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Now You Feel Like Number None [Bleach Arrancar Quest]

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{X} Do some sightseeing.

So I notice everyone that gets cero triste'd has to confront their past. Even Ururu gained some new resolve. Should we call it the therapy beam now?​
 
{X} Pass straight through.

Nemo probably could use a break but I like the idea of her continually pushing herself until someone confronts that and convinces her to rest a bit. Fine with any of the options winning though, lot of cool gods hanging around on the outskirts even if we chose to skirt around the town.

Axel Fones said:
Does that mean after the first time a person gets hit it loses a lot of its potency?
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Even if they didn't truly work on dealing with the specters of their past showing up, they'd be more astute to the situation and ready to deal with it the second go.
 
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Unsung said:
{X} Do some sightseeing.

So I notice everyone that gets cero triste'd has to confront their past. Even Ururu gained some new resolve. Should we call it the therapy beam now?​
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Ururu only gained resolve because Nemo pulled her out of there and the situation forced her guardians to help her confront her traumas.

If we'd left her in there with illusion Mayuri no one in this thread would be contemplating calling it the therapy beam. That would not have been pretty.
 
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I think the truam beam is sort of a sink or swim thing. It dredges up your suppressed issues and beats you about the head with them. You either break or confront them, someone strong enough to confront them would come out of the experience stronger. The few people we've hit with it where that strong, or in urrus case we made sure the experience was traumatizing but not mind breakingly so, and it confronted her parents with something they'd made a point of not dealing with.
 
The trauma beam is destructive. We can say people'll walk away from it with a better state of mind or something, but it's not about dealing with their problems, it's about jamming a knife into them and twisting it.

Triste isn't medicine. The reason Tessai wasn't nightmare-roasted was because he didn't have enough trauma in his system for it to be a one-shot, but it still reduced a centuries old wizard to tears of self hatred. It was only when Nemo picked up where it left off that anything that could be construed as positive came out of it.

Like, the update is literally called "Dagger of the mind".
 
random_npc said:
I think the truam beam is sort of a sink or swim thing. It dredges up your suppressed issues and beats you about the head with them. You either break or confront them, someone strong enough to confront them would come out of the experience stronger. The few people we've hit with it where that strong, or in urrus case we made sure the experience was traumatizing but not mind breakingly so, and it confronted her parents with something they'd made a point of not dealing with.
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SynchronizedWritersBlock said:
So we need to Cero ourselves.
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chocolote12 said:
The trauma beam is destructive. We can say people'll walk away from it with a better state of mind or something, but it's not about dealing with their problems, it's about jamming a knife into them and twisting it.

Triste isn't medicine. The reason Tessai wasn't nightmare-roasted was because he didn't have enough trauma in his system for it to be a one-shot, but it still reduced a centuries old wizard to tears of self hatred. It was only when Nemo picked up where it left off that anything that could be construed as positive came out of it.

Like, the update is literally called "Dagger of the mind".
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Fair and valid points all, but the pattern remains. Nemo is a nightmare fueled terror moth with a possibly literal bleeding heart, but I think every time she's used triste people have come out a little better for it. The obvious next step from here is to make into it a befriending beam.
 
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Unsung said:
Fair and valid points all, but the pattern remains. Nemo is a nightmare fueled terror moth with a possibly literal bleeding heart, but I think every time she's used triste people have come out a little better for it. The obvious next step from here is to make into it a befriending beam.
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Hmm, orbital friendship canon through Champion perk Cero, Descorrer to teleport up into the atmosphere, flight necklace, and an item to buff the friendship properties of the cero? :p
 
Redshirt Army said:
Yoshika - both Yoshikas - keep advancing towards her. The phantom you've made looks entirely solid now, the impressions of life and color now slowly weaving their way along her clothing. "It wasn't to gloat, or to show your power - there are plenty of kings and emperors you could have raised as menial labour, a far more ostentatious display. So what was it? Did you hate my writings that much?"

