pawnstorm | intro ♚ september

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intro ♚ september

WELCOME TO Grantebrycge

We’ve all had those dreams: you wake up on a table, to blurry, ominous images and the certainty that you are absolutely buck-naked in a room full of strangers. This is not quite it.

Instead, you come awake to the sun on your face. The soft burble of water nearby. The hustle and bustle of a busy street and the faint, fortifying smell of bread. You open your eyes and there’s no one there at your bedside, but there is what appears to be the end of the world happening just beyond your window.

There’s a crack in the world across the sky, the “sun” is the totally unnatural light spilling from that crack straight into your eyes, and someone’s left a neatly pressed and folded uniform at the foot of the bed that isn’t yours. Somewhere in the room, there’s a strange clatter like beads, the click of claws on the floor.

Something’s in here with you.

Also, you are naked.

ONE ♟ Video Killed The Radio Star

Rise and shine, Heroes. It seems that today is filled with good fortune as the morning is very uneventful, aside from the monthly arrival of new comrades. This is the perfect time to grab your weapon, Carrier and uniform and use your time to look around Caissa. While exploring or catching up on the latest gossip, you might blow past the delivery carriages outside of the Hall of Glory, but you certainly won’t be missing the steampunk televisions and vending machines which will be set up around noon time by your lovely maids and butlers! The TVs are placed in every single bedroom as well as leisure rooms so you can enjoy your daily fix of popular cooking show Inferno Kitchen, primetime Cheoksan drama Summer Cantata or the Gammonian hit series Sport of Crowns! The vending machines can be found in the hallways and contain snacks and drinks such as canned mackin’ cheese (or as Noirs like to call it, Lovekraft Supper), Pooky, Cpt. Pepperoni, Mountin' Do, or Eight Up. You are free to come up with your own TV show or vending machine food items.

Thierry Toussaint
My dearest Heroes! I hope today finds you well, and for once I bring good news! [ he laughs a little sheepishly. he’s dressed less formally than in previous somber declarations and his hair looks windblown, like he ran here ] As you well know, our recent victories and mostly importantly, a successful alliance with Gammon has brought no small amount of blessings: we have more resources, better manpower, and the invaluable help of our Gammonian colleagues not just in war, but also in advancing our civilization!

And so it is my pleasure to unveil our new and improved broadcast technology— [ a pause, where he winks ] —do I look clearer to you? It’s a little harder to tell from this end, I’m afraid. You’ll be able to receive better, brighter and more varied content from our country’s talented producers. Oh…

[ another, longer pause. teddy looks offscreen and then laughs ]

I’m not getting paid for this, I promise. I don’t need any other motivation to be excited for my country, do I? In addition to the television programs, we will be helping with the release of newly developed vending machine technology that brings fresh and healthy snacks to the streets of our capital, and hopefully, beyond. It would be nice to have one for my office.

I’ve mentioned our Gammonian friends, haven’t I? And I’ve saved the best for last: as a token of the friendship between our countries and all that we can do for each other, Gammon has assisted us in completing Platform 40— … 42 and 5/8ths, an instantaneous portal between our very own Caissa and Cochrane. I look forward to even more cultural and commercial exchange from all the way across the Rokirovka Ocean!

And ah, speaking of exchange—the Platform has been completed just in time for you, dear Heroes. Gammon has actually extended another invitation to you: as national and international icons and users of magic, they would like you to visit their school of magecraft, Pigeonsblood, in Grant— Grant… [ … ] You will be able to reach the school easily through the Platform!

Pigeonsblood’s Headmaster has assured me that you would be a great inspiration to their incoming class of aspiring mages; I urge you to take advantage of this opportunity. Gammon’s knowledge and mastery of magic, as you may have seen during your previous visits, is nothing to take lightly! And if you like what you see, I’m told Gammon would be happy to sponsor classes for Heroes at the school. I’m sure they want to keep the inspiration flowing, hm?

Thank you once again, all of you, for making such wonderful things possible. I’m sure your achievements will continue to open doors, both metaphorically and literally, for Blanc and for yourselves.

Meet up with your chums, old and new, and head over to Caissa’s train station. Once there, locating the Platform 42 and 5/8ths is an easy feat. There are two guards standing watch and they will stop curious civilians from sneaking past them. They will only let Heroes use the Platform and as such require proof of identification. A Hero’s uniform, rank badge or a passport identifying yourself as such should do the trick. As the platform functions as one of Gammon’s checkpoints, you will need to pay a small fee of 200 colle to pass. Should you be a new arrival, the Prime Minister will suddenly show up and pay the fee.

