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>>33201183

(Gentlemen; My sincerest apologies, but due to the relatively brief time period involved - Less than the space of a few hours since the previous thread - I've suspended research progress for the second half of this chapter. Things will resume as normal by the next chapter.)

HOLLOW SUN: 13.4%

http://pastebin.com/wvCwbQMd

RESEARCH:

[X] COBALT LASER
[X] TERMINUS SCANNER
[X] FALSEHOOD ARRAY
[X] RESEARCH: ASSAULT HARDSHELL

RED COMET RESEARCH:

[X] GALVANIC EMITTERS

VOID ANCHORS:

ORIGINAL HIVE
THE TRIBUNAL

HOLDING: 4

RED COMET GUIDE:

http://pastebin.com/7vzY4Zp2

Time to engage our plans.

Is everyone else here?

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>>33201210

STAGE: AUTOMETA

The innards of the stage. An immense spherical structure, an armoured shell encasing a massive honeycomb of alloy girderwork; A toroid almost two kilometers in diameter, filled with the clicking, grinding constant buzz of machinery. Cogs and gears and belts and whirring chain-teeth, meshing and interlocking, the ground vibrating faintly beneath the *hiss* of hydraulics and the whirr of lifter gears - The mindless clatter of pistons, puffs of steam whirring outwards from sullen internal furnaces, gusts of heated air circling within the confines-

A mechanism with no purpose. A clock, ticking away the moments to Armaggedon.

It's a chaotic place, a place of perpetual and constant motion - A bewildering arrangement of dials and burners and chambers, an odd micro-climate lingering: A series of narrow, slanting catwalks descending ever-downwards from the entrance, a colossal lattice of struts and columns spidering across the inside of the vast industrial pandemonium, sensors winking in flashes of uncertain light.

"Joker?"

Distortion Haze's voice - Hesitant, wary, a little confused - is almost drowned out by the shrill wail of steam, a backwash of cool air from the ducts staggering him, making him check his footing. His crested helmet turns this way and that, moving with caution; His form slightly hunched, keeping his center of gravity low, his attention divided between the whirring maze of gears and the hungry drop below.

"Joker? Are you there?"

He shades his eyes with a hand, the glowing slits of his helm momentarily obscured - On overhead railings, lights circle the megastructure, on their constant, regular circuit.

"Joker, I can't *see you*-"

In less than ten seconds, you're going to prove him wrong.

(Continued)

>>33201225
>A toroid almost two kilometers in diameter, filled with the clicking, grinding constant buzz of machinery
I'm getting BLAME flashbacks.

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>>33201225

Harsh light springs to life, bathing the walkway in actinic illumination. Haze ducks his head - His helmet lacks any expression, but he winces all the same, momentarily blinded as the bright light flashes out over the arena, and backlights your form; Your shadow slanting out before you, long and dark.

Haze starts - His boot scuffing against the metal catwalk, the checkerboard pattern of his asymentrical armour momentarily bleached of all colour. His breath hisses out, in brisk surprise; His form relaxing, ever-so-slightly, at your familiar silhouette.

"Thought you were - scared me for a second-" He glances to either side, wondering; "...What *is* this place?

A pause. Tiny servoes whirr in his neck, as he cants his head to the side - "...You said-" Distortion Haze's speakers rasp as he draws a deep, steeling breath, one he doesn't need, his voice lowering as the old nervousness shades his voice.

"-You said, you were going to train me. Right?"

He makes to step forward-

"I mean, you promised-"

[ ] "We've already started."
[ ] "First lesson: Always know where your enemy is."
[ ] (Looking behind him.) "-Mind your head."
[ ] (Looking to the side.) "Three...Two...One..."
[ ] "-Watch your step."

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>33201380
>[x] "-Watch your step."
>[x] "We've already started."
>[x] "First lesson: Always know where your enemy is."

>>33201380
>[ ] "First lesson: Always know where your enemy is.
>"[ ] (Looking behind him.) "-Mind your head.
>" [ ] (Looking to the side.) "Three...Two...One..."

"Lose track of your enemy and you are dead. You don't have the experience needed to predict their movement, so first you need to learn to find and track them."

>>33201403
>>33201443
>[x] "First lesson: Always know where your enemy is."
I'm going to do something atypical and veto this. We are not his enemy. We do not want to teach him to see allies as potential enemies.

>>33201451

We need to get him into the right mindset, though.

>>33201451
Are you seriously saying that a sparring match should be done without an opponent?
Have you never done any kind of martial arts?

>>33201380

>[ ] "-Watch your step."

This one's funniest.

Let's not be a dick about this.

>>33201380
>[X] "We've already started."

"Anometa itself will serve as your enemy. Learn the pattern behind its movements and it cannot harm you. The same logic applies to a Player battle. By understanding what an enemy is capable of you can determine a response to keep yourself from harm or to damage them."

>[X] (Looking behind him.) "-Mind your head."

>>33201496
Dude, we're in a giant clock. He's not here to fight us, he's here to do one of those martial arts obstacle courses.

>>33201519
Forgot to add: evening OP, players. How'd the week treat you?

>>33201519
If we go with this, we need to add that players can never be fully quantified.
There can always be a surprise. Like a tank.

>>33201527
I never said that we should engage him. What the hell are you on about?
I was voting to first make a statement due to how he lost track of us, then to make two statements that show him how we perceive the arena and can predict all of its attacks and THEN spell out the lesson for him.

>>33201210
>(Gentlemen; My sincerest apologies, but due to the relatively brief time period involved - Less than the space of a few hours since the previous thread - I've suspended research progress for the second half of this chapter. Things will resume as normal by the next chapter.)
Can I ask why, OP? This has literally never been an issue before. Am I correct in guessing that the current rate of energy gain stands to completely shatter the balance of power in our favor if it continues as it was?

>>33201527
Are you an idiot? The very basics of any combat training is learning to enter the correct state of mind. The point is not to teach him how to see allies as enemies, but how to concentrate on his opponent and be cautious when in a potentially hostile situation.

>>33201570
Actually, this happened more than once for short sessions.
Hell, originally the system was based on in-universe days instead of threads.

>>33201542
That isn't how the statement would be interpreted though. It implies that for this training session Joker will assume an antagonistic role. There's no problem with telling him to be aware of his surroundings, it's the phrasing that I take issue with.

>>33201403

> [x] "We've already started."
> [x] "-Watch your step."

Beneath Haze's boot, something goes *click*.

"Wha-"

He freezes, and looks down - Which is, of course, the absolute worst thing to do. The segment of platform before him *plunges* down, without warning; A vertical plummet, so fast the speed of it's passage makes the air whistle. Poised on the edge, one foot in the air, Haze windmills his arms as he lurches forward, then back - Fighting to keep his balan -

> [X] (Looking behind him.) "-Mind your head.

...And then the whirring pendulum comes out of a nowhere, and swats him off his feet.

There's a *WHUFF* as the impact takes him away, so suddenly he blurs - He lofts over your head, not quite clearing the distance as the cast-iron ball takes him in the small of his back - Haze's form splayed against the surface as he arches, gesturing tragically in your direction-

-Before gravity reasserts itself, and he falls thirty feet to the catwalk below. The *sound* it makes - the unalloyed and graceless CLANG - is like an entire payloads of girders tumbling down a flight of stairs.

> [x] "First lesson: Always know where your enemy is."

