“So, there’s a couple of girls out there that we could try the old diplomacy check with, and they’re also probably on Yurei’s list if she’s as well-connected as can be inferred.” Gina starts, the flickering image of the Conduit’s hijacked body appearing in your mind’s eye from when you spoke with Yurei. “Amara’s tracking three Daughters that were all strong enough to cross the oceans to reach the Cord, and they’re all working solo, for now. They haven’t had any encounters with other Daughters since the Joyous Many started tracking them, so their overall state of mind is a little hard to pin down. So far, we have a punk girl who seems to be German and boasts a potent Skintalker-Generator Hybrid. Then there’s a girl who’s spoken a smattering of French and has done some things with a Calcite Armorer-Neuromancer Hybrid that’s…just weird. She’s kind of a trippy battle-mage, from what we can gather. Anyway, last of all there’s an Unnatural Predator Daughter that we assumed was an Amalgam at first given her size. Think about half the stature of the sad deer we fought in the swamp. Not sure where she hails from, but she’s cut through some pretty high-tier Amalgams like they’re nothing.”

“Speaking of power, there’s also those two other Daughters Charon mentioned.” Rath chimes in, leaning on the table as her slender, yet muscular arms go taught. “The one with a buncha powers and the one with…nothing, apparently. We got a lead on them?”

“Not yet, but with the number of Joyous that Amara has running around out there, it’s only a matter of time before we pick them up…then again, if we made a concerted effort to find them then I’m sure we could make pretty short work of it.” Comes the brunette’s reply. “Of the things that Mother freed in her mope-fest, I’m guessing they’ll be a lot harder to track than that trio of apocalyptic guardians that Charon alluded to. Couple that with the Barbers and the Amalgam…factory…thing that we have the coordinates to, then we’ve got a lot of potential growth on our plate in the near future.”

“And what of our options that don’t involve potentially coming to blows with end-game level threats?” Dorian posits, clearly a little frazzled after the hunt’s nigh-constant fighting.

“Well, we have three solid ones.” You reply, meeting the painter’s single electric blue eye. “We have the Altered Altar, that town that the others found when searching, and the Hexane Factory. Silvis’ old haunt should be fairly simple. No major defenses, and we have the technician who knows the place inside and out on hand so getting into the heart of it shouldn’t be difficult. Plus, there’s high odds of some Hexane tech stuffed in there, according to Gina’s notes...”

You glance over at the good doctor, still a little groggy after her Choice.

“…but it’s close to the Proxy Lab.” You say.

(Continued)

>>3848955

The older woman’s eyes snap to yours at the mention of the laboratory, and she stands a little straighter as you speak.

“Francine…are you good to explain a little about your plan, now?” You offer, watching her wipe the sleep from her eyes after waking from her Choice.

“I shall.” She replies, averting her eyes as she stares at the mountain on the table. “The lab in question belongs to Proxy Sigma, and will be as defended as most of West’s labs are…which is to say, not at all. From the last update I received before dropping of Prime’s grid it appears that most of the other Proxies possess considerable combat capabilities, so I’d originally intended to go in alone with some sob story about the Disassociated kicking me out, and then I would hit her with this.”

Francine withdraws a small, helix-shaped device from her breast pocket, resembling a larger version of the device that she now wears in one ear.

“This is a more…aggressive model of the empathic nullifier that I possess.” She explains, pocketing the device once your family’s gotten the chance to marvel at the curiously elegant design. “Once Sigma’s been temporarily incapacitated and cut off from the collective, I’ll have a small window with which to bring her to a Sparagmos Engine. From there I’ll initiate the mass deletion, hopefully before West Prime catches on to what I’m doing and isolates Sigma from the other to prevent the cascade.”

She catches the subtle tilt of your head towards your own Engine, and just chuckles softly.

“I haven't fiddled with your things without permission, Darling. Forges are one thing…Engines are quite another.” She says, folding her arms. “Should you decide you wish to follow through on my plan, then I would request your permission to examine it and make some minor tweaks to temporarily reverse the Engine’s reconstructive effects. What’s more, I do believe that the results of my Choice would make me an ideal candidate for infiltration, should you choose that route.”

>>THE UNRAVELING SELF (Creation's Strings Augmentation): Francine now possesses the ability to disentangle her entire body and thread her very essence into an ally. While herself reduced to a mere 1 ACT, Francine bolsters the ally with one-half of her HEALTH and BIO totals, her full REGEN potential, and additional 1 ACT, and any resistances she may possess. However, this process takes a heavy toll on Francine's mind and body, requiring her to immediately disengage when combat ceases and rest for the remainder of the Vein.To have found the willingness to relinquish one's own being for the sake of another's aims...is this triumph, or tragedy? (HEALTH REGEN +100%, BIO REGEN +100%)

(Continued)

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>>3848957

“I...I see. Alright, we’ll discuss it when we decide to make our move.” You relent, not entirely comfortable with the prospect of the Engine, to say nothing of the good doctor’s imminent self-destruction and unsettling new power. “Well, I think that’s that. Is there anything I’m forgetting?”

“You know, t-there’s always Laoc, the t-town we heard about.” Julia chimes in, glancing over at the weary Dorian as she speaks. “It sounds r-really nice, from what Amara s-said. It would give us a change of s-scenery, and we could m-maybe get some more information about our list w-while we’re there.”

She and Dorian share a look, with the young man giving her an appreciative smile. He’s brave, but you can also tell the day’s events have worn him down more than he’d ever admit out loud.

“There’s also the Amalgam Factory!” Rath says, oblivious to Dorian’s exhaustion as she excitedly leans across the table towards you. “Charon said we might be able to crank out some cool Amalgams!”

“*If* we can hijack it.” Gina adds, prompting a scowl from the red-head.

“We gotta go meet the Ant Queen, too!” Amara reminds you, bouncing on her toes beside you. “We can’t keep royalty waiting, it’d be really rude!”

Your hive itches, the curious sensation along the hexagonal plates of black chitin making you restless as you weigh the number of options ahead of you. With Francine rounding out your core family group to eight members, along with the sheer number of Joyous Many that Amara is able to manifest, you might be able to tackle several items at once, depending on how you play things.

PLEASE SELECT YOUR TEAMS AND GOALS

>>Go to the Proxy Lab, and establish a plan for approaching Sigma.

>>Go to the town of Laoc for some possible rest and information-gathering.

>>Meet with the Altered Altar and speak with Gemma’s shard.

>>Investigate Silvis’ Factory and retrieve whatever Hexane items lie within.

>>Meet with Yurei and discuss her offer in person. You have too many questions, and too few answers about her plan.

>>Reach out to one of the three foreign Daughters being tracked by the Joyous Many.

>>Hunt down the Barbers and see what they’re about. They’re dangerous, but so are you…and you may be able to make allies of them, yet.

>>Hunt one of the three Unleashed Amalgams. You conquered gods before, but you’d like to know what you’re dealing with, here.

>>Locate one of the two Released Daughters, as the unusual nature of their powers may shed light on aspects of the Crucible you can turn to your advantage.

>>Go to the Amalgam Factory, and see what you can make with the resources there.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(Gentlemen, voting shall remain open for the next two and a half hours to allow time to answer whatever questions you may have regarding the options presented. Instead of spending half the Vein conversing with your crew about what they’ve found, I believe this is a more elegant way of addressing your queries. It’s good to be back, and I hope your week is off to a good start.)

(In other relevant news, Knowable Kadath is set to trigger for all allies save for November, so that vote will occur after you make your plans. Also, the Swarmling sheet has been updated with your two new Swarmling types.)

(Finally, there are some questions from last Vein that I've take the time to address below, as they're quite pertinent to future events.)

>>3816812
>>Hey BHOP, as its come up a few times, is there any worry about using things like Recursive and similar abilities on Spiritus Constructs? would it split the dream daughters psyche up between all the versions of themselves, or would it be more like a 'hive' mentality, where one of the real dream daughter, aka the 'queen', controlling all the other instances of themselves? i see benefits to both, and drawbacks to both.

(Dream Daughters make fewer sanity checks than Waking ones, manifesting multiple instances of Spiritus or making their forms recursive would put considerable strain on them, at least at Spiritus' current level.)

>>3821771
>>How many levels of resistance equals immunity, or is he running on a system where mechanically the two are entirely different?

(One level halves the damage, two negates it, and three converts it to HEALTH. Levels four and higher shall remain hidden for now.)

>>3848971
Good to be back, glad to be here.
how's that pastebin of your thoughts for fan submitted contents going along?

Also, ye gads. Francine's got a Martyrdom complex.

>>3848955
>Punk German skintalker-generator hybrid.
Well im interested in how her ability works at least.

>Trippy french battle mage
Neat i suppose.

>Terrifying UP Daughter just wrecking shit
Hrm, honestly out of the three, she feels the most important. Both for her sake and ours. If shes friendly, we dont want her unnecessarily attacked due to her form, if she isn't, by UP standards and what we have seen, she is the most obvious problem among them.

>Charons two
Id say look for them, but as a side project over anything major for now.

>>3848971
glad to see this back BHOP!

mind telling us a bit more about Laoc? i cant really remember being told anything about it.

>>3848967
Vote as of now;
>Meet with Yurei and discuss her offer in person. You have too many questions, and too few answers about her plan.
i honestly dont like the idea of sitting around with only half an idea of what she may be about. she could very well be a threat we need to warn others about.

Team;
>Gina, Rath, Francine
Gina for defense against tricks, Rath for raw power, Francine to get her some outdoors experience. i actually wanted to go take down the lab, but i feel like we need more time with Francine first before we jump to her potentially committing suicide to take down the collective, aswell as actually get her accustomed to doing things out and about. shes been cooped up with the DOs for awhile, she may need to get her adventurers legs, as it was.

>>3848967
>>3848981
pfft, and i totally forgot to copy like half my vote.
adding in;
>Send Joyous Clones to find Charons two Daughters and the three super Amalgams, as we can at least.
>Julia and Dorian are welcome to go visit Jaoc and gather info.
>November and Amara can tag along with them, or stay home, unless they think theres a non combat oriented option on the list they wish to take together. with the Tank, of course.

>>3848976
(It's coming along fairly well, and I'm planning to post it at the end of this Vein, mostly so I can take the time to address any specific questions the authors may have. If anything, it's made me realize that I'm garbage at reviews, but I've tried my best, for what it's worth.)

>>3848981
(Laoc is essentially a small, unassuming settlement that has a handful of Daughters that stay there, and is maonly used as a pass-through for info and the odd bounty board. While not nearly as populated as the Monastery or as famous as Golgotha, it nevertheless serves as a welcome respite to travelers...provided no one starts trouble, as the mayor trucks with no such silliness.)

>>3848971
>Spritelings and Revlings
Nice. Ramping up Spiritus constructs into juggernauts and a much better option for a chitinous stalwart modifier once we unlock that option.

>>3848967
>Meet with Yurei and discuss her offer in person. You have too many questions, and too few answers about her plan.
>Shu, Gina, Rath, Francine

>Meet with the Altered Altar and speak with Gemma’s shard.
>Julia, Dorian, Amara, November

We do have two full teams now. Unless there's something we think can be done safely with fewer teammates.

>>3848967
>Visit the Ant Queen. Team: Shu, Amara, Dorian, November

We need to do this as a personal first objective. We made a promise to the Ant Queen, we should keep it. Also, Amara's itching to visit them, and I don't want to come back and find out some daughter has annihilated the Ant Hill. We made first contact with a sentient Amalgam force, the queen offered us face-to-face diplomacy. And she's a ton of resources that we could use.

>>3848989
well, as i put forth in the second bit, Dorian clearly needs a break and Julia clearly wanted to see Jaoc, so i was gonna let them check it out. we did put Dorian through hell back there, he was the champ of both fights honestly, let him rest. the Gemma shard can wait honestly.

>>3848987
alright, thanks. seems like a nice enough place.

>>3848971
wait, one level of resistance HALVEs damage and it only takes TWO for immunity, with THREE fucking being healing? holy shit, thats waaay more potent than i thought it was, im gonna have to go balance the ever loving shit out of the Pepperbox Gang, i thought they were insanely less potent than that.

>>3848992
we cant, and theres a reason BHOP left it off the list. we promised to igve the ant Queen time, and she would contact US when SHE was ready. it would be going against our word to be impairment and not give her the time she requested.

>>3848987
>>3848995
that is, im assuming, why the left the Queen Ant option off, no?

>>3848997
>>3848992
(This is why I left it off the list, yes. However, you won't be waiting too terribly long for an answer.)

>>3848967

>Meet with Yurei and discuss her offer in person. You have too many questions, and too few answers about her plan.

>Gina, Rath Francine


>>3848987
>If anything, it's made me realize that I'm garbage at reviews,

It cant be that bad

>>3848971
So we can maybe get them to split at later levels.... definetly an interesting possibility if we can manage to make it so they are not in there but are mor of a remote control unit

And i will ahve to rebalance one ability i was working on........ Bu that is insanely good...
If it is not to much of a spoiler but do even higher levels of resistance grant resistance to resistance penetrating effects?

>>3848992
I was under the impression that the Queen would contact us if she was ready to talk. Thats why we left our ambassadors with her. Wasnt it like that?

>>3848995
>>3849001
Ah. Well that makes sense. I'll go change my vote.

>>3848967
>"Amara, it's too early to see the Ant Queen right now. She said she'll call us when she's ready. We can't be too impatient, it would look rude on our part if we go see her when she's not ready to roll out the royal carpet. Besides, wouldn't it be better to see the Queen when she's ready and her royal procession at her finest? She would like to look her best too! You wouldn't want the Ant queen to send out a messenger and have her drag you to her throne room while you still had bed head and in your nightgown instead of your best and fanciest dress do you?"

>>3849001
Bhop, When's the Disassociated Rocket Launch?

>>3849012
(Roughly 4 days from now.)

>>3849016
BHOP, you said Silvis Factory and the Lab were 'within sight of eachother but far apart'. how long a distance travel is the separation? a few hours? days? it feels obvious West was probably studying it but unless theres a reason to put the lab so far away we dont know about, too long a distance wouldn't make much sense if she was there to study them, even if just as a side project. also will decide if we can actually consider hitting both together when it comes time too.

>>3848967
>>Write-In
>"No, Amara, we're waiting on the Ant Queen, not the other way around. She wants to come out and talk to us in person, but she's grown too big to fit through the tunnels, so she's having her family widen them. We're going to have a big fancy meeting, not just calling on her in her royal chambers. It's going to be fun. She'll call us when she's ready, let's leave her until then so she doesn't feel pressured to rush. And of course I'll bring you to come meet her when I go, don't worry about that for a moment."
>Bring Rath, Gina and Francine to speak with Yurei. Francine for technical advisement, Gina for her own expertise in neuromancy and protecting against any mind whammies, Rath because she's very sensible and asks good questions and because if things go bad she can turn into a thermonuclear firestorm.
>The rest of the party go to Laoc. Take in the sights, meet the people, try to relax a bit. Can't be all relaxation, though, gather any information they can on our other objectives. Focus on the foreign Daughters and the local factions, they're the points of interest most likely to have rumors spreading about them. The Barbers, too, if they can find anything.

>>3848971
>(One level halves the damage, two negates it, and three converts it to HEALTH. Levels four and higher shall remain hidden for now.)
Does Shu get to count both the Matriarch's Stoicism and Chitinous Stalwart resistance levels if she's wearing platelings? Giving her two levels of heat and four levels of acid?

>>3849016
Aww yeah, space. I sure hope nothing attacks their rocket as it's launching. Maybe we should send some Joyous Many just to keep an eye on the area.

>>3848992
>>3848967
Changing my vote:
>Write-in: Explain to Amara that the Ant Queen needs time. "Amara, it's too early to see the Ant Queen right now. She said she'll call us when she's ready. We can't be too impatient, it would look rude on our part if we go see her when she's not ready to roll out the royal carpet. Besides, wouldn't it be better to see the Queen when she's ready and her royal procession at her finest? She would like to look her best too! You wouldn't want the Ant queen to send out a messenger and have her drag you to her throne room while you still had bed head and in your nightgown instead of your best and fanciest dress do you?"

Team A:
>Shu, Francine, Gina, Rath.
>Investigate Silvis’ Factory and retrieve whatever Hexane items lie within.
or
>Meet with Yurei and discuss her offer in person. You have too many questions, and too few answers about her plan.

Team B:
>Dorian, Julia, Amara, and November
>Go to Laoc and explore that settlement. Drop subtle hints for them that we're setting up a shopping date for Dorian and Julia, while November acts as a Chaperone for Amara who gets 500% Bio in bio bucks as an allowance for shopping if she sees something she likes in the Laoc town market.

>>3849031
(They're within two hours' travel on foot.)

>>3849032
(Regarding your resistance question; yes.)

