Summer Storms (5) : There have been plenty of thunderstorms this summer, and everyone is blaming the weather for the strangeness of their electronics--or, bored kids out of school. It’s not uncommon to get phone calls from impossible numbers--strings of letters and numbers, and a blank caller ID. It’s hard to make out any sounds; it sounds like static, and a broken up voice in a language you can’t make out. There is no way to call the number back; it says the line is disconnected. Sometimes, text messages come through, in foreign symbols. The messages always disappear within a few seconds, and there’s no way to reply. People have even had video chats, but the image is always staticky and it’s impossible to make out any details except for a silhouette, and the same strange, foreign language. The city is hoping to have this issue fixed soon, but in the meantime they are asking for patience.
It was nice to spend some time at home.
Well, it was actually a motel room. Julian was still sorting out finding a permanent place to live, since when he came back to Destiny City initially, he wasn't sure if it would be for just a few days or longer. Now he knew he would be staying here for quite some time, but that was a story for another day.
For now... it was nice to spend some time indoors. The sky was heavy with threatening clouds, and it was so dark it was hard to believe it was only 2pm. The complimentary coffee machine in the room hissed and sputtered as it struggled to do its One Job, filling the space with a smell that was close enough to inspire a relaxed mood. Julian had settled into the chair with his phone, absentmindedly browsing YouTube. Occasionally he liked to watch media analyses and content in that general wheelhouse.
Eventually he came across a "best moments" demo reel for some soap he'd never watched in his life, which had just been uploaded a minute ago. Curious, he decided to let it play. The overwrought scenes were entertaining in their own way, especially out of context. With a huff of amusement, he tapped out a comment:
ive seen better acting from an empty sardine can
genovianprince
Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2021 7:08 pm
Emmett had clicked on the video as soon as it had been uploaded, being subbed to the channel that uploaded the highlight reels for The Fame, The Fortune, and The Faults. he nodded and laughed along with each scene choice. He was in a good mood—at least, until he scrolled down to check the comments. He only saw the others after he'd tapped out his own.
this season was so good, still flabbergasted by katy's reveal!!
Chuffed at having put down a quite good word for his usual type of comments, he scrolled through the comments to see if there was anyone to talk to about the show.
Ah. Well, ******** you. His lips thinned as he saw the outrageous comment and he immediately mashed on the commenter's name, scrolling through his videos and watching several seconds of each of them to try and gain ammunition.
Hitting reply, he tapped out, and i've seen better dancing from two year olds who don't understand what a leg is yet, sissy boy.
cibarium
genovianprince
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Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2021 7:19 pm
Finally, the coffee was done. Julian kind of regretted not going to a cafe and getting something actually flavorful on his way home, but he would deal with it. As he poured out his cup and struggled open the packet of chalky creamer that came with it, a burst of thunder rattled the window and heavy raindrops slowly began to spatter against the outside of the A/C unit in the room. This was going to be a big storm. Hopefully it would carry some of his stress away as it passed through the city.
He saw the notification as he sat back down. Some diehard for The Fame, The Fornicators And Whatever had responded to his comment -- something he was expecting, honestly. It happened pretty regularly during his internet excursions. What he read made him roll his eyes... of course the first thing they went for was his dance videos. He sipped his coffee with one hand and tapped out his reply with the other:
wow. good job not actually proving me wrong, smartass
genovianprince
Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2021 7:46 pm
Emmett growled quietly at the response, gripping his phone too tight for a moment before setting it down so he could just punch one of his couch cushions instead. Don't break your expensive electronics, Emmett, that's not smart. He took a moment to breathe, taking his phone with him into the kitchen to grab a soda.
He glanced out the window and winced at the heavy storm brewing outside. The rain was kicking up real bad and he was sure the wind, thunder, and lightning were right behind it.
Sure enough, a moment later, a boom loud enough to reverberate in his chest like he was in the mosh pit of a metal concert rung out through the city and he actually staggered for a moment.
