FeatherWriter fanfic fan club :)

[Joe ST he/him]

you guys love your hostages XD will the female EMT reappear? she was cool XD

[FeatherWriter she/her]

Hmm, I don't know actually. We may hear from Corazon in the future, but we've got so many other recurring NPCs!

[Quiver he/him]

I'll edit this/make a new reply for session #20, since I don't have time to read it right now; I just wanted to take a moment to reply to your pain stuff you said.

 

First of all, I'm siding with Gavin because of the pain this causes you. I like to bully the people I like, so anything ze can provide to torment you with is great : )

 

Thanks for elaborating on the cultists, and this is the main reason I'm replying now instead of waiting until I'm up to date. I just wanted to comment that  this is a good example of what I was saying 2-3 pages ago, when I mentioned what I saw as the problems of writing in someone elses setting. It's really interesting to see you guys take a random throwaway line and develop it into what you have. Again, I find the Kaiju cults one of the most interesting concepts you have batted around in this piece, and finding out that it's an offshoot of something previously established hasn't diminished that-I like it whenever that sort of small detail gets explanded on, and it's only made me more curious about the setting. Corazon wasn't thrilled about Buenakai, but she wasn't nearly as vitrolic in her opposition as Katie and Eleanor were. Maybe it's because he's her friend, but I find the idea that there is a functional religion in this world, that isn't as extreme, based upon the creatures that are smashing it interesting.

 

Given that Corazon has Katie's number on a cheque book, I'd be surprised if she didn't pop up again at some point.

(I'd also be surprised if she doesn't just cash the cheque and empty Katie's accounts, but that's the cynic in me talking.)

[FeatherWriter she/her]

Ruuuuuude, siding with hir against me! This is what I get for being so monstrous all the time, isn't it? Oh well, I hold the reins on Backwards Compatibility and I will hold onto that power and use it for all it's worth.

The way I see it is BuenaKai as a whole isn't really hatred-inducing the way the Assembly is, they're creepy and offputting to most people, but not dangerous. The Assembly of True Judgment itself is the terrorist offshoot with horrifying brainwashing capabilities. That's what Katie and Eleanor are so against, (Eleanor's backstory is tied to the Assembly itself) while Corazon just thinks that her partner is a member of the BuenaKai church, not the terrorist Assembly.

And I do hope Corazon shows up again. I've got a feeling that Katie knows how to mark up her note-writing checks so they can't be cashed. She's been doing this a while.

[Quiver he/him]

I honestly can't think of any reason not to side with hir, especially if you channel your hatred for DMITRI HIDDLESTON into sad keteks.

Speaking of which...

So, more keteks, eh? I know I ought to start session 20, and I'll edit this post to do so, but I thought I should comment on this first. Unfortunately, like the audio, poetry isn't really a medium I can get behind. I don't really know how to comment on it other than to say that you succeeded in making it sad. I may be biased since I don't like keteks anyway but...

Anyway, reading and editing for session 20, so please hang and up try again later. Have a nice day.

Reason #1 to side with Gavin and everyone else over you; given the chance to turn the raid for Sylvie into a gunning action scene, they decided it would best to send Miranda and Katie in as a stealth extraction. I've already said that I like those sorts of drama more, partly since it seems less dice-calulated randomness is involved, so I'm excited for that. It's also pretty neat that fiVe kept quiet throughout the conversation. You said she was trying to avoid talking to Vee, but given her contentious relationship with Sylvie, I wonder whether or not she was keeping silent to reduce her chances of survival.

Reason #2 to side with Gavin and everyone else over you; the first words out of Mikes mouth come from the Blues Brothers. I haven't seen that since I was a kid lol. I'm trying to recall how many guards were present at the boat, and failing badly; Mike was one, so was there just one other, the female guard that Katie's contact flirted with? I like how Mike responds to the groups distaste of the Assembly. Given his profession, I'm sure he doesn't like them anymore than they do, but he ends up having to reel them back to stop them actually 'enlightening' them. Eleanor stumbling over calling Sylvie a friend looks pretty significant. Up until now, the only scene I can remember her being genuinely warm and at ease with someone was Katie. The others have had moments with her, but this seems like the moment when she sort of realises how much the team (or Sylvie at least) mean to her.

Reason #3 to side with Gavin and everyone else over you; none of them broke a promise they made to their mental duplicates, particularly not in a way that's left them completely damaged. The stuff with Vee is rather creepy. Up until now, I had assumed drifts could only be between two at a time, so I don't know if she's this way because she tried drifting with three or because of the cults own tech interfering, but either way is unsettling. The prophet is also interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing his sister, because at the moment, he seems extraordinarily optimistic and trusting; since he said he saw something good in the bomb, I wonder if that makes him the yin to his sisters yang. I found myself thinking the same thing Sylvie did; he may express concern for his followers and believe what he's doing, and he may be young, but he's still a terrorist. I kind of suspect the fact that he made Sylvie kneel in front of him means he isn't as naive as he looks; she may have done it to placate him, but she did start calling him by his title after that...

Reason #4 to side with Gavin and everyone else over you; those guys were pretty funny. It makes sense, but having Eleanor shrug, decide to go and immediately take a gun on a stealth mission was pretty funny. I can understand not wanting to be unarmed, but as usual with El, I end up wondering how much of her reactions to these situations is 'I need to be prepared' and how much is 'Let's kill some tentacultists!', especially since she was called in for her negotiating skills. Similarly, Seiko deciding to relax by drawing. I don't remember being told of any artistic inclinations on his part before now, so it was a surprising revelation. Seiko doesn't like giving information about himself away, so even though I know he must have interests beyond providing for his family, it's still surprising to see him so relaxed. Usually, this would be the point where he'd be lining up shots with his sniper rifle.

Reason #5 to side with Gavin and everyone else over you; they at least made it into a different room before they got caught. I'm left feeling pretty uneasy about Veena, honestly. You showed us earlier how much mental trauma she was under, and while it seems worse than fiVes, I'm not convinced it was; fiVe has just had a lot longer to adjust to how broken she is. With that in mind, I'm thinking Sylvies treatment of Veena is going to be foreshadowing for how she treats fiVe. I'm struggling to think of how to put it, but Sylvies thoughts that her memories should be a map for her to work out how to fix Veena seems like what will happen with fiVe. And I was going to support Sylvie, since Veena was having such problems, but... Him. It's complicated. And Sylvies last words; just the reaction to the Drift, or the same nose bleed and confusion Miranda and Leah had?

