!Activity detected!
Monitoring activated
• Hallway camera 5 active
• Specialised camera 10-2 active
• Specialised mic 10-2 active
• Real-time AI transcript active
<Begin Recording at: 06:59PM>
Date: 27/07/37
Location: High Tower Avenue. Pinriver Overlook, tenth floor, apartment two. Level 11.
Involved individuals: Esther Hanks, Holly Clove.
[As it was a weekday, the Backrooms—and Level 11 especially—was experiencing a rush of commuting people to and fro various points in the various M.E.O.D. conglomerated communities. The same was especially true for the renamed "High Tower Avenue", a former factionless village turned into an office and residential paradise for a variety of the M.E.O.D.'s big name brands and divisions. One such was the building for the A Team of the Blogrooms, which had been housed in a great and modern skyscraper ever since its inception. More recently, however, many of the other modern office buildings had been repurposed into apartments and shops for the staff of the Blogrooms—and other companies—to live in and purchase from.
Within the bustle of formally dressed businesspeople and less formally dressed journalists was a woman who looked incredibly out of place. Whilst she was following the crowd towards the residential portion of High Tower Avenue, she had not originated from the offices like everyone else had. Instead, she had crossed one of the safe connecting roads from Level 11's capital to here, and was trying to hastily brush past the actual commuters to reach the plaza that was connected to the Pinriver Overlook, a formal and fancy apartment complex.
She hastily ran through the plaza, bumping someone accidentally before going through the revolving door and to one of the apartment's elevators. She pressed the call button a number of times in quick succession, and sighed with relief when she found it empty. She got in it, pressed the button for the tenth floor firmly, and swung nervously on her heels as it ascended. She was out the doors the second they were wide enough to go through, and she paced down the corridor to the second apartment, of which there were only four on each floor. Almost falling, she stopped at the door, knocking on it rapidly.]
Esther Hanks: Holly, Holly please, open the door…
[Almost as though Esther had wished it, after her rapid knocks at the door it swung open quickly. The person on the other end looked alarmed and worried, almost matching Esther's emotions, with their worried look only worsening when they saw who was actually at her door.]
Holly Clove: Esther?? What's wrong, why are you crying?
[Wordlessly, Esther flung herself into Holly's arms, holding them tightly as she sobbed profusely on their shoulders. Holly, perhaps understandably, froze for a moment, totally unsure of what to do. She rested the side of her head against Esther's slowly, and led them inside whilst closing the door.]
Enacting conversation tracking procedures, switching to:
- Specialised camera LR 10-2
- Specialised mic LR 10-2
- Real-Time AI transcript still active
!Important: The following footage must be deleted within 168 hours, unless preserved by an administrator or archivist.
[Holly continued to console Esther wordlessly as they were brought inside the large and surprisingly lavish main room for a journalist. It had two sofas and a sofa chair, all of which flanked a large but stout coffee table that was sat underneath a ceiling mounted television. There were also many bookshelves, with varying quantities of books and paintings which dotted three out of the four walls of the main room. The fourth was nothing but floor-to-ceiling windows and a glass door for a balcony, looking out upon the canal that the building was named after. Holly, very gently, brought Esther to sit at one of the couches, staying besides her.]
Holly Clove: Tell me what's happened, it's okay… Whatever happened can't hurt you anymore.
Esther Hanks: It… H-Holly, I'm so sorry… I really should've listened, I-I'm such a fucking idiot…
Holly Clove: Hey, Esther. Don't talk like that. You're not an idiot, even if what you're crying over is somehow your fault, we'll fix it, okay?
[Esther nodded slowly in Holly's arms, nuzzling her face closer into their shoulder for any sense of comfort. However, she didn't reply. Holly sighed after about 20 seconds of quietness, kissing Esther's forehead motherly before slowly getting up.]
Evaluating conversation tracking procedures, potential activation of:
- Specialised camera K 10-2
- Specialised mic BR 10-2
- Real-Time AI transcript
. . .
. . .
