Remove ads

Voices From Beyond: A Skullgirls Quest

Reader mode
Remove ads
Marie Gets Ready To Act
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Plan: Iddle chatter.
    -[X] (Voice 1) "We are glad everything is going well for you Marie. There's still a long way to go, but we are getting there, little by little."
    -[X] (Voice 1) "By the way, totally unrelated question. How do you feel about becoming a werewolf maid? If you get the feeling of howling to the skies when it's full moon it's totally normal, trust us."
    -[X] (Voice 4) "Yeah kid, just imagine, the arena goes dark, the moonlight shining through the roof as everyone wonders what's happening, then, boom! You jump down from the rafters! Landing on all fours then literally howl a challenge to the champ! It would be glorious!"
    -[X] (Voice 2) "Care for some music to pass the time madam?"
    May 25th, late morning, Anti-Skullgirl Lab 8

    Marie's glad that she really is done answering questions now, because she can't keep a straight face at Myriad's idea. It sounds so funny, and explaining to other people why she's started laughing out of nowhere would be tricky. Fortunately, Marie's by herself in a room she was given, so no one else needs to know about Myriad's idea.

    I suppose it's not a bad idea, Marie tells them once she's calmed down. But I don't want to turn into a wolf uncontrollably.

    She's got enough problems with being dangerous to everyone around her already, no need to add anymore. As Marie gets to considering what music she'd like to listen to, Dr. Avian comes into her room, anxiety all over his face.

    "Have you seen the newspapers?" He asks, getting a confused shake of the head from her.

    He thrusts a copy of a local paper at her. NEW SKULLGIRL SIGHTED! KILLS LORENZO MEDICI!, the headline reads.

    "I see," is all Marie can say.

    "It's not just you," Dr. Avian says. "Everyone who was with you last night is mentioned in the article, and it won't be hard for anyone who knows about Lab 8 to figure out we've got you. Can you pretend you're our prisoner, or do we need to stage your escape?"

    Marie thinks it over for a moment.

    "Aren't I already your prisoner?" She asks. "I thought you were just being polite about it."

    "I suppose you're not wrong," the doctor says with a sigh. "All right, let's get you to a cell, then. We need this to look good for any government officials who want to know what we're doing with a live Skullgirl, and luckily we do have cells that can keep Skullgirls in."

    Marie nods and follows Dr. Avian out of the room. As they walk to the cell Marie will be giving her performance in, he coaches her on what she needs to do.

    "Keep whatever you say to threats and demands to let you out so you can kill more people, and think about headbutting one of the walls from time to time or something similar. You'll be in a straitjacket. The idea is that you're an ordinary Skullgirl we had the good luck to capture for study and you want to do what Skullgirls usually do."

    "Should I pretend to have a moment where I 'snap out of it' and ask whoever's there to kill me?" Marie asks. "It could help explain how you captured me. I surrendered to you before the Skull Heart finished corrupting me, and one last uncorrupted part is still there, trying to make sure I don't hurt anyone else."

    Dr. Avian spends a moment thinking before saying, "If you're sure you can do it convincingly. We can't afford to have any weak spots in the act or we'll all be put in front of a firing squad."

    Marie nods and doesn't say anything else. Soon enough, Marie's at her cell, getting ready to put on the performance of her life. As a medical person of some kind (Marie doesn't know the right word for this person's job) puts a straitjacket on Marie, one of Lab 8's scientists, a shark Dagonian named Stanley, comes by and takes Dr. Avian aside for a conversation Marie can't overhear. After a few minutes, the two of them head back to the cell, both of them wearing the expression of a man who's jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.

    "Do we need to change the plan?" Marie asks.

    "You could say that," Stanley mutters.

    "We've just gotten a message that Princess Parasoul's decided to audit ASG Lab 0 starting today," Dr. Avian explains. "That place is enough of a mess we won't need to worry about the government asking us any questions for at least the rest of the year."

    "Then why do you look so nervous?" Marie has to ask. Somehow, she knows she won't like the answer.

    "How much do you know about Annie of the Stars?" Dr. Avian asks in return.

