[network] @beyonce | Day 237 | Listen [open]

[thewarningafter]

[This idea has come to Stephen before, but this is the first time he's acted on it. Maybe it's seeing Karkat's name on the obituary yesterday, or maybe it's seeing Clint on the network again and remembering the pain the Avenger had been in when last he was alive and how Stephen had struggled to do anything about it. Or maybe, just maybe, it's guilt over having given in at last and taken some of the Vicodin Tony handed off to him for safekeeping to ease the constant pain in his hands. Like maybe if he gave back to the "community" somehow it'd make up for betraying a dead man's trust.

Whatever the reason, Stephen's switched on his video feed for the same reason he ever does: he's making a conscious effort to look trustworthy. He's sitting in what some might recognize as the soundproofed building near Mallard River Market, his expression clearer and calmer than he's felt in a long time thanks to the relief granted by the drug. By now his goatee has been swallowed up by almost two months' worth of scraggly growth, taking some of the edge off the superhero (or supervillain) look that comes hand in hand with the whole tunic and cape thing.]

Hello, Norfinbury, Doctor Stephen Strange here. Today we're going to talk about meditation.

[He offers the camera a little smile.]

Now, I could tell you the part about how it's going to help you, you know, align your spirit and all that kind of stuff. I'm pretty sure most of you don't care, though, so I'll just point out that it also helps with stress and lowers blood pressure. Might help you sleep, too.

I've recorded a guided meditation for all of you; the file should be attached to this entry. Let me know how that works for you, and I can make more of them.

[True to his word, a file named [meditation1] is attached. It's a half-hour-long audio recording in which he explains to the listener how to get comfortable and prepared, then walks them through a series of visualizations that probably sound abstract to anyone who's never visited another dimension. It winds down with a re-grounding in reality, all delivered in his lowest, smoothest voice.]

Comments

@hotstud_xxx; text

[rubikscomplex]

stark gave you the rest of my vicodin
enjoying it?

also you should totes read some porn next
there's a whole house of it that maggie may can probably pull for you
yours is a voice truly made for jacking off to

[He might be a little mad about that prescription you ordered for him, Stephen. He might be angrier at himself that he's weak enough to take it just to avoid the withdrawal from going cold turkey on the anti-depressants.]

[not here]

[devoutish]

[VERY INTERESTING]

@beyonce | video

[thewarningafter]

[The panic behind Stephen's eyes is, at least, brief before he forces it down. He might have responded to the porn suggestion, might have even found it funny, if it weren't for this.]

That stash is gone, House. I asked Tony about it the last time I saw him and he didn't have it.

[rubikscomplex]

yuh-huh
you want me to run down the list of signs you're high?
or can we skip to the part where you say your hands were hurting
and now they're not?

@Mnemosyne; voice

[bookofnope]

Tell me we aren't doing this again.

@carcinoGeneticist; text

[quadrangle]

[... Helps with stress, lowers blood pressure, and helps with sleep, AKA three things with which Karkat perpetually struggles.]

[Yeah, okay.]

THANKS DOCTOR STRANGE. I'LL TRY IT TONIGHT.

@beyonce | video

[thewarningafter]

[Look, it's his patient who died right after Stephen told him he was going to come help.]

Karkat -- how are you doing? I saw you were back.

text -> private video

[quadrangle]

UH

[Is that concern? He's pretty sure that's concern, which... honestly makes him feel like an even bigger asshole than he did already. This day is fucking fantastic so far, you have no idea.]

[In a vain attempt to assuage some of his guilt, he switches over to private video because even if Stephen freaks him out slightly less than other adult humans, other adult humans do, in fact, continue to exist. So it goes.]

Yeah, hi.

[He doesn't quite manage sheepish, but then he isn't really trying to. He mostly sounds subdued, and no, no he is not looking directly at his tablet. Fuck making eye contact.]

... Sorry. I was sort of out of it for a while.

@theiceman; Video

[holmesice]

[Mycroft nearly falls over in the snow. He literally has to stop and just stare at his tablet.

He'd finally decided to set out that morning, the jacket and the long underwear didn't seem to be enough. Regardless, the freezing cold was the last thing on his mind when he sees this.