>>3849032
We should totally help defend the DO's rocket launch. I can't help but get the feeling that that AIR Amalgam might take the opportunity to attack the rocket on Launch Day.

>>3849035
>(Regarding your resistance question; yes.)
Excellent. We're fireproof in armor, that's great.

>>3849035
oh, two hours isnt too bad. will be useful for later, to hit both, once Francines a bit more comfortable with herself and the party. and you know, hopefully doesn't want to kill herself to defeat West by then too. or maybe she'll learn to like us TOO much and wrap back around to wanting to sacrifice herself to increase the odds of it working or something.

>>3849037
i can see it, but thats for a later date. they also have their own defenses mind you, and id think anti-air would be a big part of it.

>>3849046
They have anti-air, but they're gonna be vulnerable on the ground before the rocket attains lift-off.

>>3849051
well id think they have ground defenses too. if big cannon lady is their only guard then they are way dumber than they seem. like i said anyways, im fine giving them aid, im just sure they have already thought of their vulnerabilities and have defenses prepared for whats to come. probably alot. you dont try to flee a LIVING death tourney and not be prepared for it to throw something heavy at you.

>>3849051
I am pretty sure their method of liftoff will be enough defense together with whatever groundbased automated defenses they had established previously to keep at aby the monsters of the fleshscape long enough to get off the ground.

And we can not get close enouhg to be off any help without being in the blast radius.


They had thousands of members. Granted most of them in stasis and not all of them fighters but they should be gettign out all their military personel to guard them during their most sensitive time

>>3849060
Yeah, the risk would be something attacking them before they're ready to take off, not during. They'll be on guard up until then, the best help we could provide would be the Many spotting something moving in and us being able to warn them.

>>3849057
There's always going to be something that requires outside help. Given the nature of the setting, something WILL go wrong in the critical minutes before lift-off.
>>3849060
If no problems happen, then at the very least it would be a cool event to witness. Amara would love to see a Rocket Ship launch as a family outing event. Something more on the mundane/slice of life side. Maybe say goodbye to them with a Neuromancy call and sing "Little Einsteins".

>>3849065
possibly but if they cant handle it on their own(minus maybe the new giant super amalgam), then they wont last long out on their own either. we cant be there to help and save everyone, just not possible. the DOs are big girls, they are smart and know what they're doing, they can handle themselves.

>>3849035
not to harp on you too badly, but the Relics sheet does need some additions when you can. the Bodyguard Sword, we now know what the two Jars do, and you did say Rath made... two(?) relics for the possible fight against Charon/to help November specifically that you did mention in shorthand but never fully posted. i think thats it. sorry if im being pushy i know you've been damn busy its just info that will probably come up either later today or early tomorrow that we would need.

>>3849065
Sure it will be cool to see but we can not......

Well we could be near it until just before the start and then teleport away. So we can go there sure. I totally forgot we have teleport

>>3849062
If they have enough processing power to get all this stuff ready(and they are Cyborgs so they probably are incapable off letting down their guard or stopping to do something sentimental) they have probably run tens of thousands of simulations and considered scenarios so out of this world that we can probably not imagine them.

Also they have Cassandra who is much better at information gathering than we are. She probably knows about as much about the situation as we do, maybe even more and they will take precautions.

You dont survive long if you are not ready for everyything or let your guard down to much

>>3849035
Code: Vein is out. saw some gameplay and I can sum it up as "Dark Souls: Anime edition. Hotsprings and anime-tiddies included"

>>3849074
(Hey, I appreciate the heads-up and reminder. It helps me stay on track, since things have been so busy I can't remember what I've done and what's still pending.)

>>3849077
(Ha, I've been meaning to find time to watch a playthrough now that it's out.)

>>3849075
Well, the simulations would be limited by their available information, so "Ozmas let loose a bunch of apocalyptic kaiju" could surprise them because they wouldn't know said kaiju's capabilities. If it weren't for Cassandra, that is, I forgot how long-ranged her senses are. Yeah, they're probably fine, then. Still would like to be there when they launch, just to satisfy my paranoia. Or maybe be somewhere else, distracting the Crucible so that the sky membrane is less focused on shooting them down, that could also be a good use of our time.

>>3849089
Well, if they're going to have a distraction unit to cover their launch they better have something equivalent to an EVA unit, because I can't imagine them fending off the kaiju amalgams without having a kaiju of their own.

>>3849094
what? while not exactly the most direct way, we ourselves as just little people have basically taken down kaiju. id be more if they can squeeze out a high level daughters worth of power from their suits, not if they have something large enough. Rath herself single handedly punched a mountain over on her own for several turns. sure, it was more an ability than raw power that allowed that, but the point is the crucible doesn't require size to fight big things at all really.

>>3849094
I dont think it would be to difficult for them to pull out a Warlord Titan or something like an EVA unit or super powerful weaponry powered by forgecores. Hell we dont need big. JUst something like a hield that repulses everything that comes cose and cna do so for maybe a couple minutes would be enough

>>3849089
Sure we can go to watch it. Should be interesting but we should probably be somewhere not even remotely close to not be hit by the blastwave or the fallout of the launch. But we still have four days.... so probably at least a month out of character

>>3849074
>>3849075
>>3849089
Also, something that's been bothering me greatly since the last Vein. Gemma. It just feels like Gemma only acts on Shu's orders and expectations. And there's something unhinged about her since she's a shard of her whole self.

>>3849106
i mean, maybe, but BHOP has confirmed dream daughters aren't really a threat to their host, so if your worry is for Julia im honestly very certain shes safe.

as for her only going off Shus expectations, im unsure of that. if you read how she reacted to Shu saying 'talk to Julia about this' and 'we will take each Gemma individually on if they want to be absorbed or not', she clearly was unhappy with Shus take on things. she wide eyed shook her head no at first, clearly showing signs of... i almost want to say shock at our opinion on things. honestly id not be surprised if she lies about talking to Julia, and/or lies to Julia about our conversation.

unsure on if she felt unhinged personally, felt sane enough for the Crucibles standards anyways.

>>3849106
We will see with time and we will need to have a talk with Julia about her new headbuddy. Just to get all the sides of the picture.

Gemma is probably a bit unhinged sure. But lets be real, who isnt in the crucible?

Everyone has theri demons to contend with.. Except Kajun.

>>3849114
It felt to me more like she was acting kind of desperate for Shu's approval because she knows we're the main decision-maker for the group and she really wants our help in reuniting the shards. So she came off as needy and eager to please because she's trying to convince us to go along with this, it's a great idea, just do as she says and everyone will prosper. To which we responded "yeah, that sounds cool, but it's not my body or dreamscape. Ask Julia about her opinion, too" and she deflated a bit because she was hoping she would just have to convince us. Sorry, Gemma, but we respect Julia's autonomy.

>>3849126
maybe, but i still feel like it was more than that. her reaction once we didn't go along with it felt too drastic and didn't really feel like she was deflating, it felt like instead she felt like we slapped her in the face or something.

>>3849134
>>3849126
>Gemma will remember this
It feels like a bad move on our part somehow.

>>3849185
i disagree. if she cant agree to our terms and way of doing things, then we dont need to be helping her in the first place. her other shards for all intents and purposes are now individuals, and individuals have a right to choose their own path. she doesn't like that, than shes simply wrong. just because she has (arguably) good reasons to just want us to agree to her original plan, doesn't mean we have to agree with it or think its the right way to go about things either.

plus, no offense to her, shes kinda dead. her very existence is tied to and just an addition to Julias. we really have no obligation to listen to her, as mean as it might sound, and she is in no position to expect us to out of our way for her. furthermore, she shouldn't expect her other shards to want to join with one thats just a dream daughter, and shouldn't be expecting us to just kill them for not wanting that and forcing it on them.

mind you, i only think about maybe 1/4th of what i said she actually thinks, but still.

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>>3848967

"Amara, it's too early to see the Ant Queen right now.” You begin, taking a knee to bring you eye-level with your diminutive Skintalker. “She said she'll call us when she's ready. We can't be too impatient, it would look rude on our part if we go see her when she's not ready to roll out the royal carpet. Besides, wouldn't it be better to see the Queen when she's ready and her royal procession at her finest? She would like to look her best too! You wouldn't want the Ant queen to send out a messenger and have her drag you to her throne room while you still had bed head and in your nightgown instead of your best and fanciest dress do you?"

Amara just listens intently, nodding emphatically at your analogy as you rise, turning to Dorian and Julia with your plan.

“I’d like for the two of you, November, and Amara to scout Laoc, gather intelligence and see if they have any wares for sale. Information is going to be crucial in reaching and beating the Cord, so see what you can find.” You announce as November gives you a sharp nod. “Amara gets a biomass budget, if you all find anything worth bringing back to base.”

Amara promptly thrusts her fists skyward in celebration, a quiet hiss of air being her exultation as you turn to address Gina, Rath, and Francine.

“I’d like for you three to accompany me to Madame Yurei’s base. She wants to talk, and I’m in the mood to hear her out. Make sure you’re properly equipped before we head out in a few, and that you’ve got the Relics you need. Oh, and one last thing.” You’re reminded, thinking back to just before you woke to tell Amara the tale she so patiently waited for. “Knowable Kadath should have triggered for everyone, so your abilities will have grown. You should’ve seen the plateau, red sky, and all that, so what did everyone pick?”

You’re met with a collection of curious expressions as your allies glance between each other as they shake their heads.

“Yes, we all g-got stronger, but…p-plateau?” Julia asks as Dorian arches one eyebrow.

“Yeah. I mean, I can’t speak for everyone, but I just made my pick and woke up.” Rath replies, glancing between you and Gina for confirmation. Your turn to the brunette by your side, and you’re met with a pair of concerned hazel eyes that flash with amethyst.

“Huh…no, it looks like you’re the only one that saw that.” She murmurs, peeking into your memories at witnessing the vast, scarlet valleys that stretched before you in the dreamlands. Lightly shaking your head to rid yourself of your slight unease, you address your family to see the results of their choices and discuss the Relic situation before you leave for parts unknown.

>>KNOWABLE KADATH: ACTIVATED

>>PLEASE CHOOSE ONE ABILITY FOR EACH ALLY TO LEVEL-UP

AND

>>CHOOSE RELIC LOAD-OUT FOR THE YUREI TEAM

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

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

>>3849212
>Dorian: Resplendent Thread
>Rath: Forgemistresses Fingers
->We will rarely upgrade it so why not put extra points into it when we dont have to fight for them. Also it makes Relics cheaper in the future which will be nice for November
>Gina: Virulent Pestilence
->Would like ot see if the power gets even better with our status effects we can create
>Amara: Queen Crimson
-> Was totn between the Honor and Queen but i think the queen will be much better and bring us closer to any potential Hybrids
>Julia: Carniverous Carver
->Just making Julia deadlier with this ability seems like a good idea.
>Francine: Hand of the Queen
->I dont think we have anything else she can level up with knowledgable Kadath right now. Its a good ability anyway

>>3849212
>Dorian; Resplendant Thread
>Rath; Erupting Grasp
>Julia; Elemental Digestion
>Amara; Hunters Honor
>Gina; Virulent Persistence
>Francine; Hand of the Queen

honestly i think only Gina even has an actual choice here?

RELIC LOADOUT;
Shu;
>Contender, Matrons Stoicism, Remembrance Whistle(), Consume the Book Relic, Gear on self.

Rath;
>Sui Tormentis, Deliverance of Ego, Adrenal Nail, Ignition Gauntlets, Gutgrab Daggers.

Gina;
>Sui Interitus, The Spine, Uzi( x3 Radiant Mags, x3 Shock Mags, x3 Acid Mags), Crimson Jesters.

Francine;
>Hydras Heart, Inspectors Spectacles.

everything else can be left alone for now, unless anyone thinks we should give Francine the Cutis Tractus? she could use some defense and it might help if her Core has a limited range. id also like to point out Jaoc is probably going to be MUCH safer, but for all we know Yurei is the 'join or die' type. hopefully not but we might have to do at least some fighting with her, and heavier than Jaoc should be for sure.

>>3849217
can we get another rundown on those Relics Rath crafted while we were away?

>>3849234
i dont think Queen Crimson or Carver were cores, just abilities we got from people.

>>3849238
But we have the Dreamdaughters for them dont we? It works with any ability trees we got from them as well as the Hybrids we made form tose trees. It does not have to be cores

>>3849238
>>3849212
ah fuck me its just not my damn day today.
>Whistle load spell;
>> RHO CUNT

>>3849239
BHOP said it only works with Cores though.

>>3849239
>>3849240
also, even if you were right, Queen Crimson came from someone we dont have the dream Daughter of, i think.

>>3849248
Queen Crimson is actually from Sasha (the daughter who weaponized her tears) whom Amara consumed.

>>3849240
Then the sheet with the Ability Descriptions is wrong. It says one can level up any of the skill trees ascotiaded wiht the daughter. Granted i did not have time to vote on the large level up with lepisma so i might have missed it there. But that should get fixed on the character sheet then. Otherwise it is just confusing

>>3849248
I think Queen Crimson was from that one humoral paladin that we had made a black fuzzbuzz racer when we got to know her in Amaras head. The one whose crew got ganked by November shelling the town. I just cant remember her name... Was is Sasha?

>>3849238
on another note, anyone have ideas of who to give Gamma Pharynx to? its very specifically something that if we do use, it should probably stay on whoever we give it to. sure, it CAN be removed, but id not want to put anyone through said process of removing it.

>>3849250
could've sworn it was from someone else.

>>3849252
Lets craft Surgeon General's Essentials first before we go about installing relics that have the whole soul-binding status.

I would say Amara, but the Pharynx is basically dental bracers and Amara hates Dentists.

>>3849212
Great, something special about Shu that made her visit the Plateau of Leng when no other party member did. That's not worrying at all. My guess is that the deep dive into the dreamscape that Knowable Kadath produces is causing Shu to access legacy code related to the Mother of All concept. Whatever it is, we'll find it on the other side of the plateau, dwelling within Kadath itself.

Anyways, level ups!

SHU
>Ravenous Maw

DORIAN
>Resplendent Thread

RATH
>Indignant Ignition

JULIA
>Carnivorous Carver

AMARA
>Queen Crimson

GINA
>Virulent Persistence

FRANCINE
>Hand of the Queen


>>3849252
>could've sworn it was from someone else.
That's probably because it's a Humoral ability, and so shifted from Sasha's melancholic humor to Amara's sanguine. So you don't remember Sasha having Queen Crimson because in a sense she didn't.

>>3849251
we'll have to ask BHOP as i could've sworn he said differently when asked. i agree there but clarification is needed yes. either BHOP misinterpreted a question, a question was seen as answered out of order by me, and/or, yes, BHOP has made mistakes in his wording before.

i could be wrong on Queen though, for some reason i thought it came from one of her allies or another fight though.

>>3849217
BHOP mind clarifying?

>>3849258
i mean... why? all we have to do is not remove it, thats really not an issue. most relics we use on the same person all the time anyways. hardly a 'loss' to just decide who wants it or its good on and putting it on them.

>>3849261
Shu already had her level up so she doesn't get another. Rath cant do Ignition i dont think. even if it doesn't have to be a Core, nothing Hybridized into it came from a Dream Daughter. sure she has an Augment from one but that feels extremely iffy for that to count, unless it only upgrades the Augment.

>>3849265
>Shu already had her level up so she doesn't get another.
Oh, did we already mark hers down? Didn't realize.

>Rath cant do Ignition i dont think. even if it doesn't have to be a Core, nothing Hybridized into it came from a Dream Daughter.
I'm fairly certain that Phantom Limb was Hera's Core. It might have been Hundred-Handed, but we know that Dream Daughters wind up with whoever consumes the Core (even without the Arbiter's Appetite, that just guarantees you can eat the Core) so I'd assume it's Phantom Limb. Unless Hera actually had a third arm-based power that was her Core, which I guess isn't out of the realm of possibility.

>>3849238
Why the Adrenal Nail? We can't recover that once it's nailed into Rath. That's a relic that permanantly binds itself on equipping.

>>3849269
It was in the last vein so kind of far back for us

But Shu has Hera in her head so Rath cant acess her..... unless we can skirt that line with our Neurotic Halo Network

>>3849269
actually before we had Appeties some abilities, even cores, would alter themselves to whoever takes them. shame honestly we dont have that anymore, so you could be right on Phantom.

though honestly hers didnt appear to work like Shus or Raths version, and Raths actually feels a little off cosmetically at least for Rath, but fair point.

>>3849271
i think its a good fit for Rath. that, and can it not be removed? i mea, fair enough thinking on it i see your point, its just it doesn't say it cant, unlike other Relics that specifically say if they cannot be removed. i mean, who else would we give it to? cant see anyone else it would work better on, or who would be ok with having it in themselves than Rath.

i guess she can wear it as an earring if you're that worried.

