Mirandae

The Spirits Within

I'm just impatient, which I'm allowed to be, but it sucks.

Our first battle is just around the corner, but I want a few more players to reply first, so I'll wait until the weekend is over. And once we get to Norton City, the main story will kick off for real. The stuff we are going through now is just to set it up.

@JJ, I love the little subplot you've got going with the Appleberry's. I definitely want to read more about them.

Not sure if you guys read the 'roleplaying discussion' section, but I've amused myself with it for the past few days. It's funny how serious they are about this stuff and how they so desperately attempt to turn roleplaying, especially GMing, into some kind of science.

The Spirits Within

This is really frustrating... I wish I could just tell you the story. It feels like this will take an eternity to complete.

Edit: updated posting rules. However, nothing new.

The Spirits Within

That's perfectly fine, Insi. I will be in the same situation soon enough. This is why we have the 'timelines' in the roleplay, so that you cannot fall behind. Technically, Jyn and Olivia could interact in the 'pre-ceremony' timeline for the entirety of the roleplay. At some point the timeline will become irrelevant, of course, but they are there to allow everyone to complete interactions regardless of the volume of your activity, without halting or postponing story progression. The 'autopilot' is just a fail-safe for the timelines.

@Everyone, make sure that you clearly and appropriately name timelines when you use them, so that it's easy for other players to backtrack specific timelines and see what you've written.

The Spirits Within

I've added a world map to the Codex. You can view the original size if you right-click and choose "view image." I've only marked the locations that have been mentioned so far. If I missed something, let me know. The geography of the map may not entirely match the images that I have for the story, so just ignore these details.

The Spirits Within

Rockette said
Not that her weapon being strapped across her bum isn't obvious! Noo.

I don't know what you're talking about. Nope.

Tenish the Mighty said
Number 5 is alive and so am I.My apologies for my absence, one of those ordinary family tragedies that cause life to come to a crashing halt. I was also promised internet that was not provided.Give me a day or so to get up to speed again and I'll have something hackneyed and inane to torture your sense of language with.If anyone wants a hickory switch for the public flogging, those can be provided for a nominal charge.Edit: Post away!Also, noticed how everyone thinks Remi is the best tactician, including Remi. Point of fact, Remi is a terrible tactician, a fact that will come painfully apparent to all involved if he is every put in charge of any situation.A running theme for the character is the fact that in spite of what talents he has and his incredible drive for excellence, Remi consistently, if subconsciously, attempts to go about most everything in his life in the most difficult and ass-backwards way he can contrive.

I'm glad that you're back and I hope that all is (will be) well.

The Spirits Within

Ex said
Is something going on that would make all the cars unavailable? Some kind of attack or something? It seems like a very poor tactical decision to force your special forces team to wear themselves out running across empty territory.

Well, our group is not the only one the academy is sending to Norton City, and the confrontation did start fourteen hours ago, so that might explain why all the cars are occupied. Another reason might be what Adora said, Field Marshall Sawyer being an asshole, but I doubt it. It's the military, nothing ever goes according to plan.

Adorabadass said
Why thank you. Sorry, I kind of see Freddy as a bit of a nerd and I enjoy making up fake references. Considering Archangel's original inspiration for his character, I had to have him make that reference. It simply had to happen. The very forces of nature itself could not have prevented me. I WILL NOT BE STOPPED. I WILL NOT BE CHAINED-ahembutyeahI'llseeabouttoningdownthereferencesI'mgladyouenjoymyposts.

Yes, the reference was well placed, I agree with that. It's good that you made it a 'fake' reference, though. I'm glad we're on the same page, it's a fantasy world after all!

Rockette said
Creative way of including Scan/Libra in there, Prisk! c;And if Mags is Vincent Valentine, then Olivia is totally Lightning Farron - .

I got the idea from a game called APB:Reloaded, in which there is a weapon mod called 'tagger'. It marks whoever you hit with an icon above their heads, so it's easy to see where they are. And then I just combined this with the idea of scan/libra to from the 'tagger gun,' and it coincides well with the combat guidelines, i.e., it makes sense for them to be able to see stagger meters and weaknesses of targets.

I might have read Lightning's wiki page once or twice when brainstorming Olivia, but I'm not going to admit to anything.

The Spirits Within

Departure

---

The friends had just parted ways with the Field Marshall, rapidly advancing beyond the academy grounds and towards Doral. The scenery was magnificent, especially with the dark clouds converging on them in the distance. The deep growling of thunder could be heard and the light breezes had transformed into random gusts of air, capable of swaying trees about. As the friends crossed a hill overlooking the farm belt, Freddy approached Olivia with conversation.

