Toxoglossa 2015/08/05(Wed)19:15 No. 660549 ID: 557bac
File 143882730341.png - (191.48KB , 600x488 , 5-1.png )

You are Nathan Springer.
You are deep within the psyche of your neighbor, Zeke. Your friend, Diego, ingested a handful of royal jelly in order to avoid being attacked by Zeke's bee custodians.

Instinctively you back away, watching as parts of Diego's body flicker between bee and person and strange languages stream from his mouth. The bees still seem to be suspicious, and lurk in a silent circle around the pair of you.

... Oops.

Grab Diego and get ready to book it; the bees probably won't just keep watching for long, and I doubt they'll just make Diego the new drag queen.

Eat the jelly too. maybe it'll help you understand Diego.

Freak out at the gravity of the situation.

Ask the bees what's happening to him. If they don't answer, put your stump to your ear and try to whisper the same question to your wasps.

help him anyway.

do note because of your bug-phobia, trying to physically help Diego at this moment would probably lead to a panic attack.

Possible avenues of attack in order of choice.

1. Try screaming out to Zeke to help them somehow. This is his mindscape, more or less. And you probably are on good enough terms for him to care about your wellbeing, so something helpful might happen on a subconscious thought.

2.You've got to go in Deeper Nathan, go mind walk into Diego's mind while you're mind walking in Zeke's head

3. Go and try to get Diego to invoke his beetles. Maybe they can do something to protect his mind.

4. Use your wasps, I think what they do is like steal honey and generally freeload? Have them take the royal jelly out of Diego.

>>660572
Calling the wasps in will make the bees grow even more aggressive, though. Don't do that.

Dream up a power glove, to cover/replace your torn-off hand.

>>660572
Option number three might be the most sane approach right now. Diego is basically the pinnacle of unaware at the moment, so jumping over to his mind and trying to stabilize things would be wiser than sticking around a bunch of hostile bees.

>>660644
...I'm actually surprised Nate hasn't thought of this himself. Make it an actual Nintendo Power Glove for extra geek cred.

>>660551
It didn't help the first time, let's not repeat it.

I know it will make the bees more aggressive, and it might hurt zeke, but we can probably be sure that we can survive.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=JDSf3Kshq1M
(40 BEES KILLED PER WASP PER MINUTE)

But anyway, we're a bit fucked. The disguise is running out and we're a man down, in enemy territory. What we really need is some armour that looks like a bee.
Also power glove asap.

Toxoglossa 2015/08/10(Mon)18:46 No. 661580 ID: 557bac
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Your fear paralyzes you for a moment, but as the creatures start to close in you grab Diego under the arms and try to drag him away from the group. But between his weight and your missing hand, you don't find yourself having much luck.

Looking around for a way out, you shake him in an attempt to wake him up.
"Diego, I could really use some help right now!"

There's a thud, followed by another and another. The bees suddenly take flight as a section of honeycomb is bulldozed aside by the massive beetle guardian. It pulls Diego out of your grasp with a massive honey covered appendage, and turns in retreat.

Follow the beetle to escape back to the entrance. Also grab some honey to refresh your disguise.

Once you're outside, take some of the streamers that are hanging between rocks. Don't bug Zeke, and don't mess with the streamers involved with his restraints.

>>661582
This sounds the most logical and safe, as far as getting a piece of the tether.

>>661586
Agreed, and take a look at the streamers and see if there's any meaning to them.

Take flight atop a cloud of wasps!
Or with a thruster pack, if you feel like being *boring*.

Toxoglossa 2015/08/13(Thu)18:14 No. 662108 ID: 557bac
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You test your wings and take off after the fleeing beetle. Bees swoop in to test the creatures' defenses but are warded off by the massive, armored flanks.

You emerge, blinking in the sunlight with a swarm of angry bees in tow.

"Hey! This way!"
The beetle unsheathes its wings and takes off with a vicious buzz of activity. Together you head to a nearby rock spire and you grab one of the long ropes tied to it. The stone shifts with a slight rumble, but stays upright.

Toxoglossa 2015/08/13(Thu)18:15 No. 662109 ID: 557bac
File 143951490064.png - (134.81KB , 600x600 , 5-4.png )

You return to the hovering titan.
"Are you ready?"

Diego's beetle doesn't react, but allows you to place a cautious hand on it and pull it into your head-space.
Immediately, you feel the rope tugged out of your hand, and it drifts up to join the rest of the collection. However, the filaments of light connecting it has an unstable flicker to it.

>>662109
Damn. It's a shitty tether. It kinda looks like we're going to need to get the main one... unless we can reinforce it somehow with a second tether.

Taking the main one is too risky right now. We need more info. First, ask the beetle if it knows what's happening to Diego. Second, ask your wasps if that tether is going to work, or if this endangers the mechanism. Heck ask your wasps about Diego too. We'll want to wake up soon and tell Zeke what we saw and what he makes of it, maybe he can tell us if it's safe to take his main tether.

Oh good, the drone's mechanism still only has three items in it. We're catching up.

Well it will probably work for now but you had better keep helping Zeke with his problems or it might not hold up when you need it most.

But that can come later I think right now it's a good idea to get out of here and take care of Diego.

Pull-out, see to Diego in the real world. Also, tell Zeke just what the hell is going on in his head - maybe you'll get some insight into what these tethers are about?

the problem is, if we fix his problem the tethers could cease to exist since he no longer needs them. them holding him together is why they are powerful.

Make sure to get the doctor with you, whether visiting Zeke's world again or discussing the meaning behind his inner world. We don't want to engage in any further mental damage to your neighbor/friend.

Ask the drone if its stable, ask it for advice getting the stronger tether, even though taking it completely negates it.

Consider constructing a wormhole at one end of Zeke's tether, connecting it to your head space, letting it link up with the mechanism and connecting the other end of the tether through a second wormhole back into Zeke's head.

Otherwise, dump the entire beehive into your headspace and let your wasps battle it out in home territory.
This wouldn't let you keep the tether, but you could almost certainly get rid of Zeke's problem.

>>662704
>Otherwise, dump the entire beehive into your headspace and let your wasps battle it out in home territory.
That sounds like a good way to mentally destroy both of them.

Toxoglossa 2015/08/16(Sun)15:52 No. 663056 ID: 557bac
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You decide that you need to worry about the tether later. You take Diego's hand and concentrate, allowing yourself to sink back into the real world.

You awaken to see Zeke sitting up with concern written over his face.
>"Woah... hey what happened? Is he okay?"
Diego lays sprawled on the floor, twitching slightly.

Nate
"I think he's turning into a bee..."

Zeke
>"Wait,what? Is that possible?"

