rostfree

[teapopp]

Thank you :)

[scientist-of-love]

Talking a lot about my AITSF fan project!!!

As you may know, I really, really like Pewter. He doesn't get a lot of time so I really want to see things from his perspective. I like him so much, in fact, that I've made a whole project about him!

To preface: 1) It's still a huge work in progress, there's a few characters that haven't been named or designed and a ton of plot details to still be worked out

2) I'm not planning to make it anything concrete, like a comic or a fic. Maybe one day...

That being said, I wanted to share it! AITSF has become a huge interest of mine, and I know I have some AITSF followers now... So I want to share what I've been doing, and maybe get some talk going!

As of now it doesn't have a real title, but I've been calling it Pewtergame. The premise is a hypothetical prequel game all about him! (Though, moreso focused on just the story then how it'd function as a game. Hard to figure out how to fill in gaps without AI-balls and the like, let alone if there'll even be multiple routes.)

These are all the characters I've designed for it so far! This is going to be a long post, so I'll go into the actual story and character details under cut. (There are mentions of murder, but nothing graphic and nothing worse than AITSF itself.)

Plot overview so far!

The story is split into two segments: Past (2013) and Present (2018).

Past focuses on the trialling of the newly made Psync Machine, and the very first psync... And what goes wrong as a result. Alongside that, the case ABIS is investigating begins to escalate more and more.

Present takes place 5 years later. Pewter is enjoying his everyday life... Until a sudden murder pulls him into another perplexing case.

The main themes I'm focusing on as of now are love, and creation - specifically, creators and their relationship to what they make.

I'll explain the cast more indepth after this, but the story so far goes something like this:

Past

Pewter and Boss are tasked with using the newly made Psync machine to investigate a theft. Pewter's old friend from school (TBN) volunteers to psync with the prime suspect, Kurogane. They discover an unintended feature of the psync machine, that it can swaps consciousnesses. Kurogane escapes in the psyncer's body, and the psyncer is left behind in hers.

Pewter, feeling guilty about his friend's situation, involves himself directly in the investigation. As he investigates, his younger sister Makane meets with him. She introduces him to her good friend Tomoru Kouseki.

Later, someone from the investigation team lets Pewter know Makane was spotted lurking around an important location (TBD). He gets a bad feeling and goes to see what his sister is up to. He finds her crouched over Tomorou's body.

She's brought in for questioning, but won't answer anything she's asked. Pewter goes and sees her, and asks to psync with her since she's struggling to talk. She agrees. Pewter psyncs with her himself to make her more comfortable, as well as wanting to make sure nothing goes wrong on his end.

Her somnium reveals that she's completely innocent, as Pewter thought. After this point, I don't have much else fleshed out.

They find Kurogane and return her mind to her body. She's arrested on suspicion of both the theft and murder, and the case is quickly swept under the rug to hide the truth about the Psync Machine. Pewter has misgivings.

Present (I have a lot less figured out here)

Pewter enjoys some peace. He checks in with his friend and Makane. Later, he goes to see Renju for their anniversary. He gifts his lover the wristwatch.

A couple of weeks later, Renju is working late at Lemniscate. On his way out, he spots the silhouette of... Someone against the side of the building. He discovers the body of a woman. So starts the next case.

Hearing Renju is involved, Pewter immediately goes to see him. He asks some questions, but is more concerned with finding out how Renju is doing

I have barely any other specific plot events laid out, so most of the details from will be in the character section below this.

Eventually, the true culprit behind both Past and Present is revealed. Gin Shiratsuki manipulated his "friend" Kurogane, and had her take the fall for him.

And of course, after everything's resolved, there's a nice epilogue and a dance number led by Seiko.

Cast

Pewter - Past & Present

- 30 in Past, 35 in Present

- The man himself! Everything is from his perspective.

- There's a lot of focus on his relationships to the people he loves, as well as his relationship to his inventions (mainly the Psync Machine).

- I imagine there'd also be a lot of fun details! Like how he got involved in ABIS in the first place, what he gets up to outside of work, some of his personal insight into his creations, all that stuff that doesn't come up in AITSF. While I haven't come up with all that just yet, I hope I can include it in the bigger picture.

Boss - Past & Present

- 35 in Past, 40 in Present

- She has a similar role to AITSF, but she's more involved here.

- She has a lot of interaction with Pewter, and their relationship gets more focus. I think she's the reason he's part of ABIS in the first place, so that has some bearing on their relationship.

Mama - Most of what I have planned for her is for Present, but she'll probably appear in Past too

- 29 in Past, 34 in Present (Probably)

- Her role is the same as AITSF, acting as an informant. She and Pewter do have some good conversations, some about general events, some about Renju in particular.

Araya Kagami - Past & Present - He's there!

Renju Okiura - Present

- 35/36 in Present (haven't 100% decided when this takes place)

- Renju is a lot of things, but the most relevant here is Pewter's lover. Their relationship gets a lot of focus!

- His discovery of the second victim's body is what initially draws Pewter into the 2018 case.

- I don't have a lot worked out for him yet but I want to make him important! Also want to have some focus on him as an individual, go into some things AITSF didn't touch on.

The first psyncer (TBN) - Past & Present

- 30 in Past, 35 in present

- A good friend of Pewter's from school that he's stayed in touch with. She's a very kindhearted woman and is always eager to help people. Intrigued by Pewter's call, she offers to become the first psyncer.

- Despite being very rattled by the body swap, she still does her best to help where she can.

- In Present, she returns to take on the case as the main psyncer.

Makane Amanoma - Past & Present

- 24 in Past, 29 in Present

- Pewter's younger sister. Pewter nicknamed her "Kane".

- She's a pretty easygoing person, notably more outgoing and outspoken than her brother. She doesn't like sitting around doing nothing, and is very confident in herself. Teasing Pewter is a favourite past time of hers.

- Although she enjoys being a menace to her older brother, she does genuinely care about him. She trusts him more than anything, and they get along really well. After finding Tomorou's body, he was the only one who could get her to finally open up about what happened.

