maskormenacelogs | What's the difference between self discovery and self destruction

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What's the difference between self discovery and self destruction

WHO: Tetsuo Shima and YOU
WHERE: Any city; just place it in the subject line or mention it in a thread. He'll be doing a lot of roaming around.
WHEN: Month of September
WHAT: Catchall open log for chaos or general activities - Tetsuo's been unleashed on America and intends to play garrys mod with it. If you wanted an excuse to fight an out of control psychokinetic, here it is
WARNINGS: General villainy (property damage, violence, possible drug use mentions, theft...) and potentially interrupting Kanedas at the end of threads

[It's a brand new month, and a brand new start; and with it comes so many brand new ways to find trouble.

You can expect to find Tetsuo engaged in normal shenanigans, like any ordinary sixteen year old. Things like threatening natives! Causing accidents or generally ignoring all traffic laws! Raiding drug stores! Hanging around on park benches or generally wandering aimlessly! Suffering from extreme migraines! All this and more in your hometown!

He's taken his motorcycle and psychic powers and hit the streets of America on a quest for ... you know what, we just don't know. The good news is, beyond checking churches for Crane, and making sure that his (glove-covered) wrist could say CRIMINAL from here until forever, he doesn't seem to have any set goals in mind on what to do. All that's clear is he can do what he wants, and he's not taking no for an answer to anything.

Feel free to fight him, talk to him, join in, what have you -- you're free to stop him but he's going to either run at the end if it's clear he can't win, or get you out of the way somehow. If you'd like to change this, talk with me and we can work something out.

I'll throw starters out on request, but please feel free to make your own. If you'd like to fight, check out his permissions first, but this is a general invitation to fight without any preamble or excuses.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[well, would you look at that. a pretty serious car accident and for once Hazel is on foot rather than obliquely causing them by being a terror on her moped. she slows her pace to get a good look at it because, shit, that's a pretty bad one, when she thinks she spots a familiarly stupid hairstyle in the middle of it all.

only one way to find out. she hops off the sidewalk and begins threading through the chaos, wholly unbothered by the fact that there's still a very good chance she could get run over by something or other. the person she thinks is Tetsuo looks to be fine himself, but it'll still take him a few minutes to get around all this. that's plenty of time to wander over.

she finally makes it and, yeah, she'd know that surly face anywhere. she doesn't turn on her null abilities though, because she wants Tetsuo to know she's doing that beforehand no matter where they are; it's the principle of the thing, about respecting someone's wishes and not making them vulnerable unless they want it. after all, maybe he's having a good head day. (HAHAHAHA)

instead she just raises a hand in casual greeting, like they're not surrounded by vehicle carnage and she hasn't accidentally come over so that Tetsuo would have to ram her with his bike to get away and pretend he hadn't seen her. she really ought to work on faking those self-preservation instincts a little better.]

Oh, I thought you might've died or something.

[not now, but in the radio silence following the swear-in. if Tetsuo takes it as just her commenting on the current situation that's fine, because she doesn't want to talk about how she had tried to look up everyone she remotely considered a friend to see if they were alright. that's embarrassing.]

[Tetsuo lets his bike idle, watching the two sandwiched cars with undisguised amusement. That's what they get, getting in his way - nevermind that he was the one cutting across traffic and he was the one that threw one of said cars instead of figuring out how to weave around it.

He's about to peel away when - oh, hey, Hazel. Tetsuo's face breaks out into a grin.]

Nah. [A brief glance back towards the pileup] I took care of it.

[For once, she's not the only one who looks scuffed up - and the fact the few visible marks on his arm are nothing more than fresh scars now stands as proof that he didn't get that from the accident he totally almost was in. Again.

Because she's right. He almost did die back there.]

[yeah, she most certainly notices that. Hazel's not going to comment on them (yet, they are most definitely going to be the butt of a joke at some point) but she can make a good guess where they came from. she lost practically half her abdomen in that mess, after all. but he's in one piece right now and that's all that really counts.

is she allowed to lean on the bike? she's leaning on it anyway, giving him a smile of her own. it makes her look cool, ok. so cool.]

Yeah, not as artsy as it could've been. [she closes one eye, as if in mock judgement of the scene] I don't think they'll let you into the museums with this one.

