[ Showcase #3 - Backdated to 7/16 ]

[green_lantern]

[He'd made a supreme effort not to open his yap to the town. Lois hadn't been so lucky in that regard- it almost seemed as though she made a game of it, asking him questions he inexplicably couldn't refuse to answer. After he had reached the point of admitting, in detail, to how many one night stands he'd had (...let's just say it's a high number), Hal went through the house, pulled the phones out of the walls and summarily threw them into the cellar. The jangle and crash as they hit the cement served to palliate his anxiety only briefly; the gnawing urge to give Mayfield the proverbial finger was still there.

Unluckily for him, as he ran into town on an errand, he found himself drawn to the super hero's best friend: a phone booth.]


[Phone | Stage 2, segueing to 3]

I'm not going to sit around and twiddle my thumbs waiting for everyone who's outed themselves as a Commie to be picked up by the police or worse. My family had friends who were affected by McCarthyism in the 50's, and this knee-jerk bullshit from the town has to stop.

I don't give a damn if people are Communists, and I sure as Hell didn't join the military or the Corps so I could watch this country revert to Crucible-style witch hunts. Fuck that.

Comments

[deaths-heritor.livejournal.com]

How heroic.

[This is spoken in the same tone of voice as one would say 'how daft'.]

But a bit overzealous, don't you think? None of us care a whit about imaginary communists, and if the town cares to do something about it, your blather, while inspiring to some degree, will have absolutely no effect on the outcome.

[viridian-knight.livejournal.com]

So the other option is to hang back and wait to be taken away? Really?

[deaths-heritor.livejournal.com]

No.

The other option is to keep your wits about you. We don't need any more heroes in this town; we have far too many already. What we could use is some sense.

[viridian-knight.livejournal.com]

Sense would dictate the need to protect people. Without guns blazing. Safehouses or some means to keep those forcibly outed out of harm's way.

[deaths-heritor.livejournal.com]

Good start.

Unfortunately, not quite as useful as you'd hope. Unless you can identify everyone in town by voice alone, and you've listened to every phone call, you're in for a difficult task.

[justdumbluck.livejournal.com]

They hunted your friends down?

Wait, does this mean the 50's are actually gonna be like this?

[ It's still in the future for him, so he'd hoped that the town was not an accurate depiction. ]

[viridian-knight.livejournal.com]

Family friends that were blacklisted for their ties to the film industry- I wasn't born yet, but I heard stories. My family and I are all from Southern California, close to LA, so you tend to know at least a few people involved in the movies. Once you were blacklisted, you couldn't find work for many years after.

Reality shouldn't be as bad as Mayfield though. [A beat, before he's compelled to explain.] McCarthy will fall out of favor in the mid-fifties, but anti-Communist rhetoric will still continue on long after and flare up from time to time. You still see it in the 2000's, when I'm from.

[justdumbluck.livejournal.com]

What's wrong with the film industry? Everybody loves movies back home.

That's a relief. It's still 1930 where I am. Good ta' know I won't hafta live through this again.

[viridian-knight.livejournal.com]

I'd say nothing at all, just people getting antsy about filmmakers unionizing and it all spreading from there.

...really, 1930? Where are you from?

[justdumbluck.livejournal.com]

People really hate those unions, huh?

I'm from the U.S. Manhattan, specifically.

[viridian-knight.livejournal.com]

Some always will.

Really. [Whether by choice or compulsion, he doesn't hide the marvel in his tone.] How long have you been in Mayfield?

[justdumbluck.livejournal.com]

Yeah.

[ Firo's not sure why it seems so interesting; he's more astounded by the sheer volume of people from decades in the future. ]

I've been here about a month.

[no-indoor-voice.livejournal.com]

It's probably their way of fucking with our heads. Again.

[viridian-knight.livejournal.com]

I wish they would just let us go home. [Melancholy tinges his voice.] I'm fed up with this mind-fucking bullshit.

[walking-nuke.livejournal.com]

You're kiddin' me, right? McCarthy was an asshole, but he didn't pull off anywhere near'a kind of shit this town does. You hear about that "spring culling" incident?

[viridian-knight.livejournal.com]

All I'm saying is this seems to be a slippery slope sort of deal. I realize there are small pockets of militia groups in the town, but we're not well prepared if something like that happens again. Even if this ends without house torchings and people getting murdered, there's still someone - Grady, the Smiths or whomever - that now has a list of confessors, many of them who don't know what the fuck a Communist is in the first place. Is there nothing we can do for them?

[walking-nuke.livejournal.com]

[Balin sighs.]

Honestly I ain't even sure who among'a "townsfolk" can be trusted when'a shit hits'a fan. Not after what I got told happened before Mayfield dragged my ass in here. Somethin' like that, you start worryin' if that guy you call your buddy is gonna shoot you in'a back over personal convenience.

For right now, though? Best thing to do for'a "confessors" would be to keep 'em off'a phones if you can, put 'em under guard maybe so they don't do anythin' stupid.

[viridian-knight.livejournal.com]

"Killfield". I'm glad I missed that. Considering the kinds of confessions people...kids have made about what happened...

I'm Hal, by the way. That's sound advice, except even then they might still find a way. I found a payphone, at least.

[walking-nuke.livejournal.com]

[Balin would be nodding, if Hal could see him.]

I've been tryin' to keep track of those, writin' em down. Can't put names to faces, though; I barely know anyone here.

[... Fuck. Did he really just blurt that out? Stupid truth gas. Might as well roll with it.]

Hal, eh? I'm Balin Wilbur. Well—you prolly knew that if you heard me on'a phone a night or two ago. But—yeah, keepin' people off'a phones ain't gonna be a short order. What with us bein' forced into workin' jobs for'a town, and with phones in easy reach everywhere.

Have you seen any of'a drones react to'a "confessors" at all? We got a drone "daughter" in my household, but all she does is tell everyone to be careful. Makes me wonder what they'll do to someone they think's a communist.

[foalingaround.livejournal.com]

Ugh, this is gotta stop is right. I'm gettin' tired of this!

[viridian-knight.livejournal.com]

How are you and yours holding up?

[foalingaround.livejournal.com]

Other then this weird urge to keep talking about something called communism, we're all find I guess.

[viridian-knight.livejournal.com]

I'd keep a lid on it as best you can.

...You don't have communism in Ponyville?

[Super lack of knowledge about Ponystuff, GO!]

[foalingaround.livejournal.com]

Believe me, I've been trying.

And no, I've never heard of this "communism" stuff in my life. As far as I know it's a human thing.

Phone

[heartstar-blues.livejournal.com]

So, here's the thing, what are you going to do about it?

I mean, this town is going to ☠☠☠☠ with everyone anyways. Doesn't matter who they are.

I'm just glad that ☠☠☠☠ Captain America isn't here. I'm sure he'd be itching to go on another hunt for the good old US of A.

Re: Phone

[viridian-knight.livejournal.com]

If I had my ring, I'd be doing a lot more than bitching to the whole damn town.



...get real. Captain America's a comic...book... [Awww, guuuurl. It takes one to know one?] You know Captain America.

Phone

[heartstar-blues.livejournal.com]

Ring? I don't think bribing them with pretty jewelry is going to fix it.

And yeah, I know Captain America. I'm pretty sure I still have his boot print marking my ☠☠☠☠.

He's not here, but get used to seeing people from comics running around. Most already know that in other worlds they are just comics. Some don't though, so have fun ☠☠☠☠ with them.