Seeking Interested Parties | VIDEO

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Type: Video
Sender ID: forgeabettertomorrow | (Darin Altway)
To: Public
Subject: Darin and Zelda have an IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT to make
Warnings: N/A

[As the video blips on, Darin walks onto screen from the left. He looks…anxious? Excited? Definitely more energized than usual. He leans forward, the top of the frame cutting off his head so you have a close-up of his torso and not much else.]

Did I do this thing right, Sunshine? I kinda wanna frame this up right.

[ The video feed wobbles a little, the camera going out of focus. Zelda's voice is audible from somewhere off screen. ]

Almost! Don't forget to activate this setting here.

[ The video feed wobbles again, the camera coming back into focus. ]

Alright. Alright, let’s do this.

…Oh holy crap, we’re already recording.

[Darin immediately stiffens as he realizes that he is, in fact, broadcasting.]

Damn piece of— whatever, just go. Okay! Hey everyone! So, I wanted to put this out there publicly because…Zelda and I have some exciting news.

[Darin takes a step back and reaches towards Zelda to take her hand with a wide, excited grin on his face.]

So…I’ve been working on a…on a project. An experiment, really. About the rifts that brought us all here.

[If you were waiting with bated breath for a certain matrimonial announcement, sorry, this isn’t gonna be that. It’s gonna be BETTER. It’s gonna be about SCIENCE.]

I…I’ve made no real secret of the fact that I want to figure the rifts out for…obvious, personal reasons. So, over the last couple of months, I designed something.

[Darin reaches off screen and returns holding what looks like a wireframe cube with a spherical chamber suspended in the center by eight converging rods anchored to the cube’s points.]

This. I call it the Beacon Box. I figured that the Rifts were too…potentially volatile to be controlled but hey, like any other force of nature, you don’t try and tame it, right? You learn to navigate it. I won’t…bore you with the science of it but the short version is I imbued it with an essence of me and my world with the help of the Leviathans and had it cast into the rift. I wasn’t expecting much but…

[Darin excitedly looks at Zelda.]

But we got some data. Zelda got some readings that we’re still parsing but…well, I’ll let her tell you.

[ Zelda, grinning just as excitedly as Darin, gives a little wave to the camera with one hand. In the other, she's holding the Purah Pad. ]

It took a little bit of doing, but I was able to program the Purah Pad to receive periodic transmissions from the Beacon Box while it traversed the Rifts. I believe a number of us have conducted research on the Rifts before, myself included, and a prevailing theory I came across was that the Rifts are related to the Leviathans-- possibly even created by them. So I expected that the energy signature of the Rifts would resemble that of the Leviathans.

[ And here, her grin gets wider. She looks like she's almost vibrating as she clutches the Purah Pad with both hands. ]

But that is not the case at all! Now, these remain preliminary readings, but the energy signature detected from the Rifts differs significantly from that of the Leviathans. Nor do they match any other signatures I've recorded in this world. The Rifts are far, far more powerful.

But that's not all! We recorded a few sudden influxes of energy-- "spikes," if you will-- the timing of which seem to align with the arrival of a few new riftfarers. I believe these spikes are indicative of people-- or even objects-- passing through the rifts. I posit that the same spikes occur with departures as well, although these are rather more difficult to verify.

Now, I've been examining the data produced by these spikes to see if I can't find any patterns or measurable specificity-- things which might help us determine when a passage through the Rifts will occur, or if any of these readings might indicate the world to which they are connecting-- a "world signature." As of now, I've not found any, but employing additional Beacon Boxes will expand the data pool significantly and allow for a much more thorough study of it.

[Darin chimes in now, tossing the Beacon Box back and forth in his hands like a kid waiting his turn to give a presentation.]

I know…it doesn’t sound like much. But it’s a start and this is where I want some help. Creating a Beacon Box requires…well…it requires you to give up something of deep, personal value. Something that can tether you to your world and can, in turn, call out to it. But…if I’m right?

If I’m right, people we’ve lost might be able to find their way back. And the people who want to go home? They might be able to do just that. But like Zelda said, we need more data. If you want to be a part of the project, please reach out to me or Zelda. I’ll be offering the construction of these boxes for free for anyone interested and if there’s anyone out there with even a passing interest in…dimensional space and time rifts? I’d love to work with you.

