agogelogs | WILL YOU WALK INTO MY PARLOR

WILL YOU WALK INTO MY PARLOR—

WHO? Everybody!
WHAT? BASE training, between investigating the fish.
WHEN? Still outside time and space, in the aether between dimensions.
ANYTHING ELSE? Please warn for anything besides physical violence and move to a personal journal if it's beyond PG-13.

I want to wring out your evil thoughts;

I want to eat out your bitter heart

READ THE JHASHCH INFOPAGE.

OVERVIEW

A couple weeks into exploration, recruits receive a bulletin on their BCEs.

@SCOUT | @ALL

report to the foyer at 0600 hours tomorrow for a briefing; it'll be a couple weeks yet, but you're headed to jhashch, circa 382.92

you'll receive a datapack that goes over the location in detail, but we're still acquiring location-appropriate clothing. you'll receive your equipment in full before departure. until then, you've more than a little training to accomplish.

the commander will lay out your regime tomorrow. don't make her wait.

Anyone who arrives early will catch the end of an argument between Grothia, Chiron, and Young. Or, more accurately, Grothia and Young.

If you listen carefully to Grothia's raised voice and Young's collective jeer over Chiron's calm, placating tones, you'll learn Grothia and Young are required to attend this summit, in a show of good faith. And it's a matter Grothia has only addressed with your scout now. She storms from the room in a flurry of white feathers and the crows sulk for the rest of the day.

Needless to say, she is furious. She is not a fan of spiders.

THE MAIN FOYER

The foyer has been overhauled. The walls are dark and impersonal; while not terribly different from their usual steel, they're slick and clean in a way BASE is not, so polished you can see your distorted reflection. And this sterile surface is only a backdrop to architecture reminiscent of the height of the Baroque period: decadent, dark, and sometimes pointlessly opulent.

Many of the rooms are only gently lit, leaving long shadows, and sometimes you might spot movement out of the corner of your eye. It's dark and cool, almost like a cellar, but by no means even a fraction as musty. It's as well ventilated as BASE can ever be. And, while some rooms simply acclimate you to your upcoming surroundings, others serve clear purpose.

Much of the furniture is odd in shape, casting swooping silhouettes and made for creatures much larger and rounder than humans. But what is meant for human use is just as opulent, decked in rich fabrics and carved wood.

A few rooms along the foyer's rim are bright, with large "windows" (high definition screens, much like the ones in your rooms) that display the rusty landscape of Jhashch. It's possible to see various lifeforms wandering the jagged terrain, hyper realistic, though the images will loop if you watch long enough. Sometimes, you might even spot an undisguised Aranean.

Welcome to your training grounds.

TRAINING

All recruits must train extensively in each of the following categories. This is emphasized and revisited again and again, until it is drilled into memory. But this time, it isn't like the shooting and running of the Great War. This is a little more...refined.

However, it's not as easy to tell when you've messed up, so COST has repurposed some Dactly droids. Each recruit will have one droid assigned to follow them; when a mistake is made, it will hurl a glitter bomb at the person and cheerfully inform them, "You have been consumed." 🎊 The glitter is just as difficult to remove as you'd expect.

ETIQUETTE

Etiquette is split into several key elements. Recruits are repeatedly reminded: if your etiquette is poor enough, an Aranean may eat you, diplomacy and goodwill be damned. They take poor form deadly serious.

» POSTURE

Araneans see power in perfect posture, whether sitting or standing. You are always expected to be at your tallest and most intimidating, with shoulders straight back and hands placed in your lap or on your glass or cutlery. It's poor form to turn your face down or away when someone is talking to you; Araneans favor eye contact. It is advised to look at the largest, middle two eyes of an Aranean.

» CONVERSATION

Be interesting; this is no place for wallflowers. Speak with authority on topics you know or, at least, can fake. What matters is confidence, aggression, and dominating the conversation. Recruits will compile three topics that they can speak of confidently at length.

» ENTERTAINMENT

Characters should choose a skill to hone into something presentable in the Court. This can be anything, whether art, music, shooting, sword fighting, etc. Something they can show off and demonstrate, that they're sure they'll dominate in. And note: While dominance and cruelty are powerful in their own right, there's something to be said for anyone who can distract and charm another to their doom.

However, don't go in swinging your hardest. Always keep an ace up your sleeve, just in case.

» DANCE

Like most warrior cultures of the past, Araneans are obsessed with dancing as much as appearance. Their whole purpose is an intricate display of steps and motions and memorization of positions. For people with fewer than eight legs, it is mercifully a little easier.

A little. You still have to learn at least three common dances to satisfy your Dactyl droid.

» DINING

Meals are taken very seriously by Araneans, with a set order and customs that are observed almost obsessively.

