[Samaritan]

Michael Faraday

Oblivious Opening

Michael was exceptionally excited for all of the events happening at the Sports Festival. It was all rather overwhelming when sign ups began. In his over-excitement, Michael had not only agreed to help with several student ran booths, he had also signed up for several of the events for the festival without fully understanding what was happening in the events. This was how the large balloon-headed man ended up joining the Balloon Bonanza event. Michael had seen the name of the event and signed up without further insight.

It's called Balloon Bonanza, how could I NOT be a part of it? 

Little did he know until backstage being explained the more detailed rules of the game did he realize just how much jeopardy he had actually put himself in. It wasn't a matter of feeling any kinship with the balloons in the competition, but there was a rather... twisted sense of self he could see in the targets. Seeing that the balloons were meant to be attacked felt awkward for a few reasons, the most prominent being that his head could be mistaken for a target. He actually considered painting his head green to avoid confusion...

So long as he didn't go floating up among the targets, there was a reasonable likelihood that he wouldn't be shot at, so Michael optimistically remained in the competition. He took his place at the starting line formulating his plan of attack.. on the floating targets that looked even more like his own head once seeing them in person. Michael tried not to think much about that and focus on a plan of attack. With his quirk not having a emission to assist with popping the balloons, he would just improvise. In each hand he wielded a simple sharp nail; with these he could stretch his arms out and pop any of the red balloons he could reach.

He stood at the starting line and positioned himself for the signal to begin. As soon as the buzzer sounded Michael began the slaughter. It was difficult to describe the awkward feeling Michael had towards popping balloon after balloon. Growing up it had been a rather dramatic fear of his to pop, so since the beginning of his training, he had focused on strengthening his own latex-like body. He couldn't afford to be fragile, so he did everything he could to build up and learn to manipulate the rubbery material of his body so now he could be as sturdy as a car tire. Even still, this kind of massacre against balloons was starting to give him pause...

Notes & Tags:

TLDR: Michael joined the Balloon Bonanza not knowing what was happening in it. Michael struggles to put aside his apprehension for popping targets that look so much like his own head, but uses some construction nails and stretch his arms to pop as many as he can while he can stomach it.

[Mafdet Khepri]

It was a well known fact that cats were red-green color blind and Khepri's mutation wasn't just for show. While their bug features alleviated the problem and allowed them to mostly distinguish between the colors to some extent it was far from easy. Especially when their hunting instincts locked on to a balloon. Thinking before acting was difficult in high-speed situations like this and every balloon they didn't go for was one that could potentially fall to the ground. 

Six, seven, eight. Minus two, minus one, zero. Phew. That had taken some effort but they were back to the starting line. That was always a good place to begin. They blinked twice when they spotted the next target their instincts had locked on to. Khepri had seen another balloon spill glitter all over someone when popped so they knew some were different but they hadn't expected one to have a torso and limbs. Wait, maybe this wasn't a balloon at all? Khepri wasn't sure but as a human cat bug hybrid they were well aware that there was no such thing as a single definition for anyone. Manually reigning in their hunting instincts they came to a stop next to Michael and decided to ask just to be sure.

"Hi, I'm Khepri. Do we have to fight? I don't want to. No one should put a hole in anyone else's head."

---

Tag: Samaritan

[Samaritan]

Michael Faraday

Making Light of an Awkward Situation

Michael had been very focused on popping as many balloons as he could reach. There was almost a sick catharsis in destroying so many things that looked like his head, but as the contest continued, Michael found himself having to duck and dodge from stray shots and misfires at him. This was slowing him down a bit as he tried to actively avoid being near others to prevent being in the crossfire.

However, in his attempt to move away from the more crowded areas, Michael ended up coming face to latex with a cute cat-bug person. They looked confused as they took in Michael's appearance. Michael could empathize since this was not the simple exhibition he believed it would be when he signed up. Michael was completely oblivious to the near carnage that could have befallen him had they not stopped their locked on pursuit. They asked a clarifying question that likely had saved Michael's head.

"Oh! Uh, no! I know its confusing but I'm not actually one of the targets..." Michael understood that he kind of looked like he was the boss of this competition and therefore would be worth a lot of points. So he did his best to correct that. "This just happens to be my face... I'm Michael. Zero points won to take me out." Michael chuckled trying to bring some levity to this awkward situation.