Reason #6 to side with Gavin and everyone else over you; they made it possible for me to write the words 'semi-naked cyborg lady has the pope at knifepoint', and frankly, that's more than you've ever done. I realise the logic behind it, but them finding the right room right away feels maybe a little convenient. Still, as I said, it leads to an unexpected scene. Elsewhere, I liked that the guard gave up. I've always found the willingness of security guards to die for their evil overlords kind of comical (and the willingness of heroes to murder them psychotic) so having that trope inverted was nice. Again, I liked the contrast between Vee and fiVe, and it adds to what I said before. Veena seems, to me, to be a foreshadowing or a proxy of fiVe, and I get the feeling that however the V's deal with her is going to be important to how they address the fiVe problem. I also get the impression that Sylvie has the virus now too, which might... complicate things.

Reason #7 to side with Gavin and everyone else over you; after twenty sessions, I'm almost positive I have some kinda trigger word in my brain making me side with hir. I mean, why else would I have read this much? Okay, yes, it's enjoyable, and this scene is appropriately tense. I like the explanation we got (or the hints of one, anyway) as to why the Prophets eyes are so blue. I also liked Miranda's speech, which was surprising; I like the references, but using the name of the Survivor doesn't seem like it should work, since it could have been a moment for her own badassness. Instead, it does work, and it's still her being bad chull. Having Kelsiers words re-appropriated for this occasion feels... uh... appropriate. And Seio calling her out on it was a pretty funny after thought. There's also the nice little poetry about the snowflake, Karl's meltdown, and confirmation of my good prophet/bad prophet theory.

Okay, I suppose I might have read this much because it's enjoyable. But I like my theory better.

And the 8th reason to side with Gavin and everyone else over you is that, for some reason, I find it funny that Leah has become Miranda and Eleanor's nemesis (nemesises? Nemeses). If you don't mind my asking, what is the 'official' position on exoskeletons in the Pacific Rimverse? I had been thinking it was simply acase of. Miranda not wanting everyone to feel sorry for her or think she was disabled, but Seiko's tone kind of implies it's a little more serious than that.

Anyway, another successful mission, and another enjoyable piece.

Edited January 22, 2014 by Quiver

[FeatherWriter she/her]

Things I like in keteks: When the meaning is different in the later sections, usually a fun form of reversal. Keteks are a fabulous form to do stuff like this. When five sections are just something that means the same thing when you flip it around... eh. Boring.

 

So, Kaladin sacrificing himself to protect Tien turns into Tien becoming a sacrifice. Taking up the spear becomes the spear taking life away. This one I struggled with for a while, trying to make those phrases work. For some reason my Stormlight keteks just don't quite work the way I need them too. Unlike the Assembly ketek, which remains my favorite ketek ever. (Ugh, it just worked so well.)

 

LET'S BREAK THIS UP BY REASONS. (Which by the way are all terrible and mean and you should be ashamed.)

 

Reason 1:

Yep, keeping things subtle tends to be the group's MO. We take hostages instead of shooting the mooks. We sneak in and cut straight to the source instead of busting in with gunfire and flashy demands. There is some dice rolling stuff, "Stealth" is a skill check that gets rolled, and I'm pretty sure Eleanor ends up rolling "Rapport" at least once to get past some people, but it's not quite as cut and dry as fight rolls.

 

And fiVe doesn't want Sylvie to die... here. Right now, Sylvie's a risk to Seiko and Miranda and it would be best to get her out and make sure she didn't do anything to damage them. She's committed to the Sylvie rescue... but she hates that she's helping her out, and is kind of sulking and doesn't want to talk to Vee during it. She's a very reluctant team member for this little mission.

 

Reason 2:

Yep, there were two guards in Session 10. Mike's the guard who overheard the convo with Sylvie and Seiko, and then dragged Sylvie up to the Zhu meeting by her arm. I... really like Mike. Not my fault, Gavin said Mike would probably be played by Chris Evans but with an Australian accent and I JUST... 

 

Eleanor and Sylvie are actually fairly close friends... or they used to be. They had one kinda nice friend-scene in Session 5, Scene 7, when Sylvie's feeling very overwhelmed by her first real mission after they take Greg. Fun fact, in that scene, Eleanor talks about knowing what "a lack of a soul" looks like in a person and that it isn't what Seiko is. She's talking about Yegorov there. 

 

BACKSTORY TIME: So, Sylvie and Eleanor were kinda friends back in the PPDC, Eleanor ended up leaving over the Dmitri Yegorov incident (which made Sylvie LIVID because she already hated that guy). I think that was about a year before Sylvie ended up leaving. Right after Sylvie does her thing in Vulcan Specter and then realizes OH NO I JUST DID THAT, she calls Eleanor... knowing that Eleanor now has some contacts in the underworld that might be able to hide her from the authorities. Eleanor puts her in contact with Katie, who helps Sylvie go to ground and keeps her hidden while she's wanted. For... about a year and a half, Sylvie doesn't really have much contact with the outside world aside from Katie, who is keeping her under wraps, and Eleanor who is her one friend that still knows where she is. Eventually Katie starts using Eleanor and Sylvie for jobs (small things at first, then larger projects) until we finally get to Session 1, which is the first time Katie's been able to get Sylvie out of her apartment for a real full-time job. AAAAND that's Eleanor and Sylvie's history.

 

Reason #3

Drifts actually can be three at a time. One of the four main Jaegers in the film, Crimson Typhoon, is piloted by a group of triplets and has three arms. Pretty cool. Note, that this is NOT the cult's tech, btw. It's all Sylvie's so there's no scary brainwash stuff in here. The Prophet is SUPER interesting though, I totally agree. I'm really glad Miranda didn't kill him because I'm hoping he stays around. (And she's been calling him by his title since Karl said it earlier.)

