[ video + text / iPhone ]

[allinvein]

[The video starts with the camera swinging upwards to focus on the top half of John's face. He looks a bit disheveled: his eyes are bloodshot, he's got bags under them, and his hair hangs loosely around and in his face; it just looks like he hasn't been sleeping for a few nights now. He scrubs at his jaw, trying to instill some sense of energy, and fails miserably.]

July 28th, trial number... [He turns his head to the side, like he's looking for something, and when he can't find it, John huffs in tired annoyance.] Christ, I don't remember anymore.

[John returns his attention to the camera, brow furrowing with concentration. After taking several deep breaths, he closes his eyes, and when he opens them, they've gone black. The laughter that follows is hollow and breathless; it drops off quickly when John shuts his eyes again. They remain closed for longer this time, almost like he's afraid to open them again, but when he does, his eyes look perfectly normal.

He repeats the exercise two more times, as if to make sure that he really does have control over... whatever this is, and with each success, his smile grows larger and larger. The camera finally cuts out after John lets out a whoop, and a few minutes after the video is uploaded to the network, some text is added as well:]

Has anyone seen anything like this before?

[He doesn't expand on the situation. Nope, this guy is heading out ASAP to buy a pair of sunglasses.]

Comments

[allinvein]

That makes sense. Do as much as you can to preserve that sense of normality, and it'll come out well in the end--or well enough. I know we talked about hope last time, and I'm not going to trash that idea just because my eyes have done something strange.

[Really, he's got no room to complain when comparing himself to Julien.]

You know, I've never been much for texting before this, but I've come to agree--it's by far the best way to reply to the network, as you said. Plenty of time to look over what you've written and avoid shoving your foot in your mouth.

[espigeonage]

Well it feels like it'll help, anyway. Always nice to know there are people who'll try and scrape you back up if you fall apart.

Right, right! Unfortunately there are some people here who've not much experience with reading, but it's hardly a hard-and-fast rule.

[allinvein]

Well, there is something good to come from those kinds of people: if it weren't for them, we wouldn't have the joys of auto-correct to mock, right? :)

[espigeonage]

There's that! I was more thinking ones who are new to the experience. You've heard about the talking animals, right?

[allinvein]

[Oh. Oops.]

No... I haven't heard about the talking animals. We have talking animals?

[Why are there talking animals? Why, Julien? :(]

[espigeonage]

Yep. There's a pony, two cats, and a ferret, though I'm not sure if the ferret can talk. She was able to text. Clumsily, but you gotta cut her some slack there. There might be more.

[allinvein]

How are they able to connect to the network? Are they holding a pencil in their mouths? Or--how did the ferret get access to a phone to text with?

[espigeonage]

I don't think any of them are that good at writing! The network works with buckets of water and plates. And the ferret lives with this one network-teacher guy.

[allinvein]

I think I'm going to be keeping a very close eye on animals now. :) And that's lucky for the ferret! Did they meet up here first?

[espigeonage]

A good idea in general! And I have no idea. Haven't seen sign of her for a while, but the teacher's on pretty often.

[allinvein]

Yeah? Who is it? It'd be funny if I knew the person in the past.

[espigeonage]

Randolph Lyall. High school. I had him for a bit back when I lived here. Small, small world.

[allinvein]

Lyall... No, I don't think I ever had him, but then again, my high school experience was probably not the most typical out there. Oh well, nothing to say I can't meet him now.