[At this point, Darin turns to Zelda, grinning from ear to ear. Unable to contain his excitement anymore, he sweeps her up into a giant bear hug, twirling her off screen to cries of “I did it!”]

(OOC NOTE: This is the start of the EXTREMELY LONG RUNNING BEACON BOX PLOT. ALL ARE WELCOME TO PARTICIPATE. I'll draft up an OOC write-up later but the short version is that Darin is looking for ways to navigate the rifts. If you have any questions, please feel free to DM me here, hit me up at Bitterbearface n Discord, or ping me on plurk at bitterbearface For the purposes of this post, please place in the subject line if you'd like to speak with DARIN or ZELDA specifically. If you have no preference, leave it blank!)

Comments

audio; un: readytogo | addressed to Darin but both are welcome

[stealthpun]

This is... an incredible finding, more than I think any of us could have hoped for. Truly, the bond between you both allows you to accomplish much.

I don't know what services I could provide, but if you need resources you know I shall find it for you.

VIDEO | un: forgeabettertomorrow

[forgeabettertomorrow]

[Darin laughs bashfully.]

Bond..? Y-Yeah, well...love makes you move mountains and all that, yeah? And since I can kinda already do that naturally, I figure I could try and navigate space-time?

But, that would be great, Espio! The few that I made required some pretty rare materials. A steady pipeline would help me manufacture them quickly without having to stop and source the materials myself.

Think I can get you a list of things? And name your price and consider it doubled.

text; un: archangel

[thearchangel]

You know this already but. Officially - I'm in.

I’m ready.

Whatever you need, data checked, numbers run… hell, a volunteer through a rift. I’m your man.

VIDEO | un: forgeabettertomorrow

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Actually, I'd been thinking about this. Your universe has mastered space travel, right? Do you have any knowledge about rifts in general?

I actually had some questions that I wanted to kind of toss out there.

video; un: paradisea

[empyrean_mirror]

Oh, finally, congratula--

[Kaveh hadn't even looked up or started listening when Mehrak alerted him to a post from Darin about 'exciting news' but he does fall quiet after a second.]

...Do you have any of these boxes I could take apart? How are they made?

VIDEO | un: forgeabettertomorrow

[forgeabettertomorrow]

I'd prefer not to dismantle them because I only have a few and I want them ready to go for anyone who wants one.

But, I've got blueprints, schematics, and an entire notebook filled with the design process I can make a copy of for you. Obviously, the master prints stay with me.

Un: detectiveforhierophant - Voice

[detectiveforhierophant]

[ Wait.

Wait wait wait wait was this guy serious?]

Whatever I can help with, I will.

[Shit he didn't even-- think, he just pressed reply to and--]

I-- promised to take someone home with me. Who can't go back to his. So-- If this could help us all travel between this world and others--

[There was a lot Dojima would be willing to do to help with that--]

VIDEO | un: forgeabettertomorrow

[forgeabettertomorrow]

It's a start. I can't make any promises but it's the same for me. There's someone I want to be with more than the rules of this universe will allow.

So I'm learning the rules. Figuring out what makes these rifts function and how. If you care about this person? All the more reason for me to keep doing this.

For now, the most important things I need are resources and data. I need more people willing to attune themselves to the boxes so we can have a larger sample size.

text | un: astudyinviolet

[astudyinviolet]

[ As someone agonizing over the friendships he's made in this world for the past half month or so, this is very welcomed news. ]

I might provide some interesting data to the study. I know there exists others who are "Sherlock Holmes" in more than just name. They are alternate versions of myself, or I might be one such alternate for another. The Beacon Box would need differentiate between my particular world from theirs. Even if it manages to pick up their worlds, I assume that would still be valuable data to you.

[ What could he offer as something to be a tether? If the personal value is the important part more than the physical item... Hm.... ]

VIDEO | un: forgeabettertomorrow

[forgeabettertomorrow]

...Wait, so there's other versions of you? The Beacon Box should attune to you specifically, but this would be a great way to confirm that. Like...how different are you from other versions of yourself.

[Like, say, if one were a mouse or something...]

video; un: multidisciplinary

[multidisciplinary]

Oh my goodness, Sherlock! That kind of data would be invaluable to our research! Yes, theoretically, your box might be drawn to worlds where there is another 'Sherlock,' especially one with particular similarities to you. If it collects data from multiple worlds, we could compare each energy signature to identify similarities and differences!

text; un: spitefulcrow

[spitefulcrow]

If there are multiple people here from the same world, presumably only one of us would need to give up something for one of these Beacon Boxes?

