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{Hey there, cutie~} Gina's playful tone cuts through your admirations, a welcome respite to the churning of your mind. Her voice echoes pleasantly across the telepathic bond you share, a gift that was intended to be a curse...and is now so much more than either. {How're you holding up?}

[Fair] Comes your simple answer, the townspeople occupying your mind as you speak. [We've a lot to get done here, to say nothing of everything else on our plate]

{True...I wanted to talk about that, actually} She muses in reply, shifting her focus to another crumbling building a few meters away. {Between the Proxy situation, the Pyreant Hive, and everything else we have to deal with, there's too much to handle on our own...but we're not alone, are we?}

[Are you...are you saying we outsource some of this?] You ask, and there's a flicker of excitement across the channel that serves as the other girl's reply. [I wouldn't necessarily be against it, but who did you have in mind?]

{Three parties; the Midnight Crew, the Barbers, and Ivey's Hyenas} Gina replies quickly. {The first two are ones that we're on pretty good terms with, and Ivey already said that the Mayor knew how to get
a hold of her, so they could help to replace the town guard for the time being before Jeraha has time to train up some replacements}

[...Perhaps] You hesitantly relent, chafing against the prospect of putting your duties on the shoulders of others.

{You're always saying that no-one's in this alone...and there's no reason to put all of this on our family, not when you've done so much
for so many. It's not all up to you, Shu} The other girl comments, her gentle chiding paired with genuine warmth that flows across the channel, a pleasant tingle working its way across your scalp. {Look, I'm not trying to get on your case...I just worry about you taking on too much, okay? Can't have our fearless leader running herself ragged, can we?}

You have a full docket, certainly...but perhaps Gina has a point. Just off the top of your head, you have enough to deal with to make your mind whirl; Francine and dealing with the West Proxies, attending to the needs of the ever-growing Pyreant Hive, approaching the last two Phalanx members and figuring out why they're defending the sleepers'
Pods, exploring the Hexane factory, chasing down the Apocalpyse-class Amalgam that caused the chaos in Laoc to begin with...

...maybe you could use some help, but the question is just where and when to start with all that.

>>Relent to contacting one or more of the groups Gina mentioned. You could use some help...and maybe just not in Laoc. Reach out to [the Midnight Crew/the Barbers/Ivey].

>>You're open to outside help, but you'd like to keep that in your back pocket for now, and instead attend to some more pressing matters with your family (Choose a course of action to pursue).

>>Bring up a counter-plan to Gina.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(Gentlemen, it's good to be back. I hope everyone's holidays went well over the break, and while I had a decent break as well, I'm glad to be back in the swing of things.)

(Now, voting shall remain open for the next four hours, which will likely be the new standard for voting times save for evenings of rapid-posting per usual. There are more elements in play now than ever before thanks to the fascinating way you're playing, and I do wish to give myself time to attend to personal and professional matters while
also avoiding burnout. I'm in this Quest for the long haul, and you all have made me realize that I must pace myself wisely if I'm to bring my all to this Quest.)

(That said, I'm very much so looking forward to where you're going from here, and I wish you all the best of luck.)

(Below you'll find the answers to some questions that had been posed in the 35th Vein that current circumstances did not permit me to answer as quickly as I'd have liked.)

(Continued)

>>4006164

>>Question: Have there been hunger riots in the past? Have there been hunger riots that turned into town-sized Hunger-mad daughters like the Monastery Monster?

(There have been Hunger riots, but nothing like the Monastery in terms of scale. Most Hunger riots occur in smaller groups and lead to things
like the Sad Deer hilarious nickname, kudos to whoever thought of it you fought in the swamp, though if you hadn't been at Laoc, then it would absolutely have become a super-boss like the Monastery was.)

>>Question;
>How does Raths Cystemic Burn ‘Attack Mod’ act in relation to Pangean Arsenal? First off, Pangean effects Augments, which im not sure if Cystemic technically is, over a unique thing for Generator classes? I also ask as it doesn't seem like it would be so simple as just turning it off. Cystemic and similar skills outright change how the ability is as it levels up significantly. While it doesn't effect the Boils due to their hybridization, for other Generator abilities in similar situations, it doesn't seem like it would work to just be a switch, due to how heavily it effects the Ability. I mean, maybe thats the trade off, but it would either be super complicated and change several levels worth of the abilities and what they give us, or just deactivate them is what it seems like.

(The intent behind it is to give you the ability to switch the elemental augments that you'll get on and off, instead of having the damage be multi-elemental. All of your elemental powers will work with Cystemic Burn, so let's say if you change Rath's element type to FROST, then instead of a burst of cold, you'd have a DoT effect that
continually chills the surrounding area instead of a flare. I hope this helps to explain it a bit, and if the Anon who originally asked this would like some more clarification, I'll be happy to provide it. A lot of the alteration is more behind-the-scenes, with the player-facing side being more focused on allowing you to customize Rath's attacks to the situation, once you've gathered more elemental and function-altering Augmentations.)

>Who was the toughest individual enemy in this past fight, and who had to face them?

(The captain of the guard was the single toughest foe, and Jeraha fought her best friend and right-and woman one-on-one. Having to put her down weighs heavily on the Mayor's mind, but she has other people to think about at the moment, so she's staying strong. The main reason she was absent for so much of the Laoc debacle was because the fight was a very close one.)

>>4006167
Hey Bhop, you forgot your trip.

>>4006170
(Thank you, it appears my computer had forgotten it, too.)

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>>4006161
>Relent to contacting one or more of the groups Gina mentioned. You could use some help...and maybe just not in Laoc.
>Reach out to Ivey
>Try and find a moment to collect your family, to properly discuss everything with them.
>start off simply, to give them time to mull over the idea and offer their own opinion on what should happen next.
>perhaps... Gina might be onto something. taking our own family can split up into at least two, if not more, aswell as our already trusted allies and their teams... we do have a list of potential others to try and get onto good terms with. if we have too much on our plate, maybe start off cleaning it by trying to add more allies?

Gina makes a good point, though i will say we in some ways were already doing it, and some things like the Pyreants we really are the only person at the moment who can do it. but things like Ivey helping the town or some of the less important objectives, sure.

But as stated, id like to let our family give their opinion overall first, aswell as put forth the point Ginas got a good idea, and we might be able to expand on it.

>>4006164
my own break was well enough, glad to hears yours was swell, and certainly glad to see this back in the swing of things.

while ill never lie and say ever increasing voting times is great, im glad to see your starting off the new year understanding your limits, and understand your reasoning. looking forward to where this goes from here for sure though. also, my backlog of art for here has grown a bit, gotta start whittling that down.

>>4006167
>and if the Anon who originally asked this would like some more clarification, I'll be happy to provide it.
id like a bit more yes, as that doesn't actually really answer it. Pangean works on all Generator Augments, not just elemental, and i was both asking if Cystemic counts as an Augment, or something unique to Generators, due to their specific class attributes, and if it does, how it would work, due to how heavily it effects Boils levels compared to standard augments.

if we could get the option to switch between the AOE style grenades and back to the actual explosives, that would be neat, but as stated Cystemic Burn has a deeper level of effect than most Augments do.

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>>4006164
Glad to see you had a great time Bhop. As for my end: Things got more hectic than I would have liked,I got sick in the middle of the Christmas and New Year's Holidays so it was miserable for me, and I'm starting to hate my job. I've got a potential new job lined up for me with some connections through the back channels, but I can't formally apply due to circumstances and there's a chance that the slot will be filled before I can attempt to formally apply for it. So I still haven't gotten around to working on the story of Carter in Cradleton because of all of that. tl;dr It sucked and I hate it.

>>4006173
oh, and also, despite the potential severity of it, we still cant deal with the West Proxies til Francines had time to hammer out her alternative way of beating it. which id be very impressed if she has thought up of yet.

its gonna involve the Barbers too, so waiting to contact them again makes sense there.

>>4006176
(Cystemic Burn *does* count as an Augmentation, yes. Deactivating it allows Rath's Boils to deal immediate impact damage with a large explosive radius, and imparts her blows with tremendous force at the cost of losing an overall higher DoT in exchange for immediate burst damage.)

>>4006177
(I'm sorry to hear that your holidays didn't go as well as I'd hoped they would, though I do hope tha things turn around for you soon in regards to your job. I wish you the best!

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>>4006173
>plan

Not a bad suggestion, but I'm wondering about what job we give Ivey and how do we pay her? So far we have the following: Silvis's factory (explore), Sigma's lab (Raid), Pyreant request (Quill-mole hunt), Phalanx Diplomacy? (scout/poke). Keep in mind that Ivey might be currently working under another employer too.

As for our other allies/friends: The Midnight Crew are currently "House sitting" the Wonderland Forest for Lara, and the Barbers are exploring off on their own...(probably looking for someone else's autograph)


Also. Here's to kick off the new year with our first Relic theorycraft.
>MEAT APPLES (Consumable): An Apple with Fleshy wrinkled human skin for a skin of a fruit. Fortunately the insides of the apple are still revealed to be that of a normal apple. A consumable Relic that is unique due to the fact that this relic can only be found from a certain tree in the wild wild Fleshscape and not made by the hands of a forge. While the effects of consuming is paltry - a meager 3% total boost to their HP and bio Regen (or providing a regen rate equal to 5% of their total hp/bio for those who lack innate regeneration) for 1 hour or until the next combat encounter) - and does nothing to curb the abyssal hunger every daughter must sate, it’s delicious taste more than enough makes up for it, enough to be used as a currency of sorts in certain settlements.

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>>4006193
ah, ok, so just the simple option. not that im complaining, of course thanks.

>>4006196
we uhh, we have alot more than just those things on our list, and some of those you mentioned cant be done by others and/or are no longer going to happen. well, ok, only one of them isnt happening and only one otherwise 100% we have to do, but still. well, hrm, maybe two, depending on your perceptive on the Phalanx, both as Hexxanes and their relation to the Pyreants.

and sure, Ivey might be busy, but she already said if we needed her, to just ask. i dont think she was expecting payment either. we wont know if she is busy unless we ask, and we both have a good reason to ask for her, and the only way to contact her here, in the very place that needs help. plus, think about it. Ivey trusts the Mayor with how to contact her. thats gotta mean something positive for their relationship, so im sure seeing Laoc in need of help will be something she might be more willing to come and help with, especially with us asking too.

as for the Relic, neat little thing fore sure, though feels more like a lore piece you would see for an area over anything else. not that thats a bad thing, mind you.

Ah, good to be back at it in the Fleshscape. I just don't know what to do with myself when I'm not worrying about the meat planet. Hi, BHOP and other players.

>>4006164
>I do wish to give myself time to attend to personal and professional matters while
also avoiding burnout
Good. I'm glad you're going to take more time to manage things on your end. You could be a dozen times slower to update and you'd still be one of the fastest-updating QMs out there, so longer between posts won't be too much of an issue for us and will make you less pressured.

>>4006161
>>Write-In
>Propose we open source the Apocalypse Amalgam hunting. Get Amara to set up a chat group of Skintalkers tracking them, though with a priority on the flyer for its extreme mobility.
>Other than that, contact with the Hyenas as >>4006173 proposes sounds fine to me.

>>4006164
I had a good holiday. spend christmas with the family and a late new years meet up with a couple of friends this last weekend. I spend acutal new years eve and new years day writing Journey, which while making progess did not make as much progress as i hoped. So i will have to delay its realease for a bit but i hope to get it out before the vein comes to a close. With the longer voting times it should give me more time to write between updates.

I hope your own holiday was relaxing as well

I also got a couple of my freind to agree to trying out nechronice so i started to read the rules which also took a bit of time away from everything else. Havent played it yet but i hope to get to that in the next couple of months

The longer voting times are fine wtih me if its means we will get very consistent updates and regular quests without you psuhign yourself. Even if it means possibly getting less done in any one vein

>>4006161
Supporting>>4006173

I've been thinking: We should probably have a better term for the mutations Daughters experience than "Corruption". That's not body positive, our party shouldn't be using that term when we've made the choice to find the beauty in our changes rather than see ourselves as freaks. I'm not sure what's a good neutral replacement, though. Best I have so far is Divergence, acknowledging that it's a move away from the human norm.

>>4006277
what about "Adaptation"? Because it feels like it's using the base human template and adding more bells and whistles. And despite the totem system, it still uses Humans as the base foundation for its template.

>>4006283
>it still uses Humans as the base foundation for its template.
Whats wrong with that

>>4006283
Maybe. To me, "Adaptation" suggests functional changes, and we haven't seen too many of those yet. It's mostly been cosmetic. Then again, Mara eventually turned into a dragon, so maybe we'll start seeing some functional changes as we get deeper into it. Like Shu's chitin getting enough coverage and thickness to provide protection, or something like that.

(Posting shortly, Gentlemen.)

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>>4006161

[That’s not a bad idea, honestly] You relent, switching your gaze from the multifaceted eyes of your swarmling to the pair of orbs in your own head, allowing you to stare out at Laoc from atop city hall’s imposing spire. [I’ll give everyone a little more time to work, then gather everyone at city hall to discuss what comes next with Jeraha…plus, I’ll see if I can’t get a hold of Ivey through her. Two birds, and all that]

Your empathic channel surges outwards, echoing through your allies as your summons reaches far and wide across the sprawling streets of Laoc. Rath and November are the last to arrive in the cozy confines of city hall, the pristine floor-to-ceiling woodwork a testament to Laoc’s efforts in preserving at least some traces of the world that was. Your short brawler and her towering aunt take the empty seats across from you at the circular table, with Rath settling in next to the tall, ethereal Lara, while November silently scoots beside Francine, the lanky woman lost in thought. Gina’s seated on your right with the visibly drained pair of Julia and Dorian next to her, while Amara swings her feet in the chair to your left, her legs a few inches short of the floor. Holly’s leaning up against the wall to your back, stretching her arms above her head. The bartender brings a full suite of drinks to your table, the winding, branch-like tendrils that make up her arms allowing her to deftly supply you all with some much-needed libations. Sierra’s singular eye darts between you all, a cursory glance reassuring her that you’re all topped off with drinks before she leaves you to your discussion.

“Couple items of note; I’ve contacted Ivey, so she and her Hyenas are en route.” Jeraha begins, casting you a nod before she brusquely addresses the rest of the table. “We’ve identified the bodies of those that succumbed to Hunger, too. Three of them are yours, the rest of the remains are going to the families or friends that survived. The ones you’re getting were loners, kept to themselves. They’re ones you fought, too;

Her abrupt declaration catches several members of your family off-guard, and Dorian’s the first to voice that everyone present is thinking.

“With all due respect Mayor…are you certain?” He asks, his even-keeled tone suitably diplomatic. “I’m sure the fallen must have had some-“
“I know how this world works, man.” Comes Jeraha’s curt interruption. “You and yours did me and mine one hell of a favor, and I’d be a piss-poor leader if I didn’t do my part to make sure you had the resources available to keep up with the Crucible.”

He nods, leaning back in his seat as Jeraha rises from her seat.

>>LEVEL-UP POINTS AVAILABLE: 15

>>REMAINS COLLECTED: ONYX BUTCHER, BLOODY BATTALION, DART RAFFLESIA

(Continued)

>>4006329

“That’s all I had to say. Ivey and her team will be here shortly, so I’ll give you all some time to convene. You’ve all done a lot for Laoc. More than enough.” She says, bright eyes lingering on yours for a moment before she turns. “We’ve got it from here.”

You watch her leave, the intent behind her words clear as she leaves your family to decide where to go from here.

“It’s old news that we’ve got a lot on our plate, even aside from Laoc.” You begin, scanning the table with all eyes on you. “That said, I’d like to ask your thoughts on what to deal with next.”

Julia and Gina glance towards Francine, prompting a darkly amused chuckle from the doctor.

“I’ll just go ahead and get this out of the way, Darlings; I’m mulling over alternatives, but I’ve yet to come up with an alternative solution to the one you all so vehemently rejected.” Francine announces, re-crossing her legs, arms folded. “My original plan is still off the table, thank to you…though I’ll need some more time to come up with a viable alternative.”

“We should go help the Pyreant Queen!” Amara interjects emphatically, bouncing in place as she looks up at you pleadingly.

“Amara, the ants are p-plenty s-strong on their own…the p-people of Laoc need our help, here and n-now.” Julia counters, an uncharacteristically hard line in her statement. Dorian shoots you a pointed glance reminding you of your private discussion a few hours earlier as Julia continues to make her case to the rest of your family.

“Shu and the D-Defiants are a symbol of hope, and we c-can’t just swoop in and save the d-day only to leave when the f-fighting’s over with. It’s j-just…irresponsible, I think.” She adds, looking around the table for support.

“I’m inclined to agree.”

Your focus snaps to November, her words echoing in the wood-lined space as hope sparks in Julia’s eyes. “Irresponsible is a good word for it, I think. I know time’s at a premium, but I think we have enough to spare for the people here. Not all of us need to be present, but…I want to help.”

“That’s all well and good, but what about the cause of all this, huh?” Rath fires back irritably. “We can spend a couple of days helping Laoc rebuild, sure...and in that time, how many other towns are gonna fall when goddamn Rodan swoops over? Ignoring the root cause of a disease and just treating the symptoms? Now THAT’S irresponsible.”

“Can confirm.” Francine adds cheekily, prompting a twitch of Dorian’s silver eyebrow.

“I’d just like to say that Rath has a point.” Gina says, adjusting her posture in the too-small seat. “Amalgam or no, Laoc’s going to be alright without us. We have bigger fish to fry at the-”

“People are hurting, Gina!”

A single, unambiguously vehement declaration explodes through the space, and even Julia seems shaken by just how loud and clear her voice echoes through the hall.

(Continued)

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>>4006330

Gina’s wide-eyed at Julia’s unexpected interruption, and Amara’s stock-still and she nervously glances between the three of you.

