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Your name is Shu, and you’ve come a long way at the end of the world.

The world as you knew it is long gone, consumed from without by a ravenous being from beyond the stars. Humanity’s been reshaped into a vicious, feral thing by the Crucible, their bodies twisted into raging beasts of muscle and bone, voices and minds warped into tools of war. The Daughters—combatants elected by the Crucible to fight and devour their fellows to reach even the apex of hideous strength—are perhaps the lucky ones, granted the freedom of choice in a world where most humans, flora, and fauna have been melted down into a carpet of raw biomass that’s pulled taut across our world.

Like every other Daughter in existence, you can feel the pull—gnawing at your bones, pulling every fiber of your being towards the tether between a mutilated earth and an alien sky. You call it the Cord, and it’s said that reaching it’s summit will grant the Crucible’s victor the power to reshape all that is into all that will be.

A siren’s song, beckoning you to the end of all things…

…but you’ll fight it, and anything else that would dare to drown out humanity’s future.

A hive of fist-sized wasps was your first weapon, and by no means your last. Your skin can twist and coil into drills that can pierce through stone, your blood can entangle itself like a noose around those that would inflict cruelty, and the flesh at your feet bends to your will, and your will alone.

But by far your greatest weapon has been the allies, friends, and family you’ve gathered along your way to world’s end…and with them by your side, in just a few short weeks the world now knows your name.

You’ve been a busy bee, no pun intended—you’ve befriended one of the three most powerful Amalgams alive, are currently traveling with a powerful fellow Hive Mistress, and you’re now in the company of a Skintalker whose uncanny base of operations teeters dangerously close to the Cord, yet thrives all the same…

…and it’s on the doorstep of her unlikely settlement that you find yourself faced with a declaration that’s caught you off-guard.

****

Previous Vein: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/5004033/

Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Body%20Horror%20Quest

Character Abilities: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1p_asyKKcyCbQieAAXo1oogBucLtzSypx8-M9vqA96zE/edit#gid=1685687578

Trypophilic Hive, Ver. 3: https://pastebin.com/bUWG6TNF

Relics, Ver. 7: https://pastebin.com/kHzW2hbd

Dual Techs: https://pastebin.com/2jZ5Zhyx

Character Profiles: https://pastebin.com/eL2zTZ4f

Quest Fan Works: https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1comL20X2jUrPO0p7QMdFinwAwdXHre2F9A5bdXif7_k/mobilebasic

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bodyhorrorquest?lang=en
>>
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“E-excuse me?” You stammer, dumbfounded by the words that the girl before you just uttered. She laughs, and it’s a high, joyful thing as her brown eyes shine in the Crucible’s eternal dusk.

“I said that we’re going to help you save the world.” Paloma repeats with a bright smile, her head of security just shaking her head with a smirk just behind her…and lurking behind them both, the Ikea just sits there, pristine and peerless in spite of the alien surroundings. It’s a fittingly stark punctuation to the other woman’s bold pronouncement.

“But you’ve never met me.”

“Oh, but everyone who’s anyone knows you by now! You’re a legend!” She fires back with a playful wink, her fingers threading together as she starts to clench her hands excitedly. “From the Monastery, to Laoc, to the cults, to Arcadia…gah, I could go on. But I won’t! C’mon, I know you’ve all traveled far, so come on in and get comfy-cozy!”

Without waiting for protest, she waves for you and your family to follow her towards the Ikean Fortress, gesturing to a distant side-door to indicate the hangar for the rumbling Metall Geschoss. November turns to you for guidance, and you give the chrome cyborg a cautious nod. Francine hangs back to partner up with her friend while the rest of you march down the valley’s gentle curve, slowly making your way to the sprawling structure that only seems to grow with every step forwards.

“Nerada?” You whisper, garnering the attention of the most out-of-place among you—a pale young child in an antiquated dress, and fellow Hive Mistress with an innumerable swarm of living shadows at her beck and call.

“Yes Ma’am?” She politely replies, and for all your twenty-some-odd years you feel absolutely ancient when she utters those two devastating words.

“Paloma said that the Fortress is pretty busy.” You echo, gathering what’s left of your dignity as you address the girl that’s maybe a third of your age. “Do you want to stay out here while we go in, like we talked about?”

She hesitates, fidgeting in place before she relents with a slow nod. Well at least that bit’s settled…but as for how best to handle your enthusiastic host, well…

…you have a plan for that.

>>Choose a team to take into the Ikea and who should stay behind to keep Nerada company (Write-In).

>>You want to get a better feel for Paloma before you waltz in to her territory—if she’s reasonable, she won’t object to talking outside for a little while.

>>Send a team inside the Ikea while you take a moment to get to know Nerada…and maybe take a lap or two around the Ikea, for reconnaissance’s sake.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Good Morning, Everyone. I hope you had a peasant week and a restful Halloween weekend, and it’s good to be back. I started working from home yesterday, so barring any odd issues I should have a relatively clear schedule with which to post. Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in approximately four.)

(Also, Happy Belated Halloween, Everyone.)
>>
>>5045066
gah, it feels really bad to just leave Nerada outside by herself. I certainly dont want to just abandon her but at the same time its just as rude to leave our hosts waiting too long.

but i thiiink i kinda have a compromise.

vote;
>You dont want to leave Nerada alone and waiting just yet.
>Quietly or at least subtly tell Paloma you want to take a bit to try and figure out a better solution for Nerada than just making her wait alone or wander off alone again, but in the meantime you trust Gina and Rath to get the tour and rundown on your behalf, and you'll meet up for a more in depth discussion soon.
>ask Dorian to join you and see if Amara wants to aswell, though no pressure if she really wants to see the Ikea.
>Use the excuse of wanting to inspect the area around the Ikea to take Nerada on a walk, taking a route that will end at the garage.
>Ask Nerada to join you, saying you think her shadows would be very useful in seeing whats about or if anything suspicious is going on.

>after starting the both legitimate but mostly excuse inspection, start up a conversation with Nerada when appropriate.
>"So... not a fan of crowds? hey, nothing to be ashamed of. ive seen crowds go south too, not pretty."

basically just ice breaking to try and hash out some details, before maybe inviting her to the Roost or something. maybe now we cant really fix her being alone but maybe we can at least leave off giving her something to look forward too instead of just hanging her out to dry.
>>
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>>5045069
it was a decent enough week. alot was going on actually from work on a new setting and system to butchering my first chicken and an ongoing battle with a hawk preying on my younger chickens and driving me up a wall trying to deal with it.

so all and all a very mixed week.

but regardless, happy belated halloween to you aswell.
>>
>>5045066
>“Yes Ma’am?” She politely replies, and for all your twenty-some-odd years you feel absolutely ancient when she utters those two devastating words.
Worse, we're technically younger than Nerada is. We are the youngest person in his group, and ideally we're the youngest person in the entire Crucible because the idea of a genuine infant in this nightmare place is deeply troubling. Like, a pre-verbal infant with the Hunger and biomorphic killing powers would probably wind up indistinguishable from a Hunger-mad Daughter even if it was getting enough food, right? It barely has object permanence, it doesn't realize that it's murdering people. Man, I do not like this mental image I've conjured for myself.

Anyways!

>>Send a team inside the Ikea while you take a moment to get to know Nerada…and maybe take a lap or two around the Ikea, for reconnaissance’s sake.
>>Write-In
>Apologize to Paloma for not immediately coming in. Nerada doesn't like large groups, and we don't want to scare her off. Can she warn the people inside not to crowd Nerada, if we do convince her to come in?
>Have Gina, Rath and Francine head inside. They're our tech girls, anyway, they'll be best to judge the Fortress' mobility proposal.
>Go for a walk around the Ikea with Nerada, Amara, and Dorian. Inspect the foundations, make sure everything is safe, also ask Nerada about herself some more.
>Once we're done with our walk/inspection, ask Amara and Orwell what they know about Paloma. Amara watches her stream, and Orwell might even know her as a fellow streamer (she does, but IC we don't know that). Is she serious about turning the Ikea into some sort of land-ship?


>>5045069
Happy Halloween, BHOP. Glad to hear that things shouldn't be so hectic for you today. And as always, good to be here in the meat apocalypse.
>>
>>5045066
>Send a party of Swarmlings inside the Ikea while you take a moment to get to know Nerada…and maybe take a lap or two around the Ikea, for reconnaissance’s sake.

I need to remember what kinds of Swarlings Shu has, to build an adventuring party out of them.
>>
>>5045101
Knight/Bishop/Rook is already a decent DPS/support/tank setup.
>>
>>5045101
theres a link to that in BHOPs opening post.
>>
>>5045069
Well shit.
Boy have I got a horror story for you.

I had to get a root canal done on one of my teeth over the week. The scary part? I had no insurance and had to pay over $1k out of my pocket.

On the plus side, the muse for Cradleton's being more active and snippets of inspirational dialogue scenes have been making their appearances on the word doc for the rewrite.

I just hope I manage to finish the story before the quest itself finishes.
>>
>>5045118
damn son, that burns.
dont have insurance myself so had to pay out of pocket for new contacts too. it was bad, but not 1000 bucks bad.
>>
>>5045118
Well, damn, that is awful on several accounts. I'm sorry to hear that, anon.
>>
>>5045092
(Oof, hawks are no joke. Back where I grew up, we had to contend with wild dogs and copperhead snakes if you wanted to raise any sort of animal, so I feel you with aggressive wildlife.)

>>5045118
(Oh, I'm so sorry...I do hope you feel better soon, and I'm glad the muse is being more active, at least!)
>>
>>5045151
(Huh, name fell off.)
>>
>>5045066

Supporting>>5045097


>>5045118
Ouch man..... on several accounts. I really hope you will have no complications at least.

>>5045069
week was alright. I retired a Charakter i have been playing for some time now last friday. I really liked her but i no longer liked the way the GM was handling things and was generally losing my fun at that particular game with that GM. The character was crazy enough that she had a dark seducer and a golden saint created from her self inflicted splintering of her soul. but i sill loved her.

And on saturday i had the pleasure to slowly roast my players over the fire as they tried to gain entry into a heavily guarded tomb and trying not to create to much destruction since they will be paid more.

So i say a good week though no one came for halloween.... i even placed candy outside..... and i really dont want to eat it. That would counteract my goals in signing up for a gym membership quite heavily.

>I started working from home yesterday

is this gonna be an arrangement for the forseeable future?
>>
(Finishing up now, everyone. It's been a busy day, but a productive one.)
>>
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>>5045066

“Paloma? A quick word, if I may.”

Your host’s curious brown eyes round on you as you draw near, and with an apologetic tone, you whisper; “Hey, the little one back there’s named Nerada, and she prefers to not be around large groups. We don’t want to overwhelm her or scare her off, so could you warn the people inside to not crowd her, when and if we can convince her to come in? I hate to dela-“

“Say no more!” The other girl dismisses, her smile ever-widening. “Take your time, there’s no rush! I’ll let everyone know to keep a distance so she’s not stressed out, so just come on in when you’re ready!”

With an appreciative nod to the Skintalker, you lock eyes with Gina and silently fill her in on your plan for her, Rath, and Francine to independently assess the Fortress’ mobility potential. Threading her arm through Rath’s, GG takes the lead with the sputtering redhead and most of your Dream Daughters in tow…save for B’ni, that is. The slight, dark-haired girl hangs back, nonchalantly sidling up to you as you beckon for Amara, Dorian, and Orwell to join you in a leisurely lap around the Ikea.

Reconnaissance and conversation. Two swarmlings, one stone.

“Thank you.” Nerada murmurs a minute or two into your initial lap, drawing your attention away from the sheer walls of the fort as you marvel at their peerless edifice.

“Hey, don’t mention it.” You reply with a smile, hands in your dress pockets as you continue your walk—Amara on your right, Nerada on your left. “I appreciate you being upfront with me. I’d have hated to drag you into a place you weren’t comfortable in.”

“Mhm.” She says, her appreciative (and embarrassed) hum barely audible over the rustle of wheat-like hair as a warm breeze flits across the plains that surround you.

“So, tell me a little more about yourself.” You prompt, switching gears as you try to avoid Nerada turtling up with embarrassment.

“Um…what do you want to know?” She asks with a shrug, and Amara’s all too happy to jump the gun.

“Do you have a Halo!?”

The other girl startles a bit, then nods before closing her eyes. When she opens them again, her left eye’s turned a glossy black, a paradoxically dark light pouring from the stygian socket.

“What does it do, exactly?” You ask, and when Nerada blinks her eye reverts to its original, innocent shade.

“Um…it lets me do anything my swarmlings can do. I’ve got all their powers for free. Oh! And I don’t have to worry about that dumb swarmling limit any more. That’s really nice.”

“Quite useful, I must say.” Dorian says approvingly, a kind smile on his face...while B’ni wears a decidedly neutral one, her eyes locked on the child at your side.

“Ohh, I want one like that!” Amara crows with envy before Orwell laughs just behind you.

“Oh, I think you've got enough anime references under your belt as-is, superfan.”

(Continued)
>>
>>5045276

“This place is big.” Your fellow hive Mistress muses aloud, gazing up at the sheer wall that makes up the back of the fort, its stark blue cast a violet shade by the Crucible’s scarlet dusk. “Is it deep, too?”

A good question, and one you’re keen to answer as you tentatively terraform the ground at your feet. The answer; not by much, aside from the foundations. The fact that it’s literally *just* a building is perhaps more unsettling that finding roots, or perhaps some large Amalgam lurking just beneath your feet like a Swedish hermit crab.

“Hey!” Nerada perks up as she rounds on Amara. “Wanna race? Like, around the fort?”

“With powers?!”

“Of course!”

“I can officiate.” Dorian offers, winking at you as he steps forwards, lightning crackling around his sharp frame.

“I don’t know what that means, but sure!” Nerada excitedly replies. The three of them quickly establish some ground rules as you turn to Orwell with a question on your lips.

“So…tell me about Paloma.” You begin, glancing over to find B’ni still observing Nerada in stony silence. “I know Amara follows her streams."

“Subscribes to her story. Paloma posts pictures.” Orwell gently corrects you, suppressing the smile that plays on her lips. “And yeah; Paloma’s up there, as far as Skinternet personalities are concerned. Not so much on account of her content, but more of the fact that she’s in charge of most Daughters’ second-to-last stop on the way to the Cord.”

“Hell of a place, this.” You mutter a half-second before a burst of wind and the smell of ozone heralds the races’ start, with the three participants having disappeared around the building’s corner by the time you look their way.

“I met her once, actually. Paloma, I mean.” Orwell informs you as she shoves her hands in her pockets. “She’s…nice. Really talkative. Get a decent vibe from her, I guess.”

“So why don’t you like her?” You ask, picking up her clearly ambivalent tone.

“Eh, she wanted to team up. I wanted to do more of a solo thing. She’s kinda pushy, but…she’s fine. I think I was just not in the right headspace for it at the time.” The lanky teen replies with a shrug, before a smirk slashes past her lips. “Guess I’m not a solo act anymore, huh?”

“For what it’s worth? I’m glad you’re here, Orwell.” You say honestly, and she just snorts, trucking a strand of blonde hair behind one ear as she tries to distract from her awkward smile. Amara and Nerada dart around the Ikea for a third time with Dorian in hot pursuit, with B’ni’s sharp green eyes following their every move as Orwell cheers them all on.

>>Let Nerada tire herself out a bit more before you head in to the Ikean Fortress.

>>Ask Orwell a bit more—she seems a little more open than usual.

>>Touch base with B’ni…she’s just as quiet as usual, but she’s rarely this intense.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Apologies for the wait, everyone. Just working out some kinks in the work-from-home setup. Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in four.)

>>5045163
(The management was dragging its heels in fixing the mold issue downstairs, so I took over and arranged for a crew to rip out the walls and renovate the basement that flooded. They were all to happy to let me do it, since I tend to get results when it comes to arranging things. So, me working from here is just a temporary thing until my workplace smells a little more like work and a little less like a swamp.)
>>
>>5045278
vote;
>Touch base with B’ni…she’s just as quiet as usual, but she’s rarely this intense.
>"hey... everything ok? you good?"
>"...something about Nerada not sitting right with you... because of you, or because of her?"

>>5045281
always 'nice' when people drag their feet, no?
>>
>>5045276
>“Do you have a Halo!?”
Oh, blunt. Well, okay, neat to know what the Hive Halo does, though. Explains how Nerada can manage to be the endless shadow swarm. I want one.

>“Ohh, I want one like that!” Amara crows with envy before Orwell laughs just behind you.
You do. Your right eye's been glowing ever since you fused Neurotic Halo with Hollow Clone for Joyous Many. You're basically the inverse of Nerada. Go and be shonen anime rivals with each other.

>while B’ni wears a decidedly neutral one, her eyes locked on the child at your side
Huh, that's...worrying. B'Ni, everything alright? You worried someone's going to target Nerada to take her Halo for themselves? Guess that's yet more cause to get her somewhere safe to stay.

>>5045278
>Eh, she wanted to team up. I wanted to do more of a solo thing.
Oh, really now? A "solo thing", despite having a bodyguard? I'm onto you, Orwell. You're not really here, this is your projection!

>>Touch base with B’ni…she’s just as quiet as usual, but she’s rarely this intense.
>>
>>5045281
Well, that sucks that you had to handle it yourself, but I'm glad that it's going smoothly enough. And that your employers trust you to handle things, even if their own passivity must be frustrating.
>>
>>5045278

>>"She does seem pretty zealous...... what do you think the chances are to stop her from throwing this fortress at the cord?"
then
>>Touch base with B’ni…she’s just as quiet as usual, but she’s rarely this intense.
>"What is on your mind? Are you good?"
>"Or is something bothering you? Is it still you know who.... or something about Nerada? Did it bring up any memories?"

>>5045281
good to know but bad since management apparently could not make their mind up when it is fucking vital to make sure their employees do not get sick from mold

>>5045286
oh i really would like to ask her if she would be willing to give us a copy of it........ that seems so freaking useful if we can get everything our swamrlings get........ Imagine Shu with Flamethrowes spinning around on drills
>>
>>5045278
>>>Touch base with B’ni…she’s just as quiet as usual, but she’s rarely this intense.
>>
>>5045278
>Touch base with B’ni…she’s just as quiet as usual, but she’s rarely this intense.
>>
>>5045278
So Nerada has the Hive Mistress halo. I was hoping we'd stumble across it during the quest so Shu could have it, but this is the second best outcome - in the hands of a nice young lady who won't abuse its power.

As for our course of action:
>>Touch base with B’ni…she’s just as quiet as usual, but she’s rarely this intense.

She has something important on her mind. Either something is bothering her (possibly about Sam's most recent interaction), or she has realized something unsettling about Nerada.
>>
>>5045290
>oh i really would like to ask her if she would be willing to give us a copy of it........ that seems so freaking useful if we can get everything our swamrlings get.
It would be nice. It would be kind of scummy to push her on it, though, so best to save asking her for later, after we've built a good enough relationship that it wouldn't be predatory to ask. But if we can get a copy, yeah, I'd love that. It would add yet another thing for Shu to level, but it would be so worth it. Especially if we could get it to max and then hybridize with Trypophilic Hive. Or Spiritus Ex Testa. Or both, see if we can get a working four-way hybrid out of that.

>>5045317
>So Nerada has the Hive Mistress halo. I was hoping we'd stumble across it during the quest so Shu could have it, but this is the second best outcome - in the hands of a nice young lady who won't abuse its power.
Yeah, we've run into nothing but good kids, haven't we? You'd expect there would be at least some creepy cannibal children with no sense of right or wrong, but they've all been super polite and sweet and happy to meet us. I'm glad that the Crucible seems to have only chosen such wonderful children instead of ones that we'd have to kill and wind up feeling conflicted and guilty over. Maybe a prior Mother set that as her rule change, I don't know.
>>
>>5045388
>Yeah, we've run into nothing but good kids, haven't we? You'd expect there would be at least some creepy cannibal children with no sense of right or wrong, but they've all been super polite and sweet and happy to meet us. I'm glad that the Crucible seems to have only chosen such wonderful children instead of ones that we'd have to kill and wind up feeling conflicted and guilty over. Maybe a prior Mother set that as her rule change, I don't know.

I agree! On the one hand, it's good that all the kids we've encountered have been sweet and nice. On the other hand, from a storytelling perspective, it would be terrifying to have a powerful child who destroys or warps everything in their path, like Anthony from the It's A Good Life episode of the Twilight Zone. Imagine an endgame-tier child who can barely be reasoned with and acts purely on impulse, with temper tantrums that can level villages. And they don't feel bad about their actions because to them, it's a game - like putting your Sims in a swimming pool and deleting the ladder for shits and giggles.

...I'm getting an idea for an original daughter.
>>
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>>5045278

"Paloma does seem pretty zealous.” You admit, taking a step back before the two girls and their minder whizz by you a fourth time. “What do you think the chances are to stop her from throwing this fortress at the cord?"

Orwell’s eyes go wide.

“…fuck I hadn’t thought of that. Uh…shit." She mutters, starting to pace in a tight circle. “No. No, she…maybe? I mean, she’s never posted anything that would run counter-current to just giving Daughters a place to lay their head, but…now that we’re here, I’m not so sure.”

“If she’s planning anything like that, then what are the odds that I can talk her down?” You forward, and Orwell seems to relax a little, at that.

“I mean, c’mon. It’s *you*.” She fires back, as if your success is assured. As if your words held enough weight to sway those whose minds had been made up. But after the Monastery? After Magpie?

You’re not so sure.

“What’s on your mind?”

Your words seem to snap B’ni out of her own spiraling thoughts, and you wonder if you’re just avoiding a similar spiral as you approach your troubled ally.

“It’s…I’m not sure yet.” She replies, pausing when Amara and Orwell blitz by you to complete another lap. Amara’s blasting herself forward with jets of air while Nerada rides a roiling wave of shadow, all the while Dorian hangs back a bit, crackling with crimson bolts as he speeds by.

“Is it still you-know-who…or something about Nerada?” You add, lowering your tone on the second half of your question.

“Just thinking about earlier, really. It’s been a crazy day, so this is pleasantly quiet.” She replies with suspect nonchalance. “It’s nice to see Amara having fun. Feels like a dream.”

You’re about to open your mouth when the emphasis she placed on the last word makes you pause, and when you meet her eyes, a flash of emerald just makes you nod in silent agreement…

…as you open the Dreamscape’s line of communication.

[Worried we’re being listened to?] You start, standing silently beside Isabelle in the real as your voice echoes in her mind.

“Rosa herself said that Nerada's got a reputation as one of the strongest Hive Mistresses around, and her swarm’s small enough to where one of them could be on us and we wouldn’t know it.”

[A fair point] You concede, watching the girls complete another lap as you smile and wave when Amara glances your way for validation. [Aside from an abundance of caution, is there something you picked up on that makes you think she’s being disingenuous?]

“I…back in the city, it felt like she was feeling us out. And not just in a kid-way, if that makes sense? There was a method to it. Testing us, feeling out our defenses. Who takes the lead, who hangs back, and what we can do.” She explains, eyes narrowed.

What she’s saying…it makes a grim sort of sense, but her words carry more weight than the burden of mere suspicion.

(Continued)
>>
>>5045466

[…I want to ask you something, and I’d like to ask it with the understanding that I’m not judging] You preface, and you can feel B’ni go on guard as you speak.

“Just say it.” She demands bluntly, eyes locked straight ahead. “I figure we’re here in the first place because we weren’t straight with each other when it counted.”

You bite your tongue, reminding yourself that there’s likely a clear reason for her prickliness…one whose face you’re currently wearing.

[Okay…are you seeing Nerada doing something you used to do?] You ask, keeping your emotions clear and open as you feel a knot grow in B’ni’s chest. [A strategy you used when guarding my cocoon?]

“…yeah.”

She sighs bitterly, forcing a smile as Dorian waves to her on his way by.

“Before I got stronger, that's what I had to do.” She continues, not daring to meet your eyes in the real as her voice dances in the dream. “Sure, I could regen…but I saw a lot worse than death in the time I was watching over you. Daughters who could make someone wish they’d just slit their throat and be done with it. So I had to be careful. Know what I was dealing with before doing what had to be done. I had to bait them out, and...yeah. That’s what it felt like Nerada was doing to us.”

You nod, considering the last few hours alongside the last few years as you weigh their contributions to B’ni’s current fears.

“Can I ask you something?” The girl beside you says before you can follow up on what she’d said moments ago.

[Of course]

A beat, and then-

“Did you ask Rath to talk to me?”

You blink, then shake your head slightly. [Nope. That was all her. I’d have thought that Uzu-]

“She did.” Isabelle interrupts. “She claimed up and down that it was all Rath’s idea, but…”

She trails off, and you shrug. [I get it. It can be hard to tell where I end and my family begins]

Isabelle finally looks at you, her mouth working to voice a question and an apology all at once before she goes silent in the real.

“...Sorry.” She murmurs, wrapping her arms around herself as another breeze wafts by, cooler than the ones before it. “I just...it’s been a lot. With Calliope, then with Sam, now...it’s bringing up a lot of stuff I think I’m getting over, and then it just hits me twice as hard as it ever did.”

[Two steps forward…]

“...three steps back.” She finishes.

[It really isn’t, though] You offer, and B’ni just chuckles under her breath.

“You sound like Uzu. Or maybe she sounds like you? You’re pretty similar, actually.” The girl beside you muses, watching another lap come and go with no signs of stopping. “Look, about Nerada...she seems like a sweet kid, actually. I’m sorry, I was just worried we were missing the big picture, is all.”

[No need to apologize. I know I’m-]

“The Motherfucking Defiant!” A familiar voice rings out from somewhere high above you.

(Continued)
>>
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>>5045469

You look up, squinting into the deep red of the sky as an angular silhouette looses a throaty laugh, pulling something from their chest as they stand atop the Ikea’s roof. A flick of the figure’s wrist and space is torn asunder, the gap between her and you parted like a razor through bare flesh.

“Jackie!” You declare, grinning ear to ear as she plunges her obsidian dagger back into her sternum before throwing her arms wide.

“How the hell you been, Shu?” She laughs again as she practically yanks you into a sideways hug, careful to avoid pulling you against the hilt that protrudes from her chest. “Heard you’d been busy.”

“Yeah, but what else is new?” You fire back. “Made friends with one of those Apocalypse Amalgams, too. Hope it wasn’t the one you and the Crew were planning to go after?”

“You bitch! I love it!” She barks with glee, her smile a slash across the poster of a film star. “I’ve got half a mind to kick your ass and a full one to buy you a drink. Get your ass in here.”

“Just need to wait a second while the girls finish their race.” You say, and just as Jackie’s about to ask, three blurs zoom by, nearly robbing her of her jacket with the sudden gust of wind.

“-hiJackieI'mraci-!” Amara says, her explanation fading as her competitive spirit carries her by you faster than you can blink.

“Love that kid. Anyway, I heard from Quinn that your girls and the Doc were seen checking out the stalls, so I figured you’d be out here shooting the shit with someone.” The rail-thin woman says, adjusting her leather jacket to preserve some degree of modesty...or maybe just fashion, given her confidence. “You’re the talk of the appliance department, but Em said something about keeping things quiet?”

“Yeah, we’ve got a friend of Amara’s who’s not great with crowds, so we’re trying to accommodate.”

“If that’s the case, I can get you all in the back way. No need to make a scene until you’re good n’ready.” She offers, tapping the hilt of her jagged blade. The motion sends pulses of black liquid skittering just beneath the skin of her bony chest, and she raises the eyebrow of the eye that isn’t covered with crystalline pock-marks.

A tempting offer, and one you’re considering...once Amara and Nerada have had their fun, that is.

>>Politely ask Dorian to go ahead and call the race, then head inside the Ikean Fortress with Jackie. Given everything that’s been going on, a drink sounds pretty good right now.

>>Let the girls continue their race while you chat with Jackie for a moment. You get the feeling things are just going to get busier from here, so you’d rather catch up with her while things are relatively quiet.

>>Tell Jackie that you’ll meet her and the Crew inside—you’d like to continue where you left off with B’ni.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume promptly at 10AM tomorrow, Eastern time. Thank you for your patience and participation, and I hope that you have a restful evening, one and all.)
>>
>>5045471
well i mean... yeah. Nerada didn't survive by being stupid. Even Amara for all her flare clearly knows to take potential danger seriously and think things through at least a bit.
that said, wish Isabelle had said a bit more about how much she is worrying about Nerada NOW over back in the city, but is what it is. not too worried as i think the Barbers implied shes not outright aggressive to the point of trying to kill everyone she meets, so even if she was thinking about it unless im remembering wrong we're probably in the clear now.

vote;
>Give a look and mental ask to Isabelle to see if shes good or wants to talk more. if she is, politely tell Jackie you'll take the back way once the little ones are finished, and try to not have to bluntly tell her she interrupted something.
>If Isabelle is ok, then talk to Jackie til the kids are done. start off simple, catching eachother up on the details of whats happened.
>>
>>5045466
>>5045469
Hmm. Yeah, Nerada was definitely feeling us out, but I'm not sure there's necessarily anything sinister behind her actions. She's a single kid roaming the Crucible alone. Her being cautious and knowing how to scout a potential threat is a good thing. It's worrying in the abstract for a child to know how to do that, but not something quite worth worrying about. Yet. We'll keep an eye out. And keep Dorian close, his anti-construct abilities would make him devastating to Nerada if she does turn out to be bad. Masque of War's heavy anti-construct damage combined with the presumably-low individual health of her spider motes means that if she does try any shit he can lock her down effectively.

>>5045471
Yeah, >>5045483 sounds good. Supporting.
>>
>>5045471
So I guess the Crew being here explains why Paloma assigned so many rooms to us, though two dozen still feels excessive. Even if the Barbers are also joining us, that's still only sixteen rooms we need. Who's going to stay in the other eight?
>>
>>5045491
Well, we do have a bit of a habit of picking up strays by this point.
>>
>>5045497
I guess. Or maybe they're just way more progressive about Dream Daughters than I am and assuming they should have actual rooms of their own instead of just going back into our brains to rest while we shove their Spirit Shells in the closet.
>>
>>5045491
>>5045497
strays and i guess the DDs.
>>
>>5045471

>write in:

>After we make our decision to either continue the talk with either Jackie or Isabelle:

>when the little ones are almost finished with the race, make a sudden announcement: "Last lap with a sudden twist! Get around the obstacle course and hug me to finish the race!"
>Terraform a few obstacle blocks around you.
>Spawn hundred hands out of your back to brace for the twin impacts of two children hurling towards you at high speed.
>Take the moment to analyze Nerada's hive capabilities through the obstacle course race.
>When they impact, transfer the momentum via Psychica Spiralis, Heavens Drill via hand anchors, and Hundred Hands and swing them around like a carousel circle before coming to a stop and finishing with a group hug.
>If any of them asks who was the winner of the foot race and depending on how close the race was, deflect the answer with sayings like "oh it was a photo finish!" and/or if the race wasn't close, instead compliment both of their abilities, and ask a bit more about Nerada's powers as to how she combined her abilities to "go" as fast as Amara.
>>
>>5045528
>>5045471
Addendum:
>If Amara's being pouty, give her a subtle wink.

Note: this write-in's mainly for flavortexting in having Amara and Nerada finish their foot race.
>>
>>5045528
not sure how i feel about this, mostly in how much Nerada would be ok with that, but ignoring that for a moment i burst out laughing because im an idiot and imagined Dorian being cheeky and winning the race with Shu just unexpectedly just blown like a fucking mile backwards as he suddenly full speed hugs her just for the sheer joke of it all.

just... the look on everyone's face and the grin i imagine he would have.
>>
>>5045528
I'm not keen on the hug part, but I do like giving a last finish for the race. Also a way to judge Nerada's abilities, a bit, that's good. Just sort of comment on how it's impressive she can coordinate her spiders together that well that they're like a fluid she can control. Maybe ask if that's something she learned to do or if it's something she got from upgrading her mutation.
>>
>>5045543
I'm okay with this vote not making the update, the write-in was basically a spur of the muse who had gotten tired of the short bursts of Cradleton inspiration.

>Dorian wins the race
>Both Nerada and Amara pout and call "shenanigans"
>Somewhere Julia's feeling jealous or irritated for an unknown reason.
>>
>>5045553

>I'm not keen on the hug part
It's only there in case if Nerada somehow does win the race and Amara gets salty.
>>
>>5045471
ah dang. Its great to see some familiar faces and its goddamn Jackie. I hope the rest of her crew is here as well. Will be nice to reconnect with them.

Guess we should give her that duel soon. She wont get any weaker any time soon
>>
(An update - between technical issues and work errands that I had to drive to address, the next update will have to go live at 12PM today instead of 10AM. I may shorten voting/posting time frames to account for this is everyone is amenable to the change. I hope your morning is going well, one and all.)
>>
>>5046074
oof, but understandable.
so long as its not by extremes im personally ok with shortening the times a bit.
>>
>>5046074
Ah, too bad. Well, take as much time as you need, BHOP. We'll see you then.
>>
>>5046074
some shortening sounds okay to me.

See you at 12 then

I just hope that i will have the energy to vote after the gym
>>
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>>5045471

[Hey, are we-] You begin, intent to touch base with Isabelle before Jackie takes full hold of the conversation.

“Good? Yeah.” The girl replies as Jackie holds you out at arm’s length to get a better look at you. “Do what you’ve gotta do, Shu.”

“Hey, uh…am I interrupting something besides the race?” Jackie asks, suddenly and keenly aware of what she’s walked into. “I can come back later if-“

“Ha, well…sort of, but I think we’re good.” You admit with a good-natured shrug. “Also, I want to let the girls have their fun racing…so! Catch me up on the latest exploits of the infamous Midnight Crew.”

She looses a laugh that has an uncharacteristic tinge of guilt but as soon as she speaks, it’s gone. “Shoot, where to start. Paloma’s been running us ragged in a good way—keeping us busy with hunting Relics and greasing elbows with other settlements in preparation for her plan.”

“Which is?” You ask, a glace over Jackie’s shoulder revealing a cringing Orwell.

“Ideally, it’s to get this place moving one way or another and scoot further away from the Cord.” The statuesque girl explains, placing a hand on one cocked and dagger-sharp hip as Orwell heaves a sigh of relief. “Daughters have been throwing themselves at the damn thing for over two years now, and the no-man’s land is expanding fast. Paloma’s already tried to warn the other settlement closest to it, but the shot-caller there won’t budge. Now that you’re here, I’m thinking she may want to see if you’d be willing to talk some sense into them.”

“I see…and what’s this about Relics?”

Jackie taps the hilt in her chest again. “She was interested in this thing’s properties, actually. Thought that we could cut a hole big enough to pull the fort through it, but booster Relics don’t seem to enhance…whatever the hell it is that this thing does. Her think-tank believe that only something of a similar caliber can alter or expand its capabilities, so we’ve been using my sword as a sort of dowsing rod for Paloma’s Neuromancers to find other weird Relics like it. I was actually waiting for her to get through with her other meetings so I could talk shop about the next job she’s got lined up for us…that’s when my girls caught sight of yours.”

“And as she’s exploring the weird Relic angle, she’s talking with Arcadia about moving the place physically?” You clarify, and Jackie just smirks.

“Yeah, she’s almost as busy as you…almost.” She winks, leaning close. “So what’s this about you smooth-talking the Apocalypse Amalgam?”

It takes you longer than you expect to catch Jackie up on the whirlwind last few days, and by the time you conclude all she can do is give a whistle of surprise.

(Continued)
>>
>>5046160

“Yeah, tell me about it.” You say, drawing in a tired breath. “Next on our list was to figure out what Paloma’s deal is and then make time to go watch the Disassociated’s launch.”

“So you’ve already got one of the three Amalgams down…but do you figure one of the other two are going to make a run at the launch? Think you’ll have to throw down with one of those big bastards?” The other girl asks, dark eye shining at the prospect.

“It’s highly likely, unless we can get to one or both of them first.” You wearily admit. “I don’t relish the idea of dealing with either of them, though—Ziz was a sweetheart, but they made it pretty clear that Behemoth and Leviathan weren’t the most reasonable sort.”

“Eh, you’ve got a way of sweet-talking even the hardest of asses…hell, *we’re* friends, aren’t we?” Jackie grins, thrusting a painfully bony elbow between your ribs before she gets serious. “But I get it. If you can’t talk sense into them, then taking them to task is no easy feat. That said-”

“You and the Crew were there for Magpie and West Alpha.” You cut off, eyebrow raised. “I don’t want you to feel like I’m pulling in favors left and right.”

“I don’t, and neither do my girls. You’re Crew…same goes for the rest of your family, no matter how friggin’ big it gets.” She counters, eyeing Nerada as she and Amara make another, slower lap around the Ikean Fortress. “Then again, if you’re feeling the need for some kinda balance in this relationship…there’s still the matter of or duel.”

Oh, for-…she’s not going to let that go, is she?

“Very true.” You relent, watching as each successive lap your ward and Nerada make take longer and longer to complete. Part of you wonders if it might be best to just get the duel over with so that you can focus on more pressing matters, but starting a scrap right outside the fortress might not make the best impression...even though Jackie would be thrilled, you’re sure.

>>Relent to the duel at a later date; you don’t want to keep Paloma waiting if she’s got plans to make.

>>Jackie wants a duel? Very well…you’ll give her one, here and now. One more thing out of the way before you venture into parts unknown.

>>Ask Jackie something that’s on your mind…if she’s been working with Paloma, she might prove to be a useful source of info before you meet with the Ikea’s leader in earnest.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next two hours, with posting to resume in approximately three. Thank you for your patience this morning, and I hope you day’s going well!)
>>
>>5046160
>“Daughters have been throwing themselves at the damn thing for over two years now, and the no-man’s land is expanding fast."

>the no-man's land is expanding fast

.....So we've got another doom timer to pressure us from faffing about? Shit.
>>
>>5046163
vote;
>Relent to the duel at a later date; you don’t want to keep Paloma waiting if she’s got plans to make.

not one to keep Jackie waiting but she didnt put much of a time limit on it while we are kinda actively keeping Paloma waiting.
>>
>>5046160
Aww, so the Ikean Fortress is not going to become our awesome landship, just a new home base. I suppose that is far more practical and less risking of human life, but it does feel a bit redundant when we already have the Lair. Unless Paloma knows something we don't? Is Mara spying on us through the Lair? I wouldn't put it past her.

>>5046163
>>Relent to the duel at a later date; you don’t want to keep Paloma waiting if she’s got plans to make.
>>Write-In
>But soon. Unless something immediately pressing comes up, we can duel after meeting with Paloma.

I'm open to having the duel this Vein, let's just get our other affairs in order first. Have to work before we can play, even if I'm saying that while we're literally watching children play.

>>5046169
Arguably, faffing about should slow down this doom timer. If we run around fighting Daughters, there will be fewer Daughters to get into all-out war here. I'm sure there's a point of diminishing returns, but we can get at least a few fights (and accordant level-ups) out of it.
>>
>>5046179
The fortress would serve as a home base that's closer to the Cord (and the no-man's land) which would be a really good staging point when we begin our final assault and scale the cord.
>>
>>5046180
Yes, but Escher's Gear makes that a bit less of an issue. It's only important if we're worried about someone finding our spokes and spawn-camping them, which I suppose is plausible but isn't a major concern of mine. Ah, well, either way it's a neat new location to visit and encounter people at, and that's cool. I look forward to actually entering it and saying hello. I was just hoping for a landship. The sheer audacity of going everywhere in an ambulatory Swedish furniture store would have been utterly delightful.
>>
>>5046189
i think he means for the actual last treck. we still have to walk to a place to put down a spoke, so having a place to actually scout from and then prepare for it without the hassle of constant teleporting is at least less tedious for sure.
>>
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>>5046163

“While I’d rather not keep Paloma waiting if she has plans to make…” You begin, noting the flicker of hope that lances through Jackie’s black eye. “…soon. Unless something immediately pressing comes up, we can duel after we both talk to Paloma. Deal?”

“Hell yes, it’s a deal.” Jackie smirks, her razor-smile only widening as Amara and Nerada skid to a halt at their arbitrary finish line. Dorian coalesces out of undulating crimson paint and arcs of scarlet lightning, and you wonder if the girls realize he’s playing at being winded.

“Who won?” Nerada excitedly asks, the swarm of liquid shadow she’d been riding swiftly congealing back into legs.

“The first to the finish line is…the inimitable Miss Amara!” He declares, and Nerada lunges forward to hug your adoptive daughter as the two practically trip over themselves to complement each other’s technique.

“Alright girls, you two about ready to head inside?” You posit, and the pair excitedly jump to your side as Dorian, Orwell, and B’ni draw closer at Jackie’s behest.

“Head’s up—things are going to look weird for a half-sec, but just roll with it.” The leader of the Midnight Crew instructs you, and before you can voice any sound of protest she’s drawn her abyssal blade with a flourish, raking it down as reality itself parts before your very eyes. It’s every color you’ve ever seen, each shade tinged with a darkness that eats at your eyes as it sucks you into its gaping maw…

…and as the Silver Key flares in your pocket, a white void swallows you whole.

Your perception adjusts to an expanse of endless ivory. The scene before you is the brightest thing you’ve ever seen…your eyes burn, but you can’t close them. There’s nothing you can do to shut out the radiant glare of this place, but the longer you stare straight ahead the more you realize it’s not empty. Pick pricks of light shine in this void…shades of radiance, somehow distinct in their impossible brightness.

Five flicker within arm’s reach, colors piercing into your mind as you shift your involuntary gaze to their piercing light…

A deep-set emerald.

A distinguished ruby.

A fearful onyx.

A savage obsidian.

And finally—two lights that shine as one; joyous blue obscuring a sorrowful brown.

Behind you, you feel a tug. The thing that drew you here, trying to draw you out even as the Silver Key roots you to this place. You can still feel it at your side, bracing you against the pull of something cut from the same cloth as it.

A knife.

A key.

Neither of them were meant to be here.

Neither are you.

>>Whatever this place is, you want nothing of it. Pull yourself past this, and to the other side.

>>Reach out to one of the lights (Choose).

>>Move past these lights, and inspect the countless others that inhabit this place.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for two hours, with posting to resume in three.)
>>
>>5046315
>>5046179
ah well fuck.
i misread that vote and would've voted against agreeing to do it directly after meeting Paloma if i hadn't.
dammit thats a terrible idea.
>>
>>5046316
>>5046318
i think ive mentioned it before but this is the concern with just assuming votes that dont contradict eachother are still good to combine.
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>>5046315
vote;
>try talking to the lights, and whichever one racts best try conversing or interacting with it.
>otherwise, Reach out to the joyous-sorrowful light.

these weird dream areas usually have lead to some pretty useful info, so we should be careful but not ignore the place either.
>>
>>5046318
>>5046319
(Ah, a fair point. That said, what Paloma has to say will give you a fairly clear out should you wish to delay the duel. Jackie's itching for a fight, but she's not going to out up a fuss if you end up taking a rain-check.)

(If I'm unsure in the future, I'll explicitly declare the possibility of a combined vote into get the approval of all parties involved - do you believe that would be an appropriate solution?)
>>
>>5046326
(Also good Lord, I can't spell today.)
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>>5046326
yeah i assumed if it was important Jackie wouldn't, was more miffed than actually angry or anything(specifically because of the fact we might run into an emergency or a clear 'do now' objective and i don't like breaking promises).

and yes, it would.

>>5046332
hey man my tiredness made me misread a vote and had me saying you're instead of your someplace else. dyslexia is a bitch if your minds not all there sometimes.
>>
>>5046315
Well, that's an interesting development. I think we're seeing some sort of shared mental landscape outside normal reality. That seems like a reasonable assumption given the two Relics whose interaction caused this. The closest lights fit the eyes of people who were warping with us. Green for Isabel, red for Dorian, onyx and obsidian for Nerada and Jackie (probably. Might have it the other way around, if Isabel is right about Nerada), and a paired blue and brown for Amara which breaks my heart knowing that one of her lights is sorrowful.

>>Reach out to one of the lights (Choose).
>The obsidian.

>>5046335
>yeah i assumed if it was important Jackie wouldn't, was more miffed than actually angry or anything(specifically because of the fact we might run into an emergency or a clear 'do now' objective and i don't like breaking promises).

That's why I put in the caveat of "unless something pressing comes up". I agree, breaking a promise wouldn't be good, so I wanted to make sure we had an out if there was something time-sensitive.
>>
>>5046338
eh, fair, but i still don't like the immediate date setting.
I want to give her her fight too but its just not all that important in even the lesser scheme of things, and as much as shes itching for it im sure she understands that too.
its the type of thing i'd 'almost' argue can be an 'after crucible' Shu problem.
>>
>>5046347
I agree with that assessment. But that's kind of why I want to do it now. It's a minor thing, just get it out of the way when we have the free time so that it's not haunting our to-do list forever. We can delay if something else takes priority, of course, but if we have the free time I'd like to take care of it. In-character it wouldn't be more than a couple of minutes, fights are fast. Out of character, yeah, it could be day or two of posts, but I don't think it should take too long. We're not going to be trying to kill each other, the fight should be less intense and driven less close to the edge than our typical combats.
>>
>>5046357
I guess we just have a very different perspective.
because my reasons for not committing and wanting to be more open to waiting are your exact same reasons for not wanting to.
amusing but doesn't leave much left to say i suppose.

actually regardless of when, i forget, did we discuss ground rules with her at all in character, or only among ourselves out of character?
it would've just been a small snippet if we did but i cant remember if agreeing to it in the first place came with any.
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>>5046359
>amusing but doesn't leave much left to say i suppose.
Yeah, I suppose so, though I think we'll be better able to discuss on common ground after we talk to Paloma and know more about immediate time-sensitive priorities. Right now our disagreement is in abstractions, making this more concrete should make it easier to debate.

>actually regardless of when, i forget, did we discuss ground rules with her at all in character, or only among ourselves out of character?
We have not discussed ground rules for a duel yet, no. We'll have to do that before any actual fight starts, otherwise we could have some real awkward confusion.
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>>5046363
yeah, it really could.
>"Wait, so i WASN'T supposed to stab you through the heart with my reality warping blade at maximum warp output while you're clearly 'tainted' with otherworldy connections? how was i supposed to guess, we dont need hearts anymore so its only important in metaphors!"
>>
(Hello, Everyone. I've been struggling to get the next part out, and I've realized that this mornings events have just thrown off my entire day. I'll update tomorrow morning at 10AM Eastern time,and my apologies for the delay. I think I may go lie down or something, given how I feel.)

(Once again, my sincerest apologies and thank you for bearing with me,one and all.)
>>
>>5046483
take care of yourself, do what you gotta do, and get some good rest BHOP.
its tiring times for everyone and we all understand.
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>>5046483
No worries, BHOP. Go, get some rest. Or go eat, I don't know if you have yet. Just, you know, go do things that will replenish your energy so you're not all drained and awful-feeling. We'll see you tomorrow, man. Have a nice night.
>>
just got back from work and... wtf. HOLD THE FUCK UP.

lemme get some dinner in me belly first and then I'll decypher all the symbolism as I think I have a fairly good idea what's going on.
>>
>Five flicker within arm’s reach, colors piercing into your mind as you shift your involuntary gaze to their piercing light…

>A deep-set emerald. (Isabelle)

>A distinguished ruby. (Dorian)

>A fearful onyx. (Nerada)

>A savage obsidian. (Jackie)

>And finally—two lights that shine as one; joyous blue obscuring a sorrowful brown. (Amara)

Behind you, you feel a tug. The thing that drew you here, trying to draw you out even as the Silver Key roots you to this place. You can still feel it at your side, bracing you against the pull of something cut from the same cloth as it.

>>5046483
A knife. (Jackie's Vorpal Knife) Bhop, I now know what reference you're going with. It's either the Vorpal knife from Alice in Wonderland the Subtle Knife from the "His Dark Materials" trilogy

A key. (Silver Key)
>>5046488
>>5046363

Okay. I've had some food, and now I'm gonna summarize what just happened. The Knife and Key were cut from the same cloth. The Key acts as a metaphysical dimensional anchor akin to an immovable rod, while the Knife basically creates a portal by tearing a hole in the fabric of reality (aka creating a vacuum). Nature abhors a vacuum and thus naturally acts to close it by shunting the people traveling through the tear in reality to the other side. However, Shu is in possession of the Silver key, and thus isn't immediately shunted out the other end.

So we have a couple options.

The dimension we're in most likely is in a metaphysical realm of the soul and the souls are represented by the colored lights we see within reach. We can reach out and interact with the souls because of our position within this dimension, we can explore the realm of the metaphysical soul, or we can cross the bridge and re-enter reality. The longer we faff/muck/delay in the meta-space between realities, the more violent our ejection from it, and the longer we make our friends and family wait in reality, even possibly worrying them. If we do interact with their "souls" they would likely feel an unknown influence and get jumpy. We could technically explore the space between spaces, but again, that would delay our return to reality and make our family worry. Jackie would likely have questions regarding as to why it takes so long for Shu to return to reality (as Jackie is likely to be used to instant teleportation).
>>
>>5046709
Yeah, that's my interpretation of it, too. This is where Jackie cuts through to teleport, it's normally instant, but the Silver Key is giving Shu some extra inertia that's keeping her from being pulled through at max speed. And as a result we're seeing...something...connected to Daughters, that's visible on this plane. I'm not sure it's souls, exactly, but something related to people's identities, certainly. Maybe it's just an access point to those people, this multicolored void does resemble the glimpses we've seen of the Nothing. It could be his native plane, and those lights are the openings for him to look in at us.

I suppose it doesn't matter too much. I agree that interacting with the lights will probably cause interaction with the people. That's why I voted for the obsidian light, that's Jackie and I want to ask her what the hell is going on. Though you are right that it might be a more invasive experience that wouldn't allow for real communication, in hindsight maybe it's not a great idea. But I don't want to wander and interact with the more distant lights and risk getting lost, and I don't want to waste the opportunity by just letting the knife drag us back to our reality. So I'm willing to take a gamble on poking her light (or Amara's, as the other anon voted) and seeing what happens. We'll just have to apologize if it turns out to be a bad trip.
>>
>>5046709
>>5046716
seems like a reasonable conclusion. kinda sorta what i thought too, with my only slipup being not connecting the dots to who was who aswell as i should've, mostly because Dorian just does not at all scream 'red' to me. i mean, i get he technically is in terms of power, but in terms of a representation of who he is its not the color id use for him. because of that, i kinda thought it would be 'important' souls, not those around us, but it being those around us does make more sense as like i said only Dorians doesn't really fit to me.

otherwise, thats kinda why i wanted to try talking to them first. wouldn't hurt and might end up being less invasive. otherwise we know these type of places like i said either give answers or are important, so trying to figure out something here i think makes sense. that, and i just have a sinking feeling with how the sword may be, it wouldn't actually be as simple or safe to just turn off the key to leave. I could be wrong, but you never know.
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>>5046727
I think it's actually just eye color, and not anything symbolic. Isabel has green eyes, Dorian red, Nerada and Jackie black, and Amara has heterochromia with one blue and one brown eye. That's why I'm thinking it's a connection and not their minds/souls themselves, if it's reflecting physical traits like that. I don't know, maybe our friends have a really strong sense of their identity tied up in their eye color, but that feels weird to me.

I do agree that speaking to them before we try anything is a good idea for minimizing trauma, though. I'm not sure why I didn't put that in my vote, guess I wasn't thinking. So, a note to BHOP >>5046483 : I'm fine with that taking precedence as a combined vote.

And yeah, probably not just as simple as turning off the Key. I think that would let the sword drag us out, but it would also stop protecting us from whatever hazards might be in this place, and I fully expect those to be able to work very fast.
>>
>>5046727
>mostly because Dorian just does not at all scream 'red' to me.

Well, he's a paint-themed flesh artisan and his core is tinted red from Scarlet Terror, which would naturally affect his eye color right?
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>>5046768
as the other Anon mentioned i wasn't directly applying the colors to coincide with their eyes necessarily either way.
>>
>>5046315

"Hello?" You say, the syllables prompting the lights to flicker and dance, their colors intensifying at the sound of your voice.

"...They love her. They deserve her. It hurts, but what does that matter when I caused them so mu-" The emerald light echoes sadly before the onyx gemstone flares with contagious anxiety.

"Still not strong enough. I need to know. I have to know if I can stand on my own. If I can't, they're dead. They'll be dead and it'll be all my fault." It mutters to itself, words coming out as though between fingernails, bitten raw as it suddenly shifts tracks. "What if she kicks my ass? What if I win? What the fuck is either of those gonna tell me that I don't already know? It seemed like such a great fucking idea it the time, but-"

"It's settled, then - Rath." A masculine voice reverberates from deep within the shining ruby, his words resolute, decisive. "I should talk to her about it. I have to deal with this if I'm going to be enough for Julia. I need to be clear. I need to communicate. I may have his temper, but I have the tools to regula-"

"So long. So so long. Keep it together. Stay focused." The obsidian hums with a voice cool and clear. "You've fought it this long. Stay normal. They wouldn't like you if they knew what you'd done to get here. They need to like you. They're the first in so long to be kind. They're worth being normal for. Without them, you're no-"

"Smile! Keep smiling! That's what Mom does!"

The sky-blue light nearly engulfs your being when it suddenly quadruples in size, as if trying to drown out its fellows.

"I smile, they smile! Everyone smiles! Keep them busy! Busy people can't be sad!" It continues, voice shaking with an insistent shrill. "Mom keeps us busy so we can't be sad! Mom keeps busy, too! If we keep moving then Mom-"

"She's not your mom."

The brown light that lurked just behind its fellow nearly overwhelms the azure radiance, the blue sparkle fading steadily with every word it's twin utters. "You had a mom. Shu is nice. Shu is patient. Shu is kind. And because of that, she'll leave. To keep you safe."

"She wouldn't do that." The blue light timidly counters, trying desperately to rebuild the edifice that was cut down so swiftly. "I can help her. I've been training a whole lot so I can fight really well, and I know I can show her how mature I can be, so she has to take me! I can show Mom that I won't hold her back! We're going to beat the Cord, and then-!"

"And then she'll be busy." The brown light mutters blithely, countering every burgeoning hope with a hacknife of doubt. "She's busy enough right now. Do you think that'll get any better when she has the whole world to look after?"

(Continued)
>>
>>5047105

"...but she doesn't want to do that. She said so." The azure light murmurs in dejected protest.

"We’ll see...but until then, what do we do?”

“...smile. Keep smiling.” The blue light answers with growing resolve. “Keep training. Keep smiling. Keep growing. Keep smiling. Keep-”

The voices subside, each light flickering low as the effects of your greeting fade. Your perceptions now wholly adjusted, you look around the sea of stars to find a mountain looming large to your left. Atop it thrums a silver-blue radiance, powerful and majestic as it keeps its patient vigil. Ahead of you, a large cluster of lights are gathered with a yellow spark at its heart. To your right flit a trio of lights whose hues set them apart—eon amethyst and white-hot citrine, with a binary star following close behind.

The tug behind you intensifies, but the Silver Key has rendered you an immovable object in this alien landscape. Here, in this interstitial place, you...

>>Hold the amethyst.

>>Embrace the citrine.

>>Reach out to the twin stars.

>>Touch one of the other lights whose voices reached you.

>>Ascend the mountain to meet the patient sun.

>>Loosen the Silver Key’s grip, and go back to where you belong.


>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Good Morning, Everyone. Voting shall remain open for the next two hours, with posting to resume in three as I get back on track. Not sure what was going on yesterday, but regardless I appreciate your kind words and understanding. I hope your day is going well,and that it is a relaxed one.)
>>
>>5047106
vote;
>Ascend the mountain to meet the patient sun.
its the only thing screaming 'of this place potentially', and im very much thinking we uhhh, we may have heard more than we should've and need to make some apologies. mind, i expected we miiight end up in this situation per say, i just didn't expect our voice alone to make them spill nothing BUT their deepest hidden concerns.

certainly if we dont see the mountain light we leave. touching the lights will probably be very much going too far, as just hearing that could be argued to be, even if we didn't think just talking would do that.
>>
>>5047111
adding if people would prefer to leave i do have some ideas id like to put forth for how we handle it, but of course thats only if people end up leaning towards it. guess said ideas will probably be applicable eventually regardless, but still.
>>
>>5047106
>>5047105
Goddammit Bhop. Here in the realm of the Soul, we see the deepest insecurities of our friends and family.

>Jackie's struggle against self-worth in needing to compare herself against Shu in a contest of strength.
>Nerada's struggle against loneliness
>Rath's inner struggles to maintain her temper
>Isabelle's self-torment over her past sins
>Amara's Optimism and hope clashing against the painful pessimism of her past.

It hurst so much.
>>
>>5047115
>Rath
that was Dorian.
>>
>>5047115
(Unlike the Dreamscape, there are no defenses here.)

(Only truth.)

>>5047117
(This is also truth.)
>>
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>>5047118
>reality went full True Order on us.
ah shit. if we find a black book with red pages that bleed, dont open it and burn the fucker before it can say anything.

obscure jokes aside these type of places usually dont end well to be in.
>>
>>5047112
>>5047111
We've now have the insight of their insecurities. If anything, we should approach these subjects in a one on one fashion in the real.

>>5047118
>>5047117
goddammit. I knew it was dorian earlier, but mistook him for Rath because of the mention of "temper" being associated with Rath.

>>5047111
>Patient sun

I'm willing to bet big that the Patient Sun is Ozmas on the throne of the Cord.
>>
>>5047118
Also Bhop, There was never any mention of the Amethyst star in the update. Are you sure you've mistaken the Amethyst for Isabelle's Emerald?
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>>5047127
nevermind. I see it now.
>>
>>5047106
Amethyst is Definitely Gina
Citrine is Rath
Binary star is a mystery, I wonder who that is.
>>
>>5047128
(No worries!)

>>5047126
(Are you voting to approach the patient star, or were you just quoting?)
>>
>>5047132
quoting.
>>
>>5047126
could be, but really doesn't feel like it fits her personality at all.
Powerful? maybe. but Majestic and Patient? im not seeing it, especially as this is supposed to be their deeper self, not shown persona.

>>5047130
...oh.... OH!
Anon you just fucking made me realize something pretty damn important from that.
see, i was gonna say "Well, its Orwell, she went with them right?"
but obviously, that didnt sound right in my brain.
because she didnt. because shes with us.
except my mind forgot that because she has no soul orb here.
>>
>>5047133
(Okay, I just wanted to clarify. Thank you!)
>>
>>5047130
>>5047134

so Orwell can not be seen with us..... that is interesting and disconcerting.

on the other hand it could be that she is mired in different glows due to getting sustenance from the emotions of other people. Or she is bound to someone or something else.

>>5047115
very true.... though Isabelle is probably still has a lot of feelings for Shu and seeing that she is so busy with everyone else probably hurts her that she can not have us alone with her... not saying that is what she would try when she would come back but something probably gnawing at her thoughts.


and at least i am on time for this one i was just so tired yesterday after visiting the gym i promptly went to sleep after cleaning up
>>
>>5047134
>Silverblue
hmmm....Charon? Likely her because the silver reminds me of how Hexane aesthetics can't really perceive.
Or Marrow Dragoon? Then again, Mara's soul color would be steel grey if the phrase "Eyes are the window to the soul and eye color defines it" holds true in the setting.

>Orwell being with Shu in the liminal soul space
That doesn't really make sense. Only the holder of the Silver key would be able to stay this long in the liminal soul space, otherwise we would've felt the presence of another silver key in the space and would've been able to interact with Orwell.
>>
>>5047134
>>5047139
so that begs the question: Where in this liminal soul space is Orwell physically?
>>
>>5047141
no... anon reread what i said.
I didn't say Orwell herself should be here, I pointed out she was with us but she doesn't have a soul orb here to represent her. that clearly means something.

>>5047139
honestly the reasons could be pretty damn extensive and we probably wont know unless told while were here or we ask her.
it could just be she doesn't have any insecurities shes hiding, so theres not 'truth' to show up. or it could be the Orwell with us is actually a construct. or maybe she has a secret relic or ability that shields her from this.
or it could be Orwell is literally for some reason soulless.

like i said, the list is long as to why. the important thing is for us to remember its a thing.
>>
>>5047144
>soul-less in the realm of the soul
>is physically frail
>feeds on the emotions of daughters to sustain herself
Could...Could Orwell be a daughter who is a hidden "Deprived" class?

like. I know it's probably a joke saying about how "greedy business people have no soul", but if we're in the realm of the soul, it would make sense. Mara can't ascend the cord because she's a deprived. So why hasn't Orwell for all her power and obsession of infosec, hasn't ascended the cord? Instead she opted to entrench herself in human society and feed off of people's emotions.
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>>5047142
well, there doesn't seem to be much of a place to hide here, so my guess is nowhere.
her physical self is with everyone elses, she just has something going on to not have a soul orb.

>>5047126
>We've now have the insight of their insecurities. If anything, we should approach these subjects in a one on one fashion in the real.
maybe, but we need to first tell the group it happened in the first place, then leave it open to them after we apologize we're willing to talk to any of them about it if THEY want to, when they're ready. otherwise not our place to push the issue.
with one exception; Nerada.
and i say this because the difference is our family and friends know we can be trusted and all that, and some of those issues arent even exactly unknown.
But Nerada needs to at least be reassured that what we heard and what it means wont ruin her chances of staying friendly with us. its not right we heard without her permission, but its also something that now that its happened we need to make sure its not something that drives her away, due to her having a looser connection to us and our family.
>>
>>5047142
>>5047144

Orwell is not a Ginger is she?

Though Rath has a soul Orb..... so she at least has a soul.... Maybe Orwell is the devil herself........ I am joking

But the theory of her being possibly a construct is something we should keep in mind.

>>5047106
> whisper "I won't leave you alone again if i can do anything to help it my daughter."
>>Ascend the mountain to meet the patient sun.

i think meeting the Sun could be interesting. And with what we know of Ozmas it is that she is not the most patient and also not truly with us. If we could see her from here that would mean we could probably at least make out small motes where daughters congregate between us.... or its just those people we actually have a true connection with that show up and the stronger the connection the more easily we can actually see them.

Also not married to the first bit. but getting reassurance might be something to make Amara truly happy instead of her trying to pretend to be happy.
>>
>>5047148
hrm... I mean that might be the answer to why her soul orb isnt here but im otherwise sure she didn't climb the cord due to figuring like others it clearly wasn't actually a good idea.
we know to some degree people figured out before us the Cord was a trap(with others just having moral issues with it), but it wasn't til after us people figured out openly there were other options if you did climb it, i think.
>>
>>5047150
im not against the first bit but two thoughts
>make sure we actually direct and instead whisper the line to Amaras S.O.
and/or
>Just give a general apology and statement to all of them before heading off.

also the 'my daughter' part im not against per say, it just feels a little weirdly worded or something.
>>
>>5047156
so more like

> use your mind to direct a whisper to Amaras Soul Orb "Don't worry Amara I won't leave you alone again if i can do anything to help it."
>direct your mind to the other orbs afterwards and give them a small apology that you will take just a little while longer
>>Ascend the mountain to meet the patient sun.

the 'my daughter' part is not somethign i can actually truly improve on...... i know it was a bit tacked on. but i think she needs the acknowledgment. which we could possibly give her by calling her the name we gave her.
>>
>>5047158
>>5047156
Making a direct whisper to Amara's Soul Orb with a promise that we won't leave her is gonna be a really big promise that we're gonna have to hold ourselves to. Are you folks sure we'll be able to hold onto that promise?
Childhood can't last forever. Eventually Amara will have to grow up. If anything we need to prepare her to be able to learn and move on for the event we do have to leave.
>>
>>5047158
i think adding an 'And' after 'small apology' would fit better but otherwise sure.
though im unsure we need to or can use our mind to say these things. we can probably just say it, to make sure they actually hear it.

as for the 'daughter' bit, maybe something like.
>"im truly do see you as my Daughter, never doubt that."
or something.
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>>5047167
i get the technicality you're meaning, but i thiiink she would understand we mean a more metaphorical or support type idea.
ok, well, re-reading it, i get what you mean.
i interpreted more as the 'you're always welcome back at home' and 'ill always be here to hear you out' and 'ill always support your endeavors'
over a 'i will literally never leave you alone and never expect you to be by yourself or not stand on your own' type deal.

>>5047158
>>5047167
maybe reword it to be a more 'ill always be here for you when you need me' or 'know you always have a place by my side when you need it' or something thats basically means the same thing but is harder to misinterpret?
>>
>>5047173
>>5047158

>maybe reword it to be a more 'ill always be here for you when you need me' or 'know you always have a place by my side when you need it' or something that basically means the same thing but is harder to misinterpret?

Sure, but that vague generality is what got Amara burned once before in her past. It's very clear that she has parental abandonment issues, so issuing the same sort of promise would be a retread of old traumas.
>>
>>5047167
that is the >if i can do anything to help it.
Part.
But i see your point.

>>5047168
>>5047173
Should i write something like

>"I wont leave you alone to learn and grow. Know that i will be there for you when you need me."
or
>"I will make sure that i won't just abandon you after all of this is over and you will always have a place by my side"

WOuld that be better? She does realize herself that she wants to grow and become stronger
>>
Blerg, getting here a bit late, had stuff to take care of this morning that kept me away from a keyboard, let's see...

>>5047106
Yeah, I kind of saw this coming, but was hoping we might get something other than depressing insights into people's insecurities. Sad, that. Well, we should leave. Being here has the same problem as the telepathy we specifically cut off. It's an imposition on the privacy of the people we care for. They deserve better than that.

>>5047130
I think it's the Apocalypse Amalgams, maybe. Binary star fits how Ziz bonded with Amara and her heterochromia, and Amethyst and Citrine would fit Leviathan and Behemoth being potential binding partners to Gina and Rath.

>>5047134
Oh shit, you're right, I forgot about Orwell. Well, that provides some more evidence for the "that's not her real body" theory of mine. Her soul-orb is back at the Panopticon, this is just an avatar so it doesn't have its own here.
>>
>>5047106
for now changing my vote from >>5047150
to just

>>Ascend the mountain to meet the patient sun.

until i figure out something better..... dang i'm hungry..... i just wanted to start cooking but this is a bit more important for the moment.
>>
>>5047176
ehhh, but with that logic we shouldn't be trying to be a parent to her at all, which i dont think is what she needs.
and we're also way too late to not do.

she wants and needs good parents, all kids do, its like extremely important. us being the one she didnt get isnt at all a bad thing. its just a matter of giving her realistic expectations and then living up to them, which so long as we word it right i dont think this will interfere with.
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>>5047180
huh...You're right. why didn't I think of that before?
>>
>>5047180
>I think it's the Apocalypse Amalgams, maybe.
i still at least want to double check. in part because the mountain its on seems different than the mountain range said amalgam is supposed to be on, and that it just seems too potentially different that at least checking out if it truly is more of a 'this place' thing cant hurt. we'll just have to not talk i guess, and see if not doing that still allows us to see what it is.

the Amythest and Citrine im positive are Gina and Rath though. too close to be the Amalgams, especially if you're right about the mountain as those ones are nowhere near as big or bright as that one is.

>>5047179
maybe something like
>"Amara, know i will always be here for you when you need me. You'll always have a place by my side, and know you are a Daughter to me, truly."
>>
>>5047182
>>5047181
Hmm... how about something akin to this?:

>"Don't Cry when it's over. Smile because it happened."
Taking a quote from Dr. Seuss here.

The Core message is to cherish the good things in life, even after it is long over. Amara might lose Shu as a parent if the endgame forces separation, but the lesson she learns that she will have many happy memories of her childhood.
>>
>>5047189
eh, feels too off the mark from the core issue shes having.
maybe this is just something best addressed with her herself, or something.
>>
>>5047183
I'd also hypothesize that the yellow light surrounded by a group of many other lights might be West Prime. I can't recall an explicit mention of West's eye color, but her art is Rutile from Houseki no Kuni, whose eyes are yellow, so it would fit. Let's avoid that light.

>>5047188
The thing on the mountain is definitely something unique. If that's anything we've encountered before, it's the Nothing, but even that feels unlikely.

As for the Amara issue, personally I'm against saying anything. Talking to Amara about her worries of abandonment is something to do with her conscious mind, not to whisper in her subconscious through an extradimensional link. It's the same problem as if we had kept our telepathy instead of excising it. It's a weird exertion of power, to say something to them that they can't consciously respond to.
>>
>>5047188
>>5047189
how about we combine these and use them both?


i think Amara needs the reassurance that we will always have a place for her in our heart and that should hte worst come to pass she will still stay strong even if we should onlly remain a memory...

can't stay long dont want the fish to burn
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>>5047191
hmmm... sage advice.

>>5047105
>make note of the worries of the Blue/brown binary star, but don't reach out.
>Ascend the mountain to meet the patient sun.
>>
>>5047193
eh, now it feels like we're trying to overbloat the message.
like i said we might be better off just waiting to say anything deep til we see her in person.

>>5047191
>>5047193
>>5047189
yeah, thats a good point.
trying to go too deep here on their souls or whatever might have unintended effects.

after thinking on it more, i think i agree we either stay quiet or just give a general light apology to the group at best.
>>
>>5047106
>>Ascend the mountain to meet the patient sun.
>>Write-In
>Don't say anything to any of the lights. Not here, at least.
>On our way to the mountain, avoid the yellow light. Just in case.

We definitely should do something about our friends' insecurities, but they deserve to have those talks as actual conversations and not subliminal whispers. Though props to Dorian, I guess. He's got some worries, but his subconscious mind is focusing on coming up with mature, responsible ways to address and manage those worries. Good for him. I know my subconscious isn't that sensible.
>>
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>>5047105

You reach out to the two-tone light, desperate to—

…No.

No, this is exactly what you were trying to avoid. Your family’s hopes, fears, and dreams—their deepest selves are all laid bare before you in this place between places…and it’s not your place to influence them in a way they have no say in.

There’s a reason you turned your back on the empathic field.

There’s a reason you relinquished control.

Turning on your heel, you start making your way to the mountain as the volume of lights start to thin, a long stretch of empty white space between you and your goal. You walk, and with every step the void shifts to a darker shade of white. It’s a paradox…the darkest shade of white, a hue that defies explanation as your feet begin to shuffle through what feels like soft granules of sand. Ahead of you, the mountain’s base is surrounded by low-lying corona of luminescence, a will-o-wisp haze that serves as your guide in the unknown.

You trudge forward and the sand comes up to your ankles, then your knees, and finally you’re struggling to push through a sea of this strange material that’s almost at your waist. A few meters ahead of you a pair of lights dance about, whizzing this way and that as they dash themselves against each other over and over again. You’re almost upon them when the two lights surge towards each other one final time, and when one explodes into embers you feel fear and regret lance through your heart. The annihilated star’s embers fade to dull ash as they float down to join countless others in this ocean of soot and decay.

You look up to find the survivor darting desperately towards the mountain, and you barely have enough time to focus before it’s snuffed out by a trio of stars what sweep mercilessly past it. They, too, surge to join the haze…the swirl of vicious lights that guided you here revealing itself to be a swarm of hundreds, thousands of lights clashing and burn against one another, starbursts heralding the ends of lives in a display of sordid splendor.

It would be beautiful, if you didn’t know it was a massacre.

The lights ignore you as you push onwards, past the ocean of extinguished lives, past the bursting stars overhead, even as every snuffed light pierces your heart with dreams left wanting. You try to shut it out as the ground begins to slope upwards, and within moments you’re reduced to scaling the cliff face, struggling to find white handholds on white rock against a white sky. Glancing down, the haze is just that—a distant horror, but one that still clings to you. Where you’ve scaled is marked by ash and dust, a streak of grey up an otherwise pristine surface.

You keep climbing.

You have to.

You keep climbing.

It’s a part of you.

You climb.

What else is there to do?

You…

What else are you good for?

You-

(Continue)
>>
>>5047241

You keep climbing, pausing only when you encounter a feeble spark whose descent slows even as you begin to pass it. It stutter-stops in place, and you watch as the light coils painfully, twisting upon itself before its form can’t take the pressure—it implodes under its own self-inflicted strain, the embers flickering into nothingness. You pause for a moment.

Then you keep climbing.

A shadow, in this domain of light and radiance. You first notice it from a distance—first a speck, now an affront as you start to pass it. The thing’s body boils, a fetid, semi-liquid vichyssoise of bubbling shadow with hard lines and jagged shapes floating just beneath its surface. It ascends alongside you like a fell insect, six scrambling limbs helping it claw its gurgling bulk up the mountainside.

It turns to you, and you can feel it smile.

‘Hello Darling’



…you keep climbing.

When you finally haul yourself over the precipice, you’re met with the reason you came here. A sun whose splendor and radiance seems to make this place of brightness pale in comparison. This close, what you took for silver is revealed to be a warm, bright grey that’s marbled with stunning blue. Behind it, the mountain’s peak can now be seen—the sun’s brightness obscured it, but you see now that you have not quite reached the summit. A throne sits, perched haphazardly on the jagged peak…in it, a small, wan light rests, defeated. Ready to be swept away.

A conqueror’s reward.

A Mother’s throne.

A fool’s prize.

“Hello.”

The sun’s voice is as sad as it is warm, tired as it is steadfast. You can feel the smile in its greeting, and it’s a true one, not the baring of teeth from the earlier shadow.

“Hello…” You reply, the familiarity of the presence slowly dawning on you. “…Mara.”

“It’s good to see you’re well, Shu.” Her radiant presence intones. “You’ve taken to the Silver Key faster than I did. And combining it with the Vorpal Knife? You never cease to impress.”

The last time you saw the Crucible’s finest warrior, it was in the aftermath of your greatest victory…one that followed your greatest failure. She stood as a beacon, once…she still does, her influence felt in every step of your journey up to this point. Some good, some bad, but all of it the building blocks that’ve helped you get this far, this fast.

After all this time…

…what do you say?

>>”Is this the Cord?”

>>”What is this place?”

>>”How do you know how I got here?”

>>”…I need to talk to you about Magpie.”

>>Say nothing. Just sit with her here, for a little while.

>>If you're going to talk to Mara, it'll be in the real...tell her you'll be in touch, then let yourself be pulled back to reality.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE BOTH IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in four.)
>>
>>5047245
>You keep climbing, pausing only when you encounter a feeble spark whose descent slows even as you begin to pass it.
Don't you mean "ascent" instead of descent?
>>
>>5047245
>A shadow, in this domain of light and radiance. You first notice it from a distance—first a speck, now an affront as you start to pass it. The thing’s body boils, a fetid, semi-liquid vichyssoise of bubbling shadow with hard lines and jagged shapes floating just beneath its surface. It ascends alongside you like a fell insect, six scrambling limbs helping it claw its gurgling bulk up the mountainside.
>It turns to you, and you can feel it smile.
>‘Hello Darling’
Oh that is definitely West Prime. Only she would address us as 'darling'. And we now know a hint of what West prime's true form looks like.
>>
>>5047245

>A shadow, in this domain of light and radiance. You first notice it from a distance—first a speck, now an affront as you start to pass it. The thing’s body boils, a fetid, semi-liquid vichyssoise of bubbling shadow with hard lines and jagged shapes floating just beneath its surface. It ascends alongside you like a fell insect, six scrambling limbs helping it claw its gurgling bulk up the mountainside.

So.... Prime eh..... well well well...... even her soul feels fetid

And that No Mans Land truly is a place where massacres are commonplace.

>The sun’s voice is as sad as it is warm, tired as it is steadfast. You can feel the smile in its greeting, and it’s a true one, not the baring of teeth from the earlier shadow.

Mara eh i would say good to see you. but that does show that she has a soulpresence even as one of the deprived. So whatever the hell is up with Orwell just means that she is not a deprived that we could find with this method.

And she does seem to be tired.... the great dragon of the crucible. A master of War and the seeker of a way to surpass the hunger with a oceans worth of horrendous things she committed in her search Oh how Avenger would love to devour HER
>>
>>5047245
>A throne sits, perched haphazardly on the jagged peak…in it, a small, wan light rests, defeated. Ready to be swept away.

Heavy is the burden of the throne, and the crown who rests upon the brow. Ozmas, your eternal rest comes soon.
>>
>>5047245
vote;
>blink
>take a moment to let this all set in, to reorient yourself to what this all is.
>then... ask her a simple, straightforward question.
>"How are you? Holding up alright?"
>As she answers, take a seat next to her spark, and if shes interested, fill her in on whats been going on.
>after, ask her what this place is.


also, West Primes soul has become the antithesis of light and what a soul seems to supposed to be. the scary thing is, i doubt thats just a metaphor. at least some of the lights we saw fighting at this point cant have good motives to still be going for the cord, yet still were normal despite all that even reaching the cord alone may imply.
Im terrifyingly positive West Prime probably purposefully did that to her soul, herself, like with science.
>>
>>5047257
*Bamboozle intensifies*

(In all seriousness, I do mean ascent.)
>>
>>5047260
>>5047263

HOLD UP. WAIT A MINUTE. NOTICE THIS

>YOU ARE BOTH IN CONTROL

What and why is this?
>>
>>5047266
... both... so Mara is in Control as well?

intersting. So she can easily choose to end this at a moments notice. Very very interesting.

>>5047263
good start. before we leave we should ask her if she knows of any other such items like the vorpal blade.....

also that name... now i am very very worried for our head. One natural crit and jack just kills us by chopping off our head.
>>
>>5047266
well, it is Mara.
if anyone else would also have control, its her.
probably mostly metaphorical but we're also in i guess the fucking afterlife or something so who knows?
(and i get its maybe not technically or exactly the afterlife but it certainly aint normal reality or the dreamscape and we gotta call it something).
>>
>>5047268
sure, but it would be unusual(though not impossible) for us not to get a chance to ask her more.
only other thing i'd add starting off is if we care about being humble enough to mention this was an accident. but that feels pretty unimportant overall.
>>
>>5047269
well we could call it the Warp. the realm of souls
i know i know not the best thing

or maybe the Space between... this feels like a place that is just between... between atoms between moments

>>5047271
oh absolutely we can probably ask her more later.

i was just throwing things out we might want to ask before leaving.
>>
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>>5047245
Vote.
>Sit down besides Mara.
>"I have so many questions, too many. And not enough time."

And not enough time to stay, for I'm leaving for work in less than 10 minutes.
>>
>>5047273
hope work doesn't beat you down too harshly.
i need a nap myself here soon.

>>5047272
I mean any of them work.
speaking of which, its pretty morbid that we just pushed our way through basically a lake if not an ocean of soul corpse. i think thats a 'long shower with a tough scrubber' type moment right there.
>>
>>5047273
(Have a good day at work!)
>>
>>5047273
dang man. I hope that work won't break you and you will have a good day
i will head to bed soon. i feel like i was beaten with a stick over the head


>>5047278
yeah...... not just long Shower with a tough scrubber for me....

If that was me i would probably skin myself to be able to grow completely new skin that was not tainted by Soul Ash.

And to be honest i would Probably call this the Realm of Souls. this does not seem to be the void with Nothing at least... but probably half way there. Definetly better than the Afterlife... Since there is not a lot of living being done here after being killed.
>>
>>5047245
>>sit down next to Mara after taking a moment to reorient yourself a bit
>>"How are you? Are you holding up well?"
>>"Could you see what was going on from here or do you want me to fill you in?"
>>if she wants to be filled in do it and then ask her what exactly this place is and if it could be described as a Realm of Souls or if it actually has a name
>>
>>5047245
Wow. Mara must be mighty indeed, to have such a bright-shining light. I didn't even consider that it might be her. Impressive.

Also, interesting to hear that I was wrong about who the yellow light was. I wonder who that is, then, if West Prime is a terrifying inverted shadow monster? Maybe we'll meet them.

>>Write-In
>"How have you been, Mara? It looks like you're holding down the fort well enough, but I still can't imagine it's been easy. I saw West on my way here, has she been giving you any trouble?"
>"We've been giving her some, if that's any help. What do you know about the world outside the No Man's Land, do I need to catch you up on anything?"
>Let that conversation play out, then
>"Earlier, you sounded as if my getting here by combining the Key and Knife wasn't the expected way for someone to access this plane. What do you know about them? I've learned enough to tell they're something ancient, maybe even tied to the Crucible's origins, but there's a lot that's still vague. Where'd you even find the Key?"

I want to ask her about Magpie. But at the same time, I really don't want to ask her about Magpie until we've recovered Magpie's notes. We need to get on that. We should be in the right area for it after watching the Dissociated's launch, let's swing by Magpie's nest afterward and defeat her traps. Orwell and Amara couldn't do it, but throw in Shu, Gina and Francine to help defuse the defenses and Rath to tank any hits and we can probably get it open.
>>
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>>5047245

You simply stand there a moment, and Mara seems content to let you reorient in silence. Finally, you take a seat next to the solar presence and glance up with your best attempt at a warm smile. "How are you? Are you holding up well?"

“As well as I could expect, here.” She replies to your pleasantries with a throaty chuckle. “The Cord’s hardly the most forgiving of places, particularly to those who’d bar the way for others.”

“Wait…you’re *in* the Cord?”

“I am. Just below the administrator’s throne, in fact.”

“But I thought you were just going to wait for me at the base?”

“That was my initial plan, but Sargatanas made it clear that he would not tolerate any attempt to act as a second moderator. After we had a surprisingly pleasant discussion, he graciously relented to me ascending. I’m sure he didn’t expect me to camp out just below game’s end…” She informs you, adding slyly; “…but then again, he didn’t ask.”

"Could you see what was going on from here or do you want me to fill you in?" You ask, still trying to recover from the revelation of her self-appointed task.

“Oh, I’ve been able to keep up with current events well enough. I’d much rather focus on what lies ahead than what’s past.” She solemnly declares, and you can feel her studying your eyes for a second before you speak again.

“So…what is this place, exactly?” You ask, unwilling to broach the subject that’s tugging at you mind as you instead cast your gaze across the bright white void. “It feels like the Dreamscape, but…not, somehow. I don’t know what to call it. It’s like some sort of…realm of souls, I guess?”

Mara laughs, and from the raw sound of it you get the feeling that it’s the first cause she’s had for one in quite some time.

“Ha, well…I suppose that’s one name for it. It is, in essence, the Dreamscape—stripped of the control granted to those that would inhabit it.”

“I…how so?”

“The Dreamscape grants a surprising level of autonomy to Dream Daughters. In my explorations with the Silver Key, I realized that the Dreamscape Phantasmal Conduits and other Daughters are able to casually access is something of an overlay on a far older, baser system. A thing of raw thought and emotion, where those within are merely things to be acted upon rather than individuals to be interacted with. ” Mara explains, her avatar of light lowering itself to sit next to you. “Defenses, rights, and customizability. If this were purely a battle royale, then what is the point of installing a system that grants these by default to those that would no longer be able to participate? I…”

She pauses.

“…I have had a great deal of time to think up here. Too much, for my taste.” She chuckles, this one possessed with a grim edge as she peers over the cliff. “I know that one will be here soon. The thing that West Prime’s become.”

(Continued)
>>
>>5047400

“Can you beat her?” You ask, and Mara merely sighs.

“In a one-on-one fight? I believe so…though I doubt she will give me the opportunity to try.” The older woman intones with an audible scowl. “While ascent is encouraged in the Cord, descending is patently impossible. And believe me, I’ve tried. I presume West will hedge her bets and camp just below me to feed on the steady stream of hopefuls that manage to reach her. A spider with a constant supply of flies…it’s just like her.”

“So…what? Is she trying to starve you out?” You ask, alarmed.

“Oh, I doubt it. I’m fairly certain she’s ascertained the true nature of my Core by now…as, it seems, have you.” The Marrow Dragoon muses. “The Hunger is something that ceased to be a concern for me some time ago. As long as a Deprived can exercise their power, then they feed passively. No, I imagine that her plan is rather similar to mine, in some respects.”

“Which is?”

“To wait for you.” Comes Mara’s chilling answer. “She presumes to be able to defeat you and your family, and then, in turn, kill me and hack into the administrator’s throne to assume direct control of our Crucible.”

A cold silence settles between you two as you stare out into the void, watching the lights below dash themselves against the uncaring wall that is the Cord.

“I’m so sorry.”

Four quiet syllables, so quiet that you might’ve missed them if they’d been uttered in the real world. As it is, Mara’s apology carries the weight of the world on its shoulders…and perhaps the weight of deeds best left forgotten.

“If I could win this, I would.” She continues, softly. “But if it’s you, then…I think I can accept that. Maybe it’s a silly thing, after all I’ve done, but…”

She speaks, and you can feel the wry, sad smile in every word.

“I hope you don’t hate me, by the end of all this.”

>>Ask if there was a reason she decided to back your journey so fervently.

>>If you lose…if you die…what then? Does Mara have a backup plan?

>>Ask her the nature of her Deprived Core...and what influence she's wrought with it.

>>Bring up Magpie…she died trying to undo what Mara had done, and the question remains; why?

>>Tell her you'll decide that in person...because you'll be seeing her soon (Leave the Nullscape).

>>Write-In

YOU ARE BOTH IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume tomorrow morning at 10AM, Eastern time. I do hope that you have a pleasant evening, and thank you for your patience, participation, and enthusiasm.)
>>
>>5047403
vote;
>"I dont hate you. Its obvious, everytime we meet, everytime we talk, that now at least, you do truly care to help me, help others, and help this world as best you can. and im grateful for it, and what you've done for me and mind, and i hope you dont ever let yourself forget that..."
>Turn, and give her an honest, sad, but firm look.
>"...but there are things that have come up, things that make me have to question if that was always the case, things that have made me realize I should've been just looking at you, instead of looking up at you... and answers to those would do alot i think to settle some minds, even if the truth of them isnt what we may want it to be."
>Ask her about Magpie, about the settlement and the strange 'infection' about you and others.
>Ask her what it was really all about, before she found you.
>"...and if theres any last leftovers of hers you may need to look out for, good, bad, or outright strange."
>>
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>>5047404
pleasant enough.
thanks for running today and hope your afternoon is a bit better than yesterdays.
>>
>>5047403
Having trouble formulating my thoughts here for a proper write-in. I'm trying to say that we don't really know Mara well enough to hate her. That for all that we want to trust her, she's still very much a cypher to us. What has she done, who has she hurt, we don't know. We can guess that she's killed some people who were notionally innocent, given that she was hunting Kosi, but, and this is sad to say about the Crucible, that's not that evil. I mean, we've killed some people who were notionally innocent, we'd be a hypocrite to say that it's irredeemable. Hell, we're hanging out with B'Ni, even. So what's this horrible evil thing that she feels we might hate her for? Something to do with her settlements? We need to actually know more, Mara, being all "perhaps you might hate me, if you did know" isn't helping anyone. It's just a holding pattern.
>>
>>5047403
>>Write-In
>"I hope so, too."
>"I appreciate all you've done for me, Mara, and I truly believe that whatever decisions you've made it was with the best intentions in mind. But there's so much I don't know about your actions, it makes it difficult for me to judge how I should feel about you. Truth be told, it's why I kept putting off calling you up on that FuzzBuzz I left you. I wanted to find more context before we had this conversation. Whoops."
>"But we're here now, so I might as well ask: What was the plan, Mara? Even with your Core, I'm pretty sure I was a last-minute addition. What were you building up to, and what did you have to do to make it possible? Does it have something to do with why Magpie decided to tear it all down?"
>"I know you've got regrets over this, Mara, and it's painful to drag it all back up. But that's why I want to trust you. If you were just a monster you wouldn't care. So please, talk with me. Help me understand."

Yeah, I'm not entirely happy with this, but I'm having trouble writing today and I'm tired of agonizing over making it perfect. I'll just leave it as something for BHOP to dismantle and use as he sees fit with the other write-in.
>>
>>5047404
>>5047491
i'll go ahead and say BHOP can mix and mash as he thinks is appropriate with these.
still think i like the overall feel of mine better but i get some of the points and such the other anon was going for.
>>
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>>5047404
See you tomorrow.

I swear, sometimes my progress with the Cradleton re-write feels so much slower to the point where I'm afraid that even if I do finish the story, in-quest time would have advanced so far that the ramifications of Carter's misadventures would feel like "last minute additions" to quest canon.

The storyline is clear, the beats straightened by the muse, yet the words are slow to flow from mind to matter.

Sometimes I wish I could crank out chapters with as much content and speed as your updates.

How's the hive rework coming along?
>>
>>5047403
I'll try to stitch together these two posts:

>>5047408
>>5047491

Into this:

>"I hope so, too. It's obvious, every time we meet, every time we talk, that now at least, you do truly care. You've helped me, others, and this world as best as you could. I appreciate all you've done for me, Mara, and I truly believe that whatever decisions you've made it was with the best intentions in mind. I hope you don't ever let yourself forget that."
>Turn, and give her an honest, sad, but firm look.
>"...But there are things that have come up. Things that have made me question if that was always the case, that have made me realize I should have been just looking AT you, instead of UP at you. There's so much I don't know about your actions, it makes it difficult for me to judge how I should feel about you. Truth be told, it's why I kept putting off calling you up on that FuzzBuzz I left you. I wanted to find more context before we had this conversation. Whoops.
>"But we're here now, so I might as well ask: What was the plan, Mara? Even with your Core, I'm pretty sure I was a last-minute addition. What were you building up to, and what did you have to do to make it possible? Does it have something to do with why Magpie decided to tear it all down?"
>"I know you've got regrets over this, Mara, and it's painful to drag it all back up. But that's why I want to trust you. If you were just a monster like West, you wouldn't care about everything you've done, good and bad. So please, talk with me. Help me understand, while we have a chance to fix things."
>>
(Writing now, everyone. Will be posting shortly.)
>>
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>>5047403

"I hope so, too.” You reply, keeping your voice level even as you tread into territory you’ve been dreading. “It's obvious, every time we meet, every time we talk, that now at least…you do truly care. You've helped me, others, and this world as best as you could. I appreciate all you've done for me, Mara, and I truly believe that whatever decisions you've made it was with the best intentions in mind. I hope you don't ever let yourself forget that…"

You shift your focus to Mara, staring into the impossible brightness that you can somehow fix with a long, hard look.