Well then. That's one way to kill the angry mood, certainly. Snorting, he cracked open the can and chugged half of it before turning back to the stupid comment.
the point is there's always more than what you see in short clips on the internet, shitlord. there's more nuance and context in the show if you'd even give it a shot instead of jumping straight for 'lol, cringe' like some stupid fifteen year old that hates girls for liking twilight, bro
cibarium
genovianprince
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Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2021 8:00 pm
As tempting as it could get to prolong online scuffles like this, Julian had to admit his responder had a point. Context really did matter a lot in media like this, and sometimes quality didn't take the form people expected it to. The show itself probably had such a devoted fanbase for legitimate reasons.
He kept Emmett waiting for a good seven or eight minutes before replying again.
yeah honestly i don't know s**t about soap operas so you're probably right. sorry, i took out my long day on the wrong thing.
so how about we cut a deal.
i'll watch an actual episode of this if you watch one of my actual good dance vids
genovianprince
Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2021 8:34 pm
Emmett sighed as the time ticked by. Man, he loved being dumb on the internet, but it could be a frustratingly slow thing, or people just chose to walk away and leave him hanging. he finished his soda, staring out the window at the howling storm.
His phone buzzed and he read the response. Ugh. Emmett made a face at his phone. Well... fine, he supposed he could do that, he'd already egged the guy into watching triple F.
yeah alright. hmu with the link. i'll give it an honest try
cibarium
genovianprince
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Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2021 9:17 pm
The storm dropped more heavy thunder onto the city, and for a moment, Julian's wifi cut out. Dammit, he hadn't been able to grab the link. With an annoyed sigh, he waited for his connection to go back up before flicking through the app for the link again. Things continued to intensify outside as he rushed to the online stranger's DMs with the link, saying, here you go. got a state championship out of this -- before the internet cut away once again.
Instead of an award-winning performance, Emmett would get some creepy s**t. Static and glitches and a voice talking in a language that sounded backwards. Weirder yet was the fact that there was no internet or data connection, but the video was still loading.
genovianprince
Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2021 4:22 pm
Emmett grumbled as the internet failed him, as well, right as he clicked play on the video. It buffered for a few long moments before finally playing—but what played was definitely not a mildly interesting video of InternetBoy's dance.
He would literally never admit it, but he shrieked and dropped his phone as it started glitching, showing strange staticky images and making the weirdest sounds he'd ever heard. His hair stood on end and he almost had the feeling he was about to be struck by lightning.
He ducked behind his couch, watching his phone from across the room until it settled down. Breathing a sigh of relief, he approached it cautiously and found the dance video playing as normal.
Well that was ******** freaky.
He sighed and took a few minutes to recuperate his mental state before paying real attention to the video, admiring the techniques. Finally, he wrote his reply.
pretty good dance, man. for real. i don't know any of the technical stuff but that was dope
cibarium
genovianprince
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Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2021 9:30 pm
The reply initially showed up on Julian's phone as a string of garbled, unfamiliar characters. He blinked a couple times, then saw a normal message. Maybe he was just seeing things. Considering recent events, that seemed likely.
The conversation had turned surprisingly cordial. And now, he had to fulfill his end of the deal, of course. He replied:
Emmett grunted and closed his eyes, rubbing at them vigorously when the characters on the screen seemed... unreal.
sry man i think the internet is freaking out. i can't read a word of that.
He prayed it sent through okay and tossed his phone to the side to lay on the couch, flipping the TV on. ******** it, he was gonna indulge a little and watch Rapunzel. It was a good one, and he liked Flynn.
cibarium
those characters actually hurt to look at ╯︿╰
genovianprince
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Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2021 7:59 pm
The conversation ending was a bit disappointing, in the end.
Julian actually had gotten curious about The Fame, The Fortune, and The Faults, and now he would have to look into it without any direct guidance.
But with the internet becoming less and less reliable, that would have to wait until after the storm ended. For now, he guessed he would sit around and try to enjoy his shitty hotel coffee.