VIDEO | un: forgeabettertomorrow

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Interesting question! They were designed for one person to offer up the personal item, but if more people wanted to, I'd have to wonder if the effect would be boosted.

Naturally, I wouldn't force anyone to give up anything...it might be worth discussing on your end.

video; id: fractales

[fractales]

You both have any of my own notes, and any knowledge I may personally have, on offer towards this project. I know that some believe it is a relic behind the rifts, and I've some things on that take as well if it would interested either of you.

[Turo had sat for a few minutes after listening, but... well.]

Already have managed some remarkable work by the sounds of it, too.

VIDEO | un: forgeabettertomorrow

[forgeabettertomorrow]

[Darin is used to being praised for his smithing ability but...being praised for his mind and aptitude is something new. He laughs bashfully and runs a hand through his hair.]

Ah...it was a hunch that I just kinda ran with. I'm just happy to see it paying out. It could still be a dead end but...I'd rather rule out something than continue on with nothing.

But...you mentioned a relic? What makes you think a relic is related?

Voice | un: wherethereislight

[wherethereislight]

Actual information from you for once. [Yep, we're starting with that.]

What would count as something of value if you have nothing?

VIDEO | un: forgeabettertomorrow

[forgeabettertomorrow]

We've worked together once! Maybe if you weren't such a pain in the ass, I'd offer more "useful" information! For the moment though, I'm content with being a pain in your spiny rear end!

And if you've got nothing of value that's just kinda sad. You don't have anything tying yourself to your world?

audio, un: crystalrepose | Both are welcome!

[crystalrepose]

Oh, this is--wonderful news!

[Moreso for others than for her self-sacrificing...self, but still.]

I believe I could help with some of the power supply, though probably not for all of these boxes.

VIDEO | un: forgeabettertomorrow

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Miriam! That would be great! Do you think you'll be wanting a box? I'll happily make one for you!

un: reindered

[reindered]

If I can help somehow, I want to. This is amazing! I mean. I'm sure someone like Nami would be way more useful for this sort of thing, but. If I can do anything to help.

[He's a doctor. Sure, he's picked up a thing or two back home but it's really rather debatable that any of that might be applicable here. Given how weird the Grand Line is and all in comparison to anywhere else ever. He's not sure what exactly he would put in there himself, but. That this might be an option? Might work out? That's amazing.]

VIDEO | un: forgeabettertomorrow

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Nami? Is she a scientist of some kind? I don't think you've told me about her before.

audio | un: eternalhymn

[eternalhymn]

I'm in.

[No preamble, no further explanation needed; Harding's voice is determined.]

What you're doing here— it's important. I want to help, however I can. Especially if it means bringing someone back to us.

[She hadn't gotten to say everything she'd wanted to Varric before he'd gone home again. She'd wasted her last chance. If there was even the slightest hope of seeing him again, of being able to make up for that mistake...

Just try to keep her away.]

VIDEO | un: forgeabettertomorrow

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Oh...wow, that's great! I uh...

[Darin laughs bashfully. He was expecting a good response but he wasn't expecting the effusive praise.]

Do you...need me to walk you through how it all works?

video; private to darin

[garudas]

[Well. Interesting is a bit of an understatement, but anything about the rifts would be. Concerning is another word she would use to describe it. The thought of anyone having enough control over the rifts, whether it is to open them or "navigate" them is a daunting one, and terrifying, to say the least. There are consequences that she would not like to think about, and it goes directly against the thing that she has been working towards for so long...

But in the name of information, her trade, she sets that thought aside, allowing curiosity to play into her features instead. Tries to keep the snap and the panic out of her voice.]

So, let us pretend that you figure this out. Then what? What exactly is involved in "navigating" the rifts?

VIDEO | un: forgeabettertomorrow

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Ideally? A ship sturdy enough to traverse the rifts and bring people to their desired destinations. Then again, that's assuming the rifts require any sort of expanse to travel I don't remember traveling, just appearing here.

But I'd say at the least it would require some sort of spatial coordinate, a way to keep track of it, and a means of conveyance.

