shellphones | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Type: Accidental Video
Sender ID: 🖕nunya🖕(Sidestep)
To: Public
Subject:
Warnings: Mention of death and torture. Threads are likely to end up going deeply traumatic places.

(It's a typical day on Nogard, though many people who see this might be elsewhere.

Many have probably heard by now that Chris is dead. Has been dead for several days, in fact, after being captured and tortured by Ganon.

Except... they're not?

That's definitely a shot of a very panicked looking Chris running... somewhere, not paying attention to the shellphone clutched in their hand or noticing that it's recording.

Several people can be heard yelling in surprise in the background as Chris darts past them.

...The fuck are they even running from? It doesn't sound like they're being chased.

The hand holding the shellphone bumps into something, and the video cuts out.)

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Ganon didn't even know what he was doing when he made everyone see that.

(The words crack with bitterness. Are they on the verge of tears?)

[ ...And now he's back to being concerned. ]

What do you mean?

[ Although he supposes if Ganon's intent was to make people too afraid to mess with him, that didn't exactly work out. ]

Still don't... know what all happened there.

[ A lot of implied questions, though he's not prying directly. Out loud at least. ]

You saw.

(They wave a hand over their--thankfully covered with clothing--chest.)

I didn't want people to know. Now everyone does.

[ He's quiet for a moment. ]

Don't really know what it means if I'm honest. In my world you'd be an angel or a saint or somethin'.

[ Angel is closer to made form scratch but saint is closer to made from a dead person. And that's what all those marks remind him of. ]

Not sure how much it means to anyone else here, either. There's... plenty of kinds of people.

[ He knows that doesn't fix the fact they wanted it a secret, but at least no one has much context? ]

Edited 2025-09-13 11:53 (UTC)

I don't think any gods helped in my creation. (The farm is a godless place if there ever was one.)

If any did, they can go fuck themselves.

(They're practically spitting as they say that.)

I know what it means. And so does anyone who comes from a world that uses bar codes. (They're for property. Things, not people.)

[ This gets a snort. That would be a reasonable response with the kinds of gods he's thinking of, anyway. ]

We still don't know any details.

[ Someone could put that on a regular human, too. If they wanted to. Or anyone else they considered property. ]

Does it... not work to cover it?

[ He'd be a little surprised if they haven't tried, given how upset they seem. ]

And it's still humiliating. I don't belong to anyone.

(Not ever.)

Can't cover it, can't remove it. You saw the scars.

(Those bits of oddly textured and damaged flesh still carrying bright orange pigment.)

[ He just nods. He's not going to argue that. ]

Wasn't really the part I was payin' attention to.

[ Compared to the recent injuries. But that's not to say he didn't notice anything. The weird properties were definitely part of what reminded him of prayer-marks. ]

Not even the magic here...?

[ He should probably shut up, actually. But it does sound awful if nothing works. He's pretty sure he can understand hating that. ]

I've thought about it.

(They say, because they have.)

Haven't wanted to risk showing anyone. And now it just seems... (They search for a word.) pointless.

Is it though?

[ He sort of blurts that out before pausing to figure out what he's actually trying to say. ]

I mean... I mean, you got surgery right? Same as me?

[ Because he did notice the scars they have in common, too.

It sounds like a bit of a jump in topic, but they'll probably be aware of how he got there and where he's going with it: he's pretty sure changing things to be comfortable in your own skin is a valid reason, regardless of keeping secrets. ]

You saw.

(They say. They can guess where he's going with this.

Is that what they want? A week ago, they would have said yes.)

[ And he just shrugs. ]

Seems to me it can be good to feel at home in your skin, even if people know you had to... make changes to get there.

[ Or maybe he's way off base. But he seems to mean well, if nothing else. ]

That's different.

Okay.

[ And for a moment his first instinct is to keep prattling on, but he'll leave it there. This is clearly something he doesn't entirely understand. ]

...I'm sorry he showed people.

[ Maybe that's all he should have said to begin with. ]

Me too.

(What are they doing? Why don't they want to be human?)

The whole thing was cruel.

[ Even if Ganon didn't understand what he was doing by showing people the marks, it was cruel to show everyone once it was basically too late to actually help.

...Maybe Keigo will at least stop beating himself up so much, now that Chris is back. He sort of doubts it though. ]

That was the point.

(Being cruel. Being terrifying.

Wasn't that what they were supposed to become?)

[ A nod, and then a pause. ]

...So you worked for him.

[ He's not sure how much he can judge, although he's trying really hard not to think about that. ]

What... happened?

[ He was going to ask, sooner or later. They'd know he was wondering anyway. ]

I needed a ship.

(And at the time, trusting a team seemed... risky. At least they knew what they were getting with Ganon.

~~It's actually because not being a villain felt scary and vulnerable.~~)

You know how I left a week into Hawks' recovery? Ganon had a quest for me. When I came back I found out he had Turo.

(And so they betrayed him.)

...Okay.

[ He doubts that's the whole story... or even a particularly good explanation given how many ships seem to be an option. But he doesn't say that part out loud. ]

Wondered about that.

[ It seemed a little oddly sudden, all things considered. He just didn't feel he knew Chris well enough to bother them about it. And he was busy fussing over his boyfriend. ]

...Was it you that got him out of there?

[ It's not a hard guess to put together. But he wants to know. ]

Yeah. He ...doesn't know. So maybe don't tell him.

(Looking away.

It's better that he doesn't see.

~~Nevermind that they have a huge gloom scar now.~~)

...Doesn't know the part where you helped him?

[ Because the other parts are public knowledge, assuming Turo's been paying any attention to the network at any rate.

So that seems like maybe the piece he actually should find out, all things considered. ]

Doesn't know I was involved at all, I think. He tends to have panic attacks and (How much does Faulkner know? He seems to know Turo isn't human but does he understand what the crystals are? What Turo really is?) ...get sick... in response to graphic imagery or mentions of people getting hurt.

(They roll over on their side and curl in on themself.

...They don't want him to get hurt any more because of them.)

Oh.

[ He supposes that's a bit different. Though he has to wonder how much Turo will hear sooner or later, all the same. ]

...He can get sick?

[ He doesn't entirely understand how much Turo has in common with humans or not, when it comes to that kind of thing. ]

Not in the way you're thinking of.

(Worse, actually.)

I don't want to see what happens if he's already messed up.