astrophysics mingle 1 ( open )

[interspatial]

Who: Anyone!
Where: Fourth floor, room 052
When: 1-Jun to 31-Jul
Rating: PG-13 for language, probably
Summary: A day in the life of the physics lab. Don't be intimidated by the science because we make everything up! In fact you don't even have to science at all -- there's document scanning to do and a water cooler to chat over and equipment to fight for! If you do want some science ideas I have a collection of equipment you can break or fix or learn about, along with a loose list of projects mentioned to Jane ICly in her time here so far. This post is a MINGLE, so feel free to make open top threads (they count toward your post requirement for AC!) and have fun! If you responded here, you probably have an idea about what your character does - if you didn't respond or still aren't sure what to do, feel free to hit me up via PM or plurk @printed. I'm happy to plot/brainstorm with you!
The Story:

Rules of the Physics Lab:

Put it back where you found it, better than you found it.
If you're not sure, ask!
If someone asks, help!
NO HITTING PEOPLE WITH ROLLED UP NEWSPAPERS!

Projects currently in process:

Expansion into two additional rooms for a supercomputer
Scanning & photographing library documents for archive
Data mining & processing
Energy scanning & analysation
Scientific study of magicks of various worlds
Construction of various astrophysics and astronomy equipment

Comments

jane foster | OTA

[interspatial]

a. late late night

[ dr. foster had fallen asleep while her program compiles. she's sprawled back in her chair with one foot up on the worktable and it's 6AM. it's hardly the most indelicate she's ever been, but her head is hanging over the back of her chair, and her mouth is wide open.

is she snoring...? ]

b. stupid thing do what you're supposed to!

[ lesson #304: percussive maintenance is totally a thing and the way jane is smacking her handheld against the tabletop possibly makes it seem like she revels in it a little. ]

Sorry, just give-- [ WHACK ] me-- [ WHACK ] ha! There we go... What did you need, again?

c. oops what did you do?

Hmm. I think we're going to have to open it up and reestablish all of the connections inside. Can you grab the green toolbox from the cabinet?

[ hopefully all those TEENY TINY TOOLS don't scare you away? ]

Leo Fitz | OTA

[hypoxic]

1. The Jemma issue

[There are roughly ten thousand things happening at the lab at any given moment. Fitz should be handling the supercomputer issue, building and delegating tasks to people responsible for not messing everything up. And for the most part, he handles his project well enough.

But then there's his other project. Sometime after lunch on most days, he'll vanish from his desk for a solid hour or longer, and return to scribble formulas in his notebook. He mumbles to himself, and lay people with questions will find him distracted and unhelpful. He talks about there being "just one more thing to try" more often than is probably healthy. And if anyone can make sense of the jibberish on his workscreen, he's very obviously looking into tearing open a hole in spacetime. Because opening up an actual black hole is a totally good idea if there's even a chance of triggering a good and proper wormhole.]

2. ok but INTERNS tho

[When Fitz is paying attention to construction, he's not entirely kind to his assistants. He's perfectly personable when they aren't trying to work together, but the second they fall into the raw Science, he's a little fussy.

Okay, so he's a lot fussy. In fact, he might be furiously waving a bag of parts at you right now.]

What sort of simpleton uses a blue bag to store sensitive equipment?! We've been over the proper system. B is for blue is for biological. This belongs in a clear bag. C is for clear is for computers. It astounds me to think you're even capable of tying your bloody shoes in the morning! Do you have help?

3. nerds are kind of quiet sometimes

[ The open, "come at me bro" option.

When it comes to interacting socially, Fitz generally doesn't. He'll work quietly while other people chatter and gossip. He'll look on and listen, but he won't approach uninvited. As warm as Dr. Foster has been, he doesn't actually know you people... So he's mostly content to speak only when spoken to. But he'll be around if anyone has a reason to interact with Captain Social Skills over here.]

a

[hypoxic]

[She's very much snoring. But that's all right. It's a good indicator that they've worked for too long, and perhaps it's time to pack things away.

Fitz approaches quietly, not sure if his presence is entirely welcome. Eventually, his hand settles against her shoulder. She should at least have the opportunity to decide whether she intended to pass out here.]

Um. Doctor Foster? It's a bit late. Or early. One of the two.

a.

[intelligently]

( There's currently coffee smell wafting over to Jane's nose. Where is it coming from? The new cup that Lydia's just placed near to her - but not near enough that she'd be able to knock it over if she suddenly moved. It's definitely not the first time that Lydia's come into the lab and found Jane asleep there, although it's probably just as reasonable a question to ask what Lydia's doing there at that time. She's at least gone to bed )

Doctor Foster?

