legionnpcs: (news - shellee star)
legionnpcs ([personal profile] legionnpcs) wrote in [community profile] thelegion2017-12-14 11:47 pm

Legionnaire Legacies: Tekhartha Zenyatta

[[ OOC: Unless specifically stated and to avoid paradoxes and what not, the locations pictured aren't the exact maps in Overwatch. ]]

[ The Legion World staff maintains a feed of all Legion-related media so Legionnaires can be kept abreast of any reporting that's done on them. Two women appear on the screen, sitting at a desk, their appearances altered by glam filters so that one is all pink hair and skin and sparkles, and the other is all in blues. They look pretty flashy and tacky but this is the future. Reporters don't exist anymore; they're "personalities" now. ]

Shellee: I'm Shellee Star! [ That would be the pink one. ]

Tammee: And I'm Tammee Tim! [ That would be the blue one. ]

Shellee: Welcome to another installment of Legion Watch: Legionnaire Legacies! Tonight, we're taking a look at the mysterious mechanical monk with no hero name to date, Tekhartha Zenyatta!



Tammee: Our story starts high in the mountains of Nepal in the Shambali Monastery.

[ However... the first person shown on the screen is Tekhartha Mondatta. He sits on the ground in the lotus position, head bowed in meditation. Mondatta's array flickers. He brings himself out of his meditative state and stands gracefully to look over the other Shambali omnics also leaving their meditation. There is an empty spot among them. Mondatta bids them farewell, leaves the sanctum, and begins to walk further away. ]

Mondatta: Now where could my errant brother be?

Shellee: I think you have the wrong omnic there.

Tammee: Grife, just let it play for now. Maybe he'll show up?

[ It's hard to imagine that there could be vegetation growing at this altitude, but Mondatta makes his way to a garden that appears to be flourishing. ]

Omnic Singing Voice: De do do do de da da da.

[ That seems to be the only hint Mondatta needs to narrow down his search further. ]

Mondatta (singing lightly back): Is all I want to say to you.

[ A tree's leaves rustle, and Zenyatta swings upside down into view. Zenyatta is noticeably shinier, lacking the scratches, dents, and oxydiation he has now. He's also wearing a white robe like Mondatta's but differing in pattern. The nine orbs Zenyatta is known for having are absent. He doesn't own them yet. ]

Mondatta: Zenyatta, have you gotten stuck in a tree again?

Zenyatta: Stuck implies that I tried to leave the tree and failed. I have not tried to.

[ Mondatta shakes his head with fondness and disbelief. Zenyatta is removed from the tree and placed back on the ground with Mondatta's assistance. He stands (not hovers) and smoothes out his robe a little. The hem of Zenyatta's robe is discolored, no doubt from whatever mischief he was up to. It causes Mondatta to sigh in fondness and disbelief. Again. ]

Mondatta: You were missed at group meditation.

Zenyatta: Meditation? My apologies. I did not realize so much time had passed. I saw this bird I had never seen before, and I wanted to get a closer look, so I....

[ Mondatta hold up his hand, halting Zenyatta's story. ]

Mondatta: Please try to be more mindful in the future. I worry you will fall behind in your training if you keep this up.

Zenyatta: I am sorry. I will try to. Ah, but since you are here... Brother! You must see this flower I found!

[ Zenyatta grabs Mondatta's hand and practically drags the taller omnic with him. It should be noted that Zenyatta is walking the whole time. ]

Shellee: Who knew Zenyatta ever touched land? I'm sure the viewers are just as surprised as I am.

Tammee: At some point, Zenyatta started hovering and stopped walking. That carried over to when he meditated as well--

[ The screen cuts to Zenyatta meditating in Nepal, but it quickly cuts back to Shellee and Tammee. ]

Shellee: Hold it! Hold it! Time out! Do we know what caused him to start doing that? This is something our audience would love to know. I want to know too.