From below, there's a low, dazed groan. Haze paws at the railing, clutching at it like an old man; Somehow, shakily, he manages to haul himself to his feet.

"Ohgodohgodoh*god*-"

> "Anometa itself will serve as your enemy. Learn the pattern behind its movements and it cannot harm you. The same logic applies to a Player battle. By understanding what an enemy is capable of you can determine a response to keep yourself from harm or to damage them."

He gapes at you. Deer-in-headlights; His armour's dented, a trifle battered now, but he isn't hurt - Not really. The wind's been knocked out of him, from the stomach-lurching fall, as Haze totters on unsteady legs.

(Continued)

>>33201631
>It implies that for this training session Joker will assume an antagonistic role.
Dude, are you drunk?
We hid right in his face as a stand-in for an enemy. That was the point of that fucking scene.

>>33201542
A fine point. Keep it in mind for later, when we can demonstrate with Anometa?

>>33201631
You know, we COULD just remind him that if he wanted to find us all he needed to do was activate his Joker Icon? You know, the tracking device we passed out?

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Damnit JQOP i need to sleeeeeep

found a pic for the jokermobile tho

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>>33201677
Pic related image dump time?

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>>33201704
I don't feel like this is a good idea.

>>33201570

(Kind of. It's more that there are supposed to be two, perhaps three, 'cycles' of Hollow Sun charge at most per day - However, the decompressed nature of the Quest unfortunately means that Hollow Sun charge is accumulating really quickly, and the ratio of research times are a little strange, now.

Effectively, too much research is happening in too little time, which wasn't my initial intention.)

>>33201536

(Way more busy than I expected.)

The pendulum reaches the arc of it's swing - Haze has the presence of mind to clutch the railing, flattening himself against it as it swings past with the momentum of a wrecking ball; "I'm not dead, I'm not dead," he babbles, patting himself down as if checking the extent of his injuries-

"Joker - Wait, I'm not *ready*-"

[ ] Shoot the railing.
[ ] "Lesson two: Things are *never* fair."
[ ] "You're not actually hurt. You don't need to breathe, remember?"
[ ] "Too bad. *Be* ready, or be dead."
[ ] Kick him off.
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

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>>33201704
I just have environmental stuff, but I think this is oddly appropriate.

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>>33201677
I really hope that we will one day manage to get the jokerbike.

>>33201753
>[ ] "Lesson two: Things are *never* fair."
>[ ] "You're not actually hurt. You don't need to breathe, remember?"

Shoot to destroy the surface that he is standing on (assuming that there's a way to catch himself without a terminal velocity fall underneath). The best combination of shooting the railing and kicking him off.

>>33201753
>[ ] "Too bad. *Be* ready, or be dead."

>>33201753
>those choices
Joker has gone full Drill Sergeant
>>33201753
>[x] "No one normally is, but it's not like we have a different choice. Learn to adapt and your chances of surviving skyrocket."
>[x] "Lesson two: Things are *never* fair."
>[x] "If you truly meant what you said that time, then work so that you don't have any regrets."

>>33201753
Here's the chance to do surprises.

[X] "You're not actually hurt. You don't need to breathe, remember?"

"It's never what you're prepared for that gets you in trouble. The only thing you can do is stop complaining about it and think.

"For example: Why could the platform you're standing on be ratcheting down?"

>>33201811
Oh god, I love it.
Combine it with >>33201786.
After he has a moment to think, we shoot the platform.

>>33201833
I'm thinking this place is some kind of Rube Goldberg machine. Joker doesn't have to add to the chaos, Haze is going to get himself in enough trouble so long as he's paying attention to Joker instead of the platforming he needs to do.

We should dispense sage advice (HAH) and intervene if he makes a critical error. No need to make things worse when he's already triggered a launching spring.

>>33201884
Well, this also works.

We have a jetpack if we need to save him.

...OP, did you watch Edge of Tomorrow by any chance?

>>33201893

(I have the original novel, but I've never watched the movie.)

Haze has one arm - The one with the bright yellow biohazard symbol, sheathed in a sleeve of black metal - braced on the railing, the other clutched against his chest as he hunches over; Tiny sparks leapt from the rents in his back, but the reinforced spine can and will take much more damage without losing function.

You should know. You've been there.

You know how it feels; Pain - Or rather, the illusion of pain, the sense that tells you that it *should* hurt more...Never mind that your body is endosteel and myomer musculature, not meat and bone. It took you a long time - The longest time - to forget.

>>33201786
>>33201811

> [X] "You're not actually hurt. You don't need to breathe, remember?"

The lights in his eyes flicker, cycling - The machine equivalent of a blink.

Haze pauses, for the space of a second - As if poised on the cusp of a revelation, his stance shifting subtly; His arm comes away from his body, as he straightens. There's something sheepish in his gesture, as if he's only now just realizing the truth of your words-

...He'll get there eventually.

"Uh," Haze manages. Then, as the yellow lights in his eyeslits wax brighter - "...Y-you're *right*-" His gauntlet tightens on the railing, clinging to it for support as he hauls himself up a little higher, a bemused note to his voice, now.

"...It doesn't actually-"

>>33201786
>>33201811
>>33201833

"Wha-"

Haze's eyes go big as saucers, as you level your Plasma Vulcan at him. He flinches back, releases the railing - Even as the first burst of fire slags the platform below. The plasma bolts scorch fist-sized holes through the metal gantry, chewing ragged gaps into the surface...And into the hydraulics below.

(Continued)

>>33202059

All that pent-up tension, released at once. The launcher mechanism compensating for the sudden shift in weight by boosting the coils to maximum output-

Haze takes flight. He's gone so suddenly, all you glimpse is his frantic yellow eyes - And then he's hurled upwards and outwards, his limbs flailing; He goes boneless mid-tumble, which means he narrowly misses the rotating gears above - Before he slams down before you, with a CRUMP that dents the sheet metal mere meters before your autoreactive talons.

> [x] "Lesson two: Things are *never* fair."
> [X] "If you truly meant what you said that time, then work so that you don't have any regrets; Learn to adapt and your chances of surviving skyrocket."

Smoke wisps from his limbs as he groans, low and deep and dazed-

"Jokeerrrrrrrr-"

"You - unnnghhhhh - bastarddddddd-"

>>33201791

He groans again. His hand gropes forward, reaching for your boot.

[ ] "That's the spirit."
[ ] "Happy landings."
[ ] "Oh, come on. Quit layin' down on the job, Haze."
[ ] Offer him a hand up.
[ ] Wait.
[ ] Free.

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>33202081
>[ ] "That's the spirit."
"Maybe put a bit more passion into it."

>>33202081
>[ ] "Oh, come on. Quit layin' down on the job, Haze."
>[ ] Offer him a hand up.

>>33202081
>[x] "That's the spirit."
>[x] "The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in war... not that you can sweat or bleed here anyway. Pain is hardly noticeable here and you don't get either tired or sleepy. You don't need to eat or drink, your body is stronger than humanly possible and you can easily take punishment that would break an Olympian champion like a twig. Nice, isn't it?"

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>>33201893
>Edge of Tomorrow
Good movie, but a better book. Both needed to be longer in the middle.

>>33202081
>[X] Offer him a hand up.
"Good! You survived the first test. But I have some bad news. You're doing it again."

>>33202177
>Good movie, but a better book. Both needed to be longer in the middle.
I was surprised by how good the movie was.
It wasn't very deep, but quite enjoyable. And I loved the unique enemy designs.

