video | i was one of those preteen backstreet boys fans and i am living

[axemeaquestion]

[The video is shot from someone's seated lap, legs in dark jeans crossed, Rochelle doing her best to hide that she's recording. Across cameramen and a news van, a Level 2 local news anchor is interviewing a young deer Prismal in a *BTSB shirt.

The Prismal is very excitedly going off into why Lecter is their favorite fox boy. He's hot, he's talented, he LOVES cats, and they saw him in the gym the other day and oh my god look at this selfie they got??

They take out their phone and start waving their selfie in front of the camera, jumping up at down. After a point, they just start rambling. Rochelle tilts her phone up to her face. She grins behind a hologram script, expression equal parts exasperated and fondly amused.

She switches to text not long after.]

back where i'm from we had a couple big boy bands like this with a LOT of fangirls like these. i was sixteen when they got really big. i was also pretty dumb. somehow thought i was better than everyone else who liked them because i liked 1980s new wave and synth pop more. like i said, i was sixteen.

so anyone seen these BTSB guys around? Backstay Sailor Boys or something? because wow. i thought the Midnight Riders was a bad name for a band.

then again, the latter literally saved my life after the infection hit. had to blast crappy old guy rock music and fireworks and fight off zombies on a fairground stage to get a helicopter's attention. so what do i know?

anyway. people are saying i should use this network thing to talk about my thoughts more so uhhhhhh. work's interesting lately? management's pushing a lot more fluff and celebrity stories. this station's already small and kind of directionless and now

well

here's hoping i don't end up in tabloid journalism i guess.

Comments

[meteorman]

[Ah, shit.]

I apologize. I'm primarily a researcher of the paranormal and sometimes I forget that's not a subject everyone wants to hear me wax poetic about.

[Classic Ford Pines blunder, substituting scientific theory for actual... like... normal conversation. Normal conversation scary.]

[uncredentialed]

A few decades is closer than a few centuries, which I've also encountered, so there's that.

[axemeaquestion]

[Pfft.]

it's okay, mr. researcher. i don't mind waxing a LITTLE poetic, but i only dealt with ONE paranormal thing for, like, a collective week.

not that it didn't feel longer tbh.

[She's not exactly shocked paranormal researchers actually exist in a place like this, though.]

[meteorman]

[Your definition of 'normal' definitely changes once you live in a place where you get a government-assigned fursona.]

A week of apocalypse is more than long enough even without the human brain's tendency to distort the perception of time in stressful situations.

[Wait. No. That's probably still too 'I have twelve PhDs' on main.]

By which I mean, I imagine this place is a welcome change of pace even if the work isn't all that highbrow.

[axemeaquestion]

[Don't worry, Ford. My other character has You're not the only dude with 10+ PhDs around here.]

i get the idea. and kind of. it's relatively normal? relatively. but tbh i'll take any kind of normal at this point.

[It's more complicated than that, but she's not about to spill all her apocalypse-based anxieties to this guy.]

to answer what you were talking about though: yeah, my zombies are from an infection. not undead. they used to be just movie fiction until recently.

[axemeaquestion]

me too

or just people from completely different worlds - kind of like this one i guess

but the fact we both know the same song's actually pretty rare for me

[meteorman]

[Not even ten comments into a public network thread is definitely not the place for deep anxiety talk. That's absolutely fair. Maybe way down the line, if he keeps his foot out of his mouth.]

Relatively normal is better than nothing.

[That's safe. True, too. Much as he loves the strange and unusual, he was kind of looking forward to settling down in his native dimension and having more mundane adventures. And now surprise! This nonsense!]

The differences in the native 'normal' for the huge variety of different people drawn here is something I'm eager to get more insight into, which is why I asked the questions I did. Compared to some of our outliers, myself included, you're doing just fine.

[loungelizard]

[You get promotions like that for a reason, after all!]

Offering to play headhunter, then? I'm also looking for a graphic designer, marketer, community manager/publicist, copyright lawyer, accountant, website QA...

[so like

almost everyone, Larry?]

And whatever talented individuals that you come across looking for a way to get their stuff out there!

Oh, and make sure they're of age. We move adult content.

[Actually it's almost exclusively adult content at this point.]

[axemeaquestion]

so everyone, huh?

but i can do that. producers do a lot of headhunting. might take some time, if that's an issue. gotta balance this out between station work.

[Honestly, putting a team together was a big part of her old job, so she's not that intimidated by it.]

[axemeaquestion]

something like that.

[Again: long story.]

if you're trying to get insight, i'm guessing this place is paradise for... what did you call it, paranormal research?

[loungelizard]

No rush. I'm still working on acquiring an office building, so most of my time these days is spent tangled up in red tape and playing phone tag.

I imagine most people would appreciate having an office to move into upon being hired!

[axemeaquestion]

i'm guessing this is a remote thing for now?

[loungelizard]

Er...

No, not really.

[can you hear him sweating anxiously through text.]

I'm doing it all myself so far.

[Thankfully he has one (1) producing artist right now so it sounds worse than it actually is.]

[axemeaquestion]

Oh.

[Well. Now she's pretty (incorrectly) sure that she just volunteered herself for some guy's bargain basement business.

Kind of like every get-rich-quick scheme she's ever heard (again, incorrectly).

At least she's keeping her day job.]

Well. I'll see what I can do.

[iminthebook]

It's pretty good, these days. Been settling in, and looking into work beyond pick up stuff.

It does, yes. For good or ill.

[axemeaquestion]

okay good

that's my favorite song

[iminthebook]

I can just see you jamming to it.

I might have to see if I can get a guitar and play it sometime.

And yes, I can play that and other boy band songs on the guitar.

[axemeaquestion]

in my defense, i was eighteen by the time i was fully converted to NSYNC

awww you'd do that for me? sacrifice your personal taste and everything?

[iminthebook]

Aha!

I would be glad to. What else are friends for?

[axemeaquestion]

your suffering is noted

seriously though - i'd love it

[uncredentialed]

Yes, at least there's that.

[meteorman]

[That's something Ford is rapidly realizing. Everybody here is nothing but long stories. That seems to be part of the criteria for who gets kidnapped and stuck on the moon.]

I would say so. Between the incredibly unique native magic system and the fact that there are centaurs and aliens among the moonblessed, I'm spoiled for choice.

Admittedly research has taken a back seat to work lately. Food doesn't buy itself.

[axemeaquestion]

huh.

i figured something like that would actually be in demand here.

[meteorman]

If I had to hazard a guess I would say that no one needs to read my musings on the subject of the native magic when there is at least one university here with an entire curriculum focusing on it. And I cannot base a study on centaurs around only two examples of the species.

None of my current academic work is publishable; my art is.

[iminthebook]

Hah.

I'd be glad to. Honestly, I've been thinking about playing a lot lately, and this i9s just another reason to do so.

I'll go looking sometime soon.

Wanna come along? Can't be as weird as meeting in a sex shop.