"...But there are things that have come up. Things that have made me question if that was always the case, that have made me realize I should have been just looking AT you, instead of UP at you. There's so much I don't know about your actions, it makes it difficult for me to judge how I should feel about you. Truth be told, it's why I kept putting off calling you up on that FuzzBuzz I left you. I wanted to find more context before we had this conversation.”

She’s quiet for a moment, and you can feel her avatar pulse with brief confusion, then solemn realization, and finally a pulse of guilt before she dares to speak again.

“…When I gave you access to my home, did you find my study?” She asks, and you have to admit that wasn’t a counter-question you were expecting.

“I think so, yes.”

“It was empty, then?”

“…Yeah. I figured you’d cleared it out before we fought the Spiraling Fear.” You confess, and there it is again—that twinge of self-condemnation. “What was in it?”

“The context you’re asking for. Likely stolen by one who assumed you the truth would hamper what I saw in you.” She sighs, and then, with a wry chuckle; “Ha…I suppose this is what I get for being a coward.”

"Look, all that aside—we're here now, so I need to know; what was the plan, Mara?” You press on insistently. “Even with your Core, I'm pretty sure I was a last-minute addition. What were you building up to, and what did you have to do to make it possible? Does it have something to do with why Magpie decided to tear it all down?"

You can feel her open her mouth at the top of the Cord, so many miles away…and then close it, her throat working to explain that which she thought you already knew.

"I know you've got regrets over this, Mara, and it's painful to drag it all back up. But that's why I want to trust you. If you were just a monster like West, you wouldn't care about everything you've done, good and bad. So please, talk with me. Help me understand, while we have a chance to fix things."

“…very well.” She relents, and the radiance that is her soul turns to you, fully. Honestly.

Holding nothing back.

(Continued)
>>
>>5047974

“All my life, I’ve been fighting.” She begins. “Before the Crucible consumed our world, I fought to be at the top. I fought, and I won. In school. In college. In my post-graduate studies. And, finally…in banking. Deposits, returns, investments; the flow appealed to me, made sense. Almost as much as how easy it was to control it. Then the Crucible came, and control became my greatest strength…and the albatross around my neck.”

As she speaks, her form begins to slowly coalesce into something resembling her human form. She’s staring down at her hands, fingers splayed out as she recalls how it all began.

“It started as a small thing, quite weak, in fact—if I influenced something or someone, that interaction fed me and strengthened my Crucible body. The more profound or complex the interaction, the greater the boon. Eventually, as my power matured I found that I could subtly influence the direction events would take if my influence was in a great concentration, albeit in minor ways. But it was enough.”

“You…you draw power from control, itself?” You ask, and you can feel her confirming nod.

“I do. As a deprived, however…I could control everything but what mattered most. It was plain to see the Cord was a trap, but any interaction of a Deprived with any win condition would result in the eradication of humanity as a whole. Everything in my life had built up to this. I fought, I won. And now, when the fate of humanity as a species was a game to be conquered…I couldn’t.”

“So…” You say, realizing where she’s going.

“So…if I could not win personally? Then I would crown the winner, myself.”

Mara looks up, gazing down across the vastness of the null space before you.

“I searched for years, and all the while I expanded my influence. Building settlements as I went and empowering those who showed promise, or a new idea to save the world that I’d never even conceived of. There were so many, Shu. So many people with hopes, and dreams, and plans that could have saved this world. So many worthier than I to direct humanity to a brighter, better future.”

“What happened to them?” You ask, softly.

“They died.” She quietly replies. “Or went mad. Or abandoned their ideals in the face of man’s inhumanity to man. I tried to shepherd a few personally, but when the extent of what I’d done became clear, they became wary. Fearful. Disillusioned. To prevent that knowledge from damaging present or future investments, I began to restrict the range of what those closest to me could…communicate…about my plans and the lengths I went to, to ensure their growth.”

“The geas.”

(Continued)
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>>5047976

“Indeed.” She admits with no small amount of reluctance. “It was, in retrospect, barbaric. Fueled more by paranoia than good will. It was quite possible to reverse the process. If I’d known what Magpie was planning to do, then I would have removed it personally, without question. She could have simply asked—I would have done it, happily. After what she did, it became clear to me that she did not understand me, fully…and since she robbed you of the files and notes that were rightfully yours, it seems she did not understand you, either.”

“What was she trying to keep from me, then?” You press on. “What didn’t she want me to know?”

“I built settlements. Three different types, for three distinct purposes.” She intones, pushing onwards despite the regret in her voice. “The first were experiments, where alternative methods of Hunger prevention could be tested and observed. The Altered Altar is one such place.”

“I’m familiar with it, yes…it's the reason you were hunting B’ni, I presume."

“It is.” She admits, freely. “The second type were bastions, where Daughters could freely gather and trade information in a defensible location, typically gathered around one or multiple strong personalities. I often installed prospective ascendants there to test their capacity to problem-solve and deal with emergent crises.”

“Like the Monastery.” You forward, and Mara goes quiet for a moment.

“The third were investments.” She continues, resting her hands on her knees meditatively. “Often, I would find a person with great promise, but little power. I had tested giving them Relics, mentoring them personally, forcibly infusing them with strength via the Sparagmos Engines, and even throwing them into difficult situations to speed up their rise to power…the investment principle was a combination of these four philosophies. Places that could serve as both bastions and experiments, until the time came to tip the balance of power in the favor of someone who could save this world.”

She’s staring at you, now. Grey-blue orbs that bore into your skull.

“Investments were designed from their inception to be fallible, where my Core could quickly shift stability into a spiral…one that would create a test that, if conquered, would provide leaps and bounds of power to the worthy. Afterwards, I would bequeath them with a personally-selected stockpile of tools that could help them, and send them on their way. Repeated tests revealed this to be the most efficient method of growth and selection, while simultaneously providing valuable data to ensure exponential growth of future endeavors.”

You just stare at her, your blood running like ice in your veins.

She sounds so much like West, in this moment.

“The Monastery was an investment, Shu...” She confesses.

“…and I cashed it in.”

>>…

>>…

>>…Write-In

YOU ARE BOTH IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in four.)
>>
>>5047984
I want to say this shouldn't of been unexpected, or we already kinda suspected this. or this, or that, or whatever.

but none of that would or is making this hit any less like a punch to the chest or easier to handle.
there is so much to be said or could be said that honestly... im empty handed here. because maybe its just my personal morals but, honestly?

all i can say is.

thats evil. pure, unfathomable evil.
>>
>>5047984
So Mara made sure that the monastery collapsed when she needed it.... not that it might have not collapesed some time in the future anyway..... but she did cash it in as she said.... She forced it so that we could grow stronger. Interesting, disturbing, digsuting and sadly a pretty reasonable thing to do. without it we would have maybe never made it so far or would have been annihalated by Isabelle.

>>5047984
>"You know Mara.... i really really want to hate you right now..... but i can see why you did that. And while i strongly disagree with your methods it was what allowed me to save Gina and make sure Ozmas or someone with her power could not walk the earth again."
>Draw in a deep breath and look towards the bottom of the cord where a sea of destroyed astral selfs roils in the light
>"I can not condone what you did..... and i would have never allowed myself to be used as such if I had known. They say the path to hell is paved with good intentions...... I think that is true.... though we are already all in hell trying to reach paradise."
>lean back a bit
>"I think right now i am just a bit disappointed"


>>5047997
i don't think we can condone this. The pure scope of it speaks of how much of her humanity she has already lost. She truly is a covetous dragon only trying to reach one goal without any regard for how much damage she would cause. I have tried to put my thoughts to text with this write in. I am not particualry angry with her just very disappointed due to her methods even though they allowed us great triumphs they were build on an avoidable tragedy.
>>
>>5047984
vote;
>Take a moment.
>take a few, deep breaths. strong, steady, and just let yourself digest it all.

>Then, quickly turn and slap her. as hard as you can muster.
>no emotion, no boiling of anger, just silent, hard, and fast.

>Sit back down, and let things sit before you respond simply.
>"that was wrong. Unjustifiable. There is no argument possible to make doing that right."
>sigh, and get up.
>"But going on a tangent on you wont change its far too late. You did it, and WE all have to live with it."
>Turn, not even trying to hold back the tears.
>"Im not sure i hate you for it, but i can say this..."
>"my own thoughts on this are irrelevant to the fact that punishment comes to those as they earn it. I can only hope you don't deserve so much it doesn't drag all of us down too... even West."
>Give her her moment to respond, before asking simply how to safely leave, and doing so.
>"Goodbye Mara.... I do hope we can meet again... though why I do will take some time for me to figure out."

i'll admit the 'even west' part may be too much and im open to hearing it be cut, but I both want her to feel a sting aswell as genuinely am trying to get a point across about how big a scope arguably she has wrong things. Even West *technically* longterm wants to "save" Humanity in her own way, sorta. my point being a bit of maybe she doesn't even deserve such a warped view of "save" to happen either.
>>
>>5048009
yeah slapping her might be the right thing though we do not know how that will affect her or us.

the West part is to much. her version of saving humanity is making it into guinea pigs to experiment upon until she gets bored. At least i think that is what she would do before going out and murdering entire civilisations and eventually trying to know everything... and even Nothing and its people.
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>>5048007
Im fine with some of the point of yours, but also feel its too lacking in emotion. mainly tidbit like 'a bit' disappointed. nah man, SHU is a person, who is allowed to at least be internally upset, even majorly upset. theres no 'a bit' here. both we and Shu have practically been having an unhealed scar on our heart over the Monastery. This is actually worse than if we had just failed a Friend, or at least very much is an equal side grade. its not a pleasant alternative at all for sure.

I mean... responding to all of it not just the write-in... yeah, we cant condone this. not even a little bit. our whole thing has been 'the ends dont justify the means' and i think we have VERY much proven it CAN work. not gonna say theres no issues, or its not slower, or anything. the point is, we after Mara would never of gotten where we are without that mindset. maybe we still would've gotten SOMEPLACE, but not here, with who we have by our sides and the allies we have.

this is... her simply saying "I am the opposite of all you hold dear." she built everything around 'the ends justifies the means'. she is just a West that lies about it, and im not saying that out of anger. in many ways she is factually that.
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>>5048011
you're not wrong but you're forgetting West Primes ultimate goal IS to create paradise for all life.
You can not trust her paradise sure, i dont either, but i do think her end goal is important to why i mentioned her there and my explanation as to why.
>>
>>5047984
That's fucking heavy. To think that the monastery Hunger riot was intentionally triggered.

And this came right on the heels of Isabelle's betrayal.

It hurts. It simply hurts.

>"Mara. I want to ask you one question. Back in your lair, I noticed that you used the restored Sparagmos engine once to revive someone dear to you. Who was she? What happened to her? Was she the catalyst that drove you into paranoia and creating the Geas system?"

>"Mara. I want you to know that there's a small part of me that feels relieved. That you're finally being honest. To know that you've got your own vices and virtues. And yet, there's now a small part of me that can't help but be both disappointed and mad at you for the ocean's worth of sins you've committed to help give people like me as well as the other settlements a fighting chance for survival."

>"You've influenced the events around my life since my birth into this crucible. But I think now's the time for me to cut the cut the puppet strings that's been guiding me so long. I've grown up."

>"When we meet again. I want an apology. For me. And for those who you sacrificed on the altar in your endeavors."

>>5047997
It's a moral horizon to cross. It's Mara's cross to bear. The only thing that's stopping me from going frothing mad is that she's human enough to show that what she did is what she regretted.

>>5048007
>She truly is a covetous dragon only trying to reach one goal without any regard for how much damage she would cause.
The price for power is that it shapes who you are. And for Mara it seems a Dragon who cannot ascend to godhood is the most fitting cost for her "Altruistic Avarice"
>>
>>5048011
>>5048009
Man. This is a hell of a "Broken Pedestal Moment".
>>
>>5048027
Yeah, I mean, I suspected most of this. Getting confirmation hurts, though. Especially because it's actually a bit worse than I expected. I thought she just set up unstable structures and had the good fortune for the Monastery to be collapsing around the time we were there. But actively sabotaging it and forcing that Hunger spiral? Jesus. She owes Uzu an apology that I don't know if it's possible to give.
>>
>>5048017
you do make a good point. To be honest the whole thing with the monestary..... i was there when we fought the spiralling fear... and i did feel quite a few things.

however seeing that Mara truly regrets it.... it just doused that fire of anger i had when i first read her admission and left only bitter Ash. But you are absolutely right. I am not just a bit upset. I am very Very, VERY UPSET with Mara and positively absolutely and completely disappointed in her that she lost her humanity like that.

>>5048027
it kinda okay..... i never actually thought Mara was to be put on a pedestal. After her involvement with the settlements came to light i thought that she was as flawed as any other human with her goals though knowing that she pretty much manipulated causality to make it happen sooner did make me quite angry until that flame got doused to leave only dispappointment.
>>
>>5048022
yeah im not jibing with this one at all.
feels way too emotionless and analytical, and i feel the question and relief statement are misplaced or not the time for.

the puppet parts a nice touch though, and wouldn't mind seeing it weaved in somehow.
>>
>>5048032
It's hard to get emotional into the write-in without going overboard.
I want* to get emotional in the write-in. but lately work and irl events have been eating up so much of my time and energy that I barely have the time to put my proper thoughts into this quest and it's creating a disconnect.
That and the fact that if I *were* to get as emotional as your write-in I fear I would go very overboard in the drama as in "full on essay's worth of anger ranting, burn all bridges and let the world burn in a hunger-madness-meltdown" type emotional.

I dunno. I'll try and spice up my write-in in the time I have left before I have to leave for work.
>>
>>5048027
>>5048031
>pedestal
yeah we all had our reservations about that for awhile now but... seeing it all come together and confirmed as to why she shouldn't have ever had her even remotely on one still stings bad.

>>5048031
nah, im still angry myself. not boiling raving mad, but simple anger.
Been here since the beginning, and this honestly despite being somewhat expected still has gotta hit in the top 3 moment emotionally. expecting something along the lines of it isnt the same as when it actually happens for sure.

>>5048038
ah, well real life nonsense is a fair as hell reason.
that said, just letting the words flow and letting us all see what works from all the options posted has worked wonders before.
>>
>>5048009
>>5048022
>>5048030

>Stand up, draw in a deep breath and look towards the bottom of the cord where a sea of destroyed astral selfs roils in the light of mortal combat.

>Then, quickly turn and slap her. as hard as you can muster.
>no emotion, no boiling of anger, just silent, hard, and fast.

>Sit back down and let things settle for a couple of seconds and give her time to stabilize if needed.
>"You know Mara.... i really really want to hate you right now..... What was wrong. Unjustifiable even. There is nothing that can be argued would make that move right."
>"But going all speechy and on a tangent wont change things. It is too late for that. It happened because you made it happen and WE now have to live with that. You owe Uzu an apology i don't think can ever be truly made."
>Start tearing up a bit
>"I can not condone what you did... but my thoughts are irrelevant. You will be and probably are already being punished even if only by yourself for all that you did."
>"I just hope that it wont drag everything around you with it."

>Give her a moment to respond

>"I am so very disappointed. I looked up to you and now i realize i was little more than a puppet. Mara it is time I cut these strings that hold me to you."
>Breathe in and out once then fixate her with a hard stare.
>"Goodbye Mara. Know that i do not leave with hatred. Though... you will owe all of us a truly monumental apology while i try to figure out how such a meeting in the flesh can every come to be"

Would this be better? It is a lot more emotional without being quite as aggressive.
>>
>>5047612
(The Hive rework is coming nicely, and I completely understand rewrites going slowly. The only reason I'm able to write as much as I do is a combination of a relatively (usually, anyway) light work schedule and the voting times forcing me to write.)

(Having a general outline is definitely key, though. Even a brief sketch of story beats you want to address can help to prompt prompt thoughts to flow.)

(...and in my case, a little bit of scotch never hurts.)
>>
>>5047984
>"do you...have any idea how much the Monastery event has weighed on my mind? How heavy it was to think that it's fall was MY CROSS TO BEAR?"
>"To think that you pulled the strings of causality to nudge Uzu into her hunger spiral?"
>Work up a great deal of energy into an hour long tirade...and then suddenly deflate from exhaustion.
>Lean your head into her chest and beat one fist against her chest in silent anger before going quiet (if possible).
>"Can I ask you one question: Who was it that you revived in the Sparagmos engine back in the lair?"


>>5048046
>>5048040
I can't help but notice that we're missing a very big question: Who exactly did Mara revive back in the lair prior to her handing ownership over? I kinda want to weave in that question in the midst of our response of immense disappointment.
>>
>>5048049
that is a good question.... and something i could probably still add to my write in.......

though what did you thing of that one i made in general? I would like to know if that was closer to the mark or not.
>>
>>5048049
eh, like i said i just feel that questions out of place right now.
was something to have been asked before this, not now.

>>5048046
the part before the 'response pause' is not bad but some changes you made to some lines im not a fan of.

not liking the ending part after at all honestly.
>>
>>5048052
I think you can weave abit of an incoming emotional rant, right after the slap before cutting off the rant and deflating in exhaustion and disappointment before moving on to our next point of response. Because honestly, we're all mad and yet that we can't really hold onto that anger that well before we let go from exhaustion like how the Isabelle betrayal arc left us emotionally exhausted from holding such a long grudge.
>>
>>5048053
any thoughts on my secondary write-in?
>>
>>5047984
>>…Write-In
>"...well, that's...that's...I'm sorry, just give me a moment, please."
>Walk off a slight distance, do some breathing exercises to calm down, then return.
>"I was really hoping I was wrong about that. I guess I was, in a way. I suspected that you had set up your settlements to be unstable. But actively interfering with them, to make them collapse? What the Hell, Mara? What the actual Hell! There are so many other monsters you could have had us fight, you didn't need to manufacture one!"
>Pull yourself back, don't let emotion overwhelm you. Be angry and disappointed, but remain coherent.
>"I can see the logic. It makes sense, in a brutally utilitarian way. But I can't condone it. You've done something awful, and there's no denying that."
>"We have to be better than this, Mara. That line of thinking is the same sort that's led every other Crucible to fail. Billions of worlds gone and every single one of them because somebody thought the sacrifices were necessary, and didn't care who got hurt so long as it all worked out in the end. If things are going to be different this time, we can't think of others as just resources to be spent for the greater good, however we define that. We can't save the world if we don't care about the people we're saving."
>"And I think you know that. You wouldn't be ashamed of your actions if you didn't still care on some level. That's the one thing you've got redeeming you right now. I'm angry, I'm beyond disappointed, but I still don't quite hate you. You've got a lot of making up for this to do, and I plan on holding you to it.

Again, not super happy with this, but I just wanted to say something and get it out while there was still time for other people to critique it. I keep doing this lately, spending so much time trying to work out a perfect response that I ghost out of the thread for hours while other people are debating. So please, tear this apart. I like the part about people having to be better or we'll wind up like every other Crucible, but I think it's a bit clunky in implementation.
>>
>>5048053
>>5048056

>Stand up, draw in a deep breath and look towards the bottom of the cord where a sea of destroyed astral selfs roils in the light of mortal combat.

>Then, quickly turn and slap her. as hard as you can muster.
>no emotion, no boiling of anger, just silent, hard, and fast.

>"You are.... so SO...!!!" let the words hang in the air while your mind races and your face controts with anger while you try and come up with something, anything you could say. No SCREAM at her
>After a couple moments of tense silence breathe out and just shake your head slowly while holding back your tears.

>Sit back down and let things settle for a couple of seconds and give herand yourself time to stabilize.
>"You know Mara.... i really really want to hate you right now..... What was wrong. Unjustifiable even. There is nothing that can be argued would make that move right."
>"But going all speechy and on a tangent wont change things. It is too late for that. It happened because you made it happen and WE now have to live with that. You owe Uzu an apology, that i don't think can ever be truly made."
>Start tearing up a bit unable to hold the tears back before continuing carefully
>"I can not condone what you did... but my thoughts are irrelevant. You will be and probably are already being punished even if only by yourself for all that you did."
>"I just hope that it wont drag everything around you with it."

>Give her a moment to respond

>>5048049
this sounds interesting... but the question is probably misplaced right now.The Uzu part however is something very. Also the leaning into her chest thing is a bit too much for my opinion
>>
>>5048060
just a quick critique before i head out to the gym for an hour or two.

This feels a bit more like something we should discuss with Paloma and our family.

And it fdeels a bit too analytical. Right now she has ripped open the old monastery wound and i don't think Shu is capable of reacting like that. I think i could be but i am not Shu... and neither are you. We are all her advisors and kinda hivemind in a sense to give her direction.

The first part
>"I was really hoping I was wrong about that. I guess I was, in a way. I suspected that you had set up your settlements to be unstable. But actively interfering with them, to make them collapse? What the Hell, Mara? What the actual Hell! There are so many other monsters you could have had us fight, you didn't need to manufacture one!"

This i really like i have to say
>>
>>5048060
There are parts that I like, but the general consensus right now is that Mara's confession has revealed that many of the things she has done prior to her ascension of the Cord has put her past a certain point of no return.

Even if she were to try and redeem herself by pulling on the strings of causality to hold back the consequences, the situation's deteriorated far enough that it might end up as a bigger domino disaster the moment Mara's grip on the strings loosen.

>"We have to be better than this, Mara. That line of thinking is the same sort that's led every other Crucible to fail. Billions of worlds gone and every single one of them because somebody thought the sacrifices were necessary, and didn't care who got hurt so long as it all worked out in the end. If things are going to be different this time, we can't think of others as just resources to be spent for the greater good, however we define that. We can't save the world if we don't care about the people we're saving."

This part is a good line that I like, but that comes after the emotional tirade. It's gonna be hard to squeeze in the general consensus vote.
>>
>>5047984
>>5048009
amending vote;
>Take a moment.
>take a few, deep breaths. strong, steady, and just let yourself digest it all.
>Then, slowly get up, before quickly turning and slap her. as hard as you can muster.
>no emotion, no boiling of anger. just silent, hard, and fast.

>Sit back down, and let things sit before you respond simply.
>"You know Mara.... i really really want to hate you right now..... that was wrong. Unjustifiable. There is no argument possible to make doing that right."
>sigh, and get up.
>"To think that you pulled the strings of causality to nudge Uzu into her hunger spiral?"
>lose control for a moment, your fist starting to raise... before you let it fall limply to your side.
>"But going on a tangent on you wont change wont change things. It is too late for that. You did it, and WE all have to live with it. You owe Uzu an apology that i don't think can ever be truly made."
>Turn, not even trying to hold back the tears.
>"As much as i could have to say... my own thoughts on this are irrelevant to the fact that punishment comes to those as they earn it. I just hope that whatever you deserve wont drag down everything around you with it."
>"You've influenced the events around my life practically since my birth. But I think now's the time for me to cut the puppet strings if you wont do it yourself, and finally find my own way to do things, truly, purely of my own control."

>Give her her moment to respond, before saying your goodbye.
>"Goodbye Mara.... I do hope we can meet again... though why I do will take some time for me to figure out."

>>5048059
I incorporated what i liked about both into this.
>>
>>5048060
>>5048065
ah dang yeah that line at least i kinda like. posted too soon i guess.
>>
>>5047984
ammending vote from>>5048007
to supporting >>5048066
while incorporating this line before the Goodbye

>"We have to be better than this, Mara. That line of thinking is the same sort that's led every other Crucible to fail. Billions of worlds gone and every single one of them because somebody thought the sacrifices were necessary, and didn't care who got hurt so long as it all worked out in the end. If things are going to be different this time, we can't think of others as just resources to be spent for the greater good, however we define that. We can't save the world if we don't care about the people we're saving."
>>
>>5048064
>>5048065
Yeah, I'm not good at writing people having strong emotions. At least not while remaining coherent. My own strong emotional reactions trend towards ranting, so I have to restrain that if I want to get an actual message across and I tend to over-correct. Makes me look all analytical and cold, when I'm just trying to hold it together. I agree that Shu should probably be having a stronger outward response, I'm just not good at writing that. Glad to hear that there's something of use in my piece, though.
>>
>>5047984
>>5048066
>>5048070
ill support adding this in there yeah.
>>
Hmmm... Strings of Causality, huh? Sounds a lot like what Julia's new neuromancer friend is investigating...

Also, I'm curious, what do we look like in this place? Are we still normal looking or some kind of light like the others?
>>
Also, we should definitely find out who she brought back with the engine. That seems very important...
>>
>>5048081
We probably still look somewhat human considering Mara can force a shale onto herself and we have a literal key to stay here if we want to.

>>5048070
I am also this anon on mobile
>>
>>5048081
its exactly what it was. Mara all but outright said 'the weird black smoke is my influence feeding me.'

good question on what we look like.
>>5048048
putting the question forward to the meatball who can answer it.

>>5048083
im actually dubious on its importance. sure, the person may be, but only if they didn't die again.
mainly though like i said before, feels a bit too little too late for that kinda talk.
>>
>>5048081
It's almost certainly exactly the thing that Julia's friend is investigating. I think the only reason that Mara hasn't come right out and said that is because she knows we know about her Core and trusts that we can put that detail together.
>>
>>5048089
>>5048087
>>5048084
Sorry. Bamboozleing a post.
>>
>>5048087
>>5048081
(You initially started out looking very much like a point of light, thrn vaguely humanoid...the way your appearance is shifting over your time here will become explicit in the next update.)
>>
>>5048066
This could use some emotional and narrative rearrangement. So here's my take on this write-in.

>>5047984
amending my vote >>5048022 (You) and >>5048049 (You) to

>Take a moment.
>take a few, deep breaths. strong, steady, and just let yourself digest it all.
>Then, slowly get up, before quickly turning and slap her. as hard as you can muster.
>no emotion, no boiling of anger. just silent, hard, and fast.

>"You know Mara.... i really really want to hate you right now..... that what you did was wrong. Unjustifiable."
>"To influence events and people like puppets on string?"
>"To pull the strings of causality to nudge Uzu into her hunger spiral to test me?"
>"There is no argument possible to make doing that right!"
>lose control of your anger for a moment, your fist starting to raise as you work yourself into a rage... before you let it fall limply to your side and deflate.

>Don't even attempt to hide the tears streaming down your face.
>"We have to be better than this, Mara. That line of thinking is the same sort that's led every other Crucible to fail. Billions of worlds gone and every single one of them because somebody thought the sacrifices were necessary, and didn't care who got hurt so long as it all worked out in the end. If things are going to be different this time, we can't think of others as just resources to be spent for the greater good, however we define that. We can't save the world if we don't care about the people we're saving."

>"But continuing on this tangent any longer on you wont change wont change things. It is too late for that. You did it, and WE all have to live with it. You owe those who you sacrificed on the altar of power an apology I don't think can ever be truly made."

>"As much as i could have to say... my own thoughts on this are irrelevant to the fact that punishment comes to those as they earn it. I just hope that whatever you deserve wont drag down everything around you with it."
>Step back from Mara once pace and put some space between you and her.

>"You've influenced the events around my life practically since my birth. But I think now's the time for this puppet to cut these strings that have guided her, and finally find my own way to do things."

>Give her her moment to respond.
>before saying your goodbyes
>"Hey Mara? Who was it that you revived on the Sparagmos engine? What happened to her? Was she worth the price you paid?"
>regardless of her answer:
>"Goodbye Mara.... I do hope we can meet again... though why I do will take some time for me to figure out."

>>5048089
>>5048084
>>5048087
your thoughts on my rearrangement of the general consensus?
>>
>>5048095
I don't know, asking about her friend at the end after the emotional stuff feels weird, especially since we did functionally just condemn her. I'm not sure it's a good place to put it. But I'm not sure what would be a good place to put it, either.
>>
>>5048095
im still strongly against that question.
it just does not fit, feels jarringly out of place and absolutely ruins the flow, ending, and feel of the entire thing.

otherwise the general order is fine but alot of the changes here and there i dont like.
i also kinda liked Shu getting up and sitting back down over and over. i felt it showed her being internally antsy even if not all the emotion was constantly spilling out.
>>
>>5048101
>>5048099
Fair enough on the question ruining the flow of the response.

my reasoning for not including the constant "sit down and get up" cycle, is because it also somewhat ruins flow of the the initial outburst of anger where Shu just lets it out. If I had her sitting down after deflating it would have felt like she would be more petulant in a way. Instead I opted to have Shu remain standing to signify that She's making her emotional point and taking a stand for her argument of "we have to be better than this." towards Mara and lead into her declaration of independence instead of mumbling her "we have to be better than this" it into the world and not at Mara.
>>
>>5048094
A question. Are we visible from the viewpoint of Reality? Because I can't help but notice that both Mara and West took notice of us while we're in this special liminal space.Because the sight of a visible point of light climbing the Cord with almost nothing barring its way would look prophetic af to the wider world, even to those duking it out in the no-mans land.
>>
>>5048106
I still disagree, especially because i feel some of thats ignoring she takes time to collect herself while sitting, which i think on top of other things helps to show how shes trying not to actually just explode emotionally here. plus she still stands back up(or would) in both versions once shes actually making her statements.

>>5048110
im positive its because both Mara and West have something allowing them to 'see' this place unlike regular people. or something along those lines.
>>
>>5048110
No one else seemed to notice us. Either we're not visible to most people and Mara and West are just special, or we are but everyone was too distracted fighting to pay much attention to this little mote of light zooming past them.
>>
>>5048110
>>5048112
(Only those who have previously entered this plane of existence can see you.)
>>
>>5048114
>only those who have entered can see people in it.
>we have entered it.
oh boy are we gonna have to wear sunglasses all the time now?
>>
>>5047984
Final amendment to my vote >>5048095

>Take a moment.
>take a few, deep breaths. strong, steady, and just let yourself digest it all.
>Then, slowly get up, before quickly turning and slap her. as hard as you can muster.
>no emotion, no boiling of anger. just silent, hard, and fast.

>Sit back down, and let things sit before you respond simply.
>"You know Mara.... i really really want to hate you right now..... that what you did was wrong. Unjustifiable."
>get back up and stare at Mara dead on in the eyes.
>"To influence events and people like puppets on strings of causality that you control?"
>"To pull the strings of causality to nudge Uzu into her hunger spiral?"
>"There is no argument possible to make doing that right!"
>raise your fist as you work yourself into a rage... before you let it fall limply to your side and deflate. and look away, to stare at the astral world.

>Don't even attempt to hide the tears streaming down your face. Take some time to collect your thoughts before continuing.

>"We have to be better than this, Mara. That line of thinking is the same sort that's led every other Crucible to fail. Billions of worlds gone and every single one of them because somebody thought the sacrifices were necessary, and didn't care who got hurt so long as it all worked out in the end. If things are going to be different this time, we can't think of others as just resources to be spent for the greater good, however we define that. We can't save the world if we don't care about the people we're saving."

>Look back at Mara.

>"But continuing on this tangent any longer on you wont change wont change things. It is too late for that. You did it, and now we ALL have to live with it. You owe Uzu and those who you sacrificed on the altar of power an apology I don't think can ever be truly made."

>heave a sigh

>"As much as i could have to say... my own thoughts on this are irrelevant to the fact that punishment comes to those as they earn it. I just hope that whatever you deserve wont drag down everything around you with it."

>Step back from Mara once pace and put some space between you and her.
>"You've influenced the events around my life practically since my birth. But I think now's the time for me to cut these puppet strings you have on me, and find my own way to do things."

>Give her the time she needs to respond to our condemnation and declaration.
>"Goodbye Mara.... I do hope we can meet again... though why I do will take some time for me to figure out."

>>5048112
Made some edits to this write-in while keeping in mind your criticism.

And I have to get ready to leave for work.
>>
>>5048116
Weird thought: How does that interact with Spiritus Ex Testa? We've been told that eventually it would let Shu create Spirit Shells for the rest of the party's Dream Daughters, so it's not limited to those she herself has eaten, just currently so. So what happens when Shu can perceive the bare Nullscape separate from any individual Dreamscape, with every mindstate visible to her? Can Shu just scoop up a dead Daughter's mind and reincarnate her with a maxed-out Spiritus Ex Testa, even without eating her flesh? That would be cool. Probably not super practical, but cool. Would really make Shu come off as messianic, though, she wouldn't like that.
>>
>>5048119
well, dont think so?
people turn into dust here right when they die, so, at the very least there are no 'ghosts' wandering around. does bring up the question then though, where do Dream Daughters come from? it sounds like their souls are destroyed, so is that only them being destroyed here, or do they get reconstructed somehow inside a soul that consumed their remains?
>>
>>5048116
I guess it could be worse.... unless.... we pick up some vampiric abilities then we could become a Vampire bee. Sound spretty cool i have to say.

>>5048095
Also sorry i did not say anything. I was kibda busy wiröth corcle training and that ia pretty crunch when it comes to time.

But i agree with the other Anons.

>>5048118
First off have a good day at work

Secondly. This does sound interesting and a nice edit from before i would say


>>5048119

This is. A trrifying thought.. since we would have unlimited acess to the dreamscape.

The screening rhough would be a nightmare. Dont want to accidentöy grab someone like the nad hatter or the girl that had Rath in her grasp when we safed our favorite and definetly not soulless redhead
>>
>>5048118
(Have a great day at work, and take care!)
>>
>>5048118
Have a nice day at work, anon.
>>
>>5048118
a bit better yeah.
though i still feel the puppet line is a bit off.

otherwise its just a few tidbits like there being doubled up 'wont change' and the 'that' before 'what you did was wrong' stick out.
admittedly im being nitpicky and i make my own mistakes, but i felt like pointing them out more because sometimes BHOP copies our mistakes more than anything. which is equal parts amusing and gut punching because it feels like its throwing the mistake in your face, even though obviously i know thats not his intention.
>>
>>5048121
i do not think we want to become soul vampires. that sounds like a bad route to take.
>>
>>5048119
>>5048120
>>5048121
on mobile, having lunch prior to clocking in.
one catch: Jackie has the Vorpal knife. We don’t own the Vorpal knife.
>>
>>5048126
I did not mean to become a soul vampire. If you read that out of my writing then that is probably my mistake.

I was trying to say that if we had to wear sunglasses everywhere we could go full vampire mode with a cape for us and ever single one of our little Swarmlings since they already could absorb health i think....if i remeber right

>>5048127
Well we can explain to her what it is and what we can do with it. If she wants to keep it i would say that she can. No true loss on our part. Unless we want to talk to Mara again

So it was probably more of an attempt of a joke that did not land right.
>>
>>5048125
Yeah, I'm not super keen on the puppet line, either. Just feels like too much condemnation. I want to tell her we're not happy but not to the point where she sees us as seeing her as an enemy. I don't want her to be an enemy, even if I'm very upset with her.

>>5048129
>I was trying to say that if we had to wear sunglasses everywhere we could go full vampire mode with a cape for us and ever single one of our little Swarmlings since they already could absorb health i think....if i remeber right
That's more Dorian's thing, let's not step on his toes. He's the Relativistic Kinetic Kill Vampire.
>>
>>5048127
thats actually hard to say.
i mean, do we just see them, or can we interact with them? probably just see, but the problem is i actually cant see Mara or West trying to mess with us while here like that.
Mara for obvious reasons, but even West probably knows that even if she could, it wouldn't give her our biomass nor stop our family, unlike if she leaves us alone to confront her in the Cord.
its not proof either direction, only we cant take either of their actions here as proof it CANT be done.
>>
>>5048131
you think just swapping it for the version i have in my current vote would work, or that even that one needs some work too?
I think the puppet analogy at its core at least is a good metaphor to use here, but i understand f the ow needs some work.
>>
>>5048133
Maybe? I think I just disagree that it should be put in there. I just don't like it. I think I'm still too hung up on trying to maintain Mara as a friend, even as we're condemning her. Part of it is that I want to keep thinking well of her, and part of it is worry over having her as an enemy. Makes me second-guess how harsh we should be with her.
>>
>>5048138
>>5048133
make your choice, keep the puppet line or don’t. time is running out. I’m fine with getting rid of the puppet line
>>
>>5048138
I dont think the current consensus or that line would make her an enemy. its not even necessarily outright breaking ties with her even.
sure, probably not gonna be calling her a friend after all that ill admit it, but in my opinion i guess I question wanting to call her one.
Isabelle didn't earn friendship back overnight either, and honestly for all she did? It was done out of emotion and trauma. not trying to suddenly excuse Isabelle, just saying Mara doesn't really have the excuses here that she did. Isabelle also for all her faults oddly purposefully kept her impact and influence small and to specific people. Mara purposefully implicitly tried to spread hers and specifically TRIED to spread suffering.

guess im trying to say in a long winded way, the situations arent the same at all, especially when it comes to the 'outright forgive' scenario.
>>
>>5048138
>>5048143
yeah... actually i just realized there two puppet lines technically and so im not even sure after realizing that if we're all talking about the exact same one or both of them(besides myself, obviously).
so with such little time i think im ok just leaving my vote as it is. the other order might be a bit better but not enough time to finish hashing out the issues with it.

damn, how long has it been though since we last ran the wire down to the end like that though? not gonna say im not still impacted by the emotions here, but otherwise its oddly refreshing to do again.
though im also glad we dont do it all the time.
>>
>>5048148
(Ha, at literally the last second before I posted I was going to have a two hour voting time, and then I looked at what I was about to drop and thought 'yeah, no, they're going to need more than that.')
>>
clocking in for work. see you in 8 hours or so.
>>
>>5048150
take care Anon, hope its not too bad a day.

>>5048149
Well, voting has to end sometime.
but yeah i think we got it done well enough in 3 hours.
maybe not perfect. but hey, maybe it makes sense, Maybe Shus not in a mindset to have things come off perfectly.
>>
>>5048150
Have a nice day, Anon.

>>5048152
Yeah, I suppose that's true. There's no perfect thing to say, here. The time for that has passed, we'd need to have gotten on this issue before the quest had even started.
>>
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>>5047984

You draw in a deep breath.

Then another…slowly, steadily, as you digest Mara’s confession. You’re acutely aware, now, how human you’ve come to look in this space. Your hands are balled tightly against your knees, fingernails sharp enough to bite into your palms as the compressed fire that is your avatar thrums with bright, multicolored light. Rising from where you sit, you stare down at Mara impassively for a long, quiet moment.

When you strike, your open palm sharply snaps her head to the side…your eyes still locked with hers, even now. Neither of you utter a word—your eyes hard and quiet, while hers still burn with regretful duty. Sitting back down, you study her impassive face in silence, composing yourself enough to trust that the words you utter next are chosen deliberately.

"You know, Mara...I really, really want to hate you right now.” You begin, wrestling the rage out of every syllable that escapes your lips. “That was wrong. Unjustifiable."

You rise again, your legs…no…every limb is burning. A fire that starts in your bones and radiates to every extremity. Rage. Indignation. Fury. There are not enough words to encapsulate how you’re feeling in this singular, pivotal moment.

"To influence events and people like puppets? Pulling the strings of causality to nudge Uzu into her hunger spiral? There is no argument possible to make doing that ‘right’!" You scream, your fist cocking of its own accord before you freeze it mid-arc…and Mara hasn’t even flinched. You sigh through gritted teeth, letting the limb drop to your side as you just shake your head at the woman before you.

"We have to be better than this, Mara. Yours is the same line of thinking that's led every other Crucible to fail. Millions…billions of worlds gone, and every single one of them because somebody thought the sacrifices were necessary, and didn't care who got hurt so long as it all worked out in the end. If things are going to be different this time, we can't think of others as just resources to be spent for the greater good, however we define that. We can't save the world if we don't care about the people we're saving."

Another deep breath, as you fight to keep yourself together.

"…but going on a tangent won’t change things. It is too late for that. Far, FAR too late. You did it, and WE all have to live with it. You owe Uzu and those who you sacrificed on the altar of power an apology I don't think can ever be truly made.” You choke out, white-hot tears now streaming down your face as you scowl down at the root of so much pain and sorrow.

You can’t stand to look out her now, and you instead turn your eyes to the endless void before you. Far below, countless lives are being snuffed out as Daughters throw themselves into the grinder that is the Crucible.

How many more have been snuffed out on roads of good intentions?

(Continued)
>>
>>5048169

“As much as I have to say to you...my own thoughts on this are irrelevant.” You finally declare with an embittered sigh. “Punishment comes to those as they earn it. I just hope that whatever you deserve won’t drag down everything around you alongside it. You've influenced the events around my life practically since my birth. But I think now's the time for me to cut the puppet strings if you won’t do it yourself, and finally find my own way to do things. Truly, purely under my own control."

At that, Mara finally rises. You and she stand eye to eye, and it’s here in this inexplicable place that you both look wholly, utterly human. No stars, no radiance…just a warrior staring into the face of defiance.

“Magpie thought you would falter. But I knew you would triumph.” She intones with a pride that makes disgust ball in your chest and rage rise in your throat. “The strings were cut the moment I left you and your family to forge your own path—you are in control. Then, and now.”

"Goodbye, Mara.” You declare firmly, reaching out to accept the pull that’s trying to rescue you from this plane. “I do hope we can meet again...though why I do will take some time for me to figure out."

“As do I, Shu. I said it when we last spoke, and I will say it again…”

The world fades, and the last thing you see are eye grey-blue eyes of Marrow Dragoon gazing back at you.

“…I will see you at the Cord.”

Reality cruelly snaps back into place, a terrible chill washing over every nerve as you’re thrust into the frantic attention of those you were just with. Their fervent queries of your own well-being blend into a ringing din that you can’t parse through. You’re eye level with Amara’s two-tone gaze, tear-filled and terrified. You’re dimly aware of everyone else standing over you, of the fact that you’re sitting on your knees as all the rage and sorrow you just experienced gives way to a numbness that somehow hurts even worse.

Your hands are shaking, even as you reach out and draw Amara into a hug tight enough to hurt you…but you don’t care, right now.

“I’m okay. You’re okay.” You murmur into her shoulder, looking up at your allies. “There was an interaction between my Key and Jackie’s knife that neither of us could’ve anticipated. How long was I gone?”

“Four, five minutes…Jesus, the look on your face.” Jackie breathes, kneeling next to you with her dagger clutched tight in the bone-white fingers of her left hand. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

No.

No, not by a long shot.

You need to…

You need…

>>…Gina, and Rath. You need a quiet moment with your two oldest friends and dearest allies right now before you do anything else.

>>…To tell Uzu the truth. Take B’ni with you, and tell Uzu what she deserves to know.

>>…To keep moving. You’ll tell you family as a whole shortly, but steel yourself enough to talk to Paloma.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Good Afternoon, and I do hope your day is going well. Voting shall remain open for the next two hours, with posting to resume in three.)
>>
argh dang it OP!!!!

Why do you have to make me feel so conflicted about this whole thing.

>>5048170

>>…To keep moving. You’ll tell you family as a whole shortly, but steel yourself enough to talk to Paloma.
>>Reach out to your family and ask them that they don't make to many plans since you want to talk to all of them, after your talk with Paloma for the future of what she is planning, about what you experienced.
>>slowly get up and ask that your family join Jackie and you for the talk with Paloma if they wish and ask Jackie for the way.

something nice and neutral. Time for emotions can be made after business i think
>>
>>5048170
vote;
>You need to... need to...
>You need to explain things, but just as importantly, you need to be what you always are, what you want to be.
>You need to do what Mara refused. Care about others and what it all means for them, not for the scheme of things.

>step back, patting Amaras head as you do.
>"Theres... alot i need to talk to you all about. It'll be important, for everyone, not just those here, but especially so for some people specifically."
>But first... I want to apologize to everyone present. There was... well, to put it bluntly... I think i saw into your very souls, literally, and ended up hearing some things i know for a fact i had no right to. and im sorry for that... It was unintentional, and know that if any of you wish to know what it was about, im more than willing to tell you... but you'll want privacy when we do, im pretty sure on that."
>"But before i explain more... Theres something i need a minute to do, ok?"
>Sigh, and take a shuddering breath, before approaching the one person who you know needs help as much as you do, the one person who you know, unlike you, has no one to unload onto.
>Give the others a look that says 'please give us some space' before continuing.
>once they do, crouch down to look Nerada in the eyes, and then pull her into a soft hug.
>"Im sorry, I know i have no right to have herd what i did, but I just wanted to let you know.... You dont need to hide for us, or pretend to be normal."
> Chuckle, and pull back to look in her eyes, hands comfortingly on her shoulders, trying your best not to cry as you try to comfort her just as much as to comfort yourself.
>"None of us are normal, and we dont expect you to be either. IF you have worries, or something you need help with, we WANT to help you. We're your friends, we Want to be your friends, and we want you to be ours. so please, we wont abandon you, all of us have done things... terrible things we regret. let things happen we wish hadn't."
>"But we have eachother to help get through those, and if you want... we can help you do that too, ok?"
>Try and hold back your tears, but be unable to stop all of them.

i know it may be a bit of a leap, but there really wont be a better time to do this, aswell as i think its a very good way for Shu to try and move forward from what happened; by being herself, and helping with pain. sometimes the best way to help yourself is to help others afterall.

that said, im very open to edits and changes. i will also admit i just find this super important and know if we dont do it now, with all we just learned, it'll just be lost as a chance for a very, VERY long time.
>>
>>5048186
huh interesting to go for Nerada.....

but i can absolutely see it. So i will support it. I am a bit to tired to think much so i still think that this will be the best i think

>>5048170
ammending vote from >>5048179
to>>5048186
>>
>>5048193
well, everyone else is friends or family. they know whatever we heard, they can come to us anytime to find out and talk about it.

Nerada is not. she has no one, and her worries we heard specifically relate(mostly) to whether she can do that with us, more or less. so, at the very least make sure she knows she can, is my thought.
>>
>>5048195
very good reasons i have to say.

even more reason to support this.

anyway. Anon
>>5048171
Op.

I will get some sleep now. The training was pretty intense today i have to say.
>>
>>5048204
(Rest well, and take care!)
>>
>>5048170
>>Write-In
>"No, not really. But it's nothing to do with any danger I was in. Don't worry about that, Jackie. I was perfectly safe, I just had a very intense conversation."
>"Learned some things I need to share to share with everyone. That includes you and yours, Jackie. Can someone go around and gather everyone up? Oh, and apologize to Paloma for me delaying yet again. I know I'm already keeping her waiting, but the sooner this is said the better."
>"But before anyone goes, I think I also need to apologize to you all, too. The place I went...it's complicated, but it was kind of like the Dreamscape. I got a look at your thoughts, a little. I wasn't trying to, it was accidental, but I'm still so sorry for that. Please believe me when I say I'd never do that on purpose."

I'm fine with the speaking with Nerada bit, if the rest of this doesn't get used that's perfectly well. But I think the start, with reassuring Jackie that we weren't in any danger, is important. Jack's probably worried she nearly accidentally killed her friend, she needs reassurance that we're in a bad state because of emotions, not being attacked.
>>
>>5048210
thats fair yeah.

>>5048170
>>5048186
still supporting the bulk of my own post BHOP but if you can find a way to squeeze in the Jackie bit from >>5048210
im very ok with that.
>>
>>5048213
(I'll be more than happy to, its a great addition.)
>>
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>>5048170

As your sense of place slowly returns, you realize that you’re atop the Ikean Fortress, the Crucible’s blood-red sky yawning open high above you as the chill leaves you with painful slowness. The breath you inhale this time actually helps to clear your mind, and it’s as you’re about to address those crowded close that a tremor runs beneath your feet. It’s a warning that comes a half-second before the floor a few meters ahead of you promptly explodes in a shower of concrete and plaster, as Rath leaps skyward to land with Gina held bridal-style in a pair of arms while another four blaze at her muscular shoulders.

“We’re here! What’s wrong?!” The redhead roars as Gina practically vaults out of her arms, the pair at your side in an instant with concern writ large in their eyes as a golden thread darts out of the improvised exit after them.

“Why are we running? WHY are we running?!” Francine demands immediately after spooling herself back together. Irritation promptly shifts to concern when she sees the condition you’re in once you take Rath’s offered hand are hauled into her and Gina’s waiting arms.

“I lost you. It felt like half of me was just…just *gone*, and I couldn’t terraform the stupid building ‘cause it’s not biomass, and…woah. Wait, you talked to Ma-?!” GG almost blurts out as your rekindled bond info-dumps on her faster than she can process. Rath’s eyes flare white as they dart between the two of you, and when Gina’s hands fly to her mouth you just pull them both tighter. “I’ll tell you both everything in a moment, but there’s something I have to do first, okay?”

Reluctantly, they let you take a step back, and you pat Amara’s head reassuringly before turning to address Jackie.

"To answer your question? No, not really. But it's nothing to do with any danger I was in. Don't worry about that, Jackie. I was perfectly safe, I just had a very intense conversation." You say, your explanation only prompting further questions that remain unvoiced as you add; “I learned some things I need to share with everyone. That includes you and yours, Jackie. Can someone go around and gather everyone up? Oh, and apologize to Paloma for me delaying yet again. I know I'm already keeping her waiting, but the sooner this is said the better."

“Yeah…yeah, Shu, I’ll be-“ She starts to mutter before your hand finds her shoulder.

"But before anyone goes, I think I also need to apologize to you all, too. The place I went...it's complicated, but it was kind of like the Dreamscape.” You explain, every word a chore as you draw in another exhausted breath…but you have to let them know. “I got a look at your thoughts, a little. There was...well, to put it bluntly? I think i saw into your very souls.”

Surprise crosses the faces of all present, and while Jackie goes an even paler shade of white, Nerada’s expression shifts as her eyes cut warily between Dorian and Rath.

(Continued)
>>
>>5048271

“I thought you couldn’t read minds anymore.” The young Hive Mistress says quietly, her voice level.

“For what it’s worth, I wasn't trying to.” You continue apologetically, addressing all present. “It was completely unintentional, but the fact remains that I’m sorry it happened. Please know that if any of you wish to know what it was about, then I’m more than willing to tell you...but you'll want privacy when we do, I’m fairly certain."

“I…okay. I’ll hold you to that.” Jackie mutters, hesitating just a moment before she slices open a fresh tear in reality. “Be right back; gonna let Paloma know we’ll be a minute.”

“What did you see?” Nerada prompts, her even tone betraying a sense of urgency that only galvanizes your decision.

"Before I explain more...there’s something I need a minute to do, okay?" You finish with a sigh, and after drawing in a shuddering breath, you take a step forward as Nerada takes one back. Gesturing to your family to give you a bit of privacy, you approach the one person who you know needs help as much as you do. The one person who, unlike you, has no one to talk to.

You take a knee to bring yourself eye-level with Nerada’s taut frame, her hands working to remain relaxed as she watches your family retreat back a little ways. When you reach forward, she flinches as you draw her into a hug, speaking close to the girl’s ear so that only she can hear your words.

"I’m sorry. I know I have no right to have heard what I did, but I just wanted to let you know...you don’t need to hide for us, or pretend to be normal."

She looks so very conflicted as you pull back to meet her eyes, your hands resting on her tense shoulders as you give a reassuring chuckle. It’s a laugh that almost breaks you as you try desperately to comfort this young girl as much as you’re comforting yourself.

“I…you know I’m pretending?” Nerada asks, not quite believing what she’s hearing, and still looking ready to bolt as she glances yet again towards your allies as Dorian whispers to Rath.

"I do…and I want you to know that none of us are normal, and we don’t expect you to be either. If you have worries, or something you need help with, we WANT to help you.” You say insistently. “We're your friends, we want to be your friends, and we want you to be ours. So please, we won’t abandon you, Nerada. All of us have done things...terrible things that we truly regret. We’ve all let things happen we wish hadn't."

“I...I don’t understand.” She feebly replies, clearly unused to what you’re trying to convey.

Your hands tighten around her shoulders, and despite your best efforts of holding back your tears you feel a few roll down your cheeks and into the smile you’ve leveled at the cautious, confused young girl. “We have each other to help get through those, and if you want...we can help you do that too, ok?"

(Continued)
>>
>>5048272

“…Okay.” Nerada eventually whispers, her small voice still uncertain. “I don't really get it, but you're really nice.”

You pull her in again, and after a few seconds she tentatively returns your hug...and she’s not the only one. A pair of small arms loop around your and Nerada’s shoulders as Amara gives you both a tight squeeze, with Sir FuzzBuzz gently lowering himself to ‘boop’ the top of the other Hive Mistress’ head.

“If there’s huggin’, we gotta join in.” Amara solemnly declares. “It’s the law.”

Nerada laughs, the volume indicative of the wave of relief that seems to have come over the young girl. To your right, space warps again as Jackie steps forth from the tear, her blade holding the gap open to allow a trio of familiar figures to step forth.

“Holy shit, you guys!” Quinn cries out, the blonde throwing her arms wide and scooping up both Rath and Gina. Keane squeals with delight at seeing you again, and when she darts forward with a greeting you have to lean back to avoid being smacked in the face by her over-sized witch’s hat. Ace quietly nods to Dorian, and he politely nods back…until Ace opens her armor and withdraws a bottle of wine with an echoing chuckle.

“Hey hey, don’t get too fuckin’ chummy! We got business!” Jackie yells, trying to make herself heard over the chaos.

“So hey, uh…quick question.” Rath mumbles, clearing her throat as she casts a pointed glance over to the still-smoldering hole she made in the roof. “Is that gonna be a problem?”

“What? Oh, it'll be fine. I broke one of Paloma's dinner glasses the other day, and she was cool about it. Anyway!” The leader of the Midnight Crew answers dismissively, turning to you before Rath can voice her reservations about comparing two very different levels of property damage. “I told her about the weird Relic stuff that just happened, so she’s fine with postponing until you’re good and ready. She’s got rooms for all of us and then some, so she said to rest if you need to.”

“No, I’m-“ You barely get out before a pair of voices cut you off in lock-step.

“Love!”

“Dude!”

Gina and Rath scowl at you in unison, and despite the legions of swarmlings you could summon to your side in an instant, you still somehow feel outnumbered.

“Ahem…perhaps they have a point?” Dorian posits, and you can see he’s trying his damnedest to hide the smirk that’s playing on his amused features.

As adamant as your family seems, you still feel bad about keeping your host waiting…

>>While you know a good rest is due, you won’t keep Paloma on hold…meet with her. Then you can relax a bit.

>>…Fine. You’ll relax, but just long enough to catch up with your family and tell them what you need to. You’ll keep it brief, and then you’ll meet with Paloma.

>>Accept your host’s offer, and relax (Choose members of your family to explore the Ikea/rest with).

>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next four hours, with posting to resume at 10AM Eastern time on Tuesday, November 9th. Thank you all for your continued participation, enthusiasm, and patience, and I wish you a very restful weekend. I’ll be around, as I’ll be working on behind-the-scenes maintenance over some of tomorrow and most of Sunday, and there’s also some art I’ve been meaning to drop for inspiration’s sake. In any case, take care, and be safe.)
>>
>>5048274
>"Honestly guys? I really need to get what happened off my chest. Ill wait to meet Paloma til after i rest but... I dont think i'd get any til i get this off my chest."
>if the family insists, at last move to a more comfortable place.
>Regardless, tell them everything.
>About the souls and what happened when you spoke to them(but not what they said, of course), about the mountain that was the cord, the ashes and trek there... about West and how she looked... and about Mara.
>don't leave anything out, they deserve to know what she said... and what you said aswell.
>dont hold your emotions back either, let them do what they need.
>afterwards, let them ask what they need, and then take that offered rest.
>>At best maybe send word to Paloma and through Orwell to try and hash out where those 'sacrificial' settlements may be, though you're pretty sure you have a good idea. still though, thats certainly info you want to make sure any still standing have, even if only quietly to their leaders, assuming Orwell and the others think they can handle it.

the last part is kinda optional, but thought i'd put it on the table.
>>
>>5048276
thanks for running.
it was... certainly a damn emotionally intense end to the week as far as the quest goes. hot damn man, you know how to make moment sting HARD at times.

looking forward to hearing how things are going backchannel too!
>>
>>5048276
(Also, I know the player who clocked in earlier today had an eight hour shift, so I'll leave voting open for the next six hours, instead.)

>>5048281
(Ha, you are quite welcome, and I'm glad you enjoyed it.)
>>
>>5048276
Thanks for running, BHOP. This has been a rough one, but rough in a good way. I might cringe to read it sometimes, but only because I'm invested and I know any gutpunches are gonna hit hard. See you next time, man, and I hope you have a great weekend.
>>
>>5048274
>>…Fine. You’ll relax, but just long enough to catch up with your family and tell them what you need to. You’ll keep it brief, and then you’ll meet with Paloma.
>Write-In
>"I appreciate the offer, but rest isn't going to help. I don't think I'm going to feel any better until I've explained. You'll feel worse, though. Sorry. But you need to hear this."
>>
>>5048319
you know?
i just realized.
Uzu is here. this conversations gonna get real fucking shitty real fucking fast, even compared to how bad it already was about to be at first glance already.

thank lord Dream Daughters cant go hunger mad i guess. because i cant see her taking that perfectly and no one will blame her either.
>>
>>5048330
Yeah. Should we take her aside first and tell just her?
>>
>>5048337
maybe? I think its probably fine to still tell her it as a group. but if you think we should add something to tell her to brace herself or anything akin to that extra, im fine with it. middle ground between the two i think will work best here.
>>
>>5048291
Thank you for your consideration. In all honesty, within this time-frame would require more than just the 2 hours I have left to formulate a response as I'm thinking of essentially a "storytime" write-in for the intense emotional episode. I'll post the vote some time over the weekend although I'm not sure if it would count as valid and I'm uncertain if Bhop keeps an open eye on the vein over the weekend.

The Mara thing will be a major highlight for the archives.

In other news. I had a realization as to why progress on Cradleton was stalling: My muse wanted to write Epilogue/side stories of Carter's time in Cradleton post-cult plot. Goddamn plot bunnies.
>>
>>5048531
well while you may be around, and we still have an hour, may aswell ask.

whats your opinion on
>>5048330
>>5048337
>>5048340
this line of thought?
>>
>>5048557
Hmm....yeah. I'm on board with this line of thought. that encounter with Mara is very much emotionally intense and even though Shu's been putting up a hell of a poker face and a brave face at that, shit like this can pretty much overwhelm anyone.

If anything, the ikea visit as well as Paloma's offer to let us use the place as a home away from the Dragon's Roost would definitely be something to be taken advantage of. We're gonna need all the time and conversations with our family to sort out this gigantic emotional mess we've unearthed with Mara.
>>
>>5048568
sure, but i meant on how to handle Uzu, considering this impacts her a bit more than the rest.
>>
>>5048568
Yeah. After this it's going to be uncomfortable living in Mara's old house. We should probably just strip out the Engines and Forge and leave it. Maybe someday in the future we'll be able to go there again, but for now it would only draw up bad associations.

>>5048570
Maybe we could draw her into the Dreamscape, give her a place she feels secure in? Though that could just taint a memory.
>>
>>5048570
ah. shit.
Uzu will definitely need forewarning on how heavy the topic subject will be, as the reveal will be tantamount to betrayal, and likely one of our first people to have a 1 on 1 session immediately after "storytime of Shu's adventures in the soul realm"

Actually, anyone who has past brushes with treachery/betrayal will likely be advised to sit down and actually try to rein in their emotions during storytime while they digest this information lest they do anything rash (glancing at Rath here).
>>
>>5048580
Oh, shit, yeah. Rath is going to go incendiary. Did not think about that. So Uzu, Isabel, Rath, maybe Jackie as well...anyone else we'll have to warn?

Oh, and what are we going to do about Julia? She should hear this, too. I guess we can set a commling as a speakerphone. Maybe bring Andromeda on the line, too, to ask her about the Control Contagion and what, if anything, we can do about Mara being able to influence through it.
>>
>>5048580
>>5048584
see thats kinda my issue.
now we're just making it to where we basically may aswell just tell everyone individually once the list is expanded that much.
im fine with Uzu, as the Monastery is kinda the biggest crux of the emotional issues here, but its just not at all realistic to really forewarn every single person.
>>
>>5048588
I was thinking just warn them that they weren't going to like what they hear and to stay calm, not individual storytimes. Sorry, I think I skipped a step in there. But yeah, if we tell anyone one-on-one it should just be Uzu, while everyone else gets a "hey, please don't literally explode" before we start the group explanation.
>>
>>5048274
>>5048280
amending vote;
>"Honestly guys? I really need to get what happened off my chest. Ill wait to meet Paloma til after i rest but... I dont think i'd get any til i get this off my chest."
>if the family insists, at last move to a more comfortable place.
>Before you begin, give a good warning.
>"Look, Some of what im about to say wont sit well with anyone, but some especially so... please, prepare yourselves... and Uzu? im sorry if you take this the wrong way but... forewarning? im sorry, truly truly sorry... but you needed to be warned more than anyone else."
>them everything.
>About the souls and what happened when you spoke to them(but not what they said, of course), about the mountain that was the cord, the ashes and trek there... about West and how she looked... and about Mara.
>don't leave anything out, they deserve to know what she said... and what you said aswell.
>dont hold your emotions back either, let them do what they need.
>afterwards, let them ask what they need, and then take that offered rest.
>>At best maybe send word to Paloma and through Orwell to try and hash out where those 'sacrificial' settlements may be, though you're pretty sure you have a good idea. still though, thats certainly info you want to make sure any still standing have, even if only quietly to their leaders, assuming Orwell and the others think they can handle it.

not perfect but figured at least get SOME form of it in there with how crutch the timeframe is.
>>
>>5048274
>…Fine. You’ll relax, but just long enough to catch up with your family and tell them what you need to.
>"I won't lie, I really need to get this off my chest. And I need to lie down after witnessing what I've seen and heard."
>"But I want to warn all of you. and I do mean All of you. Each and every one. What I want to recount is very heavy and emotionally intense. Some of it I'm sure will make you angry as I was. So please, when I'm ready to speak, I would like all of you to sit down."
>"And afterwards, if you need anything, even if you want to talk with me, let me know."
>Take several minutes to compose yourself and think back to what you've seen and then begin recounting your tale of your journey through the realm of the soul.
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>>5048590
man, this really is not gonna be a fun time for our family, huh? the problem is its not just a new shitty thing, but new making a past shitty day contextually significantly worse too.
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>>5048594
Yep. We should do something nice and decisive after we've all cooled down some. Take our minds off of this, and give us something else to work towards. Hunting down those components Paloma needs to get the Ikea moving, maybe, that could do it.

Also, I just thought of something: Do the Midnight Crew know what Deprived are? Well, I'm sure BHOP can work in a little context update for them in the broader relaying of the information.
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>>5048595
yeah, after Shu rests(and lets be honest, our family too), we'll need something a bit more lighthearted to do. making an Ikea land boat sounds nice. Rath even made them a place to stick a steam engine chimney out of!

>Do the Midnight Crew know what Deprived are?
well they're about to find out if they dont. not sure this is how they would've liked to find out though.
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>>5048274
>For storytime post when we finally find a place to sit down and when everyone's gathered around and sitting down with proper forewarning for the emotionally intense content.

Be warned, I have to split this write-in into 3 parts.

>Take out the Silver key and turn it over in your hands as if pondering its function.
>"It started when Jackie used her Vorpal knife to cut us a shortcut into Ikea."
>"When I stepped into the rift that Jackie made, I thought I was going to come out through to the other side. The Silver key was an anchor for the dreamscape, but what I didn't expect was the Silver Key to work in the space between."
>"Turns out, the Silver Key and the Vorpal Knife were cut from the same cloth. Two sides of the same coin."
>"Where I ended up was a place not unlike the Dreamscape."
>"No. It was older than that. It was an older version of the Dreamscape. One without the dream scenes. It was more like a realm of souls where everything laid bare."
>"And the souls were the twinkling stars that floated and danced around me."
>a warm smile creeps upon your face. Look at the faces of those whose souls you've seen, Rath, Gina, Isabelle, etc. Linger just a hair longer at Amara.
>"Your souls were beautiful stars. Bearing the same colors as your eyes."
>the smile fades as you move onwards towards the next subject.
cont.
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>>5048274
>>5048665
>"In the distance in the realm was the mountain, I thought it strange at first, but as I went closer to it, I realized I was looking at the Cord itself."
>"Near the Cord, were hundreds-no, thousands of stars, each of them clashing with each other in the no-mans land. Each soul that died turned to ash that sank deep into the ground that went all the way up to my waist. How many daughters had perished in that place to create ash waist deep in the soul realm I don't want to find out the exact answer."
>"And yet. I kept going. I climbed the mountain. The cord at its base was blackened with soot from the souls of fallen daughters. The higher I went, the cleaner the Cord became. I saw a soul perish from unknown pressures in its ascent when it tried to climb back down. It seemed the Cord punishes climbers with death the moment they back down. Climb or Die."
>"And yet I kept going. I kept climbing. I saw West Prime on that mountain. Her soul was this...Fetid blackened thing with six limbs. And she could see me. She even greeted me cordially."
>your body becomes itchy and you can't help but shiver.
>"How did she know I was there? She must have been to the soul realm before somehow otherwise she wouldn't have noticed me."
>"Still, I kept climbing. I was near the peak. I kept climbing until I was just beneath the peak, the final stretch."
>"I saw Ozma's soul. Her soul wasn't even a star, it looked more like the embers of a dying fire. Her admin abuse cost her heavily."
>"And there beneath the peak, I saw Mara. Her soul was Silver Grey."
>"It's been a long time since I talked to her, and I had so many questions ever since she left. After Magpie's terrorism streak? The Monastery event? Why she was so keen on giving us all these boons? I had to ask.
>take a deep breath.
>"She told me everything. She told me the truth."
>"Do you remember Selene in Arcadia? Her core ability was classified as a 'deprived' class. A hidden 13th class of Daughters who are given terrible powers as their baseline at a terrible price."
>"The boons of the Deprived are that they wield powers that can warp reality. Causality, paradoxes, and maybe even time travel, things that take the laws of the reality and break it over their knee."
>"But the price they pay is that they can't win. They can't take the throne on top of the Cord. Their existence is Anathema to the Crucible, so much so they're instantly deleted the moment they sit down on the throne."
>"Mara is one of the Deprived."
>"And her Core ability is that of influencing causality. To manipulate cause and effect."
>"Mara fought in the Crucible to become the strongest daughter. No one could defeat her. No one could touch her. She was simply winning until she realized she couldn't win because of her core."
cont.
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>>5048665
>>5048274
>>5048667
>"What Mara told me next is the part that disgusted me."
>"She couldn't claim the throne because of her core. So she did the next best thing within her means."
>"She played as a kingmaker."
>"She gathered resources, established settlements, groomed aspiring daughters whom were full of hopes and dreams to tackle the Cord as her successors. Putting a Geas on those who she can't trust."
>"The settlements she established? She had categorized into three types: Experimental settlements who operate on the premise of finding out alternative ways to stave off the Hunger like the Altered Altar, Bastion settlements like the Monastery whose purpose is to stockpile and trade resources and information..."
>force the bile back down your throat.
>"And...'Investments'...settlements full of daughters that are sacrificed wholesale through a hunger crisis she engineers through her causality manipulation to "cash-in on her investment" and to test and enrich a potential successor."
>a bitter look of disgust becomes plain on your face.
>"The Monastery was one such 'investment settlements'. And in 'cashing-in', she used her core to nudge Uzu into..."
>Inner emotions roil and conflict with each other. Guilt, regret, shame, anger, sadness, hope, despair, all of it churns within your eyes as you quietly plead Uzu with your teary eyes for calm and forgiveness.
>"I'm sorry Uzu. I don't know what else to say...I...I'm sorry."
>lapse into silence take a moment to take deep breaths and reorient yourself to continue the story.
>"I called Mara out for her misdeeds. Angrily so. I even slapped her in the face. She deserved that much at least, even if she and I were separated by a separate dimension and a thousand miles and a power gap rivaling that of heaven and earth."
>Anger, indignation flares once more within you.
>"She deserved to be called out for her bullshit and for those she manipulated and sacrificed."
>"I left the soul realm shortly after calling Mara out."
>Heave a heavy sigh. Exhaustion settling in as the emotions leave your body. Give everyone an apologetic pleading look, accept any hugs that are offered to you.
"I'm sorry for making all of you worry about me. I'm sorry that you have to hear all of this."
>"I don't know how I feel about Mara now. On one hand, there is a part of me that is forever disgusted. She's no different than West, throwing near countless daughters under the bus. And yet... she's pulled so much for us with what she's given us that we wouldn't be here having this conversation."
>"West won't make it past Mara in a fair fight. So she's going to do the next best thing: Camp out near the peak and wait for us to begin our ascent."
>"They will be waiting for us at the top, West and Mara both. We'll need to prepare for them both."
>"But for now, I just want to rest and sort out my feelings. It's been an exhausting day already."
>Extend an offer to Amara (and Nerada if she wants) to snuggle into your arms rest with you.
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>>5048276

In writing the "story time" write-in, I made a realization:
We're very likely to be facing both Mara and West Prime as both the Ultimate and Penultimate Final Boss of the Quest. We might face both at the same time given how both of them decided to camp near the peak in such close proximity. This is definitely a major upgrade from the "Demigod Isabelle as Quest Final boss" Bhop had planned early on in the quest before we derailed that plotline with our wit and prudence.

Bhop, you bamboozling ball of biomass..You wanted this to happen didn't you?
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>>5048668
You know, I wonder if Mara also killed Elder Uzu's proxy? I remember everyone commenting on how weird it was for her to suddenly collapse like that. It would make sense, the Monastery was pretty stable with Proxy Elder Uzu in charge, she'd need to go before Uzu could be driven over the edge.

>>5048674
I'm not sure it will go quite like that. For one thing, Mara might be disgustingly consequentialist, but she does want the world to be saved. I can see her standing aside and just letting us do our work. It doesn't have to be a big dumb boss fight. Let's not just assume that we'll have to fight her. We should still prepare for a worst-case scenario, but we should at least leave open the possibility that we won't have to fight.

For another, given the cosmic origins of the Crucible and our plans to crash the system, I can see there being some final conflict with the Crucible's makers. Maybe not where we physically battle them, but one where we have to debate and argue with them over their actions and the harm they've caused, and convince them to not be jackasses about our attempt to break free of their cycle.

West is absolutely going to be the first fight of however it goes down, though, yeah. I actually find it weirdly endearing that she's determined that our party will be the last thing she needs to eat before she'll have the power to fight Mara. Not all the other Daughters she'll have eaten waiting for us to show up, we'll somehow do more than all of them combined. She's gotten a bit fixated on us, huh?
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>>5048898
on the flipside, Mara absolutely seems to be the type who would willingly throw herself against Shu to serve as a "final exam" sort of boss to test our resolve and power like she did when we first encountered her at the city during our rescue mission to save Kosi from Mara. It would likely serve as her own form of atonement for all of the things she has done and give Shu the final bit of "growth" . we'd likely need before we become ready to meet our makers.
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>>5048912
Huh, yeah, that is true, isn't it? It fits her pattern of making things more complicated than they need to be. I hope not, though, climbing the Cord and fighting West should be final exam enough.
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>>5048912
>>5048926
i think it'll depend heavily on just how fixated Mara still is on finding a way to make this 'her win'.
of course, m sure everyone wants to say 'but shes over that', but is she?
think about it. i kinda couldn't find a good place to mention it, but part of what stings about her and the Monastery is the very fact of when that was. that was it. she left right after that. that means she had to have left still to a pretty damn significant degree still being 'the old Mara' even if you want to argue shes changed. but then... when did she change? she clearly hadn't truly done so then, she had just fucking cashed out afterall. but she spent all her time after that at the Cord, and it sounds like she hasn't really had anyone to talk to during that time. (maybe the Cord Guardian after his pact with the cord was severed by mother? but did she climb before then? or was his pact even one she could sever?).
sure, she seemed regretful when we talked to her, but it sounds like she had known for longer than just knowing us at least somewhat that she was making mistakes, so why assume when we only ever knew the her willing to do that that shes truly changed at her core? what actual evidence do we have to that?
with that, if she decides in the end whatever we have planned or wish to do cant be said to be 'her winning', i think the likelihood of her fighting us is higher than we might hope for. the question is just how likely it is for us to do something she would think that way about?
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>>5049220
It's less that I think she's changed, and more that I'm hoping her utilitarianism outweighs her pride. Remember, we're her only option at this point. She said it herself, the Cord lets you rise but doesn't let you descend. The final dungeon is the point of no return, you don't get to exit and go grind some more. Mara doesn't have any more opportunities to find some other heroic Daughter to groom as the world's savior. Even if she did, she probably doesn't have the time for it. So really, her only choices are "stand aside and let Shu work" or "get in her way and be personally responsible for the death of the human species". I'm really hoping she'll make the smart decision.

I'm sure she'll still try to get her input heard, though. Probably argue with us about it a lot. It'll just be up to us to make sure it doesn't escalate. Though if it does escalate, I fully plan on having a "this is not even the slightest bit productive for you, why are you doing this?" dialogue write-in in every round.
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>>5049220
>that pic
yoinking that for a secondary reference for a certain parlor owner in Cradleton.

picture aside, it seems like Mara's actions and dialogue post Monastery seems more tinged with regret in retrospect. The pride and joy we felt through the empathy field on that day of the monastery event now feels more like a final flare of hope that's been kindled in Mara and the only thing sustaining her will and resolve is observing us from a distance and watching us grow and progress.

And given that Bhop's a sucker for thematics, I am of the view that Mara might go through with it should she still believe Shu's not up to the task. The amount of pride and trust she's placed in us both implicitly and explicitly despite confession that shattered the pedestal Shu placed her on feels like she's very much expecting to fight Shu and for Shu to fight Mara. It's pretty much something of a xanatos gambit for Mara at this point. If Shu defeats Mara, then Mara dies satisfied knowing that Shu has the stronger resolve and dies for her sins. If Mara defeats Shu, then it confirms to Mara her deep seated sins is stronger than the heroic deeds shes done in her endeavor to save the world and that she justly deserved the slow condemnation.
>>
Hey BHOP, I just found a neat song that I think fits the Midnight Crew really well, tell me what you think!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI7mRKhws2Q
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>>5049665
(Just popping in to day that this song kicks tremendous ass, and that it's going on the Playlist. Very much their vibe.)
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>>5049665
I agree with BHOP, that's a pretty rocking song.
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>>5049850
Found two songs with titles befitting of its melody. So much so that I cannot help but transcribe the mental images that play out.

Behold: "God Shattering Star". The title says it all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMfvZmhqW0A

>Location: No-Man's Land

>The ever chaotic battlefield near the base of the Cord. Thousands of daughters fight and wage ceaseless war against one another, in groups or individually while the Gatekeeper Sargatanas watches stoically.
>Cue music.
>A quake that disturbs the battlefield. Those closest near the edge immediately stop to stare.
>A second quake ripples through. The fighting swiftly quiets, the unusual calm disturbing many. Sargatanas frowns as he stares at the horizon.
>The third quake cements the news to those in the field. A new challenger has arrived. A Mighty challenger.
>Everyone now notices the source of the overwhelming presence on the horizon. The Three Apocalypses of the Crucible have gathered. Leading them is the Defiant.
>Shu steps forward from underneath, followed by her family. Soon her friends step forward to stand by her side, allies, associates, those who have been aided or touched by her ideals and presence. They form an Army. A Defiant Crusade against the Heavens.
>Shu begins her charge. A slow walk that soon quickens its pace into a full sprint with each measure of the song mirrored by those under her banner. Those who challenge the defiant begin to gravitate and initiate a counter-charge. Sargatanas Rises to his full height, drawing upon powers bestowed to him aeons-old tradition ready to stop those who would defy it.
>The Defiant Crusade clashes with the Chaotic denizens of the No-man's land with Shu at the tip of the spear.
>Titanic daughters clash against Behemoth's unstoppable bulwark as he strides with focused wroth.
>Leviathan slithers across land as if it were ocean, its world-spanning bulk forming a massive wall that shields the Crusade and shreds those who dare attack it from the flanks.
>Ziz soars across the skies shielding the army below and tearing through the swarms of airborne daughters, cementing its status as the stormlord of the skies.
>Friends, family, and allies clear a path through chaotic terrain and maddened daughter alike as they rush towards the Cord to make way for the one leading the charge.
>And throughout the new brand of chaos, there is a change in the air. Old combatants of the field start to fight alongside the Crusade.
>A slow trickle at first, but as the Crusade makes headway, the trickle turns into a stream, then a river, then a wave. Riding upon the wave of hope and defiance, for both selfish and selfless gain as they charge towards the cord in an advance to overwhelm the Gatekeeper that has barred their entry to the Ascent.
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>>5049850

And for the other song: "Apex of the World".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eq-qUy-a-A

>Location: Near the Cord's peak.

>The final battle presents itself as Shu steps forward to face West and Mara, both seeking to bar her way. Both seeking to test the Defiant in their own individual way.
>Shu reflects upon the progress she has made, those she has saved, those she can save, those yet to be saved, those she failed to save.
>The weight of the world rests heavy on her shoulders, the hopes and dreams she carries upon her back. Friend, Lover, Family, Mother.
>In the lens of the liminal soulscape, Shu's soul is a multi-colored multi-faceted star whose size and radiance contrasts that of Mara's Silver-blue Giant and West's Consuming Black hole.
>It forms a mantle that encompasses her very being.
>She charges and the battle begins in earnest.
>All around the world, everyone looks skywards towards the Cord. Their breaths hitched in anticipation.

I hope these songs strike your muse and playlist with a thunderous chord of inspiration.
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>>5049980
ah God Shattering Star a very good piece of music.

and to be honest the charge of the titans in not a bad comparison considering the Bossfight this piece was written for.
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>>5049980
It's going to be an epic showdown, yeah. Though I suspect we'll probably get just as many people following us because we're clearing a path and want to take advantage as because they're inspired by us. I'm sure some people are fighting for the Cord because they want the Crucible to end and just don't realize the trap, but there must also be plenty who want the power. And also don't realize the trap, presumably. Unless they've got their own plans for hijacking it, in which case good for them. I mean, I don't want smart opponents, but at least it speaks well for their reasoning skills.
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>>5048274

"Honestly guys? I’ll wait to meet Paloma ‘til after I rest…” You begin with a heavy, honest sigh as Gina and Rath relax a little, their double-barreled protests at the ready in case you tried to fight them on this.

“…because I dont think I’d get any until I get this off my chest. What I want to recount is…very heavy and emotionally intense. I’m sure that some of it is going to make you angry as I was. So please, when I'm ready to speak, I would like all of you to sit down."

It doesn’t take long for your remaining trio of Dream Daughters to join you, plus November after a short wait. Your family worriedly gathers ‘round as you wince, taking an uncomfortable but much-needed seat on the edge of the roof’s lip. A few kneel, a few sit, while Holly, Johanna, Uzu and B’ni stand at the back. Gina and Rath are by your side, and while the latter keeps glancing your way with a worried expression, GG’s just quietly rubbing the small of your back, keeping your nerves at bay.

She knows what you do…and she knows how hard this is going to be for you to put into words.

You glance up at a genteel cough to see Dorian with a Commling in his hands, and once everyone’s settled in he addresses the girls on the other end. “Lady Julia, Miss Andromeda? Can you hear us?”

“L-Loud and clear!” The kindly Flesh Artisan announces. “We’re both here, so g-go ahead Shu!”

"Look, some of what I’m about to say won’t sit well with anyone, but for some others, it...just…please, prepare yourselves.” You caution, before taking a breath. “And…Uzu?”

The young woman startles a bit at being singled out, and a glance to her right makes you lock eyes with B’ni’s…and she just quietly takes Uzu’s hand in her own, sensing your warning before you utter a word of it. “Look, Uzu…I’m sorry if you take this the wrong way but I wanted to give you some forewarning. I’m sorry, truly sorry...but you needed to be warned more than anyone else."

The Monastery’s former director tightens her hand around B’ni’s, and with that?

You tell your family what you know. About the souls that opened up, unbidden, at the sound of your voice. About the mountain that was the Cord, the ashes and trek there. About the climb. About West.

About…

"What Mara told me next is the part that disgusted me." You continue, drawing in a warm breath of air that still chills you to the core. "Because she was a Deprived, she couldn’t claim the throne without dooming humanity. So she did the next best thing within her means."

"She played kingmaker." Francine muses, and you nod grimly.

(Continued)
>>
>>5051504

"She gathered resources, established settlements, groomed aspiring Daughters whom were full of hopes and dreams to tackle the Cord as her successors. Putting a Geas on those who she can't trust." You explain, a knot forming in your chest the closer you creep to the inevitable. "She categorized the settlements she founded into three types: Experimental settlements who operate on the premise of finding out alternative ways to stave off the Hunger like the Altered Altar, Bastion settlements like the Monastery whose purpose is to stockpile and trade resources and information, and..."

Gina’s hand in on your shoulder as you swallow down the emotions that threaten to choke out the words you need to voice.

“…and 'Investments'. Settlements full of daughters that are sacrificed wholesale through a hunger crisis she engineers through her causality manipulation to…to cash-in. Her words and to test and enrich a potential successor."

You can see it—the slow, terrible realization dawning on those gathered before you.

Still, you press on.

"The Monastery was one such 'investment settlement'. And in 'cashing-in', she used her core to nudge Uzu into..."

Guilt, regret, shame, anger…all of that and more churns within you as you meet Uzu’s wide, stunned eyes.

"I'm sorry Uzu. I don't know what else to say...I...I'm sorry."

There’s no breeze, no gasp, no sound in that moment. Uzu’s just…numbly staring out at the horizon, her fingers limp in B’ni’s grasp. She silently turns, walking over to the opposite edge of the roof as her friends stay by her side.

Uzu’s shoulders start to shake with sobs you can’t hear…and then, from close by an overwhelming heat comes, then the familiar tang of ozone. Rath’s entire form flares red-hot, then bright white as Nerada scrambles back, and at that same moment Dorian’s entire frame starts shaking with rage as furious red lightning arcs along his trembling limbs.

“It…it all makes sense.” Orwell murmurs, too stunned by the news to even start her usual pacing. Instead, she shuffles from foot to foot, her eyes darting about as she reviews everything you’ve said, turning it over and over again in her mind. For your part, Rath’s hand finds your shoulder as she takes the seat next to you, the blistering heat that radiates from her palm suddenly shifting to a gentle warmth the moment her skin meets yours.

"I called Mara out. I was angry. I hit her, even.” You continue, and Jackie gives a snort of approval as everyone else hangs on every word. “She deserved that much, at least. She deserved to be called out for her bullshit and for those she manipulated and sacrificed, and...I..."

“What happened then?” Amara whispers, and you realize you’d gotten lost in anger for a long moment.

(Continued)
>>
>>5051507

"She…I left. Came back here, to all of you.” Heaving a sigh, exhaustion starts to pluck at every raw nerve in your body as you shake your head. "I'm sorry for making all of you worry about me. I'm sorry that you have to hear-“

“You…” Dorian growls like thunder, rounding on you as he crosses the four-meter gap between you with a crack of lightning. “…you have no apologies to make, Miss Shu. Not. A. One.”

“Gotta go with Mister Darcy, here.” Jackie groans, rising to her feet. “Mara ran you through the ringer, so what the hell you sayin’ sorry for?”

"I just…I don't know how I feel about Mara now.” You groan, pinching the bridge of your nose between thumb and forefinger to drown out your burgeoning headache. “On one hand, there’s a part of me that’s disgusted. Mara’s no different than West, throwing who-know-ho-many Daughters into slaughterhouses of her own making. And yet... she's pulled so much for us with what she's given us that we wouldn't be here having this conversation."

“All that aside—what’s her game?” Orwell demands, her concentric pacing reduced to her teetering in place on one heel. “Is she planning on taking out West for us? ‘Cause if so, I-oh, cool, of course not. That’d be way too freakin’ helpful.” The teen mutters irritably after you start shaking your head.

"West won't make it past Mara in a fair fight. Mara knows it. West knows it. So she's going to do the next best thing: Camp out near the peak and wait for us to begin our ascent." You explain, this news only inspiring a fresh wave of fury that ripples through your compatriots. "They’ll be waiting for us at the top, West *and* Mara…so we’ll need to prepare to face them both, when the time comes.”

"But for now?” You say, shifting your tone as you shake your sleeping legs awake. “I just want to rest and sort out my feelings…and I’d hazard a guess that we all might need some time to do just that. It's been an exhausting day, already."

“I’m going to research.” Orwell announces, the teenage Skintalker’s brow knit with focus. “I can try and figure out where those sacrificial settlements are. I’m sure there are ones we’ve already discovered could fall into that category.”

“D-Dorian, could you give the commling to Orwell?” Julia’s voice crackles over the skittish construct, still grasped tightly in Dorian’s hand. “If she’s going to sc-scour what we’ve discovered so f-far, then Andromeda’s research m-might be of help!”

“Gotta say, I could use the extra hands.” Orwell admits as Dorian tosses her the Commling. “Dorian, do you-“

“I am going for a walk.” He says curtly, and in a flash of crimson lighting, he’s gone. Amara looks from where he once stood to see Nerada standing uncomfortably at the edge of the small crowd, and she glances back to you with a worried look.

“Go.” You say with a tired smile. “I’ll be fine, sweetie.”

(Continued)
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>>5051512

Amara reluctantly trots off to attend to her peer, while Gina gently takes hold of your chin and turns your eyes to meet hers.

[Babe, you need…] She begins through your bond before speaking aloud after glancing to Rath. "You need to rest."

"I'm with GG. You got that look in your eye that tell me you're thinking about everybody but yourself, and we're not gonna let that shit fly." The redhead on your left chimes in sternly. "So, what'cha wanna do?"

"I…" You start,only to find no words forthcoming to your dry, weary lips. "...I have no idea."

"Well...I like to think I know what's best for you, but you feel…scattered." The brunette on your right murmurs concernedly. "So whatever comes to mind, whatever you think might help...we'll make it happen, Shu."

You strugfle for an answer as your eyes rove across those still gathered on the top of this concrete anomaly. Francine and November appear to be engaged in a fervent discussion at the far corner of the roof, while Jackie and the Midnight Crew lurk at the opposite one. Jackie's putting on a brave face, but you can tell she's almost as shaken as you are...a fact that's not lost on the Crew as they focus their attentions on her.

Between them, Uzu sits with B'ni on her right, Holly to her left, and Johanna's powerful frame looming over them like a muscle-bound guardian. B'ni glances your way as she says something to her friend that's well out of earshot, but the emerald-eyed girl just nods appreciatively when you meet her gaze.

Honesty, even when it hurts.

Truth, to who it is due.

...You just wish doing the right thing didn't hurt like a bitch.

In any case, what you want to do next is slowly taking shape in your mind, and when you next turn to Gina, you have an answer.

>>You're already with the two people who can help you relax the most, so go somewhere to talk with Gina and Rath.

>>You need to spend some time around a bit if youthful optimism, right now. Go spend some time with Amara and Nerada.

>>Go check on Dorian...his abruptness belied an anger you've only rarely seen him exhibit.

>>Anger still roils in your chest, and you need an outlet...now's as good or as terrible a time as any for a duel with Jackie. Maybe she needs it as much as you, right now.

>>Take some time to yourself and wander the Ikean Fortress alone. You need to well and truly clear your head.

>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Good Morning, Everyone. I hope you had a restful weekend, and that your week is off to a good start. Mine went well, and I even played a bit of Library of Ruina, which I got on a recent sale. I’m not too far in, but I’m enjoying it thus far. Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in approximately four.)
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>>5051516
>Mine went well, and I even played a bit of Library of Ruina, which I got on a recent sale. I"m not too far in, but I'm enjoying it thus far.
OOOH DIS GON BE GUD.

What chapter are you on? Canard? Urban Myth? Urban Legend?

On my end, I'm making steady progress on the Cradleton rewrite surprisingly enough. Work kicked my ass yesterday however.
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>>5051514
vote;
>You're already with the two people who can help you relax the most, so go somewhere to talk with Gina and Rath.

this or take some time to ourselves.

>>5051516
weekend was pretty mixed myself. could've been much worse though.
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>>5051512

>“I am going for a walk.”

Lets hope it is not the Alucard type of walk... or maybe it will be and her will have slaughtered a virtual army of Amalgams for us to feast on once he is finished.

>>5051514
>>The girls are right. Pushing yourself and worrying about others right not when you are hurting is not the best thing to do.
>>You're already with the two people who can help you relax the most, so go somewhere to talk with Gina and Rath.

Well Shu could really use the springs of Dover right now i think... maybe we can scrounge up a bath for right now.... just to scrub of the soul dust.

>>5051516
Its been pretty good. In an ancient tempted my Players Characters with what they wanted most. Then fought them with an Angel, which was summoned by a vampire spawn priest that then fled. The Angel hurt them pretty good. Strongholds and Followers is a third party book i highly recommend. Then they followed the vampire spawn Priest through a portal right into a small army of zombies where they could not use AOE spells or would get three stone golem to the face.... needless to say they were quite heavily beaten without their extra Warlock there to help....

The raven Queen Warlock had taken a trip to the Ethereal Plane and tried to talk to the splintered mind of a demigod.... they were ignored... which is a good thing since otherwise they would have burned in blue flames and their soul reduced to less than Ash


>>5051518
sorry to hear work was tough. I hope you are feeling better today.
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>>5051514
I want to check on Dorian, but let's give him a bit of time to himself first. Interrupting his broody run would probably not be received well, but once he's cleared his head he should have someone to talk to. In the meanwhile, let's clear Shu's head by having her spend some time with her girls.

>>You're already with the two people who can help you relax the most, so go somewhere to talk with Gina and Rath.

