shellphones | Seeking Interested Parties

Entry tags:

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

[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.]

Edited 2026-01-29 19:36 (UTC)

[ 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. ]

[The first part, he grasps easily, but despite it, he does look like he's listening intently all throughout. Even if the gears are turning very slowly, at least they're moving.

The analogy to audio frequencies definitely help him understand the second one. Beat nods as she explains, able to follow her explanation.]

Yeah, yeah, I getcha. An' you guys got more to it?

[He's learning!]

[ Zelda lights up, nodding enthusiastically. ]

We do! And this is where the Beacon Box comes in. The box is designed to be thrown into the rifts, the same way you might throw a letter in a bottle into the sea. Its core is imbued with a person's essence-- their audio frequency, to keep with my metaphor-- so once it is thrown into the rifts, the box should make its way to that person's home world.

What Darin and I are doing is examining the information that the box sends back to us while it travels through the rifts. This raw data needs to be interpreted, but in order to do that, we need more data to compare it against. If we get enough data, we might be able to figure out how to navigate the rifts, just like we navigate the oceans. The best way to gather more data is to send more boxes into the rifts, thus, our request for volunteers.

Unfortunately, each box is difficult to create, and the only way to imbue it with a person's essence is for that person to give up something of sentimental value that a Leviathan can fuse into the box. The same way that they make ships, but on a smaller scale.

Does that clarify everything? I suppose my explanation was still rather long-winded...

[ She's too big-brained to simplify things into a single sentence with a fishing metaphor... ]

[Zelda, you've gotta slow down. Compared to you, Beat is tiny-brained. You can practically see him trying to keep up as she explains everything. It clicks, very slowly. Seems like having a partner who's big-brained herself helps a little for this case.]

So when you toss it in, you guys can get whatever signal and data that you need. [A pause.] How sendimental we talkin' 'bout?

[ Whoops, she got carried away. Zelda's smile turns apologetic again. ]

"Sentimental." [ She corrects. ] And honestly, I don't know. I suppose the more sentimental value the item has to you, the stronger its "frequency" will probably be. Your feelings and your connection to your home world are what is being fused into the Beacon Box's core in order for this whole thing to work.

Ain't that what I said?

[He sounds positive that he was right the first time.]

But if it's supposed to be make some kinda connection, does it gotta be something from home? I don't really got a lotta stuff with me here.

[At least nothing he's reclaimed.]

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.

(no subject)

multidisciplinary - 2026-02-23 22:55 (UTC) - Expand

I can't keep track of nicknames, clearly

stillarhino - 2026-02-23 23:53 (UTC) - Expand

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

multidisciplinary - 2026-02-24 19:16 (UTC) - Expand

my single brain cell can only hold on to so much

stillarhino - 2026-02-24 20:47 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

multidisciplinary - 2026-03-11 22:36 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

stillarhino - 2026-03-12 12:24 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

multidisciplinary - 2026-03-14 00:40 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

stillarhino - 2026-03-14 13:06 (UTC) - Expand

[Darin barges in off-screen.]

I made a box that acts like a fishing lure, except instead of fish I'm catching worlds so people can go home or see people they love again!

That make sense, Beat?

[See, this is exactly the kind of explanation he can understand!]

No shit? You really made somethin' like that?

Hell yeah I did! Don't you know? I'm Darin Altway, and I can make anything if I have the right materials!

But right now, it's in the testing phase, which is why Zelda and I are looking for volunteers.

Testin' to see if it works, yeah?

[He sounds excited about the possibility, but then his brows furrow just a tad.]

Yo, I wanna help you guys out, but I gotta question for ya, or for Steps. [Yes, he means Zelda.] What 'bout if someone's kinda from two places?

[He's not talking about him, clearly. What makes you think that he is!]

Edited 2026-02-03 17:47 (UTC)

Two places? Like...two worlds?

You come from two different worlds?

...Also, who's 'Steps?'

Steps is Steps. [He points towards the camera of his own shellphone.] Me and her kinda danced at one a' the balls back when I first got here.

And yeah, sorta. [He scratches the back of his head. It's always felt weird to explain this to others.] This place ain't the first world I wound up in, you know? So there's back home, and there's this dream world called Songerein.

Edited 2026-02-04 04:48 (UTC)

Danced with my girlfriend, huh?

[He smirks teasingly.]

You're lucky I like you, Beat. But that's a cute nickname. I call her "Sunshine" myself.

[But that teasing comes to a halt when...]

...'Songerein?'

...Where the hell have I heard that name before...

Heh, ain't like I knew she was your girlfriend back then.

[Just going to smirk back at Darin. But then he notices the mood suddenly shifts.]

You have? Dunno if I ever told ya 'bout it 'fore. An' I only know a couple folks here who came from there too.

Other people came here from—

[Darin slams his hands on the table, sending the video tumbling.]

LINK!

[When he grabs his shellphone again, he's upside down.]

THAT'S WHERE I HEARD IT! LINK MENTIONED IT!! DID YOU KNOW LINK?!

[The slam actually surprises Beat, jolting at the unexpected reaction. But at the mention of Link, he beams, grinning from ear to ear.]

Hell yeah I know Link! Me an' Link are tight, yo!

THAT'S INCREDIBLE!!

Link had asked me once if I'd ever heard of Songerein but when I asked why, he didn't elaborate! But if you know him, maybe he didn't go back to Hyrule! Maybe he went there instead!

Beat, this is amazing! Zelda is going to flip!

video; un: soundsurfer

video; un: multidisciplinary

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VIDEO | un: forgeabettertomorrow

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