File: Evening Shore.jpg (220 KB, 1280x736)

220 KB JPG

“Tthe corpse…of the Amalgam. Yyeah, that.” She replies airily, showing no change of tone as she drifts off towards the mountainous, hollowed carcass. You watch her leave before turning to Magpie with a cocked eyebrow, and the older woman just shrugs her sharp shoulders.

“Don’t look at me, she’s been like that as long as I’ve known her.” She groans, plucking another cigarette and her lighter from her vest before setting the former alight. She takes a long drag on it, her hovering eyes regarding you coldly with no eyelids to give a hint of expression. The two of you stand there in silence for a moment, the sound of the waves gently breaking on the shore a relaxing sound paired with the dark evening sky above.

"I'll be hanging around a little while longer." She finally says, blowing out a slender strand of smoke that curls and twists in the humid night air. "I'm going to hit up Golgotha, check the bounty board...you and your team are welcome to come with. I'm level with the people that run the show there, so they won't give you any trouble."

...There's something off about Magpie, and even with your empathic field it's hard to pin down the exact emotion she's trying to suppress. Anger, shame, guilt...it's a compact ball of warring thoughts that you can't quite put your finger on, and you're about to speak when Rath bounds up to your side.

“Hey, sorry to interrupt, but could we talk shop for a sec?” Rath says, glancing to Magpie with a hasty acknowledgement. "Just us?"

"I'll go say hey to November." Magpie says after another long draw on her cigarette, and with that she stalks off down the beach towards the armored figure. Rath waits for Magpie to put some distance between you and herself before she turns to you, nerves apparent in the timbre of her voice.

“So, there's no easy way to say this, but, uh...I’m thinking we could get info, if I took one Mother's choices." She says, and past her nerves you detect a strand of hardened will, evidence that this idea is not one she's taking lightly. "West said that she gives us insight into things about the Crucible, and thanks to everyone taking the Fool's Choice, we’ve never gotten any of that. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I really, really wanna take the third option, but info is info. Every little bit helps."

"Okay...what made you consider this, if you don't mind my asking?" You say slowly, uncertain as to where her mind is in all this.

"It’s just…I wanna help out more, aside from punching stuff, as cool as that is.” She says, fidgeting slightly. “I, uh…It's what Gina’d do, I think.”

"Okay...It's your Choice, so I leave the when and the where up to you, Rath." You say, putting your hand on her shoulder with a reassuring smile. "That being said; do you want to go in alone, or would you like some support?"

You watch Rath struggle with herself for a few agonizing moments, pride and anxiety battling it out in her mind, and then...

(Continued)

File: Rath, Thoughtful.png (342 KB, 511x800)

342 KB PNG

>>3553580

"...Could you come with me?" She asks, her voice low and sheepish. "I mean, I know Dorian did his thing alone, and Amara, she...uh...yeah, forget it. It's cool, I don't really nee..."

"Of course I will." You smile, and scarlet creeps into her cheeks as she refuses to meet your eyes. "We're a team, Rath. You've done so much for me, for everyone...it would be an honor to stand by you, no matter your choice."

"...Thanks, Shu."

Her voice is surprisingly small, and after a second she meets your eyes with reluctant relief and a half-cocked smile before sparing a glance back towards your other three allies.

"I'm gonna go save the artists from Amara." Rath says with a chuckle, turning back to you as her smile falters when she catches your eyes. "Hey...are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?" You ask, and Rath shakes her a head just a little.

"I mean...the last couple of days...fuck it, the last few weeks have been crazy brutal. I just...you're great, and I just wanna make sure you, uh..." She stumbles over her words a bit before finishing her thoughts with a hasty storm of words. "Look man, you may be our leader and all fearless and badass and shit, but you're human too, you know? You gotta take care of yourself too, or else you're gonna fall out, and then you'd blame yourself, and...yeah, I just...shit man, I just want to make sure you're taking care of yourself, and I wanna help...if I can, I mean."

"...Thank you, Rath. I'll be alright, I'm serious." You say earnestly, fixing her with a tired stare as you give a sloppy salute. "Now go, save the lovebirds from our Skintalker. I entrust this mission to your capable hands."

She laughs and fires back with a sharp, professional salute before racing off to extricate Julia and Dorian from Amara's boundlessly conversational nature. You sigh again, and you realize you're just trying to catch your breath in the storm of recent activity. You rested at the Monastery only a short while ago but now, as you look on what's become of it, your mind lingers on a pair of hazel eyes that you're already starting to miss.

...Anyway, you're exhausred but you're not through, yet. There are still things you need to do before you have the right to rest, and you know exactly what you're going to do next.

>>Choose who among the gathered Daughters you’d like to speak with, and possibly even invite to the party in two days' time (Magpie/November/Claire).

>>Go ahead and leave for the Town of Rust, and then make your way to Mara's true home for Rath to make her Choice. Also, decide what sort of question you'd like an answer to if Rath decides to go through with her plan (Write-In).

>>You want to scour the ruins of the Spiraling Fear one last time. You picked it clean of all viable biomass that wasn't claimed by the river or your own devastating attacks, but perusing the remains will give you a moment to yourself, at least.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>3553585
>>Choose who among the gathered Daughters you’d like to speak with, and possibly even invite to the party in two days' time.
>Invite all three of them, November and Magpie have more than earned your trust, and Clarie deserves a fair chance too, if what she has already done was not enough.
>Keep it short though, so you can get some well deserved rest at Maras abode.

>>3553585
I'll support>>3553601
I'll just say that the party should be in the Town rather than in our new secret base. Keep the entrance hush hush for security reasons.

>>3553609
Eh, i diasgree. The towns shoddy, and its a sign if trust to show them. We're trying to build a community in a way, of people we can trust, and secrets don't build trust.

>>3553601
+1

>>3553623
shit can happen though. If one of them later fails a hunger check, spills about our base to another group, or gets eaten and lets it slip as a dream daughter, then it'll bite us in the ass.

(Voting shall remain open for the next two hours, Gentlemen.)

>>3553585
>Talk to Magpie. Her inner turmoil of emotions sending warning lights. Offer to go relic fishing (by scouring Spiraling Fear's ruins) with her for a brief moment and bond with her. Have some honest girl talk about how she felt about Mara and what's eating her on the inside. She may have missed out on her share, but offer to let her have a look your swarmling so that she may glean a useful augmentation out of it.
>"There were some useful Hive Mistress Augs in Spiraling fear, I figure you should have a look at the augs that I picked up, so you can glean them to augment your birds. Here. Have a look."
>"So what's eating you on the inside?"

>When Relic Fishing, Augment what Knightlings that you still have active with Grapp-ling Modifiers so that they have the armstrength to swim, scour, and pick up any useful bits and bobs, like the Monastery Forge or the Relics that Nikuzu Crafted. Send them into the River to go fishing. It should help out. And also help Claire out since she's also scavenging for items inside the Spiraling fear.
>keep the conversation and rest short though, you would like to get through with Rath's choice asap.
>If Rath goes though with her plan, tell her about Isabelle's choice and the path that she took. Isabelle went through almost the exact same path. Then ask Rath this: If you were to pick one of Mother's choices, how would you use that choice to protect what the family you love?

>>3553631
Well, that's why its a sign of trust. As much as we don't like it, we could lose an actual party member (again) and have the sake thing happen. Our advantage is we can somewhat control who enters our new base, so its not as big a deal.

>>3553585
This sounds good >>3553642
Gotta be really careful with Rath's choice, considering Mother's fuckery and our over 100% threat level

Just as a reminder on the Choice that Vitruvians have:

>>Unique traits: Those boasting a Vitruvian Core ability have their physical forms considerably less influenced by power accumulation and physical corruption, allowing them to pose at being weaker than they really are. Their Choice often revolves around survivability, regeneration, and some sort of maintenance of a status quo or paradigm that they value.

Key words when it comes to the choice
>Survival, Regeneration
Become Immortal:
>Exaltation of a Paradigm.
Mental Corruption:

>>3553659
Granted the choice will focus around the new core hybrid rather than the original core so it's going to be combined with a Generator Choice or something like that, but those are some good things to keep in mind. We should review those notes with Rath before she goes under.

>>3553659
Well, im more worried mothers gonna pull a fast one, like with offering to revive one of Dorians family members, rather than really giving him a choice based off his core, at least in part. Raths sisters death clearly still does not sit well with her, and who knows what else she might have for mother to pull at her mind with. There's also the fact mother supposedly gives you info after your choice that she thinks is guranteed to make you try and win the crucible, though i do trust Rath to resist both its still things to keep in mind.

>>3553636
What class core is Rath's 3-way hybrid made out of? I see Vitruvian and Generator from Tensile strands and Radiant boils, but what's Phantom Limbs classified as? Fibromancer?

And if you split the core hybrid into its base components after you make THE CHOICE, what happens to the core hybrid augment that Mother provides?

>>3553673
Its Fibromancer. Honestly its weird how some classes work. Some seem to be extremely separate from the others in what can calssify as them, others have such overlap with other classes in what it might be you really cannot begin to guess until told what it is.

>>3553642
>>3553585
Elaborating my question to Rath for her to think about when she wants to go through with her plan.
>The question to ask Rath: "Do you really want to take one of Mother's choices? Do you really want to play her game? To take one of her poisoned offerings? Or do you want to forge your own path?...And if you do take one of Mother's choices, how would you put it to the best use?"
>"What Mother offers in her choices is power. Pure, simple, power, at a price. Power can help, but it can also make you lonely. Power, corrupts. I was offered quantity or quality. But in those choices, I never saw any of my family or friends. I only saw myself. Alone on a desolate planet."
>"Gina was offered a choice of Mind over Matter. In the Matter choice, She stood alone while the world was literally bent to her will. In the Mind Choice, She had an army of daughters by her side...but they were merely mind-wiped and mind-controlled puppets."
>"Dorian had to face a choice between of reviving his Mother or his sister, Choosing one at the cost of losing the other, He chose neither. I do not know the offers made to Julia when she made her choice, but it's clear she did not want to be alone.
>"Amara... is Amara, she has a family now and is happy with refusing her choice."
>"And Isabelle, she chose one of Mother's offered choices. She chose to become Immortal in body, at the price of having that power corrupt her mind in pursuit of demanding perfection out of me."
>"Which leaves you Rath. You're the last one of our family who has yet to make a choice. What offers Mother will give you, We do not know. But it WILL have a painful price if you choose it."
>*Bright smile*
>"Besides, we've learned so much about the Crucible without getting information from Mother's tainted mouth. Charon gave us plenty of information, West took one of Mother's choices and documented the experience which we found in her labs. There's more than one way to play the game. There's more than one way to learn about the Crucible besides asking Mother. We can play the game our way, and it's much MUCH more satisfying to give Mother the middle finger like that. To uncover secrets that she wanted to stay buried, causing a ruckus that makes her mad...It's Freedom. The best way I can describe the Fool's choice is Freedom. Pure Freedom from restrictive choices."

Note: I bamboozled my own post due to grammar and typo errors.

>>3553696
A little preachy with that opening line. It's her choice. We should review what the Choice is likelier to be about, and be ready to call Mother out if she presents something blatantly manipulative. Like saying she'll tell Rath where one of her family members is if she climbs the Cord. I'd be willing to break our promise to November in a case like that.

>>3553705
Right. I'm sorry. I went into one of my emotional write-in sprees again.
>>3553703
Amending this post to not include it within reason. There are choice bits that I do want to leave in though, like mentioning that there's more than one way of gaining that information without asking Mother.

>>3553585
>>Choose who among the gathered Daughters you’d like to speak with, and possibly even invite to the party in two days' time (Magpie/November/Claire).
We still need to say hi to November! Heather, you're not getting out of an offer to hang out just because you're unsure how to hide your identity from Rath.

>>3553671
Honestly, you know what I'm worried about? Mother trying to sew dissent with "Shu knew I increased the Hunger and didn't tell anyone. Now, I'm not saying that she's willfully malicious, but what if she's cracking under the pressure?"

>>3553705
can we at least keep parts of it?

Anyways. Sure we can discuss the possible options that Mother Brings to the table when it comes to The Choice.
I see two options/augments that Mother will likely offer:
>A Fire build that lets her crank up her fire to be all-burning, hot enough to melt and set fire to anything. Think Red SuperGiant Stars or a SuperNova.
>A Fire build that is everlasting, a resilient flame that cannot be extinguished. Think White Dwarf stars.
And the Fool's choice
>The Fire that soothes warms, and heals. A comforting fire. Fire from the Hearth that cooks the food, Warms the family, and keeps the cold away.

>>3553739
Good point. We should let our family know about Mother's Shenanigans before having Rath make her choice.

>>3553739
Yes, I want to invite November. Have her reveal the truth about her during the party.
>>3553636
Hey BHOP, how late can Rath make her choice? I kinda want to have Rath make her choice during the party. Make it a big event that's similar to a birthday party.

>>3553743
>Hey BHOP, how late can Rath make her choice? I kinda want to have Rath make her choice during the party. Make it a big event that's similar to a birthday party.
That feels like too much. For one thing, let's not interrupt the party by two of the hosts going into a trance for fifteen minutes. Seems like a buzzkill. For another, it sounds like a good way to embarrass Rath. "Hey, everybody! Rachel is doing something she's anxious about doing, and wants me there to hold her hand! Come watch!" So yeah, let's hope it comes on earlier.

>>3553673
(It will shift to fit her Core.)

>>3553743
(You may absolutely wait until the party, of you wish to push it back to have time to explore, or you could do it right here and now. Like I said, this is a relaxed Vein, so no need to stress.)

>>3553754
Lets get to maras penthouse then rath can make her choice, is my personal thoughts on the matter.

(Work's been busy, writing now, Gentlemen.)

File: Hotel November.jpg (644 KB, 1920x2468)

644 KB JPG

>>3553585

You stride over to November and Magpie, currently in the middle of a hushed conversation that winds down at your approach.

“Hello, Shu.” November says, her distorted voice crackling over the worn speakers.

“I wanted to invite the two of you back to Mara’s place in two days.” You explain, and you watch November stiffen while Magpie’s eyebrows rise over empty sockets. “The Midnight Crew will be there, and I wanted to extend the offer to both of you and Claire, too. You were amazing, and you deserve a good time.”

The two older women share prolonged look before Magpie breaks the silence.

“Heather, it’s your call. I’ll make an appearance and have a drink or two, but you have a much better reason than I do to go to this thing.” She sighs, half of her hovering eyes shifting their gaze over to Rath, traipsing around the beach with one Amara on her shoulders while a half-dozen more run around at her heels. Magpie turns to you, dropping her cigarette and crushing it against the rocky shore. “Yeah Shu, count me in. What do you say, Heather?”

“…Alright. Okay, I’ll…I’ll be there.” November replies with a deep, voxel-distorted sigh.

“You sure you want us there, though?” Magpie turns to you with a grin. “Just as a head’s up, I’m not volunteering to be party mom, or anything like that…had enough of that shit before the world went to pot.”

“I’m absolutely certain that I’d like you to be there…and I know I’m not the only one that’ll be happy to have you.” You say with a pointed look at November’s looming form. “And don’t worry, I’ll be keeping an eye on everyone, so you two can kick back and relax with no worries. You’ve earned it.”

After wishing them well, it’s a short trek to the hollowed-out carcass of the Spiraling Fear, and after a few seconds of searching you spy an aqueous form slithering among the shattered pillars and desiccated biomass of the mountainous ruins.

