Edmango 2021/09/07(Tue)15:39 No. 1009743 ID: afe7de
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[YEAR 16]

You stretch your wings and crack your back, waking up to a brand new year. A lot happened in the past few months you haven’t really been able to catch up with. But thats okay, you’re ready for a nice and slow orientation and whatever else the TEACHERS over at TENGU ACADEMY have in store for you.

You head over to YONDO’S office, it’s a fairly clean room, shelves lined with books you can tell are maintained and managed by hand. They appear to be LEDGERS and HAND MADE TEXTS, you assume most of them are the original copies of whatever books students get and are reproduced by the ROYAL PRINTING PRESSES. You heard a rumor that they’ll soon be ready to release the press publicly, or at least in a smaller scale to allow the normal citizen to produce and publish their own texts. This excites you and makes you feel like there might soon be a RENAISSANCE of TECH and LITERATURE. You take your seat in front of the man and he goes over your duties as a professor. You’ll be in charge of teaching classes of up to 30 students, classes here tend to be closer knit which you’ve known from experience. Your class in particular will probably be PACKED nearly constantly. You’ve thought over several ways to handle this and go back and forth with the bird.

First you’ll need to decide on a LESSON PLAN, this is HOW YOU PLAN TO TEACH, tied to that will be your CLASS FREQUENCY, or how many classes you offer a year. Most teachers offer the first class in both semesters and then extra classes on a minimum student basis, but you can also offer fixed classes. It’s a flexible system where the teachers have to teach at least 4 courses a year, every 2 courses taking up [1 TIME POINT] You know many that teach 6-8 courses a year, but that is by choice, as it’s EXTRA PAY at the cost of STRESS.

Speaking of pay, you are handed a bag of SHINIES, these are of the highest grade, and total to a value of 6400. This is your UP FRONT FIRST MONTH’S PAY. You’re payed 6400 SHINIES per time point you spend teaching, and he lets you know that there’s incentive to do well, as being consistently successful is grounds for a PAY RAISE. You’re also recommended to raise up a few TUTORS, or offer TUTORING yourself until you have a good PUPIL. As a TEACHER you won’t get paid to do tutoring, but are expected to devote a BACKGROUND TASK to it until you can find a PUPIL or TWO.

You’re reminded that due to the contract you signed you cannot QUIT BEING A TEACHER for 4 years minimum, but at YEAR 20, you are free to continue working here or leave. Should you chose to resign at any point after the 4 year period, you are to give a [3 TIME POINT] notice, basically a semesters worth of time so that they can find a replacement.

You can also get COMPLIMENTARY COURSES for every [2 TIME POINTS] you spend TEACHING. This will allow you to take one of the many classes offered at the ACADEMY for free. You’re also reminded of a few PERKS you get now that you’re a teacher. Once every 2 YEARS teachers get a FREE LIBRARY TICKET, this allows you to rent a book from the TENGU ROYAL LIBRARY for a year. This was updated from the previous 4 YEARS per ticket due to high demand from the various professors and their excellent work training the youths of today. You could also BUY A RENTAL for 10,000 SHINIES, where you are refunded 5000 upon return of the text. But you don’t need to do that anymore since you have a PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY unless you want to help someone out.

You think a few things over. It’s been a year since any RUNESCRIPTING has been taught here, and most of the kin that were taught it by SHIMON, the SHITTY PROFESSOR as you’ve taken to dubbing him, have graduated without passing the second course. You did a quick calculation, but after checking with YONDO you find only 17 have actually passed the course, and there’s only a small number who are choosing to pursue it as a career like yourself, the RUNESCRIPTERS, PAWN, two young women whose name escapes YONDO, and another sole student whose name also escapes his memory. You’re still upset that SHIMON didn’t pass your brother, but SHIMON is gone now and that gives you at least some SMUG SATISFACTION. But anyway, back on topic, you know you’ll need to train a student from the GROUND UP if you want them to be a good tutor, you’ll probably just have to GET LUCKY and find one that takes one of your classes.

As for the LESSON PLAN, you’ve got several options to pick from. Your STATS contribute to the planning and think you should make a SYLLABUS to let students know what they’re getting into in the long term, none of the other teachers do that, but you assume that’s because they never thought to. You think up the following options:

A. TEACH A MANUAL DECODING CLASS
- This is a class that could be a PRELIM to the others, you could start it with any manual, TRIGGER maybe
- And allow students to decode another one if they finish.
- This class would WEED OUT THOSE WITHOUT LOGIC, so they know not to invest heavily
- You tend to be able to teach FRESH FACES at least ONE MANUAL in the time it takes them to do ONE CLASS
B. TEACH A REPEATABLE COURSE ON THE 6 SYNTAXES
- Fresh faces would find this harder to get into, but repeat students could learn more COLORS and RUNES
- This class would be on the theory and practicality of RUNESCRIPTING but act as a primer for your next class
C. TEACH A CLASS ON THE APPLICATIONS OF RUNESCRIPTING
- This would be like SHIMON’S second class, only using the foundation they already developed to learn how to MAKE THINGS
- You could use the time teaching this class to EXPERIMENT with other students as well
D. TEACH AN INVENTION COURSE
- This would be a more free formed and ADVANCED version of the previous course
- Only teaching others how to THINK and how to INVENT, but it might be redundant to the ENGINEERING course
E. STATUS QUO
- Just teach 2 classes like SHIMON with your updated knowledge per semester
- You’d get improved rates, but would suffer from the problem of students needing to SELF STUDY to be effective in COURSE 2
F. OTHER
- Feel free to suggest other ways to teach or class combinations

You’ll also have to consider if you’re going to offer EXTRA COURSES, you could just spend the minimum [2 TIME POINTS] teaching 4 classes, or you could go deeper and offer other courses, even something not listed. YONDO says that if you have something else you’re willing to TEACH and can prove your competency in like a THEORY class, he would be fine with you offering that course as well.

What classes do you teach? You’ll be teaching 2 a SEMESTER at a minimum, and can mess around with order and frequency of classes at least until students get a good grasp of the subject matter and you have a regular pull of them.

AUTHORS NOTE: Glad to be back everyone! There’s some upkeep left over from the end of PART 1, so for the next few updates we’ll be handling this stuff one at a time. First is your TEACHING SCHEDULE. Then we’ll handle DRIFT, IGNIS, and the WATER BREATHING DEVICE.

Then You’ll get to see a single class in action, be updated on RESEARCHES, FINANCES, MEMORIZED BOOKS, and other minor things, and we’ll be all caught up enough to get back to the TP ECONOMY like it was. Thanks for your patience! Updates will be slow until I settle into my new work schedule, but when I do, I’ve got weekends scheduled so that I can update TWICE A WEEK like I used to.

Ah, and if you’re having trouble with the teaching course you can simplify it into something like Teach x courses, or spend x TP teaching, and teach Y classes

>>1009743
>lesson plan
Hmmmm...
How about this: offer one basic course, one advanced course, and one repeatable syntaxes course. The basic course is offered on a regular basis, and your other two courses are offered half as often. That way if you weed out half the students from the basic course, you still have a full class in the other two. Avoid redundancy with engineering.
So basically, A+B+C, splitting time halfway between A and B+C.
Try to figure out (optimally BEFORE teaching students) if Shimon's mana color matching approach was correct or not. You should at least start the first class with a basic description of what they'll be able to do with runes at an expert level, to hype up the field and see if you can get more students who pass to get into the advanced classes.

This seems like a subject you can't teach in only two classes, but since nobody's getting to a third this year, let's start with A and B, then add C/2 (out of Shimon's two) the next year. (We'll be open about this plan, of course.)

For tutoring, start with yourself in that position, but it'd be good to have some TAs during the classes regardless of what happens there. Maybe ask if one of the RUNESCRIPTERS wants to fill the position for now - but only if one of them has an actual rank or two in TEACHING, of course.

Make sure to spell out a disciplinary plan in the syllabus, too; you need something in your arsenal for the inevitable return of the problem students. Don't make it too severe, but do clarify that you aren't just going to grin and bear it if a student decides to be disruptive. Also, know how to gently let go of the more subtle and complicated questions fired at you - "that's an excellent question I sadly don't have time to answer today - but if you'd like to discuss that with me later after class..." will be your ultimate weapon. Class time is something you can't afford to waste, but free time is, by definition, free. You can afford to take some minutes to delve into these when it's not on your students' time.

Right off the bat, let's rule out E: STATUS QUO. There's plenty of evidence to demonstrate how poorly that works around here. This is a difficult subject for a lot of folk to really grasp, and there aren't many alternative sources for them to get help from. Especially while we don't have a tutor, we can't run classes like that

I would also agree on the CON listed for D: INVENTION COURSE. To put it simply: There are already classes to help students learn how to apply their knowledge. The students that want to invent will probably already be in there, or can easily be directed to it. While practical application shouldn't be ignored, we should focus on getting students into the material.

A: MANUAL DECODING, is probably our best pick for a first class. Give everyone a baseline experience so that they can decide if this is right for them. Starting off with something more complicated could result in losing students who had the potential to learn. Even if not every student who passes will be ready for the following course, it'll be a start in spreading comprehension of RUNESCRIPTING to the next generation. That's a win, no matter how you look at it.

B and C are a toss-up, as they both have elements worth teaching. I'm leaning towards C: APPLICATIONS OF RUNESCRIPTING, but the syntax is worthwhile as well. Between the two, I think the syntax is easier to pick up in self-study, as it doesn't require discovering how to do things such as link runes by yourself.

Would it be worth the TP to teach all three this semester? Dedicating the time early may help us develop a pupil faster, and getting someone else to potentially help with tutoring duties would be better done sooner rather than later. It'd save us TP in the long run.

Ultimately, I think it's worth dedicating time to this early. We can drop the extra class later, once we get our tutor. For now though, I suggest the following lesson plan:

A: MANUAL DECODING, B: 6 SYNTAXES, C: APPLICATIONS OF RUNESCRIPTING. 3 classes a semester, 6 a year. Spend the extra TP, Earn extra SHINIES at the cost of extra STRESS. We'll likely be meditating to work on our MIND CAMPUS when we get the chance anyways, so we'll be able to get rid of it quickly enough. When we have a tutor that students can turn to, consider dropping the class on the 6 syntaxes.

Since pretty much everyone is gonna be new to runescripting we should start off with two classes of the A type for the first semester and then focus on the B type for the second semester.
But this is just for the first year as nobody will have any experience with this.
However, after this year it seems like we can do our classes in a way to allow our students to learn runescripting in just two years.
>First Semester
Class A and Class C
>Second Semester
Class B and Class B (adv.)
The structure of this is designed around the fact that nobody would be taking class A and class C at the same time as they are different levels entirely, and since Class B is repeatable we can have a beginner orientated Class B and an advanced Class B.
This way a student's first year they will learn how to decode manuals and then the basic syntax and the basis of how runes work together, and the second year they will experiment with making things utilizing what they've learned in Class B and what we will teach in Class C. Afterwards we have an advanced class B overlooking the intricacies of rune interactions and compound runes as well as becoming fluent in rune syntax enough to understand messages left in dungeons if not to read an entire book in runescript. Having classes set up like this will give them everything they need to create things using runescript apart from the materials. Afterwards it's up to them to experiment and invent as the new generation of runescripters.

Replace Runescripting 1 with a manual decoding course, and teach the applications of runescripting as a second semester offering. Teach extra classes to try and spread out the number of students you have to teach at once.

Whatever courses we decide, I'd say for DECODING CLASS, instead of starting the students out with TRIGGER, let fresh faces start out with the scripting manual that matches their MANA VEINS. Or maybe a small percentage if we want to experiment how well they'll learn magitech throughout the semester by starting them out with a matching color scriptingmanual.

Our friends said that they had an easier time solving a manual that matches the color of their veins. With that in mind, fresh faces can start out with a manual that is easy for them to figure out, and won't scare them out of the class and we can ease them into the harder manuals (like start out someone with black mana veins with a black scripting manual, then after they solve that, encourage them to work on the other manuals that isn't white, and then once they finish those, have them work on the white scripting manual)

A good introduction on the first day of decoding class will be to let them know how runescripting can be used for pretty much any career they are majoring in, such as sharpening or hardening a weapon as a hunter for better defense or offense, using it for cooking to heat up food, use it for artwork like putting a light rune on a sun they drew, and even invent new things, or even add things to architect like electricity, err, you mean light runes in certain parts of a room. IDEA: as an example bring your CHIller on the first day of class with Pon Pops as an example to get students hyped! Give everyone a Pon pop to show them the wonderful things they can make with Magitech.

Getting ahead of myself though

As others said, A, B and C. I liked the idea of doing 6 courses a year with those 3 classes, so we can take an extra course since most other teachers do that. B will be repeatable for students to take until they solve the other syntaxes for the third class (C), though they can self study to make the process faster. Maybe one day, we can switch it to two classes (A and C) if we get good enough to be able to teach a majority of student all six syntaxes in one class.

Manual Decoding! First priority!

We're all in agreement here that starting with A is a no-brainer. A and C seem like a good start.

>>1009743
I’m not sure if we can even teach B. We haven’t done any research on the Colors or the Syntaxes, so we might not be able to teach those until after we do some research to better understand them.

>>1009806
We've done plenty of research on that stuff. We could read a whole book in runescript.

Shimon corrupted everything he taught, it's time to fix that.

Teach Manual Decoding and Runescripting. Advocate basic syntax to the diligent students on their free time.

>>1009807
I actually went to double check the previous thread and found out that, no, we haven’t researched anything about Color Theory. So I’m pretty sure we can’t teach anything about that until we research it for ourselves.

>>1009836
We did learn all the (publicly known) syntaxes, and I think we started to develop a baseline for teaching it at some point. Plus, if it's being presented as an option, I doubt we'd actually be unable to choose it.

Teach manual decoding and applications of runescripting the first semester, since there won't be any repeat students yet. The second semester, add the course on the six syntaxes. If we start getting some pupils who seem particularly interested in applying themselves, we can start offering more advanced courses like invention.

A to decode as first class, B to understand the colors more and to inspire them to work on decoding the manuals they have left to decode (repeatable), and C to learn application once they decoded enough manuals and took the second. class

Edmango 2021/09/13(Mon)18:38 No. 1010472 ID: afe7de
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> PREP - TEACH 3 COURSES A YEAR
You discuss your plan of approach with YONDO, you want to teach 2 classes this semester, and then 3 from that point forward. You need students who know the material and that want to take future classes, and think this approach would be good. You mention that it might take you some TIME to prepare all of the MANUALS and that you'll need some FUNDS to get the class going, he reminds you of the TEACHING SALARY that you may apply for YEARLY. IT's 2000 SHINIES. You'll probably end up spending it all on MATERIALS FOR MANUALS and RUNESCRIPTING PENS.

You devote [3 TIME POINTS] to teaching this year, teaching 5 classes and the last 1 class's worth of time being taken up by maintenence, setup, and enscribing runescripting manuals by hand.

The first semester you plan on teaching two courses of RUNESCRIPTING - DECODING as you're tentatively calling it. This is going to be your PRELIMINARY course on the topic of RUNESCRIPTING. You’re going to introduce the subject, let the students know of it’s potential applications, difficulties of learning, and overall importance. Since you’ll be leading TWO COURSES in the first semester this also gives you time for an EXPERIMENT. In one course you’ll be assigning students A SINGLE MANUAL, the TRIGGER manual. In the second course you’ll be assigning students their manuals based off of the COLOR of their MANA VEINS that you can see using your GOGGLES OF MANA SIGHT. You have a THEORY, that SHIMON was giving individuals their opposite color to make things HARDER on them and more difficult to learn. You also think that with your TEACHING it might be possible to get everyone on the same page with a SINGLE MANUAL easier then it might be with multiple spread throughout the class. Only time will tell what seems to be the more effective approach.

The second semester you plan to teach one course of RUNESCRIPTING - DECODING, one course of RUNESCRIPTING - SYNTAX, and one course of RUNESCRIPTING - APPLICATIONS, reccomending students take each course in that order, with the SYNTAX course being one where you teach the students all of the colors as opposed to a single one and encourage SELF STUDY. RUNESCRIPTING - APPLICATIONS will be for advanced students that are interested in taking what they know and learning practical applications and inventions.

YONDO suggests holding off on the advanced class and instead offering a second course of the SYNTAX class during the second semester. Then during your second year offering one of each course as the student load will have stabilized by then and you’ll have actual applicants to the course. It takes some back and forth, but you trust his judgment as he has been teaching longer then you have. At least in this life anyway.

You spend a good chunk of time, the rest of this [TP], using up your yearly stipend to make as many SCRIPTING MANUALS as you can of each color. It’s a little STRESSFUL but you’re patient enough to see it through as it’s one of your jobly duties now. And by the time you’re done you’ve got about 3 years worth of manuals, tens of RUNESCRIPTING PENS, making new materials in your spare time in class won’t be too difficult or making custom ones for special students won’t take any time now that you have this foundation in place. You also get a few supplies, some random materials, wood, stone, cheap metals, etc. But this does take up ALL of your 2000 SHINY salary.

But you’re as prepared as you’re going to get to teach now. You’ll have to wait and see the results of your planning and teaching.

Edmango 2021/09/13(Mon)18:38 No. 1010473 ID: afe7de
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> EVENT - LEAN ON ME: RESULTS
Ignis has been fairly busy since you assigned him his task. You’ve seen him draft numerous documents and he’s popped in and out with you to discuss terms and the like. He says that the process with ROYALTY is a bit harder then with other ORGANIZATIONS and he’s very happy for the opportunity you’ve presented him with. Your initial intent was to establish business relations with the ROYALS, see if you could find a way to either SELL YOUR GOODS to them, or TAKE ORDERS to help build up an INFLUX OF SHINIES so that you can expand your experimentation and develop useful technologies.

They HAVE A GOOD RAPPORT with IGNIS and WILLIAM already, so they are interested in starting business with you on a CONTRACTUAL BASIS to start with. They have 3 OFFERS for you, each with their UPS and DOWNS. IGNIS has worked hard to make each arrangement as favorable as possible.

WEAPONS DEVELOPMENT CONTRACT
- A 2-Year contract where you will be given a small list of WEAPONS that have been observed by the HUMANS
- You are to develop PROTOTYPES of their WEAPONRY and even IMPROVEMENTS if possible
- This is a MILESTONE based contract where each new weapon developed will earn you more funds then the last
- Both YOU and the ROYALS will retain copies of the BLUEPRINTS for these WEAPONS
Ignis: This is more of a PREVENTATIVE measure we think. The HUMANS have been increasing SECURITY on the BORDERS and do not like that we are MIXING with the AQUANS and are on the verge of a TRADE AGREEMENT.
Ignis: I don’t know how you feel about ARMING our KINGDOM, but completing this one satisfactorily or better will open us up to new avenues of both INCOME and RESOURCES we haven’t heard of yet.
Ignis: Pay will be in BARS OF ARCANUM or SHINIES, whatever we need.
Ignis: In addition, they are willing to pay [30,000 SHINIES] A YEAR in SALARIES, which we should split between the four of us

STANDARD OF LIVING DEVELOPMENT CONTRACT
- A 2-Year contract where you will be given a series of LIFESTYLE UPGRADES that have been observed by the HUMANS
- You are to develop PROTOTYPES of their APPLIANCES and IMPROVEMENTS if possible
- This is a MILESTONE based contract where each new weapon developed will earn you more funds then the last
- Both YOU and the ROYALS will retain copies of the BLUEPRINTS for these APPLIANCES
Ignis: This is stuff like the CHI-LLER, Lighting infrastructure, plumbing, and the like.
Ignis: They’re not expecting us to be able to develop things for the entire plate, but if we can set the groundwork for future developments that would be ideal.
Ignis: We’ll probably need to develop a BATTERY of some kind to store energy to use on these DEVICES
Ignis: PAWN might be of use to us if we take this contract.
Ignis: Pay will be a LITTLE BIT MORE then the weapons contract, but they’ll have more strict REQUIREMENTS
Ignis: In addition, they are willing to pay [30,000 SHINIES] A YEAR in SALARIES, which we should split between the four of us

BLUEPRINT PURCHASING/TEACHING CONTRACT
- A ONE TIME contract where they will purchase a NON EXCLUSIVE COPY of ANY of the following blueprints
= The CHI-LLER
= The ARMORED PLATE VEST
= The SHARPENED WEAPON TEMPLATE
- They will pay you 2 INGOTS of ARCANUM per blueprint
- But they will also require CHI’S TIME for you to ATTEMPT TO TEACH some KIN how to MAKE THESE PRODUCTS
- They will PAY YOU [10k SHINIES] per TP spent TEACHING and you must successfully teach AT LEAST 1 ADULT KIN within 4 YEARS
= The ROYALS will assess the possibility of FAILURE after you spend [3 TP] attempting to teach
= You will not be PENALIZED for FAILURE financially, but instead in a minor drop in relations
Ignis: So this one could probably be the most lucrative up front, but would require the most from YOU.
Ignis: None of us went down the TEACHING TRACK, which might have been a lack of FORESIGHT on our end
Ignis: Though me and WILLIAM are both CHARISMATIC we have too much on our plates to LEARN the SKILL and APPLY it.
Ignis: It might be a good idea to find a PROTOGE in your CLASSES to train up to also become a TEACHER.
Ignis: I’ll also say this one was given straight up by MOM, the QUEEN.
Ignis: She wanted to talk to you, but understood you were extremely busy with all the recent preparations for TEACHING
You: I would have totally talked to her if I saw her.
Ignis: She didn’t want to bother you, she saw you a few times in the library but said you were and I QUOTE
Ignis: “Searching through books like a woman determined”
You: Uhhh, oops.
You: I’ll let the LIBRARIAN know that if she shows up to talk to me to just interrupt me, I can just read fast
Ignis: I can let her know too whenever we decide what contract to take.
Ignis: I just wanted to show you first before we talked about it with the RUNESCRIPTERS.
Ignis: Which, we should come up with a name for unless we just want it to be that GENERIC one.

You ponder over this and introduce the contracts to your group-mates. IGNIS is the most interested in the WEAPONS contract. DRIFT is half and half on the PURCHASING/TEACHING and the STANDARD OF LIVING ONE. WILLIAM thinks the TEACHING contract would be a smart move and get you in the good graces of the QUEEN if it’s successful. Though the thing that’s brought up by DRIFT is that he needs FINANCES and it costs QUITE A LOT to live in the city proper, but not an UNREASONABLE amount to live in the OUTSKIRTS. You also discuss the need to have an actual BASE OF OPERATIONS, somewhere to work out of and develop.

To this IGNIS provides a few options and suggestions. His MANSION has 3 EMPTY ROOMS, so DRIFT could live there, paying something similar to what you are, and he could TEAR DOWN the remaining 2 rooms to make one LARGE ROOM which could act as a WAREHOUSE/WORKSHOP. This would take [4 TP] of CONSTRUCTION though and since you no longer have access to school labs would have to pay to use a WAREHOUSE in the meantime. The other option is to build AN ADDITION to the MANSION, just off the grounds on the land there’s enough room for a WAREHOUSE. This would take [8 TP] to construct as there would most likely be EXTRA SIDE ROOMS, and a SMALL SECOND FLOOR that would be used for MEETINGS. There’s also the option of just continuing to use the WAREHOUSE, though the costs will add up and IGNIS can’t afford to keep renting it for more then 4 more years unless your finances change.

You all take some time to think this over, it looks like you’re going to have to decide on how much you all can INVEST into this venture. Ignis looks sorry, but it sounds like you will be doing a lot of the HEAVY LIFTING financially until all of this can be settled, you PAY OFF IGNIS’S LOAN, or you take out a ROYAL LOAN for [30,000 SHINIES].

It takes [10K SHINIES] to CONVERT TWO ROOMS to a LARGE ROOM in IGNIS’S MANSION
It takes [30K+ SHINIES] to BUILD YOUR OWN WAREHOUSE, with extra EXPENDITURES coming up depending on what ADDITIONS you want
It takes [5K SHINIES] A YEAR to rent the WAREHOUSE

WILLIAM is FINANCIALLY UNAVAILABLE. He’s expending funds searching for RUBBER TREES as he believes that could be another avenue to FINANCE things. He would appreciate an influx of [10K SHINIES] to the cause, but understands that it’s a low priority at this point.

DRIFT is FINANCIALLY UNAVAILABLE. He is dirt poor and needs SHELTER and FOOD, he’s willing to work with you on low pay because of the MASSIVE FAVOR you did for him.

IGNIS is LOW ON FUNDS. He has around 10K SHINIES that he is willing to spend on this venture, but can’t put forth more or everyone’s QUALITY OF LIFE in the mansion will drop to MISERLY, potentially causing a lot of STRESS, among other things.

You reach out to PON and he’s willing to add a No-Strings-attached influx of [2.5K SHINIES]. He needs the rest to ESTABLISH HIS BUSINESS, and he just hands you the money when you talk to him about it. He’s spotted a shop to rent in the MERCHANTS DISTRICT and the OLD LADIES there are really fond of him. You also hear strange rumors about him spending a lot of time at their houses but you disregard them, you’re sure PON knows what he’s doing.

NOODLE wants to contribute but she’s just starting her work with the HUNTERS and won’t be available for THE REST OF THE YEAR. Once she’s back she will have STABLE INCOME, and would be more than happy to CONTRIBUTE, It’s because of YOU that she’s even here. You get the idea it might be good to ARM NOODLE with some of the GEAR you’ve made at some point.

Edmango 2021/09/13(Mon)18:38 No. 1010474 ID: afe7de
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> EVENT - DRIFT’S BENEFACTOR
You’ve been busy, but DRIFT has been patient, he knows that you needed to find out all of this before you could make a firm decision on how exactly to divvy up the CORES. He’s twitching in excitement. He’s been quiet and hasn’t said much about it, afraid you’d decide to just sell them all.

You: So you’ve got an idea of our financial situation, so I’d like to at least sell SOME of these, but.
Drift: That was forever ago, I didn’t think you remembered??? We were what? 8?
You: 6 Actually.
Drift: Damn, you have a good memory.
You: The best. Anyway, You said you could DO SOMETHING with one of these, well, we have tons here
Drift: I-I-I never thought I’d get this far uhhhh.
Drift: I always thought we would fail at some juncture or everyone would die

Drift starts crying, you go up to support him but he holds up a feathered hand

Drift: No, no, no, these are happy tears. *cough*
Drift: But this is a lot, and I don’t know how many I need.
Drift: Maybe the bones will help, but I don’t even know, this is uncharted territory.
Drift: I-I-I I trust you, you got these, well, we got these, but we wouldn’t be here if not for you.
Drift: Tell me, how much should I take?

You weigh over your options, there’s too many choices if you were to just decide on a core by core basis. You get the feeling that there’s about a 60% chance you won’t see any cores and bones you give to DRIFT again afterwards, or that they will become unusable in RUNESCRIPTING or for SELLING. Here are the options you decide on:

A. EVERYTHING
- You give him everything, pass or fail, you’re not sure WHAT is going to happen
- But you remember DRIFT said he CULTIVATED ENERGY to EVOLVE in that past life, maybe it will happen again
- Putting on the goggles you see small wisps of energy curling away from the CORES, they’re not losing vibrancy, but it is an interesting effect.

B. JUST THE LEADER CORE AND BONES
- Give him the strongest core, it’s potentially worth [30-100K SHINIES] and would solve a lot of your financial problems
- You’d gain around [23K SHINIES] if you sold the remaining cores
- Or you could use them in RUNECRAFTING and they would have the energy of around 3 INGOTS of ARCANUM in total

C. EVERYTHING BUT THE LEADER’S CORE
- You could earn between [30-100K SHINIES] or create a device using runescripting with a LUDICROUS power source.

D. EVERYTHING BUT [10K SHINIES] WORTH
- You just take a flat [10K SHINIES] from selling a few cores and give him the rest

E. JUST A CORE AND BONES
- You give him the strongest non-leader core and sell the rest

You get the feeling that he would be satisfied with any option, but you see him obviously drawn to the LEADER’S CORE. He understands that you are RATIONAL and will abide by your decision, but you can tell that the more generous you are to him, the harder he will work with you.

[UNDERSTANDING] I also really want to see what happens if we give him everything, I think CURIOSITY infected me or something
[CURIOSITY] It’d be really cool! I mean I hope it will!
[LUCK] I’m sure he’ll leave SOME STUFF leftover afterwards
[???] Okay but what if you fuck up this time, you’ve done it before
[LOGIC] I’m bad in these situations because I’d probably suggest D, we could always find more MIST PUMAS right?
[UNDERSTANDING] Actually, we don’t know if they hunted ALL of the pumas on the mountain. It’s probably not LIKELY.
[UNDERSTANDING] We should take a MONSTER THEORY class or something at some point
[LOGIC] That was Taught by SHIMON who isn’t here anymore
[UNDERSTANDING] Daughter of a fuck.
[CHARISMA] You could ask NOODLE to investigate since she’s actually in the WORLD-PLATE HUNTERS now.

