August Pre-Hurricane Post | Open Mingle

[imsorey]

[It's the calm before the storm—or at least the not-quite-so-bad-weather before the storm. The winds are starting to pick up, the ocean is rolling, and all manner of sea creature is heading for cover to ride things out.

But at the base, there's still lots to do as usual. Whether it's getting ready to hunker down, goofing off, or making friends, there's never a dull moment under the sea! Have at it, and remember to check out the OOC planning/mission signups to see what's going on!]

Comments

delayed team whelp

[bonomial]

[Don's expression, tinged slightly with horror he can't entirely suppress, shows all that needs to be said on this particular subject. But he speaks anyway, because... wow.]

I... uh... definitely glad that we went with the drone route first.

Re: delayed team whelp

[oneandmikleonly]

Yeah, me too.

[DEEP...BREATHS]

That...was definitely the dragon, I dreamed about, so at least that question's answered.

[bonomial]

[Well, shit.]

This is doing a lot to convince me that the Shell Sub might not be the best thing to take out right now... think the monsters in that video might pay us a visit?

[He might be reflexively gripping the edge of the desk just a wee bit too hard.]

[oneandmikleonly]

Ugh, I hope not. I still think the dream one's too big, but Reapers could certainly come here.

Hotaru's suggested reinforcing the base further to guard against that, though.

[bonomial]

The Reapers' behaviour... I don't think they've done anything like that before. It was like they were clustered there, around some kind of leader. [Don frowns deeply at the implications of that.] I'd thought the Reapers we'd seen were adults already, but it's not like we have the best data on them.

Your dragon could be some other animal entirely, but why would the Reapers just gather like that?

[More importantly: If they're doing that, what's stopping them from doing that closer to the base, or the Aurora, or somewhere else important?]

[oneandmikleonly]

I'm guessing because it wants them to. We know the Reapers carry out something's will, and we were already hypothesizing that it was the dream dragon's. Perhaps they serve as general attendants as well. Or just...guards?

They converse intelligently enough in the dreamscape, and...I don't know. They seem to do those duties of enforcement willingly enough, no pun intended. Maybe they're...raised to it, somehow.

[bonomial]

Trained to be some kind of guards from birth? That just says terrible things about that dragon... and that there's something going on, something important enough that the Reapers can't just move to attack us.

Or... they could be goading us. Waiting for us to make the first move.

[He... doesn't like the sound of that at all.]

[oneandmikleonly]

[groans audibly]

In that case, technically we have made moves into the Void. I don't think they really have much of a strong case there, though. The Reapers attacked us on the Aurora first.

[bonomial]

Maybe so, but is that really gonna convince a bunch of angry fish that they should leave us alone? I think it's something else... I just don't know what.

[oneandmikleonly]

If we can't investigate directly, I guess we can ask around with the less angry fish.

[bonomial]

Dream world? [It's less a question and more of a curious statement.] You seem to be involved with it a lot.

[oneandmikleonly]

Yeah, well, it's...there's more there that I can work with in a useful fashion.

And it's just plain easier to communicate there, all around.

[bonomial]

[That's an interesting thing to say. Don turns it over in his mind quietly for a few seconds before speaking again.]

It's a magical feeling place, so I guess that's your kinda thing. [And probably also related to that unusual species of his.] It reminds me a little of the astral plane from home, myself.

[oneandmikleonly]

Yeah. I know how magic works, or I can take a good guess sometimes. Machines are...I keep trying to be better with them, but sometimes it feels like a wish-and-a-prayer sort of thing.

[he tilts his head at Donatello, interest piqued]

The astral plane--? Is that referring to stars, or a lack of physicality, or both?

[bonomial]

Definitely the lack of physicality one. The astral plane's a place you can access with meditation in my world - for the longest time I didn't quite believe my sensei about it, but with enough focus I was finally able to see for myself. Then it got really important when I had to deal with tengu.

[This is a perfectly normal conversation, right?]

[oneandmikleonly]

[one's a humanoid turtle, one's a weird ghosty thing, they chuck 'normal' out the window by default. uncertainly]

Tengu are...your version of spirits?

[bonomial]

Pretty much, yeah. They're a kind of spirit, anyway - associated with the Japanese culture in my world. That's probably why us ninja are so tightly interwoven with them. [There's also some interdimensional alien involvement what with the Battle Nexus, but Don doesn't even know all the details there.] Being spirits, I had to learn to channel chi to defeat them; just giving 'em a good whack wouldn't have cut it. These were some seriously major threats.

[The Tengu Shredder in particular was something Don still has nightmares about. That demonic face looming down at him and his brothers... he won't ever forget it.]

[oneandmikleonly]

Japanese -- ah, that's Korosensei's country! Yours too?

[he's fascinated by all these differences and connections.]

'Chi' sounds rather like resonance in my world, only...weaponized, somehow. Did you figure it out on your own, or did you have a teacher?

[bonomial]

[Don can't help but grin a little.] It's in my heritage, kind of? I live - lived - in the country called America. I don't know how much my world's Japan is like Korosensei's version, though. There's probably a lot of differences I don't know about, but it's at least the same name.

[Now this part of the conversation is a little more raw, and the Turtle hesitates openly before explaining.]

I needed a lot of instruction to get to where I am - just one teacher wasn't enough. I needed five. My sensei is the one I really owe everything to, though. [Including his life.]