animus_network | 001 [action/text]

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001 [action/text]

Specifically for the occupants of 2-10
_{[When Dirk awakens and can't move at first, he finds himself panicking. This isn't something that normally happens, so it's a huge relief when he actually is able to move. Immediately, he's able to tell he's not where he should be. His memory is a little hazy due to the fact he's still waking up, but he knows that the last thing he was doing, which certainly wasn't sleeping. Who could sleep when their home was under attack?

The letters he finds answers a few of the initial questions he has, but it leaves a billion more unanswered. His world was destroyed? Given the state it was in, he isn't surprised, but he was supposed to get into the game first. He's pretty sure this isn't it. This is horribly disconcerting, because he can't help but wonder about his friends. Did they make it to safety? Are they here?

After another few moments, he's aware he's not the only person in the room either. Well then.]}

...Who are you people.

Network; open.
I'm not entirely sure what is going here, so perhaps someone can shed some light on this situation.
How is it that I've arrived here?
I'm finding the information provided by the welcoming committee highly doubtful for a multitude of reasons that I don't have time to get into at this time.
With that, I'll cut to the chase; in the off-chance that it's actually correct, that my world was destroyed, I must ask.
Does anyone know Roxy Lalonde, Jake English, Jane Crocker and their whereabouts?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Bro's been awake for a few minutes by this point. The sleep paralysis had been weird, but he's had nightmares before. He's experienced that kind of shit. He's sitting on the bed hed woken up on, staring down at the letters still. His world has been destroyed? Well no fucking shit, he'd figured that was the case when he'd entered the Medium. No going back. But this was confusing. This wasn't part of the game and he knew that- or at least, he had the hunch that it wasn't part of the game. So the question was, who the hell has that kind of power?

If he said he doesn't have some annoying ominous feeling present in his stomach, he'd be lying. Slicing a meteor in half? No big deal. Being kidnapped from a game when all logic pointed to the fact he shouldn't have been able to be? That was pretty damn scary. But he wasn't going to turn into a quivering pile of goo and start shitting himself. Nope, he was going to wait it out and see what the hell was going on.

So when Dirk wakes up, he turns his attention to him, setting the letters next to him on the bed.]

About time, sleeping beauty.

_{[It isn't everyday that you're somehow forced into some non-linear place without knowing. It also isn't everyday that you turn your head to the right and find yourself staring face to face with someone who looks just like you. But older.

Wow. Okay.

Dirk's expression doesn't betray him, however. His face remains as passive as ever as he stares at Bro. Finally, he tosses the letters onto the mattress and leans against the wall.]}

If I didn't know any better I'd ask if this was a dreambubble.

If I didn't know you knew any better, I'd tell you that it ain't a fucking dreambubble. Whatever the hell that is. D'you see any fucking bubbles floating around? Dumbass.

[Yeah, he notices just how freakily similar Dirk looks to him. He's actually pretty sure that's what he looked like as a teen. But he's just going to let that roll right off his back. Because he's honestly sure he doesn't. actually want to know the answer.

Because seriously what the fuck?

It doesn't make sense. And if he thinks about it too hard, he's going to just get pissed off. Goddammit there's only one Bro Strider in the world, who is this douchebag.]

You got a name?

[Don't say Dirk Strider, don't say Dirk Strider, don't say Dirk Strider.]

Well gee, aren't you observant. You don't even know what one is, do you? Clearly you don't. If you did you'd be wishing that's what this is.

_{[There's only so many possibilities for this, and he's just hoping this guy isn't him like, twenty years in the future or something. Because seriously? Wearing a hat? Lame. Way to mess up your hair.

He gives Bro a sideways glance before responding.]}

Sure do.

I'm pretty sure I'm not fucking glad this is a bubble. It's fucked up enough without throwing kiddy shit into the mix.

[Normally, he wouldn't have cared that he was playing coy as fuck. In fact, he would've been amused and played around. But no, he's too frustrated with the situation to even bother with the ironic bullshit that would be the guessing game. So he's going to take a risk and if he's wrong, then he'll deal with that after.]

Quit being a shithead, Dirk.

If it was a dreambubble it'd mean I'd be able to wake up and go back to what I was doing.

_{[Because obviously he's not the dead one. But that'd also mean he would've had to enter the game and reach Godtier. Whatever. The idea itself is nice because he's pretty sure he doesn't want to be here.]}

Why even bother asking if you already know? Please tell me you're not from my future.

[Blah blah blah game shit blah.]