“Seriously, fuck that guy!” Freddy said.
“Who, Sawyer? The man has probably seen more action than everyone at the academy combined, what did you expect?” Olivia replied.
“Anyway, hey, who are you thinking for second in command?”

…I just got my own command ten minutes ago… how am I supposed to know?...

“I don’t know, Freddy…”
“I’m personally thinking Remi’s a good choice, since he’s got the best tactical mind out of us…”
“You’ve got that right…”
“Thael’s tempting, but he’s too much of a natural leader. He’s not vice-captain material, really.”

…they should’ve picked Thael… I can’t do this…

“I don’t think they mean for us to have two captains at the same time. The second in command thing is only for if and when we split up, but we’ll see what happens then. No point in worrying about the future, a future we know nothing about…”
“Wait, shit, sorry…”

….what now…

“Hmm…?”
“You’re probably still adjusting to this whole ‘being in charge’ bullshit…”

…do I need to adjust to being a leader?... maybe I do…

“No, it’s fine…”
“Err, not that it’s bullshit you’re the captain! Honestly, you’re the obvious choice!”
“…you don’t have to be humble for my sake, Freddy.”
“I mean, you’re like, constantly there for us! Shit, I certainly think you’re a great choice as captain.”

…I’m not sure if you know what you’re saying…

“That’s sweet of you to say…”
“Holy shitting Buddha… I’m just being awkward… I'll go over there now.”

…Oh, Freddy… you’re cute…

Olivia smirked at the adorable boy, who was barely taller than she was. No matter how loud or obnoxious he would get during their journey, she knew that he would always stay by her side, even in the face of Armageddon. The thought was comforting. Fred truly had Sam’s loyalty, which made Olivia’s otherwise turbulent soul tranquil.

Later…

“Oh my, I’m so sleepy…” Olivia said and fell flat on the ground from her seated position, gazing at the cloud riddled sky.
“By all the stars in heaven and every single fuck I don’t give, Olivia, don’t be a lazy shit!” Freddy said.

…I can be lazy if I want to…

“…I can be lazy if I want to…” Olivia said and closed her eyes.
“It’s not that long of a freaking hike!”
“…yes it is… and I’m still hung over…”
“I mean, yeah, it’s kinda bullshit, and I’m pretty sure that taint-licking scrub was lying to us, but if anyone can go without cars it’s probably the superhumans who can bond with spirits!”

…am I supposed to put up with this language for the rest of my life?...

“…‘taint-licking scrub’? That’s rich…Fred… I hope you entertain us with your clever choice of words the whole way…”

Olivia yawned as she tilted her body over to support it on one of her elbows. Surveying her surroundings she noticed a lonely Birch tree not thirty meters away.

“See that tree over there, Freddy? Why don’t you run over there and climb it, and then describe… shout… to me what you can see…” Olivia said. “… check how far we are from Doral… you know… that brightly lit antenna in the distance,” she continued.

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I took a few moments to write some comments for everyone. These are just general comments and not aimed at some specific post. I feel that this is an important part of being a GM, so bear with me.

Adora
Freddy is definitely a comic relief for me, even though he is quite intense and favors language that can be harsh. I say this in the utmost positive sense. Moreover, as I’ve already stated, I’m impressed by your posting speed. Some people frown upon it and call it ‘speed-posting,’ but it does not quite translate to this situation. I’d say that you are devoted, rather than anything else. However, I do see more popular culture references than I’d like to in your posts, but I have to give you credit for saying ‘Assault on Giants’ rather than ‘Attack on Titan’—it was a nice touch.

JJ Doe
Great initiative and creativity. I’m impressed by and love how you adopted the word kami after I introduced in the Codex—great attention to details.

Ex
We’ve spoken about Emily through private messages, I love the concept, and I’m looking forward to seeing her develop in the story. However, your second post ended a bit abruptly. I’m sure you had your reasons, and that’s fine. I made sure—in my third post—to force you into compensating for it; Emily is going to have to at least smile at that baby, if anything.

Blackwell
I try not to be biased when I’m on GM duties, but in your case it’s difficult: (1) Kat is portrayed by Mary Elizabeth Winstead—how could you not love this woman? (2) We share a love for conciseness and brevity. See my predicament here? Horrible.

Archangel
I’m glad that you did not give up after what you perceived to be coming in late. You integrated Aaron perfectly into the story with your first post. I’m looking forward to seeing more of Aaron.

