You were still no closer to finding Ari, or figuring out what the meaning of this false world was. You had fallen asleep yesterday, exhausted both from the hard ride here and, though you were loathe to admit it, the weight you had been carrying. You couldn't even remember if your attempts at meditation had born fruit, but given how peacefully you had slept, you would hazard that you had passed out before any progress could be made.

Judging from the gap through the ivy veil, you guessed it was mid-day, which meant you had slept in even longer than you thought... And no one had seemed to mind. There was a note which had found its way to the shelf of your room while you slept, weighted down by a small plate of vegetables, berries and slices of cooked meat that had gone cold well before you woke up.

A yawn interrupted your meager attempts at observation, and you felt even this attempt at waking beginning to flag in favor of the alluring invitation to simply lean back into the constant embrace you found yourself in.

>Go back to sleep
>Read the note
>Inspect the books by the bed
>Other? (write-in)

Previous Threads:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Valen+Quest

Where things are said: https://twitter.com/Riz_QM
Where things are asked: http://ask.fm/RizQM

Assorted Supplemental:
Current Abilities - http://pastebin.com/PchcdWpw
A List of Forgotten Things - http://pastebin.com/kPEscJ3h
Irue's Memoires - http://pastebin.com/sWnicrK7

Write-ups:
Kara's Day Out - http://pastebin.com/8ZbiSKLs
Adventures with Asche - http://pastebin.com/RNviCBJu
The Reclaimed Doll - http://pastebin.com/n6miP1qT
In Your Shadow - http://pastebin.com/EfeeHFAE
Friends Forever - http://pastebin.com/Yn0QaTVB
The Woman Beneath Steel - http://pastebin.com/pMGgiHC3

Misc notes:Why do you want the truth so badly? All it's ever done is hurt us both.


Memo:
1. Get gifts for all our companions. Miniature Oakenrue for Ari, Tellenford Diary for Mim, Choker for Kara, mini-Vacation for Rinnier we can make Priat take her out on a social date. Maybe set up something where the people of Carona can thank her for her work and help remind her WHY she does it.
2. Invite Marchovic on adventures next time there's a chance.
3. Mim said "When are you going to tell her?" Tell what to whom?

>>1177399
>Read the note
>Inspect the books by the bed

>>1177481
Writing!

Captcha plz.

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>>1177418
>Spoiler

Because we wasted 10 years of our life accepting whatever we were told, it made us weak, ignorant and unfit for purpose. From now on we're going to strive to understand the world in its entirety even if that means suffering.

The world is a cruel place but the ultimate cruelty is blinding oneself to the truth and living in delusion.

As tempting as it was to just let yourself be lulled back to sleep, you were here for a reason. Unfortunately your first couple of attempts to get out of bed were less than successful. The weave of ivy which had managed to replace your blanket while you slept was proving reluctant to let go, and what you had initially expected to shift off was instead clinging to you zealously.

You shuffled within its confines, finding yourself twisting and straining in order to get better purchase on the greenery in your on going battle to escape the bed. It wasn't as if each of the individual strands of ivy were sturdier than any other plant, but when woven together, it was like trying to force apart a solid cord of rope. Even when you did succeed in shimmying out from under it, your short-lived feeling of victory was all but crushed upon realizing that smaller tendrils had wrapped themselves around your limbs and torso as well.

All said, it took you far more effort than you had expected before you finally hit the floor. You would undoubtedly be picking little tendrils and leaves out of your clothes the rest of the day. A fact that would have made you far more irritated if the vines that had twined themselves through your hair hadn't simply slid off as you stood up.

Brushing yourself off, you idly picked at the plate left atop the note, glancing over its contents.

"Ser Valen,

A plate of breakfast was saved for you, since it seems you were resting to peacefully to be woken this morning. Eleanore has passed word that she has something to talk to you about when you're ready. We were pleased to offer them our hospitality, in thanks for helping you arrive so swiftly. They did not seem the type to linger overlong however, so I cannot say how long they may stay.

In the meantime, please ask any of the attendants if you need something."

You swallowed a mouthful of berries and yawned, the familiar weight of your various stresses and responsibilities helping you wake up as they settled back onto your shoulders. Seems that they were content to move things along at your speed... And some traitorous part of you wondered if they would even mind if you just stayed shut up in your room all day. Your gaze drifted back down to the very small stack of books nestled away, memories of the months of your life you had spent quietly tucked away in your library back home.

The book on top you had seen last night. An unusually large book that had seen a great deal of affection and use through the years, filled with illustrations of old folktales, most of which predated the establishment of the Shrine. Stories from an era where knowledge of the Mana was something ill understood, and superstitions were the primary explanation for the existence of apparitions, or the changing of the environment.

Beneath it was a tome of a much more typical size, with enough pressed flowers serving as bookmarks to have filled a small meadow. Passages were underlined in various colored inks, doubtlessly derived from the self-same abundance of flower petals which marked the different pages, and fastidious notes lingered along the margins. You could only catch glimpses of the content as you gingerly thumbed through it in an effort to not send a small avalanche of flower petals cascading onto the floor, but with the frequency it referenced Dryad, you gathered it was likely a volume on the Mana itself.

And then finally, hidden beneath both of those, was a small book whose pages remained mostly blank; Its only content being aimlessly scribbled thoughts and the drifting day-to-day concerns of its author, whose handwriting was one and the same with the margin-notes you had found in the book on Dryad.

>Read folktales
>Read the book on Dryad
>Read this book
>Other? (write-in)

>>1177773
I was beginning to wonder if anyone actually read the misc notes. Their content recently has been... Relevant.

>>1177788
>>Read this book

>>1177788
>Read this book
>inb4 it turns out to be completely unrelated

>>1177795
>>1177810
Reading this book!

Writing!

>>1177788
>>Read this book
>Wander around the shrine while we're reading with the eventual goal of finding Elly
>Grab the book on Dryad in case we have another travel timeskip

I'll probably fall asleep soon, please have mercy Riz!

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>>1177879
why does this always happen to me

>>1177910
Your vote was counted! Since it's basically the same vote as everyone else, it's not a big adjustment.

Sleep tight, anon. Wake up later to see what your choices have brought you.

