first video

[hatedthemost]

[The feed's shaky for a second, before it focuses on the man with the spiky yellow hair. That doesn't seem to be a function of him not knowing how video calls work; judging from the fact that he seems to have a whole-ass robot arm, he's probably familiar with technology. It's more likely due to the fact that he looks like he hasn't slept in three days and looks to have the start of a bruise forming on his face in addition to the dark circles under his eyes. There's also a gerbil in his hair. This dude's a fuckin' wreck.]

Hey! Hi, uh, weird...alternate dimension people. [Great, nailed it.] Um. I - I'm Arthur. Soooo I looked through this, uh, video forum thing, and I kinda talked to the mom lady, so I, I kinda got the whole gist of the whole, uh. The kidnapping thing. But, um, is there really no way we can go straight back? None at all?

See, my friend's been missing for like, more than a year at this point, and everybody else pretty much thinks he's dead, so I have to be there. I'm the only person still looking for him. If I'm not around, then no one's gonna find him, and he's just gonna be stuck in wherever he went, unless - shit, is he here? Is there a Lewis Pepper here? I'm pretty sure he got sucked up into some kind of...I-I-I don't know, a magic ghost devil vortex or something, and this is basically like that, right? Lewis, please call me if you've been in gerbil land this whole time.

[God, he actually really kinda hopes that's the case? Not high hopes, but it's possible, he guesses???]

Oh, also I think I kinda just crashed my van into my job, so I'm probably gonna have to clean that up. Honestly, I'm like maybe 60, 70 percent on this being some kinda crazy head trauma hallucination...thing. I just had a freaky nightmare, so that would make sense. Is that a concussion symptom? My other friend Vivi was in the car too, but she's not here now, and wouldn't she be here if we drove through a gerbil land vortex?

[.........]

Anyway, uh. You're not gonna tell me if you're hallucinations, so just - let me know about the first thing, I guess. Thanks.

Comments

VIDEO

[seacub]

I actually don't think time's moving back home?

Or well. That's what I heard from others anyway, who went back and reappeared here...

[Canon updates be wild. Except no one is going anywhere that's dreaming- Emporio May have misinterpreted some things.] Or maybe it's more like they forgot what happened and had to re-remember...I don't know.

Anyway uh... ...I don't...think you'd have a concussion? ...I'm pretty sure any injuries we have are gone when we wake up here anyway... ...the chances of anyone you know coming with are pretty low though, sorry.

[hatedthemost]

[Arthur visibly looks down at his shoulder for a second, where the prosthetic attaches, which has absolutely not healed even a little. Well, the wound's technically been healed for a while, but a whole arm being gone still kinda counts as an injury, right?

But, uh, he doesn't really wanna get into that whole thing.]

Yeah. Okay. It's like a different timelines thing? I mean, I guess that kinda makes sense. [if you're a big nerd like him] That sucks. Lewis and Vi would've been all over this shit. I'm like...the one guy who wouldn't be.

[must be why it got him, obviously]

me, years into the fandom: waIT HIS NAMES *KINGSMEN*?? HAHA NEAT (good job me...)

[seacub]

[An entire arm being missing for a bit probably isn't going to count, especially when there's a new shiny metal one there Arthur!!]

I don't think a lot of people are at first- I mean, I guess there might be some who never like it here that much, but normally after things get going a little people seem okay anyway. It's kind of hard to be excited when you wake up in a weird house and get kicked out without a tent I think, [he laughs a little weakly.]

...Oh. Uh... ...actually, are you gonna be okay without a tent? It's not as cold right now, but it's still a few days before you can reach a town that stocks those...

LOL RIP it's in some rando supplemental thing..

[hatedthemost]

Oh...great...

[He hadn't really thought that far ahead, you need sleep for stuff like that.]

I mean, I'll be fine.

mystery skulls we're begging u,

[seacub]

Uhhhhhh...

[No offense Arthur but you're not really the voice of confidence over there.] Are you...sure? I mean, I could probably mail you something to borrow until you get to Cherrygrove at least...

[fortuna_tenax]

Things will continue as they would normally when you go home, but until then time is stopped. .... That sounds really weird, I know, but this place is weird too. I went back for a little bit- but my body here was asleep for like, a week. I don't quite get it, to be honest? If anyone I ever knew was here, I didn't notice back home, so I don't think it's the same for your friend. ... Sorry.

I know this is a lot, but you look like a wreck. ( thanks, jinx, bully tangerine. ) Are you close to someplace you can stay the night?

[hatedthemost]

...oh.

[.....]

Ha. I mean, I-I kinda figured. He wouldn't... [What happened just doesn't really line up with being teleported to Orange Gerbil Land.] Uh, no, I don't think so. Mom won't let me back in the house, and Iiiii think these are all just other houses.

