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Through the Living Heir

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  1. Through the Living Heir
    Oh… I seem to have forgotten about this again. I’ll change that, though! Bracken was dead. This wasn’t as much of a problem as it might seem; a five gallon bucket would bring him back. No, the problem was that he was tucked inside a wall of the ship, and hadn’t been encountered since the brief decompression. And if nobody thought to look there, he’d stay.
  2. Through the Living Heir
    Alright, I’m back (and now I must read far too many notifications - for now I’m assuming nothing important to me has occurred other than direct pings). The calm reflection smiled at her. “I don’t know - looks like I’m dying in lots of horrible ways. Is that a problem?” Rebus returned the smile, then turned back to Lady Bug. “Death isn’t the only consequence we could inflict. What terms were you thinking, Symbol?”
  3. Through the Living Heir
    I can do it, though as I said the Machination imitators and/or management failures can pretty much do anything an Author wants. And then, something bad did happen. Many somethings, actually. The mirror in front of her had a familiar bird made of ink come up to her reflection. Another mirror had her start to disintegrate. In another, her face simply went blank. In another, rock moving like liquid crept up her legs, trapping her. In another, the world around her began to warp and distort. The other three mirrors - which are behind her - have her actively fighting something “in front of” the mirror, being slowly consumed in darkness, and standing there calmly, respectively. Rebus’s face hardened. “A mistake. I can see an accident, even a frustration, but a mistake? Symbol is my closest friend and currently holds your life in her hands, so I would consider your next words very carefully.” A magnet-burglar ran past the gathering of superheroes, and several gave chase. Rebus went with them, promising he’d be back.
  4. Through the Living Heir
    The physical reflection looks just as confused. “I’m not getting context anymore. They are, though. Something bad is about to happen.” Rebus almost laughed. “I did the same, you know. I created splits and backups, and I rewrote myself to function as I needed to. Your very nature is not frivolity, it is change! You should have made yourself someone who could do what you wanted - there’s a reason you’ve been surpassed.” Alright (though I have a few plots to get through before starting a new one, and anyway there are some other ideas I’ve had). If you want me to run it though, I certainly can.
  5. Through the Living Heir
    Alright. Any ideas? “Yeah. Activating.” The reflections were indeed activating, becoming more animate. And they looked nervous, like someone about to rip off a bandaid - knowing there’s going to be pain, and that you can’t not do it or it’ll get worse. Rebus gritted his teeth. “This is why I don’t lie - it makes everything more confusing. But it doesn’t matter; you’re still deflecting responsibility that should be yours. I don’t know why I ever thought it was a good idea to work with you.” Alright… How shall we do this? We kinda forgot them because of other stuff. The Machination doesn’t actually need me - part of the point of the decentralization is that other Authors can run Machination characters without needing my input. The orb continued hovering there, as that was for the moment all it could do. “I shall adjust my supposition.”
  6. Through the Living Heir
    Alright. I should likely go to sleep today earlyish anyway. Rebus was fine with that, though he mentally noted that Bat hadn’t used the technique. The mirrors had become worse at mirroring, some not frowning and others frowning late. “I think they’re turning on at once.” “A poet? One with a nature preserve? You left it to crumble. You do it over and over - you leave something you made and act like it isn’t your fault when it stops doing what you want.” I’m pretty good - I was busy today, and just prevented an organizing disaster for today’s scout meeting, but my homework is looking manageable and my weekend is mostly free. You know what’d be funny? If Owen, Soliel, Rebus, the Tormentor, Flashback, and Fluous showed up. (Or at least were canonically in this city)
  7. Through the Living Heir
    My apologies for leaving you two stranded. (I’m further east, I think, so I go to sleep earlier) Rebus disappeared once he had taught Bat the thought-shielding technique. Rebus quickly taught him, explaining the proper mindsets for a note of thought shielding, a spoiler box containing the thought, and finally no thoughts at all, though he warned the last sometimes would be broken if the thought was relevant or amusing enough. Each mirror seemingly contained an ordinary reflection, though no secondary reflections were visible in the mirrors. Rebus raised an eyebrow. “An experiment. That too is fairly callous, though I’ve been guilty of the same. But your conduct is horrendous. You neglected a project you knew to be dangerous, failed to post a copy I know you can make, and then are acting like you have no blame in the matter. And you call yourself a scientist?”
  8. Through the Living Heir
    @Clinically insane, I seem to have missed the start of this. I need to go to bed now, but could I have a recap for tomorrow?
