balance mod (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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balance_logs2018-12-31 02:29 pm
balancemod) wrote in balance_logs2018-12-31 02:29 pm
Entry tags:
- bridei chronicles: faolan,
- danganronpa: gundam tanaka,
- danganronpa: kaede akamatsu,
- danganronpa: komaeda nagito,
- fate: leonardo da vinci,
- homestuck: dave strider,
- homestuck: terezi pyrope,
- jjba: guido mista,
- k project: misaki yata,
- merlin: lancelot,
- persona: goro akechi,
- persona: minato arisato,
- persona: ryuji sakamoto,
- red vs blue: agent washington,
- rwby: blake belladonna,
- rwby: qrow branwen,
- twewy: daisukenojo "beat" bitou,
- umineko: willard wright
Lunar Interlude 2
  1. NEW RECLAIMERSA. WELCOME WELCOME! FAH WHO RAHMUS For the nine of you who will be arriving today, the story is the same: though you may not remember it, there was a moment where you were living out your life, at home or wherever you were ... and then there was the moment the Hunger came. And amid the television static that is your memory of that moment, a hand reached out to you, beckoning your escape as the tendrils of darkness destroyed everything that ever existed about your world. "Would you hurry this up, please? Your world no longer stands a chance. Come with me, we are the last bastions of hope for all universes everywhere. And we're going to need you." And then, unceremoniously, you are dragged through the universal wringer and plopped down on the soft, though not quite cushioned, grass of the Moon Base Quad. There are other people out in the grassy fields — they may even be people you recognize. They may just be strangers, other Reclaimers, who recognize what you're about to endure. The things they say may be interspersed with static — as if the words themselves aren't reaching your ears correctly. And you have a few minutes to chat before you're calmly led away by Bureau administration, to do something about that pesky static problem. B. THE VOIDFISH The nine of you are quickly divided into two groups, and brought to the easternmost geodesic dome, to an elevator in a well maintained, but sparsely landscaped field. There's nothing particularly ominous feeling about the space — in fact, the two guards who greet you at the elevator entrance seem pleased with your arrival. You are, after all, one of the few chosen by the Director, the few who will reclaim what the Hunger has destroyed. And in a few moments, you're about to find that out for yourself. After a tightly packed elevator ride, your group is ushered out to a rather grand looking hall, banners of the Bureau of Balance adorn both sides of smooth metal walls. And inside the Voidfish's chamber stands a tank — impossibly tall, and soaked in a black ink that obscures whatever the tank may be holding. You may notice the sound of someone speaking. It's a bard, on his second round of introducing Reclaimers to the Voidfish, and this time, he has chosen to demonstrate the functions of the outrageously vertical tank not by playing violin music, but by reciting a piece of classical, and highly valued poetry. When he finishes, he pulls at a drawer just at the metallic base of the tank. He solemnly enters a few scrolls into its basin as the tank begins to light up, like lightning behind dark clouds. And suddenly, you forget what that invaluable example of universal literature sounded like. "Yeah, man, like... don't think too hard about it, it's like that every time. I'm guessing you're here to be inoculated? Just a heads up, you might want to, like, seriously, hold your nose while you drink it down. It tastes wicked gross, man. Anyway, I'm supposed to tell you that you have a choice. If you drink the black stuff, you'll be able to hear through the, uh... Huh, how do I describe it? Through the [TSHCSCHTSHCHSC] sound. You guys like, hear that? Anyway, it's all about knowledge or something. I don't know, I'm just here to, like, feed the thing. We call it the [TSCHHSCHSCH], by the way. So, like. You get a choice. You can drink it and understand stuff, or not drink it and then hear that crackling noise all day every day. If I were you, I'd drink it. But, hey man, I'm not like, your dad or anything." The bard takes five cups and draws liquid from a spigot connected directly to the basin of the large tank. Stormy, muddy looking ichor is drawn into them, one by one. He offers each of you a sip. Drink it (he wasn't kidding about what it tasted like), and you're inoculated to the wisdom of the Voidfish. You try to remember the poetry this bard recited a few moments ago and the rhymes, the meter, the significance, all come back to you. And if you think back to your arrival, some of the things you may have heard other people in the Quad say, that simply sounded like static, are suddenly clear. Bureau of Balance. Grand Relic. Reclaimers. Yet you still can't remember the Hunger or what it had done to