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Return to Sender (w/Rico)
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Post by ricochet3-Kazumi&Vemmon on Jul 5, 2022 23:16:40 GMT
"If more of my partners weren't so tired then I'm sure more of them would of helped pass the material out. I don't know how I was so lucky to meet such kind digimon." Kazumi said as she heard Koko shift before they laid down fully. Apparently the gentle giant was more worn out then anyone had thought. "Hey Koko, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Just worn out from all the fighting. I should be fine for travel after resting for awhile." Koko said and Kazumi nodded.
"Koko has to be the sweetest of all of us. Even after carrying all of us all day they only are worried about all of us." Hudiemon said showing surprising awareness given how ditzy the butterfly girl could be at times. "Don't worry, Koko, rest as long as you need to. The rest of us can walk for awhile until you fully recover."
While Vemmon and Shadow helped pass the books out it seemed Zack noticed that he was blind. Well given his blindness was visibly noticeable he shrugged and said "Sounds good since comic books aren't in braille so Audiobooks are a great invention especially for those who are blind. Kazumi has brought in books in braille and most of us have also gotten fluent in braille as well."
As the books were finished being passed out Lalamon said "Even though you are blind you have learned to fight better than some digimon that aren't blind. Perhaps it was because of a certain ability you possess. Not only that it seems any xros you are involved in seems to also take on your trait of being blind too with that ability as well."
It seemed that Zack always seemed to carry such material in his backpack which made Kazumi and most of her army look at Zack's group in surprise.
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Post by supesman on Jul 6, 2022 13:17:44 GMT
"Hey, you'll get no judgement from me. I mean, hell I'm tired too. The last thing I'm going to do is call anybody lazy for not instantly getting on board with whatever nonsense I happen to be involved with at that moment. Passing out comic books to the class isn't exactly the kind of thing that's a moral imperative to get up and work on." Zack said, rolling his head back with a yawn into the back of his balled up fist, a tiny tear at the corner of his eye coming from the depth of the yawn that he wiped away with the back of his hand.
"Oh yea, for sure. Nobody's doubting his competence. We all got to see it first hand when he was helping to save our bacon from big, psychotic and shiny back there. But people who are differently abled should still be able to enjoy some of the greatest stories ever told, despite what medium those characters were born in." Marigold said. It seemed that she did fully embrace and believe that "greatest stories ever told" bit, for all her seemingly cynical and sarcastic eye rolling she did inherit most if not all of her taste from her father who was enamored with the stuff.
"Explanation: My...my father and sister make periodic restocking trips to fill the backpack with what they consider to be good foundational works within the superhero genre and to pass them out when prompted. As well as keeping a large library of such works alongside the other books and media at the shelter that we run outside of Rosewood." Violet said, reading the surprised expressions on the group surrounding them. The little machine did seem to take more than a small thrill in being able to refer to Zack and Marigold as "my father and sister", Marigold reaching out and wrapping a limb around the back of the purple robot.
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Post by ricochet3-Kazumi&Vemmon on Jul 6, 2022 14:17:23 GMT
"At least we found ourselves involved in a battle and not some kind of cave in. I'd prefer fighting over being cramped in a dark cave with no certain way out any day." Dorulumon said with a tired yawn as he turned onto his side.
"I keep forgetting about dear Dorulumon's claustrophobia." Hudiemon said looking over at him.
"W-When Kazumi and I first met him he was willing to risk himself t-to get caught in a cave to protect us from an avalance of boulders. H-He was so caught up in his fear he couldn't d-dig himself out and he and I formed the first Digi Xros for this army." Vemmon said as he was sitting down looking at a couple of the comics his curiosity peaked.
"Marigold is right,Shadow, and if I remember right there were also some superheroes with disabilities too though I don't remember all of them. They still were able to find a way to implement their unique talents to help out." Kazumi said causing the blind Gaomon to face in her direction.