Numea Kurogane - Mostly Past, but makes appearances in Present too

- 36 in Past, 41 in Present

- A cold fashion model and designer who seems to hold her work above all else. She has a tendency to avoid people or push them away if they interfere with her time to work on her projects.

- She feels that no one understands her work, and she looks down on those who question her rather than inviting them to learn. She believes Gin is the only one who understands her.

- Gin is the only person she sees as a friend. She clings to that connection, and that's used to take advantage of her.

- She hates Pewter's guts and his outfit.

Tomorou Kouseki - Past

- 24 in Past

- A good friend of Makane

- Tomorou is a very friendly, very sweet guy who makes a living as a professional photographer. He's just a great guy to be around, really good company. Makane gets him to take a photo of her and Pewter together when she introduces him to her brother.

- I'm still working out the exact details, but he got a photo of something that pointed to Gin being the culprit. He lost his camera, and Gin held off acting because he hoped that'd be enough to stop Tomorou. But Makane found it and returned it to him. Gin decided something had to be done before he turned in the evidence.

- Just to be sure, Tomorou decided to follow up what he found at the (TBD) important location. He let Makane know he was gonna leave for a while. He never came back, so Makane went looking for him... And discovered the body.

- He's the first victim, murdered by Gin to make absolute sure he stayed silent.

TBN A - Mostly past, makes a small appearance in present

- Still deciding on his occupation (some kind of manual labour?) but he does creative writing as a hobby.

- I don't have a ton worked out for this guy yet, but he's a friend of another TBN character who appears in present. A steady, grounded guy with a straightforward perspective. He simply does what he thinks is right, no question about it.

- He has some sort of connection to the 2013 case.

- Pewter finds him very handsome.

TBN B - Present

- A painter who's always trying to find inspiration. In Present, he's struggling with art block.

- He's a pretty laidback guy who doesn't seem to have a lot of cares. While it's partially true, he's repressed a lot of real dark feelings.

- He was friends with TBN A in past, but a (TBD) event pushed them apart. He dealt with it by pushing TBN A away out of shame and fear, deciding to simply pretend the incident never happened.

- After he's psynced with, ABIS learns of his old friendship. Pewter approaches him and talks to him about it. He finally opens up, and makes an effort to reconcile with his old friend.

- Again, still working things out, but his connection with TBN A helps reveal the connection between the 2013 and 2018 cases.

Here's the concept sketches, B on the left and A on the right.

Seiko Kotetsu - Present - 18 in Present - A spunky, outgoing newbie idol who works for Lemniscate. Renju is giving her a hand putting herself out there. Pewter meets her while looking for him at Lemniscate. (She cluelessly tries to introduce him to his own boyfriend. Then calls him an old man.) - She's very passionate about her music, and a little desperate for it to be heard. She craves the attention and praise, something to prove she's on the right path. Alongside that, she's insecure about what she makes, especially if she doesn't get it perfect right away. - Her mother, Ukana, passed away in a car accident 6 years before Present. Ukana was a composer who was very passionate about her craft and her family. She taught Seiko everything she knew about music. Because of everything, Seiko believes Ukana lives on in the music she makes. She wants her music to be heard not only for herself, but so that her mother can live on in it. - She ends up spending time with Pewter, and takes a liking to him. She can tell Renju trusts him, though she doesn't fully get why. She doesn't really care though, as long as Pewter's not causing trouble.

Taichi Kotetsu - Present - 48 in Present - The husband of Ukana and father of Seiko. - A humble, mild-mannered jeweller. He wants nothing more than to support his daughter. He's her biggest fan, listens to all her music, and tries to help with whatever she needs. - He worries that Seiko is pushing herself too hard and wonders if the idol life is really what's best for her. But he's afraid of bringing her down, especially after she endured such a terrible time losing her mother. - He shares the grief of losing Ukana with Seiko. He knows he can never make up for the place she left in their lives, but he wants to do everything in his power to see Seiko smile. - He knew the second victim (still unsure how exactly). She bought a necklace from him, which was found at the scene. Pewter took it after Kagami confirmed it belonged to the victim, and Seiko saw it and identified it as her father's work. - He knows something, but I'm unsure as to what.

The Second Victim (TBN) - Present

- I have nothing worked out her yet asides from her formerly being a friend of Gin, and her having gold motifs.

- Pewter doesn't meet her personally, but she's talked about and learnt about that way.

Gin Shiratsuki - Past & Present

- 30 in Past, 35 in Present - The true culprit of Past and Present. On the surface, he's calm and friendly enough. He even comes off similar to Pewter. However, it's all surface level. It's very easy to set him off. - Much like Pewter, he takes great pride in his achievements and creations. However, he thinks that he deserves all the praise and recognition, and that anyone who's better than him is a threat. He thinks his way is the only way. - He drove away or cut off a lot of his friends because of that, leaving only Kurogane. He feels a genuine like for her, but he doesn't think using her in the way he does is really bad. - Figuring out the specifics still, but he was involved with the Wadjet System. (Maybe as a programmer?) He felt that his contributions were overlooked (whether they actually were is questionable) and grew bitter towards his co-workers. - He learnt about Pewter and the Psync Machine through Kurogane, and he hates Pewter for it. He acknowledges how talented Pewter is, and he sees that as a threat. His grudge only grows more personal as Pewter interferes with his plans. It turns into a something akin to a parasocial relationship, though it's more of a rivalry. - He calls Pewter by his nickname despite not knowing him personally (Kurogane mentioned it to him). He's not doing it to be friendly, but rather attempting to reduce Pewter to the name associated with his ABIS work. Pewter doesn't know why Gin is calling him that, but he finds it really unnerving coming from a stranger speaking with spite.

- I have all that, but I'm still working out the exact details of Gin's motives and crimes. Concept for Gin:

I did consider having Date involved but 1) it's hard to fit him in a way that doesn't sidetrack the story and 2) it's heavily tied in with the Psync Machine, and he is not allowed to know that! I did want to explore Pewter's relationship with Aiba, but perhaps that can be for something else.

The main things I'm working out are the exact details of the crimes, and how all the individual pieces fit together. I also want to make the cast more interconnected. Making something near as elaborate as AITSF takes a lot of work!