“Claire, I wanted to ask…”

“Ii’d be happy to come...to the party, yes.” Claire interrupts, and in the face of your stunned silence she turns and studies you languidly for a moment before it occurs to her that you’re awaiting some sort of explanation. “Tthe liquid…liquids carry sound, and the beach is filled with it. Kkeeps me from being surprised…but yeah, I’d like to come. Yyou and your friends seem cool. Ohh, and here, I found this.”

She chucks a rectangular object in your general direction, and it almost goes sailing past before you snatch it from mid-air. Turning it over, you realize it’s some sort of bound notebook with a lock on it, with a tell-tale spiral set in the cover’s center.

By the time you’ve said your goodbyes and gathered your allies, you extend the onyx gear in one hand, and they reach forwards as one to touch the thrumming beacon.

“Everyone ready?”

They nod, and you smile.

“Good…then let’s go home.”

(Continued)

>>3553943

The smell of ozone as your world goes black, every cell flash-frozen by the surge of frigid air, and then…

You open your eyes to a massive bay window, three meters tall and nearly thirty in width that displays the Town of Rust far below, and the plains of the Fleshscape stretching far beyond. You and your allies glance around to see a vast apartment before you, with a large set of cabinets to your right just behind what appears to be a bar, along with a lengthy table to your left that’s capable of seating twelve with space for more.

Beyond that lies a circular couch nestled in a recessed space in the floor, with a small table in the center for a far more intimate seating arrangement. Every surface is crafted from either a jet-black, perfectly reflective material reminiscent of the walls of the waystation, or else hewn from porcelain-like calcite, the chairs made of it proving smooth to the touch as you run your fingertips along their backs as you marvel at the space. Amara screeches with delight, immediately sending off a small army of clones to explore every nook and cranny of the place. You’re about to call after her to be careful when you turn, and face the object that was behind you this entire time.

It, too, is hewn from black stone…but where the other surfaces of the abode are reflective or pale, the Sparagmos Engine seems to exude a gentle light from its solid black spires, a far cry from the ravenous needles that adorned the corrupted machine that existed beneath Dorian’s familial estate.

Julia pads up beside you, extending one clawed hand to the device’s surface, hesitating a moment before she musters the will to caress the warm, smooth surface of the gently humming machine.

“My d-dreams…” Julia mutters to herself. “My sculptures…if D-Dorian was having inspiration from the engine b-beneath him, t-then was I…?”

A pair of jacks extend from your wrists, with one tapping into the floor to get a general layout of the place while the other slides home in the perfectly reflective exterior of the Sparagmos Engine. Your own darkened reflection stares back at you as knowledge fills your mind, and…

…a tear rolls down your cheek.

This…this is it.

This is how you can get her back.

(Continued)

File: The Sparagmos Engine.jpg (99 KB, 960x642)

99 KB JPG

>>3553944

SPARAGMOS ENGINE – FUNCTIONS

>>REARRANGE: this function allows you to distill levels in one skill tree (in part or in whole) and move them to other skill trees harbored by the same Daughter, allowing you to easily customize one’s skills into a better, more perfect form. Thanks to Mara’s determination and boundless hope for a better world, the cost to use this function has been permanently paid and may be activated at no cost to you.

>>REFINE: this function allows you to refine an entire skill tree into its base stat benefits, stripping away the abilities’ functionality and in return doubling the stat boosts granted by each level of the tree. Thanks to Mara’s unyielding spirit and willingness to suffer any price in pursuit of an ideal world, the cost to use this function has been permanently paid and may be activated at no cost to you.

>>RESTORE (ABILITIES UNDERSTOOD): You may grant a new body to a Daughter that resides within your mind. The replacement body is crafted via donation of stats and skills from any number of donating Daughters, allowing you to fully customize the new form’s statistics and skill sets from those that wish for her return, though the transfer of these elements cannot be undone. The Daughter will be regenerated with her memories and Core power intact as well, along with any additional skill trees she possessed at the time of her death. Thanks to Mara’s sacrifice and heartbreak, the cost to use this function has been permanently paid and may be activated at no cost to you, though there is a limit to how many uses it’s capable of before this function is depleted. Other uses are available by sacrificing another Daughter or oneself to the Engine, but as this goes against the very essence of what the devices were crafted for, there will be a large chance of physical or mental corruption inherent in the newly-crafted body, should you choose to utilize this method. (2/3 Natural Uses Remaining).

You wipe your cheek with the back of your hand as the apartment’s blueprints fill your mind’s eye, and you’re reminded that Gina’s phone and headphones are still in the house far below where you are now. You’d like to start making maps, tracking where you’ve been, and maybe listen to some of her music, from time to time…at least until you can return phone and headphones both to their rightful owner.

>>Explore a bit (Inactive Forge Room/Living Room/Armory/Bedrooms x2/Core Console)

>>Sit everyone down and tell them about Mother intensifying the Hunger.

>>Let Rath get started on her Choice while everyone else gets settled.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(Apologies for the delay, Gentlemen. Voting shall remain open for the next two hours, and thank you for your patience.)

>>3553945
>Sit everyone down and tell them about Mother intensifying the Hunger.

Well then. We have a Rabbit to Catch, Kill, and Consume, before we bring Gina back to life.

We should also go grab Gina's phone and headphones.
Also, I'm gonna be leaving for work soon and will be back in the evening.
I just hope Rath makes the right choice.

>>3553945
>>RESTORE (ABILITIES UNDERSTOOD): You may grant a new body to a Daughter that resides within your mind. The replacement body is crafted via donation of stats and skills from any number of donating Daughters, allowing you to fully customize the new form’s statistics and skill sets from those that wish for her return, though the transfer of these elements cannot be undone. The Daughter will be regenerated with her memories and Core power intact as well, along with any additional skill trees she possessed at the time of her death. Thanks to Mara’s sacrifice and heartbreak, the cost to use this function has been permanently paid and may be activated at no cost to you, though there is a limit to how many uses it’s capable of before this function is depleted. Other uses are available by sacrificing another Daughter or oneself to the Engine, but as this goes against the very essence of what the devices were crafted for, there will be a large chance of physical or mental corruption inherent in the newly-crafted body, should you choose to utilize this method. (2/3 Natural Uses Remaining).
Alright, that means that this isn't quite as simple as we might have hoped. We can't just shove B'Ni into the Engine and have it restore Gina from her. Nor can we extract the Daughters in the Relics. So priority one, then, is to find a way to ensure that Gina winds up in our head. The Arbiter's Appetite might be able to do that if we eat B'Ni, but I don't want to rely on it with how different from the standard Gina's situation is. Hexane technology got us into this situation, so I'm hoping Hexane technology can get us out. That Armory the Crew want to hit up sounds like a good start.

>>3553959
Yeah, I can get behind this. It's important information. Give me a moment and I'll try to write up a good way for Shu to reveal it.

>>3553945
>>Sit everyone down and tell them about Mother intensifying the Hunger.
Its time we corrected our one big mistake. Granted, we had good reasons for forgetting, thongs have not been calm for a long while, but still

>>3553967
Well if we're going to rescue Gina from B'ni's mind, we'll have to either kill B'ni and retrieve Gina, Kosi, Meg, and Eloise from Isabelle's mind via Arbiter's Appetite, and then use the engine. But even before that, we need to hunt Isabelle. And she sure ain't sitting idle despite being permanently gimped.

>>3553967
Damn, don't forget we have to save 3 others in there too. Maybe the halos can help if we get them high enough? Jack into Isabelle, then have them walk across the connection into our heads? Might require more than just the halo, but i can see it being an option. A dangerous one but it might be our best bet.

>>3553976
The other issue is that Gina's presence inside Isabelle is what's keeping Isabelle's core abilities locked down.

So the comprehensive plan will probably be this:

>Level up Neuotic halo to max level. Priority One Focus.
>Hunt down Isabelle.
>Either Kill Isabelle and Extract Gina that way, or somehow extract Gina while Isabelle's still alive.

The moment Gina leaves Isabelle's mind, Isabelle's gonna get a huge power boost. And she'll use that chance to kill Shu and everyone.
Hunting down Isabelle's a tall order because we can easily assume that she won't be sitting idle. She has the Faustian Clone, Dogged Sprinter, and Calcite Greaves to focus on as her main powerset. So she'll adopt a pack hunting tactic as her new strategy. So we will need to develop a counter-strategy to counter Isabelle if we are going to hunt her down in order to rescue Isabelle.

I'll be leaving for work soon.
God, Rath's choice is making me super nervous.

>>3553967
Should we also have our party members preserve their levels of Neuromancy? Because now that we know the procedure options of Restoration, I feel like we should hang onto those Neuromancy levels.

Okay, how does this sound as a way to broach the topic of the increased Hunger?

>"Hey, everyone, before we get to exploring the new base, can we talk? I have something important to tell you, and maybe to apologize for. I'm honestly not sure. I know why the Spiraling Fear happened, it wasn't just Uzu breaking down out of nowhere. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but the Hunger has gotten stronger recently. Mother is increasing its potency to encourage more conflict. I know this for certain because a few days ago she appeared to me in a vision and told me she was going to make the Crucible harder. Blamed it on me for not playing her game, that since I refused to go along with her plans she'd have to punish everyone."
>"That's not what I'm apologizing for. It's not my fault that Mother can't own her decisions. But I was naive, and I'm afraid that the Monastery paid the price for that naivety. I thought that it would be obvious that the Hunger was stronger, everyone was getting more stressed and I assumed that Uzu would understand why. Helping people manage the Hunger was her job, after all. But maybe it wasn't so apparent. I should have said something, should have told her in explicit terms how bad things were going to get, but honestly I didn't even realize it could get so bad so fast. I don't think what happened to the Monastery is all my fault, but my inaction did play a part. And since I can't apologize to the Daughters lost to it, I'm apologizing to you all. I screwed up, and I'm sorry, and I understand if you have some doubts in my judgement now. But I promise you, I'm not going to forget about this. I'm going to be more cautious in the future, and do everything I can to make sure I never make a mistake like this again. You deserve better, and I aim to give you that."

>>3554005
Actually, I believe that B'Ni's core is lost forever. It's not suppressed, it's deleted.

>>3554016
Not much point to it. It would let us essentially double Gina's Neuromancy skill, but with the Rearrange option on the Engine we can do that by donating any skill levels to her.

>>3554030
(Yes, the abilities you chose in B'ni were completely deleted.)

>>3554005
If we're leveling up the Halo, then I wonder if finding more of them like the cache Meg found hers in would level it up?

As for countering B'ni, we've got Dorian as our main anti-construct to take care of the clones and grieves, so it will be about locking down her speed. Maybe we can design gluelings in preparation by modifying the acid they use. Have a cloaked Rook-succling clamp down on her when she doesn't notice them and slow her with their weight?

We should consider that removing Gina while she's still alive would unlock her sealed skills and we'd suddenly have a round 2 to the boss fight. Hopefully we'll be significantly stronger then and the "reflect her own anti-regen back on her" plan could actually bear fruits.

>>3554016
I was just thinking that. instead of scrapping them for stats, we give them back to her when reviving her. If it's added to the levels she already had, it may get her close to her capstone too.

>>3554016
Well, Gina will get her old levels back, but i suppose that will give her a small Boost. So sure, but still probably not worth leveling them up still. We don't do Gina any good if we can't fight and survive to get her back in the first place, so having everyone focus on their own build still does us alot more favors.

I guess Shu could also take and hold onto abilities worth giving to Gina, but id still want that to be to an extreme minimum for the same reasons.

>>3554005
Well, we will have to see what options Halo truly gives. An issue we may run into is that the Halo edits itself to the person who has is, except no one on our team no longer has a Neuromancy Core or even that much Neuromancy in general. It'll still help id imagine, but potentially not as much as w hoped for.

>>3554033
Oh. Well then, that makes the extraction easier. But then that leaves the issue of how to hunt Isabelle down.

>>3554030
I think we should explain the circumstances of what Mother tried to do when she visited Shu. She tried to force a choice onto Shu, a choice between letting nightmares materialize, making Amalgams more lethal, or making Bio/HP regen almost non-existent. Shu refused all three choices because she didn't want to get her hands dirty. So then Mother decided to make the hunger stronger to spite Shu and make everyone's lives utter hell.

And I need to be going to work now.

>>3554040
Well technically, due to the nature of ACCEPTANCE, you could say that everyone except Amara has a Neuromancy core. They can be leveled up to level 20.

>>3554037
>I was just thinking that. instead of scrapping them for stats, we give them back to her when reviving her. If it's added to the levels she already had, it may get her close to her capstone too.
People really seem to not have internalized the "Sparagmos Engine is free respec" detail. It doesn't matter what skills we give her. We could give her random levels off of things we don't care about, and then she could repurpose them to get more Neuromancy. Given that both involve the Sparagmos Engine, we might be able to do both in one operation. We can scrap the skills for our use now, gain increased effectiveness when hunting down resources to guarantee Gina's successful resurrection, and then give up those levels when we bring her back. Either way at the end of the day it's a couple skill levels we won't have, but along the way everyone being better at their core competencies will make it faster and easier than if they're all lugging around a few points in Neuromancy skills that they're never going to use.

>>3554047
>I think we should explain the circumstances of what Mother tried to do when she visited Shu. She tried to force a choice onto Shu, a choice between letting nightmares materialize, making Amalgams more lethal, or making Bio/HP regen almost non-existent. Shu refused all three choices because she didn't want to get her hands dirty. So then Mother decided to make the hunger stronger to spite Shu and make everyone's lives utter hell.

Good point. Okay, rewriting a bit

>"Hey, everyone, before we get to exploring the new base, can we talk? I have something important to tell you, and maybe to apologize for. I'm honestly not sure. I know why the Spiraling Fear happened, it wasn't just Uzu breaking down out of nowhere. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but the Hunger has gotten stronger recently. Mother is increasing its potency to encourage more conflict. I know this for certain because the night after we destroyed the corrupted Sparagmos Engine she appeared to me in a vision and told me she was going to make the Crucible harder. Said that she couldn't have us draw the Crucible out, she wanted it over and one with quick. So she offered me a choice between three terrible fates, no matter which I chose people were going to suffer. I told Mother that, that she couldn't try to make me own her decision to hurt people, and that I wanted no part in it. That might have been a mistake, because she then picked a hidden fourth option to make the Hunger stronger."
>"That's not what I'm apologizing for. Like I said, the Crucible getting worse is on no one's head but Mother's. But I was naive, and I'm afraid that the Monastery paid the price for that naivety. I thought that it would be obvious that the Hunger was stronger, everyone was getting more stressed and I assumed that Uzu would understand why. Helping people manage the Hunger was her job, after all. But maybe it wasn't so apparent. I should have said something, should have told her in explicit terms how bad things were going to get, but honestly I didn't even realize it could get so bad so fast. I don't think what happened to the Monastery is all my fault, but my inaction did play a part. And since I can't apologize to the Daughters lost to it, I'm apologizing to you all. I screwed up, and I'm sorry, and I understand if you have some doubts in my judgement now. But I promise you, I'm not going to forget about this. I'm going to be more cautious in the future, and do everything I can to make sure I never make a mistake like this again. You deserve better, and I aim to give you that."

>>3554048
Did it make them count as a core? Well, fair point if so, but its still not their main core nor a major focal point of their build.

>>3554055
I think folks are just worried if we dont keep them as is, we will later then be taking Levels off abilities we do not wish to de-level. So if we keep them as is, we keep her some levels to give without having to take from other things.

>>3554088
But then it's an opportunity cost. Keeping them as-is still effectively lowers our other skills, but it lowers them now instead of later, after we've used those skills to acquire the tools we need to revive Gina with. It's a choice between getting some use out of those levels instead of no use out of them.