    "The character in the show? I think I've heard that she was based on old stories about a girl who went around saving people from monsters and things like that, and I've watched the show, of course, but that's all," Marie says. What a strange thing to ask about right now.

    "They aren't just stories," Stanley says with a grimace. "Annie's real, she's been hunting Skullgirls for longer than any of us have been alive, and she's here."

    Marie can see where this is going. There's only one thing she can do now.

    "Where do I need to go to talk with her?"

    Myriad, how do I get Annie to let me live?

    A/N: Of course Annie knows about Lab 8 and where their base is. She knows a lot of professional Skullgirl hunters and where to find them. She probably taught half of them. Also, if you all have interesting and/or funny ideas for how Parasoul's audit of Lab 0 goes, feel free to post them. I'm leaving it vague on purpose right now, but your ideas might influence future events in the story.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Well, Parasoul started with Lab 0, that's surprisingly good for us. Thought there's a chance Brain Drain decides to go Rogue to avoid avoid his research to slowdown.

    About Annie...well, talking with her for startrers and explaining the situation could help? One thing that could potentially make Annie not kill Marie is promising her to help Kill Double perhaps? Annie should still be looking for her to kill. Promising assistance on that endeavor could dissade Annire from fighting Marie perhaps?

    Nothing else comes to midn at the moment thought, gonna need a bit to think.
     
    (voice 4) ooh boy, quite a pickle we're in, hmmm, ok, so, you're really going to need to put those acting skills to the max kid, so {puts on director's hat} alright people places, we don't get many takes of this so put your game faces on!

    (Voice 4) Ok Marie, you're the Skullgirl, but not just any Skullgirl, you're one who's willpower and pure heartedness is enough to stave off the corrupting influence of that title! So you really need to show that, let the audience feel your conviction with every word, you're a tortured soul but one who refuses to break! And you will show it to the Hunter who has come to slay you, show her this one in a lifetime chance!


    (Voice 4) Also I hear you, you don't want to be a werewolf due to the whole uncontrollable transformation thing, so how about this, we give you the senses of a wolf, and you Shapeshift into a werewolf form! Best of both worlds eh?
     
    SaberFail said:
    (voice 4) ooh boy, quite a pickle we're in, hmmm, ok, so, you're really going to need to put those acting skills to the max kid, so {puts on director's hat} alright people places, we don't get many takes of this so put your game faces on!

    (Voice 4) Ok Marie, you're the Skullgirl, but not just any Skullgirl, you're one who's willpower and pure heartedness is enough to stave off the corrupting influence of that title! So you really need to show that, let the audience feel your conviction with every word, you're a tortured soul but one who refuses to break! And you will show it to the Hunter who has come to slay you, show her this one in a lifetime chance!


    (Voice 4) Also I hear you, you don't want to be a werewolf due to the whole uncontrollable transformation thing, so how about this, we give you the senses of a wolf, and you Shapeshift into a werewolf form! Best of both worlds eh?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Ooooh I like this! We need ther clip sound of someone opening and closing that thing just before the camera starts rolling, its so fitting!

    [X] Plan: Showtime!
    -[X] (voice 4) "ooh boy, quite a pickle we're in, hmmm, ok, so, you're really going to need to put those acting skills to the max kid, so {puts on director's hat} alright people, to their places, we don't get many takes of this so put your game faces on!"
    -[X](Voice 4) "Ok Marie, you're the Skullgirl, but not just any Skullgirl, you're one who's willpower and pure heartedness is enough to stave off the corrupting influence of that title! So you really need to show that, let the audience feel your conviction with every word, you're a tortured soul but one who refuses to break! And you will show it to the Hunter who has come to slay you, show her this one in a lifetime chance!"
    -[X](Voice 1) "An olive branch to make sure Annie doesn't to kill you is to offer her Double. Annie of the Stars has been chasing that monster as much as she has been hunting Skullgirls. Assist her with killing that blob and she could be an allie."
    -[X] (Voice 5) "Be aware that her objective is to truly end the Skullgirl cycle, so her inmortality ends as well. And yes, her inmortality was the result of a wish to the Skullheart made by her mother a long time ago. Obviously, don't mention this, this was to give you more context about her. "
    -[X](Voice 4) "Also we hear you, you don't want to be a werewolf due to the whole uncontrollable transformation thing, so how about this, we give you the senses of a wolf, and you Shapeshift into a werewolf form! Best of both worlds eh?"
    -[X](Myriad) "Ladies and gentlemen, it's... SHOWTIME!"
    -[X]

