Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2016/09/16(Fri)22:29 No. 748234 ID: a606da
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…Huh?

Is this hell? I sort of expected more pain.

I mean, my butt aches a bit, as if I’ve fallen on it, but that’s not exactly searing hellfire levels of suffering.

“Professor?” A very short white-haired person is kneeling down beside me, with their hand on my shoulder. I can’t determine their gender at a glance. “Are you alright?”

>>748234
Ask who she is. Who you are. Where you are.

Claim to have amnesia.

Fuck, this is confusing.
Whatever.
Ascertain surroundings.
Question strange individual.
Where are you?
What's going on?
The usual questions.

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2016/09/17(Sat)01:25 No. 748253 ID: a606da
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“Um… w-who are you?” I ask, slurring a bit as I adapt to my new mouth. “And, uh, who am I?”

The white-haired person stares at me uncertainly.

“Where are we, also?” I add, apologetically. They have no idea that the person they know has been replaced. I feel a bit guilty.

“We’re on floor six. You’re on your way to teach class.” The white-haired person watches me very closely. “You’re Professor Bloodstone. I’m your servant, Kipelle.”

“Floor six of what?” I stand up awkwardly, examining myself. Wow. I look old. I must be, like, thirty-five. “By the way, what’s my first name? Or am I just ‘Bloodstone’?”

“Floor six of Celiphus Complex, where else?” Kipelle helps me steady myself. “Your name’s Alandra, and I’m going to take you to a medical station.”

“Wait! Wait.” I shake my head. “Give me a second to think, please.”

Kipelle reluctantly nods.

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2016/09/17(Sat)01:27 No. 748254 ID: a606da
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As I puzzle over what I should do next, I’m startled by a panicked yell from what appears to be a classroom nearby.

“What’s wrong, Izdihar?”

“I-I’m not supposed to be…!” The terrified voice trails off. It sounds like a girl. “Oh, this is really not right!”

“Do you need some sort of assistance? What is it that’s got you so excited?”

“Uh…” The girl’s voice falters. “I need to go to the bathroom.”

“Go ahead, then.” There’s a bit of hushed laughter. “Next time, please try to be less dramatic.”

Moments later, a short, nervous girl wobbles out of the classroom and almost immediately collapses into me.

“Ack!” She squeaks, scrambling to her feet. “Oh, god, I’m sorry, I don’t know how I’m supposed to...! I mean, I… I tripped. Are you okay?”

I sit up, looking at her. She seems very familiar, but I’m not sure why.

>>748254
That's probably one of your friends. Most likely Ikram, because she's having trouble moving around and I can only assume Ikram is having trouble with boobs throwing off his balance.

Tell your servant you need to go to the bathroom too, before you go to the medical station. Then when you can, whisper to Izdihar, ask if they got swapped.

This is a completely different culture so there's no way you're going to be able to wing it. Claiming amnesia is absolutely the only way you can live here, and as a bonus, if you get swapped back, the prior occupant will be able to claim their memory came back and their life will be mostly unhindered.

>>748233
That was Marie's face.

Wait... is she... is she trying to say THAT THE METAMYRIAD IS TGCHAN'S HUB POINT?!

You know what, whatever.

Punch the girl in the face.

>>748254
Given the circumstances it seems fairly likely to be one of your friends, but we shouldn't immediately assume Ikram. I mean, you should know that sometimes people don't have a full set of working body parts.

Let Izdihar know that they seem distressed. Perhaps ask them if they're suffering from a sense of disorientation, or maybe a memory lapse. Emphasize key words, your friends will probably figure out the subtext.

>>748257
>sometimes people don't have a full set of working body parts.
Ohhh, I guess that's true. It could be Orchid or something, and Izdihar has a prosthetic leg.

>>748254
Help "her" up.

Sure sounds like someone panicking at being dumped into a new body. (Speaking of, it was sure nice of him to condemn you to a hell where you're still female).

"It's okay. Do you need some help getting to the bathroom? Does "Silvio" mean anything to you?"

Whisper the last part to them, as you lean in close while helping them up.

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2016/09/25(Sun)03:01 No. 749706 ID: a606da
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“I’m fine. Can you give me a hand getting up?”

“Yeah, sure.” The girl glances uncomfortably at her arm as she lets me grab on.

“Thanks.” As I stand, I lean in close and whisper. “Does the name ‘Silvio’ mean anything to you?”

“Wha-?!” The girl’s eyes shoot wide open. “Y-yes! Yes it does! Who are-?!”

“Do you need some help getting to the bathroom?” I covertly put a finger to my lips. “You seem like you’re, uh, not yourself. I can empathize.”

Kipelle raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t say anything.

“Bathroom?” Izdihar (or the person inside Izdihar) blinks, notices Kipelle, and suddenly understands. “Oh! Yes, the bathroom! Let’s go. Together.”

“Kipelle, where’s the nearest - ?”

“There.” Kipelle points. “It’s only for one person at a time, though.”

“Right. Thanks.” I gently pull the girl away by the shoulder. I notice Kipelle do a double-take as ‘Izdihar’ and I enter the bathroom together.

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2016/09/25(Sun)03:02 No. 749707 ID: a606da
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As soon as I close the door behind me, the girl blurts out the obvious question. “Who are you? I mean, really.”

“Wisteria.”

“Seriously? You look like a completely different person! Then again…” The girl hesitates, tugging at her skirt. “I’m, um… Promise not to laugh?”

“I wouldn’t anyway.”

”…I’m Ikram.” Ikram looks at the floor.

“I thought you might be.” I nod. “Are you alright, more or less?”

“I don’t know.” Ikram paces around the small bathroom, his motions jerky and unsteady. “I’m not hurt, per se.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I’m fine, Wister. No, you know what? I’m great.” Ikram poses, grinning madly. “This experience is really broadening my perspective on the world, you know?”

“Uh… I guess. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah! I mean, it’s weird, but…” Ikram pauses, his eyes briefly drawn to his chest. “It’s just skin deep, right? I can tough it out. I’m man enough to be a woman.”

“Wow. You’re handling this really well.”

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2016/09/25(Sun)03:07 No. 749709 ID: a606da
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“No, yeah, it’s cool. All cool. I’m coo- Hrk!” Ikram rushes over to the odd toilet and starts to vomit into it.

“Skin deep, huh?” I sit down beside him, patting him on the back. “Tell me the truth, Iks. How are you feeling?”

“…Like somebody’s taken an ice cream scoop to my crotch.” Ikram wipes his mouth. “Ugh.”

“Ew.”

“Hey, you asked.” Ikram sits up, his head swaying a little. “And while we’re on questions, I’ve got a few: Wister, where are we? What’s happened to us? And, um… how do we get back to normal?”

"Ikram, I've got bad news, and I've got bad news, and I doubt that both are incorrect. We're stuck here, now that Silvio's dead. And I don't think he's dead dead, just incapacitated. Either way, we're forced to stay long enough for us to get comfy in this soon-to-be hellscape, in which we screw things up, blow up the galaxy or something, and wallow in the guilt until we can no longer think cohesively. And then we get sent to another world to @#$% over from our own shortcomings.

I guess our best bet is to find a small corner of this dimension and try not to do anything for the rest of our lives."

What's that big sign on the wall say?

>Wister, where are we? What’s happened to us? And, um… how do we get back to normal?
Some other universe, Silvio put us here as punishment or shits and giggles for standing up to him, and no fucking clue.

We either have to hope the creep doesn't actually die or that August steals his powers and saves us or something.

>What's that big sign on the wall say?
Best guess:

Report
Moral Defects.
Necessity Dictates.
For family.

...because of course we got dropped into some 1984 hellword where deviant behavior will get you in trouble and we have no idea what the rules are.

Worse, I think that might be a camera in the corner of the ceiling there. Nevermind that Kipelle already knows something's up.

>>749709
Well it looks like Silvio's definition of hell is a subtle one. This is probably a very dangerous world, culturally, and you've already fucked up.

Check the weird sink. Is that a camera in the corner?

>>749726
Or, possibly, he took us /we took ourselves somewhere other than he meant to.

Either way, this does seem pretty panopticon. Let's hope it's similar to that in that there's not often anyone manning any particular camera.

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2016/10/02(Sun)12:47 No. 750795 ID: a606da
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>What’s that big sign on the wall say?

It says ‘Report congenital defects. As necessity dictates. For your family.’.

“We’re in a different universe, Ikram, in the bodies of our corresponding alternate selves. I think Silvio did it to us, but I'm not sure if it was on purpose.” I sigh. “As for how to get back… I have no idea.”

“What?” Ikram looks aghast. “Wister, I can’t stay like this!”

“I know, Ikram, but I don't know how to switch us back to normal. We may have to get comfortable here, at least until we figure out what’s going on.”

“Get comfortable? Really?! Wister, this isn’t my body!” Noticing the mirror nearby, Ikram gapes at his reflection. “…I mean, gosh, it’s not a bad body, mind, it’s actually kind of cute in an incredibly disturbing sort of way, but it still isn’t mine!”

“I understand, Ikram, seriously. Do you think I’m a huge fan of the one I got?” I join Ikram beside the mirror, gazing at my new face. The face of a stranger. “I must be twice my age, and I’m apparently supposed to be a professor.”

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2016/10/02(Sun)12:49 No. 750796 ID: a606da
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“You got off easy. At least you’re still the right sex.” Ikram starts making silly faces into the mirror. “Me, I’m living a pointless life lesson. I mean, for fuck’s sake, I’m taking college courses in gender studies! I’m, like, the least sexist person I know! I don’t need to walk a mile in a girl’s shoes!”

“I don’t think body swapping works based on karma.”

“It should.” Ikram stretches his mouth out at the sides with his fingers. “This is ridiculous.”

“What are you doing?”

“Trying out my new face.” Ikram sticks out his tongue and waggles it back and forth. “Heygh, Wishter, whah do you tink? I’m a shexhy ladhy, right?”

“Dude, stop it.” I try unsuccessfully to stop myself from laughing. “Come on, this is serious. We need to - snrk - we need to figure out what we’re going to do next, and - oh my god, Ikky, please, I’m going to have a fit -”

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2016/10/02(Sun)12:52 No. 750800 ID: a606da
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“Um, excuse me…” There’s a knock at the door. “Professor? Or, ah, Wisteria? May I speak with you?”