>>3554093
No, i understand thar from a purely logical perspective, but we are not purely logical beings. Which sounds easier to convince people to do? Give Gina levels off abilities we specifically kept just for her, or off of abilities we have spent ages refining and leveling up as core functions of that characters playstyle?

>>3554101
Fair enough. People do tend to avoid losing things more than they do not getting things, even if the end result is identical. It's a well-known trick to manipulate people.

Also
>>3554080
Anyone got any more commentary? I'm getting nervous being the only one to propose a dialogue write-in.

>>3554129
im at work seeing that im usually the one who does a majority of write-ins. and i can’t do that at work

>>3554129
>>3554148
Same, but gimme a moment as i now have a moment.

>>3554080
>>3554129
>"Wait...everyone? before we get to exploring the new base, can we talk? I have something important to tell you, something i meant to when it first happened, something i have no excuse for forgetting to say, despite everything that has caused me to, and i wish to apologize for not saying so aswell.
> I know more about why the Spiraling Fear happened, it wasn't just Uzu breaking down over her own issues, not entirely.
>I'm not sure if you've noticed, but the Hunger has gotten stronger recently. >Mother has increased its potency to encourage more conflict. I know this for certain because, because the night after we destroyed the corrupted Sparagmos Engine, she appeared to me in a vision and told me she was going to make the Crucible harder.
>She Said that she couldn't have us draw the Crucible out, she wanted it over and one with quick. But she said, because im so...so fond of choices, she was going to offer me a choice between three terrible fates on how it would get worse, and no matter which I chose people were going to suffer.
>I told Mother that, that she couldn't try to make me own her decision to hurt people, and that I wanted no part in it. And because i chose not to he a part of it, she chose an option herself. A hidden option. she then picked to make the Hunger stronger."
>"That's not what I'm apologizing for. The Crucible getting worse is on no one's head but Mother's.
>But I should've told you guys what had happened sooner, should've made sure everyone knew what was going on... and I'm afraid that the Monastery may of paid the price for due to that lack of information.
>I...i simply got caught up in everything that was happening, let it push telling everyone further and further back, even when it may of been important to the situation.
> I thought that it would be more obvious than it was that the Hunger was stronger, everyone was getting more stressed and I assumed that Uzu would understand why. Helping people manage the Hunger was her job, after all.
>But it wasn't so apparent. I should have said something, should have told her and all of you in explicit terms how bad things were going to get, but honestly I didn't even realize it could get so bad so fast.
>I screwed up, and I'm sorry, and I understand if you have some doubts in my judgement now. But I promise you, I'm not going to forget about this. I'm going to be more cautious in the future, and do everything I can to make sure I never make a mistake like this again. You deserve better, and I aim to give you that."

Right, here is my suggestion for changes.

>>3554080
Supporting.

>>3554177
So a bit more emphasis on Shu being distracted than on her being naive. Makes her sound worse, but also is better for apologizing if she owns it. I'm not sure which is better, honestly. Though B'Ni does make a good excuse for being distracted, I suppose. "Look, I know I should have said something, but I was getting random telepathic bleed-through from my crazy stalker and it was hard to focus on anything but fixing that."

>>3554177
Supporting this

I like how much the Angle of having messed up is played though that will probably will make Rath mad at us at least for a while for pushing us to hard

>>3554218
Yeah, i guess my point with it was that i felt she wasnt really naive so much as we had a dozen other issues she was working on, so things got jumbled and muddled.

>>3553945

"Wait...everyone? Before we get to exploring the new base, can we talk?” You ask, gesturing to the long table the stretches behind you. “I have something important to tell you, something I meant to earlier and have no excuse for forgetting to say, despite everything that has caused me to, and i wish to apologize for not saying so as well.”

The five of you are able to sit comfortably, with you at the head of the table facing the window, with Julia and Dorian to your left while Rath sits to your right. Amara takes the chance to hop up and sit on your knee before you begin.

“I know more about why the Spiraling Fear happened, it wasn't just Uzu breaking down over her own issues, not entirely.” You begin slowly, your throat suddenly very dry. “I'm not sure if you've noticed, but the Hunger has gotten stronger recently and that’s because Mother has increased its potency to encourage more conflict. I know this because the night after we destroyed the corrupted Engine, she appeared to me in a vision and told me she was going to make the Crucible harder.”

“She said that she couldn't have us draw the Crucible out, she wanted it over with. But she said, because I’m so...so fond of choices, she was going to offer me a choice between three terrible fates on how it would get worse, and no matter which I chose people were going to suffer.”

“I told Mother that she couldn't try to make me own her decision to hurt people, and that I wanted no part in it. And because i chose not to be a part of it, she chose an option herself. A hidden option. She then picked to make the Hunger stronger."

You swallow hard as you pause, your eyes catching the gaze of your teammates as you prepare to launch into the part of your confession that…scares you, if you’re being honest.

"That's not what I'm apologizing for. The Crucible getting worse is on no one's head but Mother's. But I should've told you guys what had happened sooner, made sure everyone knew what was going on... and I'm afraid that the Monastery may have paid the price for due to that lack of information."

“I...I simply got caught up in everything that was happening, let it push telling everyone further and further back, even when it may of been important to the situation.” You continue, your heart pounding as you explain. “I thought that it would be more obvious than it was that the Hunger was stronger, everyone was getting more stressed and I assumed that Uzu would understand why. Helping people manage the Hunger was her job, after all.”

Your empathic field clings tight to you, part out of respect to your allies to avoid foisting your fear upon them…and part out of concern as to what you might feel from them, in return.

“But it wasn't obvious. I should have said something, should have told her and all of you in explicit terms how bad things were going to get, but honestly I didn't even realize it could get so bad so fast.”

(Continued)

File: Dorian Gardner.jpg (297 KB, 658x1000)

297 KB JPG

>>3554302

You take a deep breath, and you say what needs to be said...you say what they deserve to hear.

“I screwed up, I'm so sorry, and I understand if you have some doubts in my judgment now. But I promise you, I'm not going to forget about this. I'm going to be more cautious in the future, and do everything I can to make sure I never make a mistake like this again. You deserve better, and I aim to give you that."

Silence follows.

After a few tense moments of quiet Rath suddenly raises her balled fists, bringing them down on the table in a flare of tremendous rage.

“God almighty, Mother’s such a bi…!” Rath begins, a hard glare from Julia quickly causing her to shift gears mid-sentence. “…tter pill. To swallow.”

The redhead clenches and unclenches her hands a few times before she leans towards you, citrine eyes intent on yours as care and comfort pour across the empathic channel.

“Shu, that thing we fought wasn’t your fault. The only thing I’m pissed about is that this is just one more thing Mother’s done to hurt innocent people, and that’s another beating I owe her. I know I’m not alone in saying that you have no fault in this…I mean, am I?” She asks, glancing across the table you the pair of artists.

“By no means, Miss Rath.” Dorian says immediately, rising to his feet and walking slowly around the table, his cool blue eye locked on yours. “Could you have done more to help Uzu? Perhaps.”

He shrugs the shoulders in his deep red suit with a guilty sigh.

“I could have, too. So could any one of us, but we did what we could for a young woman that refused to let us do more.” He says, reaching your side. “Given she kept her best friend at arm’s length, I’m not sure that even if Sister Uzu let us in that we’d have been able to avoid that rather tragic outcome.”

To your surprise he takes a knee beside you, reaching up to put a gentle, half-formed hand of scarlet paint on your shoulder.

“Every second of every day, I regret not coming back to help my mother and sister sooner.” He says softly, and Julia quietly pushes her chair back and shuffles around to the two of you. “I could have done more, and I didn’t, and I am going to have to live with that…but that is not going to stop me from moving forwards. My mistakes are to learn from, not wallow in…and I know that you are the sort of leader to not let us down. You’ll keep learning, and keep moving forward.”

He smiles, and it’s absolutely dazzling.

“That, I believe, is how life is meant to be lived. You fight, you grow, and you do it in good company with a drink in your hand.” He says, and when a thought occurs to him he chuckles deeply before meeting your eyes with a glint in his eye. “That’s this humble painter’s thoughts, anyway.”

(Continued)

File: Julia Pickman.png (1016 KB, 1144x1280)

1016 KB PNG

>>3554308

He glances up to Julia, whose deep black eyes glisten with wetness. She opens her mouth to speak, and then closes it, instead reaching forwards to let the edge of your retracted field make contact with her clawed hand. There’s no trace of anger, resentment, or doubt in her mind…there is only care and concern, as there always have been. She just wants you to be okay, and she intends to devote everything she has to ensure you and the family you’ve made is safe and sound.

“Um…I don’t really get it…” Amara begins, chewing her lip thoughtfully before her eyes alight with an idea. “…but if you’re sad we didn’t have enough information, I have loads of ears now! So don’t worry about not knowing things, ‘cause I’ll learn all about everything and get really smart, so that way you don’t have to do it all yourself!”

You nod and smile as you swallow hard…but not from guilt, or fear. You don’t trust yourself to speak, not with the lump in your throat. You’re barely able to keep it together when Amara throws her skinny arms around your neck…and you breathe a deep, shuddering sigh of relief when Rath, Julia, and Dorian come together as one to give you a gentle group hug.

It occurs to you that you saved each of the people in this room…and they’ve saved you, in turn.

Family…a curious thing to have forged at the end of the world.

>>Start planning for the party. You may have a day and a half to prepare, but you need the distraction.

>>Let your friends explore a bit, while you go off to check one of the features of your new living arrangement (Inactive Forge Room/Living Room/Armory/Bedrooms x2/Core Console)

>>Let Rath get started on her Choice while everyone else gets settled.

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>3554311
Thank you, our awesome friends. Best party, here.

>>Let your friends explore a bit, while you go off to check one of the features of your new living arrangement (Inactive Forge Room/Living Room/Armory/Bedrooms x2/Core Console)
Let's give Rath a little bit of time to let what we just told her settle out of her system before we have her talk with Mother. I want to find out what the Core Console is. Rath, you want to come with? We can check out the cool machine to distract us from shitty thoughts, then go talk with the sky-bitch.

(Gentlemen, voting shall remain open for the next two and a half hours as I close out the work day.)

>>3554311
>>3554322
Agreeing with you distracting Rath a bit before her Choice is gonna make her less nervous especially if we can get the Forge working so she can see what waits for her after she wakes up again.....

We should probably also keep an eye at Amara just so she does not press any buttons that may be bad to press

>>3554311
>>Let Rath get started on her Choice while everyone else gets settled.

>>3554311
>Let your friends explore a bit, while you go off to check one of the features of your new living arrangement (Inactive Forge Room/Living Room/Armory/Bedrooms x2/Core Console)
Core Console because I don't know what it is. Then the Armory to see if there's anything left in there.

>>3554311
Supporting this.

Having Rath make her Choice now is quite possibly best for us as she's freshly angry with Mother and not likely to pick one of the 'proper' options. Mother telling Rath something that will make her want to ascend the Cord alone is scary, even if we can probably trust her to pick the family over whatever Mother comes up with. But picking the timing based on that seems manipulative. The right thing to do is let her cool off.

>>3554377
(Forgive me, but which post did you mean to link?)

>>3554322
>>3554332
Yeah,
>>3554377
Is my thoughts too. Rath doesn't need to calm her nerves, her being pumped up like this is the best time for her to do this. She isn't nervous at all.

>>3554311
>Let Rath get started on her Choice while everyone else gets settled.

>>3554311
>Let Rath get started on her Choice while everyone else gets settled.

>>3554327
All I can think about when you talk about work is a giant meatball sitting in a cubicle and looking bored.

>>3554336

>>Let Rath get started on her Choice while everyone else gets settled.

Supporting this.

>>3554311
>>Let Rath get started on her Choice while everyone else gets settled.

>>3554521
I don't know why you get that image, but i laughed pretty hard. The thought of a meatball sighing heavily and saying "i wanna go home and post about lovecraftian lesbians having a bad time." Was the pickle on the oddity cake.

>>3554556
Mainly the postthread image op posts with the filename:bhop.jpg

>>3554521
>>3554556
(I mean, you're not far off the mark. Also, this exchange made me laugh quite hard, so thank you, Gentlemen.)

>>3554589
..fair point. I cannot argue he did not bring this upon himself with evidence like that.

File: Spoiler Image (30 KB, 500x500)

30 KB JPG

>>3554589
You mean this one?

>>3554311

Some tight hugs and whispers of encouragement later, Julia, Dorian and Amara set off to explore the adjoining rooms, leaving you and Rath together in the cavernous living space. She walks over to the recessed circular couch before hopping down into its curves, and when you join her you can feel her previous nerves replaced with focused intent, the same sensation you feel right before she throws herself into the fray.

"So, uh...what can I expect when we meet?" She asks, cracking her knuckles. "Just so I'm not totally blindsided."

"If she comes for you like she did me, then I'd expect a creepy dark space, just like when we were in Isabelle's head." You reply, and Rath just levels a withering stare at you.

"No, I mean like what do you think her options are going to be?"

"Well...what Mother offers in her choices is power." You begin, considering how best to reply. "Pure, simple power, at a price. Power can help, but it can also make you lonely. I was offered quantity or quality, but I never saw any of my family or friends in the possible futures she showed me. I only saw myself, alone on a desolate planet."

You cross your legs, leaning your left elbow over the back of the chair as you turn to face the girl next to you head-on. She does the same, only sitting atop her folded legs as she faces you, in turn.

"Gina was offered a choice of mind over matter. In the matter choice, she stood alone while the world was literally bent to her will. In the mind choice, She had an army of daughters by her side...but they were merely mind-wiped and mind-controlled puppets." You explain, Rath hanging on your every word. "Dorian says he had to face a choice between of reviving his Mother or his sister, Choosing one at the cost of losing the other, He chose neither. I do not know the offers made to Julia when she made her choice, but it's clear she did not want to be alone. As for Amara... well, she's Amara. She has a family now and is happy with refusing her choice."

You glance to your right, staring out into the darkness that now pervades the world outside Mara's fortress.

"As for Isabelle, she chose one of Mother's offered choices. She chose to become Immortal in body, at the price of having that power corrupt her mind in pursuit of demanding perfection out of me." You finish, turning back to the citrine eyes that bore into your soul. You reach out, and give her hand a gentle squeeze. "Which leaves you. You're the last one of our family who has yet to make a choice. What offers Mother will give you, I couldn't say...but regardless, this Choice is yours, and yours alone."

You smile, sending a wave of calm to ease her itching nerves. She nods thoughtfully and, after a few seconds of silence, meets your eyes with a fiery smirk and a nod of preparedness. Your jack slides home in her wrist, and for a few moments there's nothing, but then...

That familiar void, that intimate abyss.

(Continued)

File: Rath, Burning.png (486 KB, 556x1000)

486 KB PNG

>>3554724

You're behind Rath, off to her right as you draw a cold, painful breath in this realm of pure emptiness. Her wiry, muscled arms wrap around herself against the uncomfortable air before her attention snaps ahead, and you know why; she can feel it, too. The weight of ages, the presence of a being whose very nature defies logic, one whose voice lances every molecule of your being with hatred and frozen fury.

HELLO, YOUNG RACHEL

I COME TO YOU WITH...

"Nope."

The word hangs in the air, echoing in the inky blackness that surrounds you.

"Whatever you're offering, I want none of it." Rath continues, standing firm in the face of the force before her, this gaping wound in existence. Rath turns to you, and she just laughs as she jerks a thumb towards the twisted void. "You're right, Shu, we don't need this bitch's favors."

