entranceway | Δ [1st Cipher] SVOOL WZIPMVHH NB LOW UIRVMW

Entry tags:

Δ [1st Cipher] SVOOL WZIPMVHH NB LOW UIRVMW

[Static crackles and pops over the feed.

It is a combination of a radio tuner whining listlessly between stations with decent service, the familiar whirring grumble of the dial-up tone ad infinitum, the hoarse screech of a car trying to start on a lonely highway in the middle of the night, where it has broken down for seemingly no reason at all.

Images flicker: an illustration of Lincoln's assassination, a room draped with red curtains, the Teletubbies, President Nixon, video footage of a piglet slowly decaying into loam. And then- A V O I C E.]

I GӨƬƬΛ ƧΛY. ƬΉΣƧΣ DIGƧ ΛЯΣП'Ƭ ΉΛᄂF-BΛD. I MΣΛП, IƬ'Ƨ ПӨ IПƬΣЯGΛᄂΛᄃƬIᄃ ƬIMΣ PΛLΛᄃΣ ΛПD IƬ'Ƨ ПӨƬ ƬЯЦMP ƬӨЩΣЯ, BЦƬ I GΣƬ ƬΉΣ ΛPPΣΛL.

[On occasion, between the odd frequencies scrambling the frame with black and white noise, a single eye will appear.]

VΛMPIЯΣƧ. ΛПGΣᄂƧ. ᄃΛППIBΛᄂƧ. GӨDƧ. ΛΉΛΉΛΉΛΉΛ ӨΉ BӨY, IƧ ƬΉIƧ GӨППΛ BΣ FЦП. I'ᄂᄂ BΣ ЩΛƬᄃΉIПG YӨЦ, ЩӨПDΣЯᄂΛПD.

I ' ᄂᄂ B Σ Щ Λ Ƭ ᄃ Ή I П G Y Ө Ц.

[The transmission cuts, leaving a fuzzy screen and a garbled message:]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[what

is even happening.]

I'll certainly give you credit for originality.

Edited 2015-06-01 18:09 (UTC)

[Now here's a fellow that Bill can appreciate! One who understands the importance of the Gold Standard!]

ƬΣᄂᄂ MΣ ƧӨMΣƬΉIПG I DӨП'Ƭ KПӨЩ.

PΣDDᄂIПG ΛПY BЦᄂᄂIӨП ƬӨDΛY?

Whatever do you mean?

[That old habit of playing stupid when he knows exactly what someone is talking about slips out unchecked. To be fair, he might know what this being means, but he doesn't know why he knows, and doesn't want to admit it.]

[This is just

adorable.]

DӨП'Ƭ BΣ MӨDΣƧƬ. ЩΉӨƧΣ FIЯƧƬBӨЯП ΉΛVΣ YӨЦ ƧƬӨᄂΣП ᄂΛƬΣᄂY?

[voice means THEY CAN'T SEE YOUR EYETWITCH

OR CAN THEY.]

I fell out of habit. [and then:] What are you?

ᄃΛП'Ƭ ƧΛY I'M ПӨƬ DIƧΛPPӨIПƬΣD.

[Bill supposes that stealing firstborns grows stale after a while. Babies are smelly, repulsive little creatures, and he should know! The immortal Time Baby never stops whining across the three universes he inhabits.

Time Giants. No respect.]

...ƬΉΛƬ'Ƨ ЩΉΛƬ YӨЦ ᄂΣΛD ЩIƬΉ? "ЩΉΛƬ ΛЯΣ YӨЦ?" ЩӨЦᄂD YӨЦ ΛƧK ƬΉΣ JΣЯƧΣY DΣVIᄂ ЩΉΛƬ ΉΣ IƧ ƬӨӨ, ӨЯ ЩӨЦᄂD YӨЦ GΣƬ ΉIƧ ПΛMΣ FIЯƧƬ?

[A beat.]