In other words? A map, a compass, and a ship.

video; id: ramuhs

[ramuhs]

That's some bloody good work there, Darin. How did you even come up with the idea?

[Tell Cid the boring science stuff, lad.]

VIDEO | un: forgeabettertomorrow

[forgeabettertomorrow]

A lot of thinking and beating my head against a wall until I realized I'd been going about it the wrong way.

It's like I told Zelda: you don't control the ocean, you learn its currents. So, I started thinking on it. First thing we need to navigate is a compass. Well, Zelda gave me this special compass for my birthday last year that will always point in the direction of what my hear wants most.

For a lot of us, that place is either 'home' or someone from home. I started thinking of ways that could work to our advantage. If it's what the heart wants, then the Leviathans held the key. If they give us a ship using materials of significant importance to us, who's to say they can't imbue other things with that sentiment?

I asked the stewards to allow me to offer a box to one of the Leviathans with the hammer my Old Man made for me when he took me on as his official apprentice then cast it into the rifts with some tracking and data gathering glyphs. Something that could measure the rifts in a quantifiable way and...well, here we are.

I gotta admit, it was a shot in the dark. But I thought about the people we've lost and I wanted to ensure there was some way to maybe help them find their way home.

emet_sulk; video

[emet_sulk]

Give up something important to us, you say?

video; un: multidisciplinary

[multidisciplinary]

Something of sentimental value, yes. And it needs to be a physical object of some kind in order for the Leviathans to fuse it into the Beacon Box's core.

....Although, admittedly, we have not attempted to offer something intangible, like a sentiment or a vow.

un: magehater928 | audio

[magehater928]

I am already sceptical to touch anything magic if not to prevent it from getting worse, but I feel I need to raise an issue.

[Fenris pauses for a moment, before continuing:]

I am not from the same point in the timeline as the others from my world are. They are all even from varied points within our timeline but mine is years in comparison. How do we know that tampering with these rifts will not further distort the timeline, or even destroy it?

I would like to go home, but I believe Thedas is fragile to disaster.

video; un: multidisciplinary

[multidisciplinary]

In the interest of full transparency: we have no way to know if our research into the rifts will have any impact on them, this world, or any others. But to do nothing is to learn nothing and one cannot move forward if one is not will to take risks such as these in the pursuit of knowledge.

To your point about timelines, though. Are you concerned that the difference in time periods between yourself and others of your world is indication of a distortion in your world's timeline?

video | un: BlossomingTide

[withermarked]

[ Faulkner feels... some kinds of ways about all this. He's wanted to make any kind of progress researching the rifts for a while now, but that doesn't mean it doesn't worry him too.

He tries to keep his tone light all the same. ]

I don't have anythin' from my world really, but I'm certainly interested to see what you've found, and perhaps to help, if I can. It's useful to know if it's not the Leviathans.

[ Does that mean he should be focusing on them, less? Learning about them or gaining their favour might be less important than he thought.

He hesitates for a moment. He has more immediate worries either way.]

Can you be sure this won't... affect anything? Castin' these things out into the rifts like this?

VIDEO | un: forgeabettertomorrow

[forgeabettertomorrow]

I won't lie to you. I can't. But what I can say is that I'm taking every precaution I can. I intend to release the boxes in small, controlled batches so as not to flood the rifts with foreign items. I'm allowing them to drift long enough that I can verify the data being sent back indicates that things are safe and stable. And I am always open to ideas and suggestions on how to make things more safe.

So, if you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them.

video; un: soundsurfer

[stillarhino]

[Beat's going to blink once. Twice. And then:]

Yo, run all a' that by me 'gain.

[And slower please. The confusion on his face is plain as day. He wants to help but he's not sure he understands anything everything just yet.]

video; un: multidisciplinary

[multidisciplinary]

[ Zelda offers an apologetic smile and nods. Yeah, that was a pretty technical, jargon-heavy explanation they just gave. ]

Yes, it is pretty complex, isn't it? Let me see if I can explain it more clearly.

Right now, we know two key functions of the Rifts. One, they can draw people from many different worlds into this one; and two, they can send people from this world back to their home world. These things happen with no control or interference on our part, meaning that each of us must be connected to our own worlds in some way.

