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

[curiosityvoyage]

A—A dinosaur with a giant flower on its—

[Give him a moment while he dissolves into a fit of giggles. He just imagined it and it's the most hilarious mental image he's had so far today.]

And you live next door to them? Where do you even live?

[subroutined]

I know. [ Her grins at Dustin's giggles. ] It's funny.

I'm in De Chima. Number four. You should come round, if you like.

[curiosityvoyage]

A giant flower—[more breathless laughter, this is the funniest thing]—oh, god, this I have to see.

Oh, I'm just two houses down—I live at number six! [Which means he gets to see the giant flower dinosaur (wheeze) for himself soon! This is great. Dustin is having the time of his life.]

[subroutined]

You'll likely see it, then, or one of the other ones. The Pokemons live at number five, between us.

[curiosityvoyage]

That's the best thing I've heard all day. [Thoughtfully:] Wonder why they're called Poh-kay-mons, anyway. It sounds like kind of a weird name for multiple species.

[subroutined]

I dunno. I'm not a zoologist. I can't find any information about them online, so they must have come through the Porter, like us.

[curiosityvoyage]

[And Dart, too. He glances at Dart, who's just peacefully working through a bar of nougat.]

Could—I don't know, do you think the Porter could pull in [a demogorgon, fully-grown, snarling and shrieking and so hungry] anything like a monster? Like, something that eats people and doesn't really think beyond that?

[It already did, the monster's eating nougat right beside you.]

[subroutined]

Oh... [ He hadn't thought about monsters being real. ]

I don't really know. I suppose it could, if it wanted to.

[curiosityvoyage]

[They are, and Dustin's seen one himself. It still haunts his dreams, sometimes.]

Even if it was a bad idea? And—how do we know the Porter wants anything? I guess it has a degree of sentience, otherwise I don't think I'd be here, but do we know exactly how sentient it is?

[subroutined]

I think some imPorts have talked to it. It was before I came here, but you can access the network archives.