File: Greetings and Salivations.jpg (651 KB, 2048x2897)

651 KB JPG

(System updates; multiple computer issues have kept wiping my attempts to set the updated system in stone, but I’m making slow and steady progress. The system is still crunchier than I’d like without a complete foundational overhaul, but I’ve made enough changes to where it’s not nearly as much of a nightmare to juggle everything on the backend, so that should hopefully eliminate the source of a great deal of burnout.)

(Core Abilities max at Lvl. 10, Hybrids and Secondary powers max at Lvl. 5. Choice is presented when Core reaches Lvl. 3.)

(Each ability tree will not only be compressed for clarity but will also have a ‘cheat-sheet’ card that allows you to refresh yourself on the finer points of an entire ability tree without having to excavate what you need.)

(Each level of resistance grants a 20% damage reduction to the associated damage type, with 100% immunity reached at Lvl. 5. Meanwhile, resistance levels above that grant HEALTH restoration of 20% per level, capping out at Resistance Level 10, or 100% damage absorption.)

(I’m pretty pleased with the changes thus far, at least on my end. I’ve also found/stolen a way to easily depict all the resistance levels of a given character with a setup similar to the SMT series, where it’s a simple line of the damage types listed in a horizontal row with the associated resistance levels below them, with an additional line below that to show the adjustments caused by various enhanced states, such as Shu’s armor or Rath’s Ignition form.)

(Furthermore, I thought it might be prudent to also do the same for the characters’ various damage output types, albeit with a simple, symbol-based legend to show normal, high, and extreme levels of damage outputs at baseline and augmented modes, all at-a-glance.)

(The new combat screen will have all this included in it for easy reference. It'll be a chunkier thing, but at least it’ll have a more horizontal aspect to it instead of the bulky, windy thing it is now.)

>>4974829
Hello, QM. Good to have you back.

>>4974830
What's your problem?

>>4974827
Kill yourself

File: e8547d25-91a6-4d2a-8dbd-6(...).png (209 KB, 547x503)

209 KB PNG

>>4974830

>>4974836
Immediately kill yourself.

>>4974832
(It's good to be back! I'm finding this new captcha system a bit of a bear since I literally haven't posted here in the last year, but I think my dyslexic self is getting the hang of it.)

>>4974833
Wow how could I have forgotten the wonderful culture of 4chan

>>4974829
Bhop I only have one question for you.
Are you still rocking a millennia old Chromebook?
Glad to have you back. System changes sound great and much more streamlined

This thread isn't even a quest and should be treated as such.

File: Humoral Paladin.jpg (121 KB, 1600x1824)

121 KB JPG

(Gentlemen, given the fact that I’m easing back into the narrative I wanted to see if you would be more open to getting the 48th Vein up and running as soon as possible or if you’d be open to a few side stories from perspectives such as Amara, Francine, and the like to act a bit of a refresher and introduction to the look of the (still very much under work) system.)

(Voting will remain open for the next three hours, Dear Readers.)

>>Finalize the system, and open the 48th Vein to start off immediately where the 47th Vein ended.

>>Amara Side-Story

>>Francine Side-Story

>>Other named character Side-Story

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>4974827
welcome back, bhop!

File: Phantasmal Conduit.png (2.62 MB, 2480x3508)

2.62 MB PNG

>>4974860
(It's nice to be back! I really missed running this quest and reading all the wild and inspired things you and the other players came up with, both in and out of combat.)

>>4974858
>Francine Side-Story

Consider me curious as to what it would entail. I imagine an Amara story would be something wholesome.

>>4974858
>>>Finalize the system, and open the 48th Vein to start off immediately where the 47th Vein ended.

>>4974858
>Francine Side-Story

Good to have you back bhop, I've missed this quest.

>>4974858
>>Amara Side-Story
First time seeing this quest, who dis?

This suicide anon is fire.

File: Calcite Armorer.png (1.38 MB, 814x1500)

1.38 MB PNG

>>4974915
(I have too, and I've set aside today, tomorrow, and a good bit of next week to finally buckle down and hammer out the streamlined system.)

(Also, I went back through the entire quest in these past months, and I compiled everything. We've got 750k words total, and it's all saved in case the archive ever go down. And in doing so, I even went through everyone's fan works again, and they're just an absolute joy to read.)

(Speaking of which, has anyone done any writing of their own since I've been gone?)

File: Heart of the Matter.png (937 KB, 1050x1500)

937 KB PNG

>>4974920

(The basic pitch is that you awaken in the post-apocalypse as a girl with no memories who has the power to generate fist-sized swarmlings from her spine to combat the horrific Amalgams that stalk the Fleshscape. It's got a focus on alternating story with brutal combat, along with twelve distinct character classes and a core mechanic where you can not only enhance your own original skill tree, you can Mega-Man/Kirby the power sets of your foes as well, in addition to combining them to form totally new powers.)

(This quest had a dedicated troll for a little while, who was so much of a fixture that I actually ended up getting kind of happy whenever they showed up. They were always a little more random and inspired that just 'kill yourself'...I thought it was that classic troll at first and got excited, but ah well.

>>4974927
Wew, thanks for the TL;DR. I'll stick around to see how the quest goes.

It's always heartwarming to see QMs develop pathological relationships with their internet trolls!

>>4974921
I've done a bit of OC daughters, though not in a while. I occasionally note down some ideas for it. Otherwise I worked on other stuff, like sci-fi tech and ship warfare, post-apocalypse fantasy, a magic system, ect. I feel a bit sad that none of that may ever be used for anything.

File: The Birth of Ideas.png (2.38 MB, 1072x1500)

2.38 MB PNG

>>4974944
(Hey, I never thought this quest would ever see the light of day, and I'll admit I threw it out into the world while it was still a grub, but I've had a fantastic time with it. You should show some of it off, or you could try what I've done and wrap a ton of your original stuff into something you can have fun with.)

>>4974933
(I hope you enjoy what you find, friend.)

(There's something to be said for it, indeed!)

>>4974827
Hey BHOP and others. Anon here that made the spreadsheet character sheets and all that.
sadly at this very specific moment you caught me waaay off guard with this, and i only on a whim even saw this was gonna happen last night. as ive shifted back to being a night owl im currently too tired to do much here til after a nap, I still wanted to drop by and say im extremely glad to see you back BHOP and hope you're doing well, aswell as let ya know you still got some old timers you didn't lose from the hiatus.

>>4974858
I'd prefer the system to be where you want it before we continue, but if you think a side story would help you do that, then by all means do one.
im not picky on who though. but if i was going to vote,Rath.

File: TFW The Neuromancy hits.png (7.72 MB, 3000x2145)

7.72 MB PNG

>>4974958
(It's good to see you back! I am doing a bit better than I was, and I do hope you're in good health and spirits. I'm glad I haven't lost everyone with all that's happened in the past year.)

(Like I said I'm hammering out the updated abilities as we speak, but I would also like to get back into the flow of the whole writing-voting-writing loop, and I think a side story might help me do just that over the next week.)

>>4974858
>>Francine Side-Story
Love our science girl

File: Amara and Fuzzbuzz.jpg (74 KB, 500x522)

74 KB JPG

>>4974980
right well so much for my nap, haaaah.
Im doing well enough, considering everything happening in the world, but could be worse. thanks for asking.

>I think a side story might help me do just that over the next week.
then im looking forward to it.

>>4974829
glad to hear at least some progress has been made, and look forward to the finalized project. Know you wanted to try and do your own character sheets for our side of things eventually, but feel free to copy and take what you need from what ive built, as stated in the past.

as for thoughts or questions, all i can think to ask is any changes to leveling, or just amount we gain per kill? and how you plan to balance that difference with the flow of the game(considering some of the absolute units we already are having to face)?
only other concern i can think we had was ability bloat, but i guess thats kinda on us to control for the most part, though my first question here would also affect how much we may or may not be forced by the system(even if necessary) to do so over time.

>>4974920
Amara is pic related. our hyperactive adopted daughter who can make infinite clones of herself and can control others and the terrain with a complex spoken set of spells. she also has a pet giant bee guardian called Sir FuzzBuzz.

File: The Doctor Is In.png (2.38 MB, 1280x1336)

2.38 MB PNG

(Francine it is, Gentlemen. I'm actually finishing up on compressing her skill trees, after which I'll post them here to get your feedback on them in addition to the new combat legend.)

(I'll likely start Francine's side-story tomorrow afternoon or early Monday morning, whichever works best for everyone so let me know what timeframe you'd prefer.)

(Updating during the week will be a slightly more relaxed affair going forward, as I'm functionally the only person in the office and my duties at home have increased, as well, so when the quest gets back into full swing I'll do as much as I can without burning myself out.)

>>4975029
(The amount of points you'll get at level-up is going to be cut considerably, but each level you gain in a given skill tree is going to pack a lot more power in accordance with that, too. I'm hoping that'll help cut down on the nightmare voting marathons we've had in the past, as well as keeping the story flowing without things kind of screeching to a halt in the middle of a Vein.)

File: Virgin Yurei and Chad Shu.png (586 KB, 5200x2034)

586 KB PNG

>>4975030
>tomorrow afternoon or early Monday morning.
busy with family tomorrow afternoon so Monday would work best for me.

>so when the quest gets back into full swing I'll do as much as I can without burning myself out.
hey i'm just glad you feel ready to try and continue at all. a slower schedule i think worked out overall better anyhow for most people from what i can remember.

>leveling.
Im not sure we will ever be able to fully avoid those insane leveling sessions, but less to spend in them will certainly help.
oh, speaking of, how have the hybrid points changed? is it now only at level 5(plus recycling fully leveled ones at max)? or is it now at 3 and 6 or something?

>>4974827
Oh damn, BHQ. Good to see you back my dude, I almost thought you'd gone for good.

File: BHOP hard at work.png (202 KB, 1180x866)

202 KB PNG

>>4975039
(Oh god, that image...it cracks me up every time.)

(I think Monday morning might work better for my schedule too, so I'll see what I can get done today and update everyone on when to expect it either later today or early tomorrow.)

(Regarding hybrids, it's as you suspect; hybrids can now be made at levels 3, 6, and 9, in addition to their max.)

>>4975046
(It's so good to be back! And hey, I told you all I'd see this story through 'til the end, and I endeavor to keep my promises. I hate it when stories don't get a proper conclusion.)

>>4974827
Holy shit, we're back? Hey, BHOP. It's good to see you again. How are you doing, friend?

>>4974829
Alright, we're doing the ten-level max system. That should compress the skill trees down a lot, make it much easier to browse through the character sheets when trying to come up with combat strategies. Nice. It might lead to us losing a few capabilities, with how its compressed, but to be honest a lot of them were things we never remembered to use so that loss via streamlining shouldn't be a problem.

Damage resistance system looks excellent, I remember us talking about doing it that way and I think we all agreed that would be the most convenient way to work it. Having a specialized visual interface for it sounds cool, too, I'm definitely looking forward to that.

>>4974858
Agh, this is what I get for sleeping in on a Saturday and then forgetting to check /qst/ until later in the day on top of that. Ah, well, no vote for me. Francine is nice, though, so I'm fine with her winning the vote.

>>4975029
>>4975039
>big fluffy bees
You had my curiosity. Now you have my attention.

File: Hive Mistress.png (392 KB, 1000x1000)

392 KB PNG

(What follows is the general formatting I’ll likely be using going forward, with the combat status screen likely being it’s own post from here on out in order to save me a formatting nightmare when combat rolls in. Everything up to where Creation’s Strings is mentioned will be on the new combat sheet, so you’ll be able to see your entire party’s status at a glance. Please note the addition of the ‘Aggro’ status, which shows who’s being targeted by what on the battlefield at any given time, which should hopefully make things more straightforward.)

(Attack type is broken down by a number of arrows that indicate how proficient a given character is at inflicting said damage type. For physical damage this simply indicates no bonus or proficiency, while a dash under elemental damage types shows that the character cannot inflict that type of damage.)

(Defense type is a little more concrete than attack since I didn’t want to clog up everything with too many numbers. Should be self-explanatory, but let me know if you have any questions. The percentage ranges from Lvl 1 to Lvl 10, which will be easily shown as ranging from 20% to 200%, which would be full damage absorption.)

(Francine’s ability summaries are designed to convey as much information about the skill tree they encompass without getting too bogged down in the numbers. Going forward, each skill tree will have their abilities and accompanying flavor text separated, with the flavor text updating on its own card as the ability grows in power. In reviewing everything I realized I blended the two a little too much, and it was much too easy to get lost or overwhelmed, as fun as it was.)

(These summary cards will come before each given ability on the spreadsheet so they can be easily reviewed during combat. If an augmentation significantly alters one or multiple skills, then that info will be included on the summary card. If it’s purely a attack/defense boost, or some sort of other non-combat alteration, then they’ll be left out for the sake of a cleaner interface. However, social abilities will now have their own small status card at the end of updates, so you won’t miss out on triggering Kadath, activating powers that could sway the flow on events, or even, and most importantly, making sure to leave Fuzz Buzzes with every individual you meet.)

(Let me know if you have any concerns, comments, or suggestions regarding this format, and I’ll be happy to make any adjustments that’ll help improve the quality and accessibility of the combat.)
>>4975093
(I am doing better than I was, for certain. Work-life balance is still a bit out of whack, but I'm making due. What about yourself?)

Francine, the Repentant Echo

Health; 3,950% (Regen: 630%)
Biomass; 2,910% (Regen: 180%)
ACTs; 2
| SLH | PRC | BLG| CRSH | HEAT | COLD | ACID | RAD |
ATK: | ^^^ | ^^^ | - | - | - | - | - | - |
DEF: | 20% | 20% | 20% | 20% | - | - | - | - |

Buffs: None.
Debuffs: None.
Aggro: None.

CREATION'S STRINGS: For 1 ACT, can siphon foes’ health or heal allies by tethering herself to them, and can copy their CORE abilities, swap places with them, or merge with allies to bolster their stats by ½ of Francine’s own. Can revive downed allies at cost of 9/10 of her current HEALTH and BIO totals. High PIERCING damage.

HAND OF THE QUEEN: Hit foes with melee to stack CURIOSITY, which lets Francine copy powers with greater power or change stacks to CRUELTY, which allows her and allies to deal higher damage but consumes stacks.

UNYIELDING SPIRIT: Buffs last 2x long, debuffs last ½ as long, and first incoming debuff per turn is negated. 1/turn +5 RES against first damage that would actually harm Francine.

VIOLENS TETRASTIGMA: Spend 30% HEALTH to make plant tendrils that restore HEALTH equal to the damage they deal. High slash damage.

GATLING FANG: Summon a massive chain gun for 2 Act + 200% BIO that deals heavy SLASHING and PIERCING damage to select foe upon creation. Firing disrupts foes’ concentration-based effects but does NOT deal damage to/disrupt allies. Initial Creation Cost: 2 ACT, 200% BIO. Further Shots: 100% BIO, or 400% BIO to hit all foes and heal allies.

ASKLEPIAN WARD: For 400% BIO, the terrain round the user heals the user and allies for 200% HEALTH at the end of each round of combat and heals one random debuff from those in range.

PRIMORDIAL SCHOOL: Spend 10% BIO to summon ancient fish to your aid that buff their own CRIT chance/damage, or 60% to summon abyssal shark that debuffs foes’ regen. You automatically create a certain number of fish at the start of combat.

LUOHAN’S HANDS: 1/turn, the first melee or ranged strike that hits Francine is negated, with a portion of the incoming damage redirected at the attacker as they’re pushed 1 movement zone away.

CALCITE HALO: +1 Lvl of SLASHING, PIERCING, BLUDGEONING, and CRUSHING damage resistance, plus stacking bonus against incoming attacks that’s lost at end of turn. Immune to forced movement. You may elect to gain +5 Lvls of resistance to a single damage type before combat.

MURPHY’S MANDATE: Passive 20% chance for a foe's constructs and Relics to be generated as malformed creations.

