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epidemiology2018-02-17 04:33 am
futurologists) wrote in epidemiology2018-02-17 04:33 am
Entry tags:
- ! plot,
- aloy (horizon zero dawn),
- bellamy blake (the 100),
- daenerys targaryen (asoiaf),
- fiona (borderlands),
- giovanni (dogs: bullets & carnage),
- hayame (jinba),
- jason grace (camp half-blood chronicles),
- jin kung (mortal kombat),
- keith (voltron),
- khada jhin (league of legends),
- laphicet (tales of berseria),
- lucina (fire emblem: awakening),
- rey (star wars),
- rhys (borderlands),
- scott summers (marvel comics),
- shouta aizawa (my hero academia),
- simon jarrett (soma),
- veronica lodge (riverdale),
- wylan van eck (grishaverse),
- yusuke urameshi (yu yu hakusho)
EVENT ▸ DIPLOMACY
DIPLOMACY  As the skirmishes between wandering Mountain and Sea Clan groups continue in the Flowerlands, by this point enough attackers have been interrogated by Guild Ophelia to paint a compelling picture of unorganized chaos. Each time a skirmish is interrupted, both sides blame the other for starting the impromptu fight, claiming no knowledge of or participation in an organized cabal; the conflicts are entirely coincidental, they say, just a situation where enemies clash in neutral territory. The Flowerlands are suffering, crops trampled and livestock traumatized, and more and more Mountain and Sea Clan people are terrified to leave their cities, lest they be set upon by warriors from the opposing clan. Under this type of political strain, Hanabira threatens to erupt into full-out civil war at any moment, with or without the sanction of the empresses. Two weeks after Ophelia's arrival in the Empire of the Crashing Wave, Doro sends word: Empress Nama and Empress Youmi have agreed to meet and discuss the term of an alliance. Doro's castle will serve as a meeting place, but the difficult part is bringing the empresses there safely. You foreigners have already proven yourselves to be capable and invested in seeing the conflict to a peaceful conclusion, so Doro contracts Ophelia to act as escorts and guards. This might just be the perfect opportunity to whisper proposed solutions to advisors or, if you're lucky, to the empresses themselves. ▸ THE RETINUE Ophelia has a few different options if they choose to take Doro's contract: escort Nama or escort Youmi and/or guard the Flowerlands castle.  It's a week's worth of travel to return to the Land of Celestial Mountains from the Empire of the Crashing Wave, so the sooner Ophelia starts out, the better. Skirmishes between clans still dot the forests and farms of the Flowerlands, and each time the retinue encounters one, they must decide if they have the time to interfere or if they must push on. After all, the longer there is no peace in Hanabira, the more dire the situation becomes. When the group finally reaches the Land of Celestial Mountains, they'll find that the entire city is locked down. Guards bar the gates, but upon seeing Doro's seal, they'll let the guild members inside and explain the situation: Mountain Clan rebels have stormed Heavenly Summit, cutting a large swath through the castle. Much of Nama's court and guards lay dead inside, with the rebels holding the remainder hostage -- including Empress Nama herself -- unless war is declared against the Sea Clan. The city guards are afraid to approach, worried that this will only anger the rebels further and cause Nama's death, and have directed all townsfolk to stay in their homes until the situation has been resolved. The guards caution Ophelia not to try any rescue efforts themselves, and instead ask them to either find a building to barricade themselves in or leave the city. Of course, it's not like they're keeping a close watch on everyone. Those who choose to slip into Heavenly Summit Castle will find guards surrounding it, trying to stop anyone from coming in as well as keeping arrows trained on all windows in case a rebel shows her face. Stealth is the name of the game, or at least enough brute strength to knock a guard out in one blow before she sounds the alarm. Inside the castle, rebels stalk the halls of every floor, masked in the green color of the Mountain Clan. Some are heavily armored and some only wear peasants' clothes, carrying farmers' sickles; it seems as though the attack on the castle was planned very quickly, too quickly to evenly distribute armor and weapons. There are corpses left where they were killed, with splashes of bright red blood beside them; there are hostages huddled in the corners of rooms, wide-eyed but silent at the sight of foreigners ostensibly here to save them; and, in the heavily-guarded throne room, Empress Nama herself. Fight through the rebel guards with Nama's help, or find a back door and snatch her up before the rebels notice. Either way, once Ophelia lays eyes on her, the magitek will project words in front of them that only they can see: » EMPRESS NAMANama doesn't ask questions, recognizing the foreigners of Ophelia as those who were meddling after the festival attack and trusting they're here to help her escape. Longbow in hand, she leads the group through secret passageways in the castle, insisting they rescue the nobility on the way out. From there, Nama suggests stealthily escaping the castle and quickly riding out of the city to the safety of Doro's castle, unsure who she can still trust in her own empire. With Empress Nama and her surviving courtiers added to the retinue, it's time to ride back to the Flowerlands -- and hope you aren't chased by rebels along the way.  