[ Tammee looks a little sheepish. ]

Tammee: Finding information about him is like pointing out a single snowflake in a blizzard. There's too much out there that is not about him. However, if you want to know more about a champion racing horse or an ancient music album, that I can tell you more about.

Shellee: But none of those are Tekhartha Zenyatta.

Tammee: I know that!

[ The footage jumps through a number of clips. In some of them, a silver and green blur dashes through the camera, but it's hard to catch who or what that that blur is. Zenyatta is shown meditating on a stone railing, in front of a shrine decorated in red flowers, in front of a wooden building, on a balcony during the night, in front of mountains, sitting atop of a pillar (where he probably shouldn't be meditating), on an elephant statue's trunk (How did he get up there? Why is he meditating there?), by another wooden building, in someone's room, in the Shambali's inner sanctum, on a wooden deck at night, in a room with omnic writing on the walls, in another room, and also with candles. ]

Tammee: Let's see what we can find away from Nepal. We know that he left and travelled the world to follow his own path...

[ The screen switches to Mondatta at King's Row just before Null Sector attacked. ]

Shelle: Wrong omnic again.

Tammee: I know that.

[ Now it's showing Mondatta's speech, also at King's Row but years later. ]

Shelle: That's still--

Tammee: --I know!

Shellee: I'm seeing a pattern here.

[ Mondatta is barely allowed to speak before it switches to Zenyatta meditating in a dark rainy forest with ruins of a village. Nothing else happens beyond Zenyatta meditating. The footage skips a little to Zenyatta meditating in the same village, but during the day and facing a destroyed Bastion unit. The next skip places him meditating in a Japanese garden. Then he's meditating at a beach. Then a beachside city, then stone hearth in a tavern, in a planter garden. He's even shown meditating in drier climates. And various other locations. The screen never stays on one clip for long.

However, when the setting shows Zenyatta meditating in King's Row by a closed subway station and then at a small memorial for Mondatta, the show stays on it longer.
]

Tammee: Wait! Here we go. Zenyatta made his way to King's Row after Mondatta's assassination. There's a large memorial statue nearby, but it looks like this more modest one is what Zenyatta prefers to remember him with.

Shellee: It must have been hard for him to visit that place. They seemed close in our first clip.

[ The chimes of his orbs are quieter, and the golden glow is dim with motes of purple within them. But... meditation is still all the footage shows. ]

Tammee: Oh! We have footage of Zenyatta dancing!

[ While interesting, Zenyatta dancing does little to tell his past. Shellee looks perplexed as well. Tammee is really grasping at straws now, and both glance at each other and then directly at the camera. ]

Shellee: It looks like our mysterious mechanical monk is remaining a mystery for now.

Tammee: This has been another Legion Watch: Legionnaire Legacies!

[ The show abruptly cuts out. ]
unspeakablyevil: (leaning)

[personal profile] unspeakablyevil 2017-12-15 07:29 pm (UTC)(link)
[Aku is used to robots, even sentient ones. What he isn't used to is them being utilized for roles other than assassins and soldiers.]

Who builds a machine for the express purpose of achieving nirvana?
thedreamisdead: (Default)

[personal profile] thedreamisdead 2017-12-15 09:02 pm (UTC)(link)
From what I understand, robots given free will tend to turn to various religions on their own. Since having true belief in Grud's plan or Buddha's whatever is the only thing that they can't be programmed to do, it's the strongest proof they have of sentience.

Wouldn't surprise me if these Omnics were the same.

Can't say I disapprove. Someone contemplating their navel is someone who isn't causing trouble.
unspeakablyevil: (consider)

[personal profile] unspeakablyevil 2017-12-16 08:09 am (UTC)(link)
Hmmm... yes, sort of like how some robot assassins decide to take up singing and wearing high-heels when it is not in their programming.

[Okay, maybe not exactly like that.]
thedreamisdead: (Beeny Justice Department)

[personal profile] thedreamisdead 2017-12-16 02:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Or some painter droids become secret graffiti artists.

