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>>5523115

Information:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/QM91m
Discord: https://discord.gg/AmjbaTR
Archives: http://lws.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=do+your+best+quest
(Rough Grammar ‘till half of the 9th Thread)
Incomplete Guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-nIx_dvaNCPQ7zLg2BK_ucCyGNM741kAANxqXj7hdDs/edit?usp=sharing

Votes:

Votes are counted until 25 minutes have passed. This rule doesn't apply to the last reply of the day.
Votes that require a dice roll are counted until 15 minutes have passed, so we can speed up the process. Rolls are counted until 10 minutes have passed, so be prepared!

(NEW) Dice Mechanic:

We always roll 1d100s!
Since most people weren’t happy with the system of averaging top four rolls, we’re using best of 2/3/4 depending on the attribute a prompt requires. If Johnny is a genius and it’s a Knowledge based roll, he gets more rolls (Max. 7)! If he sucks, he gets less dice (Min. 2)!

When asked for rolls, I will specify how many you’re going to get. Rolling begins after it’s asked.

Rolling 100 is a critical! There are no Critical Failures anymore!

The difficulty of the roll is tied with the effectiveness of the action. In other words, the harder the option the better the result!

Don’t forget that at the end of the day, this is a story-driven quest! What the prompts are describing is more important than the difficulty of the rolls, for results in a fight.

Again, rolls are only counted when they are posted within ten minutes of being asked, so watch out!

>>5523115
>>“Do you recognize this voice?” Put the phone handle next to Duckrothy to make her quack.

>>5523115
>“Are you okay? You don’t look so well.” Act worried.
>Write In.
"If you are, You might not be after this. "
Inform her that the spirit of her mother has fallen into this " realm" and you want her to hold judgement over her, as she's her daughter.

>>5523115
>“Are you okay? You don’t look so well.” Act worried.

>>5523128
supporting

>>5523115
So many dumb in-jokes and server emotes in one OP pic

>>5523128
+1

>>5523128
Support.

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“Are you okay? You don’t look so well.” You act concerned about Lise’s well-being before delving into more pressing matters.

“Huh? Me? I haven’t been sleeping well lately. Didn’t want to take my meds over here to another dimension because I don’t know what would happen to them. That’s all…” Lise meekly responds as your concern caught her off guard.

“What are you taking meds for?” You didn’t know she was having health issues.

“Insomnia. Ever since I got shot, I can’t sleep anymore, who knows why…” Lise tries to play it cool even though her appearance makes her look like she’s a complete mess. Dorothy is shocked to hear this. “Don’t sweat it, I’m good. Tell me what you need my help with.”

“Well, if you’re actually good, you might not be after this…” You’ll delve into more details…

Details about how the spirit of her mother has fallen into this bubble ‘realm’, and how you want her to hold judgment over her, as she’s her daughter. To decide if you’d help Dorothy… somehow…

To your surprise, Lise isn’t furious, but she’s having trouble coming to terms with whatever nonsense you said, though it’s not exactly because she doesn't believe you.

“I never expected for things to be normal again, but this is throwing my head for a loop.” Lise sounds utterly exhausted.

“If you don’t want to deal with this, I can take her away.” You respect her wishes.

“Q-Quack…?!” Duckrothy is seeing that there’s no way out now.

“Are you really in that duck, mom?” Lise wants the duck to acknowledge her.

“Quack!” Duckrothy nods.

“Serves you right.” Lise starts chuckling.

“Q-Quack?!” The duck feels betrayed.

“You’re really reacting to what I’m saying…” Lise had a tiny bit of hope that this was a massive misunderstanding. You wouldn’t have bothered if that was the case! “You died so suddenly, I lost my chance to say anything to you. And now you’re here again, and I have no idea what to say. What a sick joke...” It takes a moment for Lise to go over the absurdity of calling a random bird her mother.

Duckrothy wants a way to make conversation from her end. You don’t think you can help.

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>>5523256


“Mom, did you ever expect me to hold your future in my hands?” Lise crosses her arms.

“Quack…” Dorothy can’t say she did… because ducks can’t talk.

“If you did. Did you really think this’d go any differently? Go to Hell.” Lise has no love for someone who never showed her any.

“QUAAAAAAAAAAAAACK—?!!!!” Dorothy is in utter shock.

“Get rid of her.” Lise literally shows her back.

“Q-Q-Quack… Quack… Quack…!” Dorothy is heartbroken, she’s begging you for a chance to talk, to say anything to Lise.

It’s up to you what to do next. The verdict has been bestowed upon. But… is it really the end of the line? You feel like things would end up unresolved if they stay like this.

What do you do?

>Ask Naiad if she can give Dorothy something to communicate with. If you wanted to rig the game against her, you wouldn’t have made the call to begin with.
>Time to get rid of Dorothy… This is karma doing its thing.
>“Lise. You don’t sound convinced to me. Are you sure you want this?” Pursue a full answer, to leave no doubts.
>Write In.

(Last Reply of the Day, we continue tomorrow. Sorry for the short session.)

>>5523262
>Ask Naiad if she can give Dorothy something to communicate with. If you wanted to rig the game against her, you wouldn’t have made the call to begin with.

>>5523262
>Time to get rid of Dorothy… This is karma doing its thing.
Get this quack the duck outta here

>>5523262
>>Ask Naiad if she can give Dorothy something to communicate with. If you wanted to rig the game against her, you wouldn’t have made the call to begin with.

>>5523262
"Well based on what I know I think that's fair, Li- Hostile Cutie.

I can't help but think that she should be given the chance to say any last words as well though. Unless you really don't want that."

>Ask Naiad if she can give Dorothy something to communicate with. If you wanted to rig the game against her, you wouldn’t have made the call to begin with.

>>5523322
+1

>>5523262
>Ask Naiad if she can give Dorothy something to communicate with. If you wanted to rig the game against her, you wouldn’t have made the call to begin with.

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“Well, based on what I know, I think that’s fair, Li— Hostile Cutie.” You adjust your glasses with your non-duck-holding hand. “I can’t help but think that she should be given the chance to say any last words though. Unless you really don’t want that.”

“Quack…!” Dorothy sees you in a better light despite not getting anything yet.

“You can make her talk? How?” Lise turns her head back to the camera. She is more interested in how Dorothy would talk than anything the duck has to say.

“Quack, quack, quack.” Dorothy is annoyed at the fact that you seemingly have a way to help her communicate and said nothing after all this time.

“Enough, Ducky.” You need her to be quiet. “Hostile Cutie, is that a yes or a no?”

“Do it. I want to know how.” Lise turns her head away once again. You’re starting to think Lise is using this as a curtain to hide her true feelings, she wants to hear her mother for whatever reason.

“Naiad, could you please help us out?” You ask the tiny fairy for another one of her miracle gadgets.

Naiad is enthusiastic to help but ponders how. Her little eyes sparkle with an idea! She plays with her communication device to unlock a duck-sized keyboard to be used. You think your Ouija board idea from yesterday isn’t as clever now…

The little fairy invites you to type something out. You see the message you’re typing on the screen, you press enter to send it.

“Hello there, Hostile Cutie. You’re truly a cutie, beep-boop.” The machine reads out loud for everyone to hear.

“My mom sent that...?” Lise turns around all puzzled.

“No, it was me. I’m testing it.” You let her know.

“You need to work on your game then.” Lise is as blunt as ever.

“K.” You sent through the machine.

“Quack! Quack!” Dorothy puts her feathery body in front with no regards for you. She starts using her beak to write a message down. “How dare you send your own mother to hell? Stop putting your pettiness in the way, and be helpful for once in your entire life.”

“That’s my mother, all right...” To no one’s surprise, this is angering Lise. She locks her eyes onto the goofy bird. “You stupid sack of feathers, how else do you think this would go?! Huh?!”

“Once again you are blaming me. I am your mother. I cannot help but to have a modicum of hope for you. But as unusual as it may be, you are correct. One of the constants of my life is that It does not matter what you do, you always disappoint. ” Dorothy furiously types, she moves her beak so fast just to be spitefully wordy…

“Fuck off! You should be groveling on your little feet, begging for MY help. But you can’t help but be your bitchy self, can you?! Huh?! HUH?!” Lise is shaking her monitor. Dorothy is quacking angrily back, not even typing, just a being of pure feathered anger!

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>>5524193

“Ladies, knock it down a notch. You’re scaring my friend…” You firmly intervene after noticing Naiad being scared thanks to this loud ‘diplomatic discussion’. The way they talk doesn’t bother you that much because you’re used to be yelled at, but you don’t want anyone to hurt this wonderful little helper!

“Shut this down. I don’t care what happens to her.” Lise hates herself for even trying.

“Hold on a moment.” Duckrothy has come to her senses. You’re still in awe on how fast she can type… you wonder if she practiced. “This is the only way my daughter would believe she was talking to her mother.” The duck reveals her daring move.

“Sounds like excuses to me.” You tut at the duck.

“It helped ne remind myself why you need to go fuck yourself too. Great plan.” Lise raises an eyebrow.

“Tell me what happened to your father.” Dorothy doesn’t care about regaining her body.

“…Why are you bringing this up?” Lise sheepishly retorts.

“It appears he is no longer with us.” Duckrothy gauges from Lise’s reaction. She doesn’t react beyond that, like she doesn’t care.

“Answer the question.” Lise is annoyed again.

“I am out of options. I am aware I will not be helped. I must ensure the legacy of my life carries on.” Duckrothy gives you two a determined look.“Earth must prevail.”

“Don’t give me that spiel now.” Lise isn’t buying it.

“You are not the one I am interested in talking with.” Duckrothy turns to you. “Quack…” Dorothy says her most heartbroken quack so far… “I will answer all of your questions. Please. You must fulfill this one request. Two lifetimes of work cannot go to waste.”

What do you do?

>“I’m not doing anything for you. Ask Lise. It’s up to her if your legacy is carried on.” You’re not going to go over Lise just for some random answers.
>Ask why Dorothy mentioned ‘two lifetimes’. You don’t think she’s referring to her husband on this.
>Ask Dorothy why she mentioned she knew Kobashi before.
>Ask Dorothy for the stupid password on her computer.
>Ask Dorothy how she ended up here to begin with. And what were her plans if you brought her back to life.
>Write In.

>>5524194
>“I’m not doing anything for you. Ask Lise. It’s up to her if your legacy is carried on.” You’re not going to go over Lise just for some random answers.