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>>1177918
>Wake up later to see what your choices have brought you

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I love Rinnier! I want to see her cute pout! I want to tease her and watch her get mad! I want to tie her up in a basement and bottle up her tears in tiny, glass bottles tied off with lovely ribbons to peddle around like a snake oil salesman, except I know they'll work their magic because she's a miracle of the universe!

>>1178078
Are you cosplaying the Fae anon?

You set the book of folktales aside for now. While they were something interesting to read up on, the book itself was too unwieldy to carry around and read at the same time. The same couldn't be said for the other two, however, and you tucked the volume on Dryad under your arm as you grabbed another handful of berries from the plate.

The warm, winding hallways of the under-root were mostly empty as you wandered through them, nose half buried in the small handwritten book. Some of them waved to you as you walked, but for the most part they seemed content to simply greet you with a smile and a nod - Or not at all, if they were likewise absorbed in reading something. You recognized a few of them from the crowd yesterday, but saw no one you could place a name to. Specifically speaking, it didn't seem like you'd be finding Kole or Elly down here.

But in the meantime you filled your time looking over the pages before you. It was a dialect you were only familiar with because you had spent a great deal of your time studying Mana, and thus had become exposed to the occasional volume or passage written as such... Which was telling of just how far in the past this false word had set itself. By all rights, these types of characters were more fit to be found under translation efforts by Luna's attendants, not used as a casual script...

Between that and the occasional turn of phrase or addage you weren't familiar with, what should have been light reading proved to take you a little more time and effort to decipher.

All of which made the contents within underwhelming. At first you had been perplexed, but the more you read, the more readily it became apparent that it was just a log, or journal of some sort, cataloguing the author's days. Small crises were contained within, like the silent confession of having lost a friend's scarf last winter, and a similarly harrowing tale of having gone diving in the river several nights in a row in search of a carving they had accidentally tipped out a window in their attempt to touch it.

Working your way through the book was a slow task, riddled with rereading passages and pausing to try and remember what certain characters indicated, but between the every day misfortunes and troubles, there were more hopeful pages. Days where the author had been complimented on their hair, or the particular way they gushed in excitement when someone had taken notice of their weaving and requested something. Like a replacement scarf.

Their thoughts and observations on the other attendants of the Shrine, ranging from notes taken on discoveries about people, and who had a crush on who, to what someone's favorite food was, or even what type of dish one of the newer attendant's mother had made them when they were ill... The last of which became a reoccurring project for them, as ingredients were slowly puzzled out, and replacements for unobtainable ones theorized. Eventually even notes on the misadventures of their attempts at cooking it were recorded.

Having dabbled in the arcane kitchen based alchemy of cooking once before, you found yourself curious as to whether they succeeded in the end or not.

Your wandering about the Shrine continued unimpeded as you spent your time reading peacefully, speed increasing as you grew more accustomed to reading the ancient dialect. One thing that interested you was the occasional fleeting reference to 'that place'. While it was never directly named, the author would occasionally mention it - Whether it was something they had found, or someone who had returned, or the worries over someone who had just left, it was as if actually naming it was a personal taboo. At first you had thought it was somewhere nearby, but the further into the book you went, the more often that subject would find its way onto the pages, and you began to realize just what it was referring to.

>Continue reading
>Put the book away

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>>1178078
...Welcome to Valen Quest?

I'm forced to assume you're new, because I've just never seen any of my players react to Rinnier with anything but disdain.

>>1178188
>>Put the book away
>>1178202
I too like Rinner.

>>1178188
>Continue reading

>>1178202
I recognize our problems with Rinnier stem from anons being social cripples. I want to say something to her that'll make her like us.

>>1178188
>Continue reading
Assuming we're not gonna actually realize it unless we do this.

>>1178210
The book goes away!

>>1178239
>>1178249
Keep reading!

Writing!
---

>>1178249
You realize it now! Where else could it be? Obviously it's there!

Though the author seemed keen to skim over recording any direct detail of the place, context clues helped you puzzle out that the unnamed place was none other than the Dead Zones... And from the contents, it seemed that the author themself had been one of the first to go there and come back. Not once or twice, but time and time again they had found themselves returning in the vain hope that maybe this time would be different.

It was a pattern to read, and a depressing one, as time and time again you saw the signs of someone whose hope had led them to venture back into their own nightmares and come out empty handed... OR worse. Friends and acquaintances lost to 'that place', the details of their deaths or even what was lost left purposefully omitted. The feelings of helplessness when they could only watch as more of the people they knew left to try and lend aid to potential survivors of the disaster.

It was during these times that entries were shorter. Details scarcer. As if the author themselves were too worn out to fill the pages with their usual cheer and flowered prose. A depression that could readily be felt through the pages, in the flat and concise manner that their thoughts had fallen onto record... Made all the more bitter to stomach when the life would begin to slowly return, pending signs of the author's recovery... And their own crushing guilt of having failed to make a difference. The same guilt which would drive them to return once more, beginning the process anew.

For some time, their day to day troubles were all but absent. Simple and direct reports filled line after line, for page upon page-

"We found nothing again today. Maybe tomorrow."
"We found nothing again today. Maybe tomorrow."
"We found nothing again today. Maybe tomorrow."
"We found nothing again today. Maybe tomorrow."
"We found nothing again today. Maybe"
"We found nothing again."
"We found nothing."
"Nothing."

-All of which bore the same message. One which grew less verbose as time went on, until entire pages were simply filled with columns of a single word - An act which served more to count the days than anything else. A monument to despair, whose bricks were lain once a day to the ingrained strokes of a single hopeless word.

A frown formed obstinantly as you carefully turned the pages, skimming the repeated characters for a sign of change while you wandered. The breeze kicked up around you, taking your golden hair into its playful stream as the streams of endless reports finally broke before you.

"Children! They're badly wounded, but they're alive!"

"A-Ah..." You looked up from the book curiously, catching sight of Eleanore standing stiffly a few feet away, her mouth opened awkwardly. "It's... Good to see you woke up! I hope you slept. Well! I hope you slept well." She stuttered out a shy greeting, one you had more or less come to expect from what little time you had spent with her, and you nodded in turn. You had been hoping to find her eventually, anyway.

"It was relaxing, but I had some problems getting out of bed."

"Haaa..." She smiled shakily, her laughter slipping out more akin to a forced titter. "You uh... Must have been tired."