IƬ'Ƨ JΣЯƧΣY, BY ƬΉΣ ЩΛY. ΉΣ'Ƨ ПӨƬ ƬӨӨ ᄃЯΣΛƬIVΣ.

I know better than to ask the name of someone who likely knows how much power one has.

ΉΛΉΛΉΛΉΛΉΛ. I ᄂIKΣ YӨЦ, GӨᄂDY.

[Considerate of him. Fortunately, Bill is just one of those Things™ that isn't compromised by anyone knowing his name.]

I'M Λ DRΣΛM DΣMӨП.

[wow that's a disconcerting laugh. did his giggle sound that disconcerting? IS THIS WHAT HE WAS LIKE WHEN HE WAS FULL-ON IMP???

no, he's pretty sure this is worse. he may have known Things, but he did not know All The Things.]

Surprisingly, that explains everything.

[it really does, actually. like why he is DEEP INTO EVERYONE'S HEADS.]

[Gold may have also noticed the tiny triangular decorative motif on some of the damask wallpaper in the Mansion's halls, but is it really important? No! Of course not! Stop asking questions!]

I GΣƬ ΛЯӨЦПD. ƬΉΣ ПΛMΣ'Ƨ BIᄂᄂ ᄃIPΉΣЯ.

[Goldy over here shouldn't play so coy.]

I ЩӨЦᄂDП'Ƭ ƬЯY ΛПYƬΉIПG FЦППY ƬΉӨЦGΉ, IƬ'Ƨ JЦƧƬ ΛП ΛПΛᄂӨG. MY ЯΣΛᄂ ПΛMΣ ЩӨЦᄂD ƧΉΛƬƬΣЯ YӨЦЯ ΣΛЯDЯЦMƧ ΛПD YӨЦЯ BᄂӨӨD ЩӨЦᄂD ЯЦIП ƬΉΣ ᄃΛЯPΣƬ.

Edited 2015-06-02 06:05 (UTC)

[much like your lynchian autotune, right. jesus it's like his ears are vibrating every time he talks.]

Oh, I'm not so new at the game to not know an alias when I hear one. The, ah, "funny business," as it were, I leave to Wonderland.

[and for once in his life he doesn't really feel compelled to offer a warning. he's pretty sure bill doesn't need one and also wow was that wallpaper always so full of little triangles. weird.]

[Leaving the funny business to Wonderland alone? Come on, where's the fun in that?]

ПΣXƬ ƬΉIПG YӨЦ'ᄂᄂ ƬΣᄂᄂ MΣ IƧ ƬΉΛƬ YӨЦ'VΣ ƧƬӨPPΣD MΛKIПG DΣΛᄂƧ ЩIƬΉ PΣӨPᄂΣ.

[awkward silence.

awkward silence.

awkward silence]

Well, nothing in life is free.

[Sorry, pal, did that make you u n c o m f o r t a b l e ?]

ЩΉΣЩ. FӨЯ Λ ƧΣᄃӨПD ƬΉΣЯΣ YӨЦ ΉΛD MΣ ЩӨЯЯIΣD. GЦYƧ ᄂIKΣ ЦƧ ᄃΛП'Ƭ JЦƧƬ GӨ IПƬӨ ЦƧΣD ᄃΛЯ ƧΛᄂΣƧ.

[MAYBE A LITTLE...]

"Guys like us." [could he sound more pretentiously scottish as he repeats something that DEFINITELY WASN'T MEANT TO BE PRETENTIOUSLY SCOTTISH.]

I wasn't aware we had so much in common, but you do have me at a disadvantage. [You can read minds and I can't. You're a dream demon, and I'm a ~~Puella Magi~~ writing ball of dark magic. BUT WHAT DO I REALLY KNOW ABOUT YOU.]

[Buddy, if you think you're pretentious, you should meet the Time Police. They're goddamn smug about everything.]