( There's also a nudge now on her shoulder, a gentle attempt at waking her up. She knows you love your work, Jane, but you also have a bed to sleep in )

HEARD THAT YOU WERE TALKING SHIT

[sorryitasedyou]

[ She'd had enough of this guy, had seen what he'd said to Bucky. She'd been working in the Wonderland lab for over two years now, had been running it pretty much for at least a year. After Jane, Bruce, and Tony had left the first time. After Pepper has also left and everything fell into her lap. Yeah, she wasn't perfect, but there'd already been an established system. So, when the bag is being waved in her face, she gives the biggest eyeroll to ever eyeroll. ]

We have an established system and an established set of rules. Something you'd know if you'd actually paid attention and didn't just stroll in like you own the place. [ And that's the end of her attempts at professionalism. Jane can't say she didn't try. ] And B is for buttface, actually. So, maybe you should jump into one and hop on out of here because no one likes a bully, just like people don't tend to like others trying to tear holes into the space/time continuum because they're homesick.

[ Yeah, she's seen what's on the screen and in the scribbles and had asked Jane about it. Mainly because she didn't trust him and he hadn't done anything to prove otherwise. ]

Re: HEARD THAT YOU WERE TALKING SHIT

[hypoxic]

[He's had enough of this girl. She's just some lowly attendant who's had entirely too much free room to get a big head about being good at pushing pencils around. She wouldn't know proper science if she sat on a Tesla coil.]

Your established system is full of redundancies and entirely substandard for the level of work we're attempting to do in this lab. You've consistently undermined not just my work, but the productivity of this lab as a whole. For this, your solution is to tell me to discontinue my research?! This is not the place for some sorority house-level anti-intellectualism. If you can't perform the function of your job, then you're welcome to see yourself out and go do some bloody kegstands until you're in a better mood.

[sorryitasedyou]

[ Oh. So he thinks he's got a set on him, well isn't that cute. ]

Let me tell you a little something about undermining. I've been here two years and in that time, I've gotten to know a thing or two about Wonderland and its magic. The kind of magic that doesn't tend to respond well when people try to mess with it. Making wormholes is not the solution to your issues with this place. Just like telling me to go do kegstands doesn't help you sound any less like an asshat. I've died twice here, almost died back home because of some stupid Dark Elves and anomalies and -- [ Hands settle on her hips, giving him a very not nice look. ] -- I'll be damned if I'm gonna let you set me up for a third down here because you're having an epic level pity party.

[ A beat. ] So yeah, I guess this is me telling you to discontinue your research. Jane's already got something going with that and if there's someone I trust to look into it, it's certainly not you.

[hypoxic]

Oh, there you are, going on about magic again. [It might as well be a story featuring Santa Claus, as far as his tone makes it sound.]

Magic is a fallacy. It's a name that people give to things they can't explain and aren't willing to explain. All magic has roots in hard science, whether it's something we understand or not. It doesn't have desires. It oughtn't be personified. You're just limiting yourself with campfire stories. This wouldn't be a problem, but you're now determined to limit my work over an unlikely level of potentiality.

[interspatial]

[ jane hums and shifts in her seat in a drowsy attempt to get the pressure off of the right side of her neck. not fully awake just yet, she settles back in. ]

Was it oblong or a cluster...?

[interspatial]

[ the coffee stirs jane closer to wakefulness, and the nudge wakes something else. jane moves, turning to the opposite side with a sigh-- she opens her eyes and for a moment they're glossed over with obsidian. ]

Do I smell dark roast?

[ she blinks, and her eyes return to normal. one hand hovers before her mouth to cover her deep yawn. ]

b.

[exceedinglybright]

[Lily has clapped her hand over her mouth as Jane tries to get her equipment to work with her-- though it's more to keep herself from laughing than anything else.]

Oh, I was just-- wanting to know if you need any assistance. I'm not needed in the clinic today, and I thought we might also set up a time for us to talk?

[You know, since Jane was so interested in her brand of magic and all.]

