars are just rusted enough, at just enough critical junctures, that when Cisco leans his full weight against them, reaching through to point at one of the bears, the whole thing gives a shuddery groan and before he has time to do anything but yelp in surprise, three bars come completely detached and he is falling, falling much further than he had thought.

From that point it's all instinct; he manages to land not that badly, along his side, and gets an arm up over his head before one of those iron bars hits him. As is, it's going to leave a hell of a bruise on his forearm, and there will be some along his ribs from where he'd landed. But he doesn't have a whole lot of time to be grateful, because while gravity didn't mess him up too badly, he is now... in a zoo enclosure. With actual, real live grizzlies. Who are probably not all that happy about having an intruder. ]

Edited 2017-08-28 00:42 (UTC)

[The shock of Cisco's fall catches him so off-guard that Magnus can't reach out to grab him in time. Instead, he watches on, helplessly, from the spot where Cisco fell.]

Shit! Cisco, you okay?

[Frantically, he looks around for an employee or something of that nature.] Don't worry, I'll find someone who... [...but looking for more than 5 seconds becomes too long a wait, and Magnus rolls his eyes. Asking for help is useless.]

Screw it. Look out below!

[...And he starts scaling the wall until he's at a safe enough distance to jump down to Cisco, then extends a hand to help him back to his feet.]

You okay, buddy?

[ The pain makes Cisco dizzy for a moment and he isn't sure exactly what he's seeing when Magnus starts to climb down after him. Cisco glances between Magnus and the grizzlies, which are definitely staring in their direction, interested and alert. He grabs the hand that Magnus extends mostly by instinct, letting Magnus haul him up and only swaying a small amount before he regains his balance. ]

The fence, it... it just-

[ Cisco looks up at Magnus, eyes round with shock. But it starts to sink in, then. What has happened, and the whole situation they find themselves in. And now is exactly when he would start to seriously panic, if he was on his own down here. But since Magnus is there, instead of ]

I'm... fine, but- what are you doing?!

[ Cisco has known some pretty stupid heroic types, but jumping after him into a bear enclosure, when there are grizzlies right there and no way to get out? That's a whole new level. Still, though, his voice is more gratitude than incredulity. Cisco sticks closely to Magnus's side, eyes darting around looking for a way out. ]

There's gotta be some kind of door, right? For the zookeepers? But it's probably locked. Do you think we could climb...?

[ His voice trails off skeptically, looking at how high up that broken bit of fence is; might as well be on a different moon. ]

Hey, don't worry about me. I'm cool.

[He places his hands on Cisco's shoulders to steady him. And also because it makes him feel cool.]

We're gonna get out of this.

[He gives Cisco a smile in reassurance. ... And then when he realizes he has no clue what he's doing, his smile kind of wavers. Only kind of, though. He glances around the cage in search of an exit, paying no mind to the bears. ~~Like, whatever, there are bears there. Oh well.~~ He then turns around to take another look at the broken fence.]

Do you think you could reach the ledge if I give you a boost?

[ The steadying hands do him some good, as does the smile. ]

Yeah, but then what about you?

[ Cisco realizes a moment after he asks that Magnus wasn't even thinking about himself, or that he had just decided getting Cisco out first was the priority. His jaw sets as he says, in a voice that is more stern than is usual for him: ]

I'm not gonna leave you in here. If that's what you were thinking, you can forget it right now. Don't even argue with me on this, 'cause it ain't gonna work. Maybe... maybe we can make some kind of makeshift grappling hook?

[ It's pretty typical, that Cisco's first thought is to fashion some kind of tool. And his brain is kicking into overdrive, because one of the grizzlies has gotten to its feet, still staring at them. He doesn't know bear body language, but he doesn't think it looks super hospitable and friendly. Quickly, before he can think much of it, Cisco starts tugging off his shirts; fortunately, he gets cold easy, so he has one long-sleeve one and a long sleeve flannel underneath. He starts tying the ends of the sleeves together, too freaked out that the's gonna get eaten by a bear to be modest. He elbows Magnus, saying: ]

Shirt.

[ While he's waiting for Magnus to hand it over he feels around on the ground, finds a rock that is fairly large and heavy. He ties the end of one sleeve, drops the big stone in through the neck of that shirt, and then ties the sleeve again on the other side of the rock, trapping it there and weighing the whole thing down. If they could throw it, get it to hook or wrap around some of the non-rusted portion of the fence... but it isn't long enough, yet. ]

Pants, too. Needs to be longer.

[ Cisco has really committed to this idea, and he doesn't have time to hesitate, now. He hauls off his shoes and absolutely chucks them with all his strength out of the bear enclosure, and then quickly strips off his own jeans, tying them to the end of the makeshift rope. Which also means he's standing there in his boxers and socks, with a guy he barely knows, in a bear enclosure, in the middle of the zoo.