>>4975119
(I'll have to figure out a way to fix the formatting regarding the attack and defense stats. Which may take a while as graphic design is not my passion.)

(Maybe something like this would work better;)

ATK: SLH, PRC: ^^^
DEF: SLH, PRC, BLG, CRSH: 20%

(Let me know what you think.)

>>4975116
Sir FuzzBuzz is the best bee ever. He's the size of a large dog, is rapidly growing in intelligence ever since we got a certain Augmentation to Shu's swarmlings, and has an organic plasma cannon in his mouth. His purpose in life is halfway between Amara's bodyguard and her living security blanket. Everyone loves him, even superintelligent giant ants. Nobody expected affection for FuzzBuzz to be the key to getting the ants to recognize outside intelligences as something other than food or enemy, but it was.

>>4975117
My life's doing okay. A bit hectic right now, though, one of my grandmothers died recently (we were never close, so at least I'm not too sad about it) and my family is dealing with the mess of sorting out her estate and clearing out her house. People have so many things, you don't realize how cluttered a house is until you have to go through it and divide every single object in it into categories of "cherished memory", "sell in yard sale", and "toss in dumpster". It's exhausting.

>>4975122
That's better, yeah. It's hard to get the grid to line up in the textbox. You could do it with an actual image, I guess. Give me a bit, I'm going to try to make one real quick in MS Paint. We'll see how shitty it looks.

>>4975144
Okay, no, that idea is bunk. I feel dumb for even proposing it, it looked terrible.

How about putting it in a Google Spreadsheet, then? It would work just fine in there. Plus, you'd be able to post all of the combat sheets for relevant characters in the fight at the same time. I'll try to mock it up in there, instead.

>>4975158
(No worries, and thank you for testing it out!)

>>4975119
>>4975122
If you still need the formatting, I think this would be clearer (although could use those QM highlights for ATK/DEF and maybe the percentages):

ATK:
SLH, PRC: ^^^
DEF:
SLH, PRC: 30%
BLG, CRSH: 20%

Alternatively (to better tell apart atk/def from the damage types):

ATK:
Slash, Ranged: ^^^
DEF:
Slash, Ranged: 30%
Bleed, Crush: 20%

Those are Projectile, Bleeding and Crush, right?

>>4975200
(Bludgeoning and Piercing, actually. But still, I like that setup you've made; it's appropriately clear without a ton of visual noise.)

>>4975160
Okay, let's give this a look.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wmN2-0HFbdYeguQmWIzhNpQvKE6urL8owGh34D7Sxto/edit?usp=sharing

>>4975202
Ah, fuck. Gotta say, three letter abbreviations here were too hard to read without context.
What does ^^^ mean?

>>4975225
The arrows indicate proficiency in the damage type. More arrows equals better at attacking with that damage.

File: Power in the Palm of Your Hand.jpg (1017 KB, 2048x1754)

1017 KB JPG

>>4975220
(Oh, I like this. I like this a *lot*. Very nicely done!)

>>4975225
(Yeah, that's on me for trying to crunch things down so far. The '^^^' is basically an abbreviation for the degree of damage a Daughter deals with a given damage type. A single ^ means that the Daughter can deal the damage type and deal it fairly well, whereas five of those in a slot means the Daughter is outputting insane levels of damage for that element—to give some context, Doctor West and Marrow Dragoon have 5 stars in several different damage types. It's to give an at-a-glance look at how effective your allies and enemies are at doling out damage, and what kinds.)

>>4975230
I know, but how does it affect the attacks mechanically? Extra dice?

>>4975237
>(Oh, I like this. I like this a *lot*. Very nicely done!)
Thanks. Give me a moment more and I'll compress the abilities list down into one of those compact drop-down lists, make it all fit on a single screen.

>>4975238
(Basically, yes. The system I use is an admittedly unwieldy homebrew that's based extensively on the Nechronica ruleset, since I liked its modularity.)

>>4975237
>>4975242
Oh, guess I'll see it in action then.

>>4975242
>>4975238
(Unwieldy for *me*, I should say. It's constructed in such a way here so that the players simply describe what they wish to have happen, and the dice rolling is done in the background, similarly to how Joker Quest runs combat.)

>>4975241
Okay, I've put the whole thing in one nice compact card that can fit on a single page. I think it looks decent enough.

Just wanted to say I love the quest OP, but I can't participate yet since I haven't caught up. Welcome back though.

File: Neuromancer + Humoral Hybrid.jpg (952 KB, 1856x3072)

952 KB JPG

>>4975264
(Thank you so much!)

>>4975332
(I'm really glad you've been enjoying it thus far, and it's good to be back!)

File: Generator, Flame_Wax Aspect.png (1.03 MB, 1728x2268)

1.03 MB PNG

(Gentlemen, Francine's side story will begin on Monday, August 30th at 10:00AM Eastern time, and occurs between the time you spent in Arcadia and your return to the Dragon's Roost.)

(Aside from writing, I'll be spending time this weekend updating the ability sheets and trying not to go cross-eyed from numbers-crunching and compression.)

(...and once again, thank you all for your continued participation, enthusiasm, and kindness. I'm glad I can resume this story with everyone, and know that I'll be checking in here over the course of the day tomorrow to drop updates, patch notes, and other art related to the quest. Take care, one and all.)

>>4975396
Good to see you, and glad you're back in action, even if the numerical brain-hurting is still real. I missed you and your storm of wonderfully weird images.

>>4975396
Marvelous. I'm looking forward to it, BHOP.

>>4975117
are many/some of these cards going to be links you update, and just repost for the sake of easy of access?
my worry is while this significantly cuts down on the time in terms of just quick reference(compared to not having such a thing at all before), it does feel like that would still be alot of times you'd be reposting walls of stat cards and the like.
not sure if it would be more or less work(and i think 4chan cut down its global image posting size too?) but posting some info as a picture might not be the worst idea, so long as whats in it and whats in the text post is consistent.

>>4975119
>>4975122
just gotta be careful not to make things too column-y. especially as 4chan kinda prefers bars in terms of design.
maybe adding a 'BSC' for Basic, or something else that makes more logical sense, before the damage types would at least help line things up a wee bit?

BSC: | SLH | PRC | BLG| CRSH | HEAT | COLD | ACID | RAD |
ATK: | ^^^ | ^^^ | - | - | - | - | - | - |
DEF: | 20% | 20% | 20% | 20% | - | - | - | - |

while your second attempt certainly looks better the only concern is its one characters stuff alone. once you add others and others add more damage types at different levels of effect, it might start to get hard to have a reasonable amount of it on screen or being quickly glanced at once, hence my 'column vs bar' thought earlier aswell. mind exactly how much this matters will also depend on my question up top, though even in a separate link its something to keep in mind.

>>4975396
sounds good. and glad to be back.

>>4975220
ah yeah i agree with BHOP, this looks amazing. nice work.
ooonly slight tweak i can think of relates back to my comment to BHOP, but with abilities now. as you add more abilities to that list there, it might look a wee bit awkward with how it stretches thing, so it might be best to drop that part down to below the rest as its own little section? would have to see it once bloated with more abilities to be fully sure though.

>>4975499
Yeah, I know. Don't worry, I already collapsed it down into a data validation table like we had on the old character sheets. All the combat abilities now take up only a single large cell, and you can select between them by clicking on the arrow in the corner. Try refreshing the page and tell me if you still can't see it, if that's the case I'll know I need to do something on my end.

Also, I just realized something: There's no ELEC damage type on Francine's list. Typo, or is Electrical damage now classified as part of Heat or something like that?

>>4975509
I cant but its probably the same problem with mine where if its not on 'everyone edit' mode they cant do it.
my way around that was trust(which was fucked with in this hiatus hence why its not up in the current character sheets) and having a backup version just incase someone messes with it too much, though google docs has the system letting you know and revert edits so its not usually that bad even if someone does make an unwanted change.

and yeah i was wondering about ELEC too, but chocked it up to an oversight i guess. but good catch to ask about.

>>4975516
Okay, I'll see if changing from "anyone can view" to "anyone can edit" changes things. Tell me if that worked, please. And good idea about having a backup sheet.

And yeah, let's link back to one of BHOP's posts so he sees the ELEC question.

>>4975396
BHOP, a question: Francine doesn't appear to have an entry for Electricity damage in her proficiencies and resistances. Is that a type, or a change to the system?

>>4975493
(I was thinking that the summary cards would be the first thing you'd see in the Google spreadsheet, attached to each skill tree for a simple glance to tell you most of what you'd need to know about a power, and then by clicking on the power you could go more in-depth if you wanted to, brows what the individual levels give you, and check out the flavor text if you're so inclined.)

(I wouldn't be posting the actual ability cards directly in the Vein, but simply linking the character sheets when combat starts for easier reference. Now, the party's health, bio, buff, debuffs, and aggro levels will be a similar format to how they were before, as attack types and resistances will be on the actual character sheets, since I realized they won't really be apt to change...and if something does happen to change mid-combat then they'll be depicted on the buff/debuff line of the actual post.)

(That said, does that kind of make sense? I can get in my own head about stuff sometimes, which is one of the reasons I wanted to confer with everyone and get these ideas out here so that they can be aired out for any residual weirdness.)

>>4975509
>>4975533
(No worries; ELEC is still an element, I just quickly whipped that table up for the sake of example.)

>>4975533
yeah changing it to edit made it work.

>>4975539
that all sounds good and makes as much sense as possible without seeing the whole, complete final product in use, yes. thanks for the answers.

So has Shu gotten her shit together and leveled up her personal combat abilities yet? Maybe at least figured out how to actually use her stuff to the fullest in case she's ever caught solo? Or is she still relying on the same old tricks that will only become more hazardous to use with time since she's coming under more and more scrutiny from actually powerful individuals?

I had to drop around the time Shu was resolving...I think it was issues with a mob of daughters that had started worshipping her as a god. The spreadsheet for her definitely doesn't look any different from then.

>>4975539
>(That said, does that kind of make sense? I can get in my own head about stuff sometimes, which is one of the reasons I wanted to confer with everyone and get these ideas out here so that they can be aired out for any residual weirdness.)
Yeah, sounds perfectly reasonable. It's actually super easy to do, too. You can just put all the characters' combat cards in the same Google file, and then just hide the sheets for the characters not in the scene. And you could make the Abilities header a link to a character sheet like the old ones, with each skill being a separate drop-down data validation table. Give me a minute or two and I can set my example card up for that.

>(No worries; ELEC is still an element, I just quickly whipped that table up for the sake of example.)
Ah, good, that actually fills up some blank space in the card I didn't like having. Perfect.

File: Angry Shu Noises.png (220 KB, 275x387)

220 KB PNG

>>4975539
oh, speaking of, as i said i had to move alot of documents off of 'edit' or even 'comment' due to... well im not even exactly sure what was going on but ill simplify it to we either had a troll or a broken hearted wanderer messing with things during this hiatus, so i did what i had to to both protect the documents and also not have as many random emails in my inbox.
while i know you long term plan to make your own versions, what all would you need/want me to get back to normal functionality for Monday? (the character abilities being the obvious one unless you have your own version good enough in the background.)

I suppose this question goes out to others aswell, i know we had a few fan compilations going on, like i think for relic ideas.

>>4975553
(Well, that depends—are the character sheets you have access to different than the one I linked in the header?)

>>4975550
my memory is a wee fuzzy on exactly where we left off, but i think BHOP had to call the hiatus soon after that?
that being said whiles certainly not the best on her own i dont think shes outright defenseless, probably middle ground in terms of viability. But no, regardless of delving into opinion shes not changed drastically i dont think.

>>4975561
no they are the same.
though its currently on 'only can view' so the drop down arrows shouldn't be working for others(Hence background info not being hidden so others can still view the info) unless theres something else going on between mine and the other Anons Francine example.

would basically just need to double-check my backups and then flick things back onto 'edit mode' so they work properly.

>>4975550
(While she's not the Absolute Unit that Rath, Julia, or even Francine are right now in melee, she can more than hold her own if she uses the Drill and Spiralis in tandem, to say nothing of Hundred-Handed's silliness.)

>>4975569
(Okay, if you'd be able to open those up on Monday, I would greatly appreciate that...as long as there are backups in case anyone tries anything weird. Once again, I really appreciate all you do; it's a tremendous help, and a huge load off my mind. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to assist.)

>>4975581
And I just updated the sample sheet I made to allow linking to another sheet with in-depth ability data. You can have each different combat card link to a different sheet in the overall wider spreadsheet, too, it's a string at the end of the URL.

File: Two Clones meet and greet.png (270 KB, 427x291)

270 KB PNG

>>4975581
will do, and its no problem.
nothing jumps to mind at the moment help wise, but i guess that will also depend on exactly how things pan out once you got things in a more proper order.
for now though, its all good and you focus on just getting your own side of things in order for sure.

>>4975594
(Words cannot describe the terrible cackle of laughter that image prompted from me. Well played, my friend.)

>>4975565
>>4975581
I guess I implied her technical feasibility in a fight was lower than it actually is, but she's certainly got the ability to deal damage.

My complaint is that even though she has the ability she doesn't seem really to know how to use it! And it's frustrating! I recall at one time BHOP mentioned that in his own playtesting (at the time) Shu was fully capable of winning against Rath with only a smidge of luck. At the time this caught the players' completely off guard, and just illustrates the gap between what Shu is actually capable of and the level at which we know how to utilize her abilities.

The Midnight Crew or whatever's leader is going to rape Shu's face in the duel she's owed since she's got that Hyper-Artifact sword thing, unless we figure this shit out or upgrade quick.

>>4975396
Oh my god. BHOP, you're back.
I've been following this quest since the Third Vein, and it's been my favorite piece of work on this entire site, hands down. I was worried that this quest had disappeared, like so many others, and I've been checking the board regularly, just in case something like this were to pop up. I can't tell you how happy I am that you've returned, I hope you've been well.

>>4976034
(Hey, that really means a lot, and thank you so much for your kind words. I'm sorry it's been so long—I was in kind of a dark place for a while, and I almost forgot how fun it is to create and share it with people that are just so cool and engaged with everything, and who have amazing things of their own to share.)

(I'm doing much better now, and I hope everything is good with you, as well.)

>>4976008
I think at least part of that problem is the foes we face. Shu's ideal for spacing play, with the mobility and mid-range attacks to hypothetically keep any foe constantly frustrated trying to get at us. But we fight so many ultra-fast melee combatants who rush right up to our faces, or foes with really good ranged attacks, that we don't get to play our ideal role as often as we'd like. I think we need to use more Rooks in our battle plans. That tele-swapping would let us get away from fast attackers more easily. And we've got enough Bio now that we can spawn them more or less with impunity.

>>4976037
Well, I'm glad to hear you're feeling better now, BHOP. Your stuff has helped me through some dark times of my own, give me something to look forward to, so it's good to hear that doing this is good for your mental condition, too.

>>4976037
It's been some time! But nothing that you need to apologize for, everybody deserves to take time for themselves. I've been in my share of dark places as well in the past, same as a ton of other people on this site. Pulling oneself out of that place is a major struggle, and people who find the strength to do that are champions. If you're feeling better, I am so very glad to hear that.

And I've been doing really well this past while, thanks for asking! You're honestly the most wholesome QM ever, it's so refreshing to see.

File: Patch Notes.jpg (130 KB, 579x600)

130 KB JPG

(Hello, Dear Readers. In the next two posts you'll find the header cards for most of Shu's abilities, minus Trypophilic Hive as I'm re-working the Swarmling cheatsheet to be a lot clearer and concise. Let me know if anything feels off or could be explained better, and I appreciate your time.)

(The post after this will hit some of the high points of how some trees were altered in the intervening months, and as before, let me know what you think.)