>Ask if she's alright
>Complain about being covered in ivy
>Talk about what she wanted to see you for
>Other? (write-in)

>>1178320
>>Talk about what she wanted to see you for

>>1178320
Pointedly stash away her diary, then
>Complain about being covered in ivy
>Talk about what she wanted to see you for

>>1178320
>Stash the diary and pretend we don't know who wrote it.
>Ask if she's alright
>Complain about being covered in ivy
>Compliment her hair
>Talk about what she wanted to see you for

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>>1178328
>>1178334
>>1178338
You wanted to see me?

>>1178334
>>1178338
Complaining about ivy!

>>1178334
>>1178338
Bullying.

>>1178338
Further bullying.

Writing.

>>1178355
I'll never move past stage two Riz, you can be sure of that.

"Normally being tired doesn't result in being tied down by plants." you deadpan, "Is it normal for ivy to be that invasive down there?"

"Invasive...?" She muttered distractedly, licking her lips as her gaze shifted between you and the diary in your hand. "No, it's rarely an issue... Um-" You shut the book absently, watching her stutter out a shortlived and stillborn protest. "The ivy is filled with Dryad's essence... I've never heard of Dryad trying to tie anyone down before. Was it uncomfortable?"

"Not... Really." You weigh your response carefully as you thought back to it. "I haven't slept that well in ages, it was just a pain trying to escape the cocoon I ended up in overnight."

"Hehe..." Elly giggled despite herself, fragments of her forced smile filling with genuine warmth. "Sometimes when I'm worried, I'll wake up with flowers in my hair, or a vine around me hand... I've always thought it was Dryad's way of trying to comfort me." A light blush crept across her cheeks, "N-Not that it's strange! You can ask anyone else, I'm sure something like it has happened to others as well!"

"Comforting... Huh." You certainly felt at peace when you had woken up. "All the same, I'd rather not end up trapped in web of vines every morning. Is there some way to stop that?"

"Oh... I'm... Not sure." She blinked at the request as if she had never considered trying to stop that particular event. "In theory, it might be possible to request Dryad's distance on a matter... I don't know whether it would actually help any, though." She took a step forward, raising her head to look at you sincerely. "As an outsider you may not really know, but we Adepts don't actually control anything. We are, ultimately, just beloved children of our Mana... Any feat we preform is simply because we've asked them, and in their affection, they've chosen to humour our wishes... That is to say, in the end all we can do is meditate on the matter and wait for our Mana's decision."

Given your past experiences with them, it was easy to forget that Adepts themselves had no particular set of powers that any other human lacked. What set them apart, from the moment of their birth, was simply some ephemeral quality that the Mana adored within them. That overbearing affection for a single individual out of countless others, which led the Mana towards indulging in their silly, meaningless requests.

And indeed, to a Mana, the game of drama and politics waged between humans was just that: Silly and meaningless. Salamander didn't care, nor distinguish, between a flame used to kill and one used to dance or cook. Undine's waters cradled just as soon as they drowned, and Jinn's winds blew away lives and regrets alike.

It was this tendency of the Mana to exist on a macroscale which had led to many disasters and countless lives lost over petty, pointless things such as who would love a particular child more. Entire towns and settlements wiped away in the ensuing squabble over what amounted to ownership of a favored toy.

"B-But!" Elly smiled proudly as she spoke up, "I think that's also why the Shrine exists!"

"...?"

"I don't... Believe the Mana mean to hurt us like they sometimes do. It's difficult... For both of us, I mean. We study every day to try and understand and communicate with our Mana better, because I think we don't understand them as much they don't understand us... And that they really want the best for us... But aren't always sure how to help. A-And sometimes... I don't think they realize that their kindness is only hurting us more." You took a breath, one hand resting over her heart as the mousey attendant's eyes shone brightly. "The Shrine was formed to help protect Adepts from all sorts of things, but I feel like there's more we can do than just for ourselves. Communicating with the Mana on behalf of people who can't is also a gift we can provide! One we should provide!"

"..." It was a familiar sentiment. One you knew backwards and forward. It was one of the core tenets of the Shrine, that they act as a medium between the people and the Mana. It was precisely that reason which helped granted them international presence and levity in their standings. It had been that way for as long as you could remember, far longer than you had been alive, and even before your aunt and uncle, and their parents... Had it not always been that way?

"Ser Valen?"

You had heard it taught before, but hearing it said in such a hearfelt manner was... Different. These weren't doctrines that Elly had been taught, but her honest dreams and thoughts on the matter.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." You close your mouth, unsure of when it had started to drift open. "I was just thinking about something I read."

"O-Oh..." All at once the earnest purity that she had radiated crumbled, and her shoulders sunk. "I hope you e-enjoyed... It. The reading. I mean. What you read, It was probably very boring, um..."

"No, I meant something from a long time ago." You shook your head, tapping your finger against the cover of the diary you had spent your morning translating. "This is the only thing I've had the chance to read here, so far."

"Ha-aaahh....?" She breathed an acknowledgement that hitched sharply into something more akin to a squeak. "U-Um... The other books are f-far more interesting! You s-shouldn't waste your time on that one!"

"I was interested in the one on folklore." You mused, "and I've got the book on Dryad with me as well... But it looks like it's seen a lot of use, so I'm saving it for later. I try to make a point of finishing one book before starting another, anyway."

"F-Finishing..." Her voice trembled, "You.. do you know what um... you're... Reading?"

You take a moment to think it over. You already knew the answer, but the suspense of waiting for what you would say was kind of fun its own way. "Seems like a journal, so far. I haven't seen any signatures from the author yet, though. Would you happen to...?"

"No!" She loosed a frantic, shrill denial. "It's a mystery! I-It just showed up one day! The author's probably long gone by now, a-and they accidentally left their diary. Here."

"Ah. Well, I guess I'll try to finish reading it before they show back up to claim it."

"Ha? Ahm... That's.. I mean if it were mine, I'd be verymortifiedifsomeonereadit." the words came quicker as she spoke, until they flowed together in a single desperate stream.

"Good thing it's not yours, then." You shrugged, watching her face flush. "Anyway, there was a note saying you wanted to see me?"

