[BitPR²] OOCVI: We have a space base now!

[Kuroimaken]

I'm assuming it has something to do with Hideki's many, many cameras, which is why I didn't ask. When Draken first posed Azuma coming to IntSec I assumed it had something to do with him spying on the interrogation too, which I'm glad wasn't the case.

For the most part, Setsurou went out of his way to disguise himself in order to protect Momoka's privacy rather than his own. He doesn't really give a flying fork what people think of him.

[strawberryman]

Fair enough, and Draken just gave me an explanation I'm willing to accept. So, issue resolved!

[Kuroimaken]

Feel free to relay that one back to me later, provided it won't spoil anything.

[Draken]

Hideki had surveillance on Momoka due to being a lot less trusting than he initially let out and then tracked her only visitor until he was pretty sure the person was a fake ID with decent odds of being Setsurou.

With that educated guess, he just dropped the matter entirely and went off to throw meteors at the underside of the asteroid.

Azuma just got confirmation that it was, indeed, Setsurou. It holds no further relevance and will probably not come up again.

[Kuroimaken]

Well, Setsurou has a lot of people working under him whom have mad ninja disguise skills, so it actually could be just about anybody under Setsurou up to and including himself. Hideki's educated guess probably had more to do with Setsurou's M.O. than anything else.

I have to admit it was fun to have someone act like the guy is a moron for once, for as long as THAT lasted.

[Frozen_Feet]

My position is more along the lines of "there is another way". Mostly because the logistics of The Balance never quite added up to me (and I bet it was the same for most), which is why I guess we never really spoke about them. I am sure most people had actually forgotten about that bit since past the first few chapters it was really mentioned in the Memories movie and then long, long, looooong later in Mayuri's stunt.

How well the concept of balance adds up is heavily influenced by culture you come from. Like most Japanese popular culture, Bleach is heavily influenced and inspired by Japanese tradition, mythology etc. Many of the thing that are left unexplained are things that wouldn't have to be explained to a native Japanese reader. (For example, Komamura being a werewolf or references to Animal realm).

If you want to understand the logistics, you have to think of the balance as a metaphysical principle, not just a matter of logistics. It is the existence between two unreasonable extremes, known in Western philosophy as the Golden Mean. Hence, Soul Society would reject both Von Geister's way and the way of the Quincies, because they represent excessive extremes of Life and Death, respectively.

[Kuroimaken]

Although KD raises a valid point about the depth to which that balance can be understood and how it can be measured. Something which we could expand a bit in our game, especially considering the ZH plot.

And wait, Komamura is a werewolf? I never knew him to shift forms. I always thought he was a tanuki or something.

[Draken]

Although KD raises a valid point about the depth to which that balance can be understood and how it can be measured. Something which we could expand a bit in our game, especially considering the ZH plot.

And wait, Komamura is a werewolf? I never knew him to shift forms. I always thought he was a tanuki or something.

I think he is supposed to be part of the beast realm.

[KnightDisciple]

Although KD raises a valid point about the depth to which that balance can be understood and how it can be measured. Something which we could expand a bit in our game, especially considering the ZH plot.

And wait, Komamura is a werewolf? I never knew him to shift forms. I always thought he was a tanuki or something.

He's from an entire clan of werewolfs or wolfweres or something.

Basically, he gets a super-upgrade from ripping out his heart, which makes him almost fully human and gives him a huge power boost and makes his Bankai a pure energy construct with a b****** mustache....
But once he finishes his fight he turns into a pure wolf with basically no powers or ability of speech.

[Kuroimaken]

Good to know he finally gets some screentime that isn't destroying him as a Captain.

[KnightDisciple]

Is there anything I can do to help folks speed up the scene in the quarry so we can wrap up this set of scenes and maybe move things forward a bit?

[Kuroimaken]

I second this, I want tears coming out of all your goddamn eyes.

[Frozen_Feet]

Is there anything I can do to help folks speed up the scene in the quarry so we can wrap up this set of scenes and maybe move things forward a bit?

Besides knocking Hasunaga unconscious and dragging him along, anything else Chuck, Naito, Tamaki or Katsuo could do would likely make the scene last longer. I think we're waiting on Tamaki's and Katsuo's reaction, mostly.

[KnightDisciple]

Besides knocking Hasunaga unconscious and dragging him along, anything else Chuck, Naito, Tamaki or Katsuo could do would likely make the scene last longer. I think we're waiting on Tamaki's and Katsuo's reaction, mostly.

I was speaking strictly OOC. I've sent AK another PM.

[Frozen_Feet]

Then you've already done everything you can and some more.

Back to other things:

Although KD raises a valid point about the depth to which that balance can be understood and how it can be measured. Something which we could expand a bit in our game, especially considering the ZH plot.

I thought the failed recruitment rant by the interrogator made fairly clear where ZHE stands? You seriously don't need to know how many souls a Shinigami weighs when it comes to their plot, you only need to know that if they succeed, all afterlifes will burn in Holy Fire.

[KnightDisciple]

Then you've already done everything you can and some more.

Back to other things:



I thought the failed recruitment rant by the interrogator made fairly clear where ZHE stands? You seriously don't need to know how many souls a Shinigami weighs when it comes to their plot, you only need to know that if they succeed, all afterlifes will burn in Holy Fire.