 

Let's talk a little about Veena (and fiVe) and what exactly is happening here. So, the AiVees are programmed to accept any memories they encounter in the Drift as theirs and automatically integrate them into their personality frame. This is because they're not supposed to Drift with anyone other than Sylvie, and when they Drift with her, they are supposed to "sync" with her and become her again.This causes problems if anyone but Sylvie Drifts with them, because their memories will be overwritten by what they get in the Drift. Suddenly they have two (or more) conflicting sets of memories that are both theirs. We can see this with fiVe, when she tries to remember specific events, she gets a horrible jumble of Seiko, Miranda, Sylvie, and herself and she's unable to sort through all of this.

 

Now, there is a way to fix this: Drifting with Sylvie. She can sort through which memories are hers and which are not. Once the AiVee knows that, they can remember things without getting the mental wires crossed. Sylvie's brain works as a "template" and things that match are "kept" while things that do not are marked as coming from a partner. They don't disappear, so Vee (and Sylvie) will always remember what Katia's memories were, but she won't think that she actually is Katia anymore. It will be like Katia was just a Drift partner for her. The AiVees just can't do this on their own because of the way they're designed. 

 

fiVe does not want to do this because fixing her would put Sylvie's memories back in her personality core (all the time that she's missed in the last year and a half) and would therefore make her back into Sylvie. Sylvie and fiVe would become a person who remembers living and Drifting with Seiko and Miranda for a year and a half, as well as remembering what happened with Sylvie and Vee hiding on their own. If she and Sylvie were able to Drift long enough to sync back up (which I really don't think is possible, I think they're too different and Sylvie's Drift incompatibility would make it fail even without fiVe actively trying to sabotage her while it's happening), but if they could, they would come into agreement on everything in their life, become the same person... though one who is very possibly not Sylvie or fiVe, but something altogether new.

 

Reason #4

Not much to say here other than to let you know that Seiko is also apparently a fabulous cook and does all the cooking in the Advanced Hydrophobia apartment. Miranda is not allowed in the kitchen.

 

Reason #5

fiVe's and Veena's damage are similar, but there's difference there as well. For one, Veena's damage is more estensive. She was more completely overwritten because she wasn't fighting her drift and stayed in it to its conclusion. fiVe has had two non-Sylvie drifts but neither were complete. She was able to fight her way out and get it to stop before she was damaged to the point where she forgot who she was both times. You are also right in that she has learned to live with it. So long as she doesn't try to remember specific memories, the pain isn't so bad. This will get explained here in some of the epilogue stuff. If she's in the present, she can function.

 

This is a bit of foreshadowing, actually! It's what Sylvie wants to do with fiVe, to fix her memory damage and bring her back into sync, but fiVe has been away for so long that it's probably not even possible anymore. Sylvie was imagining multiple Drift sessions if she ever got ahold of fiVe, fighting through the strange memories until she couldn't take anymore and then stopping to recover before starting again. She would be "willing to push through the pain" for fiVe's sake to get her fixed. She is... somewhat naive about how difficult it woud actually be.

 

As for Veena, I will say this: Vee knew this would happen to her if she went into the Drift. She's well aware of this programming flaw in her system and she knew that she would be overwritten if she went into the Drift. She chose to do so. That's a part of why Sylvie's so proud of her, that Vee endured this and went through it to protect the girl. And a part of the reason why Vee agreed to it was because she knew that Sylvie would Drift with her on the other side and would fix her. She was willing to be broken because she knew it was temporary.

 

Suffice it to say that Vee and Sylvie now both have a very good idea of what fiVe feels like at the moment and what she's gone through. And... they're possibly more determined than ever to fix it because they realize how painful it is.

 

Reason #6

Emma (Miranda's player) is amused by your assessment of the situation. She's a fan of the phrase 'semi-naked cyborg lady has the pope at knifepoint'. Also, I think this sums up Eleanor vs. that Cultist pretty well. Veena is just Vee again, Sylvie fixed her with the drift. However, doing so took a lot out of Sylvie, which is why she's bleeding. She does not have the cult virus, because neither she nor Vee ever came in contact with it. (Although I guess Vee could have picked something up from Sister Amantje, but I don't think that happened.) Sylvie's just not good at Drifting and bad Drifts = nosebleeds when they're traumatic enough. 

 

Reason #7

I'm... I'm gonna quote our off-topic chat's response to this real quick:

 

[7:08:10 PM] Gavin: OH CRAP QUIVER FOUND THE TRIGGER WORD

[7:09:39 PM] Emmalyn (Eleanor Cartier): UH OH

[7:09:48 PM] Emmalyn (Eleanor Cartier): THE THIRD FLOWER IS GREEN

[7:11:00 PM] Alyx (Sylvie Mansen): HAHAHA

 

(Also yes I have everyone in Skype named with their character name in parentheses. Hush. It helps me when I'm doing transcripts.)

 

Aaaah, I wanna know more about the Prophets they're so interesting and the eyes and the creepiness and aaaaaaaaaaah. Yeah, this is the moment that Miranda becomes the False Prophet. And yes, she's channeling a bit of Kelsier there at the end, as Seiko so wonderfully points out. The snowflake thing was wonderful as well, I loved it. (Also there is totally a ship tease there between Sylvie and Mike there at the end and it is WONDERFUL.)

 

Reason #8

Heh, we'll see more of why Miranda's so insistent to find Leah in the debriefs, but basically, because Leah Drifted with her, she's got Miranda's secrets and a BUNCH of Shatterdome info in her head... and Leah is a cultist. She's a major security threat to Miranda, Seiko's family, fiVe, and the PPDC. Finding her is going to be very important. Also, exoskeletons are not an established part of the universe, that's something that was brought in. I think it's just that the exoskeleton has been a secret for so long, and now everyone knows. It could be used against Miranda as a weakness, and the two of them very much don't want that.

--

 

Wow. That was a much longer response than I was expecting to write. Aaaanyway, today's update didn't take any work on my part, just me reblogging things that Gavin wrote months ago, so if you head to the tag, you can see two short asides: Daniel Amantje and The Prophets

 

 

[Quiver he/him]

We'll glad to know I'm providing you all with some solid entertainment. I was going to just post and edit (you know, the usual), but looking at them, they seemed short enough that I'm just gonna blog them both no- is that an incest tag?!?

Er... anyway, I'd say these are the best pieces of fiction ever, but that might be the flowers talking, so I'll go through them in a bit more depth.

