Cassoscriptumlings
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Time First Spotted: 8:49pm
Date of Encounter: 5/23/16
Location: Newspaper Stands and Magazine Stores, Mostly in Cities
Weather: Clear and Overcast
Visibility: Single, If Requested
The Cassoscriptumlings (Casso + Scriptum, Latin for "to destroy, make null and void" and "written," with the suffix of "ling"), the Written Media Borderlings, exist to make the coherent incoherent, and lead those to seek them to the truth. They resemble large heaps of newspaper, piled up in clumps on the floor. Written on each sheet are large, printed eyes that can fully function, and are seen moving, blinking, and cry ink on occasions. Incoherent writing is written on their frail, temporary vessels, with letters that are overlapping or barely recognizable at all. When mobile, the Cassoscriptumlings take a suitable form with two pairs of arms and a long, black snout, and make slow and careful strides when moving from one place to another. When they walk, they do so with patience and effort, and will leave black stains on the ground behind. The tips of their noses and fingertips constantly bleed jet-black ink.
Inside a Cassoscriptumling is a human-like skeleton, thicker than normal, with pitch-black organs thinly coated with ink. When damaged, the ink coagulates and hardens to replace any missing guts lost after surviving. The process takes two to three days, with five layers forming the surface after healing. It is protected by a 2in coating of flesh, being held by sinew which pumps ink from its cardiovascular system. The Borderling's sinew can shift and mold into various forms to suit the environment they are generated in.
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The Cassoscriptumling has an odor of freshly made paper and musty ink. The scent is faint, and a Witness has to stand 1ft away from the Borderling to smell it.
Their Appearance
“The printing press is either the greatest blessing or the greatest curse of modern times, sometimes one forgets which it is.”
E. F. Schumacher
Where To Find Them
During closing hours, 8pm to 10pm on average, look for the Cassoscriptumlings behind or next to newspaper stands and magazine racks. They manifest into existence as a normal sheet of paper, being thrown to the ground by some unseen force. As time goes by, it split into two, then four, then eight, in a similar manner to cells in an organic animal. Sinew and hearts will soon follow, giving the vessel life. A single Cassoscriptumling takes about 30 minutes to develop, and can generate two to three pairs of arms. Their presence is brief, and will only appear to manipulate printed words and write on nearby walls for an hour or two until they collapse. Organs immediately disappear and sheets of paper scatter into the streets.
A newspaper with typos and misprints are clear signs of Cassoscriptumling activity, despite what the skeptics say. They are commonly debunked as printing errors and human mistakes, although there can be no instances of faulty printers and mental illnesses known.
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The Borderling makes no vocalizations; it must write on any surface, preferably sheets of paper of any size, to communicate. One can see black etchings, from simple to complex, on the surfaces of walls, ceilings and floors. When a Cassoscriptumling is present, or if an Inspectoling is nearby, a Witness can decipher these elusive codes.
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Effects Towards Our Environment
Very communal and impulsive, the Cassoscriptumlings constantly devour and use ink to write what's on their minds. They display no second thoughts, and will scratch out any words that displeases them. Using their tendrils in their faces, or the tips of their fingers, they absorb ink and manipulate them by drawing. They replicate existing fonts with near-perfect accuracy, with a bit of bleeding when fatigued. Because of their messages scrawled on any form of paper, they got the name "Ghost Writers" by the underground Witnesses.
If there are two Cassoscriptumlings in one area, the first Borderling will write while the other either overlaps or crosses out words to their liking. The first Borderling won't interfere, and will move on to the next page.
Exposure from the Cassoscriptumlings writings may cause a temporary loss of ability to read. One cannot read words when the Borderling is nearby, and have to spell each letter and number to humankind who weren't affected. This causes confusion and even frustration to those who aren't aware of the Cassoscriptumling's influences when socializing with another. Effects disappear about an hour later after the Borderling de-materializes.
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Behaviors Toward Witneses
Reclusive, the Cassoscriptumlings keep watch for any Witnesses or Non-Witnesses while they go on with their routine. Every so often, they manifest eyes on random pages on their bodies to keep track of any person. If they spot one, the Borderlings crawl to a tight location nearby, such as an alley or underneath objects. They become dormant immediately, becoming immobile to make themselves appear as normal street litter.
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If a Witness is consciously looking for a Cassoscriptumling, and shows no threat, the Borderling creeps outwards to meet them face to face. The Witness has to write their greeting to receive a reply. Once a written reply is given, both human and Borderling can start a conversation. At the end of a meeting, the Cassoscriptumling always advises the Witness to come again at another time before sinking back into the ground, head collapsing first as if it were melting. it doesn't allow more than one person to converse unless necessary in a mutual agreement.
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Behaviors Toward Other Borderlings
The Cassoscriptumling are open-minded to any type of knowledge given to them by other Borderlings. When around Inspectolings, it allows the other to telepathically provide useful information, such as the weight, height, and additional behaviors what Witnesses couldn't observe safely. This coexistence becomes useful if an underground Witness has an Inspectoling as their Personal Borderling, as they can easily document the unseen world around them by keeping pages of information they needed to complete the Cassoscriptum Codex.
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Impure Behaviors
Beware of Cassoscriptumlings who take pleasure in writing misinformation and insensitive thoughts, as they cause discord among Witnesses and Non-Witnesses alike. Their writing can contradict those who are mindful for Witnesses who want to commune and to gather information. The best method to avoid conflict within humankind and Borderlings is to request information, then send it to another Cassoscriptumling. If the pure Cassoscriptumling crumples the paper and tosses it over its shoulder, the information is considered useless; if it gives a slow nod of approval and gives it back to the Witness, it is a good sign that the writing is creditable.
"It was after my evening shift at a quiet mall when I saw this thing. For a moment, it was just unsightly litter, heaps of paper in a pile behind the corner newsstand.I had missed my bus heading home, and have to wait for another hour.
An hour had passed, and the bus came...finally. It is when I took a seat that I saw it move. Before the bus drove off, I got a good look at its head hanging from the mound."
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