(Continued)

>>4976070

TRYPOPHILIC HIVE: **Link updated Hive Mistress Cheat-Sheet here**

RAVENOUS MAW: An abdominal mouth whose teeth inflict SEVERE SLASH + PIERCE DAMAGE and deal more damage the lower a foe’s HEALTH is. Also boasts a tongue that can be used to augment mobility or yank foes into melee, an action that deals an automatic CRIT for 6x damage,

HUNDRED-HANDED: Spend 3% BIO to summon additional limbs from yourself, your constructs, your allies, or even the limbs themselves. 300% BIO encases you in a defensive barrier or arms that boasts its own HEALTH pool, and each active limb grants a small stacking bonus to their own ATK, CRIT, and to Shu’s evasion.

MURDEROUS FLOCK: Spend 10% BIO to spawn a single murderous crow that deals HIGH SLASH + PIERCE damage. Crow Max: 10.

SPIRITUS EX TESTA: Out of combat, can craft a humanoid shell occupied by one’s own Dream Daughter that is able to use an echo of the powers they wielded in life. They benefit from any powers that boost Swarmlings, have HIGH resistance against ALL damage types, and acts before anyone else when acting to protect you.

PSYCHICA SPIRALIS (Fear to Tread + Neurotic Halo): Spend 200% BIO to make a short-range field that protects you and allies, negates involuntary movement within the AoE, and trumps other terrain effects. NEUROTIC HALO counter damage is doubled if triggered in this field.

NEUROTIC HALO (+ Fear to Tread = Psychica Spiralis): 2 modes; prime a 1/combat counter that automatically evades an attack and deals a devastating counter OR make yourself immune to mental intrusion and Neuromancy recoil. Also grants Truesight and Longvision up to 1km away. +5 DREAM resistance.

FEAR TO TREAD (+ Neurotic Halo = Psychica Spiralis): You may distort the ground around you to make it difficult terrain for anyone but you or your allies, and foes caught in this shift are knocked prone and potentially stunned. Allies moving through this zone are sped up considerably.

DOMINUS BLOODLINE (Amethyst Jack + Exsanguinating Leash): Can tether yourself to allies, increasing their HEALTH REGEN + BIO REGEN by ½ of baseline. Tethered constructs auto-activate regen when damaged. May shuffle ACTs between yourself and allied tethered targets.

EXSANGUINATING LEASH (+ Amethyst Jack = Dominus Bloodline): Can tether yourself to foes to reduce their HEALTH and BIO REGEN by 1/2 and transfer it to you, dealing SEVERE BLEED damage over time. Max Target: 2.

AMETHYST JACK (+ Exsanguinating Leash =Dominus Bloodline): Spend 10% BIO per unit to make tendrils that can exert limited control over Daughters, Amalgams, Constructs, Terrain (permanently, if you so choose), and Liquids. Can lock down a foe’s random skill or try to hijack them entirely. Cord Range: Medium.

(Continued)

>>4976071

HEAVEN’S DRILL: Spend 80% BIO or 50% HEALTH you transform a limb into a bio-mechanical drill that deals MASSIVE PIERCING damage that IGNORES all PIERCING resistance. When attacking, you may move up to 2 zones towards a foe, bypassing any barriers in the way and gaining a bonus to your attack for each one you break through. If it hits, the damage this ability deals cannot be reduced. Attempting to block or counter this attack will instead make it an auto-CRIT dealing 3x damage.

