- Pronouns
- He
That is actually a pretty good idea. That is definitely something Ozpin would want to hear about. That will definitely go well in the chat that is about to happen.
Hold It In (RWBY/Transistor)
- Thread starter Prok
- Start date
- Crossover
- Location
- Goose Land
There are two issues I'm seeing with the Weiss angle, the first is the whole "Who are we hiring to do the work?" question*. The obvious answer is "the Process", but that doesn't actually help employ people, or help people.
Once we get an idea of the revenue we're looking at, and start resolving the Debitor Prison problem, we can offer the newly freed people jobs...in a charity organization?
There are a lot of people who need help of different types, so paying some of those people to help other people is kinda like killing a few Grimm with one grenade?
Once the Blake reveal goes down we might even ask the Belladonnas for advice? Or before that even if we really want to make that entire situation a hilarious mess, by pointing at the people who were running things before the radicalization of the WF.
*This is a PR question. A Schnee running a company is going to be having people asking about the conditions of the workers, and the answer to that question being "it's completely automated" is going to get some funny looks. Hiring overseers helps, but at the end of the day it's still exceptionally new to the Remnant perspective.
The second issue, and arguably bigger problem is that being a Schnee Company(s) it puts a White Fang target on it. Process is as Process does, we have security sorted for the most part**, but it's still something to be aware of.
**I've been dreaming for a while about hiring Torchwick as a Security Consultant, but there are many, many barriers to that.
If course it helps people, it makes more dust, and humans love dust. They can be employed to process the dust, and then in fields that use the processed dust, and then just to use stuff in general. I mean, it is basic supply and demand: When demand is in short supply, it becomes a valuable resource worth paying for!
- Pronouns
- He
You are right. Do not underestimate the power of scarcity. People go nuts when finding new resources no one has used yet.
- Location
- Estonia
No, that is the exact opposite of how supply and demand works. We would be adding a significant amount of supply to the Dust market, causing Dust prices to drop. This would make enterprises that consume Dust more profitable, which in turn may cause such businesses to expand in the long-term (if there is actually unmet demand for whatever they're doing with the Dust), making them consume more Dust and thereby increasing demand for Dust on the market, causing Dust prices to rise again. But that's long-term economic growth that isn't going to be felt for years to come. In the short term, adding the Process-mined Dust to the market is always going to cause Dust prices to drop or even crash, hurting SDC profits; and the first obvious thing that gets the axe in that rotten kind of corporation is always employee salaries or just flat out employee numbers.
We really do need that Civics class, and probably pursue that class' side-goal as a priority to figure this out before we start doing anything with the Dust.
Honestly, the Weiss' name on it idea was purely so if her father finds out about it, he would be willing to turn a blind eye since it's still in the family. I was imagining something much more private/secretive, that people at the top know of but isn't super common knowledge. So it being associated with the Schnee family wouldn't matter outside those circles, and in there it would be neutral or even a positive.
Now if we were going to try to provide jobs, make this specific part of our business well known, replace the SDC, etc., a different plan would be needed. I just figured that we would use the Process in other ways publically as a company, while the Dust mining would basically be directly for the government through Ozpin/Ironwood, and that can always be hushed up as government secrets. Just what first popped into my head.
Any plan like this is decently far in the future though. All we can do right now is let Ozpin know about the Dust, the Grimm, and how we are having the Process expand underground in such a way we can potentially do something in the future.
Now if we were going to try to provide jobs, make this specific part of our business well known, replace the SDC, etc., a different plan would be needed. I just figured that we would use the Process in other ways publically as a company, while the Dust mining would basically be directly for the government through Ozpin/Ironwood, and that can always be hushed up as government secrets. Just what first popped into my head.
Any plan like this is decently far in the future though. All we can do right now is let Ozpin know about the Dust, the Grimm, and how we are having the Process expand underground in such a way we can potentially do something in the future.
- Location
- Goose Land
I think you may have glanced through my post(s).
My scenario is having the Process mine, process/refine, package, and distribute the Dust, selling it directly to Beacon and the Atlas Military.
While in an objective sense this helps people by helping put bullets in guns to kill Grimm, it doesn't actually improve the day to day lives of said people.
It doesn't help give them jobs, it doesn't make Dust cheaper for them, it doesn't open up new access to jobs that use Dust (unless they go to Beacon or join the Military).
