maskormenace | 001 [ video ]

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001 [ video ]

—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.

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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?

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?

[ 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.

[ 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.

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.

[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.

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.]

A boy named Will showed up a couple days ago? He seemed to reconnect with his friends pretty quickly. I'm sure they'll see this.

[Cosima is just able to hide her laughter, but is still obviously amused by his teenager-ness.] Oh, man, if you're into A/V stuff you're going to have so much fun with the tech we've got now...

I'm a biologist. Specifically, evo devo and genetics, but I dabble in other--[She trails off as the creature comes into view, eyes and grin widening in unison. She doesn't know what the kid's pet is, but she is sure she wants to find out.] Holy watershed, where did you find him? Here?

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.

Language, sir.

[ Gosh. This is why he doesn't talk to kids. ]

I am currently not discounting looking at it from a technological standpoint, but am approaching it from a more holistic perspective. Are they from a version of Earth? If yes, are there any differences in climate, history, geography, supernatural, magical or metahuman phenomenon? If not, what do they call their universe, planet or galaxy?

Essentially, I've been looking for distinguishing features in order to properly categorize the universes.

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.]

Will's here? Is he okay? [There's a lot of worry there, evident in his face when he turns the camera back to himself, because last Dustin had checked Will had to leave their trick-or-treating trip early. To hear that he's somehow ended up here—it's more cause for concern.]

Yeah, my friends and I are in the A/V club back home. The latest thing we got was a Heathkit radio. [The wistful way he speaks of it means something may have happened to it. Oops.] Can you tell me more about what there is now? Besides this phone, though I'd love to hear more about that too.

Evo devo? [He grins, incidentally showing off his teeth.] I told you, my trash! Back in Hawkins, actually. Little guy just got dragged in here with me. [He shifts the camera again, petting Dart.] Say hi, Dart.

[Dart just warbles, less out of a desire to obey the order and more out of how happy he is that he's getting fed lots of nougat.]

[Okay, points docked for telling him off about his language. He huffs out a breath, like he really can't believe that's the thing Skeets is choosing to harp on, but he'll let that pass.]

So how many universes have you categorized so far? Is there a regular trend in any of them? Besides Earth, I'd guess that's one just from sci-if alone. [A beat, then:] Do any of them have a—a parallel dimension that exists alongside them? Like, it's not totally a different universe, but it's not quite the same world either. You know, sort of like the Vale of Shadows.

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!

[ 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?

[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.

That sounds fun. Sort of like what you were doing before, with your radio?

[ Ash quickly Googles some information about tadpoles and reptiles. But then, he's run into some strange animals here already. ]

Maybe he's a Pokémon? I've just met a few of those, and they all looked very different. Not like any animal I'd seen before.

Edited (phone why) 2018-01-07 14:59 (UTC)

Dustin.

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

You have teeth. [ Important things first. ]

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?

Edited (i need to show the teeth off) 2018-01-07 18:07 (UTC)

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.]

Edited 2018-01-07 18:27 (UTC)

A lot like that, yeah! But less targeted—I can't broadcast to a whole school with it, but I can interrupt a radio show for one of the people listening. THE A/V club back home could reach a bigger audience than that.

[It's something he figured out via trial and error.]

A what?

[ Her eyes widen when he purrs, surprised and unsure of how to react. In the end she decides not to respond to his first question at all. Boys are so weird. ]

No. Since November... only two months. Time is different here.

[So weird.]

Wait—what? But you've been gone like, almost a whole year. [Dustin's stomach ties itself into knots, over the prospect of possibly staying here for just a few months, and then coming back to Hawkins to find that a whole year has gone by. Oh, god, his mom. Oh, god, Lucas.]

I was there, just hiding.

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.]

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