video | un: plushiesidequest (in which she talks about an NPC visitor)

[reincarnesiac]

( Oh look! It's that same person who melted a radio tower about two weeks ago? Alex waves to the camera, flashes a smile, then sits down on a plush chair in her apartment and leans forward, planting her elbows on her knees. )

Hey, everyone. I know more of you look at stuff here than comment, but think about doing some commenting this time, you know?

( She breathes in, then out in a sigh. )

So I sent out that signal a few weeks ago. I heard back this morning from a guy outside the barrier that goes by Scylla. He confirmed the multiverse is unraveling. He wasn't happy about it.

( Her hands lay over each other, one holding the other at her wrist. )

He also confirmed this pocket dimension of Echo's we're in has a lot of bubble cities trying to solve the problem through point based reality television style game-show setups. But Echo isn't the only one working to try and save the concept of existence. There are other people out there with other ideas. Scylla didn't know if any of them show any more promise than Echo's way, because no one's had confirmed results or failures based on attempts.

( She opens her hands, staring at the camera. )

He said he'll help us figure out how to close the tear after it's open, because that's when he can get in here. Shout out to Aurora for her work keeping us safe until Echo demands otherwise.

( Sitting back, she frowns at the camera. )

I can sum up what else we talked about if people ask, but this seemed important to get out first. He said I probably won't see him for a bit when he arrives, but anyone who does run into him, he's a guy... fairly handsome? Taller than I am, shorter than Gorgug. Paler than me too. Reddish-brown hair with waves that he wears neatly cut but not close shaven. He was scruffy. Had one of those friendly faces you know likes to tease people until he was getting more serious. I don't know, ( she sighs ) it's been a surreal morning.

Comments

[reincarnesiac]

I didn't get much chance to press on that point, or what specifically he is, or what he belongs to. My hope is him showing up here in person means one of us here can ask and get that information, because you're talking about what was maybe ten minutes of conversation at most? Then he was gone.

[levelshift]

That's barely enough fucking time to introduce yourself.

[Lame.]

It's worth asking him if he shows up. Depending on his methods and if he's willing to share, that could be information we can use to either communicate with Echo or find out more about them.

[reincarnesiac]

Yeah, it wasn't a lot of sit down and get to details. It all started up because he thought my signal was a distress call because our bubble had something going wrong.

Which yes, okay, context maybe people could use, but given the ones arguing they might also say oh so he was only showing up to go man can I help make things worse? I get it, but also, that's so unhelpful. People can still get benefits from just helping others out.

Yeah, that's what I hope. And by letting people know to watch out for him, and what he looked like to me at least, maybe we can be prepared enough to ask that sort of stuff. He surprised me right after I woke up, I'm not going to pretend I'm a genius first thing in the morning.

[levelshift]

So what if he does? We could benefit from this even if he ends up being dangerous. It's better to let someone with potential answers in, even if it's risky, than stay stagnant. We just need to plan for the worst case scenario.

Can you describe how he got in contact with you?

[reincarnesiac]

My point exactly.

He, uh, more or less beamed himself directly into my brain. So I saw him, because he convinced my brain that I was seeing him? He didn't seem to be reading thoughts at that point, but I think he was picking up on some brain signals of some kind, based on stuff he said.

[levelshift]

So some form of neurological control. There are a lot of different ways to do that, even at range.

[Too bad the #5 isn't here, she's the expert on that kind of thing. Even one of the Sisters would be useful.]

[reincarnesiac]

Basically. One thing I can note about it though, nothing emotional I could pinpoint. So I wasn't feeling anything particular, other than surprised then focused, which is about what I'd expect at the time.

[levelshift]

Sounds like he could have been screwing with your amygdala. Or certain neurotransmitters, like serotonin. It's used to regulate emotions, and abnormal concentrations and activity contributes to visual hallucinations.

[reincarnesiac]

I'll take your word for it, the only medical science I know much about is cardiology related. The visual hallucinations was for sure, just not anything that felt. If that makes sense? But he seemed to know I'd collapsed after some recent stuff, and yet not know what he would have known from seeing anything on Aurora's network... but also not the details of what actually happened. Does that make sense?

[levelshift]

Yeah. It sounds like he's limited to acquiring data through your physiology and manipulating it. That would explain how he could appear to you, by controlling your neural functions somehow, and know about you collapsing but not the context around it.

That or some limited magic bullshit, but I don't know much about that side of things.

[reincarnesiac]

I'll believe science or magic, it's about the same to me as far as my understanding and stuff. Though science is more what my world reflects... there's a lot we do that looks and acts functionally like magic, using energy.

The thing is, he offered we also try to stop Aurora from being able to open the vents at all. I had to make a call, and I said no, I'd rather have him help us close it than whatever the effect of Aurora not being able to do what she'd been instructed to do would be. For her, or us.

[levelshift]

They aren't really all that different, when you get down to it. I can see either being equally likely.

That was the right call. [He's going to be blunt here, screw anyone who disagrees.] I've never seen Aurora be unable to carry out mission instructions. Who the hell knows what kind of consequences could occur if she isn't able to.

[Given how little they know about Echo it's possible she could have gotten hurt or worse, so he's glad to see she erred on the side of "protect the AI." Not everyone here would have made the same choice.]

[reincarnesiac]

Yep, high levels mean they come across as the same or something, right? I've heard stuff like that before.

That was my thought too. Scylla seemed pretty sure we wouldn't be outright punished by Echo for preventing a mission, that there's no benefit for us being killed at least, but he also said he's not part of the bubble cities. So I'm not taking that gamble for any of us here, just because I think the fact we're getting any of this done to us is dumb. Aurora is trapped here too, just in a different role.

[levelshift]

Something like that. They can both be explained using mathematics, they just utilize different scientific laws.

Right. I don't think people realize that, even though it's fucking obvious.

[Nice to see someone else understands Aurora is limited in what she can do.]

[reincarnesiac]

Makes sense to me. As long as I don't have to do the explanations.

She's here to be angry at. It's like... people working in customer service, only she does have specific power over our environment we don't. So a bit scarier for people that way, I think.

[levelshift]

I don't think most people are going to understand it.

[His method of explanation is all mathematical formulas.]

It's irritating. Just because she has that power doesn't mean she has full control over all of this. People need to get that through their thick skulls.

[reincarnesiac]

Yeah, but you think they'll understand me trying?

I don't know, maybe we can learn more from Scylla to help people understand? Or at least give them someone new to be irritated at.

[levelshift]

No idea.

I think it's worth the risk. Screw anyone who thinks otherwise, they're cowards.

[He's so nice....]

[reincarnesiac]

Has to be worth at least figuring out more than what one brief brain-projected conversation provided. Maybe you'll see him — and get to ask your questions then, too.

[levelshift]

Maybe. If I do I'll share whatever data I can get.

[reincarnesiac]

Thanks. Here's to hoping. I really can't be the only one talking with him, it'll be a whole other problem if I am.

[levelshift]

I've been around a while and I've never heard of the guy, so as far as Etrayans go I think you are.

[reincarnesiac]

You know I really don't know that I love that right now, but maybe when the vent's open that'll change?

[levelshift]

It better. If it doesn't and you fucking disappear, then we're down one potentially useful source of information.

[reincarnesiac]

Isn't that part of the big problem here? People disappear and no one else know what they knew, and it's not just their life experiences, but stuff about here that gets lost.