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« november: the farplane »

This is our Open Log for players to have an easy opportunity to tag others and have fun with prompts that deal with current happenings that are not covered by our MANTA Board quests. Sometimes we provide extra quests at the bottom, but oftentimes we just let the MANTA Board cover it. Players are free to include MANTA Board quests in their toplevels!

Because this is a special event released thanks to the point donations, all threads based off the event are worth 6 points.

Note: This is an opt-in event with the IC timeline lasting throughout the rest of the month. This means a character could go into the Farplane for one day and then sit out for the rest of the month to either go about their business or deal with the troubles that are occurring in the living world. The event should "conclude" by the end of the month, but we will use AC Submissions for details.

For your toplevel, please include the following: Character Name | Canon | Armada Choice.

TOPLEVEL DIRECTORY (Updated November 27th)

As reports of ghosts not returning to the Farplane continue as well as now visible signs of the cracks forming between the realm of the dead and of the living, great measures must now be taken. Tapirfolk who call themselves guardians of the Farplane will be ferried to Eltrut by Envoy Jades and will coordinate with high officials who are more familiar with the spiritual realm. From there, word spreads to the other major leviathans, meetings are conducted, and an organized expedition is set.

It is revealed the newly discovered island of fog, Samdre is a suitable "landing point" for Envoy Jades to ferry those who volunteer to enter the Farplane. However, rather than by any shore, the staging area is in the middle of the island, where a black lake has appeared, one that was certainly not there before. It's here that the Asmodeus will appear in its ghastly glory and everyone will disembark to the Farplane. More of the guardians as well as strange deer will be there as well. To enter the Farplane, however, there are a few things one needs to be aware of:

» Soul expulsion. A living body cannot enter the Farplane, so the soul must be expelled instead. The soul will remain tethered to the body so that it will be able to return easily.
» 3 hour time limit. A living soul can only exist in the Farplane for on average three hours. After which, they must either return to Envoy Jades or activate the provided talisman to immediately return to their bodies. Those who have experienced death before can last at most an hour longer before needing to leave.
» Risk of death. Should a living person stay too long in the Farplane, they risk death and could become a permanent resident of the Farplane unless they can be revived and brought back to life within 24 hours. Fortunately there are different methods to revive a person, and there will be a good stock of Vials of Liquid Life available.
» Side effects. Upon returning to the living, one will feel great fatigue and extreme sickness, as if they had been drowning and brought back to life. These effects last at most an hour and medics on hand will help try to reduce it.
» Downtime. Because of these risks, all who go in will need to stay out of the Farplane for a few hours, even days, or else there could be further strain on the soul.

For those who do not wish to enter the Farplane or are taking a break from their last trip, help in protecting the bodies or tending to the sick will be greatly appreciated. Buildings have been secured to house the bodies and tents are also established for those needing immediate care upon returning.

INTO THE FARPLANE

Once ready, those who board Envoy Jades's ship will need the travel time through the seemingly endless darkness to adjust to being just a soul. Only the lights on the ship will grant them any visibility, and it's under these lights they will notice their forms begin to look more solid, until eventually they look almost like their living body—just a lot paler. They are also able to touch and feel things while also having the ability to pass through objects. Because is anything actually solid in the underworld? Fortunately they won't be able to pass through the ship due to its unique qualities and magic.

Eventually a light will appear, and it will grow and grow and grow until in a blinding flash they breach through and are greeted by a mystical sight. The bell of Cassiopea, the jellyfish that contains all of Farplane, shimmers high above them and is endless. There is no clear beginning or end, it just stretches on forever, the darkness beyond like the night sky. Things float or fly in the air—it's hard to tell if one is underwater or not—and it's not too long before they see what looks to be large land masses with buildings like those found in ancient kingdoms. With lush coral reef forests and seagrass hills, although paler in color, it doesn't look too different from the land of the living.

As they approach what looks to be a white crystalline shore, they are told that they are near Respite Reef, a place where souls that are newly arrived and have yet to accept their fate first stay. This is so they can have the space and protection to acclimate to the afterlife, and reduce risk if they are unable to accept and corrupt instead. Those who choose to slumber for eternal rest or until they are ready to awaken again are taken to a place further beyond called the Gravewaters. Where they are going, however, is the Breathing Depths, where most souls live out their afterlife.