"Oh... Oh! Oh, right, no I have great news!" Her posture straightened enthusiastically, "I spent most of last night communing with Dryad like you asked, and I think I've found your friend! O-Or... erm." She coughed lightly, deflating gradually until she was just a slightly more hopeful shade of her normal self. "I've found a lot of people in the woods, actually. I think the larger group is the Ļ̷͜u̡n͜͞a ͘͜D̴͘͡om͠ini͠o̡ń̶͠-" You winced at the expected distortion, "-But there are a couple smaller ones that I was unfamiliar with. If your friend is one of them, then I think I can lead you to her!"

>Track down Ari immediately
>Talk to Elly about something else (what?)
>Check on Tim
>Other? (write-in)

Going to pause the thread here. I've got some work to do for an old client, and a lot of last minute assignments I need done later tonight.

Hopefully we can pick back up monday! Voting window and such are naturally open until then.

>>1178466
>Other? (write-in)

> Meditate on Dryad

Let's go with our own possessiveness and jealousy and insecurity shall we? The dark side of Dryad as it were.

Fuck everyone Ari is MINE.

>>1178474
Thanks for running!

>>1178466
>Enlist Tim's help
>Track down Ari

I have some reservations though. We're in an emulated world, why would Ari even be here? Even if she is, that probably would only be an emulation of Ari. I'm this close to voting for meeting L*na Dominion; all that's stopping me is the fear of the world having a giant fit from their presence.

>>1178477
God no, meditating will take hours at best, we're running out of time already as it is.

Can I suggest an alternative? Go to the big-ass tree in the center of the shrine and simply ask Dryad for our help. Like Elly said, all adepts can do is ask and hope that the mana cater to our whims. I don't think meditating is a prerequisite for intervention or the Teranford military's firesticks would be completely idiotic weapons and Wisp adepts can hardly be good healers if they have to sit down and close themselves to the world when someone is dying in front of them.

>>1178466
>Get Tim's help to track down Ari
>Go to the tree in the shrine and beg Dryad for aid

Maybe we should split up? You know I fucking bet we'll just end up finding Elly's brother as he's being mauled to death by some monstrosity.

>>1178466
>Talk to Elly about something else (what?)
>>These weren't doctrines that Elly had been taught
Ask her about the Shrine's core tenets, if they don't line up with her ideas for some reason. It might shed light on what Luna's up to.

And then
>Check on Tim

>>1178466
>>Track down Ari immediately

>>1178740
I could support just asking Dryad for help.

>>1178466
Maybe some of the smaller groups will be our Knights!
>Track down Ari immediately
>Embrace Elly sexually

>>1178466
>Track down Ari immediately
Tim's helped us enough, and he's only still hanging around because he's resting.

I don't really think we'll find her in here, or that if we do that it'll get us out of the loop, but aside from 'meditate on Dryad', I don't know what else to do.

>>1177794
I've been reading them, but wasn't putting much thought into them...
What truths would have hurt Dryad, or the Fae?

Do we still have our bracelet? If we do meditate, we need to be careful.

We'll be starting again a little later tonight, and probably wrapping up this thread since I've got a long day tomorrow (tuesdays and wednesdays make me want to die this semester).

Until then, I'll give a few answers and clarifications where I can.

>>1178501
>Why would Ari even be here?
When you asked for Ari, the Fae led you here. Whether you believe this was in good faith, or yet another lie, is your discretion.

>>1178740
Meditation is a method of deliberately and manually restructuring your thoughts to best align with a given Mana. For an Adept it helps them communicate more intricately with their Mana, but the fact they are Adepts in the first place means that they're loved enough they don't need to meditate to exchange simple requests or conversation with their Mana.

Consider it a method of temporarily sharpening your affinity, as opposed to a necessary ritual. That said, if there's nothing to sharpen in the first place...

>>1185214
You still have your bracelet. It is firmly on your left wrist, as always.

>>1185198
Seriously though do give Elly a hug.

>>1178477
Meditating!

>>1178501
>>1178740
>>1181508
Tim, we need a favor!

>>1178501
>>1178740
>>1183612
>>1185198
>>1185214
Find Ari!

>>1178740
Begging random trees for help!

>>1181508
Asking Elly about her thoughts

>>1185198
Bullying(?) Elly!

Writing. Thread tonight will be short, and wrap some things up.

"Now?"

"What? Oh. Oh! Um, yes, I need to get a few things, but we can leave as soon as you're ready." Finally having a lead on Ari's location was precisely why you'd come here in the first place, but you didn't expect things to proceed this smoothly. You were barely four days into the cycle and already you had a direction. Excitement bubbled up in your chest, that things were finally going right. "Ah?" So much so that you barely caught yourself before you stepped in to sweep Eleanore into a hug.

Your sudden movement towards her had startled a gasp from the mousey Representative, and that had thankfully been enough to of a start for your mind to catch up to your body. "Um..." She shrunk back marginally, before excusing herself in a panic. "I-I'll go get ready!"

"Wait!" Even if you were excited, hugging Eleanore just because she was the closest thing around would have been mortifying. You did manage to catch her shoulder before she retreated too far though, feeling her entire body jump under your sudden touch. "...Thanks." The word tumbles from your lips awkwardly, serving to partially set the skittish woman at ease, "This means a lot to me."

"Don't thank me." She looked back towards you with a soft smile, "It's the responsibility of those with a gift to use it. I'm glad that I could be of use!"

She hurried away to get ready, leaving you standing in alone in the courtyard; Her parting words rooting you to the ground silently.

"Responsibility..." The recited fragment which slipped from your lips was lost to the empty sky. It was a familiar sentiment. So many familiar sentiments. You looked on as Elly's distant form scurried up the steps to the Shrine, resolving to talk about it later. For now, you needed to get ready to track down Ari. Just because you had a direction to go in, didn't mean she was close by... If anything, if it took you three days of hard riding to get here, who knows how long it would take you to get to her... And that was assuming you even found her immediately. Eleanore said there had been a 'couple' unfamiliar ones. Any of them could have been your Testament, and you really had no way of knowing which until you arrived.

Your eyes drifted up, beyond the stairs of the Shrine, towards the looming branches of the grand tree which grew through out the sacred structure, becoming lost in the subtle murmuring of rustling leaves.