Nate
"I have no idea. We ate some honey and it let us blend in with them, but he ate some royal jelly and then started to change."

Zeke
>"Seriously? You did it? What'd you see?"

Nate
"Um... well, when we found you, you were bound to a stone. You were having what looked like a seizure."

Zeke looks as if he's just seen a ghost.
>"But...I haven't had an attack in years."

>>663056
Yeah, that's because the bees fed your inner self honey and the seizure stopped. So, your bees are stopping the seizures before they happen to your outer body.

Tell him you didn't take the main tether inside him because you didn't want to screw with the bees' treatment of his seizures. You took a secondary tether, which... kindof works maybe? It's up to him if he wants to risk having seizures again in exchange for giving you a better tether.

Go inside Diego's head next and see if there's any way you can stop the transformation. Hang on, are the wasps willing to talk now that you're not under threat by bees? Ask them if you can stop Diego's transformation. You should stop it, right?

Uh, I guess we should...actually, first see about stabilizing Diego. Ask your wasps what's up with him. Maybe you should touch him and see what's happening in his mind space?

Once that's all settled, THEN tell Zeke the whole story in all it's detailed glory.

>>663056
Was that about when you started seeing Dr. Cooper?

Tell him you think she knows more about these bugs then she lets on. She helped create my safe place, which allowed me to keep myself together and recover, and it turns out my safe place is important for a few things. And if she is the cause for the lack of Zeke's attacks, its because she taught the bees how to keep him stable.

We need to call her, so she can help Diego.

>"But...I haven't had an attack in years."
And I don't think the bees intend to let you have them again. They were taking care to ensure no harm was brought to you, and even had means of stopping the seizing, somehow.

Note our previous experience mind walking, Diego was dealing with the fear of losing the connections he used to have/ being in able to make new ones. Perhaps for Zeke it could be the fear of the seizures coming back to wreck the life he has now? Or perhaps being afraid of living life as he fully wants because of the chance of seizures returning?

In any case we'll need the good doctor here before going further. Not interrupting another's therapy is the safe and polite thing to do.

Toxoglossa 2015/08/18(Tue)17:39 No. 663747 ID: 557bac
File 143994477664.png - (98.96KB , 532x600 , 5-6.png )

Nate
"Was this around when you started seeing Dr. Cooper?"

Zeke shifts uncomfortably.
>"Yeeeeahh, why?"

You look down at Diego. He twitches slightly and his wide open eyes track something invisible to you. His hand slowly reaches for empty air and grasps at nothing.
"She helped me develop my safe place, and she may have had a hand in stopping the seizures. Maybe we should call her. "

Toxoglossa 2015/08/18(Tue)17:39 No. 663748 ID: 557bac
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Zeke nods and scrolls through his phone before hitting the call button. He hands it to you: looking at the cracked screen you see that he apperntly has Dr. Cooper's cell number.

You hear her pick up.
> Hello, Zeke? Is that you? Everything okay?

You and Zeke share a nervous glance.
"Actually Dr. Cooper, this is Nate...."

>>663748
Tell her you've been delving into more minds, and you just went into Zeke's. Ask her if she helped him overcome his seizures.

If she drops the facade of not knowing about the inner worlds and Custodians and shit, broach the topic of Diego and ask what you should do.

>>663748
"So I heard you're good with controlling seizures..."
Also, ask the wasps what to do if you can't get any straight answers out of her.

Explain to her what happened, then say that judging from the fact your problem with scratching yourself was tempered by her and you developing the safe place, and it's kind of obvious that Zeke's attacks are kept in place through mental conditioning of some sort rather than medicine, you think that MAYBE her practices might be a bit unorthadox and that she understands much more about what's happening than what she's telling us.

There is a possibility that Cooper prescribed Zeke's weed and that prevents the Seizures, and that's what the feeding of honey by the bees actually represents, but that doesn't explain Diego's reaction at all, which means these mental projects of bugs and mind worlds actually mean something in the real world, even if it's all a hallucination of some sort that Nate is able to perceive.

>>663748
Yeah I kinda screwed around with whatever you did to Zeke to fix his seizures and now my coworker is speaking bee. Pls halp.

choose your wording very carefully, you don't want to sound crazy.

>>663762
This is the wrong approach when attempting to explain bizarre happenings to someone who deals with crazy for a living. Spill it all, then go back and clarify as needed.

In a calm logical way, list the events that happened in order, differentiate from events that mentally occurred and physically occurred. Ask for the Doctor's assistance, especially for what to do in terms of helping Diego in regards of limiting whatever pain our friend is in.

>>663759
>There is a possibility that Cooper prescribed Zeke's weed and that prevents the Seizures
No idea if it's what you intended or not, but some of the components in marijuana are actually incredibly effective seizure blockers. But that's only possibly in the refined form, I'm unsure if smoking it in the form of marijuana would provide the same effect.

Regardless, it is something to bring up. Ask Zeke for permission to question the good doctor about his drug usage.

Toxoglossa 2015/08/20(Thu)18:52 No. 664225 ID: 557bac
File 144012196529.png - (109.25KB , 514x600 , 5-8.png )

"... You remember how I told you about going into people's minds?"

>Yeesssss? And do you remember how I told you that it sounded dangerous and irresponsible?"

You feel embarrassment creep over your face and you start to feel itchy.
"Yeah, er... well... We, Diego and I, tried going into Zeke's mind-"

>-Wait, you're saying you brought someone else in with you? And Zeke was okay with all of this?

Nate
"Oh yeah, we asked him first, he said it was fine, but warned us it could be dangerous."

You hear a kind of I told you so noise from her, but you continue.
"Well, something happened with Diego and Zeke's bees. I think he's having some kind of seizure."

>And you called me? Shouldn't you be calling an ambulance or something?

"I just thought you might be able to help. You set me up my safe place, and it sounds like you helped Zeke with his seizures."

There's a moment of uncomfortable silence where you anxiously chew on your lip....
You hear her sigh.
> Alright, I'm coming over. Don't touch anything, though I don't think I need to tell you that. If it looks like he's in danger, you an ambulance immediately, you understand?

"Sure..."

>I'll be right there

Treat for shock.

That does not look like a seizure really. More like he is really high on a very strong hallucinogen. I bet he is seeing some crazy stuff right now.

Keep a eye out for it getting worse though.

He is a gator right? Give him some belly rubs to calm him down.

Don't touch anything, that includes Diego.

Talk to Zeke a bit more about what the bees were doing in his mindscape. Ask about the terrain, like the tree and the streamers. See if any of it is familiar to him.

Don't touch anything, including Diego.

But watch him - if his mouth is opening and closing, he might be in danger of biting his own tongue. Might want to put something in his mouth to prevent that.

