balance_logs | Welcome Participartypants

Welcome Participartypants

Who: All y'all nerds
Where: The Arena
When: The night of the 15th
What: A small gathering to both welcome new members to the Bureau, and to congratulate veteran Reclaimers on their successful magic mitten procurement. Dress is as fancy or as not fancy as you want it. Manners, to the degree of which you are capable, are mandatory.
Content Warning: General content warning for the Reclaimers. Also general content warning for Miss Zarves

	Formal, informal, never mind the dress code.
	NAVIGATION

It's been two weeks since the Reclaimers returned, and since the newest Reclaimers arrived. Some of you have adapted better than the Director could have hoped, and some of you have made your best efforts to find a new sense of normalcy — testing Bender the food robot to his limits, forming book clubs, training together, musing over what sort of fashions one even wears to a party.

Some of you, perhaps, have spent a little bit too much time in the simulation at the Dojo. It's understandable. Adjusting to the idea that your entire universe has been destroyed takes time, and sometimes, escapes are necessary.

And tonight, she's hoping to provide you with a temporary escape with this party.

1. ONCE UPON A TWO WEEKS' WEARY

A. TO WASH AWAY THE ACHING BLEARY

The Director, using the Moon Base's simulation technology, has turned the Arena into a ballroom to behold. The sprawling hall is decorated in ornate wooden carvings, and a large maple floor meant for dancing is encircled by tables and a large banquet table.

In the corner, on a raised platform, stands a baby grand piano, freshly tuned and polished. Anyone is free to have a spin on it, if the mood strikes. At some point during the evening, Johann the Bard, violin in hand, will stand on the platform and provide a performance that could only ever be heard on the Moon Base, among members of the Bureau of Balance — because he did, after all, give this particular song to the Voidfish.

If you would like something with a heavier beat, there's a tablet on the wall next to the platform, where you can make music requests of your own, from the Artificer's collection of songs from across the universe. The collection may not be all that extensive, but The Cupid Shuffle is probably in there.

Get down and boogie, is what we're saying.

B. THEY WERE THROWN A BANQUET CHEERY

And what's on the banquet table? Snacks provided by Bender, of course — which means they could have any manner of magical effects. Here are some of the snacks available, including one that the Director was lucky enough to roll for herself.

Cupcakes of every flavor imaginable, utterly delicious — so delicious, in fact, that whoever eats one will have flowers grow in their footsteps for the next two hours. The flowers are magic and disappear on their own, so go turn the dance floor into a garden (Courtesy of Lion).
Mead that puts you in such a good mood, you'll be unable to resist the urge to sing in whatever measure of talent you have (Courtesy of Lancelot).
An energy drink that will literally give you wings for two hours. Enjoy looking absolutely angelic for your friends (Courtesy of Akechi).
Nachos that have a curiously JPG quality to them, but no other magical effects (Courtesy of Terezi).
The most delicious cheeseburgers you ever did taste (Courtesy of Maya).
Finger sandwiches that, when eaten, light up your entire body in an assortment of different colors — the light trails behind your movements, like the way lights look on a low shutter speed. Enjoy the raving (courtesy of The Director).

2. BUT THEN, SHE ROSE FROM THE ICHOR

Some of you may have heard a thing or two about Miss Zarves — perhaps the rumors circulating around town, or the strange connection to Garfield and the Bracer Chasers some of you may have bought to decorate your Bracers. Maybe words like "catalyst" and "Ouija Board" have come up once or twice.

Because there is a being trapped in a plane of existence right next to yours, largely forgotten, as if she had somehow been reverse Voidfish'd. Forgotten, that is, until the Bracer Chasers — curiously laced with high amounts of aluminadium, a word that might sound familiar to McCree and Faolan. For two years, she's waited, and watched, wanting a chance to be seen again, to speak with the Bureau herself once again, cursed with a maddening loneliness.

And the second one of those cute decorations was pressed against a Bracer, Miss Zarves had it — her catalyst. She would know, after all: She was once a leading researcher on using catalysts to travel through dimensions, after all — and the Bracer Chasers were one of her original designs.

At the very end of the party, perhaps one or two piano songs away from shutdown, the simulation suddenly shuts down. The lights blink off with a systemwide shudder. After five seconds, the lights flare back to life, and the entire Arena is its default white blank slate. And a message, from username @Zarves❤Scarves, slowly blinks across the screen.

Hello. I would like to play a game.

And then the Arena goes dark.