“People are s-suffering.” The painter continues, visibly resisting the overwhelming urge to sink into herself and instead forcing her voice to be heard. “Laoc is in t-tatters, and we can d-do so much good here. I’m not saying everyone has t-to stay, but…even if it’s j-just for a little while, these p-people need our help.”

“I…support Lady Julia’s stance.” Dorian declares, sitting a little straighter in his chair even as you catch the apologetic look in his eye.

Ah, love.

In any case, Holly’s remained silent and Amara’s gone quiet, waiting for the dust to settle between her family members during an uncommon disagreement.

“Look, Julia…I’m not trying to be a dick.” Rath finally says, breaking the awkward silence with a gentle, weary tone. “I get it. Seriously. Helping people’s what we do, and we’re damn good at it…but exhausting ourselves here will only cause other people to suffer, and we can’t lose sight of the whole point of our journey in the first place.”

“We climb the Cord.” Gina affirms, glancing around the table. “We end this, one way or another.”

“THAT’S how we help people.” Rath says, gesturing towards Gina. “We stop the Crucible, then focus on the clean-up.”

“Macro, then micro.” Francine mutters.

“Uh...yeah. What the Doc said.” Rath mumbles back, unnerved at the source of support.

“Lara? Holly? What are your thoughts?” You ask with a sigh, leaning back to glance at your first Dream Daughter as she just shrugs.

“I’m up for anything! Just happy to stretch my legs.” She replies sweetly, wisely dodging the issue just before Lara answers your question.

“I…I need to get back to Carroll’s Forest.” The Unnatural predator answers, the rustle of her movements causing her wings to shimmer in the soft candlelight of the table’s lamp. “I need to make sure that everyone that’s hiding there is safe, after that thing came through. I’d love to stay and help, but I have a responsibility to those under my care.”

The soft light helps to obscure Rath’s disappointed expression, and as you look around at your allies you find their attentions trained on you…

…the only person whose opinion has yet to be voiced.

>>Acquiesce to Julia’s request, and allow her to take Dorian and anyone else who wishes to stay behind and help while you meet Ivey when she arrives.

>>Gently steer Julia away from keeping your family in Laoc. You can’t afford to get bogged down in crisis relief…there will be time enough for that after you attend to more pressing issues.

>>Shelve Julia’s concern for the moment; Laoc’s not going anywhere, and there are other matters of importance you’d like to address with your family while they’re gathered here (Write-In).

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(Gentlemen, voting shall remain open for the next four hours. Thank you for your participation, and I do hope that your day is going well.)

>>4006331
Write- In

>"Julia i can not in good concience agree to leave anyone here for long. I wont ask you to steer away from your course but i ask that you limit yourself. These people have made it through rough times already and they will pull through again."
>Glancefrom Julia to Dorian
>"I think we will be fine for the moment so you and one perosn that also wishes to stay, Maybe two but no morecan help out in Laoc for a day or two. Afterwards i will need you again."

>Look at lara
>"Thank you for helping us out when you did. I know you have responsibilites and i wont ask you to stray far from the forest. I would be interested however to plant a fast travel point near your forest with the spoke so we can send people there or have you help us out form time to time without a lot of travel beign needed and you strayxing for long periods of time."

>Look at the rest of the group mostly Amara and Gina
>"I think we need more allies. So i ask you all if there is anyone you would think woudl be a good fit with the outlook we take on the world? And what do you guys think is the most pressign matter we have right now"

>>4006331
>sigh, and meet Julias gaze.
>"I get it Julia, i do, really. seeing these peoples lives upturned? seeing them suffer?"
>Shake, and sigh.
>"Its not easy. its not fun.... but its not our place to be their crutch."
>"We've already saved them. we've helped them, and sure, we can help them a bit more... but we arent their people. friends? allies? sure, but we are not Laoc. we wont be staying here, we CANT stay here. and because of the, the simple, undeniable truth is, they WILL have to learn to survive, to rebuild without us. they'll have to learn to take hope in people like us existing, over us constantly being with them. they'll have to learn to trust in the actions they dont see, over those done next to them.... and if we dont start doing that now, it'll only get harder for that to happen... for us, and for them."
>"The longer we stay, the more we get involved, the harder it will be to pull away when we have to."
>Sigh, and give Julia a moment to lt your words sink in.
>"...that being said, you're sides also right. we have more than enough people to cover more than one issue at a time, and all going well, we'll have allies to help aswell."
>hold out your hand, in a gesture of goodwill, and give her a soft smile.
>"How about a compromise Julia? Laoc gave us a house here, if we need it. personally, with the Gear and waypoints, we dont need it, and i was thinking about making it a 'through-home' for allies to crash at or for Daughters we rescue to temporarily live in til they get their own, if they arent the adventuring type. But until all thats set up, you're more than welcome to use it."
>"so the deal is this. you want to help Laoc? then you can. whenever you have free time, which ill happily try to give you."
>"But if I, if WE need you, for something we deem immediate and important? you help your family until the issue is resolved. sound fair?"
>Sigh, and lean forward.
>"I want to help these people, please dont undermine how much i feel for them Julia... but like i said, we cant be their crutch, and like Rath said, we have other people to help, and ways we can help them and others just as much, if not more, by keeping busy elsewhere. Laoc might need a boost, but it doesn't need all of us, nor can we afford for its suffering to swallow us up."

>Let Julia respond, then either keep the conversation going as needed, or go meet Ivey.
>Regardless, let Lara know she always has a seat with your family, and make sure she has something to remember and keep in touch with you by. also, ask her to send the Midnight Crew your way, unless they simply cannot afford to come.

>>4006338
oh, for reference, our current list of Daughters-of-note to meet and evaluate is;
>‘Nothing’ Girl, ‘Everything’ Girl, Hive Girl, UP Girl, Neuro Girl, Sound Girl.

also, adding in;
>>4006343
>>4006331
>If things settle with Julia, Let your family know about your unexpected meeting and offer from the Skintalker Reporter in the Alleyway, aswell as how it went and your concerns over it, but keep it clean and try and make it obvious it might best be a decision and conversation best left for when Amara has been made sure to have taken off her rose tinted fan-glasses.

>>4006354
i knoq ir could bew however that Amara or Gina came across any other infor or maybe they picked up soemthing while they were walkign around that we werent breifed about by them

>>4006356
We saw a bit of Nuckelavee in action during the Interlude Vein. Looks like she just wants to be left alone, she went "nothing personel, kid" on a Daughter threatening her but didn't touch the Daughter's allies after they backed away.

(Gentlemen, to clarify; if you allow Julia to have her way, then both she and Dorian will become temporarily unavailable unless you find yourself in a crisis situation. November has a high chance of doing the same as well, depending on how her conversation check with Rath goes shortly.)

>>4006332
Code Veins' got some lovely OSTs that fit somber moods. Gah... the feels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3NRJnEk8As

>>4006331
>Acquiesce to Julia’s request, and allow her to take Dorian and anyone else who wishes to stay behind and help while you meet Ivey when she arrives.
>Transition into other pressing details on your mind: Ozma's offer of information on her end.

>>4006356
fair enough.

>>4006362
possibly, but we also need to know more about what her actual goals are to some degree.

>>4006363
hrm, kinda what my conversation is trying to avoid. mine was supposed to be a compromise more akin to, if we decide we need her on at least the main team they come, bunt unless its highly significant when off of it they can help out Laoc for a little bit longer.

Letting them fully get locked out unless its that dire is not what i wish to settle on at all.

>>4006363
I'm having trouble phrasing it for a write-up, but what I'd prefer is to cycle people through Laoc. It's not like we don't typically split off a field team from the rest of the party anyway. So we'd have it so that there would be two party slots assigned to helping with Laoc, that didn't have to be necessarily filled by Dorian and Julia but whoever was free. That way the Defiant Fools as a group would have a constant presence in Laoc until they get back on their feet. Dorian and Julia would start off being the aid workersm but if they're needed for the party we'd have Gina or November or whoever we swapped out take over.

Gah. I gotta leave for work.

>>4006366
this really is a very bad idea. part of our strength, hell a significant portion of it, it our adaptability via all our different family members. fully allowing her and Dorian to be locked out, aswell as possibly November and even others, would do much more than just gut our numbers, it would significantly gut our adaptability and flexibility, and could very much outright screw us over. i dont think anyone on our team is wholly reliant on others, but we still HAVE significantly built our team around being a team and having so many characters to help cover eachother and adapt to situations when we can. cutting out 2-3 of those in a full lockout is honestly a crippling hit we cant afford, hence my compromise.

>>4006368
i still dont like that, as it feel too much like a requirement that always filling could easily bite us in the ass. plus, while im sure not one member would be against helping, it would still feel like making it a job or a choice, which just could end up wearing the wrong way for those who, despite their good intentions, dont see it as so much as a necessity or major thing to focus on over time.

just leaving spare time open is better i think. allows those who want to help to do so, while others can help as they wish or help on other missions, while no one ever is committed to being locked out if we need them or two things of utter importance taken care of.

>>4006362
She probably wouldnt be too interested in talking but i kinda hope we can also get some of the daughter names that were in the other interludes even though we didnt see them probably not a great hope but a man can dream

With how Nucelavee we might have to fight her if she goes for the cord. I hope we wont have to she seems a bit over our level right now....

Sorry for replying a bit late
Was hunting a bitch of a Lunastra

>>4006366
(Code Vein has some superb music, and is about as close to a video game version of Body Horror Quest as I can get aside from Digital Devil Saga, of course.)

>>4006331
>>Write-In
>"I'm hesitant to leave anyone here long term. A big part of our effectiveness has been the versatility we have as a team. I think we can cycle through, though. We always split into field teams and support anyway. So let's make Laoc a temporary base while they're rebuilding. Jeraha's given us a building here, we can operate out of it in addition to the Lair. Whoever's not on the active team can help out here, give whatever assistance they can provide."
>"I'd still like you and Dorian to be available to be called up, though, Julia. I get your point, I want to fix Laoc too, but if we need you chances are we'll really need you. And this way, even if you are called away you can at least know there will be someone here helping."
>"Meanwhile, let's talk about ways to stop that flyer and prevent this from happening again. Firstly, Amara. I need you to teach me about the Skinternet. I want to get a spotting group started, recruit Skintalkers from all over to track its movements. Best case scenario we find a nest, but even if that's not a solution we should still be able to get some advance warning to other towns this way."
>"On the topic of the Skinternet, I was contacted by a journalist of sorts earlier. Calls herself Orwell, offered to assist us in exchange for the scoop. She wants to liveblog us, basically, get exclusive access to our streaming rights. I told her I'd pass on the offer to the rest of you. Amara's a fan, I don't know anything about this woman, but we might be able to use her resources for both this and acting against West."
>"Finally, there's one more resource that I'm very uncertain about using, but it's only fair that I tell you: Ozmas. She spoke to me and Gina, said that she just wants this all to end and is willing to help us with information if it speeds things along. I don't trust her, it's Ozmas, but you deserve to know she's an option. If anyone knows anything about the Apocalypse Amalgams, it would be the person who released them."

>>4006381
Yeah, she was fast. I hope we don't have to fight her until Dorian's leveled up Spring-Heeled Jack a few more times. Maybe get it to max.

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Good to see you back BHOP. We missed you.

>>4006488
(Likewise, Anon. Thank you for your kind words.)

>>4006490
I absolutely agree, BHOP. I've been on board since the Third Vein, and this has been my favourite quest of all time to participate in. I'm so very glad you're back.

>>4006490
>>4006549
Been here since the begining and can confirm those Anons words. Been a wonderful and wild ride.

>>4006549
>>4006556
I only came in around Vein 17 or 18, can't remember which, but I share the sentiment. It got me back into quests, actually, reminded me of why I found these so fun.

>>4006490
>>4006549
I forget how or why I even found this quest, I'm not even a normal 4chan user so I got linked directly to it somehow but who knows where from. Came in just before Almath times and I'm very glad it's still going.
Good thing I followed you on Twitter too or I never would have remembered the start date.

>>4006549
>>4006490

Been here since the fifth, and I've switched between active participation and lurking depending on how strongly I feel about the scenario at hand.

This Is one of the best quests I've seen, with particularly excellent story and characterization. It takes a lot to get me so emotionally stirred up but this quest has done It...quite a lot, admittedly.

That and your quest's mechanics have also proved inspirational, so I must also thank you for that.

(Gentlemen, I'll be posting as soon as I am able; work went later than I anticipated, so I'll be updating within the next hour.)

>>4006549
>>4006556
>>4006558
>>4006573
>>4006576
(Wow...thank you all so very much for your kind words. It means a lot that you all have stuck with the Quest this long, and I appreciate your encouragement and participation, one and all.)

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>>4006331

"I'm hesitant to leave anyone here long term, Julia.” You begin, exuding an aura of calm through the empathic channel that now envelops everyone present. “A big part of our effectiveness has been the versatility we have as a team. That said…I think we can cycle through, though. We always split into field teams and support anyway, so let's make Laoc a temporary base while they're rebuilding. Jeraha's given us a building here, we can operate out of it in addition to the Lair. Whoever's not on the active team can help out here, give whatever assistance they can provide."

Julia’s smiling, about to voice her thanks when you raise your palm, giving her pause.

"I'd still like you and Dorian to be available to be called up at a moment's notice, though.” You gently interrupt, your caveat prompting the pale artist to cock her head to one side. “I get your point, Julia. I want to fix Laoc too, but if we need you chances are we'll *really* need you. And this way, even if you are called away you can at least know there will be someone here helping. Make no mistake, though; I need you or whoever else is here on call with Escher’s Gear at all times. Understood?”

“Yeah...th-thank you, Shu.” Julia replies, looking up at you with her big, dark eyes, pausing for a moment before she looks around the table. “I’d actually like some t-time to think some things over, if th-that’s…”

“Take all the time you need, Julia.” You say gently, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before addressing the rest of your family. “Now, let's talk about ways to stop that flyer and prevent this from happening again. Firstly…Amara, I need you to teach me about the Skinternet. I want to get a spotting group started, recruit Skintalkers from all over to track its movements. Best case scenario we find a nest, but even if that's not a solution we should still be able to get some advance warning to other towns this way.”

Amara gives you a playful salute from across the table, and when you meet her gaze you realize that there’s another item that needs to be addressed. “On the topic of the Skinternet; there’s an interaction that Amara and I had a little while ago that I wanted to bring to everyone’s attention. Amara, if you’d be so kind?”

“Huh? Oh. Oh yeah, Orwell!” Amara cries, her sudden burst of enthusiasm infectious across your empathic channel. “Can I show them?!”

You nod, and with a series of arcane whispers she recounts your discussion with Orwell as the ‘wood’ around you reveals itself to be well-crafted biomass, once teased into the form of oaken planks and now chattering with a myriad of mouths.

An unnerving surround-sound to compliment the soft tones of the jukebox in the corner, if nothing else.

(Continued)

>>4006649

“Isn’t she the coolest?!” Amara asks, rounding on you and your allies once she’s finished. Rath’s furrowed brow leaves little of her displeasure to the imagination, while November’s folded arms do the same for her otherwise inexpressive suit of armor. Francine’s brow is similarly cross, but more out of curiosity and contemplation than anything akin to contempt. Everyone else is suitably worried about the unwanted interruption you experienced, though no-one’s willing to object in the face of Amara’s boundless excitement.

“Yeah sweetie, she’s…something else.” Gina smiles, her mind whirring as she turns this new element over, examining Orwell’s approach and intentions from every angle even as she offers Amara an appreciative grin. “So, you’re a big fan, I take it?”

“The biggest!” Amara affirms, and from where you sit you cast a glance around the table.

“The biggest.” You echo, and everyone present nods solemnly, slowly realizing the issues this particular little fandom could bring to the table.

“Terribly sorry, but could you run it back a bit? Roughly a minute and thirty seconds in?” Francine slowly asks, steepling her fingers in front of her face, closing her eyes to listen with calculating intent. Amara cocks an eyebrow before relenting with a simple shrug, looping the audio once more.

“Haha, don’t look so mad, I wanna help!” Comes Orwell’s eerily cheerful voice through the lips of her biggest fan. “Wasn’t hard to figure out, if you’re wondering how I knew. It’s not like your Proxy is the first to try and shake things up…operative word being *try*.”

“That’s…thank you, Darling. That’ll be all.” The good doctor interrupts, raising her hand before threading her ungloved fingertips together in thought. There’s silence for a few fleeting seconds, and you catch sight of Julia whispering something in Dorian’s ear before he rises from the table.

“If I may, I’d like to call a short break.” He says, nodding towards you. “Allow us to gather our thoughts for a while before we reconvene.”

“I think that’s a good idea. Everyone? Take a break, refill your drinks and stretch your legs. We’ll meet back here in half an hour.” You announce, and you watch as Julia and Dorian slip away to converse privately while Francine rises from her seat in a daze, thrusting her hands into her pockets as she strides off in silence. Amara’s cat-like ears perk up at the same moment a wide grin spreads across her face, and when you blink she’s already halfway to the front door, yelling over her shoulder.

“Some of my scouts are back, and they brought presents!” She declares, her voice fading as she throws the double-doors wide and disappears into the eternal dusky haze of the Fleshscape.

‘Presents?’ You mouth to your remaining allies, and the group just gives you a series of puzzled looks and confused shrugs.

(Continued)

>>4006651

Rath keeps a wary eye on the door for a long moment before rounding on you, leaning forwards on one arm across the table.

“So. Orwell.” She bluntly starts. “Sketch as hell, yeah?”

“Maybe.” Comes your non-committal reply, paired with a heavy sigh as you take Julia’s empty seat. “I'm hoping that was more a first-impression kind of deal, like with the Midnight Crew."

{And if it wasn't?} Gina asks privately across the Crimson Cord as Rath runs a hand through her short red hair.

[Then we'll deal with that, too] You reply, scanning the room as you open the channel to your allies. [Keeping talk about Orwell limited to the empathic network would be wise. She's got the Skinternet, but our minds are one place she can't overhear]

{Hopefully}, Gina adds grimly, prompting a quick scowl from you.