This is why I suggested using some of the money we gained to create a charity organization, so we can pay people to give them the opportunity and resources to help people.
CaesriusPolybius
Worldgate Mechanic
- Location
- United States. Ish.
With the Process, any assistance program reliant on helping people via hiring them is shortsighted at best. The Process isn't a big fish in that particular small pond, it's a baby kraken in that particular thimble. Even if it decided it wanted to charge market rates for everything it does, it'll be able to outcompete the puny mortals in basically every way due to consistency, quality, and sheer numbers within a few decades max. Menial labor? A few Process units can work tirelessly and always do the task right. Mass production? No need for assembly lines with breakable moving parts that need maintenance or adjustments to change the produced item, just fab up the stuff needed. Resource scarcity? What's that?
No, any plan that makes the Process part of the economy has to account for the fact that the process will outgrow it, and pop said economy like a balloon.
I'm not saying that's a bad thing, mind. Menial jobs are, well, menial. They tend to be soul-crushing, and often life-consuming. But for the process, well it could just absently toss a few cells at the task without really even noticing a drain. And even setting aside the basic sentient dignity argument, less people stuck in soul-crushing jobs means less people attracting Grimm.
Unless we plan on not letting the Process help as much as it can, any assistance program will need to adjust people to an entirely new paradigm. I'm not saying we go full Culture, but some things will end up changing - all we can do is help minimize the bloodshed that happens during that change.
We may want to start planning a just in case contingency or two, though, with the way we'll be putting all our eggs in this one basket. Not in case of it going evil in some way or another, if that happens things are fucked enough that even if they win it's gonna likely be less a matter of "how do I survive without the Process" as it will be a matter of "how do I survive without a planet", but just in case, say, it just randomly stops working in a century or two, or decides to stop helping, or whatnot...
- Location
- Goose Land
Yes. Which is why I suggested selling only to Beacon and the Atlas Military, after talking with Ozpin and Ironwood (and Weiss potentially) because they are in positions of influence and knowledge such that they are aware of the economic issues and would know at least how to cover them up when we're only selling to them.
I also suggested creating a charity organization which is something that the Process would (currently) at best be able to assist with due to the whole lack of human knowledge thing.
Ideally we hit post-scarcity within Jaune's lifetime and people are able to focus on the things they personally enjoy doing or things that only those with Souls can do.
- Location
- Estonia
Beacon and Atlas Military are both already part of the Remnant economy. Even selling to them exclusively is going to affect the rest of the economy, because it means two major consumers suddenly don't need to buy as much Dust from the rest of the economy as they used to, causing a drop in overall demand. "Covering up" the fact of our sale of Dust might lead to some confusion about why exactly the Dust price suddenly dropped and prevent some people from from being upset with us specifically, but it's not really possible to hide from the fundamental economic impact that the sale has on supply and demand with secrecy and conspiracy. The economic impact doesn't happen because a cabal of business tycoons or a regulatory agency finds out about our big sale of Dust and decides Dust price has to drop as a result. The economic impact happens because Remnant's economy suddenly contains, however secretly, a whole bunch of Dust that effectively appeared out of thin air (because no equipment or labor expenses were made to extract it).
The only way to use that Dust in a way that doesn't seriously affect Remnant's Dust economy, is to have the Process create a closed-system economy of its own (or our own, if that's how you want to frame it) that doesn't interact with the rest of Remnant economically, and use that Dust for projects within that economy. If we want to sell it or otherwise use it to help the rest of Remnant in the short term without letting the Process do something with or causing some economic crash by accident, we'll need to pull ideas from the Civics class IC and let the QM handwave some things that we don't want to look at too closely, instead of extensively theorycrafting with the complexities of real-world economics.
Obviously, post-scarcity is the eventual goal, but I do think we should be careful about messing with the economy until the Process is actually ready to put that post-scarcity economy into action. If the QM decides we really can't sell that Dust without causing short-term economic upheaval, then better that Dust remain in the ground, than cause widespread unemployment among Dust miners.
- Location
- Goose Land
I was thinking more that they'd maintain their current contracts of Dust purchasing, but expansions of Dust use could be purchased at a cheaper rate from Processor Industries or whatever we end up calling that particular business.
So if Ironwood wanted to make a few more armies of robots, or several more milspec Bullheads etc etc, he could run the new logistics through us rather than Schnee.