OH?

"Yeah...you can't cripple us, you clearly can't even give us a shitty power when you offer your little 'choice' or else you've done it already! Isn't that right?" Rath demands, and in the face of the silence before her she gives a bark of laughter. "Hell, you can't even understand how we work! Everything you've tried has just made us stronger, *together*! And whatever you give me, I'm gonna work with Shu to make damn sure that we use it to kick your ass!"

Rath's hand shoots out, pointing behind her towards you as she screams into the abyss.

"She told me the shit you tried to pull about putting the blame on her about your goddamn hunger games crap! You thought we'd give her a ration of shit?! You thought we'd blame her for YOU being a fucking dick?! Think again, you daft cunt!" Rath bellows, veins of radiant light beginning to shine across her form as she balls her hands into fists, presenting them to the ravenous dark. "You want a choice?! How's this for one; when we meet you got two choices, and I'm not so stupid as to give you a third!"

She is a blinding goddess in the face of the Crucible's god.

"I swear on my sister's life that the last thing you see when I punch your ass off this mortal coil is gonna be me, Shu, and every last member of our family smiling as you go!" She growls, eyes narrowed at the black hole before her. "You know why? Because we'll have WON this bitch, TOGETHER. NO compromises. NO sacrifices. NO one left behind. Do you understand me?!"

Pure, deafening silence.

"What do you have to say to that?" Rath demands, and, after a moment of silence...Mother answers.

I WILL SAY THAT I EXPECTED NOTHING LESS

"Yeah, that what I thought you...huh?"

You detect something else in Mother's roiling emotions, a pair of curious feelings that you didn't expect to encounter.

Resignation...and impatience.

I HAVE COME TO REALIZE

THAT TURNING YOU AGAINST ONE ANOTHER IS AN EXERCISE IN FUTILITY

A THANKLESS TASK I HAVE LITTLE TIME OR PATIENCE FOR

SO I GIVE YOU THIS

NO TRICKS

NO TRIALS

NO TESTS

FOR I HAVE GREATER THINGS TO ATTEND TO

>>SISTERS' CONSTELLATION (Hybrid Augmentation): UNLOCKED

(CONTINUED)

File: WHAT YOU HAVE GIVEN UP ON(...).jpg (507 KB, 1280x1665)

507 KB JPG

>>3554730

>>SISTERS' CONSTELLATION (Indignant Ignition Augmentation): An eternal flame to warm the heart, to caress the flesh, to strengthen the soul. Rath's allies are now completely immune to any and all of her abilities and her chance of Generator recoil has been reduced from a base of 15% to 0%, allowing her to attack with impunity. Additionally, any ally or allied construct that has immunity to flame now quickly regenerates HEALTH while in close proximity to Rath while she is in IGNITION, as her flames paradoxically spur the bodies of her allies to repair broken bone and torn flesh with terrible speed. In brightest day or blackest night, Rath will be a light to guide your way...as her sister was to her, now she is to you.

"...Why?" You ask, on edge and wary as you walk up to Rath's side.

THE REASON IS SIMPLE

I HAVE MORE PRESSING CONCERNS

THAN ANOTHER VICTIM OF HOPE

The wound begins to close, Mother's presence in your mind fading as per presence recedes.

REST

IN THE EVENING I HAVE GRANTED YOU

BREATHE

FOR IN THE NIGHT I SHALL DRAW BREATH

SLEEP

THIS RESPITE IS MY GIFT TO YOU

IT IS THE LEAST I CAN DO TO REPAY YOU

A cold pit forms in the bottom of your stomach as the dream begins to crumble, the last vestige of Mother's presence fading as you slip back to reality.

AFTER ALL, DEFIANT

YOU HAVE GIVEN ME SUCH A WONDERFUL GIFT

Your eyes snap open to the view of the windows that stretch across the length of Mara's apartment, and you turn to see Rath's face, flush with exhilaration. She sports a wide, victorious grin, brimming with pride at how she handled the ancient Daughter...and it dawns on you that she didn't hear the last of Mother's parting words.

Those were meant for you, and you alone.

>>Let your friends explore a bit, while you go off to check one of the features of your new living arrangement (Inactive Forge Room/Living Room/Armory/Bedrooms x2/Core Console)

>>Connect with one or more of the Dream Daughters you have access to. There are some faces you sorely miss, and still fresh ones you'd like to greet.

>>You have an open invitation to join Magpie at Golgotha, and over a day to spare. You may as well see what the arena's calmer areas are all about before you come back for a party.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(My apologies; I realized I posted without giving you the other half of the voting options available.)

(Gentlemen, I shall be pausing here a little early for the evening. Voting shall remain open for the next thirteen hours, with posting to resume in roughly fourteen. I shall still be around to address any questions, concerns, or criticisms you may have, as always. Thank you so much for your time, patience, and participation, and I hope you have a restful evening.)

>>3554775
well, that's ominous. only thing i can think we have done really is get Mara to go to a much more dangerous location.
And that Augment, whew yeah.

right. anyways...

>Smile to Rath.
>"Well. not exactly taking mothers choice, but i enjoyed that all the same."
>Take her hand and leader her to the Forge Room.
>"Rath, i want you to know something. despite what you may think, despite what you said...you do more than enough for us. you always have."
>"but, i think there is something we can do, something that i can give as a gift to you, knowing you will enjoy it...and something you can do, to help us more too."
>Hand her the 3 Forge Gems.
>"They're yours Rath.Use thme as you please...rather you bring your fire to this forge, or to what we already have, i know you’ll do us proud. You alway do.”
>"Thank you. for always being there to support me."

honestly i just want to throw Rath a bone and well, we can make that Forge not so incactive, so why not make activating it something special?


>>3554730
yeah, you go Rath! i expected nothing less than a firey speech. also BHOP if you're gonna just keep having Shu call her a flame based goddess than thats gonna be her damned title. at this point Shu chose it for us like 3 Veins ago.

>>3554770
>>3554776
Damnit BHOP, you always get me. Even tried to wait this time to avoid it haha.

>>3554730
Yeah, okay, I guess after five Fool's Choices it's getting boring for her. The only torment she can give us now is denying us the satisfaction of telling her off. Well played, Mother, you blueballed us expertly.

>>3554775
>>Write-In
>"Hey, guys, Mother just said something creepy about how I've given her a wonderful gift. Not sure what that's about, but prepare for something spooky happening soon. Kind of a wild guess, but I think that maybe with us taking the Fool's Choice, the resources normally meant to be allocated to specializing a Daughter are available for her to use elsewhere. Though if that is the case, I don't know why she'd be thanking us in particular. There have to be other Daughters making the Fool's Choice, we know the Midnight Crew did. I doubt that us ten are the only Daughters on the entire Crucible to tell off the evil alien monster, so if she's trying to pin this on us then it's really just more shitty attempts at psychological warfare. Anyways, we'll probably have to deal with her making a super-monster or evil clone or an avatar body, something like that, so let's make sure we're strong enough to kill it."

>>3554775
Supporting>>3554783
And then
>Let your friends explore a bit, while you go off to check one of the features of your new living arrangement (Armory/Core Console)
One is something I'm curious of and the other might have goodies still in there. Otherwise we'll just store extra gear there.

Finally
>Connect with one or more of the Dream Daughters you have access to. There are some faces you sorely miss, and still fresh ones you'd like to greet.
Neurotic Halo lv2 means we can meet the dream daughters of others if they're sleeping. So when everyone goes to nap later, we can finally meet some of those that have been with us for a while but we never got to converse with, like Hecaton or whatever her real name is since we've just been using an abbreviation of her title from when we fought her.

>>3554792
i honestly want to see Amara interact with the Sororitas.

>>3554784
honestly, maybe it is the power, but the only thing i can think of that we have 'given up on' truly is Isabelle. like you said, though i honestly dont think is so worth mentioning in that way, we are hardly the only Fools, so it would be odd, especially given the emotions we felt from her, for her to be thanking us specifically.

>>3554775
>>3554792
Supporting this - keen to see Holly and Uzu in particular.

>>3554462
Oops, I had meant to link >>3554322, oh well.

>>3554784
I don't think the 'gift' was taking the Fool's Choice as Mother would have thanked us sooner. It's got to be something pretty big for Mother to be acting pleasant toward us so soon after nerfing her favourite Daughter and stopping a god who would have ended the Crucible. I am very worried for Mara's safety..

>>3554801
I don't know, how would we have given her B'Ni? The Hexane Rewrite erasing her core letting Mother move in, somehow? I don't know, feels like a stretch. It is actually much more plausible to me that it's Mother taking up spare resources from Fool's Choices, and just doing a bad job of trying to convince us that her resurrection is all our fault and we should feel despair at what we've done. If there's one element of Mother's characterization that is consistent, it's that she's only good at talking to the irrational. Anyone who stops to think for a moment about the things she says can tell they're garbage.

>>3554806
Maybe it's Mara. That's more plausible than B'Ni, but I still have my doubts. What about Mara would make her an exceptional vessel for Mother when everyone else reaching the Cord isn't? Hell, we know that Mara went to the Cord once already, she has a teleport spike from Escher's Gear primed for it. So something changed recently that Mother is able to possess her. I still think that Mother making a body wholecloth makes more sense than possessing an existing body, though. Her phrasing, "draw breath", is associated with life being created. But fine, I'll change my write-in to draw less conclusions.

>>3554775
>>Write-In
>"Hey, everyone, Mother just said something creepy to me about how I've given her a wonderful gift. So get ready for her to do something unpleasant. I'm guessing she's made herself an avatar body so that she can act directly instead of through intermediaries, she said something about how she was about to draw breath. I have no idea what we could have done that would enabled this, though, there's no plausible way that we could have singularly given her this opportunity. This is probably something she's been working on for a while and is just trying to mess with my head. Make us go "oh no, what have we done" and panic instead of addressing the problem rationally. So after we take this rest period, we're going to have to get ready to kill whatever super-avatar Mother is cooking up. Lovely. Well, at least her getting a body of her own means she has a face we can punch now."

>>3554823
well Isabelle is a stretch yes, like i said, its her or Mara.

i think honestly the issue here is i personally think you're jumping the gun on that being mothers goal. im not convinced thats Mothers goal. even if she wishes to bend the crucible to allow her to continue, which i actually don't think she cares to do, position wise she is in the best place for it. she may be under alot of restrictions, but she still has better access to its workings from where she is than if she jumped off into another body, if such a thing was even her goal.

Really, Mother honestly seems like she would be happy for someone to off her, as for better or worse she really does seem to just want this crucible over with and a new mother in place. spite seems to be the reason, coupled with being tired of being a part of the system id imagine.

>>3554801
>>3554806
>>3554827
It could be us giving up on Isabelle, but when I think about it, Mother's been looking at the Big Picture. Her ultimate goal: To have a daughter ascend the Cord and take her throne.

She gets pissed when the Crucible gets stalled, but gets happy when it accelerates.

When Mother approached Shu with 3 "gifts", she wasn't asking Shu to pick a poison. She was asking Shu which world-augment is the best to accelerate the. Basically Shu was picking a GIFT FOR MOTHER, and Shu decided that Mother should pick what she wants to accelerate the Crucible. Not only that Shu one-upped that gift by inadvertently wiping out a major location that actively resisted the Crucible, by failing to save the Monastery and then is forced to Kill the entire Monastery populace. That's Shu's gift to MOTHER: "A gift that lets Mother alter the Crucible at large and then accelerating the Crucible progress by wiping out a major node of resistance in the Fleshscape with that gift."

This also brings this inferred rule to mind. Mother can't interact with the world unless she's directly interacting with a daughter via dream or through a proxy (Charon).

>>3554827
No, Mother has very little control over the Crucible. She's stuck up there playing with the most indirect tools, that she can only use when allowed to by the Crucible's systems. If she wants to do anything to the Crucible, whether speed things up or take it over or whatever, she can't do it on her own. But if she managed to acquire a body separate from the Cord, then she could make use of that to act much more directly. And come on, what else does "I shall draw breath" mean, if not her living again in a new form?

>>3554834
>This also brings this inferred rule to mind. Mother can't interact with the world unless she's directly interacting with a daughter via dream or through a proxy (Charon).
Or a new body, of her own.

>>3554806
>>3554823
>>3554827
I think it's Isabelle. Remember that Isabelle's focus is solely on winning Shu's affections. But Shu betrayed her by kissing Gina (who Isabelle ate) and then confessing her love to Gina. That practically destroyed Isabelle's focus. Now her focus is solely changed from winning Shu's affections to killing Shu either directly or ascending the Cord and making Shu/Sam suffer by using her one wish to make Shu/Sam her bitch (aka the Charon treatment).

Isabelle is pissed, angry, hysterical, on the verge of losing it. On the verge of succumbing to the Hunger. But then here comes MOTHER to save her sanity, and she gives Isabelle an offer she can't refuse: Give up possession of your body, and I can grant you power to fulfill your desires. A simple bargain. Power to kill her enemies and ascend the cord, and a promise to make Shu's life utter hell. In exchange for letting God take the wheel.

And because of Isabelle's Circumstances and after all that she's endured, I think the rabbit will gladly give up control.

>>3554834
Yeah makes sense.

>>3554837
That's just outright wrong. She has far less control yes than she makes it out to be, but still has more than anyone else does. She didn't have to even give us the choice of how thongs got worse, she clearly could make it on her own.

Like the other anon said, everything points towards her just wanting this over with as soon as possible, she really is showing no signs of wanting a new body at all.

>>3554844
>>3554841
>>3554837
Does anyone think that we should promptly warn Gina through the Crimson Cord about this? Mother's going to take control of Isabelle's body and mind through a Faustian Bargain that Isabelle will most likely accept without hesitation, and here our next step was practically saving Gina from Isabelle. But then MOTHER of all deities takes admin control, offers Isabelle a faustian choice that she'll gladly accept, and then takes over Isabelle's body while suppressing Gina and Isabelle.

FUCKER MOTHER

>>3554844
>That's just outright wrong. She has far less control yes than she makes it out to be, but still has more than anyone else does. She didn't have to even give us the choice of how thongs got worse, she clearly could make it on her own.
All that means is that the Crucible's automated systems procced a "make things worse now" event and she, as the GM, was allowed to choose how it manifests. We have been repeatedly told that Mother only has the control that the Crucible lets her have, that's why she isn't just killing Shu by activating the self-destruct function Daughters have planted in them for when the Crucible ends. If she wants to make any changes on her own initiative, she needs another way to access the Crucible than what she has from being jacked in at the top of the Cord.

>Like the other anon said, everything points towards her just wanting this over with as soon as possible, she really is showing no signs of wanting a new body at all.
My point is that even if that's true, having a new body would help her get this done faster. She'd be able to go out and personally pursue goals instead of having to work from a great remove and with limited agency. But fine, suppose it's not that. What is she doing? How is she making use of what we've discarded that could be described as "drawing breath" that is not acquiring a body?

>>3554847
Sure. I still think the B'Ni thing is unlikely, but I want to talk to Gina during Shu's dreams tonight anyway so we might as well bring up "hey, Mother kind of implied that she's going to acquire a new body somehow, and while I"m not sure how she's going to do that, be on guard for her somehow possessing B'Ni or whatever. She made some vague comment on what I had cast away, she would use, and I can't think of many things that describes".

>>3554841
I wouldn't be surprised. Isabelle Is apparently MOTHER's favorite, whatever BHOP's plans for her are she's likely to stick around and be a problem for a long time to come. If Gina was unique In that she had special neuromancy immunities, Mother getting ahold of that In any capacity would be terrifying If she could start rewriting her own programming.