>>5051516
My weekend was good. I went to the zoo. It's always a good weekend when you go to the zoo.
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>>5051514
>>>You're already with the two people who can help you relax the most, so go somewhere to talk with Gina and Rath
I'm a bit torn between this and going to talk to Dorian, but really Shu needs a few minutes. The kids are fine, I'd honestly rather not duel Jackie in an emotionally rough moment (especially after the quick glimpse into her thoughts we just got). Alone would be alright too,

Probably a good idea to talk to Dorian eventually, but he has a good head on his shoulders, and honestly this is not exactly a bad thing for him to be mad about. It's more than a bit fucked.
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>>5051518
(Still the opening chapter. Just fought Finn, so I'm not very deep into it at all. Very fun combat though. I love deck hinders like Slay the Spire and Monster Train, so I'm intrigued. Also, the atmosphere and art direction is top-notch.)

>>5051520
(I hope your next one is better!)

>>5051522
(Your campaign sounds absolutely wild. I hope to run one of my own sometime soon.)

>>5051523
(Heh, I almost went to the zoo this weekend, myself. Glad you had fun!)
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>>5051525
>>5051523
>>5051522
On mobile, I do have a big concern about Dorian however, if you look back to when we interacted with his soul, his primary concern/vice is that his apparently poor hidden temper that mirrors that of his late father.
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>>5051514

am >>5051518
my vote:
>check on Dorian
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>>5051578
True. But that's why I think he needs some time by himself to cool down. Let him run around for a bit and work out that energy safely, probably toss some lightning bolts around, then once he's calmed down a bit we can talk with him. I'm not saying leave him in the lurch, just don't confront him when he's at his angriest and won't want to talk.
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>>5051601
honestly everyone probably needs some time here, however they think they need it.

as for Dorian specifically, maybe now he may have that excuse he wanted to talk to Rath...
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>>5051570
Am >>5051522

The Campaing is wild. Its a mix of Egypt and the wild west(from movies and such not the real world one)

A near insane soulmerged trio of Queens rules over the country that claims the territory where the campaing takes place tgough they are more preoccupied serving their godess of death, undeath and corruption and feuding with the local Ork empire about proper succession while in the middle of a massive Inquisition against devil whorship and needing to placate an near indestructible dracolich that had a body forged for itself from adamantine so that he shares his magical research with them
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>>5051570
I'm glad you appreciate it. Fair warning though. Receptions in the late game can tricky and down right mean unless you build the proper decks. It pulls no punches in the combat side.
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>>5051514
>>You're already with the two people who can help you relax the most, so go somewhere to talk with Gina and Rath.

I think we should talk to Dorian... but not now. He needs to vent, cool down first and Shu is not in the best of shapes right now, mentally and emotionally.
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>>5051514

“…I think I want to just chill for a little while.” You finally say, rising from your seat. “You two mind joining me?”

“Considering I wouldn’t trust you to not get side-tracked?” Rath grins, hand on your shoulder. “Good luck getting rid of me.”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself.” Gina adds, waving over to Keane. The group’s formidable supporter darts over to your side, all too happy to escort the three of you into the Ikea, proper. Descending into the hole Rath punched through the roof (much to her chagrin), Keane leads the way into a surprisingly cozy labyrinth of corridors and hallways. The thrum of distant activity can be felt far below, but the upper levels appear to have been converted into an almost hotel-like series of living quarters. Soft carpet’s underfoot wherever you go, the earth-tone design lit by regularly-spaced bio lamps, their hard, bony exteriors crafted to resemble chic light fixtures.

“Okay, you’re right in here!” Keane beams, having rounded one final corner with a flourish at the innocuous door you’ve come face-to-face with. “The master suite is all yours, and our suite is just down the hall, so let me know if you need anything!”

You give her your thanks before reaching out, pulling the door open to reveal a room so impressively furnished that it gives you pause. To your right, a small dining area sit with a fully-stocked kitchenette just beyond it, while to your left lies a cozy sitting area—three couches arranged around a modest table. At the furthest part of the room is the clear centerpiece; a massive four-poster bed, the rest of the space arranged almost in obeisance of the singularly lavish piece of furniture.

“Holy shit.” Rath breathes in awe while Gina gathers herself enough to march all three of you to the bed, arm-in-arm as Rath starts to stammer. “H-hey, what-?”

“Shu? Sit.” The brunette orders, and she doesn’t need to flex any Neuromancy to make your exhausted frame comply. “I’m going to see if Paloma stocked anything tasty, so don’t move. Rath? Make sure she doesn’t try to…I dunno. Give someone therapy while I’m not looking.”

Rath chuckles as you roll your eyes, and while Gina starts rummaging around the cabinets, your brawler turns to you with a sheepish expression. “Okay, so…weird question.”

“What’s up?” You ask, giving the mattress an appraising prod of your index finger.

“Your shoulders are…like…ridiculously tense.” She begins tentatively, as though walking her words on eggshells. “I think I might be able help, if that’s…cool.”

“Do it!” Gina yells out from across the room, not even bothering to look back as Rath nearly jumps out of her skin. “I’m garbage at massages, so put some muscle into it. I got me some tiny hands!”

(Continued)
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>>5051687

You’re too tired to argue with either of them as Rath moves behind you, crossing her legs and settling in with a shaky breath. It’s a few long seconds before her fingers alight on your shoulders, and when they do you almost let out an involuntary gasp at their incredible warmth.

Your right shoulder sags, going limp at the much-needed pressure that's expertly applied. Rath works in focused silence, shifting to your stubborn left shoulder as she works at the hard, chitinous plates of your hive. You reach up, fingertips finding the green-black shell's almost covered your entire bicep in glossy, insectile armor.

"Wait, does this hurt?" Rath asks suddenly, recoiling. "Tell me if I-"

"No...no, this is really nice, actually." You sigh, leaning in to the relief as you feel a second pair of hands start to retread the massage of your right shoulder blade. "Heh, four arms. Clever."

Rath makes a little sound of confusion, and then you feel it; the neuromancy at work across the Crimson Cord, an echo of pleasure courtesy of Gina.

She's smiling as she returns with a small plate of some sort of crackers, or maybe they're cookies? In any case, she sits behind Rath, lying down on the bed and scooting the plate next to the two of you, her veins pulsing neon.

"Hey, wasn't there something you wanted to run by us?" Gina suddenly asks, and Rath goes stock still for a moment before she shifts focus, running her thumbs down the sides of your aching spine.

"...Yeah." Rath admits, her voice nearly cracking before she evens out with a small cough. "Yeah, but it can totally wait! Today's been a lot, so I'm not gonna be the asshole who burdens you two with-"

"You're as bad as-" You begin before Gina finishes your sentence.

"Shu." She laughs, and even Rath chuckles to herself.

"Heh, well...thats the best sort of bad to be, isn't it?" She replies, skirting around GG's question…and your girlfriend decides to not push the issue, much to your surprise.

You, Gina, and Rath just sit in silence for a little while after that, and though you can practically feel Rath wrestling with whatever she has on her mind, any will you have to move under your own volition is melted away by your masseuse's alarmingly skilled touch.

This...you can't put into words how much you needed this.

>>Just relax in silence, for now, until Gina or Rath speak up. You haven't felt this relaxed in...almost ever, now that you think of it.

>>Despite her reluctance, prompt Rath to speak her mind…you're always willing to hear her out.

>>...You're worried about Dorian. Relax just a little while longer, then go track him down.

>>As nice as this is, it can't st forever. Assemble your family, and meet with Paloma.

>>Sheepishly ask Rath if she wouldn't mind massaging a place that's in dire need of attention (Write-In)

>>Bring up something to one or both of them that's been on your mind (Write-In).

>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
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(Voting shall remain open for the next two hours, with posting to resume in three.)

>>5051636
(Duly noted, and I appreciate the heads-up. It's been a while since a banged my head against Slay the Spire's upper ascensions, so I'm looking forward to fighting my way through what's in store.)
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>>5051688
vote;
>Just relax in silence, for now, until Gina or Rath speak up. You haven't felt this relaxed in...almost ever, now that you think of it.
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>>5051691
A hint for you to help survive the Library: Do your Reading. (read the the passives on each enemy as well as the combat cards to get a sense of how each reception and battle will work/pan out). It's become such a meme in the community when other players complain about the game being too hard because they can't be bothered to actually "read" in a game about Ruina's mechanics.

Also. Slight spoilers, but something for you to look forward to as you progress through the game. There are Boss Rush receptions. Multiple Boss Rush Receptions. Yes, they are hard. The rewards are WORTH IT. Be prepared.

>>5051688
>Despite her reluctance, prompt Rath to speak her mind…you're always willing to hear her out.
>Sheepishly ask Rath if she wouldn't mind massaging a place that's in dire need of attention: Thighs and Legs.
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>>5051688
>>Just relax in silence, for now, until Gina or Rath speak up. You haven't felt this relaxed in...almost ever, now that you think of it.
>>maybe fall asleep but try to fight it

to be honest i could use a massage myself now.. feeling a bit tense after my workout
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>>5051688
Hmm...we really do need to have this conversation at some point. I'm just not sure if now's the right time. It's going to be an emotional conversation of its own, and deserves some time to have it properly instead of cram it in during a "mentor turned out to be mass murderer, need to destress" break. But I feel like a huge coward to put it off until a later date. I don't want to just keep pushing it down the road. I'm not sure what to vote. Thoughts, anyone?
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>>5051724
i think Shu needing to Recharge should be the priority right now. She is a daughter like the others so unless she destresses this whole thing with Mara might as well break either her or someone in the family. We could have this conversation after the next Meal... We could ask her to tell us what is on her mind after the next feast?

That would pin a time down and would give her a chance to relax with us now and actually make her thoughts more orderly for when she wants to talk.
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>>5051724
make the time or lose the opportunity. We won't have the time to properly sit down once more if the pace of the story keeps pushing forwards like this during our downtime. Sooner or later people in-quest will either start getting antsy or the inner conflicts that our friends and family will have will resolve themselves in their natural conclusion, what we have in terms of choice is being able to nudge and influence how each of these sub-plot conflicts will lead towards their resolution.
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>>5051729
"We'll talk at the next meal" might not be the worst date to peg it to. Though that could still be like six months out of character. But yeah, that's the crux of my internal debate. I want to talk with Rath. But it's a weird time and place to have this conversation when it's supposed to be just a quick break before we talk to Paloma, with the priority being getting our head on straight.

>>5051730
Also true. Though it's complicated here by the fact that the character point here is based on Rath's relationship with Shu and Gina, so if it doesn't get brought up eventually that is itself a resolution. It's a much more personal and direct issue with Rath than if we were to, say, have an influence in Dorian's character development. Maybe there's a middle ground I can go for, let me try to write something up.
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>>5051688
>Write-In
>Just relax in silence for now, until one of them speaks up.
>But if nobody does, make sure to talk with Rath before we head out.
>"Hey, you know you're not a burden, right? I care about you, a lot. Gina does, too. We always want to hear what you've got to say."
>"It's okay if you don't want to say it right now. But soon, maybe? I want to make the time for us to have this conversation properly, so we don't just have to cram it into a spare moment."
>"And thank you, Rath. I needed this."
>Pull her in for a hug, give her a kiss on the cheek.
>"Come on. We've got gods to hunt."
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>>5051688
>>>Despite her reluctance, prompt Rath to speak her mind…you're always willing to hear her out.
Man, we really need just like three hours in-universe to handle some stuff. But that hasn't happened for a while and doesn't seem like it will.
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>>5051688

For now, you resolve to relax in the comfortable silence until either of your companions speak up, since you haven’t felt this relaxed in…pretty much ever, now that you think of it. It feels like a lifetime ago that you woke up alone, just the hive at your back and a head full of questions in a world of bone and blood. Now, as you release a breath that carries some of the stress that Rath’s coaxing out of you, it hits you just how far you come. First B’ni, then West, then Rath, and Gina. Finding the Halo, then sitting down to talk with Julia, then finding Amara’s pod. Then Dorian’s mansion, then November almost shelling you with the Geschoss. How things were touch-and-go with Francine, and then…

You hear Gina shift on she comforter, and a second later Rath lets out a little yelp of alarm as the other girl starts to massage Rath’s shoulders, in turn.

“Relax. We’ve all had a hell of time of things. Just think of it as, uh…” Gina mutters, then grins. “…a human centipede of affection.”

“Welp, there it is—the worst thing I’ve ever heard.” Rath cringes, and Gina looses a gut-laugh that can’t help but make you smile.

The hell you’ve been through is worth it, for moments like these.

A few minutes later there’s a gentle knock on your door, and just as you and Rath both rise to answer it Gina’s quicker on the draw than either of you, motioning for you both to stay seated as she runs over to greet the new arrival.

“Greetings, Miss Gina. I-“ Dorian begins, ushered into the room before he pauses upon seeing you and Rath, the latter’s hands suddenly flaring with heat. “…if I’m interrup-“

“No, I’ve kept everyone waiting long enough.” You sigh, patting Rath’s hand at your shoulder as you rise from the infuriatingly comfy bed. “How was your run?”

“Much-needed.” He replies with a smile that’s equal parts tired and amiable. “I went back up to the roof, and Miss Em had arrived to let everyone know that Miss Paloma’s cleared her schedule indefinitely, though she wished to make it clear that we were to take all the time we need to recuperate. Miss Em emphasized that we were to attend to our own needs first and foremost before agreeing to meet with her.”

“That’s much appreciated. Thank you, Dorian.” You say, extending your hand to help Rath stand, as she’s just been sitting on the bed since Dorian arrived to see her massaging you.

“Now then—Rath, if I may?”

“Huh?!” Rath startles at being addressed by the young man, her own distant train of thought suddenly crashing into the here and now. “Uh, yeah man, what’s up?”

“Given some reflection, I would very much like to speak with you after we meet with those in charge here.” Comes his polite request.

“Oh. Me? Yeah, of course we can.” She replies, off-guard yet intrigued.

(Continued)
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>>5051795

Seeing an opportunity, you fire a quick blurb across the Crimson Cord, and Gina replies with a nigh-imperceptible nod as she ushers Dorian out with a question about Julia, giving you and Rath a moment of privacy as you turn to face the shorter girl.

"Hey, you know you're not a burden, right?” You assure her…and despite the fact that she can topple gods with her bare hands, she seems so skittish as GG swings the door nearly shut behind her. “I care about you, a lot. Gina does, too. We always want to hear what you've got to say."

“I know, I just…yeah. I know. And I feel like I can come to you guys with…hell, anything really.” She nods, fighting to meet your eyes as she stands before you, steeling her resolve. “There is something I want to say, but I just think that now’s not the best time. We have a lot going on, and it might not change anything, but…I still want to say it. I *need* to say it, just at a better time.”

"Of course. It's okay if you don't want to say it right now. Believe me, I get it.” You say, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder. “But soon, maybe? I want to make the time for us to have this conversation properly, so we don't just have to cram it into a spare moment. You deserve that, and I’m not going to put that off."

“Thanks, Shu.” She smiles sheepishly, and you roll your shoulders to find them blessedly free of the pain you’d just pushed to the back of your mind.

"And thank *you*, Rath. I needed this. All of it—I seriously can’t thank you enough for what you just did." You smile, pulling her into a warm hug.

She tenses, then loosens, her arms looping under yours to tighten the embrace before you turn to give her a kiss on her cheek. Rath looks up at you, and her cheeks flare…but she doesn’t flinch, nor does she make any moves to hide her blush. Instead, she holds her ground, smiling up at you as you hold her in your arms, lost in a haze of relaxation and the warmth that radiates from the other girl. Stepping back after a second or two and pulling yourself together, you promptly jerk your thumb towards the door with a smirk.

"Come on. We've got gods to hunt, Radiant."

Your brawler just laughs, her old confidence striking you differently for reasons you can’t quite place. Rath taps your knuckles with hers, winking as she adds; “Hell yeah we do, Godhunter.”

>>Meet with Paloma with your entire family…it’s time you see what she has planned.

>>Talk with Dorian on the way to the meeting…you just want to make sure he’s okay.

>>Touch base with Uzu as you make your way to Paloma…or just with her allies, if she’s not up to it.

>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next four hours, with posting to resume tomorrow afternoon at 12PM, Eastern time. Unfortunately, it turns out that I must attend to something for work that hopefully won’t take very long, but if there are any further delays then I’ll keep you informed. If all holds well, I may compress the voting times to 2-3 as opposed to the usual 3-4 to catch up, but I'll have to play it by ear.)

(I wish you a restful evening, and take care, one and all.)
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>>5051799
vote;
>Touch base with Uzu as you make your way to Paloma…or just with her allies, if she’s not up to it.
Dorian seemed stable enough, and i think hes already seeking out the help he might need. Uzu might be ok too but we dont have confirmation about that, so best to at least see for ourselves.

>>5051801
well, is what it is. thanks for the forewarning though.
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>>5051801
oh, may be spoilers, so answer as you can, but anyone planning to ask us what we overheard from the ol soul stuff?

also hows background stuff coming along?
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>>5051799
>Touch base with Uzu as you make your way to Paloma…or just with her allies, if she’s not up to it.
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>>5051801
Yes, interaction with Rath: Adorable. We're going to get that girl to blush so hard she burns the Ikea down. Or would, if it weren't for Sister's Constellation, anyway.

>>Touch base with Uzu as you make your way to Paloma…or just with her allies, if she’s not up to it.
Sounds like Rath is going to provide some help to Dorian, so let's check on Uzu. She doing okay? We can send her back to the Dreamscape for a while if she wants to rest. Or keep her out if she thinks she'd do better with something to occupy her attention. Whatever the case, it's up to her what she thinks would have her in the best mindset.

>>5051801
Sorry to hear you're going to have a busy morning tomorrow, BHOP. Thanks for the heads up. I hope it isn't too rough for you, though.
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>>5051807
(Jackie and Nerada are too embarrassed, while Dorian is confident in his decided solution. Meanwhile, B'ni isn't going to mention anything for fairly obvious reasons, and finally Amara may bring it up at some point when she feels like she can.)

(As far as the background stuff, it's coming. This week has been busier than I anticipated with some car troubles that I got fixed today, but trying to do my job and also play tech support for my other associate working from home has been taxing, to say the least. This past weekend was a bit of a wash, so I intend for this upcoming one to be the one where I buckle down and completely update the sheets, and also finish the Hive Mistress cheat sheet to my satisfaction before well and truly digging in to the Relics as they stand now.)
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>>5051812
(A name, cast off the edge.)
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>>5051799
>>Touch base with Uzu as you make your way to Paloma…or just with her allies, if she’s not up to it.
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>>5051812
well, we slightly brought it up with Nerada anyways. I get it for the rest, though Jackie clearly had some stuff to work out. hopefully her pals can coax it out of her. I can imagine Keane actually being a little pest at times when she thinks Jackies needs it.

ah, shame to hear lifes being life, but well, thats life. hopefully you'll find the time you want for it though!
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>>5051799
>>>Touch base with Uzu as you make your way to Paloma…or just with her allies, if she’s not up to it.
Deploy the redhead towards Dracula, I trust Rath. Uzu... I can't really predict what she needs right now, whether she wants to stay out here and keep helping or if it would be better for the DDs to form a hugball around her.
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>>5051799
>>Touch base with Uzu as you make your way to Paloma…or just with her allies, if she’s not up to it.

We've heard very little from her since the big revelation, and we knew she'd be the person affected the most heavily by this revelation. We need to check in with her and make sure she knows she's not alone right now.
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>>5051799

Once you and Rath exit your suite, you find that the gang’s all here—your family, Orwell, Nerada, and the Midnight Crew are lined in the hallway with Jackie the furthest from you, her dark eye lingering on you for only a moment before she beckons you to follow her with a jerk of her head.

“I’m taking you to the conference room the back way.” Jackie yells back before darting around a corner. “Paloma still plans to give y’all the grand tour when she’s done, so be ready for that.”

Dorian quickly finds Rath in the crowd, the two of them hanging back a bit to talk as you note the pointed absence of your Dream Daughters...only Johanna’s in attendance, something you realize seconds before she sidles up to you, voice low.

“Halls and the others are going to sit this one out.” She informs you gruffly as you follow the Midnight Crew through a door and down a winding staircase.

“It’s that bad?”

“Yeah.” The taller woman grunts, sending a pang of grief lancing through your heart as your fingers curl around the railing. “Uzu’s relieved. Guilty. Angry. Confused. It’s a lot. She needs time.”

“I can bring her back into the Dreamscape. Give her and the others some time to-” You offer, your words trailing off as Johanna quickly shakes her head.

“Too easy to spiral. Shut yourself off. Get your time out of sync with others.” She rattles off. “She’ll do better in the real. It was her call.”

“You can get out of step with each other?” You ask, the possibility never having occurred to you.

“Yeah. It’s easy. B’ni almost did. We kept on her enough so she couldn’t.”

“I see...how are you holding up?” You ask, shifting tracks.

“Better than the others.” Johanna answers, simply. You follow Jackie out into a sparse stretch of hallway, the ceiling lined with pipes that your Dream Daughter has to stoop to stay under as she—much to your surprise—elaborates.

“Connecting is...hard. Less for Holly, but she has her moments.” The girl beside you says, her characteristically decisive edge traded for a halting, uncertain cadence. “We did bad things. Me and the others. We had our reasons. Hunger. Fear. Love. Crucible brought out the worst in us. We couldn’t fight it. But now? Because of you?”

She shrugs as you come to the end of the line, the Midnight Crew pausing before a set of oak doors.

“We have each other. Uzu may be hurting right now.” Johanna intones, with a smile. “But I know she will be okay.”

Ace and Quinn open the way for the rest of you, revealing a large conference room with a long wooden table almost as large as the Geschoss. Twelve seats flank either side, with two larger ones mirrored at their end. Placing a hand on the one closest to you, you lock eyes with the leader of the Ikean Fortress, seated opposite you.

(Continued)
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>>5052392

Paloma sits at the head of the table with Em to her right—the former’s giddy air replaced with that of a consummate corporate professional, the latter now possessed of a relaxed focus, the casual air of a cat ready to strike when the mood shifts.

“Please, sit wherever you all like.” Paloma says, rising from her seat and gesturing to the empty chairs, her gaze never once leaving yours.

Gina to your right, Rath to your left, and Amara in your lap—the usual positions filled, as the rest of those present get as comfortable.

“You’re a busy woman, so I’ll give you the news and my overall plan in brief, and we can circle back with any questions you and your family may have. Are we aligned on this?” Paloma forwards, her clipped voice a far cry from the giddy young woman you met only an hour or so before. You nod, and with that, she begins.

“Excellent, then I’ll get right down to it. To start, some unfortunate news. The Ikean Fortress was the second-closest settlement to the Cord. As of forty minutes ago, it is now the first.”

“Oh, fuck me.” Orwell mutters, eyes going wide as Paloma’s mouth forms a grim line.

“Four separate factions came into conflict at the edge of no-man’s land, and the ensuing power struggle resulted in a Hunger spiral that quickly engulfed them. The settlement at the edge of the massacre was destroyed in the event, with the Amalgam following not long after. It was annihilated a third of the way to the Cord.”

The petite young woman takes a breath, then continues. “This is, regrettably, a symptom of a far greater issue—our Crucible has dragged on too long. Once Marrow Dragoon and West Prime began their ascent, this knowledge spurred a mass exodus for the Cord by groups that had, until recently, been content to either accumulate power or lay low. Our world grows desperate, and the Crucible demands a victor...no. *Humanity* demands a victor. And that’s where you come in.”

Her brown eyes rest on you, along with the weight of the world.

“You are the clear favorite. Though, statistically speaking, you may not have Dragoon or West’s raw power,, you have a clear motive and enough public support to see this through. However, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the burden of being a savior is a heavy one. In short, you and your family have been weighed down by two opposed tasks—ascending the Cord, and dealing with extraneous public issues. My plan is a simple one; I deal with the humanitarian side of things—picking up things that would otherwise slow you down—while you and your family focus on what matters most.”

Her eyes are like stone, in this moment—hard, and deadly serious.

“Finishing the Crucible.”

>>”I hear you want to move the Ikea...where does that fit into your plan?”

>>”Are you saying you want to deal with the cult, too?”

>>”I like it. One question; what’s in this for you?”

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in four. Things went well this morning, and my evening opened up as well.)
>>
>>5052393
Well shit. We're gonna need to hunt down Leviathan and Behemoth and convince them to help finish the Crucible and rally them under a single banner if we are to have the best chance of making it through the no-man's land.

This feels like we're getting down to the wire on the global doom timer. And at the rate we're going and my own pace of writing. I fear I might not be able to finish Cradleton, it'll be close, but it won't be up to what I deem 'acceptable'. I could technically end the story immediately by something of an after-action/epilogue report, but again, it'll leave a sour spot in my mouth. I'm also having to juggle this with other irl things on my end.
>>
>>5052393

Alright, time for questions.

>How would you deal with humanitarian matters? There are a few groups that have needed our support and guidance, and if you were planning on filling in for us, I'd like to hear what your plans would be.

>Aside from my group, as well as West and Mara, are there any other 'power players' who still need to ascend the Cord? Anybody who you would consider to be a threat?

>Do you think we're strong enough to challenge the Cord now, or do you think we need to grow stronger? (If Paloma answers with the latter) Do you have any suggestions for this? Powerful amalgams in the area, relics to find, or other means of becoming stronger more quickly?

>Why do you want to help us? I appreciate any offers of support, and with the situation as it is, we need all the help we can get, but with all due respect, we met a short time ago. We've had a lot of offers like this in the Crucible, and a few of them have been too good to be true.
>>
>>5052406
Can we also focus on recruiting Behemoth and Leviathan?
>>
>>5052404
>Well shit. We're gonna need to hunt down Leviathan and Behemoth and convince them to help finish the Crucible and rally them under a single banner if we are to have the best chance of making it through the no-man's land.

Agreed. We need nothing but the best, and those would be two big aces to have up our sleeve.

>This feels like we're getting down to the wire on the global doom timer.

Yup. Worst case scenario, enough daughters go up the Cord to feed West, who takes down Mara before finishing off Mother. Game Over, everybody dies - except the one person who deserves the victory least of all.
>>
>>5052393
vote;
>Take a moment to consider her words, before continuing.
>"Any help is always appreciated, and im not against the basic idea. But what exactly do you actually mean by all that?"
>"We're not going to simply ignore problems infront of us- sure, we already try to fix what we can and leave longterm problems to locals, but we wouldn't of gotten as far as we have if we didn't help those we come across, nor would our name mean so much if we didn't, nor tried to push any problems we run across onto our 'organization'."
>"Nor do I assume you're trying to necessarily ask that of us, per say. so are you asking just for our trust and our blessing?"
>"The first ive yet to see a reason not to give, but the second isnt so simple. I mean no disrespect, but the second is something that you need more than trust for."
>"I've never been one after or wanting an organization under my name or connected to me. I see the merits, but it feels like it diminishes to the point a bit. So, to ask me to give a blessing to say you're working in my name and to 'hand over cases' to regularly is a pretty big ask in multiple ways, one that i'll need to hear more of a plan about aswell as maybe see some proof about, over just trusting you have good intentions for doing."

may need some work, but i think it gets my point across at least.
>>
>>5052407
Yup, having those two on our side would help our chances of success tremendously.
>>
>>5052393
>>Write-In
>"What exactly are you offering? Safe haven, rescue teams, diplomatic negotiations? It's hard to say what problems we'll run into, we'd need a pretty diverse set of responses."
>"Also, I know you plan to move the Fortress to safer grounds. How does that impact your offer?"

>>5052404
Yeah. We should bring that up, that we believe we can negotiate with/recruit the Apocalypse Amalgams, and that such a detour would be part of the process of finishing the Crucible.
>>
>>5052397
Hey bhop. this may seem spoiler-y to ask, but are we faffing about too much and in terms of running down the Doom Timer? Or is there enough time to iron out time to help get our ducks in a row and prep everything for the final push with enough time to spare?

Because it seems to me that it's gonna be clear that the Disassociated Rocket Launch is to coincide with the No-Man's Land expanding too far for even safe passage.
>>
>>5052407
I mean we can but i dont think thats applicable to the moment.

>>5052406
>>5052411
i just realized i forgot it in my own vote, but my slight issue is some of these questions feel way too close to us already agreeing. i'd prefer to save some of that until after we actually ask her a bit more in depth about what she really even means or wants to do here. a big part of that too is because this feels a bit too close to the cult scenario, even if its not her intention or exactly the same.
sure, the whole worship thing was a very big deal, but we weren't exactly stoked in having an 'organization' in our name in the first place cult or no cult, which this sounds like what Paloma wants to form.
>>
>>5052404
>>5052416
good question, as it feels like the wanted timeline given before by BHOP was much roomy-er than us already being at the second-to-last settlement from the cord after just passing over a mountain and seeing one city and swamp

though that said, there could be plenty between this and that settlement and this is only talking about a straight line scenario, so he may of bee talking sideways and circling around it.
>>
>>5052417
>i just realized i forgot it in my own vote, but my slight issue is some of these questions feel way too close to us already agreeing. i'd prefer to save some of that until after we actually ask her a bit more in depth about what she really even means or wants to do here. a big part of that too is because this feels a bit too close to the cult scenario, even if its not her intention or exactly the same.

They're just us getting down to brass tacks immediately and not prefacing our questions with all these doubts we're casting on her. We don't need to start with moral philosophizing, let's just ask her what she plans to do and why she wants to do it. Straightforward and simple.
>>
>>5052393
Supporting >>5052409

good balance with us keeping our distance to try and find out more about her motives and intentions without sounding like we agree to it.

>>5052404
That probably just got put up a couple of notches minimum.

>>5052397
also not sure if i will be able to get out Journeys till then.... i just feel kind of stuck right now in my writing.

Though i am glad that your day got less filled
>>
>>5052423
And thats not what im trying to do really either, im just asking her while also making sure she understands there are limits to what we would agree to do or want.
on the opposite, id very much say many of the questions being asked dont fit that either. if thats what you want, then all we should be asking is

>"What exactly are you offering? Safe haven, rescue teams, diplomatic negotiations? It's hard to say what problems we'll run into, we'd need a pretty diverse set of responses."
which sounds way too much like we're on board just wondering what exactly she plans to do

or
>How would you deal with humanitarian matters? There are a few groups that have needed our support and guidance, and if you were planning on filling in for us, I'd like to hear what your plans would be.
which sounds a bit better but still feels like its still agreeing to push aside short-term help we can offer.
>>
>>5052406
>>5052393
Throwing my support behind this one.

>>5052417
Because ultimately their actions and plans are utilitarian and humanitarian in terms of scope: Relocate the settlement, gather other survivors, aid Shu by taking on part of the burden that she has to bear by managing PR so that Shu can focus on saving the world. So we can not worry as much about getting sidequest delayed. Either that or Bhop has deterimined that by pushing the timeline forward and through the quest mechanics rework, we're at a point that he deems "just powerful enough" to begin the march onto the Cord behind the QM sheet. Of course we can delay and recruit the Apocalypse amalgams to make the journey easier, but that will have a cost.
>>
>>5052427
some of that is still assumptions and OOC knowledge, which makes me like asking those questions even less.
on top of that, we're not trying to discourage anyone from being kind or helping people. but that is very very different than supporting an organization with our name attached to it, especially when said organizations point is to specifically somewhat 'replace' us to some degree.
>>
>>5052426
I'm just asking what she's offering and stating that our needs are varied. There's no agreement in that, it's just establishing context.

>>5052430
And that's great, we can talk about that after we have some basic knowledge of what she's offering and wants. You know, she hasn't even actually said she wants her organization to be like "The Defiant's Auxiliaries" or anything like that. She's just stated a simple proposition that she helps us out so we can focus on the big problem. Let's hear her plan before we start poking holes in it on the grounds of not wanting others speaking for us.
>>
>>5052393
amending my vote >>5052427 to

>”Are you saying you want to deal with the cult, too?”

>”I hear you want to move the Ikea...where does that fit into your plan?”

>"How do you intend to keep the public busy and focused on humanitarian efforts?"

Feeling pressed for time right now. This may be my last vote for the day regardless even if I switch to mobile during lunch time.
>>
>>5052432
and as i said here >>5052426
i still disagree with the wording greatly as i disagree thats how you're coming off.

and my point isnt if she actually wants an 'organization', its more of the question of how she plans to do something like this in the first place without doing something we're already kinda against.

I also disagree the other question is really entirely relevant to the point at the moment.
>>
>>5052434
im actually wondering where the cult questions even coming from. it feels out of place as an option to really give us honestly, so im kinda not for it. like, i get the idea of organizing with them but it feels out of place due to the very reason we had a whole thing with them kinda specifically about telling them to just do things as they see fit over trying to do things for us or in our name and all that.
>>
>>5052437
i think it is the cult of personality we have kinde lowkey produced by being nice people and still powerful.
>>
>>5052438
thats... possibly a good point. if thats the case, very rare moment where BHOP could've worded it better.
that said, we have(had?) an actual cult, so theres good reasons my mind jumped to them first if something else was meant.
>>
>>5052437
remember when we first tried to preach to the cult? Even though we told them not to do basic hero worship on us, they're still a group of daughters willing to flock together, support us, and to commit actions in our name.

In a sense, we did a monty python skit of "I'm not the messiah", and the group just said "Shu's the Messiah!"
>>
>>5052439
well... the actual cult that has cropped up is an offshoot of our cult of personality that we project just by being us and how we did things.

To be honest i did not really think of the whole cult thing as just a single settlement. More like it has probably spread pretty far now to many corners of the globe.
>>
>>5052438
>>5052439
tis still a cult by origin and function. They have an idol to worship on a pedestal and we are their idol. And even if we did tell them to take us off the pedestal, they'd still worship us regardless for our personality and actions.
>>
>>5052440
hah, nice mental image there, thanks.
though i do think we got through to them a bit better than that. still see your point a bit though.

>>5052442
i mean maybe but if you remember we literally had a whole interaction with a literal cult that our good friends alien and alien doggo; the preacher duo accidentally made.
So, what i was trying to say is Bhops option there made me think of them first, but i was agreeing its possible(though unconfirmed) he may of meant what you mean, a more general issue of our cult of personality.
>>
>>5052393
Supporting >>5052409
>>
>>5052393
Changing my vote >>5052411 to support >5052406
>>
>>5052463
You seem to have misquoted the second post there.
>>
>>5052475
Blerg. So I did.

>>5052393
Changing my vote >>5052411 to support >>5052406
>>
>>5052424
>>5052420
>>5052417
>>5052416
(An excellent question regarding the timeline.)

(Essentially what is happening is that the rush for the Cord doesn't mean that time is running short; rather that the difficulty of the surrounding area is spiking dramatically. Now, that would be particularly troublesome for anyone actually attempting to enter the Cord in the intended fashion - note that aside from West and Mara, there was only a single other light that tried and failed to ascend. The chaos surrounding the area is making it that much harder for even worthy aspirants to even approach the Cord, much less climb it.)

(In short, it is not a matter of time, but instead a problem that is becoming much, much more resistant to mere brute force and linear thinking. No need to stress too much, particularly when it comes to finishing your own works- both West and Mara's 'win conditions' hinge on you, and you're in control.)

(Let me know if you have any other questions, and I'll be happy to address them.)

>>5052446
>>5052443
>>5052442
>>5052440
>>5052439
>>5052438
>>5052437
(I agree,I could've worded that better but I was running short on space. What I wrote was referring specifically to the cult you spoke with, not the general cult of personality that you've accumulated. Thank you for asking for clarification, and my apologies for any confusion.)
>>
>>5052488
huh, well thanks for the clarification(on both).

funnily enough that almost sounds like we need to spend more time, not less, trying to reach the cord. not necessarily to gain power, but to think the whole 'trying to go through a warzone' thing through.

actually BHOP, if its not too spoilery, how much trouble did people give West and Mara on their approach to the Cord?
>>
>>5052493
(Their march to the Cord was a one-sided slaughter.)

(And yes, the problem of even approaching the Cord is a problem that is meant to be very open-ended.)
>>
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>>5052493
my thinking is that Mara was probably not botherd due to her powers of chance manipulation.

And west..... i would assume she relished the chance and created a couple more new horrors ala Fabius Bile. A man so violently insane and obsessed with creating the perfect human form that he impressed beings that literally feed on pain and create the most vile things to satisfy this desire.

So i would say that she probably wasn't bothered after her first victims were found.
>>
>>5052488
Ah. That's good to hear, in a way. More difficulty, but still time. And hey, more difficulty just means more dramatic fights to get into and puzzles to solve, should be fun.

>both West and Mara's 'win conditions' hinge on you, and you're in control
I still find it kind of hilarious that West is so fixated on us that she's not going to make a push for the top until she's eaten us. We really got under her skin, huh? She's not used to people she had dismissed as unimportant managing to hurt her.

>>5052499
Yeah, that makes sense. So until we get into, collectively, one-sided slaughter levels of power, we're not ready.
>>
>>5052499
i expected plenty of fools who wanted to stop West probably tried and failed, but even before she was associated with us it seemed like Mara had a rep as not all that terrible a person, so combine that with her clear power i was curious if people left her alone. guess theres still if nothing else plenty of self serving people still out there though.

>>5052510
well thats if we want to try and blunt force our way through. i mean, we will to some degree maybe regardless, but I doubt our only option is gonna be one so... blunt.

as for West, i think you're somewhat right, but i also think its just she simply knows that she needs a power boost to beat Mara, but she might not know 'exactly' how much of one, so she has to decide on some indicator. so ,there us, who if she beats wont only just be a good meal, but will be a demoralization blow to Mara too. perfect time to strike, regardless of her opinion on us.
>>
>>5052514
>well thats if we want to try and blunt force our way through. i mean, we will to some degree maybe regardless, but I doubt our only option is gonna be one so... blunt.
Sorry, I wasn't clear. I actually meant that in reference to West and Mara being at the top of the Cord. We can probably get through to the Cord without every conflict ending in blood, but we will have to fight West at a minimum and possibly Mara. "One-sided slaughter against everyone fought along the way to the Cord" is the level of power we need to match them. Well, our improved action economy of having multiple party members means we might not need quite that level, but we need to be close.

>as for West, i think you're somewhat right, but i also think its just she simply knows that she needs a power boost to beat Mara, but she might not know 'exactly' how much of one, so she has to decide on some indicator. so ,there us, who if she beats wont only just be a good meal, but will be a demoralization blow to Mara too. perfect time to strike, regardless of her opinion on us.
True. Demoralizing Mara would be a good non-obsessed reason to kill us. But she's already planning on getting plenty of power ups from eating every other Cord-climber. She shouldn't need us, we'd be a nice desert but she'll have other courses. Unless she's assuming that nobody but us could make it through the chaos to get to her, but that is in itself a bit of obsession with us.
>>
>>5052406
>>5052409

(Also, as a quick aside; the two votes above are, unless I'm missing a key vote somewhere, currently tied. If the tie persists, would the authors and voters be alright with merging them?)
>>
>>5052529
ah yeah true, though do we get levels while in the Cord? cant remember.
a funny alternative would just be to hack the cord on the level below West. we know its better the higher up we go, but i dont think it was ever stated to be impossible on lower levels.

as for the West obsession? like i said i do technically agree with you, im just more putting forth her excuse/alternatives for the sake of it. if anyone could hide how much ahead of West they are, making her not feel like she can rely on just 'X' number of more snacks, it would probably be Mara.
>>
>>5052533
while i am just a voter i would be okay with merging them. Though a certain Level of distance should be maintained for now until we have a clearer picture.
>>
>>5052533
i think one technically has two votes with a third persons similar but not actually the same, while the other has three.

i guess im fine with the Ikean moving question if it can fit in with how she may respond, but im personally still sorta iffy on the wording and some ideas in the other one myself otherwise.
>>
>>5052533
I'd prefer to start by asking about the details of their plan and then hammering out details of trust and how we assign what roles to who. That's why I voted for the first one. But if you think you can weave them together so they get discussed in the same update, then sure, I'm game.
>>
>>5052533
I'd be more than happy with merging them together, thank you for asking, BHOP.
>>
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>>5052393

“How would you deal with humanitarian matters?” You counter, voice the first of many questions on your mind. “There are a few groups that have needed our support and guidance, and if you were planning on filling in for us, I'd like to hear what your plans would be.”

“I’ve been in the process of forging connections with other settlements across the Fleshscape to create a unified network of like-minded Daughters who can lend their support to whatever you deem necessary. Shelter, rescue, defense—we’re prepared to offer the type of aid you deem appropriate to the situation at hand. If we here at the fortress cannot capably provide it, then we can bring in teams and experts that we trust to handle it, along with the resources that will allow you to personally vet and sign off on those doing the job.”

"Speaking hypothetically, we wouldn’t simply ignore problems in front of us.” You counter, your tone non-committal as you try to dig past buzzwords and the assurances she’s woven into her pitch. “Sure, we already try to fix what we can and leave long-term problems to locals, but we wouldn't of gotten as far as we have if we didn't help those we come across, nor would our name mean so much if we didn't, nor tried to push any problems we run across onto our 'organization'."

“Of course; it’s through your personal touch that you’ve gotten to where you are. Please know we would only take action at your request—we are a supplement, not a full-blown replacement. The more of an impact you have, the greater the busywork as you try to maintain what you’ve affected…I’m proposing that we help you address that busywork with our network of resources, at your case-by-case discretion.”

“I see. Now, you mentioned ‘shelter’, a moment ago…I understand you intend to move the Ikea?”

“I do. We’ve just resumed talks with Magnus and the Arcadian council, thanks to your work there.” Paloma replies with a smile. “Should his methods prove untenable or too time-consuming to undertake, you’ve also just proven to me that anomalous relic interaction could be a viable alternative. I have an expert on the way that should be able to give us a greater insight as to what Jackie’s blade is capable of.”

Jackie just nods as you glance her way, and while you’re curious as to who Paloma plans to bring in, you have a more pressing query at the ready.

“Aside from my group, as well as West and Mara, are there any other 'power players' who still need to ascend the Cord? Anybody who you would consider to be a threat?

“Most of them have either already perished around the Cord or are smart enough to not throw themselves into a madhouse.” She answers, a look of disgust on her plump features. “The only other person on Mara and West’s level is already aligned with us, and has no interest in ascending the Cord.”

(Continued)
>>
>>5052649

“Who the hell’s that?” Rath demands, shifting in her seat at the prospect of one that could rival those two giants.

“I think you know her as ‘A’.” Your host replies with a grin, a half-second before her expression falters. “Well…I say ‘allied’, but she really does whatever she pleases. She is completely stable, however, and could be counted on if her assistance was needed.”

“Continuing the discussion of power, do you think we're strong enough to challenge the Cord as we are now?” You forward, and you watch as Paloma formulates a tactful answer.

“It would be incredibly difficult in your current state.” She reluctantly admits.

“Do you have any suggestions for us to close the gap, then? Powerful amalgams, Relics, or other means of becoming stronger more quickly?”

“In terms of Amalgams and Relics, I have an action list of both that I’ll be handing over to you after this meeting.” She informs you, adding after a moment’s hesitation; “Regardless of your decision here, of course.”

And now, the one question that’s been playing on your mind this entire time…

“Why do you want to help us?”

Em cocks an eyebrow, while Paloma fixes you with a soft smile as you continue your line of inquiry. “Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate any offers of support. With the situation as it is, we need all the help we can get…but with all due respect, we met a short time ago. We've had a lot of offers like this in the Crucible, and a few of them have been too good to be true.”

“Understandable.” She admits with a tilt of her head.

"I've never been one after or wanting an organization under my name or connected to me.” You admit, leaning back in your chair as you study the girl and her proposition, both. “I see the merits, but it feels like it diminishes to the point a bit. You’re asking for our trust and our blessing, both. Trust? I don’t see a reason to not give it to you, but as for our family’s blessing? That’s a pretty big ask in multiple ways, and one that demands something more substantial than just blind trust in your own good intentions."

“Of course.” She concedes, clearly expecting some level of reasonable reservation from you. “This entire plan was conceived by me, so I would be more than willing to submit to evaluation via Neuromancer, Phantasmal, or Skintalker methods to put you at ease. But if I may…I’ll be the first to admit that my intentions are not noble, Shu.”

“The Crucible took the one I love from me, and I intend to get them back.” She explains, placing her palms flat on the table as she stares you down. “Your post-Crucible plan all but ensures that will happen. So whatever you need to ask or do to let me help you finish this thing, then name it…”

Her deep brown eyes pierce into yours, as immovable and inviolable as stone.

“…because there’s nothing I won’t do to make that happen.”

>>Name it (Write-In).

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next two hours, with posting to resume in three.)
>>
>>5052652
Well, the way she's phrasing it as a supplement does incline me towards agreeing more. That's just having some allies that we can call on for help, no different from the Midnight Crew or Barbers or Laoc. The relationship is a bit less well-tested than those, though, that's the crux of it. So, let's think of a way to establish that mutual trust. I don't want to probe too deeply, maybe just use Skintalking and Neuromancy as a lie detector while we ask her some questions? Stuff like "have you ever murdered people, what circumstances can you see yourself murdering people in, do you associate with anyone who has murdered, would you ever betray someone for power, what about betraying if you think we're not getting the job done, do you anyone who would betray if we don't get the job done", etc.
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>>5052666
not sure if im for 20 questions, but if we do, we need to be careful what we ask.
she doesn't seem like shes here to do bad, but if shes being honest with us she also isnt the type to ruin her chances here most likely.
its silly, but unless we're only talking pre-crucible 'murder' for instance is specifically illegal killings. well, the Crucible has no laws now technically, so even if shes stabbed whole teams in the back she could technically answer 'no' to that.

off the specific topic of questions, honestly? I kinda want to just give her a passive "lets let time be the test." and get a look around the place. what better way than even 20 questions than seeing and talking to the people she is around and may of gotten help from her or by being here? it kills three birds with one stone. time to think on things more, a legitimate way to look into how well she operates and helps people, and gets us the tour we already probably any anyhow.
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>>5052676
It doesn't have to be those specific questions, I was just giving examples. But I do like your idea of rejecting a quick and easy solution of psychic investigation and just working to build trust naturally. It's how we did it with all our other allies, and it's not like they weren't in positions to potentially harm us in the process, if they decided to betray us. And it does feel like a better way to start a working relationship, if we're not treating her like an enemy to be figured out but just someone to meet and get to know.
>>
>>5052681
well i was just using that as an example due to what you used as an example, heh.


>>5052652
vote;
>Decline to force her through any unfair or rigorous tests. you're not saying no, only you want more time to mesh out your thoughts on the idea, and regardless want to let her actions speak for themselves, let the trust she wants here build naturally like it did with everyone else.
>With that, take the simple route, an easy start. ask for that tour you missed out on.
>>
>>5052652
Yeah, supporting >>5052684. I was trying to write something out for actual dialogue, but it felt hokey. I'll trust BHOP to put it to words.

Also, a thought: Did we ever apologize to Francine for treating her like an enemy to interrogate, when we first met? I mean, it was justified, entirely. The last West Proxy we had met vivisected children. But still, a little rude treatment for someone we now see as a friend.
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>>5052692
not sure but im pretty sure she understands the difference in circumstance and such.
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>>5052694
Oh, sure. I doubt she's carrying a grudge. I'm just wondering if we ever did.
>>
>>5052652
Supporting >>5052684
>>
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>>5052652

“...No.”

For a single, fleeting moment...stone falters.

“No?” Paloma echoes with a quizzical tilt of her head.

“No games. There will be no tests, no trials or anything like that. That’s not me, and that’s not my family.” You clarify, rising from your seat and sitting Amara down on the throne-like chair. “I’m not in the business of giving people the third degree.”

“She leaves that to me. I give ‘em the fourth.” Rath helpfully adds, and Em barks out a laugh that echoes off the stark boardroom walls.

“Regarding your offer...I want some time to mull it over, and give it the consideration it’s due. Amenable?” You declare, spreading your hands as Paloma gives a small sigh of relief.

“Take as much time as you need.”

“You know, I was talking about trust, earlier. Thinking on it now, I realize that it was only with time and patience that my family came together. It was only with actions and conversation that I became friends with the Midnight Crew here...jury’s still out on if that was a good idea or not.” You add with a wink at Jackie, who flips you a good-natured bird as her trademark razorblade grin slashes across her lips.

“That said...I hear we almost missed a grand tour?”

It’s as though you’ve flipped a switch. Paloma’s eyes go wide and she’s practically tripping over herself, excitedly leading the way through the double doors and back out into the hallway you used to enter the dungeon of a boardroom. Em and the Midnight Crew bring up the rear as ascend the starwell once more, stopping on the floor just below the living quarters and in front of a simple door you passed without thought. The Skintalker places her index finger on the handle-less lock and whispers a few short syllables...there’s a series of clicks before she swings the door open, casting her arms wide as your eyes adjust to the sudden influx of light and sound.

Stumbling out into open air, your perceptions quickly adapt to reveal a cavernous, five-tiered market, the hollow space at the center reminding you of a colossal mall and strung with innumerable strands of twinkling lights. You breathe in, and the smells that fill your mind are beyond description. They’re...it’s…

“Are those burgers and motherfucking fries?” Rath growls, citrine eyes like saucers. "And steak? COOKED steak?!"

“Ramen. Holy shit, I smell ramen.” Gina giggles with delight as she leans over the railing to try and determine the source of the multitude of smells. Paloma, for her part, kneads her hands together excitedly as she offers an explanation.

(Continued)
>>
>>5052767

“Okay okay, so here’s the basic layout—shops, kitsch, and novelty stuff is mostly on the first floor, while practically all of the second is devoted to food constructs. It won’t keep the hunger at bay, but I’ve found some Gluttonous who’ve dual-classed with Flesh Artisan and Neuromancy to pluck memories of tastes and smells from patrons and re-create them, made to order!”

“Like Lady Julia's tea.” Dorian mutters approvingly, a wistful smile playing on his lips.

“Oh, speaking of tea, the third and fourth floors have been converted into a library, and we serve tea, coffee, beer, and whatever else we’ve been able to salvage or reconstruct! Ah, it’s so cozy!”

“Tell ‘em about the-” Em begins before Paloma’s eyes go even wider—something you didn’t even think was possible, but here you are.

“The Web! We’ve been able to figure out a way to access the Skinternet with Relics, so anyone can use it for free, even if they’re not a Skintalker!”

“Right above us is the sixth floor, which are more permanent living quarters.” Em interjects, gesturing to the suite of training equipment and rings that make up the fifth level of the fortress, and the one you currently occupy. “We’re on the fifth floor right now, which is devoted to security and combat training, plus it’s where our Forges are. Easy access to the rest of the place, defensible, and good for anyone who needs to let off some steam or get their hands dirty.”

“Noted.” Jackie hums, just before Paloma looses a contented sigh.

“I’ve always loved spaces like this. Things meant for one thing, used for another. Purpose, repurposed.” She grins, staring down at her handiwork for a moment before she turns to face you. “It’s what humanity’s done with the Crucible, really; taken this hell and carved out little heavens, where we can. There’s beauty to be found here, yet.”

An impressive establishment, you have to admit as you scan the various levels, each and everyone one teeming with activity. The entire place feels like it could be some kind of mall from the world that was. Just people spending time, spending money, and going about their daily lives. There’s a pang of something you can’t quite place, a feeling that firms up in your chest as you look at the smiling faces below...one that’s replaced by wry amusement as a familiar figure shakily approaches from the opposite end of the causeway before you.

“Ah! Tinker Tailor, I presume?” Paloma says, striding forward to meet the unnerving Flesh Artisan.

“Iamneithersoldiernorspy,basedes.” The wiry figure replies, a twitchy up-down motion of her gasmask serving as a nod of greeting. “IunderstandyouhadaRelicformetoinspect?”

“Yes, but first, I’d like you to meet-” She begins, though she cut off by Tailor’s sudden bow to you.

(Continued)
>>
>>5052771

“TheDefiantHunterofGodsandIhavemet.YoukeepgoodcompanyPaloma.” The artisan swiftly comments, and you can see your own reflection in the lenses of her inscrutable mask.

“It’s good to see you in person.” You say with a nod of your own at the enigmatic tinkerer...and though you can’t see her expression, you know that you and she share the same thought.

There’s a conversation you’re due.

“I was just giving Shu and her family the grand tour, would you like to join us?” Your host offers kindly, but Tailor shakes her head with nausea-inducing speed.

“Alreadysaweverythingsixtimes.AveryniceplaceIlikeitalotsoifyouarebusyatthemomentmayIseeyourForgesplease?”

“...I don’t see why not.” Em relents after exchanging a quick glance with her friend, escorting the Artisan to the forgerooms and leaving Paloma to attend to you and yours.

“So!” Your host suddenly says with a clap of her hands. “I’d love to show it off in more detail! Where would you like to start?”

>>The First Floor, with its trinkets and baubles.

>>The Second Floor, with its food and drink, fueled by nostalgia.

>>The Third Floor and Forth Floors, filled with books and unfettered access to the Skinternet.

>>The Fifth Floor, with Relics and Forges, and maybe a chance to get Em’s perspective on things.

>>The Sixth Floor, to retire for a while to discuss recent events with your family.


>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next four hours, with posting to resume tomorrow morning at 10AM, Eastern time. Thank you all for your patience, participation, and enthusiasm, and I wish you a good and restful evening.)
>>
>>5052771
>“Like Lady Julia's tea.” Dorian mutters approvingly, a wistful smile playing on his lips.
Finally, someone admits that Julia made her tea out of herself. We all knew it, but it's nice to have it out there.

>>5052772
>“It’s good to see you in person.” You say with a nod of your own at the enigmatic tinkerer...and though you can’t see her expression, you know that you and she share the same thought.
>There’s a conversation you’re due.
Indeed.

>>The First Floor, with its trinkets and baubles.
Let's start low and work our way up. And I want to see what people are willing to buy in this post-apocalyptic meat world. Given the Fortress' placement, most of the people passing through here would have been Cord-seekers. What did they want or leave behind them?
>>
>>5052784
Seconded. Start from the bottom, go up one floor at a time. Let's get the grand tour of the place.
>>
>>5052772
vote;
>Start with the Fifth Floor, as you're already here afterall.
>Then, The First Floor, with its trinkets and baubles.

>>5052774
and to you too Bhop.
though not sure how restful ill be for a bit, considering i just handed my car over to my brother to borrow for a bit because he just wrecked his.... im sure it'll be fine, worse case he owes me a car, i guess.
>>
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>>5052772
Not a vote, but...
>>>The First Floor, with its trinkets and baubles.
Are they (literally) paid for in blood, I wonder?
>>
Hmmm... Don't we have an augment that can help with the hunger? The one we got from the ant queen?

Maybe we can find a way to share that with others here? They would probably be able to put it to good use here after all.
>>
>>5052981
It should be tradeable on a Sparagmos Engine.... not sure if we can replicate the Augment on an Engine that is not completely unlocked like the one in the Lair.

Though giving it to Nerada might just allow her to feed pretty much the entire planet what with her having no Swarm Cap while taking up not more space than a couple of Warehouses.
>>
>>5052990
but is it really that ethical? Back during our foray in the soul realm, we saw that Nerada's true wish is to be a normal little girl. Why would we even give her that augment and have her be used as a portable living food source for the human populace like some crass heartless woman manipulating people for her own and other's gain? All Nerada wants is to be a normal little girl is that not hard to ask and respect?
>>
>>5053032
I do not want to give it to her. I was just pointing out who would be the most suited for it due to powers if we can not replicate the Augment. Though nearly, any swarm type Hive Mistress would be suitable for a time at least.

Is it ethical? Without her consenting out of trust? Absolutely not.

Her powers would just be the most suited from a coldly analytical point.
>>
>>5053037
Then why don't we just make a trade instead of forcing it on her? Give her a copy of the augment, and we get a copy of the hive mistress halo, and that way we can both do the same thing in terms of actual hunger reducing food.

Also, getting to surprise West with a halo outta nowhere would be sweet.
>>
>>5053032
Alternate proposal, then, that should actually be more effective: Having a single point of distribution for constructs is inherently inefficient. What would be best would be if people could raise their own. Constructs that can make more constructs, so you can just be given one and it grows into an entire herd. What construct do we know that can do that? The Joyous Many. Have Amara give Shu a level of Joyous Many, then Shu hybridizes it with a Hive Mistress skill (probably Murderous Flock, since she doesn't really use that). That way communities could farm crow-people, and sustain themselves that way. If that's too weird for people, we could even throw in Violens Tetrastigma to the hybrid to make everything flower mutants and let people pretend they're just plants. Bam, there's a crop that people can cultivate the world over, now.

Admittedly, it would take a bunch of levels. Two for Amara and Francine to have spare levels of Joyous and Violens to give up, then six to raise all the components to level three for the hybrid point. But those eight levels could potentially feed the entire world. I think it's a worthwhile experiment. And wouldn't it be funny to, after denouncing Mara's methods as monstrous, solve one of the problems she was working on without any atrocities? "Oh, hey, remember how you were looking for an infinite regenerator to endless cannibalize? That plan was dumb, I just invented agriculture instead. You're welcome."
>>
>>5053136
>>5053115
>>5053037

Alternatively, you could simply distribute that augment to people around the world. Let people experiment and grow their own food instead of having to spend time and effort to personally tinker with the augment while juggling our responsibilities to stop the Crucible cycle.
>>
(Updating momentarily, everyone.)
>>
>>5053137
I don't think we can copy augments. I remember BHOP saying that that was out of our current capabilities, but that there was a way to unlock it. I might be misremembering, but I'm pretty sure that's the reason we haven't already spread Thousand's Matron everywhere.
>>
>>5053037
>>5053115
>>5053137
not gonna jump into the argument too hard but i do also remember we cannot copy augments/have enough restrictions on it to make it kinda kill the idea (at the moment at least) regardless of any other moral or logical arguments tied to it.
>>
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>>5052772

“Let’s start from the bottom.” You decide, casting another glance down the multi-tiered structure as Amara hauls herself up on the railing next to you. “I’d like to experience everything the way a new arrival would.”

Your answer thrills your host, who excitedly leads your family downstairs…though not before the Jackie says that she’ll catch up with you later, leaving with her Crew for parts unknown. You try not to linger on Jackie as Paloma throws her arms wide to showcase the rows of extravagant stalls on the main level.

“I’m not seeing any obvious Relics.” Rath observes, glancing around at the various wares being peddled. “What do people buy and sell here, exactly?”

“Well, since most everybody that passes through here are either headed to the Cord or here out of curiosity, a lot of the vendors trade their wares for things from the world that was.” Paloma explains, leading you past the leftmost row as the various shopkeepers greet her with a smile. “As for what they’re offering? Well, it’s a little bit of everything. Books, baubles…anything, really. There’s a market for anything as long as it can spark a little joy.”

A shimmer catches your eye, like light cast through molded glass. Given pause, you approach a stall that’s laden with what appears to be home-made jewelry, though the gemstones held by wire and bone aren’t like any you’ve ever seen. Their depth of color strikes you as something keenly unnatural, sculpted to be as eye-catching as possible…and you’ve found yourself caught, as the owner nervoudly hops up from behind the counter.

“Hello! W-welcome to Accessories by Aimee!” She stammers, trying to put on her best retail face, but her ill-fitting visage falters when she sees Paloma at your side. “Ma’am! Forgive me, is this a friend of yours?”

“Friend-in-progress.” Your host laughs lightly as she lances about the trinkets on offer. “Ah, your newest pieces are so pretty! The level of color and detail is amazing!”

“Oh, th-thank you Ma’am.” Aimee bashfully grins, turning her attention to you. “See anything you like? I can also make custom pieces, ready in just an hour or two!”

“These stones…you make them yourself?” You presume, and stall’s owner nods happily.

“I’m a Humoral Paladin, so I can make crystals with my fluids!” Aimee explains before promptly going beet-red. “Tears! I make them out of my tears! Happy tears make the best gemstones, so I just read a lot of sappy stuff! It’s not weird! I promise!”

She glances to Paloma before quietly adding. “…Is the offer still open for-“

“Me to help you work on your pitch? Of course.” Replies your host as you turn your attention to the jewels Aimee’s crafted.

>>Compliment the girl’s wares, and explore a little more.

>>Request a custom piece for (Choose one or more allies).

>>Make small talk with Aimee, if just to relax her nerves.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next two hours, with posting to resume in three.)
>>
>>5053148
>>>Make small talk with Aimee, if just to relax her nerves.
Oh good for her. I was wondering how she was doing, since A's sidestory. She might be able to give us a little idea of the place, she's been here for a bit now, and seems to have made something of herself.
>>
>>5053148
Oh good, I was wondering if we'd encounter her. How are you doing, Aimee? Been adjusting, since 'A' brought you here?

>>Make small talk with Aimee, if just to relax her nerves.
>>
>>5053148
vote;
>Make small talk with Aimee, if just to relax her nerves.
>Request a custom piece for...
>...yourself! you're allowed to do that, right?
>ask for the sappiest thing you can imagine, a necklace with a gemstone on it to represent each of your family members, and tell her she can take as much time as she needs to make it.
>>
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>>5052961
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>>5053162
oh that letter got me good. Well met!

>>5053157
Man, if only we found a friend with a blue-colored soul, then we'd have a rainbow necklace of soul gems! Wait...
>>
>>5053164
To be fair my mind still sees Dorian as a blue.
fits the 'gentleman' image better. plus theres no one else who really fits a blue color all that much, but we have a few who do or could fit reds aswell so its more unique.
>>
>>5053166
oh yeah. I forgot that Amara is two-toned with Blue and Brown respectively. So we do have an actual rainbow necklace!
>>
>>5053164
actually that would be a cute and hilarious moment.
we get the necklace and its all just colors we didn't expect at all.

>"oh? and this purple is for g-"
>"Yup! thats ones for Julia! was a bit hard to get her personality over the phone, but she sounded nice!"
>"..oh well, it was over the phone so i can understand. and this fiery red is for Ra-"
>"for Francine! yup! her passion for science really spoke to me!"
>"...i guess i see it. and the metallic grey is No-"
>"Amara! shes so stern in her love for her family, all i could imagine was a robot of love and justice!"
>"...its a lovely, well made necklace, thank you."
>>
>>5053169
Amara's very blue, actually. Blue hair, blue eye, blue dress...it's her color.

>>5053171
That would be pretty funny, yeah, seeing what colors other people associate with our party without taking into account their actual color schemes. Like, Shu probably gets white because of the messianic themes, right?

>"Amara! shes so stern in her love for her family, all i could imagine was a robot of love and justice!"
Amara: The Robot of Love and Justice is absolutely the name of the manga made of her life a couple generations from now. Or maybe it's just the name of one story arc where she's interacting with Dissociated. It definitely exists, though.
>>
>>5053173
Shu would be more rainbow colored given the brief glimpse description bhop gave us. Also, it's been bothering me for the longest time but what does Shu exactly look like as a normal girl? We do know she's pretty much a Doppelganger of Sam, and yet I can't remember enough to t have an accurate enough description of Shu/Sam pre-crucible corruption.
>>
>>5053177
well, Bhop leaves the characters look open to interpretation to a decent degree on purpose, but i imagine Sams pretty normal looking.
a long brown hairs, just above average looking girl. Caucasian, probably green or brown eyes(i actually cant remember if our own eye color has ever been said)(also also actually probably brown. green would conflict with the symbolism of Isabelle too much, assuming i just havent forgotten the color that is).
for some reason i imagine a small nose and not unhealthily so, but somewhat thin cheeks, implying Sam didn't starve herself but wasn't exactly the healthiest, even if only via stress.
>>
>>5053180
Just from your simple descriptors I somehow got Hakuno Kishinami from Fate/Extra in my mind because both Shu and Hakuno share the same sort of Quality: Plain, yet somehow instantly recognizable.
>>
>>5053177
Shu's appearance is deliberately unstated. I remember BHOP mentioning once that he meant to give her a defined appearance, but a computer error led to the post being deleted, and he decided to roll with it and leave it up to the audience's imagination. So the only known parts of Sam/Shu's human appearance are that she's tall, with long legs. Everything else: race, hair, build, facial shape, etc. is all up to your personal imagination. Personally, my mental image of Shu tends towards Latinx features. Long black hair, oval face shape, light golden-brown skin, body fairly thin but with tone on her from all the fighting.
>>
>>5053185
i mean thats not exactly it but not too far off. that might fit SHU, but the face is too nice to fit Sam. (also Nero is great.)

>>5053187
i cant imagine Sam as a Latina because she just doesn't have what it takes to be one. being from Texas and having gone to a very mixed school, for once i do actually feel thats something im quite familiar with. she would've been torn apart by her classmates for sure if nothing else.(though to be fair, i guess we dont actually know if that did or did not happen).
>>
>>5053189
Yeah, I'll agree that Sam feels pretty white-coded. I just have a disconnect between my mental image of Sam and Shu. Not sure why I see Shu as being Latinx. Might just be because of her one defined appearance feature being her long legs, and I once knew a Latinx girl with amazing legs. She was a runner, herself.

But yeah, if I'm being reasonable then Sam was probably white, meaning Shu is probably white. There's some potential for her to be mixed race, but even then I'd think she's probably white-passing, looking completely of European descent. And she probably comes from a Christian home, given that she didn't know what an Asura was. Well, okay, she could hypothetically be of any number of non-Asian religions, but she definitely doesn't feel Muslim and all the others are super minorities that would have been mentioned if she was part of them. Like what, you're going to tell me that Sam was Yezidi? No way.
>>
>>5053192
well-
actually, i was gonna mention how Shus been out in the sun alot, so may of gotten a tan but... is that the case? light getting through the membrane is different than UV rays getting through, and considering its skin covering the earth it might actually be absorbing most if not all the good stuff from the solar rays hitting it. despite the heat and light, its actually quite possible everyone in the crucible would be suffering D3 deficiencies and be pale as hell if they were normal humans.
or well... maybe the pale part might still be applicable? really hard to tell just how much the Crucible flesh doe and doesn't do at times.
>>
>>5053196
Wasn't there something about Ozmas being able to make aesthetic changes to the Crucible without using up her authority, and so the simulated sunlight is actually meant to mimic the Hexane homeworld? In that case I'd imagine a lot of UV gets through, with Hexania (or whatever it as called) having two suns and therefore getting a lot of solar radiation. So who knows, maybe everyone's gotten killer tans? Together with all the muscle they're putting on fighting for their lives, everyone's going to come out of the Crucible looking in great shape aside from the freakish mutations.
>>
>>5053200
yeah thats a fair point, but we also dont know what she meant by that. it may just look or feel like it, over being an actual sun. kinda forgot about the artificial sun honestly.
also does that mean an artificial sun isnt standard, and it should actually be perpetual low light from just what little may naturally get through the membrane? man, that would've changed the mood a-fucking-lot.
>>
>>5053203
I figure there's either lighting by default and the Mother just gets to change the settings, or there isn't a default lighting system but most Mothers put one up anyway just to make things simpler.
>>
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>>5053148

“How do you like it here, Aimee?” You ask idly, hoping to take the girl’s mind off her nerves and get a better feel for the Ikean Fortress at the same time.

“It’s…it’s as close to the old world as I think we can get.” She says, looking past you to the other merchants and clientele, the ebb and flow of idle commerce. “There’s a lot of people that probably couldn’t make it out in the Crucible, and it’s a miracle there’s a place for us, here. Miss Palo—or rather, Em—keep any troublemakers in line, but even that doesn’t come up too often. There’s kind of an understanding here, y’know?”

“Sort of a ‘the world’s gone to hell, so don’t be a dick’ vibe, then?” You offer, and Aimee snorts with laughter. “So, about your custom work…up for a challenge?”

“Oh! Of course, always!” She answers, pleasantly surprised as she scrambles beneath the counter, reappearing with a worn notepad and a pen that resembles a gnarled finger. “Do you have a general idea of the piece? I can sketch it out!”

“Well, it’s kind of cheesy, but…” You begin, glancing over your shoulder as Amara teeters atop November’s shoulders, while Gina and Francine converse with bookseller on the opposite side of the alleyway. “…I’d like a necklace, with a gemstone representing each member of my family. Something light, but that puts them all front and center.”

You hesitate, worried at how gaudy that might look before adding; “Think it’s too much?”

“N-not at all! I think it’s incredibly sweet! It might take a while, is that-?”

“Take as much time as you need.” You assure her, a bit embarrassed by your own request. “I know it’s a bit extravagant, but…I think I’d really like it.”

“You’ll love it! You won’t be disappointed, I guarantee it!” Aimee assures you, seemingly emboldened by your request. “So, what name do I put down for the order?”

“Ah, ‘Shu’ is fine.”

She freezes, her confidence and boldness—gone.

“…Y-you’re Shu? THE Shu? L-like…the Defiant?”

“The one and only.” Paloma declares with a grin.

“Oh…oh my God, this is an honor. I won’t let you down!” Aimee suddenly declares, snatching your hand and shaking it with newfound fervor. “This is going to be the greatest thing I’ve ever made, I promise you! I’ll get started immediately!”

“I have no doubt, but please take your time.” You plead with her…though you have a feeling your request falls on her deaf and very excited ears. With that, you leave her stall as she mutters something about ‘all the happy tears’ while you reconvene with your family to find them in the middle of a very serious debate that’s just been sparked by your resident fire starter.

(Continued)
>>
>>5053228

“Okay, so who’s ready for some real goddamn food, for once?” Rath demands, practically chomping at the bit to go upstairs.

“Hey, now; Lady Julia and I made pancakes for everyone just the other day.” Dorian fires back with mock offense, and Rath rounds on him in a fervor.

“A girl can’t live on pancakes alone, my dude!”

“Speak for yourself.” Gina mutters, eyeing the fit brawler up and down while feeling her own pudge hidden beneath her hoodie. “I’m working on my Crucible bod. It’s like my regular bod, but with more cake in it.”

“I could go for a salad. Maybe an oil-based dressing.” November muses, prompting a chuckle from the good doctor beside her, thin eyebrow cocked in amusement as the soldier glances up at Amara. “What about you, kiddo?”

“Three bowls of Froot Loops.” Your ward instantly replies, her determination and focus unparalleled in this singular moment. “I will accept no substitutes.”

“What about you, babe?” Gina asks, turning to you. “What’ll you have?”

“They can make anything, I swear!” Paloma chimes in proudly, standing tall with her hands on her hips—or as tall as she can, given she’s about a head-and-a-half shorter than you. “Just name your favorite, and they can recreate it!”

“Think they have protein powder?” Johanna asks earnestly, and a horrified expression flickers across your host’s face before she can properly recover.

“Fran, what’ll it be?” Gina says, sensing your hesitation and shifting the spotlight to the lean physician.

“I…well, we’ll have to see what strikes my fancy.” She replies hesitantly, and you get the feeling she may be having the same struggle that you are.

You’ll have a…

You’d like…

…Hrm.

You’re not sure if it says more about you or Sam that alcoholic beverages spring to mind with more alacrity than actual food.

>>Venture upstairs and try to let the gourmands pluck a favorite from your ill-remembered past.

>>See what everyone else gets, and then have a bit of everything…besides, you’re interested to see what everyone orders.

>>You’ll make due with an old favorite—order a Bee’s Knees, and see any finger foods would pair well with it.

>>Nothing ventured, nothing gained; you’ll have a (Write-In).

>>Send your family on ahead as you hang back with Paloma on the first floor…there’s one or two things you’d like to ask her, while she’s alone (Write-In).

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next two hours, with posting to resume in three.)
>>
>>5053229
vote;
>See what everyone else gets, and then have a bit of everything…besides, you’re interested to see what everyone orders.
>>
>>5053229
>"I could go for a salad. Maybe an oil-based dressing.” November muses, prompting a chuckle from the good doctor beside her
So I get that that's a joke on November being a cyborg who needs her joints oiled, but I'm wondering: Can November eat? I'm pretty sure her old body couldn't, but she can install the Gamma Pharynx so that suggests she does have a mouth now.

>>Nothing ventured, nothing gained; you’ll have a (Write-In).
>A vegetarian (well, not really, but close enough) curry. Vegetables and spices, too things notably missing from Shu's diet. Let's go for novelty.
>>
(Her frame can be modified to hold practically any Relic - the only biomass she has left is part of her brain and her spinal column, but she can still absorb minimal biomass. It's just that she lacks the ability to enjoy it, currently.)
>>
>>5053247
Darn. Poor November. We need to get her some quality of life upgrades, then. Not a lot we can do right now, though. Definitely something to work on for a post-game cyberbody, assuming we can't just reincarnate her as a full-flesh human with the world-revival program.
>>
>>5053229
>>A spicy curry. Mostly vegetables. and try and trade for bits and pieces of the others meals just to get a real palette of what tastes are out there.

I like the idea of a curry and of trying to widen our palette. Its probably muddled enough than it already is and we can probably use the reminder of what real food tastes like.
>>
>>5053229
>>A spicy curry. Mostly vegetables, with a heap of rice on the side. And try and trade for bits and pieces of the others meals just to get a real palette of what tastes are out there.

After so long, doing nothing but CONSUME and eating mostly meat to survive, I'm guessing that Shu's system is screaming for some vegetables.
>>
>>5053266
Shu has subsisted entirely on a diet of mutant flesh and mixed cocktails, for her entire life. I think this is the first actual food she will have ever eaten.
>>
(Finishing the update now, and apologies for the delay - work got a bit busy in the second half.)
>>
>>5053229

“You know what? Spicy curry.” You announce on a whim as you’re halfway up the stairwell to the second floor. “With some vegetables, and a big ‘ol heap of rice on the side.”

“Vegetables? Traitor.” Gina scoffs, taking your arms in hers. “Jail for Shu! Jail for Shu for one thousand years!”

When you finally emerge, the Ikean Fortress’ vast amount of eateries almost makes you re-think your decision, but you stand firm in the face of the multitude of tempting smells.

“Rath, the best meat’s served over at Hellburger, over in the corner. Tell Steak-Hands Jenny I sent you.” Paloma instructs the redhead, who’s about to bolt in the indicated direction before she fixes Nerada with a look. “Hey, you ever had steak?”

The small Hive Mistress shakes her head.

“What about a burger?” Rath fires off, answered by another shake of the child’s head. “Well, we’re getting you both.”

“But Amara said she was gonna share her Froot Loops.”

“You can have both.” Paloma interjects, and Nerada’s eyes go wide with awe.

“Both?” She echoes in disbelief. “I don’t have to pick?”

“Kid, you can eat anything you goddamn want.” Rath laughs, grabbing her hand and leading her over to the restaurant as the little one grins.

“I like this place.” Is the last thing you hear her say before the two of them disappear into the crowd, leaving you and the rest to fend for themselves in this apocalyptic food court.

“What are those?” Francine suddenly asks, intrigued by a nearby stall that’s set against the second-floor railing.

“Swedish Meatballs, an Ikean delicacy.” Paloma grins, ushering for the good doctor to try one before turning to you. “So! If you’re in the mood for curry, I hear that Làzhú just got a great new recipe, and she should be able to set Amara up with some cereal, too. She knows a little bit of everything!”

Thanking her for the tip, you take Amara by the hand as you make your way over to a modest stand, staffed by a girl whose skin flows like paraffin wax. She’d been watching you since you’d arrived, having fixed you with a smile that only reaches a single eye, her left socket filled with a low-burning candle.

“Welcome! I understand you’re Madame Paloma’s honored guests, yes? Whatever you like, it’s on the house.” She declares, leaning on the counter and propped up by thin elbows. “Hell young miss, what would you like?”

“Three bowls of your finest Froot Loops, please.” Your little one informs the owner, and Làzhú gives her a wink before turning to you, the same question in her fiery gaze.

“Your curry comes highly recommended. Spicy as you like, and with vegetables and rice on the side, if I may.”

The girl simply bows, instructing you and your charge to have a seat wherever you like, and that your food will be brought to you promptly.

(Continued)
>>
>>5053375

“So…I have to ask.” You say, staking out a large circular table for when the rest of your family joins you. “Why cereal?”

“Mother. I crave the loop.” She informs you, and you’re not sure whether to be amused or intimidated by just how straight a face she has right now…though she falters after a moment, clearly wrestling with something before she speaks again.

“Can I tell you a secret?”

“Always, sweetie. What’s on your mind?” You ask, and Amara leans in close after muttering a few syllables of her Lexicon for reasons that escape you.

“Nerada wanted me to find out what you heard her heart say. She told me not to tell you she asked, but I felt bad.” She says guiltily. “I think she’s embarrassed that you might’ve heard something she didn’t want you to hear…are you mad I told you?”

“Not at all, Amara…I’m glad you told me.” You assure her, putting your arm around her shoulder and fixing her with a soft smile. “It’s part of the reason I took her aside first—I know she has a lot of worries about fitting in, and I wanted to make sure she knew we weren’t going to judge her. Plus, with you being your sweet self? I think she’ll feel better soon.”

“Okay…so what should I tell her you said?” She asks, glancing around to make sure your family isn’t arriving before adding; “Actually, could I ask something else? I-if you don’t mind?”

“Of course.” You answer, a concern growing in your chest at your ward’s unusual reluctance.

“Wh-…” She starts, then swallows. “…what did my heart say?”

At that, yours sinks.

Taking a shaky breath, you wonder how best to reply to either question under the current circumstances…

>>Tell her the truth, to both. As plainly and gently as possible, with all the care that is due.

>>Tell her to have Nerada come to you with her question, while you answer Amara’s as best you can.

>>As much as you don’t want to, tell her those questions will have to wait until you can give them their proper due.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next four hours, with posting to resume at 10AM Eastern time tomorrow morning. Thank you all for your time and participation, and I wish you a restful evening and a good night’s sleep.)
>>
>>5053377
vote;
>First, make Sure Amara is ok with you telling her that in public. you're fine if she is, but you want to warn her some things are best left for private conversations, and you also dont want to risk ruining the fun.
>>but if she insists, tell her the truth. to both, as Nerada wouldn't of asked her to find out if she wasn't ok with amara finding out too.
>>
>>5053377
>>Write-In
>"...are you sure you want to talk about this here, Amara? It could get pretty heavy."
>If she is, then take a breath to focus and steel yourself for emotions
>"Tell Nerada that what I heard was her fear we'd be scared of her. That something she had done, or something she was, would make us not want to stay and be kind to her. I didn't hear what she thought was so bad, just that she was worried, but whatever it is I'm not going to reject her over it. I'm not anywhere near heartless enough to abandon a child who needs me."
>"Which, um...well, which brings us to yours."
>"You had two sparks, talking with each other. One was scared that I was going to leave you. That I'd be too busy for you, or would want to leave you behind to keep you safe, or just that I'd abandon you for no reason. It didn't have a single argument, I think it was just all your fears, even the non-rational ones. The other was a spark trying to keep you happy and not thinking about your fears. Telling the other spark that if you just kept smiling, and staying strong, and getting stronger, then you'd be too busy to be sad and we wouldn't want to leave you."
>"Amara...if you're sad, you can tell me. If you're scared, you can tell me. Please don't mistake my being proud of you when you're brave and thoughtful for wanting you to never show any other emotion. I'm so sorry if I've ever given you that impression. You're surrounded by people who love you, and we all want you to be really happy, not just putting on a strong face for us. We'd much rather you tell us when something's wrong so we can help you, rather than just be blissfully unaware of it."
>"And I will never abandon you. Don't ever think that for a moment. No matter the danger, no matter how busy I am, I will always want you to be in my life. As long as I draw breath I'm going to be there for you, okay? I love you, Amara, never doubt that."
>Give her as strong a hug as we can without squeezing her malleable body in half.

I want to ask her about her birth mom, if she abandoned her, but I'm not sure how to work it in. Anyone else have any ideas?
>>
>>5053413
I can work that in. But goddamn it I've come back from work at such a late time. The whole "heart" thing is the perfect preface to ask Amara about her mother anyways. I just hope Bhop considers my write-in.

Just give me a couple of hours to work my write-in ""storytime magic".
>>
>>5053622
Sure thing, anon. I agree it's a good opportunity to ask about her birth mother, since her heart-spark outright said "You had a mom". Which worries me, is that just referring to pre-Crucible life as the past tense, or did Amara's mother die? I remember we had a theory once that her mother might actually have made it into the Crucible and just gotten turned into a West Proxy, that would be rather horrific if true.

Sorry to hear you got back late, though. I also hope BHOP counts your write-in, you're pretty good at this and I'd like you to be able to contribute your piece.
>>
>>5053413
>>5053633
Thanks for letting me know. I do have a slight nit-pick about your answer though. Even though the answer of reassurance for being Amara's mother in the Crucible-era is a given, I'm somewhat worried that we're overselling that fact and not leaving any healthy room for Amara to learn how to cope and move on in the inevitable chance that circumstances do actually force us to become separate from Amara.
>>
>>5053635
Yeah, that part was a bit weak, I agree. An earlier draft of mine tried to address that, but I couldn't make it not sound all prevaricating, like we were expecting to leave her. I tried to get around it by saying "always come back to you" instead of "never leave you", but it could still make her too dependent. If you've got a better way to phrase it, I'd be glad to go with that.
>>
>>5053377
>>5053380
Sorry for the very late write-in. I hope it's considered when you wake up in the morning. This is a two-part write-in vote due to character limits.

>First, make Sure Amara is ok with you telling her that in public. you're fine if she is, but you want to warn her some things are best left for private conversations, and you also dont want to risk ruining the fun.
>but if she insists, tell her the truth. to both, as Nerada wouldn't of asked her to find out if she wasn't ok with amara finding out too.

Storytime segment:
>Pull both Amara (and Nerada if optional with consent) onto your lap.
>"Deep down, Nerada simply wants to have friends. To be with people who are willing to accept her for who she is. She's been lonely for a long time, and never had the chance to feel content in the way that you have friends and family to look after you and accept who you are."
>"And hearing her heart's true desires? How could I say no? It's clear that both you and Nerada had lots of fun with each other, and look adorable as well."

>"As for your heart's true desires..."
>"You had one wish and one worry. A blue star and a brown one."
>"The blue star was happy, cheerful, always optimistic and hopeful. When I heard your heart speak through the blue star. Your heart wished to stay strong and keep smiling even if it hurts."
>"The brown star was sad, fearful, and full of worries. When I heard your heart speak through the brown star, your heart was worried about how I wasn't your real mom, how I always busy and that I would someday leave you to keep you safe."
>"Amara, I'm not mad, nor am I worried or disappointed at you for having these wishes and worries inside your heart. Both the Blue Star and the Brown star inside your heart are right in their own way."
>"The blue star of hope inside your heart is right in the sense that you have been very mature for your age, and that everything you've done has always been a great help. It is right in the sense that it always looks on the bright side of life. A smile better suits you."
>"But the brown star of worries is also correct Amara in what it said. It's true, I'm not your mother in the sense of being the one who gave birth to and who raised you before the Crucible came along. And it is right to worry in the sense that even if we do manage to beat the Cord, something might come up that will force me to make that hard choice to leave you behind, no matter how strong I am."
cont.
>>
>>5053647
>>5053377

>"Which brings me to my next point. The brown star of worries inside your heart said something that I can't help but wonder."
>"Amara, if you're feeling brave enough, can you tell me what happened to your first mom?"
>If Amara is hesitant: "I know it's a sore subject having to talk about the past. If you're still not feeling up for it, I can empathize. I'm only asking because I'm curious about you. Curious about how life was like for you back then."
>"I only want to know more about you, so I can love you all the better for it, regardless of how painful that past is."
>Regardless of Amara's decision to open up about her past end the conversation with this:
>"Amara, there may be a point in time where it becomes necessary for the two of us to part ways. Be it you growing up enough to become independent or be it me sacrificing my life or making a hard choice to leave you to keep you safe. It's a simple fact."
>"Moms have to work hard to take care of their families. Every waking moment they shed sweat, blood, and tears to keep their family and children safe so that one day their children can grow strong and mature to keep on living and have kids of their own."
>"Your time with your first mom may have been short and I may not be your real mom, but that doesn't mean I can't be a second mom to you."
>"I made the choice to look after you and raise you the best I can when you were born from that pod in the Rusty Town."
>"I will do my best to raise you the best I can AND beat the Cord. If there's a way for me to stay with you after beating the Cord, I will make it so. If I have to part ways with you, I will try and find a way make so that it's possible to be there for you, through time or space."
>"But until then; appreciate the time you have with me. Keep growing, keep smiling, so that even if that day comes, you'll be strong and mature enough to keep on living without me and eventually become a mom of your own kids."
>"You'll always be a daughter to me regardless. That's how much I love you."

>>5053386
>>5053637
If any of you have any objections to this write-in, make it known before bhop opens up his post at 10 in the morn. I'll try to be awake at that point in time to address it. I may have self-criticism on my own write-in shortly after reading this.
>>
>>5053647
>>5053648
And immediately I see typos and grammar checks that I feel I must rectify. goddamn it. Curse my hubris.
>>5053386
>>5053637

the point of the message in my write-in is 3-fold. One is to tell her the truth, then to bridge from that point, address a question that has been fermenting in our minds for a long long time (Amara's past and the trauma associated with her birth mother), we have several big hints regarding Amara's past, but gently nudging Amara to be brave and open up will give us the confirmation to some of our assumptions as well as bring to light the full scope of her heart's true worries. Then the final part is to address those worries. Yes, We're acknowledging that those worries may be true with a bitter yet needed lesson of the inevitability of growing up, aging, and parting ways. but we're also giving an answer that helps her cope with the reality and a needed perspective of appreciation of how fortunate she has been throughout her life.
>>
>>5053647
>>5053648
eh, i dunno.
I just always feel like these more longer form kid story ways to telling Amara things dont click. and its Amaras fault, for whatever that means. shes a kid, and she clearly still likes kid things, but she just shows such a mature knack for truly understanding mature concepts and knowing when to take things seriously that when it comes to serous topics, it just feels jarring and out of place to me to treat her like a kid for them.
typically, people use stories on kids because its easier for them to understand, not necessarily because its 'funner' for them, though that does help. so i guess for me it just feels so unnecessary, especially when its a topic like this we cant spin to be fun. if we could, then maybe, but we really cant honestly. doesn't help its literally about her and her deepest concerns too.
>>
>>5053647
>>5053648
Well, I'm not sure I'd call the blue light "hope". To me it sounded more like a coping mechanism. One that isn't entirely wrong, but whose purpose is still more about keeping her from thinking about the bad thoughts embodied by the brown light than on actually fixing her problem. I think in that sense the "keep growing, keep smiling" idea is potentially harmful for her. Your write-in might be able to change it around, so that she's focusing on positive growth instead of just chasing something to distract her from her worries, but I still have some issues with bringing it up as a positive in the first place.

That's why my vote had Shu saying that we want to hear if she's sad or scared or unhappy, because just putting on a happy mask doesn't help her, and ultimately we want her to be able to work through her problems instead of just cover them up. Genuine smiles, not just one she's putting up as part of keeping busy so she doesn't have to think about her sadness. Arguably it's actually a very good thing that she asked us what we saw, and perhaps we should emphasize that. Not in the sense of "it's good that you came to me for help" but "it's good that you're confronting a worry instead of trying to ignore it".
>>
>>5053657
I see. Any parts that you kinda like? It's gonna be hard to re-word the write-in given the seriousness of the topic if it is even possible in the first place. And I've been trying to tell Amara how it is from Shu's Pov during her journey through the soul realm. Amara's heart did manifest in the form of a pair of blue and brown binary stars after all.

As for it "not clicking", yeah.. you do have a point. It's hard to balance what we sense as Amara's apparent sense of Maturity, to the level of Maturity that Amara actually displays.
>>
>>5053663
You've got a solid argument in pointing out that the blue-light is more representative of Amara's form of coping with the hidden worries.

Do you think we'll be able to compile some sort of composite response? Simultaneously address her worries and her apparent coping mechanism? Because we can't really address one part of her problem individually. Both problems need to be simultaneously dealt with lest the one less addressed fester.
>>
>>5053664
yeah.
should mention i dont blame you for still seeing her as a kid, i do too in alot of ways, only as i said it still feels off much of the time to treat her as one.
>>
>>5053664
>>5053669
as for parts, hrm...
>"Deep down, Nerada simply wants to have friends. To be with people who are willing to accept her for who she is. She's been lonely for a long time, and never had the chance to feel content in the way that you have friends and family to look after you and accept who you are."
>"And hearing her heart's true desires? How could I say no? It's clear that both you and Nerada had lots of fun with each other, and look adorable as well."

>I'm not mad, nor am I worried or disappointed at you for having worries inside your heart.
>you have been very mature for your age, and that everything you've done has always been a great help.
>it is right to worry in the sense that even if we do manage to beat the Cord, something might come up that will force me to make that hard choice to leave you behind, no matter how strong I am."
>"Amara, if you're feeling brave enough, can you tell me what happened to your first mom?"
>: "I know it's a sore subject having to talk about the past. If you're still not feeling up for it, I can empathize. I'm only asking because I'm curious about you. Curious about how life was like for you back then."
>"I only want to know more about you, so I can love you all the better for it, regardless of how painful that past is."
>"Amara, there may be a point in time where it becomes necessary for the two of us to part ways. Be it you growing up enough to become independent or be it me sacrificing my life or making a hard choice to leave you to keep you safe. It's a simple fact."
>"Moms have to work hard to take care of their families. Every waking moment they shed sweat, blood, and tears to keep their family and children safe so that one day their children can grow strong and mature to keep on living and have kids of their own."
>"Your time with your first mom may have been short and I may not be your real mom, but that doesn't mean I can't be a second mom to you."
>"I made the choice to look after you and raise you the best I can when you were born from that pod in the Rusty Town."
>"I will do my best to raise you the best I can AND beat the Cord. If there's a way for me to stay with you after beating the Cord, I will make it so. If I have to part ways with you, I will try and find a way make so that it's possible to be there for you, through time or space."
>"But until then; appreciate the time you have with me. Keep growing, keep smiling, so that even if that day comes, you'll be strong and mature enough to keep on living without me and eventually become a mom of your own kids."
>"You'll always be a daughter to me regardless. That's how much I love you."

mind, alot of this is just ideas or such i like, and i get some of it would not stand as i copied it or such.
I also feel maaaybe the last segment could try softening the 'we may leave you' bit somehow. not sure how we could, but it feels like it needs it a bit.
>>
>>5053377
Amending my vote >>5053647 and >>5053648.

