finalbows | Austice Memory Changes Log / State of the Gem

Gem Status:

There are a few very minor little scuffs on the surface of the gem that weren't there when Kuja first arrived. A...accidents happen.. He keeps some soft cloth wrapped around it and tied off with string now.

Kuja's gem looks as if it is four separate pieces that are somehow still stuck together, with distinctive cracks you can follow to map out the shape of each major chunk. There is a large divot in one side, going all the way in to show off the center of the gem. The outside of the orb is blue, the inner core, red -- but when it's out of sunlight, the colors change place.

One of the cracks is very wide, and rimmed with a rotten black. That part of the gem jiggles a little ominously if you poke it wrong.

Part of a different crack in the round gem has been sealed off by a little line of clear crystal, tiny little baby points of quartz growing out of the crack. That's.. better than it losing more bits, right? Right.

Losses

Current:

• Why he hates his tail - erases the majority of his dysmorphia, changes his relationship to his homeworld entirely from utter disgust to acceptance. He still sees his fellow Genomes as terrifying empty shells and dreads that as his intended fate.. but he doesn't despise looking like one, and doesn't reject Terra as a whole. He's ignoring a giant weight of melancholy toward the fate of that world now.

• The purpose for which he was created. He knows he was made for something, that he was damn good at it -- but that he was judged insufficient for the role. His only clue is that for some reason... He really believed that destroying the crystal of origin could fulfill his role, in some way.

• That he can use telepathy (I do not want to write it as a tool he has lmao). He still remembers it as something Genomes can do, but thinks that for some absurd reason he can't do it. It's whatever, he is a special boy in many ways.

• All of his memories from TDM #1/the game prologue.

• Garnet's name, appearance and voice -- he remembers her and the role he made her play in his grand plan, but there's a clear void of things he SHOULD know about her... he just remembers "the summoner princess of Alexandria," though he can uh. Assume her name had 'til Alexandros' in it somewhere.

Future:

• Garland's name. He says his name a lot in his diary, but even when he hears it again, it just.. doesn't feel right. Is he sure he knew the man's real name?

Alterations

Current:

• That the process for creating black mages is directly based off of that of Genomes (he no longer conflates the black mages with himself, even if it would be a natural step in his thoughts).

• In December, the false happy memory Kuja 'regained' is of a time he got terribly sick, and Garland saw to it personally to care for him through his illness.

• This is an alteration of a real memory that was.. uh.. worserer.

Future:

• He'll forget that he killed Lord King and took his identity, instead remembering staying a part of the man's inner circle, presenting him the idea and technology to make the black mages, and egging him on into making a lucrative weapons deal with Queen Brahne. He'll recall serving as the go-between for the Queen and Lord King, and slowly, carefully dropping a trail of breadcrumbs for Brahne, so that she would identify him as the real brains, the real THREAT, and ultimately give him the chance to wrest control of the Eidolons.

....this changes a lot! Kuja won't have a (stolen) surname anymore, he won't present himself in the role of a noble, and he'll look on his experiences in Treno much more negatively, lacking the satisfaction of becoming top dog. He still remembers moving primarily in the circles of the rich and powerful and living in King's mansion, but it's now all in the role of a sycophant constantly having to watch his footing. Ugh, he hates how much he relates to Zorn and Thorn now.

Red Roses

• Kuja is experiencing recurring dreams, always involving roses. The rest of the details come and go, but the red roses are always there. It's not every time he goes to sleep, but the dreams ARE getting more frequent.
• While harvesting marigolds with Dimos, Kuja remembered that... he knew lots of things about roses! Despite... previously being quite confident he knew jack shit about plants...