S-Shame my siblings are just mindless tools of destruction. I actually f-feel bad for them since they don't know what pain they are c-causing others." Vemmon said with a sigh. That battle had brought up bad feelings that his own curiosity towards the comics didn't expunge.
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Post by supesman on Jul 7, 2022 12:13:50 GMT
"We all have our fears. The only thing that matters is that we face them. Everyone's afraid of something and it just comes down to you not letting it stop you from doing hat you know to be right. Besides. No matter how physically large the space, if you're not at least a tiny bit claustrophobic about sitting in the middle of an orb made out of scuttling robots controlled by a psychopath then I think that's just something wrong with your fight or flight response more than anything else." Marigold said, shivering. It wasn't exactly a pleasant image to have stuck in your head, standing on a mass of overlapping, mindless machines like standing ankle deep in a tide of ants.
"Disabled superheroes? Absolutely. Blind superheroes even. The two I can think of off the top of my head are Daredevil at Marvel and Doctor Midnite over at DC. And that's just your own different ability, heroes can have any kind of impairment so long as they're willing to stand up when no one else can or no one else will." Zack smiled, though he knew the visual gesture wouldn't mean much given the circumstances, so he tried to put as much of it into his tone as he could.
"Admission: It is...hard, for me to truly think of my "siblings" as being...stuck where they are. As we can see all around us, they do not have the sentience I possess. Mine was...a fluke. A glitch. And unforeseen consequence of my different programming as the ship's navigation control." Marigold admitted, not proud of the fact that they didn't feel as bad as they perhaps felt they should, looking around to their "siblings" already half buried in sand.
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Post by ricochet3-Kazumi&Vemmon on Jul 7, 2022 21:51:16 GMT
"That is so true but being in that UFO controlled by XT was creepier than being in that cave from some time ago. I guess it's handy that when I'm involved in xrosses my claustrophobia isn't crippling despite being still there." Dorulumon said sitting up.
"When it comes to fears you are right, Marigold. To be honest I am afraid of bees which is why I feel awkward around you. Doesn't help the first digimon Vemmon and I got in a fight with was a Fanbeemon as well." Kazumi said looking at her hands which where in her lap. She was watching herself wringing her hands.
"Sounds like we have our own equivalent of Daredevil and Doctor Midnite." Yuki said looking over at Shadow before looking back at Zack before she said "Maybe we should look into those heroes as well."
"In s-some ways I am a lot like you, Violet. T-Though I don't remember a lot about my early time before I met Kazumi in the Human World, I w-was told I got loose before my programming which would of made me a nonsentient destructive zombie was complete. P-Perhaps that process could of explained how I injured my arm. I d-don't know unfortunately. T-The only traits I still share in common with my siblings is being feral or in m-my case partially. I f-feel bad for how my sibilings were programmed everytime I have to fight them and I'm g-glad the others in the army understand." Vemmon said with a said sigh.
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Post by supesman on Jul 8, 2022 12:36:36 GMT
Marigold perked up at Kazumi's admission of fear. She pouted a little, her brows furrowing but not in anger, more in a way that showed that she was...troubled by the development more than anything. She looked up at Kazumi, staying where she lounged in the sand.
"I'm sorry about the experiences you've had that have made you uncomfortable, lord knows that I've had plenty of my own run ins with my own "kind" that had left a bad taste in my mouth. However, I will not apologize for who and what I am, nor am I going to attempt to hide or change what I am in an attempt to make you more comfortable. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not going to hurt anybody. Simple as that." Marigold said, trying to not come off as overly rude in her response to Kazumi's fear of her. She acknowledged that fear to be valid but she wasn't going to roll over and hide herself in order to soothe it.
"Oh yea, for sure! Hold on, give me one second here." Zack took out a small notebook from his things and scribbled a list of storylines for both Daredevil and Doctor Midnite that he could think of off the top of his head that the group should check out, handing it to Yuki.