>>664238
I agree with this, also ask Zeke if he's willing to have something like a group therapy session. One, you need that tether so information on its nature and helping Zeke with his own fears, insecurities and physical afflictions is the proper thing to do especially for a fellow patient.

Clarify that it is Diego, not Zeke, having the seizure.

...well it was unavoidable at some point, but be careful around your doctor. You trust her, but you don't want to come out of this institutionalized. A lot of the other intrusive voices thinks she knows things... but that doesn't mean she'll help. That means she's the adult in the room, and you're the kid who just found ET in the back yard.

Toxoglossa 2015/08/23(Sun)14:45 No. 664684 ID: 557bac
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You give the phone back to Zeke.
"She's on her way. Do you think you can stabilize him? If I touch him, I might end up getting pulled in."

He kneels down and rests Diego's head on his knees. Diego continues to look in random directions and claw gently at the air.
>"I'm not sure. This isn't a seizure, I think he's just tripping balls. Diego, can you hear me?"

Diego seems to focus on Zeke for a moment.
>"!╘┘>╗╝╜╛ ┐╚╗╔└┐├┼╦╩ ├╕╚─├º├τ╙╬» ╚║╩╪╡┬╚╗┼º├┬├╖ ╧╘╡¬╡┤╩─»┤«╢╡╖╞║ └┐╜º╝║╗╛┐└║ └┐└┐┴└╛╝╣º"

Zeke
>"Okay, that's some creepy shit right there. Did you understand any of that?"

You're forced to admit you didn't.
"Zeke, in about your mind..."

You give him the details about what you saw inside his head. He nods and gives you a tired smile.
>"Yeah, That's my safe place. When I first met her, Dr. Cooper told me to think of it and I've gone there ever since. Of course, getting tied down by it is probably my fault."

Nate
"Why do you say that?"

>"Well, as you can probably guess, I've done a lot of...self medicating in my life. My parents were never into traditional medicine, you see, and I was desperate. I was lucky Dr. Cooper stepped in when she did."

Tell him about the tether and how you picked up a secondary one but it might not hold up under stress. It would be nice to get the main one but would have to deal with what was tying him down in there. We can't rile up his bees without his help.

Oh man if that royal jelly is a byproduct of his self medication its basically a super condensed psychic high. Deigo could be out of it for awhile.

Ask him if he is ok telling us more about his seizures and his history.

>>664684
I don't suppose your wasps understood that?

...hmm. I'm still not sure if taking the main tether will cause his seizures to come back or not. The seizures his inner self is experiencing might not have anything to do with his outer self's seizures. Ask if there's anything that changed in his life that seemed to be responsible for stopping the seizures. Maybe we can tell his inner self how to stop the seizures without relying on the honey? Then we can safely take the tether, although the bees will be pissed off at us and probably rather inconvenienced.

>>664684
Well, hey weed's apparently a fun and legit way to deal with pain, there's not too much need to blame yourself for that.
So, Cooper was able to stop your seizure's through building a mentally safe place? Were they not caused by a physical ailment, and it was instead a mental one? I mean, I don't understand seizure's fully, but these safe place's Cooper makes sound fucking miraculous.

I mean, a safe place sounds understandable when dealing with our Anxiety problems, but shit, seizures?

>>664684
Any cryptologists or puzzle lovers that did Fez legit that can decrypt that font? I don't even KNOW what that would sound like.

Nate, your synthesizia might be key to decoding that language.

>>664706
Apparently it's not a code. Don't bother trying to decrypt it.

Toxoglossa 2015/08/25(Tue)18:28 No. 665073 ID: 557bac
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"What do you mean 'find you when she did?'"

Zeke takes a deep breath and looks you in the eye. The heat in his gaze hits you like a hammer, his voice rings likes an anvil: drawing out his anger and tempering it into a long, thin blade. As he speaks you can feel it twist.

>"When she found me, I was locked in a hotel room while my family was outside praying for me: Because, of course, the attacks were my fault. What, with me smoking both pot and cocks, obviously divine intervention was called for. Oddly enough, it was kind of a miracle: she showed up out of nowhere and managed to convince them that I would be better off in her hands than convulsing to death on the bathroom floor."

You've never seen him like this, and have to turn away from the storm.
"Jeeze... Sorry, Zeke."

You hear him chuckle darkly.
>"Don't be: When I turned 18 I sued the shit out of them. Got them to turn over the trust fund my grandpa set up for me and in exchange I don't see or talk to them again."

"So what happened then?"

He gives you a lanky shrug, looking more like his usual self again.
>"Dr. Cooper got me on meds, legit ones, and we dealt with the damage my family did. I spent a lot of time in my safe space around then.."

"Well to be honest, it looked like a pretty delicate balance in there. We were going to take a tether, but it felt like it would have put you in too much danger. We ended up taking a smaller one instead, but I'm not sure if it'll suit our needs."

>"You mean for the save-the-world brain machine?"

You nod.
"There's a chance I'll be able to find another one somewhere else. But if we can't..."

Diego rolls his head and spouts another cryptic string of
babble.
>"╞O╚─╕╕º¬«╚╨- ┌╔╤─╬≡─╪╘╬ƒ╛ ─═╙┤╥╤╘╙╬╒═╧ ╠╒╘╓┘╪╫╫"

Zeke nods.
>"What he said."

Shiit, man. Sounds like he had it just about as bad as you did, Nate.

I guess trauma-bonding's out of the question for the moment. Nothing to do but wait on the good doctor.

>>665073
Ask Zeke what does he know about Lester then, it seems like there's going to be something there too. Tell him that you think Cooper patients are probably best kept alone though, because the components they might supply help keep them all in check in their safe place.

I mean, we can TRY Lester, since it is just hoarding so far as we know. If he doesn't bug out from learning that we can mind read that is, a conspiracy theorist loves his privacy.

Cooper won't let us in her brain, I'm sure. So there's Doug's girlfriend if neither of them have a problem with it, since Doug tries to always stay clean of bugs. There's Morgan; we could try Anthony again, and perhaps Detective Hunter should she return. We're not going to ask a cop's permission to read her mind because under no circumstances will she believe us.

Man, I hope Cooper isn't too pissed. I didn't think she believed us, but her tone said otherwise. I mean, she actually said it was a dangerous thing to do.

Think all those options out loud so we can hear what Zeke has to say, because I'm curious.

>>665081

Hmmm but it's not really a fair exchange, let Zeke know a bit more about your own history. Don't do any comparisons about your situation, but let Zeke know what happened to you and how you got rescued by Dr. Cooper

>>665116
Second.

