Scholastic Forums » Rhythm Access (A Forumfic)

chanchanchan · 7/31/2020 7:03 am

Agreed with the others, please feel free to take as much time off as you need!

meerkat · 7/31/2020 2:33 pm

^^^^ take as much time as you need! <3

AshTheAvaricious · 7/31/2020 7:59 pm

take your time

also i have a hunch that the group chat interactions were slightly influenced by the ggad wiki chat

Time · 8/01/2020 7:07 pm

I've have returned

And I LOVE the most recent addition to ra! The Rebel arc that is going on seems very interesting and I would love to see what happens next?

RisingStorm (Imagine) · 8/02/2020 12:35 pm

this is coooOOoOL

Andalite · 8/02/2020 5:00 pm

Oooooh! Just caught up and it's all awesome!

RisingStorm (Imagine) · 8/02/2020 9:42 pm

same :D

riribunni · 8/03/2020 5:42 am

Chapter Thirteen
[now playing: Replay by Lady Gaga; modified by user Love of dua lipa on Youtube]

[Please wear headphones for the full experience!]

Tuesdays in Beat weren't particularly special. Most of the time, not much was going on.

Unless you were a fighter in Rhythm Access and in the training rooms.

"I am going to CRUSH YOU under my boot, get back here!” Strigoi bellowed, chasing after Bunni who ran away cackling with glee. The two both had brutal fighting styles, pitting fast attacks against each other. The clash of metal on claws filled the room. It would be overwhelming for someone not used to the loudness of Rhythm Access.

Abyss observed the duo from afar, examining the training room from afar. She was grateful that the training outfit issued was a bit lighter than her standard costume, making it easier to work out, train against dummies or other fighters, or practice her agility to music. The constant white light from the ceiling was easier to process than the neons of the stadium.

Abyss was sitting up high on the wall. The one interesting thing of the training room was the fact that there was seating scattered throughout the whole wall. Anyone could reach the bench near the roof if they had the motivation or assets to. Which led to Abyss on the bench mid-way up the wall, scribbling out gibberish only readable by her on a sheet of paper.

“Is that shorthand?” an unfamiliar voice said. Abyss let out a poor excuse of a muted scream, scrambling backwards in her seat.

Hanging at the edge was Concerto, her dog ears perked up atop her head. She seemed to have only the top half of her body on the bench, her legs dangling downwards.

“Do you need any help?” Abyss said, raising an eyebrow in Concerto’s direction. The other girl shook her head.

Concerto let out a grunt as she quickly maneuvered herself onto the bench, letting out a soft grunt as she sat down properly. “I’m fine. Whatcha writing?”

“Uh...physics notes?” Abyss said, sounding unsure of her own statement.

Concerto hummed. “I thought you were observing Bunni. You were staring at her and I think I watched you break a mechanical pencil?”

“You saw that?!” Abyss exclaimed. It was too late when she had realized she had admitted to breaking the actual pencil and not just the lead.

Concerto nodded, muttering something about how plastic had hit the ground. “You must really hate her.”

“Who, Bunni?” Abyss questioned, watching the vampire fighter slash back at the shorter elemental. “I don’t hate her. She’s just immature, annoying, and doesn’t take her job seriously.”

“...Uh huh,” Concerto said, staring at Abyss. Concerto’s expression screamed “you-sure-are-saying-that-but-I-don’t-believe-you”.

“What? I’m not lying,” Abyss said, closing her eyes with a shrug as to make her point. “I just have a strong dislike for her work ethic.”

Concerto hummed again, pulling her knee up to her chest. “Uh huh.”

The duo continued their sit in silence, Abyss continuing to scribble down notes while Concerto just watched the battle below.

“You could always challenge her to a sparring match,” Concerto said, making Abyss look up from her notes.

Abyss glared down at the rabbit-masked fighter, who seemed to have a water bottle clip through her mask. “I mean, I guess.”

“Correction, you should,” Concerto said, turning to Abyss. “If you keep your little grudge up, you’re not gonna get far.”

Abyss groaned, slumping against the wall. “Why does everyone say that?”

“It’s the truth,” Concerto said. “When I first started, I was so focused on having proper etiquette during battle that I forgot some people fight dirty. I was spiteful of the others, too, y’know.”

Abyss stared at Concerto, lip quirked upwards in mild confusion and disgust. “I literally got into the auditions, like, half a year after you.”