Notes & Tags: Mafdet Khepri,

TLDR: After a long break, I'm back to have Michael introduce himself to Khepri and point out he isn't worth any points to pop

[Mafdet Khepri]

"Oh, I already have that amount of points," Khepri explained with a bright smile. In fact the little late addition to the numerical symbols chart was exactly how many points they had after the last green balloon they popped. Hmm, that wasn't a good thing was it? This wasn't an event where a low score was the goal like golf.

"I need a different number. Sorry I can't take you out now Michael. Oh! I can treat you to a drink after the Bonanza though, I love making new friends!" 

Just as they finished their sentence they lost track of the conversation, pupils dilating as they spotted another balloon floating sideways due to a missed swipe from another classmate. Almost running into Michael in their rush to get around him they sprinted for it and made their own far more successful attempt putting their score up to a solid 1. Khepri had often heard that was the best number to be at. Blinking twice they turned to look over their shoulder.

"What kinds of drinks do you like?"

---

Tag: Samaritan

[Samaritan]

Michael Faraday

A Pop after the Popping

Michael had actually be doing fairly well. He was focused on clearing out as many red balloons near him as possible so to stand out all the more as a person with a balloon shaped head rather than a target and by assuring he wasn't hidden within a bunch of them he would hopefully not be mistaken or attacked by a miss attempt at a real balloon.

Michael loved the idea of making a new friend, though the proposal for drinks was definitely a more mature invitation. He didn't even understand the implications of his statement and the misinterpretation of him saying 'take me out'. He just thought it was exactly as Khepri suggested as making new friends. He just was hoping it wouldn't require any alcoholic beverages. But suddenly Michael tensed as Khepri's eyes dilated and she began charging towards him. Michael unfortunately had seen that kind of look from cats before, and it usually ended up with him needing vinyl patches to recover from their sharp attention. At the last moments, they seemed to change course and slice up a balloon that had floated in behind him.

Michael sighed in relief as her demeanor shifted back as it was. "I like tea, but perhaps a nice soda would be good after this." Michael expressed trying to shake off his nervousness.

Notes & Tags: Mafdet Khepri ,

TLDR: Michael suggested they get sodas after the game

[Mafdet Khepri]

"Okay, here, in case I forget!" Khepri responded while taking a can of Coral Cola out of the fanny pack strapped to their side. They promptly threw it over to Michael, the pop popping another balloon on the way there. Wait a minute. That hadn't been Michael! "Sorry, here, take this one!" The second can was thrown correctly. This time Khepri had made sure to check for legs and a torso before throwing it over. Feeling just the slightest bit awkward due to their mistake Khepri marched over to the can that had hit the ground, popping two more balloons on the way over. Both of them had been red too. Probably. If they weren't mistaken that put their total back up to four.

Four was a great number. For Khepri it was an entire handful, enough for one point on each finger. Now they just had to get four more for their other hand. After that holding on to them might become difficult again. Why, last time they tried to go above that they accidentally lost them all!

"Michael! What do you usually do to go above your limits?"

They were pretty far away from the other student by now and had no idea whether they were shouting in the right direction but with some luck he'd heard them.

---

Tag: Samaritan

[Samaritan]

Michael Faraday

Poppin' Off

Michael was taken a bit back by everything that happened in a matter of seconds. First by Khepri had drawn out a can of soda from her fanny pack. She then chucked it with such speed and intensity it manage to pop a near by balloon. It was jarring to say the least as it seemed that she had initially meant that can for him... If it was meant to be intimidating... it worked. She then tossed a second can more casually to Michael in a manner that was easy to catch. This all happened in the span of about 7 seconds... and it had deeply confused Michael.

Michael pocketed the can of soda in his gym clothes and was pulled out of his daze when Khepri called out his name.

"Above my limits? I... I guess I usually end up over-inflating myself. If I fill myself with helium I can usually float, but if I push myself I can carry others too." Michael had also been working on some other moves that had been pushing himself but it wasn't exactly ready for this kind of competition. "I can also stretch myself pretty far, but if I want to be able to control it while I do, I need to keep air filling it, which can prove difficult and risky." Michael explained as he popped more balloons near him, all the more adamant about clearing balloons away from him so that Khepri didn't mistake him for a target.

"What about you?"