>>3849276
what? Hera is in Raths head.

heres the list i have saved;

SHU: Holly / Uzu / Johanna

RATH: Hera / Niku / Silvis

JULIA: Penny / Gemma / Mulvath

DORIAN: Vultha

AMARA: Sasha / Heather / Heather / Samantha / Tammy /Julie / Sarah / Cherum

GINA: Eloise / Kosi / Meg / Bella

FRANCINE: Lepisma

no idea where the Soroitas stops for Amara honestly, shouldve marked that better as im shit with names.

>>3849277
>i think its a good fit for Rath. that, and can it not be removed?
It can be. I think they're confusing it with a similar Relic we pulled off of Johanna's corpse, which bonded permanently. We traded that away, though, got the Bio that went into making the Sui Tormentis.

>>3849281
Huh okay... My mistake. its kinda difficult to keep track of them all without that list(especially since that point is kinda moot since they seem to jump around through our Neurotic Network if it pleases them ). I should write that list down myself. Thank you.

>>3849285
no problem. i also have a list for Party Class types for crafting, though need to update Francine's.

also still have the rarity ranking list for Classes, which BHOP said was pretty close to actual rankings, though i do wonder if some need to be moved a place or two around now.

>>3849277
Take what I said >>3849271 with a grain of salt. Because I swear I remember that Bhop said the Nail perma-binds upon equipping.

That said, I'm thinking that Stitching stilettos, and Surgeon General's Essentials should be made.

>>3849212
Kadath
>Dorian: Resplendent Thread

>Amara: Hunter's Honor
Verurteilung is at an awkward spot in her kit.

>Julia: Carnivorus Carver

>Francine: Hand of the queen

>Rath: Forgemistress Fingers

>Gina: Virulent Persistence

Loadout
>Shu: Matron's Stoicism, Contender, Remembrance Whistle, Escher's gear, Consume the Pandoric Script.

>Rath: Sui Tormentis, Deliverance of Ego, Ignition Gauntlets, Spear of Dainsleif

>Gina: The Spine, Uzi( x2 Radiant Mags, x2 Shock Mags, x2 Frost mags, x2 Normal mags), Crimson Jester's Mask, Sui Interitus,

>Francine: Hydra's Heart, Inspector's Spectacles, Cutis Tractus, GutGrab Daggers.

Bhop, did November take the time to repair the armor damage from the Silverfish fight or does she still bear Shu's patch repair job?

>>3849265
(The wording was confusing, I apologize. Essentially, Kadath would not work only one abilities that yoyve acquired from sources that are not Daughter-related, such as those you acquired from Amalgams and the like. That was the original intention, at least.)

>>3849319
(The Nail does bond permanently, yes. Also, November has completed her repairs and is now as good as new.)

>>3849212
>>CHOOSE RELIC LOAD-OUT FOR THE YUREI TEAM

SHU
>Hexane Contender, Matron's Stoicism, Remembrance Whistle loaded with RHO CUNT, Escher's Gear (give spoke to other party), bring Book and Augment-upgrading Juice but don't consume yet
That last part because Yurei pays people just to listen to her pitch, and while we don't need one of the benefits she offers (the use of a fully-unlocked Sparagmos Engine), the other is use of a Tier Five Forge and I want to see if the Duplicate function (currently locked at our Forge's Tier) does allow for the reproduction of Relics. Making some extra copies of the Book and Augment Juice could be really good.

RATH
>Sui Tormentis, Deliverance of Ego, Ignition Gauntlets, Gutgrab Daggers
I don't think the Nail is that worth it for Rath. It gives a tiny damage boost and an okay movement boost, but at the cost of halving her Health regen. Given the Sui Tormentis, it's probably more effective to just use that 105% more Health per turn to turn into Tormentis damage and speed boosts.

GINA
>Cutis Tractus, The Spine, Crimson Jester's Masque
I figure that with Gladiatorial Swarm, Cutis Tractus is a bit more useful for Gina right now than Sui Interitus.

FRANCINE
>Inspector's Spectacles, Hydra's Heart, Sui Interitus
Let's give Francine a bit of durability, seeing as she's currently got the lowest Health out of the party. Doing pretty good given that she has the fewest levels, though. Benefits of all her level ups being Arbiter-boosted, I guess.

Also, do we think it's worth it to spawn a Spiritus before we head out, or are we still not comfortable manifesting our Dream Daughters at the skill's current level?

>>3849319
i still think the Daggers will work better for Rath. shes all about punching, the spear get in the way of that. both the Gauntlets and Daggers can be in extra arms and dont impede on her melee range focus, but the spear simply isn't meant to be used that close, its a weapon made to allow melee at a safe distance, which Rath doesn't need nor does it fit her fighting style.

as for Crafting, im against it right now. if we get into a fight at Yureis place, we're gonna need all the stats we can get.

>>3849322
i really dont think Cutis Tractus is the best fit for Gina honestly. Gina actually has some good abilities to use up close, which the Sui Interitus would help we get in and out faster and help those abilities, but she doesn't actually has no reason for Cutis reach and it would slow her down considerably. meanwhile Francine literally simply does not have the stats or abilities for being up close or even a hit and runner, which is what the Sui Interitus is better at, its honestly wasted on her. she at least could use Hand of the Queen through Cutis Tractus, if you really want to give her Armor.

>>3849319
also the Gutgrab daggers are absolutely wasted on Francine, she should never be close to anyone or want anyone to stay close to her. shes still way too weak to be on the frontlines like that.

>>3849321
Thanks for the clarification

>>3849331
Point.

I'll go with your loadout vote here >>3849238 in exchange that you remove the Nail, I'm fine with Carrying it with us, and doing a combat equip for the sudden burst in power, but I'm uncomfortable with the halving of the hp regen.

Installing the nail into Rath means we cap down her pretty impressive 210% hp regen down to half her potential maximum regen (105% hp regen) which goes against Font of suffering that we got off of Isabelle. Font of suffering is designed to work best with High amounts of Hp regen. We need a good hp and bio regen to act as a buffer against the damage she gets and the mandatory 20% hp burn.

>>3849337
i kinda disagree. we usually keep her in Ignition mode anyways and in that she has no Health Regen anyways. sure with that it lowers her Bio Regen in that form a bit, but she never has actually had the biggest issue with Bio in the first place. maybe if fights lasted longer but they never really have lasted long enough to need to pull back on Ignition. plus, id imagine thats 10% of her max strength, not just another 10% like if it was stat increases. thats not a small amount, considering her other abilities.

>>3849319
>>3849212
Changing by loadout vote to support >>3849238

But also give Francine Cutis Tractis.

Question: Should we make another Hum-bee Hivecraft when traveling to Yurei's base (the Car made out of Bees)? I remember the base components require Shu's Hive bugs as the Chassis and wheels, with Rath providing the Engine, suspension, and seatbelts, and Neuromancy for the Radio, handling, brakes, and navigation systems.

>>3849358
i mean, if necessary, but id prefer if we just got the old one back... assuming someone hasn't rightfully stolen it. to be fair, if i found a humvee just abandoned randomly in the fleshscape, after i made sure it wasn't a trap, id probably take it too.

or was it technically a family tech, and thus basically inert biomass without us? to be fair, thats still alot of raw biomass to pilfer or hijack though.

>>3849367
if it's made out of Shu's biomass and part of a family tech, can't we just activate it remotely and have it drive its way back to us on Autopilot?

>>3849377
i dont think it works that way, only because we haven't had the option before and have mentioned wanting to retrieve it before.

>>3849345
Maybe if the 10% was multiplicative instead of additive, but I'd want confirmation on that. Otherwise it seems like a bad choice for Rath. Better to just have another 105% Health per turn to spend on Sui Tormentis.

>>3849460
id hope so, because i do agree i just cant see it being a measly 10 extra damage for half your health regen.

>>3849460
>>3849345
fucking hell. I come back to make another case of not installing the nail into Rath but find out the voting's closed.

Part of Rath's strength with having 210% hp regen is that the Armor allows her to ramp up in strength, defense, and speed by burning her hp regen's worth in stats for a four-fold increase in temporary stats for a short period of time while the suit is equipped as well as staying up longer to fight. The Nail basically cuts down the amount of stats we can safely play with in combat, makes it harder for Rath to bounce back from a crippling blow if she does get hit with one, and slows down the speed in which Rath can ramp up those stat boosts with the Armor.

>>3849321
Bhop. We need confirmation on this. what factor does the Adrenal Nail ramp up the wearer's strength speed, and melee damage output? Is it 10% of their maximum strength? Is it multiplicative? or is it additive?

>>3849493
(It's multiplicative, which makes the use of multiple Nails utterly devastating in the right hands.)

>>3849493
if its 10% of her total damage id still argue its a good trade off, as thats 10% of all her combined strength/damage, not just the suits. i guess it depends on just how the Auits itself is actually calculated, though mind you thats just raw strength, not raw damage. if its 10% extra of all damage she deals once combined into its final number, not just 10 extra damage, then i still very much think its worth it.

also depends on how much strength translates into damage. really, this feels less like either side is wrong, and more like neither side can be right because we simply are too in the dark on this one in how the system works. both sides have to make assumptions, massive ones, ill admit to that at least.

>>3849502
>>3849503
>>3849493
well there we go. still leaves questions but 10% extra damage on Rath sounds like a death sentence already with how many sources she still has to boost her raw strength.

(Gentlemen, work is aflame as usual. I'll post when I can, and thank you for your patience. Also, regarding Amara; there is a split between Queen and Hunter, if I'm not mistaken. If there are any last-minute changes, I'll accept them in the interim.)

>>3849509
sorry works being work, hope its at least not too stressful.

guess we have something to talk about at least. Hunters feels like it simply needs some love to be more viable on Amara, is my argument, while Queen is already perfectly good where it is. plus, if we want to go IC, id think Amara would pick ninja powers over a blood net, especially as she seems more interested in Cherum over... Sarah(?). sorry Sarah im sure Amara likes you but its hard to compete with an alien ninja whos playing hard to get.

>>3849509
..... so work is burning again.....
Well dont push yourself to hard

Just to make this go over without any big hustle or problems i will change my vote for Amara from Queen Crimson in this post >>3849234
to Hunters Honor.....
This is to early to start mulling it over or starting to scream at each other. And i am not interested in starting my vacation with a massive argument

>>3849518
Her Name is Sahsa.....

And i think the prospect of Crimson becoming ever more "aware" is also something Amara could be interested in. Another buddy to hang out with.

But the Alien Ninja Argument is good as well

>>3849518
>>3849533
>Sahsa
>Sarah(?)
It's Sasha. We have time to browse the previous veins.

I wonder if Chuerem asked the other dream daughters about Ninjas, Amara's got the most dream daughters crammed inside her soul after all.

Amara's become a Magical girl with a voice that can channel the world, shout fus roh dah and have it work, has a Crimson Stand as well as a guardian Bee, an army of hollow clones, wears a cloak of invisibility, while channeling the weeb with a bone Japanese sword.

the amount of meme levels our daughter has become a conduit of is ridiculous.

>>3849509
Sorry to hear that, BHOP. As always, we'll wait, it's worth it.

As for which one to upgrade on Amara, I guess I'm fine with upgrading Hunter's Honor. I'd prefer Queen Crimson just because I'd like to give Amara yet more defensive options, but maybe Hunter's Honor will give her some awesome parrying abilities. And as >>3849518 says, Amara would want to play with the alien ninja. Though I'd like to think that Amara is managing to rope all her dream Daughters into the game (though that's not really a challenge with the Sororitas), so Sasha is playing too. And commiserating with Cheruem on the sides, going "yeah, I just don't know if we can keep up with these kids, thank god there's a normal adult here, alien ninja museum guard".

>>3849540
Dont forgot that we also gave her an ability that makes her harder to kill as long as her friends are nearby. She is also a catgirl
I think we are only missing the giant robot and we have covered every mayor trope

>>3849545
I think November qualifies for that.

>>3849552
I was thinking more a giant robot for Amara to pilot when she becomes an angsty teenager to contemplate the meaning of life in while fighting alien monstrositys or other humans

>>3849533
hey man ive already said im shit with names and Amara has 3 gals with 'Sa' names in her head, two of which are similar.

otherwise, just as a point of discussion, i dont think Crimsons really sentient or gonna become sentient. doesn't fit the class or really its description so far, more like an automated system than an actual thinking... blob of blood. would need neuromancy or phantasmal in there to really get sentience. though Amara making her blood tentacles into a friend does sound like her, im just saying i dont think it will happen on its own.

>>3849540
well, i mean technically, but the Soroitas still count as one mechanically. which seems a bit odd, but the Crucible seems to not be very good when it comes to the mental workings of humanity, so im not surprised either.

>>3849541
at least being an alien mall cop means Cherum is probably used to rounding up noisy buddlings. that, or she wasn't, and this is basically living hell for her.

>>3849545
Well...November is a robot, but the "piloting" part of the giant Super robot genre needs work, then again November is a Daughter gemstone inside a robot body. It's a shame she's running on construct rules so we can't really consume her to save her core data.

>>3849555
Ah, I was thinking more a Giant Robo sort of thing where the robot is the kid's friend whose shoulder they ride on. If we want her to pilot the mecha, I'm sure Rath will have made several by the time Amara is old enough to be an angsty teen mecha pilot. Francine will have been roped into it, ostensibly against her will, but when reminded that she's the one who made all the super robot cyber-frames she'll admit that she actually is really into Gundam.

>>3849557
>at least being an alien mall cop means Cherum is probably used to rounding up noisy buddlings. that, or she wasn't, and this is basically living hell for her.
She seemed pretty offput by the "sassy lost budling", so I'm guessing she doesn't have experience. Probably was some upscale cultural museum that kids don't frequent, even on field trips. If the Hexane educational system even had field trips for budlings.

>>3849566
if the Hexxane did not let buddlings enjoy the joy of museums then they are the most evil race to ever have existed.

but fair i guess it could be a more 'sophisticated' museum, though id argue no mainline museum should be to such a level that kids would not be allowed in. kids are the ones who need to learn the most afterall.

>>3849574
Well considering how they reproduce (basically make a budling version of themselves asexually with all previous knowledge intact, the old one fucks off and dies), their society would make their museums more tailored to accommodate it.

>>3849579
i dont think it was said all previous knowledge was left intact. it was implied they still had to learn about their ancestors and their work, which wouldn't be necessary with knowledge transferring. its also a point to make where full knowledge transferring would not allow for a new personality to form, which it is a case where each buddling is still a new person. er, hexxane.

odd question, but what 'age' are buddlings born at? are they babies like human babies, or do they start more developed? do they get to attend their parents suicide party? imagine growing up with your first memories being your 'parent' having a wicked party then blowing their brains out at the end.

File: PARTY LEVEL UP.jpg (130 KB, 579x600)

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>>3849212

GINA – LEVEL UP

>>VIRULENT PESTILENCE (Lvl 3): Gina now possesses the potent ability to temporarily double the attack, defense, and critical bonuses granted by a given Relic or ability, with this power able to be triggered once per combat and lasting for the next three turns. This bonus also applies to any levels of Resistance that the individual Relic or ability currently grants. (HEALTH +60%, BIO +60%)

RATH – LEVEL UP

>>FORGEMISTRESS’ FINGERS (Lvl 3): From the heart of the artist pours that which brings life. Rath no longer has to spend 1.5x HEALTH for it to count as a wildcard Forge material, and is instead able to use her own HEALTH reserves on a 1-to-1 BIO basis to pay for crafting new Relics. Additionally, the chance of a created Relic emerging from the Forge at a higher tier has been increased by an additional 10%. (BIO +30%)

JULIA – LEVEL UP

>>CARNIVOROUS CARVER (Lvl 3): Savagery knows no bounds, as when any ally or foe is downed in combat, Julia is now automatically granted a temporary ACT that she may use on her upcoming turn. Additionally, if it was a foe that was downed then Julia also gains a 30% bonus to her base attack damage, CRITICAL HIT chance, and CRITICAL DAMAGE until the end of her next turn. If it was an ally, then Julia gains a 30% defense bonus, in addition to a heightened critical hit and severing resistance until the end of her next turn. Finally, these bonuses stack. (HEALTH +40%, BIO +40%, HEALTH REGEN +20%)

DORIAN – LEVEL UP

>>RESPLENDENT THREAD (Lvl 3): Silvis’ Core ability now boasts a stacking 5% bonus to limb severing for every attack inflicted against a single target during combat, as the Threads actively shift and change to better adapt themselves to robbing their target of their extremities. Though the bonus is removed when a limb is severed, it’s a small price to pay for a prudent butcher. (HEALTH +40%, BIO +20%)

AMARA – LEVEL UP

>>HUNTER’S HONOR (Lvl 3): Still as water, sharp as glass. When Amara manifests her before combat is initiated, then she automatically begins combat with a charge stack of five, ready to be unleashed upon her unsuspecting and unfortunate foes. (HEALTH + 50%, BIO +40%)

FRANCINE – LEVEL UP

>>HAND OF THE QUEEN (Lvl 3): How quickly idle curiosity can turn to hateful action. As a free action, Francine may now convert any CURIOSITY stacks a foe possesses into CRUELTY stacks, which stop Francine’s use of her foe’s abilities. In exchange, CRUELTY is automatically consumed when Francine or an ally make an action against the target, with physical attacks having their damage and critical bonuses increased by 50%, and saving throws being made at disadvantage. Finally, while only one stack is removed per action, multiple stacks may be consumed per turn by different allies. (HEALTH +80%, BIO +80%)

(Continued)

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>>3849772

You're able to get everyone outfitted in short order and with the coordinates you were gifted by Ivey, you, Gina, Rath, and Francine emerge from the waystation, your feet meeting obsidian tile that quickly turns to hardened calcite as you emerge into the foggy moor that stretches before you. In the distance looms a mist-veiled mansion, faded columns supporting the massive three-story archetecture whose dulled majesty seems at odds with the eerie coils of flesh that dot the grounds before it. The musty smell of molded leather hits you at the same time you muster the resolve to march forward to accept the Conduit's invitation. The stifling silence that settles around yoy alongside the choking humidity is broken when GG chuckles to herself before speaking.

