balance mod (
balancemod) wrote in
balance_logs2019-08-14 09:14 pm
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
Entry tags:
- ace attorney: mia fey,
- carmen sandiego: carmen sandiego,
- danganronpa: kaede akamatsu,
- danganronpa: maki harukawa,
- danganronpa: shuichi saihara,
- doki doki literature club: sayori,
- fate: leonardo da vinci,
- good omens: aziraphale,
- original: ferran gallagher,
- red vs blue: agent washington,
- rwby: blake belladonna
Lunar Interlude 5 — Part 2
![]()
![]() 1. IN THE NOT-SO DISTANCE: A TRAIN![]() A. GET YOUR BOARDING PASSES READY As your friendly neighborhood interplanal technomancer mentioned earlier, a pocket dimension the Bureau of Balance had been using for storage got kind of ... well, infected is probably the most accurate word for it. And for a multitude of reasons, most of them for her own gain, Miss Zarves has unlocked the door and guided you toward the entrance. It's contained on one of the locked floors above your quarters on the Moon Base. And once you step through the entrance and get a load of what she's been yammering about ... boy. That is most definitely a hell of a train. It's parked at a single solitary station, the air both smells and exhudes a general sense of unease and steam, and the cars seem to stretch on into forever. Much like infected was the most accurate word earlier, "demonic" is probably what works best right now. Best steel yourself. And hang on tight to that diamond Miss Zarves told you to bring along (Dr. Tank is throwing a fit over having to dole them out, btw). You've got a director to fetch, after all. B. THE TRAIN'S CARS This bad boy (evil boy, demonic boy, whatever you're in the mood to refer to this thing that is definitely not Doomtrain (but probably is Doomtrain for those in the know)) comes equipped with the luxury status that befits its 5* Zagart rating. As you pull up to one of the many compartments, you'll notice that the landing zone is pretty much the same for every car that's currently parked at the station. Down the line, of course, you can't even make out the beginning or the end of this monstrosity, and as you touch the edifice (that is, if you're brazen enough to do so), you can can swear you feel a warm, beating sensation under the literal ton of steel facing you. The rules of this train ride of the impossible are written firmly on a neat placard across from the entrance way. Doors will remain locked until you agree to the ToS set forth by... well, who you can only assume is the Conductor. Decided to enter? Well, there's a lot to do here! Go be lazy somewhere else! ![]() ○ The Seating Cars. They're perfect for sitting in on long journeys. If you look outside the window you'll see neon lights swirling around in the distance. No matter where you go or what you do, it doesn't actually look like this train is going anywhere. You wouldn't want to go anywhere anyway, right? So just have a seat! You'll find yourself feeling pretty chill about sitting. So much so that it might be hard to get up. Thoughts just tend to slip away while you wait. And wait you will. Forever! Unless someone can snap you out of it. Lastly, if your party winds up truly lost and can't make heads or tails of the train (and even as you get to the very front, where you think the Conductor's car is, you'll eventually get sent back to the very first car on the train), you can always follow a mouse with a sign. It'll lead you on a maze of forward and back shenanigans until you find yourself... at the station where you began. Wait, was this thing ever actually moving!? C. THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOON ![]() At some point, though, assuming you don't get lost, you will approach a painting that is a chaotic mess of bright colors splashed across a dark black canvas. This is the last stop before you reach the Engine and, presumably, whoever it is actually conducting this thing. And considering all those other paintings you probably stumbled through on your way here, you know what to do with this one. The other side of the painting, at first, is pitch black. Then, like flashlights blinking on, a splash of color. Then, another. They spread out like a web to reveal an entire second Moon Base, contoured in neon lights. You're not going to find some Other Side Garfield running the Other Side Fantasy Costco (we don't want to torture you quite that much). But you will find that the layout of the domes, of the trees, of the buildings, is correct down to the last detail. And you're not going to find any other living creatures — you are going to find nothing but monsters. Art that melts off the wall and springs at you. If you happen to wander to where your room is supposed to be, you might find that the item that's most precious to you has suddenly sprouted limbs and is attempting to shatter your bones. Yes, you can fight the moonside version of Bender (we don't particularly recommend it, however! He's stationary and tough as nails — you can bypass him easily). If you wander down to the Voidfish tank, you'll find that the Voidfish itself has been replaced by a giant violin. You'll have to fight the violin, too. While all of this is happening, though, there is a voice booming through the entire neon base; a man speaking through invisible loudspeakers. He runs through the aforementioned Terms of Service, repeatedly, before his tone suddenly shifts, presumably addressing whoever has made it this far: Get out. Get out. Get out get out get out get out |
a
Um...I'm sorry. Hear what, exactly?
