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Your name is Shu, and you fear the girl you once knew as your first and best friend is planning to end your life…

…again.

"So lemme get this fucking straight." Rath begins, uttering the first coherent sentence since she began her infuriated pacing/muttering combo five minutes ago. It's saying something that Julia doesn't attempt to call Rath out on her language given Amara’s proximity, and she merely listens in resigned silence as the redhead recaps what you just witnessed through the eyes of your old friend.

“She beats a proxy that West’s put part of herself into Voldemort-style, then West-not-West says she’s already at the Cord and is just being a bitch with a bunch of clone bitches runnin’ around, right?” She growls, and you nod wearily. “Then…and this is the real kicker…THEN B’ni’s got the gall to threaten you, saying she ‘knows what she’s gotta do,’ so some shit. What does that even mean?! Is that a threat, or…or is she just going to sod off to the Cord, or…what?”

“I don’t know.” You say with a heavy sigh, the image of your first death at B’ni’s hands etched in your mind’s eye. Writ large, bold in amethyst and scarlet.

"Um, Miss G-Guide?" Julia says, turning to the Daughter hovering impassively nearby, its expressionless face the only visible flesh on the limbless torso of wire and sheet metal. "What would it c-cost to suppress or...j-just stop Shu's connection to this other g-girl?"

“We simply ask that one among you submit to a variety of tests to ensure our main endeavor meets all safety thresholds for all possible classes and sub-classifications of Daughters.” She explains monotonously. “The procedure is merely a sustained diagnostic that will last several hours and will leave no lasting effects on the Daughter in question. After the diagnostic, then we would be willing to begin the disentanglement procedure.”

Your mouth is just opening to reply when two voices ring out in unison.

“Get me started on that doctor shit right now so we…”

“Then I will happily v-volunteer myself for…”

Rath and Julia’s simultaneous and immediate offers run together, the two girls sharing a glance as they give each other a moment's pause.

“No.” You say loudly, shaking your head to avoid the argument you’re certain you brawler is about to launch into. “Give me some time to think about this before we do anything rash, alright? I just need to think for a little while, alright?”

You watch Rath seethe in place, a deep orange flooding her face as she grits her teeth together harder than is healthy. With a final, frustrated huff, she rounds on the Guide.

Previous Vein: >>3488238

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

Character Abilities: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15ctgm_liaNO0e0B6zAcIUrmfDN0tWiXds3L4FvogI2M/edit#gid=0

Relics: https://pastebin.com/8qNSREwW

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bodyhorrorquest?lang=en
>>
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“You got a place I can punch a thing?” Rath growls. The Guide whirs a moment in the air before you.

“Permission granted to visit the testing facil…” Comes the mechanized reply, but she’s already turned on her heel and started storming off.

“I’ll figure it out, thanks.” She says over one shoulder, bounding up a set of stairs embedded in the one side of the superstructure, and moments later she’s gone from sight. The Guide turns to you with a droll expression.

“I have just been informed that the group designated ‘Midnight Crew’ have departed. They appear to have taken shelter when Mara, alias Marrow Dragoon, was spotted flying westwards towards Carroll’s Forest.” The Guide explains monotonously, your stomach going tight with a paradox of hope and dread. Hope for having a clear shot at leaving this place with ease, and dread at Mara’ encroachment on her prey…your insides clenching further at the thought that her success would make your life considerably easier.

Her failure, on the other hand…

“Is there a Haynation here?” Amara asks the Guide, hands behind her back. The Guide merely arcs one hairless eyebrow.

“S-she means a W-Waystation.” Julia elaborates, putting her hands on the little girl’s shoulders and smiling weakly down at her.

“No. We pride ourselves in the utmost security of this development facility. We have no need of the Waystations or their caretaker. The closest one is to the south, from whence your group came.” The Guide explains, and you can’t help the bitter chuckle that shudders through your lungs. After all, West is somewhere in these halls.

You glace over to where Julia’s kneels down, wrapping her arms around your youngest ally. Amara, meanwhile, just looks at you with one blue and one hazel eye, concern set deep within the gaze of someone wiser than their years.

She worried, and she has every right to be.

You can empathize.

>>You need to drop off B’ni’s radar as quickly as possible, so go ahead and volunteer (Rath/Julia/Amara/yourself) for the procedure to get it over with. You have to keep your team safe, and this is the clearest way to do it.

>>Reach out to Gina and Dorian, tell them both to come to the Disassociated Ones’ home as soon as possible. You’re not sure for how long this place will be safe with the Midnight Crew possibly milling about on the surface, but it’s doubtless better than where they are right now.

>>Ask to speak to the leader here and let them know that one of Doctor West’s proxies is currently among them. You’ll keep things calm, but they need to know the threat that lurks in their halls. Also, you have some questions you’d like the answers to.

>You want to navigate this place as a group, with West about and the motives of these people still an unknown. Take Julia and Amara in hand and find Rath, telling Amara a story while you go.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
>>3506532
>>Reach out to Gina and Dorian, tell them Isabelle might be on her way and to find a better place to hide, but not to tell you intil you cut your connection to her.
>>Ask to speak to the leader here and let them know that one of Doctor West’s proxies is currently among them. You’ll keep things calm, but they need to know the threat that lurks in their halls.
>>You need to drop off B’ni’s radar as quickly as possible, so go ahead and volunteer yourself for the procedure to get it over with. You have to keep your team safe, and this is the clearest way to do it.

Keep everyone safe, but dont let Dorian or Gina get ambushed on their way here. Keep the Dos safe too, from wests influence.

Keep us safe, as we cant afford to keep feeding Isabelle information, so long as she may be after us directly.
>>
>>3506535
+1
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next two hours, Gentlemen.)
>>
>>3506537
>>3506535
Something's telling me that Rath's an anger issue is one that won't subside (we already know she's got anger issues) unless we take a proactive approach that silences a source of her anger that involves her punching it (Dr. West, B'ni, Midnight Crew, etc.), lest she destroys herself from the inside out.
>>
>>3506564
We can give Rath something to punch once we are in a better situation to do that with.
>>
>>3506532
>You want to navigate this place as a group, with West about and the motives of these people still an unknown. Take Julia and Amara in hand and find Rath, telling Amara a story while you go.
>>
>>3506564
We also are in no position to deal with any of those threats except for maybe the midnight crew in Raths a hothead but she also isnt stupid, and would want us to make sure everyone is safe and everything is in order before we go off and let loose on a fist related issue.
>>
>>3506532
Agreed with >>3506535. Supporting. We're done with B'Ni. She's just not worth it anymore. And then after that we can explore this neat new place while we explain who B'Ni is to Amara, and then meet with Rath to figure out something to punch and make us all feel better. The desire to beat the tension out isn't limited to her.

>>3506583
I also think that just seeing Shu do something decisive about the issue will help. Severing the link and making the clear statement that B'Ni is to be treated as an enemy now should at least give her something to focus on.
>>
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>>3506532

You reach out, through dense walls of steel, over the River of Tears, and across the fleshscape to speak urgently into Gina’s mind.

{Hey there, what’s u…} She begins, faltering as events of the past few hours flood into her mind. {Shu, I…I’m so sorry. I’m coming to you right now, you’re hur…}

[Stay there] You reply sharply. [I’m taking the Disassociated Ones’ offer and cutting the cord with B’ni. Take Dorian and get somewhere safe. Don’t tell me where, don’t even think about it until I reach out to you first, okay?]

{…Okay} She says softly, a pulse of worry reaching you from miles away. {Please be safe, and I’ll wait to hear from you, just…just be safe, Shu}

Her presence slips out of your mind as you turn to the Guide, a cold breeze whispering through the impossibly large hall.

“I'd like an audience with the Daughter in charge here. I have information they’ll be very interested in.” You say, and the mechanized torso hums thoughtfully for a moment before voicing their level reply.

“That is a possibility, though it will take some time to arrange a meeting.” She explains, dull grey eyes boring into yours. “In the meantime, we may proceed with the diagnostics and subsequent disentanglement as your payment. Who do you wish to volunteer for the first phase?”

“Myself.” Comes your immediate reply, thrusting out a hand to silence Julia’s protest.

“Very well. Allow me to see if our head physician has an opening for you. Follow me.”

You, Julia, and Amara comply, the Daughter leading you down corridor after frigid corridor, finally stopping before a simple door. It slides open at the Guide’s silent command, revealing yet another sterile cell, stark alabaster tile blinding after an endless labyrinth of onyx metal. The Guide darts ahead as the entrance closes behind you, disappearing behind a set of swinging double-doors with small circular portals set at eye-level.

The Guide re-emerges and tilts in mid-air, a curious sort of bow as she announces the physician’s entrance, the double doors swinging open to reveal a tall, slender woman. She’s clad in an ornate kimono, a choice that clashes with the mechanical helmet that obscures the majority of her face. A trio of robotic tendrils flick out impatiently from underneath the cherry-red cloth, and a tired sigh escapes the woman’s lips the moment she…wait.

The way she moves, the curve of her lips…no.

“Doctor West will see you now.”

“Ah, of course.” West clips dryly, an irritated frown tugging at her pursed lips. "I suppose this is the part where I’d say something terribly clever Darling, but I'm really not in the mood.”

>>Turn down the procedure. You’ll figure something else out if it’s West running the show here.

>>You need to get the hell out of here right now. Take your allies, find Rath, and leave this place.

>>Hold your ground and demand an explanation.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next two hours, Gentlemen.)
>>
>>3506617
>"For once Dr. Quack, I'm also not in the mood for asking you for an explanation. Let's just get this procedure over with."
>>
>>3506641
I dont trust her for one second not to pull something on us if we let her do this. We simply cannot trust her.

>>3506617
Damn you BHOP and your bamboozlements.

>>Hold your ground and demand an explanation.
As much as i want to take the second option, i think if she was gonna outright attack us or turn the DOs against us, it would already have happened.
>>
>>3506617
>>Write-In
>"Yes, we could say all sorts of droll banter at each other. Guide, Dr. Francine West has no ethical principles that I am aware of, and I am not comfortable with submitting myself to any sort of medical examination or experimentation performed by her. Do you have any other surgeons on staff?"
>>
>>3506644
>>3506645
Yeah i was just about to say add in
>Ask for a different doctor.
But adding this Anons statement to mine works better.
>>
>>3506644
Did you read this proxy's mood? I'd rather treat her like the Ebon Dragon. You're safe if she's scowling, but when she smiling, that's when things are gone to shit.
>>
>>3506658
Which is why the ideal way to deal with West is to keep her as annoyed with the situation as possible by not complying with her. Maybe we should say that we don't just not trust her professional ethics, but also her skill. "Yeah, I've seen the dog's breakfast she made out of those schoolgirls, I don't trust this lady to operate on anything more complicated than a swarmling."
>>
>>3506658
Nah, trusting West ever is a mistake
>>
If we ever get to speak with Mother again we should probably raise the issue of Dr.West's connections and her apparent ability to fly under the radar, as she obviously isn't at the top of Charon's hit list because since we saw Charon prosecuting others earlier, there is no way that this is anywhere near approaching fair or balanced at all especially since having her be effectively all over the place simultaneously is disconcerting especially considering that we right now are hovering at around 50% on the Threat Index considering that she now may have her foot in the door with the Dissociated Ones.This leads me to believe that there is something going on with what West is telling us either she is nowhere near as spread out as she wants up believe or she is masking her presence form Mother somehow witch makes me think that she may be influencing the Chord where ever her main body is.
>>
>>3506658
But Anon, West is almost always smiling.

...Oh, shit.
>>
>>3506673
Anon, we've broached this subject earlier in the previous thread. The reason why Mother approves of Dr. West despite having her main body inside the Cord is that West's MO of ascending the cord and winning the game creates a chaotic world-state that Mother endorses. It's how Mother would like her ideal winning Daughter to win.
>>
>>3506673
Charon doesn't go after West because Charon's task is not to ensure a fair game. Charon's task is to ensure a game at all. A Daughter finding an OP strategy isn't an issue, so long as she still contributes to this being a horrible deathworld that will eventually result in a single Daughter slaughtering all others and becoming the new Mother. It's only a problem if they're like us or (from the comments their leader made) that other group Charon killed, and are trying to disrupt the game. Make peace instead of war, discourage evil tactics, and aim to topple Mother's throne entirely instead of claim it for your own. It actually makes me a little worried for the Monastery, Mother might see them as just inconsequential idlers for now but I would expect Charon to go after them eventually.
>>
>>3506685
No, Monastery's fine. Mother won't touch it because recent events (Elder Uzu's death, Younger Uzu being on the edge of a mental breakdown/succumbing to a Hunger fit) have thrown that place into sprialling chaos.
>>
>>3506688
True, though I was really thinking if it does manage to hold. If the Sisters start pulling things together, I can see Charon being sent in to make sure they fail. They're even built right atop a waystation, it's not good.
>>
>>3506685
Well I think part of why the Monastery has lasted so long is that the daughter's there aren't getting stronger. They aren't lowering their threat level, but not raising it either or at least raise it too slowly for it to be an issue for a long time. They aren't disrupting the game, but rather they're not participating and have removed themselves from it, waiting patiently for someone else to end it.
>>
>>3506692
Sure. Like I said, they're just idling this match out. But I worry that eventually Mother is going to get bored with that and try to shake them up.
>>
>>3506692
The only way the Monastery's threat level would be raised is if Mara somehow caught B'ni.
>>3506694
Mother already shook the game up not 3 days ago by increasing the hunger rate. That alone caused lots of tension in the Monastery with the effect of Elder Uzu's death and Younger Uzu getting overstressed to the edge of succumbing to the hunger.
>>
Shu should just shut the fuck up, gosh she's so annoying.
>>
>>3506617

"Yeah, we could say all sorts of droll banter at each other. Guide, West has no ethical principles that I am aware of, and I am not comfortable with submitting myself to anything performed by her. Do you have any other surgeons on staff?"

“I beg your pardon!” Guide yells, taking you aback at how her visage of bored serenity is shattered. “This one would not be here today if it weren’t for Francine’s skills in…”

“Celia, it’s fine. I appreciate you standing up for me, but I'm afraid Shu has a point.” West replies, lifting her helmet a fraction to massage one of her temples. “The interactions they’ve had with my peers have been overwhelmingly negative, and I’d assume that one of them’s done something particularly abhorrent to prompt this sort of reaction.”

“You’re goddamn right you did. I saw what you did Maria, Ceres, Dinea, and Maggie. That little girl couldn’t have been older then Amara, you sick fuck.” You growl, a sick, burning heat building in your stomach. “Guide, I don't trust this lady to operate on anything more complicated than a…”

The Guide’s pale face is a mild shade of pink, her body’s attempt at a blush of anger. She opens her mouth once more to scold you for speaking out against West but to your surprise the Doctor places a finger to her lips, silencing the other girl.

“Please leave us, Celia. I won’t be long, I assure you.” After a moment’s hesitation, the Guide leaves the room, backing away while staring daggers at you and your team. With a weary sigh West leans back, the floor rising to meet her as it forms simple stool that she now rest upon.

“My condolences, for what they’re worth…though considering how you must view me then I’d imagine they’re rather worthless.” She says, slipping of the helmet and shaking free her head of dirty-blonde hair. “Allow me to make two things very clear, Miss Shu. First, this form has exactly one offensive tool, being a Fibro-Neuro Hybrid I was installed with at the moment of my creation. It’s level three, so overpowering me would be trivial for you, Darling. Second, we can forego the examination and proceed directly to the severing of the entanglement Celia mentioned. It’s an in and out procedure and your allies are welcome to stay as insurance. The Disassociated Ones’ plans are nearing completion, and I’m afraid I have too much on my plate to consider a pointless tousle with you that I have no personal stake in. Understood?”

You’re not sure what’s more disconcerting; the fact that you’re staring at the face of the woman that killed Ceres’ team, or that your empathic field is telling you that what she just said was in earnest.

>>”…Fine. Let’s get this over with, but we will end you if you try anything.”

>>”…No dice, Doctor. I’ll figure something else out.” Leave and return to Rath.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
>kill the doctor, return to Rath
>>
>>3506779
>”…Fine. Let’s get this over with, but we will end you if you try anything.”
Something tells me that Each West proxy has developed their own perspective as their own egos. They're aware of each other, but their personal lives as West's clones leaves them in a situation not unlike Gemma.
>>
>>3506779
>”…Fine. Let’s get this over with, but we will end you if you try anything.”
I don't trust her but I trust our empathic field. Let's get this part over with 'cuz we have shit to do and questions to ask. Like "what plan?" for example.

I figured that the DO would at least try to find a way to disable the "instant death" feature that triggers in all surviving daughters at the Crucible's completion.
>>
>>3506779
>>”…Fine. Let’s get this over with, but we will end you if you try anything.”
I hate west. I despise west.
...but west is not a liar.
Unfortunately, if we do not sever the connection, we are FUCKED. Im not sure what is going on, maybe she is a proxy that split and has its own goals, maybe in a round bout way she is simply saying whatever goal main West gave her is more important than anything else, i dunno.

I do not trust her one bit, but we have just learned the DOs cant be trusted, even if this West is somehow technically innocent. Our best bet is get what we need and get out.
>>
>>3506799
For all we know she can trick our field, however the minute the guide took her side, if she had any true ill intent against us, she could've easily had something done.

Instead she defended our position. Unfortunately, it does show she is probably beings honest. Worse case is she wont do anything simply to get us out of the way peacefully as soon as possible.
>>
>>3506824
You know... I keep on wondering about West. If she's made it to the Cord, but took the time to make clones and disperse, why? And has there been an incident among West's proxies where a case of Split personality conflict (aka Gemma's Situation) has occurred amongst Dr West?
Also, I've got an earlier and longer work shift than usual today. I'd hate to leave this early but work is work, and I need to bring food on the plate.
>>
>>3506779
>>”…No dice, Doctor. I’ll figure something else out.” Leave and return to Rath.
>>Write-In
"God, you can't even see how you've been compromised, can you? Your creator did a real number on you. Makes sense, don't let a spy realize it's a spy and it can't be interrogated. I wonder why she bothered to keep you remembering you're Francine West, though? Odd. Well, best of luck on your endeavors, Doctor. I hope the core doesn't gloat too badly when it all comes crashing down."

She responded to us as if she had a personal knowledge of prior interactions with us, despite claiming to not be connected with the other Wests. And the core West is using her as an information source on the Disassociated. She's clearly in contact with the rest of the collective, her being honest just means that she can't consciously realize that. She's a plant, it doesn't matter if she's earnest, it just means that she'll act against us without even knowing why she's doing it.
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next one and a half hours, Gentlemen.)
>>
>>3506779
>Dr.West, your creator self has been using you as a spy without your knowledge
>>
>>3506837
Easy, because the cord is hard as fucking hell to climb, and multiple West can collect resources faster than one.

>>3506843
You have a point, but we also dont know when she was created, nor how the connection works. Maybe she has her own metal plate in her head.

Begrudgingly, the issue here is, we cannot do anything else until we sever the connection to Isabelle. Shes made herself a direct threat and until we can be sure she isn't one, or are safe enough from her finding us, thats the priority. And we have no other way to cut or surpress the connection. I hate it, i despise west, this fuck even if innocent can go shove it up her ass for all i care....
...but she also is our only way to get done what needs to get done. Again, even if subconsciously comprimised, if she wished to fuck us over...or west from afar, the best moment for it has passed. Im more than positive the DOs could kill us, if only by merit of we don't even know how to leave here, so home field advantage plus trapped.
>>
>>3506871
>You have a point, but we also dont know when she was created, nor how the connection works. Maybe she has her own metal plate in her head.
The fact that she believes our relationship with the rest of the Wests to be a negative one means that her last update was at minimum when we destroyed West's lab. Up until then it was neutral, that was the point of definite transition between "West is dangerous, but useful enough to maintain a working relationship with" to "West is a monster that needs to be killed at the soonest possible opportunity". So unless this West is less than three days old, and she doesn't appear to be with how she's worked her way into the Disassociated's good graces, there's no way that she's running on old intel. She clearly has the ability to both send and receive information to and from the rest of the West collective. She is compromised. I'd rather keep the connection with Isabelle, risky as it is, then let a West clone that doesn't even realize it's still working for the Doctor fiddle around in our brain meats.
>>
>>3506871
Also, I'm not worried about this West killing us. You're right, she already had an opportunity for that while the Vault was swallowing us. I'm worried about her doing brain surgery when she just said "oh, hey, I've got Neuromancer powers". Because then SHU is going to be the one compromised. There are all sorts of nasty things she could do to us.
>>
>>3506910
Although she's only a level 3 neuromancer and we're linked to one that's 4 levels higher and counting.
>>
>>3506953
No, she thinks she's a level three Neuromancer. She's a plant, she doesn't know what her level is.
>>
>>3506891
>>3506910
I disagree, keeping the connection is a death sentence.

However, ill compromise a bit.
>>3506779
>>3506812
Add in;
>Question her harshly on what she means and why we should trust her. She talks about the other proxies like they are not her, yet knows our relationship with them.
>>
>>3506779
>>>”…No dice, Doctor. I’ll figure something else out.” Leave and return to Rath.
>>
>>3506974
>I disagree, keeping the connection is a death sentence.
Less of a death sentence than letting West fiddle around in our brain, in my opinion. But you're right, let's compromise. Ask West some questions, probe her brain to see if the core West bothered to give her the ability to provide coherent answers or if the logic just breaks down.

>>3506779
Changing my vote.

>>Write-In
>"Uh huh. You reacted to my presence here even before I started laying accusations. How do you know who I am and that I'm upset with the rest of your hive, West? It can't be the Disassociated's own intelligence, they would have known not to put us together, then. And it can't be old information, because the time frame between you becoming our enemy and now doesn't give this iteration enough time to work your way into the Disassociated's good graces. You have to have some connection to the other Wests, what is it?"
>>
>>3506993
Actually, change that "old information" to "legacy information", that works better.
>>
>>3506993
We have some reason, no matter how small, to believe that this West might not harm us. We have no reason at all to think Isabelle wont harm us. Pretty cut and dry which is the bigger threat to me.
>>
>>3507060
And if motive was the only factor, then I'd agree with you. But there are also issues of how easy it is to evade the threat, and even with a telepathic link to us we can hypothetically stay ahead of Isabelle long enough to get strong enough to kill her. We can't stay ahead of whatever West implants in our brain.
>>
>>3507068
If Isabelle knows where we are, she's gonna reach us before we are strong enough to face her if that is her goal. We survive if she cant find us, no other way. So long as we have the connection, that isn't an option.
>>
>>3507081
Yes, but for now the connection is intermittent. In theory we can change course after every bleed-over and stay away from her that way. We're trading one big problem that we have trouble avoiding to one big problem that we're still probably going to have trouble avoiding and one big problem that we can't avoid at all.
>>
>>3507086
I disagree. We dont know sues gonna mess with our head, she has a chance she will not, and even if she did, if it was to harm us, she already had a better chance, if its something else, we already know Gina can interrupt such plans.

The connection is already too big a problem and will only become a bigger one. Not cutting it while we can regardless of who, is a stupid move.
>>
>>3506779
>”…No dice, Doctor. I’ll figure something else out.” Leave and return to Rath.
She has literally always been trying to look under the hood of us, I do not trust her one but.
>>
>>3507098
If you think West isn't going to mess with our brains then I'm sorry, but you're living in a fantasy world. There is zero chance she's trustworthy, you're just convincing yourself she is because you want to be rid of B'Ni that badly. And I get that, I want B'Ni gone too. But we're not going to solve that problem by throwing more problems on top of it. B'Ni will still be hunting for us and we'll have to deal with whatever West did to us too. Gina being able to disrupt West's dreamscape attacks doesn't help if she does any of the many other things that could be done by meddling with our brain. For example, here's a nasty thought, what if West could track us now? She wants to kill Shu and Gina, too. And Gina can't solve that problem, or we wouldn't be here in the first place.
>>
We should at least ask if there is someone else that can do the Procedure

While we could change course every bleedover it might be difficult to always notice them in time and it will probably become very inconvenient or downnright dangerous if it happens during a time sensitive matter

IF West truly is the only one that can do the Procedure we should consult with the others first

If she is and we agfree to it. We should get the crew and ask Gina to be on Overwatch in case West tries something with neuromancy during the procedure though i would rather not let West mess with our Head
>>
>>3507112
No, see, with that logic i can just say you are trying to convince yourself because you want to keep the connection, as West has not actually ever lied aswell as our empathic field having been extremely accurate and even noticable when not working right. Your entire argument is based off the assumption this West MUST be comprimised, while we have little proof of that and there could be many other explanations, while mine is based on the very real threat of a dangerous individual we know will kill us on sight at the very least if we end up near her.

I hate West, i want nothing more than to KILL this individual. But the connection and Isabelle are simply bigger and more imediate threats to us.
>>
i can’t shake the feeling that ever since my new employment, the tone that Shu and anons have been taking has become more and more murderhobo-esque
>>
>>3506779

“…Fine. Let’s get this over with, but we will end you if you try anything.”

She ignores your threat, instead gesturing languidly to the reclining table that assembles itself out of the stool she rises from. You hesitantly take the offered seat, watching West open a hatch in the far wall and pluck a selection of instruments from within. A glance to your right reveals Julia on edge, having already ushered Amara to the far corner of the room where she holds her whistle at the ready, holding her breath with cheeks puffed full of air, ready to blow.

“West, I’d imagine you’d like to know that your creator has been using you as a spy without your knowledge. I wonder why she even bothered to keep you remembering you're Francine West, though.” You muse, watching her face closely as you speak, searching for any fluctuations in your empathic field.

“Your attempts to needle me are admirable, but I’m fully aware of my connection to the West, Darling.” She says with a grim smirk, returning to your side and placing a variety of wires and metal fragments on the arm extension of your chair. “Each Proxy is tasked with either information or resource gathering, and are expected to upload data at regular intervals or in the event of occurrences of note. We send that information to West, as I did when you arrived, then she sends us a truncated update of what’s happened that may come sooner or later, depending on urgency.”

“Hm.” You murmur, watching her fiddle with the objects she’s gathered, her electric blue eyes intent on her craft. “You mentioned that the Disassociated Ones’ plans are almost complete. What’s that entail?”

“Escaping the Crucible, if their name wasn’t enough of a clue.” She say with a droll tone, closing one eye as she leans close to your ear, taking rudimentary measurements with thumb and forefinger. “They’re none too terribly concerned with the state of things outside their little box, here. Their leader was familiar with this place, so after gathering many like-minded Daughters of skill such as myself, they started work on disassembling the warheads that were held here.

“W-warheads?” Julia sputters, taking a step forwards. “D-do you m-mean…”

“Of the nuclear variety, Darling.” West replies as her slender fingers work the wire into a particular curve. “Mother tried her damnedest to scrub all conventional weaponry from the face of the planet before waking anyone up, but the weapons here escaped her notice, it seems. There was some debate early on as to whether or not to fire them at the Cord in an act of defiance or repurpose them into fuel for the shuttle, and they eventually settled on the latter.”

“Shuttle? As in…space shuttle?” You ask, and West merely hums in acknowledgement.

“Oh, indeed. They’re almost ready to launch the shuttle that will allow them to pierce Mother’s womb and escape to the stars.”

(Continued)
>>
>>3507141

“I thought they’d d-die the moment someone wins the C-Crucible, though?” Julia asks, and West simply chuckles under her breath.

“Ah, if they were anything resembling Daughters at the point the win-condition was me, then you’d be absolutely correct, my dear.” She says, holding the mass of wires and steel next to your ear with a measuring eye. “As of now, most of them are entirely machine-based lifeforms, ghosts in the shell, and all that. They’d be exempt when the Crucible’s kill switch is triggered for the sole fact that most of them have thrown away their humanity.”

“So what’s your purpose here, then?” You prompt, keeping a watchful eye on her dexterous hands and flicking tendrils.

“Providing exposition to you on a regular basis, apparently.” She replies sourly, a crackle of electricity arcing along the wires at her fingertips.

“I’m serious. How do you know who I am and that I'm upset with the rest of your hive, West? It can't be the Disassociated's own intelligence, they would have known not to put us together, then. And it can't be legacy information, because of the time frame between you becoming our enemy and now.”

“You annihilated the Sparagmos Engine and destroyed West’s lab. It doesn’t take a hive mind of geniuses to realize you and West are on opposing sides after that bridge was burned.” She says coolly, striding back over to the cabinet to retrieve another assortment of bits and bobs. “The latter of those incidents is the latest update I’ve received, so I’d not be surprised if you’d done much more to irritate West in that interval. Now, regarding the other half of your question, I’ve been here five months give or take. I came onboard at West’s behest to serve as back-up in case her attempt to win the Crucible fails…then at least there’d be some aspect of herself that survived this.”

“So why are you so different than the other proxies we’ve encountered? They’ve done some monstrous things, but you seem to be well respected here, if Gu…Celia’s words are anything to go by.”

There. A shift in emotions, a blend of pride and shame warping together in her mind.

“I’d like to think my time disconnected from the others has given me something akin to perspective, I suppose.” She replies with another shrug of her angular shoulders. “At least enough to realize who and what I am…or maybe I’m just kidding myself. Your condemnation of me may be frustrating given that I’ve never met the people West took from you, but I cannot deny that those acts were performed by aspects of myself that I’d much rather keep at arm’s length.”

You’re caught off guard when she chuckles, a soft, sad noise drifting across the room as she makes her way back to your side.

“It’s amusing, really. We can be through with our pasts all we like, Darling…but as long as we’re alive our pasts aren’t through with us.”

(Continued)
>>
>>3506779
…No dice, Doctor. I’ll figure something else out.” Leave and return to Rath.
>>
>>3507129
No, you couldn't say I'm trying to convince myself because I want to keep the connection. That's completely unconnected to the things I've been saying, I've at least been taking your motivations at your word. Come on man, keep it together. Now, you could say it's that I'm overestimating the threat West poses compared to B'Ni. Which is possible, but I don't think I am. This West iteration has been acting extremely suspicious, we're all fucked, because it looks like "let her fiddle around in our brain meats" won >>3507141. Fucking yay.


>>3507141
Okay, but that is cool for the Disassociated. They're making an Orion drive? Nice. It's probably not going to work, because two years is not enough time to perfect the pusher plate design and focused nuclear pulse system, but nice.
>>
>>3507146

“Here, it’s done.” She sighs, handing you a compressed ball of wire and metal. You take it reluctantly, arcing an eyebrow at West as you watch her gather her instruments.

“You barely touched me.” You say, testing the palm-sized orb’s weight in your grasp.

“I didn’t want to lose a hand.” West chirps back. “I’ve learned a great deal since I helped sever Dragoon and Magpie’s entanglement. Hold this next to your ear and it will travel through your ear canal to attach itself to your frontal cortex. It will immediately target and disrupt the source of the bleed-over, while leaving all other neurological abilities and ties active.”

You just stare at her, holding your puzzled expression long enough for her to give you an irritated scowl from beneath her sweat-clumped bangs.

“What’s that look for? I thought you’d prefer to have someone other than myself look it over before you fully commit.” She huffs, gathering her armful of scrap and shuffling back to the cabinet. “If you’re willing to let someone like me rifle around in your head then I’d advise you re-assess your priorities, my dear.”

You’re…not really sure how to respond to that.

“Let’s go everyone.” You declare, slipping the device into the pocket of your scrubs as you rise from the chain that disappears back into the floor. “Goodbye for now, West.”

You turn to the exit, nodding towards Amara and Julia that your time entertaining this woman is over.

“Francine.”

You pause.

“I’m sorry?” You say, half-turning back to the woman behind you.

“If it’s all the same to you, I prefer to go by my first name here…though it doesn’t really matter, I suppose. Just a personal affectation.” A mirthless smile spreads in a line across her face. “Ha, I’m quite certain that you’d much rather never see my face ever again, Darling.”

…Somehow you don’t think you’d ever be that lucky.

>>Visit the leader of the Disassociated Ones.

>>Find Rath and regroup.

>>Speak with West...or Francine, a little longer.

>>Write-In

AND

>>Use the implant immediately. B’ni’s connection to you is too large a threat to ignore.

>>Wait to use the implant until you’ve had it looked at by Gina or someone else you trust.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
>>3507150
>>Write-In
>"Enjoy the time you have left, West. I assure you, one way or another, it won't be long."
>>Find Rath and regroup.

>>Wait to use the implant until you’ve had it looked at by Gina or someone else you trust.
>>
>>3507150
>>Find Rath and regroup.
And
>>Wait to use the implant until you’ve had it looked at by Gina or someone else you trust.
Well, with this we got a good compromise anyways id argue.

>>3507149
I was pointing out with that first statement you were jumping to unfair conclusions that id sacrifice everything just to cut it, so why shouldn't i make the same about you?

>>3507131
I think the issue is that the stakes keep sky rocketing by major steps in relative rapid concession, putting a strain on each decesion and making it feel like we're struggling heavily to keep up at all with what we need to succeed in beating the crucible.
>>
>>3507161
>I was pointing out with that first statement you were jumping to unfair conclusions that id sacrifice everything just to cut it, so why shouldn't i make the same about you?
Because my unfair conclusions were based on your stated motivations. It's not the unfair part that I'm upset with, it's the inaccurate part.
>>
>>3507150
>Find Rath and regroup.

>Wait to use the implant until you’ve had it looked at by Gina or someone else you trust.
Preferably dont use it.
>>
>>3507165
Yeah, there's no way that thing is safe. If Gina knew enough to vouchsafe it, then we wouldn't have come here in the first place. But there are going to be a lot of people who insist that we have to do anything for the sake of removing the bond to B'Ni, but at least this will put off their stupid decisions for a bit longer.
>>
The Implant might be dangerous lets only use it once we had it confirmed by Gina and maybe even a third party(preferably a crafter) that it will be harmless to use
>>
(Gentlemen, voting shall close in the next two hours. There may be a delay after the voting period closes, as I shall be heading home from work. Thank you all for participating, and I hope you're having a good day.)
>>
>>3507163
Doesn't matter, don't jump to conclusions if you want to be taken more seriously, especially if you're gonna say things like
>>3507149
>Fucking yay.
Whenever your way does not succeed. Trust me, ive lost out on and had to compromise on things i thought just as important as this, yet as much as im an asshole through and through i dont yell at folks to 'keep it together' and other nonsense.

I suck at wording so ill apologize if this sounds more snarky or dickish than i mean, i really honestly do not care, i enjoy both calm and heated conversations, all im trying to say is its a difference of opinion, we both want whats best for the characters, just keep that in mind.
>>
>>3507150
>"...Have fun in space, Francine. Send a phone call from the moon sometime or whatever. But all the same, I still hope your creator doesn't fuse with a space parasite to devastate more worlds and civilizations."
>Find Rath and regroup.
>Wait to use the implant until you’ve had it looked at by Gina or someone else you trust.
Waiting seems to be the popular consensus right now.
>>
>>3507173
Yeah, West wining would probably result in her destroying the Disassociated on her way out. She doesn't even have to be doing it intentionally, something the size of the Crucible parasite moving around is going to disrupt orbits catastrophically.

>>3507177
Yeah, we both want what's best for the characters, but your risk-assessment is really messed up. You're scared of the super-Daughter that wants to kill us, so your solution is to get help from the other super-Daughter that wants to kill us. It's just compounding the problems.
>>
>>3507150
>"Later Franks"

>Visit the leader and have Gina look at the tech ball first.
>>
>>3507185
Id give you an legitimate response but honestly?
>>3507171
>but at least this will put off their stupid decisions for a bit longer.
You're just an asshole who doesn't like not getting their way.

>>3507172
>>3507178
Its still best to use it, but this West seemed very disturbingly genuine. Still, we have a chance to let Gina look it over perhaps. Maybe.

The big issue is this still does not make it safe to communicate with her, as the whole point of the device in part is to make that safe again.

Niku might be able to help us, maybe Magpie as she has her own?
>>
>>3507178
>>3507190
Can we not call her Francine? I don't want to give her that. She's West. Even if she by some bizarre chance actually isn't just playing the Disassociated and really is doing good, she's still not our friend.

>>3507195
>You're just an asshole who doesn't like not getting their way.
I'm not just that, I'm also an asshole who doesn't want us to get our brains melted because you're all so desperate.
>>
>>3507198
Did I vote to call her francine or did I vote to call her FUCKING FRANKS
>>
>>3507204
Not even that. That sort of irreverence implies friendly familiarity.
>>
>>3507198
It's a really small thing, and doing something just to be spiteful isn't productive. It just puts us in a bad headspace. And if she really is doing good, than it's unjustly spiteful at that.
>>
>>3507210
She doesn't deserve it. We're not her friend, we are at best a neutral party, and maintaining distant formality will help affirm that. It's not even about spite, it's about "don't get used to this asshole being someone we can trust".
>>
>>3507210
Eh, i mean i actually agree with >>3507198
I think she might actually be what she says she is, but that hardly makes her deserving of a different name. Lets not call her anything but West.
>>
>>3507209
Well then I'm just going to disagree with you. Like other anon said, it's small and spiteful.
>>
>>3507210
>>3507218
Im jist gonna say, if we don't trust her enough to use her device, there's no reason to trust she isn't just another West deserving of being called such.
>>
>>3507223
No, there's a pretty big difference between letting someone fiddle with your brain and merely calling them one name over the other. Even Franks said so.
>>
>>3507223
Also, the device is almost without a doubt safe. Regardless of your opinion on getting it, she already had the chance to shove it in our head and have anything negative be done. She has literally no reason to trick us on it not being exactly and only what she says it is, because if it was not, it would already be in our head.
>>
>>3507217
I'm sorry, but I'm not getting the logic here. If she's what she says she is than how is she undeserving of being called differently? In that scenario, would we really want to keep associating her with the Dr. West we hate and plan to eventually take down?
>>
>>3507233
The name is symbolic of her being different from the other Wests. If we're not going to treat her as trustworthy, then it makes no sense to call her by any other name.

>>3507236
Or she's just surprised we were that desperate. "Shit, she would have let me operate on her right here? I was not expecting her to give me that chance, I already the self-administering version. Ah, crap."
>>
>>3507242
So we can't have two different people we don't trust? I guess we'd better start calling Bni West. The whole Midnight crew too. Also the second half of your post is just silly.
>>
>>3507239
Because she still could've and probably did do horrible things. At best, she sounds like shes trying to make up for it, nothing else.

>>3507242
We literally saw her building it. And even if we didn't, she had ample time to change it or build one that was different, as we had no idea what to expect but had submitted to letting it happen. Shes also not the type to really be caught off guard in that way id imagine. If she wanted something bad in our head, it would be there.

Now whos just trying to used messed up logic to convince themselves of what they want, eh?
>>
>>3507150

>>Write in
>I hope that you truly are as different as you claim to be. But if these daughters are only safe from the Killcommand because they stripped themselfes of there Humanity and Biomass what will happen to you will you go the same Way?

> Bid her Goodbye without dropping a Name and leave
>>
>>3507210
>what is not telling the truth
as long as she a part of West, she's not trust worthy, just because we haven't caught her in a lie doesn't mean she is truthful all the time.
>>
>>3507254
Yeah, okay. Though I'd still call her Francine as a show of having benefit of the doubt at least. Innocent until proven guilty and all that.

>>3507255
I'm fine with adding that to my vote.>>3507178
>>
>>3507250
Not when those two different people are literally two iterations of the same person, no. This West wants to be called Francine to set her apart from the rest of the Dr. Wests. If we're going to treat her as not any different from them, then the symbolism of letting her use a new name is contrary to that.

And no, I don't think it's silly. We voted for something desperate, other people in the quest should be surprised by the normally-composed Shu doing something desperate.

>>3507254
She sure seemed surprised to me. She didn't have ample time after she already handed it over to us and we made it clear we genuinely expected her to operate on us. It was too late then. I still don't trust it.

But you're right in the abstract. I am being kind of a jerk over this. I don't know why I'm getting so frustrated over this vote, I apologize to everyone else. I'm pretty sure I'm not just voting based on an emotional response and that I have actual logic backing it up, but it was definitely unkind and immature to call the people voting the other direction idiots. I'm sorry, you don't deserve that.
>>
>>3507258
>>3507267

Yall are letting your west hatred seriously distort your judgement. She seems different from the West collective. We respect this name choice and lose nothing. If she's legit we get in the good graces of a benevolent West. If she's evil we mislead her into believing we trust her more than we actually do. As for the tech ball, us being in the room when she built it means nothing. We don't have the technological knowhow to detect mischief.

And we're already treating her different from the west collective by having this civil conversation. Like I said, there's a pretty fucking massive gap between name choice and brain surgery. We're on good terms with Mara but we're not about to let her poke around in our head. Same with Magpie. This doesn't mean they're on the same level as west. Just because we don't trust someone 100% doesn't mean we can onpy trust them 0%. There are shades of grey, it's not all black and white.
>>
>>3507266
Another thing is, she really hasn't earned us listening to her request

>>3507267
Thats silly. By actually both our statements last vote, if she wanted to fuck us over, we were fucked the second we layed down on the table. The simple fact is, if she wanted to implant something bad into our head, we literally had agreed to let her do it.

She didn't. The device is safe, or at least safe from her meddling.
>>
>>3507290
Are you listening to yourself? On the one hand you say she had the chance to kill or lobotomize us right here, knowing we'd interfere with central west plans in the future, and she didn't. And in the same post you say she hasn't earned enough trust for us to respect a simple name preference. By those standards it's literally impossible for her to prove herself.
>>
>>3507267
(Anon, I know things have gotten heated, but that just makes me appreciate the last part of your post even more. Well played, and I respect you taking a step back and making a post like that.)

(Gentlemen, this Vein's opened on some tough calls, and more will doubtless follow after the last 19th Vein's rather subdued events. I appreciate heated discussions almost as much as I admire the civility you all continually display, so thank you for your participation, one and all.)
>>
>>3507312
Oh no, you misunderstand. On the name part, im fully and totally being petty, as i despise west.

The difference is, the connection cutting is important, so i use logic there and despite my disdain of her, have to admit to what she is really doing and has really done.

The name part isn't, so im using it as a bit of cathartic arguing against her simply to get back at her in some way.
>>
>>3507283
We've had civil conversations with Wests before, even after realizing how evil she was. Shu's generally pretty civil. And like I said, it's symbolic. Using a different name means accepting this West at her word. You do have a point that if she is malevolent (a different question from if she's evil, because she definitely still is no matter what), then at least this tricks her. But I'm not sure it matters. Worst case scenario for her, she dies in a ball of nuclear fire as the Disassociated's fission pulse drive malfunctions, whether from Mother attacking it on its way out or simply flaws in the design because what experimentation can they possibly have done on it? Best case scenario for her, she's away in space forever and we never deal with her again. Either way, there's no benefit to be had by tricking this West, because the remaining Wests will know that we are definitely not cool with the rest of them and they're the ones we'll be dealing with.

>>3507290
Based on her surprise, I think she thought that we knew more than we did, and that we were expecting to only be scanned and given a less-invasive option rather than to be cut open. If she was working under those assumptions, then she'd have to leave it as a delayed trap, because she expected that if she started cutting into us our friends would attack. And it's not like we can vouchsafe this, if we're coming to West in the first place that means we don't have access to anyone else with in-depth knowledge of cybernetic neuromodification. If this isn't a trap, then I think we need someone other than Gina to analyze it. I'm not sure who, though. Maybe someone else in the Disassociated, is there any chance we could make friends here?
>>
She will fuck us over, should've just killed her.
>>
>>3507326
It's an exceptionally bad idea to shed blood in your host's home and kill one of their own with no provocation.
>>
>>3507322
Pretty sure Shu has been built up as a character who isn't the slightest bit petty, so this seems pretty OOC, but vote how you want I guess. Maybe she could use a bit of pettiness.

>>3507323
Not sure why you want to be a jerk if there's no major upsides or downsides. Pretty small hill to lose our moral paragon status over.
>>
>>3507323
She wasn't surprised at all, she actually just seemed disinterested and showed little to no emotion based on our decision to let her do it. She showed no surprise, literally just pointed at the recliner and started her work. I think you just don't like that it is a thing that happened in the first place, so want to justify doing the closest to what you wanted that didn't happen, regardless of logic.

Also, the DOs trust her and are about to leave. We already made ourselves probably vert unwelcome here by our outburst at her, and with them getting ready to jet off, i doubt due to both of those anyone will give newcomers who aren't sticking around any attention, let alone friendship.

Also im thinking November got kicked out for trying to force them to attack the cord rather than flee, is my guess.
>>
>>3507336
Eh, its less about IC pettiness and more i think Shu is allowed her anger and IC West has gotten her angrier than anything else. Even Shu is not infallible, its not unfair to say shes no less a good person for a moment of not giving the face of her enemy a favor, no matter how small.

But you do make a good point too. Like i said, its kinda my way at getting back at the fact id like to think ive made good Argument for the device being safe, but that means we have a reason to be slightly kind to a version of west, and i do not like that.
>>
>>3507336
>Not sure why you want to be a jerk if there's no major upsides or downsides. Pretty small hill to lose our moral paragon status over.
If being slightly insulting to an iteration of a mass-murderer who wants to mass-murder even more is enough to lose moral paragon status, then moral paragon status was never worth anything in the first place. Besides, there is a benefit, that being pride. Shu is in a bad space right now, I think it would be quite satisfying to not be nice to an awful person .

>>3507343
No, I'm talking about her surprise after the examination. Telling us to sit down in the chair is in line with both sets of expectations, either way we need to be examined first. But she definitely seemed confused as to why we expected there to be more.
>You just stare at her, holding your puzzled expression long enough for her to give you an irritated scowl from beneath her sweat-clumped bangs.
>“What’s that look for? I thought you’d prefer to have someone other than myself look it over before you fully commit.” She huffs, gathering her armful of scrap and shuffling back to the cabinet. “If you’re willing to let someone like me rifle around in your head then I’d advise you re-assess your priorities, my dear.”

And as for whether I'm trying to justify not doing this...I don't know, maybe. I think that my logic for never trusting West ever is sound, but I can't deny that there is an emotional aspect. That's why I want more than just Gina to verify this, it would put my mind at ease. I think there's at least a chance one of the other Disassociated Ones working here could be convinced to look at the neural suppressor first, you're right that they probably don't have time for us but we can at least try.

As for November, possibly. It fits with her being ex-military. Other possible explanations are her also opposing West or just her rejecting the total mind-machine uploading part. Maybe we can find out while we're here, Rath will have been asking questions while she was away.
>>
>>3507359
Oh don't get me wrong, we should look the device over a bit yes, but honestly she doesn't sound surprised really, only annoyed. Shes actually outright saying she could've done it herself but wanted to give us a reason to trust it. But if it was not safe and her not sincere, then she wouldn't care about that. Shes not surprised, just annoyed she did something nice for us to put us at ease, and we look at her like she spat in our face for it.

My biggest worry like i said is, we need the device to 100% safely get to Gina, which kinda makes having Gina look it over not a good option.

As for November, i dont know if she even knows anything about West outside the DOs. But you could be right on the second part, as she did say she is still very mildly organic i think?
>>
>>3507359
I don't think we should hold a divergent clone to the sins of their original.
>>
>>3507150
>>Thank Francine, only slightly begrudgingly
She seems nice, I hate West as much as the next Anon but this is a separate person who wants to be called something else because she wants to distance herself from West. We don't have to be totally comfortable with it but Shu is kind and reasonable.

>>Visit the leader of the Disassociated Ones.
We don't need to any more but it might be interesting and it would be a shame not to before we leave.

>>Wait to use the implant until you’ve had it looked at by Gina or someone else you trust.
It's safe to give Francine the benefit of the doubt as far as being civil to her is concerned but trusting her over something this important would be foolhardy.
>>
>>3507369
>Shes not surprised, just annoyed she did something nice for us to put us at ease, and we look at her like she spat in our face for it.
West seems to express surprise as annoyance at things not going her way, though. I guess I'm just not willing to take the supervillain at her word and trust that she didn't slip something dangerous in. Or am I too willing to take her at her word that she's got all these plans within plans? Hmm, now I don't know how to feel, my paranoia has looped around on me.

>My biggest worry like i said is, we need the device to 100% safely get to Gina, which kinda makes having Gina look it over not a good option.
Yeah, that part is true. I mean, we're probably safe so long as no (HEY, WHAT IS THIS, AM I SEEING SHU'S THOUGHTS AGAIN?) bits get added to file names, but it's still a risk. That's another reason why I'd like a Disassociated One to check it, they're closer.

>As for November, i dont know if she even knows anything about West outside the DOs. But you could be right on the second part, as she did say she is still very mildly organic i think?
Yeah, West had some organic parts, at least enough left that she needed life support for it. I'm guessing she's still got a biological brain instead of uploading. I'm betting that the Disassociated Ones' uploading process probably had a lot of losses that November thought were unacceptable. They've only had two years to work on this, and electronic data storage isn't nearly as good as biological (yet), so there would have to be a lot of stuff cut for room even if they were perfectly efficient. Everyone in these massively compressed file formats, losing so much of who they are.

>>3507372
She's not that divergent, and even if she was she's complicit with the crimes of the original. She's connected to the network and instead of trying to stop the other Wests is giving them a backup plan just in case it doesn't work. So fine, maybe she doesn't deserve treatment at full West levels, but she's at least the Kurt Blome to her Josef Mengele.
>>
>>3507369
(am WorkAnon now Home.)

>>3507413
>my paranoia has looped around on me.
honestly? i think you just dont want to trust her no matter what is logical or true, which i understand, but i still think if she was gonna fuck us over with it, she would already have done so. she just has had too many opportunities to screw us hard for it to not actually be safe to use. still a bitch tho, like even if shes 100% what she says she is, her attitude is still bitchy in alot of ways.

>but it's still a risk. That's another reason why I'd like a Disassociated One to check it, they're closer.
in all fairness, my DO statements were not exactly meant to say im 100% against trying to get someone to double check, only it was unlikely anyone would.

>November
actually, November said that the process of entering her new body scrambled alot of her brain, so i guess her brain is not organic. or did she just mean the augments she does have scrambled her brains, in which only part of her brain might be organic? hrm, i really cant remember exactly how she said it on on this topic.

also, for what little it is worth, i have enjoyed out discussions greatly despite any heated words, and dont hold anything against ya.
>>
>>3507456
>honestly? i think you just dont want to trust her no matter what is logical or true, which i understand, but i still think if she was gonna fuck us over with it, she would already have done so. she just has had too many opportunities to screw us hard for it to not actually be safe to use. still a bitch tho, like even if shes 100% what she says she is, her attitude is still bitchy in alot of ways.
I think it's more that I'm having trouble figuring out what is logical or true. There are so many unknowns about Dr. West that I don't feel confident making any predictions about her behavior, and assuming everything is a threat is therefore safer. At the very least, it means that when she pulls an inevitable "ha ha, what a fool you were for even making assumptions at all!" on us I'm already mad at her instead of getting any whiplash.

>actually, November said that the process of entering her new body scrambled alot of her brain, so i guess her brain is not organic. or did she just mean the augments she does have scrambled her brains, in which only part of her brain might be organic? hrm, i really cant remember exactly how she said it on on this topic.
I think it's that she's partially organic. I can't see what else she would have retained of her biology if she's going to go cybernetic on her brain and at least

>also, for what little it is worth, i have enjoyed out discussions greatly despite any heated words, and dont hold anything against ya.

Yeah, same. I've gotten heated sometimes, you've gotten heated others, regardless we're all still trying to have fun here. The fact that we can move past our differences to still focus on the neat story is one of the things that makes this horrific and deeply disturbing premise one of the highlights of my day.
>>
>>3507413
I think she's more divergent than that, if she only has one ability at level three she had to have been split off long ago.
>>
>>3507497
she said 5 months. makes sense, given that, plus being stuck with people who upgrade via tech, not consumption.

>>3507487
>First Part
probably wont help you much, but one thing to remember is West is a 'Greater Good' person. she has an end goal, and every action is solely for that goal. this specific Wests only goal is to go with the DOs into space, and to make sure she and them survive said journey, and i think its is VERY safe to say, she is not lying on that. it is a VERY West thing to have a backup plan like that. but the thing about that then is, we do not matter to that plan, nor is she in any way trying to do anything with any other Wests plan. harming us does nothing to help her goal here, if anything fucking us over may hinder it by making the DOs a new enemy, regardless of how likely it is for us to be a threat. getting us out of here as happy and content as can be helps her goal the most, and even for the main West, helps her goals the most, due to that specific Wests entire Existence being said backup plan.

even West has clear and visible things you can expect from her, and 'anything for the end' goal is one of them. aiding in the main Wests goals would not make sense even by West standards, as any such actions that are revealed or go awry could potentially make said DO West seen negatively to the DOs, so it is best even by West logic for her to be the best person she can be, even to us.

and disturbingly, i think ive just made it to where she could both be telling us 100% the truth while not being any different actually than any other West, which is somehow terrifying.

>November
makes sense, its just a matter of how much and what its side effects were. like i said, i know memory scrambling was one of them, aswell as losing all but i think it was 25% efficiency with her Abilities(which does imply organic components), but other side effects and how they may of driven her to leave is up in the air. hopefully West has not killed her too and we will see her again.
>>
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>>3507150

"I hope that you're truly as different as you claim to be." You say, giving the doctor a once-over. "But if these Daughters are only safe from the killswitch because they stripped themselves of their humanity and biomass, will you go the same way?"

"It's what I was created for. My raison d'etre, I suppose. " West replies, one hand on the double doors opposite you. You nod in contemplation before meeting her cool blue gaze.

"Thank you, Francine." You say, turning away and leading Amara by the hand as the three of you exit.

There.

Just before you withdraw your empathic field, you sense something very faint flicker within the construct you've walked away from. It's a feeling quite familiar to you, an emotion you've felt when, for a fleeting moment, you're referred to as 'Shu' by one who's known you when you were called a monster's name.

It's a flicker of hope.

It takes you longer than you'd care to admit to find Rath, but eventually your wanderings and collection of distinctly unhelpful directions given to you by hurried cyborgs allow you to find the weapon's testing area. You approach the chamber from the walkways above, running the length of the multitude of honeycombed, identical rooms, each holding a different weapon or training regiment. You catch sight of her after a quick search, spying a faint ginger figure at the bottom of one of the chambers.

(Continued)
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>>3507540

The sight of the redhead below gives you pause, your step down the staircase retracting as you realize Rath isn’t throwing her arms around like a wild brawler, but rather she’s working on a deliberate form, repeating it over and over as you watch from above.

You realize she’s begun to shift in a way, when you weren’t looking. Her light, her inner fire remains unchanged, but now…she’s not this wild, undirected fury, not anymore. Purpose alights in her eyes, flowing through every strike, every motion as she practices with focused intent. She’s snapped out of her routine as Amara bounds down the stairs to meet her, throwing herself at the older girl who promptly catches her in an eight-armed hug.

“What’s crackin’, kiddo?” Rath says contentedly, ruffling the girl’s hair as you arrive at the base of the stairs.

“Doctor West gave Miss Shu a brain ball!” Amara replies happily, and you grit your teeth for impact as you watch Rath’s smile run away from her face with frightening speed.

“It’s fine, Rath. This iteration was actually the most civil one we’ve met thus far, though I’m still not going to use this unless I get a second opinion.” You say, giving the Device a gentle pat in your pocket. “Once I know it’s safe to use we won’t have to worry about B’ni seeing through my eyes anymore, so there’s that.”

“Alright…good, cool.” Rath replies, still a little shaken at West’s sudden appearance as her extra limbs slide back to her body, leaving her slight, muscular arms hanging awkwardly at her sides.

“Have you found out anything about persons of interest here?” You ask her, sensing a vague aura of embarrassment that flares when the question leaves your mouth.

“No, I was, um…just here, for a little while.” She stammers, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other. “Hey, uh… I’m sorry I just ran off like that, I don’t…I’m sorry, that was really stupid and risky. It won’t happen again, man.”

You blink.

First a tolerable iteration of Doctor West, and now a timid Rath…you’re not sure what to make of this, but it’s really throwing you off.

>>Reach out to Gina and meet with her to inspect the Disruption Device. It’s a risk, but you’re betting that you can get to Gina before B’ni can catch up, allowing you to sever the bond and disappear once more.

>>Try to explore the Facility and find someone you can run the Device by, just to make sure it’s safe. After all, you surely can’t be the only person her who’s reticent to put full faith in anyone wearing West’s face.

>>Even though the Proxy known as Francine had a lot to say about the Disassociated Ones, you still have some questions you’d like the answers to. You’ll find The Guide and visit the Daughter in charge here.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next one and a half hours, Gentlemen.)
>>
>>3507543
>>Try to explore the Facility and find someone you can run the Device by, just to make sure it’s safe. After all, you surely can’t be the only person her who’s reticent to put full faith in anyone wearing West’s face.
well it cant hurt to try, eh? better to do this first at least, before we risk Gina at all. its also the safest we will ever be too to look for such a person, funnily enough. i also really dont have any questions about the DOs, seems pretty cut and dry honestly, one of the few things like i said she very much wouldn't be lying about for sure.
>>
>>3507543
>>Try to explore the Facility and find someone you can run the Device by, just to make sure it’s safe. After all, you surely can’t be the only person her who’s reticent to put full faith in anyone wearing West’s face.
>>Even though the Proxy known as Francine had a lot to say about the Disassociated Ones, you still have some questions you’d like the answers to. You’ll find The Guide and visit the Daughter in charge here.
I want to know about West's device, but I also want to know about this spaceship plan they've got. They've really got an Orion drive? That's awesome, if it works. Hey, if we don't have the Crucible all wrapped up by the time they get to the asteroid belt, could they toss a few back down the gravity well towards us? I don't want to die from orbital kinetic bombardment, but if we haven't solved everything within a year of in-game time it's because we're already dead, so I don't have a problem.
>>
>>3507581
you know, Orion Drive or not, it is pretty impressive what they have done in just two years time. shame they are fleeing the problem instead of fighting to beat it.

but if we do fail, destroying earth and the crucible along with it is a good alternative yes. better the crucible dies and ends this ones cycles if we cannot turn it into a way to fix or at least stabilize the earth.
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>>3507584
You know, that's the thing I find odd about the premise of the Crucible. Both Karma and Mother herself have said that such cosmic parasites are common. However, the Crucible only ever produces a single offspring at each generation. It can't propagate, it only goes in sequence from world to world. It should be easy for any given world-parasite's line to be broken, over enough cycles it's near inevitable. So if these things are common, does that mean that something else is making and distributing them? Is there another level up, a Grandmother that spawn the Crucibles? Or is the Crucible just broken, and it's supposed to make multiple Honored Daughters but just can't?
>>
>>3507584
I kind of want to wish them luck before we go. They're said to have discarded their humanity, but if all else fails then they'll be all that's left of humanity. Shoot for that stars, robot girls, while we try to have a world to come back to and to prosper again.
>>
>>3507593
could be any number of things really. the grandmother idea is quite nice. the last part could also be true. remember, the new mother gets to make one big change, so long as that change does not end or stop the crucible/cycle. maybe one bitch out there decided to be greedy, and didn't like seeing all of a planets resources get split into weaker crucibles, aswell as the cords collection, and so for this instance at least, changed it to a super crucible as it was. it also could be an out of control experiment or weapon from another race, though with how it operates, i dont think that is true.

i also wonder what 'common' means in this case. depending on how common sentient life is in this universe, that could mean millions, or it could mean 5. it seems very likely there are far less crucible than sentient, biological life holding planets, as they would need to make sure their food source always exists afterall, and it seems far too focused on continuing the cycle to over indulge.

>>3507596
fair enough. im very indifferent as i kinda see them as cowards honestly. all this tech and strength, and they run instead of fight.
>>
>>3507596
We can hope. Give them access to the asteroids and the outer planets and they'll have mineral and energy resources beyond what humanity ever imagined. So long as the Crucible doesn't destroy them on its way out, they'd be the best hope for us.

That said, once we wish them luck we actually should get out of here, people talk about how nuclear rockets aren't that radioactive but they're still pretty radioactive. The optimal fallout zone for a nuclear pulse drive is eighty kilometers, we're probably more radiation-resistant than humans are but I don't want to test it.

>>3507612
>it seems very likely there are far less crucible than sentient, biological life holding planets, as they would need to make sure their food source always exists afterall, and it seems far too focused on continuing the cycle to over indulge.
Oh, that's an idea, maybe they communicate between each other to limit their population? If there are too many Crucibles relative to the current number of inhabited planets, they'll limit their offspring to only maintain their population rather than expand it. Though we know that at least in the last cycle there were enough of them that the Hexane both knew the Crucible was coming and knew what it was in advance. That suggests that there were enough civilizations around at that point that planets could talk to each other and give warnings about the world-eaters.
>>
>>3507626
Ah. How far away is the Monastery? Because now I feel like asking if their liftoff will have devastating fallout and how far. Granted they're starting their liftoff from deep underground, but still.
>>
>>3507631
(The Monastery is well out of the blast zone, no worries.)
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>>3507626
well they could've just been really advanced, but yeah they would've had to have at least seen it in action to know what it was. i mean, even if they saw the giant deadly planet sized flesh thing heading their way, without some other knowledge they wouldn't of known what to expect when it arrives.

the idea Crucibles communicate with eachother is outright terrifying but entirely possible.
mfw the Crucibles keep a collection from past worlds they have eaten.
mfw the Crucibles have a sense of pride in their cycle in a way.
mfw we beat this one, and several others head towards us excitingly hoping to add a world that could beat another crucible to their collection, not to mention the delicious meal of eating a dead crucible and this worlds biomass.
>>
>>3507638
Hopefully we'll be able to mine Mother's corpse for interesting technologies like the Hexane wanted to do before Charon's partner betrayed them. Other world-eaters show up and between us reverse-engineering Crucible biotech and the Disassociated getting a space-based civilization going we'll be able to fight them.
>>
Also, just a random thought that occured to me, but "Charon" is pronounced with a hard "ch", so Amara probably thinks that her name is just us pronouncing "Karen" weirdly. It's our fun space alien buddy, Karen.
>>
>>3507656
pff, haha.

>>3507654
this is the future you choose.
>>
>>3507551
actually, before voting ends, add in;
>Ask Amara if she is ok and how she is faring.
girl recently just saw, heard, and went trough alot of shit here, and for once looked pretty shaken up. not a good sign we should ignore.
>>
>>3507343
You do know what deep cover spies are right? Francine as you guys like to call her might be able to be remote controlled by the main West, or any other amount of bad shit. She's a neuromancer, the possibilites of fuckery are endless.
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>>3507707
Dude, let it go. It's past, let's just move on.
>>
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>>3507661

"It's fine, Rath. I get it, that was a lot." You say with an understanding smile. "I had some trouble stomaching all of..."

Two sharp taps on the wall behind you prompt you to turn.

"Ey, lass. You done with this room?" Comes the Scottish brogue of a towering figure clad in a patchwork of ornate armor. The doorway that opened silently behind you must be at least four feet wide and twice as tall, and yet the hulking warrior dominates every inch of the frame. A cannon almost as large as the woman herself is hooked onto her left shoulder, though the seems ignorant of its weight as she saunters into the blank white space of the training cubicle.

"Name's Beira. Saw you practicing an' didn't want to disturb you." She says, giving the four of you an appraising once over, replete with a warm smile through strands of the long ashen hair draped over the twisted metal that girds her frame. "Like I said, are you done?"

When no response comes, you turn to find Rath slack-jawed, eyes darting over the woman's features, both natural and man-made.

"...big." She murmurs softly as the gunner before you cocks her head to one side, puzzled.

Huh.

"It's all yours, Beira." You say, prompting your red-haired companion to pick her jaw up off the floor and re-assemble herself into coherency.

"...Y-yeah, s'all yours." Rath mutters in agreement, still unable to take her eyes off the massive cannon attach to the woman's pauldron.

"Now, I don't mean to cause you to leave if you're not wanting to." Beira intones, holding up an armored hand in deference. To your surprise Amara steps forwards, giving you a small wink before turning full to the towering woman. "I get plenty of practice here, so fair's fair."

"Are we safe from Doctor West here, Miss Beira?" Amara says fearfully, holding her whistle up in front of her face as she feigns nervous shake. The woman gives a deep, boisterous chuckle as she kneels, still looming over your youngest ally as she speaks to her in a stage whisper.

"Ha, if you're scared of West then you have a good head on your shoulders." She replies, and Amara bashfully trots back to you before giving you a knowing wink.

Clever girl, that one.

"You lot are more than welcome to take your time, 'specially if you're tryin' to avoid one of West's more aggressive projects." Beira says as she rises to full height. "I'm captain of the guard, so I keep an eye on things 'round here. You all are fresh faces, and I'd like for you to feel welcome. We're all Daughters here, an' that puts us all in the same sinkin' boat."

>>You're not sure if Beira has anything that might help you determine the safety of the Device, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

>>Ask Beira if she knows anyone that would be willing to inspect the Device, just to be safe.

>>Urge Rath via empathic channel to talk to Beira and see if she'd be willing to help. Meanwhile, you'd like to take Amara aside and check in on her after everything that's happened.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next one and a half hours, Gentlemen.)

(Also, my apologies for any bamboozling, as my phone somehow mass auto-corrected Beira's name to a different spelling.)
>>
>>3507719
>Urge Rath to chat with Baira while you have storytime With Amara.
>>
>>3507719
Oh, man, this lady is awesome. One post worth of content (two if you count the near-bamboozle) and I already think she's the best. Please don't go to space with the rest of the Disassociated Ones, Beira. Please stay on Earth with us so that Rath can be all awkwardly tongue-tied around you until we finally get her to ask you out.

>>Urge Rath via empathic channel to talk to Beira and see if she'd be willing to help. Meanwhile, you'd like to take Amara aside and check in on her after everything that's happened.
I don't even care about whether Amara is alright (okay, that's a lie, I love our precious little sister and want her to be happy), I just want an excuse to make Rath talk to this cyber-amazon.
>>
>>3507719
well...i mean, Shu doesn't have to do EVERYTHING herself, so...

>>Urge Rath via empathic channel to talk to Beira and see if she'd be willing to help, or knows anyone else willing to check over the device. Meanwhile, you'd like to take Amara aside and check in on her after everything that's happened.
i mean, maybe we can ask Julia too, but she could help with Amara better, and i have a feeling Rath will connect with this gal well. also, maybe i was wrong on Amara haha, but to be fair, she did show her first signs of genuine worry earlier, so a brave face or no, i think checking in on her is the right thing to do.
>>
>>3507717
her may of had the page not refresh correctly and thought that was a new message. happens sometimes.

>>3507727
i think Rath was interested in her for different reasons than attraction to the girl...or, maybe shes interested in her because of those reasons? Rath does seem to like weaponry, and i cant help but wholly agree with that sentiment.
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>>3507733
>i think Rath was interested in her for different reasons than attraction to the girl...or, maybe shes interested in her because of those reasons? Rath does seem to like weaponry, and i cant help but wholly agree with that sentiment.
I think it's that she's interested in her because of those other reasons. Rath likes big weapons, she likes strong women who take charge, give her this badass security chief with a giant gun and she's going to be drooling.
>>
(Also as an aside, is there anything you wish to bring up to Amara, or perhaps a story from the last Vein's post-script that you wished to impart to her now? I would have put a (write-in) at the end of that particular option, but I had only two more characters to spare for the limits.)
>>
>>3507747
Rath likes big weapons and she cannot lie.
>>
>>3507749
>>3507719
>Ask Amara if she is ok or scared.
>Ask her what may be bothering her, and try and quell them.
>Reassure her that while things are dangerous now, you wont stop, and you are working to get things UNDER CONTROL.

thing is, for the story, it just...doesn't feel like the right moment. unless she asks us about Isabelle more in depth BHOP, in which case, sure, we can use the story to do that/use that as an excuse to tell it.
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>>3507754
Yeah, it's not story time. If she asks about Isabelle right now, then we can get into that story, but otherwise save it for when we're out of the bunker. For now let's just focus on keeping her spirits up. Not to say that we expect her to be scared, she's a tough girl and we're proud of that, but if she is we understand because we know how stressful today was.
>>
>>3507733
>>3507747
I remember Kosi say Rath has a hardcore Dominant/Submissive fetish? Emphasis on the submissive part
>>
>>3507760
she apparently gets VERY turned on whenever Shu gives her orders, so yeah, shes quite the submissive.
>>
>>3507760
Yep. Rath likes to be ordered around. I imagine that is Beira was actually wearing a uniform instead of just techni-organic armor then Rath would be blushing so hard the metal beneath would melt. Which is an actual possibility given her fire powers.
>>
>>3507761
>”...Y-yeah, s'all yours." Rath mutters in agreement, still unable to take her eyes off the massive cannon attach to the woman's pauldron
Yeah Rath has a weapon fetish.
As Alucard would say: “Bitches love cannons”
>>
>>3507770
(I appreciate that reference.)
>>
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>>3507770
>>3507772
BHOP what is Raths raifu?
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>>3507775
(It's a good thing guns aren't more common-place, or else Rath would never get anything done. She's at wit's end with all the dominant women she's constantly surrounded by, so giving them more of them firearms would really just push her over the edge.)
>>
>>3507779
interesting, but dont side step the question BHOP!
>>
>>3507775
>>3507784
(If you're asking for her firearm waifu, her aunt once took her shooting and let her try her hand at the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle, and she fell in love at first kick. She didn't get that much experience shooting since her parents frowned on it, but she loved what she tried with her aunt.)
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>>3507779
the moment Shu pulls a Kabedon (wall slam) is the moment Rath starts swooning
>>
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>>3507792
>Rath got to shoot a BAR
i didn't know i could be jealous of a fictional character. good taste, and a good aunt.
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>>3507779
We should have brought her on the hunting trip instead of Julia, she would have been so horned up from Magpie that the despair field wouldn't have done anything to her.
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>>3507802
(It's a magnificent piece of work, and one of my favorites I've fired next to the Thompson Submachinegun.)
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>>3507812
and now i am double jealous of you, you lucky bastard.
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>>3507719

"Rath, I'm going to have a girl's chat with Amara for a second, so I'll leave you both to it. Care to join me, Julia?" You ask pointedly, feeling a modicum of guilt when the three of you leave a terribly flustered Rath behind, the imposing security chief towering over the much smaller girl at nearly double her height.

Once you've given the pair a safe distance across the surprisingly spacious training room, you kneel down in front of Amara, putting the two of you eye level as you give her a kind, warm smile.

"Today's been kind of rough, hasn't it?" You ask, and Amara gives you a rapid nod after a moment's reflection. "How're you doing? You've been awesome and so, so brave, and I just wanted to see how you were feeling."

"I'm okay! Really, I am!" She grins, and you share a subtly doubting glance with Julia.

"Alright, are you sure? You seemed pretty worried earlier, are you sure there's nothing you want to tell me?" You prompt, trying to ease past any brave front she may be putting up as you reach out with your empathic field, testing her feelings. To your pleasant surprise she seems alright, save for a lingering concern for you, of all people.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine!" She replies sweetly, beaming up at you. "It's just that you both were getting so mad, I couldn't tell you apart anymore."

Your smile falters as you stare into her heterochromatic gaze.

"...What?"

"The girl who lives here got really mad, and you did too!" She says, prodding your sternum with one small finger. "She's always mad, so it's easy to tell you apart, but not when you're both super-mad, 'cause then it gets confusing."

You swallow hard.

"Amara, who are y..."

"Again!?" Beira growls irritably across the space, making you turn to see her tapping an illuminated portion of her oversize gauntlet.

"W-what's wrong?" Julia asks as Beira strides up with Rath, the latter of whom is wide-eyed and red-faced.

"Marrow Dragoon just did another fly-by, this time back east." Beira explains with a sigh, the glow on her forearm fading as she lets the massive limb go slack at her side. "That dragon of hers makes the sensors light up like crazy, and I get alerts whenever she buzzes us, which is often. She keeps requesting an audience with the higher ups to delay the launch, but they keep shooting her down."

"...Uh, why is that?" You ask, trying to reel your whirling mind back to the present and away from what Amara just said.

(Continued)
>>
>>3507882

"Knowing's above my paygrade. I was hired to shoot and guard, and I get paid in upgrades. S' a good life, by comparison." Beira chuckles, patting her gigantic cannon as Rath's eyes practically sparkle. "All I've heard is that Mara keeps sayin' she's got a plan with the Crucible, but she won't elaborate. 'Least that's what I've picked up 'round abouts."

"Anyway, like I was telling your little friend here," Beira continues, oblivious to Rath's face going a deep, burning shade of scarlet at the woman's choice of adjective, "Professor Pendra in R&D should be able to give you an accurate assessment of the little gizmo West gave you. Pendra's an odd bird, but she knows her stuff. Got a disdain for West almost as strong as her respect for the woman's work, so she'll steer you straight."

She nods towards your pocket before placing one massive hand on Rath's shoulder with a wide smile, causing the younger girl to go stiff under her commanding presence.

"I'm afraid I need to get to shooting practice, and this room has the targets I like best, so..." Beira trails off, and far be it from you to keep the nicest person you've met in this bunker from her pastime. "It was a pleasure meeting you all, and be safe when you head out, understood?"

"Y-yes Ma'am." Rath replies, voice cracking slightly. You all say your goodbyes before Julia gives Rath a pat on the back and a knowing wink, making her blush deepen as the four of you depart the testing area. Maybe you'd be more in the mood to make light of Rath's interest in the cannon or the woman wielding it if your mind wasn't churning with what to do next.

>>Visit Head Researcher Pendra in the R&D Lab to examine the Device before rejoining Gina.

>>Mara's haste has you concerned. Follow her east and see if her hunt's come to an end.

>>You need to get some clarification from Amara. Was she talking about B'ni, or...?

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Gentlemen, I shall be pausing here for the evening. Voting shall close in the next eleven hours, with posting to resume in approximately thirteen, give or take. Also, since tomorrow is Wednesday, we'll be primed for an evening of rapid-posting if everyone's schedules permit, with one-hour voting intervals until evening's end. I shall be around a little longer this evening to address any questions, comments, or criticisms you may have, and thank you all for being fantastic as always. I wish you a good and restful evening, and take care.)
>>
>>3507884
>>Visit Head Researcher Pendra in the R&D Lab to examine the Device before rejoining Gina.
So Amara can hear Sam and Mara wants to delay the launch. And it's only now that I've said their names together that I realize how similar they are and that we found Amara in one of Mara's old hideouts. Aww. We should tell Mara that we named the kid after her and that she's the honorary Aunt.
>>
>>3507884
>>Visit Head Researcher Pendra in the R&D Lab to examine the Device before rejoining Gina.
As much as i want an explanation from Amara, we have more imediate concerns.
As curious as i am about Mara too, again, more imediate concerns. We probably will catch her attention anyways once we leave, so that can wait.

>>3507889
Fun as always BHOP!
>>
>>3507889
Thanks for running, BHOP. See you tomorrow.
>>
>>3507884
>Mara's haste has you concerned. Follow her east and see if her hunt's come to an end.
>"Amara, the girl who lives in me...has had...a rough life. And she knows B'ni. I know you haven't met B'ni, but this girl and B'ni... has a tragic story between them.
>Begin the storytime while you head east.
>>3507895
Also, I have a feeling that Mara's hunt is a little too successful. It's too good to be true. Isabelle might be pulling a page out of West's handbook and started making proxy clones of herself, letting Mara get a false impression of isabelle.
>>
>>3507891
You know, i just had a thought.
BHOP said Sam wasn't a threat to us, but what if she counts as a consumed/dreamscape daughter, so what if we somehow come to terms with her, then we get a swarmling upgrade, or another of the starting abilites? I have a feeling though it wouldn't be as easy as the other daughters who happily just handed our party said upgrades for nothing. Said price would almost certainly not be worth it too.

>>3507911
I don't think Mara has killed Isabelle or even fought her yet. She may just be trying to convince them to stay and help via having proof Isabelle exists, and/or found something new out that could help her defeat the crucible, but requires the DOs tech or something.
>>
>>3507911
I'm not sure that timeline fits. It's been maybe an hour or two since our last vision of B'Ni, and it sounds like Mara's been bugging the Disassociated for a while. I think she's changed her plan from hunting B'Ni so everyone can eat eternally-regenerating Rabbit and deal with the Hunger that way. That would fit with her coming here, because what point is there in talking to the cyborgs who no longer feel the Hunger about a cure she has for it? She wants something else. B'Ni may still play into that, but I don't think she's caught one yet.
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>>3507889
oh, BHOP, might be spoilery question, but just how much influence do dreamscape Daughters have? id assume it varies of course, but still.

because we have seen;
>Holly(?) make Shu fall asleep, though Shu was already tired. she also implied she could've done it sooner.
>Had Sam make us go nuts and write on a tree, but Sam might be special and it may of been because it triggered a memory.
>Kosi outright activated an ability in Ginas steed, though Gina is a Phantasmal User, she still isn't the Dreamscape based one.
and...i think there was at least one more instance, but im not sure. the first one is the most interesting though, as even if the conditions were still perfect for her, she still outright forced something upon us, or at least sped the process up, and most importantly, unlike the other two theres no other explanation besides thats just something Dreamscape Daughters can do.
>>
>>3507922
Interesting theory.
Lets discuss the spoiler theory further. If I'm understanding this correctly and from what has been shown so far:
>Isabelle brained Sam with the Lava lamp, but didn't "kill" Sam outright.
Sam was in the middle of dying (aka, blacking out from severe head trauma) when the Crucible nommed the entire planet and placed all the women into pods)
>Because of Sam's health (Dying in process) that must've mean that the Crucible treated Sam as a "loser" of the Crucible and killed her off while converting Sam's body into a Daughter vessel.
>Logical error occurred. Sam's mind had died in the process but now there's a daughter with blank memories and a blank personality yet to be defined.
>Sam's persona becomes a separate entity and Crucible logic treats her mind as "deceased/dream daughter" because the Crucible started immediately after Sam and her body got put into a pod.
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>>3507943
i can see that being how it worked. getting your brains splattered on a door probably causes some errors in the process, heh.
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>>3507943
Makes sense to me. And if you're going to come to terms with your past misdeeds manifested as a separate personality, you really should get a power-up out of it. It's just not proper, otherwise. Sam being someone we can get a new skill from makes good dramatic sense.
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>>3507938
(I'll try to avoid spoilers, but Dream Daughters can influence the Carrier Daughter if circumstances are favorable, or they can seriously push themselves to trigger their CONSUMED abilities at high risk of erasing themselves in part or in whole. Their chance of doing so successfully depends on the emotional connection to their Carrier. Holly is incredibly thankful to Shu and very fond of her, so lulling her to sleep when she was tired was a trivial thing. Sam's influence was precipitated by a shared memory in the garden and the trauma of seeing Rath almost die, losing Bella, and B'ni's suspicious behavior. Finally, Kosi took great risks to save you and Gina from the latter's breakdown, and made the saving throw to remain whole by the skin of her teeth.)
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>>3507967
>Kosi remaining whole by the skin of her teeth to break Gina out of the Depression.
God DAMN.
Cancer girl is such a trooper. Gina should've said "thank you" to Kosi instead of becoming a nervous wreck.
>Sam coming out from the trauma of almost seeing Rath die.
>Coming out only to mock Shu.
Bitch please get your priorities straight.
>>
>>3507967
ah, well that is quite interesting actually. didn't actually think that much went into Sam taking control, but it does make sense. godamned Kosi was the real MVP then of that fight, we'll have to thank her sometime.

thank you for answering.