“Kipelle? Uh, sure, I guess so. One second, we’re a little… wait. What did you just call me?” I feel a sudden rush of terror. “Oh, god, were you listening in?!”

“…Yes. I’m sorry. I was concerned for your well-being.” Huh. Kipelle sounds legitimately apologetic. “I don’t completely understand your situation, I admit. After what I just heard, however, I do have some idea.”

“It’s… it’s not like that, it’s, um…” I panic, trying desperately to come up with an excuse. “No, see, I - we - we have amnesia…”

“I won’t tell anyone, you know.” Kipelle sighs. “I’m close to you - to whoever you are - and I was made to be so.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m your servant. Your engineered companion. We are genetically bound to each other, not to mention…” Kipelle pauses. “…a little more than averagely intimate.”

“…Oh.” I wince, feeling a renewed sympathy for Raven. “I’m sorry, but, look, I don’t…”

“Could you please open the door? I don’t really want to keep talking from out in the hallway.”

>>750800
Okay.

First question for her, is this a bad place? It doesn't seem like it so far. Can she go over some social rules? Like, is being homosexual a crime, or transgender? Are there any things you're not supposed to say or do?

You guys notice the color scheme is different here, yet? Either the light is different in this universe, people look a little different, and/or your eyes are a little different.

>“Professor? Or, ah, Wisteria? May I speak with you?”
Well, he's quick on the uptake.

>We are genetically bound to each other, not to mention…” Kipelle pauses. “…a little more than averagely intimate.
The first implies that if you suffer any penalty for being a genetic defect, it'll fall on him too.

The second implies that he cares about the person who's body you're borrowing, so he'd really prefer they remain alive / life unruined when they get back.

>Could you please open the door?
Let him in.

Pretty sure we want to let him in the loop. You need his help to pass / get along in this world until you find a way to swap back.

We also need to find Orchid, and Raven and Ronnie if they're here too (the last two might have gotten out of range in time, assuming he can only swap people in proximity to himself).

Top priority when familiarizing yourself with an alien legal system is the major capital offenses. How broadly is treason interpreted, for example?

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2016/10/03(Mon)21:18 No. 751066 ID: a606da
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>You guys notice the color scheme is different here, yet? Either the light is different in this universe, people look a little different, and/or your eyes are a little different.

Things do look a bit strange, but I am in a different body. Maybe that has something to do with it?

I open the door. Kipelle looks shyly up at me. Wow, I already forgot how short they are.

“You’re Wisteria?”

“…Yeah.” I bite my lip, feeling kind of awkward. “You’re, um… you’re quick on the uptake.”

“I listened to your conversation. Neither of you had any reason to prepare an imagined history in such detail, and your conversation was too natural to be improvised.” Kipelle slips into the bathroom, quietly closing the door behind themselves. “If you were Alandra, you’d know that my philosophy entails calmness, rationality, and understanding.”

“I’m sorry, who are you?” Ikram asks, confused. “Wait, let me guess… Orchid?”

“No, this is Kipelle. she… he?” I look down at Kipelle. “I’m sorry. I honestly can’t tell what gender you are. What pronouns should I use for you?”

“I was created to be capable of both insemination and pregnancy.” Kipelle shrugs. “Most people refer to me as ‘it’. Feel free to use whichever pronouns you wish.”

“Oh.” I blink. “Um. Thanks?”

Kipelle nods gently.

“Anyway, Ikram, this is Kipelle. They’re apparently a servant of my body’s owner. And, um, you called yourself my ‘engineered companion’, right? What does that mean, exactly?”

“I am your assigned personal assistant, advisor, confidant, sexual partner, and biological father to your child.”

“Child?” I gasp. “I have a kid?!”

“Ah, no.” Kipelle glances at my belly. “Not quite yet.”

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2016/10/03(Mon)21:31 No. 751072 ID: a606da
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“…Oh my god.” Trembling, I put a hand to my gut. I assumed the bump was just my stomach. I never would have thought… “H-how far along?”

“Nine weeks.”

“Okay. Nine weeks. Okay.” I slide down into a sitting position, back to the wall, doing everything I can not to panic. “Holy shit. I’m pregnant. Holy shit.”

“Are you alright?” Ikram sits down next to me, his face filled with shock and concern. “I mean, obviously not, but still… fucking hell, Wister, is there anything I can do? Hug?”

“I - I’m fine.” I take a few deep breaths, desperately trying to calm down. “…I have more questions. Kipelle.”

“I have no secrets from you.” Kipelle bows their head. “I’ll answer to the best of my ability.”

“Is this a bad place? It doesn’t seem like it, so far.”

“I don’t know what you mean. It’s Celiphus Complex. Good, bad… it’s all we have.”

“That doesn’t tell me a whole lot.” I try my best to forget about the fact that oh my god there is a fetus inside me. “Can you go over some social rules? Like, is being homosexual or transgender a crime?”

“I don’t understand why either of those things would be.” Kipelle sits down beside me and Ikram. “Before my kind, gender transition was often used to maintain the sexual ratio of the population. Homosexuality is more common than heterosexuality, as it carries less risk of unplanned pregnancy.”

“…Uh.” I have no idea what to think of that. “Are there any things you’re not supposed to say or do?”

“Yes, there are many.” Kipelle pauses. “I’m sorry. I don’t know where to begin. I’ve got no frame of reference.”

“Maybe start with just the major capital offenses?”

“Alright. Let me think… murder, system vandalism, biological warfare, rioting, public endangerment, obfuscation of congenital defects…”

“Congenital defects?”

“Yes. Major genetic conditions that could harm the future of our population if left unchecked. Fatal inherited diseases, physical deformations, certain extreme mental illnesses…” Kipelle trails off. “This feels very strange. Alandra knows far more about this than I do.”

“Alandra?” Ikram asks, puzzled. I point to my face. After a second, Ikram understands. “Oh. Yeah, that’s probably pretty weird.”

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2016/10/03(Mon)21:32 No. 751075 ID: a606da
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“Yes. She’s one of the most knowledgeable on the subject, considering - Oh no! I forgot!” Kipelle suddenly jumps to their feet, startling Ikram and me. “Your class is still waiting! ”

“Can’t you just arrange for a substitute?”

“It’s an advanced course. There aren’t any other qualified teachers I could get on short notice. If both of us fail to arrive, we could be fined for negligence, and we don’t have much money as it is. No, no, no…!” Kipelle paces rapidly, their expression more and more frantic.

“You should go, then. I can’t do it, obviously.”

“But you won’t be able to stay here. They clean out the bathrooms every hour, and your friend will be missed regardless.”

“Are you saying I should go back to class?” Ikram looks stricken. “I don’t even know my own last name, let alone how I’m supposed to act!”

“I may be able to report you as sick.” Kipelle considers, still very anxious. “Yes, that could work. But you still need a place to go. Our living space is one option - if someone comes looking for Alandra, however, that would be a problem. Ah, wait… there is your brother.”

“My brother? I have a brother? Er, sorry… Alandra has a brother?”

“Yes. A brother she loves very, very much.” Kipelle hesitates, giving me what I assume must be a very meaningful look, though I have no idea what the meaning is. “It may be better to visit with him in his living space, at least until I’m finished teaching. You do it fairly often anyway.”

“How am I supposed to interact with a brother I’ve never met before?”

“It wouldn’t matter. Trust me.” Kipelle looks away. “I doubt he’d even be able to tell that you were there.”

I share a nervous glance with Ikram. “I, um…”

“I’m sorry, I really am!” Kipelle squeaks. “I know you must have more questions - I certainly have plenty myself - but right now I need to think of Alandra and our child. All I can do right now is give you this small choice: Would you rather wait in our living space, or with your brother?”

>>751075
Sounds like the brother is in a coma, or otherwise unavailable socially.

Wait with Alandra's brother. These are sensitive moments and even the emotional awkwardness of being around him is worth the lower chance of discovery. One of the best things you can do here to research social rules is to watch a movie or read a book.

>“Congenital defects?”
>certain extreme mental illnesses…
Could someone consider our current situation a congenital defect if they became aware of it? What would happen, then? Would we be in danger?

>what else
You need to thank Kelpie for helping you. Alandra's okay, although probably very confused.

>where go
Brother. On the off chance he's Orcid, now.

> Baby
> Genetic Defects and Insanity are illegal
> Class in 15 minutes
Silvio's good at this.

Alright, take a moment to consider that you finally got to experience life as a woman to the fullest possible. Deep breath. Then, consider the following:

A) Silvio wanted you to suffer. For kicks.
B) Birth defects are illegal to conceal.
C) You have no idea what happens when a herm impregnates a female in this dimension.
D) You DEFINITELY have no idea what happens to a fetus when the mother's brain is replaced with... well, you.

Best way to crush you? Forcing you to give birth to an abomination in a society that will murder the entire family of anyone with a single unregistered mutant.

You need to leave NOW. Do Alandra a favor and keep her kid from getting lynched at age -0.2, run for the hills and look for your friends with an observatory or something.

>>751119
I doubt they perform genetic cleansing on the family of anyone that births a baby with defects. That would strongly incentivize hiding the defects, after all.

...aw hell, the brother has a defect, doesn't he.

>system vandalism
Terminology is a bit unclear, but... messing around with computers the wrong way carries the death penalty? Seriously?

>it's all we have
Order-of-magnitude population estimate might be a useful datum. Harsh eugenic measures could indicate the aftermath of a genetic bottleneck.

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2016/10/19(Wed)10:02 No. 753871 ID: a606da
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>Alright, take a moment to consider that you finally got to experience life as a woman to the fullest possible.

I have someone else’s baby inside me! Woman or not, this feels wrong. I mean, true, I hoped to have kids someday, but when I do, I want them to be my kids. Considering Kipelle is the ‘father’, I don’t even know if what I have in my belly is human.

“We’ll stay with, uh, ‘my’ brother, I think.”

“Alright.” Kipelle immediately walks over to the door and opens it. “Come on, then. We must hurry.”

Ikram and I stand and follow Kipelle into the hallway outside. Kipelle jogs at a brisk pace, and while I’m able to keep up, Ikram lags behind slightly.

“Please, move as quickly as possible!” Kipelle looks back. “I don’t have much time.”

“I’m sorry.” Ikram pants. “I’m not used to… this. Everything feels weird and off-balance. Even ignoring the obvious changes, my muscles don’t work like they used to. It’s difficult.”

