epidemiology | EVENT ★ LOST IN TRANSLATION

Entry tags:

EVENT ★ LOST IN TRANSLATION

RETURN TO OSKA

Upon arrival in Oska, new and returning recruits alike will find that something strange is going on. Any attempts to communicate with someone who doesn't speak the same language as you will be just that -- like you don't speak the same language. Let's hope everyone is good at charades, because you're going to be out of luck for a full day.

On the second day, a text comes across -- surprisingly intelligible to everyone. Is it over? Well . . .

crowley:
Hello, Audentes. We are currently experiencing magitek difficulties, as you may have guessed already. Temporal insects have arrived with our latest arrivals, and as you may imagine, we have had our paws full.

cherenkov:
We are working out how to mitigate the pest problem for good. For now, please put your unpleasantly huge feet to use and stomp them out. Or other such methods.

crowley:
We have created a quick patch to facilitate text-based communications, but verbal translation will continue to be down until the insects are exterminated. Thank you for your patience.

It's not over.

TEMPORAL INSECTS

This invasive species has worked its way in through the rifts along with the newest batch of arrivals, and information on them is available in the library (provided you can read the language it's written in!). It seems they behave like locusts, living quietly within the space between rifts for many years until their numbers suddenly balloon and they begin to swarm in search of food.

These bugs move fast and pack a nasty bite, but are unarmored and easily squished. Each one is about the size of a football, and leaves a little tell-tale slime trail that makes it easy to track. They can cling to any surface, and won't hesitate to leap onto attackers and bite if they feel threatened. One can take a decently sized but non-lethal bite out of someone, but a number of them together will pose a real danger. If punctured or squished they tend to explode into moderately acidic goo that can cause caustic burns if not immediately washed off.

They are attracted to any area of high temporal energy, which can be literally any surface, corner, or point on or within the castle and its grounds. As they begin to feed they cause temporal distortion in the area. This manifests as the immediate area seeming to flicker backwards and forwards through time. An insect gnawing at a table leg in the dining area, for example, might cause the area to stutter between years and years of dinner parties, ghostly attendants of all fashions and species appearing and disappearing as they enter and leave the affected area.

An onlooker can't interact with temporal distortions directly, but if the insect is left to its own devices, it will eventually eat through all of the temporal energy and render the immediate area gray, frozen, and completely inert. It's highly recommended you kill or otherwise chase off an insect before it manages this, as it can do irreversible damage to a world.

For affected Oska locations, please see this post.

OOC NOTES

The translation errors will continue through the rest of the month. For more information or to ask questions, please check the plotting post here!

New bounties are available in Oska!

Please remember to fill out your squidge success form before August 31, 23:59 UTC! Filling the form out is mandatory, even if you do not have the 3 squidge threads. You will not pass AC if you do not fill out the form. Characters who have been accepted on August 20th are exempt. Please direct questions relating to the success form here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yup. [Ban didn't respond to Yaoyorozu's declination. He still held it held stock. If Yaoyorozu went anywhere--it probably wouldn't be better than what she was used to. Most likely, it would be worse. Much worse. Soldiers didn't get sent to scenic places often and even when they did--it wasn't for good reasons.

Nalawi had been a fine example. It was a beautiful place, comparable to an island resort. There, Ban was met with cultists who ripped their fellow islanders apart in a desperate attempt for power.

He didn't hold illusions that 'new, beautiful places' were a good selling point even if it was true. Even so, Ban didn't blame Yaoyorozu. Not everyone witnessed hell on a regular basis.]

Yeah. I'm one of the Seven Deadly Sins--The Fox's Sin of Greed. [A hero to many but Ban knew better--or at least he thought he did. Ban thought he was just a tool to be used to handle difficult missions they didn't want to risk proper knights over.]

Though, I'm a pretty crappy example of a Holy Knight~.

... A biblical sin?

[That's... admittedly, it doesn't make sense to her. Holy Knights and Deadly Sins, as true people and not some sort of odd story twisted together. What's more, the title doesn't hold a particularly positive image, and she wonders if he's pulling her leg.

But why would he?]

Yup. That'd be why I'm a terrible Holy Knight. The Seven Deadly Sins--we're a group of criminals given the title of Holy Knight.

[He hadn't ever wanted to be a knight. Ban had been in prison for years of his own volition, hoping to spend his immortal lifespan in suffering. Meliodas had pulled him out of depression long enough to give him fun things to look forward to.

If anything--]

Sending in criminals instead of your good and righteous Holy Knights to take on dangerous missions--sounds smart, riiight~?

[Ah.

That makes her pause, and while the concept seems rather absurd, she does seem to accept the explanation.]

It's certainly not considered ethical nor is it common, but it's not completely unheard of. That... explains quite a bit.

[It certainly puts a damper on him being a role model, but she had only wanted to learn of his methods, so it wasn't a total shock.]

[Grinning a bit wider at that, Ban found himself snickering. Yaoyorozu didn't seem like the sort of person who held their expressions at bay when hit with tough surprises. His wasn't a big surprise but it may have still been pretty weird for anyone uses to the concept of a fairy-tale knight.]

Don't look so depressed about it. Must be a disappointment but--our captain kept us in line. We saved the kingdom a few times.

Well, it's-- No, I can't really say that it's a mistake. You do seem to be quite skilled.

[And immortality was a big plus. Even if he was a criminal, he wasn't a rampaging one either, so it wasn't as if he was completely untrustworthy. In a situation like this, his presence is certainly more of a benefit.]

Hm. [It wasn't exactly an answer he expected. Usually, when people were met with disappointment, there was some sort of resentment left over. The young woman accepted it with quite a bit of stride as if prepared to accept limitations in character and principle. Ban went silent for awhile.

When he did chime up, it was with a sigh.]

