aefenglom | The Network: May, Arrivals from Distant Lands

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The Network: May, Arrivals from Distant Lands

The Network: May, Arrivals from Distant Lands

The Watches

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[Banri hasn’t quite established himself, as it’s only been a day since the ship made landfall. He was exhausted from the journey, immediately crashed in the barracks, and when he woke up the world seemed... Larger and off-tilted.

And then he catches a glimpse of his reflection, and screams.

Okay. Okay, he can... Handle this. And maybe it’s not... Not real, right?]

I know this might be a stretch, but there isn’t any way to get rid of these monster changes, is there?

[Why is he a bug now? He HATES this.]

If you figure it out, can I get you share it with me? I'm not really enjoying this whole monster experience.

[It's gross and weird!]

So are we just supposed to pretend we don't notice that calling people monsters kind of undermines the whole 'everybody's equal now, we promise!' thing orrrr is the joke that anyone gives a shit about this in the first place?

Just wondering. Lots of fucking free time since this dumbass thing doesn't have any games.

[she learned a long time ago that appearance doesn't indicate who carries a monstrous heart within them, but the cynic in her can't help pointing out the disparity.]

[Ogami isn't... an uncommon... name... right? Yuki is just going to breezily reply while his hands are shaking.]

I wish. They messed up my hands a month in. I had to relearn how to play guitar.

[Momo is also looking very hard at that username and trying not to get his hopes up.]

Unfortunately, they're permanent once they've started...
If you're having trouble getting used to them, I could maybe try to help you hide them with an illusion temporarily, though~ ヾ（〃＾∇＾）ﾉ♪

Edited (forgot the most important part of momo's network handle) 2021-05-04 21:48 (UTC)

The term appears to refer to a physical or genetic distinction rather than a moral one here.

[Connor wouldn't be bothered either way; he's been referred to as a number of unpleasant things...]

Even if it could refer to the latter as well, I couldn't detect any disdain from those who spoke at the Coven.

It's got the same kind of implication though, doesn't it? It's not even like most of them are all that fucking similar to each other aside from not being human.

I dunno if that place is really the one to be basing things off of, anyway...you know, since they're feeding that line to begin with.

It is entirely likely that there is a social divide, and that humans were the ones to define it. [... that's pretty much status quo, as far as he's concerned...]

However, the Coven appears to have a considerable amount of influence within the city. Were we truly despised as nonhuman beings by all but those few, I would find it hard to believe that we would be allowed our choice of free shelter and little to no supervision.

Like, I'm not saying it's impossible that the way you're spinning it's the right one. It's a whole new fucking world, it'd be pretty fucking stupid to just write shit off like that.

But it's a little too convenient, don't you think? Not like anyone's actually going to give a shit if somebody like us just gets sniped off the fucking streets. Hell, it's probably a waste of time for anyone around to even bother trying to stop it.

That may be.

[He won't say that she has no reason to be concerned. ... he'd prefer to think he wouldn't just be shot dead from a rooftop, though.]

I don't have enough experience here to make a proper judgment. And as you said, it is an entirely different world, if what we've been told is correct. Taking that into account, I'd have a hard time discounting most possibilities.

[not being able to connect to a network and download the info he needs suuuuuuucks]

[tell her about it. it's immensely annoying having to just take people's words for things rather than do a quick dive on the internet to get a more accurate reading on things. what is she supposed to fucking do, canvass the neighborhoods??]

It's definitely another world. I know that for sure.

[she wouldn't be alive if it weren't...or free, for whatever degree of 'freedom' this place would allow.]

Whether it's sunshine and fucking rainbows or not, though...well, you know that stupid saying. Not like anyone's really here to make friends either way, might as well be safe about it.

[Huh. It's been a while since a newcomer's hit on this one.]

It doesn't have the same connotation here that it gets through the translation spell, and

have you talked to the native Monsters on how they feel about it?

I'm a cynical bitch, not a census taker. Who's going to tell a complete stranger they think the entire fucking city's hurling slurs at them, anyway?

[the danger to admitting discomfort with the moniker of "monster" is likely even higher for a native one, now that she's thinking about it. these...mirrorbound, or whatever...always have the chance of disappearing into thin air after stirring up negative feelings, or so it seems.]

Lost in translation or not, it just feels a little...like, on the nose? All the different types have names already. Why's it so important to lump the nonhumans into one big group to begin with, you know?

someone interested in the truth, presumably,

.

[He hopes that punctuated right; he can never tell.]

You might start around the Outer City there's already very little love lost between them and the rest of Aefenglom.

in a way that nonhuman doesn't already lump us? Monster at least doesn't define us through the absence of humanity, and some of it is probably pure convenience because I note you did not write "whys it so important to lump arachne, chimeras, dragons dryads, fae, fauns, harpies, merrows, naga, pucas, turnskins, and vampires into one big group".