>>5524194
>>Ask why Dorothy mentioned ‘two lifetimes’. You don’t think she’s referring to her husband on this.
>Ask Dorothy why she mentioned she knew Kobashi before.

>>5524194
>>Ask Dorothy why she mentioned she knew Kobashi before.

>>5524194
>>“I’m not doing anything for you. Ask Lise. It’s up to her if your legacy is carried on.” You’re not going to go over Lise just for some random answers.
>>Ask why Dorothy mentioned ‘two lifetimes’. You don’t think she’s referring to her husband on this.
>>Ask Dorothy why she mentioned she knew Kobashi before.
>>Ask Dorothy for the stupid password on her computer.
All of them

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“I’m not doing anything for you. Ask Lise. It’s up to her if your legacy is carried on.” It’s been months since you got her computer and you gave it a couple of glances at best, you don’t care about what her deal is.

“Change your mind, please. I am begging you.” Duckrothy wants you to discard her daughter’s feelings for the greater good.

“You? Begging?” Lise is so dumbfounded she almost starts laughing.

“That is correct.” The desperate duck types out.

“Are you dense? Have you listened to anything he said? You’re supposed to ask me.” Lise’s face is full of indignation.

“I heard him.” Duckrothy types out.

“Then ask me!” Lise facepalms from the frustration. “You can set your pride aside for him. What’s the difference?!”

“Simple. You are going to get it wrong.” Some would say Dorothy is being honest, you’d say she’s being an asshole.

“You heard her, duck. It’s her decision, nothing is going to change that. And you need to start acting nicer, or else I’m not going to he—” You were about to stress but got interrupted.

“Play along, Johnny. Ask your questions.” With a serious expression on her face, Lise cuts you off. “I really don’t know if you have any, or even if you want to. But do what that bag of feathers wants.”

“What?” You’re confused.

“Maybe she has something worthwhile to say.” Lise acts like it’s the objective thing to do. “I can’t be selfish.”

“But…” You don’t want to trample all over Lise’s feelings.

“She would rather eat a bullet than have anything to do with me. What can we do? Should we put Volleyball Head at risk out of pettiness?” Lise crosses her arms. “Go ahead. She knew I’d reach this point, that’s why she’s acting like such a blockhead. You won, Mom. Are you happy?”

Duckrothy smirks somehow! She is happy! What a bitch! This duck is incredibly unlikable. You’re glad she was tortured inside the orphanage… You flick her head.

“Q-Quack?!” Dorothy wasn’t expecting that! You mentally apologize to Mr. Host Ducky.

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>>5524411

“Question #1: Why did you mention two lifetimes? I know you’re old, but it's still an overly specific way to phrase it.” You think you’d get some nifty information since you doubt she’s referring to her late husband.

“I think she meant my dad.” Lise is pretty uninterested by your question. “Or maybe she’s a roaming spirit, and my mom’s second body.” You feel like that’s something she learned with Constance...

“Wrong. As always.” Duckrothy starts writing down her answer. “My research is a collaborative work between myself and my mentor: Professor Bombastus. It is his legacy, the one I must preserve, even if at this point most of the investigation was done on my lonesome.”

“What’s the research about?” You follow up with another question.

“To put it in simple terms, about Spiritual Energy and how to use it.” Dorothy reveals. “The same source of the great conflict we are all involved in. When the study began decades ago, countries all over the world were desperate to find a new efficient energy to utilize, else, war over energy resources was inevitable.” Dorothy is assuming Lise has a flame too.

“Where do you know Kobashi from?”

“His cake.” Duckrothy isn’t proud of what she typed. “He is an acquaintance of someone I once called a friend, but we drifted apart. It was no one important. And it is nothing more than that.”

“What’s the password for your PC?” You’re going to ask directly to the source. After all this time! You said you didn’t care before, but fuck it, with the answer at your lap, you can’t help but feel excited!

Duckrothy really doesn’t want to type it.

“Spell it out, mom.” Lise is not amused.

“First: 8 0 M 8 4 5 7 U 5. Second: M Y L I T T L E T W I N K L E S T A R L I S E.” Duckrothy types the answer slowly.

“...Woah. You heard that, Hostile Cutie?” You have enough knowledge to put the words together no problem.

“No, I got lost in the middle of it.” Lise shouldn’t admit that now.

“Phew…” Duckrothy sighs in relief. You think you heard Dorothy say something different than quack.

You feel a little underwhelmed by these answers, but you doubt they aren’t truthful…

What do you do?

>“So, what’s your request?” You’re going along with what Dorothy wants.
>“I have more questions. Like what happened to this Professor what-his-face.” You feel like you haven’t touched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this former whale’s past.
>“I have more questions. Like what the hell you were experimenting in your house.” You feel like you haven’t touched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this former whale’s past
>“Lise, your mommy’s password is…” Embarrass them both for a laugh.
>“So, final verdict?” You’ll ask one more time to finish this.
>Write In.

(Last Reply of the Day, we continue tomorrow!)

>>5524413
>>“Lise, your mommy’s password is…” Embarrass them both for a laugh.
>“I have more questions. Like what happened to this Professor what-his-face.” You feel like you haven’t touched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this former whale’s past.
>“I have more questions. Like what the hell you were experimenting in your house.” You feel like you haven’t touched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this former whale’s past

>>5524413
>“I have more questions. Like what happened to this Professor what-his-face.” You feel like you haven’t touched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this former whale’s past.

>>5524467
+1 and I'm gonna write-in something insane
>"...Who exactly was this friend you knew that Kobashi also knew? He's in this bubble world too because of how it works, and he mentioned knowing somebody very important to me. There's too many suspicious things lining up together."
>Explain your experience going through the Temple of Chi-Athua and talking to Holly Gram

>>5524565
The second write-in is because Dorothy mentioned the Spirit Energy technology, and we literally just left the Orphanage of Blue and the massive temple right under it where we found out all this

>>5524413
>“I have more questions. Like what happened to this Professor what-his-face.” You feel like you haven’t touched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this former whale’s past.

>>5524467
>>5524565
Supporting all these.

Also find out what she was experimenting on in her house though.

Whenever we end this interrogation, we don't necessarily have to get rid of Dorothy. We could just let her wander around in this realm, trying her luck to get back.

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Sorry, everyone, delaying the session for tomorrow because the post is way too big and I'm not even close to being done with it! I need more time!

>>5525536
Massive infodump just the way you like it QM

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“Lise, your mommy’s password is…” You’re going to tell her and there’s nothing this bird can do to stop you!

“Q-QUACK!” Duckrothy wants you to keep quiet!

But it’s too late! You revealed that ‘My Twinkle Star Lise’ is Dorothy’s password! Ha! What a dork!

Lise is stunned. Dorothy starts pecking you with resentment. Is this how it feels to be poked constantly? You’re sure Vanessa is a drama queen now. Nothing can wipe off your stupid smile after saying it.

“Is there someone who gets you?” Nothing makes sense to Lise.

“It is an old password. One before you grew up to be a disappointment.” Dorothy throws her excuses.

“And what’s your excuse for not changing it?” Lise crosses her arms.

“I’m a busy woman. Not like a slacker like you could understand. Believe me, I tried to teach you.” Dorothy writes down with venom.

“You only taught me what not to do with my life.” Lise retorts with some pride in her response.

“Interesting. You are capable of learning something.” Dorothy sarcastically replies.

“Maybe I had a shitty teacher of a mother!” Lise crunches her teeth.

“Or perhaps it was too much of a daunting task. Even I have limits.” Dorothy manages to smirk somehow.

“NOT WHEN IT COMES TO STUFFING YOUR FACE WITH CAKE!” Lise shouts back.

“QUACK QUACK QUACK!!!” Dorothy is not even typing. That struck a nerve.

“Cut it out! I told you no shouting.” You’re not going to make Naiad suffer through this. “This could’ve been a wholesome moment, and you ruined it.” You flick her duck head again.

“Q-Quack…” Dorothy admits this was childish. Maybe you need to keep your mouth open to not let these two fight.

“I have more questions. Like what happened to this Professor what-his-face.” You feel like there’s a lot of digging to do on this former whale’s past.

“His name is Professor Bombastus. Do not forget it.” Dorothy wants everyone to pay attention. “He was one of the many disgraced OSU scholars brought to Prancijan by the prestigious ‘Pokyo Lokyo University’.” You don’t like how she’s talking about him in the past tense… “The university wasn’t the juggernaut it is nowadays. It was in dire need to reinvent itself. Any mountebank was welcomed as long as they had remarkable credentials in their resume. All power source research was prioritized. The one stand-out was Professor Bombastus. His paper was sound. But his ideas were shunned by the scientific community for flimsy reasoning. All hubris.”

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>>5526935

“Guy’s neat. But what happened to him?” You hope this is all relevant, because she has been going on a long tangent by now.

“I became part of his research team. We made remarkable progress in little time. Our investigation was destined to change the world. But we lacked funds to push it to the next level. The Board helped us by setting up a meeting with a potential investor: Beatrice von Riegel.” Dorothy plainly ignored you. Hey, you remember that name! She’s one of the Five Pillars of Doom or something! “It went well. She agreed to all of our requirements. But Professor Bombastus declined the funding. He did not trust the shady businesswoman. I was beside myself. The money would have helped the research immensely. We were struggling financially, all offfffffffff.”

Dorothy suddenly stops typing, as she came to the realization as to why she was truly furious with the professor.

“I stormed out. I did not show up at the laboratory for a couple of days. I confided my frustrations with my significant other, the future father of Lise. He told me it was my research as much as it was his. I had the right to be enraged. Still, I decided to patch things up with the Professor.” Duckrothy continues writing. “We got another far less affluent investor, and moved the investigation along. Due to the whims of this ridiculous man, we had serious scheduling issues, and one day, he required our help at the most important moment: An accident happened inside the laboratory, our test subject went mayhem and was subsequently restrained. The issue was far from over, but we could not reschedule without losing all of our funding. For some ungodly reason, that jerk Bombastus demanded me to come along to this farcical meeting. It was a pastry duel. What a waste of time. We left an acquaintance of my husband and I to keep guard. When we came back, half of the entire research was consumed by a fire. The test subject escaped. The professor left in a hurry, worried about the least important of his experiments (the test subject) without realizing all we lost, and whose fault it was. I could not stand it. I lashed out at everything and everyone that was there. For the first time in my life, I felt like I lost everything.”

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>>5526936

[You’re slowly entering a flashback……………….]