Here it is both a "lively" yet "peaceful" place, where souls drift around almost lazily. The concepts of wants, desires, and needs are extremely diminished. While some may hold onto a few things from their past life, many will have completely let go of them to exist happily. Before setting out, it may be a good idea to look around and understand what it's like to "live" in the Farplane.

🙅‍♂️ In denial. Some recently arrived souls may not be ready for the afterlife, and it’s not unusual to see souls try to fight against the guardians or other souls in a last-ditch effort to return home. Help them calm down, either with a comforting word or perhaps by force, and help bring them to Respite Reef.

🫧 Bubble jumping. Moving through the farplane feels much lighter than it does in the living world. Gravity is just a touch lighter in this place. With the amount of large bubbles and jellyfish floating around, it might be fun to be able to jump up on bubbles and jump and float around on them. Reach higher junctions by jumping from bubble to bubble, or make it into a race to see who can get the farthest with a friend.

🐟 Pyreguppies. Swimming around the Farplane are hundreds if not thousands of little glowing guppies that hover and play around any traveling souls. These little floating fishies are playful and sweet, trying to give little kisses to anyone who might still be clinging to life. If they come into contact with a soul, they can give a small warm memory of someone lost.

🍎 Black crabapples. Pretty black crabapple trees grow in random circles all around the Farplane. Despite being black with little crab shaped bits, the apples look tantalizing and delicious and draw souls in to want to snack on them. When eaten, the eater will experience extreme forgetfulness to the point that they don’t even remember who they are. Luckily, the effect only lasts for a few hours.

🎐 Good wishes. In order to support any lost souls wandering about, it is encouraged to write good wishes on small slips of paper and to tie them to trees. It doesn’t only need to be good wishes to the souls here, it can also be good wishes for the people in your life or someone you often think about too. These wishes will cheer up souls that rest here.

📿 Sticky charms. It’s a common trick to ward off the darker spirits by using special handwritten sticky charms with a small ruin spell on it that wards them away. Create some sticky charms and apply them to the forehead in order to make them the most effective.

☁️ Bubble clouds. If caught in one of the various floating puffs of sticky bubble clouds, the soul stuck inside it might experience their perfect bliss. Be it a dream about fulfilling their most sought after desires, finishing a long-lost goal or falling in love. The dream will be so blissful that the soul might not want to leave and be stuck there forever… Don’t let anyone get stuck.

Closer to the edge of the Breathing Depths and towards the wilder area known as the "Uncharted," there are a few natural places one should be aware of. There is a large steaming herbal hot spring that can be found and souls are compelled to come sit in it and to enjoy it. Although, stay long enough and a soul might melt and change into the shape of a frog or otter or any other aquatic creature. The purple and green seagrass fields can be found flourishing through the Farplane. The watercress and seagrass is thick and soft, like a whole forest of colorful grassy fluff. These watery grasses are light to the touch and if walked through, will give traveling souls a sleepy feeling. Falling asleep with someone here will let dreams be shared between companions.

FARPLANE: DARK SIDE

While most of the Farplane is safe, it is natural for there to be areas that are dangerous. The Uncharted, for instance, is a vast wilderness where most souls of animals and beasts roam. More dangerous, in the dark depths deep within Cassiopea is an area called The Locker. It is where the most vicious, unrepentant, monstrous souls are locked away. Unable to be purified, they are slowly tormented and destroyed by the ghostly leviathan. However, there are occasional leaks where some of that malignant energy seeps out into the rest of the Farplane. Referred to as blackwater, the guardians are usually quick to find and clear it up, but sometimes souls will get caught or perhaps even seek out the blackwater.

Regardless of how, souls affected by the blackwater will turn into malignant entities called "malice" and will corrupt the energy around them. If not taken care of quickly, it can spread, attracting more hostile souls and creatures as well as corrupting peaceful ones. The guardians and barrier around the Breathing Depths keep them at bay, but there has been an unusual spike that is making it difficult for them to contain and attacks more frequent. Those that go out to help need to be careful not to be corrupted themselves.

⚫ Black ooze. Although can be mistaken for blackwater, this black ooze is thicker in substance, like tar. It can be cleared out, but care still needs to be taken. Those trapped by it or exposed to it for too long will experience immense despair, vividly recalling their greatest regrets and moments of hopelessness. This can cause a soul to be corrupt, so although it's not blackwater, it's being treated similarly.