In any case, the break was a good call given how heated the undercurrent of emotions was getting, though you admit you're a little nervous as to what your two artists are talking about. Francine stalking off on her own also gives you some cause for concern, though you can certainly guess at what she's grappling with at the moment. Your mind still churns with everything on your plate, but it's given something else to focus on when Lara turns to Rath, the two of them practically lighting up as they quickly slip into pleasant conversation...with November awkwardly sitting right next to them, trying her best to ignore her niece's flustered giddiness.

You have a little time before the break's over with, and even with that short time frame, you intend to use it tactically.

>>Take a moment before Amara returns to announce your concerns about Orwell, and gauge your family's thoughts on the matter via the channel.

>>Talk to Francine, alone. She's clearly chewing something over, and maybe you could give her burgeoning ideas a little push in the right direction.

>>Go talk to Julia and Dorian. They're entitled to their privacy, but you want to make your family's focus crystal clear. No ambiguity, no half-measures...you've had enough of those to last a lifetime.

>>Follow Amara outside and see if you can figure out how deep her fangirling goes. You have one or two more questions about the Skinternet you'd like to bring up to her too, while you're at it.

>>Listen in on Rath and Lara's conversation until everyone arrives...what? You need doses of cuteness where you can get it, no offense to Amara.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(Gentlemen, I'll be pausing here for the evening and doing something a little different. Voting shall remain open for the next four hours, with the next post to drop around 9:00AM Eastern time tomorrow morning, since I'll write it tonight. Thank you all for your time, participation, enthusiasm, and kind words, and I'll be around this evening if you have any questions, comments, or criticisms. I welcome it all, and I do hope your day went well.)

>>4006654
>>Talk to Francine, alone. She's clearly chewing something over, and maybe you could give her burgeoning ideas a little push in the right direction.

>>4006654
hrm, well im disappointed in the direction that tied vote went. Julia is letting this get to her way too much in my opinion.

Vote;
>Go talk to Julia and Dorian. They're entitled to their privacy, but you want to make your family's focus crystal clear. No ambiguity, no half-measures...you've had enough of those to last a lifetime.

im just wholly unsatisfied with how things are left off with her here. if she wants to stay, shes a free individual, but i really do not think she is not understanding the issues doing so brings up for sure, among other things.

>>4006667
>>4006662
can we have Gina help us out on this? Shu can tackle one subject while Gina handles the other.

>>4006805
I suppose thats an acceptable compromise, though which to which i couldn't say. would still personally prefer to talk to Julia ourselves, but as part of the compromise it might be best to ask Gina who she is more comfortable tackling.

>>4006654
>>4006662
>>4006667
>Do both, and ask Gina to help with the other. whichever she feels more comfortable and up to tackling.
>Throw in a quip about how not putting everything on your shoulders was her idea afterall.

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>>4006656
oh, BHOP, heres something we never asked about but ive always been slightly curious about.

What was up with Meg and the giant worm thing she came in on, but then if i remember just sorta discarded?

Oh, damn it, dozed off before making dinner. What did I miss? Okay, Francine is upset about there having been other Proxies to rebel, only to be brought back in line. Yeah, that's worrying. We need to beef up Francine's psychic defenses, then. I think Unyielding Spirit technically should work for that, what with downgrading any negative status effect on her.

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>>4006827
maybe, though ironically that does kinda help the case against her original plan more... just uh, not perhaps for the reasons we would want.

>>4006826
(Ah yes; the Amalgam was in its death throes as Meg had just hollowed it out after a long fight. She was recuperating her losses when you stumbled across her, so she didn't have time to properly recover bio or level up. Its biomass was shorn through by her Core power's most devastating ability, so there was little left to use after she was done with it...merely an empty shell, in the end. It was rather amusing, actually; they ran afoul of each other while both were tunneling underground.)

(I hope this answers your question.)

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>>4006835
haha, and yes it does. thanks.
didn't know we fought her not at her best... actually, she came to us to be fair. not sure why she did that then, if she was not at her best. could we still have even stood a chance at that point if she wasn't weakened?

>>4006840
(Meg's decision was unwise, as she was on the ragged edge of going Hunger-mad, so the odds of her making rational calls in the heat of combat were slim to none, especially how her Hunger manifested.)

(It would've been a much closer fight had she been at full strength, and there would've been a high chance for B'ni to have to show her hand much earlier so that you wouldn't have gotten killed.)

>>4006835
I figured it was probably something like that. Something she killed but didn't have time to harvest, kind of like the other worm that Zahira had. Kind of a recurring theme, there, giant worms that the killer doesn't have time to eat before someone forces them to use the biomass for something else.

>>4006840
Well, we had B'Ni with us, so I imagine if things turned really poorly that would have just lead to her revealing "oh, by the way, I'm actually level eighty-one, not level five" and crushing Meg. But Meg was definitely a lot stronger than Shu and Gina. Gladiatorial Swarm is a triple hybrid, and she had raised it to at least level three given that she could burrow with it, which means that Meg had a minimum level of seventeen compared to Shu and Gina's...I think we were around level four or five, total?

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>>4006844
>>4006846
well, yeah, obviously B'ni could've crushed just about any foe we met. i more of meant within the context of what we THOUGHT we had. which BHOP graciously answered within said context.

surprised she was on the cusp though, she was one of the ones i thought was more stable in that regard, as when we met her in the dreamscape her demeanor was exactly the same as outside and gave off the same 'i just wanted a good fight' impression.

>>4006851
(Some Daughters seem perfectly fine, yet they're straddling the razor's edge of sanity. Meg's the kind of person where if she's *not* talking, then you know something's very, very wrong.)

>>4006855
To be honest, I assumed she was already Hunger-mad when we fought her, and that's why she was so quiet in the fight. Like her Hunger was manifesting as a dissociative state.

>>4006855
oh, well i guess Gina would know more about that, but she just gave off the impression she was just like that, even after meeting her in the Dreaming.

though to be fair, i think we haven't talked to her much. what with losing Gina for a bit and her being more of the type to befriend Rath, etc.

>>4006864
Speaking of Meg and Rath's boxing lessons, has Silvis tagged along for any of those yet? Have Meg and Silvis bonded over punching?

>>4006855
>Meg's the kind of person where if she's *not* talking, then you know something's very, very wrong.
That hits too close to us men. Most of us when we get stressed tend to bottle them up silently and stoically, and then slowly break under pressure in silence until the rage hits a breaking point and then violence happens.

>>4006654
>Ask November and Gina a request via channel.
>{Gina I need your help. Francine's clearly mulling over the fact that her collective has an actual Inquisition system established, and mulling it over alone won't do her any good. Care to help her brainstorm?}
>{November, can you do me a small favor? Ask Amara about how she came across Orwell on the skinternet, what does Orwell do, what does Amara like about Orwell. Don't interject or add your opinion, just ask and listen. Please? I don't want to put pressure on her or give out the wrong opinion, but just let me know what Amara thinks about her.}
>Go talk to Julia and Dorian.

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>>4006867
we seem to have alot of people who make friends through punching the shit out of eachother.

>>4006870
well, we dont know its an inquisition. West Alpha might be enough, or she could have another method.

also, id still prefer to let Gina have a word in who she talks to, and if we WERE going to assign them, you got that flipped. November is clearly close to some degree to Francine, and would do better talking to her. meanwhile Ginas closeness to us probably would make Amara more open to, well, opening up to us.

>>4006867
(They have, and they're actually having a great time. Eloise has taken the two of them ice-skating, which I'm going to have to put down on paper sometime, just to render Silvis' fumbles in glorious text.)

>>4006880
>well, we dont know its an inquisition. West Alpha might be enough, or she could have another method.
West Alpha doesn't strike me as having the level of finesse needed to bring Proxies back into the fold intact. She's basically a hunter-killer drone. And the option to see things from West Tau's perspective in the Interlude voting mentioned that there were two people visiting her that she was terrified to see at her doorstep. I'm thinking that West Alpha probably has a partner, Alpha as the muscle and the other Proxy as the brains.

>>4006882
Oh, excellent. Good to hear that Eloise is getting along, too, I was worried she'd be too reserved to goof off with the alien.

Silvis fumbling on ice, huh? Come to think of it, large amounts of ice are probably very alien to them, the Hexane planet (we really need to learn its name at some point) had two suns. You'd only get frozen water at the poles. This must be so weird for Silvis.

>>4006895
>Back into the fold
no one said the Proxies were brought back into the fold though, only they failed to 'go their own way'. that easily could mean many things, including just straight up death. we have no confirmation on what it means, only that it means Francine isnt the first to try and betray West Prime.

>>4006882
I could imagine Churem developing a guilty pleasure for ice skating somehow. Like a normally uptight and stoic alien mall cop uproariously laughing in glee gliding around the ice rink would be a sight to see, until one of the Hexane chimes in and catches Churem in the act of being not so stoic.
Speaking of ice skating, skating on thin ice down a river would be a thing that Eloise might've tried.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3O9vNi-dkA

>>4006880
>alien birb that eats bees
NOOO WHY ANON.

>>4006907
(*'Birds and the Bees' ship intensifies*)

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>>4006907
because you just know someone out there want to specifically make constructs/amalgams to counter Shu.

>>4006911
truly, the skinternet is an unforgivable place.

>>4006899
>no one said the Proxies were brought back into the fold though
Yes they did. From the last thread

>It’s not like your Proxy is the first to try and shake things up…operative word being *try*.” Orwell explains off-handedly. “She’s just the first to make some friends before toeing the line, is all!”

To toe the line is to comply with consensus and status quo and go along with what the group tells you to do. Orwell wouldn't have said that if the Proxies were just killed.

>>4006917
nothing about that at all in any way means they were forced back into the fold instead of killed.

>>4006916
>because you just know someone out there want to specifically make constructs/amalgams to counter Shu.
There actually is a type of bird called the bee-eater. Let's hope we never fight a Hive Mistress whose constructs are those.

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>>4006916
>Truly the skinternet is an unforgivable place

Is that so Jon? Look at me Jon. Look what I have become.

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>>4006931
oh hey, ive got one of those on the list to post too haha.

>>4006931
>>4006938
(Unnatural Predators have quite the following on the Skinternet, as I'm sure you could imagine.)

>>4006920
It pretty strongly suggests it. Like I said, that's what it means to "toe the line", that you're complying with the commands of your faction instead of being an individual. I suppose it's possible that Orwell is being heavily metaphorical there, and that she's using conformity as symbolism for death. But that seems less likely.

>>4006943
Oh no. Now that Lara's been seen working with our group she's going to get so many DMs asking for gonopore pics, isn't she?

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>>4006943
oh god, have UPDs replaced cat and pet pictures?
do skinternet photographers bribe them to act cute and animalisitc?

>>4006946
no, toeing the line means you're pushing the boundaries of what will get you in trouble. all its saying is, she met us and started to have us warm up to her before she actually started revealing herself as a traitor, which is what kinda happened.

nothing about the saying implies at all how they were in the end dealt with, only shes the first not to be alone when it happens.

>>4006943
>TIL sexy Monstergirls are still a thing.
What's the most popular Monstergirl on the skinternet via rankings? Hellhound themed daughter? Catgirl themed daughter? bunny? Lamia type daughters? Centaur-girls?

>>4006946
>>4006920
Either way, the end result is that the individualism in each proxy that "toes the line" is extinguished. Make that what you will, but it's clear that West Prime does not tolerate individualism and rebellion.

>>4006953
im split between wanting to be mildly disgusted at the fact she probably will, and disturbed at my questioning of if she has that, due to her still being largely humanoid, at least after the metamorphosis.

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>>4006959
>do skinternet photographers bribe them to act cute and animalisitc?
More like skintalkers coerce UPDs to let their feral instincts take over. like pic related.

>>4006959
>no, toeing the line means you're pushing the boundaries of what will get you in trouble
No, it means to conform to those boundaries. The idiom comes from military inspections, where servicemen had to assemble on a line to be examined. You're toeing the line because you're exactly in position for where you're marked to stand, not because you're going over it.

>>4006960
>What's the most popular Monstergirl on the skinternet via rankings? Hellhound themed daughter? Catgirl themed daughter? bunny? Lamia type daughters? Centaur-girls?
Everyone in the fleshscape is nasty, I'm going to say it's probably not something mammalian. Like eel Daughters are most popular or something like that.

>>4006979
nope, it doesn't, not anymore anyways, nor any place ive ever seen. you are literally the only person to ever interpret it that way in my entire life, regardless of where it originally came from or meant.

>>4006960
>>4006979
(As for the most popular Unnatural Predator, I'll leave that a secret for now. However, I will say this; she's famous for reasons you wouldn't exactly expect, as her content is less 'Monster Musume' and more 'Mythbusters'.)

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>>4006985
>mythbuster monstergirl
>with all the crazy questions and nonsense of the crucible.
oh, well now you have my attention BHOP.

>>4006985
>as her content is less 'Monster Musume' and more 'Mythbusters'
Why am I imagining a West Proxy with Unnatural Predator traits and skintalking abilities? A Mythbusters segment on the skinternet would be perfect for a West Proxy to do science for "fun" that appeals to the general audience.

>>4006982
It totally still means that. People use that meaning all the time. I don't know how you've never encountered this usage of the term in your life, but that doesn't change that it's quite common. Seriously, just google the phrase real quick and you'll see that "toe the line" is taken to mean "conform" by more or less everyone. I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be a jerk here, but you are wrong.

>>4006985
Oh god, Kari Byron survived into the Crucible and has a hybrid Unnatural Predator/Generator Core based around secreting plastic explosives, hasn't she?

>>4007010
>Kari Byron
She's also got a lovely ass and a large arsenal of Gun Relics when it comes to the Gun and explosive myths.

>>4007010
(On phone)
No, im not. Its like how 'literally' is used differently now-a-days. Just because something had an original meaning does not mean thats what it means, and you simply assuming that because thats what it originally meant is wrong.

>>4007010
>>4006982
(Upon further inspection, I realize that I made an unfortunate goof; for some reason I thought 'toeing the line' meant to over-step one's boundaries, not to stay within one's limits. The original intent of Orwell's usage was meant to mean "Francine is the first Proxy to step out of line with allies by her side, instead of doing so while alone." I am terribly sorry for the confusion.)

>>4007024
(The last part for this particular Predator? Unfortunately, no, she has no firearms or explosives to speak of, though her powerset's inspiration does share a name with a particular type of weapon.)

(The first part? Very much so.)

>>4007010
>>4007033
Also, compare both definitions we are putting forth. You'res makes no sense within the phrasing and context orwell is speaking there, especially compared to mine.

>>4007035
No BHOP, it does mean that, your not wrong here, the other anon is because he doesn't understand language and phrases usages can change.

Ah, I never actually voted, did I?

>>4006654
>Ask Gina and November for help via empathic channel
>Gina to speak with Amara about Orwell and November to speak with Francine about her worries, unless November thinks that wouldn't go over well. Things were awkward last time she tried to talk to Francine about it. If it would be a bad move, have them swap conversation partners.
>We go talk with Julia and Dorian about their plans to assist with Laoc's reconstruction. What are they planning on doing to help here?

>>4007039
No, it makes just as much sense. It's Orwell saying "yeah, it's weird, most Francines don't manage to find help before they get pulled back into the hive mind". But whatever, BHOP was using the phrase wrong too.

>>4007043
Oh, fuck off. No, the phrase means "to conform". Just because you and BHOP both happened to be wrong (sorry, BHOP, but you are) doesn't make it mean something it doesn't. Seriously, just type the words "toe the line" into any search engine and you will see that the consensus is about conformity. Yes, the usage of terms can change, but in this case it hasn't. You're just both making faulty assumptions, only BHOP is willing to actually look it up and admit when he's wrong while you're being completely obstinate about it. Seriously, for every use of the phrase "toe the line" to mean "overstep boundaries" there are a thousand meaning "to conform". It is not unreasonable to assume that's what Orwell meant here.

>>4006982
>>4007039
Oi. Semantics are fun to argue like a pair of Jews and Theology, but we're getting caught up in the details. What IS relevant however is that we now know that Proxies attempting to rebel when they sense an opportunity to escape Prime's Thumb and inquisition has happened in the past and have almost always end in failure and repression. Francine's case is unique that she's able to gather allies before declaring her rebellion. And this also means that there are proxies among the collective who want to rebel and strike out on their own but find themselves either unable to or lack the courage.

Francine's likely mulling this over in her mind about the possibility of a good alternative to the original "suicide Martyrdom" plan that we vehemently proposed. The fact that there are other proxies who also yearn for independence would give her inspiration of a sorts, but she's needs someone to bounce ideas off of.

>>4007052
Yeah, you're right. Doesn't matter the particulars, the confusion has been cleared up. Let's just move on.

So, okay, other rogue Proxies. I'm not sure if we can use them, though. "Doesn't want to obey West Prime" is not necessarily the same thing as "is a good person". It might just be the same selfish personality traits that Prime has leading the Proxies to want to work on their own research projects instead of being sacrificed for the good of the collective. The fact that Francine is the only one to try to acquire allies also suggests that other rogue Proxies may have issues with sociability and cooperation, which might make working with them impossible, But yes, it does present an interesting opportunity. We'll have to be careful, but if we can find ones that are willing to work with us they'd be a good source of second opinions.

>>4007048
nope, it makes much less sense with your wrong definition, and you're simply in the wrong here. its changed, simple as that, and if you're too mentally dumb to realize a definition of a phrase might not be what its mainly used for anymore, thats on you.

and nice ignoring of the fact i never said it did not originate or once mean what you said, in matter of fact, i said it could've sure. but that doesn't mean its still used that way, regardless of what a 'definition' says.

i also never said it was unreasonable to assume orwell meant that, you're the asshat who refused to even aknowledge, even if its just regional, that the usage and meaning of a phrase could be different. as far as im concerned, you punted first, you can fuck right off, and evidence has been shown you're wrong about it only having one meaning nor that one being the only correct one.