Anyway, this thread reminds me a lot of the training montage in the movie.

>>33202177
>spoiler image
You actual motherfucker I wound up reading that entire post in his abridged voice.

>>33202098
>>33202127

> [X] "That's the spirit."
> "Maybe put a bit more passion into it."

"Urrrghhh..."

Maybe it's your relentlessly cheery tone, but the sound Haze makes...It's the sound of someone who's busy regretting his life choices.

You've been there, too.

>>33202167

He dry-heaves, the racking sound coming through his speakers -

"Maybe...Still feel like - seven pounds of *shit*-"

> [X] "Oh, come on. Quit layin' down on the job, Haze."
> [X] Offer him a hand up.

He pushes himself up on his elbows - Then his legs skid out on either side, and he slumps back down. When you reach down, right hand leading, his gauntlet clamps onto yours, jointed fingers locking in place as he pulls himself to his knees...

> "Good! You survived the first test. But I have some bad news. You're doing it again."

-And Haze punches you.

It's instinctive, undirected by any conscious thought - A wild blow that's surprisingly accurate; Even slowed by your inertia field, it's enough to snap your head to the side, servoes whirring as brief static spikes across your HUD. Tiny metal chips fracture into the air, as Haze gasps out-

"Oh *shit*-"

...rather belatedly, with a guilty hiss, as if only just realizing what he's done.

[ ] "-You're learning."
[ ] "Good. If you have a shot, *take* it."
[ ] "Nice try - But next time, aim for the optics."
[ ] Punt him off the platform.
[ ] Punch him back.
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>33202229
>[ ] "-You're learning."
>[ ] "Good. If you have a shot, *take* it."
>[ ] "Nice try - But next time, aim for the optics."

Punch him (Without Crisis arm, obviously), then grab him while he's dazed and throw him off the platform.

>>33202229
Heal the injury so he can see it.

"I'll make a point of not triggering the springs before they reach maximum compression in the future. Also, when you're going to punch someone, follow through and remember to reset your arm after.

"Ready for the next one?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whxcq4I0kAo

I feel this song is appropriate to our training methods.

>>33202265

YES.

YES.

>>33202265
Ehh... let's not punch him, particularly not hard enough to daze. We're training him, we're supposed to be above that.

>>33202274
...That's actually pretty mean.

>>33202293

Let's toss him. That is just too funny not to do.

>>33202177
>Good movie, but a better book. Both needed to be longer in the middle.
Personal opinion, movie was better. Hated that fukkin' ending in the original.

>>33202293
>We're training him, we're supposed to be above that.
Dude you are contradicting yourself.
He punched us enough to daze. How will he learn if he doesn't know what it feels like to be punched?

Part of training is to desensitize and remove fears.

>>33202293
>...That's actually pretty mean.
To be fair, Haze wanted to learn how to be us. We're already being nice enough by not tossing him into a Corrector Hive.

>>33202307
>We're already being nice enough by not tossing him into a Corrector Hive.
And then we open the order of the Jokers.
First lesson: Throw five dudes into the original hive and see who comes out alive.
Second lesson: Find a girlfriend.
Third lesson: Raid a dungeon and kill the armory guardian, then integrate its power core into your armor.

>>33202303
Decking him makes Joker seem petty. It's revenge, not training.

>>33202301
I agree.

>>33202322
>Decking him makes Joker seem petty. It's revenge, not training.
In the army, this would be celled "teaching discipline".

>>33202322
>It's revenge, not training.
Let's clarify something: This is training. Training is about training.
Giving punches is one part of training. TAKING punches is another part of training.
The entire point of training is that there's no revenge or class differences. We treat him as our equal.
That's how he learns.
Be dismantled by a master until average joes feel like vacation.

You seem to have this entire thing backwards.

>>33202319
>First lesson: Throw five dudes into the original hive and see who comes out alive.
...From what we know everyone else who was in the Hive joined up with the Smilers. Not commenting, just putting that out there.

What the hell happened to the original hive since the raid? Did we ever follow up on that?

>>33202302
What part of the ending did you dislike? The Highlander bit?

>>33202322
I'll support not punching him for this reason.

You know, Capote would make for a good sparring partner to simulate a very quick opponent.
It can't hurt you, but it can evade your blows.

>>33202336
That's not how training works at all. It is, first and foremost, about education. Learning what you can do and why you should or should not. What's most important at all times when you teach is identifying what your pupil will learn from your example. Both what you're demonstrating and how you behave.

What do you think this will teach him? He will not learn how to take a punch, that's not what he's prepared to learn. He'll learn how to be a vindictive asshole, which is not what we want to pass on.

>>33202382
>that's not what he's prepared to learn.
The point is that he's not prepared.
"Expect to be punched back if you punch someone without setting up rules beforehand."

>>33202364
We're not spending any energy on the shroud, muleta is already failing to work.

>>33202396
That isn't what would be communicated by decking him.

>>33202425
It would gain context later on.

>>33202430
It really wouldn't.

>>33202265

> [X] "Nice try - But next time, aim for the optics."

Old habits die hard. There's an instinctive desire to protect your eyes, at all costs; The flinch that comes with it is an automatic response, one that has to be unlearned - Even without eyes, Player armour was made to aim and target and fight in the middle of hell.

Haze uncurls slightly, from his reflexive cringe - Once he's convinced you're not about to hurt him.

> "I'll make a point of not triggering the springs before they reach maximum compression in the future. Also, when you're going to punch someone, follow through and remember to reset your arm after.

"R - right." His jointed fingers tighten into a dubious fist, as if marvelling at how he's manage to connect - Beneath the lightweight plating of Haze's armour, myomer fibres tighten and flex, his fist against the ground as he pushes himself upright.

>>33202283
>>33202301
>>33202322

> "Ready for the next one?"
> Grab him while he's dazed and throw him off the platform.

"Wait-"

Even with the Crisis Arm disengaged, you have no trouble lifting Haze by his collar - The Joker's armour takes his weight without the faintest hint of strain, as you hoist him into the air. Below - Right on schedule - the blocky shape of the ore transporter rumbles back, making the entire structure judder under your feet as it passes; The gantries beginning to sway in time to the vibrations, Haze's fingers scraping futilely at your crimson-and-black forearms-

"You can't be *serious*-"

Two long strides take you to the edge of the platform.

"Pleasegawdno-"

...And then you hurl him off the catwalk.

(Continued)

>>33202444

This time, he goes fetal - Maybe he's getting used to it, because he doesn't struggle *too* much, this time...Haze still thrashes a little as he falls, like a bunny in a sack, until he slams down on the lifter's caboose - The slipstream drags him along the rumbling vehicle's length, scarred and featureless, his fingers scraping against the duralloy as he claws for purchase, drawing sparks-

He narrowly misses the gap between the caboose and the carriages, toppling down into one of the open-topped wagons; Haze's boots dig into the gritty gunmetal of the slightly-curving floor, and he finds his footing...

-As you slam down, your autoreactive talons digging into the intercarriage articulation, maglocks securing you in place as securely as if you've been tethered there.

"Fuck!" Haze gapes, appalled; With a few scrabbling kicks, he hoists himself upright, gingerly balancing himself, his arms spread for balance.

"How did you-" He flutters a hand in your direction - "...How *are* you doing that?"