My geography is faulty at the best of times, when dealing with my own country, so I can't even begin to guess the distances involved between Darwin and Sydney. I'm guessing from the context that it's a fair distance away, and Katia isn't living with her father at the moment? If so, that makes the fact she's in a coma slightly sadder, if they didn't even get to have a last conversation together. I did like all the sciences aspects to it though; years of cinema have taught me that bioterrorism involves dirty bombs, and yellow plastic rebreather suits, and seeing someone doing something mundane, like collecting soil samples, helps sell the reality of the world. It's also a change, again, from the group solution of shooting/sneaking/hostage taking.

And... the Prophets. Huh. I don't have a name, so I'm calling them Brother and Sister, and that my theory continues to seem to be right because damnation. Those two are pretty polarised. However nice Brother was, Sister seems cold. Sylvie was able to have a conversation with Brother; I'm left wondering if the power Sister has over him, wearing him down and making him flinch, is because of the background they have together, because of her own overwhelming personality, or if (long shot, unlikely possibility) it's somehow connected to the kaiju. The last session here implied that the blue eyes and blood might be due to science, and I haven't any grounds for thinking PR could be a magical world, but still. GRRM shows that faith and magic can be very easily mixed...

Karl escaping is a pretty interesting twist though, and I'm about 90% certain that he'll reappear- the missing 10% is because I always expect people to mess with expectations, even if that means meeting expectations.

[Abalidoth]

Howdy! GM Gavin here. Thought I might as well put in my few cents now and again.

 

Katia and Daniel both live in the house that Leah claimed was hers. (The cult pulled all the pictures and stuff off the walls when they took over.) When the attack in Darwin happened, Daniel was called off for his job, and found a babysitter to look after Katia for a few days. That babysitter was the female prophet, allowing the Cult to begin their dirty work. He was only expecting to be gone for a few days, but... 1) the gas attack was mixed with Kaiju blood (referred to as Kaiju Blue) making it extra nasty, and 2) the Cult also took down Darwin's communications network. And as far as distance -- Sydney to Darwin is like a four and a half hour flight, or 45 hours by car, so it's a pretty significant trip.

 

Pacific Rim doesn't have any fantastical elements to it, and I'm sticking to that for Scroungers. Assume anything you see has a mundane (or superscience, which is allowed to work like magic except it's got wires sticking out of it) explanation.

 

Also assume anyone you've seen might come back again. I mean, how many people were expecting to see Mike again?

Edited January 23, 2014 by Abalidoth

[FeatherWriter she/her]

Lilyfield is a suburb in Sydney. Darwin is... on the other side of the continent. Here's how I understand it: Katia lives with her adoptive father, Daniel Amantje in Lilyfield (probably). The Assembly attacks Darwin with a bioterror bomb so that Daniel will be called away to the scene. He leaves Katia with a nanny, who... turns out to be the female Prophet. So, as soon as he's gone they do something to put Katia in a coma (Possibly trying to get the code from her. Her memories that Sylvie got from Vee showed that she knew some of what was going on and what they wanted from her)

Then, they set her up in a fake house with her actual birth mother, Leah, who is a cultist but can't remember it, and call in the crew. After Sylvie gets kidnapped, she meets Sister Amantje who, from her appearance and name, I'm going to guess is Daniel's sister (Katia's aunt via adoption).

And yeah... the Prophets. We still don't have names for them. Ages btw are 15 for Brother and 18 for Sister. I'm pretty sure the blood and eyes are science, though the Prophets would claim otherwise to their followers. (Or perhaps they truly believe their powers are divine as well, I'm not sure.) They've got a RATHER squicky dynamic. Incest + abuse? Lovely.

I'm hoping Karl shows up on the Scroungers' doorstep one of these days, begging them to help him escape the cult. That would be a fun convo.

EDIT: WHOA, Gav got an account! *salutes* Aaaand it looks like I was pretty close on my understanding of the situation... but I did't get that the house belonged to Katia and Daniel. I suppose it was Leah that we got the "not my house" vibes from, wasn't it!

[Joe ST he/him]

semi-naked cyborg lady has the pope at knifepoint

OH WOW XD

[Quiver he/him]

Howdy! GM Gavin here. Thought I might as well put in my few cents now and again.

Katia and Daniel both live in the house that Leah claimed was hers. (The cult pulled all the pictures and stuff off the walls when they took over.) When the attack in Darwin happened, Daniel was called off for his job, and found a babysitter to look after Katia for a few days. That babysitter was the female prophet, allowing the Cult to begin their dirty work. He was only expecting to be gone for a few days, but... 1) the gas attack was mixed with Kaiju blood (referred to as Kaiju Blue) making it extra nasty, and 2) the Cult also took down Darwin's communications network. And as far as distance -- Sydney to Darwin is like a four and a half hour flight, or 45 hours by car, so it's a pretty significant trip.

Pacific Rim doesn't have any fantastical elements to it, and I'm sticking to that for Scroungers. Assume anything you see has a mundane (or superscience, which is allowed to work like magic except it's got wires sticking out of it) explanation.

Also assume anyone you've seen might come back again. I mean, how many people were expecting to see Mike again?

I'll say to you what I said to Feather; I love hearing creative types explain things, so I'm looking forward to any comments or insight you have there.

Lilyfield is a suburb in Sydney. Darwin is... on the other side of the continent. Here's how I understand it: Katia lives with her adoptive father, Daniel Amantje in Lilyfield (probably). The Assembly attacks Darwin with a bioterror bomb so that Daniel will be called away to the scene. He leaves Katia with a nanny, who... turns out to be the female Prophet. So, as soon as he's gone they do something to put Katia in a coma (Possibly trying to get the code from her. Her memories that Sylvie got from Vee showed that she knew some of what was going on and what they wanted from her)

Then, they set her up in a fake house with her actual birth mother, Leah, who is a cultist but can't remember it, and call in the crew. After Sylvie gets kidnapped, she meets Sister Amantje who, from her appearance and name, I'm going to guess is Daniel's sister (Katia's aunt via adoption).