Edmango 2021/09/13(Mon)18:38 No. 1010475 ID: afe7de
File 163158353484.png - (17.53KB , 500x500 , SR2_005.png )

You mull over the decisions you have in front of you. They’re important, but it doesent hurt to reiterate them for clarities sake in this case. You take a second to look over your current FINANCES and FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS.

Current - [5123 SHINIES]
You spent [1000 SHINIES] on a TUTOR that you refunded partly
You spent [800 SHINIES] on RENT
You spent [170 SHINIES] on your LIFESTYLE
You gained [1335 SHINIES] from GAMBLING
You gained [6400 SHINIES] as EARLY PAY for your TEACHING JOB
You gained [2500 SHINIES] from PON
You currently have [13,388 SHINIES]

You have 1 ingot of ARCANUM valued at [15,000 SHINIES] but have a feeling reselling it would net you only [10,000 SHINIES]

Your current OBLIGATIONS are as follows
M&B DOJO MEMBERSHIP - 20S/y [TIME SLOT 4]
RENT AT IGNIS’S - 800S/y [TIME SLOT 1]
COMFORTABLE LIFESTYLE - 160S/y [TIME SLOT 1]
DEBT TO IGNIS - [20K SHINIES] due before the end of YEAR 18

You can take out a LOAN from the ROYALTY for [30,000 SHINIES]
- You need to pay it back within 4 years with a yearly interest of +2000 SHINIES a year

Which contract do you accept with the ROYALS if any?
What do you do about your RUNESCRIPTERS WORKSPACE?
- You can pay in installments, setting a GOAL for now will just make future progression more streamlined
Do you RENAME the RUNESCRIPTERS to something COOLER?
What do you give to drift?

AUTHORS NOTE: Heyo, still figuring out my schedule and getting adjustments IRL. Next up is an update on your library books, letting you know what bg tasks are still active, a choice for the BREATHING APPARATUS, what you want your new RESEARCHES to be, and then you’ll have your TP back to normal. Also feel free to suggest options not presented like always!

>>1010472
>testing the color matching theory by doing the opposite of what Shimon was doing
Hmm, well, the problem with that is it isn't 100% confirmed until we actually try doing the same thing Shimon was doing. A 80-90% confirmation is if it goes way faster than teaching everyone TRIGGER. If it seems to be about the same, then we'd have no idea until we try what Shimon was doing. Though, if we notice someone struggling and they have the opposite mana color as the TRIGGER rune, then that's a soft confirmation.

>>1010473
Let's go with the blueprint/teaching contract for now. It's important that we decentralize tech development asap. If the humans see Chi developing weapons on her own they're going to want to assassinate her to put a halt to weapons research. If there's multiple scientists developing/producing weapons and armor then it's going to be much harder to stop.
Once the nation has gained a solid foundation of runescripters and rune-based equipment, we can start to develop the big shit to serve as a deterrent. We can also probably complete this in a single year, and take weapons development next year.

Let's start building the mansion addition for the warehouse. Get a royal loan of 30k to pay for it.

>>1010474
Give him EVERYTHING. Our funds are basically fine right now and we're going to get a lot more income soon.

Oh, and
>Do you RENAME the RUNESCRIPTERS to something COOLER?
The Sabachi Initiative.

Tough choices. Here are my picks:

Contract - Standard of Living Development: Taking on a Weapons contract right now is almost guaranteed to attract more trouble than we need right now. The Blueprint/Teaching is also pretty good, but it just uses up more TP than we would want to spare rn. This is our best pick. Besides, having to design a battery to get things working here will be helpful to have in future work.

Name - Honestly, I don't have any good ideas for this. I'm just gonna support one of the ideas above me and say that I like The Sabachi Initiative.

Cores - D. As much as I'd like to support quick money, and man would it be nice, we put too much on the line to just sell this leader core. Let's let Drift do what he will, and take just enough for us to make 10K. That should leave us with enough to either pay our debt to Ignis early, or invest in William's rubber hunt.

> CONTRACT
Start with the TEACHING one - becoming 100% financially secure while paying off our debts is a priority; then we can focus on improving the nation.

> WORKSPACE
The whole extra warehouse seems excessive for now; go with the in-house room combo and let PON fund the first installment.

> NAME
>>1010483
Naming it after yourself? Really? Not sure if our PRIDE has quite reached those heights yet. (Plus, WILLIAM would absolutely catch you out on what you're trying to do there.)

Not sure what we should name it, though. We could go the semi-PRIDEFUL option and simply call ourselves "The Runescripters Guild," essentially declaring ourselves to be the de facto authority on this.

Ooh, if COOLNESS really is the name of the game, let's play up to national PRIDE by way of an old-life mythology reference; LAPUTA RUNETECH. We play our cards right, and it'll soon be us (and ours) looking down on the humans!

> DRIFT
On that note, giving Drift ALL BUT 10K should be good if we're taking the TEACHING contract. (If we're NOT doing that, we should obviously exercise just a little more frugality here.)

CONTRACT
I'm fine with either STANDARD OF LIVING DEVELOPMENT or BLUEPRINT PURCHASING/TEACHING. Though I think I'll lean more towards BLUEPRINT PURCHASING/TEACHING since we owe the queen a FAVOR for helping us with setting us up with Hook for decoding, and the Library access. Plus, it seems like both Drift and William voted for that, so...
And not only that, it'll give us some TEACHING BONUSES from training some adults, and make some money to sell blueprints.

RUNESCRIPTERS WORKSPACE?
CONVERT TWO ROOMS to a LARGE ROOM in IGNIS’S MANSION. We don't need to go too crazy yet. Plus you remember from your previous life that some huge companies started out small like in their garage.

NEW NAME
Nah, we don't need to raise Chi's pride stat another level by naming it after herself. She already renamed the fridge after herself after all. How about the "Rune's League", named after the Heroes league Saba had founded... actually, nevermind. the Hadlee family was never good with names, and it might get Marth upset if she finds out. I support LAPUTA RUNETECH.

What to give Drift?
A. EVERYTHING. This is the highest chance to see if he'll evolve, plus, Chi values friendship the most than she did from her previous life as Saba.

(If we do D, then I suggest we also make sure give him the Leader's core)

>>1010475
I vote A. We give Drift everything he needs. I feel like this will be a game changer somehow if it succeeds.

Name: General Runecraft.
Much like General Electric, General Mills, General Atomic, etc. It may seem a bit bland at first, but it is easy to remember, has some serious lasting power, and gives the connotation of being the the standard choice to any other potential company's alternative.

I agree, let's avoid the weapon contract: If we start an arms race the humans are bound to win it.

We're carving a bold new path through the landscape of runescripting. Let's try the moniker the RUNESCAPERS!
Take the weapons contract. Everything's pointing towards the humans raising hostilities as we continue to jump ahead in technology and allies, and while we may already be best known for our warriors, matching the humans' tech level means we won't just be throwing our numbers at the wall to try and overwhelm them.
Noodle gets as much of our gear as she can carry.
For now converting a section of Ignis' mansion is our best bet, we can expand operations later.
D. Logic's right. Get your money for certain, consider everything you give to Drift consumed and anything you get back a bonus.

Give Drift everything. We'll be getting a big shot of income, so we probably don't need the money, and I don't want to keep the leader core which is the only one that's better than money, right?

Take the blueprint/teaching contract, for the reasons >>1010482 stated.

If it's not all going to have to be spent at once, let's build the warehouse addition. Having our own specialised workshop will be a big boon, and we don't want to knock down walls in Ignis' mansion.

We aren't starting an arms race, we're trying to catch up. If we surrender military superiority to the humans they can just keep walking all over us. We need invading us to be an unsavoury option at best in order to be able to hold our own.

>>1010475
>>Contract
Yeah, take the BLUEPRINT CONTRACT, but should make it clear we'll be open to the others once our situation is more stable.

>>Runescripters Workspace
Lets do the room conversion, and ask PON if he'll pay the first installment, with the money he offered. Maybe in the future we'll buy or build our own location, but this should work for now.

>>Group Name
Im also going to support Laputa Runetech.

>>What to give DRIFT
D, Everything but 10K worth. Would like to give him everything, but we're going to need the money.

>>William's Search for Rubber
This is NOT a low priority, given how much trouble were having with seals and waterproofing so far. A source of rubber will also probably make future work on the Quality of Life contract, and anything to do with the Aquan Worldplate way way easier.
I'd say we should consider just giving Will the 10k as soon as possible.

I’m honestly not entirely sure on what to do here. The only thing I know that we should do is that we absolutely need to give the LEADER’S CORE to Drift.

Give it all to drift. No sense holding back when we have plenty of support elsewhere.

You know what?
Tempting as the money is, we did this for Drift.
We have our own paths forward, but this decision will determine Drifts future.
Let's give him the chance to take hold of his destiny.
Let's give him everything.
BECOME MIGHTY!

---

Let's take the queen's one time contract. It's straight forward and gets us the money and connections we need.

Edmango 2021/09/21(Tue)02:26 No. 1011247 ID: afe7de
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> ALL TO DRIFT
Something tells you, no, SCREAMS at you that you should give him EVERYTHING. You don’t know what the result will be, but DRIFT is a friend, he’s been with you for a while, is innovative and intelligent, and is LOYAL. You trust him. So you give him everything, but let him know if he can’t use some things, you’d be interested in the LEFTOVERS so that you can FINANCE your endeavors going forward. He’s a bit flustered by this but accepts this. He says that he’ll probably be BUSY FOR A WHILE, and can only do minor stuff with the RUNESCRIPTERS until he’s finished DOING STUFF with the cores. It’s unclear what he’ll be doing, but he makes it clear he wants his privacy.

He also moves in with you at the MANSION, taking up IGNIS’S offer, but still being concerned about the financial end of things. Drift says he’ll wait off on doing anything drastic until after the contract negotiations though.

The event DRIFTING has been generated, but you’re not sure WHEN you’ll see results

> ACCEPT THE BLUEPRINT PURCHASING/TEACHING CONTRACT
Your group heads to the ROYAL PALACE to confirm the deal. You didn’t all have to be there, but think it’s polite to do this AT LEAST ONCE to show them who they’ll be working with. After a 20 minute wait you are led into a wide room with a large table. In it is seated the QUEEN, a man you only recognize after the fact to be the KING, and three other KIN.

The KING is SHORT, almost as short as IGNIS who you’d argue is the runt of the group. But the CHARISMATIC AIR around him is palpable. He carries himself with a regality that surpasses even the QUEEN. You know his name to be IGNACIOUS DE MARE RONDALPHUS. He does not wear a crown similar to the queen but instead wears a YELLOW WREATH to indicate his position as ADVISOR and MARTIAL WARRIOR. You wouldn’t assume him to be a warrior at first glance, but have heard that he is SWIFT and STEALTHY.

The other kin are a mixed bag, two WING-KIN and one BEAST-KIN. You haven’t seen them before, but they introduce themselves as the QUEEN’S ROYAL SCIENTISTS. Or at least the ones leading the charge.

RUTHERFORD THE POSSUM is a lanky lad drabbed in a long LABCOAT. You notice that he actually DOES NOT HAVE A TAIL, instead a bandaged nub existing where it once was. He’s also MISSING AN EAR, but can apparently hear just fine using the one. He has BANDAGES over his paws. Apparently he’s QUITE THE ENTHUSIAST when it comes to his work, but can be slightly SELF DESTRUCTIVE.

SATINA THE BAT, also known as SATINA DE WELLINGTON RONDALPHUS and HOOK’S MOTHER, is a tall, beautiful WING-KIN. Her wings are TATOOED with SPIDER WEB-LIKE PATTERNS and you notice RINGS around the lower part of your wing. You imagine she WRAPS THAT PART so that her wing flaps don’t get in the way of her studies and experiments. Apparently she’s QUITE THE BRAT, but has known the QUEEN and KING since CHILDHOOD, so she gets away with a lot of remarks she probably shouldn’t. You immediately understand where HOOK gets her attitude from.

LILITH THE OWL is a slightly pudgy woman with large glasses. She’s short and for some reason has breasts, or is that just her chest fluff, you’re not sure. Her gaze is PIERCING, you remember reading that CROWS and OWLS have a sort of RIVALRY, but you’re a RAVEN and think that’s probably RAVEN DROPPINGS, but she does give you a VIBE that says you’re NOT WELCOME HERE even if she doesn't explicitly state it. Apparently she’s quite PROUD and is responsible for adapting the PRINTING PRESS and recreating it for it’s soon to be slightly more public use. She’s also responsible for some minor improvements in the world of WING-KIN ARCHITECTURE saving your people millions of SHINIES in development costs. Or so you’ve heard.

You introduce yourselves one by one and bow with one wing held in front of your heart which you’ve learned is normal customs to do towards the QUEEN and KING. They hurry you to stop as they DON’T QUITE CARE for those formalities. You take the lead and announce to the group your intentions to accept the BLUEPRINT/TEACHING contract, selling all the blueprints you have available for 6 ARCANUM and as much SHINIES as you can get for 2 of those 6. They’re able to provide you [12,500 SHINIES] per ingot during this trade, 2,500 less then market price, but greater then the price they bought it at because they want to make this relationship work.

They take your ANNOTATED BLUEPRINTS for the CHI-LLER, ARMORED PLATE VEST, and SHARPENED WEAPON TEMPLATE. The Queen informs you that the group of ROYAL SCIENTISTS to her right will be the ones you will be TEACHING. They look at you and your blueprints, GREEDY for the knowledge contained. You pull out the SHARPEN, HARDEN, ARBSORB, and COLD rune manuals you had prepared and hand them to the three, informing them to attempt to solve these manuals in their spare time before you get to TEACH them. They admit that they’ve attempted some before, but were baffled and gave up after HALF A YEAR to a YEAR of study. RUTHERFORD having spent the most time attempting them. They understand you are quite busy this year what with STARTING CLASSES, so won’t ask you to start teaching this year UNLESS YOU ARE EAGER TO EARN SOME FUNDS. But you can tell that RUTHERFORD would like to start as soon as possible. LILITH thinks it’ll be a waste of time and SATINA is silent, simply watching your group.

The Queen also has a final gift to all of you, 4 LIBRARY TICKETS so that you can CHECK OUT any books that might be important on your RESEARCH. You can tell she REALLY wants you to be a successful group. The rest of the meeting goes off without a hitch, the KING being eerily silent throughout the process. And then you leave. The four of you discuss the situation on your way home. You all immediately agree to give DRIFT 5000 SHINIES so that he can live comfortably and has pay until a PAYROLL has been established for everyone. He also moves into IGNIS’S house as part of your earlier discussed arrangement. WILLIAM is thinking of moving in as well, but is unsure what to do about his HOUSE. He’s still fairly attached to it.

You’ve accepted a CONTRACT with the ROYALS - BLUEPRINTS PURCHASING AND TEACHING CONTRACT
- You have 4 years to teach AT LEAST 1 ROYAL SCIENTIST to RUNESCRIPT and how to make the BLUEPRINTS you’ve sold them.
-- The deadline is [TP 1] of [YEAR 20]
- You will not be PENALIZED for FAILURE financially but instead by a minor drop in RELATIONS
- You gained 4 INGOTS OF ARCANUM
- You gained [25,000 SHINIES]
- You’ve paid DRIFT [5000 SHINIES] as his starting SALARY
- IGNIS took [1000 SHINIES] as payment for his services and the legwork required
-- You will need to figure out a PAYMENT STRUCTURE for your group AT SOME POINT after you start earning more funds

> BOOKS
Your group spends time in the LIBRARY one day on getting permission with the QUEEN, getting accustomed to what books are there and what might be of use in their RESEARCH and DEVELOPMENT. They’ll occasionally suggest books for you going forward. In the meantime, you’ve memorized quite a few books and think it’s time to review the books you can read in your MIND CAMPUS.

[FRACTURED FAIRY TALES] [3TP] - A collection of FOLKLORE including Riichi’s previously told story. Among other things is the tale of SQUAWK and the GREENJACK. A tale that inverses the story you know to be JACK AND THE BEANSTALK from the other FAUNUS. It talks about a fantastical place owned by a giant at the bottom of the WORLD PLATE and the stalk that gets cut down sending yours into the sky. The writer is UNKNOWN, and a statement at the beginning says these tales were originally ORAL TRADITION and have no specific creators.

[CESARE’S TRAVELS] [1TP] - A travelogue belonging to an eccentric man of unknown species, detailing in ANCIENT COMMON the history, geography and culture of the WORLD-PLATES of his time. The brief glimpses you’ve gotten inside the book describe FANTASTICAL LOCALES that seem to be much greater then reality. You think you should take this one with a grain of salt

[DYNASTIC DIARY] [1TP] - A well maintained tome that keeps a record from the perspective of TENGU’S OLD QUEEN of the time of the previous HUMAN INVASION. This is a compilation of actual diary entries spliced in with narrative that details the events not listed between each entry. Some of the letters are a bit risque, with a few redacted entries. Fortunately they weren’t redacted that well. You think if you improve your [PERCEPTION] by one tick then you could fill in the blanks with your [UNDERSTANDING].

[BOOK OF ORDERS] [1TP] - This book discusses various organizations throughout the HIVEN, HUMAN, and TENGU worldplates. A small addendum has recently been added for a single DOPUS organization as well. You made sure to not let anyone see you were memorizing this one.

[THE FANTASTIC ADVENTURES OF KAMAL LIN: OMNIMBUS] [7TP] - This was a VERY big tome. You thought it would take you [8TP] or more to memorize, but it turns out a lot of the final stories are incredibly short. You imagine reading this could let you bond with PAWN a bit better as you’d have some common ground. There’s a lot of stories in here.

[THE HAWK THAT COULD SEE FOR 10 MILLION KILOMETERS] [1TP] - A book on PERCEPTION made to help train a WING-KIN’S EYESIGHT. It was written a long time ago and the author’s name is obscured.

You have gained a few options now when it comes to READING THINGS:

Read as a BACKGROUND TASK
- It takes 8TP of time to read a book (so one year)
Assign your UNDERSTANDING to READ A BOOK
- This takes HALF THE TIME a BACKGROUND TASK would
- But UNDERSTANDING won’t be able to focus on UNDERSTANDING something as it’s own task while this is active.
- UNDERSTANDING might also find extra insights on certain books but it’s not guranteed
Read as a MEDITATION ACTION or NORMAL
- It takes the normal amount of time to read this book, costing the requisite TP
- But you just don’t get progress on your MIND CAMPUS while you do this

Edmango 2021/09/21(Tue)02:26 No. 1011248 ID: afe7de
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> MANSION WORKSHOP
Given your new INFLUX OF SHINIES, you give IGNIS the funds that PON gave you as well as [5K SHINIES] allowing him to front the last bit to construct the MANSION WORKSHOP by tearing down two rooms. Construction won’t be complete until [TP 5] of this year, but once it is, you’ll have a specially designed space for you all to work in. Ignis also converts one of the adjoining rooms, which was originally his OFFICE SPACE to an OFFICE AND MEETING SPACE. You can keep paperwork and supplies there and there’s enough room to fit 12 KIN inside easily for a meeting or discussion. But with that, every room in the mansion is now filled. You make a mental note of exactly what’s in the mansion.

THE FOYER - A large open space that is the main entryway
IGNIS’S ROOM - the master bedroom
CHI’S ROOM - The third largest room
PON AND NOODLE’S ROOM - A decently sized space
DRIFT’S ROOM - The smallest room, but it’s still the largest room he’s ever lived in
KITCHEN AND SUPPLY ROOM - This is where the mansion’s staff lives
WORKSHOP - WIP, soon to be RUNESCRIPTING ROOM, made of two adjoining empty rooms on the ground floor

IGNIS has 2 maids, 2 chefs, and 4 guards on staff. This is typically where his finances go to, to keeping them well fed and paid and to keep the mansion well kept. Only one of the guards lives on site at a time. You’ll never need to manage or maintain these workers, IGNIS is in charge of that and he only has TRUSTED INDIVIDUALS working with him. You could spend [1 TP] in the future or a BACKGROUND TASK to get to know the staff, their wants and needs, etc if you’re interested in knowing more.

> RESEARCH LIST
You’ve made progress in several fields as of late. You’re still new at this, and it takes some time to progress, but you have a feeling these RESEARCH PROJECTS might take longer now to progress then they did before. Everyone’s getting busier and has less and less time. Not that it’s bad, it’s just life.

You’ve researched the following already:

SCRIPTING PEN RESEARCH - Allows for thicker and thinner RUNESCRIPT, but nearly useless without MICROSCRIPTING
UNDERWATER BREATHING - Allows for the construction of simple underwater breathing apparatus

After completing this research, NUBS came to you with [10000 SHINIES] specifically for you to construct either 2 HEADBANDS OF AIR or a LANTERN OF BREATHING if you are willing to spend [5000 SHINIES] of your own funds. Luckily the ROYALS have given you ingots of ARCANUM, so you pocket the money for your team and now have a decision to make. What do you make? You can decide who to bring to DOPUS with you later.

HEADBANDS OF AIR - costs 1/3 of an ingot of ARCANUM per headband
LANTERN OF BREATHING - Costs 1 ingot of ARCANUM per lantern

The headband can take the form of a CHOKER if you wish and acts as a BUBBLE OF AIR surrounding your head by activating the TRIGGER. This will last multiple trips to and from the surface and when you are done could even be resold to the ROYALS.

The LANTERN OF BREATHING could allow you to take more kin with you, but also requires a path down the water that’s SAFE TO WALK, as everyone would kind of have to walk IN UNISON. Your LOGIC states that the HEADBANDS are more SECURE, but the LANTERN could allow you to bring a ROYAL DIPLOMAT with some DRY GOODS underground if that’s something you’re interested in.

You won’t need a BACKGROUND TASK or TP to create these devices, but should decide soon what you want to make so you can visit DOPUS.

The rest of your potential research options are as follows:

MANA DENSE MATERIALS I - [SHINIES]
- Costs 4000 SHINIES worth of MATERIALS to do
- Costs [2 TIME POINTS] to research
+ Could allow for increase in EFFICIENCY in MAGITECH production
MANA DENSE MATERIALS II - [MONSTER CORES]
- Costs 16000 SHINIES worth of MATERIALS to do
- Costs [2 TIME POINTS] to research
- Cost can be reduced with actual cores
+ Could allow for increase in EFFICIENCY in MAGITECH production
COLOR THEORY
- Cost unknown
- [TP] required unknown
+ Could potentially allow for COLORED MANA as a more efficient energy source
MANA VEINS
- Costs [2 TIME POINTS] to research
+ Grants you insights on what MANA VEINS are and their potential uses
+ CREATIVITY thinks you could find out potential applications of MAGITECH directly on the BODY
LIVE MONSTER CORES
- Requires HUNTERS or WARRIORS to capture a LIVE SPECIMEN to study and DISSECT
- Costs [1 TIME POINT] to research
- Has a chance of failure that decreases per attempt
+ Will grant insights on exactly how MANA is generated in BODIES and what MANA CORES might add to the process
SENSOR GLASS
- Cost unknown
- [TP] required unknown
- Could be assisted by DESTROYING your GOGGLES OF MANA SIGHT
+ SENSOR GLASS will allow for new INNOVATIONS in the field
+ Results might take a long time without any INSIGHTS or a more FORCEFUL approach
WEIGHT RUNE
- [TP] required unknown
+ It’s possible to harden and sharpen, why not reduce or increase the weight
+ You do not yet know how to INVENT new runes, but starting early might give you insights towards the future

You have 2 RESEARCH SLOTS available, these will run in the background similar to a background task and take [8 TP] per TP it costs to actually do the research.

> BACKGROUND TASKS
Right now you only have ONE BACKGROUND TASK slot available, given you have to be a TA for your class until someone can fulfil that role.

Your CURRENT BACKGROUND TASKS are as follows (2/3)
- MIND AND BODY DOJO TRAINING (-20S/yr)
+ Provides XP to your ATHLETICISM, TENACITY, CLAW SKILL, and M&B technique with a focus on your CLAW SKILL
+ Causes YEARLY EVENTS at [TP 4] every year
+ Is slowly becoming less effective and needs to be INTENSIFIED

- TAing for RUNESCRIPTING (no bonuses)
+ Just doing your JOB, [CANNOT BE DROPPED]
+ Will RANDOMLY assign you students, maybe one is an aspiring pupil

- [EMPTY]

Each BACKGROUND TASK takes [8 TP] to complete per [1 TP] it would cost normally and will create yearly events updating you on it’s progress. You can drop most tasks at any time but lose any invested funds.

You have a few NEW TASKS you can chose from

READ A BOOK
- Read a memorized book or one you’ve been recommended or found in the LIBRARY
PRECISION WITH NICO
- 300 SHINIES per year to have a chance to increase your PRECISION skill
- NICO isn’t a TEACHER, so it will be down to your LUCK and RETENTION
LIBRARY MEMORIZATION
- Memorize more books
- You managed to get 14TP worth of books this time, but will average around 6-10TPs Worth on a regular basis
GAMBLE
- Riichi is gone, but you can still GAMBLE
- Has a chance of increasing GUILE and other related stats
- Also has a chance to net you SHINIES and OTHER THINGS if you play well enough
INTENSE MIND AND BODY DOJO TRAINING
- Costs an extra [180 SHINIES] a year, guarantees you gain [3 STRESS] every year
- But also means your body will improve at a more normal rate
ARM NOODLE
- Make gear custom made for NOODLE and her SQUAD
- Costs 5000 SHINIES in MATERIALS, they’ll be providing their own weapons to modify
- Increases NOODLE’S SURVIVABILITY on MISSIONS
- She will SHARE HER LOOT with you as thanks

Edmango 2021/09/21(Tue)02:27 No. 1011249 ID: afe7de
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> TP ADJUSTMENT
You’ve got a good mental grasp on everything that’s happening now. Your YEARLY FREE TIME has dropped from [8 TP to 5 TP], but you’re okay with that. You decide to run your classes in [TPS 1, 2, and 8] leaving the others free for whatever you want to do. You’ve got less FREE TIME now, which means that each bit is more important then it used to be. But you’re not worried. You have a whole life ahead of you and you’re not even 1/3 of the way through what SABA lived through. There’s plenty of time and you DONT NEED to rush things at this moment.

You’re RIDING OFF THE HIGH of getting a job and being productive so you gain [1 FUN POINT]!

AUTHORS NOTE: Basically the new TP DISTRIBUTION will be 1/2/2 because there might be maintenance stuff at the beginning of the year depending on what RESEARCHES you took and if I have any events planned. This also helps me make updates shorter, which means (hopefully) more updates because I need to do less writing.

IT IS CURRENTLY THE BEGINNING OF [TP 3]

UPCOMING EVENTS
WORKSHOP COMPLETION [ETA TP 8 of THIS YEAR]
DRIFTING [UNKNOWN ETA]

Your CURRENT GOALS are as follows
- REACH BASIC MASTERY OF A MARTIAL ART OR WEAPON (R7), 5/7 (ETA 2-3Y)
- PAY OFF YOUR DEBT EARLY
- [EMPTY]
- FINISH YOUR MIND CAMPUS
= MIND DORM 100%
= MIND LABS 0%
= HALLS OF KNOWLEDGE 0%
= ANGERS DOGHOUSE [RANK 1] 100%
= TOTAL PROGRESS ???

CONGRATS! You’ve completed the GOAL - START YOUR RUNESCRIPTING BUSINESS
- You’ve gained 1 GOAL POINT

CONGRATS! You’ve reached a GP milestone
- You’ve received an UNKNOWN BOON
- UNKNOWN BOON “RANDOM ENCOUNTERS” has been awarded
- Occasionally when MEDITATING you will get the sense that SOMETHING IS HAPPENING inside of THE MIST
- Checking it out could lead to a RANDOM ENCOUNTER
- Current encounter rate is set to “RARE”
- [WARNING] EXERCISE CAUTION WHEN ENTERING THE MIST [WARNING]
[PERSERVERENCE] That just means you could take STRESS or WOUNDS if you are hurt while you’re there
[PERSERVERENCE] I can only act when you are in danger, not PREEMPTIVELY
[PERSERVERENCE] So be careful.
[UNDERSTANDING] I also don’t know if you can die in there so uh yeah, be safe
[UNDERSTANDING] PERSERVERENCE is the only one that can go in with you anyway as far as I know.

Your GP has been RESET, your next goal is 15 and will award you with a FREE STAT POINT
Your current GP total is 0/15

You can assign or drop a goal at any time, but it requires at least 3 similar suggestions for me to slot it in/out and you are not awarded partial progress for partially complete goals.