“It gets easier, after a while.” I pat him on the shoulder. “Just go as fast as you can, okay?”

Ikram nods, still looking a bit queasy.

“Kipelle, what you said earlier about system vandalism…” I continue walking as I speak, trying to keep my voice just low enough that Kipelle can hear me. “Does that mean what I think it does? Messing around with computers the wrong way carries the death penalty? Seriously?”

“Well, yes, of course.” Kipelle seems surprised. “It’s always been like that. We all rely on the support systems for our continued survival. Any unplanned changes could cause unimaginable devastation to our entire population.”

“You’ve mentioned ‘population’ a lot. Can you give me an estimate on the size of that population? I’m curious.”

“The population of the world, or the population of Celiphus Complex?”

“Both, I guess.”

“If I remember the statistics correctly, the archivists estimate the population is around sixteen thousand.”

“Wow. That many people live here?”

“No.” Kipelle gives me a funny look. “That’s the world’s population. Celiphus only houses a few hundred.”

Ikram and I stumble to a halt, gaping. “Sixteen thousand?! That’s it?”

“What do you mean? That number’s higher than it’s ever been in my lifetime.” Kipelle frantically gestures for us to keep moving. We do, though we continue to exchange worried looks. “Is that odd?”

“Man, only sixteen thousand…?” Ikram puts a hand to his head, dazed. “Um, sorry. We’re used to it being somewhere in the range of seven billion.”

“What?!” This time, Kipelle’s the one who comes to a sudden stop, though they recover from their shock much more quickly. “…Seven billion people? That doesn’t seem possible. You truly are from a completely different place, aren’t you? What a cluttered world yours must be!”

“It’s not, really.” I shake my head. “Come to think of it, I’m still amazed that you’re so accepting of our story. I’m pretty sure I would have a lot more doubt if our roles were reversed.”

“Yeah, you caught on really quickly.” Ikram’s face suddenly lights up. “Wait, do you have Star Trek too? Is that why you’re following along so well?”

“Star… Trek?” Kipelle blinks. “I don’t think so. I’ve never heard of anything called that, anyway. But it’s long been an accepted fact that other worlds must exist, and it’s still a very common topic of discussion. Alandra in particular is very interested in how differently alien life might have developed. The two of us often sit in bed together and talk about what other planets might be like.” Kipelle smiles, glancing at me. “What kind of creatures are you? Do you have eyes, ears, noses, and limbs, or are you perhaps more of a fungus? Oh, I’m sorry, is that rude to ask?”

“Ah.” I cough. “We’re not really that kind of alien. We’re humans, just from somewhere else.”

“Oh.” Kipelle’s face falls. “Ah, well. Can you answer another question? I’ve been hesitant to ask, for I don’t mean to offend you, but how long will you be occupying these bodies? Also, where is Alandra, while you’re her? Is she safe?”

“We’re not really sure how long we’ll be here.” I bite my lip. “Alandra’s okay, although she’s probably very confused right now. I’m guessing she’s in my body, the same way I’m in hers.”

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2016/10/19(Wed)10:07 No. 753873 ID: a606da
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“Oh, crap, I forgot! It’s a switch, isn’t it?” Ikram tugs at his cheek, his eyes wide with horror. “Does that mean I’ve got this girl walking around in my skin?!”

“Well, you’re walking around in hers.” I point out.

“That doesn’t make me feel any better, Wister!” Ikram groans. “God, how are my parents going to react? Will they think I want to be a girl, or will they just put her in a straightjacket as soon as she starts talking about being from another world?”

“Hopefully she’ll manage to figure things out, somehow.” I shrug. “I know it’s not very reassuring, but we should try to focus on our problems in this world. Ah, speaking of which… Kipelle, do you think someone could consider our current situation a congenital defect, if they become aware of it?”

Kipelle is silent for a few seconds. “…I hadn’t thought about that. They might. With your brother the way he is, it’s very possible.”

“My brother?” I realize. “Oh, hell. He has a defect, doesn’t he?”

“I’m afraid so. It’s a kind of severe psychotic dementia. Leris sees and hears things that aren’t there, and he loses track of where he is and what’s happening. He’s also emotionally unstable, though he’s never been aggressive or violent. It’s a condition that developed over time, however, and it didn’t manifest in you - his twin - so it wasn’t considered genetic.” Kipelle’s voice cracks. “But… if the doctors think Alandra has the same condition, the authorities may choose to sterilize both her and Leris. They’d terminate our child.”

“Oh, god!” I recoil. “It won’t come to that, will it?”

“I hope not.” Kipelle looks at me with worry. A few seconds later, they point to a nearby door. “We’re here.”

We enter into a small circular room, with two hallways leading off in opposite directions. I look around. It’s more comfortable than the metallic hallways, but not by much. “This is where Alandra’s brother lives?”

“Yes.” Kipelle nods. “Leris lives with his companion - my twin, as Leris is yours - who acts as his caretaker. Its name is Mivette. I have to go.”

“Wait! What if I have to talk to them?”

“I’m certain Mivette will choose to believe you, if you tell it who you are. I think both Mivette and myself would rather put our faith in a truth that leaves our lovers fertile.” Kipelle turns around, ready to leave.

“Hey, Kipelle?” I smile, patting their arm. “Thank you for helping us.”

“You’re welcome. I love you.” Kipelle pulls me into a soft hug, startling me. They back off immediately, embarrassed. “Ah! I’m sorry! Force of habit. I - I should go. Just stay here, and try not to talk to anyone except Leris and Mivette. I promise, I’ll return as soon as I finish teaching Alandra’s Logistical Eugenics course.” With that, Kipelle spins around and practically runs down the hallway.

“…huh.” I watch Kipelle go, but they finally take a turn down a hallway and vanish from sight.

“I guess that’s that, then.” Ikram leans back against the far wall, kicking at the air in a bored way. “So, we just need to kill time for a while?”

“Seems like it.” I close the door. “Any ideas? We could try finding ‘my’ brother, sure, but I’m pretty stressed out. I’d like to put introductions off for as long as I can. How about watching a movie, or reading a book? It might be an easy way to learn more about this world.”

“Maybe a little later, though that does sound fun. For right now, though, would you be willing to go a round of The Sillyserious Debate?” Ikram suggests. The Sillyserious Debate is an odd little game we play; we take an intense subject and discuss it in a lighthearted way. It’s something we’ve been doing since only a few days after we’d first met. He was still struggling with the death of his sister, and I was contemplating suicide, so death was on our minds. We both needed to talk about it, but we were awkward and nervous, so we could only explain how we were feeling in a jokey way. After that, it just became sort of a regular thing. “The obvious topic seems to be Body Issues. I’ll start: My boob itches. Since I’m in someone else’s body, and that person hasn’t given consent, am I able to scratch that itch without becoming a creepy molester? Fire away, Wister!”

>>753873
That is indeed silly.

Are you now guilty of kidnapping?

> boob itches
Get a fork.

> Global Population: Sixteen Thousand
This is where you can make or break everything.

Ask Kipelle about the various factors in birth / death rates. Population booms are usually the result of a major breakthrough in resources or medical technology. If something happened, you might have the technology to fix it. Of course, you would definitely piss off the various ruling factions for potentially increasing the number of rebels from "senile hipsters" to "HOLY @#$% WHY IS THERE A LITERAL TIDE OF SCUMBAGS BARGING INTO THE CITY WALLS AAAH". You'd better figure out a general plan before you let loose. For now, write up some general blueprints for technology that you know and they don't. If you get switched later, they can decide what they want to do about it.

>God, how are my parents going to react? Will they think I want to be a girl, or will they just put her in a straightjacket as soon as she starts talking about being from another world?
They're probably going to write off her ravings about being a girl from another word due to the viciously beaten state they find you in. And your family will probably be more upset over the apparent memory loss, and "you" not recognizing them.

...if we're lucky, Raven and Ronnie were out of range. Maybe they can help our alternates cover for some of the crazier things. Orc was right with us though- she has to be here somewhere. I'm hoping she's as easy to find as just being my brother, but we might not even be related, here.

For the boob question, itchiness indicates an irritant, which scratching or other adjustment would remove. It's no creepier than taking a borrowed car to the mechanic when the "check engine" light comes on.

If there's any chance you're going to be stuck here more than a day, start reading the course materials for any subjects you're supposed to be teaching. Sixteen thousand humans is a few orders of magnitude above terminal inbreeding, but it's distressingly close to the minimum for the range of skilled professionals needed to maintain a technological civilization. Implication is, they won't kill you as long as you're a valuable cog in the machine. Certain amount of eccentricity can be tolerated so long as you don't cause any expensive damage, or bring your problems to work.

It's just an itch, Ikram. Don't make it weird.

>Can you answer another question? I’ve been hesitant to ask, for I don’t mean to offend you, but how long will you be occupying these bodies? Also, where is Alandra, while you’re her? Is she safe?
The poor guy thought you guys had some control over what you were doing. That's gotta be a let down.

>Do you have eyes, ears, noses, and limbs, or are you perhaps more of a fungus?
In an infinite multiverse, pretty non-human looking life has to exist. If Silvio really is punishing you, I wonder why he didn't go for ridiculous body horror. Too obvious? Alien enough it loses its impact?

>“The obvious topic seems to be Body Issues. I’ll start: My boob itches. Since I’m in someone else’s body, and that person hasn’t given consent, am I able to scratch that itch without becoming a creepy molester? Fire away, Wister!”
Recent experiences seem to have taught us mind-body separation is a thing. We are not our bodies, and even our ownership or possession of them is fairly nebulous.

So if you're doing something impermanent to a body that's not yours, you're acting on the body, not the person. There's also mitigating factors of intent- since you made no choice to occupy that body, and you're intending to act to remove discomfort.

...since I'm in someone else's life, even if he was another me, is it creepy to claim his friends and family as my own? It's different here- everything and everyone is sufficiently alien. Is it supposed to make a difference if someone is actually a near-identical copy of the person you actually know? At what point does someone change enough they're a different person, and not the one you reflexively care about?

>So, we just need to kill time for a while?
Um. What about trying to figure out if any more of you were switched? Odds are against it, really- there's only 16 thousand bodies here to 7 billion back home. The odds that all of you and your friends would have alternates in a randomly selected universe that size is vanishingly small.