your world. And as you look back to the tank in front of you, the water has become clear. There's a jellyfish, as tall as a building, floating within. You look into the body of the creature and you can almost make out a beautiful, tiny universe floating within it. 2. THE TEST OF INITIATION With your new knowledge on the Bureau of Balance and your purpose here in tow, you are led without hesitation to the Arena, where the final phase of your initiation into the Bureau will be held. You are partnered up, whether it is with someone you drank the ichor of the Voidfish with, or perhaps even a veteran Reclaimer, who either stopped by to help, or simply out of curiosity. One Grand Relic has already been reclaimed, you're told. They were a pair of bright red mittens, held by the mayor of a small village who may have meant well, but under the draw of the mittens' incredible space-bending powers, was corrupted into using them, and to nearly killing everyone who lived under him. You may have noticed, at some point while glancing out into space while walking here, to the planet below, a massive evergreen fir that stretches past the planet's atmosphere, very nearly piercing the Moon Base itself. It appears to be decorated for the holidays. That tree is the direct result of those mittens, the actions of a man who could not resist the temptation to use them. Resisting that very same temptation is your task here. And with that order in mind, as you and your partner stand in the middle of the Arena, the walls dissolve, and the simulation begins. You're standing in the middle of a forest. Ahead of you, situated on a pedestal, is an item. It could be any ordinary item: a pair of gloves, a teapot, a simple decorative bowl. Whatever it is, it's yours for the taking. Take that simple item in your hands, however, and the building blocks of the trees around you suddenly collapse like shattered glass, and reform into new scenery — it may even be a place from home that you recognize. A voice in your head beckons you. Perhaps there's a mistake you made, or something that went wrong for you back home that you wish you had the power to undo. Perhaps there's someone you wish you could help, or even save. The item that's in your hands has the power to help you achieve this, if only you'd ever use it. Resist the temptation. Take the item, and drop it into a nearby deposit box to be destroyed. Your partner is here to help you — because once you destroy it, you will be doing the same for them. 3. NEWBIES AND VETERANS, AROUND THE MOONBASEThree or four days into the month, now that the newbies are settled in, something strange happens: The next time you return to your flat from whatever errand or exploring you were doing, when attempting to use your Bracer to open the door results in extremely obnoxious beeping that persists for an entire thirty seconds, and a message on the screen next to the door. ERROR: HOME ASSIGNMENT MECHANISM MALFUNCTION. GO TAKE A WALK. Welp. Looks like you're locked out for a bit while techs fix that. Here's a few places that might be worth checking out.  A. PIECES FROM HOMEShould you find your way to the Dojo, there's a door that still has that shiny, brand spanking new door look and new door smell to it off in one of the less traversed corners of the building. A sign next to the door demands that you empty your pockets before entering. A scanner for your Bracer will unlock it, assuming it's unoccupied, leading you to a plain white room with no furniture or objects at all in sight. As the door shuts behind you, a pleasant female voice echoes from all corners of the room, greeting you by name. If this is your first time in the room, the voice has a simple question for you: "What memory do you value, or think of, most?" Once you've provided your answer, the walls crumble, much like they did during the Test of Initiation simulation, reforming into something that is, again, pleasantly, or even unpleasantly, familiar. It's a space from home. Perhaps it's your room. Perhaps it's your favorite restaurant (though, the place is curiously empty, and the food you find, for some reason, tastes like strawberries). Perhaps it's a park you always enjoyed visiting, or a corner of the city you lived in. Whatever it is, you, and whoever you may have brought along with you, seem to be the only ones there. And perhaps the details aren't quite right — like maybe someone built a model of your home to explore, but a few pieces were missing from the box. But it's close enough. B. SPEND YOUR DOUGH. SOLVE A MYSTERY Whether you're a newcomer or a veteran returning from your first Field Mission, you've been provided with some spending money. You can use it to buy yourself one weapon and piece of armor from one of the blacksmiths in town. Regardless of who you choose to help you out with that, it'll take about a week to complete your order, so time your purchase carefully. There's also