no subject
Someone said something about my ears, it was—
[She glances back towards the painting.
It's crazy, isn't it? She winces, pressing the heel of her hand against her forehead. She needs to remember that nothing is ever outside the realm of possibility in this place.]
I know this sounds stupid out loud, but it might have been one of the paintings.
no subject
I didn't hear anything about your ears but...um. I could have sworn I heard this painting [A gesture to the woman with the parasol.] say something earlier. So I don't think it sounds stupid...
[Crazy? Yes. But the situation is what's crazy, not Blake.]
no subject
What did she say?
[As if that makes a difference.]
I knew there was something weird going on in here. Compared to what I expected, this is almost tame... not that I'm about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
[It could be so much worse than rude paintings. Honestly, it probably will be, eventually.]
no subject
[Totally. Not bothered at all. Nope. Definitely not bothered, even when a snide, drawling voice from somewhere behind both of them adds:]
Well it's true, even his closest friends would tell you so!
[Shuichi closes his eyes and inhales through his nose again. he's just...going to ignore it. He's pretty sure that's what Kaito would tell him to do in this situation. So he's just going to keep talking as though he wasn't just interrupted by a painting.]
Wh-what were you expecting, exactly?
no subject
Hmm. That doesn't have to be a bad thing.
[Though the phrasing certainly implies that it might be.]
Think of it as an insatiable thirst for curiosity and talent for problem-solving?
[You know, put a good spin on it. As for his question, she sighs, shaking her head as she props a hand against her hip.]
I'll probably regret saying this out loud, but I was expecting to have to fight something sooner rather than later. Hearing there's been a demon living above us? Doesn't exactly inspire confidence that there could be a peaceful mission ahead.
no subject
[It's a very non-committal hum. While it's nice of her to try and put a positive spin on it, Shuichi still can't help but see it as a bad thing. He'd like to be a reliable person...in general, not just when his talent is involved. But that's probably too much to ask of somebody as weak as he is.]
Ah, well...perhaps it's not as bad as the name "demon" would imply? I mean...it's probably been living up here for a while, hasn't it? And from the sound of things, this is the first time there's been any kind of incident.
[His tone makes it clear that he's just offering a suggestion based on evidence, rather than something he firmly believe. He could just as easily believe that the demon IS bad news and there's some other explanation for its silence until now. Maybe there was some kind of seal preventing it from doing so. That's how demons work, right?]
Or it could be that the demon is the type to work more from the shadows, so to speak. There's definitely something wrong with this train...have you been through the seating cars yet? Sitting down in the chairs makes you fall into an almost coma-like sleep. It may be that the demon would rather trap, delay, or enchant us, rather than fight us head-on.
no subject
Her frown pulls to one side, thoughtful.]
If that's the case, then letting ourselves get too caught up in any one of these cars is playing right into this thing's hands.
[If that is the way the demon wants to play, she has to say, it has the potential to be very effective.]
I walked through one of the seating cars, but I didn't stop. Still... seats luring people to sleep, paintings targeting people's insecurities— if the demon wants to delay our progress, then it's off to a good start.
[Great.]