ƧЦЯΣ, I'VΣ GӨƬ Λ FΣЩ ƬЯIᄂᄂIӨП YΣΛЯƧ ӨП YӨЦ ΛПD MӨЯΣ ΣXPΣЯIΣПᄃΣ MΛПIPЦᄂΛƬIПG ƬΉΣ ΉЦMΛП ЯΛᄃΣ, BЦƬ ПӨ ӨПΣ IƧ PΣЯFΣᄃƬ.

[Not everyone can be a three-pointed manifestation of chaos.]

[trillion what.]

And I imagine that's what you're going to make use of your time here doing- striking a deal or two. And I don't have to tell you that the people here aren't so easily trusting. For all that Wonderland can break a person, it doesn't always make them desperate.

Edited 2015-06-14 05:00 (UTC)

ƬΉΣ ƬЯIᄃK IƧ ᄃӨПVIПᄃIПG PΣӨPᄂΣ ƬӨ ЩΛПƬ ЩΉΛƬ ƬΉΣY DӨП'Ƭ ПΣΣD. DӨП'Ƭ ƬΣᄂᄂ MΣ YӨЦ'VΣ ПΣVΣЯ ЩΛПƬΣD ƬӨ ƬЯY ΛПD ƧΣᄂᄂ IᄃΣ ƬӨ ΛП IПЦIƬ.

[Alternately, you can manipulate someone's mental faculties into buying what you've got for sale.]

On the contrary, I've always found deals to be more about what I need than the mere delight in the idea that I can get anything I want.

Edited (i put the emphasis on the wrong syllable.) 2015-06-18 20:08 (UTC)

ƬΉΛƬ'Ƨ Λ GIVΣП, ƧᄂIᄃK. YӨЦ DӨП'Ƭ ƬΉIПK I MΛKΣ DΣΛᄂƧ FӨЯ ƧΉIƬƧ ΛПD GIGGᄂΣƧ, DӨ YӨЦ?

[The echo in Bill's voice becomes monstrous, static embedded in the feed and a perpetual engine whine beneath the booming words that screech like nails on a chalkboard and simultaneously sound like the splatter of something wet and heavy on pavement.]

ЩΉΣП I PᄂΛY ЯIПG ΛЯӨЦПD ƬΉΣ ЯӨƧIΣ ƬΉΣY Λᄂᄂ FΛᄂᄂ DӨЩП.

[THERE IS A LONG

LONG

SILENCE.

And then he's back, like that didn't just make him stare at his phone like JESUS CHRIST, CALM DOWN, CHTHULU.]

So that begs the question of what your aim here is, then.

[Bill is probably a little more similar to Cyäegha, but you were close! A for effort. Or, as we say in the Old Tongue, Uln orr'e shogg-oth ng stell'bsna lw'nafh athg.*]

BΣIПG IMMӨЯƬΛᄂ GIVΣƧ YӨЦ Λ ᄂӨƬ ӨF PΣӨPᄂΣ ƬӨ KIᄂᄂ.

[A beat.]

ΉΛΉΛΉΛ, I'M JӨKIПG, I MΣΛПƬ ƬIMΣ. ƬIMΣ ƬӨ KIᄂᄂ.

[*R'lyehian for Summon the essence from the realm of darkness and ask for a dream contract.]

Edited 2015-06-24 20:23 (UTC)

[Time to... kill... people???]

And one unpleasant little fishbowl to kill it in.

[p r e c i s e l y]

ΉΣY, Λᄂᄂ YӨЦ GӨƬƬΛ DӨ ЩIƬΉ FIƧΉ IƧ PӨIƧӨП ƬΉΣ ЩΛƬΣЯ.

And yet, the satisfaction isn't worth the inevitable boredom.

[He could have killed entire kingdoms for funsies back at the height of his power, but he had actual goals and it never interested him, and besides then what would he do.]

voice;

improvident - 2015-07-08 03:40 (UTC) - Expand

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only