A. HACKER VOICE: I'M IN

That little stunt isn't the only one Miss Zarves, who now has a connection to the dimension you're residing in and some of the Bureau tech, is going to pull. For the rest of your stay at the Moon Base, until you're whisked away to the next mission (Or unless you figure out a way to stop her), you may experience some of the following:

Wonky simulations: You may have been traveling to the Dojo to recall a certain piece of your home world. And maybe one day, while you're minding your own business, that same simulation may suddenly appear outside the Dojo. Or perhaps you're wandering down a hallway, and you come across a mishmash of other people's simulations, torn apart and stitched back together haphazardly.
Bender: As if this guy weren't a big enough mess already. If you happen to ask Bender for one of the items that were available at the party, you may instead be given food that has the opposite effect. Think cupcakes that leave behind wilted plants, mead that makes you cry uncontrollably, or energy drinks that not only do not give you literal wings, but put you straight to sleep.
If you happen to have a subscription to Webflix, regardless of what movie you pick to watch, it'll pick a specific movie instead: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. Also, you won't be able to turn it off.

3. AND THEN THINGS JUST KEEP GETTING WORSE

The arena's simulation has decided to take a sabbatical, a spectral being from another plane of existence has invaded the Moon Base, and Madame Director is doing her best to keep the room calm and collected. First, the darkness needs to be handled with properly, so with a stomp of her elegant white oak staff down on the floor, a sound echoes above and beyond any panicked shouts, and soon the room is filled with dancing lights that emanate from the four cardinal directions of the arena.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Excuse me. Thank you everyone for coming to this enchanted evening here with your fellow Reclaimers, but without proper lighting- Johann, Johann, please, I don't need signature music right now, this isn't a wrestling match for crying out- thank you, Johann. As I was saying- unfortunately, this evening's events will have to be---"

Almost right on cue, as if there wasn't a possibly worse time in the world for this to happen, the doors of the arena bust open. Into the room swarms a dragonborn, looking rather beat up and worse for wear. It's impossible to tell if Dragonborn can cry the way humans can cry, but her amphibian-like eyes shine oddly in the colors of the magical lights surrounding the room. The Director's eyes go wide for a moment, this was rather- no, extremely, unsuspected.

The Regulator approaches the Director. "We found him! Lucretia, we found him! And h-he. That son of a bitch has Killian!"

And lacking in the proper finesse that's demanded of her as a leader, she rubs her forehead. "Carey, come with me to my office and we'll sort this out." She looks around the room, her Reclaimers all gathered and standing, watching this interaction take place. "Please, everyone, return to your apartments for the evening."

A. TWO WEEKS UNTIL ROLLOUT

The Director hasn't slept a wink throughout the night, dealing with a host of problems facing the Bureau at the moment. She consults with the clerics on how to get rid of this ridiculous joke-entity that Garfield has proliferated long enough. She speaks with Carey about all the details she can offer, attempting to calm her down, despite her unraveled state. Killian means the world to Carey, after all, and the Director, no- Lucretia, was waiting for the wedding invitation for far too long.

Sometime around mid-day, the Reclaimers will receive a message on their bracer from her.

Reclaimers, we will deploying in approximately two weeks. We've discovered the location of a relic that we haven't heard about in quite some time now. A full briefing will be provided at a later date, but please prepare accordingly. The area you all will be assigned to is known as the Netheril, a vast desert that splits the continent in half between the western and eastern fronts.

We've instructed the tailors to offer special clothing designs that are particularly good for protection against sand and heat — at a heavily discounted price.

Ensure that you have a weapon, as there's no telling what sort of beasts you can encounter out in such a wasteland. Train intensively over the next few days. We anticipate that it will be quite some time before you are able to return to Base, so please ensure that your BIAS is restocked and ready to go.

Two weeks.

blurb code by photosynthesis

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Because that's the sort of thing that happens to a protagonist, and I'm not one. If I were still in there, since only a few people are familiar from before... it would mean no one else is real.

That sort of thing....

[It was a bit scary. It would mean Hinata had never gotten him out, that all of that was a dream....]

Of course, it could still be a simulation with people from other worlds I suppose, but then, when you get to that it's not much different from taking everything at face value.

In fact, you could start going into directions of if reality itself is just an elaborate simulation... or the dreams of others.

Are we real? Or do we simply think we are?

[What an existential crisis.]

I am the sort of person that will ever only be the side character in another's story. So, I am most certain that taking things at face value for now is the best.

You...

[Okay, so there was a simulation before. There are also people from Komaeda's world. And there's a lot of philosophy on the nature of reality, which is not at all Qrow's field.