It takes half a week to travel from the Empire of the Crashing Wave to Doro's castle in the Flowerlands. Youmi and two advisors ride in a carriage, with an entourage of royal guards on horseback in front and behind; those in Ophelia who choose to escort this group will either be on foot or must find a mount themselves. The journey is peaceful, allowing for time to make camp by forested hot springs and in farmhouses (in which case Ophelia might need to sleep outside, depending on the size) along the way. The Sea Clan guards are open to idle chatter with the foreigners, curiously discussing cultural differences and indulging in quick lessons in archery. Everything seems to be going smoothly until the entourage enters Flowerlands territory and is confronted by a winged spirit of the forest, angered by all the recent bloodshed in his home. There is no time to talk; the spirit does not wish to negotiate, only to stop the crew from moving any further into his territory by any means possible.  Once he is finally defeated, his spell on the forest animals is broken, and even the most aggressive of them scatter. His feathers are black, but up close, seem iridescent in the light, differentiating them from a common bird's. Youmi's guards suggest everyone take a feather to prove they felled a legendary beast. GUARD ▸ FLOWERLANDS CASTLE. Until the empresses and their escorts arrive, it's very uneventful at Doro's castle. It's a smart idea to keep an eye out in case someone hears about the summit and tries to interfere, but so far, things seem to be peaceful. Take the time to bolster defenses, relieve a guildmate of guard duty, or explore the castle. ▸ THE SUMMIT Youmi and her entourage reach Doro's castle first, her royal guards immediately making a sweep of the castle and the grounds to ensure there is no danger lying in wait. Once the castle is cleared, Doro and Youmi disappear into a guarded room to begin discussions. Youmi's advisors are left out of this initial meeting, making now the perfect time to start some discussions of your own. Days later, Nama's retinue arrives, and Doro and Youmi (and the rest of her entourage) meet her at the castle gates. The two empresses step cautiously forward to meet each other, bowing politely. Moments later, Doro steps forward to gather Nama into a hug, which she gladly returns, giggling like the young girl she is. She's had a rough time, which she quickly explains to Doro, and asks if she can first have a bath and a moment to breathe. Doro and Youmi are more than willing to give it to her after hearing her experience. Doro tells Ophelia they have their run of the castle until dinner tonight, when Doro, Youmi, and Nama will all be together in the same room with the team. Sounds like the perfect time to propose a plan, so you'd better finish up discussions about what to do! There's a bit of a time limit. ▸ OOC NOTES If you have questions about this log or the overall mission, please ask them on the dossier. Questions about Futurology in general should be directed to the FAQ. ▸ Up now:
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no subject
She'd be lying if she said she totally understands this, but she gets the gist. Probably. Marriage is clearly a significant agreement to humans - different from a normal alliance, anyway. ]
Then it's like 9S says. We're depending on them to pick their people over their own feelings.
[ that sounds very reasonable to her. It's almost like she picks her duty over her feelings all the time!!! ]
no subject
[ 2B’s characteristic monotone while she says this doesn’t mean what it would coming from a human, nor do the implications of the statement itself, for that matter, but Simon is still totally uncomfortable with this sentence. ] There’s no perfect solution. None of this should even be happening to them. But they don’t have to do it, either — they can say no, and then we’ll have to come up with... something else.
[ whatever that would be ???? ]
But arranged marriages are normal here. I think it’ll work. I hope. It’s not that out there.
[ RIGHT?
this is already a very philosophically complicated conversation, and not even the kind Simon usually has. ]
no subject
You don't have to put it like that, 2B...
[ 9S' tone is a touch flat, in that "oh, jeez, not this again" way—in case Simon couldn't tell this is more of a 2B thing he's unfortunately grown entirely too used to and not a general android thing. While he's always been one to reject the idea of suppressing one's feelings, he still doesn't find himself opposed to the plan. It's different in this scenario, isn't it? Granted, the road to love is a complicated, nonsensical one 9S doesn't think he's able to traverse well; for all he knows, there's the possibility of it going south. ]
The empresses themselves don't seem like they're bad people, though. They might be desperate enough to work with it if they're actually interested in saving their countries.