MURPHY’S MANDATE: Passive 20% chance for a foe's constructs and Relics to be generated as malformed creations.
~~~PATCH NOTES~~~

**Gluttonous Brood now has the tag that if you have a Humoral Paladin ability, you automatically siphon the HEALTH gain to you directly without the healing getting lost with the swarmlings' death. Just makes a lot less things to track, and I hated how useless the original power ended up being.

**Ravenous Maw crit chance increased from 4x to 6x, will just keep increasing. Damage buffed as well..

**Hundred-Handed’s damage boosted, levels compressed further as tree’s future capabilities have been drastically expanded.

***Exsanguinating Leash now siphons both HEALTH REGEN + BIO REGEN, Cleaned up some wording.

**Spiritus shells now boast 2 Lvls (later 3) of Resistance against all damage types, in addition to the resistances your other Hive Mistress trees already grant. Made much studier across the board, with less fiddling to deal with overall.

***Removed REV-UP mechanic from Fear to Tread and its later hybrid Psychica Sprialis; it was never really used, and Spiralis has been buffed to compensate.

**Heaven’s Drill damage *cannot* be reduced by resistance from any source. However, it may still be evaded.

(And there we go. I'm updating Gina's next as I keep an eye on the Vein. Francine's short story is ready to post tomorrow morning, and I'll be spending the rest of the day updating as I go along. Thank you for your advice, input, and inspiration, and I do hope your day is going well.)

>>4976038
(I'm truly glad to hear that I've helped, Anon.)

>>4976041
(Ha, I'm glad to hear 'wholesome' is something that can be associated to this particular slice of the internet. People can't believe it when I tell them I've found such kind people here, but hey—you and the other players are just that great.)

>>4976038
I think that your thoughts on Shu's ideal role is part of the problem. If Shu invested more points into Ravenous Maw and Heaven's Drill then she'd be absolutely ridiculous in melee combat, more than able to go toe-to-toe against the best ones we've seen.

Instead we get pedestrian spacing tactics like you describe against melee foes, and awkwardly employing currently melee attacks against ranged specialists. It's just such a bland way of fighting.

>>4976076
(Also, before anyone asks; the stars next to each patch note mean nothing, they're just shorthand to let me know 'hey, look at this thing!' That's all.)

>>4976077
(In the players' defense, I feel like having the skill trees be so lengthy has made it so that they're worried about investing too much into certain skill trees, or there's kind of an analysis paralysis going on with so much to juggle.)

(Part of the reason I want to compress and streamline everything isn't just for voting and combat; it's also to encourage the sort of experimentation that the system encourages.)

>>4976077
Sorry for the late response, had some stuff to take care of:

I think in a sense we're both right, because the real problem is that Shu is built for a style that we never really remember to use. Shu should be an amazing spacer. We never use her spacing kit right. We get rushed down and we respond by trying to melee back with the occasional awkward dodge, instead of re-locating and forcing the enemy to waste their time and get hit by our auto-attack Ravenous Maw again. So we're doing the worst of both worlds, really. We don't have the build for pure melee, or the tactics for proper spacing.

How about we try playing Shu as a striker character, then? I think that could fit both her capabilities and our predilections when playing her. Fast melee action, bursting in and out of enemies' melee range. Cover ourselves with Hundred Hands for the evasion bonus, Ravenous Maw bungie-tongue into melee ignoring terrain with Psychica Spiralis, hit with the Maw, Drill, or a Lionheart stab injecting a bunch of parasites, then teleport out with a Rook to avoid the enemy's counterattack. It would be dynamic and let Shu set the pace instead of awkwardly responding to others, it would make good use of her kit, and it would look cool.

And yeah, we'll get some more points into Ravenous Maw and Heaven's Drill, because you're right that we need some more investment in those. I think we just got so invested in the idea of finishing out Trypophilic HIve and Spiritus Ex Testa. Those have definitely been worth investing in, but they're also a level sink. Hopefully with the trees being compressed down now, we'll be less obsessed with improving our constructs and let Shu's other toys get some upgrades

>>4976071
So does Ravenous Maw no longer have its auto attack on enemies entering our melee range for the first time in a round? What about its bonus damage to constructs? I kind of liked how that made Shu a blender against enemy swarmlings, eating up anything that tried to swarm her. Are those parts just not on the quick sheet, or moved into later in the skill with how it's been compressed, or what?

>>4976346
(It's been shifted to further down the skill tree, but not by much. It's also been drastically enhanced, in that if the tongue destroys a construct with its auto-attack, it automatically does off cool-down and triggers yet again. There are no limits to how many times this ability can activate consecutively.)

(I really liked the concept, and it's expanded even further the closer you get to the tree's capstone.)

>>4976371
Ooh, neat. Yeah, let's definitely put some points into Ravenous Maw, then. Be a swarmling-blending machine. Possibly literally, if we hybridize it with Heaven's Drill and wind up with rotary cutting action.

>>4976379
(And I'll say this to remove any ambiguity; what I've described is acquired by ravenous Maw's next level, so you're not going to have to do much to get it into better shape. It's the Maw's Lvl 5 ability, and due to compression it's Lvl. 4 currently out of 10, total, as it was Holly's Core.)

>>4976071
maybe its just because im the one who has to stare at the sheets constantly to update them, but just comparing these snippets vs the whole knowledge we currently have my brain at least isnt really picking up on major differences in the first place, with the only instant one stnding out is

>deals a devastating counter OR make yourself immune to mental intrusion and Neuromancy recoil.
>OR
as i dont remember this being and OR before.

otherwise i guess ill withhold judgement til i can compare the actual levels to the actual levels. sorry i know thats not that helpful BHOP but i think its just a 'auto gap fil' and too much of being used to one thing to compare a snippet version and be able to properly tell whats different over possibly just simplified for a quick rundown, or something.

oh, i guess the only other thing that i might be seeing is some abilities having more damage types, but that part im unsure of if thats whats happened or if they gained both and i just didn't remember due to them gaining one or the other at different levels.

>>4976076
as for this one...

>Gluttonous Brood
huh, i mean this was a more or less semi-automatic thing so i guess on our end we never could even tell if it was working much or not.

>>4976436
>huh, i mean this was a more or less semi-automatic thing so i guess on our end we never could even tell if it was working much or not.
Yeah, we were never really clear how much Health we had stored up in the brood, so we never made much use of it. Making it fully automatic makes it a lot simpler on our end.

>>4976077
Shus the leader though and we cant ignore that while she should be at least viable on her own, she also needs to fit into the team well too. as both the tactics leader and a swarm user, it just doesn't make sense for her to focus on always dashing into battle when others have plenty of that going on and Shu can often very legitimately spend her action points in more meaningful ways for the team. hers kits kinda exactly where it needs to be. spaced out well enough to where shes providing multiple avenues for ranged and support actions while also having melee options available for when she needs it. it may be 'boring' but well, for one thats just an opinion, but more importantly, it isnt as much so(again, an opinion) when taken into account the teamplay we usually do.

its also ignoring at her core shes a swarm user who in theory could fight without even being on the battlefield at all. obviously for character reason if nothing else, not her style, but we cant ignore how much everything built off her core, both as an individual and as a leader. even alone trying to be too aggressive goes against a big part of her kit at times. and just as importantly, it goes against her uniqueness as a character to try and shift her harder from an 'all arounder' to heavily into her melee build. she just doesnt need it. Maw and Drill are supplementary skills good enough where they are. she has plenty of options under her belt and would do better trying to keep them balanced, which i think we've actually done pretty well at.
lord know neither Drill nor Maw are weak right now even against strong opponents, once we are able to get a solid hit in. especially Maw. I think the issue moreso is you see us not USE them that often, not that they cant currently do anything, but again, that wraps back around to the point that they're supplementary to both Shus role in the team and to her core power itself.

>>4976444
>>4976436
(With Gluttonous Brood, you'll also know exactly how much you heal each turn, so you'll also have a decent idea of how much damage your swarm's doing overall.)

>>i think its just a 'auto gap fil' and too much of being used to one thing to compare a snippet version and be able to properly tell whats different over possibly just simplified for a quick rundown, or something.

(No worries, and I think for those of us that've been so immersed in it for so long, it's not going to really feel different until you look at the skill trees that used to be half a dozen levels deep with all this fluff in the way as opposed to a handful of easily-read cards.)

(I always appreciate input—like I said, sometimes I just need to air things out and get different eyes on them in order to get on the right track, when it comes to systems and the like.)

Wait what? Holy fucking shit he's actually back.
Welcome back, BHOP!

>>4976854
(It's great to be back! I'll be posting the start of an interlude starring Francine in about an hour from now, and then after maybe one or two more side-stories I'll open Vein 48, resuming where we last left off with Shu and crew.)

>>4976445
You make fair points, but let me bring up some counterpoints. If you feel like I misconstrued any of your points please mention it, but I'm not necessarily going to 'refute' your points because they're all valid just explain why I feel they miss the mark.
>Shu's the leader, and uses her actions meaningfully with toolkit as is
Shu is the team leader, and so far she has certainly been able to undertake meaningful actions in every fight whether team based or solo. However, let me point out a few things
-In any team fight Shu is a priority target since she's the leader
-Even aside from being in fights Shu's a priority target since she's the leader, and accordingly is the single most likely person in the crew to be deliberately isolated from support
-In a world where you can never truly be safe the most important person to a group should feature the best toolkit in order to give them the best chances of survival
-Although Shu's been able to meaningfully support the team so far, that is not rendered untrue by investing more into abilities that have been relatively unloved up til now. In fact I'd argue we MUST do that since Shu's a skinternet celeb and her main toolkit is only going to be increasingly analyzed and known as time goes on.

>it goes against her uniqueness as a character to try and shift her harder from an 'all arounder' to heavily into her melee build
My point is that right now she's not an 'all arounder' she's significantly weaker in melee than anywhere else, it's a problem that could be easily fixed by putting points into those two two trees (and hundred-handed too) and so we should do that ASAP before continuing down the lines that our enemies expect us to go down.

>>4976334
I think Shu as a striker character is a much better paradigm than how we've been playing her so far.

File: The Doctor's Plan.jpg (421 KB, 1170x1500)

421 KB JPG

You open your eyes and come face-to-face with what you truly are.

Muscle. Veins. A pair of lungs, frantically expanding and contracting a meter away from your open chest. Your heart’s pounding. You know it is, even if you can’t feel it—you can see it, just to your right as it thrums away in the dim golden haze, held in place by an artificial cradle of raw bone and shimmering thread.

A wide mirror throws your own tortured form back into your unblinking gaze, lids peeled back along with the rest of you. You’d turn away if you could, but you’ve been stripped down to something that shouldn’t be alive. You can’t move. You can’t turn away. All you can do is stare at your own flayed reflection as a figure steps from behind you, white coat turned a sickly yellow by the organic amber light cast from something out of sight.

“Ah, there’s a good girl.” Purrs the woman before you, eyes alight with glistening pride at the thing you’ve been reduced to. “Tell me your name, won’t you?”

Your jaw works somewhere below your eyes. You can hear it grinding, struggling to utter your name despite every neuron howling from an agony held at bay, just far enough away from your mind to allow you to comprehend your position.

Your name…

Your name is-

Oh God.

“Marvelous, Darling! Simply marvelous! ” The woman declares, clapping her gloved hands in front of her as she spins in place. “You’ve come a remarkably long way! Now tell me…”

Reaching out with utmost care, she pivots your skull to the left to reveal the source of the flaxen light. It takes you a few long, terrible seconds to comprehend what you’re looking at, even as it returns your gaze with a pair of pleading eyes.

“...who’s that~?”

A woman’s form has been entwined with something that defies definition. A pair of radiant spheres pulse gently, nestled within her hollow frame as a quartet of obsidian spires curve towards her in terrible silence. She’s like you—torn asunder, picked apart, remade into an unspeakable thing for some arcane purpose.

But despite everything—despite the pain, the fear, the nightmare of it all?

You know her.

You could never forget her eyes. How could she be here, too?

You could never forget your REDACTED.

Your jaw works, and a sound comes out that you can barely hear...and it’s one that causes the doctor’s face to darken with chilling disappointment.

“Ah. Another reset, then.” She sighs, turning you back to stare helplessly at her furrowed brow. She reaches behind your head, and you feel an impossible pressure as she pulls something shiny and grey from just out of sight, running her finger along the raw material of thought as she looks for something only she can see.

With purpose, she places her index finger on your unraveled grey matter, and you can feel more of you slipping away as your world goes white.

“Try and get it right this time, won’t you Beta?”

(Continued)

>>4977120

She takes, and she takes, and she takes.

She stole your name.

She erased your life.

She took REDACTED from you.

She hollowed you out, and filled you with her. It used to be that you didn’t have anything left to lose. You made certain of that. But now?

Shu, November, Gina, Rath, Julia, Dorian. Kind little Amara, too.

You…

You can’t bear to—

You jolt awake, and for a single panicked moment the yellow light of your desk lamp reminds you of the woman whose face you can’t escape. Breathe in, breathe out. Hands on your knees to stop the trembling. Focus. You’ve weathered this before, and you can do it again. Where are you? *Who* are you?

Your gloves are on your desk, and as you stare down at your white-knuckled hands the details you find there fill you with relief. Your fingertips are frayed, slowly pulling themselves back together as golden thread winds itself back into your own familiar digits. Verdant tendrils squirm just beneath the skin on the back of your hands, their agitation slowing with every measured breath you take. The sound of familiar voices just outside help to root you in the here and now, as they always do. Gina’s talking with November about something you can’t quite make out, and a high-pitched squeal of laughter makes you wonder what Amara’s getting up to as Johanna looses a hearty laugh. Shu will be back soon, and then you’ll all debrief. She’ll tell you the plan, and it’ll all be okay.

You’re here. You’re whole.

You’re home.

Your first name is Francine. Your last name is one you’d much rather forget.

And despite your best efforts, the apocalypse is starting to wear on you.

True, you’ve only been conscious for the better part of three or four months, your previous identity stripped from you and replaced with the mental paradigm of the world’s most dangerous psychopath. The relative brevity of your existence has been fraught with more events than normal humans typically cram into a lifetime, but you certainly can’t discount the good that’s come at the end of the world, either.

“Doc?”

When you were at your lowest, ready to throw your life away to strike a blow at the heart of evil, a figure appeared to lead you down a different path.

“Doctor?”

Shu, the Defiant, Hunter of Gods. A savior, born from nothing, and yet who’s found herself at the very heart of—

“DOCT-”

“Hrng?!”

You nearly topple out of your chair when you’re snapped back to reality, your self-reflection cut short by the sudden interruption of…

“Orwell. Forgive me, I must’ve dozed off.” You hastily explain, re-establishing your center of balance as you settle back into your office chair. “How may I assist you?”

(Continued)

>>4977122

Orwell simply raises a finger to her lips with a conspiratorial ‘hush’, glancing back to the living room of the Dragon’s Roost before gingerly closing the door behind her. The lanky teen shuffles closer, hands held behind her and glancing about the room guiltily as you cock an eyebrow at the suspicious young woman.

“Hey, uh, so...nothing to worry about, and don’t make a big fuss, but…” The blonde mutters, presenting you with…

...good heavens.

Orwell’s brought her hand into the dim light of your desk lamp, illuminating her bruised and battered left hand. It takes barely a glance to surmise from size and discoloration alone that she’s suffering from a compound fracture, her hand swelling by the second as it shifts into an ever-darkening shade of purple before your eyes. For such a formidable young woman, Orwell doesn’t seem to have prioritized physical regeneration in the slightest...or more troublingly, perhaps this is after her natural healing’s run its course.

“So tell me, how’d this come about?” You murmur, gesturing at the seat beside you. Orwell obliges you, extending her trembling hand and wincing when you gently take it in both of yours.

“...Amara.”

You raise both eyebrows, this time.

“She didn’t mean it!” Orwell adds hastily, hissing as you turn her hand over and trace the growing bruises with the gloved fingers of your right hand. “She was just so excited after everything went so well with the Flies, and she led me by the hand all the way back here, and-”

She winces again, from even as slight a touch as your expert handling.

“Shit...she doesn’t even know she hurt me, actually. Superfan’s too strong for her own good...or maybe just for mine.”

“It’s a simple enough job. Hold still Darling, that’ll only take a moment.” You say, ignoring her timid explanations in favor of delicately removing your right glove, bare fingertips unfurling into golden tendrils, gossamer threads that shimmer in the quiet lamplight. Painlessly, they weave into the younger girl’s tender flesh, probing for damage and leaving bits of themselves behind as your biomass moves to repair the damage that’s been done. A few seconds pass, and by the time you withdraw your hand from Orwell’s, no trace remains of the shattered digits and bruised muscle. It’s clean, perfect...surgical.

You can’t help but glower a little at how good you’ve been made to be. At the fruits of skills that aren’t quite your own.

(Continued)

File: Conflict and Considerations.jpg (205 KB, 1656x2140)

205 KB JPG

>>4977123

“Th-thanks.” Orwell says, the teen’s sheepish chuckle forcing you back to the here and now. “Think I’ll be a little more careful around superfan for the time being…’least until I get a little stronger, myself.”

“You do seem rather under-leveled. The nature of your powers, Shu mentioned.” You reply, leaning back in your chair as you give the girl a once-over. It’s impressive, really—one of the Crucible’s most well-known figures, and she’s only about as strong as you were when Shu first extended the offer of companionship.

“Eh, I really do need to step up my game if I’m gonna hang with the big leagues. I mean, you’ve been seriously amping up, and you’ve been hanging with the Defiants, what...like two months, now? Maybe three?”

“How did...ah.”

The Fleshscape’s premier entertainer and reconnaissance expert. Of course she’d have kept tabs on you.

“It’s not like I've been stalking you or anything!” The teen suddenly exclaims, waving her hands in front of you as if to dispel any bad impressions. “Just what’s been posted on the forums and whatnot.”

“Well-informed as always.” You muse aloud, retrieving your gloves from the table and tugging them back on. “I assume there are files on me and the rest of the West Collective?”