[He knew there was a reason he liked you, Hazel. You can stay.]

Heh. Gotta practice to get good.

[it doesn't look like anybody's actually hurt, so she defaults into this. this is hardly the worst thing she's had a casual conversation with a friend around.]

Just starting out then, huh? [she waves a hand good-naturedly] Try it with the hover function on sometime if you want some really weird practice.

[Damn, no injuries. Maybe next time.]

Hover function?

[That never actually occurred to him to even try. He LIKES feeling the ground, it's what he's used to. Bikes back home just don't have that - sure, he's seen hovers around, but...]

Yeah. [she taps on his bike idly, more to illustrate the point than any actual knowledge of whether his has it.] Most of the shit here has it by default, it's pretty loopy. Especially when you try and jump shit with it.

[Hell if he knew, Hazel, it didn't come with a sales pitch. Not the way he got it. And yeah, he's scoured every inch of this thing, but ... did he miss that? Because he didn't even think to look for it...

Hmm... he wonders... fidgets with it - ah, there, she was right. And for just a bit, it's like he's his old self, back before everything happened.]

Oh! I see. Flip this the other way... Why didn't it do anything earlier? Was I in the wrong gear or something? What's it link to...

[You know, standard topics after having almost killed what looks like five people]

Edited 2015-09-01 16:20 (UTC)

I don't know too much about the technical shit. No one ever wants to fucking explain it to me.

[ok, Hazel, that is because when you were at the vehicle show swear-in you spent nearly the entire time with your face in parts of the cars no one wanted you to touch and/or fighting with children nearly half your age. stop making it sound like people are purposefully withholding information from your baby ass.

she crosses her arms and leans a little more on the bike so that she can watch him inspect the thing with genuine interest. she doesn't know much about stuff like this beyond how to hotwire nearly anything (and that's recent) so it's really neat to see.]

It's called 'hover' but you can go way higher than you'd think. I raced some guy at a stop light a while back and we nearly crashed into the boardwalk.

[IT WAS AMAZING. and maybe why they're marketing this as the more harmless hover rather than FLY SUPER HIGH GOAD POOR LAWYERS WHO CAN BARELY DRIVE INTO HIGH SPEED EGO-DRIVEN RACES.]

[Well if you want technical shit here's your psychopath. Who seems extremely busy muttering to himself about this feature that -- okay. He didn't miss it. He just couldn't work out what it did before, partly because he never tried to engage it while the bike was in anything higher than neutral.]

-and this wire here connects to the final drive. So I need to keep it in first gear, but it won't engage without power. I get it...

[HI HAZEL WANNA TALK BIKES WE CAN TALK BIKES ALL DA- oh right there's cops coming. Tetsuo cuts off, glaring at the sound of approaching sirens. Oh, yeah. That.]

[OH RIGHT THEY'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF AN ACCIDENT. she's gotten so good at tuning out carnage that she had honestly forgotten this wasn't the most ideal place to be picking up some handy and interesting new knowledge. fantastic. so human.

she winces a little for a moment at the shrill sound of sirens before pushing herself off the bike. looks like actual moving was going to be required now, siiiigh.]

Guess it's time to start walking.

[nobody's come up to them in all this time, so it's pretty safe to assume no one's going to try and stop them from just strolling away. it's a much better situation than the last time she was on this end of the sirens, at least. nobody to tackle her ass to the ground in sight.]

Walking?? Screw that. Get on.

You're responsible for any damage I rack up, just so you know.

[she says as she climbs on obligingly without even pausing for hesitation. this has all the hallmarks of being high-speed, dangerous, and more than a little stupid. it's basically the reason Hazel goes outside every day.]

Who cares?!

[It's both impressive and fortunate that Tetsuo didn't have to get off his bike at any point. Lights crest a hill and Tetsuo revs his motorcycle. He feelsalive - more than alive. Like he's back in Neo Tokyo. This was life.

And he's making damn sure he enjoys living it.

Second he figures Hazel's settled he's tearing off, leaving the accident behind with nothing more than a defiant engine roar and a lot of explanations for insurance companies.]

People who can't afford to get any uglier, that's who.