Maybe I'm underestimating how much Dust we can mine. Not the size of the Dust veins we found, but how much we can realistically access at a time. I just thought that it wouldn't be enough to make a substantial impact, rather be more supplementary and make them able to use Dust more freely without worrying about their supplies running low. Very possible I'm underestimating it like I said.
*Edit: I mean, I would think our Dust output would at best match two of the SDC's mines, which while not insignificant also isn't even close to what I imagine the SDC has access to. I'm sure they have mines throughout every country, since they would want to maintain their monopoly on Dust by buying the land wherever new veins are found.
*Edit: I mean, I would think our Dust output would at best match two of the SDC's mines, which while not insignificant also isn't even close to what I imagine the SDC has access to. I'm sure they have mines throughout every country, since they would want to maintain their monopoly on Dust by buying the land wherever new veins are found.
Last edited:
RoninSword
Sky God
- Location
- Canada
My understanding is that since we chose bedrock, the Process has basically collected the majority of dust that was deep underground beneath the city. That would be a very substantial amount.
The issue being that no permission was obtained for mining etc.
The issue being that no permission was obtained for mining etc.
- Location
- Goose Land
Our theoretical maximum is literally all of the Dust there at once. Reality is likely going to be much smaller for various reasons, but we're talking about theoretical maximum because the reveal of the existence of such a sizable deposit will have Dust prices start diving, let alone actually putting it on the market.
Talking to Ozpin about it is...rather important to avoid fucking up the world if we want to get any use out of it besides personal.
Oh totally. This is almost purely speculative at this point. Reality will be doing whatever Ozpin recommends, because he knows what he is doing and has plenty of experience in order to predict large scale impacts like this. And even if he can't, he has the connections to ask people who can predict the impact.
Gotta say it's nice having Ozpin as an ally 100%, makes a lot of things much simpler. Not needing to work around him or hide secrets is a lot less stressful than the alternative. Sure, he isn't perfect, but he is trying.
Still can't believe how dumb he was in canon with the question he always asks Jinn lol. "How do I kill Salem?" Really? Not, "How can Salem be killed," meaning it could be someone other than him, or something like "How can Salem be rendered no longer a threat to humans and Faunus as a whole," which includes ways of stopping her other than killing her. It's like he never heard of stories of wishes going wrong because of poor wording. Like, I know Jinn is pretty lenient and nice in how she answers questions, but she still has to answer the question asked, along with giving needed context at best. Ok, rant done. I don't mind Ozpin, it's just that one thing that really bugs me.
- Location
- Goose Land
Ozma's problem in canon, from what I've been told, is that he is a Hero. The Hero even.
One of those Punch Them In The Face Shonen Action Adventuring Heros.
He's been pushed into an Intrigue War for centuries, which is not what his natural inclinations are all about. If he was given a situation where he needed to hunt down a special artifact or plant and fight against monstrous odds and beings to win the day, then he'd be all set and in his element.
Instead he's playing keep away with said artifacts and trying to play Peace Keeper and Kingmaker instead of his familiar niche of Asskicker.
He's had centuries, millenia even, to become Damned Good at this new job, but it's still not what he was borne to in his heart of hearts.
It's kind of funny really.
If Ozma became an Unkillable Creature Of Grimmness, that'd just be the Shonen Power Up of the Month and he'd continue on with his day fighting and winning for Humanity.
And if Salem had been set to wage an Intrigue War against something dead set on murdering all she loves and cares about, she'd quite possibly have castrated their efforts well into the crib of their development.
That's...a really good way to put it. Never thought of it that way, but it's 100% accurate. Man, the Brother Gods really were half-assing it, weren't they? They just went with what was convenient and didn't put that much thought into what the long term consequences were. Then again, they wouldn't be gods if they acted any differently.
It is seeming more and more as though we should just start our own country. With free survival!, and communication!, and representation! We could name it Slantdrillingtopia! Just so long as we find a way to deal with the infinite population expansion issue. Maybe bloodsports?
Or we could provide dust for a fixed rate similar to its current price with ongoing adjustments equal to apparent inflation, and offer employment to all of the industry's current employees at, again, the same rate it was predicted to be without our intervention, or more likely the greater of the predicted rate or a minimum... . If we just replace the existing industry sans the indentured servitude, then the impact would likely be minimal, and if we really can massively exceed their production and distribution at pretty much no cost, then we shouldn't have all that much trouble economically extinguishing the current providers.