>>665116
Yeah, opening up to him seems like a good idea. You already recapped him on the day's strangeness, and he known about your "delusional parasitosis" for awhile. Start with the ant hill when you were eight. Your parents were more supportive than Zeke's, but they also thought that you needed to excel academically if you were to be independent one day, ESPECIALLY with your condition. Oh, and then there is the fact that they don't know you started self harming out of stress built up from a relationship issue.

Oh, and as much as people might want to keep Lester out of this... that might not be possible. Doctor Cooper seemed... haggered when you talked to her on the phone. Unlike you and Diego, she and Zeke should have gotten a full night's sleep. She may have been up all night dealing with the most troublesome patient.

"It's ok me and Diego suck dick too."

>>665318
Hey wait for a more appropriate time to drop this revelation, preferably to give a reason to survive whatever incoming doom you're trying to avert.

Toxoglossa 2015/08/28(Fri)19:34 No. 665467 ID: 557bac
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As your mind drifts back into your memories, you feel yourself starting to itch. You will your hands into fists, clenching them as the sensation builds.
"When she found me, I was chained to a hospital bed... to keep me from tearing my skin off."

He looks sick at the thought of it.
>"Eugh. Because of the bugs?"

You shrug, your voice sounding hollow in your ears.
"Yeah... my partner at the time left me because he thought I was going crazy. I thought he was cheating on me and I was finding ticks all over him, then they got on me... things got worse. Things had been bad before, but I had always had some kind of support. When he left, I couldn't help thinking that maybe I deserved it. Like, even if he was seeing someone else, it was because of me and my problems."

You feel yourself shaking, your mind brings back the clinical smell of the hospital and the harsh florescent light. The two of you share an awkward silence of mutual understanding, like soldiers in the aftermath of battle.
Actually, now that you think about it...

"Zeke, what about Lester? Do you know anything about him?"

He scratches at his chin thoughtfully.
>"He hasn't told me much. I guess he was in the army or something. Occasionally I hear things through the wall but he's usually pretty quiet. Though, every once in a while he gets worked up and talks about how he knows 'someone's listening' and to 'give her back.' Whatever that means..."

"I wonder if Dr. Cooper could tell us. Although... I don't know if she'd trust us after she see's what happened to Diego. I hope she's not angry..."

>"Kind of late for that. Why? Did she sound mad?"

"More like tired. She warned me that it was dangerous, and I didn't listen."

While it might be dangerous with the end of the world waiting around the corner it was worth the risk.

Honestly the last few days have been good for you. You have a few new friends, you have gotten a better handle on your powers and learned a lot of things that will help you.

So keep your chin up because you have made some important steps in improving your life.

Anyways while you are waiting for the doc get some pillows under Diego's head and get comfy. Hopefully the stuff will wear off in a few hours.

>>665467
"Give her back"... Did Dr Cooper leave part of herself behind? No, that shouldn't be possible. People go into trances when they're delving and being delved into.

Let's go talk to Lester, but we need to wait for Dr Cooper to get here before trying to go into his mind for any more parts of the device. We should just try to see if he's willing to talk about his issues, and gauge how much he trusts us.

Hey, it might not be about you. Don't let reflecting on your darker times bring back bad habits. Besides, there are factors to your decision that you haven't talked to Doctor Cooper about. Some due to your job security, and others due to just not wanting to sound insane to your therapist.

A lot of those things you didn't talk to her about because you weren't yet telling Diego about the whole entering people's minds thing. When she gets here, you might want to catch her up on the two other times you accidentally entered people's mind; once while checking an unconscious persons pulse, and again when someone fell on you. And Doug. Doug coming out to you as expressing the same condition should be high on the list.

But that is in the near distant future. More immediately...

>>665469
DO NOT TALK TO LESTER BEFORE DOCTOR COOPER! There are way too many fireworks that could go off there. Doctor patient confidentiality will keep you from asking Doctor Cooper about Lester, of course, but that is not the reason you should delay. If Doctor Cooper sees you talking to someone else before she gets there... boy that would be trouble.

>>665473

Agreed, for now enjoy Zeke's company and make Diego comfortable, and maybe put a pencil and paper in our reptilian friend's hand. Who knows it might just be informative.

>>665496
Oh my god we could ask him to draw what he sees.

Toxoglossa 2015/08/31(Mon)17:36 No. 666077 ID: 557bac
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You realize there's not much you can do now besides wait for help. Curious, you get Zeke to put a pencil in Diego's hand and slip a piece of paper underneath. The result is a garbled mess, though it looks eerily familiar.

After a while you hear someone knock at the door.

>>666077
Familiar, like the diagram the satellite was sending?
...I'm starting to wonder if we're walking into a trap here, and the real solution is found in the satellite info.

Look through the peephole to make sure it's who we're expecting, before letting them in.

Have Zeke keep feeding him paper and go peep out the peephole. Hopefully its the doc and we can let her in.

Ask them for the secret password. (It's 'bees')

>>666078
Don't jump to conclusions. While the characters/syntax looks familiar to what Cobalt was pumping out, the format looks less like third dimensional trajectories and more like the blue prints to the transponder. Diego might be speaking and writing in tongues, but he's still formatting those thoughts like he normally would where he can; in this case, like an engineer.

But yeah. look through the peep hole and let Doctor Cooper in if you see her. Nothing else to say until she gets in here and starts yelling.

Toxoglossa 2015/09/01(Tue)17:34 No. 666367 ID: 557bac
File 144115404471.png - (105.75KB , 600x600 , 5-13.png )

You peek through the peephole: Dr. Cooper is standing in the hall.

>"Nate? Are you in there?"

>>666367
...no mantis?

Ask her what the password is. (there is no password)

Yeah keep looking for her bug to make sure she is not a shape shifting alien robot.

...her body language seems off. She seems more concerned with whatever is to her left than the door. If I have my orientation straight, that way is down towards the parking lot.

>>666368
Don't be too worried about the lack of a bug. They tend to wander, after all, and if she's worried about something down the hallway...

I can't see how the probe could have gotten her image, so at worse she's currently under duress from a cop. If that is the case, keeping the door closed will only delay the inevitable.

Mind you, there is also the not so bad but still hazardous situation of something going on in the parking lot. If that is the case, we'd want the good doctor inside as fast as possible.

My recommendation... open the door, get her inside, and ask if something is wrong in the parking lot. If you end up being jumped by a cop, so be it.

Quickly open the door and peek in the direction she's looking. If there's a threat, pull her in immediately. If not and it is a cop, try to play it off as a emergency home visit.

Nate's not here, only the bees!

Toxoglossa 2015/09/02(Wed)18:46 No. 666776 ID: 557bac
File 144124479503.png - (94.27KB , 600x408 , 5-14.png )

"Yeah, hang on..."
You fiddle with the lock and quickly let her in. You try to close the door, but it suddenly slams into you and throws you back on your ass.