Notes & Tags: Mafdet Khepri ,

TLDR: Michael pocketed the soda from Khepri and then told her how he usually pushed beyond his limits

[Mafdet Khepri]

That made sense to Khepri. Had they themself perhaps not been taking the metaphor literally enough? Were you supposed to literally go over your limits with helium and floating? They'd have to try. Hmm, they didn't have helium on them right now though. Maybe they could just find another way to go up. It was worth a try. They just had to remember Michael's advice. Push yourself to carry others but don't spread yourself thin unless you have enough air which is difficult and risky. That Khepri didn't quite understand. Wasn't having enough air necessary to stay alive? 

"I usually just jump." 

It didn't always work though. Sometimes the world just worked the other way around and what went up came back down. Khepri hoped today wasn't like that. Their stomach acted weird at the thought. Given that all the balloons were falling instead of going up they didn't have a good feeling about it. That was bad, if they were feeling blue that meant they were thinking of the other two primary colors. Red was what they needed right now, not those! Putting that thought out of mind they leapt back into the fray. With a gasp Khepri took the deepest breath they could, all the way until their cheeks bulged comically while they headed for the next balloon. It was time to find out if having more air would help. The rest could wait until later.

---

Tag: Samaritan

[Samaritan]

Michael Faraday

Might as well Jump

Michael was confused by their statement... was their quirk really that focused on jumping? They had just asked about pushing himself above his limits and when he asked the same for them... they 'just jump'? They were confusing, nice but confusing. Whatever the case, Michael and Khepri had a number more targets to go.

Especially as a massive red balloon began to fall from above, at least that is what it looked like. At closer look, it was clear, this wasn't just a single balloon, this was an amalgamate mass of dozens if not hundreds of red balloons. Michael wanted to help his new friend, and knew just how to do so.

"Khepri-san!" Michael called over to them. He was turned towards them and had his hands folded down, positioned for them to jump off his hands like a spring board and for him to throw them the rest of the way towards the mass of balloons. With his rubbery nature he could essentially sling shot them up at the balloons and all they'd have to do is go to town on the balloons with their claws. This would be their chance to show off that jumping ability for the audience. "I'll catch you on the way down, just take out as many as you can."

Notes & Tags: Mafdet Khepri ,

TLDR: Michael sets up to sling shot Khepri up towards a huge mass of red balloons dropping from above

[Mafdet Khepri]

Half empty or full... "Pffffffff," they exhaled before letting out a half cough, their rapid head turn having caused them to accidentally let go of the air they were holding. A pop resounded when they hit another balloon putting their score up to five. "Yes, Michael-san?" Looking at their new friend their eyes widened. They'd seen that before! Old movies, some about soldiers and others about prisoners, that Khepri had watched years ago had similar poses in them used by people to help each other get over walls. They fully understood what Michael meant. This was what they needed to do to get past their limits, to break through those walls. They had to go over their limit just as literally as Khepri had thought earlier. This time they'd be able to jump high enough to reach their goal and then further beyond.  Plus Ultra! Khepri nodded in reply, their pupils dilating as they did. The hunt was on. Charging straight at Michael's welcoming arms they jumped forward at the last second, softening the exoskeleton in their other leg and bulging the muscles within to kick off as hard as they could. Combined with Michael's help they shot into the air like a rocket, air whizzing past them as they impacted the mass of balloons with a series of pops. There was no way they could keep track of their score like this. Khepri hoped someone else did, otherwise all of these balloons would have been popped for nothing. Their arms lashed left and right, more pops resounding whenever their nails made contact with any of them until finally gravity started to reassert itself. Turning around so they'd be facing downwards they spread their arms wide and angled their legs so they could both land on their feet and form a wider bowl. Well, upside down bowl. For as they fell they made sure as many balloons as possible came with them, right on a collision course with their new friend. "Michael! Catch!" Whether they were talking about the balloons coming down with them or themself wasn't clear nor did it matter. The result would be the same. ...Is all perspective Samaritan

made by eden @ gs and thq

[Samaritan]

Michael Faraday

Round the World and Back to Earth

Michael looked up and watched in awe as Khepri went to town on the mass of balloons he had launched them into. Their claws slashing and stabbing through dozens of the balloons. The mass of balloons began to break apart from the impact and air flow of Khepri's leap into its center as well as the barrage on the latex inside. Even after slicing her way through a myriad of them, there was still a large amount left. However, this is when the gravity began to sink in, both on the situation as well as gravity itself.

Khepri was beginning to drop. Unhindered by the wind resistance as the balloons were, they began to drop rapidly back towards the ground. But in their own way, Khepri appeared to be unbothered or unaware of the danger of the drop. Michael wondered if their quirk also had some means of slowing their descent or preventing fall damage... after all they said jumping was their way of going plus ultra... right?

