He watches them a moment, tilting his head. "Are you saying that you find this form pleasing to look at?" he wonders. "Would there be another that you might find just as...pleasing?"
"There's a great deal of forms I'd find pleasing." The fact they maintain their own form so solidly, untweaked day to day aside from things like makeup and hair length, isn't immune to this; the idea that they could be attractive sometimes feels so alien that why would they ever lie and wear some other skin that is? "My preferences are... broad. Why?"
"Because I know that you are not human," he says casually. "And my form is simply..." He gestures behind him, to the door to the cavern and the console within. "Whatever I create out of that vat."
The slightest of shrugs. "Again - my preferences are broad. A semblance of humanity is nice, though no more than that; monstrosity and inhumanity have always appealed to me."
He retreats to the main chamber and slides into his vat. And what emerges is a vaguely bipedal, tall and thick creature made of purple and pink leaves and flowers. He has a long jaw, bright eyes hidden in foliage, and an almost delicate face. He has two appendages that serve as hands, though one is more of a tentacle and the other has fingers that split from the arm like veins in a leaf.
Coral, the young, tentacled vriki from his world, immediately buries itself in the familiar nest.
There is no real mouth to speak, so he uses telepathy.
This is how I travel in my world. Sometimes I am taller.
Ashton is emotive, yes, but generally somewhat restrained in their facial expressions; that drops away. They are unselfconsciously thrilled to see Sym take this shape.
"You're beautiful," he says without even having to think about it. Sym's default shape is pretty, yes, but this? This is something else.
For a second she stiffens, reflexive: she doesn't know him nearly as well as she knows John, and her instincts are still a little overtuned even after a year and a half of not fighting for her life nearly ever. She trusts John fully and absolutely regardless of shape, and as beautiful as this form is, she doesn't trust Sym anywhere near that much.
Then she relaxes again, because if Sym kills her - well, he'd have to actually kill her, first off -- if Sym kills her he'd have to deal with Aerith being upset about it. And nobody wants that; not her, not him, not Aerith. So that's good insurance! So Ash hums inquisitively, encouraging him to explain further if he so wishes.
He has no intention of killing them or even hurting them. He just holds them loosely, tentacle wrapped a couple of times around them, but not tightly enough to restrict.
He's quiet, just enjoying the feeling that comes with connection, albeit brief.
Once I was a mushtree. For centuries, just to avoid another Gardener who annoyed me. The leaves rattle and shake, like a laugh. But I think I prefer to have appendages.
The tendency to do a rapidfire assessment of any given situation to determine what Ashton'd do if someone randomly decided to try to kill him is a hard habit to break! There is a great deal of non-malicious murder in his heart. It's just sort of... there.
"I do quite enjoy being a cat," he laments, "but having hands is simply too useful, and the amount of work you have to do to make that shape functional for everyday use while having hands is too extensive for my taste. My warform does have hands, but it's meant for combat, so it's not much suited for day to day life."
"I brought my own with me, wherever I went." That's a little rueful. It wasn't a great way to live, looking back, but it felt the only way to be at the time.
"It was. Terribly so." He sighs. "All my other options felt unbearable to even consider, so it was what it was, regardless of whether it was good for anyone at all."
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2026-03-30 04:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-04-03 02:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-04-03 03:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-04-03 05:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-04-04 02:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-04-05 06:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-04-05 01:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-04-06 03:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-04-06 06:01 pm (UTC)He retreats to the main chamber and slides into his vat. And what emerges is a vaguely bipedal, tall and thick creature made of purple and pink leaves and flowers. He has a long jaw, bright eyes hidden in foliage, and an almost delicate face. He has two appendages that serve as hands, though one is more of a tentacle and the other has fingers that split from the arm like veins in a leaf.
Coral, the young, tentacled vriki from his world, immediately buries itself in the familiar nest.
There is no real mouth to speak, so he uses telepathy.
This is how I travel in my world. Sometimes I am taller.
no subject
Date: 2026-04-07 02:36 am (UTC)"You're beautiful," he says without even having to think about it. Sym's default shape is pretty, yes, but this? This is something else.
no subject
Date: 2026-04-07 02:44 am (UTC)This was our creation.
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Date: 2026-04-09 06:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-04-09 09:15 pm (UTC)I spent thousands of years refining it.
no subject
Date: 2026-04-10 03:30 am (UTC)Then she relaxes again, because if Sym kills her - well, he'd have to actually kill her, first off -- if Sym kills her he'd have to deal with Aerith being upset about it. And nobody wants that; not her, not him, not Aerith. So that's good insurance! So Ash hums inquisitively, encouraging him to explain further if he so wishes.
no subject
Date: 2026-04-11 02:12 am (UTC)He's quiet, just enjoying the feeling that comes with connection, albeit brief.
Once I was a mushtree. For centuries, just to avoid another Gardener who annoyed me. The leaves rattle and shake, like a laugh. But I think I prefer to have appendages.
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Date: 2026-04-11 05:28 am (UTC)"They are remarkably useful, it's true."
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Date: 2026-04-12 01:38 am (UTC)He's always curious as to what people would be if they were unrestricted by the fleshy bodies that they inhabit.
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Date: 2026-04-12 03:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-04-12 05:25 pm (UTC)He's never been at war, though the conflict with the humans could count as much. It still fascinates him in a way.
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Date: 2026-04-13 05:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-04-14 02:27 am (UTC)That seems exhausting.
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Date: 2026-04-14 06:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-04-14 03:55 pm (UTC)And you have since changed your ways?