Okay, that was a lot...! But that's about the extent of what I have going on! Of course there are some other details, but this post is long enough. Maybe I'll post some of my other art for it. For now, I hope this was interesting! I am very very open to talking about what I have going, I'm very eager to share!

[teapopp]

4/6 done?

[teapopp]

also ive def mentioned it before but izumi hated trevor

[teapopp]

they're twins

[teapopp]

[ill show the yumetober stuff tmr]

Ai Kouseki 💎 - "Anya... No... Don't kid me..."

Only a few months after the disappearance of Izumi Sycamore, Anya takes Ai to check out an alley Izumi is known to frequent.

Upon further investigation, the dried blood was discovered to be Izumi's. No other traceable evidence was found and a year later, the alley opened up again. Anya stays by the alley and follows around people dressed in red. Nobody knows what it could mean. Team flare was already disbanded.

[teapopp]

we've got looker bureau, which is IzuAi lore involving Izumi's death disappearance and izumi's trusty furfrou, Anya.

and then for YumeTober, there's days 15,16,17 🎀

i couldnt genderbent Cagedbirds because nothing would change. Shiro canonically bakes sweets. Izumi and Trevor don't really like to tease each other because Trevor takes a lot of things literally or seriously, and Izumi doesn't understand their language too well. Izumi is cheeky with his actions, though.

[teapopp]

day 1 & 2 for xy week lol

yumetober stuff and pokemonxyweek2024 stuff

day 11🍊🫐 colours like healer glow also who was gonna tell me orange and blue were opposites was i supposed to remember that from elementary school art class

day 12🦉🐦‍⬛ dancing bc shiro is a hater

day 13🍊🫐 admiration is straightforward

[teapopp]

'relationship unknown but its speculated to be romantic' bffr tabitha you know they kiss ur just mad a 14 yro has a love life n u dont

also ai/indigo stuff since i never draw him

[teapopp]

its ai and izumi's birthdays tomorrow !! and my birthday too hehe :] here's a little wip

[teapopp]

Kalos Boys in CGYT

trevor is an orange tabby

izumi (basil) and ai (indigo) are lops

tierno is a sun bear

[teapopp]

im also on twt guys im so cool or something

- Serena and Tierno tell me to bond with Trevor. We get along fine. We get along better when he shows me a shortcut to Santalune City. Then it went downhill.

[teapopp]

easily digestible oc lore

[teapopp]

UM ANYWAYS LOOK AT MY NEW OCS THEY R SO CUTE ARENT THEY ????? I HAVE MORE TOO ON MY TOYHOUSE ITS JUST RHESE R ONES I PERSONALLY MADE I LOVE THEM SO MUCH :(((( STARTS SCREAMING AND SOBBING

[scientist-of-love]

Talking a lot about my AITSF fan project - Updated!

Hi!! So, a few months ago I made a post about my Pewter fan project! I've been working on it lots since then, and I have a ton of new character and story developments! I figured I have enough to make a new, more in-depth post.

If you don't already know, Dream of the Inventor is my AITSF fan story centered on my favourite character Pewter! It's a prequel to AI: The Somnium Files, and is split into two segments: Past and Present. Past follows ABIS' first case using the Psync Machine, and Present follows Pewter being pulled into a sudden murder that is more than it appears. It focuses on themes of love and creation - particularly creators' relationship to what they make. Dreams (literal and as in aspirations) are a motif as well. I'd like to also work in some themes and motifs from AITSF itself, but I'm still working on how they fit in.

I imagine it would go into some things like why Pewter is in ABIS, his relationship to Boss, his past, all that fun stuff! I haven't really thought of all that myself, but I'd like to incorporate it into the story somehow. There's also everything with Renju I'd like to include... Exploring the depth of love that makes him do the things he does in the right routes, and things like that.

As of now, I have the cast of characters and the framework of the story. I'm still working out some specific plot points, but I've got a lot more than I had last time I talked about it! I'm taking a break from the big story to focus on some of the themes, motifs, and smaller details. Things are subject to change of course, but I'm happy with the progress I've made! Mostly locations and somnia are what's being developed at the moment.

All that being said, this is going to be a long post! Characters and story under the cut!

Content warnings for discussions of death and murder, but nothing worse than what's already in AITSF.

Overview - Past

Past takes place in September 2013. The Psync machine is being trialled for the first time to investigate a large theft case. Things go well... Until Pewter and Boss discover an unintended function of the Psync machine. Rokua, the psyncer, and Kurogane, the psync subject, have their consciousnesses swapped into each other's bodies. Pewter takes responsibility and resolves to help solve the case. Stakes get higher as Kurogane disappears while in Rokua's body, and the theft case turns into a murder.

Overview - Present

Five years after the case's conclusion, in September 2018, a body is discovered outside Lemniscate by Renju Okiura. Pewter gets involved in another murder case as connections to the 2013 case become more and more apparent.

Characters (OC files at the end)

Pewter (30 in Past, 35 in Present)

Boss (35 in Past, 40 in Present)

Numea Kurogane, a cold fashion star who's the prime suspect of the 2013 case (36 in Past, 41 in Present)

Rokua Dou, a friend of Pewter's and detective who becomes the first person to psync. She studied psychology, and has a knack for getting inside people's heads. (29 in Past, 34 in Present)

Makane Amanoma, Pewter's younger sister who works as a mail carrier. She's outspoken and outgoing. (24 in Past, 29 in Present)

Tomorou Kouseki, a friendly photographer who's friends with Makane (24 in Past)

Araya Kagami (24 in Past, 29 in Present)

Motofumi Namari, an IT team leader who works at the tech firm that was stolen from. Pewter thinks he's very handsome. (32 in Past, 37 in Present)

Mama (29 in Past, 34 in Present)

Hiyori Kin, the victim of the 2018 murder case (35 in Present)

Renju Okiura (36 in Present)

Masaru Suzuya, a painter stuck in a rut who was friends with Motofumi (35 in Present)

Ritsuko Enshu (35 in Present)

Seiko Kotetsu, a spunky idol who's new at Lemniscate (18 in Present)

Taichi Kotetsu, a mild-mannered jeweller and Seiko's father (47 in Present)

Ukana Kotetsu, a zealous musician who was Seiko's mother and Taichi's wife (42, deceased)

Gin Shiratsuki, a bitter programmer who was fired from working on the Wadjet System. He's the true culprit of both cases. (30 in Past, 35 in Present)

(Designs of Ukana and Hiyori to come!)

