8th Dive

[shortpants_knight]

[Huh, well, that looks like Link. At least, one can tell it's Link. The cartoon style he's been saddled with looks like a certain cartoon those of us on the other side of the fourth wall would associate with his series. However, he seems to have put that aside in favor of poking around in one of the boxes marked ACME.

After a bit of rummaging, he comes out with what looks like a giant squeaky hammer. He swings it experimentally, checking its heft.

Then he notices Cambot. His noticing is accompanied by a small thought bubble with an exclamation point appearing above his head, but he doesn't notice it.]

This is bizarre.

Comments

[icanhastail]

[You know that look that sketches made in the margins of notebooks during class have? The really rushed and full of energy kind? Yeah, that's what Zidane's got going for him this week, and it actually kind of suits him - he's grinning at the giant hammer and even though he's standing still he still kind of looks like he's in motion.]

Isn't this great? Swing it, see what it does!

[shortpants_knight]

[Link isn't going to comment on Zidane's style. Frankly, the whole thing is weird. He is kind of curious about what the hammer can do, though. He gives it another test swing before striking the side of the crate with it.

The loud squeak it emits at first startles him, but once he's over that startlement he's... underwhelmed.]

... It makes noise.

[fearmylaserface]

...

It really is like some kind of children's cartoon. Including thought bubbles.

[shortpants_knight]

Cartoon?

[Not something he's familiar with. He's familar with illustrated stories, sure, so everyone suddenly looking like drawn images isn't much weirder than other things the place has done to them. But he's never seen anything with those pictures moving.]

[fearmylaserface]

It's entertainment for children. Except... We're living in it.

[shortpants_knight]

I see. It's just puzzling because such things don't exist in my world.

[fearmylaserface]

Oh. In that case, just two real rules of thumb. Nothing actually dies, and the laws of physics don't apply.

And things make strange sound effects.

[shortpants_knight]

That's... three rules, but I think I see what you mean.

[fearmylaserface]

That last part wasn't exactly a real. More color commentary.

[wefallinsilence]

That's certainly one way to put it.

[Ienzo looks almost relentlessly adorable, as if he's stepped out of a particularly enthusiastic anime that's insisted on playing up the fact that he's both relatively short and relatively young.]

[shortpants_knight]

Maybe too gentle of a way to put it.

[Link may or may not be grateful he didn't wind up with that style.]

[wefallinsilence]

[Ienzo rather wishes he hadn't ended up with it, to be honest.]

It might, yes.

[shortpants_knight]

I suppose things could have been worse.

[wefallinsilence]

Most things can be, although it's not often something to be wished for.

[sailorlaughter]

[Pinkie stares. And headtilts. And then squeezes her eyes shut really really tight.

After a few seconds, a thought balloon appears above her head as well, this one with a "?" in it. Pinkie immediately jumps up and away.]

Wow! That TOTALLY worked! Hey, hey, look! [She grabs it out of the air, turning it over in her hooves. It appears to be made of felt.] I bet Rarity could make something really, really cool out of this! Do you think thoughts are in style this year?

[shortpants_knight]

[Just... what? Link doesn't notice it, but his reaction to Pinkie Poe's experiment with the thought bubble has brought another thought bubble, this time simply with an ellipsis. This just keeps getting weirder.]

[sailorlaughter]

Ooooh, polka dots! Great idea! [She leans down and removes the top of the question mark with her teeth, tossing it aside and leaving just the dot.]

[shortpants_knight]

[His own bubble now has a spaced out ellipsis although now that he's observed the bubble in someone else, he realizes what's going on and looks up.]

I'l rephrase that. This is beyond bizarre.

[sailorlaughter]

Whaaaaat? Haven't you ever seen a thought balloon before, silly?