👻 Heliobi. Energy-sucking ghost-like parasites, they take root in a host’s nervous system and slowly feed on their emotions and energy. They will use the host’s deepest, darkest desires to create wild delusions and manipulate the host like a chess piece. The host has no choice but to obey and is possessed. If left long enough, the host will no longer be who they once were and will be exhausted by the heliobi. To stop these creatures, an “evil binding matrix relic” will be needed to imprison the abominations. Or just smack them around enough until they come to.

👾 Dearly Departed Foes. The Farplane is not only home to the souls of people, but also animals and other creatures. Those who venture deep into the Farplane may also come across the departed souls of monsters that had once been hunted as bounties in the land of the living. They’re definitely not happy about seeing the face of those who had slain them, so they will be hostile to those who were the reason for their demise. Arm yourself carefully if you want to fight these bounty monsters a second time!

☠️ Marked for Death. Corrupted souls may recognize those who were once dead and now living, marking them as a target of aggression by souls angry at their circumstances. Those who have returned from death may even have ghosts try to replace their souls with their own, or even displace them and drag them deep into the Farplane to join the dead properly.

👥 Possessions. There are more aggressive, fearless souls that seek out bodies of the living to possess. Like the others, they will feed on the memories of those that they encounter. However, unlike the ones that simply take shape, they will possess the body of the ones they find. Sometimes, they will make for a very convincing version of that person, and other times, they will take on the form of another in those memories. They will act like them, speak like them, and bear all of the same memories. A powerful soul may even be able to change the host's appearance, though it may "glitch" out and appear strange, as if something is slightly off. Be careful not to get caught by these ghosts, or else they might just follow people out. Find a way to dispel them or fend them off before they take over the body and mind completely...

The cracks from within the Farplane are more likely to be found in the Uncharted area, making them harder to find. They appear like giant gashes, as if someone had claws through the air or the ground, and a distorted view of the land of the living can be seen. Once found, however, it only needs to be attacked to be destroyed. However, care must be given to not be pulled out of the Farplane and back into the world. Because their souls are still alive, they are more likely to be pulled out and fairly quickly. If that happens, they will need to either re-enter the crack or risk being stuck outside and needing to make their way back to their body as the talisman will not work.

The ghost ship Envoy Jades had been trying to hunt down will be seen appearing and disappearing to attack certain parts of Cassiopea at random, creating and leaving cracks behind. When not ferrying the dead, Envoy Jades will take his ship and chase after it to try and rid of it once and for all. Those who wish to help will be armed with special purifying relics made and brought from outside, and because they are still living they are the only ones who can use it. These relics are all long range, from cannons to long range firearms to harpoons to magic staves. If enough people are able to use and hit the ship, they should be able to destroy it so that Envoy Jades can collect and drag the souls to the Locker where they belong.

REALM OF THE LIVING

With ghosts and creatures slipping through the cracks all over the world, those of the living need to do their part to deal with the issues brewing on their side. Fortunately, the number of ghosts and ghouls have been significantly reduced, so rather than a flood of attacks there are only a few that appear here and there. Thus it's manageable but still a problem, especially as the days drag on and it continues to persist. For those focusing on the general dangers and ghosts, there are a few ways one can help.

🦴 Gravestones. Several of the dull gravestones outside the Farplane’s entrance are grimy and icky with mud and time. Cleaning them might be able to protect the entrance of the Farplane better and keep the souls that are going inside safer. Clean the graves and offer them stories about your life to help them glow with energy again.

🧵 Leylines. There are several long tendrils of energy connecting the living world to the Farplane. These lines of energy are the very tethers that keep souls grounded and so they can return to the living world when the time is right. In order to keep them strong, use magic and energy to fuel the tether’s power. Letting them go out will surely mean a lost soul never returning.

🎶 Sing a verse. The Farplane is also incredibly sensitive to heartfelt emotions. To keep the score between the living world and the Farplane stable, sing a song together about something meaningful or heartfelt. Let the energy and sound fill up and strengthen the energy between both. Don’t be afraid, sing a song! Any song! Give it some ompph!