Okay! Onto the story! I'll only go over the basic details since explaining the whole thing will take way too long, but I'm open to going more in depth if anyone asks! There are a lot of smaller details I still need to figure out, but these are most of the major plotpoints.

Past, 2013

The story opens with Pewter dreaming. I'm still working on what it's exactly about, but it features various parts of his life that come up throughout the story.

The recently formed ABIS has been assigned to investigate a large theft from a tech firm (TBN). Evidence found at the scene points to Kurogane as the prime suspect. However, they're lacking motive. She's not talking, and it's been decided she will be Psynced with. It'll be the first Psync after the Psync machine's completion.

Pewter has gotten in contact with a friend of his from college. Rokua happily agrees to the offer, fascinated by the idea and eager to help.

Before they see Kurogane, Boss calls Pewter into her office to discuss the case. They get talking about dreams, and Boss asks Pewter what his dream is. (I'm still working on the specifics, but it'll be a reoccurring thing as I get more sorted out.)

-

Pewter questions Kurogane before the Psync begins. She isn't fond of him or his outfit.

Kurogane's somnium (TBN) begins. Things go smoothly for about 6 minutes, until things starting getting... Unusual. Kurogane and Rokua swap bodies.

Pewter figures out why it happened and talks to Boss and Rokua after the Psync. Although the Psync system had gone through rigorous testing and research, some things can't be accounted for until it's put to use properly.

Kurogane manages to escape. Pewter takes responsibility and decides to try and fix what happened.

-

Pewter goes to the gardens (TBN) to clear his mind while he comes up with a plan. There, he runs into his sister Makane and her friend Tomorou. Tomorou is using a spare camera because he misplaced him.

Makane notices he seems out of it, and tries to cheer him up. She gets Tomorou to take a photo of them together.

Pewter is able to refocus thanks to his sister, and decides to visit the crime scene for clues on Kurogane's whereabouts.

Pewter talks to Kagami, but gets no information that narrows things down. He then meets Motofumi. They start talking, but Motofumi abruptly says he's leaving. His shift has ended, and he doesn't want to stay overtime. He offers Pewter to meet him at his house the next day since he has the day off.

Pewter leaves, and asks the investigation team to tell him if they see anything suspicious.

-

Pewter, stuck at a dead end, decides to go to Marble to ask Mama if she knows anything. He runs into Tomorou at Golden Yokocho, taking photos of the lights. They talk about Tomorou's dream of using photography to immortalise happy moments and people's memories.

I'm still figuring out what Mama and Pewter talk about, but after some conversation, Mama ultimately doesn't have anything on Kurogane's whereabouts.

Pewter goes home and invites Rokua over to talk about what they're going to do going forward. Pewter tries to be there for her, feeling she's the one who's the most at stake.

-

The following day, Pewter goes to Motofumi's house. They talk about Motofumi's passion for writing (particularly gay romance novels, which Pewter is happy to learn).

When Pewter starts asking about what the thief could've wanted, Motofumi suddenly starts avoiding questions. He shuts down anything Pewter tries asking about, becoming more and more suspicious.

Motofumi is brought in to be psynced with. Rokua insists on psyncing, and they begin his somnium (TBN). They learn of Motofumi's true passion, and that he's only doing his tech job because he can't make a living off his books. They also find out that Motofumi was leading a team looking into the Wadjet system.

After the Psync, Motofumi admits to hiding what he knew. He didn't want to be dragged into something when he already has so little time to work on what he loves. He's taken a liking to Pewter, so he decides to tell him about what's going on.

Motofumi was tasked by the company to look into uses for and experiment with the Wadjet system. It was meant to be confidential, but a data leak happened a while back. Everything the thief took seemed to be related to the work Motofumi was leading.

-

While this is happening, Makane finds and returns Tomorou's camera. She knows there's something important on it, but she doesn't snoop.

Back on the night of the theft, Tomorou got a photo of Gin at the scene. However, Gin saw him, and Tomorou dropped his camera and ran. He was too nervous to bring up what he saw because he thought no one would take him seriously without evidence.

Makane comes up with the idea to meet Pewter to talk to him. She contacts him, but he's still dealing with Motofumi so he can't. They arrange to meet at the gardens the next morning.

Later that night, Tomorou gets a NILE message from an unknown number. They ask him to come to an abandoned building (TBN) on the edge of the Kabasaki district. It was an old establishment of the tech company Motofumi works for. The sender says they can help with Tomorou's photo.

Tomorou is suspicious, but he really wants to help Makane and Pewter. He tells Makane where he's going and that he'll come to her place afterwards. He takes a boxcutter for self defence, and goes to the location.

Gin is there, waiting for him. He tries to talk Tomorou down, but his malicious intentions are clear. Tomorou tries to run, but Gin isn't having it.

Tomorou and Gin struggle. Tomorou manages to cut Gin with the boxcutter, but Gin overpowers him.

Gin destroys Tomorou's camera and takes the boxcutter. Tomorou never shows up to Makane's house.

-

After hours of waiting, Makane gets worried. She goes to find him.

She finds no trace of anyone, until she finds his body inside.

Pewter gets a call from the investigation team. Someone thought they saw Rokua around the old establishment. They also saw Makane loitering around there, and thought her behaviour seemed odd.

Pewter gets a bad feeling. He goes to find his sister, and finds her kneeling over Tomorou's body.

-

The next day, Makane has been brought in for questioning. She's not talking. Pewter is adamant that she's innocent, but knows the circumstances look suspicious.

Boss suggests that he talk to her, and to psync with her if talking is too difficult.

Pewter manages to get her to talk a little, and she agrees to his offer. He decides to be the one to Psync with her, to make it more comfortable for her and to give Rokua a break. After giving Boss an exhaustive explanation of how to make sure nothing goes wrong, they begin Makane's somnium: PSYNCIN' IN THE REPaiR.