“It’s all just rumors and snippets, mostly. I’d much rather get my info straight from the source.” Orwell slyly counters. Ah, there it is. Giving the girl a once-over, you briefly wonder if she broke her own hand for the sake of an ‘in’ before shaking off your suspicions.

“Would you be open to talking? Doesn’t have to be anything super-formal, or anything.” She continues innocently. “I figure the more I know about everyone...like, *really* know...the more I can set my fans straight, y’know?”

To your surprise you find the urge to dismiss this child’s clumsy prodding isn’t as overwhelming as you’d thought it would be. Maybe it’s the fact you just woke up from that same damnable dream, or maybe you’re just tired...but you’re entertaining the notion, nonetheless.

>>...Fine. You may as well give the girl what she wants, here and now. It’ll be a while before Shu, Dorian, and the others wrap up in Arcadia, after all.

>>You need to clear your head. Invite the girl for a walk outside of the Dragon’s Roost, and maybe some ‘fresh’ air can help you get a better sense of her intentions.

>>You’ve no interest in anything resembling an interview, but the prospect of a conversation does sound nice, if just to get out of your own head for a moment. Maybe someone else would be up to talking? (Choose another ally or Dream Daughter to converse with.)

>>You just need to be alone for a minute. Send Orwell on her way, and reflect on things until Shu gets back...maybe take a walk by yourself?

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, Dear Readers. I hope this Monday morning finds you well.)

(As Mondays typically go I'll let you know when to expect the next update, though I expect it to be shortly after the voting period closes. Given my increased responsibilities at work and my unusual home schedule I'll have to find a new rhythm to settle into, so thank you all in advance for bearing with me.)

>>4977124
>>...Fine. You may as well give the girl what she wants, here and now. It’ll be a while before Shu, Dorian, and the others wrap up in Arcadia, after all.

File: __drawn_by_ray_k__1d3c1b6(...).jpg (980 KB, 1350x900)

980 KB JPG

>>4977119
well honestly this just boils down to pure opinion differences between us, so i apologize if it feels like a cop out but,
>My point is that right now she's not an 'all arounder' she's significantly weaker in melee than anywhere else,
the fact i just dont at all feel this is true along with
>investing more into abilities that have been relatively unloved up til now.
just gives me nothing to say, because, well, its just pure opinion whether these are true or not.

but i also at least didn't want to leave you hanging with no reply at all.

>>4977152
I suppose it does just come down to differences in opinion, doesn't it? Oh well.

>>4977120
I think I remember Francine suggesting that she and Alpha had some sort of prior relationship, given that they were captured and converted into Proxies at the same time. Looks like she was going off of more than just supposition, there's some emotional connection she can barely recall.

>>4977124
>>You need to clear your head. Invite the girl for a walk outside of the Dragon’s Roost, and maybe some ‘fresh’ air can help you get a better sense of her intentions.
Sure, we'll talk. But not right here. What if someone else overheard? Amara has super-senses and is the next room over. At least outside, it's only Skin Talkers who can hear us, and Orwell can scramble those.

Also, wow, Amara managed to fracture Orwell's hand? Jesus, Orwell, this construct-body you're using (I refuse to believe this is the real you, after Mara and Magpie) needs some levels put into it. But also, we need to give Amara a talk about not accidentally ripping people's hands off. That's a very real possibility for children these days.

>>4977124
The first vote in so long. God, it's good to be back.

Combine these two:

>>...Fine. You may as well give the girl what she wants, here and now. It’ll be a while before Shu, Dorian, and the others wrap up in Arcadia, after all.
>>You need to clear your head. Invite the girl for a walk outside of the Dragon’s Roost, and maybe some ‘fresh’ air can help you get a better sense of her intentions.

Have an interview while going for a walk. Some movement can really help to get a good conversation going.

(I'll be updating in the next hour and a half or so, everyone, and I do hope your Monday is going well.)

File: Orwell and her Panopticon.jpg (314 KB, 600x877)

314 KB JPG

>>4977124

…Fine, you’ll bite.

“Very well, though I’d prefer to conduct this in relative privacy.” You decide, rising from your chair and plucking your white lab coat from the tan calcite hook it hangs from. “Care for a walk?”

The teen gives a quick, enthusiastic nod of assent, and as you open the door to the living room of the Dragon’s Roost—once the domain of the enigmatic Marrow Dragoon, and bequeathed to Shu after she and her allies proved themselves capable of not only felling titans but also working alongside the obstinate (if formidable) Midnight Crew.

From the sleek bar setup just to your right to the modern-chic design of the furnishings, and even down to the overly-plush couches and the ever-stuffed FuzzBuzz pit, it’s all so very stark. It looks so clean, so domestic, and so…delightfully normal.

A glance to out the windows to your right reminds you where you really are.

The viscous scarlet light of the Fleshscape is held at bay just outside, endless fields of meat curving into the horizon. Amalgams, Daughters, and other alien terrors stalk those imposing plains…and somewhere off to the distant west lies the end of it all; the Cord. The Crucible’s pinnacle and Shu’s final destination, there was once a time where you thought it wholly irrelevant to your mission of revenge. But now? You know you’ll one day bear witness to whatever lies in that cursed spire…it’s inevitable, really. If at first you’d hoped to deal as much damage to your creator as possible from afar, you know now that your path and hers are on an impending trajectory. Two vectors, destined to meet before the end of all things.

She’s there.

She’s waiting.

“So, what would you like for me to clear up?”

You only feel comfortable voicing the question once you and Orwell have put some considerable distance between you and Shu’s home, you and the young woman having matched each other’s pace as you walk north in the shadow of the Calcite Cliffs.

“Nothing too out there, but there was something I was kinda curious about.” She begins as you glance up at the jagged spires of bone that loom over you both, the regular spacing of the spines reminding you of the spine of some ancient beast. “What do you want to do after this? There’s a ton of speculation on the net.”

“I’d very much enjoy a dreamless sleep.” You reply wearily. When a response doesn’t come, you turn to the younger girl to find her rather perturbed, and your unfortunate choice of phrasing becomes clear. “I meant nothing so macabre, darling. I have the sneaking suspicion that Shu wouldn’t let me even if I wanted to…”

“Ah. Good.” Orwell says, a little relieved sigh escaping her drawn lips before her brow furrows a bit. “…and you don’t want to, right? Not anymore, anyway?”

“No.” You reply quietly. It’s not always the truth, but it’s truer than it had been before you got wrapped up with the Defiant, at least.

(Continued)

>>4977408

“To answer plainly, I’ll do everything in my power to assist in whatever course of action Shu deems necessary.” You continue, sliding your hands into your pockets as an unusually chill breeze rolls down from the ivory cliffs and across the raw terrain. “After the debrief I’d imagine that further westward exploration will-”

“No no, I mean after the Crucible.” Orwell quickly interjects, and you’re not sure what sort of expression you make but it’s one that has the girl opposite you once again waving her hands frantically in front of her grimacing face. “No need to panic, this isn’t a test or anything! Actually, this isn’t really even an interview…I’m sorry if I came across like it was.”

“You did.” Comes your curt reply, though you have to admit that you you’re a little intrigued by her course of questioning. “Come to think of it, you asked Shu the same thing in your interview with her. Why echo it here, with me? Do you devote that much thought to what comes after all this?”

“Don’t you?” She counters, and you’re a little taken aback by just how earnest the question is, coming from this miniature media mogul.

“I’ll admit that I haven’t, no. Between my duties and studies, I haven’t had much bandwidth to think about the future, insofar as it concerns me. I mean, I’m functionally only a few months old, and most of that time’s been devoted to progressing the plans of others, or my own self-destructive pursuits.”

It’s this last comment that prompts Orwell to smirk before asking; “So waddya wanna be when you grow up? Come on, first thing that pops into your head!”

A sound escapes your nose that’s only slightly more laugh that snort, if you’re being generous…but she brings up a good point. With everything that you’ve busied yourself with, you haven’t given much thought to the future past whatever lies at the Cord…to what *your* future could really look like, if you gave it a chance.

>>…Physician, if such a thing is needed in the world to come. You have the know-how and the skill set, all wrapped up with a bow when you woke up in the Crucible…far be it from you to turn your nose up at such an obvious path.

>>Maybe some sort of…orientation guide? To help get people up to speed on whatever world Shu ends up creating? It sounds kind of silly now that you’re thinking about it, but that might be helpful, and you’d certainly have no shortage of work…

>>…You’re a little embarrassed to admit it, but you had more fun working with November’s shells than you expected. Metal over meat sounds like a refreshing change of pace in the long-term, actually…

>>Skirt the question for now and ask Orwell something instead…she said this is more of a conversation than an interview, so here’s her chance to prove it. Something about this line of questioning make you uneasy for reasons you can’t quite place.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(Voting shall remain open for the next four hours, with posting to resume in roughly five as I finish a few end-of-day errands.)

>>4977414
>>>…You’re a little embarrassed to admit it, but you had more fun working with November’s shells than you expected. Metal over meat sounds like a refreshing change of pace in the long-term, actually…

>>4977414
>>Write-In
>>You hadn't considered the future, but... once the Crucible is over, this is how things are going to be. Humanity, possessing inhuman powers and impossible bodies. There is so much to discover and learn, if people are to use these abilities responsibly. Maybe a researcher, to delve into the secrets of the Crucible for the sake of ensuring that humanity can benefit from them. If West relentlessly pursued the truth, regardless of how many lives she destroyed along the way, then you shall be her opposite - a scientist who wishes to better the lives of others, as opposed to a destroyer.

>>4977414
>>…You’re a little embarrassed to admit it, but you had more fun working with November’s shells than you expected. Metal over meat sounds like a refreshing change of pace in the long-term, actually…
this one stuck out to me personally as a nice kinda middle ground. a good way for her to take Wests natural curiosity and make it her own, rather than fully fighting it as if it has to be a bad thing.

>>4977414
>>…You’re a little embarrassed to admit it, but you had more fun working with November’s shells than you expected. Metal over meat sounds like a refreshing change of pace in the long-term, actually…

This quest is fucking mood.

>>4977414
>>Write-In
>For all that you hate the mania that West gave you along with it, you do love satisfying your curiosity with the world. You'd like it if you could channel that into productive ends. Become a researcher or engineer. Solve problems, find ways or make things that help people. You're not sure of the specifics, yet, the thought is still forming. Perhaps machinery? You do enjoy the time you've spent working on November's cybernetics...
>Also...while it's a little silly, you'd also like to try your hand at art. Maybe you could even merge it in with your more practical pursuits. There's nothing saying that form must be sacrificed for function, surely? It would be nice if your creations weren't just things that made people's lives better, but also made the world more beautiful. The world could use it, after the Crucible.

I think that Francine is a very artistically-minded person. It might be some spillover from West Prime's "mad artist" schtick, expressed without the sociopathy, but the origin doesn't matter so much. When she was showing off the cyberframes to November, she presented them like they were her latest fall fashion line. She also clearly enjoyed herself playing MC to our little body horror promenade show. And in this little mini-story, she's focusing a lot on aesthetic details of her environment, like the furnishing design of the Dragon's Roost or how a line of bone spikes resembles the vertebrae of some giant creature. I think that whatever she does, she'd enjoy herself a great deal more if she could express that artistic leaning through her work.

>>4977552
will say regardless of anything else, seeing Julia and Dorian go all giddy over the idea of Francine wanting to try her hand at art would be pretty cute.

>>4977559
Oh, that would be adorable. I wasn't even thinking of that. Nice catch.

>>4977414
Supporting>>4977552

(Ah, for once my timing estimates are holding true. I'll post the next update in the next 45 minutes from this post, and that will likely be the one to close the evening out. Does 10AM work for everyone as a tentative start time going forward?)

File: 79761543_p8.png (32 KB, 850x500)

32 KB PNG

>>4977667
works well enough for me.

>>49775522
Supporting this, sounds cute

File: Heather Neeson, Mk. 2.jpg (327 KB, 756x1121)

327 KB JPG

>>4977414

“I…I like machines. Working on them.” You begin, the awkward declaration prompting a tinge of red in your cheeks.

“Oh, from your time with the Disassociated, right!” Orwell exclaims excitedly, connecting the dots as her eyes light up. “What’cha like about it?”

“Organic systems are perfectly serviceable, certainly…there’s just something about the rhythm of machines that’s…comforting, in a way?” You begin, trying to put into words something that had been largely unconscious action. “Tinkering with biomass for me is typically a restoration of form, the repair of damage, and a return to the status quo...but with machinery, I feel as though I can really push the limits of both form and function. It's a sort of algorithm, if that makes sense? it’s always a challenge to pinch and prod it to get the most out of it with the least amount of energy loss. A strive for perfection that’s easy to lose oneself in.”

“There’s a level of artistry there too, yeah?” Orwell gently prompts. “Superfan told me about the work you did on November’s shells, and I gotta say her current body is sophisticated as all hell compared to the first one you cranked out. She said you gave November a pick of several in addition to providing the frame Shu let Sam run around in, so did you do anything else like that with the Disassociated?”

“I...I did, yes. Until Prime stationed me there most upgrades were pure function, no form. No finesse, I suppose.” You admit, reflecting on your spent time with those that sought to abandon the flesh entirely. “Once I realized I had a talent for weaving biological and mechanical into fluid, cohesive forms, something about my particular style drew a fair amount of requests.”

“Such as?”

“Demands for mobility typically revolved around simple treads or wheel-based platforms if there was work to be done within the base, and a variety of legs for whatever assignments the Disassociated demanded of their scouts. I tended to lean more towards multi-use limbs, with a variety of functions combined into an elegant form. Two weeks in I was commissioned to construct a frame built for endurance but with enough dexterity required for precise fieldwork and sample-gathering, I interviewed the young woman they were sending out to get a feel for what would best serve her in her duties, and as we talked she…well, she kept making references to cats. Big ones, small ones, about how nimble they were. She wanted a frame that could move like that, and I constructed a variable frame that resembled...a cheetah. To this day I still don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Well? Did she like it?”

(Continued)

>>4977718

“Oh, she did. It feels rather childish of me to have made something so exotic, in retrospect, but even though she’d given up her face for an armored casing with an embedded sensory array I could tell she was thrilled.” You recall, smiling despite yourself. “The council was hardly pleased with how long it took to construct, so I didn’t get to go all-out like that very often, but I received quite a few requests to spruce up pre-existing shells or tweak ones fresh out of the forges...it certainly made me popular with our scouting teams, if not with R&D.”


It’s only after you finish your musings that you realize at some point during your discussion you stopped trudging forward, content to stand still and reflect, hands in your pockets as a cool breeze continues to blow in the calcite peaks’ welcome shade. Turning to your traveling companion, you find that Orwell’s fixed you with a look; you’re not quite sure what to make of the soft smile on her thin lips, or the wistful look in her large eyes.

“That’s really beautiful.”

“Pardon?”

“You made something that’s so wholly, uniquely *you*. Form and function as one? That’s art, Francine. You’re an artist.”

“I would beg to differ.” Comes your dismissive reply, even as something strange works in your throat. “Julia and Dorian are the artists. I like to tinker, and that’s—”

“You were a mecha fashion designer. The most *popular* mecha fashion designer in the Disassociated, might I add.” Orwell suddenly says with a wide grin, and you scrunch up your nose at the comparison.

“What? No. Goodness no, I—” You begin to protest before the reality of what you were doing settles in. “...I...suppose I was, wasn’t I?”

“I suppose you were.” Orwell nods, still smiling. “And it sounds like you were really good at it, too."

“It was a niche sort of thing, though. I don’t even know what the world will look like after all this, but if we retain our powers in part or in whole then the need for my hobby wouldn’t—”

“It’s not just me that sees you’ve got a style all your own.” Orwell interrupts, her voice firm even as it’s laced with a smile. “I read up on your forums, and everyone’s really impressed with the work you did on November. There’s a lot of them on there who’d love to see what you can do with fashion, architecture, or even prosthe—”

“*My* forums?” You pointedly interrupt with a scowl. “Are you telling me there are multiple slices of the Skinternet for discussion about me?”

“Wh...yeah. Yeah, totally.” Comes Orwell’s incredulous reply, as though you drawing the attention of strangers during the end of the world were a matter of course. “I mean, all of Shu’s crew are pretty famous on there, but you’ve got a hell of a following. Bigger than November and Amara, actually.”

“Why? I assume it’s due to some sort of West-based cult, no doubt?”

Orwell blinks.

(Continued)

File: The Master of Spoken Dreams.jpg (319 KB, 1200x1600)

319 KB JPG

>>4977720

“N-no? Well yeah, West’s got her own sub-forums and shit filled mostly with nihilistic assholes, and I set up the Collective with their own private server to chat and talk to each other without Big Sister sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong…” Orwell reluctantly admits, experimentally flexing out the tension in her recently-repaired hand. “...but you’ve got a following all your own, Doc.”

“I...why?” You repeat, curiosity piqued as your initial vitriol begins to fade. “Why would they care, if not for me being an offshoot of West Prime?”

“Dude...are you serious? I mean, do you want to see what they’re saying?” Orwell replies in disbelief, extending her other hand, fingers undulating with a haze of pepper-gray lines as her hybrid power springs to life.

“Right here? Now?” You reply incredulously, and it’s Orwell’s turn to snort as you glance around.

“I’ve already got us cloaked, but I’ll keep an eye out. If I couldn’t manage that by now I’d be, like...SUPER dead. Besides, dipping a toe in doesn’t take a ton of processing power, and I’ve spent enough time in the flow to help guide a newbie. You wouldn’t even have to say or share anything, if you didn’t want to. Just nod or shake your head, and I’ll do the rest.”

You’re quiet, mulling over her offer and hating yourself for the temptation. Coming out here, rambling about yourself...and for what? For a child to drag you into some sort of neural construct to validate your feelings with random bits of gossip?

Orwell’s static fades, but not completely as she turns both her palms upwards. She senses your hesitation...but she also knows you haven’t rejected her offer out of hand entirely.

“Hey, it’s okay. There’s no pressure...I just want you to know that it’s not just Shu and her family that see you’re your own person.”

>>...Do it. Take her hand, and see what this is all about.

>>Not right now...but perhaps another time. At the very least it’s nice to know there might be an audience out there that’s interested in your tinkering, but this is all a bit much. Head back to the Dragon’s Roost and maybe spend time with someone else to help clear your mind.

>>You’ll decline for now, and you’d like to make this conversation a little more balanced. [Ask Orwell something about herself]


