Fandom Persona: White Noise (Reboot)

[Flooberoid]

TUESDAY 8/20
Midnight

Late at night in the cozy attic of a little shop in an insignificant town of Ohio, with only the moonlight seeping in through his single window, a young boy dreams of something unlike anything he has read in comics. As he drifts off to sleep, Sam Kane can feel himself being lifted from his bed. The sensation feels natural though it should not, and does not awaken him though it should. What traces of moonlight he could sense are slowly fading, the sounds of crickets and the murmurs of the breeze outside start to drift away, and finally the weightlessness sets in. Sam can feel himself moving though he feels no other sensation. He cannot even open his eyes.

Suddenly, Sam awakens, or so he is led to believe. The place he finds himself feels strange, like an isolated space in a void. He is still in bed, though this is not his home, and the bed is not his own. At the foot of the bed is a window that stretches most of the way across the wall. Behind his head is an end table upon which lies a lamp emitting a dim glow through the translucent blue lampshade. There is an empty picture frame along the wall behind Sam, in addition to a sliding door that doesn't seem like it has ever been opened. On the wall opposite the bed are two armchairs, and between them another lamp with the same blue glow. In fact, everything in this room is some shade of blue; the floor, the walls, the furniture... The only things that are not blue are the flashes of light coming from the window. Sam soon notices that these lights are coming off of light bulbs in what seems to be a tunnel outside. There is an endless stream of these lights moving past, and it becomes clear to Sam that he has somehow found himself within a luxury train car.

As Sam starts to get his bearings, a chuckle can be heard coming from one of the armchairs across the room. "Welcome to the Velvet Room," the voice of an old man speaks. "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter." The voice is coming from a lanky old man who sits cross-legged with his chin resting on his hands. The man is bald save a large patch of pure white hair coming from the back of his head. He is dressed in a full black suit with white gloves on. The man's eyes are opened wide and unblinking, suited to the mad grin under his long, pointed nose. "Do not be alarmed. I have called you here from within your dreams. Your body is still sleeping comfortably at home." The man explains the situation Sam was in as if it would make any sense to him.

"Within the next year, you will come to face an ordeal. It shall be a perilous journey for you alone, but with the strength of others I have confidence you can prevail. As for me, you may call me Igor. My role shall become apparent in due time, but I cannot provide my assistance if you do not sign this." With a gesture, Igor makes a paper and ink quill materialize before Sam. "By signing your name, you agree to its terms; That the choices you make are your responsibility, and yours alone." The man stares calmly and expectantly, as though he knows that Sam cannot refuse.

MainEventMan

 

[MainEventMan]

Sam shifted lightly in his sleep that night. His breathing was shallow, yet still life affirming, typical of someone in a deep sleep. Soon however, he felt a strange sensation grip his body, almost like the feeling of weightlessness, like when you have one of those dreams where you're falling and you snap yourself awake from the shock. However, the shock never came. In his dream, he was not falling. He was floating. His eyes weren't open, yet somehow he was still aware of what was happening.

Finally, he snaps awake, gasping slightly as he sits up in bed. Not his bed, however. He shook the cobwebs from his head, trying to get his bearings. He placed a hand to his head as he looked around the strange room. Everything aside from the lights was a bizarre shade of blue. It was oddly peaceful and relaxing...if Sam wasn't in a state of worry, he probably would have fallen right back asleep due to the cozy atmosphere.

It was then that he looked across from him, noticing the strange old man sitting in the armchair. Sam stood up from his bed as the man introduced himself, sitting down in the armchair across from him. Sam was still a bit frightened yes, but he felt it would have been rude if he didn't sit. As Igor explained what this Velvet Room was and how he was here, Sam began to relax more and more. It was strange...none of what Igor said made any sense...yet this all seemed far too real. He looked down as Igor made the quill pen and paper appear before him. Sam stared at the contract for about five seconds. He had no idea what was going on or where he was...yet he was compelled to sign. He took the pen in his hand, and signed his name.

