TEST DRIVE MEME

[bibliofilo]

TEST DRIVE MEME

> The Park. Man, what a nice day out. Why not enjoy it? I'm sure -- shit, yep, there's some echo monsters.
> The Mall. Exactly what it says on the tin! Dodge the hordes of teenage mallrats or take part, whichever suits your tastes.
> Rainy Day. Agh, it's fucking awful out. And is it raining those vermilion things?? Now you've got an Echo to contend with on top of everything else. Find some shelter, quick!
> PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, HOW FUN
> The most horribly kitschy Arts and Crafts Fair you can imagine.
> NEW YEARS. What better way to start out the new year than to learn that everything you know is a lie? Or if you are already acquainted with the network pass out some resolutions.
> A food fight has just broken out in the cafeteria. Join? Flee? The choice is yours alone.
> Wild Card! Make up your own.

Comments

[radiantchicken]

[Maybe she can't talk. He couldn't talk, not right away...]

Numbers! Like that! Only when you scratch them into things...

[He quickly scratches a few marks into the trunk of the tree, bringing up the network.]

Can you see that?

[tomorrowgame]

[Her head tilts to the point where it's basically upside down and she blinks.

Even as a partly human bird monster she won't be able to speak out loud, but there is such a thing as radio telepathy. Thinking a name hard enough is likened to dialing a number - so here, her harsh, unpracticed human voice is only audible over the network.]

Numbers. Numbers! Yes. Reason?

[radiantchicken]

[He made a parroty noise of excitement. This had worked! They could communicate!]

I don't know why this is happening, but I don't think anyone does.

[He considers it a moment.]

There are bad things out there. It's probably because of that.

[And somehow, it felt natural to be saying that there were bad things out there, to possibly be finding an ally with whom to fight the bad things...]

[tomorrowgame]

Experiments. Man.

[wait, wait. there's a better way of putting thoughts together. The hawk's pupils shrink or pin in concentration.]

A man. There was. His eyes bright. -Smiled. Not the reason of this. The reason of me.

[radiantchicken]

[The parrot tilts his head to one side.]

Someone did this? You did not feel all strange and hollow inside and could then speak?

[He sounds disturbed by the idea.]

[tomorrowgame]

[She starts to eat the squirrel leg again.]

He was there. Many winters before. He put this. [click, the band] Then changes, yes. Emptiness.

[radiantchicken]

[The parrot looks sad...at least, about as sad as a parrot can look.]

He does not sound like a nice human.

[tomorrowgame]

Not nice. Friend... not friend. Pretends. Pretended.

[basically her first echo was being banded by someone who looked like a mad scientist her preincarnation knew.]

[radiantchicken]

I don't think all the humans are like that...but we have to watch out for the ones who are.

[The parrot sounds very sad at this.]