[ ] "-Practice."
[ ] "You're still fighting the armour. Don't."
[ ] "I told you; Forget your body. Forget your limits."
[ ] "*Use* your instincts, and the armour will help you."
[ ] "Lesson three: No decision - Only action."
[ ] Free.

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>33202525
>[ ] "You're still fighting the armour. Don't."
>[ ] "I told you; Forget your body. Forget your limits."
>[ ] "*Use* your instincts, and the armour will help you."

"In this world, your armor is your body. And it has its own set of instincts.
Mentally separate your human self from your Red World self. These two bodies have few things in common."

>>33202525
>[X] "You're still fighting the armour. Don't."
"Right now you're Distortion Haze, not Isao. Act like it. Isao has yet to learn what you're capable of."

>[X] "Lesson three: No decision - Only action."

OP you should just build the lessons into each post, since we're seeing this at the same time Haze is we really don't know what you're trying to teach him.

>>33202525
>"You're trying to act and move like a human despite not being one. Isn't that obvious?"
>"You're a machine, Haze. Right now you are a living suit of armor that merely has a humanoid form on the surface. What you need to do is NOT use it like your own body. With what you have right now, all those insane tricks from movies and comic books are both possible and viable simply because they are not impossible for the Armor."

>>33202525
>[ ] "You're still fighting the armour. Don't."
>[ ] "*Use* your instincts, and the armour will help you."
Wise sage Joker.

>>33202561

> [X] "You're still fighting the armour. Don't."

Haze cants his head to the side, puzzled. Beneath you, a ruddy glow builds - The temperature rising, slowly but subtly, flecks of ash floating on the heated updraft of air.

> "Right now you're Distortion Haze, not Isao. Act like it. Isao has yet to learn what you're capable of."
> "You're trying to act and move like a human despite not being one. Isn't that obvious?"

He stiffens. He's almost there - Glimpsing the beginnings of an essential truth.

> "You're a machine, Haze. Right now you are a living suit of armor that merely has a humanoid form on the surface.
> What you need to do is NOT use it like your own body. With what you have right now, all those insane tricks from movies and comic books are both possible and viable simply because they are not impossible for the Armor."

"All right," Haze mutters, under his breath. "-All right."

He squares his shoulders. Sets his feet. There's a nervous energy to him, settled in place at last; Manuvering not by his own sense of balance, but by the subtle shifts of his armour's internal gyros. As if in echo, the sulfurous yellow light of his eyes shifts colour - Cycling to a radioactive green, a green that pulses and swells as Haze shivers without moving, the segments of his armour shifting and clicking into place...

> [X] "*Use* your instincts, and the armour will help you."

Haze's fingers twitch slightly, to the beat-pulse of his internal reactor. Through your sensors, you pick up the suddenly-warming, suddenly-active flex of the polymer muscles in his armour's inner skin - The throb of the power unit against the small of his back, as it cycles to full power.

...He's waking up to the game.

(Continued)

>>33202713
It's like seeing a new competitive player learn his first BO.
A single detail that differentiates the competitive players from the casuals and makes them infinitely more powerful.

>>33202713

The focus of his attention shifts - He starts, suddenly, as he realizes where the magma-glow is coming from. Below - As the temperature cycles higher and higher - is the molten core of the Stage; The ore transporters, now carrying only scrap, cast-offs and metal slag rumbling past the depot ahead without slowing...

-Where the wagons tilt sharply, turning outwards on their axis, and empty their cargo into the endless fires below. The Red hums with death beneath you, mere minutes away, somewhere out there amongst the rivers of molten rock, as you're borne inexorably through the smoke and falling cinders.

He sucks in a rasping breath - Taking an instinctive step forward, towards the cabin at the front - as the lifter trundles over power conduits and geothermal heat exchangers, above the sullen, molten heat of pouring lava.

"Joker - We're going to-"

[ ] "The only way off this train is past me."
[ ] "I can fly. You can't. You know what you have to do."
[ ] "-I know. Come for me."
[ ] "One last lesson: At all costs, survive."
[ ] "Clock's ticking, Haze."
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>33202806
Does that mean the mag-locking isn't powerful enough to hold you if you are standing sideways on a wall?

>>33202806
"Now is when instinct gives way to intellect. What do you have to do to survive inevitable death? Think about it. Quickly."
Changing this a bit:
>[X] "One last lesson: Don't be afraid."

>>33202829
We're standing on the solid portion, I think.

>>33202806
>[ ] "I can fly. You can't. You know what you have to do."

>>33202829

(It's not quite powerful enough - You can't run along walls, for instance. But you can still fly off, quite freely; The one at risk is Distortion Haze, who can neither secure himself nor fly.)

>>33202858
>>33202882

The lights in his eyeslits flicker to yellow - Then to green, again. Haze catches on, and *fast*; His lethal right arm comes up -

-He hesitates, fractionally. Stops, belated realization dawning - His virus would chew through you, yes. And your Relics, too: Perhaps even the vehicle itself, depending on the composition. He needs your Tempest Scrander to escape, and that means-

"Joker," Haze begins, but he's already reaching for his Plague Gun with his left hand - His right arm and it's lethal payload sealing itself, articulating into fingers once more, clicking back into place so he can claw for the Ion Blaster on his right hip-

"-Don't make me-"

CHALLENGE: Defeat Distortion Haze without using your Relics or your weapons.

To his credit, he's in motion before he finishes his sentence. Perhaps the level tone of your voice has convinced him - Perhaps it's the dawning threat, roiling below, or some hidden resentment cresting at last.

Or perhaps he's merely motivated by the simple, animal need for self-defense.

-Do or die.

The space between you is less than thirty feet, with sloping metal walls rising on either side and a slight curvature to the floor. Not much room to manuver - Even less to bring weapons to bear.

Haze is fast, but not that fast.

You, however, are.

HP: 256.5%
COBALT BOOSTER: 150%
ASSAULT SHROUD: 145%
METER: 18%

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>33203008
How aggressive do we want to be?

How about Cobalt boosting a few steps, to move right behind him, then use a lever move to break his right arm?

>>33203008
Remember the basics of CQC.
Dash forward and break one of his arms, but leave ourselves open afterwards. See if he pounces on the opportunity.

>>33203008
We fight him without weapons or equipment? Neat.

Retreat as he moves forward, until he's committed to his rush. He's still not quite thinking like a Player, so reverse by using the walls: kick off one to rebound to the other, use the momentum to smash his legs.

We do not want to mess with breaking his arms, since he stores CHEMICAL WEAPONS in one of them.

>>33203074

We need to close in on him, because he's going to start shooting us.

>>33203074
This. Also, we should follow our own advice and aim for the optics.

>>33203025

I agree with this, but I disagree with using the Cobalt Booster. That seems to be against the spirit of the challenge.

>>33203008
Rush at him and drop to slide right into his legs. Grab him by the foot if he tries to jump over us.

>>33203025
No Cobalt.

>>33203112
Right. He's trying to get closer so he can use the Plague Gun, so Joker retreats until Haze speeds up to close the gap. Once he's committed he can't stop or react to what Joker does.

At that point, Joker does something that a human could not do, in order to take advantage of Haze's still-incomplete adaption to the Red World. Horizontally jumping between the walls to close back on him, Joker uses the force of a jump to come down on Haze's legs.