Answer_Time(Ozpin)
Prok
Go play Star Fetchers
- Location
- Scotland
Consider it canon?
You've essentially pulled the emotional thrust of the update after next directly out of my head, of course it's canon. If I could somehow make it super-canon, I would. I guess making it super-canon would be making you Co-GM, which I have neither the power nor the density of notes to share to make that a viable option, so you'll just have to make do with having it declared normal canon.
Anyway, before we move onto this quest's update, I want to actually go out of my way to recommend one of the only quests to actually grab and hold my attention with any real conviction recently: Polluted Jianghu: 新年少鹏 (that's 'Chinese New Year' for those of us too lazy to use google translate), a cyberpunk wuxia story where you have no idea where you are, you have no idea who you are, all you know is that you are a massive fucking communist, and somehow, you are still the most well-adjusted person you know.
I heavily recommend it, the writing is fantastic, the setting is interesting, the update speed kicks my ass up and down the street, Mr Between Names is just a treat to be stuck in the head of, and it's pretty early doors so you don't have to worry too much about catching up!
You blink in surprise at being given the first question- mainly because now you need to pick one of the hundreds whirling around your head to ask him, and that's not a decision you were quite ready to make.
Ozpin doesn't begrudge you the long moment of thought, before finally settling on one question, burning a hole in your mind.
"What… is magic? And, how did you break the Transistor with it?"
You're aware, of course, that that's technically two questions, and the slight smirk Ozpin gives you makes it clear that he knows that too.
"Magic is a very broad term, Jaune. I don't mean this pedantically, I simply wish to convey that this is not a question with a simple answer."
"Headmaster, I have long since given up on getting a simple answer to any question I ask," you grouse.
Qrow stifles a laugh at your comment, and even Professor Goodwitch has to fight down a smile.
"I understand your frustration," Ozpin tells you after a moment. "Still, if I had to give my own answer to the question…"
He leans back, taking a deep sip of his cocoa, before closing his eyes to think. A minute passes, and you wonder if he may have begun to doze off in his big, comfy chair.
"Magic is…" he says, "that moment, walking through the deepest parts of Vacuo, far from Shade, or the nomads, when the sun has just dipped below the endless dunes. The air has begun to darken from twilight into proper, blackened night, with no clouds to interrupt it. The stars light up the sky, so densely packed the constellations themselves fade into background noise…"
He stops for a moment.
"... Magic, is to watch a whole moon rise above all this, and understand why gods are born in the desert."
He doesn't elaborate. You don't make much effort to hide your lack of understanding, and he picks up on it.
"Magic is interpretation, Jaune. The ability to see the world through a different lens, then force that lens upon it."
He raises a hand, palm up and fingers twitching to an unknown rhythm, before a small ball of light flickers into existence over his palm. As he speaks, more orbs of various colours join it, red and green and so black it seems to absorb the light around it, then beginning to spin on an axis, joined by coloured streamers.
"You can think of it as the precursor to the Semblance- more powerful, more generalised, and not beholden to certain limits that Semblances are. As you may have surmised, my soul is different from a normal human's- there are many reasons for that, but the main one is that I am one of the last surviving members of…"
He stops for a moment, considering his words carefully before that little mischievous smile flickers across his lips again- this time with just a tinge of sadness in it.
"... Humanity's first try, if you will."
"... First try?"
"Humanity has existed for much longer than written record indicates- roughly 12,000 years ago, an extinction-level event occurred that killed off every human on the planet. After that... we may be the only species on the planet to die off to a member, and then not have the good sense to stay extinct," he explains. "To this day I've still no idea how that return happened, but I'm not ungrateful that it did."
That's… something to take in, yes.
Your eyes flick past Ozpin, towards the shattered moon slowly peeking over the horizon, now that twilight has started to set in properly. You see Ozpin nod once out of the corner of your eye and feel a shudder go up your back.
You… daren't think about what could do that. Not yet.
"{If you are a member of some ancient species of humanity, this would be pretty easy to verify- we'd just need a DNA sample to compare against… literally anyone else on the planet.}"
Ozpin's good-mannered visage goes very still for a moment, before breaking out into an embarrassed smile.
"If only it were that easy. Unfortunately, we aged just as much as you do. As you can tell, I'm not some desiccated corpse just yet…"
"{... You have some method of staving off death, then. One that updates your genetic makeup in the process.}"
"I wouldn't phrase it quite so entropically, but you are correct. However, that is a topic for later- I still haven't answered the latter half of your question."
