001 [ video ]

[curiosityvoyage]

—and, got it!

[When the feed cuts in, the first thing anyone might see is—a mop of brown curls. Wow. So exciting. After a moment, a young boy's face comes into view, blue eyes alive with an excited curiosity. Some more adjustments, and the background finally makes itself clear: the kid's in a park somewhere in De Chima, and he happens to be dressed like a Ghostbuster like it's Halloween or something.]

Hey, so, I've got a few questions. A lot of questions, actually. [So many curiosity doors, so little time.] To start with: anyone else here from Hawkins? [He hopes so. He—really doesn't want to be alone.] Man, Mr. Clarke'd have a field day.

[Eat your heart out, Hugh Everett.]

Secondly, has anyone started up an imPort A/V club yet? I'm a little curious about how it would work, especially since people from all kinds of different worlds with varying levels of technology keep getting pulled in. I think it'd be a great opportunity for us to learn about technology from other worlds, and from this one too. I know I'd love a crash course in how to use this—they called it a phone, but it doesn't really look like one. [Phones looked very different where he's from, and they definitely can't do half the stuff this device can.

Something warbles shrilly nearby. Dustin's head turns, and he bends down a little out of frame to talk to something just off-screen:] Shh, Dart. I'll feed you nougat later, just gotta finish this up first. [Turning back to the comm:] Also: Is there a species on your world that, appearance-wise, might be comparable to a pollywog but isn't? Like, pollywogs are cold-blooded and need heat and light, for example, but that particular species actively avoids heat? What kind of food would you feed it? [Beat.] I'm asking for a friend.

Comments

[ Video ]

[ghoulking]

Well, technology from other words is fine but it'd be better to look something you can actually see and work with, isn't it?

[curiosityvoyage]

Yeah, and like I said a crash course on how to work the technology here would be great, but I like hearing about other worlds' tech. [You know, just 'cause.] Plus, there could be a way of, if not reproducing it exactly, then at least making some kind of equivalent here.

[doubleblind]

I'm not from Hawkins, but I've met some kids who are. [And Cosima has a feeling that they'll have no trouble finding their friend.

And then she grins, leaning in close to the computer as if that would allow her to see the warbling creature that she can hear but not see.]

I'll let others take care of the technology questions, it's not really my specialty. I'll just say that depending on what year you're from, phones have come a long way.

And, not to blow its cover, but is this "friend" named Dart?

[curiosityvoyage]

[Holy shit. Holy shit.] What, really? Where are they? Are they okay? Who did you meet?

[Whoa there, slow down.]

I'm from 1984. Yeah, obviously they've come a long way. [There's a silent well, duh, in there that only a teenager can achieve.] So what's your specialty, then?

[A long moment, during which Dustin seems to think it over, before he turns the camera onto a small, slug-like creature with stubby little arms, peacefully snacking on a 3 Musketeers candy bar. Beside him are a couple of books on reptiles, checked out from the local library.] D'artagnan, actually, Dart for short. I found him foraging for food in my trash. I have no idea what he is, I was hoping to find out.

video;

[snarkbot]

[ Skeets is using the video by accessing the network mentally and floating in front of a mirror, but he's still obviously, very clearly, a small floating robot. ]

I have been attempting to keep track of the various alternate realities imPorts come from. It would certainly be interesting to examine it from a technological point of view.

[curiosityvoyage]

Holy shit.

[A robot! A real actual robot! Is talking to him!! This is the single best day of Dustin's life!!! The best!!!!

Okay, Henderson, calm the fuck down.]

—what other points of view are you using, then? [He sounds so very excited to hear it. Especially straight from a robot, holy shit. This is like Christmas and his birthday all wrapped up in one.]

video;

[wheelhouse]

[ Oh god, not Dustin too. Nancy's privately relieved to see he's okay at least but he's waaaay too cool with this.

No introduction, this message is gonna be direct and to the point. ]

Dustin, you can't start a A/V club here. Where are you? I'm coming to pick you up.