At the laboratory —or better said— Professor Bombastus’ apartment. A cold sweat runs down Dorothy’s face, she’s sitting in a corner, the smell of burnt paper marinates the room. She’s staring in disbelief at the ashes of all her hard work…

“You calmed down.” Danforth enters the room and puts his hand on the scientist’s shoulder. “I think your boss went after her.”

“It’s all gone, Dan…” Dorothy can’t stop the tears from flowing, ignoring what Danforth says. “Gone.”

“I don’t think your boss noticed it. I told you he doesn’t care.” Danforth sits next to his girlfriend.

“Enough of this nonsense. He left everything he had for this research.” Dorothy retorts back.

“Huh? Then why didn’t he notice it then?” Dan acts surprised.

“Because he’s worried about his Amelia!” Dorothy mocks. “What does it say about me when I’m moping around for some paper instead of looking for my friend?” Dorothy is so frustrated with herself.

“Oh. Does he? Why did he reject the funding then?” Dan asks back seemingly without any malice.

“Couldn’t trust Ms. von Riegel.” Dorothy rolls her eyes.

“But you said that —to him— your friend was more important than the research. And we both know with the funds, he could’ve helped her out of her situation, instead of having this mental breakdown.” Dan doesn’t get the logic. “He should’ve accepted it. Right?”

“Right. What are you getting at?” Dorothy knows those are different things.

“You told me he was thinking about pulling the plug because—”

“...The subjects appear to have consciousness of their own, and it’s morally bankrupt to pursue their usage as energy. Yeah, yeah. Your point?” Dorothy interrupts Danforth as she has told him the same thing multiple times.

“He wants to stop the research.” Danforth says it like he’s reading the news.

“Why?” Dorothy thinks she has all the brains in this power couple.

“He knows he can’t complete it. It’s beyond his capabilities. I bet when he finds out what happened to everything, he’ll be relieved.” Danforth looks dejected.

“That’s absurd.” Dorothy dismisses.

“How do you explain his behavior?” Danforth is confused.

“What’s there to explain? You’re conflating different ethical issues together, you dimwit.” Dorothy gets angry.

“No. What you’re too blind to see is that he knows he can’t do it, but thinks you can — and he’s holding you back.” Danforth explains.

“Holding me back how? We’re intellectually even on my best days, and those don’t come around often.”

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>>5526939

“Whose to say? I believe you are.” Danforth smiles. “But one thing is clear, you’re willing to push things a little further than he can. You don’t think that energy being sentient matters, right? You would’ve accepted the funding, right? You’d see this through to the end, right? For the greater good? He’s afraid of that side of yours, that side will eclipse him.”

“Enough, it doesn’t matter anymore. We have to start from scratch…” Dorothy doesn’t want to think about it.

“Didn’t I tell you when we met that I’m a miracle worker?” Danforth stands up, and extends his hand to Dorothy. “I’ll make your dreams come true. You’re going to finish this research and change the world. Only promise me: you’ll see this through the bitter end, understood? Deal?”

“……...Is that goof Strangelove feeding you lines?” Dorothy is utterly unimpressed.

“Goof? How dare you speak of my darling like he’s one of your flimsy hypotheses?” Athena Strangelove appears holding a stack of papers in her hands. She was in charge of safeguarding the laboratory while they were gone. She drops what she’s holding on the ground next to Dorothy. “The transcript of all your research, my little spark of joy.”

“Y-You! I thought you escaped!” Dorothy is in shock. “What’s this…?” She starts reading the papers. “It is…!”

“Yes. Indeed. Please applaud as the true miracle worker has bestowed upon you a fragment of devilish magic. Next time save it all on one of those fancy computers! But I suppose pen and paper have their perks. It’s more… secretive.” Athena giggles. “Oh, lil’ Dan, you were correct, hiding was well worth it for that glimpse of confusion on her face!”

“Do you believe me now?” Danforth nods. “I can arrange another meeting with Lady von Riegel. Only for you.”

“You can thank my goofy husband for that.” Athena giggles again.

“Only me…?” Dorothy is dumbfounded.

“Yes. Just you. You’re never going to finish it with him by your side. This is your research. He’s not needed.” Danforth nods. “I know you can do it. Deal?”

“D-Deal.” Dorothy grabs her future husband’s hand to stand up…

[End of Flashback]


“...But the deal was far more sinister than I could possibly have imagined.” Dorothy continues her novel…

“You’re making my dad sound like a psycho.” Lise is uncomfortable by this.

“What fortunate event his death was. I bet he was the one responsible for my death.” Dorothy just throws it like that. “Continuing. The deal I made with von Riegal had two conditions. One, that the research must stay in Prancijan. And two, I must be part of a scheme to imprison Professor Bombastus. What happened next was something nobody expected. It was a warm summer day...

Look! You’re right! She’s writing this like a novel…!

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>>5526942

[You’re slowly reentering a flashback……………….]

Two weeks after the incident, Dorothy and Professor Bombastus continue their research by attempting to catch another source of spiritual energy after losing the one they had due to said incident. They have come back to the apartment after another unfruitful hunt.

“Professor, how many times do we have to fail before we start chasing proper targets?” Dorothy stares at the radar they built. “We’re not going anywhere with these faint readings.”

“Ah! No, we can’t do, dear assistant! We have conclusive evidence of consciousness. But smaller targets? Those are different case!” Professor Bombastus brings out his broken English.

“We can study those still.” Dorothy wants to negotiate.

“Like caged animals?! Never! I am no zoologist!” Professor Bombastus vehemently refuses the idea. Dorothy rolls her eyes. “Assistant, get close.”

Dorothy doesn’t think much of his request and gets close.

“Who forced you to let them in?” Bombastus drops the accent.

“P-Pardon me…?” Dorothy mutters back.

“You never leave the door unlocked. I thought it was a birthday surprise. But I can’t smell any cake.” Bombastus sighs. “Are they government agents?”

“Yes.” Dorothy closes her eyes.

“They are coming for me?” Professor Bombastus interrogates.

“I’m so sorry.” Dorothy covers her face with both hands.

“Will you be okay?” Her mentor needs to know.

Dorothy nods without facing the professor.

“That’s all that matters to me.” Bombastus smiles as he puts his hand over his assistant’s shoulder. “I need you to leave the apartment. You hear me? Don’t look back. If you feel in any danger, tell Ulrich what happened. He’ll help you.”

“P-Professor…” Dorothy can barely talk through the tears and covered face.

“Show your face.” Bombastus asks. Dorothy shows her teary eyes. “Show me those pearly whites! You got to shine, my little twinkle star!”

Dorothy does her most beautiful wry smile, then the Professor pushes her to go…

There was no issue for her. She knew she wasn’t in any danger. But she still followed her mentor’s orders. Halfway through the streets, with nowhere to go, Dorothy hears an explosion… Her laboratory is submerged in flames, smoke comes out and engulfs the sky… She turns around again and starts walking faster. Someone grabs her arm tightly from behind.

“Professor…!” Dorothy turns around.

“Hmm?” It’s Dan. Her boyfriend. “I thought these might be useful for your research.” He hands Dorothy a bunch of papers written by Bombastus. Some have droplets of blood.

Dorothy grabs them and walks away without giving him a second glance…

[End of Flashback]

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>>5526944

“For twenty long years, I believed that was the end of the story. But, it couldn’t be that simple, it never is when it comes to the Professor.” Duckrothy writes among duck tears. “Through some old files I got from my husband, I discovered a new side of the tale, his. The Professor’s life didn’t end there…”

[You’re slowly entering a flashback of someone who isn’t here……………….]

As soon as Dorothy left the building, Bombastus stands up from his couch. Policemen come out from different rooms. 5 in total, one of them is Danforth Villiers, but he’s not the one leading them.

“This is the SCI. Mr. Alexander Bombastus, you’re under arrest for high treason.” The leading agent, Solomon Strangelove, steps forward. “Please, do not resist.”

“Hahahaha! Me no speak Gordinho.” Dr. Bombastus uses the cheapest trick in the book to gain time.

“You raggedy voluminous man. You had a pleasant chat with my gorgeous wife a couple of weeks ago, we’re not falling for this farce.” Agent Strangelove puts his hands on his hips. “Your nefarious plans will come to an end. You were intending to sell the Pracijanian funded research to your fatherland, and we can’t allow it. You’ll be interrogated, then disposed of. Sounds good?”

“No.” Bombastus shakes his head.

“Tremendous. I agree. So before we force you to lack perceived vitals. My wife said that you have a neat trick you can show us.” Agent Strangelove winks.

“Oh, yes! Please come this way! To the lab proper!” Dr. Bombastus runs inside.

With his back shown, he gets shot 4 times, his body collapses on top of a table. The bullets came from Danforth Villiers.

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>>5526945

“...Who ordered you to shoot?” Agent Strangelove's amusing smile has disappeared. “You know I was in the way?”

“Orders from Madam Beatrice.” Danforth puts his gun away. “We need to burn the place down as well.”

“Answer the question.” Agent Strangelove is pissed off.

But during their discussion, the seemingly dead Professor starts crawling to grab a weird old device…

“Hahahaha…” Bombastus laughs and coughs up blood. Danforth takes out his gun again.

“Give your brain a wrinkle, and put that down. I told you I’m in the way.” Agent Strangelove puts his hand on top of the man’s gun.

“The gadget of mystery... the ultimate experiment from a lost civilization we know bits and pieces of… in honor of its creator… with my life forfeited just like hers… tonight… I will reach the Venus Line.” Bombastus pushes the button.

“The wha—” The explosion catches every single person off guard...

[End of Flashback]


“...Miraculously, Agents Solomon Strangelove, Danforth Villiers, Hawk Wilkinson, Corrine Crispi, and Zhong Guanting were not injured by the explosion. The hit job planned by Beatrice von Riegel was deemed a success. All for the rights to our research.” Dorothy stops typing for a moment. “I cannot say for certain, but if I knew the Professor was alive somewhere, I would have not continued the research. That man, Danforth. He tricked me to.”

“Oh please, stop that, mom.” Lise interrupts. “We don’t want to hear your excuses. Blame dad all you want, you’re still at fault for everything.”

“There are so many names entangled in all of this, I don’t know what to ask about anymore.” Are these coincidences? Or are they people you know? What the fuck is going on?! “Like, I still want to know about what the hell you were doing in your house? What were those experiments?!”

