Let's break the celestial automaton!

[omnomnom_feels]

I've been toying with the idea of making some changes to Rashad for a while, and now that I've been talking about him taking some serious damage during the attack on ROMAC, the faction takedown plot seems like a good time to make it happen. The issue with Rashad as he is is that without his own emotions or motivation beyond keeping himself fed, all he really does is lurk and make a handful of people miserable.

Solution? Give the boy his own naturally occurring emotions! He'll be switching back and forth between his present, emotionless self and a state in which he's capable of feeling emotions the normal way, either at random or in response to stimuli on which I haven't decided yet. He's going to be very unhappy about this during those times when he's capable of feeling unhappy, as he is 100% not the slightest bit equipped to deal with having emotions that just happen and change while he was in the middle of feeling something else and are appropriate to the situation and all that other weird, inconvenient stuff mortals' emotions do. Also, remorse? Remorse is for other people, he would like to return that faulty emotion for a refund, thank you. I think this might also result in a change to the way in which he feeds. Maybe during those times when he has his own emotions he's just getting a slow influx of the ambient emotions of the city without being tied down to experiencing exactly what's coming in.

Anyway, here's the part where I need help: Rashad is going to be very badly injured during the attack on ROMAC, and in order to repair himself afterward he's going to have to steal a whole lot of energy from someone. When he's in that bad of shape it's not a conscious decision on his part, and the last time that happened (during his arrival in Manhattan) he accidentally killed a human bystander. I'd be open to him killing one of the characters who's currently expected to die, killing another NPC, or feeding off someone more powerful who can survive the hit. While I could handwave something in him being damaged that causes the change in how he processes emotions, it would be a lot cooler if it was the result of someone deliberately trying to do something to him to stop him going around being the soul sucker we all know and hate.

It's important to note re: the attack on ROMAC that Rashad could get scary powerful if he has time to feed on the anger and panic that will be in the air. Depending on who's going to take him down and how, we need to either arrange for him to be taken out of the fight early on or for someone who can deal with an intangible living fireball to be present.

Comments

[erratic_hematic]

I imagine gabe could handle either the taking down or the power drain. or both. he'll definitely be around.

[omnomnom_feels]

Great! Would you also be interested in him perhaps messing with Rashad's basic functioning in response to the power drain, or would you rather leave that to someone else?

[has_a_horn]

I don't know that he would do that intentionally because he doesn't know enough about Rashad for that, but maybe as like, and attack to Rashad's mind when he's getting away from the attack. Just a flailing mental attack that does something weird. Would that work?

[omnomnom_feels]

That makes the most sense, yeah. I don't think there are a lot of characters who both 1.) know how Rashad works and 2.) have the ability to do anything like this to him, and with the way it's going to work it seems like it would make sense for it to be the result of a weird mental/metaphysical injury.

[johnny_truant]

you know what has never happened is Gabe has never found out about Rashad having fed on Johnny multiple times? I hadn't been thinking Johnny would be involved in the faction stuff but he might actually go if Gabe was doing stuff and he got worried or something, he's exactly that stupid and noble. what if Rashad fed on him prior to trying to attack Gabe? if Gabe pieced it together that this was done to Johnny he might be more aggressive when he hits back??

this is just an idea ball, take or leave u_u

[has_a_horn]

Iiiiiii like the idea, but I'm not sure how that would thread. Maybe we can keep in in mind and see if it fits in then

[johnny_truant]

I guess it would probably have to be a couple threads? But yeah we can just see how it plays out. Whatever's easiest.

[lottawork]

Daniel is gonna be ALL OVER teaching people how to Feel Like a Decent Person and be all about redemption and stuff so that is wonderful :D

[omnomnom_feels]

Can Daniel please just teach him out to control his emotions, by which he means stop feeling them so much

[peacefulexplorer]

Nooo nononono you gotta hold onto those emotions they make you human er. well. they help you emulate humanity and that's important

because there's remorse but there's also happiness!! and that's important!!!

[omnomnom_feels]

But he is not human, why should he emulate humans. Emulating humans is hard and he does not like it.

Also he does not like not liking things. :C

[peacefulexplorer]

these are good feelings he's feeling and maybe they're worth it if they create happiness and good things c:

thank fuck Rush isn't around ehh

[omnomnom_feels]

But if he wants to be happy he should just be able to eat some happiness why is this so complicated.

And oh gosh Rashad is going to nope the fuck out of at least some of his future encounters with Rush because Iman is scary when you have feels.

[lottawork]

the noping out will probably be mutual. well. depending on what kind of emotional stability Rush will have regained by then following his unpleasant and probably traumatic incarceration

yeah Rashad should probably not touch that

at least Daniel will want to help! kinda. sorta. not help get rid of the emotions so much as help Rashad embrace them and then learn to feel bad for all the bad things he done won't that be fun

[omnomnom_feels]

But he doesn't want to feel bad! It feels bad!

Seriously though he is going to be the biggest baby with zero emotional modulation. I don't know where he's going to end up immediately after ROMAC's fall, but it's going to be pathetic, I can tell you that much.

[lottawork]

excellent excellent

Daniel will be...around. In kind of a more literal sense. He'll be atoms for a little while. Higher dimensional atoms trying to figure out how the heckie he's supposed to spectrally manifest like this. Perfect time to stumble upon an emotionally stunted eloim and be able to actually understand the ~biology and whatnot

[omnomnom_feels]

He can be Rashad's imaginary friend.

[peacefulexplorer]

oh my goodness

[endless_epithumia]

Oh you sweet summer child. Won't this be interesting.

[omnomnom_feels]