"Hardly." The second phantom is more wispy, more indistinct, but you gain the impression of an aristocratic looking man, with unruly hair deeply reminiscent of Seiga's own in colour. "She adored your work, during the long years she spent waiting in Japan for her part in her grand scheme. She was a loner, and an outcast, and she both desired the connection to you she felt from your writings, and feared your rejection should she speak to you in truth."
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I rather like this interpretation of Seiga. She dotes on that zombie of hers, for all that she uses it as a meatshield, and is constantly praising it and saying how dear it is to her. Much of that might be just her pride in her creation, but this explanation doesn't feel at all out of bounds.
 
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Now You Feel Like Number 48 - 59: Toy Soldiers
  • Sidestory
    • Now You Feel Like Number 48
    LIX: Toy Soldiers

    ———————————————

    You don't know why any calaveras would be down here in the tunnels beneath the foundations of of Las Noches. Shouldn't they be guarding something? Opening doors for people, or marching around, or whatever they do?

    Admittedly, you're not really clear on what exactly it is they do all day. Or how many of them there are. Or where they come from. Or…

    OK, nobody below the rank of Espada really seems to know much about the Calaveras. They are commanded only by Ruddborne Chelute, the Exequias. His position was created by Lord Aizen, and he is answerable to Aizen, not to any particular Espada. Ruddborne personally always has an honor guard of calaveras, but otherwise, they're mostly seen as individual figures, guarding hallways or intersections or doors.

    A lone calavera is not so terribly alarming, but if you ever stop to consider how many calaveras must be active all the time to cover a space as large as Las Noches… Even a very low estimate says there must be a lot of them. Hundreds. Thousands, more likely. All standing silently, watching and waiting.

    All the numeros were wary of calaveras. Too many rumors of skull-faced enforcers coming to apprehend some arrancar and march him away, never to be seen again. When they were seen gathering together, the wise numero found somewhere else to be.

    Well, Cirucci Sanderwicci is not some little random wise numero! Something strange is going on here, and you're not passing up a chance to learn exactly what it is! You haven't committed any crimes against the laws of Las Noches lately that anyone would know about, so you have nothing to fear from a bunch of authoritarian thugs! This is a time for daring and boldness! Plus, they must be planning to go back upstairs sooner or later, so you can follow them back to the surface.

    Discretion being the better part of daring, you stay hidden in the shadows as you follow the lines of soldiers.

    They march in lockstep, never even looking to the left or right. As you follow, a second column joins the group you are trailing, and then a third swells the ranks further. Finally, you see more lights flickering ahead, and these calaveras stomp into a large cavern, already packed with their kind. You slip through the entrance and dart around the outskirts of the cavern to observe.

    It's a strange room, and clearly one they have arranged for a purpose. The far end of the cavern is gashed by a black abyss; a narrow tongue of stone juts out over it. Dim red lights dot the room, casting eerie shadows that are further fed by the guttering torches carried by the entering figures. Some sort of cubical structure, shrouded in cloth, stands to one side.

    The skull-faced warriors form into neat rows facing the chasm, and drop to their knees. A lone figure, clad in a red robe, goat-masked and crowned with cruel horns, strides forward and turns to address the ranks. Ruddborne Chelute.

    "My brothers!" he thunders ecstatically. "We join here again, to witness the birth of new kin to swell our ranks. Rejoice, for we grow ever greater! Long ago, was I driven from the lands above by those who envied unity! They hunted and slew us, though we offered them only the mercy and glory of service to the light! But they could not sense the spark here, so close to the eternally hungry void, and so we sprout anew! Call out to the god!"

    At this exhortation, the kneeling calaveras pound the ground in unison with their fists, and chant a single, gutteral syllable, over and over.

    Thump.

    "Hooooo!"

    Thump.

    "Hooooo!"

    Thump.

    "Hooooo!"

    Thump.

    As they chanted, a forms swells in the chasm behind Ruddborne. You realize, with a shock, that the chasm is not dark simply because of the poor lighting; rather, river of thick black sludge oozes through it. A tumorous white mass of tremendous size breaks the surface of the river and rears up above Ruddborne, then opens a single, yellow eye that flickers like like a dim sun.

    The chant changes as the beast emerges.

    "Hooleer!"

    Thump.