[He turns the camera to scan New Bark Town. Truly, there does not seem to be much going on there. The lab building, but Arthur's at least identified that as Not A Hotel.]

[fortuna_tenax]

... The professor will let you stay the night, since you just arrived. But after that, you're unfortunately left to make do. The natives are pretty aware of us and what's going on with us, but not everyone's gonna just put a stranger up for the night, y'know? But he will. From there you can head to Cherrygrove or take the ferry to the neighboring region- kinda like a country, I guess.

( she's not prepared to tackle emotions with a grown-ass man, sorry arthur. but she is kinda sad on his behalf- just... what do you tell a stranger? )

[hatedthemost]

Uh...yeah, I don't think I really want to get a whole other country involved in this.

[Like, he already doesn't understand anything happening in this one.]

But thanks. That's good to know. I never would've just gone around knocking on doors. [His game plan was...either walk to Cherrygrove or just lie down in the woods, probably.] Um, is there...somewhere that's good to go, here? Assuming this is still a thing in the morning?

[Video]

[cyan_maid]

[So like, weird thing about gerbil vortex land - that's the first time Jane's heard anyone call it that!]

Gosh, no, I'm not a hallucination, but if you think you might still have some symptoms of a concussion...ugh, I'd say go to a Pokemon Center even if they aren't known for treating human patients, but it would be better than nothing - and I would say that if you weren't a few days' walk from the nearest one.

[But uh, first question, right.]

There isn't any way we can return home by our own means, but things do sort of pause back home? Whatever situation you're in won't move forward until you return, I promise.

[hatedthemost]

Oh. Great.

[So he's got THAT to look forward to.]

This other guy says I probably don't have one. Which like, I dunno, but I was asleep earlier in that weird house and I didn't...die or anything.

[cyan_maid]

That's true, but it is good to check for sure.

[Jane smiles apologetically.]

But I do promise about everything stopping at home while you're here.

[hatedthemost]

That's...that's good.

[Now that he's starting to calm down a bit, Arthur is also beginning to realize that...boy, he kinda just dumped a lot of shit on a lot of strangers!]

Sorry about, uh, all that. It's not... [...he can't really say it's not as bad as it sounds. It sort of is.]

video;

[breakyourlife]

Huh. Maybe this is where missing people go.

I don't know any Lewis, though, so he might not be here.

[hatedthemost]

He's like ten feet tall and his hair's purple.

[He's hard to miss.]

You have missing people, too?

[breakyourlife]

Not really. I guess there's that teacher who keeps disappearing, but I just meant missing people in general. They've gotta go somewhere, right?

[But more relevant to this guy's interests...[

I haven't seen anyone like that. Except Thace, but he looks different here. Maybe your friend changed too?

[hatedthemost]

Changed like how?

[nastyboy]

Oh, no. This is no hallucination. I thought this was the afterlife for some time, but I think that is not correct, and this is certainly not a hallucination as well.

...Do you need help with hallucinations, or sleep?

[Because Dimitri gets it, man. His own baggy eyes have eased up since he's remembered sleep medication is a thing, and also his Munna, but...]

[hatedthemost]

I don't usually hallucinate. I mean, I wouldn'tve taken a road trip if I thought it was that bad.

[The sleep deprivation, that is. It's one thing to tire himself out, and another entirely to risk crashing with Vivi and Mystery in the car.

...which he just went and did anyway. Just winning all around today.]

I chugged a Monster when I stopped to fix the engine. [He says, and is too sleep-deprived to provide the necessary context about when that was. Also, I mean, still not great bud!] I'm just gonna crash in this creepy lab with some guy I don't know for the night. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?

[nastyboy]

[Um]

If it is the resident professor, that should be fine. From what I understand, he is a respected member of the community.

[It's just... Dimitri's brows furrow, trying to make sense of what Arthur is saying.]

When you say... Monster... Do you mean an actual creature, or...?

[hatedthemost]

.......it's an energy drink?

[there was sort of a monster or two involved also, but]

text

[talkyourwayout]

So it looks like others have covered the "you're not hallucinating" thing. Anyway, I asked about getting in touch with the places we're from, but so far, I don't think anyone's figured it out. So I'd say the chances of just plain going home are pretty bad.

Uh, sorry about that. And your friend.

[hatedthemost]

Thanks.






But we have to go home at SOME point, don't we???

[talkyourwayout]

Yeah, I'm hoping so, but I'm not expecting it to be soon.

[It takes ten years to get back to family by his (indirect) experience... Also Louie's just a rather cynical kid.]

I just feel like if it was easy to figure out a way home, people would be, you know, going home.

[hatedthemost]

It’s probably just some random thing like getting here was, so even if they did they couldn't tell us about it.