@junpei | video

[coolerjunpei]

[Good day city-zens, it's User Name Junpei here with another paranoid rant about god only knows what. Just kidding, he's laser focused his paranoia these days, so, ahem:]

Hi, uh, I'm Junpei, if you didn't know. [A brief pause, while he internally laments that he will never get his goddamn codename, but okay. He's made peace with it. He holds up two fingers.] Two things.

[He leans forward and his head and shoulders go out of frame for a moment, while the rustling of papers can be heard somewhere beyond the camera. Should he have gathered his materials beforehand? Yes, for sure, but such is life. Enjoy this view of his t-shirt while he swears and drops something back there...

When he leans back into frame he doesn't hold anything up just yet.]

First, since it looks like people are going missing now, do you guys think we should have... I don't know, a system? To keep track of each other? I don't mean something like the buddy system— [Although he doesn't NOT mean the buddy system, always investigate mysterious liminal cities with a friend!!--] —But... something. Besides running around looking for signs every time. We need to figure out where they're going.

[He's convinced they're still in the city but Taken Somewhere, you see. Where, though... mmm. Workshopping that. He sits there looking grim for a beat, then sighs himself out of it and lifts up one of his papers.

It has beautiful birds drawn on it. Some people may recall his canary symbol idea from Setsuna's meeting, ahem...]

Second is... this. Somebody out there's gotta be better at drawing a bird than me. If you see these hung up anywhere... be careful of whatever's around. [Another beat.] And, uh, if anyone wants to contribute to the cause, I'll pay you in beer and gummies? Normal gummies.

[sorry, he has no edibles. also never mind that one can get beer and gummies without joining his danger birds cause. sign up for art club!!!]

Comments

[coolerjunpei]

they don't sing, they die if there's poisonous gas. bird dies, miners scram before they die too. so it's a sign for danger, but uh... subtler than a big red X.

and are you talking about how some people are from space? you think we're all going to... *time out* eventually?

[inlovewithmycar]

Okay, this may be your problem; when it comes to marking danger? Subtlety is not your friend.

I mean there's all sorts here, not just from space. But that's not what I'm getting at - I think this place isn't stable. Maybe they sort of, I don't know, blipped off the radar?

[coolerjunpei]

well, i was thinking if it wasn't a big fucking red X on a wall somewhere, our mastermind would leave it alone for a little longer. if we all know the bird means keep out, it works just fine.

you think they glitched out of the city.

[Simulation theory is back on the menu, boys!!!]

maybe. what do you have that's pointing you at "unstable city"?

[inlovewithmycar]

Have you tried putting up actual signs in work jackets with little badges on lanyards and signed bits of paper that make it all official? That usually works for me when I need to get things done that aren't exactly sanctioned by an actual legal authority.

Blipped, glitched, vanished in a puff of smoke.

And the best answer I can give to that last question is how my powers are working here. Before it was like reality was like one of those big stage curtains. Sturdy but flexible - I could go under or around and tweak things to my preference as needed within certain parameters. Now it's like big sheets of rubber pulled taut; I can get an arm through and mess around a little, but if I try to push through, I just get stuck. And if I try doing a bit of a run up to forcibly break through, I just bounce off. You follow?

[coolerjunpei]

i'm drawing birds, what do you think?

yeah, i follow. that obnoxious guy dazai [sorry dazai.] was asking people about their abilities before. looks like everyone's got some kind of ability constipation. and yours is rubbery.

[inlovewithmycar]

I think they're just going to get erased just like the big red Xs.

Never been constipated before, but that sounds about right. I dunno how else to put it; the foundations of this place just feel shaky. Poke at it too much and it'll fall apart, like a kid put it together or something.

[coolerjunpei]

maybe i'll just hang up posters. is a poster technically vandalism?

so why haven't you tried to punch a hole in the universe?

[inlovewithmycar]

Eh. Depends who's looking at the posters. I'm telling you though, get yourself a high visibility vest, and some lanyards with an ID, and you can practically get away with murder.

And it's for the same reason I haven't bulldozed my flat back home. Also, I just told you. Rubber sheets.

I keep bouncing off.

[coolerjunpei]

we are talking about for here, right? like, for here, i should dress like a maintenance guy to fool the mastermind?

so it's shaky like it could break any second and it's rubbery... that sucks. well uh my thing just doesn't work at all anymore, so i guess you could call it a brick wall instead of a rubber sheet. you know anyone who's got something more like... easily punched drywall?

[inlovewithmycar]

Works every time, I guarantee it.

Look, the metaphor isn't perfect, but it's the best I can do beyond calling it "all wrong".

If someone does, you'd reckon they'd have punched through it by now. Might be an explanation for the disappearances, if we're feeling optimistic today.

[coolerjunpei]

i don't think so, unless it's less like punched through and more like tripped and faceplanted through... my missing friend didn't have any punch through-type skills, as far as i know.

what i mean is maybe they clipped through the floor. you know, like in a video game?

[inlovewithmycar]

Only play the ones on my old mobile, but I know what you're talking about.

Physics just going wonky like that though - it doesn't just happen. Not unless this reality is all sorts of unstable.

[coolerjunpei]

or they put us in a simulation, and we're *really* hooked up to a bunch of ekgs and whatever out there somewhere.