8 April | Video

[zealous_steiner]

[It appears Okabe has his eye jammed up against the mirror, as that's the only thing visible at the beginning of the video. Slowly he backs away, revealing a tired face, then bedraggled hair, then a hint of a lab coat.]

Hello, despaired networkers! I am the mad scientist Hououin Kyouma! Consider this video my debut, where all of Death City will soon know my name!

[He throws his head back and evil-laughs for a solid twenty seconds. This is a common problem, please stand by until he starts coughing.]

Now, to more pressing matters, as Screwhead Biologist was of no help. [Okabe certainly wasn't helping himself, but he chooses to omit that. He's distrustful of Shibusen as-is - they feel like SERN.]

I am interested in this device you call "BREW." Does anyone of this world know how it functions? Does Shibusen hold a monopoly on its powers? I'm... curious on its ability to manipulate time and space through multiple universes, and to take physical matter with it! Even the most advanced technology - my own, of course [he flips the lab coat for flourish] - of my time could send but small pieces of data without the target matter becoming jellified and... disgusting... How did Mayuri even eat that banana?

For that matter, does anyone of this world know of the space-time warp I, and assumably all you others, have traveled through? I'm curious on, specifically.... the structure of time in this world, and if I can reasonably apply the yarn-theory from my home world-line here.

Finally... [Okabe clears his throat and puts all his charm on.] Does anyone have any old or unused electronics they would kindly donate to the developing Future Gadget Laboratory? If anyone would like to build Future Gadgets with a genius mad scientist, I'd be glad to show you my plans... in private, of course.

Remember, you never know who's watching you.

[He jams his eye up to the mirror again.]

El. Psy. Congroooooo.

Comments

video;

[computations]

To be able to manipulate time and space requires a specialization in the Second Magic, a skill that only one person currently possesses.

I suppose it could be achieved technologically but, as of this moment, that technology is either unreliable or not in the hands of the common or uncommon citizen.

Re: video;

[zealous_steiner]

[Okabe squints into the mirror. Second Magic? If it's magic he has to work with, that's more of a challenge.]

[Oh well. Hououin Kyouma loves challenges.]

All magic, even if it is magic, has to obey some rules. I'm a mad scientist, not a magician, after all, and I've managed to at least transport data.

Once you discover the methods behind the magic, it's not so magical anymore, am I right?

Re: video;

[computations]

Rules? Perhaps but most likely not rules you are aware of.

Magic is magic. You must be able to cast magic to use it. However, sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable

[zealous_steiner]

Then is there anyone aware of these rules that I could speak with? I'm interested in learning, not just chalking it up to something I'll never understand.

[video]

[scatterflower]

[Chika frowned a bit, looking over at the network for the moment, before sighing and starting to answer his questions.]

Nope. No one knows how BREW works, and Shibusen can't even control the stupid thing.

And well, I have no idea about any space-time warp.

[zealous_steiner]

The way we got to this blasted city! It felt like I changed world-lines, but... different!

Nobody knows how BREW works, you say? Is Shibusen even trying to discover that, or are they just keeping it secret? There must be someone that knows!

[He scowls. If he has to go back to Screwhead Biologist, he's not going to be pleased - that is, if Screwhead Biologist even knows. He could ask Daru to hack, but Daru's not here, nor does Okabe suspect he will ever be. The whole thing is frustrating him, because he just got pulled away from his daily life again and he'll be damned if he doesn't at least figure out how.]

[scatterflower]

So you're used to the whole different worlds thing?

And well.. I'd think they are, but they haven't really made much progress with it, as far as I know.

[zealous_steiner]

The sun has a face. The sun is practically mocking me for going outside. I can say with certainty that I'm not in any world-line I would recognize.

[Okabe grunts. No information from this girl.]

I can't believe nobody's making progress with something that affects this many people! Either the scientific establishment here works like molasses or there's something else.

[ voice ]

[atleast80]

"El psy congroo"? Is that supposed to be some kind of cult chant?

[He wasn't even going to touch on all that sciencey stuff or mention how espers could see the future, teleport through space or that one that had managed to travel back in time. It felt like doing so would cause more probelms than was necessary.]

