Brockton's Celestial Forge (Worm/Jumpchain)

[Shadow Archon]

Before My Body Is Dry​

'Hey Tetra, mind heading to the Music Room for a minute?' Tetra focused on the voice of one of Joe's duplicates, and in a flicker she was there.

"Hello! What's up?" She could see Survey in the background already going through numerous albums with a critical eye, and through her Connection could feel her update the main computer's cultural database.

The duplicate looked at her with a smile, before he looked down at an album he was holding with a thoughtful look. "Well, I'm on my twenty percent time, and Survey let me know that one of the albums we just got from our recent pull of Music Collection… well it's not from the world of life fibers exactly, but it's about your world. From a world where your world is fiction. Apparently, Kill La Kill is from 2013..." He frowned. "Does this count as time travel?" He shook his head. "Anyways, this song on this album… well, I think you should listen to it." He then smiled at her. "Because I have an idea for doing a bit of a rendition of it with your help, if you don't mind?"

Tetra smiled. "You want me to sing with you?!"

The duplicate nodded. "That's the plan. But first listen to this."

Tetra listened to the song.

And she loved it.

"Well, do you want to help me make a new version? I was thinking you could be the second singer."

Immediately, she was firmly hugging the duplicate. "Of course!"

"Careful there! Your hugs are a bit too tight! Don't want to pop just yet!" He groaned out with a bit of a laugh.

"Oops, sorry!"

-----------------------

Chris noticed that Boundless Music uploaded a new video. He always liked putting on their music while he tinkered, so he clicked on the video with a smile. "Before My Body is Dry" was a weird title for a song though.

Generally their songs had some beautiful cover art, and this song was no exception. It was the Brockton Bay skyline, but everything, the buildings, the water, the sky, was made out of red fibers. If you looked closely, you could tell everything was just simple red lines here and there, but all of it combined formed a larger, more grand picture.

He wasn't a big art buff, but he remembered hearing something about that kind of art style from the Forsberg Gallery… he just couldn't place the name. Regardless, it was amazing to look at and distracted him while the song started.

He started to turn back to his work, and then completely froze when the singing started. The musician behind Boundless Music before this point only did instrumental music. This was the first time he ever heard them sing.

'From the small locker where we met
You've surprised me so much
Because you've come so far
I gotta grow from my many fights
But I'll rely on
the only one who can help me out now
We'll be as one

We're ready to fight
Look over there
They try to kill us for stars
Our bond has grown much stronger than before

Don't lose your way in your mind
We have to be as one
Don't be afraid, my sweetheart
This is the way to become more strong
Harbor my deep secret
It makes me so blue
Run through this game before my body is dry'

That's when a new singer started, a girl's beautiful voice.

'So it seems there's no other choice
But to go all out
Stay with me and let's stand out
And out shine those trying to get our stars now
All we have to do is figure out how strong we are
And what it takes to stay alive
Sync and learn what we can do to take 'em down
It's revenge and survive
For now, we know in part
And you can feel my heart
So help me to stay focused so I don't fall apart
I wanna be complete
It's not in me to retreat
I could lose on my own so I really need you with me'

It swapped back to the original singer.

'I gotta make sure we all survive
I hear the voice of you in my mind
I gotta make sure we all survive
I hear the voice of you in my mind and soul'

Then swapped again.

'My blood is pumping
I'm ready to fight when you are
Let's let no one break the bond that is ours
Show them what it means to be a shining star
You have my body, let's fight as one'

Back to the original singer.

'Can't think from the pain
I don't wanna be all alone
Can't feel the heat in my blood
Do you remember what I said?'

Then both singers sang together.

'Don't lose your way in your mind (I really need you with me)
We have to be as one (Help me to stay focused)
Don't be afraid, my sweetheart (I wanna be complete)
This is the way to become more strong
Harbor my deep secret (Fight as one with me)
It makes me so blue (Let's take 'em down)
Run through this game before my body is dry (Be a shining star)
(You have my body, I'm ready to fight when you are)'

The song tapered off after that, and Chris just stood there for several seconds, his eyes feeling a bit wetter than they should. A few moments later, he started the song from the beginning, and got back to tinkering.

---------------------------------

The next day, Youtube and PHO were awash with CMVs of a glowing red Aperion during the Ungodly Hour covered by the new song "Before My Body Is Dry."

The lyrics and events simply matched up far too well.

 

[Dradel]

It's too bad he wouldn't post something so blatant on Boundless Music because that's great.

 

[Zoundre]

It's too bad he wouldn't post something so blatant on Boundless Music because that's great.

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True if it was just that.

But let's say instead of using a fiber like illustration they could use something else, for the cover.

They could also just use audio track instead of a visual video.

 

[Qoheleth]

How often does Joe get letters from his demonic penpals?