[Okay, maybe kinda like that.]
unspeakablyevil: (askance)

[personal profile] unspeakablyevil 2017-12-16 05:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Or when an X-model adopts a puppy for whom he will do anything.

...

Did you destroy the graffiti artists?
thedreamisdead: (Default)

[personal profile] thedreamisdead 2017-12-16 07:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Before my time, but probably.
unspeakablyevil: (aloof)

[personal profile] unspeakablyevil 2017-12-17 07:59 am (UTC)(link)
Do you always adhere strictly to the rules?
thedreamisdead: (Beeny Justice Department)

[personal profile] thedreamisdead 2017-12-17 03:53 pm (UTC)(link)
The law may bend, but it can never break.
orbislife: stylized spray of Zenyatta's head as a ball surrounded by orbs (Hello world)

[personal profile] orbislife 2017-12-16 07:56 am (UTC)(link)
We aren't designed to seek spiritual goals. There is nothing in our programming that tells us to do so. It is something we choose to do.
unspeakablyevil: (curious)

[personal profile] unspeakablyevil 2017-12-16 08:14 am (UTC)(link)
What was your intended purpose?
orbislife: screenshot of Zenyatta looking to the side (Your will is strong my friend)

[personal profile] orbislife 2017-12-16 08:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Many omnics who are models similar to mine were designed to be in service. They could be cashiers, waiters, healthcare providers, childcare providers, and so on.

[ Zenyatta doesn't exactly say what his purpose was, but it's most likely something similar. ]
unspeakablyevil: (condescend)

[personal profile] unspeakablyevil 2017-12-17 04:32 am (UTC)(link)
Why then did you become a monk?

[They are completely useless, he thinks but doesn't say.]
orbislife: screenshot of Zenyatta's peace sign victory pose (Peace be upon you)

[personal profile] orbislife 2017-12-17 07:23 am (UTC)(link)
For what reason does anyone turn towards something they do not normal do?

However, to answer more clearly, I wanted to learn more about the soul.
unspeakablyevil: (askance)

[personal profile] unspeakablyevil 2017-12-17 07:51 am (UTC)(link)
Ah, yes. The 'soul'. People put a lot of stock into that concept, mortals especially. I had always assumed it was because they knew their physical existences were fleeting and the concept of an immortal soul put their minds at ease.

But.

I have since learned that there may be something more to it. What have you learned about the soul?
orbislife: screenshot of Zenyatta's Transcendence highlight intro (Gaze into the iris)

[personal profile] orbislife 2017-12-17 08:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Omnics and humans both contain a soul and are one within the Iris. The soul is what makes us more than our programming and physical form and is our true self.
orbislife: screenshot of Zenyatta's peace sign victory pose (Peace be upon you)

[personal profile] orbislife 2017-12-15 09:46 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Zenyatta falls into a fit of laughter watching this. He hasn't seen too many of these, but he's positive they aren't supposed to go like his did. He almost feels bad. Almost. Revealing one's secrets to the universe without their knowledge or permission is not something he approves of. ]

For the record, I was not stuck in that tree, and I do more than just meditate.
truefaceofthelaw: (Is there a problem?)

[personal profile] truefaceofthelaw 2017-12-16 04:40 am (UTC)(link)
[Rico has somewhat similarly been losing his shit with laughter. Sure, it's a little disappointing that it didn't dig up any actual dirt like it did with Archangel, but there were still some leads to chase up there. And Grud damn this is funny.]

[He turns on his vid feed to contribute his valuable opinion as always. And not even anything illustrative or helpful like Beeny either.]

Wrong... Omnic...

[He bursts into a fresh peal of laughter and clutches his shoulder. On anyone else it might seem obnoxiously fake, but laughter is about as genuine as Rico can get.]

