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lastvoyages2016-08-30 06:20 pm
tetractys) wrote in lastvoyages2016-08-30 06:20 pm
03 HAVEN'T YOU NOTICED THAT I'M A STAR
[As of 10/12/16, this post has ~mysteriously vanished.~]
[Spam]
[Organic life is possible because stars die.
No twinkling points of light, these, but ancient cosmic infernos, that crushed atoms under their own weight and transmuted gasses into heavier elements by sheer heat and pressure. Every molecule of carbon in the universe was made in this way, expelled out of supernovas and distributed into the void billions of years ago. We are all made of their sacrifice: matter is neither created nor destroyed, so every plant and animal on earth contains the same recycled carbon. Every human is the ghost of an old star.
Some, admittedly, more than others.
William "Cipher" is certain, up until the last minute of his life, that he knows who he is. Born April first, 1969, salaried Hero Support for eleven years, IQ 139, doctorate degree in education. A patient man, a cunning man. Not a very good man. He has lungs and a heart, childhood memories, a social security number.
The ground shifts underneath him. He doesn't immediately recognize it as the breach ending, because he is busy realizing that he was wrong, he was wrong about all of it. How could anyone be so wrong? The sheer scale of the mistake that's dawning on him roots him in place. The pen in his hand vanishes before he can finish dropping it.
He does not work here. This place didn't even exist a week ago. He's been tricked.
The terrible, overwhelming knowledge of one trillion years of omnipotence bursts open inside of him. The carbon in his body turns back into nuclear starlight, and the dross that is his breach life burns away.
When it's over, his feet aren't touching the ground. He was screaming there for a moment, but it's fine, he's laughing now. The newly reborn Bill - one hundred percent unleaded geometric paradox, zero percent human being, accept no substitutes - glows brightly.]
"OH, WOW, IS IT GOOD TO BE ME!"
[Or is he himself? Bill has no idea if he's awake yet, if he thinks about it. Maybe he'll suddenly realize that none of this layer of reality was true either! Most of his senses are cut off from here inside the Admiral's territory. Very irritating!
For only the second or third time in a lifespan measured in the oscillations of universes, there's nothing he can do about this situation he's in. Novelty is hard to come by in a life so long, but he hasn't decide if he appreciates this yet. And it's not like he didn't know this was coming. He did his research. He just didn't know it would be so ...
Well, he's not sure what. Give him time.]
[Audio, public.]
ALRIGHT, BIG GUY, REAAAAL FUNNY.
[The real Bill's voice is nothing like his human breach self's. Mr. Cipher was always a bit nasal, but Bill is so high-pitched and grating that he's almost a mean-spirited parody.]
YA GOT ME! AND IT'S NOT EVERYBODY THAT CAN, SO PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK AND LET'S GET BACK TO WORK!
YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN THINKING! I GUESS THAT PORT WAS MEANT TO TEACH US ALL A LESSON. I'VE REALIZED NOW THAT HUMANS ARE PEOPLE, NOT JUST A NEUROTIC SPECIES OF APE THAT'S INVENTED TOOTHPASTE AND THE SAXOPHONE!
[Bill gives a little, exaggerated sigh. Wow, it's great to learn, huh? It's great to learn that deep down, we're all the same. Profound stuff. Wow.]
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I FEEL MORE REDEEMED ALREADY, AND READY TO START TREATING PEOPLE WITH KINDNESS AND RESPECT!
WOW, I FEEL A LOT BETTER GETTING THAT OFF MY CHEST! YOU SHOULD REALLY GET IN ON THIS, LET'S START A LITTLE "GROUP THERAPY."
[It's only fair, really. It's all in the spirit of sharing, and bringing the community closer together.]
INMATES, WHEN DID YOU FIGURE OUT THAT YOUR LIFE WAS ONE LONG, HIDEOUS MISTAKE?
IF YOU'VE REALIZED IT YET, ANYWAY! IF YOU HAVEN'T, THAT'S FINE! YOU'LL GET THERE! IT'S NOT THE DESTINATION. IT'S THE JOURNEY.
WARDENS... SAME QUESTION! YOU DON'T GET DESPERATE ENOUGH TO MAKE DEALS WITH A FACELESS PSYCHOPOMP IF EVERYTHING IN YOUR LIFE'S GOING JUST LIKE YOU PLANNED! SO SPILL THE BEANS!
[In a stage whisper:]
IT'LL MAKE THE INMATES FEEL BETTER.
[Spam]
[Organic life is possible because stars die.
No twinkling points of light, these, but ancient cosmic infernos, that crushed atoms under their own weight and transmuted gasses into heavier elements by sheer heat and pressure. Every molecule of carbon in the universe was made in this way, expelled out of supernovas and distributed into the void billions of years ago. We are all made of their sacrifice: matter is neither created nor destroyed, so every plant and animal on earth contains the same recycled carbon. Every human is the ghost of an old star.
Some, admittedly, more than others.
William "Cipher" is certain, up until the last minute of his life, that he knows who he is. Born April first, 1969, salaried Hero Support for eleven years, IQ 139, doctorate degree in education. A patient man, a cunning man. Not a very good man. He has lungs and a heart, childhood memories, a social security number.
The ground shifts underneath him. He doesn't immediately recognize it as the breach ending, because he is busy realizing that he was wrong, he was wrong about all of it. How could anyone be so wrong? The sheer scale of the mistake that's dawning on him roots him in place. The pen in his hand vanishes before he can finish dropping it.
He does not work here. This place didn't even exist a week ago. He's been tricked.
The terrible, overwhelming knowledge of one trillion years of omnipotence bursts open inside of him. The carbon in his body turns back into nuclear starlight, and the dross that is his breach life burns away.
When it's over, his feet aren't touching the ground. He was screaming there for a moment, but it's fine, he's laughing now. The newly reborn Bill - one hundred percent unleaded geometric paradox, zero percent human being, accept no substitutes - glows brightly.]
"OH, WOW, IS IT GOOD TO BE ME!"
[Or is he himself? Bill has no idea if he's awake yet, if he thinks about it. Maybe he'll suddenly realize that none of this layer of reality was true either! Most of his senses are cut off from here inside the Admiral's territory. Very irritating!
For only the second or third time in a lifespan measured in the oscillations of universes, there's nothing he can do about this situation he's in. Novelty is hard to come by in a life so long, but he hasn't decide if he appreciates this yet. And it's not like he didn't know this was coming. He did his research. He just didn't know it would be so ...
Well, he's not sure what. Give him time.]
[Audio, public.]
ALRIGHT, BIG GUY, REAAAAL FUNNY.
[The real Bill's voice is nothing like his human breach self's. Mr. Cipher was always a bit nasal, but Bill is so high-pitched and grating that he's almost a mean-spirited parody.]
YA GOT ME! AND IT'S NOT EVERYBODY THAT CAN, SO PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK AND LET'S GET BACK TO WORK!
YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN THINKING! I GUESS THAT PORT WAS MEANT TO TEACH US ALL A LESSON. I'VE REALIZED NOW THAT HUMANS ARE PEOPLE, NOT JUST A NEUROTIC SPECIES OF APE THAT'S INVENTED TOOTHPASTE AND THE SAXOPHONE!
[Bill gives a little, exaggerated sigh. Wow, it's great to learn, huh? It's great to learn that deep down, we're all the same. Profound stuff. Wow.]
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I FEEL MORE REDEEMED ALREADY, AND READY TO START TREATING PEOPLE WITH KINDNESS AND RESPECT!
WOW, I FEEL A LOT BETTER GETTING THAT OFF MY CHEST! YOU SHOULD REALLY GET IN ON THIS, LET'S START A LITTLE "GROUP THERAPY."
[It's only fair, really. It's all in the spirit of sharing, and bringing the community closer together.]
INMATES, WHEN DID YOU FIGURE OUT THAT YOUR LIFE WAS ONE LONG, HIDEOUS MISTAKE?
IF YOU'VE REALIZED IT YET, ANYWAY! IF YOU HAVEN'T, THAT'S FINE! YOU'LL GET THERE! IT'S NOT THE DESTINATION. IT'S THE JOURNEY.
WARDENS... SAME QUESTION! YOU DON'T GET DESPERATE ENOUGH TO MAKE DEALS WITH A FACELESS PSYCHOPOMP IF EVERYTHING IN YOUR LIFE'S GOING JUST LIKE YOU PLANNED! SO SPILL THE BEANS!
[In a stage whisper:]
IT'LL MAKE THE INMATES FEEL BETTER.
no subject
And I first came here because my best friend died, and I wanted to bring him back from the dead.
[see, defiance of the natural order! he has so much in common with you, Bill.]
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WOW, THAT'S A SAD STORY! WAS IT YOUR FAULT?
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[Horatio never actually experienced being old fat angry slutty Horatio, but he found everyone else's transformations fascinating.]
Did you find your values much changed during the breach?
And-- [He pauses, taking a moment to find some convoluted way to blame himself for Archies death... And yep, there it is.] It was. There's blame enough for many men, but I'll take my portion.
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[Private.]
[Bill slips the school counselor's human voice on like a mask. He suddenly sounds like he's having the worst day of his life.]
Hardison. Exergy. This entire time... you were just waiting for your chance to hurt us?
[He even throws in a pained, shaking breath, like there's a vice around his heart.]
Did none of this mean anything? What could you possibly gain from attacking children?
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[Not bad, but not as good at donning genuine human emotion like a stylish hat as
momSophie.]private
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You can't actually think this will work.
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And your guard is nonexistent, is that it?
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[Private audio] -> spam
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[Seriously, Bill, your voice? Your voice. It's worse than a vacuum cleaner. Your voice makes Lark want to howl at you. Your voice... well this could go on a while.]
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YOUR TURN!
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[She would never argue that her life is one long, hideous mistake - she just doesn't consider it her mistake.]
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accidentally clicking every button except reply fghjjd sorry
oops I actually meant Samarkand, I am not good at canon
<3 is k
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The laugh in particular has the potential to sound familiar.]
OH, LET'S START WITH B͎OȚ͖̤̱̬͉͞H̨͔̩̤̜ͅ FOR YOU, COLD!
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Let's not and say we did. I noticed no one else on here is doing the same.
Audio - oh cool it told me that post didnt go through \o/
Audio Laaaame
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Audio, private// I GUESS I SHOULD CONTENT WARN FOR GASLIGHTING. bill you're so embarrassing
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[This is ...at least 75% a lie, but Bill doesn't strike Iris as someone she's inclined to trust with her personal truths. He's likely to try and debate them.]
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IT'S A GRIM AND UNCARING UNIVERSE OUT THERE. IF YOU FIND PERSONAL HAPPINESS, YOU HAVE TO HOLD ONTO IT!
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You 'ave fun in the breach, did you?
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Audio
She's not quite herself yet, she thinks, not quite whole.
So her voice is a bit quiet, a bit distracted.]
I'm fixing what I broke.
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