Something struggled in the back of your mind. A thought lost in the tumult, that desperately tried to fit together errant details from your memories.

"Please." A feeling like you should have known something. That you should have realized it by now. "Just this once."

The miserably familiar feeling that even now, you were forgetting something.

"Let things go well."

...And the weight of it made you feel sick.

You turned away from the Shrine, only the faint creaking of its bows to answer your own pleas. Your words may as well have been lost to the wind for all the good they did... Because it was Adepts who the Mana heeded most readily, and for all your efforts, you had never once felt their favour.

...

"Morning Irue. Didn't expect to see you before I left!" Tim raised a hand in greeting as you approached, his other limb preoccupied with running a coarse brush across his horse's side. "My thanks for talking them into letting me and my girl rest up here."

"It wasn't a problem. I barely even had to mention you were here before they volunteered to find a place." You gave a wry smile, "You've got as long as you need, so there's no need to try and hurry out."

"Ha! I hadn't planned to leave for another couple days. The old girl worked hard to get us here, an' she deserves some pampering before we get back on the road." Tim pat his horse's side, the creature's nostrils flaring in a snort as a response. "Now, how'd your searching go? Learn anything about that friend of yours yet?"

"We may have learned where she is." You confirmed, quietly thankful for Tim's habit of getting down to the point without preamble, "I'm getting ready to leave with a member of the Shrine to try and track her down."

"Whew." Tim wheezed good naturedly, "I always thought that red headed friend of yours was the slave driver... Guess you two were always on the same wave length, though." You blinked at the non-sequitor, trying to piece together what he was talking about. "Aight, give me an hour or so and I'll my girl saddled and ready."

"What?"

Tim had clapped his hands onto his thighs and eased himself off his stool already, "That's why y'came to see me, isn't it?"

>Have Tim serve as transportation
>Tell him to stay put
>Talk to him about something else
>Other? (write-in)

>>1187481
>>Have Tim serve as transportation
If he's willing
>Apologise for making such a selfish request after all hes down for us already

>>1187626
This! Writing.

>>1187481
>>1187626
yea this works


>Something struggled in the back of your mind. A thought lost in the tumult, that desperately tried to fit together errant details from your memories.

>"Please." A feeling like you should have known something. That you should have realized it by now. "Just this once."

>The miserably familiar feeling that even now, you were forgetting something.

>"Let things go well."

>...And the weight of it made you feel sick.

This quest in a nutshell; but when we do Remember, man, what a rush.

>>1187681
Isn't Ari also loved by Dryad? Like the Oakenrue morphed and such for her.

Could we meditate on Ari's love for us instead?

>>1187481
DO WE HAVE OUR BRACELET?

"It wasn't, but if you're willing then I won't turn you away." You sigh, listening to the deep baritone of his laughter. "I'm serious. I wanted to check on you before we left."

"Ha! Just how were you expecting to go find your friend if I let you leave without me? Walk across the forest?" You opened your mouth to respond, but... You hadn't actually thought that far, yet. You were so excited about even having a destination, the logistics of how you'd get there were shuffled off to the side. "...Haha, oh sweet Jinn, you were." Tim clapped you on the shoulder one handedly, giving you a firm shake as he walked by. "Leave it to me, I'll get you where you need to go."

"...Thanks, Tim." If you were honest, the willingness to help you was disconcerting. The man had treated you like a friend from the moment he met you, and a dear one at that. "I'm sorry for this. First asking you to rush me here, and not even a day later we're leaving again."

"Don't get all sentimental on me now. I ain't goin nowhere, you hear?" His laughter slowed, "Now don't get me wrong, I love a peaceful life as much as the next guy, but I was already feelin' that itch in my bones when I heard you were making your way back round to these parts. There's somethin' about rushing across the land that'll always get my blood pumping." The hunter ran his hands affectionately along his horse's snout, eyes softening as he looked the beast over. Though his stare was on the horse, you felt like he was looking at something far away; A gaze lost in thought, nostalgic and bittersweet. "To be honest, I get the feeling we won't get many more chances to do things like this." He uttered sadly, patting his horse with an enduring smile adorning his rugged mug.

>Lie to him.
>Be honest.
>Remain silent.

>>1187481
Red head? Is he talking about Rinner? Isn't Tim a part of this world?
>>1187761
Yes. Read the posts.

>>1187471
>The miserably familiar feeling that even now, you were forgetting something.

Well fuck you too riz

>>1187863
>>Remain silent.

>>1187863
>Remain silent.

>>1187891
Red hair runs in the East Heaven royal family, that's where Rinnier has it from.

>>1187471
>The miserably familiar feeling that even now, you were forgetting something.

I really, REALLY hope this is just Irue almost recalling what Luna has taken away.

>>1187863
>Be honest.

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>>1187898
>>1187919
Silence.

>>1187933
Honesty.

Writing.
----

>>1187927
It's not!

>>1187896
Irue is self aware of their struggles. Do your best!

>>1187919
But who is the friend he's talking about?

>>1187936
>It's not!
I have an Irue reaction face for times like this. But I'm at work now.

>>1187938
>But who is the friend he's talking about?
The late East Heaven's Queen, probably.

>>1187936
Huh. I wonder if this is like the Fae forest and we can find Ari just by letting Dryad guide us.

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>>1187952
Shotgun approach!

>>1187952
But aren't we ahead of schedule? We probably should ask.

>>1187996
No, I have a new face. I expected to have an opportunity to use it on Sunday, but it turned out to be too relaxed.

All you had to do was tell him that future wasn't set in stone. That there would still be plenty of opportunities. That this wasn't the last time you'd ride together like this. If you said it, he would believe you. He'd set aside his doubts, his fears, and he'd believe you. He would believe in you, without any other reason. That's all it would take, and the pain in your chest when you couldn't bring yourself to say even those few words was sharp.

It was a lie. Deep inside, you knew it was a lie. What he had said weren't the words of wondering man. In his bones, he had already seen what lie ahead, and what swiftly approached, and resigned himself. It was regret that weighted his words, as if an era of his life had come to an end too soon. To tell him otherwise would be nothing more than a lie spit between your teeth, and you knew that... And it burned to realize that he would know it just as well, and accept it in vain hope.