>>3507978
Yeah Kosi has a knack for survival, and being dead apparently does not stop her from telling death to fuck right off.

also Sam is a bitch, and though she actually has good reasons for it, is super petty against us, it does make sense.
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>>3507978
>Cancer girl is such a trooper. Gina should've said "thank you" to Kosi instead of becoming a nervous wreck.
Given that her nervous wreck was about feeling like she was using people, that was actually probably part of it. "My best friend nearly killed herself so I wouldn't accidentally kill my girlfriend" would have just contributed to the shame spiral. But yes, Kosi is awesome. She went crazy for a while, but I love sane Kosi.
>>
>>3507978
(It was more Shu's fear and trauma making her extremely vulnerable to the negativity inherent in Sam's mental state. Also, Sam's pettiness is equal only to Kosi's ridiculous determination to keep hanging around to bug her best friend.)
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>>3507989
to be fair, literally rotting to death while trapped in place due to an issue not even being rebuilt by the fleshscape could fix probably would eventually make anyone go crazy for at least a little bit. the fact she broke herself out of the hunger probably says alot about her too. even went down fighting as best she could.

>Also, Sam's pettiness is equal only to Kosi's ridiculous determination to keep hanging around to bug her best friend.
well i mean, what more reason do you need?
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>>3508001
Oh, yeah, I'm not blaming Kosi for going crazy. Perfectly understandable, and she's more than established herself as trustworthy since then. Kosi's a cool person, I'm glad she's in Gina's head and not Mara's. For one thing, Mara would be disappointed on how few levels she ultimately turned out to provide.
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>>3508010
im actually curious on that bit, as her Consumption was highly unique. id say arguably the Quality of the Passives she provided could be argued to be above the 'level amount' they appeared to be via number we got.

said passives are hardly bad either, though im not sure Mara would've gotten them due to not having the connection to her like Gina did.
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>>3508014
Yeah, I'm mostly making a dumb joke, they're actually pretty good powers. The Consume option is the least predictable in how useful it is, especially if the eaten Daughter had hybrid skills. Some abilities are just better than others, you can get a lot of reward for only a single level in this system.
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>>3507884
>>Visit Head Researcher Pendra in the R&D Lab to examine the Device before rejoining Gina.
>> On the Way tell Amara a bit of Sams/B'nis story an try to impress onto her that what she feels is probably the Specter of Sam

We should probably visit the Researcheras we probably will not get a chance to come back anytime soon but Amaras little Lesson(sadly) also can not wait
>>
(Writing now, Gentlemen.)
>>
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>>3507884

Rath’s luminescent blush practically steams up the elevator on your way to the basement level, where the bunker’s R&D facilities and Head Researcher Pendra await. When the stainless steel doors of the cramped chamber open, it’s to vast space teeming with movement of all shapes and sizes. Mechanized swarmlings dart to and fro among the sea of bodies shuffling around hurriedly, reminding you of the Monastery’s central chamber at the height of its population.

“Beira said you’d be expecting me, yes?” Comes a clipped, needlepointed voice from your left. Turning, you crane your neck up along the centipede-like neck of a sharply dressed woman, looking down at the four of you with glittering black eyes to match the bio-organic chitinous plating of her body.

“C’mon, man.” Rath moans miserably under her breath next to you. “Why’s this gotta be like Dark Souls, with some people just being big as fuck for no good damn reason?”

“Head Researcher Pendra, I presume?” You say, ignoring Rath’s comment as you grant a courteous bow to the twitchy, multi-armed woman that towers over you and your allies.

“It’s *Director* Pendra, though I’m sure Francine failed to address me as such when she touched on my contributions here.” The woman declares haughtily, rising another inch or two in height as she straightens her already ramrod strict posture.

“Oh don’t worry!” Amara pipes up at your side, a wide, innocent grin on her face. “That Doctor didn’t mention you at all!”

Julia goes stiff with second-hand embarrassment as Pendra’s smug grin falters, just a fraction.

“Then you must not have spoken with her for any length of time.” The Director deflects, extending one of four mechanical arms out with an open palm. “Now, the device Beira informed me of, if you please.”

You extract the ball of wire and metal from your pocket, placing it gently in the Director’s outstretched hand.

“She’s improved.” Pendra hums reluctantly, four sets of fingers turning it over in front of her leering face. “I could obviously have made a better one if my Artemis Drive wasn’t demanding every second of my precious time, but as far as a solution to bio-entanglement, it’ll suffice. I’m sure it took her quite some time to craft something like this.”

“It took about two minutes! She was really fast.” Amara corrects before Julia can put a hand over her mouth, and Pendra’s eye twitches slightly as she regards the smallest among you with a scowl.

“S-so there’s nothing like a…t-trap, or anything?” Julia asks, wrestling with Amara as Rath fist-bumps the little girl behind your back.

(Continued)
>>
>>3508672

“A trap? There’s nothing of the sort in Francine’s funny little ball, I assure you.” Pendra replies irritably. “Come now, I know she’s the proxy of a war criminal but what enterprising scientist puttering about the apocalypse isn’t one, these days? You can’t simply expect to install kill-switches in everything you craft. Your client base would dwindle, and most importantly your credibility as a researcher would take a terrible hit. It simply isn’t worth it.”

She tosses the ball up and down idly, and you feel a lump in your throat as you watch it arc through the air before landing safely back in her hands.

“So no, there are no ‘traps’ installed here. It’s primed to counteract your entanglement perfectly, and it’s really quite impressive, if I do say so myself…pity.” Pendra adds, casting a withering stare at the orb before giving a four-limbed shrug.

“…Good to know. Thank you, Director Pendra.” You say as she returns the device back to your open hand.

“You’re…*quite* certain Francine didn’t mention…?” Pendra begins before shaking her head free of the thought. “Never mind. Now, considering my time is of utmost value to our organization, I’m afraid I must put a strict timer on further social interaction. If you have any questions then I must insist you ask them now. I’m scheduled to lead a numbers run of the Artemis Drive in less than ten minutes, so make it snappy, if you please.”

>>You think you’re through here, so activate the device and then reach out to Gina. You’ve no time to waste if B’ni’s on your trail.

>>Follow Mara east and see what’s prompted her haste. Maybe this was for nothing, maybe her hunt is over…but you have to make sure, first.

>>Ask Director Pendra something that’s on your mind (Write-In).

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
>>3508674
>Follow Mara east and see what’s prompted her haste. Maybe this was for nothing, maybe her hunt is over…but you have to make sure, first.
>"Thank you for the time, "Director"."
>Jam that sucker up in your ear!

Also,
>“Come now, I know she’s the proxy of a war criminal but what enterprising scientist puttering about the apocalypse isn’t one, these days? You can’t simply expect to install kill-switches in everything you craft. Your client base would dwindle, and most importantly your credibility as a researcher would take a terrible hit. It simply isn’t worth it.”
That's an interesting way explain Francine's logic.
>>
>>3508674
>>You think you’re through here, so activate the device and then reach out to Gina. You’ve no time to waste if B’ni’s on your trail.
This is our most imediate and pressing concern.
>>
>>3508674
While I am not a fan of using the device the good Director made a good point
I vote
>Use the Ball
>Thank the Director for her time
> Contact Gina about the whole thing so she does not need to worry about our prolonged silence and then inform her that we are taking up Maras Trail to try and find out what happened
>>
>>3508679
I really don't think Mara managed to kill Isabelle yet, which means whatever she has planned can wait til we are a bit safer from her.

Plus if she's still after Isabelle the last thong we need to do is follow her, though it does seem very possible her plans have changed a but, considering her fly bys of the DOs.
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>>3508690
On the other hand, we have the latest intel and info on Mara's quarry. We can use that information to barter with Mara.
>>
>>3508679
>>3508686
Actually, is east towards the Carrol Forest? If it is, Without Gina here with us following Mara would be a very bad idea if what we have heard of it is true.
>>
>>3508697
What would we even barter from her though? We dont need or really want anything from her, or at least nothing id think we would need to barter for.
>>
>>3508674
>>You think you’re through here, so activate the device and then reach out to Gina. You’ve no time to waste if B’ni’s on your trail.
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next one and a half hours, Gentlemen.)

>>3508699
(Carroll's Forest is westward, while east leads to the River of Tears.)
>>
>>3508699
Well then.
>>3508726
>Mara coming towards the mountain heading west from the River
Well that might narrow down the reasons on why Mara's here.
>>
>>3508674
>“A trap? There’s nothing of the sort in Francine’s funny little ball, I assure you.” Pendra replies irritably. “Come now, I know she’s the proxy of a war criminal but what enterprising scientist puttering about the apocalypse isn’t one, these days? You can’t simply expect to install kill-switches in everything you craft. Your client base would dwindle, and most importantly your credibility as a researcher would take a terrible hit. It simply isn’t worth it.”
Wait, hold up, they know she's part of a hive mind? So they have the context on whose lab we destroyed? Because that's what I meant by the Disassociated Ones' own intelligence allowing them to understand that we were enemies with West. I assumed they had to not know that particular, and it was only Francine who had the necessary context to understand that we were enemies with the collective, because otherwise they would have warned us before they brought her out. But no, apparently the Disassociated Ones knew we were enemies and still brought us before Francine without any fanfare, no effort put into reassuring us first. Okay, I'm feeling rather poorly inclined towards these people now. I was getting all paranoid making conclusions based on them being rational actors who make smart decisions, but no, they're just idiots. I guess one of the bits of the humanity Francine said they lost was the bit that let them understand what "enemy" means. Great.

>>Follow Mara east and see what’s prompted her haste. Maybe this was for nothing, maybe her hunt is over…but you have to make sure, first.
Ugh. Fuck it, I'm done here. Let's just go.
>>
>>3508726
Ah, well then fair enough there. Only issue then would be if we need to cross, but party composition wont help much there.
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>>3508728
The issue you are ignoring is in their very name. Dissociated Ones. They literally do not care, to the Point they are fleeing the planet. Shes useful to them, they don't take sides, so so long as she is behaves herself they do not care.
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>>3508726
Well now I'm confused. Corroll's Forest and B'ni who had crossed it are West but Mara's moving East. Weird.
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>>3508734
no no no. Mara's approaching the Mountain from the East heading west from the River to the Mountain.

B'ni was last seen in Carroll's forest which is southwest of the Mountain.
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>>3508734
Yeah, like i said, I think her plan has changed.

I suppose im ok with following her, so long as we use the device and make sure Gina abd Dorian are safe first.
>>
(To clarify, B'ni and the Forest are to the west of the DOs. Mara was headed west in pursuit of B'ni and she crossed over the DOs shortly after your arrival there. After that, she was seen moving back east in short order.)

(She went one way, then the other in a short span of time.)
>>
>>3508732
It's not about taking sides, it's about minimizing unnecessary conflict. I'm not assuming they're automatically our allies, I'm assuming that they're interested in avoiding wasting time on squabbles instead of getting work done. Warning us ahead of time would have been advantageous to them, it means less of West's time being spent fielding "yeah, but how can we trust you" questions and enabling her to get back to her apparently very critical work sooner. Or what if we had gotten into a fight with her, seen our enemy and immediately moved to attack? We've got a track record of destroying her projects, what if we just assumed that this was something sinister and started sabotaging the Disassociated Ones' work? We wouldn't be able to derail it entirely on our own, but we could have done some damage. We could have even killed that West. They risked an asset that by their own admission is quite valuable to them, just because they couldn't be bothered to spend thirty seconds to tell us "Yeah, we've got one of Dr. West's proxies, but Francine is actually almost decent and you don't have to worry".
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>>3508740
Wait...shit.
Isabelle was heading West, but then potentially is now after us, which would entail turning around.
Mara was after Isabelle, heading west, but just turned around, aka east.

It is possible she is still following Isabelle then, who has gone backwards after us, though other explanations could exist.
>>
>>3508745
(You're absolutely correct. They're so detached from basic human emotion the fact that you might hold a grudge against this particular proxy or react negatively to her face didn't even cross their collective minds.)
>>
>>3508745
I actually don't see evidence they knew we directly had any opposition to West, all that one Ladies comments mean is they know west isn't innocent. Though they have some info on us, said info has not been explained in detail. For all we know, its just rumours they have heard.

Not enough info has been put forward to accurately say if they knew how we would react to West.
>>
>>3508752
Ah, well fair enough. That's just outright dangerous for everyone yeah. Maybe them leaving at this point isn't such a bad thing afterall...
>>
>>3508746
There's also the fact that the Midnight Crew is somewhere around the Mountain. And I think they're here to hunt Beira because of her station (Captain of the Guard of the DOs)
>B'ni coming to Hunt Shu
>Mara following/hunting B'ni (or hot on B'ni's trail
>Midnight Crew coming up to the DO stronghold to bash in Beira's face
>Shu and co. looking to flee B'ni/Midnight Crew.

This is gonna be fucking messy.
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>>3508746
Possible. Depends just how fast B'Ni is. She hasn't been moving as fast as she could be, despite her speed enhancements and her lack of detours we're not that far behind her. I guess having West bugging her every five minutes killed her speed.

>>3508752
Wow. Great. Here I was so excited about the cool cyborgs starting their own space civilization, but apparently the conversion process is so lossy that they've literally forgotten basic self-preservation of their goals so I can't see them lasting long. Oh well, I guess it wouldn't be a proper post-apocalyptic deathworld if people's plans for escaping it weren't ultimately doomed.
>>
>>3508674
>>3508684
Ill add in to the end of my vote;
>If Gina thinks things on her side are good, go and follow mara and see what she's up to.

>>3508757
The Midnight Crew cant reach the DOs, and were said to be leaving until they took shelter to avoid being seen by Mara.

Id say maybe Mara spotted them and went after them, and it is possible, but I can't see her giving up on hunting Isabelle over it.

>>3508761
Isabelle also was kinda in a Muck and depressive state, clearly struggling with her commitment to her goal a bit. But now she has doubled down and it and found new conviction, except now we might be part of that too in a bad way.
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>>3508770
>Isabelle also was kinda in a Muck and depressive state, clearly struggling with her commitment to her goal a bit. But now she has doubled down and it and found new conviction, except now we might be part of that too in a bad way.
Yeah, that too. B'Ni's presented herself even in her own thoughts as constantly moving forward, but she's done so at a crawl. We have done nothing but detours and we could probably catch up with her within the day.
>>
>>3508761
Also hey, at least the DOs retarded over bearing logic only stance means we can at least trust what the director said about the device being safe.

Better than nothing good at all at least.
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>>3508781
True enough, at least we have that. If they don't have the ability to consider that we might be upset about things they don't have the ability to lie to us to make us less upset.
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>>3508776
>nothing but detours
The Detours are there to help promote Amara expanding her Word Library due to the SkinTalker playstyle.
>>
>>3508788
(You'll be pleased shortly, then.)
>>
>>3508795
Pastebins when?
>>
>>3508788
Well, I'd say they're to expand the party in general. Literally, we've doubled in size since B'Ni last saw us (which is going to help a lot, she has a rough idea of Julia's abilities as a Flesh Artisan but has no idea what Amara can do and doesn't even know Dorian exists), but we've also gotten a lot of valuable information and level-ups from the missions we've undertaken and even made some friends. The ones West didn't eat, anyways. Despite my word choice, they're really only detours if we're looking at it as a straight competition of travel time, they were definitely smart decisions.
>>
>>3508799
(Soon, as I've been prioritizing the story progression as of late. Tonight will more than likely be devoted to dumping the Swarmling sheets, the new Dual techs, and Dorian's 4th Form since it'll be a story-appropriate time to run through all that.)
>>
(Got delayed, writing now, Gentlemen. It's a larger update than usual.)
>>
>>3508788
Since all of her Lexicon words are single syllable, I'm sure there's a word out there that's pronounced SHU. RATH too perhaps.
>>
>>3508903
Shu is gonna mean something about TAKING CONTROL isn't it?
>>
>>3508674

“What’s that say?” Amara demands, pointing over Pendra’s shoulder as you’re about to say your goodbyes. Pendra turns, eyeing the curious set of symbols Amara’s spied engraved on their lab’s ceiling.

“A helpful study tool, left by one of our senior researchers before her untimely demise.” Pendra clips. “Brilliant woman, but terribly clumsy. It’s be expected, though.”

“You know what they say about Skintalkers.”

HOLISTIC LEXICON - UPDATED

>>FOL (10%): A word from an alien tongue that refers to single-minded pursuit of a far-off goal. Use of this word on a foe has a high chance to disrupt their concentration of a particular ability they’re sustaining, while using it on a class-modified patch of Fleshscape will revert it back to its natural shape. Meanwhile, directing it towards an ally allows you to bolster their concentration, preventing it from shattering except under the most grievous of circumstances.

“Thank you for your time, Director.” You say brusquely, giving her a stiff bow before turning as one with your friends to re-enter the elevator’s reflective cage. Rath’s startled when you bring the orb to your ear the moment the doors slide shut.

“Dude, right now?” She asks in bewilderment as you fix her with a determined gaze.

“No time like the present.” You reply grimly, pressing the sphere next to your ear. A shudder rolls down your spine as you feel the wires unfurl, slithering into your auditory canal. A pain erupts at your temples, your vision flaring with light before…nothing. You’re vaguely aware of a space, an empty spot in your consciousness your bond with B’ni once occupied. You push, straining to reach out to your oldest friend, but all you find is a cold emptiness in the corner of your mind.

It’s done.

[Gina? The connection’s been severed. Are you and Dorian alright?] You ask, a few agonizing moments passing by until she replies, relief flooding your mind from both ends of your connection.

{Shu! Yeah, we’re fine. You remember that diner we stayed at in Kosi’s City, a little ways from the first waystation we discovered? We’re hunkered down here}

[Good, stay there. Mara went west to hunt B’ni, but then she went back east. We’re going to go see what’s up. Could you give me a shout if she does a fly-by that far out?]

{Of course} She replies, and you can feel the warmth of her smile in the voice that fills your mind. {I can’t wait to see you, Shu}

Gathering your belongings from the stark white rooms you occupied only a little over an hour ago, you’re ushered out of the Disassociated Ones’ bunker and back out onto the hard, blustery beach. You’re somewhat relieved to find you don’t have to find your own way back down the cliffs, but the harsh, bone-chilling wind that blows along the length of the beach forces the four of you to huddle together as you march stalwartly back down to the closest waystation.

(Continued)
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>>3508931
>“You know what they say about Skintalkers.”
No we don't. Wait, hold up, what do they say about Skintalkers? What is this stereotype, do Skintalkers have a reputation for clumsiness? Amara, don't listen to her, you're a perfectly graceful young lady. Actually, I think you're the most graceful member of the party, it's down to you and Dorian and he cheats by being more amorphous than you are.
>>
>>3508948
Honestly i have not pictured the words 'Amara' and 'graceful' together at all. Maybe she isn't clumsy but she certainly is no lady. Hell only Julia id say fits the description.
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>>3508931

You have little breath left in your lungs for conversation as you march, holding in as much warmth as you can against the unnaturally cold winds that buffet your shaking forms. A glance eastward reveals a massive storm pelting Dorian’s demolished homestead with sheets of thick grey rain, the powerful downpour rolling towards the swamp and the mountains beyond.

When you reach the merciful shelter of the waystation you’re chilled to the bone, Julia and Rath huddled together as you carry Amara piggy-back. The four of you approach the long, pitch-black tunnel of the waystation, and you find yourself disheartened at the attendant’s absence as you slowly let the little girl back down to the ground. Amara trots forwards, placing one hand on the sleek wall before turning to you for direction.

“Monastery. If she’s not there, then we’ll catch up with Magpie and then run by the town of Rust to check th…what’s wrong?” You pause, noting the little girl’s dark eyebrows scrunching up her brow in confusion.

“It won’t go.” She pouts, and a shudder of cold runs through your bones once again.

[Gina, can you do your thing through me to help us get back to the Monastery? Amara’s having an issue getting the tunnel to work] You ask, and a flicker of amethyst lights up your vision, a tingle of electricity running down your fingers and into the walls. A tremble, a shudder, and the tunnel begins to shift around you, carrying you onwards to your destination.

{There you go!} Gina says happily, and you can’t help but smile at the sound of her voice, feeling a little bit of the chill leave your marrow as the tunnel carries you forwards. You wait a few moments, the four of you traveling at high speed through the fleshscape, surrounded by utter darkness, until…

Dull grey light surrounds you, streaming down from the open sky overhead as a harsh wind buffets you once more. Before you lies a vast crater, shattered bone and oozing flesh torn asunder in the massive depression you stare out on.

“Amara…where are we?” You breathe, the gathering storm rumbling overhead as you speak. Amara’s utterly confused, leaning close to the walls of the waystation and whispering frantically as Julia steps forwards numbly, placing a hand on a crumbled support to your left.

“T-the walls…” Julia murmurs, drawing your attention to the ornate filigree on the broken slab, its intricate patterns ending abruptly in empty space.

“…Shu, this is t-the Monastery.”

Rath stands in stunned silence as you stare out at the empty space, Amara whispering frantically to every surface she can find, looking for something to tell you otherwise.

A peal of lightning, a rumble of thunder, the roar of…

…no.

(Continued)
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>>3508962

A terrified, baleful howl of impossible magnitude shudders across the landscape, the earth beneath your feet trembling as you watch something move behind an adjoining mountain. It is a colossal, ruinous thing…body a twisted and spiraling mass of landscape, Daughters, and rubble. It passes into your field of view at you watch the mountain itself spiral into it, fueling further growth as it swells to such a size that it could crush the conglomerate underneath one warped trunk of a leg.

Julia’s hands move to her mouth, covering her mouth in a silent scream as Rath’s jaw pops, her teeth grinding together as hot tears run down her cheeks. It still hasn’t hit Amara, still whispering frantically and casting pleading glances your way, searching for some explanation, some navigational mistake she’s made.

She doesn’t want to face the truth. None of them do.

There is no Monastery. Not anymore.

There is only THE SPIRALING FEAR.

“Amara…is anyone else around? Anyone aside from us?” You say, trying to maintain your composure as you place a hand on the girl’s shoulder.

“T-the ground says…no, there’s no-one else. It’s just us, Miss Shu.” She says, face lacking its ever-present smile as she studies your eyes, fearfully. “Um…Mara and the crow lady were here, but they flew off northwest. They said they’re going back home to find you.”

You glance towards the lumbering abomination, its body twisting tighter, ever tighter as it moves away from you, intent on a very specific destination.

It’s going west, as any hunger-mad being would.

It’s moving towards the Cord.

>>Mara’s going North, and you suspect she’s returning to her home in the Town of Rust. Follow her, and see and Magpie were able to save anyone from this Catastrophe. You have to hope they were able to save someone, at least.

>>You need to get your team back together before you meet with Mara. You all had a stake in the Monastery, and they deserve to be there to see who could be saved…not to mention you’re not comfortable with leaving Gina and Dorian alone for long, regardless of the entanglement’s suppression.

>>You just…you need a minute. Talk to your team before moving on…they all tried to keep this from happening, but they also need to know this isn’t their fault…this *thing* isn’t their fault.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(I'm sorry, Gentlemen. Voting shall remain open for the next two hours.)
>>
>>3508903
I did notice something about her lexicon but thought it wasn't important.
Gra (double)
Ter (terrain)
if you put the two together it sounds like the word "Grater"

>>3508956
>>3508948
I've browsed the Lexicon, and I noticed a disturbing fact. There is no word that denotes the concept of "self". Amara can't buff herself with her spells. We need to find that word.

Also, I've thought up of a more advanced Relic for Amara.
>HARBINGER'S HORN: The two note instrument of the Remembrance Whistle has been reinforced and outfitted with a twisting chromatic Horn of blood, brass, and bone. Now allows Amara to store 3 words into the Instrument. On top of that the Horn allows Amara to use 2 additional abilities with the relic. Solo Improv and THE BROWN NOTE.
Solo Improv (concentration): Sacrificing 40% Health and 2 Actions, Amara can spew forth a blistering fast-paced solo improv song using her lexicon words into an 8-word/note
THE BROWN NOTE: Expend all actions and 20% HP for the current round to blow out a crippling sound wave of the most horrible sound ever played. All daughters and Amalgams capable of hearing (barring the instrument player) are affected with the following status debuff for: deafness (1 round), weakness (attacks decreased by 40% for this combat), slow-witted (lost 1 action for this combat, confusion (actions have +30% chance of backfiring), and soiled (movement range is decreased to 1 zone barring special movement options, lasts until new change of pants).
The horn's creation heralds the coming of the endless doots. May Mother save you all.

>>3508964
Mother fucker. Why did we convince Magpie to hold her fire?

>You need to get your team back together before you meet with Mara. You all had a stake in the Monastery, and they deserve to be there to see who could be saved…not to mention you’re not comfortable with leaving Gina and Dorian alone for long, regardless of the entanglement’s suppression.

>>3508975
BHOP. WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!?
>>
>>3508964
>Contact Gina, tell her what happened and that Mara is looking for us. Have her and Dorian meet you in the waystation to the shanty town, then all of you together will see if you cant find and meet Mara and Magpie.

Fucking...ok, well, i hate to be that guy, but im beginning to think its time to indulge in dangerous behavior for Shu, as it seems like letting anyone else be a leader of a group ends in disaster.
>>
>>3508964
> If there ever was a time to curse it is probably now even with Amara here but we are in Control so we wont, even if Emotions threaten to overtake us but we have to try to make everyone stay calm

> Go to the old mining town and tell Gina to meet you there if possible to try and find Dragoon and Magpie
>>3508964

I think someone just callenged us
>>
>>3508975
bhop... what class amalgam is Uzu at?
>>
>>3508980
(Uzu failed a Hunger check in the middle of a large gathering and when Niku tried to stop her she was killed by Uzu, cementing the process and triggering practically everyone present. Magpie can fill you in on the rest when you see her, but she tried her best. That nature of Uzu's powers and the snowballing of the Daughters present prevented her from dealing enough damage to stop everything. These rolls are what took some time to resolve.)

>>3508988
(Colossus, though that may change in due time. Saying more would be spoilers, I'm afraid.)
>>
Geezus christ.
West is already at the cord and otherwise basically a cancer.
Isabelle has doubled down on her goals and very well could be after our heads.
The Midnight Crew has it out for us.
The Disassociated Ones are cowards who plan to flee and otherwise lack the human emotion to care.
And fucking Uzu just lost it and destroyed the monestary.

Goddamned and on top of that we are nowhere near strong enough to even approach half these issues, let alone stop the crucible. Fucking hell this has started to feel hopeless, there won't be anything left to save at this point even if we do succeed.
>>
>>3508964
>Contact Gina, tell her what happened and that Mara is looking for us. Have her and Dorian meet you in the waystation to the shanty town, then all of you together will see if you cant find and meet Mara and Magpie.

Shit. Before this, I thought that we would debate relocating the monastery because that's the first place B'ni would look for us, and if she didn't find us there then she might consume the daughters there to get stronger, and that moving would bring us into conflict with Uzu.
>>
>>3508964
Damn it, Uzu. You couldn't have waited an hour? No, no, I shouldn't blame you. By the file name, Mother was accelerating your breakdown somehow. I guess I was right that the Monastery was too boring for her, I just didn't expect her to correct that this way.

Okay, so I think I understand why Mara was bugging the Disassociated. She wants to nuke this. In fact, the nuclear devices modified to fuel the pulse drive would be perfect for killing a giant monster, they focus the energy of the blast into a thin cone instead of radiating it in all directions. They're basically one-shot death rays at this point. If we can identify a vital spot (probably Uzu's original body, at the center of the spiral, I'd guess), then we can kill this thing.

>Contact Gina, tell her what happened and that Mara is looking for us. Have her and Dorian meet you in the waystation to the shanty town, then all of you together will see if you cant find and meet Mara and Magpie.

First we regroup, get everyone together and start planning. One team goes to convince the Disassociated, the other starts working on a back-up plan. Maybe between Neuromancy and Skintalking we can get in contact with this thing without being eaten by it, treat it as a walking dungeon instead of a monster. Fight our way past constructs spawned inside the spiral, make our way to the center and fight the Uzu core.
>>
>>3509007
I think this was a clear lesson we can no longer let things wait. If we want something done, like saving the monestary and/or setting up a new hold out to relocate those willing. Every time it feels like, we have arrived AFTER something, it constantly feels like we wait just a bit TOO long to do something. Its frustrating as all hell and damn it all it needs to stop.

>>3509015
I dont think that will work. The DOs already wish to just flee the conflict, why would they waste fuel on something that is basically a prime example of why they wish to leave?
>>
>>3508964
>[Gina, Something's happened. We need you here. now. Get to the waystation, we'll meet up with you at Kosi's city Waystation and then we'll head to Rust Town via Waypoint.]


>>3509026
You're right about this. Why else would Mother taunt us with an image file that basically says "YOUR MOVE DEFIANT, I'VE PLAYED MY HAND BY BUFFING THE HUNGER, AND YOU DID JACK SHIT IN STOPPING THE FALL OF THE MONASTERY. WHERE'S YOUR DEFIANCE?"
>>
>>3509026
>>3509015
Can anybody remind me why we voted to convince Magpie to hold her fire?
It feels very contradictory that we had told Magpie to not shoot Uzu and then basically fucked off and did nothing about it instead of assisting Niku and help Uzu snap out of her mental state.
>>
>>3509026
>I dont think that will work. The DOs already wish to just flee the conflict, why would they waste fuel on something that is basically a prime example of why they wish to leave?
I think we can make the argument that this thing is so huge and so destructive that it poses a threat to their launch. With how they've been talking, their launch window must be pretty close. Do they want a giant monster rampaging outside their doors when they're trying to get a ship in the air? This thing is enormous and only growing, by the time it gets to the other side of the river of acid it will be the size of of a mountain and dragging the entire fleshscape around it into a vortex. Besides, an Orion launch is going to use thousands of nuclear devices. They can't spare one tiny little Casaba Howitzer?

But yeah, I expect they'll probably say no anyway. That's why I also want to work on Plan Dungeon Crawl.

>>3509038
Yeah, we underestimated the threat the increased Hunger posed. But, as was often commented, we just don't have the skill set for solving that problem. I'm not sure what we could have done, save murder Uzu. Should we have murdered Uzu? I don't want to say the answer is yes, but from a consequentialist perspective I can't deny the appeal of that now.
>>
Why do we need to kill the spiral monster? Let it keep going to the cord. Let it ruin Wests day.
>>
>>3508964
>Contact Gina, tell her what happened and that Mara is looking for us. Have her and Dorian meet you in the waystation to the shanty town, then all of you together will see if you cant find and meet Mara and Magpie.
>>
>>3509046
We didn't just fuck off and did nothing. That is an unfair description of the events that fails to take into account the time frame. It's been like, six hours in-character since we left the Monastery. We said something to piss Uzu off, went to talk with Niku about it, Niku said that she was going to try to calm her down, and then we gave her some space to work on that. We were going to let the tension let out between us and Uzu before we tried again, Uzu just turned out to be a lot more tense than we realized. Nobody expected things to get this bad this fast, we underestimated the threat and we're paying for it but it's not because we were lazy.

>>3509053
A couple reasons. For one thing, it's suffering and we want to end that. For another, it may cause undesirable collateral damage in its path towards the Cord. For a third, what if West kills it and eats it and gains a huge amount of levels?
>>
>>3509046
We had already fucked up sorta, and put ourselves in a position where Uzu would not listen to us, but Niku asked otherwise asked to be given time, so we asked Magpie to give her that one chance.

Clearly, she failed, and the results of that failure were quicker than we thought.

>>3509048
If it's even heading down a path that will make it a threat to them, and even then they may just try and launch early rather than risk not being able to launch at all via wasting fuel.

>>3509053
Because it reaches the cord and then wins the crucible then we have lost, as despite what it is that is still its goal. It will only grow stronger as it rampages and consumes its way forward.
>>
>>3509062
>If it's even heading down a path that will make it a threat to them, and even then they may just try and launch early rather than risk not being able to launch at all via wasting fuel.
That would make them waste more fuel. There are pretty narrow launch windows for interplanetary travel, if you don't do it at the right time then you have to expend a lot more energy.
>>
>>3509046
Because at the time, we wanted to try saving uzu as well and likely thought we would have a chance to definitively deal with the monastery issue when we got back.

I also proposed to have Amara use SUTH (soothe) on Uzu, but that was met with rebuttal that she would take it badly if we forced her to calm down and repress her hunger.
>>
>>3509066
Still, launching early is still a more logical move than making yourself unable to launch at all, if your goal is to leave.

The simple fact is, they won't see it as their problem unless its a direct threat, then won't see the logic in wasting resources to stop it if any other alternative can be had.

Any extra fuel they ever had, minus necessary reserves fir unpredictable fluctuations, was probably already used to test the engines and theories on if they could leave at all.
>>
>>3509062
Big assumption that it's gonna win
>>
>>3509077
But I agree that it will probably be killed by and endgame daughter, giving them a boost, maybe enough to win the Crucible, and if it's one that runs against our goals like West or B'ni than it's not a chance we should take.
>>
>>3509083
Guess it's time to hold a raid then. It's colossus sized for now, but if Uzu's powerset is to be believed, by the time we get everyone ready for the raid it's gonna become a Behemoth class Amalgam.
>>
>>3509077
I mean, like
>>3509083
Said, even it itself does not win, its gonna be alot if levels for someone we probably do not want getting those levels.
>>
>>3509083
>>3509091
I'm all for taking it down if we can, but it seems to be well out of our weight class.
>>
>>3509073
The issue is that if their safety margin on fuel supply is so low that they can't spare even one nuclear device, then they can't spare the fuel needed to launch outside their ideal window. An nuclear pulse drive uses thousands of nuclear devices, sparing one would be less than a tenth of a percent of their fuel. They're going to expend a lot more if they miss their launch window. The launch window to anywhere they would want to go only shows up once a year at most, too. So if they do have a fuel shortage, it's either help us kill this thing and have to adjust their mass ratio slightly, or wait for it to go away and have to spend another year on this terrible planet.
>>
>>3509097
We did take a Colossus-class Conglomerate with three teammates and Magpie before. With all of our team, Magpie and Mara, I think we can pull it off. Let's not rush into it, of course. It's important to have a preparation round, where we have a cloaked scarlet drone latch on to analyze its abilities and fears while others set up traps and defenses, or methods to retreat to safety.
>>
>>3509097
It is, but id hope Mara has an idea.

>>3509099
Maybe, but im still positive they will take any route that is not actually helpful to us. It just from their perspective would make no logical sense to waste any resources helping us if this is not coming towards them, and then no logical sense to waste any fuel that they cant replace on it either.

Best case scenario they have really big cannons or some other tech, and all they do is divert its course around them, doing little to actually stop it then not doing anything else. Logically it would waste the least amount of their resources and do the least to put them on Mothers radar, something they probably try to avoid.

The simple fact is helping as little as possible is in their best interest, especially if it costs them even a single drop of fuel.
>>
>>3509103
This one was described as being big enough to crush the last one we fought under a single tentacle. But of a power jump there despite being the same amalgam class.

I mean, we gonna do what we gotta do, but this is literally, physically literally, a mountain we gotta get over.
>>
>>3509108
I mean, you're not wrong. I'm not really expecting them to lift a finger to help, they'll deny the potential threat it poses towards them. Best case scenario, Beira and maybe a few of her own team come to help the assault. At this point I'm really just laying out the logic for why it's foolish for them to stick their heads in the sand, I'm sure they're going to anyway. But hey, maybe we'll both be proven pleasantly wrong.
>>
>>3509120
So far, with how things have gone with EVERYTHING lately, i think having any hope at all is just asking to be disappointed.
>>
>>3509135
Although that's a big target for Shu to take out all of her recent frustrations on. The whole fight may have Shu cussing out the Spiraling Fear with all of her rage the entire time.
>>
>>3509148
Up until she gets Spiraled because Uzu is huge and has swallowed everyone in the monastery.
>>
(Gentlemen, my apologies but I shall be extending the voting period for an additional two hours, and the reason is twofold. The first is that I can't access the Dual Tech list due to technical difficulties, and considering you'll have the choice to alter your team composition at the upcoming vote, it wouldn't be fair to ask you to move forward without that very pertinent information. Second, work is mounting so I'd like to knock some of that out so I can proceed with a clear mind. Apologies for the wait and I hope you'll understand. Thus, voting shall close two and a half hours from now, and I hope youre having a good day, one and all.)
>>
>>3509148
Oh i have no doubt our entire team has some pent up emotions to let loose. I think at this point even Julia might drop her manners.

And honestly i think im right there with them. I dont see any actual hope left here, but by all damned hell will we let the crucible and mother win. No hope? Fine, we will fuel ourselves with anger and defiance and make sure if our hones going down, at the very least mother and the crucible are too.

>>3509156
That's fine and understandable, though this seems like quite the big issue to leave anyone behind from.

You focus on what you need BHOP, hope work doesn't crush your soul too hard!
>>
>>3509148
Bonus points if the Spiraling Fear has a Phantasmal Conduit aura (fear, perhaps) and BHOP interprets Shu making her saves against it as just being too angry to listen to it.

>>3509156
Of course, BHOP, no worries. Take your time, get your things in order. I don't think anyone is going to mind. Good luck on work, man.
>>
I just thought that it will need to go through the acid river to head towards the cord. That might be our best chance to kill it, while it's perpetually melting in acid. Have Gina and Amara terraform a gigantic trap or obstacle beforehand to keep it in the river and do big damage as it tries to get out too to up the chances. As Sun Tzu said: whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted.
>>
>>3509200
It's a good idea, my worry is how big it will have gotten by the time it reaches the river. It might just step over it.
>>
>>3509200
Yeah, Amara and Gina will be best, With Julia on top for all her debuffs.

Which pisses me off a bit as Rath really needs the levels, aswell as both deserves and needs to let off alot of steam, but this thing wont need brute strength to take it down, if we even can.

>>3509204
Its already so big honestly the river might just be a stream to it. Still not a bad idea at all mind you, just that nothing is going to be super effective against something so big.
>>
>>3509204
I think it was a pretty big river. It needed some time to cross it by ship and for B'ni to swim through it. Maybe it would be nice to have confirmation of how big it is, but I don't think we could see the other side from the shore so there's that.
>>
>>3509220
(You're correct in your assumption of its size. The river is large enough to slow it down considerably.)
>>
>>3509223
And will it remain that size long enough for the river to impede it?
>>
>>3509233
(If it continues westward, it will.)
>>
>>3509215
I really wanted that too, but no bitches that are overestimating themselves or packs of amalgams to fight this time. Where did that group of vultures that B'ni encountered when she crossed the river even go?

Also, yes for Julia since she just got a despair aura recently, and sapping that thing's (or a significant portion of its component part's) will to fight or retaliate will be advantageous.
>>
>>3509215
>Which pisses me off a bit as Rath really needs the levels, aswell as both deserves and needs to let off alot of steam, but this thing wont need brute strength to take it down, if we even can.
Unless the Living Dungeon idea does wind up happening. Then we'd have Amara and Gina busy keeping this thing locked down, while Julia, Rath, Dorian and Shu fight their way through its insides to get at a vital organ.
>>
>>3509243
(They were annihilated in November's first shelling of the town. The jamming device the Puppeteer used unfortunately cloaked them, as well.)
>>
>>3509244
Being inside that thing sounds bad, but i mean if it is the only option then ok.

>>3509243
Well, id assume they went to find that one girl a new top, after that who knows. They probably just mulled on along to who fucks knows where.
>>
>>3509263
Oh, pff haha, well they certainly did not accomplish much in thier lives then.
>>
>>3509266
>Being inside that thing sounds bad, but i mean if it is the only option then ok.
It will be good practice for the Cord, we're going to have to navigate a living labyrinth that wants to eat us sooner or later. But seriously, I think it's a potentially viable plan. We split into two teams. Shu, Rath, Julia and Dorian on one team; Gina, Amara, Mara and Magpie on the other. Gina and Amara lock the Spiraling Fear down in the middle of the River of Tears, both by manipulating the landscape and using direct Neuromancy and Skintalking abilities. Mara flies Magpie around on the meat dragon to run air support, contributes with whatever long-range abilities she has, too. Between the acid, the Neuromantic/Skintalking jamming and M&M sniping at it, it's distracted enough that Shu's team can enter through an orifice and fight their way through to a vital organ. Said vital organ will probably itself be a boss fight.
>>
>>3509285
I was more worried about the potential for just being inside it making it constantly be like being in our maw. While the cord is dangerous, from what little we do know its still more like a standard dungeon, than literally the ground itself being like stomach acid and internal organs trying to absorb us.
>>
>>3509298
Oh, no, it's going to be super dangerous, that's the point of having Gina keeping up Neuromantic jamming and Amara constantly yelling GRA VOL CUNT the entire fight. Hopefully that will keep Kurozu-cho here from absorbing us.
>>
>>3509285
It might be our only option to defeat this thing as I do not think we have an amount of Explosives large enough to blast this thing to pieces Im not even sure we could kill it using conventional weapons.

Would our weaponized Cancer work on it? Try and strip as much Biomass off of it before going in?
>>
>>3509321
It could help, sure. I'm a bit hesitant to get Gina so close to it, but we might be able to make it work. Depends on if Magpie has any of those teleport bullets left. This time I want to use them to get away after the fact, instead of to rush in. Meat dragon drops Gina off, she gives it cancer, then she teleports away.
>>
>>3509321
Sure, but unless Gina can do it through a scarlet drone, there's the danger of letting her get so close. It's certainly big enough that short range and medium range may as well be the same thing for it, so she would need a way to both approach instantaneously and be extracted instantaneously. Like when she was teleported in for that last Conglomerate, but this time she has to be teleported out as well instead of having the thing fall on top of her. If not, than no go unless it's completely immobilized or stunned for the round.
>>
>>3509336
>>3509338
The other issue, but one that might help make entering it less dangerous actually, is we saw it outright absorbing a mountain. Which means it has non organic material in its mix. This means the cancer might not work properly, but also might mean inside it is safer, or has areas that are safer.
>>
>>3508964
BHOP, do we get a threat reduction since this is kind of our fault?
>>
>>3509514
(You do, despite it technically not being your fault. You threat level is also based on your chance to cause major disruption to the Crucible system as a whole, so the loss of the Monastery as a home base and place of respite has damaged your ability to fight as effectively, at least in Mother's eyes.)

(And so...)

>>THREAT LEVEL: 42%
>>
>>3509530
She's doing it just to spite us.
>>
>>3509560
It's almost flattering in a way. Mother thinks we're such a threat that having our home base be destroyed is only worth a reduction of 5%. Let's prove her right.
>>
>>3509530
>mfw only a drop of 4%
whew, if this is only a 4% drop, then yeah thats not MEANT to drop. i mean, that makes since, but still, fucking bitch.
>>
(Gentlemen, work has seen fit to punch me in the face, so the odds are high that this evening's planned series of rapid-posting will more than likely not transpire. However, I will still be posting here soon as I make my way home from work. My apologies for the delay and take care, Gentlemen.)
>>
>>3509639
I'm sorry to hear that you're having a rough time, BHOP. Best of luck.
>>
>>3509639
oof, that sounds exactly like work is crushing your soul. no need to apologize, we understand, you do what you have to.
>>
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>>3508964

[Gina, I need you and Dorian to meet me and the others at Rust Town, we’re meeting up with Mara, Magpie, and I’m hoping some survivors, too. The Monastery’s fallen, and we…need to do damage control]

Her affirmative response comes swiftly, and after casting one last, pained look across the destruction and the resulting behemoth, you turn back to the waystation. You only have to wait a minute or two for Gina and Dorian to arrive, and when they do she's in your arms almost immediately, with Dorian fading to a crimson mist and reappearing next to Julia and Amara, their safety his first concern.

“Shu, are you okay?” Gina asks, gentle fingers brushing their hair back from your forehead, hazel eyes searching yours intently. You nod, and you can tell that even without the Crimson Cord she'd know you were lying.

"Mara should be here by now, but can you do a quick scan to..."You say, cut off when Gina's soft fingers alight on your lips.

“I just did, relax." She says, her palm resting on your collarbone, feeling your pulse gently beating beneath it. "I can feel Mara and Magpie in Julia’s place, and…yeah, we should head over.”

“What’s up? Is there something else?” You ask, and Gina gives a small shake of her head.

“No, it’s…just a nagging thing, it’s hard to explain. Come on, let’s go.” She dismisses, taking your hand in hers as the six of you ascend through the tunnels and into the rain-drenched town above. Dorian keeps pace with you, head on a swivel as you collectively step out into the rain and hasten your pace to your old homestead.

"Dorian, how're you holding up?" You ask, his electric blue eye snapping into view.

"I'm...alright." He replies hesitantly, glancing back towards Julia with a forced smile of reassurance. "There's this new ability I'm coming to understand...I think I have a good idea as to why it's manifested the way it has, but...I'm not sure I want to use it the way it's intended."

>>RED DEATH - NEW FORM UNLOCKED: MASQUE OF WAR: Dorian's fourth form is a whole-sale dispelling of his body into the titular Red Death; a shifting, lethally toxic mist that possesses a host of devastating properties. Taking this form allows Dorian the ability to lock down a medium-diameter area, and doing so prevents foes' thought-wave communication, hinders sight-enhancement abilities, and allows Dorian to violently retaliate against anyone that attempts to move outside the designated zone or attempting to teleport within it. Finally, while the mist does not deal damage to foes within the dome, it does automatically deal damage over time to enemy constructs, emphasizing the form's focus on forcing a close-range melee for those unfortunate enough to be caught within his sphere of influence.

(Continued)
>>
>>3509786
Can Dorian move in Masque of War mode? Because being able to provide mobile cover against construct swarms would be really handy if this fight goes the way I'm afraid it's going to.
>>
>>3509807
(He can, yes. He is limited to one movement zone per move action, however.)
>>
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>>3509786

You're about to ask why he said that when you freeze in the middle of rounding a corner, having come face-to-face with the terrifyingly silent meat dragon that's hunkered low, filling the entire breadth of the street on which Mara's home is located. You're the first to step forwards, with Gina and Julia following close behind, the latter of whom has to physically restrain Amara from running up and saying 'hello' to the rotting amalgam.The dragon appears content to merely watch your approach, massive wings adjusting to fit in the narrow alley as he sound of a pair of raised voices reaches you from within the confines of Mara's home.

You take a breath, and open the door.

“…roject, so are you happy now, Mara?” Magpie dryly finishes, turning at the sound of you and your team's entrance. Mara’s imposing as always at the center of the room, muscular arms crossed and scarred brow knit at Magpie’s tense form, her face finally easing when she turns to you and gives you a once-over.

“Shu, I’m glad you and your team are alright.” Mara intones, uncrossing her arms and moving to greet you.

“Same. Who else made it?” You ask, and your heart sinks at the pointed silence that greets your question.

“Let’s not dwell on that now.” Mara says, voice low as Magpie shakes with a mirthless, silent chuckle. You direct your questioning glance towards the sniper as Julia’s face falls, her hands tight on Amara’s shoulders.

“Started with Uzu." Magpie begins after a breath, her body shrouded in the heavy shadows that fill the room. "Most everyone present didn’t know what they were looking at, ‘cept for that little forge girl. When Uzu sucked her in, everyone else panicked, and things went downhill from there. They couldn’t handle it. Maybe they’d gotten soft.”

Magpie shifts in her chair with a pained hiss that she turns into a snake's laugh. “You know, I never put much stock into meditation. Guess I was right.”

You turn to focus on her as she leans forwards from against the wall, the light from the fully open door falling across her…

...and revealing she didn't make it out unscathed.

Her entire left side is little more than a spiraled husk, the aftermath of Uzu’s powers delaying her regeneration as the flesh twitches painfully. Her off hand ends in little more than a twisted nub, the side of her face a fractal of scars bearing a harsh grin against the agony wracking her body.

“I have a plan.” Mara announces, and the sniper just chuckles again despite the pain it causes her.

“Oh, I’m sure it’s a grand one.” Magpie grins wide, her aura pulsing with cold disappointment across your empathic channel. "Or is it just a continuation of the one you ran by me a couple months ago before we split?"

(Continued)
>>
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>>3509827

“I have someone south of the waystation on the western side of the River of Tears.” Marrow Dragoon continues, ignoring her old partner as she speaks directly to you. “She’s staying at a small fishing outpost down there. She should still be strong enough to slow down this thing, and that'll be critical in stopping it completely. That's your task.”

"Magpie. Go get the gunner." Mara commands, rounding on the crippled sniper. "You know where to find her. She owes me a favor, and it’s time to collect.”

“Just like old times, hm?” She sighs, rising from her seat with considerable effort and snatching her rifle from where it leans against the shack's wall. "So where are you headed off to, hero?”

“I’m going to go cut a deal I’d much rather not.” The warrior replies, her mouth a hard line as you try to make sense of their interactions. "Shu, take your team and move. We need to..."

"Don't you think you've put enough weight on one girl already, Dragoon?" Magpie says low, the sarcasm slipping away from her voice and replaced with burning indignation. Mara just holds up a finger, taking a slow, steady breath.

“We’ll talk about this later." She replies slowly, staring at her former partner.

“No, Mara.” Magpie says with a dejected sigh as she moves past you and into the pounding rains outside. “No, we won’t.”

With that, she's enveloped in the grey sheets, slamming the door shut behind her and causing Amara to jump at the sharp sound.

"I know you've been through a lot, but this time, this moment is critical." Mara says, looking to each one of you, in turn. "Are you ready to do what needs to be done?"

You look around at your team, from Gina's glimmering eyes staring up at you hopefully to the fearful, yet determined focus that's writ large on Julia's face. Dorian gives you a curt nod, his dedication to keeping you all safe first and foremost in his mind. Rath cracks her knuckles, her teeth grinding together with abject rage as Amara bounces on the balls of her feet, ready for action.

They're ready, willing...

...and powerful.

NEW DUAL TECHS UNLOCKED: https://pastebin.com/Jhd452yt

Now, the only question is if you’re going to try and recruit Mara’s ally, or if you’d like to take a shot at getting help from another source…

>>Head out now to meet Mara’s associate on the bank of the River. You’ll need all the help you can get to stop the Spiraling Fear.

>>Volunteer to try and convince the Disassociated Ones to help your cause, and set out immediately. Even if there’s only a small chance, it’s worth it.

>>Speak with Mara to discuss her plan before you leave. Time may be of the essence, but you’d like to get a clear picture of what she’s trying to do.

>>Write-In

AND

>>Party limit temporarily lifted. Please select Relic load out and if you’ll take everyone with you where you’re going.

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next one and a half hours, Gentlemen. Thank you for your patience, as always.)
>>
>>3509887
>Sculptress of Flesh
>Max accuracy debuff: 39%
>Radiant Ripper
>drastically decreasing the accuracy of those struck by the blade or within short range of Julia
>Horror at Red Hook
>imposes a massive accuracy debuff

Glorious. Can we get someone down to negative accuracy with these?
>>
>>3509887
whew....this is one fucked situation. awesome to get our entire party, terrifying it has come to that. im...not even sure what to say, theres some clear points Magpie is hinting at we shouldn't ignore but... ill focus on the threat at hand.

>>Head out now to meet Mara’s associate on the bank of the River. You’ll need all the help you can get to stop the Spiraling Fear.
this is alos where we have already discussed our best option to stop this thing is. Mara did say her associate could help, so maybe we shall see

AND

>Take Entire Party
we will NEED everyone. maybe Gina and Amara stay outside, maybe they do not, we will see what this other girl can do and what the plan is first.

Shu;
>Contender

Amara;
>Shawl

Gina;
>Whistle

Rath;
>Sui Tormentis

Juia;
>Ignition Gauntlets
>Cursas Alas

Amara will always need the shawl the most, for now anyways. but she also doesn't really actually need the whistle, as anyone can blow it. i suppose it does give her two free syllables once, but i think being able to double up once via someone else using it is a nifty idea.
Rath i still simply think fits the Sui the best, though i can see giving it to Julia perhaps, but Rath still needs the defense more i think.
plus, give Julia the gauntlets for some increased Armor, and unlike Dorian and Rath, she has no movement options, so give her the Boosters so she can get in and out better.
Dorian really doesn't need anything, simply because while hes far from bad at melee, i feel like in a full party his role will be more in a place where Julia and Rath will be covering the actual frontline, him more supporting them from right behind, so he wont need any of the Armor Relics as much as them.
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>>3509917
(You absolutely can, unless they have any skills that cap it.)
>>
>>3509887
>>NEW DUAL TECHS UNLOCKED: https://pastebin.com/Jhd452yt

also damn, not one of these is bad, in any way shape or form.
>>
>>3509925
Amazing, shame the Spiraling Fear can't fit inside a small dome!

>>3509887
>>3509919
Almost entirely agree with this, though I think we should ask Mara to explain her plan as simply and quickly as possible, we don't want to screw things up because we don't know something that would have taken about a minute to find out.
>>
>>3509887
Oh, man, those Dual Techs. Julia is the clear winner in this, she's got excellent combo potential with everyone but Gina now. They're all really good, though.

>>Speak with Mara to discuss her plan before you leave. Time may be of the essence, but you’d like to get a clear picture of what she’s trying to do.
>>Write-In
>"I don't need a big speech, I think we're all in, just give us the footnotes. What are we doing here, Mara, I don't want to go in completely blind."

>>Party limit temporarily lifted. Please select Relic load out and if you’ll take everyone with you where you’re going.
Take everyone. I'd like to leave Amara behind, but honestly, we need everyone we can get. And it's not like we haven't taken her into dangerous situations before. Give Shu the Contender, obviously. Gina takes the whistle, loaded with Grah Vol. Rath keeps Sui Tormentis on for now (oh yeah, she's had that on this whole thread). Amara wears her Shawl, it probably won't help but every bit counts. And Julia gets Cursas Alas and the Ignition Gauntlets for when we armor her up so that she can blitz and fire punch.
>>
>>3509925
do we have information on Uzu’s abilities? if the amalgam was created with her at the core, we could be able to come up with a counter for the amalgam form
>>
>>3509919
>>3509934
ill support adding in;
>Ask Mara for a quick rundown.

>>3509935
im happy to see our Relic loadout was exactly the same, though i didnt even think about what to load up into the whistle.
>>
>>3509936
(All you know is that it's an Expressionist-type Flesh Artisan powerset, capable of warping structures when she was in Daughter form, twisting mountains to spires in her Amalgam form, and possessing enough strength to suppress Magpie's potent regenerative abilities. Aside from that, you're in the dark.)
>>
>>3509887
>>Head out now to meet Mara’s associate on the bank of the River. You’ll need all the help you can get to stop the Spiraling Fear.

It's unknown just how trustworthy Mara can be, but in this situation, she wants exactly the same thing we do. She's smart, strategically calculating, and her judgment is good enough that she can assess threats and possible counters. So if she says there's somebody she knows who could help stop the Spiraling Fear, then I trust her. This isn't the time for questions, we need to stop this thing NOW.

Besides, gathering the whole squad together and teaming up with Mara and Magpie to take down a mountain-sized monstrosity? Fuck. Yeah.
>>
>>3509887
>"You know, today's been a bad day to say the least. Physically, I didn't even get into a single fight, but emotionally, I'm exhausted"
>"It started when I got to witness Charon perform her primary function. What a start."
>"Then, I encounter the Midnight Crew. And it started out friendly and courteous, but then it turned sour when I learned they had some twisted ideals, intended to fuck up the Disassociated Ones because of those ideals, and wanted to pick a fight with me and most of my friend for the same reason. So I hauled ass to beat them there."
>"Then B'ni gets a bleed-over episode, during which I learn that West killed a group of Daughters I got along with. The ones that Gina and I crossed the river with."
>"And after her altercation with West, instead of opening up to me just a little, B'ni decides to double down on her current goal while maybe killing me and my friends on the way so we don't interfere."
>"And then who do I immediately meet? Another Doctor Fucking West. And while that proxy's different and cyborg and stuff, it was not who I wanted or needed to see right then."
>"So after all of that I come back to find the Monastery destroyed because Uzu fell off the deep end, and she took all of those innocent girls down with her."
>"... I'm just drained. But I'm also incredibly frustrated."
>"And I'm thinking that I have a big target for all of that pent up frustration."

>Head out now to meet Mara’s associate on the bank of the River. You’ll need all the help you can get to stop the Spiraling Fear.
>Volunteer to try and convince the Disassociated Ones to help your cause, and set out immediately. Even if there’s only a small chance, it’s worth it.
Rath and Gina should do that one to convince the head of the guards and stay in contact. They don't have to supply fuel. Any weaponry that can be used without compromising their goal is enough. And point out that if the Conglomerate that swallowed a mountain gets passed the river, it could affect their planned launch and at least set them back for some time.

I have to go for a while so I'll just say in advance that a cloaked Scarlet Drone that's swimming in the acid river will have less chances of being detected by that massive beast (assuming it's not so small to not even be on its radar).
>>
>>3509948
whew. this is gonna be one hell of a fight. i never thought of her as overly powerful but clearly under the right conditions at least she is a damn powerhouse.

maybe Rath will earn a title like the rest of em outta this, because i have a feeling this fights not going to be forgotten anytime soon. i think my earlier recommendation of Dorian being the second line might be best yeah, as all his stat strength comes from pure Regen, unlike Rath and Julia.
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>>3509957
There's no time for speeches, we've got a kaiju to fight! Move, move, move!
>>
>>3509957
its not a bad write-up, but i dont think we really have time to waste on long speeches. nor on the DOs. Mara already tried to get their attention and failed, and they have more than shown themselves to be apathetic to outside concerns. the last thing we need it people running around on low-to-no chance errands when we will need all hands on deck.

the issue is, even if the Head Guard and a few others might otherwise be willing, she has a job to guard the DOs, and if she leaves now, they probably will not let her back in. no matter how overall a good person she is, she both agreed to a certain job and wanted to be there for a reason, and unless ordered losing everything to help us might be beyond what she can muster to give.

the DOs have other plans and advanced as fuck Tech. they will probably use it to defend their own fort and nothing else, unfortunately.
>>
>>3509887
>Speak with Mara to discuss her plan before you leave. Time may be of the essence, but you’d like to get a clear picture of what she’s trying to do.
>Have Gina insert a plug into Mara and everyone for Thoughtform communication. Why Talk aloud when everyone can communicate at the speed of thought?
>"Mara, when you mean 'cutting a deal that you'd rather not, do you mean you're cutting a deal with 'The Vitruvian'?"
The question is because it's the only thing to our knowledge that Mara would painfully give up on since she staked a huge majority of her career on hunting and finding.

>>3509957
We can save that speech for our party members after we
>>
>>3509950
Mara isn't untrustworthy in the sense she has bad intentions, she simply seems to have a bit of Sam in her in that she passively demands to be in charge of a situation and will happily try and bend people to her will over time if she thinks its for the best or they have potential.

Good intentions as in she genuinely seems to want the best for everyone, untrustworthy in she doesn't care about crossing lines to fulfill that nor if you have objections to your role in that.
>>
>>3510013
>>3509887
Rephrasing a question/write-in
>"When you mean cutting a deal, do you mean cutting a deal with the fabled "Vitruvian" named 'Isabelle (akaB'ni)'?"
>>
>>3510017
Right, that's what I meant by untrustworthy. Thanks for putting it into better words.
>>
>>3510013
>>3510021
Why do you think its Isabelle? It could be any number of folks out there.
>>
>>3510025
Yeah, Mara knows that we broke things off with Isabelle and are nominally hostile with her. She doesn't know that it's escalated, but I think she'd tell us if she was bringing in B'Ni. Also, she's going to go make a deal, given that last we saw she still was hunting for B'Ni she wouldn't be able to do that in any reasonable time. It's fine, we don't need to be paranoid about Isabelle showing up and breaking a truce while we're fighting the giant spiral monster so that she can gank us.
>>
>>3510025
First thing that came to my mind. Now that I think about it, the other person that Mara would be loathe to cut a deal with would be a certain Quack Doctor from the giant flock that is Dr. West.
>>3510021
>>3509887
Rephrasing the question yet again:
>"Is it Dr. West or 'The Vitruvian' that you're cutting a deal with? If it's the former, we'll try to bear with her. If it's the latter, then things will be 'personal' complicated"
>>
>>3510037
>>3510040
Im thinking its probably West. As much as we despise her, it IS possible this thing could go against her plans, and/or Mara can offer her something worth her putting aside their differences. Plus genuine curiosity, her one weakness, might draw her to this anyways.

We dont have to like it, or agree to it, im just saying it is a possibility that's what shes gonna do and that west would agree.
>>
>>3510040
Or it could be another Daughter, the Crucible is full of them. Are we going to assume the gunner she sent Magpie to get is one of West's clones, too? West can use guns.
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>>3510047
Well, yeah, but we're just discussing the possibilities. Plus deal making actually does sound like a west thing, so that probably pushes the mind towards her, as well as already knowing she is a character compared to an unknown.
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>>3510055
I suppose. But I think this is an excellent opportunity to introduce new characters, so having it just be more West would be kind of a waste. I'm hoping it's someone else.
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>>3510040
How about we just change it to "Is it anyone I know?". Less accusatory, so if it's not West or B'Ni then it can be played off as Shu just being curious about who they'll be working with.
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>>3510070
yeah, its one thing to be curious whos shes making a deal with, another to jump to conclusions on who.
>>
>>3509887

"I don't need a big speech, I think we're all in, just give us the footnotes." You say as your team gears up in the house's main space. You gently close the bedroom door behind you, watching Mara take a seat on the bed, the springs creaking under her muscled weight. "What are we doing here, Mara? I don't want to go in completely blind."

"The River of Tears." Mara begins, resting her elbows on her knees as she leans forward, while you back up against the closed door, arms crossed as you listen. "It will be slow and vulnerable, with its regenerative powers dampened by the acid. The Leviathans will recognize it as a Hunger-mad Daughter, so they won't attack."

Cold blue-grey eyes study yours as she continues.

"The young woman that you'll be meeting, she's a hybrid Vitruvian and Humoral Paladin by the name of Claire. Rare, powerful, and with an inviolable physical form that she can use to slow the Spiraling Fear even further and allow us more time to attack. If she's waited there like I asked her to, then after you tell her the situation she'll know to stay put, and we'll all meet back here and go over everything one last time before we set out as one. Hopefully Magpie can get the Gunner here on time to give her help in the air or from the opposite shore, but that's a toss-up."

"Good." You nod. "Plan of attack?"

"We'll make a land bridge via Neuromancy or your Skintalker's powers, both would be equally effective. Magpie, the Gunner, and the ranged attackers of your choice will ride my mount, while I'll be at your disposal for an internal assault. I've fought things like this before, so as long as their regeneration is focused externally and tied up there, then their attention will be split so we can deal damage to its core. We'll have to be quick; if that thing reaches the shore then its regen turns inwards, and everything we've done will have been in vain. We'll be on a strict time-table once we breach its skin."

"Teams?" You fire back.

"That's up to you." She replies smoothly, and your eyes widen as she breezily continues. "I know the deal I'm setting off to make shortly will give us an incredibly potent offense, but they'll want to stay outside and harass it while we do the heavy lifting."

"...Why is it my choice?" You ask, eyebrow arched. "You have leagues more experience than I do, why would you give up command to..."

"Because it's your team." She says, cutting you off gently. "You've fought alongside or against everyone that'll be at your command, and you have a solid grasp of their strengths and weaknesses in the field. I can't say the same, Shu."

"I...okay. Alright. So, just so I have all the info; you said you're going to cut a deal you'd rather not." You say, drawing a cold breath into your aching lungs. "Who're you bringing in, if you don't mind my asking?"

Mara clasps her hands in front of her face, heaving a resigned sigh as she does so.

"...The Midnight Crew." She replies.

(Continued)
>>
>>3510086

"I've kept them at bay for months, and the offer to let them operate without the threat of me coming down on them will be an offer they won't refuse." She explains as your concerns begin to bubble up in your mind. "They fear and respect me enough to where they won't act out of line with me in close proximity.They're powerful, and we can get them on our side against something that threatens to win the Cord if left unchecked."

"No-one wants that. Not even them." She finishes.

"Sorry if this bursts your bubble, but their leader threatened me when we were on our way to the Disassociated Ones." You say, moving away from the door to lean against the nearby dresser, the same one you picked your last outfit from, which the River of Tears claimed in your attempt to traverse it. "You think she'll still be willing to play ball when she leveled a death threat at me on our first meeting?"

"It's a coin toss as to whether or not she was serious or just flirting with you." Mara muses, and a small, surprised blush creeps into your ears. Marrow Dragoon ponders it a moment more in earnest before shrugging. "Impossible to say. If she's serious about that, then I'm sure her threat came with the contingency of my death. Don't worry about it too much."

"Why's that?"

"Because I'm not dying today." She says, rising from the bed and approaching the door. She pauses, turning to you with a half-smile on her scarred lips.

"And neither are you, Defiant."

With that, the two of you rejoin your allies in the main room, everyone geared up and ready to head out. You're quiet, Gina's hand on your arm as the rest of your team laugh and joke among themselves, trying to keep their minds off of what lies ahead. The conversation lulls when you arrive at the waystation and dies completely by the time you reach the other end, a tense silence having settled among you all. By the time you emerge into open air the storm's calmed somewhat, its cold, freezing winds replaced with a drizzle of rain that falls straight down, the air dead around you and filled with the steady static of an aimless downpour.

You look around at your friends; stalwart and fearful, ready and tense. You're proud of them...prouder than words can express as you watch each and every one of them march into the unknown.

Gina's said that you make her want to be a better person, and it's a sentiment you can tell is shared by your allies...but seeing them, like this...

...they're who made you the leader you are today. They're the reason you're able to put one foot in front of the other as you spearhead this march through the relentless rain, seeking an ally in the biggest fight you've ever had.

If you have something to say to anyone here...you should say it now.

>>Choose who you want to talk to and what you want to tell them...depending on how this goes, you might not have another...no.

>>You can't think that way.

>>It will be fine.

>>...it has to be.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next one and half hours, Gentlemen.)
>>
>>3510086
>>3510091
Still working on a write-in, but this is now the thread's theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARLPT5rKjWo

Actually, Keane would probably get a kick out of obscure ragtime references, I'm certain she knows this song if she's a Homestuck fan. Maybe later, after we've killed and eaten the giant monster that used to be our friends.
>>
>>3510100
(Glorious, and exactly what I was listening to when I introduced Jackie.)
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>>3510091
>"Gina, Julia, Dorian, Rath, Amara?"
>"im not gonna mince words. this is gonna be our most dangerous fight yet. but i know even if i put forth the option...none of you would back down."
>take in a deep breath.
>"We're gonna fight this thing at the river. we win or we lose there... no, we win there, nothing else is allowed."
>"we're gonna have to trust eachother, and trust individuals we dont know and some we might not be able to trust. We watch eachothers backs, and we dont hesitate to do what we think we must to keep us all alive, orders or not."
>Smile, and look to Gina. "You're our Bridge to this thing. I know i can trust you Gina, no matter what has happened in the past. You'll pull through this, and us along with you, you always do."
>Nod to Rath. "I know things have been harder on ya then you like to admit, but no one blames you. shits sucked ass." smile widely, "but today lets kick some ass back, eh? know you'll dish out exactly what we need, no hesitation."
>turn to Julia. "you'll be keeping it down with Debuffs, and we're gonna need all of them we can get. I dont think ive ever seen you lose your composure when it matters Julia, thank you so much for being so reliable, and i know you'll hold it and us together here too."
>Smile to Dorian "You'll have the hard job of backing up Rath and Julia, but after the monastery i think you're used to keeping multiple women happy" wink, "You left everything to help us, have willingly without a complaint helped us however you can even in the most dire of situations. thank you, and i know you'll do the same today."
>Kneel down to pat Amaras head with a smile. "Amara, sweety. this is going to be a dangerous fight. im, so, so sorry to be bringing you into this. but i know you can handle it. you've never faltered, even when faced with things even we adults have trouble standing against. thank you so much for supporting us and being so strong, a beacon for us to cherish." give her a hug, "you'll be helping suppress the thing from afar with your Magic, ok? oh, and today?" smile and look between her and Rath, "today You and Rath alike dont need to hold back on any magic words. go Wild, show that big monster just what you can do, ok?"
>pull back and look at everyone again.
>"So, everyone understand? we can, no, we WILL do this. together. everyone ready?"
>"good, then lets get moving!"

thoughts?
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>>3510091
>>3510118
also, i begrudgingly think if Mara thinks so, shes probably right on us needing the Midnight Crew. but lets not let our guard down for a SECOND around them. they might not be willing to cause defeat just to fuck us over, but the minute it is over, im totally expecting them to turn on us.
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>>3510118
I think the bit to Dorian should probably go. Let's not remind him of the Monastery when that's technicaly what we're fighting.
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>>3510134
so maybe this instead?;
>Smile to Dorian "You'll have the hard job of backing up Rath and Julia, but i know you wont hesitate to do what you need to aid them." Give him a Respectful nod,"You left everything to help us, have willingly without a complaint helped us however you can even in the most dire of situations. thank you, and i know you'll do the same today."
>>
I wonder how they developed cybernetics this fast.
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>>3510136
Yeah, that works. I'm working on my own little speech, but I keep faltering.
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>>3510140
humanity has its best leaps in technology when they are at war and desperate. that, and everyone was changed into the same biological stuff and thus compatible, so im not expert, but id think that would get rid of alot of issues with having to make things compatible with everyone despite not being the same, aswell as the malleability of our flesh might of given alot of insight into things that could carry over into tech as well in ways.

just some ideas.

>>3510142
yeah it can be difficult. but if nothing else, its good practice just to try.
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>>3510091
>Group Hug and huddle.
>Open up the empathy channel.
>"Everyone. I'm not gonna mince words."
>"Gina you're our bridge and second in command. use the Cord we share between us. I'll get you a scarlet Drone."
>"Mr. Gardner, Keep Rath and Julia alive."
>"Rath, Julia. Keep each other alive."
>"Amara...Time to unleash all the magic. Stay safe with Gina."
>"
>The sight of your friends and loved ones, now that everyone's here, facing a common cause knowing that everyone has each other's backs...it fills you with DETERMINATION. And that determination is what you want to share to everyone on the empathy channel.
>>3510148
>>3510148
>>3510142
>>3510140
>>3510055
Can we have Gina use the THE SPINE and ready THE NAIL for one of our party members to use? I feel like this is a situation that warrants the tier 5 relics.
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>>3510155
>Can we have Gina use the THE SPINE and ready THE NAIL for one of our party members to use? I feel like this is a situation that warrants the tier 5 relics.
no.
also, can the nail even be removed? it seemed like it was made to be a permanent addition, so 1000% no on that one.
>>
>>3510118
>>3510121
This is good. but it's lacking one thing. A group hug. A family group hug.
And an undertale quote that fills Shu and everyone with DETERMINATION.
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>>3510159
>>3510118
>>3510136
im very ok adding a group hug to the end. but not an undertale quote. i dont like that game.
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>>3510157
>>3510155
(The Nail fuses to the host, so if you wish to use it, then that's a long-term call. You still have both Spine and Nail at your disposal if you wish to use them.)
>>
>>3510159
(I appreciate the reference. Nicely done.)

>>3510161
(That's fair. I enjoy the music more than anything else about it, I must admit.)
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>>3510162
What about the spine? As for the nail... I'll have to pass on using the nail.
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>>3510162
yeah, then im very against the Nail. against the spine too, as giant mountain or not, i still feel its that sorta moral choice no situation calls for breaking.
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>>3510159
Group hug. Absolutely.
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>>3510161
I was joking on the undertale quote, but the group hug and spreading that feeling of determination for everyone to share? that part I'm serious.
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>>3510096
BHOP, I just gotta say something.

We're going into our first ever battle with all six of our party members active.

We're teaming up with Mara, the Marrow Dragoon, one of the most powerful daughters we've encountered and possibly the closest thing to a hero this warped world has (besides ourselves).

We've also got Magpie on board, the spooky eyeball crow sniper. And of all the other people we could possibly get on our side, we're recruiting the FUCKING MIDNIGHT CREW.

And despite the odds being overwhelmingly against us, we're still charging into battle against a lumbering, twisted monstrosity as it wades through a river of pure acid so we can go inside it and destroy its core.

BHOP.

This quest.

Is so.

Fucking.

AWESOME.
>>
>>3510188
i agree with this Anons sentiments. you have made not just a wonderful Quest BHOP, but genuinely one of my favorite stories ive ever read, and with a wonderful combat system to boot. i appreciate all the hard work and time it goes into making something like this, thank you.
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>>3510196
Oh, I almost forgot to mention:

Our ranged attackers are riding a motherfucking ZOMBIE DRAGON.
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>>3510167
Hey Bhop, We know that the cancerbomb that Gina plants basically cripples all humanoid biology, but how effective is it against non-humanoid amalgams? Because unless we target the core, the cancer isn't that effective against a literal spiral personification.
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>>3510091
Okay, let's try this again.

>>Write-In
>Talk to everyone
>"Alright, show of hands: Anyone else feeling a bit scared? I'm not going to lie, this is the biggest and most dangerous thing we've ever fought, I'm feeling kind of intimidated. But that's why I'm glad to have you all at my side. Gina, Rath, Julia, Amara, Dorian...you are without question the best team I could ever hope to ask for. You've never given me anything but the most absolutely stellar performance imaginable. If I've got to fight a giant monster today, I want it to be with all of you. It doesn't matter how scary this thing is, it already lost the moment it met the six of us."
>And then talk tactics but I don't know how to make that all inspirational and uplifting.

>Gina
Take Amara and keep it locked down. Give us a land bridge over, then use Neuromancy to keep it in place. We'll leave you a Crimson Swarmling, use it to impede the Spiral's movements or as a conduit for fluid terraforming (aquaforming?) as you see fit.

>Amara
Same as Gina. Focus on FOL, it's the best word you have right now, use it for both inhibiting the Spiral and for bolstering Gina if her concentration is at risk of being interrupted. RHO can be useful, too. And don't forget that you can double spells for free now, damn was that upgrade OP.

>Rath
She's up in the air. Literally. I'd like to have her on the melee team, but she's got really painful ranged attacks, too. I want her dumping white phosphorus grenades on the Spiral, keep it nice and busy thrashing about in agony instead of focusing on doing anything productive.

>Julia
With us on surgical insertion. We'll give her some Chitin before we head in, synch up with her gauntlets and boosters so she's one mean flesh-warping bug-skinned machine. But between her excellent melee and her aura of despair being literally inside the Spiral, I think she's going to do a lot of good there.

>Dorian
Sorry, I know you said you didn't like Masque of War and wanted to use it for a different purpose, but we don't have the time to follow up on what that is. There are probably going to be constructs inside the Spiral, there is no doubt in my mind that there will be gross snail/spring people bursting out of the walls. Give us mobile cover, we might have to move a little slower but with you eroding our way in we'll have a clearer shot.

Okay, everyone know what they're doing and sufficiently pumped up? Dorian, you happy to protect the people you care about? Rath, you excited to have a strong woman order you around? Amara, looking forward to swearing your heart out? Great. Now give us all a big hug, Dorian extend your arms to make sure everyone gets in on it.


>>3510188
Indeed. This is an amazing setting with amazing characters that come together to facilitate amazing scenes. I don't think there's been a single thread that I haven't enjoyed.
>>
>>3510200
all we're missing is November and her MEAT TANK. but hey, you never know...

also,
>>3510091
>>3510118
put all the edits together, look good?
>"Gina, Julia, Dorian, Rath, Amara?"
>"im not gonna mince words. this is gonna be our most dangerous fight yet. but i know even if i put forth the option...none of you would back down."
>take in a deep breath.
>"We're gonna fight this thing at the river. we win or we lose there... no, we win there, nothing else is allowed."
>"we're gonna have to trust eachother, and trust individuals we dont know and some we might not be able to trust. We watch eachothers backs, and we dont hesitate to do what we think we must to keep us all alive, orders or not."
>Smile, and look to Gina. "You're our Bridge to this thing. I know i can trust you Gina, no matter what has happened in the past. You'll pull through this, and us along with you, you always do."
>Nod to Rath. "I know things have been harder on ya then you like to admit, but no one blames you. shits sucked ass." smile widely, "but today lets kick some ass back, eh? know you'll dish out exactly what we need, no hesitation."
>turn to Julia. "you'll be keeping it down with Debuffs, and we're gonna need all of them we can get. I dont think ive ever seen you lose your composure when it matters Julia, thank you so much for being so reliable, and i know you'll hold it and us together here too."
>Smile to Dorian "You'll have the hard job of backing up Rath and Julia, but i know you wont hesitate to do what you need to aid them." Give him a Respectful nod,"You left everything to help us, have willingly without a complaint helped us however you can even in the most dire of situations. thank you, and i know you'll do the same today."
>Kneel down to pat Amaras head with a smile. "Amara, sweety. this is going to be a dangerous fight. im, so, so sorry to be bringing you into this. but i know you can handle it. you've never faltered, even when faced with things even we adults have trouble standing against. thank you so much for supporting us and being so strong, a beacon for us to cherish." give her a hug, "you'll be helping suppress the thing from afar with your Magic, ok? oh, and today?" smile and look between her and Rath, "today You and Rath alike dont need to hold back on any magic words. go Wild, show that big monster just what you can do, ok?"
>pull back and look at everyone again.
>"So, everyone understand? we can, no, we WILL do this. Together.”
>Bring everyone in for a hug, to fill everyone with HOPE and DETERMINATION.
>”everyone ready? good, then lets get moving!"
>>
>>3510200
What's the meat dragon's name? If he doesn't have one already, I nominate "Paul". Hey Paul, remember that orb, with all the nerves? It would paralyze people and then eat their skin? Yeah, that one was my favorite.
>>
>>3510205
If Rath's doing Ranged Attacking, then She shouldn't be wearing Sui Tormentis. That should be reserved for Dorian if he's going to be our dedicated tank to protect our squishy members.
>>3510167
BHOP, can we reorganize our relic loadouts a couple more times?
>>
>>3510218
>If Rath's doing Ranged Attacking, then She shouldn't be wearing Sui Tormentis. That should be reserved for Dorian if he's going to be our dedicated tank to protect our squishy members.
Dorian dashes by turning into a cloud of vaporized blood, now. Can he bring Sui Tormentis along with him when he does that?
>>
>>3510218
(You certainly may, up until the point where conflict is declared and stats are displayed.)