I'm hesitant to put forth any theories of the future with how often I'm surprised In this quest, though.

>>3554847
>>3554855
well, no. i still think Mother being after a new body is wholly wrong, and we have only mild reasons to think Isabelle could be what this is about. jumping to conclusions and panicking over them wont do anyone any good, both OOC and IC.

>>3554857
So what's she doing? How is she drawing breath?

>>3554859
drawing breath could easily be a metaphor for a renewal of energy or plans, or something similar.

we literally do not have enough info on this, and i mean, we also know she personally dislikes us and likes toying with people. for all we know, shes making herself a secondary enforcer, and since Charon is busy with Mara, she can thus send it after us. i mean, again, we really have no idea, but i see no reason she would be after her own body.

>>3554862
>drawing breath could easily be a metaphor for a renewal of energy or plans, or something similar.
No, that would be taking a breath. What we're doing. If she had meant that, she would have said something like "while you're taking a breather, I am too". Instead she drew a contrast between Shu and company breathing in for a moment to recuperate, and what she's doing. "Draw breath" m

>>3554869
Sorry, on a shitty laptop keyboard right now, hit the mousepad with my thumb and accidentally clicked on post. As I was saying to "draw breath" means to live. Mother clearly understands human idiom, why is she switching over to some hypothetical Hexane metaphors right now?

>>3554869
sure, whatever you wish to say to stretch this so your unfounded aproclamations that just has to be right no matter what sounds less iffy.

>>3554871
honestly the very LAST thing Mother has proven is to understand anything about humans properly.

>>3554873
And same to you, of course.

>>3554876
Human psychology. She understands our languages just fine.

>>3554878
except ive made no claims as to what must be right no matter what, the exact opposite in fact, but sure.

>>3554776
so you said before you would give us a list of what dream daughters everyone has? if you're not already passed out, mind if we get that?

>>3554871
When you re-arrange Mother's dialogue into this order:

>Rest
>In the evening I have granted you breath,
>For in the night I shall "live", [so]
>sleep
>this respite is my gift to you
>it's the least I can do to repay you
>after all, you have given me a wonderful gift

>What you have given up on, I shall use well.

Interpretation:

Mother only interacts with daughter through dreams or the forced dream-state.
So when she means "in the night I shall draw breath (aka 'live')", that means she will go to work in the night and act upon her plans.
Shu "gave up on Isabelle" because she confessed to Gina, therefore I [MOTHER] shall exploit her to the fullest.

>>3554884
>except ive made no claims as to what must be right no matter what, the exact opposite in fact, but sure.
No, you're just stretching and twisting the meaning of words, invoking some relativist garbage where "who knows what words mean?" in order to justify not picking up on clear clues as to where the plot is going. Because you'd rather never make any predictions and be completely blindsided when things happen, than risk feeling stupid on the off chance you're wrong.

>>3554889
Okay, see, that I might believe. It feels odd for Mother to be doing a double metaphor, where what she says is a metaphor for a metaphor for what she actually means, but at least it's acknowledging the meaning of phrases.

>>3554898
i just like actually waiting for more info and simply didn't like how you were pushing your idea as fact, rather than discussing if it was correct like everyone else was, and admittedly that annoys the crap out of me. trust me dude, id not still be here after participating in 21 Veins if i cared about being wrong, BHOPS too good at bamboozling to always be right.

>>3554898
I blame Bhop's use of Bloody Hexxane grammar. because sometimes I swer that Mother's dialogue and grammar is based on the alien race she heralds from.

>>3554903
Anyways, what are your thoughts on my interpretation of Mother's dialogue after I re-arranged it here?
>>3554889

>>3554889
>>3554905
makes sense to me. good work there. it does bring up the question of what mater can do, but actually, if it is Isabelle, there is an interesting caveat of the fact she no longer has a Core ability. for all we know, with how important those are, that opened up some sorta loophole for her. but really hard to know for sure, would be interesting if that was true though.

i mean, everyone gets their choice, so what is one to do when the mechanism for such a fundamental part of the crucible is missing? the crucible itself might not have anything 'coded' for that, seeing as how it was done via Hexxane tech.

>>3554903
And linguistic relativism annoys the crap out of me. If you were offering a counter-theory, then fine, I'd be willing to debate. Instead you're going "sure, she said she plans on living again, but can I really know what she means by those words? Meaning is not universal". At least argue that she might be lying in order to deceive us.

>>3554911
so she understands human language and how to apply it, but not our plethora of double meanings, slang, symbolism, or anything else required to actually understand it?

also, its MOTHER, i will admit my mistake, but i really did assume it went without saying she could be deceiving us, toying with us, or any other similar venture. shes not someone to be trusted so i genuinely thought i didn't need to say anything on that.

>>3554916
please dont even make the joke, or else BHOP will put in a Daughter with his EXACT personality. wait, its too late, you've already doomed us to this.

>>3554909
We should ask Karma (Charon's Proxy) about the situation. Isabelle is explicitly stated to be Mother's Favorite Daughter, and Isabelle is without a core ability. If Mother was a betting creature and had admin power. She would pull all the stings she could and rig the Isabelle v. Shu match into the former's favor.

>>3554911
>>3554909
Boys. we're finished with the squabbling. We now have an interpretation that is feasible for us >>3554889 after gleaning Mother's dialogue this way and that. Our next topic is how do we prepare for future scenarios involving Isabelle and Mother? From our agreed upon interpretation, MOTHER is gaming to exploit Isabelle's current gimped state. Isabelle is without a core ability, and has MOTHER's blessing of "Favored Daughter".
What eventualities are we going to face, where can we find information regarding Isabelle's gimped Core ability. Has there been precedence where a daughter has been gimped like that before? and what alternative did the Mother of the previous cycle do? How will this translate into MOTHER exploiting Isabelle?

File: Spoiler Image (8 KB, 225x225)

8 KB JPG

>>3554909
>mater
YOU HAVE YEED YOUR LAST HAW DEFIANT

>>3554913
>so she understands human language and how to apply it, but not our plethora of double meanings, slang, symbolism, or anything else required to actually understand it?
No, I'm saying that she does understand it, which is why the symbolism of "to draw breath" meaning "to live" is probably what she's going for here.

>also, its MOTHER, i will admit my mistake, but i really did assume it went without saying she could be deceiving us, toying with us, or any other similar venture. shes not someone to be trusted so i genuinely thought i didn't need to say anything on that.
So you assumed that I assumed she was lying about using a metaphor? I don't even know how to untangle that. But >>3554922 is right, we're clearly not going to get anywhere, let's move on.

>>3554922
The answer is the same thing it's been: Go with the Midnight Crew on the Hexane Armory raid they have planned. That's going to be our best source of information on Hexane technology, having more of it to study. Whatever Mother is going to do, and I'm not convinced it involves B'Ni, that information will be to our benefit. And yes, we should ask Karma for further information, too. And, of course, tell the rest of the party "Hey, Mother said some spooky shit about drawing breath and how I've given her a wonderful gift, sounds ominous to me so let's be prepared for her doing something nasty." Because come on, no reason to leave that unsaid.

>>3554922
>We should ask Karma (Charon's Proxy) about the situation. Isabelle is explicitly stated to be Mother's Favorite Daughter, and Isabelle is without a core ability. If Mother was a betting creature and had admin power. She would pull all the stings she could and rig the Isabelle v. Shu match into the former's favor.
>mfw MOTHER gives Isabelle a bunch of one-shot abilities that are all the options all the Fools have turned down.
unlikely as hell but whew, would be an interesting scenario for sure.

but yeah, lets Ask Karma. she really is our only lead at the moment that may of seen this before, as as far as we can tell only the last Crucible could've had this happen before. and even in ours, id argue is West couldn't understand their true potential, and Gina only could via death apparently making everything clear as day, then very few id imagine if any besides Gina have done this before.

we can also see what we find at the armory, but we have like two days IC before then, so like at least a Vein OOC before then id think.

>>3554935
>and even in ours, id argue is West couldn't understand their true potential
BHOP said something about it not being that West couldn't figure out how good the Halos are, but that there's some issue of security authorization that she's facing so that she never had a chance to explore their more interesting functions. The question, then, is "why does she have that problem but we don't?" Something that Karma might be able to answer, but Shu has no in-character reason to ask that question.

>>3554943
It might come up when it comes time to talk about the Hexxane Armory raid. We have a Hexxane AI crafted from Mother's Right-hand Enforcer who was created to explicitly help Shu as a workaround to Charon's restriction of being unable to talk out-of-bounds.

Source: 13th Vein
>“Indeed.” She says with an air of pride in both herself and Charon. “Thanks to their quick-thinking, I am now able to speak on my Master’s behalf where they could not. There is a particular word Master learned that they believe appropriately described how they intend to subvert Mother, something they heard a while ago that they quite enjoyed the sound of…ah, yes.”

>The corners of her not-eyes crinkle in something like a smile.

>“Bamboozle. Charon intends to bamboozle Mother, if I am using that word correctly.”

>>3554943
i was going off of what Gina said here before she made her sacrifice;

>{West didn't make the Halo, she just found them...she has no idea how to use them the way they the Hexane intended}
>{How could she? She’s so obsessed with perpetuation, accumulation...breaking the cycle and giving up control never even occurred to her}

which heavily implies West did not truly understand them.

>>3554962
Sure, not disputing that. But the comment about authorization suggests that she never even had the chance to.

>>3554884
(Here's the list of Dream Daughters, per your request.)

SHU: Holly / Uzu

RATH: Hecaton / Niku

JULIA: Penny / Gemma

DORIAN: None

AMARA: Puppeteer / Sororitas

ISABELLE: Gina / Eloise / Kosi / Meg / Bella

>>3554978
Man, I'm blanking. Who was Puppeteer, again?

>>3554981
(No worries. She was the as-of-yet unnamed girl that was the leader of the Daughters that ambushed you in the abandoned town before November blew it up.)

>>3554978
thank you BHOP

well,
>>3554775
>>3554783
>>3554792
my vote then for the dreamscape part, after the Rath and the Forge scene personally is

>link up with Amara
>Go together to see the Sororitas.

help introduce Amara to them, and well...honestly? they might be ecstatic to see Shu too, and i feel like Shu could use seeing that, seeing that even though they suffered, they maybe arent so much anymore.

We can invite Holly too, as i understand not wanting to leave her hanging.

>>3554985
Huh. I'm surprised that no one got Grinning Spartan as a dream daughter. What happened?

>>3554990
>>3554978
(My apologies; Shu has the Grinning Spartan. Thank you, I knew I was forgetting someone.)

>>3554992
You're also missing Sam on the list. Sam technically counts as a dream daughter given her influences.

>>3554998
>>3554978
(Indeed...I'm very tired, so I'll be going to bed a bit early tonight. Rest well, everyone.)


SHU: Holly / Uzu / Grinning Spartan / Sam

RATH: Hecaton / Niku

JULIA: Penny / Gemma

DORIAN: None

AMARA: Puppeteer / Sororitas

ISABELLE: Gina / Eloise / Kosi / Meg / Bella

>>3555003
Good night, BHOP. Sleep well.

But anyways, we have some people to meet. See how Penny, Puppeteer and Spartan have adjusted to being in the dreamscape, check in on Uzu and Niku to see if they're feeling better and more sane, and ask Gemma if this means the rest of her clones are going to be expecting Julia to eat them now.

>>3554775
Right, a proper vote before I go to sleep.

>>Let your friends explore a bit, while you go off to check one of the features of your new living arrangement (Inactive Forge Room/Living Room/Armory/Bedrooms x2/Core Console)
>The Core Console. I know what the others are likely to be, the Core Console is a mystery box.

Save the discussion about Mother's ominous warnings for after we've gathered the party. Just so that we don't have to explain "yeah, I don't know what it is, but I have some guesses and they're all nasty" multiple times.

>>3554775
>"Well then, now that that's out of the way, we can get to exploring."
>"Still...Mother's said some ominous warnings. Something about exploiting Isabelle to the fullest... Yeah, I'm okay Rath. We'll leave it as a topic of concern for tomorrow. I'm just tired."
>Hand Rath the Forge Gems
>Smile
>"These are Forge Gems. Use them as you like, I know you and Niku will put them to good use."
>"And thank you...for being there to support me."
>Let your friends explore a bit, while you go off to check one of the features of your new living arrangement (Inactive Forge Room/Living Room/Armory/Bedrooms x2/Core Console)
>Check out the Core Console, familiarize yourself with it briefly,
>Go to one of the bedrooms and sleep. Check out the Dream Daughters riding inside you.
.....
>Wake up and find yourself sandwiched between Amara and Rath.

>>3555122
*Amara(s)

>>3555003
So with the Sparagmos Engine able to bring up to two people back from 'the dead', this gives us a game-changing ability. We're planning on bringing back Gina, that's 100% for certain. But that still leaves us another potential daughter we can bring back.

Question is, if we were to bring someone back into the game, who should it be?

>>3555003
It's a shame nobody has the creepy wall ghost girl, it would be interesting to speak with her.

>>3555237
Holly is maybe my favourite but I don't think we would benefit much from having her in the real world.

Niku would be a good option, she definitely didn't deserve what happened to her and she can help with the Forge.

Kosi is awesome and, assuming she is resurrected without her cancer she would be wicked strong as well, perfect for keeping the base safe.

I'm assuming the Sororitas are entwined so strongly that we could bring them all back as one RESTORE? Like Holly, tempting, but probably not beneficial to the group.

Sam would be an interesting option, I wonder whether there would be a diplomatic solution to the Isabelle problem if we could hand her Sam. Stupid risky though, almost certainly wouldn't end well.

So.. Kosi?

>>3555237
>>3555357
Or we wait until we REALLY need it. If Julia bites it, I'd rather not have to abduct an innocent Daughter to sacrifice to get her back.

>>3555360
Yeah, saving it is q good idea.

>>3555357
Honestly I can't see any of them WANTING to be resurrected, besides Sam. The only i can see wanting it are the ones we would not give it to.

And we're not giving it to sam. Besides the fact it would do nothing to stop Isabelle, its too limited a resource to waste on one so so underserving of it.

>>3555237
>>3555360
We really should keep that as a last Resort .... .Mostly because accidents and bad RNG can still happen at any time and we might as well keep a failsafe here unless one of the Daughters we really care about absolutely want to come back to life

Gina needs to be brought back first though there is no question there i agree

>>3555122
I agree and am of the opinion that Holly needs more Screentime...
Maybe Uzu and Spartan can get some too

>>3555437
>>3555399
>>3555360
>>3555357
>>3555237
the issue with the Ressurecting Gina plan is that Gina is with Isabelle, whom Mother is planning to upgrade and use her as her personal pawn.

>>3555464
Yes she is still with Isabelle which is why we should raid that Armory(For more Equipment) and then see about murdering Isabelle maybe going hunting a bit beforehand to strenghten our Halo to extract Gina and Company fom Isabelles Brain Box. Getting in COntact with the Dream Daughters might also help since we can get freee Level Ups from them

I am full yaware we can not get Gina back right now just wanted to say that unless we plan to bring back anyone before then we need to keep one Slot open for Gina

>>3555467
Should we attempt to bond/talk to Sam? She technically is the Dream Daughter in charge of our Core ability...I wanna chip away at her pettiness/bitchiness and see what makes her tick as a character.

>>3555464
See conversation from last night. And regardless of who ends up being correct on that, we are not giving up on resurrecting Gina, even if that happens, and the engine is still our best tool to do so.