...except of course this isn't a randomly selected universe. And there's an infinite number of universes are relatively small variants on it. Silvio just had to choose one of the infinite versions of this 18k world where you all have alternates from the infinite set of 18k worlds where the population is randomized.

Ignoring the problem of infinite sets for the moment- you may have other swapped friends wandering loose here. ...and you can't really go looking for them since acting out of character in public puts an unborn child at risk. So much for being proactive.

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2016/11/01(Tue)08:14 No. 756465 ID: a606da
File 147801325233.png - (117.29KB , 800x600 , qr109.png )

“It’s just an itch, Ikram. Don’t make this weird.”

“Gosh, you’re right. ” Ikram hangs his head. “I’d hate to make this situation weird.”

After a few seconds, we erupt into giggles.

“No, but seriously, it’s fine.” I shrug. “After what I’ve experienced, it seems as if mind-body separation is a thing. We are not our bodies, and even our ownership or possession of them is fairly nebulous.”

“I don’t know if I agree with that, but go on.”

“If you're doing something impermanent to a body that's not yours, you're acting on the body, not the person. There's also mitigating factors of intent. Since you made no choice to occupy that body, and you're intending to act to remove discomfort, I don’t see any problems here.”

“When someone’s unconscious, is that automatic consent?”

“That’s different. Izdihar’s conscious, but she’s not in there.”

“Comatose, then. So, if I sneak into a hospital, would it be moral if I had an orgy with all the brain-dead patients? The bodies are conscious, but their owners aren’t in there anymore.”

“You’re not doing anything sexual. You’re just scratching your boobs.”

“If I’m here long enough, I’ll most likely have to use the bathroom. Unless I’m some kind of whiz at, well, whizzing, I’ll be forced to address the moral quandary that my crotch has become.”

“What do you think Izdihar would prefer, seeing as everyone thinks you’re her? That you’re doing what you have to do to be comfortable, or that you’re itching all over and pissing yourself? I feel like it’s more respectful to take proper care of her body while you’re stuck in it. It's no creepier than taking a borrowed car to the mechanic when the ‘check engine’ light comes on. ”

“Fair enough!” Ikram unzips his mantle-thing, sticks his hand down his shirt, and scratches his breasts. After a few moments, he pulls his hand out, zips his mantle-thing closed, and shrugs. “Wow, that felt surreal. It’s like I’ve got water balloons underneath my skin. So, how about you? You’ve got body issues too, am I right?”

“Yeah, you could say that.” I grin. “Say, do you think we’re guilty of kidnapping?”

“If we are, then you’ve stolen a baby. You didn’t even wait until it was out of the womb, you fiend!”

“It’s the perfect crime!” I laugh maniacally, patting my belly. “Anyway, moving on from my brilliant baby heist… Since I'm in someone else's life, even if he was another me, is it creepy to claim his friends and family as my own? It's different here, since everything and everyone is sufficiently alien. Is it supposed to make a difference if someone is actually a near-identical copy of the person you actually know?”

“That’s not really how I look at it. You’re so similar to Wister that it would take me more effort not to care about you. I’m guessing it’s the same for both of us: I’m not your Ikram, and you’re not my Wisteria, but we remember knowing versions of each other, so we have a natural chemistry.”

“Sure, but at what point does someone change enough that they're a different person, and not the one you reflexively care about?”

“Well, if there is a point like that, gender clearly isn’t it, at least if we’re any indication. I mean, you’d probably be friends with my body’s owner.” Ikram flexes with his left arm, using his right hand to feel his left arm’s bicep. “I’ve been comparing her body to mine. We’ve got the same strength, same general fitness, similar weight, similar height, and - I’m guessing - close to the same age. In everything except her gender, culture, and possibly personality, it seems like she really is me. Just a girly me.”

“I wonder if culture would be enough of a difference that I wouldn’t recognize her as you?”

“I don’t think there’s any real way to tell, seeing as she’s otherwise occupied. Oh, wait, wait, I’ve got an idea!” Ikram snaps his fingers. “All we have to do is find this world’s version of someone we know, and see how we feel about them!”

“Fat chance of that. I’m amazed we had alternates here, considering there’s only sixteen thousand people in this entire world.”

“True. Still, we might as well keep an eye out for familiar faces.”

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2016/11/01(Tue)08:16 No. 756466 ID: a606da
File 147801340636.png - (199.23KB , 800x600 , qr110.png )

“Ah!” A sudden cry of surprise startles us. “Professor?”

I turn to look. Standing in one of the nearby doorways is an androgynous white-haired person who looks quite a bit like Kipelle, save for their clothing and hair length. “Hello.”

“Hi.” Their gaze drifts to Ikram. “Who is this?”

“I’m, um…” Ikram hesitates. He glances at me, apparently waiting to see how I want to introduce him.

“Pleased to meet you, in any case. I’m Mivette.” Mivette smiles weakly. “Are you here to visit Leris, Professor?”

“I was thinking about it.” I admit.

“Oh.” Mivette’s face fills with panic. “Please, I - I know you like to spend time with him, but I don’t know if it’s a good idea right now.”

“Why not?”

“He’s… he was doing fine this morning, but…” Mivette sighs. They look pretty stressed out. “I’m sorry, I just - it’s hard to understand, sometimes. He started babbling, he won’t let me anywhere near him, and he seems terrified by everything around him. Hopefully it’ll pass soon. These episodes usually do.”

“Does he change like that very often?”

“Not like this, no. It’s strange. When he’s… absent, he usually wanders, and I have to keep him from getting lost. Today, though, he’s just been curled up in the corner, crying.”

“Really?” I share a look with Ikram. “Has he said anything about being someone else? Anything about his body?”

“…Yes, actually. I couldn’t make any sense out of it.” Mivette blinks. “How did you know?”

“You don’t think - ?” Ikram’s eyes widen. “Oh, damn. She was right next to us when it happened, wasn’t she?”

“Yeah. It would make sense.” I nod. “If she’s here, she’s probably him.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand.” Mivette’s confusion is obvious. “What are you talking about?”

>>756466
Hmm. I wonder if you should be looking for others as well. It's quite possible that Ronnie, Raven, August, and/or even Silvio also got transported.

I was about to say this could be any of them but it's your brother so it's most likely Orchid.

As for how to break the news... I'm not really sure how straightforward to be about it. It's probably safe, with Ikram backing you up, but...

>>756466
Tell Mivette you're just joking around with your friend, but you think you'll be able to calm your brother down.

>>756466
>“I’m sorry, I don’t understand.” Mivette’s confusion is obvious. “What are you talking about?”
Interdimensional exchange of consciousnesses between bodies. I'm not Professor Bloodstone, this isn't Izdihar, and that's probably not Leris you left in the other room. We've been switched with alternate humans from another earth.

To answer your most likely questions: yes they're okay, yes it's possible to reverse, and no we didn't do this on purpose. I'm sorry for intruding on your lives and causing you distress.

Kipelle knows already and is covering the professor's class.

If you'd allow me in, I think I know who's in Leris and can calm probably them down.

>>756522
If you're going to go with "yes it's possible to reverse," for the sake of honesty we may want to add a "but we'd need to find how" since, as mentioned we didn't do this intentionally. Maybe keep the "somebody else probably did this to us" under the table for now though, that's up there in the territory of extra-creepy.

>>756522
>>756525
So in this order:
Yes they're okay, no we didn't do it on purpose, yes it's reversible, no we don't know how.

"Is 'The most powerful scientific discovery in the history of the world, one which could potentially exponentiate the world's population by a factor of 2.25' a criminally insane offense?

Because in a twisted sort of way, I'd understand why."

Don't dive into the full explanation, just say you've been digging through old archives in your spare time, rediscovered a technique related to hypnotherapy that might be useful specifically for a case like his. Completely noninvasive, it'll take less than a minute to see if it's working, and even if you're wrong, should be harmless. If it works, theoretical underpinnings might get added to the curriculum next year.

Your "ancient secret technique" is to shush everybody else, and then do a 'me Tarzan, you Jane' sort of routine, pointing at yourself, Ikram, and the suspected third party member while reciting the appropriate names. To stay in character, enunciate the names really slowly and carefully, but with emphasis on the wrong syllables, like a sorcerer chanting a ritual or a tourist reading out of a bad phrasebook. Then you say "My enemy has no nose," and Ikram says "How does he smell?" and you say "Terrible!" Then clap your hands exactly once, drop the formality, smile and ask 'your brother' if 'he' is feeling better, including finger quotes.

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2016/11/02(Wed)01:38 No. 756620 ID: a606da
File 147807591045.png - (180.15KB , 800x600 , qr111.png )

>I wonder if you should be looking for others as well. It's quite possible that Ronnie, Raven, August, and/or even Silvio also got transported.

Even if they did get switched, I have no idea how I could search for them. They could be anywhere in the world. They could be anyone in the world.

“Ah, I’m not really sure how straightforward to be about this…” I take a deep breath. “Okay, I’m just going to tell you: I’m not Professor Bloodstone, and this isn’t Izdihar - oh, wait, you probably don’t know who that is…”

“I’m not the girl who this body belongs to.” Thankfully, Ikram steps in to help me. “I’m not a girl at all, actually.”

“Yeah, that’s what I was getting at. This is Ikram, and I’m Wisteria.” I explain. “We’ve been switched with alternate humans from another Earth.”

“Oh.” Mivette is silent for a while. They blink a lot. “Um… I’m sorry, I don’t really understand. Would you mind going into detail?”

“That’s fine, I bet this is a lot to take in.” I shrug. “There’s been an interdimensional exchange of consciousnesses between bodies. Professor Bloodstone’s mind is in my body, and I’m in hers.”

“Are you saying you’ve been through brain transplantation? No, hold on… That operation requires a lot of preparation, and has a recovery time of years.”

“Uh, no. Wait…” Ikram winces. “You have that here? That’s a thing?”

“Well, it’s not exactly a common procedure, and it has a very low success rate; It’s only used to transfer the brains of terminally ill patients into the brain-dead bodies of people who agree to be donors before death.” Mivette pauses. “Thinking about it, though, and considering your reaction, it doesn’t seem like that’s quite what’s going on here.”

“No, definitely not!” Ikram seems unsettled. “Our ‘transplantation’ happened in seconds. I was in one place, in my body, and then I was here, in someone else’s.”

“We’re not sure how it works.” I admit. “Still, the main point is this: these bodies aren’t ours, and we’re from a different world.”

“…I see.” Mivette is quiet. “I have questions - “

“Yes, they’re okay. No, we didn’t do it on purpose. Yes, it’s reversible. No, we don’t know how.” I blurt out. “Does that about cover it? Sorry for interrupting, but I’d rather not take up too much time with this.”

“Well, yes, that answers many of them. So, you’ve been spontaneously transferred into the body of my sister-by-law. You’re aliens. You don’t know how this happened, or how to fix it.”

“Yes.” Ikram replies, straight to the point.

“Alright. I think I understand a little more clearly.” Mivette smiles awkwardly. “Still, how strange! You must be dealing with a great amount of discomfort. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Well, I can’t think of much we need right this second… Kipelle knows already, and is covering the Professor’s class - “

“Wait, wait, Wisteria, don’t gloss over what just happened. You believe us?!” Ikram gapes at Mivette. “Why are you people so accepting of this? It sounds crazy, even to me!”

“You don’t seem mentally unstable, and your explanation has been very comprehensive. Besides, why would you lie?” Mivette points out. A second later, they turn to look at me. “You seem to be in a hurry, based on the way you were talking. Is there some sort of emergency?”

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2016/11/02(Wed)01:39 No. 756621 ID: a606da
File 147807595379.png - (144.59KB , 800x600 , qr112.png )

“Not an emergency, exactly.” I shake my head. “It’s about Leris. If you’d allow me in, I think I know who’s in his body, and I can probably calm them down.”

“Leris has been replaced, too?!”

“We’re not completely sure, but it seems likely. Is it alright if I check?”

Mivette slowly nods.

“Can you guide us to him? I don’t know this place at all.”

“Yes. Follow me.” Mivette turns and walks down the hallway, looking back at us every so often.

We come to a stop at a closed, unmarked door. Mivette opens it in a practiced way, making very little noise.

The room appears to be very simple. There’s a comfortable-looking bed, a painting hanging on the wall, a wardrobe, and a strange half-orb of goop built into the ceiling. The goop seems to be the light source for the room.

I step inside. I look around, but I can’t see anyone. “Are you sure he’s here?”

“Yes.” Mivette points. In the far corner, I notice the top of a head sticking out, its owner hidden behind the bed.

“Hello?” I call out to them.

“Please… I told you to go away.” I can barely make out the words of a small voice, spoken through sniffles. “Don’t you get it? I’m not - not right. None of this is.”

“Hey!” Ikram quickly follows me into the room. “Is that you in there, Orchid?”

“What?” The head raises, and scared eyes peer out at us. “W-was that real, or just another…? Are you here? I mean, did you actually say that?”

>>756621
Oh, jeez. Yeah, tell her she unfortunately wound up in the body of someone who suffers from hallucinations. Um, ask her if there's any way you can prove you're real. Do her hallucinations seem to work off her memory, or are they just kindof random?

Okay that's it you have GOT to closely examine that black thing on the ceiling.

Sympathize at Orchid about the gender dysphoria issue. As an aid in distinguishing hallucinations from reality, take turns describing visible features of the environment in detail, calling attention to any discrepancies.

Good news about the low population is, while there's going to be a lot of dreadfully serious technological inertia, on account of the lack of redundancy in critical systems, there shouldn't be nearly as much cultural inertia. Blasphemy, heresy, and sedition weren't on that list of capital offenses, now, were they? It would be plausible to have one-on-one meetings with everyone in the local hab, explaining this whole 'alien mind swap' thing to each of them as individuals, in a manageably short period of time. Then, once everyone in town agrees on the issue, putting out a shoot-on-sight order for that Silvio asshole is probably just an alarmingly simple matter of filing the proper paperwork. Even if the rest is bullshit, he's got impaired vision. It's genetic. Case closed.

>They could be anyone in the world.
Or anyone in any world. It's a courtesy Silvio didn't slip you up more than he did.

>Is there anything I can do to help?
Exchanging more information will probably help later, but for now, we'd ask you to please be discrete with this. We're concerned with the possible consequences if someone hears of this and doesn't believe us, and decides we're defects.

>W-was that real, or just another…? Are you here? I mean, did you actually say that?
We're real, Orchid, I promise. We got shunted into another universe.

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2016/11/04(Fri)14:46 No. 756951 ID: a606da
File 147829600247.png - (145.72KB , 800x600 , qr113.png )

“We’re real, Orchid, I promise.” I slowly walk over to the bed. On the other side of it, maybe-Orchid cringes at my approach. I stop.

“You’re real? But…” Maybe-Orchid trembles. “But this is just a nightmare, isn’t it?”

“No, Orchid.” Ikram sits down at the end of the bed. “You’re awake. Sorry.”

“We got shunted into another universe.” I sigh.

“I don’t believe you!”

“How can we prove to you that this is real?”

“I don’t want this to be real!” Orchid wails. “I want to wake up!”

“Come on, Orc.” Ikram reaches out to pat Orchid on the shoulder. Orchid flinches. Ikram quickly pulls his hand away. “We’re here, too. It’s better than being alone, isn’t it?”

“Stop acting like you know me; I’ve never even met you before!”

“Huh? But I’m… Oh. Right.” Ikram hesitates. “Listen, Orchid: In a second, I’m going to tell you who I am. You can laugh if you want, okay? I don’t mind.”

“What? Why would I laugh?”

“Because… because I’m Ikram.” Like before, Ikram tenses as he says it. “It looks like we both drew the short stick.”

Orchid is speechless. She stares at him for a while. The next sound she makes is a small chuckle.

“See? There you go!” Ikram beams. “You’re feeling better already, right?”

“Is that really you, Ikram?” Orchid looks him up and down. “But you’re a…”

“I know.” Ikram groans. “All the way through, too. Even downstairs!”

“That’s fucked up.”

“Right?!” Ikram gazes forlornly at Orchid’s body. “I wonder if we can trade, somehow.”

“Wait.” Orchid looks down at herself with a growing horror in her eyes. “If this isn’t a nightmare, then… Oh, shit! Fuck!” For no reason that I can comprehend, Orchid quickly starts scratching at the wall. “But that isn’t… is it? I’m confused.”

“Orchid?” Ikram keeps his voice soft and friendly. “What are you doing?”

“I…” Orchid blinks. “I’m not sure. It doesn’t feel right.”

Ikram gives me a worried look.

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2016/11/04(Fri)14:51 No. 756954 ID: a606da
File 147829626008.png - (164.18KB , 800x600 , qr114.png )

“That…” Mivette stands frozen in the doorway, their eyes fixated on Orchid. “That’s not Leris, is it?”

“I’m sorry.” I shake my head. “I know this is a bad time, but would you mind being discrete with all this? Exchanging more information will probably help later, but we’re concerned with the possible consequences if someone doesn’t believe us.”

“Are you asking me to lie?”

“I, uh… maybe? Look, considering how open you and Kipelle have been, we might just tell everyone at some point. If people accept us, it’ll make things a lot easier. If they don’t, though, they might think we’re defects.”

“I understand.” Mivette nods. “I’ll do what I can.”

>Okay that's it you have GOT to closely examine that black thing on the ceiling.

It seems to be more of a dark-pinkish color, now that I look at it. Its insides pulse and churn in an unsettling way.

Mivette seems entirely baffled by my examination of the ceiling’s goop installation.

“It’s not like I - I sort of… I mean, I feel like I’m starting to, you know? But it doesn’t seem real.” Orchid speaks loudly, her words slightly slurred. “Will someone please tell me what this is?”

“You ended up in the body of someone who suffers from hallucinations.” I explain.

“I’m crazy?!” Orchid yelps. “Fuck that! I don’t want to be crazy! How do I get back to normal?”

>>756954
Well, the only way I can think of would be to find Silvio and force him to set things right. That rather assumes he's here, though. I wonder, can we check the hospitals? He was horribly injured before... oh, maybe that's why he swapped everyone here. He wanted to be here, because medical technology here is very advanced, and he couldn't focus very well so he wound up swapping everyone nearby as well.

So I think our next step is to go check the nearest hospital. Tell Mivette that finding the guy responsible for the swap will get you out of her hair.

Also ask what the blob is.

>>756957
>nearest hospital
No, that risks tipping him off. Let's get a description to law enforcement and have them go through every hospital on the planet at once. Dude can't be too hard to find, since he's literally got no nose, and hiding that is a capital offense in itself 'round these parts. He also knowingly (or at least recklessly) sabotaged a class on Logistical Eugenics by forcibly removing the teacher from the classroom, which is another very serious charge.

>“I’m crazy?!” Orchid yelps. “Fuck that! I don’t want to be crazy!
You're not crazy, okay? You're just... looking at the world through crazy colored glasses. For now.

>How do I get back to normal?
We... switch back. I don't know how yet, but there has to be a way. I'll get you back to normal, Orcid, I promise. I'm sorry, I should have never got you guys caught up in this. I should have gone by myself.

>what do
Maybe ask Mivette to describe Leris' condition? Maybe Orcid will be able to cope with it better if she knows what to expect, or how it works.

>>756958
>description to law enforcement
How will we get them to actually do anything? Will they take such drastic action on baseless accusation? Keep in mind we can't prove anything.

>>756962
All we really want them to do is detain a guy who's already seriously injured, and keep him sedated thoroughly enough that he doesn't regain consciousness. "Every hospital in the world" is still going to be a pretty short list when the total human population is under twenty thousand. We can't prove the entire story, but August at least can build another hologram recorder/projector, and there's probably other information we could share that makes our story seem more plausible than a folie a deux.

>>756965
Assuming we can find August. Heck, assuming August even came with us. Which, if my suspicion that Silvio didn't do this is correct, is actually fairly unlikely.

But, I suppose, it's safer to act as though Silvio is here, so...

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2016/11/25(Fri)08:50 No. 761314 ID: a606da
File 148009263877.png - (126.14KB , 800x600 , qr115.png )

“You're not crazy, okay? You're just… looking at the world through crazy colored glasses. For now.” I sigh. “We need to switch back, if we plan on getting back to normal. The only way I can think of doing that would be to find Silvio and force him to set things right.”

“Wait wait wait. Who are you?” Orchid sniffles. “Do I even know you?”

“Oh, right. I’m Wisteria.” I wave. “Hi.”

“Wisteria?!” Orchid slowly pulls herself to her feet, glaring at me. “This is all your fault! None of this would have happened if you hadn’t come along!”