>>3510222
(He can.)
>>
>>3510218
>>3510205
we can wait on tactics honestly, especially as we will have to re-coordinate once we see all of who else we will have.

plus, Rath is 100% needed on close combat. im highly against her being in the air. she can do too much with her melee to give it up only for her Boils, which she can still use on the ground.
>>
>>3510218
>>3510222
keep i mind, we're possibly gonna have TWO gunners plus the possibility of the Midnight Crew and one of them being Ranged a bit. i really think Rath is both Wasted in the air, but also until we see who else we might have, too much is up in the air on what might actually be best.
>>
>>3510227
Yeah, honestly, I felt weird writing tactics already. I just felt like it should go at this point chronologically, and that it would be too late to hash them over in-character later, and I got all in a kerfluffle. Okay, I'm just going to assume that there has been a tactical discussion, and we've got a Schrodinger's battle plan just like we have a Schrodinger's equipment loadout.

And yeah, Rath was really also just me feeling I had to be decisive for some reason. She makes just as much sense in the melee team, her lighting fires inside the Spiral Fear will certainly hurt just as bad. I don't know what I'm doing, anymore.
>>
>>3510237
you're getting understandably excited and wanting to make sure everything goes well. understandable, but without all the info on whatever characters we will have it is jumping the gun a wee lil bit.
>>
>>3510241
No, I mean...I know what I'm doing, I'm just feeling tired and incoherent and words logic aren't making sense much. I think I might just conk out, the next vote is likely to be the last for the night, and then I'll be able to catch it in the morning before the voting period is over. Good night, thread. If it turns out that my timing is wrong, make good decisions while I'm not here for that vote. Later.
>>
>>3510247
have a wonderful night my man.
>>
>>3510247
(Sleep well, Anon. The next voting period is going to be a lengthy one, so you won't miss it.)
>>
>>3510226
Possible Theme songs for Spiraling Fear fight?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgHgHcNWL-4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R04ncda802E

>>3510254
That I won't miss, what I will miss is the time period between 3 and 8:30 pm on weekdays. And I have an intense hunch that BHOP will start rapid-posting.
>>
(Writing now, Gentlemen. Here we go.)
>>
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>>3510091

"Everyone?" You say, pausing your march. "I'm not gonna mince words; this is going to be our most dangerous fight yet, but I know even if i put forth the option...none of you would back down. We're gonna fight this thing at the river. We win there, nothing else is allowed. We're gonna have to trust each other, individuals we don't know, and some we might not be able to trust. We watch each others' backs and don't hesitate to do what we think we must to keep us all alive, orders or not."

You turn to Gina, fixing her with a warm, earnest smile.

"You're our bridge to this thing. I know I can trust you Gina, no matter what's happened in the past. You'll pull through this, and us along with you, you always do."

You turn to Rath, her citrine eyes aflame as she listens intently. "I know things have been harder on you then you like to admit, but no one blames you. Shit's sucked ass." You say with a wide grin. "But today let's kick some ass back, eh? I know you'll dish out exactly what we need, no hesitation."

You turn to Julia, dark eyes shining at you through the rolling rain, sweet smile on pale lips. "You'll be keeping it down with debuffs, and we're gonna need all of them we can get. I don't think I've ever seen you lose your composure when it matters Julia. Thank you so much for being so reliable, and I know you'll hold it and us together here too."

You smile at Dorian, and you shake his hand firmly with a respectful nod. "You'll have the hard job of backing up Rath and Julia, but I know you won't hesitate to do what you need to aid them. You left everything to help us, and have willingly and without complaint helped us however you can even in the most dire of situations. Thank you, and I know you'll do the same today."

He gives you an appreciative smile as you kneel down to pat Amaras head with a grin. "Amara, sweetie. This is going to be a dangerous fight. I'm, so, so sorry to be bringing you into this, but I know you can handle it. You've never faltered, even when faced with things we adults have trouble standing against. Thank you so much for supporting us and being so strong, a beacon for us to cherish."

You pull her in to a tight hug, a gesture she gladly returns.

"Listen, you'll be helping suppress the thing with your magic, okay? And today?"

You smile as you glance between her and Rath. "Today you and Rath don't need to hold back on any magic words. Go wild, show that big monster just what you can do, okay?"

"Fuck yeah?" Rath asks.

"Fuck yeah!" Comes Amara's joyful reply.

"So, everyone understand? We can...no, we WILL do this. Together.” You finish, pulling everyone in to a tight group hug, hope and determination swelling in your hearts through the empathic channel.

”Everyone ready? Good, then lets get mov...!"

The sound of blades on stone, of a pair of powerful legs skidding to a stop on calcite greaves.

No.

Please no, not now.

Not when there's so much at stake.

You turn.

"Hello, Sam."

(Continued)
>>
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>>3510306

A pair of dull emeralds regard you coldly, flicking from your gaze to give a slow pan across your allies as a lance of terror pierces your heart at the arrival of your oldest friend, standing like a jet-black scar on the beach that stretches before you.

"...How?" You breathe.

"Neuromancy, courtesy of West's recent acquisition. Keeps me off the radar, and all I had to do was follow you as you left town." She explains dully, gaze centering back on you. "Did you really think I wouldn't check your home base first?"

"Isabelle, I don't have time for..."

"Why do you think the whole world revolves around you, Sam?" She asks, standing in the tattered, rain-slicked black dress you last saw her in. "...besides...

"I'm not here for you."

You follow her gaze, ice creeping through your veins as you do.

"I'm here for her."

She's serious. There's nothing disingenuous, no further plans...it's just that simple. It's what Isabelle came for. Your ace in the hole, the key to using the Cord without triggering the kill-switch.

Gina.

"No." You growl, hive thrumming with rage as an extra three pairs of arms explode from Rath's shoulders beside you, the two of you standing between Isabelle and her prize.

"This doesn't have to be a fight, Sam." B'ni says calmly. "It won't be one you'd win, if it comes to that."

The brawler by your side takes one step forwards, then another.

"Hello, Rath. You really want to take that next step?" Isabelle asks, arcing one thin eyebrow.

"Can't kick your ass unless I get closer." The red-head replies with a cruel smirk.

"Ha, alright." A weak chuckle escapes Isabelle's lips, and she languidly gestures for the other girl to approach. "Come closer, then."

"Rath, no." You bark, and she freezes mid-step. "B'ni, listen to me, there are bigger things at stake than our conflict, alright? The Monastery's fallen, Isabelle. It's coming this way, marching towards the Cord to win the Crucible unless we band together to stop it and..."

"I listened to you for two decades, Sam." Isabelle interrupts, and you feel the proverbial doors slam shut across your empathic channel. "You've stolen enough of my time. You want one last choice? One last word, like you always had to have? She comes with me, or I take her with me. There's your fucking choice."

"You can go screw yourself you rancid cun..." Rath begins with a snarl before a quiet, determined voice calls out from behind her.

"I'll go."

(Continued)
>>
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>>3510309

"If you let everyone here go, then I'll go with you." Gina repeats, gently moving Rath out of the way as the redhead looks between you and her, bewildered.

"Isabelle, I've hurt you. I lied to you, and that's not anyone's fault but mine." She continues, taking another step towards her old friend. "Shu, Rath, everyone...they have to stop this thing that the Monastery's become and...and I know you don't care about any of that, but I'll leave with you if you let them go. Please, Isabelle...they *have* to do this."

A second. A moment. An eternity.

"...Alright." Isabelle replies.

She's broken, shattered, sharpened to a razor's edge. She wasn't a good liar then, and she'd make an even worse one now. It's how you know that she's terribly, horribly true to her word in this moment, suspended in time as the unfeeling rain continues to fall.

Gina's about to take another step when you reach out and grab her by the hand.

[Gina...I appreciate the though, but this is ridiculous. Please, we can...]

{It's like you said, Shu. There are bigger things at stake here than any one of us} Gina says, the cold fear in her voice choked out by the defiant flame in her heart. {There are other Halos out there, West said as much...other Neuromancers who can use one to stop the Crucible without triggering...}

[NO, Gina. No, we will fight her, we will win and...]

"If you die here, what then?!" Gina screams aloud as she tears her hand free of your grip, her cry echoing across the vast, grey beach. "Let me do this! Let me do this one decent thing, alright?"

You stare at her. She's terrified, on the verge of tears...but she's doing what she thinks is right. Not for her, not even for you...but for something beyond all of you. The two of you stand like that for a moment, everything and everyone else washed away with the rain as a second stretches into an eternity.

{She beat West} Gina says. {She's lived for so, so long in all this...and I can't let anyone else get hurt because of me. I'm not letting that happen ever again}

You can't change B'ni's mind...any more than you can change Gina's, in this instant. Slowly, she crosses the gap between you, placing the palm of her right hand over your heart before looking up at you with eyes that swim with tears.

"Please, trust me, Shu." She says, a small, sad smile on her lips. "I'll be okay...and so will you."

It's what B'ni's forced on you, her last, cruel piece of revenge before leaving for the Cord.

Isabelle's given you a choice you can't possibly make.

One you have to make.

>>Stop her.

>>Let her go.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

YOU WISH YOU WEREN'T
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next twelve hours, Gentlemen. Posting shall resume shortly thereafter.)

(Good luck.)
>>
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>>3510281
>>
>>3510313
ISABELLE

YOU

BITCH
>>
>>3510313
oh my fucking god. geezus. this inst a decision BHOP. this...this is just literal torture.

>>Stop her.
i...i cant. im sorry guys. i cant even justify my decision. im sorry. but loyalty and sticking by the side of your friends and those you care about is just, its one of those personal things i cannot go against. we cant win this fight. i just...we cant. but i cant vote to let her go, i just cant.
>>
>>3510336
just....fuck....we cant protect the monastery...we have lost so many good people....fuck so much shit....i....fuck, if we cant even protect our friends, those closest to us...i....how can we...defy anything?

but...we...we cant? its, simple logic, numbers, obvious as the sun we cant win this fight....god....fucking damn it....i dont even know. so many fights, moments. fighting for it all to mean something and just....we cant even do anything here....

yet...we were just planning to take on a literal mountain. no...that...doesn't justify this...Mountain sized or not, we will have powerful backup for that and it is a monastery of mostly low level daughters and in many ways its size can be seen as a disadvantage, aswell as where we wish to fight it.

fuck...Isabelle is just a different beast altogether. i...even if we could fight her and win...we leave the entire world at stake, might be too late to stop the other threat...and we know thats a big IF.

...no. just no.

>>3510313
>>3510336
>>Stop her.
>>"Gina. We're Family. we're a team. we live or we die together. Remember what i said? Im no one special. There will be other Defiants, but there wont be another US, Together. we didnt get this far by leaving each other to die, even if we know it might not end well for us."
>>"We Fight, together, even if we know it might be the last time we do."

we're no one special. we're just some schmuck who woke up less than three weeks ago and thinks they can play with the big girls who have been around for years. but you dont stand up to bullies because you think they wont push you to the ground....you do it because its the right thing to do. and sometimes, doing whats right....ends badly. but thats what makes it hard to do.

i fully understand, expect, and wont be surprised when i lose out on this vote. i know fully im being emotional. angry, unreasonably standing with my morals in the face of logic. its the dumbest move on the table. the most retarded, shittiest move on the board. but its what i personally have to do.

i know its just a story, and its stupid to think of it that way but...if it was actually me and those i care about...id rather die fighting next to them doing what i thought was right...than abandoning them to live, regardless of the reason or logic behind me doing it. its just what i gotta do, and what i gotta vote for.
>>
>>3510336
You're absolutely right about our chances. Despite all of our abilities, there's a good chance that Isabelle could wipe the floor with us. If we ignore Gina and stop her, then we could very well be killed by this... this broken, warped girl that was once our friend.

It's the dumbest choice we could hope to make.

A fool's choice.

>>3510313
>>Stop her.

And if we're going to stand up to Isabelle, we'll do it with one of the most immortal lines in film history.

"Get away from her, you BITCH!"
>>
(Gentlemen, a reminder that, as I said earlier, you may arrange your Relic loadout up until the moment conflict is decided upon.)
>>
>>3510397
Is Masque of War indiscriminate in the DoT damage? or does he have selective fire?
>>
>>3510313
>Let her go.
>>
>>3510407
(It's selective fire.)
>>
>>3510367
If this is how our story ends.
...i can live with that. You dont always get what you want, sometimes you can only get what you can fight for, even if thats only in the end defeat.
>>
>>3510313
>"Stay safe, stay strong, consume and grow stronger, stay alive. Don't you ever dare let yourself get killed and consumed. You're an amazing and strong girl Gina. I'll come back for both you and Isabelle some day."
>Spawn a fuzzbuzz (make it the size of a pillow for Gina. Have her jack a cord into it and decouple it from Shu's control. Shu will give consent for decoupling.)
>"My last gift before I let you go. Please take good care of it Gina."
>Let Gina Go.
>Stop Isabelle.
>Draw the Karma Gun in Gunblade form and throw a swing...that misses Isabelle completely and stops short. You couldn't even bring yourself to fight her. Your vision was blurry from tears.
>>
>>3510313
> Let her go but look at Isabelle and send a signal to Gina "Stay alive and she WILL regret this I'll make sure"
>>3510397
I have to agree if this is how it ends we should go out with a bang.
While we would rather not die.... this situation, Gina possibly being lost forever.... it is a hill i could die on and be at peace with at least though i wont be satisfied.
Not because of us dying but our Group being erased from existance not in a raging infernal blaze but snuffed out like the flame of a match.
What a good little defiant we are even making ourselves weaker
>>
>>3510446
Anon...thats just not how this is gonna work...we cant replace Gina here, theres nowhere for them to run. We either fight together and see what happens...or we let Gina go... We stand against her...shes gonna kill everyone and take what she wants anyways. Its a fight together, or no fight at all.
>>
>>3510319
Goddamn you Bhop. For forcing us into this emotionally and morally hard choice.
And at this rate, the deck just looks so stacked against us.

Anons. I know about half of you are in tears from looking at this update vote. I am too.

>>3510456
I can easily bet 10 level up essences that Mother is just watching this drama with absolute glee seeing "Shu The Defiant" be spiritually broken by the conflict.
>>
>>3510456
Im not so sure Gina is surviving this one.

>>3510462
im outside on some rocks in an overgrown field. I don't regret my vote but i couldn't get to sleep either.
>>
>>3510471
>>3510462
The Situation ist Bad.
If we want to save Gina we will have to pull all the Stops and Hope and Pray that we can Tarpit her Long enough to try and use Terraforming to escape Underground If possible in an Open Güls age would butcher us
>>
>>3510313
>>>Write-In

Take off the blocker and push the connection through to Isabelle with Gina backing you up.

Triumvirate time.
>>
>>3510487
That was meant to say: in an Open field she would butcher us
>>
>>3510489
Anon. The implant blocker is INSIDE SHU'S SKULL. How are we supposed to remove THAT?
>>
>>3510489
Yeah its in our skull. We dont have the luxury at the moment of removing it and... even without it, we had no control over it, nor any hint Gina could help with that. If she could...we wouldn't need the device...
>>
I do Not See us winning this without great cost, a fighting Retreat might be our only Option to keep Gina and to be ready to fight Uzu
>>
well, as not tired as i am,i need to try and get some sleep.

just...remember when Rath got left behind Anons. we were running, we thought we were gonna lose that fight...but we still went back for her. sometimes its not about winning, sometimes its just about...not leaving someone you care about to face something alone.

at least, i guess, if we stand up to her...we tried. and sometimes thats enough. sometimes thats all you can do.
>>
>>3510494
>>3510501
I mean.

We could grow it out into a swarmling maybe?

But it was mentioned earlier that there was a chance to eat B'ni from the inside out.
>>
>>3510460
>>3510487
god fucking DAMMIT. GOD DAMN YOU BHOP.

You know.... I had a battleplan thought out about an two hours ago in fighting Isabelle. Here it is. You chucklefucks can debate the merits of it.
>>3510313
>"Stay safe, stay strong, consume and grow stronger, stay alive. Don't you ever dare let yourself get killed and consumed. You're an amazing and strong girl Gina. I'll come back for both you and Isabelle some day."
>Spawn a fuzzbuzz (make it the size of a pillow for Gina. Have her jack a cord into it and decouple it from Shu's control. Shu will give consent for decoupling.)
>"My last gift before I let you go. Please take good care of it Gina."
>Let Gina Go.
>*display heartbreaking sadness because of the cruel choice for B'ni*
>Cut the connection and Stop Isabelle.
>BATTLE PLAN EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY. WE TAKE THE SURPRISE INITIATIVE. WE DO NOT. LET BHOP. ROLL. THE DICE.
Objective: Run and keep Gina safe and away from Isabelle's hands until you meet reinforcements or force Isabelle to either switch priorities or flee.
We can't take her head on, But we can stall her out!
Shu (Relic loadout: Karma Gun)
actions:
>Act 1: Spawn 1 Bishop (Attach to Shu), 6 Platelings (Shu goes into Chitinous Fullbody), 1 Stealth Scarlet Drone (attach it to B'ni), 1 Knightling (for Amara to act as a Mount and have it guard Gina at the center, then fill the rest of your swarmling slots with basic swarmlings. Engage B'ni in melee. Bodyblock her!
>Act 2: Escort Gina and Guard our Rear. Activate Exsanguinating Leash.
Rath: (Relic Loadout: Sui Tormentis)
actions:
>Act 1: Herculean Force and Toss B'ni so hard that you guarantee at least 100 yards of distance between Isabelle and the group. Spend 50% hp for a 150% Sui +245% (Herculean Force) Strength Boost. Yeet the Rabbit with 395% strength.
>Act 2: Grab Gina and RUN. You're going to going to escort her and guard our twelve!
Gina: (Relic Loadout:
>Act 1: RUN! I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU GO!
>Act 2: Flash your fear aura if B'ni gets too close!

Dorian: (Relic Loadout: None)
>Act 1: Creator Form: Spawn constructs that intercept B'ni and make Paint slicks. Their job is to intercept and slow Isabelle down.
>Act 2: Escort Gina and guard our right flank in Canvas form! Intercept any hits
Julia: (Relic loadout: Cursus Alas and Gauntlets)
>Act 1: Escort Gina and guard our left flank!
>Act 2: Intercept any attacks B'ni tries to pull on Gina. Draw out Bloody Ripper and have it ready!
Amara: (Relic loadout: Cloak and whistle)
>Cloak yourself and spawn 3 Hollow Clones, have them circle B'ni. while the real you mounts a Knightling.
>Word spell: "Gra San Tha!". Abuse your Favored word.

I've amended my vote and spoilered the second half for the Sleight of hand reasons.
>>
>>3510600
I Like your Idea going full goblinslayer and not letting "the gods" BHOP Roll the dice for as Long as possible

I Just Hope that Reinforcments are Close or Isabelle does not want to tire herself Out to much and Retreats quickly or we will be eating her Blades very soon
>>
>>3510622
Make enough of a racket and attract their attention, the faster they'll come. B'ni's now playing into Mother's Prophecy "A thief and a liar". She's got stealth now. which is double fuck.
>>
>>3510600

Amending a small section of the plan
Amara:
>Act 1:Cloak yourself and Mount a Knightling,
>Act 2:"Gra San Tha!"
Everyone (except B'ni): get into positions.
>>
>>3510624
I Hope that (after we have dealt with Isabelle one way or another) we can use Amaras Power to create an active Radar that can penetrante cloaking such as Isabelles by measuring their Impact in the world. Most people still have to Walk even If they are virtually invisible to normal Radar
If Mara ist still in the Area she would probably Check Out a loud Explosion If we can generate one loud enough
Rathaus punches may so the Trick together with the Dual Tech she recently unlocked
>>
>>3510628
Rath's bombs don't generate sound, but Shu's Gun does. Fullbore Herculeans are the loudest in volume.
>>
>>3510633
With Raths and Amaras Dual Tech, Rath punches so fast she shatters the limbs she produced so she might just create small Sonic Booms which are probably louder than even our gun
>>
>>3510634
But is it worth wasting 10% bio on making noise?....just make sure she's guaranteed to hit B'ni with those sonic boom punches.
>>
>>3510637
You May be right Isabelle is very good at dodging so would likely waste the Bio and Amaras acts......
>>
>>3510600
I don't think B'ni will just give up following us and she's faster than we will ever be, if we fight we have to fight to win.

A couple ideas:
Fight in headspace - not sure if we could do this, especially due to B'ni Secluded Mind, but she'd have much less of an advantage if we pulled it off and could bring in more friends there.

Julia dual techs - (first give Julia Sui Tormentis) the combination of Horror at Red Hook, Radiant Ripper and Malleable Flesh Stacks can reduce accuracy to nil and also slow health regen to a crawl, rendering most Daughters unable to resist being taken down. Julia's powers are great against higher leveled Daughters because they're percentage based rather than flat damage. Unfortunately B'ni can shrug off status effects, but if we got really lucky locking down her powers with Gina could make this work.

Both of these are extremely risky and obviously the smart thing to do is not to fight back but if we're going to fight, these are a couple of things that have at least a slim chance of working out.
>>
>>3510600
>>3510664
By the way, attacking from surprise is a great idea and, if we're going to fight, should definitely be how we start.
>>
>>3510664
>what if we pulled a prison break on B'ni's inner self?
Unlock as many daughters inside B'ni that have been locked out due to Secluded mind and have them start a riot?
>>
>>3510397
>>3510664
BHOP, if B'ni uses Spe Aeternis Fontis to shrug off an effect like those of Radiant Ripper or Depressive Weight, which are being applied constantly, how long does it stop affecting her? A round, or the rest of the battle?
>>
>>3510675
I like this idea a lot, we could have Chevalier lead them.
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>>3510664
Another thing.

B'ni is resistant to Neuromancy but I haven't seen anything in her power set that makes her resistant to Phantasmal Conduit powers. Abuse fear liberally to make her back off while building up despair corruption is a way.
>>
>>3510600
>>3510622
I just don't think there is aid to help us. They have a limited time frame to stop the monestary monster, and Mara and co may very well be forced to pick it over us, if they are even in position to come to our aid at all.

>>3510664
Her high resistance to neuromancy means trying it is super unlikely to work, if we can even stick her to try. Im just gonna say it, stronger Neuromancers have tried and failed to penetrate her mind from what we have seen.

>>3510740
Im not sure how well thus will work, but it does seem to be a kink in her armor. Is assume there is saving throws to the fear, and Isabelle probably has a good chance at that, especially as we will keep having to push her back and sooner than later she may just get lucky if nothing else, as well as she can wait out our ACTs and BIO unlike us her.

The depression isnt bad either, but it only mostly gives us a small opening IF we last long enough for it to effect her.

But...if we COULD last long enough to stun her and get lucky to get a neuromancer ability through onto the dreamscape...yeah, maybe we could win. But that is a order just as if not taller than the Spiral Monster.
>>
Another thing. We still have that gear taken from the Spartan which negates health regen. Now it's supposed to be used as a relic, but if jamming it into her works than it cripples her entire build.
>>
>>3510677
(She shrugs it off for one round.)
>>
>>3510756
Do we? I dont see it on our list so i assumed we traded it away.
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>>3510752
The Depression might be stronger than we think
At her core she ist pretty broken even If she ist determined the Depression could anahilate her self will and send her down a self destructive Spiral
I think it is at least worth a try, If we can keep it up
>>
>>3510769
Oh no, it would still effect her. I was just saying it doesn't actually slow her down much until 100%, but AT 100% it dies give us a very small window. Its just the matter of surviving that long, and getting lucky with Neuromancy once said opening happens.

Her state of mind might make it increase quicker and/or be a bit more affected, but it still wont do much given her overall power level.
>>
Well, this is a hell of a thing to see first thing in the morning. Wake up, take a shower, grab some coffee, and now I check BHQ and Isabelle's being awful. Yay. Damn. If only we had had some way to communicate with Mara and Magpie so we could arrange to meet somewhere else.

>>3510771
We might be able to keep her locked down with Masque of War. It probably won't actually stop her, but at the very least it will be an auto-hit on her way out of the cloud. If the automatic retaliation counts as an attack capable of inflicting criticals rather just automatic damage, Dorian's got a good enough crit chance that we can probably force her to waste her Dogged Sprinter crit-cancel. At least, assuming she doesn't have multiple cancels, now, if she leveled it up.

Also, a thought that occurs to me: Vitruvian Burst regenerates any constructs attached to her limbs when she regrows them. Could we do a Baneline/Plateling hybrid of Swarmlings that do nothing but stay attached to her and pump in acid?
>>
>>3510775
Potentially i think, but Isabelle also has insane strength and can probably rip all that off of herself. I mean, dont get me wrong, it'll slow her down a bit, but 6 ACTs is alit for us to overcome.

Shame Julia has to be inside the Maque dome for it to become a full lock down, but you are right it could help us a bit. I think my thing is I can't see us pumping out enough bullshit to keep her locked down for the amount of turns we need to get our meagre chance to inflict Neuromancy.

I mean, we should try it, don't get me wrong, im just done hoping for the best anymore. I didn't pick to stop Gina because i had hope we could win as was pretty clear.

If we can prevent Isabelle from insta gibbing Julia the second she gets close, Julia can actually attack faster than Isabelle in she can squeeze technically infinite attacks into one ACT, and getting as many stacks as possible onto Isabelle IS a very good idea even if Julia has to exhaust herself, it's just a matter of her surviving doing it.
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>>3510778
Oh, wait, Julia. We just got a Dual Tech that lets us work together to spawn Swarmlings inside a target. B'Ni wouldn't be able to rip those off.
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>>3510780
I think the swarmlings still Pop out, its only the nest that stays locked inside.

Still though, they do Damage when they pop out, use her bio, and are instantly on her, so not a bad idea. Only Julia still needs to get close and not die to do that, and i think her other debuffs might still help us better. Maybe a mix of the two.

Now how TO get her close? She has the boosters, but would still have to sit too still to inflict stacks, so we need Isabelle to not be able to Attack her. Maybe Gina+Amara lockdown might work? Maw wrap aswell? We sacrifice the maw though, but it can be regrown so might be worth it.
>>
>>3510780
also technically you haven't voted, and the option to let Gina go is there, and i dont think anyone would blame you for voting that way, even if we are not.
>>
>>3510784
That could work. Shu pulls Isabelle in, Dorian locks Julia in with B'Ni, Gina throws up the strongest fear field she can while Shu uses some of the INFESTATION stacks Julia puts on Isabelle to spawn some banelings inside the Red Hook field?

Also, I just thought of something: Does regular fear count for Verurteilung's level 5 ability that makes it stronger when Gina resists a fear effect, or is it only artificially-imposed fear? Because if that works, I do like the idea of channeling the terror B'Ni is giving Gina right back at her.

Also, oh shit, just realized something big: Isabelle's second body is technically a Phantasmal Conduit construct. Gina can steal constructs. It benefits from Isabelle's passives, so it would get advantage on the saving throw, but if she's being inhibited by enough other effects on her...

>>3510787
You're right, I have not. And no, as dreadful as this fight sounds, I agree with the sentiment of the rest of the thread. Fuck that.

>>3510313
>>Stop her.
>>Write-In
>[Sorry, Gina, but I guess after all this time I'm still a selfish bitch.]
>>
>>3510794
That could work if she makes that mistake for us to capitalize on.

Also, I'm worried that doing the dome thing would just end in B'ni beating Julia and then walking out.
>>
>>3510794
...if regular fear works then we might have a chance for some ironic reasons.

Also really good point, if Isabelle does use that, it'll backfire greatly, and i actually think she has no reason to know Gina has that.
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>>3510797
It is a very big risk, but thats why we try and lock her down first, as the domes doesn't interrupt outside terraforming or Lexicon powers, as i think those are not technically the thought form stuff.
Meaning we can lock her down, dome her up, and keep it all. Dorian can still shift forms as a free Action so if Julia needs out the dome can be gone instantly. It is a super duper major risk, but literally any and everything on this fight will be.

Im 100% sure she can one shot any of us.
>>
>>3510799
I'm sure that any second Isabelle body we stole would get killed by the end of the fight, but can you imagine if we managed to keep it? Just Gina spending the rest of the Crucible with Isabelle as her Stand, one final insult to B'Ni that we like this mindless slave-body more than we do her?
>>
My biggest concern is that if we try to fight her now instead of later when we catch up, we'll be too tired to fight the Spiraling Fear or have time to fetch Mara's associate. So if we don't succeed we'll have just failed twice. I guess I don't like our odds with how things have been going recently. I'm sorry.

>>3510313
Supporting >>3510446
>>
>>3510805
Would be interesting yeah.

Im wondering, how does the health and bio sharing work if we steal the body? Will it just snatch half her shit, remain connected in that regard so it can just punch itself to death to kill her, or just crumble due to not having its own pools?
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>>3510812
Yeah, if B'Ni gets Gina now she's just going to eat her before we can rescue her. There is no reason to assume otherwise. This is our one shot to save her. And while we'll be mentally exhausted, if we kill Isabelle (shut up, I know it's unlikely but let me dream) we'll actually be stronger for the fight with the Spiraling Fear. You're worth what, ninety-one levels at last count, B'Ni? Probably at least a hundred and ten after that fight with West, most of that iteration's powers were low-level but the particle beam was decent. So we're talking eighteen levels each. This is insanely high-risk, but also insanely high-reward, and the opportunity cost for failing is too high to even consider.
>>
>>3510812
i mean, ok, I understand, but it still feels odd to support a vote the writer itself no longer supports.
>>
>>3510817
I think she intends to have Gina hack into the Cord for the purpose of creating and placing her idealized version of Sam into her doppelganger construct. Hence why she's giving her a chance to come peacefully instead of just killing everyone present right now including Gina.
>>
>>3510817
I think, if nothing else, anon here is right. If we let Gina go now... I don't we're seeing her again, even if Isabelle for some reason does not instantly consume her.
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>>3510823
Im thinking she just wants to make us suffer is the thing it's revenge, against both us and Gina. With the way abilites work, she would have no reason to need to keep Gina alive.

Hell, as disturbing as it may sound, due to our time together, there may even be a mild possiblity she could get Ginas core id imagine, albeit smaller then it used to be.
>>
>>3510825
Well you only get three choices when you Consume even if you select Consume multiple times, and Gina has six abilities. She might be thinking that she needs both the Neuromancer and the Halo, but there's a risk that she could miss one if she tries to absorb both abilities.
>>
>>3510823
Or she just wants to hurt us. Make Gina's death be not a matter of Isabelle smashing past all resistance, but Shu surrendering to her. The thing is, I think Isabelle is scared. Not of the party's physical power, but of the fact that she's confronting someone who she, right or wrong, sees as her abuser. She needs to HAVE CONTROL, if she doesn't establish some stupid mind-game dominance bullshit then she wouldn't be able to go through with this. Actually, that might be a useful strategy. Is there any way we can make B'Ni feel small?
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>>3510828
We could always pull something from Sam's playbook and try and convince her that if all of these strong individuals are trying to stop the Worm she should help, because if they fail and it gets away from them it may snowball and ascend the Chord before her so she wouldn't be able to get what she wants.
>>
Also, I just thought of something: There is absolutely no way that Isabelle knows about how useful the Halo is. She wasn't there for the exposition party where we read West's notes, and that recent bleed-over seems to have been the first time she had one on her end. And West wouldn't have been telling her. To B'Ni, Gina is just a Neuromancer who has a neat skill she hasn't seen before. It's interesting but nothing truly special, she does not know the importance of what she's trying to steal. She is targeting Gina for no reason other than to hurt us, regardless of what rationalizations she might make.
>>
>>3510828
>>3510826
>>3510825
I can't believe I lost a full night's sleep over a thing like this...
So are we letting Gina go? or are we doing a suicide run and ruining everything we worked hard for in the entire quest because of this?
>>3510831
Here's the thing anon. Isabelle is DONE listening to Shu because she believes that SAM has assumed Direct Control again. So anything that Shu says, Isabelle would simply ignore or do the opposite just to spite Shu/Sam.
>>
>>3510831
Also if she does fight us here there are others around that would assist us so if she was smart she would at least wait until this is over and we are away from assistance.
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>>3510826
Actually she already has Neuromancy and id imagine its not the hardest to find. All she needs is the halo. Its also possible passives are less likely (dunno) and/or she has ways of making her chances more likely.

Regardless, I don't think we're catching up to her even if she does let Gina live, especially now that she can avoid detection. Shes, scaringly, far from an idiot, and will know not to waste anymore time after she has her. I truly believe if we do not stop her here, this is goodbye to Gina. All signs might not Point to Ginas instant death, but i do think they point to that.

>>3510831
Kinda already tried and she told us to shut the fuck up. She doesn't care. She is done listening, and that is EXACTLY they Type of shit she expects from us, as she refuses to not see us as sam.

>>3510832
I don't think that's true, i think West did mention it pretty heavily. But yes, i think her Main goal here is just to hurt us. She already thinks winning the crucible will get her what she wants, so.. actually... you're right. She hasn't said or thought she needs Neuromancy for any reason...fuck she really does just want to make us watch as she forces us to let Gina go, to feel our love be broken, and watch as we cant do nothing as we feel the crimson cord go silent.
>>
>>3510837
There actually might be no help, or it might be too busy to help us.

>>3510836
I've said my words and im sticking to them. We don't abandon our friends, family, loved ones. We stop her, as far as i am concerned, there IS no other option i can take but to stand by Gina no matter what may happen.
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>>3510836
>>3510843
If this is how it all ends, i can live with that, because i know it was the right decision to make. Sometimes the ending is standing for what you know you have to, not claiming victory.
>>
>>3510832
(B'ni has some idea of Gina's ability to hack the Cord without triggering the killswitch, mainly due to the last bleed-over occurring when Shu was talking to Julia about it and West confirming it before their duel. But the value of Gina's abilities is second to the hurt Isabelle plans to inflict.)
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>>3510844
I guess we should return the necklace to her then?
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>>3510836
>So are we letting Gina go? or are we doing a suicide run and ruining everything we worked hard for in the entire quest because of this?
The suicide run. We are the Defiant Fool. If we back down now then what are we going to do the next time someone powerful threatens to kill us if we don't do the sensible thing and just let them take everything from us? Because we have aimed at slaying a creature that might as well be God herself, this is not the last time we will be in this scenario. This is just a microcosm of the entire Crucible, really, it's all one big threat pressuring you to let go and let evil win because you're just not strong enough to fight. Well, fuck that, we're going to try anyway. B'Ni, Mother, doesn't matter. I plan to go down swinging.
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>>3510839
Anon... If Body Horror Quest is that of Persona, SMT, and Dark Souls, have we missed the Golden ending or were we doomed from the start due to the choices we've made and the limited information we had way back in the beginning? Because having a NPC that was BHOP's designated "tutorial safetynet" come up and fuck us over because of a backstory that BHOP wrote just feels horrible.
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>>3510843
Yeah during the day i developed that same Feeling. If we die we die Not Dividend and weak but in ablaze we will make sure she will never again he able to look at Sam/Shu without remembering what she Had to do and shuddering at the thought that anything of the Sort may still be in the Girl she has drooling all over her. Wandering If all of this ist Just an act
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>>3510846
Isabelle is a damn bitch.

>>3510847
Through her skull sure.

>>3510850
I don't know. I really don't. Maybe we were doomed from the start, maybe we were not. But she was never just a tutorial, and we didn't even think or see she was one til after the reveal.
But i do know I don't care. We have lost too much. Been too late to do anything time and Time and Time again. Loved ones and good, honest people dead at our feet over and over.
Im done with it. I don't have hope, that died long ago. All i have left is defiance, anger...and love, for our group, our little family we have made here. The characters, their goals...no.
We're done doing nothing, being too late. We might not be able to win here, but we sure as hell aren't doing like Isabelle did to Rath and abandoning our loved ones. We got this far together, and we will fight til our last damned breath together. All of us. No one left behind, no more doing nothing im the face of the odds. Whatever happens, together, we will stand against it, as best we can. Because that's what friends and family do for eachother.
>>
>>3510850
>>3510857
(You're still tracking towards the Golden Ending, perhaps now more than ever. I can say no more.)
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>>3510850
I think that fighting B'Ni is actually the start of the path to the Golden Ending. There's just a really tough boss gating it.
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>>3510847
Oh yeah. I forgot about that. We should return it. >>3510600
Amending a small part of my vote to add this:
>"So... I guess this is it then..."
>Spawn a fuzzbuzz (make it the size of a pillow for Gina. Have her jack a cord into it and decouple it from Shu's control. Shu will give consent for decoupling.)
>"Stay safe, stay strong, consume and grow stronger, stay alive. Don't you ever dare let yourself get killed and consumed. You're an amazing and strong girl Gina."
>"My last gift before I let you go. Please... t-take...take good care of it Gina."
>Remove the necklace you held on for so long.
>"I...held this for so long... out of... the hope that we could mend our relationship. But if... i-if... you insist on seeing see me as nothing but a ghost... as nothing but Sam. It only feels fitting that you should have it back. You've already killed Sam...and now you killed Shu. I guess now... I'm nothing but a ghost. A fool."
>*Try to hold back tears.* Fail.
>Walk over and place the necklace over Isabelle's head. Let your hands hang on to B'ni's shoulders for a half-beat too long.
>"A Defiant Fool."
COMMENCE BATTLE PLAN. PLAN IS LISTED HERE >>3510600
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>>3510858
im sorry, and Don't take this as a personal insult or anything, but after the way things have gone, im not letting you give me any hope. Not even a drop.
>>
>>3510864
(No offense taken at all. I appreciate your candor, and apologies for any lost sleep.)
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>>3510866
Man, I am SO GLAD I fell asleep before last night's final post. Really feel like I made the smart decision.
>>
>>3510861
>>3510313
I forgot to link it properly to make it officially count. It's an amended vote of >>3510600
>>
>>3510866
Honestly? Its been so long since a story has made me care enough to have that happen that i can't complain. Plus, it was a beautiful night to be outdoors.
>>
>>3510313
Amending my Vote from>>3510456
to>>3510861
>>
>>3510861
I'm not sure running is going to work. B'Ni has the same movement speed unassisted as we do with the Bishop, and she has six actions to our two. She also does not get tired. She can chase us forever. We need something to keep her more busy than just Dorian's blood slicks.
>>
>>3510879
Actually, the blood slicks aren't going to slow her down at all, now that I think about it. Calcite Greaves, she can just skate along them.
>>
>>3510879
Yeah i still think our best bet is to find a way to lock her down and hope we can get the fight taken to the dreamscape.

She won't let us run, and we have nowhere to run to. We probably can't escape her anyways.
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>>3510883
So Do we want to modify The plan to a lockdown dreamscape fight?
>>
>>3506531
BHOP, how did you come up with the percentile mechanics you use? I've never seen a system that uses percents for health/charge meters
>>
>>3510886
It is what i would suggest yes.

>Gina and Amara crunch her hard.
>Shu can lock her up with platlings locking incorrectly as well as Maw.
>Dorian can paintling spam her.
>If it then looks safe, Julia can rush in and spam Attacks to debuff stack her as much as possible.
>Gina and Julia also use their auras.
>All willing, we get a chance for Gina to plug us ALL into Isabelle and hope to god it works, and we can awaken ours and all her dream daughters against her.

Feel free to spice up the plan, that just the general idea i think. Literally everything we could do is a major damn risk, so its hard to know what can be made safer or what is just necessary 'well fuck we gotta try it' ill admit.
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>>3510883
Okay, so let's plan, then. I'm thinking the idea about tongue-grabbing her closer to us is a good one. Spawn a Bishop and attach it to Julia, too. Then we have Gina terraform the ground around B'Ni's ankles and put up the strongest Verurteilung she can while Amara GRA RHO CUNTs her. Julia spawns a Bloody Ripper while Dorian traps them in Red Hook, then Julia goes to town alternating punches and slashes. Burn through 100% HP for twenty-two attacks in one turn. Split them twelve Malleable Skin-inflicting touch attacks, three Infestation-inflicting touch attacks, seven Bloody Ripper to regain health. If Julia takes too much damage have Dorian drop the blood field for Julia to disengage while Shu spawns a Knightling from inside B'Ni to interrupt her. We keep the pressure on her, hammer her hard and fast and take advantage of us technically having more ACTs than her, and when she's weakened we go in for the dreamscape attack. Or just kill her, if we get the chance.
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>>3510883
I can start Modifying the plan if you'd like. How about this?
Shu:
>Act 1:Push B'ni down to the ground and spawn 5 pairs of Hundred Handed. Full grapple and restrain into a bear hug!
>Act 2:Maintain grapple hold! Spawn 2 more pairs of limbs to hold Isabelle Down!

Gina:
>Act 1: Link up with Shu and Rath. The three of you will do a Dreamscape Dive.
>Act 2: Put a Cord into B'ni.

>Rath: (Relic Loadout: Sui Tormentis)
>Act 1: Sacrifice 60% HP for a 180% Sui Tormentis Strength Boost. Use your Phantom Limbs and Tensile Strands to Hogtie Isabelle.
>Act 2: Lock your limbs and get ready to jack into the Matrix. We need your dreamfighting expertise.
Julia and Dorian: Both of you will Restrain Isabelle.

Dorian:
>Creator Form: Have your paint constructs wrap themselves around Isabelle's limbs and have them solidify/coagulate into solid blood. Pile on the blood so that it weighs down on B'ni. Aim for her Greaves.
>Canvas/Critic Form Hold Isabelle down and keep watch! If you see
Amara:
>"Gra Suth Cunt", this will make Isabelle weak and unresponsive like a depressive anesthesia.
>Next Round, Cast "Gra Ter Rho" Ask the ground to help keep Isabelle restrained.
Julia: (Relic Loadout)
>Activate Depressive Weight. Dogpile Isabelle
>Stack up as much Malleable stacks as possible, keep her pinned down with debuffs!
>>
>>3510891
>>3510896
>>3510886
Yeah basically these.

Also we have to do over 700% damage a turn to the point of taking off 2000+ health. We probably ain't killing her the conventional way.
>>
(What do you wish to have the Whistle imbued with?)

>>3510889
(They're more a holdover of the beta system, which was spawned from my attempts to crack Joker Quest's combat system over several years before it evolved into something else entirely. There's an unweildy amount of crunch involved, so I can absolutely see why JQOP preferred to have one-on-one fights as opposed to my approach. Its wild to keep track of, but worth it. The percentages stuck around just because I think they're neat.)
>>
>>3510898
There's really good ideas in here too. Honestly im not sure what parts of all three of our ideas will work best, as they all have very good merit.
>>
>>3510313
>>3510861
Amending the battle plan >>3510600 to >>3510898
With an additional amendment to Amara's actions:
>Act 1-2: "Gra Suth Cunt" (Gra is free), this will be a depressive/relaxant/anesthetic to weaken B'ni's strength
>Act 3: Blow the whistle (Ter Rho)
>>3510906
"Ter Rho". Also a question, is the Terrain formed by Amara's spellcasting have selective fire or is it indiscriminate?
>>
>>3510912
(Indiscriminate.)
>>
>>3510912
>"Ter Rho". Also a question, is the Terrain formed by Amara's spellcasting have selective fire or is it indiscriminate?
I believe that without a CUNT in there it won't be selective to enemies, just make general bad terrain.

Also, something we need to be on the lookout for: getting blindsided by a second Isabelle. We don't know how Ressentiment's Mirror has upgraded, we shouldn't be confident that it costs too much BIO for her to use it as anything but a situational technique. Is "have Dorian keep watch for other attackers" what the cut off bit under Canvas/Critic form for?
>>
Gotta let my phone charge for a bit, but putting down whatever dreamscape plan the other anons settle on i support.
>>
Okay, so Gina can enlist up to three Daughter mindstates to help her fight in the dreamscape. Who are we going to bring along? One of them has to be Sam, right? Bonus points if we win the fight by dream-Sam clubbing dream-Isabelle's head in with a lava lamp.
>>
Supporting the Dreamscape Attack
probably the best chance we have to break her before being broken ourselves
>>
>>3510906
"Rho Cunt" to nerf her Dogged Sprinters.
Or "San Tha" to haste our team.
>>
>>3510921
Sam might just come even if she's not selected. Amara can sense her, and logically all of Shu's hobbies and interests from before the Crucible were actually Sam's first.

Otherwise I'm thinking Holly, Kosi, and Meg. If we can only use Daughters from Gina's mind, then we'll have to bring Bella even though we've yet to have a chat with her, though I'm hoping that Gina did so during her free time.
>>
>>3510912
>>3510913
Amending my vote a few actions of the Party members
Amara:
>Act 1-2: "Gra Suth Cunt"
>Act 3: Keep watch for any Isabelle clones

Julia:
>Pummel Isabelle to add on Malleable stack Debuffs. Put as much as you can onto Isabelle
>Spawn Bloody Ripper and maintain watch for any B'ni clones.

Dorian:
>Paint Constructs encase B'ni's limbs.
>Critic form, make some open wounds and inject your blood/paint into them.

>>3510915
yes. It's to keep watch for Reinforcements and if there's any additional Isabelle clones.

>>3510921
>>3510923
Gina brings (Rath, Shu, Sam).
Dreamscape plan is this.
>Rath: You've trained in the art of Matrix-fu. Go all out
>Gina: Initiate Jailbreak! Start opening doors to the daughters that B'ni imprisoned with Secluded Mind!
>Shu: Guard Gina!
>Sam: Don't die.
>>
>>3510906
Hey BHOP, do daughters that aren't in Gina's own dreamscape (like Rath or Shu) count as daughter Gina gets to bring for her dreamscape fight?
>>
>>3510929
True. And I would like to bring Holly along. Let's try to get the Chevalier free first, too. Make this one big reunion. Chevalier (we did learn her actual name at some point, but I can't remember it) told B'Ni what an idiot she was being, let's give her the chance to do more than criticize.

>>3510930
>yes. It's to keep watch for Reinforcements and if there's any additional Isabelle clones.
We should give the rest of the team standing orders to disengage if things go really bad. Just in case. B'Ni might chase them down anyway, but it's possible they can escape.
>>
>>3510931
(They do not.)
>>
>>3510933
It was Eloise.
>>
>>3510935
oh. right. I didn't read the fine print "Consumed daughters" was the key word.

Have Gina summon (Eloise, Meg, Holly).
Is it also possible for Gina to initiate a jailbreak that consists of consumed daughters of an opposing Daughter? Because Eloise is one of the people that I would like to have summoned.
>>
>>3510935
Aww, too bad, that would have been fun. So it's Kosi, Maggie, and Bella, then. Well, at least Rath likes Maggie, they'll get along. And I still expect Shu to show up at some point, unbidden. It's just too perfect not to happen.

>>3510936
Ah, thank you. Yes, Eloise, let's go pound some sense into Isabelle's head. And then out of it, through the other side. I'm sorry if this ends in your erasure, but you can agree that it's better than the alternative, right?

Oh, and Gretchen! How could we forget Gretchen? Hey, girl, we're the much nicer person that Sam turned into. We hear she was kind of pathetic, huh? I wish we had time for you to tell us stories, we'd love to be able to shut her down if she ever gets uppity.
>>
We should also try to reach Mara with a desperate emphatic channel message of ’help’
>>
>>3510981
Absolutely. There's no one else I'd rather have to help us out with Isabelle right this moment.
>>
>>3510981
Nice idea. It's not that long-range, but anything's worth a shot.
>>
>>3510981
Not a bad idea, but i still think she will pick stopping the monestary over helping us.
>>
>>3510999
nice trips. but she might also realize that it's "The Vitruvian" that Shu and co. are dealing with.
>>
>>3511001
True, but she might still see Isabelle as i 'handle later' over the giant death mountain they have a limited timeframe to properly take down. As much as we may not like to admit it, our team can be sacrificed and Isabelle taken care of later, the Monestary maybe not.
>>
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>>3510313

"So... I guess this is it then."

A single, pillow-sized FuzzBuzz squirms out of your back and into Gina’s arms, and you watch as she silently slips a jack into the fluffy swarmling while your empathic field spreads out over the beach.

"Stay safe, stay strong, consume and grow stronger, stay alive. Don't you ever dare let yourself get killed and consumed. You're an amazing and strong girl, Gina." You say softly, your fingers wiping away a tear rolling down Gina’s cheek, her eyes fluttering with realization. "My last gift before I let you go. Please...take good care of it."

You turn, ignoring Gina’s attempts to grab your hand as you slip the jade scarab pendant from around your neck and stride towards Isabelle. Rath moves to stop you, Julia’s quick hand darting out to stop her, the green insect dangling loose in your grasp.

"I held this for so long, out of...hope.” You say, slowly closing the gap as you stare into her emerald eyes. “Hope that we could mend our relationship. But if... i-if you insist on seeing see me as nothing but a ghost...as nothing but Sam, it only feels fitting that you should have it back.”

She looks like she’s about to take a step back when you stop in front of her, reaching out and sliding the cord around her neck, the pendant coming to rest just above her heart. Your sight lingers on it a moment as you speak.

“You've already killed Sam...and now you killed Shu. I guess now, I'm nothing but a ghost…a fool."

Your hands are cold on her stiffened shoulders, gaze snapping up to meet hers.

"A Defiant Fool."

Isabelle’s eyes go wide as you and your friends move as one.

You duck low as Rath’s Phantom Limbs swing wide on gossamer strands of unbreakable wire, scything through the rain and pinning B’ni’s limbs together before she can react. Strings go taught as their owner thrusts her natural arms deep into the beach’s shattered ground, her impossible strength cranked to maximum by Sui Tormentis’ wicked power, locking her and B'ni in place as Gina jacks into you both simultaneously.

Five pairs of arms erupt from your collarbones as you haul the girl before you into a crushing bear-hug, another pair of arms reaching out from a pair of the summoned limbs to complete the lockdown. Dorian’s inklings squeeze between arm and strand to harden against the trapped limbs as he races forwards. Dorian dashes close, spearing between the gaps with fingers curled into cruel sickles with Julia’s moving with him in perfect lock-step, fingers darting along the exposed skin on the other side of the trapped Vitruvian before drawing her Bloody Ripper, dark eyes alight with cold purpose.

“GRA SUTH, CUNT!” Amara bellows, the sheer power behind her words throwing the Shawl back as you watch B’ni’s rage-filled eyes glaze, her body’s annihilating strength relaxing, just a fraction…

…just enough to let Gina’s jack slide home in Isabelle’s chest as

Everything

Goes

Dark.

(Continued)
>>
>>3511008

Gina’s the first person you see in the abyssal darkness that surrounds you, taking hold of your right hand and squeezing it tight in solidarity. Beside her, grinning ear to ear and shadow-boxing the air is Meg, prepping for the fight of her life. Her jacket’s hood is up, her gym shorts bouncing as she hops back and forth, light on her feet and ready to go.

You look around, vague shapes moving in the far-flung darkness, colossal shards of glass drifting along, bubbles of amethyst liquid undulating aimlessly alongside them before disappearing into the void.

“How…”

A distorted voice echoes through the dreamscape, and in searching for its source you find Rath to your left, summoned arms at the ready as she gives you a sharp nod. Beside her stands a cold, regal ice-skater and swordswoman in a sleek white dress. Eloise gives you a haughty bow before drawing her fencing sabre from her other arm.

“…how…”

A hand caresses your shoulder, and you turn to see Holly’s kind smile beaming at you, her plaid shirt tied just above the original ravenous maw, teeth grinning to match their owner’s face. She looks forwards, her smile fading, her brow knit. You follow her line of sight and…

You see her, staggering out of the blackness a few yards in front of you. Isabelle’s shaking, trembling with her arms wrapped around herself, muttering as she takes a few steps forwards. She looks up, eyes glassy and disoriented as she looks among your team, until her gaze settles on you…a sudden, furious clarity piercing the confusion that clouded her mind.

“…How DARE you.”

Her hands go to her sides, balling into fists so tight her fingernails draw thin rivulets of blood that drip down, falling forever. She takes a deep breath, closes her eyes…and relaxes. Another breath, and her eyes flutter open, shining with that same cold, hard determination that you feel, now.

“It doesn’t matter. Call your friends. Summon the dead. Invade my head one last time.”

The abyss pulses with harsh emerald light as she leans forwards, taking a runner’s stance, eyes locked with yours.

“It doesn’t matter…”

She’s a bullet, ready to explode.

“…Because I will have control.”

Shu and the Defiant Fools

VS.

ISABELLE, THE ETERNAL DELUSION

HP: 210% (+5% REGEN)
BIO: 102% (+20% REGEN, 0/22 Active)
CONTENDER: Empty, Lionheart Form.
RAVENOUS MAW: Primed.
HUNDRED-HANDED: None.
ACT: 2/2

GINA HP: 210% (Booster Active)
RATH HP: 150% (Eight-armed Form, Sui Tormentis +180% Strength)

HOLLY HP: MAX, Ravenous Maw:Primed
MEG HP: MAX
ELOISE HP: MAX

JULIA HP: 280% (+20% REGEN, Cursus Alas/Ignition Gauntlets)
AMARA HP: 120% (+20% REGEN, Cloaked, Whistle: VUL RHO)
DORIAN HP: 140% (+45% REGEN, Critic Form)

Threat: Insurmountable.But you have to try.
Debuffs: MALLEABLE FLESH x3

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
>>3511015
Dont have time for a master plan right this second, but remember that in the dreamscape the rules for what we can do are alot looser. For us and her, but we if anything, have creativity over her.
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next two and a half hours, Gentlemen. The surprise round is over, and Isabelle will begin to act.)

(Also, Rath has more health than that due to Sui Tormentis' regenerative properties.)
>>
>>3511015
Hey BHOP, I do have a question regarding the Consumed daughters, if they die in the dreamscape, do they die in the dreamscape for real?
>>
>>3511008
>“GRA SUTH, CUNT!” Amara bellows
Oh, it's so good when it's an actual sentence. Amara, best little sister.
>>
>>3511023
what I mean is what happens when a dreamscape daughter dies in a fight? to they die for real?
>>
>>3511028
I'm hoping they're just banished back into the daughter's mind and can't be accessed for some time. I imagine that at worst their associated power goes with them, but Shu has access to Hecaton and Penny's abilities without having either of them in her head, so I'm thinking that's not the case.
>>
>>3511024
>>3511028
(They do, if they fail their death saving throws, of which they have less than a living Daughter. The summoner may dispel them for one ACT to prevent this, however.)
>>
>>3511033
battle song for the fight against Isabelle the Eternal Delusion?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYAPgPH9hsI
>>
>>3511015
Christ.........
we actually made it in lets hope she will be a bit weaker here....
now for the Hard part... beating her

Being in the Dreamscape are Neuromantic and Phantasmal Powers more powerful here?

If so, I propose to put Stacks of Verurteilung on her. It might help us to defeat her

[I also would like to know what would happen if we start havoc in here like disturbing the bubbles or destroying the shards]
>>
>>3511032
(Abilities would not be effected by a Dream Daughter's death.)
>>
>>3511037
(Neuromancy and Conduit powers are, yes. However, the host Daughter will have a home field advantage by default unless properly destabilized.)
>>
>>3511036
I was thinking Last Surprise from Persona 5, personally. It's appropriate for delving into someone's consciousness to fight their craziness. And the lyrics are about how the enemy doesn't actually have any control, they're just being lead on by their pathology instead of mastering themselves and that's going to end in their defeat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFVj0Z6ahcI
>>
>>3511043
It just doesn't fit the mood though. This is a battle song. A battle to the death where the stakes are high. Last surprise feels more like a "why you suck and why I'm awesome" song.
>>
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>>3511036
(My face, since this is on the Quest's playlist. It's not the fight theme I had in mind for this battle, but I'd considered it. Fun fact, 'I'm My Own Master Now' was B'ni's fight theme for her first playable duel.)[/spoilers]
>>
>>3511048
I mean, Last Surprise is the default combat song in P5. We could use Blooming Villain instead, if you'd like, that's the boss theme. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdYkIF3C7PY
>>
>>3511043
>>3511052
(I love Last Surprise, by the way.)
>>
>>3511033
Does it cost One act per daughter for dispel summon or can Gina dispel all three for the price of 1 act? is there a cooldown period between resummoning them and do they regen their health when not in play?
>>
>>3511055
(All three may be dispelled, or just a select few. They will be gone for the rest of the fight, however.)
>>
>>3511015
So we gonna summon Sam for this?
>>
>>3511043
If I can put my own choice forward. Though admittedly I thought it would've been more appropriate for a duel near the end of the journey, close or at the Cord.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lPUYOjW6Cc
>>
>>3511057
Is the combat limitations looser here in the dreamscape (aka unlimited swarmling spawns or Gina having no Bio limit in the dreamscape) or is it still the same in the real world?
>>
>>3511059
(That is up to you, if you wish to call out to her.)
>>
>>3511064
(Bio does not deplete here, unless drained from your original body somehow. The Swarmling cap stays, however, as you still need to focus on keeping them active, even here.)
>>
>>3511062
(Magnificent. Saved to the playlist.)
>>
>>3511068
Well then. That brings up very interesting possibilites.
>>
>>3511041
Destabilized, you say? Well, then, that's good, because while I don't have a fight plan yet I do have some smack talk I want to intersperse with our actions if talking is a free action.

>"And how's that worked out for you so far, B'Ni?"
>"You get lead on by some bitch your whole life, you finally stand up to her and club her skull in...and you're still obsessing over her."
>"Two years guarding my chrysalis, even when you didn't know I'd come out of it someone else than Sam. Two years, wasted on someone who didn't care about you."
>"And then, when I came out of it so different, you kept trying to crawl back into that old relationship instead of making something new."
>"Even now, you're not moving on. You're just trying to make your own Sam, who will finally pay attention to you like you so desperately crave."
>"Because the truth is you'll never have control. You'll always be bound by your fixation with the ghost of a dead woman. Sam's gone, but she still has her hold on you. And she always will."
>"Well, I suppose I shouldn't say 'gone'. There's a part of her still left in me. It's like these dead Daughters. What do you think she'd say, if Gina brought her out to see you?"
>"I think she'd laugh."
>>
>>3511015
>SHU, RATH, and HOLLY;
>>team up. Let Isabelle start her charge, then make a spiders web of tongue, hands, and strands to catch her.
>>She may try to use her greaves ability to get a good bonus jump, but a few of Raths boils in the mix should throw off her balance a bit.

>MEG and RATH;
>>once wrapped up, team up to deliver one hell of a dual combo on her, both being our best outright strength fighters. Rath should sacrifice a few Phantoms as needed to increase the hit.

>GINA;
>>be on standby. Isabelle won't be tied up forever. Once she is breaking loose, spawn pillars down on her, to smash her back down and hold her there. here or after, she will probably toss out a limb to respawn and escape.
>>Keep your eye out for it, and the second she respawns, smack a new pillar into her.

>ELOISE;
>>Watch out for Isabelle thrown respawn limbs and see if you can't pin them down like bugs to hold her off longer.


Not the outright best but i think its a good base to build off of, thoughts?
>>
>>3511068
Bio doesn't deplete? Okay, that makes Rath very deadly in here, then. Even if we're limited on actually spending equal to our maximum Bio, that means that Rath can give herself thirty-four extra arms. And then they can be combined with Phantom Limb lvl.3 to get an insanely powerful punch.
>>
>>3511059
If we can get Sam to show up she may be incredibly effective at taking out Isabelles defenses when coupled with Ginas Fear Aura

Though i am not sure we want her unless absolutely necessary

>I propose:
>Gina Act 1: flare the Fear Aura it does not Cost BIO here so we can keep it up indefinetly
>Gina Act 2: try and disrupt Isabelles Dreamscape see if you can free more daughters still locked away
Meg is also a Neuromancer isn't she?
>Meg Act 1: Try and disrupt the Dreamscape to free more Daughters:
> Meg Act 2: ??? I am not sure

>Shu Act 1: Try and Distract/Destabilize Isabelle from the others with this: >>3511076
>Shue Act 2:Ö Chitinous Stalwart for everyone?
>>
>>3511072
Do dream daughter retain their original ability sets in the dreamscape?
>>
>>3511065
I'll keep that in mind. I'm not sure if she'd help us beyond taking revenge on the one who killed her, and may sacrifice us and our friends to that end, but her entrance would certainly distract Isabelle and we could take advantage of that.
>>
>>3511072
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyr-mKhdh6c
Smash bros have really really good music.
>>
>>3511083
Yeah, that idea with the fear aura is good. Maximum fear aura from Gina, since she doesn't have to worry about the costs. Likewise, Rath sprouts all the arms so that she can serve as both offense and defense. Those arms being severed doesn't take away from her Health. Rath can just be a mobile wall of punches, thirty-six fists intercepting any move B'Ni tries to make.
>>
>>3511083
(Meg is a Fibromancer, actually. She found the Halo and integrated it.)

>>3511085
(They do.)
>>
>>3511083
She is not besides having the Halo before. Otherwise she had the plateling armor and could swim in the fleshscape.

Is this the first round? Because if so then Gina has an extra Act to use for it.
>>
>>3511094
(It is, and she does.)
>>
>>3511083
If the fight starts going south, that's when we bring out Sam. She would, without question, be the best weapon against Isabelle, but there's also no telling what she's capable of.

It's like when King Ghidorah is fucking everything up, that's when the government hits the big red button and summons Godzilla.
>>
>>3511099
>>3511094
>>3511091
>>3511089
>>3511079
Anons. I do have a question regarding our win condition.
Are we fighting to Kill Isabelle? Because I can't see us walking away without having to mercy kill her or install a cancer bomb in Isabelle's real body.
>>
>>3511101
At this Point I will go for the Kill she is dangerous and delusional... which is bad enough but she also is damn near immortal installing a cancer Bomb would be a good idea

BHOP can she strip the Effect on her real body when she is in the Dreamscap?
>>
>>3511106
(She can.)
>>
>>3511101
Kill her. Otherwise, she's gonna keep coming back to try and fuck us over, as many times as it takes. She doesn't want to kill us, she wants to cause us pain. And the best way to do that is through killing the ones we love, starting with Gina.

The cunt needs to die.
>>
Okay, I've got to run in a minute, but I'm going to write up a quick plan first.

>Shu
>Summon a Chitinous Stalwart for us and a Bishop for every single person on our side. Bishops still only count as one slot for Swarmlings, so that's only six slots filled by them. And if we have unlimited Bio anyway, might as well use it.
>Load the Hexane Contender. One B.33 Special, one Herculean Fullbore. Open the Ravening Maw. Prepare for melee.
>Start shit-talking as with >>3511076, work it in throughout fight.

>Rath
>Summon thirty-four Phantom Limbs. You know those Buddhist statues where they'e got an entire wheel of arms coming out of their backs? Like that.
>Use the massive amount of arms to start barraging B'Ni with Radiant Boils. Lay down an entire wall of fire, make her have to run through it to get to us.

>Gina
>Coordinate with Rath. Shape the dreamfleshscape to put up walls in B'Ni's path so that she has to go through the fire.
>Flare the fear aura bright. Make B'Ni stop up short when she tries to get in close.
>Be on watch to take command of any second body B'Ni makes.

>Holly
>Move to intercept B'Ni after she dashes in. Give her a big chomp.

>Eloise
>Use bone blades to pin any part of B'Ni that separates off from the main body. We need to keep watch for those regenerating into new Isabelles, being stabbed will at least slow them.

>Meg
>Slip through the dreamfleshscape the same way you do the real. Be ready to attack from beneath when B'Ni isn't prepared.

>Julia
>It's established that inflicting Malleable Flesh is surprisingly gentle. It should not give enough pain to bring B'Ni out of telepathic combat. Bind her up in a prison of her own skin while Shu, Rath and Gina are fighting her in her head.

>Amara
>Keep suppressing Isabelle with your spells every so often. Don't exhaust yourself, but keep her down and her head fuzzed.

>Dorian
>Stay on watch. B'Ni being able to clone herself probably doesn't mean she can act in the real world and the real world at the same time, given that they share a mind, but take care regardless.

>>3511101
Yes. She's established that there is no happy ending when it comes to her. It sucks that we have to do this, but at this point she doesn't deserve to get any more second chances. Isabelle, since Sam was never decent enough to say it, we will: We're breaking up with you.
>>
>>3511101
We kill her, or shatter her mind to the point there is no difference.
>>
>>3511083
Amending
> Get Meg to strengthen the Chitnous Stalwart if possible even if just on herself
>Rath: Spawn as many Arms as she can and as many boils as she can to just chuck all over the place to try and limit Isabelles freedom of Movement and maybe boil up some of those Bubbles(I am intrested to see what devastation we can cause in her head and which effect it has)

>Holly: Hold back to try and fling Isabelle away if she tries to close the distance
> Eloise: Support Holly
>>
>>3510906
What did you use as a basis? I've been trying to recreate Joker Quest myself and I need a starting off point but I can't find a percentile system anywhere.

Also, if you're still up to date on JQOP, what did you think of the Vovoid fight?
>>
>>3511107
Hey BHOP, if Isabelle tries to shrug off Malleable flesh, does she shrug off the entire stack or does she shrug off parts of the debuff each stack applies?
>>
>>3511111
QUINTS CONFIRM RABBIT STEW
QUINTS CONFIRM RABBIT STEW
QUINTS CONFIRM RABBIT STEW
QUINTS CONFIRM RABBIT STEW
KILL THE WABBIT
>>
>>3511125
(My reply would be lengthy, so I'll hold off on my reply until later, if that's alright. Please remind me if I don't make a note to address it after this Vein ends.)

>>3511126
(She shrugs off all stacks of a single type, I'm afraid.)
>>
>>3511135
If Julia Does an Artisan's peak and stuns B'ni, does she also stun B'ni in the dreamscape?
>>
>>3511135
I'd really appreciate any help you can give system wise and also thoughts on the Vovoid thing. I've been reading BHOP since the start on and off but I'm going to catch up with all of it tonight/tomorrow.

Your work's always interesting, please keep it up.
>>
>>3511140
(Yes, she does.)
>>
>>3511015
>>3511079
INSIDE
>SHU;
>>swarm out a Bishop for everyone, then the rest Knightlings, defensive stance.
>>Load the Hexane Contender. One B.33 Special, one Herculean Fullbore.
>>Start shit-talking as with >>3511076 #, work it in throughout fight.
>>Be prepared to fire on Isabelle if she starts to escape and the others cant get to her.

>GINA;
>>Flare your fear aura as powerfully as you can.
>>jack into Isabelles mind and see if you can draw forth any new daughters to aid us. "You want revenge? Come and give it to her!"
>>Use walls to not give Isabelle a clean charge at anyone, keep her moving how we want her to move.

>SHU and RATH;
>>Team up. Have Rath spawn a shitton of arms and sling them into the wall maze of Ginas to burn up Isabelle.
>>Have the Knightlings get in place so Isabelle constantly rounds corners or tries to climb away only to get slammed back into the maze and fire.

>MEG, ELOISE, and HOLLY;
>>Keep on guard. Help the Knightlings keep Isabelle off balance and in the maze. >>Look out for any limbs she tries to escape with, and be prepared to hit her and keep her off balance the second she respawns, so Gina can get back getting her in the maze.

OUTSIDE
>Julia
>It's established that inflicting Malleable Flesh is surprisingly gentle. It should not give enough pain to bring B'Ni out of telepathic combat. Bind her up in a prison of her own skin while Shu, Rath and Gina are fighting her in her head.

>Amara
>Keep suppressing Isabelle with your spells every so often. Don't exhaust yourself, but keep her down and her head fuzzed.

>Dorian
>Stay on watch. B'Ni being able to clone herself probably doesn't mean she can act in the real world and the real world at the same time, given that they share a mind, but take care regardless.

Amended mine with the parts i found best from everyone's, any ideas or changes, thoughts?
>>
>>3511153
Supporting
>>
>>3511153
Could we have Dorian use his constructs to slowly infiltrate her body and poison her from the inside while he is changing his watching out for everyone with Amara?
>>
I think if we have her in a mental battle, we should try to change her in the same way we were changed. Maybe that's akin to death.
>>
>>3511168
Sure
>>3511153
Adding what this anon said to Dorians actions.
>>3511174
Nah, the old Isabelle might still exist then, and we can't guarantee the new entity will be nice. Not worth it i think.
>>
>>3511072
>>3511015
BATTLE PLAN:

Objective: We have trapped B'ni in a mental dreamscape and tied up her real body outside. Our party is split into two teams, outside and inside.

Outside Team (Julia, Amara, Dorian)
Dorian:
>Creator Form: Spawn more Blood Paint Constructs, encase B'ni's entire body into a blood cocoon. Blind her eyes and clog her ears. You must not let a single piece of her flesh leave or detach, lest she creates a clone. Leave a patch of skin open (Isabelle's neck or shoulder) for Julia to do her Flesh Artisan work.
>Funnel Bloody Paint into the cut that Julia made and keep it open for your blood paint. Give her a combination of Blood poisoning and lead poisoning.
Julia:
>Activate Depressive Weight. Make an incision in Isabelle's Shoulder for Dorian with Bloody Ripper.
>Start stacking Malleable stacks like a mad artist in a Inspirational craze. Spend as many Bio as it takes to get those malleable stacks up to 5 Malleable stacks. and then Consume 5 of them for an Artisan's peak.
Amara:
>Prime the ground to let her know if anyone comes near us.
>Song of the swarm. Give Shu the mental boost she needs.


Dream Team (Shu, Gina, Meg, Eloise, Holly)
Gina:
>Activate Fear aura. Use it to find her insecurities. Flare it if B'ni tries to attack you.
>You've got a physical jack in Isabelle, Lock down one of her passive abilities (preferrably her core ability) or her Neuromancy!
>Hydroform the Bubbles of Amethyst and turn it into a Newtonian Fluid. You now have a liquid Machine gun.

Shu:
>Pull up Dream Karma Gun. Load up 2 B.33 Special, 1 Fullbore, Spawn 2 sets of Chitinous Stalwart (Rath and Shu), 10 knightlings (5 of them escort and support Eloise, the rest on guard), 1 Bishop (Eloise), and fill the rest with basic Swarmlings.
>Ready yourself to block any hits coming your or Gina's way.
>Free action: Shit talk Isabelle.
Meg
>ARMOR UP.
>You got your halo, You're our dedicated team tank that guards Gina.
Rath:
>Go full Asura's Rath. Spawn 3 pairs of Arms. Replicant Phantom Arms.
>try to trip up Isabelle. with Tensile strands.
Eloise:
>Skirmishing melee with Isabelle. You're the only one fast enough to keep up with her on those Greaves.
>
Holly:
>You're on Add duty. Any limbs that Isabelle spawns and discards, I want you to gobble them all up. Prevent her from making clones.

>>3511174
>>3511168
>>3511167
>>3511153
>>3511146
Gentlemen, Your thoughts?
>>
>>3511184
Old sam still exists in us. Is Shu not worth it?
>>
>>3511174
I dont think we have the Possibility to do that or the Luxury
We were changed by the timely arrival of the Crucible on our World and i am sure Isabells enhanced regeneration would render all damage, we do to her physical body, to change her mute so the only think we could do is break her soul and unless the crucible puts her back togehter as a blank slate (which i can not see as she would be classed as killed during the Crucible itself, no need to revive) nothing wil happen
And we do not have the capabilities to put another Soul in Charge
>>
>>3511187
Not gonna lie, i like me and other anons 'rabbit bbq' plan better.

Mind you, im not saying you plan is bad, the newtonian idea i Actually like alot for example, i just feel straight up open melee is too much to her advantage.

>>3511190
Honestly? No. Shu was supposed to be and could of been WORSE than Sam. The difference is we had no choice in taking the risk of being Shu, as it was.
>>
>>3511187
Amending a small part of Dorian's Actions:
>Spawn more Blood Paint Constructs, turn B'ni into a blood tomb. Blind her eyes, clog her nose and ears, jam her mouth and hold her tongue. Restrain all limbs and body parts save for a small patch of skin for Julia to do her sculpting work.
>>
>>3511200
So what parts do you approve of?
>>
>>3511187
We have the Bio to Spare so we should got for the more costly constructs Acid and Drills as well as making them ALL Recursive if possible we have quasi unlimited Ammo to chuck out at her
>>
>>3511187
Should we make Dorian's Creator mode Inspired? The minions will apply poison more aggressively.
>>
>>3511211
Mind you, im not sure everyone has the ACTs to add it all.

>Basically all of the OUTSIDE twam sruff.

>Gina locking down an ability
Though i think more allies would be more helpful.

>Ginas liquid machine gun
Again, good, but might be better for round 2, after we see if we can't bolster our numbers.

>Rath tripping up Isabelle
My original plan was close to this, and IF Isabelle escapes the cooking pot, she can and should help get her under control.

>Holly eating Isabelles limbs
I like this, my only worry is if she can do it fast enough for Isabelle not to explode out of her first.

Otherwise like i said, outright open melee sounds like a bad idea, and we otherwise had some similar ideas anyways at some parts.
>>
>>3511200
Shu was supposed to be worse? Pretty sure Shu wasn't meant to be anything at all. But ok we can kill Isabelle. As long as Shu takes her soul in after.
>>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNkQMtZAMAw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX_zUprGNTo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwhSQI97AlA
GIT HYPE.
>>
>>3511187
>>3511200
I also agree with this Anon spawn as many Arms and Bombs as Possible to limit her mobility and angles of attack
Saturation Bombardment for the Win, right now we need to limit her movement not be incredibly accurate
>>
>>3511229
BHOP originally planned the game and expected the players to do a cutthroat solo playthrough, and had set alot of thongs up with that in mind.

Yes we was ok with and we went down another path, but a different one and character was still originally planned/expected.
>>
>>3511242
That's a meta perspective though. I'm talking narrative.
>>
>>3511215
>>3511187
Yes. We should make Dorian's Creator mode Inspired.
>Amending vote to make Dorian's Creator mode into Inspired Creator.

>>3511225
Would it soothe your worries if we had Dorian create a blood-tomb on Isabelle's body? Have him, clogg up Isabelle's Mouth, eyes, Hands, and ears. Mind you, we're leaving on small patch of flesh exposed on B'ni's shoulder for Julia to work her sculpting magic. That way, entombment would ensure that she can't really detach her limbs.

As for your plan for the Dream Team stated here, >>3511153

I approve of Gina's use of Terraforming and Fear Aura, and also the prison break as well. My concern is that we're being very defensive. The debuffs provided by the outside crew should be able to put Isabelle down to a challenging level instead of a Insurmountable threat, but we can't let Isabelle wail on our allies.
We should also have Gina be on standby to dispel the dream daughters that we summon. They're good people and don't deserve to die.
As for your concerns about an Isabelle clone spawning on the outside...
Can we combine some of our plans? I've got the outside team working on entombing and debuffs. Also, We don't want Isabelle to know that she's being debuffed on the outside. I'm also fine with having Julia stack Malleable flesh stacks until B'ni has 5 acts to work with, but we'll have to disguise that debuff with more serious debuffs that make her conflicted in which debuff to shrug off.
>>
>>3511247
Narratively we don't even want sam around, why would we want to keep Isabelle around, or make an entirely new being with her powers we can't rely on not just going crazy?

shes an enemy, she threatened those we love, its tome for her to go. Maybe we can take her strength in levels and actually do some good with it for once, unlike she ever did.
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>>3511253
I mean, show me what you think is best, but i still think we need to scale her down alot more before we even think about anything other than a defensive stance. Shes way outside out class level, so i think you're not being defensive enough at all.
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>>3511015
>>3511153
Agree with this for INSIDE and Amara.

Assuming it's possible to do so without breaking the connection, Julia and Dorian should activate Horror at Red Hook, trapping Isabelle and buffing Julia's accuracy and Stack chance. Julia should capitalise on this by alternating unarmed and Ripper strikes to build up many Stacks to reduce B'ni's accuracy and health regen. Then activate Artisan's Peak to immobilise Isabelle in and out of dreamspace.
>>
>>3511254
Protecting us for two years wasn't good? Come on.

It isn't even true that we don't want Sam around. If there's a way to make peace with her Shu would take it. If the potential to be hostile was enough to kill someone we would have eaten Amara while she was still a pod.
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>>3511261
These Fears you have are why i want to just chuck acidic Swarmlings at her to distract her and force her to deal with them unless she wants to take ever more Acid damage until even her Regeneration gives out
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>>3511023
Because this is basically your planned version of the Behemoth fight against SPIRALING FEAR with 2 teams fighting on two separate fronts, except it's Isabelle. And due to the sheer number of moving parts (characters involved, actions calculated, dice rolling, and typing out updates while you're juggling work)
Hey BHOP, due to the nature of this conflict, will the following votes have vote timers as long as this one (2 hours voting time limit)?
>>
>>3511153
I think you're missing something. You're missing out on Activating Exsanguinating Leash. Just by activating it, we reduce her total regen by 33% of their maximum regen.
>>
>>3511273
(More than likely, yes. Is that alright with everyone?)
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>>3511278
This is absolutely fine by me.
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>>3511254
I think she'll be rooming in our mind regardless if we kill her, due to core powers being automatically absorbed without spending a point if done by someone the victim had a close relationship with.
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>>3511278
I do not have a problem with it
This is probably one oof the most important fights we will ever have planning is crucial
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>>3511264
She protected SAM for two years, not us.
You're not changing my mind here Isabelle needs to die and her ghost shouldn't get to stick around.