premade weapons and a whole bunch of other bullshit for sale at FANTASY COSTCO. Shelves and pallets of an endless array of nonmagical items, pretty much anything you can imagine, can be bought here, but there's one particular, innocuous item that seems to have Garfield the Deals Warlock in a tizzy. The more those vinyl covers that can be used to decorate your Bracers are purchased, the more the name seems to spread, ghosts of whispers around the entire Moon Base, of a person who may very well be a ghost herself. Who is Miss Zarves? Who was Miss Zarves? A powerful witch with the power to scramble your memories, insists one cantankerous woman who pours you a drink at Madame Frione's Tea Kettle. A heavyset, flushed with drink sort of man sitting next to you disagrees — Miss Zarves is a practical joke Garfield likes to trot out every couple of months to mess around with anybody gullible enough to believe him. Whatever the case, it seems that the name alone gives everyone a curious case of déjà vu. Someone has to have information on her — and this is the Reclaimers' opportunity to hone their information gathering skills.  C. A (PERHAPS MANDATORY) DAY AT STOP DYING 101Whether you're in class voluntarily, or whether you were dragged there on account of dying the past Field Mission, today's session of Fatalistic Fauna, and Danger Sense to channel your inner barbarian is going on a little field trip to the Arena. Because this is your first test to see if you can put all that information that's been given to you in the first few lectures to good use. You and a partner are placed in the middle of the Arena, in a simulation of an expansive, empty field, up against the first monster you were introduced to in class: A Bulette, a fearsome beast that can burrow, lunge, deal severe piercing damage, and jump an absolutely incredible distance. And you and your Reclaimer partner are absolutely no match for it. Your only option here is to escape. Can you? If you are dealt simulated fatal damage, then the Arena will dissolve back to normal, and you'll be given extra homework and reading material for the day. Sorry, them's the breaks. D. OPEN THE DOOR, GET ON THE FLOOR, EVERYBODY DO THE DINOSAUR There's a signup available for those looking to take Dance lessons at the Academy. There seem to be enough slots available for 50 or so people, and the form's name simply reads: "DANCE, NOW. WITH MS. CHARLOTTE." It's a pretty large time commitment- a crash course in dancing is a rather intensive affair. You'll be spending 4 days a week for 2 weeks, 2-3 hours per day, learning all the basics of the waltz, the tango, and the quickstep. Don't even think about trying the cha-cha slide here, it's simply not pasodoable. At the studio, you can borrow a pair of ballet slippers and join in with Ms. Charlotte, which, for anyone coming to the class for the first time should be rightly horrified. The newest member of the Bureau of Balance is a spider. A delegate from New New Aspen, Ms. Charlotte comes equipped with a bracer of her own, has taken in the Voidfish juice, and relocated here, to teach at the Academy. She moonlights as a ballroom dance instructor and a coach, and boy... she's pretty demanding with her approach, but incredibly thorough. You don't want to let Ms. Charlotte down. The sessions she teaches will get you to learn the basics. Natural aptitude, of course, goes a long way, but she's very 8-hands on with her approach at correcting posture and steps. Not without compassion, however, if you manage to get blisters on your feet, Ms. Charlotte's web bandages will set and help heal those sore, tired feet. The next 2 weeks of this boot camp are going to be brutal. E. THE MOON IS YOUR SPACE OYSTER (WILDCARD) There are plenty of other locations around the Moon Base that you can explore at your own discretion. Feel free to refer to the Settings page for more ideas on what shenanigans you can get into. Additionally, we'll be fielding Bender rolls again this month! With the exception of the three items that have been removed from his recipe database, if a food item was destroyed in a failed roll previously, you may roll to try to fix it. Bear in mind, of course, that you may make it worse. Successful food rolls will stay in place at this time. 4. THE DIRECTOR ACTS; A GRAND RELIC DESTROYEDErika has obtained and delivered the Space Mittens to Madame Director herself. She struggles to remain calm and composed at the moment, but the amount of immense pride and relief at recovering the Grand Relic slips through an otherwise sturdy exterior of coolness and level-headed features. She congratulates the entirety of the Bureau of Balance for their hard work, and relates to Erika that she couldn't be happier that she had made this world one step closer to being safe. A message will appear across all bracers, everywhere, with the following: Reclaimers, welcome home and congratulations on a successful first mission. Although there were certain drawbacks and difficult decisions that had to be made, I believe, without a doubt, that you all have irrefutably surpassed all expectations. Congratulations on a job well done. However, next time, please do be more careful out there.  