Insatiable
I like the interaction we’ve got going between Jyn and Olivia. It seems like they will be a good team. Overall, all is well!

Sixsmith & Ozerath
I like that this thing you two have got going is drawing a lot of attention. You seem to work well together, even though there are a few minor hick-ups here and there between the two of you, but nothing to get excited about.

Rockette
Ah, our resident female Vincent Valentine and wordsmith. I’m quite confident that you already know the extent of your abilities, so I don’t have to repeat them to you. All is well.

Tenish
We are eagerly awaiting your return!

@Everyone
I’ve updated the ooc-text and added a ‘combat guidelines’ hider in the Codex—read it over. I’ve also looked into acquiring a map for the world, but I haven’t found anything decent yet. If you have any suggestions regarding this issue, please let me know.

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Alright, well, we'll see if he comes around soon.

@Adora, you're so fast when you reply! It's amazing. I'm not going to have you wait an entire week for a reply, that's crazy, so I'll slip one in soon.

@Everyone, I reckon the posts will become shorter during certain segments of the story, which is perfectly fine. My posts will potentially always be a bit longer, but it's because of the GM duties, so don't feel that you have to match that length, that's crazy. Quality over Quantity!

The Spirits Within

Pre-Ceremony

---

Olivia would do anything for her odd selection of friends. When she came to think of it, they were more than just friends, they were family, bound by someone precious that they lost to tragedy long ago. Each and every one of them had a piece of Samuel inside of them and together they carried his spirit and memory onwards through time and hardships. Olivia made sure to always remind herself of this fact, no matter what the circumstances, and she had a feeling that people like Britney Farron—to some extent—could understand, perhaps even respect that. No matter how long Olivia had been away from any of her friends, it always felt like a lifetime. One could compare her perception of time to that of a canine: Olivia had no idea whether ten years or ten minutes had passed when it came to seeing her friends. When her attention was entirely focused on Jyn, Olivia’s facial features produced that wide and warm smile her friends had grown accustomed to over the years.

“Thanks Olive,” Jyn said.
“You’re welcome, sweetie,” Olivia replied.
‘…damn it, I said it again… have I always said things like that? I honestly can’t remember… should I just ask her? No… that’s weird... I’m weird…’
“I’m sorry if I dragged you into all this. I forgot how clumsy I can be when I’m hungry,” Jyn continued.
“No need to be sorry, Jyn… I too am clumsy, all the time.”
“By the way, I did hear our names mentioned in the PA system. I was unable to hear the rest since I stumbled over...recklessly.”
Olivia chuckled underneath her breath; the girl was just too adorable.
“So, do you mind telling me why?” Jyn continued.
“Heh… of course not—it’s most likely our WARG initiation. Come on you silly goose, we’ll go there together,” Olivia said, locking her arm with Jyn’s and marched forward in a rapid pace.

When the two girls arrived at the reception area of the administration offices, most of their friends were there. Olivia always made a quick count in her head when she saw them; just to know who that was present and who that was not, and the results informed her that Remi and Aaron had not yet arrived. It was no cause for panic, but it was her process, which she needed to go through in order to relax. However, her train of though was interrupted by the frustration regarding Roy and the hotdogs, but there was nothing she could do about it now.

“Hey Liv,” Thael said, which lightened her mood a few notches.
‘…has he always called me Liv? ...I can’t remember…’
“… Hi Thael,” Olivia replied, as the bones in her body were almost crushed from a ‘quick squeeze’ by the mountain that was Thael.
“I’m sorry, I should’ve rescued you from Britney back at the Windsurfer, but then the announcement...anyways, I guess congratulations are in order!”
‘…yeah, that’s right… you should’ve done that…’
“Well, if and whenever the ladies become interesting again, you’re going to be the one who has to put up with that wench, because apparently… she wants to ‘wreck’ you,” Olivia said.

---

Post-Ceremony

---

*
Olivia had barely finished her poorly formulated sentence before Freddy had at it. There was not much she could do when he decided to let his thoughts spew out of his mouth in what felt akin to an eternity of cruses and offensive sentences, even if he meant well. Olivia modestly and gently placed her palm over her eyes and forehead and then said: “Freddy, please… could we not?” However, Olivia was not sure if he or anyone else heard what she said, as he continued his rant. It was as if Freddy’s usual ravings had been amplified by Olivia’s newly appointed responsibilities as a Captain; it was as if the burdens of a lifetime of leadership descended upon her with impious fury and without mercy. Her heart and mind raced to the point of dizziness. She had to momentarily place her other hand on Aaron’s shoulder, so she would not faint.

