The Conspiracy

Based on true events, with identities obscured. For the love of heaven, if you even think you’ve somehow managed to uncover any identities, please do not harass anyone — for both your safety and their own.

By Snarky LisaPublished 4 months ago • 3 min read

Somewhere north of a legacy commune named Hazel Grey that has long fallen victim to rot and administration decay lies an up-and-comer of a clone. The clone calls itself Aquamaroon. An odd mix of turquoise and dark magenta in its aesthetic, it nonetheless claims to be everything Hazel Grey could and couldn’t be.

It has similar posters in easily readable fonts. The work and leisure activities are essentially the same: analyzing, entertaining, documenting, battling, making up comedic routines. On top of all of this, many of Aquamaroon’s members come from Hazel Grey, with plenty still begrudgingly at Hazel Grey’s whims for the practical reason of having more resources and time there.

Like Hazel Grey, Aquamaroon also has rules and a code to ensure that members and visitors behave themselves and don’t spiral out of hand into dismay. Unlike Hazel Grey, though, Aquamaroon’s regulations in practice are very…different.

Whereas Hazel Grey has devolved into a marketplace for bigotry, Aquamaroon actively discourages it. Whereas Hazel Grey is sometimes prone to racking up litter counts both metaphorical and literal, Aquamaroon shames these sorts of tendencies. Whereas the air of Hazel Grey often encourages conspiracy theories, Aquamaroon punishes them.

Of course, Aquamaroon isn’t completely immune to conspiracies. Indeed, beneath its charming surface, beneath all the glitter brought by those who wish to prove its superiority to Hazel Grey, lie various corporate schemes that threaten to eliminate both the witting and unwitting in their midst.

You see, Aquamaroon isn’t completely a closed venture. Much of its architecture and much of its intellectual property is free to use for others — as long as they have the skills to build on them, obviously.

Because of this, plenty of entrepreneurs have been eager to create their own communes based on Aquamaroon for Aquamaroon members and commune members alike to continue working on their Aquamaroon projects. With this comes varying values, goals, and yes: rivalries.

Aquamaroon clone makers have various motives. Some just want to make money. Others just wish to have fun. Still more even desire to create superior replacements for Aquamaroon. Of course, there are also creators with motivations that mix the three.

That being said, the base motive of an Aquamaroon mirror builder definitely does not determine their social alignment, for dear life. Greedy creators will happily align with seemingly more altruistic ones if they find them loyal and useful — and likewise for ostensibly prosocial ones with otherwise apathetic ones as well.

The only things that really matter to an average Aquamaroon clone maker are utility and guilt by association: especially the latter. Unless you have the shield of heaven’s gates, you could easily become a target the moment you step on the toes of an Aquamaroon clone creator. At best, you might end up on a blacklist that forces you onto a side. At worst…you could suddenly disappear.

Beside the diverse intricate rivalries between Aquamaroon mirror builders, these mirror builders have a rather complicated relationship with Aquamaroon’s main administration themselves. Some mirror builders admire them, even forging close bonds to ensure stable access to their needed skeleton builds. Others very much don’t, and will happily make anyone in their way pay.

If it’s any consolation, the clone makers do tend to make themselves obvious. They will either brag about making their replications or be involved in an extremely niche subculture like a certain type of vintage technology or bodily design that will only attract either those of their kind or those who do not care who goes after them.

Nevertheless, they do still station spies — an imperfect system that often ends up dragging unwitting associates into the duels of the alleyways. Combined with the high class and futuristic jargon these people use, it’s not difficult to get entangled in some part of this blood stained war.

Aquamaroon’s administration is not perfect. Despite their noble goals, they can be short sighted, callous, and even distorted in their management and consequences.

Because of this, many of their own eliminations can be unfair — thus sometimes forcing targets to flee to the commune’s various unstable clones. Even when they don’t, the act of being eliminated by Aquamarine itself can make one a clone target.

To this day, rumours continue to circulate among the common people of Aquamarine about the disappearances of many of their friends. No matter what, though — the average person of Aquamarine can’t seem to figure out the why.

And it’s likely the clone makers prefer it that way.