And yeah... the Prophets. We still don't have names for them. Ages btw are 15 for Brother and 18 for Sister. I'm pretty sure the blood and eyes are science, though the Prophets would claim otherwise to their followers. (Or perhaps they truly believe their powers are divine as well, I'm not sure.) They've got a RATHER squicky dynamic. Incest + abuse? Lovely.

I'm hoping Karl shows up on the Scroungers' doorstep one of these days, begging them to help him escape the cult. That would be a fun convo.

EDIT: WHOA, Gav got an account! *salutes* Aaaand it looks like I was pretty close on my understanding of the situation... but I did't get that the house belonged to Katia and Daniel. I suppose it was Leah that we got the "not my house" vibes from, wasn't it!

The interlude with them made it seem like she is initiating it, so I'm not sure how culpable Brother is. If he's underage on top of that... part of me wants to know how much this dynamic has been shaped by the Assembly, the other part realises that would mean an even younger pair of the two getting up to things, which is... unsettling.

OH WOW XD

I feel I ought to point out that using the Pope is not a comment on religion. It was just the first religious figure I thought of.

But yes, wow sums it up.

Edited January 23, 2014 by Quiver

[Abalidoth]

"Unsettling" -- that's the Prophets in a nutshell.

I'll tell y'all what I told the group, though. The relationship between the Prophets is a LOT more complex than it seems from what's known so far.

[FeatherWriter she/her]

*Drops Session 21 and dashes off to class*

[Quiver he/him]

Ah, the Epilogue. And a pretty long one at that. Which means it has the strip poker Seiko, Eleanor and Miranda teased in the van, doesn't it? I have a distinct memory of ordering a session of strip poker.

I'll call on there being strip poker in this piece.

Okay... Calling scene one a metaphorical strip poker game, of everyone holding their cards close to their chests and momentarily flashing when they get nervous through blushing or stammering might be a bit of a stretch.

Remind me to compare and contrast both epilogues when this one is completed, but the beginning of this reminds me of the ending of the first act, if not the actual epilogue, the difference being that now, Sylvie is the one who is, comparatively, relaxed and not freaking out about Zhu (at least not until she shows up in person). There were bits of characterisation and explanations in this that I really liked, or which clarified things I was slightly confused on; appropriate, since it's clearing the deck for phase 3,

First, Sylvie. I'm glad to have my theory about Veena's role backed up in the text proper, even if you did confirm it here anyway. Sylvia's plan to fix fiVe comes across a lot more sympathetically here than it has earlier (with the exception of Veena's, of course). We've seen enough of fiVes glitches to know that she's broken, but it might be significant that we haven't seen her when Miranda drifted the first time. Veena's was a mess, and while fiVe is damaged, she comes across as a lot more functional than Veena was. I wonder if Veena had Ben left behind if she might have grown up and integrated things better.

The reason I mention it is because it reminds me of fiVes conversation with Miranda. The implication I got from it was that fiVe has been this level of damaged from the beginning. If she was as bad as Veena had been, though, then that really undercuts Sylvies arguments, since she's developed so much, exactly like everyone has been saying.

Eleanor. Eleanor. Eleanor.

Fine, my theory that she is the secret big bad might not have played out, so I need to start looking through the backlogs and figure out exactly what level of mental stability she has, because while I can understand the resentment she has for the cult (and again, I liked the bits of vocabulary used to show her distaste, like calling it a rats nest), responding to concerns about the safety of a child with Ugh, feels makes me wonder if she's a psychopath or a sociopath- and in fairness, she's been grinning like a shark. Sharks are not known for their empathy.

And, of course, I really like whenever El gets to be medical or technical. I sort of wish that Miranda and her would have a session; their mutual dislike of the tentacultists might be pretty interesting to explore.

I remember the cheat sheet describing Miranda as having done damage to Vee, but until now I was assuming that was the drifting or some smaller things; the way she phrases it to fiVe makes it sound a lot more serious than I thought it was. Again, it's probable I'm forgetting something, but if. I'm not, I think this was the first moment when the damage beyond the drift has been mentioned story-wise. With fiVe playing such a major part in this Act, I'm guessing that's set up for the next one. Are you guys sticking to a three act structure, or will this be continuing until everyone is dead or you lose interest?

You know, I noticed Katie slipping Marshall zhu's first name into conversations, but I can't recall if this is the first time Zhu has almost referred to her as Katie. I have to say, I find it kind of funny (and sad) at how tangled the relationships are getting here; as far as I can untangle them, Katie has a crush on Zhu. Zhu doesn't know this. Zhu has a thing for Miranda. Miranda knows that and doesn't care romantically for Zhu, but she is interested in Seiko. And narrative law says that since Sulvie hates Seiko, she will be the Hermione to to his Ron.Then there's Backwards Compatibility in the mix as well. The only one I can't connect in is Eleanor, but in fairness, I thought if Zhu was going to have a relationship with a crew member, it would be her. Still, I think there's enough hormones to officially rechristen Tranquility the Love Boat.

I think Katie, in her de-briefing, is more worn down than we've seen her up to this point. After all the times that she's corrected herself mid-sentence, it's nice that she finally gets to finish the word Rachel, even if it is just in her head. For all the things I (and Sylvie) said about him in the earlier chapters, it's interesting that Sylvie is the one being considered less than a decent human being; her stock with the team has nosedived this arc.

I like the two's reaction to the Miranda problem,too. Katie was obligated to mention it, given how potentially dangerous the secrets that got out were, but I like that Zhu won't make Miranda go to counselling. The comparisons between fiVe and mental illness earlier seem to be echoed here, and it makes me like ZHu, that she is sticking to her principles so thoroughly. Also, it seems she isn't as unaware of. Katie's affections as I thought. This... might get awkward.

I like the scenes with Eleanor talking to someone, since they always show that undercurrent I kep sensing with her. Again, the whole thing about mirroring, about Sylvie and Miranda's physcology profiles show off her background as a doctor really well. And it's interesting that we've gotten a bit more backstory on her now, regarding her parents. It's still being played tight, but that pause when she remembers them does a lot to explain why she is how she is. Again, like with fiVe, I suspect that and her connections with the cult will come to a head in the next act (if it's the last) and, again, I like how intensely personal they are to her. I kind of picked up on Sylvies shifting loyalties, so that's another plot thread I'm looking forward to seeing play out.