“So what? I’m still your senior when it comes to this,” Concerto said with a confident expression. Her firm expression morphed into a bit of a smirk as she looked downwards at Strigoi. “If you focus too much on being polite and mature, you won’t have an ounce of fun. You’ll be so stressed out over your image--”

Concerto leaped down from her seat, plummeting towards the ground before turning her land into a roll. Quickly, she snatched a basic sword from the wall, whipping around to point it at Bunni.

“--You’ll miss key opportunities,” Concerto finished, using the sword in a taunt towards Bunni. “Bunni, you up for a challenge?”

Happiness radiated off the bunny-masked girl as she quickly grabbed her customized scythe, pulling a pin and watching the mass unfold. With a joyous shriek of “YES!”, the duo were on the mat and leashing out every attack they could as the beat drop hit.

Abyss didn’t realize her jaw had dropped till then. Slowly, the serpentine-fighter closed her mouth, watching the duo spar from above.

“You’ll miss key opportunities” rang in the fighter’s head like a cruel taunt as she watched the duo fight. Bunni and Concerto...the two seemed to be having the time of their life as they sparred, Abyss observed. It made a strange pit form in her stomach, a feeling that she didn't like in the slightest.

Abyss hoped that no one noticed as she slunk out of the training room and up the stairs, into the changing pod and out the doors. The only things in her head were two thoughts-- “search parkour moves” and “am I really that uptight?”

Her phone buzzed in her pocket as she hit the third stop before the train station closest to her house.

[Notification - STATMIX (@abyss-phantom) You were followed by @concerto_allegro.]

~

[now playing: Kick It by NCT 127; modified by Youtube user PEACHYAM]

[Please wear headphones for the full experience!]

Opera Ghost leaned up against the cool of the wall, taking a sip from the water bottle she had brought. The metal felt like a breath of fresh air in the warm room. Sure, she would much rather be at home, reading a novel or doing a puzzle, but throwing practice with her needles always helped keep her mind focused and cleared. She valued the time that she had in the training facility, especially after everything that had happened.

In all seriousness, she was considering it. It wouldn’t be that bad to take two weeks off from school, take one of those coming-of-age trips that young adult novels always rambled about. She had never been outside of Beat, too, which just gave her an extra slice of motivation.

Something was off about her training today. She couldn’t place her finger on it, she realized, as she tapped her foot in time with the bangs of the drums through the speakers. Something was just...off.

A presence slumped down on the wall next to her, the other folding their legs criss-cross to lean and look at Opera Ghost. “Your aim is off by, like, a lot. What’s up?”

Opera Ghost sent a glare at the girl next to her. Borealis sat there, looking mildly uninterested in Opera Ghost’s disdain.

“Are you here for anything?” Opera Ghost said, scowling. All she wanted to do was focus on training again or get out of there.

Borealis shook her head, ponytail drawing her brown locks out of her face. “I don’t like seeing players out of it. If you’re not in the best mindset you can be, how is that a fair battle? Barely entertaining, if you ask me.”

Opera Ghost rolled her eyes. “Personal issues.”

“Like what?” Borealis asked, leaning forwards to get a better look at Opera Ghost. “You can talk to me, just, like, don’t use names. Even though I probably don’t even know who you are— why bother with others who have less presence than me, no?”

Opera Ghost stared at Borealis, upper lip quirked in disgust. “You’re really not making me want to talk to you about this.”

“Ugh, ignore me,” Borealis said, dramatically flopping onto the wall and looking at Opera Ghost. “I swear I'm not that stuck up. Now, talk.”

Opera Ghost stayed silent.Borealis stared at the other, expecting a response. The only thing that filled the awkward air between the two was the muted bass of the dance music playing in the room over.

Opera Ghost’s eyes flicked to the side, making eye contact with Borealis.

“...You’re not going to leave unless I tell you something, aren’t you?”

“Duh.”

Opera Ghost groaned, smacking her palm into her forehead. “Fine. I lost three of my parents' chickens that’s it.”

Borealis made an angry buzzer sound, crossing her fingers into a X shape. “You’re lying, I can tell. Talk, you emo theatre kid, you.”

“Call me a theatre kid and I’ll fight you, right here, right now,” Opera Ghost said, not budging her eye contact. Borealis only returned the glare with puppy-dog eyes.

Opera Ghost made a noise that sounded like a strangled isopod. “God, fine! Stop giving me those eyes, you remind me of my dude friends.”