“I’ll get you back to normal, Orchid, I promise.” I look away. “I’m sorry. I should never have got you guys caught up in all this. I should have gone by myself.”

“This goes way beyond ‘I’m sorry’, you shitbag! Was it not enough to steal my brother’s body? Did you have to take mine, too?!” Orchid walks forward and shoves me, hard. “You body-snatching, suicidal, selfish bitch! I hate you!”

“Whoa, whoa, watch where you’re hitting!” Ikram jumps in front of Orchid, doing his best to push her away. “Her body is pregnant, Orc! Trust me, Wisteria’s just as unhappy with this as we are.”

“Pregnant?” Orchid recoils, stricken. “No! I didn’t know, I swear! If I’d known, I wouldn’t have… Oh, shit, are you okay?!”

“I… I’m fine.” I cough, standing up again. “You aimed a little high, luckily.”

“Oh my god.” Orchid falls into a sitting position on the bed. She shivers, looking like she might be sick. “I almost just… I almost…”

“There, there.” Mivette sits next to her, patting her on the back comfortingly. “It’s okay. Nothing serious happened.”

“Is that… Raven?” Startled, Orchid scoots away from Mivette. “Who…?”

“Her name is Mivette.” Ikram explains. “She’s your body’s, um…”

“Your lover.” Mivette interrupts. “I’m your lover, your companion, and your caretaker.”

“O-oh.” Orchid blushes. “Look, you’re, uh… you’re very cute, honestly, but…”

“Mivette, could you describe Leris’s condition to Orchid? It might help her adapt to being in that body.”

“‘Her’?” Mivette stares at Orchid for a moment. “Oh, dear. Well, if it helps, I’ll tell you all that I can…”

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2016/11/25(Fri)08:55 No. 761318 ID: a606da
File 148009294623.png - (77.41KB , 800x600 , qr116.png )

“Hold on, I have just a few quick questions, first.” I cut her off. “First, what is that blob on the ceiling?”

“You mean the utility culture?” Mivette seems confused. “What about it?”

“What’s a utility culture?” Ikram asks, curious. “Is it like a yogurt culture?”

“It’s a utility culture.” Mivette states that as though it were obvious. “It makes the air clean, produces light, keeps the room free from contaminants… I don’t know, it does a lot of things. Why do you ask?”

“We don’t have them in our world.”

“Really? But how can you breathe, then?”

“We just do.” I shrug. “As long as we’re outside and above water, it’s not much of an issue.”

“You can go outside?!” Mivette gasps. “Goodness, I wish I lived in your world!”

“Well, um, so do we.” I bite my lip. “Do you know where the nearest hospital is? We might find the person who’s responsible for putting us into these bodies.”

“Hospital? If you mean a medical station, then there’s one just a few doors down the hall. There are a lot of those, though.”

“Damn.” I pace around the room, feeling more and more worried about the future. “Okay… Okay, what about - ?”

I’m suddenly interrupted by a loud voice that reverberates through my skull. “Is this thing working? Ah, seems like it. Hello, everyone. I’m searching for a man named Silvio - a man with black eyes and no nose. If you have seen him, or if you know where he is, then please meet me in the broadcasting center. Repeat: If you know anything about Silvio, meet me in the broadcasting center. Until then, this message will repeat every half hour.”

“W-what?” My head is still throbbing. “Did anyone else hear - ?”

“Yeah.” Ikram nods, rubbing his forehead. “What was that?”

“Th-the utility culture can transmit public announcements.” Mivette stutters, her voice pained. “The usually keep it much more quiet, though. Ow.”

“That voice had to belong to somebody else who got switched, right?” Ikram turns to me. “Should we go find them?”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for - Orchid? - for Orchid to wander.” Mivette hugs Orchid protectively. “Leris doesn’t do well with open spaces.”

“Wait, what?!” Orchid yelps. “I don’t want to stay here alone!”

“You won’t be alone.” Mivette smiles. “I’ll stay with you.”

“I don’t know you!” Orchid jumps to her feet, yanking herself out of Mivette’s arms. “Look, you two, I’m fine. Let me come with you.”

“Uh… sorry, Orchid, but I’m not sure if we should.” Ikram looks at me. “Wisteria, what do you think?”

Sure, why not?

>>761318
I don't think it's wise to bring Orchid along. She's hallucinating and also hates you.

We should probably find out why Leris "doesn't do well" before deciding. I mean, if it's just agoraphobia, it probably wouldn't carry over. But if it exacerbates his hallucinations or something...

Anyway, the person in the broadcasting center is probably August. (Or Silvio, but that's maybe a bit paranoid.) I doubt any of the rest of you'ns would make their first concern Silvio rather than each other.

Orchid knows about Silvio. Failure to comply with priority instructions is probably some sort of heinous crime. Thus, Orchid should come along to the broadcasting center.

Maybe grab some antianxiety meds, or sedatives or something, at a medical station on the way there, just in case?

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2016/11/26(Sat)03:10 No. 761575 ID: a606da
File 148015864629.png - (127.12KB , 800x600 , qr117.png )

“Why doesn’t Leris do well with open spaces?” I ask Mivette. “Does he have agoraphobia? Does it make his hallucinations worse?”

“Not directly, no.” Mivette scratches her neck. (Wait, ‘her’? Huh. I wonder how long I’ve been thinking of Mivette as female?) “He has a tendency to get confused and wander off. Since it’s difficult for him to communicate with people, he can end up panicking, scared, and alone. When he’s in that sort of emotional state, his symptoms often get worse. He was lost for a whole day, once.”

“But I’m not alone, so I’ll be fine, right?” Orchid points out. “I mean, will I be okay as long as someone’s watching after me?”

“Well, yes.” Mivette admits. “But it’s more difficult than you might think.”

“Don’t worry.” Orchid smiles. “I’ll stick to Ikram and her like glue. You guys will keep an eye on me, right?”

“Sure, why not?” I sigh. “Mivette, should Orchid take any medication before we go?”

“I already gave Leris his dose for this morning.” Mivette shakes her head. “He’ll be fine until tonight.”

“Great. One more thing, if you don’t mind: Do you know where the broadcasting center is?”

“I think so, yes. It’s a fair distance from here, but there are maps in the halls if you need help finding your way around.”

“Could you give us directions?”

“If Leri- I mean, if Orchid is going with you, then I would prefer to guide you myself.”

“That would be great.” Ikram nods. “Thank you!”

Mivette nods, uncertain. After an awkward pause, she goes to the door. “Follow me.”

The three of us obediently walk in a loose formation. Orchid stays as far away from me as possible. She won’t even look at me.

The journey is slow and quiet. As we take another turn down the latest of many hallways, we enter a slightly more open room. Mivette ushers us over to the entrance of yet another hallway, but I come to a stop when I notice that Ikram isn’t following us.

“Hey.” I walk back over to him. He’s staring at a couple of college-age girls who are talking and laughing together on the far side of the room. “What’s up?”

Ikram is silent. It’s like he’s frozen.

“You okay?” I shake him by the shoulder.

“…Wister?” He mumbles.

“You stopped walking. What’s going on?”

“Earlier, we - we sort of agreed to that recognition experiment, right? That we should keep an eye out for people we know?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Do you recognize either of those girls?” He jerks his head, indicating the ladies on the other side of the room.

“Not really.” I look again. “Wait… The black-haired one looks kind of familiar, but I’m not sure where I’ve seen her before.”

“I showed you pictures.” He mutters. “This one has longer hair. Different clothes. But she has the same face, the same movements. She still has those highlights in her bangs, too; they’re even the same shade of red.”

“Who is…?” As I look at the familiar woman, I realize where I remember her from, and my mouth hangs open. I remember a quiet afternoon, years ago, when Ikram first showed me pictures of his sister Ayame. Pictures from before she died. “…Oh.”

“What do I do now, Wister?” Ikram’s voice cracks. Trembling, he turns to look at me. “What the hell am I supposed to do?”

>>761575
Uh... relations seem to carry over. Orchid's always been your sister... or brother. So if that's really Ayame, then Ikram's probably her sister right now.

So maybe Ikram should walk on the other side of you. Getting spotted by a non-swapped relative could be a big problem.

>>761575
Um. If emotional states make Leris worse, Orcid is a real risk right now. She has several reasons to be overly emotional right now. Gender swapping, being ejected to another universe, PTSD from the Silvio beat down they just had, and all of that on top of the anger and resentment she's holding for Wisteria.

>instigating the message node
There are only three people who could have sent that signal: one of your friends, August again, or Silvio, doing it to fuck with you.

A partial concern is that this could be a trap. Whoever is using that equipment, and incorrectly / irresponsibly, possibly in a way that puts other people at risk, is in danger of being labelled a defect or bringing the authorities down on them. By running to answer their call, and associating ourselves with them, we're taking that risk too.

>what else
...did anyone leave a note for Kipelle so they won't panic when they get home and find the place empty?

>“What do I do now, Wister?” Ikram’s voice cracks. Trembling, he turns to look at me. “What the hell am I supposed to do?”
...I don't know. If she's still your sister here, she doesn't know you. She knows the girl you're wearing. And we don't know how different that girl is from you. The professor and her brother are a lot different from Orcid and me. I don't know if she'd even know you.

Silvio did say this was supposed to be a kind of hell he was sending us to. Maybe this is one of the ways.

Wisteria, you need to take better care of Orchid, try to bond with her while she's frightened and stressed. Worst case scenario? Her Wister is swapped into the mind of the current dictator. He could easily convert her to his side, use her against you, then toss her away.

Ikram, she is not YOUR Ayame. She has gone through a different life, may have a wildly different personality, and given the current fascist state, has likely been trained to respond to a long-dead brother coming back to life in a girl's body with a cease-desist-and-execute order.

Ask for Ayame's address from Mivette (there's only like 16,000 people on this planet, small communities probably have complete address books), then keep moving.

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2017/01/02(Mon)20:54 No. 770064 ID: a606da
File 148341927513.png - (143.64KB , 800x600 , qr118.png )

>did anyone leave a note for Kipelle so they won't panic when they get home and find the place empty?

…Oops.

>Wisteria, you need to take better care of Orchid, try to bond with her while she's frightened and stressed.

Sure thing. How?

“I don’t know.” I pull him aside, standing between him and the girl that looks like Ayame. “Try not to let her see you, okay?”