"Encouragement: We are more than the machines that we were made as now. We have our families that will stand beside us no matter what. We cannot live in fear of becoming something we are not simply because of the circumstances of birth that we share." Violet said. They were equally unsettled by the revelation of what they were and where they came from but having been openly accepted into Zack and Marigold's family gave Violet the piece of mind of being something else, more important and superseding any fears lingering in their mind.
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Post by ricochet3-Kazumi&Vemmon on Jul 8, 2022 21:54:58 GMT
"And I never said you should hide who you are. Maybe with some time and continued positive experiences with bee digimon I'll be able to be around them comfortably. Unlike Human World bees I can communicate with them so sometimes the smaller bees can be more frightening." Kazumi said looking over at some of the dunes her thoughts floating to any of the Gizmon: ATs that might still be alive but said nothing. Then the sight of Zack scribbling in a small notebook caught Kazumi's attention as then passed a list to Yuki.
Yuki then looked at the list and said "Looks like a list of stories regarding these two heroes. Perhaps we should look into them." Yuki then walked over to Kazumi handing her to the list knowing she would likely be heading into town for such things while Vemmon would be searching the internet. It was like the stuttering bug had a magic touch for finding things online.
Vemmon was watching Kazumi the entire time and as if picking up on her thoughts said "W-What if some of Violet's siblings are still alive? M-Maybe we can help them somehow. If t-they're normal programming has been altered m-maybe we can reset it to the default setting so t-they can make decisions for themselves."
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Post by supesman on Jul 9, 2022 12:18:55 GMT
"I'm not accusing you of anything. Just putting all my cards on the table, you know?" Marigold said, smiling at Kazumi as she rested in the sand. The heat of the sun beating down was impossibly luscious and decadent feeling to the insect digimon after the exertion and the beating she had taken from the robotic villain. She just wanted to soak it all up and maybe pass out for just a little while, relaxing, totally splayed out as she let her eyes close.
"Reluctant: I'm afraid that that's not possible. None of my..."siblings" had independent programming to begin with. None of them were designed to exist or make choices outside the choices that XT had designed them to make. Without direction connection to them, none of them are capable of even the mechanical mimicry of life that they once held." Violet said, floating up to one of the abandoned purple machine and running a silver tendril along the edge of its shell. As much as they wanted themselves to be wrong, for some of the multitudes impacted in the sand to pop up and begin taking in the world, the blunt reality was sitting there in front of the,. Not a single one of the drones even twitched let alone doing anything that might make them seem alive. Like a toaster unplugged from the wall they had all become little more than inert and heavy metal sinking into the dunes with each blow of the wind covering them in more grains of sand.
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Post by ricochet3-Kazumi&Vemmon on Jul 9, 2022 21:42:01 GMT
Kazumi watched as Marigold seemed to melt into the sand. It was as if she was more tired than she was admitting too and to be honest it was kind of cute. So were those Honeybeemon she, Vemmon, and Dorulumon came across the day they met Hudiemon. That swarm had been friendly and they even helped them out.
"You're thinking of those Honeybeemon that were part of my swarm, aren't you?" Hudiemon asked with a grin on her face.
"Since when have you become physic?" Kazumi said with a shake of her head before she said "They just came to mind while looking at Marigold here. Despite us helping them out they still left that area."
"Oopsie. I forgot to tell you. Carlos and the rest of my former swarm are migratory and all you did was save one of the patches we traveled too since I was young. So in a sense you still helped them a bunch as it helps having access to pollen from familiar areas." Hudiemon explained
"S-Shame my talent for programming only goes so far or I w-would of rigged together some crude independant programming for the ones that survived the fall." Vemmon said before looking at Violet as a thought came to mind as he asked "W-Wait. H-How come you seem to have been programmed with such programming?"
"Could you copy such programming then?" Kazumi asked joining the conversation.
"T-To be honest, I don't know. M-Maybe." Vemmon said scratching his chin.
