shellphones | Seeking Interested Parties

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

[ 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.... ]

...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...]

I don't know. I've never met any, but I've met another Mycroft. One difference between us would be our ages. That Mycroft was seven years older than his Sherlock, and that Sherlock is still in school. My Mycroft is ten years older than I am. The other Sherlock took more after his father; his Mycroft took after their mother. I take after my mother more while my Mycroft takes after our father. Or I imagine he does.

Another Sherlock Holmes is a fictional great detective in a series of stories. There is another Sherlock Holmes I learned of while in my world. He faced another Rochester, the man responsible for the cultist case I took before arriving here.

That is the most information I have about any of them.

[ He considers Shikanoin Heizou to be in connection with "Sherlock Holmes" for how similar they are, but for the purposes of this study, he's not sure if that should be brought up. ]

You know, not to go off on a tangent but now you've got me thinking.

I wonder if there's other versions of me out there.

...Or Zelda.

It is not outside the realm of possibility, but I've yet to meet someone wholly unconnected to me who has a similar circumstance. I have no data to give confirmation one way or the other.

Out of curiosity, do you have any documentation about these other versions of you? Notes on similarities and differences, anything that could potentially help is gauge and measure your data if you were to have a box made?

[ Like a huge clue board taking up a wall in his apartment as he tries to figure out this cosmic mystery that seems to center around himself? ]

I do, but it contains sensitive information I do not want commonly known.

[ Information like things concerning Sherlock's mother which Darin has already proven he cannot be trusted with. ]

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!

If nothing else, my unique circumstance, for lack of a better word, might introduce variables into the study.

I do not know exactly what I could offer that could be a strong tie. Does it need to be from my world to work? Or do you think the connection to the sentiment is more important?

In all honesty, we don't know. The item Darin offered held strong sentimental value to him and originated from Anmaral. The item I am planning to offer will have the same characteristics.

But, given what I know of how the Leviathans utilize these offerings to create ships, the sentiment is of greater importance than the origin of the item. Theoretically, the item will carry the energy signature of your Earth by virtue of carrying your individual energy signature.

As of this moment, I could offer my magnifying glass which belonged to my mother, or I could offer my old casebook. While I am loathe to give up either for differing reasons, they could be options if nothing else works.

However, I think I could possibly create something stronger for I've learned that many mentions of "Sherlock Holmes" also include "John Watson" within the same breath. I have already met my John Watson, and I feel strongly towards him. Whenever a festival activity involves sending a message or wish towards another, I've done so to my Watson. I could possibly ask to bring paper and pen from my world to help strengthen the ties, yet I think using him as an anchor of sorts could help because there is that pattern across the cosmos.

[ Let's put all that gay Victorian yearning to good use for once. ]

Seeking Interested Parties | VIDEO

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