I don't mind. Though I should preface this with that very little of this is my personal experience. Most of it is information that Lady Anastasia and Zenn gathered from their struggles.
[lucien really doesn't have much in the way of secrets except for when it's embarrassing or shameful. like naming his cat after his crush. or getting fucked over by a witch. coincidentally tokinaga knows both now.]
The witch selects someone to be a Membrum, preying on their fears and desire to implant the impulse to kill, and eradicating their ability to differentiate between right or wrong.
To give an example, I have been told that in a previous timeline [which is another can of worms, depending on how much tokinaga wants to know] a young friend of mine killed me to harvest my organs. Following other cultures' folklore about food, he believed that if he ate me, he would essentially become me, and thus be able to improve his station. From what I heard, he sincerely believed he had done good, since he shared his cooking with others to save them as well.
[gives you the cannibalism lore while i'm at it because why not. lucien is pretty matter of fact about this, because it's not like he has any memory of it and his friend wasn't in his right mind so lucien has no reason to be like "what the fuck, kid."]
After the Membrum kills, the witch uses his magic to hold a Carnival—a trial in which jurors vote for the culprit among a pool of suspects known as the Sacrificia. Both the murders and Carnivals continue each night, until either the Membrum is caught or they are the last Sacrificium standing.
[ He has all of your embarrassing secrets... what shall he do with it. Names the witch after his crush.
He does listen quietly and starts sorting the information -- the nice thing is, he's actually extremely good with taking in information especially at this point by now, so he keeps up well even with all of the unknown variables. Still. ]
[ Also why is there also a portion of it that's just suddenly we are also Dangan Ronpa / Your Turn To Die. Of course you like this game when it also decides to simply become a deathgame for some reason. ]
[STOP DON'T CALL ME OUT. i'm sorry to tokinaga. lucien watches him go through it and wonders if maybe he should've given less detail? should he... apologize... guilt seeping in again...
he's quiet for a while, trying to figure out how to explain this, and how to avoid anything that is perhaps not lucien's to doxx.]
... On our side is another witch, or something similar in nature—someone with powers. The witch who runs the carnivals is trying to drive them to despair, in hopes that they will be a force of destruction against the country.
However, his plans have yet to come to fruition because of one of their other abilities: the ability to rewind time whenever they die.
[lucien frowns because he hates this ability actually? anastasia (person who dies the most in even if), stop dying ): - signed lucien (person who dies the second most in even if).]
Only a few people retain their memories after this happens, however. They have not spoken at length of everything that happened, but to my understanding, they have turned back time repeatedly to find a way to defeat the witch and to prevent their loved ones' deaths.
[he is trying to be vague about it even if maybe it's too late after he just said that this was all anastasia and zenn's info but yeah......
but also hm. concerning!]
... Tokinaga? [OH NO. he looks around for a flat surface to put his cup down on and settles for placing it on the floor.] Are you all right? I'm sorry, should I have said less...!?
[ Tokinaga doesn't have enough info about Anastasia's importance to infer this but me like surely the protagonist that everyone's after and everyone potentially goes mega-yandere over is likely to be the central turnpiece of the plot. ]
-- No. No, no. Sorry, it's not that. [ Even if he seems definitely a lot more nervous and tense than before. ] ...How many times...? How did you find this all out?
[ Literally entirely from the few who remember? Or has Lucien retained anything himself? ]
[hilariously aside from some membrum-induced insanity in bad ends even if is pretty low on the yan, it's like the one well-known dark otome whose love interests are actually broadly green flags even by general otome standards instead of yikes
anyway lucien is not going to mention that he got to witness some of his previous selves' memories here because he feels like maybe that will distress tokinaga more somehow. honestly, like he told zenn once, in a moment of insecurity, he wishes he remembered any of it.]
I learned from those who remembered. It took some effort, but we managed to convince them that there was strength in numbers, and they needn't carry the entire burden by themselves.
So, we put together a plan to stop any Membrum from being created in this timeline. [one hand idly goes up to touch the opposite arm, rubbing it just slightly.] ... Though, as you've seen, it didn't go that way.
[because lucien is a pathetic ass loser whose willpower wasn't strong enough!!]
... One of them was a longtime trusted friend of the others with me. Furthermore, he should've been a complete stranger to me, and yet knew things that I would've only said to those close to me. Apparently, in the first timeline, he had worked under me for years.
Lister was likewise able to verify that L—the one rewinding time knew personal secrets of his, despite not being acquainted as far as he recalled.
[...]
And they had no reason to lie. If they meant to deceive me, they wouldn't have spent so much effort trying to ensure I would stay away in the first place. I had to go through quite a lot of trouble to find them.
It was the very fact that he knew so much about me that we pressed him on how, and he had to reveal the nature of previous timelines.
And to be honest, we were well past the point of Zenn being suspicious when he had already attacked me in an alleyway earlier in an attempt to scare me off and keep me from learning the truth.
[said dryly. doxxes zenn because frankly his memory already doxxed zenn's immortality so that was half the cat out of the bag.
but more seriously—his tone softens.]