"Alright..." Sam finally spoke, although in The Velvet Room, his voice was slightly distorted, as if it were not his own. "What's next?"

Flooberoid

 

[Flooberoid]

As soon as Sam released the quill, it and the paper faded from view. In response to Sam's question, Igor spoke. "Now, we wait. There will come a time when you can freely enter this place, but until then you must return home and live as you would normally. I shall call you here again when it is time to fulfill my end of the bargain." With that, Sam's vision started to fade as if a dense fog were approaching. Eventually, his vision went black. His body felt heavy, and he could now hear the sounds of birds chirping and cars driving past.

WEDNESDAY 8/21
Before School

Dunban rolled over on his side, the piercing sound of his alarm punctuating the pain of the sunlight streaming in through his window. He pried his eyes open while reaching for the snooze button, only to see that he had pressed it one too many times already. Dunban groaned as he wearily dismissed the beeping alarm, struggling to his feet before the temptation set in to sleep through the day. Missing the third day of school wouldn't look very good, after all.

Like every morning, Dunban started his day by cracking open his laptop PC and logging in. He made his rounds of the internet: The daily webcomics were all crap... Friend requests from random people on Warfare.net... some spam emails... and finally, his to-do list. Classes hadn't started proper, so homework wasn't an issue... The only item on the list was, "Say hi to the new kid." Dunban wondered for a moment what that meant when suddenly he remembered: His homeroom teacher had been mentioning that the seat next to his was reserved for a student who was transferring in this year. Dunban wondered what this student would be like, but more than anything he wanted to make sure the guy got the proper introduction to Lanham. A sinister grin crept onto Dunban's face but was quickly wiped away when he glanced at the system clock.

No time for a shower, he thought, grabbing a granola bar and dashing out the door.

 

[MainEventMan]

Sam began to stir once again, his eyes opening slowly as he heard the sounds of chirping birds and passing cards from outside. He was back in the attic above his cousin's shop. His thoughts returned to the place he saw in his sleep. 'Weird dream...' He thought to himself, although something about it seemed far too real...his thoughts on that were quickly interrupted however, when he heard knocking at his door. "Dude!" He heard a voice call from the other side. "Wake up, dude! You slept through your alarm, man! You're gonna be late for school!"

As Sam's senses returned to him, his eyes shot open when he heard his cousin Dean's voice from the other side. "Oh crap!" Sam muttered as he hopped up from his bed, getting dressed quickly. He didn't think he'd have time to shower this morning, so he opted to just start getting ready immediately. He rushed down the stairs, dressed in blue jeans, a red jacket, and underneath a dark green T-Shirt with The "Marvel Comics" logo emblazoned on it. "Be back at three! Don't wait up!" Sam said to his cousin as he ran out the door, the shop bell ringing faintly as the door opened and closed.

 

[Squad141]

Eivuri sighed, adjusting his hoodie, and stared into the mirror, as his purple haired face stared back. He was up extremely early, as usual, and had wasted time pondering if he should haircut. His current outfit had only two colors in it: Dark Purple and Black, with a hoodie, long sleeved shirt and sweat pants. He wore black sandals to top it all off, and his turtleshell glasses. Eivuri sighed once more, and brushed his hair with his hand back into a school-appropriate position ( in his standards, at the most). In his ready state, Eivuri grabbed two Eggos that were waiting for him in the toaster, And began to munch on them as he gathered the rest of what he needed for his day.

He tiptoed past his guest room, now known as his grandmothers room, and reached the side of the living room, retrieving his backpack from the fireplaces part of the floor. After cautiously making his way back, Eivuri checked his watch, grabbed his phone and headed out for school with another sigh.
Flooberoid

 

[Flooberoid]

Morning

Dunban stepped into class moments before the bell rang. He nodded to his English teacher, who knew the drill by now. Mr. West nodded with a smirk; he had had Dunban in class last year, too. Though the kid put up a rebellious act and tended to procrastinate, his assignments were never late and were often some of the best in class. Dunban slung his bag over the chair and took his seat in the back of the room as Mr. West addressed the class.

