"Yeah, I think it's worth trying the specific tree thing. And maybe also try throwing things across the border."

"I've watched people and cars and stuff go past the threshold and they don't, like, vanish or anything, so registering my prediction that throwing things won't affect them like that either. What I am curious about though is checking on something with a camera—maybe a remote-controlled toy car with a camera attached or one of those flying streaming drones or something."

"I tried recording my commute once. It just skipped there like I'd decided to interrupt the recording."

"Yeah I've tried to do that, too. Same result."

"Why do you think a remote controlled car would be different?"

"Well, if whatever made a video stop when we frame skip was taking control of our bodies and making us do it, I'm wondering if it'll do the same while we're still safely on this side of the threshold. And if it's something else, I want to figure out what."

"Yeah. Do you want to do these with both of us there, at the same time?"

"Yeah, those would probably be best with both of us so that we can—catch—if one of us starts acting NPC or being mind-controlled by the genius loci of the threshold or whatever else goes on."

"Genius loci?"

"Oh, uh, it's a fiction thing, like when a place is a person or alive or has will of some kind in stories it's called a genius loci. Or sometimes a magic spirit or other entity that protects or embodies a specific place."

"...in fiction you have actually read, or it just feels like a reference to you?"

"...the latter."

"I wonder if that... means... anything?"

"I would... Honestly I have no idea what I would expect at this point."

"Have you tried actually-reading any fiction? I haven't yet."

"Yes, I have yet to find any fiction that is not utter garbage. They sound exactly like they've been written by NPCs."

"Even if it's not good it could have useful - tropes and stuff?"

"Yeah, maybe. I didn't really find any compelling reason to scan fiction for, uh, 'science' so to speak, before, so I just decided against it after enough bad experiences."

"I'll try some too, I guess."

"Did you come with a pre-installed preference for some book genre? Mine was SF&F, I even came into existence knowing the names of some famous authors."

"I think I came pre-installed not liking fiction very much, but maybe that'll just make me less disappointed by it."

"Probably for the best, yeah."

"Well, the nonfiction's not any good either?"

"It's better, for not trying to have something as complex as a plot, nonfiction doesn't break as badly when it's reduced to a collection of unconnected statements."

"I guess. ...I'm trying to figure out what I ostensibly-did for fun. I think I ostensibly spent a lot of time in the woods for some reason? And made friends - new ones -"