shellphones | Seeking Interested Parties

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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!)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You are not the first to ask this question, actually. As I told Sherlock, I can't conclusively say whether or not the item needs to come from your home world. I theorize that it doesn't; by transitive property, any item that is of value to you will carry your "frequency," and thereby your home world's as well.

[ Oh that came out really technical. Let's try again. ]

That is to say, by being connected to you, the item is also connected to your home world, regardless of its origin.

So jus' somethin' that I got on me.

[Beat gives this a bit more thought. He wants to give something that really meant something to him to get this to work. Something comes to mind but, yet again, it's not something on his person.]

Okay, got a weird one for ya. What if it's something I can make that still means something. That ain't gonna throw things outta whack, right?

[ Zelda can't hold back a small laugh. ]

Sherlock asked that as well. [ Beat, are you sharing a brain cell with the world's greatest detective? ]

I don't believe that will throw anything out of 'whack,' no. [ Something about the way she says 'whack' sounds very 'how you doing, fellow kids?' ] The act of creating the item to represent your sentimentality should thereby imbue it with said sentiment.

What are you thinking of making?

[This is the one time he's sharing that brain cell. It will never happen again.

He laughs in return about how she repeats his phrase to him.]

Thinkin' 'bout a paper crane. Or a bunch a' 'em. Had a friend back in Songerein who made some an' gave it to me in a bottle. Was supposed to protect me or somethin'.

[He scratches the back of his neck, looking sheepish, his gaze downcast.]

Kept usin' it up, but she kept makin' 'em for me.

[And that's just a part of it. Beat realizes that little piece of origami has become far more significant to him than he originally thought. Aside from Susato's protection spell, he'd also met Futaba because of a thousand origami cranes that had been caught in the wind. But that was probably a story for another day.

Despite himself, his expression softens, cheeks color slightly at the memory.]

[Only to remember that he's on video and his cheeks redden for an entire different reason.]

Tha's cool, right? Tha's gonna work?

[Fumbling! Flustered! How'd he let his guard down like that?!]

[ Zelda listens thoughtfully, unaware of how her smile softens with affection. This friend of Beat's must be very special, both to serve as the source of inspiration for his sentimental item and to illicit such a fond expression when he thinks about her. It's very sweet-- as is the way he flusters when he remembers himself. ]

I think that will work perfectly. [ She smiles and nods in affirmation, doing her very best not to laugh. ~~Stop being this cute, Beat.~~

Zelda is quiet for a moment, though she looks like she's about to say something else. Which she is, actually. She's about to explain what will happen next after the box and Beat's sentimental item are completed.

But something in his story caught her ear-- up until now, he's been talking about 'home,' but the way he says the name 'Songerein' sounds like he's referring to somewhere different than home, such as a distant city or a foreign nation far from his own.

If that's the case, imbuing his Beacon Box with an item related to Songerein might pull it towards that place instead. It's probably close enough (Zelda's assuming Songerein is somewhere on Beat's home world), but the extra location could introduce an unknown variable and impact the box's data.

She should probably say something. ]

Although, now that I think about it, the connection this 'Songerein' location might draw the box there instead of directly to your home. Are the two very far apart? It shouldn't be a problem, but I want to be sure.

Edited 2026-02-23 19:50 (UTC)

[At Zelda mentioning that an origami crane would work, Beat does a fist pump. He's strangely proud of himself for being able to come up with something that could work, especially when he was unsure if he could originally contribute.

But then Zelda give him reason to pause as she explains things further. His smile fades and is quickly replaced by furrowed brow, before shifting once more to a wide eyed look of realization.]

Shit. Yo, I ain't ever told ya 'bout that place, have I?

You ever wonder why I called ya Ponytail for a bit? [There's no better way to say this, so he just blurts it out.] It's 'cause I knew you from before. Back in Songerien. Called ya that for a bit while we was there.

"Before?"

[ A look of confusion comes over Zelda's face. Yes, she remembers the different ways Beat has addressed her-- first 'Steps,' then 'Hairtie,' now back to 'Steps.' She just chalked it up to Beat being indecisive about how he wanted to address her. (Even though she doesn't get where 'Hairtie' came from.)

Her brows pinch together. They knew each other from before? In Songerein? That doesn't sound right-- Zelda's never even heard of this place before today. ]

Forgive me, but are you sure it was me you met there and not someone who looked like me? I don't believe I've ever traveled to a place by that name-- especially if it is located in your world. I'd never traveled to a world outside my own before coming here.