🌑 Shadow Beasts Some emotions and lingering resentment or regret coalesce and manifest into ephemeral, shadowy monsters that can be found lurking on the edges of the Farplane and devouring any lost soul that strays too far. These shadow beasts take all kinds of forms, and are drawn to particularly strong emotions, both positive and negative. They can be defeated with magical attacks, but overwhelming them with strong, positive emotions can help calm and dispel them naturally.

👥 Fight for your life. Just because someone is not in the Farplane does not mean they are safe from it. The escaped souls are searching for any unfortunate person they can drag back to replace their soul so that they can continue to stay in the land of the living by any means necessary. Whether it is kidnapping, fighting, or even trying to kill. Those who have experienced death before will be especially targeted. Help those who are being taken and try to subdue and fight off these souls to send them back where they belong.

The next important matter to deal with are the cracks. Just like in the Farplane, they need to be found and sealed off and are, somewhat fortunately, quite visible, appearing like gashes in the air or on the ground with unstable magic pouring out of it. One may even hear strange gurgling sounds, like something slowly moving underwater. Using strong magic, sealing spells or relics, or even attacking the cracks will close them up. There is a risk of falling through, so be careful. Fortunately, should one accidentally feel themselves being pulled in, it's a slow process and they may find themselves just stuck in the gap for a fair amount of time first, long enough for someone to help. They may even get pushed out by Cassiopea or a guardian if they happen to notice from within the Farplane.

However, these cracks and the corruptions of souls within the Farplane will continue so long as cultists performing blood rituals that use living sacrifices continue. Investigations have revealed that there has been a rise in the number of them, and while they do not know what purpose they have for all these rituals, it can be concluded that it needs to stop. The objectives for dealing with the cultists are straightforward:

🗺️ Find their secret locations. They could be on remote islands, in caves, or even in secret basements. Taking the form of spectral horses, the guardians will lead any willing to deal with the cultists to where the ghostly gatherings are found.

💥 Capture or kill the members. Capture is preferred for investigation, but no one will be faulted if they took a more vigilante route. Just don't let their blood spill onto an active ritual.

🕊️ Rescue any victims. They will use any kind of living body, be it person or animal. If too late, recover the body to bring peace to their soul…or risk their spirit corrupting.

🧟 Destroy summoned creatures. If a team arrives too late to stop a ritual, then the cultists are likely already dead, destroyed by the very thing they summoned. It could be a fiend, a monster, a demented soul—whatever it is, it will need to be destroyed. Some could try to purify it to let it return to the Farplane, but the ritual twists and corrupts the soul, so it may be difficult. Destroying it may be the more merciful route. Should one manage to purify it, bring the creature or soul to Samdre where it can be taken to the Farplane by Envoy Jades.

(note: players can find ritual circles made in blood, along with sacrificial displays involving the souls of both people and animals. On the edges of these ritual sights, black ooze can be found seeping up from the ground, as if tainted by the rituals)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

If they are, they aren't thinking about it. Saying stuff that comes to mind, possibly prompted by a need to calm the racing thoughts around them, possibly because their own mind is spinning its wheels, ready to go speeding off without any heed of the condition of the roads its traveling.

They go back to taking pictures as he works on calming the girl.

Fortunately, they can sense his mind approaching pretty easily, so he doesn't startle them when he comes back.

"Guess Sherlock would know about toxicology." They sway a little as they stand up from their examination of what appears to be ropes used to bind prisoners. It looks like whoever wore them struggled until they cut into their wrists.

"There's enough ...stuff here that I think they've been doing these sacrifices for a while. I didn't see any torture tools, at least." Not that people ever needed specific tools for that.

"They also didn't care about cleanliness." Not at the sacrifice site, clearly. Makes them wonder if there was another site they spent most of their time at, and here was just for prisoners and rituals involving prisoners.

Might make sense if they thought what they were doing could be dangerous.

"Yeah. And Turo's Iron Moth is a Poison Type, along with Grass Pokemon using various spores to put people to sleep or paralyse them, so he might have some knowledge? Pokemon Professors seem to have pretty expansive knowledge bases."

And then Emet was just... Emet. Eons of Knowledge sort of deal. Made sense that he'd be taking over as their captain now until Dongfang's... possible return.

But, that was neither here nor there.