"Third day, everyone! I hope you're all wide awake, because the test is on Friday!" Mr. West smirked at the sea of faces, most of them rolling their eyes but some with expressions of fright. "Anyway, take your seats and we'll get started with attendance." He walked around the room, checking off names without calling any out. Most of these students had been in his Honors English course last year, so there were very few new faces to learn. "Ah, you must be the transfer student!" He remarked enthusiastically as he came around to Sam's desk. "Let's see here... Sam Kane. Got it! Welcome to Lanham High," the teacher said with a smile.

As he got to the end of the last row, the optimistic teacher began to look uncharacteristically troubled. "Has anybody seen Rick? He's been absent every day so far..."

"I wonder if he got spirited away? This is Lanham after all," Dunban spoke up with a wry smile. "In fact, I bet it was that strange website that did it."

The classroom filled with murmurs and quiet laughter before Mr. West put a stop to it. "Dunban, you can spread your nonsense rumors after class! Now, I trust you've all done your summer reading, yes?"

MainEventMan stepherz345 Squad141

 

[MainEventMan]

Sam made it to class with little time to spare. He sat down at his desk, panting lightly as he jogged from the comics shop as fast as he could to make sure that he wouldn't be late on his first day. 'First day for me..third day for everyone else...great.' Sam groaned to himself in his head, hating that he was forced to play catch up. When the teacher greeted him, he looked up at him with a smile. "Thank you...can't wait to get started." He said.

It was then that the kid designated as Dunban said something about a missing student getting kidnapped...it sounded absurd...but for some reason...Sam had the slight feeling that he was telling the truth...was it that strange dream he had the other night? He shook those thoughts from his head for now as he settled down at his desk. There was a test in three days, and he was woefully unprepared.

stepherz345 Squad141 Flooberoid

 

[Flooberoid]

Mr. West instructed his students to turn in the final drafts of their summer assignments, to which only about half of the class confidently complied. Dunban kicked back and placed the essay he wrote on his desk. Though formulaic, the writing on the pages exactly met the requirements of the rubric that was still laying on his desk at home from last night. Such basic writing wouldn't win him any scholarships, sure, but it was solid A material from a technical standpoint. Not bad for three hours of midnight work, he thought, snickering.

As the class passed their essays to the front, Dunban noticed the look on his neighbor's face and almost laughed. "What's the matter, new guy?" He leaned over and addressed Sam directly. "You look like you've seen a ghost... and that doesn't normally happen until you've been here at least a week!" His peers nearby rolled their eyes, which only fueled Dunban. "But seriously though, you don't have to worry about that test this week. It's only for people who read the book- no way he'll make you take it."

MainEventMan Squad141

 

[Squad141]

Eivuri had made it on time today, like usual. He pulled out his assignment, which of course met the requirements above and beyond. Then the new kid came in. Sam was name, going off of the short conversation between Mr. West and the class. He mentally sighed, still kinda sad he was the only transfer student from another country, directly that is.

But, there was something about this Sam Kane.

It was as if the boy had an aura about him. Something that made people trust him, to like him. But nonetheless, he look devastated about the homework over the summer, as he obviously had none. Dunban, of course, made a joke about it, though shockingly gave some kind words to the new boy. This, of course, was all happening inside Eivuris head. And if he really wanted to do something to quench his grandmother's thirst for him to make new friends, this was the perfect opportunity. As Mr. West was talking, Eivuri leaned over his desk, and tapped Sam on the shoulder, then held out his hand.

"Hello. My name is Eivuri, pronounced Avery. Nice to meet you. Welcome to Lanham."

MainEventMan Flooberoid stepherz345

 

[MainEventMan]

Sam rolled his eyes at Dunban's remark. He figured a few barbs would be thrown his way due to him being the new guy, but he didn't think it would happen this soon. It was alright though, Sam could be quite witty when he wanted to as well. "For your sake, I hope you're right." Sam said with a smirk in response to Dunban's remark about the test.

