[network] @Ecks; In the open [open] [video] evening 156

[ecks]

[She's been thinking about this for days and days now. She's thought about it since House said it was stupid to keep everything a secret and that she'd get more sympathy if she was honest about her age. Since Beckett didn't understand why it was a secret at all. Then since Watson told everyone she was a murderer, but then told Clint she was trying to be a good girl.

Since she ran away from Clint and his people this morning even though he didn't try to hurt her once he knew what she had done to Duster.

She waits until after lockdown just in case they are all wrong and someone will try to find her after this. The video opens with her looking into the camera, her scarf bunched around her neck but her patchwork face clearly on display. Her expression is blank, her voice toneless.]

My name is Ecks and I am not human. I have decided that it is not a secret anymore. I am a golem made out of dead people, but I am a person and that is the part that is important. I am two years old and a few months and I have decided that I do not want to hurt or kill people when I do not have to, and that is also important. Doctor House and Beckett say that it does not matter what I am and I think I would be happy if that is true.

[It seems like there should be more than that to say, but she just stares a moment longer before turning off the camera. She will not bring up the murder if she does not have to.]

Comments

@totheark, text

[0thingsonmymind]

whatis
go lem
?

*He doesn't really care what she is, he just doesn't know that word.*

text

[ecks]

likea
ro bot
nota
ro bot

@Aigis; video; private

[athenashand]

[Aigis isn't sure what to expect when she first sees the post. The girl(?) certainly doesn't look like most humans Aigis has seen, but she's still humanoid. As the video goes on, of course, Aigis realizes why she looks so different.

She doesn't respond right away, needing to think about what to say, if she should even say anything. She doesn't really know this person, but she does know what it's like to hide what you are. To be afraid that you're not good enough because you aren't human.

It makes her sad, to think that someone else feels like that.

So she decides to send a video message in response, made private just in case.] Hello, Ecks-san. It's nice to meet you. My name is Aigis.

I'm not human, either.

video | private

[ecks]

[Solidarity. Ecks is going to hold herself to this and use video.]

I think it is not as unusual as I thought it was to not be human here. Beckett says it is not strange. Is it a secret that you are not human?

@itsybitsy; audio; private

[redrooms]

[Oh, Ecks.]

"When you don't have to." Was someone making you hurt people before?

audio | private

[ecks]

[For once in her life, Ecks is matching media to the people who reply instead of blasting everyone with text. It is...strange.]

Before I was here I did the things that I was told to do, and sometimes I was told to kill people. I did not find a reason why and so I decided to stop.

@makeme; audio; private

[coyoteking]

[Charles hasn't met Ecks much, just briefly that time in the clinic, and then they talked some when she was auctioning condoms. She seemed weird, but not bad weird. Kinda nice, actually. Sucks that she apparently murdered Royce, because he likes Royce, but he also can't exactly judge. So he doesn't just spitefully skip her post like he does with some people.

Instead, he listens with growing unease. Made out of dead people? Like Frankenstein? That's... horrifying, but also, Ecks didn't choose to be what she is. And she's right, she is a person. Thinking of people as anything less than people is the start to basically everything horrible, and he's not gonna do it.

Also, she's a kid. Soft spot activated.]

Hey, good on you. For, you know, deciding no to be a murderer anymore. [He can kinda relate to that whole "having to kill people without wanting to" thing, the one he can read between the lines here. Her decision is... kind of admirable, really. Even if sticking to it clearly hasn't been easy.] Was there someone making you hurt people before? Or did someone try to do that here?

audio | private

[ecks]

[That soft spot activation is exactly why House told her to share the part about how old she is ages ago now. Ecks, of course, has no idea how well it's worked.]

No one tried to do that here. When I was home I did the things I was told to do, but now I choose what I will do and what I will not do.

[She can neither confirm nor deny, good sir.]

@jwatson; audio

[jumpthegun]

It doesn't matter what you are, Ecks. You're a person, and like I said, nothing can take that away from you.

audio

[ecks]

I think that is true. I am glad that is true.

@zd; video

[swatsflies]

[ Whoa! So this is why she was upset about face stealing. After a bit, he'll turn the feed on. Seated in his lap is the rainbow dog. Look, her future friend is here with him! ]

Yo, Ecks.

[ He's going to make the little plush dog wave a paw. ]

GH and Beckett are telling the truth. It doesn't matter what you are, but who you want to be.

[ And in Zell's books, she's pretty great! ]

video

[ecks]

[Rainbow dog! Sorry, her gaze is just locked on that thing. It is glorious and she wants it so bad.]

Doctor House does not always tell the truth but I think he told the truth this time. I want to be a good person, and I think that is important.