[zealous_steiner]

It's a codeword.

For what? You're not at liberty to know.

[Cue a loud and hacking evil laugh.]

[atleast80]

I don't really care, actually.

[Great. BREW brought in a crazy one this time.]

And I doubt you could get any useful information from the people here. For most of us, how something like this would have worked in our world wouldn't really apply to this one.

[Video]

[morecowbell]

Yeah, I'm not sure you want to go around broadcasting the 'mad scientist' part.

I do have cell phone I might be willing to part with but I'll need some time to think it over.

Voice

[maskednanashi]

...You're a mad scientist? [After that display, he can believe it.]

Video

[divide_by_zero]

Are you some kind of mechanical genius?

[zealous_steiner]

You could say that!

[Admittedly, it would be a bit of a stretch. He's pretty good with electronics, though.]

Video

[divide_by_zero]

So you could know how to fix something mechanical if it broke. *Bulma said she could fix him but it doesn't hurt to be prepared.*

video.

[dissenter]

[well. it figures that one of the only other people he'd seen as interested in BREW as he was would look and sound like a total buffoon.

still, there's something to be said for enthusiasm and who knows -- maybe he'll get something out of it. he puts on his politest face.] Until BREW fulfills the wishes of its current owner, it remains quite inexorably tied to that person's will and ignores all other attempts at manipulation. In other words: until this war is won, neither us nor Shibusen will be getting anything out of it.

That includes any insights into how exactly it operates, though it's not for lack of trying. Both on the part of myself and several others before me. Like with your technology, its capabilities far exceed those of what I've been able to come up with but-- [le smile!] --the gap between mine and BREW is not quite as large.

[he doesn't even sound smug about it either, just matter-of-fact.]

[zealous_steiner]

[Who the hell's this old guy with a spectacular handlehat? Whatever, he's Spectacular Handlehat now.]

So direct experimentation on Shibusen's part is obviously out of the question... unless there's something Shibusen isn't telling us... [A little grumble.]

What, though, of examining how it works on the people it brings in and out? Are there any strange effects on those who come in, any... loss of function? I know that our method of time travel placed extreme stress on the user, so looking at the effects may point us towards something more useful.

I must say, though, that's an awfully specific restriction to have on a device. If I were its creator, I'd want it usable in a more predictable way.... but what am I saying? I, of all people, should be able to accept that weird things happen when you fool with time and space.

[dissenter]

[there most certainly are things that shibusen aren't telling them, but he deigns not to comment. with luck, he'll be finding out what those things are soon enough.]

It's not so surprising when you consider the other groups vying for its control. If Shibusen's enemies were able to get a hold of BREW just once in these few short months of war, and were able to use it-- [a little shrug.] Well, needless to say it's relieving that its architect had the foresight to put such a restriction in place.

Not that it feels like the blessing it is. As you say, there is a sort of loss of function in regards to those brought here-- people with exceptional abilities have them taken away and replaced with powers more suited to this world. I suspect it's a matter of protecting this universe from people that, by all rights, should not exist in it. [he shakes his head.] Because unfortunately, not everyone who's brought here has intentions as good as ours.

[anpan_tan]

BREW is a God. I tell you, don't mess with Gods or evil spirits.

[zealous_steiner]

BREW is a... god?

So it's not entirely mechanical, then?

[Okabe is confused. Okabe hurt itself in its confusion.]

[anpan_tan]

I don't know. But since Gods are omnipotent they can be entirely mechanical.

video;

[punches]

[ Sakura's dealt with another crazy people in her lifetime that someone like this 'Hououin Kyouma' shouldn't even phase her in the slightest. ]

You know, no one's going to take you seriously if you laugh like that all the time. [ Blunt. She's had a rough day, so may as well take it out on an idiot that's still around. ]

Re: video;

[zealous_steiner]

[His eye's jammed up in the camera again.]

All the better, then; if nobody takes you seriously, nobody knows what's going on behind the scenes. And I would think my astute observations should speak for themselves.

[Plus, chuunibyou is fun.]

[punches]

[ There's a more memetic anime about that now, pal. ]

Your astute observations are already well known by those who have common sense. You haven't come up with anything new or enlightening.