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.

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[ And yet, Shaw is as close to a machine as a human can probably get. At least, this is what she used to think about herself. She could push herself harder and further than most people precisely because she felt so little, emotionally and physically. Like a machine. And sure, it's easier to deal with this fucked up world when you can disconnect like Shaw can. But she never really thought that anybody would want to do such a thing.

Maybe sometimes, people experience so many bad feelings that they think it's better to not have any at all. Seems like a cop-out, to Shaw. But it's easy for her to say, isn't it? ]

Is that why you don't need a partner?

[It's not that Root needs to escape from her thoughts and feelings, not exactly; she just doesn't like the restrictions of a human body. Because she's human, she can't pilot the Machine alone for long periods of time, or her brain will pay the price; it would be easier if she could have her human soul inside of a machine's body. Root has always loved efficiency, after all. (Or maybe she could just merge with the Machine's core system after she's gone... she'd like that quite a bit.)

It's not like she doesn't enjoy or feel comfortable in her body, either: Root likes pain almost as much as she likes pleasure, and even craves intimacy on occasion. Nothing that an affair with a bright eyed technician in awe of S. Groves can't fix, but she's tired of reverence and admiration: just once, she would love it if she could find an equal, someone who she can fight for dominance in bed just like she always fights for dominance in battle. Someone just like Shaw.

She wonders if the higher ups predicted that would happen, too.]

I don't need a partner, but my nervous system does. You know as well as I do just how damaging it is to Drift alone. That's the only reason I've accepted temporary partners.

[Root shampoos her hair again, just in case. While she absolutely doesn't mind the scent of blood, she hates finding bits of clotted blood in her hair after showering.]

I haven't found anyone worthy of Her yet. At this rate, I'll probably die from neurological damage before that happens.

Edited 2016-06-26 17:34 (UTC)

[ And there she goes again with her reverse psychology bullshit. Well if Root wants to trick her into accepting the co-pilot chair, she's gonna be sorely disappointed. Yeah, Shaw's a bit curious about The Machine. Who hasn't heard about it, after all? Shaw knows all about the Jaegers that have impressive track records. And yes, she can be a proud type who doesn't take any put-downs like you're not worthy to pilot that Jaeger. But she's also smarter than these mind games. ]

Well I'm not gonna be your little neural conduit.

[ Root isn't looking looking for a partner. She wants a damn stopgap. Shaw isn't sure if she should be annoyed or disappointed. ]

[Root rinses her hair for the second time, running her fingers through the wet strands. She blinks at both Shaw's words and her tone, slightly surprised that she sounds so annoyed. Shockingly enough, Root didn't want to use reverse psychology this time, unlike what happened during their fight: she was simply stating a fact, and she didn't want to offend the other woman. Oh, she has no problem trolling or even offending other people, but only when she means to do so; she doesn't want to be a little shit accidentally.]

I don't want you to. You're one of our best pilots, and I would never disrespect you and your career by using you as a tool.

[It's the truth. Is she curious about what it's like to Drift with S. Shaw? Absolutely. Would she use her like she used those novice pilots, as a means to achieve an end? Never.

Root sighs. She doesn't kiss and tell, and she has always kept the Machine's secrets, but she's starting to think that the other woman needs to know a little more about this situation so she can understand everything a little better.]

I can't choose my hypothetical partner, Sameen, and neither can our bosses: only She can make that decision. [Root turns the water off and stands there for a moment, pondering how much she can-- and should-- reveal.] None of my previous co-pilots have been actual partners because She thought they weren't good enough for me, or for Her.

[Every Jaeger is lifeless, devoid of anything but metal, hydraulics, and basic Jaeger programming... except for the Machine. The truth is that, inside that metal skeleton and all of its components, the Machine isn't an empty shell at all.]

[ Oh. Then Shaw read it wrong, then? She doesn't feel much emotion herself, so sometimes she reads people wrongly. She rinses out her hair and shuts off the water. The word she isn't really that unusual in Jaeger circles. They're considered like ships after all, and there's a long tradition of calling ships by the female pronoun. But there's something about the way Root says it that gives Shaw a little pause. It's almost like Root is talking about another person, rather than a machine. Which is ironic, considering the Jaeger's name. ]

What are you talking about she deciding? The drift isn't about the Jaeger. It's about neural compatibility.