>>4007059
Also, it's probably giving Francine some doubts, because her plan was based on the idea that she was the only good West, so it would be perfectly acceptable and in fact noble for her to kill every West Proxy. But if there are other Proxies that are rebelling, then she'd have ethical issues with the virus plan, because what if there are others who are good people? She'd be murdering them, then. So this is good for us, in a way, it helps dissuade Francine from the self-sacrifice plan now that she as to consider that she might be sacrificing others, too.

>>4007052
i mean, for one, just because they wish to rebel does not automatically make them any better than West Prime, in actions or goals. its also quite possible she has already weeded out any she cant trust. lets not forget, Gamma West was on her way to replace Francine, so even before she openly rebelled West Prime clearly was cleaning house, and knew what to look for potentially.

>>4007071
could be, though my first thought was she was thinking she may not be the first to try a similar attack on the West Network or Prime. which might put her in further doubts and make her plan take even longer to formulate. though, while West and the Proxies are a major threat, not like we dont have plenty of major and secondary things to fill that gap at least.

>>4007079
wasn't there a potential omake that we could've viewed featuring a West Proxy? I feel like we could've gotten more info had we chosen that interlude, but alas B'ni and Sam were pretty big in terms of relevance

>>4007103
yeah. dont remember which proxy though. was a 'as a West Proxy packs up a lab, they meet someone who even West fears.'

might of given us insight into the Proxies, but honestly the description at least personally sounds like a sneak peak to a later character(and possibly villain.) over actually focusing on the West Prime and her goals.

>>4007103
Yeah. Here was the description in the vote:
>>West Tau is making last-minute preparations in advance of Prime's ascension when she has two unexpected guests; one that inspires fear, and one that inspires something far more unsettling for the cold Doctor.
Might have something to do with the First Daughter (I don't want to call her Alpha, we've got too many Alphas in this story). From what we saw in Alicja's interlude, the First would probably be pretty unsettling to the Wests.

(Gentlemen, I shall be heading to bed shortly. I wish you all a good rest when you get one, and a very good morning as well.)

>>4007125
Good night, BHOP. Thanks for running.

>>4007125
night, see ya come bright side.

>>4006656
I personally dont like this new way of doing things i can see why you would want to. So i wont ask you to change it.

So i will accept not being able to vote before waking up again which is usually to late to then still vote

>>4007210
you could do what ive done, which is just wake up for the post to vote, then sleep again. with 4 hours(lets be honest, 5 hours as BHOP rarely is ready to post right as voting closes, not that i blame him or anything) now, thats like, legitimately more than a nap now between updates.

>>4006654

[Gina? Mind if I ask you a favor?]

{Oh, you've built up plenty of favors. Worked damn hard for them, too}
Gina teases, a few choice selections of your restful evening flitting through your mind's eye at her prompting. {Ask away~}

[Okay, first; damn you] You fire back, crossing your legs and fighting to keep the blush that's creeping up your neck at bay. [Second, I think both Francine and Julia could use some attention, and I wanted to leave it up to you as to which one you're up to tackling.You pick one, and I'll talk to the other]

{Aw, is this you taking-}

[-your advice to heart? Yeah, it is. No need to sound so amazed, GG] You counter, cocking an eyebrow at her from where you stand at the other end of the table.

{*Pride*. It's pride you're feeling, Shu. Get used to it, you're awesome} Gina chuckles, making a show of tapping one slender finger against her soft chin. {Actually, what if we brought November in to talk with Francine, and I go talk with Amara? The whole 'Orwell' thing has me a little on edge, so who best to tell us about her than her number one fan?}

[Good move] You say, watching Gina gesture to November as she rises
from her seat. [Leave the artists to me, then]

You make your way to the hall of doors where your artisans ran off to, and you're tempted to just knock on doors until you find the right one when the sixth one on the left is opened wide. Dorian steps out, lost in thought before he notices your approach, and even then he maintains
his reticent silence until you're right in front of him.

"Hey Dorian, are y-"

"Shu, I'm...yes, Miss Shu. I'm fine. Lady Julia would like to speak with you a moment." He says stiffly, gesturing towards the closed door as conflicted emotions billow off the young man like storm clouds. Before you can voice any inquisitions, he strides down the hall
towards the double-doors, disappearing into the streets of Laoc in search of clarity. Reaching out, you take hold of the doorknob and ease it open, the hinges groaning the sound of bone-on-bone as you reveal a small bedroom, its high window allowing the light of dusk to
bathe the room in scarlet-gold.

"Hey, I wanted to come and chat, but...is Dorian going to be alright?" You begin, glancing back down the hall with the door half-closed behind you.

"He'll b-be going with you. November t-too, when I talk to her after we're d-done here." Julia answers, gentle smile cast in the warm glow of the light streaming in through the tall window behind her.

(Continued)

>>4007656

"...I'm afraid I don't follow, if I'm being totally honest." You say slowly, studying the artisan's kind, dark eyes. She pats the seat next to her and you relent, sitting down as she begins to speak.

"Shu, I know I'm th-the only one that r-really wants t-to stay. Dorian's sweet, but he'd b-be staying for the wrong reasons. As for November, she...I get this f-feeling of guilt from her that I c-can't really place, but she needs to b-be with Rath. They're learning about each other, helping each other in s-so many ways, and that's r-really beautiful."

You reach out with your empathic field in the face of Julia's inscrutable smile, and you find a host of opposites swirling in her heart. Fear, and courage. Submission, and defiance. Anger, and joy. Yet, despite it all, there's no trace of the turmoil you'd expect with all of that and more weighing on her mind...in the place of chaos and conflict, you're surprised to find a gentle calm. One that makes you more confused, than anything.

"Are you mad that so few of us want to stay?" You posit, trying to get a lead on how Julia's feeling, and the blond girl merely shakes her head.

"I understand where you're c-coming from...I do. There's a world at stake. *Our* world. Our present, our future, our...everything. That mission takes precedence. So, no. I'm not mad at you, or Dorian, or anyone. I d-don't blame them for not wanting to stay. I...k-kind of feel the opposite. I'm mad that I want to s-stay. I know in the grand scheme of things that one t-town pales next to the Cord and p-putting an end to all this...macro versus micro, like F-Francine said. Saving our world...it's a n-numbers game. I don't like it, but th-that's how it is."

You're about to protest when she places a hand on your knee, meeting your eyes with her shining gaze.

(Continued)

File: Rebuild, Restore, Revive.png (2.91 MB, 1900x1344)

2.91 MB PNG

>>4007659

"I'm not in control of anyone b-but myself, and I know that if I left now without trying t-to help Laoc's people more, then...I'd carry that with me, and I know it'd weigh me d-down. This is *my* thing, Shu. I d-don't expect anyone else in our family to drop everything j-just because I feel like I need to d-do this." She continues, chuckling softly in spite of herself. "I know focusing on the m-micro right now doesn't make sense, but I *feel* that it's the r-right thing to do. J-Just for a little while. Just...staying to help these people, to learn their n-names, to show them that there are p-people on the outside that aren't just willing to f-fight the good fight, but to stick with them when the f-fighting's done and all that's left is p-picking up the p-pieces."

She swallows hard, her throat working to form her impassioned words

"I'll k-keep a spoke of Escher's G-Gear with me. I'll b-be by your side in an instant if you n-need me. I'll even help you d-defeat the Mole before I go, or d-do anything else you need, b-but...this is important to me, Shu. I know it's n-not the logical thing...but I feel like it's the r-right thing. For me, at least. I didn't mean to g-guilt anyone b-back there...I'm not as eloquent as you or D-Dorian, so I feel like I could've m-made my point a lot b-better...I'm not sure if anything I s-said makes sense or not, b-but...it's how I feel, and I f-figured you'd want m-me to be honest, so...y-yeah. That's...th-that's all I had to say."

There's a moment of quiet, and it's in during that brief reprieve that you realize Julia's hand is trembling. Not just her hand; you were so enraptured by her words and her eyes that you failed to notice her entire body is shaking like a leaf.

Julia...she was scared to tell you all this. It's only now, as you take her hand in both of yours, that it hits you; you're fairly certain that this is the most she's ever spoken....

...and it's in defense of a choice.

>>Julia seems content to be the only one to remain in Laoc, and on-call at that. You have no issue with this situation as it stands, so you'd like to [speak with Julia some more/Go talk to one of your allies during the break].

>>Since Julia realizes how this doesn't contribute to the over-arching goal, then maybe with a bit of discussion she'll realize that staying in Laoc's a losing battle. Julia's a kind soul, and she's just going to wear herself ragged, if you let her.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(Gentlemen, voting shall remain open for the next four and a half hours, as I had to post a little early due to wrestling with some formatting issues that could most effectively be done from home.)

>>4007660
>sigh, and nod. Give Julia a warm, sincere smile and a pat on the leg.
>"Julia... I understand. I may not agree, but I do, really. I dont think anyone felt like you were trying to guilt them, or anything like that..."
>"But, you have to also understand where we're coming from. which i think you do."
>Sigh, and give things a moment.
>"Look... you control your own life. please understand, that what im about to say isn't said with malice, or anger. not with contempt or in-compassion. Know that I love you like family, a friend ill never be able to hate."
>"...But im also a leader, by you guys choice. and one that, whether we like it or not, no matter how much i want to deny it or mitigate it... one thats accomplished alot in these three weeks, compared to what even some of the best have done in two years. Its fact, nothing more, and i hope to make sure i keep it that way."
>Turn to look at her.
>"But all of that was possible, because we, our family, stuck together. because we helped eachother first, or if we didn't, we did helped others at our own expense, together, as a team."
>"If you leave. Ill have to remember that, even if having to doesn't make much sense. Ill have to remember, you chose Laoc and your own feelings over the team, over the family."
>"Im not saying we wont want you back, or wont let you back, hah, lord knows i love you too much to not."
>"But you also need to understand, if only from my perspective as someone who has to lead you guy, who you guys have chosen to constantly look to for the final word, what you leaving means aswell. what you choosing this over us and what we have put our lives on the line for means."
>Let the air sit for a moment.
>"I know it might hurt for hear all that... but its the truth. its how i feel. I mean what im about to say. I hope things go well here, i do, and i hope and will be more than glad when you're ready to return..."
>Turn back to look at her.
>"But you're still ripping something out of us, both as a team and a family. You've seen it, you've experienced it. what can change in a day out there, let alone just a few hours. what we go through."
>"...when you do return, you're gonna have to understand, everything could be different... and im gonna have to keep in mind, for our sake, the fact thats happened. thats the reality of it."
>lean in, and pull her into a hug. a deep, hard one.
>"Thats all im saying, in the end, i guess. Know im not holding this against you, im not trying to change your mind... but if i ignored the reality of it too, if i didnt say it... id not be able to live with letting you walk away. I hope no matter how me speaking my mind sounded, you understand that."

>Go and see how things went with Francine and Amara, then meet with Ivey, if she has arrived.

>>4007661
yeah, and dont take this the wrong way, ive noticed since your return some lines have randomly cut out short and started back up below for some reason. trying a new method of typing/posting id assume?

>>4007664
(The new style of formatting is entirely unwanted, I assure you. I despise it, and I'm trying to pinpoint where it's coming from in my text-porting process.)

>>4007666
i figured, and hope you figure it out aswell.

>>4007660
>"Julia...As much as I would like to disagree with you, I understand why you want to do this."
>"A lot can change in just a few hours. Things could be different by the time you return. You yourself might change in the time you're away from the family."
>"I hold no ill will against your choice, but please do keep in mind the consequences of the choice you make and how it affects others."
>"We will miss you in the time you're away, staying here in Laoc, helping the town pick up the pieces until they can stand on their own two feet."
>"I'll miss you for your tea and hospitality, Amara will miss you for being the kind aunt she sees you as..."
>Look in the direction that Dorian has stalked off to. A forlorn expression graces your face as one who knows what it's like to be heartbroken.
>"Dorian will miss you, you know. Prior to meeting you, the bottle was his companion during the days in his old house. He will miss you greatly. To him, you are his rock. His constant. His source of stability in this maddening world who gives him the will to keep him going. The woman who welcomes him home with a warm smile on her face and a hot brew to soothe his stresses. Most importantly to him, you're woman he loves."
>Spawn a pair of paired-jacklings, each of them having an exclusive channel of communication linked to the other. Hand one of them to Julia. The other will be for Dorian.
>"I have no doubt that Dorian would be in constant yearning over your absence. But I think the comfort of hearing your voice over the phone will be enough for him to keep going. Until either we return to Laoc after one of our expeditions, or until Laoc has recovered enough to stand on its own."
>Look at Julia in the eye. Dead serious but warm.
>"But please, above all else. Don't run yourself ragged over helping the town while we're away. Please don't overexert yourself. Laoc may be a small town, but it's a town that has seen its fair share of hardships and has come out the other side ragged but intact. The town, and its townsfolk have survived much this far, they've shown that they are capable of standing on their own two feet."
>Pull Julia into a deep hard hug.
>"Take care of yourself. Please."
>leave.

>>4007569
I might try that today actually.

I just hope to not kneecap my sleeping schedule too much with this.

>>4007661
>Julia, I understand completely. First, I just want you to know that you're always welcome to tell me how you feel. Everybody on the team has the right to be honest, not only with the others, but also with themselves. And for you to take a stand on this tells me how much this means to you.
>I would never force you to do anything you're not completely uncomfortable with. And even if I did, I know that leaving Laoc behind would eat away at you over time. Staying with us would help our team's flexibility, but it would also mean you wouldn't be fighting at 100%. I wouldn't dream of having you risk yourself while something so important weighs on your conscience.
> Just promise me one thing. Laoc is full of people that need help and support. But you're a person too, Julia. Remember to prioritize yourself as well when you're working. You're one of the kindest people I know, and that's an amazing quality. But there's a difference between keeping people warm and setting yourself on fire to do so. You see what I'm getting at? Help people, but make sure to sweety boundaries for yourself as well.

>>>4007687
Include the jackling section, so that Dorian can keep in touch with her.

>>4007777
*set boundaries for yourself, dang autocorrect.

>>4007687
>>4007777
wouldn't just making a set of hive phones or something work better? doesn't take up swarmling slots or make them rely on Shu for communication. not to mention any potential issues with privacy going through Shus Swarmlings.

>>4007782
Gah. You're right.
>>4007687
>>4007660
Amending my vote to add:
>Order up a pair of Hive Phones for Dorian and Julia.

>>4007782
You're right, that's way better.

>>4007660
>>Julia seems content to be the only one to remain in Laoc, and on-call at that. You have no issue with this situation as it stands, so you'd like to [speak with Julia some more/Go talk to one of your allies during the break].
>>Write-In
>"I can't say I'm happy about this, Julia. Not because you want to stay to help with Laoc. You're doing something that you believe in and that will help people, I'm never going to be upset with you over that."
>"But you know me. I'm a worrier. You're taking on a hefty burden, and you're going to do it without any of us. You're up for the task, I've got faith in you to tackle anything, but I'm still going to worry."
>"Promise me that you'll take care of yourself. Not just keeping safe, but keeping relaxed. Don't run yourself ragged here. You deserve consideration, too. And if you ever feel that you need help, do not hesitate to call us. Or just if you want to talk, to me or Dorian or Amara or any of us. We all love you, and we're going to miss you while you're gone."
>Add a pair of Hive Phones to any build orders for Relics we have.

File: Unity.gif (1.62 MB, 450x711)

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>>4007660

You nod solemnly, considering her words as you gather your thoughts with a sigh.

"Julia... I understand. I may not agree, but I do, really. I don’t think anyone felt like you were trying to guilt them, or anything like that...but, you have to also understand where we're coming from Look...you control your own life. Please understand, that what I’m about to say isn't said with malice, or anger. Not with contempt or any lack of compassion. Know that I love you like family, a friend I’ll never be able to hate."

She begins to tense, but relaxes slightly when you give her hand a squeeze.

“By everyone’s choice, I’m the leader of our team… and one that, whether we like it or not, no matter how much I want to deny it or mitigate it...one that’s accomplished a lot in these three weeks, compared to what even some of the best have done in two years. It’s fact, nothing more, and I hope to keep it that way. But all of that was possible, because we, our family, stuck together. Because we helped each other first, or if we didn't, we did helped others at our own expense, together, as a team."

Julia casts her dark gaze to your side as you continue.

"If you leave? I’ll have to remember that, even if having to doesn't make much sense. I’ll have to remember that you chose Laoc and your own feelings over the team, over the family." You say quietly. “I’m not saying we won’t want you back, or won’t let you back. Lord knows I love you too much to not…but you also need to understand what you leaving means, as well. What you choosing this over us and what we have put our lives on the line for means."

She nods, not daring to meet your eyes even as you exude an air of understanding across the channel.

“I know it might hurt for hear all that...but it’s the truth. It’s how I feel. I mean what I’m about to say. I hope things go well here, I do, and I will be more than glad when you're ready to return..." You trail off, reaching out to tilt Julia’s chin so that your eyes meet before you speak once more. "…but you're still ripping something out of us, both as a team and a family. You've seen it, you've experienced it. A lot can change in just a few hours. Things could be different by the time you return. You yourself might change in the time you're away from the family. I mean it when I say that I hold no ill will against your choice, but please do keep in mind the consequences of the choice you make and how it affects others."

She opens her mouth to say something, then closes it, opting instead to simply nod as she stares unblinkingly into your eyes.

(Continued)

>>4007887

"We’ll miss you in the time you're away. I'll miss you for your tea and hospitality, Amara will miss you for being the kind aunt she sees you as..." You emphasize, glancing towards the door with a pang in your heart. "Dorian will miss you too, you know. Prior to meeting you, the bottle was his companion during the days in his old house. He will miss you greatly. To him, you’re his rock. His constant. His source of stability in this maddening world who gives him the will to keep him going. The woman who welcomes him home with a warm smile on her face and a hot brew to soothe his stresses. Most importantly to him, you're woman he loves…so, to that end…”

You hive twitches as a pair of Hive-Phone Swarmlings crawl from your spine, with one flitting over to Julia’s side on a pair of gossamer wings while the other clings to your shoulder.

