{text}

[healium]

Mr. Strider, I have a request for your attention? Lil Sebastian has ... well, I can't really say he's gone missing, but I'm a bit confused. You said he had a stuffed rabbit beneath his exoskeleton, and now he seems to be wearing it on the outside. Was that some sort of "blending in to get the tactical advantage" setting I don't know about? It's bad enough that I still have to repair Poppop when I "return home", but I don't think Dad will take to a sunglasses wearing critter running about; at least with his more robot-looking appearance, I could have him hold still and pretend to just be a toy you sent.

Honestly, this entire little charade going on around me is nothing short of eyebrow-raising. I can't really have been transported somewhere when all that's happened is Lil Seb looking ready to drop the fridge; I haven't even had the opportunity to get my game yet!

[There's at least a good four minutes before the next text shows up.]

This isn't some ironic test to make me less skeptical about what I'm hearing and seeing, is it? Or is this suddenly one of the occasions where I'm being caught by a giant, squishy, foam butt and have yet to wake up from the weird dreams?

Comments

text;

[timelymaid]

which mister strider are you looking for
because we have two to my knowledge!!
dave and his human lusus whom i have never spoken to
also i do not believe we have met :)
i am aradia megido
how do you do?

text;

[healium]

I happen to be looking for the one whose name is Dirk. Dave, I believe, is his older brothers name? [So does Dirk have another relative she has no idea about? But whaaat....]

I don't believe we've met either! It's lovely to meet you, my name is Jane Crocker.

[...... Going to take a little longer, but here comes another text.]

This talk of being in the Pokemon world and all of that nonsense, it's just part of a strange dream, right? [It sounds so silly to be asking, but this is a little too much to wrap her head around and outright buy just yet.]

text;

[timelymaid]

the dirk strider is not here i am sorry!!
jake mentioned him though
and i am afraid this is not a dream or a dream bubble
this is a reality although it is not one i previously knew existed!

i can now introduce myself more precisely by the way
i am the maid of the time from the session twice before yours
of sburb i mean
i believe that is the human term for it

text;

[healium]

Jake, as in, Jake English?
I find it hard to believe that this could be another reality; how could I have gotten here?

I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I'm following what you mean from "session"?
The only familiar name is the title and Sburb. Mine is supposed to be the maid of life. What do you mean by human term, exactly, as well?

1/2 [Video]

[hoperaider]

[Okay, yes, Jake did have a WHOOPS moment and turned on video because jkfldashjfekaw JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He remembers too late that he looks like he just got out of a fire and, blushing, fiddles with the controls.]

2/2 [Text]

[hoperaider]

[Text going...now!]

Jane!
Goodness its great to see you!
Ive no idea about this squishy butt business...but point of fact is that dirk isnt here just yet.
Hell probably come eventually but at the moment we are currently without that particular strider.
Roxy is here though!

1/3

[healium]

[Give her a moment, because she doesn't recognize Jake for a moment there; who the hell is that, looking like he crawled out of a fire -- oh.]

2/3

[healium]

[THAT TEXT IS OBVIOUSLY JAKE SO THAT MUST HAVE OBVIOUSLY BEEN JAKE.]

[text] i need more selection fffffffffff so used to more than 15 icons..

[healium]

I, uh, ignore the squishy butt business for now. It isn't nearly as important as my question for you; why do you look like you've been in a fire!?

[text] God I know those feels..................

[hoperaider]

Oh ah.
Well.
Funny you should mention that!
Um.
There was...sort of a fire yesterday in the city im in?
Nothing to be alarmed about! Im fine and dandy and came out relatively unscathed!

[roemance]

[Urgh more friends of Striders.

GODDDDDDDDDDDD.

Oh wait he was meant to be civil and shit wasnt he]

wwe got twwo striders here
davve and his human lusus bro

[healium]

Not one by the name of Dirk?
He wears pointed shades, if that makes a difference.

[roemance]

[..]

the old ones got pointy glasses but hes not called dirk
he said his name wwas bro

[healium]

That's strange.
Dirk has said his older brothers name is Dave.
Maybe a sibling I haven't been told about?
He may not even know Bro, actually, since he only knows a little about Dave.

[Musing to herself, yup yup.]

[Text] I'll be on hiatus soon but I CAN'T HELP BUT TAG THIS

[used_puppets]

well i can see i was already a conversational topic among you and the others
i'm bro
bro strider

[Text] |Db also damn you time shenanigans

[healium]

Bro Strider?
Just Bro, not some ironically hidden name that I will be called a silly goose for missing?
Yes, you are indeed someone to talk about, but I suppose that isn't the most polite thing.
It's lovely to meet you, my name is Jane Crocker.

Do you have a younger brother by the name of Dirk, perhaps? Younger than Dave?

[Text] Ops, I took forever to reply!

[used_puppets]

just bro.
no mysterious riddles here.
and it's good to meet you too.

look as far as i'm concerned dave is my only brother.
i heard about this dirk guy from jake's mouth and apparently he's me from the future?
still not exactly sure how that works.
my head's still spinning from the explanation i was given.

text;

[voidedrogue]

[ SUPER FAMILIAR BLUE TEXT, Roxy is basically squeeing and doing a fistpump as soon as she sees it. ]

omgomgomg
jaaaaaaaaaaaneeeeeyyyyyyyyyy
janey jane jane

text;

[healium]

Hello Roxy!
Jake and Aradia both said you were here, but I'm glad I get to hear from you myself.
:B!

text;

[ghostytrainer]

[Though John hasn't met Jane before, this color is hardly foreign to him. And since it was his universe's version of Jane that was using it...]

[That must mean...]

[Yup, a quick glance at two of the other responses confirms it.]

jane!
i can't believe it, you are finally here! this is great! :D

text; ARE YOU MY POPPOP?! LET'S TRADE MUSTACHES.

[healium]

That was a really nice greeting, but I'm afraid I don't know who you are?
Or were you one of the people Jake was talking about?

[TEXT IS SO UNHELPFUL IN THIS INSTANCE.]

text; YES. TO BOTH THINGS.

[ghostytrainer]

oh! right, sorry. my bad!
i am john. it's possible that jake mentioned me, i guess.
but i guess you could say i am your grandfather/alt-universe grandson who is actually, technically your son but also your ectobiological, button-pressing father.

[Try saying that ten times fast. Or better yet, just try making sense of it.]

[Text]

[moveslikestrider]

welp since everyone let the cats out of the bag i better step into this show
roxy and jake weighed in so you must be this jane ive heard so much about
yo this is dave strider
the other strider trapped in pokemon land
which is where you are now
you get the whole kid time for you to start your journey because i in no way give a shit about school
go be an animal tamer and make me proud
did you get that speech
i mean not those words exactly but you get the idea

[Text] IS IT TRUE MY POPPOP IS HERE

[healium]

Not quite that speech, but the irony rang true.
I've gotten most of the gist for the world we're now in, but something else has been throwing me off.

Is it true that my friends and I are time shenanigan relatives of your friends?
I can already see the Strider irony is a family trait, and Dirk spoke of his brother every now and then

[Text] YES IT IS

[moveslikestrider]

thats right
its actually pretty simple
but sort of complicated at the same time
if that makes any sense

of course irony is a family thing its striders manifesto made real
did he
what did he say