>"Hello, spaceman. Looks like the gang's all here, how about we have a chat?"

Dr. Cooper's voice is level and deliberate.
>"I'm sorry, Nate. Let's just remain calm, I'm sure everything is going to be fine."

Freak the fuck out

>>666776
Ah. Great. He's lost it.
Ask Lester what he wants.

Don't try to push your own information on him. Keep the conversation focused on his side of the story, try to get him to keep talking about what he wants and don't aggravate him.

>>666776
lester what the fuck
I thought we were cool

release the wasps! sting his eyes!

That's not exactly a conversation piece you're holding.

Who is it really? We're assuming its Lester from the roaches but are we really sure that was his insect?

Tell him you would gladly chat with him anytime but you are not feeling to comfortable with his choice of conversation pieces.

Lester we don't have time for this Aliens are trying to destroy the world.

>>666882

ALIENS ARE LITERALLY TRYING TO DESTROY THE WORLD, (probably)LESTER.

Doug's not here! If somebody kills me and Diego, our asshole boss becomes Earth's last line of defense against xenostellar annihilation! Is that what you want, Lester?

>>666882
While this would be a powerful line to use, be careful of when you drop it. Dropped too soon and things will spiral out of control, but dropped too late and he'll believe you're patronizing him.

What might be easier to drop... today, someone played master of disguise after breaking into your place of work, and then went Houdini on a several ton satellite that they then proceeded to deposit in the middle of a forest clearing without disturbing the surrounding grass and then cutting it open in ways the engineers thought was impossible. You aren't part of the problem, but Lester would be very surprised what you are willing to believe after a day like today. Your classified super computer suddenly talking in Base 8, and how all attempts to construct a new transponder to talk to it have been sabotaged... these are the types of truths you should be telling him.

Oh... and skip over fact you lost several hours because someone mind hacked you with your own phone.

Curl up on the floor and cry like a little girl.

Toxoglossa 2015/09/03(Thu)20:36 No. 667097 ID: 557bac
File 144133777467.png - (89.42KB , 383x600 , 5-15.png )

Lester peeks out from a seething mass of cockroaches. He swings the pistol back and forth, indicating that he has you both covered.
>"Good idea. Lets all just stay calm, hands where I can see them. We're going to step inside and you're going to give me a few answers."

You nod and shuffle backwards into the living room.

Zeke stands up but wisely puts his hands up.
>"Who- Awww, come on Lester. The fuck is your problem?"

He brandishes the weapon in Zeke's direction.
>"My problem is: everywhere I turn, you people are stalking me, listening, watching, and now I have you right were I want you."

Toxoglossa 2015/09/03(Thu)20:36 No. 667098 ID: 557bac
File 144133779450.png - (81.32KB , 600x493 , 5-16.png )

Dr. Cooper waves her hands, trying to get him to lower the gun.
>"Its okay, its okay, Zeke. he just wants some answers, lets see if we can help him. What's your name?"

Zeke
>"Wait, we thought he was one of your patients."

>"No we've never met, have we?"

Lester narrows his eyes suspiciously.
>"No.... We've never been introduced, I suppose. Lester Palmetto."

She's still as calm and cool as an ice floe.
>"You were in the military, Lester?"

He nods curtly.
>"Yes ma'am, Gulf War, the first one. Now if you'll forgive me, I believe I should be asking the questions here, starting with: just who are you?"

>"I'm Dr. Gail Cooper: I'm a psychiatrist. Nate and Zeke are both my patients."

Lester gives her a wry smile full of menace.
>"Kind of an odd hour to be making a house call [/i]doctor[/i] Cooper."

"I agree, but Nate called and said that there was an emergency. Isn't that right, Nate?"

You try to speak but all that comes out is a whimper.
"Diego... he..."

As if on cue Diego babbles another string of incomprehensible nonsense.
>"⌐╩╛≥┐≡├╚╛» ┼δ╔╧º└╛╣╕╓«Φ ╤╘╬╧δ≥╬┐╡│╪╠."

Lester
>"Ahh, I've seen this before."

Dr. Cooper give a snort of disbelief.
>"What? How?"

>"Special Ops, mental reprogramming, psy-warfare. I see what's happening here: you boys lure your friend here, and then turn his damn brain inside out? Is that right?"

From his reactions I have a feeling he might have actually had someone rooting around in his head before. If you have these powers you can be sure the military has people on there payroll who can do this sort of thing.

Hey we did not lure anyone. Diego is our friend and we did not mean for this to happen. We were just experimenting and well things went wrong. I just learned about this crap a day ago.

>>667098
Time to spill a bunch of facts that he has no way of fitting into his narrative.
1. Diego's your boyfriend, you think.
2. Diego ate some royal jelly without knowing what it did, you think he's tripping like really hard. Maybe he thinks he's turning into a bee.

If you've seen this before, please help him. You can think we did this to him, but we just want him better. Please.

"almost, we were unlocking his potential. he's seeing things from beyond the veil right now, look at the picture he just drew."

play into his paranoia, he wont accept that we aren't doing something crazy.

"i can open your mind as well, but i need to touch you, can i?" once you touch he will pass out, letting the doctor snatch his gun.

>>667110
no.
>>667109
better option is this.

Don't patronize him, he's batshit but that doesn't mean he's an idiot.

>>667109
And not in the mercy killing way! The "I'm actually going to try and help you continue to live on normally kind of thing"

Sorta-maybe half right? Zeke's the one we lured here, we're trying to get some parts to stop an alien attack, and what happened to Diego was a total accident. If you know more about this, particularly how to reverse it, that'd be wonderful.

...as much as I want to say something, we can only really control things by suggesting things REALLY LOUDLY at Nate. And Nate appears to be paralyzed by the swarm of cockroaches on Lester.

But hey, think of this Nathan: if there are people in the government who do this thing for a living, maybe you can pass this saving the world thing off onto them? I mean, you're not completely off the hook since the Apex is in your head, but still... getting the device back from Doug and getting it to the government could solve a lot of things.

>>667170
Daaamn, nope. Seems like the govt was doing mind-control not to contact aliens, but to well, control people's minds. We cannot let anyone else but us know of this.

So, Lester, let's be clear here. Diego here works with me at the satellite factory. When I got contacted by aliens, he believed me, and helped me. (continue to tl;dr the situation)

>you boys lure your friend here, and then turn his damn brain inside out? Is that right?
Hey, if that's what happened, then there's another person behind the scenes here.

Tell him that Diego is your boyfriend.

You were all getting high and trying to do some psychic readings on each other and then Diego started seizing out of nowhere.

