NOVEMBER-DECEMBER TEST DRIVE MEME

[indigo_events]

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Comments

soldier: 76 (jack morrison) | overwatch

[unabates]

( new bark city )

[ there's something ironic about a woman younger than him calling him her son and shoving him out the front door with a meal and a backpack.

he takes a moment to look through the bag suspiciously. whatever had taken him here had taken both his gun and his mask, annoyingly enough. there was a change of clothes in the bag, but he wasn't going to change. other than that and the little device that he pulls out, he doesn't see much.

of course, when he starts moving, there's a little bark from behind him. he turns around, frowning at the small dog thing that follows him. ]

Scram.

[ the tone is said menacingly. if it was a normal dog, it would have skittered off. but this one sits and looks at him, putting its tongue out. ]

I mean it, I'm not babysitting a dog.

[ the dog gives another little ruff and wags its tail at him. somehow, he can tell it's as stubborn as he is. he shifts the device in his hand, and whatever he does with it causes it to light up and tell him that this thing is a rockruff... and his 'partner pokemon'.

the rockruff gives a little croon and raises a paw at him. jack arches an eyebrow. ]

You've got to be joking.

( cherrygrove )

[ a few days later, and some adjustments, jack's made it to cherrygrove. bandit, his rockruff, has a few levels under his belt, and jack at least gets the gist of what's going on. it feels like a dog fighting ring, except all the wild pokemon were attacking them instead, so he supposes it makes sense to have that protection.

for now, he's purchasing some more food for the both of them and sitting down on the beach, looking out at the water. ]

... How am I going to find my way back home out of this place?

[ rockruff looks up from his food and gives a small bark of worry, nudging his nose against jack's arm. jack chuckles after a moment, reaching down to pet him - his gloves enabling him to not mind the sharp rocks in his ruff. ]

Guess it's back to basics and asking around.

( network )

[ he's not into showing his face off. once he verifies there's a public network and an audio option, he starts it. his location will ping as cherrygrove, if the faint sound of ocean in the background didn't confirm that for any listeners. ]

The name's Jack.

[ his voice is distinctly older, and very rough. it sounds like he may have damaged his throat at some point in his life. ]

I've been looking around this place and it looks like the consensus is that people can't go home on their own.

I wanna talk to those of you that have gone home, or know people that did. And... for those that don't, how you're dealing with not being able to.

[ he ends the transmission. ]

( wildcard )

wanna run into jack in person between cherrygrove and new bark? that's ok! wanna try something else? PM me here!

Network

[schachmeister]

[The voice sounds unfamiliar. A new, uh, face in town, perhaps?]

I haven't gone back to my world, but I know several people who have. Including some who returned, both with and without their memories of this place. If you have any questions, I can try and answer them.

As for dealing with being here... I have to admit, being here is much better than being back in my own world. Seeing as our worlds stop moving while we are here, and we can't predict when we will be sent back, if at all, personally, I'm just trying to do all the things I can't do back home.

[unabates]

[ definitely a new face who doesn't wanna share his face. ]

I'll cut to the chase - any signs before or after they returned? Something like getting sick, a bright light, anything that maybe they reported in common.

[ there's a beat while he considers that. he was well aware some people liked it better here than at home... ]

That's a little different from me. I've got business to deal with back home. You said time isn't moving while we're here?

[ that has his interest piqued, his tone changing to one of surprise. ]

[schachmeister]

Nothing at all, I'm afraid to say. I've had some people... very close to me leave here. These were people who I had known for years. I only mention this to make it clear that if there had been any off signs, anything different about them at all, I would've been able to tell or they would've mentioned it to me. I was even sharing a room with one of them right before he left. But there wasn't anything. They were just here one day and gone the next.

[In short, it's an unpredictable crapshoot.]

Sometimes I wish there was. At least then you'd be able to say goodbye.

[A small shrug and a tightening of his jaw as he glances away from the camera for a moment. A swallow and then he's looking back at the camera. Time to go back to that other question. No need to get into personal emotions here.]

That's right. Everybody who has gone home and came back confirmed this. If you return to your world, you will return to the exact moment you left, no matter how much time you spent here. Nobody will notice you were gone. Nothing will have happened while you are here. And you'll forget all about this world when you do.