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>>5526949

“I was creating artificial flames to get an edge for the war game. Professor Bombastus made the mistake of believing that any considerable concentration of Spiritual Energy meant sentience. He was not wrong in observable cases. But building one from the ground up showed no intelligent behavior.” Duckrothy summarizes.

"...By the way, who exactly was this friend you knew that Kobashi also knew? He's in this bubble world too because of how it works, and he mentioned knowing somebody very important to me. There are too many suspicious things lining up together." You cross your arms.

“How am I supposed to know? We have many acquaintances in common. I do not know who exactly you are.” Dorothy is utterly perplexed by your question.

Man, you haven’t even told her about what you found under the Orphanage. Plus, this answer isn’t good enough either! AND, you’ve still only hit the surface of her experiments! You don’t even know who she experimented ON.

…

This is going to take a while to get all the answers…

“Hi! Everyone! Good morning!” Oh no, it’s Scarlet. “Oh, look, a ducky! Wait, Phil Noon?! Why did nobody tell me you were calling?!”

“Hello there, agent Bubbles. We’re busy discussing very serious matters, so please engage with us in a professional manner.” You adjust your glasses. Dorothy is unimpressed and confused by who Scarlet is.

...You’re not explaining to Dorothy shit, she’s the one quacking!

What do you ask about now…?

>More about Dorothy’s experiments!
>Her relationship with Rise and Ka-Shing.
>Ask Duckrothy to list all the names of acquaintances she and Kobashi have in common. You’ll get your answers!
>Tell Dorothy about the Temple of Understanding and Holly Gram. You think you’d get interesting tidbits if you do!
>Write In.

(Finally done! I don't know when we come back, but this is the only reply of the day!)

>>5526952
>>More about Dorothy’s experiments!
>>Her relationship with Rise and Ka-Shing.

>>5526952
>More about Dorothy’s experiments!
>Tell Dorothy about the Temple of Understanding and Holly Gram. You think you’d get interesting tidbits if you do!

>>5527103
+1; Get to the Ema reveal already

>>5526952
>More about Dorothy’s experiments!
>Tell Dorothy about the Temple of Understanding and Holly Gram. You think you’d get interesting tidbits if you do!

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“Stop calling me ‘Bubbles’!” Scarlet pouts. You try to recall the times when Scarlet was a positive girl, but there are none, she has always been angry!

“Bubbles, I asked you to be professional...” You look down on her. Scarlet frowns.

“Stop messing with each other, we’re busy, right?” Lise acts like a responsible adult.

“Busy? He’s holding a ducky.” Scarlet points out.

“She’s my mother.” Lise glares at the ducky.

“...What did you say?” Scarlet is utterly dumbfounded.

“You appear to be on par with my daughter’s intellect.” Duckrothy writes.

“Aw! Thank you!” Scarlet smiles sarcastically. “I bet it’s something mean. You’re evil, aren’t you?!” Scarlet doesn’t have a bad memory.

“Let us move on.” Dorothy didn’t have any expectations for the redhead, and this didn’t change anything. You flick her duck head. “Q-Quack?!”

“Stop being mean to my friends, and stick to the facts.” You feel like this came out dorkier than you intended… “Tell us more about your experiments. Like why of all the things you could’ve done to get an advantage did you decide that was the best course of action? Or who you were experimenting on? Or whatever detail seems relevant to you.”

“As you will see, I did not have much of a choice. My research was dropped no more than a year later due to stagnation because we lacked a proper test subject. By then, Ms. von Riegel took a liking to me, and relocated me to other ventures. I continued the research in my spare time.” Duckrothy always has to start from the beginning to tell her stories, huh? You want to ask her how she continued it without a lab subject; but maybe it’s like those book writers who say they’re working on their stuff but do nothing.

“Decades passed, and out of seemingly nowhere, my husband inquired about this old research. He always showed little interest in my babbling when it didn’t benefit him. I quickly wondered what prompted this question, and he responded that his boss is interested in the subject matter. By this point, my husband became the Pokyo Lokyo Chief of Police, and I was not interested in working with the government to find another energy resource. When I posed these gripes to him. He revealed it was something different, something much more interesting. Intrigued, I agreed to come along to a meeting with his boss. Later that day, I met the mastermind. I was expecting to meet a high government official, but instead, I was greeted by one of the most successful businessmen in the world and potential presidential candidate: Elicarto Lloydington.”

“That’s the loser we must stop, partner. You know the one.” Philonune has no respect for this nutcase. Not like you do. He’s the one working alongside the Creator, and most likely, the leader of the White Flames.

Scarlet and Lise say nothing, but they’re listening attentively. You should be too!

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>>5533121

“During this meeting, they revealed to me the significance of the poly-dimensional contest these supposed demons were in, and I was required to find a practical use to my lifetime research to help them come out victorious. Before I could mutter a response, they forced me to take one of those parasitical Will-O-Wisps, what some people call a ‘white flame’ —and left me with no choice but to abide by their orders.” Dorothy manages to smirk again! You should’ve snapped a picture! Ducks aren’t supposed to smirk!

“It did not last long. I chose the subject of Artificial Will-O-Wisps for good reason. It was centered around understanding how they control someone’s mind, and more importantly to me, how to dispose of them. My research went along effortlessly with the abundance of guinea pigs to choose from. Due to the simplistic nature of these parasites, I didn’t need to remove mine, I easily wiped its consciousness instead. But I was not done. I began scheming my revenge.”

“Oh no!” Scarlet is so excited to hear what’s next.

“You messed with Dad’s head, didn’t you...? That was part of your revenge, right?!” With crossed arms, Lise grabs both tightly.

“What made you come to that conclusion?” Dorothy is somewhat proud of Lise! You can tell by the way she… uhm… flaps her wings?

“He didn’t recognize me.” Lise looks heartbroken. “Even after he woke up from whatever you did to him… He didn’t know who I was! He recognized everyone but me...”

“Intriguing. That was not meant to happen.” Dorothy has been let down by Lise. She expected more. “The White Will-O-Wisps have two feral behaviors: one, they tend to take over their hosts. Two, they are always obedient to orders from their superiors. The toxin I developed removes the parasites’ access to memories and pressures their two constant behaviors to expedite, stultifying them to the point of obedience. Later, by relinquishing a fraction of my spiritual energy to them, I established myself as their leader by being their only memory accessible, and in turn, they became my puppets.” Duckrothy stares at Lise. “To return the favor in kind, the guinea pig for my experiment was my husband. And it worked better than I ever imagined.”

“Y-You made a virus that forces white flame users into your slaves?!” Scarlet is in disbelief. Lise doesn’t say anything.

“Quack.” Dorothy nods. Well, why type it out if you can just quack about it?

“He wasn’t the only one, was he?” You remember Barry the Hobo and… a werewolf? You remember a werewolf, but nobody seems to talk about him ever since you saw him, and it bugs you so much that it has been completely ignored for months!

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>>5533124

“I would not be bragging about its efficiency if it only worked once. And I went too far in my research on artificial Will-O-Wisps to halt it without any other reason.” Dorothy chuckles again. Or quacks under her breath? “As for other cases. Let me recall. Yes. Aside from Danforth, I gave the virus to an errand boy Lloydington forced me to work alongside, Blake Wilkinson! Serves him right.”

“The School Shooter?” Scarlet is in shock! Hold on, you thought you told Scarlet he wasn’t a school shooter and that was something you made up to get everyone’s attention when he was chasing you!

“He did what?” Lise is very confused by this.

“And that too.” Dorothy doesn’t feel an ounce of guilt now.

“Don’t you think it was your stupid virus that made him go crazy?” You raise an eyebrow.

“No. He was worse before the venom. I even had my doubts it ever worked on him.” Dorothy will not admit any fault. “I also tested it on a man named ‘Marcus Sanchez’. I’m remorseful. He begged me for a cure to get rid of the White Will-O-Wisp. But I was unable to create one in time before he disappeared. I did eventually, and when he returned, I was in dire need of test subjects for my Artificial Will-O-Wisps. So I gave him the virus, and did my tests. Then I foolishly came to the realization that I needed to find a cure for the virus — and started working on it.”

...You flick the duck’s head. “Thanks to you, he’s dead.”

“Q-Q-Quack…” Dorothy looks down, ashamed. “I am truly sorry.”

“I’d say I never heard her apologize before, but she’s just typing it.” Lise is annoyed.

“Mr. Sanchez…” Scarlet looks down. She remembers that story well… of him and Nariko! Wait. Could it be that Nariko had the same virus?! No, wait, she lost her memories the same way Yu Yan did. False alarm.

Wait a minute. If you looked inside Dorothy's computer… You would’ve found a cure for Nariko’s problem! So instead of whatever internal fight she had, once Athelone gave her back the white flame, she would’ve been totally fine! You better not think about it, it’s all fine now.

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>>5533132

“My Artificial Will-O-Wisp worked on a target that previously had one. The next round of testing had to be on regular humans. I ordered my husband to bring lab subjects: 2 policemen and a former one. The latter, due to his depressive state, was the only one it worked on.” Duckrothy types so fast now, she can ramble all she wants. “His name is Lenny Yabe. I believe the other two told Yabe’s former police partner, since he kept snooping around my house. I cannot believe it made me miss the days I did part of my research at the Arcade. It was the final round of experiments I ever did.” Duckrothy sighs somehow. “It was so foolish of me to underestimate Lloydington. I do not know how he caught on to my schemes, but those masked hitmen got the best of me.”

“Huh…” That wasn’t Lloydington’s doing. It was you, Osgood (RIP?), Bradford (RIP), Amelia, and Nina.

“Masked hitmen? She couldn’t possibly mean…” Scarlet looks at you.

“Mom. You idiot. It was him that did that.” Lise doesn’t waste a moment revealing the truth.

“Quack?” Dorothy points at you with one wing.

“I mean, he wasn’t alone, but I asked him for help because everyone in the house was acting weird, and I was scared after… you know… you hit me.” Lise explained what happened as concisely as possible. Her mother could learn a lesson or two about this.

“Quack.” Dorothy points at her daughter.

“Yeah, I asked him. What’s the big deal?” Lise is confused by Dorothy’s dumbfoundedness. You nod, albeit, not enthusiastically — you’re not sure if you wanted her to know.

“Quack…. QUACK!?” Dorothy is in utter shock. Then she starts rolling on top of the keyboard in a big ass tantrum! “5832509238509ERWRWE2380480238409238402380482IUOUIUII038402804802384028304820349023804283048230480238402380482304923420384023840239IUUOUIU4204083204923482572fuiew2ywry3iyri23iyiDHOIAROQWRQOWRQ023R03U09R32903204923J423JRDFB209578559485892DFIEWOIROWJWOEJOWTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT.”