Your current OBLIGATIONS are as follows
M&B DOJO MEMBERSHIP - 20S/y [TIME SLOT 4]
RENT AT IGNIS’S - 800S/y [TIME SLOT 1]
COMFORTABLE LIFESTYLE - 160S/y [TIME SLOT 1]
DEBT TO IGNIS - [20K SHINIES] due before the end of YEAR 18

You can take out a LOAN from the ROYALTY for [30,000 SHINIES]
- You need to pay it back within 4 years with a yearly interest of +2000 SHINIES a year

You gained [25,000 SHINIES]
You’ve paid DRIFT [5000 SHINIES] as his starting SALARY
IGNIS took [1000 SHINIES] for the NEGOTIATIONS
You gained [10,000 SHINIES] from NUBS for you to make UNDERWATER BREATHING APPARATUS’
You spent [7,500 SHINIES] on WORKSHOP CONSTRUCTION
You have [35,888 SHINIES] remaining

You have 5 INGOTS OF ARCANUM valued at [15K SHINIES] But can only get a max of [12.5K SHINIES] by reselling them to the ROYALS.

Do you assign any new RESEARCH TASKS
Do you assign any new BACKGROUND TASKS?
Do you set a NEW GOAL?
Do you assign a task to UNDERSTANDING for them to READ or RESEARCH something?
You have enough money to PAY OFF YOUR DEBT TO IGNIS, do you pay it off, withhold funds, or partially pay it off?
You have some FUNDS, you could give WILLIAM [10K SHINIES] or more to invest in his RUBBER HUNT

You have [1 TIME POINT] to spend, you can spend it now, or after you finish deciding your TASKS.

AUTHORS NOTE: I’ve decided to make an ACTIONS LIST pastebin to just clear up clutter in the text, then I don’t have to type it up or copy/paste it each time, just updating the bin whenever something new is added! Thanks for your patience!

https://pastebin.com/Fd7Yzmmv

For our comfortable lifestyle fund, lets buy Pon a Chefs hat, and chefs apron! He wants to be a master chef, so he's gotta look the part! Apron can say "kiss (peck) the cook", since that was a line you remember back at your old Fauna, and so that is now your idea that you're stealing, mwahahahaha!

-------------------

TIMEPOINT:

Either a Date with Ignis. Since we're 16 now, we can go on dates, and I think Ignis deserves a dates with us to see if we really click. He's done so so much for us. Could give us another fun point which I feel we will need this year. Plus I think Chi was thinking about doing this on her 16th year? Best get it outta the way.

or

Meditation, so we can work on Pride's room, I'm thinking a dressing room with a vanity so that they will be too distracted focusing on themself and how awesome they are over trying to get us to brag about us. Though if we feel there is something going on in the mist, we can go in there so we can get the Willamina event

------------

RESEARCH TASKS:

COLOR THEORY
&
MANA VEINS

keep in mind we can also use our decoding classes to see how scripting manuals effect the mana veins to help us out on our research task, both the trigger rune (since some students will have the opposite color veins as the trigger rune) and assigning the same color scripts as veins to students. I think the classes will really help with both Color theory and mana veins this way.

-------------------
BACKGROUND TASK

read THE FANTASTIC ADVENTURES OF KAMAL LIN: OMNIMBUS. Pawn will be a very good addition to our team, and this could help us.

or

PRECISION WITH NICO
(if we want to make a mana pistol, this will be good to learn sooner rather than later)

-------------------------
GOAL:
succeed in your very first contracted job BEFORE the final year.

-------------------------
UNDERSTANDING's Task

also read THE FANTASTIC ADVENTURES OF KAMAL LIN: OMNIMBUS so we can do this faster and get to be better friends with Pawn more.

-------------------------
Ignis debt:
Pay it off.

William research:
give him 10k

should leave us with 5,888 shinies left

-------------------------
BREATHING APPARATUS CHOICES

One lantern (to give dry food as a peace offering, maybe PON POPS)
5 headbands one for you, one for Ignis, one for William, one for Pon (he and Nubs seemed to made a good connections), and one for Drift or Hook or Noodle. (Drift said he can only do minor stuff, so he probably can't come. If he can't, we'll take Hook instead, she'll probably appreciate it and would probably like to make connections with DOPUS. If she can't come, then maybe Noodle)

should leave us with 2 arcanum and 2/3 of arcanum left I think.

------------------------

> CRAFTING AND OBLIGATIONS ARE FREE ACTIONS
Fill out Noodle's order with headbands and use the pay from that along with 10K of your own money to PAY OFF IGNIS'S LOAN. (Do ask - as a friend - what she plans on using these for, and also make sure she's been warned about the specific kinks in the design you're still working out.)

Meanwhile, finding a path for the lantern is something that should be up to NUBS'S people to solve - explain that you'd love to come bearing gifts, but your one solution to that requires a safe walking passage along the ocean floor. How this turns out will determine which apparatus set you'll make.

> BACKGROUND TASK
Read the BOOK OF ORDERS with UNDERSTANDING. While meditation would be even more expedient, getting UNDERSTANDING'S insight is doubly important for this particular book.

> 1 TP
You've got FUN to burn; no reason we can't get a head-start on TEACHING THE SCIENTISTS. They've made it abundantly clear that you need to start from square one, so we can't put this off.

You have debts and can pay them off, do so. If you're really hard-up for cash, I'm sure he can lend you some again later, but you're not right now. Rubber has been a consistent problem, so go ahead and pay William to search for some. That leaves you with 5,888 SHINIES, but without debts and a steady income.

The headbands/chokers (chokers sound best because they're less likely to come off at an inconvenient time) sound like the best idea for a visiting mission, but that lantern will definitely come in handy down the line. Make the chokers for now because it'll allow the visitors more independence if there isn't much affordance for air-breathers down there. Once you're sure there's a proper path and quarters with air, a lantern could be used to bring a larger group or visiting dignitaries. However, you're getting paid for this so you should attempt to clarify the clients' use-case before you finalise that decision.

As a primary task (using your own TP), you should start working on MANA DENSE MATERIALS I. I have a feeling many of your financial troubles could have been easier if you'd worked on this right away. This will eat into most of your remaining funds.

Assign research slots to designing runes and colour theory.

Set UNDERSTANDING to reading the DYNASTIC DIARY and a background task to reading THE FANTASTIC ADVENTURES OF KAMAL LIN: OMNIMBUS.

>>1011267
> ADDENDUM TO WORK ORDER
I've since learned that NUBS made the order, not NOODLE, and she's already paid us though we still need to deliver. Scratch the immediate crafting; skip to the discussion about finding a route. We only decide what we're making after that issue's been determined.

To start, I think we should research Manda Dense Materials I (as it may help our efficiency in further pursuits) and Color Theory (as it may simply be good to know).

For our background tasks, let's train our Precision with Nico.

It's better to pay off debts earlier than later, so give Ignis the 20K shinies we owe him. And since we have more to work with, let's alsosend Willamina 10K to find some rubber.

I think we should make 3 headbands of breathing and one lantern. This will use two arcanium ingots, but will be well worth it to make sure we can get the most out of the trip. We don't need to make a headband for every member of the team, as if it really comes down to it you could share them together, taking turns exploring areas the lantern can't let you reach.

Let's set Understanding on that Omnibus Pawn likes. It's pretty long, so cutting the timr i half would be for the best. Sire it'll make Pawn happy, but really it just seens like a fun read.

Finally, for our last TP, let's spend it on teaching the scientists. The sooner we get them to understand, the sooner we can claim those sweet sweet shines for the job, which will open more doors for us.

Hey William, can you turn that house of yours into an orphanage?

>SQUAWK and the GREENJACK
...hold up. I have a theory. Is it possible that this tale has an element of truth to it? Maybe there used to be a smaller plate attached to the bottom of TENGU, and that's where the magitech ruin is. Maybe if we find the attachment point and fly/fall directly down we can access it? Like, maybe there's a hole in the field that teleports people back to the top of the worldplate.


>BACKGROUND TASK
Switch to INTENSE MIND AND BODY DOJO TRAINING.
Also, ARM NOODLE.

>UNDERSTANDING'S TASK
Read the Book of Orders, since we kindof need to do it via Understanding in order to keep it secret that we know what's in the book.

>RESEARCH TASKS
MANA DENSE MATERIALS I
MANA VEINS

>water breathing stuff
Ok, we've got a pretty solid indication that the human worldplate doesn't want a TENGU-DOPUS trade agreement. Therefore, we can expect they will attempt to interfere if a diplomat gets sent, which means it'll be dangerous to do that. The lantern of air would require we bring a bunch of guards, and plan ahead to ensure the path is safe. How about we discuss it with the royals? Personally I think making more than one lantern would be needed for that.
Regardless, make headbands. In the long run, we're going to need lanterns for the trade route, and headbands for personal trips. Make as many headbands as needed for whoever wants to come with us, plus one extra. Just in case, for instance, a spy steals one of them to try to prevent us leaving DOPUS.

>1 TP
Spend it on helping RUTHERFORD learn manuals. We really do need the money, and the faster we get this done the safer we're going to be in the long term. Once he's up and running the other scientists should fall in line and we can teach them after. Or maybe the plan was to teach them as a group from the start? That's fine too.

>debt
Pay Ignis 10k right now, and 10k again next year.

>Rubber hunt
Yeah, give William 10k.

First TP of the year? Read a book! Cesare's Travels to be exact. Set Understanding to read the Fractured Fairy Tales.

New goal: Plan a runescripting road trip. Find out what destinations are likely to have new and powerful runes, and figure out what it takes to make it there!

Research task: Mana veins. What do they do? How do they do it? Also, shinies as mana materials.

Background task: Arm Noodle.
Speaking of, make Nubs the headbands/chokers. Dry goods can be packaged with much more mundane watertight materials.
Pay off three quarters of the debt now (15K), and the rest next year, plus a little extra. Invest 10K in William's hunt as well.

Background:
Precision with Nico

(We dont need intense training especially since we are busy now. We can wait a few years to reach our goal with reaching level 7)

Research:

Color theory (to teach the course of the 6 syntaxes better)

Mana veins (being able to apply runescripts on our body might be useful.)

Understanding task:

Fantastic adventures omnibus

Money:

Pay off ignis, he could use the shinies
Give william 10k

Tp:
Teach the scientists. The earlier the better in case they have trouble

Goal:
Teach more than one scientist how to make your inventions. (More points if we teach all 3)

>>1011267
>>1011271
> SECOND ADDENDUM (last one, I swear)
Also, I just realized that our trip might be coming immediately after we decide something here; make those COLLARS OF AIR now instead of later - make an even three so you can bring a plus one and an escort (or a plus two). I forget who we're bringing, actually.

Also, warn your sensei about the trip that will prevent you from attending at the appointed time this year.

Also also:

> NEW GOAL
Form a LINK with someone in DOPUS during your visit. You already get the feeling that this is IMPORTANT. It'll probably be NUBS unless you find someone with a RIDICULOUSLY GOOD INNATE SKILL.

Idea: isnt bubblegum made from rubber?
If so, we should tell Pon about Bubble Gum from our old Fauna, and how it is made from rubber, and see if he'd be interested in researching rubber with William and see if he'd help him out on that venture if he wants.

Pon is going to make an awesome food invention if this works to change what people think of food in our worldplate.

>>1011249
Mana veins sound interesting to me. If we could figure out how those work in a living thing’s body, would it be possible to create some prosthetic limbs that could be powered from the user’s mana in their body?

>>1011358
That doesn’t seem like something we could introduce to the world in a way that would make sense. We got inspiration for the Chi-ller from a story told by Chi’s dad, but what would we say inspired us to want to make bubble gum?

Also, I’m not sure many people would like a food that you’re only supposed to chew and not actually swallow.

Edmango 2021/09/27(Mon)19:53 No. 1011776 ID: afe7de
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> BACKGROUND - NEW GOALS AND TASKS
You’re torn between several NEW PERSONAL GOALS to set for yourself, so you decide to POLL YOUR STATS, it’s a weird concept, but maybe they’ll have some insights and suggest a few new GOALS for you

https://forms.gle/6PQfahHtgnugRACEA

You also decide to check up on your old buddy NICO. He’s working at an HERBAL REMEDY shop that specializes in growing SPECIFIC HERBS. He’s taken on an apprenticeship there and while the pay is ONLY OKAY, he’s working hard to improve enough to become a FULL TIME WORKER there. You ask him if he’s willing to teach you PRECISION still and he jumps at the opportunity, excited to have someone to hang out with. He mentions kind of being a RECLUSE lately, what with his MOM constantly giving him ERRANDS.

You’ve started the task - PRECISION WITH NICO
- Every year you’ll have a chance of gaining a new rank in PRECISION
- But NICO ISNT A GOOD TEACHER, so it MIGHT TAKE A WHILE to succeed.

> BACKGROUND - RESEARCH ASSIGNMENTS
You assign the COLOR THEORY task to LAPUTA RUNETECH. Drift apologizes for his lack of assistance for a bit. He’s still preoccupied with the HORNED MIST PUMA cores. The team has no idea where to start on this, and will take random approaches until they can figure this topic out.

You will be updated YEARLY on this project as breakthroughs are discovered
You cannot estimate how long it will take to research this as it’s uncharted territory

You also assign the MANA VEINS task to the group. DRIFT mentions that he will be performing his own examinations and tests in his spare time and will share his results when he’s finished with the CORES. IGNIS mentions how it could be cool if you could figure out a way to RUNESCRIPT TATTOOS onto a kin, but isn’t sure if that’s even a possibility.

You’re going to do your part on this task by EXAMINING OTHERS MANA VEINS while they RUNESCRIPT IN CLASS to see if there is any feedback or response. Studying this process might bring you new gains in the field.

Results should be found by [TIME POINT 1] of [YEAR 18]

> UNDERSTANDING - KAMAL LIN OMNIMBUS
You set [UNDERSTANDING] to reading the KAMAL LIN OMNIMBUS, they’ll give you updates whenever they finish a new stories, or enough stories to give you some STAT GROWTH.

> BOND UPDATE - LAPUTA RUNETECH
Your RUNESCRIPTERS BOND has been updated and is now called LAPUTA RUNETECH after the company you're starting. Everyone’s excited about the NEW NAME and you get a signboard commissioned by CHIPPER to hang up in front of your WORKSHOP ROOM to commemorate the occasion.

> PAY OFF YOUR DEBTS
IGNIS visibly loses stress and relaxes as you hand him the funds. It was causing him a bit more stress then he was used to, and he appreciates that you paid it off early. He says that with the extra funds construction should move along easier and they might even have enough for A FEW ADDITIONS. You press him for more but he keeps his mouth shut.

CONGRATS! You’ve completed the GOAL - PAY OFF YOUR DEBT EARLY
- Completing this goal 2 years early has earned you bonus GP
- You’ve gained 3 GOAL POINTS
Your current GP total is 3/15

> INVEST IN RUBBER
William appreciates the investiture. He shows you a map of the areas he’s scouted, showing that there’s about 2/5 of TENGU that hasn’t been explored yet with the intent to find RUBBER. This will expedite the process by a factor of at least 2. He was originally expecting it to be found in 5 years, but now estimates it might take 2.5 or less to do so with the extra WINGPOWER afforded by the funds.

He says that if that fails he has another lead that he’s hesitant to look into. There are some CAVERNS that are said to grow FUNGUS rather deep down and he vaguely remembers scientists from [FAUNUS 08-C] discussing FUNGUS BASED plastics and sealants as an eco-friendly PLASTIC. It’s not exactly RUBBER, but it might be the next best thing should he fail on this endeavor. You ask why he’s hesitant and he mentions that it will require hiring HUNTERS as the monsters ABOVE GROUND have all been cleared, and most of the CAVERNS have been cleared, but one can never be too careful IN THE CAVES. It’s why your parents always told you to be careful and not go in CAVES as a kid.

A new EVENT has been added - RUBBER HUNT
- Updates will be given yearly until it or an alternative has been found

> LIFESTYLE STUFF
You get PON a present! It’s an APRON that says “PECK THE COOK” You think it’s cute and he likes the present! CHIPPER made it to be easy to clean since he expects it to get dirty from all the cooking.

You also think to suggest to PON about something called BUBBLEGUM, you explain the concept but he says that there are probably better uses for REFINED SUGARS then making that. He doubts that WING-KIN would find it tastier then the CANDIES that are sold. He also mentions with WING-KIN not typically CHEWING food, he doubts it’ll be a hit. Though BEAST-KIN might enjoy it a lot, he considers it if you can get the material.

PON feels energized from the gift, something GOOD will happen to him in the near future.

You also inform LOU XIN that you are GOING ON A TRIP soon, so you can’t participate in a TOURNAMENT for a bit for fear of being too injured to travel. She understands and lets you know that you can perform an alternate activity at a later date.

Future DOJO EVENTS will happen during [TP 6] of each year now to accommodate for your request

Edmango 2021/09/27(Mon)19:54 No. 1011780 ID: afe7de
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> UPDATE - NUBVENTURES IN PARADISE
You decide to make 4 CHOKERS OF AIR, thinking that design is MUCH SAFER to travel with then the HEADBAND. You just innately fear the HEADBANDS would snap off in water. You plan to bring 2 other individuals with you, and store the remaining one in your POCKET DIMENSION along with 1 ingot of ARCANUM and a few tools that you bundled together after experimenting so that it would see it as ONE ITEM. You never know if something might happen and one might get lost, or if you’ll need to improvise on the spot.

You would make a LANTERN OF BREATHING, but it requires one major conceit. A PATH. You ask NUBS if there is a good path to walk from the tunnel to the city, and she says that she’ll work on it. You thought of a few other solutions, like flying as a group, but there were many issues involved with it and neither you nor your friends know of any SYNCHRONIZED FLYING exercises. Well, except for WILLIAM, he took the AEROBATICS classes. No, the LANTERN OF BREATHING would be good for a SOLE INDIVIDUAL carrying goods to float down to the city, but wouldn’t help as a group.

After some talks, NUBS returns to you and informs you that there IS NOT a direct path, that walking would take A FEW DAYS of underwater travel, and your LANTERN can’t quite cut it for that long. Apparently the city is located near the CENTER of the plate, just like QARA TENGU is. And while DOPUS is in fact SMALLER then TENGU, it’s still a trek. It’s possible that you could at some point help them develop an AIR TUNNEL of sorts from the bottom to top that would allow them to transport dry goods to the surface, but that’s something you can discuss later she says. She also suggests that the lantern might have its uses exploring AROUND the city exterior, but implies that you probably wouldn’t want to do that without elaborating.

This is one of those moments where you really wish you had RUBBER or a SEALANT of some kind so that you could transport things without such a large ARCANUM investiture. NUBS lets you know that she’s ready to go to DOPUS when you are and after you’ve picked whose coming. She’s interested in having at least ONE OTHER FRIEND join you, but leaves the decision entirely up to you. She also requests that you not bring anyone HIGH PROFILE, meaning she would prefer you not bring a ROYAL that would be EASILY RECOGNIZABLE. Those in your FRIEND GROUPS are fine like WILLIAM and IGNIS, but she’s even a bit hesitant about them too, mentioning that they should probably WEAR A HOOD to disguise themselves. You get the feeling that she wants this trip to be LOW KEY, but that there’s more to the trip then she’s letting on.

[UNDERSTANDING] I think she wants to TEST THE WATERS with somewhat regular WING-KIN citizens she’s friends with
[UNDERSTANDING] She’s probably under some pressure to bring KIN over, but would rather it be someone she trusts
[UNDERSTANDING] Plus, with the rising tensions we can only guess as to what might happen.
[LINK] Though if I might make a recommendation.
[LINK] Take someone LINKED with you.
[LINK] They might come in handy!
[INTUITION] You should find someone to LINK with while you’re there.
[INTUITION] I still think this is important.


You were thinking of inviting a ROYAL to be a DIPLOMAT, but guess it might be better to pick someone less so. You could invite one of your PARENTS if you were interested.

EVENT - NUBVENTURES IN PARADISE - will occur in [TP 5] of this year
- You have [1 TP] to prepare
- This event will take place over a few updates and follow a more traditional quest structure
- You can bring 2 others with you, or 3 if you use your HIDDEN CHOKER that you prepared
- Make sure you come prepared!

> TENGU ACADEMY - CLASSES
Your first four classes of RUNESCRIPTING - DECODING are a pretty big hit. You were expecting some frustration from your students, but no such thing happened. You had one or two bad eggs, but you quickly and swiftly handled them. You’re used to this by now, and none of them are on the same level as the other students. After looking it over, and with your rather large sample size of students broadly taking the classes, you’ve come to a few conclusions.

Namely that SHIMON really was actively making things hard on the students. Students with OPPOSITE affinities tended to have a MUCH harder time and require more direct teaching. Though with your methods it was not too difficult to get them to catch up. Ones with MATCHING affinities tended to have a SLIGHTLY easier time going about it and making connections. But it’s REALLY SLIGHT. Almost inconsequentially so. You could go with teaching everyone based off of their COLOR, but it’s less STRESS on you to just teach the same manual.

One thing you do note, from all of your examinations, is that it’s fairly rare to find anyone with a WHITE or BLACK MANA VEIN. You would say more than 50% are YELLOW veined, with the rest being a spattered assortment and GREEN being the next most common, typically found in BEAST-KIN. There are some exceptions of course, but that seems to be the majority of what you see. You think that you’ll keep teaching the TRIGGER rune to students in your DECODING class as very few students seem to have BLACK or WHITE mana veins and it’s just the easiest rune to learn.

Your time TA-ING students is also going well enough. But there’s no outstanding students yet. You’ll be keeping your eye out for a good one, hopefully your classes in [TP8] will get you a better idea of someone to fill the role.

Edmango 2021/09/27(Mon)20:28 No. 1011789 ID: afe7de
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> TP 3 - TEACH THE ROYAL SCIENTISTS
You decide to get an early start TEACHING the scientists. You’ve never taught an ADULT before, as most of your teaching was geared towards those your age and below. SABA taught adults before, but always found they required PATIENCE to deal with. So you expect the experience to be more STRESSFUL then normal.

Originally you were expecting to teach all 3 at once, but instead they request individual tutoring. You decide that this time you’ll split your attention amongst them equally. You can chose to focus on one with future TP, but it’s better not to push this off for the future as they’re all basically at square one.

RUTHERFORD is QUIRKY and SHY. You take your time explaining the basic concept of RUNESCRIPTING and he avidly takes notes. He’s full of questions but none of them are intrusive or obstructive. You note that his LOGIC is only slightly less then yours, and he is MORE CREATIVE then you, but that there is a lot of basic things that need to be unlearned about the process. He attempts to approach this from a RESEARCHER’S point of view, which isn’t wrong, but doesn’t allow him to even ATTEMPT something until he knows about it in full. You wrestle with this point of view as you try to get him to learn the SHARPEN rune. He’s slower then your normal STUDENTS as a result but gets about 3/5 of the way through the MANUAL before your time with him is up. You have high hopes for him.

[INTUITION] I like this guy

SATINA on the other hand is BRASH and OVERBEARING. It takes nearly all of your PATIENCE not to argue with her. You’re here to teach her but half of her comments make it seem like she’s trying to tell YOU what approaches you should take to teach her. It’s infuriating in a way, and you immediately [UNDERSTAND] that she’s doing this because she’s SCARED that she won’t be able to LEARN the material. Which just makes the job harder on you. You instead spend most of your time trying to let her know that FAILURE is just a part of the process and even demonstrate how easy it is to mess up a rune, which calms her down slightly. Because of a few false starts you only get around 1/8 of the way through the HARDEN manual, which she insisted she learn first. You feel like you have JUST ENOUGH PATIENCE to deal with her, but that it might take more then [3 TP] to teach her this.

[GUILE] She’s got a good poker face, but it’s not THAT good.

LILITH is STRICT and does not appreciate the change in HIERARCHY here. Instead of allowing you to control the flow of the topic she asks to see your LESSON PLAN and elects to study the ABSORPTION and COLD runes to create a CHI-LLER. You very strongly recommend she not do that and focus on one, but she says that you can’t tell her what she can and can’t learn, not with who your MOTHER is. You pause at that. Your PATIENT, and PROUD of your family. You don’t appreciate that, and in a moment of COURAGE you hand her the manuals and let her know that if she’s going to disrespect you for the job you were hired for, that she can learn this on her own, without your help, and that you’ll be letting the QUEEN know about her conduct. This gives LILITH pause. She wasn’t expecting that. You walk out of the room. You feel like LILITH might be a lost cause unless you can figure out what her BEEF with you or your family is.

[ANGER] You shoulda snapped harder!
[CHARISMA] Good move Chi
[PRIDE] Atta girl!
[CURIOSITY] I wonder what THAT was all about?
[UNDERSTANDING] Not enough data for me to make a further conclusion then we already have. Some kinda grudge?

You’ve made progress in teaching the ROYALS
You’ve learned a little about PATIENCE by working with the ROYALS, but not enough to increase rank
You gained [3 STRESS] due to the DISRESPECT and FRUSTRATING nature of the individuals you taught
But [2 STRESS] was blocked due to your PATIENCE and FUN POINT!
You were paid [10K SHINIES] for your work TEACHING the ROYAL SCIENTISTS

=============

UPCOMING EVENTS
- NUBVENTURES IN PARADISE [on TP 5] [costs 1TP]
- WORKSHOP COMPLETION [ETA TP8 of THIS YEAR]
- DRIFTING [UNKNOWN ETA]

Your CURRENT GOALS are as follows
- REACH BASIC MASTERY OF A MARTIAL ART OR WEAPON (R7), 5/7 (ETA 2-3Y)
- [EMPTY]
- [EMPTY]
- FINISH YOUR MIND CAMPUS
= MIND DORM 100%
= MIND LABS 0%
= HALLS OF KNOWLEDGE 0%
= ANGERS DOGHOUSE [RANK 1] 100%
= TOTAL PROGRESS ???

Goals will now be selected and tracked via poll. New additions will be added to the poll whenever a GOAL SLOT opens up. If you’d like to suggest what GOALS get added, use the link below:

https://forms.gle/6PQfahHtgnugRACEA

Your CURRENT BACKGROUND TASKS are as follows (3/3)
- TA FOR RUNESCRIPTING [LOCKED]
- MIND AND BODY DOJO TRAINING (-20S/yr) (Events at TP 6)
- PRECISION WITH NICO (-300S/yr)

Your current RESEARCH TASKS are as follows (2/2)
- COLOR THEORY [ETA ???]
- MANA VEINS [ETA TP1 of Y18]

Your current OBLIGATIONS are as follows
M&B DOJO MEMBERSHIP - 20S/y [TIME SLOT 4]
RENT AT IGNIS’S - 800S/y [TIME SLOT 1]
COMFORTABLE LIFESTYLE - 160S/y [TIME SLOT 1]

You spent [20K SHINIES] paying off your debt to IGNIS
You spent [10K SHINIES] Investing in the RUBBER HUNT
You spent [40 SHINIES] on a custom signboard for your company
You spent [20 SHINIES] on an APRON for PON
You set aside [300 SHINIES] preemptively for your PRECISION WITH NICO task
You were paid [10K SHINIES] for your work TEACHING the ROYAL SCIENTISTS
You were paid [12.8K SHINIES] for TEACHING [2 TP] worth of classes at TENGU ACADEMY
You have [28,328 SHINIES] remaining

You can take out a LOAN from the ROYALTY for [30,000 SHINIES]
- You need to pay it back within 4 years with a yearly interest of +2000 SHINIES a year

You have 2 2/3 INGOTS OF ARCANUM and 3 AIR CHOKERS stored with LAPUTA RUNETECH along with your other inventions
You have 1 INGOT OF ARCANUM, 1 AIR CHOKER, and RUNESCRIPTING SUPPLIES stored in your POCKET DIMENSION


You have [1 TIME POINT]
What do you do?
And who are you bringing to DOPUS?

Action list: https://pastebin.com/Fd7Yzmmv

Agree with the comment above on both LINKing with Pon, and bringing him and Noodle.

I think we should work on our HALLS OF KNOWLEDGE already. It's gonna take a while, so we need to get started eventually.

If that ain't a popular pick, I say we spend our TP directly working on our one of our research projects. COLOR THEORY is my preference.

use the timepoint to date Ignis or William (aiming for Ignis, hes done so much for us)

Or we could practice making new COMPOUND RUNES! So we can break our Runescripting SOFT CAP. Do it with our group. I recommend merging blue with red to make STEAM! We can turn Tengu into a steampunk worldplate potentially.

Or meditate. Work on prides room, or HALLS OF KNOWLEDGE, or go into the fog (only if we sense someone

Who to bring? Pon and Noodle. We cant bring a royal, too risky. Lets also LINK with Pon, he's our bro after all...

But since we cant bring a royal, we will def need to date ignis and/or william to compensate in the future.

Bring WILLIAM to the underwater trip. He's a fighter, he can protect you and himself if something goes wrong. You can also ask your family if any of them want to come. Also ask if any of them have an Innate Skill, then you can LINK with them. Hell, you should ask all your friends if any of them have Innate Skills. My guess is that Drift will get one after his core stuff is done...
If we find someone other than William and Ignis that has an Innate Skill we can LINK with, then we may as well bring them instead and leave behind the royals. But obviously, only if we're already besties. We shouldn't make friends with someone just for their Innate Skill. Like, do we know if Noodle or Pon have Innate Skills or not?

>Lilith is being weird about your mom
Which mom? Ask your family what that was about.

