[netbook] about corruption

[sailingfor]

[A very scratchy, rough handwriting appears in the notebook. Thanks to the auto-translate, Thorns' usual Iberian gets quickly overwritten into the Grove's common tongue, but there's a very brief blip as he's writing where everyone will see full-ass Iberian. Sorry.]

Encantado de conocerte.

Captain Isidor of the Darling's Cradle, Alchemist and Guard Operator of Rhodes Island under the codename "Thorns", toxicologist, pharmacologist, weapon modification expert, explorer... La lista continúa. Just getting introductions out of the way early.

I'm after some information. I was here some time ago and seem to have forgotten what I believe to be a month, but more than that: Can someone explain "Corruption" to me?

Comments

sorry I said I wouldnt but I have to its funny

[foreversembrace]

what language is that

also before you ask im new too so im not the person to ask about corruption or whatever

[sailingfor]

Iberian.

It's interesting to me that the notebooks completely overwrite it. I take it you also don't know why that is?

[foreversembrace]

no idea. this isnt my first time seeing that happen though.
here.

[And Thorns will watch as some...language he nor anybody here will recognize or be able to translate, because it's an alien language that isn't real in any other world (probably). That, too, gets quickly rewritten and translated.

It's all curse words though sorry-]

[sailingfor]

[Fascinating.]

Was that your native tongue?

If it translates what we write automatically, I assume it only applies to real-world languages. What if we made up our own?

[man who has been here for 3 hours: have we tried breaking the netbook yet]

[foreversembrace]

more or less. nobody called me out for writing anything they couldnt understand

[But he uh. He didn't find it weird at first because he was still assuming everyone was an alien-]

only one way to find out, yeah?

[sailingfor]

Right. Give me a moment.

[It's gonna be about half an hour until Thorns comes up with... something. It's kind of scribbly and not very refined, but it doesn't need to be refined for a test.

After he's made up a whole-ass alphabet here, he writes a very simple "Let's test this out properly" in said language.]

[sticksandbonesmods]

It tries? It tries.

After a moment, something seems to... not quite glitch, but it's an apt comparison, and something new appears in various parts of the lettering instead.

[sailingfor]

[Oh god what iS THAT??]

Eso no está bien. Seems like it adds erroneous symbols of unknown origin... the made-up language idea may have to rest there.

[What is this symbol... What Could It Mean?]

[foreversembrace]

huh.

[Till copies it a couple times.]

looks kinda cool though.

[sailingfor]

[..............]

It does look sort of cool.

What do you think it means?

[foreversembrace]

i mean it looks like a pretty standard alien symbol. but not like any ive ever seen used

could be a letter or it could be a whole word for all we know.

[outofsynth]

It's an S. It's from Earth.

[Min-Gi painstakingly draws out all the individual stages so they can see how it traditionally comes together.]

It's something kids draw in school.

[sailingfor]

¿De veras? Is that common?

To be clear, I did not go to school.

[foreversembrace]

im lucky they let me learn how to read honestly.

[outofsynth]

Neither of you went?

It's pretty common where I come from. Ryan used to get in trouble for drawing it in his books.

[Min, of course, did not.]

[sailingfor]

You could say I was effectively homeschooled. My biological parents died when I was a child. But Aegir like myself aren't entirely welcome in parts of Iberia regardless, so even if they had survived, I likely still would have been homeschooled, albeit I probably would have learnt less about swordplay. The Inquisition generally ensures we don't receive the same education as our Liberi peers.

You don't appear to be from Terra. Liberi are birds, we Aegir are various fish. The political situation with regard to race in Iberia isn't stellar, is more the point.

In short: No, I did not go to school. That costs money and my parents are dead.

[foreversembrace]

i dont really wanna talk about it.

[Not on the public network, at least.]

[outofsynth]

[God, why does he keep making himself look like an asshole when he writes in this?]

Well, it's probably more an Earth thing than a school thing.

[sailingfor]

Was there any meaning behind it culturally? Or was it "just for fun"?

[foreversembrace]

well i aint exactly from earth either

[outofsynth]

If neither of you are from Earth and don't recognize it that kind of points even more at it being an Earth thing.

I don't think it has any meaning though. It's just something kids think looks cool.

