Challenges (A microfic collection)
Identity
by ♫Dex
November 18th, 2019
Prompt: "Social Media"
Identity
I had searched every image board, searching for clues about Runknown - that hero protecting us from the liberal government's brainwashing. It paid off. I opened the email. The content was short. A single video, and some instructions.
Final test. Find the clues. Send the answers. -Runknown
It was a simple montage, series of clips from our president stitched together, mixed with screencaps from news reports.
The first watch didn't give me anything. I played it a second time, pausing after each clip. The second time didn't help either.
By the fourth rewatch, which I had done nearly frame by frame, I was as clueless as when I started. A square showed up at specific times, and that was how far I went.
I started taking notes of each frame where the square was. I ended up finding a series of words, dates, times, places.
Then, I had it all. The first letters spelt "P55t6eryY3g". I recognized the code - an ID for yet another platform.
I opened it, finding a still picture. It was a simple black text on a white background.
It was obvious. I always knew it.
I replied to the email.
I am Runknown.
The answer came.
Welcome.
Notes:
Ok, I put this short fiction here but just for the sake of being complete.
I really couldn't find a motivating idea for this week's prompt, and ended up literally settling for this.
In case you didn't figure it out, the "RUnknown" thing is inspired for a similar one-letter anonymous internet cult that is not good (tm). My idea was, "what if that cult but horny as a joke ?"
It... Doesn't work. This is a weird short fiction. I don't like having written it.
Also in case you were wondering, the "liberal government" part was just as much me trying to parody online political arguments as it was me just not understanding anything about how US politics actually work and what "liberal" actually means. Since then, I ended up learning all about that, for better or for worse.