I don't really have anything to add to scene four. I honestly love it. It's nice seeing the two sides laid out, and, again, the whole Veena thing makes Sylvies side much more palatable to me now.

Sylvies debrief, again, seems like the low point of her character arc. You mentioned how co-dependant she was a few pages ago, so having her face up to that and more or less admit she hates herself... painful. But it still leaves a bit of optimism for the future.

I liked the extra details we got on Zhu as well. She appeared on the scene as a badass last Act, but this time, between the home calls, the potluck victory feast and now, her old romantic problems, she's become a more rounded and realistic person.

Okay, so scene six is a pretty good evaluator of how far everyone has come since the first session. Back then, it was Seiko sitting on his own, and Sylvie with Mira and El, whereas now... Almost in spite of their best efforts their gelling together as a team. If Miranda had asked Seiko that question earlier, I'm not sure if he would have admitted it so readily, not to mention he spent most of the first act off in his own bunk. Now, he's preparing a meal for everyone. He's come a long way while Sylvie fell back.

AND A DECK OF CARDS, STRIP POKER, YES!

...wow. Thanks Feather. Broken fiVe and Katie's backstory was exactly what I needed to take the buzz out of you guys disrobing.

So... Yeah. I emphasise, a lot, with both Katie and fiVe here. Katie, like Eleanor, is the character we haven't had much backstory on, besides her family money and kanji fascination, so getting hints of that backstory now is interesting- and it sounds tragic and unpleasant enough that I kind of really want to see it. I'm also glad that she managed to get her bosses name out. Like Miranda said, there might be some barrier issues -everyone, including Zhu, are kind of breaking down decorum and lines of command- but if that ship is going to sail, getting on a first name basis is probably a start. And with both back stories heavily implied to involve personal pain, I want the ship to sail.

Edited January 25, 2014 by Quiver

[Abalidoth]

I think it's REALLY interesting how you're reading the romantic tensions so far... >.> I won't comment on what's in store.

 

I will say, though, that Act 3 isn't the last act. There's no definitive ending planned yet, but I have story arcs planned out all the way to at least Act 8.

 

Part of what I'm trying to do with Zhu is create her as a study in contrasts. She's basically an awkward geek (her apron was a Mass Effect reference, she was wearing a Gundam T-shirt, etc) who found her way into a position of authority and had to learn how to fake being an authoritative badass when she needs to be... and in my eyes, that makes her all the more awesome.

 

(oops I may have a little crush on my own character)

[FeatherWriter she/her]

I'm kinda typing this as you go, but I'll wait to post until you've finished. Ought to be interesting.

 

Aaaand, if you've gotten to the end, you'll probably like the little hint towards strip poker there. I hadn't noticed the reversal of roles in this Zhu meeting versus the one at the end of Act 1. I like that parallel! It works rather well.

 

I will... probably go ahead and RAFO most of the stuff about fiVe's Miranda and Seiko Drifts, because you will see those for yourself. (When I get around to getting them edited). I will give you the time frame though. Miranda Drifted with V2/fiVe right after she found her. So fiVe's been broken almost the entire time that she's been with Miranda. (Seiko Drifted with her a few months after that if I recall correctly.) fiVe has been at her current level of damage for about a year.

 

I don't think Eleanor's sociopathic at all. I think she gets annoyed when her emotions get in the way of her actions, but who doesn't really? We'll see some good stuff from her backstory here soon as soon as I get it reblogged!

 

Drift things to RAFO. I will go ahead and confirm that Act 3 is not planned to be the last arc. There aren't plans to stop anytime soon, and if I recall correctly, Gavin's got about 8 of the Acts planned out? There's at least one for every member of the crew. (This Act was meant to be Sylvie's act.)

 

*blinks at those ships* Welp. That's... certainly a selection you've got there. WELP. As I'm sure you've now figured out, Katie and Zhu like each other mutually. Miranda accidentally sent a flirty text to Zhu and they both got flustered, but nothing was meant to come of it. SYLVIE/SEIKO OH GOD NO. I just... It would be wonderful to see them start to get along better in the future, but I don't think they'll ever get together romantically! BackCompat is an EXCELLENT SHIP, but I say that because I hold the reins and can use it to cause pain in others, hehehe. For reference, Gavin has... two NPC possible romantic interests for each of the main five? One of Sylvie's is Mike, for instance. I'd guess that Zhu is one of Katie's. 

 

Yep, poor Sylvie has fallen quite out of favor with her crew by this point, and the worst part to her is that... it mostly happened while she was away. Sylvie goes into the cult without having even met fiVe and comes out with the whole team arrayed against her saying "YOU CAN'T TALK TO fiVe, YOU CAN'T TOUCH HER, GET BACK, MANSEN." She's very distressed, confused, and hurt by the whole situation, really. (And that comes out later.)

 

I'll skip to Sylvie. Yeah... she gets very low here, but... I don't think she's quite at her low point yet. She's still got some fight in her here. If this kind of ostracisation and scolding over fiVe continues, she's just going to pull farther and farther into herself though, and that could get VERY bad very quickly. There is a little bit of optimism there, but Sylvie's kinda burning bridges behind her at this point, oops.

 

I really like Seiko cooking for Miranda and Eleanor and those three being friends. We gotta make some good connections on this team, dang it! And they're really being kind to each other, yaaay. Also STRIP POKER CARDS YES.

 

AHAHA, making people be sad about fiVe is basically my favorite, and Heather was so accommadating in making Katie sad here as well, wooooo. And yes, first name basis for Katie. Yay Katie and Zhu ship!

[Abalidoth]

Welp, Alyx already said it. Yeah, Katie and Zhu like each other. That's a thing. Rachel just gets really flustered when *anyone* flirts with her... Part of the whole thing about her "badass mask" slipping.

 

Also: Yeah, I have a couple of NPCs for each of the player characters floating around that they could find romantically interesting. There are also ongoing romantic stuff between side characters. (Y'all haven't seen the last of Greg and Samil! *cackles*)

[Joe ST he/him]

Seiko feels a sense of vague and creeping horror coming up alongside his bacon quiche recipe.

XD

 

"Normal people don’t break down into an electric seizure when someone asks about their favorite books," fiVe says. "Though… it is Sanderson, so perhaps that is more common with his books than with others."