[curiosityvoyage]

Nancy! [Oh, thank god, Nancy's here. Dustin doesn't feel so alone anymore—still a little more lonely than he'd like to be, because he misses his friends and his mom and Mews a lot, but Nancy's face alleviates some of that painful weight.] I'm in De Chima, in a park. And I'm not starting an A/V club yet, I was just asking if anyone else did.

Video

[whitefox]

There are many unusual species where I come from. Your friend...

[A pause and a direct look at the camera with raised eyebrows. Kurama's not buying that, Dustin. But he's not going to call you out on it, either.]

...they could try setting out food from different food groups to see which that species prefers, and then feed it accordingly. They should be careful not to feed the animal processed foods, however, as those aren't nearly as healthy as their raw and unprocessed components. Think: what animals would eat in the wild that doesn't fall into the category of human garbage.

[Does he mean human garbage or human garbage, though? There's no way to tell, or at least no real indication. Just a tilt of his head and a smile.]

[curiosityvoyage]

Any of your unusual species enjoy nougat?

[No, seriously, he really needs to know this, Dart's beside him right now peacefully working through the 3 Musketeers candy bar Dustin gave him.]

Yeah, I've—they've got some candy bars right here. And a little bread. And Nutella. And—hold on, I gotta check. [He sets his communicator aside, conveniently right next to a tiny, slug-like creature with stubby forelimbs, peacefully snacking on a candy bar. He seems pretty healthy? Probably? Hard to tell, but judging from Dart's occasional pleased warbles, he really likes nougat.

A moment later there's a triumphant ha! from off-screen, and then Dustin picks up the device again.] Lettuce!

voice;

[subroutined]

[ Responding mentally with voice or text is easier for Ash than using video, so Dustin gets voice, Ash using his default Irish accent. ]

What's an A/V club do? And what is a pollywog?

voice;

[curiosityvoyage]

[Dustin's quick to match, his enthusiasm still shining through in his voice even without visual aid. He just finds this all so cool. Also vaguely terrifying, because so far he's only found Nancy, but he knows Will is here, at least.]

We play around with the school's communication system, where I'm from—we're all pretty good at tinkering with radios and shit, plus the PA system, and we get a lot of equipment we can try out. I'm not sure if it's the same way here, though. [It's a strange and even vaguely disquieting thought to have. So he's glad for the distraction of talking about what he's learned about pollywogs:]

They're also known as tadpoles. They're the juvenile stage for amphibians, and a lot of them are aquatic though some are terrestrial, but I've got a little guy here and he doesn't need to be in water. He doesn't even like heat or light a lot, so that rules out reptile. I've got no idea what he is.

video;

[umopepisdn]

Dustin.

[ Eleven leans in closer to the camera, almost like she wants to reach through and touch him. ]

You have teeth. [ Important things first. ]

[curiosityvoyage]

El! You grew hair.

[And they're wildly curly! He grins at her, showing off his new teeth. Look at these adult teeth! They're amazing.] Oh, you like these pearls? [And then he purrs, like a lion. A very small lion.]

Were you here the whole time?

video.

[micycle]

Dustin!

[Mike is super mega thrilled to see another one of his best friends on the network, but right now there is a much more pressing matter at hand.]

Holy shit, why did you bring Dart here?! [There's panic in his tone, far too much to be over a baby pollywog.]

[curiosityvoyage]

Mike! Holy shit, Mike, where are you?

[But he notes the real panic in Mike's voice, and his brow furrows in confusion.] How do you know about Dart? [He's way too calm, to be talking about a juvenile demogorgon.] And I wasn't gonna leave him, it's kinda because of me he's even here in the first place. He's way too little to be out on his own, see?

[And he turns the camera onto Dart, peacefully working through a 3 Musketeers candy bar. Tremble.]

video

[bookkeeper]

[ Man. What's with all of the children coming in all of a sudden? Nate's going to end up with flashbacks of his time in the orphanage. ]

Two things— one: phones have come a long way through the years. What kind are you used to seeing?