>"Deep down, Nerada simply wants to have friends. To be with people who are willing to accept her for who she is. She's been lonely for a long time, and never had the chance to feel content in the way that you have friends and family to look after you and accept who you are."
>"And hearing her heart's true desires? How could I say no? It's clear that both you and Nerada had lots of fun with each other, and look adorable as well."

>"As for your heart's true desires..."
>"You had two stars that talked to each other. One blue was and one was brown. The Brown one was scared that I was going to leave you. That I'd be too busy for you, or would want to leave you behind to keep you safe, or just that I'd abandon you for no reason. It didn't have a single argument, I think it was just all your fears, even the non-rational ones. The blue one keep you happy and not thinking about your fears. Telling the other spark that if you just kept smiling, and staying strong, and getting stronger, then you'd be too busy to be sad and we wouldn't want to leave you."
>pause for a small steady breath to let it sink in. Maintain eye-contact.
>"Amara...if you feel sad, scared, or mad, then it's okay to feel that way, it's okay to tell me or the others about how you feel. Please don't mistake my being proud of you when you're brave and thoughtful for wanting you to never show any other emotion. I'm so sorry if I've ever given you that impression. You're surrounded by people who love you, and we all want you to be really happy, not just putting on a strong face for us. We'd much rather you tell us when something's wrong so we can help you, rather than just be blissfully unaware of it."
>"I'm not mad, nor am I worried or disappointed at you for having worries inside your heart. You have been very mature for your age, and that everything you've done has always been a great help.
>"There's no shame in having worries, you have the right to worry in the sense that even if we do manage to beat the Cord, something might come up that will force me to make that hard choice to leave you behind, no matter how strong I am."
cont.
>>
>>5053377

part 2 of >>5053684

>"Which brings me to my next point. The brown star inside your heart said something that I can't help but wonder."
>"Amara, if you're feeling brave enough, can you tell me what happened to your first mom?"

>If Amara is hesitant: "I know it's a sore subject having to talk about the past. If you're still not feeling up for it, I can empathize. I'm only asking because I'm curious about you. Curious about how life was like for you back then."
>"I only want to know more about you, so I can love you all the better for it, regardless of how painful that past is."

>Regardless of Amara's decision to open up about her past end the conversation with this:

>"Amara, there may be a point in time where it becomes necessary for the two of us to part ways. Be it you growing up enough to become independent or be it me sacrificing my life or making a hard choice to leave you to keep you safe. It's a simple fact."
>"Moms have to work hard to take care of their families. Every waking moment they shed sweat, blood, and tears to keep their family and children safe so that one day their children can grow strong and mature to keep on living and have kids of their own."
>"Your time with your first mom may have been short and I may not be your real mom, but that doesn't mean I can't be a second mom to you."
>"I made the choice to look after you and raise you the best I can when you were born from that pod in the Rusty Town."
>"I will do my best to raise you the best I can AND beat the Cord. If there's a way for me to stay with you after beating the Cord, I will make it so. If I have to part ways with you, I will try and find a way make so that it's possible to be there for you, through time or space."
>"But until then; appreciate the time we have together. Keep growing mature and thoughtful, keep smiling when you feel happy, so that if that day ever comes, you'll be strong and mature enough to keep on living without me and eventually become a mom of your own kids."
>"You'll always be a daughter to me regardless. That's how much I love you."
>>
>>5053684
>>5053685
Looks good. Sorry for the delayed response, I was trying to write up my own but being tired is slowing me down. I really should go to sleep. One thing, though: Should we say that we're proud of Amara for confronting her fear right now by asking Shu what she saw in the Nullscape? I think a quick mention of that could be useful. A little reaffirmation that yes, this is a good and mature way to handle your worries, instead of just letting them fester. I'm not sure where to work that in, though.
>>
>>5053684
oh well, i didnt mean not to keep the part about making sure Amara is ok with it. my bad i guess, i didnt consider that to be part of the write-in we were talking about.
>>
>>5053377
Amending my vote in >>5053684 to add the following line:

>"If anything, you asking me what I saw in your heart means you're mature and strong enough to confront your fears and face any worries you have inside your heart. And I'm proud of that. "

the additional line should be placed between this line:

>"I'm not mad, nor am I worried or disappointed at you for having worries inside your heart. You have been very mature for your age, and that everything you've done has always been a great help."

And this line:

>"There's no shame in having worries, you have the right to worry in the sense that even if we do manage to beat the Cord, something might come up that will force me to make that hard choice to leave you behind, no matter how strong I am."
>>
(Good Morning Everyone, and I hope you are well. Much like Wednesday, I will unfortunately have to push the start of today's updates out to 12PM, Eastern time. I have to run by the office today to meet with a mold expert for the building's reinspection, but this does give me the opportunity to work in the recent write-in since it looked to be well-received.)

(My apologies for the delay.)
>>
>>5053849
No worries, BHOP. Sorry to hear your day will be busy, but I'm glad the mold is getting taken cared of. See you around noon.
>>
>>5053849
It's all good, BHOP! Do what you need to do, real-world obligations come first. We're happy to wait for the update.
>>
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>>5053377

“…Are you sure you want to talk about this here, Amara? It could get pretty heavy.” You caution, and the little girl beside you nods firmly.

“I asked the stuff around us to keep us quiet.” She informs you, then frowns. “There’s not much skin-stuff in this place, but the food will help keep things quiet.”

…You have no idea how that even works, but well-played.

"So, to start…deep down, Nerada simply wants to have friends.” You begin slowly, choosing your words with care. “To be with people who are willing to accept her for who she is. She's been lonely for a long time, and never had the chance to feel content in the way that you have friends and family to look after you and accept who you are."

Shrugging, you draw your daughter close as you cast your gaze around the crowd. "And hearing her heart's true desires? How could I say no? It's clear that both you and Nerada had lots of fun with each other, and look adorable as well."

Amara nods, fiddling with her hands in her lap as you draw in a breath, and address the girl’s fears.

"As for your heart's true desires…you had two stars that talked to each other. One blue was and one was brown.” You explain—those stars staring up at you, hanging on every word. “The brown one was scared that I was going to leave you. That I'd be too busy for you, or would want to leave you behind to keep you safe, or just that I'd abandon you for no reason. It didn't have a single argument, I think it was just all your fears, even the non-rational ones.”

“W-…what about the blue one?” She asks softly.

“The blue one kept you happy and not thinking about your fears. Telling the other spark that if you just kept smiling, and staying strong, and getting stronger, then you'd be too busy to be sad and we wouldn't want to leave you."

You pause, drawing in a steady breath as you let your words sink in. Your eyes haven’t left hers, and as her eyes start to look everywhere but your own, you cup her cheek in the palm of your hand before continuing.

"Amara...if you feel sad, scared, or mad, then it's okay to feel that way. It's okay to tell me or the others about how you feel. Please don't mistake my being proud of you when you're brave and thoughtful for wanting you to never show any other emotion.” You implore her, trying to keep your throat from going dry as you speak the words she has to hear. “I'm so sorry if I've ever given you that impression. You're surrounded by people who love you, and we all want you to be really happy too, not just putting on a strong face for us. We'd much rather you tell us when something's wrong so we can help you, rather than just be blissfully unaware of it."

“…You do so much.” She murmurs, hands balled up tightly on her little knees. “You help everybody, and I just didn’t want to make you have to worry about more stuff. Are…are you sure you’re not mad at me? Or…or upset, or-?”

(Continued)
>>
>>5053931

"No. No, not at all. Not in the least.” You comfort her, as you pat her head. “I'm not mad, nor am I worried or disappointed at you for having worries inside your heart. You have been very mature for your age, and that everything you've done has always been a great help. If anything, you asking me what I saw in your heart means you're mature and strong enough to confront your fears and face any worries you have inside your heart. And I'm proud of that. "

“…I hate being like this.” She laments, her fingers curling even tighter. “I hate worrying about everything feel like a baby, when everyone around me is worrying, too.”

"There's no shame in having worries, Amara. You have the right to worry in the sense that even if we do manage to beat the Cord, something might come up that will force me to make that hard choice to leave you behind, no matter how strong I am."

Amara’s eyes go wide, her blue-brown gaze lancing through your heart. She opens her mouth to speak, and you raise a gentle hand to give her pause.

"Which brings me to my next point. The brown star inside your heart said something that I can't help but wonder." You say tentatively, your tone as open and as accepting as you can make it. "Amara, if you're feeling brave enough, can you tell me what happened to your first mom?"

She casts her gaze down at her hands, throat working to shape the words that won’t come. "Hey, it’s okay—I know it's a sore subject, having to talk about the past. If you're still not feeling up for it, I can empathize. I'm only asking because I'm curious about you. Curious about how life was like for you back then."

You take her chin between thumb and forefinger, and raise her up to meet your tender smile. "I only want to know more about you, so I can love you all the better for it, regardless of how painful that past is."

“I…” She begins, sucking in a hollow breath, then exhaling just as quickly. She breathes in again, then out, faster than before. “I…I don’t-“

Her breaths shorten, becoming shallower by the second. Before her panicked breaths can spiral into hyperventilation, you quickly instruct her to mirror your own, and within a few seconds you’re able to get her to a better place.

“That’s okay, sweetie, just breathe. You don’t have to say anything you don’t feel comfortable with, okay?” She nods, clearly frustrated with herself as you draw her into a hug. Your fingers trace small circles against her back, and you feel her breathing stabilize as she relaxes against you once more…even as your own chest tightens, knowing what you have to do.

You don’t relish having to say what comes next, but it needs to be said.

(Continued)
>>
>>5053933

"Amara, what I have to say next is going to be a lot, but I’m asking that you bear with me until the end, okay?” You requests, and she gives you a silent nod of assent. “There may be a point in time where it becomes necessary for the two of us to part ways. Be it you growing up enough to become independent or be it me sacrificing my life or making a hard choice to leave you to keep you safe. It's a simple fact."
Her lower lip trembles, but you just hold her tighter. "Moms have to work hard to take care of their families. Every waking moment they shed sweat, blood, and tears to keep their family and children safe so that one day their children can grow strong and mature to keep on living and have kids of their own."

"Your time with your first mom may have been short, and I may not be your real mom…but that doesn't mean I can't be a second mother to you. I made the choice to look after you and raise you the best I can when you were born from that pod in the Rusty Town."

“Wh-…what are you saying?” She asks, searching your eyes

"That I will do my best to raise you AND beat the Cord. If there's a way for me to stay with you after beating the it, then I will make it so.” You declare, prompting a glimmer of hope in Amara’s two-tone gaze. “If I have to part ways with you, I will try and find a way make so that it's possible to be there for you, through time or space."

She just nods, swallowing her tears as your heart breaks to see her hurting.

"But until then? Appreciate the time we have together.” You smile, taking her face in your hands. “Keep growing mature and thoughtful, keep smiling when you feel happy, so that if that day ever comes, you'll be strong and mature enough to keep on living without me and eventually become a mom of your own."

“You think so?”

You nod.

"I *know* so. You'll always be a daughter to me.” You assure her. “That's how much I love you, Amara."

“…I love you too, Mom.” She sniffles, burying her face against you as you hold her close.

{How is she?} Gina’s concerned voice suddenly echoes in your mind.

[She’s getting there. She’s strong…and she’s opening up, slowly but surely. So, I’m guessing you’ve been keeping the others at bay?]

{Of course} She answers, feeling her kind smile playing at the corners of your mind. {I know how you feel when you’re having a heavy talk, so I wanted to give you all the time you needed}

[I appreciate that, Gina. More than you know]

{Well, do you think you and she are ready for company?} The Neuromancer asks tentatively. You glance around to see that Làzhú’s been holding back, your curry at the ready alongside three bowls of cereal, piled high for your little one.

>>See if Amara’s ready to eat—if she is, then give Gina the go-ahead.

>>Tell Gina you’d like to have a bit more time with Amara, just in case she decides to open up, or if she still needs to talk about anything.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Ah, there we go. Voting shall remain open for the next two hours, with posting to resume in three. Thank you for bearing with my unexpected schedule change today, and I hope your Friday is going well.)

(It's been a *screams externally* kind of day, but thank thank for your patience. I was going to try and make this last update a bit longer, but this seems like a good breakpoint...otherwise given how the day is going it would've taken me another hour or so to push out another post or two of update.)
>>
>>5053936
>>See if Amara’s ready to eat—if she is, then give Gina the go-ahead.
>>If she is not ready stay like that for a while and bring her to bed if she feels to exhausted.

>>5053939
Well your day does seem pretty bad. I hope you can realx now a bit.

I have been trying to get into Blender for the last couple of hours.... So far.... i might be able to make a basic sword.
>>
>>5053936
Ooph, heavy. Thanks for keeping people at a respectful distance, Gina.

>>See if Amara’s ready to eat—if she is, then give Gina the go-ahead.

Also, while this talk with Amara was well-needed and I'm glad we had it, we are kind of getting distracted from our goal of getting a sense of Paloma. We should make sure to focus on that on the next floor. Sorry, Amara, I say we'll try not to be too busy for you and then I focus on another goal we have to work on. I swear it's not pushing you off, it's just allocating different time to different goals.

>>5053939
I'm sorry to hear that, BHOP. I hope things calm down for you.
>>
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>>5053936
UGH. MY HEART. IT HAS TURNED INTO A BLACK HOLE UPON SEEING THE EMOTIONAL WEIGHT OF THE CONVERSATION.

>Tell Gina you’d like to have a bit more time with Amara, just in case she decides to open up, or if she still needs to talk about anything.
>Take the time afforded to share the silence with your daughter embraced in that hug.
I really don't want to immediately move on, this is an emotionally heavy moment for Amara, and I think we should take the time for Amara to soak in the time spent with her 'second mom', even it it's a quiet hug in silence.


>>5053939
I'm torn between several quests that I'm following, having to get ready for work, working on writing a cover letter for a job posting that I'm interested in applying, sorting through Cradleton notes for excerpts that'll help me finish the rewrite, and getting ready for the horror that is Black Friday and Christmas shipping week.
>>
>>5053936
>>>See if Amara’s ready to eat—if she is, then give Gina the go-ahead.

That's enough for now. No need to push further with Amara, let's enjoy the food and give her time to process everything we just talked about.
>>
>>5053936
>"That I will do my best to raise you AND beat the Cord. If there's a way for me to stay with you after beating the it, then I will make it so.”
>after beating the it

Bhop. Tis a shame. such is the price of hubris. The Great Grammar Ghost will forever haunt us.
>>
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>>5053963
>>
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>>5053936

“Hey, still craving the loop?” You ask with a grin, a quick tickle at her side prompting a giggle from Amara before she gives you a firm nod. Her eyes are still misty, but at least she’s smiling again.

And you can tell this one’s genuine.

[I think we’re ready to be sociable, so come on over. I’ve saved us seats]

It doesn’t take long for your family and Paloma to crowd around with a veritable feast of random dishes. From Rath’s steak-burger-fries combo she’s sharing with Nerada to Gina’s stack of pancakes that Dorian eyes approvingly from behind his own plate of assorted greens, with a glass of wine set alongside it. Johanna has a container of—something—that she’s shaking vehemently with a pleased smirk, while Paloma takes her seat with a simple chicken sandwich juxtaposed with an arrangement of thick-cut fries, steaming with heat. Francine’s next to November with an array of Swedish meatballs before her…and nothing else, which speaks to her newfound love affair with the Ikean Fortress’ specialty. Amara enthusiastically slides one of her trio of bowls over to Nerada before digging in to the remaining two with gusto, and as for you?

It’s just now that you realize you’ve been subsisting on little more than biomass and mixed drinks for literally your entire existence, so you’re not quite sure what to expect when you bring the steaming curry to your lips.

Sweet, then spicy. A sensation that lights up your lips and palate, triggering delight deep in your brain.

This…

…this is perfect.

A bit of rice, and then some vegetables, and you don’t even realize how quickly you’re tearing through your food until Gina’s well-meaning snicker jolts you back to your senses.

“Don’t get too full! Here, want to try a bite?” Your girlfriend offers, a maple-syrup-drenched cut of pancake perched atop her fork.

“Leave some room for a bit of my burger, it’s fucking amazing!” Rath pitches in, and with that the floodgates open to rampant food-swapping between your family members…and it’s as you’re sampling everything on offer that it hits you.

Here, in the shadow of the Cord—a thing so titanic and alien, this towering, insurmountable reminder of where you are—there is a simple sort of defiance, in this.

Good food, with the ones you love.

“Now, while I’d love to continue your tour, if you need to take a break or if you’d like to do something else, we totally can!” Paloma offers as she finishes her fries, though she’s clearly excited to continue showing you around.

>>Continue the tour to the upper level, and try to engage Paloma in conversation while you tour the library.

>>Finish here and explore the third and fourth floors—and maybe even dip your toe into the Skinternet.

>>Try to figure out where Jackie went, and if she and the Crew are alright.

>>You’d thought that Uzu and the others would’ve rejoined you by now…try and find them.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next four hours, with posting to resume on Tuesday, November 16th at 10AM. I figure pausing here is a better option than trying to write while banging my head against a surprisingly rough Friday, so I’ll break here for now and focus on getting everything on the back-end caught up over the weekend.)

(That said, I wish you a restful end of the week, and whatever plans you have, I do hope they go well. Rest up, take care, and be safe one and all.)
>>
>>5054043
Thanks for running, BHOP. May you likewise have a restful and enjoyable weekend.
>>
>>5054042
>>Continue the tour to the upper level, and try to engage Paloma in conversation while you tour the library.

I'm still game for exploring. And we still need to get to know Paloma better. Let's ask her about how she and her team built this collection and got the Ikean Fortress started, that seems like a logical jumping-off point while we're in the library. That would give us a sense of the efforts she's had to put in and the difficulties she's faced, which should illuminate more about her character.
>>
>>5054042
whelp, my fault as i had been up since 9pm last night, but i decided to try napping and my body laughed at the word 'nap'.

vote;
>Continue the tour to the upper level, and try to engage Paloma in conversation while you tour the library.
unsure on checking on Uzu, but either way we can give the another floor or two before we do, if we decide to.


>>5054043
thanks for running. hope things go well backend, and your weekend goes at least better than it seems this week did.
>>
>>5054043
>>Continue the tour to the upper level, and try to engage Paloma in conversation while you tour the library.

Thanks for running, BHOP! Have a great weekend, and we'll see you on Tuesday!
>>
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ive got some bugs to share.
but while im doing so, ill just ask some random but quest related questions.

did we ever visit Olympus Mons? i think we did, but just for like a minute for end-of-vein sightseeing, right? I still have it and two other locations on the 'to do' list, though i dont even remember what the other two are.

those being New Pergamum and Port of Ariel.
>>
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more bug.

I think Gina and Francine had some level of idea of how to use the Amalgam spawning place to help stem the shortages, but did we actually make any progress with that, or did we hand the project off? did we just put it on the backburner and forget it was a thing?
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last bug. my favorite of the bugs too.

i still have 'Everything', Neuro, and Sound girls on our list of high profile daughters to potentially meet, though i cant recall much about them. anyone remember?

also, we STILL have not tried to flesh out Novembers relic options. I mean, i guess she kinda has needed up not really needing it, but it still feels like alot of potential going to waste for her to only ever get a pick of the leftovers.
>>
>>5055391
I think Sam ran into the Sound girl from across the sea. She had a centaur lower body and a Harp i think.

There was nothing more about the Neuro Girl from what i noticed.... and everything.... well she had a hybrid from all classes in one i think.


other than that i sadly know nothing more.
>>
>>5055386
We never visited any of those places. You're thinking of Olympus because it's supposed to be a mountain you can see the Cord from, while we saw the Cord from an entirely unrelated mountain while crossing the Spine. I would like to visit those landmarks on our list if we ever get the chance, but it's likely we wouldn't.

>>5055388
It was an idea we had as a thread, but I don't think it ever got used in-character. We were busy at the time preparing to fight Snowbird, and couldn't devote the time to investigating its viability.

>>5055391
Everything is most likely the dodeca-hybrid girl that BHOP hinted at way back when. Neuro and Sound we know a bit more about because of Rosa's notes on people she wants autographs from. Neuro is a girl the Skinternet has taken to calling "Revolution", since she also has a big Calcite guillotine. Doesn't pick fights she doesn't have to, Rosa considered it low-risk to approach her. Sounds has been nicknamed "Rammstein", since she's German and extremely trigger happy on her sonic attacks. Beyond that, though, we don't have specifics.

>>5055398
No, the centaur girl is Nuckelavee. She has a harp built into her body, but she hasn't been seen using it for attacks. Sam encountered her fighting some girls who didn't want to leave her alone, we had a much more peaceful encounter with her just before we crossed the Spine, actually. Of course, she headed in the same direction that Ziz landed in, and they hadn't turned their aura off yet, so she may be Hunger-mad now. Shit, I hadn't thought of that until now, that's depressing. She was actually pretty nice, sad to think our big flyer friend might have accidentally fried her brain. Let's hope she got away safely, saw Ziz coming in and managed to speed away before she got the worst of the aura.
>>
>>5055453
>You're thinking of Olympus because it's supposed to be a mountain you can see the Cord from, while we saw the Cord from an entirely unrelated mountain while crossing the Spine.
is it? because i specifically know we teleported to a populated place of some form to look at the cord at the end of a vein. maybe it was a different, non descript town though.

>It was an idea we had as a thread, but I don't think it ever got used in-character.
alright, just was trying to jog my mind as i know we had Gina and Francine investigate it with that purpose in mind, but couldn't remember them actually coming up with a plan. which is sounds like thats just because they didnt.

>>5055398
>>5055453
yeah, we just met the horse girl. i knew she was one from the list but i was somewhat sure i had marked her off from it upon meeting her.
i'd not be surprised if she was strong enough to not fall to the scream though.
>>
>>5055457
>is it? because i specifically know we teleported to a populated place of some form to look at the cord at the end of a vein. maybe it was a different, non descript town though.
I don't remember us doing that, but maybe it was Arcadia that things were visible from? That's the closest I can think of.

>i'd not be surprised if she was strong enough to not fall to the scream though.
Yeah, I mean, she's fast. She probably got out of there okay.
>>
>>5055462
not sure, and i may be wrong about where in the vein it was, but i distinctly remember us taking a moment to teleport to a settlement that had a view of the cord, more because of height than how close it was.
it was a pretty small thing, but im very positive it happened.
>>
... Maybe it's because I've got music on the brain right now, but is it weird that when I think of Shu singing a lullaby to Amara, I can't help but picture her singing BB's Theme?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlGdH9XCrgk
>>
>>5054042

The time you and your family spend indulging in the food on offer is luxurious, with the added bonus of being able to devour everything in sight without getting full…

…though as you all ascend to the third floor at Paloma’s behest, the nature of sustenance that actually curbs your hunger drags you back to the reality of your situation.

The library is even vaster than your initial glance revealed, with ceiling-high shelves packed to bursting with reams of leather-backed spines and tightly-bound sheafs of paper-thin dermis. Gina and Francine are very clearly entranced, eyes roving over the place as they struggle to take it all in. For their part, Rath and November guide the pair to some nearby shelves, with your favorite redhead giving you an over-the-shoulder wink as she leaves you alone with Paloma, the rest of your family starting to wander the maze of shelves.

“Would you like some tea?” Paloma asks, and you nod, the sting of spice still lingering on your lips. You follow her to a small bar at the center of the space, devoted to various beverages. The rustling of paper whispers around you as Paloma sets about preparing a pair of mis-matched teacups, a kettle of boiling liquid kept on a nearby heating element for the very purpose. As she pours, a series of curious installations nestled in the back of the space catch your eye. Reminiscent of old-fashioned diver’s helms, a series of crystal-and-calcite half-spheres sit in neat rows, a baroque echo of a public library’s computer setup. A trio of delightfully nerdy girls crowd around one of the port-holes, whispering conspiratorially amongst themselves and being shot dirty looks by a younger girl a short distance away at her own screen.

“Ah, the portals.” Paloma grins behind you, and you turn to find her human and offering you a cup and saucer, the latter adorned with exquisite filigree while the former’s filled with a vaguely orange liquid. “Very useful, but I still prefer to have a book in my hand. There’s just something so wonderfully tactile about it, y’know?”

“You have an impressive collection, I must say.” You hum appreciatively, drinking in the volumes on display with the same leisure with which you sip your tea...and it’s upon closer inspection that you notice how worn some spines are, while yet others appear to be brand new.

“Neuromancy’s not only adept at picking out flavors from the depths of memory—turns out that stories actually come a little easier.” Paloma smiles, the fingers of her more humanoid hand alighting on the backs of her collection while her other arm rests behind her back, talons holding her teacup with delicate restraint. “Sure, some of it’s been lost in translation, but it just add that little bit of uniqueness to the retelling that I think is very human.”

(Continued)
>>
>>5057152

“So, are all of these recreations of stories from before, or-?” You start to ask before Paloma shakes her head, plucking a volume from the shelf and thumbing through it one-handed.

“Some are diaries from Daughters that’ve passed through here on their way to the Cord. Others are memoirs they’ve found along the way here, but all in all? Most of what’s here are memories that people didn’t want forgotten.”

She pauses for a moment, then turns to you with purpose in her deep brown eyes. “We try. We fail. We pick up the pieces, and try something new. There have been so many that have said they had a plan for how humanity should work...but you?”

A simple smile plays at the edges of her lips.

“You’re the first to say you wanted put control back in their hands.” She continues, studying your eyes. “You see a future for humankind, Shu. A future wrought by their own hand, for better or worse. No grand plans, no rewriting the script, no ‘world of tomorrow’. Just…people, being people.”

“Who the hell am I to say that I know better?” You sigh, a messianic weight you didn’t ask for weighing on your shoulders as you stare up at the volumes of the dead. “Sure, humans suck sometimes, but...they deserve a choice. Everyone does, I think…and ‘choice’ isn’t high on the Crucible’s priorities.”

“I lost a lot of people, when the Crucible came. We all did.” Your host murmurs thoughtfully, staring into her cup. “People that didn’t fit the Crucible’s perception of what it meant to be eligible for its game. Still others who it didn’t pick for reasons beyond our understanding. Some good people, some bad—but the fact that you intend to give them the chance that was robbed them is something more people support than not.”

Paloma goes quiet at that, with an approving smile still on her lips as she sips her tea…

…which leads to a lull in the conversation, and an opportunity you take.

>>”What was your journey through the Crucible like?”

>>”What did you do, before the Crucible?”

>>”If I may…the person you’re trying to get back; what were they like?”

>>Ask to use the Portals to see Paloma's work that Amara so enjoys.

>>Ask Paloma something else about herself (Write-In).

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Good Morning, One and All. I hope you had a restful weekend, and voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in four.)

>>5056478
(This is absolutely beautiful, thank you for sharing! I haven’t played Death Stranding, but this music is amazing.)
>>
>>5057154
vote;
>”What was your journey through the Crucible like?”
>”If I may…the person you’re trying to get back; what were they like?”
>>
>>5057152
>“Neuromancy’s not only adept at picking out flavors from the depths of memory—turns out that stories actually come a little easier.” Paloma smiles, the fingers of her more humanoid hand alighting on the backs of her collection while her other arm rests behind her back, talons holding her teacup with delicate restraint. “Sure, some of it’s been lost in translation, but it just add that little bit of uniqueness to the retelling that I think is very human.”
Huh. That's going to make studying history weird for future generations, when the things that survived the Crucible best were narratives. Combine that with the Crucible wiping out nearly all original physical evidence of the past and human history is going to be very fuzzy. Kind of sad to think about.

>>5057154
>>”What did you do, before the Crucible?”
>>”What was your journey through the Crucible like?”
In roughly that order. We don't need her complete life story, but a tale of who she was could be nice.

>>5057156
Weekend was pretty restful. Snow started falling in my area, it's melted back into the groundwater by now but for a bit it was very pretty. How was your weekend?
>>
>>5057156
am >>5053963 on mobile.

my weekend was marked by the death of my 20 year old cat who died yesterday night.

I’ll need some time to process this.
>>
>>5057170
Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear that. It's always sad when a pet dies. You have my condolences.
>>
>>5057170
(I'm am so, so sorry to hear that. Please take all the time you need, my friend. Rest, and be safe.)

>>5057164
(Far from restful, but it was realatively productive as far as personal matters go. Getting back to the grind and trying to make progress on multiple fronts, but I'm glad to hear the snow was pretty.)
>>
>>5057170
ah, sorry to hear that.
always a shame when an old animal bites it.
>>
>>5057154
Supporting >>5057164

>>5057156
Weekend was good. Fought a Kraken at Level 4.... the GM was kind enough to let us still deal damage to try and drive it away.

Other than that... my foot is trying to rip of my leg right now... At least that is what it feels like.

>>5057170
Oh........ My sincere condolences. Please take all the time you require to heal from something like that.
>>
>>5057164
Unless we somehow find and create Immutable Relics immune to Crucible mutation tech to preserve our history, oral storytelling traditions will likely be back on the rise, but things like that are subject to change over time due to the "telephone effect".

Heck, even then, we still can't fully uncover the breadth and width of our oldest story, "The Epic of Gilgamesh".

Most of mythos of human origin are narrative stories in and of themselves. Of cycles and narratives derived from observations of the natural world. The Hero's Journey, the Four seasons, etc. Heck Even the Tindalos rely on oral stories of narration to preserve their alien culture. The Hexane have their own way to preserve their stories too. and I'm fairly certain that the precursor race who made the Crucible view this project as their own form of maintaining their civilization's unique form of historical narratives.
>>
>>5057164
Even the 12 labors of Heracles/Hercules is a story the Greeks imported from Babylonian culture to describe and keep track of Astrological movements of the sun and stars. 1 labor for each month/constellation.
>>
>>5057154
>Let Amara lead you through the portals that she so enjoys so much.
Let the daughter guide us.
>>
>>5057188
Well, ideally we'd go back to record-keeping the normal way once the Crucible has been defeated. Though the fact that a world-eating monstrosity destroyed most prior records and we're all relying on its own reproductions will likely make people more paranoid about secure backups. There will probably be a movement to make secure repositories of knowledge in as remote and difficult to access places as possible, with extreme redundancy. Bury a backup deep underground, on the bottom of the ocean, on other planets, etc. Spread it out so that it's harder for one world-destroyer to knock it all out. Though I guess humanity itself might take a similar tack, have a big push for space exploration so that we're on multiple planets as well. We can take our copies of the Archive with us as we disperse.

Still, though, everything from before the Crucible is going to be more vaguely understood by humanity. You're right, oral histories will help, we'll have revived people that know the past and we can rely on their knowledge to help reconstruct it. But every primary source or piece of evidence will be gone. Or most of them, anyway. All the archaeological dig sites, all the original manuscripts, even a lot of the bones and fossils, it's all going to be wiped away. We might be able to remake it along with the ecosystem, but it will just be reproductions, and as such suspect. How accurate are the relics to the actual physical construction of the originals? Do we trust that reproduced texts weren't influenced subconsciously by the Dreamscape? Is everything in the right geological strata, or does that term even mean anything anymore? Historians are going to hate it, it's going to make their job so much harder.
>>
>>5057154
>>”What was your journey through the Crucible like?”
>>”What did you do, before the Crucible?”
>>
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>>5057154

”So what did you do before the Crucible?” You ask, a common question at world’s end.

“I was a copywriter, actually. I wrote ads for medical companies…it actually gave me some insight into some of the weirder powers I’ve seen so far.” Comes Paloma’s answer, taking a pleased sip of her tea and casting her gaze to the countless times before you as she continues. “I really wanted to write my own stories, but I kept saying that it was something I’d get around to ‘after’. After work. After having a family. Now? I think I’ll get to it after this is over.”

She laughs wryly at herself.

“For real, this time.” She adds. “I’ve just been busy from the jump, here.”

”What was your journey through the Crucible like?” You ask, before tacking on; “Aside from busy, that is?”

“Well, I woke up with a weird Gluttonous power, and lucked into Skintalker pretty early on.” She shrugs.

“Oh? I would’ve pegged you as a Skintalker from the get-go.”

“Ha, you’d think so, huh?” The other girl giggles, then sighs. “Nah, my Gluttonous focused on recovery based on seeing other people eat stuff alongside me, so it’s good that I ran into Em when I did. She and I were friends since freshman year, and she’s been the absolute best. Anyway, she’d woken up a little before me, and we were both pretty close in proximity before everything happened, so we teamed up pretty much instantly.”

“She’s a Calcite Armorer, right?” You prompt, and Paloma nods.

“Yep! She blended her Calcite Core with this Fibromancer we took out together after hearing that’s what Mara did…but don’t tell her I told you she’s a copycat.” Paloma winks, and you try to fight down the pit in your stomach at the mention of Marrow Dragoon.

“It’s a solid combo.” You admit before she continues.

“After that, we started towards the Cord…and figured out on the way that the whole thing’s a sham. Shifted focus to helping who we could, when we could. Kept at it for about half a year before we found this ‘ol girl.” She smiles, gesturing around you both. “Was a little suspicious of her at first, but she hasn’t steered us wrong, yet. She and I settled down, set up shop and, well…here we are.”

Paloma lets her gaze drift about the space before it settles on you with a guilty twinkle in her eye, long after what passes for tea leaves have gone cool at the bottom of your cups.

“Hey…I’m sorry if I came on too strong.” Comes her earnest apology, taking your cup and hers to the bar. “Em will be the first to tell you that I get excited, and everyone’s just been waiting for so long, I…”

She shakes her head. “…I just want to let you know to take as much time as you need.”

>>Venture up to the next floor of the library, and ask Paloma something more about her past (Write-In)

>>Ask to use the Portals…and maybe have Amara guide you, while you’re at it.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next two hours, with posting to resume in three.)
>>
>>5057278
vote;
>"Thanks, and I understand... I've been *alive* technically for an insanely short span of time, and Im sick of the Crucible to the depths of my Hive Holes myself."
>Ask to use the Portals…and maybe have Amara guide you, while you’re at it.
>>
>>5057278
>"I will be back soon... or maybe later. I think i want to spend some more time with Amara... those portals look interesting"
>>Ask to use the Portals…and maybe have Amara guide you, while you’re at it.


and she was a copywriter. Interesting. Well lets just hope she will be able to keep to her promise to herself and write that book she wanted.
>>
>>5057278
>>Write-In
>"Thank you. And I think I understand. You've carved out a place of refuge, but that doesn't make it home."
>"Care to show me your site on one of those Portals? I'd love to see what's got Amara raving."
>>
>>5057285
I'm sure the Crucible will give plenty of fodder for it. Pretty much every author who lived through it will have plenty of inspiration for themes of desperation, obsession, recovery and healing, isolation, cosmic horror, romance...all sorts of good stuff.
>>
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>>5057154
>>5057152

>Books are made from people who share stories of things they want to remain memorable.
There's a Library of Ruina reference in there, but there's not enough Crucible brand violence to warrant it.
>>
>>5057278

“Thank you…and I think I understand.” You reply, giving Paloma a small smile. “I can tell you put a lot of time and effort into this place and your plan. I appreciate your faith in me, as well as your patience.”

She smiles in silence, restoring the setup back to how it was as you cast a glance back over to the portals, only to find Amara clambering into one of the empty seats with Nerada next to her.

“So, you said those setups let anyone take a look at the Skinternet?” You say, shifting topics. “Think I could take a look?”

“Of course! Just let me finish up here, and I’ll show you!”

As you wait for Paloma to wrap up hushed voices catch your ear, and in trying to find their source you catch sight of Isabelle, Uzu, and your other two Dream Daughters at the other end of the hall-like shelves. B’ni catches your eye, and she gives you an assured nod before the quartet disappear behind the stacks of books, their words lost between the shuffling of paper and countless other low voices.

You’re led over to the portals, getting a better look at them after returning Nerada’s polite wave with one of your own, while Amara’s eyes are intently glued to the screen. Upon closer inspection, the screens in question resemble retinas, the bulk of the ‘eye’ made of calcified material and veins that lead out to a pair of hand-shaped pads, two for every screen.

“So is this just a dry run for the actual launch, or…?” Whispers one of the three young girls that are at the other end of the long table that holds the setup.

“It’s starting, its-!”

“Hush, you’ll get us thrown out!” Admonishes the girl beside her, casting you a wary glance.

“So, how does all this work?” You ask a little louder than needed as you give the younger girls a conspiratorial wink.

“Well, when I talk to the Net it fills everything I see…but here, it looks like it’s all on this eye-thing.” Amara informs you, poking around the device as Paloma chuckles.

“You’ve got the gist of it, yeah. The two plates to the left and right let you maneuver through the various levels of the net, much like pages from the original internet. It’s a little more intuitive, though—there’s a bit of Neuromancy built-in to the coding to emulate a Skintalker’s natural affinity and instincts in navigating a construct that was built by them from the ground up.”

“It’s really easy to use, Mom!” Amara grins up at you, removing her hands and gesturing to the device. While you have no doubt as to the thing’s accessibility, you wonder if it might be better to let Amara have this moment…

>>Navigate to Paloma’s page to see what she’s accumulated.

>>Ask Amara if there’s anything she’d like to show you, first.

>>Look up something you’re curious about.

>>Ask the girls beside you what they’re up to.

>>Tell Paloma and Amara you’ll be right back—you’d like to check up on Uzu.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next four hours, with posting to resume tomorrow morning at 10AM, Eastern time. I hope you had a good day, and thank you for your time, participation, and enthusiasm.)

(Also, my apologies for these past two updates being shorter than usual—my work and personal life has been a bit overwhelming this week, but I have hopes that things will slow down a bit and I’ll be back to the usual overly-wordy updates as usual. Thank you for bearing with all that, and I wish you a good and restful evening.)
>>
>>5057413
>Immediately start examining Amara's browsing history.
>Make sure our adorable daughter isn't skinsurfing through "sketchy websites"
>"Okay, just let me make sure your browsing history's clear!~" *in a singsong voice that instills menace and parental terror into any would-be-adolescent/growing child.

Scary parent moment a go!
>>
>>5057416
(Haha, goodness...that's a laugh I sorely needed today, thank you.)
>>
>>5057413
>>Ask Amara if there’s anything she’d like to show you, first.
>and then
>>Navigate to Paloma’s page to see what she’s accumulated.

Amara knows the Skinternet better than we do, so let's ask her for neat sites, but then I want to see Paloma's stuff. I'd also like to check on Rosa and Sia's page, but knowing what Rosa writes we shouldn't do that while Amara is at the screen. Just in case.

>>5057414
Sorry you're getting bombed, BHOP. I hope things clear up for you soon.

>>5057416
Oh, let's not do that, we already had that talk with Amara. She's a good kid, she doesn't need the scare. Besides, would her search history even show up on this platform?
>>
>>5057419
twas a jest tho!~ where's the fun in raising your daughter if you can't use the privilege of teasing her once in a while?
>>
>>5057420
I get it's a joke, it just seems mean to me to actually open the browsing history. Now, if we made just a comment of "whoops, I accidentally opened your browser history" when Amara wasn't paying attention to see if we actually had, that I'd find a suitable level of teasing.
>>
>>5057419
>Oh, let's not do that, we already had that talk with Amara. She's a good kid, she doesn't need the scare. Besides, would her search history even show up on this platform?
Besides, the previous talk was about Amara's deepest fears, the whole "browsing history search" is more surface level family shenanigans. Can't we all appreciate some comedy?
>>
>>5057422
fair point, but I still want to include the "browsing history" joke to embarrass Amara.
>>
Speaking of the Skinternet. Post-Quest Crucible World's gonna be fucking weird when it comes to the Skinternet. Can you imagine? Imagine the Dead being able to still surf the skinternet via Dreamscape. Memes would infect all the brain servers like a memetic virus that just causes mass network congestion because the meme's stuck in every skin-surfer's head. V-tubers and Dream-diving would cause inception-level mind-screw headaches on par to the worldsetting and plot of Existenz.
>>
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>>5057427
(A casual afternoon on the Skinternet.)
>>
>>5057427
Makes me think of the work of Finnish sci-fi author Hannu Rajaniemi. His stories are full of that sort of thing, parallel infospheres alongside the physical world, with people having to live simultaneously in both in order to manage the bizarre technology of their day to day life. Like the city of Oubliette, where privacy is enforced via neural interfaces editing you out of the perception of anyone you haven't given permission to interact with you, and everyone has to become skilled in cryptography to prevent their privacy settings from getting hacked.

Actually, now that I'm thinking of it, I'm wondering if BHOP ever read the Quantum Thief trilogy. West Prime would actually fit in super well with the Sobernost, if they weren't an inspiration for her that's a neat coincidence. They're a faction made out of a gang of mad scientists and their mental clones, who use mutilated uploaded human minds as components in their technology, and who claim to be working towards a perfect universe and and all the minds they eat along the way are just the cost for the utopia they'll build. West would fit right in.
>>
>>5057413
vote;
>DONT investigate Amaras browsing history.
>Ask Amara if there’s anything she’d like to show you, first.
>and then
>>Navigate to Paloma’s page to see what she’s accumulated.

>>5057419
not sure i want to spend that much time here. but more importantly, im not sure i see any real need to look at those girls pages. I get Paloma. we're trying to learn more about her, so may aswell see what shes willing to put publicly. but the others seem a bit odd as choices. i'd of picked Orwell probably as anyone else, or looking up something or someone we haven't met.

i also kinda want to go and check up on Uzu soon too. not because we think she needs it, but because we're her friend and want to check on her, which i think said sentiment would be appreciated.
>>
>>5057515
>not sure i want to spend that much time here. but more importantly, im not sure i see any real need to look at those girls pages. I get Paloma. we're trying to learn more about her, so may aswell see what shes willing to put publicly. but the others seem a bit odd as choices.
Mostly just as a joke, to see Rosa's ship fics. It's a low-priority goal, not something to do right now, I just think it would be amusing for Shu to have read them at some point. Just for the morbid curiosity of it.

>i also kinda want to go and check up on Uzu soon too. not because we think she needs it, but because we're her friend and want to check on her, which i think said sentiment would be appreciated.
Agreed. She seems to be doing better, if she's wandering the library, but it would still be nice to check in on her.
>>
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>>5057413

“I’d love to take a look at what Paloma has on here…but is there anything you’d like to show me first, sweetie?”

At that, Amara’s eyes alight with possibility, fingers tightening at the pads as she maneuvers through multiple screens at a blistering pace. Just as you’re about to look away to avoid a wave of nausea, your daughter mercifully freezes the screen on some sort of nonsensical gallery. It takes a few seconds to realize what Amara’s trying to show you, and a few embarrassing seconds more before it dawns on you the countless memes on display before you are about…well, *you*.

Amara’s glancing back and forth between your face and the screen you’re desperately trying to understand, parsing through the inscrutable humor your ward’s so proudly brought before you. Well, *some* of it you understand—you’re familiar with the setup of some of the memes she’s scrolling through, such as the one that depicts a chibi version of Doctor West’s humanoid form stating ‘this is fine’ whilst sitting in a room on fire, with you and your family’s names scattered haphazardly amongst the flames. But as for the rest?

What does ‘Me and the senpai at the CORD looking for B E A N S’ even mean? Why is this bee’s ass named ‘vengeance?’ ‘Another god REJECTED?’

What the hell is a Jojo?

…this is what getting old feels like, isn’t it?

Christ.

“These are great, Amara!” You say with a smile that you’re desperately hoping will hide just how out-of-touch you are with this particular brand chaotically post-Crucible humor. “Wh-which is your favorite?”

“Oh, this one!” She proudly declares, the screen blurring as she navigates to an abstract image of you and Yurei, depicting you as something called a ‘Chad’. Paloma snorts behind you, and you glance back to see Nerada—mercifully—looking just as lost as you feel. After recovering from a fit of giggles, Amara asks if you’re ready to see Paloma’s work, and you nod so emphatically that you’d do Tinker Tailor justice. You look away for a brief moment before you hear Amara shuffle out of her seat, and you find that she’s offering you the chair.

Taking her up on it, you take your place in the simple wooden seat and shift your focus to the screen. For a moment or two, you think you’re looking at a field of flowers, one of the blooms taking center stage…but the longer you look, the more you realize what you’re looking at isn’t a painting.

(Continued)
>>
>>5057925

The veins of the petals are thick with blood, the stem a shade of green you’d find when a bruise goes wrong. A compound eye, at the heart of the half-open bud, just barely visible under the Crucible’s immortal dusk light. The image shifts, and you’re looking at a familiar field of flaxen hair from a low angle, the sea of golden follicles almost seeming to undulate in a breeze the still image seems to have captured. Some are baroque, grotesque, even…

…but there’s a beauty to each image that takes your breath away.

“These…these are all your pictures?” You breathe, turning in your seat to face your beaming host.

“They are. On the surface, the Crucible’s pretty awful…but the same could be said of most people, if you think about it.” Paloma admits, hands clasped in front of her as she stares at the image the screen’s held on. “It’s messy, gross, and imperfect—but if you look at it from a different angle, you get all these little facets you’d have missed if you just threw up your hands in disgust and walked away.”

“She finds all the prettiest things!” Amara chimes in with a star-struck grin. “I think it’s all pretty, but she finds the best of the best!”

Nerada fixes her friend with a suspicious scowl, and you can’t help but chuckle at your little one’s apparent fascination with the strange as Paloma smiles, herself; “Hey, to each her ow-“

“Yes! Yes, it works!” Exclaims one of the girls at the end of the row, her other two companions viscously ‘shush’-ing her.

“Of course it freaking works!” Another girl snarls, holding her finger to her lips. “They’re the greatest scientific minds in the Crucible, you think they’d make a rocket that was just gonna yeet itself into the-“

“Are you talking about the Disassociated?”

(Continued)
>>
>>5057926

Your question freezes all three girls in place, looking for all the world like a trio of deer in the headlights once you’ve addressed them.

“Um…yeah? S-sorry if we were-“ Begins the girl who’d done the lion’s share of the shushing, a cherubic young girl who can’t be older than fourteen or so.

“No, you’re fine. Seriously.” You assure them, your words doing little to dispel their embarrassment. “But are they doing pre-tests or something?”

“They are!” The middle girl confirms enthusiastically, her eyes suddenly lighting up with excitement…and maybe a Generator power, given their unnatural radiance. “I’ve been following every scrap of their projects for as long as I’ve been awake, and it’s all come to this! It’s a couple of days away, sure, but I can’t wait to see the launch.”

“*If* they can launch.” Counters the scowling girl beside her with a fold of her arms. “You’re all acting like this is a sure thing when they’ve got to punch through something that isn’t going to want to let them go.”

“The front hull is reinforced, and with their Generator-fueled mining laser and nuclear fallbacks, they’re gonna break through! They will!” Insists the enthusiastic girl, her eyes burning ever brighter.

Good, so you have some time to attend the launch, at least...though you’re with the other girl, on this.

You fear that the Crucible isn’t going to let the Disassociated leave without a fight.

>>Check out the Forge room, and see if Tinker Tailor’s up for a talk.

>>Try to find a way to reach out to the Disassociated Ones…maybe they’d like some backup?

>>Excuse yourself, and find Uzu…you’d like to check in on her, even if she is feeling better.

>>Ask Paloma for that ‘action list’ of Relics and Amalgams, then gather your family to address the items in question in your room.

>> Look up something you’re interested in on the Skinternet (Write-in).

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Good Morning Everyone, and I hope you rested well. Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in four.)
>>
>>5057925
oh god, not the memes!
you know that a good point, i doubt Sam was very into internet culture.

>>5057927
vote;
>Excuse yourself, and find Uzu…you’d like to check in on her, even if she is feeling better.

also, as for the disassociated, we probably should ask big ol flying boi about that one if anyone. Kinda feel like it might not be necessary, just if we do decide to dip our toes in that hes probably the one to talk to about it.
>>
>>5057927
>>Excuse yourself, and find Uzu…you’d like to check in on her, even if she is feeling better.
>>"Hey Uzu how are you feeling?"

>>5057925
you really had to bring that back from the dead didn't you. Not that i mind.

>>5057927
so the Disassociated ones are already testing the barriers... if they did manage to inflate time in their minds then they might actually be able to breach the goddamn thing... though i still doubt it.

Though they are bringing a Melter Siege array... That could help. if the stuff is viable outside the crucibles relatively controlled Environment.
>>
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>>5057942
it is our shame we haven't made more memes.
though i do still have a few ive made.
>>
>>5057945
also just realized the spoiler kinda messes with that one as the jokes in its name, though people might remember it anyways.
>>
>>5057925
Oh no, I made that meme. I'm so sorry, Shu. I never expected you to see it like this. At least Amara likes it?

>>5057926
>Nerada fixes her friend with a suspicious scowl, and you can’t help but chuckle at your little one’s apparent fascination with the strange as Paloma smiles, herself
That's right, Nerada, Amara genuinely thinks all the weird and grotesque stuff is cool. She wasn't just being polite when she said your endless swarm of devouring nano-spiders was really neat. Succumb to the friendship!

>>5057927
Yeah, punching through the membrane isn't going to be easy. But there's not much we can do to help with that. I'm more worried about something trying to interrupt the launch while they're on the ground. A big swarm of Amalgams, or maybe one big one if Behemoth or Leviathan catches wind and doesn't like what they see.

>>Excuse yourself, and find Uzu…you’d like to check in on her, even if she is feeling better.

Sure, let's check up on Uzu.
>>
>>5057946
its fine. You can just hover your mose over the "spoiler image" text and it will tell you what you wrote there.


This is much more horrifying than the Virgin v Chad meme
>>
>>5057927
>Try to find a way to reach out to the Disassociated Ones…maybe they’d like some backup?
>>
>>5057957
I wonder what Julia's thoughts are on Sugar? They're both fond of taking off their skin and making gifts out of it. Does Julia see her as a kindred spirit, or is it a "oh, so that's what it looks like from the outside" thing where it creeps her out more than it would anyone else?

>>5057976
Yeah, we should contact them. If not right now then while we're dividing up responsibilities after this.
>>
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>>5057927

Shaking your head to try and rid your mind of doubt, you shift gears from macro to micro.

“Hey, don’t stop on my account, but I’m going to take a quick walk, okay?” You declare, fixing the two young girls and your host with a smile before venturing down the labyrinthine halls of leather-bound volumes.

You find the Monastery’s former leader at one far-flung nook of the library, with Uzu cross-legged in a large, comfortable chair and your three other Dream Daughters sitting around her. She’s reading something with anime-esque cover art while Holly’s immersed in showing Johanna the same. B’ni’s nose-deep in a more traditional novel, the words on the spine becoming clearer as you approach the quartet.

‘Crime and Punishment.’

…Hrm.

“Hey. What’cha reading?”

“I…” Uzu begins, as if snapped out of a trance. She turns the book over, eyes flitting over the cover before she just gives a soft laugh before turning her eyes to yours. “…I have no idea. Just looking at pretty pictures, I guess.”

“Hey, ‘My Next Life as a Villainess’ isn’t just a pretty face.” Holly protests, sticking her tongue out at the dark-haired girl with a wink.

“How’re you doing?” Uzu asks, beating you to the punch as the closes the manga and places it in Holly’s waiting grasp.

“Honestly? Amara just showed me a bunch of memes that popped up since the Crucible started, and I feel fucking geriatric right now.” You confess, prompting a smile to slip across the girl’s downcast features. And then, tentatively; “…How about yourself?”

“…Does feeling better make me a bad person?” She asks with a small, mirthless laugh. Isabelle’s hand finds Uzu’s knee and gives it a light squeeze, as if to reassure the other girl as she continues; “I…it’s so weird. I’d been blaming myself for so long. Letting the ‘what-if’s pile up, trying to make peace with the fact that I…I failed them. I failed everyone that were relying on me. They died, and it was my fault.”

Her dark eyes find yours, searching for an answer you don’t have.

“And now? Now I find out that…what? I was just a cog in a machine that I didn’t even know existed. That Mara…or Magpie, even…might’ve killed my grandmother’s construct just to send me over the edge—give me the little push that was all I needed to…break.”

Her voice cracks on the last syllable she utters, and B’ni’s about to say something before Uzu places her hand on the other girls’, a quiet request to let her fight her own way through this.

“It wasn’t my fault, and yet it was. It’s this weird paradox that…that I don’t know how to feel about. Mara pushed my buttons, and the dominoes fell like she thought they would. Like she *willed* them to.”

(Continued)
>>
>>5058072

Uzu draws in a shaky breath, shaking her head as she tries to wrap her head around the emotions that plague her heart.

“My fears, my anxiety, my…I used to take meds for it, y’know? To try and even things out. Can’t find that shit in the Crucible, that’s for sure.” She says with a dark laugh. “And all that was used against me from the start. ‘How much control did I really have?’, is really the question that’s driving me nuts right now. *Could* I have done anything to prevent it, or was a screwed from the start?”

You open your mouth to offer…comfort? A counter-point? Something, anything to ease this girl’s mind…

…when a frantic voice crackles to life in your ear, loud enough for all present to react in surprise.

“Hey Shu, super-sorry to interrupt, but I figured you’d wanna hear this ASAP.” Orwell’s voice lances through your Commling. “Just got word that Behemoth’s stopped.”

“What? Why?” You demand, swiftly removing the construct and holding it in your palm.

“No clue. Just stopped dead in his tracks a minute or two ago. No combatants in range, nothing out of the ordinary. He’s just not moving. Leviathan paused too, and at the same time as Behemoth, but she resumed her usual route within seconds while the big boy’s still in a holding patt-“

A pause, and then-

“Aaaaaand now he’s moving again. Same route, looks like.” Orwell informs you, nonplussed. “Okay. Cool. Just give me a heart attack then, asshole.”

“…Good. Just keep me informed, Orwell.” You request, a frustrated hum on the other end the teen’s only response before the line goes dead. Silence hangs for a moment before you try to shift gears back to the discussion that was so rudely interrupted by an apocalyptic titan’s momentary pause.

“Uzu, I-“

“Shu? It’s okay. Seriously.” She says, an earnest smile on her thin lips. “If I were alone, then I don’t know where I’d be. But thanks to you? I’m not, and that’s made all the difference.”

“We take care of our own.” Johanna intones proudly, snapping shut the manga Holly’d thrust into her hands only moments before.

“We’ve all done things we wish we hadn’t, but what we do from here on out? That’s what we have control over.” Holly adds, tapping Uzu’s other knee affectionately. B’ni simply nods thoughtfully, whatever’s on her mind hidden by her bangs as she looks up at her troubled friend.

“I appreciate you checking in on me, Shu…but don’t worry.” She says, smiling. “I just need some time.”

>>Continue the tour to the Fifth Floor, and see if Tinker Tailor’s still about.

>>Touch base with Orwell to see if any new information’s been collated by the Skinternet at large.

>>Get that itemized list from Paloma and retreat to your room to pour over it with your family.

>>One down, one to go—go see if Jackie and her Crew are alright, since they’re still MIA.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in four.)
>>
>>5058076
>One down, one to go—go see if Jackie and her Crew are alright, since they’re still MIA.
>>
>>5058076
hrm... grah, i kinda want to do one, two, and four.
but if i had to boil it down, two and three can be passed onto our allies at least somewhat without feeling too crappy, with specifically three easily being something to wait on longer.

that said, technically we're still on the tour, so...

vote;
>Continue the tour to the Fifth Floor, and see if Tinker Tailor’s still about.

i'll probably want to go talk to Jackie and her crew next, but i figured is quite possible given the layout we'd have to go to/past the fifth floor anyways to find them, so may aswell hit up Tinker on the way.
>>
>>5058072
>“Hey, ‘My Next Life as a Villainess’ isn’t just a pretty face.” Holly protests, sticking her tongue out at the dark-haired girl with a wink.
Huh. Alright, Holly likes otome reincarnation stories, neat.

And yeah, makes sense that Uzu wouldn't know what to think, now. Her guilt is...still present, but dispersed somewhat. It's not entirely her fault anymore. But at the same time, she also gets a nice feeling of helplessness over being manipulated. I guess she's right, and the only thing she can do now is to get what control she can.

>>5058076
Huh. I wonder if that was Ziz talking to them or something else? A bit worrying, but we can put it off for the moment. When we're dividing up tasks after this, we should have Amara call her new doom birb friend to ask if they've spoken to their siblings.

>>Write-In
>"Okay. But don't hesitate to ask if there's something I can do to help, alright?"
>>Continue the tour to the Fifth Floor, and see if Tinker Tailor’s still about.


We should get Niku in contact with Uzu, too. Uzu's preferring to be in the flesh for right now, but at some point we should return her to the Dreamscape so she can talk with her other best friend. Or finally get Spiritus Ex Testa to max so it can incarnate other people's dream Daughters.
>>
>>5058076
Supporting >>5058085.
>>
>>5058076
Supporting >>5058116
>>
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>>5058076

“I’m glad to hear it, but don’t hesitate to ask if there’s something I can do to help, alright?” You request, and the unlikely group of friends give you a series of affirmations before you leave them to their reading and decompression. Returning to the Skinternet Relics, you find the trio of girls has absorbed the irritated onlooker from before, the four of them now glued to the screen as you approach Paloma.

“Hey, would you be up for continuing the tour?” You ask your host, who’s all too happy to oblige in showing off her creation. With Paloma insisting on showing Nerada some of her favorite memes, you leave the two girls to their inscrutable jokes as Paloma leads you to the next floor. Given that it was where you caught your first glimpse of the Ikean Fortress, it’s not the layout that surprises you—it’s who you find in a nearby ring, squaring off against each other while a crowd of Calcite-clad security intently observes.

Jackie’s going hand-to-hand against a knight clad in a checkerboard armor, calcite interwoven with jet-black fiber that leads to a closer-fitting armor than that of the ivory Dragoon that clearly inspired it. The Midnight Crew’s leader is glancing around her foe’s raised fists for some sort of opening, and as the pair circle each other with all the bloodlust of a pair of wounded sharks you catch sight of multiple deep gouges in Em’s otherwise flawless armor.

And without warning, Jackie makes her move—she darts in close, making as though she’s going for a straight thrown at Em’s intimidating helm, but your rival goes low, sweeping past her foe’s defenses and into Em’s blind spot the moment she raises her guard. It’s a brilliant move, one that’s executed flawlessly just before Em’s knuckles catches Jackie in the jaw with a terrible crack from both combatants.

Quick as thought, the Armorer’s left arm’s twisted at a horrific angle to lash out with an impossible backhand, forcing Jackie away to recover as Em swings around to face her foe, limb snapping back into position with a bone chilling crunch.

“It’s her Fibromancer skill set.” Paloma explains upon your surprised reaction. “It lets Em feel and react to what’s going on around her.”

“Impressivethoughitisclearneitherofthemarefightingatfullcapacity.”

You should be used to Tinker Tailor randomly showing up by now, but you hate that her sudden appearance makes you flinch, just a little. Paloma doesn’t seem taken aback as she regards her other guest with an approving smile.

(Continued)
>>
>>5058197

“Indeed…I’m guessing they both agreed to not use their swords.” Your host muses, then turns to you as she adds; “Em’s got this Relic sword that she improved enough to where it’s bonded to her armor, now. I’m not sure this place could take it is both of them decided to use either of their blades at full strength.”

“Jackie’sshardisnotyetatfullpower.” Comes Tinker Tailor’s swift reply. “Therearefewthingsthatcouldwithstanditscapabilitiesifsheweretounlockitsrealpotential.”

At this, Paloma finally seems taken aback by the curious Artisan, as inscrutable as any meme.

“Have you been able to examine it already?” The Ikean Fortress’ leader asks, barely suppressing a wince as the sound of brutal fisticuffs blend with the rapid-fire snapping of Tailor’s neck as she shakes her head.

“Ihaveseenitslikebefore. Itis…” The shorter Daughter begins, before giving a rare pause. “…apieceoftheCrucible’shistory. Besthandledwithcare.”

“…Is it dangerous?” You ask with no small measure of concern. “To her, or to us?”

“Ofcourse,butonlytothosewhowouldcomebetweenitswielderandtheirgoals.” Tailor fires back dismissively, as though it was a matter of course. “Itisathingmeanttobridgegaps,bornfromadesiretoreachacrossspaceandtimetoseethefruitsofoneslabors.”

“And you know all this…how?” You ask, and at that, the Artisan turns to you in full.

“Wecouldtalknoworlater. Itispurelyamatterofyourowntiming.” She replies, cutting to the core of the questions that lie behind the one you voiced. Paloma, for her part, glances between the two of you as she tries to piece together a history she’s not privy to.

“Like I said before, we can talk when you-“

“Pleasedonotfactormyscheduleintoyourconcerns. Yoursisfarlessflexiblethanmyown.” She interrupts brusquely. “Besides-“

Her head cocks sharply to one side, like the hand of a dutiful clock.

“-IhaveallthetimeintheCrucible.”

>>Tailor’s explanation can wait. Adjourn the tour for now, getting the list from Paloma and letting her and Tailor have their meeting.

>>Merge Tailor’s explanation with Paloma’s, if the latter is amenable—it sounds like her explanation for you could dovetail nicely into Paloma’s Relic plans for the Ikean Fortress.

>>The time for an explanation is now—speak with Tailor, and ask her what’s on your mind (Write-In).

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to (potentially) resume at 10AM tomorrow, Eastern time. I will have to venture out to attend to some items for work, so if I am unable to finish the update by the time I go to bed tonight, then I’ll let you all know as soon as possible and adjust the update schedule accordingly.)

(Thank you for your time, your patience, and your encouragement, and I hope you have a restful evening.)
>>
>>5058200
vote;
>The time for an explanation is now—speak with Tailor, and ask her what’s on your mind.
>keep it short and simple. ask for an explanation of her history and what and why she was hiding what she did from you. some of it may be simple to guess, but getting it confirmed still helps.
>>Make sure to allow her to take this someplace private though, no need to force her to spill things shes not ready to to the whole world.

>>5058202
sounds reasonable.
>>
>>5058200
>“-IhaveallthetimeintheCrucible.”
Damn it, Tailor, this is doing nothing to convince me you're not a time traveler.

>>Merge Tailor’s explanation with Paloma’s, if the latter is amenable—it sounds like her explanation for you could dovetail nicely into Paloma’s Relic plans for the Ikean Fortress.
>>Write-In
>Have the conversation about Tailor's knowledge of the weird spatio-temporal stuff and the remnants of the Crucible's history as part of talking with Paloma. Afterwards, take her aside to have a more private conversation about her personal history and why she feels comfortable sharing it now but not earlier, as well as any ancient wisdom she might have learned that she thinks might be particularly relevant to us.
>>
>>5058200
Actually, you know what, Tailor will probably be taking more time with Paloma than us given that they have to work out technical issues. I'm going to change my vote so that they can work uninterrupted by our desire for context.

Changing >>5058218 to

>>The time for an explanation is now—speak with Tailor, and ask her what’s on your mind (Write-In).
>Tailor's history, and why she feels comfortable sharing now but not earlier.
>What she knows of the Crucible's deep history, the weird spatio-temporal stuff, and what things like the Silver Key or Vorpal Blade are.
>If she feels like the second part isn't a secret to keep, work it into the conversation with Paloma about the Fortress' Relic needs.
>In any case, have the conversation somewhere private, with apologies to Paloma for needing to speak to Tailor alone briefly. Nothing to worry about, just something we want to clear up with her.
>>
>>5058200
>Write-in: Ask about how her other "sisters" of the collective are faring.
>And also ask why she's assisting Sam. We aren't mad at her or Sam. We're just genuinely confused at the moves both Tailor and Sam are making.

Also Bhop, I'm honestly surprised you didn't go for a Home Improvement Reference given Tailor's powerset and primary study being centered around Relic usage and Relic modification.
>>
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(Indeed, it looks like I'll be pushing tomorrow's update to 12PM, Eastern time. Also, given the fact that Thanksgiving has snuck up on me, how does everyone's availability look for the upcoming week? I'm not sure whether it would be good to squeeze as many days in as I can and maybe even start posting on Monday, or just update when I can around everyone's schedules. Let me know what you think, and I'll plan accordingly.)

>>5058274
(...I have to say, I'm not sure why I haven't. I watched that show a lot growing up, so I have no idea why it didn't occur to me.)
>>
>>5058274
(Imagine - Tailor asking for life advice from a terraforing Neuromancer who's protected by a constructed fence wherever she goes.)
>>
>>5058362
Sorry to hear your evening was busy, BHOP. I hope your tomorrow is better.

As for Thanksgiving, I'll be busy on the day itself, but otherwise the week will be the usual schedule.

>>5058274
>>5058363
With the fence posts looking like giant teeth, for that biopunk flair.
>>
>>5058362
oof, but gotta do what you gotta do.
i should be able to post mostly on/around thanksgiving, but at the very least adding days and trying to post more would probably be dubious-ish. more importantly, enjoy your vacation and please, dont try and post on monday if you're not up for it, that never seems to work.

also, side note, for the current vote if it helps feel free to combine stuff. some overlaps anyways.
>>
>>5058362
OP... you know how Mondays are. Please dont try and force it if it does not work out.

Though i would be available during the week at the normal times.
>>
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>>5058362
It's gonna be sketchy on my end. Rolled my ankle at work pretty badly, and I've got several things coming up next week. Update whenever you feel comfortable. As for thanksgiving itself, I'm frankly unsure as to how my company handles Holidays when I work afternoon/evening shifts.

>Home Improvement
>Tinker Tailor having an old shame/guilty pleasure of simply stuffing as many Generator Mods onto Relics to limit test them
....Why am I getting the idea in my head of renaming Tinker Tailor to Tina Tailor as a riff off Tim Taylor to make the Home Improvement reference more "on the nose"?
>>
FINALLY CAUGHT UP HOLY SHIT AAAAHHHH!

Quest is great my dude, and I must say that DorianXJulia is the sweetest thing in the world....right after Amara. Seriously, she's wonderful.
>>
>>5058635
welcome to the party.
how fr behind were you?
>>
>>5058651
Hello, anon. Welcome to the quest. It's always nice to have someone new joining us.

>and I must say that DorianXJulia is the sweetest thing in the world....right after Amara. Seriously, she's wonderful.
Damn straight. All of our party members have had some heartwarming moments, but those three are especially good at it.
>>
>>5058635
Welcome to the quest, glad to have you on board!
>>
>>5058635
nice to meet you. Hope the ride up till here was good Anon.

Take care to not fall off.
>>
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>>5058200

“Then the time is now.” You declare firmly, glancing around the space for a spot of privacy before turning to Paloma. “I need to borrow Tailor for a minute—we shouldn’t be long, but there’s a conversation we need to have sooner rather than later.”

“Of course.” Your host relents, gesturing for the two of you to pass with a sweep of her talon. Leading Tailor over to a corner of the fifth floor, you’re able to find a modicum of privacy amongst the training equipment as you turn to the wiry girl.

“Alright, so—let’s keep the short and simple. We’re Paloma’s guests, so I don’t want to keep her waiting.” You begin, and Tinker Tailor cocks her head, this time to the other side.

“ThenIwillkeepthisasbriefaspossible.” She replies, and the world around you suddenly throbs, pulsing out of lock-step with your perceptions. You watch as the wiry humanoid mass before you rapidly unfurls even as the brawl a short distance away grinds to a halt, metallic strands and hard plating unwraveling from around a figure that defies easy description. What stands before you now is humanoid in shape, though out of focus…a slender form surrounded by the machined parts that contained this ghostly form. At the center of her, though, is a thing that is concrete—a crystalline shard that makes your hair stand on end to gaze upon it, not unlike Jackie’s own blade, jagged and alien.

“Idobelievethatthiswill allowusto take our time.” Tailor’s voice slows, gently echoing in this stilled space and no longer through the gas mask she still wears. “I’ve aligned you with my own perception of time, for but a moment. We will have all the time we need, so please do not worry about our host. She has more than enough time to do what she must.”

“Is this your real form?” You ask, glancing the vibrating figure up and down.

“As much as I have one, yes. Per your request, I will be brief—I was one of Gemma’s alts, captured by West Prime and converted into one of her Proxies.” Tailor explains, her voice almost lyrical as it dances around you. “Each Proxy has a duty, a task to complete for Prime. Mine was anomalous relic retrieval and analysis. It was in the process of this task that I encountered a Fragment…the one that bound itself to me and untethered me from both West Prime’s control and a conventional perception of linear time. I was no longer Gemma, or West…I was something new, yet still quite human. The physical form I’ve presented to you until now functions as more of a restraint system, forged from a blend of Neuromantic and Phantasmal Relics that allow me to interact with those living in the standardized flow of entropy.”

You…you’re not even sure where to start with this, though when you’re slow to voice any forthcoming questions, Tailor once more takes the lead.

(Continued)
>>
>>5058787

“The Fragments—mine, as well as Jackie’s Vorpal Knife and your Silver Key—are in reality pieces of the beings that crafted the Crucibles. Think of them as…cells, or perhaps even dust.” Tailor slowly explains, with Jackie caught mid-swing at Em not but a few dozen meters away. “It is possible to commune with them to gain abilities that typically only the Deprived are capable of using, though they do not have the downside of triggering a Crucible null-state upon reaching the top of the Cord. The Fragments are, much like the Relics the Crucible naturally spawned as well as the Waystation, tied to emotion, meaning, and intent. Jackie’s Fragment is born from a desire to shorten distance, while yours is an anchor, a point of much-needed stability in a chaotic world. Mine was forged out of a desire to stretch seconds into minutes, hours into months…for just a little more time.”

“How do you know all this, and why are you telling me this now?” You breathe, and Tailor gives an uncharacteristic chuckle.

“Because for all that I have learned, my knowledge is, ultimately, irrelevant to your journey. I meant what I said earlier, about not being a part of your narrative. Any attempt to tell you what I knew sooner ran a significant risk of throwing your own path out of alignment.”

“…My path?” You ask, and the gas mask tilts in a gentle nod.

“Since my fragment untethered me from linear time, I was blessed with the ability to traverse lines of entropy as a passive observer.” She states…and then, tentatively; “Are you familiar with visual novels?”

“I…sort of?”

“I can view others’ own personal timelines as something of a passive observer, traveling along points of variance to their natural conclusions before running back and exploring further alternatives.”

“So you’re a mental time traveler, basically? With your body in the present?” You ask, and she gives s slow, affirmative nod.

“You’re quite astute. However, I am still trapped by the Crucible’s own timeline, bound between the moment it began and the moment it ends.”

“And how long have you been doing this? If your own timeline’s so far out of synch with everybody, then what does that mean for you?”

Tailor hesitates a moment before answering, her tenuous form flickering as she speaks.

“Despite my abilities, my cognition largely remains normal. It is…difficult…to ascertain just how long I have been observing the Crucible, but I would say that around three would be a safe bet.”

“Three…years?”

“Centuries.” She quietly corrects you, then adds tentatively. "I think?"

>>”What have you been doing all that time? Your mind’s free to travel, but your body’s in the present.”

>>”These Fragments—have you found others, and if so, what are they capable of?”

>>”…You say that you can see up until the completion of the Crucible…so tell me; how does it end?”

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in four.)
>>
>>5058635
(Ah, welcome! I'm really glad you've enjoyed it this far, and I love it when new readers catch up. Everyone here is great too, so we're happy to have you!)
>>
>>5058795
viote;
>”These Fragments—have you found others, and if so, what are they capable of?”
>”What have you been doing all that time? Your mind’s free to travel, but your body’s in the present.”

im very against that last question. feels too much like a self fulfilling prophecy type deal, on top of just plain old not wanting to know.
at best i'd want to know if things can be changed, but, for some reason i actually think we already got a 'yes' to that question from some other source?
regardless, always a bad idea to get that type of mental poison in your mind. future sounds good? best way to subconsciously lower your guard. sounds bad? best way to push yourself too hard and cause that very future.

on top of that its just kinda tacky to ask that question.
>>
>>5058795
>"Three Centuries...... it must have been hard at times to keep on going. I think it takes a certain amount of willpower to survive something like what you have been through though it might not have been as life threatening to you as i imagine it might have been at times"
>"I am tempted to ask how it ends... but to be honest... i don't think it matters much what you would say. You said that the timelines can split... so yeah it matters not. If we have to burn our way to victory into the tapestry of fate itself then we will do so. And prophecys would only be in the way of that."
>”These Fragments—have you found others, and if so, what are they capable of?”
>”What have you been doing all that time? Your mind’s free to travel, but your body’s in the present.”

So that explains a fracking ton of stuff. The last question..... it is way to loaded and having it answered would be mind shattering probably.
>>
>>5058795
I just realized something a bit horrifying and a bit hilarious: Way back when, Rosa mentioned that there were Shu/Julia shipfics on the Skinternet. I remarked that someone must have been watching us for a long time, then, since all the Shu/Julia ship fodder happened before we got famous. So who could have known that the Shu show was going to blow up and become hugely popular? Maybe someone who's seen the future?

Tailor, are you writing precognitive fanfiction about us?!
>>
>>5058795
>So if your mind is free from the confines of time, yet you're still physically here, what has your mind been doing for these mental three centuries? Writing shipping fics in your head?
>>
>>5058795
>”These Fragments—have you found others, and if so, what are they capable of?”
> "I hesitate to ask but... if I understand it correctly you have seen many possible futures. Did you see anything you feel you should warn me about? Or something you can give me advice on? Future may not be set in stone, but with you having such insight into what *may* happen, I think I should ask you about it, as much as I fear what I might hear."
>>
>>5058795
>>Write-In
>"Wow. That's a long time to be looping all by yourself. I can't even imagine what that's like, it must take some incredible fortitude to keep going."
>"Have you told anyone else about this, or am I the first one getting the whole story?"
>"I probably shouldn't ask about the future, huh? Can't have been many good timelines, if you kept looking for alternates. Any good ending we make would have to be a new on. Still, is there anything in particular I should look out for, and that knowing about won't just make things worse?"
>"Back to the Fragments, what else do you know about them? Have you found others? What about their origins? Ziz said that their own creator was from a race that was dying out when they believed themselves to be eternal, and that the Crucible was an attempt to fix that. Maybe that's related to them shedding Fragments, bits of them falling off as that creator race died."
>>
>>5058853
>>5058871
im still highly against asking about the future in any capacity.
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>>5058873
I'm leaving it up to her what to share. She'd know better than we do what can and can't be told without messing with the timeline.
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>>5058881
maybe, but it still feels like something we shouldn't do. its a principle on top of a risk.
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>>5058886
I don't know. I mean "tell me how this ends so I can rely on my fated victory to carry me to success" is obviously a bad way of thinking. We're going to have to make our own future, we can't rely on a prediction for that. But asking about potential dangers seems philosophically innocent enough. It's not trying to rely on some fixed view of the future, it's just asking for information on the possibilities.
>>
>>5058795
>>5058803
changing vote to support >>5058828
>>
>>5058895
eh i just dont see it.
because its coming from knowledge based off time travel, you cant truly say its not potentially 'anchoring' points in time due to the very fact you couldn't or at least wouldn't of been given that info without it. it means at least one moment that was used to learn about them has to now happen so that the person can learn about them to then tell you about it. and of course, there would be no point in telling us its a potential threat unless it happens in the future.

its more complicated than that, of course, but thats time travel for you. time travel is just best left as alone as it can be, never is good to get mixed up in it in any way you can avoid, even small questions like that.
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>>5058895
You know how time Paradoxes start..... asking questions about what happens in the future is the best way to create one.

Even if it is just possibilities from possibilities. It would make us gravitate(consciously or not) towards things that might lead to the thing we heard about. And even if we heard that we fought someone we could have made friends with in our timeline then that would ruin those chances.

The best way to deal with Timetravel is to stay as far away as possbile from it and if oyu need to interact use a long stick to poke the bear.
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>>5058899
Which is why I'm asking Tailor if it's safe to give us information. Like I said, she'd know how this works better than we do. If knowing something could be a threat causes it to certainly be a threat, I trust her to warn us away from this threat to the timestream.

>>5058900
Subconsciously over-emphasizing the information we learned about the future is a potential issue, but one I still think shouldn't be a problem so long as we're rational about it. The same issue arises any time we learn about someone in advance. Remember how Gemma tried to get us to fight her alters by telling us about how big and scary Sia and her group were? I think we're astute enough not to fall for that sort of self-fulfilling prophecy, and judge people on how they actually interact with us instead of just how they might.
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>>5058903
and i still disagree its worth even the marginal risk it may be, aswell as on principle think its just best we shouldn't want or strive to learn anything ahead of time through these means.
>>
that being said, while on the topic, a semi-mostly-but not fully related thing this reminded me of was a webcomic from way back when where time travel worked off the idea of you cant travel backwards in time past when time travel was made, because of the paradox where you cant change the timeline to where time travel was never invented.
however the comic had an interesting twist on this, to where they actually could travel about a ~million years backwards past when the day they invented time travel, and its because they realized they had accidentally just proven other intelligent life at least used to exist, because the 'past' wall for time travel only is based off when time travel in general was invented, not specifically theirs, meaning something out there invented time travel a million years ago.

related to here on how its interesting to think about how much seemingly far off things may and are affecting us and we might be overlooking or not thinking about, despite them actually having a much stronger impact on us than we think. or maybe its a bit too horrifying to think about how the Crucible Creators may of had an impact on how things played out on earth back before they decided to instead sacrifice all other life to save themselves.
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>>5058795

"Three centuries...” You murmur, the weight of those long years settling in around the words you speak next. “It must have been hard to keep going, at times. I think it takes a certain amount of willpower to survive something like what you’ve been through…though it might not have been as life-threatening to you as I imagine it might’ve been."

“My mind was in peril more than my body, but even that was buffered from the strain by my Fragment.” Tailor replies cheerfully. “West’s augmentations were still present in my corporeal form, and further attunement to my Fragment made most physical combat rather trivial.”

"You know…I’m tempted to ask how it ends.” You confess with a wry smile. “But to be honest? I don’t think it matters what you would say, really. You said that the timelines can split, but if we have to burn our way to victory into the tapestry of fate itself, then so be it. Any prophecies would only be in the way of that."

“Ha, that’s what you always say…but I never get tired of hearing it.” The enigmatic Artisan says, her words filtered through an unseen smile.

”So, on to things I actually need to know; these Fragments—have you found others, and if so, what are they capable of?”

“I have. Three, in fact—though two have been destroyed.” She informs you. “One by Mara, a Fragment capable of erasure. Similar to the Nothing, but without the issue of ripple effects. Another by West, though entirely by accident. It was a Fragment that could undo what had been done, though it almost seemed to rebel against her influence—too kind a thing for her, it seems.”

“And the third?”

“Unfortunately, I am uncertain as to its location or powers. Given how difficult it was to even observe the thing, let alone retain its existence in memory, I would theorize that it has something to do with perception.” The Artisan sighs, shrugging her slight shoulder at the prospect of a piece of history lost to her.

”So, I have to ask—what have you been doing all that time? Your mind’s free to travel, but your body’s in the present.”

“My mind has been busy observing. Watching countless possible timelines, and gaining context on the nuances of the power players of this Crucible…but I learned the most from those whose stories never reached the Cord.” She murmurs, glassy goggles looking just over your shoulder and back into her centuries-long past. “There are so many people fighting to have a future. Fighting to be good, in a world that demands the worst of them. It was in watching their stories unfold that I resolved to learn as much as I can, so that my present form can act upon that information in a manner that will guarantee as much freedom of choice as possible.”

“’Freedom of choice’…how so?” You echo.

(Continued)
>>
>>5058950

“This existence has robbed many of choice, though I have to say our original world offered little better, in some regards.” Comes Tinker Tailor’s soft answer. “Random violence, Amalgams, storms, other environmental dangers—there are infinite ways to die here, and none of them fair. I am but one person…but when I learned that my mind was capable of nudging those of others, I found my chance to try and keep as many alive as I could. It would be difficult to predict how their lives would affect the whole, but I wished to grant them choice, regardless.”

She smiles, as she adds; “I learned that from you, actually.”

“Me?”

“Indeed. I found your thread woven through countless narratives, and I had to understand what sort of person could influence so many without exerting true control.” Tailor muses, taking a step closer. “In my time here, I’ve learned that there are many constants. Fixed points in this Crucible where probability coalesces around individuals of note. Those who would ‘burn their way to victory through the tapestry of fate itself’, to borrow your elegant words. I weighed two such champions…and found them wanting.”

She lifts her hands as if they were a set of scales, her gas mask’s goggles reflecting each hand in their vacant lenses. “Mara and West share the same view of humanity—something to be cajoled, directed, controlled. Different ends, similar means. You were something wholly different; one who would grant power, opportunity, and impact to those who’d been robbed of it. Those who didn’t ‘deserve’ it, as though we are any to judge.”

Her gaze snaps back to you, and she tilts her head; “There are some who call you a god…but you and I? We’re not so different. We’re just people. Two humans born into and from our species’ purgatory. I am neither Gemma, nor West. You are not Sam. We are both something new, but not better. We simply…are. We exist, and we try, and we deserve as much choice as any other.”

Stepping back, Tinker Tailor regards you with an air of satisfaction as she shrugs.

“I came to you now because there’s nothing I know that could influence your journey from here on out in any meaningful way—indeed, you’ve achieved a level of resolve to where dissuading you from your current course of action would be quite impossible…”

“…though it is funny to watch people try.” She adds with a quiet chuckle. “Still, though…know that you are on a good path. One that, though I do not know the ending, is one that I have faith in if nothing else. You, doing what you do?”

A smile, beneath the mask.

“It inspires more people than you know, Defiant.”

>>Thank Tailor for answering your questions, and politely request she return the flow of time to normal—she and Paloma can begin their own meeting, now.

>>Ask something else of Tinker Tailor, now that she’s shared her past with you.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume tomorrow morning at 10AM, Eastern time. I wanted to post a bit more today, but work’s been a bear and personal duties have materialized this evening that I’m afraid I must attend to. Thank you for your time, and I wish you a restful evening, one and all.)

>>5058927
(That's the sort of existential dread I live for.)
>>
>>5058951
huh... when i can actually properly understand her, i kinda like Tinker attitude. not that i dislike hypertalk Tinker, but this feels like such a different person from that side of her, and certainly in a refreshing way.

vote;
>Thank Tailor for answering your questions, and politely request she return the flow of time to normal—she and Paloma can begin their own meeting, now.

only thing i can think to ask is maybe about Sam, but i feel like we can trust Tinker so it feels like we have no reason really to pry.
only other thing i might of added was to maybe encourage her to talk to Francine or something, but not sure how to word it.

>>5058953
well hope your afternoon as least isnt too taxing.

and yeah, it is pretty dreadful.
I left out the part where the two guys who made time travel talk about how in theory the second a species invents time travel, they should instantly the next second either own the whole universe, or ascend past it, due to the ability to give all future knowledge and tech to their species in the past. and then they just sorta sit there, nervously wondering if they should jump into the future to figure out why this is not whats happening.
>>
>>5058951
>>Thank Tailor for answering your questions, and politely request she return the flow of time to normal—she and Paloma can begin their own meeting, now.

>"If you're looking for someone to talk to, I think Francine would appreciate it if you told her who you were. She's a West Proxy who has put a lot of effort into becoming her own person, and I think you two might be able to empathize with each other on that."
>>
>>5058927
Possibly. Though if the Crucible Makers were precognitive then we have to wonder what Ziz's creator's scheme is. He'd have to be doing some super 4-dimensional (literally) chess master gambit to outwith his opponents' own precognition with his. Given that Ziz's creator was implied to be the Nothing, and the Nothing was pleasantly surprised to see us, it's possible that their are so many schemes and counter-schemes in place that none of them can properly see to the ending. Even these godlike beings are just hoping for the best, at this point.

>>5058950
>Similar to the Nothing, but without the issue of ripple effects.
I'm sorry, what? Please be referring to the Deprived Daughter at Arcadia whose name I can not presently remember. You don't mean the big Nothing, right?

>Given how difficult it was to even observe the thing, let alone retain its existence in memory, I would theorize that it has something to do with perception.
Could that be the Void Orrery? Francine did hypothesize that it was an ancient Relic, related in some way to the Vorpal Knife. And it does have powers related to perception, either granting or obscuring it. Though we've never had any problems perceiving it, ourselves. Well, I guess we didn't realize we had looted it after the fight with Sasha, but that felt more like it was just an afterthought of us rather than it actively blanking itself from our memory. Though if it was really good at blanking itself from our memories, we wouldn't realize it was.
>>
>>5058951
>>Thank Tailor for answering your questions, and politely request she return the flow of time to normal—she and Paloma can begin their own meeting, now.
>>
>>5058951
>> Give her a mighty Amara hug and gift her a FuzzBuzz of her own.
>>Thank Tailor for answering your questions, and politely request she return the flow of time to normal—she and Paloma can begin their own meeting, now.

>>5058996
I've been wondering how the three known anomalous relics might respond if we bring them together. They could be used as dowsing tools to help reveal any other mystery items that haven't been unearthed.

Maybe we can run the idea past Karma, Francine, Charon and the other Hexane, see what they know about the artifacts.
>>
>>5059145
It's a possibility. At the very least it gives us some baseline to compare to for if we find something we suspect is a Fragment. Though we should be careful not to get sucked into the Nullscape again. Even if we know how to get back out, it's still not a great experience for us or our friends.

Also, I guess we'd have to have a conversation with Jackie about "so, you've got a piece of an alien god stabbed through your chest". I'm not sure if she'd be freaked out by that or excited.
>>
We should definitely show the Orrery to Tailor to get her opinion if it's a Fragment.

Also, give her a hug for all she's been through. Brave girl.
>>
>>5058951
Not a vote
>Those who would ‘burn their way to victory through the tapestry of fate itself’, to borrow your elegant words.
nice to know she appreciates those words. She can probably appreciate them more than most people can. And is also probably a bit why she might be working with Sam.


>>5058959
Those two guys did have good arguments for why they should maybe check it out and if they find out that them coming there was the trigger for Mankind being gestroyed..... tough luck. The universe is not fair.

On a side note. Whoever recommended the Hyperion Cantos to me. Thank you. I am nearly done with the first book and it is pretty good. The Story of Weintraub was pretty well written i think and it did tug at my< Heartstrings.

>>5059266
Two things.

First. It would help OP if you linked your vote directly to the post it is directed at. He has problems with colour and having a direct link will help him recognize what to look for in the general descussion.
Second. There is a Time Limit for when votes are accepted. OP writes it down after each Post like here >>5058953
Votes that come after are usually no longer considered.
>>
>>5059266
Tinker-Tailor already knows about the Orrery; she's the one that repaired it back at the Dragon's Roost, after all.
>>
>>5059434
I think that was Francine. I remember her showing us the Orrery's restored functions.
>>
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>>5059434
>>5059524
i mean, the answer to which of the two did it is yes.
i will not apologize for this lame joke.
>>
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>>5058951

You take a step forward, the only one needed to bring you close enough to draw Tinker Tailor’s nebulous form into a hug.

“Thank you, for being honest. For telling me all this.” You say appreciatively, stepping back after a moment to look the other girl in the lens-covered eye. “For what it’s worth? I’m sorry for everything you’ve had to go through, and I’m glad you’re doing what you can to help people.”

“It’s nothing, really. I just learn from thebest and keeptryinghardtohelpasmanyasIcanthroughyourexam-” She begins to speed up before reigning in her accelerating speech. When Tailor speaks again, she seems a little flustered; “Sorry. It’s hard enough to slow my physical form enough to make any sense, and when I get excited it...it’s just a mess.”

“Well, think this little guy will be able to keep up?” You grin, as a small, aerodynamic FuzzBuzz scuttles out from your hive. It flits over to alight on her gasmask, and she gives a surprised little laugh when she realizes that he’s wearing a chitinous version to match hers. She gently takes him into her fog-like hands, running her translucent fingers over his shell, upon which is engraved a clock, both hands set to midnight.

“I’ve seen a great many variations of you and your family.” Tailor murmurs, looking up at you once more. “...but this version of you is my favorite by a wide margin.”

“Ha, I sure showed my temporal alts, huh?” You laugh, glancing back over to Em and Jackie's frozen fisticuffs. “You up for resuming the flow I’m used to? I know we’re not keeping anyone waiting per se, but I’m a little curious as to how this is going to shake out.”

The wheel of fate turns once more as time swiftly resumes, with Tinker Tailor’s bindings lashing back into place, and you feel a bit of pride when she keeps your gifted FuzzBuzz in her hands as you approach the brutal boxing match.

“All done? That was fast.” Paloma declares at your approach.

“It was just a quick touch-base. So, who’s-?” You start just as a savage blow suddenly echoes out of the ring. Jackie’s reeling, stumbling back one, two, three steps to the arena’s edge. Her nose begins to pour blood, but the liquid’s quickly reeled back from whence it came by the Humoral Paladin’s sheer will as she fixes her foe with an icy glare...then throws her head back with a hyena’s laugh.

“Fuck girl, you got me good!” She cackles, rubbing her upper lip with the back of her hand before clapping her foe on the shoulder. “Hell’d you learn how to fight like that?”

“By keeping this one out of trouble.” Em retorts, jerking thumb back at Paloma with a smirk that’s revealed as her helm retracts back into the flesh of her shoulders and collarbone.

“Hey now, I take offense to that truth.” The Fortress’s leader counters—then, turning to you; “If you two are finished, then are you good with the tour ending here?”

(Continued)
>>
>>5059558

“I think so. You’ve given me and mine quite the tour, so I think we’ll take a little time to ourselves.”

“Iwouldverymuchliketobeginourtalksyes.” Comes Tailor's staccato follow-up. ‘IbelieveShuandIhaveexchangedthewordsthatwereneededsoIamreadywhenyouare.”

“Well, that settles it Oh! And before I forget, here!” Your host exclaims, digging into her dress pocket and retrieving a tightly-folded sheet of skin. “The list I promised.”

“Much obliged, and thank you again for your hospitality—we’ll talk again soon.” You say, bidding Paloma and Tailor farewell as they return to the boardroom, leaving you in a crowd of quickly-dispersing security as Em waves them off. Your gaze lingers on Jackie’s narrow frame, her shoulders working with every breath her tired lungs are dragging in, her long fingers curled tight against the ring’s ropes, knuckles white with tension even as she smiles at her friends’ approach.

