IC inbox for Snowblind

[thewarningafter]

@beyonce

You've reached Dr. Stephen Strange. Leave a message and my secretary will get back to you.

Comments

@featherydouche; video; night 246

[mrcreamsicles]

[Davesprite makes an exception to his usual preference for text or even voice this time. How else can he test if Strange recognizes his face? And if even his bright orange one rings no bells, that will prove just how deep the loss goes.]

Sup. Recognize me?

audio

[thewarningafter]

...No.

[That this person would ask that tells him who he's talking to (...probably), but that's the only cue Stephen's getting.]

Are you always orange?

audio

[mrcreamsicles]

[He swaps to audio, too. It's been a long day, and his MN poisoning is acting up to make him sore enough that he might as well give his hands a rest.]

After the past three years, it doesn't look too keen on stopping.

audio

[thewarningafter]

And also a bird.

[Give him a second.]

Because you were prototyped with a crow, why couldn't I connect that?

audio

[mrcreamsicles]

[He perks up.]

Hey, you did now. Did you remember my name, or do I need to tell you that still?

audio

[thewarningafter]

[There's an all but audible frown.]

Tip of my tongue.

audio

[mrcreamsicles]

[He debates a little, then just decides to make it easy:]

Davesprite. Don't worry about it; I've had my own shit losses before. First time I couldn't use words at all. Had them all up in my head forming whole entire novels worth of stuff to say and I couldn't push even one onto my tongue. Kinda wiggled around it with a few signs Clint taught me, but those, gestures, drawings, and bird noises were all I had until it finally wore off.

Perma-audio

[thewarningafter]

It's the same as the last time I died. Names, faces...everything you have going on -- none of it sticks. I know who people are but I can't tell anyone apart.

[mrcreamsicles]

If you ask me, it seems like whatever we lose has to be picked to be the biggest pain in the ass we can stand. I think there's only... one person? that I've talked to who actually enjoyed any part of their loss, and it was still a massive danger to their health. At least you haven't lost and regular memories, but damn, that's gotta be frustrating still. It feels too specific sometimes to think it's anything but specific. Maybe the Admin is fucking with us to try to tell us not to die so damn much in her own back-assward way.

[thewarningafter]

It's deliberate. It has to be. This doesn't make sense in terms of brain damage, it's not the nanomachines leaving us unfinished by accident.

[mrcreamsicles]

There's one I saw that definitely has nothing to do with brain damage, because it was physical. I can't explain it. I have no idea how it worked at all.

[thewarningafter]

The theory goes that they're taking us out of the oven too soon -- that the revival process isn't finished with us. That would explain physical symptoms, but it's still bullshit.

...What was it?

[mrcreamsicles]

I'm not sure I should say. You can't tell me if you know the guy the way you are now, but if I just spill it you're bound to know exactly who it is later, and I'm not sure he'd want me sharing.

[thewarningafter]

Look at you, practicing good ethics. I can't even argue with that.

[mrcreamsicles]

Yeah. I can pass along the name after, but if you don't know what happened to him then, I'm going to ask you not to bug him about it. It's personal, you know?

[And how Al lost his body is an awfully heavy subject.]

[thewarningafter]

I wouldn't mind being more aware of the outliers.

[But he's not so certain that finding out who and what this bird-kid is talking about will yield any real answers.]

[mrcreamsicles]

Just message me once you're back to usual and we can sort it out. Do you remember who you talked to after the fact or will you need to make a note or something?

[thewarningafter]

If it's like last time? Yeah. I know who you are, I just don't recognize you.

[mrcreamsicles]

Cool, that's easy.

[Even if the wording doesn't make much sense on its own when he examines it. He gets the idea, and that's enough.]

You got anything else you need help with right now?

[thewarningafter]

Not really. I've got some more supplies to gather before I head east again, but that's all I'm really doing.

[Funny how quickly he slips back into what he was doing before.]

[mrcreamsicles]

Maybe we'll see you later on. We're over here now, heading down south soon to this area that's just opened up.

Just, uh, be careful if you do hang around the industrial area. There's a place wallpapered with skin past the east scrap wall and another with dead bodies. A lot of places are full of prophet graffiti or old blood.

[He does not exactly sound comfortable about it. The more he learns, the worse the cult gets.]

[thewarningafter]

Oh. Great. Really looking forward to that now. Those on the path to the area south of there?

[mrcreamsicles]

Not to my knowledge. I wouldn't count on it to be 100% creepy cult stuff free, knowing this place, but I'll let you know if that escalates to using body parts for the decor.

[thewarningafter]

Thanks. Guess I didn't get all that far when I was there the last time.

I'll let you know when I'm closer. I'm trying to bring some real food that direction, among other things.

[mrcreamsicles]

[As much as he can survive on convenience store and vending machine food, something more "real" would be nice.]

Thanks, Stephen. Let me know if you need anything too. I can't guarantee I'll be able to do it, but I'll try to help if I can.