[Video]

[strangebargains]

[The image is shaky at first, since he's holding it. A moment later and the image stabilizes and becomes much more than a chin or pair of nostrils. Stephen comes into view, he's wearing a red cloak with a high collar but it isn't his cloak and he's pretty miffed she didn't get pulled into this universe.]

Hello, everyone, I figure it's best to see if there's anyone I know here. New arrival, Doctor Stephen Strange, if that name rings a bell I congratulate you. That means you're alive and well because I was probably your Doctor. You're welcome.

[He waves a yellow-gloved hand. Underneath they were scarred and ached in certain temperatures, so he figured it'd be best to protect them in this manner.]

Now I've done this whole multiverse song-and-dance deal before. If I'd had the foresight to bring the Eye of Agamotto with me I could have taken care of your little problem. Chronoblivion? Been there, done that.

[He gets a dark look, and shakes it off. That sound exactly like Dormammu and he wouldn't be surprised if that simply was what they called him in this universe.]

Too many times.

Plus, what's the deal with giant world-eating entities? Do they have a club or something? Is it like what they do for fun since they're all bored in their dimensions?

Anyway. I decided to join your little group of Legionaires. I can't use magic here for some reason, but apparently I can still do some things. It's a little different from what I'm used to, but it's nice not having to worry about losing your sling ring.

Comments

[VIDEO]

[icysmile]

And here people were telling me I was being overly optimistic.

[What size hat does he need with a head that swollen?]

Re: [VIDEO]

[strangebargains]

I see nothing wrong with thinking positive.

[Size 10000000000000 probably.]

Video

[unrecovered]

[On one hand, given the conversational cul-de-sac this guy has talked himself into and the accompanying facial expression, it's pretty obvious to Wash that their newest recruit has Trauma he hasn't dealt with.]

[On the other hand, what an asshole.]

You know, you could probably be more patronizing if you tried.

Re: Video

[strangebargains]

Oh, I could? That's good to know. I've been practicing, glad you've noticed.

[An equally patronizing look.]

[iamresponding]

[Rich just laughs his butt off because it's like some kind of mirror universe thing. Oh, he's got the same tones -- the Strange back home has that grandiose thing always going on. The cockiness, though, that's new. Or maybe old -- it's always possible this is the Dr. Strange he knows but younger.]

[Maybe that's why he thinks it's so funny -- the thought that someone he knows as mostly genteel and polite (if bombastic and grandiose) might have been one cocky son of Schlag in the past, just like Rich himself was.]

You are so not the Doctor Strange I know. Or maybe you are and you're from a time that his head was 1000 times bigger. I'm not sure which.

[strangebargains]

[Ah, well, now that was a first. He'd assumed there had to be universes that contained doubles, the Ancient One didn't really specify but he'd seen enough sci-if films to know how that sort of thing worked. Or time travel being involved, maybe this guy was from his future. Anything was possible. After all he'd been taken to this future, plus he'd manipulated time itself. After what he'd seen he was certainly going to keep an open mind.]

[An eyebrow raised at that laughter and comment.]

So what's this tiny-headed other me like, then?

[walkingballpit]

Pretty sure my Doctor was Reed Richards, without a license, so I'm going to continue not saying thank you.

[ Robbie is really quite confused by precisely all of that. He's got very important questions and critiques. ]

Did you really just do a "I left my wallet in my other pants" joke? Are you really familiar with Chronoblivion, or are you suddenly advocating one-size-fits-all heroing? I thought you were on Team Freedom.

[ Stephen looks the same as ever with the graying hair, so forgive Robbie if he doesn't immediately notice that this isn't the "right" Doctor Strange. He doesn't have a lot of personal experience with him. ]

Also, the "deal" with world-eating entities is that they all conveniently hate each other so you can sometimes get them to leave you alone by reminding them the other one exists, and I don't know if anyone's covered this yet - it's not a "little" group. Just because a team isn't the Avengers doesn't mean you get to insult them.

[strangebargains]

Reed who?

[Alas, no Illuminati jokes here.]

See, that's good information to know. Apparently I'm meant to be on the lookout for that sort of thing, and the Ancient One neglected to give that particular bit of advice.

[A frown.]

The Avengers? I never said anything about the Avengers. Everyone keeps bringing them up.

video;

[deafleppard]

You know a Reed Richards too? What's he like?

[littlecousin]

[It's a blond-haired woman with elf ears and a scaly green swimsuit, who's looking taken aback.]

Whoa, Doc, dial it down a bit.