>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, and posting shall likely resume tomorrow morning at 10AM Eastern time.)

>>4977724
>>Not right now...but perhaps another time. At the very least it’s nice to know there might be an audience out there that’s interested in your tinkering, but this is all a bit much. Head back to the Dragon’s Roost and maybe spend time with someone else to help clear your mind.

>>4977734
hope you have a good rest BHOP.

>>4977552
(Also if you don't mind, there's some superb things in this write-in that Francine still grappling with at the moment, but she's right on the cusp of embracing the heart of this write-in - to that effect, the lion's share of this write-in will fully 'occur' to her shortly, if that makes sense?)

>>4977734
>>4977744
(I'll also be posting a proper Goodnight after I finish some late dinner.)

>>4977744
Oh, sure. I expected most of it to be subconscious stuff that would be interpreted through the dialogue you wrote anyway, I'm fine with Francine not being able to articulate the thought yet.

>>4977724
>>Not right now...but perhaps another time. At the very least it’s nice to know there might be an audience out there that’s interested in your tinkering, but this is all a bit much. Head back to the Dragon’s Roost and maybe spend time with someone else to help clear your mind.
>>Write-In
>Thank Orwell for her offer, though, of course. And have some light conversation on the way back to avoid it being awkward, maybe ask her about what sort of Skinternet presence her own celebrity has gathered.

Baby steps. I wouldn't want to expose someone with a still-forming sense of self to an internet forum. Even if Orwell can probably keep the memes and porn away from Francine.

>>4977762
...you know, theres something alot worse about the fact porn almost certainly exists on the skinternet given its based off p2p instead of server hubs... and said peers are literal people.

>>4977778
Thinking about it, "files" for the Skinternet are probably stored in the Daughter's dreamscape. Which means that somewhere out there there's a dream Daughter who's dealing with overflow errors from all the smut commissions their host has been working on taking up all the room in the dreamscape. They're just living in one big xenophilia porn art gallery at this point.

>>4977789
(*impending Kosi side-quest intensifies*)

>>4977789
that poor girl.
or very lucky girl, depending on her tastes i guess.

>>4977792
I've made a terrible mistake.

>>4977794
True. I was thinking of it from a "that poor girl" standpoint, but maybe she's into it. Maybe she's a collaborator with the host Daughter, I don't know. Probably best not to delve too deep into that line of thinking.

>>4977797
...what about those Dream Daughters who may be able to connect without help from their host(or at least active help) due to the mix of abilities present?
can you imagine wondering why you keep thinking about... things... then visiting your dream daughter to find shes filled your shared dreamscape with commission work?

(Dear Readers, thank you all for your participation, kindness, enthusiasm, and patience. I hope you rest well, and I shall see you in the morning.)

(Take care, one and all.)

>>4977827
Good night, BHOP. It's good to have you back. See you tomorrow.

>>4977724
>>...Do it. Take her hand, and see what this is all about.

File: LegitimateCircularHornsha(...).gif (4.36 MB, 640x480)

4.36 MB GIF

>>4977794
Kosi, whenever an overflow of smut occurs:

>>4977724
>>>You’ll decline for now, and you’d like to make this conversation a little more balanced. [Ask Orwell something about herself]

I think this is something Francice needs to properly prepare herself mentally for. Let's postpone it and find out more about Orwell.

File: Orwell.jpg (195 KB, 1280x960)

195 KB JPG

>>4977724

Reaching out with care, you place a hand on the girl’s shoulder and prompt a quizzical expression to cross her wan features.

“I appreciate the offer, Orwell...perhaps another time.” You say, adding just as she’s about to protest; “It’s not that I don’t believe you. It’s nice to know there are people interested in these sil...these things that I enjoy. You say I’m an artist? There’s nothing that says form has to be sacrificed for function. I could dabble a little more than I have been. Be more intentional.”

“Maybe talk to Julia and Dorian?” Orwell adds optimistically, and in that moment she looks so much like Amara with those big eyes that you can’t help but chuckle.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves...but it’s not off the table. Would you be open to making our way back?”

She assents, with a nod, and as you start walking back you take the moment to make a bit of small talk.

“So what sort of presence has your Skinternet presence gathered?” You venture after a few moments to pacing back to the Dragon’s Roost. “I assume your level of fame comes with its own set of duties, so what do you have to deal with?”

“Oh jeez, uh...a little bit of everything all of the time, if I had to put it in the nicest terms.” She replies with a groan that turns into a good-natured laugh. “I haven’t defied any eldritch abominations or slain any gods, so I have to build up clout the old-fashioned way.”

“And how’s that?”

“Having all the irons in the fire. All of them.” She fires back with a very practiced smirk and a wink. “It’s not that I *make* a lotta stuff per se, more like I make the connections and get people where they’re going. I trawl through a lot of junk to get the good stuff—the latest updates on Daughters and Amalgams of note, settlement status updates, storm patterns. Stuff that helps people live a little while longer if they play their cards right, at least. It’s an absolute beast to slog through, just mountains of content. Some better, some worse, but now that I’ve delineated some of it it’s not nearly as overwhelming as it used to be.”

“Who’s helping out?” You ask, a cursory glance showing the City of Rust growing closer.

“Ever since I established a volunteer first-responders unit that keeps tabs on any newly-awakened Daughters, we were able to help a bunch of Skintalkers get to settlements or to other safe havens, so their life expectancy jumped considerably. A bunch of them later turned around and pitched into the network, so the whole effort’s snowballed pretty efficiently. In fact, they recently—”

You have to admit that the more Orwell explains what she's done, you’re staggered by the sheer scale of it all...yet despite the current topic of conversation, you can’t help but think about what she said about being seen.

About art.

(Continued)

>>4978423

You won’t lie; the curiosity, the hunger to know and understand that burns in your chest always served as a reminder of how you were born, of who hollowed you out and poured herself into the vacant mold that was someone’s body...but now? For all the hatred you have for your creator, you’re starting to wonder if perhaps a fraction of that desire is something that belongs to you, and you alone. Maybe you could channel it into something that will outlast you, a thing that will improve the lives of those you’ll never meet.

You also can’t help but feel that little flutter in your stomach, the afterglow of when the word ‘artist’ was applied to the thing that brought you so much joy when you were with the Disassociated. Joy. It really, truly made you happy in a place that you had no choice in being stationed, and the thought of joining your professional and personal pursuits is...an overwhelming one, but certainly not unwelcome.

It’s with a guilty start that you realize you’ve arrived back home so wrapped up in your own thoughts that you’re just barely able to catch the tail end of Orwell’s monologue.

“...so after I figured that part out, I tweaked the whole paradigm so now you can just project your thoughtform into a sublimated Skintalker’s mind without either of you getting a nosebleed or even a cerebral hemorrhage!” Orwell triumphantly declares, oblivious to the fact that her victory is wholly lacking in context thanks to your mental wanderings.

“I’m impressed.” You say solemnly, a tap of your finger prompting the sheer calcite fluff face to slide back, revealing an organic lift of polished bone and taut muscle. “How long have you been working at all this?”

“Ever since I hybridized.” She immediately answers, the lift jolting to life the moment you’re safely inside. “Once I realized what was out there and what I was capable of, I knew I had to basically crowdsource my own survival.”

“It certainly sounds like you’ve made yourself indispensable.” You muse, the elevator swiftly delivering you to the main living quarters of the Dragon’s Roost.

“Ha, not really. The only person I think deserves that title is—”

“Shu! You're back!!!"

Amara’s screech of delight is immediately followed by joyous laughter as she’s swung around by the Defiant herself, laughing in kind as her celestial dress flares out as she spins in place. As for the family members Shu brought with her to Arcadia, Dorian stands primly beside the Defiant, hands behind his back even as he grins from ear to ear, dazzling blue eyes sparkling with amusement. Rath just breezes by them, flashes them a grin and you a salute before she strides off to her room. B’ni slinks by them, trying her best to draw as little attention to herself as possible—at least until Holly screams her name, bounding across the living room floor to tackle the horrified girl.

(Continued)

File: Francine, Pensive.jpg (163 KB, 470x600)

163 KB JPG

>>4978424

Like the machinery you so admire, the chaos that rapidly unfolds in your home has a particular rhythm, too. Shu and Gina doting on Amara even as Orwell rushes forward to urge the youngest member of your family not to spoil anything before the debrief. Uzu and B’ni are flanked on either side by Holly and Johanna, the latter’s sheer volume drowning out anything that can be heard of their conversation. Dorian finally leaves Shu’s side to go behind the bar, deft hands bringing out a decanter and filling it with the contents of one of his nigh-endless bottles. Even Sir FuzzBuzz is present, his downy posterior planted in the middle of the pit filled with his kin, never allowing his ward to leave his sight.

November’s the odd one out, your friend’s absence a likely sign that she’s tending to the Metall Geschoss deep within the bowels of the mountain you call home.

“Take some time to rest, everyone!” Shu declares, her voice cutting cleanly through the din. “Take an hour and we’ll meet back here to debrief.”

“I gotta wait to tell you all about how-” Amara starts to wail before getting cut off by Orwell.

“All about how your life got flipped upside down, yep! No spoilers until debrief!” The teen quickly affirms, hauling Amara away before she can protest further. She retires to her room with Gina, leaving Dorian at the bar and Shu’s quartet of dream daughters talking animatedly on the recessed couch in the center of the room. Orwell and Amara talk conspiratorially near the Fuzzbuzz pit, and as for you?

You stand there, hands in your pockets as your survey the scene. You feel out of place, somehow. Caught between two states of being, or perhaps on the cusp of something—but of what, you couldn’t say.

>>November’s due for an check-up, and that usually means a check-in as well. Find out what she’s up to and catch up a bit before it’s time for everyone to meet back here.

>>You and he haven’t talked all that much, but try to sit down with Dorian before the debrief to see if he can offer any guidance on the artist’s path.

>>Retire to your room until the debrief, and perhaps take a moment to reflect with your own Dream Daughters.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(Hello and Good Morning, Dear Readers. Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in four. I hope you rested well and that your day is progressing smoothly, one and all.)

>>4978427
hrm... split between Dorian or November. the whole artists path thing would be a fun thread to continue exploring, but i feel some of the clout attached to it would be better suited with a closer friend like November.

>>4978427
>>4978437
>>November’s due for an check-up, and that usually means a check-in as well. Find out what she’s up to and catch up a bit before it’s time for everyone to meet back here.
willing to switch but gonna just go ahead and put down a vote just incase.

>>4978427
>>>November’s due for an check-up, and that usually means a check-in as well. Find out what she’s up to and catch up a bit before it’s time for everyone to meet back here.

>>4974827
Holy shit, it's back?!
Lurking with great interest!

>>4978427
>>November’s due for an check-up, and that usually means a check-in as well. Find out what she’s up to and catch up a bit before it’s time for everyone to meet back here.
Outright saying to Dorian "please help me be an artist" is a moment for a little further down Francine's path to self-actualization, I think. But definitely something she needs to do eventually.

>>4978530
(Indeed it is! I'm running a few side stories and working on streamlining the levels and combat system before I open the next Vein soon. Glad to see you back!)

>>4978427
>>November’s due for an check-up, and that usually means a check-in as well. Find out what she’s up to and catch up a bit before it’s time for everyone to meet back here.

File: Metall Geschoss.jpg (37 KB, 474x381)

37 KB JPG

>>4978427

Lost in thought, you find your feet carrying you down the spiraling onyx staircase to November’s workshop, the scent of iron and oil thickening in the warm air as you descend. You find the soldier’s feet sticking out from under a slightly elevated Metall Geschoss suspended from reinforced intestines that hang from the ceiling, obsidian shards shimmering in the light cast by bioluminescent orbs embedded at every corner of the room. A clicking sound draws your attention to somewhere just behind the semi-organic tank, and a sand spider almost your height peeks around the corner, having noticed your presence seconds before his creator does.

“Hey, that time already?” November says, sliding out from under her pride and joy with a smile, evident in her tone if not her helm. “Are we getting the gang together now, or-?”

“In a little less than an hour, so we have time.” You reply, watching the woman rise to her full height. She cuts an imposing, yet altogether very human figure in the body you crafted specifically for her…one that you lost sleep over, giving her enough options across the three frames to cover your bases. You wanted it to be perfect, for when she was finally ready to cast off her shell and step into something new. To be something more than a wandering vagrant, living just one day to the next.

You wonder if you’re on the edge of doing something similar, as November gestures you your usual spots; hers in a chair, yours next to a table with your diagnostic relics all neatly arranged on its shining surface.

“You want to talk about it?” She intones as you remove your gloves, November's clear, calm voice a far cry from her previous frame’s voxel-tinge.

“About what?” You ask, sliding a finger along her frame’s shoulder, watching the machinery of her right arm blossom to reveal a garden of circuitry.

“About what’s bothering you.”

“It’s that obvious?”

“Not to everyone.”

With a sigh you lean against the workbench, your bare hands finding the polished calcite pleasantly warm to the touch. Drawing in a weary breath, you quickly hit the high points of your discussion with Orwell, her offer to show you the net, and the storm of doubts a few simple questions have unleashed.

"I feel like...as though I'm on the edge of something." You conclude, relaxing your gradually-tightening grip on the table's edge. "Like a threshold, of sorts."

"Maybe it's a change of how you're defining yourself?" November posits, prompting you to arch an eyebrow in silent query. "You used to define yourself by what you were against, right? Prime, her plans, your own existence. Maybe you're starting to define yourself by what *you* like to do and what really matters to you."

"I've been defining myself with negative space instead of building something new." You murmur, and November ratchets her arm closed, standing up just to cross the space to lean gingerly against the table beside you.

(Continued)

>>4978589

"I was doing the same thing.” She admits. “I thought I was what I'd lost, instead of seeing the people around me that were there to build me up into a better version of myself."

"What changed you?"

"You did, ya goof." She answers with a warm chuckle. "If I'd have kept going the way I had been there, there wouldn't have been enough left of me to appreciate what I have now. You talked to me every step of the way, even while you were helping me replace bits of myself with parts that wouldn't feel. You always were checking in. Yeah, it was up me to take the hands that were offered me, but the fact that you kept asking me if that was what I really wanted to do? I didn't realize it until recently, but I don't think I could've said 'yes' to Shu asking me to talk to Rachel if you hadn't been as persistent as you were."

"That's me, all right. Banging my head against walls." You fire back with a smirk.

"Hey, this wall appreciates it." She laughs, placing a hand on your shoulder. "So, about the other thing Orwell said; what're your thoughts?"

"The whole 'art' thing? I think...I think I'd like to test the waters. I don't necessarily consider what I do art, but-"

"Oh ho!? You deny the splendor wrought of your own two hands?!" November suddenly bellows, flexing dramatically and forcing a bark of laughter from you despite your best efforts at composure. "C'mon...you make cool shit, you're good at it, people appreciate that, and most importantly? It makes you happy, and it's *yours*. Sounds like something worth pursuing."

"Where would I even start?" You ask, starting to pace about the room as Marco tracks your circuit, gleaming eyes casting your reflection back at you.

"We've got two honest-to-god artists right upstairs; why not start with them?"

“I couldn’t possibly bother Julia or Dorian with-“

“Why not? You know them just as well as I do, and we both know they’d be thrilled to hear you out.”

“I…maybe?” You groan, scrunching both eyes closed as you rub the bridge of your nose with thumb and forefinger. “I know we’re about to get marching orders, but I’ll think about it. After we get done with whatever’s next up on the docket, I’ll consider talking to them about…whatever it is thing is.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” November says as you finally bring your circuitous pacing to a halt with a guilty sigh.

“I’m glad you were willing to hear me out as I just rambled on about all thi-“

“Francine?”

“Yes?”

“You’re my best friend. I’m always willing. Okay?”

You blink.

“…T-thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” November breezily replies, flexing her arm experimentally. “Also, no real issues to report, so I’m up for skipping the usual check-up if you are?”

>>Stick around a little while longer…maybe ask November a question or two before it’s meeting time.

>>Head back upstairs to review your findings before the debrief.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in approximately four.)

>>4978590
>Head back upstairs to review your findings before the debrief.
Just cant think of any questions to ask.

>>4978590
>“You’re my best friend. I’m always willing. Okay?”
Awww. God, I have the biggest smile on my face reading these two interact. It is adorable. Just the absolute cutest thing.

>>Head back upstairs to review your findings before the debrief.
Yeah, let's go and get our notes in order, organize our mind by organizing our environment.

>>4978608
yeah its a nice little line.
easy to gloss over how much it actually probably means to November that Francine got her to think and not throw her old life away.

>>4978610
Yeah. It's understated, and I like that. Just these two people who found support in each other, and are making each others' lives better for their presence. It's great, I'm glad that we recruited Francine and the two of them get to hang out together.

>>4978590
>>Head back upstairs to review your findings before the debrief.

Can we pet that huge spider? Pet the spider before we leave, if we can pet the spider.

>>4978590
>finish up the actual check-up, then go upstairs
We might be trying to be an artist but we still need to do our duty. Especially if it concerns the wellbeing of a friend.

>>4978590
>>4978606
>>4978616
im down for petting the spider too.

>>4978590
>>Head back upstairs to review your findings before the debrief.

>>4978616
Oh, right, of course. How could we forget to give Marco a scritch? He is a good boy.

>>4978616
(You absolutely may, and he would like that very much.)

>>4978619
>>4978621
>>4978630
Great, we're petting Marco then!

File: A West by any other name....jpg (197 KB, 1159x576)

197 KB JPG

>>4978590

“I think we’re good for now. Your systems achieved harmony with the new forge core at an unprecedented rate, after all.”

“Oh, it’s because I’m zen.” November says as-a-matter-of-factly. “I’m zen as *fuck*.”

You can’t help but laugh as you make your way to where the staircase begins, Marco waiting patiently beside it, three sets of claws folded primly in front of him like a little gentleman.

“Well, once you’re through with your meditations, I’ll meet you at the debrief.” You say with a smile, one that’s only widened when you start scratching Marco’s head and he begins emitting a low, pleased chatter.

“You keep an eye on that one, won’t you Marco?” You say sternly, trying to force down a chuckle. “Don’t let her worry about too many goofs at once, alright?”