It was then Michael heard Khepri call out for him to catch. It didn't matter if they meant the balloons, Michael couldn't chance them getting hurt. Michael compressed himself down, lining himself up with some quick geometry, and launched himself like a rubber band right towards his new feline-like friend. As he began his ascent, Michael threw his right hand forward, swinging and stretching it ahead of himself to grab hold of Khepri. He had an idea to help solidify their lead in this competition. "Keep your other claws out and close your eyes!"

Continuing the momentum of his arm, now counterbalanced by the weight of Khepri, Michael continued to soar upwards and swing his companion through. Spinning himself in the air, he began whipping Khepri around like a yoyo at the end of a string, swinging them through the balloons in four shrinking rotations. With their claws out, Michael popped scores more of the balloons as he raked Khepri with these wide sweeping swings. Closing their eyes was more of a precaution to not get motion sick as he whipped them around with his rubbery arm, slowly reeling them back in. As Khepri was drawn closer in, Michael called out again. "Retract in your claws and hold tight!"

Michael took a big risk with this, not understanding his new friend's quirk enough to be sure, but he hoped at the very least they would not try to puncture him. Michael pulled Khepri the rest of the way in and wrapped his arms around them as they plummeted towards the ground. About 30 feet from impact, Michael suddenly inflated himself like a massive airbag, slamming into the ground and cushioning Khepri from the crash.

Notes & Tags: Mafdet Khepri ,

TLDR: Michael jumped up to catch Khepri. He then used their claws and whipped them through the balloons with his stretched arm as he reeled them back in. As they fell, Michael became an airbag to cushion their fall.

[Mafdet Khepri]

Half empty or full... They knew they could count on Michael! Khepri wasn't sure what the plan was but he'd managed to grab their leg and those were crucial in sticking a landing so they had full faith in him. "Okay!" The catbug responded while spreading their arms wide and curling the tips of their fingers. That way the pokey bits of their nails had the full support of their arms behind it instead of possibly flicking backwards when hitting something. Khepri had that happen once while they were leaning out of the side of a car and waving. That utility pole had been much, much tougher than their nail.  They could recall it clearly, the image plastered on their closed eyelids while their sight was gone. That was okay though. Khepri wasn't sure but they had the feeling that this wasn't that unpleasant of an image to be displayed there. It'd only bent back a little after all before snapping back in place, the only evidence of the impact being a neat line on the back of their nail and a bit of a red discoloration beneath it. It'd been worth it to feel the wind in their hair, that had felt... Well, sort of like what they were feeling now, just from one direction instead of with the circley feeling added to it.  Were they spinning? Well, whatever they were doing the two of them seemed to be doing it right. Taking in a deep breath Khepri's lips curled into a smile. This was almost like being on an amusement park ride except it counted as schoolwork. Their six year old self would be so proud of what they were doing right now. “They're my nails I can't- Never mind. Got it!” Their fingers curled until their hands formed two fists. That worked. It'd just taken them a bit longer to figure out than it'd taken their new friend but Khepri didn't plan to disappoint. Holding their hands shut as tightly as possible they let themself be drawn into the hug and held their breath. Just to be sure they wouldn't accidentally poke or chafe him Khepri softened the parts of their exoskeleton making contact a little bit as well. Not enough that they'd be left defenseless but enough to prevent discomfort. Hopefully. Not that discomfort was their biggest concern of course as they plummeted out of the sky. Oh. Should they help do something about that? By the time they'd finished that thought they'd landed, their face squishing into their rubbery cushion before bumping back up like they were getting out of the water in a swimming pool. “Can I open my eyes now?” Khepri asked before eventually blinking and looking around. Tactile sensations had told them that a lot of balloons had been popped. With a slight tilt of their head they looked back at Michael. “Do you think they’ll split the points 50/50?” ...Is all perspective Samaritan

made by eden @ gs and thq

[Samaritan]

Michael Faraday

Raining Latex

Michael sighed out all of the air as cushion as the pair of heroes in training hit the ground. As he hoped, it appeared he hadn't been punctured by Khepri's nails and what more he had taken the impact of the fall and made it a soft landing for the both of them. As Khepri asked if they could open their eyes, Michael chuckled out in amusement and relief as the balloon scraps from the dozens or more balloons the pair had popped began raining down like snowflakes or cherry blossom petals.