Also no one likes sam.

>>3511271
Fire works for that too. plus keep in mind Kightlings have acid too, so in my plan shes still getting some of that as well.
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>>3511283
Fair point.

>>3511278
Sure.

>>3511277
Im ok adding that in, good catch.
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>>3511285
Huh.. forgot those Knightlings have acid.... i am kind of new to this whole thing
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>>3511289
Is that you Shonen Guy?

Resources are here:
Char sheets:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15ctgm_liaNO0e0B6zAcIUrmfDN0tWiXds3L4FvogI2M/edit#gid=0

Relics: https://pastebin.com/8qNSREwW
>>
(For the sake of everyone's plans and in a sense of fairness, I shall once again make this clear; BIO does not deplete in the dreamscape.)
>>
So for the fight as a whole, spreading Radiant Boils around is probably a good move. Small pieces of Isabelle will be burned and destroyed before she can regenerate from them, preventing sneaky teleports. Bigger pieces like limbs which might take just long enough to burn to let her regenerate and teleport will be targeted by Shu and Holy to be consumed.
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>>3511291
So what's the plan man?
I Think we both agreed your OUTSIDE was more or less mine but upgraded, and both agreed with Gina making a death maze, but i think it has been a toss up on if we agree on everything else?
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>>3511291
No completely new guy just joined at the beginning of the Vein i just didnt manage to work through everythingjust yet
i just read along for the longest time
>>
>>3511302
(Ah, welcome Anon! Glad you could join.)
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>>3511308
Thanks a lot OP
>>
>>3511302
Well, hey, glad to have you. Newcomers are always a welcome sight. Don't be afraid to ask anything my man!
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>>3511298
So what happens when it comes to melee?
For DreamScape, there are a few

The toss up was what to do with the Dream Daughters. Are we dogpiling her and restraining her until her mind breaks? or are we actually killing her? The rest (Outside team, Gina's actions) I am in agreement with.

This also reminds me. We've got new Dual Techs to play with. Many of them require only Bio! We should use it and abuse it to our advantage in the Dreamscape. Like Call to Arms!
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>>3511294
In layman's term: go wild on costly abilities. Spawn all the bishops and knights your limit allows and spawn hundreds of arms upon arms to pull some Nico Robin tier shenanigans. Fire all the boils and radiate fear like this is a cheap horror movie milking jump scares.
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>>3511317
Call to arms will be usefull if we can not keep her at more than arms lenght
Can we even use the Dual Tech because if we can we can just use the BIO of the Daughter inside though Call to Arms is limited by the Bio of Amara
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>>3511317
Im for killing her. Though not risking being overly and dangerously agressive to do it.

>>3511294
Im sticking to my plan still, but with the other Anons OUTSIDE orders.
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>>3511333
The Radiant ripper might be useful though
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>>3511335
That's only if Julia's alongside Rath in the Dreamscape. she's more useful outside landing free hits and debuffs on Isabelle than waking up Rath and making a flaming scalpel. Besides, it cauterizes the wounds and we need an open wound for Dorian to make a bloody paint transfusion into Isabelle.
>>
>>3511015

>>SONG OF THE SWARM: ACTIVE

"And how's that ‘control’ worked out for you so far, B'ni?" You chide, your hive widening as a massive swarm of Knight- and Bishop-class swarmlings pour out from your spine. She charges, and at the moment she kicks off and the sonic boom goes off in her wake, Gina has her surrounded, trapped in a labyrinth of onyx slate as her fear aura flares, sending an amethyst pulse through the shifting dark…

…and you’re completely caught off-guard when B’ni carves through the barrier with ease, a murderous blur hurtling towards you…but Rath isn’t.

It’s perfect.

A fluid, practiced movement that has every Phantom Limb at Rath’s disposal clap down as one on B’ni’s scythe, freezing her in place as a host of new fists sprout along the brawler’s arms. You’ve seen this, before you knew what you were looking at. At the training room at the bunker, at the sparring ring at the Monastery.

She’s been training, non-stop. For this very moment. A grin spreads across her lips at the B’ni’s dumbfounded expression, citrine eyes shining in victory as she utters three simple words.

“Ora ora, bitch.”

The flurry she unleashes is as devastating as it is calculated, every blow precise, focused, and deliberately placed to avoid severing a single limb, a single digit. Eloise and Meg dart forwards, bringing up the rear with flurries of blade and fist, respectively. At your silent command, your host descends, stingers stabbing home and leaving room for your team’s focused rampage.

"You get lead on by some bitch your whole life, you finally stand up to her and club her skull in...and you're still obsessing over her." You continue, loading in a B.33 and a Fullbore as your swarm obscures Isabelle in her entirety. "Two years guarding my chrysalis, even when you didn't know I'd come out of it someone else than Sam. Two years, wasted on someone who didn't care about you…and then, when I came out of it so different, you kept trying to crawl back into that old relationship instead of making something new."

A shadow, movement out of the corner of your eye is your only warning before a second B’ni lunges from the dark. You’re yanked backwards, out of range of her arcing blade as Holly’s tongue flings you away, jaws clamping down harshly on the doppelganger’s greave and holding her in place.

“God, can’t you all see it?! She’s Sam, she always has been!” Both B’ni’s howl in unison. “How long do you think it’ll be before she’s through with you?! How long ‘til she tosses you aside when she’s gotten what she wants from you?!”

The second Isabelle uses her caught greave as leverage twisting mid-air, breaking her own leg to deliver a sharp kick to Holly’s face and sending her flying backwards, releasing her prey. B’ni rises, leg cracking back into place before she darts backwards, away from the artful stabs and swipes of Eloise’s calcite blade.

(Continued)
>>
>>3511425
>“God, can’t you all see it?! She’s Sam, she always has been!” Both B’ni’s howl in unison. “How long do you think it’ll be before she’s through with you?! How long ‘til she tosses you aside when she’s gotten what she wants from you?!”
You're making some really dumb decisions if that's what you really believe, Isabelle. Why bother trying to take Gina from us, if we don't care about her? If you were right, that wouldn't actually hurt us. Pretty stupid move. You see why we're saying you have no control over yourself? You don't even know what you want, let alone how to get it.
>>
>>3511425

"Even now, you're not moving on. You're just trying to make your own Sam, who will finally pay attention to you like you so desperately crave." You say, rising from the ground as Gina’s walls shift to block both B’ni’s from your line of sight. Obscured as they may be, you’re certain your words are being heard, the roiling darkness of Isabelle’s mind twitching, pulsing angrily as you speak. “The truth is you'll never have control. You'll always be bound by your fixation with the ghost of a dead woman. Sam's gone, but she still has her hold on you. And she always will."

A spinning, bleeding arm arcs over Gina’s wall, exploding into a fully-formed B’ni that lunges down at you, your horde in hot pursuit. She lands, and the wall behind her practically detonates as Rath punches through it, tensile strands looping around her legs. Isabelle’s upper torso warps, then expands as a Mirror-spawned clone leaps free just as her original body is caught tight by Rath’s razor-wire. She’s mid-air, hands outstretched and aimed towards your throat as the earth shudders beneath you, a worm-shrouded figure bursting from underneath the ground and catching the clone with a vicious uppercut that sends her flying. The worms slither away from Meg’s face as she fixes you with a cocky, excitable grin, and you flash her one of your own as you walk towards the trapped original, the clone dissolving before it even hits the ground.

"Well, I suppose I shouldn't say 'gone'. There's a part of her still left in me. It's like these dead Daughters. What do you think she'd say, if Gina brought her out to see you?"

"I think she'd laugh."

“YOU THINK YOU CAN BREAK ME AGAIN?!” She roars from the ground, hatred pouring from every inch of your old friend, directed with laser-focus towards you. “YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME! YOU CAN TRY TO BREAK ME BUT I’LL WIN! I’LL GET EVERYTHING I DESERVE!”

“Shu!” Gina cries out, horror sparking across your bond as B’ni’s face cracks in a leering grin. “Two! There’s two of them!”

“No shit!” Rath yells back, the meaning of Gina’s words dawning on you as a chill runs down your hive.

“I’m unbreakable, Sam.” B’ni says with an upturned smirk as she dissolves before your eyes.

“Outside! There’s two outsi…”

(Continued)
>>
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>>3511468

Agony lances across the empathic channel, Julia’s scream piercing into your mind as you feel a critical strike carve through her body, a sonic boom cracking across the beach outside as your sculptress collapses just before she can strike a stunning blow. Another burst of pain, this time from Dorian. Not enough to down him, but…if he hadn’t managed to avoid her slicing through his torso entirely, he’d be…Julia, please be strong, *please*…

“What did you do?” Rath breathes, fury billowing off her at the lingering phantom pain felt from your friend. “WHAT DID YOU DO, YOU BITCH?!”

“It’s my opening move, Rath.” B’ni says as she steps out from behind one of Gina’s walls. The razor-wrapped body disappears completely, leaving Rath empty-handed and speechless with rage. “You expected me to start with anything else, regardless of where we fought?”

Isabelle turns her attention to Gina, the hatred she’d directed towards you split now, evenly distributed between the two of you.

“What was it that you used to tell me when we played online, Gina? Oh, yeah…I remember now.” Isabelle asks, striding forwards with a cruel smirk at her old friend. “Don’t. Split. The party.”

She can’t possibly keep this up. She’s divided herself so many times, she’s running on fumes at this point. She’s burning through too much biomass, she’ll be running low soon, and that’s when you and your friends can…



…no.

She uses her body’s own reserves of biomass to heal herself past her natural regeneration. It’s the crux of her power…a BIO-based power.

There’s no limit to biomass in the dreamscape.

“You’re stronger in the dream than in the real, absolutely…but I’m untouchable in here, Sam…”

“…shame you can’t say the same for your friends on the outside.”

HP: 210% (+5% REGEN)
BIO: 210% (+20% REGEN, 6 Bishops, 24 Knightlings, 30/30 Active)
CONTENDER: B.33 & Fullbore Loaded, Lionheart Form.
RAVENOUS MAW: Primed.
HUNDRED-HANDED: None.
ACT: 2/2

GINA HP: 210% (Booster Active)
RATH HP: 190% (Eight-armed Form, Sui Tormentis +180% Strength)
HOLLY HP: NEAR MAX, Ravenous Maw:Primed
MEG HP: MAX
ELOISE HP: MAX

JULIA HP: 0% [DEATH SAVING THROWS: 1 FAIL] (+20% REGEN, Cursus Alas/Ignition Gauntlets)
AMARA HP: 120% [1 ACT for DUAL TECH] (+20% REGEN, Visible, Whistle: VUL RHO)
DORIAN HP: 49% (+45% REGEN, Canvass Form)

Threat: Monstrous, unfazed. Ressentiment’s Mirror: Active.
Debuffs: MALLEABLE FLESH x4

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
>>3511468
She got enough Neuromantic juice from eating West to be able to control her other body despite being in the dreamscape. Well, damn. Still, we've got this one locked down and no one using it. Gina, if you would be so kind?
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, Gentlemen.)
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>>3511489
Alright, that doesn't work the way I thought that Bio-based abilities work. Well, damn. Damn damn damn. I've got nothing. Aside from Amara giving Julia a boost with GRA FOL THA to help her concentrate on making her save, I have no ideas.
>>
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(Death Saving Throws: best 3 out of 5. Making three saves results in being unconscious and unable to continue combat, but otherwise alright. Three fails results in instant death. Auto-stabilize after combat ceases. Attacks to downed Daughters count as failures.)

(Stabilizing Downed Daughters: 2 ACTs, must be adjacent, Cost:1/2 Remaining BIO.)
>>
>>3511473
Damn she upgraded the Mirror...
We need to shatter her Mind and Soon or she will kill us outside...

BHOP Do her Bodies share the same Acts? / Do Dreamspace and real World share their Acts?

I am still curios if we could damage her by attacking her Dreamscape directly. Could we erase it and kill her, with the help of everyone she consumed, in there?

>She uses her body’s own reserves of biomass to heal herself past her natural regeneration. It’s the crux of her power…a BIO-based power.

There’s no limit to biomass in the dreamscape.
So we will not be able to kill her unless we burst her down at once

While her Bio is unlimited in the Dreamspace it is limited in the real world
She can only split so much before running out unlike in here

I do not think our companions will be able to stand up to her for long
This will end sooner rather than later......... one way or another
>>
>>3511474
>>3511502
Perhaps we can spawn swarmlings in the real world just like Isabelle cloned herself in the real world. Carry Julia away and harass Isabelle so Dorian or Amara can stabilize her in the meanwhile.
>>
>>3511473
Guys Isabelle's character is pure cancer now. Why not fight cancer with cancer?
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>>3511519
While i would like that she might just get rid of it near instantly.. she can just shrug off Status effects
We can try though we would probably only do 20% Bio Damage before she would shrug it off
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>>3511473
I hate this bitch so much.
Godamnit no Julia I'm sorry. Make your throws but if you don't...thank you for everything.

Guys, im not sure if there's anything we can do here. We clearly care not gonna win this by just beating her down.

>>3511519
I mean, it might work, but how do you convert an infinite amount of something into enough to kill her?
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>>3511528
>>3511524
Guys can't we just summon Sam and Dual Tech with her to win the fight? Lay both ghosts to rest for good.
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>>3511519
Though we may be able to defeat her by infecting her real body with the cancer as it will consume 20% of her Biomass.... if that truly is the 20% of the Maximum% and not the normal % that are set after her Stats
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>>3511547
THIS.

We've reached the point. We need to pull out all the stops.

It's time to bring out Sam.
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>>3511524
Maybe now's the time we bring in Sam? Double our total swarmlings as one Hive Mistress to handle her here while the other (Shu) saves our friends in the real world.
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>>3511473
>summon SAM
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>>3511507
(They split the ACTs.)
>>
>>3511507
>>3511564
(To elaborate, the physical clones share ACTs, while Dream B'ni has the full 6.)
>>
>>3511502
Okay, then we get Amara to stabilize Julia and send a GRA RHO CUNT at Isabelle. The Matron or Sibling construct that Dorian would have spawned upon Julia going down can keep them safe while she's doing that. Dorian... just hang in there.
>>
>>3511552
Yeah it might be needed to jack out and infect Isabelles original Body though we may need to stall and reinfect her until her BIO runs out

Right now i vote for:
>Summon Sam and tell her "Want some revenge for a lamp to the Head? Eat your Heart out, and make it hurt". Transfer the Swarmlings to her and jack out to Infect Isabelle with a stealthed Scarlet Drone

>>3511564
>>3511571
>Then we stand the slightest chance
>>
>>3511547
>>3511551
At this point sure we can summon Sam. It'll at least prove to her we are separate people, a one last fuck you to her if nothing else.

>>3511574
Im worried shes gonna gun for Amara next just to make us break.

Wait...Amara is liquid, and Dorian is liquid...and can mesh with liquid daughters..think him acting as her armor is a good idea?
>>
>>3511574
It does take 2 ACTs to stabilize, so she'll need to drop Song of the Swarm. We'll lose some swarmlings some we should make some of our knights kamikaze into dream B'ni to keep her occupied and Amara can save Julia without causing any issue.
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>>3511580
>Wait...Amara is liquid, and Dorian is liquid...and can mesh with liquid daughters..think him acting as her armor is a good idea?
I thought we didn't take that upgrade? Went with the skin-shedding one instead.

Oh, wait, fun thought, speaking of the last upgrade cycle: Does having to make a death saving throw clear the damage stored in Frozen Fury? Because with how hard Isabelle kicks, if Julia can get back up she probably has enough stored in there to do a lot to Isabelle.
>>
Another idea, let's amp up the psychological warfare. Have Gina reshape the dreamscape, bring us to the college. And make sure to scatter carved-up cadavers everywhere.
>>
(Gentlemen, in a similar Vein to when I mentioned the Dream-BIO specifics, I would like to offer a piece of advice; please think back to what you know about Sam from everyone that has had something to say about her, even back to your brief interaction with her as someone that is obsessed with control. She will absolutely answer your call and can possibly turn the tide of this fight...and there will be a price to pay. That is all.)

>>3511592
(Her Frozen Fury is still stored, yes.)
>>
>>3511574
Amara could also activate Queen Crimson and Hollowed Clone to distract the duplicate and protect herself and others. And can Hollowed Clone be used to stabilize someone?
>>
>>3511605
You know, why are we getting flustered by the dream-Bio thing anyway? That's utterly irrelevant, the plan was always "beat her down faster than she can heal damage", her not having a hypothetical limit to that healing doesn't matter when she was never going to reach that level anyway. The part about this update that was scary was her being able to control a clone while still occupied by the dreamscape, who cares about her having unlimited Bio? It's a distraction, both in and out of character. We keep beating on her and she'll die. We don't need Sam except as an additional damage-dealer. So long as we do more damage per round than she can heal, we're fine. However we do it, it doesn't matter. I vote for Rath combining a billion Phantom Limbs together into one punch. She can do that here.
>>
>>3511619
Have Gina make a hole as deep as she can with razor sharp spikes, then have Rath combine all of her arms into one, and use a Tensile-assisted windup and centrifugal force to deliver a massive overhead smash to Isabelle, sending her crashing down into the hole. Then fill that sucker up with Radiant Boils. Just need to make sure the smash lands.
>>
>>3511605
>>3511619
While im still not sure we can win this with just brute Force, this does make me against calling forth Sam.

Ive kinda got some ideas in mind, but wont be able to post til home in like an hour.
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>>3511628
Well, you have another two hours before the vote closes, so you'll probably make it. If not, I'll beg for an extension in your stead.
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>>3511623
Yeah, we're really overthinking this. We have no Bio limits, that benefits the group of people whose attack abilities are limited by their amount of Bio far more than the one person whose recovery is limited by her amount of Bio. Because it's recovery, not defense, if we do enough damage to kill her she's still dead.

There might be some unstated limit to how much Bio we can use in a turn even with it being infinite. like it's technically that our recovery is equal to our total supply so we can't use more than our maximum at once. But hell, that still leaves us in a better position for being here than Isabelle. She already has enough Bio supply to keep her regeneration rate going at the maximum it can, all the time. We just got a huge boost in our DPS, because we can afford to go all out and recover by next turn. Either way, she's no more untouchable here than she ever was, she's just trying to rattle us.
>>
>>3511605
Their always is a price to pay and yes Sam is a massive Risk i checked back and she seems to be very strong and is a massive Control Frreak as well as very unpoleasent when she does not get what she wants
I can imagine several scenarios playing out afterwards. Though they wont matter if we die here.
We definetly have to get out of here to start infecting Isabelle with the Cancer

When does the Cancer trigger anyway? At the Beginning of Isabelles Turn or our next turn?

If Isabelles Turn: before or after she can strip a status effect? If afterwards or on our next turn this is next to useless as she will always choose to strip that

>>3511633
Bursting her Down and pummeling her while she is truly might be our only option to kill herthough her clones make this difficult if even one piece she is gonna be back with a vengence
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>>3511640
>Bursting her Down and pummeling her while she is truly might be our only option to kill herthough her clones make this difficult if even one piece she is gonna be back with a vengence
Not unless she's gotten an upgrade to Ressentiment's Mirror. so that they have separate health tracks. Which she might have. But last time we saw her (which was only an hour ago, damn) she still had the one health pool that only regenerated so fast. Successfully kill one B'Ni and you kill all of them. And I think she still has that limit. Why else would she keep dissolving her clones, if having them out when she didn't need one didn't just give us a larger target?
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>>3511657
That might be our other option. Kill the one in the real world without infinite Bio and half the ACTs as a win condition.

>>3511623
Just thought of something else. Have Gina make a box around Isabelle, as thick as possible. Then have that box shrink until it crushes her and have it stay that way.
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>>3511694
We have less of a shot in the real world. Less allies, bio limits, one poor girl on deaths door already too.
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>>3511694
>Just thought of something else. Have Gina make a box around Isabelle, as thick as possible. Then have that box shrink until it crushes her and have it stay that way.
She'll probably punch out of it, she still has that extreme strength. She tore through those walls Gina put up just fine.

I still like the idea of having Gina hijack one of the B'Ni clones. If we got our hands on one of those, we'd have a powerful ally. And it would make for some fun taunting. "See how little control you have? Even your own duplicates are turning against you."
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>>3511740
So we have Gina make an unplugged cord in the real world, have Amara supported by Hollowed Clones grab it and jam it in, and use that clone to fight off any more she spawns.

On another note, I wander if Gina's Dominion Collar would work on dream B'ni?

I also think Julia can wait at least on more round SO LONG as we make sure she's not attacked in the meanwhile. If she is and also fails her check, that's two fails adding up to three, which means she's dead. I'll also vote to stabilize her if she reaches two fails, as I'm not going to gamble on her passing the next one, and this could come up next turn with unfavorable luck.
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>>3511757
I was talking about in the dreamscape, but that works too. Have Amara make a clone, send it to hijack B'Ni's other body while she stabilizes Julia. Alternatively, we might be able to justify getting the B'Ni body that we're already plugged into to get up and fight the other one. That would be neat.
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>>3511757
That might be a workable strategy if we can blindside her with the Shawl/Hollowed Clones to inject the clone

And Wait they share Bio and Health Pools? If she has more than one Body could we infect multiple instances with Cancerstacks ?
>>
>>3511778
And the hijacked body wouldn't shed it either.
>>
(WorkAnon home now, ill try to write fast. if nothing else, it'll put ideas forward to work with, even if they are not all the best.)
>>
>>3511785
That would force her to kill us though i do not see her being able to bring out many more clones especially if the price stayed the same/slightly reduced the cost

And she probably cant break out of the Mind battel otherwise she would have done so and murder most of us already

If this is true it is a Battle of Attrition


>>3511628
Three Questions OP:
1. When does Cancer trigger? At the Beginning/End of a combat Round?
2. DO we Corrupt 20% of her Maximum or do flat 20 Damage to her Bio Pool?
>>
>>3511778
If she was in control of both. Hijacking one of the bodies means it doesn't count as connected to her. She could actually produce an additional body at that point.

Also, just a thought, did B'Ni upgrade Ressentiment's Mirror so that it can use her active abilities? Because otherwise she shouldn't be able to run fast or kick with her blades...unless we reduce her to a single body. Then she'd be fighting the controlled clone with a stronger arsenal. Damn it.

Actually, we might want to hijack one of the dream clones, then. Because it would have Calcite Greaves' anti-regeneration properties, and if we cut B'Ni with that then we could unload on her all in one turn. Fuck, there are just too many options, too many threats, I don't know what to do. God, I hate B'Ni so much, I am going to be so glad when we kill and eat her. I hope we get an extra ACT and Spe Aeterni Fontis out of it, after all the bullshit she's put us through it better turn out that betrayal-based powerups work from both sides. She owes us.

>>3511817
Another question to piggy-back off: Can Gina control a real-world B'Ni without dropping the dreamscape, or would that be too intensive an action and take too much concentration?
>>
>>3511817
(1. Cancerous Payload triggers at the end of the round.)

(2. 20% of Maximum.)
>>
>>3511825
(She would be unable to split her focus like that. It's actually something of a miracle you were even able to take the fight to the Dreamscape, as B'ni has advantage on saving throws against Neuromancer abilities, and dragging someone here counts as one.)
>>
>>3511817
I wouldn't call this a battle of attrition - if we don't win very soon Dorian and Amara are screwed and then Gina, Shu and Rath are completely defenceless in the real world. Cancer bombs are great against strong foes but we don't have the time for it to act and B'ni can shrug off debuffs anyway.
>>
>>3511831
Damn it. Okay, then, we want her to try to take control of one of the dream-B'Nis, if we do that at all.
>>
>>3511473
Was the 'prison break' idea outvoted or is it just not possible?
>>
>>3511844
(I made the roll for it, and it failed. I was running short on time and space for the update, so I did not include it. It's better that it didn't happen, anyway; it would have been a literal sea of mental undead that would have swarmed over everyone present.)
>>
>>3511844
I Think it got Outvoted
>>
>>3511852
>>3511851
I stand corrected
>>
>>3511831
BHOP is Megs slugs a Hive Mistress or Generator?
>>
>>3511857
(Gluttonous/Hive Mistress Hybrid)
>>
>>3511841
Okay. Kill off on of our knights through acid kamikaze (among others since Amara will likely need to drop Song of the Swarm to better deal with things out there) and replace it with a Scarlet Bishop. The bishop latches on and hijacks the clone while also boosting it, and we then have a faster B'ni as a soldier. We'll need help from our friends to get the bishop there while also fending off the og B'ni.
>>
>>3511859
neat, but sadly means limited numbers of them.
>>
>>3511851
Yeah, but we're in control of the link. So we let the zombie plague loose and then jack out. I'm sure that won't cause B'Ni to turn into an even more terrifying monster as they randomly hijack portions of her biology.
>>
>>3511867
Sounds like a good plan. Have Rath engage in melee, too. Make B'Ni need to spawn another body to get close to us. Plus, it will put more pressure on her because she has to avoid being punched a billion times over and over.
>>
right, gonna have to post in two parts.

>SHU;(to be said as the battle goes along)
>>smile sadly, and shed a tear. “Julia...you rest, focus on yourself now..but no matter what happens...thank you. You did your best, no one could ask for more.”
>>look to everyone, chuckle honestly as you give them a genuine smile. “Well, we knew this might be our last fight but...its our last, together, if it comes to that.”
>smile to Isabelle, a calm, honest smile. “See? Thats something you will never have. Loved ones. Family. Friends. People you’re willing to die for, and next to.”
>>”its kinda fun, knowing we already won. You might kill us, you might win the crucible...but you already lost...because Isabelle….i am Shu.”
>>”You will never forget me. You will never hear my name, and not think about today. Not think about how i was willing to lose everything for those i loved. How i stood with others, family, and fought you, stood next to everyone but you.”
>>”And when you make that silly doll? It’ll be my name you give it. memories of me it brings to mind whenever you look at it...whenever it smiles, just like i am now.”
>”because..this smile isnt for you. It never will be. Its for them. These wonderful people putting everything on the line to fight you. And you will never forget that.”
>>”Isabelle...we dont need to break you….you are already broken. Defeated. No matter how this ends...you lost, you were broken, long before the crucible ever started.”
>>”...but we never will be. We might die...but we die together, fighting til the last breath. For something you will never have, something you will never understand. Love. genuine love, given freely, and happily.”

(1/2)
>>
>>3511914
INSIDE;
SHU;
>>have your knightlings swarm to you, and help move you forward as you and them spawn Arms. Arms on arms on arms.
>>ACTIVATE, INFINITI ARMS, as you go to overwhelm and pin Isabelle to the ground, Arms reaching out to pull back in any part of her she tries to throw out.
>>anytime a knightling may die, spawn a new one and have it continue its barrage with you.

RATH;
>>becomes the ball of phantom boil covered limbs.
>>pummel Isabelle with infinite boiled infinite fists. If she tries to flee, ROCKET FIST AT HER. INFINITE BIO, no matter how small the explosive power of a Boil, you can make enough to launch them forward.


MEG;
>>INFINITE MUSCLES. If you skin splits, if with each punch your muscles go flying...thats just room for new muscles! And muscles also equal SPEED. Give yourself whatever boost you need to keep up with Isabelle or a clone and pummel her into the ground!

ELOISE;
>INFINITE RAPIERS! Hunt down any stray bits of Isabelle or her main self and pin cushion them! If you leave the sword in, it will take longer for her to heal, and make it harder for her to move, even if just for a short time.

HOLLY;
>> after Isabelle bits are pinned munch them down. Help keep her pinned, and remember, if your tongue gets grabbed...just chomp it off and make a new one!

GINA;
>>Cancerous payload Isabelle's very MIND. everything around you IS Isabelle. It's time to overload her very brain. What is 20% of infinity? Infinity. Her mind will be filled with cancer infinitely ever turn.
>>Otherwise, jack into her dreamscape and start digging around. Anything you can mess with, mess with it.

OUTSIDE;
JULIA;
>>DON'T DIE ON US. YOU CAN DO IT GIRL, MAKE THOSE ROLLS!

AMARA;
>>GRA SAN FOL THA Julia.
>>Activate Queen Crimson and get next to Julia.

DORIAN;
>>MASQUE OF WAR around the group. Technically the second Isabelle is a construct.

(2/2)
>>
>>3511473
>AMARA [1 ACT for DUAL TECH]
Anyone have any ideas for what we could do with this? Can Amara dual tech with someone in dreamspace from outside? Maybe something involving FOL?
>>
>>3511917
ill admit its not the outright best and is basically just based around abusing the limitless Bio but...we probably SHOULD be abusing it.
>>
>>3511577
>>3511473
Amending my Vote:
>>3511917

As a last Resort
>Try and let the Zombieplague loose and get the hell out of dodge let the Zombies do the heavy lifting for us by distracting Isabelle for us.
>steal and buff her clone as well as bombing heroriginal Body with Cancer(just before the End of the round if we can manage to do that) while keeping her Restrained and as isolated as we can manage

>>3511867
Sounds good to me

Its the Best I can Offer right now......
not much sadly


>>3511914
This gives me the chills
or might just be my room
>>
>>3511928
im ok adding that last resort.

>This gives me the chills
>or might just be my room
im gonna take that as a compliment and hope it is one.
>>
>>3511940
It is
you just encapsulated what it means to defy Fate something i tried to do for the entire day and just was not satisfied
>>
>>3511917
I'd really rather have Amara stabilize Julia, I want a guarantee she won't die on us. I think we can eat losing a few swarmlings.

Also, Exsanguinating Leash. That drops B'Ni's regeneration by a third. Let's use that while we're pinning her with the arms.
>>
>>3511917
Finally, a plan to work around and edit. And it only took two and a half hours. So first thing, I'll still say we should replace one knight with a Scarlet Bishop to hijack any clone she spawns to get out of INFINITI ARMS, and use her own grieves against her to halt her regeneration.

Actually, we could also have Eloise do that. She has the Grieves too, we just have to make sure she can land the crits and prevent B'ni from taking her out. Then all the damage we do each round will stick.

Good call for the Masque of War being good against constructs, by the way.
>>
>>3511947
Actually, pinning B'Ni doesn't matter so long as she can just make another body and disintegrate the one we have cloned. We have to do that after we've eliminated whichever other scraps of flesh are in the area.
>>
>>3511947
the point of the spell was to help with that, but fair point if just outright stabilizing her is better.

also fuck am i retarded? why do i keep forgetting about the leash!?!

>>3511473
>>3511914
>>3511917
add to Shu;
>>ACTIVATE LEASH
>>replace a Knightling with a Scarlet Bishop, to aim for any clone that escapes everyone's grasps.

>>3511943
thank you, it means alot, really.

>>3511955
i apologize for the wait time. Eloise doesn't have the greaves, Isabelles personality just changed how her calcite power worked when she got it.

>>3511960
the grapple was more just to slow her down, and theres a reason i said to go after any chunks she throws out too.
>>
>>3511960
Okay, so forget the arms besides as ablative armor and activate the leash instead. Shouldn't that have been done last round? I think most people were in favor of it.
>>
>>3511473
Supporting these:
>>3511914
>>3511917
>>3511955

Why haven't we locked down one of B'ni's abilities? All her abilities are good and if we were lucky enough to lock Spe Aeterni Fontis things would be looking up for us.
>>
>>3511975
i think part of the hesitation is Gina has to constantly keep it going, and that eats up an constant 1 ACT. you're not necessarily wrong mind you, but i at least think its fair to say its worth thinking about if that other ACT couldn't sometimes be used on other worthwhile things.
>>
>>3511975
I think it's because her Neuromancy resistance might prevent that from working. If it works but we're unlucky, it locks down something like her Gluttonous power that allows her the Feast option instead of Consume. On the other hand, best case is it neutralizes her core or cloning, and that will allow us to fuck her up.
>>
>>3511473
Okay, so plan, based off of >>3511917

>Shu
>Activate Exsanguinating Leash. Drain B'Ni's regen by a third, that's great, I can't believe I forgot about that when fighting a regenerator.
>Mob B'Ni with the Swarmlings. Spawn a huge mass of arms to pin her, they can grow off each other so we want just one big ball of limbs that would make Hecaton Jealous.
>Spawn one Scarlet Drone to give Gina extended range.

>Rath
>Grow as many arms as you can, pursue B'Ni in melee. Keep her focused on you so that the limb ball can get close.
>Give her a big heavy smash with all the arms combined if it looks like you have a chance.

>Gina
>Lock down any of B'Ni's abilities that you can.
>If she gets close to the Scarlet Drone, try to hijack a body.
>If she gets really close, cancer bomb.

>Holly
>Eat every B'Ni bit that comes off. Don't give her the chance to regenerate a new body unless it's on our terms.

>Eloise
>Assist Holly in pinning down the B'Ni bits.

>Meg
>Fuck, I don't really know your powerset, do whatever.

>Amara
>Stabilize Julia. We can eat losing some drones, it sucks but Julia needs to live.
>Activate Queen Crimson, just as additional deterrence.

>Julia
>Live
>Given that the construct that would spawn from her has her abilities, have that thing stand guard over her and Amara.

>Dorian
>Activate Masque of War. Wear away at the clone as it's technically a Phantasmal Conduit construct, and keep her blinded and with poor accuracy.


>>3511975
I think we're all just panicking and forgetting our actual abilities. God, we're dense.
>>
Anyways, I'm being called away, probably won't be back until after the next round of story posts. Good luck, guys. Try not to die horribly and get eaten by a psychopath.
>>
>>3511992
And another thing: wouldn't it be funny if the ability it locks is the one that gives her Neuromancy resistance? I'm not sure it's worth trying right now, but it would be a hilarious way to win, by suppressing it and then just hijacking her directly.
>>
I have said what i could think of my mind is tired and I have to get up again in about 5 hours so best of Luck to you Guys, best of Luck to all of us
>>
>>3511473
>>3511914
>>3511917
>>3511970
adding in/changing;

AMARA;
>>Stabilize Julia, unless the Word combo would do that better.

GINA;
>>Try and lock down a Ability of Isabelles.
>>if it looks like we have literally no other choice...let loose the zombie plague, and try and draw everyone out.

i think for Gina, its worth the risk. worse case? we fail or we just dont get the ability we want but....i cant see just digging around in her head doing anything more useful. i mean...could it?
>>
(Writing now, Gentlemen. Good luck.)
>>
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>>3512145
>>
If I have to categorize how good it is for us if which ability is locked down assuming it happens.

-Ressentment's Mirror: good.
It prevents her from attacking our friends in the real world and makes her easier to manage. It prevents us from using the grieves on her, but it still gives us time and we can figure something out.

-Dogged Sprinter: alright.
It makes her slower and lowers her crit chances.

-Calcite Grieves: not great.
It takes away one of her weapons, but we're kind of hoping to reflect it back on her right now.

-Spe Aeterni Fontis: great.
It guts her regeneration and pevents her from shrugging off status effects. She'll get Bio regen back, but who cares in the dream world?

Persistent Ourobouros: poor
Irrelevant until she's on Death's Door.

-Vitruvian Burst: great.
Gets rid of a nasty weapon, although we won't be able to make use of her regenerating our drones clinging to her. Probably worth it though.

-Font of Suffering: alright.
Stops her regen when she hits Death's Door.

-Secluded Mind: hilarious.
It means she loses if she gets jacked in. Plus, all the daughters she consumed can come in to help suddenly.

-Bolstering Feast: useless.
If she's eating one of us, we have much bigger things to worry about then her using FEAST.

-Hideous Strength: good.
Cripples her attack power and suddenly pinning her down and trapping her is much easier. Although it will be negated anyways if our plans work and we get her below half health.

>>3512145
W-what's that suppose to mean?
>>
>>3512177
(I am rolling the dice now.)
>>
>>3512177
>W-what's that suppose to mean?

Exactly what it sounds like.

In my experience, a person only wishes somebody good luck...

...when they need it.

8(
>>
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>>3512145
>>3512181
>>3512172
>>3512185
no matter what fate has in store for us Anons, take pride in the fact we chose to stand against it, together. we knew what might happen, and at least we're going down as metal and defiant as we can, if we do.
>>
>>3512196
Hell yeah. That's the way to look at it.
>>
>>3512196
And then, reflect on the fact that if we survive we get to do this all over again right after, as we fight a kaiju. Though at least with that one we'll have backup and be several dozen levels higher.
>>
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[Nervousness intensifies]
>>
>>3512203
no rest for the weary, eh?
>>
Whatever happens anons, i'm glad we shared this wild fucking ride together.
>>
No matter what happens, it's been an honor serving with you anons.
>>
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>>3512232
Same here, anon. No matter what happens, you guys helped make this quest as awesome as it is.
>>
>>3512232
>>3512237
>>3512238
Indeed. I came to this quest fairly recently, but it's been a hell of a ride already. You guys are all great, I'm glad to have shared this experience with you. Same to BHOP. You're an amazing QM, even if you're giving me a minor anxiety attack right now.
>>
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>>3512232
>>3512237
>>3512238
>>3512243
>>3512208
you all and BHOP have made this a grand journey ill never forget lads, thank you. whether this is the end or not, lets make sure said end is one we will never forget!
>>
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>>3511473

You smile, a single tear rolling down your left cheek.

“Julia...you rest. Focus on yourself now..but no matter what happens...thank you. You did your best, no one could ask for more.” You mutter under your breath, eyes closed before the open to look around the fighters, the friends you've gathered. You can't help but chuckle as you give them an earnest, appreciative smile.

“Well, we knew this might be our last fight but...its our last, together, if it comes to that.”

They nod in acceptance.

They're ready.

You turn your calm, honest smile on Isabelle, watching her tense as you look into her emerald eyes. “See? That's something you will never have. Loved ones. Family. Friends. People you’re willing to die for, and next to. It's kinda fun, knowing we already won. You might kill us, you might win the Crucible...but you already lost. Because Isabelle….*I* am Shu.”

You step forward.

”You will never forget me. You will never hear my name and not think about today. Not think about how I was willing to lose everything for those I loved. How I stood with others, my family, and fought *you*, stood next to everyone but *you*.”

Another deliberate step.

”And when you make that silly doll? It’ll be my name you give it. Memories of me it brings to mind whenever you look at it...whenever it smiles, just like I am now. Because this smile isn't for you. It never will be. Its for them. These wonderful people putting everything on the line to fight you. And you will never forget that.”

You stop, staring hard into the accursed emeralds, dull, faded gems filled with a lifetime's worth of hatred.

”Isabelle...we don't need to break you….you're already broken. Defeated. No matter how this ends...you lost, you were broken, long before the crucible ever started.”

You spread your arms wide, gesturing to the women behind you with a victorious smile.

”...But we never will be. We might die...but we die together, fighting 'til the last breath. For something you will never have, something you will never understand. Love. genuine love, given freely, and happily.”

Silence.

"...You're right."

"I'm broken. I broke that day, Sam. The day I realized you never cared. Not even once. My whole life...a lie."

A weak laugh escapes her throat, a sad smile playing on thin lips.

"You broke me."

Misery gives way to rage. A flare of amethyst, of a broken base in a lethal arc.

"Then I broke you."

>>SONG OF THE SWARM: DEACTIVATED

(Continued)
>>
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>>3512278

Agony. Not yours, but from all three of your allies above. All of them, fallen.

It's...

It's up to you, now.

Now...or never.

In that moment of intense, flooding pain...she moves. Hands ball into fists, thumbs tucked tight behind her fingers as she takes no time to aim. Twin shotguns fire, and your vision blurs with a crimson haze as Gina's cords flare with amethyst light, stabbing into the void at her feet.

>>[Spe Aeterni Fontis: LOCKED]

You surge forwards, ignoring the wounds Isabelle's shrapnel tore open along your chest and arms as you're carried forth on the backs of your swarm. A hundred hundred arms explode out from your sockets, the tangle of half-formed limbs pouring over where Isabelle was, grasping for purchase...and coming up empty.

She's gone.

You whirl, seeing Eloise flick her rapier to the side, discarding the speared bits of debris Isabelle flung at her, having deflected the brunt of the damage and allowing Meg and Rath to move as a single unit. Meg's lost within a jet-black suit of writhing armor and twitching muscle fibers woven together, bounding forwards with tank-wrecking fists at Isabelle, lunging forward in kind with greaves shining through the abyssal dark...but Rath...

She's a goddess, flame incarnate as she hurtles towards your foe, body a mass of blinding limbs, her searing light scouring the darkness around your group. A scythe carves through Meg's body, the critical blow sending her tumbling to the side as B'ni forms another two fists, another pair of mis-aimed shots ringing out before her body is annihilated beneath Rath's merciless blows, the other girl's shattered hand aimed skyward.

Holly stumbles back, her upper torso bloodied and bruised from the scattershot, her abdominal mouth chewing the rounds she was able to snatch from the air to save you from harm. Ash dissolves in Rath's burning hands as she whirls around, trying to find where she's coming from next. The body...where's the...

The clash of blades from your left, the deadlock of greave against sabre echoing through the void as Eloise tries to repel Bn'i's hideous strength with everything she has. Isabelle's eyes meet yours with a knowing glint as she stumbles forwards, the swordwomans' twirl and counter sending her body dancing around your foe, and her blade up through B'ni's spine.

She grins, and you realize...her last attack. One shot to you. And one to the sky.

You turn, looking up in time to see B'ni's scythe in an executioner's arc towards Gina's head, descending from the darkness above as the rest of her shot's shards rain around you.

Kill the dreamer. Kill the dream.

You lunge, too late.

Your world goes white.

(Continued)
>>
>>3512285
>>[Spe Aeterni Fontis: LOCKED]
Gina, you beautiful bitch! Yes! You are the best!

>You lunge, too late.
Wait, no, no! No, Gina has a skill that prevents that. Life's Deathgrip, Gina's okay. She's badly hurt, but okay. We can still win this.
>>
>>3512290
it was never about winning anon, we knew how nigh impossible that might be from the beginning.
>>
>>3512293
Fine, then we can make this more painful for B'Ni on the way out, whatever. We can still do this. So Gina took a nasty hit, doesn't matter. She's still alive, the dreamscape should still be intact because of the Neurotic Halo giving her protection from feedback, and we're already connected to her right here and now so we'll just transfer over some health with the Crimson Cord. We're fine, it's not a problem. It's not a problem. I will insist this up until the very last moment I can.
>>
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>>3512285

Your eyes snap open to grey skies as you scramble to your feet, Rath doing the same to whirl around one way, then another, horror on her face. Dorian's body seeps into the rocks he rests upon, twitching as his fingers interlock with that of her shattered familiar, the form of his younger sister broken on the beach beside him.

You turn, searching, searching for...

...There.

Half-shrouded on the hard, jagged rocks of the beach you see Amara barely breathing, her right side a ruin, her left arm moving to shake Julia awake in vain. Julia's sprawled beside her, her arms several yards away.

"Get behind me." Rath says, her voice shaking. Past her, a pair of Isabelles regard you coldly, rain-slicked hair matted about their heads, blood-stained hands dripping onto the rocks below. One has...she's run Gina through with one hand, the other holding her by her long brown hair, just above the forbidding ground.

She...is she...

You see Gina stir painfully, dragging in a ragged breath into her remaining lung. A sputter of blood, a half-lidded hazel eye fixed on your face.

LIFE'S DEATHGRIP ACTIVE]

There's more than one fist-sized hole through her hoodie, and the sight makes your breath hitch in your throat.

[GINA: DEATH SAVING THROWS: 1 SUCCESS, 3 FAILS]

"She has to die. She's going to die, she's going to die because we're going to kill her. We're going to kill her, I can't..."

Rath's muttering to herself, a stream of white-hot tears scorching trails down her cheeks as her teeth grind with fury and despair.

"...I can't lose my family again."

One Isabelle merges with the other, and then there's just her, holding Gina as she slides her hand free. Rage swells within your chest as you turn, your eyes meeting Rath's defiant glare. Her lower lip stops trembling, and her jaw cracks in time with the harsh nod she gives you.

Okay.

Alright.

She's ready.

And so are you.

HP: 210% (+5% REGEN)
BIO: 210% (+20% REGEN, 0/22 Active)
CONTENDER: Empty, Lionheart Form.
RAVENOUS MAW: Primed.
HUNDRED-HANDED: None.
ACT: 2/2

GINA HP: 1% [DEATH SAVING THROWS: 1 SUCCESS, 3 FAILS]
RATH HP: 190% (Eight-armed Form, Sui Tormentis +180% Strength)
JULIA HP: 0% [DEATH SAVING THROWS: 2 FAILS]
AMARA HP: 0% [DEATH SAVING THROWS: 1 FAIL]
DORIAN HP: 0% [DEATH SAVING THROWS: 1 SUCCESS. Matron Familiar: Destroyed]

Threat: Monstrous.
Debuffs: None.

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Gentlemen, I am going to have to pause here for the evening, as I'm utterly exhausted both from work and the process of writing this section. If it's been tough to read, know it's been just as hard to write. Voting shall conclude after thirteen hours, with posting to resume in approximately fourteen.)

(You are the greatest group of players I could possibly ask for, and thank you for bearing with me through thick and thin. I will be around to answer any questions you may have, as well as any comments or criticisms. I welcome them all, as always. I wish you the best of luck, and I hope you have a restful evening.)
>>
>>3512299
Okay. Fuck.
First things first, Julia and Gina in critical need of stabilizing. Can Dorian's other familiar do anything about that?
>>
>>3512299
Oh god.

Julia, Amara and Dorian are down.

Amara has a failure, Dorian has a success, and Julia has TWO failures.

One more and she's dead.

If we don't intervene, we could lose her. Or all of them.

But there's no telling how hurt Isabelle actually is. Attacking her may be the best decision, or the worst one.

I have no idea what we should do.
>>
>>3512308
And Gina needs to immediately hijack the clone that's run her through.

God I wish Mara or Magpie would show up. Fast.
>>
>>3512299
Where are dorian's constructs? There should be four.
>>
And I also need to sleep. It's starting to be abundantly clear that I need rest. Bye everyone.
>>
>>3512306
I thought Julia was dead but this might actually be worse - there's a good chance she's about to die and we absolutely cannot afford the actions to help her.

Thanks again for the heart-wrenching story BHOP!
>>
>>3512314
I had thought that there were only two maximum, the mother and the sister.
>>
>>3512299
Damn it. Well, might as well go down fighting.

>Shu
>Open the Ravenous Maw. Spawn a full suit of Chitinous Stalwart for us and Bishops for both us and Rath. Attach the Exsanguinating Leash.
>Go fight this bitch. There's no point left in clever strategies, let's just meet her blade to blade. We'll die, but she'll have to look us in the eyes. No clubbing us over the head and then running away.

>Rath
>Burn it all away. Break every arm, spend every last scrap of Bio. It doesn't matter anymore.

>>3512308
Gina's actually in less danger than she looks. She gets seven checks before she dies, but still only needs three to survive. If we're going to try to stabilize anyone, it's Julia. One more failed check and she's dead.
>>
>>3512299
...give me a minute Anons. We fight. We know how this ends...but we fight because we will make this goddamned bitch remember us, we will make her never forget this. She wont ever be happy, because her happiness will always make her remember how we stood defiant against her til the damned end.

>>3512306
This will be the opposite of a restful evening.

>>3512308
>>3512309
We can't help them. We don't fight Isabelle, we all are guaranteed to die. We can only wait and see if they can cling to life while we make sure they have their shot to try.

Isabelle is exactly the type to kill them in front of us if we do not force her to pay attention to us.
>>
>>3512308
>>3512314
(The Matron Familiar will spawn from him at the start of next round. He only has two, and one has been destroyed.)

>>3512312
(There are no more clones around. There's only the real Isabelle, holding Gina aloft.)
>>
>>3512299
>Activate Exsanguinating Leash.
>Ravenous Maw Towards Isabelle. Take all of the hits meant for Gina.
>"NOT HER. HIT ME! IF ANYONE IS GOING TO SUFFER THROUGH THEIR PAIN, IT'S GOING TO BE ME!"

Rath:
>To Rath: "Save our family first. Start with Julia. Okay? THAT'S AN ORDER!"
Guys, I go to work and come back to see this massive clusterfuck.

>>3512306
....how...the fuck...DO YOU CALL THIS THE PATH TO "YOUR GOLDEN ENDING"!?

WE'RE BEING MURDERED BY YOUR DAMNED TUTORIAL NPC OF ALL CHARACTERS!
>>
>>3512299
Is Spe Aeterni Fontis still locked?

If so, we have still have some slim chance of winning and should attack with everything we've got.

If not, stabilise Julia and Amara and beg for mercy.
>>
>>3512331
(It is not.)
>>
>>3512326
You just said there's "a pair" of Isabelles. So one of them must be the construct.
>>
>>3512333
>>One Isabelle merges with the other, and then there's just her, holding Gina as she slides her hand free.

Sorry if the wording was odd, I'm rather tired myself, so if there's anything anyone wants clarification on, please do not be afraid to ask.
>>
>>3512306
Yeah. Thanks for running, BHOP. It's been...a pleasure? Yeah, I guess, in the same sort of cathartic way that horror movies are pleasurable. I still don't feel great, though.

B'Ni's going to run, isn't she? She's not going to end the suffering cleanly unless we force her to kill us, she's going to leave Shu to feel broken by her inability to protect the people she cares about. That bitch. I refuse to give her the pleasure. You kill us here and now, B'Ni. I'm not going to give you the choice to let us live.
>>
>>3512333
There had been two Isabelles, but one of them merged with the other, leaving only the original, who is holding Gina.
>>
>>3512332
There is no way to win or survive and it seems like you're ending the quest.

I'm too tired. I'm going to bed.
>>
>>3512324
>>3512309
>>3512308
>>3512331
The only way I can think of dragging this combat further is by having Shu Tank all the attacks thrown by Isabelle. Have her become Isabelle's punching bag sustained by Exsanguinating leash while Rath tries to stabilize everyone.
>>
>>3512328
I support this. Best case scenario, our attempt at self-sacrifice finally gets through to B'ni that ffs we are not Sam. Worst case, at least we don't outlive our friends.

I think it's safe to say that we have no options remaining that can overcome Isabelle's health regen. There's no winning this through force.
>>
>>3512341
I don't think the quest is going to end unless we end it. B'Ni wants Shu to hurt. She's not going to kill us. She's going to kill everyone we care about and leave us alive. I can just tell, it's the sort of awful thing that bitch would do.

I blame myself, in a way. I'm the one that made a convincing argument for why it would make sense for B'Ni to consume Gretchen. If I hadn't done that, argued for just killing her, then we wouldn't be in this position. She only succeeded because of the clones, without that we could have won. Heck, B'Ni would have been killed by West back in the forest. Oh well. The dice fall where they may. Better to play the game in good faith and try to roleplay the characters instead of ruthlessly optimize it without care for what makes sense.
>>
>>3512341
Chin up Anon! I'm sure we'll find a way to win this, we always do after all! ...r-right?
>>
>>3512299
SHU;
>>"For family, til the end."
>>Activate leash
>>Spawn armor, 2 bishops, and two Knightlings, and fill out the rest with basics.
>>Load up two BBs and fire them as you march forward, blade coming out, maw ready to bite, swarm ready to take hits and dig in claws.

RATH;
>>"For fucking family, til the end."
>>Spawn as many arms as you can, ready to fuse them into super hits if you see an opening.
>>Use boils to burn up fragments she throws out, or try and stop her regeneration via cauterization.

Look, its not much, but we don't have much left to give. But we don't fight blindly, even if its hopeless. We fight with intent, with a goal, regardless of if we know the outcome.

We fight. And we make her hurt.
>>
>>3512341
(Shu's story isn't over, and you're still on the path to the golden ending. You've already avoided a catastrophic decision that would have stripped you of your team in its entirety. I have faith in you...in all of you. I hope you'll have enough faith to bear with me, and continue helping to make this story the best it can be.)
>>
>>3512357
Anon. WHAT ABOUT JULIA!? WHAT ABOUT DORIAN!? WHAT ABOUT AMARA? YOU'RE LEAVING THEM TO DIE? THIS ISN'T HOW SHU WOULD OPERATE!
>>
>>3512362
Dude, calm down. I already explained it. We dont hold off Isabelle, she might just kill them or us as we try and help them. Holding her off at least gives them a chance to make their rolls.
>>
>>3512361
Im not gonna lie to you BHOP, what you just asked is a tall order to fulfill. But im here til the end...no matter what that is.

>>3512350
No. Do not blame yourself. This is everyone and no ones fault. We cant predict the future, only do what we thought we should in the moment.
>>
>>3512361
Yeah, but we must be pretty close to slipping off the path, right? Through no fault of our own, certainly, but the path is slippery from being slicked with gore. We're one bad dice roll away from a near-total party wipe, and any ending where Shu loses so much of the party is not the golden ending. It might be a good one, but it's not the best. Not unless there's some bullshit deus ex machina to bring them back or save them that I'm pretty sure you're too good a writer to casually introduce like that.

>>3512375
>No. Do not blame yourself. This is everyone and no ones fault. We cant predict the future, only do what we thought we should in the moment.
Oh, sure. Like I said, I'd rather play the game in a way that makes sense for the characters rather than try to cheat with meta logic. I'm just feeling down about this and taking it out on myself.
>>
>>3512361
well... whichever way you take this quest BHOP I'll still be here, this is one of the best quests I've ever read so far and a bit of strife isn't going to change that
>>
>>3512328
>>3512347
Adding to this,
>"I'm sorry it's come to this. I still wish we could be friends. I wish I could give you everything you want and still be me."
>"You are in control, Isabelle. We are at your mercy. I am begging you, please let my friends live."
>>
>>3512378
If even one party member dies and we live, im not gonna care what anyone says. My only goal will be to get revenge on Isabelle. Fuck the cord, mother, the crucible. If we survive this, the bitch burns. Nothing else will matter.
>>
>>3512388
Honestly im very against this.
>>
>>3512378
Technically, there is a non deus ex machina way to bring them back, given that everyone is backed up on the Cord.

>>3512386
Amen to that, this is literally one of the best stories I have experienced and I have faith that the direction BHOP takes this will be for the best.

>>3512361
I've got to ask, what was the potentially catastrophic decision? Letting Gina go?
>>
>>3512399
Okay, why? I'm open to changing my mind.
>>
>>3512388
I'm going to have to agree with workanon, this doesn't fit at all.
>>
>>3512392
Sure, that will be fun. I'm certainly going to keep following this quest, I look forward to seeing where BHOP takes us. I'm just saying, can we really call it the Golden Ending when we've abandoned everything for the sake of vengeance?

>>3512400
>Technically, there is a non deus ex machina way to bring them back, given that everyone is backed up on the Cord.
How often does that update, though? I know there's been hypothesis that Mother backs up regularly, but I don't think we can rely on that.

>>3512402
I'm with WorkAnon. Fuck Isabelle, fuck her attempts to make us feel weak and powerless, death before dishonor. They're dead anyway, she's not going to let them live when she could kill them and make us feel even worse. Begging just means she knows she accomplished her goal.
>>
>>3512388
That shit? no. that's just not right. That's just giving up. We tank the hits, but still spit in her face. I don't support those quote. The sentiment is there which I like, but the execution of those lines just comes off as simpering and weak. There should be more snark and defiance. Something more like.

>"He-gh.... For what it's worth, I still wish we could've been friends B'ni. We could've talked it out, we could've bonded. We could've gotten to know each other better. Despite having that control freak of a bitch riding inside my soul...
>"But... ya finally did it Isabelle. You finally have control. My life in your bloody hands. And all it took... was you snapping massacring my family...
>"One last request. It's your choice... Take me with you, leave my family alone. I'll be your stressball, your punching bag, your IV bag. I'll take all your licks and won't fight back. I can't even fight back at this point."
>"You're gonna regret this Isabelle. I can guarantee it. The moment you have control is the moment you lose all semblance of control. The moment you sit in Mom's fucking chair."
>>
>>3512402
We don't beg. She won't grant that wish anyways. She wants to break us, to make us hurt, and then hurt more.

We break, we beg, she gets what she wants...then she kills them all, knowing it will be too mich for us. She does not know mercy, she will not grant it.

We fight, because she deserves nothing else but to watch us never give in, to never break. She will watch as we fight for what we want, for those we love. And she gets nothing from us.

>>3512413
As far as im concerned, there is no golden ending here already.

>>3512419
Eh, im still against anything looking like we give up.
>>
>>3512419
This is great, supporting. (I'm no good at dialogue and was kind of hoping someone would improve upon it.)
>>
>>3512419
If we're going to ask her for anything, I'd prefer to be it that she tell Mara what happened to us. Just leave a note if she's too scared to face Marrow Dragoon in person. But let her know that we're sorry we didn't make it to the big fight. Given how we fared here, we probably wouldn't have helped much anyway, but we would have liked to have tried.
>>
>>3512442
honestly, i just dont want to give her anything. no more words like that. no begging, no giving up, no bargaining. we fight and we take what happens, but we fight with conviction and defiance.

otherwise, it all meant nothing, if we break here. otherwise, we should've just handed Gina over.
>>
>>3512442
So something like this >>3512419
but have the third green text line be:
>"One last request, your choice. Go tell Mara what happened to Shu's Defiant fools. Tell her in person will ya? Unless you're too chickenshit for walking up to the mighty Dragoon giving her the news, but I can understand your reasons. Reasons fitting for a cowardly thief."
>>
>>3512361
honestly man, and take note im venting here, but im getting Game of Thrones book vibes from this. i dropped those books because they got too hopeless with no one or nothing left to root for, and honestly with everything that has happened this quest is feeling the exact same way.
>>
>>3512361
I can't even imagine nor explain the emotions you're sending me through. This is about the closest I've been to quitting the quest out of sheer passion, emotion, and personal investment. And then you come in and say it's not the end.

You.
You better have something up your twisted flesh chair you call a throne BHOP.
Right now it's looking like a full-on TPK. We've invested SO MUCH into these lovable characters. Even losing one of our allies makes it feel like it isn't even worth continuing. Dorian and Julia have a budding romance yet to be explored, Amara has a Parent/Child relationship yet to be expanded upon. Gina... fucking hell...

...fine.
I'm putting my faith in you one more time. Only because you're a fucking hell of a writer and your ways of jerking us around and getting us very invested.
>>
>>3512456
Oh, no, honestly I don't either. But if we do give her anything, I want it to be something that refuses to acknowledge her. "Yeah, I get it, you killed all my friends and are now going to kill me. That's pretty sad, sure. But can you at least tell this person whose opinion I care about more than yours where I went? Unlike you, I actually have people who respect me, I'd rather not let them down."
>>
>>3512481
i think part of the thing is, Isabelle is too much of an evil, unstoppable powerhouse for it to feel satisfying losing a character to. theres no grand fight where they gave it their all. no sacrifice being made. not even a death to a person it feels like we can ever one day beat, though this last point may just be the overwhelming amount of terrible events and sudden realization of just how big a mountain the crucible really is.

hell, three of our party members are on deaths door basically off screen. even Gina honestly was. we basically are just getting kicked like puppies into a busy street. i could handle a character death but...i guess i cant lie and say im sure i can handle this. but im certainly not leaving.

>>3512493
eh, i get what you mean, i just still want to be more spiteful than that to her. i just dont like how the other two anons worded it. im a 'its not over til im dead on the ground' type person, is the thing.
>>
>>3512505
You know what the cherry on the bloody sundae that this was is? We didn't even have to go to the Disassociated! B'Ni appeared to kill us immediately after anyway, without needing the connection to spy on us, because Mara and Magpie chose a location to meet up at where B'Ni was expecting us. So that was all one big waste of time. At least we die having...encouraged an iteration of West to be slightly less evil? I guess that's a victory, if a small one.
>>
>>3512361
In other news. I feel like I have to share my thoughts on why I thought this was a more fitting battle theme against Isabelle as a way to vent my stress.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyr-mKhdh6c
>Opening Chorus (choir and instruments) just shows the near-godlike power of Isabelle unfurling in full glory in the dreamscape and real life as she prepares to fight Shu and co.
>Transition to Choir focus after opening chorus shows Mother's Blessing upon her Favored Daughter Isabelle, mocking a group of fools who have little to no chance of leaving a lasting wound on something that's equivalent to a demigod due to Mother's blessing.
>Sudden Baritone Brass horns that flare up between the choir notes just shows the utter strength and brutality of Isabelle as she cuts our party members down.
>Then the lone trumpet solo. That lone trumpet of defiance and hope. Shu's attempt at braving the storm. It's stands clear midst the pitter-patter ambiance of the snares and rain.
>The strings(violins) then join with the trumpet, they harmonize. Shu's allies, whom she spent time, effort, blood, and tears bonding and supporting...
>The trumpet fades away, leaving the strings to take center stage. They respond with the same melody of that of the lone trumpet of defiance.
>the strings crescendo into a chorus with the other music groups (brass and choir), the sentiments between the opposing sides clashing into a climax
>immediately after the climax, the strings tumble down into a minor key, a melody of depression and despondance, it wallows about for a few measures...
>and then the Brass Trumpets kicks in. A second wind. The choir responds in in astonishment. The trumpet lives on.
>And then it reprises into a variation the Trumpet's melody. Both the Brass and the Chorus clash in harmony, singing the same song of defiance. Shu and Friends won't go down without a fight.
>then it stops and leaves the low strings (cellos and low key violins) wallowing with a mournful variation of the trumpet's melody. Everyone knows it's hopeless.
>but it builds up again. One last clash with the choir. A way to go out with a bang. a second climax
>the baritone brass comes in with a different tune. a note of forewarning by the QM. that this fight can't be taken lightly.
>the music then loops back to the beginning.
>>
>>3512528
yeah, bad luck basically made the entire thing irrelevant. honestly, thats not a legacy. shes going to be fully cyborged and become an emotionless...thing, just like the rest of them. we have no legacy left, other than potentially ruining any chance Isabelle has to ever be happy, but i dont even think thats on us, she just was never going to have that.

i really do wanna see where the story goes and give BHOP his fair chance but...grah, everything and everyone has their limits. i guess my biggest issue is, the 'golden path' implies something even mildly fractionally good comes out of this, and even if we survive, even if LATER there might be a way to save them...i cant see anything good at all coming out of this specifically.
>>
>>3512370
Shu's more than enough for holding of Isabelle. Isabelle wants to make Shu/Sam suffer in all possible ways. Physical, emotional, mental. And Shu's thrown herself into Isabelle's way basically saying "IF YOU WANT ME TO SUFFER, THEN HIT ME BITCH!"
>>
>>3512543
my concern is she doesn't want us to feel physical pain so much as emotional as we watch everyone else die. i mean, physical pain is a plus im just saying i cant see Shu alone being enough to stop her from going after Rath specifically because she is trying to save them.
>>
>>3512473
(If it makes you feel any better, I do not like those books for that very reason. Too hopeless, and no-one to root for. I've taken some considerable direction from that, and I look forward to avoiding those very things I greatly disliked about them.)
>>
>>3512549
There is no doubt in my mind that B'Ni would prefer to leave us alive but feeling powerless and broken if she can. I'm sure she'd kill us if we forced the issue, but she won't if she can avoid it.
>>
>>3512565
>>3512481
Mind you, this is just me venting BHOP. It's a really wild ride. And despite everything that happened, I have thoroughly enjoyed your quest.

>>3512570
I think in Isabelle's perspective, leaving Shu with very low health and helpless to save her friends and making her watch her friends die would be more satisfying for her.
>>
>>3512570
honestly? id rather give it our all and die alongside them, than see that happen. im not saying we basically commit suicide, im against that, but...damn. i think im wording this poorly. its more like not fighting her with everything we got, regardless of what that results in, isnt an option after what she has done.

>>3512565
fair enough. i guess ill at least give you, unlike a book, where you would read this section then move right on to something that might help you deal with it, you dont have that luxury as its being written slowly and with player input, but the fact we constantly have to sit in these situations with only the negative increases the feelings it produces considerably.
>>
>>3512588
>honestly? id rather give it our all and die alongside them, than see that happen. im not saying we basically commit suicide, im against that, but...damn. i think im wording this poorly. its more like not fighting her with everything we got, regardless of what that results in, isnt an option after what she has done.
No, I understand what you mean entirely. I'd rather die here than give her the satisfaction. I just don't know if we actually can push her hard enough that she'll kill us.
>>
>>3512603
but we can try. thats all we knew we could ever do. and i think i guess i stand against
>>3512419
>>3512388
because it just doesn't feel like those are doing that.
>>
>>3512615
And again, sure, I'm with you. I'm just saying, I'm not going to be surprised if we do survive this. Heh, kind of funny how our goal has shifted from surviving to dying. Spite does odd things to your thought processes.
>>
>>3512565
I for one one will ride this out to the bitter end if need be, and I will not abide any grovelling or doomsaying. We'll fight until we've lost all our health, burned all our bio, and failed our last death save. We'll fight, not out of spite or hatred but a refusal to give up on what matters most and defiance to those who would take that from us.

But mostly I'm just tired of this braindead husk acting like her abhorrent actions are worthy of love. Seriously this is the most whiny entitled little bitch I have ever seen and even if we fail I will take immense pleasure in the fact that her "victory" will only bring her more suffering.
>>
>>3512321
>>3512357
>>3512631
so how do we combine these two so we can vote together to go down how we need and should go down?
>>
>>3512603
>>3512588
>Activate Exsanguinating Leash. Armor up with Chitinous Stalwart.
>Ravenous Maw Towards Isabelle. Take all of the hits meant for Gina. Put Isabelle and yourself in a Deadlock. Spawn as many hands as your bio can muster. to anchor you and Isabelle to the ground and to each other.
>Goad isabelle into focusing her attention and actions into pummeling the shit outta you. Taunt her between each blow.
>"You call this 'Breaking me'? I ain't broke until you break all of me. Not until I'm battered, broken, and Dying on the floor. And I'm not letting go until you do that. So Give me your best shot!
>Where's your fuckng lava lamp!? That lamp hits harder than your hideous strength!"
>"HARDER YOU THOT!"
>"If a fool's got you this worked up, you don't even stand a fucking candle against SPIRALING FEAR."
>"Ya did it... finally did it... you broke...your pitiful excuse of a hymen."
>when Rath approaches from behind Isabelle, let go of Isabelle the moment Rath starts swinging her fist.
Rath:
>Put in all 169% health into Sui Tormentis, leave 21% hp left to leave you standing and conscious Give yourself a strength boost of total of 687% from sui tormentis.
>Meld all 8 of your arms into one Giant one arm. Then throw the hardest punch you can muster. Make. it. count.

>>3512626
We thought we had a chance. We executed a surprise round that took Isabelle by surprise. Then Isabelle turned the tables despite being put on the backfoot in the surprise round. She dismantled all of our plans. That's when we knew we were fucked. That sort of perspective shift just comes into being when you get the feeling death is imminent. Death's coming, so why not walk out of life with a very lasting impression?
>>3512638
How about this for going out with a bang?
>>
>>3512638
I don't know, they're already pretty much overlapping. I'm not sure if we even need to combine them, they're just saying the same thing in two ways.

There's a part of me that wants to order Rath to stabilize Julia, though. I don't think we should vote for it, because it's a very meta part of me, but it's there. It's the part saying "Okay, but BHOP is talking about how we're not sunk for the Golden Ending yet, what if that means that something is going to come along to save us. Mara, wondering where we got to and coming to look for us, maybe. Wouldn't it be awful if Julia was the only member of the party who died, then, because she couldn't last that one more round it would take for help to come, and we didn't stabilize her?" But that's stupid. That's way too much a longshot to gamble on, and relies on information that Shu doesn't have any reason to believe is true, let alone this slim hope. So let's go out with a bang, and if Julia is the only one who dies...well, maybe Dorian can absorb her so they can still hang out.

>>3512653
Ha. Yeah, that's good embellishing of the idea. Let's go for it.
>>
>>3512653
i could live with it, but some of those lines feel more like a Rath or Gina thing than Shu.
>>
>>3512661
god...god fucking dammit...why did it have to be Julia and Amara failing their throws...they deserve death the least...it feels like we're being mocked.

"who dies? the Smug selfish girl, who nearly killed who she loves? the drunkard, who had to be dragged to his feet to be useful?"
"No, the innocent, pure artist, the motherly homemaker who didn't wish to harm a fly dies. no, the innocent, peppy child who never knew a sad beat gets to die."

i dunno, i get its alot just luck but..godamnit still. it like, its not just deaths, but like the very heart and soul of our party is what we're gonna lose.
>>
>>3512665
Yeah, maybe make it a bit less vulgar. We can make B'Ni feel small without resorting to crudeness.

>>3512678
Well, that feels a bit unkind to Gina and Dorian. Whoever Gina might have been, she's never been anything but good to us aside from that one scare she had. And Dorian wasn't a drunkard, he just had a perfectly understandable reaction to seeing the end of the world going on outside his door. He, too, has been nothing but helpful and self-sacrificing this whole time, he let us blow up his house!

But yeah, Julia and Amara are definitely the sweethearts of the team. Fuck you, B'Ni, you killed some real nice people. Mother must be so proud.
>>
>>3512697
sorry, i wasn't trying to insult them. i was more of pointing out that when it comes to the crunch, while obviously i want no one to die, IF someone had to, they technically deserved it more. not that those were their defining traits or anything.
>>
>>3512299
>>3512328
Amending my vote here.
Shu:
>Activate Exsanguinating Leash. Armor up with Chitinous Stalwart.
>Ravenous Maw Towards Isabelle. Take all of the hits meant for Gina. Put Isabelle and yourself in a Deadlock. Spawn as many hands as your bio can muster. to anchor you and Isabelle to the ground and to each other.
>Goad isabelle into focusing her attention and actions into pummeling the shit outta you. Taunt her between each blow with the following actions going down this list:

>"You call this 'Breaking me'? I ain't broke until you break all of me. Not until I'm battered, broken, and Dying on the floor. And I'm not letting go until you do that. So give me your best shot!
>Where's your fuckng lava lamp!? That lamp hits harder than your sissy hits!"
>"HARDER YOU THOT!"
>"If this fool's got you this worked up, you don't even stand a candle climbing the cord."
>"Ya did it... finally did it... you made Mom laugh. And she's laughing at you."
>"What's this? are you practicing 'Sam's domestic abuse routine' for your future 'Shu Doll' when you lose your temper?"
>"Where's the 2 years of patience and temper you had waiting for me to hatch?"
>"Didn't even feel that one. Make my nerves light up. They're getting dull."
>*weakly flip isabelle the bird and give her a smile, spawn another hand gives her the same exact gesture if Isabelle rips it off.*
>just stare at isabelle, open that empathy channel, give her a look of pity and feeling of sad sympathy, but still radiate determination and defiance.

Rath
>Go stabilize our family. Save our Family. Start with Julia, she fell first. THAT'S AN ORDER!

Alternatively
>Put in all 169% health into Sui Tormentis, leave 21% hp left to leave you standing and conscious Give yourself a strength boost of total of 687% from sui tormentis.
>Meld all 8 of your arms into one Giant one arm. Then throw the hardest punch you can muster. Make. it. count.

>>3512697
>>3512665
So I made a laundry list of taunts and insults to be uttered between Isabelle's beatings to keep her attention focused. rate said insults/taunts.
>>
>>3512723
i really dont know. it feels like such a damn risk either way. we either risk her not taking the bait and get them all killed...or we have to hope the DICE of all things roll in our favor.

hope you can keep a petty bitch from being petty, or hope dice roll good. our odds fucking suck here.
>>
>>3512723
Like I said, I'd like to save Julia. But I'm not sure it's plausible for Shu to think that's possible. B'Ni can always just spawn another clone to deal with Rath, and since she wants Shu to suffer I think she'd prioritize stopping our friends from being saved. And I'm not actually sure Rath would listen, either, she would want to go down swinging. Plan Deku is probably the more in-character one. Give B'Ni one last bloody nose.
>>
>>3512723
Amending my order for Rath's priorities in stabilizing if Rath chooses to stabilize our allies.
>"Save our family Rath. Save them first. I'll hold Isabelle off."
>"THAT'S AN ORDER YOU HEAR ME!?"
>"And one final thing: Survive, live to see the next day, keep our family safe, you adorable little firecracker. I love you."
>Empathy instructions:
>Start with Julia, she fell first.
>Amara's next, she's just a child.
>Dorian's after Amara. He's a tough guy, he can make it.
>and if you can after you're done with Dorian...save Gina. I'll try to hold on for as long as possible. Trust me please.

>>3512738
We can rule it so that Shu noticed the order in which her allies fell during combat. Julia fell first so it's safe to assume that Julia's closest to death. Amara went next because Song of the swarm deactivated suddenly. Then Dorian went down third due to how the field was set-up.
>>
>>3512738
>>3512745
godamnit. you have no idea how fucking badly i want to save them. id love nothing fucking more than that.

But im not even sure we could last long enough with BOTH Shu and Rath giving it their all to have a third person save them, in such a hypothetical situation. especially with her able to split apart, and her goal to make Shu suffer more than anything else.

i think there is no right decision here. im trying to pick between two equally likely to not work options in a situation we honestly already lost.

and...i think im hesitant to have Rath try to save them, because that implies hope, and i honestly dont know if i could deal with giving myself that and seeing it fail once again.
>>
>>3512757
It almost makes me want to roll a die for it. 1d2. 1, Shu has enough hope to try. 2, Shu just wants to go down swinging. But honestly, I'm too scared to even do that. Man, we are going to be risk-averse after this thread, aren't we?

Also, idea for thread summary in suptg: "Shu gets too paranoid about Dr. West, then discovers she wasn't paranoid enough about EVERYTHING ELSE." Because that kind of suns up how I feel about what this Vein has been like. Everything that could go wrong did, except for Francine. That turned out to just be a comedy of errors.
>>
>>3512768
How about a more apt description?
"Complete and utter defeat. Saved only by a frayed hanging thread of hope...
>>
>>3512770
Sure, I guess. I just like to have a bit of a less serious tone in thread summaries, personally. Joking around, gives a bit of a hint to someone doing an archive crawl without totally giving it away. Plus, it helps cope with the crushing defeat, to make light of it.
>>
>>3512768
>"Shu gets too paranoid about Dr. West, then discovers she wasn't paranoid enough about EVERYTHING ELSE."
yeah basically fucking this. even if this in some way turns around(HAH!), that summary is still true.

also dice hate me so im not rolling that even if a gun was pointed at me.
>>
All these people out here losing hope just because there's no logical reason we should be able to live. Come on guys, that mountains not the only one with spiral energy. And remember, if the enemy is unbeatable then you're just not punching hard enough.
>>
>>3512777
>>3512768
I'll take those ideas and phrases into consideration. I'm usually the one that archives these veins since BHOP gets too worn out from running these high-octane tension veins.
>>
>>3512784
ask yourself this: "BUT AT WHAT COST" Sure we can give Isabelle a good lasting impression, but that sort of hope gets beaten down by ruin...and...consequence.
>>
>>3512784
No, I'm pretty sure we're incapable of punching hard enough. A relativistic particle cannon didn't do enough damage to kill B'Ni before she got yet more power, as much as I wish Rath could hit harder than that I don't think she can.
>>
>>3512784
Hope this entire Vein(maybe even part of the last one too) has lead to nothing but disappointment so far. ill stick to just being fueled by dedication, defiance, and rage for now.
>>
>>3512299
This Sucks.... a lot
>>3512745
I think we need to be defiant right in front of Isabelle to show her we do not fear her.
All she knew from Sam is fear of Sam and she thinks the only way to have control is to break us and make us fear her
If we do not give it to her as we have done all this time she will break again, she has already started to Crack and Fray at the Edges as it just does not seem to work on us

>>3512785
The other Question is:"What else do we have left?"
Let ourselves be broken and giving not only Isabelle but Mother what they want?
Or at least try to make a Legacy by scaring Isabelle forever?
>>
>>3512795
Wenn have seen where "Hope" has lead Isabelle... onto which path she has strayed in....
We can never become Like her
We are looking into an abyss and should take care not to become the Monster we Seek to destroy together with their home
>>
>>3512361
Gotta say, BHOP, we're in a heck of a situation right now, to put it lightly. This is the darkest situation we've ever seen in this quest. Over half of our teammates are making death saving throws, with two of them right on death's doorstep, and it's just us and Rath versus Isabelle. A deranged ex-teammate, broken in every sense of the word, who gave us an impossible choice. Overpowered, completely beyond our scope, fighting us in a situation we had no chance of winning.

So far, everything in this story has been phenomenal. This situation, though, this is straining the hopes of a lot of players. It feels like we're in between a rock and a hard place, and one way or another, we're losing a teammate no matter what. It sucks, feeling as though we've been placed in a no-win situation where the only option is to see one (or more) of these wonderfully written teammates die right in front of us with no chance to save them.

But.

You've given us amazing stuff so far, and you're asking us to have faith in you.

I trust you.

If you have something planned for this fight, something to show us that there was some kind of hope all along, that our odds of winning weren't 0%, that there can still be a way to save everybody if we play our cards right, then I'm down. And no matter what happens or what kind of choices you make, I'll still follow this story to the end, because this is without question the best quest on /qst right now.

Just please, please don't let us down.

After all,

You are in control.
>>
I'm back and I could just not get any shuteye tonight because my nerves were wracked.

I've also considered digging into our ear to pull out the metal worm in our brain blocking the connection, to tell B'ni that if she goes through with this, we'll haunt her forever and let her *feel* what she's doing to us.
>>
>>3512723
Definitely prefer the first option for Rath. 687% sounds like a lot but it's 7 punches worth. Badass but not enough to stop something like B'ni. Our priority here should be saving our friends, not spiting B'ni.

A significant part of why Isabelle is hostile to us is that she (justifiably) hates Sam and (not so justifiably) considers Shu to be the same person. Everything that we have said to Isabelle since she left has been seen through the lens of 'Sam is a manipulator who cares about nothing but herself and control.' My hope in supporting >>3512419 is that by acknowledging that Isabelle is in control of this situation we prove that we really are not Sam. In asking to give our life in exchange for our friends', we further demonstrate that we are not Sam and also that how much we care for Julia, Amara, Dorian and Rath is not diminished by our love for Gina (corollary: we wouldn't have cared any less about Isabelle if only she hadn't been such an arsehole). If we can get her to understand that Shu is not Sam and that her suffering is her own damn fault, I don't think she would be cruel for no reason - she's not evil for the sake of evil, she's just a very broken girl. Whereas going hardcore defiance and taunting merely tries to make her feel bad, which there's not much pint to since she already hates her life.
>>
>>3513019
Yeah, I'm not sleeping well either. Anyways, I think the neural suppressor is too interwoven with our brain matter, we probably would do so much damage to ourselves pulling it out we wouldn't be able to coherently haunt her. Just make ourselves a vegetable.