Marco gives you a prompt and professional three-hand salute, which November immediately mirrors as you start to make your way back upstairs.

“Quit being a goof and maybe I’ll stop worrying about you, Doc.” The kind soldier retorts with an audible grin.

“At ease, Soldier.” You say with a salute of your own, before adding. “…and I’ll work on that.”

“You better.”

After waving goodbye to the pair (returning Marco’s enthusiastic three-fold wave with an equally enthused one of your own) you make your ascent back to the living room, crossing the space in silence as you’re careful not to disturb B’ni, Uzu, and the rest of Shu’s dream quartet as they converse on the couch where you last saw them. You assume the rest of the family’s retired to their own spaces, and you prepare to do the same as you close your door behind you, the soft light of your desk lamp illuminating the familiar furnishings of your laboratory-slash-office.

Taking the gloves out of your pockets, you toss them on your desk before doffing your coat, and you’re about to slip it back on its hook when you pause. You stare at it for a long moment, then to the gloves, and back again before you realize that something just doesn’t fit.

They’re perfectly tailored for you of course, but it’s just at this moment that it hits you; you’ve been wearing them more out of habit, out of some sort of obligation to an image that’s no longer what you see in the mirror. Taking both gloves and coat, you fold them neatly in on each other and place them on a far table before returning to your chair, settling in to review your notes on the Gemeinschaft.

…and yet you keep getting distracted by your surroundings.

At first, it’s your lamp. You crafted it when you first made this room as a mere afterthought, a simple cylinder with an opaque bulb of crystallized humors, lit from within by candescent biomass similar to Rath’s explosive boils.

Which is to say it’s just a bare goddamn light bulb.

(Continued)

>>4978756

You start by weaving a simple shade out of a few sheets of calcite shaven from the underside of your desk and melded together as you would a wound to form a sleek cone. A flick of your finger transforms the bare surface into a filigree-covered thing, and when you settle it in place the light shines through to showcase your spiraling design. It’s a simple thing—a little random, a little antiquated, a little experimental…but it’s yours.

The desk comes next, a slight indentation at stomach-level allowing you to get closer to your work. It’s such a little thing, but you realized that you’d been hunched over and uncomfortable despite being able to force your space to make you comfortable instead of the other way around. And as you sit back down after a few minutes of decisive adjustments to settle in and review your notes, it strikes you just as your cheeks start to ache…

…you’re smiling.

You’re comfortable here, having solved a few small problems you convinced yourself weren’t worth the time to fix…but weren’t you really just telling yourself that you were the one that wasn’t worth the effort?

You like solving problems, finding ways to improve systems or make things that help people. Maybe you could merge this burgeoning interest in art with your more practical pursuits. There's nothing saying that form must be sacrificed for function, surely? It would be nice if your creations weren't just things that made people's lives better, but also made the world more beautiful. The world could use it, after the Crucible…and so could you, as you quietly resolve to meet with Julia and Dorian sooner, rather than later.

It doesn’t take long before the Dragon’s Roost starts to come alive again, with Rath and Amara chasing each other around the room as Gina helps Dorian get the seating arrangements ready. There’s a surprised yelp from Uzu, followed by a rapid-fire apology from Tailor before she strange tinkerer shuffles back off to the Forge. You grin as November bellows a hello and the entire room responds in kind as she emerges from her cozy little workshop, followed by Johanna demanding an arm-wrestling match, intent to prove her ‘self-actualization’…whatever that means. You hear Holly bounding about the room to join in on Rath and Amara’s fun, their laughter almost drowning out B’ni’s polite, yet firm declination of Orwell’s request for an interview. And then, the reason you’re all here; a voice above the chaos, not one of command or control…but of kindness, and of patience.

You rise and take a breath, notes in hand.

You’re here. You’re whole. You’re home.

Your first name is Francine. Your last name is still one you’d rather forget.

But for the first time since you arrived…

…you’re starting to feel like maybe your last name doesn’t matter at all.


>>FRANCINE INTERMISSION: END

(Gentlemen, I believe I have another short story in me before buckling down and finishing the rest of the ability streamlining. That said, please choose another character to see through the eyes of—this list is by no means comprehensive, hence why I’ve included a write-in option. Anyone is fair game. Yes, even Sir Fuzzbuzz. Voting shall remain open for the next four hours, with posting to resume at approximately 10AM tomorrow morning, Eastern time.)

(I wish you a restful evening, and thank you all for your enthusiasm, participation, and kindness.)

>>Rath

>>Amara

>>Holly

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>4978762
>making me choose between Sir Fuzzbuzz and Rath.
you DO have a cruel side BHOP....

>>4978774
(Given the quest's bamboozles, was there ever any doubt?)

>>4978757
Good to see that Francine is practicing self-care. That's the way to do it, Francine.

>>4978762
>Anyone is fair game. Yes, even Sir Fuzzbuzz.
Don't you tempt me, BHOP.

In seriousness, though, I'm torn between Rath, Amara, and doing a write-in vote for Julia. Could be neat to see what she's been getting up to back in town with her new biker chick friends. Maybe I'll roll a die.

>>4978779
you're right, i bamboozled my self here.

>>4978780
ooooh, Julia is a good one too. now im three-way split, dangit Anon!

>>4978762
Actually, another interesting idea presents itself: Didn't Holly and Uzu go to speak with that group of plant-themed Daughters? They could be interesting to see the perspective of. Ah, there are so many cool things to see in the Crucible, and so little time/BHOP's writing focus.

>>4978762
>>Rath
I'm just going to cut my indecision and vote for Rath. Rath's cool, if she wins I won't be unhappy. Well, I wouldn't be unhappy with any of these options, but you know what I mean.

>>4978762
bah, my vote is;
>Rath
>Sir Fuzzbuzz
>Julia

in terms of most wanted to least if it matters, but otherwise wholly ok with any so BHOP can count it as any of the three as he pleases to break a tie or just because he prefers one over the others.
sorry for the absurdity of this votes caveats but i just cant actually fully and truly decide on exactly which.

>>4978762
>Sir Fuzzbuzz
The rightest choice here.

File: Voice of the Eyes.jpg (766 KB, 1920x1279)

766 KB JPG

>>4978808
>>4978806
(Rath it is, Gentlemen. I'll have you all know I listened to the Megalobox theme on loop while writing the opening to her interlude, so I hope you enjoy.)

(I hope you rest well, and thank you for your participation, as always.)

File: Spoiler Image (157 KB, 910x1024)

157 KB JPG

>>4978863
(Sir Fuzzbuzz is never the answer to the question.)

(Sir Fuzzbuzz IS the question.)

(The answer is always 'yes'.)

File: Rath, a Fighter's Focus.png (790 KB, 1280x1023)

790 KB PNG

The acrid scent of sweat and bloodlust washes over you as you try to keep your breathing steady. Your heart’s hammering in your ears as you try to see your foe past the haze of the ring. The glare of the lights, the roar of the crowd are the only things that fill your mind as you narrow your eyes, locked as they are on an enemy whose caliber far exceeds your own.

Most of you have seen her with a smile, her breezy attitude easily drawing in friend and foe alike. But you? You’ve seen her when she’s gunning for blood, when she’s in her element—raw and crackling, like a power line cut loose in a storm.

She shifts her feet a fraction of an inch, and you hiss, a sudden exhalation that fuels your forward lunge as you match her blinding speed. One step, two steps brings to right in her face, and by now you two know this dance by heart.

She leads with her left, a gunshot fired point-blank at your nose that misses you by a hair, clipping your right ear as you lean left, hips fueling the devastating haymaker that hurtles your left hand to your opponent’s temple. She dips low, left arm already back in the chamber as her right erupts towards your chin like fuckin’ Vesuvius.

Fool me twice, shame on me.

It feels like your spine’s gonna snap as you lurch back, abs aching as her knuckles slash past your nose. The blast of wind almost makes you blink, almost makes you miss the shot she takes with her left once more, a sniper’s bullet fired at your chin. Right hand to parry, your block barely holding itself stable between your ear and her fist as you drive yours into her sternum.

Her right hand’s already there to buffer the blow, her left recoiling back into position. You’ve got the blink of an eye before she caps you, her fist already drilling its way across the space and aimed right between your eyes. A lunge down and to your right, her left arm blocking you from view as you swivel in place, legs screaming as they help drive your left hand up, up towards the other girl’s chin. It’s perfect.

And you fucked up.

Air is there to greet you as she dodges by millimeters, her tiny frame working as one to pull off a haymaker that you don’t see coming until it’s too late, its lethal arc obscured by your over-committal to an uppercut that’s left you wide open. Left-handed by nature, you fancy the thought for a split-second that maybe you can tank it, maybe you can come back from this.

You’re on the mat before you can finish the thought, her savage right having ended the match with the decisive punctuation only a fist can bring.

Game, set, match.

Or however that goes.

You may have lost, but with all the bullshit running through your head right now?

There’s something to be said for losing yourself in this, even if it’s just in the hour or so until the debrief.

(10)

(9)

(8)

(...)

>>4979260

When the count fades and the lights go up, you open your eyes to find your opponent looming over you, her scarlet gloves fading to nothing as she leans down to offer you a hand with a smile.

“You were freaking brutal out there, dude!” Meg exclaims, shaking her sandy blonde hair out of her cherubic face. Your gloves have already dissipated by the time you accept her offer, the smaller girl hauling you up from the mat as you catch your breath.

“If I'd've thought ahead a second or two more I wouldn’t have bet the farm on that dumbass upper.” You fire back, running a hand through your hair as you pace the ring. The pain from Meg’s hand rocketing against your skull’s already fading, which makes training in the Dreamscape infinitely preferable to the real deal...even though you feel like maybe a good hit or two would dislodge all the crap that’s been buzzing around you head the past few days.

“Something on your mind?” The stocky young woman suddenly asks, and when you turn to face her you find a water bottle thrust in your face.

“You know we don’t actually need this in here, right?” You ask with a grin as you practically tear the top off the container.

“It’s for the realism, y’know?” She replies happily, absolutely crushing her bottle in a series of long, determined gulps before she fixes you with an arched eyebrow that hits almost as hard as she does. “And you’ve gotta work on your dodging.”

“I overcommitted.” You protest with a sweaty scowl. “I wouldn’t call that a dodging issue.”

“Really? ‘Cuz you dodging my question was real sloppy, my dude.”

Ah, shit.

“Yeah, I...I got a lot on my mind, and it’s kind of messing with me.” You reluctantly admit, finishing your water bottle just as it dissolves into the air around your now-empty hand. “Sorry.”

“Nothing to get all Canadian on me for, man! We can totally keep at it until you gotta go, it’s up to you!” Meg replies with a good-natured shrug as she leans against the ropes opposite you. “I’d be totally happy to hear what’s on your mind, if you wanna hash it out that way. Whatever works for you, friend.”

Your fists are clenched at your sides, and you wonder if maybe coming clean will do your head a bit better than a haymaker or two.

Couldn’t hurt any worse, right?

>>”...I’ve been thinking about my family, and what comes after all this...I know I need to talk to Aunt Heather about it, but I feel like an asshole for even bringing it up…”

>>”Look, there’s this...this girl. Who’s a moth. And really tall. I...I kinda think she likes me, and I don’t really know where to start with that.”

>>”It’s...it’s about Shu and Gina. I...Christ, I feel dumb for even thinking about it…”

>>”Gloves back on. Let’s keep going...it helps me think, if that makes sense? I’ll just talk at you, whatever comes to mind. How’s that?”

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(Good Morning, Dear Readers. Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in four.)

File: Spelling Error.png (498 KB, 544x544)

498 KB PNG

(Pictured; me noticing a spelling error and desperately trying to resist the urge to bamboozle.)

>>4979263
>>”...I’ve been thinking about my family, and what comes after all this...I know I need to talk to Aunt Heather about it, but I feel like an asshole for even bringing it up…”
though in terms of comedic value im pretty tempted to go with the moth one.

>>4979263
>>”Look, there’s this...this girl. Who’s a moth. And really tall. I...I kinda think she likes me, and I don’t really know where to start with that.”

After dealing with Francine's existential identity issues for her side story? We need this.

>>4979263
Not a vote yet, just kind of stream of consciousness thinking about Rath's character.

As I see it, Rath's problem is that she has no experience with admitting to her needs. There's a vulnerability in saying that you need something. It opens yourself up to judgement, or refusal, or even just well-meaning but awkward questioning. It's something that you have to learn to be able to do, to push past the fear and say "I need this". And Rath has spent most of her life in an environment where she wasn't able to learn that. After her sister's death (I vaguely recall it being a drug overdose, but whatever it was it was something that wouldn't happen to a "good girl") Rath felt pressured to be the good little preacher's daughter who would never shame her family like that. She did not feel like it was an option to pursue her own desires, so she never acquired the skills to do so.

Now it's the end of the world, and Rath is free to be whoever she wants. No societal pressure because society is dead. And she's trying, she's renamed herself and reinvented herself as a badass rough-and-tumble brawler. She's got friends who she's pretty sure care about her. But she's being kind of passive about it. She's still not coming out and admitting to what she needs, because she's scared that if she does she'll mess up what she's got going. She's guaranteed some happiness staying quiet, but risks losing things if she comes forward. Telling November that she doesn't want to see her parents again risks losing November's approval and the bond they've forged. Asking Lara out or asking Shu and Gina about polyamory risks her losing the friendship she has with them. Even just acknowledging that she has these desires to a third party is scary for her, because it makes them more real, less a thing that she can pretend isn't eating at her.

>>4979263
>>”Look, there’s this...this girl. Who’s a moth. And really tall. I...I kinda think she likes me, and I don’t really know where to start with that.”

>>4979263
>>”...I’ve been thinking about my family, and what comes after all this...I know I need to talk to Aunt Heather about it, but I feel like an asshole for even bringing it up…”

I just think that the family one would probably be the easiest for Rath to talk about right now, since it's the furthest-away concern. Lara, Shu, and Gina are a bit more immanent. Also, they kind of feed back into the family one, since one of the points of contention Rath has with her family is that they were apparently rather homophobic, so thinking about smooching on cute monstergirls would just make that problem worse.

>>4979263
>>>”...I’ve been thinking about my family, and what comes after all this...I know I need to talk to Aunt Heather about it, but I feel like an asshole for even bringing it up…”

File: Meg, the Enigma.jpg (205 KB, 728x1029)

205 KB JPG

>>4979263

“Yeah.” You finally relent, the tension easing out of your shoulders. “Yeah, I think hashing it out’s probably better.”

“Okay! I know just the place!” Meg excitedly declares with a twinkle in her eyes. You still haven’t really gotten used to how mutable the dreamscape is to those living in it, how malleable reality is in this place between life and death. You simply wait for reality to coalesce into whatever memory Meg’s got in store for you, and you don’t have to wait long before the smell of river water and the sound of lapping waves replace the sensations of the ring.

She’s brought you to the long stretch of a stone walking path, flanked on one side by a massive river to your left and a looming city to your right.

“Wait…is this-?”

“New York!” Meg affirms with a wide grin, hands planted on her hips. “This was my favorite running path when I lived here for a couple of years! We’re right on the Hudson!”

“No offense, but I thought it would, uh...smell? A bit worse?” You say a bit sheepishly, and the girl opposite you just looses a hearty laugh.

“Oh, it's awful! That’s why I changed it!” She replies before taking a deep, indulgent breath as you start to realize the air smells vaguely of lavender. With that, she beckons you to follow her as she starts walking along the empty footpath. “So what’s up?”

”It’s just...I’ve been thinking about my family, and what comes after all this.” You start uneasily, finding it harder than you’d like to start disentangling what’s been all balled up in your head for a while. “I know I need to talk to Aunt Heather about it, but I feel like an asshole for even bringing it up…”

“After the Crucible’s over, y’mean?”

“Yeah. Shu said she’s gonna bring everyone back, and that’d include them.” You answer with a sigh. “They’re…they’re not bad people. They really tried to be good parents—I think? It’s just with the church and everything happened with Grace, they…they tried. And I think they’d want to see me when this is all said and done, but…shit. It feels like I’m selling them short, but I can’t just…I mean, I know Aunt Heather wants us to all be a family again and I get that, I really, really do. After the hell she went through overseas and how distant she got from everyone, I know it's coming from a good place, but no matter what I can't imagine Dad and Mom being able to...to just...”

Trailing off as you pass yet another of the walkways regularly-spaced lamp posts, you feel a lump in your throat as your words start to fail you.

“It’s okay.” Meg gently offers.

(Continued)

>>4979437

“…I just don’t think that whatever they’re going to wanna do is gonna be good enough, y’know? And I feel awful saying that, but I can’t imagine how they’d accept me as I am now. I mean fuckin' look at me!" You say, gesturing to your smoldering form, your arms pulsing bright white and leaving trails of distorted smoke as you do so.

"I'm a living fucking bomb who can turn into some mythical-lookin' multi-armed badass who still flips her shit every time a girl with an inch or two on her looks at her sideways! Back before this my blood ran cold whenever Mom and Dad got all pissed about some maybe-queer side character on a show they watched, and now I'm like...like everything they thought was wrong with the world, I guess. And even if I go up to them and say 'hey, go fuck yourselves, I'm gonna go be me' there's still this...this weird fucking feeling in my gut that I just can't shake, and I fucking hate it."

"What's it like?"

“It’s like…" You start, and it's a second or two before you can begin to give it shape. "...like even when I’m doing stuff that makes me happy, or when I should feel really good about…attention...I get from some people, there’s this part of me that feels guilty. Like I’m disappointing them, even when I don't give a shit about what they think. And I like the attention. I really do, but every time I think I'm getting somewhere that stupid voice in my head just goes and fucking ruins it by saying 'Hey they like you as a friend, they're just being nice, they don't mean it like that' and I chicken out 'cause I don't want to fuck all this up! I mean, shit Meg! I've got a chance for a big fluffy moth GF, and here I am freaking out like an idiot! I should want this! I DO want this, but I…fuck!"

You right hand lashes out at the lamppost near to you, and with a screech of metal followed by the stench of molten wiring, the things sent tumbling into the river, it's ruined stump still smoldering from the impact.

"...I wanna be honest with Aunt Heather. With Lara. With…everyone." You groan, the image of a Hive Misitress and Neuromancer flashing across your minds eye before you shake them out. "But I keep thinking this is all just so stupid, you know? It's the motherfucking apocalypse. The end of days. And what am I agonizing over? Whether Mom and Dad will ever speak to me again after this? If this really cool and funny girl thinks I'm cool and funny right back, and if...if that's even what I want, or if I'm just a fucking deluded third wheel on this weird-ass tricycle of...whatever's going on between us."

