e x p e r i m e n t #08 (video)

[mviw]

[Some time Friday morning, September 8th, a new and particularly important broadcast appears on the network.

The feed flicks on to show Ford at a desk in his lab looking both tired and very guilty. ]

Uh, yes! Hello. Uh. Good morning?

[He clears his throat. Might as well get right down to it.]

As anyone who's slept since Wednesday will know, something weird has been happening. I may have been experimenting with a ward against a certain demonic triangle when there was an explosion that caused the ward's effects to warp and, for lack of better layman's terms, gave everyone the ability to traverse the Mindscape--that is, the realm parallel to any waking dimension.

To put it simply: Once you left consciousness at any point, you likely were able to explore your own mind, and the minds of others.

Fortunately, the effects seem to be temporary and I only singed half an eyebrow in the explosion, so... Good news! Everything should be back to normal by tomorrow.

Ahh, science. Well! That's all for today. If you don't want to deal with it, I suggest visiting one of the tea rooms for a delightful pot of industrial coffee. Always works for me!

[With a winning smile from Ford, the broadcast ends.]

Comments

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[postictal]

but this mindscape place
does it just always exist

[didntknowbest]

So in addition to being incredibly blase about this blatant invasion of privacy you have forced upon everyone, you are now dodging the question of safety entirely.

I really would not expect such childish and reckless behavior from a man your age.

[Boy, yeah, she's really annoyed now.]

[mviw]

What, do you expect me to be panicking? Depressingly penitent? So because I'm not handling this in a way you approve of, I must be wrong.

I don't actually have to answer your questions, especially not when you phrase them with that kind of preconceived bias.

I do have safety procedures because I share the lab with someone else. And if you'd been paying attention to the broadcast, the entire purpose of the experiment was to create a ward to protect people from your dimension.

All that said, I wasn't exempt from the effects either, so it hasn't exactly been a walk in the park.

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[mviw]

Yes, it does, but only beings lacking in physical form can reside within it. Beings with a physical form must either abandon their body or access it mentally.

As a rule, humans can't be there unless they're asleep, and the only way to get there is through magic.

It's not really a place anyway, so much as a parallel state of existence that has some consistency due to the consciousness of living creatures.

[didntknowbest]

You could, at the very least, offer any kind of apology.

And it is difficult not to be biased when the only real work I have seen from you so far has been things backfiring drastically. While I am sure that the intention of your experiment came from a good place, that does not change the result, or the fact that you should have been more careful.

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[naughty_nurse]

Mister Ford!

[SHE DIDN'T HAVE A FUN TIME.]

Did you plan for any of that?!

[mviw]

Oh yes, because you've absolutely asked me about the rest of my work. [He rolls his eyes.]

The only apology I'm going to give you is the one where I'm sorry we're having this conversation at all.

[didntknowbest]

Okay, then tell me about it, please. What other kinds of work have you done, and what safety procedures do you follow? What went wrong that caused an explosion? Who is it precisely that you share the lab with?

[mviw]

Here in Wonderland I've crafted all my weapons from scratch, and I test them far away from the mansion down by the forest. That little wrist device that uses a field to protect the wearer I built for Frisk, Alphys and my family is something I made last year before Christmas. They can hook up to the communicators here and they also tell the time.

At home I've even invented a lightbulb that can last a thousand years and makes your skin softer, [he starts counting on his fingers] diet supplements that provide all the nutrition a human body needs, a holographic, touch-sensitive chessboard program, a mind-control necktie, safe stasis chambers, a home security system that isn't absolutely terrible, a machine that can encode your thoughts away from prying eyes...

What, you want an exhaustive list? It'll take a few days.

Who I work with is none of your business. [He's not a rat.] But if you're interested in basic lab safety I'm sure there's a book on it in the library.

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[mviw]

What?! Of course not! [ D: ] I didn't like that any more than the rest of us.

Did someone hurt you? If someone hurt you, I'd like for you to tell me and I'll give them a piece of my mind. [And his big ol' gorilla fists.] We'll see how they like it.

[didntknowbest]

That is an impressive list. [Even if she kinda wants to say something about the weapons, but. Wonderland is, unfortunately, a place where that kind of thing is sometimes necessary. ...The mind control thing though, does sound extremely questionable.]

I did not ask about basic lab safety, I asked about your own. Explosions and causing everyone to become mind readers do not seem like the kinds of things that just happen.

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[postictal]

not anyplace people could get to without trying then
right

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[naughty_nurse]

No! No no! I... I mean, I was hurt, but not like that, it wasn't their fault, and...

I saw things... I think I saw things I wasn't supposed to see, and... I think... other people saw things I wanted to hide... Things I didn't want to tell people...

text; SUDDENLY LOCKED

[mviw]

Exactly. I keep my notes on incantations and magic locked up, so you don't have to worry about that.

I will advise you to stay away from an illuminati triangle named Bill. He exists in the Mindscape and he's the reason I have that metal plate. You don't need one to avoid him, but context might help you appreciate why you should avoid him at all.

NOW ENCRTYPED FOREVER

[postictal]

bill

[He makes a note of that. And a note to pass that down the line to Jay.]

got it
he exists in wonderland too though

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[onetruemorty]

Boy, I wanna say I- I'm surprised this is more of an experiment thing than a Wonderland thing, but I can't.

[ Makes the place kinda homey tbh. ]

No hard feelings, though. That, that ol' lady science, huh? She sure does have a way.

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[romsapience]

Ah! So, this wasn't one of Wonderland's events after all...

Well, I have to say, these past few days have become very interesting, I can't recall a time where I've actually looked forward to sleeping, or...rendering myself unconscious, per se! Frankly, I didn't know that anyone had the technology to render others to see their own minds - I thought it was all just science fiction!

Regardless, I didn't mind this turn of events. It was rather...enlightening, one would say!

[Turing flashes a smile at the screen!]

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[achomp]

Only half, huh? I know someone who'd be happy to make the other one match.

[ though by her smirk, it doesn't seem the threat is any degree of serious. ]

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[kingtrousele]

WAIT, SO THAT ALL WASN'T JUST SOME WEIRD DREAM?? I WAS ACTUALLY TRAVELING THROUGH MINDS?!?!?!

WOWIE!! SCIENCE SURE IS WEIRD!!!

[mviw]

He sure does. He's a dream demon and he likes to make deals. Don't ever shake his hand.

[mviw]

Yes! Yes, it is, thank you. And no, they don't just happen. Here we are, living in a crazy dimension where physics loses its mind when ancient magic comes into play.

If it helps you feel better, the effects of the magic will disperse entirely within 12-14 hours.

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[mviw]

Oh hey, kid! --You did? Huh. [That's good news!] I guess there's a silver lining after all.

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[mviw]

[Ford wilts and rubs the back of his neck. Oh geez.]

Yikes. I'm sorry, Mikan. I really didn't mean for anything to happen. I didn't like having people crawling around my headspace either. Trust me.

[An awkward pause. He's trying to be more communicative about emotions.] Uh. So... Will you be alright?

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[mviw]

Thanks, kid. She sure does, eh? Frankly, it could've been far worse. I'm not saying it wasn't bad for some people, but it really, really could have been worse.

As far as lab explosions go, that one was practically pleasant.

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[mviw]

[OH HEY PAPYRUS IS BACK! But he wouldn't remember Ford and Ford knows this, so--] It sure is! That's why I love it.

Hello there Papyrus! I know you don't know me, but I'm Dr. Stanford Pines. I've met you before, and I know your brother. Welcome back to Wonderland!