>>3555490
I have to say i do not like Sam... While i can see the merit in trying to make her less of a bitch to have her help us with Isabelle and maybe even have her be at least neutral towards us

BUT and this is a big but she is not only a bitch but also a control freak that probably hates us as much as Isabelle hates us now, the Price to pay for that would be terribly high and is very likely not worth it At least in my humble opinion

She hates us because we are in control and not her, she is relegated to a watcher positions which can almost never interfere with us especially now that we have more daughters that block her way to our Brain Box.

I personally prefer to just let her fade away
I do not like to do this but Shu would probably not want to work with her anyway(she hates not only us but our family as well)
She hates us as well so cooperation to survive? Maybe. Friendship? I can not see a future that happens

>>3555490
>>3555502
Id like to point out BHOP almost never, and i mean never, interjects with his own ideas or anything similar, yet in the dream fight with Isabelle he specifically stepped in to tell us how incredibly risky asking for Sams help in it would be, and how high a cost she would demand. I think that says alot in my opinion about how little she is worth interacting with, even if its no longer a situation she might be able to exploit.

>>3555507
Did it not sound like i do not want to interact with her?

Then i want to make it clear: "I do not want to talk to her. I just agreed it would be a nice sentiment to try and talk her over but it is really really not worth it with someone like Sam"

>>3555490
No. For one thing, I'm pretty sure Sam isn't in charge of anything. That would require Shu to not even actually have a Core skill to begin with, and I don't think the Crucible glitched quite so hard in making her. For another, who cares about Sam? She was a deeply unpleasant person and in large part responsible for every shitty thing to do with B'Ni. We wouldn't have to deal with that mess if Sam wasn't so awful (granted, we technically wouldn't exist, either, but if Sam was less awful she'd basically be Shu anyway, so we'd have no need for B'Ni to club her upside the head to make us, we'd just play as her). I don't want to get to know her, I want her gone. Hell, we know that's possible, Neuromancy can move Dream Daughters around. Let's kick her out.

Of course, that would make her "something we have given up on", so Mother would probably just do something creepy with her. Damn it, I fucking hate Mother.

>>3555507
huh. And now I am reminded of the times we were at least tempted to bring Sam out.

>>3555511
>Neuromancy and move Dream Daughters around
Crap, Now I'm reminded that Isabelle has Cere's Neuromancy Cloud Concealment ability. She has Stealth against Neuro-radar, can split into clones, AND has extreme speed and guillotine skates. How are we going to approach her now that Mother is planning to augment Isabelle? I won't lie, the 45 point feast gave our group a collective power boost to at least have one of our party members match Isabelle in stats post-nerf if you compared the stats she had pre-nerf and brought it down to 1/3 of her pre-nerf stats.

>>3555509
My appoligizes, i got that i was just responding to the conversation in general and have a bad habit of sometimes linking everyone involved rather than just the most select it might matter to.

>>3555511
>Damn it, I fucking hate Mother.
On that i agree whole heartily. I think we need to make Amaras idea if a new sport a strong reality.

>>3555524
Look at Amaras(and others) Halos. Even at this low level they already give us insanely potent anti-stealth abilities. I think long term getting though stuff like that won't be too difficult. We also can basically send out a small army of scouts now too. We'll get this done when the time is right, trust me.

Also, should we have all the Amara scouts be sent out with a FuzzBuzz backpack with a Baneling or something stuffed inside? Its not much, but with infinite range its still a little bit more protection we can offer them to get more use out of them.

>>3555529
WorkAnon, Isabelle ambushed us and Gina had lvl 7 Halo. That stealth cloud was strong enough that Gina was able to detect it but not pierce it, enough so that Gina second guessed herself because of the visual data that it gave to Gina. If Isabelle upgraded that Neuromancy ability, she would be able to infiltrate undetected even with our Amara Radar network that is if we relied on Neuromancy Radar only. I hope our SkinTalker Tremor sense would have better effect against Neuromancy.

I just wanna lightly bully/tease Rath more, her blush when we trigger her kink is pretty great

>>3555534
Eh, im not sure thats the case. Remember what brain exploding girl said? Gina easily should've been able to spot her, but because she was distracted using the Halos for other thongs, she couldn't use its anti-stealth properly. Id imagine similar happened there, we were quite distracted with any number of other things and for better or worse we had all not at all been looking out or expecting Isabelle at all by that moment.

>>3555524
>Crap, Now I'm reminded that Isabelle has Cere's Neuromancy Cloud Concealment ability. She has Stealth against Neuro-radar, can split into clones, AND has extreme speed and guillotine skates
Good thing we have an infinite army of catgirls whose senses are non-Neuromantic.

>I won't lie, the 45 point feast gave our group a collective power boost to at least have one of our party members match Isabelle in stats post-nerf if you compared the stats she had pre-nerf and brought it down to 1/3 of her pre-nerf stats.
I'm fairly certain that unless you're right and B'Ni does get upgrades from Mother, that our party could one-shot her now. Rath alone could do it. She brought B'Ni down to double digit Health with 219% Health spent on Sui Tormentis, no boosts from Herculean Force because she spent so much Bio stabilizing the rest of the party, and eight arms combined into one for Phantom Limb. With her stat boosts, and not having fought a losing battle where all our friends were dying but starting out with it, Rath could spend 300% Health on Sui Tormentis (and we may have it upgraded to give a better ratio by the time we face B'Ni again) without putting herself in serious danger, get full Herculean Force bonuses, combine ten arms into Phantom Limb, and just for good measure activate Indignant Ignition for DoT and making the punch count as a Generator attack so that Caster's Curveball makes it more accurate and Burrowing Blast giving bonus damage and increasing critical chance. One fiery punch and B'Ni explodes. Yeah, B'Ni won't be static, she'll be pursuing level-ups too, but unless Mother decides to give her a power boost I think our gain in strength should outpace hers. Power compounds on power, in the Crucible.

>>3555534
She can't upgrade the neuromancy ability. It's already max level.

>>3555545
Where are you getting this information from?

>>3555549
Her character sheet.
https://pastebin.com/Rvd3eWwi

SECLUDED MIND is at max.

>>3555552
We're talking about the Neurocloud, though, not Secluded Mind.

File: ceres.jpg (259 KB, 1280x1395)

259 KB JPG

>>3555545
>>3555549
We're talking about Cere's Neuromantic cloud ability!
You know. pic related!?
the one who gave us a ferry ride across the river of tears?

Her Neurocloud ability gives her concealment and cover in a similar fashion that Dorian's Masque of War form does. Except the Neurocloud also functions as Neuromantic Chaff and screws with Neuro-radar.

(Writing now, Gentlemen.)

>>3555564
I don't think we actually know it offers concealment. It's definitely a Neuromantic vector of some sort, but it being able to jam Neuromantic senses is an unknown that we're just assuming because B'Ni managed to ambush us somehow. For all we know that's another stealth ability she picked up from West Gamma's corpse, Gamma certainly managed to sneak up on B'Ni a lot.

File: Crafting.jpg (169 KB, 1280x1602)

169 KB JPG

>>3554775

You shake your head and return Rath’s radiant smile.

“Well, you didn’t exactly take a choice, but that was a hell of thing to see, all the same. Anyway, come with me, I want to show you something.” You say, rising and taking her by the hand as you do so. You’re turning away from her as her cheeks go pink, and you lead her by the hand to the Forge Room, similar in form to Niku’s and comprised of the same glossy black tile that covers the living room. In front of the cavernous hearth you face your friend and reach into your pocket, fishing past the spiral-bound notebook Claire found until your fingers close around a trio of small, warm stones.

"Rath, I want you to know something. Despite what you may think, despite what you said...you do more than enough for us. You always have." You say, and Rath’s having a hard time keeping eye contact with the flurry of well-earned compliments you’re giving her. “But I think there is something we can do, something that I can give as a gift to you, knowing you will enjoy it...and it’s something that you can use to help us tremendously."

You slip your hand out of your pocket and press the three Forge Gems into her palms, her citrine eyes going wide at the realization of what you’ve given her.

"They're yours Rath. Use them as you please, because whether you bring fire to this forge use them for something else entirely, I know you’ll do us proud. You always do.” You continue, and she’s looking up at you like you’re the best person in the world. "Thank you for always being there to support me."

“I…yeah, I…t-thank you, Shu.” She stammers, gaze flicking between your eyes as words fail her in the face of the best gift she could’ve asked for. Here, right now, you feel almost deserving of how her reaction makes you feel.

“Now go make something kickass with Niku.” You solemnly, trying to keep a straight face. “That’s an order.”

…then again, maybe you’ve still got some kinks to work out on the whole ‘good person’ bit.

(Continued)

>>3555610

Her face floods with scarlet as she gives you a quick nod, and she immediately sets to work inspecting every inch of the shiny new Forge. You leave Rath to her toys while you go to inspect the Core Console, a sleek pillar of onyx nested in the corner of the massive living room. Your fingertips gaze the thing’s surface and it springs to life, deep grooves shining with pale, gentle light.

The flattened top shows a simple diagram of the apartment laid out in black and white on the jet-black screen, and a cursory tap of the living room zooms in. Your finger grazes the icon representing one of the table’s twelve chairs, and there’s a scraping sound as it scoots back. After a brief hesitation you shift the icon back, and a flick of your finger slides the entire table back. A pinch, and the table shortens, and a pluck of your fingers raises the receded circular couch to level with the rest of the living room.

This place’s arrangement, layout, and appearance is completely up to your whims, and it’ll all here at your fingertips. All it takes is a gesture and some imagination, and you can change this place however you like, whenever you wish…and a terrifying thought occurs to you.

Under no circumstances is Amara to get her hands on this.

You blink, your eyes burning even after that brief time staring and prodding at the screen. You take a step away, and your feet feel far, far heavier than they have any right to be. You send out a pulse across the empathic channel, letting your team know that you’re going to take a brief nap before resuming your exploration as you stumble into one of the two bedrooms. It’s a standard affair, with a dresser, mirror, and a pair of small end tables flanking the headboard of a sizable bed. The headboard is flush with the right-hand wall to where the first thing you’d see in the morning would be the Fleshscape’s sweeping vistas through the colossal window. You empty your pockets into the table, leaving the Nail, Spine, notebook, and Contender arrayed on its surface as you collapse onto the alarming soft bed sheets.

These are…unnervingly comfortable, and you have to wonder if something this plush was something Mara somehow found…or made, given the silvery sheets are a perfect color-match for the warrior’s platinum hair. You file that question away next to the mystery of Julia’s tea as your eyelids grow too heavy to keep open, and sleep claims you swiftly.

Darkness, against the back of your eyes, and then…darkness?

(Continued)

File: Screen in the Dark.jpg (34 KB, 852x480)

34 KB JPG

>>3555612

Your vision takes a moment to adjust as a copyright warning flickers to life on a small screen a few feet away. You’re cross-legged on a couch with half a blanket draped cozily over your shoulders, and a glance to your right reveals Holly smiling wide with the other half over her back, thrusting a tub of freshly-popped popcorn into your hands.

“You looked like you could use a break.” She whispers playfully, kicking her long legs out onto the table in front of the well-worn couch as she fixes you with a wide smile. She’s in a pair of comfortable gym shorts and the same tank top she wore when she took you to the beach, and a quick downwards glance reveals a pair of soft sweatpants and a shirt with a stylized pile of sleeping FuzzBuzz front and center.

“Good call.” You say with a tired laugh, and you gladly take the offered tub, plunging your hands into the tub and shoving the handful of popped kernels into your mouth. “What’s the movie?”

“Face-Off!” She declares happily, leaning closer to grab her own handful. “John Woo’s the best, my Dad got me hooked on his stuff when I was…probably too young to be watching them, but I love them. Have you seen any of his stuff?”

“I…don’t remember.” You reply honestly, taking another bite. “But I’d like to learn.”

She nestles her wiry frame against yours in the darkness of the quiet living room, your bodies bathed in the soft light of the television as the movie starts to play.

“…I missed you, Holly.” You say, turning to the blonde beside you. She looks up at you with green eyes, and it’s nice to see kindness and companionship in a set of emeralds, for once.

“Back at you, Shu.” She says softly. “You’ve been through a lot, so...yeah. Glad you’re getting some rest."

>>Ask her about how things have been in the Dreamscape since you last spoke.

>>Ask her something about herself you’re curious about (Write-In).

>>Talk to her about your party members.

>>Talk to her about the Engine's Restore function.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>3555616
>>Ask her about how things have been in the Dreamscape since you last spoke.
>>Ask her something about herself.
>>"So... Gluttonous eh? Interesting core, now that i know how those are picked. Id imagine it was more than your love of popcorn that got you that one?"
>Tease her over it a bit, while being genuinely curious over it.
>>"...was there anything you wanted Holly? Anything that drove you to the Cord? Or was not having that...why it happened?"

>>3555616
>>Ask her about how things have been in the Dreamscape since you last spoke.
We've given her a couple new roommates, how are they getting along? Is the Spartan less megalomaniacal now?

(Gentlemen, voting shall remain open for the next two hours. I hope you are having a good day, and take care.)

>>3555616
>how are things inside the dreamscape since I’ve been gone? There’s Uzu, Spartan, you, the ghost, ...and Sam. >How are they taking the dreamscape? Who among the dreamscape daughters should I visit next?
>How long did you last out there before you went hunger-mad?
>So, Kirby or Pac-man?
>How are you feeling since the dreamscape fight against Isabelle?

>>3555641
>So, Kirby or Pac-man?
Hah. Ok yeah lets ask her this one too.
Also its kirby, fite meh ya bastards.

>>3555616
>>Talk to her about your party members.
Been a hot minute since we’ve had a chance to have fun and gossip about our party, keeping it fun and light hearted as this is our break afterall. Plus Holly seems the type to enjoy that sorta stuff.

Oh, can we ask her if she can visit the other Dream Daughters of our party members through the Halos? Like when we're all asleep.

>>3555780
>>3555616
Seconding this question

>>3555780
Huh, thats an interesting question. I know Shus and Ginas could due to the Crimson Cord, though, not sure thats still possible anymore. But the Halo itself does give alot of dreamscape effects and we do all have one now.

My guess is they can, but only when the halo is set to it's 'fully open' mode.

>>3555616

>Write in
>How are you feeling since that thing with isabelle?

>Did anyone make any trouble while i was away?

>Have you met your new Flatmate yet? How did she take it being here and all?

>Mind making this a shared experience with the other Daugters here... except you know who the mega bitch she can stay where she but otherwise would you mind them joining us for this?

When all are present or if Holly does not want to invite them:

>Ever thought of maybe coming back to life? We got a Sparagmos Engine now, it is able to get you back if you want to?

If Questions are answered enjoy the Movie together

>>3555780
seconding this

>>3555795
Eh..i really don't want to ask her if she wants to be brought back. Until we get Gina back it's really not on the table, and despite our relationship with her, id argue others might deserve it more, and certainly id argue that is a really damn big decision to make to make hastily without more discussion, both ooc and IC with our family.

>>3555797
Agreed. We only have the one use for it after Gina, unless we're willing to risk instability (and drag people back to our lair to be sacrificed to an eldritch machine, which is really out of character for our party). So it's not something to be used lightly. I do wonder what the proper method to charge the Restore function is, though. Based on the flavor text, it's something pretty costly.

>>3555797
Mostly intended it to be a question to get a feel if she ever might want to come back

Would these Amendments be more to your linking?

>Write in
>How are you feeling since that thing with isabelle?

>Did anyone make any trouble while i was away?