You'd think they could tell two robots apart!
orbislife: screenshot of Zenyatta looking to the side (Your will is strong my friend)

[personal profile] orbislife 2017-12-16 07:30 am (UTC)(link)
[ With all that they've been through together, Zenyatta has a sense that the laughter isn't forced. ]

I agree. My forehead array is clearly in a different arrangement.
truefaceofthelaw: (smile!)

[personal profile] truefaceofthelaw 2017-12-18 02:38 am (UTC)(link)
And you've got a bigger chin than your brother.

[He finds this very funny, for reasons.]
orbislife: screenshot of Zenyatta's Harmony and Discord highlight intro (I dreamt I was a butterfly)

[personal profile] orbislife 2017-12-18 02:53 am (UTC)(link)
Do I really?

[ He strokes his chin in a mimic of how humans sometimes do while thinking. ]

I thought it was the other way around, but I may be mistaken.

[ He actually has no idea; it's not something he has ever thought of. ]
truefaceofthelaw: (actually amused)

[personal profile] truefaceofthelaw 2017-12-18 03:58 am (UTC)(link)
[Rico does do that gesture while he's thinking, and that's funny enough that he not only starts laughing again, he actually pounds the surface his omnicon is resting on with his fist.]

No, no. You've definitely got the bigger chin.

[Chuckles slowly coming to a stop, he starts to get to the prying questions. Although he'd call it curiosity.]

Speaking of - he called you brother, didn't he? Why is that? Were you manufactured as part of the same batch?
orbislife: screenshot of Zenyatta's Focused highlight intro (In anger you defeat only yourself)

[personal profile] orbislife 2017-12-19 07:28 am (UTC)(link)
I cannot answer whether we were manufactured at the same omnium. I do not recall, and the one who might know is with the Iris now.

[ His tone is more somber now that the topic has switched. It is among the many things Zenyatta wished he had asked Mondatta. ]

We called each other brother for many reasons. We are both omnics, and we both were part of the Shambali order.

[ The more familial use of brother also applies in Zenyatta's mind, and if he and Rico had been using the lie detector device, it would be wavering. He's not saying the whole truth. ]
truefaceofthelaw: (bored or thinking)

[personal profile] truefaceofthelaw 2017-12-21 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
[Behind his visor, Rico's eyes are bright with curiosity. He's no stranger to the strange dynamics of calling somebody who isn't quite your brother in the strict sense of the word. And he doesn’t always need a lie detector to know when somebody’s being cagey with information. That would make him a bad Judge.]

Come on. You two were evidently much more familiar with each other than just belonging to the same order, don't bother.

[And then the prybar, though at least he's moderately gentle with the application:]

You seemed like you cared plenty, sitting at his memorial.
Edited 2017-12-21 01:54 (UTC)
orbislife: screenshot of Zenyatta's Focused highlight intro (In anger you defeat only yourself)

[personal profile] orbislife 2017-12-24 05:52 am (UTC)(link)
...

[ Zenyatta gives a gentle sigh. There's no hiding the truth, not really. Even if Shellee and Tammee could not reveal the truth, the evidence is still there for those who look. ]

You are correct. Mondatta was my brother. I learned much about who I was and the Iris from him, and even my name, Zenyatta, was derived from his.
unrecovered: (Well...)

[personal profile] unrecovered 2017-12-17 01:50 am (UTC)(link)
Honestly, I'm more surprised that you used to walk.
orbislife: stylized spray of Zenyatta's head as a ball surrounded by orbs (Hello world)

[personal profile] orbislife 2017-12-17 04:52 am (UTC)(link)
There are some omnics who lack legs and solely hover as their mode of transportation. I was not one of them.
walkingballpit: (46)

[personal profile] walkingballpit 2017-12-17 02:16 am (UTC)(link)
[ Robbie is laughing and laughing, real, honest, hunched over belly laughs that put tears in his eyes. He has to force and gasp the words out. ]

Best... legacy... ever.