Ozpin closes his hand, the ball of light winking out.
"I've put some thought into what I believe I managed to do to you," he says, talking directly to your sword. "Now, I'll be the first to admit, I'm not… the most tech-savvy person on the planet. However, I do know that computers have a finite limit on their capacity for information."
"{... More correct than not. A computer's memory is measured in hard numbers- we assumed you did something to fill our processors with, junk.}"
Ozpin raises an eyebrow, curiosity clear on his face for a moment before he seems to realise what they're talking about.
"... I see- I believe I know what you're talking about."
"{This is the part where you tell us it was a spell for children to learn how to control magic or something, isn't it?}"
He chuckles lightly into his cocoa, hiding his smile behind a sip.
"As amusing as that would be, no, nothing so embarrassing. Magic is more… freeform than, spells, circles, alchemical reagents and the like. All that truly matters is intent and interpretation- everything else is… secondary- tools for focus, but otherwise unnecessary. I simply wanted you to stop poking at my mind- which, in my panic, must have translated to stopping you from thinking altogether."
Something occurs to you, and you choke back a snort of laughter, immediately regretting it when Ozpin turns back to you, raising an eyebrow in silent curiosity.
"Sorry, sorry, I just- um, when my Semblance isn't being regulated by the Transistor, it'll latch onto just about anything else with a working CPU and try to run off that, to its, immediate and fatal detriment. So… you basically did to the Transistor what I do to every other computer on Remnant."
Qrow chuckles a little at that, as Ozpin smiles, exhaling a little at the comparison.
"Yes, I suppose I did. Now- is that a satisfactory explanation?"
You nod, satisfied you understand what happened back on the cliff.
"My turn, then. What was the tower you constructed? How did it function?"
You turn, eyeing 01 for a moment, not missing Ozpin glancing at the Cell on your shoulder. To your mild surprise, it shifts off your shoulder, gently floating onto the desk in front of Ozpin. He stares at it intently, his head tilting a fraction to the side, silent interest burning in his eyes.
"Construction dated 02/08/80 was a megawatt-scale laser system, originally designed by the Atlesian military to be placed on city walls. Project presumably scrapped due to the combined power draw of every laser required more instantaneous power draw than any known power plant on Remnant. It functioned by pumping an infrared laser through a rhodamine B dye solution to excite the laser to the most efficient energy level- in the case of smogflesh, a range around 600-610 nanometres in wavelength. Total power draw was 25 megawatts- heat output reached a maximum of 1500 degrees Celsius."
…
Silence.
Some incredibly childish part of you just wants to reach into your wallet and throw a Lien card onto the floor to see how deafening it would sound.
"... uh, I don't-" Qrow starts, "is, 25 megawatts a lot?"
"1 megawatt can power roughly 800 homes for an hour," Goodwitch says, the barest shiver in her voice.
"The best way to account for thermal blooming is to overpower it. Two kilometres of open air of varying temperatures and densities is quite a distance for a high-power laser to cover."
Ozpin nods, seeming to follow along where Qrow can't and Goodwitch is beginning to trail.
"Might I ask- what colour is, 610-nanometre wavelength light?"
01 brings up one of its petals, which begins to glow in a very familiar orange light.
"This specific wavelength of light performed best in initial tests- it had the most penetrative power and impeded healing the longest, almost an order of magnitude more than other wavelengths tested. We do not understand why, though."
"The dawn," Ozpin breathes, more than says. "It is the colour of the dawn sky. Symbolic, of cleansing, of hope, of… the cessation of darkness. Everything, really, that the Grimm are not."
You blink, trying to figure out exactly what Ozpin is saying, and the context in which he's saying it. He said magic, was… a matter of interpretation…
The Process didn't perform magic, they couldn't have interpreted their choice like that, so… the Grimm did?
"{Are you saying the Grimm are magic?}"
"When the Grimm were created by the younger of the Brothers, what do you believe he created them with? They are bound by magic, and so bound by its rules."
… Okay hold on there's a lot to unpack there-
"Are you… saying the story of the Two Brothers is real?"
Ozpin very specifically does not smile- besides the most minor twitch pulling his mouth downwards, he could very well be wearing a mask.
"They used to walk among men, speaking to us, leading our nations. They were the source of all magic- the source of all humanity. Now..."
