RADIO FREE ELLIE: 1st Broadcast.

[ascocarp]

WHO: Ellie and YOU.
WHAT: Ellie is bored and playing with a ham radio.
WHERE: Anywhere with a radio.
WHEN: After the TDM, for various values of 'after' when time is variable.
NOTES: It's Ellie, so casual discussions of violence are de rigueur.

[The broadcast begins a little fuzzy as Ellie messes with the dials and utters indistinctly to herself.] Can I- uh- yeah, okay. Cool. Hello? Wait, no, that's... [More fuzz and murmuring.]

[Eventually, she seems satisfied. Now, how do radio broadcasts go? She remembers the ones in Boston's military QZ go...? God, she never paid any attention in that class. Her voice comes in clear, and it's obviously a young person speaking.] Uhhhh, nine-hundred hour... fuck it, the sky's fucking broken. Callsign... Daniela Star.

[Right.]

So, like, is there anybody here that goes by William? Or Will? Not Bill. Heh, those guys are assholes...

Oh! Also, has anybody seen any frickin' trees? Like real trees, with branches and shit. I found some potted plants, but they were all plastic. What about animals and stuff? I don't mean the freaky shadows, fuck those assholes. Like actual living breathing animals.

But... y'know, speaking of the shitty shadow fuckers, does anybody know how to, like, beat them? I saw somebody do it, but they had like a full suit of armor. I tried it and my hand almost fell off. They're cold.

...Maybe that's it. Anybody seen any fucking suits of armor laying around?

Comments

[omniavincit]

Hi. [ He sounds—amused, albeit tentative. It's the way she says trees that makes it click, reminds him of the lines scratched beneath her words.

It's a particular kind of joy, something in this place finally adding up. ]

Uh, William standing by? [ There's a break as he fusses with his set, trying to shake the thought of his voice blasting from every radio in the vicinity. ] Reporting in. I hope this isn't a talk show.

[ascocarp]

[Um.]

What's a talk show?

[omniavincit]

[ Wait what. ]

You'd interview me and I'd...try to sell my latest book. Daniela Star sounds like a talk show host, that's all. [ Please don't get any ideas.

Moving on: ] I haven't seen anything living. I'm starting to think nothing's native to this place.

[calculo]

( robbie recognizes that voice. he'd heard it throwing insults at him not too long ago. he's glad, though, that she's in one piece. she seems smart enough to survive even in a place like this but it's good to have it confirmed that she made it through. )

No suits of armor anywhere I've looked. Think they make 'em in your size?

( his tone is, as ever, dry but the question isn't serious. )

How's your hand?

[ascocarp]

Nothing else makes any fucking sense, here. Why can't I have a suit of armor?

[But her tone isn't as, let's say, defensive, as it was previously.]

It's fine. How's your... life? Fuck, I dunno. Hurray for not being dead. Have you seen anybody else?

[calculo]

This place seems pretty short on suits of armor, wouldn't you say?

( or maybe he just hasn't been looking in the right places. hell if he knows. suits of armor haven't been a priority. )

Life's great. Perfect. But yeah, I've seen a few people. They're all delightful.

[wontgraham]

[ Will has two main thoughts: stunned that someone's saying his name, and immediately connecting it to the only possible person left that he'd shared his own with. And two: a wave of itchy, stomach-clenching jealousy that this is apparently someone who's been near someone else, in person.

Will's seen one person and spoken to a few, but that's been it so far. He doesn't waste time in responding, once he thinks she's done speaking. ]

Are you Ellie? [ His voice is...decidedly an adult's. Sorry, Ellie, for this incoming disappointment. ] I—

This is Will. [ And despite how young her voice sounds, Will was actually anticipating someone even younger-sounding. Surprises all around. ] From the...wallpaper. [ Wow, let's hope this is who Will's assuming it is, otherwise that would sound. Crazy. ]

[ascocarp]

[Disappointment, meet confusion.]

What the fuck, there're two?

[wontgraham]

[ Confusion x2, now. ]

...What? [ It takes him a second. ] Two Wills, you mean?