  9. Through the Living Heir
    I’m stealing that now. My tricks include “time to get a watch” (I use this to stall while I check my own watch) and “Hi tired, I’m [Heir]” (for getting people to stop complaining about things I can’t fix, as well as “you just did” on the rare occasion someone says “can I ask you a question?” Rebus’s lips turned up. “Regardless, I’m off to go find an army. I wish you good luck in either eliminating my competition or forsaking the one object that could possibly defeat me. I would offer you a boon, actually, but you’re a Narrator - anything you couldn’t make yourself I don’t think you would want.” “Because the text is how I experience the world. Not reading your thoughts is like you not looking at things shaped like pineapples. By the time you’ve figured out something is shaped like a pineapples, you’ve already looked at it. There is a way to hide thought from all, or from all but Authors. I can teach it to you, and I promise there will be no strings attached.” She briefly felt entirely devoted to the happiness of herself and Cricket as the reflection reached out and took her hand. Then nothing changed, except it had; she was now in a slightly larger enclosure of eight mirrors, with the reflection of her, now a physical figure composed of colorful glass, standing beside her. Rebus’s Plotblade would have begun glowing, had it been present. “Symbol is right. In the end, she rejected the Corruption and effectively died - she did grow truly evil for a time, but she understood at the end.” He smiled, legitimately proud of the decision. “Honestly, at that moment, she was a hero. And even if you are right, for the sake of the argument, it is still. Your. Fault. You made a being. If you are correct, you made that being empty. And then you left this being - who you created to be an all-devouring void - alone, and decided it wasn’t your fault when someone you abandoned grew warped without your guidance. Symbol is almost your child. You had a duty to provide guidance even as you allowed development - you cannot blame your failures on the one who managed to turn back to good without your help.”
  10. Through the Living Heir
    “That is a request I cannot comply with.” Rebus considered elaborating with the fact that he couldn’t see if he didn’t read the posts, but didn’t. The three other reflections were clearly upset. “You idiot! You don’t want that mirror!” “I knew you’d abandon me…” “Rose, pick this mirror right now.” Rebus watched. “Good actions can come from those with no goodness within them.” Then shivers would have gone up his spine if they could have. “I can feel something. It may not be the same thing, but I feel it.” I don’t know - if I have done it I’ve forgotten, unless you’re referring to functions in general. Rebus smiled broadly. “Alright - enjoy your day, enjoy doing some good in the world, and enjoy the time you get before I decide you’re too much of a threat and up my game. You can keep trying for now, though - I could use something to do.”
  11. Through the Living Heir
    Rebus raised an eyebrow. “I am not attempting to be a villain, though if necessary I can and will. I need to become an antagonist, which does not require forgoing my conscience, merely prioritizing other things.” “Then you can choose my mirror.” The other reflections were trying to get her attention. Rebus nodded in agreement, then waited for the Author.
  12. Through the Living Heir
    “I’m right every time. I haven’t had to kill anyone yet, and if we both continue on our paths, that will be true for quite a while.” Rebus smiled. I think that’s a rhetorical question, but I’ll answer it just in case: typically I’ll either say such a thing because the alternative interpretation came to mind and was particularly funny, or if I run out of useful things to say but it still seems like I should respond (for instance, if someone asks me “why” over and over, I’ll eventually give up and start telling them “y is a letter preceded by x and followed by z.”). The reflection smiled. “Cricket. I took his offer and left so I could get away from the pressure.” Rebus watched Lady Bug attack, unperturbed. “She’s railing against your control, which though not an ideal situation makes her predictable.”
  13. Through the Living Heir
    “Good - that means I’m doing my job sufficiently.” *shug* I say that kind of thing in real life too. “I don’t think the action will change you, though the choice might. I made my choice - I’m much happier because of it.” Mirrors are lashing out, hiding away, becoming like her parents, and running away with Cricket. “The Machination can be hired by essentially anyone, though the more complicated the job the more valuable the payment must be. They’re mercenaries, technologically and magically augmented by the organization. They used to be tightly managed, but leadership has gone downhill and there’s approximately three different groups of people calling themselves the Machination.” Rebus waited for Lady Bug to stop being a statue and begin yelling at him. “I have not explored my capabilities. It is my impression that Ennulling can undo and revert, bringing this site back to its previous state.” Um, is that a thing Ennullers can do? Anyway, I think the orb shouldn’t be able to Ennull externally without difficulty, since it’s so strong otherwise.
  14. Through the Living Heir
    I was trying to figure out a way to make suggestions, and this was the only thing that came to mind. In retrospect, I probably should have used Capt’n Exposition. Rebus smiled innocently. “I’m just here to help. And further my plans and remind you of my existence, of course.” “I don’t know. I think it signifies an internal decision more than anything else.” “Good to know - I’ll avoid tasting her.” Rebus grinned, then watched the statue carefully.