Throughout the somnium, Pewter navigates Makane's childhood memories as they weave in with the present. At the end, he discovers a scene from when they were young: A six year old Makane crying over breaking a family belonging. A twelve year old Pewter comes and offers to fix it together. Young Makane is replaced by herself as she was when she found Tomorou's body. Pewter, taking the place of his younger self, gives her a hug.

As he's holding her, he looks up and sees what must be Kurogane in Rokua's body. She leaves before Pewter can do anything, and he runs out of time before he can find out more.

After a heart to heart, Makane is ready to talk. She says what happened, and how she caught a glimpse of Kurogane leaving.

-

Pewter decides to revisit the crime scene. Kagami tells him that they haven't found the murder weapon, and that they discovered two sources of blood. One is Tomorou's, but there's another that doesn't match their databases.

Still figuring out the specifics, but Rokua comes along for an investigation segment.

-

Later, Rokua comes to Pewter and Boss with an idea. Since she's in Kurogane's body, she might be able to find something only Kurogane would have access to. Pewter is hesitant, but Boss thinks it's a great idea.

Pewter ends up agreeing because of the raised stakes. Kurogane needs to be found.

Rokua manages to get into Kurogane's studio. She calls Pewter over to look at what she's found.

Kurogane was there recently, and had left her phone behind. There's recent messages with an unknown number, asking her to come to the abandoned establishment. Rokua and Pewter rush to get there.

Whoever Kurogane was talking to isn't there, but Kurogane is. They catch her and bring her back to be questioned. She still refuses to talk. While questioning her, Pewter notices a bad cut on her hand. He concludes that the blood at the scene must be hers.

Rokua psyncs with her to swap their consciousnesses back. Still working on Kurogane's somnium.

It's successful, and Kurogane is swiftly charged with both the theft and murder of Tomorou. Although Pewter dislikes Kurogane, he is unsure whether they should rush to conclusions. The higher ups are adamant to close the case before word about the Psync machine gets out, though.

The case comes to a close.

Before I go onto Present, here's a quick aside about what's really going on:

Kurogane is a very shut off person. She puts herself into her fashion work, and when people don't understand it, she feels they don't understand her. She shuts them down and turns away from them instead of giving them the chance to learn. The only person who feels connected to is Gin, and she's desperate to hold onto that friendship. After escaping, she went to him and told him all about what happened.

Gin thinks of her as a friend too, but his idea of their friendship... is pretty twisted. He stole from the tech firm (I'll get to that later), and asked her to help him move some things. When she showed up, he left her there. When he killed Tomorou, he escaped with his stuff and asked for her to get the boxcutter so CSI couldn't learn anything from it. But once again, she got caught and suspicion was cast on her. Still, she held onto that faith in him.

Gin caught onto what was going on and called Kurogane to get the boxcutter back. He realised Pewter and Rokua were coming, so he split.

Present (2018)

Present starts with a little prologue. Five years after the conclusion of the case, Pewter is simply living his life. He checks in with Boss, sees Rokua, and bumps into Makane. Rokua became an official psyncer at ABIS, and has befriended Makane.

It's a very special day and Pewter has a very special someone to give a very special gift to. He goes to Renju and gifts him the watch for their anniversary.

-

A couple of weeks later, Renju is working late at night at Lemniscate. When he finally leaves to go home, he stumbles upon a dead body slumped against the building.

Rokua is assigned to the case.

When Pewter finds out the next day, he immediately goes to see Renju. He asks about what happened, but Renju doesn't have anything to say beyond what he saw. Renju needs to be questioned officially, but he asks Pewter to come see him tomorrow at Lemniscate.

Pewter gets a bad feeling about Renju being involved, and decides to do some investigating of his own.

Pewter goes to the crime scene to see if he can find out anything. He learns the victim was Hiyori Kin. Kagami tells him about how they'v figured out 2 things: The murder weapon is missing, and that the true scene of the murder is somewhere else. They've had no progress finding either though.

Pewter finds a golden necklace the victim was wearing. He's permitted to take it to ask questions.

Pewter goes to Marble to ask if she knows anything about Hiyori. She doesn't have anything, but they end up talking about Renju.

-

The next day, Pewter calls Renju to ask if he can come see him. Renju says Mizuki is visiting, so Pewter encourages him to spend time with her and says he'll come around later.

Pewter goes to the gardens for a break. He's interrupted when Masaru asks him to move so he can see the scenery.

Now, this is one of the plotpoints I do not have figured out. Long story short, Pewter finds out Masaru knows Motofumi, and Masaru acts suspicious about the case when Motofumi is brought up to him. Makane and Rokua will probably be involved in this part somehow.

Masaru and Motofumi were friends, but five years ago, they had a conflict. They were making something together, Masaru making illustrations and Motofumi writing. However, Masaru's own stress began building up. He got mad at Motofumi for "not taking it seriously", and they ended up fighting. Masaru was so horrified with himself that he thought Motofumi must hate him. Masaru cut off any contact, and disappeared. Meanwhile, Motofumi was a bit frustrated but didn't think things were over. But Masaru's actions left him lost, not really knowing why his friend abandoned him.

All of that would tie in with the 2013 case and start showing how they're connected, but I'm still trialling ideas for that.

Masaru's somnium is PSYNCIN' IN THE PORTRaiT. Rokua psyncs with him and learns of how badly he wants to be with Motofumi again, but can't bear facing him after breaking their friendship. The somnium ends in him reconciling with his feelings.

After the somnium, Pewter and Rokua talk to Masaru. Pewter offers to reach out to Motofumi to help them reunite.

Motofumi and Masaru meet for the first time in years. Motofumi shouts at him... Before breaking down into tears and bringing him into a hug.

-

Masaru and Motofumi tell Pewter the information about the case. Pewter leaves the friends to talk while he goes to Lemniscate to see Renju.

When he arrives, Renju isn't there. Instead, he's greeted by Seiko, who's curious about him. She introduces herself and explains how she's a new idol.

Renju appears. Seiko introduces her boss to Pewter, clueless.