>>33203052
>>33203025

Your limbs sting with strength, your heels digging into the ground - And you surge forward in a fluid rush, a single accelerated step that powers forward into a lunge. You drive towards him all at once, with the unstoppability of a speeding bullet; That rattles Haze, and it shows. He was expecting you to stay at range, to begin shooting-

He fires the Ion Blaster first. It's a good choice; More stopping power, better rate of fire. The first bolt hisses past you, so close the crackling discharge streaks static across your vision - Escaping gas venting from the barrel as it cycles, a second white-cored shot discharging in the space of a breath -

This one hits your shoulder pauldron - Just under INOX FANG's trophy - and leaves an ugly scorch-mark on, obliterating the gleaming finish. The blast puffs into a miniature explosion on contact, that rocks you back on your heels but doesn't check you; You're closing the distance, his heedless fire searing to either side of you as Haze backs away, firing as fast as he can pull the trigger.

His aim is good. But he's still aiming for where you *are*, not where you're *going to be* - A habit he hasn't been able to break.

(Continued)

>>33202806
>[X] "I can fly. You can't. You know what you have to do."
>[X] "Clock's ticking, Haze."

Yes

>>33203253
An this teaches Isao why we learned CQC.

>>33203253

...But then his left arm swings in line with your chest, in a smoothly articulated motion that tells of long practice, and maybe Haze *does* have some promise after all.

"Got you-"

It's a snarl of triumph, his finger convulsing on the trigger - The plague-weapon lurches in his hands like a live thing, like a muscle tensing; It *spits* something at you, in a spasm of motion...

> He's still not quite thinking like a Player, so reverse by using the walls: kick off one to rebound to the other, use the momentum to smash his legs.

And your foot drives into the wall, and you propel yourself into the air in a kicking motion as blunt as a grunt of pain. He's not ready for that - His eyeslits flicker yellow, then yellow again, a loss of composure - as his shot splatters wetly against the curving metal of the wall and begins to eat into it-

...As you use your momentum to deliver a vicious punch - One with the weight of your entire body behind it - as Haze's Ion Blaster snaps up, valiantly, to open fire at point-blank range-

Your fist meets the barrel, and crumples it like tinfoil. The gun collapses inwards upon itself; Metal screeches, as your blow ploughs through. It doesn't stop - The power unit shatters, sparks crackling along your fist as the weapon *twists* into a useless heap of junk-

Haze's fingers follow. Then his wrist. His entire hand goes *inwards*, crushed upon itself - Duranium bones punching outwards the *wrong way*, his elbow dearticulating - bands of metal warping and bending beneath the enormous pressure, as it succumbs to the inevitable. His wrist launcher crumples, too - The lethal spheres rendered inert as the mechanisms give way with a shriek of rending steel...

And Haze staggers back, staring in open disbelief at his mangled arm.

"How-"

It's a gurgle - In his sheer shock, he doesn't even feel the pain that's plagued him.

"What the *fuck*-"

HP: 251.8%
COBALT BOOSTER: 150%
ASSAULT SHROUD: 136%
METER: 22%

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>33203402

(I'll point out: You did that without the Crisis Arm's boost, on raw stats alone. That was indeed a critical.)

>>33203402
"My armor is heavier than yours."

>>33203402
Ram two fingers into his neck. He's forgotten about thinking like a Player, so a "killing" blow will disable him.

Once he's down, grab him and fly out.

>>33203424
Really? That's impressive. Remind me, is it Survive that boosts strength?

>>33203402
"Just a lucky shot.
Don't forget: The unexpected can and will happen. See it as an illustration of possible situations.
I fought on with a halved body more than once."

>>33203402
Punch into his optics to disorientate, kick through his knee and smash him into the wall.
"Ever heard of momentum and inertia? I may be a gunner, but that doesn't mean I can't improvise to cover for my weaknesses."

>>33203488
I'm against that.
He actually showed good skill with his gun and used it appropriately for this encounter.
The CQC lesson comes later.

>>33203507
Yes, we don't want to push him so hard that he will hate us after the exercise.

>>33203402
"Doesn't matter how. You won't have time to think about the forces at work on the executioner's axe while it's heading for your neck.

Get back up. You've only lost an arm, and you were just starting to understand. It'd be a damn shame if you went into that furnace now."

>>33203424
Noice

>>33203430
>>33203482

> "My armor is heavier than yours."
> "Don't forget: The unexpected can and will happen."

It's not just the power of your armour, but the will that drives it. The cold focus that makes anything into a weapon - That brings the Plasma Caster to Ixion's golden mask, that brings a jagged half-brick into the side of a skull -

...That drives the Misericorde down in a lightless sweep, through the armour and the core beneath.

Some lessons can't be taught. They have to be learnt, and the learning is forever - Like the night that spanned a lifetime, and the long, long mourning that followed.

>>33203552
>>33203450

(GUARD, mostly.)

Delayed agony crumbles Haze's body in slow motion. His knees hit the ground first - His arm and mangled hand hanging at his side. He fights to bring his Plague Gun up, wrenching the trigger again and again before it can recharge-

-He tries. That's the important thing.

(Continued)

>>33203642

Your fingers punch into the gap between his collar and his armour - They fracture and warp out of alignment, in sharp stabs of endosteel giving way beneath the strain - but it doesn't stop you from finding a cluster of wires that look important, and wrenching a fistful out. Sparks flare from Distortion Haze's neck - He's losing power, the lights in his eyeslits sputtering out as the throb of his reactor dies down to a sputter...

...Which is why he doesn't resist as the Tempest Scrander flares to life, your arm hooked around his form, as you roar skywards on wings of jetair and static. Below, hydraulics groan as the loaders empty their cargo - Pockets of gas boiling to the surface of the lava, gouting flame like arms reaching to gather them in.

You cut the Scrander's thrust as you come in for a landing, dust swirling around your legs as you release your cargo - Haze slumps to the floor, sprawling against it, his limbs twitching weakly, like a dog with nightmares.

For a long time, he doesn't say anything. He just *breathes*, the sound coming in harsh rasps, in and out of his speakers - You think he might be sobbing a little.

[ ] "Haze. Talk to me, man."
[ ] "You did good, Haze. There's nothing to be ashamed of."
[ ] "...Are you all right?"
[ ] Wait.
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>33203647
>[ ] Wait.

>>33203647
>[x] "You did good, Haze. There's nothing to be ashamed of."
>[x] "Haze. Talk to me, man."

>>33203647
>[ ] Wait.
>[ ] "You did good, Haze. There's nothing to be ashamed of."

>>33203647
>[X] "You did good, Haze. There's nothing to be ashamed of."
>[X] "Sorry. I'd like to be able to tell you that the worst part is over, but I'm not gonna lie to you."
>[X] "Do you regret asking me to do this?"

>[X] "...Are you all right?"

>>33203647
>[X] "Haze. Talk to me, man."
"I'm sorry."

>>33203647
>>[X] "You did good, Haze. There's nothing to be ashamed of."
>>[X] "Do you regret asking me to do this?"
>>[X] "...Are you all right?"

He might be at breaking point. Don't push him further.

>>33203662
>>33203668
>>33203669
>>33203695

> [X] Wait.
> [X] "Haze. Talk to me, man."

You wait, for his body to wring itself out - For the spasms to pass, for his breathing to return to something approaching normal. There's a hitch to Haze's gasps, as - With a patient and excruciating effort - he drags himself to his elbows, then to his knees.