Dorothy can’t believe that everything went to the dumpster because of her own daughter… It feels like poetic justice. Not the best kind. But good enough. The duck’s collapsed body rests on the letter T that keeps repeating. At the very least, Lise laughed.

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>>5533134

“Dorothy. You done?” You want to move on.

“...TTTTTTTTT. Yes.” Dorothy recovers her composure. “Since we have made each other suffer, I think it is sensible if you provide me with all the help I need.”

“Can’t do that. Up to Lise still.” You shrug. “But what I can do in exchange is tell you something you might find interesting. Under the Orphanage I found…”

You start explaining what you saw in the Temple of Kindness and Understanding, and your meeting with Holly Gram… Duckrothy interrupts you halfway through though.

“Quack.” Dorothy doesn’t buy it. “I must see this with my own eyes or else I find your story impossible to believe.”

“Holly Gram, huh? Does she look like the other Holly you know, hmm?” Scarlet starts teasing.

“No. Not at all. The exact opposite in some places as a matter of fact.” Well, if you care about one attribute. “She was super cute though. Like the cutest. So cute, she isn’t like a certain redhead glaring at me.”

“...I don’t think it’s time for that.” The glaring redhead retorts.

“You think so? Then shut up.” Lise is done. She knows there’s no reason to interrupt.

“S-Sorry.” Scarlet feels ashamed of herself.

“D-Don’t be sorry. I didn’t mean to be harsh.” Lise is a little awkward back.

“I-I know, it’s okay!” Scarlet smiles. Aw, the two dummies made up.

Duckrothy is urging you to show her the ruins if your statement is true. But… Holly Gram is gone. What’s the point? Goalzilla T-shirts?

What do you do?

>Tell the stupid duck to shut the fuck up and let you finish.
>Take Duckrothy underground. Quick tour. No detours. Straight line. All business. No sugar.
>You know what? Don’t tell her shit. She can go to hell for all you care.
>“Wait a moment, who gave you the white flame specifically?” You forgot to ask!
>Write In.


(Only reply of the day, we continue tomorrow!)

>>5533136
>“Wait a moment, who gave you the white flame specifically?” You forgot to ask!
>"Okay, let's do this."
>Take Duckrothy underground. Quick tour. No detours. Straight line. All business. No sugar.
>"I'm going to tell you the rest while we walk over there. You're going to shut up and let me finish. And when we're there, you're going to tell me who else you're involved with so I can get to the bottom of this crazy story."

>>5533136
>>Take Duckrothy underground. Quick tour. No detours. Straight line. All business. No sugar.

>>5533136
>>Tell the stupid duck to shut the fuck up and let you finish.

>>5533136
>>5533145
Supporting.

>>5533136
>>5533134
>>5533132
>>5533124
>>5533121
What do you think her virus would do to Philonune, who used to be a white flame but broke his own shackles?

>>5533632
I don't know, and I don't want to find out for ourselves

>>5533986
Lit, there's still time

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“Since this annoying duck rudely interrupted me, it reminded me of something I forgot to ask: Who gave you your flame?” You’re kinda lucky the former scientist is rude, or else this unanswered detail would’ve gone over your head.

Dorothy looks puzzled by your question. “Elicarto Lloydington, of course, who else could it be?”

“That’s not possible, only the judges can do something like that and he ain’t one of them.” You question back.

“This is the first time you have little clue of what is truly behind the scenes.” Duckrothy finds this peculiar.

“We know he’s part of the white flames.” You don’t know every detail, that’s all. You suspect he has the Creator as his entity, but that’s conjecture.

“No, young man, he *is* the white flames.” Duckrothy is serious. “He is acting as the vessel of the Creator, also known as Ohrmazd, the supreme god all angels worship. If there is one individual who cannot for any reason come out on top, it is him.”

“I knew it.” You always had the hunch that the bad joke of this entire journey is that guy being important.

“Partner, we have confirmed the damned soul that we will mince into pieces! I cannot wait!” Philonune has an actual target for his vendetta.

“You’re telling us he can give people entities just like that?!” Scarlet interrupts.

“Indeed. It is one of his numerous abilities.” Duckrothy confirms.

“What else does he have?” Scarlet wants a notepad to write this down.

“The almighty parasite has the power to drain the spiritual energy of those who he defeated. If you truly possess no volition to stand in his way, you’re doomed. Never lose hope. You are young and foolish, it will be easy.” The bird explains more. “He has the appearance of a tree. Perhaps, use fire.” What’s this? An RPG...?

“Any other tips that can help us against him?” Scarlet is using a marker to write everything on her arm.

“The White Flames planned to use the first round to bring over the Creator in a weakened state to be fed energy to recover its powers for the final round. In the Second Round, his two highest ranked officials will come over to defend him. If there is a time to strike Ohrmazd, it is before the second round begins.” Dorothy is giving some neat tips!

“Fuck, we’re running out of time…” Lise gets worried.

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>>5533993

“That’s enough for now. I’m taking Dorothy underground. I’ll call you back in a bit.” You agreed to indulge the duck.

After saying quick goodbyes to the hostile cutie and the hostile bubble. You take your stupid duck, and start walking to the Orphanage. No detours. Straight line. All Business. No Sugar. No Tomatoes. Just a quick tour! You’re going to turn invisible just to go past everyone if you have to!

…

Actually, before leaving the front yard of the Police Station, you put a message on the phone cabin, letting the others know you’re going to be by the Orphanage. Just in case...

“Okay, let’s do this! I’m going to tell you the rest while we walk over there. You’re going to shut up and let me finish. And when we’re there, you’re to tell me who else you’re involved with so I can get to the bottom of this crazy story.” You ran as fast as you could!

“Quack!” Dorothy agrees. She’s excited about it now that it seems real!


You’re back at the Temple of Understanding and Kindness… Your long tale is done. It’s time for Dorothy to give some answers. She jumps off your arms, and walks around, observing the exhibitions one by one, letting everything sick in. She stops by the machine that previously hosted Holly Gram… And makes it drain her spiritual energy! After a moment’s notice, Duckrothy is nothing but the Duck it always was! The old timey computer starts up… with a new hologram.

“Quack.” The tiny duck walks towards you. He wants to be held. You grab him! He’s a great ducky after all.

“Marvelous, simply marvelous…” The hologram takes the shape of… Lise? She looks like Lise! As much as Chio looks like Nariko anyway. To the observant eyes there are details that are off. “Phil Noon, I have taken control over the machine to facilitate our talk.”

“Dorothy? Is that you?” You can’t believe your eyes! She’s ¼ the size of the whale you met, and you’re being generous! Should you point out how young she looks?

“I’m glad you caught on.” Dorothy smirks “As far as your question goes, here’s your answer, these are the people I’m involved with.” The hologram snaps her fingers. Images of so many different people appear, with their names below!

T-There’s so many people…!

So many people…

…

>>…?

>Ask Dorothy to show you the people involved in Bombastus’ research.
>Ask Dorothy to show you the people involved with the White Flames.
>Ask Dorothy to show you her true allies for the war.
>“Mom...?” Touch Ema Oka’s photo…
>Write In.


>>5533988

Sorry, I had to delete the post 'cause the brackets aren't working anymore.

>>5533995
>>“Mom...?” Touch Ema Oka’s photo…

>>5533995
>>>…?

>>5533995
>“Mom...?” Touch Ema Oka’s photo…
Start with her

>>5533995
>Mom..?

>>5533995
>“Mom...?” Touch Ema Oka’s photo…

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“Mom…?” You try to touch Ema Oka’s picture. You pass through since it’s a hologram. That must be your mother! No, she’s definitely your Mom! It says so right there below the picture! She looks like if Amelia grew up a bit!

“Who are you calling mom?” Dorothy was only paying attention to what she’s doing. She turns to your direction and realizes it… “No, it can’t be…”

“It can’t be what?” You’re confused by the hologram’s expression.

“Ema…? You’re Ema’s son? Ema had a child…? A human child…? With another person…?” Dorothy is barely computing it.

“Two. I have a little sister named Amelia.” You don’t know why you’re being honest. You miss the little dummy.

“That goofy nervous wreck! How could she possibly name her own daughter after…?! Ugh… Nevermind.” Dorothy got very indignant for a moment.

“How come you know my mom? She never mentioned you.” You need some answers.

“I suppose there was no reason for her to speak a word about me...” Dorothy has a wry smile as she grabs her arm. She’s saddened by this fact. Why is your mom of all people provoking this kind of response from Dorothy? “For a brief time we were colleagues… of sorts. By the way, how is she doing these days? I imagine much better if she got the time to be a mother of two. Can’t possibly imagine the amount of work that’d be. She always got herself into trouble, eh?”

“She died two years ago.” You’ll keep it simple because she’s the one supposed to be answering questions.

“You’re kidding, right? You must be.” Dorothy refuses to believe you.

“I’d never joke about something like this.” Your mother’s death is no laughing matter, no matter what a certain double dick says about it.

“You’re the kind of man who would. Don’t pretend otherwise!” Dorothy is shaking in a fit of rage. “You’re her child, right?! That’s her kind of humor...!”

“I’m serious.” You stand firm.

“This can’t be… NO!” Dorothy holds her head, looking down to the ground. The holograms are starting to malfunction! They’re changing sizes and colors, the images displayed are seemingly random and rapidly changing, until the static consumes them one by one. All you can hear is the noise you’d expect.

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>>5534111

The displays start lining up like screens in a security room, circling you two. One by one, the annoying noise of static changes to a voice…

“I want to *live*.” The broken voice of a girl pleads. “I want to be *happy*.”

All you hear are those two phrases over and over again, every screen trampling over each other, it’s hard to tell what they’re saying. One screen changes to a recording from a first person view, while the others turn off. The pleading is gone. It’s a hospital room. You see a frail girl with glasses sitting on a bed. It’s your Mom.

“I want to live.” Your mother stares directly at the camera. “I want to be happy.”

There’s a jump cut. The camera is a couple of feet away from your mom, like standing at the exit door.

“I have your back, Ema. Don’t forget it!” That’s Dorothy’s voice.

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>>5534112

All the screens start playing these two scenes over and over again. All mistimed.