Where’s the portal, you might ask? Take a deep breath, walk through the wall between the guards and you’ll find yourself in Cochrane! Heroes might experience some sudden vertigo or a near insatiable hunger for pork. Very minor side effects vary from person to person.

In order to reach Grantebrycge, Heroes must travel from Cochrane to Friedgood and then a little ways further. They are free to make this journey by foot, mount or train. Directions to Grantebrycge are vague but you can’t miss the landmark of the Great Face Cliff, a monument depicting the faces of the towns’s founding members. Poobin and Cemron seem especially stern as they glare down at anyone who dares to visit.

TWO ♟ Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!

Upon entering Grantebrycge, Heroes will be immediately be ambushed by swarms of eager students from Pigeonsblood’s welcoming committee. This committee consists of upperclassmen from each of the Four Branches - Achroite, Prehnite, Bixbite, and Citrine, and they are dressed in uniforms in their Branch color (pictured here in the Bixbite red). Officially, they’re here to help you learn more about Pigeonsblood, give you a tour of the campus, and show you what each Branch can offer you so that you can make an educated decision about which to enroll in. Unofficially, they’re there to try to talk you into enrolling into their particular Branch and some will ramble on about how their Branch is the best while others fight amongst each other to try to get your attention.

Once the tour is finished, the committee will lead Heroes to the administration building. There, they’ll part with you to attend to other duties, leaving you with a reminder to head to the center plaza in an hour for the freshman orientation party. Heroes can enroll in classes if they so choose and have made a decision as to which Branch is the best for them. It’s recommended as it’s free, courtesy of Gammon. If they enroll in classes, they will receive their class schedule, a permit for a uniform, and a key to their dorm room. Head to the university shops later to have them take your measurements!

NOTE: The rooming and class schedule are up to player discretion. If there is an official mission the professors will allow an absence - Heroes can’t save the world if they’re worrying about their GPA, after all!

For those who choose to not enroll in Pigeonsblood, they can explore the campus some more, but either way make sure to head down to the central plaza before the party!

THREE ♟ The Part Where They Rope You in with Free Food

Stepping into the center plaza puts you in the middle of excited back-to-school buzz. Several event booths line the plaza, all eager to get your attention. Some will try to recruit you to their school club. Others are simply there to provide information, such as maps of the school and information about the Four Branches. Still others get even more specific, headed by banners marked “THE TOTAL IDIOT'S GUIDE TO A SUCCESSFUL ACADEMY LIFE” and “GUIDE TO HAPPINESS: HOW TO NOT DIE DURING EXAMS”. A few generous booths will provide you with free food like “Splotted Richard” or “Bangers and Mash” to fill your tummy, as well as school merchandise, such as Branch-specific pens, face paint, flyswatters, and other bits of merchandise.

If those don't get your attention, the freshmen running your way definitely will. They're beyond excited to see a Hero among their ranks, and approach you eagerly, yelling things such as, “Did you enroll? Let's do our best together!”, “You're my inspiration! I hope we're classmates!” and “Please let me know if you need a tutor! I wouldn't mind…” Thankfully, their enthusiasm is brought to a stop by the welcoming committee, who make their way to the center plaza and hush the excited freshmen. After a heartwarming speech about youth and school spirit, the committee flashes their new classmates a bright smile and finishes with: “And now, it's time for some fun!”

What do they mean by fun? The freshmen are more than eager to demonstrate! Aside from the fun offered at the various booths, there are many magic games to partake in. There's “Splash Tag,” where players must use water magic in lieu of touch to play tag, “Air Races,” in which racers use psionic, gravity, or wind magic to boost their movement, “Hot Potato,” in which the temperature of the potato is increased with each pass until it explodes on the loser, and Illusion-based Pictionary.

A few steps away from the commotion, near where the welcoming committee made their speech, is a tall bulletin board. Various flyers are posted here-- club announcements, dating ads, tutoring offers, and of course, Pigeonsblood help wanted ads.

INFO ♟ Welcome!

Welcome to Crosscheck's Month intro log! For any further questions, please see the FAQ or reach us at the Contact Us page. Have fun!