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"Devils." I said, taking the page. "They're very specific about that terminology. Also, the deliveries only show up every two weeks, so it's not like I get a running commentary."

"When's the next one due?" Aisha asked.

"Friday." I said in a tired voice. "And I'm sure they'll have plenty to comment on."

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In other words, according to the Rough Timeline that Whamodyne put together a while back, the next letter is due to cover everything from, like... Chapter 16 onward? And we're in Wednesday evening right now, so we still have at least another day and a half worth of Events before then.

 

[Shadow Archon]

It's too bad he wouldn't post something so blatant on Boundless Music because that's great.

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To be fair, calling the channel Boundless Music and not expecting people to tie that to Apeiron is roughly the same as expecting no one to figure out Alucard spelled backwards is Dracula.

The people suspecting Garment's ties to the Celestial Forge are going to make that leap sooner or later.

 

[Mr_Rose]

To be fair, calling the channel Boundless Music and not expecting people to tie that to Apeiron is roughly the same as expecting no one to figure out Alucard spelled backwards is Dracula.

The people suspecting Garment's ties to the Celestial Forge are going to make that leap sooner or later.

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By which time it will be far, far too late. So, Tuesday then.

"See! Garment is the secret eighth member of the Celestial Forge! She cannot be trusted!" - Piggot, probably
"Or you're overreaching to try to save your own hide again! I mean so far she's been a positive exemplar of the ideal Rogue. All it took was a sensible and measured approach and you have a PR miracle, yet now you want to jail your golden goose? Even if she was a member of the Forge, all that this "report," which you've assembled from coincidences and supposition, tells me is that if you had been less pig-headed we could have had a similar or even better relationship with Apeiron from the beginning!" - Director Armstrong, maybe.

 

[___]

It's the Clark Kent conundrum again.

Sure, everyone might know about it in the future, but keeping Joe's social life means a good third or so of Joe's time can be spent on spiritual/Soul recuperation.

Instead of spending 20 hours per day( because four hours count as eight hours of sleep, he doesn't need it anymore since the cyborg upgrade) destabilising power structures, possibly globally as well, given that they all think he's crazy. (in the sense, they are right, since he actually treats Capes as people instead of something apart)

 

[Mesaphrom]

fan and wildbow favourite Lisa Wildbourne.

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Funny, I actually hate Lisa's guts, for reasons including but not limited to her making everything worse by opening her big fat mouth and being an horrible friend.

all the bad or dubious things Dragon

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Which includes things like neutering everyone in the Birdcage without their consent just to add a cherry on top of how dehumanizing that place is, and making things like the picklemen that will forever be known in my head as The Ricks because the internet is obnoxious and hostile place.

But why waste a civil war inside the Butcher's head ?

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Given that they are some of the older capes in the gestalt, I keep imagining them singing aweful roadtrip songs and telling dad jokes 24/7 to make XIV lose her head.

XIV: In the wall, I freaking know! Where the hell do you even get a wall that big!? That wall is made out of bottles at this point! Shut up! I'm not crazy! You are crazy! Specially you, bottle wall! Walls shouldn't be made of bottles!

 

[BoredMan]

Which includes things like neutering everyone in the Birdcage without their consent just to add a cherry on top of how dehumanizing that place is

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That is messed up but like cape children have a higher possibility of getting powers right? You could end up with a kid getting a power that allows people to escape not to mention the immorality of children being born and raised in such a place to begin with.

 

[Chronocidal]

That is messed up but like cape children have a higher possibility of getting powers right? You could end up with a kid getting a power that allows people to escape not to mention the immorality of children being born and raised in such a place to begin with.

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Perhaps, but you're trying to justify an immoral violation of human rights, by saying that it prevents a different immoral violation of human rights — while ignoring that the only reason you're even faced with that false-dichotomy in the first place… is due to a third immoral violation of human rights!

If "morality" entered into the equation, then the answer would be "abolish the Birdcage".

 

[BoredMan]

If "morality" entered into the equation, then the answer would be "abolish the Birdcage".

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If your looking at it like that then you should just execute them flat out.

 

[Psiidmon]

If your looking at it like that then you should just execute them flat out.

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Can't use them against Scion if you do that (which is why not monitoring for if a very versatile Tinker like Bakuda is gonna get ganked before she even spends a day inside makes it such a stupid evil decision)

 

[BoredMan]

Can't use them against Scion if you do that (which is why not monitoring for if a very versatile Tinker like Bakuda is gonna get ganked before she even spends a day inside makes it such a stupid evil decision)

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I'm looking at this from Dragon's perspective not the illuminati.

 

[Chronocidal]

If your looking at it like that then you should just execute them flat out.

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*shrugs* That depends what side of the matter you come down on.