[He's being a brat about this and really shouldn't, knowing where sentiment like this comes from. It's honorable, it just--also rubs his fur the wrong way.]

[ do people really get worked up over things like this? ]

I do not understand. Why does this matter? Is there not a more productive use of time?

[Connor does not, in fact, make the connection, even if "better safe than sorry" is technically in his memory. He'd agree with the sentiment to some extent, but asking what saying she's referring to is extremely low in priority.

He's been partly working on the assumption that this is some kind of virtual corruption of his senses brought on by something in another android's memory... which would be strange but not completely bizarre. Accepting this world as it is would be bizarre. He has to ask:]

What makes you so sure?

I have heard it's expected for a Mirrorbound vampire to die in order to complete their changes.

[Death. Sure, that's fine. He's not alive in the first place, so it's not like he can die! It's just a little... reset, is all, probably. He's just making a network post for practical reasons.]

I'd like to find a companion for the process, in the interest of assuring that no damage is done. I am an android, so it's likely that whatever approximation of death I experience will simply be as a machine shutting down temporarily.

[So it's not like someone would have to watch a person actually die. That'll make it more appealing for any potential respondents, right? He's fine. He's definitely fine and not emotional about this at all. Just a non-deviant robot here who's gradually losing power, beep boop.]

[.....an android, huh.]

I would gladly sit with you for that, serah android. Is it near your time?

[...and,] What's your name?

So you're a Vampire-android, expecting your... undeath. How peculiar. Oh my. Well. If you want a companion to endure a shutdown beside, why not call upon a fellow android like me?? Oh yes! I'd love to join you, darling. For death or for reboot.

[And maybe, JUST MAYBE, to share the fact that uhhh androids can die here. (He thinks?? He died, at least. But he's also not an authentic android.)]

What sort of damage are you expecting, darling?

No. Didn't you read the part where there's no fucking games on the watch?

[sorry Ledo, she'd a brat...even if her initial inquiry had been born of something genuine beneath the disaffected cynicism.]

The truth isn't all that useful, sorry to say.

!

[however, the information about where all of the disenfranchised people seem to have been grouped...that's very useful. places like that were always good for some deep diving when it came to poking at the seedy underbelly of things and brokering secrets. not that it's really her job to be doing that sort of thing here, but - well, she's not going to think about that.]

I mean, I'd argue that the only definition of a monster is the absence of humanity, but I think I've gotta correct you on something more important before we start slinging shit about that.

I'm not asking all this shit because it bothers me, it's because I'm fucking racist. I just want to check and see if this city's down with that or I have to keep pretending like usual.

[there is a massive element of 'bratty response to a bratty response' here, which amuses Hazel because she knows that there's an actual grain or two of truth scattered amongst her purposefully inflammatory words. vampires and witches alike...she really couldn't stand them.]

[Hazel pauses and takes quite a bit of time deliberating on how to answer this. she's not longer undead in this world, apparently, but that doesn't make her any more eager to inform people she had been undead. gentle inquiries into necromancy here had garnered her the same disgusted reactions of home...and that's enough. so what to say here?]

The way that I am now isn't possible if this was my own world.

[another pause, and:]

I don't mean the monster changes.

[uhhhhh huuuuuuuhhh.

Myr has to put his watch down so it doesn't transcribe the snorting chortle of disbelief he makes on hearing that.

It's a bit before he responds.]

Oh VERY convincing façade then our last racist just started in on how elves and Monsters were a lesser species that needed to be eradicated

the Truth is that if you look human and want to be a little shit to Monsters you can get away with it some places and not others and it's easier in the nicer human parts of the city,

But if you go beyond just being snotty into really hurting people even the aristos will call the guard on you

faster if you look poor, they like excuses for that. No one

gets exercised over the word Monster though so you need to go learn the exciting slurs if that's your aim in asking.

FURTHERMORE, [because he is not going to let a perfectly good definitional argument go,] while the word for Monster here is understood by definition as not including humans it isn't a word made up of pieces for "not" and ""human". that word is a bigger category and you can put plants and animals and other not-people things in it.

Monsters are people at least even if we are lesser people in some eyes

Remind me to adjust your speech to text, it's got some entertaining flaws.

[ohhhhhh nooooooo

imagine his mortification.]

Makers bones and breath is it doing the homonyms problem again

?

Edited 2021-05-05 16:14 (UTC)

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The Network: May, Arrivals from Distant Lands

text; un: ogami

text; un: hilda

text; un: stitches

un: 1000

text, un: momo-chan~♥

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text, typos intentional; un: mshivana

i'm pre-sorry for any typo mockey hazel does

LOL this will be wonderful already, i sense it

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text; un: 313248317-51; 5/10

voice; un: mshivana

text; un: METTATON

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it'll probably be, uh, something

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OUT OF NOWHERE <txt>

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