1st Scream [Text; from home desktop computer]

[reapsthewind]

[She starts typing...]

Alright people, it's time to stop fucking around...

[Then pauses, thinks "awww shit there might be kids younger than Bakura, who knows even," deletes that, and starts again. And continues to correct herself as she goes. ]

Alright, people, it's time to stop faffing around. We need to figure out what the heck is going on. Best way to do that is with cold, hard data.

Facts known:

> April 1st, everybody couldn't stop thinking of a number
> These numbers key into a network of some sort
> They even work for fax machines
> Some of you claim they work with your notebooks but you're clearly lying liars, or maybe you typo'd "netbook" but whatever

Things I have since discovered:

> The three people I've talked to have vastly different time frames for when they first encountered their numbers. This ranges from a few days to a few years.

With that in mind, if you lot would kindly report in this thread (I bolded it so my instructions are clear):

> When you first remember encountering your number? Doesn't have to be exact, you can be like "I dunno it was a few years ago" or "Uhhh a few days ago I guess." General timeframes are fine.
> Did anything weird happen around the time you got said number?

Kthxbai

In the interest of full disclosure and fairness, I'll start.

> When? I first remember my number in January.
> Weird stuff? This was around the time my friend Sam and I got lost in the Dead Zone of this city. We kind of parted ways soon after, and then I got my number. Also, I used to be extremely nearsighted; now I can see just fine. Unsure if events are correlated, but I'm noting it anyway.

Got it? Awesome. Now make yourselves useful.

Comments

Text / Smartphone

[shiromadoushi]

I forgot to show you my math notes, didn't I? Because it was in my notebook.

Text / Desktop

[reapsthewind]

Yeah, shit. Sorry. Things got busy and all. Soon though?

[handwritten, scribbled down on notebook]

[northless]

They definitely work for pen and paper. I should know, I'm writing in one right now.

[shiromadoushi]

It's fine.

I can show you anyway. Write your number on a piece of paper. Then write mine.

[text; desktop computer] 1/3

[reapsthewind]

That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Also, you didn't answer the questions I actually asked.


Anyway fine I'll test this myself.

[handwritten, on graph paper]

[reapsthewind]

[have some surprisingly detailed doodles of F-15s going ZOOM SWOOSH followed by the words IDK, WHATFUCKINGEVER, THIS IS STUPID]

[text; desktop computer] chain done

[reapsthewind]

...

WHAT THE FUCK HOW

THIS IS BULLSHIT

text; desktop FUCK DESKTOP 5-EVA

[reapsthewind]

WJELJ SOME OTHER DUDE JUST DDEMONSTRATED ASJDJKGLJFLJFFFF

THIS IS STUPID

[northless]

Told you.

And as for how, I still don't know.

[But this is infinitely better than medieval torture implements.]

[reapsthewind]

[Have some keymashing, followed by]

But that doesn't make sense????

Ugh, okay, so, whatever this is is... I don't even know anymore

Point is, you remember when you got your number, or not? I'm gonna try to focus on the things that actually make sense, and not the fact that these numbers are apparently powered by magical space flowers or something.


(PS: shit I realized I didn't introduce myself I guess hi I'm Chris I teach engineering classes at a college and never sleep and am trying to get a degree how are you)

LOL

[shiromadoushi]

[[a slight pause]]

I think it's actually pretty cool....

[northless]

Magical what now?

And yeah, I do. It was during a History Channel marathon a week ago, and before you ask, there wasn't anything else on at the time.

PS. I'm Robb. I'm majoring in Film and trying not to sleep through history. Hi, Chris.

derp edited before your edit IM GOOD

[reapsthewind]

I don't blame you for either sleeping through history class or ending up watching a history channel marathon. Sometimes you end up watching trash TV.

... also sometimes they have okay shows about world war II aircraft or big machines, when they're not being all "IT WAS ALIENS."

re: magical space flowers -- the kind of thing you'd see on the history channel. :P I dunno, it was the first thing to come to mind.

Anyway, thanks, that's actually really helpful.

[Phone call!]

[professorwolf]

[Ring ring, Chris. Someone is calling you on your real phone, now that you've given him your phone number. Much safer, right? ... right? Once she picks up, she hears:]

Ah, hello. This is Randall Lyall. With the biology notes?

[northless]

It's kind of like watching a train wreck, I suppose.

Sounds like something out of a bad sci-fi show as well. And no worries, I'm glad to be of some help.

[reapsthewind]

But it doesn't make sense!?!?!?!

[shiromadoushi]

Does it have to?

[reapsthewind]

Yeah. I used to say that life seemed to be turning into a William Gibson novel, but this? This is straight up Dr. Who.

[reapsthewind]

It should, dammit! On some level even quantum mechanics makes sense!

[Phone call!]

[reapsthewind]

Oh! Yeah, hi. I take it you're also keeping tabs on the rest of this thread. I got... one piece of data.

[sigh]

Man, I knew this'd be an uphill battle.

[shiromadoushi]

Then find the rules to it. If it doesn't make sense, it's because you're using the wrong system to figure it out.

[professorwolf]

Well, you can have mine, and I can share what I have from a young man I met with yesterday evening. I started a spreadsheet of my own. Couldn't resist, I'm afraid.

[Among other things. He really ought to share about the dandelion person and the possessed sparrow... he'll get to that.]

[reapsthewind]

Cool! Thanks, it's good to have somebody to collaborate with on this. I'm glad that other people are interested.

So. The delicious data, give it to me.

[professorwolf]

[He likes her already. It encourages opening up more, sharing with someone who actually values data.]

We spoke some yesterday of mine-- the blank diary that seemed familiar, right? It was three days ago, I looked it up. And since then I have felt very uncomfortable in sunlight.

[He pauses, coughs lightly, and adds,]

And as of last night, I can smell things I never could before. To the degree that I can track my students across campus after lunch hour.

[reapsthewind]

[There's a really long pause]

[She's not sure if she can open up to a stranger like this. But what he just told her is... weird. Almost as weird as hers.]

Can you keep a secret? Like, I mean this. I know we've just met but. I won't tell anyone about what you're capable of unless you tell me it's cool, and... yeah, same on my end.

Please.