You know a thought that is both wonderful and horrible and definitely just me being in denial? What if all this is just the neural suppressor doing its work? There's this episode of Futurama where Bender needs to go in for a software patch to make him stop hating a new line of robot, and instead of letting his mind be re-written he escapes, goes on a big adventure to destroy advanced technology, but eventually after it all goes wrong he reconciles with the new robot and grows to appreciate it as it helps hims save the day. Then he wakes up back at the factory, because it was all a simulation meant to go through the process of him naturally coming to like the new robot, run in fast-motion time, instead of just brute-forcing a personality change.

Wouldn't it be great if that's all this was? The connection is empathic in nature, so to destroy it Francine's machine had to put us through an accelerated hallucination of losing any possibly sympathy we might have for B'Ni. And then when everything has gone wrong and we've broken any bonds of fellowship we might have once had with her, we'll wake up back at the Disassociated's base, with only a few minutes of real time having happened because the Dreamscape works under accelerated time, and everything will be fine. The Spiral Terror? Just a plot element added to the dream to ramp up the tension. B'Ni? Still has no idea where to find us. Mara's urgency? About something else entirely. Our team? Alive and well.

Too bad that's just me grasping at straws. It would be nice, but it's just wishful thinking, I don't actually have any evidence to support it. All I've got is "our Dreamscape battle with B'Ni wasn't at accelerated speed, you'd expect that if we were in a simulation that was already running at maximum clock rate", but the far more plausible explanation is that B'Ni's Neuromancy resistance impeded the mental acceleration effect. That said, if by some preposterous chance this guess is correct, I reserve the right to be unbearably smug. I sincerely doubt I'll collect on that reservation, but I'm putting it out there.
>>
Dammit anons, now is not the time to give into despair! We are the Defiant, and by the omnissiah if we can't snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, at least we can, render B'ni's victory Pyrrhic! Be defiant dammit!
>>
>>3513060
>>3512723
I Support this Idea
We will make her taste of Victory taste like ash and Bild für she will never be truly able to win against US. Even If she eradicates every piece of physical evidence we will still be there. Even If she does not consume any of us we will BE there the pathetic little Worms she tried so hard to Squash
We will BE there not even shadows of shadows but we will still be with her forever
>>
Just a couple reminders for people. Anyone that dies can be consumed.
There are daughters that can temporarily give those they consume bodies.
West can create self sufficient clones bodies that seem to be treated as separate daughters in their own right.
We are absolutely going to eat west.
So even if everyone dies today we still have reason to hope and fight.
>>
>>3513093
I wonder if eating all our friends is enough to get extra ACTs and Core skills, or if that only counts if we're the one to strike the killing blow.
>>
>>3512505
How come people like you always appear who whine about threat in quests when we've already had to deal with Kisi and Hectonkaire? I mean, not the same level of threat here but people always whine about danger and 'op killed a character' when its a damn game system.

Same thing happened in Joker Quest
>>
>>3513093
>>3513095
thats honestly in my opinion a horrible way too look at it and relies too much on 'what ifs'. they still died, something not very pleasant to put someone through, and even in the fleshscape very much could end up permanent.
>>
>>3512299
>>3512357
Just incase voting got muddled, though i don't even think i actually ever changed my vote, i am sticking to my original plan.

Nothing against Shu mocking Isabelle though, just feel like a more forward approach i guess for cathartic reasons.

That and i certainly don't trust reviving them to go well, Sadly. Its a no win situation here is the biggest problem.
>>
>>3513172
It's just morbid curiosity. I'm certainly not looking forward to it.
>>
>>3513220
Fair enough, though to be fair most of that was directed at the other anon.
>>
My stomach is still making knots.

If only it wasn't for that real world clone, and she only recently got that power too. One of the things that upsets me most is that the dreamworld battle only lasted two rounds before B'ni ended it. Did our dice suck that bad?
>>
You know, when Dorian wanted to eat Julia out before creating the Amalgam with two backs followed by painting her insides with his colors, I don't think this is what he had in mind. :^(
>>
>>3513258
I have no idea what goes on with the dice.
>>
>>3513258
>>3513271
Id imagine given what we are fighting, it was quite the difficult dice rolls. Our usual roll average was probably not going to be good enough.
>>
>>3513272
Not to mention the sheer stat advantage Isabelle has over our entire party that compliments with her simple powerset...
>>
>>3513272
>>3513275
Yeah, we've got a pretty superficial understanding of everyone's actual stats, our awareness of that only extends to what Daughter abilities augment them. We've just got to infer when it comes to base values. B'Ni's been up and fighting for two years, she probably is skilled enough to put up a decent fight even without all her uber-abilities.
>>
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>>3512299

"Save our family Rath. Save them first. I'll hold Isabelle off."

“Shu…she hurt them, she’s gonna pay for…”

"THAT'S AN ORDER YOU HEAR ME!?" You roar, your words echoing across the beach as the rain slows to a mere drizzle. That look in her eyes, that defiance, that fear…she’s going to charge. She’s not going to listen. She’s...

Rath turns, tears in her eyes as love wins the battle against rage, against vengeance.

[And one final thing;] You say to her, calmly walking towards Isabelle as platelings crawl free of your hive, over your limbs and torso as the Chitinous Stalwart comes into being. [Survive, live to see the next day, keep our family safe, you adorable little firecracker]

[I love you]

You cast a glance their way, surprised to see Dorian’s familiar emerge from Amara’s biomass, looming over the little girl before it leans down with utmost care, cradling her in its arms.

>>[JULIA: STABILIZED]

>>[AMARA: STABILIZED]

You breathe a sigh of relief as your armor’s helmet slides over your face, your stomach maw yawning open and wrapping around B’ni’s waist. She expects an attack, a last-ditch effort to deal some inconsequential amount of damage before the end. What she doesn’t expect is when you snatch Gina from her grasp, laying her gently on the beach behind you before rising to face Isabelle, spreading your arms wide.

She’s small, shorter than you remember as she glares up at you with furious emeralds. A moment of silence passes as you silently activate Exsanguinating Leash, tethering yourself to her voluntarily…one last time.

“Get out of my way before I make you move, Sam.” Isabelle growls, voice low.

“I noticed something, B’ni.” You intone, words echoing through the chitin girding your entire form. “You hurt everyone here. People that have done nothing to you…and you haven’t laid a finger on me. You’ve barely even tried. Are you saving me for last…”

You step forward, your armor flush with her chest, eyes level with the top of her head.

“…or are you just scared of me?”

Her blow comes swiftly, a jab meant to knock you back, away from her to let her finish Gina. Your Hundred Hands explode from your shell, bracing you against the ground and wrapping around your foe, locking you both in place. Fury flares in her vengeful eyes, and the next blow hits harder, hairline cracks skittering across your armor.

“Where's your fucking lava lamp!? That lamp hits harder than your sissy punches!" You taunt, trying to give Rath, Gina, everyone a moment to breathe. "If this fool's got you this worked up, you don't even stand a chance of climbing the cord!"

The next blow shatters your breastplate, pointed fingers piercing into your side, digging into your organs. You stifle a scream, and turn your grimace of agony into a defiant grin. You glance down to see Gina fighting, struggling to raise herself up from the ground.

(Continued)
>>
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>>3513295

Another blow makes your vision blur, Isabelle’s fingers slamming into your helmet with a sharp crack and yanking your head around to face her.

"Practicing 'Sam's domestic abuse routine' for your future 'Shu Doll' when you lose your temper?" You say with a pained laugh. "Where's the two years of patience you had waiting for me to hatch?”

Your Exsanguinating Leash falters as B’ni shrugs off the connection, cutting the cord before her fist meets your stomach, shattering the teeth with a furious blow. You hold your ground as you fight to catch your breath, doubled over. Something moves by your feet, and to your horror you see Gina dragging herself along the ground beside you…towards you.

{Kosi was right...about the clarity, just before the end. I get it, now}

Gina’s voice reaches into your mind as Isabelle drives both fists into your chest, shattering your armor and sending you flying backwards across the jagged sands.

{West didn't make the Halo, she just found them...she has no idea how to use them the way they the Hexane intended}

You can’t stand up, vision swimming with blood and tears as you watch Isabelle pluck Gina from the ground by the hair.

{How could she? She’s so obsessed with perpetuation, accumulation...breaking the cycle and giving up control never even occurred to her}

{Our dreams...our powers...our bodies...}

{They're all connected}

{Trust me, Shu}

[Gina, please…]

{Trust me}

A flick of her wrist is all it takes for Gina to jab one cord into Isabelle's stomach. Emerald eyes go wide, B’ni’s hand moving with impossible, unwilling speed towards Gina's neck.

A single swipe, a scream ripping itself from your throat.

It’s over.

You watch helplessly as Gina's body collapses to the ground.

B'ni takes a step back, away from the body as her hand goes to her side. She’s still clutching the head of long brown hair, trying to process what's just happened. Bewilderment. Confusion. Then…

She starts to laugh.

"She ran!” Isabelle crows, hysterical peals of laughter echoing across the fleshscape. “She ran and gave up, just like she always did!"

Isabelle shakes the head in her hands at the body, lying broken on the beach as you just stare in broken silence.

"THIS is who you were trying to save?!" She chuckles, laughter dying down to a cruel chuckle, your eyes transfixed on Gina’s face, hanging from your enemy’s hand…it’s only now that you see what Isabelle’s too furious, too insane to notice in her victory.

A slender jack, running from the back of Gina’s ear to Isabelle’s hand, hidden by brunette locks.

A flicker of neuromantic power, a last act of defiance.

>>CONSUME

Isabelle’s hand is empty, her face falling into a mask of sheer terror as the last locks of brown hair disappear into her hand.

A gentle pulse of amethyst blooms against the back of your eyelids.

CRIMSON CORD AUGMENTATION UNLOCKED

>>SELFLESS SCARLET: ...I love you.

(Continued)
>>
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>>3513298

B’ni’s eyes are wide, simply staring at her hands as your mind explodes with pain, every thought a crack of thunder, a roar of static.

“What is this?!” Isabelle demands, clenching her hands into fists as she storms over to you. “What did your whore do to me?! I didn’t even get anything, and she made me eat her! WHERE IS SHE?!”

You don’t understand, not fully. Your wounds, they’re not closing. You’ve felt this before, in the river.

You’re dying…you’re going to die.

[SHU - DEATH SAVING THROWS: 1 SUCCESS]

…but not today. Every bone, every muscle fights you as you rise in defiance. The static subsides, the thunder dies, and there it is…Gina’s clarity.

B’ni charges forwards, her fist reared back, the next blow certain to take your head from your shoulders. When she freezes in place her mind goes cold with understanding. her eyes wide with fear, her single emerald eye lit with realization.

Her other eye shines with amethyst.

Hexane symbols dance across your vision, slowly coalescing into something you can understand...

...something you can use.

NEUROMANTIC ERASURE INITIATED

PROCESSING JUDGEMENT…

HEXANE REWRITE IN PROCESS...

...32% SUCCESSFUL

>>PLEASE CHOOSE THREE SKILL TREES TO DELETE PERMANENTLY FROM THE LIST BELOW

B'ni: https://pastebin.com/Rvd3eWwi

BECAUSE OF HER

HER SELFLESSNESS

HER DEFIANCE

HER LOVE

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
>>3513300
Oh shit! Gina's assimilating B'ni and I think turning her into a new Gina.

Well, here's what I think should be deleted from B'ni until it reaches 100%
>SPE AETERNI FONTIS
>VITRUVIAN BURST
>HIDEOUS STRENGTH

Her three biggest weapons. I'm also interested in erasing SECLUDED MIND in case it speeds up the neuromantic erasure though.
>>
>>3513300
God...no... fucking...Gina fuck...no...

>SPE AETERNI FONTIS
>VITRUVIAN BURST
>PERSISTENT OUROBOROS

The first two we need to get rid of but im open to changing the third.

>>3513307
Don't get your hopes up. she might be simply erasing her, but not replacing her.
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next two hours, Gentlemen.)
>>
>>3513300

>Show Gina that last bright smile.
>Your last act of love for Gina, and defiance against Isabelle. Stagger over and Give Gina/B'ni a kiss on the lips.
>"I love you too Gina..."
delete the following skills
>SPE AETERNI FONTIS
>VITRUVIAN BURST
>RESENTMENT'S MIRROR.
MORTAL. FINITE. ALONE. there will be only one of Isabelle. I don't want to give Isabelle the chance to make multiple copies of herself.
>>
>>3513300
Ha. Hahahaha. Not suppress. Delete. No matter what, B'Ni, you lose. We were prepared to go down swinging for the sake of spite, and Gina gave us something even better. How well are you going to climb the Cord when your Core is gone, B'Ni? Gina, I don't know if you'll come back from this, but if you don't: I am so proud of you. You did something profoundly selfless in order to spite the wicked. You are officially Best Girl, now.

I do have a question before I vote, though: Spe Aeterni Fontis' effects technically modify how she levels-up, rather than being itself a persistent power. If we deleted that, would she lose all the benefits she gained from converting BIO regen to HEALTH regen, or just lose the ability to keep converting it more as she levels up further?


Also, good to know that West just found the Halos, not made them. That was my original assumption, that they were Hexane artifacts, glad to have that justified after the scare she gave us. For one thing, it means she has a limited supply.
>>
>>3513318
>>3513319
She better come back from this, otherwise I'm the one heartbroken beyond belief and hellbent on resurrecting her.
>>
>>3513319
(It would revert to its original state.)

(Additionally, her HEALTH, BIO, and REGEN will take a colossal hit as they are tied to the skill trees you're deleting.)
>>
>>3513318
>>3513329
Then that means at least we HAVE to get rid of three of her MAXED Hybrids just in case, as if we need to fight even a but longer we need her stats as tanked as possible.
>>
>>3513329
>Opportunity to fuck with an enemy daughter's powerset comes up.
>literally every anon's reaction:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2YcmJgTKDc
>>
>>3513333
When you put it that way, yes. lets cripple her.
>>3513318
Amending my vote on deleting the following skill trees:
>SPE AETERNI FONTIS
>VITRUVIAN BURST
>PERSISTENT OUROBOROS
>>
>>3513329
Oh, marvelous, that was the answer I was hoping for.

>>3513300
Delete
>Spe Aeternis Fontis
>Vitruvian Burst
>Hideous Strength

Ressentiment's Mirror has appeal for the "you are alone" bit that >>3513318 mentioned, but if we take out those other skills then B'Ni can't afford to make clones anymore. Taking out these three skills reduce B'Ni to nothing more than the level of power she was pretending to have when she was with us, plus a few extra resistances and better ability to survive when making Death's Door saves. It would be ideal if we could take out those Death Door abilities so that we could make sure a kill sticks, but honestly being able to even get close to killing her matters more.

Also, hey, Gina: While you're at it, could you throw some BIO our way through the Crimson Cord? I don't want to get greedy, and I know you're very busy right now, but if we could just top off our reserves real quick that would be great. B'Ni brought down to earth and Shu given the energy needed to finish her off.
>>
>>3513345
(You're on the verge of losing consciousness like your allies did when they dropped to 0%; even if stabilized, you dont have anything to keep you up and moving like Gina did, thanks to Kosi. Rath is following your orders and doesn't know what's happened to B'ni. Isabelle is still a force to be reckoned with if it comes down to a fight versus your redheaded brawler, so Rath is set to stabilize Dorian next round unless directed otherwise.)
>>
>>3513345
Hrm...you make a good point. My thing was her being able to move while making DSTs is annoying, as we can force her to fail saves but not if she runs away and uses that regen it gives her to start out in a decent position after she makes them.

that and id imagine alot of her health regen is in that ability.
>>
>>3513300
>>3513307
Amending.
>Matron: Stabilize your son next.
>Rath: Get back there and kick B'ni's ass.
>>
>>3513350
Aww, too bad. I guess I was getting my hopes up too high. Really, it's your fault for swinging me back and forth so hard on the despair vs. hope scale. I'm kidding, I love this, this is great. But okay, so we're not going to fight her after this, we're just crippling her. I can live with that. I still think the ones I selected are the right ones, though, because it still removes her best weapons. She'll still have giant bone blades, but she'll probably be too distracted from having her core skills erased to take a swing at us. R-right?

Eh, doesn't matter. Either way she loses this fight. We might not win, but she will lose. And isn't that what the path of the Defiant Fool is all about?
>>
Also im being the pessimistic devils advocate here, but even with three hybrids gone, Isabelle is so leveled even with our team not basically out of commission this would still be a difficult fight. Dont count us out of the woods yet, even if she is being deleted she can still do alot more permenant Damage before this is over.
>>
>>3513352
Voting Consensus
Unanimous:
>Spe Atemis Fontis (Isabelle's core skill)
>Vitruvian Burst (Instant regen and critical damage when throwing bodyparts at people)
Contested third option is between
>Hideous Strength (that ability that makes her stronger the closer to Max hp she has)
and
>Persistent Ouroboros (Remain conscious and mobile while automatically making 2 death's door saves on death's door)

>>3513315
Hey BHOP, is B'ni in close and personal range with Shu? because it seemed like you had Isabelle rush towards Shu to decapitate her but stopped just short (as in she's now face to face with Shu) because Gina's Neuromantic Rewrite kicked in. Because if Shu is able to see the whites of Isabelle/Gina's eyes, that means she's in close range right?
>>
>>3513371
(She's right in front of you, yes.)
>>
>>3513371
>Because if Shu is able to see the whites of Isabelle/Gina's eyes, that means she's in close range right?
What are you thinking? Ravenous Maw?
>>
>>3513375
>>3513380

Good. Now that write-in on giving Gina a first and final kiss while simultaneously giving Isabelle the biggest symbolic middle finger WILL indeed work. Because while Shu DID kiss Isabelle, that kiss is soured by the fact that it was meant for the girl that Isabelle had just killed and consumed.
>>
>>3513371
Ill admit, i think my thong is, I don't want Isabelle to be able to run away. I mean, its unlikely we can kill her, but if we can, i want the highest chance possible, and you just know with Ouro the second it kicks in that cowards gonna try and run.
>>
To the anon that manages the Gdoc Spreadsheet. NEVER DELETE GINA'S Char sheet you hear me?
>>
>>3513386
We're not killing her at all. We're getting our hopes up. Shu is dead on her feet, Rath is spending all her Bio stabilizing our team, everyone else is unconscious. Unless Gina manages to completely over-write B'Ni and explode out of her chestburster-style (God, I wish, please let this happen), B'Ni is getting away from this. The goal of "spite her before our death" has not changed, really, we've just gotten access to much greater spite. We should not be thinking "what can we delete to make it possible to kill her here" but "what can we delete to make all her efforts in the Crucible pointless".
>>
>>3513388
Dude, it never even crossed my mind.
Ill probably move it to a memorial section though, as practicality should not be ignored despite... everything.
>>
>>3513388
Seconding that.
>>
>>3513389
But ask yourself this: what would hinder B'ni's ability to journey to the cord the most??

Hideous Strength is fine but it's scaled off of the distance between her current health and maximum health, being active only when Isabelle's health stays above 50%

Persistent Ouroboros allows Isabelle to stay conscious and moving WHILE on death's door. And it automatically allows her to auto-succeed her first 2 death's door saves. And living to survive another day is one of the most important skills any daughter could have in the Crucible world. And I think this skill is what Isabelle benefits from the most as a solo player.

Hideous Strength we can take care of by knocking her hp down to 49% and below, but can we make her death stick?
>>
>>3513395
For the most part we should be thinking about what makes it easier to kill her in the here and now. If we can't then we won't even live to see the effects of that choice.
>>
>>3513300
>persistent ouroboros
>spe atemis Fontis
>Vitruvian Burst
>>
>>3513300

HOLY

SHIT

Okay. Okayokayokay.

Here's what I think we need to delete.

>SPE AETERNI FONTIS
>VITRUVIAN BURST

Everybody's in agreement on that.

But I think we also need to go after

>HIDEOUS STRENGTH

We're taking away the core of her regenerative abilities, we should also take away one of her greatest weapons as well.
>>
>>3513395
Yeah, I think I'm forgetting that we're cutting her total Health, not just the regen. Lower Health means it's both easier to disable and provides less of an advantage while active. I made that vote when I was assuming we'd keep fighting (how did I miss that Shu was making a Death Save, too? Must have just been too excited to delete B'Ni's skills), and forgot to revise that bit. Silly me, still overly excited even as I say not to get too excited. Shameful, really. Okay, yeah, let's get rid of Persistent Oroboros.

>>3513300
Changing my vote>>3513345
to swap Hideous Strength for
>Persistent Oroboros

>>3513401
Anon, I told you, we're not killing her here unless Gina chestbursts her. All we can do is make it easier for someone else to kill her later. A lot easier.
>>
>>3513371
I Vote for:
>Persistent Ouroboros (Remain conscious and mobile while automatically making 2 death's door saves on death's door)

We probably can not kill, only delay her. she will still be way to powerful
but these Three should cripple her beyond repair

Though i Want to add that maybe we are underestimating
>SECLUDED MIND [MAX]: The capstone of a hybrid skill tree with an over confident Neuromancer. You gain resistance to Neuromancer skills and advantage against their saving throws, in exchange for being unable to passively access the Daughters within you. No man is an island, but you’re the exception…for better or worse.

I am not Saying it would be the best chance we have but i think it could weaken her dramaticly if all she consumed suddenly tear across her mind while it is being erased
Just something we should at least consider the Merit of
>>
>>3513391
Please, it would be appreciated.

Gina's the best.
>>
>>3513389
Oh, i know. But the idea of making her fear death even more feels satisfying too.
>>
>>3513407
Hmm, true. BHOP did say that letting them loose would be like a rampaging zombie horde. But Gina is still in there. I don't know what Hexane Rewrite does, but it's probably something that needs her mind to stay intact, too. Amping up the chaos could interrupt it.
>>
>>3513409
She will not be forgotten. I never disliked her or blamed her for anything, but any other misgivings have still been squashed. I just wish fighting Isabelle to not abandon her could've still ended differently but...at least she went out on her own terms, doing something truly defiant. Bless you Gina, if this is it...you did good.
>>
>>3513407
Wait.

Waaaaaiiiiiiitwaitwaitwaitwait.

There's something in there:

>in exchange for being unable to passively access the Daughters within you

We take away this ability, then that means all the daughters she's consumed will be able to get back at her. All of the ones she's consumed, not just during our time spent with her, but over the TWO YEARS she spent protecting our cocoon.

This includes Eloise, who fought against her in the dreamscape.

And GINA, Neuromancer extraordinaire.
>>
>>3513417
Yeah, but they're mind-broken zombies at this point. BHOP said that it would actually be against our best interests if we had succeeded in opening the floodgates when we plugged into B'Ni. If we do that now, then I worry it will interrupt Gina when she's performing the Hexane Rewrite.
>>
>>3513300
>>3513318
Revising and amending my vote to include a few neat write-ins.

>Kiss Gina/Isabelle on the lips. Your First and Final kiss to the Girl you love. And the biggest symbolic Middle finger thrown at Isabelle. Throw your arms around her and weigh her down with your body. Spawn Hundred Hands if need be to keep you supported and to keep Isabelle pinned and rooted.
>"I love you...Gina..."


>Rath: [You did great Rath. Matron's going to stabilize Dorian. I'm going to do something to catch Isabelle off guard so please bear with what I'm about to pull. Now come here and give this bitch the biggest Sucker Punch you've ever thrown.]
>Put as much health as you can into Sui Tormentis, leave 21% hp left to leave you standing and conscious Give yourself a strength boost of total of 687% from sui tormentis.
>Meld all 8 of your arms into one Giant one arm. Then throw the hardest punch you can muster. Make. it. count.
>Matron: Stabilize your son Dorian.

>Gina: Delete the following Skills:
>Spe Atemis Fontis
>Vitruvian Burst
>Persistent Ouroboros
>>
>>3513424
I was just putting the Option forward i am not fully coherent right now, as i am pretty sleepdeprived and wanted to get a number of different Opinions on it
>>
>>3513427
Yeah i can support this. We may not survive this..but we already won it. If nothing else, one last kickass punch is exactly what Rath deserves.
>>
>>3513424
Right, my bad, I forgot about that part. Thanks for clarifying.
>>
>>3513375
Hey Bhop, when you go and modify Isabelle's pastebin, for the sake of continuity, don't outright delete those skill trees, just add a caption that says [Permanently Deleted by Neuromantic ReWrite].
That way those who want to go on an archive binge will still get a good grasp of Isabelle's char sheet abilities before this vein happened.
>>
>>3513427
>>3513430
Is it weird that I hope B'Ni survives that? Not in good shape, mind, I want her to be fucked up. But I also hope that the "32% Successful" for Hexane Rewrite means it's an ongoing process, not that it only partially succeeded. I want to know what happens if it reaches 100%. Damaging her so that she can't resist effectively may speed the process along, though, so I don't object to this plan. Rath, go full Deku.
>>
>>3513455
I just want her to suffer and die. However that happens is ok with me.
>>
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>>3513463
Did..did you quote the wrong vote? Or do i have personality issues i did not know i have?
>>
>>3513472
Shit, you're right. I quoted the wrong vote. Hang on.

>>3513300
Changing>>3513307
to
>SPE AETERNI FONTIS
>VITRUVIAN BURST
>SECLUDED MIND

If B'ni does escape as some suggest will happen, then Gina being able to operate unrestricted in her noggin is a plus.

And in that case, I really hope GG finds her way back to us someday. I want to have more moments with her, and develop her abilities together as we make our journey, and ask about her family, and more. If I have to choose between killing B'ni and getting Gina back, I'll choose the later in a heartbeat.
>>
>>3513424
>BHOP said it's against our best interest
Quote the source please anon. Do NOT use BHOP's name in vain.
>>
Voting is closed.
>>
>>3513489
He did, but he said because it was because we were inside and they would basically drown and maul everyone indiscriminately.
>>3511851
You know how painful finding that on phone posting was?
>>
>>3511851
>>3513489
The Source is here
though he probably said it to warn us to not do it while in there
>>
>>3513489
Okay, here >>3511851

Now, that was if we were in there with B'Ni, it wouldn't directly harm Shu now. But Gina's still in there, and I don't want her getting overrrun with the undead while she's doing whatever it is she's doing with the Halo. But I admit that's based on my possibly-wrong assumption that it's an ongoing process.
>>
FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK. agggh. tally voting will be an utter bitch.
3rd place Runner up votes
Ouroboros: 4
Hideous Strength: 0
Secluded Mind (oh shit nibba what are you doing): 2
>>3513315
Here BHOP Vote tallies are in place.

Spe Atemis Fontis and Vitruvian Burst are unanimous first and second place winners of the skill deletion vote
Ouroboros wins 3rd place after careful tallying.
>>
>>3513517
Thanks for doing a tally anon!
i usually do that but its bad enough trying to do anything on phone, and its what im stuck on all weekend.
>>
>>3513504
>>3513501
>>3513499
Sorry, I didn't notice that post. Thanks for providing the proper source.
>>
Hey guys...I know it's a bit...pointless...
But I just want to ask for a few opinions:
when we initiated our surprise round, is there any other way we could've handled the combat? to stall out the combat and get results different than this? or is it still gonna end up with the same situation like we are in right now?
>>
>>3513582
I think we stalled as much as we could in those opening moments
This entire thing was probably over in less than a minute though this may take some time

I think we did the best we could do
>>
>>3513582
Maybe. I think having Gina shut down an ability earlier, or deploying the Exsanguinating Leash more aggressively to force B'Ni to drop clones more often, or something like that could have worked. I don't know. It's best not to dwell on it.
>>
>>3513582
I can't see the end result really being any different. We misjudged how strong she was in the dreamscape, but our shot despite that was still better in there due to there being more we could do potentially than having to overpower her in the traditional sense.

Our only misstep was she had a clone ready outside just in case, and both her surprise, her nature, and her powerlevel made that unlikely so we overlooked it, but it made sense for us to.
>>
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>>3513300

>>SPE AETERNI FONTIS, VITRUVIAN BURST, PERSISTEN OUROBOROS…

>>…DELETED

"No…no, please, no.” Isabelle whimpers as every fiber of your being strains as you stand. “

You rise. You move forward, taking B’ni’s face in your hands, giving your first and last kiss to the girl you love. You part, your eyes still closed as you whisper a small, simple confession to your best friend.

"I love you...Gina."

You open your eyes in time to watch Isabelle break. Her lips quiver, tears welling in her eyes as you tear her heat in two one final time. Blank-faced, her expression doesn’t shift as her hands wrap around your neck and begin to squeeze.

“…Kill you…going to…kill…” She mutters, arms stiffly outstretched as she just stares into your blurring eyes, utterly heartbroken. Her mutterings rise in volume, growing into a hysterical scream as her eyes screw tight, denying the cold, hard reality of what Gina’s done, of what she’s torn away from her.

Isabelle has lost.

You collapse to the ground with her forearms still gripping your neck, the bursts of crimson gore that were once her arms blossoming before your eyes, the crack of a rifle shot ringing out across the rocky terrain. You strain you neck to turn, seeing Magpie stalking towards you with a reformed weapon. An over-under model, the stocky rifle slung around by the sniper’s one remaining arm before she takes aim again one-handed, the next crack sending B’ni stumbling back and away from you.

[DORIAN: STABILIZED]

When Rath comes into view, her fist is clenched tight, the skin burning away on her right arm to reveal the radiant fist of an angry god. B’ni sees it coming, she sees Rath’s arm cock back before it hurtles towards her face at maximum speed, a steel beam of impossibly dense musculature packed tight into a single, long-overdue blow.

She has no arms to block, no regeneration to stop the inevitable.

A crack, a boom. Not of a bullet from a rifle, but of vengeance from a goddess. B’ni disappears, flung out of sight as you hear the sandbar explode on impact with her rag-dolled body. Your vision’s fading fast…you’re not sure if you’re going to make it, but…Amara. Julia. Dorian. Rath.

They’re okay…they’re going to be okay.

[Gina…]

[…]

[…thank you]

The last thing you see is Rath’s face over you, begging you to live as darkness floods your vision.

>>[STABILIZED]

(Continued)
>>
>>3513582
Well, in the first round we could've made one of our Knights a Scarlet variant and have Gina suppress an ability instead of one of the other things we had her do. We only tried that in the second round, and then B'ni immediately ended the dream so it was useless. And Exsanguinating Leash, of course.

Maybe have Dorian be in Masque of War right from the start to try destroying the clone right as it was made, but we weren't yet sure she could do that and maybe wouldn't have stopped it anyway so that one's pure hindsight rather than another way we could've handled combat.

Honestly, that fight was way too short and I wanted more opportunities to break through B'ni's apparent invincibility and taking such a powerful foe apart one step at a time. I think that would've been more fulfilling narratively than Gina's sacrifice.
>>
>>3513598

Your eyes flutter open to a pair of wide, mismatched eyes peering at you from your bedside. You groan, propping yourself up on your elbows as Amara leaps to her feet, running to the door of Mara’s home and throwing it open before shouting out into the main living room with Skintalker-enhanced volume.

“SHU’S OKAY!”

The shuffling of hurried footsteps precedes Dorian’s entrance, lending his support for Julia on her emaciated replacement limbs. You can tell she had every intention of not bursting into tears at the sight of you, but the moment you lock eyes, her lip trembles, her resolve crumbling as tears well in her eyes. Dorian helps her reach your side as she gently places her arms around your neck and begins to cry.

“Hey, it’s okay…I’m okay.” You say, running your hand weakly along her blonde hair before your blood runs cold. “Rath…she was fighting B’ni, did she…”

“Miss Rath is fine, she’s just…she hasn’t come down from the roof since we arrived back here.” Dorian explains, reaching out and placing a hand on Julia’s shoulder. “I fear she blames herself for not being able to stop Isabelle from making her escape…I keep trying to tell her that she made the right call by saving you first before attempting to pursue, but…she’s in no mood to talk, I’m afraid.”

You swallow hard before asking your next question.

“…Anyone else?” You ask, throat dry and tight as the words escape your lips. “Did you get…did you find…”

“Gina, she’s…” Dorian begins, voice cracking. “…we recovered her, um…”

“She’s asleep in the next room!” Amara says, and your heart’s in your throat before you see Julia and Dorian share a look you know all too well, Amara’s puzzlement clear on her face as she looks between their fallen faces. You reach out, patting her head with what little strength you’re able to muster.

Amara…she doesn’t understand.

…she’s gone.

>>Hold them close. All three of them.

>>Go find Rath.

>>…You need to see her. You need to…you’re not sure, but you know you want to see.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
(Voting shall remain open for the next one and a half hours, Gentlemen.)
>>
>>3513602
>…You need to see her. You need to…you’re not sure, but you know you want to see.
>>
>>3513602
> Pull them into a Hug and then get Rath to pull her into a hug as well

>Search for the Bond with Gina in your Head... maybe just maybe you will find a hint, the slightest glimmer of her
>>
>>3513602
Im not happy Isabelle got away...but im not surprised. She WILL get what's coming to her. Ten fucking fold.

>>Hold them close. All three of them.
>>Go find Rath.
Gina...we need to say a final goodbye but...she would want us to make sure those still left are okay first.
>>
>>3513602
>>Hold them close. All three of them.

Then

>>…You need to see her. You need to…you’re not sure, but you know you want to see.

and

>Search for the Bond with Gina in your Head... maybe just maybe you will find a hint, the slightest glimmer of her.

>>3513626
>She WILL get what's coming to her. Ten fucking fold.

Yes.

At this point, vengeance isn't a question.

It is an inevitability.

Isabelle is going to die by our hand.
>>
>>3513602
Is it storytime for Amara? I think it's story time for Amara. I

I've got to go to work. So I can't do the storytime writing. Please tell her the story of Isabelle and Sam.

Also, BHOP, we're at 854 fucking posts on this thread. Do you think now is a good time to end the vein after we wrap-up post combat?

>Hold them close. All three of them.
>Fetch Rath.
>...You need to see her. You need to...
>>
>>3513643
(The Vein will be wrapping in the next update or two, yes.)
>>
>>3513606
I'll also archive the vein when I get back from work.
>>
>>3513606
Also BHOP, Rath was the only one with no title... Maybe im just trying to distract myself from things, but i feel like even if she doesn't think so, shes earned one. But I don't feel its right for us to suggest ones or choose it ourselves, though shu has put forth good options.

the firecracker or the radiant goddess
>>
>>3513646
So can we get some info on where you found a percentile health/meter like system and your thoughts on those questions the earlier anon posed about JQ?

>>3513648
Of Burning Anger or Perseus Personified could be good
>>
>>3513602
>>Hold them close. All three of them.
>>Write-In
>"It's okay. It's okay. We'll get her fixed up just fine. All we have to do is kill a god, I was planning on doing that anyway. Going to be...going to be a bit harder without her help, that's all."
>Choke back the tears.
>"Come on. Let's get Rath. I need to let her know it's not her fault."
>>
so who will consume the rest of Gina? my vote is for Shu.
>>
>>3513656
Shus not ever called her those and all the other titles happened naturally via the story, hence me not wanting to do outside suggestions.
>>
>>3513602
changing>>3513618
>Hold them close. All three of them.
>Go find Rath.
>Search for the Bond with Gina in your Head... maybe just maybe you will find a hint, the slightest glimmer of her.
>>
>>3513662
No.
Everyone.
Together.
Shu may of romantically loved her, but she was loved by everyone. Was everyone's family. If she is gone then...a part of her should live on, in all of them.
>>
>>3513663
I guess Firecracker works then seeing as it fits her smashy smash and her radiant boils.

>>3513662
Shu should do it I think. We already have some mind control abilities, we can keep Gina in our mind and stay in contact and we can, at some point, see if we can reform her or save her.

>>3513667
>>3513602
>Hold all three of them close.
>Go see Gina.

We can find Rath later. We need to console and grieve first.
>>
>>3513662
We have Julia mummify her for if we extract her from B'ni someday.

I mean, I'm not sure we'd get anything since she sort of forced B'ni to Consume her.
>>
>>3513674
(Due to the Halo's effects, B'ni did not gain a single level up from Consuming Gina.)
>>
>>3513672
I don't think this is a consme option we should do based on mechanics. Also like earlier, i think Gina would want us to make sure Rath is ok first.
>>
>>3513679
>based on mechanics
That's why I said literally everything else anon.
>>
>>3513671
that... i can be in agreement with
>>
>>3513681
Yes, and i have said why i disagree with that too.
>>3513671
>>
>>3513684
This has a higher likelihood of breaking up her consciousness and making it more difficult to bring her back whole. I get the idea but the more of her we have, the easier it could be to form her again, to have her exist in our mind as a greater part of our mental space or to potentially implant her in someone else.

Diffusing her across the group is good for sentimental reasons but both mechanically and 'potentially bringing her back' wise, is a bad idea.
>>
we also lost Kosi and Meg from this too. Isabelle is gonna die suffering like hell itself has come for her.
>>
>>3513678
Where's Gina's mind-state? Is that something we can know? Like, is it in B'Ni? Is it locked within Gina's flesh? Is it just gone, degraded by this crazy emergency defrag?
>>
>>3513687
Thats not how consuming works at all. Whoever picks the actual consume option and picks her most promenant ability gets her in their head. It is never split up, if it goes to someone at all.

Assuming she is even still in said body to do that with...
>>
>>3513602
>Hold all three of them close.
>Go see Gina.
>>
>>3513689
And Bella. Everyone always forgets Bella because we never got to know her. #Justice4Bella
>>
>>3513634
We can't kill Isabelle - Gina's in there somewhere (unless erasure meant something far worse than I thought). Supporting your vote though!

I'm not sure it's a good idea but it's tempting to get the neural block removed. The connection to Isabelle isn't as dangerous now that she's crippled and it might be our best chance to communicate with Gina.
>>
>all these anons not caring about Rath.
Its even highly in character for Shu to care more about her than her own closure too.
>>
>>3513692
>Whoever picks the actual consume option getsher in her head
So WHY share her with the others? EIther we take that option for ourselves as I suggested or we dole it out and nobody gets a whole piece of her? It's better to keep Gina as intact as possible to see if we can bring her back if she already isn't trying to bring herself back.

>>3513698
We care about Rath but fucking priorities man; we can't go see Gina and see Rath simultaneously, they're mutually exclusive. We can see Rath after, first thing.
>>
>>3513643
>Amara Storytime:
>Amara sweety listen to me... I am going to tell you a story, A story of why what happened back there happend
>It all begins many, many years in the Past with the Friendship of two girls named Isabelle and Sam. Before all of theis happened
> They were Friends for many Years even best friends one could say but things changed
> While Isabelle became ever more infatuated(would this be the right Word to use) with Sam she grew bored of Isabelle and started Manipulating her even going so far as to seperate Isabelle from all other friends and Family
> When Sam wanted to get into a Sorority she had to play a prank on Isabelle and it was extremely mean spirited and panic inducing towards Isabelle
> When Isabelle panicked and removed the Prank as quickly as possible she was confronted by Sam who got extremely mad and told Isabelle that wanted nothing to do with her from that day onward. In her Desperation over loosing the only Person Isabelle cared about she took a lava lamp to Sams Head and killed her right as the Crucible entered our world
> Sam died that Day and Years later I Shu was Born into this world. Alone lost and terrified i stumbled through the Wastes until i stumbled upon a Girl that called herself B'ni.
>We travelled together for some time and she was friendly towards me. We met another friend of hers that she had known from before the Crucible Gina.......(become lost in sadness for a second)

>That was when things started to detiriorate between us, I came closer to Gina and i think B'ni grew jealous of our connection
>Things started to get worse when we met Juli and found you in your Chrissalis while staying her in this very house.
> Some time later i started having flashbacks to Sams life and how it had been before the World changed forever. Instead of Comming out and telling me abaout who i had been, B'ni who was Isabelle and who knew me before all this started, she encouraged my fear over my former self and tried to use it to push the rest of the Party away.
>After Saving Rath from a Swamp while being attacked by acid constructs things got shakier. She started to close herself of and showed ever more possesive tendencies towards me and rejected the rest of the Group.
>Áfter confronting her about her behavior, after i had figured out she deliberatly withheld information from me, i offered her to Stay with us to become part of the family. (Stop for a second)
>She didn't want to.
(1/2)
>>
>>3513702

> She left trying to find what she thought might be the best for her
> What happened next I am not sure about as i only learned snippets from her over our empathic bond that developed over years.
> She became obsessed with creating her perfect Sam... and for that Shu needed to die. She thought i was just Sam in Disguise trying to trick everyone. She became Delusional about all of this and after i tried talking her around to give her one last Chance to join back with us she turned violent tracking us down and attacking us.
> I hoped so much that we could have saved her....(start crying and continue the Story while sobbing) but now we lost Gina possibly forever.
> She is evil from our point of View. From her Point of View I am Evil and you are all under my Sway by Force or Fear like it had been between her and Sam. I am not Sam though and I love you all dearly.
> Look around at all of them (we should have gotten Rath in on it too anyway)
>I promise you that i will try my best to bring Gina back if it is at all in my might, do you still want to stay with me?
(2/2)
>>3513643
I made a little Write up as Annon suggested mostly just to vent my own emotions I have lost more than one good nights sleep already wanted to get it off my chest
>>
>>3513697
Yeah, I'm thinking we give her to Francine. She can probably extract Gina, if there's anything to extract. That puts us on a time limit to catch B'Ni before Francine goes to space, but we're already on a time limit. A Daughter stays in B'Ni's head too long, she starts to lose herself. What's more, B'Ni is more vulnerable now than she ever has been. We need to catch her before someone else eats her.

Also, shit, we need to get Francine to take the suppressor out now. We need that bond to track B'Ni with. God damn it, getting that thing was just such a waste of time, wasn't it? Ugh, this Vein has been THE WORST. That's not a knock against your writing, BHOP, it was very well-written and emotionally gripping, but I am so frustrated right now with how everything we did was pointless. Some day I'll look back on it and laugh. Some day.

>>3513702
No, no story time. Not right now. After see Rath and Gina. Or maybe never. B'Ni doesn't get to be immortalized in any way.
>>
>>3513698
>>3513700
Look, i get it. But Gina...is gone. More than all likely, her consiousness, if it survived, is inside Isabelle.

But Rath...shes still here. And shes hurting. Lets help whos still here, then together, as a family, all of us can say our goodbyes to whats left of Gina.

>>3513700
Because its symbolic and see above, shes probably not in there and even if she is, it hurts our chances of saving her literally 0% to have a good moment and let everyone get to feel like shes still with them in a way.
>>
>>3513602
>find Rath
>gather everyone together, tell a story
>go see Gina
>>
>>3513705
We do not have to use it now, maybe later we can use it but all of thsi inspired me to degree that i had to get it out here
I am probably selfish just doing it but i feel it had to be done
>>
>>3513707
Anon, we shouldn't just dismiss the possibility of bringing her back. Eating her whole is the best way to do it and Shu will get the most out of it.

>Gina is gone
I don't believe that. If copy bodies can be made like West's, if consciousnesses can be rehoused and bodies made for them, we need to keep Gina whole and then make a duplicate body for her, eventually.

>lets wait to say goodbye to Gina
Again, no. If Gina's alive or some part of her is still alive and there is a tiny bit left, we need to check on her asap, immediately. We can get Rath a few moments from now but we need to priortise seeing if we can salvage Gina in any way or preserve her in some form BEFORE we start acting like she's actually dead and never coming back.
>>
>>3513727
No. Look, im trying not to be an ass, but you are basing eating her whole on an issue. That literally. Does. Not. Exist. If her consiousness is in there, if it does get transferred, it will, and always has been, it will get transferred whole.

And Gina is gone. The consume option is what transfers consiousness, and Isabelle got that. Even if she is, it hurts us literally not at all to make sure everyone is there for that.

We get everyone together, and if she is in there, we rescue her, but if she is not, symbolically, she will still be with everyone, not just one person.
>>
>>3513737
>>3513727
You're also being an ass to Rath.
>>
>>3513727
I'm pretty sure Gina's still in Bni's head as I don't think she would ask us to trust her and then immediately kill herself.
>>
>>3513740
And if we can still contact her with the Crimson Cord, we might prevent her from losing her mind and becoming a dream husk like we did with Eloise.
>>
>>3513634
can we also find Rath? we’re leaving her out, everyone needs the closure
>>
>>3513727
>I don't believe that. If copy bodies can be made like West's, if consciousnesses can be rehoused and bodies made for them, we need to keep Gina whole and then make a duplicate body for her, eventually.
Yeah, with preparation, twenty levels worth of skills, and rare alien technology that we don't have anymore. Gina is beyond Shu's reach. Maybe she could be saved, but not by us. We need Francine, as loathe as I am to admit it. So we're still going to have to carry Gina's body all the way to the Disassociated, and the five extra minutes it will take to tell Rath "this was not your fault" is unlikely to meaningfully impact that. I'm all for reaching out with the Crimson Cord to check real quick before we do anything else, but we don't need to go there in person yet.

>>3513740
No, I can see that. Telling someone to trust you is exactly what you'd do if you were going to sacrifice yourself for them when they really don't want you to die. But yes, her still being in B'Ni is the hope.
>>
>>3513737
OP already said that B'ni didn't get a thing from consuming Gina. >>3513678 That means she probably doesn't have her consciousness or mind. Gina isn't gone, we haven't even checked to verify that yet. Not only that
>symbolically
She was with everyone in life, I don't see how eating her will help as she was already a part of everyone. Not only that, if Shu eats her if she is gone, we can prevent something like this happening again.

>You're being an ass to Rath
No, you're just deciding that Gina is already completely dead with no chance in coming back even though we haven't even checked on her and we can have a formal goodbye with everyone after we check if its possible to preserve her or save her.

>>3513740
>>3513742
See what I linked. She may have asked us to trust her in that 'Focus on the fight, see this as a part of the strategy or check on me after.'

>>3513746
We can find Rath afterwards. I don't get why people are acting like we can't get Rath after we take 2 minutes to see if Gina's completely gone in there first.
>>
>>3513748
While i will not give myself to the Hope she might still be alive in Isabelle. i will say Cheking will not hurt and getting Rath will be needed to get everyone some closure before we check out her physical body

>Also I am voting for a Title if we decide to give her one: "The Everburning" as she will always burn with a desire to punish those that threathen and hurt those that are commiting Injustices against or hurting/threatening her family
>>
>>3513750
BHOP also hinted we were gonna lose someone but we would've lost everyone otherwise, so thats a moot point. She also didn't get anything BECAUSE Gina seemed to be in there making something else happen.

Also Shu can still get whatever ability she needs while everyone else also gets something and gets to have that connection to her. We are also a TEAM, a FAMILY. it makes sense her lost Strength would go to everyone to make sure everyone suffers as little as possible from her absence, rather than only one person.
>>
>>3513748
We should go there in person and check the Crimson Chord. It won't take us five seconds to see if there's anything we can use before we focusing on party healing. I would rather check now, immediately, in case time is a factor.
>>
>>3513763
That is literally what i suggested
>>3513624
This is something we can do while getting to Rath our Family is probably gonna have to be a crutch to us till we get back our sense of balance and walking after being punctured more than once
>>
>>3513762
If she didn't get anything, she didn't get Gina's core upgrade so we should be able to get that if she actually is dead.

We're a family but I don't see why you think eating her will make anyone feel better and as we jusst learned from this session, there are still massive threats out there. This is no one's fault but for the reasons of
>Potential of saving/reviving Gina
>Protecting the others by enhancing our own powers
>Allowing us to upgrade our hive queen element so we can do that kind of telepathy Gina had and connect with the others

It makes no sense to spread her out among everyone else like she's the loaves and fishes. I don't see why that would make anyone feel more connected to her, it results in us not being able to recreate her as well if we can because we won't be able to give her back all of her old abilities and finally, it fully assumes Gina is dead and there's nothing we can do.

>>3513769
If we could do Rath and check on Gina together, they wouldn't be mutually exclusive.
>>
>>3513777
Could you point me to the post where it was stated to be mutually exclusive? I may have missed it and can not find it stated by OP
>>
>>3513777
It makes no sense not to split her up and make sure our TEAM BASED BUILD can function better as a team and everyone is a bit stronger to pick up the slack.

It hinders our chances of saving Gina 0% if that is an option. We could give her shit from everyone if it ever came to that. Nothing you have said makes any sense, you just dont give a crap about anyone else in the group.
>>
Just a couple of thoughts about this whole thing.

Everyone IC and OOC is assuming that Amara is wrong and does not understand. Where there is a chance she's geting he best info via her powers.

The other is that the consciousness absorbed was the only one Gina had.

I admit they're both very small chances, and I am probably just hoping for them, but they are a possibility.
>>
>>3513791
We literally were just proven we CANNOT rely on Shu to protect everyone just by herself, they need more strength just as much if not MORE than her.
>>
>>3513787
OP said he'd only have one more post and if we look for Rath first, we may lose anything Gina left if time's a factor.

I want to check Gina first, look her over for any sign she's alive or we can save her or perserve her, then find Rath, in that order. We can say a proper goodbye after we've made sure we actually have to say goodbye, that's all.

>>3513791
>team based build
Then having a single hive mind/telepath who can link together everyone's thoughts makes way more sense and makes co-ordination way better.

>>3513798
That's because of the build we've taken. We won because of our team mates but also, singularly members are getting hurt or killed. We need to have a better way of co-ordinating/controlling everyone and combining Shu's hive queen abilities with Gina's neuromancer and empath abilities, if she is dead, will help.

>I don't care for anyone
Speak for yourself faggot, I was one of the people who voted to save Rath and Gina in the first place. Just becuase I think its better to make Shu an actual telepath/hive mind if we want to make our team better doesn't mean I dislike anyone.
>>
(Writing now, Gentlemen. As a forewarning, sudden events at the end of the day may push this thread into tomorrow, if that is alright with everyone. I do not wish to rush thsee next updates, as you all have been kind enough to bear with everything through the game-changing events of this Vein. I'll be posting soon, so thank you for your patience.)
>>
I think that if Gina is gone for good, Shu should devour her entirely, for purely pragmatic reasons. Without enhancements that Shu does not have access to, any new abilities gained from Consume start at level 1. So it's going to take every level up Shu gets from hear on out just to get Neuromancy and Neurotic Halo back to where Gina already was. She can't afford to spend any other level ups on her core competencies, we have to pick up the slack so that Gina's death isn't in vain. The extra points left over after taking Consume enough times to ensure we get Neuromancy and Neurotic Halo (Given that Gina had three skills, three passives and two augmentations, so it should be eight Consume options) need to make up for the other twelve levels that are going to go into just breaking even on this shitshow. It's a cold and ruthless way of thinking, but Gina wouldn't want us to fail.
>>
>>3513814
OP I trust you will not screw us over now
My heart could use a break from this wild Ride of Emotions
>>
>>3513814
Of course, BHOP, take as much time as you need. Hell, it might be better for us, let us sleep on this some.
>>
>>3513814
Do what you need to.

>>3513811
We literally already have the empathic channel.

But we clearly are not going to agree because you are basically wrong on everything.
>>
>>3513823
We had it with Gina but never high enough where we could communicate with everyone else like we could with her.

>basically wrong about everything
>"w-we need to let everyone eat her even if its useless for them because that will make them feel better.b-besides, she's definitely dead so why see if we can save her?"
kk
>>
>>3513816
I just can't agree to that. There is more important things than pragmatism and everyone needs it, and its a good symbolic way to let everyone feel connected to her.
and, and who knows, maybe we will get something special for group consuming.
>>
>>3513830
Except its the exact opposite of worthless for them and doing something for IC reasons is not at all a bad thing you fuckhead.
>>
>>3513832
I guess you're just more hopeful than I am after this mess. I like the sentiment, I want to immortalize Gina, but I'm just too scared to be sub-optimal when we've got such a long road ahead of us. Can we at least agree to give Shu the lion's share of a dead Gina? Like I said, she needs at least eight Consume actions to ensure that she gets Neuromancy and Neurotic Halo. I'm not quite sure on the efficiency of converting a Daughter's levels to the available levels upon eating her, but if it's one for one then Gina should give up twenty-four levels to split among the team. Shu could take a third and still leave plenty for the other four party members.

But hey, maybe we'll get lucky and Gina can be revived. And she'll come back still a little sub-optimal, since she won't have gotten any levels from the quests we'll have gone on to bring her back, but not as bad as having to build those skills all the way back up from start. That would be nice.

Actually, why is Gina's body even here? She force-fed herself to B'Ni. I guess part of what went weird with the Hexane Rewrite also caused Gina to be ejected afterwards?
>>
>>3513834
>your IC reasoning is worse than mine!
Your idea's still bad even if we look at it from an IC perspective and set aside the fact this is a game and we could potentially revive Gina, if she even is actually dead.

>>3513832
>There is more important things than pragmatism
>wanting to save Gina and have an actual hive mind for everyone is just pragmatic
kk
>>
>>3513847
Dream realm shit bruh, dream realm shit
>>
>>3513847
Only Ginas head was consumed. I could agree to give Shu more so long as everyone gets something, seem fair?

>>3513851
Except i have said several times it is IF she is dead, it makes sense in a team based playstyle that everyone gets something, and shu can still get what she needs foe stronger communication while everyone gets something.

And yes, yours are worse.
>>
>>3513834
>>3513847
>>3513851
Things are getting heated
I think we should wait for OP and what happens now, before we get into a fight about a problem that might just resolve itself,.. One way or another there is gonna have to be a discussion about this and while iwould like to be in it... i am not sure if Emotions arent burning to high right now
>>
>>3513856
>Only Ginas head was consumed.
Oh, I interpreted that as all of Gina being absorbed. Wait, then why the hell does Amara have even the slightest idea that Gina is fine? Christ, girl, people need their heads to live! Except B'Ni, but I don't think she counts as "people" anymore. Though I guess she does need her head again. Ha.

>I could agree to give Shu more so long as everyone gets something, seem fair?
Yeah, sure. That's a decent compromise between "let everyone have something to remember her by" and "minimize the opportunity cost incurred by her death".

>>3513857
Hey, leave me out of this, I'm not getting heated. I'm remaining cold and dispassionate and vaguely insulting to Gina's memory by reducing her to just resources.
>>
>>3513867
I am sorry if have intrepted something into your statement that was not there might just be me becoming to tired to think straight anymore
>>
>>3513857
Thats...fair yeah.

>>3513855
For what its worth, im probably accidentally taking my frustrations out on you and for that I'm sorry.

Im tired of even pretending to hope. Its only ended in disaster for us, so i cant pretend the odds are not stacked against Gina being alive, and that im too beyond my limit and simply want to do whats right, and i simply feel making all of this a teambased memorial and recovery process is what is best, both ic and ooc.

>>3513867
That sounds like a coping mechanism.
>>
>>3513871
No worries, we're fine.

>>3513872
>That sounds like a coping mechanism.
Haha, yeah. It makes it so much easier to deal with the sadness at what happened to Gina and the rage at B'Ni.
>>
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>>3513602

You’re trying to get out of bed, ignoring the protests of your surrounding allies when Rath ambles in, hands in the pockets of a patched-up jacket, meeting your eyes for a brief instant before casting her gaze downwards.

“Rath, please don’t feel…”

“Tryin’ not to, so sit your ass back down.” Rath interrupts with a growl, glowering at you as she stalks over and takes a seat at the foot of the bed. Everyone’s silent.

“Listen. I want to go see…Gina.” You say, moving with deliberate slowness to sit on the edge of the bed next to Rath, putting a hand on her shoulder as you do so. She still doesn’t trust herself to look at you, her emotional wavelength still pulsing with shame. “Anyone’s welcome to come…she loved every one of you, and I know she’d…”

“She’s not gone! Just talk to her!” Amara insists, and you watch Julia’s heart break a little, Dorian placing both hands on her shaking shoulders.

“Doesn’t work like that, kiddo.” Rath says, low. “Look, just…I got some experience with this, so come on outside. We can talk about it and…and if you got questions, I’ll…”

“Talk to her! Talk to Gina, she’ll answer! Through your red twizzler-brain thingy!” Amara pleads, and that lump comes back to your throat. No…there’s no way. It’s just Amara’s endless optimism, her silver-lining attitude that’s stopping her from accepting what’s happened.

But…

You’re trying, fighting not to hope, but…you can’t help it.

[…Gina?] You ask, biting your lower lip to fight back what’s coming, to stay strong against the disappointment that’s certain to come.

Silence.

Then…

{…Hey there, cutie}

“Gina?!” You sputter, and the faces around you go white with shock, save for Amara.

She’s just wearing a look of immense satisfaction.

{Glad my plan to leave something of my assets behind worked…did everyone make it?} Gina asks tentatively, her dreading tone coming across faded, crackling with neuromantic static.

“Y-yeah, we’re…everyone’s okay.” You say, heart hammering in your chest. “We’re alright.”

{Okay…okay, good} She replies, relief flooding your mind and hers, as one. She chuckles. {Would’ve been real shitty if they’d dropped the ball, I’d be hella embarrassed for them}

“B’ni, is she…?” You begin, and she just chuckles again.

{She can’t interact with me, can’t get rid of me…she’s super pissed, and it’s great. I’m kinda stuck here, but that was the plan. Oh, Meg and Kosi are here, too. The Halo’s preserved them, same as it kept me whole. We’re gonna have some great sleepovers, it’s gonna be awesome. Reaching out kinda hurts, so talking like that can’t happen as much as I’d like, but…yeah}

A beat of silence.

{You can use my body, by the way}

You laugh despite yourself, and you can practically see her crack a mischievous grin.

(Continued)
>>
>>3513969
She pulled it off. That magnificent bitch. Yes. Still a bit too drained by the whole thing to be super happy about this, but it's a good start to recovering my enthusiasm. Whatever else we do, we give Amara a big damn hug for being such a clever girl. Alright, Gina, tell us your plan. Where do we go from here?
>>
>>3513969
>{…Hey there, cutie}
>{She can’t interact with me, can’t get rid of me…she’s super pissed, and it’s great. I’m kinda stuck here, but that was the plan. Oh, Meg and Kosi are here, too. The Halo’s preserved them, same as it kept me whole. We’re gonna have some great sleepovers, it’s gonna be awesome. Reaching out kinda hurts, so talking like that can’t happen as much as I’d like, but…yeah}

There must be onion cutting Ninjas hiding in my room, damn Waterworks started leaking
Amara definetly deserves a Headpat and the best hug we can give her
>>
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>>3513969

You laugh despite yourself, and you can practically see her crack a mischievous grin.

{What? I know what I said. Listen, I’ve gotta hang around here so I can keep B’ni locked down, so it’s not like…not like I’ll be using it much, so…}

"We can preserve it." You interrupt, drawing a few looks of surprise from around the bed before it dawns on you to extend your empathic channel to tune everyone in to your conversation. The line goes silent for a moment, and you can feel Gina wrestling with what she’s about to say. "Everyone's here. We can preserve your body. Maybe We...Francine can figure something out, and then you can come..."

{I, uh…I’m not sure that’s going to be a thing, as long as Isabelle’s kicking around, Shu} She replies, and the lump in your throat comes back. {I can’t really tell where she’s going, since its hard to peek through her eyes, but…if I want to keep this on lockdown, then...yeah. Ill bee keeping tabs on her, give you a heads up if she's close, if she's uo to some vindictive shit. I....think this is how it's gonna be, for a while...I'm sorry}

You're both quiet a moment, then a soft giggle fills your mind.

{Going to miss your head on my lap, though. That was nice} She muses, her voice playful. {I wonder how much leeway I get with this dream thing? We'll have to do some research, huh?)

You're pretty sure Rath and Julia blush on your behalf, for that one.

{I’ll be reaching out when I can, but I can’t promise it’ll be often. God, just my luck, huh? I finally get the girl, and it’s gotta be a long-distance thing. I’m where I need to be, though. I dont regret a thing, you know? You’re safe, everyone’s alive…}

{…and I’m going to make sure Isabelle will never be able to hurt you or our family ever again}

{...I love you. All of you...so don't waste this, okay?}

UNIQUE ‘CONSUME ‘ OPTION AVAILABLE

>>ACCEPTANCE: All of Gina’s skills are now available for dissemination at their current levels. You may transfer entire skill trees (and their attached stat bonuses) to the allies of your choice, or you may split the points in the tree to grant multiple, lower-level duplicates of a single tree across several allies. Unique skills, such as Kosi’s unique abilities, are also available for distribution. Additionally, please select one ally to receive an additional 1 ACT.

>>ACCEPTANCE

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL
>>
>>3513980
>You may transfer entire skill trees (and their attached stat bonuses) to the allies of your choice, or you may split the points in the tree to grant multiple, lower-level duplicates of a single tree across several allies. Unique skills, such as Kosi’s unique abilities, are also available for distribution. Additionally, please select one ally to receive an additional 1 ACT.
>or you may split the points in the tree to grant multiple, lower-level duplicates of a single tree across several allies
Ha. Haha. Hahahahahahaha. Oh, this is almost worth all the suffering. Gina's alive, B'Ni is crippled and with a tracker placed on her, and we just got an extra five copies of Neurotic Halo. Okay, there's the payoff. This is how we're on our way to the Golden Ending. Oh, BHOP, you had faith that you'd pull something off but I just couldn't see it, and the reason is that it was too good to imagine.

Alright, I'm going to need a minute to think of what to do with this. So many delightful options.

>>3513984
Thanks for running, BHOP. You have played with my emotions most excellently. See you tomorrow.
>>
(Gentlemen, I shall be pausing here for the evening. It's early, but I'm sure the subsequent write-ins and stat distributions/plans will take some time, and I want to give you all the time you need to keep being amazing. I'll be around after a few hours to address any question, comments, or criticisms you may have. I welcome them all, as always.)

(I'll be posting tomorrow morning to let everyone know when voting is closing soon, and thank you so much for bearing with me. I will work to make sure Body Horror Quest continues to be worth it, and I hope you have a magnificent evening, one and all. Take care, Gentlemen.)
>>
>>3513987
>>3513989
You don't just play with my emotions, but you bamboozle my posting, too? BHOP!
>>
>>3513990
(Bamboozling is my business, and business is good.)
>>
>>3513987
While ill probably do the first option, that second ACCEPTANCE is making me think he did a mistake we should wait to see what the fix is.

>>3513989
Or is there simply not supposed to be a second one at all?
>>
>>3513994
(No, it's more that there are two options available, Acceptance and Write-In. I was going to add CONSUME, but considering the benefits would be the same, I decided to abandon it as it would be too confusing.)

(However, please note that if you *do* wish to preserve her body for any plans you may concoct or wish to select something other than the upgraded consume option, then you are more than welcome to do so via Write-in.)
>>
>>3513994
>While ill probably do the first option, that second ACCEPTANCE is making me think he did a mistake we should wait to see what the fix is.
I think it's just distinguishing the tutorial blurb from the actual option to use it.

Okay, so I'm very tempted to split the skills mostly evenly. All of Gina's skills are level five or above, so everyone can get a piece. Everyone gets Verurteilung so they have a passive that makes them safer in melee, everyone gets a level in Neuromancy and Neurotic Conduit so that we have five back-ups just so that I never worry "but what if something happens to ____" ever again, and then Shu gets the extra levels of those. Then Life's Deathgrip goes to Shu because as the protagonist she's technically the least replaceable (none of our party are replaceable, but you know what I mean), Rath gets Immutable Form so that she finally has even the slightest bit of regeneration, and then...Julia gets Cancerous Payload? Yeah, that works well for her.
>>
>>3513980
First one Question BHOP: Will Gina retain these Skills if we ever manage to get her a body again?

First Distribution based on what i think would be useful, fell free to change and debate over it

>Acceptance:
Shu: Cancerous Payload

Rath: Lifes Deathgrip(not sure if on her or Dorian)

Julia: Verurteilung(more variaty in the Debuffs she can inflict?)

Amara: Neuromancy Earthen Mind and Hydroformer(Try and get a better Radar through combining it with her normal skillset that can even detect cloaked enemys as long as they touch the Fleshscape)

Dorian: Immutable Form(extra Regen on him or more useful on someone else?)

Neurotic Halos for everyone? Can we have them all integrated into our heads?(Comes with one Level of Neuromancer to be useful)

[spoilers]I still can noit believe how huge the stone is that just fell from my heart[/spoilers]

Good Night Everyone I am going the sleep like rock now
>>
Oh, important question: If Shu gets Neuromancy, will she be able to use the Crimson Drone by herself?
>>
>>3514000
(They're backed up on her own Halo sub-system, so yes. How much she can access depends on the method used in her resurrection, however.)
>>
>>3514005
(Absolutely.)
>>
Okay, so there are very good odds that everyone's going to have a shiny crown now. I feel like with this common visual element uniting our team, we should finally get a group name. Anyone got any good ideas? Best I've got is the Sovereigns, referencing how we aim to be unbound by Mother's laws, but it doesn't really flow off the tongue well.
>>
>>3514027
How about the "Seekers"
We seek a Way out of this Cycle to free us from the Bondage we are being forced into by mother and the Hunger
>>
>>3513980
SHU;
>NEUROMANCY(3)
>HALO(2)
>EARTHEN MIND
>HYDROFORMER

AMARA;
>VER(5)
>HALO(1)
>LIFES DEATHGRIP
>PERPETUAL CROWN

DORIAN;
>HALO(1)

JULIA;
>HALO(1)
>NEUROMANCY (2)
>CANCEROUS PAYLOAD

RATH;
>NEUROMANCY (2)
>HALO(1)
>IMMUTABLE FORM

Everyone deserves something and the halo is a good metaphor for gina being a guardian angel protecting all of us. AMARA with VER is a perfect backline with even more ways to stay out of danger, and with lifes DEATHGRIP we keep our daughter SAFE.

Julia would ve AMAZING with cancerous payload, and both her and Rath could do wondees up close with some Neuromancy.
>>
>>3514033
I'd like to put a level of Verurteilung on Dorian, actually. Because that eventually boosts critical hits, and Dorian has a lot of effects that boost critical hits. I want to see if we can get his crit rate to 100% with enough boosts. He's also got fear effects, so it works thematically well, too. Just going up against the scary blood man is terrifying, then he cuts you real bad and it gets even worse.

Also, Perpetual Crown on Amara? Why give her that?
>>
>>3513980
Shu and Gina were closest, so Shu should get the ACT.
>>
>>3514048
Agreed. It makes narrative sense and it gives Shu yet more ability to control the battlefield. I like it. I like it a lot.
>>
>>3513980
SHU;
>NEUROMANCY (2)
>HALO (2)
>VER (1)
>LIFES DEATHGRIP
>PERPETUAL CROWN

AMARA;
>NEUROMANCY (1)
>VER (1)
>HALO (1)
>EARTHEN MIND

DORIAN;
>NEUROMANCY (2)
>HALO (1)
>VER (1)
>HYDROFORMER

JULIA;
>NEUROMANCY (1)
>HALO (1)
>VER (1)
>CANCEROUS PAYLOAD

RATH;
>NEUROMANCY (1)
>HALO (1)
>VER (1)
>IMMUTABLE FORM

GIVE EVERYONE ALL THE SKILLS
>>
>>3514033
>>3514033
Whoops, forgot a halo point and the ACT, also some edits.

SHU;
>+1 ACT
To symbolize her deeper connection to Gina.

AMARA;
>HALO(2)
>VER(2)

DORIAN;
>VER(3)

>>3514044
Because no one else needed it so so make our lil Amara a permanent princess.

We can give him some, look above for idea.
>>
>>3514054
I don't think we should break them up THAT much, some simply dont mesh or are not needed some some characters.

For instance, Amara can already do everything Neuro can give her at the ranges she will always be at, aka terraforming.
>>
>>3514057
Actually, we may want to give Julia some Verurteilung, too. It reduces enemy accuracy and makes it harder for them to shrug off bindings and status effects. And it would make for a really nasty combo with her despair aura. Maybe split it up one to Dorian (because he has the fewest skills to put points into, so he can afford to start it off lower), two to Amara, two to Julia?
>>
>>3514062
Eh, the thong is, the fear works alot better at pushing the enemy away, more than anything else. Julia and Rath need to keep enemies close, not drive them away. Dorians mobile so giving it to him can help us force enemies where we want them.
>>
>>3514062
Also, I'd rather have Shu wear the Perpetual Crown. She's far more likely to take damage than Amara, and wearing a constant memento of Gina on her brow is nice symbolism.
>>
>>3514068
I suppose Dorian can just let Julia benefit from it when he uses Masque of War or Horror at Red Hook. It's an aura, so long as she remains close to him it will be fine.
>>
>>3514068
Oh, fuck, that's Vers flare ability. Still, Amara and Dorian would benefit greatly from at least 2 levels for the flare.

>>3514071
Ok
>>
>>3514072
Actually, why Julia and not Rath? Im fine giving one of them 1 level, but why Julia over Rath?
>>
>>3514076
Plus keeping it on Dorian for Ver level 3 looks like a really powerful support Ability for both rath and julia to use when he aids them.
>>
>>3514076
Verurteilung hinders attempts to remove bindings and status effects. That's what Julia specializes in.
>>
>>3514080
Not at level 1 or 2 nor does she have to be the one to give thar, seeing as how at level 3 it is a medium range.
>>
>>3514081
Yeah, I know, I acknowledged the point about the aura already. But I was thinking we'd grow to it. Julia eventually gets something really useful for her build out of Verurteilung, Rath doesn't, that's why I suggested Julia over her.
>>
Anyways, I'm going to go get something to eat. Later, anons.
>>
>>3514084
Either would benefit from increased crit rate, but i still think just giving it to Dorian will work better.
>>
>>3514096
Keep in mind it costs bio to use, and julia already has an aura to keep up, and both rath and julia could potentially use said bio elsewhere, while dorian has no aura and already kinda acts as the support for the frontline fighters in alot of ways.
>>
>>3514102
Actually looking i think i may be wrong, as its not listing a cost,but i swear it was said earlier they do, but im probably remembering wrong it looks like.
>>
>>3514138
My biggest contention is if you read what VER does, it makes more sense to give level 3 to dorian, as Amara could very well often still be out of range to put its effects to use, but dorian will always be close enough to have it aid him and our melee fighters.

The only thing Amara gets out of it is the level 2 push back honestly.
>>
>>3513969
>Meg and Kosi are here, too
God am I happy to hear that

>>3513980
SHU:
>+1 Act
>Neuromancy x 2
>Neurotic Halo x 3
>Life's Deathgrip
>Perpetual Crown
Shu needs to stay alive hence Life's Deathgrip and she's our best bet for powering up Neuromancy and Halo to hack the Cord (at least until we can resurrect GG)

RATH:
>Neuromancy
>Halo
>Immutable Form

JULIA:
>Neuromancy
>Halo
>Cancerous Payload

DORIAN:
>Neuromancy x 2
>Halo
>Verurteilung x 3
>Hydroformer
>Earthen Mind
Hydroformer and Earthen Mind make less sense on Amara than some Anons think they do as they only apply to neuromancy. Dorian seems like a good choice for these abilities and neuromancy in general due to Masque of War - hybridizing neuromancy and fear into his area lockdown effect could be crazy strong.

AMARA:
>Neuromancy
>Halo
>Ver x 2
Most of Gina's abilities don't fit Amara that well since they do the same thing in a different way and it seems better to focus on one. Verurteilung is fantastic however, as Amara doesn't want baddies to be close.

>>3514142
Sorry for the bamboozle, I forgot to include Hydroformer and Earthen Mind. I've also changed it to reflect your feedback.
>>
>>3514144
Its fine. My Neuro spread and giving Shu the Hydroformer and Earthen Mind is because she often stays a bit further back is more of our strategist, so i think she will be doing most of our terraforming. Dorian i just cant see using those aspects of it as much as he would the jacks in close range.
>>
>>3514157
Plus like i said, Amara does not need any Neuromancy. The jacks are close range and she already has terraforming.
>>
>>3514157
Fair point, I'd consider moving around the passives to match your vote here >>3514033 but I'm dead set on Dorian getting Neuromancy. He's versatile enough to make the best use out of it (Shu is similar) and with good hybrid potential.
>>
>>3514167
Hmmm, i guess i can see it. maybe keep shu 3, give him 2 points, one each from julia and rath?
>>
It would help is a certain ol bodyhorror Quest master had not lost Neuromancy level 1 even on his own old character sheets so we could fully know what level 1 gives someone.
>>
>>3514167
>>3514174
Actually it looks like terraforming only happens at level 2 and that level 2 gives little benefits to the other side, meaning all three of them(rath, dorian, julia) dont get much they need out of level 2 at all other than being a bit higher so less levels to get later stuff.
>>
>>3514174
Yeah, that works.So we now have:

Shu: Act, Neuro x 3, Halo x 2/3?, Hydroformer, Earthen Mind, Perpetual Crown

Rath: Neuro, Halo, Immutable

Julia: Neuro, Halo, Cancer

Dorian: Neuro x 2, Halo, Ver x 3

Amara: Halo x 1/2?, Ver x 2, Life's Deathgrip, Perpetual Crown?

Points of contention: Point of Halo to Shu or Amara (I'm not that fussed either way), Perpetual Crown to Shu or Amara (I think it makes more sense on Shu since in general Amara should not be hit)
>>
I'm back from work. what did I miss?
>>
>>3513980
>>3514033
Edited my vote;

SHU;
>+1 ACT
>NEUROMANCY(3)
>HALO(2)
>PERPETUAL CROWN
>EARTHEN MIND
>HYDROFORMER

AMARA;
>VER(2)
>HALO(2)
>LIFES DEATHGRIP

DORIAN;
>HALO(1)
>NEUROMANCY (2)
>VER(3)

JULIA;
>HALO(1)
>NEUROMANCY (1)
>CANCEROUS PAYLOAD

RATH;
>NEUROMANCY (1)
>HALO(1)
>IMMUTABLE FORM
>>
>>3514190
Alot. Gina survived but her and meg and kosi are trapped in Isabelles head but are safe, but will be there for awhile it looks like.

Gina gave us permission to carve up her body in a special consume option.
>>
>>3513980
>>3514195
Changing mine to support this.

Would be interested in your thoughts on these possible hybrids:

Dorian:
Red Death + Verurteilung + Neuromancy. Powerful and versatile area lockdown.

Amara:
Queen Crimson + Verurteilung. Don't come near me.
Hollowed Clone + Halo. Not quite phylacteries but we're getting there.

Rath:
Half-seriously think that we should try to hybridize as many of (all) her abilities pre-Choice.
>>
>>3514204
>Dorian
That might heavily make him only area lockdown potentially, if mot in actual effect in simple accumulation of his skills. If this is what we want, then ok, but it might focus him on that very heavily and make him la k in other areas.

>Amara
Sounds good.

>Rath
I think halo could stay on its own, otherwise sure i think she works with a stat based straight forward build.
>>
>>3514219
>Rath
Actually Neuromancy and alabaster on their own could be really awesome. Maybe throw halo into that instead, but i do think people hitting us and getting nuero'd would be awesome.
>>
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>>3514201
well ho-ley- shit.
It's gonna take awhile for me to take it all in and decide what to vote upon.
>>3514009
>mfw catching up.
Bhop...you magnificent monstrous eldergod you.
I do have a question however, if each character takes 1 level in Neurotic Halo, does that mean we essentially duplicated the Hexxane relic/skilltree?
>>
>>3514219
>>3514224
I don't think it would cause him to lack in other areas too much because it's a hybrid of his extremely versatile Core ability, and we know that Core hybrids never lose their key features.

Yeah, Herculean Force makes a stat focused build especially good for Rath. Neuromancy/Halo + Alabaster is a cool idea. Strand + Neuro could mimic West's ability from that Daughter from aeons ago. Rath has so many potential hybrids, it'll be fun to see what else people come up with when we finally get to give her some levels.
>>
>>3514195
I feel like Dorian would benefit more from Hydroformer. He IS a walking blob of blood paint given human form afterall.
>>
>>3514204
>Half-seriously think that we should try to hybridize as many of (all) her abilities pre-Choice.
I'd prefer to hybridize just Strand, Boils and Limbs. Alabaster Endoskeleton and Neuromancy getting thrown into that sounds cool, but it's so many more levels before Rath finally makes the Choice. And after throwing everything into saving the people she cares about and being (kind of) rewarded for her conviction, I think she'd make a hell of a Choice now.

So what is our plan moving forward from this, anons? Gina's got B'Ni pinned, but she needs us to come in and tap her out sooner or later. We need to both get strong enough to tackle B'Ni (for even weakened she is still quite strong) and find a way to extract Gina from her head. I think we need to track down an untainted Sparagmos Engine. Well, one not guarded by Ringo, I'd rather not have Mother genocide her species. Alternatively, we might be able to do it with a high-Tier Forge, extract Gina's consciousness as a Relic and then unfold her back into a person. BHOP said that how much of Gina's power she retains upon being resurrected depends on the method used to resurrect her, which means there have to be multiple solutions. Leveling up our own Neuromancy is also probably going to be key, of course. Anyone got any other ideas about things we know about that we could be pursuing?

Oh, and we should find Magpie and Mara at some point. We need to apologize for not being there to fight the Spiral (though it's not like it's really our fault) and thank Magpie for the save.
>>
>>3514277
Oh right. About Mara and Isabelle.
If Gina deleted Isabelle's core ability, then Mara would have no reason to continue her hunt for Isabelle because that ability doesn't exist anymore.
>>
>>3514257y phone just ate a longer post, but the short of it was, being liquid doesn't make that augment better on him, and he won't be doing as much terraforming as someone like shu.

>>3514250
Fair enough on dorian.

>>3514277
>Limbs+strands+boils
>Skeleton+neuro+ maybe halo
This sound good?

>Plan
We get strong, find a dream daughter phantasmal ability, rescue our friends from Isabelle and gut her like a fish.

