bakerstreet | BECAUSE THE WORLD NEEDS THIS

BECAUSE THE WORLD NEEDS THIS

The Pacific Rim Meme

We always thought alien life would come from the stars. But it came from deep beneath the sea, a portal between dimensions in the Pacific Ocean. Something out there had discovered us. The first Kaiju made landfall in San Francisco. The second attack hit Manilla. Then the third one hit Cabo. Then we learned this was not going to stop. In order to fight monsters, we created monsters of our own. We needed a new weapon. The Jaeger Program was born. Two pilots, our minds, our memories, we were connected. Man and machine became one.

In the near future, giant monsters identified as "Kaiju" have begun attacking Earth's coastal cities, resulting in a war that takes millions of lives and quickly consumes humanity's resources. To combat the monsters, a special type of weapon is designed: massive robots, known as Jaegers. The Jaegers are controlled simultaneously by two pilots who are bound together in a process called Drifting, creating a neural link between their minds. The link lets them share the mental strain which would otherwise overwhelm a single pilot. The Jaegers are the last, best hope for humanity's survival.

Instructions:
1.Choose a role (or multiple roles!) and post with your character/fandom.
2. Others will post to you with a scenario.
3. All Jaeger names must made up of two words that have little to do with each other. This is mandatory.
4. Go big or go extinct. Or just have fun, that works too.

Roles:

1. Jaeger Pilot: The rock stars of the kaiju wars. You and your partner may be siblings, spouses, parent and child, or just two people who have the trust and compatability necessary for a successful Drift. Get out there and kick some ass.

2. Engineer: The war against the kaiju isn't just fought by the pilots. You're one of the countless support staff that design, repair, and enhance the Jaegers for maximum kaiju-smashing potential.

3. Scientist: Biologist, physicist, kaiju groupie. You study these horrific monsters so you can figure out how to destroy them...or you just really have a thing for alien anatomy.

4. Mission Control: Off the front lines but not out of the battle. You're watching the monitors, dealing out the orders, and generally making sure your Jaeger pilots don't do anything more stupid than normal.

5. Civilian: A black market dealer in kaiju organs, a reporter trying to get her big scoop, or just some poor schmuck trying not to get stepped on. You're one of the folks that the Jaegers are fighting for.

6. Other: Go wild.

Scenarios:

1. Preparations: Dealing with kaiju is a process, not a moment. Pilots need to physically and mentally hone their strength, engineers need to perfect the Jaeger weaponry and armor, scientists need to run their experiments, and black market dealers need to make their money.

2. First Neural Handshake: It's time to Drift with your partner. You'll experience each others' most painful secrets, joyous memories, and the time you got drunk and made out with the captain of the football team. Hang on, it'll be a bumpy ride.

3. Downtime: Chill out, have a beer, pretend the world isn't ending. You can explore the thriving towns that have grown up amongst the kaiju remains or just stay in the Shatterdome doing combat practice. However you relax, you've earned it.

4. Kaiju Detected: Battle stations, folks. Get to your cockpit, your command post, or your underground bunker. The monsters are coming, and they ain't gonna stop until someone does something about them.

5. Combat Mode: It's go time! You're in the heat of things, punching these otherworldly abominations in the face with your awesome. Remember to call your attacks; it makes them more powerful if you shout their names first.

5. Aftermath: Job well done, folks. Sit back, enjoy the celebrations, put another tick mark on your kill count...and if necessary, mourn the dead.

6. Other: Go further wild.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only | Expand All

[Pilot of The Machine. Rumour has it that Root was able to pilot The Machine all by herself during an attack a few years ago, and that she and the jaeger have a very special relationship.]

[ New co-pilot. It's the last thing Shaw needs right now. But her CO thinks that swapping out an old co-pilot with a new one will solve everything. Or more cynically put, he wants her back in the saddle because she's too skilled at this to waste away without a Jaeger to command.

Well fuck that. Cole died because of her. And she's not about to climb into the cockpit again with someone unworthy of him. (And maybe a deep dark part of her is afraid that the new guy will be worthy. She doesn't want another death on her hands).

But just because she's benched for the time-being, it doesn't mean she's been keeping idle. She can be found in the training room, throwing blows at punching bag like it was the face of the Kaiju that took out Cole. Yeah, she does have a bit pent up. Who doesn't? It's the damn apocalypse. If she's supposed to be off making nice with her new co-pilot, well ... oops. She forgot. ]

[Root can't believe she has to share her Jaeger with someone else all over again. Have they learned nothing? The Machine is hers, and besides, every other co-pilot she's had ended up dead or severely wounded. It turns out that everyone else she drifted with just couldn't handle the intensity of both her memories and her link to The Machine.