They all talk about what Seiko's been doing, and Renju encourages her to show her talents. Seiko performs her own song and dance.

After the performance, Renju excuses himself and Pewter to talk about the murder. He takes Pewter to one of the offices.

-

Seiko doesn't mistrust Pewter, but she doesn't get what his weirdly dressed old man wants with her boss! So she eavesdrops.

Seiko had heard that there'd been a body found, but she hadn't been told much about it. Renju didn't think she needed to know the disturbing details. Her TV had been broken that morning, so she missed the news too.

She hears them mention Hiyori, and realises that she knows the victim. Her shock gives herself away.

She demands that Pewter and Renju tell her about it. Pewter and Renju cave, and Pewter shows her necklace.

Turns out her father, Taichi, made the necklace. Hiyori came by his shop everyday to talk to him, so Seiko's met her a few times.

Upset over Hiyori, Seiko offers to take Pewter to Taichi. She wants the case solved.

Renju lets him go, while he thinks of ways to help Pewter.

At Seiko and Taichi's house, Pewter asks Taichi about Hiyori. He confirms he made the necklace, but can't think of anything related to the murder.

Pewter thanks Taichi for his time, and leaves. He has no leads, and Rokua hasn't found anything new either.

-

The next day, Renju comes to Pewter's house. He has been hard at work looking for information, and got something from the Kumakuras. Hiyori was connected to the Wadjet system, and that there's a chance it's related to the case.

Renju asks to help Pewter investigate. The two go see what they can learn. They visit Marble and see Mama. Then they Rokua to see how her investigation is going, then they go to Seiko to see if she knows anything else about Hiyori. She points them to her dad.

When Pewter asks if Taichi knows about Hiyori and the Wadjet system, he uncharacteristically clams up. He's clearly trying to hide something. Renju is suspicious and Pewter knows that Taichi is going to have to be psynced with.

Pewter and Renju agree to meet up later at Renju's house.

-

Rokua psyncs with Taichi. His somnium is called PSYNCIN' IN THE REMaiN.

Taichi's somnium follows his grief for his late wife, Ukana. Ukana was a sunny, zealous person who brought out the best in him. Sadly, she died in a car accident six years ago. Her death left Taichi to raise their daughter alone.

His somnium shifts to focus on Seiko. He wants to stay by her side and be the best father he can to her. He hates the idea of ever hurting her after the grief she's suffering after her mother's death.

At the end of the somnium, they learn that Taichi was blackmailed into keeping quiet. The blackmailer told him to keep quiet about Hiyori, or else they'd come for Seiko.

Pewter and Rokua approach Taichi about it. He confesses about the blackmail, and Pewter assures that it won't get out. The only people who'll know are Pewter, Rokua, and Renju - because it concerns Seiko's safety, he can keep an eye on her while she's at work.

Taichi explains about Hiyori. She told him how she was a programmer on the Wadjet system when she lived in America. She was well respected, got a lot of praise for her work, and even got promoted. Pewter keeps the information in mind, and leaves to meet Renju.

-

Pewter goes to Renju's house. (I imagine here there'd be a lot of focus on Renju, and Pewter and Renju's relationship through dialogue and the things in Renju's house.) He tells Renju about the blackmail.

Renju is concerned for Pewter, and they have a moment together.

The two go to bed together.

-

While Renju and Pewter get ready for the morning, Renju gets a panicked call from Taichi. Seiko is missing. She said (to her still mostly asleep dad) that she was going out early and that'd she back in no time. Seiko never came back. Taichi is calling everyone who knows her to help find her.

Renju is afraid. He's had an experience with a girl close to Seiko's age not coming back after they said they would.

Pewter contacts Rokua and Boss, and asks for their help. Together, they all look for her. Renju accompanies Pewter and they search and ask around.

Eventually, they do find her at the abandoned establishment on the edge of Kabasaki. They briefly panic because she's not moving. However, Renju checks and sees she's still alive. Just winded and has a few bruises.

Pewter gets in contact with Rokua and Boss to let them know what's going on. Boss suggests bringing in Seiko for psyncing.

Pewter tells Renju that he's going to look after Seiko and see if he can find anything from her. Renju goes to Taichi to tell him his daughter is safe.

-

Seiko's somnium is PSYNCIN' IN THE ENTERTaiN. Rokua psyncs with her. It's bright and flashy, but darkness creeps in between the energy.

Seiko is desperate for her music to be seen and heard, but she's also insecure about it. She holds herself to very high standards.

Not only that, she thinks of Ukana as part of her music. Her mother taught her everything she knew, so Seiko feels that if more people hear her music, her mother's spirit can live on.

At the end of the somnium, they see Gin looking over Seiko. (I was thinking that they got a description from someone, so they're able to make some connections. Still working on the specifics in a way I'm happy with.)

-

When she wakes up, Seiko explains what she was doing. Taichi doesn't carry his phone around with him, and left it behind when he went with Pewter. She found the messages from the blackmailer, and figured out the location she would've been taken to.

She didn't want to scare Taichi by telling him what she was doing, but she wanted to do something about the case. So she snuck out. She intended to just have a look and get out before anything happened.

She saw Gin, but the walkway she was watching from was unstable from age. Part of it gave way, and she fell. She was lucky to not be hurt too badly.

Gin noticed and came to her, but he heard Renju and Pewter coming. He had to leave.

-

There may be something else happening here, but for now, Pewter has his suspicions about the 2013 case. There's only two people he can ask about it. The first is Makane.

He had been putting it off because he didn't want to put her through that, but he needs to confirm some things.

He invites Makane over to his house for a talk. She confirms that never actually saw Kurogane hurt Tomorou. She doesn't have anything else for him, though.

-

The other person he needs to see is Kurogane. He makes some calls, and gets her brought in from prison. She hasn't been doing well. She tries to be proud, still.

She hates him even more than she did before. But she has finally given up on Gin. She wants him stopped... So he doesn't make things even worse for himself.

So Pewter asks if her she killed Tomorou.

She did not. It was Gin.

Pewter back to the abandoned establishment. Still working out the specifics, but he finds evidence that it's where Hiyori actually died, and that she got killed with the boxcutter.