Evaluation of conversation tracking procedures concluded, potential activation of:
- Specialised camera K 10-2
- Specialised mic K 10-2
- Real-Time AI transcript
Denied.
!Important: The following footage must be deleted within 168 hours, unless preserved by an administrator or archivist.
[As Holly left the spacious main living room and went into the kitchen over to the right of it, Esther slowly transitioned from hugging the air to hugging herself, curling up into a ball on Holly's rather expensive sofa. She shut her eyes, and gradually her tears ceased, replaced just by quiet sniffling as she waited for Holly's return. After a minute, Holly did just that, returning with both a hot chocolate and an unopened mini pack of tissues, passing them both over.]
Holly Clove: Here, take your time…
[Esther looked up from her knees, smiling genuinely yet weakly as she took the tissues first, followed by the beverage. she sipped on it slowly, giving a hum of satisfaction at the flavour.]
Esther Hanks: You flavoured it…?
Holly Clove: Orange and Muted Warpberry, just how I know you like it. Given how you seem, I know it's not much, but… I figured it would help.
Esther Hanks: No, no… Thank you so much. It means a lot.
[Holly smiled at Esther, gently taking her seat back next to them and putting an arm around Esther tentatively, worried about breaking her personal space. Holly took out a tissue and wiped one of Esther's eyes, still being careful about their boundaries, though to Holly's relief she let them dry her eyes.]
Holly Clove: Are you okay enough to talk about what's got you so upset? I can still give you space if you need it, for however long you want.
Esther Hanks: …You were right about Magnus.
Holly Clove: I-I… Oh. How much are you comfortable with telling me? Did he do something to you?
Esther Hanks: Today… today was our planned date at- at Level 320.
Holly Clove: It was? I assume it didn't go well?
Esther Hanks: Well, it was at first? I… I thought it was. I wanted to talk to him about how wrong I'd felt, and I just wanted to go home, but he wouldn't let me.
Holly Clove: He wouldn't let you?
Esther Hanks: H-He kept saying we should stay when I asked to go home, and I… oh, I was frustrated. I just started telling him how I felt, he didn't understand any of it, he… you already know. All of your worries were true, he's a terrible person. I'm an idiot.
Holly Clove: Hey, no. What did I say? You are not an idiot, Magnus is a terrible man, but he was, um… Fuck, "Clever" is the wrong word, but he knew how to make you keep coming back, and I assume in ways I don't fully know.
Esther Hanks: But I should've seen it coming, I-I should've… He threatened me, I-I thought he was going to hurt me, Holly. He bruised my arm… It's obvious what he was doing and- and how he thought of me.
Holly Clove: It's obvious now. Key word. You're bound to notice the warning signs now that you know what a danger he is.
Esther Hanks: I-I… I still should've listened to you.
Holly Clove: Eh, maybe. This isn't the place to discuss that. A-and if I knew he justified hurting you, I would have done a lot more to protect you. What matters now is keeping you safe, if he did what he did publicly, he can't see you in private again. Do you understand?
Esther Hanks: I… I think. Holly, he- he's been to my temporary apartment and he knows where I actually live, what do I do?
Holly Clove: Hey, hey. First thing is we don't panic, panicking isn't good in this situation… Second, I find you a new place. Plain and simple.
Esther Hanks: But… but my stuff-
Holly Clove: Will be taken to a new house, probably somewhere on the edge of the M.E.O.D. network.
Esther Hanks: But how will we do it without him noticing-?
Holly Clove: Leave that to me, okay? As I said, I'll sort it. I'll speak to Suzanne in Legal and see what I can do.
Esther Hanks: I don't want to make this into some big thing, Holly. Please, that's the last thing I want.
Holly Clove: It's the last thing I want, too. Don't worry. I'm only speaking to Suzanne to see if we can move things without their location being documented. We'll put you somewhere safe until Legal does something about Magnus, or until Magnus forgets about you.
Esther Hanks: And my family?
Holly Clove: If he tries something with them, Legal will get involved without me having to speak to Suzanne.
Hey, Holly!
Oh, Magnus. Hi.