But this time, she's had enough. It's not like what happened to her former co-pilots left her mentally scarred or traumatized or anything equally ridiculous-- why would that even happen? They knew perfectly well what they signed up for when they became Jaeger pilots, and Root wasn't their babysitter or their mother-- but she's seriously tired of seeing other people gossip behind her back as if she is the one to blame. It's not like she can hack them all to give them a lesson without getting kicked out of the Jaeger program; they're quite familiar with her hacking signature by now, so she can't use her powers for evil.

Still, she just has to hack the database to find who they're pairing her up with next; maybe she can have a talk with the poor bastard and convince them to quit while they're ahead. But to her surprise, they aren't pairing her with a brainless newbie: Root reads her whole file and does some research of her own to find out everything she can about this woman, and she really, really likes what she's seeing.

So when they move them to the same Jaeger base, she keeps tabs on Sameen Shaw as discreetly as possible, and simply cannot resist intruding in on her training. She's just trying to make sure that her file was 100% accurate regarding her fighting skills, really; that's all there is to this little visit.]

Um, may I? [She asks as she steps into the training room, wearing standard training clothes rather than her custom Team Machine gear. Everything about her makes Root look meek and harmless, from her tone of voice to her body language.] I was wondering if you could help me out. I need to practice, but no one else will spar with me, and I noticed you're alone...

[ In comparison, Shaw hasn't even looked into the so-called co-pilot of hers. She's firmly of the mind: don't know, don't care. Because it's not going to happen. Not until she's good and ready. And while it's frustrating being benched when there's a war going on out there, she sure as hells knows that this isn't the kind of thing that you can just swap out like batteries. The neural handshake is mentally taxing and grueling and altogether way too personal. She also knows that she doesn't like people very much. Cole was a lone exception, and she's not about to make any others in the near future.

And so when this stick of a girl walks into the training area, she's got no idea who she is. Just that this fool wants to spar with her, which is never a good idea. She slams her palm to the punching bag to make it stop swinging and cocks her head to the side to give the woman a once-over. ]

Get yourself a more suitable partner. You probably want to keep all your teeth.

[It's a good thing that Root is so used to keeping a poker face on, and that she excels at controlling her reactions when she wants to, because Shaw's own reactions are just too good. The hacker smiles to herself, her posture withdrawn as she tucks an annoying strand of hair behind an earlobe, keeping her shy façade intact.]

Don't worry about my teeth, we have a very good health insurance plan, [she says with a quiet chuckle, smiling politely at the other woman. She even extends her hand for Sameen to take, looking like the world's sweetest girl.] Pretty please? I'll owe you one. You never know when you might need a favour from one of the Jaeger base's best tech experts.

[She may be acting like someone else, but she just can't resist being cocky. Technically, she isn't lying about that; she's the best computer expert on this base and she knows it.]

[ Beating up a helpless girl isn't really very thrilling. It's not like it'll keep her up at night, though. Shaw ignores the extended hand. She's not much for making niceties in the sparring ring. ]

What's a tech expert doing in the training gym?

[ Maybe there's a bit of a dubious tone in her voice. Jaeger pilots are known to be a brash bunch of cocky bastards. Most science types keep away from these areas. ]

[Root pretends to be embarrassed by how Sameen didn't take the offered hand. She shifts from one foot to the other, glancing over at the training weapons as if that will help her Shy Tech Girl character feel less awkward about all of this.]

Well... I've always dreamed about being a pilot, [she explains, looking almost apologetic.] So I've been training a lot. I know all about the technological aspects of piloting a Jaeger, now I just need to be good enough at fighting.

[ She shrugs. It sounds like a lame enough excuse. It's her funeral, if she wants to spar anyway, so unprepared. Shaw tightens the tape around her knuckles as she nods toward the weapons rack. It's got quarterstaffs, tonfas, fencing swords and so on. And if she wants to get down and dirty, there's also boxing gloves. ]

Fine. You pick.

[Finally. Root smiles like a ray of sunshine and mouths an excited thank you! at the other woman before making her way to the weapons rack. She picks out two quarterstaffs and brings one to Sameen, that smile still on her lips.