[Most people read Root wrong; but then again, Root doesn't let most people in close enough for them to even get a chance at trying to read her at all. Shaw has gotten closer to finding out who she really is in just a few hours than everyone she's ever worked with has managed to in years.

She smiles at that question, squeezing her hair with both hands to get the excess water out.]

You are right, of course. In any other Jaeger, Drifting successfully one time would mean you are able to do so over and over again with your co-pilot, [she begins, reaching for her towel.] Drifting gets easier the more you do it, and the neural compatibility should increase with time. But not with Her.

[Root wraps her towel loosely around her body, only covering up enough to be considered decent. She really wouldn't mind just walking around naked while in the locker room area, but she doesn't know how Shaw feels about gratuitous nudity. Unfortunately.]

Drifting gets harder every time, and no one has been able to handle the increased neural input from co-piloting my Jaeger for more than a few missions. With time, She starts to reject my co-pilots like an autoimmune disease wreaking havoc on the human body, but I always remain unaffected. That's why she doesn't choose a partner: She chooses co-pilots, temporary and disposable, assessing and evaluating them as we Drift the first time, and if they aren't good enough, she rejects them.

[Root speaks of the whole deal as if it's the most natural thing in the world, as if a Jaeger programmed differently from every other Jaeger on the fleet wouldn't be deemed a menace and a safety hazard by, well, everyone.]

Most of the time, they can't even withstand more than two missions with me and The Machine, anyway. As it turns out, it's a little difficult to Drift when a Jaeger has a mind of Her own.

[ Shaw yanks the towel from the hook and rubs her hair with it roughly before using the same to pat down her body. She wraps it haphazardly over herself and steps out of the stall. ]

Mind of her own? What, are you saying your Jaeger is sentient?

[ AIs aren't really that strange to think about. A lot of machines have some sort of programming in them nowadays that yields decision making processes. But how Root talks about her Jaeger is different. It's as though there's something fundamentally unique about it that has never been done before.

Root did say she was a hacker. Is this just her own strange sort of imaginary friend thing? Or is there something else there? ]

[The hacker gives a little sigh, wishing that there was no frosted glass between them so she could maybe catch another glimpse of Sameen's body while she's drying her hair. Root steps out of her stall, too, an enigmatic little smile on her lips; she looks almost coy, like she knows something naughty that she really shouldn't share with anyone else, but really wants to.

Would She be mad if Root invited Shaw to meet Her? The Machine knows everyone on the Jaeger fleet, but She knows Root better than anyone else; She had to know that her pilot would want to do something like this, right? Maybe She even predicted it, that wouldn't surprise the hacker at all.]

Maybe, [she purrs, before making her way to the lockers, swaying her hips as she walks. Root looks back at Shaw over her shoulder, her smirk devious and seductive.]

Wanna find out?

No.

[ Yes. Shaw isn't even sure. On the one hand, she's sick of being idle. Ever since Cole died, she's been in a funk that she's pretty sure can only be fixed by pummeling something to death. But in order to get there, she has to drift with someone else. It's a Catch-22.

Also, she can't lie, but The Machine sounds like one hell of a ride. She wants to test it out. But Root ... she might be hot, but she can't be trusted. Not with Shaw's most intimate memories.

She snorts and cocks her head at her, as if to say that she's not going to be swayed by that seductive smile. ]

[She pouts in a very exaggerated manner, quite obviously disappointed. Oh well. It was worth a try.]

And here I was offering you a glimpse inside the best Jaeger ever built. I'm hurt that you rejected my very generous offer, Sameen.

[That rejection won't stop her from trying again, of course: she doesn't give up that easily. Root hacks people as easily as she hacks computers, and it was about time she found herself a challenge, someone really worth hacking. Sure, Shaw wasn't swayed by her attempts at seduction yet, but maybe that will change if Root presses just the right buttons. A girl can dream, right?

She walks over to her locker, unwrapping the towel from around her body so she can pat her body dry. Root continues talking, as if Shaw hasn't already rejected getting acquainted with the Machine.]

You don't even want to get a closer look, or watch her systems go online? I always found it quite exciting to feel the hum of her circuitry from up close...