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Post by supesman on Jul 10, 2022 12:23:12 GMT
"I...don't know about any of that..." Zack said as the idea of giving what was basically real life to any of the robotic drones scattered around them was brought up. "it's not as if they were really "alive" in the first place and you'd be restoring something that was taken from them. If what Violet was saying is true then none of them were actually self aware in the first place. You'd be putting that AI into them whole cloth by the dozen or maybe by the hundred." Zack said, obviously tense at the idea, looking around at the field of discarded drones littering the field around them, haphazard lumps tossed into the dunes in a seemingly random pattern.
"Agreement: My self awareness was a fluke created by the complexity of my "role" as the drone in charge of the auto pilot. Comparable programming never existed within my "siblings". To copy whatever piece of my own sentience you would wish to into them would not be returning freedom that they lost, but creating it from thin air." Violet said, equally skeptical of the idea. As much as it was a shame that all of these seemingly "alive" digimon were used in such a way, it was hard to advocate for just turning them all "on" on a whim.
"Sometimes a machine used by a villain is just that. A machine. Violet was, is, different, doesn't seem like any of the other drones were that lucky." Marigold said, letting out a sigh that kicked up a wave of sand in front of her mandibles. Setting her head back down without opening her eyes.
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Post by ricochet3-Kazumi&Vemmon on Jul 10, 2022 21:09:39 GMT
Vemmon listened to Zack's words realizing the superhero had a point. Looking down at his feet his mandibles clicked in a soft barely audible tone to the human ear before he said "I g-guess you're right about them never being alive. It's j-just...." his body visibly shook as a tried to maintain some form of control. The thought of XT basically giving his creations not just any free will but no life of their own hit close to home with him and, if he was honest with himself, it made him righteously angry. Somehow though he managed to calm himself enough to speak as he continued "It's j-just frustrating that nothing can be done right now to stop XT from just making more of these souless machines. S-Somehow I think it was worried if its creations got life of their own they would be a threat."
When Violet mentioned that their self awareness was a fluke due to the complexity of their role, Vemmon looked up and faced Violet before he said "M-Maybe my self awareness was a fluke as well but s-sense I don't remember anything before meeting Kazumi, I c-couldn't begin to guess the role that was intended for me. F-For all I know it could of been as complex as yours or even j-just a generic footsoldier like my siblings."
A most unsettling thought isn't it? One thing I still am curious about regarding you is how you not only got hurt but made it to the Human World. Something tells me neither of us will enjoy the answer to that mystery." Kazumi said as she stared at the sand letting out a sigh of her own.
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Post by supesman on Jul 11, 2022 12:24:49 GMT
"Encouragement: Whether your self awareness was or was not a "fluke" is immaterial at this stage. You are where you are, standing right here, having just helped us do the right thing to save lives, homes and livelihoods. XT's eventual crimes are a concern for another day." Violet said, doing their best to be able to comfort her fellow machine. Mustering something resembling a real tone out of their voice was a struggle, so using their actual words to get their intended emotion across was the best they could do.
"There will always be a villain for another day. Another crisis, another injustice. I wish that wasn't the world we were living in but that's the rub when you get right down to it. Sometimes you just have to take one in the win column and keep yourself sane." Zack said, shaking his head. As someone who was VERY dedicated to doing good wherever he could think to try, he knew that sometimes you just had to accept that the bad guy got away so long as he didn't hurt anybody.
"Whatever the mystery of where you came from or what you "are"...it seems like you're pretty well loved and supported right now. Maybe that's all that really counts." Marigold said, her antennae twitching as her bright eyes communicated the best smile she was capable of. She knew a thing or two about being unsure of where you came from and just having to accept where you already were. "If you let your brain run rampant worrying about who you are or where you come from, it'll stop you from seeing that you already KNOW who you are." Marigold said, further speaking from her own experiences. She had let the uncertainty of her birth cloud the facts of her own personality far too often
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Post by ricochet3-Kazumi&Vemmon on Jul 11, 2022 12:51:46 GMT
Vemmon let out a sigh as he drooped into a sitting position the events of the day finally catching up with him as he absorbed Violet's words. "Y-You're right. T-The reason for my self awareness is immaterial." Vemmon said giving Violet his equivalent of a smile which was likely very similar to Marigold's given both of them were insectoid in nature.