The point of incarceration is, nominally, rehabilitation — not retribution. (At least, outside of the USA, which goes out of its way to make it extra-impossible for felons to reïntegrate into society, and then charges them a fee for the "privilege", effectively forcing them to return to crime to survive)

The idea is to help the prisoners understand that what they did was wrong, show remorse for it, and put them in a position to not reöffend upon release. Even with 'life imprisonment', there is typically opportunity for parole, compassionate release, appeal… for pardons, for new evidence to prove innocence, for their actions to be decriminalised. That's the thing that makes it different from an execution, the potential for it to be reversed.

The Birdcage is, supposedly and officially, impossible to release prisoners from. Therefore, it is an execution — just a long, drawn out, cruel and unusual method of doing so. The only differences between sticking someone in the Birdcage, versus a lethal injection or electric chair, are A) how long it takes to kill them, and B) how much suffering and torture you subject them to first. And, even unofficially, it's still an execution — they just plan to use Zion as the actual executioner.

Flat-out execution would be more ethical than putting someone in the Birdcage. The only way to change that would be for someone in Government to admit that, yes, there is a way to get people out of it… at which point all of their supposed arguments for leaving the prisoners to run riot like they do would also break down.

The Birdcage is not designed to rehabilitate prisoners. It's designed for the complete opposite of that — to punish and torture prisoners for as long as possible. Stick 'em in a proper prison instead, give them therapy for their issues, guidance on how to use their powers constructively instead of destructively, and eventually they may be ready… to use a loaded and controversial phrase… to "pay their debt to society". "Birdcage" and "execution" are not the only options, no matter how much Cauldron like to try and convince everyone of that.

 

[BoredMan]

Birdcage" and "execution" are not the only options, no matter how much Cauldron like to try and convince everyone of that.

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All of that hinges on prisons less secure than the BC actually being capable of holding a large number of extremely unstable and dangerous Capes for long periods of time.

Considering the nudge to conflict and how problematic the powers and minds of Birdcage worthy people tend to be I don't think thats really feasable and only a costly(in both lives and money) ideal.

Edit: Arkham Asylum style breakouts is what this gets you but even worse.

 

[boyboy180]

All of that hinges on prisons less secure than the BC actually being capable of holding a large number of extremely unstable and dangerous Capes for long periods of time.

Considering the nudge to conflict and how problematic the powers and minds of Birdcage worthy people tend to be I don't think thats really feasable and only a costly(in both lives and money) ideal.

Edit: Arkham Asylum breakouts is what this gets you but even worse.

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Prisons aren't really the only option either. Keep in mind the Cauldron is all for doing evil if they think the result will be good.
AKA: Just Master villains into undergoing rehabilitation if they won't accept it voluntarily.
Sure, we can say that doing so would still be abhorrent, but it is another option.

Plus, some would even want to do it on their own. Canary, just as an example.

 

[Chronocidal]

All of that hinges on prisons less secure than the BC actually being capable of holding a large number of extremely unstable and dangerous Capes for long periods of time.

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You know what the great thing about "rehabilitative/restorative justice" is, versus "retributive (in)justice"? Many people stop being criminals.

And when "villains" become "ex-villains", you won't have quite such "a large number of extremely unstable and dangerous Capes" to pack into prison. Even if you don't get them to turn hero/rogue and be released, you just need them to stop being "unstable".

 

[BoredMan]

You know what the great thing about "rehabilitative/restorative justice" is, versus "retributive (in)justice"? Many people stop being criminals.

And when "villains" become "ex-villains", you won't have quite such "a large number of extremely unstable and dangerous Capes" to pack into prison. Even if you don't get them to turn hero/rogue and be released, you just need them to stop being "unstable".

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I get what your saying but you still need to actually hold them until that point. Breakouts and breakins at a place less secure than the BC would be inevitable from Capes trying to escape or Capes trying to get in for recriutment or rescue.

You'd get some turned sure but I can't see it justifying the cost in lives and money. It just doesn't seem sustianable with BC worthy Capes without Cauldron nonsense.

 

[Slentoru]

I'm looking at this from Dragon's perspective not the illuminati.

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Birdcage existed way before Dragon, so from her perspective with inclusion of shackles affecting her, taking over management of it and insuring it's proper operation was most she could do about it.

"Birdcage" and "execution" are not the only options, no matter how much Cauldron like to try and convince everyone of that.

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Ideal solution is all nice and dandy until you encounter the issue of resources. And no amount of resources can force someone through therapy, more so if that someone as much of an issue as most of people that get thrown in the cage. I, for one, can't see someone like Teacher accepting the error of his ways without it either requiring more resources then even Cauldron has in disposal or violating his human rights. And that just one inmate of many. There also people with power inflicted instabilities(like mad tinkers), masters that capable of making any effort for rehabilitation null (like aforementioned Teacher and Ingenue), unaccounted passenger influence(like one DoD suffering under) and many more troubles that will eat up even more resources.