[but the quip is more or less lost in the scream of the engine and whistle of wind as they're shooting off, fast enough that Hazel grips Tetsuo a little hard for the first second or so. rigor mortis reflexes, sorry.

she settles down quickly enough, hold relaxing and settling into something normal rather than 'grab whatever you can to keep from flying off'. this is a lot closer to anyone than she's usually comfortable with allowing, but for the moment Hazel's distracted enough that she can't think about it at all.

she's ridden her vespa all over hell's half acre, sure, but this is her first time on a motorcycle - passenger or otherwise. it's different in a thrilling sort of way, and she can't help the laughter that bubbles out. this is fun.]

[Tetsuo hisses sharply, cursing, as her hands grip tight - his right side's still extremely tender and his back's not much better. She lets go enough that he can at least breathe. He fought her before, sort of, but he had no idea she had that kind of strength. Shit.

The pain is secondary to the exhilaration though; he can't not let himself go to the thrill of it all.

So, turns out, they took too long in leaving. And tearing away from a crash with one car ends up upside down and two more practically merged into each other to avoid it tends to draw attention.

He's only aware they've got a tail when he sees lights in his rearview. The sane, rational thing to do? Speed up. They can't catch him. He'll make them regret trying.]

Edited 2015-09-01 17:37 (UTC)

[this is a perfectly logical response, and his companion (famous for such stunts as 'immediately try to blame the person who called the cops in the first place and then RUN REALLY FAST') sees no possible flaw in this strategy whatsoever. forget the fact that she was the one who suggested calmly walking just a few minutes ago.

Hazel turns a little for a moment or two to get a better view of the cars behind her, free of the responsibility of having to actually look at the road ahead. there's a childish part of her that really wants to start making faces that the cops won't even be able to see from this distance, but she refrains. wasn't she supposed to be taking things easy after the high energy sink that was the swear-in?

it's that sort of thinking that keeps her from throwing any witty conversation Tetsuo's way. he's in the middle of engaging in a high-speed chase, he needs his focus.]

Guess you got a race after all.

[ok, just one retort is fine. it doesn't even require a lot of thought to process so it's perfectly acceptable to throw out right now.]

[Calmly walking is for civilians, citizens who care about rules and want to live forever. It's for people without power. That isn't Tetsuo; the rules just don't apply anymore.

He weaves across traffic, getting alarmed responses from cars, but he's already gone by the time they can react. The bike handles like a dream, really; and a good thing, too, or else he might not be able to deal with the vibration and rush. He missed this. He really missed this. Even better, he's got way more up his sleeve than just a pipe this time.

Hell YES he got his race. Just try to follow him now, police - try! He sticks to the highway for now, practically daring them to come and get him.]

[He'd been wandering Heropa ever since he saw the property damage Tetsuo had caused with Kazu. He didn't expect Tetsuo to stay in one place, but it was the only one with clues. Just follow the path of destruction, like a trail of bread crumbs.

If Kaneda only knew that story, it'd be so relevant.

But it's hard to ignore the sudden four car pileup (literally) as his motorcycle rolls up, a slow stroll as he makes sure that the pavement won't collapse on him. This...this was definitely Tetsuo's doing.

Just call it gut instinct.

He bites his tongue as he looks up at the cars, ignoring the shouting of the people around to inspect the damage. A shout to a civilian gives him the direction Tetsuo went in--so there was that.

But it's short lived as he hears sirens in the distance. The cops...that complicated things.]

Dammit...!

[With a rev of his handlebars, he takes off in the direction Tetsuo went in a pseudo chase, bike trail lights the only proof that he was there. And even then, they faded fast.]

[at some point 'where are we going?' should have probably entered Hazel's mind, what with how this seems to be shaping up to be an extended segment. but to be perfectly honest, she really doesn't care. Heropa 11 is now totally empty aside from herself, and there's something unbearably lonely about the way the place echoes whenever she moves around. it's better to stay out as long as she can, really.

the cops aren't from Hollywood and thus are having difficulty keeping up with all the daredevil antics, although they seem determined to follow as long as they can. must be all the speeding. she's not really interested in watching their progress now, shifting instead so that she can peek her head around Tetsuo and get a better look at the scenery shooting ahead of them. it was nauseatingly blurry in the best possible way.]

