Archive of Our Own ^beta

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GREEN REFLEX
PROBLEM
There's something hidden here, in the tangle of neurons, buried deep within your psyche. It's burning hot, smoke rising from the overworked motors. Breath it in...it smells familiar, musky. Calms the nerves. The fuel's run dry, but maybe you could get it up and running again with the right tools?

Temporary Research Bonus:
-1 Electrochemistry: Missing the spark

Research time: 4h 10m

SOLUTION
Can you smell that? With each and every breath, you're exhaling more than carbon dioxide. It's weed, man. The devil's lettuce. Ganja. Mary Jane, cannabis, marijuana, whatever you wanna call it. It's not this stupid machine metaphor you've been smelling, that's you. You smoked so much weed that your body no longer excretes sweat, it's just pure hemp. Your clothes, which stink of weed, combined with your body odor (also stinks of weed) means that you're a walking advertisement for the grass. You're weed on the molecular level.
Research Bonus:
+2 Electrochemistry: Cannabinoid
-1 Perception: Can only smell weed
No Negative Effects From Cannabis

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PROBLEM
There has to be something *more* out there. A presence beyond the veil of reality, an entity whose existence lies outside the shallow creeks of your mind. A mother or father of the universe. An eldritch god. As a mere mortal, you have almost no hope of communicating with such a being. But maybe, just maybe, if you scream really, really loud it'll hear you? It's worth trying.

Temporary Research Bonus:
+1 Inland Empire: Oceanic mind
+1 Conceptualization: Outside the shallow creeks
-1 Rhetoric: Screaming like a lunatic

SOLUTION 1:
The being is silent. It turns a deaf ear to your protestations, an indifferent and uncaring deity to the woes of its creations. What is the moral? Fuck it, for real. Seriously, you're a goddamn superstar, you don't the help of some outside force. If it won't give you the dignity of a response, you never needed the help of such an arrogant universe anyway.
+2 Savoir Faire: Lone wolf of the universe
+2 Authority: Don't need the help anyway
-2 Inland Empire: Closed to the cosmos

SOLUTION 2:
The only thing you'll get by screaming is the echo back of a very sad, very mentally unstable woman. What you need to do is stay silent. The eldritch forces governing the universe have more to do than answer your angry yells. So have a little respect, maybe a little dignity, and politely ask for guidance. Then maybe they'll respond. Maybe.
+1 Esprit de Corps: Your partner appreciates it
+1 Suggestion: Found a tiny scrap of dignity
+2 Shivers: A whisper on the wind

Chapter Text

[Hand/Eye Coordination - Impossible 18] “God, please…” Take the shot.

-2 Binoclaard

-2 Couldn’t save Eyes

-1 Missed the hanged man’s noose

+1 Fellow Torque Dork

+1 End of day debrief

+1 Ace’s high

+1 Sat on the swings

+2 Pissfa####

+2 Fuck the world

+1 Truly tragic karaoke

+2 Kim Kimball Kitsuragi

+2 Told Harry a secret

+1 Investigated the Insulindian Phasmid

+2 Danced in the church

+1 Speedfreaks FM

+4 A whisper on the wind.

+4 REVACHOL NEEDS HIM. I NEED HIM

1 / 1

UNLUCK OF THE DRAW

CHECK SUCCESS

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SEIZURE

Push past the limit. Claw and scratch your way to victory.

COOL FOR: CORNERED ANIMALS, BACK-ALLEY FIGHTERS, GUYS WHO REFUSE TO DIE

Seizure is the pure, primal force from your days as prey and predator. The urge for violence, for wild frenzy, to be the one on top. It wants you to act in violent paroxysm of adrenaline, to hurt and be hurt, to win, to be the last one standing. The crucial adrenaline shot that edges you over the line.

At high levels, you'll always be craving that next rush, regardless of where it comes from-- a track and field race or a back-alley brawl. At low levels, though, you'll lack the necessary fervour to keep going-- and that could be the difference between success and failure, life or death.

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MORALITY CODEX

Follow principles. Keep yourself in check.

COOL FOR: PHILOSOPHERS, WARRIORS, SELF-IMPROVERS

Morality Codex wants you to live a well-lived life. Pieces of advice, words to live by, important teachings and schools of thought. It keeps you a rock in the rushing waters of the world. You'll stay stoic even in the most tumultuous of times, living a life of virtue. 
At high levels, Morality Codex holds you to the highest scrutiny, and every action becomes second-guessed against your internal code-book. At it's lowest, though, you'll be pushed and pulled by the tide, acting without any centre to ground yourself to.

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JUST BETTER

Know your self-worth. Prove your superiority.

COOL FOR: SELF-OBSESSED NARCISSISTS, BIG HEADS, 8th GRADERS

Just Better thinks you above everyone else, in at least one thing. It analyses the flaws of others, and tells you 'but, you can do it better, can't you?' In a room full of athletes, you'll take solace in the fact that at least you can write better. It's not all self-satisfying, though, because Just Better has an important role in keeping your morale up. Hits you would otherwise take are brushed off, because you know you could bench more than that guy.

At high levels, Just Better simply turns into delusions of grandeur. At low levels, though, you'll have little self-esteem. Even little comments will send you into spirals of despair.

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PROBLEM:

You failed, Kitsuragi. You really dropped the ball. When the stakes were high, when it was life and death, when someone you cared about was in danger, you fumbled. When it really counted, you just couldn’t cut it.  Now Eyes is dead, and what are you going to do? You’re blind. 

Temporary Research Bonus:
-2 Perception: No more Eyes
-2 Volition: It’s your fault.

SOLUTION:

You’re going to get your goddamn head in the game, Kitsuragi. Pull yourself together. It happened, but you’re still here. You’re still alive. What you need to do now is make sure it never happens again. Someone died for you. Because of you. You aren’t going to let your nerves get the better of you anymore.

Permanent Research Bonus:

UNLUCK OF THE DRAW: Rolling snake eyes on Hand/Eye Coordination checks does not count as a critical failure

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DISCO DEMOLITION NIGHT

PROBLEM:

You’re out of style, old man. Haven’t you heard? Disco isn’t *in* anymore. It’s not *the thing.* Disco died 20 years ago, and you’re just a walking ghost of the past still clinging to his flare cut trousers. The world has moved on, and if you don’t as well, you’ll be left in the dust and nobody will like you. But how? How do you find out what’s *in?* What is the Disco of this generation? Rap? Indie post-punk? English Alternative Rock?! Whatever it is, get into it, stat. Before you’re forbidden from the cool kids club and have no friends and everybody hates you forever.

Temporary Research Bonus:

-1 Composure: No more rockin’ that disco outfit
-1 Savoir Faire: Disco’s dead

SOLUTION:

Ditch the disco blazer, cut the mullet, shave the chops, Disco is *dead.* Pull on the FALN and go into town. Everyone is wearing it, and now that includes *you* as well. Turn the radio on and blast some Anodic dance music, at least until it’s not cool anymore. Then you never really liked it anyway. The in-crowd’s always shifting, so you gotta be quick on the up-take. Nothing is personal, or sentimental, or esteemed. Nobody actually likes any of this stuff, but they judge everyone who doesn’t pretend to. Things like “opinions” and “self-expression” are concepts of the past. And you’re living in the future, aren’t you, Fad Cop?

Permanent Research Bonus:

+1 Savoir Faire: Trendy
-1 Inland Empire: Fickle fad follower
All clothing stat bonuses increased by 1 (includes penalties)