And then Gin appears from the shadows, and calls him Pewter.

-

Gin background time. I'm not sure how it'll be communicated in the story, but I'm writing it now so there's context.

Gin lived in America for some time. He was a skilled programmer at Elgorg and was brought on to work Wadjet System.

Now, Gin views his way as the only way. He can't stand criticism, and he especially can't stand anyone being better than him. He believes that he deserves all the praise and attention.

Being brought onto such a big, advanced project only made those aspects more extreme. He had friends, but his behaviour pushed most of them away if he didn't sabotage the relationship himself. Only one person stayed with him the whole time: Hiyori Kin.

Hiyori was not a bad person, but she lacked self awareness and wasn't very considerate. She could be pretty oblivious. She simply didn't pick up on Gin's worsening behaviour, mostly thinking of herself.

Meanwhile, Gin grew increasingly bitter towards her. She was doing better than him, getting more and more praise as she established herself. Gin hated that.

One day, Gin snapped. He got into a spat with one of his co-workers, getting so angry that he physically attacked them. The incident was reported, and the people overseeing the project knew he couldn't be trusted to stay. But they needed his skills.

They kept him around as long as he was useful, and promptly fired him. He took it very badly. Immediately after, he left the country and went back to Japan. After he was gone, Hiyori was promoted in his place.

He stewed in his bitterness and jealousy. He thought that he should be getting all the praise, that without him the Wadjet system would be worthless. How dare they get rid of him and act like nothing was different?

That's when he came up with an idea. He wanted to find out how it was being used so he could tear it all down. It was a pretty nebulous plan, and not exactly... Sound. But he became convinced of it. If he couldn't be at the forefront of it, no one should get to have it.

Thus his motive behind the theft. He wanted to gather information before he figured out what he was actually going to do. Getting caught would ruin everything, so that's why he took advantage of Kurogane and killed Tomorou.

After Kurogane was out of the picture, Gin lost his scapegoat. He stewed in his anger, using what he had learnt to formulate a new plan to tear down anyone connected to the Wadjet System.

-

Meanwhile, Hiyori had been enjoying a successful career. She was perfectly comfortable. A few years before 2018, she decided to move back to Japan to pursue her own projects. There, she met Taichi and purchased the necklace.

Then she found out Gin lived in Tokyo too. She reached out to him, not thinking that he wouldn't be happy to see her.

Gin was really not happy to see her. But out of spite, he decided to see what she had to say for herself. He invited her to the abandoned establishment.

Hiyori talked about how well she was doing. She talked about her success, her praise, her promotion. She wasn't trying to brag, but Gin didn't take it that way. He grew angrier and angrier at her, finally venting all his bitter frustrations. He grabbed a hold of her, and something finally clicked for her. As Gin implied what he had done 5 years ago, Hiyori caught on. But it was too late.

In a fit of nothing but jealousy and rage, Gin murdered Hiyori with the same boxcutter he killed Tomorou with.

He had to move the body because he didn't want people investigating the place that had become a hideout for him, but he felt a need to have it found... To bring Hiyori down, to have a sort of warning. Really, it was to satisfy his own hatred despite how much easier it would be get rid of it anyway. That is why he moved it so far away, outside Lemniscate where it was sure to be found. (I'm still thinking if there's a reason as to why Lemniscate specifically.)

-

Now, when Gin found out about the Psync system and Pewter, he was immediately angry at Pewter. The engineer's use of the Wadjet system was enough to set him off, but not only that. Pewter is admired, relied on, and loved by his co-workers and friends. Gin knew Pewter was better than him, and he despised him for it. Pewter became a threat before he had even done anything.

Gin's grudge only grew as the case went on, even moreso by the time 2018 came.

He calls Pewter by his workplace nickname as a way of reducing him to just his work. He doesn't see Amanoma, the man with his own life and dreams. He just sees Pewter, the engineer whose mere actions are a threat.

-

Back to the present. Going forward, everything is a lot less defined story wise. I'm still working stuff out.

Gin confronts Pewter. He's been spying on him and the other people involved in the case. He demands that Pewter let him psync with him. I'm still not 100% sure how he convinces Pewter, but it definitely involves threatening Renju somehow. Either way, he puts Pewter in a really tight situation and Pewter gives in.

Pewter sneaks Gin back to ABIS when Boss isn't there. While he's setting up the Psync machine to run for a set time, he uses his watch to discreetly record Gin. He sends it to Boss as a last ditch effort for help.

-

Pewter's somnium is PSYNCIN' IN THE MaiNFRAME. Still figuring out what it entails.

Afterwards, Gin goes to leave with his new information. He's promptly stopped by Boss arriving in the nick of time. She knocks him out and tells Pewter she'll yell at him later. For now, he needs to psync with Gin.

Still figuring out Gin's somnium, but it shows his crimes.

Because evidence found in somnium can't be used and they have no other evidence, Pewter pursues Gin back to his hideout to put a stop to him.

-

This is the climax, and so far I have pretty much nothing, but I'll go over what I do have.

Pewter confronts Gin, but he struggles against him. During the conflict, an electrical fire from faulty wires and outlets start. Gin is so fixated on taking down on Pewter that he doesn't even care.

Rokua, Makane, and Renju appear to help.

Things happen, and the building's faulty infrastructure gives in to the fire. Pewter barely escapes when the building comes down on Gin.

-

Pewter is exhausted.

Makane, Rokua, and Renju take him back to his house to rest.

The following morning, he goes to ABIS. Boss confirms that Gin is dead. A lot of the evidence that condemned Gin was destroyed, but Boss was able to pull some strings and prove that it wasn't Kurogane. She gets to go free.

Pewter is glad it's over. The case is closed, for real this time.

Both cases are made confidential, and everyone involved is asked to keep quiet. Information about the Psync system absolutely cannot get out.

-

There's a little epilogue where Pewter goes around talking to everyone.

He gets invited to the gardens where he meets Renju. Seiko shows up, and... Cue the dance number finale!!! Roll credits!