“Dorian may get lonely, but I think the comfort of hearing your voice over the phone will be enough for him to keep going…and I know the rest of us will want to hear your voice, too. Until either we return to Laoc after one of our expeditions, or until Laoc has recovered enough to stand on its own." You say, your tone taking on a harder edge, yet still tempered by the warmth in your voice. "But please, above all else, don't run yourself ragged over helping the town while we're away. Laoc is full of people that need help and support, but you're a person too, Julia. Remember to prioritize yourself as well when you're working. You're one of the kindest people I know, and that's an amazing quality, but there's a difference between keeping people warm and setting yourself on fire to do so. You see what I'm getting at? Help people, but make sure to set boundaries for yourself as well.”

“I…I will. Th-thank you, Shu.” Julia says, her voice threatening to break. When you pull her into the tightest, warmest hug you’ve ever give your kind artist...she can’t hold back. You hold her like that for a while, feeling her heart strain under the weight of her decision and its consequences through the channel as your own chest aches from her choice. After a few moments, she asks you in a small, trembling voice to let her have a few moments to herself, and you’re happy to oblige.

God, you need some fresh air.

Throwing the double-doors of city hall wide, you take in a deep breath of Laoc’s air and immediately regret your decision. You almost gag from the lungful of moist, charred air you suck in, managing a discreet cough to dislodge the foul breath from your throat. Patting your chest as you scan the square, Gina and Amara are trotting up to you, with a pair of Joyous behind them, a collection of odd items held in their arms.

“Presents!” Amara cheers, throwing her arms up in the air as her two clones ferry the Relics over for your inspection. “And there’s more coming, too! I’ve got two more of me following the pants-less woman over with her friends!”

(Continued)

>>4007888

>>RELICS ACQUIRED: Shalaev’s Shawl x1 (you now possess two), General Generator’s Succulent Sauce x2, Shipping Goggles x1, Mr. Bones’ Blockade Ball x1

>>MR. BONES BLOCKADE BALL (consumable): A classic relic known by its name, this relic is composed of a mishmash of human skulls melded together in a tight ball the size of a softball. The skulls on the ball unnervingly rattle when shaken. To use, the daughter must infuse bio into the relic, wait 3 seconds, then throw the relic. Upon detonation, the Relic explodes into an army of skeleton constructs (10% bio per skeleton) that amble about and do their best to grapple and hold down the closest daughter they can find. The skeletons themselves are fairly weak individually but they provide a small yet crucial in aiding a daughter's escape or even provide a small buffer of protection. As an alternate function if the Daughter by shakes the relic 5 times within the 3 second timer before throwing the relic, the relic instead expands into a giant rolling ball of skeletons that automatically grapples anything within close range (costs 100/200/300/500% bio for Small/Medium/Large/X-Large size ball. Small size = 1 rook) upon detonation.

Gingerly handing the ball of skulls back to the expressionless clone, you ruffle Amara’s hair as she darts past you, eager to show the rest of your family the fruits of her scouting.

[So, how’d things go?] You ask, glancing to the brunette at your right.

{Pretty well, actually. Sounds like Orwell’s more like her authorial namesake than his most famous work} Gina replies, matching your leisurely pace back up the steps. {Advocates her listeners to think for themselves, think critically, and be slow to trust. Cheerful about it, though. Keeps an undercurrent of hope in all her stuff, tries to give balanced coverage that’s equal parts good and bad news}

“Hm.” You mutter aloud, mulling over the information before replying via your bond with the girl at your side. [Seems kind of counter-current to her offer to me, though. Telling her listeners to ‘think for themselves’ on the one hand while she’s offering to redact the truth for me, on the other?]

{Oh, I’m not saying she’s not suspect, just that her approach is an interesting one} She says, smirking as she moves through the door you hold open for her. {A one-on-one interview should do wonders to help us figure out what she’s all about, and…pffhaha, oh wow. Check that out}

Gina points as she suppresses a snicker, and you follow her line of sight from where you stand in the mezzanine to see Francine caught in an awkward hug by November’s towering bulk. To your surprise the doctor returns the gesture albeit hesitantly, heaving a sigh while patting the cyborg’s back before breaking contact after an appropriate amount of time. With that, Francine returns to her seat to wait for the meeting to resume while November strides up to you, voxel-voice low.

(Continued)

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>>4007889

“I, uh…I think she’s brewing a better plan, now.” She declares, reaching up to rub the back of her neck, stopping when you wince at the screech of steel on chrome. “I couldn’t begin to make sense of the little summary she gave me and she’s still working out the kinks, but at least she has something positive to work towards…I think. She said she just needs to think it over for a while, is all."

You nod, breathing a little sigh of relief as you glance over towards Francine as she sits, pensive as she stares out one of the main room’s high windows. While you’re still not entirely pleased with Julia’s decision, you suppose you’re going to have to just live with it, for now. At least Amara and Francine seem to be in higher spirits, and you know they’re going to need that in the fights to come. Really, Julia’s call to kindness couldn’t have come at a worse time, but you can’t blame her for how she is. Dorian’s own state of mind is going to be another factor you’ll need to keep tabs on, to say nothing of the roiling emotions you felt weighing on Julia’s heart…despite the empathic channel, conflicting thoughts and desires with no one prevailing feeling makes it infuriatingly difficult to address the issues at hand. Is there something deeper she’s dealing with? Is this her legitimately doing what she thinks is right, or is there another reason she wants to put some distance between her and the rest of your family? Maybe it’s all of the above…your empathic channel’s certainly no help in figuring out what’s really under her skin, in this case.

You can only hope you made the right call by letting Julia have her way.

>>Go ahead and assign tasks and teams to some of the issues you have to address. You’ve had enough talking; it’s time for action, and then you’ll Consume the remains of the fallen before heading out [ASSIGN ALLIES TO TASKS, COMPOSE TEAMS, EQUIP RELICS].

>>There are one or two last thing you’d like to bring up to your allies before moving out or Consuming the remains of Laoc’s fallen guardians, and you’d also like to touch base with Ivey before moving out, too (Write-In).

>>You still have a little time before the meeting resumes, so talk with [Ally or Dream Daughter of choice], then open the meeting once more.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(Gentlemen, voting shall remain open for the next four hours. I hope you're having a good day, one and all.)

>>4007892
(To clarify, the CONSUME vote will open this evening if the first option is chosen. However, if there are more things you'd like to address before leaving Laoc, then it will likely be delayed until tomorrow evening. I leave it to you, Gentlemen.)

>>4007891
>>There are one or two last thing you’d like to bring up to your allies before moving out or Consuming the remains of Laoc’s fallen guardians, and you’d also like to touch base with Ivey before moving out, too (Write-In).
>Bring up Ozmas' offer already. Even if we don't take it, because it's fucking OZMAS, the party deserves to know it's an option.

>>4007891

>There are one or two last thing you’d like to bring up to your allies before moving out or Consuming the remains of Laoc’s fallen guardians, and you’d also like to touch base with Ivey before moving out, too (Write-In)
>"I know it's going to sound scary, but Ozmas contacted me last night. They're offering information on their end from the Perspective of a person who's currently sitting in the big chair. No strings attached, catches. Ozmas seems resigned to their fate of fading away, but she's also wanting to help us see that the Crucible comes to an end."

>>4007891
>>There are one or two last thing you’d like to bring up to your allies before moving out or Consuming the remains of Laoc’s fallen guardians, and you’d also like to touch base with Ivey before moving out, too (Write-In).

>>Bring up Ozmas Offer about getting information from her her.
>Ask the team to mull it over and give you their answer and if they want to take it what kind of questions they would want to ask.

>If it works out with the timing go and meet Ivey and the Hyenas to touch base and if they have any questions about what happened here

And now I must leave for work.

>>4007906
Farewell, anon. Have a nice day.

>>4007906
(Have a good day at work!)>>4007908

>>4007891
>There are one or two last thing you’d like to bring up to your allies before moving out or Consuming the remains of Laoc’s fallen guardians, and you’d also like to touch base with Ivey before moving out, too.
>tell the team about Ozmas offer, and of course, the obvious reservations over taking it.

>>4007892
also folks, just realized a big issue here relating to Julia, possibly anyways. we STILL have not gotten things settled with Gemma damnit, and thats kinda important to do before we head to the AA with Magpie in a day or so aswell, as to a degree the decision on Gemma could affect if we need to really go at all, albeit we still might want to just meet them, our actual business there was only related to the Gemma shard there.

>>4007933
Say, I don't believe the Tinker Tailor was mentioned as having returned yet. Where is she?

>>4007997
(Ha, oh, she'll be by your side shortly.)

>>4008001
(I was literally just typing out dialogue for her when you posted.)

>>4008001
Nice. I want to see what she, Francine and Rath can cook up together. Gonna be some neat stuff.

>>4007944
>gemma
god dammit. so many mixed messages and backlogs, it was bound to happen.

>>4008021
I think we should talk to Gemma after we eat and level up. Julia said she'd still be available in the short term, so if we do need to resolve things with her and the other alter we can still do that. So we'll eat, head into the dreamscape while we sleep off the post-meal drowsiness, talk to Gemma with Julia and decide where to go from there.

>>4008038
Maybe, we'll see how things pan out. Wouldn't be the first time its not been that simple, to say the least.

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>>4007891

Settling back down with your allies, you decide to address the elephant in the room…or rather, the Hexane.

"I know it's going to sound scary, but Ozmas contacted me last night. They're offering information.” You announce, prompting a wave of distrust that explodes across the empathic channel, directed at the one that occupies the throne at the top of the Cord. “No strings attached, no catches. Ozmas seems resigned to their fate of fading away, but she's also wanting to help us see that the Crucible comes to an end."

“Haha, yeah, no.” Rath immediately snorts, leaning back in her chair as she fixes the ceiling with a wry grin and a hard stare. “Mother can go screw herself.”

“Duly noted.” You sigh, glancing around the rest of your family. “What about everyone else? What’re your thoughts, and do we have anything we want to ask the Crucible’s acting Admin?”

“Perhaps she’d have some advice about the Gemma situation, or some way to stop Dream Daughters from broadcasting like she was before we stopped her?” Gina offers, trying to get the conversation started despite your family’s reticence to even consider Ozmas as an option.

Oh. Shoot, yeah, that’s still a thing.
You just nod sagely, privately kicking yourself for letting Gemma’s shard slip your mind in the flurry of activity surrounding Laoc and, to a lesser extent, Julia herself. The room’s still silent, and after it lingers for a few seconds too long you heave a sigh.

“Screw it. All in favor of talking to Ozmas, raise your hand.” You say, watching as Gina and Francine’s hands are the only ones in the room to rise.

“Cool, cool. All in favor of telling her to fuck right off?” Rath counters, thrusting her hand in the air with everyone else’s hands mirroring hers, save for Dorian.

“I’ve got lots of fun words for when we see her again!” Amara helpfully supplies.

“Alright, well…that settles that.” You mutter, rubbing the bridge of your nose as you catch Dorian just staring down at the table, the scarlet paint that makes up half of his face twisting in place, first one way, then another. “Now, on to-“

The sound of the tavern’s double-doors slamming against the walls opposite them brings your train of thought to a screeching halt as the hall is suddenly filled with the cacophony of boots tramping on wood, suddenly cut short by the bark of a familiar voice.

“Glinthawk, climb up with Marco and get me surveillance.” Ivey orders as she strides into the main hall, the bartender alarmed at the sudden entrance. The tall, muscular leader of the Hyenas turns to a woman at her side; a lithe, antlered young woman with an intensely serious expression. “Blitzen, take the rest and find the groups Jeraha briefed us on. They’ll need all the help we can-“

Ivey’s nostrils flare, her gaze whipping around to meet your eyes with a chuckle.

(Continued)

>>4008205

“Razorback, you’re with me. There’s someone I want you to meet.” Ivey says, calling over her shoulder to an unseen woman in the crowd as she makes her way over to your table. You rise as Blitzen darts out with the rest of the team, leaving a woman roughly Rath’s height and Gina’s proportions behind to walk over to her leader’s side, with Ivey practically twice her height. You meet the plump woman’s forest green eyes, and she gives you a once-over and a curt nod in that order, the trace of a scowl on her forehead. Her hair’s slicked back, the coarse black follicles revealing flecks of cracked calcite armor, the remnants of a recent fight clear on her face.

“Razor, meet Shu. Shu, meet my right-hand gal.” Ivey grins, prompting the much-shorter girl to thrust out her hand for shake, which you take her up on.

“Glad you all made it.” You say earnestly, wincing slightly at the sheer power behind Razor’s grip. “So, you met with Jeraha already?”

“Aye, and she told us what you all did for Laoc.” Ivey affirms, giving you an appreciative clap on the shoulder.

“It’s what anyone would’ve done.” You reply, and Ivey just laughs and shakes her head.

“Humble as always, I see…AND I’ve gotta say, you’ve got the fastest-growing team I’ve ever seen.” Ivey says, nodding to your left as you give her a quizzical look. “Aren’t you going to introduce me?”

You turn, flinching when you’re met with a gasmask-obscured face, the owner peering up at you through dark lenses.

“helloyesIamherenow. here’syourthingback.” Tinker Tailor greets with a rapid wave of her left hand, thrusting a tangle of metal and wires into your arms. Looking down, you find your Uzi fundamentally changed, the living cables squirming against your flesh, almost yearning for you to take hold of it and wrap your finger around the trigger.

“What the…did you upgrade this?” You ask, almost afraid of the girl’s answer.

“doalottathings. can’tkeeptrack.” Tinker replies with a hasty shrug. “sorryforthewait. hadotreturnwhatiborrowed.”

>>UZI (Mk 2): The Uzi’s base form had been drastically modified, as it now tethers itself to the wielder’s very mind through an elaborate neuromantic weave. This upgrade sets the Uzi’s accuracy at a base of 100%, and allows the user to ignore up to two status ailments that would hamper the weapon being fired. Speaking of the firing, the Uzi’s owner may now make a single burst fire per round as a free action, though if they choose not to take this free action then the Uzi will be primed to automatically react against the first attack made against its owner in the following round, twisting the user’s arm as it unleashes a hail of lead against those that would harm its holder.

After inspecting the revamped Relic, you look up to thank the artisan only to find her at the bar, giving Sierra a jittery order for a cup of coffee.

Well, that was…something.

(Continued)

>>4008207

“I…yeah, I don’t know.” You sigh when Ivey turns back to you for an explanation, eyebrow cocked in amusement.

“You meet all kinds, am I right? Anyway, I’m going to chat with Sierra to get the lay of the land, but if you wanna catch up over a drink, I’m game.” She says, turning to stride over to the bar and giving everyone present an eyeful thanks to her unfortunate choice of clothing. Razor just shoots you a glare before following suit, the entire last thirty seconds having left you utterly bewildered. You’re still off-kilter when Rath erupts from her seat, racing to your side in her haste to examine the upgraded weapon in your hands.

“Holy…what’d she DO?! This is amazing!” She says with awe, gingerly taking the gun from your hands and cradling it in her arms like some kind of writhing, metallic infant.

From over her shoulder you can see Gina stifling a laugh, and just behind the top of her brunette head you spy Julia and Dorian, the two of them sitting in awkward silence. Now that it’s needling at your mind, the Gemma situation is one you’d prefer to bury sooner rather than later…a prudent choice of words, if she insists on being a threat to Julia’s safety.

Ozmas’ offer was really the last major thing you wanted to tackle with everyone present, so now that the meeting’s mostly over, Ivey has arrived, and Tinker’s returned, you have a few options in front of you.

>>Since you’ve been reminded of it, you might as well deal with Gemma now, rather than later. You never know what’s on the horizon, and that’s something you want to put to bed before leaving Laoc.

>>Catch up with Ivey to see how her job hunt’s been, and see what her connection is to Laoc…or, more precisely, to Jeraha. It might be prudent to bring up that Julia will be staying behind, as well.

>>Take a second or two to speak with Tinker Tailor…what she did with the Uzi is amazing, and you’re intrigued to see what she, Rath, and Francine can come up with, if she’s interested.

>>Talk privately (or not) with a member of your family, waking or otherwise (Choose ally or allies to speak with).

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

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

>>4008212
>>Since you’ve been reminded of it, you might as well deal with Gemma now, rather than later. You never know what’s on the horizon, and that’s something you want to put to bed before leaving Laoc.

Just addressing the elephant in the room, mostly privately though, should be a priority with Ozmazes offer out of the way.

and back to sleep again. Good Night anons

>>4008212
>Encourage Rath, and maybe Francine too, to go and find out more about your local Tinkerer. its certainly something you know Rath would be interested in, at the very least. hand her a bit of biomass with a wink, just to get the ball rolling.
>then, as awkward as it'll be, given everything and the timing, go talk to Julia about Gemma. at the very least,remind her you kinda need that dealt with before your rendezvous with Magpie, if nothing else.
>Finally, if she and Dorian dont hold your attention, go and have your drink with Ivey. catching up over some drinks sounds exactly like what you need a bit of, even if some business will be mixed into the conversation.

>>4008216
also, id assume Lara has not left yet?

>>4008244
(Lara's waiting to say her goodbyes until everyone's in a better position...namely you, Rath, and Amara.)

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>>4008258
alright, just wanted to double check, thanks.

>>4008235
Good night, anon. Sleep well.

>>4008258
We should give her a Hivephone before she goes. One with video capability, if that's possible (maybe some Subversive Swarmling chromatophores repurposed as an LCD screen?) so that she and Rath can continue to have awkward "ooh pretty" moments over facetime.

>>4008244
This sounds good. I like how encouraging our party members to talk to people is an option, it gives us some flexibility in our choices.