>TP
Let's meditate and work on the HALLS OF KNOWLEDGE.

Can we make some armor to wear on the trip? Now that it's researched we just need money to make it right?

Invite Faan with you! Teacher skills are a good match for diplomat skills. Also take Will, out of your two linked companions he's the lower ranked royal.
You could link with Nubs in Dopus, but she's not planning on staying there, is she? That would be all four of your link slots taken, until you develop more slots.
Time point: Meditate on your Mind Labs.

changing my vote a little. Forgot the diplomatic plans. Still bring Pon (only after we link with him), but instead of Noodle, make it Faan, or Draco for diplomatic purposes. Faan because as >>1011802 said, her teaching skills are good for diplomatic purposes. Or Draco because he's worked for the royals before as a captain of the guard. If Faan or Draco is interested, be sure to have Ignis, or William get the king and queen to know about our plans to make one of our parents a diplomat for this visit and make it official.

when we talk to Draco and Faan about it, also ask Faan about what Lilith's deal is, and tell Draco about Yondwa (our mana theory teacher who gave us the mana goggles) wanting to catch up with him

Still not sure on bringing William or Ignis along with how hesitant Nubs is.

>Make sure you come prepared!

Almost missed that line. to prepare for the visit, anything can happen, so...

- Link with Pon, even if we don't bring him, and even if he doesn't have a innate ability, he's our bro! plus he's got good stats to share anyway I'm sure. his twin bond benefits we got with him will also be helpful

- bring your stone claws weapon just in case, you never know if you come across some ruins that we could maybe explore with pon, our knowledge might come in handy when exploring to protect Pon, and maybe draco if he comes. tell any fighters we bring to bring their weapons. (we may even be lucky enough to find a gold or pristine manual in the ruins) sharpen and harden the stone claws and other weapons maybe too. (might need new claws for martial arts training and tournaments if we do this so we don't lethally hurt anyone with our sharpened stone claws)

- snacks (though I bet they have food there, our food might get soggy unless we bring them in our dimensional storage)

- maybe some scripting manuals to give to Dopus residents and maybe teach them a little runescripting. Might be a good idea to introduce to runescripting so they too can advance in technology. Who knows, they might get so interested, they'll send some kin from Dopus to learn runescripting and take that knowledge back to Dopus. (We should consider at some point when we find a pupil interested in teaching runescripting to try teaching Runescripting in Dopus, especially if the pupil happens to come from Dopus.

- art tools. we can draw pretty good, remember? we can draw important details to show to Tengu.

I'll think of more ideas for preparation.

> PARADISE PREPARATIONS
Plan to bring FAAN and PON. Do LINK with PON beforehand. Ask NUBS about what's used for SELF-DEFENCE when underwater and get enough of that for both you and PON if feasible - I'm sure NUBS understands how you're under no illusions regarding the wildlife situation on DOPUS, and no escort is infallible.

> TP 4
You'll take care of some stress at DOPUS, maybe even get some FUN POINTS. However, taking care of some stress now could help us generate EVEN MORE FUN POINTS, and that OMNIBUS is going to take an entire BOAT ARC to get through if we don't upgrade our headspace reading skills.

I suggest we MEDITATE WITH THE M & B TECHNIQUE on the HALLS OF KNOWLEDGE to help with that.

>>1011809
Pretty much everything here. Runescripting > art, though.

Edmango 2021/10/04(Mon)18:50 No. 1012399 ID: afe7de
File 163339863228.png - (9.85KB , 500x500 , SR2_012.png )

> NEW GOAL - FIND OUT IF THERE ARE ANY RUINS IN DOPUS
You want to find a RUIN while you’re here, might be a good idea to get in contact with the ROYALTY here or someone who has TRAVELED AROUND the plate.

> NEW GOAL - SUCCESSFULLY TEACH MORE THAN ONE SCIENTIST
You want to teach at least 2 of the ROYAL SCIENTISTS, it might be hard, but it’s doable. You’re not sure how successful getting all 3 would be, but if you do it, you’re sure the reward would be worth it.

> Bring FAAN and PON
You mull over who to bring with some pretty intense trepidation. You wanted to bring WILLIAM or IGNIS but decide to take NUBS’S caution to heart and bring someone else. You nearly invited DRACO, your FATHER, but also took a step back on that too. After a brief visit home with PON, you share some recent updates in your life and invite FAAN and PON to DOPUS with you. They’re both really excited to go, PON hopes to learn new recipies for things he could make and sell while he’s there. FAAN is just excited to be included and that you were thinking of her.

> What’s the deal with LILITH?
You ask your parents what the deal is with LILITH THE ROYAL SCIENTIST, you don’t appreciate how she’s treated you and wanted to know the source of the TENSION. FAAN and RIICHI both pause for a moment and look over to DRACO whose expression darkens a tad. RIICHI does a gesture, ceding the floor to FAAN.

Faan: So it was probably like a bit before you two were born.
Faan: She was a teacher here, we were colleagues.
Faan: But she was kind of uhhhhhhh
Riichi: Bad at her job
Faan: I wouldn’t go that far
Draco: I remember how often you complained about it
Faan: Aaaaaaaanyway
Faan: She was always the more inventive type, making stuff instead of focusing on TEACHING.
Faan: And she got her hands on a BROKEN PRINTING PRESS
Faan: Asked for my help, helped her a bit
Faan: But you both needed care because you were just born so I had to take a pause from that for a bit
Faan: It was a HUGE argument over me throwing away my life for “some kids”
Riichi: I almost clawed at her when she said that
Draco: But she was being considered to join the ROYAL SCIENTISTS, so I stopped her
Faan: What you have to understand is she doesen’t have friends, family, none of that, or didn’t I dunno about now
Faan: So WORK was her life and her HOBBIES I guess
Faan: She just… took heavy offense to me not dropping my life to go become a SCIENTIST
Faan: And frankly we need good teachers to teach the young ones
Riichi: So basically she’s a bird brain workaholic peck neck piece of-
Draco: Riichi, please, come on.
Riichi: It’s TRUE!
Riichi: She just holds a grudge because we didn’t pick a path like hers

[GUILE] There’s more to this then they’re letting on, like how Faan was qualified to help at all?

You: Uh did you know each other when you were kids or something?
Pon: Yeah, I was wondering the same thing, and like if you were an inventor or something?
Faan: Yeah, we were like best friends for a while, well, as close to friends as you can get with someone so…
Riichi: Insufferable, Guileless, lacking in Charisma?
Faan: She’s not a bad person, just uhhh, didn’t appreciate how I didn’t drop everything for her.
Faan: I have some regrets about the past, but not about raising you two.

You notice that she’s very much avoiding any mention of what she did in the past before teaching. You think she’s not comfortable sharing that with you yet. With that out of the way, you spend some more time at your parents place and plan to leave after you finish some PREPARATIONS.

> NEW LINK - PON
You decide to link with your BROTHER. It’s a strange sensation, creating the link, like getting a minor headache in a part of your head, or like a blood vessel bursting in your head. It’s slightly painful, but then the [LINK] is established. PON does NOT have any sort of INNATE SKILL, so it seems like he’ll only be gaining the IMPROVED STAT GROWTH from the [LINK]. But you do feel a sort of RESONANCE from him. It’s something you can’t quite put your finger on. You invite him to join you on your meditation later and see what happens.

Edmango 2021/10/04(Mon)18:50 No. 1012400 ID: afe7de
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> TP 4 - MEDITATION
You take the time to expand your MIND CAMPUS, focusing on the HALLS OF KNOWLEDGE. It’s a large building that as you make it appears to form itself slightly into a building that extends infinitely into the sky. It’s a strange illusion that you’re not sure if you’re consciously making, but certainly feels cool to look at.

You’ve made progress on your HALLS OF KNOWLEDGE
HALLS OF KN COMPLETION - 25%

IGNIS and WILLIAM occasionally pop by in your meditation sessions to chat with you. Watching as you sculpt and work on your MIND CAMPUS. PON eventually has a free moment and joins you as well. [UNDERSTANDING] and [LINK] are both especially polite and nice to him, and he doesn’t freak out as he joins you in your MIND CAMPUS because you gave him enough advanced warning. It’s a strange sensation, but the RESONANCE is stronger here. You get the feeling that you should EXPERIMENT in the future with your LINKS while you’re here. See what they can and can’t do. You’d be curious if you could assign DOMAINS to them in your MIND CAMPUS where they could CREATE and MANIFEST their own STATS or otherwise. You could always make another DORM explicitly for LINKED GUESTS and see what that does.

You can now create the GUEST DORMS, a space for your LINKED companions in your MIND CAMPUS. You’re not sure what effect this could have, or if it would have any benefits. You can also dedicate a portion of your time to TESTING THE LIMITS of the MIND CAMPUS and see what can or can’t be done.

You were about to suggest this to your companions the next day, but something happened that paused your train of thought.

> EVENT - THE MIST I
The MIST started… Ringing? You’re not sure what to call it. Without a moment of hesitation you flew into the mist. A SENSATION could be felt in your mind in the distance, so you continued to fly in that direction until you hear something. A KAW-ING. Once, then twice. You stop and look to the sides before you see a half white, half black RAVEN. Your [STATS] are eerily quiet throughout the process, well, PERSERVERENCE is just as quiet as normal, but you still pause with caution, tilting your head in confusion. They KAW at you, in what sounds more like a form of COMMUNICATION then anything else.

So you speak back to them in CANON as your first instinct, a CURIOSITY and FANATICISM taking over you as this strange thing is attempting to speak to you in your mind. You try a few ways of communicating and it appears the RAVEN is as well. It covers up one of their eyes and you just get more confused. Are they trying to be WILLIAM? Maybe someone else? You gesture back to your MIND CAMPUS, inviting them and poking at them to see if they get it but you just get pecked a few times in response.

The RAVEN then starts to pluck out feathers, the first feather falls into your palm as the bird vanishes and then reappears a few moments later about 10 meters away from you. You fly towards them, still very confused. They pluck some more feathers and you’re enthralled at this point. You try to fly the creature back to your MIND CAMPUS, eager to figure out what is happening with the help of your [STATS]. It’s obviously INTELLIGENT, beyond that of a normal RAVEN.

You put a concerned expression on your face as it trues to spell out something with the feathers. It’s a “W” and a “3” written in ENGLISH or at least that’s what you presume. You stop moving and your thought processes try to go into overdrive. W3? Could this be WINNEBAGO the THIRD? Inventor of the WINNEBAGO? WILLAMINA the THIRD? Your granddaughter? Could this just be random letters and numbers with no actual meaning?!?! You stare at the RAVEN with a fiercer intensity, trying to [UNDERSTAND] but finding yourself unable to make the MENTAL LINK with them in this MIST. You try once, twice, and then when you think you’re just about to succeed something happens. You feel an intense burning from the RAVEN and jerk them off of you. It’s floating in the space now. There’s an expression in it’s eye, that brief moment you [UNDERSTOOD] this was no ordinary bird, this was your GRANDDAUGHTER, or well, SABA’S GRANDDAUGHTER. You start shouting.

You: THIS CAN’T BE REAL!
You: ARE YOU A PROJECTION, IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?
You: SOME KIND OF SOUL? DID YOU DIE TO THAT YELLOW THING?

Unfortunately the twitching from the RAVEN turns into a mad vibration. Her feathers start bubbling unsettlingly. You can hear the sounds of BONES CRACKING as it’s form begins to shift and change, to EXPAND. WILLAMINA doesn’t break eye contact with you the entire time.

You: WHAT’S THAT BUBBLING?
You: WILLAMINA CAN YOU HEAR ME? FIGHT IT, WHATEVER IS-
You: PERSERVERENCE? UH, WHERE EVEN IS PERSERVERENCE, I COULD REALLY USE SOME HELP HERE!
[PERSERVERENCE] LEAVE, CHI! IT’S NOT SAFE!

Your composure is a little broken from this strange scenario, but you heed their words, flying backwards out of the mist as fast as you can, PERSERVERENCE flies past you as you see the beast morph into what you assume to be it’s final form. It’s inky black, dripping almost with some sort of ICHOR. The mist seems to CORRODE at it as it drips down. And it’s eyes, they’re twisted, not in any right place. There’s a weird sensation as it reaches it’s limb at you and ichor slowly moves in your direction. You feel the faint tickle in the back of your mind that you need to TOUCH it, to join whatever IT is. That thought is cut off with a YELL from PERSERVERENCE.

[PERSERVERENCE] DON’T LISTEN TO IT!

And like that, you’re out of the mist, out of your MIND CAMPUS, and back to reality. It made no noise besides the cracking of bones, no terrifying scream, no guttural moan. You could only barely hear the bubbling. It’s unnerving. Your [STATS] are clamoring asking what happened and as you explain the situation there’s no word from [PERSERVERENCE] other then a lone statement.

[PERSERVERENCE] It’s gone, I need to rest.

You’re given no context and your STATS seem worried. You think you’ll need to have a talk with [PERSERVERENCE] when they’re recovered because this was STRANGE even by your standards.

You’ve gained [1 STRESS] from the encounter in your MIND
You’ve gained a new MEDITATION OPPORTUNITY - ENCOUNTERS
- After experiencing your first RANDOM ENCOUNTER you will now be notified when one is happening
- You will have to chose to visit the encounter, rather then having it be automatic due to the potential DANGER
- Encounters will last 2 years before they go away

> Look for INNATE SKILL USERS
You think you’re going to keep quiet on this one. You’ve already asked your closest and most trustworthy friends, and you think it’s better if you keep this one closer to your vest. It’s already a slightly open secret that you’re a reincarnator even if most kin won’t believe you, best to keep that one quiet for now. For the record, only MARTH, IGNIS, and WILLIAM have INNATE SKILLS to the best of your knowledge. You hope DRIFT gets one, but aren’t sure what’s going to happen when he’s done.

Edmango 2021/10/04(Mon)18:51 No. 1012402 ID: afe7de
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> PREPARATION
After that STRESSFUL encounter in your mind that you were expecting to be more relaxing you take some time to PREPARE yourself for the DOPUS trip. You’re excited to see the WIDER WORLDPLATES as is PON. IGNIS and WILLIAM are both excited for you and sad they can’t go, but understand the reason and promise to keep things running in your absence.

You want to bring some things with you, like snacks and scripting manuals, but think it might be a bit hard without REVEALING YOUR POCKET DIMENSION. And that’s something you’re not really keen on doing. You talk to NUBS about WATERPROOFING solutions and she mentions that she could get an EMPTY URN, block it with CORK, and then use that to transport stuff to the CITY. So you fill a small backpack with SUPPLIES. You bring some PON-MADE snacks, some SCRIPTING MANUALS, SCRIPTING PENS, some SHINIES, and a few other things. PON mostly brings FOOD and a simple COLD MODULE he plans to install in a BOX he can find to make a MAKESHIFT CHI-LLER and FAAN just brings some BOOKS. NUBS triple checks to make sure it should fit and the four of you are as prepared as you’re going to be.

You have 1 INGOT OF ARCANUM, 1 AIR CHOKER, and RUNESCRIPTING SUPPLIES stored in your POCKET DIMENSION for safekeeping.
You have various RUNESCRIPTING SUPPLIES, SNACKS, PAPERS, a deactivated COLD MODULE, and BOOKS.
You also bring 10,000 SHINIES worth of GEMS as an EASY TO CONVERT source of CURRENCY should you all wish to BUY ANYTHING.
You also bring an old prototype SUN SCEPTER that’s been modified to just produce light
You have [2 STRESS]

> TP 5 - EVENT - NUBVENTURES IN PARADISE
NUBS sends a RUNNER out ahead of you all to let her WORLDPLATE know that you’re coming. You mention your concerns of UNDERSEA MONSTERS and she says that you’ll be escorted to the city proper in the water by GUARDS as a safety precaution, but you’re recommended to bring your CLAWS along anyway. You ask how they fight UNDERWATER, and she points to her tail. She mentions that most AQUA-KIN tend to have NATURAL WEAPONS of some kind, some have CLAWS, others have SHARP LEGS, but most have BLADED TAILS. They tend to move EXTREMELY FAST in water, about as fast as you can fly, which makes them EXTRA AGILE and able to use their BLADED LIMBS to good effect. It’s how they hunt for most of their food.

You fly out of the city and head towards the TUNNEL. NUBS is riding in a pouch of a RATHER STRONG LOOKING ROYAL GUARD. He does not say much throughout the flight, but from what you understand, this individual has been working with her for some time now and is regarded well for his SILENCE.

> SKILL CHECK - PERCEPTION
You occasionally look around during your flight, and you don’t really notice anything out of the ordinary. Sometimes a tree rustles and you see several WINGIES fly out into the sky, but that’s about it. As you reach the tunnel you notice that it’s fairly MASSIVE, not big enough to fit a whole PLANE in it, but definitely large enough to fit a crowd of kin and then some. There are a few WING-KIN guards standing in the TUNNEL and flying around it, but they recognize you all and let you pass. One of them is even drooling over FAAN, which you find strange, but dismiss as you move through it and are let out into a brand new plate.

You read about CANUS, but it’s still amazing to see in person. The Plate is a DENSE JUNGLE, the edges of which are just like your plate, leading to a sheer drop. The THICK CANOPY obscures the sky except for one area that has been constructed upon to prevent such a thing from happening. Apparently the vegetation near the TUNNELS grows at a RIDICULOUS rate. The WING-KIN guards here also let you pass, allowing you to head to the skies above.

The plate is BEAUTIFUL as you take to the skies, the sky is tinted a slight GREEN, but one thing you notice that’s readily apparent is that it’s FAIRLY HOT. Much hotter then your PLATE. It’s mitigated by the breeze flowing up against you, but you can’t imagine living here without some COLD runes to cool yourself off and you wonder how it is the BEAST-KIN can even live in this climate with their FUR.

FAAN explains that it’s because the heat is actually absorbed by the canopy of the jungle and reflected up, causing the area above the canopy to be warmer then normal. It’s actually quite cool under the jungle itself and is an environment the BEAST-KIN have adapted to.

> SKILL CHECK - INTUITION
As you continue to fly, occasionally taking breaks as the journey does take a few days, you feel a tingle from your [INTUITION]. Something is amiss but you can’t quite tell what. The thing you can tell, as you near the next TUNNEL is that there’s a small speck in the distance. It’s barely visible, and there’s a BLUE GLOW. You dismiss it for now as it’s gone a moment later, assuming it was your imagination.

Edmango 2021/10/04(Mon)18:51 No. 1012403 ID: afe7de
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As you enter DOPUS you notice the largest SEA you’ve ever seen. Though you guess it’s probably more accurate to call it an OCEAN. The sky is a similar hue of BLUE that you’re used to, but the OCEAN is a mix of greens and blues and lilacs. It’s also fairly CLEAR, you can see a fair distance through it. Nubs disembarks from the WING-KIN GUARD whose name escapes you. He mentions that he’ll be waiting by the tunnel when you all return and leaves.

One thing you notice about DOPUS is that the only LAND MASS around is the one you entered on. You can’t see a single outcropping anywhere. There are a few HUTS scattered about on the land and there’s a few BOATS scattered about, but they’re few and far between. They’ll be easy to avoid. Nubs leads you to a spot in the ocean after a few several hours of flight. At this point your arms are getting a bit tired from all of the EXTENDED TRAVEL, but it’s not enough to really impact you as you are fairly ATHLETIC. You eventually reach the spot, there’s a few other AQUA-KIN floating about on the surface and they wave at you and shout to come down. You notice a large urn floating near the surface which they remove the cork and allow you to place your belongings in. It BARELY fits the small amount of supplies you brought, you imagine that they’re not used to transporting goods between here and the surface and that this was a MAKE-SHIFT solution at best.

After activating the chokers you are led down the water, attached to ropes just so that you don’t get lost. They make sure to descend at a pace that won’t cause any wooziness, but the water pressure doesn’t affect your HEAD so you’re fine as you descend. It’s a claustrophobic experience, descending as it gets darker and darker away from the surface. You pull out your PROTOTYPE SUN ROD and it helps, but everything else is still dark. You feel like it would have been a good idea to make a stronger variant or something as you continue to descend, but that thought is cut off as you start to see flickerings of light in the distance.

CONSUMA DOPUS, the capital city. It’s covered in what you can only assume is phosphorescent coral. It glows dimly in some areas and brighter in others. If you were to describe the city it would be reminiscent to an anthill with lots of spires outcroppings on top, covered in a variety of different corals and sea life. As you get lower you can see in the distance, highlighted by a large CRYSTAL of some kind, is a large enclosure made of a similar CRYSTAL or GLASS. It looks like there are JELLYFISH-LIKE creatures inside.

You continue to descend until you reach the ground and notice a small tunnel going down and then up, which you eventually pass through and reach a pocket of air. There are dozens, possibly hundreds of AQUA-KIN wandering about. Their colors vary from hues of blues, greens, purples and reds as they scatter about doing various tasks. You can see several food-stalls advertising unrecognizable seafoods and fungi. You take a broader look around and see that you’re in some sort of PLAZA, and in the distance there are SCULPTURES built into the wall of various AQUA-KIN. Nearby the statues is a large WATERFALL with a small opening in the center that you can see some individuals standing at, looking in your direction. You gather your supplies and get out of the water, the guards dispersing to the crowd.

Nubs: Welcome to CONSUMA! The kingdom of good food and great times!
Pon: Woah, it’s a huge cave!
Faan: How deep do the caverns go here?
Nubs: Dunno, we can’t fly so we rnt sure how far down it cod go like you are of your plate.
Nubs: I’ve got TONS to show ya! And since yer all on yer breaks, there’s no rush!
Nubs: I should probs introduce ya to the fam, but that can totally wait.
You: Well let’s get started then!

CONSUMA is a large city in similar scale to QARA TENGU, there are lots of small hidden things throughout here and you’ll be able to explore it at a slower pace. Each ACTION you take will take around a day to complete including eating and resting. Sometimes you’ll be prevented with a CHOICE of something to do, each CHOICE will lead to different character interactions and develop the story of this plate.

NUBS wants to show you three MAJOR THINGS
- THE COOKING GUILD, a place where famous chefs compete and make amazing dishes requested by others
- HER HOME, you’ll meet her family and learn more about NUBS
- THE MISTY CAVERN, a beautiful spot that really lets your pores breathe, she wants to introduce you to somekin

She also says there’s tons of OTHER PLACES that you could visit like the PLAZA, CRYSTAL CAVES, and BACK ALLEY DINERS among other things.

What do you do?

AUTHORS NOTE: I’ve suggested a few areas here that you could visit, but where you actually go is entirely up to you all! If you have a cool area you want to suggest visiting or that you want to exist, suggest it and if I like it enough or it’s suggested enough I’ll put it in! This is one of those LORE BUILDING MOMENTS like from the first part where you can ADD THINGS that you think would be cool within reason.

First, let's meet our home away from home. Nubs' home!

>>1012402
>skill checks
Hmm, someone noticed us leaving I think, and the blue light was the spy arriving in CANUS. You were being followed. They probably reported back that you visited DOPUS. Not a huge deal, we expected that to happen.

>>1012403
THE COOKING GUILD! Let's go sample the local cuisine!

>suggest other things
How about like, a zoo?

Nubs' Home is top priority for today, and The Misty Cavern for tomorrow. After that, we should check out the city tomorrow and do a run of popular spots. Get some local diner food, walk the town, etc.

(Forgot to add my new place suggestion) See what the closest thing Dopus has to a library is.

I think our best bet is to go to Nubs' house, we can do the others later but I feel like we should meet her family and chill in hopefully a less professional environment before we go to public places where we would certainly be accosted by curious individuals. It's also extremely important we don't keep her family waiting as though I doubt they'd have a problem with us wandering off before meeting them it's better safe than sorry.
Otherwise after that I would love to go to the cooking guild and see if we can't teach Pon how to cook some new cuisines.

>>1012415
That's a good idea, I imagine handling books isn't an easy thing down here, I'd love to see if they have their own way of preserving information that doesn't use anything that could be harmed by water.

> INTUITION...
... has caught something important, yet unsurprising. You should probably bring this up with NUBS, who figured the wrong sort would take notice, and FAAN, the group's designated adult.

> WHERE TO
"As much as I'm sure your family wouldn't mind waiting for us, I do think we should dedicate our first day to getting situated here before we run off on any adventures. I'm quite eager to meet them myself."

Lore building: Nubs warns you about a place you should never visit, a certain cavern containing: the HOLLOW EYES

The cavern is really deep, but in the bottom, there is a set of two giant holes on the ground, vacuuming everything around it in its two vortexes.

Strangely, the two holes that have the vortexes are arranged in the shape of a set of eyes. There are cracks on the ground around the holes forming what look like eyelashes, and a small piece of land poking out from each hole forming what looks like pupils.

the vortexes are strong enough to pull even the strongest swimming aquakin and mysteriously appeared about 16 years ago after an earthquake. apparently, Nubs' older brother got sucked inside the vortex after it formed 16 years ago when he was 6 and was never seen again. This happened before Nubs was born, and isn't too sad about it, but would of still liked to get to know her brother. She asks not to bring it up with her family, it may open old wounds.

Lore Building: Nhalim's Generator
There is an anomaly in a specific area of this kingdom; a sub-surface whirlpool that has never stopped since recorded history. In general, this area was generally surrounded by toxic chemicals and Leviathan-class beasts, so the population was mostly kept in the double-digits and made of Cults who typically worship some fictional Dragon responsible for the ongoing spiral. Most scientific studies agree that the whirlpool is directly responsible for the horrible environment of the region, but only after millions of years of slow buildup.
But 250~ years ago, something weird happened. The whirlpool conducted electricity - permanently. Nhalim, one of the few desperate souls willing to colonize the area, discovered the new phenomena akin to lightning gifted from the earth rather than the sky Yes I know that's not how lightning works but worldbuilding. They performed multiple studies to find some way of harnessing this power.
They didn't last long. But the results of the study have resulted in AQUA-KIN advances in electric technology, especially warfare. Standard subnautican soldier equipment includes EMP Bombs, which can easily fry a target in seconds if they connect. Praetorian Guards have special access to electric spears and even anti-electric body armor. The public has no idea how they do this.
Today, ongoing research into civilian uses for electricity in an undersea kingdom are still crawling at a slow pace, partly because of the dangers of turning everyone into sashimi, and especially since nobody knows if the electricity will eventually dry up. Not helping matters is that no weapons manufacturer using the site has lasted a half-century before getting sent into the red due to medical costs or wrecked by a giant beast, even with the ongoing project to terraform the area for large-scale housing.
Whatever the case, nobody has successfully made it to the bottom of the whirlpool alive.

Nubs family home first. It was a long journey to get here and we want to relax a bit and get situated. Also wanna get to know the family we're visiting.

Lets ask nubs family about any ruins in the area. You want to potentially find new scripting manuals or something similar in a ruins. Might want to ask if theres any strong aquakin that wanna come too (maybe whoever Nubs wants to show us is that strong kin, may have an innate ability too)

Also, show the family your scripting manuals, ask if they seen one before and where. Would be cool to get a new manual here, but i doubt theres any in dopus

Let's start with Nubs's home. Next, I'm sure Pon would be very interested in the cooking guild.

I wanna know what their schools are like here. Maybe we can give certain students some runescripting manuals, and inspire them to come to Tengu academy to learn runescripting and bring that knowledge to Dopus to make new inventions

Oh, and do not bring up the possible spy in any place where another spy could hear.
I bet DOPUS's own spies are already looking for the guy, so they could have them distracted in the event of a royal visit.

I feel that the polite thing to do here is to go say hi to the Nub's family on the first day.

>>1012403
>You notice a large urn floating near the surface which they remove the cork and allow you to place your belongings in. It BARELY fits the small amount of supplies you brought, you imagine that they’re not used to transporting goods between here and the surface and that this was a MAKE-SHIFT solution at best.
Unless we’re provided with a bigger urn when it’s time to leave, I don’t think we’re going to be able to bring any souvenirs home with us.

>Many places to go!
Let’s start by visiting Nubs' home.

>World building
The kingdom is named Consuma and is advertised to have good food. I’m pretty sure there’s a few places around here that have Eating Contests.

>>1012405
Are we staying at Nub’s home? I’m not sure if she’s going to have room for our group and her family in her home.

>>1012403
>What do you do?
I agree with everyone else. Let's go meet Nub's family!

>Lore building
>Add things that you think would be cool
Lots of Aqua-kin are fairly muscular, but because of all the food, it's not too unusual to find a few kin that are fat. Which doesn't hinder them when they're in the water, since the extra blubber insulates them from the underwater pressure and the cold temperatures in deeper waters.

There are 2 major competitive sports in here: Kickboxing (which the more muscular kin participate in) and Sumo wrestling (which the more rotund kin participate in). Both of these sports forbid anyone that's not an Aqua-kin from competing because it'd be too dangerous for the other races to participate.

>>1012452
>Eating contest
If it's a place reknowned for its cooks, the "eating contest" would not be speed-eating; it would me more a matter of identifying the flavors in the dishes. Something more akin to a tasting contest, in short.

