[video // @jackwynand56] first transmission.

[belowthesea]

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no...

[Someone just found his way out of a nightmare dome... he'd been sort of vaguely reassuring himself that this is just another weird city like Rapture, but- yeah, Rapture was lonely, but not oppressively lonely like that.

His video is in first-person, but it isn't showing much. Just his hands clutching a worn short-wave radio so hard that it might just crack under pressure.]

Someone... talk. Please.

Comments

[of_bokthersa]

You have no reason to. You also have no reason to leave the place you're in either - if you wish to feel the ever-encroaching fear of being alone engulf you. Or you could try moving forward until you see others and find out if I'm lying for yourself.

The choice is yours.

[belowthesea]

[Well, that's not comforting at all.

Which, it turns out, feels a lot better.]

Okay.

[So here goes Jack, wandering in a random direction because he honestly doesn't know his way around at all. He guesses he'll go and seek out other people? But it doesn't even occur to him to ask for help.]

[of_bokthersa]

Make sure you're moving toward exits.

And remember that you're not alone. The fear is a creation of the nightmare itself.

[belowthesea]

I know.

[He sounds more like a child than anything; like he's being reminded to stay close to mom. That tone coming from a deep adult man's voice is... strange to say the least.]

You talk a lot. [Not that he really minds.]

[of_bokthersa]

[He's used to his protege (and now lover (?) being petulant from time to time.

He sounds amused.]

So I've been told many times.

[belowthesea]

[Honestly, Jack still isn't sure whether he likes this man... but he isn't dead yet, or anything worse.]

No splicers.

[A pause.]

Are there splicers here?

[of_bokthersa]

Seeing as I've never heard of them, there's a strong chance they aren't.

[belowthesea]

Good.

[There's a lot of conviction in that word - clearly, whatever splicers are, Jack has some strong opinions about them.]

Who are you?

[of_bokthersa]

[It takes him a moment.]

Seregil, and you are?

[belowthesea]

Jack.

Your name is weird.

[of_bokthersa]

It's common where I come from.

[LIES - sort of]

From my perspective, yours is weird too.