I agree on the Magpie and mara, but lets first find out why ONLY Magpie came to see what was going on. I don't want to assume the worst, but...
>>
>>3514290
It still gives him better proficiency in controlling his constructs, and with the bleed stacks that he inflicts naturally due to his Humoral paladin levels, he's just bleeding his enemies to get free paint bio to manipulate.
>>
>>3514295
Im not sure that is true, as i think it has to be inert liquid. We even saw another ability specifically around manipulating daughter blood and liquids.

I mean, normal terraforming requires fleshscape flesh, but cant maniplulate daughters, so why would a simple augment?
>>
>>3514289
Yeah. But on the other hand, Mara has experience in tracking our rabbit. Maybe she can give us a tip.

>>3514290
>We get strong, find a dream daughter phantasmal ability, rescue our friends from Isabelle and gut her like a fish.
Well, yes, but I was hoping for more concrete ideas. I guess none of us really have enough information on where to get the tools we need to get started, though.

>I agree on the Magpie and mara, but lets first find out why ONLY Magpie came to see what was going on. I don't want to assume the worst, but...
I'm hoping, given that we weren't really fighting B'Ni for that long, that it's just that everyone gathered to fight the Spiral Terror and they noticed "hey, where's Shu's gang" and sent Magpie to look for us real quick before the fight started.
>>
I am very fucking late but I briefly attained maximum smug when everyone lived and Gina still existed. Also, an entire party with the Neurotic Halo will look aesthetic as fuck.
>>
>>3514304
I know, right? We need a cool name. We're the Princesses, Featuring Dorian?
>>
>>3514308
>>3514304
Divine Comedy. We're fools in this macabre play called the Crucible.
>>
>>3514303
>Ideas
Well, sadly we really can't plan too far ahead. We have no leads. For all we know, Mara is gonna barge in, pour insta heal soup from a forge on all our heads, and then drag us out to fight the spiral. We just don't know exactly what is going on to know our next move yet.

And yeah, i want that too, but it is possible too only Magpie cared enough to check too.
>>
>>3514308
The Royal Court of Fools.
>>
>>3514311
Does that make Gina our Beatrice? Oh, shit, we should have named the Contender's governing mind Virgil, not Karma! Ah, curse of hindsight.
>>
>>3514314
>Well, sadly we really can't plan too far ahead. We have no leads.
Yeah, I know, I was thinking more along the lines of coming up with plans on where to get leads. You think maybe we should go to Golgotha, see if they know where to find these sorts of things? They're quite distasteful, but right now they're the only civilization Shu knows of that isn't full of apathetic cyborgs and a West iteration that is still sending information back to the main collective and so can not be trusted with this detail of "Gina did something with the Halo you never expected, now we all have them". We can't be novel data to Francine. So I guess Golgotha is it, unless it turns out that Mara, Magpie or the Gunner have any ideas.

> For all we know, Mara is gonna barge in, pour insta heal soup from a forge on all our heads, and then drag us out to fight the spiral.
That would actually be kind of nice, almost. Give us something big to take our frustrations out on, at least this time we'll have high-level NPCs backing us up. And then once it dies we could get big level-ups and get swole enough to fight B'Ni.

>And yeah, i want that too, but it is possible too only Magpie cared enough to check too.
I don't know, we're Mara's pet project. I don't think she'd expect us to just run, if we didn't show up she would have been worried by things not going as she expected. Though yes, Magpie does seem to be the one who cares about Shu more as a person, all worrying that Mara is manipulating her. Which is a bit silly, really, we chose everything we've committed to of our own will. Mara has put very little pressure on us, Magpie, your concern is appreciated but unwarranted. Well, concern about Mara, it was definitely warranted about B'Ni. Again, thank you for the supporting fire.
>>
>>3513980
Here's my vote.
Shu:
>Neuromancy 2
>Halo 2
>Perpetual Crown
>+1 ACT
Shu already has a LOT on her plate. The only thing she would benefit from would be the Crown, the Neuromancy, the Halo, and the additional Action. Being a Hive Mistress at the Core means we are starving for additional Actions in the Action economy. More actions allow for more complex orders.

Amara:
>Neuromancy 1
>Halo 2
>Ver 2
>Earthen Mind
>Life's deathgrip
Earthen Mind and Life's deathgrip will benefit her immensely. As is the Halo, Ver, and Neuromancy to go with her SkinTalking Core.

Dorian:
>Hydroformer
>Ver 3
>Halo 1
>Neuromancy 2
Imagine Dorian as Vladimir from League of Legends (a Hemomancer), Hydroformer lets him manipulate all liquids that become his medium for his paint. It also enhances his control over his Blood-lings

Julia:
>Cancerous Payload
>Halo 1
>Neuromancy 1
Now it's true Hokuto Shinken time. Nuff said.
Rath:
>Neuromancy 1
>Halo 1
>Immutable form
Neuromancy will work wonders with Rath's Grapple-centric Strands. And Immutable Form makes her even more of a tank.
>>
>>3514327
>>3514314
>>3514304
Gentlemen I just had a thought. Neuromancy is Gina's Core skill right?
So what if we had certain characters in our party Hybridize Neuromancy at level 20?
Think about it.

Amara with 20/20 Hybrid SkinTalker and Neuromancy. She'll be privy to so many secrets as well as gain a super powerful capstone.

Shu with 20/20 Neuromancy/Hive Mistress would be Hive-Minding at the absolute peak.

Rath... I don't think Neuromancy is Rath's style. Although it will come in handy in conjunction with Tensile Strands.

Dorian... Red Death and Neuromancy? I wonder how that would work...

Julia with 20/20 Neuromancy and Flesh Sculptress would be God level Houkuto shinken. Just getting touched by Julia would mean instant crippling debuffs and certain death.
>>
>>3514337
Yeah, it's a fun thought to have, but not one we're acting on any time soon. Someday. It will make the final boss fight cool, at least.
>>
>>3514327
I meant more mara chose fighting the spiral over helping is, magpie didn't.

>>3514333
Points of contention

>Shu
Give her earthen mind and Hydroformer. She will be doing nigh all our terraforming.

>Amara
Don't give her any Neuromancy. It is unnecessary as she can terraform with lexicon and she will basically never use the cords. It is an utter, full on waste on her.

>Dorian
He does not benefit from Hydroformer at all, and he won't be doing enough terraforming to put it to good use. You are making wild assumptions about what it can do when nothing about it or terraforming support it.
>>
>>3514337
>Dorian... Red Death and Neuromancy? I wonder how that would work...
Probably like Ceres' neurotic cloud. Liquid-form neuromancy conduits, dispersed into the air with his blood mist.
>>
>>3514346
>I meant more mara chose fighting the spiral over helping is, magpie didn't.
Oh, well I figured that was just her being the member of the team in the worst shape, and so the least essential to the fight. She could afford to be sent out. That's not Mara not caring, just her delegating. Stopping the giant monster is important, she likes Shu but she's able to prioritize her personal attentions.

And yeah, I agree with your comments here. I'd rather have Shu have all the terraforming stuff, with the extra ACT, higher level of Neurotic Halo, and access to the Crimson Drone she's our best candidate for a new Neuromancer main. Everyone can do it now, but Shu will be the best at it. She has the control.
>>
>>3514337

For Rath;
>>3514290
>>3514250
>>3514224
>>3514219

And a bit on everyone else;
>>3514204
>>3514219

>>3514337
On points not yet covered;
20/20s are so far off i see no point in planning for them honestly.
>>
>>3514358
Should we level up our team's halos and neuromancy as life-insurance? Gina's death literally allowed us to distribute her levels among the party due to the halo's effects.
>>
>>3514355
Fair point on that, but it still feels sucky to know she knew she might be leaving us to die., As she would know only something bad would hold us up.

put down a support vote for what you agree with then, so it gets the votes it needs to pass.
>>
>>3514366
I think we really only need the halo mostly for that, but sure. bit like with raths stuff i think they can be put to good use on other ways too, that might not stop that.
>>
>>3514277
>BHOP said that how much of Gina's power she retains upon being resurrected depends on the method used to resurrect her, which means there have to be multiple solutions.
please provide sources for that quote of God.
>>
>>3514367
Right, sorry, I was going to write out a plan of my own, but then got distracted making dinner. Okay, give me a minute to go through the various plans, see what's actually been posted. Yeah, okay, yours looks right.

>>3513980
Supporting >>3514195
>>
>>3514381
(I said it a little after the last update.)
>>
>>3514381
Anon, it's in this thread. You can highlight all of BHOP's posts by clicking on his ID. But fine, it's here >>3514006
>>
>>3514381
I think he also said all her abilites were backed up with her in the halo in Isabelles head, but i apologise, my phone van barely handle this 1000 post thread so if you want the quote i may not be able to provide it.
>>
>>3514396
>>3514391
>>3514395
>>3514396
Thank you for the confirmation.

Bhop. was it dice that prompted Isabelle to intercept us? Or was it also our decision making on where to go when Uzu went Rampant?

Also, If everyone has a point in Neuromancy, is it possible for everyone to contribute to Collaborative terraforming or Neuromancy?
>>
>>3514391
Your day go well BHOP?
And for what it's worth, WHEW, you bamboozled me more than ever before. Im still not sire what all im feeling, but good job none the less.
>>
>>3514404
(Pure dice roll.)
>>
>>3514411
Nice to be bamboozled with hope, I suppose. I was confident that BHOP would make for a satisfying story progression, but I was expecting grim resolve to be the name of the game. Instead I'm genuinely optimistic about this. We're going to shonen the fuck out of B'Ni, beat her down with the power of love and friendship.
>>
>>3514428
Lets combine a phantasmal dreamscape daughter ability with a flesh artistian ability so we can infect her and have Gina and co literally rip themselves out of her body.
>>
>>3514414
Oh, so can Gina rescue Eloise? I feel bad for her, constantly backing us up despite being in Isabelles head, and thus also wholly alone. She deserves to get rescued.
>>
>>3514428
Wait, what am I saying. Shonen? I obviously mean shojo. Mahou shojo. That's the group name. We're fighting in the name of love and friendship, we're five girls (even if one is indisposed currently) with a token guy, and we now all have pretty tiaras. We are the Magical Girls.

>>3514443
That's a possibility. I think something using dedicated tools will probably have better results for Gina, though. I'm still in favor of a Sparagmos Engine or Forge. But sure, we should aim to grab some Phantasma Conduit powers along the way. This is all new and unexplored, we've got room to experiment. Even if we do use tools, Phantasmal Conduit powers can't hurt.
>>
>>3514457
>Mahou Shoujo
Anon. You're forgetting one important detail. All Sailor Moon Mahou Shoujo expies need a Tuxedo Mask expy. And Dorian is our Designated Tuxedo Mask.
>>
>>3514460
No, that's what I meant by "token guy". I was talking about Dorian. He's a dashing, handsome fellow who throws around red things. Definitely our Tuxedo Mask.
>>
>>3514457
Ver is a phantasmal Conduit class skill. We have the default abilities required. all we need to do is level them up. Unless we're aiming to grab Phantasmal Augmentations...
>>
>>3514493
I think we have to have the right type of Phantasmal ability. There seems to be two types, one focuses more on the aura, the other spawning dream daughters. We have the first Type, we need the second Type.
>>
>>3514493
It's a Phantasmal Conduit skill from the empathic assault side of the class. We're talking about the construct-generating side. It's like expecting Rath's Boils to work for a combo that requires electricity, because making electricity is a Generator skill, too.
>>
>>3514453
(She can reach out to her, yes. Eloise has been shrugging off the sanity rolls like an ice queen, so her having someone else to talk to that's reasonable will be a nice change of pace.)

>>3514411
(It eventually reached that point, yes. Thank you for asking, and I hope your day went well, too.)
>>
>>3514414
>>3514414
Oh. I forgot to ask.
Since Mother was explicit on claiming Isabelle being her "personal favored daughter" and was clearly betting on Isabelle to win in a fight against Shu.
But then this clusterfuck happened.
>Isabelle killed and "consumed" Gina.
>Shu loses a party member.
>Isabelle gets 3 of her Skill abilities deleted including her core ability and gets Grievously wounded by Rath and Magpie.
>Shu's family consume Gina's remains and redistributes all the levels, augments, and skill trees that Gina had accumulated throughout her life. Among the skill tree abilities distributed is the Neurotic Halo Relic/ability tree (a Hexxane artifact capable of letting a daughter use the Cord without triggering the kill-switch condition)

So what is the threat rating for Shu's Family now?

>>3514504
>>3514502
Wouldn't Neurotic Halo be counted as a Phantasmal Conduit ability? We do know that it allows the wearer summon up to 3 consumed daughters in the dreamscape... Or is Neurotic Halo a separate Class ability due to its origins as a Hexxane Relic?
>>
>>3514531
Good for Eloise. Hopefully she can get those friends she never had now.

and my day went well enough, considering i spent most of it in a car to go see aging grandparents and deal with said issues. But nothing to complain about, always glad to see them. Lord knows this quest helped keep me from being bored for that long ride at least

>>3514536
I think the halo is either unique or Neuromancy. BHOP said Ginas Phantasmal was coming from Ver so i dunno.
>>
>>3514531
Questions:
>How much Damage in HP did Rath inflict on Isabelle with that punch?
We know the factors of having it be 687% Sui Tormentis Strength Boost plus a fusion of 8 Limbs into one Godhand with a 5x Critical multiplier on hit, we just don't know what the base damage was and what was the resulting total after Bio mitigation modifiers.
>With the deletion of Isabelle's three skill trees, How big of a decrease was it on her stats?
>If Isabelle's Core ability gets deleted, does the body reassign itself and make another ability its Core class skill? or is she permanently gimped and stuck with abilities that can go only up to lvl 15 before capping out?
>>
>>3514536
>>3514543
>>3514565
(I just got home, so I shall be addressing these questions in the morning after I finish off thus Vein, if that's alright. I'll also discuss the system a little for the Anon that's been asking about it.)
>>
>>3514615
You get some sleep BHOP, have some bamboozling dreams!
>>
>>3514615
Get some sleep, BHOP, you've earned it. See you tomorrow.
>>
>>3514333
Supporting this Vote
>>
>>3514615
BHOP, please could you clarify whether Hydroformer and Earthen Mind can apply at all to non-neuromancy abilities? There seems to be some confusion over this and I (and WorkAnon?) would probably change vote to Dorian Hydroformer and Amara Earthen Mind if we knew that they would affect their existing abilities.

>>3514337
>>3514358
The one 20/20 I consider worth thinking about is Shu NeuroHive. She's the only who definitely shouldn't be hybridizing either of her Cores before that point. I hope leveling Swarmling and Neuromancy doesn't resurrect the old 'is the next level of swarmling going to turn our friends into unwilling drones' fear.
>>
>>3514333
>>3514703
>>3514346
This >>3515111 hopefully addresses the first and third points of contention.

Regarding Amara, what do you all think of hybridizing lexicon and neuromancy? I think it would require too much investment in neuromancy since neuro would be redundant until the point of hybridizing (at 10 at the very earliest), but the resulting ability would be cool. On balance, I think not giving her neuromancy is probably the right decision (we can always consider hybridizing with Halo instead). Could be convinced either way though.
>>
>>3515111
I remember way back in the 8th vein where Gina was given a choice between consuming Bella Nervosa's Core ability and Hydroformer. There was a question regarding Hydroformer and liquid constructs generated by Bella Nervosa's abilities to bhop.

Anonymous (ID: QsIL6TQV) 01/31/19(Thu)20:52:15 No.3221366

>>3221341
If Gina were to plug her neurocords into the liquid biomass generated by Nervosa Altum, would she be able to control it to a greater effect?

And this is BHOP's response

BodyHorrorOP (ID: 7wE6ef0u) 01/31/19(Thu)21:06:09 No.3221421

>>3221366
(Given her control of the liquid, it would be redundant. Her control of her constructs is currntly capped with the level of the skill that manifests them. If hydromancy could be coupled with it at some point in the future, though...)
>>
>>3515152
>>3515111
The main point in bringing up this source quote is to show that Hydroformer has extended application that could synergize with other abilities.
>>3514615
We could still wait for BHOP to give out his word though which I don't mind.
>>
>>3515152
Well remembered! Will wait for confirmation to be sure. If I'm not around, consider my vote changed if it is confirmed that Hydroformer and Earthen Mind have other applications.
>>
>>3515111
>>3515115
Im not changing my mind on earthen mind, as im not giving Amara Neuromancy. While i actually think we should Hybridize Lexicon just because it won't ruin her base core and she really needs a stat boost more than anyone else, not because shes stat based but because her start and grow so slowly, i think something more akin to the halo or a Phantasmal would do it better. Meaning im also willing to change my opinion on coupling other Hybrids ive talked about for her, though its a hard decision as getting her closer to phylacteries sounds nice too.

As for Hydroformer
>>3515152
Its making it sound like both it would not add anything new he cannot already do, and cannot at it's current state add anything new or interact with it. And we see little if any upgrades to augments via upgrading the Ability they attatch to, and have seen a single augment for an augment before. I don't like those odds of ever getting it to be what you guys want it to be, so ill give BHOP his fair word on it, but probably not willing to change on that one either.
>>
(Gentlemen, voting shall remain open for the next two hours.)

>>3515152
>>3515155
>>3515111
(Earthen Mind and Hydromancer are locked in as Neuromancy Augments, so they only modify Neuromancy-based powers.)
>>
>>3515212
(*Hydroformer.)
>>
>>3515212
Damn. I thought for sure augments can have cross-class synergy. Welp.
I guess I'll amend my vote spread:
>>3513980
>>3514333
It's relatively the same except for a couple of things:
>Transfer Earthen Mind and Hydromancy from Amara and Dorian to Shu.
>Transfer the point in Neuromancy in Amara from Amara to Shu.
>Amara keeps Life's deathgrip.
>>
>>3515212
Yeah then its a no go for me. Thanks for the answers BHOP!
>>
>>3515234
(I will go ahead and say that isn't always the case with Augmentations, however. Since you haven't met a Sparagmos Engine you haven't destroyed or left alone, there are many interesting functions that you have not yet touched on.)

(However, between Forges, Engines, and Halos, the latter is by far my favorite piece of Hexane technology.)
>>
>>3515272
Well, its your fault for making Ringo such a good boy on the engines BHOP.
>>
>>3515272
>Sparagmos Engine
We would gladly use one...but knowing that Ringo's life-binding contract is literally tied to said engine breaks our hearts. Such a good Tindalos doggo.
>>
>>3515275
(Ringo and Dorian are in a deadlock for best boy.)
>>
I for one am really excited to try neuromancy from a first person perspective considering all the weird shit Gina did with it. Anyone remember the turrets she had back at the city? I wonder how she made those...
>>
>>3515278
What do you mean by Dorian and the Doggo are competing for best boy?
Dorian is clearly winning First place in the category of best husbando for Julia.
>>
>>3515278
Is Ringos entire existance at the mercy of mother like Charon, or is Ringo just trying to secure him and his packs place in the cord at the end of this via free will?
>>
>>3515283
>Bio-gun turrets programmed by Gina
Oh fuck We forgot about those. I always wondered how she managed to do that with Level 1 Neuromancy...well, given the fact that she had lots of time on her hands it's possible.
>>
>>3515292
We could just ask her how she did it the next time we go to sleep. I imagine we could get an area locked down relatively quickly with multiple people setting up turrets.
>>
>>3515352
>>3515292
The issue i see is we tend to be reactive fighters, not preemptive.
>>
>>3515356
We did do a bit of pre-emptive fighting. The problem is that we don't usually think ahead that far outside of the surprise round or the first round when it comes to pre-emptive setup.
The closest we've gotten to being a proactive fighter is probably against Spartan or Mara dragoon, where we had a clear set of objectives that we aimed to achieve throughout the battle.
>>
>>3515356
I'm talking about having some set up if we ever make a new base so randos don't mess with our stuff.
>>
(Writing now, Gentlemen.)
>>
>>3515370
If we get any ranged Swarmlings as we level up, we could use a Forge (maybe we can recover the one Uzu ate?) to create some autonomous guard bots and network them together with Neuromancy.
>>
>>3515432
Now you're thinking with gas.
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>>3513980

>>SHU LEVEL UP - +1 ACT, NEUROMANCY(Lvl 3), NEUROTIC HALO(Lvl 2), PERPETUAL CROWN, EARTHEN MIND, HYDROFORMER

>>RATH LEVEL UP - NEUROMANCY (Lvl 1), NEUROTIC HALO(Lvl 1), IMMUTABLE FORM

>>JULIA LEVEL UP - >NEUROMANCY (Lvl 1), NEUROTIC HALO (Lvl 1), CANCEROUS PAYLOAD

>>AMARA LEVEL UP - VERURTEILUNG (Lvl 2), NEUROTIC HALO (Lvl 2), LIFE'S DEATHGRIP

>>DORIAN LEVEL UP - NEUROMANCY (Lvl 2), NEUTOIC HALO (Lvl 1), VERURTEILUNG (Lvl 3)

Gina asked you not to waste what she's given, so you don't. The five of you stand around the empty cot where her remains once laid, the last vestiges of her body assimilating into yours. The majority of the abilities she gifted all of you slide into place with ease, their quirks and intricacies becoming evident as Gina's know-how settles into your minds. The Halos will take a little time to craft; a fact that troubles you given the Spiraling Fear's current trajectory. Speaking of which...

"Where's Mag...?"

The question's almost out of your mouth when the street outside rumbles, the windows shuddering in their panes as a massive creature lands outside, followed by the heavy footsteps of a seasoned warrior racing to the door. Mara throws open the entrance to her house, and you see fearful concern in her eyes for the first time since you've met her when you step out with your allies into the living room.

"Ah, good...good to see you alright, Shu." She says, letting out a breath of relief before she continues brusquely. "Magpie told me what happened, and she's on our side of the river with November. They have the tank and the two of them are keeping the Amalgam occupied until we and the Midnight Crew arrive."

She glances around your allies before her deep gaze settle on yours, a blend of guilt and stoicism shining in her blue-grey eyes as she speaks. "I'm so sorry for your loss...but we're running out of time."

One last thought enters your mind from the girl you're bound to, a fleeting image of her radiant smile, hazel eyes shining at you and giving you a thumb's up and a wink. It's a small thing, taking the last of her strength before she goes dormant, for now.

But it's everything you need.

{Go get 'em, babe}

Then...she's gone.

Ivory plating slides out from Mara's skin, her platinum hair intertwining with the alabaster armor to form the infamous silhouette of Marrow Dragoon. The low rumble of the dragon outside comes in time with her words to you, the great beast ready to take flight and carry you to the battle of your lives.

"Everyone ready?"

A gentle pulse of your empathic field, and you feel that you and your friends' emotions are in tune more than they've ever been.

Resolve. Loss. Determination. Hope.

Your family nods as one.

"Good..." Mara intones with an audible smile.

"...Then let's go kill a mountain."

>>Twentieth Vein: Closed
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(Gentlemen, thus concludes the first major story arc of the Quest. I appreciate your patience, understanding, and trust more than you know. I shall be taking some time this weekend to collect my notes for the upcoming battle, and I'll of course be addressing the past questions as well as any others you bring up while this Vein is still on the board. I plan to open the 21st Vein on Tuesday, May 21st at 9:00AM, and I'll keep everyone informed on here and on the Body Horror Quest Twitter, the link to which may be found at the start of this Vein. Thank you once again for your enthusiasm, civility, and participation. I look forward to the next Vein, and I hope you have a good weekend.)
>>
(As an aside; the Neurotic Halos can manifest like Gina's did, they can also take a variety of other semi-circular forms, such as rings, bracelets, chokers, and the like. How would you want them to appear on your team, and where on Shu would you like her crystal to be shown? Gina's had hers on her forehead, but that was more a stylistic choice than anything.)
>>
>>3515504
Thanks for running. I'll post some Generators later.
>>
>>3515504
Thanks for running BHOP, this was one hell of an ending for one hell of a benchmark for the quest. You did good.

I Will give one suggestion though. Being such a benchmark, and with id imagine the spiral taking alot of work aswell, i myself would not be upset and suggest, even if you need to push starting the 21st vein back a bit, taking a moment to get everything caught up.

We have the swarmlings sheet the needs work, wests notes, and some tid bits with the character sheets abilites that needs some minor corrections. If we keep pushing forward while you still have things left on your plate, its only going to keep piling up.

On that note, ill not be able to update the character sheets til sunday night, and apoligize for that, however id also note i now NEED neuromancer lvl1 notes to do that too, instead of it just being a suggestion to fill in a gap, though i still apoligize for the wait to get them in order.

i also plan to write a review of the quest, if bhop doesn't mind. A review, not a summary, mind you, so plan to make it as spoiler free as possible.

>>3515507
Shu;
>Embedded in the chest at the heart.

Amara;
>Princess tiara

Rath;
>Choker

Julia and Dorian;
>Spend way too long artistically crafting a perfect one for each other.
>
>>
>>3515504
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/3506531/

"A Destroyed Monastery, defeat, despair, and death. Yet the lone trumpet of defiance sings its tune. Act 1 Comes to a close."

The 20th Vein has been Archived.

I don't mean to call this the end of Act 1 due since there's multiple story arcs in this quest. It's just that archive descriptions have a character limit and I felt like embellishing the thread description. Is this fine with you?
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>>3515499
I guess we weren't unconscious for that long, huh? Daughter bodies are an amazing thing, we bounce back fast. So, was November the Gunner that Mara was talking about, or is she just an additional fighter that got recruited along the way?

>>3515504
Thanks for running, BHOP. This Vein was a hell of a ride. Which is good, given that this is the first conclusive arc of the story. Raised the stakes nicely, gave us some clear goals instead of being reactionary, and was itself incredibly gripping. I look forward to the start of Part 2. We've got a mountain to kill.

>>3515507
I think Shu should have her crystal on her forehead just like Gina, as a memento of her and a reminder that we're getting her back. Plus, it means that when combined with the Chitinous Stalwart we'll look like a Guyver, always a plus. For Rath I'm thinking hers would be around her waist, if the Halo can extend that far. It's her prize belt for going three rounds with B'Ni and knocking her right out of the ring. Amara gets a choker, keep the Halo around her neck to associate it with her voice, her most powerful tool (even if she can make mouths anywhere, really). And the twin artists of Julia and Dorian get theirs on their upper arms, out of the way when they're working with their hands, and with it on a different arm for each of them to establish a thematic pairing as Gina subtly ships them from beyond the grave.
>>
>>3515523
Perfect for all of them. Let the artists make their own artpieces.
>>
>>3515504
I still want to hear about your thoughts on Joker Quest and the mechanics for Body Horror Quest BHOP.

>>3515507
Shu = Forehead gem.
Rath = Tongue/lip piercing or chest gem.
Dorian = Gem implanted in the throat

Dunno about the others.
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>>3515504
BHOP.

This was an absolute roller coaster of emotion. Never before in a quest have I felt so much fear for our protagonists. Our backs were against the wall, death was staring us in the face, and we were up against a threat we had no chance of winning against. Despite this, you asked us to have faith in you, and I for one did.

You surpassed my expectations with flying colors.

Gina forcing Isabelle to absorb her? Permanently locking down her most broken abilities and denying her any hope of victory? Remaining in Isabelle's body to give us a chance to find her and end this, once and for all?

Fucking BRILLIANT.

It is always a difficult balancing act, whenever a game master puts the characters in a highly perilous situation. One step too far, everybody dies and the players feel cheated, but if you make it too easy, then there's no sense of peril to make the payoff worth it. You pulled it off, and as a result, Gina's master plan has cemented her as one of the best characters in this quest. The moment where Isabelle's plan completely backfired against her, it was emotional catharsis the likes of which I rarely experience.

As you said, the Golden Ending is still intact. There is still hope. You have ended the first act of the story brilliantly, and we, the players, tremendously appreciate all of your hard work. I cannot wait to see where the story takes us next, and I am so very glad to be able to participate in a quest of this quality and magnitude. Thank you.
>>
>>3515527
Good summary, I like it a lot.

>>3515523
These sound like good locations for each of the jewels. I imagine Julia and Dorian would put them in symmetrical locations, such as the right side of the chest for one and the left side for the other.
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>>3515540
Only shu can have it implanted.

>>3515529
>>3515540
Shu should have it over her heart because it better symbolizes her connection and love for gina.

Rath needs the choker. Let her inner self out a little.

The artist lovers should totally make eachother overly artistic gifts for each other, it just makes too much sense.

I think making Amara a princess is great but for her im not as picky.
>>
>>3515504
>>3515523
>>3515529

Rath
Either a Championship Boxer Belt or something akin to a Buddhist Halo floating behind her head.

Amara:
A choker with the Gem on it (the real halo) while there's a Tiara that she makes for herself that doubles as a fake Halo.

Julia and Dorian: Wedding Rings/Marriage Bands.
Both of them will be so flustered and embarrassed at the idea that instead of wearing them on their fingers, they simply opt to wear the wedding rings on their necklaces until both of them become comfortable with each other to confess their intimate feelings.

Shu: A Net woven around her heart. The Gemstone is embedded over Shu's left breast where her heart is at.
>>
>>3515559
I considered the possibility of Dorian and Julia putting the gems on their hands, but given how they're involved in frontline combat, it seems like a big risk. It'd be easy for enemies to target and sever our extremities, especially if we're throwing punches and melee attacks, which is why I personally think we should keep things limited to our torso and head.
>>
>>3515504
I just want you to know that you have made this quest one of, if not the best quest I've ever played. Glisten on you crazy meatsphere!
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>>3515558
>Rath needs the choker. Let her inner self out a little.
Yeah, but then what happens when she needs to separate her head from her body? The Halo is going to slip out along the strand and get stuck there when she puts her neck back together and look all awkward.

More seriously, though, Rath is still making her sense of identity. I like the idea of her swaggering around with this cool belt because it projects confidence and strength. That's who Rath wants to be, the badass eight-armed blazing warrior. I think it's the manifestation of the Halo she'd choose.

>>3515561
Yeah, definitely not on the extremities. They're artists, they know you don't have anything on your hands when you're working. Best case scenario is that your ring gets scuffed up and dirty, worst case is that it catches on a tool and your finger gets ripped off.
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>>3515571
>>3515559
She can leave a strip of flesh on her neck for it to clamp down on, not that hard and i cant imagine her needing to detach her head very often.

And she already does know who she is, and disagree m Rath is really into punk and metal too, or at least its atmosphere, which a choker fits much more than a belt. Shes also more of a street fighter than a boxer, which a belt doesn't fit well with.

Also im against putting a choker on a child. Literally anything else id be ok with, but that for Amara. Dont even try to argue with me personally on that one, i will not budge a millimeter on this.
>>
>>3515523
(I don't mind you writing a review at all. Also, delaying the next Vein a bit would more than likely end up pushing it's opening one week ahead to the 28th. If everyone would be alright with that, it would give me time to finalize the Swarmling sheets and finish West's notes, in addition to getting you the info you need to finish the character sheets [which I can't tell you how much I appreciate, by the way]. If I may ask, what prompted you to write a review?)

>>3515527
(I love it, Anon. Well done!)

>>3515529
(I'm glad you and everyone have enjoyed it. I'm very much so looking forward to what's coming next.)

>>3515547
(Thank you so very much for your kind words, Anon. I truly appreciate it, but not as much as I appreciate you and everyone here making it so rewarding to run this Quest.)

>>3515540
(I'll answer this in brief [if I'm even capable of being brief] and then you're more than welcome to ask some drill-down questions if you like. There are a few systems that I believe Joker's using for his Quest, as the Remnants tabletop system came out around the time he started and it feels in theme. However, I delved a little deeper into the more numbers-heavy and modular mecha table top games, and I think he's running a heavily-modded version of some of the systems that popped up around 2009-2010.)

(While I was researching modular systems like that however, I ended up stumbling across Nechronica; a d10 system with modular character growth in a world where only girls exist and everything has gone to hell. Considering that sentence alone ticked more of my boxes than I realized could be in a single utterance, I delved into it and ended up merging aspects of that with the Borderlands tabletop loot generation system I'd been working on before I ran across Joker Quest and it consumed my life, and the result is what you're playing now. Character creation is simplified considerably, as you start out rather bland but then get very complex powers very quickly, and I'll be the first to admit that with as many moving parts as a multi-Daughter party has, not to mention the world-tracking for all the individual NPC Daughters and Amalgams of note, I will inevitably have to simplify things for general play when I post it. Also, the vast majority of my notes along with the abilities you pick up are still on stacks of 3x5 cards in a box by my bed. Ideally I'd love to automate the loot system to generate things by typing in the class and level of foe you've beaten instead of shuffling a deck of well-worn cards, but I'm content with that for now.)

(Also if you couldn't tell by now I'm a very large proponent of 'rule of cool' and player agency, so the input you all give regarding powers and abilities as well as their applications has single-handedly increased the aforementioned stack of cards by a good 25%, so well done.)

(If you have any other general questions, I'll be happy to address them. Thanks for the interest, and I hope this helped a little.)
>>
>>3515576
(I'll also add that when it comes to level-ups and the like, that's by far the most time-consuming aspect of this quest, since the only information the cards have on them is rarity, class, sub-class, damage, modifiers, range, and all the other bells and whistles that make them playable. There's no flavor text or explanations so I'm writing those on the fly, and some of these things I wrote over four years ago so it's a battle of my trying desperately to make things flavorful, fun, and coherent...though I'll admit the last part gets muddled more often than I'd like. On that note, I do appreciate your drill-down questions of how abilities can and can't work. Please never hesitate to ask.)
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>>3515575
>Also im against putting a choker on a child. Literally anything else id be ok with, but that for Amara. Dont even try to argue with me personally on that one, i will not budge a millimeter on this.
I'm not going to argue, but I would like some context. What's wrong with a child wearing a choker? Are you worried that the name will prove literal and choke her?
>>
>>3515576
Id be more than willing to wait to let you catch up and make this quest continue its commitment to quality over quantity.

>If I may ask, what prompted you to write a review?
Thats... complicated. For one thing, making it to the 20th vein is quite the hallmark, so it felt right to make one now.
Its also to simply get my thoughts down and out of my system. I also know you like honest opinions, so ill give you one, though i do obviously love the quest. It also might help newcomers decide if they are interested, as 20 threads is alot to commit to.
Also, while id hope not, and will be more than happy to be proven wrong, ive been here and active since the very beginning, and may be the only one it seems, so i guess id sat even if im not, it certainly is a unique view to give a review from id think.

I hope that makes sense and doesn't seem like im trying to self grandize at the end there or anything, im really not, but i also think its not wrong to say it does give a different perspective than someone who joined later.
>>
>>3515585
Chokers have sexual connotations in their origins. While they are not always used for that nowadays, it still isn't something i am comfortable with personally.
>>
>>3515576
>While I was researching modular systems like that however, I ended up stumbling across Nechronica; a d10 system with modular character growth in a world where only girls exist and everything has gone to hell. Considering that sentence alone ticked more of my boxes than I realized could be in a single utterance, I delved into it and ended up merging aspects of that
Ha, I thought this quest had some bits of Nechronica to it. Neat to know they're on the mechanical back-end, too.

>Character creation is simplified considerably, as you start out rather bland but then get very complex powers very quickly, and I'll be the first to admit that with as many moving parts as a multi-Daughter party has, not to mention the world-tracking for all the individual NPC Daughters and Amalgams of note, I will inevitably have to simplify things for general play when I post it
That makes sense, I can imagine that a lot of these abilities can take some time and effort to resolve their effects. Neuromancy and Skintalking especially, I'd guess, those are kind of the most free-form classes in a lot of ways.

>>3515581
Don't worry about it, you do a great job of building flavor text on top of that mechanical backing. These are all really cool abilities, it's a great system.
>>
>>3515576

Some questions left unanswered here bhop.
>>3514565
>>3514536
>>
>>3515594
(That makes perfect sense, and I don't think that's self-aggrandizing at all. As for getting one's thoughts out of the system, I completely understand that sentiment, as well.)

(Any ideas you or the other players have to improve the quest systems is welcomed and appreciated, and while I've seen plenty of praise, it was actually one of the criticisms of the level-up designs that I believe really streamlined the system by combining the HEALTH/BIO/REGEN with the other available options. If anyone has other comments or ideas in that vein, I welcome them.)

>>3515603
(Thank you so much!)

>>3514536
(Regarding Shu and her team's threat level, it has increased...significantly. You'll learn more in the next Vein. The Neurotic Halo is technically a separate Class ability due to its origins, yes.)

>>3514565
(So much damage that it brought Isabelle's HEALTH to the double-digits. I don't have the sheet on me, but Rath almost downed B'ni then and there. Second, B'ni's stats have been cut by 2/3 as a result of Gina's sacrifice. Finally, by having Isabelle's Core power locked, her body does not reassign a new core power and yes, she is permanently gimped now.)
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>>3515598
Well, that's wrong. I won't deny that choker necklaces have been associated with sexuality in the past, but that's not their origin. They started out as just an element of fashion, and were like that for a long time before late Victorian-era prostitutes got everyone thinking about them as a sex thing. We can't let a few people having weird sex turn us off from the entire style of jewelry. I personally don't see anything wrong with it so long as the style of choker isn't explicit, there are plenty of choker designs that would look just line on a younger girl without implying any sexual nature. Case in point, Lisa Simpson wears a choker.

>>3515601
No, actually, you were right the first time. You just made it a double negative.
>>
>>3515614
Thats not a choker, its more a pearl necklace. Or i guess maybe that is just pointing out our opinion on what counts as choker is different.

Still against a choker vehemently.
>>
>>3515613
>(So much damage that it brought Isabelle's HEALTH to the double-digits. I don't have the sheet on me, but Rath almost downed B'ni then and there. Second, B'ni's stats have been cut by 2/3 as a result of Gina's sacrifice. Finally, by having Isabelle's Core power locked, her body does not reassign a new core power and yes, she is permanently gimped now.)
Oh, that's good. That means that not only will she be a much easier fight when we go up against her again, but also that we'll find her in less dangerous environments. She can't risk going closer to the Cord, anymore, she has to be somewhere east of Carol's Woods. That shrinks our search range considerably.
>>
>>3515613
Also, I think this upcoming vidya gaem would interest you abit. Similar themes, but it's basically God Eater anime mixed with Dark Souls Gameplay and atmosphere...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdAcmSd1zv8

>>3515613
Was the Damage applied before the massive Debuff or after the debuff? Because it's one thing to deal so much damage to send an opponent into double digit health with a single attack, it's another thing when said opponent had 2100 max hp to start with pre-debuff and have said punch deal raw 2000+ HP damage after Bio mitigation.

>>3515625
This also leaves her with few places to safely level her abilities. But keep in mind she has Waystation access to the other side of the river. So Isabelle can easily head to a way station and level up in places we haven't explored like back at the University Dorm campus or The Factory where Ringo sleeps.
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>>3515622
>Thats not a choker, its more a pearl necklace. Or i guess maybe that is just pointing out our opinion on what counts as choker is different.
Yeah, I think it's that. I'm using "choker" just to refer to any close-fit necklace. I'm not talking about a super-tight collar, you're right that that would be creepy. More like a torque, I think, that would be appropriate.
>>
>>3515613
On the topic of the system, I honestly can't think of much, but i think alot of that is because you keep alot of stuff in the background so we don't have the full picture as it was. Most things i can think of i don't even think are really even an issue nor might i even want them changed, and more deal with cosmetic ideas as it was, than mechanics.

>>3515636
Fair enough.
>>
>>3515634
(The damage was post-debuff. Also, I've been watching Code Vein like a hawk since it was announced. Thanks for referencing it!)
>>
>>3515651
is nechronica that system where techno god necromancers make lolis to watch them suffer, where your health is based off the number of body parts you have and losing them via taking Damage?
>>
>>3515651
>>To iterate: Isabelle's HP was 2100% and around 1600% BIO last we saw her stats. Her stats may have changed since consuming Dr. West
>Isabelle's HP post Debuff is a good 700% plus whatever hp buff she gets from consuming Dr. West.
>Rath did 650+ Raw damage on a single punch, And put Isabelle into double digit hp. On a Sui Tormentis Strength boost of 687% and 8-arms fused into 1 Godhand. post-debuff, no-crit.

Motherfucker. We nearly one-shotted Isabelle.
>>3515658
Yes. That's why there's a mechanic that lets the character swap,equip, or modify existing bodyparts.
>>
Also, especially considering the timing, if BHOP or anyone has any suggestions, criticisms, or questions about or over the Character Sheets spreadsheets please feel free to say so, though like i said i cant do much til i get home on Sunday.

also never forget lads, BHOP made a CHROMEBOOK unable to use GOOGLE applications, and i am still laughing at that.
>>
>>3515613
Funny. I've been coming up with a "secret" class almost never seen. It's rather silly because there are already several rare classes, and the Halo has the excuse of being a foreign element while my idea does not. But eh, it was just for fun.
>>
>>3515667
(Its a refurbished brick, honestly; I'm amazed it can do anything. Most of my writing is on a Pastebin since I can't use anything of note on here.)
>>
>>3515634
Well, with what she still has (sprinters, grieves, monstrous strength), she could end fights as soon as she starts them by using an ambush playstyle, so she's still dangerous and could get easy levels fast by backtracking.
>>
>>3515675
She also has Cere's Neuromancy cloud and Gretchen's Cloning abilities. Which gives her stealth to Neuromancy based Radar. She's basically Predator now.
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>>3515660
Makes me wonder if a crit killing her would mean Gina could've reentered her body right then, honestly.
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>>3515576
>Nechronica
OKAY! I always thought you could be doing that but fuck me OP, how are you managing the Counts system? Are you actually following priorities of like
>Instantaneous
>Rapid
>Normal
Because this is far more complicated than any but my most involved Nechronica session that I ever ran.

Not only that, how did you manage to make horrors threatening? They always sucked when I ran it. Are you using the Nechronica wiki at all? It has a ton of fan made content now. How did you manage to convert health into %s? Your ability to make viable swarms/minions alone is quite impressive.

About those systems for Joker Quest, would Mekton Z be one? Are there any games you could point me in the direction of?
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>>3515671
How do you feel having the bionicle alphabet as the Hexxane written text?

Note: There's multiple variations of the Bionicle alphabet, pic related is one used for Voya Nui inhabitants.
>>
>>3515755
>>3515660
Always wanted to play nechronica but its not the easiest system to convince people to play.

>>3515756
Bionicles is kickass.
Actually wonder if the DOs are not the first people to escape the crucible via going full blown cyberpunk. Wonder if any did it on accident haha.
>>
>>3515805
Someone managed to tell the Hexane enough about the Crucible's biology that they were able to build tools to manipulate it before the Crucible even arrived. Maybe it was just long-distance probes taking samples, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was other escapees from an even earlier planet in the Cycle.
>>
>>3515826
there might also be hitchhikers that survived the kill-switch phase and eked out a living while the Crucible virus was in space and inter dimensional transit searching for a new host planet. like a school of fish tagging alongside a giant space whale....
>>
>>3515828
Also a possibility, escapees remaining to parasitize the parasite. There's still a lot of resources tied up in the Crucible, you could take tiny bites here or there and it wouldn't even notice.
>>
>>3515840
Or bastards taking advantage of the hell and chaos it puts a planet through to loot them perhaps, or pick clean any tech and other things left behind after the crucible completes.
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>>3515671
Hey, quick question since I missed the last couple of days of play.

How would threatening suicide have affected Isabelle?

Because, if Sam was already dead when the Crash happened, what makes Isabelle so sure she's actually recorded in the cord?

We might be more truly the only "Sam" then she thinks.

Daughters don't absorb the past victims of whomever they consume, after all.

And we have our weird pseudo-cord BS abilities as well.
>>
>>3515842
At which point they've evolved from parasites to symbiotes, helping the Crucible weaken a planet's defenses and making sure no one survives the planet's destruction to pursue it for revenge. Good thing it doesn't look like this particular Crucible has developed such symbiotes. Doesn't look like it, anyway.

Speaking of the planet being destroyed, what do you think is going to happen with the Honored Daughter? The physical vessel, I mean, not the winner of the Crucible that goes on to inhabit it. You think we're going to have to fight that some day? Because it sounds like a final boss, to me. We ascend the Cord, defeat Mother's defenses, initiate the rebuilding process, and then as a final act of spite Mother causes the Honored Daughter to go berserk and we have to fight a giant monster ripping its way out of the planet's core.

>>3515858
B'Ni doesn't really want Sam. She wants a doll in the shape of Sam, just similar enough for her obsession to play off of, but that isn't actually anything like the real person.
>>
>>3515863
Nah son, its gonna be a dreamscape battle, as we try and destroy its mind so it becomes basically a husk, like someone who is brain dead. Too big to fight naturally, unless the cord is not the final dungeon and we hop inside of it to do a run towards its brain and/or heart.
>>
>>3515675
So for forge bio type reasons, does the halo count as Neuromancer, or give no new type to use at the forge?
>>
>>3515878
>>3515671
Finger slipped, connected to the wrong message, my bad.
>>
>>3515872
Going by the established rules for dreamscape battles, we'd still be fighting a giant monster with our tiny human bodies, just via astral projection instead of physically. Either way, all we can hope is that between being endgame Daughters and having admin access to the Cord, we can swing a lot of power in one direction.
>>
>>3515886
True, though who knows how we will be able to maniplulate the dreamscape by then. Though hopefully we can avoid it being a battle at all, we clearly are not the lucky sort.
>>
>>3515929
Have you all noticed during the dreamscape battle with Isabelle, that while Meg, Eloise, Gina, Holly, and Shu struggled so hard in the art of dream fighting, Rath was going full Asura's Wrath?
If we're going to dip into more dreamscape fighting we might as well start holding training sessions in the dream matrix. And Rath might become our teacher/sensei for this since she apparently learned quite a LOT from having a 1 hour sparring session with Meg and I think a few hours talking to her consumed daughters while snoozing during the time Shu and co held the meeting going over Dr. West's notes.
>>
>>3515863
Can B'ni give up on Sam though? That's kind of the point if her obsession after all.
>>
>>3515936
Well, time moves faster in the dreamscape, provided no one's fighting against the effect putting them in there. Rath's couple hours of training were probably more like a week of intensive training.

>>3515948
Yes. Because she wants some crazy hypothetical ideal of Sam, the actual person is irrelevant now. Worse than that, actual Sam is something that only serves to make B'Ni angry with how she didn't live up to her expectations. It's the Sam in her imagination she wants, not any mind-state that might have been preserved.
>>
>>3515948
>>3515951
Its worse than that. She doesn't want sam, she wants an idealized version of Shu, and has in her mind made the two separate entities, hence why she always tries to justify calling us sam, as admitting we are shu ruins her idealized version of shu in her head.

Hence why mocking her over how we ARE the only shu and she will always see any shu as such worked on her at all.
>>
>>3515961
Somehow, I get the feeling that Isabelle will somehow develop this insane delusional idea/logic that "Shu" is trapped inside "Sam" and will go to lengths trying to extract "Shu" from "Sam's" body.
>>
>>3515961
Yeah, it's a weird mess of a pathology, and hard to state properly. Okay, let me try again: B'Ni does not want Sam. B'Ni wants a highly idealized version of Sam, which coincidentally is somewhat close to Shu. But Shu is a real person instead of an idealized waifu, and since B'Ni is crazy that means that she thinks that Shu's inability to live up to her ideal is because she's still really Sam and just pretending to be better to manipulate people. But I think on some level she knows she's wrong, and so she wants to kill Shu not just because she thinks she's that bitch Sam but also because having a real person around will remind her of how empty her goal is.
>>
>>3515972
I hope not. I mean, come at us bitch, we gonna kill you, but still.

>>3515977
Not sure that's exactly it but shes so insane its hard to truly pin it down fully.
>>
>>3515977
There's also the fact that Isabelle's goal (Make 'ideal Sam' [aka Shu] become Isabelle's romantic lover) was shattered when Shu fell in love with Gina.

>>3515987
>>3515613
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9tKwSboJeg
Theme song of Isabelle and Shu/Sam's relationship.
>>
>>3515972
The fun part is that we'll actually be trying to free our trapped girlfriend from within B'Ni. It's like poetry, it rhymes.

>>3515996
>There's also the fact that Isabelle's goal (Make 'ideal Sam' [aka Shu] become Isabelle's romantic lover) was shattered when Shu fell in love with Gina.
Well, sure, that's a big part of the "Shu is a real person and not actually her ideal" disappointment.
>>
>>3515996
i had a goodbye/memorial song all lined up for gina being dead. Not upset i didn't have to use it.
>>
>>3516003
Dear lord I can't even imagine the circumstances that would have to be in effect in order to make the two of them (Isabelle and Shu) to even consent to try and swap head buddies (Sam for Isabelle, Gina, Meg, Kosi, and Eloise for Sam). It would be more on Isabelle's part that she's gotta consent to the idea than Shu.
>>
>>3515977
>>3515961
(That's very close, actually.)

>>3515936
(Her training session really helped her shine, well done everyone.)

>>3515878
(The Halo currently gives no new types.)

>>3515805
(In one of the past Crucibles this strain has been through, there was a recent race that tried to escape that way in advance.)

>>3515755
(It is...quite unwieldy in its current state, yes. I've developed a sort of shorthand through practice, but it's a bear. I ended up throwing out the system for making horrors as is. Currently, Amalgams function similarly to re-skinned Daughters, with their own quirks and the odd subsystem thrown in to make the unique. I've delved into the wiki a good bit, and there's some pretty great stuff on there. So many ideas, there are a ton of creative people out there, it's really humbling.)

(Regarding Joker Quest, Mekton Z was actually one I had my eye on for a long time as one of the core components of Joker's system. I'd also considered Cthulutech, which might be up your alley. It has a bad rep for some...questionable content in the story guide/manuals, but it's a solid setting and suitably creepy. Sort of a blend of this and Joker Quest, thematically and mechanically.)

>>3516012
>>3515996
(I have to say, considering how core music is to my writing and character crafting process, I really appreciate that you share songs so often. The playlist that I referenced earlier in the thread grows by the day.)
>>
>>3516013
Well, Isabelle wouldn't want sam, unless i guess she is convinced somehow we are not sam and wants the sam inside of us so she can torture her.
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>>3516013
Oh, yeah, it's not going to be anywhere near consensual. We're going to beat B'Ni to within an inch of her life, vitrify her skin, lock her down with neuromantic feedback, and then drag her back to a Sparagmos Engine to extract Gina by force, killing B'Ni in the process. Then, in an extremely obtuse pun, we're going to celebrate with tequilla.
>>
>>3516023
>>3516023
That's why I said unless Isabelle somehow develops this delusional idea that her ideal "Shu" is locked behind the facade of "Sam" that awoke when Sam remembered her past.
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>>3516022
>The Halo currently gives no new types.
Gotta say, you are really good at always giving us something to look forward to.
>>
>>3516022
Also
https://youtu.be/qG05D3OeJYQ
im keeping this one on standby, as i have a feeling im gonna need it, even if potentially not for a main party member.
>>
>>3516022
>In one of the past Crucibles this strain has been through, there was a recent race that tried to escape that way in advance
>tried
yipes...Good effort on them though. If they did successfully escape, then the Crucible virus would've starved to death. But nope. It's here.

Also, I do kinda wonder about the parasites/symbiotes that hitchhiked the Crucible Virus down to earth. I wonder if we'll be seeing them...


>>3516029
And what about Ringo? Are you seriously expecting us to go use a Ripper Engine without Screwing Ringo over?
>>
>>3516080
Well i think BHOP missed my ringo question, but if he isn't literally only alive so long as mother wishes, and is only doing it as part of the deal to live in the cord, he could be convinced possibly, if we can prove we have enough of a shot at stopping the crucible to be worth backing us up.
>>
>>3516039
I wouldn't be surprised if the Neurotic Halo could theoretically count as any skill type. It sure looks like one of the Neurotic Halo's main abilities is to interfere with how Crucible biomass encodes the information on a Daughter's skills, between its ability to turn itself from Relic into skill and the HEXANE REWRITE and ACCEPTANCE abilities it unlocks. Being able to count your Bio as being appropriate for making any Relic feels appropriate as a high level Halo power. These things are probably some sort of peripheral for other Hexane technology, synergies with others of their tools make sense.

I wonder how frustrated West would be if she learned about the Halos' ability to ? She was surprised by Gina's use of the Halo just to ignore Neuromantic feedback, she doesn't know what an unaltered Halo is good for. She's been taking these priceless tools and dismantling them for their processing power. It's like your boat having an outboard motor and taking it apart so you can make paddles out of the propeller blades.

>>3516080
>And what about Ringo? Are you seriously expecting us to go use a Ripper Engine without Screwing Ringo over?
Ringo's duty is to guard a specific Sparagmos (come on, use the Greek word, it's fun to say and has interesting mythological connotations) Engine. They're not going to be punished for other Engines being used. Maybe those other engines have other Tindalian Hounds guarding them that would have similar consequences for their species, but maybe not. Maybe they'll be guarded by other things that we don't care about if they die.
>>
>>3516080
(I did miss the question >>3516087 posed, my apologies. Ringo's deal is purely conditional; Mother cannot trigger it if a loophole is found. Thus, the moment Ringo's Sparagmos Engine is used by a Daughter, Ringo and her species are forfeit.)
>>
>>3516111
Maybe im just having trouble, but i still can't tell if that means Mother fully controls his existance or not.

Regardless, she is one damn bitch. "Hey, here are these engines i put in the game to be used! Oh, buts its also guarded by a being meant to stop you from using it, as if he does not, i genocide his race!"

>>3516102
I could see it, would make it damn powerful though even compared to how powerful they are.

Anything that makes west suffer is good.
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>>3516111
Wait, but that means
there is no rule against Ringo using it. You could also argue a pre programmed construct with no link to a daughter isn't one using it either.
>>
>>3516127
I'm actually questioning if "Mother" fully controls her own existence, much less others.

Because it sounds like she has the power to end his existence, but not the authority to do so without sufficient cause.
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>>3516143
Unless "using it" includes the Daughter being processed by it. The language is ambiguous. We need to get a lawyer in on Ringo's contract. Hey, Mara, didn't you say you were a lawyer before the Crucible? I vaguely remember that, did I make that up?

>>3516150
Oh, I'm certain of that. Mother talks like someone trying to rationalize away their own mind control. "Shut up, I'm not doing this because I'm being controlled, I'm doing this because submitting to the will of the cosmic parasite is the only thing that makes sense in this messed-up universe". Honestly, I don't even think that's actually Charon's old partner anymore. Maybe it was at first, but the Crucible has assimilated her enough that at this point she's just an interpreter for its will. A little spark of a creative and conscious mind able to take the Crucible's various mandates and actualize them. It's like how humans like to think that we're the rational frontal cortex, but a lot of the actual thinking and decision-making goes on in other parts of the brain and is just left to the conscious bits to decide how to carry them out.
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>>3516184
She was a businesswoman of some sort. She told shu "if this was the old world, we would've been a hell of a team, we would've ruled Wall Street together."
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>>3516215
Right, okay, I did imagine that part. She's probably still more familiar with contracts than we are, though.
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>>3516127
>>3516150
That means administrator privileges (The powers Mother Wields) isn't strong enough to over-ride the game code that is the crucible. You need the power of a Game Developer who had the original source code with backdoor access.

Admin privileges in a MMORPG usually mean they get to interact with the players or place in special quests or set certain mobs to spawn. But they can only screw around with the actual game codes (the rules that run the Crucible) for one time only before they get locked out.

This leads to the question of the Hexxane Artifacts. How powerful are they? The Sparagmos Engine is powerful enough to turn a Daughter into the MMORPG equivalent of a Consumable item and Fuse Two daughter players into a single character. Charon's Gun is a hexxane Gunblade that has an on-board AI. So what purpose is the Halo exactly? And how powerful is it? The Halo feels like a debug tool that streamlines the game code within a player (Daughter), but that's just the apparent effects. Streamlined efficiency, reduced errors (Neuro-feedback and Generator backlash), save states (Gina, Meg, and Kosi's minds being preserved despite getting eaten by Isabelle...

>>3516184
>>3516215
I think Mara was an aggressive Stockbroker/Inside Trader before her Crucible life.
She's real good on risk/management assessment and knows how raise potential clients when she sees one. In the Crucible World, it's no different. Scout the land, assess daughters, recruit and nurture promising daughters. Use them to their maximum effect before they go broke (read: Go mad from Hunger). I think this method is why Magpie sees Mara as some sort of creepy Woman who loves "Tests" and "Grooms" her pet projects.
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>>3516224
Only thing i can think as possible contention to that is Mara actually does seem to legitimately care about others, which that makes it sound like she almost pushes them towards the hunger in a sorta 'squeeze them dry of all thier worth' method.
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>>3516224
Don't forget the Forges. Those are Hexane artifacts, too. So the Hexane added item crafting to the game, before the last round everyone could only rely on what tools they could make conventionally instead of shaping biotech wonders. That shows a really impressive understanding of Crucible biology, that they could make this instinctively-used tool that produces such impressive results.

Though the really impressive thing to me is that they apparently managed to designate all their creations as essential objects. Why did Mother bring along all these tools that could be used against her, instead of destroying them? Yeah, she put up guards on the Sparagmos Engines, apparently, but why not just have Ringo smash it up instead of keep watch? I think it's because she can't, the Hexane reprogrammed the Crucible to consider these an important part of its structure. They didn't just make tools that can manipulate the Crucible, they made sure that if they failed every race to follow in their footsteps would have the same chances they did. When we win, we should do something to honor their memory.
>>
Source: 12th vein somewhere in the first four updates.

>"My team is everything you said and more, Mara...so given that we work as a unit, I'd like to confer with them before I give you an answer. Also, I owe a conversation to the Daughter Superior. Would you say that's fair, Mara?"
>She nods, the ghost of a smile on her lips.
>"I would have loved for you to have been by my side at work, before all this." She muses. "We could have carved a path through the investment banking world, together."
>You blink.
>"...You traded stocks?" You say incredulously. "How the hell did you learn how to fight like you do, then?"
>>3516235
>which that makes it sound like she almost pushes them towards the hunger in a sorta 'squeeze them dry of all thier worth' method.
The art of Stock Trading and Investment banking is basically that.
Her mind basically falls back to the practices of stockbrokerage:
>"Buying" (Recruit and Invest in stocks that show promise/Recruit and Invest in Daughters that show promise)
and
>"Selling" (Sell your shares when the stock starts to plummet/Abandon Daughters who have succumbed to the Hunger or fail to meet your expectations)
This makes her a Terrible person in the "soft-skills" department (aka comforting people, empathizing, picking them up when people are feeling down, etc)
It's also the reason why Magpie feels scornful of Mara.
Magpie was a "pet project" of Mara (in Mara's eyes, a promising Market stock whose future value is showing), but soon fell apart after Mara's mindset and methodology started pushing Magpie to her limits and prompted Magpie to get the Crimson Cord Surgery.

I also think Marrow Dragoon is also a nod to Mara's draconian methods. She is a Dragoon (Dragon Rider) afterall, and Dragons have ancient symbology with Greed and gold. And Business.

>>3516254
Wasn't Mother that of the Hexxane race? She was the winner of the previous Crucible, and the previous cycle clearly showed that the participants were the Hexxane race. There might also be a sentimental reason behind keeping the Hexxane Artifacts. Who knows? Mother might be also prompted to remodel certain locations into places that resemble her homeworld.
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>>3516259
>Wasn't Mother that of the Hexxane race? She was the winner of the previous Crucible, and the previous cycle clearly showed that the participants were the Hexxane race. There might also be a sentimental reason behind keeping the Hexxane Artifacts. Who knows? Mother might be also prompted to remodel certain locations into places that resemble her homeworld.
Yeah, the Hexane were the last cycle, Mother and Charon were both of that species. These are very new content updates, the Crucible has been in early alpha for a while. But I don't know, it just feels weird that Mother would want to keep around these threats to her. She doesn't really strike me as one for sentimentality unless there's spite behind it, like the fact that Charon is still around. I think she doesn't have a choice, for one reason or another. Either the Hexane programmed in a command not to destroy their artifacts, or the artifacts are actually something Mother needs for some reason. I don't know what that reason could be, though, so for now I'm going to assume that they've been tagged as essential objects.
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>>3516272
She said she kept the corrupted engine to speed up the process so everyone would suffer less. Maybe she added all of them for that reason, or could not add the corrupted one alone without the rest?

>>3516259
So basically, its not that mara doesn't care about other's, she just has no idea how to treat them.
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>>3516279
>She said she kept the corrupted engine to speed up the process so everyone would suffer less. Maybe she added all of them for that reason, or could not add the corrupted one alone without the rest?
That would still mean that the Crucible's programming has been altered around the Sparagmos Engines somehow.
>>
>>3516224
>>3516184

I'm personally worried that was behind her sudden betrayal.

Sure, the Crucible makes the environment around it dangerous AF, but that can done with bombs or hell even just rocks if you get enough momentum.

The threat is that the Crucible can fuck with souls, and we can only assume the either it has a purpose for not doing so, because I can give *reasons* go do so all day.

Or it's already doing it and we haven't noticed.
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>>3516304
Potentially. I was more of saying that in response to maybe her personality and the fact she made the deliberate choice to add at least part of them, not the effect of adding them or other parts.

The crucible also likes to keep trophies in its collection, so id imagine it was also less a choice about them surviving and more about whether to put them out to be used, both for mother and the hexane's programming them.
>>
Now for Generators. I had some problem coming up with these. Calcite Armorer, Hive Mistress, and Gluttonous gave me clear styles to work around, but with this one I still struggle. I mean, I thought Hundred-Handed was a Fibromancer power before it was stated otherwise, and I keep thinking "wait, does this fit into generators or another class?". Well, whatever.

>An ice/frost user. She has moisture production combined with a biological refrigeration system on steroids, making a refrigerant to draw the heat away. Freezes flesh on contact and launches icicles. It works generally well against Humoral Paladin and liquid-based powers.
>A wax user. Biowax is liquid at first but quickly hardens. It’s susceptible to melting from heat however, making her vulnerable to other heat-based Generators.
>A sound user. She breathes in deep with extra large sets of lungs and whistles to let loose sonic blasts. Might synergies with Skintalker.
>This generator is a hybrid with Hive Mistress. She creates and launches eggs, whose hard shells will already deal blunt damage. Then they hatch into her minions.
>Stretching fingers shooting out like spears. Think Lust from FMA. (actually, perhaps all the Homunculus abilities could be recreated in the Crucible. Food for thoughts.)
>Copycat Generator that makes copies of parts of friends and enemies she sees, and can use associated powers through those copies. Of course all of that costs Bio and probably isn't cheap.
>An opened-up belly from which she creates prehensile intestines. Severing them sprays digestive juices everywhere.
And now for Generator types we know of: Fire and Electricity users.
>Fire user which spills molten flesh like lava in the area around her.
>Fire user that expels burning ash, simultaneously blinding opponents and pushing back against gas-based powers.
>Fire user whose arms act like jet engines, scorching foes that get too close and letting her fly around.
>Fire user that's a hybrid with Gluttonous. Has a mouth like a cavernous furnace. Might eat something and spit out its half-melted remains as ammunition.
>Hybrid with a Vitruvian. Her body is like that of a Seraph, blindingly hot and bright.
>Electricity user who uses an extreme version of static electricity. Builds up a charge by creating multiple skin layers on herself and letting them rub together while she moves before discharging it through physical contact.
>Electricity user which creates electromagnets. The fleshscape limits its uses outside of cities but she can use it to wield multiple relics made from her biomass.
>Electricity user who makes small turrets, zapping foes that get too close.
>Fire/Electricity hybrid that fires lasers through focused lenses. I imagine combining Generator abilities ups the damage but makes backlash more devastating when it happens. She could vaporize herself if she messes up.

Maybe Vitruvians or Neuromancers will go better.
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I'm late as hell OP but HOLY FUCK was that fight intense.
Trust me, when i say this quest is the probably the best of all time and i'm not saying it lightly, Godspeed BHOP.

Also i think you should hold off on the next vein until all the pastebins are updated, especially with the new abilities everyone gained thanks to Gina's sacrifice, it's overdue anyway and it will be crucial during the battle with the not! Cthulhu.
Isabelle's face when she Gina plugged in
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>>3517087
>Gluttonous/Vitruvian: Stomach mouth that bites off a piece of an enemy daughter's flesh who then is able to perfectly mimic said enemy daughter's core ability set at 1/3 of it's full potential. Could be amalgam or daughter. Pic related. Literally Kirby of the Stars taken to Horrifying levels
>>
>>3517087
I just thought of a neat power for the Furnace Daughter. A Consume option for relics, where she gets abilities for eating them. Lower tier relics only give augmentations and passives, but higher tier ones can give class abilities that can be leveled up.
>>
>>3517087
UnNatural Predator ideas
>Human Centipede and Drider types. Depending on luck or modesty, said Unnatural Predator(s) could come across as a cute monstergirl with a human upper torso. The human part is a fakeout. the real body is the monster part.
>Crocodile (Literal Crocodile) Dundee's Daughter. Steve Irwin Archtype. Expert Amalgam Hunter. Very Off-putting in appearance and an oddball among UnNatural Predators (she prefers to keep in contact with non-UnNatural Predator types), but the Australian Accent and her enthusiastic disposition keeps her approachable.
>UnNatural Predator/HiveMistress: Entire body is a swarm of individual insects composed of different species with a Core insect controlling the entire swarm (Maggot). Coalesces together to create the appearance of a daughter in a maid outfit.
>Vampire bat based Daughter. Suffers from Clinical Vampirism. Mother made said Vampirism real. She searches for a rumored Humoral Paladin whose blood supply is endless. She also plays by a different ruleset due to the nature of her powers. Instead of Bio she requires blood to stave off hunger and upgrade herself, the former is harmless, while the latter usually drains the victim bone dry to death.
>Pathogen type: A walking human-sized amoeba (aka a Slimegirl) that harbors a multi-purpose pathogen that can weaken and kill amalgams and daughters. Can only utilize one-type of pathogen at a time. Plays by Plague Inc. rules.
>Tindalos Hound type: Basically Ringo in Monstergirl form. Somehow instead of a human girl that became the the UnNatural Predator type. It's a Tindalos Hound that made a separate deal with Mother. Allow the Tindalos Hound to participate in the current crucible cycle and play by the rules. If the Hound wins, her species becomes entirely exempt from servitude. No one except Mother herself knows about the exact consequences if the Hound loses.
>A daughter that suffers from Clinical lycanthropy. The Crucible turned her into a literal Furry Faggot. Anthropomorphism, neon colored fur, the whole 9 yards. Sexual Deviancy included. Goes full Werewolf in combat. Even Mother in all her alien origins isn't sure what to make of it.

>An Unnatural Predator that is somehow a Vitruvian Hybrid...who suffers from Frequent PMS (Premenstrual syndrome). What's to be feared isn't the nature of the symptoms she suffers from her period, it's how she behaves when she's on her period. Her core type is debatable (Vitruvian or UnNatural Predator, it's a mystery), but there's no debate on her powers. Basically the Hulk, powered by PMS.

Generator idea:
>Humoral Paladin/Generator Hybrid. Blood user. Just a literal walking fountain of blood. Endless Blood. Suffers from High Blood Pressure. As in 400 psi. water pressure (High blood pressure) in the form of blood. A Vampire's wet dream. And strangely enough, she contains all blood types inside her body despite being classified as Sanguine. Jesus, there's so much blood everywhere.
>>
>>3517297
Contender Ammo type:
>HUNDRED FINGER HAND NET: The Finger shaped bullet Shu Loads into has 6 levels of strength in correlation to the BIO cost used to make the bullet: Pinkie (15%), Ring (20%), Middle (25%), Index (30%), Thumb (35%), and Hand (40%). Unlike the B.33 special which only has 1 setting, the Hand Net activates automatically on impact, spiderwebbing across the body of its target and binding its limbs (and eventually its body) together, The fingers digging in to its target and preventing any escape shenanigans. Like a Chinese Finger Trap, the more you struggle, the harder it is to escape. Note: Targets of the amorphous variety require higher strength rounds.

Party Tech:
>ALPHA BITCH BARRAGE (1 Act and 15% Bio each from participating members with a Halo, lvl 2 Neurotic Halo active for all halo users) - Consumes and converts all debuffs into damage modifiers (auto-activates Artisan's peak if malleable flesh stacks is detected), Detonates all Contender Rounds (regardless of type), Everyone uses their strongest single attack on a target. Each participating member deals 10% more damage, with an increased chance to stun the target. Everyone's an alpha bitch deep down.
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>>3517130
Yeah, as i put forth, im fine with and think it would be fine for you to catch up on things that have fallen behind. Couldn't ask for better timing either to take a small break to do that too.
>>
>>3517393
>>3517130

(Gentlemen, I do believe I shall take your advice. Thus, the 21st Vein will open on May 28th at 9:00AM Eastern Time with preparations for the assault on the Spiraling Fear. I'll keep posting in this Vein for when I complete the Swarmling Sheet and West's notes. Are there any of West's notes or findings you all would like to prioritize reading?)
>>
>>3517400
Classes and hybrids for me.
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>>3517400
>>3517405
I would like to prioritize the Cord and Hybrids.
We already have a cliffsnotes version on the classes back in vein 17 and it's a good enough summary.
>>
>>3517405
>>3517412
(If you have any specific questions about the Classes that you or anyone else would like addressed, I'll be happy to throw them in. Obviously some aspects of them will still be spoilers, but I'll do what I can.)
>>
>>3517400
I also do have a question, you mentioned Eloise having to make San checks being the only daughter not blocked by Secluded Mind that Isabelle can access. If Gina, Meg, and Kosi are kept preserved by the Halo and but consumed by Isabelle, do they also have to make San checks? or does the halo preserve their minds from Secluded Mind's Sanity deteriorating effects?
>>
>>3517087
Ooh, mind if I add a few?

Generator
>Vibrating structures like a cicada's wings, produces sound blasts and hypnotic subconscious signals.
>Internal cyclotron that creates waves of radiation, like West's beam cannon without the Relic to focus it. More about poisoning foes things than blasting them.
>Hive Mistress/Generator hybrid based on bees that can raise her and her swarm's body temperatures at will, uses the "heat balling" tactic bees use against wasps to cook foes in an oven made of her minions.
>Speaking of bees, stinger Generator with abilities based around making short-lived injector organs filled with customizable toxins.
>Wing Generator, body creates variable geometry membranes to shape cyclonic airflow for flight and to direct wind blasts/tornadoes.


Unnatural Predator
>Mollusc powers, incredibly versatile. Aragonite shell armor, radula tooth blades, camouflage, ink blasts, fluid jets, tentacles, and minion spawning (most of an octopus' brain is actually in the tentacles. That's why severed octopus tentacles still twitch, they're actually still conscious, and some octopi take advantage of this fact to escape predators by detaching their limbs lizard-style and have the detached limb distract the predator by fighting it).
>Shark powers, kind of a mix with Gluttonous and Generator. Endless regenerating maw full of teeth, skin covered in blades, and electroreception taken all the way to electricity generation. A nightmare to fight in melee.
>Skunk powers. Just...skunk powers. Eww.
>Frog powers. Jumping, camouflage (a lot of Unnatural Predators are going to give camouflage, I figure), Gluttonous-style tongue and swallowing, poison generation, and bone blades. But not these lame Calcite Armorer blades where they just grow them, frogs get their bone blades by shattering their arms and letting the sharp shards of bone poke out through the skin. Frogs are terrifying. All of nature is terrifying.
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>>3517414
I would like information on the corruption progression of each class. You did mention that as Daughters level up, they gain physical corruption traits.
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>>3517400
Now that it's needed to get Gina back, I'd like any information West has recorded on Forges and Sparagmos Engines and how to operate their advanced functions. Anything she's bothered to write down about her own work on the Halos, too, it looks like she's accidentally junked their primary tools but anything she has could be a help.
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>>3517415
(The Halo is preserving their sanity, which is further bolstered by Eloise having company. The more close allies a Daughter has actually gives them a modifier to Hunger checks and suppresses Hunger accumulation to some extent. The reason you haven't had to deal with Hunger mechanics as much as I'd previously accounted for is mainly due to you touching base consistently and reliably with both the Waking and Dream Daughters, and that's been promoting an atmosphere of acceptance and serenity that's kept Hunger down to a bare minimum. Keep in mind that most of the Hunger-mad Daughters you've encountered have been alone. However, numbers alone are not sufficient to keep the Hunger at bay, as can easily be seen in the case of the Fetid Conglomerate and the Spiraling Fear. If someone gets stretched too thin, then bad things start to happen.)

>>3517425
(Excellent, I'll include that in her notes.)

>>3517429
(The juking is less accidental and more a question of system permissions, but I'll get more into that when I go into West's findings on Hexane technology and her musings on them.)
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>>3517412
>>3517414
Id imagine wests notes go into more details. One question of interest i had was essentially each classes limitations, especially in regards to how they are classified. As an example;
Bone shurikens, generator because they are purely offensive weapons you spawn a bunch of, or calcite armorer because they are made of bone? Do generator abilites have to be constructs or throw away weapons, or could you have a girl who spawns a shitton of hair katanas she just abuses til they break and draws another, or leaves them in her victims so they have to work around having a sword inside themselves?

This is not only interesting from a mechanical point of view, but would help us better guage what we are fighting and plan what we want from a fight in victory.

>>3517425
This too.
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>>3517433
>the reason you haven't had to deal with Hunger mechanics as much as I'd previously accounted for is mainly due to you touching base consistently and reliably with both the Waking and Dream Daughters, and that's been promoting an atmosphere of acceptance and serenity that's kept Hunger down to a bare minimum.
I imagine our adventurous lifestyle helps a lot, too. The party doesn't go long between feedings, exploring like this and running into danger all the time. Rather the point, I figure, if you're constantly involved in conflict then the Crucible doesn't have to encourage you with Hunger.
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(Gentlemen, the Swarmling Cheat Sheet is in its Alpha stage. If you have any questions or recommendations, please let me know. I am working on West's notes now, which will shed light on Hybrids, Classes, Corruption, the Cord, and perhaps even the Doctor herself. Thank you for your patience with this, and I hope you're having a great weekend.)

SWARMLINGS: https://pastebin.com/zm2WaBRF
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>>3517672
Absolutely fantastic, thank you for all the hard work!
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>>3517672
Gluttonous Brood should probably mention that the stored biomass can be used to heal the swarmling itself.

I think there were a couple of other swarmling types we have made: cicadalings which made a lot of noise to disrupt echolocation and striderlings(?) with long legs that acted as pack-mules for crossing the swamp. Though maybe these are too niche to include.

I'm having a pleasant weekend and I hope yours is even better.
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>>3517729
>>3517672
The following swarmling entries are missing:
>Cicada-lings (Swarmlings that make lots of noise that disrupt concentration effects)
>Wing-lings: (Swarmlings with a far larger and more powerful set of wings, capable of clearing away clouds or fog.
>Striderlings: Flightless Swarmlings with stilt-legs and a strong back. Good for passing difficult terrain and doubles as pack mules.
>FuzzBuzz: The Team Mascot/pet. A swarmling in the shape of a bumblebee. Covered in Fuzzy, Fluffy fur. Maximum Cuteness. Guaranteed to give other daughters a chuckle of mirth or a squee of cuteness overload.
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>>3517729
>>3517761
(Excellent, I'll add these immediately.)
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>>3517672
If a Swarmling with the Recursive augmentation had harvested health with Gluttonous Brood but dies before returning to Shu, do the smaller Swarmlings that emerge also have Gluttonous Brood, and do they each have part of the Health absorbed by the original?
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>>3517773
(Excellent catch. Yes, they do, and it's a useful bit of insurance to make certain that your healing gets back to you when you need it.)
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>>3517784
Hey BHOP, how much insight into their host do dreamscape daughters have? Both intentional and accidental?
Like, even with Isabelle most certainly trying to hide her true nature, was Eloise getting any hints of who and what Isabelle really was? Id imagine its hard to keep everything hidden from someone inside your noggin, even if they are not trying to pry.
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>>3517672
>FuzzBuzz (BIO Cost:5%(Always worth it) / HEALTH:Too cute, pls no bully / SOFT:High / CUTE:Maximum)
Clearly, our best unit. I mean, look at those stats.
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>>3517852
Fuzzbuzz is the real test of if we can trust a daughter or not. Even Magpie smiled at him before violating him with a stick and using him as a cleaning puff, but still.
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>>3517765
Cicadaling is missing the Speed stat. Only thing that needs to be fixed.
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>>3517870
Which is actually a pretty good summation of Magpie. She's actually a pretty decent person and cares about others, but she is eminently practical and prefers straightforward solutions above all else. Solutions such as shooting Uzu pre-emptively, which I am now kind of regretting talking her out of. I mean, giving Niku a chance to talk her down was still the right thing to do from a moral perspective, but I am tempted to engage in consequentialist ethics right now. Oh well. We'll just have to learn not to underestimate the Hunger in the future.
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>>3517891
The Monastery's fall still hurts in hindsight.
Also, we may have forgotten about the effects of the Hunger After Mother buffed it.
>ABYSSAL HUNGER: the Hunger of all active and susceptible Daughters now increases 30% faster, and any Sanity checks made as a result of Hunger reaching max level will be made with disadvantage.
>san checks against hunger will be made with disadvantage.
Yeah... The Hunger is lethal now.
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>>3517419
>>3517352
>>3517297
>>3517087
>>3517672
Also, bhop, how are you finding our ideas? Hopefully they'll help you out.
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>>3517891
We shouldn't ever throw our morals to the wayside, but I don't think its unfair to say we can justify IC Shu being a bit more...the word escapes me. Less trusting of letting people or problems sit, even if she has to be harsh to someone in order to solve it? Hurt feelings are better than mountian sized monsters, as it was.
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>>3517929
We didn't forget about it, we just didn't realize how bad it really was. Our sin was ignorance, not apathy. We won't make that mistake again.

>>3517934
No, I get what you mean. We're going to be more alert now, more eager to nip problems in the bud immediately. We understand now how narrow the edge is, we have to be far more proactive in seeking out and stopping problems before they spiral out of control. Literally, in this case. We're going to need a new form of transportation if we're doing that, though, because it will definitely put us over the Threat Level limit and so we can't rely on the Waystations anymore. Maybe get Amara's Skintalker level up high enough that she can tame a meat dragon like Mara has, use him as our Flamey.