He gave a 'mm' of acknowledgement to Chris as they described what they saw, reaching out as if to catch them if they swayed too much and started to fall, but not-- touching. Not unless necessary. He knew that Chris was sensitive about that kinda thing, unless it was punching someone.

"Long term use, not used for torture necessarily, more focused on blood sacrifice and lots of it, cleanliness not important..."

Even with all this blood... Chris still kept to it.

Remember when Adachi threw up on seeing Miyumi Yamano's body, and this guy is taking it all in stride...

...Why didn't I think that could be a shock response instead of him just being a rookie being weak in the knees? It was right in front of me--

"...These markings in the summoning circle."

Rubbing his chin about, as he knelt down outside of it. Careful not to disturb it yet.

"Turo and the rest-- when we were attacked by ... zombies, last year on the Ghoul's Moon, found a large tablet with markings on it in the ship that brought them here. Wonder if any of those would match these."

Just to give further proof of their connection, maybe able to read the spell they were invoking and find a counter spell?

Yeah, Pokémon Professors do seem to have pretty wide knowledge bases, considering that a guy who made a career studying wildlife also built both a time machine and a fully sapient android. Fuck. They didn't even know time machines were possible.

It's a better thing to think about than the other times they've seen blood like this. Of course, Dojima has to keep thinking about how they're handling it.

"I've seen worse than this." It's not a lie, unfortunately.

"If you show him a picture he'll probably know. Computers have basically perfect memory." Their own AI chip still holds the uploaded knowledge they were never trained to access.

Dojima really had to wonder sometimes just how many times smarter 'Tino was compared to him. It sometimes reminded him of dealing with Naoto Shirogane-- the image of the young 'Detective Prince' appearing in his mind, with that-- damn confident smile of his--hers. Too damn smart, he literally got so damn upset he drove himself into a drunken stupor, but--

...She could still be a brat, but his angst about her being called on his case when they were coming up dry had dulled over time with the realization she was just willing to follow conclusions to whatever ends they could be, and not let 'reality' or 'common sense' blind her. Not like him.

...What would she do in a world like this, he wondered.

"Mind handing me back the shellphone?"

Holding his hand out to Chris, though there was a clear look of sympathy on his face.

--They shouldn't have ever been put through all this shit. To see something worse than this?

"...Sorry you had to."

Edited 2024-11-29 19:53 (UTC)

Dojima thinks a lot about people from his home, they think. Always comparing them or examining their motives or reliving old memories.

Caught up in his thoughts, they can't help but snort bitterly at his apology. This doesn't even make the top ten.

There's valuable evidence on the shell phone, so instead of just, say, lobbing it at him they'll walk over and hand it to him.

Casting around for a better--if only questionably so--topic, they settle on "So who's that Adachi guy you keep comparing me to?"

Taking it with a thanks, he had been in the process of writing up a text to Turo to see if he was alright to look at some pictures of the summoning circle--

When Chris's question made him nearly drop the phone in shock--

"H-how--?!"

Staring at them, eyes wide--

Edited 2024-11-30 19:47 (UTC)

Which then faded as it clicked in place, a look of... annoyance and embarrassment on his face.

Right. Telepath.

"...Are you intentionally listening to my thoughts, or am I that 'loud' mentally? ...Whatever that means."

Maybe he could avoid answering that. He wasn't sure how Chris would take it--

And since it's Dojima he gets the real answer.

"I'm not trying to read your brain specifically but it seems stupid to try and block out the ability to sense other people and their motives right now."

Sort of like the difference between looking around someone's apartment when they leave stuff out and actively rummaging through their drawers. They don't often do the latter because it's unnecessary and people sometimes catch them.

Does he really want them to put a blindfold on an ability that might let them sense if say, there are more cultists that weren't here during the bust and now they're coming to get revenge on both of them? Or if someone is posessed? Just for a little privacy?

"You care a lot about other people so those thoughts sit right on the surface." And Chris cares about other people's thoughts and intentions regarding them so they pick up on those more quickly and easily.

Of all the things that make Dojima literally blush and fluster in the middle of a damn crime investigation--

It's being called out for being so caring.