... And I do not like doubting people. [he can admit that, even if it makes him naive.] I don't think I give my trust easily, but even if someone's claims are outrageous, does that itself necessarily mean they're more likely to be lying? I've had plenty of people in the palace try to deceive me with the mundane. [a light shake of his head.] These two had given me no reason to doubt them otherwise, especially given the... circumstances we found them in.
[ ...Jeez. Tokinaga rubs at his face with a hand. What kind of wacko secrets are you hiding in your funny little canon twinkazoid... you can fit so much insanity into this guy who is just like Yeah So That Happened. ]
...You're really something, Lucien-kun.
[ TRULY THIS IS ALL HE CAN GET OUT. CHRIST. Just the ability to trust in people is so impressive, but equally as impressive (but maybe slightly derogatory in comparison) is his ability to just be like btw my friend went crazy and tried to turn me into soup and feed me to EVERYONE! ]
Somehow, I feel like I've been underestimating you.
[ He wasn't, not quite, but relative to the bigger picture, yk? ]
it's not like he's completely unaffected, truth be told. he doesn't particularly fear death, doesn't consider his own to be something that should necessarily be grieved even by himself—but what he is scared of is going to sleep and waking up as not himself again. or when he remembers what it was like to want someone dead, which is quite honestly one of the worst feelings in his life, when he doesn't have even an inkling of a death wish against his enemies. anastasia is the one who's pro KILL YOUR ABUSERS, not him...
but he's already been enough of a burden, down to the very end of his life, so the least he could do is avoid that here in purgatory.]
It's fine. Better now—I did tell you it wasn't anything to worry about.
[though speaking of which... hrrrrngh he doesn't really want to ask, but he's aware that he probably should, and who knows? maybe tokinaga would rather think about this than whatever he's thinking.]
Incidentally, how well-versed are you in first aid or medical attention, Tokinaga?
[he knows you helped siffrin out, but checking something...]
[ He seems surprised by the question. After this, he definitely wasn't expecting that. ]
I'm not a doctor or anything, so I can't fully speak on anything specific, but... I've had a course on quick field aid, like what to do if you get bitten by a wild animal, and I went to school for veterinary studies, so I know how to perform certain kinds of medical attention.
[ Honestly despite being a vet by all means he's actually. Incredibly well-equipped to just practically be a human GP. Since he also looks after Obikawa and, I guess since this is the thread of weird lore bombs, his 'cat' actually has human organs. He's not on the level of the ACTUAL human-body researchers at the Institute but APPARENTLY SINCE HE'S THE CLOSEST THING THAT COUNTS AS A DOCTOR IN PURGATORY!!!!!! NOT THIS AGAIN!!!!!!!!! ]
[LOWE YOUR SUFFERING if it helps there is dahut but lucien cannot ask him this after dahut asked him if he was injured and he dodged answering because that wasn't why he was calling about dahut's med creds. it would be too embarrassing to go back now.]
Well... hypothetically, if someone was supposed to have stitches in for three months, do you think said stitches would have to be changed at any point before then?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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cw: cannibalism
[lucien really doesn't have much in the way of secrets except for when it's embarrassing or shameful. like naming his cat after his crush. or getting fucked over by a witch. coincidentally tokinaga knows both now.]
The witch selects someone to be a Membrum, preying on their fears and desire to implant the impulse to kill, and eradicating their ability to differentiate between right or wrong.
To give an example, I have been told that in a previous timeline [which is another can of worms, depending on how much tokinaga wants to know] a young friend of mine killed me to harvest my organs. Following other cultures' folklore about food, he believed that if he ate me, he would essentially become me, and thus be able to improve his station. From what I heard, he sincerely believed he had done good, since he shared his cooking with others to save them as well.
[gives you the cannibalism lore while i'm at it because why not. lucien is pretty matter of fact about this, because it's not like he has any memory of it and his friend wasn't in his right mind so lucien has no reason to be like "what the fuck, kid."]
After the Membrum kills, the witch uses his magic to hold a Carnival—a trial in which jurors vote for the culprit among a pool of suspects known as the Sacrificia. Both the murders and Carnivals continue each night, until either the Membrum is caught or they are the last Sacrificium standing.
/3
He does listen quietly and starts sorting the information -- the nice thing is, he's actually extremely good with taking in information especially at this point by now, so he keeps up well even with all of the unknown variables. Still. ]
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......
[ HE'S... HORRIFIED? ]
What's... this is... "Previous timeline"...?
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he's quiet for a while, trying to figure out how to explain this, and how to avoid anything that is perhaps not lucien's to doxx.]
... On our side is another witch, or something similar in nature—someone with powers. The witch who runs the carnivals is trying to drive them to despair, in hopes that they will be a force of destruction against the country.
However, his plans have yet to come to fruition because of one of their other abilities: the ability to rewind time whenever they die.
[lucien frowns because he hates this ability actually? anastasia (person who dies the most in even if), stop dying ): - signed lucien (person who dies the second most in even if).]
Only a few people retain their memories after this happens, however. They have not spoken at length of everything that happened, but to my understanding, they have turned back time repeatedly to find a way to defeat the witch and to prevent their loved ones' deaths.
