badgernet_ooc | Test Drive 2

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Test Drive 2

Welcome to the second beta test of BadgerNet, Multiversal Edition! Settle in and enjoy your posting experiences. Everything in this will be non-canon.

Here're some example prompts to play around with. You can make up your own!

1. An embarrassing moment of yours just got posted to the site. Oops!
2. Post your proudest moment to the site.
3. Hiccup Event: Holidays Fusion. Basically multiple holidays from different seasons are going on at the same time.
4. Hiccup Event: Under the Sea. Everyone affected now lives under the sea. Water breathing and waterproof stuff included, aquatic transformations optional.
5. Hiccup Event: Life is a Musical. Spontaneous singing and dance numbers break out.
6. You're livestreaming a dramatic moment in your life.
7. Asking the people on the site for advice on something.

And so on. Be sure to read the rules and FAQ before posting.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Complicated Relationships | Video]

[The backdrop for this video seems to be some sort of personal library, with ornate shelves lining the walls and holding ancient looking books and rolled scrolls. Rather than sitting, Margulis is leaning against the edge of a study table, with the elbow of his free arm resting on the tabletop.]

Since we seem to have a rather colorful collection of users on this site, I thought I might see if anyone here has experience with a situation that's been a source of countless headaches for me over the past fourteen years. I have an adversary...a former friend and rival who, along with a mutual friend of ours, chose to place his trust in an organization built on a foundation of manipulation and lies. Both of them believe themselves to be fighting and making sacrifices for the sake of a greater good, but I've become more certain with each passing year, and each act that harms the few for the supposed sake of the many, that their paths will lead them to nothing but regret.

I've known these two for the majority of their lives, but I know the obvious can often go undetected by those who are used to taking it for granted. If anyone has thoughts on how to get some modicum of sense through a pair of notoriously thick skulls, I welcome the outside perspective.

[Finny, But Not Fun | Video]

[Someone doesn't look happy. Despite the beauty of the purple scales bordering his face and the flowing fins he has in place of hair, Margulis is floating in front of the camera with his arms crossed and a sour expression.]

There had better be a good explanation for this...more to the point, I hope someone is capable of fixing it before it becomes a problem that neither of my favored elements work properly underwater.

[Ooooh, those shelves look like they might rival Aziraphale's collection. And like very cool shelves in general. But that's not why Neriel's weighing in.]

Having been that friend... something's going to need to shake them out of their complacency. Rattling whatever faith they have in their superiors or the clear opening of a side that isn't 'Good Things or Terrible Things' might do the trick.

Unfortunately, while such a side does exist now, it's nominally associated with a government that they're entirely correct to despise. Had I not realized the truth of the previous situation before its formation, I may well have dismissed it as an additional problem, myself. By now, any hope of diplomacy would rely on the leaders of both sides being able to set aside over a decade of direct conflict.

As for rattling their faith...that's been my primary aim. I used to be as deluded as the two of them, so I know firsthand the impact clear evidence of deception can be. If it were that simple, however, this would have been over long ago...the one they rally behind noticed the security breach before I could present them with the proof, and the database that might allow me to regain access to it is currently impossible to reach.

In my case, it took the fallout from Armageddon being called off at the last minute - granted, there wasn't a viable third option until then, and it took me that long to find out I'd been given bad information. When you're in that deep, it's difficult to see a way out even if you'd like one.

If the existing third option is that unpalatable... well, maybe you need a fourth.

The third option is serviceable enough, it's simply an unfortunate reality that there are a number of obstacles to convincing both sides that their enmity is counterproductive...not the least of which being that the Foundation has played a key role in interfering with those same plans I expect my former comrades to regret. Convincing them to abandon their fool crusade will have to come before offering them another course.

So it would. It probably helped that I was never all that invested in the crusade in the first place - I'm not one for needless suffering.

Bringing about as total an end as is implied by the word Armageddon seems as though it would be difficult for any to be invested in, save those who have utterly given up on the world and mankind.

I almost wish it was so clearly evident that what they're doing serves to do more harm than good.

And yet, not wanting to destroy a perfectly good inhabited planet when there are plenty of uninhabited planets that could have hosted a fresh round of trauma for everyone wasn't nearly as popular an opinion as one would hope. It's like they forgot that being dismissive of humanity was one of Lucifer's talking points.

[Just a moment, Margulis.exe has encountered a long running script. About a dozen possibilities are running through his head, and he's not sure how he feels about any of them...not after learning about how the upper echelons of Ormus had used his faith to manipulate him, along with everyone else.]

I get the sense that you're not speaking allegorically.

Not in the slightest.

Everyone else was more interested in relitigating the Rebellion than what casualties might be inflicted along the way. Well, nearly everyone. Oddly, leaving the field agents alone and to their own devices for the most part led to them not condoning destruction of the place they were left to oversee.