Sam then felt a tapping on his shoulder. He turned around, to see Eivuri greeting him. "Good to meet you too. Name's Sam." He said, taking Eivuri's hand and shaking it firmly. Sam was getting a weird feeling about these two. He he just met them...and yet for some reason he could feel some kind of otherworldly connection...what was it?

Squad141 Flooberoid

 

[Flooberoid]

Dunban could feel the teacher's wandering eyes fixate on him as Mr. West continued his lecture. Hurriedly, he said, "Oh good, we're all friends now. Listen, Sam, find me at the lone table by the east wall at lunch- I got something to show you. Think of it as a Lanham High welcome." He glanced up at the other boy who just introduced himself. "And, uh, Eivuri is welcome to come along too, if he wants. The more the merrier." With that out of the way, Dunban diverted his gaze back towards the front of the room, pretending to pay attention.

MainEventMan Squad141

 

[Flooberoid]

Lunchtime

Dunban stood near his usual table against the wall, peering around the room for Sam and Eivuri. Standing alone at an empty table, he stood out from the crowd. Nobody took notice of him, however. Dunban was always here. He liked this spot because it was never taken, and everyone had to walk by here to get their food. This was the place where he gathered all the latest gossip and rumors without having to speak to a soul. He couldn't help but chuckle about the conversations today, though. Everyone was talking about that Rick kid, with theories ranging from "he's just a delinquent skipping class" all the way to "the ghost of Mr. Morrison ate his soul!" It seems that people were already twisting Dunban's words from this morning into their own tall tales.

The fate of Rick was not on Dunban's mind, however. Today, he had a much more interesting scoop for his new acquaintances. His fingers played with a little slip of paper in his pocket, upon which was written the address of a most intriguing site.

MainEventMan Squad141 Alius

 

[MainEventMan]

Once Sam had gotten his tray full of food, he looked all around the cafeteria, trying to find a place to sit. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Dunban, one of the students from his homeroom class. The first one to introduce himself. He remembered that Dunban had told him to meet him at the lone table in the corner of the room. Considering he was new here, and he wanted to make friends fast, he decided to humor him. "Uh...hey." Sam said with a smile as he approached, sitting down across from Dunban.

Squad141
Alius
Flooberoid

 

[Squad141]

Eivuri rarely ever sat down at a table in the cafeteria to eat, let alone have other people. Even though the library seemed surprisingly appealing today, he knew this was the first step at making one or even two friends. So he grabbed his tray steadily, and made his way over to the table nobody seemed at. He smiled for a second, then said "Well, I wasn't expecting to be so busy."

Flooberoid MainEventMan

 

[Flooberoid]

Dunban sat down as the two boys arrived almost simultaneously. "Looks like we're all here. I'll cut right to the chase." He pulled the slip of paper from his pocket and placed it face-down on the table, his hand still covering it. "I dunno about Sam, but I'm willing to bet Eivuri's already heard the hot new story off the Lanham rumor mill. The one about the 'haunted' website? Basically, it's just a website with nothing on it but a faint noise audible only through headphones. If you wear the headphones long enough, you'll fall asleep and never wake up. By Lanham standards, that's pretty boring and played out. I asked about the URL online and people said it 404'd, and that should have been the end of it." Dunban's recitation sounded tired and uninterested, recounting all the details as if everybody already knew them until suddenly his tone shifted. "Well, this little story that should have been forgotten just got a lot more interesting. I got a weird message on the Chipper account I set up for reporting Lanham stories... Here, take a look." He pulled out and unlocked his phone, presenting the page with the Cheep in question.

CT posted:
The rumors are true! I tried that special website and actually connected!
-Rick Blanchez
posted 8/17

After giving the others a chance to read the screen, Dunban resumed. "Rick is a follower of this profile, so I can confirm this isn't his account. Someone posted about the website on his behalf shortly after he stopped posting, and nobody's heard from him since." Dunban smirked and revealed the paper he'd been hiding. On it was written a URL- somniumsinefine.com. "All things considered, I think it's high time I checked it out for myself. Sam- if you wanna start off strong at this school, accompanying me would be an excellent place to start."