Olivia could never have guessed that such a bantam amount of events in an equally bantam amount of time could amount to such an overwhelming feeling: she knew that both Thael and Remi would have made much better Captains than her, on paper; she had no idea if she would ever be able to control this group as her subordinates; and she knew that the one who should have been their Captain was none other than Sam. Olivia silently broke away from the group, gently caressing Jyn across her shoulders and Kat on her cheek—being the only two girls between Olivia and brief solitude—as a sign of ‘see you later.’ When she vanished around a corner and out of reach, Olivia almost despondently broke into tears. Her mind briefly rushed her to a place of imagination in which nothing in her current existence mattered; Olivia found herself standing in a field of endless high grass and white-clad skies, back to back with Samuel himself.

“What’s the matter? Are you giving up already?”
“…Why did you have to leave me…?”
“You know why.”
Olivia tilted her head ever so slightly, noticing the gown presence of Samuel standing behind her.
“I can’t do this without you…”
“Yes, you can,” Samuel said with great confidence, reaching his gaze towards the skies.
“What if they don’t listen to me… what if I can’t…”
“Olivia, don’t worry about it. They see me in you and you see me in them…. as long as you are with them, you’re always going to be with me… and everything will be okay.”
“…I suppose…”

Some sudden, distant metallic noise snapped Olivia out of her daydream, one from which she wished never to wake up. Her eyes were watery and swollen, but she made sure to cover herself from any concerned students or faculty members that passed her by. Her brief woolgather had consumed fifteen minutes of the twenty that they had been given, thus she was in a hurry all of a sudden. The only thing she would have time for was to procure her weapon, Cerberus, from the armory, where she had left it for maintenance a few days earlier. Yet again, Olivia had to pass up on a much needed shower and formal apparel.

Moments later, she took a nearby service elevator to the sublevels of the academt complex, where one could find training areas and the armory. Students were not supposed to use the service elevators, but Olivia did not have time to backtrack down the halls to the administration offices reception area and the regular elevator. When she arrived at the armory, Olivia was greeted by ‘Big Mike,’ the only man who was qualified to handle all that hardware. He was in the business of cleaning, maintaining, and modifying weapons of all kinds. He was an old gangster from the streets of Linea City, one of the roughest city-states in the world, where he used to run weapons and other illegal hardware.

“Hi, Mike.”
“Heeey, Olivia, w’sup?”
“Getting pushed by suits, you know how it is.”
“I feel ya, I feel ya. What can I do for ya?”
“You got Cerberus ready?”
“Right here,” Big Mike said, and uncovered the somewhat grandiose fusion gunblade. “I made some mods to it, as well—you’ll be blastin’ sh*t up in no time,” he continued.
“Oh, yeah? …what’s different?”
“I extended and modified the chamber, so that it’ll be able to hold various ammunition types that you find out there.”
“That’s cool. Thank you so much Mike, I really appreciate your help,” Olivia said, grabbed her gunblade and gave it a few swings and twirls.
“Woaahh! … Easy there girl, don’t want you messin’ up my place, you ‘ear?”
Olivia chuckled and grabbed the holster off of the counter and chucked the gunblade inside—when she wore the holster contraption, her gunblade was vertically suspended across her buttocks.
“I hear ya,” she smiled.
“You take care of yourself now, and of that fine booty you insist on covering up with that blade.”
‘…fine booty? …I have a fine booty? …ugh... that’s nice, I suppose…’
“Hah… I will, see you around, Mike.”

---

Main Gate

---

The early morning’s beautiful weather had vanished behind a series of dark clouds converging on Doral and the academy. This particular region of the world was prone to stormy weather, so every moment of sunshine was diligently harnessed by its inhabitants. However, the winds were not yet strong enough to tip anything over, as they were but modest breezes. But, this did not stop Olivia from looking forward to when the weather would pick up the pace, as she secretly adored stormy weather and rain. Or perhaps it was not a secret, considering that Olivia’s spirits were predominantly of those forces. Either way, the change in weather was a welcomed sight, just as the Appleberry’s were a welcomed sight. Olivia had always been fond of Kim’s family, especially Samuela.

Olivia hurried her pace towards the group, her face bursting into a childishly warm grin as she approached them. She noticed Magdalena being her usual self, so Olivia made sure to wrap her arms around her for a quick squeeze before moving on to the others, or more specifically: Samuela. Olivia was one of those people who became absurdly silly around infants, with ‘baby-talk’ and weird noises. Britney Farron hated that kind of behavior, which is why Olivia practiced herself to exaggerate it beyond reason. Little Sam did not seem to mind it, though. Olivia insisted on holding Sam for a while.