    View: https://youtu.be/OD3GsusGoZE
     
    Last edited:
    Shadow-86 said:
    Oh I was just asking if it's only the word action that Marie starts acting or can we use a different word instead.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    I said action because it was the first word that came to mind, but yeah, Showtime can work too, it's just a matter of preference really, I prefer ACTION, but if the majority choose SHOWTIME I won't object.
     
    Shadow-86 said:
    Oh I was just asking if it's only the word action that Marie starts acting or can we use a different word instead.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    SaberFail said:
    I said action because it was the first word that came to mind, but yeah, Showtime can work too, it's just a matter of preference really, I prefer ACTION, but if the majority choose SHOWTIME I won't object.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    I'm fine with ACTION Myself, as SaberFail said, it's a matter of preference.

    If you guys want to change it for another word just tell me but I'm personally fine with going with this.
     
    Kingster said:
    I'm fine with ACTION Myself, as SaberFail said, it's a matter of preference.

    If you guys want to change it for another word just tell me but I'm personally fine with going with this.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    This is Skullgirls. There's really only one appropriate call to make.

    [X] [Myriad] Ladies and gentlemen, it's... SHOWTIME!
     
    -(Voice 5) "Be aware that her objective is to truly end the Skullgirl cycle, so her inmortality ends as well. And yes, her inmortality was the result of a wish to the Skullheart made by her mother a long time ago. Obviously, mention this, this was to give you more context about her. "

    What do you think?

    [X] Plan: Showtime!
     
    Last edited:
    Ferb_Ancos said:
    -(Voice 5) "Be aware that her objective is to truly end the Skullgirl cycle, so her inmortality ends as well. And yes, her inmortality was the result of a wish to the Skullheart made by her mother a long time ago."
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    I'm fine with telling her that, thought, have to be careful to tell Marie to not say anything about that to Annie, cause she will wonder how she learned about that, would probably make Annie somehwat suspicious I believe.
     
    Annie Scrutinizes A Weird Skullgirl
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Plan: Showtime!
    -[X] (voice 4) "ooh boy, quite a pickle we're in, hmmm, ok, so, you're really going to need to put those acting skills to the max kid, so {puts on director's hat} alright people, to their places, we don't get many takes of this so put your game faces on!"
    -[X](Voice 4) "Ok Marie, you're the Skullgirl, but not just any Skullgirl, you're one who's willpower and pure heartedness is enough to stave off the corrupting influence of that title! So you really need to show that, let the audience feel your conviction with every word, you're a tortured soul but one who refuses to break! And you will show it to the Hunter who has come to slay you, show her this one in a lifetime chance!"
    -[X](Voice 1) "An olive branch to make sure Annie doesn't to kill you is to offer her Double. Annie of the Stars has been chasing that monster as much as she has been hunting Skullgirls. Assist her with killing that blob and she could be an allie."
    -[X] (Voice 5) "Be aware that her objective is to truly end the Skullgirl cycle, so her inmortality ends as well. And yes, her inmortality was the result of a wish to the Skullheart made by her mother a long time ago. Obviously, don't mention this, this was to give you more context about her. "
    -[X](Voice 4) "Also we hear you, you don't want to be a werewolf due to the whole uncontrollable transformation thing, so how about this, we give you the senses of a wolf, and you Shapeshift into a werewolf form! Best of both worlds eh?"
    -[X](Myriad) "Ladies and gentlemen, it's... SHOWTIME!"
    -[X]