Have Zeke show him the weed as proof.

Better ask if Diego would be alright, if Lester saw something like this before it would be nice to know if our friend is seriously in danger or not.

Toxoglossa 2015/09/06(Sun)15:43 No. 667860 ID: 557bac
File 144157942151.png - (145.24KB , 600x612 , 5-17.png )

You finally find yourself able to speak up.
"No, it was an accident! We were exploring Zeke's head, and he.. well... is he going to be alright?"

He snarls.
>"I'd worry more about yourself right now, boy...."

"Please. Lester, you have to know how to help him!"

Lester scowls at you.
>"You'd like that wouldn't you? For me to let my guard down?"
The gun lowers slightly.
>"That wasn't my department."

Dr. Cooper steps towards him.
>"What was your department then, Lester?"

In an instant the gun is back up, and pointed at her. She backs off.
>"Don't... try any of that on me, miss. Your superiors have all the intel you'll ever need on me. Which is why I'm glad you're here"

Zeke
>"Er.. what do you mean?"

Lester
>"I mean, you're going to help me find 'her'."

You
"Who is 'her'?"

He starts to shake, the gun's sight wobbling between the three of you.
>"I... can't remember..."

>>667860
So... you want me to touch one of your custodian cockroaches to go into your head, is that right? I'm the only one that can do it and it requires you to actually let your guard down for it to happen. We had to watch Robocop for a while for it to work on Zeke, then I touched his custodian bees.

That's the only way I can think to help, Lester. If you want my help, you also need to help Diego. I'm new at this, I can't guarantee it will work, but its the only way I know how I could help you. It helped Diego a little bit with his feelings of isolation when I tried this earlier today.

>>667860
How can we help you?

Can you describe 'her' at all? Do you remember any details?

...I just had a thought that is far too speculative to suggest to Nathan just yet. More in Discussion.

That aside... tell Lester you don't think you can personally help... at least not with the tampering with powers you don't understand thing. Which is more or less true; if something was taken from Lester's mind, you could help by returning it, but you'd need to find wherever it was placed.

Nate, remember the basics of CQC!

>"I... can't remember..."
Wait, wait, the only way to help him remember is to go into his head, though. If you did that, he might just end up like Diego! Does he really want to take that risk?

Toxoglossa 2015/09/08(Tue)18:13 No. 668460 ID: 557bac
File 144176120874.png - (188.26KB , 600x600 , 5-18.png )

Dr. Cooper eases forward as he seems to deflate.
>"Who was she? Can you describe her?"

Lester sinks to his knees, shaking.
>"She's gone... they took her away. I've been trying to find her... How many years?"

>>668460
Remember that contact with an insect will send you into the person's mind. Don't let the cockroaches get on you!

On the contrary, I think this might be a good time to dive into his mind - just expect that Dr. Cooper with touch you and follow.

>>668465
This.

Don't make any sudden movements or try anything silly like go for the gun.

Maybe sit down nonthreatening like and tell him that you only have a few days experience with this sort of stuff after a lifetime of being scared of it but you will help him if you can.

I know it might be a bad idea but right now might be the perfect time to pat him on the shoulder. If he is not paying attention enough you will go in his head and can start seeing what happened in there. But if it does not work he might think its a attack and slap you around a bit. So maybe a really light pat.

Toxoglossa 2015/09/12(Sat)20:02 No. 669305 ID: 557bac
File 144211333301.png - (143.17KB , 600x428 , 5-19.png )

You quietly approach Lester and reach for his shoulder.

>"Stay BACK!!"
Snarling, Lester swings the pistol and his roaches flutter off of him in a greasy storm. The butt crashes into your wrist and you feel your hand go numb.

Toxoglossa 2015/09/12(Sat)20:02 No. 669306 ID: 557bac
File 144211333832.png - (456.42KB , 600x568 , 5-20.png )

Zeke pounces on Lester, driving the wind out of him and seizing his arm. They struggle for control in a seething cloud of insects.

>>669306
UGH. REALLY?!

Basically what you need to do here is find a roach that isn't mixed up with the bees, then grab it. That should send you into his mind, while also sending him into a trance, defusing the situation.

Grab the gun, get Zeke clear, and shoot out his kneecap. Failing that, go for the torso. You have a sufficient number of people present to corroborate a self-defense claim, since he literally broke into the apartment and threatened to kill everyone. You'll get nothing but hostiles in his head and I don't think anyone's fit to be doing any mind-diving while we have the other emergency going on.

>>669324
dude what
That's murder. Even if you can get away with it, it's still murder.

>>669326
You don't have to kill him, just incapacitate him.

The party's full enough anyway.

Help Zeke keep that gun arm pinned.

>>669333
Better yet, stomp on the wrist, knock it out of his hand and kick it away. As long as the firearm is in this conflict, things will escalate into an undesirable situation. So do whatever you need to do to get rid of that gun.

Don't get to caught up in that fight. It would be to easy to get shot if you tried to wrestle with his gun.

Either grab a roach and try to go in to his head to help him or do the responsible thing and call the police.

>>669343
Yeah. Besides, he just broke your wrist. You are in no condition to wrestle.

Calling the cops might complicate matters with Diego, but it's better than taking the law into your own hand with Lester.

Plan B would be to touch a lone cockroach. Yes, it would be dangerous, but only if you walked around and poked stuff. If you just stood still and whistled dixie... it should be safe enough to stay like that for awhile while you wait for thing to calm down in the outside world.

Stomp his bugs!

>>669369
Also, when we were in Zeke's head he was zoned out in the real world. Might have been a side-effect of the weed but if it stuns Lester for even a moment it could help.

Call the cops. Dude just broke into your apartment with a gun, that's the kind of thing they'd prefer to hear about sooner rather than later, and they've been reasonably competent and helpful so far today.

Toxoglossa 2015/09/14(Mon)17:17 No. 669656 ID: 557bac
File 144227626577.png - (329.41KB , 600x541 , 5-21.png )

You cradle your arm and stare as the two of them wrestle for control. Zeke's element of surprise is wearing off and Lester moves to push him off. While he's distracted you reach blindly into the swarms and something buzzes into your hand with a slap.

Toxoglossa 2015/09/14(Mon)17:17 No. 669657 ID: 557bac
File 144227627183.png - (41.27KB , 382x600 , 5-22.png )

You feel the world drop out from underneath you and darkness envelops you completely.

>>669657
Conjure a flashlight. You should know how those work, also the batteries that go with them. Well actually in complete darkness an omnidirectional light source is better. Lantern?

get your armor, and a light.

The darkness is a reflection of his tormented mind. There has to be a light of hope or focus in here somewhere, like looking for the person he lost.