“Ooh, now we’re getting somewhere!” Borealis squealed, leaning back and looking in. “Do you really wanna talk on the floor, or do you wanna grab a smoothie in the fighter’s—”

“Down here is fine,” Opera Ghost interrupted, leaning her head against the wall. She seemed to chew over the topic in her head before opening her mouth to speak.

“...What would you do if your friend had to go on a train trip by herself to see family?”

“Oh,” Borealis said, biting the inside of her cheek. “Didn’t expect that, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. Let’s see…”

The brunette seemed to chew over the thought in her head, tapping her foot. “Well, I’d probably encourage her to go, but like, only if it was important. If it was just for fun, maybe not.”

Opera Ghost hummed. “What if it was dangerous?”

“What kind of trip are you even going on?” Borealis questioned, staring at the other in disbelief. “Sounds weird. But, I say go for it. If all else fails, you already know how to fight, no?”

Opera Ghost hummed. “Yeah, makes sense...wait, how did you know I was talking about my friend?”

“That was a classic advice setup. I learned it from some kid at my school,” Borealis said with a nod. “He knows too much about lying.”

Opera Ghost hummed. “Yeah, I get that.”

The duo sat in silence, looking at the mirror-coated wall across from them. Opera Ghost rested her head on her knees, staring off into the distance; meanwhile Borealis was biting her lip mid-thought.

“That’s it!” Borealis exclaimed, pounding her fist into her open palm. “This is the first time I’ve heard you talk more than five sentences!”

Opera Ghost shifted her vision from the floor to the ceiling. “...Huh. I guess you’re right.”

“That’s neat,” Borealis said with a grin and a nod. “We’re friends now.”

“...What? We are?” Opera Ghost asked, clearly confused.

Borealis only responded with a bigger smile and another nod. “Now we can spar against each other and I’ll finally have someone to drink a smoothie with!”

“I’m more of a tea person,” Opera Ghost corrected, before cursing herself internally. Why did I fall so easily for the idea of that?

“Oh, tea is neat! I know Moon Moon likes tea, but only the fruit kind,” Borealis said, pulling out her phone and glancing at it. “You have Statmix, what’s your user?”

“Waitwaitwait,” Opera Ghost said, waving her hands back and forth. “Did you just call Solamoon Moon Moon?”

“Uh, yeah,” Borealis said with a shrug. “Don’t tell her I called her that. Now, Statmix?”

“Oh, right,” Opera Ghost said, pulling out her phone. “It’s the opera ghost, all lowercase, underscore between each word.”

“I could just scan your QR code,” Borealis deadpanned.

“...That’s a thing?”

“What have you been living under, a sedimentary rock?” Borealis said with a dramatic gasp. “Lemme see your phone.”

Opera Ghost could only stammer out a short protest as Borealis snatched Opera Ghost’s phone from her hand, maneuvering to Statmix and tapping before holding her phone above the other’s. A short bing! rang out, and Borealis handed her phone back to the other. “Here. Now we’re friends! Text me about how that trip goes, yeah?”

Opera Ghost’s eyes widened, looking down at Borealis' Statmix profile. It was neat and organized, with the fighter holding up a peace sign as her avatar.

“Uh, thanks,” Opera Ghost said, realizing that the other had followed her. “I don’t know if I’ll take my work phone—”

“I advise you do,” Borealis said with a serious nod. “Then you know if anything dire happened to the stadium.

Opera Ghost nodded in agreement before realizing something. “You really know a lot about all of this, huh?”

Borealis inhaled sharply, turning to look at Opera Ghost. She scratched the back of her neck, giggling sheepishly. “Yeah, I have a few friends who I have to keep tabs on.”

Opera Ghost hummed. “Mom friend status?”

“You know it,” Borealis said. “You ever had to deal with someone who’s lacking 47 hours of sleep and crying on the floor because of how glorious toast is?”

Opera Ghost let out a bark of a laugh. “Are you serious? That’s the same kind of antics I have to deal with.”

Borealis shared the laugh, switching off her phone and pocketing it. “What’re your friends like?”

“I’ve witnessed one of them go on a theory rant over the origin of those yellow minions from 2010,” Opera Ghost said, voice falling flat. “That conversation was not worth pausing my music for.”

Borealis shuddered. “The era of Minions was a dark time.”

Just like that, the duo fell into natural conversation. Opera Ghost talked in full statements instead of her short sentences in the battlefield, Borealis remaining her dynamic self. It was natural. It made Opera Ghost forget the distress of being Rebel and trying to find her mother for half of a blissful hour.

She made her decision during the midst of their conversation. She knew what she was going to do.

