01 - Video

[youngestone]

[When the feed starts, a scruffy teenager is kind of peering at the screen a little curiously. He’s outside and on a laptop, alone somewhere]

That..was not in my address bar. Why did typing in some random numbers in Goggle take me to some...forum or something? That’s what this is, right?

[He’s not sure. He’s not the techy one. He’s the cute one.]

A forum? For...people who’ve found weird stones and then had a weirder hallucination...type...thing?

[He holds up one of those glass runestone type things—the rune for "th"]

I mean, I know I look like it but I swear I don’t smoke pot so...this thing had to do it. Whatever "it" was.

[Honestly, he’s not sure what it was. Funny whooshing sound, random string of numbers...yep, no clue.]

So. Um. If anyone wants to explain what’s going on that’d be...great. Please.

Comments

[Texted]

[espigeonage]

That looks like a symbol Strider wants us picking up. Huh.

Anyway! Congratulations and condolences on accidentally joining the Secret Numbers Club. We have an outdated FAQ here, a friend of mine is working on updating it. Some pretty heavy stuff there. Sorry.

[Texted]

[youngestone]

Strider? Like, Dr. Strider?

[Yeah, that's all he took from that right now. Give him a second to read the FAQ]

[Text]

[shiromadoushi]

So wait, you found that rune? Because if so, that's actually kinda funny.

Anyway, Welcome to Wonderland, read the FAQ you got linked to above this and be prepared to deal with utterly batshit stuff as your new reality. Because it gets weirder from here.

[Text]

[youngestone]

Why's it so funny? What the hell is happening? What are you people smoking?

[Text]

[shiromadoushi]

Funny as in weird cause we've been talking about using that rune as a sign for stuff. So that finding that got you numbers is kinda neat!

Just be calm. No one's smoking anything. Things are just weird.

[espigeonage]

The very same! You know him? You might know me at least by sight - I'm the talky blue-haired assistant type who's in there a lot. You know, I do think you look familiar!

[Text]

[youngestone]

Oh.

I'm going to say it's more "fishy" since no one's willing to actually tell me what the hell is going on.

[Text]

[shiromadoushi]

Go read the FAQ that you got linked. Seriously, it's the most answers anyone has.

[youngestone]

Yeah, uh, he's the cheapest doctor in town.

...also why am I getting an FAQ? Is this some kinda game or something?

[Text]

[youngestone]

Fine fine gimme a sec

[Ten minutes later]

Is this a joke

[espigeonage]

He is that.

It's not, sorry. It's a conspiracy! In very short there are people such as you and I and yes Strider who have numbers like this, and can access this network, and the police are after us. Save the handful who we can trust. We get a lot of hallucinations like that. Also other things! I have a new iPhone thing I can't unlock now.

[youngestone]

....right.

I told Mom we shoulda gone to NYC.

[Text]

[dominateartimus]

You've experienced a 'pulse', it can be a memory, ability or an item that belonged to another version of yourself. There are people on here who are trying to figure out a pattern for the cause, but it appears to be quite random.

[Text]

[youngestone]

Uh what?

[Text]

[shiromadoushi]

[[It takes so much of his patience not make a snide comment. So many disbelieving newbies lately....]]

Not even close to one.

[espigeonage]

Sorry! It's not too late, though. If you leave you can be free of all this.

Come see me if you have to be convinced this is real. I'm pretty harmless now that I'm over that flu thing.

[He kind of stands out volunteering in a clinic in a terrible part of town. But it's a pretty innocuous weird.]

[Text]

[youngestone]

[Oh come on like you believed this at first either!]

And why should I believe some dude I don't know?

[youngestone]

Proof'd be nice, yeah. Where do you wanna meet?

[Text]

[dominateartimus]

The hallucination you mentioned would be considered as a 'pulse'. Whatever you gained back with it will stick with you, usually without some form of context.

[Text]

[shiromadoushi]

[[He totally did. ...almost no one else did, though. Which frustrated him then the same as it does now. Why more people don't jump at the call like he did just baffles him....]]

Because it's either that or you get to figure it all out on your own. Now, I don't know about you, but personally, I find working with others to figure out WTF is going on a lot more fun and helpful than stumbling around in the dark without anyone to back you up when things start crawling out of the corners to bite you in the ass.

[espigeonage]

Let's see... Hey, why not. It's hot today and I have friends trying to get rid of some stock before it starts to stay cold. You know the Orange Julius on eighth maple? If I'm full of shit at least the trip won't be wasted!

[Text]

[youngestone]

I didn't "gain" anything? I don't think? I mean I kept the stone because anything that makes my head go whoosh needs to get looked at by a doctor or something and I probably should've done that first but the numbers were driving me nuts so.

[youngestone]

Only problem there is I'm broke

[espigeonage]

That's okay, I'll spot you! I'm friends with half the people on shift today, they discount me anyway.

[Text]

[youngestone]

The only "help" I've gotten is the FAQ and Dr. Strider's assistant offering proof.