Yeah, it's me! I clearly picked a distinctive colour for the Direct Lines for you to keep recognising it's me, you close our chat each time we finish talking.
I certainly do.
Hm. You're sounding a little more frumpy than usual, something up?
No.
Why are you messaging me.
Right, well, I was just wondering if you've seen Esther?
No. Why, haven't you seen her?
Not since our date at Entertainland, no! She's not at the apartment she was given, and I went to the address of her actual home and she's not there either. Is she with you? Can I see her?
No and no.
Okay…
Wait. Why can't I see her? That's not exactly your call to make.
Oh, no, it is. She told me what happened at Level 320.
Really? What did she tell you? We had a nice time.
Don't fuck with me here, Magnus. Make up whatever bullshit you want, you bruised her arm, I can see what happened with my own damn eyes.
Oh, she was emotional that day. I'm sure if we chat civilly, she and I can work out our little disagreement.
You physically hurt her.
So? It was only a bruise, it's not like I hit her or did anything really abhorrent. Is she with her sister?
I really wish I knew how disgusting you were months ago. Esther isn't with her sister, her dad, me, or any of her friends. She's elsewhere.
Do you know where that elsewhere is?
Yes.
And you won't tell me, I'm not surprised. I'll figure it out by myself. This is a really big overreaction.
You won't find her. Go to hell.
Whatever.
You know, leaving these chats before I can reply isn't a big thing to do.
It's pretty cowardly, actually.
Fuck you.
You know, Holly really can be difficult. Despite the fact that she kept closing our chats, I kept asking about Esther, hoping that she came to her senses and just told me where my girlfriend is. The fact that she feels important enough in either of our lives to hide her location from me is stupid, to put it bluntly. She was threatening me, too, trying to be some “big man” and threatening legal action against me if I kept on messaging her. The coward only blocked me. I’ll make some fake name and make another Private Line account and try again later. Is it against the rules of the entire messaging service to make a burner? Yes. But considering Esther has been basically kidnapped, needs must.
Speaking of blocking, actually, Esther’s blocked me on all platforms. It probably wasn’t her choice, I won’t blame her too much over it, but I’m now out of options on how to talk to her. Her sister’s not helpful either, she’s quite a bitch actually, and while her Dad is far more reasonable, he has no clue what’s going on in her life anyways, so he’s just as unhelpful as the women. It’s a shame, if he wasn’t such an absent father I think he could’ve helped. I’ve spent the last half-week trying to find Esther, I imagined she’d be at a friend’s or some destination level, but nothing of the sort. I even went scouting, despite my better judgement, but she’s not around her sister and not near either flat she’s lived in. In fact, it seems stuff is being moved out of her apartment. I saw some people in jumpsuits using Pockets and Worn Sacks at both abodes and lugging them into a carriage. Assholes.
So, my attempts at finding her in-person have failed, and without access to her debit card anymore (I think she cancelled her card since her information doesn’t even work on my phone anymore) I can’t afford safe travel regularly to search her favourite destinations. I have 4000 in cash, but frankly I’m going to use that to actually get a good day at Entertainland. I love her dearly, but she really found a way to make that day about herself. Maybe she brought up some good points, but looking back on it, I think she was just on her period.
!Activity detected!
Monitoring activated
• Specialised camera 2-1 active
• Specialised mic 2-1 active
• Real-time AI transcript active
<Begin Recording at: 08:56AM>
Date: 03/08/37
Location: Level 62, top floor, room five.
Involved individuals: Esther Hanks, Molly Hanks, Holly Clove.
[Despite being a level that has been known about for sixteen years, Level 62 has always been on the edge of just about any group network. Originally on the outskirts of the Kalag Institute’s web of communities, it was now used sparsely as a communal home for either the poor, displaced, or the travelling. As Level 90 and Level 469 were the main levels used to house these sorts of people, Level 62 was hardly a densely populated location. Given the small size of the mansion within it, however, that was hardly to its detriment.