>>669664
This. You might want to hold off summoning a light until your eyes adjust and you can get an idea of in which direction any faint illumination is coming from.

Definitely summon a light before walking, though. Wouldn't want to walk off any cliffs.

>>669662
This. Space suit with lights on the helmet.

>>669664
This first though.

Well if we're not using a light, the alternative is night vision goggles. Not sure if Nate knows how they work well enough to make them.

>>669657
Make armor and/or a helmet with a thermal imaging camera and a head-mounted light. Better to have an idea of where unknown bodies are before setting them off with light, yeah?

>>669673
Isaac Clarke's armor has glowy bits front and back.

>>669716
I mean, like, a tacticool little flashlight on his helmet we can turn on and off.

Darkness, paranoia. Light shows the way, but might attract attention. Who knows what's out there.

Well, you need to go anyway.

Lester probably has an infestation of many bad feelings, tread lightly.

Toxoglossa 2015/09/17(Thu)17:38 No. 670264 ID: 557bac
File 144253670158.png - (132.52KB , 466x600 , 5-23.png )

A flashlight appears in your hand and you turn it on. You appear to be in a small room, made from black, glossy, opaque material. You reach out to touch it, feeling it give and stretched around your fingers like tough plastic sheets.

Not to alarm you, but it sounds like you're in a garbage bag. Get something sharp to cut yourself out.
Alternatively, wait for a friendly raccoon to bust you loose.

>>670264
Great. Nate's in a garbage bag.
Look around a little bit, is there no exit to the room? If so, summon up an axe, cut through a wall, and stick your face in the hole going "HEEEERE'S JOHNNY!"

OK Nate. You now know you are in no imminent danger of death. After all, you can't suffocate in the vacuum of space so a plastic bag will do nothing. As such, I'd now recommend one thing... bouncing up and down on your heels and whistling Dixie.

I know you are tempted to explore, but there is a lot of danger out there, and you don't know IF you can even help. Right now you SHOULD be paralyzing Lester, so that is helping enough as is. Besides... last time Diego's beetle had to save you instead of your wasp. Right now... you are probably defenseless.

>>670265
A garbage bag... or a body bag?

>>670275
...you have a point. Maybe Nate should stay put until Dr Cooper shows up in here.

>>670264
Maybe this is Lester's/his custodians' way of dealing with interlopers in his mind, to trap them out and isolate them? Either way, I don't think you're safe in OR out of the bag. Trash is sacked up to be "disposed of," you know. Just be on your guard when you bust out.

>last time Diego's beetle had to save you instead of your wasp.
Bees are able to kill wasps, is why. Roaches, on the other hand, are killed by wasps. Nate's psyche trumps Lester's.

Unfortunately I think Nate's wasps are almost all dead at the moment. Those bees did a number on his hive.

Toxoglossa 2015/09/18(Fri)12:11 No. 670372 ID: 557bac
File 144260351125.png - (54.47KB , 600x619 , 5-24.png )

You forget the flashlight and a knife appears in your hand. With some difficulty you manage to push it through the plastic and allow in some rather dingy light. Stretching and slashing at the sheets, you make a hole large enough to slip though.

Toxoglossa 2015/09/18(Fri)12:11 No. 670373 ID: 557bac
File 144260351745.png - (159.12KB , 700x463 , 5-25.png )

You tumble out unceremoniously and dust yourself off, finding yourself standing waist deep in a thick mist. More sheets are used to cover strange, lumpy objects or stretched between pipes set inexplicably in the ground. The place has a sour, forgotten smell that you feel clinging damply to your skin. You have the an unbalanced sensation as if you were moving slowly, despite standing still.

>>670373
I'd joke about Nam flashbacks, but that's the wrong war. Investigate red bits on nearby tarp.

Nate forgot FLASHLIGHT and learned STAB!

Examine room you just exited. Also, forget nose.

>>670373
untarp EVERYTHING

>>670378
Let's not provoke the custodian into "poking" us with it's mandibles.

>>670374
Yes. Look but not touch. It might look like a dump, and you might feel like you are alone, but if you must walk around treat the place like an expensive store where a store clerk is hovering right over your shoulder at all times.

And maybe it'll be best to take stock of your hive, you don't want to rely on your wasps only to find out you're out.

What are you standing on? Dirt?

Hey, I just realized something! Every time we got a new piece for our "mind machine thingy", we "fixed" something in that persons' head! Which means the reason that rope we got from Zeke's head isn't working is because we haven't "fixed" what was wrong in Zeke's head! At least, I think that's how it works. And if I'm right, we at least know how to get new pieces now!

>>670378
This

Toxoglossa 2015/09/21(Mon)18:47 No. 671462 ID: 557bac
File 144288644784.png - (146.06KB , 600x482 , 5-26.png )

You cautiously take hold of one of the nearby tarps and give it a pull. Underneath is a pile of rusty machinery shaped roughly like a person. It groans slightly, but is too corroded to move.

Dorothy, you need to give the tin man some oil so he can move

engineer the hell out of that robot. make new cogs if you have to.

>>671467
Yep. Let's cover this guy in WD-40.

Be careful! There's a reason that Lester's mind has stalled and covered itself up. This may be a part of the cause, or it may be a victim. If you do lubricate it, be prepared for the possibility of hostilities.

Hang on, are those purple lines to the left something interesting?

>>671561
Yeah. Don't forget your synthenasia. The fact that the lines are subtle and in the distance only means there is plenty of time to prepare for whatever it is if we notice them NOW.

>>671561
Yeah. Don't forget your synthenasia. The fact that the lines are subtle and in the distance only means there is plenty of time to prepare for whatever it is if we notice them NOW.

>>671462
check for weapons before wd40ing. weapons=move along.

Summon a trusty can of WD-40.

Summon WD-40 paired with duct tape, just in case something starts moving that shouldn't.

Toxoglossa 2015/09/25(Fri)21:17 No. 672762 ID: 557bac
File 144324103611.png - (110.15KB , 600x520 , 5-27.png )

You ditch the knife and try thinking of something to loosen the device. You end up with a can of machine oil, which you apply to the visible joints.

While you're working, you hear something in the fog,The sound of small, close together footsteps running away from you. You turn to pinpoint where the sound is coming from, but the sounds is drowned out by a metallic screech.

Toxoglossa 2015/09/25(Fri)21:17 No. 672763 ID: 557bac
File 144324104284.png - (154.51KB , 600x423 , 5-28.png )

Suddenly the rust figure springs to life; unfolding and spinning erratically. It dances back and forth in a fixed pattern. You jump out of the way, but not before a piece of metal grazes your chest.

Ban the robot from the chatroom

Get away. Are there any other bots acting up? If not think up something to scrap this one, otherwise just run towards that noise asap.