But what has him frowning is the way Komaeda insists he isn't a "protagonist." I am the sort of person that will ever only be the side character in another's story, he says, smiling. It bothers Qrow. The more he has learned of Komaeda, the more his initial irritation has shifted into a different emotion.]

No one's a protagonist or a side character, kid. [Whoops, Komaeda just got demoted from being an adult. His tone isn't irritated; it's sad.] We're all just real people. Hell, even if we weren't, it isn't a story. You can't just reduce your role in the world, in your own life, that way.

[Being called a kid was pretty fitting, twenty two was barely an adult. His experiences after high school were also not the best for forming an adult.

Even before growing up Komaeda spent more time with books as a means to explain the world and human interaction than actual human interaction.]

There are definitely those who are important though. Those who inspire the world and are looked up to. Those who influence and guide.

Talented people who bring Hope.

They are definitely protagonist. Even mundane boring people who overcome diversity are protagonists.

Even if it's real life it doesnt mean it isnt a story. Everything becomes a story eventually. That is how we learn of deeds from the past.

[He can't exactly argue with the idea that there are some people, special ones, who inspire hope. They are important. They matter. And Qrow knows that someone like him is an expendable pawn compared to them.

But what Komaeda's saying still doesn't sit right. Not here. Not in the school that Ozpin built to help those who wanted it to live up to their full potential.]

Sure, people pass down stories. And yeah, you don't exactly have that kind of attitude. You're still sidelining yourself just because you don't fit your own idea of people who matter. What happens when you do end up in a protagonist's role? Do you just try to get someone else to take your spot?

That just would never happen!

[He couldn't even imagine a what if scenerio. Even though from a meta perspective he has been that person at least twice.]

It's hard to even picture such a thing. But no, I wouldn't try and force someone to take it.

[He already forced a teenager to become one.]

I would try my best to do what would make everyone happy. Though, I doubt it would come out well.

Also, there is something to be said of the appeal of being able to support people who are better, and being able to sacrifice yourself for them if need be.

[He had a bit of a martyr complex.]

[He could take it all, converse with it, try to talk to Komaeda about why it's a problem. But that last part, said so unhesitating and cheerful, is what horrifies him into snapping]

So what, you're just waiting to die for the right person?

[Says Qrow Branwen, a person who has spent over a decade waiting to die for the right person.]

Ah-

[It wasn't his usual drawn out response, it was caught short and his expression betrayed him a bit. It was too insightful.

He couldn't help but look down, as if he were being admonished. He could even hear Hinata's voice arguing against that sort of thought.

But, even now, even after everything....]

I would rather the right person was there when I die.

[His death was inevitable.]

[Qrow's expression softens, but he isn't backing down. At least Komaeda is acknowledging that.]

There's nothing wrong with that. Seeking that death out, though. That's where we have a problem. Your life's got value, kid, whether you want it to or not. The luck that you attract doesn't change that.

I wonder if you would still say that if you knew....

[The things the he had done. He couldn't help but mutter that thought. But no. He shouldn't dwell on that.]

You misunderstand, I think. Just a little. Isn't it just a little bit powerful to give yourself to another? To be support for a great triumph?

And if you are going to die soon anyway, wouldn't going out in a meaningful way be better than fading out into obscurity?

[He chuckled a little, as if he were saying something embarrassing.]

Though, those feelings were stronger in the past. To be such a foolish type of potential hero.

[Qrow tries to filter through it. Often, Komaeda seems to be talking as if almost to himself, not caring that he hasn't given Qrow all the context to understand. He registers the implicit suggestion in Komaeda's comment—actions in the past. Well, Komaeda is unlucky. So that's one explanation. There are others. It isn't the most important thing right now.]

You're talking like you're living under a ticking clock.

Well, I should have run out of time a long time ago.

It's a miracle....

[He laughed to lighten the mood, it felt too dark. Too open and true.]

But that sort of personal thing, is a bit much. At this point, it may never be anything to worry about.

[Perhaps at this point it might be noticed that he always has the smell of a person close to death through sickness. If that sort of subtly isn't missed.]

I'm incredibly lucky after all.... The Super High School Level Lucky Student. Former.

[Then there is a ticking clock. Qrow frowns. He doesn't know how to come at it head on, so he tries to put together more context.]

"Super High School Level"? What's that supposed to be, your yearbook title?

[The assholeish phrasing is belied by the way he's still frowning in worry.]

It is the title of those who have attended Hope's Peak Academy. The Hope of the world, the talented elite! Those with a great talent are recruited to the school. They are the best of the best.

