Originally, and, I suppose still, now, it was a reference to the Jukebox The Ghost song, and what would be a theme of Jaune having some big secret he either had to keep or would be so much better off keeping secret, such as North Star's "if I fight anyone there's a non-zero chance they will die a violent, messy death," or aberration's "I EAT PEOPLE'S SOULS FOR SUSTENANCE-"
Ahem. I suppose the theme still stands, and I stand by my choice of the title, but...
Goddammit I'm never going to stop seeing that now.
Aw. But at least let us hope that history doesn't repeat itself. Pyrrha carrying the Transistor containing Jaune while the world goes to shit.
I assume that it is still able to hold souls and process them. Speaking of Processes, can it create analogues to what we see in Cloudbank? Is it the god-tool that it was ingame?
Actually, would Transistor allow Jaune to see through illusions? Since they are probably not perfect imitations and Transistor has it's own sensors on top of that, making Jaune centered illusions even worse.
The answer is yes, but not really. Jaune will still be subject to illusions, the only change is that he's got someone completely unaffected by them, pretty much joined to him at the hip. When they turn up, they'll turn up- their effectiveness will be variable.
Orks work on Ork logic- "I don't know how this works, but everybody thinks it does, so it does."
Spiral Warriors work on Spiral logic- "This shouldn't work, but counterpoint: FUCK YOU, FUCK THE RULES, I'LL THROW DOWN WITH THE LAWS OF PHYSICS I DON'T GIVE A FUCK-"
Ahem. You get what I mean. One works through ignorance, the other works through bullheadedness. Both tend to lend themselves to anger, though.
@Prok, are any of the themes and ideas from Transistor going to carry over to this quest? As it is, it's basically Jaune with a very strange power (in the context of the setting) within the world of RWBY. That isn't to say I'm not enjoying it a lot, because overall the writing quality is good and despite how early we are in the quest I want to see more of the characters and their interactions despite the fact that everyone who has shown up so far is an OC.
I feel like I'm not really explaining how I feel very well here.
Basically, I'm curious as to what direction you want to take this and also happy with the quality of everything so far.
I'm glad that you're enjoying it! I'll be honest, creating new characters is probably the scariest part of any update for me. They're so incredibly important to any story, in my opinion, because if the characters fail, the story fails with them, so the knowledge that people genuinely want to see more of them is... heartening.
To answer your question, the themes of Transistor and the characters within are all based on three things- The Camerata, the conspiracy to take control of Cloudbank to curb the mercurial state of the city, Red, the woman who took the Transistor from them in order to take revenge, and in the process, led to The Process going out of control.
Almost none of those exist here. Almost none of them have any chance of existing here.
Jaune can't become Red- there is no conspiracy, no tragedy to fight in the name of while the world burns around him because of unforeseen consequences of his actions.
Jaune can't become the Camerata- the idea of killing people and Tracing their minds and souls for his own personal use would horrify him. The closest I can see him coming to them is becoming a mellower, saner Royce Brackett- someone who uses the Process to change the world around him for the benefit of, if not the majority, then himself and close friends.
Jaune can't become The Process- nobody wanted The Process to do as The Process did- I don't think it killed people, per se, but it still wiped an entire city back to factory settings, because that was what it was programmed to do. It's like getting angry at foxes for stealing chickens- sure, it sucks for the chicken, but that's what foxes do.
You have to remember that, this was one of eleven options. Not everything's set in stone. I actually have an excess of stone here, with nothing to set in it.
... I think I just set a new record for the quickest breakdown of an analogy.
Anyway, I suppose the most concise answer I can give you is... I'm trying to do my own thing with this. I'll draw inspiration from it, of course, but for the most part... I'm trying to do my own thing.
@Red Bovine's plan wins, so you're going for a three-pronged attack on Saff here. As for the poll, snippets of the adventures of Jaune Arc ten Meti wins, with Legend of Zelda and JoJo not far behind. Close enough that I might write a couple of snippets for them too if I'm feeling particularly inspired.
@Prok Just pointing this out but shouldn't Jaune have a very high tech skill considering that he made the transistor which has been stated to have computational power higher than both Atlas and Vale combined, a sapient AI and Jaune knows how to upgrade it even further?