>>1012501
>not be speed-eating
>more akin to a tasting contest
There could be both kinds of contests.

Deifinetly should do the three major activities Nubs had planned for us, especially meet that kin Nubs wanted us to see at thr misty caverns. That kin might have an innate ability, and the sooner we meet them, the more time we'll have to bond with them enough to form a [LINK]

Edmango 2021/10/11(Mon)18:50 No. 1012773 ID: afe7de
File 163400342055.png - (121.14KB , 500x500 , SR2_016.png )

> NUBS’S HOME
You collectively decide it’s probably better to get acquainted with NUBS’S FAMILY and where you’ll be staying. She groans at this but assents that it’s probably the right call. You get the feeling that the groan is less a FRUSTRATION and more that she finds that to be particularly BORING.

The walk to her place heads towards the WATERFALL, bypassing a few big buildings that remind you of STALAGMITES and HOLLOWED OUT MOUNDS. There’s a few buildings that are more traditionally structured but it appears that most of them are made of STONE and CORAL. It’s rare to find a DOOR on most of the buildings here and you see no WOOD anywhere. You imagine that either the security here is really good or there’s none to speak of. As for the AQUA-KIN themselves, you notice that their body types vary from ATHLETIC to PLUMP and even ROTUND, but none of them look OBESE or OUT OF SHAPE, and it seems to not affect them while they’re in water either.

As you pass by several groups you notice that they’re all about as affectionate as NUBS is. It’s slightly more affectionate then the WING-KIN are, and basic greetings from even what sounds like basic strangers involves a lot of skin contact and even light kissing. If you had to read the vibe of the place as you wander, you’d say that it definitely feels HAPPY or even HEDONISTIC here. You pass by a few more structures and one stands out to you, it’s got a lot of bright CORAL surrounding it and you imagine that at night it would look kind of cool. You ask what the building is and Nubs lets you know that it’s a BROTHEL AND DOCTORS PLACE. You wonder why they’d be a combined establishment, but shrug it off and carry on.

Eventually you reach the waterfall and NUBS points UP, at the BALCONY.

Nubs: I live up there, y’all can just fly up to it, I’ll take the fun route!

And in what is a feat that you were not sure was possible, Nubs begins to swim UP the waterfall. And she does it at a ridiculous pace too, getting up there faster then you think you could if you flew. You and your companions are in shock that someone could actually swim UP a waterfall, but you guess that’s just one of the AQUA-KIN’S many talents. After a brief flight up you land on a platform, your steps make it feel like you are touching PORCELAIN of some kind, and it appears to be a pattern of some kind, in the shape of an AQUA-KIN cradling a child you think. You touch down and notice there are two guard-like individuals in small nooks in the wall, they nod at you and continue to lounge. You look forward and notice a larger room, NUBS is embracing two individuals, one you know to be CECIL, NUBS’S AUNT. The other is wearing a small PONCHO with CORAL ACCENTS and YELLOW DYE. You notice they don’t have any hair, or SEAWEED on their scalp. You always wondered if that was a fashion thing. He introduces himself as NUBS’S FATHER, ARBOLETH OGUIG’LIA SHTEROT, current leader of CONSUMA DOPUS. He knows you all don’t have lips or the throats to pronounce it as it’s naturally meant to be, so says you can call him AROBOLETH SHALLOT, as he’s been advised by NUBS.

He gives you a brief welcome to the city and lets you know what he does. The LEADERSHIP of the plate isn’t a monarchy, but is instead a DEMOCRACY. The leader is chosen as the most popular individual that is qualified to lead. But leading mostly involves scheduling and planning FEASTS, EVENTS, RESOURCE GATHERING, and HELPING THE IMPOVERISHED. There is a form of GUARDS that he leads as well, and they mostly patrol occasionally to make sure any fights that happen are LAWFUL and that no one gets KILLED. It’s rare to see anyone get so JEALOUS or WRATHFUL here, and there’s no shortage of FOOD or ENTERTAINMENT, so the citizens are typically FAIRLY HAPPY.

Edmango 2021/10/11(Mon)18:54 No. 1012775 ID: afe7de
File 163400366945.png - (14.71KB , 500x500 , SR2_017.png )

He only asks you to abide by a few rules while you’re here. NO ASSAULTING ANYONE, NO THEFT, and to EAT, DRINK, AND BE MERRY. He trusts you all from NUBS’S recommendation. He also says that while it’s not required, he recommends you give a competition a shot at the COOKING GUILD. Some of the KIN on the plate are WARY OF OUTSIDERS after the HUMANS attempted contact AGGRESSIVELY, and would like to see you all participate in some of their CULTURAL NORMS so that they would be more likely to vote positively for potential TRADE DEALS and DIPLOMACY.

Your theory at this point is basically confirmed. You’re the soft test to see if your people would be able to TRADE and COMMUNICATE with the DOPUS individuals on good terms, but it looks like the decision lies in the COMMUNITY rather then the LEADERSHIP. You wonder how DECISIVE the kin here are, NUBS seems to be PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD, and so was ARBOLETH, you could extrapolate that the KIN here value TRANSPARENCY and STRAIGHTFORWARDNESS, but it’s too early to tell.

You’re treated to a large banquet of a meal, you were worried that it would be wasteful, but on the contrary it was nearly EXACTLY the amount needed to feed the 6 of you. You think back to when NUBS shared meals with you and she watched intently, imagining that she was calculating this to reduce FOOD WASTE for these kinds of events.

After that you’re treated to a tour of the CONCORD, the area you’ll be staying in. A few other individuals also live there, but they seem preoccupied with something and only spare you a brief greeting before getting back work, promising that they’ll give you a proper introduction in the future. Your rooms are separate and are decently sized. There’s carved out shelves, cabinets, toilets, fountains, and beds made of SEAWEED and some SOFT MATERIAL you assume to be some sort of MUSHROOM. The opposite side of the room also has a LARGE TANK OF WATER that appears to be for housing FRESH FISH and other SEA LIFE, and a SMALL POOL, you ask what it’s purpose is and they say that it’s the typical AQUAN’S BEDDING, most prefer to sleep in the WARM, SLIGHTLY SLUDGY LIQUID as it’s fairly comforting. You touch the liquid and realize that it doesn’t actually stick to your feathers in any way. It’s thick but not at all sticky. You imagine that sleeping in one of these might be good if you can figure out a way to keep your head above water, and if not, then It’ll at least be nice to lounge in.

Lastly you’re told about some of the major attractions in the city that their KIN prefer to enjoy.

THE ARCHIVES - Is where they keep their recorded knowledge and history, there are MAPS of the region kept there. Apparently since they lack PAPER they have kept their records as ENGRAVINGS on TABLETS and THE WALLS. There’s not too much information there, as most of their records were kept through ORAL TRADITION instead.

THE WHIRLPOOL OF EYES - Some AQUA-KIN like to perform FEATS OF BRAVERY, attempting to swim as close to the whirlpool as possible without being sucked in. However those sucked in are rarely seen again, the few that do survive claim they appeared somewhere RANDOM underwater in the plate and manage to get back home via luck. Though the few that make it through claim that they were scared out of their wits by some GIANT MONSTER, rumors aren’t substantiated though because it is DANGEROUS. The whirlpool actually comes from two holes that look remarkably similar to EYES.

SCHOOLS - EDUCATION is kept to simple things like cooking, survival, underwater navigation, and the like, it does not go nearly as in depth as the TENGU ACADEMY does. CHILDREN are also taught the basics of ORATORY and DEFENSE with their NATURAL WEAPONS. FAAN is interested in visiting and imparting some KNOWLEDGE to the KIN here.

EATING CONTESTS - Various restaurants will offer CHALLENGES to their PATRONS, should you complete it, you’ll win a small prize. The prize doesn’t really matter to the KIN that are here, but maybe one of the prizes will really speak to you and your group as a cool souvenir.

SUMO - A form of martial art where the AQUA-KIN attempt to wrestle the other out of a ring. Typically the LARGER KIN participate in this sport.

CHELAE - A form of martial art where the AQUA-KIN fight using their HIGHLY MINERALIZED CHITIN. You commonly see this as TAIL BLADES, like the one NUBS has, LEG BLADES, CLAWS, and rarely as HORNS. Duels go until their opponent’s weapon BREAKS or they CONCEDE. The CHITIN grows back by MOLTING, and the more often they participate in this form of combat, the faster it grows back and the stronger it grows back. You briefly wonder if they can regrow limbs as well, but don’t ask as you feel it would be a strange question to bring up.

JELLYFISH OBSERVATORY - a Beautiful area full of a collide-scope of colors and wonders, some KIN participate in JELLYFISHING, trying to catch the most COLORFUL of them with a net. They move at HIGH SPEEDS and don’t seem to mind it.

DUELS - Another popular event is to see AQUANS challenge the other to DUELS, they can be COMBAT duels, COOKING duels, or slightly LEWDER duels but those aren’t held on the streets and you’re too young to see them.

There’s also the COOKING GUILD and MISTY CAVERN that NUBS wants to take you to, but she says that there’s NO REAL RUSH. You can now go out and do whatever you like in the city. You can travel AS A GROUP, or SOLO. If you don’t mention what someone else is doing, they’ll go off and do their own thing, but NUBS will act as your GUIDE unless it’s to somewhere she finds BORING.

You have a new MANDATORY OBJECTIVE - EAT, DRINK, AND BE POPULAR
- Impress some AQUA-KIN while you’re here
REWARDS: Depends on how much you impress them

Eventually the day passes and it’s night time. You’re all tired from your trip so you hit the hay.

What do you do? And do you sleep in THE SLUDGE?

Feel free to suggest other activities based off of ones listed here, some will be unlocked by going to specific locations, I have a few in mind that you gotta do repeat visits to places to see. I might have you do more than one at once to expedite it if enough people suggest. Otherwise, have fun!

Let's try the sludge. Try meditating as you go to sleep to keep yourself still. Pile lots of pillows to make a cradle for your head above the liquid.
Tomorrow, start the day with a visit to school.

COOKING GUILD. Then EATING CONTEST. Let's go in hard on the food this day.

Also uh, yeah try the sludge. Just don't drown or whatever.

Strategically thinking, I say the sooner we go to THE MISTY CAVERN and meet that kin Nubs was talking about, the better.

Reason why is that they might have an innate ability we could link with, and if that is the case, we would want to do a lot of activities with them each day SOONER rather than later so we can build up our BOND with them and they'd be more willing to link with us.

Meeting them later might not let us get the chance to bond with them with multiple activities during our vacation here.

Also, lookout for ruins in the misty cavern, check out spots you can fly up to that aquakin can't reach. Take Pon with you too since he is POWERFUL.

Oh yeah, and sludge time.

Try not to get thrown out, you definitely want to come back here when you're older.

Going to the cooking guild sounds amazing. You have to go there immediately.

My vote is Misty Caverns. Bring Pon and Nubs. Nubs to introduce her friend, and Pon for exploration after we meet Nubs' friend

Not choosing cooking guild yet, but when we do go to the cooking guild, make sure you go in a group and take Pon with you, that way he can get inspired, maybe even find someone to look up to. Whatever the case, he should bring his pon pops to share.
He can probably compete too, though it might be only for famous chefs. Maybe there are competitions for up and coming chefs to compete in though.

Sleep in the sludge. I also like the idea of meditating in it too. If perseverance isn't too tired, we can ask about what happened, like what was that thing chasing us, if Willamina is still around, and maybe if there is a way for her to become our daughter or grandaughter in this world after she passes on from her world, and can reincarnate into this world. Also ask why he was acting or talking weird the previous years

Though if he still needs to rest, leave him alone and ask Understanding about stuff.

> TOMORROW'S PLANS
Yeah, let's meet the people Nubs wanted to introduce us to before we dedicate ourselves to sightseeing - we'll go to the MISTY CAVERNS.

> THE SLUDGE???
Yes, but not before asking Nubs or some other aqua kin about keeping our head above the surface or continuing to breathe if we don't.

>>1012775
>sleep in sludge?
>how to keep head above water?
Couldn't you just wear one of the Air Chokers? You wouldn't have to worry about your head going under the water if you're wearing it. Put it on and try sleeping with your head above the water, that way if you do slip underwater, you can still breathe.

But if the Air Choker doesn't have a large enough charge to last through the night, it might be best to not risk drowning on accident.

>where to go?
Pon still has a chance of something good happening to him. We should go to one of the cooking places so that Pon's bonus can trigger for him!

>>1012810
You're right in that this probably won't work out, but probably not for the reason you're thinking; what would even happen if we used the water-consuming choker in an enclosed pool with a much more finite liquid content? We could end up burying ourselves alive in dehydrated slime or wake up in a slimy but otherwise dry pit, assuming the runes we used count this as "water" at all.

>>1012782
This

>>1012778
This.

Let's have a little fun on our first day here before we do any kind of business.

Adding to my earlier post: Quick, while no one is looking to potentially think we're weird, before sleeping or meditating in the sludge, take a little bit of the sludge and... put it in your mouth... for research purposes and definitely not to see how it tastes. (Consider asking to take some sludge home with you for mana research later).

We can probably arrange ourself to keep our head supported on a surface and pillow while the rest of our body is in the sludge without the choker, kind of like what they do in mud baths.
The beds is said to be made of SEAWEED and some soft material chi thinks is some sort of mishroom, which I assume is a pillow. Maybe we can use the mushroom to support Chi's head above the sludge? Lets ask an aquakin about the idea.

Does anyone know the maximum number of days we can stay here before we have to leave? I want to to stay here for as long as possible so that we have more time to impress the Aqua-Kin, since our rewards depend on how much we impress them. And if we do a good enough job, that would also convince everyone here that we’re cool and it’ll be a good idea to start trading with everyone back home.

>>1012912
I havent decided how many days, it's taking up a TP though. I was going to do maybe 2-3 updates and then give you a deadline of 2-3 updates, but it depends on the pace I set when I write the next update. I'll make it a little clearer when I update on monday

>>1012923
If we're spending 1 TP in town shouldn't it be around 1/8th of a year? Well, we did have to spend time making the chokers. Perhaps half that is the actual vacation.

Edmango 2021/10/18(Mon)19:03 No. 1013134 ID: afe7de
File 163460899242.png - (7.35KB , 500x500 , SR2_018.png )

> THE SLUDGE
You decide to rest in the sludge. It’s a strange sensation, laying in it. Your body is kept kind of in the middle of it, not floating too high, or too low. You use some of the leaves and upon recommendation get a few stones to lie your head on so that you can keep breathing in the night. It’s not exactly… COMFORTABLE, but it’s not exactly UNCOMFORTABLE either. More a different way of sleeping. Your body is resting in a more natural position though, so you assume this might have some LONG TERM HEALTH BENEFITS if you were to keep at it. The first night’s rest is less restful then you would have wanted. Couple the fact that you’re sleeping somewhere new with using a whole new medium of sleep and you only really sleep for a third of the night. You’re a bit EXHAUSTED, so when you wake up the next day, you decide to take on a lighter task and head to the MISTY CAVERNS.


> THE MISTY CAVERNS
NUBS seems to want to introduce you to a KIN that she knows. FAAN wants to go to the SCHOOL, and PON wants to go to the COOKING GUILD, but he joins you in heading to the MISTY CAVERN for today at NUBS'S insistence. The path is a bit of a ways away from your residence, but it's not that hard to travel there. You decend into the depths of CONSUMA, following some glowing coral used to outline the path and eventually start to see a fine mist forming in front of you as you reach a rather substantially large cavern. It's hard to see exactly, but you put on your goggles and notice that it's even HARDER to see, with small particles of mana infusing with the mist, how strange.

You're led through the place and notice that there's a lot more foliage here then there was in the city proper. Large algae-like vines spread across the room, small streams are scattered about, but you feel a certain RICHNESS from the place. It's RELAXING in a way and you feel yourself lose [1 STRESS] immediately due to the new experience. NUBS talks about this place as you wander, saying it's been around for a while, since before she hatched from her clutch. Occasionally kin would come here to HEAL THEIR BODIES after fighting some of the larger MONSTERS in the sea and would grow stronger. Though the mist has been denser in recent years. You wonder if the AMBIENT MANA is strengthening those that stay here.

Eventually you reach a small cabin, it's made of vines and some sort of shoot you can't recognize. It looks SIMILAR to BAMBOO, but not quite, sharing the sea-green that most of their SEAWEED does. NUBS knocks on the frame and pats the flap made of SEAWEED and a voice inside says that they should GO AWAY, only after hearing that it was her does the kin inside open the door. They at first open the door wide, excited, but they notice you and PON and immediately close the door to just a crack. While the door was open you noticed that they were an AQUA-KIN that seems to share more features with an AXALOTL then the more populous AQUANS like NUBS. His voice is but a whisper but you can make out what he's saying, albeit barely.

???: Who are these KIN???
???: You know I don't like talking to others.
???: And they have… FEATHERS!?!?!?
???: You said you had friends but they have FEATHERS?!?!
Nubs: Clam down bucko, I told you I had friends coming!
Nubs: I even told you the WORD for FEATHERS, cod dang dude.
???: So that’s what feathers look like…
???: Oh, the ones from the other plate?
Nubs: Yep.
???: Okay whell I saw them, bye!
Nubs: Clam on bro, they’re really nice!

He starts talking even quieter to NUBS and now you can only make out every other word.

???: …-e here for a reason…
???: -I- … -ant, I just… ca-
Nubs: -ne step at a time man you ca-
Nubs: past control your fu-

After a while they finish chatting and Nubs walks away from the cabin to YOU and PON.

Nubs: He doesen’t want to come out, he’s uh, real shy?
Nubs: We can just try again lay-tor

[CHARISMA] Looks like they’re a bit more then shy
[UNDERSTANDING] Seems like some things might’ve happened in the past to really SHOCK them into hermitage

Nubs: Ah, right, that’s my brother XOLOTL’RAINAXL SHTEROT, just call em RAIN
Nubs: He’s really a sweetheart just uh, has his own sitch that kinda makes life hard
You: What happened?
Nubs: It’s not really my place to talk about it.
Nubs: There was this incident a long time ago, maybe he’ll open up to ya
Pon: Your hope was since we weren’t from here he could sorta open up a little
Nubs: Yeah, sorry, I’d appreciate it if you could try spending some time here with him occasionally
Nubs: He could use a friend that’s not just me ya know.

You spend the rest of the day wandering around the MISTY CAVERNS, it’s kind of hard to see but you feel rejuvenated as you wander around. The loss of sleep doesn’t bother you as much as you thought as you feel reinvigorated by just being here. And after a day of hiking and exploring you decide to head back. You get the distinct feeling that there’s something here though and decide to come back after you’ve explored the other things you could do.

Edmango 2021/10/18(Mon)19:03 No. 1013135 ID: afe7de
File 163460900613.png - (14.02KB , 500x500 , SR2_019.png )

> THE COOKING GUILD
You sleep in the sludge again, finding sleep easier to come by since you were exhausted last night. You get nearly 2/3 of a night of rest and that’s enough for you to not feel any side effects. You’re half tempted to just sleep in a bed because you’re used to it, but decide to COMMIT to this for at least another day.

In the morning, after eating you decide to give into PON’S begging and head to the COOKING GUILD with NUBS. It’s one of the larger structures in the city, built into a sort of giant PILLAR. There are streams of water streaking out from the sides like small waterfalls. There are also several balconies with various KIN eating and joking scattered about. Outside the guild you see TONS of food stalls, creating a pseudo labyrinth with various meals and cookery. The stalls themselves are made of Seaweed, that BAMBOO-LIKE substance which you find out is just called BAMBOO strangely enough. You don’t question it and are glad for the colloquial similarities so you don’t have to shoehorn in a new word to your vocabulary. One thing you spot that you didn’t before was that most booths serving hot food have a small stone chamber storing some kind of creature. It’s producing HEAT enough to BOIL things or create SMALL OVENS.

These creatures you learn are called FLAME TOADS. They’re amphibious creatures that produce an aura of heat to protect themselves underwater. Catching them in the wild is a slight pain, but breeding and domesticating them is a breeze. They use them to cook their food, but at least half of the stall are serving COLD or ROOM TEMPERATURE FOODSTUFFS. Apparently they live off the scraps of waste and are kept in tanks like the one you remember from your room like pets.

You watch several performances as AQUANS fillet different sealife and make SASHIMI and other SUSHI-LIKE products. You can’t help but wish for some RICE or some kind of GRAIN and would imagine the quality would go up. Maybe you can even find SOYBEANS or SOY SAUCE in another plate.

[SABA’S KN] God damnit Chi you’re making me HUNGRY
[???] That’s the good stuff, dangit me too
[LINK] Man I’m missing some context aren’t I?
[PERSERVERENCE] It’s only okay I guess
[YOU] Wait are you back!?!
[PERSERVERENCE] Nope.
[CURIOSITY] Ooh I smell something sweet

You’re broken from your thought process by the smell of something sweet and savory. One stall in particular sells these small balls made of what look to be some kind of shrimp and powderized onion of some kind. But they’re covered in this sauce that smells to die for. Nubs orders you some and says that this is a more recent creation, pointing at the woman behind the counter and introducing herself as GNARL’PHOEL PUNIEAS. She bows at the introduction and says you may greet her as PUNI.

Puni: I hope you like it, It’s a new recipe I’ve been experimenting with!
Nubs: You gotta let me know the recipe for this sometime!
Puni: Nope! I wanna keep winning some of these CONTESTS after all!

You learn that PUNI has been clearing out the minor COOKING GUILD contests but refuses to participate in the LARGER SCALE ONES as she doesn’t want to give out the recipe. Nubs thinks that this is isn’t very AQUA-KIN-LIKE but shrugs and leads you to the main building. Inside is a large room with various tables and spiraling staircases to other floors. The outer edge is lined in glass with various sea life swimming about. It’s almost like a large aquarium. You even see a few AQUA-KIN children in there playing with the various fish. It’s got a fairly LIVELY atmosphere to it. Inside the booths are various individuals selling COOKBOOKS, handling CONTESTS, and other services that the place provides.

PON signs up for a COOKING CONTEST next week and the judge is both shocked and excited at this, saying that it would be great if their guests to the city could participate. PON says that he’s going to spend the time up to it sampling food and figuring out what different kinds of resources there are. He’s seen various VEGETABLES, SEA-LIFE, MUSHROOMS, and the like, but no GRAINS or FRUITS. Though there are some SWEET DRINKS, he’s unsure where the sugars come from and plans to investigate. He wants to try making some CHILLED FOODS to see how the AQUA-KIN react!

And with that your day comes to a close. You rest up in the SLUDGE again, willing to give it another shot and this time actually get a full night’s rest. At first it wasn’t that comfortable, but after a while you realize that it’s rather cozy. Nostalgic almost. It gives you the feeling of being wrapped in a womb, it’s strange, but other then a weird nagging feeling there doesn’t seem to be any difference between sleeping in the SLUDGE or sleeping in a BED. You try meditating in the sludge, but can’t really focus since you’re too tired from the day’s journey.

The next day you wake up refreshed and plan out your next move.

Where do you go next?

AUTHORS NOTE: Heyo, so I’ve figured out the format of this segment a bit better. For the first part you’ll be exploring 2 locations at a time. We’ll do this 2 more times, which means you won’t get to visit all the locations. After that we’ll be switching to week-long stints of doing single activities. You’ll get 6 1-week-long activities and then there’ll be a closing event as you leave. So there’s around 5-6 updates left in the CONSUMA arc. This isn’t exactly how much time is in a TP, but TP was always an abstract thing anyway and you’ll get to do cool stuff anyway.

After you leave DOPUS, you’ll then be given the opportunity to go back to DOPUS using a TP once a year, but it won’t be as in depth as this, instead you’ll just pick from Dopus specific activities to do and it will act like a normal TP or two depending on how long you spend there. Hope that clears stuff up for ya!

EATING CONTEST, SCHOOL. Let's try to impress people today. I hope the eating contest doesn't give us a level of Gluttony...
I want to go to THE ARCHIVES tomorrow and memorize some of the more useful knowledge there.

JELLYFISH OBSERVATORY (bring Pon and team up to go jellyfishing, see how he hunts. Maybe he might even find something that he can use at the cooking contest there too. Dunno if jellyfish are edible or if we're allowed to take any we caught, but if we can and if they are, try to help him catch some for him, and any other seacreatures that can be used as ingrediants.)

SCHOOL (bring Faan so she can help make a good impression of how wingkin teach in Tengu and we can study how she teaches as a teacher and get some advice on teaching maybe if they let her sub for a bit. Also show off your scripting manuals to some students, give some to aquakin you see potential in so that maybe they'll one day be inspired to come to Tengu to learn more magitech and become an apprentice to you.

Try to find an EATING CONTEST with a sick prize, and visit THE ARCHIVES to memorize some pretty sick info.

Go to the archives and schools with Faan!

If this is solely exploring and we aren't revisiting places yet... then again...

I have a funny feeling about that funny feeling you had about the MISTY CAVERNS. Is it possible to explore deeper than Nubs originally wanted to take us?

And yeah, we've indulged Nubs and Pon; now, it's Faan's turn. Let's go see what their SCHOOL is like.

If MISTY CAVERNS (CONT.) is a no-go, then let's indulge ourselves with an EATING CONTEST. (Though I can see ourselves being PRIDEFUL enough to see ourselves as being suited to the GOURMET identification contests, despite our stats probably giving us slightly better odds for the GOURMAND endurance ones.)

>>1013135
We should catch a MUSICAL PERFORMANCE, Which is something I was too slow to suggest as a feature earlier. For an underwater society it feels like a no-brainer. Theres probably at least one club or amphitheater around, so im picturing lots of dancing, drinks and the like.

Chi should also take the time to do some sketches while shes on this plate. At the very lest it'll be a good gift for someone when we get back, or a display piece for the house.

>>1013135
>2 locations at a time
Let's go to the school with Faan. It'll be interesting to see how they teach here. Just make sure you're respectful of their teaching methods.

Then let's go to an Eating Contest with Faan, Pon, and Nubs. If the Aqua-kin see us all participating, that'll help us with our objective of impressing them.

>>1013135
>[SABA’S KN] God damnit Chi you’re making me HUNGRY
There's an easy fix for that: Let's eat something! Sample some of the local cuisine! It doesn't necessarily need to be an eating contest, but you can do that if you want.

Although, I kinda want to go watch a Sumo wrestling match. It'd be interesting to see how that works. Plus, we might get a chance to train our guile there if they allow betting on who would win.

>>1013185
This

Edmango 2021/10/25(Mon)19:36 No. 1013603 ID: afe7de
File 163521578038.png - (12.16KB , 500x500 , SR2_020.png )

> DOPUS ELEMENTARY
You decide to head to the school with FAAN, NUBS doesn’t join you and instead heads off with PON to sample some food. You see kids ranging from age 8-16 there. It’s in a large building similar to the COOKING GUILD, but each floor is just one large classroom with simply built mats and low to the ground tables. There aren’t any chairs or backrests, which you think is a tragedy, but none of them seem to mind.

FAAN, already familliar with a few of the teachers there, invites you to a few classrooms and you watch their teaching styles as well as teach a small bit yourself. The students are EXTRA CURIOUS about you and your mother, seeing as you’re a completely different race, and you happily answer their questions. You’re offered an opportunity to teach a few WEEK-LONG courses if you like, and you let the teachers know that you’ll think on it. There is one thing though, and it’s that the SHARP TEETH of the AQUANS is extremely apparent in these children. Their smiles stretching across most of their faces. You’ll have to admit it’s a little CREEPY, but you’ve got enough COURAGE to ignore it. None of MALICIOUS in anyway, you understand it to just be them as kids really.

As for the quality, it’s sub par at best. They teach students SCULPTING, LOGIC, ORAL TRADITION, COOKING, AND SURVIVAL, but not much else. It seems the students are mostly expected to learn the basics here and then go out and learn a trade under someone else, be it weaving, working at the guild, or anything else. You think that you could teach a good course on PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING and leave a SMALL IMPACT on that group of kids. FAAN plans to teach a few courses as she really enjoys teaching the YOUNGER STUDENTS and would love to promote visiting TENGU ACADEMY if they can go.

You think on what you’d teach if you were to offer a small class and at the end of the day you go around to various food stalls with PON and NUBS, eating some sort of JELLY that’s very MEATY and FILLING. Almost like a PUDDING, but NOT QUITE.

Edmango 2021/10/25(Mon)19:37 No. 1013604 ID: afe7de
File 163521584550.png - (12.90KB , 500x500 , SR2_021.png )

> EATING CONTEST
The next day, after your rest PON invites you to spectate an EATING CONTEST that he’s signed up for. Having nothing else planned, you join him and NUBS. It’s a cacophony of noises in this ARENA-LIKE place. The eating contest is in a medium sized crater, about 20 meters wide with stairs leading to the bottom and chiseled out seatings for the audience. Apparently places like this are used to host MUSICAL PERFORMANCES, another cherished pass time at CONSUMA.