    "Hooleer!"

    Thump.

    "Hooleer!"

    With a sharp gesture, Ruddborne cuts off the chanting. He turns to face the monster from the abyss, and lifts his arms theatrically. You wonder, hysterically, who exactly he's trying to impress. Do the Calaveras care about all this theater? Does the creature? Or is it all some mad narcissism of Ruddborne's?

    "Great Hooleer, who swims in the void beneath the world, grant us your boon! Provide your sustenance to the seeds of my new children!"

    With a start, you realize the ground around Ruddborne is spotted with white objects. Skulls.

    A rift opens on the front of the abomination, and it vomits forth a tide of black sludge and a stench of death that reaches all the way back to the rear of the cavern. It spreads around Ruddborne's feet; as the growing lake of tar touches each empty skull, you see small lights kindle in the empty eye sockets. As the tide reaches the furthest skulls, the nearest ones which first were affected are already forming arms and legs and dragging themselves from the sludge.

    Twenty more calaveras join the ranks, before the black tide recedes, and Hooleer looms expectantly.

    "Bring the sacrifice!" Ruddborne commands. "Honor to the Great Hooleer!"

    A squad of unsmiling calaveras pull the cloth from the structure you noted earlier, revealing a crude cage, with a female arrancar inside. She is clearly not here by choice, but her struggles to escape are of little use against a half-dozen skull warriors who seize her arms and legs and drag her toward the chasm.

    "Do not struggle," Ruddborne implores her solemnly. "You, a pitiful natural arrancar were of no use to anyone when my soldiers found you, skulking outside the walls, but now you have a purpose. Your legacy is this new generation of perfect vessels. No minds, to fear. No wills to break. No voices to cry out in pain. Your existence gains meaning here. At this moment, you fulfill your destiny."

    "Damn you!" the arrancar screams, in an oddly melodic tone. "Damn you, let me go!"

    The woman does not look familiar, but you would recognize that voice anywhere. It belonged to a blank-faced dragonfly. You suppose she managed to break her mask after all.

    For what good it did her. This situation is awful. You have to act.


    [ ] Save Ishi
    - [ ] (Write In) But how?
     
  • Sidestory
    • [Y] Save Ishi
    - [Y] Challenge them to a battle of rap under the fell eye of their god!
    -- [Y] The stakes, simple; Double or Nothing!
     
    [Y] Save Ishi
    - [Y] Remind her that she was Adjuchas and that a crude cage is really inadequate for holding a Menos Grande.
     
    {x} Save Ishi
    - {x} Cut Ruddborne down. Efficiently.

    We've had some cero training with our Privaron, which I'm not against using, but primarily we're focused on weapon based combat arts. So yeah, I'm hoping for some awesome Golondrina slicing but I won't micromanage.
     
    {X} Do some sightseeing.
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    Loading. Please wait warmly.​

    Stage Three

    could it be something
    that the whole world believes true
    which is illusion
    ​
    What does a settlement of humans look like, in a place like this? Would it be something like the Arrancar communes you saw with your spider friend, away from Las Noches? It's a strange idea to you, one that you're drawn to examine.

    You cast your gaze up at the sky, at the changing position of the sun, so different from the endless stasis you're more accustomed to. It's still early in the afternoon, so you can spare a few hours and still reach the Netherworld before nightfall. Does that matter? What hours does Lady Yuyuko keep?

    You wave the thought off. The exact timing of the meeting isn't critical, at this point, and it's likely more important to be well rested, so you're prepared to deal with other disruptions, and so you aren't falling asleep on your feet when you finally secure an audience. So you'll try to relax a bit, play tourist, and maybe learn something useful.

    You approach the outer gate at a leisurely walking pace, carefully observing the situation around you. The village proper is surrounded by a wall, and while you can sense the flow of energies warding off incursion spread throughout the barrier, they're relatively low in power - your Cero could punch through easily enough with a bit of effort. The gates themselves are wide open, and a steady stream of people flows in and out, carrying all kinds of merchandise and produce. This is no impregnable fortress.