"Yo, who ripped this fat vape? I'm trying to find my dead wife." Gina grumbles jokingly, and to your and GG's surprise Rath's the first to laugh.

"You know Silent Hill?" The brunette asks, stunned. "I though your upbringing would've frowned on that."

"I was a Catholic, not a luddite." Rath fires back in mock offense. "I mean, I wouldn't have played them if one of my friends hadn't dared a bunch of us to play them at a sleepover when I was, like, fourteen. But yeah, I liked 'em."

What follows is Gina launching into a discussion of the lore with Rath, and you just watch with a smile on your face as you listen to the two girls compare notes and theories as the mansion looms ever nearer as you trudge through Yurei's property. It's nice to see the two of them interacting like this outside of your influence, in an odd sort of way. It was different, when it was just you, GG, Rath, and B'ni. You were the thing they all revolved around, but now...you can see that even though you're the glue that binds them all together, they care about each other of their own volition, forming bonds on their own time.

You catch Francine smiling too, a small, sad expression as her eyes stare at the earth she silently treads.

Determination.

It's the core emotion that pulses beneath the doctor's veins, a cold, clear resolve to see things through 'til the end. And yet beneath that focus there lurks a certain trepidation, a reluctance, or perhaps a co fusion that's crept into her heart in moments of quiet self-reflection. It's probably asking too much for someone like her to open up, especially given how cagey she's been up to this point, but still.

In any case, you also have to wonder if staying focused wouldn't be your best course of action as the mansion looms ever higher on the moor.

>>Strike up a conversation with Francine while you have a moment. (Write-In)

>>Talk to Gina or Rath, while you have a second. You may not know much about the series, but you'd like to be a part of their discussion all the same.

>>Stay silent and alert. You'd prefer to keep focused, even if your invitation seemed to come from a place of goodwill.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(Gentlemen, thank you as always for your patience, and voting shall remain open for the next two hours.)

>>3849780
>Stay silent and alert. You'd prefer to keep focused, even if your invitation seemed to come from a place of goodwill.

Let Gina and Rath do their bonding and i am unsure its the right time to pry into Francine's mind, though that would be my second choice.

>>3849780

>>Strike up a conversation with Francine while you have a moment. (Write-In)

>"Hey Fran. How are you holding up. I take it the Choice went well. How was mother when she came to you. I take it she had a couple things to say.... about your choices. Mind sharing something? I would also like to hear you opinion on what our soon to be host has planned"

>Afterwards listen for any further topics Francine might wish to discuss or stay alert if she stays silent.


We are probably being watched already. The moment we appeared we were probably on their radar. And they know theire turf. SO Amalgams are no problem and our soon to be host will at least want to speak with us instead of murdering us outright

Okay so Yurei really takes the whole spirit theme thing seriously. even her swamp is called the spirit swamp

>>3849780
>What follows is Gina launching into a discussion of the lore with Rath, and you just watch with a smile on your face as you listen to the two girls compare notes and theories as the mansion looms ever nearer as you trudge through Yurei's property.
Nerds. Though come on, this is obviously Death Stranding, not Silent Hill.

> It's nice to see the two of them interacting like this outside of your influence, in an odd sort of way. It was different, when it was just you, GG, Rath, and B'ni. You were the thing they all revolved around, but now...you can see that even though you're the glue that binds them all together, they care about each other of their own volition, forming bonds on their own time.
Yeah, that is something I like a lot about this quest, how the rest of the party members are forming their own relationships between each other. Personally, I'm expecting Dorian and November to become close simply due to proximity, for one reason or another we've had them together on a lot of tasks since November joined. Would be neat to have them become friends. They're both very dependable, serious people who nonetheless are capable of getting silly when they're off-duty, I think they'd enjoy spending time together. Of course, right now Dorian is busy bonding with Julia, while November has to babysit Amara. Which means Amara gets to bond with November instead. Have a nice time shopping with Aunt Heather, Amara.

>>Stay silent and alert. You'd prefer to keep focused, even if your invitation seemed to come from a place of goodwill.
Stay focused for now, we'll try to draw Francine farther out of her shell just as a natural process of her working with us rather than bringing it up directly. We'll probably be planning the lab raid once we're done here, we can bring up her worries while talking about taking down Sigma.

>>3849780
>Strike up a conversation with Francine while you have a moment.
>"How was the choice? Still struggling over the meaning of your personal goal to stop West?"
>"You wouldn't have that sad expression otherwise."
>"Life's about the journey, not the destination. I figure that the same applies here in the Crucible."

Even though I'm being outvoted, I would still like to have Francine warm up to us bit by bit.

>>3849772
Questions:
Does Julia's Carnivous Carver temp-ACT boost work off of Constructs too? I find it weird yet fitting there's a set of Dorian and Julia's powers that allow them to cross over with each other. Julia can go on a rampage train through an army of constructs while Dorian can sharpen the razor wire to ludicrous degrees against a single opponent.

>HUNTER’S HONOR (Lvl 3): Still as water, sharp as glass. When Amara manifests her before combat is initiated, then she automatically begins combat with a charge stack of five, ready to be unleashed upon her unsuspecting and unfortunate foes. (HEALTH + 50%, BIO +40%)
I think there's a typo. You're missing a "weapon/blade" in the phrase "When Amara manifests her before combat is initiated"

Bhop, I just realized.

>Dr. West Sigma
>Our plan to destroy the west collective is to implant a virus in a proxy and let it infect the collective by forcing a proxy to go maverick/rogue and have the virus infected rogue infect the entire network
>The Sigma Virus

That's Megaman X reference if I ever saw one.

>>3849820
Or it could be that Julia and Amara go on a shopping spree while Dorian and November act as the parent/boyfriend overburdened by shopping bags.

>>3849820
id still like to wait a bit before sending Francine after Sigma. its important, but not so important it cant wait a bit. Francine's still very clearly showings signs of wanting to sacrifice herself with the collective, and id like more time to let her think on that, through simply experiencing being with us. i doubt one outing will be enough to give her a true idea if she should stick around with us or not.

>>3849861
You're not wrong, but I also don't want her to feel like we're stalling and stymieing her. I'd like to make gradual progression towards taking down Sigma, ideally. Keep working towards the goal, building up for an attack, and along the way getting her to think that she can do more good alive than dead.

>>3849870
well, the 'issue' is besides maybe the engine it seems to not really be a 'build up' situation. seems like once we go for Sigma its actually gonna go down pretty quickly. not really much time to think or change her mind once we actually start it, from the sound of it.

>>3849870
Well after the lab raid she is going to die in her own words. So we should probably have her tag along with us for a while more before moving on West. She is gonna need time to tweak her plan and get stronger so she can come with us and not be a liability in a fight with Sigma.

I want her to know that if she truly wishes to change and not be West she can have a group of people that care about her and will support her.

Which is why i want to ask her how she is doing and what her opinions are. We also have to give her a feeling of belonging and that she has value

While i think your suggestion of making gradual progress is a good start we also need to consider the human element. and if we dont start now then when?

>>3849876
we start when Francine is ready, not us. trying to pry into peoples thoughts can easily instead push them further into their shell. let Francine get used to actually being with us first, before we go prying into her mind uninvited. shes literally spent her whole non-west life hold up in a lab in a place full of those who a bunch seem super half blind and oblivious, and probably super busy. just being around people who want her around for more than just business is probably a step shes still not used to, let alone opening up to them.

>>3849843
(Carnivorous Carver's boost currently only works with full-fledged Daughters and Amalgams, but it will eventually get to that level.)

(Indeed, that was a typo. My apologies!)

(Finally, considering that Megaman is one of my favorite franchises, I couldn't pass up the reference.)

>>3849893
The ice has to be broken somehow. We can either chip away at it a bit at a time or we sail an Icebreaker boat into the social-life that is Francine. We gotta start somewhere.

>>3849908
and i disagree nows the time to do it or start.

>>3849780
>>3849843
Changing my vote to
>Stay silent and alert. You'd prefer to keep focused, even if your invitation seemed to come from a place of goodwill.

(Back home and writing now, Gentlemen.)

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>>3849780

Resolving to leave your two girls to their lore-heavy conversation and Francine to her own thoughts, your eyes scan your surroundings, a handful of Scoutlings wriggling free of your chitinous hexagonal plates before taking to the hazy skies. You have to admit that despite the eerie silence and uncomfortable humidity, there's something almost calming about the calm sense of placidity that permeates Yurei's property. It's a sensation that lasts all the way up to when you place your hand on the knob of the estate's massive double-doors, the pair swinging open simultaneously at the slightest touch to reveal a grand mezzanine.

The mansion's interior is abuzz with activity, maids rushing to and fro in formal attire, with the odd casually-dressed Daughter seated in the immaculately upholstered furniture with some tea or beverage in hand. One of the women stops, approaching you with a lantern in hand, and it's then that you notice that despite the impressive lighting, candles are the sole source of illumination that you can see in the cavernous halls.

"Welcome to Madame Yurei's domicile. How may I assist you?" The maid questions primly, her eyes shut even as she regards you with her placid expression and waxen, jelly-like features.

"Shu and the Defiants." You reply coolly, glancing past her to meet the eyes of some of the waiting Daughters, who meet your gaze with the wide eyes of wary recognition. "Yurei invited us here to finish a discussion we started. When is she available? Seems we're not the only ones to be waiting on her."

"You are quite correct." The maid replies with another stiff bow. "The Wise Madame is currently entertaining the audience of one of her honored guests, though I shall inform her that you have arrived. I am quite certain that she would like to move up your appointment, as she's been quite looking forward to speaking with you after the Barbers."

(Continued)

>>3850129

"Woah, what?" Rath breathes as a chills works its way down her spine. The maid merely gestures to the doors to either side of the hall.

"I welcome you to rest and partake in The Wise Madame's gifts." She continues, ignoring Rath's raised hackles. "We have a banquet hall to your right, and the library to the left. At the end of this hall lies the Forge and a wondrous Engine. You are invited to craft, should it please you. The Wise Madame's invitation surely included this as part of her offer."

"That it did." You agree, feeling the Crimson Cord flare to life.

<Barbers moved fast, they weren't even close to here when Amara was tracking them> Gina reports, her mind abuzz with possibilities. <Maybe they got the same offer you did?>

[Maybe] You reply, nodding to the maid as she gives you one last, stiff bow before retreating back to her duties.

The chance to meet the Barbers came earlier than you'd anticipated...but then again it's not unexpected, given Yurei's desire to assail the Cord with all the notable fighters she can muster. In any case, their presence certainly has Rath on high alert, though Gina and Francine seem to be keeping a level head about the group's proximity. After all, if you were to avoid anyone with a reputation, you'd never have befriended the Midnight Crew, and that'd have been a damn shame.

Regardless of your reservations, there's a buffet, a Forge, and an Engine at your fingertips...

...may as well make the most of your time here.

>>Examine the Forge and the Engine, first. Pleasure, then business.

>>Check out the banquet hall...you're not sure what's on the menu, but it couldn't hurt to check.

>>Sit a while and wait to speak with Yurei, steering clear of the Barbers for now.

>>Speak with the Barbers when they're done, then meet with Yurei.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(Gentlemen, I shall be pausing here for the evening. Voting shall remain open for the next thirteen hours, with posting to resume in roughly fourteen. Thank you for joining me for the 31st Vein, and I appreciate your time, patience, and participation as always. I hope you've had a good Monday, and I shall see you in the morning. Sleep well, one and all.)

>>3850135
Thanks for running, BHOP. See you tomorrow.

>>3850135
Good night OP

I will be heading to bed as well..... its just to early in the morning. I willl vote later after i have woken up again

>>3850132
So, our options. Examining the Forge and Engine should be interesting, just to see what Tier Five capabilities are and if her Engine is in any way different from ours. The banquet is probably not Daughter or Amalgam meat, that's a bit too much to give away for free, but probably preserved food from pre-Crucible which would be a delicacy at this point. Waiting is just waiting and doing nothing. Could be interesting to check in with the Barbers now when we have the chance. And as for write-ins, maybe checking the library could have information. Or just speaking with these maids. What are they? Are they Daughters that Yurei has hired, or just very advanced constructs? She is a Phantasmal Conduit, after all.

>>3850132
>let your party decide, and simply follow them.
>if they simply wander, follow Francine as first pick, unless someone specifically grabs for your attention.

id like to wait on the forge and Engine. i mean, we dont need the engine, and while a Tier 5 Forge is wonderful, its business first, pleasure second. that and like ive said, if worse comes to shove, we're gonna need all our biomass and health potentially to get out of here. probably not from the look of things, but id rather not risk it. as for the banquet, while amalgam foods... fine i guess, we still have no actual need to eat. it also doesn't feel like its our place to interrogate her guests, and so i feel its not our place to talk to the Barbers here really. even if they aren't what their rep makes them seem like, still feels like a 'one conversation at a time' kinda scenario to me.

>>3850135
have a good afternoon BHOP, thanks for running.

>>3850165
obviously see my post for a reply, bad timing i suppose with posting. but otherwise i disagree that waiting is a bad option. sometimes waiting is ok to do. worse case, if no ones does nothing, we get to talk to our team, and thats never not worth it.

>>3850132
>Spawn 3-4 squads of Fuzzbuzzes: (Bumblebee Butler edition; black and white tuxedo patterned fur). Set it to 3-4 Fuzzbuzzes per squad have them browse the Banquet Hall buffet and deliver food/drinks for our family if they're hungry. Have one squad serve Gina and Rath, Have another squad serve Shu and Francine, and have the last squad pick out a few snacks/delicacies as souvenirs for Amara to snack upon. (at least two juice boxes/soda cans, preserved candybars if they have any, fresh fruit if they have any, and some finger-foods like hot dogs, chicken tenders, hamburgers, etc)

Why lose the benefit of having to walk around to the various rooms when you have a hive full of Bees that can do our bidding? We can have Adorable Bumblebee butlers in tuxedo patterned fur mingling around the mansion!
There's gotta be some comfort food that Francine craves from pre-crucible. She wouldn't have made her doctorates otherwise, we could use that to break the ice. And even though I'm spoiling Amara rotten with the food souvenirs, I have no regrets.

>Spawn a Fuzzbuzz in "Bumblebee Butler" patterned fur, set it down on a chair in the Hall and have it hold a makeshift Calcite plate sign that reads: "Shake this Fuzzbuzz's hand if you have business with Shu, Fuzzbuzz will guide you."
>Spawn another Fuzzbuzz in regular fur pattern and set it down on another chair in the Hall, have it hold a calcite sign plate that reads: "Petting this Fuzzbuzz is allowed."

>let your family wander and decide for themselves.
>Accompany Francine as your first pick, unless someone specifically grabs for your attention.

>>3850475
While i dont dislike the idea it feels rude to flood the place with our own constructs when theres already servants running around. Makes it look like we don't think the host is capable, and also might interrupt their movement patterns. Plus it just looks rude as we just invade the place then respect no boundaries as we just treat someone elses home with little regard as if we own it.

Also a swarm of constructs might not put other patrons at ease, some might not like us casually setting up to attack the place enmasse.

>>3850132
>Tell everyone over the empathic channel: "Try and stay at least in groups of two if you decide to step away from the rest. Makes it easier to get us all back together once our host has time for us"

>Walk around a bit with your family and investigate whatever tickels their fancy.

>Try and stay together with Francine unless someone tries to talk to you

I would l,ike to say more but our hsot has probably quite a lot of surveilance equipment that might also be able to pick up our empathic comms chatter. She has to have at least some kind of security that is not readily apperant if she keeps such an open house

>>3850132
>>3850167
amending my vote to specifically exclude spawning ANY Fuzzbuzzes at all.