SKULGA: All meals start with a glass of alcoholic drink, chosen carefully by the hosting family. This is to ensure no drink or glass has been poisoned. As such, all meals begin with every guest skulling a glass.

CURATH-MIR: The first person to eat is always highest in rank. To eat at the same time is to challenge them and attempt to take their place...or that of the food on their plate.

LAMBRAT: A napkin of sorts, but one you bring to match your outfit. It is tied to the left wrist and used during the meal like a typical napkin. They are usually of very expensive and boldly colored material, which you can use to motion servants without looking at them. You don't want to break eye contact with your conversation partner.

COLPATHA: A dish that is the first course of every banquet. It is raw meat of a choice cut and presented in a bowl over open flame on hot coals, with appropriate utensils. You have to cook the meat yourself. It is also expected to be something of a spectacle, by doing tricks with how you cook.

CUTLERY: There are no forks here; only a series of intricate, specially curved knives. And no, you can't use your hands.

» BOWING

Spiders are prone to display. For an Aranean, bowing involves extending all limbs of their upper body and bending at the main knee of their legs, all whilst keeping the upper body stiff and face forward; after all, eye contact is still key. It's somewhat reminiscent of this little spider, though with the raised limbs spread wider, like a ballerina.

For humans, it's more difficult to execute; we have fewer limbs, after all. Instead, both men and women step forward, extend the dominant leg back, lift both arms and bend at the knees. It is, quite possibly, the most precarious balancing act you've done in a while. For men, only one arm is lifted and the other tucked behind the back. For women, well...

» DIPLOMACY

Recruits are encouraged to help each other grasp the art of backstabbing; COST understands it is a nebulous art and carefully honed with time. Better to allow the experts to educate, than to muddle along without that spark.

That said, if you encounter diplomats from other groups, you're expected to conduct yourself as you would around an Aranean...which, unfortunately, includes the Regency.

GROOMING

Araneans are obsessed with appearance, grooming, and presentation, if the etiquette wasn't enough, so it's time for COST to take a ~spa day~. At least here you won't get lice.

Another series of repurposed droids are now your hairdressers, manicurists, and personal groomers. It's nothing truly dramatic and mostly intended to get everyone up to standard, with optional courses in makeup and hair-styling for full banquets and other occasions. Hair can be styled to taste, as long as it's neat and isn't too labor intensive; recruits are expected to maintain it and the rest of their appearance afterwards.

From here on out, no one comes to breakfast or dinner without a shower, their hair done, or nails cleaned. Presenting yourself as a mess is disrespectful and will be similarly as punished.

Also, COST is far too broke to get you actual maidservants, so it's important to remember what is realistic for a single person to accomplish.

LANGUAGE

When conversing with humans, Araneans will speak in a language the BCE can translate, but names will remain as they are. Aranean custom doesn't attribute meanings to names, since so many children are born in a single clutch of eggs. But it's impossible for humans to make the sounds necessary for their language, so Araneans will tolerate screw-ups—to an extent.

There are recordings of Aranean names, pronounced by an Aranean speaker (it sounds like a series of hisses and clicks) and then the nearest approximation by a human, which is middling at best and involves a pale imitations of those sounds.

Here are some examples of what human-spoken Aranean sounds like, to give you a vague idea: Jhashch, Thsh, Chch, Shai, Aythy, Shch.

Also, you should always use a spider's title. Whether a noble lady or lord to the High Queen herself, failing to use a title is a sign of wanton disrespect...or a challenge. Either option is inadvisable when COST is trying to garner respect and curry favor with the royal court.

COMBAT

For general combat training, the gym and armory are open and available. A large mechanical spider sits in the former; Chiron has activated it for the recruits' use. Roughly the size of a male Aranean, its armor is reminiscent of Aranean plate and possesses similar weak points. The most striking of these is the abdomen and their comparatively fragile joints. The robot is unintelligent, but moves as an Aranean does, with agile leaps and viciously quick strikes.

It also fires lasers, which is less than accurate, but pay that no mind.

» DUELING

The rapiers recruits receive serve a purpose. It's time to learn renaissance-style fencing, as they are the standard dueling weapon for the Aranean people. Unlike the stamina building exercises of Gallipoli, everyone will train for agility and precision. This will cover everything from sprints, lunges, when and how to strike human and Aranean opponents, and—most useful of all—how to maintain your balance. Training lasts for three hours every morning after breakfast. It's heavy on leg and shoulder work.

It becomes very apparent why some people spend their whole lives devoted to the sword: This isn't a skill you pick up overnight. Characters who know a different style of swordwork will be better off than those who have never trained before. A poor man's weapon this is not.