Just great. ]

[He kind of allows Cisco to take off his shirts, but mostly because he's not the quickest to pick up on things and because he's too busy trying to think of a better plan. But when Cisco goes for the pants, he attempts to shut that down.]

Whooooa, whoa, whoa, partner. Don't get hasty now. Those flimsy shirts aren't going to hold together if I start climbing them. I know I can boost you up and get myself out of here, too. ... Somehow.

[Although "somehow" might not have been so reassuring, he insists:] I've got animal handling proficiency. [He winks.] A few bears aren't gonna get their hands on this guy. Now put your pants back on and let me boost you up! I can lift 375 on a bad day and I know you don't weigh that much.

[He arranges himself near the wall cups his hands together so that Cisco can use them as a step for Magnus to push toward the ledge.]

[ Cisco wants to argue with Magnus, to insist that his plan is foolproof, but... it isn't much of a plan. It's hasty knots and cheap flannel and he just wishes he had some goddamn rope. Cisco wishes he hadn't tossed his shoes away, now, but he hastily puts his pants back on, and the embarrassment has caught up to him, now, his whole face flushed. He stays close to Magnus's side as he tries to un-tie one of the sleeves, only to give up and just accept that it's not a priority right now. The grizzly that stood up is padding towards them, huffing a little, looking wary. Cisco's stomach twists with new terror. But he repeats: ]

"Somehow"? Nuh uh. And what part of "I'm not leaving you in here" didn't you get?! Do you have any idea how strong a grizzly is? I'm not just gonna-

[ But he gets cut off when the grizzly in question bares its teeth, huffing more loudly and actually snapping its jaws a bit, and Cisco might not have animal proficiency but that is not, NOT a good sign. He reaches out for Magnus's arm instinctively, whispering: ]

Holy fuck, we're gonna die.

No, we're not.

[He turns to face the grizzly, becoming a barrier between it and Cisco with his arms outstretched. He gives the bear a stern look and addresses it:]

Just what do you think you're doing, Bear? We're just two guys, mindin' our biz.

[It roars in response, waving a paw.]

I know, I know, we're up in your house, but we didn't mean to be. We'll be on our way out.

[The bear lowers itself down to all fours and hangs its head, letting out a quiet rumble. Magnus, in turn, lowers his arms.]

Thanks, man.

[He turns back to Cisco.] He's giving us some time to get out. He is gonna come back at us if we don't scootch, but we're good to go.

[ Cisco has the distinct thought, again, as Magnus interposes himself between Cisco and the grizzly, that he keeps befriending almost suicidally brave and heroic people, and that he really needs to stop doing that. And also, that he is absolutely not going to stop doing that. He of course feels safer, with Magnus standing between him and harm, but he's still terrified that Magnus will get hurt or killed...

But he doesn't. He talks to the bear and, impossibly, ludicrously, it listens. Cisco had thought he was making some kind of joke about animal proficiency, but damn, if that was not a proficient interaction right there. When Magnus turns back to update him, Cisco is absolutely goggling at him, mouth open, too stunned to even really ask what the hell had just happened. ]

How... are we gonna do that?

[ He's stopped insisting that he knows best, at least, because clearly Magnus is handling this situation with much more skill than Cisco. ]

If you boost me out, maybe you could... maybe use some of the broken fence as a ladder?

[He shrugs.] I figured I'd boost you up and figure out what to do from there.

[As soon as he says it, he realizes how bad a plan that is. ... But damn it, he's committed.]

I can, uh... I can climb it! Maybe. I've climbed things before. [His confidence in this idea is obviously faked.] But whatever. If we don't at least act like we're trying to get out, I think that guy's gonna get mad again, so.

[He maneuvers into position, once again, to boost Cisco out of the enclosure.]

Edited 2017-09-01 03:58 (UTC)

[ Cisco still feels ambivalent about this whole venture, and like he's the one not really carrying his weight in this time of crisis. That feeling only gets worse when Magnus is actually supporting his weight, helping him to get higher up, closer to being able to reach that ledge they'd fallen from.

But after all Magnus is right, and they probably ought to look like they're trying if they don't want the bear to think they're pulling a fast one. So Cisco lets himself be boosted, shirts flung over one shoulder. It's a little awkward, but then Magnus just lifts him as if he isn't a full-grown man who, okay, is a little short, but still weighs enough that someone ought not to be able to just heave him up into the air like that.

No time to focus on that, though; Cisco makes a wild grab for the place where the rusted fence had fallen away, and he just gets a handhold. Hauling himself up is not quick or easy; he isn't weak, but pull-ups aren't his strong suit. There's some teeth-gritting and his arms quiver a bit as he does it, but Cisco drags himself up and then onto the pavement outside the bear enclosure, gasping with relief when his legs are no longer dangling.

He allows himself that one moment of relief before he turns, peers over the edge at Magnus down below, trying to figure out how to help, how to contribute. ]

How's it look?

Uhh... I'll update you in a sec!

[He gives the wall a once-over, deciding whether or not he should even try to climb it. It doesn't seem like it'd be a very fun climb—so he turns back to the bear.]