"Yeah, you're good. We're on the ground." Michael was exhausted. That last maneuver was very draining and he just remained on the ground staring up to the sky as the latex fluttered down towards the ground at varying paces as they drifted and dragged through the air. Michael didn't really care too much what their pointage was going to look like. It was technically Khepri who popped the balloons, even if it was by his assistance. He had managed to build up a fair amount of points early on, so he didn't mind if they got all the points out of it. What they had pulled off was amazing.

Imagine how much more they could do as they grew closer and worked more fluently together. It made Michael smile to think of the possibilities that came from him being able to team up with people. He was as much of a team player as possible. But to see the results of that teamwork as apparently as this was had been truly inspiring.

The buzzer rang out to inform the competitors that the event was over and that points were being tallied up to announce the winner shortly.

Notes & Tags: Mafdet Khepri ,

TLDR: Michael lied on the ground in awe at the result of their teamwork. The event ends and are tallying the points. You can post and I'll post out the exit and submit this for grading now or next month to get you the full xp amount.

[Mafdet Khepri]

Khepri rolled off Michael the moment he deflated and came to a stop laying on their back too. The balloon shreds raining down on them was almost like a kind of snow. The kind from an old computer game that used flat planes in relation to the player's line of sight instead of modelling the textures of the snowflakes in full. Just like that, except they forgot to load the right PNG in and it just looked like brown-ish flakes fluttering through the air. "I think there's a stand that sells tea, coffee and soda near here," Khepri stated confidently. It was like René Descartes had once said. They thought, therefore it was there. Their memories told them as much too albeit they were a bit tricky recently and occasionally slipped in things from their dreams making it hard to distinguish what they'd actually seen and what they'd imagined.  With their legs remaining flat on the ground Khepri used their tail to push their upper body upright. "You know how oil floats on water, right? Do you think if I cover myself in oil and jump in the rain I could fly?" WORDS 244 TAGS Samaritan NOTES I'm good with this thread being submitted whenever. Khepri's still within their first three SF threads so it'll count towards the seasonal token cap for them, not the monthly exp cap. I'll take Tokens if you submit it, thanks in advance!

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS & THQ

[Samaritan]

Michael Faraday

Winning Results

Michael just lied on the ground, sighing contently that the event was over and he not only managed to keep his head, but he managed to get a new friend out of the competition. The idea of something to drink sounded just perfect. A nice bubbly soda after meeting such a bubbly and wild person seemed more than appropriate. Still he wasn't looking to move just yet. Staring up at the raining latex was beautiful even more so since he could share the moment with Khepri... until she asked a question that caught him completely off guard and forced him to sit up from the quirkiness of it.

"What...?! No. Oil is less dense than water, that's partially why it floats. The are also immiscible and their molecules do not attract to one another, but the biggest reasoning why that wouldn't work is the density. If oil and rain some how were raining simultaneously the oil would fall slightly slower because the less density would allow for less wind resistance compared to the water droplets. But you are significantly more dense than rain, you couldn't 'fly' or 'swim' through it just because your coated in oil." Michael spewed out the physics of her mad question only to be interrupted by the announcers.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PAITENCE EVERYONE, DESPITE THE OVERWHELMING LONG TIME NEEDED TO ASSESS THE TOTALS, WE DO HAVE A VERDICT! THE WINNER OF THE BALLOON BONANZA IS... MAFDET KHEPRI, WITH AN ASTONISHING 4373 POINTS!

The crowd erupted in cheers as their and Michel's final combo was being replayed on the big screens.

"Alright! Way to go!" Michael said to Khepri as he stood up and extended a hand to them to help to onto their feet.

NOW OUR JUDGES WERE DEBATING OVER THIS RESULT AS MAFDET-SAN DID NOT ACCOMPLISH THIS ON THEIR OWN. SO HALF POINT CREDIT WAS AWARDED TO FARADAY-SAN AS WELL! LETS GIVE IT UP FOR OUR COMPETITORS TODAY! THANK YOU AND ENJOY THE FESTIVAL!~

A ribbon was brought down and given to Khepri to denote their victory and the crowd went wild.

Michael was satisfied with that result, especially as he watched how cool the two of them were while pulling off that final combo. "Come with me, I know a booth nearby with great drink selection." Michael said as he escorted Khepri away.

Notes & Tags: Mafdet Khepri ,

TLDR: I am so sorry I've been away TT^TT