>Have you met your new Flatmate yet? How did she take it being here and all?

>Mind making this a shared experience with the other Daugters here... except you know who the mega bitch she can stay where she but otherwise would you mind them joining us for this?

When all are present or if Holly does not want to invite them:

> Just a theoretical until we can get Gina back i am not gonna touch upopn it just a rain Check. Ever thought of wanting to come back to life?

If Questions are answered enjoy the Movie together while gossiping about hte Party Members and Dream Daughters

>>3555806
I do wonder, id imagine it had full charges when Mara originally paid its cost, so wonder who she brought back? Or Maybe recharging it is just so bloody expensive she couldn't fill its tank, which would be quite unnerving.

>>3555616

“How are you feeling since the fight against Isabelle?” You begin, glancing from the action on-screen to the girl leaning against you. She chews thoughtfully for a moment before swallowing.

“Fine, actually. It was nice to stretch my legs and fighting alongside your team was super fun!” She replies with a grin before leaning close with a conspiratorial whisper. “So, like…are Dorian and Julia a thing, or…?”

“Oh, absolutely. They’ve got some kinks to work out, but I think they’ll get there.” You smirk, and Holly pumps her fist victoriously.

“Sweet, freakin’ called it!” She exclaims, and you can’t help but chuckle before she leans even closer. “So, about Gina still being connected to you and all…do you think you two could, like…meet up here and do stuff, like we can?”

“Maybe…I hope so.” You reply with a shrug, and you swallow your popcorn a little harder than you’d like when Holly’s eyes alight mischievously. “…Why?”

“Well, I was thinkin’ like, since you two are together and we can feel stuff here, I just thought…y’know…” She giggles, dancing around the subject. “…stuff could happen, like…stuff.”

You blink.

“…How old are you, again?” You query, and you get a pillow in the face for your efforts as you burst into a fit of chuckles, followed shortly by a peal of laughter from Holly.

“Anyway, if you’ve finished perving out I’d like to know how things have been with Uzu and the Spartan.” You continue, trying to change the subject as the girl next to you stares at you blankly for a moment.

“Spartan? Oh, OH! You mean Johanna!” She shouts, finally making the connection. “Yeah, she’s been…herself, I guess? She’s a little kooky, but she seems nice…nicer than when you found her, at least. Still a little self-focused, but I think that’s more her belief system than anything...but I think she’d totally be open to a visit if you’re up for it. As for Uzu, well…”

Holly trails off, staring at the screen for a second before meeting your gaze once more.

“I’ve tried to reach out, but she hasn’t wanted to talk. It’s only been a little while, and I just think she’s taking it all pretty hard…more down on herself than anything, I think.”

“I see…hey, do you think you’d be able to visit my friends’ Dream Daughters, if we linked our Halos and kept them open while we slept?” You ask, and Holly ponders it a moment.

“Don’t see why not.” She replies after weighing the question. “Actually, since we can hang out even when you’re awake, you wouldn’t even have to be asleep! You could just keep them open and we should be able to talk, yeah!”

"Good to know. So... Gluttonous eh? Interesting core, now that I know how those are picked. I’d imagine it was more than your love of popcorn that got you that one?" You tease, and to your surprise Holly deflates a little before chuckling weakly.

(Continued)

>>3555905

“I, uh…yeah, I know why it manifested that way.” She says, staring at the popcorn in her hand, her fingers glistening with melted butter. “School was stressful, clubs were exhausting, and expectations…*my* expectations…ran high. I kind of got into a habit, and it got pretty bad.”

She nibbles at the popcorn in her hand before meeting your eyes, her lips pursed in a soft smile.

“Mom and Dad didn’t know for the longest time, until my teeth started giving me a lot of trouble.” She explains as it dawns on you what she’s talking about. “They were really sweet and supportive, and I had finally agreed to meet with a professional and talk about it when…well, when the Crucible happened.”

“Holly, I…I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up…”

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m glad you care enough to ask, Shu.” She replies with a warm smile. “I don’t really have to eat now, and I don’t sleep either, so…it’s really stress-free in here, yeah? Being inside you is…wait, shit!”

She makes a face when she realize how that came out, and then she just laughs as she waves her hands in front of her face in embarrassment.

“I’m glad it’s pleasant in here, at least. Now…and this is very important, Holly…” You say, holding her gaze with utmost seriousness as her smile falters.

“…Kirby or Pac-Man?”

She nearly doubles over with laughter as a wide grin spreads across your face.

“Kirby, you goof! I have the Super Star on the SNES if you wanna play it later.” She says, gesturing to the console, just barely visible in the shadows underneath the television stand.

“Ha, I was always more of a Pac-Man kind of girl mysel…” You begin, stopping when you realize you’re tapping into something you didn’t realize you had.

There it is. Ill-remembered, faint…but it’s there; a memory from a life once lived. Other images bleed into it, other fragments of the past that filter into reach of your mind…all you have to do is grab hold of them, and they will give you that which you are sorely lacking.

They promise context.

“…You okay?” Holly asks, and you find yourself snapping back to reality, as it were. You give her a nod of reassurance and she relaxes after a second or two, emerald eyes studying your face intently.

The movie still plays but neither of you are fully invested in the events on-screen. You’re simply enjoying each other’s’ company…but you also know that there are other Daughters you’d like to touch base with, while the fragments of recollection may prove to be a fruitful venture, if you're willing to risk it.

Then again...this is a lot more pleasant that you thought it would be.

>>Visit Uzu next.

>>Visit Johanna next.

>>Talk more about your party, to get her insights on them.

>>Tap into your past memories, preferably without having to face Sam.

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(Gentlemen, voting shall remain. Open for the next two hours. Apologies for the bamboozle; I mistyped my favorite KIrby game, and that simply could not stand.)

>>3555929

While getting some context for past events might be nice. i do not think we need it. We are Shu not Sam so the Life Sam led is of little interest to us.

Getting to know Johanna on the other hand should be intereseting and Uzu seems to be in a pretty depressive state right now. Which is understandable. She probably needs some time to herself(something she had next to nothing off after her Grandma died) and to meet up with Niku so they can have a heart to heart. So probably leave the Halo on broadcast after we wake up and ask Rath to do the same

>In the Meanwhile get to know Johanna and see what kind of place she conjured up for herself

>>3555929
>>Visit Johanna next.
lets give Uzu some time to herself. i doubt after all of this what she wants is Shu standing over her pitying her more.

>>3555932
a fair enough reason to bamboozle.

>>3555932
If we don't tap into the memory now, do we get to do it after visiting the others?

>>3555939
(Absolutely. In fact, you may now tap into random memories of the past any time that you're in the Dreamscape.)

>>3555929

>>Visit Johanna next.

>>3555929
>>Talk more about your party, to get her insights on them.
I’m shamelessly addicted to the characters, ask about her thoughts on Rath being a goof that contradicts her own nature and Amara being an absolute treasure for a bit before
>>Visit Johanna next.
If possible, Holly probably doesn’t get much chance to talk these days with GG and Meg being unavailable.

>>3555929
>"How kooky is Johanna? is she devoutly religious? I just wanna be prepared since she kept on having a deification complex during our fight."
>"Any tips on fighting with a mouth for a stomach? I've been trying to experiment with my powers recently. Some of them I had to pull out of my own ass literally to save the lives of my friends and family."
>Visit Johanna next.
>inb4 you find Johanna in a habit tending to a garden just outside a parish when you enter her dreamscape

>>3555929
>Talk more about your party, to get her insights on them.

Bhop, is it me or is almost everyone IC that can spots the JuliaxDorian pairing secretly shipping them? Shu knows that they're going to be an item, Gina's in on the fun, Amara is probably making them play out the roles of mom/dad and husband/wife as her way of shipping them, and Holly is in on watching the boat.

>>3555990
(Oh, it's terribly obvious and everyone has a ticket to this ship.)

>>3555929
>>Visit Johanna next.
Let's give Uzu some more time to settle in. As for the memories, fuck them. I categorically reject the idea that they might be a fruitful venture. We're not Sam, we just look like her. Looking at Sam's memories only legitimizes any attempts she might make at claiming we're the same person.

>>3556031
...including Sam?

>>3556045
i think for Sam its less having a ticket and more accidentally getting packed with the luggage and brought on board though granted, love can be an easy emotion to manipulate so she would have no reason to be against it, besides maybe spite, but im pretty sure all of that is directed at Shu anyways.

>>3556045
For her it's probably more along the lines of "oh my god, just fuck already!"

(Writing now, Gentlemen.)

>>3556031
>The inevitable moment
>When Julia and Dorian finally talk about how they feel about each other
>It's the sweetest goddamn thing in the Crucible
>So sweet and heartfelt that they both forgot that they kept their halos turned on
>And all of the absorbed daughters in our entire party are watching the love declaration in a dreamscape movie theater, crunching popcorn furiously and cheering

>>3555929

“Well, now that we’ve discussed best couple, I wanted to hear your thoughts on Amara and Rath.” You say, steering the conversation away from the uncovered memories you currently have zero interest in exploring. You came here to rest and have a good time…and whatever’s in those, you’re certain it meets neither of those criteria.

“Ah, Amara’s such a friggin’ sweetie!” Holly squeals with delight, with a joyous smile plastered on her face. “She’s just, gah, I wanna pop out just to give her a hug. She’s such a trooper, and she’s just so, so happy to have a family like yours. She’s also an absolute beast in a fight, which I really wasn’t expecting.”

“Yeah, she’s great…she’s really helped us all come closer together, in a way.” You muse, watching the actors move onscreen.

“Ah, anyway…about Rath, well…she’s really cool.” Holly says, just leaving her unfinished thought hanging in the air.

“That’s it?” You ask incredulously. “Are you…do you not like her, or…?”

“No no no, nothing like that!” Holly explains, trying to find the words to illustrate what’s flitting through her mind. “She’s just really conflicted…you can kind of tell the tough-girl thing started out as more of an act, a…kind of a face she was trying out, since she had freedom, if that makes sense? I mean, she’s really grown into it, and her emotions are totally genuine, since she kinda wears her heart on her sleeve. I get the feeling she hasn’t really taken the time to process the thing with her sister…or her whole family, for that matter. There’s a ‘lotta baggage there, and it feels like she’s sorta thrown herself into all this head-first to get past it? I mean, maybe she’s processing it in her own way. Aside from that, I can tell she really, really cares about everyone here…you and Amara most of all, I think.”

She’s about to toss another kernel of popcorn into her mouth when she stops and turns to you with a faux-withering stare of judgment.

“Also, giving the poor girl an order just to get a rise out of her? For shame.” She says with a playful wink, causing heat to creep up the back of your neck. “Then again, Gina wouldn’t…ah, I’ve said too much.”

"So how kooky is Johanna?” You say breezily, filing away another topic of conversation for when you and Gina speak next. “Is she devoutly religious? I just wanna be prepared since she kept on having a deification complex during our fight."

“Uhhh…kind…of?” She makes a pained expression. “She said she’s a follower of Uni…unitology? Soothism? I think it was Suitheism…gah, I really can’t remember. She’s really intense, but not…like…in a bad way, if that makes sense?”

“I think it’s time I go see who you’re rooming with.” You sigh, rising from the couch. You stop when Holly grabs your hand, and when you look down at her she seems embarrassed at how she reacted so quickly.

(Continued)

File: Johanna.jpg (526 KB, 1920x2120)

526 KB JPG

>>3556391

“Yeah…yeah, no, that makes sense.” She says with a smile, helping herself up with your hand. She throws her arms around you, the blanket falling free from your shoulders and hers as she holds you tight. “Just be safe, okay? Come back soon, since you’re officially my new favorite movie buddy.”

“We barely watched it.” You say with a smirk, and she just rolls her eyes and giggles.

“Then you owe me another movie. Fair’s fair.” She declares, and you pull her tight once more. When you finally part, she gestures towards one end of the living room, and you follow her cue by walking to the living room’s door. You place your hand on the knob, turning it before your eyes automatically squint in the face of the bright light of day.

Still blinded by light, you’re roughly manhandled as soon as you step across the threshold. The door slams behind you, and by the time your eyes adjust to the light streaming through apartment windows there's a lean, muscular arm grazing your ear as an open hand slams into the brickwork inches from your head.

“You killed me, Defiant.”

Unlike most Dream Daughters, Johanna's
thoughtform still shows evidence of her powers, numerous mouths opening and closing around her body as she sizes you up, at least three or four inches taller than you.

“I gave it my all, and you picked me apart until there was nothing left.” She says, her deep voice low as her brown, almost red eyes pierce into yours. You're about to defend yourself when she breaks out into a grin that stretches...literally...from ear to ear.

“…that was a goddamn magnificent instance of self-actualization. Absolutely top-tier, and utterly enviable. I’m not even mad.”

...what.


She releases you and proceeds to walk brusquely over to the kitchenette of her one-room flat, the bright midday sun streaming in through windows that look out over an unfamiliar city skyline. She cranes her neck back to look at you as she busies herself with preparing something on the counter, promptly scowling as you just stand there, uncertain how to proceed.

"Sit." She barks, tossing a nod over to a pair of seats around a small circular table next to the open window. You cautiously oblige, taking the seat facing her as you spare a glance towards the lucious flower garden she has growing on the sill.

You startle when she appears in front of you, slamming down a pair of ddlicate plates and cups, with the former bearing some sort of teabiscuits and the latter filled by the steaming liquid poured from an insulated flask she sets at her feet

"So. Talk."

...You're...not quite sure where to go from here, faced with such aggressive and clipped hopitality...if that's even the right word to describe what you're experiencing right now.

>>"So...how are you adjusting to things in here?"

>>"...So, Holly. She said you were religious, in a way?"

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>3556431
>>"So...how are you adjusting to things in here?"
>>"...So, Holly. She said you were religious, in a way?"

really just interested in her thoughts on her god complex and pretty sure the second one will lead into that well enough. not really anything else i can think to ask.

>>3556431
>>"So... I guess this is the first time we've met in here. A lot of people know me as Defiant, but my real name is Shu. So. How are you adjusting to things in here?"
>Help yourself to the tea and biscuits.

>>3556431
>Write_in
> I apologize for not visiting sooner as i was quiet busy. How are you doing? Got to know the Neighbors by now?

>Grab a buiscut
>Those flowers look nice? A Hobby of yours... before all of this started?

>look at her while taking a sip from the Cup


I do not think bringing up religion first is something we should do, so later in the Conversation first pleasentries
Also it would be kind of Rude to bring it up as the first talking point

BHOP What colour is the liquid and what does it smell like? More like a tea or coffee?

>>3556431
>"So...how are you adjusting to things in here?"
>Help yourself to the tea and biscuits.
>"When did you meet Dr. West?"

I looked up Suitheism and got "the belief that one is a god".

>>3556453
(It smells like hot apple cider and bourbon.)

(Voting shall remain open for the next two hours, Gentlemen.)

>>3556453
Normally I would agree about not bringing up religion but Johanna seems pretty blunt, I don't think she'd mind if we got straight to the point. That said, supporting your write-in as I'm interested in seeing how she responds to casual chit-chat.

>>3556463
That fits with her talking about self-actualization. Maybe it's something like believing that the meaning of life is striving for divinity.

>>3556453
>I do not think bringing up religion first is something we should do, so later in the Conversation first pleasentries
>Also it would be kind of Rude to bring it up as the first talking point

Good call. Life experience has taught me that there are two conversation topics that you want to avoid before anything else: politics and religion. Johanna seems into the latter, so it should be an alright subject to discuss, but we should be careful not to offend her with thoughtless comments.