[unabates]

[ well, that's not comforting or useful at all. jack isn't a genius by any means - theoretical physics, time travel, that's over his head. he knows enough to have a few theories - being pulled back, that this was only a temporary stop - but nothing immediately useful.

the pain in the kid's face, however short, isn't missed. that's one thing he's good at, observance. ]

You don't always get the chance.

[ his tone is... a little softer, under the gruffness. an acknowledgment of the pain without being patronizing. he's buried too many friends. hell, he's been the friend buried, knows there's plenty he'd wished he said before he had to go on the run. but that's why he's on audio, and not video. ]

So whatever you might learn about this place, or how to get back - as soon as you're back, it's gone. Convenient.

[schachmeister]

You're right.

[You don't always get the chance to say goodbye. His own world had already taught Armin that lesson over and over again. And at least, they weren't dead. Mikasa and Eren were perfectly fine back in their own world (or as perfectly fine as anyone could ever be there). And there was always the chance they might show up here. It's not one Armin allows himself to dwell on too much because he doesn't want to become heartsick over the possibility. He'd rather focus on getting as much done as he can so that if they do show up, he can show them everything he has learned.]

And I suppose it is. It is what everybody has confirmed so far. Though...

[unabates]

[ he's not sure what to say - you get used to it? you tell your friends you love them more often? that certainly didn't work out for him. in the end he doesn't comment, but he recognizes the tone of understanding in the teen's voice. hard to see that with someone he would consider a kid, too young to have to understand that.

that trailed off statement, though, piques his attention. ]

Though?

[schachmeister]

This is just speculation but... occasionally people show up to this world who are already familiar with it to some degree. They say that Pokemon are part of a famous video game in their world.

It's just made me wonder if there aren't some circumstances under which memories could be carried back with us. Maybe you never really forget, but you need something to trigger those memories. Arriving back in this world does it, but there might be other things that could do something similar. I feel that would be the most logical explanation for why this world does exist in a videogame in some places. Maybe at some point, someone who was in this world went back to their own world and they did manage to regain their memories of this world somehow.

[But now we are really getting into the realm of weirdo theories and thoughts.]

[unabates]

Not wiping your memory, but suppressing it. It could be a form of brainwashing, for one.

[ and then, of course, the paranoia. ]

If they say it's a video game in their world, I'd wonder if this place isn't also a video game - some kind of virtual reality program put straight into your brain. But it sounds like everyone is from different times and places, which would make that less likely than if everyone was from the same time period.

[ unless trans-dimensional kidnapping also involved a virtual reality program to keep you from questioning it too much. ]

[schachmeister]

Excuse me, what exactly do you mean by a virtual reality program?

[unabates]

Huh?

[ a man in his late fifties being utterly confused by a kid - who would have thought? he hasn't pegged armin as one of the "no computers" kids yet, though. ]

It's like a video game, but instead of playing it on a screen - well, where I'm from, you'd put on something like a pair of goggles and play it. Makes it more real to your brain. People have been trying to create bigger things though - like a room you could stand in that would act like an entire world to play in.

Or, some people go the other way, and imagine you could hook someone's brain up to a computer and have them play the game, make them believe it's real and almost indistinguishable from the real world because your brain is being tricked. There's a lot of movies about that concept where I'm from.

[schachmeister]

That's incredible. I didn't know things like that were even possible.

[Armin isn't big into video games. The only ones he has really encountered so far are the consoles Lance and Pidge like playing with. Oh, and the slot machines in Goldenrod.]

Would there be any way for someone to recognise they are in such a virtual reality program? You say it tricks your brain. Is there any way to see through the tricks?

[unabates]

They're still working out how to make the last two work. The goggles are pretty impressive, though.

[ jack was a kid when they first introduced that, and it's come a long way since then. ]

I'm not sure. Programs like that aren't even into human testing where I'm from - it's a theory. All I've got are movie theories for how that works.

Cherrygrove

[meteorman]

[You know what's fun? When you're just trying to have a nice sit on the beach and some chucklefuck in a trenchcoat jogs up out of nowhere with what looks like a huge frankenstein horse dog just kind of floating along in front of him three feet off the ground. MIPS is a good boy and it loves the ocean especially. The closer it gets to Bandit the more it sort of jiggles in place like a Skyrim dragon caught on some unseen geometry. Its fin-like tail doesn't wag so much as it alternates between being fully to the left one moment and fully to the right the next, like a terrible two-frame gif.