Leaning on the windowsill for the window that looked out upon the back yard and impossibly dense jungle behind its unclimbable walls was Esther Hanks, wrapped in a thick shawl with a vest and jogging bottoms underneath. She seemed lost in her own little stare, holding a mug of hot chocolate in her hands which her fingers were idly feeling the rim of. At a series of sharp knocks, however, Esther jumped in shock, turning to the door of her room where the knocking had originated from.]
Esther Hanks: Um, yes? Who is it?
Holly Clove: Well, who do you think?
Esther Hanks: Oh, Holly! Is Suzanne with you again…?
Holly Clove: Uh… no. This isn't that kind of meeting, I promise. Can I open the door?
Esther Hanks: Um, sure.
[Tentatively, Esther got up from her perched position at the window and turned to face the door, holding the mug of hot chocolate close to her chest as she watched the it open slowly. As expected, Holly came through first and gave Esther a warm but still serious expression, making her way inside casually. Behind her, however, someone else walked in.]
Molly Hanks: Hi, Esther. Been a bit, huh?
Esther Hanks: Molly-??
[In a small but incredibly hasty shuffle, Esther moved towards her sister, sniffling and putting her arms tightly around them the second they were close enough to. Molly chuckled weakly, and hugged Esther back, putting her head on their shoulder. As the pair embraced, Holly went behind Molly, taking Esther's mug and setting it on the side to allow the two a moment together undisturbed.]
Molly Hanks: …Are you okay, Esther?
Esther Hanks: Eh, getting by… I suppose. Wh-what are you doing here?
Holly Clove: I can answer that. Suzanne called in sick, but my schedule's still booked in for the next two hours to come here. As long as we keep Molly coming over a secret, nobody needs to know.
Esther Hanks: Right, well… It's still nice to see you again. How long can you stay?
Molly Hanks: I called the whole day off work, but as Holly said, these meetings are only two hours. I can only stay here as long as she does.
Holly Clove: The Blogrooms want me in the office right after this, sorry.
Esther Hanks: No, no, it's fine! Two hours is excellent, I'll take it over nothing.
[Slowly, Esther untangled her arms from her sister while they did the same, tilting her head over her shoulder to a set of three basic sofa chairs that formed a triangle. Esther sat at one, scooting her chair closer to another and putting them side by side. The other two picked up on what Esther wanted, and as such Molly went to sit next to Esther whilst Holly positioned herself opposite the pair.]
Molly Hanks: How, um… How are things? Sorry, I don't even know where to begin.
Esther Hanks: I-It's fine, um… Your question, that is, things for me are just okay.
Molly Hanks: Not much going on?
Esther Hanks: Not really, have you seen this place?
Molly Hanks: Well, it is small, and… Oh, I know the place got repaired four years back but it's still a bit…
Esther Hanks: Of a shithole?
Molly Hanks: I was gonna be nice and say it's retro.
Esther Hanks: Oh, you don't need to sugarcoat, it's… This place is shit, it's like where Dad lives but worse. Does he know about what happened?
Molly Hanks: Magnus has been messaging him, he… yes, he knows. Dad's worried about you.
[Esther didn't reply, sinking slowly into her seat and sighing slowly to herself. Without a mug to fiddle with, she gripped the material of her shawl to feel its fabric.]
Molly Hanks: Sorry, you probably don't like hearing his name.
Esther Hanks: I'll get used to it. Is he… still messaging him? Is he messaging either of you?
Molly Hanks: I blocked him when I realised who he was.
Holly Clove: I've blocked him too, as has your dad. Suzanne's considering deactivating most of his online presence unless he gets employed somewhere.
Esther Hanks: And he doesn't know where I am?
Holly Clove: Shouldn't do, no. Your stuff was moved here under the table, the rest of it is stored in Level 1, and while it may be a bit obvious to keep you in a residential level, this one's pretty remote. We can always move you again if he catches on.
Esther Hanks: Right! Yeah, okay, that makes sense…
[Esther smiled weakly at Holly, slowly sighing and feeling her mood suddenly deflate as she came to some kind of revelation. She sat up, crossed her legs, and rested an arm on the sofa chair's armrest.]