Also, we should get to know her a little as a person before jumping in on heavier topics like religion and philosophy.

>>3556470
>>3556463
i could only find one line more myself, saying 'it does not deny the existence of other gods.' theres some more..out there, groups who believe all humans are gods, or have the potential to becomes one, so maybe its along that line? she may just view Shu as the superior God or closer to divinity then, yeah.

>>3556391
Suitheism, the belief that all humans contain an inherent spark of the divine, making us all our own gods, and self-worship the only logical and self-respecting form of faith. Yeah, I can see how Crucible madness could warp that to a god complex, just remove the part where suitheists are supposed to tolerate the existence of other gods because they're not any more godly than anyone else.

>>3556431
>>"So...how are you adjusting to things in here?"
>>Write-In
>"How'd you wind up in charge of that corrupted Sparagmos Engine? You said something about someone promising you it would work, was that Mother or the previous user of the Engine? I know that Doctor West was using it before you were, did you encounter her?"

Oh, I'm so glad we have a suitheist using a machine named after the Orphic mystery cults, that is clever.

>>3556453
>>3556470
>>3556464
>Write_in
> I apologize for not visiting sooner as i was quiet busy. How are you doing? Got to know the Neighbors by now?

>Grab a buiscut
>Those flowers look nice? A Hobby of yours... before all of this started?

>look at her while taking a sip from the Cup
>nod appreciatley(i do not think getting drunk is something that will be easy so drinking is okay) while savoring the Cocktail

> By the Way you can call me Shu if you want to as 'The Defiant' is a title given to me like the Title of 'Grinning Spartan' was given to you.
> Do you want me to call you that or will Johanna be acceptable for you

>Grab another biscuit

> So why were you using that Sparagmos Engine? Stumbled upon it or did West or Motehr led you to it?

>Hmmm..... Holly mentioned something about you being religious. Did that have something to do with you using that machine?
Thank you fo the Information BHOP btw has Rath received a title yet i have not seen one on her Character Sheet so my guess would be no

>>3556503
>Thank you fo the Information BHOP btw has Rath received a title yet i have not seen one on her Character Sheet so my guess would be no
We were mulling it over last thread, but we couldn't come up with any consensus that people liked.

>>3556503
>>3556505
>btw has Rath received a title yet i have not seen one on her Character Sheet so my guess would be no
BHOP refuses to give her one. we had no consensus as a playerbase and he gave everyone else theirs.

that being said, Shu personally numerous times IC has called Rath a 'Radiant Goddess' or 'Blinding Goddess' or other fire related Goddess, so honestly i kinda feel like its already been picked.

>>3556505
So it is still open for discussion i thought i had read something for a conseus but must have misread

Thank you for the Info

>>3556511
(I believe I shall settle on "Rath, the Radiant Goddess.")

>>3556509
I'd go for just "Radiant", personally.

>>3556517
Nice!

>>3556517
yeah i can live with that one. i mean, we already have been like i said haha.

>>3556517
There are definetly worse names and titles out there i can live with that

>>3556517
And WorkAnon has already put it on the character sheet. They move fast. Alright, Radiant Goddess it is. Well, I guess a Godhunter can tolerate hanging out with a Goddess, especially after talking with Ms. "Everyone is a God, Technically" here.

While we're at it, should we give Amara a better title? "The Slumbering Child" really doesn't fit now that she's awake.

>>3556533
Well she can make clones now so she could alway let at least one clone sleep so that title would still hold true

>>3556529
well id imagine when you're the one constantly calling her a goddess, you either clearly tolerate her, or have some deeply disturbed long term goals with the lady.

>>3556533
eh, it fits to me personally. its a nice homage to how we found her, and the fact even before she was even here she had an impact on us and how we decided to do things. it could also be seen as symbolism for how Skintalkers have alot of power later on but take a long time before they can stand on their own.

also i dont know why, but i find it hilarious all i changed was her title, yet suddenly the active users on the sheet skyrockets more than it did when i finished updating all the abilities earlier.

(Skills? Irrelevant. Titles? Game-changing.)

>>3556503
I'm on board with this change.

>>3556431

Since i have to go now i will amend my original vote from >>3556453
to this>>3556503

Ave a good Time everybody

>>3556573
We will, you have a great day Anon!

>>3556573
(Have a good one, Anon. Be safe, and good luck in your endeavors.)

>>3556431

"Apologies for not visiting sooner." You say, raising the biscuit to your mouth and taking a tentative nibble. It's crisp, buttery, and rather delightful. "How are you doing? Got to know the Neighbors by now?"

"Upside, I have time to meditate. Reflect. Good shit." Johanna replies, snapping her own biscuit in two and tossing one half into her mouth, chewing furiously before chasing it with a swig of...cider? Bourbon? You're not quite sure, and it smells like a bled of both as the woman before you continues speaking. "Downside, few people. less that want to talk. No people, harder to elevate oneself if one's alone. Holly's nice. Don't know about the other girl."

"Those flowers look nice? A hobby of yours, before all of this started?" You query, trying to get a little more out of the girl than harsh quips and clipped sentences.

"Yep. Creators have to tend something aside from themselves. A task or people to better, so that they themselves might become better in turn." She says, glancing towards her diminutive, yet verdant garden. You nod as she continues, sipping the surprisingly smooth beverage as she does so. "A shepherd has his flock. I have my garden. You have your allies. I'd imagine you agree, Defiant?"

"You can call me Shu, if you want." You say setting your cup down on its matching dish. "'The Defiant' is a title that was given to me, much like 'Grinning Spartan' was given to you. Do you want me to call you that or will Johanna be..."

"Johanna's fine, Shu." She says before swallowing the last half of her cookie.

"So why were you using that Sparagmos Engine, Johanna? Holly mentioned something about you being religious." You say, hoping that's not enough to trigger a full-blown sermon. "Did that have something to do with you using that machine?"

"West told me about it after she interviewed me." Johanna says, taking another swig from her cup as you take a sip from yours. "Told her I wanted to improve myself. Get better. I was blindsided, thought I could resist the engine, but I wasn't to that level yet. You saw me at my worst, and you beat it. I appreciate that almost as much as I'm impressed."

She moves to take another drink and, finding her cup empty and yours nearing so, she take a moment to refill both as she speaks.

"I was alone. I want to be better. No plan other than that. Means to an end." She clips, screwing the cap back on and returning the thermos to her feet before meeting your gaze with a hard, red glare. "But you. You have a team. A plan. Good plan, great plan. Bold. Ballsy. I like it."

"So, what happens next?" She asks.

"Ah...well, when I wake up and after the party, we'll probably go we..."

"The Cord." She interrupts. "You're going to hack the Cord, but you've never said what happens next."

(Continued)

>>3556754

"I...I don't follow." You say, somewhat taken aback at the question.

"You'll have the world in your hands. You'll have achieved greatness." Johanna says, arms wide. "You'll be as close to a god in the traditional sense that there could be. So..."

She brings her arms in, leaning forward across the table with genuine fascination in her deep-set eyes.

"What sort of world will you rule over?" She asks, and you find yourself at a loss.

Have you really asked yourself this? Your friends, your family, they follow you without question...but you don't think you've even sat down with them to decide what happens after the Cord, after Mother.

You sit in silence for a moment...and then, you answer.

>>"That's not up to me. It's up to my family, and what is best for them. They all get a say, we'll discuss it as a group, come to a consensus, and go from there."

>>"I will beat this thing...but as for what comes next, it's more a question of what we're able to do than anything. When I learn what we *can* do, then we'll know what we *will* do."

>>"We'll do what feels right...what IS right, Johanna. That's all I can say."

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(Voting shall remain open for the next one and a half hours, Gentlemen.)

>>3556762
>"Well, thats an unfair question. We dont even know what all we can do when we hack the Cord, only its our best bet to in some way stop the Crucible. Personally, id simply want and think we should do two things;"
>"One, End the Crucible. No new mother, no winner, no earth getting eaten. To what extent we can do this, such as undoing all the damage, or only basically ‘freeing’ the ecosystem as it is, we simply do not have the info to know...it may be we have to sacrifice earth to save future worlds, but we shall see."
>"Two, restore agency and freedom. The Crucible drawing people to the Cord, the Hunger, all of it works to force everyone an a path towards the game. Even we, have no choice to to play to some degree, in order to beat it. Assuming we dont have to take the last option...we have no right, nor reason, to wish to rule. Set people free. People may not be perfect, they may often, individually and as a whole make horrible, terrible decisions...but its not up to us to force them not to have that choice. The worlds sorted itself out before, it can do so after this aswell."
>Set down your cup, and look Johanne in the eyes.
>"Im no God Johanne. no one is. i have no right to rule, to force everyone to follow what vision i wish for the world. im just another person. a person whos trying to do whats right. individuals stop other individuals when they do wrong, and its individuals who decide to do wrong. hopefully, people will see what my family does, what we did and...decide to build a better world from what we give them. but they will do so willingly, or not at all."

>>3556762
>First off thank her for the question, we’d not thought of it before in our fight to survive and thrive in the reality that is the world right now.
>”End the cycle, and free all the daughters who’ve lost themselves. From there, depending on what is possible and what is not, salvage what we can of the world, and save everyone we can. After that, we go from there, not alone, but together.”

>>3556762
Also throw a bit of
>>"That's not up to me. It's up to my family, and what is best for them. They all get a say, we'll discuss it as a group, come to a consensus, and go from there." Into >>3556777

>>3556767
Given Johanna's beliefs, I'd prefer the last line to start:
>"I'm no more God than anyone else is."
It gets the same point across without explicitly denying the central tenet of her religion.
Otherwise I support this.

>>3556431
>“…that was a goddamn magnificent instance of self-actualization. Absolutely top-tier, and utterly enviable. I’m not even mad.”

Question: Was Johanna refering to Shu's speech during the fight against Spiraling Fear?

>>3556791
well, just because she has a religion doesn't mean we have to respect it, or well, respect in that we even remotely agree with it. we can respect thats what she thinks, while not agreeing with it. i feel like skimming that issue with wordplay when id very much argue IC we have been very 'no ones a god' is kinda unfair to her too, and perhaps even more disrespectful.

We dont believe us, or anyone, is a god. no reason to beat around the bush of the issue, as it was.

>>3556792
(She was referring more to your fight against her, but you get the impression that she's rather impressed with everything she's borne witness to thus far.)

>>3556794
When everyone is super, no one is.
I guess I see everyone being divine and nobody being divine as essentially the same thing, so I didn't think it was skimming the issue so much as finding common ground. See >>3556490:
>suitheists are supposed to tolerate the existence of other gods because they're not any more godly than anyone else

I don't really mind whether you change it though, Johanna doesn't seem like one to get offended.

>>3556805
eh, i guess for me its the mindset and context. even if everyone is a god, you still think of yourself differently if you look at yourself as a god, and not in a good or healthy way in my opinion.

theres a humbleness to admitting you are just human, and a sorta self aggrandization to say you are a god. as the saying goes; "whats so wrong with just being human?"

>>3556809
You make a good point, I agree with you on all of that stuff. Still, we are talking with someone who might not necessarily believe in that stuff exactly, and she is an important ally to us. Even if we might not agree with her, we should still respect her beliefs - that's what tolerance is.

For that reason, I think we should edit the line to read as what this anon suggested:
>>3556791

This way, we can still keep things in line with our own beliefs while respecting Johanna's, and conveying our point that all people (or gods) are equal. Tactful and humble at the same time.

>>3556811
eh, i think i still stand by my earlier statements here
>>3556794
on that.

to me it sounds like we're still trying to imply godhood, or leave it up to her what we mean, when i dont think its right to skim the truth of our beliefs like that. she can believe whatever she wants, and we can respect that, but we can also be blunt about not agreeing with it.

Also, on the discussion of Gods:

There's a webcomic, Kill Six Billion Demons, which is a fucking awesome comic in its own right. And it talks a lot about these kinds of philosophical issues, like what true power is and what gods and divine beings are supposed to be, as opposed to what they are. In regards to this matter, and what kind of a god we would want to hypothetically be, I think there's a perfect example that's talked about in the text of one of K6BD's pages.

https://killsixbilliondemons.com/comic/wielder-of-names-4-65/

If possible, we should discuss the nature of cruelty with Johanna, and how we aspire instead to remain humble and simple. Like a fisherman.

>>3556825
(Thank you for the link. K6BD is near and dear to my heart, actually. I won't clog the Vein with my thoughts on it, but I'm glad to see it brought up.)

>>3556809
To me it seems like the mindset is more about self-actualization and the implications thinking of ones self as a god is part of that. Not in any kind of statement of objective superiority or as a means to self-aggrandize but instead it just makes use of what being a god implies: control over ones destiny and control over ones self; and in that case there is a problem with being "just" human.

The idea is that being "just human" implies a kind of helplessness, a lack of control over ones fate and ones self; from a Suitheist perspective, thinking of yourself as a human is to think of life as being out of your control. Gods can control their fate and better themselves, humans cannot.

>>3556832
>>3556824
>>3556805
>>3556794

I think Johanna was more impressed of our self-actualization of being a "god-slayer". It meshes with her Suitheist perspective as well. So what she's asking us is a double-ended question: "What kind of god-slayer are we? and what do we do with the power that we've gained once we hacked the Cord?".

>>3556825
absolutely great comic, i can agree to that if nothing else.

>>3556832
i disagree heavily. Gods are not beings who simply exert control over themselves, they exert control over nature and others aswell, often on accident, more often than not on purpose. being a god means nothing if one does not use that power to force the world around them to change to their will. Gods are not outright cruel perhaps, but they are always above others, and often even other gods. by their nature they are disconnected from anything they do not exert their will on, it is the nature of being an all powerful being, that power and influence is implied with or without your consent.

Humans, on the other hand, as simple creatures. i so, so, so heavily disagree with you. it is humans who improve themselves, Gods who are already what they are or must always be. Humans are not helpless, they fight and strive and constantly improve their lives, they constantly rise from nothing to becomes kings and conquerors who kill millions, or doctors or scientists who save millions. A human itself is free. it is born with nothing special about it, it is through its own merits and hard work that a human becomes something, that a human is remembered. Humans fight off hopelessness and helplessness with every breath and every scream of defiance, they band together to create the gods, and just as often burn down those that displease them. even if the face of an all powerful god, one can, one does, choose to defy their will. to choose damnation over salvation. choice, freedom, it inherent to the human experience, it is what makes us human, the ability to think as ourselves and make decisions as ourselves.

a god is given or born into what it is more often than ever built. anything a human is, good or bad, they had to make themselves, or cling to and defend with their fragility against all those around them who they are no better than at the end of the day, no less likely to be ended from a single blunt instrument than. being just human is nothing to be ashamed of, it is the one thing i happily will stand up and be prideful about. for anything i am as a human, i decided to be, and made myself be. a God cannot say that, and so deserves no respect from me.

>>3556762
>"Well that's an unfair question. We don't even know that the Cord and the Crucible is entirely capable of, or the limits it has. We only know of its potential."
>"If I had to answer your question and was forced to rule the world like a god, the world that I rule is a world where I don't have to rule. A world where I give up control and give free agency, because I am not fit for ruling. In my life since awakening in the Crucible, and the life that I had before it, I've been struggling with the concept of total control, and every choice I make I feel the weight of having to make the "correct" choice. I once had an obsession of having control, and that obsession caused my death mere moments before the Crucible's beginning. I am a human Johanna, I am no more god than any other daughter who strives to be one. Besides, if God was real, why isn't he intervening?"