Remember to check out the uniform contest for ranked Heroes!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[It's not like he has any particularly hard feelings towards the Prime Minister. Up until recently he's just sort of been there saying things before or after they go off to fight, either trying to ramp up their energy or giving some kind of vague summary after the fact. His only practical experience with the guy was when he'd given out a bunch of presents to all of them a little while ago, when Naruto had gone from bright enthusiasm for what is still a kitchen full of ramen- to discovering just how much of a pervert Thierry really is.

Still, there are plenty of changes happening around them (he'd almost walked into a vending machine out in the lobby this morning!) and that's reason enough for him to stand still and watch the address. His arms are folded over his chest, making them equally confused parallels squinting at the screen.]

I think he's sayin' he got a tv and he thinks we're dumb'attebayo.

[Dumba-what? Ichigo turns his head to glance over at the guy with the whisker cheeks making weird comments like he'd just said something strange (because he did just do that), but winds up shrugging and focusing back on the TV after just a second.]

Sounds about right. How about giving us some info on who he is, or what he wants from us? What about how we're supposed to get done with all of this crap altogether and get back to what we're supposed to be doing, back home?

He's kinda the boss of this place- [A beat. Naruto has never been a particularly thoughtful guy, and though he's making an effort, things here aren't the easiest to understand.] but I don't actually think he does it by himself. Actually he gets scolded a lot by another bossy guy.

They send us on missions mostly- and sometimes there're these things called dungeons where we go fight stuff.

This war has been going on for a long time.

So he's just some figurehead, probably. The real big name is still out there somewhere. [Not that Ichigo knows this guy's name. Oops.] We'll probably have to go through him if we want to find the head jackass responsible for all this, right?

[That sounds sensible. Either get on his good side or make it clear that being evasive is a bad idea, whatever gets results.]

It better not be going on a whole lot longer if they expect us to stick around and end it. I don't wanna spend my life stuck in this place.

[There isn't even an internet connection here!]

Ano... I didn't actually say all that, he's probably still the boss'attebayo.

[Ah, is this what he sounded like when he first got here too? Naruto's shoulders soften, and with the beat of consideration his hands loose from behind his head to fall to his sides. It had been easier back then to think of this as a straightforward thing, the way a fight always goes one way or the other.]

But they don't really know how we were brought here. So even if they wanted to send us home, they might not be able to. It's like they got us by accident.

Ehh... doesn't matter. We'll get some answers outta him no matter where he ranks on the ladder.

[That's not a threat! Not... a real one, anyway. If the dude wants to just talk, that's cool, they'll talk, but Ichigo's kind of in a rush here. He's all frowns, tightly crossed arms, and impatience-fueled irritation at them daring to take advantage of him stupidly knocking himself out to drag him here.]

Wait, say again? [His scowling briefly fades into a look of disbelief.] They don't even know how we got taken here? It just sorta happened?

[Ichigo's energy is something he understands. Naruto had felt restless when he arrived here too, like he couldn't make sense of things fast enough. For a guy that's always lived through his body, who learned by touching and doing, it was hard to accept the way things were here.

Even now, with the creases in his expression, it looks like Naruto is visibly struggling to explain it. While he knows first hand what can happen when people really dedicate themselves to something they want, it shouldn't really be like this should it? Shouldn't people answer their own prayers?

The words are slow, as if he's testing them out. In a way he is, part of him still struggles to believe it.]

They think we're here by magic.

'Cause they were wishin' for people to help them win the war.

That's- I mean, if they-

[Ugh. He places his palm over his face and pushes himself to take a long, deep breath. Of course they're here by magic, that seems to be the order of the day, but Ichigo never expected they'd have that little control over a power so strong it can rip dozens upon dozens of people out of space and time and deposit them on their doorstep. He almost gets it, it feels like he's only a step away, it's not like he'd not want to summon help if he was in the middle of a goddamn war, but...]

How long has this war been going on? Who's the enemy? Where are they attacking? If they can bring us all here, why don't they just wish for the bad guys to disappear?

[So many questions, so few answers.]

Edited (grammar.....) 2016-09-23 06:24 (UTC)

[Ichigo isn't the only one that didn't expect it. Naruto had been there for months before he'd realized exactly what perspective the people had on them- how little control they had over who wound up here and when, who got to go back home. If he's daunted by the sheer number of questions that roll out of his mouth he doesn't show it. Naruto is cooperative by nature so it's easy for him to try and help.]

I'm not really sure how long it's been going on, but Blanc's a country and Noir's a country. Noir's trying to take over cause their own country is all messed up and there's no magic there now or something, but that was a few hundred years ago.