Any chance you'd give me a boost, buddy?

[...The bear huffs, unimpressed. Turning back to the wall, he comes to terms with the fact that climbing is his only option. He paces away from it to gain running distance, then takes a breath.]

Alright, here we go.

[He makes a run for the wall, attempting to scale it in one go, but he misses the ledge and absolutely beefs it onto the ground. (He's okay, though. He's taken worse falls before. More than anything it's his pride that's damaged.)

After a dejected groan, he lifts himself back onto his feet. He rises to see a laughing bear.]

Yeah, thanks, buddy, [he quips, sarcastically. But the bear actually takes pity on him at this point and does, in fact, give him a boost. Finally, with its help, Magnus pulls himself up to meet Cisco, who presumably just saw him make an ass of himself.]

...So that happened. [He sighs.] Are you okay?

[ If he weren't so worried, Cisco would probably be rolling around on the ground, laughing. As is, he looks away briefly to haul his shirts back on, and looks back just in time to see Magnus take his spectacular leap, and correspondingly spectacular fall back to the ground. Cisco clutches at his face in horror, leaning over and trying to see if Magnus is alright, if he's broken something or his his head or-

But he gets to his feet, seeming annoyed but uninjured. Cisco releases the breath he'd been holding, shoulders slumping in relief. He only notices the bear when Magnus addresses it again, and is it... laughing? Do bears even do that?! Is Magnus some kind of druid and Taako just failed to mention it?

He watches with his heart in his throat as the bear comes over to Magnus. Cisco thinks it is going to take a bite, that he is going to have to figure out a way to fight it and get it away from his new friend. But it doesn't attack. Instead, it helps to lift Magnus up, and Cisco quickly bends down to try to help haul Magnus up as he climbs out of the enclosure. Once he's on his feet, before Cisco can even speak, Magnus asks if he's alright. Cisco can't help it: he laughs. ]

Am I okay?! Are you okay?! I saw you fall, I should've found a better way to get you out, made... I don't know, found a rope or...

[ Cisco fusses and talks, talks and fusses, looking Magnus over to make sure he's not limping or holding his arms funny or anything like that. But he seems okay, as far as Cisco can tell, and he heaves a big sigh. ]

[Magnus can't help but laugh when anyone fusses about his physical safety. ~~He doesn't realize that one of these days he's gonna break if he keeps going too hard. He thinks he's invincible.~~]

Yeah, I admit that was kinda dumb on my part. I'm not always the smartest. But, hey! [He gives Cisco a pat on the shoulder.] We did it! We got out of there and didn't even get a scratch.

[He thinks about this and checks his elbow.] One scratch.

[ Normally Cisco isn't here for people putting down their own intelligence, but Magnus did just make a whole lot of really inadvisable decisions in the last fifteen minutes or so. Not that Cisco hadn't had some dumb ideas, too. Really, not the finest moment for either of them, but they'd gotten out of it. ]

Hey, you don't gotta be smart, apparently you can talk to friggin bears?! Which is completely dope.

[ Seriously, what even was that? Cisco has never seen anything like that, before. There's being good with animals, but this is just on a whole other level.

He frowns at that slightly-bloody scrape on Magnus's elbow, wishing he had bandages or antibiotics on him. Cisco nods his head in the direction of the main office of the zoo, saying: ]

C'mon, they'll have first aid shit in there, and we should probably tell them about the fence, and yell at them to fix the other ones because damn, that shit is not up to code. Not even close.

[ Cisco starts off in that direction, only gets a step or two before he blurts: ]

Thank you. For boosting me out, and... jumping down to help and... all of it. That coulda been really really bad if you weren't there.

[He doesn't think much of his interactions with animals, so he's almost always taken aback when anyone thinks anything of it.] Oh, that? Ha, sure. I mean, as long as it's like, a nice bear.

[He might be an idiot, but since the battle is over, he at least knows well enough to follow Cisco's instructions on getting medical attention. He could use a bandaid.

He shrugs off Cisco's thank-you.] Not at all, bud. I'm glad you're okay!

Y'know, I still had a great day. Even though all of, uh, that happened. You're a cool guy, Cisco.

[ Cisco leads the way to the main office, smiling softly when Magnus says he still had a good day. ]

Yeah. Me too. Even better if you promise not to tell anybody about the trying to make a rope outta my clothes thing.

[ Now that they aren't in danger, Cisco has the mental and emotional space to feel properly, truly, deeply embarrassed about that. The idea itself might not have been so bad, if Magnus weren't such a big guy, but the execution of it... he's going to be remembering that at 3AM when he can't sleep and banging his head against some walls, he can already tell.

But hey, even if there were some not great bits, they had gotten into a scrape and gotten out the other side and now they're a little closer as friends, and that's a pretty great silver lining. ]

You're a cool guy, too, Magnus.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[open] cancel your reservations

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yeah i just failed SEVERAL rolls

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