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>>4008318
does kinda sucks as i really do want to see and learn more about Tinker personally so we OOC will actually get to see the interactions and whatnot, but just another issue with having too many things to do with too little justification for Shu to do it herself, at least at the moment.

>>4008330
I agree. There are so many things we need to do, and so little time to do them in. And out of all of the fantastic NPCs we've met, I would LOVE to know more about Tinker Tailor. For the brief appearance she has made so far in this quest, the adorable little weirdo has really stood out to me.

>>4008343
agreed.
she certainly does not need that coffee though.

>>4008343
It's the rapidfire speech pattern, I think. All the words blending together is a good way to convey a character being somewhat manic and excitable, makes it very easy to portray her personality in a short interaction.

(If you all wish to interact with Tinker Tailor now or after you deal with Gemma, you're more than welome to; she's not going anywhere.)

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>>4008392
fair enough. still dont want to leave Ivey hanging, but if she'll be around later, yeah, would love it. got some ideas for what to ask her, certainly.

>>4008392
I'd leave her until afterwards, then. We'll catch up on what she and Rath (and maybe Francine) have been talking about once we're done with other people.

>>4008392
>motormouth
>orders yet even more coffee
Is Tailor Tinker suffering from a side effect of weaponized hypertension? Because that’s the only explanation I can come up with a girl who is that fast of a motormouth

>>4008562
BHOP said she always talks fast, but her words blurring together is a result of her wind up key relic. i think. he said its at least partially responsible at least.

though the coffee cant be helping.

>>4008562
I think she just likes stimulants. She installed a wind-up clock Relic in her spine so that she can accelerate her thought processes at will, she likes being hyper. Given that she's almost certainly a Flesh Artisan, I'd guess she was the sort of artistic type that would mainline caffeine for more time to focus on her projects.

(Gentlemen, just out of curiosity; Julia's preference would be for you alone to join her in confronting Gemma, with Gina there to officiate in the waking world. Is this suitable to you, or would you prefer to bring the rest of your allies in to the mix? The ones that aren't otherwise occupied, that is.)

>>4008622
im fine with that, especially if its what Julia wants.

>>4008622
If we can add in some measure to prevent Gemma from locking us in. I don't expect things to go wrong, but if they do I want to make sure that we can bail.

>>4008639
(Gina's presence would ensure that...and given you have the Silver Key, getting caught in a normal Dream Space against your will is now quite impossible.)

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>>4008567
>>4008582
>>4008649

Great...now I've got a relic idea in my head and I don't think Shu will like it if she comes across it...I've got a name and basic function for it.

>NITRO SUGAR (Consumable): A relic whose name sake invites only the foolhardy and the thrillseeking to ingest it, or those who crave a massive sweet tooth. It tastes like diabetes and blueberries. A container of Nitrosugar will contain 3 doses. One dose, undiluted will send a daughter straight into a hyperactive state and triple their Action economy on the turn after the daughter has consumed a dose of Nitro Sugar, where upon on the turn after their hyperactive burst, their metabolism drops like a rock and limits them to 1 ACT per round with penalties to movement and reaction times for the rest of combat. WARNING: Consuming all three doses in one go ill advised! The sugar crash will cost your life!. Do not feed undiluted doses to constructs, THEY WILL EXPLODE!

>>4008655
(Sugar would like twenty, please.)

>>4008649
Oh, that's right, I forgot about the Silver Key. Alright, then, let's do it. I was worried that Gemma might be able to override Gina in this specialized instance, but her plus the Key is insurance enough for me. Okay, let's go in alone with Julia.

>>4008655
>Do not feed undiluted doses to constructs, THEY WILL EXPLODE!
Keep out of Sir FuzzBuzz's hands, got it. No, Sir FuzzBuzz, just because you're a bee does not mean that all sugar water is good for you.

>>4008655
haha, neat. though not worth it if you dont think you can end it in a single turn, and probably not if your AP is not above average.

>>4008662
oh dear, she might be one of the few to not have to worry about its side effects too.

>>4008662
I'm sorry, my dealer won't tell me where they got them or how they make them.

>>4008663
There is a key operating word is in the warning that savvy daughters can exploit, and the key word is "undiluted doses". There's no rule saying you can't dilute nitro sugar to make it weaker and safer. Theoretically, if you dilute nitrosugar far enough, then constructs won't explode.

>>4008672
>There is a key operating word is in the warning that savvy daughters can exploit, and the key word is "undiluted doses".
True, but I wasn't thinking about applying it in controlled doses, I was thinking about Sir FuzzBuzz following his apiary instincts and getting into trouble. We'd have to make him vomit it all out as fast as possible, which I guess would also cause it to be refined into Nitro Honey.

>>4008678
>Sir FuzzBuzz ingests a controlled diluted dose of Nitro sugar
>Sir FuzzBuzz is now a constant vibrating blur of black and yellow, even when stationary.

>>4008678
hrm, wonder if that would change its effects at all, as dangerous it would be to do. albeit we could just use throw-away constructs to test it out.

>>4008680
On the plus side, it makes him really comfy to hug, works out all those knots in your muscles.

>>4008690
or makes swarmlings good for purposes Gina has hinted shes wanted them for.

>>4008698
As always: Kosi has been a terrible influence on every last person to interact with her, the audience included.

>>4008704
i mean, to be fair, she was basically a living infection slowly consuming city and anything that walked into it. fits her personality.
again, the true villain of the story has been with us all along.

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>>4008212

"Hey...what would you say to taking Francine over to the bar and chatting with Tinker?" You ask, eyeing the redhead as she marvels at the augmented Relic.

Rath's citrine eyes snap to yours, and the moment you hand her a freshly-spawned swarmling filled with biomass, all it takes is a wink from you and she's practially dragging Francine by the sleeve to go talk to the hyperactive Artisan. Congratulating yourself on a job well done as Lara follows after your luminous brawler as if in a trance, you realize that you've given yourself an opening to deal with that which you'd forgotten.

"Julia...if you're up for it, I'd like to talk with Gemma. I think it's time we know where she stands." You begin reluctantly, seeing a nervous look pass over Julia's face before she simply nods, rising from her chair. Dorian's throat works as if he's about to say something, but he merely rises from his seat to give Julia a simple bow before you turn to the girl.

"I'd like for our talk to be under terms you're comfortable with." You say with your warmest smile, both of you clearly not looking forward to your talk with the Dream Daughter in the slightest. Wordlessly, Julia takes your hand and leads you back to the side room you found her in earlier, this time with Gina in tow and her Neuromantic abilities on call should things get out of hand. The two of you sit down in the same spots, only this time you have GG sitting across from you atop a ramshackle dresser. The brunette's eyes flicker with Neuromantic light, and you feel a small, familiar tug at the corners of your mind as Gina interfaces with your thoughts, ensuring that the three of you remain in control as you look to Julia.

"Ready?" You ask, and when she nods in the affirmative, you turn to GG.

She closes her eyes, and you're falling, stomach in your throat as you tumble through an abyss with Julia by your side. When you land, there's no impact, no shock or trauma of collision. You just freeze, your hands and knees finding solid ground in the pitch-black void as you rise with Julia's hand clasped tight in your own. It's one of the Dreamscape's little paradoxes, you realize...a lightless space, with you and your friend rendered in perfect clarity.

Julia's eyes catch something to your left and you turn, finding a simple door suspended in nothingness with Uzu standing before it.

"It's time, isn't it." She says, less of a question and more of a moment of truth. You nod, and she opens the way forward as light spills out from around the frame until your eyes can't take it anymore so you're forced to blink. When you and Julia next open your eyes, you're in a dimly lit space, a collection of computer screens occupying the whole of the wall opposite you. You've been here before, but where there once was over two dozen live feeds from Shards across the Fleshscape, there's nothing but a single ominous phrase scrolling endlessly across the bottom of each projection.

"YOU ARE ALONE."

(Continued)

>>4008774

The text is on an endless loop, and as your eyes trail down from the glowing wall to the figure hunched in a chair before it, there's a small creak as the seated girl turns to face you with accusing eyes.

"Shu." Gemma says, your name hanging in the air like a epithet.

"Gemma." You reply, your tone very much the opposite of hers.

"I'm sorry." Gemma says, though not to you. Her gaze is fixed squarely on Julia, the anger in her eyes dissipating as she looks upon her Host. "What I did, it...it was wrong. I get that. I just...you can understand it, can't you?"

"I...I d-don't..." Julia stammers, taking a step back when Gemma rises from her seat, hands outstretched.

"You and I, we're both lost, aren't we?" The Shard says, refusing to meet your eyes even as you step between Dreamer and Host protectively. "I don't know who I am without the others, and you don't know who you are when you're playing a part. We're both yearning to know who we are. You can feel that, right?"

Julia's silent behind you, and with a glare you stop the other girl in her tracks.

"You put our family in danger, Gemma." You growl, voice hard. "You could've talked, and we would've listened."

"No." Gemma counters simply. "No, you'd have done exactly what you did to Isabelle, and what you're doing to Julia; monologue."

"No...no, Shu's j-just being a g-good fr-" Julia weakly protests.

"Julia's the one that makes sure Amara's taken care of, and yet you're the one who she calls 'Mom'?" Gemma interrupts, focusing solely on you for the first time since your arrival. "She's the real 'mom' of your group, and what respect does she really get? You pushed her into coming along and fighting, which is the last thing she wants to be doing. Dorian's content to put her in a little box, and what'll happen when things get rough? He'll do what all guys do when she dares to be herself. Is it any wonder she wants to leave, with all she's been putting up with? He'll leave after she makes a wrong move, just like-"

"STOP IT!"

The room shudders with the force of Julia's demand, loose wires swinging underneath the eerie screens behind the insistent Dream Daughter.

"Just...s-stop it." Julia breathes, clutching her chest. "I'm doing this because it's the right thing to do, and I...you don't know what you're talking about, you d-don't..."

"Time passes differently in here...and I hear things. I know what you've been fighting." Gemma says, her voice just as hard as yours as she turns her gaze from Julia back to you. "She wants to be free. I want to leave. You're letting her go....so won't you do me the same courtesy?"

Your nails dig into your palms at the heart of clenched fists.

"Or are you scared of giving up control? Are you scared of what people will become when your brood's out of sight? Out of sight, out of control, is that it?"

You jaw tenses, then relaxes as you step back to put your arm around Julia. This anger, this vitriol...this isn't like Gemma.

Or is it?

(Continued)

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>>4008777

You've spoken with her...what, twice? Maybe three times? You don't really know her at all, you realize. Looking to Julia, her eyes are locked onto her feet, cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. You thought you were getting to know her, but if what Gemma says is true, then...

No. No, Gemma's deflecting. She's making a forced link between her and Julia in a bid for freedom, trying to force a divide between you that's based in fiction...right? All you know right now it that the conflict in Julia's heart is at a fever pitch, with the only clear emotion in the room being Gemma's desperation, which time and focus as honed to a spear's point aimed at reuniting her disparate parts.

You're...you're not sure what to do. Free her? Destroy her? You're not...

A subtle vibration at your hip reminds you of Yurei's strange Relic as the Silver Key hums idly by your side. A key...keys fit in locks, but this...your mind is filled with an answer, a solution that is neither creation nor destruction. You reach into your pocket, your fingers sliding across the orb's unnaturally chill surface. It's cold...and it's warm. It opens the way, and seals it off. It is a thing of contradictions, of everything, all at once...and it has made a part of itself known to you, in your time of need.

Keys are for cages, for locking things away...and that's exactly what this can do.

It's but one of many things.

>>The Silver Key beckons. [Seal Gemma away in the Dreamscape, only to be released when the Crucible is over]

>>Screw it. You have an Engine. You have a Forge. Gemma wants to leave so badly? Fine. You have a dozen different ways to get her the hell away from Julia. [Force Gemma into a construct body/other solution that involves her freedom]

>>No...you're not scared of giving up control. You're looking at the bigger picture, and from where you're standing? Gemma's toxicity has no place in it. [Destroy Gemma]

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(Gentlemen, I shall be pausing here for the evening. Voting shall remain open for the next twelve hours, with posting to resume in approximately thirteen, give or take as work demands. Writing the next morning's post was a decent experiment, but it threw me off too much for it to be a consistent strategy.)

(Thank you all for your patience, participation, and enthusiasm, and I wish you all a restful evening. I'll be around for the next hour or so before bed, so any questions, comments, or criticisms you may have that I don't address tonight, I'll take a look at with fresh eyes in the morning. Take care, one and all.)

Dammit. All of this stemming from my write-in way back then in Vein #16-17. God dammit. Why did I set her on this path? Hindsight is torturing me over this.

>>4008792
>Take a moment to stare Gemma down, then, simply scoff.
>”You’re an idiot Gemma.”
>”Ignoring the resource issues with letting you go, and the fact after what you pulled, you certainly haven't earned it over others in our dreamscapes, you’re forgetting one, simple fact; You’re a threat to other shards. Ones who DONT want what you want, ones that have proven their friendship and earned my trust. You yourself, with your actions and words, have proven what you are, in or outside my sight.”
>”I dont need my swarm to know what you are.”
>shrug.
>”If you cant stand my speeches, thats fine. But to me, it just sounds like an excuse to ignore you have nothing to counter them with.”
>Turn to Julia, and ignore Gemma. talk over her, talk around her, talk to JULIA.

>"Julia... is anything she said the truth? no pressure, but no lies, please."
>Sigh, and tilt her eyes up to look at yours, if need be.
>"Im sorry, if you ever felt pressured, if you ever felt you were forced to fight when you didn't want to. But know, now or before, all you have ever had to do... is tell me what you wanted, and id try my best to accommodate you."
>Smile and shrug.
>"You're family, and we care about you, no matter what anyone says. heh, but even family messes up, and trying to help those you love can make you do things they may not want sometimes."
>"And for what its worth, choosing me wouldn't be the first time we've questioned Amaras choices, now would it?"
>Chuckle, and step back, and toss Julia the key.
>"Shes your Dream Daughter, its your decision Julia."

Gemma, hurting or not, still has no excuse for not just TALKING to us or Julia, and for ignoring how she have VERY MUCH implied not agreeing with or wanting to stick to our plan to not consume EVERY shard. she needs to be reminded of that, if nothing else.

also, as i put down, i do think it should be Julias choice, with as best us putting caveats for peoples safety in place.

>>4008819
I want to point out the hypocrisy of Gemma railing against us for relying too much on Julia while trying to force Julia into the role of "Gemma's shard collection services". Because that gives her so much more self-determination, right? But every time I try it just flusters out instead of being anything coherent. Though I guess that at least gives Gemma her wish not to have Shu monologue at her.

>>4008887
i hear ya, maybe something like...

>Take a moment to stare Gemma down, then, simply scoff.
>”You’re an idiot Gemma.”
(or fool, if folks think idiots too harsh for Shu)
>”Ignoring the resource issues with letting you go, and the fact after what you pulled, you certainly haven't earned it over others in our dreamscapes, you’re forgetting one, simple fact; You’re a threat to other shards. Ones who DONT want what you want, ones that have proven their friendship and earned my trust. You yourself, with your actions and words, have proven what you are, in or outside my sight.”
>”I dont need my swarm to know what you are.”
>shrug.
>”If you cant stand my speeches, thats fine. But to me, it just sounds like an excuse to ignore you have nothing to counter them with.”
>>"Meanwhile, here you sit a hypocrite. not only to you speak about freedom while want to take that choice away from your other shards, but you wish to coerce Julia into being your personal collection service for the dirty deeds."
>>"Heres a monologue for you, short and simple; dont speak about coercion and freedom while doing the first and trying to steal the second from others, then maybe your anger and words wont ring hollow to me."
>Turn to Julia, and ignore Gemma. talk over her, talk around her, talk to JULIA.

...this sound? with the new lines the doubled up points, obviously.

>>4008895
Yeah, sounds decent. I'll probably still try to write up something coherent of my own, just to see if I can get my own thoughts in order, but this works for me if I can't.

>>4008898
fair enough.

>>4008792
>>4008819
Amending vote to;

>Take a moment to stare Gemma down, then, simply scoff.
>”You’re an idiot Gemma.”
(or fool, if folks think idiots too harsh for Shu)
>”Ignoring the resource issues with letting you go, and the fact after what you pulled, you certainly haven't earned it over others in our dreamscapes, you’re forgetting one, simple fact; You’re a threat to other shards. Ones who DONT want what you want, ones that have proven their friendship and earned my trust. You yourself, with your actions and words, have proven what you are, in or outside my sight.”
>”I dont need my swarm to know what you are.”
>shrug.
>”If you cant stand my speeches, thats fine. But to me, it just sounds like an excuse to ignore you have nothing to counter them with.”
>"Meanwhile, here you sit a hypocrite. not only to you speak about freedom while want to take that choice away from your other shards, but you wish to coerce Julia into being your personal collection service for the dirty deeds."
>"Heres a monologue for you, short and simple; dont speak about coercion and freedom while doing the first and trying to steal the second from others, then maybe your anger and words wont ring hollow to me."
>Turn to Julia, and ignore Gemma. talk over her, talk around her, talk to JULIA.

>"Julia... is anything she said the truth? no pressure, but no lies, please."
>Sigh, and tilt her eyes up to look at yours, if need be.
>"Im sorry, if you ever felt pressured, if you ever felt you were forced to fight when you didn't want to. But know, now or before, all you have ever had to do... is tell me what you wanted, and id try my best to accommodate you."
>Smile and shrug.
>"You're family, and we care about you, no matter what anyone says. heh, but even family messes up, and trying to help those you love can make you do things they may not want sometimes."
>"And for what its worth, choosing me wouldn't be the first time we've questioned Amaras choices, now would it?"
>Chuckle, and step back, and toss Julia the key.
>"Shes your Dream Daughter, its your decision Julia."