How old're you, brat? Who taught you to be so well-behaved?

I'm 15.

[She says, and although well-behaved is probably true, she's not sure if it's correct. Not for this anyway. She looks at him with some surprise, before she eventually speaks.]

It's... If I only thought of things as 'good' or 'bad', then understanding a situation becomes a lot more difficult. Accepting that things are as they are only makes it easier to strategize.

[It's the theory behind her words at least, but admittedly, she might just see herself as inadequate. Clearly, she understands there's moral differences, but he's strong... and she can't ignore that. There was a lot she can learn from him.]

Well, you're younger than I thought. Usually takes a lot longer for kids to come up with ideas like that.

[Some people never learned. Ban furrowed his brows in some thought, figuring this girl had a pretty scary quality about her. People who dealt in 'good' and 'bad' were idealists that could be incredibly limited by their beliefs. The one person he knew who didn't care for those two words much had been Merlin and she was a whole bag of secrets and nightmares that could make even an immortal like himself sweat.

Merlin cared about facts and how she could benefit from learning more and more. People like that were--]

You sound like you could be pretty dangerous with a mindset like that~.

Mm... well, I've always been aiming to be a hero, so I know that there are times where you simply have to work with characters you might not get along with. For example, I have a classmate who has... quite a difficult attitude to handle.

[To put it extremely politely because how does one describing constantly angry foul-mouthed narcissistic asshole in polite terms? She's not sure, so she's going to use 'difficult' instead.]

Oh! Well... I hope not to be, not to allies at least. I suppose it's a little unfitting for me...?

[Oh. Ban gave the young woman a bit more of an understanding look as he came to understand what she was getting at. It wasn't indifference for the sake of a mission--it was indifference due to experiencing raw, unadulterated stupidity. He recognized it in an instance for behavior that came from people tolerating him. He wasn't quite good or evil, himself and yet he could be useful and a hindrance at times. It made perfect sense.

He looked aside, a bit embarrassed that it was such a simple conclusion to come to. Being the problem, he understood exactly why Yaoyorozu would be so willing to compromise at her age. Living with exasperation wasn't likely very easy.]

Huuuh. I get the impression that, so long as you don't emulate a fella like that, you'll be fine.

I assure you, I do not plan to. However, he was very admirable in his own right... though not always in the eyes of heroes.

[There's a somberness in the way she says it, as if she's known exactly what kind of people would admire such an attitude. After all, try as she might, it's hard to ignore the fact that Bakugou, as skilled as he is, had an attitude that people mistook for a villain.

She doesn't like him.

But she does think he's strong.]

To be honest, I would say you are much easier to get along with.

[Both statements startled Ban but in comparison--the second statement seemed even more surprising than the first. When it came to contests of twos, Ban lost pretty quickly. He was being picked over someone else? It couldn't have been a very good trade, then.

Even so, Ban felt the need to at least address to Yaoyorozu--]

Well, you only just met me.

You're cooperative, and you don't simply address me with vulgarities. From that alone, you're already a much better companion. Your skills are also top-notch, and I would be a food not to acknowledge it.

[Or, in other words, you're not rude as heck.

She doesn't say, of course, that she also feels at ease, knowing someone with much more experience that her is around. It helps, knowing she's not alone in this, that someone can be an example to follow.]

[That bit had really struck Ban hard. In terms of introductions, he realized it must have been the least turbulent way he had ever met anyone. Regarding her politeness, Yaoyorozu had been well-composed and tactful, seemingly making it her goal to be respectful even after having discovered him in the middle of recovering from a drunken nap.

Ban said nothing for awhile until he snickered, his pace returning to the right speed.]

Well, damn. All I've got to do is not curse at you~?

[She huffs, feeling a bit like she's being made fun of. He's not her superior in the hero industry, and while it doesn't shake off instinctive politeness, she's not as willing to let it slide like that.]

Of course not. I just believe you're a capable partner to have in times like this.

[Teasing didn't seem to work, he thought. That was definitely weird. It was going to be difficult, working with someone who would willingly cooperate with him just because he was skilled. King seemed better to work with and that guy constantly shoved a spear through his torso.

His brow still elevated, Ban continued on.]

You aren't concerned about your dignity? Relying on a thief can't look good.

[Well, she definitely fumbles a bit at that, and there's some hesitation that hangs in there as she thinks of how exactly to respond to that. After all, she thought she's been giving valid enough arguments but...]

I... well. We're all chosen here to help.

[She pauses, frowns, and tentatively asks...]

As I already mentioned, character is important. Is that an unsatisfactory answer?

[It was unfair to hammer Momo with questions like that, he supposed. What did she even know about him, anyway? It was clear he was strong and he knew it. He wasn't the strongest there was and he never boasted to be high-class but compared to most folks--there wasn't any question about it.

Still, she hadn't quite seen him at his worst. At the worst, she saw him after he recovered from a hungover and their conversation was almost completely limited to makeshift words on their jewelry. While Momo's nature was generous for good reasons, Ban was much less forgiving when regarding himself.]

You've barely met me. I'm sure you'll get annoyed just like everybody else, missy.

I suppose.

[She says, though it was more meant to agree on the principle of agreeing rather than actually doing so. After all, it's... strange. Almost easy to relate to, in a way, because although she doesn't feel that way of her personality, she thinks similarly of her ability to be reliable on the field. Sometimes until now.]

We can decide that later on. For now, let's finish the job, shall we?

[Snorting, Ban offered Momo a shrug and kept on walking, before falling into a slow and dull little hum. He knew he didn't have to rush anybody's impressions of him.]

You got it~. First things first.

[scene...]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT ★ LOST IN TRANSLATION

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

if she's a food she should be a momosa

I'M CRYING i'm a fool

gently pats and consoles--cherishes all threads

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject