...Hey. [Orlando sounds distracted today, as if his mind is only half-on speaking even as he starts a conversation.] Do you believe in fate? Prophecies? Stuff like that?

Snowflakes, huh? Been a while since I've seen any weird icons next to people's names. The monk had some kinda mouse or cat thing or somethin' for a while, then the place changed and all the little "heads" or whatever went grey... Doesn't look like it does anything when you put your arrow by it or click on it though. [Click. Click. Click. Click.]

Anyone more computer savvy figured out what it does?

[And then he finally tries clicking the snowflake by his own name. Despite clearly being indoors on the video, there's a snowball in his face.

The snowball stays there splattered over his face which, for a moment, is wearing a bland, unimpressed expression. As anger starts to set in, one hand reaches up to wipe the snow from his face, the other cutting off the video feed.]




((ooc: Feel free to assume your name is one of the ones he experimentally clicked, or, upon having discovered what it does, that he decided to snowball you. Also don't hesitate to threadjack and snowball the hell out of each other on this post.))

Damn, lost Kirito's signal. Hope that doesn't mean anything. And just when I was gonna look at the engine to figure out how to get him out.

Also, for the life of me, I can't find a box of fireworks. I'm not too worried--Ryuji probably got rid of them on me, but...

[pause]

[LONG pause]

Why is there an elephant in the Command Center?

For that matter, HOW is there an elephant in the Command Center?

[The speaker is clearly annoyed. But if you listen for it, there are notes of worry and even panic beneath the irritability.]

I checked this thing an hour ago, why does it say it's been months?

[Orlando is still in his Thargor sim, looking a little...exaggerated somehow, but otherwise okay, and still completely real in that way the Otherland system seems able to make things. It's night where he is, a dim golden glow being the main source of illumination. He seems to be leaning against a massive wooden pillar. Next to him, a smaller robed figure is curled up in sleep.

Orlando begins to speak, his voice pitched low so as not to bother his sleeping companion.]

Hey, community. I thought...I should tell you guys some things, in case we can't find the others, or if- [he stumbles over the words for a moment, but then presses firmly through] if we don't make it. I know you probably won't be able to get anything to my world but...a record somewhere is probably a good idea, right?

[He takes a deep breath.] I think I've figured out what the Grail Brotherhood- the people who made this network- are doing. What the point behind this is. They want to become immortal. If they can copy themselves into this system, they could basically be gods, forever.

[He turns away to cough, and pauses for a moment before resuming.] And that means that people who kill anyone who gets in their way, who are letting kids die just so that maybe they can get more time, could stay in power forever.

We're going to stop them. [He doesn't seem too sure of that, though. In fact, he mostly just seems tired. He reaches out a hand towards whatever is recording him, and the video ends.]

Attention!

I'm looking for hackers, aliens or people from the future with crazy technology, or someone who knows how to program something into a previously existing game like a really cool weapon that can kick ass even though it's basically a cheat.

This is to save someone, not because I want to play a video game, promise.

I need someone who's willing to occasionally off me too in order to log me out who promises not to freak out if I go brain-dead for a while.

[ locked to Suguha & Kirito ]
Any luck getting a NerveGear set?

[First there is the sound of crackling fire. Not a nice campfire or fireplace. Large, dangerous flames. Then above that is the sound of someone stomping their feet around. Then suddenly, a shout.]

Riley! Get over here!

[Running footsteps and the sound of door creaking open.]

What is this!?

Smuggler's hold. Get in!

[The sound of two people landing on their feet.]

Follow me.

[Two sets of feet can be heard running as fast as they can.]

Get down! [There's the sound of Riley being thrown to the ground, and then another door slamming shut.

Finally a giant explosion sounds, and the feed cuts off.]

[ooc: Plain text is Riley, Italics is Nic Cage Ben.]

[It looks like this time Orlando is sitting in front of a campfire at night. His surroundings aren't very clear, obscured by the light and the smoke from the fire, though there is the sound of someone else snoring. Though he's in the same simulated body, Orlando himself appears to be in better shape than he was in the last video that came from his account. For one, sitting up doesn't seem to be a struggle.]

Hey, community. There's been a lot going on, so I haven't really...updated here. [He shifts, settling his weight back a little.]

We're still online, in this network. Nobody knows why we can't get offline. But there's this guy- [He almost says the name, "Sellers," but at the last moment wonders if that might be an unnecessary risk to the man.] He helped get us all here, people from all over, because he wanted people to help him stop the people in charge of the network. They're some of the most powerful people in the world and...they're not good. [His expression darkens.] They've been doing things to kids. Putting them in comas.

[His look becomes direct. Determined. Sincere.] So we're going to stop them. [After a moment, a trace of embarrassment or doubt passes over him.] Or at least we're going to try.

[He looks off to the side.] Fredericks and I got separated from the others, though, so we'll have to find them first.

Um. I guess that's it.

Lilith Sahl can no longer access the community. She remembers it, and her world is still reachable by worldhop, but it won't appear to her anymore.

For those of you who didn't meet her, she was an exceptional woman, and you missed a great deal by not getting to know her while she was here.

[As the video clicks on we see Riley, surrounded by quite a lot of luggage. He appears to be in the back of a moving vehicle.]

Alright guys. I figured I should post something before the community decided to do it for me. I'll probably be out of communication for about a week. Maybe more. I decided to take the hypothetical job I mentioned before. We're heading to...well, we're heading to the Arctic.

[There's a distinctly Nic Cage voice coming from off screen. "Having fun back there, Riley?"

Riley looks up, over the computer screen.]

Oh yeah. Tons.

