[Mostly Open] So we'll press, and press 'til you can't take it anymore!

[groupiedrifter]

CHARACTERS: Precursors and you. And Eventually Newton. Hopefully!
LOCATION: A holding room in Ximilia Station.
DATE: Est. two days post-mission, after the kaiju is defeated and the orb is retrieved.
CONTENT: The precursors are revealed — and are finally removed from Newt's mind.
WARNINGS: Possession and the bodily autonomy issues that come with that. More will be added if necessary!

Closed and opened starters will be added as I go, which will be announced on plurk! But if you don't use plurk or would rather keep an eye out by email/tracking, feel free to use the tracking option and mark to receive notifs any new top level comments posted to this log! The log will involve an open starter to visit the precursors where they're cuffed/contained in the room, so stay tuned.

Also no rush once the open starters are posted!

Feel free to focus on the player plot log first and come back to this later.

CLOSED STARTER | THE DOCTOR
DARKLING'S TOP LEVEL | WHILE NEWT WAS SLEEPING...
OPEN STARTER | THE PRECURSORS, REVEALED
CLOSED FINAL CONCLUSION | THE PRECURSORS, REMOVED
OPEN PROMPTS | NEWTON GEISZLER'S RETURN

Comments

[groupiedrifter]

[His fingers curl into anxious fists where they sit on the counter.

Emotionless killing machines. It makes his blood freeze and his thoughts fuzz up.]

That's what they wanted to do, too. Just not use my body, but — um. They started doing weird stuff to me, put thoughts in my head over and over until I started believing it. And at the end, the precursors said... that eventually I'd be absorbed. Into the hivemind. I know at the end of everything, they were already starting to take parts of me away. Like, uh... like how — ants start taking parts of a dying insect, even when they're not totally dead yet?

[It's the closest thing he can think of, to explain it. That feeling... that visual. It's fresh enough that he feels hot all over.]

I'm a little worried they absorbed parts of me, and those parts died with them.

hides timestamp with hand

[lateness]

[ The Doctor frowns deeply, Newt's explanation of the precursors ringing far too many bells of his own past experiences with the Cybermen, among some other less savoury alien races.

It chills something deep within him, it's downright haunting, hearing of alien races that would aim to devour others in such a way. It's savage and barbaric and cruel, and he looks at Newt now and absolutely hates that he couldn't see it before. They'd all been fooled by those things, and any memories they might have had in the dreamscape locked away.

He quietly clenches a fist. ]

What parts are you afraid they've taken?

👀 looks betwixt ur fingers | cw: mental health stuff wooohooo

[groupiedrifter]

I don't...

[He seems to consider his words before he can speak them, smoothing his hands over his knees nervously. Moments like these, he feels like every inch of him is uncomfortable, like he doesn't fit in his body correctly anymore.]

It feels like I'm numb. I'm so numb, I can't tell if stuff's been amputated. Like... the things I should love go right through me. I sit at my desk and stare at blank journals until someone knocks. I don't trust my thoughts anymore, so I've been staying away from everyone else. And when someone hugs me or takes my hand or comforts me, there's this little voice in the back of my head — it, uhhhhm. It just says don't touch me over and over... and I'm scared it'll always be there, and the numbness isn't temporary, and they won in making me something I'm not, even after they're gone.

What if I'm just some dimmer, more pathetic version of Newt Geiszler now?

[lateness]

Oh, you'll never be that, Newt Geiszler.

[ How does he sound so sure about that? Well, it's because he's the Doctor, that's why. And he believes it too. That helps. ]

There's enough of you there, enough that they haven't taken that you'll find it all again. It'll flicker back to life. It'll grow stronger.

Suppose it'll just take some time. And I've never been very good at it, you know: time, that is. The waiting bit, I always skipped it all to get to the good part. [ That's the thing about being a Time Lord and having a time-and-spaceship that can pop in and out, skipping the long, boring bits. It isn't like that now, but the Doctor finds ... he's all right with it.

Maybe the skipping was cheating anyway.

And if it means he can be there for a friend, for once, he'll try. That's new. ] But if it helps, if any of it helps at all, I'll wait with you, eh? If you want.

[groupiedrifter]

[He listens and hangs on the Doctor's every word, because he knows he can't at all trust his own right now. Truth be told, it's hard not to take the Precursor's insults to heart in the aftermath of what's happened; they always did tell him every pitfall in his personality, crippled whatever confidence in himself he'd mustered. But the Doctor? What reason would he have to distrust his answers?

It's like the Time Lord thinks: he's the Doctor, and if he's sure, then that's that.

Breathing a deep breath, he nods.]

Thanks. And.

[A pause.]

I guess while we're here —

[He scoots in and takes the Doctor's shoulders, dragging him close and planting a comically loud smooch to one of his cheeks. When he pulls back, he looks a little less like a wilted flower — and a touch like the doofus who would do such a thing.]

Just returning the favor for the greeting you smacked me with in my own head.

You kiss like an old Italian grandpa, you know that?

[lateness]

[ The Doctor's expression goes from solemn to surprised to absolutely delighted, the small grin on his face turning into a soft laugh. ]

Ha-hah — is that what they call it, then? [ He waves a hand as though he's about to introduce tonight's on-stage headliner: ] The Italian Grandpa.

Well, it isn't so bad, is it?