text | day 008 | HE412T

[timaeus]

While I did anticipate finding myself in a brave new world upon stepping through that door, this isn't exactly what I was expecting.
Nor is this the company I was expecting to have.
I've been hearing a whole lot of strangers' voices coming out of this ancient piece of shit, and a notable lack of any familiar ones.
I also find myself somehow bereft of a number of items and abilities I should have had, many of which would have been pretty handy in what seems like a deserted island situation.
The rational question to ask here would be "what the fuck".
But just from eavesdropping on a few of y'all's conversations, it doesn't seem like anyone actually has the answer to that question.
So I'll skip the useless panic and confusion and whatnot and instead just ask:
Who was poking me and ran off before I fully woke up?
Fess up.

Comments

LO431Y; text

[lonelynotforsaken]

[This is one of the first people to mention purposefully coming here. Through a door. And having powers. If it talks like an avatar... but best to be sure.]

Maybe it would help if you let us know sort of where you are.
You can use the sun's position when it starts to set to get a good idea of directions!
What's the coast look like? Are there any big rivers nearby?
Oh, and if there aren't you could definitely try to find one.
Freshwater's super important.

[timaeus]

You can skip all the survival pro-tips, I'll be fine.
And frankly, I don't know shit about any of you people so you'll have to forgive me for not rushing to tell everyone on this network my exact location.
For all I know, I've just been dropped into some kind of battle royale and you're just looking for easy pickings.

[He doesn't necessarily think that's the case – or at least, if it is, these people don't seem to be aware of it yet. But he's not exactly looking to deal with any kind of in-person interaction with strangers right now while grappling with this new situation.]

Besides, if one of you was poking an unconscious person on the beach, that person should already know without additional details.
Unless that's something people here do so much I gotta narrow it down for you.

[lonelynotforsaken]

No one is killing anyone.
We're all trying to help each other.
Most of us, anyway.
I don't think anyone who's on the radio here was the one poking you.
But you might be in a dangerous area.
Someone's already been attacked by other people on the island who aren't on the radio.
If you're in the same area, it would help to know so we can maybe direct you away from it.
If you don't trust the whole network, at least reach out to TO994M for deets on where NOT to be.

[timaeus]

You can't claim it's totally safe and then follow up with "oh, except for those other people".
How do I know those people aren't actually on the radios?
How do YOU know?

text | KD201D

[obeir]

You're not wrong, I don't think anyone actually knows what's going on yet.
Or they're not speaking up if they do.
And you're not alone is losing abilities you should normally have.
Even my physiology has been altered. Made closer to a human's? It's disconcerting.
No offense to any humans. It's just the last thing I'd want to be.
I have committed no poking.

You intentionally came here?

[timaeus]

Not here specifically.
Maybe "here" on a grander scale, but that's not really helpful.
And I don't know why any of that would have lead to me being in this situation or where the people I was with went.
Maybe there was some kind of random scattering displacement and I'm just unlucky as all hell.
Anyway, what particular brand of non-human are you?

[obeir]

Oh. But you're familiar with multiversal travel?

[ Or at least that's the vibe K's getting from the post. If you know, you know. It'd be nice to have someone else here who knows what it is. ]

Maybe the people you were with will show up too.
New people seem to arrive each day.
I'm an android. Are you non-human?

[timaeus]

Yeah.

[Chill as can be. The multiversal bullshit's nothing new at this point, and it's just a relief that he doesn't have to dance around it to avoid being burned at the stake by the medieval locals or whatever.

But...yeah. Android, huh? He's not quite sure what to make of that. Despite his own experience with engineering, full-on androids had remained a thing of shitty sci-fi. And in their vague planning on what to do with their new universe, nothing had suggested they'd be creating a planet in that genre.

Well, maybe all the aliens and whatnot would have slotted it into "shitty sci-fi", but he's talking subgenres here.]

And no, I'm human.
More or less.

BT612L; text

[ichoosefight]

not me

but you write really well considering the medium

[timaeus]

Lots of practice.

[Not with ancient piece of shit tech like this specifically – most of his typing was actually done with his goddamn brain via computerized shades – but, well. Y'know.]

[ichoosefight]

welcome to your mandatory mystery island getaway?

I'm Steph.

What abilities are you bereft of exactly?

[timaeus]

[Well, there was a person who was already in the know on the multiversal front, so it doesn't seem like there's any point being coy about the weird stuff now.]

Dirk.
And I'm currently lacking in flight, plus some more esoteric shit that's honestly too complicated to get into right now.
I feel a bit sluggish, too.
There's also a whole conditional immortality thing, but I can't really test whether that's still active without going to extremes.
Rather save that for an emergency, if y'all don't mind.

[Not that he really minds the possibility of dying for real – he's probably a little too okay with it, honestly – but he'd prefer to at least accomplish something useful if he's gonna give his life for it.]

[ichoosefight]

[ Damn, flight would be so useful around here. Oh well. ]

yeah please don't experiment with mortality

so you've got powers. any logical way they might be suppressed? or is this slow-mo nightmare level weird?

[timaeus]

If I had any logical possibilities in mind, I wouldn't be asking a bunch of strangers on a mystery radio network about it.

[ichoosefight]

some people might

I talked to a non-human shapeshifter last night who's stuck in human form. no explanation, but it's a pattern.

[timaeus]

We really need a better term than "non-human".
It's kind of anthropocentric.

[ichoosefight]

the current standard has been set at 21st century Earth Human by the loudest 'realists'

honestly after day 1 it gets tiring trying to convince people you aren't crazy and neither are they

but I haven't seen any of you people and none of us trusts anyone else so we could all be a bunch of tiny pink elephants trying to blend in

[lonelynotforsaken]

I never said it was totally safe.
I said no one on the radios is trying to kill each other.
It's definitely not safe here.
And fine.
I don't know for sure that they're not on the radios.
But they haven't said anything if they are.
And they're using bows and arrows to attack.
And sticks to poke.
They don't seem super tech advanced.
I've been talking to someone on another island and this place feels post-apocalyptic.
They have a whole mythology built around it.
Calling military drones 'guardians' and there's 'scripture' around them.

[salamanca]

How dare you. I am a green elephant.

[ichoosefight]

prove it

[salamanca]

That I'm green or that I'm an elephant? Jet can vouch for the first thing. Oof!

[ He's referencing, ofc, how sick and green around the gills he was when he and Jet met up in the foothills. ]

[ichoosefight]

all of the above

how do I know he isn't a purple emu?

[salamanca]

Shit, chica, you got us there! How'd you figure it out?

[timaeus]

[Huh.]

Not the worst apocalypse I've seen.
I mean, at least there's dry land.

[timaeus]

This is hardly the time to be sharing our fursonas.