“I want to live. I want to be happy. I want to live. I want to be happy. I want to live. I want to be happy. I want to live. I want to be happy. I want to live. I want to be happy. I want to live. I want to be happy. I want to live. I want to be happy. I want to live. I want to be happy. I want to live. I want to be happy. I want to live. I want to be happy. I want to live. I want to be happy. I want to live. I want to be happy. I want to live. I want to be happy. I want to live. I want to be happy. I want to live. I want to be happy. I want to live. I want to be happy. I want to live. I want to be happy. I want to live. I want to be happy.”

They go on.

“I have your back, Ema. Don’t forget it! I have your back, Ema. Don’t forget it! I have your back, Ema. Don’t forget it! I have your back, Ema. Don’t forget it! I have your back, Ema. Don’t forget it! I have your back, Ema. Don’t forget it! I have your back, Ema. Don’t forget it! I have your back, Ema. Don’t forget it! I have your back, Ema. Don’t forget it! I have your back, Ema. Don’t forget it!”

They go on faster.

“I want to live. I want to be happy. I have your back, Ema. Don’t forget it! I want to live. I want to be happy. I have your back, Ema. Don’t forget it! I want to live. I want to be happy. I have your back, Ema. Don’t forget it! I want to live. I want to be happy. I have your back, Ema. Don’t forget it! I want to live. I want to be happy. I have your back, Ema. Don’t forget it! I want to live. I want to be happy. I have your back, Ema. Don’t forget it! I want to live. I want to be happy. I have your back, Ema. Don’t forget it! I want to live. I want to be happy. I have your back, Ema. Don’t forget it!”

And faster…

“IwantIwantIhavetotoyourbacklivehappydon’tforgetEmait! IwantIwantIhavetotoyourbacklivehappydon’tforgetEmait! IwantIwantIhavetotoyourbacklivehappydon’tforgetEmait! IwantIwantIhavetotoyourbacklivehappydon’tforgetEmait!IwantIwantIhavetotoyourbacklivehappydon’tforgetEmait!IwantIwantIhavetotoyourbacklivehappydon’tforgetEmait!IwantIwantIhavetotoyourbacklivehappydon’tforgetEmait!IwantIwantIhavetotoyourbacklivehappydon’tforgetEmait!IwantIwantIhavetotoyourbacklivehappydon’tforgetEmait!IwantIwantIhavetotoyourbacklivehappydon’tforgetEmait!IwantIwantIhavetotoyourbacklivehappydon’tforgetEmait!IwantIwantIhavetotoyourbacklivehappydon’tforgetEmait!IwantIwantIhavetotoyourbacklivehappydon’tforgetEmait!IwantIwantIhavetotoyourbacklivehappydon’tforgetEmait!IwantIwantIhavetotoyourbacklivehappydon’tforgetEmait!IwantIwantIhavetotoyourbacklivehappydon’tforgetEmait!”

“Help me… Help me…Please… I can’t… control it...” Dorothy’s hologram is malfunctioning as well.

>>5534122

>>What do you do?

>Kick the machine. That used to work on things like this, right?
>Open the Machine and take the battery out.
>“Dorothy, my mom lived a happy life.” Maybe knowing that will help her?
>Stand there and do nothing.
>Write In.

(Last Reply of the Day, we return Tuesday!)

>>5534124
>>“Dorothy, my mom lived a happy life.” Maybe knowing that will help her?

>>5534124

I'm not usually one for cruelty, but Johnny's perceptive enough to see that perhaps a little is in order to get a lesson through Dorothy's thick skull. If anything can do it.

Kneel beside her.

"Are you stuck in this loop because you think you failed her, because she died? You made a mistake, and now you want me to help you out of it? Gee, I feel like a friend of mine we talked with recently would find this situation familiar. I wonder how you'd respond, if it were her stuck in a spiral of despair instead of you. No I don't wonder actually, I know how it'd go.

Listen, my never even mentioned you. I don't know what you think you were to her, but let me tell you with 100% certainty...that she'd be far more distraught with how you treated your daughter than with whatever promise you think you've broken."

Then kick the machine. Maybe it'll work, maybe it won't.

"My mom lived a happy life. It wasn't perfect, but I loved her and still love her, same for my sister. I want you to understand, in the deepest depths of what's left of your soul, that the tragedy here isn't that you weren't there to have Mom's back, but that you fucked up with your own daughter enough that she can't stand to openly have yours. Stew in that for a while, then I'll help you."

>>5534144
+1, but reworded to fit Johnny

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The vortex of guilt keeps twirling in quite a maddening cacophony… You don’t want to be callous but, as twisted as it may sound, you believe this might be the perfect opportunity to teach Dorothy a lesson. You kneel beside her.

“Uhm, I’ll be frank. You’re stuck in this ‘cause you think you failed my mom. In your eyes, you made this huge mistake, and now you want me to help you out of this spiral of despair, right?” You try to sound casual. By the looks of things, distracting her makes the apparitions less unstable. “Not to be obnoxious, but I don’t think you’d help a certain hostile cutie if she were in your place and you in mine. So, in your fucked up logic, you deserves this, don’t you?”

Dorothy silently continues to reflect while drowning in pain… And she’s doing a lot of reflecting, if reflecting means staring a thousand and one daggers at you, and bringing a new one every 3 seconds.

“Let me be clear, my mom never mentioned you. I don’t know what you think you were to her, but I know her well, and let me tell you with 100% certainty that she’d be far more distraught with how you treated your daughter than whatever promise you think you’ve broken.” You kick the machine…! It seemingly does nothing!

“You…!!!” There’s so much venom in Dorothy’s words that you think a tiny dose would (ironically enough) kill a whale.

“Dorothy, my mom lived a happy life. Wasn’t perfect, but I loved her, and I still love her, same for my sister! I want you to understand, in whatever is left of you, that the real tragedy here isn’t that you weren’t there to have Mom’s back, but that you fucked up with your own daughter enough that she can’t stand to openly have yours.” You know deep down your mother was all about family. And family means not to be the reason for someone’s life long therapy. “Stew on that for a while, then I’ll help.” Since the kick didn’t do much…

“You… HOW DARE YOU?! HOW DARE YOU SPEAK FOR HER?! HOW DARE YOU MAKE THIS ABOUT LISE?!” The enraged Dorothy stands up through the pain and tears. The entire room turns red…! Then the lights go off…. One single screen turns on.

“My son is right.” That’s your mother from a younger age! “Y-You're a terrible person for what you did to your own daughter…! N-Not only that, you betrayed Dr. Bombastus after all he did for us! I’m very happy I forgot you ever e-e-existed.” ...That’s not something your mother would say.

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>>5536457

A new screen turns on. It’s Lise’s father. “Not exactly puzzling why I stabbed your back, dear. I’m sure it was less painful than our time together. You know deep down I never had feelings for you. You were the perfect stepping stone to get to the places I needed. A tool. Yes.” He sounds so boring...

Another one shows up. A big burly guy with a cool haircut shows up. If you read his name before, you forgot by now. “Dorothy, our entire lives I told you to be mindful of others. But I was nothing more than a stupid errand boy not worth listening to until the last day we met. Childhood friends, my ass. You better stay gone this time!” New people keep appearing.

“We were business partners, Dorothy. It’s pathetic that you ever considered me to be someone close for a moment.” It’s Beatrice von Riegel…

“I relate, Beatrice! Business is just business. Differences aside, Green in the middle. But since we’re delivering personal messages, here’s mine: Fuck you.” Ka-Shing! He’s being an asshole too! What’s going on?

“Shit, amiga. Why am I here? Get your shit together, I’m just a psycho! Or even better, don’t! And do this world a favor and jump off a cliff! Not one too big or you’ll take us with you.” T-That’s Rise! Oh god, you think she’s so much cuter as Yu Yan! “Nah, let’s keep it simple and just shoot yourself, ‘kay? I’d say this is ‘friendly’ advice, but get the memo, you whale.”

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>>5536459

“You didn’t shine, Dorothy. You failed.” That one must be Professor Bombastus.

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>>5536462

And the last one seems to be a little Lise…

“Mom. You made everything worse.” Evil little Lise smiles from ear to ear. “Disappear.”

Every single one of the screens start chanting ‘Disappear’…

“GggGgrgGRGrgGRR….” Dorothy’s hologram vanishes slowly…

>>What do you do!?

>Destroy the Hologram Machine! Goodbye invaluable historical backups…
>“Wait up! Disappearing isn’t the answer!” Okay, even by your standards, this is a bad prompt.
>Throw the Duck at the Hologram Machine. Maybe it will suck the energy back into its body?
>Wish! Wish for a miracle! *stare at Naiad*
>Get used to the idea that Dorothy is gone for good.
>Write In.

(Only reply of the Day, we continue tomorrow!)

>>5536464
>Throw the Duck at the Hologram Machine. Maybe it will suck the energy back into its body?

>>5536464
>>Throw the Duck at the Hologram Machine. Maybe it will suck the energy back into its body?

>>5536464
>“Wait up! Disappearing isn’t the answer!” Okay, even by your standards, this is a bad prompt.

>>5536464
>Write-In
Address the holograms rather than Dorothy.

"No, disappearing isn't the right answer either. There's good somewhere down inside Dorothy. She threw her life into trying to help humanity come out on top in the Dimensional War, and that's a noble pursuit. She regretted what happened to Marcus, and tried to help him even if it came to naught. She was sane enough to recognize the evil that the White Flames represent and put herself in peril to work against them.

She can't be blamed for being manipulated by Beatrice and her agents, or convinced by them to turn Bombastus in. She was young, had just seen her life's work nearly destroyed, and was deliberately targeted by experienced agents backed by tremendous resources. There's no way that her husband was totally evil, or had no real feelings for her. Otherwise he wouldn't have married her. He would've dropped her after the Bombastus thing. There are easier ways to spy on people than marrying them and having children.

I see what's going on now. Despicable as it may be, Dorothy's been doing her best the whole time...mistakes and all. But luck hasn't been on her side through it like it has been for me, and she didn't have people around her to rely on like I have. So despite doing her best she's been kicked down again and again and had to scrape and struggle alone against insurmountable odds. At some point Dorothy started projecting her own failures onto Lise, needling her for every little mistake because she wanted to see her daughter not fail like she felt she had at every turn."

Now address Dorothy.

"I get it now. You can't forgive Lise for her mistakes because you can't forgive yourself for your mistakes. Even with all you've been through though, you still have a core of goodness to you. That's why you're sharing all of your information with me, and were so determined to get my help to carry on your work.