>>4008792
>"It's not about how Julia tends to take care of Amara, it takes a family, a village, to raise a child. Amara has Rath, Gina, November, Dorian, and even Francine. Heck even I look after her from time to time."
>"It's not about your sense of control, Julia's control, or my control., it was never about control. It's about choice. It's about who you are in the dark, and the choice you made alone."
>"Do you even know what Julia and I came here for?
>let Gemma make guesses and answers. Shoot them down if she's wrong on any aspect.
>"I came here with Julia to have a talk with you after so many adventures and finally finding a timeslot to focus on you and your shards.
>"I came here with Julia to so we could discuss as a GROUP about how to deal with your other shards and to see if we can find some sort of compromise that we can all agree to, despite the possibility of having shards who yearn for independence."
>"But instead I find you pulling...this on us."
>"What you did behind our back, broadcasting where we are, where Julia is on the globe to the other shards? I cannot forgive that."
>"But this isn't my choice to make Gemma."
>Take out the key.
>"This is Julia's choice to make."
>Hand the key to Julia. put it into her hands and clasp it closed. Talk to Julia, ensure that Julia listens even if Gemma attempts to interrupt.
>IF Gemma does attempt to interrupt: "You've already spoken your piece Gemma. I will not tolerate a hypocrite who further speaks of freedom and control who yet further attempts to coerce their host into becoming an unwilling one for all her other egos."
>"Julia. I'm sorry if I ever put you on the spot, or even pressured you into doing things you aren't comfortable with."
>"Sometimes, things in the family don't work out well. We all make mistakes sometimes. But that's what family's for. To help each other with any screw-ups we have."
>"Know this. If you ever need or want something, be it some help or some time and personal space to yourself alone...All you need to do is to ask. All you need to do is to speak up, and everyone in the family will do their best to accommodate. It's what family's for."
>"You've made the choice to stay at Laoc Julia. You said so because you said 'you felt it was the right thing to do'. I've done my best to follow your wishes."
>"Now, when it comes to Gemma? She's your dream daughter. it's your choice Julia. You get to decide what to do about Gemma. You have control."
>step back and let Julia decide.

>>4008898
>>4008903
Care for some feedback? or are there any lines that sound good that we could mash together?

>>4008983
eh, my one issue is that first part is kinda lying to Gemma. we very much came here to talk about her betrayal and what to do about it, not to talk about coming to a compromise or specifically about her shards. i also feel we had a good enough talk before about her shards, and instead of discussing things further, she very hastily shoved us out the door. its very much on her if she feels things did not get discussed enough, though like i said, not the issue we came in here for regardless.

I also personally agree with the other Anon, in that the things you've put under to only say if she interrupts, should be said before then and regardless of if she does interrupt or not.

Personally id prefer to just ignore her too if she tries to interrupt, but comparatively especially to my first concern, that ones purely opinion based, and understand at least wanting to try and shut her up if she does.

>>4008983
I like the idea of pointing out to Gemma that we came here wanting to negotiate, and that if conversation has broken down it's because of her. Yes, we were here to deal with her going behind our back, but we were still open to making a deal. Gemma's the one who's decided to needle us instead of try to communicate honestly. Hell, what does she even expect to get out of this? For us to let her free, right? But she knows that there's no way we're burning a Sparagmos charge on reviving her properly, that's saved for family, so she'd be in a construct body. A construct that can't consume and assimilate the other shards. She's not making good decisions here, too focused on trying to establish control to pursue what she actually wants.

Sam was the same way, really. Yurei, too, in a way. Time and again we find people who, instead of communicating honestly, do these bullshit power dynamic games instead. They don't try to come to an accord with us, they just shout "well, you're not perfect, so that means you're awful!" and hope that unsettles us enough they can establish dominance. Like, we'd listen to their problems with us and do our best to correct them if they weren't trying to use those problems as a bludgeon. But they always do, and that's what sets us off into the monologues.

>>4008792
Supporting >>4008903

>Take a moment to stare Gemma down, then, simply scoff.
>”You’re an idiot Gemma.”
I think idiot is justified
>”Ignoring the resource issues with letting you go, and the fact after what you pulled, you certainly haven't earned it over others in our dreamscapes, you’re forgetting one, simple fact; You’re a threat to other shards. Ones who DONT want what you want, ones that have proven their friendship and earned my trust. You yourself, with your actions and words, have proven what you are, in or outside my sight.”
>”I dont need my swarm to know what you are.”
>shrug.
>”If you cant stand my speeches, thats fine. But to me, it just sounds like an excuse to ignore you have nothing to counter them with.”
>"Meanwhile, here you sit a hypocrite. not only to you speak about freedom while want to take that choice away from your other shards, but you wish to coerce Julia into being your personal collection service for the dirty deeds."
>"Heres a monologue for you, short and simple; dont speak about coercion and freedom while doing the first and trying to steal the second from others, then maybe your anger and words wont ring hollow to me."
>Turn to Julia, and ignore Gemma. talk over her, talk around her, talk to JULIA.

>"Julia... is anything she said the truth? no pressure, but no lies, please."
>Sigh, and tilt her eyes up to look at yours, if need be.
>"Im sorry, if you ever felt pressured, if you ever felt you were forced to fight when you didn't want to. But know, now or before, all you have ever had to do... is tell me what you wanted, and id try my best to accommodate you."
>Smile and shrug.
>"You're family, and we care about you, no matter what anyone says. heh, but even family messes up, and trying to help those you love can make you do things they may not want sometimes."
>"And for what its worth, choosing me wouldn't be the first time we've questioned Amaras choices, now would it?"
>Chuckle, and step back, and toss Julia the key.
>"Shes your Dream Daughter, its your decision Julia."

I just hope that the key is not something that will unleash some terrible monstrosity if it is fed enough. and if i am honest i dont want to consign a soul to oblivion... but rather that than seal her away. I think being sealed away(if it is even remotely like Sam's prison) would be even worse than killing her.....
But the choice is ultimately Julias

>>4009081
yeah, im hoping it wont too, but only time id think that could be an issue is if someone picked the dream Amalgam option, in which case it wouldn't technically be the Relics fault if it 'gets loose' in a way. otherwise, i feel like Yurei would've warned us on that. she may not agree with our plan, but she certainly isnt our enemy nor does it seem she wants us to fail, albeit if only because us beating her makes us the best alternative, but still.

as for Gemma, i do agree deletion would be better than death. im more worried about the implication to basically turn her into what i assume a dream Amalgam is, which would be a specter that can freely go from daughter to daughter, possibly over any distance and almost certainly with no connection needed... and Julia might just be soft hearted enough to pick that over deleting her or torturing her.

Hopefully though she wouldn't be much of a threat like that, she doesn't seem to be very dream capable, with the only caveat being her ability to possibly connect to her shards, which may make her specifically a threat to all of them at worst i think. still not really acceptable though to let happen, but as said, Julia should at least have some say here.

>>4009105
The thing is with this scenario is that Julia's being put on the spot here. And I think the issue that I'm starting to realize with our write-ins is that we're monologuing again and basically putting Julia on the spot almost immediately after Gemma and Shu basically barraged her with opposing strong opinions. She won't be in the right of mind to make a sound decision if she's put on the spot.

>>4009081
>I just hope that the key is not something that will unleash some terrible monstrosity if it is fed enough.
It's probably not 'Umr at-Tawil, The Most Ancient One. Probably. We'll see more after using it with Knowable Kadath.

>>4009108
Yeah, that's where I'm having trouble coming up with a write-in of my own. Both avoiding a lecture and not putting too much pressure on Julia. It's not jelling. I think I might head to bed and try again after a few hours sleep. Whatever we say, it needs to make sure that Julia walks away from this in good spirits. Or at least accepting it and able to come back from this stronger.

>>4009105
>>4009108
>>4009116
Am this Anon now on my way to work>>4009081 I am sorry I can't help out more with this

Could we maybe close what we are saying by telling Julia to come to a decision in her own time?
Leave her with the key so Gemma can't pull anything and let her decide with her own mind

Though I am a bit worried Julia will be overwhelmed by Gemma with words if we don't put Julia on the spot....

To be honest I am pretty conflicted right now.......

>>4008794
Several different things (although I'm a bit late)
1 - Julia clearly has an opinion here but I seriously doubt she is able to properly voice it (kind of especially to us after we told her she's basically screwing the family over for leaving)
2 - Gemma is alone (unclear to me why) and trying to make a connection with Julia. It's not exactly in a positive way for either of them, but if we want to save Gemma like Isabelle this is probably the way forward. Julia has probably been leaving Gemma alone just like we did with Sam and it seems like she's gone even more crazy (if she was ever sane to begin with)
3 - Gemma is at least partially right about both us monologuing and Julia wanting to leave and/or being afraid of Dorian leaving. I feel like we should deal with that first rather than directly with Gemma because ultimately it is Julia's mind and should be her decision.

I assume the Key has some sort of mute or pause button or something (or just create another side room). As mean as it is for someone so alone, I think we pause Gemma for a minute and talk to Julia first without interference about what she's been dealing with rather than the other way around (Julia is much more important after all). I think it's very possible that Julia and Gemma's situations are reflections of each other and are just making each other worse.
>Tell Julia you had no idea it was this bad a situation, has she always been like this? Because if she has, then she might just be mentally unstable beyond saving
>Ask Julia what about Gemma upset her
>Ask Julia if something happened between her and Dorian, and if she wants our help or wants Dorian to stay with her. Losing Dorian for a bit is far preferable over losing Julia forever and making Dorian depressed
>Finally ask her what she wants to do about Gemma, she seems alone and angry but similar to the way Sam was and I think Julia could bring her back to sanity
Overall, this is Julia's head and I feel like us monologuing at Gemma while she's clearly not going to listen here is counterproductive.

Regardless of anything, if she doesn't want to make a decision now I agree in giving her the Silver Key. Dream Daugters are seeming like they can have a much larger effect on the host psyche than we expect sometimes and hopefully this can mitigate it.

>>4009297
changing my vote from >>4008983 to support >>4009297 and amending my vote:

>"You have spoken your piece Gemma. I won't tolerate any more talk from someone who speaks of freedom and control who yet further attempts to coerce their host into becoming an unwilling one for all her other egos. Any further interruption and you will force my hand."
>"But this isn't my choice to make Gemma."
>Take out the key.
>"This is Julia's choice to make."
>Hand Julia the Silver key.

>Tell Julia you had no idea it was this bad a situation, has she always been like this? Because if she has, then she might just be mentally unstable beyond saving
>Ask Julia what about Gemma upset her
>Ask Julia if something happened between her and Dorian, and if she wants our help or wants Dorian to stay with her. Losing Dorian for a bit is far preferable over losing Julia forever and making Dorian depressed
>Finally ask her what she wants to do about Gemma, she seems alone and angry but similar to the way Sam was and I think Julia could bring her back to sanity

>"Julia, this is your chance here. Whatever you do, it's your choice. I relinquish control over the situation to you."

>>4009297
>>4009336
Let's not say the "mentally unstable beyond saving" part. That is incredibly cruel. Telling someone that they're so fundamentally broken that there's no way to fix them is how you psychologically crush your enemies, not help your friends. Even if it's true, which I don't think it is.

Also, calling it now: This is going to end with Julia taking her skin off. She feels like she's just wearing a mask instead of being a real person? She's going to take off her physical mask, then, the literal skin that she does not feel comfortable in. Maybe we should have seen this coming, now that I think about it, with Julia always wearing a costume so that the world would accept her. But skin is such a useful thing to have that the idea that she'd rather not have it never crossed my mind. Maybe that she felt equally comfortable skinned or not, but not that she'd prefer not to wear her skin. That it was a metaphor for her feelings of having to comply with societal expectations.

Okay, so forget Gemma, address Julia first. We need to apologize to her for being stupid and not seeing that she was hurting, not realizing that we were leaning so hard on her for support that we weren't letting her be herself. Okay, I think I know how to phrase this write-in, now. Give me a bit, still got to put it together right.

>>4009336
>>4008792
Vetoing my own vote until I think of something better. Gah. This is so heavy to think about.

>>4008792
>>Write-In
>Turn to Julia, pull her into a hug.
>"I'm sorry, Julia. I'm sorry for being an idiot. You were hurting, and I didn't see it, because I was relying so much on your strength. But you deserve better than this. You deserve to be happy as yourself, instead of who I need you to be, even if you're not quite sure who that is yet. I want you to be free to find that out for yourself."
>"Don't feel any obligation to come back to us. If you want to when you've got this figured out, I'll welcome it, because I want to meet that person you're going to become. I'm sure she's going to be amazing. You'll always have a home with the Defiant Fools. But don't let that hold you back from doing anything you feel is right. Okay?"
>Squeeze Julia a bit tighter, then let her go and turn to Gemma.
>"Now as for you, Gemma. I suppose I owe you some thanks for forcing this conversation. It's a bit hypocritical of you, yelling at me for using Julia when you were trying to force her into being your hitwoman. But hey, stopped clocks twice a day, right?"
>"In any case, I think it should be Julia's choice what to do with you. It's her head, after all. She should have the right to decide what to do with the people living in it.
>Hand Julia the Silver Key. She doesn't have to decide right now, we'll give her the real one to hang onto once we wake up if she wants to think it over. Though if she could mail it back to us via Joyous Many once she does use it, that would be appreciated.


Also, BHOP, have you ever played We Know The Devil? Because I'm actually getting some pretty strong We Know The Devil vibes to Julia, now that I've thought about it. Because...gonna put this in spoilers in case you haven't, because WKTD is great and I don't want to spoil anything: The skinlessness makes me think of how in the True Ending the girls all pull off their bodies to reveal something else underneath, something simultaneously horrifying and beautiful that better lets them embody who they really are. Also the general themes of the game with how society places and enforces crushing expectations of roles. Julia isn't an LGBTQ teen (well, I guess she's bi, I recall you said that in theory any character in the quest is a potential love interest) at a Christian conversion therapy camp like the girls of Group West, but it's a similar sort of enforced identity issue, where the person never even got the chance to find a real identity underneath it all.

>>4008792
This is probably my final answer to the vote. My other votes >>4008983 and >>4009336 are null.

>Write-in:
>"Do you even know what Julia and I came here for?
>"I came here with Julia to have a talk with you after so many adventures and finally finding a timeslot to focus on you, Julia, and your shards.
>"I came here with Julia to so we could discuss as a GROUP about how to deal with your other shards and to see if we can find some sort of compromise that we can all agree to, despite the possibility of having shards who yearn for independence."
>"But instead I find you pulling...this on us. Talking about freedom and choice all the while you're attempting to Coerce Julia into doing something without her consent in order to feed upon your other egos. Saying that Julia's silently suffering from all the pressure."
>"What you did behind our back, broadcasting where we are, where Julia is on the globe to the other shards? I cannot forgive that."
>"But dealing that sort of judgement on you isn't my choice to make Gemma."
>Take out the key.
>"This is Julia's choice to make."
>"Julia... is anything she said the truth? no pressure, but no lies, please."
>Let Julia respond.
>"I'm sorry for being an idiot. I'm sorry for being blind to your silent suffering."
>"Sometimes, things in the family don't work out well. We all make mistakes sometimes. But that's what family's for. To help each other with any screw-ups we have."
>"Know this. If you ever need or want something, be it some help or some time and personal space to yourself alone...All you need to do is to ask. All you need to do is to speak up, and everyone in the family will do their best to accommodate. It's what family's for."
>Take out the silver key.
>"This key, this silver key is a powerful catalyst in the dream world. It has the power to seal off Gemma in the dreamscape if you so desire. But it also opens doors. it opens the gate to the city of Kadath, the place that I once mentioned when I asked about seeing a city in the dreamscape. I don't know what lies in that city, nor what happens if we use the key. But its immediate use for now is a possible solution to dealing with Gemma by sealing her off in the dreamscape. If you truly think that Gemma is bothering you and you want her gone, the key is one possible solution."
>"If the key is too much for you, we can talk this out. You, me, Gemma. Find a solution to this problem together."
>Hand the key to Julia. put it into her hands and clasp it closed.
>"You've made the choice to stay at Laoc Julia. You said so because you said 'you felt it was the right thing to do'. I've done my best to follow your wishes."
>"Now, when it comes to Gemma? She's your dream daughter. it's your choice Julia. You get to decide what to do about Gemma. You have control."
>"You have the floor to this discussion, and we have the time. And when you're ready to speak, we will listen."
>step back and let Julia say her piece.

>>4009397
I'll also support this.

I kind of also want to tell Gemma that if this was about finding what she's missing within herself, since she's hoping reuniting with the other shards will help her piece the puzzle together and make her feel whole, that we would've helped find that something and fill the hole within.

I'm tempted to fire back that if she's going to bring Isabelle into this, then Gemma can go ask her what she thinks herself and see how that turns out.

I'll admit right away that I'd shy away from the destroying Gemma option, since her fractured nature as a shard means that if humanity is revived, it won't be her that comes back and gets a second chance at life, but whoever it was she initially made up. The individual that was divided into Gemma, Sia and the other shards may very well be revived either way whether or not they recombine, but Gemma would be erased forever.

>>4009418
Please link your vote to >>4008792 if you have any write-ins that you would like to contribute. Your input is very valuable for us. it will help us consolidate and come up with a solid consensus through all of this on the best solution that we can come up with for everyone.

