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[standalonehuman]

Togusa

This is Togusa. Feel free to message me at any time.

VOICE | TEXT | VIDEO | ACTION

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[toobigtohandle]

I know it's me. I can feel it.

[standalonehuman]

I'm not gonna try to talk you out of it. You made a good point earlier. Just wanted to make sure.

But those memories are telling you that you weren't even alive?

[toobigtohandle]

It's a little more complicated than that, but yes,
a large part of my memories are of being what most people would consider an object.

[standalonehuman]

If it's more complicated than that, I'd rather hear the complicated bits and treat it all with respect. If you're accepting these as your own memories, then it's worth the effort.

[toobigtohandle]

I was forged in the Sengoku era by a swordsmith called Aoe Sueno, and my owner was a member of the Nakara clan. He was defeated by the Oda-Tokugawa forces and died in battle, and because of my length and weight, I was deemed to not be wieldable by humans and dedicated to the gods in a temple.

And I was there for hundreds of years. People came and gave me offerings and prayed to me.

[standalonehuman]

Were you aware of yourself from forging? Did you have sentience the entire time, or did it happen over time?

[toobigtohandle]

Are you familiar with the concept of 'tsukumogami'?

[standalonehuman]

An object that has become possessed of a soul. But if I’m remembering right, it’s a soul that belongs to the object rather than a simple demon possession?

[toobigtohandle]

Yes, that is correct. And that's what I am.

As for your earlier question, I'm not quite sure if I was aware from the beginning or not. What I know is that I remember my master dying in battle in front of me... because of me. And then being in that temple for hundreds of years.

[standalonehuman]

Because of you?

I’m sorry.

I suppose either way, you would only be aware of the point when you gained a soul forwards? Or do you think you might eventually remember back that far?

[toobigtohandle]

I don't know.

All I know is that after a very long time, I had another master who called for me and gave me a human body. But even with that body, I still remained a sword.

[standalonehuman]

Despite having a human form, you still had the soul you had gained as a sword?

What would that do to you? What changed?

[toobigtohandle]

I did, yes.

That new master of mine, they needed my help, and that of others like me to fight other enemies. So they summoned me and gave me this body that looks exactly like the one I have now. Not much changed except I had to learn how human bodies function and how to take care of them.

I had a different name, though.

[standalonehuman]

Do you remember what that name was, yet? Or is that something Retrospec hasn't given you back?

[A million more questions, each answer only gets more complex, but Togusa has to take this a step at a time.]

[toobigtohandle]

I do, yes. I was called Taroutachi.

[Which is the most unhelpful name ever as it just basically means 'big tachi', which is what he was, an oodachi.]