[ So, yeah, he's still riding on the thought it'd be ridiculous for them to turn it down. ]
no subject
I didn't "put it" like anything. I was stating a fact.
[ 2B sounds mildly exasperated with him in return, but she's used enough to his unneeded commentary that it doesn't warrant more than a brief glance his way. ]
They're leaders - they should want to stop their people from dying. [ beat. She really has a lot of questions about the whole marriage thing, but they feel inconsequential and silly, and she's not used to asking things out of simple curiosity, unlike her partner. ] A bloodless solution like this seems like the obvious choice. Why didn't they come up with it on their own?
no subject
[ 2B and 9S make it sound as weird as Simon should have expected, but oh well. He watches Pod 042 float above 2B’s head. It’s actually kind of zen. Like a fishtank in a dentist’s office. ] Oh yeah, how was the trip? I heard bits and pieces about it. Weird ones.
no subject
Luckily, it's a query that remains rhetorical, as humans continue to be confusing creatures and "marriage" only makes slightly more sense than before. Simon swiftly moves topics, and fortunately it's one 9S can answer a lot more easily than ones of politics and romantic relations. He leans back where he's seated, folding both arms over his chest. ]
It got kinda weird, but I'd take it over the hostage situation you guys had on your hands.
[ They're both... so tired... of fighting humans. ]
no subject
[ The concept of accidentally being so good at fighting that you always run the risk of killing people is so anathema to Simon's life that it doesn’t even occur to him to consider as the problem here, even though he knows full well they’re combat androids and all. He just tries to not get murdered, so far successfully, and not have to kill anything defenseless and approximately as human as him, so far with mixed results. But an A+ as a Hathaway recruit!! ]
no subject
... It's not that simple. Fighting humans is... difficult.
[ they're not built for it, especially not 2B, who could probably dent a concrete wall with a bare-fisted punch. ]
But I'm glad to hear it. You didn't get hurt?
no subject
[ cuts and bruises are pretty hard to see on Simon, which is just as well seeing as his current plan for injuries is ‘leave them there forever until I get good at that healing thing???’. So far it’s pretty manageable. He flexes a hand experimentally; the thin gashes from trying to stop swords don’t get better, exactly, but in anything short of the direct brain-smacks of PATHOS-II’s electromagnetic interference, whatever block of code stands in for pain receptors just kind of runs out of steam. As they do. ]
What were the aliens you were fighting on Earth like?
[ aka HE STILL DOESN’T KNOW THIS, SOMEHOW. He figures the answer will provide a clue as to what they’re talking about. ]
no subject
Beats me. They're all dead. [ The response comes out rather casually, but it's true neither of them could give a real answer to this. ] We hadn't been fighting them directly... It's the machines they've created that we were trying to eliminate.
no subject
2B also looks somewhat surprised at the question - mostly because it never comes up, even among the androids. Or it hadn't until the two of them made a certain discovery. ]
That's right. We didn't even know what they looked like until recently.
[ it was an indirect war - the aliens' machine lifeforms versus the humans' android army. 2B feels a tinge of bitterness when she thinks about it now. ]
no subject
Can the machines... make more of themselves, like androids can? Are they as human as you?
[ Okay, this is coming together a little more now. Naturally, it’s a negative correlation: the more Simon learns, the worse the big picture looks. The fact that these aliens also created machines to fight for them — their only crime being, probably, having been programmed to worship their creators and kill their opposition, just like the androids were — is exponentially worse than when he thought they were actually fighting aliens. ]
no subject
Not usually. They look more like you.
[ The rust and beady glowing eyes, anyway. Which should also probably explain why 9S was so aggressive... not that 2B knows he acted that way before. ]
And yeah, they can. They've been converting ancient human factories into production facilities. [ among other things. ] That's why we were still fighting them.
no subject
With arms still folded, 9S taps at his upper arm with his one good hand (the other still mostly busted and barely functional), much like an impatient child growing tired of sitting still. ]
I already told you, Simon—they don't think, or feel, or act or look anything like us. There's only one thing they care about doing.
[ And, well, Simon already got that talk once. The contempt in 9S' voice isn't any less than before. ]