"I thought-" he begins, shakily. "-I thought...You were going to *leave* me there. Leave me to burn."

A shudder works through him, his head down, mangled hand pawing at the unyielding surface below.

> [x] "You did good, Haze. There's nothing to be ashamed of."

He shakes his head. "It's not...I'm not - It's not that."

> [X] "Do you regret asking me to do this?"
> [X] "...Are you all right?"

Another shake of his head, his shoulders drawn taut. At last, he exhales - His breath coming in an crackle of uncertain static, his eyes cycling; Yellow, green. Yellow again.

"I'm not - I'm not *like* you."

It's a pained admission, one that costs him.

"I thought - I thought I *could* be. But...It's - It's too horrible."

Haze gulps, swallowing hard. "Violence - It terrifies me. I'm afraid to hurt. T-to *be* hurt." Then, painfully - "More than anything...I don't want to die. But - But more than *that*..."

"-I don't think I can *hurt* people, Joker. Not ever, not like..."

His voice goes softer, then softer yet.

"...Not the way you can."

(Continued)

>>33203782

"With Roo - *Shuya*. It was like - He made it a *game*. I saw him, and I thought...'I want to be like that'. I wanted - Wanted to be *anyone* but myself..."

"But-" Haze stares down at his mismatched hands - One mangled, one whole. "...It's awful beyond belief." Shakily, he paws at his helmet - "Is that...God, is that how it feels all the time? Is that what you have to do - To be you?"

His voice hitches again; "I - Jesus. I thought - I thought you were really going to kill me. If that's what it's like..."

[ ] "-I didn't have a choice, you know."
[ ] "It gets easier."
[ ] "In the end, you can only rely on yourself."
[ ] "What you have to do, and there's who you *are*...That's not the same thing."
[ ] "You can't think like that."
[ ] Free.

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>33203840
>[X] "-I didn't have a choice, you know."
>[X] "It gets easier."

>>33203840
>[ ] "What you have to do, and there's who you *are*...That's not the same thing."
>[ ] "It gets easier."
>[ ] Unless I can find a way for you to stop being a Player, you can't avoid forced battles.

>>33203840

(My sincerest apologies: The fourth option should read -

> "Who you are, and what you have to *do*...They're not the same thing."

>>33203840
>[X] "You can't think like that."
"...I became the Red Joker the same night I became a Player. The only one--the *only* Player--who has ever showed me there might be a different way is my predecessor. And that night he asked me to kill him.

"It's funny. I only found out what the armor meant a month ago."

>>33203840
>[X] "-I didn't have a choice, you know."
>[X] "Who you are, and what you have to *do*...They're not the same thing."
>[X] "It gets easier."

>"That's why so many players perish. Because they're naive, and still see the Red World as a game, yet losing costs your real life as well."

>>33203840
"This is a lesson that holds true in life just as much as in the Red.
Sure, in life you won't be playing *quite* as hard, unless you are a villain, but you still need the drive necessary to move forward.
You can choose if you want to hurt someone, if you are strong enough to hurt everyone."

> [X] "It gets easier."

He flinches, as if you've struck him.

> [X] "-I didn't have a choice, you know."

"But-" His breath shudders through the grille of his speaker. "I can't - I'm not..."

> "That's why so many players perish. Because they're naive, and still see the Red World as a game, yet losing costs your real life as well."
> [X] Unless I can find a way for you to stop being a Player, you can't avoid forced battles.

"...Is that how it will go?" Haze's voice is shrill and shaky, a bird's song. "-Is the whole world just...people eating up other people? People attacking and destroying each other?"

You know what he means.

"Is that the only way, Joker? Kill or die?"

> "...I became the Red Joker the same night I became a Player. The only one--the *only* Player--who has ever showed me there might be a different way is my predecessor. And that night he asked me to kill him.

"Jesus," Haze hisses. "-Jesus."

>>33204111

Haze swallows, hard.

> "Who you are, and what you have to *do*...They're not the same thing."

A pause. A long, hushed silence.

His head lifts, from his huddle.

"That's..." Haze utters a sound that might be a laugh, or a sob. "-Is that what you think you are? A good person, *and* a murderer? Is that even *possible*?"

[ ] "-I never said I was a good person."
[ ] "Everyone needs to believe in something."
[ ] "Well. What I know is: That's a more complex question than you might think."
[ ] "Who knows?"
[ ] "And Shuya? Was he a good person?"
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>33204129
>"-I never said I was a good person."

>>33204129
>[X] "Well. What I know is: That's a more complex question than you might think."
>[X] "-I never said I was a good person."

Man, being Isao is suffering

>>33204129
"Every person lives in their own world. At some point, you need to sacrifice the happiness of others to fuel your own.
Look at the animals who suffer so that you can eat them. It's the same here, except that you can see eye to eye with the beings who prolong your life. Your life was always like this, you just never realized it because others did the dirty work.

I have a question for you: If a person important to you was threatened, would you just leave them to die? Or would you happily use any possible tool to protect them?
Would you hesitate to kill someone in that situation?

The difference between a good and a bad person is that the bad person takes more than they need. I don't kill unless provoked. And don't worry, I won't let you die during a sparring session."

>>33204129
>[ ] "-I never said I was a good person."
"You can be a murderer and still do what is right."

>>33204129
>[ ] "Everyone needs to believe in something."
>I've spared the lives of Players when I could, and work together with others. But respect from other Players only seem possible when you show power.

>>33204129
"Haze, listen. We fight in this world--" Reach out, take his shoulder and log out. "But we live in this one, Isao. They cross only as much as you want them to.

"The Red Joker is a monster. But he's a monster hunting the villains. You've seen what the Smilers have prepared. Once they're gone we can talk about evil.

"Get some rest, Isao. You're a good person."

>>33204129
>"We're all murderers. The only thing separating us from the monsters is where we draw our personal lines. Good and evil don't even come into the equation. At the end of the day, when the chips are down and the clock is ticking, what you need to ask yourself is what you think is worth killing for. Justice? Vengeance? Fun? What is the price you ask to stain your hands with blood? Until you can answer that question, you've never really been born.

>Haze. You have a body of steel, and a heart of iron. You have more power trapped inside that frame than a regular person could dream of. The power to do great things, or terrible things. What will you do with that power?"

>>33204129
I'm not a good person. Just some schmuck doing what he has to to get by...

Aaaaand maybe I stoke the occasional grudge. You know, to keep things interesting. Really, it's all about setting a goal and doing whatever's necessary to achieve it. For me, that goal is survival most of the time.

>>33204217
>>33204166
>>33204164

> [X] "-I never said I was a good person."

Your words echo in the heated air. Haze stops dead - Long enough to fix you with that uncertain, wavering look.

> [X] "Well. What I know is: That's a more complex question than you might think."
> "You can be a murderer and still do what is right."

"...And what *is* right?"

Haze doesn't say it with a sneer, or with bleak despair - He says it as if he's simply curious, now, as he stares at the floor as if it holds the answers he seeks.

>>33204196
>>33204281
>>33204264

> I have a question for you: If a person important to you was threatened, would you just leave them to die? Or would you happily use any possible tool to protect them?
> Would you hesitate to kill someone in that situation?
> Haze. You have a body of steel, and a heart of iron. You have more power trapped inside that frame than a regular person could dream of. The power to do great things, or terrible things.
> What will you do with that power?"

And at last, he looks at you.

