hadriel | o1. → text;

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Normally, I would think what I'm about to ask is an odd question, but given the location and the circumstances, maybe not so much.

( this is gonna make for a good first poke at the network, innit, sammy? )

How many of you actually know about monsters? Spirits, things that go bump in the night, that sort of thing? Because where I'm from, they're pretty common, and I've noticed from meeting others here that it isn't that way for everyone.

( which is how it should be, if you ask him. nobody should know that the thing in their closet is real. )

Next question. Would anyone be interested in learning about things like that, and how to protect yourself against them?

( there. it's out there. he's doing a good thing. )

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( oh god, wendigos. he does not. does not want to think about wendigos. )

We have wendigos, too. A little different from the ones that I've seen here, but they seem to die the same way, at least.

I have a lot of tips, actually. ( more than anyone should, tbh. )

Probably on most anything you'd want to know. I'm thinking of starting up a ... I guess a kind of learning annex for anyone that wants a better chance at being prepared when the new things show up every month.

The ones here were the ones from my world.

[And that there were similarities but they aren't exactly the same as the ones from Sam's world is... Interesting. Not great, but better than them being completely different at least. Maybe some tips for other monsters will carry over.]

That's a good idea. People could add in how to fight monsters from their own worlds too, maybe, since some of the things that show up come from them.

[Like said wendigos.]

How did the ones from your world end up here?

( come on, sam. that's the first thing you pick up on? it's not like it's such a far-fetched idea, given everything you've seen since you learned that the things under beds that go bump in the night are actually real - but he still has to ask, because it seems like a plausible enough question. )

I'm glad I'm not the only one that thought it was a good idea. It's always better to be prepared for anything, you know? And any added input would be great.

( even if, damn it, why do there really have to be monsters everywhere? )

Came through the Door, I guess? I don't know for sure. I think they were in spirit form so it's not like it would've been hard to miss them showing up.

[And the timing of it was awfully convenient, but that's another issue.]

Yeah, definitely. A way for everyone to get information when they need it is way better than hoping they see a particular post or you get a chance to talk to them in person or something.

[He agrees on that sentiment. Monsters suck.]

I guess that makes about as much sense as any other explanation.

( because anything else could sound just as ludicrous, and given the things he's seen both here and back home, nothing seems all that far-fetched to him anymore. )

Exactly. And you can't always trust technology, anyway. ( the network might go down, devices might go on the fritz or something equally mundane - but the song remains the same. )

Plus, I mean ... I hate to say it, but I kind of get the feeling that things are just going to get worse. Especially when we have no idea what's going to end up coming next.

I'm kind of surprised these phones have worked so well so far actually.

Yeah. I mean, before the wendigos some other really awful shit happened and I know my friends and I were thinking that at least it wasn't wendigos. Then you know.

[The gods, fate, or whatever else it might be definitely likes making things worse than one could expect.]

You and me both.

This is why you never say "at least it isn't" something. I learned that the hard way.

( because he and dean have been in entirely too many situations that they thought could have been much worse - and then somehow were. )

Yeah learned that lesson.

[Everything is terrible, Sam.]

( he feels you, chris. he really does. )

Is there anything else like that where you're from, or is it just wendigos?

( why is that such a normal damn question. )

We don't know. I mean, probably there are, right? Why would it only be wendigos that were special?

[As much as he hates the idea.]

( he hates that idea for you, bro. )

It would make sense, as much as I hate to admit it.

I noticed, though, that yours were a little different from mine. Yours have something to do with possession, right? And cannibalism?

Yeah.

They do; the wendigos are actually spirits or something, and they possess someone who's already engaged in cannibalism or is starving and then pushes them into cannibalism. After that, the person transforms, and if you kill them it just releases the spirit to go after someone else.

The guy who taught us about them was trapping them, but we just didn't have a way to keep that up.

And there's no way to save the person once they're possessed. Right?

( he's pretty sure he knows the answer to that question, but he needs to hear it, anyway.

or read it, in this case. )

Not as far as any of us know.

[He's pretty sure the answer is a hard no, since the stranger said trapping or killing them were the only option.]

I mean, Hope said he could cure people if we got them to the Temple, but I don't know if anyone managed that.

[They'd tried, but hadn't succeeded.]

( well that ... would explain a lot.

a lot that he isn't going to mention right now. )

I haven't heard of anyone managing it. ( and that would be why things ended for him the way that they did. something else he isn't going to talk about. sheesh. )

Well, this is why I want to help make sure people have a better chance than they do now. So that kind of thing doesn't happen again.

Yeah. Neither have I.

[Which is depressing and yet not unexpected. It was just such a dangerous task to try to attempt, let alone to succeed at.]

I'm not sure how much it would've helped for that situation, since by the time we figured out what was going on it was already too late for the people going affected, but yeah. Maybe for things like it it could give everyone early warning or something. More info usually doesn't hurt a situation, at least.

( and even with some of the powers some of the people seem to have here - some risks just aren't worth taking. he couldn't have blamed anyone for not wanting to. )

I'm starting to think we should just start handling out pamphlets with a title like 'How Well Do You Know Your Baddies' or something.

( sam. now isn't really the time for humor. :| )

That's the problem. By the time you figure out what you're dealing with, sometimes it's already too late. I'm hoping that reaching out like this will make our chances at least marginally better with the next ... thing that comes through.

It'd be like the shittiest vacation pamphlet ever. 'Hey, welcome to Hadriel, enjoy the local fauna' or whatever.

[It's okay Sam; inappropriate humor about serious topics is fine with him.]

Yeah, that's true. Especially for new people, after whatever monster is already here. I mean like the wendigo spirits are already here and we know it, so advance warning not to eat anyone could actually be useful to new people.

I'd hope they already know not to do that, but with this place who knows.

( well at least they're in agreement on that. this is almost beginning to sound like a perfectly normal conversation. )

The absolute worst.

I would REALLY hope that no one coming in here would need to be told not to eat people. Unless by some messed up twist Jeffrey Dahmer comes through the door.

I'd hope so too, but like... With all the different types of places the people here are from, who knows.

[With the terrible luck most of the people here seem to have, they'd fail to warn the one person who comes from a culture that doesn't have a problem with cannibalism.]

( okay that's ... true, whether he wants to admit to it himself or not. and the thought of it kind of makes his skin crawl. )

Point.

All the more reason to make sure we pass around as much info as we can.

[He doesn't like the idea a whole lot either.]

Yeah. I think someone had talked about writing a welcome packet before or something? But nothing really happened with it as far as I know.

[He can't remember who it was either; they may not even still be here.]

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