Esther Hanks: How long will I be doing this for? The moving and the… being hidden. I would like a life again, I can't imagine how worried my friends and work are.
Molly Hanks: She does have a point, I've been worried sick about her and I already knew where she was. Don't make her do this for long.
Holly Clove: Believe me, that's the last thing I want. The Legal Division is contemplating introducing a wave of new laws that have been spurred on by this. Unsurprisingly, everyone having a chance to be domestic again is giving undesirables the opportunity to do undesirable things a lot easier, not just Magnus.
Molly Hanks: So what does that actual entail for her, then?
Holly Clove: A restraining order, maybe? We had those back on Earth. It's a document which makes it basically illegal to go up to a specific person. He may also get some kind of house arrest and permanent mark on his record.
Molly Clove: Good.
Esther Hanks: I-I suppose… But until then, do I have to live like this?
Holly Clove: Sorry. We don't know what Magnus will do, it's best to be overprepared.
Esther Hanks: No, I get it, you don't need to apologise…
<Begin Recording at: 01:10PM>
Date: 04/08/37
Location: South of the Piering In section of Entertainland, Level 320.
Involved individuals: Magnus Grand, Maeve Astra.
Maeve Astra: Do you wanna try it again? Come on, I'll give you double the amount of throws for half the price!
Magnus Grand: This is rigged, isn't it?
Maeve Astra: I… Am not legally allowed to confirm or deny that! But, half off for double the throws, it's a good test to see if it is rigged?
Magnus Grand: You know what? Fine, sure. Show me you doing it again, though. Just so I can know before spending money.
[Maeve smiled to Magnus cheekily from behind the counter of the carnival game she was employed at. Although the entire tent had multiple different stalls with different games, ranging from hook-a-duck to raffles to this game, which was throwing a basket ball into an angled bucket about three steps away from the counter. Maeve reached under the said counter, taking a ball different to the ones that the public used and doing a basic throw into the bowl. Making it seem incredibly effortless, the ball not only landed within the bucket, but it also did not bounce back out. Smiling to herself, Maeve twisted to face them with her hands on her hips.]
Maeve Astra: Ta-da! See? Easy.
Magnus Grand: Yeah, well, you've had practice. You work here.
Maeve Astra: Of course I've had some practice, but I'm not good at basketball. I work minimum wage my guy, I'm not Lebron James Jr.
[Magnus grumbled under his breath, giving Maeve a slightly grossed out expression as she rested her elbows on the counter cockily and stared up at him. With an annoyed huff, he took out 20 notes from his wallet and put them on the counter. Clearly enjoying herself, Maeve snickered, and directed Magnus' attention to the net of basket balls hanging above the countertop from the ceiling.]
Maeve Astra: Go ahead, love. Throw eight.
Magnus Grand: I know how this works.
[Magnus sneered, reaching to the net of balls and taking out another one. For the fifth time now, he readied himself and threw it, watching tensely. Although it did land in the bowl, he possibly threw it a little too hard, as the ball seemed to bounce right back out.]
Magnus Grand: Oh, fuck off with that.
Maeve Astra: Now now… It's just a game, my guy. You've still got seven more goes?
Assessing further relevancy—-potential for brevity.
. . .
Brevity assessed—-summarising further events.
[Magnus grumbled again, flexing his shoulders and tensing his fists before taking another ball from the large, and seemingly refilling, net. He threw it, and missed, which happened the next six times after as well. After his last ball bounced out of the bowl hard enough to almost hit him in the face, he swore again under his breath.]
Maeve Astra: Bummer… Wanna try again? Same deal.
Magnus Grand: Fuck. No. This is rigged.
Maeve Astra: You saw me do it just fine?
[Magnus huffed through his nostrils, silently stuffing his wallet firmly into his pocket and walking off without another word. Maeve's entertained laughter caused him to wince and tense his arms, but after he was away from the stalls and close to a large Ferris Wheel within this sector he calmed. He stood before it, but not near the queue, and instead pulled out his phone to check the map of the park.]
Magnus Grand: Is Piering In section really this small? It's the only fucking good bit.