[Nita's used to a much older, considerably less in-your-face Dr. Strange who's a family friend. A Dr. Strange who's gotten his ass kicked often enough to have learned a little humility, or at least how to tell the right moments to express arrogance.]

A lot of us have fought universe-killers, okay? You don't need to impress anyone. You're kinda making yourself look like a jerk, here.

[She's not mad, she's trying to save him from the terrible faux pas he's in the middle of committing.]

[strangebargains]

[Stephen's only slightly taken aback by the elf ears. He'd met otherworlders before, but Thor didn't exactly look like an alien.]

Look, I'm only trying to help.

[It seems that his particular brand of optimism was coming off poorly here. Plus he did just save the world and that was far more difficult than any surgery he'd ever performed and he felt like he earned the stripes to say so, darn it.]

You've got people with those kinds of qualifications and you still can't beat this thing yet?

[That's...horrifying. Stephen was glad he hadn't eaten lunch yet. If people who, like him, had fought Dormammu-level types and were still not able to win...what was it that Mordo said?

The bill comes due.

Maybe this was his price to pay for what he did to save the world.]

Just great.

[bachido]

[The one-eyed boy narrows his eye with a sort of dubious curiosity at that monologue. It's all very well and good to brag about being able to do something if you just had something else that you don't have presently, but his whole quest for the Legendary Armor was pretty much a wreck of that sort of hope. Things don't save the day, people do.]

I don't think I've ever been to a doctor.

[So not true, because he must have been to the doctor upon being rescued over to the UP, but he doesn't remember it so it probably doesn't count. Anyway, this is about figuring out what sort of story this person is from, and the facts can be bent a little over that.]

[strangebargains]

[Stephen, for all his showmanship and flashiness, became a doctor because he wanted to help people, at his very core. He wanted to save lives.

His eyes widened and he looked rather aghast at that. Poor kid.]

Never? What country are you from? There's got to be some kind of humanitarian aid, and if not, as soon as I get back I'll make some phone calls. I know a few people that can help.

[headinjuries]

Well I hope we're not all totally weirding you out by already knowing you except not really because you don't know us because alternate universes and...

[ A beat. ]

I dunno where I was going with that anymore. Hi, I'm Sam. Or Nova.

[strangebargains]

Well, you are, but when the name of your game is magic you kind of get used to...weirdness.

[An eyebrow raise.]

There's another guy with Nova in his name. Any relation?

Video

[whyarewehere]

[ Grif leans back in his seat, raises his brows, and gazes thoughtfully upward. ]

Of course you don't have the eye of whatever. That would be too convenient!

[ It sure would be nice for someone to just appear out of nowhere with an idea of how to solve everything, though. Grif could forgive acting like a dick just for that. ]

Re: Video

[strangebargains]

I don't have my Cloak, either. I'm sure the thing that brought me here did it on purpose. Make my life more difficult or something.

[The flying thing ring was nice, but it wasn't his Cloak. He'd grown rather fond of it.]

I knew I should have kept it with me instead of putting it back.

[rushing_by]

Just a suggestion? Even if you had brought your time-controlling eye thing with you? It probably wouldn't have been a great idea to use it. Speaking from experience, using time travel to solve your problems can backfire immensely.

[Barry had finally learned that, even if it had taken Flashpoint and Jay talking him down to realized it.]

[strangebargains]

It's not exactly time travel, it was more like stopping time, looping it, and rewinding it. Seems to have worked out okay for me.

[Mordo's words about 'the bill comes due' nonwithdtanding...]

[Video]

[4starsaviour]

How would bringing someone's eye help? [Sounds gross.]

Re: [Video]

[strangebargains]

It's not an actual eyeball, it's a magical artifact with a stone in the middle.

[Video]

[fourstars]

[ Sky is blue, grass is green, Goku takes things too literal. ]

I-It's probably a magical item, dad... you know, like the dragon balls...?

video

[fourstars]

[ ... Wow, and here Gohan thought Mr. Satan was the most egotistical person he'd ever met. Way to make the man look humble, somehow.

He's not gonna comment on that though. Plenty of people seem to have commented on that, and Gohan wouldn't have brought something new to the table. Instead, he's gonna focus on the one thing he has a genuine interest in here. ]

... So you're a doctor?

Re: video

[strangebargains]

[He nods.]

Neurosurgeon. At least, I was a neurosurgeon.

[He still considered himself a doctor though, even if he couldn't do surgery anymore.]

video;

[fuckaccuracy]

So, uh...

You seeing any new patients, Doc?

[Gaige likes them older than her, and handsome.]

video;

[strangebargains]

...No.

[He's heard that line before.]