“Oh! Look at me, I’m such a beautiful little girl,” Olivia said with a somewhat comical tone. “Yes, yes I am! Thoochooo, googhi, goochiu! Yes! Such a nice little lady. Yes, look at me! It’s difficult to believe that I’m the daughter of a big, furry animal. Yes! Yes, it is!” Olivia continued, as she held Samuela in her arms, gently tickling the little one’s cheeks with her nose and mouth. When Olivia was finished with being silly, she shifted her attention to Michaela and Clair: “It’s so nice to see both of you again, and thank for the wonderful gifts.” And then Olivia fell into the depths of childishness once again, looking to her friends who had arrived. “Oh! Look there, who is that? Who is that?” Olivia asked Samuela, who was basking in delightful, enchanting laughter. “That’s Emily! Look, it’s Emily” Olivia said, gently grabbed Samuela’s arm and poked at Emily’s nose. “Yes, it is! It’s Emily. She has such beautiful hair, don’t you think?” Olivia said to Samuela. “Yes! Yes, she does.”

---

Field Marshall Sawyer

---

Once again, the friends had to stand in line and attention in front of a man of considerably higher rank. However, it was not just some random higher up. This was Field Marshall Sawyer, a hardened war veteran that thought most of the academy’s child-soldiers were too soft and that they were not good for anything other than being meat-shields.

“I am Field Marshall Sawyer, your senior operations officer. From now on you will speak only when spoken to, and the first and last words out of your filthy sewers will be ‘sir’—do you maggots understand that?”

“Sir, Yes, sir,” the friends said in unison.

“Good! You unorganized, sorry heaps of amphibian shits have been assigned the defense and counter-strike of the Norton City incident, which began fourteen hours ago. The adversary is none other than the air superiority of Nautilus. You know what this means. There will be fast, multi-dimensional maneuver jets, infantry with jetpacks, elite paratroopers, and Mechs so big they could almost fit your mothers in them—it will be f-cking nasty. However, the Council has decided to send you there anyway, so here we are.”

“Now, ground transportation from the academy is tied up until thirteen hundred hours, which means that you will have to hike to Doral from here, where a Norton City naval unit is waiting for you. I don’t want to hear any f-cking moaning or crying about the transportation to Doral. You are the elite of the elite now, suck it up.”

“Olivia Celestine is your Captain. You do whatever she orders you to, no questions asked. Second command is assigned at her convenience. You will accept her decision without question, or moaning, or bitching. She will possess the one and only ‘tagger gun,” the Field Marshall said and handed Olivia a prototype firearm. “It’s a prototype weapon designed to tag enemies and relay holographic information to you based on our internal database. It will display health readings of the target, weaknesses, and other useful information. If you lose this weapon, you’re paying for it.”

“I will be in constant contact with you through the WARG application. We are expected to resolve the Norton City conflict within forty-eight hours, so I suggest you get your asses moving right now— Dismissed!”



Chapter II "Departure" *

After the Field-Marshall’s instructions to the group at the main gate, they were finally venturing into an unknown future. They did not know what or whom that would oppose them in Norton City, or anywhere betwixt, but they had each other and together they were stronger than anyone could possibly imagine. As they traversed the Doral farm belt towards the town itself, Olivia was in deep retrospect of what Field Marshall Sawyer had said, and what she knew about Nautilus. It was not an ordinary city-state; it was a massive air platform orbiting the entire planet. Some say that it could transform into a space ship and traverse the stars to alien planets, but it was most likely fairy tales conjured by propaganda. Olivia was not sure how she felt about going up against such a superior military force, perhaps her feelings would settle into their rightful place once she could see the enemy with her own eyes. The hike to Doral was about forty-five minutes on foot, if one kept a rapid pace. It did not take long for Olivia to succumb to lazy fatigue. She could have sprinted more than half the distance in one setting, they all could, but they were—or at least Olivia was—after all a lazy, former teenager. She did not care what the Field Marshall said about not complaining, he was not here to hear what she said.

“This…is… bullshit…,”Olivia panted. “How…in the name of everything… can… all the academy cars… be… occupied at the same time?” She continued. “I mean… come on!... how does something like… that… happen?!” Olivia stopped her pace and placed her fine booty on the dirty ground. “We’re taking five…” She said and yawned: “Oh my, I’m so sleepy…”