Vroom Vroom

[dee_lorean81]

[There is a DeLorean, heavily modified, doing laps in an empty, paved part of the Nexus. One might wonder what the driver is doing -- practicing for a race? Working on their turning? Just burning rubber because they're bored?

And then one might get a little closer -- and see that there IS no driver.

. . .perhaps it might be fairer to say that the car is bored.]

Comments

[palmerthing]

*A laugh.* Alright, fair. You just can't you know, go indoors or manipulate objects.

[dee_lorean81]

Yeah. . .I'd say that having the human form has put into perspective how limited the car form is, but. . .that doesn't feel quite right, as I wasn't sapient before I had the human form.

[palmerthing]

Not even vaguely aware, I'd imagine. I think we've always been at least a bit aware, if only on the level of bacteria. *A wry smile.* It's strange when you can refer to yourself as 'we' and be completely sane.

[dee_lorean81]

Nope -- they didn't build cars with AIs back in the 80s. Except for KITT, but he wasn't real in my world. [there's a little burst of static on the radio, as if she's pondering something] Yeah, it is. . .but it is as weird as suddenly being conscious of yourself and having a lot of memories that, technically, you SHOULDN'T have because you WEREN'T conscious for them?

[palmerthing]

Okay, yeah, that's pretty weird. Not sure which is worse.

[dee_lorean81]

I try not to think about it too much, because it's one of those things that makes your head hurt. Or I guess my roof, as I am right now. [pause] Engine?

[palmerthing]

Engine seems more like a heart to me . . . cars don't really have a brain analogue, do they?

[dee_lorean81]

Not unless they're a more modern car with a computer in 'em, no. Which probably makes it really weird I can think just fine in this shape, but -- well. I got the human form through weird magic portal stuff, so. . .

[palmerthing]

The fun of trying to figure out the impossible . . .

[dee_lorean81]

Maybe I should ask Dad what he thinks. He, hilariously, knows cars better than I do.

[palmerthing]

Well yeah, you didn't have to make yourself.

[dee_lorean81]

[Dee chuckles] True -- but does anybody? Make themselves, I mean. Even you were the result of a previous Thing infecting a person.

[palmerthing]

You'd have to be a time traveler--oh wait. *Grin.*

[dee_lorean81]

[that gets a staticky laugh] I am NOT my own grandmother, thank you very much! [thoughtful] Though, uh, by that logic. . .the Marty I originally knew, who traveled back in time and accidentally temporarily broke up his parents kinda made himself. . .

[palmerthing]

Causing yourself to happen sounds bewildering. *Even if it did sort of do the same.*

[dee_lorean81]

I think that Marty would describe it more as "super gross." I mean, yeah, "bewildering" too, but given he had to essentially go on a date with his mom to help get them interested in each other. . .

[palmerthing]

I swear I remember Palmer reading a story where a character was both their own parents. And also recruited themselves to be a time traveler. It was very weird.

"All You Zombies," Right?

[dee_lorean81]

[Dee waggles her doors] I -- don't think I know that one. I bet Dad would, though. It sounds freaking weird, yeah.

Yup! 'I know where I come from, but where did all you zombies come from?'

[palmerthing]

It definitely was. There are a lot of really wild sci-fi stories out there. But then I'm an example of that and so are you.

Thought so -- think I read that ages ago

[dee_lorean81]

That's true enough. Not every day a teenager gets bounced through a good 130 years of space-time in a single weekend. And has to do stuff like date his own mother AND impersonate his own kid AND rescue his best friend from an Old West killer.

[palmerthing]

Shit, man, all that at once?

[dee_lorean81]

Well, it was KINDA spaced out. . .first thing, with getting his parents back together, was actually over a week in 1955 -- though he only went out on the date with his mother at the end; then he came back to 1985 and got a night's sleep before that version of Dad took him to 2015 to deal with his kid; then there was a mess with Biff Tannen getting his hands on future betting information and making an awful alternate reality, so they had to go back to 1955 and fix that, which was effectively a couple of days; then I got struck by lightning, sending me and that Doc back to 1885, and when they were digging me up from where Doc had hidden me, Marty found his grave and decided to go back and save him, which was another week in the Old West. It was a lot, though.

[palmerthing]

More than I'd have wanted to deal with, certainly. I've already had more than my share of sci-fi fuckups, man.

[dee_lorean81]

Yeah, I know. It's rough when you're from either a sci-fi action or a sci-fi horror universe, that's for sure. The "fun" never stops. Hell, I took my fair share of dings during all that -- had to have most of my soft rubbery bits hastily replaced after getting stored in a mine for 70-odd years.

[palmerthing]

Does it look as weird to you when I change as it does to 'normal' people, do you think? It must look pretty weird, but I'd think real humans would find it a lot worse. *They have a better understanding of what that should feel like, after all, even if it doesn't really.*