Haze's eyes flash yellow, yellow, yellow.

Green.

Something in him changes - The world moves, but he's no longer lost, like a drifting ship. Now he feels the tug of the anchor, pulling him round to face the rising tide.

"-I'll fight."

It's a whisper, as Haze sways to his feet. He squares his shoulders - For a moment, there's something implacable to him, something set and unshakeable...Something very much like Palladium Rook.

"If - If I have this power...I'll fight. And if I have to...I'll kill - Because..."

He swallows, hard.

"-Because it's the *right* thing to do." There's pain in his voice, but there's determination, too - His remaining hand tightening into a fist. "-Because there are worse things out there, Joker - Worse than anything we could ever be. And as long as I believe that..."

"As long as I *know* what I'm fighting for-"

"...I'll never, ever give up."

(Continued)

>>33204437
Boys, I think we have our sidekick.

>>33204437
One other thing: I don't want you spending all your time in this world. Not like...well, like some people do. If you're afraid of the life you have, face it. Fear is a breeding ground for weakness, and just letting a weakness fester will only distract you. You have to face it.

>>33204437
Rook would be proud. Bitter, cynical asshole that he is.

>>33204437
If possible, could we have regular sparrings with Isao ? He's improved, but he can still learn.

Next might be team combat: how to take orders and fight as a team.

>>33204499
Or we could just keep on beating the living shit out of him until we can't do it anymore.

It seems to be an effective strategy.

>>33204499
He has the knowledge, and he has the ability to go full-blown killer. He needs to get GOOD at doing it now. Little tricks of the trade, so to speak.

Objective: Stop us from kicking his scrawny ass every other day.

>>33204233

> [X] "Everyone needs to believe in something."

"Then that's what I'll believe. For Shuya's sake, for the sake of everyone in this sick world-"

And for a moment, Haze seems unutterably weary. "...I'll do what *has* to be done."

He exhales - All his doubts and fears, the burden of the past and the weight of the future - all of it, a tangible miasma that coils away in the furnace-heat of the air.

The world blurs at the edges, as his form fades out; Becoming mist, becoming a haze, with the colour of stars seen through the smoke of burning cities. He takes with him a bitter courage, a cold resolve-

And all he leaves behind are his regrets.

JOKER QUEST

EPISODE 97.5

TO BE CONTINUED

>>33204550
Thanks for running buddy.

>>33204475
>>33204430

(My sincerest apologies; I missed those two posts.)

>>33204550

(Gentlemen; I would love to continue, but it's extremely late on my end, and I'm entirely exhausted.

Once again, I apologize for covering less ground than I initially intended - I had hoped to cover the meeting with the squad leaders, too - but that is likely to be impossible in the remaining time.

I was thinking of running a follow-up session tomorrow, but that appears to be unlikely: I'll have to consider the viability of it.

Good night, and God bless; You've been a wonderful audience, and I hope to see you again soon.)

>>33204550
The Punisher is born.

>>33204550
I wonder if Hyades champions are exempt from normal arena battles for the duration of the Hyades War

>>33204591
I'd rather go slow than rush it. More exposition is a good thing, OP.

>>33204550
Looks like Red Joker has an apprentice. Or an heir.

It would be so appropriate to give him the misericorde. Maybe at a later date, though

>>33204591
This was a good episode

File: 1396765082394.jpg (80 KB, 500x1221)

80 KB JPG

>http://pastebin.com/8CSEVSXB

Why Joker why?

10/10 would feel again.

>>33205234

That really was a very sweet scene. The only other sex scene in Joker Quest has been creepy as hell.

>>33206110

Just wait till we get to Mio's H-scene. That will probably give everyone diabetes.

So, Joker basically upgraded Hisao by giving him the "playing to win" perk.
It's just like in my vidja!

>>33206812
Oh my, I hadn't considered such a thing.

>>33206110

Yui is basically 10/10 waifu material. Too bad we met her so late, plot-wise, because that seems to be a rather more lighthearted route that what we actually have at present.

Seriously, she's an absolute knockout in that scene.

>>33206812
>Mio's H-scene
But we would have already been NTRed at that point

So it's currently
>Meet with survivors
>Have The Talk
>Drop the Anchor
>Get 2 hours of sleep
>Pretend everything is normal

Is this the correct schedule?

>>33207218
...You are judging a girl purely by how she behaves when we fuck her?
Seriously?

Anyway, I don't see anything special about Yui.

>>33207287
Thankfully avatars don't need to sleep. We should be fine as long as we aren't attacked in the real...

I hope OP doesn't get ideas from this post.

>>33207287
Except for the part where we're raiding instead of dropping a Void Anchor and the fact that we've split the talk into several parts.

>>33206812
...Meido or schoolgirl? I ask for... reasons. Though, you could write it as a post-tennis game scene to be in keeping with the Tony art.

>>33207218
Man if I had a choice between Mio, Yui, and Hecate

I'd choose Yui twice and Mio once

>>33207218
For some reason, these kinds of posts annoy the hell out of me. I wonder why.

>>33209869
Because they're vapid and ultimately meaningless?

File: 1355236471243.jpg (223 KB, 1278x1300)

223 KB JPG

>>33209910
If only it was just that.

>>33209910
And they are kinda creepy.

>>33209910
>>33210005
Got the same impression from the Mio H-scene pasts. Within context, it is somehow disgusting.

>>33210102
Don't you mean Cybele?

>>33210125
No. I'm talking about the people that briefly mentioned the "future" (huge fucking quotes) Mio h-scene.
The Cybele thing doesn't bother me.

>>33210005
There was some talk in qtg about waifufags that almost made me rethink my opinion on the creepy bastards and their obsessions. Almost, because no matter how spiritual they make it sound it's still about treating anime girls better than they treat real people.

Speaking of QTG, Watashiwa had an amazing Rust Kaiser countermeasure that I'm surprised he didn't share. He called it two sentences and the Advent Caster.

With Advent Caster: "Rust Kaiser, Exec_Dictum: Berserk."

Out loud: "Betray the others."

>>33210187
>There was some talk in qtg about waifufags that almost made me rethink my opinion on the creepy bastards and their obsessions. Almost, because no matter how spiritual they make it sound it's still about treating anime girls better than they treat real people.
I'm a waifufag. And I consider "Mio is so cute!" and his buddies to be fucking creepy.
That's unrelated to actual waifus. It's waifus in the Quest sense.

>>33210215
You realize that there really isn't anything stopping someone from having a quest character as an actual waifu, right? For all you know, Mio is that person's waifu.

>>33210187
Please, don't compare average waifufags to these people. I'm not one and even I see that as insulting to the people who honestly believe and follow what was said in that thread.

>>33210262
Good point. Still, that's just a single dude (...or a bunch of dudes?).
Also, I'd actually think that Mio isn't their waifu precisely because of how they post. It sounds more like a few dudebros talking about "that hot chick with that fat ass".

>>33210262
You're missing the point. Those guys aren't treating Mio or Yui as their actual waifus. They are basically the same as Naoya said - treating the girls as pets/objects, which is demeaning and condescending.

>>33206944
No, he infected him with the same toxic survivor mentality that leads Joker to do terrible things because he is accountable to nobody but himself and his inner demons.

Isao is Joker-lite right now.

It's fantastic. This was a good thread. Isao got broken down and rebuilt stronger than ever, and I expect good things from him in the future.