@Prok Just pointing this out but shouldn't Jaune have a very high tech skill considering that he made the transistor which has been stated to have computational power higher than both Atlas and Vale combined, a sapient AI and Jaune knows how to upgrade it even further?
I seem to recall before he did that he also combined many computers together to harness their processing power so he could summon it in the first place. At the least even if it is mainly focused on the transistor I imagine that he would at least have decent tech skills overall.
@Prok Just pointing this out but shouldn't Jaune have a very high tech skill considering that he made the transistor which has been stated to have computational power higher than both Atlas and Vale combined, a sapient AI and Jaune knows how to upgrade it even further?
In terms of fixing the Transistor, it's the same idea as his Functions- he's the only one who can, so he gets a gold medal by default. But yes, the actual process of fixing or upgrading the Transistor has less in common with upgrading a computer than some kind of arcanotech ritual. He understands it... pretty much to the extent you would expect someone who built something to understand how it works. The problem is that if you tried to explain it to anyone else, you're going to get polite, but very obviously blank stares.
For more general stuff, computers, Scrolls, networks, stuff like that, he could probably grab at the very worst a college degree in a relevant subject just because he's spent almost seven years learning about them, partially out of necessity, partially out of interest, and when he actually created the Transistor, both of those only really bloomed from there.
For more mechanical things, ie, every other Hunter weapon in existence, I'd... hesitate to trust him with anything more than cleaning a gun, they're really not his forte.
Regardless, you bring up a good point. I'll put it in the Skills section of your character sheet once I'm done with the update.
Don't be afraid to pipe up, people- if you think there's anything that Jaune would feasibly know due to his background, feel free to ask about it.
|||
A plan begins to form as you look for a target. And by 'a target,' you mean Mel.
As you look around for him, you begin speaking to your teammates.
"Ok, right now, I think our main problem is Saff. If he's around, we're constantly at risk of that little sand-trap of his. We need to get rid of him."
"You know, I have no problem with that." Lumen says, another tendril of yellow appearing from under his fingernails and pasting itself over the outer face of his weird goop shield, forming a thin layer of gold over the blue, before bubbling up in the centre to form a rather vicious looking spike. "Do you have a problem with that?" He asks Creme.
{I don't get it. The more I look at him when he does stuff like that, the more I don't understand what the hell he's doing.}
"I'm cool with it. What's the plan, Jaune?"
You breathe in, ordering the plan in your mind.
"Right now, I'm really limited in what I can do. All I can really do right now is swing my sword about and use that short burst thing I've been using. So, here's the plan- Creme, you rush him, then when you reach him, I'll get behind him and go for a backstab. Lumen, those, uh, crystal things, do you have any more of them?"
In response, you watch his eyes go wide- literally, his pupils dilate until his iris is barely visible- and in his free hand, you watch as what looks like liquid glass flows into his hand, eventually crystallising into... well, a clear crystal. A dark red follows it, coating it in blood-red tar.
"I can make a few more, yeah, but they're not really stable. I can coat them, but it'll only last so long."
"Can you warn us before you throw it?"
"Yeah, just get away quick before I do."
Ok. Ok! This can work! This is going to work!
Now you just need to find that fucking weasel-
Arrow!
You duck and snap your head around to look at your assailant with his longbow and those stupid fucking antlers-
You watch him grin, and follow Creme as she rushes him.
"Oh, no, I'm not here to fight," he calls out, "I just want you to know that what happens next is your fault!"
With that, he shifts his foot as if he's drawing a line in the sand, and a cube of sand disappears out from under him, dropping him into a pit below.
Warning- Seismic activity detected; probability of Saff's involvement: 74%
You watch as sand shifts and walls begin to sprout up around you, cubes of the arena's actual foundation rising out of the ground to create a maze. Looking back, you realise the two of you left Lumen behind. Creme looks at you, and before she can say anything, a wall slams into her, separating her from you too. Above you, cubes begin to form a ceiling, eventually leaving you in almost complete darkness.
Sonar imaging active. Outer lighting deactivated.
And like that, it doesn't matter anymore. You can see them. They can't see you.
"I! HAVE! HAD IT WITH YOU THREE! NOT ONLY DO YOU, SOMEHOW, MANAGE TO NOT TAKE EACH OTHER OUT WITH YOUR OWN SPECIAL BRANDS OF DESTRUCTIVENESS- SELF AND OTHERWISE- YOU SOMEHOW MANAGED TO SURVIVE, TAKING OUT XANADU, EMI, THAT WALKING COLLECTION OF CHARACTER DEFECTS THAT MAKES LITTLE MISS HOT MESS OVER THERE LOOK WELL-AD-FUCKING-JUSTED, AND NOW I'M THE ONE PERSON LEFT TO DEAL WITH YOU WALKING DISASTER AREAS BEFORE YOU GET A FREE PASS AND END UP GETTING SOMEONE ELSE KILLED DOWN THE LINE!"
Speaking of hot messes, it seems Saff's on a mission to ruin his voice. His screaming seems to echo through the entire pseudo structure, his voice shrill and cracking, much like his sanity by the sounds of it.
{Jaune, duck!}
Not questioning it, you duck just in time to hear a rifle go off not inches behind where your head was. As soon as you turn and a pulse is sent out, you see it withdraw through the wall. Taking a few steps back, you hear a wonderful sound.
Oh, that is just music to your ears. You watch the wall as it shifts out of the way, not as a whole, no, it disintegrates out of the way, before slipping back into place to show a 5'2 boy with a sniper rifle that's shifting to become a cavalry sabre.
"... Jaune." Mini-Moss says. "Don't suppose I could convince you to just let me beat your Aura down, could I?"
"... Hey. Salem." You say, using his real name for once. "Come on, man, you don't need to do this. Why don't we work together, get out of here, take down Saff, and then do this?"
You don't wanna fight him. There's only 12- the buzzer goes- 11 people left. You, him, Lumen, Creme- that's places one through four filled! Y-you, you don't need to do this!
Even so, some traitorous part of your brain is already formulating plans- his range is limited, even with that weird Semblance of his- he's not going to pull out his rifle at close quarters, not when you're aware of him. So that's a sabre, and the knife-pistol he should still have on him.
"That's a no, then?" You listen to him sigh deeply. "Shame. I was hoping you would make this easy."
With that, the ground comes out from under him, and he disappears.
... Wh-
The bullet impacts your leg before you can even question what just happened, taking your balance from you as Salem launches out of the ground, firing at you as he launches himself through the wall of the maze, disappearing as fast as he reappeared.
Aura: 100/150
As the dull pain of Aura protecting you from a bad injury spreads through your leg, you realise that you need to make a plan, and pronto.
Battlefield analysis: Saff has created what seems to be a maze using the foundations of the arena itself, steel, concrete and rebar mostly. You're currently in a 1x6 metre long corridor, with Mini-Moss shifting through the walls like they're not there. The walls themselves are only about five metres high, with the roof about four metres above that- if you try, it should be possible for your Hunter ass to get up there and look around for the others.
[] Talk()- He seems as reluctant as you about this, despite his drawing first blood. Maybe you can talk him out of this?
-[] Backstab()- That doesn't mean you're not gonna prepare for a breakdown in peace proceedings, though. If things go well, things go well, if not... well, that's what you have Functions for.
-[] And those Functions are...?
[] Fight()- When in doubt, assume violence is the only answer these people understand.
-[] And your plan? (Write-in)
Adhoc vote count started by Prok on Jul 22, 2017 at 2:37 PM, finished with 353 posts and 8 votes.
[X] Talk()- He seems as reluctant as you about this, despite his drawing first blood. Maybe you can talk him out of this? -[X] Backstab()- That doesn't mean you're not gonna prepare for a breakdown in peace proceedings, though. If things go well, things go well, if not... well, that's what you have Functions for. -[X] Crash(), Breach, Jaunt
Aura protects from nastier effects of crash(). What would happen if it was used on a wall? Could we blast off bits to harm someone on the other side with shrapnel?
