Third Viking Assault. [Video]

[punchandkiss]

[Astrid is sitting somewhere in Violet City when she turns her camera on, leaning her back against a wall. Her Axew is seated next to her, holding a pokemon egg between his legs as her Sentret sits on his head, chittering at everyone who walks by.]

[She's apparently added a new member to her team, as there is a rather tiny Shinx sitting in her lap. The little blue pokemon is gnawing on Astrid's thumb, her eyes intent, even as Astrid uses her other hand to rubs her fur between her ears. The teen doesn't even seem to realize she's doing it, her attention on the camera itself. She looks...frustrated.]

Okay, I know this place is pretty big, but how long does it actually take to get to Ecruteak from Violet?

[When you've spent your whole life in one village, distances can be a bit hard to wrap your head around.]

I need to get there. It's kind of an emergancy.

[She hesitates, her eyes narrowing as she studies the gear for a moment.]

Right. Someone told me I can use this to talk to just one person? Instead of...well, everybody. ...Can't figure out how, though. So, if anyone can let me know? I'm trying to reach a kid named Hiccup again.

Comments

[papshooshing]

[ actually... know what? he swipes Vanitas' Gear and angles the camera. ]

This is easier. Just watch.

[ Karkat is showing how to make a call! 8D ]

[punchandkiss]

[At least she's a fast learner. Astrid watches carefully as he performs this 'call' trick, and then faithfully repeats the process, managing to call...someone she doesn't know. She immediately hangs up. Whoops.]

...Okay. I can do that. It's almost easy...

[papshooshing]

I suppose I could write out a manual of sorts...

[punchandkiss]

...Explaining all the stuff in this thing?

[She taps the window and makes it shake. Oops.]

'cause that would be pretty cool.

[usedshooshpap]

Might as well. Newbies would benefit and I've got a fuck ton of time on my hands at the moment.

[punchandkiss]

[Astrid is actually getting used to all of Karkat's cursing, she suddenly realized she didn't notice when he does it.]

Really? But everyone seems to have stuff to do here. Training or badges.

[usedshooshpap]

Some... Friends of mine are still sleeping. I've already beaten all the gyms in this area too.

All I do is work and train at the moment - and watch their sorry asses.

[punchandkiss]

...Sleeping? [Somehow that feels like it means more than it should.]

[usedshooshpap]

Comatose.

[punchandkiss]

...Why? What happened? Are they okay?

[usedshooshpap]

That's also something else that happens with some frequency. People will just pass the fuck out. It's one method of returning home and gaining some memories.

They're fine though.

[punchandkiss]

Gaining memories. From home. In a coma.

[Just when she thought she was getting a handle on this place...]

[usedshooshpap]

It makes sense, actually. This reality is more of a video game than anything. In a game, the laws of physics don't really apply.

Like, time is frozen while we are not in our respective universes. It can't go on until we go back.

Then you also gotta think about games: they glitch. Our consciousness escapes might escape what keeps us here, but not for long.

[punchandkiss]

I know people have said this is a game but...I mean, that's just because there are rules, right?

What...does a glitch even mean?

[usedshooshpap]

That's because this is literally a game world where some people come from. Meaning they've held the system in their hands and played through all of this shit before.

A glitch, though, is an error in the code.

[punchandkiss]

[Astrid frowns for a moment, as if she's trying to work through what he is saying, and then she just growls faintly in frustration.]

I don't get ANY of this. I don't even know what half the words you just said mean. Code? Error? It's all nonsense!

[papshooshing]

Oh my god...

Don't you guys ever use coded messages?

[punchandkiss]

On what? This stupid magic window thing? Karkat, you just showed me how to make a phone call, which is apparently something everyone can just know how to do.

What do you think!

[papshooshing]

...

No, dumbass. On paper. Like secret messages?

[punchandkiss]

[Well that brings her up short.]

What? No. I mean, like, we've never had to?

[papshooshing]

But you know what I mean, right? It's a message you have to decipher?

[punchandkiss]

...Sure. Kind of.

[papshooshing]

What happens when one important letter can't be transcribed?

[punchandkiss]

[She's not that familiar with it, but she can figure it out.]

...You can't read it.

[papshooshing]

And that's exactly the type of thing that I'm talking about. The stuff on the Gear only is able to work because of coded messages. If one letter or number somehow is missing, added, or changed... It screws with the entire thing. Corrupts it.

If this world works the same way, running on coded messages, then it's logical to assume that every now and then, the code becomes unreadable. That's exactly what a glitch is.