Then there are the duelist courtesies and rules:

To issue a challenge: strike your opponent lightly with an open palm across the cheek.
To accept the duel: strike your challenger back in a similar fashion.
To refuse the duel: bow and step backwards.

When a duel begins, the duelists will meet at an agreed time and place. After meeting in the center of the room, they will hold their weapons up with two hands, so their opponent can see no one has tampered with the weapons; after the inspection, they take three steps back while still facing each other, before turning back to their starting position.

Matches last until the first serious injury, rather than first blood. The ideal is to in some way incapacitate your opponent. The droids will be the judge of that in training; they'll shower you in glitter should you lose and cheerfully intone, "You have been grievously wounded."

At the end of a duel, both sides will bow (if able) and then be led—or carried—off the floor, holding their weapons in front of them.

» RITE OF SUCCESSION

There's also the bare-handed brawl, which is the peak of Aranean dueling. However, bare-handed brawls are matches to the death and an absolute way to settle a dispute without killing a whole family. As such, it's the usual method of succession amongst family members.

» GAMING

There are lectures on video games as fine art, famous Aranean gamers and game designers, and pioneers of different genres. But besides thorough education on common terminology, game training mostly consists of, well, playing video games. There is an entire room dedicated to the art, with multiple screens connected to consoles of all types.

The ultimate goal, in the briefest of terms, is to learn not to suck.

For veteran gamers, practice is encouraged and experience with genres you ignore in favor of your favorite titles is all but demanded. Spiders have it all, from shooters to rhythm games to role-playing to virtual reality. As long as it's got that extra bit of violent spice and has a clear winner or loser, it's all good.

So don't be a scrub and play the damn games.

FIRST AID

First aid features a crash course in toxins popular in the High Court. These are primarily neurotoxins; the most popular variety is imported from the people of the Fafnirian System and known as Drip Venom. It is almost always fatal to Araneans, but requires a higher dosage to meet the same effectiveness on humans; if you find yourself poisoned by it, you may very well survive if you administer an antidote quickly enough.

Necrotoxins are primarily used when the goal isn't to kill, but to maim. They're intended to destroy the receiver's beauty and social standing.

Characters will learn how to use the antitoxin injectors in their inventory by practicing with an empty shell and simulating injections in their thighs. The nanites contained within the injectors are powerful and will neutralize most varieties of toxins. They will at least help counter male spider bites (females can inject much higher quantities of venom, which may make a single injector relatively useless) and extremely mild Ymir poisoning.

HIERARCHY

All recruits have their place in the Aranean hierarchy and will learn to weaponize it to the best of their ability. However, since COST is lacking in Aranean senses, this training relies on the identity recruits claim for themselves (though, if needed, you can assume Grothia told them to train in a specific category; she won't have anyone jeopardize the mission).

It is also stressed that there is no guarantee that anything you do or say on Jhashch goes unobserved, whether by Araneans, their servants, or their spies. To an Aranean, everything is about power and displays of power. To be complacent is to be weak and, consequently, prey.

Using the Araneans as a guide, now might be a good time to adopt a false hierarchy you can fall into when "alone" with other COST members. In this framework, female characters of artificial origins rank at the top and male characters of magical origins sit at the bottom, but there are likely more than a few gray areas for members of COST.

But better safe than sorry. In the High Court, there is no such thing as being too paranoid, because these are apex predators who always hunt the weakest first.

READ THE JHASHCH INFOPAGE.

NAV. NETWORK LOGS OOC MEMES PLURK

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

i. ETIQUETTE

a - i'm here for your entertainment

[ Aggression and dirty tactics are nothing he's unused to. If that's the order of the day? Hell, he'll make out better among these spider-things than he ever did around people. Maybe that's commentary on him as a person, but he doesn't think so. The spiders are probably just more honest about what really turns the wheels.

That said, being a spectacle comes easy. He likes being looked at, and he knows what he's good at, what to ply in conversation with these guys. Meanwhile, part of the game is artfully engineering other people's failures, isn't it?

So for at least a portion of the proceedings, expect him on the fringes, waiting for an opportune moment to trip you up. Or at the very least to smear someone who looks a little too clean with a handful of glitter.

All for the sake of the mission, of course. Don't hate the player. ]

b - carry on, carry on dancing

[ This. Is. Bullshit.

He's a goddamn ninja when he needs to be. He's stayed alive in fights thanks to his speed and agility. So why are a couple of plodding, boring-ass dances so difficult?

Maybe it's because he's spitefully allowing himself to be distracted. Maybe because he keeps mouthing off, complaining loudly to anyone who will hear about how he didn't sign up for this Renaissance Festival bullshit. But inevitably, he misses a step, or doesn't turn the correct way, and finds himself once again cheerfully covered in glitter by his little helper-bot.