"I! HAVE! HAD IT WITH YOU THREE! NOT ONLY DO YOU THREE, SOMEHOW, MANAGE TO NOT TAKE EACH OTHER OUT WITH YOUR OWN SPECIAL BRANDS OF DESTRUCTIVENESS- SELF AND OTHERWISE- YOU SOMEHOW MANAGED TO SURVIVE, TAKING OUT XANADU, EMI, THAT WALKING COLLECTION OF CHARACTER DEFECTS THAT MAKES LITTLE MISS HOT MESS OVER THERE LOOK WELL-AD-FUCKING-JUSTED, AND NOW I'M THE ONE PERSON LEFT TO DEAL WITH YOU WALKING DISASTER AREAS BEFORE YOU GET A FREE PASS AND END UP GETTING SOMEONE ELSE KILLED DOWN THE LINE!
He has a whole bunch of issues here
Anyways guys do we plan on doing turn here and breach() like crazy or just breach() like crazy while trying to get out of trap?
He has a whole bunch of issues here
Anyways guys do we plan on doing turn here and breach() like crazy or just breach() like crazy while trying to get out of trap?
[X] Talk()- He seems as reluctant as you about this, despite his drawing first blood. Maybe you can talk him out of this?
-[X] Backstab()- That doesn't mean you're not gonna prepare for a breakdown in peace proceedings, though. If things go well, things go well, if not... well, that's what you have Functions for.
-[X] Crash(), Breach, Jaunt
Well seeing as the guy seems reluctant to fight us I think talking might be worth a shot. If that fails crash, breach and jaunt seem like they would be extremely useful with the former two being useful to break walls with the latter letting us close the distance while also potentially letting us run away.
[X] Talk()- He seems as reluctant as you about this, despite his drawing first blood. Maybe you can talk him out of this?
-[X] Backstab()- That doesn't mean you're not gonna prepare for a breakdown in peace proceedings, though. If things go well, things go well, if not... well, that's what you have Functions for.
-[X] Crash(), Breach, Jaunt
[X] Talk()- He seems as reluctant as you about this, despite his drawing first blood. Maybe you can talk him out of this?
-[X] Backstab()- That doesn't mean you're not gonna prepare for a breakdown in peace proceedings, though. If things go well, things go well, if not... well, that's what you have Functions for.
-[X] Crash(), Breach, Jaunt
"I! HAVE! HAD IT WITH YOU THREE! NOT ONLY DO YOU THREE, SOMEHOW, MANAGE TO NOT TAKE EACH OTHER OUT WITH YOUR OWN SPECIAL BRANDS OF DESTRUCTIVENESS- SELF AND OTHERWISE- YOU SOMEHOW MANAGED TO SURVIVE, TAKING OUT XANADU, EMI, THAT WALKING COLLECTION OF CHARACTER DEFECTS THAT MAKES LITTLE MISS HOT MESS OVER THERE LOOK WELL-AD-FUCKING-JUSTED, AND NOW I'M THE ONE PERSON LEFT TO DEAL WITH YOU WALKING DISASTER AREAS BEFORE YOU GET A FREE PASS AND END UP GETTING SOMEONE ELSE KILLED DOWN THE LINE!"
[X] Talk()- He seems as reluctant as you about this, despite his drawing first blood. Maybe you can talk him out of this?
-[X] Backstab()- That doesn't mean you're not gonna prepare for a breakdown in peace proceedings, though. If things go well, things go well, if not... well, that's what you have Functions for.
-[X] Crash(), Breach, Jaunt
Aside from, you know, at minimum a year of listening to them drag the general IQ of the class down with every word that came out of their collective mouth?
Saff is aware of... certain nuances of your teammates' Semblances that have convinced him that it's his job to act as an arbiter for entry as far as those two are concerned, lest they end up hurting someone down the line. And then the whole Battle Royale thing happened and he ended up a little too occupied to knock them into the bottom six right off the bat, lucky for you.
[X] Talk()- He seems as reluctant as you about this, despite his drawing first blood. Maybe you can talk him out of this?
-[X] Backstab()- That doesn't mean you're not gonna prepare for a breakdown in peace proceedings, though. If things go well, things go well, if not... well, that's what you have Functions for.
-[X] Crash(), Breach, Jaunt