“Paloma’s off meeting with Tailor, then?” The chief of security asks, massaging her knuckles as she glances around for her old friend.

“Yeah, tour wrapped up, so we figured it was back to business. How’d the sparring go?” You say, switching tracks as you watch Jackie roll her shoulders in the ring as she chats idly with the rest of her Crew. “Looked like you had her on the ropes for most of it.”

“Oh, it’s not our first rodeo. That said, it felt like she was holding back...or maybe she had something on her mind.” Em mutters, planting her hands on her hips as she turns to face you full-on. "So, what’s your next move?”

A good question, and not one you have a ready answer to. The Dissassociated's launch is coming up fast, so you're not sure if setting up a mission plan is really the best idea right now, given how off-track your family has a habit of getting.

Then again, maybe there's something to be done that wouldn't be a huge time investment...in any case, you turn to Em with your tentative answer.

>>”Regroup with my family and review the list Paloma gave us. I’d like to get an idea of where to go next.”

>>”I think I might touch base with Jackie, actually...there’s something I wanna talk to her about.”

>>”The Fortress has enough to keep my family busy for a while, so I think I’ll take a walk to clear my head, then decide.”

>>"There seems to be enough in this place to keep us busy till the Dissassociated's rocket launch, so we may rest here a while."

>>"We're headed back to the Dragon's Root to rest and regroup."

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Good Morning, Everyone. I hope you rested well, and voting shall remain open for the next two hours, with posting to resume in three.)

>>5059534
(Pffhaha, oh that's good.)

>>5059270
(I really can't express enough how much I appreciate you keeping my vision issues in mind. You and everyone here are very kind, and I appreciate that.)
>>
>>5059559
vote;
>”I think I might touch base with Jackie, actually...there’s something I wanna talk to her about.”

i feel like Jackie deserves a talk. well, her and her crew. but mostly her. afterwards im not sure. i feel like we've gotten a decent bit of rest so probably the list.
>>
>>5059559
>”I think I might touch base with Jackie, actually...there’s something I wanna talk to her about.”
>>
>>5059558
>“I’ve seen a great many variations of you and your family.” Tailor murmurs, looking up at you once more. “...but this version of you is my favorite by a wide margin.”
Does that mean FuzzBuzz is a statistical anomaly in the probability manifold of the multiverse? I'd believe it. Such power must be rare, if there were multiple timelines where he existed then Tailor's journey would be a very different one.

>>5059559
>>”Regroup with my family and review the list Paloma gave us. I’d like to get an idea of where to go next.”
>>
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>>5059560
Bhop, the studio that made Lobotomy Corp and Library of Ruina has dropped a promotion video of their upcoming new game.
Ironically this was released in the wee hours of the morning during a partial lunar eclipse, befitting its company logo.

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

I'm hype'd for the setting. It looks like a game where you manage a company on a train ride through hell in a dante's inferno styled journey carrying the Golden Bough in order to find salvation.

The music is also a banger.

>”I think I might touch base with Jackie, actually...there’s something I wanna talk to her about.”
>>
>>5059576
>>5059560

it's also got english captions, so put turn that on if you want to see the lyrics and some of the translated korean and german.
>>
>>5059576
>I'm hype'd for the setting. It looks like a game where you manage a company on a train ride through hell in a dante's inferno styled journey carrying the Golden Bough in order to find salvation.
Looks pretty stylish. Though they didn't actually show any gameplay, that's disappointing. Still, hell trains are always cool. And I'm a sucker for a Golden Bough reference.
>>
>>5059576
you know, i should look up a playthrough of Library. never did see a full one for Lobotomy either.
that trailer looks pretty good though yeah. cant say if i'd play it based off that though, and considering the gameplay of the other two really didn't interest me im not holding out hope for that one.
>>
>>5059600
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AplugITi9UE&list=PLZ_T1uOb-Z6qKUSWcGPLho0kCpZQJQ6Uy

Here's one that I'd recommend if you're interested in the story and don't have much interest in the gameplay, although some of the gameplay can be quite engaging emotionally as the lets player does have quite a few close calls.
>>
>>5059605
im sure the gameplay and emotion is great, its just the whole 'zoo of anomalous batteries' didnt seem like something i'd stick with til i got i win.
plus im too busy having furry kids drive a tank and hovering my hand over the 'feed them to the soul cannon' button nervously anytime things start going bad to play anything else at the moment.
>>
>>5059614
>plus im too busy having furry kids drive a tank and hovering my hand over the 'feed them to the soul cannon' button nervously anytime things start going bad to play anything else at the moment.
context?
>>
>>5059614
(Ah, Fuga: Melodies of Steel! It's on my list, since I've heard it's a sleeper hit.)

>>5059576
(Thank you for sharing this, I'd been keeping an eye on their Twitter ever since I saw Gregor's character page, but it's been a while since I last checked in!)
>>
>>5059616
Fuga, Melodies of Steel.
not a game i was expecting to play or like, but im enjoying the hell out of it.
id say the soul cannon is kinda spoiler, but its an odd situation for one.
for one, its a spoiler from the tutorial and a pretty core part of the feel of the game, so, not like im spoilering something they want to be hidden from you either. one of my few complaints though is actually how they introduce it, in that they ruin its impact a bit, but thats a different discussion.

the other issue is, like me, while its grown on me, the artstyle and general first peek at the game doesn't get some of the tone and themes across very well, while mentioning you can sacrifice kids to a soul cannon is exactly what peaked my interest in the game. not because you WANT to do that, but because its like 'wait, you have the option to do what now?'
>>
>>5059576
(Just opened the trailer to watch it and lost my mind at the warning page. This is going to be great.)
>>
>>5059621
it really is.
usually, turn based rpg mechanics like that arent exactly my style, but they make it work really damn well in this. the theme helps alot too. i'd imagine to someone actually a fan of those type of games then it would probably be even better.
>>
>>5059623
Yeah, that feels pretty at odds with the tone the art style evokes. I guess it's going for some thematic dissonance, then. Some horrors of war thing where the cutesy artwork and friendship mechanics are there to make it a bigger punch to the gut when someone dies. Sounds neat. Not really my style of game, but it's an interesting concept.
>>
>>5059632
yeah its an odd mix.
while it doesn't get *too* horrible and grim and super duper dark, it has still hinted and touched on certain topics, such as the fact you are kids and kids aren't the best to have to be in a war.
that, and the enemy is called the 'berman empire' so you can guess easily enough at some of those hinted at themes from that alone.
>>
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>>5059559

”I think I might touch base with Jackie, actually.” You say, glancing over to the ring.

“Sounds good—I’ll be around if you need anything.” The Armorer replies before stalking off, leaving you to stride around the edge of the ring as you approach the Midnight Crew. Ace and Quinn are giving Jackie their feedback on her match, while Keane’s inspecting the other girl’s

“You made a good show up there.” You say, the breezy compliment met with a flash of Jack’s slasher grin.

“That’s bullshit, but I’ll believe it.” She smirks, noting you’re on your own before she adds; “Boss lady wrap up the grand tour?”

You nod, and she rakes bruised fingers through her black hair, suddenly declaring with a huff. “I could go for a drink. You want a drink? C’mon, I’m paying.”

“You good?” Ace intones, her resonant voice giving the Midnight Crew’s leader pause before she shakes it off.

“Yeah, I’m good. Have fun girls, I’ll be back in a bit.”

Back down to the second floor you go, with Jackie leading the way in stony silence as you follow her to a back corner of the stalls. Tucked behind a noodle vendor and some sort of novelty drink stand you find an innocuous bar, the angle of the two other establishments serving to shield the space from much of the hustle and bustle just beyond it. You’d almost call it intimate, the dimly-lit nook with the bartender quietly polishing a glass, looking up with a quintet of mismatched eyes at your approach.

“You want your usual?” Jackie asks, and at your nod she turns to the tall woman behind the bar, her right arm a tangle of tubes, intestines twisted into a facsimile of a functioning limb.

“Jack n’ Coke for me, and a Bee’s Knees for my friend here.” Jackie orders smoothly, and the other woman simply nods twice—once in affirmation, then again to gesture to a spot at the end of the counter, where sit a pair of stools.

Taking the indicated seats, you decide to let Jackie have the first word. It takes her a moment to find how she wants to start, just staring down at the knife—the Fragment of a thing beyond description— buried up to its hilt in her chest.

“Sorry ‘bout dipping out on you guys earlier.” She finally says, elbows on the bar as she fixes you with an eye as dark as her thoughts. “Had a lot on my mind.”

“I don’t blame you. I had to step back a while, myself. Re-center.” You admit, mirroring her own lean on the bar. “Look, about what I heard when your sword and my key interacted, it-“

“I got a pretty good idea of what you saw in there, Shu.” Jackie cuts you off with a wry smirk that gives way to a weary sigh. “Wish it’d been on my own terms, but…maybe it’s better this way. Sometimes, if a hand isn’t forced, it never ends up doing what it’s got to, y’know? It feels corny as all hell to say, but…”

A beat, and then-

“…I wish I was more like you.”

(Continued)
>>
>>5059684

The bartender draws close only long enough to slip you your orders, with Jackie immediately scooping hers up and downing half of it in a brusque swig.

“I keep taking pages out of your book, but it just feels…counterfeit, somehow.”

You open your mouth to speak, but Jackie holds up a finger, finishing her drink and motioning with her empty glass to the bartender before addressing you. “Lemme just get this out, alright? I’m not as touchy-feely as you, so if I don’t just run my mouth a sec then I’m not gonna get anywhere, ‘kay?”

You take the first sip of your own drink, dwelling on the honeyed flavor as Jackie gathers herself.

“…I feel weak.” She finally confesses, staring as a full glass replaces the empty one in front of her. “I got this thing in my chest, and I’m optimized as all hell, but…I thought if I fought you, one-on-one, that I’d…I dunno. I don’t know what I was thinking. In the meeting, back there, when Paloma said even you’d have a hard time trying to get to the Cord, it just…I felt cold, like I haven’t felt since the hospital.”

Jackie picks up her drink as you sip a little more of your own. The ice in yours shifts, and it’s only as the girl beside you is staring with disgust at her drink that you realize the rattling of cubes is coming from hers.

Her hands are trembling.

“I’m scared, Shu.” The girl breathes as she sets her glass down on the counter, long fingers still curled tight around the cylinder. “The jobs I’ve done for Paloma, they’ve brought me closer to the Cord. I’ve seen the kinds of people that thrive there, just…eating. Consuming. Killing. Getting stronger. It’s the first time I’ve felt fear in…ever since this thing started, really.”

“Keane. Quinn. Ace…I can’t lose them. Part of me just wants to lock ‘em somewhere until we finish this whole goddamned thing. I keep holding back, keep thinking if I don’t get my shit together then I’m gonna make a mistake. Miss something vital that’ll get one of my girls killed, and I…I keep thinking, ‘what’s the point of all this if I can’t pull them all through with me?’”

Her dark eye finds you once more, searching your face for an answer.

“How do you not let it eat you alive?”

>>”…It does. I try to keep it at bay, try to keep busy…but I trust in my family, and they trust me. I focus on that, Jackie—because it’s all we’ve got.”

>>”It’s not that I’m not scared, Jackie. I’m terrified—but I’m not just fighting for me and mine. The Crucible’s bigger than me, or them, or any one group.”

>>I’m weak too, Jackie. Probably not even the strongest member of my family, but…it’s not all on me. I have to keep reminding myself of that. That I’m a member of this family, not just its head.”

>>Let her speak a little more—she needs to get this out, and you need to hear it all before you give her your answer.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in four.)
>>
>>5059687
Gah. I can't get the music from the Limbus Company trailer out of my head. The lyrics sung by Mili and Myth/Roid just fits all too well.

>Lament
>If you wanted me to live
>if you want me to forgive
>if you want us to pretend to be civilized humans
>Lament
>Why do deaths end my torture
>Why can't anyone feel my hurt
>Why'd you crown the most violent to be champions?
>In this Inferno (inferno)
>We built for ourselves
>Reviving each other in this hell
>>
>>5059694
(I've had it on loop ever since I watched it. Can't wait for the full version.)
>>
>>5059686
vote;
>take a moment, swirling your drink as you think it through.
>then, down it all in one go, before answering her.
>"It does eat at me. every fight, every encounter. little by little."
>"...but then i let my family know, i let them know how much i fear... and they help patch me back."
>shrug, and wave for another drink.
>"I cant tell you everything will be ok. Because it might not be. Things might go horribly, things might not work out in the end. You probably will end up with alot more regrets under your belt before this is all over."
>"and so will I."
>take a moment to get your next drink ,and take a swig.
>"But what i can tell you is, your family is think all those same thoughts as you, same as mine."
>"All we can do is be open with them, and let them be open with us. All we can do is be something they can lean on, and support them, and let them do the same for us."
>"Its why we do this, right? because we care about them and they care about us? So we know no matter how horrible it feels, no matter how risky it is... we gotta fight, and let them fight. because we're too weak to do this without them, and them us."
>"and no matter how horrible it is... We want to do it. To make a better tomorrow for them, WITH them, and the next day after that."
>"because if we didn't, no matter the danger... we wouldn't have any say at all in what future we can give them."
>"and the terror of not having any say in that may just be as great as losing them."
>Finish your drink, and give Jackie a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
>"talk to them about this. REALLY talk to them. It might be an idea more terrifying than climbing the cord, but i know how close you and yours are, to the point of jealousy- almost"
>"If you talk, you'll figure it out. And you probably knew that already, its just we're both stubborn morons in our own ways."
>>
>>5059702
Man, I love your post and vote, but I think there's one other factor/sub-worry that Jackie wants to hear from us: How to cope with loss.

One of her deepest worries is losing a member of the Midnight Crew, and in Jackie's case losing a crew member seems and feels much more devastating on her side than seeing the Defiant lose one of her own family member due to the numbers game.

And I'm not seeing anything that remotely addresses how one can assuage or give Jackie the sobering message of the possibility and a way to move forwards despite the loss of a close loved one.

But We (Shu) have experience in that. We had to put down B'ni once before, we lost Gina once, we're still sifting through the pieces of that painful loss but we have gained wisdom in that experience. So I'm suggesting adding a few things that can help Jackie cope in the event of that possibility.
>>
>>5059686
>>5059686
>Let her speak a little more—she needs to get this out, and you need to hear it all before you give her your answer.

>Extend an arm around Jackie's Shoulder and pull her into a side-hug
>rest your forehead against hers (optional)
>look into her eyes and show her the same emotions you have that she harbors in her heart also.
>A look of worry, regret, fear, and bone-aching weariness.
>"I'd be lying if I said it doesn't eat me alive, Jackie."
>"Each encounter, each fight, each mind numbing revelation. each new worry I add to the list.."
>"The Apocalypse Amalgams, Mara, The Hunger, West, Mother, the daughters that look towards me for hope..."
>"I can't tell you everything will be ok. Because it might not be. Things might go horribly wrong, people close to us might die along the way."
>"But what i can tell you is, your family is think all those same thoughts as you, same as mine."
>"All we can do is be open with them, and let them be open with us. All we can do is be something they can lean on, and support them, and let them do the same for us."
>"Its why we do this, right? because we care about them and they care about us? So we know no matter how horrible it feels, no matter how risky it is... we gotta fight, and let them fight. because we're too weak to do this without them, and them us."
>"and no matter how horrible it is... We want to do it. To make a better tomorrow for them, WITH them, and the next day after that."
>"because if we didn't, no matter the danger... we wouldn't have any say at all in what future we can give them."
>"and the terror of not having any say in that may just be as great as losing them."
>"I remember vividly of losing Gina before my eyes, I remember having to put Isabelle down."
>"I recently had to hold a talk with my daughter Amara about the possibility of having to be separated from me, a scenario which Amara is utterly terrified of."
>"I know what it's like to lose someone, and the fear that comes along with it."
>"Because deep down you and I know that if or when it comes down to it, those we love would gladly give their lives in order to let us keep living as their final gift of love, and us, ours."
>"It's painful, But that's a risk all of us have to accept, no matter how hard we try to deny it."
>take a deep sigh
>"But I think we both know that. You and I aren't that different, being stubborn strong-faced morons tends to be the standard in those in a leadership role."
>"Let them care for you. Open your heart to them and expose your deepest worries to them, and let them expose theirs in turn."
>"Or else we both will be holding more regrets by the end if the worst comes to pass and the time comes for us to part with our love ones."
>"You're stronger than you know Jackie Spades. You've gotten this far by being open with your crew didn't you? Locking them up now somewhere is the same as you losing all three of them and going towards the Cord alone."
>>
>>5059721
hrm, i get what you mean, but i cant really think of anything that wouldn't interrupt the flow.
i dont disagree its missing but i think it will still give her what she needs too.
best i could think of is a tacked on line at the end about stuff.

that, and it might not josh well. we didnt really have long before we realized Gina was still alive, and killing Bni was after she had soured herself in our mind a bit, so her loss hit differently than if she had still be a genuine ally. not saying neither did nothing to us, only they actually are quite a bit different than permanently losing a close member who is still a close member.

speaking of, didn't Dorian have a sister he was somewhat close to? or was that his mother?
>>
>>5059739
I'm more tempted to let Jackie speak more honestly. not because I'm going to head out for work soon, but I want to let us have a fuller picture about Jackie's true scope and scale of her deepest worries before giving our answer. And in the interest of making the most of my time, I have to leave soon so I won't be able to give the needed inputs for the vote.

>>5059686

Hey Bhop, in the interest of letting others have the time to formulate a fitting response and the coming weekend and depending on the responses of other anons who may or may not have the time to figure out an appropriate vote to write or support, do you think you'll be fine with extending the voting window?

amending my vote >>5059702 to
>Let her speak a little more—she needs to get this out, and you need to hear it all before you give her your answer.
>>
>>5059738
dammit. I meant I want to amend >>5059738
to simply have it just.

>Let her speak a little more—she needs to get this out, and you need to hear it all before you give her your answer.
darn bamboozling text.
>>5059739
sorry for the mislink
>>
>>5059742
I mean she can talk more after but this i do feel is a pretty good point for us to give her something in return.
even if she has more issues this in and of itself is still a specific thing we can help her talk through.

also, you quoted the wrong message, just to let you know.
>>
>>5059744
nice ninja-ing, and its no problem.
>>
>>5059686
>>I’m weak too, Jackie. Probably not even the strongest member of my family, but…it’s not all on me. I have to keep reminding myself of that. That I’m a member of this family, not just its head.”
>>Write-In
>"They're there to support you just as much as you are to support them. I've seen you fight, I know you know how incredible the four of you are working together. Why would this be any different?"
>"I'm not saying there's nothing to worry about. This world is full of dangers. But they're dangers so much easier to face together. You have to trust them, Jackie. Trust them to be the amazing people you love so much, who are so capable and strong."
>"And above all else...talk to them, Jackie. Because for one thing, I'm pretty sure they're just as worried in their own ways as you are. They care about you just as much as you care about them. And worries shared are worries lessened. You'll all feel better for having talked it over."
>"But for another thing, if you're worried about losing them, then take steps to prevent that. Come up with plans, work out new tactics, communicate your suspicions so that you don't get blindsided. You and your Crew are one of the most incredibly coordinated teams in the Crucible, lean on that strength. Communication is key."
>"You don't have to be some invulnerable pillar bearing all that weight by yourself, Jackie. Let your team help carry the burden. They won't let you down."

Like, I get where Jackie is coming from, but I think she's letting her worries prevent her from both doing what she does best and, ironically, imitating what she thinks we do best (which is actually pretty close to what she does best). These girls are the most important people in your life, talk to them about your fears and together work out ways to defeat those fears.
>>
>>5059746
Is there anything in my write-in you think you might be able to work in?
>>
>>5059686

gah. you know what? I'm redacting my amendment >>5059744 and reverting to >>5059738 as my main vote. I'm sure you'll understand.

I'll be off. Have a nice day.
>>
>>5059750
you caught me as i was eating so i wasn't able to fully digest your post yet.

>>5059752
which it seems like our overlap times run out, dang.
still, hope work isnt too bad for ya Anon.

wouldn't mind i suppose though if you catch this or other Anons see it giving BHOP the go ahead to work with them as he wants though, we all seem to be mostly on the same page about the overall want, just a bit of detail, depth, and additions work we are finagling with.
>>
>>5059756
(I'd be up for figuring out a way to merge all three into a cohesive speech, or leave it to all of you - whichever suits you and your schedules.)

>>5059752
(Have a good day at work!)
>>
>>5059752
Have a nice day, anon. I hope work isn't too rough for you.

For what it's worth, looking over your write-in, I don't think it's bad as a whole conversation write-in, but I think it's probably best to give her a moment to respond to what we said, instead of it being a big steamroll of dialogue. I like the discussion about how to cope with loss, but let's not hit her with that quite yet.

>>5059756
Yeah, I'm fine with BHOP picking and choosing what he wants to integrate. Personally, I prefer a shorter write-in, because I want to give her more of a chance to respond to what we say, but BHOP is pretty good at weaving write-ins with the other characters' dialogue so it shouldn't really matter.
>>
>>5059757
>>5059759
yeah trying to go too hard on all three might bloat it a bit.

but i guess im still up for it BHOP, just like the other anon said dont go *too* ham on the lecture hammer.
then again Jackies skulls probably thick enough to break the hammer, but still.
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>>5059686

Your arm finds Jackie’s far shoulder, and as you pull her into a side-hug, your eyes never once leave hers. It’s a look you hope conveys just how close your worries are to hers—you fears, your regrets, and the bone-deep ache that’s settled in over the course of the Crucible’s trials.

"I'd be lying if I said it doesn't eat me alive, Jackie." You confess, swirling the melting ice in your drink. "Each encounter, each fight, each mind-numbing revelation. Each new worry I add to the list."

You pause, and Jackie nods as a wry smile slides across her lips, dark gaze eyeing her drink as she speaks.

“It’s funny…I was so ready to die, y’know?” She says, making as though she’s about to take a sip before she pauses. “Back when we started calling ourselves the Midnight Crew, we knew death was inevitable. We made our peace with the fact that we’d watch one of us go, then the other, and another—until the last of us closed their eyes to that god-awful wallpaper one last time. It was a sure thing…until it wasn’t.”

She practically slams the drink into her face like a weapon, downing the entire thing, ice cubes shattering against guillotine teeth.

“Our second chance felt like a blessing, but now it feels like old wound that’s been torn open.” The girl beside you growls, teeth grinding together. “It hurts worse than it did before. ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ is a load of crap. You just fuckin’ hurt worse the next time ‘round.”

"Look, Jackie…I can't tell you everything will be okay,” You caution; “because it might not be. Things might go horribly wrong, people close to us might die along the way…but I can guarantee that your family is thinking all those same thoughts as you, because mine is, too."

“No shit?” She mutters with a humorless laugh.

“No shit.” You mirror back, deadly serious. "They're there to support you just as much as you are to support them. I've seen you fight, I know you know how incredible the four of you are working together. Why would this be any different?"

“Because…because this time it feels more *real*, if that makes any sense?” She counters, staring at the bar…past it, into memories that dance in her darkened eye. “Before we got to this point, we were some of the baddest bitches, right? I mean, we took down the freaking Spiraling Fear together. But here? Seeing people cut down like they’re nothing, then seeing the same happen to the ones that did it? Maybe I’d…maybe I had just been lying to myself, thinking me and the girls were invincible.”

Her eye shifts, lancing to yours once more. “Am I just supposed to put it out of my mind? To…to turn a blind eye to just how much we stand to lose?”

(Continued)
>>
>>5059856

"Hey, I'm not saying there's nothing to worry about.” You sigh, taking a furtive drink before you continue. “This world’s full of dangers, but they're dangers so much easier to face together. You have to trust them, Jackie. Trust them to be the amazing people you love so much."

“I *DO* trust them, Shu!” Jackie fires back, loud enough to make the bartender pause mid-counter-wipe. “I trust that they’d do anything I ask, and that’s the fucking problem! The closer we get to the end of this, I keep asking myself if it’s all worth it. If what we’re fighting for is worth losing them. ANY of them, and for what?”

"To make a better tomorrow for them. *WITH* them, and the next day after that." You counter, firmly. “Because if you and I stopped fighting then we wouldn't have any say at all in what future we can give them… and to me? Personally? The terror of not having any say in that is just as bad as losing them.”

Jackie just shakes her head, languidly motioning for another drink before you force your face into her line of sight. “Hey, I’m no stranger to losing people. I remember vividly of losing Gina before my eyes, I remember having to put Isabelle down. Hell, not but an hour ago I had to hold a talk with my daughter about the possibility of having to be separated from me, a scenario which she’s utterly terrified of."

“Yeah, well, you’ve got the Sparagmos Engine and your fuckin’…soul-shell bullshit.” She slurs with a groan. “The ones you lost are still kickin’ around, so what the hell are you-“

As soon as she realizes what she’s saying, she screws her eye shut, finishing her drink before she brings the glass down with a dull thud that’s followed by guilty silence.

“…Sorry.” She says, with uncharacteristic softness. “I’m sorry. That was-”

“It’s okay.”

It’s quiet between you two for a long moment, the muffled murmur of the crowd just beyond the stalls a white noise of humanity.

“You say you want to be more like me?” You finally say, drawing in a deep breath. “From where I’m sitting, we’re more alike than not.”

“Heh, is that right?” She smirks, about to gesture for another drink before her hand falls, and she turns to you. “Enlighten me.”

“We’re stubborn, for one.” You begin, listing off your points with the fingers of your left hand. “We put on a strong face. We can be complete and utter assholes, if we need to be.”

She laughs, at that, just before you add; “And best of all? We’ve both got people who’ll love us, no matter what.”

(Continued)
>>
>>5059857

You finish your own drink, leaning against the other girl with your shoulder on hers. "You're stronger than you know, Jackie Spades. You've gotten this far by being open with your crew didn't you? Locking them up now somewhere is the same as you losing all three of them and going towards the Cord alone.”

"Let them care for you, Jackie. Get stronger *with* them, not just *for* them. I have, and it’s the only reason I’ve gotten this far.” You say earnestly. “Come up with plans, work out new tactics—you and your Crew are one of the most incredibly coordinated teams in the Crucible, so lean on that strength. Communication is key. This isn’t all on you, and it isn’t all on me. We don't have to be these perfect, invulnerable pillars bearing all that weight by ourselves. We’re not islands, Jackie—we’re people.”

“Yeah, I know…and thanks. For all…this.” She says, tilting her head against yours as she gestures in your general direction. You chuckle, the sound fading from the space as you both sit there for a minute or two, letting the alcohol wash over you, seeping into your tired bones in a rare moment of relaxation.

…good god, this is some strong stuff.

“We’ve pulled kindness and decency like teeth out of the jaw of the thing that wanted to swallow us whole.” Jackie says, suddenly. “I used to think people just dragged each other down if given the chance, but…this. This is what people do, when the chips are down.”

“I like to think so…sure makes fighting for the human race a little easier, at least.” You sigh, and Jackie chuckles softly as the bartender approaches.

“Don’t fall out on me, now.” She says, three voices overlapping as one. “I got a room on the sixth floor, if you need to sleep it off. Got good rates...hourly.”

“Oh, we’re not-“ You start.

“Psh, I wish. She’s taken by a pair of very lovely badasses.” Jackie snorts, stretching as she sits up straight. “Put it on my tab, Zee. Best drinks in the place, as always.”

...wait.

What?

“You're goddamn right.” The owner laughs, waving to another patron as she enters the bar. Jackie shifts, turning to you fully for the first time since you got here.

“I owe them the real me, and not just a mask.” She resolves, smiling weakly—a real smile, soft and slight, a far cry from her usual knife-edge smirk. “And it’s nice.”

“Nice?”

“To know I’m not alone.” She replies, softly.

>>Let Jackie get back to her Crew, while you rejoin yours; it’s time to review your to-do list and get moving.

>>Take her hand, and lead her outside—it’s time for a duel, under vastly different circumstances than before.

>>Order you both another round—your treat this time, as you shift the topic of conversation to lighter affairs (Write-In).

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next eight hours, with posting to resume on Tuesday, November 23rd at 10Am Eastern time. Next week’s update schedule is going to be a little touch-and-go, to say the least. Tuesday and Wednesday should be stable, but I’ll be busy cooking most of Thursday with the next one likely devoted to ferrying sleepy friends home, so I’ll see what shakes out.)

(Thank you for your patience, participation, and kindness, and I wish you a well-deserved and restful weekend. Take care, everyone.)
>>
>>5059859
Good talk. I like Jackie, she's a good character. Nice little foil/friend for Shu. We've got other good friends, but her not having been adopted into our found family gives her a different context that I enjoy a lot. I'm glad this talk helped her, and I hope everything works out for her.

>>Write-In
>"Of course not. I said it last time and I'll say it again: You're my friend, Jackie. I've always got your back."
>Give her a hug. Then just sit in some peaceable silence for a moment, let the stronger emotions bleed off naturally.
>Afterward, if Jackie doesn't have anything more she wants to talk about, go gather up the party and check out Paloma's list and our own to-dos.
>Though do leave Jackie with the mention that Paloma and Tailor are probably going to want to talk to her soon. Something about unlocking her sword's greater power, or something like that, teleport the entire Fortress at once.

>>5059861
Thanks for running, BHOP. See you next week, and I hope that Thanksgiving doesn't give you any problems.
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>>5059859
eh, feel like actually some stuff was lost in the translation of combining stuff, but is what it is.

vote;
>"None of us are, unless we make ourselves be alone."
>"You're my friend, Jackie. I've always got your back."
>Let things unwind naturally, and Jackie get anything else off her chest she might need.
>then, Let Jackie get back to her Crew, while you rejoin yours; it’s time to review your to-do list and get moving.

>>5059861
thanks for running. dont think any of us expected thanksgiving to be as heavy in updates, so its fine.
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>>5059859
>Take her hand, and lead her outside—it’s time for a duel, under vastly different circumstances than before.
When was the last time Shu ever fought Solo battles? Honestly, I kinda want to take the opportunity for this comradeship to elevate to the next level, Jackie and Shu facing off and seeing how much each person has grown. And this combat exercise could would help iron out some sorely needed kinks to Shu's overall combat kit, and an assessment to the Hive Rework. Speaking of which, how's the Hive rework going bhop?


>>5059861
Have a good thanksgiving week bhop. My end of the line however will get busier.

I have to work 6-days a week beginning on Black Friday. It won't end until Christmas.
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>>5060017
the thumbnail for that image kinda looks like some horror version of the wheezing laugh guy slamming down his fist.
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>>5060017
Well, it would be cool to fight her. I was definitely excited about it before we traveled through the Nullscape and read her mind. I'm just not sure if it should be right now. We had a talk about how she doesn't need to prove herself against us to feel confident, but she still needs to live that, you know? I'm worried it could cause a backslide if the fight ended any way other than a mutual knockout.

My condolences, anon. The Christmas season is a nightmare.
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>>5059859
Aww Jackie found her confidence again. Very good. Feeling anxious will only spill over to your family and drag them down as well.

>>5059861
See you next week OP. I hope you will not be trampled upon by social responsibilities

>>5060017
Sound very rough Anon. Take care
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(Hello, Dear Readers. In reviewing the amount of schedule issues that are starting to crop up over the course of this week, I have decided to move the next update to a week from tomorrow, both for the integrity of the Vein as well as my own sanity.)

(Thus, this Vein shall resume on November 30th at 10AM, Eastern time.)

(My apologies for the delay, and thank you for your patience, understanding, and I wish you all a very good and restful holiday.)
>>
>>5062470
honestly I thought it was admirable you even attempted to run it this week.
not gonna say i didn't want to fill some free time with this, but how much of that i expected to have is a bit dubious.

hope you and the others enjoy their thankgiving week, or at least the day itself.

also, i decided to get Library of Ruina after watching a few of those vids. ignoring the whiplash of how much the game has changed since said videos, its still hells of fun and does a good job of slowly filling you in on the last game without forcing you to play it. my lordy bordy though do some stages jump in difficulty to a level you just cant of expected beforehand. still so far have managed to squeeze out victories but only barely at times./spoiler]
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>>5060017
>>Your spoiler text

(Oh, I am so sorry. I hope it's not too crazy, friend.)

>>5060032
(I can't unseen it, and it is wonderful.)

>>5060130
(I have been trompled.)
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>>5062477
(Ah, I was looking forward to it, as well. Had a full weekend and a very frustrating Monday, and the more I looked at my schedule realistically the more I realized trying to write would just be an exercise in holding my hand over an open flame.)
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>>5062477
(Also, glad you're enjoying it! I've been wanting to find some time to invest some more time with it as well.)
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>>5062486
yeah, i accidentally cursed a character though.
i did the joke where you make characters based off your friends, and the second i did said friend sat down to watch and suddenly the enemies wont stop targeting him and he keeps rolling low. thankfully he got his revenge in the end but boi did it feel like the game outright knew he was watching.
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>>5062470
Ah. That's unfortunate to hear, but we of course would want you to take whatever measures you need to maintain your sanity. Have a nice Thanksgiving, BHOP, and I hope it doesn't become too stressful for you.
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>>5062470
>>5062482
pic is how I feel at times.
What's worse is that I found out that not only do I have to start working 6 days a week starting next week on 8+ hour shifts, I also have to work on Thanksgiving, and possibly Christmas.

Speaking of pic related. Imagine the sheer insanity and audacity for a daughter to ascend the Cord half-submerged in a cast-iron pot and using a sledgehammer to climb the cliffs.
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>>5062477
>spoiler
aha! Glad to see you've accepted the invitation to the library. may you find your book in that place. A question: What chapter are you on? From the sound of it, it seems like you're on Urban Plague or Urban Nightmare.
>difficulty spikes:Yeah. Ruina doesn't hold back when it comes to the difficulty spikes. It can get very bullshit at times. How bullshit you say? I'm currently stuck at a certain reception in a certain chapter in Ruina where I'm given 3 floors to receive a single guest...and said guest forcibly overrides the BGM with its own Boss theme the moment their hp hits 50% and then proceeding wipe the rest of my floors with sheer overwhelming power.
HOWEVER. It does give you the tools to cheese certain receptions if you know how to build your floor and decks.
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>>5062486
Hate to sound like a shill, but I'd also like to add that the game has a surprisingly active modding community. There are some very fun and well made mods you can find, like pic related.
>>5062477
to add to my previous post, all receptions can be beaten and even cheesed with the right build. Figuring out the strategy is one thing, executing it is another, but when you pull it off, it is oh so satisfying.
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>>5062470
The Situation is what it is. Glad to know that you won't force yourself into something that might not be possible.

>>5062482
And OP.... be careful that it stays with that little guy.
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>>5062647
>>5062653
just got to Urban Plague, where you unlock the ability to slot other pages into your equipped ones to give them more abilities.... which of course means, i finally have a reason to grind and also have to rebuild all my teams. not that at this point i really ever needed more than sometimes 3, but ive got a feeling im about to need those 3 to be well prepared.

honestly ive loved it. so far only the anomaly stages have required a very specific and perfect build, but those are so much closer to puzzles over fights(so far) compared to the normal story stages that it feels ok as, well, they're not supposed to be fought as normal fights. the two worst ones were the one where it does double damage or whatever if you have no effects on it, so i had to throw together a bleed deck to beat it, and the one where the two space blobs heal each turn unless at 1 hp, because i misread it and thought they healed MORE basically at 1 hp, so was totally fighting them wrong. not actually sure if custom building a deck for them was necessary as i only re-read and realized i had read them wrong in the same fight i had built the deck.

otherwise for the main story those gosh damned shirtless bastards who just punch you a bunch have been the most nail biting fight. nothing like 3 cost cards dealing damage far beyond anything you've encountered so far mixed with them gaining extra Light each turn to make you suddenly go 'wait, hold on, what the fuck did the game just throw at me?'.
also the whole Mars story Arc was such a damn tragedy of an arguably STILL ongoing train wreck.

otherwise the only thing to note was Rolands and Yesods conversation about what Lobotomy Corp was trying to do. was VERY interesting on how in alot of ways both of them had very good points and weren't entirely wrong on their views. reminded me of our discussions here alot, both IC and OOC.
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>>5062847
>urban plague: Even greater tragedy awaits you in the storied lives of the guests you will receive in the chapter of Urban Plague. The reception of the Dawn office is particularly memorable in the scope and scale of its tragic saga. As for how tragic...you'll have to hear it from the guests themselves.
>>
>>5062883
yeah, i can already tell some of these story threads are gonna be wild from just two more stages on one of the splits. also this game does a great job of making characters you know are gonna fuckin die still really interesting and hard not to like
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I had a very surreal dream that reminded me of this quest.

I was on the sidelines watching a battle on a strange village. There was a woman who was fighting a giant. The village itself had walls of bone and a drawbridge composed of a giant human foot. The woman fighting the giant was bare, save for a strange ribbed shield and a bone sword. The giant was unrecognizable, I could only make out its hands, feet, and its mouth. The battle suddenly took a wrong turn for the village defender as she was suddenly disarmed of her ribbed shield. The giant exploited the opening and with a mighty stomp, crushed the ribbed shield with its foot with a sickening crunch. Even more unexpected, the woman defending the village suddenly hunched over, screaming in pain. It was then I instinctively realized the Ribbed shield was in fact a strange fusion of a human rib cage and spine, and that it was attuned to the village defender. In fact the entire village infrastructure was attuned to the woman. The mounds of flesh that served as the huts, the "wooden" palisades that turned out to be made of bone, the giant pair of feet that served as the drawbridge...I digress. With the Ribbed Spine Shield crushed underneath the Giant's foot, the woman defending the village was helpless before the giant. As the giant picked up the woman to devour her, the woman somehow removed her heart and threw it towards the village where it was then picked up by a child. Every time I try to recall the dream, the child's gender constantly changed between male and female. I distinctly remember the child's gender being a boy that night, but as I write down this entry, I can't help but gravitate towards seeing it to be a daughter instead of a son.

The dream then skipped to nightfall around a campfire. The fate of the woman who defended the village is unspoken yet is explicitly made clear. I suddenly find myself in the role of a village elder, consoling the child who now inherited the woman's heart, or rather...I was addressing the village as a whole, but focusing solely on the child. The child who inherited the heart was to become the next defender of the village. I can't remember what words of comfort I dreamed of, but I remember that I gave a speech of rage and inspiration. To rage in defiance of the giant who devoured the village defender. The child then let out a skyward scream of rage. that cry was joined by others. until the entire village was screaming at the heavens in rage and defiance.

I then saw the dark night sky forming a group of mouths from dark clouds that blocked the starry sky.

The mouths in the sky closely resemble the related picture.

The sky screamed back. The village and the sky screamed at each other.

And then I woke up.
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>>5052488
Huh....never got around to reading this part of the post. This is very insightful for us.

>>5052510
>>5052493
Okay, I've got some bits and pieces of a very fragmented crackpot theory/idea that could potentially solve the "ascend/approach the Cord" idea in a roundabout way.

The problem with ascending the cord in the "Brute force linear way" is that it involves violence, fighting your way through a battlefield and then brute-force climbing to the top using only your physical strength.

part one of the problem is approaching the cord, part two is ascending it.

One idea that's floating in my head is that instead of having to climb up the mountain to get to the throne, why don't we lower the mountain and bring the throne to us? It's a monumental and batshit crazy idea, but there are three amalgams whose purpose is to act as a defense mechanism against Crucible killers - the same weight class as planet killers -, if we somehow manage to convince them, they can easily terraform the Cord's stratospheric height and bring the throne down to ground level. Admittedly it only solves part 2 of the problem: ascending the Cord by non-linear thinking.

Part one: approaching the cord is gonna be the hard part of the problem as it requires finding a way to bring peace to Battlefield Royale and convincing all the fighters to stop what they're doing. Hopefully the presence of the apocalypse amalgams might be a factor, but also the idea of solving the Cord Problem non-linearly by planet-wide collective Terraforming and flesh sculpting to bring the mountain down to ground level instead of Stratosphere level might be crazy enough to convince them.

The only questions that I have with this idea of mine is: "Now what?" and "How do we convince everyone else that Shu is the one who should take the throne instead of some other selfish daughter who wants to play god?"
>>
>>5064399
Sounds like a spooky dream. It's neat that it had such a coherent narrative.

>>5064477
I don't think lowering the Cord would work. Remember, it's connected to something at both ends, we'd need to terraform the sky membrane as well as the fleshscape. Otherwise we'd wind up tearing the Cord free and having it fall to Earth, which while that would technically make the Throne accessible would also be an event of mass destruction. And I suspect that even if we could get up to the Cord's top anchoring point, there would be plenty of defenses to stop us from manipulating it.

Using diplomacy to get our way to the Cord is a good idea, though. I think a good way to start would be explaining the Throne's trap, that you can't just seize unlimited power. The system doesn't work that way, you need to jailbreak it. If we can convince all these people of the futility of their fighting, that no one can actually win it and the goal needs to be to just shut this thing down, then maybe we'll get our way across the wasteland easier. I expect many Daughters will still not believe us and try to fight, or target us because if we think we can jailbreak the Cord then maybe they can take that from us, but it'll remove some of the obstacles.
>>
>>5064477
While lowering the Cord would be pretty cool it would probably have the same problem that trying to scale it from the outside would have.

Also conservation of Mass is a thing. So.... yeah to lower the cord that much we would probably bury everything for Miles in dozens of Meters of flesh. Which would to be honest be a way to get rid of the no mans land. No one can fight over the land if the land has burried them all beneath it.

But on a more serious Note. I think the approach will be just as difficult as the Cord itself. Many powerful enemies though the Apocalypse Amalgams would probably be able to handle all but those as strong as West Prime, A (don't remember her real name right now) or Mara which should be all but non existent. And we can not force them to lay down their weapons and listen to us no matter how convenient it would be.

But one thing we do not need to do is convincing them that we should take the throne. We Won't claim the Throne we claim the Board on which the Throne stands. That is probably infinitely scarier and more tempting for most daughters. However if we can convince the strongest of the No mans land of what we want to do and the will lend us their support i could imagine we could pacify at least enough of it to actually start ascending the cord. Though that Path will be every bit as bloody at the start than the other one. However once it comes out that not only is there a Gatekeeper they need to pass but also three Monsters powerful enough to crush any that dare approach and will do so gladly if it means ending the crucible for good i would imagine most people would not go anywhere near the Cord unless forced.

>>5064399
a bizarre though interesting dream.
>>
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(I wish everyone a very good and restful Thanksgiving for those celebrating it, and a wonderful and relaxing day for those who are not. Thank you all for your participation, kindness, and encouragement, and I will see you all this upcoming Tuesday!)
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>>5065135
See you on Thursday BHOP.

Have a good Thanksgiving Celebration.
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>>5059859

"Of course not—I said it last time and I'll say it again;” You reply, fixing the slender girl beside you with a smile. “You're my friend, Jackie. I've always got your back."


Looping your arm around Jackie’s shoulder, you pull her into a hug that she eases into, helped by the alcohol easing your tired muscles. You and she just sit in peaceful silence for a little while longer, watching the ebb and flow of patrons from the bar. For her part, Jackie’s content to stay quiet, her steady breathing interrupted only by her occasional sip. It’s with reluctance that you finally stand, the effort of extracting yourself from the cozy seat made all the harder by a small sound of disappointment from Jackie’s lips.

“Gonna go review that list Paloma gave you?” She asks blearily, rolling her shoulders as you nod.

“Yeah, and I’m guessing that she and Tailor are going to be seeking you out sooner rather than later.” You inform the Midnight Crew’s leader, adding when she fixes you with one cocked eyebrow. “Your sword. Moving the Ikea. Remember?”

“Oh. Yeah, that’s a thing.” She chuckles, absent-mindedly thumbing the hilt that protrudes from her chest before glancing back to you. “Take care of yourself, Shu...I’ll see you around.”

Gathering your allies from the far-flung corners of the Ikean Fortress a task akin to herding cats, but you’re finally able to wrangle your family into the confines of your quarters...though you’re not the first ones there. Opening the door, you’re met with a veritable pile of Joyous lounging on your expansive bed, the six clones in a sugar-induced daze. One of them languidly gestures to the kitchenette’s counter where rest an assortment of Relics...some familiar, though with one exception.

>>DARWINIAN DROPS x3: A vial filled to the brim with a clear, viscous fluid, these droplets contain a unique effect, usable only once before they cease to be effective. On use, the user may choose a single Augment out of the suite they currently possess, bolstering its efficacy and increasing its power dramatically.

>>PARANOID PENDANT: Increases the wearer's chance to evade attacks by 20%, and any successful evasion immediately prompts a counter-attack whose damage is boosted by 1/4 the damage that would have been inflicted by the evaded blow. (Any Slot: HEALTH +80%. The Chance to evade increases to 25%, with the retaliatory strike's damage being boosted by 1/3 of the missed strike's power, instead.)

>>VALDORIC BINDINGS: This ‘armor’ is barely deserving of the name, consisting of a crosswise arrangement of tanned leather straps that twitch and writhe in place. When equipped, the user is rendered immune to dismemberment. (Chest Slot: HEALTH +100%. You may not be disarmed under any circumstance, as the straps bind held Relics to November’s frame.)

(Continued)
>>
>>5069003

An impressive haul, you have to admit...though as much as you’d like to examine them further, you’ve got a list to run down. You, Rath, and Gina take one couch, with the rest of your allies settling between the other two as you retrieve the list from your dress pocket. A cursory inspection shows it to be written in a rather flowing, yet dense script, and for the benefit of all gathered you decide to simply start reading it aloud to keep everyone on the same...page, as it were.

Squinting as you try to make out what’s inscribed on the dried sheaf of skin before you and with a quick cough to clear your throat, you begin.

“The entities of note are described thusly, in approximated order of danger from least to greatest. First is The Vagrant, an anomalous Amalgam who is no longer bound to any particular demesne. Apparently possessed of some vastly upgraded Flesh Artisan ability, it’s taken to collecting the Relics of those Daughters it’s slain, storing the majority of its hauls within its own body while employing bladed Relics almost exclusively in combat. Similar in effect to West Alpha, while the latter vastly outstrips the former in raw power, the uncanny swordsmanship and tactics displayed by this particular Amalgam make it a force to be reckoned with...and avoided, if possible. But if you’re so inclined, then it would be a trivial matter to track it down—just ask his little fan club on the Net.”

“Intriguing...perhaps it is possessed of a similar level of intelligence to the Lancer and the Pyreants.” Francine muses, crossing her legs as she glances to the redhead on your left. “While I’m sure Rath would relish trading blows with this one, I have little doubt you’d prefer a more conversational approach.”

Rath mumbles something under her breath about ‘sword to a fistfight’, but you resolve to continue reading aloud for the sake of brevity.

“The Manifold Merkabah is an Amalgam that spontaneously came into existence above the settlement of Neos, one of the first settlements in the Crucible. With a single utterance, the inhabitants were undone, and it has henceforth claimed vigil over a ghost town, a place resplendent with some of the earliest Relics in the Crucible’s history now out of reach. Many have attempted to retrieve the veritable treasure trove that lies at the heart of Neos, but they’ve all turned on each other or were simply turned inside out by the thing’s voice.”

“Sounds like Skintalking, Mom!” Amara chimes in helpfully from behind you. Turning, you find that she’s joined her pile of Joyous on the bed, reclining against Sir FuzzBuzz like a grandiose pillow.

“Sure does, Superfan.” Orwell calls out, her own eyes glazed over as she scans the Skinternet—still researching Mara’s settlements, no doubt. You appreciate the teen’s ability to multitask as you return to the last half of the missive.

(Continued)
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>>5069004

“The final one is a being that has no official designation…” You continue, squinting the sheaf clutched in your hands. “...and its existence has only recently become noted as a result of extensive research by devoted Skinternet communities. Referred to as ‘Abbadon’ by respected (if controversial) Amalgam discussion community fixture xXMonster69erXx, it is believed that this Amalgam is responsible for the disappearance of at least two Settlements that were connected via tunnels that ran beneath the Fleshscape. Apparently dwelling in the tunnels, it is believed that it possesses either a Neuromancer ability set or a Gluttonous, though none of the two dozen teams that have attempted to engage the creature have returned to share further details.”

“Spooky. Anything about standalone Relics?” Gina dismisses, peering at the document. “Most of the ones mentioned so far are wrapped up with weird Amalgams.”

“...Here we go.” You say, scanning down a little further. “The first of two potential Relic storehouses have come to my attention, the first of which is likely to possess an Anomalous Relic due to the unusual level of resistance that's met any attempt to breach the location. An otherwise innocuous shed that was located between the cliffs at the border of the United States and Canada, the shack conceals the entrance to a labyrinth of tunnels that runs deep into the mountainside. Attempts to map it are met with Relic-based countermeasures, while expert Flesh Artisans have had their inquiries answered with Neuromantic effects that resulted in over a half-dozen casualties, at least according to reports found on the Net.”

“The second one was discovered on a lark; the Saint Anne was a transport vessel designed to traverse the Atlantic, transporting Daughters back and forth for a price. It sank under mysterious circumstances a year ago and initial delves revealed that there are still Relics that appear to be intact in the wreckage, but a combination of Amalgam activity and the sheer depths involved have made retrieval nigh-impossible...but given your unique resources, I’m sure you may be able to find them, yet.”

“Glad Paloma has faith in our ability...not sure how that translates to ‘plundering booty’, though.” November chuckles, suddenly pointing at Gina when the brunette opens her mouth with a grin. “No. Do not answer that. I heard it as soon as I said it.”

Quite the list...but where to start?

>>Hunt the Vagrant, and perhaps even try to speak with this unusual Amalgam.

>>Find the Manifold Merkabah, and unroot it from its domain.

>>Venture into the tunnels after Abbadon, and undercover what lurks beneath.

>>Investigate the labyrinth with the (supposed) Anomalous Relic.

>>Plan to retrieve the Saint Anne’s sunken treasure..

OR—Address one of the other items on your to-do list before the rocket launch.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Hello Everyone, I do hope you are doing well after the holidays. Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in four.)

(Additionally, after this vote you may also choose to open a vote on how to spend the Darwinian Drops, if you’d like. Let me know what timing would work for you, and if you’d rather push that particular vote back a bit, I’m open to that, too.)
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>>5069005
hrm... honestly? think Abbadon and Saint Anne's feel like they would require some extra prep im not sure is worth it at the moment, but otherwise im not really partial to any of them.

only point of note is some relics would be good for November.

>>5069006
oof. guess we dont have a good reason to wait but thats basically a level up vote there. ill wait to hear others opinions on that myself.

and eh, the holiday was fine but otherwise i could be doing better.

Library of Ruina is kinda making me regret getting it honestly. once you hit Urban Nightmare the difficulty spike i feel is quite absurd in ways that make it feel almost like a totally different game, and ive been stuck with no progress for over two days of trying. and honestly? if this is what the games gonna be like going forward im not sure i want to continue. Shame too, as it was a great game up until now but that spike is so brutal its the first time ive ever thought about giving a game a negative review.
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>>5069005
Okay, let's see:

>Vagrant
It's Gilgamesh from the Final Fantasy games. There is zero doubt in my mind that this is body horror GIlgamesh. Will absolutely challenge us to a fight with the Hexane Contender as the stakes.

>Manifold Merkabah
A Merkabah is a sort of divine vehicle. Some conspiracy theories hold that the Merkabah is a cultural memory of psychic alien spaceships, so combined with it coming into existence above Neos I'm betting this thing is a biomechanical UFO. Might have some useful Relics, or new Skintalker words for Amara.

>Abaddon
Does Nerada know anything about this thing? She's spent a lot of time in tunnels, too. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if some of the reports of it were really her. Gluttonous monster named after a demon king of insects, she could get confused for it. Probably of lower priority for now, unless someone really wants to move into those tunnels it's not hurting anyone currently.

>Anomalous Relic
Could be a Fragment. Would be a very intensive delve to find, but could be very worth it.

>Saint Anne
Interesting, but also lower priority. Would bring us to the sea, though, means that it might lead to an encounter with Leviathan.

>Other priorities
A list of general things I think need addressing:
-Are we still staying at the Lair, or is it too awkward now that we know what Mara was hiding from us? Paloma's offered us rooms, should we move house to the Fortress?
-What are we doing about Nerada? We should try to set up something to do with the kid before she wanders off. Are we taking her in, are we going to get her a place to stay at the Fortress, are we just going to get her in contact with some support network she can call on, what?
-Should we alert Ziz to the Disassociated's planned launch, so they know not to see it as a threat to intercept? Can we convince them it's not a threat, in the first place? Depends on how it feels about someone trying to step out on the Crucible, which is not certain.

>>5069006
Mostly good, but there's a water main burst in my neighborhood that means I've got to boil all my water for the next couple days. Yay.

As for the Drops, I think we can hold off on that for a while. We just got back, let's not get bogged down in a character-building vote.
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>>5069029
>Are we still staying at the Lair, or is it too awkward now that we know what Mara was hiding from us? Paloma's offered us rooms, should we move house to the Fortress?
i'd leave that one up to our family, but we can ask them if you feel it needs to be addressed now. my personal opinion is its our home now, we've changed it, and we've made it ours, regardless of what or whos it was before. but again, up to how our family feels, as i do understand the upsetting vibe it might give off now.

>What are we doing about Nerada? We should try to set up something to do with the kid before she wanders off. Are we taking her in, are we going to get her a place to stay at the Fortress, are we just going to get her in contact with some support network she can call on, what?
now THIS is an important question. obviously, just ask her, but for sure i would offer her a place to stay regardless and that she can stick with us(temporarily or permanently) if thats what she wants. if she doesn't? thats fine too. physically she can take care of herself but mentally leaving a kid alone doesn't sound great to me.

>Should we alert Ziz to the Disassociated's planned launch, so they know not to see it as a threat to intercept? Can we convince them it's not a threat, in the first place? Depends on how it feels about someone trying to step out on the Crucible, which is not certain.
im positive they are both fast enough and aware enough to intercept it if they want, so trying to hide it from them would be foolish. so yes, tell them and talk to them about it. its our best bet in either direction to have it go smoothly. not sure if we need to hit him up right away though, but then again for all we know if we wait he'll be all like 'oh shit oh fuck its not ME you need to worry about but the hidden tentacles on the other side made to take down planet sized threats' or something and not have enough time left to warn how to get past them.
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>>5069029
Further thoughts:

We can probably take the Merkabah without too much difficulty. We've got good psychic defenses, Amara can set up some protection against its direct Skintalker attacks with SHI SEL spells, and November should be able to shell it from beyond visual range with her railguns. Railguns covereth a multitude of sins. Reclaiming some lost territory also has a nice appeal, given that the No Man's Land is expanding. I think it's one of the better options on this list for us to tackle.

>>5069037
>but again, up to how our family feels, as i do understand the upsetting vibe it might give off now.
Yeah, I figure we should ask just to be certain. We've got another place to stay now if we need it (two, actually, we still have the Laoc house even if we've never used it). If the party is uncomfortable, we can move, or we can be all transformative of the space and not let Mara's actions dictate ours.

>physically she can take care of herself but mentally leaving a kid alone doesn't sound great to me.
Yep. Nerada has demonstrated that she can survive just fine, but she's also clearly a very lonely and isolated kid. We need to give her some sort of support. Whether with us, or the Ikeans, or at Laoc...wherever, so long as she has some people to watch over her.

>im positive they are both fast enough and aware enough to intercept it if they want, so trying to hide it from them would be foolish
True. I suppose if they have a bad response, them having it a day before launch won't make it much worse than them having it during launch. At least then there would be a chance to convince them to back off and let any damage done be fixed, if we tried that when the ship was mid-air it would not end well.
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>>5069006
Work is in the process of beating me to a pulp. Tuesdays are the days which I had to negotiate with my manager for my day off, but other than that I'll be around for the morning updates of each day from here on.
>>5069021
>Spoilers:
OOF
What receptions are you exactly stuck on in Urban Nightmare? I'm on Star of the City (one level above Urban Nightmare) so I could help you out here.
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>>5069005
>>Find the Manifold Merkabah, and unroot it from its domain.
>>Write-In
>Also address other topics that shouldn't require fieldwork, re:
>Whether we still feel comfortable living in the Lair, or if anyone wants to move to one of our other options.
>What to do about Nerada, and providing her socialization and a support network.
>How to go about contacting Ziz and asking them to please not worry about the spaceship launch.
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>>5069039
im fine with Merkabah but boy will we be running Amara ragged there. she might actually run out of energy for once... wait is that a positive or a negative?

as for the other three... really a matter of when to bring them up then. the first can wait for sure, the second we can easily weave in when we're ready to head out(though i guess that means we need to double check with BHOP if we'll have a moment after this vote or if this vote is heading us out the door), and the third would probably best be done sooner than later but we shoooould still have some leeway.

>>5069044
literally all of them but the Shi(Shei?) one. even Tipereths Anomaly upgrade. miiiight be able to squeeze out a win on the carnival if i switch to a heavy evade build but i cannot understand what it wants from me from the others at all. even looked up help for Tipereths and the best it got me was making it down to pure RNG and the problem is its just not fun to play it twenty times hoping things go exactly how i need them to.
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>>5069005
>>5069047
ill support this vote for now.

though just to be sure, im assuming you're basically putting those questions to our family, over directly trying to solve them outright this second?
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>>5069048
Yeah, Amara is going to be kept busy fighting an enemy Skintalker. A lot of counterspells and backlash thrown around, I think. She'll sleep good tonight. Or whenever we sleep, it's hard to tell sometimes.

>>5069049
Right. Just bringing them up, asking the party for opinions on the first one and ideas for the second and third.
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>>5069047
Can we also ask for the locations of Behemoth and Leviathan?
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>>5069060
Orwell knows those, she reported on them suddenly stopping before resuming their movements again (possibly because they were talking to Ziz). When we're discussing the "what should we do about the Apocalypse Amalgams and the ship launch" topic, we can ask her for their latest location. But yeah, knowing where they are could be important.
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>>5069048
Advice for Urban Nightmare.
Try getting new cards and pages through General Invitations. Try putting up unrelated on the invitation for unique general reception guests:
>Seven Association for one urban nightmare book invite
>Blade Lineage for Two different urban nightmare book invite
>Rusted Chains Syndicate for 1 Urban plague book invite
>Workshop fixers for 2 different urban plague books
>Axe Gang for 2 different books from Molar office
>Jeong's office for 3 different urban plague books
that offer solutions that will provide pages that can help deal with your problem guests.

>Sweepers: Use Netzach's Floor and focus each one down one by one. Disposal's last dice is a multi-hit move that can easily eat through your stagger bars. Laughing powder will help counteract that. Decks that focus on hp regen and bleed will help. It's a grind for sure, but focus on booking the mooks or one of the elites one by one even if you fail the reception. They have page passives (health hauler/mind hauler) that will immensely help you in other receptions.

>Tipereth: I'm guessing you're stuck on Queen of Hatred with her hysteria mechanic: Yeah...she's a problem child. Bleeds and DoTs will help wear her our. When she focuses on a specific character. use Block dice to mitigate damage but let her win those clashes while everyone else takes the opportunity to beat her up with heavy hitting cards. Even I had difficulties managing her hysteria gauge and it was a close battle for me.

>Puppets: Mind the Cards that have 4 dice on them. They have cards that increase their speed dice and have counter dice as well. I've used Hod's floor to get through it. Have one or two dedicated librarians who can endure blunt to intercept and tank the heavy hits (Rusted Chains has a key page that can help while still giving a slash card focus), while stacking slash cards and bleed (Blade lineage, kurokumo, and shi association are disgustingly good at this). I generally focus down on the puppets who use basic cards like Gygigig while mitigating the damage done from cards like "Automated movement")

>Circus: Pay attention to what attacks the circus trope are weak and fatal to and mercilessly exploit it. Get rid of the circus animals first. Ignore the two clowns. If you do focus the clowns, stagger it, then target the knife-throwing midget. Seven Association office has page attributes and pages that'll help exploit the Circus gimmick.

>Smiling faces: it's okay to fail the reception, but focus on booking at least the mooks at first, they have a page passive that will prove instrumental to counteracting their (smoke) gimmick if you equip it onto your librarians. Even if you fail the reception, you'll still get the books that drop from the people you've booked. If you do complete the reception, their Smoke deck will provide a huge boost to your blunt decks.

I hope this helps let me know if you need clarification or other advice.
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>>5069053
ok, thats what i thought but wanted to double check.

>>5069077
I was not aware general invitations had unique guests. might help yeah.

and for Tipereth im stuck on the Knight of Despair. i followed the advice of a pierce deck with a card or two specifically for when you stagger her, but its just not happening. even with the best cards i have just RNG alone makes it too crunch. if i fail just once to get a sword to stick into her even if i get all of them before they reset and still stun her it feels like ive lost too much ground to win. i just cant push through them before im out of cards and just dont have the options to properly counter to avoid someone dying in a single turn basically.

I also was no aware you kept any books if you failed, which does change things a bit. still, the level of grind all that implies is so vastly higher than before it doesn't sound fun to me. and thats what i honestly want to know? will it get fun again? because its not at the moment, at all. the increase in difficulty and narrowing of what works here is just so drastic compared to before it feels like a different game. its like i went from playing skyrim to dark souls without warning. before, it felt like even in a difficult fight there was leeway in decks builds and just good plays could win. i certainly won fights i didnt think i would at all. now it feels like if you're not custom built for that specific floor perfectly and get perfect plays, you're basically fucked. and thats just not fun or at all what i was liking about the game, and not worth continuing if thats all i have to look forward too. hell the deck building mechanics arent bad, IF you're expecting to use that deck as is for a bit. but if its expecting me to change up my floors and decks per level that heavily the tedium of having to do that alone almost isnt worth it, let alone everything else i mentioned.

but regardless, i appreciate the advice, truly. ill still probably give some of it another go but still honestly probably wont be recommending it to anyone anymore.
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>>5069089
Oof. I'm so sorry that the difficulty spike is hitting you so hard that it's putting you off. Hearing that makes me feel bad. I honestly want to share with you the joy that I had with the game, but having to hear that you spent 2 days banging your head against a wall to the point you want to quit makes me feel like I've disappointed/failed myself in failing to forewarn you about the difficulty spike as well as advice that would help ease the frustration or not being there to help if you were stuck banging your head against a wall.

Because Honestly, the story is a treat, and to me worth the gameplay and grind. Urban nightmare is the level of the chapter where beating the provided receptions laid before you unlocks cards and new deck archetypes for you to play with. You have a decks centered around gaining charge stacks, a deck centered around smoke, a deck centered around singletons, and decks centered around burn.

additional advice:

If you're sure you're gonna give it one last go before quitting, at least finish the unique general receptions. They're 1 floor receptions at most with a fairly easy difficulty comparable to urban legend/plague level difficulty.

If you want a better point to claw your way to victory through main storyline receptions handle the sweepers first as they're the easiest in my opinion.

Tipereth's entire floor theme is centered around Clashing down to its abnormality gimmicks, it teaches you the nuances of how to clash dice. Queen of Hatred's gimmick was to focus on how you manage your librarians when she focuses on a singular librarian and whether or not to win/lose clashes. Knight of Despair's gimmick is to teach you which target and dice you need to focus on winning clashes against. In her fight 1 of her 3 swords will gain an additional speed dice and have offensive dice that can brutally skewer your librarians hp if you don't win a clash against that offensive dice, but at the same token, that sword will also be fatally weak to pierce damage and stagger damage. your objective is to focus that particular sword by winning the clashes against it. Nullify the first dice of "Sword laced with Grief" with a block or evade dice while winning the offensive clashes on the rest. When all three swords have been staggered/broken and the Knight enters her despair state, that is when you should use hard hitting pierce cards like Transpierce or Collision as the swords used ranged pages. Also, don't worry about not having to get all three swords stuck into the knight, each time you successfully stick a sword into the knight, she loses 50 hp.

Fore-warning:
The reception after the Circus is a true boss fight. 1 guest, 7 phases. You have 1 floor available. Silver lining. The boss has a clearly defined gimmick. Exploit it, prepare your best pages and cards. Advice: Always clash your dice if possible and win those clashes to exploit the gimmick.
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>>5069048
>im fine with Merkabah but boy will we be running Amara ragged there. she might actually run out of energy for once... wait is that a positive or a negative?
On one hand it'll make her feel good that she'll be useful on the team, and defeating Merkabah might yield additional new words. On the other hand, it's putting Amara as a center focus for spell fights and it might make her vulnerable.
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>>5069115
yeah we'll have to watch out not to leave her exposed, but it'll be interesting as i think this is the first fight thats not only outright making Skintalking necessary but a skintalker vs skintalker fight (or at least, one where you can call it that over other things overshadowing it).

actually, besides Amara do we have any counter measures? we have the halo sure but how much that will stop the lexicon is actually dubious.

>>5069113
nah dont beat yourself up, you didnt do nothing wrong. Im honestly just baffled why they did it in the first place. they had a good, even still difficult thing already going on. there was no need for this level of a spike. I dont think it helps that the Shi feels like a spit in the face in terms of rewards when compared to what its making you face in the other receptions.

they are? the sweepers looked horrifying compared to some others.

as for Tipereth, its actually just one sword you have to stagger. maybe they changed it since you had to do the fight? otherwise, knew/tried all that and like i said, its just come down to rng basically and i just cant roll good enough to push through til the end. maybe the general gusts or losing the other floors for scraps might help though, idk. the problem is she has so much hp 50 just doesn't feel like enough at all. if its not all 3 + the free round the tradeoff doesn't feel like it is in my favor at all.
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>>5069134
In terms of story context, it's to show the big of a gap in terms of power there is between people of different hierarchies in the city as well as showcase how far you've yet to climb and how big of a menace you will eventually become to the city (a good example of this is Kurokumo getting rofl-stomped by Tanya or Full-stop office fleeing on sight from Blue Reverb). All the characters you seen in the pre-battle scenes are people you will eventually have to fight. (That means yes, you will have to fight Tanya, Blue Reverb, etc.)

As for the Shi, their keypage gimmick of having low health is intentional in terms of both their combat pages, their playstyle, and The Library would've been utterly decimated by them had they not been exhausted beforehand in-story context.

It might be different in my perspective as I tackled that reception with the pages that I got from the Unique General receptions.

The General guests will help immensely. It helped immensely for me as they have some pages that I stick by even at star of the city level. Rusted Chains and Blade Lineage will help against the puppets, Seven Association will help against the clowns. Bamboo Hat Kim from the Blade Lineage is a very powerful keypage that it's a major mainstay for slash decks while Emma's keypage from the Circus reception is a powerful keypage for blunt decks.

As for Knight of Despair, the General reception for the Weapon Workshop gives some useful combat pages centered around boosting pierce dice that I used to help defeat Knight of Despair. Pamela and Pameli's page passives as well as Oscars key page will also give you the necessary dice boost to nudge the RNG to your favor. The one sword that you have to stagger tends to switch every few scenes or until it's staggered.

I also remember using Gaze Office's combat pages for winning the fight, as they both provide pierce and paralysis which lowers the max dice roll on the enemy dice for each stack of paralysis that I slapped onto the swords. the paralysis debuffs that lower enemy dice value has helped me a lot in that fight.
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>>5069005

“…I’m thinking we track down this Manifold Merkabah first.” You say, seeing a series of consenting nods around you…though it’s in the absence of one head that you turn around in your seat to address your young ward. “Hey sweetie, where’s Nerada?”

“She said she wanted to stay a little while in the library. She likes how quiet it is.” Amara replies, her clones curled about her feet like a pack of adorable pups…save for one, its half-lidded eyes fixed on you, its feet dangling off the edge of the bed.

“Well, that works out pretty well for one of the points I’d like to bring up for discussion.” You sigh, turning back to the majority of your family. “The first major question regards the Dragon’s Roost—given what we’ve learned about Mara, how comfortable is everyone with staying there?”

“S’our home, now. We rearranged it to suit us, so I’m all for staying.” Rath mutters, glancing around at the others. “I mean, that’s just me, though. If it’s giving anyone here the creeps, then that takes precedence.”

“As distressing as these recent revelations have been, and despite my enthusiasm for destruction of problematic structures…” Dorian adds with a chuckle. “…I am not opposed to keeping the Roost as our current base of operations. As Rath said—it is our home, not Mara’s.”

“I’m with them.” November intones, tilting her helm towards Francine, who merely nods her approval. Holly meekly raises her hand, and you gesture for her to speak her mind.

“I know the girls and I usually spend time in the Dreamscape, but I think I speak for all of us when I say that a home is what you make it…and we’ve made the Roost our own.” She declares, glancing back mid-sentence to see the other girls’ give her a collective thumb’s-up. “Neat! That said, though…what about you, Shu?”

“If it’s fine with you all, then I’m happy to stay. I just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page. Now, to point number two; Nerada.” You say, feeling Amara’s ears perk up. “I have some ideas of what to do about her, but I wanted to bring it to the table for discussion.”

“A good question, if a difficult one.” Francine murmurs, fingers steepled in her lap as she regards them thoughtfully. “Given her overall strength, it might be prudent to establish her here at the Fortress as an additional line of defense. I understand Paloma’s desire to make this place mobile, but until that dream becomes a reality, the No Man’s Land continues to grow, and the Ikean Fortress will need capable protection.”

“I respect the kid’s strength, but she needs a support network.” Rath fires back, polite yet firm.

“Another point in favor of leaving her here—she can start to make friends while acting as a deterrent for future threats. A win-win.” Francine adds tactfully, and Dorian clears his throat before throwing his hat in the ring.

(Continued)
>>
>>5069213

“I would posit that Nerada’s vulnerable right now—from what little we know, she’s spent most of her time in the Crucible alone, with us being one of the few people she’s reached out to. It would be a shame to part ways with her so soon.”

“Kid also needs some time to figure things out.” November chimes in with her brassy speakers. “Not to play devil’s advocate here, but she seems to be good about taking time for herself where it’s needed. Plus…”

“…Yes?” You prompt after November trails off. The soldier heaves a sigh, a relic of the past from a gleaming new form.

“…Plus, we’re going to be making our way to the Cord soon. The people here aren’t. I don’t relish the thought of inducting her into our family only to leave her here, or make her think that ascending with us is her only option. I just think that giving her some time here would let her make an informed decision, without Nerada thinking we’re just dragging her along for her power.”

“Why would she think that?” November’s niece fires back.

“…Because we’re about to go off and fight Merkabah. I’m not sure that should be the second thing we drag her off to do. Bringing her to a place that had a high chance of overwhelming her was already asking a lot.”

“That’s…fair.” Rath reluctantly admits, leaning back with her arms folded as she mulls over what’s been said.

“Good points, all. Now, on to the third and final point; I’d like to contact Ziz and tell them not to worry about the Disassociated’s laun-.”

“I’m on it.” Orwell says immediately, index finger tapping arhythmically on her bony knees. “Once I make contact, I’ll ask if there’s anything else that could threaten the launch. Got tabs on Ziz’s siblings, too—they’re not making any moves without us knowing. That said? I’d bet my biomass that one or both of them are going to book it for the DO’s rocket the second they try and launch.”

“Docket’s getting pretty thick again.” Gina murmurs, updating the list on her phone before her neon gave flickers to yours. “Do we want to do this in teams? Merkabah probably doesn’t need all of us to take it on, and with what Orwell said about Behemoth and Leviathan, it might be worth trying to make contact with one or both of them before launch time, maybe with Ziz as an emissary.”

“The Apocalypse Amalgams should be dealt with by all of us.” Johanna declares firmly. “Like Uzu says-“

“-don’t split the party.” B’ni finishes, with Uzu allowing an amused smile to cross her lips.

“Where does Nerada fit in all this?” Rath asks aloud…and, once more, all eyes are on you.

>>Take the entire family to deal with the manifold Merkabah (with/without) Nerada.

>>Two teams—one to fight Merkabah, the other to stay here and get to know Nerada.

>>You have numbers, so use them; one team to eliminate Merkabah, and the other to (Write-In)

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next two hours, with posting to resume in three.)
>>
>>5069215
vote;
>First things first; Ask Nerada her own opinion on things.
>Find her and explain things very to the point but simply. You dont want to drag her into danger but your family has things they need to do. Theres a place for her here in the fortress and you'll visit her when you can, but if she sticks with your family then she'll end up in avoidable danger, and thats not something you want her to feel obligated to help with or do if she isnt comfortable with it.
>if she needs time to think on things, thats fine. you'll visit here again soon once a few things are done. at the latest you'll take her to see the Launch, if you dont get to her sooner, assuming she doesnt want to come with.

>Otherwise, save the Behemoths for later, but you can otherwise split into teams.

i dont think the other Behmoths should be risked with smaller teams, but it is true we can tackle two places at once otherwise. im just not use what the second place should be, aswell as open to hearing about team comps. obviously Amara to the Merkabah.
>>
>>5069239
Yeah, we should take advantage of our group size, but I'm not sure what I'd want the second team to do. They can stay here and get to know Nerada better, I suppose. Probably would make her feel safer if we didn't all leave suddenly. The people I absolutely want to fight the Merkabah are Shu (general leadership role, Psychica Spiralis, and ranged spotting with swarmlings), Amara (anti-Skintalking swarm tactics with the Joyous Many) and November (powerful ranged weapons and immunity to psychic effects). I'd also like either Gina or Francine, not sure which would be more effective. Gina for psychic sabotage and some more ranged firepower from her rifle, or Francine for clearing debuffs and shooting a massive chaingun.
>>
>>5069253
sounds reasonable but the one problem i see is Nerada has made her best connection so far with Amara and Shu, so if neither of them stay it feels sorta moot for anyone to stay. no offense meant to the rest of our family mind, just i feel she hasn't properly connected with them for them staying to really help over letting her just mull things over on her own, assuming she stays mind.

Francine or Gina would be good at figuring out the canadian labyrinth. i mean, they cant risk melting their brains of course, but they are still our best at thinking and studying problems like that. that said, Ginas kit would fit going underground better, while Francines would fit fighting a flying monster better, if we were to go after that secondary objective, mind.
>>
>>5069277
I think Nerada probably has some degree of comfort around Dorian, with him supervising her and Amara playing, but I see your point. If we're not going to be here to ease her into socializing with our party, it might not be very effective.

Sending our B Team to the Anomalous Relic labyrinth could work. I wouldn't want to plumb it in depth yet, but between Gina being able to burrow and Rath and Dorian being able to extend threads she can follow her way back with, getting lost on just a shallow dive shouldn't be an issue. Map out the top layers, make for an easier dive if we go for the treasure trove.
>>
>>5069290
makes sense.

and what about the Dream Team?
on one hand, if Nerada does come, she'll most certainly be with Shu and Amara, so they could even out the teams by going with Ginas. on the other hand... im not sure what they would do on her team. feels like they would just be there to be there. but on the other other hand, im actually wondering if they wouldn't require extra spells and possibly be more susceptible as technical constructs against the Merkabah that isnt worth the risk.
unsure on where to put them because of those.
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>>5069306
Yeah, the Spirit Shells are lacking in utility right now. They're decently powerful, but they just don't have the diverse toolsets that the living Daughters have. I'm sure that would change with more levels in Hive and Spiritus, but at the moment they're of limited use. I guess we could set them to helping Orwell, maybe? Get on the machines down in the library and help her scour the Skinternet for useful data?
>>
>>5069317
that works.

>>5069215
>>5069239
amending vote to add teams;

>Merkabah;
>>Shu, Amara, November, and Francine. (and Nerada if she wishes to join.)

>Labyrinth;
>>Gina, Rath, and Dorian.

>>Dream Team can help Orwell with anything she can think of, otherwise up to them where they go.
>>
>>5069215
Yeah, supporting >>5069239 >>5069338 with the caveat that I don't want the Labyrinth team doing any deep dives without backup. We can come join them after we're done shooting the Merkabah.
>>
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>>5069215

Rath’s question lingers in the forefront of your mind, a tangible snag that demands an answer before moving forward.

“Amara, could you send a Joyous to bring Nerada here?” You ask, turning to face the exquisitely comfortable girl, nestled between her clones and Sir FuzzBuzz. Without question the Joyous seated at the edge of the bed bolts up to comply, with even its creator seeming a little taken aback with its enthusiasm. A satisfied noise from Orwell grabs your focus, the door to your room swinging open and then shut behind the construct as the teenage Skintalker’s eyes regain their color before snapping to yours.

“Hey, quick status update; just touched base with Ziz through your construct. Sounds like Ziz felt the pull towards the rocket, too—must be some sort of baseline alert system. We don’t have to worry about any other defenses, though, ‘cause the Apocalypse Trio are it.”

“Good to know, but…*through* my construct?” You repeat, your echo taking the form of an arched question.

“Oh, yeah. S-sorry. Was…was that not okay?” Orwell stammers, regret hitting her knuckles in the sternum. “I’ve got an Augment that lets me communicate through allied constructs…and enemy ones too, at a small cost.”

“I didn’t even sense you doing that, though.” You reply, and the teen just shrugs.

“I mean, unless you’re literally checking in on every single one of your swarmlings constantly, you probably wouldn’t.” She explains, fidgeting with the faded bracelets that dangle off the girl’s thin wrists. “Hijacking’s pretty easy if a Hive mistress has a shit-load of constructs running around. Unless they’ve got Neuromancy wrapped into it, of course. Phantasmal Conduits are even easier, given most of ‘em are pretty much autonomous. I’ve…it’s an old trick I used before I settled down.”

“Understandable. All I ask is that you let me know next time—if anything, it’ll help you not have to recap things. We’re a team, Orwell. Please don’t feel like you’ve got to take on more than is reasonable.”

She opens her mouth to say more, but she’s cut off when the door swings back open, revealing the Joyous with Nerada in tow. You immediately sense that the girl’s far more relaxed around certain members of your family; notably giving Dorian an elegant curtsy moments before she fires off a grinning salute to Rath, who chuckles as she returns the young girl’s greeting. Briefly wondering if Amara filled the young Hive Mistress in on your cafeteria conversation, you put that question aside in favor of catching Nerada up on the questions at hand.

“So who’s going to fight the Merke…Markab…Amalgam?” Nerada asks, scowling as she trips over the unfamiliar syllables.

“We haven’t decided, yet.”

“Well…could I decide after you do?” She asks, swaying in place.

(Continued)
>>
>>5069392

“I don’t see why not.” You muse, casting your gaze across your family. “My skeleton of a plan was for GG, Rath, and Dorian to run reconnaissance on the labyrinth mentioned in Paloma’s list, with the caveat of this just being a scouting run—no deep dives without the rest of the team there for support. Amara, November, Francine, and I would go deal with Merkabah...with Nerada, if she’s willing.”

“I would!” Nerada exclaims, her expression suddenly brightening. You smile at that, turning to your Dream Daughters with a grin and a shrug.

“As for the Dream Team...you’re more than welcome to stay here. You’ve all been fighting on the front pretty consistently now, so you deserve a break.”

“We deserve to help.” Johanna calmly counters, arms folded. “The consideration is appreciated. But not necessary.”

“I could use their help, actually.” Orwell chimes in once more, eyeing the quartet with a hopeful glint. “I’m still sorting through settlement data, but there’s a ton of info to parse through. Parallel processing’s a bitch-and-a-half, so some Dreamscape shenanigans would help me sift through everything loads faster.”

“Is this amenable?” You ask, pointedly holding Uzu’s gaze with a soft expression.

“It is. We’re happy to assist, Orwell.” The Artisan replies with a polite bow, the other three girls mirroring their friend much to your amusement. “And we’re glad you asked, as well.”

“Hey, it’s like Shu said—we’re a team.” The blonde girl remarks, throwing a wink your way.

…Alright, she gets brownie points for that.

“Sounds like solid marching orders.” November hums approvingly, planting her hands on her chrome hips with a metallic clank. “When’re we rolling out, boss?”

>>”No time like the present, November.” (Select Relic setup, make pre-mission arrangements, then Waystation as close to Merkabah’s location as possible.)

>>”There’s one or two more things I’d like to deal with before setting out, but it won’t be long.” (Choose another task to complete while your teams prepare to set out.)

>>”We have plenty of time between now and launch time. Given how…eventful…things have been for us while here, let’s take a bit more time to rest before we put boots on the ground.” (Choose how to spend your extended rest time.)

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next four hours, with posting to resume tomorrow morning at 10AM, Eastern time. Thank you all for your patience, participation, and enthusiasm, and I wish you a restful evening one and all.)
>>
>>5069396
hrm... only thing i could think of that we still have reason to inquire about is the fact Orwell had no 'soul' in the between realm.
only reason to even bring it up though is just to not forget about it, so maybe still not worth it to bring up at the moment.

as for relics... not sure. only thing i can think to mention on it is it would be interesting to for once build up Novembers loadout first, no holding back, and then have the family get the leftovers for once instead of her.

>>5069399
thanks for running, and hope your evening is peaceful yourself.
>>
>>5069392
>Hijacking’s pretty easy if a Hive mistress has a shit-load of constructs running around. Unless they’ve got Neuromancy wrapped into it, of course. Phantasmal Conduits are even easier, given most of ‘em are pretty much autonomous.
Does the Neurotic Halo being part of the Joyous Many give them protections against that? Either way, we need to get that protection on Shu's stuff. Keep people from hijacking FuzzBuzzes or worse, the Spirit Shells.

>>5069396
>>>”No time like the present, November.” (Select Relic setup, make pre-mission arrangements, then Waystation as close to Merkabah’s location as possible.)
Alright, let's go. Kind of worried that we're bringing Nerada with us, but we're taking Amara with us so really we're just terrible about child safety in general. But what are you gonna do? Pre-Crucible standards of childrearing are based in the idea that adults are more durable and capable of wielding force than children, that's no longer true.

>>5069399
Thanks for running, BHOP.

>>5069407
>only reason to even bring it up though is just to not forget about it, so maybe still not worth it to bring up at the moment.
Oh, don't worry, I'm not forgetting about it. We just haven't had a good moment yet to take her aside and ask her what her deal is. My bet is still on her being a construct avatar, with her real body being the Panopticon itself.

And sure, load November up first. Though we have her auto-Forging abilities, now, too. So given time to prepare, there's no reason she can't have any of the Relics we already have that are Tier 3 or lower, without reducing anyone else's access.
>>
>>5069412
>Though we have her auto-Forging abilities, now, too.
yeah but i thought there was still some limits to that. problem is i cant find the actual description of that anywhere. thought it would be on her sheet somewhere but it appears to not be.
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>>5069429
It's in the 47th Vein, just before the hiatus started.

>(Regarding November’s updated Relic creation mechanic, some high points.)

>(Relics of Tiers 1-2 require no cost to summon, and may be duplicates of Relics you already possess OR Relics that you know of/are on the known lists.)

>(Created Relics disappear at the end of combat along with any persisting effects they would have produced, but remain persistent for the entire fight unless dismissed.)

>(Dismissing a Relic and replacing it with another one forces the new Relic to suffer ‘summon sickness’, rendering it unusable until the start of November’s next turn. However, spontaneously crafting Relics is a free action thanks to how well November rolled.)

>(Tier 3 Relics may be generated by spending 100% HEALTH to craft.)

>(Tier 4 Relics may be generated by spending 200% HEALTH to craft.)

>(Tier 5 Relics may be generated by spending 500% HEALTH to craft, though November may only have 1 generated Tier 5 Relic at a time. Tier 5 Relics you own do not count against this limit.)

>(Created Relics may not be ‘gifted’ to other party members, because November’s already plenty broken as-is.)

So yeah, free copies of Tiers 1 and 2, cheap copies of Tiers 3 and 4, expensive copies of Tier 5 and only one at a time.
>>
>>5069440
ah, well that would explain it. hiatus yeah.

from the sound of that though, those cant really work as slotted relics due to how they work, so we do still kinda have to preload what we already have on hand.
>>
>>5069447
I'm pretty sure they're specifically for slotting. Though you do make a good catch that I missed that they fade away at the end of combat, so if we want November to have higher-Tier Relics we should slot some in advance. Or just tank the costs at the start of combat.
>>
>>5069450
im not sure on that. they give off more a vibe of being made to be an additional arsenal than slotted relics. the disappearing act is too much an increase in cost and tedium for being made to be slotted, especially as it kinda implies them not supposed to be made til combat starts in the first place.
>>
>>5069450
Oh, speaking of tanking the costs at combat start, a bit I didn't see I had left out because it was in a separate post:

>(Oh, and I almost forgot—November may 'prime' a set of Relics to craft for when combat is initiated, and Relics created in this fashion do not incur the 'summoning sickness' effect.)
>>
>>5069452
The conversation in that thread does seem to be working with the assumption that they fill her slots, but I could be misunderstanding. Let's just ask present-day BHOP instead of trying to interpret year-ago BHOP, that will give clarity.

>>5069399
BHOP, to be clear: Does November's flash-Forging work with her Relic-slotting, letting her instantly fill her slots, or are they a separate set of Relics for her to wield on top of the slots?
>>
>>5069456
(Flash-Forging (great name, by the way) lets November do both. Non-slotted Relics don't give any of their November-specific Buffs, though.)
>>
>>5069396
>>”No time like the present, November.” (Select Relic setup, make pre-mission arrangements, then Waystation as close to Merkabah’s location as possible.)

Any thoughts on how we should use the three Darwinian Drops we've obtained? As in, who we should spend them on, and which augments we should improve?
>>
>>5069465
Okay, cool. That's really strong then. November's a walking arsenal. Thanks for clearing that up, that gives November access to a lot of toys now.

>>5069471
Thousand's Matron on Shu could be good. Let the swarmlings reach maturity faster, allow us to actually benefit from them since they won't die before they get there.

Ozmas' Hope on Amara would be excellent. It already makes her spells stronger, upgrading it would just compound her strengths. And actually, it also makes newly-discovered words stronger, too, so if we're expecting her to get some from the Merkabah then it might be good to upgrade Ozmas' Hope before we head out.

One of Rath's survivability Augments, Bloodied Stand or Font of Suffering, could be very good just to make her even harder to keep down.
>>
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>>5069440
>>5069452
>>5069465
>>5069456
....I just have this crazy mental image in my head of November in a trenchcoat and flashing her coat open to reveal a massive weapon rack of Uzis like a shady gundealer and all of Shu's swarmlings just sprout a pair of arms to grab the guns and start blasting caps into the nearest target like a hit-squad of gun-toting gang of hornets led by notorious bee gangster "Honey-faced Daisy". It's hilarious, horrifying, weird, and outright stupid.
>>
>>5069493
>>It's hilarious, horrifying, weird, and outright stupid.

(...that's my bread and butter, Anon. A brilliant idea, by the way.)
>>
>>5069471
>>5069489
just a quick look makes me think;
>Vital Aegis on Francine
>Borrowed Stoicism on Francine
>Platinum Edge on Dorian
>Sloughing Armor on Dorian(assuming it still costs him all his current armor)
>Northern Lights on Rath
>Golden Strand on Rath

are the ones id think they could go on well.
though as has become obvious the summaries page is missing a ton of options it seems.
>>
>>5069493
It would be like the Bee Unit, from the old Zoofights roundtable games. I miss Zoofights. It had some excellent body horror monsters, all based around some truly terrible puns. Like the Bee Unit was the G Unit, 50 Cent's posse, but turned into freakish bee-men.
>>
>>5069510
>>5069471
Any thoughts on putting some drops on Gina's passives?

>>5069501
Also. Julia's banked up quite the level up, taking into account for the fact that we have her character/combat sheet and yet she's staying in Laoc for quite the period.

How is the Hive rework coming along?
>>
>>5069489
Good suggestions. I'd like to throw a couple others out there, these are abilities that I'd be interested in seeing upgraded.

Shu
INVIOLABLE CONSTITUTION - Shu's regen is already immune to outside interference. With an upgrade, maybe an enemy's abilities could backfire and even improve it?

Rath
PANGAEAN ARSENAL - Even more elemental flexibility than before? Rath could become an elemental jack of all trades, able to adapt to nearly anything on the battlefield.

Dorian
WAKING DREAMLANDS - Dorian's constructs, when tethered to an ally, could become even stronger and more helpful.
HUNTER'S FURY - Slashing attacks are already brutal, but maybe they could add additional effects when they sever limbs.

Francine
YEARNING NOOSE - More range!
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>>5069518
i only did a curtsy glance but Ginas comparatively didn't seem as necessary to put the drops on. already pretty good. i mean, i'd say all of them are good obviously, but some (Like Dorians if it still requires the loss of armor) might actually benefit heavily from an upgrade, over just making something super good even better.

with maybe the exception of Vital Aegis i tried to choose some that seemed like a boost would be good for them, over ones already wicked good. Vital was just such a good heal buff though it felt like it easily could replace putting the drops on similar groups of passives on others, albeit only when Francine is around, which is why it was my exception.
>>
>>5069440
>>5069465
How would flash forging work on consumable relics? If November were to Flash Forge lets say - Nitro Sugar - and use it during combat, would the Nitro Sugar be restricted from reforging until the end of combat after produced and used once?
>>
>>5069522
Yeah, Vital Aegis could be good. Give Francine even more overheal, let her buff the hell out of allies.
>>
>>5069527
thinking about it Matrons probably needs it too. I get its mostly just a ceremonial augment but may aswell actually try and get some use out of it.
and with it taking days that may aswell mean we'll never get to use it even if we actually kept some active in a safe space to try.

still unsure on our third option though.

im actually really partial to Sloughing Armor to try and make it even just get rid of less of his armor, but again that depends on if that part got cut or not. its hard to tell with the summaries.
actually looking it does seem BHOP rebalanced it

>SLOUGHING ARMOR (Flesh Artisan Augmentation): For 1 ACT or 50% BIO Dorian may purge himself of a single status ailment or STACK type. +1 ACID Resistance. (BIO REGEN +10%)

so it no longer costs all his armor BUT it no longer gets rid of everything instantly either. so i think its still a contender as i actually kinda thought it was balanced well before. loss of armor stacks for full purge of everything seemed fine, and while more to the wire sometimes more useful that just a single ailment removal for sure.
>>
>>5069534
>>5069527
Matrons and Aegis feel necessary for darwinian drops.