XD

this is the extent of my liveblogging skills ><

[FeatherWriter she/her]

Pfft, Joe. Also, I'm still rather proud of that fiVe joke. It was too perfect not to put in, after Heather so wonderfully set it up. Oh fiVe, laughing of your pain using Sanderson.

[FeatherWriter she/her]

And in the midst of all the hectic air of the new chapters, I've managed to finish Session 22! Also, as an extra bonus, there's a new Aside as well featuring Reika!

[Quiver he/him]

My much delayed Scroungers post. I blame you, for obvious reasons.

So... for a start, more drama/conflict, which, again, is something I like. Given this is the epilogue, I'm rather curious about what might have happened if you hadn't found the tracking device- Act 3 opening with a kaiju kultist krack attack? For the actual character stuff, again, I like how isolated Sylvie is getting from the group. I also thought it was appropriately ironic (is that the right word for this situation?) how she defends her actions, primarily her attempted overwrite of fiVe, by saying Miranda and the crew are denying her autonomy. The ending with Vee had me a little curious as we'll; like before, when I wondered if she was more sympathetic to fiVe than Sylvie was, I wonder if her deciding not to drift before seeing Zhu is showing the first seeds of a more individual identity.

Scene two and, I have to start by saying I found the time displacement here a little confusing. It might just be because

I didn't re-read the first part before I read this one, but going from Zhu calling for Syl-V to "Ah, fiVe, just who I was waiting on!" To be a little disorientating. Given how this scene is going on at the same time as Miranda finding the tracker, I don't think there is any other way you could have broken up the sections, but still; minor disorientation. I did like how you mentioned the Eleanor thing in scene one, then showed her approaching Zhu here; I'm guessing that she'll walk up to Katie later in the session to provide a through line. You've already commented on my calling her a sociopath, but in fairness of my interpretation, here she has admitted that she sometimes -possibly accidentally- spies on the rest of the crews conversations.

As for fiVe, reading Zhu's conversation with her kind of made me realise how like Sylvie she still is. She claims to be different, and in very many ways she is, but for some reason Zhu's line about how she's only ever drifted with two people reminded me of Sylvie's situation with her Vees. They also have a similar stubborn streak in them.

Random thought, do the V's represent different parts of Sylvie's character arc? You have Vee who, at the moment hasn't drifted with Sylvie making her the past, and you have the somewhat-more-sociable fiVe. I can almost imagine Sylvie amazing to choose one or the other..

Hah, given Sylvie's outburst last time, compared with Vee finding the idea of fiVe hating Mansen -hating herself- so impossible, I feel my theory has been vindicated! To an extent. It might need some more work. But anyway; again, a little bit of almost-autonomy from Vee, and again, some similarities with fiVe, with the jokes about bytes and chips. Again, I think this scene is kind of a reflection of the conversation with fiVe, so that while that one had fiVe fearing that she'd be drifted, Vee freaks out here because the possibility might be taken away forever. The way Vee's voice drops between being softer and sounding 'more like Mansen' also sounds to me like she's developing a bit, just from having been away from Sylvie for this short period of time, and the spike that happened in her hard drive is... interesting.

Seiko pretty much highlighted his own character development; that he's been more open, and more forward, with Zhu than he has with anyone else on the team. Of course, that's not exactly saying much, since he still lied about the genders of his family and where was hiding them, but I suppose the thought counts for something. A lot more interesting than the fact he mentioned them (at least to me) was his words at the end, about enjoying talking to Zhu about them someday. Maybe he was being polite, or maybe it's because Zhu has clearly already shown she knows everything and is a 'goddamn decent human being', but the fact that he also said he wanted them to be more like her than him is intriguing. It sounds like he has a lot of respect for her, in more than just her capacity as the Marshall of the shatter dome. Until now, he's had to be going along with her- I've kind of wondered if some of the scenes,like him confessing about Sylvie to her, was a deliberate ploy by him to get Zhu on his side- but the idea of talking genuinely about them seems both sincere and a huge step forward in his character.

Again, first of all; Eleanor was the through line from the start of this part to the end! My crazy theories were true!

Again, we have the stuff I like Eleanor doing, speaking in a semi-professional manner. I say semi because I don't know if the advice she gives about secrets and lies is legitimate psyche talk, but it sounds like it should be. I also empathise a lot with Miranda here; I really do get the idea of having to be better ([benedit Cumberkhan "I am better" reference here]), but I'll save Miranda talk for her debrief. Again, fiVes violence towards Sylvie, to me, kind of seems like it's meant to be indicating Sylvie's own perception of herself at the moment, though I am glad to see the crew stick up for her at this point. The whole thing has been balanced against her, in spite of the lip service paid to 'all the vs are equal' so it was nice here (and in Zhu's conversations) to see that just as abusing fiVe won't be kosher, neither will abusing Sylvie.

I'm going to go through this thread and make a list of things I predicted, because having Miranda say drifting is bad sounds like my earlier comments about addiction were pretty right on. To my shame, I have to admit I don't remember enough about Firefly to get the joke towards the end, but I suppose that since Zhu seemed grateful that Miranda hadn't asked her out, my theories on her being interested are largely unfounded. I guess we can call this section a Wash. ; )

I did like how the reality of Miranda's job was addressed. The rest of the Scroungers have either shady professions, or are literally rich enough to do whatever they please. Given our celebrity media, I'd be a little surprised if no one ends up reporting on the oil billionaire heiress having dropped off the face of the earth for a few weeks, but Katie's rich; that sort of eccentricity can be waved away. Miranda's full time work isn't as easily ignored. Given the revelation about Lucy, it might have been kind of fun to have her keep the job, snooping around the office and rooting out the cultists in her work hours as well as of-the-books work, but ai imagine that would be far too difficult to co-ordinate with the rest of the players, so what you did is more practical.

Still reading section seven, but imagining Katie protecting Seiko's investments with a 'hostile takeover'. Lol.

After opening up so much to Zhu, it's neat to see that continue and contrast here. Seiko didn't trust Zhu with the information, she took it, but he's still willing to form a more cordial relationship with her. Meanwhile, Katie offering to move heaven and earth for them is bound to be a pretty attractive offer. It's also kind of neat how he changes the names he's using. When he talked to Zhu, he was so much more formal, skipping the ms or mrs titles completely, but here he slipped almost all the way into calling Eleanor her first name. I'm not entirely sure what to say about that other than that it seems significant, as does the fact that, rather than just hide in his bunk like he did in the first Act, this time he's actively attending and providing food for the potluck.