[This was so much easier when there was one major enemy to fight and a small number of followers to fight on the way to them. Ichigo is so used to the greatest threats being focused into a small package, he doesn't even know how to handle the idea of fighting an entire country, there could be millions of canon fodder enemies as far as he knows.]

A few hundred years ago since they messed their own place up? Or since they started this war and screwed everything up for a whole lot of worlds?

[He knows exactly what Ichigo is feeling, if the look on Naruto's face is anything to go by. There's a big difference between war and politics. The fight Naruto knows has clean lines, clearly defined enemies and an equally defined finish line. This is nothing like that. The number of Noir soldiers he's seen in his time here alone has been staggering. All of those people have families of their own, don't they? What they do isn't without consequence.

Naruto's brows come together, he's trying to remember what he's read.]

I think it was two hundred since Noir got messed up, cause they were taking too much mana. But all I really remember from the books is that Noir's been trying to get their power back ever since.

[Well, some things are coming together. Not a lot, and not very satisfyingly, but there's a small number of answers. Some idiots screw up their own place, attack their neighbor to try to fix it, and now parties not involved with any of this altogether are being dragged in to try to tip the scales. Clearly, Ichigo needs to get his hands on some of these books and see if he can't puzzle out more than what Mr. Whisker-Cheeks here can dredge up from his memory.]

So, if they could find an alternate source of mana besides being assholes to Blank, none of us would be stuck in this mess?

[Yes, he did misremember the place's name. Good job, Ichi.]

[Naruto is the very last guy to criticise or correct someone on getting names right, given that it's something he's so guilty of himself.]

Maybe... [Its worth considering if only because he isn't one to rule out possibilities in the name of realism. Maybe he really is an optimist at heart.]

But they used so much mana last time that they wrecked their country, so that's why they're after Blanc right now. Everything runs outta mana eventually, but its like Noire doesn't care.

[Remembering someone or something's name is highly overrated, right up until they're some kind of significant and important to recall. That's his excuse for sucking at remembering these things and he's sticking to it.]

It's something to keep in mind, at least. [How feasible it is, he hasn't the slightest clue, but it's a goal, at least. Getting through this without having to literally wage a war against a country he barely knows exists seems like a win/win.]

They're not just out of the stuff, they ruined themselves using it. Great. You'd think they'd learn a lesson about overreach by now, but no.

I think they're just trying to do what they think's right.

[One hand moves to the back of his neck and lingers there. He's heard an argument like this before and Naruto knows firsthand what it's like to see a cycle like that continue. How many times had the Uchiha felt it necessary to push forward- to try and right the great wrongs committed against them and make things right in their own eyes? How many times had his village decided to do the same?]

Haven't you ever felt desperate like that?

I'd love to get into the mind of someone who thinks invading a neighbor is 'right.'

[Alternatively, punch them right in the face. Biting his lip and exhaling loud enough to be audible, he supposes he can almost understand, if your people are up a creek and the only solution is abominable, then you've got a bad choice ahead, but that's the thing. There must be another solution, he'd never stop looking for one if it was his choice, no matter how hard it would be to do so.]

I've done things I regret, yeah. Things I wish I'd thought about more in hindsight, but not something I knew was wrong before I even tried it.

It's not that simple'attebayo.

[It's a difference of experience maybe. The world he comes from has been defined by war and conflict, even when individual villages and their people had wanted peace. There were too many old grudges, there was too much deep-seated hatred that had been overlooked and left to fester. Naruto's gaze moves away from the screen and off to the window at their side- the city beyond.]

Of all the people I've met, even if they were doing something that hurt others, it wasn't just about that. They had families and people who were important to them. They were trying to change the world.

I think Noir is probably like that too.

Nothing ever is.

[Of course, Ichigo gets the distinct impression from his own world that everything's been more or less stable for a long, long time, and he's been drawn into the thick of everything going completely batshit all at once. A lot of people are learning that change and conflict are inevitable, but it's still no excuse for them being dicks, and the same applies in this world so far as he's concerned.]

I just can't believe that there's nothing any of them could think of to do except start up a war, especially now that there are a thousand heroes here making them lose every step of the way. You'd think they'd try to... trade for extra mana, or look somewhere else, do something other than keep trying the same crap that's failing again and again and was never a good idea to begin with.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

intro ♚ september

video killed the 1,621,378,192 chapter shonen jump series

at least SOME OF US got a finished anime

but at what cost (ↀ⌓ↀ)

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