    View: https://youtu.be/OD3GsusGoZE

    May 24th, late morning, somewhere in Anti-Skullgirl Lab 8

    Myriad's right, all Marie has to do is put the problem in acting terms. Her objective? Convince Annie to let her live, simple enough. The actions she'll do to achieve that objective? That's the hard part. Marie will have to figure that out as she goes. Oh, there's the door to the room Annie's waiting in. Marie's nervous, a bit starstruck, and pessimistic about her chances of survival. If she makes that clear with her voice and body language, it could persuade Annie that Marie really does want to avoid a fight. That could be a foot in the door, and then she can offer Annie information or an alliance. All right, nothing left but to give the performance of a lifetime. Showtime.
    The Skullgirl walks in the room and sits down at the table across from Annie. She looks nervous and... sad. Like she doesn't expect things to go well but feels like she needs to try anyway. It's an expression Annie sees in the mirror pretty often.

    "Thank you for agreeing to talk with me, Miss Annie," she says. "It's an honor to meet you, even though..."

    The Skullgirl gestures vaguely, but it's obvious she means even though you're probably going to kill me.

    Annie leans forwards just a bit. She's taller than this Skullgirl, which doesn't happen often, and she's going to use the height advantage for intimidation while she can.

    "Let's skip the pleasantries. You're a Skullgirl, I hunt Skullgirls. The only reason we're having a conversation is because you convinced three people I know are dedicated anti-Skullgirl fighters that you weren't a threat. One or two I could write off, but now it's a pattern. So keep the pattern going with me or only one of us is walking out of this room."

    And it won't be you goes unsaid, but Annie's tone makes the implication clear.

    The Skullgirl sighs and just looks down. She doesn't say anything for long enough that Annie's almost ready to call it quits and start stabbing when she finally does speak.

    "I- I don't know how. With Mister Ben, my friend Patricia convinced him to give me a chance to prove I wasn't going to kill everyone I could see, and I think Ms. Ileum was mostly following his lead. With Squigly and Leviathan, I found a magic gem that let them stop being zombies, so now they like me because I helped them. You've never met me before, Miss Annie, or any of my friends, and there isn't anything I could do to help you."

    The Skullgirl stops talking for a moment, then she gets a look on her face. It's hopeful, but it's the hope of someone who's certain they'll be disappointed but can't let go of that hope.

    "Is there something I could do to help you?" She asks. It's earnest, painfully so. Either the Skullgirl's a better actor than Annie, who's been doing it for longer than this Skullgirl's been alive, or she really does want to help Annie somehow, and not just because it would save her skin.

    Annie puts a hand to her face in a pose of deep contemplation, even though she knows perfectly well what she wants out of this Skullgirl. If she wants to live, she needs to offer Annie something really good, and there's not much she can offer that'd qualify. Once she's pretended to think long enough, Annie asks her question.

    "What makes you different? Why are you the one Skullgirl who's not killing everyone she can see?"

    The Skullgirl opens and closes her mouth a few times without speaking. Whatever she wants to say, she's having trouble with the words.

    "When I made a wish on the Skull Heart," she eventually says. "I was desperate for help, and it was offered to me. If I was even a bit less desperate, I wouldn't have done it. When I could think properly again, I promised myself that I would only kill people who deserved it. And I keep my promises. It lets me spite the... creature that took advantage of my helplessness and tried to turn me into her own personal murder machine. Every day, every hour, every moment I keep myself from letting the bloodlust win is another slap in her gooey, shapeshifting face."

    If she'd said anything about being a kind soul who didn't want to hurt anyone, Annie wouldn't believe it. But channeling her impulses into something narrow and... not harmless but at least less of a problem, along with wanting to spite the darned creature that's the true master of the Skull Heart? That, Annie can buy. She does something similar, after all.

    Okay, maybe this one Annie can just keep an eye on instead of going for the jugular right away. She's in the middle of an Anti-Skullgirl Lab, so if she does let the bad thoughts win, there won't be much collateral damage. Lab 8's full of softies, but they're not stupid. They're gonna have a thousand countermeasures ready for that scenario. And if they don't, Annie'll make sure they fix that little oversight real quick.