>>3851036
>>3850475
amending vote...
>let your family wander and decide for themselves.
>Accompany Francine as your first pick, unless someone specifically grabs for your attention.

>>3851041
must you be that passive aggressive?

>>3851053
>>3850132
Linking amended vote.

>>3851053
>>3851041
Forget that I asked.

>>3851053
>>3851058
i dont see how its passive aggressive. i disagree with the move, i gave my reasons why, we still disagreed, so im making sure my vote is for what i think is best.

>>3850475
I propose that we call the tuxedo bees "FuzzButtlers".

>>3850132
>>>Write-In
>Spawn some FuzzButtlers to browse the buffet for our party.
>Go wander the mansion, try to spend some time with Francine if possible, if not gravitate towards the library.
>Don't bother with the Fuzzbuttler alarm system, I'm sure Yurei's staff can just find us rapidly.

Not too much different. I like sending the FuzzButtlers to get food, I just don't think we need to have one serve as a desk bell.

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>>3850132

Going with >>3850167. Also, as much as I love our FuzzBuzz, I also think it's not a good idea to create them without asking first. I'm happy to ask the staff if it's acceptable, but not so much forcing it upon them.

>>3851067
FuzzButtlers doesnt really roll off the tongue very well. 'Fuzzlers' or 'Buzzlers' rings the bell much more smoothly.

>>3851095
yeah i mean theres already a waiting staff, we can just ask them for help instead of being rude and putting them out of their job.

>>3850135
Franken Fran's back in a sequel called Franken Fran Frantic.
Here's the link.
https://mangakakalot.com/manga/cf920091

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>>3850132

“Let’s kill some time before she’s ready for us.” You say, voice low as you glance between the hall’s numerous doorways. “Don’t go too far, and stay in teams of two.”

Rath and Francine both open their mouths to speak, pausing when they realize they’re about to trip over each other in their haste to do exactly what you assumed they’d do.

“Let me guess…Forge and Engine?” You grin, pointing between the pair. Rath chuckles as Francine adjusts her gloves sheepishly, and the moment you wave them on down the hall they make haste to examine the devices that have so piqued their interests.

“If somebody’d told me a couple of days ago that our Rath and a West proxy would be geeking out with each other over Fleshscape tech, I’ve have paralyzed them then and there.” Gina giggles, watching them until they round the corner and disappear from sight before turning to you with a bright smile. “Well, since you’re so good with guessing, where do you think I wanna go?”

You make a show of tapping your chin with one finger as you ponder her question, eyes meeting hers with a sparkle.

“The library.” You declare, rather surprised when Gina shakes her head.

“Nope! I want to see what food they have here.” She says playfully. “Knowledge stays fresh, but I can’t say the same for whatever Yurei’s serving.”

“Really?” You ask, incredulous. “You’d rather eat than read? Who are you, and what’ve you done with my Gina?”

“*My* Gina, huh? I have to admit, I like the sound of that.” GG counters with a grin, putting her hands on her cocked hips as her grin turns to a suspicious scowl. “Then again…what are you trying to say? You saying I eat too much? Something wrong with my figure?”

You feel your pulse quicken as you begin to stammer an explanation, and it’s then that Gina nearly doubles over with barely-suppressed laughter.

“Shu, I’m just being a jerk. Come on, let’s go see the spread.” She says, looping her arm around yours as she leads you to the banquet hall. The smell of cooked meats and delectable treats hits you full-force when you and she step through the door, and you find you’re far from the only ones marveling at the vast array of foods on display, as much a show of power than a gesture of delicious goodwill.

“Good God, I’m guessing this is all Amalgam-based stuff, but still.” GG murmurs, eyes alighting on a plate of thinly-sliced meat. “I mean, I know we don’t really *need* to eat anymore, but…jeez, this is just a treat for the senses, if anything.”

“Something this elaborate, with this many guests…I wonder how long she’s been throwing this.” You muse, scanning a plate of small sausages tightly-wrapped in yet more meat. “I mean, she didn’t even give us a time to meet up with her, so how long has she been keeping this up…and how?”

(Continued)

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>>3851187

You and Gina are so engrossed in examining the dizzying array of food available that neither of you notice the woman at your right until she speaks.

“Glad ya’ came, Defiant.”

You turn, coming face-to-chest with the woman that looms over you, sparkling eyes shining down at you past a few errant strands of blue hair.

“Likewise, Ivey.” You greet, tearing your eyes away from the food to the woman before you. “How goes the search for candidates?”

“Fair, given the turnout. I have to say though, you’re by far my best catch.” She grins, sharp teeth shining in the flickering candle light as she scans the room before settling her piercing gaze on the girl by your side. “You got no shortage of friends, I see.”

“Girlfriend, actually.” Gina corrects with a smile, thrusting out her hand for a pointed handshake. “Gina. Charmed.”

“You got some teeth on you, Gina.” Ivey says, taking her hand with a laugh. “I’d expect nothing less from someone that can keep up with the Defiant.”

“So, what’re you doing off the hunt?” You ask, trying to diffuse the palpable tension between the two girls, which certainly isn’t helped when Ivey leans down to bring her lips close to your right ear.

“Keeping an eye on certain rogue elements. Dessert table, cotton-candy hair. Can’t miss her.” Ivey whispers, and you find her target almost immediately. She’s a slender thing, a pale girl whose pale, glistening flesh looks almost like pulled taffy. Her short-cropped pink hair bounces lightly as she flits from plate to plate, piling her small platter high with all manner of sweets.

“Blood Sugar, I’m guessing? From the Barbers.” You mutter, and Ivey gives a slight nod as she rises back to full height.

“Aye. The other two are sitting with Yurei now, probably wrapping things up as we speak. Their Neuromancer’s scoping out the library, but this one here seemed a little jittery so thought I’d keep an eye. Seems that’s just how she is, though.” Ivey comments, keeping her voice light and at the same level as the general murmur of voices around you.

“Anyone else here I should know about?” You ask, and Ivey just shrugs.

“Alpha hasn’t shown, at least not yet. As far as anyone else I’m afraid I can’t say specifics, but the Barbers are the main ones of note.” She continues, glancing between your gaze and Gina’s level stare.

<Their Neuromancer’s the only one that’s still unknown, right?> Gina asks across the Cord, her thoughts trying to focus despite her eyes trailing down the taller woman’s stomach. <Might be worth checking out, especially since she’s a Gemma shard>

True...this might be a good opportunity to feel them out individually, while you have the chance.

>>Speak with Ivey about her employer.

>>Go talk to Sugar, and try to feel her out.

>>Continue on to the library.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

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

>>3851183
(Marvelous, thank you for sharing this!)

>>3851193
>Speak with Ivey about her employer.
>Ask her about the Barbers more too, if you have the time.
>Ask Gina to see if she cant use her insight abilities on Blood Sugar, though making eye contact might be a bit awkward, it still might help to know how she thinks.
while i do want to scope out the Barbers, we came here for a reason and its best to focus on that reason first and foremost.

the Gemma shard is... well i still feel Gemma and her shards are a side quest, not even a secondary quest level. sorry Gemma not against helping you but even as far as non main objectives go i just dont think your shards rank as high on our list in terms of importance.

>>3851193

>Ask Ivey: "Does Yurei mind if we take a few snacks and sweets as a souvenir? I've got an adorable little girl back home who would pout if I didn't."
>if given approval, spawn some Fuzzbuzz Butlers, and have them pick out a choice few snacks and treats as souvenirs for Amara. Be careful on the dessert section though, Blood Sugar might be someone who hates having her sweets taken.
>Have one of the fuzzbuzz butlers aid Blood Sugar in building her leaning tower of sweets until Blood Sugar either tells the FuzzBuzz Butler to start or has to start spending time trying to balance the towering plate of desserts than picking from the dessert table, if Blood Sugar tells it to stop, have it withdraw and return to Shu.
>Wave and smile at Blood Sugar when she looks up to figure out where this bumblebee construct that's aiding her is coming from. That'll make her focus her focal attention at Shu while Gina can look into Blood Sugar's eyes for insight with Neuromancy in Blood Sugar's peripheral vision without making the exchange look awkward.

Then
>Continue on to the library.
I wanna see who our Mystery Neuromancer is. We're making this look like we're just here for the food, then leaving.

>>3851242
if we want to try and interact with Sugar, best to just talk to her, Rather then intrude on her personal space by putting bugs all over her food. we're right by the snack table we can just get the sweets ourselves.

theres also probably some joke here about her being made of sugar and seeing bees coming after her. also my godforsaken dyslexic brain keeps making me spell sugar as surgar.

otherwise Gina had her chance to go to the library, im kinda hoping Yuri will be available after this over more stuff.

Why do we need to get eye contact on Blood Sugar? That's Julia's thing. Gina just has to be looking at a person to establish a link, not look them in the eyes.

>>3851266
good point.
>>3851242
>>3851193
Amending my vote to just simply
>Go talk to Sugar, and try to feel her out.

Given that it's Blood Sugar, and that she's piling on a giant towering plate of sweets, she's probably a motor mouth with a very high blood sugar level coursing through her veins.

>>3851270
nah, its eye contact based. Halo, level 4.

>>3851271
oh god shes gonna be annoying to converse with if it does come to that... all you did is confirm id prefer to just ask about the Barbers than talk to her.

>>3851273
>nah, its eye contact based. Halo, level 4.
Yeah, and that's redundant now that she has Neon Ascendant and can form Neuromantic links just by looking at people.

>>3851274
no, its not, as they may have neuromancy protections, or be able to tell we are making a connection to them. it also might count as initiating combat to link with someone unwillingly, or she may interpret it as an unwanted hostile action, while the eyes are a much more passive ability made to go unnoticed.

>>3851275
We're still rummaging around in another person's thoughts without their permission. That's going to be considered rude and potentially a hostile act if they spot it no matter which ability we use to do it. And while I suppose the lower-power signal might be stealthier (though Gina's established she can do decent stealth with Neon Ascendant), I can't see it being any better at getting past neuromantic protection. So it might not be completely redundant, but it's mostly redundant.

>>3851193
>>Go talk to Sugar, and try to feel her out.
>>Write-In
>Use the excuse of hitting up the desert table ourselves, because we want to grab some treats for Amara.

>>3851281
agree to heavily disagree. ones an active connection meant for combat and is done by forcing things out of her , the others passive that happens naturally and unforcefully, like looking through a window. literally supposed to be an 'eyes are a window to the soul' situation.

>>3851284
Either way, Gina's reading someone's mind without consent. Whether she did that via guile or force, someone realizing she's doing it could still be offended. We should be careful with powers like this. Maybe leveling Neon Ascendant could get Gina some neuromantic stealth to make it harder to spot her reading minds, that would be neat.

>>3851290
well, i do not wish to actively talk to Sugar as i feel getting info on Yurei is much more important, so as far as im concerned its the better way to learn something about her without wasting our time.

>>3851271
>>3851242
Changing my vote. Possibly for the last time before getting ready for work.

>Ask Ivey: "Does Yurei mind if we take a few snacks and sweets as a souvenir? I've got an adorable little girl back home who would pout if I didn't."
>if given approval, spawn some Fuzzbuzz Butlers, and have them pick out a choice few snacks and treats as souvenirs for Amara. Be careful on the dessert section though, Blood Sugar might be someone who hates having her sweets taken.

>Continue on to the library.

wait, thinking about it, wasn't an Amara clone tracking the Barbers? where'd that run off to, or is she like, hiding in the swamp looking through the window with a little notepad writing down everything Sugar does or something?
yes i know Amara has no need for her clones to write things down but its a cute mental image.

>>3851300
forgot to link it again. >>3851193

>>3851294
Yeah, I guess I'm more interested in Neuro-Gemma than Blood Sugar, if I'm being honest. I'd be fine with changing it.

>>3851193
>>Continue on to the library.
>>Write-In
>Grab some snacks for the road, first. Try not to nibble on them too much, leave some for our friends. Then thank Ivey for the heads up before we visit the library.

>>3851303
I think whatever they did to get to Yurei's manor so fast gave the Amara clone the slip.

>>3851312
eh, as i said earlier we came here for a reason and it should come first, and Gemma honeslty in my opinion is a minor questline, not even a secondary.

>I think whatever they did to get to Yurei's manor so fast gave the Amara clone the slip.
that is the best case scenario for why she would no longer be tracking them yes. hopefully Sugar didnt have a snack before getting here.

>>3851317
either that or they ganked the Amara clone without Amara knowing.

>>3851317
Yeah, but we've got some time before Yurei's available to speak to us anyway. In fact, talking with the members of the Barbers not meeting with Yurei is a perfect way to spend our time, because once Yurei's done the other Barbers will come collect their friends and we'll have to stop that conversation at that point. It's a self-solving problem.

>>3851322
i feel like Amara would know. care? different story, but certainly know if shes lost a construct.

>>3851327
i disagree, for reasons ive stated earlier.

random thought, but does being made of candy make one more susceptible to gluttonous abilities?

>>3851193

I think we should talk to Ivey, try to get a read on how things are likely to go with Yurei. That said, asking if it's okay if we have some of our Buzzlers wrap up a Tindalos-bag for Amara is too on point for us.

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>>3851193

"Hey, does Yurei mind if we take a few snacks and sweets as a souvenir? I've got an adorable little girl back home who would pout if I didn't." You ask, and Ivey shrugs.

“Knock yourself out. Yurei’s got more than enough to spare, so go nuts.”

“Thanks for the info, Ivey. Good luck on finding more prospects, and I’ll be seeing you.” You say, mirroring the little salute she gives you as you and Gina make your way through the milling crowd to pick up a select few confections to bring back to your favorite Skintalker. After managing to gather a fine selection from what Sugar’s left behind, you and Gina make your way out of the room and across the hall to the library, finding a cavernous space filled wall-to-wall with books of every shape and color, their multitudinous colors forming the walls of the two-story library. There are considerably less Daughters here than in the dining area, and as you glance between the myriad of girl around the room, you realize there’s one young woman present who has to be who you’re looking for.

In a room with few faces, she has none at all.

You approach the girl as she flips through a copy of Metamorphosis, gently closing the weathered volume and replacing it on the bookcase before turning to face you. You realize it’s not so much that she doesn’t have features, and more that what she does possess you can’t quite fathom. Eyes, a nose, a mouth…she has all of these, but your mind simply refuses to compile those scraps of information into a cohesive whole, leaving you with a scrambled, ever-shifting phantasm with an inscrutable expression.

“Shu the Defiant, as I live and breathe.” The shard says as you stop before her, your eyes trying to focus on a visage that refuses to make sense. “A pleasure, though not a surprise.”

“Gemma.” You say, just before a flicker of doubt flits through your mind. “Do you go by Gemma, or…?”

“That’s fine. The rest of my friends call me Sia, but that’s more my little joke, than anything.” She replies, her shoulders rising up and down in a small shrug. “I’d assume it was your little Skintalker that was following us earlier? Sorry for giving her the slip with my abilities, but I don’t really like being followed, not with one of the shards on my tail. Rest assured, she’s fine.”

“On your tail?” Gina echoes, her Halo working to make sense of the other girl’s intentions.

“Some of the shards of our predecessor are rather forceful in their desire to reunite into a cohesive whole. It appears that the Gemma shard your ally possesses has recently begun broadcasting your sculptress’ location to the other, more militant members of our little involuntary collective.”

Your eyes widen a fraction, and Gemma…or rather, Sia just huffs out a bitter sigh.

(Continued)

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>>3851439

“What I’d assume your shard hasn’t elaborated on is that while there are plenty of shards that seek to reunite their disparate parts, there are just as many that are rather enjoying not being a cog in a mad, screaming machine…present company included.” She explains, crossing her arms. “I’m guessing Gemma skimmed the part where most of our fragments were out of their minds, hm?”

<She’s telling the truth…I think? It’s really hard to tell, her mind’s like a radio station that keeps switching every few seconds, so…god, this is weird to filter through> Gina says, confusion and strained focus evident in her tone.

“Why?” You ask, trying to wrap your head around the shards’ private war. “Why come back together, if it’s miserable?”

“Different reasons.” She replies, glancing back to the shelf as she thumbs through the collected volumes. “Some want to become the dominant shard, others want to delete the others to come out on top. None of us can quite put our fingers on it, that desire to be whole again. It’s just a bunch of girls fighting over limited real estate. Sound familiar, Defiant?”

Your eyes narrow, and she just laughs.

“It’s a Neuromancer’s business to know…same with Skintalkers and Conduits.” She muses, her index finger lingering on the spine of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde. “I wonder what your lesser half is up to, now?”

“Holy cow, look who it is!”