>>33210391
>I expect good things from him in the future.

Wait for us or him?

>>33210187
>Speaking of QTG, Watashiwa had an amazing Rust Kaiser countermeasure that I'm surprised he didn't share. He called it two sentences and the Advent Caster.
>With Advent Caster: "Rust Kaiser, Exec_Dictum: Berserk."
>Out loud: "Betray the others."

Holy shit that is diabolical. I've definitely voting to get the Advent Caster next.

>>33210391
>No, he infected him with the same toxic survivor mentality that leads Joker to do terrible things because he is accountable to nobody but himself and his inner demons.
You just summed up "playing to win".
That's what the mentality is about. Fight it out, even if you seem dead already.

>>33210391
The only difference is that Isao is going to act according to his moral compass while Joker is acting according to only his own wishes.

>>33210187
>"Betray the others."
Holy fucking shit, there are no words for this.

>>33210494
Uhh...I hate to break it to you but those expressions are typical taken to mean the same thing.

>>33210520
The difference is the mindset. It's the thing that can separate an inquisitor and revolutionary.

>>33210494
>Isao is going to act according to his moral compass
That's exactly what Joker has been doing for a while now.

It comes down to the idea that because they have accepted that they are mavericks, rather than trying to fit into the system, they have become power without a master. Accountable to nobody save themselves, and essentially infallible because of it. They are correct because of their sheer ability to impose their will upon reality.

>>33210629
aka "Might makes right".

>>33210629
I don't think it was ever really made clear if RJ has any real care for morals. If we look purely at his actions, he simply really fucking hates the Smilers because of various reasons and is hunting them down not because they are evil, but because he sees them as a direct danger to himself and those he cares about.
I'm basically just saying that RJ has no actual sense of justice and doesn't pretend to have.

>>33210629
>Accountable to nobody save themselves, and essentially infallible because of it.
Pffffahahahahahahahahahaha. You might want to get a dictionary there.

>>33210817
Different meaning of infallible. They are still fallible in a strict mechanical sense, but because of the lack of accountability, they have no way of realising that their reasoning is false until after the fact.

If we were to make a Joker-centric faction, which players could we recruit? We have to pick guys that we know for sure will be useful in combat.

>>33211269
Definitely Natsumi and Bishamon, if we can prevent the latter from hating us for murdering his waifu.
Bomberman if it's possible. Bell Zephyr if we can somehow solve the issue without her either dieing or hating us.
Also, Ogre.

>>33211269
Haze Distortion, Bomber Enfer, Palladium Rook, Iron Ogre, Totenaz

>>33211303
Natsumi is loyal to argent and doesn't agree with RJ's methods. Unless her whole faction is somehow destroyed, I doubt we'll be able to bring her under our wing.

>>33211193
Would you call that infallible? I'd call it unaccountable, since the connotations of fallibility have to do with success or failure and not right and wrong.

>>33211269
We actually want players who have useful abilities. I'd take more tech players like Tyrian, stealth specialists like Silver Cross, or people who can create illusions/operate vehicles.

I'd also like to see about recruiting as many of Argent's people as possible, since they've got access to information resources.

>>33211358
Moral failure is still failure. In that sense, they are infallible.

>>33211316
>Totenaz
Isn't he chased by Eldrich Abominations/Phantom Edge right now? We might need to go on a sidequest to save him.

>>33211316
>>33211303

>No love for Armaros
Come on guys.

>>33211269
Haze, Enfer, Rook, Ogre, Cross.

Still in favour of any such organisation being called Maverick.

>>33211423
Armaros wouldn't betray Argent. Not a chance in hell.

>>33211378
Just like we've been needing to go on a sidequest to save Hecate for like 70 threads now, right?

Hopefully breaking this tournament in half before it's appointed end will let us devote some time to one of these side projects, because otherwise we'll never get around to it.

>>33211373
Whether or not you choose to internalize the conventional morality of your society is irrelevant to whether or not you've failed it.

>>33211423
I've been voting for it, if only to channel the damage he causes in the proper directions.

>>33211457
No, I mean that you can't lose at something you never took part in. They're morally infallible in that they don't act on any moral standing and so cannot fail in it.

>>33211456
Yeah, we do need to finish that shit.

>>33211456
I agree. We really need to free up our schedule quickly so that we can devote more time to exploring the recent clues and establishing our faction.

>>33211426
I would prefer "The Sunny side", considering that we've got a smiley as our emblem and that we own the Hollow Sun and use it as our base of operations. We also have Pestilence boy, Bomberman and the Orc machine on our side.

>>33211485
>They're morally infallible in that they don't act on any moral standing and so cannot fail in it.
So they're basically Anonymous?

>>33211456
I don't think it's about asking him to betray Argent. Not only do his interests coincide with Joker's, most of us actually approve of his long-term goals. Where we differ is the proper way to handle the immediate threat, since Argent believes he has time to work on his Manifold Project while Joker is saying "Holy shit they're about to drop the Shroud".

>>33211485
That's unfortunately untrue. To use a real world example, if you strike someone for any reason you're judged on a moral basis regardless of whether you acted based on morality or not.

>>33211605
Externally, yes, but internally, they still haven't failed.

I think you're misunderstanding me. I never made any case for them being infallible in a strict physical sense, or even an ethical/societal sense. I simply meant to get the idea across that because they are so inclusive of their own morality, they cannot fail to live up to their own standards, a trait which allows them to act as they believe is correct without any consideration for alternate moral sensibilities.

Which is just a very pretty way of saying that they have a lack of accountability.

>>33211594
>Not some intentionally pretentious angely name to fit the Helion theme.
Come on man. Call us The Ophdes or The Virtuous or something

>>33211688
I see, and you're right, I did misunderstand.

But I still think you're wrong. If the characters were as you say then they would never regret their actions on moral grounds after the fact.

I think the best way to describe what you're getting at is to say that Red Joker has a certain surety about his actions that in the moment gives him the same strength of conviction that other characters receive from deep-seated beliefs, despite not having such beliefs himself. This does not protect him from regretting it afterward see: most interactions with Natsumi in both worlds but does lead others to read surety into his actions.

>>33212042
That's an interesting way to look at it, because I get the distinct impression that he doesn't regret the actions he takes at all - He regrets the fact that it had to be that way.

So he's absolutely sure of himself and his own morality, but that doesn't mean he has to like what he's doing, or what he thinks he has to do.

>>33212120
You're right, that's much more common sentiment but I do think Joker has come to regret leaving Natsumi to go after Bardiel.

>>33212161
Eh, perhaps that's just the exception that proves the rule.

Still wouldn't change that decision. Led to so much character development.

>>33211594
>"The Sunny side"

the Broken Yolks

>>33211426
>Maverick
Yes, I like that name. A lot. It fits both the Joker and what we're trying to do.

>>33211929
Please, it has to be Principality.

>>33211929
But that basically goes against everything we told Isao about what the Joker is

Something like Wild Card or Maverick fits much better

Can someone explain to me how damaging a player so hard that they get hurt in the real works? It's happened quite a few times to enemies, but Joker seems oddly immune to it. Is it based off of phasing out as you get hit?

>>33213530
Maybe because the night we became the red joker a corrector ate our heart, so nothing really hurts us?

>>33212831

not 'the frowners'. Symbols of a red joker icon + theatre mask.

>>33204550
One of the best Joker threads in a while.

Maverick will have its bomb man.