(She always wants to get down and dirty, but she's holding that back for now; besides, when her façade is set aside and the real fight begins, she's certain she'll skip the gloves anyway. She much prefers using her bare hands.)]

Here you go, [she says, taking a few steps away from Shaw and entering the sparring area. She grips the staff tight with both hands, as if afraid it will fall from her grasp.] Should we decide on a number of rounds, or...?

[ This girl has no idea, does she? Shaw wonders why she agreed to this in the first place, but whatever. She takes the staff with practiced hands. She's skilled in a number of weapons in addition to hand-to-hand combat. They usually recruit Jaeger pilots from the military, and she's no exception. The staff is just a little taller than she is, ideal for a middle-and-quarter grip, one hand over and the other under, like a spear. The over-under grip is much more versatile. She holds it like that as she steps up onto the sparring mat. ]

Five rounds. Round goes to whoever gets in a hit to the body, disarms the other, or pushes them off the mat. Got it?

[Oh, this girl has a very good idea of what's to come; it really is a good thing that Root excels at keeping a pokerface on, because all she wants to do is grin from ear to ear. She read Shaw's file, and she knows she's former military, which is a nice contrast against Root's own background: she's a former mercenary without any kind of military training whatsoever. She's awfully curious about the differences between their fighting styles... not that it will matter for the first two rounds, because Root is going to play the role of a defenseless nerd damsel and let her win.

She can't wait for the moment the mask falls off and Sameen realizes just what she's up against. The thought sends a thrill through her, making her whole body shiver from head to toe.]

Got it, [she answers, before mirroring Shaw's position and her grip on the quarterstaff. Root blinks in embarrassment as if she's forgetting something, and then straightens up and takes a bow, before going back to mirroring her companion's stance.] Let's do this.

[ Shaw's never been much for the formalities of martial arts, but she gives a brief nod at the bow anyway before they get started. She's not a very tall person, but she's learned to use her height to best advantage. And a quarterstaff is ideal because it gives her the kind of reach that she wouldn't have otherwise.

Though she wasn't feeling so up to this whole thing going in, she doesn't hesitate once in the ring.

Shaw spins and the staff follows in a swift arc, coming down with precision, aiming to sweep her opponent's feet right off the ground. ]

[Root ponders for a moment if she should let Shaw win this round right away or if she's going to toy with her for a little bit, but decides that she might as well let her win now. The sooner the first two rounds are over, the sooner she can turn the tables on her; besides, the more helpless she looks like now, the better Shaw's reaction will be.

So when the other woman aims at her feet, Root goes against every instinct in her and doesn't jump or defend herself: she goes down, hard, falling backwards against the mat with a high pitched sound of surprise. She rolls on to her stomach, smiling to herself while her face is hidden from view, and gets up using her staff as support. When she turns around to face Shaw again, she looks more determined than before.]

Sorry about that, I always have terrible luck with first rounds.

[ That was almost too easy. The girl seems weirdly peppy for someone who just ate it. Shaw turns the quarterstaff around in her hand to take the next stance. She narrows her eyes at her across the mat. ]

It's nothing to do with luck, [ Shaw says. And she steps immediately into her next move. It's a lunging thrust, aimed upward for the face. It's not so fast that it will knock someone out, but hard enough to hurt a lot if you don't parry. ]

[It was too easy, and Shaw's next victory is going to be awfully easy, too. Root doesn't reply to her words, and she doesn't try to block her new attack, either: she takes it straight on, the end of the staff hitting her right on the nose and making her stumble backwards with a pained little cry. She lets her own quarterstaff fall on to the mat, bringing her hands up to her face as if that could stop the pain or the blood now flowing freely from her nose. Finally, things can get interesting.]

You're right, [she begins, voice slightly muffled by her hands. Root leans down to pick up her staff, ignoring the blood dripping on to the training mat, and when she straightens up, her posture and body language change drastically enough to make her look like a completely different person. The shy, harmless persona is gone, and in her place is the real Root: cocky, proud, and far too confident in her own abilities. She snaps her nose back into place without so much as a wince, and grins in that way that makes everyone else doubt her sanity, twirling her staff with one hand.] It's nothing to do with luck.

[And with that, she steps immediately into the other woman's personal space, before doing one of her favorite moves: she raises her staff as if she's aiming towards Shaw's head in retaliation, but then lowers herself all of a sudden in a perfect split, aiming to Sameen's side.]