[hypoxic]

Neither, I'm afraid. But the evidence does support a current hypothesis of mine. Namely, that you've been here too long and ought to get rest in a proper bed.

alphys | OTA

[sciencelizard]

a. the middle of the night

[Alphys would absolutely say she does her best work between the hours of 12-4 in the morning; it's when she's the least intrusive and also when she tends to stop poking around her personal lab quarters, because she's worried about waking people up. So she tiptoes around, working towards constructing the things people have asked her to run the engineering numbers on before slipping away again before other people might show up for the morning.]

b. magic magic magic

[She'd be the last person to say she's any kind of expert when it comes to actually doing magic, but when it comes to studying it, it's basically her unofficial degree. Since she's the first from her world here, she starts trying to catalog the different types, and... well, if you asked her, she'd say she has no clue, but the papers on the table are absolutely on fire.]

I'm s-sorry! I'm sorry this w-wasn't supposed to happen, uhm, is there-- can someone do s-something, I'm so sorry--

c. wildcard

[hit her up with a prompt! Alphys is primarily an engineer and programmer so she'll be building equipment, fixing things, and tending to make a mess no matter how hard she tries.]

[interspatial]

[ that helps open jane's eyes the rest of the way, blinking against sleep and light and trying to focus on separating from lingering dreams. ]

Dr. Fitz...? [ an odd juxtaposition of her informal situation and the use of his title-- ] What time is it?

[interspatial]

Oh. [ that's not what jane expected at all. oops? ] Sure-- I can set this aside if you're ready to talk now.

[ which she does gingerly and with a smile as if she hadn't just been beating the everliving out of her own sensitive equipment. ]

I know I've been looking forward to the discussion, myself. Did you wanna grab some lunch, or coffee...?

[sorryitasedyou]

Really? You're gonna harp on me about magic when you're in Wonderland? Have you seen Alice? How 'bout the Queen? I know you've seen the twins, right? Hard science doesn't explain how I can pull a cold beer out of the closet followed by a tater tot hot dish and then a dog! [ Ok, maybe not a tater tot hot dish, but it's the first stark contrast she can think of right now. ]

I'm not saying Santa's real and I'm definitely not even gonna touch on Asgard, but I'm saying there's things out there that you can't dismiss as just being based in science and that you'll find a way to explain it because this is all poppy-cock. [ She sure did just take on a hoighty toity 'holier than thou' tone to mock him. ] And I'm determined to limit your work so you don't kill us all by opening up a WORM HOLE in WONDERLAND. [ She's shouting now and emphasizing points with her hands in somewhat wild gestures. ]

If you're so set on there being no magic, how the hell have I died twice and come back to life with maybe only minor injuries? [ A testament to just how brutal the deaths had been. ] Explain how hard science and no magic makes that possible when it's not even possible back home?

[hypoxic]

[Oh wow, "doctor". He's accustomed to "agent". Jemma's more of the one who likes to throw her doctorates around everywhere. Sigh. He smiles kindly to her, though.]

It's a little after six.

[hypoxic]

I'm going to harp on you about not being open to what's being done here. I'm not arguing that there's a force at play here that we can't comprehend, but calling it magic is reductive.

[And there's that ludicrous accent and it's intensely offensive. He's been shouting, but now that she's matching his volume the barking is more pronounced and prolonged. It's insulting that she hasn't immediately backed down from his initial fit. Assistants always just let him have his way and quietly slink off. And he's quickly reaching the point where he's so involved in the argument process that he's completely missed the fact that she mentioned dying.]

And I'm not opening up a bleedin' black hole, so enough of that already! [Yet. It's definitely coming soon. He's been getting some really encouraging results.] It's a simulation. Do you know what that means, or is your little mind too small to understand the difference between theory and practice? [He's managed to hold back from calling her brain "wee," but his accent is growing substantially stronger as he gets angrier. He's filtering less.]

b

[interspatial]

It's OK.

[ her voice is gentle but firm. jane is pretty swift and cool when it comes to lab excitement of the burning/electrocuting/slicing sort considering she'd been teaching darcy from the ground up, and so has a fire extinguisher in her hands as soon as alphys voices urgency. ]

Just take a step back, Doctor. [ jane moves beside alphys and holds the extinguisher out to her. ] Hold here, and point the nozzle. When you depress the trigger, make a sweeping motion, like this--

[ jane makes a couple sweeps to demonstrate. if alphys wants to work on this kind of thing (and has that habit of being here alone a lot???) it's best if she practices being cool under pressure. ]

I'm right here. Go ahead.

[assembles]

[ It's only because of Jane's surreptitiously sent text message that Steve makes his way down to the lab. With no idea of what inspired the request, he definitely isn't expecting to hear the sounds of two voices shouting, which become more and more clear the closer he gets to the basement level.