Even still, no response came from your suddenly dry lips. You had the chance to put a smile back on his face, but it would have been a lie. You had that chance, and if you weren't going to take it, you should be honest with him. He spoke out because it wasn't just a part of his own life which was ending, but one he shared with you. All you needed to do was tell him the truth. Even if it hurt, this was an invitation to the end. To share that pain, and that resignation.

But those words caught in your throat, no matter how many times you swallowed. Heavy and thick. They felt meaningless in your mind, and cruel beyond that. Was it denial to think that there really might have been more chances? Was it wrong to spare him the weight of finality?

"Alright, everything's set!" His cheery voice resounded, the horse stamping its foot in preparation to ride. "Ah, this the attendant that's coming with us, then?"

"Y-Yes! My name is Eleanore, I'll be doing my best!"
"Haha, aren't you a cute one. Fair mark sweeter than that ill-tempered hornet I was used to taking third-seat."
"Heee!?"

In the end you never gave him a response, and the moment passed. Trapped in indecision, he had simply continued to work in silence and accepted that as your answer. A damning silence, born out of your hesitation. One that, no matter how many furtive glances you stole towards him, you couldn't find a single shred of accusation for.

Gentle child...
If you will not spare their pain.
If you will not give them an end.
If they look to you for an answer.
...Haven't you simply abandoned them?
Y̷o̵̕u ̴͠h̶̵̡av̵̢è͝n̡'̸͠t̶̴ ̢̧́c̴h̛a͠n̴g̵ed.̨

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http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Valen+Quest

And we are archived.

I'll keep an eye on the thread for the next few days, but must sleep now. Long days ahead!

Apologies to all anons who participated in Valen Quest but died at their keyboards wondering when QM would finally stop.

To those who did not make it to the end, we will never forget your sacrifice.

>>1188072
Why do we always fuck up

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>>1188080

>>1188072
Huh. So Dryad is pointing out that saving them some pain is causing more?

Goddammit.

>>1188080
Meh. We could still just tell him change comes, and changing with the times or holding on to what's gone inside you until you too pass, are both okay options.

Just go with whatever makes him feel the happiest. If it's living in the woods and later telling stories about them while being the last remainder, or if it's seeking out something good in the new woworld to nurture and grow. So long as he's doing what he believes is best that's all man can do. Shit happens.

>>1188080
Because there's no indication what's right and wrong or I just can't read.

>>1188022
This is a sad post

>>1188072
For fucks sake man

>>1188128
Touching on this briefly before I head off to class.

This wasn't a question with a right or wrong answer. Sometimes there's nothing you can say that will make you, or someone else happy, and it's no fault of your own. You aren't magical. You can't solve everyone's problems. Often, you find it difficult just to solve your own.

In this case, it didn't matter what your answer would have been. Tim would have accepted any of them, and Irue would have felt uncomfortable regarding all of them (due to lying, due to hurting him with the truth, and due to never answering at all). What would have changed was the spoilered text later - Which you should treat more as a hint, than a condemnation.

If anything, though, you chose the consistent answer. For... Various reasons.

But Guidance.png is posted with complete sincerity. Sometimes all you can do is choose the option that makes you happiest at the time, even if it's the most tolerable taste of bitterness available.

>>1188072
>If you will not give them an end.
...what does this mean? Something to do with ending the simulation?

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>>1177773
>>1187933
At least you stick to your guns, hopefully Irue can learn something from you!

>>1188896
>Spoilered text
Well we've gone from "you stupid, stupid child" to "gentle child..." so we've done something right, but only God knows if that's a good thing.

I'm glad Irue gets to feel the full force of our collective pains, maybe now she'll think better when giving us prompts.

>>1189162
I... I think /our/ actions are what influence the prompts. She may provide the drive, but we provide the direction.

>>1189453
No stop that, you're thinking nonsense.

So apparently Valen is a harem quest. And we don't even have any husbandos.
Post husbando candidates. I will begin:
Atlach-Nacha-kun best guy.

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>>1192052
It... What?

>>1193050
That's probably my fault for posting on /qst/ that we have the stereotypical anime harem of women around. We got an Awoo, a fiery redhead princess, a childhood friend maido, a TOO PURE mild yandere, and a precocious magical loli.

And we're a terribly insecure person who feels insecure and clumsy while doing amazing thing.

Yeah.

You accidentally wrote a harem anime quest.

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>>1193460
...Alright.

I have to wonder why you talked about Valen on /qtg/ at all, though. It used to have some genuine conversation on it back on /tg/, but it's little more than an abyss of shitposting and flinging these days. Almost everything that goes on in there is just to try and get a rise out of someone, or an excuse to deride something just for the sake of being childish or petty.

I feel like I've asked this before, but please don't bother bringing it up. It's always done nothing but irritate the people there, and more often than not, there's no one reading it who is actually interested in having a conversation beyond spouting low-quality attempts at bait, and tired local in-jokes... Especially so if what you're saying makes you out to look like you're invested in something.

Just my thoughts on it, though. I can't stop you if it's something you think is worth it; I've just kind of given up on it ever since their pettiness and drama ruined what meager peer review and earnest discussion that the community had started to show.

What I don't understand is why either of you visit qtg.

Also describing the characters as anime stereotypes is doing them a great disservice. I hope that's not the mentality you have when we are playing

>>1194252
>I have to wonder why you talked about Valen on /qtg/ at all
Because we love your quest Riz.
Also it's not fun to throw around injokes when everyone knows what you're speaking about.

>>1194965
It's a joke. Calm your tits. Can't deny the similarities though.

>>1194252

Is just game why heff to be mad?

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>>1194252
No bully the Riz. Is just joke.

On the off chance anyone is still lurking around!

What are your thoughts on how things have been going so far? It's an open question, so anything from stray thoughts about what's going on, to concerns you have and suspicions or theories are welcome. Critique is welcome as well, naturally.

>>1198839
I dislike almost everything mana related.

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>>1198844

>>1198848
What am I supposed to explain?

>>1198853
I'm... Not sure, actually.

Why do you dislike mana related things? Is it a problem in my execution? In which case, could you point out specific reasons it turns you off? Is it just an aspect of the setting you're not interested in? Did you used to like it, but stopped at some point? Was there a turning point for it? What flavour of 'dislike' is it (IE: You're interested in it, but find it frustrating. You hate it showing up at all. You feel it detracts from other aspects you like better. etc.)