[As Magnus kept scrolling through the pathways present on Level 320's map for Piering In, double-checking with the map key, his bubbling anger seemed to quell—replaced by a tired and bored look. He turned off his phone and put it into his other pocket, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration while exhaling loudly to remove the last few fragments of his frustration. Upon removing his hand from his face, he looked around idly, giving an exasperated sigh.]
Magnus Grand: I can't believe it… This place sucks.
Teething Troubles
A deep dive into Level 320's "Entertainland" venue, investigating its popularity and profits over the first month of its operation, with the aid of our top critics to explain its lacklustre start.
A Year in Review: Level 320
Spencer Arden and Maude Phelan look back at the last 365 days since the grand unveiling of Level 320, and examine the shaky first four quarters of both Entertainland and its other areas.
Speedy Descents
As the Summer hits the happy vacationers of the Backrooms, us at the Blogrooms look into why Level 320 is not people's choice of destination this holiday season.
"Reminds me of Euro Disney"
As the penny pushers in Finance continue to check and run the numbers, Level 320's third anniversary and year in operation seem more disastrous than previously expected.
The BlogRooms
——— ——— Breaking out fresh news since 2027 ——— ———
September 19 — Factual
Walking So Others Could Run
After a difficult fiscal year and yet another lacklustre annual turnout in general, having seen a total decline in attendance of 64% this year, it has been announced that Entertainland, as well as the few parts of the wider Level 320 that are still in operation, will be closed permanently.
This information no doubt comes as difficult news to many, especially with the almost accepted plans to turn much of the former High Street into a mass-residential plot, however the warning signs of Level 320's second death have been blaring loudly almost since it opened. It has been no secret, from the capital of Level 13.1 to the far isolated outskirts of Level 699, that Level 320 has been a continual and bottomless pit for which the Renovation Division loves throwing money into. However, it would seem that after a particularly brutal third year and non-existent anniversary celebration that said division has finally come to its senses.
Given rumours over financial issues due to Level 13.1's far more successful renovation, it can be greatly assumed that the decision to end the upkeep of Level 320 was done out of need rather than want. Despite its shortcomings, from low attendance and minimal public interest, the fact that Level 320 was the first revived level seemed to create an odd sentimentality amongst the Finance Division, Vacation Division, and Renovations Division, the latter being responsible for its resurrection in the first place.
For the unaware, Level 320—originally known as Level 32—was dug out of the bottom of the Blue Channel to be given a new life and a new coat of paint to fix its broken areas and modernise it for a different era of Backrooms. Records indicate that, despite it having never been tried before (not even when the Renovations Division was an independent party), the process went almost without hitch. While Level 32's opening two weeks saw success at the predicted quantity, the following weeks saw a decline steep enough to turn heads by the time the first month of its operation had concluded.
While bringing back a level from the dead, so to speak, is a technological marvel that has gone on to resurrect other levels from across databases, every single other resurrected level has had one commonality: a sense of necessity. With over 2100 levels catalogued, an extra 481 in some kind of review or documentation, and a further 59 in Pending Approval status, almost every newly discovered level is surplus to requirement, however not only are they not all pumped with money for renovations, the ones that are feel necessary. New science laboratories, factories, spaces for homes, those are necessary in a modern Backrooms like ours. Now, fun is absolutely something to indulge in with our modern day advancements, one only has to look at the archived blogs of Maude Phelan for that, but another amusement park is too much surplus to requirement for how expensive the level was to make and maintain. The most famous amusement park level, after renovations, is currently Level 890, which cost a far inferior sum to modify.
Due to being the first of its kind, too, Level 32/Level 320's restoration—while being successful—hardly kept much of the original aesthetic. Although the process of finding and revitalising Level 320 went well ,as already described, the original Level 320 was far simpler; nothing more than a carnival space misconstrued as an amusement park due to its large but rickety roller coasters. The renovations made Level 320 appear far more generic and simple in many ways, with the exception of the Folding Point which tended to attract more guests than the rest of the park. To explain it in brief, Level 320 was overcompensated with restorations, those with nostalgia for its original life struggled to see its old self within it, and those without that stuck to what they already knew. Decreasing budget overtime certainly did not help the attendance rate, either.