There are very few times that Steve has heard Darcy this upset. One of those times, it had been at him, but that feels like ancient history by this point. Fitz is more of a wild card, as Steve still doesn't know him that well, but either way they're getting into a shouting match like a couple of children and Jane must have decided she didn't want to get in the middle of it.

Steve steps into the lab, the door swishing open and then shutting behind him just as quick. Eyebrows raised, he looks between the two of them, both red-faced from yelling at each other. This looks very productive. ]

What's going on here?

[sorryitasedyou]

Little mind? [ Oh, he just had to go there... She doesn't even notice Steve coming into the lab, too focused on Fitz and fighting the urge to just see how hard she could possibly hit him and if it might fix the dumb he seems to be stuck on. It'd be a service, right? ] Theory my ASS! Listen you cold corndog, I'm not dying again because you have a loner boner!

[ In hindsight, if she'd seen Steve before hearing him she might not have said loner boner... maybe. Her attention immediately turns, hair whipping over her shoulder with the sudden motion. ] Fitz wants to open up a worm hole in Wonderland in some apparently suicidal desire to try and go home or something -- [ And attention back on Fitz without taking a breath because she's talking a mile a minute right now. ] and has been nothing but a pain since he came in here. You have tried to change procedures and destroy already established systems so they fit into your perfect little box, have treated me like garbage because I didn't go to school for the right kind of science, and are now theoretically working on something that could possibly kill everyone here because you've dismissed magic as existing.

[ Yup, she might have stopped yelling at the beginning, but she's riiiiiiiiiiiight back up there in volume. ]

[hypoxic]

[WELP she's done it. She's taken things to a level that triggers his native tongue, the slang from the puerile Glasgow streets.]

You're one to talk about arses! Some barra lass wants to play crass like she's got a right bawbag hidin' up her skirt? Any mair pish like that'll see someone ram a fit up yer ring next time ye cowk into yer dids--

[And then there's a strong tone, and the bottom falls out of Fitz's stomach. He goes abruptly silent, heat creeping into his cheeks for a very different reason.

Darcy's free to say whatever she wants. Fitz simply stands at attention, eyes downcast. He's both in the presence of a vastly superior officer and guilty as a child with an arm still half-trapped in a cookie jar.]

[assembles]

[ By the time that Steve is there, it sounds like Fitz is barely speaking English anymore. While his presence quickly shuts up the furious agent, Darcy is an entirely different story.

Steve squares his shoulders as she looks to him and explains the situation. While she's angry, she gets the words out with a surprising amount of eloquence. Then again, Steve's experienced that level of anger his fair share of times himself.

Out of everything that she says, the fact that she's been treated badly because she isn't a scientist has to be the thing that rubs Steve wrong the most. People working on potentially dangerous projects? That's just another Tuesday.

After a pause long enough to force everyone to take a deep breath and reflect on their behavior for a moment, Steve turns toward Fitz. ] Is what she's saying true? [ His tone is level and calm. He's pretty sure "babysitter" isn't supposed to be part of the Avengers job description, and yet... ]

[hypoxic]

[This feels terrible. He's had to swallow back a lot to keep himself still and quiet, and now it's simply churning angrily without a proper outlet. It's a moment before he can respond at all, and when he does, his voice is terribly soft, loaded down with shame.]

Parts of it, Sir.

Someone's gotten her upset about the nature of my work. She's made it more difficult for me to research.

It's gotten me a bit frustrated, Sir.

[Oh just kill him now it'll be faster.]

[sorryitasedyou]

[ She's so tempted to jump in and continue on a tirade, but she can't seem to find the words. She wants to stay mad, wants to stick her tongue out at him because Steve had him on his toes... However, she doesn't. No, not when she actually listened to the words coming out of his mouth. That blame landing on her for blowing this out of proportion. There's a very distinct eyeroll matched with a small huff. arms crossing. ]

Because your asking me how I manage to tie my own shoes in the morning and telling me to go do a kegstand until I was in a better mood helped so much. I mean, not even getting into telling me I don't know how to do a job I've been doing for over five years now because I don't follow the system you decided we needed to use over the past few months. [ Yup, she's getting riled right back up. ] We wouldn't have even had this conversation if you hadn't tried to chew me out for using a bag that didn't fit with your precious system. [ She sure did just spit that word out like it left a bad taste in her mouth. ] A bag that in the actual system was just fine! Not that you care.