And more confessions, more opening up and general good vibes. The romance between those two at the end was sweet, but then, I have a tendency to favour that sort of gentle non-expression more than I do out and out declarations of love.

Edited January 30, 2014 by Quiver

[FeatherWriter she/her]

And, in case your fingers aren't hurting yet from all that typing, here's Session #23, the potluck at Zhu's house. Also known as "Shipping, shipping, and more shipping." Before that one though, there is a quick Interlude with Reika. IDK if you saw that one yet, but I'll link to it again.

EDIT FOR REACTION NOW. Okay here we go:

 

Fun fact: Originally the tracking device had a microphone in it and the implication was that the cult could have been listening in. Then we realized that they would know all about the AiVees and have all sorts of personal info that would be REALLY BAD. So the mic got retconned out because Gavin kinda blinked and said: "Wait, that's a lot more than I was expecting them to have." As for Vee's autonomy, I think most of her difference comes from a difference of situation. Vee tends to be outside of situations and can give Sylvie a better perspective. She doesn't get as nervous as Sylvie at the beginning with Zhu because... she doesn't have to stare her down and sit in the room with her. She's not suffering that desperate need to reconnect that Sylvie is right now, so... she can make the responsible decision and make sure they do the right thing.

 

*heavy sigh about scene displacement* Simultaneous scenes are the bane of my existence. Especially when they overlap. Basically it's a weighing game between plot twists and readability. I have to ask myself: "Okay, if there's a plot twist that happens in these scenes, who do I need to see it from first?" Usually that's going to decide where things go. Trying to have Vee interrupt fiVe and Zhu about the tracker before seeing the discovery from Sylvie and Miranda would have been awkward, so that's the way the scenes went. The trials of the transcriber.

 

Yeah, although she'd never admit it, fiVe is still very much Sylvie. She acts like her, she reacts to things like her, she talks like her. She, Sylvie, and Vee all use the same kinds of phrases too in various situations. Much as fiVe would like to think she's fully independent and her own person... it's just not quite true. She tends to have subtler influences on her thoughts and reactions from Seiko and Miranda as well, but at the heart of everything, her programming and personality are Sylvie's. And I wouldn't necessarily say that she and Vee are Sylvie at points in her arc, but they are various versions of her. The closest analogue might actually be like a shoulder devil and shoulder angel, with Vee's protective and healing nature towards Sylvie, and fiVe's vindictive wrath.

 

Vee is going to be slightly more inclined to understand fiVe than Sylvie is. Sylvie's got a LOT of stuff going on, while Vee has less to occupy her time. Beyond that, there's an immense kinship that Vee feels for fiVe simply on the virtue of them being AiVees together. This isn't so much Vee breaking from Sylvie (because when they Drift, she's going to pull Sylvie along in this direction as well) but Vee's going to be the one who kinda takes the lead on it. 

 

Hehe, and the processor is a bit of a joke. Basically, when the AiVees get flustered or embarrassed, their cooling fans pick up speed to cool them back down. It happens when Zhu compliments Vee's name. Basically the AI equivalent of blushing.

 

Ah, and I still love Seiko so much. He's still very distrusting and manipulative, but I really do think he might be making steps in the right direction. Zhu might just break him down and get him to open up. He's starting to let Miranda in, and he's let in fiVe because he didn't have much of a choice after she got ahold of his secrets, but he's got a ways to go yet.

 

Oh fiVe. I've mentioned before I was very surprised that everyone immediately took her side in the issue. They may realize later that that could have been too quick of a decision. Like I've said, fiVe is not a nice person and when it comes to Sylvie, she's got a viscious streak a mile wide. 

 

Yep, you totally called that Sylvie's Drifting could be seen as an addictive habit. I never meant for it to be that way, but I think you and Miranda have it right. As it stands right now, it's a crutch, and it's probably not very healthy... Also, GO WATCH FIREFLY. It's fantastic! (Zhu's referencing that her type is Zoe right here though, who's last name used to be "Alleyne" before she married Wash.) I do kinda hope that Miranda will be able to go back to Shatterdome work eventually. I think it's good for her.

 

Seiko's professionalism does slip occasionally, which usually means something is bothering him a lot. He's still not sure what to think about being trusted and having people on his side, which I think is why he almost slips. Then of course, we go into the Seiko/Miranda cutes because yaaaaaaaaaaay.

 

[Quiver he/him]

I thought it might be Wash's last name, but I couldn't remember. Most of my Firefly experience was "Wow, what a gorram cool captain Mal is!"

(Incidentally, he has my second favourite sci-if coat. The number one slot goes to Jack Harkness.)

Anyway, I owe you a Scroungers post, so I'll edit in Reika's interlude. Sorry for the delays.

Okay, so... I'm sure the implication is meant to be that this is a letter from Zhu, given the previous debriefing and her assurances of help... but for some reason, this feels very, very wrong. If Wulagu realised where the family was, I doubt she'd jump through this many rings, but...

I won't be convinced this is legit until calling that number activates Vulcan Spectres launch sequence.

So, for building tension, we'll-done, because I'm jumping at shadows from this one. The opening line was a pretty good one too.

Edited January 30, 2014 by Quiver

[Abalidoth]

The postcard is definitely from Zhu, by the way. The fact that she sent it on a Moscow postcard was a little in-joke on Rachel's part -- remember how Seiko lied at first and said he had brothers in Moscow?

 

As far as what's on the other end of that phone line... only Ellie (Seiko's player) and I know for sure.

 

Like Rachel said -- if Wulagu had inside information on Rachel's operation that was *that* sensitive, the entire world would be in really big trouble...

[Joe ST he/him]

Oh a quick question, the AI's do they not 'improve' in performance if you give them lots of power? Like, they were on tablets a lot, surely giving them a big old cluster would make them be able to be faster? and can they talk in a more 'electronic' manner, or is that just them not being allowed/wanting to get too comfortable with each other? I LIKE AIs!!!! XD ><