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

text | un: astudyinviolet

[astudyinviolet]

[ She can't see it, but he's blushing. This is perhaps the closest he's come to admitting he's gay on the network and that he's crushing on his flatmate back home. ]

I would say I will prepare the letter for the beacon, but as I've written and sent out many such letters already, I nearly know the words by heart. It will not take long.

Do you think the paper from my world would help, or would that introduce another variable into the test and obscure results too much?

[multidisciplinary]

[ Zelda is getting the sense that there might be some romantic feelings here. But in her experience, those feelings can be quite delicate, so she opts not to prod too much. ]

I don't believe using paper from your world over what's available here will have significant impact on the results. Not unless the paper itself has some manner of sentimental value.

[ Such as stationary given as a gift from Watson to Sherlock, or paper with a custom letterhead for either man.

But something else catches her attention. ]

You said you've written many such letters before. Addressed to your Watson? If I may, what do you do with those letters?

text | un: astudyinviolet

[astudyinviolet]

They are often in conjunction to a tradition during one of the many festivals. Earlier, one was burned with a decorative log. Another such letter was sealed in a bottle and cast out to sea. Words were even spoken in front of a tree.

The fate of them beyond that remains unknown to me.

[ He questions if they did anything at all, but he had to try on the small chance that it might. ]

[multidisciplinary]

Oh! Rather like a token or an offering!

[ Her visage brightens and she nods eagerly in affirmation that she understands. ]

I've taken part in such activities here myself. During the harvest festival, I cast a number of paper boats out to sea with tokens in remembrance of my father and friends who have passed. I built memorials to honor their memories in Hyrule, but it has been nice to make smaller, more personal offerings myself.

[astudyinviolet]

Yes, they've been more along those lines. If those offerings do anything at all, then perhaps it would strengthen that the sentiments on the paper are sincere and true. There is a pattern of past evidence.

I write more to him than the dead, although I have written to them on occasion.

[multidisciplinary]

He must be a very important person in your life, to be the recipient of so many letters.

[ There's very much the sense that she's trying to get him to elaborate. Zelda isn't exactly prodding, but she's hoping to encourage Sherlock to share a bit more about this Watson fellow. ]

[astudyinviolet]

Yes, not only did he save my life many times, but he is perhaps my first real friend.

[ There are easy ways for Sherlock to info dump about his John, but it does involve a bit more of a nudge. ]

[multidisciplinary]

Is that so? [ She laughs lightly. ] How ironic, I can say those same things about Link.

[ Zelda leans in with interest. ] Is your Watson also the stoic and silent type, or is that where the similarities end?

[astudyinviolet]

No, far from it. He's a doctor and writer, so Watson is far more skilled than I when dealing with people. Furthermore, he's kinder and more patient. Although, he would not say it for he's too humble. He'll claim he's lazy or too shaken from his time in the war to be around rows. He'll say he won't be able to gather the information I need. Do not believe those lies he tells himself and others.

Watson is unfailingly dependable and willing to fight to do the right thing. He speaks his mind and holds his own against a man like my brother. He learned and started to apply my methods. He is an example of courage in the face of unspeakable horrors and cruelty.

I know how I can be. He has seen me at my worst. I cannot fathom why I have his loyalty still after everything beyond it being a sign of his character, not mine.

[ He may not be stoic and silent like Link, but Watson is Sherlock's courageous knight in shining armor, trying to keep him from the dark. ]

[multidisciplinary]

[ A smile spreads across Zelda's face as she reads Sherlock's glowing praise for Watson. Humble, dependable, courageous, and loyal to a fault-- he certainly sounds as much like a knight as her own. ]

He sounds like a truly remarkable person. Worthy of every letter and more!

[ A little laugh, then her expression turns thoughtful again. ]

How did the two of you come to meet?

[astudyinviolet]

[ He's not sure how much absence has made the heart grow fonder, but he means every word. ]

He had heard that I was looking for someone to go halves with on a flat in London, and he needed the same. Neither of us would have been able to rent on our own. I happened to be studying how long bruises could appear after death at the St. Bart's hospital lab, and he found me.

[ Had Sherlock not been complaining about rent, he may not have met this man. (Let's be real, Sherlock was complaining more than actively looking for a roommate.) ]

[multidisciplinary]

[ Zelda's brows pinch with confusion. ]

I'm sorry, you were looking for someone to go what on what?

[ Sherry, that was really British. Could you maybe un-British that a tad? ]

text | un: astudyinviolet

[astudyinviolet]

[ Sherlock honestly thinks that Zelda might not understand this because it's not common for royalty to pay rent on an apartment and struggle to do so. ]

Rent in that particular area of London was too expensive for either of us to manage on our own. By living in the same apartment together, we could afford it.