[sailingfor]

I assure you that I, a 25 year old man, also think it looks cool. Although I admit to being briefly alarmed by the thought of it having any potential meaning, considering it showed up over the fake language I made up.

Forgive me for asking for names and introductions in this manner, but might I know who I've been speaking to? Now that we've solved the issue of the cool S.

[outofsynth]

Yeah, that is pretty weird but it's just something you learn when you're a kid. It doesn't mean anything.

[Does he have any way of knowing this definitively? No. But also why would the weird S's kids doodle in school mean anything else?]

I'm Min-Gi. The guy who keeps writing the S's is Ryan.

(only sort of here)

[chickenchoicejudy]

[As if summoned, about a dozen more Cool S's start appearing around Min-Gi's words. No more teachers around to yell at him for drawing it now!!!]

[sailingfor]

[He just assumes this is Min-Gi still and—]

Was this the reason you got in trouble? I can see how this might annoy your teachers.

[chickenchoicejudy]

[Instead of actually answering the question, Ryan...draws more cool S's. This time though, he doesn't close them at the bottom and just keeps going and going until he makes a border around Thorns' reply like it's a speech bubble. A cool S speech bubble.]

[outofsynth]

Ryan, stop it. I know that's you.

[Then maybe you shouldn't have been talking about him, Min!!]

[chickenchoicejudy]

[The narration has a point, Min!! Maybe you shouldn'thave been talking about him!!!

Which is to say the cool S chains continue, this time spelling out M I N - G I.]

gag??tag???

[sailingfor]

[beathollow]

( ... the writing is a bit shaky. )

Some people understand it better than me, but the Forest is able to plant magic into people that takes the form of. ... Plants. In people. The more growth, the stronger their corruption. Corrupted people become it's eyes and ears, it's puppets... Though I think it takes other forms too? Nene, the girl with flowers growing out of her, can help more. She was corrupted but cured. I think Mr. Vanilla was as well. I don't remember how many have been, I'm sorry.

[sailingfor]

Muchas gracias.

I understand that this "Forest" is a common enemy. Is it reasonable to assume it can be taken out? I suppose the immediate answer is "no", but it has already provided a hint as to its abilities via these snakes.

Do you think it may be susceptible to its own poison?

[beathollow]

There was an attack on it a few weeks back.

It went... badly. There were multiple deaths, and it seems as though they could only inflict a little damage?

I don't think so, though.



(Please keep in mind I'm still in High School.)

[sailingfor]

On Terra, we deal with unwanted powers of that calibre by chopping them up into little pieces and hiding them away in artifacts or people, so that it cannot regain power. I'll put that on the shortlist of things to try.

[the SHORTLIST??]

As well as engineering its own poison against it.



Do you enjoy high school? I grew up seeing students coming from high schools on Iberia's coast, but I was not privileged enough to go myself.

[beathollow]

I think that sounds reasonable.

I liked some aspects. I think I like learning, and it was nice helping others with their studies or club problems. But I had a lot of pressure on me, and no one seemed to realize just how much they began to ask of me. For context, I had my regular classes, duties as the class representative and thus being part of the student council, archery club, extra lessons, as well as helping both students and teachers as needed, and homework until around 11 pm.

I think if I was allowed to go at my own pace it would have been nicer? Or at least allowed options for relaxing.

[sailingfor]

Out of curiosity, what time did you wake up in the morning to go to school?

[beathollow]

6:00 am.

Truthfully I also had other nighttime activities- at one am was when I would work on music with my group. As the only one who still went to school during the day regularly, though, I was the earliest to leave.

I am aware this is a terrible schedule. It was the only time I could spend with them.

[sailingfor]

Music? Do you mind if I ask what sort? I know a few sea shanties myself.

(Also, are you resting?)

[beathollow]

We write songs about catharsis, you could say? The sort of thing that's meant to touch hurting hearts and remind them they're not alone. I was our lyricist.

(Yes, I am resting right now.)

[sailingfor]

It sounds similar to some Lateran music. A lot of it plays in churches across Iberia.

[no thorns, christian music is not the same as catharsis music.]

[beathollow]

I think churches would not like our music very much.

/not here

[reydelostests]

¿Crees que se parece en algo a los Colapso, cariño?

[He writes, just seconds before it translates itself and wait fuck can people understand what he's saying-????]

Mi amigo. Mi hermano.