Squad141 MainEventMan

 

[Squad141]

Eivuri knew what this was all about.Ever since he came to Lanham High, he had been hearing about tons of supernatural rumors and rituals, this being one of them. The website of static where if you fall asleep, you might not wake up.... But it was all balderdash, or course, like the other things the bored residence of Lanham created. But with Rick gone, there was a mystery. Eivuri, being an ambitious wannabe Detective (As well as author, violinist and swimmer), so this could be his first official case (even if it was with two others). He took out his purple notebook (Which he kept with for this very occasion), and began writing in the details of his newest (and only) case:

The Disappearance of Rick Blanchez
​

He quickly jotted down the info from the website, then looked up as Dunbar finished. "Well, I suppose that it is the start of the year. And Sam is new here. Okay, I would be honored to join the two of you, as lang as you don't do anything stupid"

Flooberoid MainEventMan

 

[Squad141]

Flooberoid MainEventMan

 

[MainEventMan]

Sam stayed silent for now as Dunban went into the details of this mysterious disappearance. The more he heard about it, the crazier it sounded. Ordinarily, Sam probably would have ignored him and focused on eating his lunch. But once again, it all seemed to make so much sense, despite how unreal it sounded. Was this again because of the strange dream he had the night before? Sam shook that thought from his head, looking up at Eivuri and Dunban with a determined smirk. "Alright." He said. "Let's do it."

Squad141
Flooberoid

 

[MainEventMan]

Sam stayed silent for now as Dunban went into the details of this mysterious disappearance. The more he heard about it, the crazier it sounded. Ordinarily, Sam probably would have ignored him and focused on eating his lunch. But once again, it all seemed to make so much sense, despite how unreal it sounded. Was this again because of the strange dream he had the night before? Sam shook that thought from his head, looking up at Eivuri and Dunban with a determined smirk. "Alright." He said. "Let's do it."

Squad141
Flooberoid

 

[Flooberoid]

"Excellent! So that leaves us two objectives: Debunk the weird website myth, and figure out what really happened to Rick Blanchez!" Dunban stood up and smiled wide as if he had been waiting for ages to say this. "For the Case of the White Noise, I hereby establish us as the Lanham investigation team! ...If you're all into that." After an awkward pause he sat back down. "B-But regardless, we should exchange contact information. If you'll give me your phone numbers, I'll make a group text for us later."

Squad141
MainEventMan

 

[MainEventMan]

Sam nodded, writing down his contact information, phone number, email and such for Dunban and Eivuri. Sam certainly didn't think this was how his first day of school was going to go...investigating a disappearance...perhaps this was the beginning of the journey the strange man in his dream spoke of...

***

Sam sat at his desk, laptop open as he prepared to type in the URL for the mysterious site. He pulled out his phone, sending a text to both of his new friends in the group chat. "I'm ready. Just let me know when to type it in."

Flooberoid
Squad141

 

[Squad141]

Eivuri quickly noted the name and contact info onto the top right corner of his journal, making sure to write it carefully as to not mess up. This was certainly an unexpected, but exciting twist to his new school year and state. It allowed him to try and solve his first ever case, knowing that it could be the kickstart of his entire career.

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Eivuri quietly set his bag down by the front door, and withdrew his journal from his bodies pocket. After a quick glasses fix, he tiptoed to the kitchen to grab a snack. He swiftly open the fridge, grabbed a few oranges and a bowl, and fled down the hallway quietly, as to not disturb his sleeping grandmother. After reaching his bedroom, he could finally move freely, and let out a sigh of relief. His grandma didn't like being woken up expressly, especially since she sees him as nothing a project that can be fixed. He set down his bowl of oranges, opened his laptop and texted his new friends.

In position. Alert me when we begin.

Flooberoid MainEventMan