Ozma's hope feels like a strong contender for the fight we're about to embark on, as is INVIOLABLE constitution.
>>
>>5069526
(An excellent question - only one consumable of each type may be used per combat.)

>>5069518
(Oh, Julia's level up vote is going to be brutal.)

(Fairly well, actually. Haven't had the time or bandwidth to finalize it or get to the other things I've been wanting to, but I'm hoping to buckle down and finish all of it over the Christmas break.)
>>
>>5069534
Could be a good option. Status clearing is pretty rare in this system, and even if Francine has Asklepian Ward to help with that now, she might not always be available to lay down a healing zone. Dorian's especially good for being able to clear off status effects, because with how fast he is he can often manage to tear an opponent apart before they can re-apply them.

>>5069547
That "turned inside out" thing the Merkabah does is probably something like a REV VITA spell. If Inviolable Constitution evolved to protect against any sort of messing with our Health outside of direct damage, that could be really useful. Though that's a big "if", I admit. Probably best to rely on SHI SEL conditional counterspells to keep us safe.

Though I hope Amara isn't stuck on counterspell duty the whole fight, and gets the chance to do some other things. There's an ability of hers that we haven't gotten the chance to use yet, that I think could be killer against the Merkabah. Blade's Bounty, does automatically-repeating mass AoE of her sword attacks every round. If the Merkabah is a UFO as I suspect, it should have plenty of surface area to catch multiple hits from her sword.

>>5069561
>(Oh, Julia's level up vote is going to be brutal.)
Depends on when we see her next. I think she's only banked two regular levels so far. An indeterminate number of Kadath levels, though, that would be up to you and what you decide on how often she sleeps. But at least for right now, it shouldn't be too crazy. If we collect her after another dozen fights, though...gonna be a right scrum deciding where it all goes.
>>
>>5069396
vote;
>”No time like the present, November.”
>Put the Drops to Matrons Stoicism, Vital Aegis, and Sloughing Armor.

not gonna lie ive got no idea how to apply the relics.
>>
>>5069578
the thing with Amara's Calcite blade kit that makes it even more devastating is if we took the time to let her use Red Devil's Engine to Rev up her blade while keeping it sheathed to build Iai stacks before unleashing what is essentially Unlimited Blade Works onto Merkabah. Have Amara bide her time by focusing her spell casting while keeping her bone blade primed and sheathed before pulling a full Virgil Judgement cut.
>>
>>5069617
Oh, yeah. It's not something to do first turn. But it could make for a good finishing move, or just a panic button to deal a lot of damage to the Merkabah and force it to disengage.
>>
>>5069617
>>5069628
well we have an hour left to assign things.
anyone working on ideas? we could leave it up to BHOP if we feel its necessary.
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>>5069633
Yeah, I'm typing one up. Give me a moment.
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>>5069637
you're good was just seeing what needed to be done.
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>>5069633
I would love to help but I'm sort of mentally wasted despite having today off.
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>>5069653
yeah no I understand that feeling all too well. feeling it myself even.
It happens, dont beat yourself up over it.
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>>5069633
Okay, how does this sound?

SHU
>Hexane Contenders
>Gunslinger's Longcoat
>Matron's Stoicism
>Paranoid Pendant
>Arbiter's Judgement

FRANCINE
>Surgeon General's Essentials
>Inspector's Spectacles
>Sui Sacrificium
>The Spine

AMARA
>Hearth Rod
>Red Devil's Engine
>Vocalis Nocere
>Goregrowth Box (Verurteilung)
>Shalaev's Shawl
>Vocem Virtutis (SHI)

Also, we have two Shawls, should we give the spare to Nerada? Have a pair of invisible ninja kids?

NOVEMBER
>Leg 1: Cursus Alas
>Leg 2: Deliverance of Ego
>Arm 1: Forgeheart's Lyre
>Arm 2: Margrave's Blade
>Chest: Sui Tormentis
>Head: Crimson Jester's Blood-Iron Masque
>Bonus: Hydra's Heart

GINA
>Tollo Cadere
>Remembrance Whistle (SUTH TER)
>Pacekeeper's Box
>Paranoid Pendant
>Membrum Automata

DORIAN
>Sui Interitus
>Ventrem Lanceam
>Manus Caelorum
>Adrenal Nail

RATH
>Gutgrab Daggers
>Valdoric Bindings
>Artisanal Rebuke
>>
>>5069653
Yeah, I get it, man. Some days are just like that. I hope you get some good rest tonight.

>>5069659
So, my thinking: Shu has her standard set of equipment. Francine is kitted out for support and healing. Amara is also at her standard, with the Goregrowth Box holding her Verurteilung since we never use it so might as well grow it for dismantling for levels. November is equipped for guarding and defense, I want her to be able to interpose if some shit goes bad. Forgeheart's Lyre also buffs Amara.

On the delve team, Gina has various anti-psychic and reaction-boosting gear to be able to respond if something goes south, as well as a SUTH TER to quickly calm terrain. Dorian has some standard gear, all about the speed boosts. And Rath is also mostly standard with the addition of the Valdoric Bindings because I think it would play well with Phantom Limb and Tensile Strand, but it occurs to me as I type this that it and Artisanal Rebuke are both technically armors and so probably can't be stacked. I guess we can ditch the Rebuke.
>>
>>5069659
yeah we can give a shawl to Nerada... assuming she needs it.

im not sure on November. she feels a bit all over the place there a bit or something. im also unsure if she needs Lyre.
It also seems like an odd build when we expect to be facing a long range flyer. then again, we dont have much to enhance ANYONES long range attacks, do we?
not sure why you gave her the blade either.

Valdoric is basically redundant on Rath.

otherwise looks good.
>>
>>5069670
>>5069661

Lyre's useful for Flash Forging to a degree. We haven't really exploited the fact that she's a walking Swiss-Relic Arsenal. Coupled with that extensive Relic Catalogue we've created (we definitely have to update it however I think a fair few ideas haven't been reviewed/added into the catalogue since the hiatus). I'll try to scavenge my muse to come up with consumables/custom/experimental relics that can work on enhancing Long-range attacks. When the muse strikes me that is...
>>
>>5069680
well i meant im not sure November has a failure chance with hers, which is the lyres biggest advantage.
>>
>>5069670
True, Nerada can blend into shadows already, she might see an invisibility cloak as unnecessary.

The way I see it, November is pretty well-set for ranged combat as she is. She's got some very large guns, and a tank that has its own large guns and can copy her large guns. She should be fine. And you're right that we don't really have enhancements to ranged attacks, at least not in Relic form. Amara's Queen Crimson can boost ranged damage of allies, could be a good idea to keep her close to November. But I'm getting off-topic. Point is, I wanted November to have some good speed, good defense, and the Margrave's attack-interception. Just in case the Merkabah has an attack that isn't Skintalking-based, like some big death-ray. I'd like November to be able to quickly move into place and parry that.

Valdoric I gave to Rath mostly to make sure she couldn't lose any limbs, so that if she had one hold Gina's hand while she explore the tunnels, she'd be guaranteed to be able to reel her back in. It's an edge case, I admit, but I worry about nightmare tunnels. I suppose we could alternatively give it to Shu and see if it counts Hundred-Hands as her own limbs and lets her make unbreakable arm-chains with that. Which could be fun.

>>5069680
True, the Lyre would play well with flash-Forging. I admit my setup doesn't really take advantage of it. As much as possible should be flash-Forged on the spot, I think, so as to not take up space. And we can of course adjust it if needed by making a new load-out. Probably we should mock up some sets for November ahead of time so when we want to switch we can vote quickly. "Swap to speed configuration", that sort of thing.

Relics that could boost her guns would be nice. A barrel extension Relic, or something like that.

>>5069687
When slotted it boosts the power of the Relic in her other hand, as well as nearby allied Skintalkers' spells. I figured that would be good for this fight.
>>
>>5069670
>>5069661
>>5069561
And the muse has struck. Please review, categorize and add this relic into the relic catalogue if approved.

>Screamer Sac (Consumable): A Flaccid, pale, and slightly uncomfortably hairy flesh balloon capped off by a pair of human lips for the balloon's lip. It is of little use to many daughters save for skintalkers. To use one, the skintalker simply presses their lips to the balloon's lips and scream into the balloon to inflate it. Once inflated the Screamer Sac becomes neutrally buoyant with the surrounding environment, allowing easy placement and manipulation in the air or on the ground. Popping the relic is a simple as attacking it with a blunt or piercing attack, releasing the stored spell into an indiscriminate (or discriminate if certain words are screamed into the relic) AoE. The Balloon's size is dependent upon the number of words screamed into the relic. A longer spell chain produces a bigger balloon but also increases the relics fragility to popping.
>>
>>5069696
So it's basically the Remembrance Whistle, but balance being able to do longer spells in exchange for being both one-use and the increased odds of misfires with longer spells. Works for me.
>>
(Just touching base with everyone before I get to bed a bit earlier-)

>>5069588
(This vote is the only solid one that addresses the Darwinian Drops—does this suit everyone?)

>>5069659
(In a similar vein, is everyone aligned on this Relic loadout?)

(Just wanted to touch base before I wake up a bit earlier to type things up. Let me know what you all think, and I hope you all rest well.)

>>5069696
(Oh, this is a clever one. Very nicely done!)
>>
>>5069717
>(This vote is the only solid one that addresses the Darwinian Drops—does this suit everyone?)
I'm good with it, though "Matron's Stoicism" should be "Thousand's Matron". Stoicism is the Relic. At least it's not as bad as the "which Alpha?" situation.

>(In a similar vein, is everyone aligned on this Relic loadout?)
I think it works. Though if people wanted to move the Valdoric Bindings off of Rath, I'd be fine with it.
>>
>>5069689
>Relics that could boost her guns would be nice. A barrel extension Relic, or something like that.

muse struck again.
>Puck's Pus-Pressurized Pump: the P.P.P.P. or (P the fourth) is a Pus-filled and pressurized container relic that provides utilitarian albeit rather gross if one thinks about it too much. A modular relic that does nothing on its own but when equipped onto projectile throwing relics or core abilities the rely upon firing projectiles, the relic's function comes to light, injecting and compressing its disgusting yet potent contents into the firing chamber of any relic or ability to increase the firepower and range of the user's impending ranged attack. Using the relic in increments increases the user's projectile range by 1 tier, but there is an emergency option to use the entire relic's container to double the range and firepower in exchange for completely draining the relic of its contents for the rest of combat.

>>5069659
Actually, what happened to that mouth laser relic we got from West Gamma? We haven't found a use for that.

>>5069717
I'm fine with this current loadout. I'm assuming we'll be able to modify it along the way until we enter combat proper. Am I correct?

>>5069588
I'm good with locking in Matron's stoicism and Vital Aegis for the first two darwinian drop, but I'm not sure on the choice for the 3rd Darwinian drop.
>>
>>5069725
(You'll absolutely be able to alter your loadout before combat, since your scouting abilities are considerable, especially with Nerada on your side.)
>>
>>5069725
>muse struck again.
A little booster tank of propellant. Nice. Not too powerful, but gives the option for a constant low-level boost or one big strike. I like it.

>Actually, what happened to that mouth laser relic we got from West Gamma? We haven't found a use for that.
We've used it a couple times. November has enough other energy weapons that it hasn't been a gamechanger, but we haven't forgotten about it.
>>
>>5069689
yeah but Rath already has anti dismemberment protection is the thing. a good bit actually.

as for November, i still dont think shes really the best for parrying things for others honestly. she herself isnt weak but not actually as outright tanky as one might expect of a cyborg. ironically i think our best bet would be if we could staple it to the tank only.

actually, honestly having Clones use the sword would work best. nothing says they cant, only they would have to physically have it. but its not like we care if a clone dies really, and add on Queen and just having a Clone set aside so a new one always picks it up if the old one dies would work better than November having it.
Especially given Novembers role here, even with the other relics.

>>5069717
>>5069721
also my bad on the name mixup there alot of things that their names overlap and sometimes my brain just goes to the wrong one.
>>
>>5069741
Okay, well what build for November would you prefer? I'm not wedded to this. What do you think would go better with November shooting things?
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>>5069752
honestly a Red Devils Engine would be good. it would free up the Cursas Alas slot aswell as enhance one of her built in weapons(not sure which one to enhance though). i'd replace the Hydras Heart with it, as Tormentis can honestly give her plenty of protection on its own if we're willing to use it. and considering Novembers role, especially if tethered to her tank, she can probably safely build up Tormentis in multiple ways while recovering its cost, on top of BHOP usually allowing us at least some pre-fight pumping of it.

we could then give her her own Surgeons Essentials to help keep people healthy and a paranoid Pendant to help her dodge and punish anyone if she does get caught.
>>
>>5069758
The Engine and the Pendant seem like good swaps. I hadn't realize what good stats the Engine grants, dang. I'm less convinced of the Essentials, though. Ranged stabilization is good, I'll grant that, but we'll already have a bunch of healing in the party.
>>
>>5069769
i certainly feel like the Essentials would be better than the Blade. its not actually all that great a choice to me either its just our options are limited and it was the only one that stood out to me better than the blade for an arm slot.
>>
>>5069798
>>5069769
a thought: what if we gave Amara the Margrave sword? that way Amara can bodyguard and still do swordplay while keeping her innate bone sword in the sheathe! You can also make it so that one of her clones can wield it so she can bodyguard either herself, her new friend, or even her mom!
>>
(One last question, everyone, and a rather important one.)

(I have been assuming that Shu is always in possession of Escher's Gear, and is doling out warp spokes to the teams that venture away from your line of sight.)

(Does this still hold true? I did not wish to make any undue assumptions.)
>>
>>5069805
I mean yeah i just mentioned in a post a few up that giving one of her clones the sword would work better. Technically November can make her own but i was more of talking in general for that role the sword gives too.

>>5069769
actually, while not all of them could or have a reason to, did you forget too i guess that November is making her own relics, so some of those can still go to others?

>>5069810
yeah that sounds reasonable.
>>
>>5069798
>>5069805
Sure, I guess that works. Give Amara the sword, so she can sword while she swords.

>>5069810
Yeah. For now, at least.

>>5069816
>actually, while not all of them could or have a reason to, did you forget too i guess that November is making her own relics, so some of those can still go to others?
No. Just didn't see a ton of point for doubling up on November. But I'm willing to go with your loadout. Sounds interesting.
>>
>>5069396
>>5069588
amending with Relic list;

SHU
>Hexane Contenders
>Gunslinger's Longcoat
>Matron's Stoicism
>Paranoid Pendant
>Arbiter's Judgement

FRANCINE
>Surgeon General's Essentials
>Inspector's Spectacles
>Sui Sacrificium
>The Spine
>Deliverance of Ego(desu mostly to just see what emblem it spawns)

AMARA
>Hearth Rod
>Red Devil's Engine
>Vocalis Nocere
>Goregrowth Box (Verurteilung)
>Shalaev's Shawl
>Vocem Virtutis (SHI)
>Mangraves Blade

NERADA
>Shawl

NOVEMBER
>Leg 1: Paranoid Pendant
>Leg 2: Deliverance of Ego
>Arm 1: Forgeheart's Lyre
>Arm 2: Essentials
>Chest: Sui Tormentis
>Head: Crimson Jester's Blood-Iron Masque
>Bonus: Engine

GINA
>Tollo Cadere
>Remembrance Whistle (SUTH TER)
>Pacekeeper's Box
>Paranoid Pendant
>Membrum Automata
>Valdoric Bindings

DORIAN
>Sui Interitus
>Ventrem Lanceam
>Manus Caelorum
>Adrenal Nail

RATH
>Gutgrab Daggers
>Artisanal Rebuke
>Dainsleif Spear
>>
Oh, I just remembered that we should talk with Karma soon, since the dream daughters aren't there to chat with her in the dreamscape. Don't want our AI friend feeling left out after all!
>>
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>>5069396

”No time like the present, November.” You announce rising from your seat and helping Rath and Gina both up from theirs as you nod towards the Relics on the table. “We’ll get a loadout ready, and then?”

Gina groans a half-second before you add with a grin;

“We mosey.”

>>THOUSAND’S MATRON (Hive Mistress Augmentation EVOLVED): Evidence of a bond forged through luck, goodwill, and trust, your swarm now actively evolves and grows the longer they are active. Members of your brood now gain a RAPIDLY mounting bonus to HEALTH, BIO, and stats that caps at ONE MONTH of uninterrupted growth, and may be CONSUMED after one day of existence to stave off Hunger, though this grants no levels. After ONE DAY of existence, your swarmlings also gain a number of bonuses related to evasion and tactical teamwork, which is boosted when paired with their other long-living fellows. Subsequent days also grant a variety of other bonuses, but these remain to be seen. Finally, your Swarm maximum has been raised by 10. They are still constructs, true…but in time, they can evolve into something more. (BIO +160%, BIO REGEN +40%)

>>VITAL AEGIS (Unique Augmentation EVOLVED): A power that bolsters the underlying effects of support-based skills, the wielder will find their healing effects increased by 50% with their defensive powers blocking an additional 50% of damage or having a VASTLY increased chance of ignoring damaging effects. Additionally, any healing that would go above and beyond the target’s HEALTH maximum now results in 100% of the healing that would have been received forming a ‘barrier’ of additional biomass, which is diminished before the target’s actual HEALTH. (HEALTH REGEN +100%)

>>SLOUGHING ARMOR (Flesh Artisan Augmentation EVOLVED): Dorian may now rid himself of 1 Stack per turn at NO COST.. +2 ACID Resistance. (BIO REGEN +10%)

A few short but sweet partings later, the Metall Geschoss trundles out of the Ikean Fortress with November at the helm, and Amara chatting excitedly at a quiet Nerada in the belly of the metal beast. The pair are flanked by Amara’s Joyous, and judging by how sleepy two of them look, you’d guess they’re still suffering the effects of one too many cookies. As for you, you’ve found a seat next to Francine atop the hatch as you’re led out of the obsidian forest by one of Em’s warriors. The rather tall and statuesque woman had been waiting just outside your room, anticipating your departure with some guidance—a Waystation, located not far from the fortress, but far enough to not pose an avenue of attack, she proudly confided. The fleshscape’s raw light, though permanently dimmed, still manages to make you squint as you emerge from the hangar.

(Continued)
>>
>>5070188

You blink a few times to let your eyes adjust, and it’s as you’re looking down into the tank that you notice Nerada’s watching you, a placid expression on the young girl’s face for but a moment before she shifts her eyes back to Amara, nodding along to a very enthused explanation of her training with Cheruem and the latter’s refusal to run in a certain fashion...despite your little one’s repeated insistence that the Hexane really, truly would run faster if she just *tried* it.

You’re pondering the tactical merits of holding one’s arms out behind them as they dashed to and fro when an idle comment from Francine snaps you out of your musings.

“An intriguing place.” The older woman hums, leaning back on with her fingers splayed out behind her, palms flat on the Geschoss' warm metal hull. “If they haven’t made any breakthroughs in moving the structure by the time of the launch, I…”

She turns to you, glimmering eyes meeting yours. “...I would very much like to help them. Do you have any objections?”

“As long as you don’t take any sabbaticals like Julia, then I’m all for it.”

“Ha, well…” She trails off, a question dancing in her pupils for a few moments before she voices it aloud. “...I am planning to speak with Julia, actually. And Dorian as well. Preferably at the same time.”

You blink, nodding sagely as you await an explanation...

...because you have no idea where she’s going with this.

“Before we set out from the Roost, I was...thinking. About the future. About what I would like to do after we finish all this.” She continues, staring back at the Fortress as the grove slowly moves to conceal it as you’re led through the schwartzvald. “About what I want to do, and not just what I must.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” You smile, holding further questions on your tongue in the hopes that she’ll continue.

“I...I would like to explore art. I’m not quite sure what form, yet...but I think...I think I would like to try a few.” Francine says after a long moment—slowly, hesitantly piecing the words together as she gives voice to her fragile hopes. “I was hoping to...explore some possibilities with our resident experts in the field. Perhaps try my hand at their crafts to see if anything felt right. Does that make sense?”

The question, so hastily tacked on to her musings, sounds more like a fretful young girl than a grown woman...but considering how old you and she really are, you’re certainly not one to judge.

(Continued)
>>
>>5070190

“It does...and I think that sounds wonderful.” You reply with an enthusiastic grin as the Geschoss rumbles onwards, rounding a knoll of cracked and glassy skin to reveal a gaping tunnel, the raw orifice rimmed with glistening onyx crystal—the tell-tale sign of a Waystation. It cracks open as the Geschoss draws near, a thousand snaps and fractures blending into a slurry of noise that forces a wince out of you before you start your descent into the cavernous dark.

Just before the scarlet light of the fleshscape gives way to the umbral abyss, you catch it again…

...a pair of glittering eyes staring up from below, an inscrutable feeling held tight in their unerring gaze.

When you finally emerge, a landscape more alien than those you’ve yet seen stretches before you, looking for all the world like an expanse of titanic rib cages, flayed open to the heavens above. There’s no clean ivory to be found here, no pristine columns of white bone...no. The things that arch with cruel elegance are bleeding things, draped with tattered flesh and weeping marrow. Unlike the forest you just left of stark obsidian, there’s ample room to maneuver the Metall Geschoss...so when November steadily brings the war machine to a halt, it’s for another reason entirely.

“Paloma’s coordinates indicate that Merkabah’s half a mile off.” She informs you, calling up from the tank’s depths. “You wanna make the same play as when we fought the Lancer? Scout, then artillery?”

“It’s not a bad one.” You admit, sizing up the unusual terrain as a pair of swarmlings clamber atop your shoulders, your hive gently humming with creative power. Amara hops down from the Geschoss’ turret, quickly followed in lock-step by her quintet of Joyous, with that troublesome pair lagging behind a bit, to their creator’s consternation. Francine dusts off her pants legs, and you offer a hand to Nerada as she’s about to jump down to join you. She hesitates, considering the appendage for a moment before she smiles, taking your hand and letting herself be assisted to your side as her expression shifts to a scowl.

“Distortion field in a two hundred meter radius around the Amalgam.” The young Hive Mistress suddenly announces. “Visuals are impaired...interesting.”

“Is breaching it possible?” Francine asks, and Nerada huffs.

“Give me enough time to observe it, and I’ll be immune to its effects.” Nerada dismisses, then adds; “Just me, though. It’s a...quirk of the Hive Mistress Halo.”

“Always gotta be fucking something, doesn’t it?” November dramatically sighs, ending with a chuckle as she turns to you. “So…”

“...what’cha got up your sleeve this time?

>>Use your swarm, Nerada’s shadows, and Amara’s Joyous to scout the situation as best you can before continuing on.

>>Pair off while scouting, and take (Write-In) with you for a chat while you cautiously get the lay of the land.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in four.)
>>
>>5070191
>“Distortion field in a two hundred meter radius around the Amalgam.” The young Hive Mistress suddenly announces. “Visuals are impaired...interesting.”

>Nerada suddenly using grammar and terms akin to a full grown adult despite physically being a 6-7 year old little girl

Yeah. I can see why her deepest wish is to return to being a little girl. Being forced to mature mentally to handle a stressful environment can lead to some serious cognitive and chronological dissonance.
>>
>>5070191
>First, instruct Amara to give all the scouts anti-skintalking protections as best she can, before going onto giving them to our party once the scouts head out.
>Use your swarm, Nerada’s shadows, and Amara’s Joyous to scout the situation as best you can before continuing on.
>While thats going on, speak to whoever is up for it.

My thought was either just casual talk with Nerada about whatever, or inquiring with Amara about her Clones. pretty sure we're being hinted at somethings starting to happen with some of them. whether its all that important or not is a different story.
>>
>>5070198
>>5070191

I'd pursue that angle of inquiring about Amara's clones slow onset of Lethargy. Because in all technicality, the clones are essentially replicas of Amara. the first sign of a clone acting lethargic staring at us is innocuous enough, but two of them growing lethargic is starting to worry me.

The cause of it could be anything however, from either passive hijacking to a clone exceeding its expected lifespan to slowly evolving beyond its expected role and diverging from its creator like how bhop hinting Sir FuzzBuzz's slow and steady evolution in sentience during the intermission thread.
>>
>>5070206
yeah that ones probably best.

>>5070191
>>5070198
amending to;
>While thats going on, speak to Amara. ask her in general how things are going, then bring up your questions about if she feels anything going on with her Clones, with said examples being given of them acting in ways that dont seem usual.
>Make sure to not worry her, and that you're not trying to, you're just curious if somethings going on with them unexpectedly, like with other Constructs you've seen become 'different' over time.
>>
>>5070191
>Just before the scarlet light of the fleshscape gives way to the umbral abyss, you catch it again…
>...a pair of glittering eyes staring up from below, an inscrutable feeling held tight in their unerring gaze.

>“Distortion field in a two hundred meter radius around the Amalgam.” The young Hive Mistress suddenly announces. “Visuals are impaired...interesting.”
>“Is breaching it possible?” Francine asks, and Nerada huffs.
>“Give me enough time to observe it, and I’ll be immune to its effects.” Nerada dismisses, then adds; “Just me, though. It’s a...quirk of the Hive Mistress Halo.”

Huh. So there's still a sign of Nerada's presence down in the tunnels, despite her being here with us, and Nerada is suddenly speaking much more technically. Is our "Nerada" actually just an extension of some greater bug hivemind? She does have an unlimited swarmling cap, after all, there's no reason why this has to be the real body and not an avatar made of her spider-motes. But she registered as having a soul in the Nullscape, and my current hypothesis is that Orwell didn't because she's a construct and her real body is in the Panopticon, so maybe I'm wrong. More data is required. But whatever it is, it's got me worried. Please don't turn out to be something dangerous, Nerada. It would just break my heart.
>>
>>5070191
Supporting >>5070198 >>5070222
>>
>>5070191
Supporting >>5070222
>>
>>5070226
i think she was just staring up at us from below in the tank again, given the wording and how she had just done that like a few seconds ago.
still creepy her eyes glow like that though.
>>
>>5070232
Oh, huh. Maybe. I just assumed the staring eyes were outside, since last time we opened up a Waystation we saw Nerada peering up from within, but it could have been coming from inside the tank. That would make it less creepy, if it was just the child suddenly acting out of character and not the child acting out of character and indicating that there's more of her lurking inside the Waystation network.

Come to think about it, it was probably this same Waystation, wasn't it? The descriptions fit, and I don't think there were any others mentioned as being closer than this one. Maybe Nerada just has a weird thing for this specific place?
>>
>>5070188
>>>THOUSAND’S MATRON (Hive Mistress Augmentation EVOLVED): Evidence of a bond forged through luck, goodwill, and trust, your swarm now actively evolves and grows the longer they are active. Members of your brood now gain a RAPIDLY mounting bonus to HEALTH, BIO, and stats that caps at ONE MONTH of uninterrupted growth, and may be CONSUMED after one day of existence to stave off Hunger, though this grants no levels. After ONE DAY of existence, your swarmlings also gain a number of bonuses related to evasion and tactical teamwork, which is boosted when paired with their other long-living fellows. Subsequent days also grant a variety of other bonuses, but these remain to be seen. Finally, your Swarm maximum has been raised by 10. They are still constructs, true…but in time, they can evolve into something more. (BIO +160%, BIO REGEN +40%)

Oh my. Sir Fuzz Buzz will have become quite the elite Veteran unit, especially with all of the augments and the Guardian's Heart implanted inside him. That goes for the rest of the Swarmlings that have gone dormant throughout the Crucible Landscape albeit to a lesser degree.

A question Bhop: Sir Fuzz Buzz is still with us right? And which swarmling of all of the constructs we have spawned is the oldest? How many swarmlings have we spawned are still out there albeit dormant?

>>5070226
>>5070232
well given the character image of Nerada's "face-claim" being Rumia from Touhou, and the fact that her hive is literally shadow bugs, it's pretty much Nerada looking at us intensely. She's pretty much one of the few daughters who has true darkvision. Keep in mind that with Nerada right next to us, she could have taken the opportunity to assassinate us the moment we entered the waystation tunnel due to how dark the place is, but she hasn't. So I'd say we keep maintaining her trust and treat her like a friend.

I'd still like to hold a conversation with Nerada to get her to open up a bit more, but it's also clear that she had to commit some heavy shit in order to get to where she was, given her implied fears spoken in the nullscape. Not so much as West or Mara's unrepentant skeleton closet, but something that Nerada regrets and fears being exposed and exiled for.
>>
>>5070236
I mean we know Nerada is to some degree putting on an act.
sure, her soul whispers made it clear she probably does indeed want to be friends with us, but her whiplash of acting from the tunnel to the city to now on top of her worries means shes probably still struggling with how to act, even after we told her she can just be herself. id actually not be surprised if part of the problem is she doesn't know what that is herself, given how long shes had to act tough out on her own against her own wishes.
>>
>>5070191
>Ask Amara to put on anti-skintalking protections on our constructs
>Spend time with Amara asking about how she and her Joyous many are holding up. You've noticed two of them are acting lethargic.
>Make sure to not worry her, and that you're not trying to, you're just curious if somethings going on with them unexpectedly, like with other Constructs you've seen become 'different' over time.
>"I don't know what's going on with your clones, but I'm sure with how long they've lived and how much they've seen in their travels, they're probably changing bit by bit over time like how Sir Fuzz Buzz has changed over time."
>"Isn't that right Sir Fuzz Buzz?"
I'm sure Sir Fuzz Buzz has grown enough and independent enough to develop quite the personality, and I hope he responds in his own way.
>>
>>5070242
>Oh my. Sir Fuzz Buzz will have become quite the elite Veteran unit, especially with all of the augments and the Guardian's Heart implanted inside him. That goes for the rest of the Swarmlings that have gone dormant throughout the Crucible Landscape albeit to a lesser degree.
Indeed. Also, Spirit Shells count as swarmlings, and we keep those things around forever, so our Dream Team is going to get majorly buff.

>Keep in mind that with Nerada right next to us, she could have taken the opportunity to assassinate us the moment we entered the waystation tunnel due to how dark the place is, but she hasn't. So I'd say we keep maintaining her trust and treat her like a friend.
True. I guess I just got worried by the implication she might be just a tiny offshoot of a colossal hive-mind. Got me into paranoia moment for a bit, there. But realizing that it was probably meant to be the same Nerada has me calming down.

>I'd still like to hold a conversation with Nerada to get her to open up a bit more, but it's also clear that she had to commit some heavy shit in order to get to where she was, given her implied fears spoken in the nullscape. Not so much as West or Mara's unrepentant skeleton closet, but something that Nerada regrets and fears being exposed and exiled for.
Yeah, she's definitely got some guilt over eating people. I wonder if she'd like a level of Spiritus Ex Testa? Being able to incarnate the people she's eaten back as people could help with guilt. It's okay, you just temporarily murdered them, they're all still around.

>>5070246
Yeah, it could just be her falling back on a more robotic demeanor to help in feeling nervous. I hope she feels safer eventually.
>>
>>5070242
(Yes, Sir FuzzBuzz is always by Amara's side. He is also the oldest Swarmling you have.)
>>
>>5070272
>>5070263

oh oh my. this gets me brain juice thinking.

We should create a dedicated Elite squad of swarmling classes that stays active on our swarmling roster to take advantage of the Thousand's Matron age bonus. Like a Dedicated Bishop class, a dedicated Rook Class, etc. why haven't we done this before?

Sir FuzzBuzz is a Knight class iirc...
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>>5070295
well, we actually talked about this when we made Mr.Kamakazi.
even before this upgrade there was no reason to do that, its just its hard to keep track of or really give ourselves a strong reason to try and keep them alive with how swarmlings work in part. its also just a difficult thing to remember to do and properly utilize.

so instead, it was more or less said its better to let situations and ideas flow into making specific unique swarmlings, over trying to keep track of and utilize nameless elites. letting an idea flow into a unique individual just fits us better both IC and OOC, and gives us better incentive to both use them and protect them, while otherwise its too easy to forget they exist or too easy to sacrifice them on accident or just out of perceived need.

also im not sure FuzzBuzz counts. hes technically not even 'ours' anymore due to his original intelligence and thus independence(sorta) coming from the relic heart.

>>5070272
speaking of, i forget, what IS FuzzBuzz? i know hes more than 'just a knight', but i forget what level? was it 3? 4? combined Knightlings? and i dont remember if we added something else to him? all i remember mildly is he had a very big mouth, but i dont remember if that was from an actual addition or just the fact hes technically at least as big if not bigger than Amara.
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>>5070295
Mostly because we burn through them quickly, and before this upgrade it just took too long for swarmlings to mature. But now it's much faster, so we should do that. Keep a bunch of swarmlings down in the basement maturing in cocoons (technically unnecessary, but would be a good aesthetic), that we can hatch and bring out for when we're expecting a tough fight.

>>5070311
>speaking of, i forget, what IS FuzzBuzz? i know hes more than 'just a knight', but i forget what level? was it 3? 4? combined Knightlings? and i dont remember if we added something else to him? all i remember mildly is he had a very big mouth, but i dont remember if that was from an actual addition or just the fact hes technically at least as big if not bigger than Amara.
I found the thread where we made him, the one right after the post-Spiraling Fear party. Sir FuzzBuzz is a triple-Knight Nommling.

Also, he does count for Thousand's Matron. I remember us applying the upgrade to him back during Laoc, before Ziz Hunger-bombed the place.
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>>5070320
yes, i know he counts for Matrons and has the upgrade.
however thats because he was still our swarmling template. he still has the heart that cut him off from our swarmling count and gave him a level of independence though, and on top of that hes Amaras pet/Guardian so my point was not about whether he could get any buffs or such from us, but that counting him as our Knightling Variant for any such 'elite squad' probably wouldn't work due to those factors, aswell as probably wouldn't want to use him like that anyhow.
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>>5070191

“Amara, I’d like for you to give all of our scouts anti-Skintalking protection. We’ll be sending out my swarm, your Joyous, and Nerada’s swarm, if she’s willing.” You say, your question answered by a solemn nod from your fellow Hive Mistress. “Excellent, thank you. Once the vanguards are covered, then I’d like for you to weave those same protections onto us.”

Amidst the towering arches of bloody ribs, your and your family set to work; November, Francine, then Nerada are summarily chanted over by a series of wards, Amara’s Lexicon rolling off her tongue with practiced ease. Nerada indicates that a buff on her is a buff on her swarm, and just before your ward begins to mutter over her peer, you see Nerada’s form shudder. It’s such a subtle undulation of biomass that you’d have missed it, if you hadn’t been watching her keenly. Her eyes meet yours, and Nerada puts on a smile.

You’re the last in line as you present your assorted scouts for inspection and summary warding, watching as Amara repeats the syllables she’s uttered repeatedly over the last few minutes. Her Joyous have already tottered off on their own assigned missions, and with november and Francine speaking near the Geschoss, while Nerada’s sitting cross-legged on a nearby ridge of bone, you take a moment to carefully bring up something to your little one that you couldn’t help but notice.

“How’re you feeling, sweetie?” You ask, watching the last of her clones glance back towards you with half-lidded eyes before disappearing into the maze of curved calcite.

“Great!” She grins, and then—glancing behind her and muttering the same words she spoke before your private talk at the ikea—leans in conspiratorially. “I told Nerada that you told me what you saw, about how she felt like she had to hide who she was. And that she was scared we wouldn’t like her.”

“And?” You prompt. “What did she say?”

“She just said ‘I see’, but she seemed really relieved!” The young girl declares with a satisfied smile.

“That’s good.” You hum, glancing at the back of Nerada’s head before voicing your next observation. “By the way, do you feel anything going on with your Joyous?”

Amara’s brow furrows as she fixes you with a puzzled expression. “…No? Why?”

“I’ve just noticed a pair of them seem pretty lethargic, is all…it’s probably nothing to worry about, but I just wanted to ask. Besides, it’s probably got something to do with them being active for so long, so don’t fret.” You smile, ruffling your little one’s hair and prompting a light giggle. “I'm sure with how long they've lived and how much they've seen in their travels, they're probably changing bit by bit over time like how Sir Fuzz Buzz has changed."

You turn to her fuzzy guardian with a grin as you add; "Isn't that right Sir Fuzz Buzz?"

At that, the chubby swarmling issues a low, throaty hum.

…huh.

(Continued)
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>>5070420

With your preparations made, your scouts take flight as you take a seat next to Nerada, the young girl just staring straight ahead, and yet gazing upon nothing. Your swarm are your eyes and ears, now, and it’s in this moment that you feel an odd sort of camaraderie with your fellow Hive Mistress.

Shutting your eyes and taking a breath, your senses spread throughout your brood as they flit above the titanic ribs that dot the landscape, bared like fangs at the heavens above. A quick glance below shows thick shadows darting between patches of shade, diving underground and leaving no trace of their burrowing as you and Nerada pilot your swarms to a thing that defies easy explanation. A sphere of static sits in the middle of this sea of bone and gristle, an impenetrable ball of greys and whites that pulses silently around the ruins of a settlement long since lost. The dark swarm below you join with a handful of wisps that Nerada had sent out at some point earlier, amassing into a pool of darkness that hang in the shadows of the flayed rub cages.

“It’s biomass. Paper-thin, but still.” Nerada says softly, her voice sounding like she’s even closer than arm’s reach. “Neuromancy and Flesh Artisanry merged to make a perception shield. It’ll know the second we approach or try to pierce through in our current state.”

“Think it’s breachable by artillery?” You ask, and you feel Nerada shrug.

“Probably. Give me a few minutes longer and I can tell you if that’ll work.”

“How’s that?”

Nerada lets out a sharp breath, almost like a huff before she responds to your question. “If I observe a target for long enough, I can start to see what they can do. It’s their basic information first—stats, resistances, weaknesses. Then the types of their powers, after a few minutes. After about half an hour, I see their Core and any augmentations they have. The exact wording, and their limits. One hour in…I see everything they can do. No exceptions.”

“Impressive…is that another part of your Halo?”

She’s quiet for a heartbeat or two before she responds. “No. It’s Neuromancy that I wrapped into my Core. The longer I wait, the more I know.”

“Seems like playing the long game’s your specialty.” You say, impressed. “That’s pretty powerful.”

“…Yeah.” Nerada replies, the single syllable a punctuation before a thoughtful silence settles between the two of you. As tempting as it is to go with the tried-and-true method that felled the Lancer, you’re dealing with a very different sort of beast here…

>>Start with an artillery strike at the field, then follow it up with an all-out assault.

>>Attempt communication with Merkabah, with a long-range bombardment at the ready.

>>Give Nerada some time to passively gather more intel, and speak with one or more of your allies while you wait.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Apologies for the delay, Everyone. Voting shall remain open for the next two hours, with posting to resume in three.)

(Thank you for your patience, and I do hope your day is going well!)
>>
>>5070422
vote;
>Give Nerada some time to passively gather more intel, and speak with one or more of your allies while you wait.
>Assuming its not too distracting, shoot the casual breeze with Nerada. Ask her how shes holding up, and let her lead the conversation from there, assuming shes willing.
>>If Nerada needs her concentration or space, check up on November and her tank driving buddy, see how shes handling herself. this is the first times shes loaded herself up with her own creations before, so maybe that will bring something new to light?

not like the things going anywhere, and we dont have an opportunity to know what to expect very often.
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>>5070420
>Nerada indicates that a buff on her is a buff on her swarm, and just before your ward begins to mutter over her peer, you see Nerada’s form shudder. It’s such a subtle undulation of biomass that you’d have missed it, if you hadn’t been watching her keenly. Her eyes meet yours, and Nerada puts on a smile.
Huh. That was weird. Nerada, please stop doing things that give me paranoia.

>>5070422
Speaking of: That pic's title is giving me paranoia that there's something steganographically hidden in the static. BHOP's used the image insert to drop clues before. I'm not seeing anything when I try to use it as a magic eye painting, though, and more complex steganography is beyond me. Maybe I'm just jumping at shadows, and it's nothing more than a reference to the Merkabah hiding itself behind the static-patterned shell.

>>Give Nerada some time to passively gather more intel, and speak with one or more of your allies while you wait.
>Francine, get her opinion on the Merkabah.
>>
>>5070422
>>Give Nerada some time to passively gather more intel, and speak with one or more of your allies while you wait.
>>
>>5070477
(What ally would you like to speak with? With this option, Nerada, November, Amara, and Francine are immediately available, though you can talk to practically any of your allies via Commlings if you so choose.)
>>
(Finishing up writing now, everyone. Thank you for bearing with me.)
>>
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>>5070422

“Do you need to concentrate?” You ask, not wanting to distract the young girl while her power does its work. “I can leave you to it if I’d be a distraction.“

“No. It’s a passive.” Nerada answers tautly, her voice held level. “It’s fine.”

Silence, yet again. After a few moments to waiting for her to speak, you open your mouth to voice a casual question before the next five words she utters freeze you in place.

“I was going to kill you.”

You turn to meet her eyes, and she’s just staring at you coldly, her face a mask of quiet contempt held over emotions you know all too well.

Rage. Disgust. Disappointment.

All of it boiling beneath the skin of a girl less than half your age, bubbling beneath a face that she’s holding as still as she can…but killing intent?

There’s none to be found in the cesspool of emotions that flit across the face of the girl before you.

“I don’t understand you.” She says, her lips frozen in place, unmoving…and it hits you. Her voice. So clear, so close.

She’s in your ears.

Your fingers twitch as your hip, grazing the warmth of the Hexane Contender, but the absence of a familiar pressure makes your blood run cold.

“Your family’s version is called Pilferer’s Palm.” She says, the swarm that makes up her body rippling as she produces the Escher’s Gear, staring down at the alabaster Relic in her hands as she speaks directly into your ear canal. “You didn’t have any countermeasures, though. No failsafes. Nothing.”

Nerada shakes her head with a wry chuckle.

“I thought to myself, ‘maybe she’s just fucking with me.’ Shu's the one everyone says is going to save the world, she can't be this soft. Maybe she saw what I was thinking when she was in my head. On the rooftop, I thought you had me. Dead to rights, just…toying with me. Playing with her prey. I thought, *this*. This is the woman that can save the world.” She continues, staring out into the forest of marrow as the skin of her arm shimmers with a thousand eyes trained on you, too small to see. “Then...nothing. You hugged me. I ate some Froot Loops. It was all so dumb. When you all were talking in your room, I watched. Through the Joyous Amara sent out to explore the city. You sent for me, and I thought it was some kind of game you were playing…then I watched as you sent away the two people who could’ve stood a chance of beating me. Not one. BOTH. I don’t get it.”

The girl beside you looses a cold breath of laughter. “You’re nuts.”

”…How old are you, really?” You breathe, mind racing as you carefully eye Escher’s Gear, held lightly between Nerada’s frail fingers.

“Ten. Chro…Crano… She mutters, her upper lip curling as she trips over her words. “I woke up when I was eight.”

“You said you ‘were’ going to kill me. What changed?”

“I was expecting…I ‘dunno. A challenge, maybe?” She answers, coldly.

(Continued)
>>
>>5070600

“I thought you’d be one when I watched you fight Lancer.” Nerada continues, her eyes locking back onto yours. “You were pretty good. I thought you were sharp. Then, in the city…bating you out, seeing who moved first, and where…it’s not you. Your followers. That’s where the power is. I knew, if I fought all of you at once, that I’d probably lose.”

“So, in the city…it was all an act, then?” You ask, keeping your tone steadier than your pulse.

“Not many teams have girls my age. I figured you were either a predator or an idiot, so I played the game. Acted the age I woke up at. And it worked. And, well…” She shrugs. “…you’re not a predator.”

“Then why the play acting? It’s pretty clear you could’ve killed me or mine at several points. We gave you plenty of chances, albeit unknowingly.” You say, your line of questioning the sort of ‘grim casual’ you’re unfortunately used to. “If you were planning to climb the Cord after killing us, then-“

“There’s no point. Marrow Dragoon and West are already there, and they’re waiting for you. Even if I were dumb enough to climb, I’m not *that* stupid.” She says pointedly, testing the weight of the Relic in one hand as she holds your gaze. “At first, I wanted to see what the second-strongest Hive mistress was like. If I could eat you, then I'd have three Halos, and maybe I could just end all of this sooner rather than later. And then I thought that if Mara was waiting for you to climb, then killing you would make her pull the plug on this whole thing…but now? The savior of the world. The one everyone’s hanging their hopes on…she’s…”

She sighs, staring off into the woods; ”…she’s the kind of person who’d let danger just walk in her front door.”

You open your mouth to speak, but Nerada’s already rising to her feet, bringing herself eye level to you. “I’m ready to talk to your people and Amara about the thing’s weaknesses. I’ll help you kill the Mersh…Merk…Mercur…that Amalgam, and then I’m out of here.”

The two of you just stare at each other for a long moment, and then—

“You and Amara…the rest of your people? They’re going to die…” Nerada practically spits, and with a slow, deliberate motion, she places Escher’s Gear back in your lap.

“…because you’re going to get them killed.”

>>”If that’s how you feel? Very well.” (Confer with your allies and learn the Merkabah’s abilities.)

>>”…Why do you care, Nerada? Why not just walk away? Why tell me any of this?”

>>”My entire family is dangerous, Nerada...and they’re the sort of people I hold door open for. For people like you.”

>>”…Why are you disappointed, really? Nothing I’ve done has been out of character, far from it. So why are you so angry, Nerada?”

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next four hours, with posting to resume tomorrow at 10AM, Eastern time. Thank you for your time, participation, and enthusiasm, and I wish you a restful evening, one and all.)
>>
>>5070604
vote;
>Give her a smile.
>"no, if we're going to die, then its a decision we'll have made together."
>"Because long ago we decided to live for something, not to just survive for the sake of it, as theres nothing sadder than surviving without reason. not even death."
>chuckle, and stand up to walk with her to the others.
>"every one of them knows that down to the core of their heart. Why wouldn't they? none of us would be alive right now if we didn't."
>"And I hope one day you'll give us a chance, a real chance, to show you what that really means..."
>"...but until then, thank you for caring enough about us to get angry over this. It shows you care, whether you'll admit to it or not, and that means just as much to me as your honesty here did."
>"You're welcome to leave, just as much stay, and if you ever want our company again, know we're willing to offer it."
>Look her in the eyes, and shrug.
>"I know Amara will miss you, so can you at least promise me not to leave her without saying goodbye?"

>Regardless of her answer, meet with your team to discuss the Amalagams weaknesses.

whew, i knew she had to have a different side to her, but shes pretty brutally honest.
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>>5070605
thanks for running.
heres a cute comic i found earlier to round out your day.
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>>5070609
(Ah, delightful. Thank you for sharing - I've been grappling with a bit of a cold, so this is a wonderful balm for my addled head.)
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>>5070604
Fuck this little shit. I show plenty of caution around you, but because we temper it with compassion you treat us like we're some naive idiots? No, fuck you, that's not the sort of idiot I am. I'm the sort of impulsive idiot that does things like this.

>>Write-In
>Dump an entire cylinder of B.33 rounds into Nerada from point blank, gluing her down with the honey explosion.
>Call to November: "Shell my position, now!"
>Sling back with a Hundred-Hands chain. Engage for battle. New target: Nerada.
>>
>>5070657
Okay, no, that's petty and childish. I'm sorry, ignore that vote. I just needed to express some frustration.
>>
>>5070657
>>5070661
(No, I completely understand. Nothing wrong with venting frustration in a safe space, my friend.)
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>>5070665
That's kind of you to say, but no, it was petty. No need to ruin everyone else's questing with my anger.

I'm just really angry with Nerada. I liked her, but now she's doing this smug "I could have killed you at any time, the only reason I didn't is because I wanted to laugh at your naivety" schpiel. There's a contrarian part of me that responds to something like that with "no, you could not, let me demonstrate". Grab back the pride that I feel has been injured. But no, that's stupid, and wouldn't make sense for Shu to do. I'll try to think of a proper write-in.
>>
>>5070657
>>5070661
whew.
you do what you gotta do man.
Im mad at her too to be honest, i just thought it was both more in line with Shu and also actually more a middle finger to her to basically brush off what she said as her just being wrong. show her we dont care if thats what she thinks, and we're not gonna let her get under our skin because she didnt say anything worth letting get under our skin.
I could go on a long spiel discussing what she said and such, but its not worth it. we know where we stand, and we have never even thought it wasn't flawed anyways. its just we have things worth making mistakes for, and nothing she says will change that.
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>>5070604
Damn. Guess it was too much to hope that Nerada would be an otherwise normal kid; she's like ice. Let's do everything we can to prove her wrong.

I'll second this:

>>5070608
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>>5070604
>>Write-In
>"Yeah, maybe. Hey, can you answer a question for me, Nerada, since you're being so honest about your thoughts now? How long have you been following us?"
>"I mean, you already knew about my reputation and my relationship with Mara. And you somehow knew about Julia having Pilferer's Palm, despite only ever talking to her over the phone. It only makes sense if you've been shadowing us for a while."
>"You didn't need this little pretense in order to find out about me and mine. You've been watching for a long time now, and with the level of investment you clearly have you should know what sort of person I am already."
>"So what's the real reason you bothered with all this?"

Yeah, this is probably completely wrong, but my mind is fixating on the fact that she knew about Pilferer's Palm. I can't help but feel like what she's saying now is just another layer of bullshit to mislead us about what she's really thinking. She has to have been studying us for a while, this whole "play act as a cute sad girl who just wants to make friends" plan can't have been for what she's saying it was for.
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>>5070760
gah.
see, the question you're putting forth here is a really good one to ask, but i also like the point im trying to get across in mine.
>>
>>5070760
>>5070788
(I'm open to blending the two, if both of you are.)

(I can try my hand at it or you can wrest the best version between you. Whatever you wish.)
>>
>>5070836
I'm fine with combination, I agree that both "morally, I feel that if I've started seeing malice in the actions of a lonely ten year-old I've failed anyway" and "but no, really, what are you actually here for" both are important to say. I'm trying to stitch them, give me a bit.
>>
>>5070836
yeah, feel free to combine them BHOP.
ill also wait to see what >>5070840
comes up with, but even if i dont end up with time to discuss his ideas you at least have my go ahead to try your own hand at it.
>>
Serves us right, to be honest. I like how OP just warned us that people are not always nice. Maybe in trying to distance ourselves from Sam, or at some other point, this became muh eldritch cute girls friendship simulator, and it is all our fault.
Truly, what differentiates us is our willingness to solve problems in a compassionate manner, but let's try not to be such bumblefucks around unknown people that are explicitly stated to be *dangerous*, hm?
This world is not a nice place, and we cannot so easily differentiate friend and foe.
>>
I need to walk away from this. I'm getting pissed off again. >>5070842, sorry, I'm probably not going to finish a stitch-together in time for the deadline, we'll just have to trust in BHOP.
>>
>>5070878
(No worries, I'll be happy to weave them both in.)
>>
>>5070878
I understand, but thanks for trying.

>>5070861
eh, if you read back we were plenty careful with her. we gave her a proper chance with our guard down when she gave us a reason to take it properly.
at the end of the day if someones going to try and stab us in the back, they're going to try and stab us in the back. but if we're always only worrying about that then we never would've made most of the allies we have.
>>
Back from work.

9.5 hours of hell. And I already missed out on the voting window for an update that demands a heart-to-heart answer to a girl that's quite the foil to Shu.

The worst part is that I have to repeat this again for weeks until the end of the year because Americans are consumerist idiots.
>>
>>5071088
(I'm so sorry you have to deal with such hellish shifts, my friend. Please take care of yourself.)
>>
>>5071088
Ouch. Sorry you're working retail in the Christmas season, anon. It is truly awful.
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>>5070883
Hey, BHOP, I know it's late, but this started nagging at me when I tried to get to sleep: when you're combining the write-ins, can you make mine >>5070760 less glib? I feel like that was silly of me and mostly a result of how annoyed I am with Nerada. I don't think Shu would phrase it like that, she'd be more concerned with asking why Nerada cares and less with dismissing what Nerada had to say. The "yeah, sure, I could die, whatever" stuff at the beginning is making me cringe now.
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>>5071096
It's worse than retail. I have to work at Fedex handling all the online orders and shit.

>>5070680
>>5070691
I'll be honest with you folks. I'm not sure how to react with Nerada's reveal of her cold killer persona. I can very much understand the anger shared by the two of you. But on the other hand, I personally feel that anger is very much a moot point. Shu's been betrayed before, she knows what it's like. She can also somewhat relate with Nerada given Shu's own experiences with Isabelle. At the same time, even if Nerada were to pull her planned assassination/betrayal reveal, it's pretty much on us. As for me personally, I sort of expected it, and the whole work dissonance has given me that emotional distance where I feel pretty much calm looking at the situation.

As for my response to Nerada's cold retort, I know it's super late, but I'll spend time to write it down as a vote and hope Bhop can figure out how to weave it in in the morning.
>>
>>5071114
(I'll be more than happy to, as it's probably going to be a pretty sizable update anyway. Also, not sure what I was thinking about the voting times given that you've kept us all well-informed regarding your crazy work schedule, so I'm sorry for making the voting times needlessly short. Considering I've been wrapping around 5 or 6 PM my time, would leaving voting open for eight hours or so work better for you?)

>>5071110
(I'm happy to, and thank you for asking. Guidance on tone and the like in write-ins is actually really helpful, since I can sometimes approach a write-in with a tone that the writer didn't necessarily intend.)
>>
>>5071138
It works for me. I'm still in the midst of formulating my response, although I'll have to be quick about it as the topic transition is pretty hard.
>>
>>5070604
>Let out a small sigh of relief. give Nerada a warm albeit slightly melancholy smile.
>"Long ago I-no. We, my friends, my family. We decided to live for something, to make something out of this life. Not to just survive for the sake of it."
>"There's nothing sadder than surviving without reason. not even death."
>"every one of them knows that down to the core of their heart. Why wouldn't they? none of us would be alive right now if we didn't."
>"Rath wouldn't have been able to reunite with her aunt, Dorian wouldn't have found love in Julia, Francine and Snowbird wouldn't have found the opportunity to explore their individuality, the Midnight Crew wouldn't have made it this far as well."
>"Amara wouldn't have had the chance to have a second mother in me and made a new friend in you."
>"We all decided to take this second chance and live life anew despite the hellish environment, and so we hoped to give others a chance to do the same and put their best foot forward, instead of pointlessly fighting and killing in a no-man's battlefield for the sake of a greater being's machinations."
>"I can understand where you're coming from Nerada."
>"My first friend was just like you."
>"Even I don't think I'm up for the job of saving the world."
>"If I fail, then I'll fail."
>"If I succeed, then I'll succeed."
>"If my friends and family sacrifice themselves to give me a chance to end it all, then it's their decision. I can't influence them nor control them. I gave up that power."
>"If we're going to die, then it's a decision we'll have made together."
>"And even if we fail, we'll have lived a life full of hopes and second chances, having been able to carve A small moment of paradise in this hellish life. Small slice of pre-crucible normalcy in hell, no matter how small that slice of life is in comparison to the Crucible's hellish environment."

>"But I do have to ask."

>"If you wanted a fight, you could've asked. If you wanted to join us in family time, you could have also asked."
>"And yet despite accepting my offer of hospitality, breaking bread with you, and playing with my daughter in a foot race. You're angry. You're disappointed."
>"You didn't need this little pretense in order to find out about me and mine. You've been watching for a long time now, and with the level of investment you clearly have you should know what sort of person I am already."
>"So what's the real reason you bothered with all this? "
>"You're welcome to leave, just as much stay, and if you ever want our company again, know we're willing to offer that small slice of normalcy."
>"...but regardless, thank you for caring enough about us to get angry over this. It shows you care, whether you'll admit to it or not, and that means just as much to me as your honesty here did."
>"If you do decide to leave, can you at least promise me not to leave her without saying goodbye? Amara will miss you."

>Regardless of her answer, meet with your team to discuss the Amalgam's weaknesses.
>>
>>5071199
>>5070604
Blergh, I wanted to type more but character limits and time limits are a thing. And yet I can't help but feel that my write-in is like a giant mash up of words, grammar errors, and half-formed reasons and intentions behind the words. But the main point I wanted to include is to touch upon Nerada's lost childhood, her hidden desire for pre-crucible normalcy spoken by her soul in the nullscape, and the reason we're this...blase about the whole thing in addition to asking why Nerada's angry about our personality. We offer her a chance to be part of a family who strives to carve a small comfy slice of life in the time we have before the final journey. And yet she's angry, so we can't help but ask why.

And I also want to make some edits as there are things that I want to amend
like this line
>"If you do decide to leave, can you at least promise me not to leave her without saying goodbye? Amara will miss you."
into
>"If you do decide to leave, can you at least promise me not to leave here without saying goodbye to Amara? She'll miss you."

And add
>"Why the anger?"
after
>"And yet despite accepting my offer of hospitality, breaking bread with you, and playing with my daughter in a foot race. You're angry. You're disappointed."
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>>5071208
>>5071199
>>5070605
>>5071138
feel free to pick and choose what lines you find fitting in my write-in.
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>>5070600
My reaction reading this for the first time is pick related. But it does show that showing kindness an altruism to people that still have emotions makes it very hard for them just switch into killer mode.

Am >>5065142
On phone. Sadly i did not have time the last few days to participate. The new relics are nice and they were put to good use.
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(Putting the last touches on the post now, Everyone. Thank you for your patience, and I'll be posting in the next fifteen minutes.)
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>>5070604

The Contender’s warm, at your hip.

In this moment, you’re so keenly aware of your family members, scattered around you. Snatches of November and Francine’s conversation by the Geschoss are filtered through your heartbeat hammering in your ears, and when Francine laughs at one of November’s terrible jokes, something clenches deep in your chest. Amara’s standing still, a few long meters off. Her sword’s sheathed in her hands, her cat ears raked back, aimed away from the forest of calcite and towards you. She’s so young...and already so amazing.

It’s not so strange, then, that as the fingers of your left hand curl around Escher’s Gear that your right hand wants nothing more than to draw. To aim. To pull.

To fire, at the little monster that stands over you.

Anger boils, then simmers, pushed aside by reason in the face of a child that would dare threaten your family. But there's something here, the strand of a thing you seek to pull at, to disentangle. Her examples are threadbare, and her reasoning frayed. Nerada’s not telling you the whole story.

You take a breath and, just like this girl did for the sake of a lie, you do the same for the truth.

You put on a smile.

“No...if we're going to die, then it's a decision we'll have made together."

Nerada’s face briefly contorts into a twisted thing of disgusted confusion before she collects herself enough to utter a single word; “Why?”


"Because long ago, we decided to live for something, not to just survive for the sake of it. There's nothing sadder than surviving without reason...not even death.” You explain, your final three words curling into a fist that’s driven into Nerada’s chest. You’re not sure why she seems so taken aback by your rather simple declaration, but nonetheless she drags in a shuddering breath as you chuckle.

“Every one of them knows that down to the core of their heart. Why wouldn't they? None of us would be alive right now if we didn't.” Comes your earnest confession as Nerada tries to keep her face hard, despite her emotions roiling just beneath her pale exterior. “Rath wouldn't have been able to reunite with her aunt, Dorian wouldn't have found love in Julia, Francine and Snowbird wouldn't have found the opportunity to explore their individuality, the Midnight Crew wouldn't have made it this far as well."

You look over at Amara, her ears still raked back, sword held at the ready.

"...and Amara wouldn't have had the chance to have a second mother in me, and made a new friend in you."

When your eyes meet Nerada’s, doubt supplants disappointment, rage giving way to regret for just a moment as it dawns on her just what she stands to lose by lashing out, here and now.

(Continued)
>>
Just had a thought here: What if one of the reasons that Nerada is so angry at us is because she can't figure out our motivations as easily as other people due to the madman's diary relic we used ages ago? The one that hides what our intentions and combat actions are? She can easily figure out other peoples intentions, or at least think she can, and they haven't been positive to her, so when she comes across someone who is being actually nice to her but can't figure them out, it scares and stresses her out a lot?

In other words, she's got control and trust issues and thinks we're planning to hurt her somehow, even though we clearly haven't taken any actions to support that. A clash of sorts.
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>>5071460

"We all decided to take this second chance and live life anew despite this hellish environment, and so we hoped to give others a chance to do the same and put their best foot forward, instead of pointlessly fighting and killing in a no-man's battlefield for the sake of some ‘greater being's’ machinations." You say, and you can tell by Nerada’s expression that despite her insistence, she’s fallen into the same spiral of pointless violence that she derided only moments before. Fighting for the sake of fighting...it’s all she’s done, up until now. You’ve embraced a different path, one she’d convinced herself wasn’t an option in a world gone mad.

Two years, wasted on the wrong choice. A fifth of her life, squandered on loneliness and bloodshed...and furious that she’s nnow seeing she could have made a different choice.

A painfully familiar mistake, that one.

"I can understand where you're coming from Nerada...my first friend was just like you." You say, and you can tell by her shift in expression that Nerada knows enough about you to make the connection. "I’ll be as honest with you as you’ve been with me—even I don't think I'm up for the job of saving the world. If I fail, then I'll fail. If I succeed, then I'll succeed."

“And what about her!?” Nerada roars in your skull, blindly gesturing to Amara. “Are you just gonna drag her off to die with you, or are you going to abandon her?! Which is it?! I thought the savior of the world would be better than this!”

Ah...another piece of the puzzle, slotting into place.

"If my friends and family sacrifice themselves to give me a chance to end it all, then it's their decision. I can't influence them nor control them. I gave up that power.”

“You did, and that’s insane!” Nerada lashes out, her shrill voice piercing into your ears. “When I heard about you, and everything you’d done, I hoped that...fuck! I don’t know! I thought you’d be strong! Stronger than me! Stronger than anyone! But now I see you’re just a...a person. Someone who’s too nice to actually make good on what you say you’ll do! You’re going to just get you and Amara killed, and for what?!”

"Like I said; if we're going to die, then it's a decision we'll have made together." You counter, your measured calm serving to exasperate the younger girl even further. “And even if we fail, we'll have lived a life full of hopes and second chances, having been able to carve a small moment of paradise in this hellish life. A small slice of pre-crucible normalcy in hell...no matter how small that slice of life is in comparison to the Crucible's hell."

“...normalcy.” Nerada echoes under her breath, turning the word over in her mind as her anger falters, for just a moment.

(Continued)
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>>5071465

“I hope one day you'll give us a chance, a real chance, to show you what that really means...but until then?” You say, with a smile and a shrug. “Thank you for caring enough about us to get angry over this. It shows you care, whether you'll admit to it or not, and that means just as much to me as your honesty here did."

Nerada opens her mouth to speak, then closes it, opting to speak directly into your ear through the fraction of her swarm that’s nestled there. “I don’t get you. Why are you so ca-?”

“If we’re being completely honest with each other right now, then I’d like to ask you a question.” You softly interrupt, keeping the younger girl off-balance as you rise to your feet, slipping the Gear into your pocket. “If you wanted a fight, you could've asked. If you wanted to join us in family time, you could have also asked. And yet despite accepting my offer of hospitality, breaking bread with you, and playing with my daughter in a foot race. You're angry. You're disappointed. Why the anger?”

“...huh?” She inelegantly utters aloud.

"You already knew about my reputation and my relationship with Mara.” You continue, voice level in the face of the agitated young girl that stands defiantly before you. “And you somehow knew about Julia having Pilferer's Palm, despite only ever talking to her over the phone. It only makes sense if you've been shadowing us for a while."

“...Since Laoc.” She finally replies, her mouth shut tight as the syllables echo in your skull. “I left before the riot. I saw Julia and Mister Dorian. They seemed...I followed them. Watched for a while, then left. When I came back, you and the others were wrapping up. Why?”

"You didn't need the pretense in order to find out about me and mine.” Comes your reply, not so much an answer as a statement of raw, incontrovertible fact. “You've been watching for a long time now, and with the level of investment you clearly have you should know what sort of person I am already, so…”

You gaze bores into hers, soft but unblinking.

“...what's the real reason you bothered with all this?"

“I...I wanted to see what you were like for real.” Comes her hollow reply, indignant that you wouldn’t take her earlier grandiose words at face value, revealing just how empty they really are.

You suppose that, for a moment, you forgot who you were dealing with. You've faced many threats, adversaries whose convictions drove them to monstrous deeds and over the precipice of madness. But this girl...she has rage, disappointment, and sorrow in spades. Yet she lacks conviction, a clear reason that she’s fully aware of. She opens her mouth once more, a small, quiet sound coming out as Nerada grasps at straws.

“I-”

“You wanted to know what it was like, right?” Calls out the girl that’s been listening this entire time, finally turning on her heel to face you and Nerada. “To be part of a real family?”

(Continued)
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>>5071466

Amara comes to your side, sword held loose but ready as Nerada’s mask slips into an expression of complete and utter horror, shame swiftly supplanting the anger she held only moments before.

“You...I didn't think you...how much did you hear of what I said?!” Nerada sputters, eyes wide and transfixed on your daughter who simply shrugs as Sir Fuzz Buzz hovers protectively beside her.

“Enough.” Amara replies softly, her scabbard held at her side. “Enough to know you’re really mad, but I don’t think it’s fair to point it all at Mom. She was just being herself.”

“I’m sorry, I...I didn’t mean for you to hear-” The preteen Hive Mistress pleads, all pretence of power abandoned as apologies stream from her lips.

“I’m not mad.” Amara says...then she squints, her lips pursed as she clarifies; “Well...I *was* mad, but after I stopped wanting to stab you, I realized that you’re actually a lot like me!”

“What are you talking about?” Breathes Nerada.

“Your eyes look like mine used to...in my reflections.” Amara replies, her voice slipping into the past for a moment before anchoring to the present. “You’re alone, but you don’t have to be. It’s a choice.”

“You don’t know what I’ve been through.” Nerada growls, her countenance shifting into a defensive rage. “You don’t know what I had to do to get here.”

“You’re right. I don’t.” Amara admits. She’s quiet for a long moment, and you can feel her take a steadying breath before she speaks again. "When I was finally alone at home...men came. Men in suits, and I jumped from my window and ran. I wandered for a long time, and then the Crucible came when I was just trying to find a place to stay warm.”

Whatever high horse Nerada was riding has toppled over, leaving the young girl at a loss for words as Amara lets out a weak chuckle.

“It’s kinda weird, seeing my reflection in the Joyous. I used to see myself in windows, mirrors, and stuff...after a while, I didn’t look like me. I looked more like them. Empty, and...so I try to send them out to see fun things! I send them out in pairs, too, so they don’t feel lonely! As for me...”

Amara takes your hand, curling her fingers around yours, yet never once breaking eye contact with Nerada.

“...I have Mom. And you could, too! She’s there for all of us, and we’re there for her when she’s hur-”

“Don’t you get it?!” Nerada screeches, her sudden exclamation drawing the attention of the two adults just a short distance away. “She’s not special! She’s not stronger than me!”

You hold out a hand behind you to give your other allies pause as Nerada shrieks; “She’s going to leave you! She’ll always be a disappointment, and she WILL leave you! That’s what they do!”

Amara’s breath hitches in her throat, and just as you’re about to intercede, she squeezes your hand and says, simply;

“...She might. And that’s okay.”

(Continued)
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>>5071470

Amara’s calm acceptance is like a lance speared through the other girl’s chest, ripping the breath from her lungs.

“I was really worried about it...so when Mom asked me about how I felt? I told her.” Your daughter explains to the incredulous Hive Mistress. “If you know how you feel? Tell us! We’ll listen. And if you don’t...tell us anyway! A lot of the time I don’t know exactly how I’m feeling until I start talking about it. Things get all fuzzy if you keep them inside for too long, so Mom’s shown me that it’s best to fudge thr-!”

“Please, just...stop.” Nerada pleads, and for all the girl’s masks and bluster, she now stands before as she truly is...what you thought she was, and what she’s clearly tried so hard not to be.

A sad, lonely little girl, wandering without purpose at the end of the world.

When she heard of you, she dared to hope, like so many do. Of a messiah, of a leader that would carve a path with humanity’s best wishes in mind. And then she met you, and you didn’t meet the definition of strength she’d build up in her head, a paradigm she’d convinced herself was the only way.

You showed her there was a different path...one that, if she accepted it, would mean admitting that almost a quarter of her life had been wasted on a fixable problem.

You being here, happy and whole, means that she is wrong.

“I don’t want to be here anymore.” She whines, arms curling around her slight frame as pride and longing grapple in her head.

"You're welcome to leave, just as much as you’re welcome to stay.” You offer, calmly. “If you ever want our company again, always know we're willing to offer it. No exceptions.”

Her incredulous gaze meets your accepting one, and you merely shrug. ""If you do decide to leave, can you at least promise me not to leave here without saying goodbye to Amara? She'll miss you."

At that, Nerada looks like she’s a hair’s breadth from bursting into tears.

“I really would.” The girl by your side confirms, hesitating a moment before she adds; “I’m...I’m sorry if I showed you too many memes! I just really really wanted to share them, but you can show me anything you want!”

“No, they...they didn’t make a lot of sense, but...I had…”

Nerada goes quiet, her firsts clenching and relaxing at her side as she wrestles with what it is she truly desires. She doesn’t leave you waiting long before she looks back up at you with a resigned look in her eye, not trusting herself to meet Amara’s for even a moment.

“...I told you I’d help. For a little while.” Nerada declares once more, her words stripped of the rage that tainted their first utterance.

“...Thank you.” You say, gesturing for both her and Amara to follow you before Nerada suddenly exclaims.

“I’m sorry!”

(Continued)
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>>5071479

You turn to find that the apology’s not aimed at you but rather your daughter, who’s still clinging to your hand. With a slight squeeze, Amara lets her fingers slip from your grasp as she offers her hand anew to the girl before her.

“It’s okay!” Amara declares with a smile. “I tell Cheruem all the time, there’s nothing wrong with being a little chuuni! We’re gonna fight together now, so let’s focus on that! ”

“...what’s a ‘chuuni’?” Nerada mumbles as you find yourself wondering the same thing, but as the Hive Mistress takes your daughter’s hand the question slips from your mind as a sigh of relief escapes your lips.

“...We good?” November intones, her arms folded. You’re not sure quite how she managed to sneak the Geschoss’ turret around to be aimed directly at where you were standing only moments before, but you appreciate her tact, all the same.

“We’re good!” Amara happily chirps, raising Nerada’s hand as high as she can with her own. “She’s got this really cool power that’s gonna help us win! Isn’t that super neat? Go on, tell them! They’ll be really impressed, I know they will!”

“The Mark…Merkur…the Amalgam is hovering at the dead center of the ball.” Nerada informs you, her brow furrowing deeper with every misstep around your foe’s name. "If touched, it will collapse and instantly deal massive piercing damage and a bunch if stacks that blind, muffle, and deafen the target.”

“What about the Merkurberrer itself?” Amara asks, the word incorrectly rolling off her tongue with such confidence that Nerada almost laughs, despite herself.

“It’s a Skintalker, for sure. It has two paralyzing pre-programmed counters at mid-range to the first two attacks that hit it each turn. It can also string together up to twelve words…the same words that you have, plus two more that I can’t see.” The other young girl replies irritably. “It has an Augmentation I’m not immune to yet. It would take a lot more time and resources for me to be able to pierce through it.”

“Can words stop artillery?” November asks, patting the Geschoss’ turret as Francine arches one eyebrow.

“…No. No, they cannot.” Nerada admits after a second’s consideration.

“Lovely.” Francine hums, tapping her chin. “Thank you for the information, it’s quite valuable.”

“Oh...you’re, uh...you’re welcome.” Nerada says, the fingers of her free hand fidgeting for a moment before she quietly adds; “...I can give everyone a little layer of my swarm. I’m immune to physical stuff, and resistant to most elements. It might help.”

Embarrassed, she’s barely able to hold your gaze as she says; “I get it if you don’t want any, but...”

>>Accept the extra defense, then initiate your opening assault.

>>Politely decline, and begin your attack.

>>Try to breach the outer layer and initiate communication with the Amalgam first.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in four.)

(Thank you for your patience, as I'm losing this battle with the cold that's been creeping up on me since the weekend. I hope your day is going well, one and all.)
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>>5071482
oof, hate when you feel like that. dont push yourself, thats never fun.

>>5071481
as for vote... im split between trying to communicate and attacking it with the extra protection.
for sure though this feels like an enemy best not gotten close to until absolutely necessary. or well, it might actually be less defended up close, but its got so many counter measures to top you from doing so it would be a risky pain to try. best at least weaken it first as much as we can for sure.
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>>5071481
Whooph. That was intense. Nerada isn't entirely wrong, now that I've calmed down I don't want to dismiss her opinion as just "scared kid lashing out because she's lonely". But I am glad that she's not just some cold predator.

Also that thing Amara revealed about her past, definitely something to ask her about later.

>>Accept the extra defense, then initiate your opening assault.

This thing ate a town. I'm fine with just killing it, honestly. If it's a person, we can talk to it in the Dreamscape, like we did Dryad.

>>5071482
Ah, sorry to hear that, BHOP. Take lots of cold medicine and feel better.
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>>5071481
>12 words
that's 12 ACTs in a single round if we go by skintalker mechanics.
>>5071484
>>5071493

Man, the amalgam's really something in terms of its defenses. 2 paralyzing retaliation attacks to the first two attacks that hit it, A piercing bomb that it keeps at the ready, and an action economy big enough for it to cast multiple spells in a single round.

This will definitely be an encounter that will require preparation if it comes down to a fight.
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>>5071462
she is a Hive Mistress OP did say they teneded to have some issues with wanting control similar to Neuromancers.

>>5071479
Uff Amara once again showing how much older she is than she looks. But i do get Nerade.... she can not conceive of another way for this to end..... and being so harshly confronted with something thought impossible must have brought her to the brink of madness.

>>5071482
Oh dang Op take it easy. I hope you will find some time to relax with a hot cup of coffee or tea... or maybe chocolate if that is what your into.

>>5071481
>>Accept the extra defense, then initiate your opening assault.

it might be sentient but like we noticed with Dryad.... sentient does not mean not malevolent nor does it mean it would be capable of resisting the crucible. And there is the whole destruction thing it caused. Can't really run it around later. It would probably still have to be hunted down in the new world.
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...God damn Amara is amazing. So proud of her right now!
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>>5071493
>>5071504
well i mean the ants probably ate people too.
they seem to have trouble understanding what their intellect means usually and so struggle not to just go with their instincts. thats much different than them aggressively wanting to end a whole town.
hell considering how it was born it may not of even known it was doing it, and then afterwards was just defending itself, if not just floating there doing it passively.
obviously playing a bit of devils advocate here but still points i think to not ignore.
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>>5071462
(Very well said.)

(Also, Shu's speech to Nerada on the rooftop was the funniest thing I've ever had the pleasure of writing - if you read it with the realization that Nerada thinks Shu just saw her malicious intent, it transforms from very sweet to Nerada quietly freaking out because she thinks Shu is just being psychotically calm.)
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(Also, I'm updating the character sheets with your new stats and abilities right now, so my apologies if some things are being shuffled around while you look at it.)
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>>5071521
I suppose. But honestly, with how much the Merkabah has put into automatic defenses, I'd be very surprised if it's communicative. Just getting close to this thing automatically triggers a counter-attack, that doesn't sound like the sort of creature that's willing to talk to others. Probably sees the entire outside world as an intrinsic threat.

>>5071524
I guess it's funny in retrospect, but mostly I just feel stupid about it. We heard her dang thoughts and still misinterpreted her. Maybe Nerada is right. Can we acknowledge that to her in any way without undermining the emotional confrontation? Just a "I believe in what I stand for, but you are right that I need to learn to look deeper on first glance" sort of thing.
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>>5071481
>Try to breach the outer layer and initiate communication with the Amalgam first.
This is an Amalgam that's long lived since the early days, and given how long the Crucible's going on, I'm very certain that it's aged enough to develop consciousness.

hang on... Merkabah's the jewish term for "Chariot". Looking it up on the google gives me images of the Jewish star, and given how it behaved with alien screaming and has a very devastating pierce attack...

Bhop. Did you import Evangelion's Ramiel into the Crucible?
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>>5071534
maybe but i at least think people are dismissing it as 'just wild or evil' far too quickly.
i mean, obviously it could be, sure, but it actually has at least as strong a case as some other situations we've been calmer about for there to be something else going on.

if we could try communicating to it without triggering its counter measures(probably thus not breaking its bubble), then i think it would be worth the risk. it doesn't seem to move anyways and we can always prepare to attack it the second something goes wrong anyhow. may aswell at least try and weave some form of communication in first.
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>>5071534
(No need to feel stupid at all; I specifically worded it in such a way that it could be interpreted as either her plotting against you or as her own legitimate insecurity. You interpreted it in a very kind way, which laid the groundwork for your success here.)
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>>5071539
I guess. And I do want to poke it with a swarmling first anyway, so if it attacks it gets wasted on a disposable target. Alright, changing my vote

>>5071481
Changing >>5071493 to

>>Write-In
>Prepare as if there might be battle, but still try to open communications with this thing. If it's willing to talk, great! If it isn't, shoot it like we planned.
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>>5071536
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>>5071543
It's definitely ambiguous, I just feel silly for not noticing the ambiguity. I see it now, but at the time...Ah well, something to be more alert about in the future, I guess.

>>5071536
When I heard "patterned black and white sphere" my mind went to Leliel, personally. Good thing the living shadow that swallows things whole is on our side, in this one.
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>>5071481
vote;
>Accept the extra defense, and have everyone prepare long ranged attacks at maximum for an opening bombardment, but hold back and try communication first.
>see if anyone has ideas to get through to it without triggering its defenses.
>>assuming no better ideas(probably from Francine), Try just talking through the barrier, then try Skintalking to either talk to it, or circumvent its defenses to allow communication through.
>>Last ditch attempt it to try and stealthily get a steathling to it to jack in like with the ants, obviously with any skintalking protections we can put on it to prevent triggering anything.
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>>5071555
We should also have Francine ready to pop Asklepian Ward. If this thing can channel the blind/deaf/mute debuff through a swarmling link, then Shu would get hit. Asklepian Ward clears debuffs, it's a good (if pricey) contingency that would also get Shu some Overshield.
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>>5071564
ah, fair point.
i'll add that/a standard countermeasures preparation in, but i'll wait a sec to see any other ideas too.
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>>5071567
>>5071564
We will need countermeasures against Pierce attacks as well as a chorus of Joyous to provide on the spot counterspelling. I can easily imagine Merkabah having level 5+ proficiency in piercing attacks with how that bubble functions. We should prepare some sloped terraformed barriers that can help mitigate or blunt the incoming explosion of spikes. Even if the pierce attack breach the barriers, the terraformed barriers would blunt enough to make it non-lethal.
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>>5071576
Good plan. While we're at it, we need to give everyone a Psy-Plateling. Psylings carry the Psychica Spiralis effect with them, turn it from a stationary terrain modifier to a moving field. Psychica Spiralis prevents hostile Skintalking modification to the terrain in its area of effect, that's going to be a big deal.

And of course, the other various constructs. Francine summon her fishmen. Shu spawns a bunch of Knights, Rooks, and some Jacklings to handle terraforming duty. That sort of thing, the standard minion layout.
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>>5071581
>>5071567
Another thought, taken from inspiration in seeing the eva ramiel fight: we should preserve November's Artillery/railgun strikes as the last action in the round initiative. Keep November from being targeted by Merkabah by drawing aggro away from her. If we plan on having November deal the heavy hits to the Amalgam's main body via long-range bombardment, then we'll need to protect it from Merkabah's countermeasures. We can't have her trigger the Merkabah's auto-counters by attacking it at the start of each round. The counter measures getting triggered should be done by our swarmlings and clones.
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>>5071589
>>5071581
im making lunch right now so if someone else is up to finagling in the changes im fine with it. we do have an hour and a half though.
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>>5071593
How's this look?

>Accept the extra defense. Prepare for fighting the Merkabah, but also dedicate to checking first to make sure it's definitely hostile.
>Terraform barriers around the Merkabah's position for us to shelter in from spike attacks
>Spawn a full set of Psy--Platelings for our self, and a Psy-Plateling each for everyone else.
>Spawn two Rooks, four double-Knighted Nommlings, two Jacklings, and fill out the rest with Banelings.
>Have Francine summon Gatling Fang and two Dagons.
>Have Amara spawn ten Joyous Many. Set half of them to replicating more of themselves, and the other five to running interference with counterspells.
>Have Amara renew our SIHL SEL counterspell wards.
>Activate Psychica Spiralis.
>While setting up, ask for ideas on ways to contact it without triggering its defenses, just to make sure we know what this thing is about.
>Assuming no better ideas, try just shouting to it, then contact with Skintalking, and as a last-ditch attempt send a Jackling (protected with Skintalking wards) to talk to it.
>Have Francine ready with Asklepian Ward to remove debuffs incurred by the shell's auto-defenses triggering on someone trying to make contact.
>If determined hostile, engage the Merkabah with long-ranged attacks. Try to keep the heaviest attacks like November's railgun or Blade's Bounty later in the turn order, to prevent its auto-defenses from mitigating them. Bait out the defenses with swarmlings.
>>
(A quick reminder; should Merkabah initiate combat, in addition to you and your allies having the pick of turn order due to Arbiter's Judgement, Amara also actives Opening Argument, where gets a totally free turn in which she can only use her Lexicon.)
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>>5071623
yeah that works.

>>5071481
>>5071555
changing vote to support >>5071623
>>
>>5071481

>Accept the extra defense, and have everyone prepare long ranged attacks at maximum for an opening bombardment, but hold back and try communication first.

>ask if anyone has ideas to get through to it without triggering its defenses.
>assuming no better ideas(probably from Francine), Try just talking through the barrier, then try Skintalking to either talk to it, or circumvent its defenses to allow communication through.
>Last ditch attempt it to try and stealthily get a camo-jackling to it to jack in like with the ants, obviously with any skintalking protections we can put on it to prevent triggering anything.

>As for combat preparations: Have everyone spawn a number of constructs.
>Amara spawns a chorus of Joyous to ready herself in the need for skintalking counterspells.
>Amara can spend time Reving up her bone sword with Red Devil's Engine and keep her sword sheathed.
>Shu equips everyone with a Psy-Plateling as a personal terraforming defense measure while armoring up herself.
>Francine readies a small group of Dagon's Disciples (read: Fishmen) to help deflect incoming ranged projectiles
>Nerada's shadow bugs can serve as ablative plating as a final layer.
>Shu spawns a pair of arms to arm herself with the Hexane Contender (Form: Gemini Maxims for two six-shooters)
>Contender Ammo loadout: 3 Cicada's Cry rounds (for disrupting concentration effects), 3 B.33 "Swarm" rounds, 6 Hollowpoint Hive shells (for constant harassment)
>>5071623
>>5071593

here's my take on the write-in. I'm not that detailed into our hive layout but I have decided on the loadout for the contender gun should the fight break out.

And I'm due to leave soon for work. I'll try to survive and I leave command to you folks.
>>
>>5071643
thank you for the reminder, I'll leave the spellcasting up to my colleagues, but that warning of "should Merkabah initiate combat" tells me that things have a high chance of going wrong on first contact.
>>
>>5071646
(Have a good day at work, and I hope it's not too crazy.)
>>
>>5071643
Oh, right. Okay, how about GRA FOL REV HIR CUNT? "Greatly disrupt concentration and impede accuracy on enemy". What do people think of that?

>>5071646
Oh, right, we need to load the Contenders, too. Hollowpoint Hive has a pretty low biomass cap, I'd go with Ravenous Parabellum instead. Get constant harassment from it being eaten from the inside.
>>
>>5071666
sure that works.
i think parabellums would work too, provided we hit.
we also wont need the Cicada rounds with the spell going off. we can probably keep some of the hive rounds, as if we can spawn swarmlings right on it we get rid of its advantage of keeping us from getting close.
>>
>>5071666
>>5071645
on mobile, but somehow we missed the fact that Nerada has Two Hexane halos given her wording that killing and eating Shu would net her three halos, unless we’re also counting the idea of Nerada eating Rath for the calcite halo.
>>
>>5071672
(She was referring to eating Rath and/or Dorian for the Calcite one.)
>>
>>5071673
ah. that clears things up
>>
>>5071481
Voting for >>5071623
with the additions of

>Have Amara use her free casting round on OMA FOL REV HIR CUNT
>Load the Contenders with 1x Hollowpoint Hive, 1x Cicada's Cry, 2x B.33 Special, 2x Ravenous Parabellum each.

>>5071673
Yeah, I figured it was that. Though Rath and Dorianwould be, as she said, the most difficult of our party for her to fight.
>>
>>5071678
i think the BBs are kinda wasted here.
we cant really be sure how much regen will matter here and its ability to stick enemies in place basically means nothing in this situation, where it might not move at all and even if it did its just some sorta floating orb, so its both flying with nothing around to stick to and limbless.
>>
>>5071682
Fair. We can load it for the second round if it looks like it's necessary. How about the Herculean Magnum round, then? It's made for shooting big monsters?
>>
>>5071682
but the swarm type detonation though…
>>
>>5071683
that works sure.

>>5071684
im not sure what you mean here.
>>
>>5071686
the enhanced b33 rounds in the relics pastebin. look it up. this will be my last post.
>>
>>5071687
Oh, yeah, we can boost swarmling damage that way. Could be good, but I'm not sure swarmlings are going to be the main damage-dealer this fight.
>>
>>5071687
I did and im still not sure what you mean nor is anything there convincing me we should be using it here.
>>
>>5071687
>>5071690
oh wait, damnit, BHOP again has things wholly unorganized and theres two versions of the round in two places unnecessarily.
I still dont think its worth using over other rounds types here though, and there really was no reason to not just remind me directly of what it did.
>>
>>5071481
Changing the Contender loadout here>>5071678 to replace the B.33s with Herculean Fullbores.
>>
>>5071692
(Thank you for bringing that to my attention; Pastebin's fighting me, so I've generated a Google Doc to replace it that also has the b33 round in the correct place.)

>>https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RcylXb-kh5eNqVJDcvHDuJywlRr-4dli_sjguzgw8W8/edit?usp=sharing

(Let me know if you have any issues accessing this, and my apologies for the confusion!)
>>
>>5071707
eh,its fine.
well, its not fine, but i meant more to point it out than trying to take jabs at you, so my bad for the wording. i was just a bit annoyed from missing it.

also the link is to where you have to ask for access. if you meant that, then alright, but otherwise you should change its settings.
>>
>>5071710
(I believe I've changed it appropriately.)
>>
>>5071712
(To where you can open it, I mean.)

(Also, fever's finally spiked, so I may need to delay the next update. I'll see what the handful of ibuprofen I just took does to fight it.)
>>
>>5071712
yeah its working now.
I'd honestly reorganize all of it, in my opinion i dont think we need a 'new upgrades' section or a 'new relics' section. all it does it create more work later once they're no longer new and need to be put in their appropriate sections.
going forward cutting out steps like that will save you a good bit of work i think. at best/worst, you can put a 'NEW' next ot their name if you think it necessary.

>>5071716
...and by all that i mean, when you're not fighting off a cold, of course. try to feel better man, colds are bad enough when its not getting into the colder seasons too.
>>
>>5071716
Oh my. Go, take medication!
>>
(Damn—yeah, I'm going to have to lie down for a little while.)

(I've got the dice rolled and the skeleton of the next update drafted at least, so I'd like to get the next update out by five today, if that suits everyone. Apologies for the delay, once again.)
>>
>>5071731
Sickness is sickness.
take a break and if things need a break, it is what it is. hope its at least restful sleep BHOP.
>>
>>5071731
Yeah, of course, BHOP. Go, rest. Self-care is important.
>>
(So, an update—woke up to move my car, turns out I need to have it towed and it can't be attended to until tomorrow morning...which is when I was going to have to drive down and meet with someone about my workplace's basement renovation.)

(Depending on how this evening goes I am setting a tentative update time of 10AM tomorrow morning.)

(Thank you for bearing with this series of...admittedly garbage setbacks, and I hope you have a restful evening, One and All.)
>>
>>5071838
sounds rough, but thanks for letting us know.
hope things go smoothly and see you tomorrow.
>>
>>5071838
sounds pretty tough Op.

I hope things will improve for you and i will see you tomorrow.
>>
>>5071838
Sounds like you had a bad day. I hope your tomorrow is better. We'll see you then, BHOP. Take care.
>>
>>5071838
Oof, I'm sorry to hear that, BHOP. Best wishes, hope everything goes smoothly.
>>
>>5071852
>>5071864
>>5071865
>>5071877
(Thank you all for your kind words, everyone. I appreciate it, and I will see you all in the morning, if all goes well.)
>>
>>5071481

“We’d appreciate it, Nerada.” You say, to the younger girl’s surprise. She hesitates briefly before her slight frame flickers at the edges, her shadow reaching out to you and your allies and creeping up your legs. The process is surprisingly ticklish, but within seconds Nerada’s swarm slips painlessly beneath your skin, leaving only a mild itch that subsides swiftly.

>>PARTY DAMAGE RESISTANCE +20%

“Alright everyone, gear up—here’s the plan.”

A few short minutes later the five of you have set up a perimeter around the orb of undulating static, the field ensconced by barriers to offer shelter from the lancing Nerada primed you to expect from the mysterious Amalgam.

You stand, clad in a full set of Psy-Platelings, your green-black armor cutting a severe silhouette against an equally brutalist landscape. Overhead swarms your newly-birthed battalion; a pair of Rooks to match your twin Jacklings, a quartet of Knightlings skirting the edges of the rest—a buzzing legion of Banelings, their stingers and talons glinting, eager to be put to use in service of their queen. A Psy-Plateling clings to the back of each of your allies, shielding them from any further mental interference as they set about making last-minute preparations before you initiate contact. Francine dons the last of her Relics by slipping into the longcoat dubbed the ‘Deliverance of Ego’, and the moment the heavy fabric settles across her bony shoulders, an emblem springs to life on its back—a pseudo-caduceus of tightly-coiled thread, fraying at the top and re-woven into an angelic form, a woman’s wings cast wide.

