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You guys rock.  Edit: Wow, that's a Squiv of a snipe. Uh, "cat" tax?  simplefish posted:literally nothing i've seen in this thread supports anybody in these realities even approaching anything near symmetrical Let's call it "main form" or "trunk" symmetry. When it comes to hands and faces, this poo poo is BANANANAS Brawnfire fucked around with this message at 13:41 on Apr 7, 2019 |
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Apr 7, 2019 13:38
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simplefish posted:literally nothing i've seen in this thread supports anybody in these realities even approaching anything near symmetrical Maurice is only into symmetrical chicks, so clearly they exist.
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Apr 7, 2019 16:22
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Thanks for your patience on the next temple, folks. I'm wrapping up an entry I hope to drop on everyone later today. Just to check and make sure, I'm counting two for aligning the Constructor mind and one for leaving it as it is. So we're pro-align overall, correct? Edit: Just to give you something random-rear end while you wait: I don't know why I did this but enjoy: THE ABCs OF THE BEATEN LANDS A is Alltogether, our own multiverse B is the Beaten Lands under a curse C for Constructors who aren't so nice D is for the Drejj digress device. E is for Eye Guy, sneaky and sly F is a Frag Pistol to make anything die G is for go-box which moves you around H is for Home, the Drejj stomping ground I is Incursion, a Constructor invasion J is the Jecta gun you're fond of blazing K was the Keptin of the Crymsun Guard L was Laceruro til you shot his heart M is Morani--no, Maurice, my fault N are the Nodes you blew up for the Cult O is Orthemka, a formidable foe P is for Portal, who knows where you'll go Q is for Questions, whose answers are vague R is Redubbling spreading a plague S is for Suvram, who licks both his eyes T is for Throughspace with Shrunken Head Guy U is for Universes, threatened with harm V is for Vihrau, you cut off her arm W is Whistlehorn, you love to play X is eXplosions, you see many a day. Y is for You, the one making the choices (although you hear myriad arguing voices) Z must be something you haven't yet seen perhaps it will be in an upcoming scene. Brawnfire fucked around with this message at 21:00 on Apr 8, 2019 |
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Apr 8, 2019 18:38
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super sweet best pal posted:Align. Just because it's bad now shouldn't mean it doesn't deserve a chance to become good. Pustulio posted:
Lithik raises one filthy hand and places the calloused palm against your forehead. You feel the Constructor inside of you leap away, as if frightened. She does not move, but closes her eyes and radiates Love and Compassion. The Constructor mind curiously moves towards her hand, and seems to curl against her palm, a kitten against a friendly hand. It dozes, then, the first quiet moment your mind has experienced since you can recall. It's like the neighbors' dog finally shut up and went inside.  "When this Constructor has rested, it will begin the process of bonding with you. Do not expect too much, too quickly: it must struggle with its own memories of evil deeds, just as you have had to do yourself." She sits back down among the stones. "Now, time for you to make your next visit, I am in need of solitude." The three of you walk outside to see Adanios and Baradas impatiently munching on fruits. "Oh, are you done already?" Baradas mutters. You move along. Further down the mystic path, you see a large, comfortable-looking building of glass and wood. It's the sort of place you wouldn't mind living in, or at least vacationing in, if it weren't in fact a temple on another plane of reality.  You step inside. The air smells heavenly, like roasted gulduck and bogberries, mushrooms and tendermoss. Herbs, savory and sweet and pungent, grow in aesthetic tufts from nooks in the temple's structure. A dog in a white woolen shift sits in a lotus position amid sacks of grains.  "I welcome you, travellers, to feast at my table." There is a table dived three-by-three, making nine sections upon which to place food.  "Thank you, that would be really lovely." you say. "Yes, praise to Lirvob, and may none ever go hungry." says Adanios, enthusiastically. The dog looks at him coldly. "Hunger is a part of the cycle, an essential drive, and a keening of the animal senses. To feed oneself to the point of constant satiation is to eat rice; to be sharp with the pangs of hunger, that is what adds salt to the rice." "Thoxin' sschooooled." you say, grinning. Baradas pats Adanios' back. "Perhaps a bit overeager, mate." Awkwardly, you all wait for something to happen. The dog is looking expectantly at you. "If it's not too eager," says Adanios bitterly, "we are guests, and this is our host. Perhaps we are meant to offer something." "Like what, food?" you ask. "Temple of Lirvob." replies Adanios. "You could just say yes." Don't tell him about the moistbread, that's for you and Suvram. "I have, like, an old sorrow-pear. Is that good?"  "I've got strips of smoked irshiwit." offers Tsshst, pulling pieces of purplish dried meat from her pocket. The dog takes the food, and places it on a single square. At once, twice the food and more variety appears in the next square. Then, twice again and more variety yet, with enticing nuts, glistening fruits and spiced meats appearing. This continues for each square until the last, the doubling and improving until there's a feast of magnificence on the table. "That's quite a trick." you say. "Not a trick, but a treat." says the dog. "After all, you have been through a lot. It is time for you to rest and repast." He pours out equal measures of wine for himself, you, Tsshst, Adanios and Baradas. "Modtrasotiya, wine of truth. An ancient tradition even among the ancient peoples."  "Wine of truth?" asks Baradas with a hint of worry. "Am I going to say some things I regret?" "That depends if you regret looseness of tongue. In my own culture, our tongues are quite active, yet we lie together a kindred pack. The wine simply gives lease to words needing lease. As was once said in a universe now lost to the Constructors, 'In Vino Veritas'." The group exchanges worried looks and drinks the sweet wine. It's incredibly fruity and intoxicating, tasting like grape peel and lemon zest and smoky vanilla-reed. Your face feels numb, and suddenly you feel extremely chatty. Do you have comments or questions for your companions? They'll have to answer anything you level at them, within their own understanding of what is True. Inventory Characters Map Elsewhere in the Beaten Lands [A concurrent CYOA] Brawnfire fucked around with this message at 04:19 on Apr 9, 2019 |
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Apr 8, 2019 21:28
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so what does thox mean anyway
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Apr 8, 2019 22:57
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Baradas, Adanios, what's the deal with this Risen thing? You think you're better than us or somethin? And you mentioned a basilica, how do we know you're not another weirdo cult? Like you have special power and seem to be fighting for the right things but the same could be said for the guys we just escaped. HBar fucked around with this message at 01:11 on Apr 9, 2019 |
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Apr 9, 2019 01:09
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To eyeguy: "Could it ever have worked, you and I?"