Silph Co's 'Silphally' are fantastic and perfect and Ford loves his very much, weird glitches and all. He offers Jack a look that's not entirely apologetic as MIPS hovers in a sort of semi-circle around Bandit, making some very weird sounds that might be barks if you compressed the hell out of them and played them inside of a tin can.]

It's very friendly. You don't mind, do you?

[unabates]

[ bandit's first response is to look up from his food, giving a little ruff?! of confusion. jack knows his type is prone to fighting, and while he can't say he's not also startled, his expression clearly one of what the fuck, he puts a hand on bandit to keep him from attacking.

which, it turns out, is smart, as the guy in the trench coat says it's friendly. jack takes a moment to answer, looking at bandit, who's gone from alarmed to curious. ]

If it's friendly, sure.

[ he takes his hand off bandit, who bounds up to the silphally, sniffing at it and then giving a bark of greeting to MIPS. jack, for his part, stands up, brushing sand off the back of his pants. ]

I haven't seen one like that before. Kind of assumed they came in weird animal shapes, mostly.

[ color him wrong! ]

[meteorman]

[It's not like Bandit could do much damage even if he did attack considering MIPS is level 100, but it's not like this is a universe where your vital stats hover above your head (Ford's been to a couple of those. They were awkward). The sentiment is appreciated. A Pokémon battle is really only fun if it's for fun.

Or you're beating up Team Rocket, but they've been quiet lately.]

Oh, no. Pokémon come in all manner of shapes that can resemble anything from a dog or a mushroom to a double-scoop of ice cream or a set of keys. For only having a little over 800 distinct species they have a remarkable diversity of physical traits.

[Great work, you got him started right in on one of his Special Interests.]

I take it you're a new arrival?

[MIPS, meanwhile, leans down so it can properly inspect its new friend. This involves it tipping forward at a 90 degree angle like someone rotating a canvas in photoshop. The very front of its head crest dips a little bit into the sand without actually disturbing any of the grains. It borks again, fin tail wagging double time (so, like, 6 fps). Friend?? New friend????]

[unabates]

[ it was as much for bandit's sake as MIPS - jack has no idea what the other pokemon is capable of.

either way, the guy in the trenchcoat is immediately talking about 800 distinct species that include looking like ice cream or keys. the look he gives ford is clearly one of are you shitting me, but also - the pokemon is now clipping through the ground.

huh. ]

Yeah, just showed up a few days ago, still getting used to all this stuff.

[ he waves a hand at all of it - bandit, MIPS, the music, the scenery.

bandit, for his part, immediately begins wagging his tail. yes, new friends! he sees the top of MIPS go into the ground and - immediately starts digging in that spot, despite MIPS not seeming to care that it's in the ground a bit. ]

You said some of them look like keys?

[meteorman]

[Stanford Pines is used to people giving him that look. That's half of the interactions he's had in his long, long life. Now that he's living in this universe the vast majority of times he sees that look come from when he's talking to new arrivals. Nothing out of the ordinary.]

One in particular. Klefki is actually a fairy that collects keys but it happens to look very similar to a key ring. It's not unlikely that key rings in this universe were actually modeled after Klefki originally.

[The same way ice cream was modeled after the Vanillite family and not the other way around. This place is great. Gosh, he loves it.]

I personally have been here for two and a half years so I've had ample time to acclimate. It grows on you. If you had to fall into any alternate dimension, be very glad it's this one.

[If Bandit's paws are particularly wild they might actually clip through MIPS' head. The Silphally blinks down at him curiously and slowly begins to spin in place, doing a full 360 along its own x axis before it wiggles wildly and winds up back upright. All four of its feet are sunk deep into the sand. Oh no, lil buddy! You gotta keep digging!]

[unabates]

[ only by virtue of the pokedex is he not getting another weird look - jack's gotten the run down on types from it at least, so 'it's a fairy' doesn't evoke images of gabe's daughter's sugar plum fairy costume.

he makes a small considering noise - he's not an anthropologist, but that does sound kind of interesting. the comment about falling into dimensions gets more attention. ]

This is my first time in anything like an 'alternate' dimension. That's mostly science fiction where I'm from. You sound like you've done it before, though.

[ jack folds his arms. bandit, meanwhile, looks up and tilts his head until MIPS is upright again.

and he immediately gives a bark, jumping forward to dig around the silphally's feet. once he's unearthed them a bit, he hops back, and then digs quickly until his two from feet are covered in sand and looks up at MIPS, giving another ruff! ]

[meteorman]

[Whaat. Whaaaaat. MIPS lets out several quick, excited sounds that are in a weird place between a yip and a beep. That's precious. Its tail wags fast enough to just be kind of a blur.]