The voice from behind you is a high, carefree sort of thing, and as you turn to the source you find a girl dressed in a sweater with a curious mask covering the lower half of her face. Her hair’s drawn back into a ponytail, a warm smile evident in the curve of her cheeks and the twinkle in her eyes. Behind her traipses an awkwardly tall young woman with raven hair, her odd gait reminding you amusingly of a giraffe made of jelly. The blonde closes the gap with starling speed, and before you can stop her she’s wrapped you up in a tight hug much to your and Gina’s chagrin.

“H-hey. Do I know you?” You stutter, straining for breath before the girl mercifully releases her bear hug, keeping her hands on your shoulders as she beams at you.

“Nope! But you’re Shu the Defiant, right?...Sia, I’m right, right?” The girl asks, suddenly uncertain of her enthusiastic greeting as she glances past you to her ally.

“Shu, meet Rosa. Our leader, for better or worse.” The Neuromancer sighs as the dark-haired girl behind Rosa gives a wave with one spindly hand, and the maid that escorted them to their friend clears her throat with a dainty cough.

“Madame Yurei will see you now.” The maid intones with a low bow, glancing between you and the Barbers. “When you are free, that is.”

>>Continue speaking with the Barbers. They’re…not what you expected, for certain.

>>It’s time. Go speak with Yurei, as you have a few questions for her (Write-In).

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

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

>>3851443
>>3851445
wait, so Gemma is intentionally sending her location outward? well damn, thats fucked up. we have a way to send word to Julia about that? we do have Hive Phones, i think?

>>3851443
>Ask Sia for quick clarification. she specifically said 'militant' members, which makes it seem like our Gemma is intentionally trying to be found.
>If we have a way, send a warning to Julia about what may be going on.
>Go speak with Yurei, best not to hold her up.
>Thank the Barbers for their time, and mention if they would like to speak more, you would be more than happy to get to know them, but with Yurei already bumping your spot in the line up, it would be rude to her and those you're cutting infront of to hold the line up.

>>3851443
>>3851450
oh, also
>Give Sia reassurances neither you or your team will force unification on anyone. hell, even if it came to a fight, you would still keep those consciousnesses that wish to be individuals separate from the collective, for what its worth.

>>3851450
(You are correct, and Julia can absolutely be informed.)

>>3851453
well, glad we can get word to her, but thats still pretty damn backstabby of Gemma. it was hinted there may be uncontrollable signaling we knew about, butspecifically drawing the attention of those most likely to collect her?

to think i went out of my way to try and make sure she was still included and contributing to the team, the bitch. guess fuck that shit, she needs to go. betrayal is basically my biggest beef as the saying goes. at least even damn bloody West tells you where she stands.

>>3851443
>Try and give Julia a warning that she may soon be targeted by a militant member of the Gemmas
>A clarification from Sia would be useful as well. Mostly who she thinks is most likely to target us
>also tell her: "I think Julia and i will need to have a talk with our Gemma. We wont force you to reunite with her"


>Talk to the Barbers before meeting with Yurei "Well i dont want to keep our host waiting after she made sure i could cut the line. However I would like to get to know you after my talk with Yurei. If you can afford to wait a bit i think my buisness with her is gonna be quick. And i think i have gotten a bit of a stained first impression of your group through my sources. I dont think they like you very much."

>Go speak with Yurei

>>3851457
I agree we need to have a talk with her and have to throw her out if she is unrepentant. She is compromising not only Julias life but also possibly the lair and everyone who is with Julia.

If it was not under her control fine but not if she is gonna actively draw in new and dangerous enemies everywhere we go. That is a clear step over the line we tried to draw.

>>3851466
indeed.
honestly the 'best case' i can see is she thought 'if i draw in the militant ones, you guys get a power boost and i get shards you probably were gonna give me anyways, so why not speed the process up?'
but personally thats still way over the line and unacceptable. dammit i knew she was gonna be trouble but i didn't expect going behind our backs type of trouble.

>>3851443
> “For better or worse eh? what shenanigans did you rope them into Rose?” say that in a joking manner.

ah fuck. the important questions that I would have had is canceled because I’m at work...

>tell Sia this: “We’ll talk later.”
>>3851466
Fuck, didn’t We give her that speech about Gemma Running away from her problems when she initially came to us and wanted us to eat her?
I think that speech’s effect is biting us in the ass.
I would have loved to be able to work on this but I’m at work right now so I can’t get back to this until late in the evening.

>>3851484
apparently 4chan ate my post, such is life.

to be fair, Gemma outright twisted half our point and ignored the other half we were trying to make to her, so honestly that ones not on us i think its fair to say. i think this Shard was just naturally never going to be for our way of doing things.

>>3851484
>That speeches effect is biting us in the ass

maybe we should make sure to talk to her and tell her we will throw her out if she makes things difficult for us. There is a reason we want our hideout to remain secret. And drawing people there is dangerous for all involved. We might have to go ahead and crystalize her. It wold be a shame to have to do it but might ber our only option aside form outright purging her.

She is also someone we might not want to revive after the crucible. I dont think it is something she woulld want to life as her entire life was probably hell.

>>3851514
i think we've had this talk before, but i dont think its right or a good idea for us to try and be the arbiters of who comes back or not.

that, and it might not be possible to be picky, not even just if its even an option, but several billion people is alot to try and sort through.

>>3851443

As someone who functions with D.I.D and married someone who also had it: 1st, BHOP, Gemma is a personal horror story for me. Thank you. Having each of my alters wake up separate, fuck me running with a chainsaw that would be awful not just for me, but for those around some of them. 2nd, our Gemma just made my very, very, very personal and limited shit list.

We tell Julia. Now. I know what kind of monsters an alter without others to compensate can be, and Julia is in danger.

That said, other than that, I literally cannot vote beyond that because I'm so personally incensed.

>>3851559
D.I.D?

and i understand the feeling.

>>3851514
>>3851547
another point this does bring up is the difficult question of what happens to use when our old selves come back? while we still dont know Sia well enough to be sure shes a good person, i wouldn't wish being trapped in another's head in the situation she implied even on West, yet for all we know bringing everyone back will unavoidably force that on her. hopefully not, but we'll have to see our options when we get there i guess. im not a greater good kinda guy, but there does come a sad point we might have to think of the bigger picture of what will be best for the most amount of people, even if its still a shitty deal for a good chunk of people. questions for later, i suppose.

>>3851568
disassociate Identity Disorder

>>3851568

Disassociate Identity Disorder. The overarching diagnosis where the old Multiple Personality disorder now lives. I'm figuring Gemma's docile/young alters are well and truly consumed now.

Also, the fact that Gemma is operating independently while within Julia is not surprising to me. It's just another form of a personality cluster-mind. It would be normal, by her own normality, to do so.

>>3851574
>>3851585
ah, thanks. knew it had to do with the subject matter, but didnt know it was the exact same thing as MPD.

>>3851585
unsure really. there was what? 52 i think of her? number must be alot lower now though yeah, even our Gina has a few mixed back into her, and alot seek it out too. should've had Shu count the number of screens Gemma had, though i suppose Gina could help us relook at the memory.

not sure what you mean by the second part, as all dream daughters operate 'independently' inside our characters heads. unless you mean the whole 'backstabbing Julia and us for her own gain' part specifically.

>>3851601

How do I explain this... Our Gemma (O.Gemma) would have had a lifetime (or however long from the trauma that "split" her) of riding "backseat" in one body and likely an internal image of pulling the strings while not in the "pilot" seat. Especially with how many alters pre-Crucible Gemma had, and how hostile they seem to each other, O.Gemma would be well practiced at background manipulations while inside another's "head".

What I'm so angry about isn't that Gemma wants to merge, but that she's being a very bad alter inside of Julia, right now. She's finally in a situation where she could have a functional council with the other Dream Daughters and Julia, but has chosen old poor habits.

>>3851621
it really feels like the merge group of Gemmas biggest issue is they dont actually understand what being an individual means, and/or feel they cant be an individual if another alter exists, which by existing separably already proves that wrong.

also feels like a waste. here they are finally truly their own person, and they cant let go of when they weren't.

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>>3851443

[Gina, reach out to Julia and warn her group about Gemma and what might be coming] You order, Gina’s eyes immediately flickering with amethyst as she stretches her warning across the miles that separate you and her family.

<Done. They're fine, 'cept for Amara wanting to go over budget>

"I think we'll need to have a talk with our Gemma.” You say aloud, turning to Sia. “We won’t force you or anyone else to reunite with her.”

Sia nods as Rosa clasps her hands in front of her, making a sound of delight. “Ahhhh, you’re so heckin’ cool! So much cooler than I even thought you’d be!”

“Uh…thanks.” You say, a little put off at the Barber’s rampant fangirling as you shift your focus back to Sia. “About what you said earlier…any insight on who’s most likely to target us?”

“No guarantees, but there’s a Fibromancer that's close to your team, but since your friends are in Laoc you shouldn’t have much to worry about. The mayor’s a real ball-buster and is familiar with the shard situation from previous scuffles, so your team’ll be fine.”

"Good to know, thanks. Well, I dont want to keep our host waiting, but I would like to get to know you all after my talk with Yurei.” You state, prompting a small hop of joy from Rosa and a much smaller bow from the tall girl behind her. “If you can afford to wait a bit I think we should finish quickly."

“Yes! Heck yes, absolutely! We’ll totally wait for you!” Rosa immediately assents, to which Sia just shrugs. Rosa shakes your hand vehemently before you’re able to part ways with them, following the maid as she leads you back to the mansion’s entrance. You meet Rath and Francine in the mezzanine, finding the two of them waiting for you and immersed in a conversation regarding the heights the Forges could be pushed to, should a Forge Core be exposed and altered by an Engine’s power. They pause at your approach, and the four of you follow the maid in silence as she gestures for you to follow her deeper into the mansions’ depths. Slowly, the sounds of the other guests begin to fade until the only sound that echoes in the narrowing hallway is that of your own feet on the carpet, of your lungs inhaling and exhaling, interspersed with the pulse of your heart. Finally, the maid stops at a pair of double doors, gently pushing them open with her gloved hands.

The chamber beyond is a cozy, cloth-draped expanse of room, every surface decorated with linens and shawls, held aloft by a variety of aged vases and elaborate candlesticks. In the center of it all, is a small, circular table, and at the further point stands an older woman with one hand on her chair, a jacket draped over her shoulders. A long, slender cigarette dangles loose from the corner of her lips, her dull yellow eyes slowly scanning you and your family before she gestures to the other four chairs that surround the table.

“Shall we?” Yurei asks in a deep, smoky voice.

(Continued)

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>>3851681

You pull out Gina’s chair before you take a seat yourself, finding it surprisingly comfortable as you adjust your dress. Yurei waits for you all to sit before she does the same, moving with such slow deliberation that you think at first that she’s doing so to put on an air of gravitas, at least before you see her wince slightly as she does so.

“Seeing as how I respect not only your time but also the limits of your patience, I’ll endeavor to make this relatively succinct.” She says, taking a long drag off her cigarette as you watch it dwindle. “The Crucible, the Cord, the Hunger…it’s all designed to fail. In combing through past Crucibles via Carroll’s Forest, I found that in the seven-hundred-and-seventy-six previous ones there has not been a single species that have emerged unbroken by the process. It broke them all, and it will break us if we continue to play by its rules. Of the hell on earth that this thing has wrought, it’s also given us an opportunity, one that cannot go overlooked.”

She inhales, exhaling a thin trail of smoke that curls to the ceiling as she studies your eyes impassively.

“Rape. Murder. Cruelty, in limitless variety. Mankind’s picked up a laundry list of habits, habits that we’ve insisted on repeating, over and over for our relatively short existence. Why? Lust. Hunger. Want. We can’t escape these things, by the very virtue of our existence. It’s pointless to try.”

“Pardon me for saying so, but as much as people suck you’re makin’ it sound like we’re kind of hopeless.” Rath says, regarding the older woman with a raised eyebrow.

“Not at all. On the contrary, I have nothing but hope for us to be something absolutely incredible…under the right conditions.” Yurei replies with a weary smile. “As long as we are tied to a mortal, physical existence, with all that it entails, we can never escape the cycles we’re trapped in…but humanity’s been presented a chance unlike any we’ve ever had. The chance to escape the confines of…all this, and become something that has a legitimate chance to become something better.”

“In the Dreamscape.” You say, and she looks at you for a long moment before nodding.

“In the Dreamscape.” She replies. “Hunger’s hard-coded into the Crucible. It’s not something that can be played with, and it’s the main drawback with trying to exist in the Fleshscape while in this form. Amalgams will run out, we will begin to succumb, and that is unavoidable. It is a cold, hard fact…but existence in the Cord circumvents this entirely. The Crucible cannot end unless a winner is decided, and the Crucible has no winners, not truly.”

She taps her cigarette out on an ashtray you didn’t notice on the table before, taking a moment to collect herself before gesturing to you.

“I could go on…but as I said, I respect your time. You have questions…”

She sighs.

“…and I have answers.”

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(Voting shall remain open for the next two hours, Gentlemen. I hope you are having a great day, one and all.)

>>3851685
>"So you want to put everyone in the dreamscape inside the Cord? Correct?"
>"What happens to those that dont want that?"

>"You want to hack the cord. How do you plan on doing so? Sheer Numbehrs of Neuromancers? I am sure you are aware that the cord will test more than just the physical strength f those that enter?"

>"So lets say everyone was on board with living inside the Cord in the Dreamscape. What will you do if there is a threat from outside? A threat from lets say an alien predator so vast and powerful it can consume event he Crucible? Would you just go out and die? This smells to me like a path with no way back to defend the paradise you have created for yourself. Or hell the crucible just spawns raw daughter constructs from before tthey were released into the crucible and one day one of them will be mad enough to climb the cord and end it all. She may even resent you for what you have done. And then we would have an Ozmas2.0 on our hands that would do anything in her power to make us as miserable as possible"

>"What would happen to someone that wanted to leave? What if someone was not satisfied with how things were going?"

>"What about those that are stored inside the cord. Those that dream there that were never released into the crucibel either because they are male or just lacked the drive to sruvive at any cost."

Those are the Questions i could think of right now. I might add to them later on

>>3851688
OH i had a great day. Almost murdered my party with demonic snake monstrosities while they were transporting teleporting infernal monster cats with tentacle tails

Thanks for asking

I hope your day has been good as well

>>3851685

"What you describe is definitely your idea of Heaven, but certainly not everyone's. What do we do with those who don't want to go? Secondly, if you're really putting 'us' into the Dreamscape, what about those who want rape, murder, and cruelty? What happens with them? Even if everyone gets their own personal Nirvana, what then. The Crucible is still bound by physical laws, so the computing power is finite. Eventually we'd all just be competing over processing power anyways."

"Finally, what about the Mother of All? Tell me if you're aware of it, and what you know of it, because if that 800 pound gorilla isn't accounted for in your plans, we have some very bad news."

>>3851688
Mostly good. Got real busy the past couple hours and missed the conversation with Sia, bit annoying in that because it looked like some interesting discussion was had during it, but I'm caught up on that now. Oh, Gemma. I'm not surprised you're drawing in the other shards, I was kind of expecting that already, but I am disappointed that it's a conscious choice.

How about you, BHOP, how's your day been?

>>3851685
>"well, that certainly sounds nice, but what about those that dont want that?"
>"Its one thing to avoid letting anyone win, but its another to force the dreamscape upon everyone. "
>"the way i see it, no one, not me, not you, not any person or group, has any right to decide what path humanity takes for the rest of us, especially not for those trapped inside the cord as of now."
>"its not our place to decide how humanity will be, only defend peoples chance to choose themselves... and yes, put those down who would prevent that for others, if we have the ability to."
>"My Goal Yurei, is to give humanity back its freedom and its chance to have a future. what people choose to do from there, will be up to them. I nor anyone else has any right to choose their future for them, or what is truly best for them. they will all have to do that on their own."

>"And thats just the moral side of things, but what about the practical?"
>"even if you could convince every single person to go along with this, that doesn't mean the real world stops existing."
>"You would need someone, or something humanity controls, to stay outside and defend whatever holds our dreamscape."
>"Yet no matter what you do, that will still leave us vulnerable, to the accidents or whims of the universe or any person or creature left behind, no place left to run, no way left to fight."

>"If this is what you and your group wish for, then im not against it for you. but i cant support, condone, or overlook forcing this path on those that dont want it, both those daughters alive now and those trapped inside the cord. people must have the right to choose their own path, make their own choices. all we have a right to do is stop individuals as they would prevent that for others, as individuals. individually."

>>3851688
im doing fine. hard to time my naps though with when you'll actually post the updates though, heh.

>>3851688
In order of importance:
How do you know people can be put into the cord and retain their sentience? (Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I think in the past it's been said that the beings in the cord are more or less in stasis)
Questions per
>>3851736
Are you aware that there are other things in the universe that hunt the crucible?

I think for most people this plan is going to be a no-go but I at least want to gather all the info we can.