[ Shaw doesn't really believe for a second that Root is really hurt. She doesn't know much about feelings, but she does know that a rejection from a total stranger should not cause that much pain. Especially since she's not even sure the 'generous offer' had been sincere.

She turns back to her locker and pulls out some clean clothes to throw on. Sher smirks a little. ]

That sounds a little perverted.

[ It's not exactly a no? ]

[Shaw may not know a lot about feelings, but she is absolutely right: Root wasn't hurt at all. If anything, Shaw's rejection made her even more excited and eager to get to know the other woman better, and to hack past her firewalls.

She is reaching for her own set of clean clothes to put on when the other woman replies. Root looks over her shoulder, obviously surprised, because that doesn't sound like a 'no' at all; her smirk widens, and she bites her lower lip to hold back a satisfied chuckle, because that would really make it too obvious how much this pleases her, and that just won't do. Root slips into her panties, plain black just like the rest of her clothes.]

Mm. Does it?

[She sounds completely innocent, which is the opposite of how she's been feeling around the other woman: it's just so much fun to play that part, to fake a shyness that she never really has or feels, just to bring out a reaction. Coy really isn't her thing, and it shows, from her body language to the way she manages to expertly clasp her bra behind her back with only one hand. She's had plenty of practice, after all.]

I could make it sound so much better if you wanted me to.

[And all of a sudden, she isn't really talking about The Machine at all.]

[ Yeah, Shaw's not convinced by any of that innocence. Root's already tried that routine and Shaw is no fool. And she can read the body language loud and clear too.

And she thinks it's pretty obvious that Root is no longer talking about the Machine either. The one-handed bra hook is pretty impressive, she has to admit. ]

And what makes you think I would?

[That makes Root laugh, the sound low and breathy, almost like a purr. She chuckles at the preposterous idea that someone wouldn't want her: she's one of the best pilots the Jaeger fleet has ever had, she's hot, and she has no problem easing herself into the beds of attractive women. Root has quite the healthy ego, so she's well aware of how awesome she is, and it's only logical that most people would greatly enjoy getting to know her on a biblical sense.

She slips into her black jeans and puts her dark red shirt on, but she doesn't button it up just yet: Root leans back against her locker, looking at the other woman with a raised eyebrow as she works on her shirt buttons, cocky and challenging all at once.]

The real question is: why wouldn't you?

Edited 2016-07-14 23:50 (UTC)

[ Shaw rolls her eyes at that. But she can't really fault her for being so cocky. She doesn't doubt that Root could probably have whoever she wanted.

She pulls on her clothes rather perfunctorily (dark jeans, dark tanktop), not really aiming to make it look good or anything, and tosses her towel into a hamper nearby. ]

Because you're nuts?

[ But really, that's not a dealbreaker for Shaw. She's not talking about any kind of commitment, after all. Just don't be a creeper, or she might have to cut you. ]

[Root pouts, but it's obvious from the amusement in her eyes that she's finding this whole thing quite entertaining. Oh, she would love to get to know Sameen better, in more ways than one, but she can't deny that having Shaw resist and even make fun of her advances is both funny and exciting. It's not that the hacker thinks she's absolutely irresistible (even though people have a very hard time resisting her), but it's been a very long time since she had her advances turned down like that.

She likes it quite a bit.

Those words make her laugh again, but this time, the sound is a lot closer to a girlish giggle.]

It's part of my charm, really, [she says as she puts on her black leather boots. Root straightens up and grabs her leather jacket, all black with THE MACHINE written in the back, the sleeves covered in what appears to be an intricate circuit board pattern.] Why, do you only go for normal and mentally sane people? How boring, Sameen.

[ This woman is impossible. And yet, it doesn't annoy Shaw half as much as she thinks it should. This sort of mock pouting and blatant flirtation, it doesn't usually do much for her. Shaw doesn't particularly have a high sex drive. Attractions aren't something that happens much. Maybe because you need some sort of emotion to attach to it. So when people come on strong, it's usually an irritation.

What's different this time?

Shaw throws on the rest of her clothes and shoes and swings her locker shut. ]

Keep telling yourself that.

[ And yet, there's a brief smirk on her face when she turns to leave. ]

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BECAUSE THE WORLD NEEDS THIS

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