[ Shaw doesn't believe in luck. You make your own. And she can respect that in others. What she doesn't like is being taken for a ride, which becomes quite obvious the instant the so-called 'tech expert' picks herself up from a bloody pile and snaps her nose back into place like a crazy person. She could very well break something, doing it like that. It's what Shaw would've done, because sometimes getting back into the fray is much more important that seeing to your bloody nose. (It's not really a macho thing so much as a psycho thing).

She braces for that face attack but the feint gets her on the side when her opponent drops down into a split and swings out to her right. Shaw doesn't have time to parry and the staff slams into her hip, sending her tumbling to the floor. She curses under her breath and rolls, coming back up on her feet a distance away. She grins through the pain, but the amusement does not reach her eyes. She narrows them at her darkly. ]

That's real cute. Who the hell are you, really?

[ She doesn't wait for an answer before making her next move, a swift jab at the abdomen in an attempt to knock the wind from that smug bloody face. ]

[Root doesn't believe in luck, either, or any other kind of mystical higher power, for that matter. She's been by herself since she was twelve, and luck had nothing to do with her becoming one of the most proficient hackers alive, or turning into one of the deadliest Jaeger pilots in the world; she accomplished all of that by herself. Mama would be proud, she thinks.

(She probably wouldn't be very proud if she knew how much Root enjoys toying with others, including potential co-pilots, but Mama has been dead for a very long time, so the point is moot.)

She had no doubts that her attack would be successful, but she still feels pretty damn satisfied when her staff connects with Shaw's hip. The other woman rolls away and Root does the same, getting to her feet right after. When the attack comes, Root blocks it with her staff, and then moves sideways out of Shaw's immediate range.]

Someone who really wanted to spar with you, [she says sweetly, adjusting her grip on the quarterstaff. She takes a step sideways, and then another, circling her opponent like a wild animal circling its prey.] I wasn't lying, you know. No one else wants to spar with me, and I am the best tech expert you'll find in this place.

[ Yeah, Shaw can understand that sentiment. No one wants to spar with her either, mostly because men don't like getting their asses handed to them by a woman. This one, on the otherhand, probably just downright scares the guys off with the crazy. The woman is good though, she'll give her that much. And talent like that doesn't run amongst the techs. Shaw knows every one of the Jaeger pilots on this base. This could only mean that this one was a new transfer. And that's the one detail Shaw did know about her supposed incoming co-pilot.

She turns and doesn't wait to be circled, being always on the side of offensive maneuvers. She leaps in to close the distance and their staffs smash together with a hard crack. She presses in with her weapon against hers, crowding into her space with a menacing glare. ]

You're it, aren't you? S. Groves. The Machine.

[The crazy definitely plays a part, and so does Root's penchant for playing dirty: not many men enjoy having their odds at future procreation lowered significantly after a single sparring session. A shame, really; Root really enjoys fighting.

She watches the other pilot closely, silently in awe of her skills. Shaw moves beautifully, and Root wishes she could be watching her from outside the mat so she could take in every detail with the attention this woman deserves. She is definitely going to hack into the surveillance feeds later and make herself a copy of their little duel.

But admiring the other woman isn't enough to distract Root from the fight at hand: she blocks Sameen's move with her own staff, and the loud noise they make sends a thrill through her, making her whole body feel all warm and tingly. It's been a very long time since anyone challenged her like this, and Root is loving every second, even more so when Shaw invades her space and figures out just who she is. Root smiles widely at the recognition, cocky and confident and happy, pressing her weapon against Shaw's just as strongly.]

Please, call me Root, [she purrs, as if this is all just pleasant conversation over drinks instead of a rather intense sparring session.] It's so nice to finally meet you, Sameen.

[She gives one strong push with her quarterstaff as she turns her body slightly, curling a leg just so in an attempt to knock Shaw down on to the mat.]

[ The only other thing Shaw knows about S. Groves is that they pilot their Jaeger alone. Most brains can't handle that much input. Maybe that's partly to blame for Root's crazy stunt just now. What it clearly hasn't affected is her physical prowess, which Shaw will have to admit, is up there with the best of them. Almost as good as Shaw. Almost. ]

Well then, it's hello and goodbye, Root. I don't need a co-pilot.

[ She swings down the quarterstaff to block the foot before it can trip her up. Grounding the staff on the floor with one hand, she pivots to send a roundhouse kick to the torso. Fighting with a quarterstaff doesn't usually combine other forms of martial arts, but it helps to be versatile like that. ]

[Most people don't understand how she can pilot her Jaeger alone, but then again most people don't understand The Machine, either. The relationship they have is far more intimate than any other Jaeger and their pilots, and it shows: not only in their dynamic, but also in the way Root is unable to keep a co-pilot, because they just can't handle Drifting with Root and Her for too long.