He glanced away, covering the bottom half of his face with his hand, even as he knew his thoughts were just, a jumble of embarrassment. Very distinct thoughts of a man who looked something like an old school teacher dragging him away, But they were beating him up, why are you dragging me off--?! scolding, trying to ask someone if they were alright but flubbing it completely--

Give. Give him a second-- Clearing his throat.

"Fair... fair enough."

But, he had asked...

"...Let's finish up what we can here, and then I'll explain. I owe you that much."

Just gonna text Turo and ask him if he can handle looking at these pictures...

They snort, and a part of them wonders if guys going so far on the being super tough thing they don't even want to acknowledge that they're capable of caring about their friends and family is just a Japanese culture thing, considering Dojima and Ranma. The lessons they got on foreign countries included a lot of geography and languages... and not much else.

"It's better than a lot of what I get from people's heads."

Spend enough time probing their minds, and most people turn out to be terrible.

"Sure."

"..."

Wait.

Shit.

Does that mean everytime he was thinking of... intimate things about Turo or hell, Chisato, Chris could---!?!

---Oh thank the Buddha and any other gods listening, Turo replied--

...With pictures of his own, with the Black tablet and the summoning circle side by side and--

"--According to Turo, these guys are using at least similiar spells as the ones who sent that ship full of zombies at us last Ghoul's Moon."

He'd turn the shellphone around for Chris to see. He'd even underlined similiar symbols that repeated in both images.

"It's a pretty unique language too, so doubt it's just happenstance."

Yeah, Sidestep is trying not to think about that too.

"Now you know why I keep saying you need to learn how to shield." Still can't resist the urge to be a shit.

They'll take a look at the comparison. "Looks like. There's similarities in the order and placement too. Wonder if anyone's got information on the language itself?"

An a soft, only slightly put upon sigh.

I know they're right but for some reason it bothers me... ...shit, they can hear this too. Hurgh---

"I guess we'll add it to the list, along with you helping me make computer and mechanical replacement parts. Especially since I noticed we have more folks who're robotic in nature joining lately."

Zenyatta and Legion, specifically. The idea of being basically able to create parts for them, like some sort of... robot... doctor thing? Was still alien to him--

But how could he not? Especially with what nearly happened to Turo--

But, typing his response to Turo- namely, asking that question that Chris had just brought up, if anyone had info on the language used.

"I know they were investigating it," I made that silver bracelet for Turo specifically to keep him safe from anything demonically supernatural, since it worked on the zombies-- "but I can't remember off the top of my head if they found out what it all meant. I'll see what Turo knows."

But... he couldn't put it off longer. One more scan around the crime scene, taking a snap shot of that encroaching sludgy darkness around the edges of the room, and he'd gesture for Chris to follow him.

"Alright, we should leave this to the magic experts to dispell this so it doesn't blow up on us. And I owe you an explanation."

Oddly though, Dojima's mind was more... foggy, if Chris reached out. Like a cloud had came over his mood.

"Yeah." They met Zenyatta, but apparently there's... more?

"I wonder if we'll get any more Re-Genes? Or other ...flesh robots, I guess." They make a face. Is that really the best term they can come up with?

They haven't really talked about what they are with Dojima, but he basically knows anyway.

"Turo would probably be able to access any research the Paladins have on it." They know he's in pretty good standing.

They're more glad than they're willing to admit when Dojima is finally satisfied enough to leave.

"You really don't like this guy." Makes sense, if he's comparing them favorably to him. They're an asshole.

"Flesh robots..." that's, not an ideal term-- "--I suppose Cyborg doesn't work, right?"

In his mind, that's more-- a human who gets a lot of robotic part replacements, either through necessity (bad accident) or demand (want to... perform better at their job? he didn't know.) Where as... Chris had biological parts, but their brain/skeleton was mechanical...?

"--One of the biggest super hero series back home involves a cyborg battling an evil organization, come to think of it. Featherman Rider... Ah, and Zephyrman I think when I was-- in my 20s?"

Look, he'd been busy with work. He only had so much time and only caught that stuff on a days off.

But... as they got out of the entrance, letting the Mages get in to take care of clean up, Dojima... shook his head.

"...It's... complicated."

Flashes in his head to that guy, lanky with a slightly off center red tie, a pathetic sheepish smile on his face, as Dojima reprimanded him again for spilling info to civilians--

And then Adachi's face in the Hospital, when confronted by him and all those kids, when that expression slipped. The Mask slipped, and he couldn't even chase after him when they all realized the truth-- falling face first to the floor due to his busted ribs he kept making worse--

"I probably should hate him."