Also, holy crap 776 (meaning we are lucky no 777) previous iterations. I'd love to predict how old the crucible is but its entirely dependent on how fast it travels because the fighting part of the crucible is so short. I don't remember any distance info being given from the Hexane on how far away their planet was or how far away they saw it but we might be able to ask. At the very least, sentient life in the universe is pretty common which is a nice thought.

I was going to say something about computing all of humanity being relatively cheap compared to the energy of sunlight on the Earth, but when I did the back of the envelope math it ended up being much less margin that I expected, even at 100% efficiency. So that may be a very valid concern.

>>3851791
crucibles old, damn old. id have to look back for the exact info, but we have been told how long it took for it to go from the Hexxane world to ours, or close enough to get an idea of things from.

and yes, the beings in the Cord are in stasis, i think it was described as being like Isabelle in her crystal. literally eternal sleep, actual sleep, not like how being a dream daughter it.

also the cords already doing much more than computing all of humanity, so id say the solution to that at least is already there.

>>3851791
>Also, holy crap 776 (meaning we are lucky no 777) previous iterations. I'd love to predict how old the crucible is but its entirely dependent on how fast it travels because the fighting part of the crucible is so short. I don't remember any distance info being given from the Hexane on how far away their planet was or how far away they saw it but we might be able to ask. At the very least, sentient life in the universe is pretty common which is a nice thought.
According to West's notes, the Crucible spent several thousand years in transit before it reached Earth. So either it doesn't actually have FTL travel or life is relatively far apart. Or Ozmas sulking just slowed down the process, that's possible. But if we consider that time frame as representative, then the Crucible is...actually not that old, really. Like, it's older than the human species, but in the lifespan of the universe? Miniscule. That's actually kind of cool, then, if seven hundred and seventy-seven different sapient beings have all evolved within less than ten million years of each other. Better than a lot of people's estimates.

>I was going to say something about computing all of humanity being relatively cheap compared to the energy of sunlight on the Earth, but when I did the back of the envelope math it ended up being much less margin that I expected, even at 100% efficiency. So that may be a very valid concern.
I'm getting a fairly feasible number of one hundred and forty megawatts. A human brain draws about twenty watts to power itself. Assume that the Crucible's hyper-advanced alien biotech can get a thousand times more efficient. So for seven billion humans you require one hundred and forty megawatts. Solar power density in Earth orbit is one thousand three hundred and sixty-eight watts per square meter. At one hundred percent efficiency you'd only need a collector one hundred and two thousand meters square, or about three hundred and twenty meters on a side. Plenty plausible. At least, just for the humans. You'd need more power to account for their virtual environment, but I still think you'd get a decent margin even with only 30% efficiency for your solar collectors.

>>3851791
>>3851800
I just did the math out on paper because I was suddenly really curious. Using Wikipedia numbers for sunlight power incident on the Earth (1kW/m2), radius (6378km), and power usage of a human brain (20W), it looks like the Earth gets ~600x the energy required to simulate all humans if you have 0 overhead. As soon as you start adding simulation overhead and deciding if you want to simulate the Hexane or the Doggos or whoever else, it drops rapidly. And because the next question is probably what about geothermal, it doesn't even hold a candle to the sun, I ballparked geothermal at ~2% the input from the sun.

For our purposes and for the next ~5 billion years it's fine until the sun expands and kills us. But for a traveling Crucible that doesn't work, it just doesn't have enough energy to keep everyone awake when probably 90%+ of its life is in deep space with low energy input. Honestly, that is a VERY good reason for why all sentient beings need to be in stasis and I'm gonna give mad points to BHOP for it regardless of whether he thought this far ahead or not.

Also I think you are right and we do have the number because it's something Mother complained about.

>>3851823
>>3851824
assuming between 3-5 thousand years between earth and the Hexxane world, and given a rough estimate of an average of 1-10 thousand years between worlds(based on the fact the Hexxane even had a chance to inspect the Crucible beforehand imply its last victim was unusually close to them, but also assuming i think safely thats not the usual case and the Crucible probably does have a limit power supply to go off of).

thats 777,000- 7,770,000 years old yeah. not old at all.
(Easy math mind you, but still never hurts to put it down in writing.)

interesting to note even at its possible youngest time between each crucible, it could easily be seeing a Race and going at them when they are only first showing signs of sentience, i wonder how close it often cuts it to the species having a viable escape route, or tech that can hurt it? i mean, it clearly 'wins' in those situations, but its still interesting to think how much its end target will have changed and advanced since it picked them out to consume next.

>>3851823
Several thousand years would be ridiculously fast, if that's really the case I can't believe I skimmed over that. That would mean sentient life definitely within the Milky Way, basically within our backyard. A thousand light years is nothing compared to how far apart stuff normally is.
Although none of that is taking relativity into account... If the crucible travels at a significant portion of the speed of light then Mother's recollection is meaningless. And also energy requirements skyrocket, moving stuff to the speed of light and back is hard.

I think it's a huge step to say the Crucible can make human brains 1000x more efficient, humans brains are already pretty efficient and if you start removing stuff you start losing parts of yourself pretty quick. I'd buy maybe 10x. Silicon is way more efficient in terms of pure calculating power but that's not meat based anymore.

>>3851685
>"I do have questions, yes, quite a few. Firstly, the big one: What are you going to do about the Crucible's life cycle? I can't condone any plan that leaves it still functional and consuming other worlds while we remain observers locked inside the Cord. I refuse to repeat the Tindalos Hounds' mistake. My team is working on a plan to sterilize the Crucible, keep it from completing its cycle so that it remains here on Earth forever. Is that compatible with your own ideas?"
>"Secondly, what are you going to do about holdouts? I'm sure you'd be able to recruit most of the population, given the alternatives, but I'm sure some will resist. We could force them to upload, or leave them to die in the fleshscape, but I think that would go against the principle of wanting humanity to become something better. Some of humanity's worst episodes have come from taking away choice or ignoring the suffering of others. Are you going to do some sort of humanitarian mission, provide them with resources to sustain themselves?"
>"I'd think you'd have to have some realspace resources and agents anyway, right? If the Crucible has taught us anything, it's that the cosmos is a dangerous place. We need to be able to protect ourselves if another world-eater comes along. What are your intentions for protecting and sustain the Cord?"

>>3851861
>>3851701
>>3851736
while i think we're all agreeing on over arching ideas here, id kinda still like to lay out our own limits and caveats to her, as i really dont think her answer is going to change our opinion on certain potential aspects of her plan. or well, she may of thought of a work around, but more that deciding this or at least forcing it on the unwilling is simply not something Shu or her family would condone, and i guess i dont see the point in not letting her know that and some other things before we go any further.

no reason we cant be firm, we arent technically having to accuse her of actually wanting to do that either, just be more firm in making sure its clear where we stand on an obvious issue with her plan. that, and it could save us alot of time with the conversation, depending on her opinion on that.

>>3851878
(You're welcome to refine your questions, as I've just arrived home and will be starting on dinner soon. I'll post when I resume writing.)

(Also, my thanks to everyone that asked after my day; it was productive for both writing and work, which has been pleasing. Also, tomorrow evening looks to be open for rapid-posting, so would that work for everyone?)

>>3851887
glad to hear your days going well. rapid posting should work for me.

>>3851887
that would be fine for me

>>3851857
Yeah, the faster the Crucible travels the farther apart life has to be, especially once relativistic time dilation comes into play. I'd imagine it goes with the lowest-energy solution it can, but given that it probably has a reactionless drive in order to sneak up on us (even with Earth's crappy telescope programs, no way we missed a planet-sized mass decelerating via a reaction thruster) the physics involved gets weird and the energy consumption required does not behave in intuitive ways. And if it has FTL, then who knows how far it travels. Still, life probably isn't that far apart. I like that, it's a nice thing to have in this setting. Now if only space monsters didn't keep eating planets, we'd be golden.

I'm not too sure that a thousand times more efficient computation is necessarily that huge a step, given Crucible biomass's capabilities and the known alterations to Daughters' neurology. But even if we were running on baseline human brain efficiency, that's still only a one hundred percent efficient collector ten kilometers on a side to accommodate the entire species. At twenty-two percent collection efficiency (the current state of the art for real solar collectors) that increases to twenty-one kilometers on a side, but that's still quite reasonable for space construction.

>>3851887
Rapid posting tomorrow works fine for me, BHOP. Glad to hear your day went well.

>>3848948
>Trypophilic Hive V 3
We lost our rooks :_(

>>3851929
(Ah! I can't have that, so it's on the list of fixes. Thank you for catching it!)

>>3851878
Yeah, we can probably consolidate and refine our points. I'll give it a try after I'm done with dinner, not sure I'll get anything good, though.

>>3851926
Just to be clear, I'm not suggesting that on Earth we have any energy problems at all. I was more couching it in terms of the fact that the Crucible must gather and store a certain amount of energy to use on it's travels from star to star. The amount of extra energy we had to play with was a lot less than I expected.

If we just wanna stay near the Sun, we could move closer and get massively increased amounts of energy pretty easily. Might as well simulate all things the Crucible has absorbed at that point.

>>3851685
I also just realized we might wanna ask about the first Crucible if we have time, if we know more about how it worked originally we might be able to break it (assuming she's honest with us). We know that's where the "no boys allowed" rule came from but not much else.

>>3851977
>Just to be clear, I'm not suggesting that on Earth we have any energy problems at all. I was more couching it in terms of the fact that the Crucible must gather and store a certain amount of energy to use on it's travels from star to star. The amount of extra energy we had to play with was a lot less than I expected.
Ah, I see. I wasn't thinking in those terms because I'd really hope that Yurei isn't going to keep sailing the stars eating worlds.

>We know that's where the "no boys allowed" rule came from but not much else.
No, "no boys allowed" came from the Tindalos Hounds' Crucible, which was early but not the first.

>>3851945
Nope, I'm blanking. Sorry, I keep trying to come up with a more concise way of saying things and it's just not coming.

>>3852004
(No worries, I'm relatively close to finishing the updates, if you'd like for me to drop it soon and then allow you a chance to respond to her answers.)

>>3851977
How the crucible first worked really doesn't matter. The coding has still changed and we are and have to deal with the current version and how it works, any info we need to learn will be in our crucible already.

That, and we kinda have much bigger caveats to ask about, ones that could decide if shes an enemy or not levels of more important.

>>3852007
Take your time and just consolidate our replies as you can, you've done a good job of it in the past.

>>3852007
Yeah, let's just move on. I'll be able to say things better after she's said more things. Thanks for doing what you can to consolidate our replies, BHOP.

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>>3851685

"So you want to put everyone in the Dreamscape, specifically inside the Cord? Correct?" You ask, and you're met with a solemn nod as Yurei takes another long drag on her equally long cigarette. "You want to hack it, so how do you plan on doing so? Sheer numbers of Neuromancers? I am sure you are aware that the Cord will test more than just the physical strength of those that enter?"

"Keenly aware, yes. I've witnessed the exploits of previous Crucible 'winners', and it will only take one person to initiate the hack, with either the Phantasmal or Neurotic Halo." She explains breezily, with Rath stiffening at the mention of the latter. "Both, if one could manage it. As far as getting up there, then it's purely a numbers game, but Conduits and Hive mistresses have a considerable advantage in their climbs, if they can just get past the initial floors. They're not terribly kind to constructs, you see."

"Alright...so lets say everyone was on board with living inside the Cord in the Dreamscape. What will you do if there is a threat from outside?" You posit, watching her tap her ashes into the empty ashtray. "A threat from, lets say, an alien predator so vast and powerful it can consume even the Crucible? If all this has taught us anything, it's that the cosmos is a dangerous place. We need to be able to protect ourselves if another world-eater comes along. What are your intentions for protecting and sustaining the Cord?"

"The Crucible, while a thing of incredible power, is still beholden to certain core rules." Yurei begins as you watch her cigarette dwindle down from its considerable length. "It will defend itself, as it has for eons. And while there are certainly things that swim in the vastness of space that could devour us, would we really stand a chance in or out of the Dreamscape? You're saying we could have a 'chance' to defend ourselves, but we were helpless before the Crucible's might...what power could we muster against that which preys upon it? In any case, my plan would essentially render the entire entity that we inhabit relatively inert, so that would take care of keeping us off the dietary radar of any predators. The threat will always exist; I'm merely positing a solution for our continued existence and betterment."

"What would happen to someone that wanted to leave? What if someone was not satisfied with how things were going inside the Dreamscape?" You counter, her eyes studying yours intently. "And what of those that are stored inside the cord, those that dreams there that were never released into the Crucible either because they are male or just lacked the drive to survive at any cost?"

"We'll have processing power enough for them, and then some. Men, women, children...I intend to save them all" Yurei dismisses, tapping her ash into the empty tray. "Additionally, switching up the simulation would be a trivial thing for those that weren't satisfied with their current scenario."

(Continued)

>>3852027

"Well, that certainly sounds nice, but what about those that don't want that?" You start, Yurei's eyes flickering with a curious expression. "It's one thing to avoid letting anyone win, but its another to force the Dreamscape upon everyone...which is the only way to do what you're planning, if I'm not mistaken."

She merely gives a little shrug, at that.

"What you describe is definitely your idea of Heaven, but certainly not everyone's. What do we do with those who don't want to go? Secondly, if you're really putting 'us' into the Dreamscape, what about those who want rape, murder, and cruelty? What happens with them? Even if everyone gets their own personal Nirvana, what then? The Crucible is still bound by physical laws, so the computing power is finite, regardless of what you say. Eventually we'd all just be competing over it anyways."

"...You're a Hive Mistress Core, yes?"

The question takes you off guard, so it takes a moment for you to nod.

"How do you explain what you can do, mechanically speaking?" She asks, leaning forward on her elbows. "How can you explain how we process and pump out more material that we have any right to? How we can ignite our bodies, burning fuel that we should by no rights have the ability to hold, let alone fight with. You can't. No one can. It's not a purely biological thing, not anymore. You've seen the Tindalos, how they move through what we conceptualize as time and space. There are processes that we lack the capacity to fully explain, and they're happening around us. IN us, as we speak. There's something more to how we work in the Crucible that the nuts and bolts of known physics, at least how we know them. We are doing the impossible on a daily basis...so processing isn't going to be an issue when I get the ball rolling."

"You seem terribly confident in your powers." Gina chimes in, her tone light, more curious than accusatory. "That sort of confidence comes from having a plan and knowing your limits, in my experience."

At this, Yurei softly smiles, setting her unlit cigarette down on the empty table.

Wait.

You blink, and it's gone.

"Four years." She says as the table vanishes, you and everyone else standing in an empty room as your allies struggle to comprehend what they're seeing, and what they're not. "It's a long time to spend in the Fleshscape, fighting to stay alive...but there comes a point when you pass that, and your existence stabilizes. It was like when I finally hit my stride in my programming career, when I stopped fighting for scraps, when I knew I'd finally made it."

You're standing outside with everyone, the vastness of the moor stretching out as far as the eye can see.

(Continued)

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>>3852032

"This...is this Neuromancy?" Gina breathes, whirling around as Rath just stares out into the mist, stunned. "I couldn't...I didn't even realize...what is this?"

"Neuromancy, and Phantasmal manipulation." Yurei admits, the swamp underfoot turning to wood, then carpet, then your body back in your chair. "You talk of processing power. We miss almost ten percent of our day, solely through the act of blinking. Magenta, the color? It doesn't exist. It's merely a stop-gap that our brain makes because it can't explain what it's seeing. Our entire experience is merely the result of a fourteen-hundred gram lump of flesh trying its damnedest to make sense of what it sees through a severely limited and lackluster set of senses. You take those gaps, those shortcuts, and you stretch them out, just a little bit? Reality can be anything you make it, Heartbound. We have paradise, at our fingertips. A personal nirvana, for everyone in existence. It's so close...all we have to do is reach out and grasp it."

You breathe in, at the same moment Yurei take a drag on a cigarette you're not even sure exists.

"Four years." She echoes, thin curls of smoke slithering to the ceiling as she speaks. "It's a long time...and I've taken every spare second to consider how to turn this hell into a paradise. Will we be taking the reigns of free will in our hands? Yes. Am I planning on drawing everyone, living and dreaming, into the Dreamscape? Absolutely. You may think it radical, but I beg that you consider the following..."

Yurei's cigarette disappears as she reclines in her chair, watching your eyes with intense focus as she speaks.

"If you intend to give others the freedom to choose their own path, would you rather loose them back into the hell they just left, or would you grant them a reprieve from that which drags them down to grovel at their baser instincts? I'll say it again; I have hope for humanity...just not for the world they inhabited, and the things it put them through. Before you speak, think on your solution. Does it offer humanity, as a whole, a platform from which to grow and make the choices that will elevate us beyond the cycles we've trapped ourselves in..."

She shrugs.

"...or are you simply repeating what's been done to death since the dawn of man? I'm eager to hear your answer, Shu the Defiant."