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Apr 9, 2019 01:30
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To dog: "What of eternal hunger that can never be sated, only mollified through constant consumption?"Tunicate posted:so what does thox mean anyway Smurf
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Apr 9, 2019 01:35
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To dog: do you eat your own upchuck, like other dogs I've known?
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Apr 9, 2019 02:30
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To Dog: "uhhh, about that "in vino veritas" universe..." To everyone but Eye Guy: "what do you have against Suvram anyway??!?" To break character for a moment: thanks thread! In my work, I've had to deal with a lot of really damaged people over the last few months- and without realising it, as a sort of self-defence mechanism, I'd begun to think of them as basically lesser people. That I was fundamentally better than them, possessed of special insights, or something. And then along comes this stupid thread filled with goons talking about lizards and sorrowpears and Maurice being into symmetrical chicks-- a thread which nonetheless includes people casually throwing metaphysics about like a tennis ball. It all helped me spot a mental habit that could have led to a rather unhealthy place, in time. So thanks, thread, for helping this goon navigate the Blasted Lands that is community development work in contemporary Australia. e/n over.
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Apr 9, 2019 04:09
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Tree Bucket posted:To Dog: "uhhh, about that "in vino veritas" universe..." Well drat, when they said art heals I thought they were talking about real art! Well, wherever you get your inspiration from, run with it.
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Apr 9, 2019 04:14
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To Eyeguy: "are we still friends or are you planning to lie to me again? Cos I think we could kick more rear end if we work together" To A&B "are you enjoying your time on this plane?" To.... thossit?shossoth? The iO Sharma with us: "how are you holding up, buddy?"
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Apr 9, 2019 06:26
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Does the Constructor in our brain count as us and if so is it also under the effects of the wine? Can we ask it what's up with the Constructors?
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Apr 9, 2019 08:45
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Pustulio posted:Does the Constructor in our brain count as us and if so is it also under the effects of the wine? Can we ask it what's up with the Constructors? Oohh, seconding this. Brawnfire posted:I don't know why I did this but enjoy: Volunteers to print the world's most horrifying children's picture book...?
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Apr 9, 2019 10:13
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Pustulio posted:Does the Constructor in our brain count as us and if so is it also under the effects of the wine? Can we ask it what's up with the Constructors? I like it when people in this thread come up with something really smart
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Apr 9, 2019 11:12
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Might not answer right now though, it's sleeping.
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Apr 9, 2019 11:17
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alcohol does have effects on it, so
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Apr 9, 2019 17:43
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You happily enjoy a steaming pile of steamed rice topped with a spicy, green sauce, and a selection of the multiverse's finest fruits.Tunicate posted:so what does thox mean anyway Tisshst looks very uncomfortable. "What, is it something really bad? You look like you want to run away." "You use it so casually, and you don't even know what it means?" You sample a slice of some pink-and-white fruit. It tastes like creamy tea. "I dunno, I just heard one of my friends use it." "Well, I'm a good R'asadulan girl, so my friends don't use language like that. It's from a really dark period in our history... nobody does it anymore, but the word is still around." "Go on," prods Eye Guy. "What's it mean?" "Okay, so... when someone really really screwed over your family, you would 'thox' them. Which was basically, um, not only violently having your way with the person who wronged you, but their immediate family, usually with the implication of violating sisters of the wrongdoer." You blink. There's a long hissing inhalation from Eye Guy. "Yikes." is all you can really muster. "I might, er, be using that a good deal less from now on." "It would be appreciated." says Tsshst, smiling very tightly. HBar posted:Baradas, Adanios, what's the deal with this Risen thing? You think you're better than us or somethin? simplefish posted:To A&B "are you enjoying your time on this plane?"  "The Risen are those that the Morality Players have taken notice of, and given duties to perform. Baradas and I are Interpreters, as you remember. If you're talking about what Lithik said, she just identifies strongly with Abject, as is fitting her position, but she's Risen as the rest of us."  "And the Basilica is just the name for the uhh-" Baradas looks to Adanios for the word, and doesn't find it there. "-the 'Structure' 'in which' the 'writing' 'room' of the Interpreters 'exists'." "Let me guess," you reply, indignantly smearing soft cheese on a bread roll. "Far more complex than that, you're dumbing it down considerably, and I'd never be able to comprehend the actual article. Is that it?" Baradas shrugs. "Yeah, that-" "-and Interpreters have an innate need to feel special." says the dog. "Sorry, what was your name again?" asks Baradas, piqued. "Who, me?" asks the dog. "I'm just the dog." he says, and takes a long sip of wine. "I can show you a representation of the Basilica. I drew this for pleasure, on a... 'walk'." Oh for Vuldon's sake, "walk"? He shows you a delicate watercolor painting, a bit different from his usual style.  "That's very nice," you say. "But can I just say what's irritating me?" You continue before anyone can even reply, waving a pickle around like a conductor's baton. "You keep talking about how, like, there's all these things that aren't actually what the words for them are, and rooms aren't rooms and thox- uh, thoggin' buildings aren't buildings but, here you are showing me a drawing of a building that you made on a walk." "I can't be held accountable for how you interpret things." frowns Adanios. "Some nerve, that." "So, how are you enjoying your time on this plane?" "So far, it's been a bit of an eye-opener." says Adanios. "I had a very different view of some things from my Interpretations. I'm going to have to really examine what I believe." "The wine and food and stuff have been really good, though." Baradas says. "But yes, the Temple Plane is a little different than my preconceived notions. I was expecting more floating, glowing jewel-in-the-forehead types." simplefish posted:To eyeguy: "Could it ever have worked, you and I?"  Eye Guy sets his lips in a grim line. "You know, it's times exactly like this I wish you had your memory back. Do you want the bare, honest truth?" "That's the idea." you reply. Ooh, there's pasties! "We used to work together, Maurice. You and I, we were defying our totalitarian families by coming up with a way to defeat the Constructors. We worked alongside my cousin Grentana. Do you remember her?" Of course not, you think, chewing flaky fruit pasty. But then an image floats into your mind.  How? A timid mind responds to your thought. I was there, I remember. I hold onto much from their attempt at mind-wiping you. "She was beautiful." you say. "And intelligent." Eye Guy looks like he doesn't know whether to cry or hit you. "Then why did you kill her?" he snarls, choked with tears. "I didn't!" you fire back, unconsciously. He appears suprised for a moment, but darkness covers his countenance again. "You don't know that. You don't know any of this! I wiped your mind!" You did not kill her. "I know I didn't kill her." Because you loved her. ...uh, what? Definitely best not to say that part aloud to Eye Guy. "How do you know this?" Eye Guy asks, suspicious. "There's a part of my mind that I don't think has been wiped entirely. It's starting to come back to me-" you look very seriously at Eye Guy. "I did not kill her." It looks for several long moments as if Eye Guy has a grape lodged in his throat, and he doesn't make eye contact with you--that comes as a bit of a relief. At last he says "I believe you. I don't know what makes me believe you, but I do. I could use a walk." he gets up from the table and begins to tipsily meander the temple grounds. Pustulio posted:Does the Constructor in our brain count as us and if so is it also under the effects of the wine? Can we ask it what's up with the Constructors? Can you tell me more about the Constructors, brain? I cannot face that aspect yet, my individuality is yet too weak. It is... difficult to be turned against that which you are. I need time, yet. I need time, yet. I need time, yet. I suppose whenever you feel up to it, then. Silence answers you. super sweet best pal posted:To dog: "What of eternal hunger that can never be sated, only mollified through constant consumption?"  "It strikes me that the example is entirely consistent with my statement." says the dog. simplefish posted:To dog: do you eat your own upchuck, like other dogs I've known? "Is this a follow-up question?" asks the dog. "In a way, that itself is a hunger that cannot be sated; the tender memories of a young puppy. Do you never long for a meal just like your mother used to make for you? And so, I indulge myself less for the taste, more for the emotion." "I'll take that as a yes, you eat your upchuck." The dog smiles knowingly. Tree Bucket posted:To Dog: "uhhh, about that "in vino veritas" universe..." "I know nothing more than that tidbit of trivia. I know much food trivia. It's kinda my thing. " says the dog. simplefish posted:To.... thossit?shossoth? The iO Sharma with us: "how are you holding up, buddy?"  "Uh," says Tsshst, staring at her hands clasped and open in front of her. She looks like she's wrestling with some strong emotions. "Well, I guess I'm doing okay. I've come to realize- though that moment I shared with Yor was something incredible, and I'm not sorry it happened with him, I don't, I didn't-" she sighs, long and shuddery. "I didn't love him. I mean, I loved him, I always did. But I wasn't in love with him. And I guess I'm a little relieved he died without me ever having to break his heart." "That's pretty intense stuff." you say. "But I think he would have understood either way." She nods. "I suppose. But all the same... he died believing I shared something with him. I don't know how to feel about that." She goes on to say something more, but your mind starts to wander to another question that's been bothering you. Tree Bucket posted:To everyone but Eye Guy: "what do you have against Suvram anyway??!?"  "What? The dirty little lizard-thingy?" says Baradas. "It's a bit...er, the way it moves, it's just..." stutters Adanios. "The thing can't decide if it's a mammal, a lizard, or what. It's disgusting." Baradas says. "What even is it?" says Tisshst, sounding a bit miffed at the sudden topic change. "You don't think he's cute?" you ask, unable to believe this beastbeest-poo poo. "Cute?!? A red eckma is cute! A brink-bird is cute! He's just creepy." says Tsshst. "If I knew what either of those things were, I'd refute you!" you rejoin defiantly. The dog holds up a decanter. More wine? 1.) Yes, please. I've got some things I want to get into. Let's level this up. 2.) Ah, no, that's okay. I don't think we need it. 3.) Write-in option: Inventory Characters Map Elsewhere in the Beaten Lands [A concurrent CYOA] Brawnfire fucked around with this message at 16:38 on Apr 10, 2019 |
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Apr 10, 2019 05:56
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1. Since when do we leave booze undrunk?
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Apr 10, 2019 08:50
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Also come on, Moz, it's pretty simple. If we accept that our babeltongue thing we have stuck in our throat can let us communicate tactical battle plans while sounding like we're ordering scones with jam and clotted cream -,basically, that what we seem to hear isn't what's said - then surely we can grasp that what feels like a walk isn't literally putting one foot in front of the other, and what we see as a house isn't a house. its like watching clouds. Lovely Cumulous clouds. Too sunny for my tastes, though it seems as though it might rain overnight. From there it's not such a huge leap that cosmic ideas can simultaneously be some sort of celestial Punch and Judy. Speaking of a cream tea, ask if there's any St Crenschaw cake. Look around for some bread and butter, and spiced cider.
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Apr 10, 2019 09:04
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simplefish posted:1. Since when do we leave booze undrunk? "Glug glug glug, more wine from the jug," you say. The dog seems to understand that this is a "yes" in your current, inebriated state. You sample a piece of St. Crenshaw cake. It's disgusting, spicy and cloying; it tastes like needless self-flagellation. "I can see why you'd like this poo poo." you tell Adanios. Eye Guy comes back just in time for the new round of pours.  "Enjoy your walk?" you ask, sarcastically sipping your wine. "Okay, I've decided to believe you. Because it explains some things for me. I never bought your sudden change of heart-" "Keep in mind, I have no idea what you're talking about." you interrupt. "-I know. And I'm sorry for that." He drains his glass of wine in one. "I chose to use the memgun on you because I thought I had no other choice; I believed you had betrayed me, and I thought you were going to betray the cause as well. But you didn't, did you? It was all your family, lying again. You never turned on me, and you never killed Grentana. Because why would you? It never made sense!" "The wine gives lease to words that need lease." says the dog, gravely serious. "You can trust that these words are true." "So I'm not evil?" you say, relieved. "I'm not just a set of memories away from being a monster?" "You've spent your entire life fighting the Constructors, in one way or another, Maurice. You've been coming to grips with the creature in your head as long as I've known you." "How long have you known me?" you ask. "Since the treaty." says Eye Guy, gravely. "After years of open fighting, the Scuumi and Morani were at last coming together to eradicate their common enemy, the Cariti family. To strengthen that alliance, a marriage was proposed. Grentana was to marry the son of the Grand Duke himself, the Marquess d'Morani." Your heart plunges in your chest. "That's me." "Yes. Grentana and I had always been experimental, spending much time together in the laboratory you were in earlier. We were particularly interested in harnessing the mekanisms and biological powers of the Constructors. You were an obvious boon to our research; with your partial Constructor mind and senses, the three of us began experiencing boundless successes in our experiments." "Did we find a way to defeat the Constructors?" you ask. Something feels familiar, like the memory isn't entirely gone. "Yes. We did. All we needed was some lifecode material from a Controller. You said that you had connections to people that could make it happen. It was then I began to become suspicious, thinking maybe you were working against us, that you were going to find a way to use the weapon to empower the Morani." "The old family grudges screwed us again." you say. "The very next day, you were gone, I did not know where. I received Grentana's-" Eye Guy chokes, and hesitates. "I received evidence of Grentana' grisly death at the hands of, ostensibly, yourself. So I sought you out on the Morani hunting grounds. You were returning from somewhere- and I decided to wipe your mind, so that I could pick up the pieces later back at the lab." "And that's where our story begins." you say. "The wine is gone." says the dog. "And with that I must bow out. You can put yourselves outside." The food on the table vanishes, and he walks out through a flap in the back. "Just like that?" you mutter. "Like he's only got one bottle of wine." The group stands up and, somewhat drunkenly, goes to leave the temple. When you reach the exit, sobriety strikes you like the sun suddenly coming out from behind a cloud. Ohh, that's an awful, awful feeling.  The temple of [mir]Uongen stands over a glistening pond, arches and green domes reflecting in the water. You can't stop thinking about the strange things you've learned. More to the point, you can't believe you were married, to Eye Guy's cousin. You try to dredge up any more memories you can of her, but fail. You step inside.  There's a comfortable-looking space inside, with cushions all over the floor in various ornate, luxurious fabrics. You feel compelled to enter and lay among the cushions. The light dims. "Hello, love." You jump at the sudden voice. "Who's there?" you ask, heart racing. "No need to be alarmed," says the voice. "It's just me." "Are you... Grentana?" you ask. She's laying there, next to you, looking up at the ceiling in the dim light." "Yes, love. It's alright, I know you don't remember me. I'll try not to be hurt by it, though I hoped I was more memorable than that." "It's not your fault, it was your cousin." "Raggart, yes. He's always been a bit reactionary. I'm sorry about what happened to your memory." "I'm- I'm sorry about what happened to you." Grentana looks sad. "I'm not pleased about it either." "I've heard you and I worked to fight the Constructors together." you say. "So, thank you for that." "I hope you defeat them. It would make all this somewhat worth it. Although I would have liked to see the world without Constructors." she says. "Are you Risen?" you ask her. "I don't know how to explain what I am. Perhaps Risen is the right word. All I know for sure is my task seems to involve helping you. I have a sense my purpose will not extend beyond your victory- or your defeat. Maybe I will truly die then." she looks thoughtful, and a little scared. "So you're my, what, guardian angel?" you say, smirking with amusement. Grentana smiles brightly. "I like that. Let's say that." "So what do I do now, guardian angel?" "I don't know... " she says. "Do you have powers? Can you grant wishes?" "I don't know!" she says, irritably. Is there anything you would like to say to or ask of Grentana? Inventory Characters Map Elsewhere in the Beaten Lands [A concurrent CYOA]
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Apr 11, 2019 05:14
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Who killed you? What do you remember about your research and discoveries? If we had controller lifecode material, how would that help us defeat the constructors?
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Apr 11, 2019 05:39
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Hey baby, how about a bit o rumpy pumpy? you said you wanted to help, can you make that wish come true? 
simplefish fucked around with this message at 10:11 on Apr 11, 2019 |
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Apr 11, 2019 09:57
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I won't be getting to the update until late tonight, so you all still have hours to ask questions of Eye Guy's dead cousin/your dead wife Grentana, which is such an exciting opportunity I'm sure.
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Apr 11, 2019 21:37
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Who killled you is a good one. Please tell me all you can about how we were taking on the Constructors. Would we have succeeded? Why did we fail? How did you get caught? How can we fix what went awry? What is "lifecode"? Is suvram special, particularly in regards to his lifecode? Can you appear to Raggart? Do you want me to pass a message on to him for you? How did we three meet? If there was one thing you would have done differently in your life, what would it have been?
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Apr 12, 2019 05:14
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HBar posted:Who killed you? simplefish posted:Who killled you is a good one. "I'm afraid I did not see the faces of my... killers. They were cloaked and masked, definitely not wanting to be seen. There's so many agents it could have been, as well... all three families had reasons they'd want to see the alliance fail, and possibly someone who knew about our work was trying to put a stop to it... I was afraid, impossibly afraid in the moment. I'm much calmer now, but alas I'm also dead." "I wouldn't put it past the Morani to do such a thing." "I wouldn't put it past the Scuumi." says Grentana, shrugging. "As for the research... we discovered a method of altering Controller lifecode strands in order to make them replicate uncontrollably. If we were correct about several variables in our research, hypothetically the affected lifecode strands should be shared among the Controllers, and hopefully thereon to the Constructors in general. If successful, it would eliminate the Constructors, and render all Constructs inert." "That's incredible!" you exclaim. "What do I have to do, how can I make this work?" "You need Controller lifecode. The day I was- the day I died, you left to meet up with someone you said could get you the lifecode. I do not know who it was, all you said is that they were a secret operative working against the Constructors, like us." "And what is lifecode, again?" She laughs. "The science was never your strongest suit. You were always about taking action. Lifecode strands are what exist inside each living being; they are entwined patterns which tell living bodies, such as our own, what form to take and how to perform life functions. Controllers and Constructors have a unique configuration to their own, being a complex lattice; we believe that is why the Constructor lifecode in your blood never mixed entirely with your own; it was like oil and water, the Constructor lifecode simply formed a sheath over yours and resumed its functions." "Is there something special about Suvram's lifecode?" "I don't know who that is?" says Grentana, confused. "It's my baby werxel." "I don't know, I'm afraid. I don't remember you ever having a werxel." "He hatched from an egg in my satchel." you say. "You must have gotten it wherever you were going, which means-" "Which means that Suvram may be the vessel for the lifecode." you say, upset. "A common werxel egg. It makes sense. Very easy to overlook." replies Grentana. "Am I going to have to... will I need to..." She seems to sense where your question is headed. "The only way would be to put Suvram in a lifecode extractor, and enter a specific input sequence. Raggart knows it; I have spoken to him as well." She looks downcast. "I'm sorry, love, but yes. Suvram would die." You feel overwhelmed with future loss, and desire comfort. simplefish posted:Hey baby, how about a bit o rumpy pumpy? Grentana gives you Such A Look. "As flattered as I am by that tender proclamation of love, I am not corporeal in this space; it is through the Temple's powers I am here visually." "So we can't touch, and after I leave the temple I won't be able to look at you..." "I believe I will be able to speak to you. But if not... I will guide you, one way or another." "I wish I could remember you-" you say. ""How did we meet?" "We met first as children, before the first conflicts began between our families... but after that, it was not until the courtship ball where I placed the choosing stone upon your name. It was decided we would make a good choice to seal the alliance- they had no idea of the alliance they were creating in us. After I brought you to the laboratory, everything changed. We had hope again, a fighting chance against the Constructors. And more than anything, we had a chance at an actual, loving family-- not the monstrous snarling beasts we've been raised among." "I don't remember any of it... I wish I could-" "You will. You will. Already memories grow within you. The Temple finds much power in love, even across death." She's right. You remember flashes; moments; a look she used to give you; the dark dome of her hair as she looked down upon you and kissed you- "Would you have done anything differently?" you ask her. "Not if it kept me from knowing you. Even if it meant I could live a hundred more years; I truly feel our meeting, our love, was a spark that will ignite a fire. You must, must defeat the Constructors, if you are able." "And if I'm not?" "Then join me in the dark." The temple lights are bright again, and you are lying upon pillows, surrounded by your companions. There's a pervasive silence, save a few sniffles and sobs. Nobody checks to see who is crying, or who is not; you all just look up at the ceiling. After some long, quiet minutes the group stands up, stretches, and heads back to the path. The Temple of Naught|All shines high and bright in the sky, a brilliant beacon that you walk towards for seemingly hours.  When at last you reach it, you see it hovers high up in the sky. You wander below, asking "how the Squiv are we meant to get up there?" "There's a sign here. It literally just says "Knowledge Lifts Us." says Adanios.  "That's not very helpful." Tsshst mutters. Baradas says "But it must mean something. It must be a clue." "It sounds familiar for some reason." you say. "Possibly because that is a translation of an ancient Anxiet slogan." says Eye Guy. "Scuumi adopted it for their greater arms." Suddenly, he begins lifting off the ground. "What the Squiv?!" he shouts. "Are you kidding me? It's really that literal?" you say, incredulously. "Okay, the edible variety of spine-fir can be recognized by the number of needles in a cluster; five needles means five letters, or "S-P-I-N-E." You feel yourself lifting off the ground. "That's kind of sneexy, it's like trivia! Uh," Tsshst thinks. "The type III phase grenade has a displacement radius of one-half dekosquind!" she shouts triumphantly. She begins to rise in the air. Presumably Adanios and Baradas follow suit, but you're way off the ground now. You float up until you reach a short bit of ladder hanging off the bottom of the temple. You grasp the rungs, and push up through a hatch. You find yourself in a lovely library-like lobby space.   A woman greets you, as old and tough as hand-me-down boots.  "Welcome to the Temple of Naught|All, the largest compendium of knowlege in the entirety of the multiverse. We have hundreds of thousands of researchers working tirelessly on their subjects of expertise, so I am sure we can find answers to some of your questions. I'm Secidni, one of the Major Librarians here. Ah, and it appears we received a missive from Fenrout's temple regarding some topics of interest to you. Does this sound right?" Secidni puts a pair of small glasses on the tip of her nose, and waggles the parchment back and forth until she finds an acceptable focus. "Let's see, topics of interest. T-t-t-tuh-tuh-tuh-dum-dum, ah, one goes by Maurice is interested in topics Constructors, Constructs & Controllers, Dwellers Without, The Risen." "Sounds like me. I've had some of those questions answered but, can't hurt to review I guess." you joke; Secidni looks reproachfully at you. "Please try not to muck about too much, and keep your voice down if you would. This is a place of study." she says. Wow, what a b- "One goes by Raggart is interested in the Morani and Scuumi families." "Er, yes." says Eye Guy, looking a bit embarrassed. "But I was asking more about their ultimate fates, not about their history-" "What's to ask about their ultimate fates?" says Secidni. "The Morani will destroy the Scuumi like they destroyed the Cariti, and then the Constructors will destroy their universe and that'll be that. Oh wait-" she squints at him. "Are you Scuumi? My, that must have come off as blunt. True, but very callous. My apologies." "My questions were a bit more nuanced than that..." answers Eye Guy. "There was an iO Shiamara by the name of Tsshst, wanted to know about the iO Shiamara. That's a bit conceited, isn't it?" says Secidni, critically. "I- I had some concerns." Tsshst replies, awkwardly. "My questions were also, er, very nuanced." "And I'm also to expect two Risen. Ah, that must be you two." the stiff Major Librarian says, indicating Baradas and Adanios. "Interpreters, eh? I've a whole section of codices that might be of interest to you. Keep the Abjects out of there if you would, though. They tend to muck things up a bit. Well, I can direct you to resources for each of those topics, but do you have any additional questions that have cropped up since then?" How about it, Maurice? Any questions left in that noggin? Inventory Characters Map Elsewhere in the Beaten Lands [A concurrent CYOA]
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Apr 12, 2019 06:11
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One more burning question from the conversation with Grentana, maybe Eyeguy can answer it too: If Suvram fertilizes an egg, will that egg also have the controller lifecode?
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Apr 12, 2019 07:02
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I'll admit i missed reading a few posts a while back, and kinda skimmed them to catch up quickly. Did we get a clear explanation of the difference between constructors and controllers at any point? Also I told you we shoulda gone seen Brother Cold, we'da got a headstart on this lifecode thing by the sounds of it. It may be worth looking into if we can chop off Suvram's tail. I know some salamanders regrow tails. And it would still contain their salamandery DNA. Perhaps wrexels are the same?
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Apr 12, 2019 08:42
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Can knowledge we forgot during the memory wipe be restored here?
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Apr 12, 2019 11:21
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simplefish posted:I'll admit i missed reading a few posts a while back, and kinda skimmed them to catch up quickly. You dare disrespect the Canon?! You are hereby ejected from the thread!!! Nah, these temples are kind of an exposition dump so if you tuned out a bit I understand. If there's one thing I am, I'm redundant is the one thing about me, so if there's anything you missed I'm sure I'll cover it again. As long as I get votes, I'm a happy poster!
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Apr 12, 2019 14:01
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Wrexel biology in general id guess
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Apr 12, 2019 19:38
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How did the controllers and constructors get here? If iO Shiamara are responsible, was it a particular faction or person? What were they trying to do? Do the controllers have separate plans of their own? Were they made, or did they come from a separate existence, or what? Barbara and Andy said we're all in one big morality play. Whose version of morality is it? Will we be more successful if we try to act like good people or fill particular roles? If Suvram is hungry and I steal some moistbread to feed him, is that good or bad?
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Apr 12, 2019 23:20
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Thank you for all the great questions! I apparently greatly underestimated the number of words I can toss at an answer, so allow me some time to tighten up and make the answers more sensible, instead of stream-of-consciousness drivel.
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Apr 13, 2019 15:09
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super sweet best pal posted:Can knowledge we forgot during the memory wipe be restored here? "A memory wipe, eh?" says Secidni, judgmentally. "You Abject have so little memory to begin with, why would you go and mess it up like that?" "It's not like I did it on purpose." is your cross reply. "Well, personally, I'd try to keep my memory safe." You clap your hands together loudly. "I'll try to remember that! Now might you answer the question I posed?" "We do have a memory acquisition specialist in the building. They usually work with memories that haven't been wiped, but perhaps he'd like a challenge. I'll let him know you're coming. Feel free to begin your search in these areas." She gives you a list of areas of the library to look in, which comes in the form of a piece of parchment covered in strange glyphs; she leaves quickly, as if she can't stand to be around you. "Do you know what these say, Adanios?" you ask. "Oh, uh, they left shortly after the Librarian said 'codices.' Sorry." says Tisshst. Excellent. Well, how hard can it be to find what you're looking for in an ascended library? Tunicate posted:Wrexel biology in general id guess It takes you ages of wandering through a maze of bookshelves, galleries, exhibitions, study coves, and the like before you encounter the section you're looking for: Transrealistic Biology. You select a thick green volume, Anatomy of Common Werxelia.   Anatomy of Common Wexelia posted:The Common Werxel, a warm-blooded, partially-scaled partially-furred reptammal found in UBL10.10.01.11.00.10.10.01.01.01< . "What is that?" you ask. "Looks like an indexing system for known branching worldlines." says Eye Guy, impressed.. "I imagine very rudimentary, of course. Mapping an infinity of infinities is mostly a question of where to draw boundaries." "Seems like boundaries don't mean much anymore." you reply. You continue reading, but there's nothing that is jumping out at you that makes werxels special. They're just an animal, like any other, although apparently they originated in your worldline with the Incursion. The stretching and bending of the boundaries between such unlike realities seems to have had a strange effect on the local wildlife; some of the products of these mutations were more successful than others. Other species appeared entirely from other realities. Overall, your world was apparently rife with werxels, as well as vulpinhawks, rockcraws, obelisk ants, and other bizarre creatures whose life strategies worked out over the last hundred years of Constructor Incursion. "Why a werxel, though?" you mutter, frustrated. You wait for Grentana to answer you, hopefully, but there is nothing but silence. "Perhaps the werxel is just the package for the lifecode." suggests Eye Guy. "After all, it had to be transported somehow, and a werxel egg would be a pretty innocuous hiding place." simplefish posted:Also I told you we shoulda gone seen Brother Cold, we'da got a headstart on this lifecode thing by the sounds of it. "All I'm looking for is a way to use the lifecode without, you know." "Without killing Suvram?" says Eye Guy. simplefish posted:It may be worth looking into if we can chop off Suvram's tail. I know some salamanders regrow tails. And it would still contain their salamandery DNA. Perhaps wrexels are the same? "At first I was thinking maybe his tail would break off and we could use that." "That sounds like a pretty good plan." says Tisshst, optimistically. "Yeah... except he's got nothing but a little wiggly nub on his butt. It's cute, definitely, but not helpful. Then I thought maybe if Suvram fertilized another egg..." HBar posted:If Suvram fertilizes an egg, will that egg also have the controller lifecode? "But you'd need another werxel egg." replies Eye Guy, critically. "Yeah." "Do you have another werxel egg?" "No..." "Do you know where to get one?" "I'm aware there's some holes in my plan, Eye Guy. But I'm at least trying to come up with a plan at all." "How's that going?" HBar posted:How did the controllers and constructors get here? If iO Shiamara are responsible, was it a particular faction or person? What were they trying to do? Do the controllers have separate plans of their own? Were they made, or did they come from a separate existence, or what? You sigh. "Let's see if we can find anything more about Constructors."   Constructors, Controllers, and Constructs: Theories and Origins posted:Though their origins are shrouded in mystery, academic theories abound. The Constructors seem, from their close relation with--and fierce defence of--the iO Shiamara, to have a relationship with them either of a symbiotic or parasitic nature. Evidently, the Constructors have evolved or devised a means to harvest and focus the creative energies of the iO Shiamara in order to create Constructs which are capable of manipulating entire realities. Damnation, I know this already. Is there literally no-one who knows where the Constructors came from? "Tsshst, do your people know where the Constructors came from?" "They've been there for generations, we're not sure where they came from. But there's defintely stories about a time before Constructors. It wasn't a pretty time... lots of resource wars, energex everywhere, just awful stuff. It made it very easy for the Constructors to pose as saviors, I can imagine." Tsshst replies. "That makes it seem like they came from someplace else, probably another reality." you say. "Or someone made them." says Eye Guy. "Their lifecodes were unlike any other life I've seen, and I've seen samples from several realities. Instead of strands, they are complex lattices; it could very well be some sort of artificial creation beyond our science's ability to detect." "Then what was their original purpose?" you wonder. "Perhaps to improve conditions for the iO Shiamara, who knows? Maybe someone thought they were being clever, solving the problems of their world by ultrinking something they lost control of." suggests Tsshst. "Why do I feel like I have more questions than I did before?" you growl. "All these books are full of guesses!! Are the Constructors so good at concealing their origins?" simplefish posted:Did we get a clear explanation of the difference between constructors and controllers at any point? Constructors, Controllers, and Constructs: Theories and Origins posted:Most direct contact with members of the Constructor "race" has been with either a role or sub-type of Constructor known as Controllers. These powerful minds are most often found at the hearts of Constructs, managing their operation and security, but they can also be found extending their influence over individual beings in order to accomplish tasks within the universe of their interest. You think about the Controller who looked at you from behind the eyes of Redubbling, and then again behind the eyes of Whorst. You wonder if that was the same Controller who is in the Construct at Port Pondskipper. HBar posted:Barbara and Andy said we're all in one big morality play. Whose version of morality is it? Will we be more successful if we try to act like good people or fill particular roles? If Suvram is hungry and I steal some moistbread to feed him, is that good or bad? A book materializes in your hand as you wonder about this. The title is Understanding the Morality Play for Abject Idiots. Ah, cute. Very cute.   Understanding the Morality Play for Abject Idiots posted:The Morality Play is best understood as a projection. Imagine a bright light is shining through the multiverse from behind. On the other side, one might see a projection or shadow resulting from the light's passage through the multiverse. The light, in this case, can be said to be belief, credence, passion or effort of living beings within the multiverse; the projection is the Morality Play. So morality isn't real... but it is... but it's self-created... and self-sustaining... the Morality Play is a result of the actions of intelligent beings, but the intelligent beings study and emulate the Morality Play to decide what's moral, and that actually strengthens the Moral Fabric? What is going on? You wish you had Adanios here to explain it to you, but he'd probably be all obtuse in his explanations, and then Baradas would say something rude about how simple and stupid you are. Actually yeah, they can just stay with their codices. So far, your experiences with the Risen have been hit-or-miss. They seem genuinely well-meaning most of the time, but there's as much misunderstanding going on between them as between normal people and they don't seem to recognize that as a sign that they're not actually above normal people in the Manifest; they're just normal people given a Divine purpose. That hardly made them all-knowing, all-seeing, all-anything at all. But they had a tendency to act like it that gets under your skin. You glance at the book Tsshst discovered and is presently reading, about the iO Shiamara. "Anything in there so far?" you ask aloud. "This seems to confirm my suspicions. Until a few centuries ago, there's no mention of the Constructors at all, and history in my reality is normal. Empires rise and fall, wars come and go, ultrinking is discovered and the Age of Ultrinking begins in earnest, there's a pretty damned big war with an exchange of energex weapons, thus energescing a large amount of the globe and atmosphere. That's when the Constructors seem to arrive. Suddenly the historical record isn't so clear; the academic language is full of guesswork here. For some reason, they come out of nowhere, start fixing things for the iO Shiamara, and start adding to their universe, allowing them to continue expanding..." Tsshst shrugs. "I don't know, nothing new." "What a productive visit to the multiverse's largest library this has been." you say. Secidni appears suddenly, like an old and irritable tree had grown behind you without your notice. "The memory acquisition specialist will see you now." she says, crisply, then turns on her heel and fast-walks. You rush to catch up with her and she stalks down the corridor. "Here's his office," she tells you at a glass-paneled door. "I hope you find the rest of your visit more... productive." A man with a weird, moon-shaped face sits behind a desk, looking for all the world like he's willing himself to die.  ""Are you the memory guy?" you ask. "Eeeennnghhhh... yaass, thit's mae..." he wheezes, like a mekanism turned on for the first time in years. "Mellifluous Pump, et youuur survice. Suh, bet af e mond-wape, ih?" What? "Yeah, I guess I got attacked with a memgun, and I'm wondering if there's any way to reverse it." "Hhhmmrm, purshilly. I con difinitly purshilly rastore et. Lat mi fael your crennium." He comes up behind you, and firmly touches your scalp with the tips of his long, sickly fingers. You can hear his breath transporting itself through tubes packed with phlegm. "Yos, e mommin' plaise." He goes through a door behind his desk, and you hear all sorts of boxes and papers being moved and shuffled about. Finally, he comes back out with what looks to be a plain glass window sitting upright on a trestle table. "What's this?" "A mimmery wendiw, you jist louk threugh et." says Pump. You look through the window.  "Holy thox." you say, shocked by the consciousness-deep feelings of calm that come over you as you watch the shifting... the shifting whatever. "Jost trie, ef you cen, tu rimimber your true neme." "My what?" "YOUR. TRUE. NAME." repeats Pump, like you're a moron and he doesn't have a horrible accent. My true name? My true name is Maurice, as far as you're concerned. But you know what he means; the name given to you by your Morani family. It's in there, somewhere, which probably would serve as a good reference point for anyone trying to map your brain. Which seems to be exactly what's happening. Your true name is... ...it's... A.) Amplanus B.) Broadanus C.) Causticanus D.) Doublanus E.) Expertanus F.) Floridanus G.) Grodianus H.) Holianus I.) Iratanus J.) Justanus K.) Kinglianus L.) Lewdanus M.) Megänus N.) Neonanus O.) Obitanus P.) Pliantanus Q.) Quakianus R.) Rankanus S.) Sillianus T.) Tangianus U.) Uglianus V.) Vividanus W.) Wurmianus X.) Xericanus Y.) Yestianus Z.) Zestianus Inventory Characters Map Elsewhere in the Beaten Lands [A concurrent CYOA] Brawnfire fucked around with this message at 01:43 on Apr 15, 2019 |
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Apr 14, 2019 15:35
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B. Depending on the pronunciation, Broadanus could almost sound like a perfectly respectable name that doesn't at all remind you of  . But of course we never, ever speak a word of this to anyone else and stick with Maurice forever. And maybe we should do something nice for Eyeguy if he knew our name and never revealed it to the group.
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Apr 14, 2019 21:25
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HBar posted:B. Depending on the pronunciation, Broadanus could almost sound like a perfectly respectable name that doesn't at all remind you of If you want to go for  , might as well go all the way to Doublanus
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Apr 14, 2019 21:35
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I don't know, I kind of like Justanus. It's simple! (I finally got caught up on this thread and I'm still loving it)
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Apr 15, 2019 03:48
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I just want you to know I appreciated the Plato's Cave reference
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Apr 15, 2019 06:42
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Our True Name is MAURICE, tell the drat Canadian E: make it unequivocally clear we want our memories only to know what we need to put right, not to know who we "are" simplefish fucked around with this message at 09:08 on Apr 15, 2019 |
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Apr 15, 2019 06:46
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If it comes to the crunch, we gotta try slicing off one of Suvram's limbs. It's a tactic that's worked out so far for us.
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Apr 15, 2019 06:47
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