After taking your seat with NUBS near the front, a other kin start to gather. The seats are around 2/3 filled by the time it starts, some kin wandering over in excitement, wanting to see the performance of a WING-KIN. The contestants line up and seat themselves while several chefs come out of small holes you didn’t notice to the side. You think they’re kitchens or prep-rooms.

Today’s contest is a challenge to crack open and eat the most SHELLFISH. It looks like some sort of CRAB/PRAWN creature, and the smell causes the audience to cheer. You even see a few of the cooks wandering about and handing off some of these creatures on sticks as free snacks. You take one and it tastes SALTY, CHEWY, and a bit SPICY. It’s not a bad combination as tears flow down your cheeks from the spice. You never could handle SPICY FOODS. You wonder how hard it will be to eat as you watch the contestants begin. Some of the AQUA-KIN use their NATURAL WEAPONS to crack open the shellfish to some success, whilst PON surprises the audience by using his beak to just crack them open and his tongue to slurp up the insides.

It’s a fierce competition as the only kin able to keep up with PON is a VERY short AQUA-KIN girl. She looks to be about IGNIS’S height and your age. You find out her name is LILYOG OSTEPH O’GUULA from an audience-member nearby. You shorten it to LILY in your mind for the sake of sanity. On one of her hands is actually a CLAW, she only has three fingers on that hand, but she makes short work of the SHELLFISH, scooping the insides out with her other hand and occasionally giving a wink out to the audience.

After about 20 minutes the contest ends with LILY beating out PON by 2 of the SHELLFISH. The crowd goes wild at this. You guess they REALLY enjoy these kinds of things. LILY ends up getting a BRACELET made of RED CORAL to commemorate her win. PON gets one in BLUE, and in the end the contestants couple up, embrace hands and bow to the audience. You plan to head over to congratulate PON, but it looks like that LILY is FLIRTING with PON, so you leave them alone for a bit.

You get the feeling that you could impress a lot of KIN if you participated in several of these COMPETITIONS. You could definitely PERSEVERE and try to OUT-EAT others, but you’ve never had that big of an appetite. You get the feeling if you do this you could become a little more GLUTTONOUS, but with the amount you exercise, that might mean it’ll go right to your THIGHS and you’ll be fine anyway. You could also instead go to these vents and GAMBLE on the victor, if you WIN BIG it might impress the AQUA-KIN here, but if you lose hard then there might be no effect at all.

After that day’s events you head home and rest up. The next day you feel recharged, what two places or events do you visit next?

AUTHORS NOTE: You can totally revisit places you’ve already been or go to new locations during this phase. Doing so will unlock extra segments or options. This phase is mainly to allow you to get more details on what these locations have in them and what could be gained. When you get to the week-long phase you can also explore stuff you haven’t gone to either, I’ll give you a vague interpretation of what you could get out of it or what skills it would be checking, so don’t worry if you can’t do all the cool things, you can always come back to DOPUS another year.

It's been a couple days so let's go back to MISTY CAVERN and investigate the area, maybe talk to the shy fishfolk again.
Then check out the ARCHIVES.

Gonna vote for Archives again, as well as another visit to the Misty Caverns. Gotta build that bond.

As for potentially teaching the kids, there is one subject that comes to mind. It's definitely been a while, but maybe it's time to brush the dust off those lately unused Art Skills. I'm sure the children would have a lot of fun with it, and you'd get some experience in the types of art that are practiced down here.

Let's go back and visit the hermit. Maybe we can go see a sumo match together!

As for little lessons to teach for a week, hmm... You should treat them to a little of Saba's knowledge. Older adults wouldn't understand, but their minds are open and impressionable! Maybe you can share stories ("myths" and "legends") about really deep sea life, thermal vents and their denizens. Who knows where you'd find those on a worldplate, though. Or maybe share the stories of your own plate?

MISTY CAVERNS: You said you had a strange feeling about the place's depths? It would be best to investigate that and, while you're at it, see how far you can get with RAIN without NUBS there to back you up. To be honest, her presenting you as an obvious ploy to try and get him to socialize probably backfired back there. I think the strategy will be to capitulate immediately to his demands to leave him alone, but gently inform him that you'll be sticking around for a bit. A combination of CURIOSITY, suppressed LONGING, and a simple need to LEAVE HIS HOUSE FOR STUFF will eventually get the better of him. Once it does, just... treat him like a person. No tiptoeing or pity, but no... no CURIOSITY about his situation either, at least to start, however hard that may be. Let him get to know you before you get to know him.

Not sure what else to check out, but a DOJO seems like something you'd be into (and something you could impress people at).

Changing my vote a little

For the first one:

JELLYFISH OBSERVATORY (bring everyone and team up to go jellyfishing, see how Pon hunts. Maybe he might even catch something that he can use at the cooking contest there too. Dunno if jellyfish are edible or if we're allowed to take any we catch, but if we can take some and if they are edible, try to help him catch some jellyfish, and any other sea creatures that can be used as ingrediants. Just be sure to ask if we can keep any jellyfish or seacreatures we catch.

Or

MISTY CAVES (bring Pon and Nubs with you to help get the shy kin to interact with us (support detective Caillou's idea on that bondin method with the shy kin), but also to explore the cavern.
Since we are Wingkin, we can probably fly to areas that the aquakin can't reach, and try to find some ruins in unexplored areas. But mainly, lets see if we can find some creatures when exploring that Pon and Chi can hunt for in the caverns to help Pon find ingrediants.

I want Pob to win the cooking contet, and i feel helping him hunt something in the misty caverns or at the jellyfish observation might be able to help him

For the second thing:

CHELAE DOJO and/or DUEL (bring Pon and Nubs to watch and compete too. It's your turn to compete in something. It'll be nice to use our fighting style from our dojo in a duel without someone trying to break our legs for once, and we'll impress everyone

Or

THE ARCHIVES with Faan, try to find something about mana or runescripting or new teaching techniques. Study whatever you find with Faan qnd have a mother and daughter moment.

Lastly, lets see if Lily can come too, either to the misty caverns, jellyfishing, or duels.

>>1013604
>what two places or events do you visit next?
Go visit Nubs’ brother in the Misty Caverns and see if he’d be willing to explore with you a little. You might need to bring Nubs with you, so that he’ll be more comfortable with having a familiar face nearby. You don’t need to bring Pon with you this time, since he might be more likely to come out with less strangers around.

Honestly, I think you’ve got a decent chance at out-eating others in an eating contest, so you should try entering one to try and impress a lot of Kin.

>>1013604
Enter an eating contest to try and impress the Aqua-kin.

Then go to the archives with Faan to spend some time with her.

>>1013604
Go participate in an eating contest! I'm sure you'll be able to persevere and win!

Then you can go watch a sumo match with Nubs! You can scope out how things work, then next time you can attempt to gamble on who you think will win!

Instead of playing to our strengths of logic and being a smarty-pants, I want to take a risk and do something else! Let's make an attempt at that eating contest!

>>1013634
locking down my votes here to be just going to the MISTY CAVES with Pon and Nubs, and visting the ARCHIVES with Faan. (can't delete my previous post unfortunately.

>>1013935
Supporting

Edmango 2021/11/01(Mon)19:41 No. 1014058 ID: afe7de
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> EATING CONTEST
You know. You totally COULD go check some other stuff out, but you feel a kind of URGE and DESIRE to enter an EATING CONTEST. PON is ESPECIALLY INSISTENT that you do so. PON and NUBS fully support this decision so you sign yourself up for a small one like PON did. You think that you’ll probably have better luck impressing these kin on their own terms, instead of playing the long game and teaching right now. At least thats what you tell yourself as you slowly walk onto the stage in the center of the crater. You’ve given speeches before to KIN in your classes and to students as you teach them, but for some reason word gets around and there’s WAY MORE AQUA KIN then you would have even expected to see here. It’s nearly double the amount PON had and although you’re decently [COURAGEOUS], it’s a bit INTIMIDATING. IT feels really weird to be in this position at all. The MANY EYES on you, but you [INTUIT] that things will be fine, so after some deep breathing and MEDITATION the show begins.

This meal is different this time, it’s some sort of FISH BASED SAUSAGE in some sort of WRAP, it looks to be made of processed GREENS of some kind, you take a nibble just to see and find it to be pleasant and earthy. The SAUSAGE itself is a big PUNGENT but wildly flavorful. You taste more than one type of fish in there that’s for sure, but its somewhat reminiscent of a HOT DOG in flavor. This definitely causes your head to cock to the side as you’ve not met any other KIN who’ve made something like this. You also then ruffle your feathers as you realize this is essentially a HOT DOG EATING CONTEST, only they’re called HOT FISH, which nearly makes you break out into a chuckle. At least, a few of your [STATS] agree that there’s some humor to the situation too.

You request a few CUPS OF WATER, which only one of the others do as well, and when the contest begins, you DIVE IN. To your right, much to your surprise is LILY, she gives you a wink and you realize that there’s also a SPECTACLE part to this show. You have your [PRIDE] and you want to be admired, so you try to SHOW OFF a little bit as you eat, dipping and soaking the food, downing it quicker then a few of the other participants first. This drives up their competitive spirit, but a few don’t pace themselves well and end up quitting earlier then they would have, had they not risen to your PROVOCATION. The contest ends similarly to PON’S. You [PERSEVERED] to the VERY LAST HOT FISH, but had to STOP, lest you vomit out what you’ve already consumed. LILY beat you, but sounds like she’s a very good SPORT as she congratulates you, stating that most others can’t even KEEP UP.

She compliments your PLUMAGE and states that both you and your brother are quite AESTHETICALLY PLEASING. She gives you a wink and goes in for a hug that DEFINITELY lasts longer then it should, even by AQUA-KIN standards, but it’s not unpleasant. She squeezes just a little too tightly though and you let out an embarrassingly loud belch, to which she takes a step back and there’s silence. There’s silence all around you. And then all at once every participant also lets out a belch of varying volumes and the crowd goes absolutely APE-SHIT. You find out later that it’s a GOOD OMEN when something like this happens. She smacks your ass and tells you to put some MEAT on those THIGHS, that you’d look pretty HOT that way as she walks away with a WINK. You FLUSH at that, but it’s not that apparent due to your darker plumage.

You got SECOND PLACE in your first EATING CONTEST
You’ve impressed the crowd, rumors are spreading of your achievement today
You earned a CORAL BRACELET
- They were out of the normal colors, so you got a PINK ONE when asked what you’d like
- You wear it on your ANKLE, as putting it on your WING is a little obstructive
You’ve gained the GLUTTONY STAT
[GLUTTONY] So I know others might see me as bad but like hear me out, food is dope and we should live in DOPUS.
[PRIDE] Welcome aboard compadre!
[ANGER] Why am I the only one that’s demoted from his actual thing!!!!
[CREATIVITY] Maybe it just… sucks to suck?

Edmango 2021/11/01(Mon)19:43 No. 1014060 ID: afe7de
File 163582100074.png - (7.50KB , 500x500 , SR2_023.png )

> RE: MISTY CAVERNS
You head back to the CAVERNS, hoping to either find some creatures to eat, find something unexplored, or befriend RAIN. Nubs joins you and you try to coax RAIN out first. It’s just the two of you, and you see RAIN open the flap just SLIGHTLY more then before, poking his head out. They’re still extremely shy, but you two are able to exchange a few words between each-other.

You mention wanting to EXPLORE THE CAVERNS and, while he seems interested, he hesitates nonetheless. Thinking that he needs MORE TIME to warm up to you before he’s willing to travel anywhere DANGEROUS with you. But he remains silent on what possible DANGERS there are. After splitting from him and walking into the CAVERNS with NUBS, you inquire, and she states that there are some PREDATORS deeper down in the CAVES. Mostly LARGE INSECTOID MONSTERS. Some of them get used in dishes, but they stay away from the MIST in this and many of the OPEN CAVERNS. It scares them.

You make a mental note of that and continue to explore. Your cursory exploration reveals that there are 3 main paths, an UNDERWATER TUNNEL that has not been mapped according to NUBS, the MAIN CATACOMBS, which have many twists and turns, and the SHAFT.

You remark that CATACOMBS had to have been made by SOMEKIN, as it’s in the name and she shrugs, saying that that’s what they’ve always been called and that she has no idea if they were KIN-MADE or not, just that the area used to have more KIN before the MIST started, but she doesn’t have much details other then it started around 20 YEARS AGO.

You ask a bit more details about THE SHAFT and she leads you to what appears to be a large, cavernous void. She says that no one really knows how DEEP it goes, or what’s down there, but that it’s DANGEROUS. She’s heard THINGS down there, and since there’s not much WATER, climbing it’s a PAIN, so they mostly IGNORE it. You make a mental note to investigate at some point in the future, but you’ll definitely need some kind of EQUIPMENT to take rests depending on how deep this goes. You imagine it can’t go THAT FAR down, but this world is STRANGE, and you’ve been surprised before.

You’ve discovered the MISTY CATACOMBS
- There are monsters the deeper you go, but there’s also the potential to get some REALLY GOOD FOOD
You’ve discovered the UNDERWATER TUNNEL
- It goes pretty far and is unmapped
You’ve discovered the MISTY SHAFT
- It’s unknown how deep it is and there are weird noises coming from it
You get the feeling that RAIN will need MORE time to OPEN UP to you and be willing to DO ANYTHING with you.

> WEEK LONG ACTIVITIES
You’ve finished your preliminary snooping, and have now decided to spend more time on each activity going forward. These are the activities you’ve found:

THE ARCHIVES - The records of history and maps of this world-plate
THE WHIRLPOOL OF EYES - a strange whirlpool shaped like two eyes
THE SCHOOL - Teach some young KIN
EATING CONTESTS - Be GLUTTONOUS, show off and impress some KIN
SUMO - Watch them participate in a cultural passtime
CHELAE - Participate in a CONTEST of strength and martial prowess
JELLYFISHING - Go Jellyfishing, get some fish to store in your FISH TANK
DUELS - Challenge someone in an attempt to impress some of the KIN on the plate
MISTY CAVERNS - Spend time with RAIN
MISTY CATACOMBS - Explore a potential dungeon [WARNING, DANGER PRESENT]
UNDERWATER TUNNEL - Explore an uncharted path underwater [WARNING, PREPARATIONS NEEDED]
MISTY SHAFT - Explore a dark, deep hole [UNKNOWN DANGERS PRESENT?]
COOKING GUILD - Learn to cook like a DOPUS resident
MEDITATION - Meditate in the MISTY CAVERN or the SLUDGE
BOND - Spend time with one character specifically, giving them more attention
OTHER - Feel free to write in a suggestion

Your MANDATORY OBJECTIVE has been updated
- You’ve impressed some AQUA-KIN by getting 2ND PLACE in an EATING CONTEST
- Impress more AQUA-KIN to improve your REWARD
REWARDS: Depends on how much you’ve impressed them

You decide to spend 1 WEEK on each action going forward. What TWO ACTIONS do you do next? Your trip to DOPUS will be over in 6 WEEKS.

We will need to watch Pon's cooking contest But other than that,

BOND with Rain, take Nubs

CHELAE, compete in martial arts. bring Pon to compete. Maybe we'll have a brother and sister fight if we're lucky. work off that fat from the eating contest. We might win some weapons to explore more of the misty caverns!

>>1014066

Full agree here. It'll be nice to get into a fighting contest without any risk of the humans rigging it to get you badly injured.

MISTY CAVERNS - Spend time with RAIN
THE ARCHIVES, let's memorize some books.

Time to spend more time with RAIN - he's frickin' adorable (even if it sounds like he's older than us - must be an axolotl thing). Heck, if he's lived here a while, he'd prolly know better than anyone as to which exploration options would be the most interesting for us. Maybe talk more about you first if he has trouble talking about himself - interests, home-plate stories, perhaps even drop an extraordinary ability fact on him if it looks like he'll be impressed by it.

Second, let's start working on the SCHOOL. Getting that far in a contest is good as far as one-and-done impressions go, so we should start focusing on the slow-burn option that'll also go towards helping the plate. Hmm, they already learn stuff that'd help them understand the RUNESCRIPTING BASICS, though that's a bit advanced for younger folks, especially with such a narrow timeframe... But hey, what's the harm of laying down a basic manual as an optional challenge over the total time of your stay? Maybe teach a class that helps them achieve that challenge as a consequence? (If it's just on the elementary level, you could try teaching GENERAL CREATIVITY as a separate thing from direct skills.)

>>1014060
>2 actions
I think we should compete in one of those martial arts things. But if we’re gonna compete, then we should meditate to pick our Combat Style, since we can only switch it when meditating. I personally think we should switch over to our Capoeira Fighting Style, but I’d like to hear what everyone else thinks about that.

I think our next action after that should be to continue bonding with Rain.

>>1014066
>We will need to watch Pon's cooking contest
Yeah, we definitely don’t want to miss that!

I'm still voting Mind and Body.
On the subject of meditation, I'm thinking the Mind as One technique will be more useful than we thought. We can strengthen aspects and have them guard us in the mist.

The school and Rain.

>>1014060
>You’ve impressed some AQUA-KIN
We should try getting in the spotlight more, so that everyone will be more likely to notice us.

Let's go do some Chelae!

Afterwards, we can take it easy and go to the Archives to study what's there.

>>1014060
CHELAE! Its a good learning experience and shuould further one of our GOALS, and if we do well it should be impressive.

MISTY CAVERNS! Maybe we could invite Rain to meditate with us and Nubs?

You should definitely try dating both Nubbs and Lily while you're here. Maybe not at the same time.

>>1014115
I already voted in favor of RAIN, but yeah, MEDITATION seems like something he'd get a lot of peace of mind from, not to mention something he has a lot of FREE TIME for even when we're not there.

Chelae versus claws should be an interesting matchup. And don't forget to give lessons at the school with Faan!

>>1014058
>Lily tells you to put some MEAT on those THIGHS, that you’d look pretty HOT that way
She's right, you definitely would look pretty hot with some more meat on your thighs!

>What do?
Go to the Archives and go watch a Sumo match!

>>1014067
We could still get badly injured since we don't have any natural weapons that can break off and grow back like everyone else does!

>>1014060
Participate in some Chelae. Then go relax by watching the cultural passtime of Sumo.

>>1014229
>She's right, you definitely would look pretty hot with some more meat on your thighs!
I agree.

>>1014315
All of this

Let's go do some Chelae.

And I'm not sure what the next action should be so I guess we could go watch some Sumo to see what that's all about.

>>1014229
>you'd look pretty hot with some more meat on your thighs!
Fully agree with this.

Edmango 2021/11/08(Mon)18:15 No. 1014532 ID: afe7de
File 163642411387.png - (10.81KB , 500x500 , SR2_024.png )

> THICC THIGHS
There’s a near RAUCOUS agreement from nearly all of your [STATS] as you reflect on that day’s passing. It’s kind of surprising because they mostly don’t chime in on that sort of thing. Though now that you think about it having some thicker thighs means there’s more to turn into muscle which you could use to crush some heads if the need to fight arises. A few [STATS] try to chime in and correct you but are silenced by the others saying that this is the more wholesome way to think about it.

> Dating?
You were thinking of trying to date WILLIAM or IGNIS first, but maybe it won’t be a bad idea to get a test date on with NUBS or LILY just in case, SABA ever really DATED, so you’re really lacking in the field. You know they wouldn’t mind so long as you gave them a fair chance later. Maybe after some test dates you’d be more willing to expand out, dating more then just 2 kin at a time, really build that HAREM of pets, uh you mean lovers, yeah definitely the second one.

> PON’S COOKING CONTEST
You head off to see that first and it’s a pretty big deal, bigger then the eating contest. He signed up for a MEDIUM DIFFICULTY one, as he’s not that confident in his cooking skills to go for a HARD one, but thinks he’s way better then EASY. The contest is a general one that only requires the use of a single SPECIAL INGREDIENT, with the rest being left up to the participants. There’s a series of 8 mini kitchens made and lined up in a large STADIUM. The crowd is actually fully packed and in PON’S area you see a LARGE FREEZER, it looks like he made one using the supplies he had and even put in a lot of chilling plates, maybe he plans to FLASH FREEZE some food just in case he doesn’t have time to let them freeze normally?

Of the contestants participating you notice a familiar face, PUNI. Her setup is small and simple. The rest of the participants arrive and the Judges enter the stage. They announce that the objective is to create a SIGNATURE DISH for the JUDGES and then to create as many SMALL SAMPLES as they can for the audience should they have some free time. Apparently the more small dishes they can make to appease the crowd, the more support they give as the JUDGES occasionally take the AUDIENCE REACTION into consideration with the judging. You see that PON has a sparkle in his eye at that.

The secret ingredient announced is an absoutely massive pile of FISH EGGS. Apparently these are from a certain fish that tends to lay thousands of palm sized eggs that the first fish to hatch would then eat and grow to a massive size. They have a high SUGAR CONTENT and are fairly sweet. You can see PON wing pumping with excitement as he you imagine he’s coming up with a PON-POP recipe in the moment.

The contest begins and ends within an hour of tense rushing around, cooking, using of tools, and after a few testings a horn is blown to signify the end. Pon has made PON POPS by mixing the juice of the eggs with WATER, and several different smaller minced forms of SEA LIFE that he cooked in an attempt to bring a more DOPUS flavor to the pops. You regret never mentioning SHAVED ICE to PON as that might have led to an easier creation, and remind yourself to throw the idea at him at a later date. He presents the judges with his POPs and is met with gasps, one of them seems hesitant to lick the cold pop, but after a while finds it to be both SWEET and SAVORY, biting the ice with their sharp teeth and asking about it and the process.

PUNI on the other hand made her little SHRIMP BALLS, which were met with praise, but not as much as PON’S was. The participants then spread their samples to the crowd, PON of course having the most to share, being able to give enough out to around 1/3 of the crowd before running out. His FLASH FREEZER came in quite handy and you inwardly praise his ingenuity. The crowd munches it and they let out pleasurable moans, some complain about aching in their head from the cold and eating it too fast but remark that it’s a UNIQUE flavor they haven’t experienced before that they thoroughly enjoy.

In the end PON is the champion and is awarded a basket of those EGGS that were used, should he want to make more food. He’s elated to try EXPERIMENTING with them. PUNI wins second place but you can tell even from a distance she is NOT HAPPY and while she does congratulate PON and hug him as is the norm, you can tell that she is fairly upset.

Pon has THUROUGHLY IMPRESSED those present in the cooking contest
A new activity has been unlocked: PON-POPS - CONSUMA BRANCH
- Earn some PEARLS by making PON-POPS with him and establishing a SEASONAL BUSINESS here in DOPUS
- Pon will be preoccupied with this and more COOKING CONTESTS unless you ask him to join you on something else

Edmango 2021/11/08(Mon)18:15 No. 1014533 ID: afe7de
File 163642414239.png - (13.20KB , 500x500 , SR2_025.png )

> CHELAE
You decide to participate in the COMBATIVE PASSTIME that the citizens of CONSUMA prefer. You sign up for a tournament and at first they decline you, but you motion that you can just apply the same rules to you, if they break your WEAPON, the STONE CLAWS, you’re out. They think this is reasonable so you participate. You also talk to some CRAFTSMEN and they make you a few extra STONE CLAWS free of charge, excited to learn how to make a new DEVICE and for you to participate.

You fight with the MIND AND BODY style you’ve been developing and your CLAWS and the first thing you note is that these AQUANS are FIERCE. You’re more used to a sort of SLOWER PACED and TACTICAL fight as how most other KIN you’ve trained with do. Fights are BRIEF, but but CALCULATED, leading to your impression that they’re SLOWER PACED. But the way that they fight here on DOPUS is so different you’re caught off guard. They fight with such an intense FEROCITY and what feels like MADNESS almost. You squeak your way through to the SEMI-FINALS with your skills, kind of unnerved by just how GOOD they are at fighting, maybe their NATURAL WEAPONS and TENDENCY TO HUNT WILD SEALIFE gives them a natural COMBATIVE EDGE. You shake off the tension and look to your opponent. They’re BIG, you refuse to believe they’re your age, but this is a YOUTH’S bracket after all. In their right arm is a massive claw and they speak in a slow, booming voice as they greet you and welcome the challenge. You do the same and begin again.

It’s CLAW vs CLAW, one on your feet and one in his hand as he moves with a surprising level of FLUIDITY given his STATURE. You can feel your CLAWS cracking with each kick, but notice his CLAW is not better off. You can feel the tension in the air, smell the blood from occasional scraps but you also feel a certain moment of FREEDOM in it all as you enter a FLOW state and feel yourself improve ever so slightly in your CLAW as it shatters and you fall to the ground defeated.

The large man introduces himself as Hein’grek Olgoth Himlturgen, saying that his friends just call him TURG and that you fight well. You’re happy you could actually fight for once and get in the zone without fearing that you’d BREAK A LIMB and hug the man as is tradition. The crowd celebrates as you only just now tune in and notice that everyone’s eyes were on your fight. Unfortunately you didn’t win the tournament but those watching felt the PASSION from your fight and you can see their gaze towards you all changing ever so slightly for the better.

You met a worthy foe, your CLAW SKILL has improved to rank 6
The crowd was impressed by your FEROCITY and wonders if other kin from the other plates are like you

> THE MISTY CAVERNS III
You head back to the place, you want to try to BOND with RAIN, but they’re making it hard, so you visit briefly every day with NUBS and have small conversations at first. In your free time you MEDITATE instead, feeling rejuvenated in the MIST. Your mind keeps feeling distracted by RAIN and your attempts to talk to him, so you don’t make much progress, but do work a little on your HALLS OF KNOWLEDGE.

One day you see RAIN beside you, the mist is ESPECIALLY THICK so you can’t even make out much details other then that it’s him. He asks what you’re doing and you mention that it’s MEDITATION, describing the practice and it’s benefits. He asks to join you so you guide him through the process.

On the last day of the week he mentions that you don’t have to keep doing this, forcing yourself to spend time with him, but you mention that it’s nice to get away from the bustle of DOPUS and to be in a QUIET PLACE, plus the MIST feels good. He pulls his coat up higher on his face as he departs back to his cabin, his expression unreadable.

You’ve made progress on your HALLS OF KNOWLEDGE
- HALLS OF KN COMPLETION - 35%

RAIN is opening up to you a little more, you’ve gained a new activity.
GUIDED MEDITATION - Teach RAIN to MEDITATE
- He seems interested, but slow to grasping the process, it might take a while.

Your MANDATORY OBJECTIVE has been updated
- You’ve impressed some AQUA-KIN by reaching the SEMI-FINALS of a CHELAE TOURNAMENT
- PON THOROUGHLY IMPRESSED some AQUA-KIN by winning a medium difficulty COOKING CONTEST
- Impress more AQUA-KIN to improve your REWARD

What TWO ACTIONS do you do next? Your trip to DOPUS will be over in 4 WEEKS.

We have to stop by the Archives at some point, and now seems as good a time as any.

Aside from that, why don't we try Jellyfishing? It may be a good way to impress more kin, potentially improve our speed, and really just have a good time.

Spend some time with the mother and daughter bonding

Check the ARCHIVE with FAAN. See if the have info on the misty caverns locations such as the misty catacombs or MISTY shift. Maybe we might find a scripting manual, except in stone tablet form instead of paper form? Study the history of dopus with FAAN as well for bonding

Either that or

SCHOOL with FAAN
Impress the students, teach the class about Tengu and its culture, some drawing skills, or maybe give them some scripting manuals. We brought our runescripting materials, it'd be a shame for them to go to waster. Help them solve it, and treat it like a fun puzzle game for them. Who knows, one of them might get so interested, they'd want to learn more and study abroad at our world plates' tengu university. Ask Pon if you can Bring the CHIller to show them what runescripting can do (with pon pops) to get them motivated

Leaning more towards ARCHIVES

For the second activity

GUIDED MEDITATION WITH RAIN
we only got 4 weeks left, so lets spend time trying to teach him as a bonding activity, especially since it said it'll take awhile. It will be the best way to LINK with him too before we leave DOPUS

> HIGH PRIORITY
GUIDED MEDITATION WITH RAIN. We've thoroughly impressed the populace; it's time to focus on our other goal, and getting this poor sweet boy on the road to some peace of mind will make all the difference.

> LOW PRIORITY
If we can't double up on BONDING WITH RAIN, let's run a TEACHING GIG on the side - assuming that their public education is solely at the elementary level, we could teach GENERAL CREATIVITY alongside their preexisting LOGIC course and work them into each other using a BASIC MANUAL as an overarching challenge you can leave behind for them to solve. (Something tells me that the alien and unintuitive ways of thinking needed for it will come easier for the kids of DOPUS than it did for those of the more structured systems of TENGU.)

Don't leave school to the very last minute! Teach at school, stick with Rain. Time to try teaching meditation.
Maybe Turg's worth a link. You'll both grow stronger and you could even spar again mentally!

GUIDED MEDITATION - Teach RAIN to MEDITATE
THE ARCHIVES

>>1014533
Let's keep trying to teach Rain how to meditate.

Then we can head over to the Archives to learn more about this place.