The final opening day of Level 320 is known to be the 30th September of this year, but after the entryway turnstiles are locked for the final time it is not actually known what will happen to the level next. It, most likely, will not be destroyed, as doing so would require the Voidstone generated to help with the level's homeostasis to be decayed enough to allow it to undergo a second death. Instead, it is believed that Level 320's entrances from across the Backrooms will be first deactivated, and then demolished, prohibiting any access into the level. From then on, the level would be allowed to run the course of its second life, which at most would be an extra 5000 years of life until the Voidstone decays on its own.
Blogrooms 2027 - 2040
The combined workforce of the former UBDS, B-Rooms, and Dailyrooms
Need A Refreshment?#ad
Hitting stores across the central M.E.O.D. Network is a refreshing and new drink—Almond Cola!
Been in an accident that wasn't your fault?#ad
Many jobs can result in a variety of injuries, which is especially true in the Backrooms. You may be entitled to compensation.
Saved from Life Support
The Renovations Division successfully saves Level 20 before its death occurs.
"I want my son back."
Many otherwise normal citizens have begun to speak up about the M.E.O.D.'s potential malpractice with their newest PA.
Up to the Task?#ad
As ever, the M.E.O.D. is offering paid-for and volunteer exploration roles. Perfect for a CV or to pay for College!
Go somewhere new!#ad
Join the Travel and Vacation Division to find a destination level that best suits you!
Distant Cousins
Read the curious tales of all the human adjacent entities that have been discovered over the years, and theorise on why so many look like us in the first place.
They actually fucking closed it.
…Who is this?
They closed it, Esther. They closed it.
Okay, so you know who I am. You didn't open this accidentally. Who are you, though.
You know who I am.
I really don't.
Look, it is late in the day, if you've picked the wrong code out of some drunken mistake it's okay. You gotta tell me who you are, though, or else I'll just leave you be. I've got a meal to prep.
It's Magnus.
Oh.
Is that all you have to say to me?
I'm blocking you now. Be thankful I'm not immediately reporting this, the restraining order forbids text conversation too, you know.
I'm well aware, I got evicted from my house when my landlord found out about it.
I don't know what you want me to say to that.
I swear you used to be empathetic towards me.
I'm not even touching that can of worms, Magnus. I moved on, I got a new home. I have a boyfriend, too.
Oh…
Good for you, I guess?
Thanks. Anyways, I'm just going to block you now. Saves you the effort of dealing with Legal.
No, wait! I wanted to ask you something, Esther. It's nothing personal or weird I just wanted your opinion on something and I figured you could give a good one.
I should not be humouring this.
Would you anyways?
Do you not have anyone else to?
Not really.
Then fine.
I want to know why you think Entertainland failed.
You're breaking the law to ask me that.
I put in so much effort to bring it back, and it was my favourite place for so long, and now it's going to be gone again. Where did I go wrong?
Are you seriously asking where you went wrong with Entertainland before asking where you went wrong with me?
I already know where I went wrong with you.
Not touching that statement.
If you want my honest opinion, though? I think the whole thing was dumb from the start. I get it, you were young, and Level 32 would stick out to a young kid, but it was a boring place, let's be honest. A small, rigged carnival level run by a con man. It sucks it died, but what good did bringing it back do?
They attempted to modernise it, though.
And did you like any of those modernisations? Did they even feel like Level 32 anymore?
Not really, I suppose.
The level was such a nothing when it first existed they had to overcorrect to make it interesting, and in doing so just made it… generic.
I don't care about being brutal with you anymore, and you asked for my opinion anyway. You were so caught up on your memories of Level 32 that you didn't even consider why it should be brought back, just that you wanted it to be because of your nostalgia. It sucks it died, but not everything needs to be brought back.
That… sounds right.
I had months of pseudo-witness-protection to think about it, of course I am. Any other questions?
No, Esther, that's all. Thank you.
Oh, I'm already blocked.
. . .