[Finally, after all this time! Mulder has found that much-desired basketball. He's in luck too, as it's well-inflated, not a sign of wear or tear on it. Too many times, he's come across half-deflated or otherwise messed up ones. But this one is perfect. It's as if there's finally some compensation for all the usual rounds of disappearances and so on. He's really needed this. He starts dribbling the ball right as he leaves the shop and continues bouncing the thing everywhere he goes throughout the day. It can also be heard in the background of his voice transmission.]

Does anyone have any unique birthday traditions they care to share? I wonder how similar these traditions might be between the worlds... Let's just say I'm curious, for purely theoretical reasons.

...By the way, is there anyone out there who'd be up for shooting some hoops or even getting together a pick-up game of basketball? Of course, we'd actually need to throw together a hoop somehow first, but minor details! If you've never played before, I promise I'll go easy on you.

[Mulder has more or less settled into an apartment with the things he's found so far from the shops... but that's not where he is at the moment. Too restless to hang around, and convinced he can figure something out, he's gone out on a trip to take a look at the barrier. He's even equipped himself with some camping gear he managed to find and enough supplies for a few days at least.]

[When he finally gets to the barrier, he wastes no time in emptying a clip as he shoots at it. Of course, it does nothing. And of course that doesn't mean he's about to give up so easily, he just needs to give it some more thought. He stays up well into the night at his 'campsite', thinking and wondering about the situation in general. Sleep, what's that? Eventually some other issues start weighing on his mind too, and he gets out his journal. He's too paranoid to ask about barrier breaking tips over the journals anyway, so he sticks to relatively safer topics.]

Since this is transmitted to the general population, I've got a few concerns I'd like to bring up...

First of all, I need to know if anyone has run across a Samantha Mulder or a Dana Scully at any time past or present during their stay here. It's really important that I get any information I can on either of them. [He pauses for a moment.]

...I'm also interested in learning more about these 'filial spirits' as the guide calls them. What's been the experience for any non-natural magic users in particular, did you find it very difficult to master their skills? Do most people find it easiest to start contacting those friendlier spirits and then going on from there?

I'd appreciate any information I can get.