[001] video;

[gazeboeffect]

[ On the screen is a small boy with worried eyes. He holds up his right arm, which is encased in a white cast with the word LOSER scrawled across it in black ink. The S has been covered over with a red V, making the word LOVER instead. At first glance you might assume he'll have a personality as small as he is, but then he opens his mouth and promptly ruins the illusion. ]

Okay—just—this is ridiculous. [ He flings an arm out to the side for emphasis, barely missing the communicator. ] As if my life's not already messed up enough, now I get sucked into some weirdo alternate universe? And in this alternate universe, my hometown doesn't even exist, but there are bizarro world versions of my friends walking around in Florida, for some reason! Like that's not fucked up!

[ You might think this is the end of the rant, but it's only a pause while Eddie sucks in another breath and prepares his second point. ]

And this— [ He's waving some paperwork, presumably his own file, in front of the camera, but too quickly for anyone to make out what's written there. ] I can't live with total strangers! This is illegal, and unsanitary, and my mom will kill me if she finds out I moved into a house with people I don't even know. And why do I have a job? I'm a kid! My job is to be a kid!

[ Look, you guys, clearly Eddie is just getting started here. But luckily for everyone involved, just as he's preparing his third (fourth? ish?) point, little white pills start to fill his palms and clatter to the floor, and that pretty much ends any further ranting. Eddie's mouth drops open in utter shock and embarrassment, and there's a quickly muttered ] Oh Jesus [ before he reaches out and cuts the video feed. ]

Comments

[video]

[curiosityvoyage]

[Dustin's filming his reply from the reptile sanctuary, so Dart's just off-screen, making happy contented noises as Dustin breaks off a piece of nougat just for him, and as other reptiles sleep in the background. Dustin, meanwhile, just gives the camera a slight wave.]

Yeah, that happens sometimes. [Which that? But it very quickly becomes clear as he goes on:] They don't even have the same county here—we're pretty much homeless.

Hey, this is gonna sound weird, but have you heard of Hawkins, Indiana, by any chance? [He doesn't really recognize this new kid, but considering how this place works, pulling in people from the same world from different points in time? That doesn't mean shit.]

[gazeboeffect]

[ Now that he's managed to get the pills to stop, Eddie's slightly calmer. At least, he's not yelling anymore. ]

No. I'm from Maine.

[curiosityvoyage]

Oh. [There's a distinct note of disappointment in his tone, like he'd really thought—but then again, it's a big multiverse. Hawkins isn't the only town that's not constant across universes. But he perks up fairly immediately.] What's it like there?

And that's a pretty cool superpower you've got there. [He means it! Generating pills from your bare hands is, in fact, Very Cool, though Dustin doesn't personally think it's awesome the way Nancy's super-strength and El's psychic abilities are awesome.] Could you do anything else?

video;

[fingerchewing]

They put me in a house full of adult men.

[ Not a comfortable position, she feels you, Eddie. He's even younger than Justine is... ]

What are the...pills? It looks like?

[gazeboeffect]

Wh—that's—that's gotta be illegal, right?

[ At her question, he blushes and glances away. ]

I dunno, like some kinda antibiotics, I think.

[fingerchewing]

Well, I guess not, since they're doing it. I'm probably gonna move.

[ She frowns. Antibiotics? That's...boring. ]

Are you sick?

[versusseeker]

<(o◕︿◕o)>
dnt b upset
itll b ok
jst tks sum getting used 2

[gazeboeffect]

What? What?

[ What's that weird thing at the top? What are half of these words?? ]

video.

[micycle]

[Oh hey it's the Richie who isn't Richie.]

I'm not a version of anyone! I'm me!

[gazeboeffect]

Yeah? Then why do you look exactly like my friend? Huh?

[ CHECKMATE. ]

[alerting]

--You look like his friend?

[ as usual, will's in about four layers and still manages to look cold, but more importantly, he looks somewhere between puzzled and disturbed now. ]

Maybe you have a-- a clone?

( video )

[alerting]

It's weird, but.. it doesn't have to be all bad here. [ though 98% of it's terrible as far as will's concerned. the only saving grace about being here is that most of his friends are also here. still, saying that wouldn't help the situation. ] And your mom won't find out. Time stops back home while you're here. At least, that's what everyone says.

[gazeboeffect]

So we're stuck in an alternate universe and also frozen in time. And that's supposed to make me feel less like shit.

[ Actually, in a weird way it kind of does. At least he can stop freaking out about his mom's reaction to all of this. ]

[hellosirs]

[ what's up, fellow kid! ]

If it helps, your mom won't know you're here!

... Wait, no, that actually makes it sound much worse. I-I mean! This place is in a pocket dimension, I think, so when you go back it'll be like nothing happened, and you can quit your job and just go to school full-time, if you want!

[gazeboeffect]

So I'm supposed to go to school for however long I'm stuck here, and then I'm gonna go home again and start all over? Like I'll have to go to eighth grade twice?

[ Because that sounds like hell tbh ]

[ Video ]

[battysitter]

Yeah, they fuck up like that.

Military is now drafting kids, not that I'm surprised. But it has been happening to a lot of people, kid. [ you are not the only one ]

[gazeboeffect]

What the fuck? Drafting kids? I'm gonna get drafted?!

video;

[heisenbitch]

[ And here's Jesse, totally sympathising for the kid. On every point the kid makes. God, how many goddamn kids is the Porter going to suck into this fucked up place? But he's all calm, empathetic reassurance here as he says: ]

Okay, okay. Just take a deep breath, okay?

[gazeboeffect]

Yeah—yeah, I'm trying.

[ It's hard! Life is so hard! ]

Video

[symphonyinme]

Yeah! These government pooheads, sending kids all over the place. Gah.

Who are your new adults? Do they know what they're doing?

[gazeboeffect]

My new adults?

[ Are they supposed to get assigned those, too? ]

video;

[yol8]

[Okay, he's about to talk to the kid, but he's uh, distracted-]

Did you just... make pills?

[gazeboeffect]

Not on purpose!

[ Oh god please don't call the police ]

VIDEO.

[thirdstrike]

[ Calmly: ]

Lots of kids have jobs. How old are you? [ Carl watches the screen in silent assessment for a couple of seconds, trying to determine Eddie's age for himself, before he continues: ] If you don't need the money I don't think they make you work, but later you'll probably be glad you have it.

[gazeboeffect]

I'm thirteen.

[ He's never really needed money before, aside from pocket change. The thought of being on his own here, paying his bills like a 45 year old accountant, is making him want to puke. ]