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(Gentlemen, I shall be pausing here for the evening. I left out some aspects of your replies, as I believe that Yurei's explanation of her ideology may bring cause for some of you to address the points she's bringing up and adjust accordingly. In any case, thank you all for your magnificent replies, as well as your continued participation. Voting shall remain open for the next twelve hours, with posting to resume in approximately fourteen. I shall be around for a little longer this evening, so feel free to post any questions, comments, or concerns you may have, as I'll be happy to address them all. I hope everyone present and reading this in the future has a restful evening, one and all.)

>>3852034
Ha, I thought that the "you didn't notice her cigarette" thing was a hint we were in an illusion.

Also, four years? The Crucible has only been going on for two years, we thought. Is Yurei talking about subjective time, she's increased her clock rate so however long she's been awake feels like four years?

>>3852044
Thanks for running, BHOP. If you're excuse me, I'm going to go listen to a bunch of Carl Sagan speeches for inspiration on my response. I think it will be appropriate for this lady.

>>3852034
I'm of the personal opinion that everyone has the right to struggle and growth, and the right to end at some point. Any investiture of people into a simulation rids them of these opportunities in a psuedo-objectively real sense, although subjectively the specifics of the simulation will determine whether their rights are preserved.

This brings along the question of ***details***.

When laid out in broad strokes, there's little enough to argue with in Madame Yurei's plan. Any possible objection can be met by a counter-point of her own "well then I'll make /that/ person's simulation like or unlike that to counter your point". However, upon looking a step deeper this beggars the question of HOW and WHO exactly is going to be responsible for the minutiae of any simulating going on. Does every person have control of their own zone? If so, how is processing power apportioned to them? Is there an administrator? If so then the system will inevitably become unjust.

Personally I'm vaguely against her plan in the broad strokes as it is presented now. Humanity as a whole has as much a right to struggle, a right to the chance of failure through their own actions of those outside their control, and the right to the chance of success in turn, as any individual. To say we're trapped in a repeating cycle is nonsense, when you look upon the past 10,000 years of human civilization there is a consistent rise in all qualities good. Every fall backwards serves only as a platform from which we correct ourselves and soar to ever greater heights, and that very act of experiencing setback and powering through (or succumbing as the case may be) is essential to the act of living itself.

Anyway, just my thoughts on the matter.

>>3852049
2 years since B'Ni awoke, we don't know how long she was in her pod.

>>3852092
>2 years since B'Ni awoke, we don't know how long she was in her pod.
I could have sworn that B'Ni had awoken pretty early in the Crucible's lifespan, and that the whole thing had only been running for a bit over two years. It's been four years since the Crucible arrived, but I thought it only got properly started after two years. Maybe I misunderstood.

>>3852119
grah, well there went my post. you ninjaing me just fucked that up and now i lost the first half of my post permentalty wqkjvfdsklfseko;effpoe.

>>3852049
>>3852044
>>3852092
yeah didn't Charon or another reliable source say it had only lasted two years?

>>3852044
thanks for running, but there really wasn't any reason in my opinion. her idea is simply wrong, morally and tactically. i didn't touch on it in my reply, and if someone otherwise likes it, or would like me to add it in myself, there a big 'IF' about how we might be able to advance to fight anything bigger than the crucible, even do further good for other civilizations. but we cant know until we try, and we cant try inside a dreamscape.

>>3852034
>>3852119
>>3852127
>>3852092

Something's amiss.
Source: Vein #2 From West Gamma:
"I woke up seven months ago, in the hospital not far from here. The last thing I remember before I went into surgery was...there was an eclipse, no-one had said anything about an eclipse. I had just made the first incision when the power went out and the ground started shaking...when I woke up, the skin on my arms was gone and I'd...fundamentally changed. Through the survivors' notes I found, I deduced that I had been in a hibernative state for three years before the changes to my form reached a sort of homeostasis and I regained consciousness. I believe that is what happened to you, to everyone that lived through the event. I built this place to study the flesh, to study the skies...and then I saw it
>West Prime woke up 7 months ago.
>West Prime deduced that she was in stasis for 3 years
>3.6 years since the West Prime was placed into a pod.

>Yurei said she spent 4 years growing, hunting, and putting her brain power into trying to figure out how to hack the Cord.

What sort of time constraint is this?

>>3852168
maybe Yurei somehow woke up early? before the Crucible officially began?

we do know Mother and the Crucible needed a few years prep time, just im pretty sure we have been told the Crucible itself has only run for two years.

>>3852034

>>3852173
It doesn't add up.

Also, what Yurei's proposing is super similar to The Architect from THE MATRIX series.

>>3852168
Yeah, I saw that looking back through the archives, too. That's why I think Yurei's overclocked herself and is experiencing more subjective time. It fits with her comments about how humans lose a lot of time just to blinking and how everything we experience is ultimately subjective.

>>3852168
>>3852180
>>3852183
(Excellent eye, Gentlemen. Just as Neuromancers can alter their perception of time, so too can mid-to-highlevel Conduits actively exist in the Dreamscape, where time flows quite differently.)

>>3852127
(It'd my pleasure, and thought this may seem like an odd point to break, I did so for two reasons. First, I did not wish to barrel forward on the assumption of how you would reply, given that Yurei's explained her plan. Second, I am more offering the choice of 'how' to turn her down, rather than 'if' you'll turn her down, given how you've been playing.)

>>3852034
>Take a moment, eyes closed, to collect yourself. Then, snap your eyes to her, and meet them head on.
>”Id lose the entire world, to give it its rightful chance to be itself and succeed on its own terms, than give it over to someone like you and your idealized illusions.”
>”We are human. You, me, everyone out there fighting, everyone locked up in the Cord. Human. Not Gods, Human. And no Human has the right to play god, to decide alone what is best for everyone. We’re Human, we’re flawed, but thats what makes us grow, what makes us able to be more than our baser selves.”
>”Yes, id lose people, id have them suffer, feel pain, loss, hurt. Because those things are human, those things are important, those things help us grow just as much as anything else.”
>”People grow through the negative just as much as the positive. Id say more actually. Loss, pain, misery, it is these that make us strive for more, to do better, to BE better, just as much as anything good. Good leads to complacency, to sloth, to stagnation. It can lead to cruelty through ignorance and complacency.”
>”And those things? Kindness? Virtue? Charity? Friendship? Those only matter, because we have the freedom to do differently. Because we have the free will to choose, to do harm to others, to betray them, to push them away or push them below us. Our choice to be good matters because we can do evil, has substance because of the weight of doing wrong.”
>”and those negative traits? Those things you hate and fear? Those ARE us, those ARE humanity. A part of us. A part we need, just like the positive. Without it, we aren't human, we lose a part of what makes us, us. And to lose ones humanity, no, to force one to lose it, there is not crueler thing one can do to another.”

(1/2)

>>3852194
>>3852034
>”I dont care that you dont have hope for humanity, that you cant look at our struggles and see we have, time and time again, lifted eachother up just as much as some push others down. Its not about if im repeating a cycle, that doesn't matter. Its not my choice to force everyone to break it, no one has that right but individuals to break their own. Theres hope, Hope in who Humanity is, not who you wish it was. Hope even in our darkest times, hope even in some of the darkest minds. We, Humanity, who we are, will make something of ourselves, or we will fail. But we will do it Freely, as who we are, here, not oncinfed as slaves your you or anyone else's idealistic vision for what you wish to force everyone to be.”
>”And there is hope, hope to evolve, hope to advance, so long as we fight and strive and struggle forward. Yes, the things out there, the eater of world eaters, are daunting, terrifying. But to run away and not strive to beat that? Thats cowardice. And to deny others their natural right to strive and suffer and struggle to overcome that. Why should we all be forced to cower in fear like you? Why shouldn't those who wish to try and find a way to overcome such an obstacle, to live beyond such a threat? There isn't one, as even if all you care about is survival, thats it. That our best chance. To not ignore reality, to not run away from what is real, what your neuromantic illusions can never change. Our right as living creatures to fight any threat to our survival and our way of life.”
>”You would shackle Humanity in your own lies, your own twisted version of what you want humanity to be, instead of letting it decide what it will be. You would force it to have no chance to fail or grow, to be better or worse, but make them slaves to stagnation. You would remove part of what makes us us just so you can pat yourself on the back and say you, someone with no hope for humanity, somehow is in any way a good choice for who should decide what we should be. You would be a dictator to children you refuse to let be adults, instead of being a guide to adults to let them find their own way.”
>”No Deal, No Compromise. If you insist on forcing this upon everyone, then we will come to blows. Its as simple as that. If you try to force this upon Humanity, we will stop you, its as simple as that.”
>”I only hope before we meet in the Cord you’ll have come to your senses and made the right choice here. I've already got one delusional tyrant to take down.”

(2/2)

first draft. tell her it like it is. she and people like her dont understand humanity, in my opinion, and/or let their fear of its negative traits cloud them to the reality of the fact those negative aspects still have merit, as much as people dont like to admit it.

>>3852183
>>3852173
Hey guys, Do you think Yurei's kinda like an overworked programmer? If her core ability is phantasmal Neuromancy Simulator, don't you think everything about this mansion is an illusion?

She winces on every physical action, she's a chain smoker, she speaks as if she's about to run out of breath, and she says she spent 4 subjective years trying to decipher the inner workings of the Cord.

Personally, I think Yurei could benefit from real-world sleep. Her mind is constantly overclocking to the point that her actual body is wasting away.

And I think I know just the right response on how to make her wake up to reality. let me write this up.

>>3852199
Yeah, it wouldn't surprise me if this is just a shack in the swamps overlayed with augmented reality illusions. Makes me wonder if the maids even have a physical presence as constructs or if they're just dreamspace simulacra.

>>3852009
But if things have changed drastically since beginning it might mean we could repurpose the Crucible as a starship. Who needs SpaceX when we have magic meat?
Although I admit this is likely not Shu's goal atm, I think knowing the limits of how much the Crucible is willing to be changed is helpful regardless.

>>3852180
well, i suck at finding it, but if we found the source of how long/why we think the Crucibles been running as long a it has, it would help immensely.

>>3852193
ah ok, so it is just her altering her perception.

and nah, you didn't do anything wrong, i apologize. i was being... unsure of the word, but half joking half just mentioning your reasons were not the ones that would be needed for doing so. also a good chunk of what was cut was specifically me already giving her a firm answer, so part of the joke was for me you literally change nothing really in my response to this section by doing so.

sorry for the confusion.

>>3852199
i mean, yeah i think the signs are there. and it did outright show us the mansion is an illusion. explains the food too. which is good, as my actual guess was dissenters to her plan went to the dinner table. this is much less horrible an explanation.

>>3852210
kinda disagree, or at least in that we need the original blueprint to figure that out or would be helpful now. its more than just a little possible the Crucible has changed so much its like going from apple to linux or something.

Okay, I'm putting together a response that I'm pretty happy with, but it is about 60% plagiarized from Carl Saga. BHOP, if it's not too much of a spoiler, how familiar is Yurei with Cosmos?

>>3852234
(She has a passing familiarity.)

>>3852211
(Thanks for explaining, and you have nothing to apologize for. I appreciate context, since it's hard to pick up across the internet.)

>>3852243
>(She has a passing familiarity.)
Okay, going to have to edit it to make it a bit less obvious who I'm drawing inspiration from. But sue me, it's hard to make a passionate plea for the worth of humanity and our ability to overcome our base instincts without copying Carl Sagan at least a little.

>>3852234
>>3852245
i mean, unless i did so on accident, then im not sure thats the case, as i have no idea who that even is.

>>3852214
That's exactly my point though, if it has changed an enormous amount, just keep changing it. Why did it start eating planets? Was the original Crucible intentional as some sort of death ritual for an ancient society or something? Is it a reversible or controllable process?

BHOP just told us that Yurei believes that the Law of Conservation of Energy is being broken by the crucible, and she seems smart enough that I lean towards believing her. That basically makes the Crucible ideal as a planet based starship, and if she wants big talk that's about as big as it gets.

>>3852254
none of that requires digging up the original version and can be found within the current context and Crucible, without taking extra steps and time to find a 'pure' version.

>>3852250
Sorry, I meant if you're aware of his work to copy. The man was a presence, kind of shaped discourse for several generations. Though you did hit upon his beliefs just by convergent thinking, if not his particular rhetoric.

>>3852120
>but we cant know until we try, and we cant try inside a dreamscape.

I'm not so hard-and-fast on turning her down on all counts. There are several different reasonable avenues she could go down while staying true to her idea which would be amenable to me.

For instance what if she just wants to invest everyone in the dreamscape on a long-term-but-temporary basis? Force everyone into a situation where their actions are by-and-large meaningless for a timescale that's long enough no one will have any grudges by the time they're shunted back into the real world? The point of it all being a learning experience for humanity as a whole of how petty and pointless the things we've fought over are.

I could get behind that in the theoretical, though a good deal of practical issues still exist with the execution.

>>3852195
>>3852194
I think it's a little harsh and accusatory.

She's wrong, but I wouldn't count her as an out-and-out enemy. When it comes down to it we'll fight her at the end if we have to, but she has been nothing but civil and I feel you're taking slightly too harsh a tone.

>>3852034
I don't think either of our basic plans are mutually exclusive. Yurei totally dodged the question on why *everyone* needs to be in the dreamscape. If we can prevent anyone from winning the Crucible as we want, our plans seem totally compatible. Have whoever wants to be in the simulation go have fun frolicking in the imaginary fields. And whoever wants to stay in meatspace stays out, free transfer back and forth. I'm sure some sort of system can be set up where both factions need each other.

I'm never a fan of wait and hope we don't get eaten. Depending on how much the rules of physics change for things greater than the Crucible, I find it entirely possible that we could defend ourselves if people stay in meatspace. The Crucible may be powerful, but it doesn't exactly seem intelligent. People can understand and improve the Crucible in ways that it cannot naturally. I see dreams of flying around the cosmos beating the shit out of other world eating parasites.

Regardless of anything that happens though, I don't see any reason to tell her we wanna fight right now.

>>3852268
ah, fair enough, i get what you mean, you're fine.
to be fair i dont think my rhetoric really fits with anyone. which im fine with, as i think my points still come across fine, i just seem to take a tone and such most aren't used to.

>>3852271
well, i am. her idea is a bad one ofr humanity and im firmly against it.

and no, i disagree and honestly if you agree with her, im firmly of the opinion you're a problem. You simply dont Force people to be a certain way or live a certain way. punish them if they do wrong or hurt others, sure, but its still their freedom to be a jackass. no one, NO ONE, has a right to force people who have otherwise done nothing so wrong, to give up part of their humanity, force them into a box, and force them to live how you think is best, as the type of person you think is best.

you also ignore she clearly said long term for the rest of humanity, and that WITHIN the dreamscape, it will still feel however long it was inside there, even if only a second in the real world. there will be grudges, rightfully so, and all it will do in that situation is grow resentment and backlash for forcing it upon people.

Its evil, plain and purely as simple as that. its acting like a god and deciding what is human and trying to force others to agree with you. its dictatorial, tyranny, and slavery.

>>3852281
Harsh tone to get the point across. her idea is no less wicked or twisted than Wests at the end of it. i AM accusing her, its as simple as that, because its what she needs to hear and get through her head.

>>3852284
she specifically said she was and would force everyone in. that makes our goals incompatible. maybe she is testing our resolve or something, but even then we dont get anywhere ignoring what she said as of now.

nothing about my post said we want to fight now, only that we wouldn't avoid it if it comes to that.

>>3852284
>>3852281
you'll both also note i never said those that want to do that cant, only she cant and we wont allow her to force it on anyone.

>>3852284
I concur, our plans are kind of diagonal to each other. There's plenty of room for constructive overlap, and in fact we both might benefit from being a powerful but amenable dissenter to the other.

After all, if we just smacked down everyone who disagreed with us then we'd be infringing on people's rights just as much as she plans to.

>>3852291
I was positing a theoretical scenario that would be fine.

>and no, i disagree and honestly if you agree with her, im firmly of the opinion you're a problem. You simply dont Force people to be a certain way or live a certain way. punish them if they do wrong or hurt others, sure, but its still their freedom to be a jackass. no one, NO ONE, has a right to force people who have otherwise done nothing so wrong, to give up part of their humanity, force them into a box, and force them to live how you think is best, as the type of person you think is best.
You're making some assumptions here that are not necessarily true. Can you point out where she's said she's going to strip down the personalities of evil folks? I haven't. In fact, her solution is an ideal way to tend to evil folks: give them their own consequence-free-to-everyone-else simulation where they can torture not-people (but they seem like real people to them) to their heart's content.

Her idea's not wholly bad, depending on the execution. After all, she could counter most of our points about the right to struggle by simply saying that each person's simulation will reflect their own ideal world. At that point their own headspace would either allow them to struggle or not, and in fact it's essentially allowing them a more pure exercise of their own will than what the real world can offer.