Darin Altway (
forgeabettertomorrow) wrote in
shellphones2026-01-19 03:24 pm
Seeking Interested Parties | VIDEO
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!)
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

no subject
Cleaning is not resting, Darin.
[ There's a playfulness in her chiding as she holds the plate out of his reach. She places her free hand on Darin's back and pushes him in the direction of the stairs. ]
Go on~ Sort out your clothing into what's salvageable and what isn't, and I'll be along shortly.
1/2
B...But I...the kitchen...!
A-And I left my coat on the couch...
[He turns but finds himself so easily herded towards the stairs, he's completely off-kilter. But it's the knowing smile playing on Zelda's lips that really makes it impossible to offer any resistance.]
[He gets to the foot of the stairs and with a bemused, resigned smile and playfully defeated huff, he acquiesces.]
Yes, dear...
2/2
[His face turns several dramatic shades of scarlet as he realizes what just slipped out of his mouth.]
D-D— !
I-I mean...!
D-Dear...Dear me! L-Look at the time!! Y-You're right, Sunshine, it's been a hell of a day! I-I'll go get ready s-so...don't take too long...!
[He trips and falls up about five stairs before his heavy boots thunk onto the wood. A moment later, she'll hear his footfalls upstairs.]
['Dear?!?!']
no subject
Zelda's eyes grow wide at the same time that Darin turns scarlet, but he doesn't even give her the chance to say anything before sputtering excuses and tripping his way up the stairs. She's left staring at the space he vacated, that single word bouncing around in her brain.
Wh- What's come over him, calling her 'dear' like that? It's as though he's acquiescing a wife's demands! Sh- She isn't his wife!
Zelda feels her cheeks heating up and she hurries into the kitchen. Now she's the one getting flustered, clattering about to clean the dishes and straighten everything for tomorrow. Darin called her 'dear.' Surely.. surely that doesn't mean anything. It's a slip of the tongue. It doesn't mean that he's started seeing her as a wife.
Her stomach fills with butterflies at the errant thought. Really, she... wouldn't hate it if he did. Their life together kind of... feels that way sometimes. Zelda knows she needs to return to Hyrule one day and resume her reign, but for the moment, she's enjoying the domestic simplicity of sharing a home with Darin.
By the time the kitchen is all cleaned up, Zelda is smiling again, the word still playing on repeat in her mind. The excitement of the day, the stress of the evening, it's all faded. All she's thinking about is how flustered Darin was when that word slipped out of his mouth. How much more embarrassed would he be if she was to call him 'dear'? Zelda collects his coat from the sofa and heads up the stairs, thinking of the perfect way to fluster her dear boyfriend. ]