~

[now playing: Playful Spirits by In Love With a Ghost]

Tuesday evenings for Rune Murkeywater were painfully dull. Not just a regular dull. It was the kind of dull that made your eyes glaze over, the kind of dull that gave you the strange impulse to tear down every muted-color drapery in your family’s estate. The kind where you were tempted to set at least twelve candles alight to see if you could read by the imprisoned firelight.

It wasn’t like there was much to do in her room other than read. She didn’t have a television (her parents insisted on how it rotted children’s brains). She had finished her novella already (too short, she had decided, and the ending was poorly written). To finish the boredom tower off she had no hair accessories aside from headbands, so it wasn’t like she could see how many barrettes fit in her hair at once.

Homework would be more interesting than this,Rune thought to herself. She had no homework left, having completed it ages ago at school. The ventus folk let out a groan, rolling onto her front to plank into her bed and let her wings expand to their full wingspan. The oil-slick-colored raven’s wings shimmered in the odd, blue-white lighting of her room.

The strawberry blonde turned to the side, rummaging in her pocket for her phone and flicking it on. The time read 6:42 PM.It’s too late to head to the stadium, Rune thought, slightly pouting as she realized she had no notifications. Sure, people were either scared of her or hated her at school, but the common feeling of having no notifications on your phone was just as devastating for her.

Tossing her phone next to the side of her queen-sized bed, the ventus folk just decided to mope into her bed sheets, instead of browsing the internet on her phone like any other logical and bored teenager.

Rune was mid-contemplating if she could sneak into the kitchen for a pre-dinner snack (it’s not like her parents would join her for dinner) when a buzz from her phone interrupted her thoughts.

Probably a Statmix notification, Rune contemplated, picking up and flipping over her phone.

[Messages: 1 Notification]

Her phone proceeded to buzz violently as she got two, three, four, and suddenly, ten notifications.

Rune made a confused noise as she tapped open the messaging app that caused her phone’s seizure. At the top of her messages (which consisted of her mother, father, and handmaid) was a...rather ridiculous name.

[GROUP CHAT: waffle house gang]
xanax: i’m 90% sure we’re getting banned from the bookstore if we bring enten there again.
gas gas gas: Your point? Bring the mechanical terror parrot
starchild: we are going to get ARRESTED, ash!!! that is ILLEGAL
gas gas gas: i don’t care
xanax: of course you dont
xanax: wait astra did you add rune
starchild: i did

Rune: Hello?
xanax: oh hi! welcome to torture feat. the enten gang
Rune: Am I getting abducted into a gang?
gas gas gas: Yes
xanax: sadly
starchild: I just wanted to add her to the groupchat and this is the welcome she gets
gas gas gas: what did you expect, a cake and a gift pony? Here, have half of a donut and a handful of gunpowder, Love, Definitely Not Me.
starchild: I DIDN’T RAISE YOU TO BE LIKE THIS
Rune: What is happening
gas gas gas: you’re not my mom??????
xanax: @rune i’m not sure
gas gas gas has changed Rune’s name to a Crow
a Crow: That is insulting
a Crow: How do I change my name
a Crow: Where is the name change button on this thing
xanax: ash is the admin and changed the settings so we can't, we’re all stuck like this
xanax: only reason astra has a decent name is because she’s ash’s sister and can tell on him to her parents
gas gas gas: WHY DID YOU TELL NEW GIRL THAT WE’RE SIBLINGS
gas gas gas: NOW I CAN’T MAKE T H O S E JOKES
xanax: WELL EXCUUUUUUSE ME PRINCESS
gas gas gas: call me princess one more time and i will get kaori to change your name to zarkon in the school files
xanax: bold of you to assume he has that much power
gas gas gas: yeah well he knows people with that much power, zuko
a Crow: NJKSHnsdkalfjashfwuehJDSK<,,,,,<FSD<,,,,
gas gas gas: literally what was that keysmash that was an insult to all keysmashes
a Crow: dropped my phone
a Crow: Why can’t I change my name
gas gas gas: they told you, i’m the mod, madam princess
xanax: OH SO IT’S FINE TO CALL OTHER PEOPLE PRINCESS BUT NOT YOU
gas gas gas: Yes.
xanax: Hate it here
starchild: no u dont
starchild: ANYWAYS

Rune stared at her phone as she witnessed the group chat continue to blow up, filled with more screaming between the blond gremlin and the tired senior. Another notification appeared at the top of her phone, labeled from an account named “Astra”. Oh, it’s the girl from the other day.