Some part of me does, some part of me will never forgive him, but that's not all there is. I can't hate him completely. I can't--give up on him.

They'd find someplace private, Dojima leaning on the nearby tree, and-- well. After all this? He damn well deserved a cigarette, pulling one out and the lighter Turo had gotten him.

"...Tohru Adachi. He was my junior partner at the precinct in Inaba. Came from the big city, 27 years old, suddenly transferred to the boonies. Lots of rumours as to what he did to get sent out here, but frankly? I didn't care."

Taking a drag on his cigarette, trying to think back.

"...told him as much, too. I didn't give a shit about his rep back in the city, what mattered is what he did now."

Edited 2024-12-03 16:08 (UTC)

"Nah. In my world cyborgs are called mods. No one questions if they're sentient or Human."

Some--most--of them have more mechanical in them than Sidestep.

"Re-Genes are like... cloned human bodies artificially aged past the state where they'd be able to develop minds on their own, then they surgically implant an AI in the brain."

Yes, this means that Sidestep is physically entirely human. They just get classed as a nonsentient robot because their body was grown artificially and a part of their mind was originally AI.

"Also I'm not a hero."

They'll follow Dojima and listen. Caught up in the thoughts and images, they don't immediately notice him going for a cigarette, and they startle at the sound of the lighter, staring at him for a few seconds before relaxing again. Listen to him explain.

"So he did something bad, didn't he?" Playing the fool. Letting people underestimate how dangerous he was.

Fuck. Dojima is a lot smarter than he thinks. They're glad he doesn't realize he might actually be onto something.

Dojima just sort of... stared at them, taking that all in. Trying to sort it in his head.

"...Wait, so the only thing that's out of the norm with you to other humans--outside of your psychic powers-- is that you're a test tube baby who was aged up, and then they just... uploaded a digital brain scan into your brain instead of letting you grow to have a personality naturally?"

He had originally thought-- with their skin patterns and robotic knowledge-- they was something like Turo, or more defined mix of biological and technological.

"...Sounds like something out of an 80s OVA--er. Original Video Animation, not going to lie."

Edited 2024-12-05 20:42 (UTC)

But... continuing on, his expression returning to serious.

"Adachi was a slacker. I'd catch him hiding out at the local chain store, Junes, he'd spout sensitive info to civilians, including my nephew and his friends--"

A distinct image of a silver haired young man and an eclectic group of teenagers, including a few faces Chris would have definitely seen before in Dojima's thoughts.

"...what drove me nuts, is that I could tell there was more to him. Something was going on in there, in his head, but he never let me in enough to tell what. Couldn't get a good sense of him, other than he liked doing shit to annoy me."

A deep drag of his cigarette, fuck, he really missed this shit. He'd have to apologize later to Turo for slipping, but--

"... He was there for about a month in Inaba, when we were suddenly dealing with a strange murder case. Just when my nephew came to live with me for a year while his parents went overseas."

A body hanging from a TV Antenna upside down in the fog--

"--Local news anchor who had just been found out to be in an affair with a politician, who had been hiding in Inaba to lay low from the media circus. I was put in charge of investigation-- only for a day or so later, another body found. A young local teenage girl, hanging from the telephone poll. No sign of what killed them. No bruises, no broken bones, poison, nothing, they just... died. We had suspects of course, especially the politician, but they also had decent alibis."

"It's not a brain scan, just some simple programming and memories. I probably would've been a vegetable otherwise, my brain skipped over all the important parts of learning and development." Would they? There are flashes of memories from back when they were in the tank. Before birth. When were the chips put in...?

They're not like Turo. Not a copy of another person. Not that advanced. Not that intelligent.

"And I know what an OVA is. I've also read manga before too, before you ask." They roll their eyes. Yeah, communication and trade between countries isn't as widespread as it would be in a world with advanced satellites and better internet, but there's still some stuff available.

As for the rest... well, they know those faces. Sharing valuable information with those kids? What did he gain from that, they wonder?

"Let me guess, he committed the murders? And the kids were involved somehow, though they weren't helping him." He likes those kids too much for that.

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