Two: Pollywog? You mean a tadpole? Did you bring in a frog with you? And you feed it nougat?

[curiosityvoyage]

[The kids are taking over, Nate, hide your sweets.]

The kind that you either put on the table or hang up on the wall. They definitely don't have screens like this. [He grins, wide and bright. Incidentally, he's also showing off his pearls. He's super proud of them.] It's awesome, it's like something right out of a movie.

I didn't bring in a frog! I actually have no idea what he is, but he really likes nougat. See? [And he's just going to shift the camera to show a slug-like creature, with stubby little forelegs, munching on bits of a 3 Musketeers candy bar. It's almost all gone. The little bastard really likes nougat.] His name's D'artagnan. Dart for short.

video

[articulations]

I'm not sure who Mr. Clarke is but I've seen a few other boys on the network who are from Hawkins.

There have been quite a few children posting lately. Are they your friends?

[curiosityvoyage]

[HOLY SHIT

IT'S CARRIE FISHER

just gonna like pat his hair down slightly and straighten up a little gotta make a good impression]

Ms. Fisher! [It comes out as an undignified little squeak of delight. Carrie Fisher is talking to him! This is officially the best day ever!!] Mr. Clarke's our science teacher—and yes, if they're from Hawkins, they're friends of mine!

Video

[symphonyinme]

Oh my god it's another lost boy.

[curiosityvoyage]

I'm not that lost, I know where I am.

Hey, these other lost boys—do you know their names?

[Video]

[lastofthebog]

More children. [ The old woman on the screen is smiling fondly, at least, so it doesn't seem like she's annoyed by the idea of children. ]

I can't say I've heard of a pollywog before, but you can narrow down what your friend would like to eat by looking to see what kind of teeth it has—if any. Sharp teeth means meat, flat generally means plants, and no teeth...usually bugs, I believe.

[curiosityvoyage]

There's lots of us, ma'am. [He says this sagely, with a little grin that says he's making light of it himself.]

Give me a minute, I need to look. [He sets the device aside, and for a good minute it records some kid buying hot dogs from a hot dog vendor while Dustin can be heard, in the background, saying:] Open your mouth, Dart—okay, okay, you want more nougat? Here, c'mon. Huh, that's weird. [Then he picks the device back up, and says:] He doesn't have a lot of teeth so far, and they aren't all that sharp. But I don't think he's done growing yet.

video;

[livesfastdiesung]

What's an A/V club? Never heard of that kinda thing before, but whatever it is, it sounds cool!

[curiosityvoyage]

It stands for audio/visual club. We're really good with the school's PA system and we get to play around with the the latest radio equipment. [A beat.] At least that's how it worked in Hawkins, I'm not so sure how it works here.

VIDEO.

[specialise]

[ raven's brow furrows in confusion. the fuck is an a/v club and a pollywog? is that some sort of device that didn't survive the bombs? is that pollywog thing a creature that didn't make it? a tree? ]

[ she goes for the simplest: ]

What's a Dart?

[curiosityvoyage]

It's a name. Here—

[And he shifts the camera a little, to show off a slug-like creature with stubby forelimbs, no bigger than his palm, peacefully munching on a piece of lettuce. An empty 3 Musketeers candy bar wrapper, with crumbled bits of nougat, lies right next to Dart, a casualty of the little slug's appetite.]

His name's actually D'Artagnan, but I call him Dart for short.

[Video]

[itcanwait]

Oh, the phone is easy to use. There's lots of guides online as well. Or I guess fellow imPorts? I guess the last option is the better one and makes more sense. It's also more of an access to everything than just a phone.

Where I'm from there's no organic life so I don't think so.

[Tailgate shrugs.]

[Video]

[curiosityvoyage]

I noticed! It's pretty awesome, the phones back at home aren't anything like this. [This is the coolest thing ever, man.]

Where are you from?