001 (jan. 27) / video.

[dissenter]

[good afternoon Death City. hope you aren't tired of new arrivals yet because here's another one.

it's hard to tell where exactly this particular old bespectacled man is recording from because most of the screen is taken up by the biggest hat in the cosmos. don't be intimidated, though! he seems friendly enough, though his attention constantly flickers from his unseen audience to a point just beyond them -- as if he's almost more interested in the communicator itself than who's behind it. the quiet muttering doesn't help.] A mirror, eh? Curious choice...

[right, he's supposed to be talking to people. whoops! he blinks, starts, and smiles apologetically, refocusing.] Ah-- greetings. My name is Qilby, and I am an Eliatrope.

[an awkward, expectant pause as if he's hoping that by some stretch the term should be familiar to someone out there. or maybe he's just hesitant to address his next point.] ...I don't suppose I'm the only one that finds it rather tragic that by bringing us here and giving us these new abilities, they've stripped us of our powers that arguably could have been more useful to help end this conflict. And now we must figure out how to harness an entirely new set of skills... Well. They say you can't teach an old boowolf new tricks, and I doubt I'm an exception. [and his smile at his own "joke" implies that he is a very old boowolf indeed.]

That aside, I'm more than willing to try and learn. Tell me, how have people's experiences been? I'm afraid I haven't had to fight a war in a long time.

[and at that, he looks very tired.] A very, very long time.

Comments

[Voice]

[socialbutterfly]

... What's a chacha?

[dissenter]

--er, it's a small, furry animal with teeth and nails, that goes "miaou."

[a face. GEEZ you asked for a joke and now you're ruining it!]

[Voice]

[socialbutterfly]

Okay. [You may continue now.]

[dissenter]

[good.]

You call him...

[are you ready for this

no really, it's good

here it comes--]

... Claude.

[socialbutterfly]

...

...

...

...

[It really is the Chairman from another universe...]

[dissenter]

No, wait, do you need me to explain--

[SEE, IT'S FUNNY BECAUSE...]

[Voice --> Video]

[socialbutterfly]

No, it's okay...

[Blip. Minato appears after he shakes off look of despair. Congrats, Ikutsuki #2...]

It's because a chacha has claws. And it... Claude him. [Doesn't explain why he has no arms or legs, though.]

[dissenter]

[he laughs again at hearing it a second time. oh gosh, it's never going to get old...]

Oh, good. I was worried I'd have to ruin it explaining it.

Do you need another one? [because after all the other heavy conversations he's been having today this is pretty fun.]

[Video --> Voice]

[socialbutterfly]

Okay. [Why is he doing this to himself?

He quickly switches back to Voice Only. Safer this way.]

[dissenter]

[back to voice, huh? he must be shy.]

Let's see...

I knew someone back in my world who wanted to be a gold prospector, but it didn't pan out.

[socialbutterfly]

[Minato waits. Where's the joke?]











[silence.]

[dissenter]

[stares expectantly.








... clears his throat.]

You know. Panning for gold...

[socialbutterfly]

[Sorry, he's from Japan, not California.]

Why would you fry gold?

[dissenter]

[that's no excuse, qilby's not even from this planet. figuratively as well as literally if minato's reaction is any indication]

What? Why would you fry gold? [le squint. they're not on the same page, are they.

from what he knows of enutrofs, frying gold would put them in conniptions... qilby shakes his head, not a little disappointed.] Oh, never mind-- perhaps it's a cultural thing.

[socialbutterfly]

No, you're supposed to say... To make nuggets. [Eh heh heh heh heh...

Minato wants to kill himself now.]

[dissenter]

[the briefest of surprised silences

and then he absolutely loses it]

Oh, Goddess-- [breathe, qilby, breathe] --that's a good one! [even if your world's food is kind of super-weird.]

Okay... You got me. [this child had this joke planned from the very start didn't he, the evil mastermind...]

[socialbutterfly]

[Minato really, really wants to die.

Getting away from the Chairman jokes.] I'm Minato, by the way. I'm sorry for not introducing myself yet...

[dissenter]

[if he had a free hand, he'd wipe away an imaginary tear. hoo boy.]

Oh, no, think nothing of it. The pleasure's mine, Minato.

To be honest, I'm not sure why you asked for a joke in the first place, but-- thank you. It's nice to laugh again.

[socialbutterfly]

[Minato can feel that social link. Even if the jokes were terrible, making someone feel good makes him feel good.]

Someone back home liked the same kind of jokes... You look very similar, so I wanted to know if it was more than that.

[dissenter]

[he beams!] My, are we that much alike? It sounds like we could have got along well, he and I.

I don't suppose he wore a hat like mine, though... [so really, they couldn't have looked that similar.]

[socialbutterfly]

He didn't... but everything else is similar. Sometimes we get different versions of who would be the same people on other worlds...

[dissenter]

[this is kind of exciting...]

I've been to different worlds, different dimensions-- but the concept of different versions of the same people existing separately in these other places is one that I haven't explored, much less considered. [like there's the interesting matter of the two dragons men named date masamune, to cite one example.] This city, thanks to BREW, seems to have become a nexus for these multiple worlds, on a scope I hadn't imagined possible.

In all my time travelling, I've not met anyone quite like me. But I suppose there has to be one out there, and perhaps he's in your world.

[socialbutterfly]

[Maybe.]

Are you also a scientist, Qilby-san?

[dissenter]

[well, huh. a strange look.]

...Aah, yes. Or rather, I was, some time ago.

Now, I'm simply a king.

[socialbutterfly]

[Kind of a big jump. Minato processes that.]

... That's a big promotion, Qilby-san.