(no subject)

[pursuitofcappiness]

[ Action, 627 Topper ]

[ Uh yeah, so Steve is waking up next to a drone for the first time and falls out of bed because hey, wasn't he in 2012 a second ago? And wasn't he, you know, taller? He's going to do the right thing this time, which is not freak out and tear a hole through the wall, probably because it would kill him to do so.

Instead, he will walk downstairs and snoop around and-- there's a picture of him on the wall, smiling, with his 'wife' and two kids.

He sees a rotary dial on the phone and he picks up to call numbers he remembers from 2012. And then numbers he remembers from 1943. And then zero. And then hangs up and goes to rifle through anything he can find in the shoeboxes of the downstairs closet to tell him where he is and why he's there.

Have fun waking up to your new dad sifting through files all over the kitchen table. ]

[ Action, around town ]

[ He doesn't believe this for a second. But this isn't just any sort of thing; he's small again. Someone's trying to make him forget. So he walks around town, because the one thing he needs right now is to get out of town. ]

Excuse me. Do you know the way to the train station?

Comments

[pursuitofcappiness]

Right... Uh, when you say... trapped within the city, what do you mean?

[ Because uh, if this is their ploy to make him feel like he's not alone.... ]

-suddenly recalls what japanese probably means to Steve- hAHAHAHA whoops.

[originalnumber]

[[Oh well, not like Astral's... a nazi... or something... >3> though ironically it's likely that he was initially meant to destroy humanity in his world whOOPS.]]

"It is exactly as I said. You are not the first to come here... Ah..."

He coughs somewhat awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Forgive me... I failed to introduce myself. I am Astral," he states, bowing somewhat. "Pleased to meet you."

...Alien as he looks, he acts almost Japanese...

[pursuitofcappiness]

Steve.

[ He sort of bows back, slightly deeper than Astral, mostly because this is weird and he's used to handshakes. ]

So where are you from, exactly?

no really it's called heartland and it's awesome

[originalnumber]

"Aah- it would depend on the specifics; in my world, I came from an alternate realm, named similarly to myself. The 'astral realm', it is called there. However, the location I was in within that world was that of Earth, in a date relatively distant from the apparent time period here; more precisely, my location was known as 'Heartland', a city in Japan."

[pursuitofcappiness]

So, you're from the future?

I'm from around this time, sort of. Closer than you are, I think.

[originalnumber]

"Interesting." Hohh. "Most appear to be from a range of the 90s to 2010s as I have observed. That, or an entirely alternate realm."

Ah well.

"It is only the future when one perceives it as so, correct? I myself would consider my era 'present day'."

[pursuitofcappiness]

Sorry, I just meant... future, in relation to this place. This time. I mean, you're not from before this.

[originalnumber]

"Aah. Yes. However, I have collectively spent more time here than I have in the human realm of my own world... So the statement, in all honesty, is somewhat debatable. Particularly since, in that realm, I was not of a solid state; it is only here that I have been able to truly interact with the world at all."

Well that's interesting.

[pursuitofcappiness]

Do you... like that?

[ He's not sure, maybe this guy likes being not corporeal. This is one of the oddest conversations he's ever had. ]

[originalnumber]

"Aah..." He frowns somewhat, looking to the side.

"To be honest, I have not thought of it that way... Though I have enjoyed being able to interact with the world, and experience conversations with others, the circumstances we are trapped in are less than pleasant despite what things seem at the moment. Grave things occur here; I myself once suffocated due to the room abruptly loosing all air within, after becoming locked inside. People die- and despite this, are forced to return and remain until the next 'event', while holding to the realm's guidelines to prevent a complete brainwashing."

[pursuitofcappiness]

--Who's doing all of this?

[originalnumber]

"Mnnn..." Hnnn... "Before I say so, you must swear not to take direct action first; many have tried, even as a unified effort. However, it would seem that the target has reality warping abilities concerning this realm. To attempt a strike would assuredly end in failure if a direct approach was taken."

[pursuitofcappiness]

I don't think I could do much as I am anyway, I'd have to come up with a plan first.

[ Even if this is all a setup, his captors must know he'd try to get out. ]

I promise.

[originalnumber]

"Aah. Indeed. His name is 'Zemekis'. You will recognize his name from one of the stores in Mayfield in fact; most of the names are from those tied somehow to its origins, as it seems.

"Zemekis however, despite being an adult man, does not currently appear as one. There is a 'family' here, the 'Smiths'. They appear similar to the standard 'drone' family as it is called, but they are very dangerous, and a large reason is because of this; the youngest of the family, the girl, is in fact Zemekis himself." Uh... "...Though how that is, I am not entirely certain."

[pursuitofcappiness]

So he took on the form of a girl and he made a town to take everyone in from different places?

[ Wow, that doesn't even surprise him. ]

Is he from your time, do you know?

[ Because he sure as hell ain't from the 40s and he's sure someone would have mentioned this guy in his 2012 cultural updates... ]

[originalnumber]

"So it seems. I am certain that there is more to it, but unfortunately, there is little that is known.

"As such, I must answer a negative to your second question. The fact remains that all here are, for the most part, from entirely different realms of existence... Even you, did not likely exist in the Earth that I am from."

[pursuitofcappiness]

You think there are multiple Earths.

So, in this Earth, we're in the 1950s. America?

[originalnumber]

Aah. I am certain of it.

For the Japan that Conan implies, despite him living in an area not at all distant from my own, is far different from the one in history. Moreover, those of his time period have not heard of the game 'duel monsters', despite it being a worldwide way of life by that time.

As it is- though the honesty of that statement is debateable, we are indeed, for all appearances, in what is considered the stereotype of America circa 1950.

[pursuitofcappiness]

...But most of the people are from the 90s-2000s? That's kind of a weird coincidence.

[ Especially since he's technically from 2012 now. So. Everyone else is out of time...? ]

[originalnumber]

"That I have seen- there are many here; it's likely that others come from time far before this as well." Hnnn...

"However, you are correct- there could potentially be a theme here... Perhaps it is worth investigating into."

[pursuitofcappiness]

Do you know if anyone knows each other from before getting sent here?

[ Because it'd be the easiest to compare notes for time with someone else who you already know. ]

[originalnumber]

"There are a few," he starts. "The trolls are the first to come to mind; though many of them were permanently droned, unfortunately. However they very readily recall each other from their own realm. Unfortunately, not everyone has this advantage; I myself have yet to meet with anyone from my realm, or at least the proper time of it."

[pursuitofcappiness]

I'm sorry to hear that, mister Astral.

[ He pauses ]

What year was it, for you?

that awkward moment where THE ANIME DOESN'T SAY... 8'D

[originalnumber]

"That is unfortunately something I'm not sure of." Oops. "However I would estimate that it is at least in the 22nd century, if not the latter half of the 21st."

[pursuitofcappiness]

[ He's a little shocked to hear this ]

Well, I think maybe they put us in suspended animation and wake us up at different times to make it look like we're from different decades, but I hope that's not true, because it would mean we're already in the 22nd century.