She doubts she can ever keep a co-pilot; not that she wants to, anyway. Not even Sameen Shaw would be able to keep up with them, she's sure of it.]

I don't need a co-pilot, either.

[Damn, that block was very nice. And so is the roundhouse kick Shaw attempts next, but Root blocks it just in time with her arm, seizing the opportunity to grab Sameen's leg. Keeping her staff in a firm one-handed grip, she tries to sweep Shaw's other leg with her own, wanting to bring her down on to the mat so she can pin her there and disarm her.]

No one can keep up with me and Her.

[ The kick is thwarted and the other leg knocked out in an expert move that can only be accomplished by someone who knows what they're doing. Especially if they're up against a fighter like Shaw. She gets the wind knocked out of her as she's dropped to the mat, the staff rolling out of her reach when it falls.

Root follows after, pinning her down with her superior height.

Shaw narrows her eyes up at her. What's she up to, anyway? Obviously she already knew who Shaw was before she came in here. Testing out the credentials of the new co-pilot, maybe. And it's gutsy of her to declare Shaw unfit to fill the role (nevermind that it was Shaw who rejected the match-up in the first place). If this is Root's own little game of reverse psychology, she picked the wrong Jaeger pilot to mess with. She grabs her by the front of her shirt and yanks her close. ]

Then what the hell are you doing here?

[The satisfaction Root feels as the staff rolls out of Shaw's reach is as visible as the blood still on her face, but she doesn't really care how obvious she's being. She doesn't let go of her own weapon as she pins Shaw down, mostly to show off just how skilled she is at handling the staff; what she really wants to do is to skip the quarterstaff entirely and just engage in some good old fashioned hand to hand combat with someone who is as talented as she is.

Shaw is absolutely right, on both accounts: she wanted to test Sameen's skills, and she is definitely indulging in a little bit of reverse psychology. But she just can't help it: it's far too much fun to press this pilot's buttons, and the way Shaw yanks her closer makes Root wonder if the other woman is enjoying this just as much, too.]

I was curious, [she admits, grinning down at the other woman. With one of her hands still gripping her own quarterstaff, Root uses her free hand to pin Shaw's other hand above her head.] I wanted to see if you were as good as your file made you seem.

[She twists Shaw's hand, enough to hurt but not enough to actually do any damage.]

How about we skip the weapons and just use our hands for our final round, hm?

[ It's a weird sight, to see someone grinning through all that blood. Most people that Shaw beats bloody don't look half so giddy as a result of it. Then again, not many (or indeed any) have ever been able to turn the tables on her, either. She sucks her breath back when Root pins her arm back. It's a good sort of pain, the kind that sets the adrenalin running for the fight. Root might have done her homework, but you can't learn everything about someone in between the pages of a file. ]

I'm better with my hands, anyway. [ she says with a dark grin. But her next move involves her knee, which she'll press hard into Root's side as she attempts to flip them over. Her grip on the shirt pulls at the same time, to give more momentum to the action. ]

[To be fair, most people that Shaw beats bloody don't love every second of it, either, and Root absolutely did: their little fight has been the most fun she's had in ages. And as if the sparring itself wasn't enjoyable enough, watching Sameen fight has been a pleasure, and her reactions are just as good. The way she sucks in a breath when Root twists her hand definitely answers her previous question: the other pilot is enjoying this as much as she is.

At her reply, she throws her quarterstaff away in a hurry. Words cannot express how excited she is about this new turn of events.]

What a coincidence, so am I.

[Root makes the mistake of getting too distracted by that grin to notice what's coming next, so Shaw manages to flip them over, Root's head hitting the mat with a loud thud and sending her hair flying everywhere. Oh, this is just too good, and Root certainly isn't going to complain about how Shaw ended up on top and between her legs, or how they ended up pressed so close together; she licks her lips, completely unfazed by all the blood on her mouth. (She never minded a little bit of blood, after all.) In a quick move, she brings her hand up against Shaw's throat and curls her fingers around it, giving it a light squeeze, as if in warning. Her voice is lower, almost like a purr.]

Wanna play dirty, Shaw? Let's forget about the rules just this once.

Edited 2016-06-10 03:35 (UTC)

Root | Person of Interest || ota

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that icon

right? I just love her face

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