    "You asked if you could help me," Annie says after thinking for a while. "There's a couple things I'd like from you."

    "Of course, Miss Annie," the Skullgirl says. "What are they?"

    "First," Annie counts on her fingers. "You cooperate with the scientists here on figuring out how to get rid of the Skull Heart for good. Or at least finding a way to get it out of Skullgirls easily so they don't have as much of a chance to cause big disasters. Whatever tests or experiments they wanna do on you, cooperate."

    Annie holds out a hand to prevent any interruptions and says, "Sure, maybe you're gonna stay in control until something happens to kill you. Maybe. But the next Skullgirl? Or the one after that? The world needs a way to keep the damage from Skullgirl attacks down. And you're the best research subject for that anyone's ever gonna get. You want me to believe I don't need to do anything about you? Help out with minimizing how much of a problem you and the ones after can be."

    The Skullgirl nods, looking more resigned than anything. Annie continues.

    "Second, you're going to tell me what you know about that shapeshifter who gave you the Skull Heart. I've been after her for ages, and I'm not passing up a chance to get the info I need to put her down for good. You said you wanted to spite her, here's your big chance."

    The Skullgirls nods again, not quite eager but a bit more than just determined. Good, she might actually be honest here.

    "And number three: I need a new sparring partner, and hey, I hunt Skullgirls, and here's one who says she's friendly. I could stand to get some practice in when it's not do or die."

    "That... sounds like you want to get my guard down and kill me in an 'accident.' I don't know if I can do that one," the Skullgirl says. And the kid's actually got a brain in her head, maybe she really is making her own decisions.

    "Caught me there," Annie says with a chuckle. "But hey, you just said no to someone who's been threatening to kill you. If you want me to believe you've got what it takes to stay peaceful out of spite, that's not bad evidence."

    Now that the kid's gone through a secret test of character and shown she has some guts, Annie can believe she might actually keep herself under control. And when a grizzled veteran like Annie gets brought around to thinking maybe a kid's got what it takes, you know the kid definitely has it.

    "Oh, maybe we can compromise," the kid says. "My friend Patricia thinks that when the scientists here have finished operating on her, she'll be able to get the Skull Heart out of me without killing me. If she's right, I'd be happy to be your sparring partner once she finishes helping me. I know a few things about how to fight."

    Getting cured of Skullgirl-hood is a long shot, but so's a Skullgirl turning out peaceful. Annie's finding that right now, she's willing to take a chance on another long shot.

    "You know, kid," she says. "I really should come by every so often and make sure you're being good. If you let me see you in action against someone else, and your friend really can do what she says, I just might take you up on that offer."

    For the first time that Annie's seen, the kid smiles.

    "Of course, Miss Annie," she says, excitement in her voice. "I look forward to us seeing each other again, then."

    "We're not saying goodbye just yet," Annie says. "We still need to have a conversation about our shapeshifting friend."

    That takes the smile off the kid's face. Annie almost feels bad. Almost.

    "Oh yes, her," the kid says. "What do you want to know about her?"

    Annie grins viciously and says, "Everything."

    A/N: Congratulations, you got Annie off Marie's back! Well, mostly. She was never gonna become friends with Marie just like that, but your advice to Marie meant that she used a framework (emphasize willpower and refusing to break, point to Double as a common enemy) that Annie would find more persuasive. It's a good thing too, because if Marie did get in a fight with Annie, Marie would experience the old "Current Objective: Survive" meme. Also, Ileum wasn't just following Big Band's lead in deciding to give Marie a chance, but Marie doesn't know that. And the references to actions and objectives at the start is something I got from what I was able to find about the theory behind naturalistic acting. It seemed like something Johnny Cage would be at least a bit familiar with if he's a good enough actor to be a big Hollywood star. Lastly, there will probably be just one more main story post from me today if there's one at all. My wrists are starting to bother me from all this typing, so I need to take a short break from writing big long posts.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Reader mode
    You must login or register to reply here.
    Remove ads
    Back
    Top