“I’d get that as a tattoo, if I could.” November’s speakers whistle, impressed. Her mechanical frame locks into the cord that fully tether her to her biomechanical other half, the Geschoss’ turret arched to fire over the cover you’ve erected around the massive, shuddering orb.

“That could be arranged, Darling.” Francine replies with a smile, and from her outstretched hands biomass begins to accumulate into a pair of rapidly-expanding spheres, the skeletal outline of something distinctly humanoid twitching within. They fall, bursting open at the good doctor’s feet to birth a pair of twins; muscular aquatic humanoids rise on a pair of webbed feet, their glassy black eyes glinting with eerie intelligence as they draw their first gurgling breaths. Bringing her hands back together with a flourish, the space between them suddenly erupts with a massive tangle of gleaming bone and taut gristle, tendons snapping into place as the shape of a chaingun coalesces from the tangle of biomass. November just stares with her expressionless helm, though when Francine casts a wicked grin back at her friend atop the Metall Geschoss, November’s speakers crackle with good-natured laughter.

(Continued)
>>
>>5072488

A glance to your right reveals Amara buckling the second Shalaev’s Shawl around Nerada’s shoulders, despite the slightly taller girl’s protests at the heart of a crowd ten Joyous deep. ‘Twinsies!’ your daughter declares, twirling in place with a laugh before her natural smile is covered by the Vocalis Nocere’s rictus grin. She reaches down, hefting the massive metallic slab that is the Margrave’s Blade over one shoulder, earning an amused laugh from Nerada at the sight of the younger girl wielding a blade longer than either of them are tall.

Your daughter has, once again, achieved peak anime.

Walking towards the Merkabah’s domain, your subtle nod to your allies telling them that the time has come. They fall back as you move Digging in your heels to the dry, cracked flesh underfoot, it twists and splinters as the Psychica Spiralis takes hold, altering the terrain into a defensive ward against the onslaught you’re prepared to face.

You hope these precautions won’t be necessary…

...but recent events have shown you the merits of an overabundance of caution.

Your preliminary consultation with Francine helped you hammer out an escalating series of contact points without triggering the thing’s defenses, starting with a mere verbal greeting, before communicating via Skintalking, and so forth. Stopping a few meters short of the paper-thin barrier, your proximity to the shifting screen allows you a vague glimpse to what lies beyond...and there, above the town’s ill-defined ruins, hovers a humanoid shape. A cloaked figure fixed in space, silent save for the barrier’s subtle hum.

Dragging in a lungful of moist air, you dare to speak where angels fear to tread.

“Hello!” You begin, wincing behind your chitinous helmet that such a simple greeting was the first thing to come to mind. “We don’t mean you any harm. We simply wanted to tal-”

It all happens so fast.

(Continued)
>>
>>5072490

The field moves quicker than thought to spear you right between the eyes, and it’s a combination of your reflexes, the Relic pendant around you neck, and a buzzing beneath your skin that makes you yank your head to the side, the spear the barrier’s twisted into missing you by inches.

“OMA FOL REV HIR CUNT!”

Amara’s words erupt like a clap of thunder, and the thing at the heart of it all falters, its barrier struggling to reform as your daughter’s words assault the creator's senses.

The thing's head is little more than a series of polished ivory rings tinged with enough red to appear almost bronze in the light, from which drapes a robe of pale skin, whiter than snow.

It has no mouth, so it screams.

זוהה אויב ממעמד הקטסטרופה

It howls in a language you do not know, with a thousand voices harmonized in rage.

ייזום פרוטוקול מיגור

It speaks again, scarlet tendrils and bloodied limbs stretching out from beneath its peerless cloak of pale skin, reaching towards you and your family.

Its intent is clear.

So is yours.


>>COMBAT INITIATED

Shu, the Defiant

VS.

THE MANIFOLD MERKABAH


HP: 3420% (+655% [Dominus: Untethered], Arbiter’s Judgment, Matron’s, G.’s Longcoat [+2 RES Against ALL])
BIO: 3350% (+330%. Swarmlings: 60/60—Psy-Platelings x4, Rook x2, Double-Knighted Nommling x4, Jackling x2, Baneling x48

ATK: Pierce, Acid: 5* / Slash: 4* / Crush, Heat: 3*
DEF: Heat, Acid: 180% | All Phys: 140% | All Others: 80%

Buffs: None.
Debuffs: None.
Aggro: Lunging directly at you, preparing Lexicon to fire at both you and Amara.

CONTENDER: Gemini Forme - 1x Hollowpoint Hive, 1x Cicada's Cry, 2x Herculean Fullbore, 2x Ravenous Parabellum each.

HUNDRED-HANDED: 0
ACT: 3/3

AMARA: 3,200% (+400%, H. Rod, R.D. Engine, V. Nocere, G.G. Box, S. Shawl, V. Virtutis, Margraves.)
Joyous Many: 10 - 5 to self-replicate, 5 to counter enemy Lexicon
ATK: Slash: 5* | Bludgeon: 4* | Crush: 3* | Pierce: 2*
DEF: Slash, Bludgeon: 40% | All Others: 20%


FRANCINE: 4,650% (+630%, S.G. Essentials, I. Spectacles, S. Sacrificium, Spine, D. of Ego)
Dagon: 2
ATK: Pierce: 4* | Slash: 3*
DEF: Slash: 140% | Other Phys: 60% | All Others: 40%

NOVEMBER: 5080% (550%, Sui Tormentis(Chest), P. Pendant(L. Leg), D. of Ego(R. Leg), F. Lyre(L. Arm), Essentials(R. Arm), C.J. Masque(Head), and R.D. Engine(T5 Slot))

ATK: Heat, Piercing: 5* | Slashing: 4*
DEF: Slash, Heat, Cold: 200% | Pierce: 180% | Bludgeon: 140% | Crush: 120% | All Others: 80%

>>SHU RELIC — ARBITER’S JUDGEMENT ACTIVATED—You and all allies go first in turn order.

>>You may change the Contender’s current load/form if you wish.

>>Character Abilities: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1p_asyKKcyCbQieAAXo1oogBucLtzSypx8-M9vqA96zE/edit#gid=1685687578

>>Relics: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RcylXb-kh5eNqVJDcvHDuJywlRr-4dli_sjguzgw8W8/edit?usp=sharing

>>ROUND ONE: COMMENCE


YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Hm, tried to post this three times and the formatting keeps getting messed with. In any case, voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in four, if all goes well. Still waiting on a diagnosis with my car, and I’m off to attend to work coordination with a fever, so good times.)

(I hope you all rested well, and thank you for bearing with my schedule this week.)
>>
>>5072496
>זוהה אויב ממעמד הקטסטרופה
>ייזום פרוטוקול מיגור

Hang on...that looks like it's in Hebrew script. I'm not jewish myself, and it feels wrong to catch onto this IC, but I'm fairly certain it's in hebrew. I recognized those character style after remembering the characters on the hanukkah dradil toy.

>A quick check to google translate later
Yup. It's hebrew.
translated text: "Enemy of catastrophe class identified, initiate eradication protocol"

wait...how is Shu an "apocalypse class" enemy?
>>
>>5072496
>HP: 3420% (+655% [Dominus: Untethered], Arbiter’s Judgment, Matron’s, G.’s Longcoat [+2 RES Against ALL])
>BIO: 3350% (+330%. Swarmlings: 60/60—Psy-Platelings x4, Rook x2, Double-Knighted Nommling x4, Jackling x2, Baneling x48
>ATK: Pierce, Acid: 5* / Slash: 4* / Crush, Heat: 3*
>DEF: Heat, Acid: 180% | All Phys: 140% | All Others: 80%

CONTENDER: Gemini Forme - 1x Hollowpoint Hive, 1x Cicada's Cry, 2x Herculean Fullbore, 2x Ravenous Parabellum each.

HUNDRED-HANDED: 0
ACT: 3/3

Also I've been meaning to ask, is this Shu's statline? and is

>Buffs: None.
>Debuffs: None.
>Aggro: Lunging directly at you, preparing Lexicon to fire at both you and Amara.

Merkabah's statline?

because Merkabah's enemy info seems to be mixed in with Shu's other stat line in the combat information sheet.

>>5072499
bhop, I know you have a commitment to work and wish to remain committed to this quest but please bear in mind your health. Working through a sickness is putting much more stress than needed, especially when we have a new virus variant emerging onto the scene in this country.
>>
>>5072499
>Still waiting on a diagnosis with my car, and I’m off to attend to work coordination with a fever, so good times.
I get you cant 'call in' on the car but bruh you should probably call in to work at least. Not to be a nanny but honestly even if its just a fever i wouldnt WANT you to show up to work with that, for my own sake too.
>>
>>5072496
Huh, I guess it makes sense it speaks Hebrew.

>>5072511
>>5072520
To echo this sentiment, you okay, BHOP? Seriously, if you've got a fever still, you should be resting.
>>
>>5072496

First thing's first.
We're gonna have to pop the barrier, no question to that, although it is currently struggling to reform so we're still clear for this round I think. We'll have to mind our hearing to make sure we're able to detect the telltale hum when it fully reforms.

Then while the barrier is down(?)
We need to spend 2 acts to soak up Merkabah's paralysis counterattacks. This can easily be done by having one of our member spend an act to soak the counterattack sending banelings in but that leaves the question of whether or not the paralysis counterattacks infect/affect the Hivemistress through the swarmlings themselves. We'll then need to have either Francine or November cleanse the paralysis debuffs with the Surgeon General Essentials, or even render the person soaking the paralysis counterattacks immune to the debuff in question if we invest more ACTs into the move.


Things to maintain throughout the fight: Barrier disruption, as long as that barrier's disrupted and on cooldown, we're free to hit it. I also think that firing Cicada's Cry bullets will help disrupt any spellcasting and delay the barrier's reformation.

I'll come up with more things to write down as points to take note and haven't come up with a proper plan of attack, but this should be it for now.
>>
>>5072496
as for the vote though, i'd like to propose a base outline;

Amara;
>Prime yourself with Counter Spells against the Merkabah, aswell as ones you possibly cant preemptively plan for.

Shu;
>Swap places with a Rook up high, then unload the Cicada and one each of the Parabellums and Fullbores, to try and have some counters trigger on you.
>Also have your swarm look for openings to go after the Merkabah, starting with the more disposable Banelings(Mr kamakazi holding back at the moment if he is in one).
>Once you see your chance, unload the last of your Contender, using swarmlings as cover to hide the projectiles and try and take any last counter attacks or actions on themselves.

Francine;
>Gatling gun goes BRRRRRRR, but only after Shus swarmlings start their attack.
>Send a small school of Fish forward to help eat up any of the enemies counters.

November;
>Wait til the time is right, after everyone else has cleared as much a path as they can for you, then get both yourself and the Tank roaring.
>Open up with a Flare, hoping the thing can still be blinded but if nothing else, the bright light may still obstruct things.
>Start with a Cluster shot from November, hoping the explosion radius will make sure something hits the target, and helping to hide your next shot.
>fire a Gauss shot from your Tank, aiming squarely for the Merkabahs 'head' if you can.

no Nerada as im assuming the lack of stats means shes not up to listening to us much here at all.
>>
>>5072535
I think that popping Fear To Tread could be useful. This thing is hovering, and Fear To Tread can suck down flying opponents. Crash it to the ground, make it have to stumble and crawl. Though that might not be needed on this turn.
>>
>>5072535
I think Nerada's a separate party member that can't be controlled given her proclivities, she'll help out what she can but also because of her nature, she'll be the type to wait and watch before striking.

If we're gonna have Shu soak up the paralysis Debuffs with her first 2 full actions as well as pop the barrier, then I propose that November or Francine should dedicate some actions to cleanse or even render Shu immune to the debuffs through Surgeon General's Essentials.
>>
>>5072539
oh yeah, kinda forgot we could do that.
was actually looking for a way to use Francines Deep Ones but couldn't think of a more surefire way to bring our target down.

>>5072540
think this Turn November would work better, though i guess the nanites probably arent passive yeah so we should mention it.
>>
>>5072520
>>5072531
(I have to be here to let the renovation guy in, unfortunately. I'll probably take it pretty easy today once I get my car and get back home.)

(I really appreciate your concern, truly. We'll see how much I can get done regarding work, personal matters, and the quest, so thank you for your consideration!)
>>
>>5072540
You know, I wonder if the Merkabah might stop auto-countering us after a while. Those are supposed to be Skintalking-based, and we're set to deflect Skintalking back at it, so it might decide it's not to its benefit.

>>5072545
Alright, BHOP. Let's just hope your day doesn't deteriorate, then. Be well.
>>
>>5072547
True, lets go with the rule of two. 1st time it happens will surprise it, 2nd time it happens will be a 50/50 of it getting suspicious and catching on quickly.
>>5072544
You can always just have the Deep Ones walk up to Merkabah and punch it. Their Luohan's hands would eat up much of Merkabah's action economy.
>>
>>5072552
well yeah but they cant do that while its flying was the thing.
well... not without some silly workarounds i didnt feel would be worth it as an opening move at least.

also to respond to an earlier concern, Francines gat plus the Banelings will probably be pretty capable at keeping the out membrane down, at least with our current knowledge. otherwise the Cluster will probably clear a way through... though the Rex probably doesn't need it, mind. the Fullbores too actually. the Parabellums and Hive are both in a weird spot. like... could the Hivepoint stick into the defensive membrane if it hits it? it would be worthless, im more of just wondering if it acts as something that could do that.
>>
>>5072535
(Nerada's gonna Nerada, but she will keep am eye on what you're doing and help where she can in addition to her usual combat tactics of stealth and brutal sneak attacks.)
>>
>>5072556
>well yeah but they cant do that while its flying was the thing.
Hey, I just thought of something interesting: Can we extend Hundred-Hands chains from the tumors formed by Hollowpoint Hives? They're allied biomass, it could work. In which case we could attach grapple lines to the Merkabah and pull it down to earth.
>>
>>5072565
I dunno, hey >>5072560
can we?
>>
>>5072565
>>5072568
(You absolutely may.)
>>
>>5072496
>>5072535
alright, amending vote to;

Amara;
>Prime yourself with Counter Spells against the Merkabah, aswell as ones you possibly cant preemptively plan for.
>continue to increase Clones to increase Queen counter grid aswell as power and number of spells that can be enacted.

Shu;
>Swap places with a Rook up high, then unload the Cicada and one each of the Parabellums and Fullbores, to try and have some counters trigger on you.
>Also have your swarm look for openings to go after the Merkabah, starting with the more disposable Banelings(Mr kamakazi holding back at the moment if he is in one).
>Once you see your chance, unload the last of your Contender, using swarmlings as cover to hide the projectiles and try and take any last counter attacks or actions on themselves.
>Also toss down a Fear to Tread as close to under the Merkabah as you can get safely.
>If the Hivepoint or other long lasting round finds it mark, use it to start disrupting the Merkabah and help tear it from the sky with HHs from said round.

Francine;
>Gatling gun goes BRRRRRRR, but only after Shus swarmlings start their attack.
>Send a small school of Fish forward to help eat up any of the enemies counters.
>If and once the Merkabah is on the ground, send forth the Deep Ones.

November;
>Be prepared to use the Essentials to clean up allies as soon as its an issue.
>Wait til the time is right, after everyone else has cleared as much a path as they can for you, then get both yourself and the Tank roaring.
>Open up with a Flare, hoping the thing can still be blinded but if nothing else, the bright light may still obstruct things.
>Start with a Cluster shot from November, hoping the explosion radius will make sure something hits the target, and helping to hide your next shot.
>fire a Gauss shot from your Tank, aiming squarely for the Merkabahs 'head' if you can.
>>
>>5072589
Looks good. Oh, one more thing:

>>5072573
Did we rev up the Red Devil Engine? Because if not, then we should have a spare action of Amara's be dedicated to that.
>>
>>5072592
Amaras and November, actually.
actually, we never decided what Novembers Engine it connected to, did we?
>>
>>5072597
We did not. We could always connect it to the Autumn Protocol, for an even bigger super beam. Even if we don't fire it, the passive benefits of the Engine on November are good enough on their own.

Oh, and speaking of Relics, the Margrave's Blade. We should put "intercept attacks with Blade" on the Joyous Many's order list.
>>
>>5072603
depends, do we want the engine on something only maybe to be used, or guaranteed to be used?

and yeah meant to tell her to pass it off to a clone, my bad.
>>
>>5072606
>>5072603
a thought: What if Merkabah exclusively aims for Amara? Because it's clear that we're both in the path of Merkabah's aggro, but Merkabah might prioritize attacking Amara over Shu. If anything, we should have Shu use some of her hundred hands to maintain aggro and force Merkabah to actively engage Shu instead of focus spell-casting on Amara.
>>
>>5072496
>>5072589
adding in;
Amara;
>Rev Engine.
>Pass off the Blade to a clone, and have them be ready to intercept attacks with it.

November;
>Engine attach to Autumn Protocol
>Rev it.

>>5072615
I mean if all the stuff we're not already doing to her doesn't keep its attention off Amara, nothing will.
Im hoping the mix of Clones and Vocal voice throwing will already help confuse it on where Amara actually is on top of everything else.
>>
>>5072606
Maybe something used infrequently, then, so that the charge time doesn't become an issue. Put it on the Railgun, that could work.

>>5072615
Oh, it's definitely going to target Amara. But we all get first turn initiative priority because of the Arbiter's Judgement, so all of our blasting it and tying it down is going to happen before its actual attack. That should interrupt it on this turn, at least, and it'll probably be busy enough dealing with us afterwards that it can't afford to focus on her.
>>
>>5072618
grah, you were like 5 seconds too late with your response.
i mean, we actually use the railgun pretty often. its the shotgun we dont use all too much, that or the machinegun (as the gatling gun honestly semi replaced it).
probably the Shotgun. its good against fliers/counterers but still short enough range to wait for a proper time to use it.
>>
>>5072620
Eh, it's probably fine. Like I said, the passive benefits of the Engine on November are good enough on their own, if we fire off the attached weapon that's just bonus.
>>
on mobile. I have a thought in regards to our swarm. now that thousands matron is enhanced, what’s our policy for the swarmlings that survive the fight? And when it comes down to it, what’s our policy for making use of the hunger sating feature from the passive? Ideally we don’t have to resort to cannibalizing our swarm to pass hunger checks for our friends and family. but in the event of it happening, which swarmling do we sacrifice?
>>
>>5072669
i think our policy is just to wing it more or less. if they survive, they survive, and from there we take note of any that stand out to us and thus are worth further investment. otherwise its just if a specific swarmling, idea, or situation gives us one to try and keep around as a unique individual.
otherwise if we do end up having to eat any, its probably eating the youngest first, with exception of standout individuals we specifically want to save. that said, i dont think it'll matter that much for us to have to worry about that.
>>
>>5072669
I'd say take any survivors with us. Herd them back to the Lair, maybe make a little Swarmling Farm room on a lower level where we can keep them. And if we ever need to eat any, start with the youngest and least intelligent, with priority in that category going to the biggest and meatiest. A day-old Rook could probably feed the whole party.
>>
>>5072674
>>5072669
you know... once they become intelligent, i wonder what they would do if we just left them alone? would they just start acting like normal bees? I feel like thats too... obvious, especially given theres no need for them to.
>>
>>5072681
>>5072674
it’s kind of horrifying when you think about it. the swarmlings eligible to satisfy the hunger check are the ones that have matured enough to gain sentience and intelligence and become smart enough to recognize the horror of what’s happening if we do have to cannibalize a member of the swarm.
>>
>>5072681
they’d probably recognize Shu as their queen. but the society they build will be something that’ll give us the same sort of headache like the cult of personality that formed around us, except we’re the queen and have no choice but to actively govern the hive society that our intelligent and now sentient swarm have built around us.
>>
(Hello Everyone, and my apologies to post this so late. I have called in sick to work and I will be pausing here on the Quest for the weekend in order to try and recover and address this combat with a clear head. You are more than welcome to make any adjustments to the combat plan in the mean time, and posting shall resume promptly on December 7th, 10AM Eastern time.)

(Once again, my apologies for the delay, and I do appreciate both your time and your understanding. Please take care, and have a restful weekend.)
>>
>>5072674
>>5072681
in addition, there is a chance that should things drag on and tge live long, their interests might clash with that of our friends and family.
>>
>>5072696
take care bhop.
>>
>>5072681
>>5072685
>>5072700
It depends on how smart they get, really. We haven't seen the depths of it yet, all we know is that after a day they'll get improved tactical coordination. All further development is unknown after that point. They might not become individually sapient in any way that we'd recognize. They are still our tools, after all, I figure the link to Shu should shape their development in a significant way. It's not like Sir FuzzBuzz where we cut him loose to be an independent agent.

>>5072696
Hey, man, we all wanted you to get some rest. I'm glad you are. Take care, and I hope this weekend does you some good in recovery. See you.
>>
>>5072696
you get some rest BHOP.

>>5072700
maybe, hard to say. the mix of innate bee behavior and still being tethered to our will probably wont make them too bad. lets also not forget FuzzBuzz technically had a level of sorta-free will even before the augment, and was shown to be evolving mentally before it too, and while in some ways the heart may be holding him back at the same time it plus how long hes had the augment has still left him in a kinda gray zone between animal and sentience, so its hard to summarize both how far the augment actually goes, aswell as how far off it would even be for us to even have to begin to truly worry about them being able to think hard enough to go against us.
>>
>>5072696
Get well soon Op. Take it easy over the weekend.

And get some sleep to rest and recover.
>>
>>5072488
>Francine dons the last of her Relics by slipping into the longcoat dubbed the ‘Deliverance of Ego’, and the moment the heavy fabric settles across her bony shoulders, an emblem springs to life on its back—a pseudo-caduceus of tightly-coiled thread, fraying at the top and re-woven into an angelic form, a woman’s wings cast wide.
>“I’d get that as a tattoo, if I could.” November’s speakers whistle, impressed. Her mechanical frame locks into the cord that fully tether her to her biomechanical other half, the Geschoss’ turret arched to fire over the cover you’ve erected around the massive, shuddering orb.
>“That could be arranged, Darling.” Francine replies with a smile

Sure are teasing the shippers, there, ladies. You're going to blow the Skinternet right the hell up. I'm not even sure if you know you're doing it.
>>
>>5072918
>>5072696
forgot to mention BHOP, wonderful addition of the ego there, well done.
>>
>>5072945
>>5072918
but the real question is: What's going to be the ship name between the two?
>>
>>5073521
Given that Francine made November's body as a work of art, is there a good gay version of Pygmalion/Galatea?
>>
>>5073522
Well, there are a lot of queer poets or playwrights that like Pygmalion and set out to make their own analogue to it, but it's the classic play and not the Greek legend. Doesn't really work here, it's a totally different context.

I say just go with the classic route of a pun related to some major characteristics. Francine's a mechanic, November's the machine she's working on, there are some good options there.
>>
>>5073557
there’s also the classic “soldier falling in love with the nurse who nurses him back to heath” trope. blend that with the “mechanic and their machine” trope and we have a weird combination of potential wordplay
>>
>>5073561
>Florence (Nightingale) and the Machine
>>
>>5073566
Pfft. i can’t help but imagine fate grand order’s nightingale as francine getting all kissy with November, and the weird juxtaposition is making me laugh.
>>
>>5073566
im no shipper but that ones too long and plain i think for how these usually go. plus i mean, you're just calling November 'the machine' .
least go for 'frankenstein' or something i'd think if you're gonna go that route.
>>
>>5073580
florence (nightingale) and frankenstein?
>>
>>5073566
That's a pretty good one. If that's not the ship name, it's definitely the name of a fic that someone is writing about them.

>>5073580
It's a pun, Florence and the Machine is the name of a band.
>>
>>5073584
well clearly it falls flat if not everyone nows it.
plus its still not great. Francine doesnt fit what 'Florence' usually first brings to mind greatly, regardless of any other details there are there if you dig deeper, and 'machine' is still just way too plain and on the nose. also theres a reason these things are usually made to be short.
>>
>>5073566
>>5073584
(Considering there's a few songs by Florence and the Machine on the BHQ Playlist and I'm a fan, this made me cackle gloriously.)

>>5072945
(Ha, I'm glad. When it was mentioned earlier, I knew I had to pull my old notes about the emblems and incorporate them now that I had a good chance to.)
>>
>>5073594
Plenty of ship names are obscure and too long. It's why I mostly stay away from shipping. That exchange between Francine and November was just too subtext-laden for me to ignore.

That said, you're right, something punchier would be nice. Might just be something like "Project Car", that works as a ship between a mechanic and her creation. Though it implies that November needs work, so maybe not. November is great as she is.
>>
>>5073605
oh god, the horrible innuendo people probably use for them relating to cars and machines though...
>>
>>5073610
And now I'm having horrible flashbacks to the shipping I've seen of Transformers Prime.
>>
>>5073615
CLANG CLANG CLANG
>>
File: Manifold Merkabah.png (1.96 MB, 2048x2043)
1.96 MB
1.96 MB PNG
>>5072496

Amara’s voice multiplies as she and her Joyous Many chant from their shared Lexicon, the alien syllables warping the air around the crowd as the clones begin to replicate themselves. Scarlet ichor pools at your ward’s feet as Queen Crimson springs to her defense, and with a mighty roar the compact engine at Amara’s side howls the song of war. Her eyes never leave Merkabah’s undulating form, even as she tosses her oversized greatsword over her shoulder and into the waiting hands of her protective doppelgangers. Merkabah’s voice and hands spear towards Amara, and she has an answer for both. The clamor of thousands are drowned out in an instant by a single, clear voice as alien syllables uttered from your daughter’s lips tear through Merkabah’s opening argument, but its limbs do not share the same hesitation.

The sea of raw, fleshbare limbs reach for your daughter, their eroding grasp seeking to purify your bodies down to naught but bone.

A wall of stygian blackness suddenly spears between it and Amara before anyone knows what is happening, the hands dashed against the devouring dark like a tide upon a breakwater. Amara and her entire retinue are hauled backwards by their own shadows, the shades’ master no where to be seen even as she pulls your daughter to relative safety. Arms retreat, and then lace towards the rest of your family as Merkabah changes targets.

You feel space distort at your will, and you’re suddenly falling from where your Rook hovered only a blink before, hurtling down to earth as you take aim with the Hexane Contenders, splitting into mirrored barrels clasped tight in both hands. Three quick pulls of the trigger send a trio of shots racing down to mete their judgement—but Merkabah’s voice calls out in a chorus, its recitation freezing the bullets in mid-air for a fraction of a second before they’re sent hurtling back towards your skull. They're too fast, and you brace for an impact that doesn’t come as the shells burst into harmless clouds of ash just before they collide with your helm.

[Apologies for the scare…] Karma’s dulcet voice echoes pleasantly in your ears and past the whistling winds. [...but what sort of weapon would I be if I allowed my own extensions to harm my Master?]

Your aim is true as you empty the Contenders with a grin, the ring of their shots drowned out by the high-pitched scream of a chain gun whirring to life.

(Continued)
>>
>>5076826

Your banelings are being burned through like they’re nothing, their acid boiling away, their flames sputtering out even as the clouds of smaller swarmlings they’re trying to birth erupt into cinders mere inches from the grasping hands, and you can see it now, as you hurtle closer...

...a burning, boiling radiance that billows off every limb, slicing through chitin as though it were nothing more than supple flesh. Even Francine’s school of skybound fish are scorched from existence as they try to fend off the tide of self-replicating limbs that are forcing your family on the defensive.

But it all grinds to a halt when Heather Neeson’s aim holds true.

With a burst of blinding blight, November’s first shell makes Merkabah recoil, the lunging hands flinching away from the flare that detonates directly above its head. A Knightling scoops you onto its back and slows your descent as the Metall Geschoss’ turret roars again, the screaming shell that spears over your head holding a far more destructive payload than mere sound and fury. You land, the ground twisting underfoot as Fear to tread takes hold of the terrain at the same moment an explosion engulfs Merkabah whole. The sea of limbs retract from whence they came, disappearing into the amalgam’s cloak just before November looses another round, this time from the railgun held tight in her own two hands. The Sandia Gauss Rifle makes a sound unlike any other firearm in existence, its payload rocketing towards that thing that could be Merkabah’s head.

The rings suddenly snap to one side, the gauss’s slug missing by a hair’s breadth. Merkabah’s head slowly lilts back to one side, its expressionless facsimile of a face almost smug, for a moment...moments before it’s violently slammed down to earth, that is.

Fear to Tread inexorable pull is only heightened by the standing of limbs that erupt into existence between Merkabah and the ground. The limbs retract like a baroque rubber band, snatching the elegant, unnerving form of the Manifold Merkabah down to collide with the fleshy terrain, and that’s when Francines’s attendants take the offensive. For constructs with such an ungainly appearance they move with enviable grace, from their creator’s side to set upon your common foe in an instant, their flurry of open-palm strikes and precise kicks resembling some sort of...fish-man karate, for lack of a better term. Merkabah forces itself up from the ground, parrying their blows with a multitude of limbs that blossom from beneath its cloak, each one moving with calculated, mechanical precision.

(Continued)
>>
>>5076828

With a flick of its wrist the ground flares backwards, forcing the entire battlefield to expand with astounding speed as the flesh underfoot suddenly shifts outwards, carrying you all with it as Merkabah gives itself some breathing room. Its cloak flares open again as a wall of skinless hands move to absorb Francine’s persistent barrage of gunfire.

Just behind the wall of raw flesh and twitching digits, you can see your foe undulate, the sheet that conceals its true form inverting itself twice as the effects of your rounds and Amara’s skintalking fall away as though they were nothing.

>>MERKABAH—PURITY OF FORM, PASSIVE: Clear 2 random status effects at end of round.

Half of the hands that spill forth from the folds in its robe are squirming into the ground beneath it, while the fingers of yet others merge into the facsimile of blades, gleaming calcite tearing through red muscle and strained tendons. Though it has no face to speak of, you can somehow still feel its focus set squarely on you as it prepares for the next clash, weighing its options.

It feels like a machine, studying you intently. Running the numbers. Crunching the odds against a foe that’s forced it to pause and adapt. A strict intelligence, whirring away behind an inscrutable form.

You and the Merkabah have shown your hands early...but this is the Crucible.

Everyone’s got hands to spare.

HP: 3420% (+655% [Dominus: Untethered], Arbiter’s Judgment, Matron’s, G.’s Longcoat [+2 RES Against ALL])
BIO: 3350% (+330%. Swarmlings: 36/60—Psy-Platelings x4, Rook x2, Double-Knighted Nommling x4, Jackling x2, Baneling x22

Buffs: None.
Debuffs: None.
Aggro: Blocking, biding its time as it assesses the situation.

CONTENDER: **RELOAD**
HUNDRED-HANDED: 0
ACT: 3/3

AMARA: 3,200% (+400%, H. Rod, R.D. Engine, V. Nocere, G.G. Box, S. Shawl, V. Virtutis, Margraves.)
Joyous Many: 15 - 10 to self-replicate, 5 to counter enemy Lexicon
Red Devil’s Engine: Hunter’s Honor, 2 Stacks

FRANCINE: 4,650% (+630%, S.G. Essentials, I. Spectacles, S. Sacrificium, Spine, D. of Ego)
Dagon: 2


NOVEMBER: 5080% (550%, Sui Tormentis(Chest), P. Pendant(L. Leg), D. of Ego(R. Leg), F. Lyre(L. Arm), Essentials(R. Arm), C.J. Masque(Head), and R.D. Engine(T5 Slot))
Red Devil’s Engine: Autumn Protocol, 1 Stack


>>Character Abilities: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1p_asyKKcyCbQieAAXo1oogBucLtzSypx8-M9vqA96zE/edit#gid=1685687578

>>Relics: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RcylXb-kh5eNqVJDcvHDuJywlRr-4dli_sjguzgw8W8/edit?usp=sharing

>>ROUND TWO: COMMENCE


YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Hello Everyone, and I do hope you had a pleasant weekend. Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in four. I hope your day is going well, and that you were able to get some good and well-deserved rest.)

(Also, I have Amara 2 stacks of Rev on her sword, since I saw someone bring it up earlier, and I thought it only fair.)
>>
>>5076831
Okay, so demonstrated capabilities of the Merkabah:

>Limb generation, with limbs being spiky blades
>Attack reflection via Skintalking spell
>Heat damage aura, with inherent resistance-piercing if it affected our swarmlings
>Highly precise movements for blocking and dodging
>A Skintalking spell that can make space by generating new terrain
>Purity of Form to shrug off status effects

That last one is going to be tricky. Given its heat aura, I'd think something like SUTH SULK would be a good option, cool it down and prevent it from burning swarmlings out of the air. But we'd have to reapply that every round. Annoying.

Also, just noticed in the summary, we forgot to attach the Dominus Bloodline. Foolish of us. We've definitely got to add that in.
>>
the more I read it, the more it seems that Merkabah's like a classical biblical angel which is very appropriate given that some biblical angels are essentially flaming pairs of wings or multi-limbed things that speak in alien tongues.

you know this reminds me of Blue Star from Lobotomy Corp

>>5076846
hmm...we've shown our hand early, Merkabah also has shown its hand and capabilities, I'm guessing that the time it's going to spend to block and bide its time is to see what other tricks our party members have up its sleeve.

We should also take note of the abilities that we've shown so far to Merkabah. This is clearly a intelligent monster. Monsters are at their most dangerous when it is clear that they are capable of thinking.
>>
Okay, still working on this plan, but

SHU
>Reload the Contenders with 1x Cicada's Cry, 2x Ravenous Parabellum, 3x B.33 Special each.
>Attach Dominus Bloodline to the Merkabah.
>Spawn another Rook, as well as Plateling armor for the Knights. Send them in to harass the Merkabah, joined by the Banelings once Amara cools it down.
>Fire off Contender shots as needed to damage and distract the Merkabah.

AMARA
>Set the Margrave-wielding clone to guard yourself.
>Activate Queen Crimson.
>Take three first-generation replicating clones off of that duty to start throwing spells. GRA FOL TER to revert the altered terrain back to normal, GRA SULK SUTH CUNT to cool down the Merkabah, GRA SKRA FOL CUNT to cause it to backfire if it tries to reestablish the heat aura. Keep the rest on counterspell duty.
>Rev up the Red Devil Engine to full.
>Stay near Francine to give her bullets the benefits of Queen Crimson.

FRANCINE
>Attach a Creation's String at long range to the Merkabah. Get a read of its Health, Bio, and Core.
>Fire the Gatling Fang in focused mode against the Merkabah.
>Keep the Karate Fishmen distracting the Merkabah in melee.
>Be ready to apply healing, as needed.

NOVEMBER
>Keep the tank mobile, strafing around the Merkabah, though watch sight lines to prevent hitting an ally.
>Keep up bombardment with plasma grenades and railgun. If we get a chance, use one of the stored charges of level one Autumn Protocol to add to the damage.
>Be ready to apply healing, as needed.

I've also got a vague idea of using Francine's ability to teleport-swap with enemies she's tethered to to bring the Merkabah directly into a killbox. Terraform up a bunker, swap the Merkabah in, have Amara toss down Blade's Bounty, and then seal the box. Not sure how practical it is, though.
>>
putting myself into Merkabah's pov in an attempt to synchronize with its thought process and extrapolate its next move.

>Aim for the Skintalker, she is priority.
>Attack on skintalker thwarted by shadow constructs. Could it be work of second hive mistress? Reassessing.
>Hive mistress constructs are attacking, do they have heat resistance? Constructs do not possess enough defenses.
>Metallic daughter and white coat daughter attack with ranged attacks. Metallic daughter hits harder.
>current attacks aside from Metallic daughter have failed against flaming bulwark as well as multi-limbed defenses
>They possess no-
>ow, the ground.
>I am being anchored, fish constructs approach
>fend off fish constructs with limbs, parry blows
>force distance between combatants
>reassess

>>5076846
well shit. I've checked the lexicon and we don't have the word for HEAT. So we can't get heat resistances onto our swarmlings.
Although imbuing the power of Cold to counteract the heat is a clever idea. Not sure if it will actually translate well.

We're gonna have to change up our tactics though. our small swarmlings aren't capable of surviving the heat aura. Francine's Dagon fishmen are capable of tanking the heat long enough to try and inflict close quarters damage, And Shu hasn't shown that she has the same limb generator power as Merkabah, so we could technically spend 1 action to counteract Merkabah's limb generator power.

Francine should definitely spawn more Fishmen.

Any thoughts on using November's ability to flash forge relics or even consumable relics to switch up her loadout?

Skintalking options:
Amara...hmmm...aside from SULK being an option to imbue our team, what if we applied "SIHL VIE" to our allies or even Amara's own clones? That way the chorus can multiply in secret and Amara can gather an exponentially larger chorus/spell book to cast spells from via her clones?

Another thing that I think would help is inflicting "SKRA CUNT" on Merkabah. Merkabah's limb generation is a generator class ability. Putting that one debuff could be key to hampering it even if for one round.

Alternatively, we could simply pin Merkabah down and hit it very hard. Have Shu Pin Merkabah down for November to fire more shots at it or even drive close enough to hit it. And then Shu could multiply her hundred handed and turn her hands into heavens drills for a "Drill on drill" action with Merkabah given that Merkabah's limbs are also piercing damage type.
>>
>>5076878
We should be mindful that Merkabah is also capable of casting "SHI SEL" on Amara. We could instead as an alternative cast buffing spells on us.

>>5076832
Also. it's rather strange of me to ask, but I can't help but notice that despite us losing our empathy field ability, our allies somewhat act as if they're still benefiting from the instant instinctual command mechanic that's been prominently displayed in past battles. Is this mechanic still here for the sake of smoothing out things behind the curtain and handwaved off ic as our friends coming up with ideas on their own? Or is the trust level between our friends so high to the point where a pseudo crimson cord network of command lines has been established amongst our family members despite the lack of Shu's signature empathy field?
>>
>>5076883
I'm not sure what we'd forge for November. I can't really think of anything that would be particularly suited for this fight.

SKRA is a definite move to use. It would mess with the heat aura and potentially the limb generation (that might be a Fibromancy or Flesh Artisan ability, not Generator. A lot of classes like making extra arms), and even if it clears the status effect would still get it on at least one turn.

Going arm to arm with the Merkabah is a neat idea, but it's cleared away the Hollowpoint tumors we grew in it. We'd need to either fire more or grow the arms from our swarmlings.

>>5076891
>We should be mindful that Merkabah is also capable of casting "SHI SEL" on Amara. We could instead as an alternative cast buffing spells on us.
I'm not actually sure it is. It might just be holding it in reserve, but it at the least doesn't have a reflexive counter stored. That would have been triggered already.
>>
>>5076878
Teleport swapping shenanigans seem like a very viable tactic to catch Merkabah off guard by having Francine swap places on timings that Merkabah wouldn't want to happen. Like missing an attack it wanted to land, or lowering its guard in confusion when November turns its cannons to fire at Francine. That would also require Francine to be more nimble/mobile in order to take advantage of the teleporting shenanigans.
>>
>>5076896
Well, Francine does have Sui Sacrificium, she can boost her speed.
>>
>>5076891
(It's due to your allies having utmost faith in your abilities, along with a combo of commlings and raw intuition.)

(Obviously trying to communicate with allies that aren't as in tune with you or your family is less smooth, as they're not an extension of yourself like you family tends to be in combat.)
>>
>>5076893
Its strange of me to say this but I can't help but imagine the most fitting move to finish off Merkabah is Amara (cloaked and mimic'd by Nerada) performing a judgement cut via Hunter's honor Angel.

>>5076878
Our banelings and small constructs aside from the beefier units like the knightlings and Rooks won't be able to bypass the heat aura if Merkabah decides to flare it up again. Maybe we should merge them and get a beefier modified baneling capable of tanking the heat aura. we have 22 of them and banelings cost 5% bio, so we have 110% bio for our baneling modifying budget to either increase mass and hp or add modifiers to it.
>>
>>5076878
>Spawn another Rook, as well as Plateling armor for the Knights
I think we can do more aside from going guns blazing with our contender. Here's what I propose for Shu's actions.

SHU:
>ACT 1: Full use of our Hive core: Merge half of our banelings into bigger banelings. all 11 banelings ready themselves for a suicide run and serve as a screening shield. that puts us at 25 banelings. Spawn 5 Domlings, a Rook-Spiraling, 4 Rooks, and 10 Knighted Grapplings. Grapplings, extend their arms via hundred handed to keep Merkabah still, Rook Spiraling augments the 2 Jacklings Fear to Tread.
>ACT 2: Dominus Bloodline activate, Reform Contender into Super shotgun and Reload with 2 Herculean Fullbores. Fear to Tread Activate
>ACT 3: Spawn 50 to 100 Hands, all of them tipped with Heaven's Drill, with the leading limb spearing out to anchor itself within Merkabah. Hundred Handed Drill Breaker straight into Merkabah, unload Super shottie into Merkabah point blank. Teleporting out with a Rook if needed.

Domlings can boost our Dominus bloodline effects and we can use the boosted health to go full ham with Hundred Handed.

Knightlings can harass for sure.


We can spawn Grapplings that help serve as anchor points to pin Merkabah down with hundred handed and keep him in place while Shu spawns a Tree's worth of Arms and angles them into a hundred handed heaven's drill attack that can't miss because she fired a hundred handed chain to latch onto Merkabah before Teleporting out of close range with a Rook teleport. She can even fire the change the contender into the super shotgun

Any thoughts on my suggestion to the change in Shu's actions?
>>
>>5076921
Well, I'm a bit hesitant to get close given the heat aura and its paralysis auto-counters. Our own counterspells can deal with the paralysis, but the heat is going to be a problem unless we move this in the turn order to after Amara casts her spells trying to shut it down. So let's make sure to do that.

We've also got three rounds per shotgun-Contender, not two. So that's something to consider. We could add another Fullbore, or a B.33 to inhibit regeneration while we're at it.

Oh, and the shotgun mode can fire the bayonet like a harpoon, drag the target up to two zones. That might be helpful given that it's digging its limbs into the ground, it's probably planning something. Shit, yeah, it's probably going to do some terraforming move, I didn't realize that before. We need to drag it away.
>>
>>5076878
unless we plan to somehow get the Contender shots to actually land, i'd just scrap all of them for cheaper options and/or Cicadas.

you have nothing hee to try and counter the hands it sent underground. Queen and the blade might stop some but trying to take an actual active approach will help prevent any counter counter measures it may use, or just any bonuses attacking from a blind spot may allocate it.

I feel like one of Novembers fast firing weapons would be more appropriate if we're trying to distract it only. any combo of Shotgun, Grenade, MG, and Gat would be most appropriate.

you're really lacking any proper method to deal real damage if we get an opening. we should always be looking to make one and then exploit it, otherwise all its doing is backpedaling and taking them from the enemy ourselves, especially with its one potential major attack being ignored.

woke up late and still need to do my morning routine like feed the chicken and turkeys, so cant write out specific options til im back.
>>
>>5076926
Cut off the limbs, drag it skyward. Alternatively, We terraform and Impale it skywards with neuromancy. I'm hesitant to have Amara use her Revved up Hunter's honor for simply cutting off Merkabah's limbs despite having a single stack of hunter's honor. Do you think it's worth spending it on?
>>
>>5076878
>>5076932
grah,
also, its focusing on Shu but shes not really seeming to try and do much to try and take advantage of or prevent damage from that.
>>
>>5076932
Yeah, it is too reactive and not proactive enough. I realized that, but couldn't come up with a proactive plan I like. I think I've got a new one, now, though, based on >>5076921's ideas. Tell me how this looks, everyone.

>>5076831

SHU
>Merge half of our banelings into bigger banelings. all 11 banelings ready themselves for a suicide run and serve as a screening shield. that puts us at 25 banelings. Spawn 5 Domlings, a Rook-Spiraling, 4 Rooks, and 10 Knighted Grapplings. Grapplings, extend their arms via hundred handed to keep Merkabah still, Rook Spiraling augments the 2 Jacklings Fear to Tread.
>Attach Dominus Bloodline to Merkabah.
>Reform Contenders into Schrotflinte mode. Load with two Herculean Fullbores and a B.33 each.
>Teleport via Rook to behind Merkabah
>Fire Bayonet to harpoon and drag the Merkabah from its position. Extend Hundred Hands chains from Grapplings to tie down Merkabah, tip with Heaven's Drills as needed for anchoring. Fire Schrotflintes at point blank, teleport out with Rook afterwards.
>Time attack to go off after Amara quenches the Merkabah's heat. Try to also time harpooning for Amara's Oxygenic Blast to add force to attempt to uproot it.

AMARA
>Set the Margrave-wielding clone to guard yourself.
>Activate Queen Crimson.
>Take three first-generation replicating clones off of that duty to start throwing spells. GRA FOL TER to revert the altered terrain back to normal, GRA SULK SUTH CUNT to cool down the Merkabah, GRA SKRA FOL CUNT to cause it to backfire if it tries to reestablish the heat aura. Keep the rest on counterspell duty.
>Rev up the Red Devil Engine to full.
>Stay near Francine to give her bullets the benefits of Queen Crimson.
>Fire an Oxygenic Artillery blast at the Merkabah to cause knockback and disrupt concentration.
FRANCINE
>Attach a Creation's String at long range to the Merkabah. Get a read of its Health, Bio, and Core.
>Fire the Gatling Fang in focused mode against the Merkabah.
>Spawn two more Fishmen. Have the group continue harassing the Merkabah in melee.
>Spend 200% Health to gain speed with Sui Sacrificium
>Be ready to apply healing, as needed.

NOVEMBER
>Keep the tank mobile, strafing around the Merkabah, though watch sight lines to prevent hitting an ally.
>Keep up bombardment with plasma grenades and railgun. If we get a chance, use one of the stored charges of level one Autumn Protocol to add to the damage.
>Activate Jester's Masque for speed boost
>Be ready to apply healing, as needed.

>>5076933
I'd like to have Amara do Blade's Bounty, but I'm not sure as to the timing. I want to trap the Merkabah in a big field of sword attacks, but I don't know how to get them in that position.
>>
>>5076936
>I'd like to have Amara do Blade's Bounty, but I'm not sure as to the timing. I want to trap the Merkabah in a big field of sword attacks, but I don't know how to get them in that position.

Amara's next to Francine right? Simply teleport swap Francine via and Merkabah's position via Creation's strings. Amara can then use Oxygenic Artillery to point blank Merkabah skyward while Shu then Drives the angel down via fear to tread and Grapplings...right next to Amara's position where Amara can draw and throw her sword to initiate Blade's bounty.
>>
>>5076940
>>5076936
I'd like to add that Shu should drive Merkabah down via heaven's drill tipped hundred hands.
>>
>>5076940
Yeah, that works well, Oxygenic Artillery has a heavy AoE knockback that also disrupts concentration.

Okay, how does this look?

NOVEMBER
>Activate Crimson Jester's Masque.
>Circle-strafe the Merkabah, firing with machine gun and autocannon to distract it and keep it from focusing on the rest of the party.
>If opportunity presents itself, fire a stored level one charge of Autumn Protocol.

SHU
>Merge half of our banelings into bigger banelings. all 11 banelings ready themselves for a suicide run and serve as a screening shield. that puts us at 25 banelings. Spawn 5 Domlings, a Rook-Spiraling, 4 Rooks, and 10 Knighted Grapplings. Grapplings, extend their arms via hundred handed to keep Merkabah still, Rook Spiraling augments the 2 Jacklings Fear to Tread.
>Attach Dominus Bloodline to Merkabah.
>Reform Contenders into Schrotflinte mode. Load with two Herculean Fullbores and a B.33 each.

AMARA
>Set the Margrave-wielding clone to guard yourself.
>Activate Queen Crimson.
>Take three first-generation replicating clones off of that duty to start throwing spells. GRA FOL TER to revert the altered terrain back to normal, GRA SULK SUTH CUNT to cool down the Merkabah, GRA SKRA FOL CUNT to cause it to backfire if it tries to reestablish the heat aura. Keep the rest on counterspell duty.
>Rev up the Red Devil Engine to full.

FRANCINE
>Spawn two more Fishmen.
>Tether to the Merkabah with Creation's Strings. Teleport-swap with it to move it from its position.
>Send Fishmen group in to attack Merkabah, fire on area with Gatling in saturation fire mode

AMARA
>Fire Oxygenic Artillery in AoE mode to blast the Merkabah up into the air.
>Drop Blade's Bounty, then flee area.

SHU
>Send in swarmlings to attack Merkabah mid-air. Tie it up with Hundred-Hands chains from the Grapplings, with Heaven's Drill anchors if needed. Rook-swap up to it and slam it back down to earth with the Schrotflinte and Heaven's Drill.
>Rook-swap back away to avoid Blade's Bounty AoE.
>>
>>5076947
Shit, I forgot

NOVEMBER
>Be ready to apply healing as needed.

FRANCINE
>Spend 200% Health on Sui Sacrificium for speed boost.
>Be ready to apply healing as needed.
>>
>>5076947
>Send in swarmlings to attack Merkabah mid-air. Tie it up with Hundred-Hands chains from the Grapplings, with Heaven's Drill anchors if needed. Rook-swap up to it and slam it back down to earth with the Schrotflinte and Heaven's Drill.

Wording's a bit off, it should be a combination of Hundred handed tipped with Heaven's drill and Fear to Tread that sends Merkabah down to earth and impaling it onto a Fear to tread spiral created by the 2 Jacklings and Rook Spiraling laced with Blade's bounty.

But overall it looks good.
>>
>>5076950
Team's at full health so far so no need to hold an action up with healing unless Merkabah pulls a big surprise on us.
>>
>>5076947
Autumn Protocol stops November from using anymore Plasma based attacks after use... so unless you are VERY sure its gonna hit, may be far too early to risk using.

while not sure its applicable here per say, something no to forget i Amara can launch projectiles with Oxygenic.

Francines teleport(which i cant remember how she does) should probably be further up the list, though im not sure the point of it in general, but certainly not that late into the plan with no other indication of when it should be done or if people should wait for it or what.

when did the merkabah get into the air with the second part of orders for Shu? nothing specifically says WE put it into the air and otherwise technically nothing says we dont still have it pinned to the ground at the moment.
im also not sure its worth letting it or throwing it into the air. keeping things that can fly grounded is a good idea.

you still haven't addressed the arms its squirming into the ground.
>>
>>5076956
>Autumn Protocol stops November from using anymore Plasma based attacks after use... so unless you are VERY sure its gonna hit, may be far too early to risk using.
No, she can use two level one beams without draining her Core, now. It's not on the sheet, but that's one of the upgrades she got after integrating Snowbird's spare Cores.

>Francines teleport(which i cant remember how she does) should probably be further up the list, though im not sure the point of it in general, but certainly not that late into the plan with no other indication of when it should be done or if people should wait for it or what.
Pull it away from where it's worming its limbs into the ground, keep it from doing whatever it's doing.

>when did the merkabah get into the air with the second part of orders for Shu? nothing specifically says WE put it into the air and otherwise technically nothing says we dont still have it pinned to the ground at the moment.
Amara hitting it with a knockback AoE aimed to hit it into the air.

>you still haven't addressed the arms its squirming into the ground.
That's what shooting it into the air is meant to do.
>>
>>5076831
FUCK. WE FORGOT TO LINK THIS TO THIS POST >>5076947 AS A PROPER VOTE.
>>
>>5076962
(No worries, if there was any issue I'd have brought it up once voting closed.)
>>
>>5076831


NOVEMBER
>Activate Crimson Jester's Masque.
>Circle-strafe the Merkabah, firing with machine gun and autocannon to distract it and keep it from focusing on the rest of the party.
>If opportunity presents itself, fire a stored level one charge of Autumn Protocol.

SHU
>Merge half of our banelings into bigger banelings. all 11 banelings ready themselves for a suicide run and serve as a screening shield. that puts us at 25 banelings. Spawn 5 Domlings, a Rook-Spiraling, 4 Rooks, and 10 Knighted Grapplings. Grapplings, extend their arms via hundred handed to keep Merkabah still, Rook Spiraling augments the 2 Jacklings Fear to Tread.
>Attach Dominus Bloodline to Merkabah.
>Reform Contenders into Schrotflinte mode. Load with two Herculean Fullbores and a B.33 each.

AMARA
>Set the Margrave-wielding clone to guard yourself.
>Activate Queen Crimson.
>Take three first-generation replicating clones off of that duty to start throwing spells. GRA FOL TER to revert the altered terrain back to normal, GRA SULK SUTH CUNT to cool down the Merkabah, GRA SKRA FOL CUNT to cause it to backfire if it tries to reestablish the heat aura. Keep the rest on counterspell duty.
>Rev up the Red Devil Engine to full.

FRANCINE
>Spawn two more Fishmen.
>Spend 200% Health on Sui Sacrificium
>Tether to the Merkabah with Creation's Strings. Teleport-swap with it to move it from its position.
>Send Fishmen group in to attack Merkabah, fire on area with Gatling in saturation fire mode

AMARA
>Fire Oxygenic Artillery in AoE mode to blast the Merkabah up into the air.
>Drop Blade's Bounty, then flee area.

SHU
>Send in swarmlings to attack Merkabah mid-air. Tie it up with Hundred-Hands chains from the Grapplings, with Heaven's Drill anchors if needed. Rook-swap up to it, fire the Schrotflintes point blank, and then slam it back to earth with the Grapplings chains and Fear To Tread.
>Rook-swap back away to avoid Blade's Bounty AoE.

Just cleaning it up to make it clear how we're bringing it down to earth.
>>
>>5076831
Bhop. I hope you've scrolled down far enough to look at the voting discussion to see our plans and find this post >>5076947 to make the vote count.

gah. the timing and hubris of us planners. All that discussion and we forgot to properly turn in that vote.
>>
>>5076969
Yeah, sorry. That's on me.
>>
>>5076966
whew. thanks. mild panic attack on the formalities.

Also. I found something very amusing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYSxT-Bm12g
>>
>>5076971
(I *just* got the remake in the mail yesterday for the Switch, so this gives me high hopes for the sort of shenanigans I experienced back when I played the original.)
>>
>>5076958
>November
well thats on BHOP.

your order of operations still makes it horribly difficult to really understand what you have planned here or how it will work.

Im still against knocking it into the air, and think relying on that is risky, even with the teleport. the arms could still very easily keep it tethered if thats what it wishes. otherwise, blasting a flier up into the sky is putting back exactly where it wants to be and moves the quickest.
>>
>>5076831
>>5076936
grah, a bit past time, but im not liking the shift in the plan later so voting for this version of the plan.
not entirely happy with it but like it more than the air plan.
>>
(If everyone would like a bit more time to debate and refine the vote, it will likely be a little while before I can get to writing - work is rather busy today, I'm afraid. How does an extra hour sound to everyone?)
>>
>>5076986
sounds fair.
>>
>>5076986
reasonable, especially if you need the time anyhow.
>>
>>5076958

>>5076974
so if we're concerned with the limbs that are digging into the ground while it's pinned, and anticipate it performing a terraforming attack, then we should consider other options while keeping the current idea of disrupting its concentration abilities or disorienting it by messing with its position.

I'm thinking of modifying the hundred hands that we spawn into spawning Heavens drills from our hands to impale Merkabah. Not only that, we should Terraform a rather large spiraling Drill spike and hoist it up into the air to keep it from performing terraforming shenanigans while still keeping ranged options open.
>>
>>5076974
>otherwise, blasting a flier up into the sky is putting back exactly where it wants to be and moves the quickest.
See, I'm not sure that's true. Right now, the only thing grounding it is itself. It negated Fear To Tread by generating new terrain, and it healed the Hollowpoit Hive blisters we were extending Hundred-Hands from. It should be able to resume flying any time it wants. If it's on the ground, its probably because its plan is better served by being on the ground. Maybe it's a trick, but I'm willing to call its bluff.

That said, we could call its bluff some other way if you're worried. Hitting it with Blade's Bounty would do the job. Cover the ground in dozens of limb-severing blades, gonna cut those arms off good. I want to do the teleport-swap to get Amara into position quickly, but we could do it some other way if you have an idea.

>>5076986
Sounds good. Sorry your day's busy.
>>
>>5076993
first, im pretty sure Thread has some resistances to being terraformed, but even if it doesn't, it knows we can spawn another. it anticipating we might just try to bring it back down however is completely different than the fact if it does get back into the air it'll be in its home environment til we bring it down again, and i see no reason it wouldn't abuse any time in the air we give it, especially in maneuverability against our attacks.

>>5076992
>>5076993
to counter the limbs, we could skewer the ground, basically. maybe have Amara do a softening spell, as while Shu has terraforming its not the strongest, then skewer downward to counter the arms and whatever they're doing. we could use a jackling or whatever we did in the past to listen for the arms underground if we want to be more precise.
>>
>>5076993
>>5076974
>Half of the hands that spill forth from the folds in its robe are squirming into the ground beneath it, while the fingers of yet others merge into the facsimile of blades, gleaming calcite tearing through red muscle and strained tendons. Though it has no face to speak of, you can somehow still feel its focus set squarely on you as it prepares for the next clash, weighing its options.

>the fingers of yet others merge into the facsimile of blades, gleaming calcite tearing through red muscle and strained tendons.

Huh...looks like it's preparing other abilities and options. From Merkabah's perspective it seems to think that staying up in the air and flying will leave it open to November and Francine's devastating ranged attacks, while taking into account that Shu's fear to tread abilities will keep it grounded. So it's preparing itself and digging in for grounded combat.

Fingers digging into the ground indicates it has ground and anti-tunneling options while the calcite blades in combination with its limb generating ability will ensure that it can fend off and parry attacks from multiple angles. The heat aura will also come into play. I'm also willing to guess that it'll use skin talking in conjunction with its melee.
>>
>>5076994
>we could use a jackling or whatever we did in the past to listen for the arms underground if we want to be more precise.
use a soundling instead of a jackling.
>>
>>5076994
Amara does have an augment that makes difficult terrain actively attack enemies, that could be used to grind up the arms. So do a OMA GRA RHO TER to turn the terrain hostile to the Merkabah, and then attack the arms with terraforming? That could work.

>>5076997
I get the sense it's going to attack us with groundspikes. It probably can't use terraforming as an attack given that we have Psychica Spiralis active, but it can still just erupt a limb from beneath us.
>>
>>5076993
>>5076994
Wait, if it's committing to a ground fight along with terraforming options, We should load the contender up with "Honey" B.33 rounds to tie up the limbs. that way we can focus on countering the real threat of its terraforming attack.
>>
>>5077000
that could work. or both. turn the terrain hazardous to her, plus making it basically like putty pitfalls(though arguably that IS hazardous terrain, what constitutes that is pretty open ended wording), and then fill the putty with Blades Bounty to further chop anything up.
actually at that point we're probably hitting the Merkabah themselves, but still. it keeps it on the ground where we want it while countering both moves it seems to be making, t least to the best of our ability to guess what its doing.
>>
>>5077002
Okay. So the big problem with Blade's Bounty is avoiding hitting our team, but also not risking Amara when using it. We should attach a bungee line to Amara so we can quickly recall her. Have her charge in, create a Blade's Bounty small enough to not hit the party, then pull her right back out. So either the Ravenous Maw's tongue or a Hundred Hand chain. That sound good?
>>
>>5077002
>>5077000
If we're turning all terrain hazardous, we should have some countermeasures to prevent getting stuck in our own terrain created mess. Hang on:

>Psy-Platelings x4
>>5076973
Have we given a Psy-Plateling to Nerada? I don't want her to get caught up in Amara's terrain altering spell unless she's got hazardous terrain protection on her.
>>
>>5077006
And actually, with it focusing on Shu, we can have Shu use her big assault as distraction for Amara coming in with Blade's Bounty.
>>
>>5077006
yeah, sounds good.
>>
>>5077007
I'm not even sure where Nerada is right now. She may have disperses into the shadows.
>>
>>5077006
Can't Amara also just throw the blade like a Kunai and shit like a ranged weapon instead of dropping the sword on the ground? We can also use Oxygenic Artillery to fire the sword like a projectile at range and still get the Blade Bounty ability to proc without having to risk Amara.

The mental image of Amara jamming a sword hilt up her nose in order to sneeze it out disturbs me greatly though...
>>
>>5077007
>>5077011
yeah its quite possible Nerada is literally just tiny dots of shadow right now. not even sure we could stick platelings to that.
>>
>>5077012
Amara can use Blade's Bounty as a ranged attack, but then it's not AoE. I want to cover a whole area in blades.

And I'm pretty sure that Amara doesn't actually have to use Oxygenic Artillery as a sneeze, it just amuses her to.
>>
>>5077006
Hundred Hand chain's got a more instantaneous and faster extend/retract speed than the Ravenous Maw's tongue. go with that instead.
>>
Okay, got this mostly typed up, but I'm blanking on what to do with November in the new idea.

SHU
>Merge half of our banelings into bigger banelings. all 11 banelings ready themselves for a suicide run and serve as a screening shield. that puts us at 25 banelings. Spawn 5 Domlings, a Rook-Spiraling, 4 Rooks, and 10 Knighted Grapplings. Grapplings, extend their arms via hundred handed to keep Merkabah still, Rook Spiraling augments the 2 Jacklings Fear to Tread.
>Attach Dominus Bloodline to Merkabah.
>Reform Contenders into Schrotflinte mode. Load with three B.33s each.
>Attack the Merkabah with our swarmlings and charge in our self to attack in close range with the Schrotflinte. Further tie the Merkabah up with Hundred-Hand chains from the Grapplers, with Heaven's Drill anchors if needed. Generate another Fear To Tread.
>Try to time charge to coincide with Amaras spells going off to maximize success, though even lesser success is acceptable if it keeps the Merkabah occupied and distracted.
>Rook-swap out after attack
>After Amara's attack, sling her backwards to safety using a Hundred-Hands chain.

AMARA
>Set the Margrave-wielding clone to guard yourself.
>Activate Queen Crimson.
>Take four first-generation replicating clones off of that duty to start throwing spells. GRA FOL TER to revert the altered terrain back to normal, OMA GRA RHO TER CUNT to turn the terrain against it and damage its burrowing limbs, GRA SULK SUTH CUNT to cool down the Merkabah, GRA SKRA FOL CUNT to cause it to backfire if it tries to reestablish the heat aura. Keep the rest on counterspell duty.
>Rev up the Red Devil Engine to full.
>While the Merkabah is distracted with Shu's attack, charge in close enough to catch it in a Medium-sized Blade's Bounty, using the Red Devil Engine and Iaido stacks to power it up.
>Retreat back away from field of danger using Shu's grapple-line.

FRANCINE
>Tether to Merkabah at long range to scan its health and bio.
>Spawn another two Fishmen. Send Fishmen squad to attack Merkabah and keep its arms busy.
>Spend 200% Health on Sui Sacrificium
>Continue suppressing fire with the Gatling


NOVEMBER
>
>>
>>5077021
looks good enough yeah.

November could try and blind it again to give Amara her opening, and/or simply use her guns to keep it suppressed some more.
not sure what the range of her tether is, but she could try using the tank as a distraction then hitting it from another angle with herself via one of her harder hitting attacks near the end of our lineup.
we could even use it expecting another flare as a sorta trap somehow or to try and give her the opening, maybe.
>>
>>5077021
>>5077024
(I'm starting to write now, and posting shall resume in one and a half hours from now, judging by what I have on the docket.)

(Feel free to firm up November's moves if you like, and I'll go ahead and start rolling dice for the others.)
>>
>>5077029
Okay, here you go.


NOVEMBER
>Active the Crimson Jester's Masque.
>Dismount from the tank, while staying connected via umbilical. Send the tank strafing off to the side to line up for an attack, while providing covering fire with the beam gatling
>Blind it with the Tyrant's Flare again, if a good opportunity to do so arises.
>After it's been trapped in the Blade's Bounty field, fire a round of plasma grenades from the tank.

I like those>>5077024 suggestions for November. With her having been established as a big gun, the Merkabah will hopefully think we're drawing aggro for her to attack with, not Amara.
>>
>>5077029
>>5077032
yeah these sound good for November BHOP.

>>5077032
>>5077021
>>5076831
supporting, for traditions sake.
>>
>>5077024
>>5077021

Man, I'm trying to find ways to make use of November's Flash Forging abilities in combat and I've come to the realization that we are somewhat lacking in relics that have ranged abilities/utilities in the relics catalogue for November to make immediate use of. I'll also have to go digging in the archives for any relic ideas that didn't make it into the catalogue and see what I can find that could be of use.

We're fine for now, but it just feels that there are things and uses that November can take advantage of with her frame configuration and her ability to hotswap relic loadouts, but the pieces aren't there.

I'll have to find time to think upon it.
>>
>>5077039
ive been saying we're lacking those and relic options in general for... technically over a year now, if we take before the haitus into it.

that said, two ideas.
one, she could just throw them. they'll disappear sure, but they might have enough time to impact before they do.
two, if she can load a swarmling as part of a shot, she could probably do so with relics, with smaller ones going into her own arms railgun or grenade launcher.

having actual ranged relics would still probably work better except in certain circumstances though, but still.
>>
>>5077041
Throwing relics? that might work. I can't however quite understand what you mean by "they'll disappear for sure" when we throw them. Do they dissolve into raw biomass immediately after November throws them and switches it out for a new relic to hot swap to?

I've got the muse singing for a new relic atm.

But I think expanding the consumables section and some of the more active-defensive use items of the relic catalogue might also help justify a bit more of November's ability to hot-swap relics as part of her loadout.
>>
>>5077041
Hang on. iirc. It's possible to forge automated constructs that aren't bound to you or count towards a Hive Mistress max cap at a forge stated in the Tier 2&3 forge pastebin: https://pastebin.com/pVEbSn6M

Down in the Replicate section.

If that's the case. Why not have November Flash Forge Swarmlings and other Constructs with her Forge Core? Heck. We could possibly even flash forge constructs that we've seen other Daughters make throughout our journey!

Oh man. the ideas are absolutely brimming now!
>>
>>5077046
well, November cant arm our party because the relics 'disappear after leaving her hand. BHOP worded it slightly differently though and i dont think it said immediately, so its hard to know how it works exactly. that, and some relics like the dainsleif are designed to leave the hand, so it must be a specific caveat that causes them to start to dissipate, and 'leaving the hand to an allies' is more of an example.

>>5077051
yeah, could work. would need to double check i think though how exactly that would work and its limits wit BHOP.
>>5077029
hey BHOP, when you have a moment, mind answering these few questions/ ideas here?
also on top of the above,... could she slot the constructs to gain advantages?
>>
>>5077055
>>5077051
(An excellent idea, though I'll have to dig through my notes to see the interaction effects.)

(I would judge that yes, November could absolutely flash-forge Constructs, though I'd have to work on their slot effects.)
>>
>>5077056
alright.
so throwing and swarms both on the table, neat.
though knowing boths limits would be nice, but take what time you need for that, especially if your notes arent with you.
>>
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>>5077056
>>
>>5077059
sort of ironic tho. November's conversion into a Warframe deprived/severely nerfed her of her core Hive Mistress ability, but now that she's in a souped up Warframe, she technically has a better time replicating her old hive mistress core ability.
>>
>>5077056
Just like slotting Pino would let November be a piloted mecha, I think that slotting other constructs should let November combine with them like she was in a Super Sentai series. You know, how a lot of the time there will be a main robot that gets alternate forms by swapping out limbs? Like their arm retracts back into the torso of the robot, and then a separate animal or vehicle mecha clamps on and becomes a new limb? Like that, only with biomechanical drones.

>>5077064
Marco will have so many new friends.
>>
>>5077064
yeah. also, her original swarm should be on the list of ones she can make.

>>5077056
>>5077064
...also, weird thought that im unsure we would ever do, but could she slot.... fuck, whats his name? damn my terrible memory with names. he handsome spider pal. would she get anything special with him (both because hes her only non forge swarmling and because we added a heart to him)?
though like i said, not sure we would. only reason to springing to mind would be if the tank got damaged so she slots him in to protect him instead of leaving him in the wreck.

...actually, wait aswell. spider boy has a heart. the hearts main objective is technically bodyguard duty. how does that work with him being in the tank BHOP? especially the last ditch ability to swap places to save its charges life? because hes just piloting, not connected to the tank, i think?
>>
>>5077066
>>5077071
MARCO!
thats his name damnit. sorry lil buddy.

curse you Anon for not posting that sooner haha.
>>
>>5077071
>>5077075
>>handsome spider pal
>>Marco

(I don't think you know how happy he'd be to hear himself referred to in such a way.)
>>
>>5077077
I'm glad to hear that he has enough intelligence to know when people compliment him. Good Marco, best solfugid.
>>
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>>5077066
>Slotting in Marco visually turns November into a spider themed Mecha
>Cue November wowing Amara/Nerada with an elaborate transformation sequence

Also found a picture that could visually describe November's new look if she slotted in Marco in the T-5 Relic slot.
>>
>>5077071

>spider boy has a heart. the hearts main objective is technically bodyguard duty. how does that work with him being in the tank BHOP? especially the last ditch ability to swap places to save its charges life? because hes just piloting, not connected to the tank, i think?

...oh damn. That's gonna be tragic af if it comes to November using Winterfall if Marco's piloting it. Marco can substitute November's place to ensure the Winterfall initiative comes to fruition while November gets the Ejection seat.
>>
>>5077086
Nice. November could always use more limbs.

>>5077090
Well, one more reason to never use Winterfall, then.
>>
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>Atomic Apaxe: A crude, colossal, yet primitive hand axe fashioned with a leather, a bone, and a dorsal plate of an ancient reptilian titan. The Dorsal plate serves as the axe head and faintly glows blue with the spark of radiation. As primitive as the relic is as a weapon, the axe head contains properties that absorbs elemental energies (except acid) from its surroundings and converts it into radiant energy, nullifying any elemental dangers the wielder may face. Sturdy enough to even block elemental attacks head-on, The wielder can unleash the energy contained within the relic to deal armor piercing blows that bypass elemental immunities with the relic for two rounds before the relic is fully drained of its power. However, for its extreme damage output, it is slow to charge, requiring 4-6 rounds of absorbing elemental attacks before becoming fully charged. It can however be quickly recharged if it absorbs radiant energy, or left to be heated within the furnace of a Forge.

This relic is brought to you by my muse and clips of watching Godzilla vs. Kong.

Also, finally a relic idea that deals with elemental shenanigans.
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>>5076831

Your Dominus Bloodline lashes out, tethering you to your foe as you slam your twin pistols together, the alien bone merging together. The Contender’s Schrotflinte Form breaks open, its twin barrels loaded with malicious intent by the six B.33 rounds that clamber into the juxtaposed chambers before you snap the weapon shut. The Dominus flares to life, and you’re taken aback at the rush of pure, unbridled power that now pulses through your armored form.

And with that, you begin.

November’s moves as you do, her blood-iron masque flaring to life as its wearer dismounts the Geschoss, both tank and pilot parting to flank your common foe as the former opens fire to keep Merkabah’s wall of hands busy. Francine sees the opening her friend’s offered her and takes it gladly to fling out a stand of golden thread, an extension of both mind and body that seeks to unwravel the Merkabah’s mysteries as another two Dagon-class constructs peel themselves off of her arms to join their brethren.

Francine’s strand latches on, and the good doctor’s smirk of victory is pried open into a scream of agony.

>>COVENANT’S REBUKE—ACTIVATED

>>FRANCINE—STUNNED, BLINDED

Your swarmlings converge, your rage made manifest through them as banelings meld together into larger, vastly more brutal forms. Yet more swarmlings burst from your hive as you charge forward, using them to cover your vengeful dash to the frontlines. Amara and her chorus sing out with a medley of discordant shouts, their Lexicon reversing Merkabah’s command of the ground and ferrying you directly into firing range, past Francine’s constructs that continue their assault on the wall of hands even as their flesh boils from the radiance…and when the smell of burning flesh hits you, it makes you realize why the tang is so familiar.

The hands burn with the same radiant energies that Rath brings to bear, glowing with annihilating radiation.

Perhaps that knowledge should deter you…

…perhaps if you were alone, it would.

Amara’s practically on top of Merkabah, darting up from its left as you flank from the right, your foe’s focus squarely on you. Its head cocks, dozens of bladed arms flinching at your approach before the world goes white with November’s Tyrant Flare. The amalgam’s pre-emptive strikes go wide, its newly-formed limbs suddenly tangled by strands of flesh and bone—your swarmlings erupt with Hundred-Handed’s multitude of arms, a network that spontaneously bursts into existence as you and your daughter close in on your prey.

Planting your lead foot down, you brace yourself as another instance of Fear to Tread blossoms from your heel, and it’s with relish that you shove the Contender’s twin barrels squarely into Merkabah’s chest. The massive shotgun bucks in your hands, roaring with triumph as your target’s thrown backwards, robe shredded…

…and Amara’s eyes flash, sensing her moment to strike.

>>AMARA—CRITICAL HIT

(Continued)
>>
>>5077106

She unsheathes faster than thought, plunging her gleaming blade into the flesh underfoot as a field of swords spear through the ground around you. Merkabah’s pierced from every direction, completely ensconced in the grove of calcite and death, and just as it tried to round on the one responsible Amara’s plucked out of reach, your swarmlings’ arms yanking her away from the melee. Reality shifts, Merkabah lashing out at you instead and spearing through the Rook that hovers where you stood only a half-second before.

The wall of hands collapses as Merkabah’s tattered form turns to you, shattering the blades that tried in vain to hold it in place. You watch as its hindered regeneration struggles to keep up with the blitzkrieg you’ve just showered it with, as it suddenly begins to fold in on itself, withering from existence as it tries to escape…

>>NERADA—CRITICAL HIT

…but Hive Mistresses are hard to shake.

Countless needles of roiling shadow hold Merkabah aloft, a noir echo of Amara’s field of shining, heroic blades. Their tips have pierced cleanly through their target, coiling at the ends into barbs that Merkabah’s helpless to escape as it tries in vain to rip itself free. Far to your right you see Francine held up by November, the cyborg glaring daggers at the amalgam and raising a single finger in condemnation. The firing order is silent, but its execution is anything but—the Metall Geschoss roars to life, belching a hail of white plasma that engulfs the Manifold Merkabah in a shower of destructive light.

>>NOVEMBER—CRITICAL HIT

You have a rare moment to catch your breath, a second before a figure bursts out of the groundflesh to your right. Nerada unceremoniously hauls herself up from underground, patches of her skin and dress singed and flaking as she dusts herself off with a scowl, even as she pants for breath.

“You okay? Where’ve you been?”

“Radioactive hands. Underground. Tried to encircle whole area. Ate them.” She coughs, planting her hands on her knees as she eyes your common foe with a furious glint.

“…Thank you.”

“We’re not done yet.” She breathes, nodding towards the center of the battlefield as the plasma cools. “It’s changing.”

>> PURITY OF FORM: B.33 Rounds Purged

(Continued)
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>>5077110

The light fades, the tattered cloak that hovers at its center tossed aside to reveal an undulating core of flailing bodies. It turns inside out, a set of hard calcite armor emerging from within itself, peerless and pristine. From its chest emerges the hilt of a sword, and when it’s drawn forth, the calcite slab erupts with a light so blinding that it disintegrates the Jacklings and Rook that were trying to keep Fear to tread active…it’s a radiance so blinding that you almost miss as Merkabah casts its other hand forth with a wave, the battleground rippling once, then twice. The flesh of the earth begins to writhe as forms start to take shape—the bodies of countless women and children, pulling themselves from the earth in service of a master whose call they’re helpless to resist. Faces cry out with silenced anguish, bathed in the light of persecution.

Echoes of the lives lost when this thing sprang into existence here, so long ago.

>>VIRTUE FORM—DEACTIVATED

>>DOMINION FORM—ENGAGED

Merkabah charges, crossing the gap from it to you with blinding speed.

…here goes everything.

HP: 3420% (+3640% [Dominus: Tethered], Arbiter’s Judgment, Matron’s, G.’s Longcoat [+2 RES Against ALL])
BIO: 3350% (+1390%. Swarmlings: 24/60—Psy-Platelings x4, Rook x5, Rook-Spiraling x1, Double-Knighted Nommling x4, Jackling x2, Domlings x5, Knighted Grapplings x5)

Buffs: None.
Debuffs: None.
Aggro: Preparing to charge at Shu with unknown abilities, using Phantasmal constructs as cover.

CONTENDER: **RELOAD**
ACT: 3/3


AMARA: 3,200% (+400%, H. Rod, R.D. Engine, V. Nocere, G.G. Box, S. Shawl, V. Virtutis, Margraves.)
Joyous Many: 21 - 12 to self-replicate, 9 to counter enemy Lexicon
Red Devil’s Engine: Hunter’s Honor, 0 Stacks


FRANCINE: 4,017 % (+630%, S.G. Essentials, I. Spectacles, S. Sacrificium, Spine, D. of Ego)
Dagon: 2
STATUS: CLEARED!


NOVEMBER: 4614% (550%, Sui Tormentis(Chest), P. Pendant(L. Leg), D. of Ego(R. Leg), F. Lyre(L. Arm), Essentials(R. Arm), C.J. Masque(Head), and R.D. Engine(T5 Slot))
Red Devil’s Engine: Autumn Protocol, 1 Stack


>>Character Abilities: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1p_asyKKcyCbQieAAXo1oogBucLtzSypx8-M9vqA96zE/edit#gid=1685687578

>>Relics: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RcylXb-kh5eNqVJDcvHDuJywlRr-4dli_sjguzgw8W8/edit?usp=sharing


>>ROUND THREE: COMMENCE


YOU ARE IN CONTROL
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(Voting shall remain open for the next eight hours, with posting to resume at 10AM tomorrow, Eastern time. Thank you for your patience and participation, and I do hope that your week is going well, one and all.)

(Also, I'll likely post twice tomorrow as well, since I have to go into the office and deal with some more issues that have arisen. I appreciate you all bearing with me, and I wish you a restful evening, everything.)
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>>5077122
fair enough. You've given us a lot to think about. This is quite the entertaining enemy although I dread to see what it's Dominion form does.
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>>5077102
Looks good. Would do November nicely, give her a big melee beat-stick that she can charge up with her plasma.

>>5077116
So it's switched from an area control build to a melee duelist, relying on its Phantasmal abilities to provide cover. And us without any of our anti-Construct specialists. Dang.

Well, the first idea that comes to mind is Amara using her power that forces opponents to disengage from their chosen targets. Hollistic Lexicon level four. It can be saved against, though, so it's not a guarantee. Still, would be good for suddenly stopping this thing in its tracks.

>>5077122
Thanks for running, BHOP. Sorry to hear that your tomorrow is going to be busy. I hope it doesn't give you too much trouble.
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>>5077116
>"Thanks Nerada, for your support. You've done a great job."

Also goddamn that chain of crits.

>>5077125
We're not without a paddle though. We do have spells that specifically deal with constructs. As well as Relics that November can flash forge. We should also have Amara activate Armory of the infinite to regain her reved up sword 1 stack Hunter's honor sword.

Tier 2:
>CONTROL SCRAMBLER; this small sphere looking akin to a bunch of speaker heads stuck together, may be primed and thrown for the cost of 1 ACT, up to medium range. Upon impacting its location, the orb unleashes a silent, but ear numbing set of pulses outward in a large area. All constructs thus caught in this pulse will have their control orientation scrambled, redirecting their link to a random daughter, amalgam, or even another construct, within the pulses range, thus meaning control could be transferred in any number of ways, including chains where constructs are controlled by constructs that are controlled by a daughter thats never controlled a construct in their life. The effects last 3 turns or until the device is destroyed, and if the device survives, it may be recovered and recharged with an ACT and 100% Bio, to be used again.

>MIND SCRAMBLE EXTRAVAGANZA(Control Scrambler Augmentation); an augmentation to the base relic, this more powerful, focused pulse instead only goes out to medium range, but at the cost of utterly absurd, but powerful enhanced effects. The pulse now affects Daughters, Amalgams, and Constructs alike, transferring control all around in a mix and match from hell. A Daughter could find themselves being controlled by a Construct now thats controlling itself, or be caught being controlled an Amalgam being controlled by a construct thats being controlled by an ally, forcing a precarious and awkward chain of command to get anything done. Just as likely, a daughter could find their foe wholly under their control. the possibilities, both good, bad, and absurd, are quite endless. Again the effects only last for 3 turns or until the device is destroyed, but now even if destroyed the more potent effects will still linger for the remainder of one turns worth of time, making it truly an absurd but potentially devastating relic.

This will be a great method to scramble Merkabah's phantasmal construct army. Although the friendly fire effect will also affect us. as well.
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>>5077131
>>5077125
if you're wondering where these relic ideas are coming from:

it's from the gdoc of relic ideas: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b_-8s0tin7DCQxITm6C69QULRnM_ibDfg18iV4dc7Fc/edit#
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>>5077125
Wait. hang on a tic. Those constructs are Phantasmal in type. We can just have November wade into the thick of it and watch them burst into flames due to Mind of Platinum I think.

Also, if Merkabah's elemental damage is Radiant type, then Amara can cast Nuka Tha on our allies and constructs to give us a modicum of protection.
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>>5077131
True, we do have VIE. I'm not quite sure what spell we should use for that, but I can think of some possibilities. SUTH, maybe, with the logic that it's soothing their agony and letting them rest again.

And yeah, that Control Scrambler looks like a good option for November to flash-Forge. We'd want to be careful not to get our constructs caught in it, though. Send the Joyous Many and Nerada's swarm back, and have the bees fly up.

>>5077137
I'm not sure if creating a Phantasmal construct counts as using a Phantasmal power against November, that might just apply to psychic attacks. But the "disrupts concentration and control of Phantasmal abilities" part should apply if November gets closer to the Dominion Form.
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>>5077116
oof. things clearly feeling it but its not holding back now either.

AMARA;
>Activate the disengage field across the battlefield. this should offset the new constructs a bit and provide some openings.
>have the 4 closest replicate clones split to help defend Shu.
>Have 3 clones cast GRA REV SAN CUNT on the Merkabah.
>have 2 clones cast GRA FOL NUKA across the whole field.

NOVEMBER;
>bombard the enemy Constructs with as many grenades as you and your tank can, completely disrupting them and the Merkabahs approach.

SHU;
>Reload the Contender with a full Fullbore loadout.
>Spawn two Super Guards; Pentuple Rev-Knightlings wielding Quad Grapple-Rooks as shields and Quad Cicada-Gurrenlings as lances, and a Tri-Bishop hat on each too.
>>Let them take the inital onslaught from the Merkabah and punish it as much as they can.
>The rest of the swarm can help keep the enemy constructs busy, focusing on clearing paths and ranged attack venues for allies, over outright destruction.
>One Rook should stay back as a last ditch if Shu needs it.

>Get a large Drill ready to meet the Merkabahs assault, incase you see an opening or it makes it past the Chads you have guarding you.
>Wait for the right moment, the tear into the Merkabah with a sudden explosion of Hundred Hands tipped with smaller drills, aiming to dig in deep and hold in place or at least offset the Merkabahs attacks.
>Then, blast it in the face with the full might of the contender, but use this more to make an opening to stab your revved drill straight through its chest.

FRANCINE;
>Prepare ground for healing, aswell as stretching out to slap down the vines in strategic places to push back the constructs aswell as build up health in yourself.
>Save resources from the Gatling Gun if necessary to instead spawn more Sharks and Dagons to help slow the enemy down and clear out paths.
>>otherwise if not too taxing, unload on the Merkabah to help slow it down and screen its sight from allied movements.

just my opening thoughts.
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>>5077144
Merkabah seems dead intent on putting Shu to a sword duel. Its sword is clearly imbued with Radiant element. If it does get up close, it would be prudent for Amara to have one of her chorus to cast "Tha Gra Nuka" onto Shu in order to give her a degree of protection from Merkabah's Lightsaber"

Francine should definitely be on anti-construct duty with her minigun, although instead of doing Creation's strings on Merkabah, She could tether herself with someone else.

November could technically enter melee range with Shu and flash forge an Atomic Apaxe to take advantage of Merkabah's lightsaber.

Hmm...Amara. Ah. I know, oxygenic artillery for Crowd control. She should also proc Armory of the infinite to reclaim her sword and ready another Iai slash. The clone carrying Margrave's blade should accompany Shu for the sword fight and act as a parry bot. we also have 21 Joyous clones. We can opt to have some of them go off of lexicon duty and replication duty to help support in the fight with their abilities.
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>>5077148
Contender should swap forms from Super shotgun to Gemini Lionheart Rapiers. If/when we fail to keep Merkabah at bay, the contender with Defender's edge will give us 2 procs of parrying to stave off Merkabah's Radiant lightsaber. We can also load up the rapiers with a mixture of B.33 and Hollowpoint rounds to force Merkabah to expend Purity of Form to rid it of the B.33 and hollowpoint debuffs so other debuffs from other party members can apply themselves.
>Get a large Drill ready to meet the Merkabahs assault, incase you see an opening or it makes it past the Chads you have guarding you.
>Wait for the right moment, the tear into the Merkabah with a sudden explosion of Hundred Hands tipped with smaller drills, aiming to dig in deep and hold in place or at least offset the Merkabahs attacks.

Are you implying you want to proc Neruotic Halo's counter with this move? Seems like it. It'd make for a devastating strike.
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>>5077148
For Amara's spells, we should be doing RHO NUKA rather than FOL NUKA. FOL boosts concentration, RHO boosts defenses. And of course, there should be a OMA in there to make sure it's field-wide.

November going for cluster bombing sounds good, though we should add in her beam minigun. It hits everyone in an area, should burn out most of the constructs.

Shu I think needs an instant response. It's charging right at us, fast. We need a quick reaction just to slow it a bit, then we can send out our super-Knights. Maybe take advantage of its momentum to drag it in for the Ravenous Maw's auto-crit? Nah, probably too risky. Might be better to just make space and dodge. I'm worried we've been teleporting enough for it to bring out a countermeasure for it, though.

Francine looks good. Get the Asklepian Ward out, heal everyone in range and even give Overshield.

>>5077151
If November doesn't do anti-construct duty, then Francine definitely should, yeah.

>>5077154
Smart, go twinsword against the Merkabah. We can still inject our ammo at melee range, so that works, and gives us auto-parries.
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>>5077155
>FOL
no, FOL disrupts abilities and concentration on enemies, which is why i want it. 'disrupt nuclear' on her and her minions, incase they have it.

>November.
sure, but my hope was to use the anti-concentration to further upset the constructs and Merkabah, but i guess switching one out for a minigun blast wouldn't hurt.

>Shu
actually we could switch the Drill out for the Maw as the final hit. the Drills good but best against getting through tough foes or defenses. even before if we're already taking care of the arms we can possibly do more with the Maw.
As for instant measures, we could throw down a massive Spiral. might toss it off its feet and give us time to prepare more. the Knightlings can then Rev once its close for basically a 'second hit' due to the increased power of the Spiral hitting unexpectedly.

So i guess a Spiral plus jumping backwards with an arm spring to give us more time to prepare for the rush?

>>5077154
dont we always have Lion rapiers due to the bayonet upgrade? so we shouldn't need to go for it directly, as it actually gains advantages as a bayonet, not loses them.
im also trying to use the sheer volume of shrapnel from the shotguns plus force of the Fullbores to either deal a heavy blow and/or force it to expend anything vital to prevent the damage, while such a blast should easily both obscure its sight and distract it from our next move.

I was not specifically going for the Halo Counter but it would be a very interesting move. but no, best to save those. i was merely meaning the knights or a well timed block might give us a good opening to pin it and then unleash hell.
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>>5077122
oh, and i wish you well tomorrow, and hope you rest well tonight.
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>>5077166
>no, FOL disrupts abilities and concentration on enemies, which is why i want it. 'disrupt nuclear' on her and her minions, incase they have it.
Oh, you meant doing it on the entire enemy group, not our entire group. I see what you mean. Okay. Though we should also do RHO NUKA on our side, double-dip the protection. Both avoidance and mitigation.

>sure, but my hope was to use the anti-concentration to further upset the constructs and Merkabah, but i guess switching one out for a minigun blast wouldn't hurt.
Yeah, I'm not sure how important disrupting the constructs' concentration will be. It's worth trying, but I think blasting them apart is also a priority.

>So i guess a Spiral plus jumping backwards with an arm spring to give us more time to prepare for the rush?
Sounds good.

>dont we always have Lion rapiers due to the bayonet upgrade? so we shouldn't need to go for it directly, as it actually gains advantages as a bayonet, not loses them.
The advantage of full Lionheart mode is that they have a high chance to auto-parry attacks, makes them very good for dealing with a swordsman rushing in to stab us.
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>>5077172
>>5077166
>[FORM AUGMENT] LIONHEART’S BAYONET: The form and function of the Lionheart Form may now be applied to any Form change, as the blade consistently appears across all forms as a wickedly powerful bayonet. Additionally, this blade also gains unique and additional quirks across the forms.

seems to make no difference as we're essentially dual-wielding a pair of gunblades. The point still stands as we're trying to defend ourselves from a sudden onrush by Merkabah and need time to disengage and distance ourselves.
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>>5077172
>Lionheart
yeah but the Bayonet doesn't say anything is mitigated or lost by using it as a bayonet. those should still apply when its in bayonet form.

i'll add the sister spell for Amara though, sure.
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>>5077178
>>5077179
Hmm, I guess. Somehow it never seemed to me like it worked that way, that the parrying was unique to full blade mode, but I'd be happy to be wrong.
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>>5077116
>>5077148
Amending orders:

AMARA;
>Activate the disengage field across the battlefield. this should offset the new constructs a bit and provide some openings.
>have the 4 closest replicate clones split to help defend Shu.
>have 3 clones cast GRA REV SAN CUNT on the Merkabah.
>have 3 clones cast GRA FOL NUKA OMA across the whole field.
>have 3 clones cast GRA RHO NUKA OMA across the whole field.

