[mad muses] ayn rand quote
Feb. 23rd, 2009 11:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
magic_fratboy“Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can be won. It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours.”
In one corner of the spacious warehouse, he watched a pair of teenage boys struggling with a zig-zag box, trying to reassemble the girl they had just divided neatly into three equal sections. In another, he blanched as a second pair clumsily finished sawing another female compatriot in half.
This was the future of the Fraternity in this neatly ordered warehouse, stocked to the ceiling in steel-shelved rows full of illusions, tricks, and useless props used to disguise the use of real magic onstage. It was nothing like the eclectic mess of the sun-filled warehouse in Los Angeles, where he and his friends would train…and for just a moment, it made Tommy a little homesick for California.
“Something wrong, Tommy?”
He shook his head as Channing spoke and laid her hand on his shoulder questioningly. “What are they doing, Chan? Is this what they’re limited to?”
“It’s basics, Ehrie…these kids are early into their training.”
“There’s gotta be better ways for them to explore their power.” He insisted with a frown. “They should be playing to their strengths…obviously, these guys aren’t into restoration or mysticism.”
“No, they’re not, but as you well know we don’t need to play to our strengths. Our natural power comes to us like breathing. It’s everything else we must work to develop our skills at.” Channing insisted. “This is how we do things in Las Vegas, Tommy.”
It didn’t sit well with him. Shaking his head again, he turned and stalked deeper into the warehouse, scanning the stock as he did. It wasn’t his place to argue or try to make waves…and yet it felt like he should be doing something about this. It wasn’t right, it was stagnant and overly cautious, an exercise in futility.
This wasn’t what they were made to do…
* * * * * * * * * *
“What on earth is…TOMMY!!!!”
He knew it was coming, so his focus wasn’t disrupted as he lay on the bed of nails, eyes shut and breathing controlled. Tommy knew it wasn’t him Channing was worried about, anyway…it was the teenager laying beside him.
“Stay focused.” He murmured quietly. “Don’t let her distract you or you’ll bleed, alright?”
The heavier than normal exhale told him the boy, Elton, understood as he lay motionless on the platform.
Opening his own eyes, Tommy lifted a hand and was immediately met with Channing’s grip to help him up.
“Thomas Gregory Karras, get him off that thing this instant!!”
Rolling off the bed of nails easily, Tommy winced only a little as he stood before her, hands on his hips. “Chan? Chill. The kid’s power is levitation, like mine. He’s keeping himself afloat. Steady pressure, but not enough to break the skin.”
“I told you--”
“And it ain’t right.” He shot back, forgetting himself. “Goddamnit, Chan, if these kids are gonna survive in the trenches? They need to learn to think creatively, and if any of them have career goals in this field? They need to be original. It ain’t enough to have the power…they need to test the limits of its flexibility. I had to learn the hard way, there’s no reason they should, too.”
He watched her glare for a full minute…then glance down and flinch discreetly.
“We’ll discuss this later, Tommy…you weren’t using levitation, were you?”
Frowning, he followed her gaze and saw blood dripping at his heels, finally feeling a warm trail down the center of his back.
“No,” he admitted, looking up again, “I wasn’t.”
“Come on, let’s patch you up…Elton! Wrap it up! Joseph, go get Chet to help him off of there…”
As one of the other boys gathered around trotted off to track down Chet McCabe, Tommy let Channing lead him away, satisfied by the cluster of thoughtful looks and awed gazes still hovering around the bed of nails. Glancing at Channing, he couldn’t help but grin.
“Y’know, I think I know how I can use that to my advantage, too.”
“I’m reluctant to ask, but do tell.”
“Well, you know that offer you turned down from the Hummer dealership on Tropicana? I could probably take ‘em up on it. Do something with one of their cars and they’ll hand it over for free? Wonder if I could get a new H3 if I let it roll over me on that thing…”
Muse: Tommy Karras
Fandom: Original Character
Words: 735
In one corner of the spacious warehouse, he watched a pair of teenage boys struggling with a zig-zag box, trying to reassemble the girl they had just divided neatly into three equal sections. In another, he blanched as a second pair clumsily finished sawing another female compatriot in half.
This was the future of the Fraternity in this neatly ordered warehouse, stocked to the ceiling in steel-shelved rows full of illusions, tricks, and useless props used to disguise the use of real magic onstage. It was nothing like the eclectic mess of the sun-filled warehouse in Los Angeles, where he and his friends would train…and for just a moment, it made Tommy a little homesick for California.
“Something wrong, Tommy?”
He shook his head as Channing spoke and laid her hand on his shoulder questioningly. “What are they doing, Chan? Is this what they’re limited to?”
“It’s basics, Ehrie…these kids are early into their training.”
“There’s gotta be better ways for them to explore their power.” He insisted with a frown. “They should be playing to their strengths…obviously, these guys aren’t into restoration or mysticism.”
“No, they’re not, but as you well know we don’t need to play to our strengths. Our natural power comes to us like breathing. It’s everything else we must work to develop our skills at.” Channing insisted. “This is how we do things in Las Vegas, Tommy.”
It didn’t sit well with him. Shaking his head again, he turned and stalked deeper into the warehouse, scanning the stock as he did. It wasn’t his place to argue or try to make waves…and yet it felt like he should be doing something about this. It wasn’t right, it was stagnant and overly cautious, an exercise in futility.
This wasn’t what they were made to do…
“What on earth is…TOMMY!!!!”
He knew it was coming, so his focus wasn’t disrupted as he lay on the bed of nails, eyes shut and breathing controlled. Tommy knew it wasn’t him Channing was worried about, anyway…it was the teenager laying beside him.
“Stay focused.” He murmured quietly. “Don’t let her distract you or you’ll bleed, alright?”
The heavier than normal exhale told him the boy, Elton, understood as he lay motionless on the platform.
Opening his own eyes, Tommy lifted a hand and was immediately met with Channing’s grip to help him up.
“Thomas Gregory Karras, get him off that thing this instant!!”
Rolling off the bed of nails easily, Tommy winced only a little as he stood before her, hands on his hips. “Chan? Chill. The kid’s power is levitation, like mine. He’s keeping himself afloat. Steady pressure, but not enough to break the skin.”
“I told you--”
“And it ain’t right.” He shot back, forgetting himself. “Goddamnit, Chan, if these kids are gonna survive in the trenches? They need to learn to think creatively, and if any of them have career goals in this field? They need to be original. It ain’t enough to have the power…they need to test the limits of its flexibility. I had to learn the hard way, there’s no reason they should, too.”
He watched her glare for a full minute…then glance down and flinch discreetly.
“We’ll discuss this later, Tommy…you weren’t using levitation, were you?”
Frowning, he followed her gaze and saw blood dripping at his heels, finally feeling a warm trail down the center of his back.
“No,” he admitted, looking up again, “I wasn’t.”
“Come on, let’s patch you up…Elton! Wrap it up! Joseph, go get Chet to help him off of there…”
As one of the other boys gathered around trotted off to track down Chet McCabe, Tommy let Channing lead him away, satisfied by the cluster of thoughtful looks and awed gazes still hovering around the bed of nails. Glancing at Channing, he couldn’t help but grin.
“Y’know, I think I know how I can use that to my advantage, too.”
“I’m reluctant to ask, but do tell.”
“Well, you know that offer you turned down from the Hummer dealership on Tropicana? I could probably take ‘em up on it. Do something with one of their cars and they’ll hand it over for free? Wonder if I could get a new H3 if I let it roll over me on that thing…”
Muse: Tommy Karras
Fandom: Original Character
Words: 735