And, well, why anyone thought Lucifer's child would do as they were told is still beyond me.

Edited 2020-11-12 07:11 (UTC)

I wish the confirmation of Heaven's existence was the least surprising part of all this. If the formation of Ormus was truly God's will, then I have no choice but to accept that He and His messengers hold far less compassion for individual mortal lives than the scriptures would have us believe.

If I could but prove that, then I'm certain Pellegri would see reason. Her belief that the actions of a Cardinal loyal to His word must surely be weighed to inflict no unwarranted harm is what binds her to her current path. Uzuki, however, I know to carry a form of belief far less reliant upon the infallibility of the divine.

I certainly can't tell you if it was the Almighty's will - even if we do share a world, which so far seems unlikely, She hasn't even directly communicated Her plans to us in quite some time. [Besides, humans get up to plenty of mischief - and good - by themselves.] What I can say is that concern for human souls most often boils down to scoring points against the Opposition.

Which you would think would be more reason to keep the source of those 'points' available, and yet. We all helped fill out the universe, we know where a fight on that scale wouldn't harm bystanders.

I can't say I'm certain what to make of that...but I can say that what I settle on is a personal matter. Regardless of whether Ormus is the result of a merciless God, a host of directionless angels, or the mere selfish deceptions of a long line of coldly ambitious humans, the fact remains that it's undeserving of their loyalty.

I can definitely grant you that one.

In any case, my faith in the Archangels was already not terribly strong, and then I found out they lied about whether my friends remembered me after they Fell. I don't know if they'll want to talk, but there's a chance I can try.

I got the evidence I needed via an attempted covert execution, but for obvious reasons, that may not be a tactic you can call upon.

Uzuki's faith is in the person, rather than the God she claims to represent...it would take evidence of her personal treachery to convince him of his mistakes.

Pellegri, I haven't spoken to directly in some time, but if she's still the woman I remember...her faith is resolute, but she's not without compassion. However, it's very much true that Athaliah's apparent either desire to see me dead or lack of desire to stop Uzuki from making the repeated attempts is unlikely to have swayed her. I was the Commander of their naval forces and the Chief Inquisitor of Ormus before I learned the truth. It's simple fact that my opposition to them is a major threat to their operations.

I'm not sure what might get through to them, in that case. Only that they'll likely have to see the deceptions at play for themselves before they're willing to discuss them.

That's the conclusion I've been coming back to, as well. Of course, if such a thing were easy, I wouldn't have spent fourteen years looking for an opportunity, to no avail. For the moment, I doubt they'd recognize it even if they saw it, with that senile old pretender holding their suspicion. I can only hope it's not too late by the time he gives them their opportunity to remove him from the equation.

[ 1 ]

[ The video feed turns on to show a short teenage.... girl? with messy silver hair. She's covered in black motor oil and grease, and the interior shown SEEMS to be a garage? Except in addition to the normal car stuff, in the background there's a lot of other mechanical bits and equipment. ]

All right, that should do it! Now I should be able to give the Valormobile a nice boost while only using a little of the leftover rocket fuel....

[ She pauses. A worried look crosses her face. ] Ah, wait, why is that spark--

[ BOOM ]

[ 7 ]

[ The video feed turns on to a more relaxed, controlled setting. A living room, fairly modern if a little small. Ashlyn is clean this time, and dressed in a Hello Kitty T-shirt and shorts. ]

All right, BadgerNet, hypothetical question for you. You get offered a lucrative position doing what you love, and if you're still in school like me, they make this offer to you with the option of finishing up whatever schooling you want under their dime.

The catch is that the company's name is Blackthorne and they are as shady as the name sounds.

Reactions? Go.

Edited 2020-11-14 08:21 (UTC)

.... Okay, very different fuel technology, but this sounds a lot like a classic Aer Overcharge situation?

[On the other side of the feed is a girl, perhaps a bit younger than Ashlyn with a notably fancy thing on her neck, looking like she's focused on the video content besides Ashlyn.]

[Emma's suspicious face is very clear on the screen. She starts signing quite rapidly and passionately, Badgernet providing subtitles.]

That is very suspicious! You'll probably disappear secretly if you find something bad about them! You really shouldn't take that job!

1

[Franciscus appears on the screen from a slanted angle, as if his phone is on a table. He's running his fingers through the feathers of a large rocky-headed bird and muttering affectionately to it.]

You're a good boy, aren't you Gerard? I've got a special treat for you, you know!

5

[Franciscus is twirling around his room, humming softly along to the music in the background before bursting into song.]

Wise men say, only fools rush in.
But I can't help falling in love with you...

7

Does anyone have advice on handling people being unbearably intrusive about your relationships?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Test Drive 2

Test Drive 2

Margulis | Xenosaga (Roleswap AU)

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Ashlyn Silvermane | Valor Corps (tabletop original)

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Franciscus Erkens | Pokemon OC | CRAU