@hotstud_xxx; text

[rubikscomplex]

i told you no one would care
idiot

text

[ecks]

your mom is an idiot

@IAmLegend; video; private

[definingfuture]

Not wanting to hurt people is good. I'm glad... And it doesn't matter what you are.

video | private

[ecks]

I think maybe it still matters, but it matters more that I am a person.

@username; text; private

[advanced]

[He can't identify with being literally made out of pieces of dead person, but everything else resonates with him a surprising amount. That she has to affirm that she's a person, that she's making a choice to try and not kill, it draws him into responding.]

It's going to be difficult, don't give up.

private | audio

[ecks]

I know. I thought it would be simple to choose to not do bad things, but it is not simple. Beckett says that it is not as hard to learn to choose as it is to give up choosing but I think he is wrong about that part. I do not think he knows anything about it.

I think you know things about it.

@duster, audio

[bywolves]

And are you happy after making this announcement? [ Not that he cares, because he really doesn't. This is goodwill. This is Royce letting people know he does not hold a grudge against Ecks. ]

audio

[ecks]

I think I am happy. I think that it was right that no one would care, and that is good.

I think people here do not care what species or creatures the other people here are.

[Hint. Hint. She's not going to spill your secret, bro, but maybe you shouldn't murder people over it anymore.]

@featherydouche; text; private

[mrcreamsicles]

[Well this is a weird thing to see his first night in Norfinbury. Not one he can really ignore, either, considering the content. Not human, no longer a secret? He picks through the responses he can see, reading or listening to replies, until he feels like he should just talk to her directly. Though with a certain dude thanks House who hassled him earlier among the visible responders, he decides it best to send his message privately.]

hey so
do you mind a couple questions from a stranger

text | private

[ecks]

[Does she mind? What a strange question.]

i do not mind?

@jwilson; video

[oh_negative]

[Wilson had suspected that there was more to Ecks than she was letting on ever since their conversation in the entrance to the tunnels. A literal golem is, well, more than he anticipated, but all-in-all, he's not terribly surprised. Somehow. Goes to show this town's effect on people, even those who haven't been here for very long.

In any case, this is her moment and he's not about to make this about him with any "I knew it"ing. He does switch on his video for her, though.]

Hi again, Ecks. It's very brave of you to post this, but Dr. House and Beckett are right [For once.]; what you "are" doesn't matter. I'm glad to have met you.

video

[ecks]

[He's not the first to have said that, but she still pauses a moment as she thinks about it. Others have said it privately, so she does not mind repeating.]

I think that it does matter what I am, but it matters more that I am a person and that I am learning.

@determination, video

[despiteeverything]

Dr. H can be dumb about a lot of things, but he's right about this. All of that's really important things to decide too.

[Frisk's grin is a bit more subdued, but still fairly big as they address their feed. They're pleased, really. And it made some things make sense too. But more than anything they wanted to be sure that she knew that none of it mattered to Frisk at all, at least not in a bad way.]

video

[ecks]

[Ecks smiles back -- first a natural sort of pulling back of the corners of her mouth that happens on its own. Then as she actually thinks about it and decides she's going to smile, it morphs into an awkward, probably unsettling wide grin.]

Yes, sometimes he is very stupid, but I am glad that he was not stupid about this.

@Rdua, video

[blessedmaiden]

[She just offers her most sincere smile to the camera, Ecks is far from the first undea-pardon, flesh golem she ever met so...]

Thanks for telling us. It's such a shame you kept hiding such a beautiful face just because you didn't want us to know- and, as annoying as it is to admit it, both House and Beckett were right.

video

[ecks]

[Ecks blinks in surprise that doesn't much show itself otherwise. Beautiful? No one has ever called her beautiful except her maker.]

I thought people would be much more upset.

@snailfan98, video

[inruins]

[This post is... quite a doozy. Eck's appearance isn't frightening given how varied monsters are at home. Even with the slight discomfort that rises at what she's made of Toriel won't comment upon it.

Beyond the initial surprise the boss monster is glad the young woman was honest with them. When she replies, she's smiling warmly back at the viewfinder, her voice is gentle.]

I'm glad you were able to tell us, dear. These kinds of things can be rather nerve wracking. I will admit... it is why I stuck to voice messages and texts for so long. Reactions can vary with people and that can be a bit frightening.

If you ever have any questions about anything, you are free to ask me. I'd be happy to answer to the best of my abilities. I still owe you puzzles as it is.

video

[ecks]

I had never met many people before I came here.

[And the ones she had met were either people of the Fleshworks, who'd hurt her more often than not, or people outside the Fleshworks that she had hurt. She does not want to talk about that, though.]

I had not met many people but I had met enough people who were afraid of me that I thought people here would be afraid. Were people afraid when they saw what you were?

I would like to have more puzzles.