"Such injustices are a reason to fight for making things better if only a little bit." Shadow said in response to Zack's words. Sure it was a seemingly thankless job but definitely more than worth the sacrifices many made.
Then Vemmon turned to Marigold as she spoke about how he had those that loved and cared about him which was more than his own "father", however loose a term that was, who only thought of Vemmon and his siblings as no more than tools for his goals. "Y-You're right. I d-do know who I am. I'm a g-goofy video game loving nerd with a good heart. N-Nothing at all like that Snatchmon who calls himself my father." Vemmon said. "T-Though at some level I am still curious about what happened before I made it to the Human World."
"As someone who has lived multiple lives I understand the desire to know where you came from even if I was fortunate enough to remember all my previous lives. Back when I was SnowAgumon I didn't know much about my family since I was on my own from a young age. Sure at some level I am still curious to know at least what happened to them but it doesn't consume me." Yuki said her words surprising Vemmon. Sure she had lived for a long time compared to everyone else in the army so it was logical there was a lot about Yuki that they didn't know.
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Post by supesman on Jul 12, 2022 12:48:01 GMT
"We don't just do what's right to stop the bad guy and save lives TODAY. I mean, obviously that's the biggest, most important part of it. Any other concern we might be able to have after the fact is secondary to actually stopping whatever nonsense is going on in the moment." Zack said, shrugging. Big, lofty ideals don't mean a whole lot in the thick of the fighting when there's blood being spilled and terror being spread. "We also do it to make the world better for tomorrow. Every livelihood saved, every LIFE saved, every person inspired by people who stand up in the present to face injustice is someone who might just find the courage to stand up to face injustice in the future." Zack said, looking out toward where the horizon was casting a harsh yellow glow on the endless beige dunes beneath a shimmer blue sheet of sky.
"The best revenge, my friend, is a life well lived." Marigold said to Vemmon, sharing that impossible to fully define insectoid smile between the two of them, eyes sparkling with the sharing of some advice that she had been made to learn the hard way. "It's...unfortunately very natural to want to hurt the people who hurt you, to want to make them "pay" somehow for the things that they've done. The reality is, one way or another the damage is already done, the only thing revenge accomplishes is burying the good parts of you along with whoever it is that you might be going after." Marigold said. She still held onto flashes every so often of herself standing over the battered form of the Flymon queen who had abandoned her and harmed the people she cared about. She shivered remembering herself coming that close to the line.
"Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves." Both Zack and Marigold said at the exact same time, in the exact same cadence even. They looked at one another and couldn't help but start laughing.
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Post by ricochet3-Kazumi&Vemmon on Jul 12, 2022 22:17:46 GMT
"N-No truer words ever said, Marigold." Vemmon said while Kazumi looked at the insectiod smiles still not getting how those expressions worked for digimon insects. Probably one of the mysteries of the Digital World she would never truly understand. Maybe even the digimon didn't understand either. "As f-for Snatchmon, y-yeah he hurt me and many others but I d-don't want to stop him for the purpose of revenge. I j-just want to stop him from hurting anyone else. Unfortunately I c-can only do so much against his forces since we can't even beat Snatchmon cause he can digivolve to at least mega."
"Actually I think he Snatchmon may be able to become a super mega seeing as my first fight with him should of been theoretically even seeing I was BlackWarGreymon at the time. Though I thought it was worth dieing to help not just you and Kazumi but all the other digimon that were trapped in that false world of his." Yuki said.
Vemmon sighed placing his head in one of his hands before he said "P-Perfect. T-That just makes things many times harder since he is much stronger than all of us put together."
Hudiemon chuckled at Zack and Marigold saying the same words at the same time before she said "Aww! You two are so cute!"
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