It wasn't Sherlock. A quick deduction told him the obvious, besides the accent. He knew his little brother and this was not him, but it was damn close. It could be a disguise of course, but Mycroft knew his little brother's disguises. He often simply went in plain sight, and didn't bother with cosmetics or beards.

Though, he remembered the warnings everyone spoke about, the possible illusions and hallucinations, but he also remembered the code name Beyoncé. Whoever this was, he also seemed to be on something. It was fairly obvious to someone who spent much of his own adult life hoping--and failing--to never see that look on his brother's face ever again. Or whoever was wearing his brother's face.

And so, Mycroft Holmes let out a very eloquent statement that seemed to sum up all of these thoughts.]

What in blazes is going on here?

@beyonce | video

[thewarningafter]

...Ah.

[He...probably should have foreseen this. Did foresee this a few days ago, when Mycroft first turned up.]

I take it John and Sherlock haven't brought it up.

[holmesice]

Not exactly, no.

[Breathe, Mycroft. It wasn't entirely impossible. Improbable, yes.]

@featherydouche; text

[mrcreamsicles]

how is a verbal acid trip supposed to help me dr strange
also gotta say
youre doing a shit job at evading the new age nonsense vibes
first astral projection now this
i know youre magic but come on

@beyonce | video

[thewarningafter]

I'm pretty sure it's supposed to relieve your stress and lower your blood pressure. I mentioned, right? It's a visualization exercise.

[Gawd people, just appreciate what he's trying to do for you already.]

permatext

[mrcreamsicles]

my point still stands beyonce
verbal acid trip
new agey as fuck
can you sell me some crystals and blitz my chakras while youre at it

@totheark, text

[0thingsonmymind]

what

@beyonce | video

[thewarningafter]

[Oh boy. This'll be fun.]

You listen to it and it helps you relax.

still text

[0thingsonmymind]

*What am "relax"*

why

@navialernovictoria, text

[whiteknightnecromancer]

Given the anomalies and odd dreams people have been describing: Would it not be better to focus on remaining within one's own head than traveling to other planes?

I've been trying to avoid getting the attention of anything local since I heard about the thing under the city. Unleashing amateurs might make it grumpy. Or it might sound like 'Here I am! I'm tasty!"

[Dorian is genuinely worried about that, not just being an ass. Magic in his world was done by concentrated will and tended to attract attention from non-physical intelligences.]

@beyonce | video

[thewarningafter]

[Stephen blinks at the screen. He's expecting criticism at this point, since apparently people can't just take a gift at face value, but he's not expecting criticism based on actual, metaphysical concerns.]

You know no one's actually going to go anywhere from doing this, right? Even if I could walk people through astral projection here I wouldn't throw power around that way.

@309_W1C_2DZ; text;

[howdull]

You failed to mention the incredibly relaxing properties of the opiate you're currently enjoying.

[Just saying.]

@beyonce | video

[thewarningafter]

[Stephen makes a frustrated sound. Does he still have plausible deniability? Probably not. Definitely not, he'll decide later, once he's no longer under the influence.]

It's acetaminophen, you twit.

[It's not a lie. Vicodin just also contains hydrocodone.]

@Spoiler ; private audio

[spoileralert]

Well this has taken a turn for the worse.

Thanks for the meditation. You need help with your impending Alfie problem?

@beyonce | private video

[thewarningafter]

[Much as Stephen's too-relaxed mind would like to insist that this is fine, he can still play it off, Steph's frank address of the problem cuts through all that. He groans, rubbing scarred hands down his face.]

I've got a while. He was downtown as of a few days ago.

@ASolomons; audio; private

[devoutish]

[Alfie downloads the file, listens to about thirty seconds of the beginning, and then fast-forwards to the end. This shit is weird, Stephen; what even.]

Got one bag for you.

@beyonce | audio | private

[thewarningafter]

[Stephen listens to this message a couple times with his own feed off, delaying his response as he tries to figure out how he's going to approach this. It occurs to him that he might handle this better when he's no longer high, but then again...if he's going to play the part of an addict, maybe it's better to just jump straight in.

So he'll just go with that instinct to deny, deny, deny.]

Yeah? You still heading up my way?