Once or twice. [A grin.] I spent about thirty years in what you could describe as an interdimensional revolving door.

[He isn't going to go into why. It's a long shitty story and it's not something you talk about with a man whose name you don't even know yet.

Which, wait, shit. That's right. Normal human interaction involves introductions.]

My name is Doctor Stanford Pines, of Earth 46'\. This is one of my areas of study, so if you have questions I imagine I can answer them. [A pause.] Unless the question is 'how do I go back'. Dimension hopping is less like opening a door and walking through it and more like falling down a series of unexpected trapdoors.

[unabates]

[ bandit just play poses in front of MIPS, his own tail wagging back and forth. this is much more fun than chasing pidgeys and caterpies! after a moment, he pulls his paws out, and takes a lap around MIPS, giving a cheerful bark.

and that comment about interdimensional revolving doors is... not at all a comfort to jack, who arches his unscarred brow at the doctor. ]

The name's Soldier: 76, of Earth - not sure which number. You can call me Jack.

[ there, in case someone he knows is around - no revealing his big secret just yet. ]

Too bad, that was gonna be my first question. At least now that explains why a woman younger than me was thinking she was my mother.

[ because this place crazy. ]

So getting in here is most likely an accident, same as getting out?

[meteorman]

[Ford waves a hand. If Jack's eyes are quick they'll catch that extra finger before Ford puts the hand safely back in a coat pocket.]

That's alright. I wouldn't expect you to know your universe's callsign if you've never been outside of it.

And yes. Arrival and departure are both more or less random. Some people stay for as little as a few weeks, others have been here nearly ten years. But, again, if there was any universe you could have fallen into this is the one you would want it to be. Have you noticed you were given a full set of survival supplies, money, and valid government ID upon arrival with no questions asked? That's very rare as receptions go. Most of the populated worlds I fell into greeted me by trying to shoot or eat me.

[MIPS turns in a slow circle to follow Bandit's lap, and then zips downward into the sand. For a moment it's completely obscured from view, and then its head pops out of the sand several feet to Bandit's left. Bork!]

[unabates]

Nothing common in people arriving or leaving?

[ that's always been what he looks for first, after all, and is a question he'll posit to the other citizens later. ford starts talking about supplies, money, and government ID - which he did notice but he still has concerns about it. ]

It's a nice reception, but I have some concerns about it. It doesn't seem like there's any kind of vetting process - so who knows what kind of people they let in.

[ after all, they let jack in. ]

I've seen the police force, at least. [ and determined they're not all the same woman. and he can't help adding: ] Is cannibalism a common occurrence in other universes?

[ bandit, meanwhile, is having the time of his life. when MIPS is gone he gives a surprised bark, but when it pops back up, he immediately takes off full tilt towards the silphally, tongue hanging out of his mouth, and trying to tackle his head - if he doesn't just clip through it. ]

[meteorman]

Technically if it's a lizard the size of a semi-truck it's not cannibalism, even if the lizard can talk.

[Boy howdy it's always time to be a pedantic shithead!]

The police force is... [How to say this.] The police force is adequate for the level of crime present in this universe. Despite the ubiquity of dragons that can fire concentrated laser beams on command, by and large crime is petty. The most notorious crime organization is basically a glorified illegal cockfighting racket. I'm more dangerous and probably have a more serious record than anyone in Team Rocket.

[Bandit totally clips right through MIPS' head. The Silphally doesn't exactly laugh, but it does let out several fast, close beeps that you might parse as laughter if you tilt your head sideways.]

[unabates]

Oh, I'm glad it wasn't actually cannibalism in that case.

[ he arches an eyebrow at ford. be a pedentic shithead it's fine. his description of the police force sounds about what jack had assessed it to be - that they're dealing with things that jack wouldn't call a threat to humanity as a whole.

either way, ford's comment about that gets him adding, ] Well, that makes two of us, then.

[ he raises a hand to rub at his forehead. ] It explains why they took my equipment before I showed up. The place has seemed pretty tranquil, and I haven't met these Rocket punks. You know what happens if they do get a bad egg in here?

[ bandit picks himself back up and tilts his head sideways, listening to MIPS before he gives another bark and runs a circle around the silphally's head. no fair, that's cheating. ]