“Huh?” He leans to one side, peeking around me. “Why not?”

“Quit it.” I start walking, gently leading him away. “If that’s really Ayame, then you’re probably her sister right now. Getting spotted could be a big problem.”

“I’m somebody’s sister? Weird.” Ikram pauses. “Wait, if she knows me, isn’t that better? I could walk right up to her in this skin, and it’d be fine, if a little creepy.”

“Ikram, she’s not your Ayame. She’s gone through a different life. If she is still your sister here, she doesn’t know you. She knows the girl you’re wearing, and we don’t know how different that girl is from you.”

“So… it would be stupid for me to try talking to her, right?”

“Right.”

“Right.” Immediately, Ikram spins around, dodges past me, and rushes off to do something stupid.

I try to catch him, but it’s too late. I can only watch from a distance as he approaches the person who looks like his sister.

“A - Aya?” Ikram comes to a stop in front of her. “Is it - I mean, are you really…?”

“Huh?” She briefly turns away from her conversation. “Oh, hey, Izdi.” She gives him a polite nod, then returns to talking with the girl she’s with.

Ikram reaches out and pokes Ayame’s shoulder, as if to confirm that she’s real. Apparently still unconvinced, he goes on to poke her several more times.

“Uh, can you not?” Ayame slaps Ikram’s hand away. She smiles to her friend, forcing a small laugh. “Sorry, my sister’s being a little twit. Go on ahead, I’ll catch up in a bit.” She waves them away, then rounds on Ikram, looking annoyed. “So, do you actually need something, or are you just acting like a weirdo for no reason?”

“Ah!” Ikram jumps, surprised. “Sorry, I… I just wanted to see you.”

“Well, congratulations, then! You’ve done it. Gaze upon me and feel fulfilled.” She poses dramatically. “Seriously, though, what’s up? Aren’t you supposed to be in class?”

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2017/01/02(Mon)20:56 No. 770065 ID: a606da
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“Well, I… I…” Ikram suddenly leans forward and throws his arms around Ayame, hugging her tightly. “I love you, Ayame!”

“Yeah, yeah. Love you too.” Ayame coughs. “Can you dial it down a little? It’s hard to breathe.”

“Sorry.” Ikram relaxes slightly, but he doesn’t break the embrace. “Could you do something for me?”

“Maybe. What is it? Do you need more help with your homework? If you’re here to copy my comp-bio notes again, you can just jog on, missy.”

“Promise that you’ll stay safe.” Ikram’s voice cracks. I can’t see his face, but I think he’s crying. “That’s all.”

“What?” Ayame blinks, taken aback.

“Please, Aya. Just promise.”

“I promise I’ll stay safe.” Ayame dutifully swears, now staring at Ikram with clear anxiety. “Are you alright? Did something happen?”

“No.” Ikram finally pulls away from her, wiping his tears on his sleeve. “Nothing happened.”

“Sure it didn’t.” Ayame’s disbelief is obvious. “You can talk to me about anything, you know.”

“Honestly, I just wanted to make sure that you would be okay.” He smiles sadly while slowly backing away. “I hope you live a long and happy life. Goodbye, Ayame! I miss you.”

“Hey!” Ayame grabs him by the arm. “You can’t just say shit like that and then leave, you little twit! What, are you dying or something?”

Ikram freezes, then bursts out laughing, then sobs, then laughs and sobs at the same time. It all ends up sounding fairly unhinged. He yanks his arm out of Ayame’s grip, then quickly breaks into a run, rocketing past me.

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2017/01/02(Mon)20:58 No. 770066 ID: a606da
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Following his lead, I start to run, too, and the two of us wildly flee without much sense of where we’re going. We finally come to a stop in a convenient stairwell, panting with exhaustion. I covertly stick my head out and peer down the hallway we came through. Seeing no sign of Ayame, I close the door behind us.

Ikram collapses onto the lowest stair, crying. “It’s not fair.”

I silently sit down beside him. I’m not sure what to say.

“It’s her, Wister. It’s really her.” He hangs his head. “She’s alive.”

“I already told you, Ikram: She isn’t the same person.”

“Shut up!” He snaps. “If you’re Wister, then she’s Ayame. That was my sister back there!”

“Ikram, I…” I hesitate, not entirely sure how to respond to that one. “Look, I thought we agreed that this was a bad idea.”

“I know, I know! It was stupid, and I’m stupid for doing it.” Ikram sniffles. “But I had to, Wister! I’ll probably never see her again. That might’ve been my last chance.”

“Last chance to do what?”

“To… to say goodbye.” His voice practically crumbles. “I slept in, the day she… I mean, I can’t even remember the last thing I said to her. I woke up, and she was just - just gone.”

I hold his hand. Through it, I can feel him shaking. We sit quietly for a little while, huddled close to each other.

“Hey, Wister.” He takes a deep breath. “Do you think…? I mean, do I have to go home?”

“Ikram.” I shake my head. “Don’t.”

“It wouldn’t be so bad.” He mutters. “I - I can get used to this body.”

“Trust me, it’s not that easy.” I click my tongue. “Even if you could settle in, what about Izdihar?”

“What about her?!” He snarls. “Why does she get to have Ayame, but I don’t? We’re the same fucking person! If I’d been born a girl, would my sister still be alive? I didn’t get to choose that! It’s not fair!”

“You’re being ridiculous, Ikram. You can’t take someone else’s life just because you want what they have.”

“Why not?” He glares at me. “You did.”

“That’s not…” I trail off.

“Well? Go on, I’m listening.” He grimaces. “What’s the difference?”

>“Well? Go on, I’m listening.” He grimaces. “What’s the difference?”
The difference is that somewhere, the Wister you used to know, the one I swapped places with, who just wanted a male body woke up with one, finally got what he wanted, and a life that has otherwise barely changed. And he didn't have to deal with any evil goddamn genies, the massive fuckups, the guilt, and accidentally ruining the lives of people who just tried to help me the way I did.

The girl you're switching places with? You'd be condemning her to being transgender against her will, trapped in an alien world she doesn't understand, where her sister is dead.

I'm the fuckup who should have jumped when she had the chance, but you're my friend, and you're better than me! Don't you dare go trying to ruin for yourself the one thing I didn't.

>>770066
The difference is the other Wister got what he wanted. He's about as happy as you are-- your body is finally the one you want, but the people you know aren't quite the same anymore. It was an equal trade.

I... suppose Izdihar gets something out of the swap, though. She gets to live outside of... whatever this place is. She gets to see the sky.

"The difference is that I didn't know how huge a mistake I was making."

>>770066
>“It wouldn’t be so bad.” He mutters. “I - I can get used to this body.”
>“Trust me, it’s not that easy.” I click my tongue. “Even if you could settle in, what about Izdihar?”

Gender identity can be a matter of degree, just like sexual preference. Maybe Ikram and Izdihar are happy with the bodies they were born in, but not as strongly committed, so dysphoria really would be just a chronic inconvenience for them instead of a total deal-breaker.

Regardless, it's a moot point unless you find yourselves in the position of being able to extort favors from Silvio, or otherwise move between worlds at your own discretion. In such a case, the ethical thing would be for Ikram to swap with some alt-Ikram who would actually prefer to be permanently separated from the corresponding alt-Ayame, for whatever reason.

"Oh right, sorry. But that's not the problem. The problem is the price.

If you obsess over this to the point that you willingly toss away your free will just to ensure you'll have her forever, you're dancing to Silvio's tune. He wanted me to murder my family, one person a week.

You're better than me. And I refused. We need Silvio dead before we try to force ourselves into other peoples' lives or he'll just take them from us like a supernatural taxman."

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2017/02/10(Fri)00:33 No. 778460 ID: a606da
File 148671560935.png - (137.19KB , 800x600 , qr121.png )

>Gender identity can be a matter of degree, just like sexual preference. Maybe Ikram and Izdihar are happy with the bodies they were born in, but not as strongly committed, so dysphoria really would be just a chronic inconvenience for them instead of a total deal-breaker.

Maybe, but I don’t think that’s the real issue here. Stealing someone else’s body is immoral, but in this case it’s also impractical. This isn’t our world. We can get by because we have people here who know what we are, but that’s only for the short-term. Besides being an alternate version of her, Ikram knows next to nothing about Izdihar, so there’s no way he’d be able to live out her life without running into some serious problems.

“The difference is the other Wister got what he wanted, and a life that has otherwise barely changed. The girl you're switching places with? You'd be condemning her to being transgender against her will, trapped in an alien world she doesn't understand, where her sister is dead.” I stare at the ground. “I... suppose Izdihar gets something out of the swap, though. She gets to live outside of... whatever this place is. She gets to see the sky. But it’s not enough.”

“If it means getting my sister back, I don’t think I care about the implications.”

“I know you, Ikram. I have to believe that you’re...” I trail off, my throat tensing slightly.

“That I’m what?” He sits up straighter, an angry look flickering across his face. “Say what you were going to say, Wister.”

“...You’re better than me.” I look away. “Listen, when I did what I did, I didn't know how huge a mistake I was making. Look at where we are. My actions hurt all of us. I was just… I mean, if I could go back, I’d... “

“Excuse me?” Ikram’s bitterness lessens, and his tone gets more concerned. “If you’re anything like the Wister I know, then you’d give up anything to have the body you want, and you did give up everything. You did what you had to do to get what you needed.”

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2017/02/10(Fri)00:35 No. 778461 ID: a606da
File 148671572570.png - (208.30KB , 800x600 , qr122.png )

“No. I’m just a fuck-up who should have jumped when she had the chance.” I very slowly shake my head. “It would have been better if I had done it. No one else would have gotten hurt. You’d all be happier without me around. I wish that I had done it. I wish I was -”

“Shut the fuck up!” He shrieks angrily, grabbing me by my scarves. He stands, harshly pulling me to my feet. “You think it would be painless for me?! I’m near willing to trade my manhood to get my sister back, and I’d give up a lot more if it meant keeping you alive! I don’t have anyone else, Wister. I need you! So how dare you think about killing yourself and then start acting like it’s for my sake?!”