He trails off, quiet for a moment, the same look you see on Ada's face sometimes- completely divorced from the present, lost somewhere in the past. Once it passes, he composes himself- straightening up and taking a deep, calming breath.
"... Those days are past," he says, voice tight. "What's done is done, I am afraid. Shall we move along?"
You recognise the blatant attempt to get away from the topic for what it is and, choose another topic.
Ah, what else, what else could you ask-
"{We have a question if you don't mind.}"
You glance towards the Transistor, surprised at its sudden assertiveness. Though, now that you think about it, you think this may be the most it's ever talked to another human being, besides maybe Ironwood. Well, while not actively dragging itself back from the dead.
"By all means, if Jaune doesn't mind."
"I have no objections."
"{Thanks.}"
A moment of silence follows, the Transistor flickering in quiet thought before Blue speaks again.
"{... We have… been placed under the impression that it may be possible for us, for the Transistor's core AI, at the very least… to form a soul. The being that informed us of this is dead, but we've discussed it with Jaune and decided to not… entirely discard the idea, at least for now. We figured you, as the, now apparently immortal wizard, may be our best bet for an informed, sane opinion.}"
You note that Qrow has given up entirely, his head in his hands as he quietly groans, while Goodwitch seems to have come to some revelation about why you asked about the author of On The Souls Of Grimm earlier today.
Ozpin, by comparison, takes it relatively well. He simply breathes in sharply, pushes his glasses up, and stares at your sword for a moment.
"... I see. Might I ask about the source of this information, and how it met its end?"
"{He appeared after you used magic to stop us. He helped our lower-level repair programs understand what you'd done to us, in some manner, and then we just, er, kinda forgot to quarantine him between now and yesterday. When he actually reached out to us, he was already dying yes dying Bracket and…}"
Blue trails off.
"{He called himself Ludens. If the name means anything to you, it doesn't to us.}"
For the first time since you sat down in this chair, Ozpin's face moves away from either curiosity, an easy smile, or blank neutrality. He knit his brow, the thin streaks of hair drawing upwards in genuine concern.
"How… did he die?" he asks slowly.
"{Magic starvation, for lack of a better term. He was… an amalgam of Transistor machine code and magic… runes, I guess? Well, apparently magic has a shelf life. It failed, and half of the stuff keeping him alive suddenly… wasn't.}"
"... I… see," Ozpin says, his voice numb for a moment. "I-if I could, may I see… what's left?"
Your sword emulates blowing air from a virtual mouth, a raspy, bit-compressed noise that speaks to resignation more than frustration.
"{I'll, see what I can do, but this wasn't exactly meant to be physically projected on anything smaller than the side of a building. Can you, gimme a minute?}"
"Of course, take your time," Ozpin says.
You all sit in silence for a good thirty seconds, Qrow gently drumming a marching beat on his thighs, before his eyes settle on the Cell.
"... Ssssooo… you're, the thing that built that laser, huh? You know, I expected something bigger."
The Cell swivels to look at him with its big, glassy eye, internal lenses twitching as it considers his statement.
"This unit is the smallest possible self-sustaining construction of the Process, designation Cell-01. You may call us 01."
"Yeah? What's the biggest one?" Qrow asks, slowly relaxing as he talks to the small robot.
"Of the Process units currently designed, the largest is the T2 series- the Creep."
He blinks, his easygoing smile shrinking ever so slightly.
"O...kay, and what's a, creep, look like?"
You smirk a little.
"Tiptoe?"
You feel the mental thrum of raw energy-matter conversion occurring beside Qrow, and the Creep quietly slips into existence, the only sign of its creation the sudden change in air pressure, and the sound of three pinprick feet hitting stone. It's a fight for him to keep his weapon sheathed, but he manages to restrain his reaction to merely tensing up and biting off a curse when he sees the glare Professor Goodwitch is aiming at him.
"Fascinating," Ozpin breathes, staring at the new robot, his concerns about Ludens apparently forgotten.
"This unit is a T2 model- designation, Creep. We are a general-purpose scouting unit, capable of combat with most Grimm and some Aura-capable combatants. This specific unit's designation is Tiptoe."
Qrow glances down at its feet, each one ending in needlepoints, and he slowly nods his head in understanding.
"... Wait, but you've just been made, what, did Jaune name you that right now, or…"
"The Process's bodies are distinct units, but the controlling mind is unified- however, this unit does contain physical data regarding the original Tiptoe's actions during its existence, due to the system administrator's request that Tiptoe be rebuilt."