>>4008792
Ammending my vote from >>4009081
to
>Write-in:
>"Right now i think you are an idiot Gemma. Do you even know what Julia and I came here for?
>"I came here with Julia to have a talk with you after so many adventures and finally finding a timeslot to focus on you, Julia, and your shards.
>"I came here with Julia to so we could discuss as a GROUP about how to deal with your other shards and to see if we can find some sort of compromise that we can all agree to, despite the possibility of having shards who yearn for independence."
>"But instead I find you pulling...this on us. Talking about freedom and choice all the while you're attempting to Coerce Julia into doing something without her consent in order to feed upon your other egos. Saying that Julia's silently suffering from all the pressure."
>Just sigh in Gemmas direction. Then address Julia
>"If it is true what she said Julia then this broadcisting situation just became a side objective in this conversation"
>Hug Julia
>"No pressure, but please be honest with not only me but also yourself about this whole situation."
>Let Julia respond

>"I'm sorry for being an idiot. I'm sorry for being blind to your silent suffering."
>"Sometimes, things in the family don't work out well. We all make mistakes sometimes. But that's what family's for. To help each other with any screw-ups we have."
>"Know this. If you ever need or want something, be it some help or some time and personal space to yourself alone...All you need to do is to ask. All you need to do is to speak up, and everyone in the family will do their best to accommodate. It's what family's for."
>Adress Gemma and Julia
>"I wont tell either of you what you have to do right now. Gemma for forcing me to have this conversation you have my thanks but not my gratitude. You are after all not only trying to turn her into your personal hit woman when we could have talked this out instead. No you also put her in danger by broadcasting her position."
>Give Julia the Silver key we have and explain to her the power it holds.
>"Its your chouice Julia what to do from here. Take your time to come to the conclusion that feels right for you. "
>Lean in a bit closer and whisper
>"But always know that the dfiant fools will always have a place for you. i love you like a sister... and if you want to stay here i am sure i can make due without Dorian for a day, if you need to have some time with him without anyone else be3ign able to interfere"

>Take a step back
>"Well i tried but i still started monologuing... Julia, Gemma its your stage. You can kick me out if you dont want me here, though i would like to at least stay as an observer so i wont have to be fille d in on what consensus you two reached after the fact"

Well i am back again from work and had some time to mull things over....

Feedback is appreciated

>>4009108
>>4009116
the issue you're overlooking is, that simply is unavoidable, unless we want to make the decision for her, which would be just as wrong.

>>4009297
i kinda disagree with this.
the monologing thing is garbage and utterly deflecting, simple as that. everyone expresses themselves differently, and thats just how we do it. its neither good nor bad, and not tied to the issues at hand or being presented.

the other issue is, we dont have time to let Julia handle it fully on her own time. sucks, but thats also the reality of it. Magpie has shown a pretty good tenacity for being willing to just do things on her own, we're lucky she held off this much, but shouldn't be surprised if she wont again. whether we or Julia like it, that puts us on a time limit, and one that her leaving the group makes it precarious for us to solve later at the last minute.

as for the first one, the issue is, Julia has to find her voice eventually. sounds hash maybe, but its also the truth. unless she WANTS to step back and just let us take the reigns on everything, she simply is gonna have to realize situations like this exist and require her to make her own decision, regardless of how much she isnt up for it, if she wants to be her own person. we're already trying our best to do the right thing and incentivize her to actually BE her own person and make her own decisions, we cant do much more, and like i said, its simply a tough situation but one that needs to be resolved, whether we like it or not.

Gemma is alone due to her own actions. unless she decades to change, that might be for the best, and wont change either. he unhealthy and destructive obsession with her Shards also cannot be ignored. she simply is not worth saving or compromising with if it jeopardizes people like Sias(?) safety and life.

I do agree Julia is much more important here than Gemma though, sure, but personally feel if we ignore Gemma and dont address her, it'll leave too much hanging, and address Gemma first makes some sense and i think will(or at least can), better lay the foundation for talking to Julia and letting her have a more stable foundation to work from.

>>4009457
>>4009402
>"I came here with Julia to so we could discuss as a GROUP about how to deal with your other shards and to see if we can find some sort of compromise that we can all agree to, despite the possibility of having shards who yearn for independence."

i still utterly despise this line, not gonna lie, and honestly cannot support even a compromise so long as this is part of it. look back at how both us OOC and IC have talked about the Gemma situation. that line is just simply, utterly, not the truth.

since we first learned about Gemmas betrayal, both IC and OOC, all we have ever said on it or talked about is our concerns over her having betrayed us and what to do about it, and our frustrations over her not talking to us. we never once were saying we planned or were coming in here for any other purpose, and it just feels way way too much like an utter lie and being disingenuous to pretend it at all was a reason for this, and is highly hypocritical when then talking about her lying and manipulation us in return.

also, though less a concern, she might know how we have been about her, as DDs seem to hear alot, so could easily turn out whole argument against us over that one line, as without a doubt its been a major focal point of ours even if you disagree it was our only one, but it certainly was enough of one id very much argue for her to use against us if we try and pull a line like that.

>>4009397
>>4009402
>>4009457
otherwise, not gonna lie, not a fan of any of these, and like i said, its utterly ignoring the reality of the situation is, she and us dont have the room or time to LET her have it on her time. the last thing we can afford is to come back when it time to go with Magpie, and Julia has made a decision we literally cannot support and need to have an even longer discussion on.

I get it, its Julia. we love her, we want her to have the best, and let her have her time on this. but the reality of the situation simply isnt allowing for us to just walk away and let this play out on its own time. we just dont have that luxury, and so neither odes Julia. Julia and Gemma also, whether they like it or not, not the only ones this affects or who has to be taken into account here, further making waiting and having a last minute decision unacceptable.

theres also concerns for us and our families own safety, and even possibly goals, for leaving the key with her.

this stuff also annoys the crap out of me because you guys might not even wake up in time even if you're willing to discuss the points and compromise, making it feel like i cannot afford to even go to sleep, despite having had a headache.

>>4009468
Your right this line is not good as it is.
>"I came here with Julia to so we could discuss as a GROUP about how to deal with your other shards and to see if we can find some sort of compromise that we can all agree to, despite the possibility of having shards who yearn for independence."

So how would this sound:
>"Gemma. You probably know what we were talking about outside. You dreamdaughters see and hear a lot. I tried finding some time to talk about this with you earlier but a lot of things got in the way. I wanted to find a compromise about how to deal with the independently minded shards but after you put us all in danger and right now tried to make Julia your own hitwoman that option is pretty of the table for now. Because shit like that is something I just have to speak out against"

>>4009471
Well I am awake and willing to discuss this. I want the best answer as much as you do

>>4009476
yes, that line is very much better and on the mark. and even throws the truth in her face, that said unwillingness of us to discuss it further is literally only on her going behind our back on the issue.

>Well I am awake and willing to discuss this. I want the best answer as much as you do
very true and very fair. though your very different timezone is the reason for that, and sadly seems to cause you trouble at other times.

>>4009477
So a more agressive style of writing then?

More pushy maybe even setting a hard time limit on how much time we are willing to give her?
And of course telling Gemma that if she pulls that shit againwe will delete hereven if she could offer us the holy grail...
Treason can not be tolerated and all that stuff

I will try my best

>>4009482
i mean, doesn't necessarily have to be aggressive, but i certainly think Gemmas in a position where a bit of bluntness might be necessary to smack back to any senses she might have left. even assuming she is right about some things here, like her going behind our back, she is not going about any of this the right way at all, and even assuming we wanted to help her, which im not even sure we do, but even assuming that, we couldn't even begin to make progress with her if we dont stand our ground, especially with what shes saying, and give a bit of push back for sure.

though, i suppose that could be translated into being aggressive.

as for the time limit and treason stuff, again, i kinda feel like we dont have time to let this sit to be honest, but certainly the warning about backstabbing regardless of how this plays out or Julias chooses i think is warranted.

>"Right now i think you are an idiot Gemma. Do you even know what Julia and I came here for?
>"I came here with Julia to have a talk with you after finally finding a timeslot to focus on you, Julia, and your shards."

* >"Gemma. You probably know what we were talking about outside. You dreamdaughters see and hear a lot. I tried finding some time to talk about this with you earlier but a lot of things got in the way. I wanted to find a compromise about how to deal with the independently minded shards but after you put us all in danger and right now tried to make Julia your own hitwoman. That option is pretty much of the table for now until we have resolved all of this. Because shit like that is something I just have to speak out against"
>be blunt about the following"
* >"So instead of trying to truly apologize for the breach of trust you commited I find you pulling...this on us. Talking about freedom and choice all the while you're attempting to Coerce Julia into doing something without her consent in order to feed upon your other egos. Saying that Julia's silently suffering from all the pressure. This is not somethign i can tolerate. And about lettign you go. You havent earned that not by a long shot. Not the way you would want to go out there. And right now there is a shard out there that i actually respect and somewhat trust. YOu would be a threat to her as well, which you have proven with your actions and now your words in thsi very conversation"

>Sigh in Gemmas direction. Then address Julia
>"If it is true what she said Julia then this broadcisting situation just became a side objective in this conversation"
>Hug Julia
>"No pressure, but please be honest with not only me but also yourself about this whole situation."
>Let Julia respond

(continued)

>>4009488

>"I'm sorry for being an idiot. I'm sorry for being blind to your silent suffering."
>"Sometimes, things in the family don't work out well. We all make mistakes sometimes. But that's what family's for. To help each other with any screw-ups we have."
>"Know this. If you ever need or want something, be it some help or some time and personal space to yourself alone...All you need to do is to ask. All you need to do is to speak up, and everyone in the family will do their best to accommodate. It's what family's for."
>Adress Gemma and Julia
>"I wont tell either of you what you have to do right now. Gemma for forcing me to have this conversation you have my thanks but not my gratitude. You are after all not only trying to turn her into your personal hit woman when we could have talked this out instead. No you also put her in danger by broadcasting her position."
>Give Julia the Silver key we have and explain to her the power it holds.
* >"Its your choice Julia. What to do from here. I can give you some time to come to the conclusion that feels right for you. But sadly not a lot. If by the time we reunite with Magpie you havent come to a decission i will have to ask you to make one then and there."
>Lean in a bit closer and whisper
* >"But know that the defiant fools will always have a place for you. I love you like a sister... and if you want to stay here i wont stop you. But you are undeniably one of the big things keeping us alltogether. I am sorry if we pressured you. If in the future you ever feel like we are pressurign you jsut tell us and we will try to do anything to accomodate you"

>Adress Gemma directly before stepping back a bit
>"But know that if you pull that broadcast again or do anything else that could endanger my family without talking about it with us first. I will delete you. No ifs and buts."

Changes made = *

I probably got a bit longwinded......

>>4009484
Any thoughts about these>>4009488 >>4009489 ?

>>4009488
>>4009489
much better in ideas and overall, though id be lying if i didn't say i think some of the wording is a bit odd to me, but im 100% sure thats the language difference again causing that, which i dont blame you for at all.


>>4008792
>>4008903
i guess ill personally go with;

>Take a moment to stare Gemma down, then, simply scoff.
>"Right now i think you are an idiot Gemma. Do you even know what Julia and I came here for?
>"Gemma. You probably know what we were talking about outside. You dreamdaughters see and hear a lot. I tried finding some time to talk about this with you earlier but a lot of things got in the way. I wanted to find a compromise about how to deal with the independently minded shards but after you put us all in danger and now tried to make Julia your own hitwoman? That option is pretty much off the table for now until we have resolved all of this. Because shit like that is something I cannot sit by and tolerate."
>"instead of trying to truly apologize for the breach of trust you commited I find you pulling...this on us."
>”Ignoring the resource issues with letting you go, and the fact after what you pulled, you certainly haven't earned it over others in our dreamscapes, you’re forgetting one, simple fact; You’re a threat to other shards. Ones who DONT want what you want, ones that have proven their friendship and earned my trust. You yourself, with your actions and words, have proven what you are, in or outside my sight.”
>”I dont need my swarm to know what you are.”
>shrug.
>”If you cant stand my speeches, thats fine. But to me, it just sounds like an excuse to ignore you have nothing to counter them with.”
>"Meanwhile, here you sit a hypocrite. not only to you speak about freedom while want to take that choice away from your other shards, but you wish to coerce Julia into being your personal collection service for the dirty deeds."
>"Heres a monologue for you, short and simple; dont speak about coercion and freedom while doing the first and trying to steal the second from others, then maybe your anger and words wont ring hollow to me."
>Turn to Julia, and ignore Gemma. talk over her, talk around her, talk to JULIA.

(1/2)

>>4009504
>>4008792

>"Julia... is anything she said the truth? No pressure, but please be honest with not only me but also yourself about this whole situation."
>Sigh, and tilt her eyes up to look at yours, if need be.
>"Im sorry, if ive been an idiot, if ive been unable to see how much you've been suffering in silence."
>"Im sorry, if you ever felt pressured, if you ever felt you were forced to fight when you didn't want to."
>But know, now or before, If you ever need or want something, be it some help or some time and personal space to yourself alone...All you need to do is to ask. All you need to do is to speak up, and everyone in the family will do their best to accommodate. It's what family's for."
>Smile and shrug.
>"You're family, and we care about you, no matter what anyone says. but even family messes up, and trying to help those you love can make you do things they may not want sometimes."
> >"But know that the defiant fools will always have a place for you. I love you like a sister... and if you want to stay In Laoc i wont stop you. But you are undeniably one of the big things keeping us all together."
>"And for what its worth, choosing me wouldn't be the first time we've questioned Amaras choices, now would it?"
>Gentkly set the key in Julias hands, and step back, giving her a reassuring nod.
>"Shes your Dream Daughter, its your decision Julia."

>Address Gemma directly one last time however.
>"But know that if you pull that broadcast again or do anything else that could endanger my family or others again, without talking about it with us first. I will delete you. No ifs and buts."
>Narrow your eyes.
>"theres more i have to take into account here, than just whats going on here, no matter how much any of us dislike it."

(2/2)

>>4009503
sorry, was well, doing this, while also trying to think things through.

>>4008792
Ammendign my vote once again... Sorry OP

Instead of supporting >>4009081 or>>4009457 any longer i will support

>"Right now i think you are an idiot Gemma. Do you even know what Julia and I came here for?
>"I came here with Julia to have a talk with you after finally finding a timeslot to focus on you, Julia, and your shards."

>"Gemma. You probably know what we were talking about outside. You dreamdaughters see and hear a lot. I tried finding some time to talk about this with you earlier but a lot of things got in the way. I wanted to find a compromise about how to deal with the independently minded shards but after you put us all in danger and right now tried to make Julia your own hitwoman. That option is pretty much of the table for now until we have resolved all of this. Because shit like that is something I just have to speak out against"
>be blunt about the following"
>"So instead of trying to truly apologize for the breach of trust you commited I find you pulling...this on us. Talking about freedom and choice all the while you're attempting to Coerce Julia into doing something without her consent in order to feed upon your other egos. Saying that Julia's silently suffering from all the pressure. This is not somethign i can tolerate. And about lettign you go. You havent earned that not by a long shot. Not the way you would want to go out there. And right now there is a shard out there that i actually respect and somewhat trust. YOu would be a threat to her as well, which you have proven with your actions and now your words in thsi very conversation"

>Sigh in Gemmas direction. Then address Julia
>"If it is true what she said Julia then this broadcisting situation just became a side objective in this conversation"
>Hug Julia
>"No pressure, but please be honest with not only me but also yourself about this whole situation."
>Let Julia respond

(continued)

>>4009511
>>4009511 (You)
>>"I'm sorry for being an idiot. I'm sorry for being blind to your silent suffering."
>>"Sometimes, things in the family don't work out well. We all make mistakes sometimes. But that's what family's for. To help each other with any screw-ups we have."
>>"Know this. If you ever need or want something, be it some help or some time and personal space to yourself alone...All you need to do is to ask. All you need to do is to speak up, and everyone in the family will do their best to accommodate. It's what family's for."
>>Adress Gemma and Julia
>>"I wont tell either of you what you have to do right now. Gemma for forcing me to have this conversation you have my thanks but not my gratitude. You are after all not only trying to turn her into your personal hit woman when we could have talked this out instead. No you also put her in danger by broadcasting her position."
>>Give Julia the Silver key we have and explain to her the power it holds.
> >"Its your choice Julia. What to do from here. I can give you some time to come to the conclusion that feels right for you. But sadly not a lot. If by the time we reunite with Magpie you havent come to a decission i will have to ask you to make one then and there."
>>Lean in a bit closer and whisper
>>"But know that the defiant fools will always have a place for you. I love you like a sister... and if you want to stay here i wont stop you. But you are undeniably one of the big things keeping us alltogether. I am sorry if we pressured you. If in the future you ever feel like we are pressurign you jsut tell us and we will try to do anything to accomodate you"
>>Adress Gemma directly before stepping back a bit
>>"But know that if you pull that broadcast again or do anything else that could endanger my family without talking about it with us first. I will delete you. No ifs and buts."

>>4009507
I get it i was just thinking maybe you didnt get a notification or something...

Kinda silly of me... well goes to show that i am not 100% there right now....

(Gentlemen, I woke to a slew of superb write-ins. These look absolutely incredible.)

>>4009397
(I have played it, and I'm glad the vibes came across so well! It's a fantastic game, and I also enjoyed the makers' next creation, 'Heaven Will Be Mine'. It's intriguing if you haven't checked it out yet. In any case, I'm glad someone else here knows about WKTD.)

>>4009523
Thank you for the compliment, but the devil is in the details in the tone we're trying to deliver and the core issue that we're attempting to diagnose when it comes to Julia's hidden issue and Gemma's apparent frustration, and that's what we anons are discussing over.

(Gentlemen, my morning has been taken up with last-minute meetings, so my posting may be somewhat delayed. Thus, I am extending voting an additional hour in case there is any last-minute tweaks you all wish to make before voting is locked.)

>>4009504
>>4009472
You're not wrong, anon. You're not wrong.

>>4009538
Thank you for this opportunity you've given us.

File: ddk3v57-2ca7e94b-520f-41b(...).jpg (720 KB, 1200x800)

720 KB JPG

>>4009538
hope the meetings arent too bad BHOP.

>>4009530
so... any thoughts or comments on anything? if for no other reason we have the time now for it, though if you dont, thats fine aswell.

>>4009544
We've got another hour of voting time. Let me have a look-see and see what I can input.

I'm currently juggling this and proofreading a cover letter for a job that I'm trying to apply for so my attention may be divided.

>>4009545
oh, no, thats way more important. dont let us distract you from that at all.

>>4009545
(Oh, that's way more important. I wish you the best, and I know you'll do great with the cover letter!)