    The considering gazes as you draw closer make it clear that humans here do have some spiritual power of their own, but on average, you can that it's limited in scope to around that of a base hollows. Interspersed throughout the gate crowd are a few points of other, non-human energies, but even the strongest of these is on the weaker side for a Numero.

    The flow of traffic through the villages walls shifts, clearing some space as you pass through, but it's hardly the terrified deference that the unassigned Arrancar now show you. You nod at what looks to be the gatekeeper, he hesitantly nods back, and you're in. Is the threat of retribution really enough to keep the various youkai here in line, all on its own? You doubt it - no matter how powerful the peacekeepers, they can't be everywhere at once.

    It's eclectic, to say the least. The fashion is a blend of traditional Japanese and European, but even that is interspersed with more modern takes on casual and buisness clothing. The architecture, too, is a mishmash of too many different styles for you to name, Hindu pagodas just across the street from French-style cafes. You can't think of a place more different from the enormous uniform emptiness of Las Noches.

    You're still being observed, you note, and after a moment's thought, you enter the cafe. The free eclair sample is actually quite decent, though you think they overdid the icing sugar a touch. By the time you emerge, having thanked the cashier, most of the lingering gazes have moved on.

    You slowly drift down the street, passing several fruit stands, a carpenter, and a notary, before you zero in on another shop of interest - a haberdashers. You can feel some minor magic woven into some of the items on the front display, simple beginners tricks to ward off the wet and cold, and you enter the shop.

    The store is well organized, and the displays put together with a good eye for aesthetics - you wouldn't be surprised if they did brisk buisness. The shopkeeper keeps a close eye on you from the moment you step in, the flavor of his slightly above average energy in evidence throughout the work in the store. You examine the felt lining of a beret, then bring it up to the front desk.

    When you re-emerge half an hour later, you're holding a chic chapeau that you think Cirucci will love, and the owner is still scribbling some notes from your primer on basic La Marana principles. His approach was very different from the one Alphonse taught you, but you can see how it provides an interesting alternative angle to take for certain goals. You feel refreshed.

    You still have an hour or so to spare, and you put it to use investigating. What keeps this place functioning, when presences like Seiga's lurk outside the walls? Some distant authority wouldn't suffice, so is there a local group that defends the village?

    You cast your senses out, and move towards the strongest concentrations of energy you can sense. It's difficult to orient yourself, at first, the swirling masses of people and varied and unfamiliar types of energy reducing your ability to pick out distinct individual signatures.

    You steer clear of a schoolhouse that has a burning ember within it, heavy from the weight of history. You don't want to push the boundaries of the current wary acceptance you've been granted. Passing through sidestreets, you briefly approach a bookstore, but as you get closer it becomes clear that the power in the place is entirely due to a cluster of enchanted items.

    Still, you've becomed more attuned to the energies of the village over the course of your wandering. You close your eyes, and concentrate.

    It's deceptively mild, belonging to someone who does not flaunt their sheer strength. Yet, beneath the misleading first impression, this is a power outstripping your own, on the level of the Privaron... and even then, there remains yet more of their stength, drenched in chaos and illusions, now locked and kept hidden away. Might to match the lower Espada, left unusued, tied to a deeply meticulous and precise nature. Control. Control in both word and deed is their most prized virtue, mastery of the self leading to the mastery of the external.

    You follow the trail into the heart of the village, as the buildings get taller, more ostentatious. What authority does this person hold, what role does a non-human play in keeping this town functioning? You round the corner, and see a crowd of children raptly watching a puppet performance in the center of town square.

    It's stunningly done, the motions so seamless and natural that without your senses showing you the hidden strings, you'd swear that the dolls were alive. You take a seat at the edge of the square, the hatbox on your lap as you simply watch the spectacle. An impossibly intricate dance of motion occurs every instant, dozens of scale model characters playing their part simultaneously, all under the control of a single figure.

    It's a story of fall from grace, an angel's failed rebellion against the god that she loved, and how the lengths she went to for the sake of reclaiming that love only pushed him further and further away. A sad story, but one that ends on a surprisingly hopeful note, with the possibility of redemption offered even to those who had fallen furthest.