  15. Through the Living Heir
    Rebus sighed disappointedly and was never there. “You’re supposed to learn something in order to pass the test. These mirrors embody aspects of your personality or alternative versions of you. I think there’s a way to pick one.” Rebus smiled. “Excellent work, both the statue and the failsafes. Shall we speak to her?” Rebus appeared, knowing full well the distress it would cause. “The Machination, my rogue clone, Malevolence, myself, the group of people responsible for the other plotline, any number of people Sequence could tell you about, the withergeist rabbits, somebody someone made up, the Faceless, the Render, the Tormentor, whatever the Maelstrom guy was… there’s plenty of options.”
  16. Through the Living Heir
    “Your attitudes are incompatible - either finding balance or choosing one will probably make your life better.” That’d be interesting, actually. Rebus waited calmly, appreciating the dramatic description. Rebus teleported to the man, smiling. “Sounds like you need some practice.”
  17. Through the Living Heir
    The reflection shrugged. “This is a trial, after all. You’re supposed to overcome a fault or at least acknowledge it exists. Hence, you’ve been deconstructed into several aspects of your personality which you can then evaluate. I’m not sure how I knew that.” Rebus wondered how the not-actually-an-idiot would account for the fact that it had been mind-controlling a clone of him to serve as the Narrative portion of the security system. “Caves… I’d have to agree with you.” Rebus smiled. “And the Authors being shocked was not my expectation. I had predicted at least one character noticing and trying to deal with me, but I suppose that fewer Narrators and Authors are watching than they used to.” An ordinary being would have wondered what events had caused a fire like that. The orb took it in stride, forming a preliminary extrapolation that the tree may have been a biological interface to the supercomputer. Or just a tree.
  18. Through the Living Heir
    Yeah - Rebus knows he needs the Authors to care about him in order to survive, and thus will comply with many of their demands. As for my other characters, if you ever do have feedback to give me I'm open to it. "Good. I'm the last one." Rose was surrounded by a square of mirrors at this point. "You'll have to pick one of us in order to keep going - I'm you if you stopped caring what others thought, and did what you wanted." Parasite is the third Notblade, which mind-controls people directly. It was donated by the Scribe for the defense system. I probably skimmed right past the subplot, or I would probably have joined it. Rebus smiled. "Let's see... There were all the hints about Magnificent Bastard, some of which are still relevant. And then of course the 'I'm evil and have been manipulating you all' thing, which warranted less reaction than I expected. Perhaps I should give the Machination some of my devices in exchange for setting up some more plans for me - though they'll probably trip the security measures trying to mess with them, which is bad for your health." Rebus assumed the glass formed a puzzle, but wanted to finish the conversation before he messed anything up.
  19. Through the Living Heir
    There really is no need to apologize. I would usually take feedback on how not to frustrate people OOC (it's why I made Rebus less petty, for instance), but Rebus, as a villain so well characterized I can't tell him what to do, is kinda off-limits. Though actually, because of the way his characterization works, if you ask him something he might do it. And that's part of the point as well. To be a Magnificent Bastard is to be a likable and admirable but awful person. I think he's a very fun character, though I might hate him in real life. The reflection looked apologetic. "I'm sorry. Are you alright?" Rebus smiled. "I'd agree. I've been dropping hints about any number of things, and nobody has noticed yet." He wondered where Lady Bug had been subtly introduced and about what had happened to Parasite and the security system as he walked along behind Symbol.
  20. Through the Living Heir
    Hmmm, playing a dragon you say? I'll drop in if you need a second dragon to slay - or if I get a good idea for either a human or a dragon.
  21. Through the Living Heir
    Yeah, you basically got that. Yay! My lore brain is happy now! Alright:
  22. Through the Living Heir
    I can see where you're coming from - he's quite intentionally attempting to be a horrible person, after all. The "I hate him but also he's interesting" reaction is kinda what he's going for. She didn't get far before smacking into the final mirror. Rebus followed.
  23. Through the Living Heir
    Inexplicably anthropomorphic animals - especially in a non-magical universe - is going to bug me, but alright. What's our tech level? Hmmm can I be a tardigrade hybrid? I'd be in charge of spacewalks, for obvious reasons.
  24. Through the Living Heir
    So wait, do we have an explanation for this? Is it genetic modification for different tasks?
  25. Through the Living Heir
    That means he’s doing it right. “You started insulting me as soon as you felt hurt. You do that to hide the pain. It works. I’m happy this way - the same cannot be said for those two idiots.” Rebus nodded, smiling as well.
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