"You feel pulled in a lot of different directions, yeah?" Meg murmurs.

"Yeah."

"Like your Core?"

"Ugh...yeah. Yeah, well played." You admit with a sigh. "More like everything's just bundled together in this big dumb Gordian Knot that I can't just cut through."

(Continued)

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

342 KB PNG

>>4979438

"So why can't you?" The boxer simply retorts. "You got a list of people you gotta talk to that are here in the present, right? Make a list of how you wanna tackle them, and even if you fumble your way through talking to them, they all care enough about you to work with you in figuring out what you wanna say."

You level a radiant, withering glare at the sandy-haired girl. "Yeah, no. I'd much rather solo Marrow Fucking Dragoon, at this point."

"Why not?" Meg repeats with a shrug, as though it were the simplest thing in the world.

"Because I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about...literally everything that's going on around me and in me, for one? I'd much rather get my head and heart on straight before I overcommit and get clotheslined by something I thought was true but turned out to be bullshit."

"Hey, shadow-boxing's all well and good for a warm-up, but you're never gonna get any better if that's all you do." Comes Meg's surprisingly sage reply as she looses two quick jabs into the air in front of her. "Gotta get out there and throw some hands for real if you wanna see what's up."

You just stare at her a moment before she falters.

"...Emotional hands." She clarifies, suddenly unsure of herself. "It was a metaphor."

"Yeah. Yeah, I got it." You sigh, leaning on the railing as you look out over the river’s gently undulating waves “Man, I don’t know. Feels like half the time I’m just spinning my wheels and kicking up a lotta dust for nothing. Like none of this’ll even matter if I just give it some time.”

“Maybe…maybe not.” Your sparring partner murmurs, stretching her arms over one shoulder, then the other. “All I know is that there’s only so far in your head you can get before you can’t see what’s right in front of you.”

“…that’s pretty good.” You admit.

“Thanks! I stole it.”

At least that gets a chuckle out of you, despite everything you’re mulling over.

>>As stilted as it is, you feel like you’re getting somewhere with Meg. She seems pretty open, so maybe you could talk out your feelings about…(Write-in)

>>Nothing against Meg, but this just isn’t working. Wake up in the real and seek out one of your allies there to bounce some ideas off of…preferably one that won’t snitch.

>>The Dreamscape just isn't cutting it, and you're still itching for a brawl to work out this tension...maybe someone in the real would be open to a quick spar before the meeting?

>>You appreciate Meg being willing to hear you out, but you don’t want to dump all this on her all at once. Choose another one of the inhabitants of the Dreamscape to vent to...Shu and Gina left the lines open since everyone's home, so anyone is fair game.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(I do hope everyone’s day is going well, one and all. Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in roughly four.)

(As a bit of a touch-base, how is this update schedule working for everyone?)

File: ddrse08-a0e3b2ac-67ed-4cd(...).jpg (699 KB, 1200x1087)

699 KB JPG

>>4979443
>>As stilted as it is, you feel like you’re getting somewhere with Meg. She seems pretty open, so maybe you could talk out your feelings about…
this or the fourth one i think fit the best. I mean, I could see Rath still sparring more but i think at least continuing to talk would be preferable.
as for the topic... open to changing it but ill just go with;
>...Big Fluffy Moth Girls.

>>4979446
the day is technically going well, but i cant properly answer your second question because i currently have a set of chicks hatching and thats fugged up my ability to get any longterm sleep. but it worked well before so it probably is now its just bad overlap of things going on a bit.

>>4979463
+1 for moths

>>4979443
>>As stilted as it is, you feel like you’re getting somewhere with Meg. She seems pretty open, so maybe you could talk out your feelings about…(Write-in)
>Shu and Gina

>>4979446
Update schedule is working fine for me. My own schedule is currently fairly flexible, so I can fit this into it fine with the length you set for voting periods.

File: Lara, Evolved.jpg (624 KB, 1920x1920)

624 KB JPG

>>4979443

“Well, if there’s one thing I do know it’s that big fluffy moth girls are the fucking best.” You chuckle, leaning back while keeping your hands clutching the guardrail and hearing something pleasantly pop along your back. “Nice bit of downy silver lining in all this, at least.”

“What’s she like?” Meg asks, leaning her back against the railing and stretching idly. “Lara, right?”

“Lara, yeah. She’s…god, she’s really freaking cool.” You say, and you’d be angrier at the big dumb grin that spreads across your face if you could help it in the least. “There’s just something about her when I met her that just…clicked, I guess? Like when I first met…but Lara, there’s something about her that’s so chill, right? She’s just really sure of herself and her purpose. She used to be a park ranger, y’know? When she was telling me about it and how she’s protecting that same forest to this day, I was just in awe. I mean, how is that not the coolest thing ever? You loved a place so much that you vow to protect it like some sorta…druid-knight, or something? So freaking badass.”


“And the fluff?” Meg prompts with a conspiratorial wink.

“God, I’m just a sucker for floof.” You confess, feeling your cheeks start to glow. “And when she let me touch hers, it was just....fucking transcendental, man. Just wanna bury my face in there and just...hrng.”

“You’re a regular floof-goof.” Meg helpfully supplies.

“A marshmallow-fluff slut.” You counter guiltily.

“A cotton-candy harlot.”

“A memory-foam simp.”

“A swaddle-thot.”

“It may be better than Sir FuzzBuzz, even.”

Meg gasps.

“Heresy!”

“Ah shit, don’t tell Amara I said that!” You laugh, shaking your head. “Got carried away, sorry—Sir FuzzBuzz is the man, I can’t go disrespecting him like that.”

“So Lara’s tall, dark, and fluffy, and she sounds super cool…” Meg says, marking off each point in Lara’s favor with a finger before pointing them squarely at you. “...what’s really stopping you?”

“...I don’t want to close another pair of doors if I try and start something. I feel like a piece of shit, but there it is. It’s the whole reason I haven’t done anything yet, with anyone...and if that’s the way I feel, then if Lara even likes me like that then it’d be pretty shitty of me to lead her on.” You confess, riding the wave of laughter into one of stark honesty, if for just a few moments of boldness. “But they’re at such a good place right now, I just...they’re our family’s rock, y’know? And we’re right on the edge of the Disassociated leaving, figuring out whatever the fuck Mara and Magpie were up to, and then there’s the Cord sticking out there like the Crucible’s middle finger aimed right at us. Why bog them down with my shit when I don't even know if it's what I really want?"

(Continued)

>>4979698

Dragging in another lavender-tinged breath of air, you hold it in your lungs for a few seconds before exhaling deeply. “I dunno…it feels like I’m talking in circles about all this.”

“Well hey, guess what?”

“Wh-?”

You’re turning towards her when you feel the blow coming, before you well and truly see it. Her opening jab, bare knuckles instinctively swept aside by the taut muscles of your right arm forged into an iron-clad block. She’s re-chambered faster than thought, a right hook arcing towards your left temple, but a step brings you none-to-nose with your aggressor, your right fist held just short of her chin.

An upper, cut short.

“Your head’s cleared up! See?” Meg grins, her chin a hair’s breadth from your white-hot knuckles.

“Yeah…shit. I guess it did.” You mutter, impressed by your own speed…and maybe even more by your level of restraint. “Thanks.”

“No one’s telling you that you’ve gotta deal with anything right now, Rath.” She says, the two of you stepping out of the others’ space as you shake the excess heat out of your hands. “Cut the knot. Take your time untangling it. Either way, you gotta do what’s comfortable for you. Swarmers shouldn’t force themselves to outbox, and outboxers shouldn’t try and be a slugger if they’re not feeling it.”

You just nod, the prospect of either giving you knots in your stomach…but it’s not nearly as painful as it was before.

“Hey. Want a piece of non-boxing-related advice?” Meg offers.

“Shoot.”

“Too bad. Don’t have any.”

“Motherfucker.” You say bitterly, narrowing your eyes at the other girl before you both crack at the same time.

This...this has been nice. It’s been a relief to air out all this shit over the course of...actually, come to think of it all this has been, what? A minute or two in the real? You try not to stick in here for too long since time gets all janky, but you have to admit that this has helped to settle the buzzing in your skull.

For now, at least.

>>Go ahead and ask Meg a thing or two about herself...you’ve still got time until the meeting, thanks to the Dreamscape’s time-fuckery.

>>Wake up in the real, and seek out one of your waking-world allies to chat with (Write-In).

>>Hit up one of the other dream inhabitants...if not for a chat, then maybe a spar?

>>Only one way to test if you’re up for whatever’s coming next; challenge Meg to a rematch...powers enabled, this time.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(Hello one and all; voting shall remain open for the next four hours, with posting to resume promptly at 10AM on September 2nd, Eastern time. I do hope you have a restful evening, and thank you again for your patience and participation.)

>>4979699
>>Only one way to test if you’re up for whatever’s coming next; challenge Meg to a rematch...powers enabled, this time.

>>4979701
oh i probably will not have a restful evening for the rest of the week but i appreciate the thought.

>>4979463
>>4979705
(Sorry to hear your chick's are messing with your sleep schedule, and I do hope they let you get some rest soon. I had a friend of mine back in Georgia who kept up with farm animals, and it was a full-time job.)

File: EWDZsxOUcAM43RK.jpg (433 KB, 1000x1000)

433 KB JPG

>>4979709
indeed it is. thanks and ill be fine... eventually.

>>4979699
>>Only one way to test if you’re up for whatever’s coming next; challenge Meg to a rematch...powers enabled, this time.

>>4979701
Thank you too, BHOP! I still have no idea what's happening, but it has been a very comfortable and fluffy ride so far.

File: 1595512027531.jpg (1.05 MB, 2048x1942)

1.05 MB JPG

>>4979728
if you need any form of summary of the story feel free to ask us or Bhop.
these past two stories are just warm-up side stories so they're a bit more disconnected than the main story because of that.

>>4979699
>>Only one way to test if you’re up for whatever’s coming next; challenge Meg to a rematch...powers enabled, this time.
Meg's right to have Rath focus on the fundamentals, but at the end of the day she's going to be boxing with six arms instead of two. I think that changes things.

>>4979728
I've got to go deal with dinner, but once I'm done I can write up a summary if you'd like.

>>4979730
>>4979739
Yeah I remember they're side stories. The biggest issue here is not knowing the characters, actually.
I'd appreciate a list of names with short descriptions and some vague summary of the story/events to better navigate the quest, if it's not a problem. Thanks in advance, anons.
I'm going to sleep now so take your time.

>>4979748
Okay, back from dinner. Give me a few minutes and I'll get you a Dramatis Personae, with a summary taking a bit longer.

File: ES_ioQqUYAIHTMF.jpg (630 KB, 3000x3000)

630 KB JPG

>>4979748
>>4979772
ill let the other Anon handle the bulk then and fill in what details i think were missed and such.

>>4979772
Sorry, this is taking longer than I thought. I forgot how many characters we have. Even with me doing really short descriptions for some of them, it's taking a while.

File: Fuzzbuzz accepts his fate.jpg (29 KB, 300x300)

29 KB JPG

>>4979803
yeah our party alone is pretty big. add in the dream daughters and its a bit silly(in a good way though). then add in friends, passing but not unremarkable characters, enemies....

it works if you've read the story, because BHOP is good at conveying characters in what time he gives them. but in a summary the list gets long.

>>4979813
I'm skipping most of the Dream Daughters. A lot of them are throwaways, since we've only had one interaction with them. I'm mostly mentioning the repeat appearances. It's still a ton.

Okay, this took way longer than I was expecting it to. Here you go, Body Horror Quest Dramatis Personae. Tell me if I'm missing anything or misremembering anything.

https://pastebin.com/Bw88JiAm

>>4979868
Alpha, I forgot Alpha. Just realized that. Derp.

File: Marvelous Creations, One (...).jpg (693 KB, 1280x1280)

693 KB JPG

>>4979868
(Oh my word, this is wonderful. It was an absolute pleasure reading these, very well done.)

>>4979880
Oh, good. And now I need to make an actual summary of the plot, but that could take a while. You don't realize just how dense the quest's gotten until you sit down and actually try to sum things up. Well, maybe you do, since you're in the process of doing a massive overhaul of mechanics, but I didn't.

>>4979868
(If I may be so bold; would you be averse to me adding this to the opening links of each Vein?)

>>4979886
(It's a lot, so I'm honestly amazed you were able to pull this together in such a short period of time.)

>>4979891
>(If I may be so bold; would you be averse to me adding this to the opening links of each Vein?)
Sure. I just threw it together as a quick thing, but if you think it's good enough to be in the intro, go for it. Though I'm sure I'll have to update it eventually.

>(It's a lot, so I'm honestly amazed you were able to pull this together in such a short period of time.)
Arrogant fool that I was, I thought it would take even less time.

>>4979699
>>Go ahead and ask Meg a thing or two about herself...you’ve still got time until the meeting, thanks to the Dreamscape’s time-fuckery.

I'd like to find out more about what Meg went through pre crucible. We don't know much about her even though she's one of the dream daughters we've known the longest

>>4979868
look good. nothing major to say honestly.
though one line on Novembers could be worded better as it technically could be read as he losing happiness since she came to be with us.
perhaps the only other thing i an think to say is some sorta... i dunno, way to properly bring attention to people like B'ni. they're just so much more important even as someone who knew beforehand them just being randomly in the middle of the dream daughter section with an important description like that was kinda whiplash. you did a good job making it obvious she was more important, but that also makes it strange how shes just thrown in there willy nilly like everyone else. to be fair though too the fact she was a previous party member probably does alot to make her place there feel odd too.
not mentioning Marrow Dragoons current place guarding the Cord for us seems like a very big oversight, as otherwise her lack of... ever being around may seem odd.

all that being said, very nicely done Anon. I applaud your work heavily.

would've responded sooner but my computers suddenly giving me problems. hopefully that will be fixed later today.

File: Submerged.png (315 KB, 552x543)

315 KB PNG

(Good Morning, Dear Readers. Due to some rather catastrophic flooding in my state, I've arrived at work to find the internet down, phones out, and two feet of water in the basement. Given today's unusual circumstances, I shall be postponing the next update until I can get a better handle on how this situation is going to progress, but I'll be posting regular updates here until I have an idea of when I can resume.)

(Thank you for your patience, one and all.)

File: all the colors of the Crucible.gif (1.98 MB, 500x500)

1.98 MB GIF

>>4980268
It didn't even cross my mind you're in the east and the east is currently getting hurricane'd.
you take care of that and whatever else you need to, yeah. hope things end up alright.

>>4980268
Oh my. My condolences, BHOP. I hope things get resolved soon, I know it's a mess in general in that part of the country.

>>4980133
Took your advice into account. Fixed the wording in November's entry, moved B'Ni into a designated Former Party Members section with a longer entry, and added Marrow Dragoon's current location. Also included that we had to kill Magpie but she erased her mindstate, the fact that A is probably named Alicja and is Polish, and added an entry for West Alpha.

https://pastebin.com/eL2zTZ4f

(Cleanup is going slowly, so thank you all for bearing with the delay. Systems are still out here, so I'll likely head home at some point. I'll let everyone know when I do.)

>>4980276
>>4980279
(Thank you for your kind words, truly.)

>>4980340
(Ah, very nice! Quite welcome additions, and thank you for writing all this up.)

File: 1630609173876.jpg (378 KB, 1200x798)

378 KB JPG

>>4979868
Horee fook that is a lot indeed. Thank you anon. Sorry for not checking it out sooner.
I'll probably read it when the characters come up to organically absorb the info.

>MC's a lesbian and her geek GF writes smut in the first two paragraphs
kek, quality
>>4980340
>Full name is likely "Alicja". Polish, often peppers speech with Polish phrases.
It's always the polish, kurwa. Do you remember in which thread was her name implied?

>>4980268
>>4980353
Sorry to hear that you're submerged OP.

>>4980487
>It's always the polish, kurwa. Do you remember in which thread was her name implied?
It was one of the interlude threads, which get blood vessel-related names instead of numbers. Looking it up, it's thread Capillary. http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/3933303/

A figure in her memory called her @/!(J@, the l33t speak representing how her memory was garbled. Translating that, @=a, /=l, !=i, (=c. ALICJA. Together with her being Polish, and Alicja being a Polish woman's name, I'm assuming that's what the A stands for.

File: Blade and Swarm, in Accord.jpg (410 KB, 1280x1297)

410 KB JPG

(Back home as of five minutes ago, and I'd like to put something to a vote.)

(If I start the next combat section now, there's no guarantee I'd be able to conclude it by Friday, as plans have materialized over the long weekend. Furthermore, I'm actually in the middle of updating all of Rath's abilities and compressing them into the new format so starting sooner would basically be a blend of relying on the old character sheet but with the new combat legend.)

(Alternatively, considering that work is likely to be a wash ha tomorrow as well, if you like we can instead pause here briefly and begin combat on Tuesday of next week with Rath's skill trees fully compressed.)

(Please let me know which you would prefer, and if it's the former then I already have the post ready to go so I can upload it wither tonight or first thing tomorrow morning at 10AM—once again, whatever works better for everyone if that's what you'd like to go with.)

(I'll leave voting open for the next three hours, and I hope everyone's day is going well.)

>>4980514
Thanks once again, infoanon.
I couldsee that ¥337 speak and I'm polish, but thanks for the elaboration anyway.

>>4980546
I'm neutral, but since you're in the middle of 7zipping Rath, maybe waiting till the Tuesday would be better?

>>4980546
I'm fine with waiting.

>>4980572
>I couldsee that ¥337 speak and I'm polish, but thanks for the elaboration anyway.
I assumed, but figured I should spell it out anyway for the benefit of anyone else wondering about the logic.

File: Goth Rath.png (2.65 MB, 1800x2100)

2.65 MB PNG

>>4980546
Waiting sounds like it would work better yeah.

File: Spoiler Image (892 KB, 800x1130)

892 KB JPG

>>4980340
looks good.
nice job, and thanks aswell(even if im not the one who needs it).
now chop chop on adding an entry for EVERY character ever introduced!
im joking.

>>4980546
oh, also, look what i still have.
no its not THAT image other anons but i DO still have THAT image too.

>>4980546
I'm fine with waiting until Tuesday, BHOP. It sounds like things are busy for you at the moment, take as much time as you need to get things sorted and enjoy your weekend.

>>4980546

I'm happy to wait until Tuesday.

>>4980687
wait WHAT image

>>4980773
the original image for Shus core ability. want it?

>>4980572
>>4980660
>>4980677
>>4980690
>>4980727

(Okay, I believe I will and focus on buckling down to finish Rath's 7zipping. Thank you all for weighing in, and thus the next update will post on September 7th, 10AM Eastern time.)

>>4980775

(I thought you were referring to Ivey's original character art, actually.)

File: Spoiler Image (322 KB, 2048x2048)

322 KB JPG

>>4980780
i think you were too quick on the deletion for me to even consider saving it BHOP. I do have this in my BHOP Quest folder though.

>>4980785
(Oh, I still have both the SFW and decidedly NSFW versions. The last thing I needed that day was a ban, so many thanks for the anons who pointed it out.

(Also, that image is hilarious, well played.)

>>4980775
Sure?

File: Spoiler Image (202 KB, 620x800)

202 KB JPG

>>4980809
you asked.

>>4980815
Oh, I remember that one. Yeah, that was gross. The commonality of trypophobia means that Hive Mistress powers have some of the most potential to be unsettling to people.