Okay! That should be everything! This is far from everything I want to include - I want to expand on all the characters, work more on relationships, tie up loose ends, all that stuff. This is merely the overarching story, and this isn't even all the details! This isn't getting into everyone's full personalities, or the symbolism, or the motifs I want to develop on... Not to mention Pewter, he has a lot going on ofc! But it's hard to fit all that into just a plot summary.

If you're here, thanks for reading! I'm going to include the character files below as a bonus! (I might repost them separately sometime?) As always, I love questions and I will happily talk about any points of interest. There's a lot I couldn't go into here, so I'm more than willing to go over the intricacies.

Files

Kurogane 

Name: Numea Kurogane

Gender: Female

Age: 36 (Past), 41 (Present)

Birthday: 9th May

Profession: Fashion designer and model

Likes: Her work, the moon, high fashion

Dislikes: Sweet things, small talk, the colour green

Hobbies: Dressing up

Skills: Sewing, modelling

Overview (Past): Kurogane is a fashion designer and model who prioritises her work above all else. Evidence found at the scene of the theft points to her as the prime suspect.

Overview (Present): Kurogane was arrested five years ago for the theft and murder of Tomorou Kouseki. However, new evidence suggests that something else is at play.

-

Rokua

Name: Rokua Dou

Gender: Female

Age: 29 (Past), 34 (Present)

Birthday: 6th December

Profession: Detective

Likes: Sweet things, figuring out what makes people tick

Dislikes: Cruelty, uncertainty, lying 

Hobbies: Gardening

Skills: Running long distances

Overview (Past): Rokua is an old friend of Pewter’s from their college days. She studied psychology. Pewter called on her to become the first person to use the Psync machine.

Overview (Present): Rokua is an old friend of Pewter’s from their college days. She now works for ABIS as a psyncer. She’s the lead investigator on Hiyori Kin’s murder case.

-

Makane

Name: Makane Amanoma

Gender: Female

Age: 24 (Past), 29 (Present)

Birthday: 18th July

Profession: Mail carrier

Likes: The outdoors, stamps, masked superheroes on motorbikes

Dislikes: Breaking things, mushy romantic movies/books, people who don’t update their address when they move

Hobbies: Riding her motorbike

Skills: Pushing her brother’s buttons

Overview: Makane is Pewter’s sister, younger by six years. She loves to tease him, but she does admire her older brother. Currently she works as a carrier delivering mail around the city.

-

Tomorou

Name: Tomorou Kouseki

Gender: Male

Age: 24

Birthday: 27th November

Profession: Professional photographer

Likes: Flowers, smiles, city lights at night

Dislikes: Heights, misplacing things

Hobbies: Candid photography, pressing flowers

Skills: Making people laugh

Overview: Tomorou is a photographer, both professionally and as a hobby. He’s good friends with Makane. His friendliness and willingness to help means he gets along well with just about anyone.

-

Motofumi

Name: Motofumi Namari

Gender: Male

Age: 32 (Past), 37 (Present)

Birthday: 19th March

Profession: IT team leader

Likes: Cats, roses, true love

Dislikes: Overtime, getting given work last minute

Hobbies: Writing gay romance novels

Skills: Working with computers

Overview (Past): Motofumi is the leader of an IT team. He’s good at his job, but doesn’t have much interest in it.

Overview (Present): Motofumi is the leader of an IT team. He was friends with Masaru, but their friendship was abruptly cut off.

-

Masaru

Name: Masaru Suzuya

Gender: Male 

Age: 35

Birthday: 26th January

Profession: Unemployed

Likes: The avant garde, experimentation, modern art

Dislikes: Art block, wrist pain, talking about his feelings

Hobbies: Painting, stargazing

Skills: Painting portraits

Overview: Masaru is a painter who works out of his own studio. He’s been struggling with artblock, being stuck in a rut. He once knew Motofumi, but is avoidant of the topic.

-

Seiko

Name: Seiko Kotetsu

Gender: Female

Age: 18

Birthday: 2nd April

Profession: Idol at Lemniscate

Likes: Performing, cool clothes, bright colours

Dislikes: Conformity, anything dull, people trying to change her mind

Hobbies: Rhythm games, modifying clothes

Skills: Singing, choreography

Overview: Seiko is a new idol at Lemniscate who’s getting a helping hand from Renju. She’s spunky and determined for her music to be heard.

-

Taichi

Name: Taichi Kotetsu

Gender: Male

Age: 48

Birthday: 30th September

Profession: Jeweller

Likes: Takoyaki, lilies, whatever makes Seiko happy

Dislikes: Conflict, busy roads, anything that makes Seiko upset

Hobbies: Board games

Skills: Giving gifts, lapidary

Overview: Taichi is Seiko’s father. He’s a mild-mannered man who sells the jewellery he makes. He knew Hiyori Kin before she was killed.

-

Ukana

Name: Ukana Kotetsu

Gender: Female

Age: 42 (Deceased)

Birthday: 20th February

Profession: Musician

Likes: Playing music, songbirds, her family

Dislikes: Staying in one place or doing one thing for too long

Hobbies: Composing music

Skills: Cooking takoyaki

Overview: Ukana was Taichi’s wife and Seiko’s mother. She was an enthusiastic musician who taught her daughter everything she knew about music. Unfortunately, she died in an accident six years ago.

-

Hiyori

Name: Hiyori Kin

Gender: Female

Age: 35 (Deceased)

Birthday: 5th June

Profession: Programmer

Likes: The sun, shiny things, people

Dislikes: The dark, being alone for too long

Hobbies: Her daily routine, collecting coins

Skills: Programming, holding conversations

Overview: A progammer at Elgorg who worked on the Wadjet System. Her body was found outside Lemniscate.

-

Gin

Name: Gin Shiratsuki

Gender: Male

Age: 35

Birthday: 21st August

Profession: Ex-programmer

Likes: Left (side), his way, acclamation 

Dislikes: Criticism, people being better than him, people getting more attention than him

Hobbies: Darts, brooding

Skills: Programming, backend development

Overview: Gin worked on the Wadjet System. After attacking one of his co-workers out of jealousy, he was fired once he was no longer useful. He grew spiteful and resolved to tear down anything and anyone that used the Wadjet System. He killed Tomorou and Hiyori.