My theory is that each person carries a signature that matches that of their home world. Think of it as... something like an audio frequency. If my home world of Hyrule has its own unique audio frequency, then I, as a native of Hyrule, will have that same identical frequency. If the Rifts send me home, then they must match my frequency with Hyrule's in order to know where to send me.

Are you with me so far?

[ She's gonna try to explain this in chunks instead of dumping yet another long explanation on Beat. ]

→ zelda & darin, late that night

[multidisciplinary]

[ Zelda isn't worried at first. Darin sent her a message earlier to inform her that he would be staying late at the forge. This is hardly out of the norm for him and, given the overwhelming reaction to the Beacon Boxes today, she's not surprised to hear it. After more than a year living together, Zelda has a good sense of what is 'late' for Darin: long past dinnertime and well into the night, sometimes verging on bedtime.

So she doesn't wait on him for dinner. She fixes an adequate meal, including a portion for Darin, and eats it while reading through a book on the Leviathans. There isn't much in the way of new information in it, but it's worth a read all the same.

No, Zelda doesn't start to worry about Darin until a clock chimes the hour and she looks up from her book to find that it's nearing bedtime. She picks up her shellphone, but there are no new messages from him. That's... unusual. Darin usually lets her know if he's going to be even later than 'late.'

Zelda sets her book aside, drawing her shawl around her shoulders as she makes her way to the front door. It's silly to think that he's out there-- why would he be standing around outside the house instead of going inside?-- but she opens the door all the same and looks around. There's no one, neither at the doorstep nor approaching in the distance. Her heart sinks as she closes the door again and makes her way to the kitchen, where his now-cold dinner is still waiting for him underneath a towel.

It's fine. Everything is fine. Darin must have been held up-- staying late with a client or working on a project that's taking longer than he expected. Any minute now, he'll come rushing into the house, apologizing profusely for his lateness. Everything is fine. He hasn't been arrested again. The Paladins haven't raided the forge. Everything is fine.

But uneasiness eats at Zelda all the same and she can't seem to banish the worry lines on her forehead. ]

[forgeabettertomorrow]

[After his run-in with Benedikta, had to stop back off at the forge. As much as he would have liked to clean up, what mattered most was salvaging what he could of the day's notes and getting the door back into a place where he could lock the building up. From there, he made his way home.]

[His mind was already jumping between ideas. Half-formed thoughts, leads and trajectories to follow, risks and rewards, but above all else?]

[He was resolute. Determined. The plan had another wrinkle, another puzzle. But Darin wasn't going to settle for two choices. He'd simply make a third.]

[When he opens the door, there's a spring in his step and more than a little bit of urgency. He looks...bad. At least, his clothes do. His coat hangs off of his body from several dozen clean cuts, held in place more by his belt than anything. His shirt and pants are similarly cut cleanly in random spots and there's more than a fair amount of blood staining his clothes. Blood from wounds that have long since healed. Only a few thin lines still remain— scar tissue that is fast fading. He's covered in dirt and sand, but he marches in with purpose. He doesn't say a word. He merely spots Zelda and marched forward. And when she stands abruptly and begins to question just what the hell happened to him, he sweeps her up, cups her cheek and kisses her deeply. A kiss which he holds for more than a few tender moments before setting her back down on the soles of her feet.]

That dinner for me? I hope you ate yours already!

[He grins. He grins like nothing is wrong even though it's clear from the look of him that he was fighting for his life.]

voice; un: encoreinthedeep

[encoreinthedeep]

[ It's a good thing he did not turn off the broadcast immediately upon the lovey-dovey introduction, he got some nice SCIENCE instead. To Ulpianus this, too, is the best news he's had so far.

However... ]

You would announce this to an unknown and uncontrollable audience. Have you safeguarded these boxes and yourselves? Do you plan to deal with those who copy and profit off your idea? How will you ensure the items brought to you belong to the bringer?

[VIDEO]; un:forgeabettertomorrow

[forgeabettertomorrow]

I'm not worried about myself. If anyone made an attempt on us...well...

Let's just say there isn't much I can't handle.

I understand your concerns about security and it's something I've been considering. As for replicating and profiting off of my idea? I don't think many people can do either one. I'm not planning on making the schematics widely available and I can't see how money can really be made off of this. Not when I'm offering the opportunity to have one made for free.

As for the items...it would really only be harming themselves if they brought something that wasn't theirs, wouldn't it?