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...
[ Sorry he's just going silent in shock for a second. ]
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but also hm. concerning!]
... Tokinaga? [OH NO. he looks around for a flat surface to put his cup down on and settles for placing it on the floor.] Are you all right? I'm sorry, should I have said less...!?
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-- No. No, no. Sorry, it's not that. [ Even if he seems definitely a lot more nervous and tense than before. ] ...How many times...? How did you find this all out?
[ Literally entirely from the few who remember? Or has Lucien retained anything himself? ]
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anyway lucien is not going to mention that he got to witness some of his previous selves' memories here because he feels like maybe that will distress tokinaga more somehow. honestly, like he told zenn once, in a moment of insecurity, he wishes he remembered any of it.]
I learned from those who remembered. It took some effort, but we managed to convince them that there was strength in numbers, and they needn't carry the entire burden by themselves.
So, we put together a plan to stop any Membrum from being created in this timeline. [one hand idly goes up to touch the opposite arm, rubbing it just slightly.] ... Though, as you've seen, it didn't go that way.
[because lucien is a pathetic ass loser whose willpower wasn't strong enough!!]
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And you just... believed them? Why?
[ What proof did you have that all these timeloops were real? Also stop Lucien is doing his best and we love him for that. ]
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... One of them was a longtime trusted friend of the others with me. Furthermore, he should've been a complete stranger to me, and yet knew things that I would've only said to those close to me. Apparently, in the first timeline, he had worked under me for years.
Lister was likewise able to verify that L—the one rewinding time knew personal secrets of his, despite not being acquainted as far as he recalled.
[...]
And they had no reason to lie. If they meant to deceive me, they wouldn't have spent so much effort trying to ensure I would stay away in the first place. I had to go through quite a lot of trouble to find them.
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[ These... people (plural)? ]
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And to be honest, we were well past the point of Zenn being suspicious when he had already attacked me in an alleyway earlier in an attempt to scare me off and keep me from learning the truth.
[said dryly. doxxes zenn because frankly his memory already doxxed zenn's immortality so that was half the cat out of the bag.
but more seriously—his tone softens.]
... And I do not like doubting people. [he can admit that, even if it makes him naive.] I don't think I give my trust easily, but even if someone's claims are outrageous, does that itself necessarily mean they're more likely to be lying? I've had plenty of people in the palace try to deceive me with the mundane. [a light shake of his head.] These two had given me no reason to doubt them otherwise, especially given the... circumstances we found them in.
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...You're really something, Lucien-kun.
[ TRULY THIS IS ALL HE CAN GET OUT. CHRIST. Just the ability to trust in people is so impressive, but equally as impressive (but maybe slightly derogatory in comparison) is his ability to just be like btw my friend went crazy and tried to turn me into soup and feed me to EVERYONE! ]
Somehow, I feel like I've been underestimating you.
[ He wasn't, not quite, but relative to the bigger picture, yk? ]
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Ah... pardon?
[what does this mean.]
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It's nothing.
How's your fever?
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it's not like he's completely unaffected, truth be told. he doesn't particularly fear death, doesn't consider his own to be something that should necessarily be grieved even by himself—but what he is scared of is going to sleep and waking up as not himself again. or when he remembers what it was like to want someone dead, which is quite honestly one of the worst feelings in his life, when he doesn't have even an inkling of a death wish against his enemies. anastasia is the one who's pro KILL YOUR ABUSERS, not him...
but he's already been enough of a burden, down to the very end of his life, so the least he could do is avoid that here in purgatory.]
It's fine. Better now—I did tell you it wasn't anything to worry about.
[though speaking of which... hrrrrngh he doesn't really want to ask, but he's aware that he probably should, and who knows? maybe tokinaga would rather think about this than whatever he's thinking.]
Incidentally, how well-versed are you in first aid or medical attention, Tokinaga?
[he knows you helped siffrin out, but checking something...]
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...?
[ He seems surprised by the question. After this, he definitely wasn't expecting that. ]
I'm not a doctor or anything, so I can't fully speak on anything specific, but... I've had a course on quick field aid, like what to do if you get bitten by a wild animal, and I went to school for veterinary studies, so I know how to perform certain kinds of medical attention.
[ Honestly despite being a vet by all means he's actually. Incredibly well-equipped to just practically be a human GP. Since he also looks after Obikawa and, I guess since this is the thread of weird lore bombs, his 'cat' actually has human organs. He's not on the level of the ACTUAL human-body researchers at the Institute but APPARENTLY SINCE HE'S THE CLOSEST THING THAT COUNTS AS A DOCTOR IN PURGATORY!!!!!! NOT THIS AGAIN!!!!!!!!! ]
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Well... hypothetically, if someone was supposed to have stitches in for three months, do you think said stitches would have to be changed at any point before then?
[HYPOTHETICALLY!!]
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Yes? Or at least checked over to see they're doing their job, or even remove them.
[ LUCIEN. ]
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I see. Thank you.
[hm. well! okay.]
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Why?
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[he knows he is not going to get away with this but he must make an attempt.]
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[ LUCIEN...... ]
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