>>1014533
Go watch a Sumo match and teach meditation to Rain!

>>1014532
>The crowd munches it and they let out pleasurable moans some complain about aching in their head from the cold and eating it too fast but remark that it’s a UNIQUE flavor they haven’t experienced before that they thoroughly enjoy.
It’s good to see that, despite experiencing a brain freeze, everyone enjoyed Pon’s food!

>PUNI wins second place but you can tell even from a distance she is NOT HAPPY and while she does congratulate PON and hug him as is the norm, you can tell that she is fairly upset.
……why do I feel like Puni is going to challenge Pon to a Cooking Duel?

>Pon will be preoccupied with making Pon-pops and more Cooking Contests
Ask Pon if he’d want someone to taste test his food before he tries to use them in the cooking contests? Because you’re willing to volunteer as a taste tester for him!

>>1014533
>progress with Rain
Yay! He’s opening up to us!

>Next 2 actions?
We obviously need to continue trying to bond with Rain! Since he’s interested in our meditating, we can use that as a way to bond with him.

After that, we really should go check out the Archives to try and learn more about Dopus.

>>1014727
This

Edmango 2021/11/15(Mon)17:04 No. 1015268 ID: afe7de
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> THE ARCHIVES
You decide to spend some time in the ARCHIVES. It’s a public place where anyone is welcome to come and look at the knowledge kept there by their ancestors. You see a few AQUANS wandering around, keeping the documents DUST-FREE and in good condition, and they let you know to ask them if you need to look for something in particular, though they don’t have much. You thank the ARCHIVIST who names themselves as FLOWFLOWFLOW FLOW FLOWFLOW, but says you can call her FLOW. You kind of reel back at that name and how it doesn’t really follow the established naming conventions of the others but you just proceed to read through what you can, ignoring whatever that was. It’s all written in CANON which makes our job of understanding it easier and FAAN joins you, curious about this as well.

The history of DOPUS starts off dark, they spawned in these caves in CONSUMA and there was the constant threat of MONSTERS, however there’s mention of [GUARDIANS], large creatures similar to the AQUANS that trained and raised them for some 40 years before they vanished one day. They taught them CANON, how to HUNT and FORAGE, but not much else. Just enough so they could get started. This led to the development of their civilization and the activities they loved. They practiced their HUNTING via CHALAE, their COOKING via CONTESTS to attempt to feed the GUARDIANS, and hunts to prove themselves. Since they had extremely powerful beings protecting them they never became too GREEDY and PRIDEFUL. They became welcoming of those of their ilk and those that could communicate and pride FOOD and COMMUNITY above all else as they lived in a DARK PLACE. It took them until fairly recently to reach the surface and the first kin they met were the HUMANS. Unfortunately the humans saw them as UNINTELLIGENT FOOD at first and this led to immediate conflicts. The rest is rather recent, some mention of who the leaders were and their foodie accomplishments, but nothings been recorded for around 40 years. An ARCHIVIST tells you that they update the records every 50 YEARS due to the lack of LONG LASTING MATERIALS and the space required to hold all these STONE PLATES. Plus, not as not much happens down here of note. Though they mention that might change as they eye you excitedly.

You turn your attention to the most interesting bit of info, the [GUARDIANS]. Unfortunately all imagery surrounding the [GUARDIANS] is scratched, destroyed, or otherwise obscured so you only know they looked SIMILAR to an AQUA-KIN. The maps show a pretty good understanding of the plate itself from an underwater point of view by a HUGE MAP that is engraved on the wall. There are some LARGE GAPS as those places have MASSIVE CHASMS from which very few kin dare to venture. You notice one place in particular however is denoted by several SKULLS. More then any other place on the plate. You ask a few of the ARCHIVISTS about it and they mention that it’s an IVORY PALACE filled with TRAPS in the first room one can enter. It’s killed many kin who enter it so it has become a FORBIDDEN ZONE. You think this must be a RUIN, you ask if there’s AIR there and they confirm the entrance is a DOME of AIR that one can breathe in.

Your mind accelerates and your [STATS] begin communicating. You want to go, no, NEED to go. But the problem is expeditions take a while, and you have to go back soon. It’s deep and since no humans have come here it’s doubtful they’ve found it or gone to it, but you never know. You mention this to PON, FAAN, and NUBS and they state that maybe you should speak with the ROYALS back at your WORLDPLATE and HERE before venturing in. It’s DANGEROUS, but also could be fruitful for BOTH NATIONS. You contemplate this as you continue your vacation.

You’ve discovered what you assume to be an ANCIENT RUIN
- You could potentially visit, however you are SORELY UNDERPREPARED
You’ve memorized the history of DOPUS
- There’s nothing left in the archives for you to search through

Edmango 2021/11/15(Mon)17:05 No. 1015270 ID: afe7de
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> THE MISTY CAVERNS IV
You spend the week teaching RAIN the basics of MEDITATION, you’re not able to get any active progress in, but you do feel twinges of… SOMETHING coming from RAIN. Unfortunately the MIST is so dense that when you use your GOGGLES you don’t see anything other then the dense MANA of the area. You get the distinct feeling he spends a lot of time IN HIS HEAD and doesn’t like to talk too much. Or maybe fears the way his words will come out, or maybe even fears the construct of socializing with someone he doesn't know intimately like NUBS.

What’s even stranger is as you watch him practice you sometimes notice the mist get DENSER and SPARSER. Both your [INTUITION] and your [UNDERSTANDING] tell you that some thing’s up but you get that you can’t just ASK this question. Your [CURIOSITY] is practically screaming at you to investigate this, it’s strange it’s cool, it could be an INNATE SKILL, or it could be MAGIC, true, actual MAGIC and not MAGITECH.

You hold back your [CURIOSITY] for now and remain professional, but you need a break from RAIN. You only have a few weeks left, and while you COULD spend more time with him, it’s almost MORE STRESSFUL to be near a mystery you can’t pry at or pick apart. You’re PATIENT, but you don’t know if you’re THAT PATIENT yet. Originally you were just hoping to be a friend, but now you sense there’s something more, and who knows, maybe you can help if they’re having problems. You feel a desire to [LINK] with them or something and SHOW OFF, or wait, maybe that’s [PRIDE] talking.

In the end he thanks you for sticking through with him. He’s slowly getting the hang of this MEDITATION stuff, and he even says he might be a little sad when you leave.

You’ve made progress in teaching RAIN some MEDITATION
- If you chose to hang out with RAIN again before you leave you have to ask
- either ONE QUESTION, share ONE SECRET, or REFRAIN.
- Here are some example questions:
ASK HIM ABOUT THE MIST
ASK HIM ABOUT HIS PAST
TELL HIM ABOUT YOUR INNATE SKILLS
TELL HIM ABOUT PAST LIVES
OTHER [user input but it must be SIGNIFICANT]
- If you chose to REFRAIN and just teach him and try to BOND you will take 3 STRESS
- You get the feeling asking the WRONG QUESTION might slow your progress or cause it to go back a few steps

You feel like you are VERY CLOSE to gaining a BOND with RAIN

What TWO ACTIONS do you do next? Your trip to DOPUS will be over and a GRAND FAREWELL FEAST will be held.

You also remember something, it’s been on your mind but you never said anything about it. You had the feeling of BEING FOLLOWED at one point BEFORE entering Dopus but dismissed it. Now might be a good time to BRING THAT UP and potentially spend a week PREPARING just in case. But your [INTUITION] doesn’t feel like anything is wrong, so you could also PASS on that.

>>1015270
You bet your ass we're gonna try to complete that BOND with Rain and finish his meditation training.
Share a secret. That's the key to friendship right? Tell him about your innate skills. Maybe if you develop Link enough you could talk to him even when you're apart!

Also, prepare for there to be trouble on the trip out. Your Intuition isn't perfect, we can't rely exclusively on it.

...huh, did we not wind up spending much time with Nubs?

> 1st Action
Yeah, complete that BOND WITH RAIN. In this case, I believe TELL HIM ABOUT YOUR INNATE SKILLS is the play here. He's isolated himself in conjunction with (or perhaps because of) having some ability that he only has one person he can confide in about (unlike our friend support circle). We're the first to do the confiding; he isn't as likely to take offense. He may see us as "like him," and he might feel a sense of solidarity with us. LINK specifically will provide a possibility to continue where you left off even if you don't end up visiting again, as long as you work at the distance problem from both ends (assuming he's learned enough to practice on his own, at least). Finally, while we shouldn't expect it, the best-case scenario is that he'll feel the need to reciprocate our confidence and let us in on what his deal is, on top of everything else. (I can't stress this enough; we are not entitled to this info, even if getting it would be awesome.)

> 2nd Action
We can help two birds with one stone if we SOCIALIZE WITH THE ROYAL FAMILY. We can report what we (generally) know of regarding the ruins, plus our hope to venture in at some point. Then, we can include them when we huddle around to discuss that feeling of being followed and what to do about it (if anything).

Definitely SHARE A SECRET WITH RAIN, though I'll let others decide whether our PAST or our ABILITIES are a better secret to share. The key point is we don't want to be seen to pry.

See if you can get a meeting with the LEADERS here and talk to them about the ancient ruin. Tell them you want to talk to your own ROYALS and maybe organise an expedition. See what they think about the idea.

Tell him about your link. But definitely, before you leave Dopus, go to the school with Faan! Maybe you can teach them about the history you just memorized and fill in any gaps they might still have! Or maybe it'd be safer to stick to something new like the history of your own plate.

I think intuition says we are fine because we didn't bring William or Ignis, or anyone else royal here, just our [LINKED] bro Pon and mother. If we did bring them, Canus might give us a hard time going back home. But we didn't bring them, so we be fine. Might be wise to let them know our concern regardless, but I don't think we need to be super protective, otherwise we'd look suspicious in Canus.

1st action: DON'T meditate with Rain, it'll bring up stress we dont need, and we want to relax this time. I think if he practices on his own, he'll figure it out like Chi did.
Instead, just chill with him. Only let him know of our secret innate abilities. It may make him interested in linking with us, which we should do.

Oh yeah, BRING HIM A TASTY PON POP!

2nd action, One last chance to impress the citizens here, go to school with FAAN, teach them stuff you know like Tengu world plate, and a little bit of runescripting to impress the students.

For the goodbye ceremony, mention the ruins and being interested in exploring and making arrangements with the tengu royals.

>>1015270
>actions
Let’s continue teaching meditation to Rain and we should reveal a secret to him by telling him about our innate skills. Hopefully he’ll want to form a Link with us if we tell him about this.

>You had the feeling of BEING FOLLOWED at one point BEFORE entering Dopus but dismissed it. Now might be a good time to BRING THAT UP and potentially spend a week PREPARING just in case.
Better to be safe than sorry. Let’s bring this up and make some preparations.

This means we’re potentially only getting 1 action this time, but I feel this is important, so giving up an action is worth it.

>But your [INTUITION] doesn’t feel like anything is wrong, so you could also PASS on that.
Your Intuition isn’t perfect.

>>1015330
>DON'T meditate with Rain, it'll bring up stress we dont need, and we want to relax this time.
You might want to check again because that’s not what the update says will happen.

The update says we’ll only gain stress if we choose to REFRAIN and we DON’T ask a question or reveal a secret to Rain. So as long as we do one of those, we will NOT gain stress.

Ask about the Mist.

>>1015270
Meditate with Rain and tell him about our skills.

Then spend a week to prepare, just in case something happens during our trip home.

Obviously Spend some more time with Rain. Either our skills or our past lives is fine.

2nd thing tho, More CHELAE. Now that were more used to how they fight, I think we could do better this time.

>>1015270
Yeah, let's finish making a bond with Rain. Once we bond with him, we'll have to ask if he'd be willing to make a Link with us.

Then I guess we can spend a week preparing for the trip home.

>Your trip to Dopus will be over and a Grand Farewell Feast will be held.
Awesome! Make sure you eat as much as you can so you can enjoy the food as much as possible! It's going to be a while before you'll be able to come back to Dopus for a visit.

>>1015533
Oh, yeah! This seems like a great venue to discuss that stuff about the RUINS and the FEELING OF BEING FOLLOWED.

And yeah, not changing my vote (>>1015286), but an added benefit of telling RAIN about our INNATE ABILITIES is that if we want to ask him to LINK WITH US in the same TP (last chance before the end) with his CONSENT, we kinda have to actually tell him about its existence. XD

I agree with everyone saying we should bond with Rain and prepare for our trip home.

>>1015533
>Awesome! Make sure you eat as much as you can so you can enjoy the food as much as possible! It's going to be a while before you'll be able to come back to Dopus for a visit.
I agree with this. Make sure you enjoy the food!

Edmango 2021/11/22(Mon)18:19 No. 1015829 ID: afe7de
File 163763397349.png - (11.45KB , 500x500 , SR2_028.png )

> WHATEVER HAPPENED TO NUBS?
She’s been right by you in most of the events! She cheered you on during the CHELAE competition, was there to sample the PON-POPS, and you had BREAKFAST with her every day. She only really abstained from the more BORING places like the ARCHIVES and SCHOOL. You can tell that she’s very happy you got to come to her home and get a taste of what her life and her people are like!

Your bond with NUBS has increased twice to RANK 5!
- Nubs TRUSTS you
- Nubs APPRECIATES the effort you put into trying out her culture
- Nubs might be willing to do slightly unreasonable things for you
- You can request any number of favors from her but she might ask for some in return
- You feel a bit GLUTTONOUS and COMFORTABLE when you think of her
- Your INTUITION thinks that LINKING with her might be a good idea

> THE MISTY CAVERNS V - OPENING UP
You don’t train RAIN on MEDITATION this time and instead try to talk to him a little. He’s rather silent for the most part, so you take the lead and talk a bit about yourself. There’s lots of things you could cover, so you chose something simple. You talk a bit about your life and briefly mention that you can [UNDERSTAND] things better than others. You call this an [INNATE SKILL] and he cocks an eyebrow at you, not sure if you’re telling the truth. You say it’s prerequisite is that you have enough knowledge in a subject to connect the dots, but it gives you more information then most would.

For example, you reply that this fog is MANA DENSE, but you can’t tell it’s source even with your equipment. It MUST be coming from somewhere, and if it’s natural, it could even be used to fuel technologies to improve the life and livelihood of those who live here. You can tell he’s becoming uncomfortable at this line of dialog and pause, waiting for him to speak or for you to continue.

It takes several long minutes before he briefly mentions there was an INCIDENT when he was younger, something happened and he caused a TREASURED LOCATION some major damage inadvertently. But that turned this space into what it is today, so he says that maybe it’s a blessing in disguise, no one knows.

Your [STATS] kick into overdrive in attempt to analyze this information, it’s the most that you’ve gotten and you’re definitely greedy for more info. You intuit that they potentially caused the effect, but are unsure as to how. You’re also not sure what TREASURED LOCATION was damaged, if it’s these CAVERNS, or if it’s somewhere else. You get the feeling he knows more, even if he’s not sure exactly of the details and mechanics behind it, but you can tell by the fact that he’s not running away that he’s at least not uncomfortable with this line of dialog now. He seems to be TRAUMATIZED by something, and you get the idea that this INCIDENT was probably worse then he just described. You share a PON-POP in the silence that remains.

You made no progress on BONDING with RAIN but you think you [UNDERSTAND] them a bit better.

Edmango 2021/11/22(Mon)18:20 No. 1015831 ID: afe7de
File 163763403836.png - (12.18KB , 500x500 , SR2_029.png )

> TALK TO THE ROYALS
You decide to talk to the leaders of CONSUMA and explain your WORRIES on being followed, your and your PLATE’S potential INTEREST in the RUIN, and talks of DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS.

> DOPUS APPROVAL RATING - A LITTLE IMPRESSIVE
They take a bit of time to talk to the populous and you find that there’s a significant chunk of the population that has had their CONCERNS ALLEVIATED over your kind.

You took 2ND PLACE in an EATING CONTEST which is no small feat for many kin on the plate
PON started a small business and played by the plate’s rules and everyone really enjoys his meals.
PON won a cooking contest using ingredients from the plate
You participated in a CHELAE tournament and whilst you didn’t win, you put up a valiant and respectable effort
Your mother improved upon many of the educational systems in place and while it isn’t as popular as the other things, that is a respectable and appreciated gesture, as she did it free of charge.

They say that they were honestly not expecting you to MAKE A SHOW of yourselves and attempt to ingratiate yourselves into their culture but they appreciate the fervor that you went at it, even if it was potentially motivated by external factors.

They inform you that they would be more than happy to initiate DIPLOMACY between their plates, however they voice that they are concerned about the members of CANUS and the HUMANS interfering in said diplomatic procedures, as after you informed them of your worries they noticed MOVEMENT near the entrance of the PLATE. A small party of what appears to be DIPLOMATS or WARRIORS of some kind. They number just 4 individuals, but radiate an aura of intensity, and all of them are HUMANS.

You squint your eyes at that, now practically confirming your concern. You request a potential increase in GUARDS, at least until you can take to the SKIES in CANUS, after which you doubt they’ll be able to catch up. It’s kind of hard to pretend you’re not a WING-KIN coming out of the sea with a bunch of AQUANS, though you could also attempt to leave at NIGHT, however MORE DANGERS might occur then. After a bit of deliberation you all decide to bring a few GUARDS, just enough to double your number against the 4 in case something were to occur.

Negotiations with the LEADERSHIP of DOPUS were a rousing success
- You’ve gained TEMPORARY GUARDS that will follow you until you take flight on the other side of the TUNNEL
- You’ve prepared your crew for a potential encounter, and cannot be SURPRISED on your trip back
- A member will be added to your party to initiate DIPLOMATIC DISCUSSIONS upon return

Edmango 2021/11/22(Mon)18:20 No. 1015832 ID: afe7de
File 163763405185.png - (11.29KB , 500x500 , SR2_030.png )

> FAREWELL FEAST
On the night before taking your leave of the plate you are welcomed to a rather large feast held in the same crater that you participated in the EATING CONTEST in. You see various kin that you met and discussed things with.

TURG is there and you have a friendly spar with him, besting him, but you’re unsure if he put in his full effort.
LILY comes and is very touchy with both you and PON, there’s even a moment where she drags PON away briefly and he comes back VERY flushed, whilst LILY looks absolutely EXSTATIC.
Several children surround FAAN saying that they’ll miss their COOL FEATHERED TEACHER a lot.
PUNI caters the event but seems to still be bitter over her LOSS to PON.
RAIN wishes you well, but does not leave the CAVERN.
ARBOLETH SHALLOT then gives a toast to all of you and gives you a gift of FREEZE DRIED FISH, PEARLS, and a few small WRAPPED PARCELS, saying that he hopes you enjoyed your time here and that you’ll stop by again and remember them by these gifts.

Everyone then BURPS in unison, including yourselves and you all laugh, having enjoyed the time you had. Though you’ve definitely PUT ON A FEW POUNDS, specifically in the THIGH region. You imagine you can just WORK IT OUT and then they’ll be TOUGHER THEN EVER though and your [STATS] sigh as you still don’t get it.

> LEAVING THE PLATE - COMPLICATION
As you leave the plate you do a routine check to make sure that everyone has their CHOKERS and come to find out that YES, everyone did, however FAAN, not knowing how to use it properly, had accidentally used up the full charge. You secretly pull out your second CHOKER and present it to her, saying you planned for this eventuality.

The trip back up is just as interesting and mysterious. The darkness consuming you as you leave the well light CONSUMA and enter the inky blackness. But then all too soon you start seeing the bright seawater dyed by the sky and you reach the surface. After a bit of assistance you all take to the skies after packing your equipment up and head off to the ENTRANCE, some of your remaining supplies still in tow behind your RETINUE OF GUARDS.

> HUMANS AT THE TUNNEL I
You head to the TUNNEL and the four individuals can be seen loitering in front of it, blocking your way out. All four of them are humans and they appear to be wearing SILK FINERY AND ROBES, disguising what they wear underneath. However your [UNDERSTANDING] picks up a few things from the creasing of their robes. One is wearing METAL ARMOR, and is not moving much to prevent it from making noise. Another has a LONG ROD of some sort barely poking out of their back. The rest of them are obscured but you assume them to be armed.

You’re still a fair distance away from them, walking whilst the guards swim beside you just below the surface and the 4 don’t seem to have spotted you. A tan skinned and bearded man sits dazing around, apparently bored. You can approach this situation however you like and several of your [STATS] pipe up with ideas.

[GUILE] You could gather the fish and pretend you’re traveling FISHERMEN
[GUILE] Though the DOPUS kin might be harder to disguise through that lie
[PRIDE] You could just have the guards come out, make them leave, and then sneak on by when they’re distracted
[LOGIC] The bearded man seems to be their leader, or hated by the rest
[LOGIC] I assume he’d try to talk to you if you went up to him
[PERCEPTION] There’s no one around, where’s NUBS’S GUARD?
[ATHLETICISM] You can carry NUBS and PON can carry the DIPLOMAT easy
[STRATEGY] You think they could have backup?
[CREATIVITY] Okay what if
[CREATIVITY] Give them CHOKERS, entice them to go down
[CREATIVITY] But have a guard stay behind and give them orders to take a LONG ASS TIME taking them back
[CREATIVITY] So the POWER runs out, they nearly drown and pass out, you leave them on the shore, they’re left confused
[LOGIC] That’s extremely convoluted, why not just shove them in a cave somewhere and take away the chokers and keep em
[LOGIC] imprisoned at that rate
[LOGIC] We also have the DOPUS DIPLOMAT, maybe they could do something
[CURIOSITY] But you have always been interested in what other HUMANS were like, maybe they’re not all bigoted and evil?
[PERSERVERENCE] *SNICKERS* yeah right
[SABA’S KN] I mean, I wasn’t that bad but still…

What do you do?

I'm gonna side with Pride on this one. This isn't a confrontation we want to have. We will have to deal with humans someday, but we should do it on our terms. Call on the guards you've been sent with to send them away, and try to leave without being seen.

Also, we should totally Link with Nubs. Nubs is awesome, let her into our brain college.

That LONG ROD is a ranged weapon for sure. Trying to fly past will probably not work, because even if they're not here to kill you they might fire a warning shot to make you stop.
Trying to pose as fishermen won't work because they definitely have your description.
Sneaking past has a chance to work, but if they're disciplined enough one of them will keep an eye on the tunnel even if the guards make them move away...
I don't know how we'd convince them to go underwater with the chokers without forcing them to, and that would require a confrontation, and I'm not really confident about winning that engagement without serious losses, because the DOPUS guards don't have magitech equipment.

I say just get all the guards to come up with you and talk to them. A show of force, to make them think twice about trying to intimidate you. Get them to go away willingly and you won't have to worry.
Either that or have the guards make them disperse, and try sneaking past. That's the only plan to bypass that I think could work.

Not sure what to do here yet, might just have the other suggestors decide if I can't think of something until then.

But one thing for certain, [LINK] with Nubs, she might not have an innate ability, but she is one of our good friends, and is someone from Dopus we should [LINK] with as we were recommended. And who knows, maybe Pon and Nubs might get an innate ability one day. But for sure, we'll one day link with someone with an Innate ability one day.

(Also, it'd be cool to link with everyone that we see in the titlecard of this thread, lol)

They probably know or expect the guards, so bring them out so that they're ready to act. Confront them and tell them to move out of the way - but if that fails, blind them with the light rod and try to fly off.

Why not a hybrid approach? Ask the guards to make them leave/distract them, and sneak above while their eyes are turned to the surface?

>>1015829
Aw, we didn’t bond with Rain. I guess that means that we can’t form a Link with him.

Then that means we should form a Link with Nubs!

>>1015832
>Everyone then BURPS in unison, including yourselves and you all laugh, having enjoyed the time you had.
Yeah, that was fun, since it was socially acceptable to do that in Dopus. Just remember not to do that when you get home, since it wouldn’t be socially acceptable there.

>humans
Have the temporary guards come up and make the humans leave. While they’re distracted, you can hopefully sneak by them.

I say talk with them, have the guards close by under the water. If there is an issue, we'll give them the signal to come up and take care of things. I really think that Canus started a toll service to enter and leave their worldplate, which might become an issue if their waiting at for a toll to get to Tengu as well. See how much they are asking to pass if this is the case.

Wait! You need to tread carefully, but not for the reason you think!

[INTUITION] didn't fire, even though you knew you were being followed. I don't think these humans will choose to pose a threat, at least this time.

And honestly? It makes sense!

They have intel on the goings-on in TENGU, at least enough to know that you're family with a FORMER MILITARY OFFICER. They'd need a really good reason to attack you outright here and risk an INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT involving both your plates.

Maybe if you had brought someone more politically alarming (like IGNIS, WILLIAM, or DRAGO), these humans would be forced to take further action, but as it stands, you or your friends from DOPUS would have to be the aggressors if a fight is to break out. And I don't think we're ready to risk slam-dunking our current relationship with the humans (as weak as it is) into the waste bin just yet.

The humans don't know who NUBS and the DIPLOMAT are, really, though it may be concerning that you're with one more AQUAKIN coming home than when you arrived. Consult the two on this concern, stressing that the best thing we can do is act like we're coming back from a lake trip and pretend we aren't aware of exactly what the humans are here for. This gives them the least room to conduct an interrogation unless they call us out directly, which risks tipping their own hand on certain things. (If things go south, of course, trust that the guards will act. Maybe work out a code phrase, like "my [CURIOSITY] is satisfied," just as an early warning.)

Whether the diplomat decides to conceal himself on one of your persons or not, I say you round the bend, "notice" the humans, and start waving as you approach the gate. Act like you think they're here to vacation, too. (And this is not at all motivated by how actually [CURIOUS] you are about them and intrigued by how [CURIOUS] the humans are about you. No siree.)

If a human says something offensive or clearly facetious, just laugh it off before it can get a rise out of anyone.

Oh, and once you're past them, one way or another, do discuss forming a LINK WITH NUBS before arriving home.

>>1017107
This is actually well thought out. Support. Intuition says we have nothing to worry about, and even though our intuition can be wrong, it is however at it's highest it can be without it going into supernatural power territory.

>>1015832
>you’ve definitely PUT ON A FEW POUNDS, specifically in the THIGH region. You imagine you can just WORK IT OUT and then they’ll be TOUGHER THEN EVER though and your [STATS] sigh as you still don’t get it.
Since you don't get it, I'll try to explain it. It's not about making your legs stronger, it's about you looking more attractive. That's why Lily said you'd look hot if your legs got plump!

>>1017107
Do this.

>>1017160
It doesn’t matter if Chi’s legs are plump or muscular. She’s going to be thicc either way.

>>1017107
Agree with this. Also, keep our guards underwater as I previously said in my post, tell them we'll give them a signal for them to come out if something really bad happens. I'm still thinking all that is going on is that Canus just started a toll to enter and leave their worldplate after they found us going to DOPUS to make trading between Tengu and Dopus, and forming alliances more difficult, and profit off of it.

Edmango 2021/12/13(Mon)19:46 No. 1017312 ID: afe7de
File 163945356457.png - (11.56KB , 500x500 , SR2_031.png )

> THE PLAN
You decide a twofold approach after discussing it with your companions. You decide to pretend to know nothing and talk to them, having a [CODE PHRASE] that once said will let the guards know to act. All of you are at least somewhat competent in combat, at least you’ve never seen you mom fight, but can’t imagine she wouldn’t know how to given who your father is.

You definitely aren’t this persuasive because you want to actually talk to real live humans and find out more due to your [CURIOSITY], definitely not that. There’s certainly no ulterior motive to speaking to them at all and it’s certainly not to validate any biases that may or may not be brewing in that young mind of yours. You sort of wave your arms above your head to disperse the thoughts as you head forward and “notice” the humans, but FAAN grabs your shoulder and guides you, letting you know you still have a long way to go with your GUILE, and to tone it down a tad. You do so, thanking her before continuing with the plan.

> NEW LINK - NUBS
You take NUBS to the side momentarily and ask her if she wants to do BOND with you. She blushes and says that if you really want to she’s down, but she thought you wanted to wait until you were 18. You pause, not quite getting what she meant before you mention that it’s more like a melding of the minds that lets her grow faster. Nubs in this moment turns the largest scarlet pink that you’ve ever seen as she seems very nervous at your proposition. You hear her stuttering about how you do have some pretty great HAMS, and how she does appreciate your thighs but she starts poking her fingers together in embarrassment, mumbling about how this isn’t the time or place.

You form the link with her and you gain the same small headache as before. She also suffers from a similar affliction, but after a moment it passes. You don’t really have time to explain what happened as she looks confused but also full of wonder. She doesn't have any sort of [INNATE SKILL], so will only be gaining the IMPROVED STAT GROWTH from the [LINK] but there’s that same RESONANCE from her. And strangely enough you feel your bond with the others grow a bit more firm.