Just details in general! Anything about it you think is worth saying.

>>1198856
I never liked it, arcs like Atelier or current one discourage me from reading Valen Quest.

>>1198848
It's all vague shit where the only constant is "idk lol". We keep interacting with it and Irue's backstory is being a mana nerd but we still don't understand anything because "they're unpredictable and alien lol". We never get the desired result when dealing with them

>>1198857
I like the atelier, that was great detective work. What I don't like is the time limit, I'm never awake for the big stuff. I hope the next atelier will give us a day of thinking time so both the day and night crew can participate. Qst lets us take it slow, the thread won't get bumped off.

>>1198857
Guess I can't do much about that. Sorry, anon.

>>1198859
>It's all vague shit where the only constant is "idk lol"
Can you go into this a little more? I feel like they (the Mana) have remained primarily consistent as far as your interactions with them, but if it's a disconnect between what I'm seeing as the QM and what my players are seeing, then it might be something I can work on.

Irue does understand quite a bit about Mana, as it's the backstory that was chosen way back. These things include (but aren't limited by) their territories, personality traits they favour/display, different kinds of apparitions, and quite a bit regarding the Shrine as an organization. Mana are meant to exist on something of a macro scale, rather than being unpredictable and random, though.

That said, various parts of the quest which involve Mana (such as Salamander leaving Teranford, or Dryad's existence) are part of an overarching mystery. Rather than being examples of "idk man, Mana do weird shit", it's typically brought up in the hopes of providing a piece to an ongoing puzzle. I may have done this badly.

>I hope the next atelier...
The mood is deliberately different, but have you not realized it yet?

>>1198867
>ave you not realized it yet?
...
.......no

>>1198867
>have you not realized it yet
Wait
No
No you didn't

>>1198881
Ok, I'm calling it right now: Fae is a fucking Aeon and the forest is their Atelier. It was said that Aeons become Mana-like and something other than human. Why not a tree hivemind?

>>1198874
The other questions, though. Those were the important part of the post.

>>1198839
So, my thoughts on how things have been going so far:

I'm terrified, as always. I'm constantly feeling like I'm missing stupidly transparent clues and fail at coming to absolutely obvious conclusions. And your periodical teasing to that matter doesn't help.

>>1198898
Would it make you feel better or worse if I told you there was a particularly special Forgetting coming before the end of this?

You'll know exactly when it's arrived, I promise.

>>1198884
You can't call it after it's been revealed!

See riz, the internal logic is sound but look, there are too many of us for something like this completely miss everyone's radar, imo. It never even crossed my mind that this was a possibility.

Remember when I burned down the mansion because I tried to make an innocent interaction with the salamander core? I wanted to focus on it to find its precise location, but instead you torched the whole place. I had no reason to believe that "focus on the shard" meant "piss it off worse than Rinnier", and no one objected either.

>>1198902
Is coming?
Or was coming and we've already missed it?

Also Forgettings always make me excited because I love mental excercise and also terrified because I know I'll probably fail it.

>>1198895
I am at work and on my phone, I'm hiding in the woods to post right now. Literally. I have a break in an hour, might answer better then or wait until I get home.

>>1198907
I still can call the Fae being an Aeon...
Right?

>>1198907
> I wanted to focus on it to find its precise location, but instead you torched the whole place
Actually, each time we Meditated so far we called down a disaster of some sort so that probably could be predicted.

>>1198912
>Accept the core, use the bracelet to try to communicate with the salamander

Is what I wrote in.

>Use the bracelet to meditate on a Salamander Core in the middle of a house overrun with flammable material!

Is what riz said before writing.

A simple attempt at communication burned down the house. I never said meditate, it was not my intention but it's what happened because either I'm a complete idiot who don't understand the logic behind mana, or riz completely misunderstood me without asking confirmation or clarification.
Yet another "wake up and find that you caused a disaster" episode.

>>1198908
Is coming. You will know exactly when it arrives.

>>1198922
Thread 52, starting at >>555655 (This isn't for you exactly, but just a kind of bookmark if anyone else was curious)

I didn't remember the mansion burning down, so I had to go reread it. The apparition spawned wasn't actually aggressive (and was noted to have been more confused than anything), and the collateral was limited to your kitchen being set on fire as a result of... Well, a Salamander apparition existing in it. It's been mentioned through out the quest (and fairly recently, it was gone over again), but meditation is the traditional manner of communication with a Mana, as it heightens your compatibility with them to facilitate the communication. Adepts can somewhat skip formal meditation, since by definition, they're already compatible/loved enough by a Mana to interact with them relatively casually.

The specification of using the bracelet to do it just led to what usually happens when the bracelet was used to meditate.

I was pretty sick while running those threads, and a little later on I almost did take a joke vote until the anon who made it clarified. I probably took it for granted that you were thinking of "communicate with Mana" and "meditate to Mana" interchangeably and didn't bother asking for clarification. For the record though, the house isn't burned down. The kitchen is charred, but that's the extent of it!

Now, all of THAT clarified.

I have noticed that there seems to be some difficulty with anons really having a grasp on Mana, like you're saying. An aspect which has been complicated because they're often interacted with via the Bracelet which is another topic entirely that is also poorly understood (through no fault of your own, at least).

So that is a problem I need to keep in mind and work on going forward.

I'm unsure how to handle clarification/confirmations in votes sometimes, though. While your choices are Sacred as far as Valen Quest goes, there's also generally a theme of letting you do exactly what you want, even if you've Forgotten something. For example, choosing to Teleport into Carona and falling. Then doing it again. ...And then again.

Things like that are examples of things I typically see and know you've forgotten or missed an important/relevant detail, but let you do regardless. I feel they're different from bits where you may vote to do X, but you meant to do/I read it as you wanting to do Y - The problem comes from keeping the two separate.

One I'm perfectly fine with having happen, the other I need to make more effort to clarify.

>>1198932
The only thing I'm upset with is ShadowRue. Otherwise I'm like

>>1198908 and >>1198909

Anxious and stressed about forgetting, but addicted to the quest.

I do feel time limits kind of hurt the quest, especially given the times you run at. I mean it's convenient for me, I work nights.