...Well fine. I'll help you and I'll believe that you're doing your best. Don't expect me to do more than tolerate you though. Not until you come to terms with your guilt enough to make up with Lise, anyway."

Then wish to Naiad to help if that speech isn't enough to kick Dorothy out of her rut.

>>5536464
>>5536663
Changing my vote to support this.

>>5536663
+1 but rewrite to fit Johnny

>>5536700
Yeah I used to be able to write in Johnny's tone better. Maybe I need to dive the archives again.

>>5536738
You and me both, anon. You and me both.

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“Hey, stop that! You all stop that! No one is disappearing here!” You address the holograms rather than Dorothy. “I know there’s good somewhere deep down inside Dorothy. She put her life at risk to give humanity a chance to come out on top in the Dimensional War! She knew of the evil of the White flames, wanted none of it, and even worked against them. She regretted what she did to Marcus, and tried to help him out even if it didn’t pan out.”

The holograms stop their incessant chanting. The floor belongs to you, so you better put it to good use!

“You can’t blame her for being manipulated by Beatrice and her agents, or convinced by them to turn Bombastus in. She was young, had seen her life’s work nearly destroyed, and was deliberately targeted by these ruthless folks and copious amounts of resources.” You rub your fingers to clue them in. You too fell prey to accepting a fat stash of cash from a billionaire! It happens sometimes! Okay, it doesn’t, it ain’t normal, but fuck it! Nobody is perfect! You played a card game, that’s all. Wait, this trial isn’t against you. Stick to the case. “There’s no way her husband was totally evil, or, at least, had no real feelings for her. Otherwise, why marry? He would’ve dropped her after the Bombastus thing. There are easier ways to spy on people than building a family together.”

The silence is so deafening you need to continue…! You put your hands inside your pockets like an indignant substitute teacher.

“I see what’s going on.” You take one hand out to point at them. “Despicable as it may be, Dorothy’s been doing her best the whole time… mistakes and all.” You wouldn’t say what she did to her own daughter counts on this. “But luck hasn’t been on her side like it has been for me. She didn’t have people to rely on like I have. So despite doing her best she’s been kicked down again and again, and had to scrape and struggle alone against insurmountable odds.” You start pointing at Dorothy’s malfunctioning hologram. “At some point, she must’ve started projecting her failures onto Lise. Needling her for every little mistake because she didn’t want her to go through the same things as her. And she completely fucked up, but that’s beside the point.”

You stand in front of Dorothy. The screens start turning off… You’re standing in a black void. Not even your special vision can see through the darkness.

“I think I get it now. You can’t forgive Lise for her mistakes because you can’t forgive yourself for yours. Even with all you’ve been through, you still have a core of goodness to you.” You’d say that’s the reason she was friends with your mother, but your mom is a terrible judge of character, she dated terrible people… “That’s why you’re sharing all your information with me, and why you were so determined to get my help to carry on your work.”

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>>5537498


“Incorrect!” A massive display illuminates the area! It is lil’ Lise again! “You shouldn’t see niceness where there is none.”

“What?” You didn’t think these holograms could address you directly.

“You heard me! She’s a monster through and through! She only wants her research to be published, and be regarded as one of the greatest scientific minds in history. She doesn’t care about that goofy professor. Don’t be tricked!” Little Lise smiles. “She knows you’re too stupid to take credit! She’s glad the Chi Athua were erased, making her theories revolutionary! She’s rotten to the core!”

“Really? I have many issues believing that she never cared about Professor Bombastus after all of this.” You will argue with all the holograms if you have to.

“Woah, no wonder you think she’s projecting her insecurities onto me! You’re naive!” Little Lise giggles. “She hates me because I’m nothing like her. I don’t have the smarts. I’m a bully. A total nuisance. And worst of all, I remind her too much of my dad, who she grew to hate!” She looks down while still smiling to be all cutesy. “I don’t want to say what she really thinks about your mom, because it isn’t good… Just believe me when I say there’s no compassion in Dorothy Villiers. Nothing worth saving. So you better leave! You don’t have to be a part of this. Let her face the consequences of her actions. Whatever happens to her isn’t your fault. You did your best, didn’t you? Now go! Tell my real self that our mother got everything she deserved and more! That she never loved us, not even for a fraction of a nanosecond! That we were right about her!”

>>What do you do?

>“Dorothy, I’ll help you because I believe you’re doing your best. Don’t expect me to do more than tolerate you though. Not until you come to terms with your own guilt and start making things up with Lise, anyway.” You’re not gonna be tricked by the ghost of a future hostile cutie.
>“Shut up. You’re not Lise. I think you’re just a way for Dorothy to wallow in her own misery or something stupid. Dory, I thought you were better than this, but it doesn’t matter. Now stand up and fix this mess.” Show some tough love.
>“Then explain to me what you are.” Little Lise must be the personification of her guilt. All of this is! And if she feels guilty enough to want to punish herself for her deeds, that means you’re right! She has some good in her! Or something. You’re still no psychologist.
>“Dorothy, is this your daughter? Is this what your daughter is to you? Can you remember her for who she actually is instead?” Hey, you can’t do the brunt of the work here…
>Walk away...
>Write In.

>>5537500
>“Dorothy, I’ll help you because I believe you’re doing your best. Don’t expect me to do more than tolerate you though. Not until you come to terms with your own guilt and start making things up with Lise, anyway.” You’re not gonna be tricked by the ghost of a future hostile cutie.

>>5537500
>>“Dorothy, I’ll help you because I believe you’re doing your best. Don’t expect me to do more than tolerate you though. Not until you come to terms with your own guilt and start making things up with Lise, anyway.” You’re not gonna be tricked by the ghost of a future hostile cutie.

>>5537500
>“Dorothy, I’ll help you because I believe you’re doing your best. Don’t expect me to do more than tolerate you though. Not until you come to terms with your own guilt and start making things up with Lise, anyway.” You’re not gonna be tricked by the ghost of a future hostile cutie.
One single betrayal, one single sabotage, and you're fucking done you dumb bitch

>>5537500
>“Dorothy, I’ll help you because I believe you’re doing your best. Don’t expect me to do more than tolerate you though. Not until you come to terms with your own guilt and start making things up with Lise, anyway.” You’re not gonna be tricked by the ghost of a future hostile cutie.

>>5537500
>>“Then explain to me what you are.” Little Lise must be the personification of her guilt. All of this is! And if she feels guilty enough to want to punish herself for her deeds, that means you’re right! She has some good in her! Or something. You’re still no psychologist.
"Cause we can always call in the Real Lise to talk too..."

>>5537513
Supporting.

No matter what, she's not getting a body back in the real world through us. Ideally she continues her work, with us as an ethical check on her activities, here in the Bubble-dimension. In return we get a brilliant scientist under our thumb. One that even our closest allies don't necessarily know about.

Also yay, I love it when a write-in goes through!

>>5537500
Do you think that maybe the White Flames got into the Bubble Dimension somehow, or are otherwise influencing this scenario to try and take out a threat to them? Something like when she mentioned Ohmazd earlier it caught his attention, and now he's twisting this pseudospiritual machine into a torture device for his enemy?

Shit I feel like Philo might ought to have some input here too. Is breaking free of guilt or believing in someone's core anything like breaking free of god's brainwashing?

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You turn your head at the screen, stare for a moment, then look back at Dorothy.

“Dorothy, I’ll help you because I believe you’re doing your best.” Yep, you’re going to ignore that little devil. “Don’t expect me to do more than tolerate you though. Not until you come to terms with your own guilt and start making things up with Lise, anyway.”

“You believe her after all I’ve said…?” Little Lise is hurt by this.

“I don’t believe her. I believe *in* her.” You clarify. You said you’d ignore her, but look at you, talking to a screen again… It’s not like you actually fully believe in Dorothy, but you feel like your mom would if she was here.

“...Thank you! She treasures every single one who does! I hope my mom and I can finally get along with your support!” Lise smiles before the screen turns dark again.

...

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>>5537666

It turns on again.

“Are you sure, ma’am? I can hold onto this for a good while. My article doesn’t have to be published any time soon.” A man with a beard and casual clothes plays with an object similar to what the Chi-Athua people built in this temple.

“Please, don’t take me for a fool, I know the consequences.” Dorothy scoffs back.

“It’s your life long research.” The man looks worried. “It’s the song’s origin that I’m after, and I need to compensate you for helping me figure out what this is for.”

“Bah! Discovery is a mere pigment of a scientific journey. It’s a matter of little importance.” Dorothy laughs. “I have no other option but to compensate by leading the field through swift progress.”

“Hahaha! I know you will, ma’am!” The man starts chuckling.

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>>5537668

It changes scenes. Now your mom is on it, she looks really sleepy staring at an empty lamp-like container.

“Ema, you don’t have to overextend yourself. Give it a rest. Professor Bombastus is dead tired on the sofa.” Dorothy reprimands your mother.

“N-No, I n-need to keep going…! I need to do my best!” Your mom shakes herself awake.

“Why? There’s no rush.”

“B-Because I believe in you two!” Your mom smiles.

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>>5537669

Another video starts, it’s the burly man with great hair, he’s sitting on a bench.
“For the last time, what I do best is carrying stuff and chopping meat. And if I want to carry your ass through college, it’s up to me! Now, the only thing I want is for you to take the world by storm like I know you can, ya’ hear me?”

New video, now it’s a young Danforth… He appears to be consoling her.

“The most special thing I’ll ever do in my life is marrying you. You know what will be the most special thing you’ll ever do? We have yet to see, but I’m sure it’ll be amazing.”

A new one… a woman who you have never met before shows up… She reminds you of a certain volleyball head.

“It’s long overdue, but I must admit, I was so way off the mark about you when our fates crossed, Dorothy. You’re absolutely bewitching!” The woman coyly giggles as she hands Dorothy a letter. “I wholeheartedly believe you’ll achieve greater heights…”

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>>5537670

Next one… It’s some kind of classroom, the teacher in front is enthusiastically clapping… Oh, it’s Professor Bombastus…

“This is the next level! In all my classes, I’ve never seen anyone close to this level. You’re sparkling! You’re a star in the making! Please, join my investigation.” Bombastus hands Dorothy a bunch of papers.

“H-Huh? Join you…? But I’m not done with my studies…” Dorothy coyly retorts.

“Yes! Your talent is unmatched! I know you have what it takes! Let’s work together! Hahahahaha!” Professor Bombastus grabs Dorothy’s hands and shakes them furiously, you see the camera going up and down violently…

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>>5537671

The room is properly lit once again. Dorothy is back.