Nah, I know you don't remember me. Tha's why I never said anythin'.

[And because each time he had to deal with it felt like a wound being ripped open after it has had time to heal. Often, instead of facing it, Beat kept it to himself, bearing the weight of it all and the pain that came along with it on his own.]

But I'm pretty sure it was you, yo. 'Cause that place ain't 'sactly home for any of us. It was another place like this.

Another world populated with riftfarers, you mean?

[ Because that's what it sounds like he's saying, that there's another world connected to the rifts which pulls in people from their own worlds. And that would mean, in order to get here from the world of Songerein, Beat would've had to travel through the rifts again. Then, that confirms inter-world travel is possible, right? That riftfarers aren't limited to traveling between this world and their own?

But that revelation is not what causes the line between Zelda's brows to deepen. Not only is Beat saying that he knew Zelda in this other world, but he's also not surprised that she doesn't remember him. That's... unsettling, to say the least. Does that mean there's a gap in Zelda's memory? An entire world's worth of experiences that she has no idea she's forgotten?

There's a thread of uncertainty woven through her tone when she speaks again. ]

If I was there, then why don't I remember you?

I mean, yeah, kinda? 'Cept we was called dream walkers there.

[How the tables have turned, now that he finds himself needing to explain things. The biggest difference though is that Beat couldn't do that with the same confidence as Zelda. But that doesn't mean he isn't going try anyway.]

Wish I could tell ya, Steps...

Sometimes, there was people who came back an' had no memories of every bein' there. I dunno if it's the same as that, but maybe?

[Beat purses his lips, debating to himself if he should say more. And whether or not sharing it would be reassuring to Zelda.]

Met others here where it was like this, too. I remember 'em, but for 'em, we ain't ever met 'fore.

[ 'Dream walkers.' That term doesn't ring any bells, but the experience Beat is describing certainly does-- people departing and then returning to the strange world, sometimes without memories of their former time there. That's just like this world.

Could that be the case for Zelda? Could she have traveled to this 'Songerein' world in the past and lost all of her memories of it after she left? Such a thing has happened to other riftfarers; it is not without precedent that the princess might have experienced the same thing.

She presses her lips together, unintentionally mirroring Beat. ]

Others like who?

[Beat doesn't answer right away, reaching behind his head to rub the back of his neck. It hurts to think about, to bring it up. But he still puts on a brave face, trying to recall a few of his friends who had shown up that way.]

Sides you, uh, Wolfie—hold up.

[And to remember to call them by their names and not the nicknames he'd assigned to them. Let's try that again.]

Eustace, Sora, Nico, Percy at least a coupla 'em.

[ Zelda reluctantly shakes her head as Beat lists off names. None of them sound familiar to her-- except for Sora, whose name she only knows in passing because he is (was?) a Paladin captain.

But she recognizes that expression on Beat's face. These were friends of his, she suspects. It must have hurt to discover that those friends didn't remember him or their time together.

Small wonder he never told Zelda about this.

It would probably be better to let the topic go and get back to discussing the Beacon Boxes. Beat probably doesn't want to keep talking about something painful. But this subject is tugging at Zelda in a way she can't ignore. ]

Is there anyone else here like you? Who once lived in Songerein and remembers their time there?

[It's something he talks about on occasion but when it comes to people he used to know, he finds hard to do. Instead of burdening them, he chooses to keep that knowledge from them, dealing within it on his own. It's not like he needs to put that weight on them when they couldn't even remember him to begin with.

But now that it's out there and Zelda knows, he figures it was time to tell her whatever she wanted.

The good thing about all this though is that the person who mattered the most remembered him. Even if it wasn't the same way for him in the beginning.]

Yeah. My girl Futaba. [Immediately his expression softens, a light blush dusting his across his cheeks.] Me and her was together for a coupla years there and she remembered everything when she got here too.

[Then his eyes shift to meet Zelda—or at least as much as he can through the shellphones.]

'Sides that, there was Link. But he didn't stick 'round too long. Two a' us was tight back in 'Rein.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Seeking Interested Parties | VIDEO

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I can't keep track of nicknames, clearly

in your defense, you've got 2 games' worth to keep track of lmao

my single brain cell can only hold on to so much

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