... Well, that's just a little pedantic.
Qrow blinks.
"One mind, many bodies, this Tiptoe contains the old Tiptoe's memories," Glynda translates for him. "That's…" she trails off, unable to put her response to, that, in words.
"{Aaand… got it. So, uh, you still wanna see him, or is this…?}"
Ozpin turns to your sword again, away from the temporary distraction, as he remembers exactly what he asked it to do.
"... Please. Show me."
Ozpin's desk lights up as the Transistor twists into position above it, hanging above you all like a makeshift guillotine, before projecting its findings onto the glass.
It's exactly what you expected, honestly- garbled junk code with large chunks of space, nothing really… special. And yet, at the same time, when you turn off that part of your brain and look at it holistically...
You can almost grasp the shape of something else. Something that only used pieces of your code out of necessity, that's missing a second component.
Ozpin must see it too because you listen to him make this pitiful moan, something you realise a moment too late is, grief.
With the light reflecting off his glasses, you almost miss the way his eyes grow wet the more he examines it, the sheer, open-mouthed horror you'd expect from someone being asked to identify a corpse.
… Oh. Right.
"Ohh… you poor thing…" he murmurs after a moment, a hand slowly moving towards the table.
Arcane Check, 2 Successes needed: 0d10= 10, 10. Success!
You feel it, around his raised hand- a sudden knot in reality, as if it's being twisted and curled around itself, something boiling here and not here and not in this physical reality and absolutely in this physical reality, and you glance to his face and see it set not in grief, but wide-eyed realisation.
Then conflict.
Then…
The knot loosens. The boiling ceases.
The projection winks out, the Transistor floating back down between you and Qrow.
Ozpin sighs, a shaky, choked thing that just barely holds back from becoming a full-blown sob, before reaching into a vest pocket and pulling a small handkerchief from it. You sit there, almost too shocked to breathe, as he pulls his glasses away and dabs his eyes dry.
"I," he croaks, clearing his throat. "... I, apologise."
"Oz…" Qrow starts, "you… what was that?"
"{Are you okay?}"
"I'm alright, I'm…"
He closes his eyes and takes a moment. When he opens them again, they've hardened under his brow, drilling a hole straight through your sword.
"Tell me everything that happened before he died."
The Transistor takes a few minutes to relay the story of Ludens' final conversation, and his exact wording on a few things, and by the time it finishes, Ozpin's eyes have grown dull, like hearing it took something from the man.
"... I… cannot say, whether or not Ludens was right. I have never heard of any artificial being gaining a soul, with or without outside assistance- for the first time in a very long time, I am confronted with the fact that I do not know everything there is to know."
"{... We see.}"
"However… Ludens chose utter dissolution of the self over the chance that he would not impress his point upon you. I may not know whether his point is valid or not, but I can't deny that he made it firmly."
"{Mm.}"
Silence settles in once more, Ozpin taking a moment to repair from that, your sword mulling over the, admittedly somewhat disappointing answer…
"Have you put much thought into it, Jaune?" Ozpin asks after a while, directing his attention back to you.
"I… have no idea what I think, besides the fact that I don't know anywhere near enough to put whatever thoughts I have on the idea into words. So, I'm doing some research. I dunno what I'll find, or where I'll find it, but I'll find something eventually. I-I mean, it's all well and good to say that my friends deserve souls, but they are also the only thing keeping me alive most days. If that's messed up, then..."
"{That's not a risk we're willing to take unless we're heavily convinced otherwise.}"
"A salient point," he says, tilting his head to the side in deference to your answer. "I suppose the only real advice I can give you is to keep doing what you're doing- what avenues have you searched so far?"
"I, er, went to the library. I asked the librarian if she could help me, and she suggested a couple of books. A copy of the Golem tale and its variants, by Father Ivo Jonasson, and On The Souls Of Grimm, by Piranesi."
Ozpin frowns slightly for a moment, his lips moving silently in a way you recognise as someone trying very hard to recall something on the tip of their tongue. After a moment, realisation seems to strike, and he chuckles warmly to himself.
"Ah… of two minds indeed," he says, not elaborating.
When you give him an expectant look, he just smiles, lips quirked up in a surprisingly mischievous way for a man his age.
"If I tell you, I'm afraid that would rather spoil the effect our librarian is hoping for. My only advice- read Piranesi first. You'll be needing a good story like the Golem's Tale after wading through that jungle."