    As the puppeteer bows, and her dolls bow with her, you applaud. The croud lingers for a minute, parents gathering offspring, a few more looks thrown your way, more curious then concerned. As the puppeteer begins packing her materials and props into the bags behind her, the dolls move to assist, fluttering up to refurl the banner proclaiming this to be a "Alice Margratroid Performance".

    You approach her more directly. She's extraordinarily talented, and you're privileged to have witnessed her work.

    She turns to you with a smile. "Alice Margratroid. I'm pleased to see our newest arrival has a taste for the arts." Behind her, the dolls keep packing up the set. "There's been talk all throughout town about you, but you've blended in very well. You shouldn't have any issues getting accustomed to Gensokyo if you keep this up."

    You thank her for the compliment. You've been trying not to disturb the peace of this place, while you observe. But you're curious - what role does someone of her power play in this village?

    She blinks. "Oh, I'm not associated with the village directly, I just put on my shows here. I've assisted them once or twice when trouble crops up, but I usually stay well away from that sort of buisness."

    So she... just comes here to do charity plays? You understand the thrill and pride that comes with performing for an audience, having done it yourself, and you suppose there's no reason that even the more mighty couldn't feel the same. This is presumably part of the reason Zommari has his sermons. But even Zommari has his own grand hall, and the base hollows must come to him, their superior, to hear his words. This woman has power, but she seems satisfied with a role closer to that of the dancers of the Salar de Luna.

    She's... invested, you realize. She cares about the continued wellbeing of this community, without desiring to rule over it. What will it take, for Hollows to do the same - to work together for the sake a better future, without the drive to dominate and rule tearing it down from within? Is it even possible, or has the emptiness in all your hearts gnawed away at that possibility?

    Heavy thoughts, and she seems to have picked up on some of them. "For me, this is a way of pushing my own skills forward, of refining my own abilities while doing something worthwhile with my time. There's a different sort of power in the perfection of the simplest things, I've found."

    You nod in agreement. Having learned to control yourself, having pushed yourself to master simple matters of presentation under your lover's guidance, it didn't make you any more powerful in absolute terms, and yet... the surety, the confidence in yourself that came with it, has propelled you to further and further heights nonetheless.

    Her eyes flash with emerald light for a moment, and she looks at you with a discerning eye. "Hmm. You tailored that outfit yourself? You've dedicated yourself to your work to an admirable degree." She blinks. "What world are you from, precisely?"

    You take a step backwards. She could sense that you aren't native to this realm?

    She waves off your worries. "It's nothing to be concerned about - I've simply had experience with other planes of existence and noticed the signs. Still, what brought you here?"

    Yukari. You were adrift in the space between worlds, and she picked you up and put you here. You're planning on petitioning her to return you to your home - your lover is waiting for you.

    Alice's smile has entirely vanished, as her expression twists into a grimace. "Then you likely owe her your life, and certainly owe her your sanity. Your power isn't sufficient to withstand that place for long." Her boot taps at the ground in agitation. "How practiced are you at spellcards? Yukari might challenge you to a duel for your return, and if she doesn't, she'll send one of her minions to test you."

    Your eyes widen, as you recall the overwhelming presence and pressure from the figure within the border between spaces. You can't fight something like that!

    "Of course you can. One of Yukari's primary aims when designing the system here was something that let even the spiritually weak challenge the very strongest beings here, herself included." She glances at a wristwatch, then looks up at you, considering. "If you assist me with the puppet costumes for my next performance, I'll help you adjust your energy releases to the ruleset here."

    < > Accept the offer.

    Alice is an experienced long time resident of Gensokyo - with her assistance, you can refine your already well practiced skills with projectiles into a barrage that carries the inherent expression key to winning a true, fully formal Spellcard Duel. This is also a chance to gather more information on both Yuyuko and Yukari.

    < > Politely refuse.

    Spending several hours assisting Alice with her costumes and practicing your energy release will probably use up the rest of the day, and you're confident enough with your skills at dodging and launching Bala that you think you can do this without the help. Pushing through to the Netherworld today is more important - you need to reunite with Cirucci as quickly as you can.
     
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