If I was from your future, don't you think I'd know what a dreambubble was? Use your head- or is all the fucking hairspray you use killing your brain cells?

_{[How dare you insult his hair.]}

Judging by your current state, I can't put early onset Alzheimer's past you, old man.

[He stares at him for a few long moments, eyes narrowed behind his shades. Oh he's pissed. But despite that, slowly a smirk creeps across his face.]

Aha. Yeah, you're totally me at fourteen.

_{[His tone is nothing short of haughty now.]}

Fifteen.

Almost sixteen.

[Like it makes much of a difference.]

Either way, you still can't pull off a hat yet.

[He pauses for a moment, looking thoughtful.]

So you've pretty much just hit the height of the smuppet phase, yeah? Well guess what? Don't listen to 'em, cuz it ain't a phase.

Psshaw. A hat would ruin my perfect hair. I rise above that and wear one on my shirt.

_{[Ok, you've got his attention. ...well, as if Bro didn't have it before.]}

Who is "them"? Even if someone did criticise my tastes I couldn't give a fuck.

Oh no, I forgot how gay I sounded back then.

[He gives Dirk a shrug.]

'Them'. Society. Everybody. And I'm not saying you should give a fuck. I'm just saying, embrace the smuppets. They will make you richer than Oprah.

You're not going to start a 'it gets better' spiel are you?

Oh. Haha. Yeah, uh, "society" boils down to Lalonde and I. I can't really make a fortune off of her unless I it's pumpkins.

It does get better, babe. I promise. I'm here for you if you ever need to talk. We can get through this together.

[He's sounding so ironically sincere right now. But then he raises his eyebrows.]

Whatcha talking about?

Dirk, you have no idea how grateful I am for that. I don't think I can get by on my own.

_{[Oh yeah, dripping with irony.]}

Rox and I are all that's left, dude. There's no one else. Human, anyway.

[Okay there are more important fish to fry than dealing with your gayness, Dirk.

If only he knew what a great pun that was.]

Okay, so in all seriousness, who's Rox? The hell's going on in the future?

Roxy Lalonde. She's my friend. We're the only humans left on Earth, but considering I don't know what's going on anymore, I don't know if she's alive or not.

Long story short? Everything went to shit four centuries ago and the Batterwitch succeeded in destroying everything. To give you a better mental image: I live in a high rise apartment in Houston that's completely surrounded by ocean.

[Bro's quiet for a few seconds, taking it all in. Well that definitely proves his thoughts right; they're not actually the same person. Not really. Somehow they are, but they aren't.

Sort of.]

Well you ain't from my timeline, that's for sure.

[He's sure by now he's pointing out the obvious. And it occurs to him that he should possibly say something vaguely sympathetic, but. What d'you say to that? So he just lays back on the bed, shaking his head lightly, propped up on one elbow.]

_{[The shrug he gives Bro is entirely too deflective.]}

No shit.

_{[He's quiet for a long time, staring at the wall before glancing back over.]}

What's the world without fish aliens bent on conquering the universe like?

[He's quiet, too. Because how do you answer that? Or rather, how the hell do you answer that tactfully when you're talking to the guy who is the last guy on earth? Who also happens to be you. He knows how shitty he'd feel if somebody went on about how amazing it is. Oh jesus christ this is stupid.]

Dead, apparently.

[It's evasive. It's pointing out the obvious, but it's more than that. Because it was dead even before the letters pointed that out. So it's the truth either way.]

_{[Dirk's not sure how to respond to that, either. It's clear to him they either way, they can't win. Life is just doomed to be shitty. Even still, it hasn't decreased his urge to try to find a way out.

Because there's still a chance, however slim.]}

Sburb?

Yep.

[He falls back onto his pillow and stares up at the ceiling. He doesn't know what more to say than that. All everything ever boils down to is sburb, and it pisses him off. What a fucking shitty game. God, it pisses. him. off.

But after at least a minute of silence, he breathes out a heavy sigh through his nose, a grumble rumbling deep in his throat. He's just. Irritated.]

Mind if I ask you a few questions about your future?

[The way he asks it clearly says that if Dirk doesn't wanna talk about it, he won't press.]

_{[He's used to the silence; that's really all there is unless he makes it on his own in one way or another. It's easy for him to retreat into his own thoughts from that point on. He's not so far lost in them that he doesn't hear Bro.]}

Go for it.

It's mainly that I was just wondering who the hell your parents are if they went and got themselves kill by this psychopathic broad known as the Batterbitch.

[Yeah, he could've phrased that in a less blunt manner, but.

He didn't.]

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