Prisons aren't really the only option either. Keep in mind the Cauldron is all for doing evil if they think the result will be good.
AKA: Just Master villains into undergoing rehabilitation if they won't accept it voluntarily.
Sure, we can say that doing so would still be abhorrent, but it is another option.

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The question is for alternative to Birdcage that is not a violation of human rights, and brainwashing is not it.

Also, Canary is example of why Birdcage is, surprisingly, not the worst part of a Birdcage. The worst part is that people who can be dealt with without extremes of cage's caliber still get subjected to it just because extreme solution also became an easy one.

 

[Anomalous Object]

*shrugs* That depends what side of the matter you come down on.

The point of incarceration is, nominally, rehabilitation — not retribution. (At least, outside of the USA, which goes out of its way to make it extra-impossible for felons to reïntegrate into society, and then charges them a fee for the "privilege", effectively forcing them to return to crime to survive)

The idea is to help the prisoners understand that what they did was wrong, show remorse for it, and put them in a position to not reöffend upon release. Even with 'life imprisonment', there is typically opportunity for parole, compassionate release, appeal… for pardons, for new evidence to prove innocence, for their actions to be decriminalised. That's the thing that makes it different from an execution, the potential for it to be reversed.

The Birdcage is, supposedly and officially, impossible to release prisoners from. Therefore, it is an execution — just a long, drawn out, cruel and unusual method of doing so. The only differences between sticking someone in the Birdcage, versus a lethal injection or electric chair, are A) how long it takes to kill them, and B) how much suffering and torture you subject them to first. And, even unofficially, it's still an execution — they just plan to use Zion as the actual executioner.

Flat-out execution would be more ethical than putting someone in the Birdcage. The only way to change that would be for someone in Government to admit that, yes, there is a way to get people out of it… at which point all of their supposed arguments for leaving the prisoners to run riot like they do would also break down.

The Birdcage is not designed to rehabilitate prisoners. It's designed for the complete opposite of that — to punish and torture prisoners for as long as possible. Stick 'em in a proper prison instead, give them therapy for their issues, guidance on how to use their powers constructively instead of destructively, and eventually they may be ready… to use a loaded and controversial phrase… to "pay their debt to society". "Birdcage" and "execution" are not the only options, no matter how much Cauldron like to try and convince everyone of that.

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You seem to worryingly be forgetting about that whole "Inherent value of sapient life" thing.

Also, ironically, about how people generally consider suffering to be a form of repayment for debt accrued.

 

[ExploerTM]

you just need them to stop being "unstable".

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Yeah that's kind of the hard part you know. I doubt that someone like Lung would willingly stay in ordinary prison or, hell, even secure prison without attempting to break out. And Lung can be considered somewhat reasonable.

 

[Iridesce]

Yeah that's kind of the hard part you know. I doubt that someone like Lung would willingly stay in ordinary prison or, hell, even secure prison without attempting to break out. And Lung can be considered somewhat reasonable.

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I remember calculating how many villains there should be in just the US once and then comparing it to the population of the birdcage. The birdcage is something like less than 1% of villains. Then you just have to consider that Lung is one of the more reasonable inmates and you realize that without master powers basically none of these guys are getting rehabilitated.

 

[Chronocidal]

You seem to worryingly be forgetting about that whole "Inherent value of sapient life" thing.

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"Inherent value of sapient life" would mean "no Birdcage". Because, again, a permanent prison with no exit is just a slow and painful execution. A drawn out and torturous death like that shows less respect for the individual and the worth of their life than a quick execution or "mercy killing" does.

Of course, we (as readers) know that there are ways out of the Birdcage, which technically does negate that aspect… somewhat. Because we also know that the only way the prisoners are getting out is to be thrown into the meat-grinder as cannon-fodder against Zion.

Which, again… proves that the Birdcage does not respect any form of "inherent value of sapient life". It's just a way to keep their entity-food fresh for live-feeding.

 

[ExploerTM]

A drawn out and torturous death like that shows less respect for the individual and the worth of their life than a quick execution or "mercy killing" does.

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But hey, we are NOT barbarians to take someone's life! We are totally civilized errr civilization! We RESPECT human life and wont take it away easily! See, they still alive, they have food, beds and TVs, they LIVING!

Or something; probably how it went and how it would've worked out (already works?) IRL.

 

[AntaeusTheGiant]

Oh, good. This is an issue I have always wanted a diffinative answer to. To be fair, it has been some years since I read Worm, and I never read all of Ward.

Where is the canon statement that Dragon sterilized inmates of the Birdcage? Because I would dearly like to confirm that is the case, and that there are no children being born in there, and esp. that the measures in place would overcome the efforts of regenerators and biotinkers....