[Rune → Astra]
Astra: omg i am SO sorry you have to deal with them
Rune: It’s alright. What’s up?
Astra: so we were wondering if u wanna come with us to the mall this weekend?? We’re just gonna go shop for fun,,, maybe hit up a restaurant for lunch?? i’d rlly love it if u came w us, i nvr have any girls to go shopping with ;v;

Rune rolled onto her back, cringing as she situated her wings around her to avoid the pain that came with it. The invitation took her by surprise— it wasn’t often when people invited her out.

Scratch that— she never got invited out. Ever.

The strawberry blonde contemplated the idea. It’s not like Mom and Dad would notice if I was out of the house for one day on a weekend.

[Rune → Astra]
Rune: Sure.
Astra: YAYY!! omg i can’t wait :D we’ll meet u at 11 am in Central Station, near the Kusabana line entrance <3 see u then !!!
Rune: Can’t wait

Rune couldn’t fight the smile that grew over her face. I’m finally going out with people my age!

Another notification caught the ventus’ eyes, but this time it wasn’t from her messaging app. It was from...another group chat that she just got added into? It seemed to be full of fighters and started by that purple scythe man-- Joker, Rune recalled.

[Group Chat: Salmon Squad]
ChaosSlasher: Cheese is just a loaf of sliced milk
Several people are typing...

What the heck.

chanchanchan · 8/03/2020 5:49 am

🥺 friendship,,,

I’m not sure if it’s actually longer than the other chapters, but thank you for this food 🙏🙏 crops are well watered tonight

riribunni · 8/03/2020 5:51 am

chanchanchan wrote:
🥺 friendship,,,

I’m not sure if it’s actually longer than the other chapters, but thank you for this food 🙏🙏 crops are well watered tonight

they are FRIENDS and i LOVE them
it's a 3.3k word chapter, so it's on the long side!! longest chapter was 3.6k words
i am Glad that your crops are watered

HungryCat1 · 8/03/2020 5:57 am

I n t e r e s t i n g

riribunni · 8/03/2020 6:13 am

inch resting

TwoPunchAxel · 8/03/2020 7:14 am

Gas gas gas!
I'm gonna step on the gas
Tonight I'll fly and be your lover
Yeah yeah yeah
I'll be so quick as a flash
And I'll be your heroGas gas gas!
I'm gonna run as a flash
Tonight I'll fight to be the winner
Yeah yeah yeah
I'm gonna step on the gas
And you'll see the big show!
*laughs in copy and paste*

SongOfStorms · 8/03/2020 7:39 am

friendship!!
thank u concerto for telling abyss what she needed to hear
borealis and opera ghost are a chaotic duo and i love them
and enten gang... best kiddos...

great chapter as always!

xenon · 8/03/2020 8:40 am

abyss and concerto!!! borealis and opera ghost!!! and then there's the waffle house gang

loved this!! very good character interactions, tons of great quotes like "You ever had to deal with someone who’s lacking 47 hours of sleep and crying on the floor because of how glorious toast is?" and "You were staring at her and I think I watched you break a mechanical pencil?", and i am Looking at the Rebel arc. also i loved the music choices!! fantastic as usual!!

riribunni · 8/03/2020 10:51 am

thank you guys 🥺 the quotes were indeed chaotic and concerto out here spitting facts!!

Andalite · 8/03/2020 11:07 am

Cheese is just a loaf of sliced milk

I died

SpecterTheGreat · 8/03/2020 11:16 am

I have enjoyed this SO MUCH.
As always, the group chats are the best part lol.

RisingStorm (Imagine) · 8/03/2020 11:17 am

this is super cool! i love the music

lmao the last line

8/03/2020 11:49 am

This chapter was fantastic!! I absolutely loved it!!! Everyone's making friends!!

meerkat · 8/03/2020 12:25 pm

nabsksbsksnd words cannot deSCRIBE how much i love the group chats! also friends!! great chapter hehe-

DarkLordRebel · 8/03/2020 12:37 pm

This was a very great chapter, and look at everyone making friends.
There were so many great lines in this chapter as well.

EchoDraws · 8/03/2020 1:47 pm

Group chAAAATTTTTSSSSS !!!!!! <3

autumnlibrarian16 · 8/03/2020 3:11 pm

the character interactions were so good in this chapter!! love all these blooming friendships 👀

Time · 8/03/2020 3:33 pm

Ah thank you for this great chapter that we can now consume