You think something might happen the next time you MEDITATE.
Your bond with NUBS has increased to RANK 6
- Nubs now trusts you IMPLICITLY
Your stats feel like they need to give you a talk about what having good thighs really means

Edmango 2021/12/13(Mon)19:46 No. 1017313 ID: afe7de
File 163945357453.png - (13.47KB , 500x500 , SR2_032.png )

> HUMANS AT THE TUNNEL II
You approach and wave at the humans who get up with a start, the tan skinned man gets up at the notice of one of the other guards and he quickly pats down his robes of the sand and walks towards you. He pulls out a small cigarette and lights it as he heads towards you. He opens his mouth to speak, but before he gets a chance you intervene.

You: Well hey there stranger!
You: You here on vacation too?

The man opens his mouth and looks like he’s about to say something before closing it and looking at you in utter confusion.

???: I… no? I mean, the beach is nice and all, but-
You: Oh yeah, it’s lovely out there floating over the sea, lots of real nice DELICACIES and FISH out there
???: Uhhh, yeah, the food we’ve fished up is good and all but-
You: Well if yer not here to VACATION, what’re you doing by the tunnel?
???: *AHEM* Yes, well I’m MUD RUNDY
Mud: I’m in charge of diplomatic relations between DOPUS and CANUS
Mud: You see AQUANS don’t tend to leave this plate, or respond to our attempts at communicating
Mud: And I just so happen to have heard of some kin entering the plate with an AQUAN
Mud: So I was given explicit orders to bring them back with me to the capital for DISCUSSIONS
Mud: We believe they visited one of their CITIES.
Faan: That’s strange, wouldn’t the CANUS diplomat a BEAST-KIN?
Mud: I’m a recent acquisition.
You: We’ve never heard of that being a thing, we just came here on vacation
[PRIDE] You: You’d have to be PRETTY IMPORTANT to get to see one of their cities
You: Unfortunately me and my mom here aren’t even ROYALS
Mud: Ah but you are with Aquans right now

The man gestures to your two companions, both of which look rather uncomfortable, NUBS stands as tall as she can, but the other diplomat looks a mix of fearful and angry.

[COURAGE] You: Well uh, we wanted to show them our home.
[COURAGE] You: Maybe they’ll stop by when they’re done visiting with us.

Pon takes a moment to step by your side and stand firm, helping you assert your claim. There is a deep and ceremonious silence as you face off against this man who, now that you take a moment to look him over, is actually nearly a head shorter then you. You wonder to yourself when you got so tall, but brush it off a moment later. The man looks contemplative for a moment before a wry smile approaches his face.

Mud: I’ll have to insist on you accompanying us
You: You know, I was always interested in how HUMANS acted
You: I guess you can say my [CURIOSITY] is satisfied today

Upon uttering the code phrase you worked out earlier, the guards from the ocean leap from the water to your side in a motion that takes barely 4 seconds. The smile on their faces is completely wiped clean as they see that not only are they outnumbered, but that your group has taken several steps back from them. They humans are currently surrounded by the AQUAN GUARDS who have yet to draw their weapons, but are poised and ready. The HUMANS have also yet to draw theirs as they stare at each other.

Mud: Ah, so our assumptions were correct, interesting.
Mud: I wouldn’t leave if I were you, or you’ll have a bad time later.
Mud: Both your plates.

There is a brief moment where your entire party looks at you. The exit is completely unobstructed. You could leave, but something is gnawing at you. What if he’s right, what if this will cause more problems?

[GUILE] What if he’s lying, what if they’re just bandits
[LOGIC] They seem armed to the teeth, what kind of bandits have that much gear
[GUILE] They could have stolen it?
[LOGIC] Intuition what the heck?
[INTUITION] I’m not infallible you know…
[INTUITION] And I mean, you have guards, you can just leave
[INTUITION] It’s not like I was wrong, they’re not currently a threat
[LOGIC] Right that leaves me and my long term thinking to yell at you later
[SABA’S KN] If I may…
[SABA’S KN] This situation is quite common in my world
[SABA’S KN] They’re obviously hired by humans
[SABA’S KN] Weather or not they’re diplomats is irrelevant
[SABA’S KN] They’re likely also hired under the table
[KNOWLEDGE] Meaning given what we know they could only put pressure
[LOGIC] But not actually act or consider this an act of war
[CHARISMA] What if he’s really the diplomat though?
[ALL] …
[LUCK] Bet on me ladies.
[PRIDE] Can I just say I’m proud of you CHI.
[CURIOSITY] Though I am curious about going with them as to what we’d learn
[LOGIC] It’s obviously a trap, you’ll be kept INDEFINITELY if you really follow them
[LOGIC] But ignoring them might also incite a conflict between your plates
[KNOWLEDGE] I rarely speak up, but I feel right in this case
[KNOWLEDGE] They have nothing on us other than a few Aquans left, yes this is *strange*
[KNOWLEDGE] And yes, it’s strange that there is guards
[KNOWLEDGE] However, if they really ignite over this very minor thing
[KNOWLEDGE] It just goes to show how little the HUMANS really wanted to co-operate at all
[KNOWLEDGE] They could only resort to SUBTLE means of dealing with this
[KNOWLEDGE] And we live with guards
[LOGIC] What you’re saying makes sense, but…
[???] Someone called for me?
[COURAGE] Nobody needs you PARANOIA, not in this life.
[INTUITION] I DO IT PLENTY FOR HER GET OUT
[???] Who said I was PARANOIA, all I’m saying is this could run deeper
[KNOWLEDGE] Plus, what if they’re literally just random bandits using the humans name as a threat

You return to your senses after the brief mental exchange. The others are still looking at you, waiting for your call.

What do you do?

"... Many apologies, but put simply, I don't believe you. You certainly aren't working for the humans on the official record, at the very least - and if that is somehow the case, then the humans are far more problematic than we thought. In fact, I'm quite [CURIOUS] about what would happen if whoever you're answering to doesn't hear back from you at all. What say you, Mr...?" Glance at the diplomat on whether to PROCEED in that way - both 'capture' and 'kill' work; his choice.

So obviously we're leaving, and having the guards watch our backs to ensure we get out safely. So as not to incite conflict, we should be very reasonable about the whole situation.

"With all do respect, these aren't the proper channels to take if you want us to come with you, and neither is this the proper amount of notice. I have dates to keep, as do all of my companions I imagine. Beyond that, this is not a meeting of diplomats, nor would I be present at one given that is not my profession. If you would like to invite any of us to your city, then you should communicate this through the leadership of our plates instead of ambushing us at the tail end of our vacation. Formalities are important you know, something I would imagine a diplomat should know about."

"As it stands, you're a collection of strangers, and I have no way to verify your claims of being important. You could easily be bandits, or have far worse intent than that. So if you don't mind, or frankly whether you do, we're going to leave. If you try to stop us, then I will have to assume the worst about you and things will get very unpleasant very fast."

>>1017313
Threats mean little when leaving *with* them is an obvious bad move. They *might* do something bad later if we don't cooperate. They *will* do something bad if we do cooperate.

Tell them to fuck off, you're not such a coward that you'll be swayed by a nebulous threat at a nebulous time in the future from a group of thugs with no proof that they're even associated with CANUS.

Then leave.

We know everything about you, Paranoia. You've been set up.
"Well, that's on you for not checking if we had prior commitments. Be seeing you, Mud Runty."

>>1017325
This sounds the best.
We politely tell them to fuck off and use the proper channels.

What's that symbol on his necklace?

Sir, we are civilians on vacation with school friends, traveling across a border that has nothing to do with you. If you are who you say you are, which frankly I DOUBT, then you have no business with us, and I encourage you to work through proper channels to request an audience with whoever you think you are supposed to be talking to, instead of trying to kidnap random passersby like some kind of bandit. As you can see, they keep an eye on the tunnel, I'm sure the guards could deliver a letter or something.

You know... Since they ARE here to abduct us, I'd say we are within our rights to Beat them up and take thier stuff!

>>1017312
>Your stats feel like they need to give you a talk about what having good thighs really means.
I wonder what our stats want to tell us?

>>1017313
>now that you take a moment to look him over, is actually nearly a head shorter then you. You wonder to yourself when you got so tall
He might just be a really short human.

>>1017325
This seems best.

Should we also have something prepared to say to him in case he does have something with him that proves he is who he says he is?

>>1017336
>Be seeing you, Mud Runty.
If we can get away with it, then I want to say this to him.

>>1017470
Agreed regarding the last word, now that I think about it. In fact: "Be seeing you, Mud Runty, if that is your real name. Ah- My apologies; of course it is. I can't possibly imagine a native ENGLISH speaker ever assigning himself such a label. I can only imagine the thought process of its conceiver. Ta-tah."

>>1017312
>She blushes and says that if you really want to she’s down, but she thought you wanted to wait until you were 18.
>You pause, not quite getting what she meant
Sex! She thought you were talking about sex!

>Your stats feel like they need to give you a talk about what having good thighs really means
Are we going to have "the talk"? Normally your parents have this conversation with you, instead of you talking to yourself about it.

>>1017325
This.

>>1017470
>Should we also have something prepared to say to him in case he does have something with him that proves he is who he says he is?
If he does have something to prove himself, then he would've shown it to us already.

But if he does show us something as proof, we simply tell him that there's no way for us to know if his "proof" is real because we've never seen what a real one looks like and we can't take his word for it.

Edmango 2021/12/20(Mon)19:17 No. 1017945 ID: afe7de
File 164005665989.gif - (104.32KB , 500x500 , SR2_033d.gif )

> HUMANS AT THE TUNNEL III
You think about what was just said to you, you think about the implicit threats, and you think about the long term harm that could come to you because of this. It feels like it was never a matter of IF this was going to happen in some shape or form, but more of a WHEN.

You’re not going with them, period. All of your STATS agree on this one, but you’re not going to just murder them either, this isn’t the place or time for that kind of thing. Part of you really wants to just take their stuff after the guards beat them to a pulp, but you hold off on that after looking at the man’s necklace.

[UNDERSTANDING] It appears to be similar to the BLACK LOTUS symbol we saw in the book of orders
[UNDERSTANDING] But it’s missing the rook in the center, perhaps he’s a lower ranking member
[LOGIC] You’d think a secret society wouldn’t just showcase their symbol
[GUILE] Maybe he’s a low ranking idiot member

You’re unnerved by this, but it’s just an assumption at this point. So instead you attempt to diplomatically tell them to fuck off, to which you feel a resounding confidence towards doing.

You: With all due respect, these are NOT the proper channels to take if you want someone to come with you
You: I have dates to keep as well as my companions, I imagine.
You: Beyond that, this is not a meeting of diplomats, nor would I be present at one
You: That’s not my profession.
Pon: If you would like to INVITE any of us to your city
Pon: Please communicate that through the leadership of our plates instead of ambushing us
Faan: Formalities are important you know, something I imagine a DIPLOMAT should know a lot about

You can see a vein practically pulse with anger on Mud Runty’s face as you say this. You intuit his expression to be that of disgust, disgust that someone beneath him is spitting on his shoes.

You: As it stands, you’re a collection of strangers, potentially bandits even
Nubs: There’s no way to verify your claims of importance, and I imagine you’d show SOMETHING to prove that
You: But you seem to have no intentions of showing this, so even if you do mind, we’re leaving
You: If you try to stop us, then we, and our friends here who have NOT unsheathed their weapons
You: Will have to assume the worst about you and things will get unpleasant very fast
Mud: You’ll regret this you fucking fish and egglaying whore-

There’s a brief moment where your [ANGER] flourishes and you look at the man with as much [KILLING INTENT] as you possibly can muster, something you thought was buried deep in your soul with Saba, that would never come up again. Your companions shift slightly away from you and you can even tell from his body language that Pon is in shock.

[PERSEVERANCE] I think that’s enough
[SABA’S KN & ANGER] Sorry…

And after a moment your veneer of logic and calm returns. Mud Runty is visibly sweating and uncomfortable as you walk past the shocked opposing party, urging your companions along.

You: Be seeing you, Mud Runty

And the group of you go down the tunnel, with nary a sound being heard in the background as you enter.

Edmango 2021/12/20(Mon)19:17 No. 1017946 ID: afe7de
File 164005667205.png - (9.59KB , 500x500 , SR2_034.png )

> THE DOPUS-CANUS TUNNEL - DISCUSSION
Pon: Uh, Chi
You: Hmm?
Pon: What was that?
You: What was what?
Nubs: You know exactly what we mean.
Faan: …
You: It was nothing really, just a little repressed [ANGER]
Pon: You felt like a MONSTER for a moment there
Faan: Did… did your father teach you that?
You: [GUILE] Oh hey look we’re at the other end of the tunnel

Your lackluster attempt to derail the conversation is fortunately successful as you reach the other side. There’s still no sign of Nubs’s guard, but something else worries you. It’s about your return trip, while there’s no other guards here, since typically no one patrols the DOPUS-CANUS tunnel, you can’t help but shake a feeling that you missed something. The diplomat, YOXARU who has been silent the whole time, speaks up. As he does you take a good look at him, failing to do so earlier out of concern. The man is similar to Noodle in some ways, without legs, however they appear to have more Eel-like features than snake-like ones.

Yoxaru: You… handled that quite well.
You: Thanks, but why were you so quiet?
Yoxaru: I… detest humans, and was once told, if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all
Nubs: We don’t all have as intense feelings, but seeing something like that…
Yoxaru: Yes it stirs negative emotions from their… interactions with us in the past.
Yoxaru: I’m sure the guards would have roughed them up farther
Yoxaru: And might even be doing so now that we’re far gone, especially with their… final comment

You sigh and nod, you don’t particularly have good feelings on the matter, but genuinely hope to not become too biased towards them, lest you fall down the slippery slope of racism. You hold out HOPE that this was just a group of bandits, or a secret order, or something, and is not the general way of business that humans take. But there’s no way to know for now.

The group looks to you on how to proceed, You and Pon can easily carry Nubs and Yoxaru. But how will you travel back, should you just rush the trip, or should you take the longer path of traveling through the forest?

How do you travel back home?

A. Fly home casually
- Take the same amount of time as you did before
- You’ll be prepared for an ambush
- You’ll likely encounter someone
B. Fly home as fast as possible
- Go home twice as fast
- Gain stress and become exhausted for your next TP
- Lowers the likelihood of someone catching up to you
C. Use the forests for cover
- Takes much longer to get home
- You’ll likely encounter Monsters
- No chance of encountering humans
D. Other
- Feel free to suggest another way home!

Fly fast. the Lotus would have a plan B. They might have a plan C at home, too, but at least you'll be there for it.

Y'know what, we have not really encountered any monsters at all this quest. I say we go with C, and take this opportunity to not only guarantee avoiding humans (B only says that there are lower odds, and with how we've been rolling in PQ it's probably best we leave luck out of this), but see something new and cool. A beast acting on instinct may be risky, but I like our chances against one of those than against a member of the Black Lotus.

C. Faan has red markings of a hunter on her, so she knows a thing or two about hunting if monsters come. And Pon is like a master at hunting! Might even get some monster cores for runescripting even. Plus we can use our fighting skills too.

Better ask Nubs where her guard is tho.

C. May as well get the tour on monstrous species.

Hey, where's our escort? We got one on the trip here, shouldn't we have one on the trip back? I'm guessing the humans scared them off... I think the escort guards were few enough that that wouldn't have been difficult. We should take a look around near the tunnel to see if there's signs of a fight. That'll give us an idea of whether or not our escort ran into trouble.

Spending some extra time fighting monsters in the forest doesn't sound so bad, HOWEVER it will cause everyone back home to become extremely worried. It's also a bit cowardly. We shouldn't be intimidated by the humans. Lastly, it would also delay the diplomat's arrival at home.
We were also told that the repercussions would come later. There's no reason to believe we are currently in danger.

A.
Though if we DO wind up going through the forest... is there some way we can let people at home know? Maybe we can leave a message by the tunnel that we're taking a longer route?

A. I'm not sure how well we're equipped for monsters.

>>1017946
A

We have a chance to encounter someone, it’s never specified that someone would be human.

Also, we do not have the equipment to be fighting monsters and we do not have enough supplies to last for an increased trip or treat any injuries that may happen from a monster attack. On top of that, it’d be extremely reckless to endanger the diplomat Yoxaru by going through the area with monsters in it.

For people mentioning we're not equipped for fighting monsters, Nubs told us to bring our weapons earlier and said she has natural weapons on her species body here: >>1012402

And Chi mentioned a rule during the Dopus dojo about being out of the match if her stone claws break, and even has extras made for her.

The group is well equipped and we can even eat the monsters we hunt down if it comes to it.

A: "If human combatants - especially Mud Runty's group - are noticed in our presence a second time, we fight without hesitating. And... I'm willing to talk about where I got that from, but only once we're safe at home."

Heck, if it is Mud Runty who catches up to us, hit him with: "We welcome your continued foolishness, pretender agent of the Black Lotus. I admit a small part of me desires for things to get unpleasant between us." He's free to interpret that as either 'we see through the Black Lotus's scheme' or 'we know you're faking being an agent of the Black Lotus.'

C.

We were told by Marth that the Black Lotus is something pretty serious and shouldn't be taken lightly. If there are more stronger members, that might be an issue. We should probably keep ourselves uninvolved with them as much as possible and not have us be one of their top person of interest so early on. I think the monsters are less of a threat than the black lotus currently.

B. The Black Lotus are a threat, and they’re not afraid to go after family members. I worry what will happen if they beat us home.

>>1017946
B

I don't care if we end up suffering through some negative status effects for our next TP, I just want to get home as quickly as possible so that we don't have to worry about running into anymore humans.

>>1017946
B. Fly home as fast as possible

The sooner we get home, the sooner we can alert someone of authority about the situation. We could even tell Ignis and William about the ambush and they can get in contact with the royals to see if they can do something.

Plus, I really want to make sure our diplomat friend can safely get home with us. Then our plates can start working together with each other!

(still voting C from my previous post since we gotta practice fighting monsters sooner or later if we wanna travel in some ruins, and we'll get loot and experience from the monsters that confront us, and Ignis has something from Secret Santa that will maintain his stress from us being gone) Just some thoughts:

Whatever route we take, if we come across anyone, I really do not think it would be a good idea to let any humans or combatants know we know about or mention anything about the Black Lotus, even if we mention them to lower ranking members like Runty as a threat. They pride themselves in working in the shadows, and if we let them know that we suspect them of working with the black lotus, or suspect the black lotus is spying on us instead of Canus, they might double down in causing trouble for us whether it be keeping us from making peaceful relationships with Dopus and even Canus, or our Runescripting and teaching. Lets keep our cards close to our chest, and talk only to the royalties in private about our thoughts later (meditation with William and Ignis talking about our concerns will really help)


I also been thinking of the possibility that the Black Lotus might not be associated with Canus and has actually been trying to stir political unrest between Canus, Dopus, and Tengu with this stunt, otherwise they would have sent someone higher up to take Chi with them and instead let her go easily to continue her runescripting and give her a hard time doing it while making everyone think Canus is responsible like they have been doing to us in the past. I think they knew Mud Runty wouldn't be able to take Chi and would cause agitation, so used him as a fall guy to act as a fake diplomat from Canus to make Canus look bad in Tengu's, and Dopus' eyes. For all we know, Canus might not actually be complete assholes and be willing to form peaceful relationships, but the Black Lotus is just trying to ruin Canus' reputation with threatening us.

C

Edmango 2022/01/03(Mon)16:37 No. 1019351 ID: afe7de
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> TRAVEL - THROUGH THE JUNGLE YOU GO
You convince the group to travel through the jungle, that the monsters you encounter there will likely be less of a hassle than dealing with any humans hunting you in the sky. The group assents and you begin your trek. You occasionally bump into a few wander beasts, you even think you catch sight of a mythical PAPERLING. They say the beast is made entirely of paper, but is far too fast to be seen. The others joke about your sighting, mentioning that it’s just an URBAN MYTH, but you play back that memory in your head and you [UNDERSTAND] that it was real. You make a mental note of the area it was spotted in to return to at one day.

About halfway home you end up encountering what seems to be an entire pack of DUSK RABBITS. Due to what you can only assume is BAD LUCK, Pon sneezes at the worst moment and they’re alerted, attacking you. You were expecting a rough fight, but it turns out that Pon is incredibly efficient in hunting these, almost like he has a vendetta against them. Your group doesen’t have the space to hold any of the carcasses, but you carry the meat and cores with you and use them as food for the rest of your trip.

You also feel closer to everyone, including your mother after all of that. You feel like the next time you spend time with her she’ll truly see you as your own person and you could even form a BOND with her. The layer of child-like film preventing it before is gone, she’s seen you as your own, incredibly capable person.

You’ve gained 10 SMALL MONSTER CORES, they each glow with a dull red light
- These will be added to your crafting supplies
You can now form a bond with FAAN
- Forging this bond will give you context into your families history

> QARA TENGU - HOMECOMING
It took far much longer, but you’re safe, no one’s pursued you, and you think no one even saw you enter the worldplate, well, no one other than the guards. You take to the skies, having spent so long without flying it’s a freeing sensation to be able to do so. Your mom escorts you back to the city before heading back to her house, ruffling your head and giving you a massive hug.

Faan: I’m soooo proud of you Chi!
Faan: You’re so young but you’re already the pride of our family!
Pon: Hey!
Pon: I actually agree but you don’t gotta say it moooooom!
[PRIDE] Yessssssssss
[EVERYONE] Please don’t get an ego from this please

You try not to let this make your head bigger than it already is, but you do revel in it for a moment. It’s satisfying in a way, especially since you have been working so hard and doing so much. You land at home when NUBS speaks up.

Nubs: I’ll take Yoxaru to the tower
Yoxaru: Twas a pleasure, now for the probably long and boring process of politics
Nubs: Awww don’t worry the birds are way better then us fish about efficiency
Yoxaru: We’ll see
Yoxaru: I’ll pop by… later, check up with you and let you know.

The two of them head out and before you can even turn around you see a very excited Ignis rush at you and nearly tackle you to the ground in the biggest hug he’s ever mustered.

Ignis: CHIIIIIIII!!!!!!!
Ignis: You’re LATE!
Ignis: I was so worried!
Ignis: We were so worried!
Ignis: My secret santa thing came in!
Ignis: There’s so much to talk about!
William: He really missed you, you know.

William walks over, giving you a hug as well, the hug is over a still-attached Ignis though. It’s a nice hug, a warm hug, a comforting hug, a hug that reminds you of home. The both of them. You were gone for about 1/4 of a year, which is technically not that long, but is the longest you’ve been apart from these guys in a while. There’s EMOTION building up in you and you’d be lying to yourself that seeing these two immediately greeting you didn’t stir any feelings at all.

Edmango 2022/01/03(Mon)16:37 No. 1019352 ID: afe7de
File 164125667556.png - (83.34KB , 500x500 , SR2_036.png )

> [TP 6] - REFLECTION
You arive near the end of [TP6] and take some time to share a moment with your confidants, each of your links. Nubs, Pon, William, and Ignis all join you in a group meditation session and you discuss the events. There’s shock and awe in William and Ignis’s expressions, not believing humans would be that rash.

Ignis mentions that a HUMAN DIPLOMAT came by to try to speak to the higher ups, but it was more of the same demands. He says he doesn't know their name, but can check for you and get back, just in case that kin really was a diplomat. Nubs is just fascinated by everything in your space and asks if she can try making something. Everyone else hears that and also wonders the same. You pause and think about it when [LINK] appears.

[LINK] Yeah I mean they could I guess
[UNDERSTANDING] I don’t think that’s wise
[LINK] Aw let em have their fun!
[UNDERSTANDING] There’s still not a lot we understand about this space
[LINK] Take some risks you big baby
[LINK] If you don’t live a little then you’ll be stuck up like Saba
[LINK] You know, the guy you’re dressed as
[UNDERSTANDING] You know that there’s…
[UNDERSTANDING] FINE, Just don’t go into the fog with them.

This interaction was entirely out of earshot to your companions, but you find it strange. They certainly had a lot more… personality than normal today. And it almost seemed like [LINK] was dancing around saying something, but not saying it clearly. You think [UNDERSTANDING] knows something, but can’t tell you. You file this away as another strange thing to research in the future.

You: I’ll let you guys know when we can experiment on that.

You’ve gained a new option for meditation - LINKED MEDITATION
- Meditation with your linked companions
- You’re not sure what the end results would be


> THE RETURN TO NORMALCY
Life gets back to normal and you start to work yourself into the daily routine you’ve been so used to. You check your mental checklist and go through the motions, seeing what’s happening soon, how progress with LAPUTA RUNETECH has progressed, and see that the status quo is being maintained. You check on DRIFT but he says that he’ll still be a while. He’s having meals delivered to him in his room and refuses to let anyone see him. You could attempt to force your way in, but aren’t sure if that would help or hurt him.

Two of your AIR CHOKERS had all of the energy in them siphoned and they’ve broken.
- Your last remaining AIR CHOKER could be recharged, but you’ll need to make a BATTERY SYSTEM at some point.

CONGRATS! You’ve completed the GOAL - FIND OUT IF THERE ARE ANY RUINS IN DOPUS
- You’ve gained 1 GOAL POINT
CONGRATS! You’ve SLIGHTLY IMPRESSED the citizens of DOPUS
- You’ve gained a bonus 2 GOAL POINTS

You have unlocked a new activity TRAVEL
- Traveling to locations and back takes a TP, however complications can arise
- You are recommended to stay at home for the remainder of the year, as you have work soon

You have unlocked a new PAID ACTIVITY - DREAM TEA
- Have dream tea with your companions

You have unlocked a new RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY - DREAM COOKING
- How does it work, what can you do with it
- Ignis suggests not thinking too hard about it
- But instead suggests letting PON mess around with it for fun

UPCOMING EVENTS
- WORKSHOP COMPLETION [ETA TP8 - NEXT UP]
- DRIFTING [UNKNOWN ETA]

Your CURRENT GOALS are as follows
- REACH BASIC MASTERY OF A MARTIAL ART OR WEAPON (R7), 6/7 (ETA 1-2Y)
- SUCCESSFULLY TEACH MORE THAN ONE SCIENTIST
- [EMPTY]
- FINISH YOUR MIND CAMPUS
= MIND DORM 100%
= MIND LABS 0%
= HALLS OF KNOWLEDGE 0%
= ANGERS DOGHOUSE [RANK 1] 100%
= TOTAL PROGRESS ???
Your current GP total is 6/15
Your next reward is a FREE STAT POINT

You have a free GOAL SLOT, feel free to suggest goals and I’ll make a poll after we get a few

Your CURRENT BACKGROUND TASKS are as follows (3/3)
- TA FOR RUNESCRIPTING [LOCKED]
- MIND AND BODY DOJO TRAINING (-20S/yr) (Events at TP 6) (skipped this year)
- PRECISION WITH NICO (-300S/yr) (Events at TP 3)

Your current RESEARCH TASKS are as follows (2/2)
- COLOR THEORY [ETA ???]
- MANA VEINS [ETA TP1 of Y18]

Your current OBLIGATIONS are as follows
- M&B DOJO MEMBERSHIP - 20S/y [TIME SLOT 4]
- RENT AT IGNIS’S - 800S/y [TIME SLOT 1]
- COMFORTABLE LIFESTYLE - 160S/y [TIME SLOT 1]

You spent 200 SHINIES on general food and goods while at DOPUS
You have [28,128 SHINIES] remaining

You can take out a LOAN from the ROYALTY for [30,000 SHINIES]
- You need to pay it back within 4 years with a yearly interest of +2000 SHINIES a year

You have 2 2/3 INGOTS OF ARCANUM, 1 AIR CHOKER, and 10 SMALL MONSTER CORES stored with LAPUTA RUNETECH
You have 1 INGOT OF ARCANUM, and RUNESCRIPTING SUPPLIES stored in your POCKET DIMENSION

It is the end of [TP 6] You have [1 TIME POINT]
What do you do?

Action list: https://pastebin.com/Fd7Yzmmv

Keep messing with meditation stuff - Mind and body meditation specifically. Letting Nubs make something will probably influence you strongly, which is why Understanding is against such a major decision. However, Nubs is cool and being more like her is a good thing!
There's a lot of facilities of your own you have yet to build... mind labs... knowledge halls... guest dorms...

Let's try out that new LINKED MEDITATION thing. If we can work on our campus while doing so, I nominate the Halls of Knowledge because we have so many fucking books we want to process and it would be REALLY nice if that went faster.

>>1019352
Work on teaching the royal scientist we've been working with.

> NEW GOAL
COMPLETE RAIN'S MEDITATION APPRENTICESHIP

Come on, are we really going to leave this unfinished?

> TP
We have fun new toys to play with, both with the dream tea and the mind palace, but I suggest we deal with some PROMISES first - the bare minimum, at least, before we do anything else! Teach the Royal Scientists, focusing on RUTHERFORD and SATINA. Rutherford, of course, you expect to complete his studies. With Satina, maybe she'll take additional solace that she isn't the worst student of the three by a long shot - LILITH wears that crown proudly at the moment. Heck, maybe a bit of outright venting about Lilith in Satina's session as you assuage her worries might prompt her to spill some additional hot goss (like daughter, like mother)?