Also, speaking of Threat Level, can it go over 100%? I know that 100% is when Mother starts trying to actively kill us, but it would be kind of fun if it keeps tracking from there. If we're already facing the consequences, then further increases are just a fun way for us to measure our success against her. Once you cross the threshold the mechanic changes from a danger to our score counter.
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>>3517992
It doesn't have to be a meat dragon, but yeah, she might be our best bet. That or get used to trekking it the old way even when back tracking.
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>>3518024
Well, no, I doubt we'll find the exact same sort of Amalgam. But something we can ride. I guess Shu's larger Knights are also a solution, but she'd need to increase her swarmling cap to carry the entire party. They take four slots each and can only carry a single rider, and Shu only has eighteen slots. Not enough to carry all five of us.
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>>3518039
I thought the meat dragon was a construct, not an Amalgam. Just because it sounds like something pieced together and reanimated rather than a living monstrous creature.
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>>3518052
Its a tamed Amalgam via a neuromancer ability at a level it no longer needs an active leash to the beast. Aka she hacked into it and rewrote it to have a permanent mental connection to herself.
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>>3518052
I believe it was established that it's an Amalgam she tamed with Skintalker powers. The appearance doesn't mean much, either way it would be Crucible biomass inexplicably functioning despite appearing to be a dead thing. And we've seen weird Amalgams before, remember the floating mummy eye?
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>>3518071
>No signs of an amalgam that is just a 1d8 sided polygon
Ramiel would be a kickass amalgam
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>>3518071
Nah, BHOP specifically did say it was a high level Neuromancer ability. But skintalker i honestly think would still work better for us i think, because having Amara CONVINCE, rather than FORCE one to join us, just sounds awesome.
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>>3518098
I must be one of the theories posed as the one he confirmed, then. But yeah, let's make friends with an Amalgam, I think it could work. Oh, the kitty! Amara wanted to pet the cat-themed Amalgam that we wound up not having time to hunt, maybe they're big enough that we could ride it.
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>>3518098
well then, we’ll need to upgrade it to level 10 or 12.
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>>3518110
Could be, though like anon said
>>3518111
Probably need to get her core up a bit first.
Also why level 12?
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>>3518111
We're probably going to get a big power-up off of the Spiral Fear. Even if we render most of its biomass unusable from all the damage and have to split it twelve ways among all the participants in the fight, it's got so many Daughters in it that I figure we can expect at least ten levels each. The Monastery's unimaginably tragic loss is our gain.
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>>3518142
Hardly a good trade off. Plus we have to watch for the Midnight Crew not to pull something. Its unlikely but if they see an opportunity...
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>>3518172
Oh, certainly not a good trade, I just use flippancy to cope with how bad things went. And yeah, the Crew might do something. They also might not. In addition to there being plenty of other people around that would retaliate against them, Mara said that death threats from Jackie aren't necessarily genuine and might even mean she likes us. Weird girl. We'll be on watch just in case, but I'm hoping they won't do anything stupid.
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>>3518192
>Jackies shit list is or doubles as fuck list
Im not sure how to feel about that one honestly
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>>3517933
(These are tremendously helpful and incredibly creative. I love it when you all share things like this, so I welcome any and all ideas you have!)

>>3517831
(Eloise in Isabelle's head was an odd case; since Eloise is a very private and aloof person by her very nature, she actually ended up being one of the only Dream Daughters that didn't really delve too deep or question the warning flags B'ni was raising. If, for some reason, she'd been the one to absorb Holly or Meg, then one of them would have raised some questions to you if you'd spoken to them. Also, you'll notice that Isabelle was naturally skittish about being connected to anyone else's mind for any length of time, since that would've revealed her hand relatively soon.)
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>>3517831
(To elaborate a little; it's fairly easy for a Dream Daughter to dig a little into someone else's mind, but a lot of the Dreamscape consists of snatches of memories, half-remembered or without context, akin to a book with many of the pages smudged out. Also, a lot of memories that they encounter are twisted versions of the originals, since we have a tendency to subconsciously distort our own narratives even without meaning to. Thus, it can be very hard for someone stuck in the Dreamscape to understand where reality ends and fiction begins, so they tend to stick to their own memories to avoid bleed-over or loss of self, which is a very real possibility if they delve too deep.)
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>>3518653
>>3518670
Ah, yeah that's really interesting, thank you for answering, much more in depth than I expected. Funny coincidence we gave Isabelle the one dream daughter that would not raise any flags.

Also funny how any dream daughters will almost always potentially know more about sam than shu does.
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>>3518670
also, if you can mind getting me the Neuromancer level 1 info by tonight if possible? If you are busy or really digging into another project do not feel rushed at however.
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>>3518653
can we have a peek at Mara’s Character sheet? She did place Shu in command of the team assaulting the Spiral Fear...
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>>3519114
>Wanting Maras over Magpies
shit taste.
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>>3519183
Magpie is going to be doing supporting fire from the outside instead of delving into the spiral with us, we won't be making tactical decisions involving her.
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>>3519191
apparently i suck at jokes.
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I had a thought. If Rath managed to consume Uzu's core ability and hybridized it with a Calcite Armorer ability...Would she be able to go full Gurren Lagaan?
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>>3519234
...ok so we have a new objective gentlemen.
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>>3519239
>inb4 By the end of the Battle with the Behemoth, Rath's ability set will literally encompass most, if not, all of the classic Shonen Protagonists out there.
>Mother gets a huge headache on how to balance/hybridize 3+ ability trees and wrap them into 1 single tree.
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>>3519239
>>3519234
Actually wouldn't SPIRAL ENERGY fit better made with a positive emotion Phantasmal Conduit Ability?
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>>3519209
I guess? Sorry, not trying to be mean, but I didn't notice a joke at all.

>>3519234
Rath's final form is going to just be one big fleshy super robot, isn't it? Like those fan designs of Getter Robo you sometimes see where everything looks weirdly biomechanical.
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>>3519255
shit taste is a joke implying someone's taste in waifu is bad.
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>>3519268
No, I got that part. I thought you were referring to something more specific. I'm confused.
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>>3519277
Magpie > Mara
Let the waifu wars commence.
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>>3519254
>literally the power of shonen hot-bloodedness
>Turn it into an Phantasmal Conduit Aura.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQQgXk7YIow plays in the background whenever Rath turns the aura on.
>Rath somehow doesn't even know how to toggle it on or off. It just activates by itself.

>>3519310
And there it is... I have no words to say. I just wanted to know Mara and Magpie's stat sheets so we can do better tactical planning, and you turned it into the typical waifu war shitposting...You brought this upon yourself WorkAnon.
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>>3519329
The joke earlier was too obvious to pass up making, and i think being in a car or loading and unloading furniture all weekend away from home has made me slightly stir crazy.
I don't even care about waifus, but i still regret nothing.
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>>3519310
Oh, okay. Still not seeing the joke, to be honest, just a statement of your opinion. Maybe the intricacies of waifu wars are just beyond me, I never really got into those.

On an unrelated note, I got to browsing art sites for biomechanical mecha after the mention of Rath becoming Gurren Lagann, and it got me onto a cool tangent. Found this artist, goes by the name Hydrothrax, that draws these neat "living machine" things. Kind of makes me think about what a society that has mastered the Crucible's biotech like the Hexane wanted to do would make for their tools. Still clearly living things, but in a sleek and clean package instead of having the irregular structures that make for body horror. Pic related is my favorite, I want to think that there's an ex-pilot Hive Mistress out there who took the Queen path and made this thing as her uber-minion. Kind of a counterpart to November, I guess.
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>>3519345
Waifu Wars is basically when two groups of people who both promote shipping or shilling, collide and come into conflict due to differing opinions that Character A is better suited for Character C than Character B.
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>>3519387
No thats a Shipping war, a waifu war is just about which (female) character is best basically.
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>>3519387
I know what waifu wars are, I just don't get into them, so any memes beyond "your waifu is shit" will go over my head.
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>>3519410
But...that was exactly the joke i was making earlier you got confused at...
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>>3519416
I didn't recognize it as a joke. I thought you were sincerely insulting Mara.
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>>3518729

(Sorry for the wait. I'm not sure what happened to the original, but I cannot appear to locate it. I've re-written it, so I hope you don't mind and if you have any other questions, please let me know.)

NEUROMANCER (Lvl 1): The spark of genius with an amethyst's shine. Gina is able to manifest thick cords of neurofibers tipped with hardened 'jacks' at the tips, allowing her to tap into Daughter and Amalgam alike to exert her will. While the jacks themselves cost 10% BIO to craft, there is a variable cost for the amount and extent of control she is able to exert over other beings.
(Also, we all know who best girl is.)

(It's NPC that took the Corrupted Gear and gave you the BIO needed to craft Sui Tormentis and the other Relics before the Monastery fell.
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>>3519764
Yeah, she was okay, but I don't trust a girl who smiles that much. Feels fake.
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>>3519764
right, WorkAnon home now, after one hell of a long weekend.

i actually do have one last very VERY important question for you;
after the change from BIO and HEALTH being their own upgrades, you made it to where even CORES upon level 2+ grant Stat increases, and ALL other abilities at all levels, including Passives and Augment, grant them too.

however, many of Ginas earlier Halo and Neuromancer abilities were from before this time, as well as many of Kosi's granted singular abilities....and many of Raths and Shus earlier abilities too but lets focus on that later.

basically, im asking if you would like to add that in to them or not, especially considering now it makes a very big difference whether they grant those now or not, not just because it makes sense for them too with the changes to the system, but aswell as from a kinda dehumanizing pragmatic frame of reference losing Ginas stats is still a big blow to the party.

while i understand the hesitation, id actually argue this already should've been a conversation and potentially have already happened, as it actually somewhat gimps those earlier levels and in ways those abilities by them not having that. i mean, for example, in certian ways, despite what Skintalkers are supposed to be stat wise, due to this oddity from the changes, skintalker might actually on equal levels grant significantly more stats than said pre-change abilities, though ive not actually crunched the numbers, considering SWARMLING didnt start granting Stats til level 7, Neuromancer level 4, Halo til level 5, Radiant Boil til level 4, Tensile Strand til level 3, and Maw til level 5, and ive not even counted passives and non level-able abilities, this does leave alot of missed stats compared to newer abilities and characters.

Granted, Shu took some Biomass upgrades, and i think Rath took a Health, but overall those upgrades were sparse compared to Ability levels taken and were far from in line with how it is done now.

Im fine with however you wish to deal with this issue, but it is a pretty significant one id argue given the sudden swapping of existing levels onto other characters, rather than outright new abilities or levels being added to them.
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>>3519814
(Welcome back, I hope your weekend went well.)

(As far as the stats go, that's something I've been tweaking over the past few days to make it consistent. In addition, I'll actually be adding stats retroactively, and Id like to work with you in whatever way works best to make it fairly seamless. This will mean of course that Shu and company's stats will increase, so I'm still playing with the balancing a bit to make things in line with how the system is currently, on top of what they're getting from Gina.)

(I have some time tomorrow evening where I should have a general idea of how things will go, and I'll post it then.)
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>>3519826
im more than happy to assist in whatever way works best, though simply discussing it here will work id think.

if you so would like, i can compile a list of all the current issues with the Character sheets, and either post it here or in a new document(so as not to get things lost in the thread or make it too messy) so as to let you know in better detail what the odds and ends are.

you could then post here(or again, in a new document) the changes you wish to implement based on that and what you yourself may find in the Character Sheets, and i will of course implement them.

if another method works best that you can think of of course, i am more than happy to do that instead.
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>>3519842
(A new document would work well, if you're up for it. I still need to assemble the flavor text for the Swarmling updates you requested, as they somehow got lost alongside the Neuromancer Lvl 1 info as well.)
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>>3519849
im more than up for it.
i apologize for adding more to your plate, but thank you for being open to listening and working on this!
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>>3519853
>>3519849
do Google Docs work/are readable by you, or do you need me to use Pastebin?
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>>3519814
>despite what Skintalkers are supposed to be stat wise, due to this oddity from the changes, skintalker might actually on equal levels grant significantly more stats than said pre-change abilities, though ive not actually crunched the numbers
Hard to say. None of our pre-revision characters have raised their skills high enough since the changes to directly compare. Also, I'm not sure what conversion factor we should have between Bio and Health. My gut is that Health should be valued higher, since running out of it has greater consequences than running out of Bio, but I don't know exactly how to weight it. Like, over her four levels invested in her core Amara got +40% Health (though she's recorded as her max only being 120%, did she start out with less than 100% or is that just a typo?) and +10% Bio while over Gina's first four level-ups (because the first two were before the revision) she got +50% Bio. Same amount, but I feel like Amara's stat growth is more valuable. Would back-dating Gina's level-ups change that? Not sure.

>>3519826
Well, I can see it going two ways. First is that you could make the stat change retroactive. I don't think anyone would really mind if we just handwaved "yeah, you were stronger in that fight, but in this version the enemy got some luckier rolls that meant they did more damage". Changes to Bio shouldn't be as much of an issue as changes to Health, generally we don't go low enough on our supply for a much larger amount to really matter anyway.

The other option is that it's just a change now. Shu and Rath, since they're the ones that knew Gina best, are all fired up with determination and ready to take on the world, and that lets them push their limits farther, reflected mechanically by increased Health and Bio equal to what their stats might have been if we back-dated the revision. And Gina can get her stats upgraded once she's alive again, as a process of growth as a person from her act of self-sacrifice. A bit shonen, so I can understand if you don't want that, but it's not much stranger than having the Dream Daughters give power-ups. And, of course, B'Ni gets nothing. Because fuck B'Ni, her stats are already high enough even with us nerfing her.
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>>3519853
>>3519854
(I want this Quest to be the best it can be for you and everyone here, and I appreciate your help immensely in that endeavor. Google Doc works fine, as my Chromebook has been behaving itself as of late.)
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>>3519859
(You bring up some excellent points, and it'll be food for thought in the morning. I shall be heading to bed, so I wish everyone an exellent nights sleep, and take care.)
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>>3519862
Yeah, I should be getting to bed, too. Good night, BHOP and everyone else still in the thread.
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>>3519859
Amara started out with both BIO and HEALTH below 100%. all classes start at different starting Stats, some higher than 100%, some lower.

>>3519860
>>3519862
thats good to hear. you take care BHOP!
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>>3519867
right, here you go BHOP.
the Document is on 'comments allowed' so PLEASE, everyone, if you know i missed something or find anything else, it would be appreciated if you would mention it so i may correct the list.

again, thank you BHOP for your hard work.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1utiFlGeVAvMOcZaY71KRTk6nnNCw1cNJNVz2kyDDiKE/edit?usp=sharing
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>>3519906
>>3519862
well, clearly with that move of mis linking posts, im needing sleep too, haha.
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I know im late but damn does this song make a good Bni theme.
https://youtu.be/w_zeZVBvGWU
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Amalgam ideas:
>Manta Ray Amalgam. Only it's Silhouetted Shadow can be seen. It glides UNNATURALLY over the ground leaving a trail of debilitating goop in its wake. The goop drains hp/bio on contact, but dissolves in acid or any liquid. It prowls coastlines, feeding on exhausted daughters that cross the river by a hair's thread. Riverside Settlements are its favorite food. Damaging it causes it to split into smaller clones of itself. Can be Basic or Colossus Sized. The former gives the augment Shadowed Skin FleshArtisan power. The latter gives out the Shadowed Skin Skill Tree.
Notes: Inspirational source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB__NEidS_g. This level gave me nightmares as a child when I played it.
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>>3519862
right, i THINK ive found all the missing information for Swarmling and some other stuff, which ive put into the Document for you to decide how to organize and use it.

holy hell you used to do things differently. you have improved fucking massively my man, trust me. im seeing i think a major issue with lost info was because you used to have Techniques, which some were directly tied into abilities to be triggered upon certain conditions, but then later you seem to have just counted those a free levels or something without telling us? i dunno, honestly it was kinda a mess.

also Trypophilic Hive is a much more kickass name than Swarmling, shame that almost instantly got abandoned haha. waaay too late to change back now though.

also things slowed down pretty quickly actually. we got our first 4 Swarmling AND Maw levels by the end of Thread 2, which also seems to be about when BHOP started to get the system in place as it is now.
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>>3520530
(Thank you for the compliment; Im so much happier with the system as it is now, and I can tell I'm not the only one. There was a pretty massive shift on how I did things, as once the speed of posting and the need for easy shorthand became evident, I had to quickly decide what to keep and what to scrap. Techniques were an entire subsystem I just ended up throwing away. They were alright in playtesting, but just ended up being too much of a handful.)

(Also, Trypophilic Hive; would you all like to rename your Core ability back to what it was at the start of the Quest? I have to admit I'm trying to figure out why I changed that. I just chalk it up to early-game weirdness like the transformation cards early on in Joker Quest that no one ever used again.)
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>>3520543
>>3520530
The shorthand term for the Trypophilic Hive "Swarmlings" somewhat became standard. I think the turning point was when I called the Acid swarm constructs "Banelings" after Starcraft 2 units. It kinda stuck, and we've been adding -lings to any specialized unit that came out of the hive.
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>>3520543
kinda do want to change it back, if only because 'Swarmling' sounds so generic. every Hive Mistress is technically a 'Swarmling' Ability, unless they go the 'Queen' route and i think even then its implied they can still have more than one Construct, depending on the specifics.

hell id even almost guess, though could of course be very wrong, that 'Swarmling' or something was a beta name for the class or ability or something, and slipped in accidentally or something. it sounds close to that to me.
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>>3520567
I, personally, want to keep the more generic name, because "Trypophilic Hive" reminds me of how gross Shu's back probably looks. I'm not affected by most body horror, but trypophobia gets me. Just calling the power "Swarmlings" lets me pretend the exit points for the bugs are cleaner and more regularly-spaced vents.
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>>3520572
>complaining about a bodyhorror element in bodyhorror quest.
it is a pretty disturbing image though yeah. but it also is more unique and fits better i do think.
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>>3520578
We can keep the technical term "Trypophilic Hive", but we can still have the characters in quest call it "Swarmlings" because it helps them adjust and cope with the Trypophobia it might give them. Just like how we made FuzzBuzz. A swarmling created as a way to cope with stress and the Crucible World in general despite it being a giant bee (of the bumble bee species)
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>>3520578
I'm mostly joking. Like you said, it's Body Horror Quest, I should be disturbed by our characters' weird bodies. Flippancy is how I cope with things that disturb me. That said, I will never click your image. There is no power in the universe that can compel me to risk what might be under that spoiler.
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>>3520583
>>3520585
(Trypophilic Hive it is, with everyone referring to your constructs as Swarmlings, still.)
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>>3520585
what not a fan of...i think those are salamanders?

>>3520583
i can see it.
on the note of names, always found it weird how Ginas Core was called 'Neuromancy' while that is also the overall Classes name. or maybe all Neuromancy abilities are the same, at least starting out, or something.

>>3520591
>adds to list of work to do to the Character Sheets.
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>>3520591
Sounds good to me.

>>3520595
>what not a fan of...i think those are salamanders?
Sure they are! I don't believe you, I'm not looking.

>on the note of names, always found it weird how Ginas Core was called 'Neuromancy' while that is also the overall Classes name. or maybe all Neuromancy abilities are the same, at least starting out, or something.
Maybe, but we've seen lots of different Neuromantic transfer media. Slime, vapor, direct physical connections. I think there are probably lots of starting manfiestations. Maybe we should give Gina's version a new name, like "Amethyst Pins".
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>>3520603
i mean, i know you are not gonna look at the image, but trust im not lying to you. im pretty sure those are salamanders doing the hive thing you do not like.

Ginas cords are jacks like with headphones im pretty sure. originally i thought she was gonna be alot more biotech focused due to hints and said jacks, aswell as having the last set of headphones and the last phone on earth, but i suppose not.
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>>3520603
more like usb jacks or A/V cable
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>>3520607
that said, what happened to Gina’s Smartphone?
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>>3520612
(Shu has it now. You're free to keep it or give it to another party member, if you'd rather.)
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>>3520607
>i mean, i know you are not gonna look at the image, but trust im not lying to you. im pretty sure those are salamanders doing the hive thing you do not like.
Oh, then those are probably toads, actually. Surinam toads store their eggs in pores on their backs, it's gross.

>Ginas cords are jacks like with headphones im pretty sure
Yeah, I know, "Amethyst Jack" just doesn't sound as good to me.

>>3520617
We should play some of Gina's favorite tunes for her when we're in the dreamscape with her. See if we can bleed in sensory data from the real world, give her better fidelity than we'd have if we were just remembering the song for her.
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>>3520617
Keep it unless Amara gets too wily, then let her play tetris on it for a bit.
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>>3520619
>>Shu: Opens Gina's phone.
>>Title of First playlist.
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>>3520676
>Shu: “You kinky fiend...”
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>>3520676
thats not a joke, is it? thats actually on the phone, isnt it?
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>>3520683
(It isn't, but I just saw that image and it gave me a good chuckle, so I thought I'd share. Gina doesn't have the tracks to make a playlist like that.)

(...her notepad app has plenty of space to extoll Shu's finer points, however.)
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right. so ive never written a review before, so i have no idea honestly how this has turned out. i tried to be fair, and despite my obvious love of the game, point out things other may not like or might be points of proper contention, but as stated at the end, im only human and i have my biases.

regardless, here is my Review of BodyHorror Quest. for whatever it is worth.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nSK2ZiPkZMV-LvXRUxmPiLgMWODUrZngGGknRmlHTOw/edit?usp=sharing
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>>3520727
(I just finished my read-through, and I cannot thank you enough both for your words of praise as well as your honesty. This was very well written and I found myself chuckling at some of your comments. Truly, if I had a nickel for each time I was mistaken for Canadian, I'd be able to retire and run BHQ full-time.)

(Nicely done, and thank you for taking the time to write this.)
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>>3520756
its no problem, im glad you found it an enjoyable read. im very glad you found it fair in what it said.

also, i made a fully fleshed out fan villain because things got out of hand this weekend, boredom is a dangerous Pandoras box to open. good catharsis-ism though.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lCUeI5NAqv9fL-S4KK0_y5ZlAfHFhN_-onrpK3Dm4lQ/edit?usp=sharing

anyways, i just had a sad thought about how once this boss battle is over, whoever is left out of the usual party setup will be left on their own now. which also means it can't ever be Amara.
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>>3520947
What if we recruited November to our community? She seems to be somewhat sedentary, she has a connection to our little family already, and she's pretty powerful. I don't think she'd be a party member, but living in the Town of Rust so that she could keep whichever member of the party is left behind company could wind up happening. So Amara could hang out with Auntie November when she's not with us.
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>>3520947
(I really like the villain you've made, along with the skills and Relics!)

(Also, you and your team may not be off-balance for long, depending on how you play...)
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>>3520947
Also, loving the ideas for that Daughter. Someone with the same broad goal as Shu, but who can't be allowed to win because she's too far gone into the spite. I feel like we've got too many Sanguine Paladin skills, though, we need to start coming up with ideas for manipulating body fluids that aren't just blood and life force symbolism. Maybe after we see the Midnight Crew in action we'll get a better feel for how you're supposed to use yellow bile as a weapon.
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>>3520947
Hopefully with the loss of Gina, we increase our party cap. We already are ignoring it for these fights and it doesnt seem fitting to just leave someone alone for extended periods of time, especially with what happened to the monastery.

On another note, after this fight we should take a break and set up a base we can return to between quests, we really gotta recuperate mentally. And besides, its something we've been planning on for a while.
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>>3520965
>>3520966
>>3520969
November and/or Magpie are my guesses. and i mean, BHOP just through Isabelle at us THEN the mountain, im nervously thinking a Tank might soon not be as major an asset as we think it is...

i agree too, that getting a more permanent home base sounds like a good idea. mind you, we are gonna have to be prepared for that drawing Charons ire....but setting something up and slowly rebuilding allies id argue is almost a necessity. heavy vetting though, no one mooches off of us, even if they simply stay in the safe zone we create.

>>3520966
>>3520968
thanks. i got to thinking about how cruel the crucible is, and how easy it both would be to hate it, but let that go too far, especially seeing as how, in the end, it is other humans that are causing suffering just as much, so despite ones hate of the crucible, it may be hard to justify saving anyone.

and we do have too many blood based ones, but contextually it is the easiest to think up, aswell as gain access to. we have seen someone with crystallized vomit weapons, i think as the only none blood based ability, to be fair.
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>>3520969
>On another note, after this fight we should take a break and set up a base we can return to between quests, we really gotta recuperate mentally. And besides, its something we've been planning on for a while.
We've got a party full of Neuromancers (and one Skintalker) now, I think we can probably make a fortress if we wanted to. The question is where. The Town of Rust is a nice defensive position, but I think too many people we have to be on guard for have its waystation coordinates. Ideally we want somewhere that no one who is an enemy of ours has been to yet. I have no idea where we'd find such a place, though. Or maybe we should avoid Waystations altogether, with how we're raising our Threat Level they'll become more liability than benefit soon.
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>>3520982
we need to be NEAR a waystation ,but not have it in our base. its a risk ,but the ability to so freely travel to and from places it too great to outright pass up. at least them having to walk to the gate as it was, would allow us to see them coming and vet who actually enters.

but i also see the issue with how our chances increase if we stay away from waystations. regardless, i do sadly agree, despite its good position, the town might be just a wee bit too compromised. maybe we should go through the forest, and see what we cant explore on the other side?
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>>3520991
Maybe. Hey, I just realized: Carrol's Woods is a lot less scary now that every party member has a Neurotic Halo. Even at level one, the enhanced perceptions should make it easier to get through the illusions. Maybe we could even make our home inside the forest, use the illusions as a first line of defense.
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>>3521014
that could work yeah. lets wait and see how the forest really works, but if it seems good, im not against making a treetop fort sure.
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>>3520038
(I really like this, Anon. Added to the playlist, and thank you for sharing!)
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>>3520947
Oh hey, that AGGRESSIVE END ability looks like it fits perfectly in the fan class I thought up a while ago (but never posted because all ten classes had already been revealed).

>Rotbringer
A class that deals with rot, decay, decomposition, and putrefaction powers. A very convenient power in a world of flesh and powers drawn from biology. Traits to recognize daughters that use it include rotting flesh, cracked discolored skin, skeletal bodyparts, and blacked bile leaking. They often look like the undead.

>pros
It's a very strong class offensively, boasting absurd base attack which can bypass nearly any physical defenses (though not those based on dodging, decoys, illusions, or trickery and the like). Defensively, it boasts devastating counterattacks. In terms of buffs and debuffs, it has access to some of the nastiest status effects in the Crucible, and the ability to shrug off conditions for the price of health is not uncommon (by rotting the affected part or vector. Like the nose, mouth, and lungs against a gas-based assault).

>cons
As the Daughter rots herself to activate her abilities, it's very Bio intensive and prone to recoil damage like a Generator's misfire or a Neuromancer's feedback. Furthermore, it gives little to no stat increase as it levels up, so while it tends to dominate the early game, it falls behind in the late game and does poorly in drawn out battles. Lastly, it's too good at what it does at times, as a lethal crit from it can cause a foe to rapidly decompose, netting less points or even nothing at all if they aren't fast enough. This leads to a slower level progression than other classes.

>Other
A dead Rotbringer as a chance to also rapidly decompose and be absorbed by the ambient fleshscape, contributing the the class' rarity as the victor loses the chance to absorb the ability. The class does not pair well with relic crafting as it compromises the product's integrity, though it's not a problem for devastating single use or maintenance heavy items. The Choice usually revolves around becoming a one-hit kill or spreading wide scale ruin. Fool's Choice can grant the ability to revitalize allies and the environment through compost, granting Bio regen, faster cooldowns, and enhancing terraforming. Secret use: while the ability itself grants little stats, hybrids made from it gain increased stat gain compared to others. It's as though combining it with another power energizes it as if planting a seed in nutrient rich soil, and lets it and the Daughter blossom to higher heights.

My main inspiration was thinking that decaying bodyparts and dead things can also make for good body horror.
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>>3521102
thats actually really neat anon, well done!
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>>3521102
Bravo. I was actually just thinking that it's interesting there aren't any classes based around disease, though I suppose Humoral Paladin sort of has that covered. This is a very cool idea.
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>>3521102
>>3521117
(The Humoral Paladin and Generator subclasses do have this covered, but the presentation and ideas behind this are absolutely stellar, Anon. I wholly welcome fan classes, characters, and even species for participants in previous Crucibles. The setting can be slid in anywhere, so I like that it really lends itself well to the QM/DM/Storyteller's whims when it comes to the classes available and the quirks of the individual Crucibles.)
>>
RELIQUARY NUCLEIC AMALGAM (Prefers to go by RNA): A former participant of the Crucible Cycle. Now a symbiote. It tends, mends, and manages the Relics in the Crucible as well as leftover Relics that survived the previous cycles. An avid curio collector and keeps heavy tabs on the items used by participants of the current cycle in order to study their culture and philosophy, and to observe the relics that eventually make their way into the Daughter that successfully Ascend. But such interest is fleeting for when the Crucible ends, its interest ends, and its boredom begins. Barters and sells Relics...for a heavy price of course. As for the reason why it became a symbiote... it refuses to say.
Has a Rivalry with DNA in the everlasting debate of "whether or not it is the Relic set the Daughter uses or the Powers the Daughter inherits that is crucial for the Favored Daughter's Ascension."
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>>3521341
DARWIN'S NUCLEIC AMALGAM (Prefers to go by DNA): A Former Participant of the Crucible Cycle. Now a symbiote. Pledged eternal servitude to the Cord's will in exchange for plying a trade unique to his species: The ability to weave, augment, and transform bio-matter to a sophisticated degree that rivals that of Mother.
DNA cares not about who wins or loses the cycle. What interests it is the powers and factors in a Daughter's biology that allowed her to reach and climb the Cord as well as seeing to the Crucible's newest evolution. DNA is very willing to help any daughter who carries the potential to reach and climb the Cord, and thus freely offers it services to augment, upgrade, optimize, and even reset abilities that a daughter inherits throughout her journey...if the daughter can survive the procedure that is...
Has a Rivalry with RNA in the everlasting debate of "whether or not it is the Relic set the Daughter uses or the Powers the Daughter inherits that is crucial for the Favored Daughter's Ascension."
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>>3521341
>Has a Rivalry with DNA in the everlasting debate of "whether or not it is the Relic set the Daughter uses or the Powers the Daughter inherits that is crucial for the Favored Daughter's Ascension."
>>3521355
>Has a Rivalry with RNA in the everlasting debate of "whether or not it is the Relic set the Daughter uses or the Powers the Daughter inherits that is crucial for the Favored Daughter's Ascension."

Oh, that's so sad. DNA and RNA shouldn't be arguing. They should be working together, to synthesize polypeptides. Mother, tend to your...well, not your kids, they're actually more like your weird great-aunts, I guess? Whatever, give them some ribosomes, is my point. That should get them to work together.
>>
We really need a pastebin update to reflect the recent Contender upgrade.
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Hrm, well it seems we may of fucked up Anons. I personally had totally forgotten that Halo Level 1 specifically states the halo cannot be used without Neuromancy, and we gave none to Amara.

Also would folks like me to Change the wording on everyone's new abilities from
>Gina
To
>Character x
Or are you guys ok or even prefer leaving said reference to where they got said abilities from?

>>3521355
>>3521341
Huh, these are pretty neat.
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>>3521083
>Gave Amara a Halo but no Neuromancy.
>Halo can't be used without Neuromancy class abilities
Mother fucker. I wish we could do a retroactive re-arrangement because we basically gave Amara a useless ability. But the Acceptance Vote has already taken place.
>>3521368
Goddammit. we should read the fine print next time.
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>>3521368
Huh, so it does. Damn. We got so distracted by the "technically it's not a Neuromancy skill" bit that we forgot that part. Well I just feel silly now. Guess we'll just have to feed Amara the next bit of Neuromancy that comes her way.

And I think it's fine to keep the names. A lot of the flavor text references Gina's character traits, you'd have to rewrite the whole thing to make it fit each individual user. Maybe put "(Transplanted Skill)" after the name in the header for each of the skills, to resolve any confusion for new readers.
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>>3521368
>>3521387
(Gentlemen, feel free to strip out that caveat. It only applied to the Prime Neurotic Halo; now that it's been subdivided into the bodies of the Halo-wearers allies, that restriction is lifted. My apologies for not addressing that earlier.)
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>>3521360
Both of them care about the continuing of the cycle, and both of them deep down know that the Rivalry's moot in the grand scheme of things as their work combined helps make the Crucible Virus grow, evolve, and continue to thrive. But the rivalry exists as a point of personal pride for both of them, and makes for great entertainment for both symbiotes and the Mother of the current cycle.
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>>3521389
Yeah ill do something like that then.

>>3521387
I think it'll be ok. Worse case we fetch her a neuromancer ability.
also during our fix-it session he did say around level 4+ the halo starts to alter itself based on the user, so maybe that can be a scapegoat fix?
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>>3521341
>>3521355
(These are brilliant, I love it.)
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>>3521396
>>3521403
Oh well there you have it, problem solved. Guess Neuromancy was just the unlock card.
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>>3521411
(For that specific Halo, yes, it was.)
>>
Man, can you imagine how different the quest would be right now if we hadn't picked the Consume option for Gina way back after the fight with Meg? That Halo has been very good for us.
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>>3521443
It was a super tight race between Halo and the ability that allows Gina to sink into the ground and gain enhanced terraforming skills in exchange for being completely immobile. And Gina at the time had no eyes and was blind as a bat!
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>>3521411
(WorkAnon; here is the Pastebin for what you requested. If there's anything else you need, please let me know.)

https://pastebin.com/FQCxzSPB
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>>3521410
Artstation has some really good Professional level artwork. That's where I pulled the images for DNA and RNA.
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>>3521464
>https://pastebin.com/FQCxzSPB
awesome! thank you so much! the effort and dedication you put into this quest is appreciated whole heartily BHOP!

>>3521443
>>3521453
its not a surprise the Halo won out. while we didnt know exactly what it was, it was very obvious it was some sorta sensory node, and if anything, Gina being blind on top of her Neuromancy is probably what pushed the vote.


also, while i still must plug in said flavor text, stats wise and everyone else(Even Gina) is fully as they should be, though mind you the stats are really the only new thing to look over at the moment.
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>>3521479
(I can't tell you how much inspirational art I've found from there, myself.)
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>>3521484

>"Magpie, the Gunner, and the ranged attackers of your choice will ride my mount, while I'll be at your disposal for an internal assault"

>"...Why is it my choice?" You ask, eyebrow arched. "You have leagues more experience than I do, why would you give up command to..."
>"Because it's your team." She says, cutting you off gently. "You've fought alongside or against everyone that'll be at your command, and you have a solid grasp of their strengths and weaknesses in the field. I can't say the same, Shu."

>re-reading this, I realize that Mara is giving Shu full command of the Spiral Behemoth Assault team
>Mara, a character whose kit is nearing late-game levels, wants Shu to take command
>the equivalent of a end-game mmorpg player offering to help a group of relative newbies take on a natural world raid boss.

Mara's, Magpie's, November's, The Vitruvian/Humoral Hybrid's, and the Midnight Crew's Character Sheets when BHOP?
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>>3521504
>"Magpie, the Gunner, and the ranged attackers of your choice will ride my mount,
> the Gunner,
>ride my mount,
hrm, considering i doubt she plans to mount the tank on her dragon, that might mean the gunner is still a new character. actually she outright knew Novembers name at the end, so its very possible this is the case, and that November was an unexpected addition.
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>>3521504
Yeah, Mara's got a lot of trust in Shu. If this is another test, she sure picked some high stakes. Either Mara is really confident that if things go wrong she can kill a kaiju on her own (not implausible), or she's genuinely got that much respect for Shu's skills already. Or both, actually, it's probably both. "I like you, kid, so I'm going to let you lead, but if you screw up I can still cut my way out of this thing so it's not actually a risk for me."
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>>3521533
Or it means that November herself will ride the dragon to spot for long-range attacks from her tank. She can control that thing remotely, I believe.
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>>3521548
she still was tethered to it to control it while out though, and i doubt said cord can have enough slack to be flying around on a dragon. id also imagine the need for a physical connection has to do with her immense resistances to necromancy.
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>>3521556
She was tethered to it when we first met her. We don't know why. Given that it's her life support system, it might have just been something like dialysis. November's a Queen-type Hive Mistress, the tank is her uber-Swarmling. She should be able to control it remotely. She might prefer to use a hard-line connection for greater security against it being hacked, but since the cables were never mentioned again we don't know what they actually do. I guess we'll just have to wait and find out.
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>>3521504
>>MFW they're all ugly as hell and in my unreadable shorthand.

(In all seriousness, I have some some basic sheets, but they'll be pretty bare bones as a lot of their abilities I'd like to keep under wraps. The most you'd have direct control of is who you choose to bring into the Spiraling Fear with you, as the others will be outside trying to buy you time.)
>>
(Also, to clarify; November *is* the Gunner that owed Mara a favor.)
>>
Well, here's a common set of questions, but considering the Vein it is and what it signifies, it only feels proper to ask it regardless.

What's everyone's favorite and least favorite moments of the quest? Favorite and least favorite characters? Personal biggest triumph and regret for parts you took part in? Interpret these as you wish to actually be able to answer them, of course.
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>>3522276
>Favorite character; Rath
While I don't at all dislike amy of the main cast, Rath just stands out so well. Everyone else is calm and collected in one form or another, which is fine, but anger and Rage are under appreciated emotions and she has every right to feel such an excess of them, and she does it damn well too.

>Least favorite; West
No character i can ever think of in any media ever has made me hate them more. In many ways, a very well written character, but she just ticks so damned many of my 'this is bad to think' boxes the quality of the character is lost in my hatred of her. From thinking you can do whatever you wish because you MIGHT in the future be able to make it all up, to her snobby personality and self aggrandizing, her abuse of her own gifts to abuse others. damn i hate her, and could probably make too long a list of reasons why.

>Favorite Moment; saving Rath and Destroying the Corrupted Engine.
Fighting the dollhouse Daughter via stealth was simply something we have not gotten to do again, which is a shame. It was also our first real selfless act that we could've fully avoided and maybe even would've been better for us if we did, but instead we chose to save someone and i think that set us down our current path.
The engine was also a good moment of us doing good we could've avoided, and was also a good moment to show we could make a change, a good change, on the world of the crucible.

>Least Favorite Moment; learning West is an endless Cancer.
I just want her dead man, but it looks like ill have to settle for breaking her instead.

>Personal Triumph; Saving Amara, Trust in Tactics and Hulk Julia
I am more than appreciative of just how often and much others tend to trust my plans, or even just part of them, and am glad it seems im up to the task. Though people tend to not trust my conversational skills almost ever, and it's about 50/50 on how to level up, so not sure what that says about me haha.
And i do not regret my push to not consume Amara at all. I was surprised by how hard an argument i had to put forth to change anons mind on that, but am so glad i fought for us not to and that anons did change their minds.
Otherwise pushing to have Julia hulk out and lift the Colossus was an amazing moment, showing both her commitment to the cause and the armors potential power.

>Personal Regret; Abandoning Kosi
It may or may not of been the right move to do, and at the time it fully understand why i made it and others backed it up. Regardless, long term i've become a hypocrite over it, using logic to convince if not force Gina to abandon one of her closest friends simply because we didn't know her, while then being willing to throw everything away several times over the fact i felt leaving no one behind and sticking next to those you care about is worth defeat, and forcing her not to be able to do that no longer sits well with me.
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>>3522276
I think my favorite character is Dorian. He just appeals to me in a lot of ways. His bon vivant personality is pretty entertaining to see interact with more down to earth characters. His powers are cool, some of my favorite in our party. And his whole recruitment mission was really fun.

Least favorite...it was B'Ni before we nerfed her, but now I'm too excited to hunt her down to feel much antipathy. So I'd go with Uzu the Younger. Damn it, Uzu, we tried to be nice and give you space and you just go all Kuzuro-cho on us. You had one job, Uzu. One job.

Favorite moment I think is destroying the corrupted Sparagmos Engine. From discovering Dorian's mansion to finding the Engine to recruiting Ringo to killing a would-be god while delivering a snappy line about being a godslayer. It was all just consistently excellent. Saving Maria from being consumed was also really uplifting, even if that later turned out to be for naught. Fucking West. As a runner up, I'd also say the early-game stuff when it was just roaming the wasteland bumping into weird Daughters was pretty good, too. The meeting with Julia back when she was still flayed especially.

Least favorite moment was realizing how far gone the cyborgs are up their own asses. I was really cheering for them to make a cool space civilization, now I don't trust them and worry that if they survive at all they'll just be a problem for humanity further down the line.

Havne't really been here long enough to have personal triumphs or regrets yet. Only been playing for the last couple of threads. I guess any time I make a good contribution to a dialogue write-in, that's when it feels like a triumph.
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>>3522276
>Favorite: Amara
Such an impressionable girl. that endless optimism who keeps us anons smiling. Coming up with storytime with her is always a treat for me creatively.
>Least Favorite: Hard to say. I'd say West, but Francine is such a polarizing character. Same goes with Isabelle. I tend to categorize "Least Favorite" as "Polarizing/controversial". I haven't met an out and out jackass Daughter who survived more than 2 encounters with Shu's Family... Or Isabelle.
>Personal Regret: Isabelle. Isabelle. Isabelle.
Goddamn. The backstory. The betrayal, just seeing Isabelle's slow descent into delusion sorrow, and anger. And then the part where she goes and ransoms us on the threat of death. knowing in hindsight that we could've done more to give her the happy ending she worked so hard for twists me into knots. I dunno. I'm a sucker for showing sympathy to tragic devils.
>Personal Triumphs: The Heist for rescuing Kosi. Planning it out in the long-term and even though it was impromptu was more or less a good sense of accomplishment. Then there was the fight against Isabelle. I was present in the opening and closing rounds of the fight but was absent for a majority of the part of the fight, and had to hold my faith in other anons. It was nerve wracking having to hold out hope that other players like WorkAnon could pick up what I left off. Especially since I left after giving a surprise opening round against Isabelle.

>Least Favorite Moment: The Serial escalation of "threats" that now are taking an active tab on us or taking active measures against us. (Mother putting a rising "threat meter" on our family, B'ni solidifying her resolve to enact revenge against Shu, The leader of the Midnight Crew declaring that Shu's now on her list, The Monastery's destruction, West keeping more active tabs on Shu, etc.) I like serial escalation, but because of dice and how we tend to play, it just starts to get overwhelming when it gets to disaster dominoes level of escalation. Not that I mind of course, but still.

>>3521738
>The most you'd have direct control of is who you choose to bring into the Spiraling Fear with you, as the others will be outside trying to buy you time.
Oh.
A question regarding Julia and Cancerous Payload. Does Julia still need to use a neuromancy cord to inject the payload or can she deliver the bomb simply by touching?
>>
>>3522518
(Julia may deliver the payload by touch.)
>>
Personally West is one of my favorites. I also think the DOs did nothing wrong.
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>>3522534
>I also think the DOs did nothing wrong.
Not yet, but their behavior is making me concerned as to their long-term viability as a society.
>>
>>3522456
Yeah the whole corrupted engine saga was full of good moments. Shame our rescue of Maria did not last long. Fucking West.

>>3522518
Amara is great, but i think Julia has won out as being second best, breaking the tie. I dunno, something about her being such a sweetheart and agaisnt violence yet still not hesitating to give it her all is admirable.

Also are you talking Francine and West as different characters, because if so i think its fair to dislike one and accept the other.
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>>3522541
What about their behavior concerns you?
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>>3522276
>Favourite
Gina is best girl and anyone else is clearly wrong! /s
Nah but seriously, her cheekiness makes her so likeable for me, and after her sacrifice my opinion has been cemented.
>Least Favourite
QUACK, NUFF SAID
>Fav Moment
Julia picking up the fetid conglomerate to save Gina, Rath One Man Punching B'ni, Shu reciting Big Smoke's order to fuck with the grove neuromancer
>Least Fav moment
Not regarding the writing but the consequences, B'ni leaving us for not loving her when we were literally having an intervention to make sure she's OK because we care
>Personal triumph
I mostly lurk and discuss instead of vote (a bit scared of being the one to fuck up something), so nothing especially sticks out
>Personal regret
Not participating enough
>>
>>3522543
Work Anon. You're missing out on Crimson Cord Entries on Shu's end of her char sheet. Both the Base Crimson Cord along with Selfless Scarlet.
>>
>>3522546
Loss of emotional intelligence. They were not able to understand why Shu might find West's presence threatening. Despite this, they showed the ability to themselves feel emotion. Taken as a whole, this will gradually damage their ability to form group cohesion, as they'll only be able to process their own emotions and not consider the thoughts of others. Enlightened self-interest may be enough to keep them together, but I expect there to be lots of schisms under the surface as they grow to resent their peers.
>>
>>3522553
Hm? Crimson Cord is under 'Other Abilites' as it is not a (directly) upgradable ability.

Also was Selfess scarlet actually a described thing? I could've sworn BHOP just threw out the name and nothing else, and wouldn't Gina have that, not Shu?
>>
>>3522566
I think it was technically a Dual Tech, the color name referencing Shu and Gina's bond and Shu having in-character control over which of B'Ni's skills Gina erased.
>>
>>3522564
That's fair. Although we hardly met all of them. It might have just been an issue with the one we talked to, or they were a huge Francine fan due to past events which didn't let them accept our view of her.
>>
>>3522573
I dunno.
I mean, if it is actually something i missed ill add it, i just don't remember it being anything that should/could be added.
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>>3522628
No, I agree, we don't have enough detail to add it to a character sheet. Just saying that if we did, it would go on both Shu's and Gina's.
>>
>>3522650
Actually speaking of that, I don't think i have Crimson Cord under Ginas stuff either, though to be fair there was a good reason i put it with Shus stuff...er, well there WAS even if I can't remember why.
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>>3522656
Ah, yes, the wording implies it goes with Shu, not Gina. Knew there was a reason.
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>>3520676
>20 minutes into anime and chill and she gives you this look.
>>
>>3522276
>Favourite character
Julia. Initially super intimidating, actually the sweetest character around, also the toughest in our team. Honourable mention to Isabelle for making me feel anger and pity in equal measure.
>Least favourite
Uzu. B'ni and West are 'love to hate' characters; Uzu was just exasperating.
>Least favourite moment
When I caught up and couldn't binge BHQ any more.
>Favourite
When I caught up and could start participating. Story-wise, there have been so many great moments, but I particularly liked the fight with the tunnel ghost and the Daughters we had consumed helping to stop her taking over Shu.
>Triumph
Suggesting to fight Isabelle in dreamspace. Didn't work out quite as well as I'd hoped but it was a very enjoyable fight.
>Regret
The last time we were in the Monastery I was arguing to force a resolution with Uzu. Shouldn't have given up so easily.
>>
>>3522547
Hey man, its a voting based system. In the end, we all have a part in our failures and successes, together.

>>3523015
To be fair, things went so bad in the waking agaisnt Isabelle, it was still a great idea.

And yeah, the monestary ended up a mess. Its a lesson on not letting things sit i suppose.
>>
>>3507656
>Karen took the fuckin Sisters
>Karen please, we don't want to speak to the Mothe- I mean Manager
>>
>>3523426
I find it odd that Mother decreases Shu's threat level by a measly 3% from 46% after Shu fails to make prevent the Monastery from becoming a literal mountain monster, but Shu fucking up a single daughter is enough to raise Shu's threat level from 43% to about 83% (my guesstimate)? Disproportionate much?
>>
>>3523470
well, Isabelle was supposedly Mothers favored. id imagine she does not tell many Daughters 'ill talk and tell you anything anytime.' we may even be at 100%+ like one Anon mentioned might be a thing.
>>
>>3523470
Well, let's be honest, is the Monastery falling really going to discourage Shu from ending the Crucible? Not really. So it's only a decrease because no longer having a safe refuge to destress in decreases our odds of success. But it's a small decrease, because we're already working on a new base. We actually were before it even fell.

Meanwhile, we psychologically devastated B'Ni, one of Mother's ringers for winning the Crucible, demonstrating just how determined we are to push past any obstacle in our way through sheer spite. Moreover, we then crippled B'Ni by unlocking a feature of Hexane technology that Mother probably hoped no one knew about, and then got an extra five copies of that technology. That's going to scare Mother. We're a group of Daughters willing to take so much pain for each other in the name of protecting those they care about and spiting the wicked, who now all have access to Neurotic Halos. It isn't quite at "worst case scenario" (that's when we're strong enough to defeat Charon), but it's getting close.
>>
>>3523486
Ye gads. Just imagine the threat level if Rath actually one-shotted Isabelle right then and there by spawning more arms and fusing them all into the God-hand used to Punch Isabelle beforehand.
>>
>>3523486
>>3523491
i wonder if we get the halo leveled up enough, if we can rewrite Charons coding to free them? but probably not, if only because im still weary of hoping for anything.
>>
>>3523492
Yeah, that's the ideal, but we might have to do a mercy kill. We'll see.
>>
I'm writing up a short omake. It's almost done.
>>
(Update: Finished writing the opening post for the 21st Vein, and am putting some personal touches on the list of 20+ CONSUMEable abilities the Spiraling Fear may drop. I must admit, these are some of my favorites thus far.)
>>
>>3525039
(Aiming to wrap up West's notes tonight to post them later this evening or tomorrow, we'll see.)
>>
>>3525039
Aww, man, BHOP. You can't say that when we've already got a bunch of abilities we need to level. Figuring out the balance of regular level-ups to Consumes is going to be torture.

>>3525045
Oh, lovely.
>>
>>3525039
>20+ unique abilities available to be consumed from the CONSUME OPTION.
BHOP pls. Everyone that survived the SPRIALING FEAR will go into a food coma from that.

I've got much of the fan-omake story (Feat. Charon) done. But I still need to proofread it.

In the meantime:

>KAREY, THE MEAT MERCHANT: This Enterprising, meat-marketing, scrap-picking, price-haggling, fast-talking, skin-talker of a Merchant's daughter can be found wandering the fleshscape between settlements and notable locations. With a winning smile on her face, a Skintalker's ear to the ground, THE ANCIENT'S CLEAVER for cutting prized meats of the fallen, and OBESITY'S BURDEN to hold the marketable meat of fallen daughters and amalgams she sells as her wares, she wheels and deals her way into acquiring valuable relics and carrion that contain powerful skills in the name of business and profit. Scrap-picking's her business and business is good.
>>
>>3525118
(I am very much so looking forward to it, and Karey is absolutely adorable.)
>>
>>3525122
Are Food Comas a thing in BodyHorror Quest?
>>
>>3525039
>>3525045
awesome to hear on both, but please, take you time, no rush. other than getting it done before the next Vein opens, of course! i kid, of course.

>>3525047
hey just think of it this way, with 20+, its nearly impossible to roll that ONE ability we saw we really like onto that one character we want it on!
>implying this makes the Consume option any less enticing
er, we already probably have more abilities than we can easily remember to properly use on everyone?
>this one doesn't work either because of hybridization.
shit, er....its technically sorta cannibalism and thats yucky?

all jokes aside, thats...very interesting. thats 20+ levels, and im very certain even if it was the monastery, just by the knack of how the Crucible works, id say at the very least every Daughter has 3+ levels into their core, and thats undershooting the number due to the fact it was very much implied there were still at least some decently competent daughters there, so Cores and Secondaries alike are probably much higher.

still, thats probably at least 60+ Levels. the real issue is how much we lose of that to the river, and how that will be split. sure, November and the Fisher both owe Mara a favor, and the Midnight Crew already have things evened out via Mara promising to not tail them anymore, but that doesn't mean they expect nothing despite any otherwise kind personalities, especially the Midnight crew who dont have said personality even if their leader was not actually outright going to kill us, which is still a 50/50 there. 13 characters, assuming we split it evenly, is 4.6 Levels per character, assuming none are lost in the fight, and that groups like the Midnight Crew dont steal or demand more than their fair share...or earn more rightfully.

and yes, i do realize i am probably HIGHLY undershooting the overall levels possible to get from this thing, merely pointing out, especially with such a big group fighting it, its potential levels might quickly get thinned down on how helpful it actually is to use specifically....also i might be a bit of a pessimist now, haha.

>>3524383
>>3525118
looking forward to it Anon!

also i agree with BHOP, that is a neat character.
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>>3525135
(Ha, in a way. A Daughter that consumes a vast amount will get quite sleepy, so it's best to consume in a group.)
>>
>>3525141
actually, that does bring up a question? how often is it that making mothers choice gets a Daughter killed, given it knocks them out? honestly sounds like the most shitty way to die in alot of ways, because the ADMIN basically fucked you over personally.
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>>3525136
Workanon, there's also the consideration that a certain Rabbit my siphon off some levels from the literal mountain of corpses because of the sheer size of the Amalgam.

Also, because of my fan-submitted character. Scrap-picking (aka being a Vulture) is a probable thing to practice in a world like this.
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>>3525153
good points too. guess just hope i was VERY underselling its potential levels then.
>Hope
ah, theres that sickly word again.
>>
>>3525118
Fun character concept. She must have a hell of a willpower, though, to not get high off her own supply. All those tasty biomass samples, and she has to hold on to them in hopes of finding a better deal instead of just going for them now.

>>3525136
Yeah, I think that there's probably a lot more levels in the Spiral than that. There are probably a lot of Daughters that Uzu didn't use the Consume option on but just absorbed for levels. I'm pretty sure the Monastery had more than twenty Daughters living there, I'd be surprised if the Spiral Terror has less than a hundred levels in it. B'Ni had ninety-one levels of actual skills and an indeterminate number she junked through Bolstering Feast for pure stat upgrades. I doubt this giant uber-Conglomerate is that much lower level than B'Ni was.

>>3525145
Which means that there's actually a subtle selection pressure for Daughters who partner up and become friends instead of running as lone wolves with no one they trust to watch their back. Mother is bad at her game.

>>3525153
I don't know, I think the giant monster fight is the last place B'Ni is going to want to be right now, and we'll have hoovered up all the useful bits before she can stumble upon it.
>>
(Gentlemen, I shall begin posting West's notes in a moment. I shall include the Pastebin at the end that compiles it all and I'll also include it at the beginning of the next Vein for reference. Thank you for your patience and encouragement, and if you would like any clarification on what is posted, then let me know and I'll try to reply while avoiding spoilers.)
>>
>>3525162
oh, yeah, i probably did, logically, undershoot the levels immensely. even with 100 that is 7.6 per character assuming all survives. not bad mind you, and im also sure we could easily be getting more out of this, but i suppose i just want to be cautious at getting over excited or overestimate what we get here, especially as we have to win first, and whew, thats gonna be a tough fight. i mean, we couldn't get away from Isabelle without technically sacrificing a party member, so even with the extra help...
best case, the Midnight Crew lose a member, but they didn't actually hate us before, thus fueling their actual hate of us s they aim their loss our way to cope.

>>3525171
awesome.
>>
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Francine Randolph West, PhD. ~ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epn7Ne7-iMc

#1: HELLO, WORLD

My name is Francine West, and I am beginning to fear that I am the only sane one left at the end of the world.

Panic, fear, and pure animalistic instinct drives the women I have seen in the time since I awoke. They are afraid of what the world has become, of what they have been reborn as. They skitter to and fro, killing and butchering each other solely to play their part as a piece of this new, wondrous ecosystem. Have any of them stopped to ask the questions that demand to be voiced?

Panic. Fear. Instinct. I believe that mankind is capable of far greater things, driven by that one core feeling, that singular drive that informs the path before me as it did for the great men and women that came before.Truly, I stand on the shoulders of giants in a new age of discovery, and I know what shall drive me to heights the likes of which mankind has only dreamt of.

Curiosity is the key.

(Continued)
>>
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#2 ~ THE CORD

The administrator of this grand game came to me in a dream. 'Mother,' it calls itself. It came with a binary choice and, never being ford of those, I inquired as to alternatives. After a lengthy discussion, I relented to choose the first of the options presented me, thus granting me the ability to parse through the remnants of my subjects and pluck the desired abilities from them at my leisure. The ability modification was intriguing, but it was the information that this foreign being offered that delighted my senses.

The Cord is the tether that binds Mother to Earth, a parasite to a host, as it were. Atop the spire lies the seat of what little power Mother appears to wield; so intent is she upon the power she wields within this game, she fails to see how powerless she really is. No...true power lies in the Cord, itself.

What Mother told me lines up nicely with my lengthy discussion with Professor Uzu three weeks ago. It was a chance meeting, really, though one that illuminated a great many aspects of the Crucible that I was previously unaware of. She was able to send in Constructs to the lower levels, but even the Neuromantically-inclined among them had difficulty tapping into the Cord's incredible potential. However, she theorizes that if a Neuromancer were to stop just before reaching Mother's administrative console, then one could effectively interface with the source code of the Crucible itself, and that, well...

That would change everything~

I would have like to have picked her brain a bit more but I was not as powerful then as I am now, or else I could have learned much more, I'm certain. Her ability to craft constructs intrigued me, however...more research on that, in due time. As for now, I am in the process of establishing this facility. There's a lovely little cloister of pacifist Daughters in the town just outside, and a Forge a hop-skip away. What's more is that I've located a most magnificent machine across the river, beneath a terribly gaudy mansion. A Forge, an Engine, and a variety of subjects; it's as if this place were made for me.

I believe I can do great things here.

>>ADDENDUM (Proxy Gamma): West Prime's Proxy-based forays into the Cord have confirmed the considerable spike in difficulty and the utterly alien nature of what is to be found within. However, one key hypothesis has been confirmed; while multiple Daughters may ascend the Cord at once, any Daughters that they have spent time alongside and formed significant bonds with are prohibited from ascension once one among them has been admitted by Sargatanas.

I must admit some relief, then, that my Prime-Self does not have to fret over such trivialities.

As my fellow Proxies and I are composed of the remains of other, less fortunate Daughters, we do not technically meet these exclusion criteria; thus, several teams of Proxies have made attempts at the Cord, but few are able to reach the halfway point.

It is a terrible, fascinating place.
>>
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#3 ~ HYBRIDS

It’s come to my attention that abilities that multiple skill trees reaching the same power thresholds after the same consumption event will be allowed to fuse together into a unique new form. It has also come to my attention that had I not spent so much time accumulating a variety of power sets, I might have discovered this sooner.

Hindsight, and all that.

After some self-experimentation with the device Mother refers to as the Sparagmos Engine it appears that I am able to re-assemble my genetic code as a Daughter, effectively allowing me to shuffle around the levels of my powers. This has allowed me an opportunity to see how different combinations of powers work, and I've reached some conclusions.

First, there does not appear to be any limit to the number of abilities one may combine, though it appears that all of them are reduced to a base level when hybridized. I have had enough material to produce a six-tree fusion with some intriguing results, though it appears that hybrids of more than three trees do not have any obvious benefits aside from the sizable increases to my combat statistics.

Second, there appears to be certain skill trees that naturally work better together as fusions. Multiple variants of the same type of skill tree are most fruitful, though some unique interactions have been noted in the combinations of Flesh Artisan and any of the Construct-based trees, granting the user greater control over their creations. Combining a Calcite Armorer and Generator skill tree had a most wondrous effect, with the weapons I'd previously crafted out of bone and tissue replaced with shining crystals of ice, with each creation having the effects of the Generator power's blasts, allowing for an incredible offense. I do believe that one was my favorite, but further research is necessary.

Third, repeated use of the Sparagmos Engine as made my left pinkie toe terribly itchy, even after removal. A brief spat of neurosurgery was able to rectify this however, and I am pleased to report that the expertly-performed lobotomy has rendered any further Engine-Itchiness null and void.

Happy day~!

>>ADDENDUM (Proxy Gamma): Proxy Delta's assigned experimentation with hybrids resulted in her explosive dissolution and the destruction of Laboratory Five. Neuromancer/Generator Hybrids are henceforth prohibited in any and all Proxies. While Delta's findings and sacrifice do mean that Prime-Self now has an incredible weapon to use at the time of her ascension, it is only due to her fusion with [REDACTED], [REDACTED], and the Halo that will allow her to wield such a power without destroying herself.

She is truly the best of us~
>>
>>3525190
>What Mother told me lines up nicely with my lengthy discussion with Professor Uzu three weeks ago. It was a chance meeting, really, though one that illuminated a great many aspects of the Crucible that I was previously unaware of. She was able to send in Constructs to the lower levels, but even the Neuromantically-inclined among them had difficulty tapping into the Cord's incredible potential. However, she theorizes that if a Neuromancer were to stop just before reaching Mother's administrative console, then one could effectively interface with the source code of the Crucible itself, and that, well...
Elder Uzu said that her main body died, entering the lower levels. So was she lying (or acting on false memories) and the real Elder Uzu is still alive, or did she just eventually get tired of the inefficiency of using proxies and decided to investigate herself? Please let it be the second option, I don't want to have ANOTHER mad scientist with proxy-based immortality running around.
>>
>>3525193
Neuromancer/Generator Hybrids are henceforth prohibited in any and all Proxies. While Delta's findings and sacrifice do mean that Prime-Self now has an incredible weapon to use at the time of her ascension, it is only due to her fusion with [REDACTED], [REDACTED], and the Halo that will allow her to wield such a power without destroying herself.
So West Prime got a halo for herself. Wait a minute. She underwent a 3-way fusion with two other brainy Daughters while also having a Halo?
Motherfucker.

>>3525205
>>3525174
Also, Glad to know that Neuromancy and Generator Hybrid powers apparently have incredible backlash. If we made a hybrid with Rath's Boils and Gina's Neuromancy, Rath would've had a high chance of self-destructing.
>>
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#4 ~ CORRUPTION

I peeled all the skin off my left arm today. It was so thin and translucent at this point that I couldn’t help myself; it was terribly satisfying~ It got me thinking, however, about how these abilities start to rapidly alter our bodies once they reach certain thresholds, though this process appears to be notably delayed in large or tight-nit groups. I shall have to do further research, and as luck would have it, there appears that there are some materials still scuttling about in the town outside.

-26 Hours Later-

The Corruption appears to trigger at Stage Ten, with progression advancing with each stage of growth afterwards. I've noticed it first with my Core ability, as while I have always had the ability to interface via skin contact, it's only recently that my epidermis has been rendered obsolete by the shining neuron threads that now adorn my flesh-bare arms. It's rather beautiful, if I may say so~

My Hive Mistress ability has shown steady progression as well after I hunted down a few more raw materials for experimentation, with my hive expanding from my abdominal cavity straight through to my back. I am glancing down as I write, and it appears that the entirety of my torso has become translucent, with the number of jellyfish within growing steadily.

I must admit some uncertainty as to the purpose of this Corruption. I had hypothesized earlier that it was some attempt at a balancing system, with one's powers becoming obvious the stronger one became. However, after my continued conversations with Mother, it's becoming clear that this was meant to drive Daughters apart, partly as a fear tactic and partly as a self-shaming tool, though I have to wonder if this caveat is due more to Mother's own insecurities than any weakness she noted in our species as a whole.

Also, she says I am becoming her second-favorite Daughter.

Considering I was never considered the 'favored daughter' despite my status as an only child, this is mildly amusing, considering it comes from an alien virus in the stead of my biological predecessors.

>>ADDENDUM (Proxy Gamma): I was a fool. The Favored Daughter was right here, and I could have...what? She is too powerful for any current proxy to properly best, and while I myself boast the third-greatest combat potential among my number, she would prove to be a formidable foe. She is Vitruvian, clearly...no corruption in body, so one or more must exist in the mind. Like the source, I am a curious woman...and if I can lure her to the Cord and to the Prime-Self, she will have all she'll need to begin her ascension immediately.

>>I am close to the Prime-Self. She tells me things, things she does not stream to the others, and certainly not that rogue unit. Her body's unstable after the fusion. It's a statistical anomaly that she survived it at all, but her body's breaking down. If she had some source of regeneration like this Vitruvian possesses, then...it's over.

>>Then our journey can begin.
>>
>>3525218
>I must admit some uncertainty as to the purpose of this Corruption. I had hypothesized earlier that it was some attempt at a balancing system, with one's powers becoming obvious the stronger one became. However, after my continued conversations with Mother, it's becoming clear that this was meant to drive Daughters apart, partly as a fear tactic and partly as a self-shaming tool, though I have to wonder if this caveat is due more to Mother's own insecurities than any weakness she noted in our species as a whole.
Huh. And here I thought it was for purely practical reasons. If you've already got a ton of holes in you, then your body doesn't have to waste energy shapeshifting you to grow holes every time you want to eject bugs from your abdomen. Kind of odd that it would take longer to take effect if you're among friends, though. If the purpose is to drive people apart, I'd expect it would actually go faster.

>I am close to the Prime-Self. She tells me things, things she does not stream to the others, and certainly not that rogue unit. Her body's unstable after the fusion. It's a statistical anomaly that she survived it at all, but her body's breaking down. If she had some source of regeneration like this Vitruvian possesses, then...it's over.
Hahahahahaha. Oh, yes. Spite levels: MAXIMUM. We crippled B'Ni's regen, West is never getting that. So she's just going to slowly collapse into one giant tumor. Gina's ruined two awful people's chances of ascending the Cord in one move, I am so proud of her right now. Also, goodbye, Proxy Gamma. You're going to be eaten by B'Ni shortly after leaving this comment.
>>
>>3525233
It also means that Mara's quest for the Vitruvian has also failed because Gina locked out Isabelle's ability.

And if we're going by the greek alphabet
>Alpha
>Beta
>Gamma
>Delta
>Epsilon

Gamma's only the third strongest and the third of her iteration. Delta blew herself up and Lab#5 from testing Neuromancy/Generator Hybrid.
Rogue Unit is probably the West proxy that calls herself "Francine" who went to help the Disassociated Ones with their Rocket plan. We're not sure which iteration she is. Probably Beta since After Prime and Alpha, Gamma West considers herself the "Third Strongest" of all the West clones out there.
>>
#5 ~ THOUGHTS

I have learned much, in my time here. [REDACTED], [REDACTED], the Halos, the materials I have exhausted...these notes are only part of what I've written. I am beginning a second set, focused on the Hexane people and their contributions to our current Crucible, as well as the uses of the three pieces of their technology that I intend to explore further. These three...they are the key.

I've learned so much, and I'm still a fool.

I know only that I know so little. I have devoted my life to study, and this new world has allowed me to pursue the task of being a student of existence itself. I found it odd, how people could become content with the breadth of knowledge they'd accumulated. They'd reach a certain point of knowledge, of expertise, and simply...stop.

Why?

Is it apathy? Do they become content with that they've gathered, like a farmer after a harvest? Surely they know that there will be another season after this to harvest for, and another after that? Do they think this journey ends?

I am no genius. I am no one special. I am a simple human, with a simple wish. I want to KNOW, and I know enough to realize that knowledge is a journey with no end.

I am not good.

I am not evil.

Those words are mere fantasy, a shackle latched on to our collective consciousness from a world that no longer exists, one that had no right to continue its stagnant persistence. I could make a better one, if given the time. Mother sailed the cosmos for thousands of years, wallowing in despair and betrayal...she wasted her time, but I will not. I owe it to those that came before, I owe it to myself, and I owe it to existence to continue learning, exploring, and creating.

Self-improvement.

That's the goal of so many religions, but the path to improving the very fabric of existence is in my grasp...and I will take it in hand and make it my own.

I am the universe observing itself, and I want to know, and learn, and be better.

What else could be so pure?

Signed,

>>Dr. Francine West

(End)
>>
>>3525193
>Hybrids
Right, so unless we feel incredibly confident in the combination, it appears 3 is our max for Hybridization unless we just are after the stats. That is really good to know. Also i kinda expected the same class types meshed well, that one seemed like a given.

With that being said, i do wonder if waiting to see if something better does not come up for Rath is a good idea. Boils i still feel is a bit of an odd ball into the mix of Phantom Limb and Tensile Strands, but it also fits her personality so well putting it in her core almost seems like a necessity.

>>3525218
>Corruption
Mother Doesn't understand humans at all.

>West
Hah, get bent bitch. Hope its painful as all hell too ya cunt.

>>3525233
You're not taking into account the order things were said. It takes longer because levels get spread out more, or at least in part because of that.

>>3525261
Why is it every new word out of her mouth makes me want to kill her more? Damn bitch even scientifically the idea of good and evil has merit in why it exists in a community, you wisdomly dumb bitch. And that's with me refusing to even let it stay at the false pretense only logic matters. Ok ok, gotta stop or i never will.
>>
>>3525261
>I am the universe observing itself, and I want to know, and learn, and be better.
Carl would weep, to see what you have done. We'll drown you in these ankle-high waters, West.
>>
>>3525261
>I know only that I know so little. I have devoted my life to study, and this new world has allowed me to pursue the task of being a student of existence itself. I found it odd, how people could become content with the breadth of knowledge they'd accumulated. They'd reach a certain point of knowledge, of expertise, and simply...stop.

>Why?

>Is it apathy? Do they become content with that they've gathered, like a farmer after a harvest?

Woman, when you live long enough and your life nears your end, You stop because you're preparing for death. And all the knowledge you've gathered needs to be taught to the next generation so they can learn from the fruits of your labors. That's why the Hexxane created the Forges, the Halos, and the Engines. They had the foresight that their efforts to tame the virus has a large chance of failing. You're HUMAN, and the moment you cast aside the social moors that make you human, you cease to be human.
>>
>>3525295
well, to be fair, im pretty sure they made those to help themselves win the crucible. that being said, their whole goal was to survive and have their race flourish, aka, save their future generations, so maybe a moot point.

honestly? IS west even human? a sentient creature, to be sure, and all that entails, but HUMAN? what is human? our bodies? we all have lost those, and even if you argue our new forms are close enough, she has happily just said she almost embraces the corruption, giving up any humanity of body. our minds and how we think? hardly. she doesn't understand humans at all, she sees very human traits, things developed individually among isolated groups across the world, as things she cant understand. what then, does she even have left, to actually claim humanity but origins? and she herself might even agree, claiming essentially to worship evolution in a sense.

all the better when it all burns around her, when the hands of her own hubris grip deathlock tight around her throat.
>>
>>3525177
>>3525190
>>3525193
>>3525218
>>3525261
also BHOP, well done and well written. shame our only source of info is from such a terrible(in nature, not in writing quality) character though, makes it hard to personally enjoy it.
>>
>>3525193
oh, totally forgot to mention, interesting how repeated use of the Engine caused a defect, even a minor one. and the fact the itch was so bad a otherwise overall logical and level headed girl like West both cut off her own toe, then LOBOTOMIZED herself to stop it. fuck me that must of been one hell of an itch. dont abuse alien engines y'all.
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>>3525315
>honestly? IS west even human? a sentient creature, to be sure, and all that entails, but HUMAN?
No. No one who tries to use Carl Sagan's words to argue the exact opposite of his philosophy counts as a human being. I feel safe making such a blanket statement, even if Carl himself would chastise me for it. When you're using a call for compassion and humility as an excuse for why you don't need to show compassion or humility, you're not a person anymore, let alone a human. You don't get to call yourself that.
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>>3525324
It just goes to show that carefully planning out your ability set in the long-term can give you lots of mileage. Use what you have, if you see an ability that works well for your current kit, then go for it. Otherwise use the CONSUME option sparingly.
>>3525039
I also just realized.
>20+ unique abilities on the Spiraling fear = 20+ abilities the Spiraling fear can bring about to beat us down.
Fuck.
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>>3525335
don't know who that guy is honestly, so that reasoning kinda falls flat for me ill admit.

>>3525339
indeed. plus, unlike others, we simply dont have the luxury of being asshats who sit outside pacifist towns and slowly consume and experiment on them til they are all dead, nor to hunt down specific individuals for specific abilities.

ironically enough, our ability set overall will be shaped and formed by those who would try and stop us. our enemies will, in a way, be what we use to stop people like them form gaining victory. im kinda ok with that too. a sorta 'lets use their gifts to do some good for once' angle.
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>>3525339
>20+ unique abilities on the Spiraling fear = 20+ abilities the Spiraling fear can bring about to beat us down.
I'm sure it won't be that bad, just because it would be annoying for BHOP to keep track of all those powers in one combat. Plus, we'll be inside it and that will limit what powers it can effectively use on us. My main worry is that being in contact with us means it will be able to constantly use Flesh Artisan powers directly.
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>>3525345
>don't know who that guy is honestly, so that reasoning kinda falls flat for me ill admit.
Carl Sagan was an American astrophysicist and science educator. He is remembered for both his work on the earliest long-range space probes and his numerous books and television specials in which he preached a philosophy of humility and compassion based on science expanding our perspective on the world. In Sagan's view, we now knew so much about the world we lived in that any self-importance we might possess had to be deliberate and willful disregard for our fellows. We could not pretend that we had any special significance over others, not when the view from space shows us that we're all equally tiny. So we have an obligation to be good to each other, and work together to make a better world, because that is the only way it will happen.

West's lines sound to me (and maybe it's incidental but I doubt it) like she's paraphrasing several of Sagan's speeches, but used to justify her own misanthropy and selfishness. Most specifically, that line near the end "I am the universe observing itself, and I want to know, and learn, and be better" sounds like a particularly famous bit of his from his show Cosmos:

>We wish to pursue the truth no matter where it leads — but to find the truth, we need imagination and skepticism both. We will not be afraid to speculate, but we will be careful to distinguish speculation from fact. The cosmos is full beyond measure of elegant truths; of exquisite interrelationships; of the awesome machinery of nature. The surface of the Earth is the shore of the cosmic ocean. On this shore we've learned most of what we know. Recently we've waded a little way out, maybe ankle deep, and the water seems inviting. Some part of our being knows this is where we came from. We long to return. And we can. Because the cosmos is also within us. We're made of star-stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.

Thus my comment that we'll drown her in these ankle-deep waters, i.e., kill her before she leaves the planet.
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>>3525374
ah, yeah. thats a wonderful quote and im not at all surprised she would corrupt it so. honestly i feel like i should want her to suffer harshly, but shes transcended me wanting vengeance to just wanting her gone as quickly as possible. i'd be like aiming for someones legs why they try and blow your head off of, its just better to aim for their head too and get the problem over with.
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>>3525233
Deleting Bni's regen is looking more and more like a "Joker what have you done!" moment where everyone's long term plans have evaporated in an instant by completely unforseen circumstances.
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>>3525407
>Deleting Bni's regen is looking more and more like a "Joker what have you done!" moment
>"Joker what have you done?"
The only moment in recent memory where that exact scenario has happened in Joker quest would be Red Joker firing the Singularity Cannon at Pazuzu's giant Corpse Machine and getting himself and Kazuya sucked into the Black as a side-effect.

Also, in our defense, Shu and family was getting absolutely SLAUGHTERED by Isabelle, and it was a move done in self-defense. Not to mention Isabelle's long-term plan hinged on successfully getting Gina from a ransom deal by holding Shu's entire family hostage via active death threat, and she even prepared herself to eat Gina for the Halo relic.
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>>3525439
speaking of plans and ruining them, im very curious what the two REDACTEDs are. for all her short sightedness into the Halos actual uses, West still clearly understands they are important, yet does not Redact them over the other two things. then again, its implied the other two caused her to start decaying, but if anything you would think that would make them less worth hiding, not more. the fact she still did makes me think we have some digging to do, somehow...
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>>3525439
And it's not like we ruined anything important. So Mara's plan for a cheap and renewable source of Daughter meat is ruined. That was only ever a stopgap anyway, and the main community she would have been feeding with that just went kaiju on us.

>>3525447
Well, West knows that the Halos aren't unique items, so she's probably less worried about hiding information on them. Whatever these things are, they're likely one of a kind.
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>>3525218
>She is Vitruvian, clearly...no corruption in body, so one or more must exist in the mind.
Just when I was finally starting to agree that Isabelle is not worth trying to redeem. After being betrayed by her oldest friend and plunged into hell, she repeatedly tries to end her life and it's not until her ability starts corrupting her mind that she becomes the evil Daughter we know today. I don't expect anyone to forgive her after what she's done and I'm not sure there's anything we could do anyway but this is sad. I'm guessing that given her ability is geared towards perfection of the body, the corruption is related to perfectionism, perhaps explaining her inability to compromise and obsession with creating the perfect Shu. And fusing other maxed abilities into her Core probably replaced their normal physical corruptions with additional mental ones.

On a more actionable note, we have to tread very carefully when it comes to leveling Rath's Vitruvian Core beyond level 10 - physical corruption is fine, mental corruption could destroy our group.
If we can find a way to prevent/fix mental corruption in Rath, maybe we can do it for Isabelle too...
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>>3525193
So Generator and Neuromancer are a bad combo to have UNLESS you also have a Halo to nullify feedback, in which case it becomes a very good combo. Neat.

Makes me wonder if we should combine our Neuromancer with Hundred-Handed. Grabby arms that instantly hack into what they touch. I'd say it also gives us greater range due to spawning arms upon arms, but our Swarmlings already do that.

Also, while Rath has yet to experience generator backlash, that's still a possibility unless the Halo does something against it like it does with Neuromancy feedback. So would combining Boils with Tensile Strands negate the Vitrivian resilience, or would the Vitruvian resilience negate the backlash?
>>
>>3525690
I think generator backlash has alot more to do with just how offensively focused they are. A bunch of area effect firebombs have a good chance of hitting you too, and thats not counting if someone pops one whiles its still on your arm. Depends on the specific generator ability though, of course.

Also specifically for Rath, we know core hybrids dont interupt the cores functionality much if at all, so its probably safe. Now if it was not a core, its a toss up what may happen.

Im ok with doings hundred handed and Neuromancy for shu.

>>3525678
Im not sure the corruption is anything besides physical. If nothing else, that would be one hell of a thing for West to not mention, and if anyone would find out it's a thong, it would be her. It would also negate the point of that classes uniqueness being resistance to corruption.

>>3525482
I feel like if they were one of a kind, there would be even less reason to hide them over the halos. Hell if its over personal protection, hiding the fact they made you slowly start dying is much more important, especially as the list of potential reasons to go after west is already high even without those or knowing she might be weakened.
>>
>>3525715
>>3525690
>While Delta's findings and sacrifice do mean that Prime-Self now has an incredible weapon to use at the time of her ascension, it is only due to her fusion with [REDACTED], [REDACTED], and the Halo that will allow her to wield such a power without destroying herself.