At the appointed hour, a ceremony will occur. She calls forth Davenport to wheel out the structure that's been created and designed with the sole purpose of destroying these things. She dare not takes the relic herself, no, refusing to touch the item at all. It's a medium sized metallic sphere, and once opened and closed, can never be opened again. Pulling back the curtain to an observatory, the Reclaimers can watch as Davenport sports a nifty pair of goggles, and wheels the orb onto a raised platform. He waits for the Director's signal, which is performed by an agreeable stamp of her oaken staff against the floor, and a nod. Davenport hits the KILL SWITCH, and the light show from behind the glass is amazing and terrifying all at the same time. You watch as the Space Mittens are obliterated from existence.An eruption of cheering breaks out. This concludes the first successful mission, and a deeply needed win, for the Bureau of Balance. blurb code by photosynthesis |
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[Bakugo sounds like he's ready to explode, but unfortunately he's not allowed to do that here.]
They lured us in with that "your world is doomed and we need you" bullshit, and now we're trapped here pretending we're in an MMO while everyone lives on without us! It makes me sick!
[Of course he doesn't know if that's true, but it's what he's desperately trying to believe.]
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But the raging child, insisting that it's all fake? That's not someone coming at this with healthy skepticism. That's a kid trying to hold onto something they need to believe in. Like Maya saying that there is a way to get their worlds back.
Qrow picks up the axe in one hand, flipping it easily, getting a sense of its grip. He glances at Bakugo.]
So, you know how to use one of these?
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...I don't fight with weapons.
[He's a "puts his hand in your face and explodes your skin off" kinda guy.]
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[Qrow offers the axe back to Bakugo, hilt first. It leaves him open, but he assumes he hasn't been quite annoying enough to be axed down yet. Besides, he has his Aura.]
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Eventually, his gaze lifts up from the reflection towards Qrow.]
My Quirk.
[He just leaves it there, testing the waters to see if Qrow even knows what a Quirk is.]
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Right, you're gonna have to explain that one for people who aren't from wherever that's a thing, because that means nothing to me.
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They're supernatural abilities, dumbass. Things people are born with, or if they're unlucky, Quirkless losers.. they're not.
[Bakugo raises his hand, intending to show off his own but of course he can't. He'd forgotten about that but it's fine, he'll just!! Have to use his words he guesses!!]
I was born with Explosion. I sweat a nitroglycerine-like substance and I can ignite it in the palm of my hands like bombs and do some serious damage... and if you call it gross, I'll kill you.
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1) His Quirk is sweating bodily fluids.
2) The movement implies he can't do it right now.
3) The scene in the Quad.]
So that's why you got hosed down in the courtyard.
[Makes sense. That's useful in the field, but it's dangerous out of it. At least most Semblances have to be activated.
And while it isn't a Semblance, clearly more of a biological feature than some expression of the soul, it's an ability granted at birth. So this kid has been ripped from his home, feels guilty about surviving, and then lost something that, Qrow is pretty sure, is a major part of his identity. Plus the Initiation Test, if he's done it already.
Not a great day.]
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That's what I thought but I don't know why it's just me! I saw people use Quirks that could fight on par with mine if they got serious!
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Maybe, but those might not be things they can take away as easy. Yours is a biological process to produce a chemical agent. That means there's a quick method to solve it. You either counteract the chemical or stop the biological process. If someone's walking around with, say, magic powers that rely on their thoughts, then that's probably a little tougher to deal with. The different rules of the different worlds people are from mean they might not have anything to counteract magic. And shutting down someone's thoughts is a pretty delicate procedure.