>>1198937
>Time limits hurt the quest
...I'm not entirely sure what you mean here.

Or, if you do mean voting windows like I'm thinking, I'm further stumped as to how I would run Valen without them. As far as I know, they're a staple of questing in general. I don't think I've ever heard of someone actually want them gone (and ours are pretty long as it is)

Please clarify.

>>1198942
No, of course you have to actually run the session. I'm just stating that there is a day and night crew and not everyone can be here to remember things, this isn't something that can be fixed. I do wish there was a longer time limit when the forgetting show up, I dunno, stick then at the end of the session and leave it overnight to pick up the next day? Probably not possible with your schedules but that is what I was talking about.

I love the quest man, you have no idea how honestly upset I am when we fuck up and even more when it's my own damn fault, I'm so invested that I've pulled all nighters on weekdays.

>>1198953
We have extended the Forgettings a couple times (Initially they were part of the normal 15m voting window, then they got extended out to 30m, and then 45m-1h). I wouldn't mind leaving Forgettings over night, and I have from time to time, if it didn't mean having to screech the entire thread to a halt every time one comes up - Especially when I've only been able to run like two days a week lately. If one cropped up early into saturday's thread, we'd basically be done until monday.

I've noticed that the ones left over night tend to get more attention though, and it's something I wish was more feasible to do. The one coming up will be left over night, no matter what.

Also please don't stay up too late on weekdays, anon. If you don't take care of yourself, we'll go from four players back to three!

>>1198839
This quest man. Is this what addiction feels like? The world fells alive, and not reliant on us. The puzzles and Forgetting are harsh, but fair, which I suppose is why it hurts so much when we fail and why it feels so good when it clicks. I wasn't there for the Atelier, but when we got it I had a warm feeling for the rest of the day. Forgettings leave me stressed; I always was terrible at puzzles.

The Mana are fine, by the way; they're just a particularly difficult puzzle. They never feel random, it just feels like we're in the dark whenever they do something despite our supposed knowledge of them, which I think is where that other anon was getting at. It does at times feel like we can't fill our knowledge gaps via experimentation, because every time we try something goes horribly wrong.

Your run times are difficult to be awake for, but the others have already talked about that.

>>1198884
Aren't Aeons usually reclusive? But if you're right, to whom is it aligned? Dryad's the obvious answer, but that folds back into where Dryad went again.

>>1198902
With the emphasis I'm sure it's one you've been having a laugh over so I strongly suspect that it's #8, what we didn't ask Alouette.

>>1198910
>>1198977
Yes, obviously.
This is another of those things we don't, but should know. As far as I can recall, we have heard nothing of Aeons or Guardians leaving their atelier or having influence outside of it. Are the oakenbears and oakenrues extensions of the aeon or guardian? Are the woods surrounding the Fae forest also a part of the atelier or is it simply capable, and willing, of interacting with the outside? Why?

Please tell me if I'm wrong but if this really is something we haven't learned, why does Irue not know this from her studies? Is it an undocumented phenomena... something Luna wants to keep secret or does the Shrine simply not know about this entity and its power?

This is making my head hurt

>>1198942
More important decisions might be best to give a 1 day window to allow for discussion.

Like the whole ShadowRue where some guys who were new to the quest FUCKING KILLED HER.

I will never not be salty about that.

>>1198977
>It does at times feel like we can't fill our knowledge gaps via experimentation, because every time we try something goes horribly wrong.

I've just come to embrace that feeling at this point.

>>1199066
>I'm sure it's one you've been having a laugh over
It isn't, but a lot of the things you're experiencing or going to find out/get confronted with in this place are things which have been put into place and given meaning and context slowly over the course of the entire first Arc. When I referenced this place as Arc 1's "Final Exam", I meant it.

>As far as I can recall... Tell me if I'm wrong
It's actually been mentioned a few times now, but Irue (and the world at large) had no idea that an 8th Mana even existed. Dryad is a gaping blind spot in your knowledge. As for why... Well, you have the information to figure that out.

You do know concretely that the oakenbears and oakenrues are apparitions of it, though. This was part of the Forgetting you got back in thread 52.

As for the Fae... If I point this out, you might hate yourself. You have three specific pieces of information that, if listed in one place, would make it seem painfully obvious. Two of those pieces are contained in the Memoires pastebin, so they are things Irue has canonically learned, just not things you've thought to associate with each other - The third (or perhaps first?) is one you earned: Dryad is a Mana, and the oakenrue/bears are apparitions of Dryad.

It probably won't take you more than a few minutes with that in mind to find your answer.

>>1200125
>>1199066
Actually, "you have the information to figure that out" is kind of silly. You DID figure out why it's a gaping blind spot.

>>555492

>>1200284
Was it even an unknown fact? I thought it's obvious Luna had expunged the knowledge about Dryad.
>inb4 I've got it all wrong

>>1200338
Specifically speaking, until thread 52, it hadn't actually been mentioned, so... Sort of, yes. As for whether it was obvious, or something you already knew, I can't really say; What seems obvious to you without needing to be said may fly completely over someone else's head, and vice-versa.

Since there's typically not much conversation and theory/knowledge pooling between anons, I feel like there's a few things like this where half the playerbase probably think it's perfectly obvious, and the other half missed it entirely. I'm just never sure what's been realized by the playerbase as a whole, and what people just quietly got, so until it gets put to use (Forgetting, write-ins, options made with specific reasonings), I work under the assumption it's still unknown.

>>1200125
>. As for why... Well, you have the information to figure that out.
"Luna did it" is the easy answer, but we don't know /why/ Luna would do it, and so it's nothing more than a theory.
>You DID figure out why it's a gaping blind spot.
>linked post is deleted

>oakenrues are bracelet apparitions of Dryad
oh. Well, glad I finally realized that. Man, I'm slow sometimes.

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>>1200883
>linked post is deleted
Oh. I use 4chanX, so it still links to me. I took a screenshot! (it was in thread 52 as well)

>>1200409
Like >>1200883 says, if I don't know the /why/ behind an answer I operate on the assumption that I'm missing too many pieces of the puzzle to bring it up. I mean, lot of us probably did think "Luna did it!" but it's just throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks, would you even accept them as answers if we simply write everything we can think of and one of them happens to be correct?