“...How embarrassing.” Dorothy sighs. She didn’t want you to see any of that. “My apologies for forcing you to go through all of this.”

“Are you okay? Is this over?” It’s so sudden, you’re lost for words.

“This machine isn’t stable enough to harbor human consciousness’ upswings and downswings without malfunctioning.” Dorothy sighs. “How frustrating.”

“That’s bad.” You noticed. One part of you thinks she’s blaming the machine, but you can’t be certain.

“I’ll pen my memoirs for you to take alongside, it’ll be everything I believe to be useful for your journey. It’s the best way not to trigger another episode.” Dorothy shakes her head. “It might take a while. Feel free to leave the facilities in the meantime. I can’t go anywhere even if I wanted to.”

“How can you write anything like this?” You point out that she’s just a box.

“There’s something akin to a printer in here.” Dorothy isn’t amused by your question. She thinks you should’ve trusted her instead.

“Oh. That’s rad.” You wonder why Holly Gram never mentioned it.

“Well?” Dorothy is waiting for you to leave before starting.

Which is an awfully rude presumption to make…

>>What do you do?

>Ask to actually stay and hear her out instead. You think you can find a way to make the machine more stable! With the help of Naiad and San Wich!
>“I trust you. I’m getting you an actual body.” Not an adorable duck! But something she can use! With San Wich’s help this will be a piece of… sandwich!
>Ask Naiad to call Dream Hill. You’re going to leave Dorothy and Lise to talk one last time.
>Leave. This nightmare is over…
>Write In.

(Last Reply of the Day, we finish the thread tomorrow!)

>>5537674
For my part, even if I believe in her that doesn't mean I trust her. Being alone and unsupervised (unsupported, if you want to be charitable) is a big part of what fucked everything up about her in the first place. Not that we can exactly be around and supervise her.

>Ask Naiad to call Dream Hill. You’re going to leave Dorothy and Lise to talk one last time.
Let's let Lise see her mom covered in tears, and let's let these emotions actually run their course between them rather than staying all bottled up like they have been for who knows how long.

>>5537674
>Ask to actually stay and hear her out instead. You think you can find a way to make the machine more stable! With the help of Naiad and San Wich!

>>5537688
I agree with that, but Dorothy might have another breakdown and we might not be able to help her this time since this'll be between her and Lise.

>>5537704
Alright, I'll defer on it at least until after she's finished telling us or writing her memoirs.

>>5537688
>>5537674
Changing to
>Listen to the memoirs
And
>“I trust you. I’m getting you an actual body.” Not an adorable duck! But something she can use! With San Wich’s help this will be a piece of… sandwich!
Honestly I don't think we've solved the original issue of Bubbleworld, which is getting Wilma's soul back into her real-world body and making her want to live again. I suspect Dorothy might be able to do something about it, and she's not much good as a researcher-pawn just stuck inside Holly's ancient computer box.

>>5537709
+1

>>5537674
>Ask to actually stay and hear her out instead. You think you can find a way to make the machine more stable! With the help of Naiad and San Wich!

>>5537674
>>Ask to actually stay and hear her out instead. You think you can find a way to make the machine more stable! With the help of Naiad and San Wich!

>>5537674
>>5537704
Changing my vote to support >>5537709

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“I would prefer if I could listen to you instead.” You want to stay.

“Do I look like I have a voice recorder?” Dorothy is a little dense, isn’t she?

“Y-You don’t need one. I want to stay and hear you out.” And people call YOU dense!

“Yet, you don’t listen. I said it’s dangerous.” Dorothy wipes what’s left of her tears.

“That can be fixed.” You whisper in Naiad's ear to ask for a favor. Perhaps she can fix the hologram machine to be more stable. Naiad responds that she’s gonna need a hand, and pulls out her ship to order a sandwich.

“You and your specter have an odd relationship.” Dorothy notices that it is odd that you talk out loud to your supposed flame. You feel like this is a misunderstanding not worth addressing yet.

“Hello, friends!” San Wich appears from out of nowhere. “I’m deeply sorry if I ignored your calls! I’m truly alert when Wilma is asleep, but no other time. So please call me directly if you need my assistance just like you did now!”

“A similar Will-O-Wisp?” Dorothy didn’t catch a glimpse of San before. Dorothy is one of those people who call entities whatever the fuck they want, isn’t she?

“They’re going to do what they can to make the machine more stable.” You inform Dorothy.

“Curious. From what I gathered, those from their realm are not scientifically inclined. What can these two accomplish?” Dorothy isn’t acting as rude as before, but you can tell she loves being snarky.

“Miracles.” Even if it sounds corny, you’ve seen them do that. The two little fellas make their way to the machine, you help them open the back where the energy source is. San Wich and Naiad put their tiny hands to work! “Now, where do we begin...”

You’ve had an entire backlog of questions for who knows how long! But you should keep them practical to avoid more bedtime stories.

>>What do you do?

>Ask Dorothy if she can explain what exactly happened to Professor Bombastus.
>Ask what happened to Constance’s parents. She was still at her full capacity after they were gone!
>Ask who the two guys that you couldn’t recognize from her positive interactions were.
>Ask if she knows where the Crystal Pieces are! Why not? Like literally what do you have to lose to not ask this?
>Ask what Professor Bombastus’ miracle recipe is. This will come in handy someday, you know it!
>Write In.

>>Should you ask San Wich if he can get Dorothy a body?

>Yeah. She ain’t that bad.
>NO. NO. NO!!!
>Decide after she answers your questions. Like a boring guy who pays taxes.
>Write In.

>>5538453
>Ask who the two guys that you couldn’t recognize from her positive interactions were.
>Decide after she answers your questions. Like a boring guy who pays taxes.

>>5538453
>>Ask what Professor Bombastus’ miracle recipe is. This will come in handy someday, you know it!
>Ask what happened to Constance’s parents. She was still at her full capacity after they were gone!
>Decide after she answers your questions. Like a boring guy who pays taxes.

>>5538453
>>Ask what Professor Bombastus’ miracle recipe is. This will come in handy someday, you know it!
>Ask what happened to Constance’s parents. She was still at her full capacity after they were gone!
>Decide after she answers your questions. Like a boring guy who pays taxes.

>>5538453
>Ask what Professor Bombastus’ miracle recipe is. This will come in handy someday, you know it!
>Ask what happened to Constance’s parents. She was still at her full capacity after they were gone!
>Ask who the two guys that you couldn’t recognize from her positive interactions were.
>Decide after she answers your questions. Like a boring guy who pays taxes.
Why not ask all these 3?

>>5538453
>Ask what Professor Bombastus’ miracle recipe is. This will come in handy someday, you know it!
>Ask if she knows where the Crystal Pieces are! Why not? Like literally what do you have to lose to not ask this?
>Decide after she answers your questions. Like a boring guy who pays taxes.

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“I know! Can you give me Professor Bombastus’ famous recipe?” Yes, after this Bubble arc, you will have the strongest pastry recipes in the entire world…

“What are you talking about?” Dorothy is irremediably lost. Like, she has no clue how this connects to anything.

“Cake, Dorothy. I’m talking about cake!” You act like this is the most important topic in the world.

“You… cook?” Lise’s mother raises an eyebrow.

“It’s my hobby.” Cooking became your hobby only because you needed to feed your hobos.

“A simple hobbyist won’t be able to do it justice.” Dorothy scoffs.

“We’ll see. It’s this, or it’s going to be lost… forever!” You put some drama into this.

“Very well. Here. It’ll help test the printer.” Dorothy points at the front of the machine where the paper is coming out. It’s obnoxiously loud. You’re glad it’s done.

“Thank you.” You skim over it to make sure you’re not being duped. Everything is in order. You’ll put it to good use… “Huh, I thought you’d be happier to know that I’m keeping this alive.”

“It’s a curse.” Dorothy believes there’s nothing to be happy about… You start to wonder what you really have in your hands… “Feel free to keep asking questions. I’m still planning on penning my memoirs for anything that goes unaddressed.”

“Okay!” Yay, not expectations. You can get as silly as you want! You’ll ask something serious. “What happened to Constance’s parents?”

“You mean the Strangeloves?” Dorothy puts her hand on her chin. “Their home was burned down to the ground with them and every single house employee in it. Only the daughter was found alive. Solomon and Athena’s bodies weren’t found.”

“Can you give me more details? Like who did it and why?” You need to know.

“That’s what supposedly my husband was investigating, until, well, you know what happened.” Dorothy doesn’t sound guilty for interrupting the search. “In truth, he was covering it up. He let his best friends’ murderers escape unscathed.”

“Why?”

“My foolish husband didn’t get to his position by asking unnecessary questions. Even when I puppeted him to find answers, he came back empty handed.” Dorothy doesn’t sound that frustrated. “But as far as I could poke, it wasn’t Lloydington’s doing.”

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>>5538558

“Hmm, mysterious.” You feel like you came out learning less than before. “Who were the two guys who spoke positively about you? The one with the box and the afro guy.”

“Wessam Carpetier. An extraordinary journalist. He was after the origins of some old famous song from decades past. Can’t pinpoint the name. Anyway, we became acquaintances after he found my discarded research while looking for answers about the mysterious artifact he found, and asked my thoughts on the matter. He believed it was a music box and wanted me to find a way to play it. It wasn’t. Just an old communication device fueled by spiritual energy. I never figured out how to make it work.” Dorothy sounds frustrated about this fact.

“And the burly guy?”

“Ah. That’s my childhood friend, Jean-Loup Reid. We were neighbors. Grow up together and all that.” Dorothy won’t go any further.

“Did you date?”

“Oh god, no.” Dorothy is appalled by the idea. “Don’t say such things, he was like an older brother to me.”

“Ah. I see.” You cross your arms. Yup. That’s a lot of information. “I still have a couple of more questions.” Like if she has any clues where the crystal pieces are!

“Well, me too. What in the world is going on HERE?!” Wait, that annoyed tone! It’s Jesse! He managed to get here… in the wheelchair too! Oh, right, you told them you were here!

…

Wait, you haven’t even told him a fraction of what happened and… huh… this might not look good.

Sadly, this is all we have for this thread! Thanks for playing and see you next time!

>>5538560
Thanks!

>>5538560
He's STILL in the damn wheelchair. How did he get down all those stairs and the secret underground tunnel?

>>5538560
Thanks for running!