“Ah!.” I gasp, shocked at his intensity. “I - Ikram, I’m sorr-”

“There are infinite worlds, right? Which means that, out there, there’s a world where you did jump. A world where Orchid and your dad had to identify your lifeless face in a morgue. A world where I sat at your funeral and wondered what I did wrong. A world that is forever worse because you aren’t in it anymore!” Ikram pulls me closer, and I can see my vague reflection in his crying eyes. His voice breaks as he pushes his words out through clenched teeth. “Do you really believe that world is ‘better’? Look, I don’t know what death is like in your old universe, but where I come from, it’s the most terrible thing there is. It doesn’t help anyone; It breaks people! Because of it, my house is filled with nothing but screaming and arguments, my parents hate each other, we had to move away from the city I grew up in, and my sister is dead!”

“Yeah.” I nod. “She is.”

“And… and she’s alive now, you know?” He sobs. “But if I go back, and she’s gone, it’s like… it’s like I’m killing her.”

“You can’t kill the dead, Ikram.” I try to keep myself calm. Right now, Ikram needs me a lot more than I need him. “Ayame has been gone for a long time. Even if there’s someone a lot like her, here, it doesn’t mean your sister has come back to life.”

“I know.” Ikram whimpers. “I know, but…”

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2017/02/10(Fri)00:37 No. 778462 ID: a606da
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He doesn’t say anything else. He just cries. Struck by an impulse, I hug him tightly. “I can’t know what you’re feeling, but I’m here for you. Always, and for as long as I can be. I promise.”

“…Thanks, Wister.” After a long while, Ikram slowly pulls away from the hug. He wipes his eyes on his sleeve, smiling weakly. “I’m really being stupid, huh?”

“You’re being human. This situation is rough on all of us. It’s okay to be emotional sometimes.”

“I wouldn’t really do it. Become a bodysnatcher, that is.” Surprisingly, he giggles. “I mean, even if I tried, I’d probably do a one-eighty on it as soon as I hit my first period, right? When it comes to seeing things in perspective, there’s nothing quite like the threat of having bloody viscera regularly pour out of my crotch.”

“Lovely image.” I feign retching. “Nice giggle, by the way.”

“I giggled?” He blinks. “Wait, like a proper dainty girly-giggle?”

“Yup.”

“Oh, god, I didn’t even notice!” He puts a hand over his face in embarrassment, but he’s grinning underneath. “Well, shit, so much for my machismo. We need to get out of these bodies, man! My testosterone is fading fast.”

“Technically, it’s right where you left it.” I go to the door. “Speaking of getting out, we should meet back up with Orchid and Mivette.”

“I don’t have any idea how to get back to where we were. Sorry about getting sidetracked.” Ikram’s voice is a little muted, with a guilty tone. “It’d probably be best to head to the broadcasting place and wait for them, yeah? Mivette said there were lots of maps around.”

“Sounds like a plan.” I open the door, and we walk out. True to Mivette’s word, there’s a map on the wall not far away. We get directions from it, and then off we go.

As we walk, the decor of the hallway changes from steel and white to steel, white, and blue. Hurrah for variety, I guess.

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2017/02/10(Fri)00:42 No. 778464 ID: a606da
File 148671612651.png - (182.27KB , 800x600 , qr124.png )

Not too much time has passed, however, before we hear footsteps coming from around the corner behind us. I can see the shock in Ikram’s face as he turns to look. “Is it her? I mean, did she - do you think she chased after us?”

“I don’t know.” I hold his hand. “If it is Ayame, we’ll just have to stop and talk to her, okay? We can’t keep running and hiding forever.”

We stand there tensely as the footsteps get rapidly closer. Ikram’s grip on my hand tightens, his anxiety evident.

Moments later, a little girl who couldn’t be more than nine years old sprints around the corner, crashing into Ikram’s leg. She falls back onto the ground, hard. In near-unison, Ikram and I lean down to help her. Ikram smiles warmly, probably out of both politeness and relief. “I’m sorry, you surprised me! Are you okay?”

“Fine! I’m f-fine!” The little girl scrambles nervously to her feet. She winces as she puts weight on her left leg, and she collapses, clutching her ankle while crying out.

“Whoa, take it easy.” I hold out an arm. “Here, lean on me. Are your parents around here?”

“No!” She shakes her head, still trying and failing to stand up. She completely ignores my outstretched forearm. “I’m alright. Honest.”

“You sure? From here, it looks like you sprained your ankle. You’re just going to hurt more if you force it. ” Ikram gently holds the girl still. “What’s the rush?”

Before she can answer, a man’s voice calls out from around the corner. “Arna? Sweetie, where are you? Daddy’s getting a little scared, so please come back now, okay? Arna!”

The little girl - Arna, I suppose - panics at the sound of the approaching voice. She grabs my sleeve and starts tugging on it desperately, looking up at me with terror in her eyes. “Please don’t let him find me!”

help kid hide from father until it's safe, don't trust this scenario one bit

>>778464
return child to parents, let them know child is begging not to be returned. if you have video of the incident, provide it to the parents as well.

>>778465
Yeah, terror seems a bit much.

Yell "Hey you! Go long!" and launch child in direction of voice.

Invite Arna to climb on your back and ride along to help catch an interdimensional terrorist.

>>778464
Hide with the child somewhere and ask why she's so scared. It's possible her father is Silvio or something.

I'm guessing her fascist society demands she answer for her negligible crimes or has a dinner date with an insufferable / violent VIP.

Keep her hidden, at least until her parents calm the @#$% down.

>“Please don’t let him find me!”
Why?

It's possible this is one of your friends swapped and panicking about being trapped as a little kid.

It's possible this is none of our business and helping a child run away (probably be functionally kidnapping at that point) would just land our already sketchy butts in serious trouble with the authorities in this world.

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2017/03/26(Sun)19:53 No. 790727 ID: a606da
File 149058323667.png - (141.26KB , 800x600 , qr125.png )

“What’s wrong?” I pat her shoulder. “Why are you so scared?”

“I - I can’t tell you.” She stutters, shaking her head. “Not enough time. Please, I need to hide!”

“I’m not sure…” I pause, wondering if we should add ‘accidental kidnapping’ to our list of problems. “Can’t you at least give us a hint about what’s going on?

“Look at her. She’s terrified.” Ikram interjects, frowning at me. “If she’s this scared of being found, I say we help her out.”

“Please hide me.” She whispers, looking like she might cry. “Please.”

“...Fine.” I sigh, brushing aside my concerns. “But don’t walk on that ankle. Get on my shoulders, and I’ll carry you.”

“Nuh-uh-uh.” Ikram shakes his head, lightly pushing me aside. “You’re already carrying a person, sort of. I’ve got this one.” He turns around and kneels, pointing at his shoulders. “Up we get, little lady!”

The little girl stares at his back for a moment, a nervous expression forming on her face. After a moment, though, the hesitation vanishes, and she clambers up onto Ikram’s back. “Th - thank you.” She mumbles.

As the footsteps around the corner grow ever closer, we search frantically for a hiding space. Most of the doors in the hall are locked, but, at the last second, I find a small maintenance closet thing that isn’t.

We barely manage to squeeze inside amidst many boxes and strange tools, but we somehow manage it. I close the door behind us, craning my neck to fit inside the tiny closet. We listen intently as the footsteps outside get closer and closer, then breathe a shared (if muted) sigh of relief after the footsteps pass us by. By the time a few minutes have passed, I can't hear anything outside anymore.

“Looks like we’re in the clear.” Ikram smiles, patting the girl on the arm. “You okay?”

“I guess so?” She blinks, gazing down at Ikram’s shoulders with an odd look. “I’ve never had a piggyback ride before. I didn’t think I ever would.”

“What, really? Whoa!” Ikram gasps in exaggerated surprise. He's having fun with this, I think. He's always been good with kids. “How is it, then? Is it all you ever dreamed it would be?”

“Feels funny.” She murmurs, with a peculiar hint of embarrassment. “Like a lot of stuff today.”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, uh… nothing.” She coughs. “It’s a weird day, is all.”

>It's possible this is one of your friends swapped and panicking about being trapped as a little kid.

...Maybe? She does have surprisingly good grammar for a preteen.

I'm open to the possibility, but I’m not sure how to phrase the question without seeming crazy. What should I ask her?

>>790727
What's her name? Who'd we just hide from?

>>790727
Ask her to define the phrase "utility culture." You're supposed to be a teacher, and that's supposed to be common knowledge, so a genuine local would immediately, reflexively, give some reasonably correct reply. Hesitation, confusion, or deflection would be extremely suspicious.

If you want to put extra pressure on, give a little disappointed sigh (regardless of the specific answer) and ask some vaguely leading question about sociology and/or the philosophy of utilitarianism. If doing so prompts slick backpedaling onto a completely different answer, rather than confusion and dismay at the paradox of a trusted authority figure implying things which are obviously false, it's time to fact-check everything the "kid" has ever said.

Wisteria!5tTWT1eydY 2017/04/21(Fri)06:27 No. 797250 ID: a606da
File 149278125101.png - (175.48KB , 800x600 , qr126.png )

As we relax a little, the little girl slides off of Ikram’s shoulders and lands on a few boxes next to him. She sits there, legs still dangling a moderate distance above the floor, and she nervously gazes up at us.

“What’s your name?” I ask, awkwardly repositioning my head to look at her. “Who’d we just hide from?”

“My name’s, um… Arna?” She pauses, hesitant. “And that person was, well… he said he was my dad, but he wasn’t. I swear, he wasn’t!”

“Hm. Hey, Arna, what’s a utility culture?” I ask, closely watching her face. “Can you please define the term for me?”

“I, uh…” She turns away from me with a worried expression, mumbling her answer. “It’s… it’s a thing. A utility thing.”

Something so ingrained into local culture might be hard to put into words. For most people it simply... is.
Anyway, it's totally a shoggoth. We Lovecraft now.

>>797250
Anna, huh? Looks more like an August to me. Let's confirm. Ask her what her name would be if she was in a forest fighting a demon from another world.

Okay, obviously, either one of your friends swapped into a little kid and is now panicking or one of your friends swapped into the kid's dad and managed to freak her out by being the wrong person.

Simplest way to check without freaking her out further is to make it a sort of innocuous question.

"...does the name Wisteria mean anything to you?"

If she knows you, there will be recognition (and there's no way they'll have the control to sufficiently hide the reaction in an unfamiliar child's body). If she doesn't, there will just be more confusion.

Look ahead a couple of steps beyond just determining this person's real identity through shibbolths. If this person is a friend, they will want to remain near you. That's a big problem in itself, since kidnapping is pretty much always a major crime, no matter the culture.