NOVEMBER;
>Have November 'SPOOK' the zone Merkabah enters, punishing her and her constructs with a hail of plasma lead.
>bombard the enemy Constructs with as many grenades as she and her tank can, completely disrupting them and the Merkabahs approach.

SHU;
>Reload the Contender with a full Fullbore loadout.
>Cast a massive Spiral to try and trip up and slow down the Merkabahs approach, and use a quick Spring of Hundred Hands to pull you backwards to give you ample time to prepare to meet its assault.
>Spawn two Super Guards; Pentuple Rev-Knightlings wielding Quad Grapple-Rooks as shields and Quad Cicada-Gurrenlings as lances, and a Tri-Bishop hat on each too.
>>Let them take the inital onslaught from the Merkabah and punish it as much as they can.
>The rest of the swarm can help keep the enemy constructs busy, focusing on clearing paths and ranged attack venues for allies, over outright destruction.
>One Rook should stay back as a last ditch if Shu needs it.

>Prepare to need to do alot of parrying.
>>If still alive, have the Knights Rev the Spiral to try and give Shu an opening once the Merkabah is locked into melee.
>Wait for the right moment, then tear into the Merkabah with a sudden explosion of Hundred Hands tipped with smaller drills, aiming to dig in deep and hold in place or at least offset the Merkabahs attacks.
>Then, blast it in the face with the full might of the contender, but use this more to make an opening to lash out at the Merkabah with your Maw.

FRANCINE;
>Prepare ground for healing, aswell as stretching out to slap down the vines in strategic places to push back the constructs aswell as build up health in yourself.
>Save resources from the Gatling Gun if necessary to instead spawn more Sharks and Dagons to help slow the enemy down and clear out paths.
>>otherwise if not too taxing, unload on the Merkabah to help slow it down and screen its sight from allied movements.
>>
Hang on.

>CICADA'S CRY: A squat, fat round, this grenade-like projectile lacks the damage-dealing capabilities of its kin in favor of emitting an ear-piercing wail over a vast distance. This cry acts to disrupt any and all concentration-based effects in a medium range around the target area aside from those employed by its user, severely limiting the vast arsenals of Neuromancers, Humoral Paladins, and Phantasmal Conduits alike. They don't call out often in this desolate land, but when the cicadas cry...the world listens.

This could help against the phantasmal conduit army as Shu firing the gun multiple times throughout the upcoming round would cause a racket and consistently disrupt Merkabah especially if the conduit army it summons is surrounding Shu in order to form a barrier of ghosts.
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>>5077192
>>Activate the disengage field across the battlefield
I'm confused what you mean by this. And wouldn't the OMA tag apply both spells to both Merkabah and its constructs?
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>>5077196
Amara has an ability at Hollistic Lexicon level four that lets her force opponents to disengage from their chosen targets. So the Merkabah charges up to Shu only to have to rapidly backpedal away. Or just make its saving throw.

And yeah "across the entire field" should mean "put an OMA in that spell".
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>>5077196
read Lexicon level... 4, in background info.
>Additionally, by spending 1 ACT and 100% BIO for for each affected zone, Amara may force all foes in medium range to make a saving throw or else disengage from their intended targets until the end of the round.

this could (potentially) be utterly devastating as the constructs suddenly cant attack whoever is close but must now reorient themselves and even possibly cross larges distances to attack someone else, if they even can this turn. it should absolutely give openings if it procs. im not betting on it getting all of them or even the Merkabah, but i certainly think its a great way to help cripple the sudden enemy army before it even has a chance.

also OMA technically would be making both hit both allies and enemies, but both do positive things for allies and negative things for enemies, so its not really a concern. as worst(best?) it just means unintended benefits and negatives for the sides we want each for.
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>>5077200
any thoughts on November flash forging the scrambler? or is the wild card control effects too risky to wager?
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>>5077206
im not against it but certainly would want to try and back our own forces away from it first.
would we just hit the base version or the augmented?
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>>5077206
I'm worried about getting our own constructs caught in it. We've got the Joyous, our swarmlings, and Nerada is practically made of constructs at this point. Scrambling control could get more messy for us than the Merkabah.

I think a better option would be to use Nerada's implied ability to hack constructs. She should be able to shut them down or even turn them against the Merkabah.
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>>5077206
>>5077213
yeah that is true. we could try to get our forces away but the likelihood of getting all of them is low.
that, and i forgot about Nerada. trying to warn her and her actually getting all of them away in time might be impossible. moreso, she very likely IS her swarm, so even a few of them getting caught could have some really weird and bad consequences.

that said, it would still fuck the army up greatly, and would be quite good if the Merkabah ends up no immune to it. im still pretty on the fence about it, myself.
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>>5077214
>>5077213
Come to think of it. Given Nerada's very nature, she would be best suited on anti-construct duty with her Neuromancer/Hive core, which would free up action, time and focus for our family to deal direct damage to Merkabrah. Wait...I have an idea. what if we have Francine tether her Creation's strings onto Nerada? That way Francine can gain the benefits of Nerada's swarm to her fishmen and aid Nerada in the Construct crowd control.
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>>5077216
That could work, if Nerada's open to it. Link her up with Francine, the two of them get to work clearing the swarm. Though Nerada would still be the superior at it, since she'd have the Hive Halo to help out.
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>>5077216
>>5077219
we can ask her, sure. but certainly not relying on a yes, just in case. heck it might not even be a 'i dont trust you' but a 'that stuff cant work on me because of X'.
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>>5077116
Forgot to properly vote.

Supporting >>5077192
>>
As an aside, I think we should try to do something to soothe the Merkabah's victims before we leave. It probably won't do anything, in all likelihood they'll just wind up in the Cord after we kill it, but it is weaponizing their suffering for its Phantasmal construct and I'd feel remiss if we didn't try to make up for that. Laying down a big SUTH VIE spell from Amara, or a mixed Psychia Spiralis and Asklepian Ward field from Shu and Francine. Even if it doesn't actually do anything to help them, I feel the intention is important.
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>>5077334
hmm....I wonder though...what effect will we get if we do cast that spell during combat? We can stagger our orders so that the Field dispersion spell goes off first which is followed by the two OMA buffs and then the Suth Vie spell?

Cast the Suth Vie spell to see how the crowd behaves, if they're still forced to fight by Merkabah's command, then we'll have to cut them down as usual.
But if the Suth Vie spell actually affects the phantasm crowd and makes them calm and docile, then that would help nullify one of Merkabah's defenses.
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>>5077334
We might be even be able to invert Merkabah's phantasmal control over the created constructs with the right skintalker words and have them aggro Merkabah instead, similar to how the phantasm constructs of Hexane city aggro'd onto Demigod isabelle at the time.

I'm also tempted to try and invoke our empathy field, but knowing that we've purposefully lobotomized that power, we'll have to find a way to get through to the phantasmal crowd. Distrupt merkabah's phantasmal concentration, soothe their suffering, and then invert that control so that the Phantasms of the fallen settlement aggro the amalgam instead of Shu.
>>
>>5077347
>>5077353
I don't think it would break the control over the constructs, but it might make them calmer. Less ravening hordes, more confused zombies milling about. That might be enough for Nerada to hack them more easily.
>>
>>5077334
>>5077358
Well a single Suth Vie would be 2 ACTs, which can be easily done by converting one joyous who is on lexicon counter stand-by to having her cast the spell.

I can see that as an easy addition to the plan.
>>
>>5077365
Yeah, alright, I'll add it to my vote. Shouldn't hurt, a lot of our counters haven't been procced and I imagine this thing will be less focused on Skintalking now that it's charging into melee with a heat blade.

>>5077116
Supporting >>5077192
with the addition of
>AMARA: Have one clone cast SUTH VIE on the enemy constructs, to see if that pacifies them.
>>
>>5077370
>Yeah, alright, I'll add it to my vote. Shouldn't hurt, a lot of our counters haven't been procced and I imagine this thing will be less focused on Skintalking now that it's charging into melee with a heat blade.
correction: nuclear blade.
Shu's been in close proximity with Merkabah and just being near her allowed her to differentiate normal fire/heat with nuclear heat.
>>
>>5077403
I know that, I just think "heat blade" is snappier. Influence of all those mecha anime with weapons called that, I guess. Though "radiant blade" sounds pretty cool too, I suppose. Name it after the damage type's name. Okay, yeah, the Merkabah's Radiant Blade. Neat power. Shame we'll almost certainly not take it, we've got so many other things to put levels into. Maybe we'll get lucky and it's a Relic that we can loot and put on November, make her a proper Super Robot.
>>
>>5077408
well Merkabah technically has been sitting on a settlement chock full of Early crucible relics ripe for looting. It's why we're fighting it in the first place.
Maybe one of those relics among the loot is an actual radiant laser blade?
>>
>>5077410
That's my thinking. Maybe this is a weapon it looted from the ruins of Neos.
>>
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>>5077116

The limbs of the Hundred-Handed lance out from the back of your armor to latch upon one of the countless towering ribs, and your stomach churns as you’re snatched backwards in time to avoid the scorching swing of Merkabah’s greatsword, the mere proximity blistering your armor with searing radiation. You’ve left a parting gift, however—one of Uzu’s trademark spirals curls beneath where Merkabah hovers, giving your foe just enough of a pause for the rest of your team to spring into action.

Amara roars mightily despite her stature, and you watch as the legion of dozens…no, hundreds of half-formed bodies go feral, lashing out at anything everything within reach. With a silent command a quartet of her Joyous run to your aid as their mistress joins the others in shaping the battlefield to her whims. Merkabah flinches just before its about to lunge for you again as your daughter’s demands take hold of its mind for but a moment, the blistering, otherworldly heat that billows from Merkabah and its blade weakening, if only a little.

And then, it swings its massive blade—not at you, despite its focus being solely, pitilessly on your armored form—but at the frenzied legions closest to Amara.

Their bodies erupt into a wall of fire and flesh, throwing your little one backwards along with her clones. A handful of them caught in the sudden conflagration are charred into flailing, boiling things, screams wrenched from scalded throats as the cruel mercy of Amara’s power forces them to cling to life. Whatever Amara shouts out to them is consumed by the sphere of shadows that envelops her, pulling her back as more bodies haul themselves into existence to replace the sacrifices.

A tidal wave of abyssal sharks and nimble demi-humans charge forth to stem the onslaught of Merkabah’s tortured thralls, and, just behind them…November and Francine stand shoulder-to-shoulder, their chain guns whirring to life to shred wave after wave of the howling souls, echoes given voice by the same thing being that slaughtered their inspirations.

Merkabah pays no heed, even when November’s rain of firepower swivels to pelt it with a hail of superheated plasma. It’s just weathering the storm as it fights past the spiral’s pull, regenerating faster than it can be damaged, as fast as…

…as fast as all of you, combined.

(Continued)
>>
>>5078057

It’s just now that you’ve noticed the slender trails of shimmering humors that tether your family to the Manifold Merkabah. They weren’t there before, but now? A new trio of powers has been gifted to this wretched servant, and as it lazily raises its blade between it and the hail of gunfire and grenades, it marches towards you, intent on cutting off this defiance at its source.

The Contender’s double-barrelled form cracks open with a flick of your wrist as you stride forwards, thought giving birth to a pair of massive Swarmlings that painfully wrench themselves from your spine, slipping through the chitin of your armor as easily as your skin. Six fullbores slam themselves face-first into the twin chambers before you snap it shut with a cold finality, the heavily-armored swarmlings at your sides charging forwards, lances at the ready.

Merkabah lets them come, the rest of your legion soaring overhead to challenge theirs across the battlefield, a single Rook hanging back to act as your lifeline even as you tread where angels are to be feared.

It charges, it swings—an executioner’s arc that you avoid by a hair’s breadth. But you don’t, not really. There’s no way to dodge the radiant force that emanates from this slab of a weapon. You can feel it pierce through your armor, tearing through your cells as your body screams like it’s on fire, even as dying cells are replaced with ones born anew. Each parry, each block is timed to perfection, its every counter decisive, even as its backswings detonate yet more of its infinite hordes a million miles away.

Parallel processing. You’re a little jealous.

But you can’t think about that right now. You can’t lose focus, or else it’s all over. Each of it’s blows is calculated to help it win this agonizing war of attrition…and make no mistake.

It is winning.

A grunt of pain, and you falter, an opening it’s all too happy to exploit. Maybe it assumed you were weak. Maybe it was just taking the first chance it got. Maybe, just maybe…it got caught up in the moment. Like you might’ve, once.

Once.

Its blade arcs towards your head with all the efficiency of an executioner, and you can say the same as seven dozen hands explode out of your breastplate, each and every one of them tipped with the annihilating bit of Heaven’s Stinger.

There’s only a split-second’s hesitation before your surprise attack showers you with calcite as Merkabah’s shell is smashed to pieces, the exposed Amalgam darting back as it bleeds profusely, its left arm shorn off at the shoulder. Merkabah’s one-handed grip tightens to counter but you’re one step ahead, jamming both barrels against the thing’s neck and yanking back on the triggers. Both barrels roar, but the Merkabah’s gone low, slipping past the explosion and swinging its blade one-handed to cleave you across the torso.

It finds a grin, wide and waiting.

>>RAVENOUS MAW—CRITICAL HIT

(Continued)
>>
>>5078059

You see its surprise, if not in feature than in form as Merkabah’s remaining sword-arm is bitten clean off, shoulder and all. Its sword sputters out, slamming to the ground as its hovering form darts back, blood gushing from its mangled sockets.

אני חייב להגן על המקום הזה

It speaks, as it reaches beneath its ribs, the sound of bone cracking just before it draws a pair of shorter blades from itself, both edges shimmering with that same radiant heat as before.

בשם אמא זה ייעשה

It speaks, its multitudinous voice drawing a line in the sand…and it’s only then that the two of you realize that everything’s gone terribly quiet. You and your foe chance a glimpse of what’s become of the world outside your frantic melee, and you’re met with the unnerving sight of a legion of half-formed undead just…standing there, not but a few dozen meters off.

Before them stands Amara, indignation blazing bright in her wonderfully mismatched eyes. Francine and November are atop the Geschoss, your proximity to Merkabah preventing them from continuing their hellish assault. Nerada’s nowhere to be seen, but as Amara begins to march forward, the army behind her lumbers in lock-step. The mandate of the heavens, turned aside by the plea of a child.

A deep, resonant groan echoes from within Merkabah’s armor as it languidly slashes behind itself with a single blade, a flare of radiance pulsing out…but there’s no fire this time, no fury. No sacrifice.

The Phantasmal constructs continue marching behind their appointed leader, their eyes and bodies glistening in the Crucible’s dusk with flecks of obsidian, a thin sheen of dark biomass layered over each and every one of them.

לְחַרְבֵּן

HP: 3420% (+3640% [Dominus: Tethered], A.Judgment, Matron’s, G.’s Longcoat)
BIO: 3350% (+1390%. Swarmlings: 24/60—Psy-Platelings x4, Rook x5, Rook-Spiraling x1, Double-Knighted Nommling x2, Jackling x2, Domlings x5, Knighted Grapplings x5)

Buffs: None.
Debuffs: None.
Aggro: Wielding dual blades, currently benefiting from tremendous HEALTH recovery due to some Humoral power.

CONTENDER: **RELOAD**
ACT: 3/3


AMARA: 3,200% (+400%, H. Rod, R.D. Engine, V. Nocere, G.G. Box, S. Shawl, V. Virtutis, Margraves.)
Joyous Many: 16 - 10 to self-replicate, 6 to counter enemy Lexicon
Red Devil’s Engine: Hunter’s Honor, 1 Stacks


FRANCINE: 4,647 % (+630%, S.G. Essentials, I. Spectacles, S. Sacrificium, Spine, D. of Ego)
Dagon: 6
NOVEMBER: 5080% (550%, Sui Tormentis(Chest), P. Pendant(L. Leg), D. of Ego(R. Leg), F. Lyre(L. Arm), Essentials(R. Arm), C.J. Masque(Head), and R.D. Engine(T5 Slot))
Red Devil’s Engine: Autumn Protocol, 3 Stacks


>>Character Abilities: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1p_asyKKcyCbQieAAXo1oogBucLtzSypx8-M9vqA96zE/edit#gid=1685687578

>>Relics: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RcylXb-kh5eNqVJDcvHDuJywlRr-4dli_sjguzgw8W8/edit?usp=sharing


>>ROUND FOUR: COMMENCE

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next five hours, with posting to resume in six as I meet the day's demands. My apologies for starting a bit later, as a series of unexpected work calls caught me off guard.)

(I hope your day is going well, and that if you're working that it isn't too crazy.)
>>
>>5078064
Hm....
translating the hebrew text
>I must protect this place
>In the name of mother it will be done

>Shit...
>>
>>5078066
its fine.
and ah dang, guess our two big boys died then? shame, they didnt seem like they even lasted a second heh.

>>5078064
hrm... do we really have a way to sever or prevent those regen tethers? i think the best we have is a spell or two we could toss out from Amara, and Shus BBs, which arent bad but i think semi localized. maybe theres a relic somewhere but i dont remember one.

anyways, will get out my opening ideas in a sec.
>>
>>5078064
Okay, so Amara and Nerada have taken control of the Phantasmal horde. They're just random agony-zombies, so probably not super useful as a weapon for us, but the important part is that the Merkabah doesn't have them to consume for its abilities. Very nice. Good job, girls, A+ work. You even made the spooky flesh-robot swear in surprise.

Merkabah is still pretty tough, though. Still a fast melee combatant with high Radiant damage, and apparently really good healing. That's a problem. Hey BHOP, do BAUM spells stack? Probably not additively, since then Amara could remove enemy healing entirely with two GRA BAUMS, but do they stack multiplicatively? Two GRA BAUMs to reduce Health recover to 1/4?
>>
>>5078064
Well then. This was a pretty cool update. Shu tanking Merkabah while Francine, November, Amara and Nerada work the crowd and invert the control from Merkabah.

>It’s just now that you’ve noticed the slender trails of shimmering humors that tether your family to the Manifold Merkabah. They weren’t there before, but now? A new trio of powers has been gifted to this wretched servant, and as it lazily raises its blade between it and the hail of gunfire and grenades, it marches towards you, intent on cutting off this defiance at its source.

Did not expect Shu to auto-Nom Merkabah's other sword arm with the Ravenous Maw.

That Humoral Tether though. It's a stronger version of our Dominus Bloodline, and it seems it's a multi-tether instead of our two tether system, So we'll have to do something about that health regen, although it's also notable that Shu's health regen is goddamn insane. 3640% a round when our hp cap is 3420?. Goddamn we're a massive regen tank.

Also it seems like it's disregarding all of our family members in favor for trying to 1v1 with Shu. Who is benefitting from Merkabah's increased regen who itself is also benefiting from tethering a dominus bloodline humoral power to our family members.


>Split Contender into Gemini Lionheart Rapiers, reload with B.33 Rounds.
>Engage Merkabah in Melee, when parrying, riposte by firing the B.33 Rounds into Merkabah.

I'll leave part of the other planning to the others. but Shu should definitely keep engaging Merkabah in the melee.
The others should do something to disconnect the Humoral tethers.
>>
>>5078095
>>5078092
it should be noted that Shu's health regen prior to tethering herself to Merkabah is 655% a round. After Tethering? 3640% a round.
>>
>>5078103
Yep. This thing is healing 5970% Health a round, 2985% after we take half with Dominus Bloodline. Which means that Nerada must have some crazy regen, since it's supposedly regenerating as fast as all of us combined. Our party only has a total Health regen of 2185% per round. Yeah, the Merkabah probably has some native Health regeneration of its own, but Nerada still probably has it in the range of thousands of percent per round. Dang. The power of being a living bionanomachine swarm, I guess.
>>
>>5078092
The big boys did their job as big boys do. Engage and tie up enemy actions.

>hrm... do we really have a way to sever or prevent those regen tethers?
If I'm speculating this correctly, they should function the same as our Dominus bloodline, but it requires direct line-of-sight in order to maintain it. Shu's Dominus powers could circumvent the need for direct line of sight from Shu by spawning a Dominus-swarmling that would help maintain the connection, but I'm not sure if Merkabah has the same method to circumvent the Line-of-sight limitation for the Dominus bloodline connection

We can try disconnecting the tether by breaking line of sight, force Merkabah to try and reconnect by rotating who's exposed to the tethers when they make their attack. But I think Amara's SIHL THA spell would easily achieve that job for us.
>>
>>5078095
(It does not stack, no.)
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>>5078109
It does make me wonder how damage calculation works when it comes to our attacks. It's curious. Not to want to peek behind the curtain, but it's a thing that I'm relieved for not having to think about the math, but also a thing that gives me intrigue as to our hits translate into the fight.
>>
>>5078115
Darn. Well, a single GRA BAUM is still better than nothing. That would reduce it to just under 1500% per round. Still really fast, but slower.

Hey, remember those innocent days when B'Ni regenerating 700% per round made her seem unassailable? Ah, good times.
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>>5078121
Level scaling is a helluva thing. Remember when we got a peek at Mara's Statline and boggled at her 5 digit Hp bar during the Spiraling Fear raid?
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>>5078064
vote:

AMARA;
>have 2 clones cast GRA BAUM CUNT on the Merkabah.
>have 3 clones cast GRA FOL BAUM CUNT on the Merkabah.

SHU;
>Prepare a full load of BBs into the Contender.
>Spawn 4 quad-Nom-Rooks and have them keep close, almost as extra armor, to help take and parry hits, aswell as see if they cant sacrifice themselves to snap or at least wrench the blades from the Merkabahs hands at an opportune time, even if they have to melt to do so.
>keep it one its toe as as you approach by 'firing' out Hands with Drill tips rapidly, forcing it to parry and dodge or take the potential deep hits they could cause.
>then, once you get close, slam a Tread down, followed quickly by a Bishop boosted double-Revling to try and throw it off even further, as you slash as it, using every opportunity you can to fire a BB into it.
>try and last, and keep it wholly on you, to give your allies their opening.
>>Try and send word via swarmling to Nerada to wait for the right moment to send forth the captured constructs to give November her opening.

FRANCINE;
>Help your approach by sending forth more Dagon and giving cover fire with the Gat.
>As you do so, get close but still safely back frm Shu, interweaving with her to give her more health as she needs it.
>Once Shu is engaged wit the Merkabah, slap down more Vines, surrounding the Merkabah and replacing them as necessary, having it feed the health you are giving Shu aswell as help impede it as much as possible... and blind it from seeing as much in other directions.

NOVEMBER;
>Give warning as secretly as you can to your allies to be prepared to step back once the moment if ripe.
>the the Tank open up with a Gatling on the Merkabah, and bide your time.
>Spend two ticks on the Tormentis for speed, and once it seems the Merkabah is fully engaged, slip around it quickly but as quietly as possible.
>At the opportune moment and with a distraction shot of Railgun from your Tank, slip quickly forward and get as close to the Merkabah as you can, before unleashing the full might of your Autumn Protocol upon it.


seeing if the 'FOL BAUM' will direct the 'FOL' at specifically 'BAUM' related abilities
not perfect, such as Amara herslef not doing anything, but its a solid start i think.
>>
>>5078123
Is there anything we can do with VITA? REV VITA inverts Health values. Could REV VITA BAUM be used to invert regeneration? Turn it from 5970%/round to 795%/round, which then gets halved by GRA BAUM to a far more manageable 398%/round. Or maybe even invert the Humoral connection itself, boost our party's regeneration instead of the Merkabah's.
>>
>>5078123
>>At the opportune moment and with a distraction shot of Railgun from your Tank, slip quickly forward and get as close to the Merkabah as you can, before unleashing the full might of your Autumn Protocol upon it.
It's a lvl 1 Protocol right?

>>5078131
Only if we weave in the target word into the spell "Rev Vita Cunt Baum", we don't want the health regen inversion to affect everyone.

Also, I've noticed that the entry for Luohan's hands and Hand of the Queen on Francine's Ability data spreadsheet was not properly updated. I've updated those two entries.
>>
>>5078131
sure. only worry is if its regen isnt stable or something, but i guess it cant exactly get much higher than 7000% so its not the biggest worry. i'll add it first, that way we're halving what we just cut down. though i still want to see if we cant interrupt it outright or at least heavily with the other spell too.
though is that how that works? we've had trouble with Rev before because it reverses the words effect, so that would technically just be saying 'death' instead of 'life', but i know already BHOP said before that wont just make them drop dead.

and not sure we can really invert it though. not unless we can string something together targeting that ability.
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>>5078135
didnt think she could control that, and might not be a good idea actually to hold back like that.
>>
>>5078137
>>5078135
It's strange though. for an Amalgam who has a skintalker core, it's rarely cast any spells Even though we've got a baker's dozen of Joyous clones, I was expecting some enemy skintalking to fight under. I guess we sort of overpowered it in its spellcasting phase?
>>
>>5078162
thats my guess. the Clones allow us so many potential spells and Skintalking eats up so many ACTs that add on fighting a whole team with multiple hive abilities it probably simply needed most of the ACTs elsewhere. even if it has some free ACTs or words theres alot for it to keep up with on top of trying to overpower all our counter spells. and this is even assuming it has as many ACTs per say as it could have a 'power' over quantity' skintalker ability instead.
>>
>>5078131
just double checking.
is REV VITA? how we were reversing stats before?
I think it was, but its obviously been awhile and like i said, under most circumstances that not exactly how REV works. that said, VITA i think was the caveat here, as it works differently than most words i think, could be remembering wrong.
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>>5078189
likely, it's a dangerous word to play around with. Still, we're aiming to target health regen, not the health bar itself so.

hang on. found a reference in the Isabelle fight:


>“OMAREV#?!&@*THA!” Comes the arcane phrase that causes you and your allies’ bodies to churn, your biomass rearranging in an instant according to the raspy, alien decree.

>>HEALTH DIGITS: REVERSED

the addition of THA at the end implies that there's a word that gives the exception clause to the targeting spell. But we have Vita as the missing keyword here. The problem we have right now is that we don't know Merkabah's true health values
>>
>>5078131
please keep in mind that we still have to add a target word to avoid the general blanket statement a spell would have. so Vul/Cunt goes first in the spell chain to avoid the reversal clause of Rev.

"Cunt Rev Vita Baum"
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>>5078195
huh... then did we actually successfully reverse stats before? i know we tried, but with that example im now wondering if we actually succeeded.
but i think we did? it was against Yurei, i think?
>>
>>5078225
yup.

>“GRA REV VITA OMA CUNT!” She roars as Queen Crimson envelops her in a latticework of scarlet strands, and you watch as Sasha, Eloise, and Vultha topple to the moor, laid low by the string of ancient verses. You feel the Darwinian drops take effect, bolstering her augmentation as your mind expands to control more of your brood than ever before, thanks to the little girl’s presence…

The only thing that I'm worried about is we do not know how much HP Merkabah has in terms of number digits, so using the rev vita spell carelessly could be a large setback.

If it's possible to target the health regen alone through the spell, I'm all for it. however, it's a very risky bet in my opinion. We already have the upperhand battling Merkabah in the sense that it's deprived of constructs to block interference while it tries to kill us. the question now for us is "how do we kill it in this phase?"

Oh, I do have a thought/idea. In the relics catalogue that we created, there's a T3 relic that damages a target's hp/bio regen.

>NE GLORIABITUR; this surprisingly thin, single handed Axe is simple in its purpose. Instead of harming an enemies Health, this Axe instead directly harms their Health and Bio Regen, doing permanent damage to both until the combat is over. The application is simple, hit the enemy, and your equivalent damage with such a weapon will damage the targets Regen stats instead, Bio Regen acting like destructible armor for their Health Regen, much like regular armor would for standard Health. This weapon can reduce the targets Regen stats to zero, but not into the negatives, and does nothing to the targets standard stats, though the target still feels pain upon being struck.

We can have November flash forge that relic and swap out one of her currently equipped relics and engage in hit& run tactics.
>>
>>5078255
think we were just gonna try and target her health regen yeah.

and good catch on the Axe. not sure how to properly use it though.
she also doesn't have to equip it, she can just make it as an extra relic shes holding, especially as shes not using any that act as a direct weapon already.
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>>5078261
So how are we going to go about fighting Merkabah? It's clear that Shu's still tanking, but if we're targeting the hp and bio regen of Merkabah, Shu's regen tanking ability will diminish proportionally. We're gonna have to mix in the right amount of burst damage and time the hp regen cut well in order to really hamstring Merkabah. Burst it down and then cut the regen with spells and the relic axe before Merkabah can exploit its own dominus network.

And I have to leave for work soon. Take care and plan things out well.
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>>5078268
yeah good point, it might work better to wait to hit her with the spells til right before we blast her with the hard hits.
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>>5078064
Supporting >>5078123
with the additions of

>AMARA: Time the clones' debuffs on the Merkabah to just before we land the heavy hits on it.
>NOVEMBER: Flash-Forge the Ne Gloriabitur, for followup axe hits to reduce regen.

So does that sound good, then?
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>>5078290
am juust about to post a new version.
was double checking the Lexicon first though, but im not seeing anything really to properly reverse the regen without getting BHOP to answer some questions, which is dubious to wait on.
>>
>>5078292
Oh, okay. Sorry, I'll wait for you to update, then.
>>
>>5078064
>>5078123
amending vote;

AMARA;
>Use Oxygenic to start trying to pin down the Merkabahs limbs with long range 'Sulk' enhanced blades.
>once things get too close combat for ranged support, try and use the speed of Oxygenic and the Cover of the allied swarms and vines to help take poke shots in safe passes at the Merkabah with 'Sulk' Blades instead, but focus on avoiding damage yourself and keeping moving do you're prepared to get out of there when necessary.
>Time the anti-Regen spells for just before Novembers blast attack.
>>have 2 clones cast GRA BAUM CUNT on the Merkabah.
>>have 3 clones cast GRA FOL BAUM CUNT on the Merkabah.

SHU;
>Prepare a full load of BBs into the Contender.
>Spawn 4 quad-Nom-Rooks and have them keep close, almost as extra armor, to help take and parry hits, aswell as see if they cant sacrifice themselves to snap or at least wrench the blades from the Merkabahs hands at an opportune time, even if they have to melt to do so.
>keep Merkabah on its toe as as you approach by 'firing' out Hands with Drill tips rapidly, forcing it to parry and dodge or take the potential deep hits they could cause.
>then, once you get close, slam a Tread down, followed quickly by a Bishop boosted double-Revling to try and throw it off even further, as you slash at it, using every opportunity you can to fire a BB into it.
>try and last, and keep it wholly on you, to give your allies their opening.
>>Try and send word via swarmling to Nerada to wait for the right moment to send forth the captured constructs to give November her opening.

FRANCINE;
>Help Shus approach by sending forth more Dagon and giving cover fire with the Gat.
>As you do so, get close but still safely back from Shu, interweaving with her to give her more health as she needs it.
>Once Shu is engaged wit the Merkabah, slap down more Vines, surrounding the Merkabah and replacing them as necessary, having it feed the health you are giving Shu aswell as help impede it as much as possible... and blind it from seeing as much in other directions.

NOVEMBER;
>Give warning as secretly as you can to your allies to be prepared to step back once the moment if ripe.
>the the Tank open up with a Gatling on the Merkabah, and bide your time.
>Spend two ticks on the Tormentis for speed, and once it seems the Merkabah is fully engaged, slip around it quickly but as quietly as possible.
>At the opportune moment and with a distraction shot of Railgun tipped with a flash-forged Ne Gloriabitur from your Tank, slip quickly forward and get as close to the Merkabah as you can, before unleashing the full might of your Autumn Protocol upon it.

Best i could do with Amara.
>>
>>5078303
Sounds fine to me. Take slices out of its limbs, and if we're lucky the force of an Oxygenic hit will knock it prone and leave it open to attack. I'm good with this.

>>5078064
Supporting >>5078303
>>
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>>5078064

Amara flings forth a series of short blades, each projectile enhanced with her Lexicon as Merkabah parries them with one hand, the amalgam’s attention shifting back to you even as Francine’s vines encircle you both, sealing you in an arena of threaded gold and twisted vines. A handful of stands stab into your armor, bolstering your regeneration for the plan to come. But first…

The Contender snaps open as you dodge back, Merkabah’s speedy swing burning your throat as a fresh payload clambers into the barrels just before you snap them shut to bring your bayonet up and to your defense against your foe’s other hand. It’s all you can do to just stay on the defensive, and even when a quartet of ravenous Rooks tear themselves free of your spine with slavering mouths and razor-sharp teeth, two of them are cleaved through almost as soon as they’re birthed.

Your and Merkabah’s blades violently clash as Five Dagon-class constructs wade into the fray, instinctively ducking out of the way as their creator and the Geschoss open up with a hail of gunfire, bursting Merkabah down every time you’re able to put a bit of desperate distance between the two of you. Francine’s amphibious constructs work with your own, and even as the twin blades’ scorching aura starts to win out you’re given the opening you’re looking for. Another tree of limbs erupts from your chest, their drills tearing into Merkabah’s armor. It begins to backpedal but you’re practically on top of it, pouring every ounce of biomass you have into overwhelming the thing with raw numbers and a merciless offensive. It has to make a decision, one it commits to as it beings it blades to bear as best it can against your drills, frantically parrying them when weaving out of the way of the other construct’s attacks. It’s trying to wait you out, to let its aura do the work of eroding the constructs just enough to sweep them away into a cloud of ash, eager to resume your duel.

It moves with surgical precision, one blade disguising the trajectory of the other—a swipe to the head to cover one that would cleave through your torso. Your body burns, aching with the strain of regeneration no human was meant to experience, and you falter, for just a moment.

And that’s all it takes to seal Merkabah’s doom.

>>SHU—NEUROTIC HALO COUNTER; ACTIVATED

>>CRITICAL HIT

The ground at your feet runs your foe through, suspending it in mid-air as you bring your foot down on the pike. A spiral that blossoms underfoot, its properties intensified by the Revlings that immediately plunge their stingers in to the nexus. Merkabah’s stuck, stunned into inaction as everything falls into place. You pull back as Amara darts forwards, the golden veil parting long enough for a chorus of seven syllables to cut Merkabah’s regeneration. It’s all led up to this.

If this doesn’t work, you’re not sure what will.

(Continued)
>>
>>5078459

Its regeneration, though weakened, is catching up—patching wounds, bolstering armor. Merkabah’s grip tightens around its twin blades, and you can feel enmity boiling off its body. It barely even reacts when a fresh round from the Metall Geschoss punches through Francine’s was of tendrils, burying its payload deep into the amalgam’s side.

Merkabah struggles to free itself, and only when November suddenly bursts onto the scene does the reality of the situation seem to dawn on it. The shell buried in its side was strapped with a Relic; the Ne Gloriabitur, flash-forged from Heather Neeson’s internal fires. A simple thing, built to cut through a very simple problem.

Merkabah’s stopped regenerating, at the worst possible time.

Perhaps if its focus had not been solely on you, it might’ve prevailed. Perhaps if it hadn’t been so narrow-minded in its pursuit of your demise, it might’ve seen this coming.

But now, with its own horde waiting in the wings, its blades hanging uselessly at its side, it realizes, just as November’s torso snaps open to reveal a radiance brighter than any sun, and so much more destructive…

>>AUTUMN PROTOCOL—CRITICAL HIT

…your family are the ones to be feared, not you.

Whatever feeble light Merkabah wields is consumed in a supernova of scalding, screaming brightness, the sound and fury of the annihilating blast just as overwhelming as it was the first you witnessed it. When your vision returns, it’s to see a glassed battlefield, a blackened trench dug at a sharp angle downwards, cutting into the fleshscape. November holds an onyx orb in one outstretched hand…the annihilated remains of Merkabah, the attack held back just enough to leave something to show for your troubles…that, and a glowing emblem on the ground, a relic that radiates the same wan light that Merkabah saw fit to wield against you.

>>COMBAT—CEASED

“Nerada’s holding the horde together! I told her you’d like that!” Your little one says as she skips over to your side as though you hadn’t just been in the middle of a life-or-death melee. Your helm retracts, and you drag in a blessed breath of moist air that isn’t tinged with the smell of your own burning flesh. Your gauntlet pulls back enough to let you pat Amara’s head affectionately, the sensation of her hair a little startling…

…damn, your skin’s pretty smooth, now. You ran through more layers of skin than you ever had before, a realization that’s coupled with the uncomfortable knowledge that you’re practically an entirely new person, now.



…yeah, maybe *not* dwell on that, as you pick up the pieces from this rather tense confrontation and decide how to proceed from here while your allies catch their breath.

>>Search the area for Relics.

>>Check in with Nerada and the Phantasmal constructs.

>>Touch base with another ally of your choice.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Well played, everyone. Voting shall remain open for the next eight hours, with posting to resume tomorrow at 10AM, Eastern time. I can tell that this Vein doesn’t have too much time left, so I’ll likely aim to wrap either tomorrow or mid-day on Friday, depending on how things go here.)

(Thank you all for your time and participation, and I do hope your day has gone well.)

(Also, Merkabah was meant to transition into a third Power form, as most of its class are meant to...if they're not burst down like a motherfucker with some crazy crits, that is.)
>>
>>5078463
thanks for running. hella a fight.
guess she was Humoral at her core then? s8ounds like a similar thing to what Dorian does.

also, question. just how big of a swarmling would we have had to make for it to have any viable ability to survive here(and going forward)? dont answer if you dont want to be meta, but i'd imagine Shu has at least some indication of how overkilled her swarmlings are being killed by. only ask cause man, not even pentuples with a health boost plus a quad rook shield lasted long enough to even be worth mentioning, which either means our swarmlings just arent up to snuff to ever not just use as pure fodder, or this enemy was just horrendously insane.

...that, or we're underleveled a bit, or something.

>>5078460
vote;
>Check in with Nerada and the Phantasmal constructs.
>If the others wish to rest, let them, otherwise the radiant relic left behind seems up Francine and Novembers alley, and the Joyous could go on ahead to look at the town(with or without Amara).
>>
>>5078460
>…damn, your skin’s pretty smooth, now. You ran through more layers of skin than you ever had before, a realization that’s coupled with the uncomfortable knowledge that you’re practically an entirely new person, now.
Regenerating after being hit with a thermonuclear blade is an excellent exfoliating treatment.

>>Check in with Nerada and the Phantasmal constructs.

That's a priority, for me. How intact are their minds? Is there anything we can do for them? I don't know if we could do something like bring them into our Dreamscape, but it's worth investigating, and even if we can't we might be able to at least make being absorbed into the Cord less awful. We've got the Silver Key, manipulating the Nullscape and Dreamscape are what it's meant for.

>>5078463
Thanks for running, BHOP. Ending the Vein this week sounds fine, we've gotten a lot done in this Vein. Not worth trying to stretch it to next week, I think.

>(Also, Merkabah was meant to transition into a third Power form, as most of its class are meant to...if they're not burst down like a motherfucker with some crazy crits, that is.)
Ugh, I was worried it was going to have a third form. I am very glad we took it out before it turned into an even bigger and badder mode. Also, "of its class"? Oh, great, there's an entire line of angel Amalgams. I guess that explains it spontaneously forming over Neos, and it talking about being set a task by Mother. These are the Crucible's dedicated problem-solvers.

Kind of makes me think of the TTRPG Heart: The City Beneath. The titular Heart in that game also makes these purpose-built body horror monsters, that the game calls "angels". Very reminiscent of this. Also, one of the core classes in Heart is "gunslinger with a symbiotic hive of magic bees inside them", so Shu would fit in the setting amazingly.
>>
>>5078467
(The mid-level Messenger-class Amalgams are capable of tremendous damage output, even without being gifted a Relic that only bolsters their already potent abilities.)

(If you'd tried generating your swarm against any other type of enemy, they'd have been overwhelmed. Consistent damage fields are a major weakness of Hive Mistresses, but they absorbed a ton of damage throughout the fight for you and kept Merkabah occupied capably, even though they didn't last long. The fight would've gone very differently if you hadn't kept throwing things at Merkabah to keep them occupied.)

(TL;DR is that Merkabah was just 'horrendously insane', as you put it.)

>>5078472
(...I love Heart; the City Beneath. I got my physical copy in the mail last month, though this particular strain of Amalgam was inspired by the art of SMT IV's angels, which is appropriately hideous/awe-inspiring.)

(Also, odds are the next in-person campaign I run will probably be Heart, since I adore its mechanics, setting, and classes.)
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>>5078476
oh, you meant amalgam class, not ability class. not sure what about this was a 'messenger' but i certainly dont want to meet whoever asking it to send such a message.

and ah, got it. it was in big part the constant damage aura. i mean... yeah i guess that would be a pretty big counter against a swarm, but i wouldnt of expected it to still be that insane of one. but i guess it coming from an insane enemy meant it was going to be an insane counter, even compare to the usual.
Thank fell we diversify everyone a decent bit then, this would've been a nightmare if we tried to heavily specialize each party member, at least for Shu it would've.
>>
>>5078476
>(TL;DR is that Merkabah was just 'horrendously insane', as you put it.)
Well, it did have a reputation for turning everyone else that tried to attack it inside-out.

>(...I love Heart; the City Beneath. I got my physical copy in the mail last month, though this particular strain of Amalgam was inspired by the art of SMT IV's angels, which is appropriately hideous/awe-inspiring.)
Awesome. Glad to hear you know it, Heart's a really cool game. I always like when this quest has these "oh, I know the thing you're referencing!" moments between players and QM. It makes sense, people drawn to this concept would likely have similar interests, but it's still just a nice moment of shared enjoyment.

And yeah, I can see the SMT inspiration on this thing. Really, angels just make for great body horror in general. It's the many eyes and limbs, body horror benefits greatly from supernumerary eyes and limbs.

>>5078482
The diversity of skillsets we have is probably our greatest strength as a party. No matter what the enemy brings to bear, chances are we'll have something to counter them with. You can't afford to specialize too much, in the Crucible.
>>
>>5078489
yeah, it also makes parties easier to mix and match with.

also, figures we try to go full on to the wall with our ability to make super swarmlings against a rare enemy where that just wasn't going to work how we would want it to.
>>
>>5078499
Well, they were an effective meat shield. But trying to amp their damage was pointless, yeah. If we ever face a Messenger again, we should remember that and focus just on intercepting attacks. Unless we get more durable swarmlings by then, I suppose, we should have Queens coming up soon.
>>
>>5078504
well that also depends on the messenger. it was the constant damage aura that was apparently the biggest issue. not sure if all will have that. Its possible that relic that was dropped was a big part of the issue here, though we'll see upon picking it up and the next time we meet one of these... which hopefully isnt anytime soon.
>>
>>5078509
True, they probably have their own specialties. Depends on what they're created to deal with, I guess, a big Radiant aura is appropriate for destroying an entire town quickly. Let's hope we never get one made specifically to deal with us. We are a "enemy of catastrophe class" according to the Merkabah, after all, getting a killer angel made just for Shu is possible.
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>>5078460
>Check in with Nerada and the Phantasmal constructs.
>Give Nerada our thanks, compliments, a hug, and a headpat. She's done a lot to help us. The fight would've gone south without her contributions which we in hindsight consider critical.
>"Do I look tan to you?"

Dayum. what a crazy end to the fight. The fight itself truly felt like an SMT boss fight, even though I have never played the SMT series at all. And for once, the fight actually felt even despite all the crazy crits. It had potential to swing both ways if it weren't for the insane chain of crits during Merkabah's Virtue form.

Also, I've never thought of strapping a weapon relic to the a tank shell in order to give the projectile the same properties as the bootstrapped relic, but I'm happy that combat Flash-forging is finally given a spotlight.

Nerada also felt like a MVP throughout the fight in both ways. She gave us the best comprehensive information on Merkabah, prevented us from being cooked in a battlefield wide Radiation AoE attack, and hijacked what would've been a very scary phantasm army of constructs. A teammate being able to prevent devastating AoE abilities from happening in the first place is a godsend when it comes to fights that could swing both ways.

A question: How much radiation damage did Shu soak up when she was aggro-tanking Merkabah in melee? Has she turned tan from the fight?
Also, there's an irony that I see in this fight. Normally a hive mistress would spawn drones and let them tank for the mistress in the fight, and yet in this fight, Shu's core strength as a hive mistress revolves around utilizing her allies to their fullest potential and tank for her, but in the fight against Merkabah, Shu's the one consistently face tanking Merkabah, not once did Merkabah has fully focus targeted November, Francine, Nerada, or Amara. Shu was the one consistently holding aggro.

>>5078539
>>5078509
We'll have to see what sort of Relic it is, but once it's ID'd, we can replicate it or have November flash-forge it mid-combat. Any new relic discovered is a new relic that November can hot-swap to even if the originally discovered relic is in the hands of another daughter.
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>>5078463
I'll write up an archive entry when the Vein wraps up. This was quite the eventful vein, so I'll have to be considerate of what thread descriptions to put in the entry.

any plans for the upcoming vein? or are we making an intermission vein for the holidays where everyone IC and OOC gets to relax? If there's any fun time to write some omakes, it's when the holidays are here.
>>
Nice one guys. NICE! Love that flash-forged railgun ammo trick to get rid of it's regen. Gonna have to remember that one for later, as it's a nasty surprise to use against high regen enemies.
>>
>>5078963
>>5078927
honestly that Axe should stay on our mind more often. its not always necessary but this isnt the first time enemy regen rates have made us sweat a bit.

>>5078927
yeah i'll thank you guys for the idea. the moment that birthed Mr Kamikaze (who i was a bit sad we didnt get to use here, but in hindsight we didnt have this would've been the one moment not to try and do that.) made me think 'but well, why couldnt we do that with a relic?'
cant think of too many more its a useful thing to use with though. sure, theres some, but not an absolute ton, though i think thats because we dont have many offensive relics in the first place.
>>
>>5078989
Speaking of Mr. Kamikaze...
>>5078460
Bhop, can I have a tally of the current active swarmlings that have survived combat with Merkabah? It's to keep track of the combat veterans within the swarm due to the Thousands Matron augmentation. Them surviving Merkabah will definitely give them both a stat boost and an exp boost.
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>>5078927
>A question: How much radiation damage did Shu soak up when she was aggro-tanking Merkabah in melee? Has she turned tan from the fight?

(The radiation, while violently exfoliating, just forced her regen to keep her at her normal skin color. Where actual damage numbers are concerned, Shu took well over three times her health in damage that last fight, so your Humoral abilities came in absolutely clutch.)

>>5079009
(Of course!)

(Psy-Platelings x8, Rook x5, Rook-Spiraling x1, Double-Knighted Nommling x2, Jackling x2, Domlings x2, Knighted Grapplings x3)

>>5078930
>I'll write up an archive entry when the Vein wraps up. This was quite the eventful vein, so I'll have to be considerate of what thread descriptions to put in the entry.

(Ah, thank you so much for doing that, I truly appreciate it.)

>any plans for the upcoming vein? or are we making an intermission vein for the holidays where everyone IC and OOC gets to relax? If there's any fun time to write some omakes, it's when the holidays are here.

(I'll likely pause the main storyline until early January due to the holidays, but I was toying with the idea of doing a relaxed intermission Vein with some side stories, or just some cute fluff pieces that you all could vote on. Nothing too intensive, just something to keep me writing and focused.)

(What are everyone's thoughts on something like that? I'd likely update maybe once a day or so, depending on how my schedule goes.)
>>
>>5079199
>(What are everyone's thoughts on something like that? I'd likely update maybe once a day or so, depending on how my schedule goes.)
If you can work it into your schedule, that would be delightful. The Twelve Days of Body Horror Christmas.

...now I'm imagining quest-appropriate versions of classic Christmas figures. Rudolph is an Amalgam whose nose deals Radiant damage.
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>>5079199
>(What are everyone's thoughts on something like that? I'd likely update maybe once a day or so, depending on how my schedule goes.)

Would be interesting I have to say. i will be free from the next week onwards so i might actually be a lot more active than the last few weeks.
>>
>>5078459

“That was a lot, so rest up for now.” You declare, which Francine clearly takes to mean ‘thoroughly investigate the aftermath of battle’ given how quickly she’s on the scene, despite november’s insistence that she should take it easy. Noting Amara’s by your side without her….well, ‘other’ shadow, now…a cursory glance reveals that Sir FuzzBuzz sits not too far off atop the Metall Geschoss. It looks like he’s just lounging on the turret while keeping an eye in his ward now that the fighting’s subsided, his poofy outline is juxtaposed with Marco’s handsome frame, the two constructs apparently content to survey the scene atop their perch as their creators tend to the aftermath.

You give a relenting nod to your little one, and she leads you by the hand with a smile to the rows of misshapen constructs—their softly goraning, gently swaying forms held together by a Hive Mistress spread thin.

“How long do they have?” You ask aloud to Nerada, glancing around the half-formed faces, some expressions frozen in despair, others in rage.

“As long as you need.” Echoes the young girl’s reply, its origin everywhere all at once. “Now that Merkabah’s dead, I’m the only thing keeping them active. They’ll stay up as long as I hold on.”

“Thanks, Nerada!” Amara chimes in with a genuine smile, and you think one or two of the Phantasmal constructs shuffle a bit awkwardly, at that.

“...yeah. It’s nothing.” The other girl dismisses with a nonchalance that’s just shy of convincing.

“If I jack in to one through Neuromancy, will you get caught up in it too?” You ask, a slender calcite needle snaking out from your wrist and into your waiting palm. A dozen of the constructs shake their heads just before their puppeteer speaks.

“No, I can move. But you’re not going to get just one. They’ve been raised as a group.” The young Hive Mistress explains. “Every time we were putting one down the mind inside it just mani…manifa…mafi-”

“Manifested?” Amara supplies, helpfully.

“That. Thank you, they did that.” Nerada nods through the constructs once more. “They went into new bodies.”

“Good to know.” You murmur, the neuromantic jack held tight between thumb and forefinger as you lean closer to the nearest construct. “I shouldn’t be long, and Nerada?”

“Y-yes Ma’am?” She stammers, your eye mere inches from her borrowed one.

“Thank you for this. It means a lot.”

You’re keenly aware of the Silver Key’s weight in your pocket, held fast between your thigh and the thick chitin of your armor. Your Neurotic Halo flares to life just before you sink the needle into the construct’s chest. Your grim surroundings fall away as a certain warmth takes its place. It’s not the piercing, flaying heat of Merkabah’s accursed Relic, but rather a warmth that blossoms in your chest, wrought from a sense of place. Of purpose.

(Continued)
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>>5079213

In the real, titanic ribs are stuck in a macabre arch over flesh-covered ruins, but here, there’s life; a small commune, Daughters of all ages talking animatedly as they go about their tasks. A pair look as though they’ve returned from an excursion, one still clad in calcite armor while the other’s bestial featries recede, though she’s still the taller one by far. They’re talking to a woman around your age, with many in attendance watching the interaction with rapt attention—she appears to be Neo’s leader, given the pair’s deference to her and her rather unusual clothes. She gestures for the team to take their haul to the nearby store house, where Shauna keeps the Relics safe, studying their properties. She was so proud of this one recently, the way it shined, it looked like some-…

…you shouldn’t know this.

Pieces of their lives filter into your mind…or rather, fragments of emotions felt long ago have been revived, with you now at their epicenter. You center yourself, reminding yourself of how-

“You shouldn’t be here.”

The leader’s staring at you, now. Her declaration holds no malice, only a casual statement of fact as she regards you with a sad, quiet smile that doesn’t quite rob her hazel eyes of their shine.

“I’m sorry?”

“Don’t be. The fact that we’re still here would be a testament to your kindness, if it weren’t so obvious by how you feel.” She muses…then adds, with a tilted smile; “My name is Adima. Yours?”

“Shu…and you can feel me?” You ask, the woman slowly approaching you nodding with a composed, easy sort of elegance.

“That’s all I am now, Shu. All of us here are feelings, caught at a moment in time in which we felt happiest.” She murmurs, glancing around with that sad smile at the faces of the girls and women that surround her. “I am…was…a Conduit. I know what it feels like to summon…and *be* summoned, now.”

She turns to you with a smile on her cardamom-colored lips. “The thing that destroyed my home raised us again in anguish, but here? We have, for a moment, happiness.”

“And…you’re surprisingly alright with that.” You say, nonplussed.

“If this amalgam did not consume us, then I would imagine that our original hearts are at the Cord, now.” Adima muses, chuckling at your surprise. “Natural-born Phantasmal Conduits have a sense for this sort of thing. We deal in hearts and souls. Of the things that truly matter…it would be a poor Conduit that couldn’t tell where hearts flow when they’re lost to us.”

Adima and the townspeople turn to you as one, every face present locked into the same smile that Adima now wears.

“Our knowledge is limited in this form, but we thank you for this opportunity to have happiness to balance our sorrow, however brief either may be.” The Phantasmal village speaks in perfect harmony. “From our collective to yours, how may we repay your kindness?”

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to hopefully resume in four - I have an in-person meeting scheduled today with my employer to touch base, so I may be delayed. In any case, I'll keep you well-informed, and I hope your day is going well.)
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>>5079199
>(What are everyone's thoughts on something like that? I'd likely update maybe once a day or so, depending on how my schedule goes.)
That would be lovely.

>Swarmling survivors
Oh, we're definitely gonna be keeping them all. We have a pair of double knights that can act as squad commanders for the newborns, 5 rooks have turned tanky enough that we can castle with them, a specialized spiral-rook as well as 2 jacklings for Fear to Tread and Terraforming shenanigans, 2 domlings that can enhance our Dominus life-line, 3 knight-class grapplings for hundred handed shenanigans. and Psy-Platelings that have evolved into a tougher set of armor. However it does bring us to an active swarm capacity of 23 active swarmlings.
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>>5079214
>“Our knowledge is limited in this form, but we thank you for this opportunity to have happiness to balance our sorrow, however brief either may be.” The Phantasmal village speaks in perfect harmony. “From our collective to yours, how may we repay your kindness?”

Oof. We've never really discussed what would be fitting to say to the crowd. I know it's fitting to ask for nothing, yet I feel like talking to the ghosts of a ruined settlement only to ask for nothing would be a disservice to their kindness.
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>>5079214
>There is a woman I know in a settlement whose focus is to record the lives and histories of daughters and aspirants of the Cord. Do you think you can be able to impart what you remember of your daily life in Neos if it's possible at all? Paoloma would love to read what you have to record.

>You were here during the Crucible's earliest days, how long ago was your settlement's founding?

>"That Angelic Amalgam, are there more like it? Do you remember any settlements that have been attacked by others like it before Merkabah came for your settlement?
>>
>>5079214
>>Write-In
>"I'd be happy to have whatever answers you can provide me. Thank you."
>"If it's not too unpleasant to think of, do you know why the Merkabah attacked? I got the sense that it was guarding something, and I felt in your echoes something about a Relic you had found that sounds similar to something it was carrying. Was it aiming for that, maybe to remove it from play?"
>"I'd also appreciate anything in general you could tell me about the early Crucible. Plenty of people must have passed through this way, was there anything notable? What about your Relic-retrieval team? I take it they were mostly hunting the naturally-formed Relics? Did they learn anything interesting?"
>"Also, just to be sure before I leave: Are you going to be alright, now? The Merkabah is no longer summoning you up, what's going to happen to you without it? Is there anything I can do to help?"
>>
>>5079214
>>5079230
>>5079249
I guess ill just support both of these. maybe would word things a bit different here or there but cant think of anything different to ask at the very core of the ideas.
...though my 'just woke up' mind did just throw me the curve ball of
>"ask them for a pop-tart recipe for Amara!"
...thanks subconsious, i guess?
>>
>>5079274

(...consider it done.)
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>>5079214
Oh, another thing that occurred to me to ask

>"Has anyone else come through this way since the Merkabah moved in? I know that it killed anyone to confront it, but did anyone pass through without fighting it?"

>>5079274
>>5079277
Okay, I guess Amara is getting pop-tart recipes from ghosts? Well, that's going to be a non-sequitur.
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>>5079277
...i wasnt exactly actually asking but i cant deny my curiosity is piqued at how you plan to weave that into the conversation.
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>>5079282
>>5079280
>>5079274
Being a loving parent takes priority. It's natural to ask for things that spoil the kids.

Actually. why don't we ask for tasty snack recipes from the townsfolk? They're full of women and children who spend their days in a slice of life happiness, they probably have recipes and stuff of good food and snacks. Pop-tarts, rice krispie treats, brownies, mac 'n cheese, chicken nuggies. Easy to make foods and snacks.
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>>5079214
adding an additional amendment to >>5079274's idea.
>Ask for some fun food recipes for the kids from the townsfolk, Chicken nuggets, pop tarts and stuff.
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>>5079291
>>5079295
I don't know, I think that's a bit silly on its own. Maybe if we worked it into a general "tell us about yourselves, is there anything you'd want to be remembered about how you lived: what your hobbies were, what you wore, what you ate, etc." That could work.
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>>5079300
good idea.
>>5079214
>Is there anything you'd want to be remembered by? Like how you lived? what hobbies you had? Favorite foods you like to cook?
Inevitably one of the townsfolk kids will pipe up and say their favorite snack recipe.
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>>5079295
>>5079300
i mean yeah unless you just want to hit them with a curve ball too to see if it makes the chuckle its best to either try to weave it into the general life question.
though a just as good way might actually be to tack it onto the end. a 'one more things' sorta question, admit to it being odd and such and why you want it, and they'd probably rest peacefully knowing thats the sorta person they helped last.
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>>5079214
>>5079223
>>5079230
Yeah, these sound good.
>>
(Hello, Everyone. Though voting has concluded, I shall endeavor to post the next update at roughly 4:00 PM, Eastern time. Thank you for your patience one and all, and I do hope your day is going well.)
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>>5079410
sounds good. hope that doesn't mean your days being hectic on ya.
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>>5079415
(Ha, it most assuredly does, but thank thank for your concern.)
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>>5079214

“You were here during the Crucible's earliest days, so just how long ago was your settlement's founding?” You ask, and Adima gestures for you to follow her. “I'd also appreciate anything in general you could tell me about the early Crucible."

“About six months after the Crucible began, I think?” She begins, leading you in a leisurely walk around the echoes of Neos as the Daughters resume their rote tasks. “It was…difficult, early on. Many who came to Neos for shelter and company were those with limited power, which made fortifying the settlement a hard ask. Luckily, many passing Daughters decided to take up arms on our behalf, with some even joining permanently.”

“Like your Relic retrieval team?” You forward with a nod towards the two Daughters Adima was speaking with when you arrived. “I take it they were mostly hunting the naturally-formed Relics? Did they learn anything interesting?"

“Hmm…most of what they brought to Neos were fairly simple things. Truth be told, most it went into the armory for study. If it could be used to help protect the town, we delegated where we could. It wasn’t the most sophisticated system, but it worked for us. I assume you found out about Neos through word of mouth?”

“In a way, yes. There’s another settlement, a newer one; I came here to defeat the Manifold Merkabah. The thing that…” You trail off, Adima nodding at apologies left unspoken. "It was an Angelic Amalgam, something I haven’t encountered before. Are there more like it? Do you remember any settlements that have been attacked by others like it before Merkabah came here?”

“No, but I am glad of that. This ‘Merkabah’ was unlike anything any of us had ever seen. It…was very efficient.” Neo’s leader mutters to herself, shuddering at the recollection. “Most Amalgams were closer to chimeras of various flora and fauna…that was the first one I’ve ever seen that looked so human.”

"If it's not too unpleasant to think of, do you know why the Merkabah attacked” You gently press, getting to the heart of your line of questioning. “I got the sense that it was guarding something, and I felt in your echoes something about a Relic you had found that sounds similar to something it was carrying. Was it aiming for that, maybe to remove it from play?"

“I…I’m not sure. It didn't leave, so whatever drew it here might still be around, for whatever reason." Adima sighs, bitterly. “I wish I’d kept a closer eye on the Relics that were brought in, but there was always just so much to be done, I-“

“Hey, it’s okay. Leading people, even if it’s just a small group, is a lot. I can only imagine what it’s like to try and take care of a whole town.” You reassure her with a sympathetic smile. “Hey…would you happen to know if anyone else come through here since Merkabah moved in? I know that it killed anyone to confront it, but did anyone pass through without fighting it?"

(Continued)
>>
>>5079550

“Our awareness of what’s transpired since our collective demise is limited at best, I’m afraid.” Comes Adima’s apologetic reply, looking around at her old friends. “Most of what we recall is just that—recollections, tinged by emotion. The people here were happy, and it’s those memories that come through most clearly. It’s…funny, in a way.”

Adima chuckles, as you arch one eyebrow. “Phantasmal Conduits are Daughters tied to emotion, but who would have thought that there could be so much joy to be had in spite of such loss? But as much as we’ve had robbed from us, there was joy in the having.”

Adima shrugs, turning to you with as a smile as she wistfully adds; “Maybe that’s the point of it all.”

“…There’s woman I know in a settlement whose focus is to record the lives and histories of daughters and aspirants of the Cord.” You start, sensing an opportunity you don’t want to let slip. “Do you think you can be able to impart what you remember of your daily life in Neos if it's possible at all?”

“I’d like that. Very much.” She replies, the twinkle in her eye growing into another easy laugh. “She’d probably end up with mostly recipes, though.”

“Oh, I’m sure she’d have no trouble with that, but…why recipes?” You have to ask.

“You see it in every culture since the dawn of mankind; food is a social glue. Bringing them together, talking over a good meal...it’s baked into humanity, if you’ll pardon the pun.” She winks. “But really, we made some fantastic things from biomass. Cultural classics, fun fusions, even guilty pleasures. Do you like pop tarts? I simply *adore* the little bastards.”

“Ha, I’m not sure, actually…but I have a little one who’d probably jump at the chance.”

“Then we’ll impart everything we can! Meals, sweets, even the experimental stuff.”

"Also, just to be sure before I leave: Are you going to be alright, now? With the Merkabah no longer summoning you, what's going to happen to you without it? Anything I can do to help?"

“Phantasmal constructs tend to linger for a while after their caller’s passing. This should still hold true even if the summoner was an Amalgam.” She muses. “We should be able to hold on until a Phantasmal Conduit arrives to re-bind us. That, or someone could move the bodies we’re bound to into a safer location...OR make us new bodies to get us where we’re going temporarily. There’s no shortage of ways to transport vestiges like us; it’s really up to the Conduit, at the end of the day.”

Excellent, then you’ve got a little time to work with, at least. Though that begs the question…

…how do you proceed from here?

>>Ask Nerada to do you a favor; walk the constructs back to the Waystation and to the Ikean Fortress.

>>Call Paloma, and have her send a Conduit she trusts to do the job—she offered her services, and now you’re calling it in.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in four.)
>>
>>5079556
>>Call Paloma, and have her send a Conduit she trusts to do the job—she offered her services, and now you’re calling it in.

Sure, let's make use of Paloma's aid. This is the sort of thing she offered to help us with, and it's a good, low-risk (technically, everyone involved is already dead) proof of concept.

I'm not sure where we'd put their minds permanently, though. Can we make a Relic to store them in? Or what about our Dreamscape, could we move them there? Something to ask Phantasmal Conduits about.
>>
>>5079556
vote;
>Call up Paloma and Orwell, and discuss the situation. You're sure Paloma wouldnt turn down more guests, but you do need to make sure its the best course of action, and if not, there may be other good towns more able to take them in.
>On top of that, they need both an trustworthy, able, and willing Phantasmal to take this on themselves, which also might not be easy to find from just one settlement.
>>
>>5079567
i mean its not exactly that but we have the Affections Anchor.
we also have those three daughters that were crystals we stuck in relics. maybe theres a way to replicate that and then stick them in forge made bodies?
technically Shu could make Spiritus Shells at a forge, though not sure how those would work here exactly.
>>
>>5079579
Yeah, we've got a variety of ways to store them, the tricky part is just moving them to that storage. Not sure how that would work. Do we eat them? That usually works, but they're constructs now and not real Daughters so who knows?
>>
>>5079593
as much as we would love to solve this ourselves, we're talking a whole town of conduits here. i think this is exactly the type of thing we kinda have to hand off, even if we didnt have Palomas offer.

its more a matter of what whoever takes them in thinks they may need to borrow. maybe forge a single Spiritus for them to study, hand over the anchor, or let them borrow the gems to see how they function. we'll see, i suppose.
>>
>>5079598
True. I'm mostly speaking in the abstract "we", I agree that it's probably not something we can solve all on our own. If Paloma has specialists, let's defer to them. We've got plenty of other things to do today, anyway. Gina, Rath and Dorian are still poking around that labyrinth, we should go and meet up with them.

After we raid this place, of course. Actually, hold up, that should be something we ask about, too. "Hey, is it cool if we take whatever Relics you have here?" Like, they don't have any use for them, but it's still polite to ask before you loot the site of a catastrophe.
>>
>>5079604
well actually if they're going to be sticking around, technically they might have a use for them.
>>
>>5079608
Depends on how they're sticking around, I guess. Though I'm willing to trade them for any especially-cool Relics, like that thing the Merkabah dropped.
>>
>>5079556
>>Call Paloma, and have her send a Conduit she trusts to do the job—she offered her services, and now you’re calling it in.

Also ask about the relics, if there are any particularly interesting and if we could take them.
>>
>>5079556

“If you and the others here would be open to it, I may have someone on call who might be able to help get you to a more permanent location, or at last give you the option.” You declare, a few Daughters pausing in their echoed tasks to fix you with a look of collective surprise. “Oh, and about the Relics-”

“Take anything you require. We’ve no use for them, and they’re best served in the hands of the living.” Adima declares staunchly, with the nods of her fellows only serving to strengthen her conviction.

“Thank you, truly. My family and I appreciate your generosity.”

“And we, yours.” She bows, the village mirroring their leader’s grace. “It’s a rare soul who would ask the dead for permission. Even rarer, still, is one who’d offer them a second chance at living.”

“I’d like to believe that it’s not as rare as one might think.” You reply with a smile, and as Adima fades, she matches your smile with a gentle one of her own.

“Kindness begets kindness, Shu. The land of the living is lucky to have you and yours.”

Her words fade from your ears, replaced by the gentle pulse of the Fleshscape as you withdraw your jack from the construct’s chest. After firing off a quick summary to your curious allies, you immediately summon a pair of commlings, one in either ear and conjoined by a slender thread of chitin.

“Paloma, Orwell? I need to run something by you both, if you’ve got a sec.”

“Yo! I’m here, what's up?” Orwell replies with an immediacy that’s startling enough to almost make you miss when Paloma jumps on the line not a moment later

“H-Hello! Sorry, I was just on the line with Magnus, but we were just wrapping up! He’s on his way over now, so how can I help?”

You give the Skintalkers a more in-depth explanation as to what you’ve just experienced, capping it all off with the question of the hour.

“I need to either stabilize these people here, or somehow transport them to a safe location. Any ideas how we can make that happen?”

“Sounds like a team effort—luckily for you, I’ve got one at the ready.” Paloma replies, her swiftness cutting off Orwell’s reply before it can even properly begin. “I’ve got a trio of Phantasmal Conduits, one that’s already on-site and a pair that’re at Laoc who owe me a favor. I can have all three on your location within the hour. Half that, if they’re not busy.”

“That’s great, but what about a more permanent solu-” You begin, before Paloma dismisses your question with a ready-made answer.

“Em and I accounted for having to supply lodging to in-need groups you ran across. Give me a number, and we’ll make it work one way or another.”

“Uh…twenty? Maybe a little more?” You wager, trying to recall how many Daughters you saw milling about in Neos’ echo.

“Lovely, we have more than enough room!” She says, the sound of her clapping her hands together snapping across the line.

(Continued)
>>
>>5079857

“Research is going well!” Orwell i
nterjects, a tinge of desperation in her voice. “The Dream Team’s been a huge help, so we’ll debrief when you get back, ‘kay?”

“Sounds great, and well done, you two. We’ll wrap up here, and report back soon.” You say, the pair of commlings scurrying back beneath your plate armor as you turn to focus on the job at hand. Recovering the Relics that’re buried beneath Neos’ ruins should be a relatively simple task, especially for the family members you’ve brought with you, but there’s something that’s tugging at your mind. The shadow of an influence that makes your stomach churn, your heart pulse with disgust.

Merkabah was nothing like you’ve faced before…such a powerful Amalgam, and one that’s been sitting here, guarding the ruins of Neos for over a year and a half, not allowing anyone to trespass on these grounds.

That sounds like an order.

One that Mother issued to deal with something she didn’t want found.

>>Start digging, as carefully as possible while Nerada keep the constructs active until Paloma’s team arrives. Whatever Mother wanted to keep buried, you intend to drag into the Crucible’s light.

>>It’s not a conversation you’re at all looking forward to, but if you’re going to be rifling through the ruins of Neos, you’re damn well going to ask Mother what the hell she wanted hidden here…if only to parse through whatever she leaves unsaid between the lines.

>>Whatever’s here, you don’t want to tackle it with a battle-weary team—check in with Gina, Rath, and Dorian, and get an update from them before calling them back to Neos. Whatever’s buried here, you want your entire family to tackle it together.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next eight hours, with posting to resume tomorrow morning at 10AM, Eastern time.)

(Thank you all for your patience, participation, and enthusiasm, and I wish you a restful evening, One and All.)
>>
>>5079858
vote;
>Start digging, as carefully as possible while Nerada keep the constructs active until Paloma’s team arrives. Whatever Mother wanted to keep buried, you intend to drag into the Crucible’s light.
>While your swarm helps with digging and excavating, see what progress Francine's made on the Merkabahs Relic.

we can give our team some rest sure, but i dont specifically think we need to call the other team here for this.

>>5079859
thanks for running.

also, though it might be a spoiler, but didnt mother release all her geases and such? guess that doesn't mean alot of things had much else to do besides whatever they already were though.
>>
>>5079857
I don't like the solution of "keep them as constructs hanging around the Ikea". Or at least not these constructs. I'd rather back them up onto a more robust platform. Maybe we can enhance them with Spirit Shell traits, though, or the Conduit who's going to back them up will have some enhancements of their own.

>>5079858
>>Start digging, as carefully as possible while Nerada keep the constructs active until Paloma’s team arrives. Whatever Mother wanted to keep buried, you intend to drag into the Crucible’s light.
>>Write-In
>Though take precautions to immediately re-bury it, if necessary. Possibly literally. Have Amara re-apply counterspells, set Neurotic Halos to jamming mode, and be ready to terraform anything dangerous into a deep hole.

>>5079859
Thanks for running, BHOP. See you tomorrow.
>>
>>5079867
(I'll be frank—Mother cannot do literally anything right now but sit and be mad.)
>>
>>5079867
(Merkabah stayed on-task through sheer loyalty, to answer you question.)
>>
>>5079869
id imagine it was either not necessary to say or said in our description of what was going on that we wanted them to be people again.

>>5079872
>>5079874
hah, yeah i knew she couldn't do jack anymore, but she did do the whole 'ill release everything i can' thing and all.
and what a sad situation, being that loyal.
>>
>>5079859
Back from work. I have several things spawned in my mind.

First is a question to bhop:
If we spawned our swarmlings through our hive, is it possible to store them back into our person while keeping the current swarmlings as part of our active roster to maintain Thousands matron's age augmentation benefits? Or do they have to stay active outside of Shu?

Two:
For some goddamn reason, I've got "Twelve days of Christmas" in my head but tuned to the theme of Body Horror Quest, titled: "Twelve Days of Horror, a Crucible Carol".

I haven't figured most of the "gifts" for a majority of the days, but I'm fairly certain the first day's "gift" is "A brain atop a Hamadryad Tree".

And if anyone's up for collaborating, we can play the game of "Crucible Caroling" during the intermission thread. Just try and think of things that would fit upon a "Hamadryad Tree"
>>
>>5080012
We certainly got four B'nis that would fit quite easily

Sorry if i dont get the rules yet. Never played that one
>>
>>5080012
Let's see..."Tindalos" has a similar cadence to "Turtledoves", so "Two Tindalos" can be the gift on the second day. And the twelfth day should be something with the Hexane Ascendants, given that there were twelve of them. "Twelve Hexane ascending", maybe.
>>
(Hello all, the update is going to be slightly delayed as we had a fire scare this morning where I live. I'm back now, but I'm trying to get caught up on work and the update in parallel, so thank you for bearing with me!)
>>
>>5080520
Oh dear. Well, I'm glad everything is alright. Take as much time as you need, BHOP.
>>
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>>5079858

“Everyone who’s up for it, I want to start digging over here as carefully as possible.” You announce, gesturing to the area where Adima’ storehouse once stood. “There are likely some Relics buried there, and maybe even the reason why Merkabah was here in the first place.”

Then, turning to the Hive Mistress-controlled horde; “Nerada, do you mind kee-“

“It’s fine.” The younger girl cuts you off. “Amara wants to play some kind of memory game with these constructs and some of her Joyous, so we’ll be good.”

November and Francine have already started scouting out the dig site, though when you approach the two nod to each other, parting quickly. The good doctor strides over to meet you, withdrawing Merkabah’s Relic from her coat and presenting it proudly.

“A stellar find, Darling.” Francine smiles as you gently take the thing’s strange geometry from her hands, and the moment it changes holders it shifts from a pyramid to a manifold cube under your touch. “I think you’ll find it to your liking.”

>>EDEN’S EAST: This Relic’s shining geometric form appears to cycle through a variety of trapezoidal shapes when not in use, but then in the hands of a Daughter preparing for violence, its form is rarely in doubt. In combat, this Relic manifests as a melee weapon of the user’s choice that deals CATASTROPHIC damage, able to cycle between ANY PHYSICAL DAMAGE TYPE as a free action, once per turn. Regardless of this weapon’s form however, any physical damage it inflicts is supplemented by also dealing CATASTROPHIC RADIANT damage in melee range. Finally, this weapon’s form can be either SHORT or MEDIUM range, depending on the form its user chooses for it.

Your resident physician launches into a rapid-fire hypothesis as to the thing’s origins and applications, though you’re both given pause when November calls out from the dig site.

“Yo, boss! You’re gonna want to see this!”

You and your allies cautiously make your way over after taking all necessary defensive measures, and the moment you step within two meters of the hole that November’s dug into the earth. She’d just gotten started, so-

“I just started digging, and the ground just kind of fell open around it.” The cyborg explains, as you stare down at what’s been revealed. Amara leans in closer, but one of the Phantasmal constructs pulls her back under Nerada’s command. It’s a massive shard of onyx, its sleek black surface reflecting the various Relics that surround it—some broken, some whole. What causes your breath to hitch, though, are the colors that start to swirl in the thing as you stare at it, and as the Silver Key thrums in your pocket, you realize that it’s like Nothing you’ve ever seen before.

A Fragment as wide as you are tall.

As you stare at you and your family’s faces reflected and cast with unnamable hues, you wonder…

What the hell is this thing capable of?

>>FORTY-NINTH VEIN: CLOSED
>>
(Thank you Once and All for your kindness, enthusiasm, participation, and patience with my rather tumultuous schedule. The 50th Vein (neat!) is set to likely open at some point in early-to-mid January, and as has been mentioned previously I may be doing some fun intermission things, either in the vestiges of this Vein or in its own devoted Intermission Vein, depending on the timing of things. In any case, thank you all for being the best group of players and readers I could ask for, and I hope you have a very relaxing and restful weekend.)

(Take care, Everyone.)

>>5080012
(I would judge that to be doable, yes. Drawing them back into yourself while keeping their individuality active to benefit from Thousands Matron would make sense, in my opinion.)
>>
>>5080618

>Shu hears a Dragon's confession, relaxes at Ikea, talks to a Rumia face-claim, and gets into a sword-fight with one of God's messengers.

49th Vein Archived.

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/5045064/

>"I'm telling you Michael, it's not here."
>"Keep looking, the fragment should be somewhere around here."
>"We've been at this for Kalpa, Zeurel. It's not here"

>*small scream of horror*

>"Ramiel what did you do?"
>"Looked at a mortal. The mortal's vessel has turned in to dust though."
>"And you didn't give the proper protocol of 'Fear me not'?"

>"...oops."

>>5080613
>A giant Fragment of the Crucible's Creators.
Well dayum. Looks like we're unearthing pieces of God. Time for some Archeology boyos!
>>
>>5080613
Also. Dayum. Eden's East is definitely something of a T-4 to T-5 Relic given its properties. Being able to cycle through any physical damage type as a free action and also switching up its weapon form is bound to bend the rules of crucible combat. And even better? November can now flash forge a replica. We've got ourselves a very potent variable weapons relic.
>>
>>5080613
Well an Angelic Weapon i be damned. So Medium Reach will probably be something like a Pike or something.


And a dark piece just burried there... Feels like a Shard of ultimate evil...... This thing could have interesting applications.

>>5080334
i was thinking like the twelve Ascendants myself but it seems like fun.

>>5080618
Tank you for writing OP.
>>
>>5080613
oh... yeah i can see why Ozmas didnt want anyone to get that. considering what just the key and blade can do alone, much less together... theres probably a good argument to be made that one that large might even be able to do things past what we're comfortable with ourselves.

>Edens East
now thats a nifty relic. not exactly what i expected but still pretty good.

>>5080618
yeah I kinda expected you'd be taking a break for Christmas, and you deserve one too. looking forward to whatever it is you have planned, intermission or 50th.

thanks for running, it was a good one with a tough fight.
>>
>>5080613
>EDEN’S EAST
"And a flaming sword was turned every way, to guard the way of the tree of life".

Well, that's a cool sword. Or not a sword, necessarily, since it can be any melee weapon. Not sure who to give it to, though. My impulse is November, just so she can go all classic Super Robot and draw a glowing energy blade from her chest insignia.

>A Fragment as wide as you are tall.
Well. That's certainly something to keep out of circulation, if you're worried about threats to the Crucible. Should be neat to see what it can do. Tailor, you're going to want to see this.

>>5080618
Thanks for running, BHOP. This was an intense Vein on many levels, and I really enjoyed it. I hope you enjoy your Christmas, though I'd certainly appreciate any intermission you decide to do.
>>
>>5080641
>>5080652
>>5080661
We should probably put that monolith either in a damn secure vault or find out if November could Equip it in any of her slots.

The Effect should be... remarkable.
>>
>>5080652
>>5080650
>>5080661

I am getting 2001 Space Odyssey monolith vibes with that thing just from the description alone.

what's more interesting is the size and the properties that it passively radiates. Normally the Biosphere of the Crucified planet would immediately reclaim the structures that it can consume or cover over with its kudtzu. But apparently the bio-terrain could only cover up the fragment with a thin membrane layer before giving out when November started digging.

What's more interesting is that it's implied that the biosphere can't really "bury" the thing deep as it can. The terrain shape of a pit" with all the relics pooled around the giant monolith fragment implies that there's a certain distance where the biosphere can't cross over or encroach due to its unknown passive properties radiating outwards.

The thing is, our overall goal was to change or break the crucible's cycle in a way that it doesn't repeat what it has done with past alien civs right? Prevent the world from being destroyed when the Crucible's cycle completes. So what if the fragment is part of a larger whole that would help find an alternative instead of completing the Crucible like the Cord always intended in its normal programming?

We should also discuss the fragments and the properties that we have discovered 1st or 2nd hand thus far as well. and list them out.
>>
>>5080649
>>5080650
>>5080661
as much as its hard to hide things and we dont like doing so, i do feel knowing what smaller ones of these can do, we might want to hold off announcing to the world we have it. for as helpful as it may turn out to be, If it is a game changer, its almost certainly not just one for us, and i doubt every other threat that may want it to be worried about is gone or at the cord already(that, and nothing says they couldn't back away too).

>>5080665
funnily enough November might be our most secure vault, but lets make sure its safe first before we do that to her. for all we know the best option for this will be to send it off into space with the Disassociated.
>>
>>5080666
>>5080668

The Fragment could be part of something... like a focus that could be used to force Crucible Matter to stay away from it. Maybe to late for the earth but more than enough to make sure we can protect the planet later from other Crucibles.

>>5080668
Sure November might be out best bet. And I was not trying to imply that we should not first test it. But i would be interested if we could equip November with several of these Relics all in slots if she would just become the Crucible Breaker 9000 *Name still in progress
>>
>>5080668
Here's the catch tho. We don't know its properties or what it's capable of doing.
And yet we seek to break the Crucible's cycle by climbing it, which is what the Cord intends its aspirants to do.
And yet we also shun things like the monolith when we haven't even got a clue what it's capable of doing and why Ozmas wanted to bury the thing in the first place.
Kinda oxymoronic isn't it?

The fragments we have encountered or heard of thus far:

>Causality erasure (destroyed)
>Absolute Perception (destroyed)
>Time-travel (Tinker Tailor's fragment)
>Absolute dimensional stability (Silver key)
>Dimensional Traveling (Vorpal knife)

And now we have big-ass monolith whose properties are unknown.

Also, sending it off into space with the Disassociated might be detrimental to the Disassociated as well as we don't exactly know the monolith's true properties. For all we know, the monolith can induce some warpy effects on the disassociated Crew.
>>
>>5080665
Given what happened to Tailor, I wouldn't be surprised if November trying to slot it would result in her permanently fusing with it. Let's not go for that as our first option, just in case.

>>5080666
True. It does almost seem like this thing wants to be found. Being so easy to uncover, that's something to be a bit suspicious about.

>We should also discuss the fragments and the properties that we have discovered 1st or 2nd hand thus far as well. and list them out.
Well, we have Tailor's theory that the Fragments are manifestations of the Crucible creators' desires. Given Ziz's comments about them dying, that kind of makes me see a pattern in the known ones. The Silver Key is a desire for stability and reassurance. The Vorpal Knife is a desire to shorten a journey and be done with it already. Tailor's unnamed Fragment is a desire to have more time. It seems like the desires that are getting expressed through the Fragments are desires related to them staking their lives on the success of the Crucible and this uncertain gamble providing results before they all die. So I wouldn't be surprised if this Black Mirror is something conceptually related, even if that could manifest in all sorts of ways.


>>5080668
Oh, sure, definitely don't go shouting "I've got a huge shard of an alien god" to everyone. Even if we knew what it did, that would be a bad idea. But talking to Tailor, the closest thing to an expert about these things, sounds sensible.
>>
>>5080684
when you tie in the idea of the fragments being manifested concepts of emotions by the Crucible's creators that way, it should be easier to figure out its properties by figuring out the emotions related.

>>5080668
>>5080676
Another thought popped up in my head. Given that Merkabah is intelligent and capable of speech (it spoke in goddamn Hebrew), we have the option of communing with it post-level up session. Talk to it and find out what it knows.
>>
>”So, on to things I actually need to know; these Fragments—have you found others, and if so, what are they capable of?”

.“I have. Three, in fact—though two have been destroyed.” She informs you. “One by Mara, a Fragment capable of erasure. Similar to the Nothing, but without the issue of ripple effects. Another by West, though entirely by accident. It was a Fragment that could undo what had been done, though it almost seemed to rebel against her influence—too kind a thing for her, it seems.”

>“And the third?”

>“Unfortunately, I am uncertain as to its location or powers. Given how difficult it was to even observe the thing, let alone retain its existence in memory, I would theorize that it has something to do with perception.” The Artisan sighs, shrugging her slight shoulder at the prospect of a piece of history lost to her.

Hmm...
>Causality erasure: The Desire to forget
>Causality reversion: The desire to redo the past
>Silver key: The desire for stability
>Vorpal knife: The desire to reach a distant destination.
>Tailor's fragment: The Desire for more time

And yet these are small desires as indicated by the size they take form in when it comes to the relics themselves, and yet it seems that despite their apparent reality breaking properties, they don't really break reality down itself. The Vorpal knife's portal holes are instantly repaired by reality, Tailor's time travel is only a mental one, and the silver key's dimensional anchoring properties doesn't yeet Shu into outer space like a True Immovable Rod that anchors itself relative to the Universe.

The Monolith is a manifestation of a Very Very large and powerful desire. But what desire it's manifested of, we don't know.
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>>5080703
>The Monolith is a manifestation of a Very Very large and powerful desire. But what desire it's manifested of, we don't know.
And even this Fragment would be a relatively small thing, compared to the Crucible's creators themselves. Tailor compared our Fragments to individual cells, so even what's a person-sized mirror to us would be a microscopic piece of the original creature. Imagine what their desires at full strength would have been. These were passionate beings, I guess.
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>>5080709
you know, i wonder how 'big' their size is? sure, its maintaining in our reality in a way that makes them sound unfathomably large, but that could be just a weird tick of them being higher dimensional beings that dont have a technical size in the first place.

also i forget, do we know their status? the crucible is made to somehow save them, which would imply some are alive still somewhere, or can be revived. but i dont remember if we were told exactly their current situation or not.
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>>5080713
We do not know their current status, no. The Nothing is implied to be one of them, and is still around, but the rest are unclear.
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>>5080713
Well we know at least one of them is alive and monitoring all the Crucible strains and iterations given the fact we had the weird interaction between the Sparagmos Engine and the Silver Key. NOTHING/EVERYTHING even asked us a question why we neutered our power and asked us to respond in 10 words or less.

>but i dont remember if we were told exactly their current situation or not.

It's relatively explained and implied by Ziz.

>He said was tasked with saving his people.
>They bound him to this task.
>To not be freed until it was done.
“Save them?” You breathe, the colors around you fading into a series of dull, sorrowful hues. “From something like what can destroy the Crucibles?”
>No.
>His people were dying.
>They thought they were immortal.
>They thought they were untouchable.
>They didn’t think death existed for them.
>Like it did for all they conquered.
>Until it did.
>He made us to protect the Crucible from harm.
>So that his people may be saved from extinction.
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>>5080618
Thanks so much for running, BHOP, this Vein was a blast, as usual. Happy holidays, and we'll see you in the new year for the 50th Vein!
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>>5080641
(Thank you so much for archiving, as always!)

>>5080650
>>5080652
>>5080661
>>5081126
(Thank you all so very much for participating—you're truly the best players I could ask for, and after this weekend I'll have a better idea of how/when I'll run an intermission, if any. A quick question, actually—I don't necessarily want to clog /qst/ with too many Veins, so would you personally prefer to have the 50th Vein take place a little later in January to make room for the Intermission, or try to cram one or two quick vignettes in the rest of this Vein?)

(Let me know what your thoughts are, and above all—I hope you have a very restful weekend.)
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>>5082346
Hold the 50th a little later in January for the intermission, it wouldn't do to cram quick vignettes in a vein where the pulse is close to flatlining.
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>>5082346
Well, we're on page seven right now. Granted, /qst/ threads have a long lifespan and it would take a while to fall off the board, but we're still closer to the end than the beginning. I say go with a separate intermission Vein and push Vein 50 back a bit.
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>>5082363
>>5082346
That's my vote/opinion of things. And it gives some of us some time to work on things, be it ideas, short stories, memery, or other quest related discussion. Not sure about the others, you should hear from the others a before making the final call.
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>>5082346
I think I would agree with the few above. We're pretty deep in the board now, and we're well past bump limit. I'd say better to have a timefiller Intermission thread whenever the time is right, and then pick up with Vein 50 (how the time flies) in mid-late January.
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>>5082346
I wouldn't risk doing anything in this one, just incase, though i'd pick shortening the intermission over pushing the actual vein back myself.
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>>5082346
I think a separate Intermission Vein would be the best way. Would give everyone some time to sort out their thoughts. And the next Vein could be easily pushed back without problem from me.
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Got a new OC idea. This one based on a novel character.

Name: Hina, Devout Gravetender
Core: IMPERIAL OSSUARY (Generator/Calcite Armorer)

Appearance: Under her layer of black veils, black dress and bone accessories, she looks like a marble statue, pale and pristine. On closer inspection, her body is like a person assembled from different parts of bones.

Behavior: Rather strict and focused. She's all work, no play, and is often melancholic. She's very diligent and careful in her work. She's ruthless towards anything that would desecrate the inscriptions and tombs she cares for.

Fightling Style: Her core is made from a rare bone Generator and a Calcite Armorer ability that levelled up exclusively through merging with other Calcite Armorer abilities she gained. The result is an onslaught of bone weapons, which can overwhelm through shear quantity. She mainly uses it to arm her subordinates however, but supports them as they fight. Three Calcite Armorer passives augment her abilities. One that lets her take control of enemy bone constructs through touch, one that applies auto-repair to her creations, and one that lets her turn them into bone ash that can strike gaseous Daughters and Amalgams.

Pre-crucible life: Hina grew up in a strict home, which already shaped her to be rather dour, and a dutiful daughter. She was once traumatised from a family member committing suicide and trying to convince her to die with them. Since then, she felt she could show no weaknesses, though she volunteered to help maintain graves at the local cemetery.

Crucible life: Hina is in charge of a memorial in the Crucible. People can come their to mark the names of friends, loved ones, pets, or anybody one thinks should be remembered. Whether they passed before or during the Crucible is unimportant. She and her order of spooky death nuns also watch over tombs, where remains that one doesn't want consumed or reclaimed by the fleshcape can be placed there, no questions asked.
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(Hello, Everyone! My apologies for the radio silence, as work has been a bit crazy due to certain coworkers being out and me covering for them. Given that I'll be driving down south for the holidays, I'd likely have to begin the intermission Vein on the first Tuesday of the new year. Let me know if this works for everyone, and I do hope that your week has been going well!)
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>>5088073
Nice to hear from you, sorry that work's gone mad. Mine has too, gah. First Tuesday of the New Year is perfectly fine by me, at least.
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>>5083200
(I love the character concept, and is she based off Harrow from the Locked Tomb trilogy? I've actually just started it, and the main narrator gives me big Rath vibes.)
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>>5088079
(I'm sorry to hear yours has been crazy, but I hope it settles down enough for you to have e a good time of things.)
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>>5088073
works well enough sure.
enjoy your holidays BHOP.
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>>5088073
Sure thing. Sounds like a good time.

I hope you will be able to relax over the holidays
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>>5088073
Works for me.

>>5083200
I like the idea of someone running a memorial for the fallen in the Crucible. Even if we bring everyone back, there should still be some monument to remember the fighting and death.



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