About the sixth time it happens he wheels around on the thing in fury, a blistering string of obscenities rolling off his tongue in the space of seconds. Finally he takes a breath, but it doesn't seem to calm him any. ]

You do that one more time I am dropkicking you for distance, you little motherf--

ii. GROOMING

a - we're painting your trash gold while you sleep

[ Okay, so spider fashion sense is absolutely bonkers. That's a given, right? Half of this looks like it belongs to some japanese fantasy rpg, and he's rolling his eyes before passing over some of the more outlandish clothing.

Getting primped and polished, he doesn't mind. The attention paid to clean up his haircut, to manicure his nails and basically spoil him for style, that he's just fine with. This part was always going to be the more difficult line to walk, because while this isn't to his taste, it isn't necessarily about his tastes. To play the game effectively, you gotta play by their rules.

Which means picking something out of this mess that he can live with.

Lips twisting in a crinkled line of displeasure, he starts rifling through the selection before peering at the person next to him, to see if they've found anything reasonable. It's not like it's a test and this would be considered cheating, right? ]

iii. COMBAT

a - ten paces and turn just for fun, son

[ He's always going to prefer his knives, when it comes down to it. But he's got a reason to want to polish up his skill with a sword when he gets home. Not that he's planning on sharing that with anyone here. So while dancing class was a struggle that still leaves some smears of glitter on him as punishment, he's actually putting some focus into learning this whole fencing thing.

That means watching, at first. But soon enough it's time for him to step up with a partner. He's still got a loose, confident swagger to him as he moves out onto the floor, flashing a toothy grin. ]

So, just getting it out of the way now, this is all a learning experience. No hard feelings when I kick your ass, alright? Alright.

[ Unfortunately, he's as sore a winner as he is a loser. ]

b - invite sent, hop on vent

[ How long has it been since he had an actual system to play on? This is without question the most awesome part of the training, and despite advice to start out with his weakest links, he throws himself first into a few rounds of the first FPS game he can get his hands on.

Of course he cycles through most of them. The puzzle games turn out to be his weakest link, mostly due to being slow and boring and Felix becoming easily frustrated by lack of progress. But he's happy to entertain comers for everything else. Dance games -- better than any of the dances they were learning earlier -- real-time strategy, team matches, racing games, and anything in-between. Everyone needs all the practice they can get, right?

He'll just stick around here for a while, thanks very much. ]

[ She loses the match. Quite terribly, in fact, obviously her fault in how badly she was playing. Might even be on purpose too, but who knows how having one eye might make that game get worse. Unlike the rest of the recruits, she was dressed in her all-black uniform. Still their Commanding Officer.

But it doesn't stop her pegging the controller at his head when she loses. Hurling it across the room at his head that - definitely on target, at least, depending on whether he gets out of the way of the incoming projectile.

Testing recruits might be the most fun she's had in years. But of course, she keeps her face blank, her tone emotionless and her shoulders stiff. ]

You play like a man. Pathetic.

The fuck--

[ Oh, Felix had been enjoying himself up to this point, laughing in triumph when he beat their commander soundly, in front of God and everyone else. But the amusement dies when she lobs that controller his way, and he quickly flattens himself back to avoid before staring at her, wide-eyed. ]

Jesus, lady. It's a game. Unclench.

[ She flares with exaggerated anger - face tilting up, shoulders stiff, her teeth clacking against each other.

This was almost fun to do - playing like a Regency brat, squalling like one. But he seemed like he had pride enough to tease with, to push and shove like the least of the Araneans would. ]

You dare to speak me this way? Your Commanding Officer. Do you suppose yourself my equal, serf?

[ Yeah, this part of being in the military? Didn't miss it at all. Orders and ranks and someone thinking they were better than him -- which clearly couldn't be further from the truth. This was him they were talking about. ]

Uh, no. Clearly, we just proved I'm not.

[ And he wiggles the control one in the air. ]

Ma'am.

[ The smile isn't necessarily pleasant,.... or that well faked. This is new territory as far as it goes, but it is there. A polite thing, as her hand lifts, gestures with two fingers to something nearby, and -

The glitter bomb goes flying, aiming for him again. The cheerful little tone ringing out: You have been consumed. ]

You were saying?

[ He closes his eyes just as the bomb hits the back of his head, and doesn't open them again for a solid minute. Might be because he's waiting for the particles to settle, might be that he's done with this glitter bullshit.

The controller still held aloft in one hand, he finally cracks his eyes open to stare deadpan at her. ]

Felix | ota

iii b

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

i b

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

ii a

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

iii / a

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject