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Obligated holy shi, bye.
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Jun 13, 2017 22:08
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That is a great and awesome picture EDIT: Sorted my problem. gently caress you Photobucket in any case.
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Jun 13, 2017 22:27
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 Added a bit of art to last post. New People of Somewhere coming tomorrow. And once again holy poo poo dogbomber.
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Jun 13, 2017 22:55
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I think the one thing I really regret never happening in this game is that the Cheddice got left by the wayside for the most part. I'm thrilled with how Aurora's story turned out, but I wonder about the Cheddice! Dog Kisser, can you give us a look into the Cheddice after The End?
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Jun 13, 2017 23:29
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They keep shooting junk.
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Jun 13, 2017 23:38
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I have another query - what will become of the Fermite? They were latecomers and have mostly been ignored by the gods. What does their future hold?
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Jun 13, 2017 23:45
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What is the status of various religious organizations aboard the Last Laugh?
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Jun 14, 2017 01:24
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Aabcehmu posted:What is the status of various religious organizations aboard the Last Laugh? Religious organizations are a bit tricky on Somewhere in general and the Last Laugh in particular. The Breaking Dawn was obviously the biggest and most famous, and its multiple failures (whether exaggerated or perfectly accurate) have made People leery of associating too strongly with any particular cult. In addition, there's just not a lot for religion to... do. Gods exist, People know perfectly well where they came from, and where they go after they die. Things like 'where did the Ocean come from' and 'where did the Gods come from' and 'how did the original mass of Something that became Somewhere come to be' are debated philosophically, but since even the Gods don't know that kind of stuff (and the People have asked them!) they're more curiosity than anything else. Religious organizations tend to be more of a collection of People of like-minded ethics rather than any sort of formal worshiping. Last Laugh is even stricter. Aurora and Paradime deemed it prudent to limit the amount of strong factionalization (as much as possible) and so selected against family lines who professed a particularly strong religious conviction. Not very fair, especially since at the time they had no way of knowing those they left behind weren't just going to die when the world ended, but Aurora has had... issues with religion in the past. So did Paradime, now that I think about it, as Dime all those Ages back. Over the long Ages in the Ocean, almost certainly new religious organizations will have spawned - hard not to develop a new appreciation for life when gazing upon the infinite universe for several lifetimes. On the other hand, maybe not. One can imagine a bored gunner taking potshots at stray Wisps, blowing them apart with Cutting rays and draining their energies, having a difficult time mustering up the ability to feel anything special about those powerful creatures. After all, neither he nor his parents or their parents would have ever seen Somewhere. I can't decide if that's sad or just part of growing up.
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Jun 14, 2017 03:39
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Could the Last Laugh ever return?
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Jun 14, 2017 09:25
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AJ_Impy posted:Could the Last Laugh ever return? Absolutely - really all they'd need to do is fire off Consumes-In-Fire once more in reverse to slow themselves... then again to send them back... then probably again to kill their momentum so they didn't slam into the place? At very fastest, it would take three Ages to return, but they could get back. The longer they keep going out, the harder returning will be, naturally. Of course they could also temporarily upload themselves into a prosthetic body back on Somewhere and spoof being there? As long as you're not the sort of Person that thinks only your real body counts, and that subsection of the population is shrinking as Blank-It technology and SMORE becomes normalized.
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Jun 14, 2017 12:09
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They'd be better off finding an Elsewhere to colonize and building a stargate back to Somewhere.
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Jun 14, 2017 12:20
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...You know, I'm perfectly happy with immortality and telepresence between Somewhere and the Last Laugh.
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Jun 14, 2017 12:52
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 Echoes bubbled up through the barrier, snatches and glimpses of a timeless time. The Fragile Gods were no more, but the People remained. These are a few of their stories. -[Where The Hell Do I Put The Station!? [Second Diamond Age]- Hub finally escaped the narrow hell that was the Droptop and dropped to the alien soil of Underwhere in relief. It was new and weird, but at least it was dirt. If he had to be stuck in that tiny box with the others and longer he was going to flip out. Trains were civilized and tidy, you had room to stretch and look out the window… the Droptop was just a box full of smelly, loud People who were totally excited about going on an adventure! Ugh. He was getting far too old for this sort of nonsense, but he couldn’t very well die until he’d sorted out the infrastructure on the far side of the world! After consulting the maps People were generating and a few of his own explorations, Hub came to the conclusion that this place sucked. Far too many elevation changes, inconsistent substrate, strange creatures and rowdy People. He’d need bridges, workers, foundation piles… his head spun with the work that would have to be put in. But really, Underwhere NEEDED trains. Everything was so far apart and dangerous to get to, having a defended artery deep into the Glasslands would make everyone’s jobs so much easier. And, on the bright side, there wasn’t any existing infrastructure to deal with - he could cut straight through a mountain if he wanted without having to worry about People’s lives or ancient buried Pyrexalts or dumb nonsense like that. Yes, it was a tough and dirty job, but he was just about the only one who could be trusted to do it. He rolled up his sleeves and got to work. ”Hurry up you ingrates, if I die before this project is done I’ll come back as a Harshmallow and scare you shitless!” -[The BAM Presents: Heroes Of The Ages [First Godless Age]- The Movement of Gods and Kings series had always been a wonderful draw - despite the tantalizing mystery of what sort of thing a 'King’ was - but of late they'd grown rather stale. A lack of real villains had been the stumbling block for a while: oh, they'd had the Verdelait trilogy (His Master, His War and finally Her Words), but the Ages had been inconveniently… peaceful since then. For a time, the BAM had considered simply shelving the whole thing for a while and coming back to it later. And then, one blessed day, a wise Executive Monk realized that they could make their own stories. Had to, really. With the Gods gone they'd have to make their own fun. So naturally, the BAM began production of remakes and remixes of old classics. What if Deesix were alive today - and fell in love with an Aqueau!? What if Legendairy and Esvikyu were roommates living in modern day Chromeport? What if Eddy and Verdelait had had a torrid love affair? Cinematic Critical reviews were… Mixed, to say the least, but their public success contributed powerfully to a new crop of popular Heroes. Empowered by the adoration lavished on them by the audiences, Heroes such as Bauer, with her virtuoso performance as Deesix, reached new heights of skill both in theatre and otherwise.  It was unfortunate that this self-same performer took her act too far in a later Age. Clearly, there is a danger in too closely emulating the heroes and villains of the past… but in the years before the violence, she was one of the best the BAM had ever seen. -[An Unlucky Roll [Third Age Of The Gods]- Gods drat Keno and Roulette. Twin Heroes with half a brain between them, they killed the God of the Laitache. Now look at us! With the death of Czar the Laitache have gone mad, decimating our population and capturing those of us they deem strong enough to work to death. They took me and brought me to their damned floating island, where my skill in Mangamancy was enough to save me from the mines. Every single day I carve their walls with images of smiling Laitache, all bowing down before their enormous beast of a leader. Sometimes, perversely, they have me illustrate their conquests of my People. I refused - once - and they tore off one arm. Tossed it off the edge and into the sea. Told me I could follow it if I didn’t like the work I was given. There’s no escape from Czarmark except death. -o- Things are strange now. A new God has come among them, and the Laitache greatly enjoy his presence. This Mason has given them joy and foolishness, and their Emperor does not approve. Legendairy’s rage and frustration has grown with each passing day, and he’s been taking it out on my poor fellows. One fool dropped a tray of food destined for the Emperor, and the ‘Hero’ slammed his great wings together with such force that a gust carried the man off the edge. He was dead before he even began to fall. Even so, I can’t help but smile. The Emperor angry made me happy - and even stranger, the mollified Laitache citizenry have begun to be a trifle kinder. Could it be my luck is turning? -o- Disaster. The God Mason cursed Legendairy with foolish madness, and social order has fairly collapsed. Appearances are being kept up, but People - Laitache castes and Fortugnat slaves alike - are growing anxious. The island, too, keeps creaking. Has it always done that? Thank goodness the Emperor and his warriors went out to war. It’s easier to breathe with him gone. People are thinking about overthrowing him. They say the Heavy Winged Caste wants peace between the Fortugnat and the Laitache. I can hardly hope for such things. Could it be that my luck would turn? Could it be that things would turn out oka- -[Just What The Hell Is Down There? [Second Diamond Age]- At the tail end of the Eighth Age of the Gods, an Intruder Wisp had managed to sneak in, making its way to Underwhere. It was there but a moment before it had been captured and destroyed, but its short life had been busy. Its sole act was to strike the base of the great Mountain to the north of Underwhere, cutting open a gate hewn into solid rock. It had taken years of exploration before they’d even found the blasted thing. They knew it was there because the Goddesses had told them as much before they perished, but knowing something existed and knowing where to find it were two different things. Even once they located it, getting there was a trifle perilous: many strange and nameless beasts walked Underwhere, and they had no fear of People. Realistically, the adventurers could have simply cut a swathe through them all our flown past them with superior technology, but where was the sport in that!? So it was that many years later, a battered but excited group finally found their way to the Cave of Mysteries. Torches burned ominously at its gates, drawing a half-sarcastic 'ooh’ of wonder (“who even lit those? There's no one else here!”) and seeming like a good place to set up camp. The next morning, under the light of the Red Sun, they made their way inside. The walls inside were carved with crude drawings of ancient People worshipping a strange God, and many eyes were rolled when the Icon was recognized as that of the Intruder Wisp itself. The laughter died down as they recognized the People in the mural were themselves. They kept walking in silence, for a time. They kept exploring the apparently massive cave system, once or twice finding terror…  …but nothing truly dangerous. They found puzzles (fiendishly clever!) and treasures (chests of pure Silver coins and Pyrexalted gemstones!) and mysteries (an Alchemessencizer seemingly hewn out of solid Waterstone!), but at last they ran out of supplies and had to return. They told the others of what they had seen, and after regrouping decided to return with a larger group. Only, this time the caves were different, the maps all wrong. They exited, confused, and tried again - perhaps they had taken a wrong turn? No, once again the paths had changed. None could explain it, but all were eager to return. This truly was a Cave of Mysteries! -[Hey, Did I Know You Back Then? [First Godless Age]- Parfait walked the peaceful aisles of No Whey alone. Haptic had opted to stay home today, and Parfait didn’t blame him. The Fortugnat hadn’t been alive during the war, and had no particular attachment to it. Not Parfait, though. When he had first been alive, he’d fought for the Breaking Dawn. He had been a young, strong Verremooch then, but today he walked the aisles as a SMORE, though one who bore a near-likeness to his original body. It was good enough, but supposedly new updates were coming to his system that would make things even better. Haptic would like that, he supposed, though at this point he just thought of it as his body. He’d finally found it. His name, inscribed on a block of Pyrexalted Glass with thousands of others. Parfait Creme of Glassgard, Second Cutter in the Leftmost Sunbeam. He ran an intricately servoed hand over the name, feeling the indents with his synthetic skin. Was that still him? Who had he been back then, and was he the same? He was broken from his reverie by a polite cough, and he drew back. He turned to find the source, and spied a Silvurtle-type SMORE beside him. She looked familiar. ”Hey, old-timer. Fought in the War too, eh?” Parfait nodded, uncertain. ”Thought so. I just had a feeling that… did you… did you kill me, back then?” Parfait flinched and stumbled, the memories rushing back. A suit of powered armor, rushing towards him. His own Glass exoskeleton had been shattered by the attack, and Molasses and Milk poured out of his wounds. The figure came in with a crushing axe-blow, and it was all he could do to fire a Cutting blade of his own blood through their ankle. They crumpled to the soil, and he Cut their head from their body. The helmet tumbled off, revealing a shocked Silver face, too-young and looking emotionally hurt rather than physically. He frantically kicked the head away and ran. He’d died in an artillery strike soon after. He spoke, mouth dry and fumbling. ”I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” “Yeah, you did. We all did, back then. That’s War, man - I would have killed you if you hadn’t taken me out first. But now we’re back.” She winked at him and patted his shoulder as she walked by, then stopped. ”Hey, word to the wise? Try to let this stuff go. It died when you died, and the new you needs a chance to live. If you were going to linger on the past, you may as well have stayed up there.” She pointed up, into the sky, precisely in the direction in which Steervana lay. Then she left without another word. Parfait stayed a while longer, then went home to Haptic. There was a new movie out - a re-release of Her Words. He couldn’t wait to watch it with a fresh pair of eyes. -[Just A Game [Eighth Age Of The Gods]- “Muah, ha, ha! I am Deesix, Tyrant Queen of the-” “Tyrant KING, Shiny!” “In my story she's a Queen! Deesix, Tyrant QUEEN of the Fortugnat, and I-” “It's not a story.”  “-wuh? Pips, don't be so lame! We're just playing a game.” “I just don't like how Deesix treated my great-great-great-great-“ “We're going to be here all day if you want to count ALL the greats!“ “-great-great-grandparents. He wasn't a nice Person, and the story on the RDO made me sad.“ “You’re making a big deal about this, Pips. Do I need to cool you down with a spray of my powerful Hydromancy!?“ “Better not, Squirt, she might dissolve because of the Water curse! Oooooooh!“ “You guys are jerks! Don't make me turn my Sorcerisk on you - I've been practicing!“ “…you're fibbing.“ “Try me, Shiny!“ “Uh, no, it's okay… tell you what? When we play The Second Age, you can be Legendairy!” “But he was mean to the Fortugnat too!” “Yeah but he could fly.” “...Alright, deal.” -[Hello? Is Anyone There? [Second Diamond Age]- Well, the world was still around. After a few awkward months, things had pretty much gone back to normal. The Observatory had finally sorted out its mess (some bastard had cracked the main lens with a scavenged bit of War surplus) and was finally back to looking at the skies. On the surface, things looked the same… but a large percentage of the Wisps - Wisps who had been in databanks for centuries or more, mind you - had simply vanished. Trace Scrutineyed data revealed that some had perished upon the sealing of the barrier, while others had simply left. Some scattered few remained, and even they couldn’t possibly stay up there forever - not if what they knew of Wisps was true. The RDO had been silent since the barrier went up, so they assumed the worst. The Teargate put in place by Verdelait was still there, naturally, but whether it worked or not was anyone’s guess. One thing was certain - the barrier was otherwise sealed. If the Teargate didn’t work, no one would be getting in or out of Somewhere’s atmosphere. Luckily, they didn’t need to guess; they could check. Paradime offered up an old, failing body, and the Observatory hooked it up to a basic probe unit. If the gate worked, in the future they could send out Diamond-spoofed Blanks, but this would work for the moment. They sealed him in and launched. The wait was agonizing, but at long last the probe pierced through the veil of the Teargate… and was through. The barrier was permeable in this one spot at least - for the People, at any rate. The data began to flood in almost immediately. ”It’s quiet out here. I mean, it’s the Ocean and it’s a vacuum so there’s no sound, but I meant more along the lines of not having been assaulted right off the bat by hungry Wisps. There’s only a few hundred that I can perceive at the moment, but despite my RDO pings they’re not saying much.” The news was received solemnly down below. The Wisps had always been a force of chaos, but in a strange way they seemed almost like… family? At any rate, there was a sense of loss, and People hung their heads in a small grief. That Paradime stayed out there, listening, until the body expired and the probe was allowed to drift. Either there was no one out there to listen to, they’d moved on, or they’d missed eachother’s messages in the cold, empty Ocean. At any rate, Somewhere had learned it wasn’t trapped down there. The Ocean lay open to them to explore at their leisure. That, at least, was a victory.
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Jun 14, 2017 16:25
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Aww. These are still good! Man, BAM's gotten into fanfiction now... I wonder when they'll start inventing brand new Heroes from whole cloth, and if those kinds of Heroes may end up getting 'avatars' of themselves, too. Also, a bit late, but I only -just- noticed Aurora is drinking from a Gödslay cup. 
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Jun 14, 2017 19:19
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Scribbleykins posted:Also, a bit late, but I only -just- noticed Aurora is drinking from a Gödslay cup. too soon? 
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Jun 14, 2017 19:31
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What happened to the Pyrexalted!? Did they just reintegrate after Claryice fixed their souls? Was Quintzite just collecting them and hiding them in bunkers around the world as they Napped? Also holy gently caress, a Somewherian Saint Young Men would own.
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Jun 14, 2017 20:08
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Arkanomen posted:What happened to the Pyrexalted!? Arkanomen posted:Did they just reintegrate after Claryice fixed their souls? Arkanomen posted:Was Quintzite just collecting them and hiding them in bunkers around the world as they Napped?
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Jun 14, 2017 20:20
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He had none, Tarix-bless. That's nice. This is a good story and you really made something deep and good here, dogkisser. Thank you. One last question, what does the far future for somewhere look like?
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Jun 14, 2017 21:37
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Arkanomen posted:One last question, what does the far future for somewhere look like?
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Jun 14, 2017 21:43
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As I promised earlier, here are the Blood and Thunder (or was it electricity?) People. Salt ended up winning instead that time, which eventually became the seed for the poor forgotten Saltini. What I DON'T remember are their excellent and punny names. Off the top of my head I’d call them the Artewree and the Ohman, but I assure you the original names were funnier. The Artewree (artery + wree, which is a thing Japanese manga vampires say) would have been the Blood People, Essence of Love, Passion, and Pain. They would have been… not evil but at least unpleasant? Difficult to coexist with, for sure: they're parasites, deriving life energy from their hosts. Could they have been turned good? Maybe!  The Ohman (ohm + man + oh man  ) would have been the Thunder People, Essence of Power, Movement and Ruin. Fast, super alien and chaotic People. They could reshape their body into different shapes, and groups of them could click together into bigger shapes. They could also hook themselves into machines and effectively possess them. I can imagine all kinds of nonsense these guys could have gotten into.Also… I’m actually on track to do the last People of Somewhere tomorrow. I was going to stretch it out, but there’s no sense overstaying my welcome. Tomorrow may well be the very last update in the Fragile Gods of Somewhere. If there’s anything past the official end point question or commentary-wise, I’ll be sticking around to answer them, but my poor beaten iPad is going to the great electronics depot in the sky!
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Jun 15, 2017 03:16
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Dog Kisser posted:As I promised earlier, here are the Blood and Thunder (or was it electricity?) People. Salt ended up winning instead that time, which eventually became the seed for the poor forgotten Saltini. What I DON'T remember are their excellent and punny names. Off the top of my head I’d call them the Artewree and the Ohman, but I assure you the original names were funnier. These guys definitely need to meet the Last Laugh explorers in Fragile Gods 2.
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Jun 15, 2017 06:27
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Hey Doggokisser if you're still up to talk about materials, can you tell me about the wondrous material HAUNTED HOUSES and the people that would result from it? 
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Jun 15, 2017 07:56
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Nice Old Lady as well please
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Jun 15, 2017 07:57
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I was wondering about new Materials and People as well... If wisps can no longer interact with Somewhere, I suppose that means there will be no new Material (or corresponding People) appearing along with the second Diamond age... what a pity! I guess technically the Diamond Material's proliferation and its corresponding SMORE-folk are quite exciting enough, especially for the first Age without those meddlesome Gods! I think someone requested this already, so I'll just reiterate it: Does the Last Laugh ever find itself in a situation where Cleave-The-Heart would be needed?
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Jun 15, 2017 08:49
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People can now make brand new materials. It was discovered right at the end of the last Age. Without differ intervention it's unlikely that there will be Potato and Surprise people though.
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Jun 15, 2017 09:45
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I hope there are ancient, lost records of "Nice Old Lady" as a material, and it gets made at some point. Maybe something gleaned from the RDO?
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Jun 15, 2017 09:47
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Be a dear and head to your user options and toggle Show video embedded in posts with the [video] tag? to yes please. No reason. Also feel free to start f5ing, though it'll still be a little while.
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Jun 15, 2017 15:54
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Dog Kisser posted:Be a dear and head to your user options and toggle Show video embedded in posts with the [video] tag? to yes please. No reason. Also feel free to start f5ing, though it'll still be a little while. Done and 
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Jun 15, 2017 15:59
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Dog Kisser posted:Be a dear and head to your user options and toggle Show video embedded in posts with the [video] tag? to yes please. No reason. Also feel free to start f5ing, though it'll still be a little while. I didn't even know that was an option!
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Jun 15, 2017 16:53
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Echoes bubbled up through the barrier, snatches and glimpses of a timeless time. The Fragile Gods were no more, but the People remained. These are a few of their stories. -[What Strange Creatures They Are! [Fourth Age Of The Gods]- The underground catacomb that had been given to the Iliminali for their use by Enane was dark and musty. Worse, creatures shrieked and wailed in dark; Anomalice, vile creatures, cohabitated with them down here, and the worst of it was that Enane had told them to let the creatures be! He trusted the God, but the sounds did make studying rather more difficult. How would he become the first Verre Master of Hydromancy if he couldn't practice in SILENCE? And then, one day, it was silent - and that was somehow quite a lot more frightening. Day after day, no attacks came from the darkness, but he couldn't help wonder when they would. Finally, the silence grew so oppressive that he packed his things and wandered into the darkness to investigate. -o- He found the Anomalice, all right, but they fled from him. They held their heads(?) and groaned as he approached, weeping almost intelligible words. Enane had touched them, he’d gathered, and their twisted, shattered memories were sintering together into a strange whole. His fear had mostly vanished, replaced with a curiousity and sympathy that surpised him. He managed to corner one of them and ask him a few questions, though the creature flinched and twitched away when it thought it could escape. ”Who are you? What is your name?” “Ģ͝R҉̕҉Ì̢͢͟Ņ̵̛͠͞Ḑ̸̧͜E̷̷̛͝͡Ŗ̶̧̕C̷̢̀͟Ŗ̵͝Ư͟͢͝Ś̷H̷́͘Ȩ͘͢͢R҉̨́҉E҉͏̧́͜A̶̸̢͟͞T͠͏Ę̴̕͜R̸̸̷̡̀R̨͟O҉̸̴̀͘L̴̀͢͠L͏͢͏E̢͞R̴̴̸̀̕” A wall of noise assaulted him, but he shook his head and pressed on. Over a few days of study, the Anomal- the Cheddice’s multi-tonal voice resolved itself into a smoother mix (though it still grated the ear), and it managed to pull itself into some sort of stable form. Not Fortugnat, not Laitache, but some sort of… Milk-Dice hybrid shape. It was unpleasant to look at, but the shock of it wore off as they spent time together. Over the years, they learned from one another - the Verre learned the history of the early Ages as the Cheddice recalled it, and the Cheddice the fundamentals of Hydromancy from one who was rapidly approaching Mastery. Even in the twilight years, when the Verre began to fade from this world and his friend remained unchanged, they spoke often. -o- Ages later, that Cheddice would come to apply his Hydromantic prowess out in the open. Grinder of Chromeport Bay works tirelessly to this day, cleaning and purifying the waters of the Bay. -[The Last People [Second Diamond Age]- When the Gods perished for the last time, it ushered in a Diamond Age. The land blossomed, the People were happy… and strange new plants began to sprout. Strange, faded colors and shapes that brought with them a sense of nostalgia. They grew first among the Glass Forests, then spread outwards on the wind. Along with the flowers came a strange mumbling winding through the woods, that always seemed to fade out as a listener approached. One fateful evening, a little cottage appeared in a clearing that wasn’t there before. A trickle of smoke poured from a narrow smokestack in the centre of the roof, a fragrant and pungent cloud that reminded the scouts of home. After hours of staking the place out, it looked no different than before, so one brave fellow stepped on the little raised stone path that led towards the front door. All of a sudden, the front door swung open with a low creak.  Several tiny creatures poured out the entrance, arms wide in excitement, mumbling and cooing and pinching cheeks. The poor scout hadn’t even had time to ask questions before they stuffed something in his mouth and carried him inside, slamming the door behind them. Immediately the whole survey group shifted into high gear, preparing combat magic and weaponry for an assault on an unknown foe. They kicked the front door down to find…  Not only was their scout fine, he was being fairly fawned over by the small creatures. For their part, they didn’t seem all that upset that their door was damaged, instead inviting the newcomers in. Their mumbles, though perfectly intelligible, were very quiet, and the creatures’ hearing didn’t seem to be terribly good either, but after a few strange hours they learned their hosts were known as Mabel, Louise, Margaret and Francis. The first vanguards of a whole new People - the Nice Old Lady People, the Grantid! The world was a strange, strange place indeed! -[A Note On Remnants, And The Uses Thereof]- Force-Of-Life remained buried deep under Glassgard, forever spreading the Glass Forest across the face of Somewhere, and ensuring that new and strange creatures would arise from the novel Materials that its People would create. Not all of its creations were universally appreciated, and certainly the Surprise-based Bewilderbeast was powerfully hated for the short time it walked the land, but all appreciated the venerable Idol’s mighty power. -o- Learn-Through-Doing retained a hallowed place in the great manufacturies of the Last Laugh, even though it’s table was far too small for much of the work performed therein. Over the Ages, the tools associated with the Idol have updated themselves to remain current, and are thus still useful for prototyping and perfection of individual devices. As of ArkAge Milk-1, it was slightly damaged in an incident, but not enough to reduce its effectiveness. -o- Strange-New-Grace remained in or near the BAM for its entire lifespan, bringing laughter and exasperation to thousands. It met its end during a particularly dramatic accident in which several dozen cans of paint were splattered over an audience of wealthy patrons before the host’s pants fell down and the Idol knocked over the entire orchestra in sequence. A Glass fountain fell on it immediately afterwards, shattering it into bits. Its loss is keenly felt, though it is remembered fondly. -o- Reverse-The-Bitterness, as far as is known, remains in the custody of She-Who-Listens. She has a tendency to disappear once in a while, and when she doesn’t want to be found, she can’t be. She uses the Idol to heal the wounded and sorrowful and to soothe the angry heart. Its effect is limited in scope due to her nomadic nature, but it works well enough for her purposes. -o- What-Goes-Up was used once more by a particularly ambitious actress known as Bauer. She used it on herself to propel herself to superstardom and Herohood, hoping that her cleverness and wealth would be enough to save her from the downside. This proved a foolish venture, and it came down around her ears - but not before she tore up a variety of stages, screens, and eventually bodies. Upon her death, the Miracle vanished once and for all. -o- Truth-Wall-Scroll remains in storage on the Last Laugh, accessible only to Aurora or Paradime. In an emergency or a mutiny, it would be broken out and used to quell the uprising before it threatened the wellbeing of the ship. Though several such mutinies have risen and fallen, the Miracle is simply too powerful and too insidious to consider using. Diplomacy has, so far, been enough - no need for mind control just yet. -o- Cleave-The-Heart was used in desperation, hooked into the main Cutting ray of the Last Laugh. The Ocean, in the long years of their voyage, proved to be less empty than anticipated: an Atrocity - a powerful one - came to be on a distant speck of Something and escaped, traversing the dark Ocean immortal and hungry. It assaulted the Last Laugh in ArkAge Dice-2, destroying approximately 25% of the Ark and damaging Steervana severely. To prevent further damage, Helmsman Aurora authorized the use of the Miracle, which tore it apart in a violent burst of mocking sound and fury. The Liminal Material harvested from its leviathan body was used to rebuild the Ark and, eventually, to form the core of the second Ark. -o- Wheel-Of-Circumstance was used in the First Godless Age by a Fermite who had mistakenly entered a footrace, and was lamenting the embarassment that was surely to befall him should he actually attempt to run it. The Miracle responsed to his implicit request, and unexpectedly granted him the Trait of Mass Hypnosis. The first Fermite Hero, Rivet won the race by reflexively hypnotizing the others to sit in place as he slowly walked past them. Once he gained further control of his new Trait, he had a succesful and noble career in law enforcement and crisis negotiation. -o- Wall-Of-Diamond was used - wasted, some say - in the same attack on the Last Laugh that Cleave-The-Heart was consumed. It was fired off to shield the remnants of the Ark against further attacks while the deadly Miracle was brought to bear on the Atrocity, soothing the fears of the passengers while the attack was underway. Unfortunately, due to the Ark’s great size the effects were greatly diminished, and once used it vanished, though the shield lingered afterwards. -o- Weep-Down-Ages was modified by Paradime upon its next appearance - she embraced it, filling the Blank trait in with her unusual spirit, and loading the Artifact with her numerous Traits. Under her control, she watched over Somewhere from within its slumbering body, granting Traits to those who deserved it, those who sought her out. -O- Toils-For-Salvation remained in the core of the Last Laugh forevermore, running required operations and modifiying its enormous body as required to best serve the People within it. Its requested command is sufficiently broad that it will never be complete, and yet the Artifact is happy with its lot in life - and the Person it once was is humbled to have taken on such a grand importance in the history of People. -O- Meld-The-Flesh remains deep within the House, though its great power is required less and less as mundane technology approaches its once divine abilities. It is still used to generate prototypes for advanced SMOREs - though after the incident the prototypes are stored more securely… -O- Consumes-In-Fire is bound to the Last Laugh, providing a powerful burst of speed whenever it is required. The Artifact will be crucial to ever returning to Somewhere, and so it is well protected - it may be invincible, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be stolen… and Gods forbid it ever get set off within the Ark… -O- She-Who-Listens continues to listen, forever, granting wishes to those who need it. Eventually, she left Somewhere on the sixth Ark… but that’s a story for another time. -[“My, My, Look How Big And Strong You’ve Gotten!” [First Godless Age]- The Fermite and the Grantid shared an unusual relationship. Being the only two People who arose independently during Diamond Ages, they bore a certain amount of kinship, but it was more than that. From the very first instant the Grantid saw the Iron People, they simply couldn't help themselves from tottering over and reaching up to pinch unyielding Iron cheeks. For their part, the Fermite seemed flustered by the slow-moving, accident-prone Nice Old Lady People.  Over the Ages, it was a common sight to see a Fermite walking with four or five Grantid, hand in hand, with the former dutifully listening to the latter chatter on about indecipherable nonsense. It is thought that their gentle relationship with Somewhere's newest (and oldest!) People contributed heavily to a softening of their image and their greater acceptance amidst the other People of Somewhere. -[A Note On People, And The Creation Thereof]- Many People walked the land in past Ages, and even more walked it now. Dice, Water, Silver, Milk, Fire, Glass and Iron - and now Nice Old Lady. Not to mention the combined Peoples of Cheddice, Verremooch and Thermite… But what of Molasses? What of Potato and Diamond and Surprise and all the other Materials that People have discovered and will come to discover? It is… a sensitive matter. Is it within the power of the People to create another People from base Materials? Surely, surely it is. Is it within their desire? This is… less certain. Many or most feel as though it is not the place of People to meddle with such things, one of the few taboos on Somewhere. Many would have difficulty considering such a Person to be ‘real’, let alone an equal. For the moment, Somewhere and its sateliite communities in the Ocean are content to allow the lower beasts of the various elements that compose their world to remain beasts. They are content to remain People and not Gods over all they survey. But ‘for the moment’ is but a fleeting instant before the march of the Ages. Who knows what the future may hold? -[The Fragile Gods of Somewhere [Third Godless Age]- ”Oh my, look at all of you. You’re all so strong and big now, my goodness. I remember when you were this bi-” “Nana, can you tell us a story?” “Oh yes, of course, of course. What would you like to hear? I could tell you about when I played bingo down at the Infuser’s Church, or I could-” “Tell us about he time King Sixsix killed all the guys!” “Tell us about when the Sun was made of Glass, because Waffle told me that at school and I don’t believe her!?” “Tell us about when the Ark went all WOOSH into the sky and-” “No, tell me about what my dad did when he was a kid!” “That’s boring, I want to learn about Rivet!” “You already know all about Rivet! He’s boring, you just like him because he’s the only Fermite Hero!” “Nuh un, I’M going to be another Fermite Hero too!” “You’re only HALF-Fermite - your mom was a Thermite!” “That still counts!” “Hoo hoo, now now children. I know what I can read you. Have you ever heard of the Fragile Gods of Somewhere?” “What’s a God?” “Oh deary me. You have much to learn, children. Now let me take a look… ah, here we are. “The world, is a mutable, malleable thing. In the immeasurable vastness of the Ocean, tiny pinpricks of Something burst into being, only to vanish. Without a stabilizing presence, they are hopeless against the crashing waves of Nothing.  Without Gods, Something has no hope.”
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Jun 15, 2017 16:59
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That’s it. The echoes dimmed, the barrier sealed to a uniform darkness. The few remaining Wisps looked back only once, then spun out into the deep Ocean currents. Somewhere was lost to them, leaving only memories behind. Somehow, that was enough. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tAjz555OtY&hd=1
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Jun 15, 2017 16:59
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Good show my man  See you in the next thread!
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Jun 15, 2017 17:03
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That video....
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Jun 15, 2017 17:22
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Magnificent.
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Jun 15, 2017 17:49
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Jun 15, 2017 18:42
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That'll do, Dog Kisser. That'll do. Thank you for this wonderful experience.
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Jun 15, 2017 18:46
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quote:12:09 Theantero elements in somewhere create inanimate objects too, like cliffs and outcroppings and lakes
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Jun 15, 2017 19:04
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drat.
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Jun 15, 2017 19:11
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The amount of effort you put into this goodbye is incredible, DK. I hope a hypothetical Fragile Gods 2 is every bit as magical as the first.
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Jun 15, 2017 20:42
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Thanks for the kudos, all'a'y'all!Zybourne Clock posted:The amount of effort you put into this goodbye is incredible, DK. I hope a hypothetical Fragile Gods 2 is every bit as magical as the first. Ha, thanks - I hope so! The next time I run it the mechanics will stay almost identical but the starting parameters will get a slight tweak. I'll also probably run it with fewer Ages in total and fewer Gods per Age, though that'll be offset by some of the aforementioned tweaks. That's quite a while from now, but rest assured I'm planning hella far ahead.
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Jun 15, 2017 20:50
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