[gonplei]

[ That is... decidedly a kid. A foulmouthed kid, but a kid. Her immediate urge is to ask how old she is, but she resists it for a moment. She supposes it doesn't really matter, anyway. Any kid stuck in this situation alone is unfair. ]

'Daniela Star'?

[ They didn't have comics in space. ]

No one is named that.

[ascocarp]

Daniela Star's named Daniela Star.

[Don't piss on her cheerios, dude.]

Anyway, I said it was my callsign. That's, like, different.

[gonplei]

Uh, okay. [ Said like "whatever, kid", but fuck, she doesn't really know what call signs are. She's never even heard of ham radio. Abort.

Anyway: ]

You sound young. [ She's not going to bother with any patronizing crap; she's been there, done that, just on the receiving end. ] You got a gun?

[ragnarsson]

I haven't seen anyone beat the shadow creatures, but someone using magic seemed to have more of an effect on it then just regular weapons.

[Trust him, he'd tried his hardest with the latter and had no success whatsoever, much to his consternation.]

[ascocarp]

[Wait wait wait.]

You saw magic? Who was doing it? Were they a wizard? Are there wizards here?

[ragnarsson]

Yes, there is a sorcerer here. And he's a king too. A king-sorcerer.

[Ivar is impressed as well. Magic is cool.]

[swordliest]

Does that make me one of the lucky ones?

[Being that he already has armor and all.

Hi. He went looking for a radio after seeing her use one, since not being able to talk to anyone got old fast, and he's... okay at using it. Probably he cuts out here and there every so often, but passable.]

That'd be a weird change of pace. Nice, but weird.

[ascocarp]

I mean, I haven't seen anything else than worked. Some guy said there was some kinda... magic king? But I haven't seen it. Is he from your place?

[swordliest]

A king? [He scoffs, lightly.] Not likely. Possible, I guess, but— [but, he's thinking about possibilities, now] I doubt it.

[There's an edge of something sharp under his tone. Mages, fine, that wouldn't bother him so much... but king gets at him, his closest equivalent being the Archon.

Blah blah blah, he's politically neutral, whatever... Tevinter mucking around willy nilly is still the last thing anyone needs right now.]

Did you hear anything else? A name?

[He hasn't discounted the idea that all of this is just the work of a sufficiently-powerful mage. Eliminating the possibility of blood magic would be nice.]

[decisiveconquest]

(Ellie's youth appeals to her more than anything she says. A child shouldn't be here. She shouldn't be here.)

Are you safe?

[ascocarp]

[Ughhhh why does everyone keep asking that.]

Are you?

[decisiveconquest]

(Because you are little, Ellie.)

I've been better.

[skaa]

I haven't tried to fight the shadows, yet. I'll update if I do. ( there's a... lot going on in this place. Vin's overwhelmed. but something she can do is fight. even if she's fighting shadows.

one problem at a time. )

I haven't seen trees, though. Or animals. Or any sign of life, aside from us. I don't know if the shadows count.

[ascocarp]

But, I mean, there's all this stuff. People use stuff. There was somebody here, once, but they're all dead.

[Is this your bias from living in a post apocalyptic shithole, Ellie? She doesn't even consider it.]

i'm claiming variable time shenanigans and not my being absent

[itselbitch]

Trees would be nice because then at least we could build less flimsy weapons. Or start a bonfire to. I don't know. Keep the monsters away more easily. I haven't seen any though or that would've been the first thing I would have tried.

[ dat callsign tho. ]

Hello, Daniela Star. This is Jack Shepard. [ all continents are technically just giant ass islands, right?? even if there is no ocean in sight. this has to be a continent. island. probably. whatever. ]

I haven't actually tried defeating one yet. They don't have any very clear weaknesses, so it makes it somewhat silly to attempt without any semblance of a cohesive plan.

I can drive them away though. Or at least slow them enough to get away from them. Whatever that's worth.

[ascocarp]

I can make a bow and arrow. I already found some good strings. [RIP those cellos she destroyed.]

Ten-four, Jack Shepard!

Well, now I'm just jealous. [She doesn't believe him, but shine on you crazy diamond.]