You mean they'll be absorbed by a being that's more Hollow than Human or Shinigami. Aka they're a bunch of crazy hypocrites serving and worshipping a Hollow in a human skin.

[Draken]

That's not actually what happens with the core quincy thing, he just absorbs a portion that he gave in the first place, the rest of the soul (which is the soul proper) just goes do whatever it normally would.

[Frozen_Feet]

There are hypocritical ZHE members, but not for even remotely the reason you suggest. The Cross isn't like Yhwach of canon. It isn't a human, nor does it wear the skin of one. It's also severely lacking in such iconic Hollow traits as having a hole through its heart, wearing a skull mask and bearing grudges.

[KnightDisciple]

There are hypocritical ZHE members, but not for even remotely the reason you suggest. The Cross isn't like Yhwach of canon. It isn't a human, nor does it wear the skin of one. It's also severely lacking in such iconic Hollow traits as having a hole through its heart, wearing a skull mask and bearing grudges.

The point is their object of veneration eats souls. Quincy souls, souls killed by Quincy, probably random unpowered souls for snacks....

[Kuroimaken]

Besides knocking Hasunaga unconscious and dragging him along, anything else Chuck, Naito, Tamaki or Katsuo could do would likely make the scene last longer. I think we're waiting on Tamaki's and Katsuo's reaction, mostly.

Why on EARTH would knocking Hasunaga unconscious solve anything?

[Frozen_Feet]

The point is their object of veneration eats souls.

The point is built on a faulty premise. Your conclusion of ZHE members being hypocrites is correct, but your reasoning is completely wrong.

Why on EARTH would knocking Hasunaga unconscious solve anything?

Who said anything about solving? I said it'd make the scene end quicker.

[TherianTheorist]

Hmm... what should I do first... (Also is it bad I already have a plan for the next BiTP in the works, but no real plans for this one?)

Roll a d10?

(1)	1d4 hollows appear somewhere for some reason.
(2)	A vision of the past, and not from anybody you'd expect.
(3)	Skygazing.
(4)	A one off character appears and does... Nothing really.
(5)	Just as planned.
(6)	As (1), but as a character intro.
(7)	Where did this thing come from?
(8)	Go figure out the consequences Kaoru got himself into.
(9)	Nothing IC, but I ramble awkwardly in the OOC about things I won't actually do*
(10)	Roll again twice. If you have already rolled this result, and this is one of said rerolls, a barrier appears in Ikari park. If for some reason you roll a ten on all three rolls, a filler villain appears in the barrier.

...I spend way too much time thinking up tables.

*Technically already doing this.

Edit: Since I have /way/ too many d10s (Playing white wolf systems will do that to you.) I actually tried this. Results were 10, 2, 1.
...I can work with that.

[Frozen_Feet]

I can come up with something for Kaoru to do if you'd like. What about your Mortal World character(s)? What were they doing last? I remember one of them talking to Hasunaga and then Katsuo before they left him in the dust...

To others: I was re-reading Bleach, and by accident, stumbled upon a chapter that gives a good idea of what happens when balance of the worlds is disrupted. Long story short: Hollowfication (of Shinigami and Pluses) is achieved by breaking the barrier between souls through upsetting the original soul's balance. However, the chain reaction doesn't stop there. After the barriers within the souls have been broken, the barrier between the soul and the outside world also breaks, leading to annihilation of the soul. This is known as Soul Suicide.

The balance between worlds is exactly the same, just on the level of planetary ecosystems instead of inviduals. The end result of the balance being broken is either similar to Hueco Mundo (a world with no light and no native life), or a giant explosion. Pick your poison.

It's within Draken's rights to say Von Geister has something to remedy this. Or, maybe he's just fine with Earth and Soul Society becoming like Hueco Mundo. I wouldn't know.

[Draken]

I can honestly say I don't remember this bit of lore and do not include it in any of my considerations.

[Kuroimaken]

Neither do I, but then again, I'm not fully caught up on Bleach.

[KnightDisciple]

That whole correlation of Soul Suicide to the effects of unbalanced planes is tenuous and in no way discussed explicitly in canon.

If the whole thing is going to lead to the inevitable destruction of everything no matter what we might as well stop playing because our actions are pointless.

Anyways.

Kuroi, I would say maybe just keep the scene at Kuzonoha moving so we don't get bogged down. We can just assume the group follows the doctor.

[Kuroimaken]

Awww, I wanted to get Chuck's reaction before moving on... anyway.

[KnightDisciple]

Awww, I wanted to get Chuck's reaction before moving on... anyway.

His reaction is "grim expression, silently follow". Which I already posted.

[Frozen_Feet]

If the whole thing is going to lead to the inevitable destruction of everything no matter what...

There isn't anything inevitable about it. Or at least, it won't inevitably come to pass during our game precisely because we have a whole army of people working to prevent it.

Draken, I'll send you a more detailed explanation later. (You're the only one to who it'd matter at this point, anyways.)

[Draken]

Eh. I would be more content with it not coming to pass by dismissing that particular line of extrapolated potential canon?