[That's the beauty of having a bike - it can go where cars can't. Tetsuo seems pretty happy to lead them on a merry chase, though; if he wanted to he could pretty easily lose them. It's just been so long since he had a reason to ride out as hard as he can; something to race against and beat in actual life - and this time, there's no one holding him back.

It turns out, he drives exactly like he does in video games as he does in real life: with wild, reckless abandon. Considering how all their races ended before they switched games, maybe that's not such a good thing.

BUT WHO CARES ABOUT THAT?!

They're going wherever this highway leads and they're going until Tetsuo gets tired of annoying the police. That's the only answers that matter right now. He weaves around a car that decided it wants to go the speed limit for some unfathomable reason. Yeah, that's right - you better brake after he's moved in front of you, moving faster than you so there's no way you can collide.

Idiot.

Tetsuo checks the mirrors again the second there's an open stretch ahead; yeah, there's still a car in pursuit. Who knows where the other one went.]

[hopefully not around to do something stupid like set up a roadblock, but that's the kind of thing that only really troubles Hazel's mind when she's behind the wheel. the way things are now, she can always play dead if they run into anything and skip out the minute they've turned away from her body. what a strategist.]

This must be one hell of a bike if it can get you to drive like this.

[because yeah, she remembers those glorious explosions of butthurt that were their forays into racing games. and since they seem to be hitting a sort of quiet moment in their run from Johnny Law, it's the perfect time to poke a little good-natured fun at him.]

[Tetsuo hunches more over his bike. God DAMMIT Hazel, why do you have to be like that]

I don't drive any other way!

[in high speed pursuit chases across random roads? Yeah, basically. All that's missing are alleyways and other bikers to go attack. Though, he really prefers being the one chasing, not the one running.]

[because you're a friend now, Tetsuo, whether you want it or not. and Hazel gives all her friends as much shit as she can.]

I don't know, man, this is preeetty capable...

[which she hasn't seen from him and a vehicle up until this point. she'd believe him wailing on rival bike gangs before she believes he can actually drive - at least in the world of teasing.]

Rrgh.. You wanna see capable?!

[Great. Now we're doing stunts. See what you've done, Hazel?

Tetsuo focuses harder, gritting his teeth, glaring at the road ahead. Bikes are heavy; he's gotten plenty of practice lifting them, but never fast and it's never fun. But this... he's capable, dammit. Why is it that no one ever thinks he is?! For crying out loud, he was in a bosozoku gang - the best new crew on the streets of Neo Tokyo. The Clowns couldn't chase them out or keep them down, and there were a lot more of them than there were of the Capsules.

Tetsuo was always the weak link back home. He was the one they caught. It was all different here; Tetsuo didn't have a reputation of being the youngest or the worst. He shouldn't HAVE to prove anything, not here!

He can feel the world lift some, the pavement skipping under his tires, and to be honest, it's terrifying. There are no physics when levitation comes into play; he's learned that the fast,hard way.

But screw physics; he can make his own rules.

He revs up his bike more, audibly growling with the strain as he feels gravity claw against his brain in protest, and veers right into a car. He doesn't slow down. With a final yell, he pushes off, feeling the ground lift away and spots dance in front of his eyes. The front tire almost catches on the trunk, almost avoids crashing into the rear window--

In that split second, Tetsuo pushes harder before the bike or the car both give way, and he feels the tire lift up and onto the roof of the car. It swerves sharply to the side as the bike dents the roof, changing their trajectory; as he lets go of his hold and jumps the bike off the car, they touch down on pavement angled towards the edge of the road. There's barely enough time to turn away from the fence.

They almost make it by Tetsuo's skill alone. Almost - he's good, but he's not quite good enough. He can feel the tire slip down under him, and no way in hell is he letting that bike fall when he can forcibly push it upright himself. Not at this speed. Not with Hazel as a passenger. He'd never live it down.

In the end, they DO make it, barely, with a lot of cheating, and zip back out at a crazy angle into traffic again. HAH! SEE?! HE HAS THIS.]

heropa. did you miss me, friend? also let me know if this works lmao.

haha that works perfectly

bien

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