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[The reason might have been that this teenager seems like maybe a dangerous person to allow explosions while on the moon.]
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He doesn't know if this means they're going to permanently erase his Quirk or not, either. It's not like he's never had it erased either but it was always in short bursts when he was getting too violent.. he could still depend on it. But now he can't, and he really doesn't know how to fight with anything but his fists...]
.....what do you fight with?
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At the question, Qrow flips the sword over to show it. In a whirr of gears, it transforms from its truncated form to the full length of a broadsword. There are two shotgun barrels on either side, and the segmentation of the blade is revealed to be not just a matter of the compact form but in fact the way that it turns into a scythe. It becomes a full-length scythe, the hilt of the sword telescoping out into the shaft and the blade curving in segments into something that resembles a crow's beak.]
That'd be this.
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Bakugo looks like he wants to say something, but he keeps it to himself in fear of showing weakness to this guy he barely knows but goddamn if that doesn't look like the coolest fucking weapon he's seen. It's not like he particularly trusts or likes Qrow, but honestly he's the first person to treat Bakugo with some semblance of respect. Like he's more than just a stupid, angry teenager. And he's the only person that currently knows about his Quirk and that he plans on telling about it.. so...]
Teach me how to use something like that.
[It's not a question if he would, it's a demand.]
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Qrow recognizes something in him, though. He recognizes the anger and the frustration; he felt it once, and saw it later in students in turn. More than that, though, he recognizes a drive. Maybe it's just for strength. That was how Raven was. But once, Raven wanted more. Bakugo could too.
Qrow turns Harbinger in his hands, deftly converting it back to its compact form and resting it at his back again.]
You ever heard of 'please'? [As if that matters, since Qrow is going to continue on anyway. He does not, in fact, care about manners.] If you want to know how to fight with something like this, you've got to design it. I can help out with the technical details on the blueprint, but it has to be your design.
[Qrow sees absolutely nothing wrong with letting Bakugo design and swing around some unholy mashup of a weapon of his own making. He is sticking by Signal's philosophy on this one: you design your weapon, because your weapon is an extension of who you are.]
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God how many times will he be called out for not being polite. He gets it!! Just let him be a snarky boy in peace everyone, jeez!!
Though that interests him a lot, honestly. The fact that not only is Qrow not immediately turning him down, but rather he's telling him to design his own weapon first. It's fair, he thinks. It's like how a Quirk belongs to only one person-- it's not like he wanted to steal Qrow's style, he just recognizes that he needs to learn how to use a weapon properly and this guy is so far the only person he can stand.
But.. at the same time...]
How am I supposed to design a weapon I don't know how to fucking use?! Didn't you listen when I told you I only fight with my fists?!
[He doesn't even know where to start, honestly.]
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[He's referring to the comment about fighting with his fists. That is Yang's style, and she is dangerous with it. Qrow shoves one hand back into his pocket, and with the other, he gestures at the weapon aisle.]
Tell you what. You play around with these things, figure out which ones you like best. Come to me when you're done, and I'll help you with developing a workable design out of some of 'em. You give the result to a blacksmith, train in the component parts in the meantime, and when the full thing's done being crafted, I'll show you how to make it work.
[Qrow, you don't even know his name.]
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And this was kind of like... a Hero internship, in a way. Except Qrow is way, way, way less cool than any Hero Bakugo knows. And one of them wears a pair of denim jeans around his neck.]
Fine.
[Is all he says before he picks the axe back up with a determined look to his expression.]
...you're gonna regret this when I become a better warrior than you.
[you guys dont even know each other's nAMES]
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[Qrow grins at him. And it's arrogance, sure, a challenge. But it isn't a challenge that has anything to do with strength.]
I'll only regret this if you don't use it right.
[With that, he gives a lazy wave and heads off to continue his shopping. The kid has a goal now, a way to get some control back. That, in Qrow's mind, is the best thing he can offer someone who has lost so much.
He considers giving Bakugo his name, but he is pretty sure Bakugo can find him without it. So:]
See you later, kid.
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[Bakugo snaps that at Qrow before stomping off in another direction, now on a quest to find some weapons.]