[A few different chuckles are heard off screen. Riley looks back down at the camera. His tone is quieter.]

I'll let you know when I get back. Hopefully the community won't butt in while I'm out here.

[So. Half of the Go-Busters was under the impression that Ryuji was dying due to Jin making a joke to a overprotective Mother Hen known as Gorisaka Banana. Which led to this.]

( the convo )

Which lead to this.

( the end result )

[Which lead to Ryuji chasing Jin and J after them in his giant robot monkey.]

( Read more... )

[We can't make this up. Really.]

[ the Doctor sounds a bit... well, shell-shocked, today. and slightly out of breath, as if he'd just run into his ship from the outside and got her into the air before immediately switching the mike on. ]

Right. Well, all things considered, that could've gone worse.

[ raising his voice a little, he announces: ] Bit of advice for you all: if you ever happen to be caught in a tight spot with an Oruplasmian, whatever you do, don't let her try and solve the problem by swallowing it. You think you've seen bad indigestion in whatever your species is, let me tell you, you haven't seen anything until you've had to tangle with the Oruplasmian digestive system.

[ beat. ]

Oh, and while I'm here, has anyone else noticed that Kirei Kotomine and Goldilocks's world has been locked off? Someone might want to look into that, just a thought. Any other time the community's restricted access to a world, it's never been good.

[ another beat, a longer one, this time. ]

Oh, and all those dealing with a virused friend over the next few days, remember to stay in touch. The personality switching ones can be a bit on the hairy side.

Right, I think that's pretty much everything. Ta much!

[It's Orlando's journal, all right, but things are looking different today. For one, there's the young man lying on the sand, with a black cloak draped over him, in front of palm trees and other vegetation which suggest a tropical beach. He looks to be in his late teens, or perhaps very early twenties. His long black hair is tied loosely into a ponytail, his skin is well-tanned, and what is visible of his body seems toned enough for him to be a professional athlete, or an actor from an action flick. In fact, the general look of him says "B fantasy movie character." Anyone who has seen footage of Orlando playing the Middle Country might think that this looks like a younger version of his "Thargor" character.

But there's something off about the young man. For all that he appears to be in the prime of health, he doesn't move like it. The way his chest rises and falls suggests someone seriously ill, for whom breathing is a battle.

That's not the only thing that's off, though. There's something bigger. All of this- the sand, the palm trees, the hairs that aren't contained by the man's ponytail- they all lack that little lag in movement, that little sense of the lines and shadows being wrong. Everything looks completely real.

But it can't be, can it?

The man opens his eyes, and turns his head towards the camera. He appears confused for a few moments, frowning vaguely.]

The community? [And that is definitely Orlando's voice, though weak and strained. A small smile forms on his face, before he pulls his head to his chest to cough. It's a violent sound. But when he rests his head, he returns to facing the community, and speaks again.]

I wish Fredericks could see this. [A pause. And something behind his eyes is ignited.] Fredericks. [With what is apparently great effort, he turns, and lifts himself shakily on one elbow.] Someone has to tell his parents- both our parents, that we're...that we're here.

[He starts to cough again, and the video ends.]

[The recording starts with someone clearing their throat, with a more distinct "ahem!" sound than seems realistic.]

Hello, Dramadramaduck. [The voice is clearly not Orlando's- it's older, and has the markings of a complete stereotype of a Brooklyn cabbie. The speaker's tone is serious, but there's still something of a children's cartoon in the voice.] The name's Beezle, I'm Orlando Gardiner's cyber agent. The boss gave me instructions for contacting all of you if something happened.

[The tone flattens.] At 7:38 UTC yesterday Orlando Gardiner was diagnosed as comatose. The chance of him recovering is currently estimated at 56%.

That's all.


(( OOC: Orlando will naturally not be replying here, but if you want to talk to Beezle, have at it. ))

( reach out to the truth of my life )

[Another view of this limousine...]

['Welcome to the Velvet Room', the man sitting across from the video's perspective says. He seems a little suspicious, but his voice and demeanor aren't hostile in the least.]

With your new bond, you have awoken to the Star Arcana. [The woman--Margaret--speaks, and as she does a glowing card floats down and disappears into the book on her lap.]

Now then, your story is drawing towards its climax. [Igor spoke again, hardly moving as he did.] As such, I imagine several surprises are lying in wait for you.

Your fate is at a crossroads. [Margaret continued, pensive and quiet.] If you fail to solve the mystery, your future may close before you. [She turned enough to look towards the camera--towards Narukami, in reality. Her tone grew faintly ominous, taking on a sense of warning.] No matter how thick the fog may appear, there is but one truth...Defeat is not the only thing that can bring your story to an end. You would do best to remember that.

[With those words of warning, the video faded to black.]

Guys! I don't know if page views even work across worlds, but we're kind of in a bind and we need all the help we can get. I mean the fearleading squad, of course. See, we didn't get into Gloom Beach but we still have a chance at the wild card selection and -- okay, let me start from the beginning!

☠ We're trying to get into Gloom Beach Fearleading Camp over spring break.
☠ We need to get there so we can get better, but also because whoever wins the competition at the end almost always wins Mashionals.
☠ And whoever didn't even get in is dead in the water.
☠ We were denied an invitation, but every year they pick one extra "wild card" team based on popular opinion. These days, the way it works is that every team that didn't get in but wants to makes a video, puts it up on FrightTube, and submits it, and whoever gets one million hits first gets the spot!
☠ Which is where you guys come in, of corpse!

So, uh, if you could all just go here that'd be great!

...Or if you have any better ideas. This was the beast one we had.