The comment is made in jest, but you mainly smile out of relief that Ozpin appears to have emotionally recovered from seeing Ludens' remains.
"I suppose my answer doesn't quite satisfy you, though."
"{If you don't know, you don't know. Hell, just knowing that you don't know is information enough. This… really is untread ground, huh?}"
"I'm afraid so," he says. "I may be old, and knowledgeable on the subject of the soul, but I'm by no means omniscient. If anyone's tried to do something similar in the past, I'm afraid it's not something I'm even tangentially aware of."
Yeah…
Honestly, the second the Transistor came out with its question, you kind of expected it to be a dead-end, to begin with. Unless Vacuo was getting real wild before the resource war that desertified most of the country, AI theory isn't more than a few decades old.
"I have another question for you, Jaune- but I want you to think before you answer. You must be sure of your answer."
"Uh… Sure."
"Why does the world needs someone like me?"
pull thoughts and memories from the endless archives, the ones that have existed since our conception
You blink, unsure how to take the question. Why… does the world need someone like Ozpin?
there is more now, a new player on the board- the wizard-king, endless and deathless is he
… Ozpin, the immortal wizard who has been around since some before-unknown extinction of humanity, and has survived… who knows how long, is apparently needed by the world.
too great for something so petty as a loxy or a myrmek or a vampyr- bigger, BIGGER.
Well, the Grimm in general, maybe, but that's too obvious, too, broad a question. The Grimm are why humanity needs something like Dust, why they need Huntsmen and Huntresses, not… one man.
three thoughts, three theory-knives to the jugular of the human species- the storied the leaders, the storied the minds, the witch-
… There have always been rumblings about the Grimm not being the random groupings of animals that people think of them as. Rumours to some grand guiding intelligence picking out the weakest settlements.
the witch.
… Your stomach drops.
the witch.
You've… always known, you think.
THE WITCH.
Your throat has dried up completely for some reason, some shape you've only grasped in dreams coming to the forefront-
"Jaune? What's wrong?" Qrow asks.
Whatever you try to say, it dies in the back of your throat as your mind whirls, spiralling into itself, towards an inevitable conclusion. Some minor part of you realises that you're very rapidly descending into a panic attack.
MOTHER OF ANGUISH. EMPRESS OF THE GRIMM. SHE HAS ALWAYS BEEN. SHE WILL ALWAYS BE. UNLESS YOU LEARN DEICIDE. DEICIDE. DEICIDE.
Words are forming in the back of your throat, words of fear and truth and bile, forcing themselves up through your gullet as your body grows leaden, your vision flickers as your blood pulses through your ears-
SCREAM FOR HER.
"Witch-queen," you whisper.
The shape becomes real, a pale face framed in veins like obsidian, a cruel laugh ringing through your ears one last time, a laugh you've only heard in the deepest hours of dreams before you tilt to the side, the floor swinging towards you and voices and bodies rush to catch you. Then, you are one with sleep.
Last edited:
Dauan Tienar
To the endless horizon
- Location
- Victoria
Does this mean that Salem has some sort of meme hazard magic up for when people discover her? This is giving me some SCP vibes of meme hazard discovery.
Tale Swapper
(Unverified Madman)
- Location
- Lost Among a Sea of Imaginings and Dreams
I regret that I do not have more than one like to give for this fic.
How about we get the process to replace the all the red with Dawn orange as the default color?
PsyFarrow
Verified Necrodancer
- Location
- Space
... Well that's pretty damn scary ngl. If that one sentence from Oz is enough to render Jaune comatose then there's some real mystical nastiness there.
Then again, it might just be a stress reaction to having that lil drop of info put in his face. Oz did seem a little surprised that we were fainting over it, and he wouldn't be that shocked if it was a common reaction.
Yeah, can't imagine our brain is in tipity top shape right now, but with the magic of youth, Aura, and a good night's rest I'm sure there probably won't be lasting consequences.
Then again, it might just be a stress reaction to having that lil drop of info put in his face. Oz did seem a little surprised that we were fainting over it, and he wouldn't be that shocked if it was a common reaction.
Yeah, can't imagine our brain is in tipity top shape right now, but with the magic of youth, Aura, and a good night's rest I'm sure there probably won't be lasting consequences.
TimEd
Meteor maker
Good thing we didn't pick the option to confront Ozpin immediately after the initiation.