Read carefully Anon. Gamma West said there are 3 factors that allow Prime West to use the Neuromancer/Generator Hybrid combo. The halo alone can't account for the backlash reduction.

And even Gina with her level 1 halo during the early game had experienced bad Neuromancy feedback when she tried to lockdown a single Chittering Tindalos.

To reiterate, the Halo is a relic used to ASSIST a daughter, it is NOT a catch-all solution to preventing backlashes and feedbacks. If you read the fine text, it says it reduces the feedback or backlash up to a point.

>>3525678
Interesting theory about Mental corruption. It would explain why she got an ability called SECLUDED MIND from a Neuromancer. So then how would Shu and Family help Rath deal with her mental corruption? If Rath's flaw is her wrath and lack of anger, and Vitruvian core abilities have corruption geared towards the mind, then how do we keep Rath level headed?
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>>3525913
maybe im missing something with your first part as I don't think anything i said is disagreeing with what you said.

Im still far from convinced thats how vitruvian works, but for any mental corruption in general it often works better to focus emotions and energy towards something positive rather than try and change or negate it. Teach them to control it and use it as a tool, rather than suppress or try and get rid of it.
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>>3525715
>I feel like if they were one of a kind, there would be even less reason to hide them over the halos.
My thinking is that just because they're one of a kind doesn't mean that information on them can't be gathered. There are definitely Daughter abilities suitable for investigation, Julia and Amara have one as their Dual Tech, so just having a hint of what they are and where they came from could enable a determined Daughter to figure out weaknesses that way. Find where she got the Relic from, interrogate the fleshscape about what it was. It also might not be a Relic. She may have fused with other Daughters, that's a function of the Sparagmos Engine, and so she needs to conceal their names just in case someone who knew them and their abilities finds the notes.

>>3525913
>To reiterate, the Halo is a relic used to ASSIST a daughter, it is NOT a catch-all solution to preventing backlashes and feedbacks. If you read the fine text, it says it reduces the feedback or backlash up to a point.
At least, at this level. If it was raised to level ten, and then hybridized with the Neuromancer/Generator combo, then maybe it could work. But yeah, a measly level one Halo won't help.

>So then how would Shu and Family help Rath deal with her mental corruption?
We talk with her and help her resolve her frustrations healthily. As West said, the corruption driving groups apart is probably Mother's own insecurities (a complex formed by the other Hexane's response to her doing abominable things, I suppose), there's no reason they have to be something that prevents socialization and partnerships. I think it's probably the sort of thing that is manageable if you're willing to put in the effort, Mother just assumes that no one would be. It should also help that the Fool's Choice tends to give empathic abilities, that should help us read and manage her mood. Hell, maybe Rath's Choice will even give her a way to cope with it herself, some way to channel her anger into productive behavior.
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>>3525939
>>3525935
Have we even looked at the notes on the Cord, Corruption, and Hybrid classes IC?
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>>3525948
Given that Gina knew that West has worked with the Halos, I'd say yes. It just went uncommented on by the narrative, to preserve some surprises for the audience.
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>>3525948
>>3525261
BHOP, did Shu and family look at West's Notes on the Cord, Corruption, Hybrids, and her personal thoughts?
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File deleted.
>>3525952
(They skimmed them in the study session Rath slept through, yes.)
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>>3525913
Right, so never mind about the arms. Neuromancer (it really needs a better name) with the Leash, however, may have some interesting results.
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>>3525964
(My early notes had "Wintermute Jack" as Gina's Core ability before I promptly forgot about it when the Quest started. However, I'm more than open to suggestions at this point.)
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>>3525978
I agree that Jack should probably be in the name somewhere.
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>>3525986
Mindjack, maybe, if we can endure the similar name to a really bad game. Amethyst Mindjack, reference their appearance and Gina's overall aesthetic?
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>>3525939
I actually assumed they were not relics, i just found it odd they were more important than hiding she was basically dying.

>>3525948
Hybrids for sure, but id assume if BHOP is giving it to us as wests notes, we have ic read them.

>>3525964
>>3525978
It may still be safe honestly, as the arms are a very passive generator ability. Actually, what is up with that? Notes say generator abilites are all offensive based yet so fae hundred handed is nothing but utility.

And yeah, it really is weird to have it just be called Neuromancy, neurojacks or something would work better, but we actually do not have many Neuromancy abilites to compare it to to really get a good handle on its differences compared to others.

>>3525939
Ill admit maybe im reading things wrong a bit, but i do think folks understand anger and rage wrong. They are not inherently bad emotions to have or lean towards.
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>>3525992
>Ill admit maybe im reading things wrong a bit, but i do think folks understand anger and rage wrong. They are not inherently bad emotions to have or lean towards.
They are when an alien monster is inducing them artificially with the aim of driving you and your friends apart. We're not talking about natural anger at injustice, we're talking about an imposed state. That's something Rath will need to learn to manage, because otherwise she won't be able to guarantee that her anger is directed at the right things.
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>>3525995
If that's even what vitruvian does, which we still have no actual reason to think.
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>>3526019
Of course. But we hope for the best while preparing for the worst.
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>>3526024
I suppose, i guess i just have not seen a single plan go as we planned it, so im having trouble seeing the point or something of long term planning based on an assumption.
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>>3526060
Because it's not a detailed plan, it's just a general resolution of "if the corruption effects start messing with Rath's mind, let's make sure to be a considerate friend and do what we can to help her past it".
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>>3526067
I mean yeah, but we would've done that anyways?
>>
(Gentlemen, it’s been something of a busy work day but during my lunch I worked on a little summary for each of your temporary allies. The Midnight Crew are up next, and I’ll more than likely post their section tonight. This will serve to give you a general idea of their capabilities and let you ask some early questions to prevent future clutter in the 21st Vein. I hope you’re having a good day, and take care.)

>>Mara – Marrow Dragoon, the Legend

CORE: Calcite Armorer
HEALTH: ?????
BIO: ????
ACT: 7/7
Abilities: A seasoned warrior with countless battles under her belt, Mara is a force to be reckoned with in both body and mind. While her variable melee weapons system allows her to adjust her assault to match the obstacles at hand, her true strength comes from her nigh-impenetrable Fibro-Calcite plating. Rendering her immune to acid, neuromancy, and extreme temperatures, the alabaster and spider-silk woven plating is the ultimate in defense, to say nothing of its regenerative properties. Coupled with her dragon mount, she is one of the most preeminent warriors in the current Crucible...and it's a good thing she's on your side.

Magpie – The Raven-Haired Sniper

CORE: Hive Mistress (Ravens)
HEALTH: 420% (90% REGEN)
BIO: 690% (130% REGEN)
ACT: 3/3
Abilities: The relaxed and composed ex-partner of the melee-focused Marrow Dragoon is a long-ranged threat in her own right. Her rifle is the result of a Calcite Armorer/Flesh Artisan/Generator Triple-Hybrid tree, while her Core skill tree is maximized to focus on wide area-of-effect damage, creating no-mans-lands of swirling, indiscriminate corvids that Mara could stride into with ease to dispatch their targets. Magpie is also capable of mid-range ‘teleportation’, which is a Generator/Vitrivian Hybrid that allows speedy movement with a chance of HEALTH/BIO loss. The rounds she fires can be specialized, and since you last interacted with her, she has a number of Anti- Flesh Artisan rounds at hand to lend her lethal expertise to your cause.

November – The Veteran of Rust

CORE: Artificial Daughter/Hive Mistress
HEALTH: 970% (0% REGEN, +130% REGEN when tethered to Tank)
BIO: 30%
ACT: 3/3
Abilities: The artificial body November now inhabits is largely incapable of generating her swarms in any great numbers, leaving her to store and refine external biomass and the energy of Forge cores into a variety of short-to-mid-range plasma-based weaponry. Possessing a short-barreled shotgun in her left arm and a mid-range gatling in her left, the thruster system encased in her back rounds out her most used abilities, while the Forge core integrated into her body can be tapped in emergency situations to create powerful and blinding bursts of heat. However, it’s only in the direst of situations that November will activate the Autumn Protocol, locking her frame in place to fire a devastatingly powerful plasma beam capable of inflicting heavy damage even against heat-resistant targets.
>>
(Also, for the Anon that had posted the song that related to B'ni; I'm not sure where your post went, but I'd still love to listen to what you put together, if you're willing. No pressure at all; I just enjoy anything you and the other players have to contribute, be it discussions, hypotheses, music, or anything else that comes to mind.)
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>>3526321
Will we also get info on the Humoral/Vitruvian hybrid that Mara wanted us to fetch?
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>>3526321
>hile her variable melee weapons system allows her to adjust her assault to match the obstacles at hand, her true strength comes from her nigh-impenetrable Fibro-Calcite plating. Rendering her immune to acid, neuromancy, and extreme temperatures, the alabaster and spider-silk woven plating is the ultimate in defense, to say nothing of its regenerative properties.
Mara is tickled pink that we've got the Chitinous Stalwart, isn't she? Here's this bright prospect for a new protege, ambitious and driven and with good tactical instincts, and we even already have a suit of armor similar to hers. Maybe not as good, but that just leaves room for her to mentor us in how to properly grow a suit of organic power armor. Clearly, we are the best apprentice.

>The artificial body November now inhabits is largely incapable of generating her swarms in any great numbers, leaving her to store and refine external biomass and the energy of Forge cores into a variety of short-to-mid-range plasma-based weaponry.
Does her tank use plasma weapons, too, or does it stick to solid projectiles?
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>>3526321
>>3526321
To be honest i didn't expect us to get much of anything else yet so no worries BHOP.

Honestly only November was any real surprise, though im giddy as all can be to see indeed a confirmed gun ability. Its just not right how few we have seen for the country AND area of said country this takes place. But then again guns are semi complicated weapons so it makes sense hybrids and relics might be the only way to get them, both of which take alot more effort to get.

So how is November's amminition regulated, considering it seems to be two part but neither being her internal bio?
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>>3526410
Also what IS November's hive? Or would she basically never even spawn a single one so its a moot question?
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>>3526410
>Its just not right how few we have seen for the country AND area of said country this takes place.
The Disassociated mentioned that Mother actually went out of her way to destroy conventional weapons. She doesn't want the early-game meta being disrupted by everyone just grabbing a gun instead of using their powers. Or worse, a coordinated military attack on her using missiles and artillery. That's why November's tank is a museum piece that she restored, anything in working order would be a lot rarer.
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>>3526421
No, i know that, i meant specifically relic and ability based firearms, hence the second half talking about how it sadly does make sense why they are so rare.
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>>3526419
I'm pretty sure it's her tank. Whatever it used to be, it's the fleshy bits of the machine now.
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>>3526393
(She'll be included in one of the next updates.)

>>3526406
(The tank uses plasma as well.)

>>3526410
>>3526419
(November's a bit odd, mechanically. Her health is basically the integrity of her suit, with her armaments drawing from her HEALTH pool in small amounts. Her BIO is actually her main stat, as once her BIO is gone she will begin making Death Saving Throws with disadvantage. While that may seem like a steep price to pay, she's very resistant to most damage types, so as long as she's strapped to her tank, she's very difficult to deal significant damage to while she's pumping out alarming amounts of damage.)

(Also, her Swarm consists of Camel Spiders.)
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>>3526462
>Also, her Swarm consists of Camel Spiders.
Yep, that's a woman who toured in the Middle East, alright.
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>>3526462
ah thats, kinda a flip of the usual minorly. very interesting. cant see her being strapped to her tank while riding a dragon, but considering her job here it might not be necessary.

also, neat, but i cant see Camel spiders being extremely useful for us here.
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>>3526462
>November's basically Blaster Master except body horror flavored.
>Bhop missing out on Blaster Master References
>November's Core Construct type is Spiders (Camel Spider species)
>November could've literally gone Queen route and turned her tank into a Literal SpiderTank
BHOP how could you!? You're missing out on a LOT!
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>>3526899
(It was all I could do to not make her Swarmlings frogs as a reference to Fred. Blaster Master is an absolute treasure.)
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>>3526944
But does her tank Jump or grow spider legs? That's the real question!
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>>3526960
(I don't think you'll be disappointed.)
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>>3526965
Do the treads sort of unfold out into legs while the turret turns into a head? Because I have about ten thousand pictures of weird living tank-monsters where it's hard to tell what's metal and what's flesh.
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>>3527002
(You nailed it, Anon.)
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>>3527009
Haha, nice.
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>>3527018
>>3527009
>inb4 November names the tank "Chaffee" and treats it like an actual dog.
Rath and Amara are guaranteed to pass out from sheer squee and fangirling. Both of them will probably want to pet the Tank Doggo.
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>>3527018
Why can't real tanks be this cute?!
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Jackie – The Jack of All Spades

CORE: Humoral Paladin (Choleric)
HEALTH: 660%
BIO: 720%
ACT: 3/3
Abilities: The enigmatic and severe leader of the Midnight Crew, Jackie possesses the power-enhancing capabilities of a Choleric Paladin, able to invasively reach into those nearby and forcibly trigger their abilities with tremendously enhanced effect. For her allies, this allows them to turn their considerable talents back on Jackie to bolster her keen combat sense with a variety of devastating skills, using their extensive repertoire of dual and triple techs to deal with whatever stands in their way. For her foes however, Jackie's powers can result in ability backlash or massive waste of biomass and other resources by misfiring abilities at inopportune moments, but if mis-timed or used flippantly it risks giving her opponents a considerable advantage. It's a double-edged sword, and Jackie wouldn't have it any other way. Meanwhile, her secondary skills of Hive Mistress and Calcite Armorer grant her potent ranged and melee options, with her Fibromancer-enhanced mobility giving her the swiftness of body to capitalize on any misfires around her.

Alone, she is not to be underestimated...

...but with her family by her side, she's unstoppable.
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>>3527160
So isolate Jackie immediately in case of conflict, got it. No one wants a buffing feedback loop.
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Quinn – The Queen of Vindictive Hearts

CORE: Humoral Paladin (Sanguine)
HEALTH: 760%
BIO: 430%
ACT: 2/2
Abilities: The resident paradox of party-girl and party-mom in the Midnight Crew boasts an unusual variant on the typical Sanguine power-set, with a focus on close-range use of antibody-infused fisticuffs. Quinn's arms have been wholly transformed into gelatinous strands of congealed red and white blood cells, and while she may seem to start out the fight on the back foot her abilities can and will snowball to unstoppable levels if she's left to her own devices. With each blow dealt or received, Quinn's body begins to adjust to better deal with the threats before her, slowly transforming the slender, playful girl into a tailor-made antithesis for whatever her foe has at their disposal.

Meanwhile, her Generator and Hive Mistress Hybrid skill tree allows her to spawn a host of jiggly, adorable white blood cells that do minimal damage, but if left unattended they will slowly manifest their Queen's specializations, growing in to small army of surgically devastating antibodies that are capable of tearing through any defense their foe possesses. Unfortunately, due to how much time it takes for Quinn's powers to build, if faced with multiple foes or caught solo she will find herself at a distinct disadvantage. Luckily, she's never had to deal with that shortcoming as her fire-forged friends have never left her side...and they never will.
>>
>>3527182
>>3527189
oh my anon friend, you have already clearly underestimated just how potent a team they are.

i can already tell you non of them will be someone we can ignore in a team fight.
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>>3527193
I'm not expecting any of them to be someone to ignore. I am expecting some of them to be priority targets. Someone who can create a buffing feedback loop while causing our own powers to misfire needs to be taken down fast or else we won't be able to handle the rest effectively.
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>>3527201
and i was pointing out focusing her down to prevent the feedback loops could give Quinn enough time to become a threat we no longer can surmount, and the fact things like that are probably something they outright plan for. make one person the 'obvious threat' to isolate so Quinn and/or the others can take advantage of their own shortcomings such as time.
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>>3527189
>Meanwhile, her Generator and Hive Mistress Hybrid skill tree allows her to spawn a host of jiggly, adorable white blood cells that do minimal damage
>Literally Hataraku Saibou
Bhop pls.
>>
>>3527203
And Quinn will reach that point even faster if she's being buffed. I get what you're saying, we need to put pressure on all of them, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't prioritize important targets. Splitting our attention evenly makes them run their combo slower, but they're still running it. It needs to be interrupted by taking one of them out.
>>
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Keane – The King of Crazy Diamonds

CORE: Humoral Paladin (Phlematic)
HEALTH: 410%
BIO: 880%
ACT: 2/2
Abilities: The little-sister and peacekeeper of the Midnight Crew, Keane knows her friends inside and out, allowing her to repair disagreements as easily and as often as she repairs their bodies. Keane's mucous-based powerset allows her to easily patch wounds at range while simultaneously purging foreign objects and substances from herself and her allies and turning them on their common enemies, rendering infection and subcutaneous assaults an effort in futility. What's more, Keane's Dual Tech with Ace allows the pair to create a closed loop among the entire Crew, effectively combining the team's HEALTH and BIO into a singular pool that any may draw on for increased regeneration or, in the event of an impending critical strike, shifting extra health to the target to soften the blow.

Alone however, Keane is far from defenseless as she guards herself with a Phantasmal-Conduit/Generator Hybrid skill tree that allows her to summon intelligent mucous familiars that seek out and erode other constructs in the area, whittling away Calcite weaponry or rendering the creations of enemy Hive Mistresses weak and brittle. Quinn finds it ironic that the most phlegmatic among them is the heart of the group, but Keane doesn't mind...they're the only ones that will listen to her endless monologues on her obsessions from a world long gone. After all, while it was Jackie that unified them, it was Keane that kept everyone entertained in those long, lonely nights in the ward...and that's something none of them can ever repay her for.
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>>3527227
Okay, I take it back, Keane is the priority target. Always gank the White Mage first.

Also, it looks like they're very construct-dependent, makes sense given how they need time to build up to full strength. Constructs are a good spacer. But with Dorian's Masque of War doing auto-damage to all constructs, we probably have a better shot than most against them.
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>>3527236
You make it sound like we HAVE to fight them. Besides, Jackie's approval list basically boils down to:
>Did this character suffer trauma?
>If yes, then he/she/it is good in Jackie's book.
>If No, bully until they're traumatized.
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>>3527247
Look, we've had enough problems with the one crazy bitch that wants to murderfuck us already. Forgive me if I'm a bit paranoid about the new one falling down harder on the murder side than the fuck.
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>>3527236
>>3527224
im still personally not seeing any one that is more ignorable than the others overall. so far as i suspected, focusing any one of them down will just leave the others to easily make up the difference in other ways.

also yeah, holy hell Dorians Red Death needs some upgrades asap, he might be our only shot if it does come to a fight with them.

>>3527247
you ignore the fact she outright admitted to more often than not killing people they found unworthy.
>>
(Gentlemen, I'll be posting the Ace and Claire [Mara's contact at the fishing hamlet] sheets tomorrow morning, as this evening was far more tiring than I'd expected. I hope you all have a restful night's sleep, and take care.)
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>>3527270
you take care BHOP, have a wonderful night! thank you for giving us the sheets ahead of time!
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>>3527270
Good night, BHOP. I hope you sleep well. Thanks for the info sheets. Those are going to come in handy.
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man though, this is gonna be one nerve wracking fight. as if being in a living mountain that wants to eat you isnt bad enough, everyone but Mara we trust will be on the outside, and who we will have inside with us is not only an extremely well meshed team, but very much will at least have the temptation to use the opportunity to try and get rid of the biggest threat to them, and another person they very well might want gone(Us). id like to think they wouldn't try anything, but you just know the temptation is gonna be there, especially if things even slightly start to go wrong. if nothing else they might be willing to abandon the fight, which will not be good for us.

keeping trust up might actually be a bigger issue than anything the mountain throws at us.
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>>3526899
Camel Spiders aren't actual spiders. They're arachnid cousins, like scorpions and ticks.
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>>3527366
Who said that the Midnight Crew wants to go into the heart of the mountain?
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Ace – The Ace of Morbid Clubs

CORE: Humoral Paladin (Melancholic)
HEALTH: 1120%
BIO: 330%
ACT: 2/2
Abilities: Morose, yet dependable, Ace is a girl of many worries and few words. If the younger Keane is the heart of the Crew then Ace is the backbone, invaluable in the long-term survival of the group as a whole and key in keeping the more excitable members in line. Ace’s incredible defenses as a Melancholic Paladin may be extended to the rest of her Crew, and she’s fond of forcing a miserable war of attrition in close-range combat with the bevy of debuffs she passively emanates from her armored shell that reduce the efficacy of melee attacks, increase the BIO cost of abilities, and reduce the overall efficacy of other field-type abilities. Finally, due to her team’s victory over a Greater Tindalos she is able to swap positions with her teammates in the blink of an eye, forcing those that would attempt to focus on Jackie or Keane to instead be faced with a mountain of calcified flesh-armor and a Relic-weapon of incredible power. Ace often laments she’ll be the first to die if things ever go south for her Crew, but it’s less a morbid comment that a cold statement of fact. After all, for any threat to bring harm to her friends they’d have to make certain Ace is dead, first; such is her devotion to the girls that saved her life long before the world crumbled.
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Claire – The Viscous Devourer

CORE: Unnatural Predator (Amoeba)
HEALTH: 460%
BIO: 540%
ACT: 2/2
Abilities: A liquid-based Daughter with a wry sense of humor, Claire encountered Mara while they were both pursuing the same Amalgam. The graduate student impressed Mara with her quick-thinking and clever use of her unusual amoebic form, and the two adventured together for a time. Claire’s uncanny understanding of the hybrid skill system has allowed her to maximize her body’s offense, defensive, and consumptive abilities. Her triple-Hyrbid skill tree of Unnatural Predator, Fibromancer, and Gluttonous grants her a fully amorphous body that is capable of devouring small and medium foes whole and integrating herself into larger foes to slow their movements and deal damage over time. Additionally, the enhancements courtesy of her Gluttonous skill set allow her to ‘refine’ the biomass of her foes and gain more abilities and stats upon consumption. Mara’s teamed up with her in the past to slow her larger prey, but the Spiraling Fear is by far the largest threat they’ve come together to bring down…and Claire’s up for the challenge.
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>>3528103
>tfw pitched a amoeba-type slimegirl as an idea
>Bhop uses it
>internal squee
Bhop, I thought Claire was a Vitruvian Humoral Paladin Hybrid, not an UnNatural Predator.

BodyHorrorOP (ID: aNmsL9Xb) 05/15/19(Wed)21:32:38 No.3510086▶>>3510091 >>3510100
>"The young woman that you'll be meeting, she's a hybrid Vitruvian and Humoral Paladin by the name of Claire. Rare, powerful, and with an inviolable physical form that she can use to slow the Spiraling Fear even further and allow us more time to attack. If she's waited there like I asked her to, then after you tell her the situation she'll know to stay put, and we'll all meet back here and go over everything one last time before we set out as one. Hopefully Magpie can get the Gunner here on time to give her help in the air or from the opposite shore, but that's a toss-up."
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>>3528110
(Ah, I feel like a goof for making that mistake. What Mara was referring to applies to a different slimegirl Daughter that exists in the quest, and that error is due entirely to me running off of faulty memory and poor sleep. My sincerest apologies, but Claire is an Unnatural Predator first and foremeost, as her abilities are fairly obvious just by looking at her. The Vitruvian on the other hand looks perfectly human until she starts using her abilities.)
>>
(Additionally, all of these sheets and West's notes will be compiled and available early in the next Vein. You'll also be free to assign every Daughter available to you into one of two or three teams, and there is no party member limit for this coordinated assault.)
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>>3528103
Huh, neat. Not what i was expecting but quite the useful girl to have around.

>>3528099
Ah, and there it is, the literal wall we cannot avoid heh.

>>3528070
Well if part of the deal is they listen to whoever Mara puts in charge, then they listen to us. And either way while they are strong, their abilites would be wasted outside of the thing, and would do much better going inside of it to help fight to and its core. Plus, they seem the type to prefer that anyways.
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>>3528103
So Claire's stopping the Spiral Fear from crossing the river by doing the classic slime girl trick of "suck up a lot of fluid, grow giant", I take it? That's going to make assisting her a bit of a challenge, actually. I was thinking about combining Hydroformer with Earthen Mind to create a persistent current pushing the Spiral Fear back, but if the fluid around it is her body then it would just interfere with her.
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>>3528136
Just from their basic char sheets without delving into their unholy amount of dual-techs and triple techs, or even party-techs, the Crew's basic strategy setup is a Tank-Mage-fighter-healer setup that relies on weathering the early game by way of having Ace tank the hits and be the unavoidable meat-tank that protects the vulnerable quinn or Keane, Jack buffing their allies and being a front-line distraction fighter, Keane acting as the "medic by managing the entire team's health and bio pools while simultaneously debuffing the opposition's offensive powers, and Quinn for being the late-game mage that requires time to ramp up and steamroll the opposition.

>>3528131
>Ah, I feel like a goof for making that mistake. What Mara was referring to applies to a different slimegirl Daughter that exists in the quest, and that error is due entirely to me running off of faulty memory and poor sleep.
>poor sleep.
And there it is again...

>>3528152
Damn, In hindsight, the Bleed-over Augmentation from the Sad Deer Amalgam would've been so powerful in Dorian's hands now that he's unlocked Masque of war
>BLEED-OVER (Flesh Artisan Augmentation): Dorian’s amorphous form now allows him to integrate with another liquid-based Daughter, allowing him to either augment or hinder their natural abilities. For allies, they gain one additional ACT for their own use, and any active fields, effects, or defensive powers Dorian has active now emanate from the Daughter he is bonded with. For foes, he passively reduces their ACT by one as long as he is bonded, and he also suppresses their HEALTH /BIO REGEN proportional to the difference in levels between him and his foe, with stronger foes capable of resisting the dampening effect and shunting Dorian out of their system with some effort. One’s lonely, but he’s a crowd. (HEALTH 30%)
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>>3528159
>Damn, In hindsight, the Bleed-over Augmentation from the Sad Deer Amalgam would've been so powerful in Dorian's hands now that he's unlocked Masque of war
If only we had known that we'd be helping a giant slime girl wrestle a monster down into the river.

Oh well, I'd rather have Dorian with us on the assault team, anyway. Between Red Death and Verurteilung he should be a blender in melee now. Excellent for the close quarters we'll be fighting in. And I feel near-certain that there are going to be constructs inside the Spiral, so him being able to pop Masque of War and auto-damage them is going to be invaluable for dealing with that.
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>>3528175
Masque of war is neat, but we may need to think about the weaknesses a mist form has. Because I'm pretty sure that there are weaknesses and ways to damage or even outright kill Dorian in the Masque of War form.
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>>3528261
Oh, sure, I can think of plenty. Heat, airborne toxins and simple gusts of wind are the big three. Generator skills are the main threat to a mist monster, though hopefully the Spiral Fear won't be able to make extensive use of those inside its own body. Flesh Artistry is also a potential danger, but less of one than it is to the rest of the party. We're going to have to neutralize that if we're going to trek into the Spiral Fear, anyway, does anyone actually have any ideas for that? Mara said that the damage it's taking from outside will keep it from focusing on manipulating flesh inside it, but I want more security than that. Neuromantic hacking could do it, but that was imprecise even with Gina's level and we've now reduced it substantially.
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>>3528159
Well yes, theirs at its base is a pretty standard set up. Im mire interested in what their plan is when all of that is disrupted.

>>3528175
It comes back around to the idea of situational abilities vs. all arounder Abilities. Situational is always much better when it is useful, but otherwise often times are completely useless. never a good tradeoff in my opinion.

>>3528261
>>3528295
Hell look at the fight between Isabelle and West. Simple trees or other terrain getting knocked around could potentially devastate Dorian while in that form.

As for a plan, we're gonna have to hope Mara is right, or that Julia and others can preemptively stack on enough debuffs to keep its internals in check. Said debuffers are gonna be down alot of resources right out the gate to do that though.
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>>3528342
>Situational is always much better when it is useful, but otherwise often times are completely useless. never a good tradeoff in my opinion.
>forgetting that Kynar Chitin (Swarmling Acid immunity) was what saved Shu's literal ass from drowning in the river and causing a game over.
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>>3528383
Acid is a pretty common weapon in the fleshscape, though, I don't see that as nearly as situational as "fuse with liquid Daughters".
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>>3528383
Nope, didn't forget about it at all, i stand by what i said.
nd that was very situational, aswell as the fact acid based attacks seem to actually be somewhat common, so i don't consider that as much of one. Semi-situational i guess is how id describe it.
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>>3528415
So, my thoughts are on putting us into three teams;
>Outside distraction team
>>Party; November, Magpie, Clarie
Goal is to keep its focus heavily on the outside and help slow it down.

>Internal Debuff Team
>>Party; Julia, Amara, Ace, Jackie
Their goal is to slap on and keep on as many debuffs as possible, thus both making things easier for both inside teams, but also drawing alot of attention away from the Assault team, as the internal workings of the Monastery go to deal with the massive threat of buffed debufffs holding it down.

>Internal Assault Team
>>Party; Shu, Rath, Dorian, Mara, Keane, Quinn
Their goal is to cut a path as quickly and efficiently to the center core and get this over with with brutal quickness.

>Points of Contention
>>Amara
She can basically go anywhere, and i almost want to keep her on the outside. That being said, he abilities would be outstandingly helpful to either Internal team, both in boosting their effectiveness, and their stated goals. However i dont think leaving the Debuff team with less than 4 members is a good idea.

>>Jackie and Keane
I really had trouble deciding who should go on either team, as they both had major advantages to give both. I kinda feel like the debuff team will overall need Keanes healing more...up until the Assault team reaches the core, then they almost certainly will need it more. In the end, the decision was made based on nothing else than Jackie is also a leader and so i felt the debuff team would benefit greatly from having a leader aswell.
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>>3528134
How long does it take for a daughter to weave a Neurotic halo? Is it possible for other neuromancers to assist the one crafting the neurotic halo to and have it online faster?
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>>3528261
Hopefully nobody sucks up his mist form like Star Platinum did to Justice.
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>>3532910
i cant remember but she worked on it for awhile it felt like, though considering how time works in this, it was probably half a day to a day at most.
>>
I think it's best if we save further discussion for later until BHOP cuts open the next vein..
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>>3534092
well, i mean you're right for the reason no one is really left, but he did give us alot of the info for the very purpose of letting us use this extra time to plan more, so as not to be as strapped by the voting time limits.
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>>3534099
I would have spent the time to do theorycrafting or extra worldbuilding for BHOP's quest,
but if you're here and willing to talk, lets talk shop

if we are going to lay uzu to rest, and we ARE going to do that, we will need to define our win-condition(s) aside from the obvious "hit it until it dies" strategy.

I have some ideas that I've been pondering.
Here are several:
>If possible, have everyone in the family assist each other in crafting their Neurotic Halos. Rath and Shu can spawn extra arms to assist in the Neurocord weaving and Shu can spawn Neuromancy specialized Swarmlings for extra assistance. Everyone else in the family can help pitch in. If what you said is true (Gina taking about half a day to craft her halo and bring it online, then a group of 5 daughters with the same skill in Neuromancy and the same skill-tree in Neurotic Halo can help speed up the crafting time five-fold.
>Magpie's Anti-Flesh Artisan bullets. She's crafted a good batch or so, and I think those bullets would work wonders on the vulnerable core if Magpie gives about 2 or 3 silver bullets to Shu.
>Neuro Network Party-techniques: Everyone in Shu's family has the same skill trees and relatively the same levels. If everyone is linked to each other via Neurocords, we might be able to do collective spell casting like how witch covens amplify the casting spell. It'll work wonders for Terraforming and if we do manage to get our Halos online, then the Collaborative/synchronized teamfighting synergy would go through the roof.
>Immutable form. We've seen a preview of what Uzu's primary ability does on a daughter. Magpie lost her arm and the spiral-effect is preventing her from properly regenerating said limb. If we have Rath treat Magpie's debuff, then Rath would have knowledge of how to counteract it and can steadily apply Sprial-Immunity to everyone in the family.
>Inter-team tactics: Jackie's group is lacking the Hive-mind empathy/Neuromancy Network. They rely on verbal communication. We can fight more effectively if we have at least One Neurotic Halo online to coordinate efforts when we begin the fight.

>Win conditions: One obvious win-condition I've been thinking that we could put to immediate use is the Cancer Bomb.

>What to do if things go Snafu: We need an escape plan. And we need to ensure everyone makes it out alive.

>Action economy Management: We've got 3 actions now.
>Halo and Neuromancy limitations: Our halos at our current level party-wide allows each character to do an automatic Critical Hit or a critical counter as well as give increased perception at lvl 1. Level 2 on the other hand allows increased Feedback resistance, and of our party members only Shu and Amara have that power. Our Neuromancy on the other hand isn't up to snuff since they're only capable of doing full paralysis as a concentration skill with Shu and Dorian the only members of the party that have lvl 2 Neuromancy.
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>>3534170
>>If possible, have everyone in the family assist each other in crafting their Neurotic Halos. Rath and Shu can spawn extra arms to assist in the Neurocord weaving and Shu can spawn Neuromancy specialized Swarmlings for extra assistance. Everyone else in the family can help pitch in. If what you said is true (Gina taking about half a day to craft her halo and bring it online, then a group of 5 daughters with the same skill in Neuromancy and the same skill-tree in Neurotic Halo can help speed up the crafting time five-fold.
That would still take over an hour per, and I don't think we have that much time. The Spiral Fear is at the river right now, we have to move. We're just going to have to deal with only Shu having the Halo ready in time for this fight.

>Magpie's Anti-Flesh Artisan bullets. She's crafted a good batch or so, and I think those bullets would work wonders on the vulnerable core if Magpie gives about 2 or 3 silver bullets to Shu.
Depends on if the Contender can fire third-party ammunition, or only its own proprietary rounds. Something to ask Karma about. But yes, if that works we should definitely bring a couple to shoot the core with.

>Neuro Network Party-techniques: Everyone in Shu's family has the same skill trees and relatively the same levels. If everyone is linked to each other via Neurocords, we might be able to do collective spell casting like how witch covens amplify the casting spell. It'll work wonders for Terraforming and if we do manage to get our Halos online, then the Collaborative/synchronized teamfighting synergy would go through the roof.
Again, probably something to save for once the skills are leveled up more, but if we could open things up with a big hydroforming action to help Claire keep the thing pinned (a vortex around the two of them, maybe), that would be good.

>Immutable form. We've seen a preview of what Uzu's primary ability does on a daughter. Magpie lost her arm and the spiral-effect is preventing her from properly regenerating said limb. If we have Rath treat Magpie's debuff, then Rath would have knowledge of how to counteract it and can steadily apply Sprial-Immunity to everyone in the family.
Immutable Form only works on the user. Maybe we can develop a Dual Tech to apply it to others, but that's not going to happen in time for this fight.

>Inter-team tactics: Jackie's group is lacking the Hive-mind empathy/Neuromancy Network. They rely on verbal communication. We can fight more effectively if we have at least One Neurotic Halo online to coordinate efforts when we begin the fight.
The Halo's comms system is meant for outside of combat, it opens up the user to mental assault. Given that this thing is the Spiral Fear, I'm expecting at least some Phantasmal Conduit abilities. Probably not a good idea.

>cont.
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>>3534170
>>3534205
>Win conditions: One obvious win-condition I've been thinking that we could put to immediate use is the Cancer Bomb.
Maybe. Cancer Bomb would probably go slowly on something this big, but if we can get it into a vital organ that could work. That would mean Julia would have to stay with the main assault team, though, as she's the one with that ability.

>What to do if things go Snafu: We need an escape plan. And we need to ensure everyone makes it out alive.
We can probably burn our way out from the inside. Have Rath deploy enough incendiaries and the Spiral's response should be to expel us rather than crush us and risk more napalm getting everywhere, so it wouldn't fight it. We can coordinate with November, too, have her burn her way in as we burn out. Leave one Swarmling on the outside for communications.

Anyway, for my ideas, I'm wondering if Dorian can still make use of mobility-enhancing buffs when in mist form. I think it might be a good idea for him to be in Masque of War mode up until we reach the core, the communication jamming and anti-construct powers should be useful when fighting the Spiral Terror's immune system, but he only has a one zone movement rate in that form so we'd have to go slow. Unless he could still benefit from a Bishop pumping him full of stimulants or even Cursus Alas, in which case we'd be able to maintain normal speed while also increasing how quickly hostile constructs get shredded.
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>>3534170
>I would have spent the time to do theorycrafting or extra worldbuilding for BHOP's quest
i mean, nothing wrong with that, i was just pointing out that he did say that was in part why he put forth some of the info is all.

>If possible, have everyone in the family assist each other in crafting their Neurotic Halos.
im wondering how this works. id imagine the Halos are pretty specialized instruments, so rushing it might not be the best. that said, this is kinda a precarious moment, so i suppose maybe having the Halos long term abilities suffer isnt as important as just having them in general, and they can always be improved or replaced later.
> Shu can spawn Neuromancy specialized Swarmlings for extra assistance.
i dont think she can til she unlocks that at level 10 potentially. she can make the crimson drone sure, but id argue thats still a very different creature, and one of the few limits BHOP has put on swarmlings IS they cant have abilities or powers not already granted to them, id imagine exactly because that would defeat the purpose of having her secondary abilities be unlockable types at level 10+.

>Magpie's Anti-Flesh Artisan bullets.
good idea. hopefully they are compatible with the Contender.

>Neuro Network Party-technique
not a bad idea, though having to remain tethered to eachother even if it might give these advantages might still give too many drawbacks. they are only short range, and even inside the thing id very much imagine we might at least end up at medium range from eachother by necessity. also like i stated above i dont think it'll be best necessarily for all our own party to be together.

>Immutable form
i dont think this will work. it only works on the owner, not on whatever target they wish, and i dont think Crimson Cord allows for ability sharing between anyone but Shu and Gina, and even otherwise im not sure if Magpie is close enough to us for it to work even if said CCs abilities have expanded. it would still only work on the user though im pretty sure, so only Magpie would get it even in the best case scenario. now granted, her having her arm better would still be useful, but not as much as other things. we also do know Neuromancy has limits to what connecting to allies and enemies alike allows, and even when Gina had hers full i do not think she could do stuff like this without the Crimson Cord, thus only with Shu.

>Inter-team tactics
having at least a single Halo online does seem good, but if it comes to that, who? it also i dont think will be too big a deal, as thought forms main advantage was distance and not letting the enemy know your plans, which the second wont be an issue. the first, no matter how many teams we make, will be, as we still will need to know whats going on outside, but i dont think its worth leaving someone outside JUST because of that.

(1/2)
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>>3534228
>Win conditions
Cancer Bomb is a possibility, but i think Mara said there should be a core we can kill, and id trust her on that being the case. the other issue is we have seen this thing absorb a mountain, and its huge, and it has alot of abilities. if it shrugs off the Bomb, yikes, or it might not even care because its not actually infecting a part attached to the core, only a section its willing to lose.

>What to do if things go Snafu
not gonna lie, there really ISNT an escape plan when you enter a giant living behemoth.nothing beyond 'hope you have enough left in you to fight your way back out.' we also cant really plan to get everyone out, in the sense any plan we make is otherwise meant to ensure the best victory possible, and thats the best you can do in that regard.

>Action economy Management: We've got 3 actions now.
we already regularly clearly tried to have shu do more than she could, now that just means more of our plans are more likely to get through.

>Halo and Neuromancy limitations
yeah we really underutilized that Halo on Gina, didn't we?

(2/2)
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>>3534205
>We're just going to have to deal with only Shu having the Halo ready in time for this fight.
im not saying you are wrong, only i do think its up for discussion if she should be the one to have it. Amara might actually be able to put it to really good use, though again i still stick by my plan up above, so it depends on the situation.

>Dorian
honestly, the thing cant be trapped within his mist so might not even get truly effected by all its abilities, nor does it need communication abilities. if it does not have constructs, then the form will be useless. it could very well attack us with things that do not count towards being a construct.
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>>3534229
>yeah we really underutilized that Halo on Gina, didn't we?
I don't think so. Gina was one of our squishiest party members, we never wanted her to be in a situation where an automatic critical counter was needed. Not that she had any direct damage capability anyway. And the paralysis was good, but she could only do a single Neuromancy action at a time and it was usually worth more for her to lock down enemy abilities. Of course, now that we have Neurotic Halo on melee-focused characters and have many more Neuromancers available, it's a different matter.

>>3534238
>im not saying you are wrong, only i do think its up for discussion if she should be the one to have it. Amara might actually be able to put it to really good use, though again i still stick by my plan up above, so it depends on the situation.
It doesn't. Shu's going to be the only one with her Halo ready in time. She gets her instantly because of Perpetual Halo, everyone else will need enough time to spin the fibers that it will have to wait until after the Spiral Fear is dead.

>it could very well attack us with things that do not count towards being a construct.
Very possible, it's not a guarantee, but I feel pretty confident it's going to use at least some constructs. It's a walking Kurozu-cho, we're going to thread our way through its spiralling passageways, it will be very surprising if we don't get attacked by gross spiral monsters popping out of the walls.
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>>3534248
>I don't think so.
i more of meant, i dont remember us ever having that be used, even when she was taking damage. then again, it was probably background info we weren't told about,and she would be dead now otherwise. hard to tell at times though.

>It doesn't. Shu's going to be the only one with her Halo ready in time. She gets her instantly because of Perpetual Halo.
im not sure thats true, she may still have to craft it before she can implant it, or it may still have to be internally crafted. i was more saying we may be able to get one up and running if everyone works together, really depends on alot of things. but i see your point, but all that looks like to me is the possibility of no one having it, more than anything.

>Very possible, it's not a guarantee, but I feel pretty confident it's going to use at least some constructs.
im actually thinking because we are inside it, they wont count as constructs, but basically be its white blood cells attacking us, technically making them immune to anti-construct based powers. we will have to see though.
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>>3534205
>>3534228
>>3534248

Source: 6th vein:
Anonymous (ID: z6pgPROr) 01/20/19(Sun)23:51:04 No.3195166

Question: Regarding Gina's Immutable form and Life's Deathgrip. If Gina is physically jacked into another daugther (like Shu, B'ni, or Rath) can she apply Immutable form's status purge and immunity as well as lending them the benefits of Life's Deathgrip?

BodyHorrorOP (ID: 9Fg5aU/3) 01/21/19(Mon)00:13:41 No.3195210

>>3195166
(She can, with a catch; she must remain tethered to them to do so, which may prove to be somewhat difficult to set up mid-combat.)

Immutable form might not work well for the constant "Immunity" status when tethered, but giving other party members the status purge would also work well for this situation as a singular action sort of thing. Rath herself would simply enjoy the "immune" status to the Spiral-effect debuff, but said status immunity will be very useful for lending help tethering to party members and purging debuff status effects.

Another idea that came to my mind due to how we've distributed Gina's powers:
>Party-casting Neuromancy: Since Everyone (except Amara) in the party has Gina's Neuromancy tree, We could theoretically have Shu do a terraforming action and Everyone tethering to Shu to lend her bio and terraforming proficiency to create a greater effect. Like a Witch's Coven in DnD.
>>
(Gentlemen, the team will be able to work together to craft their Halo's in short order thanks to Gina's overall skill with crafting it. With everyone available to help and with Julia and Dorian being Flesh Artisans, the entire team will have access to their Halos at the time of conflict, so no worries.)

(Also, the Contender is compatible with Magpie’s ammo and any other third-party rounds you discover in your travels.)
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>>3534260
i mean, being able to purge it from others is helpful yeah, but like i said, i dont think permanent tethering will be a good idea.

>Party-casting Neuromancy
they cant share or lend Bio i dont think, unless the unstated question of if the Crimson Cord somehow effects everyone now is in effect.

>>3534263
oh, well theres the halo issue out of the way. nice to know on Magpies rounds aswell.
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>>3534260
Alright, then. Cool, so we can have Rath perform emergency aid if anyone gets twisted. With Keane providing healing, too, the team should be able to get through mostly unmolested. Except by whatever direct obstacles the Spiral Fear drops in our path, of course.

>>3534263
Oh, that's very good. Everyone gets enhanced situational awareness from their Halos. Also the ability to shut down any telepathic assault, though at the cost that Shu wouldn't be able to use her empathic field to coordinate people so well. So that will be an option if the Fear starts making us afraid. And we can fire anti-Spiral rounds, that will be very useful. Definitely need to bring some of those along to the core.
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>>3534263
Some ideas that I've been thinking of in the interim. Also the omake's postponed due to the proximity of this vein falling off the board.

>FLAMING MIGNON: A cast iron frying pan. It’s worn and rusted. It reeks of human meat cooked to perfection… and... and lamb sauce? Any cut of meat that touches the pan sizzles, sears, and cooks as if the pan was heated over an open flame. This brittle–looking yet heavy cooking utensil is effective as a cast-iron frying pan applied against a human… were it not for the fact that all daughters and amalgams are more than human. However its real use shines when it is used as intended. Cooking the meat off the corpses of fallen daughters or amalgams refines and upgrades the hidden essences trapped within the meat such that upon consumption, the daughter that consumes it receives double the stat bonuses and levels given from a normal level-up or a Consume option. However, cooking the meat of the fallen daughter with the relic will kill the dream daughter normally acquired from the corpse of dead daughters. You are what you eat after all, meat is fucking raw, and you’re damn sure you are a civilized creature of society, not a savage cannibal!
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>>3534279

>THE ANCIENT’S CLEAVER: Ahh Butchery, A profession as timeless as conflict. Unlike the Perfectionist’s Scalpel Surgical work of butchery refined to a science of optimization, The Ancient’s Cleaver is quite the opposite: Blunt, inelegant, and brutal, caring only for the quality of the meat to be cut and consumed by the daughter. Using the cleaver upon a corpse and carving out the choicest cuts of meat will unlock a more refined selection of abilities for the hungry daughter, at the cost of having to forgo the rest of the corpse. (Instead of a random set, BHOP must now pick 3 abilities that best synergize with the daughter’s current kit, the daughter consuming the butchered meat cannot select level-up options, with consume options giving higher than normal stat-boosts as well as a more refined selection.)
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>>3534279
(I've been looking forward to it, I'm glad you haven't abandoned it.)

(Also, marvelous Relic ideas as always.)
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>>3534279
haha, i actually had ideas for a group of daughters who refuse to consume other daughters and cook all the amalgams they hunt, because they still cling to the old world ideas of eating and cannibalism being wrong. so thats a neat relic to come about.

also i mean...technically it is still cannibalism, but its hard to choose that hill to stand on when doing so makes it very likely you could all go mad from hunger, ironically making the main issue with cannibalism happen from NOT doing cannibalism.
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>>3534303
I'm sorry, I've bamboozled you by deleting the post. The [REDACTED] Relic needs some refinement. Especially the poetic message.
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>>3534308
*er, main issue with consuming human meat i mean...obviously brain viruses and the like only possible from cannibalism are not exactly the biggest issue with cannibalism. poor wording on my part there.
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>>3534303
Amalgams

CIRCLES OF LIFE – gremlin-like blob amalgams that group up and form spiked wheels. Mother calls it by the proper name but some members of Shu’s family would rather call them: “Fuck Mothering wheels.” They also hunt in packs.
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>>3534283
I wish we had that. Looking at the profile sheets for the characters we're fighting along with, I can't help but feel like our builds are a lot more unfocused than theirs. I'm sure that's just because they've been around for longer and have had more time to roll any weird abilities that don't fit their concept into more appropriate hybrid skills, but it's still making me feel inadequate. A guarantee that the abilities we obtained from Consume would synergize well with our existing abilities would be nice.
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>>3534303

>BABEL TOWN: The last major settlement daughters and Crucible participants reach before meeting the Sargtamas gatekeeper and entering the Gates of the Cord itself. Founded and built at the base of the Cord itself by the many parasites, symbiotes, and former participants that somehow eke out a living by subsisting upon the Virus itself. The town’s welcome sign is an ever-growing list of “Welcome to Babel Town” in all written dead languages of this earth and not of this earth.
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>>3534320
well, keep in mind we arent seeing their entire character sheet, only a snippet of their most used abilities and such. they could have a plethora of unsused or rarely used abilities from before they got their kit focused like they want it.

plus, a bit of experimentation is probably necessary id imagine, aswell as the direction an ability will take might not always end up meshing as well as we think, or end up being to our liking. plus like you pointed out, they have been around far longer to get to that point.
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>>3534303
Party Techniques:

>Archon Automatic Response Network (everyone with a Neurotic Halo active, 1 act from each party member, optional collective cost of XXX% additional Bio to reduce all incoming damage to zero): Their desperate battle against their former teammate Isabelle has been ingrained in their minds with despair, death, and trauma. Yet, they have also learned the true importance of family and what it means to look out for each other in this harsh world. With one action from each party member and a synchronized neural network of halos, they act, collaborate and respond in unison, doing whatever it takes to keep everyone safe from any harm. For the Family.

>Synchronized Archon Assault: (all members with halo active, Halo’s critical action, 1/2/3 acts from each party member, collective cost 100/200/300% Bio) Gina’s sacrifice was a heavy loss in the hearts and minds of Shu’s family, but her sacrifice was not in vain. Their battle against their once comrade Isabelle “The Fabled Vitruvian” has left them a lasting impression on what it means to effectively fight as a single unit. And now with Gina’s gift given from her sacrifice, everyone can collaborate and collectively act as one. Witness the potential of collaborative Neuromancy acting in unison, its power, overwhelming.
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>>3534320
(Ha, I fear that those summaries are a little misleading; most of them have about three or four skill trees that they have only one or two points in that are fairly weak. It's a hazard of the system, meant to be mitigated by the Sparagmos Engine if one can find an unguarded one.)
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>>3534334
Daughters

“Madam Ossium” – Vitruvian/Calcite Armory Hybrid: A nun who suffered from Brittle Bone disease in her life came to in the Crucible and found her faith tested. Over time her vows and faith never wavered yet her body was gradually worn away until nothing more than a walking, talking, skeleton of her remained. Her habit miraculously survived as well by some twist of irony.
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>>3534334
“PHANTOM HORSEMAN” - UnNatural Predator/Calcite Armor Hybrid (Horse type): Centaur Girl in Calcite Armor. A Canadian Mountie (A cop on horseback) in her past life. Calcite Armorer augmentations have given her Armor a ghost-like appearance, a striking visual look that earned her the moniker.
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>>3534331
>>3534334
Oh, no, I understand that the summary is focusing on their most-used skills. But I tried writing up similar summaries for our side, and found we sound kind of underwhelming. None of our skills are over level ten, and we only have one hybrid (well, two, Julia inherited the Bloody Ripper). We're just not as cool as these guys. I think it's ultimately just a factor of us being still pretty low level. We've killed and eaten everything we ethically can kill and eat, and we're still pretty weak because we're so new to the game. Which I guess is fitting, given that this is the Crucible. You want to get strong fast, go do something awful. Still, I'll feel a lot better once we've gotten another twenty or so levels under our belt, really develop our skills into awesome superpowers.
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>>3534350
And yet, we have amazing street cred and pulled stunts that impressed even the veterans of the world. Although in hindsight, we've been carried by Isabelle's OP character sheet (pre-nerf).
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>>3534334
“OBSIDIAN WALKER”- Fibromancer/Calcite Armory Hybrid: A simple Daughter with a simple powerset that allows her to harden her skin, bone and muscles into impossibly dense concentrations while maintaining her form, allowing her an adaptable defense and offence on the spot. A side-effect of this ability is that active use of it turns her skin and the bone-constructs she creates into a deep dark and glossy shine bordering on black.
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>>3534357
Sure, we're very impressive for doing all that despite being so weak. A mixture of good audience decisions and lucky rolls has enabled us to hit above our weight class. We're still in a low weight class, though. I look forward to eating the Spiralling Fear, we'll be a lot stronger after this fight.
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>>3534334
“SLAVE OF ANTIQUITY” – Neuromancer/calcite armory hybrid: A daughter whose main ability is neuromancy interfacing and enhancing mundane objects into usable weapons. One of the few daughters whose abilities that heavily depend upon the “living weapon” relics she wears and uses. So much so it has become a crutch to her as the relics she uses consume a majority of the levels that would have gone to the daughter.
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>>3534350
>>3534366
another factor to remember is this; the Midnight Crew were longtime friends before the Crucible even started, making it alot easier for them to mesh their kits together. we didn't even know alot of our party for like half the quest, the one person we could argue even minorly to have known before the crucible was never going to mesh well even if she didn't becomes an enemy, and with that, everyone in our group was an individual. it feels like the midnight crews cores actually were outright effected by their long lasting friendship and time together, which actually could very well be the case, as ones personality effects that, and people do tend to fall into certain roles in longtime groups. they were basically perfect for having a team based build from the moment the crucible started, we on the other hand, have to work for that.

the difference is, we actually probably long term can have more standing power as individuals than them. but yes, we are also simply very weak. Shu is only like, 3-4 weeks old Crucible time, Dorian and Gina were both hold up in one location, same with Julia, Rath i think was fairly new too, and Amara is like...MAYBE a week old Crucible time? all things considered i think you are under selling us quite a bit, elements, especially taking all this into account.
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>>3534334

“Venom Chan” – Skintalker/UnNatural Predator/Amalgam Hybrid: A Skintalker that found an unlikely symbiotic partnership with an amorphous amalgam. Further explanation would incur the wrath of copyright and violation of parody privileges.
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>>3534374
Oh, shit, if we had gotten the upgrade to let Dorian fuse with other liquid Daughters, then with Red Death he'd be Carnage! Why didn't we think of that? Aww, major oversight there.
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>>3534334

“The Unfortunate Matron” Hive Mistress/Phantasmal Conduit Hybrid (Rabbit/Bunny type): A daughter who is in control of a swarm… of rabbits, Killer rabbits. She was a brilliant accountant in her pre-crucible life who desired the married life and having children. The Crucible twisted her wish and turned her into a Bunny girl with the gimmick of… “Explosive Breeding”. Said gimmick came with the rather unfortunate side-effect of nymphomania and the near constant state of pregnancy as her method of “spawning constructs” is restricted to the painful and old fashioned human way of “spawning constructs” in exchange for very durable and powerful "Rabbit Children" as a result of her choice. It’s a shame her latent desires for wanting to have children and her proficiency with numbers resulted in this terrible combination. But she’s crunched the numbers, and finds herself in a unique position to becoming a powerful daughter to be reckoned with… if she can bear the routine labor pains of childbirth that is.

Note: The “constructs” she spawns are gender coded, regular constructs are Male coded and consumed daughters summoned are female coded constructs. And I may have come up with this sick idea due to lack of sleep and wanting to induce body horror flavor on the "Explosive Breeder" trope and attributed that to Rabbits as a joke.
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>>3534382
I think he'd rather fuse with a certain artist instead of wantonly mingling with other daughters even with the augmentation. He's a gentleman not a manwhore!
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>>3534374
well thats not fair, shes hardly the first reference in this game haha.

>>3534384
well at first i was like 'nice monty python reference' and then i was like 'oh dear god what the hell!?'
though i can kinda see Mother pulling twisted shit like that.
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>>3534334
“The Unfortunate Stone maker” – Generator/Calcite Hybrid: A daughter that has the unfortunate power to generate Kidney Stones. Said Kidney Stones also explode into calcite shrapnel and can come in different types with different functions. Generating the weaponized Kidney Stones however is just as painful as the symptoms of Kidney stone disease.

“Lone Alarune” Generator/SkinTalker Hybrid: A Gardner who loved her passion but was a poor hand at business management. Her garden business struggled to survive on the cusp of bankruptcy until the Crucible bankrupted the planet. Now she inherits the powers, perks, and traits of all flowering plants known to her and the ability to spawn them as constructs of her own. A literal plant woman, forgive her nudity, but plants normally don’t wear clothes.
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>>3534396
Well, sure, but we could have gotten Julia a liquid form somewhere. Oh well, hindsight is 20/20. Maybe that Augment will pop again someday, wouldn't be the first we skipped over that we're hoping to reappear. Like the bronze armor for Rath, we need to fight more Calcite Daughters and see if that is an option again.
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>>3534406
the fact Calcite Armory is just about the most common class(or at least confirmed to be very near the top) and the only one we have is in a hybrid is quite funny. our play style i think has lead to some very very strange occurrences.
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>>3534334
HOPE’S LAST CRADLE: A solid white cube 2 meters long all dimensions in with no apparent seam, buttons or means of interfacing. But upon meeting certain conditions and stages in the Crucible however, the box opens up to reveal a mass network of fibers, muscle, and tissue that circle a cradle large enough to comfortably fit an adult woman provided the occupant is kept in a fetal position. Upon detecting an occupant in the cradle, the cube closes shut and soon puts the cradled daughter into stasis, remaining impervious to all outside and inside influence and attempts to open it… until either beginning of the next Crucible cycle, or when the Crucible’s cyclical code is broken.

On the box is a message written in [UNKNOWN], strangely enough, you can read it as if it was written in english.
It reads:

>Fling a light into the future
>for all your efforts you’ve led
>Fling a final hope into the night
>your efforts were fruitless in the end
>Pray that that future you saved is bright
>because you see nothing but darkness ahead
>Place a loved one into the Cradle
>Their continued life will be your final light

Note to BHOP: This is the quintessential “Reset/End the campaign in-case Anons fuck up” Relic. I’ve created this relic as a safety net/method to close out the campaign and end it on a bittersweet/hopeful note.
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>>3534334
Aaaaand I'm just about tapped out of ideas at the moment.

I know you're stoked that I barfed up a shitton of cool ideas for your for free, but it would tickle me with WAFF if you let me know which of them garners your interest the most.
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Okay, thought of a Daughter idea based off a pun.

>Vitreous Markswoman
>An Olympic triathlete before the Crucible, her career cut short by macular degeneration costing her her vision. The Crucible fixed this, gifting her with a Generator ability to produce fully functioning eyes anywhere on her body. The second part of this ability puts her former sharpshooting skill to good use, imploding the eyeballs to produce a pressurized jet of vitreous humor, which crystallizes in-flight to become rather more literally vitreous needles. Though damage is slight, one can't get more accurate than a weapon that aims wherever you look and so strikes to critical weak points are easy. Accustomed to trekking cross-country, she travels the Crucible looking for challenges to rebuild her lost skills on.

Come to think of it, she'd be a fun rival for Magpie. Another sniper with an eye theme.
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>>3534452
(These are all fantastic, though I have to admit the Cradle is actually my favorite. It's a bittersweet sort of thing, and I immediately had a whole scene come to me of the team settling Amara into the Cradle, and her being the new PC in a sort of New Game +.)
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>>3534471
Motherfucker BHOP.
I had that same exact scenario playing out in my mind when I was writing up the poem that goes with the Relic. That and the fact that https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzQ6gRAEoy0 was simultaneously playing out in my mind as well. I couldn't help but cry while writing.
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ah fuck it, everyone else is posting their neat ideas, kinda wanted to wait til later in the next one, but i guess nothing says i cant repost it.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iSL7wUbkgS6mRlpn4qEqKdREKk56eKeNoAmEp57sZCA/edit?usp=sharing

an idea for a civilization from a past and/or different crucible. hope it holds at least a bit of a candle light to everyone elses ideas.

>>3534465
heh, id imagine they dont directly fight so much as kill steal eachothers bounties.

>>3534452
overall neat ideas, like the idea of a strangely intact town right before the cord. though my own thoughts was more like those not exactly ready to climb simply eventually realized simply turning everywhere into an endless battle ground would eventually drive too much of value away.

>>3534471
>>3534487
i hope it does not come to that, but its better than nothing. she would be the one we let survive though, no question on that.
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>>3534502
>One might say they were mouthless, and as humans would see it they were in a way. Instead, their pores doubled as tiny suction cups, able to clamp down onto prey and spit out globs of stomach acid to soupify whatever unfortunate creature they found in their grasp, slowly sucking them up into what was essentially a body covered in mouths, their digestive system an entire layer beneath their skin and muscles all on its own
Well, these things can go right to hell. I'm glad the Crucible ate them.

But no, seriously, this is great. The exploration of how the Crucible would shape itself to other species with different anatomies and life cycles to base its classes around is excellent, very good stuff.
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>>3534487
(I was thinking of that song too, that's wild.)

>>3534465
(Also, this is hilarious and a great idea.)

>>3534502
(This, along with everything you and the other players have posted are absolutely amazing. I am so thankful to have such kind and creative players, it's a joy when I refresh the Vein to find such cool things you all have made.)
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>>3534519
>This, along with everything you and the other players have posted are absolutely amazing. I am so thankful to have such kind and creative players, it's a joy when I refresh the Vein to find such cool things you all have made.
Quality fiction inspires quality fanworks. We're just trying to live up to the standard you set.
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>>3534512
>>3534519
haha, yeah their method of eating is wholly horrifying. thanks, i tried to make them feel very alien while still making sense, not sure how well i did on that ,but it was fun at least. thinking up how the crucible would have to change was interesting for sure. also ill admit i was way too tempted to continue on with the next crucible after i started forming the couples personalities in my head, but held back on that. felt leaving it more open to the imagination of everyone would be much more fun in the end.

thanks for the kind words, glad it held merit.
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>>3534538
I now kind of want to mine a reasonably hard sci-fi setting for species, and then make Crucibles for each of them. Orion's Arm, maybe. Like, that has the Lums, post-humans (they'd have to be changed to aliens for purposes of this, of course) whose nervous systems are based on polarized light instead of electrochemical transmission. This means that their brains can't be hacked, only jammed, since trying to interfere with the flow of the light causes it to decohere. That would make for an interesting Crucible, a world where the mental classes don't exist or are focused entirely on effects that don't target people (terraforming, skintalking Amalgams, Phantasm Conduit clones, etc.).
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>>3534550
oh, thats neat. their neuromancers could also have weird light based abilities too perhaps. or that could be a new unique class type.
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>>3534564
Or another species from that setting, the Menexenes. They're "biological", but based on magnetic interactions instead of chemical ones. Their native environment is the metallic hydrogen core of a gas giant, so everything is technically the same material and it's the differing magnetic domains inside the fluid that give rise to pseudoparticles that they're made of. I want to see the Crucible adapt to those things' biology. Go ahead, Mother. Figure out what "bone" means to a creature made of electromagnetism.
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>>3534585
well, to be fair, the Crucible consumed the Tindalos and forced them into physical bodies, which shows it has a disturbingly adaptable view on what it considers life and how it can deal with said variants. that said, you brng up a very fun and interesting point; the utter annoyance a Mother must have at dealing with an alien species and having to figure out how to work the game around them. im sure the Crucible itself helps that process along alot, but Mothers still clearly have a part in it, and things like you said probably have driven some to basically throw in the towel and let the automated systems take full control id imagine.

"Fucking what? you want me to deal with blobs of magnetic metal? yeah no fuck that i can hardly even tell whats actually alive down there. you wanna consume them, be my damn guess, ive still got some life to live til one of those...things offs me."
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>>3534600
It does bring into question about "HOW" the Crucible consumed a race of multi-dimensional hounds that leap across time, space and planes and forced them into servitude. I smell Metaphysical shenanigans at work.
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>>3534600
Oh, I fully believe that the Crucible could adapt to all sorts of alien biologies. It's more like it's emulating the look of flesh than actually being flesh. Its cells are really some sort of hyper-adaptive nanotech that have only the slightest resemblance to real biology, they're insane. I just want to see how they interpret the really weird stuff.

>>3534611
The Crucible clearly has some ability for that of its own. Consider how Daughters can store far more biomass for use in their abilities than could possibly fit in their bodies. B'Ni was able to regenerate an entire spare body when it was mid-air, so she clearly wasn't drawing on the ground's biomass. Rath can generate a dozen extra arms in an area with no ambient biomass at all. It can't be that the mass is hyper-compacted or anything like that, Daughters seem to have normal biomass. So we're either storing our mass extradimensionally or teleporting mass in from elsewhere. Either way, Crucible cells must have their own ways to play with space-time.
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>>3534617
Derp, meant "Daughters seem to have normal density".
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>>3534617
thats a good point. maybe its...cant think of the name, but saw the idea in a comic once, where these devices had amazing storage capacity, but no one knew how they worked. people thought they just shrunk the items down, but in reality it was basically 'storing' them in a pocket dimension, sorta, via basically pressing against the edge of the dimension they were in to make a pocket/bubble out into the next one, thus creating new storage space temporarily to fit the item into.

i can see daughters acting sorta like that, or something similar.
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>>3534624
Yeah, it's either that or the Crucible serving as infrastructure that Daughters can remotely draw on. Like there's some biomachine in the Cord that's teleporting raw material to Daughters as needed from its stores. The membrane surrounding the Earth is enormous, it could continuously feed mass to every Daughter on the planet and not notice. Especially if it's transporting damaged tissue and waste products back for reprocessing.
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>>3534637
hard to say really. im still a fan of the idea Daughters are somewhat independent "machines" from the crucible. if they were not, Charon would hardly be necessary for dealing with troublemakers, for example. aswell as the fact we haven't seen anything, purposeful, intended, or accidental, that would interrupt such systems really. though the idea of hacking said system and just killing daughters via bloating them with too much biomass is an interesting one, or beaming down a biomass chunk to crush someone like a sickly fleshy meteor.
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>>3534646
Well, it depends on how automated the support feature is. Mother doesn't appear to have deep access to the Crucible's systems or she'd use the telepathic link she has with Daughters to mind-crush rebels instead of sending Charon. Or trigger the die-off procedure that accompanies one winning, on a smaller scale, to make rebel Daughters just dissolve. So the automatic feeding being out of her control isn't an impossibility. Though I admit I personally prefer the idea of Daughters being independent machines, too, if only because my preferred endgame involves humanity getting to keep all their cool superpowers (though prettied up some by the corruption mechanic being removed) after the Crucible is destroyed.
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>>3534657
im not sure how i feel on that ending exactly. i more of saw it as possibly enviable, such as ending the crucible but being unable to outright undo the damage, only shatter control over it so it returns to a "natural" self running ecosystem. meaning things can continue but not like they were before. we'll have to see though, im just not thinking the endings gonna be a reset button for sure.

and on the actual main topic at hand, it seems weird that the crucible would force things to run like that. if a daughter or a group is such a threat, it seems like an automated system would still get rid of them, and theres hints theres at least some natural intelligence behind the crucible itself. but i suppose its fair to argue how far that goes and how much it needs someone to be able to see the smaller picture as it was.

this also of course brings up so many interesting questions about the crucible itself. it clearly needs to consume life to continue, but why in this way? the obvious one is self improvement, via letting the best of the species its consuming tag along and upgrade it with changes, but it also feels weird something so grand would even care about that at all. as far as it seems, it doesn't need to really evolve and get better, it can already do things as impressive as bind tindalos to flesh and make them slaves, and clearly has an amazing ability to auto adapt and change to whatever life its consuming. seems...redundant to even think it would need most species for improvement, or even trust them to not actually downgrade it. yet here it is, continuing the cycle. even if you want to say its all automated with no actually intelligence running it, something still made it, and made it to run the crucible, yet had to already have the crucible be damn advanced to be able to deal with whatever random life it might come across, which still wraps around to it seeming so odd that it would care about the crucible at all, instead of just outright consumption. the only potential hint i can see is the cord and its knack for collecting things, making me think in a very disturbing way, the Crucibles are nothing more than, in a twisted sense, scientists studying the universe.
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>>3534679
You could easily say that it's part of evolution. It's not fully "Optimized" or "efficient". The whole "Mother" system might've been a very old hold-over trait of the Virus that slowly waned in power as the virus grew, or even a relatively new one where its potential is deemed important enough to carry over between generations of Crucibles, but there hasn't been enough "focus" on it. It's similar to how evolution works. Take us Humans for example. We had an appendix organ that had its original function be digesting and processing raw food for a large majority of our evolution line until we discovered fire and the benefits of consuming cooked meat. And not only that, it wasn't until very very recently that we discovered the full potential of having a brain that can think long term and the benefits of having "consciousness" and the identity of the self. The Crucible system might've run on auto-pilot for a large amount of its evolution line and only just began developing the conscious part only recently where the Mother role is helping the virus make conscious selective choices to further the Virus's evolutionary line instead of making logical choices.
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>>3534679
Yeah, it does seem weird how little control the Crucible gives to the Mother, but as you say it's not like it exactly needs her. The Crucuble being a scientific experiment is one possible explanation, but for a while I've been having an inkling that it might just be one big game. That the reason the Crucible has so much game logic to how it works isn't a coincidence but because it is, in character, a machine designed to play a game on a colossal scale. Some incredibly powerful species designed it for entertainment, and then it either escaped into the wild or was intentionally set loose on innocent worlds because its creators are bastards. That would explain the role of Mother, she's the GM. The game doesn't need her to run every little thing, so she doesn't have admin access, even if it would really help her troubleshoot these bugs.

If they even are bugs. After all, lots of games have multiple endings. Maybe "the players destroy the Crucible" is an intended goal-state, maybe even THE intended goal-state. A Crucible refines what's put into it, after all, and becoming a new Mother and continuing the cycle isn't really a refinement of the player. Maybe that's actually just a convoluted loss condition, with "administer the game for the next species" being the punishment. That would explain why no Mother really gets to enjoy their wish. Losers don't get rewarded. It would explain why they get to modify the system, too, they're patching it for the next round of players. And the Mothers have all just gotten very confused about what they're meant to be doing, and think that losing the game is winning it.
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>>3534707
>>3534679
And it all comes back the entire plotshell of Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2
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>>3534721
Yeah. I think something wants to test us. Whether it's doing so for scientific experimentation, moral judgment, or simple boredom, the system feels too intentional and artificial to be just a big alien monster parasitizing worlds. I think it is, at a minimum, a creature originally designed for one of those roles that escaped and went von Neumann on the galaxy.
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>>3534705
the big issue i have with this is, the crucible is very clearly past the point of evolutionary based evolution. i cant remember the term, but basically sentience negates the need for natural evolution. once you can think like humans do, for example, you no longer need actual evolution. the crucible was clearly made to be beyond th need for natural evolution, its potential methods of evolving via the crucible simply do not lend itself to that. designed that way, or some part of the crucible actively choosing it to have it be that way, it has very clearly reached beyond naturality, as it was.

>>3534707
i can kinda see it, but the fact the new mother gets a wish for victory is way too center a thing to not be made to entice daughters to victory. actually, what WAS mothers wish? its said they both get to make one Major change to the crucible, and they get one wish(within what the crucible can grant obviously). its even the point of the choice too. get your neat power option, then mother tells you something only the wish can grant you so as to entice you to keep going for the cord and victory. its obviously a Faustian bargain kinda deal, what with the fact you doom your race and planet, and become a slave to the crucible, and are guaranteed to die in a few thousand years in the next one, but it must have some pretty nifty wish granting potency still to keep this going, despite all that.

>>3534721
ah, more references i shall never understand.
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>>3534735
>i can kinda see it, but the fact the new mother gets a wish for victory is way too center a thing to not be made to entice daughters to victory
Sure, but that's explainable. If the Crucible escaped on its own, then it was supposed to be able to grant the wish but no longer can due to how it's mutated over the eons. If it was intentionally set loose, then the wish is a trick used as part of the game's moral choice system, and you actually get rewarded by not taking the cheap and easy path. There are possible explanations, I'll have to refine the idea with more data as it emerges.

As for Mother's wish, it was to make the Hexane's planet into her own perfect world. Obviously she didn't get that, or got it only temporarily, since it died like every other world visited by the Crucible. Presumably this is the reason for Mother drifting through space in the depths of despair as West mentioned >>3525261.

>ah, more references i shall never understand.
Very quick spoilers for the game, turns out the reason everyone was being turned into demons was because an aspect of God that lived in the sun had judged humanity and deemed us a failure.
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>>3534749
>As for Mother's wish, it was to make the Hexane's planet into her own perfect world. Obviously she didn't get that, or got it only temporarily, since it died like every other world visited by the Crucible. Presumably this is the reason for Mother drifting through space in the depths of despair as West mentioned.
i dont think thats the case. im pretty sure Charon betrayed her exactly because she realized she no longer planned to do that.
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>>3534756
No, the plan was always to reshape the Hexanes' world for the better. The fallout came when Charon realized Mother wanted her own vision, instead of the agreed-on plan to do...more or less what we're planning on, really. Destroy the Crucible, revive the dead, steal any bits of its technology we can. From Vein 13:

>...When my Master and Mother resolved to scale the Cord, it was with the intent that Mother use her accumulated power to do what our civilization set out to do in the first place; take control of the Crucible, bring back those they had lost, and harness its power to improve their planet and themselves." She explains. "Mother lost sight of that goal in favor of making a world of her own design, but the basic principle of their idea remains the same.

That's probably why Mother is so spooked by Shu, we're basically her younger self come back to haunt her with her all mistakes. Ooh, what if it turns out that's factually true, and Shu is so different from Sam because bits of Mother's subconscious shaped the rebuilding process for Sam's damaged brain, making us literally Mother's self-loathing nightmares made flesh? Probably not, but that would be a fun twist.
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>>3534787
There are so many goddamn parallels between Shu/Sam and Mother as well as Charon and Isabelle that you could make a double-helix out of it.
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>>3534787
i mean fair enough, but id still argue that was not Mothers wish. she very well could of changed what she wanted after the betrayal, aswell as the wish has to be within the crucibles abilities and rules. if she wins as intended, she cant remake the world, as there is no world to remake, and it has to eat the world to continue, ontop of said potential she didn't even want that anymore. i mean, even if it was a temporary moment of rage, i can see someone thinking something like "well if your gonna betray me over MY version not being good enough, then there just wont be ANY version! watch as your betrayal means nothing gets left over, you cunt!"

it also fits very well into the Mothers thoughts on how there is nothing but the Crucibles cycle to strive for, if either or even both of those are true.
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>>3534360
I love Ozen. And that power sounds like Greed from Fullmetal Alchemist. What classes would the other Homunculi be?
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I also have my own daughter concepts.

>Regal Strips: Once a famous celebrity who used her beauty to climb the social ladder and be treated as a princess, until an accident left her skin burned and her looks ruined. Now in the Crucible, she's covered in pale skin bandages and wears jewelry with a mask and crown like an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh all made of a golden wax-like substance. She still retains her pride and desire to be seen as a queen, manifesting scarab minions to crawl out from her wrappings and having acquired a Skintalker power so she may command those lesser than her once more.

>Frankie: An artificial Daughter, and not in the same vain as the Disassociated Ones. She is wholly biological and was created using several powers. A Calcite Armorer made the base, a Flesh Artisan crafted the shape, a Neuromancer and Phantasmal Conduit designed the mind, and a Hive Mistress hybridized with Gluttonous and Vitruvian had a minion fuse with the whole to give it stability and the possibility to CONSUME. She looks human but she’s far from it in body and mind, and actually has no Core power.
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>>3534989
Lust is a Calcite Armorer, for her finger-blades. Wrath is a Vitruvian, for his solely internal power. Envy a Flesh Artisan focused on shapeshifting, naturally. Sloth is a Fibromancer, for muscle power and speed. Pride is a Gluttonous/Humoral Paladin hybrid to be a big blob monster full of teeth. And Gluttony is actually not a Gluttonous but an Unnatural Predator based on a species like the Tindalos Hounds that hunts by manipulating space.
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>>3535120
>Frankie
prototype for how humanity will continue the species later on?
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>>3534471
>It's a bittersweet sort of thing, and I immediately had a whole scene come to me of the team settling Amara into the Cradle, and her being the new PC in a sort of New Game +.
>New Game + begins
>Having Amara's quest be "Find her family members" instead of the typical "Climb the Cord" quest.
BHOP. please. you know you want this.
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>>3535846
id not like that at all personally. it implies either we failed, or we won but due to some reason shes potentially chasing down ghosts and legacies instead of actual people.
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(Gentlemen, the 21st Vein will go live in approximately 13 hours from now. I hope that you're having a great Memorial Day weekend, and get some good rest...you're going to need it for the fight to come.)
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>>3536423
Thanks, BHOP, I hope your Memorial Day was nice as well. See you in thirteen hours.
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>>3536423
good shit bhop ill be there

also pic related
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>>3536423
same back at ya. looking forward to it, lets all give it our damnedest!
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>>3536423
>tfw BHOP himself wishing us good luck in order to kill Spiraling Fear.

Thank you? I... I think I need to think up of a comprehensive battle plan for this one. It'll be half-baked but usable by the opening of the next vein.

Motherfucker. Just how far up shit creek are we? Bhop's given us all the paddles and he still says "Good luck". It feels like we're super unprepared for this.
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>>3536624
I don't think we can make a comprehensive plan, really. There are too many unknowns about the Spiraling Fear aside from "it's got Flesh Artisan powers". We can come up with some general tactics, like the idea of having one team stack debuffs while the other carves their way in through the Spiral, but that's it. I've got some ideas for things that could be helpful, for example the Exsanguinating Leash is massively powerful in this context, but otherwise? We're just going to have to wing it.
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>>3536638
Any plan is better than no plan anon.

I'm writing down a pseudo military operation document that's gonna be posted when the next vein is cut open by BHOP. It's gonna list all known factors and possibilities that I can think of as well as a brief plan that lists our vague overall objectives. Speculation is also nice and a good way to account for known unknowns.

But yes, aside from listing out the circumstances and possible tactics we can use, we're very much winging it, and the plan is more or less pic related borrowed from a certain group of disgruntled party of soldiers who routinely get into situations that is clearly above their paygrade.
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>>3529031
I know it's late, but I think we should move Dorian to the outside support team. I'll explain my logic in the 21st vein.
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>>3536797
About to head to sleep myself, but I have trouble seeing any reason why he'd be good on the outside. Dorian's abilities seem most useful to me when he's inside the Spiraling Fear, able to spawn Inklings directly into its body, destroy any antibody constructs with Masque of War, and shred the core with Inspired Critic once we reach it. I can't think of any reason why he'd be useful outside save intercepting blows by getting into position with his mist dashes, which seems kind of a waste of his abilities. So I look forward to seeing your argument, maybe there's something I'm missing. Anyways, good night, thread. See you in the next vein.
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>>3536797
>>3536840
ill be reposting it there of course so no worries, look forward to discussing it in depth when the time comes. though both points of contention ive kinda come to terms with myself.
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Good Morning, Gentlemen. The 21st Vein is open, and I look forward to seeing you there.

>>3537263



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