And then, there is the lottery. A lottery is done of all the current high school students in the country, and the one who wins gets to attend the school as the Lucky Student.

[What a ridiculous pressure to put on high school students.]

The student after me is better suited though. His luck is greater, and doesn't hurt anyone. He wasn't even the first to win the lottery, another got it first but her letter was destroyed on the way, and they had to run it again and he got in.

Isn't that amazing?

I however....

[He sighed deeply.]

But yes, I suppose title is accurate. Tanaka kun for example is the Super High School Level Animal Breeder, and Tsumiki san is the Super High School Level Nurse.

Though only Tanaka kun is from the wrong time. It's a bit annoying.

[He paused a moment, an on going through rocketing to the surface, and completely off topic.]

In fact, isn't that suspicious? How can people be from different times, if the world is destroyed? How can someone be pulled from virtual reality?

[It the immortal words of John Mulaney, we don't have time to unpack all of that. Qrow grabs the key details: Gundam and whoever Tsumiki is are from the same world, that world puts a weird amount of elitism on talent among high school students, and the lottery system is a messed up act of charity.

That last point, though. Qrow remembers what Ryuji said about timelines, his own and Akira's, and how another Akechi had been encountered on the station with him and Dave. If Komaeda is talking about them being from different times, then referencing the virtual reality—was Gundam from earlier, then? He's younger than Komaeda, he still looks like a high school student. But that earlier time... was in VR?]

I've heard people talk about different timelines before, so that could explain that part of it. [Still suspicious, but not totally implausible.] I'm not sure I'm following what you're saying about virtual reality. Wouldn't yanking someone out of it just be disconnecting them?

It should, but, 8n yhe simulation we had three years we couldn't remember, and we looked the way we did three years before.

Even if he only remembers then he shouldn't be three years younger, it was only a month or so ago. Well, more like a few days ago.

[So it was very strange.]

But, who knows, magic can do anything.

[The frown deepens. Sure, magic can do anything. Even so, it's a very unusual situation. It means that Gundam wasn't just unplugged, so to speak; he was yanked out of that place as if it were reality. It reminds Qrow of what Akechi mentioned about being yanked out of the Metaverse, which should normally be inaccessible. Could it be that what Lucretia did to pull them out didn't involve her physically manifesting, but appearing as some kind of projection?]

Have you asked the Director about it?

Not at all.

[Ask someone directly about a strange suspicious thing? Never.

Though really it was more he didnt really have much of a theory to go on and his sample size was small. He didnt know enough about the world to organize a narrative.]

It's a bit hard, I'm not sure what to think yet. There isn't enough information.

[Qrow nods. He can't exactly blame the reservation. Qrow himself isn't open to prying directly about things he doesn't trust, as he has found this rarely has given him a good answer. His recent attitude change towards Lucretia doesn't mean he doesn't follow that philosophy still.]

I heard from someone else that they were pulled out of a place that's not normally accessible. Can't give you the details, but it's another odd case.

Hmm, not normally accessible?

[Where there other people using virtual reality that had their avatars taken?]

Though, if you think of that, perhaps the inner workings of the mind can be a level of existence that looks no different to us when looking into other dimensions.

Perhaps it is no different from looking down at a page and seeing the whole picture at once.

This kind of dimensional thinking's out of my playbook, kid. [Komaeda is now a kid forever. He earned that.] Still, it's worth keeping an eye out for other examples. Maybe we'll work something out.

It can be fun to think about for a time.

But eventually you start feeling like nothing matters.

[If you went too deep, you might drown.]

I'm sure we will! Nothing is unsolvable, and interesting mysteries are fun to investigate.

Murder mysteries are more interesting than information ones though.

But... I feel like I need a break from those.

[Murder mysteries? Why is every conversation with Komaeda so alarming.]

Yeah, no offence, but I'd prefer we avoid those too.

Do you think the simulations leaking out, might be a problem? Will people get hurt if they run into something they're not prepared for?

[Though it might feel a bit off topic, it was shooting back to the beginning. Who knew what people might have looked at before, what if something horrible was manifested?

He definitely hadn't gone to see good things.... Though, he hadn't exactly designed Murder Palace Vacation Extravaganza either.]

[Oh, back to the beginning, huh? Qrow's pretty sure that following Komaeda's reasoning needs special Olympic training. But he'll do his best.]

They might, unfortunately. If someone's simulation had monsters or obstacles... In theory, it'd just be simulated damage, like in the arena. But we can't be sure it'll play out that way now that it's out of the usual frame.

So we still should be careful....

And be concerned if horrible little bears suddenly attack us.

Welcome Participartypants

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