>>672763
Dangit. Spray it down with water again. Or glue. Once it's disabled again, you can listen for that person.

Also maybe summon up needle and thread to stitch up your wound. You don't seem to feel any pain in here, so it should be simple.

Investigate noise. The bot is fine if it's staying within a set location and may or may not be part of a larger machine/system.

Alternately, climb on top of bot and blast off to get an overhead view.

no, let it spin. just back up. replace tiny oil can with a super soaker full of oil. hose bots down from a distance.


anyway, first back up and see what it spinning freely has done to the mindscape around it.

Imagine a tetanus shot, and find something else dangerous to stick your nose into. (Why haven't you un-imagined that yet? Ugh, I think the stench is getting even *worse*.)

>>672771
This.

It's not moving to chase you. That means we started something up in Lester's frozen mindscape. Maybe we can help him move on?

>>672798
"If a sentient bacteria discovered one of our satellite and started to explore it, one of it's last thoughts as it was being fried by a live circuit is that it must have all been a test from a higher power." ...or something like that.

Point is, don't jump to conclusions of this thing being hostile or nonhostile. It's dangerous, but so is a garbage disposal if you stick your hand straight down it. Just back away and observe.

Oh, and don't try and chase the person just yet. You came from under one of the tarps, so it probally thinks you are dangerous too. This is a mind of paranoia after all.

Toxoglossa 2015/09/28(Mon)18:47 No. 673520 ID: 557bac
File 144349124838.png - (104.83KB , 600x428 , 5-29.png )

The whirling metal spins in place briefly before twirling off into the fog, in a snarling whirlwind of sound.

You stumble off in the opposite direction in search of the footsteps, the uncomfortable off balance sensation even stronger now. You pick idly at the slash on your chest as you walk: unwilling to look at the papery nest you've become inside, but bothered enough to poke at it like a cavity. Around you, more of the tarps groan worryingly as you pass between then and you increase your pace.

Sound spotted to your right.

Also a roach, in about the same direction. Either armor up or make a jetpack or something so it can't reach you.

Right, well if you're going after the noise, then there is a roach between you and it. It's a big one too, given that we know it's there based on the antenna poking out of the fog.

Best thing I can say is to not aggravate it. I should be a given, but even taking a too defensive stance might be too aggressive. Remember we are in a paranoid mind here.

Toxoglossa 2015/09/30(Wed)19:50 No. 674085 ID: 557bac
File 144366784227.png - (159.96KB , 600x502 , 5-30.png )

You think you see something move in the mist and
head in its direction. You suddenly feel your legs pulled out from under you, and you hit the ground heavily before being dragged several feet backwards.

Toxoglossa 2015/09/30(Wed)19:50 No. 674086 ID: 557bac
File 144366784870.png - (208.50KB , 600x527 , 5-31.png )

The thing pulling you lets go, and a moment later the metallic dervish spins past in a blur. It crashes into a covered shape, which groans for a moment before shedding it plastic shroud and gearing itself up. Ponderously at first, it starts to spin until the two of them match speeds and whirl off in opposite directions.

Look back at your savior, thank them!

Oh god, you started a chain reaction. This is bad. Very bad. These things might even represent the guy's military memories, in which case you started a flashback.

Find out who saved you, and ask for their help in stopping what you started.

i am reminded of something

"i am the milkman, my milk is delicious. "

>>674092

It's fortified with what the world wants. What the world deserves.

But what you don't know is that while you're out at work the milkman is screwing your wives

>>674091
...yeah, I'm going to agree that we [censored] up.

Still... do we want to stop thing? At worse I think these machines represent the more maniacal side of paranoia... but is that's the case why was Lester going on crazy up on the real world with all these things already bagged up? We need more information.

>>674089
Are we sure we want to thank them? Because this could be one of those situations where he says, "I didn't want you to get killed, because I want to kill you myself." Of course, I could be wrong, so just be careful and don't let your guard down.

Toxoglossa 2015/10/05(Mon)18:09 No. 675068 ID: 557bac
File 144409377761.png - (113.75KB , 509x600 , 5-32.png )

You roll over to thank whoever saved you, but all that is there is an empty swirl of haze. You feel yourself getting nauseous: the floor is definitely moving now and has picked up speed. You stand up, but lurch strongly to one side, suddenly realizing that you're missing a foot.

Toxoglossa 2015/10/05(Mon)18:09 No. 675069 ID: 557bac
File 144409378324.png - (101.55KB , 600x450 , 5-33.png )

You continue limping towards the sound and another figure looms out of the fog in front of you.

Stay at a distance and throw your shoe at him.

Are you sure it's another figure?

>>675069
I'm going to bet that's Lester. Be careful, he may be hostile in here too. I would suggest creating some basic armor, maybe an artificial foot so you can move properly.

The movement you're feeling is probably the time-dilated movement of you and/or Lester being moved in the waking world. All indications point to time passing slower in the inner world, so it's very important that you stay in here as long as possible so that your friends can restrain Lester and get that gun away from him. Do not let anything in here kick you out by destroying your projection.

Once you're sure of your own safety, approach and get a better look at them.

>>675080
I'd actually put the moving down to us possibly being in a barge or some sort. A trash barge would fit the trash theme.

And expect any attempt to approach or touch Lester to provoke his Custodian. They're far more likely to be hostile towards you than Lester himself.

>>675068
Whoever "saved" you yanked on your leg so hard they pulled your food off! That was either on purpose or it was an accident. Keep your guard up!

Toxoglossa 2015/10/08(Thu)18:03 No. 675499 ID: ab25fe
File 144435260032.png - (129.08KB , 369x600 , 5-34.png )

You try to creep closer, but you underestimate how hard it is to sneak up on someone with a missing foot. You end up stumbling and the person turns ready to strike.

>"Nate?"

Zeke lowers his fist.
>"Oh thank God. Nate what is this? Where the hell are we?"

>>675499
Oh! Well I wasn't expecting this. Tell him this is inside Lester's mind. Ask what's the last thing he remembers happening in the waking world. Is Lester restrained yet?

Okay, Zeke, if there's some Royal leftover Pizza, whatever you do, don't eat it.

We're in a head filled with lots of pointy objects and maybe some shooty ones as well. Watch your tail.

>>675501
This. Also, if he confirms touching Nate before arriving "here", Nate will have confirmation on how Diego got into Neke's head. Which we need, since Diego was too busy explaining why he was a bee instead of telling Nate why he was in Zeke's head. Until Nate learns this fact we have to remind ourselves constantly that it's unconfirmed to him.

Tell Zeke this is what you were talking about when you said 'going into people's minds'. We're in Lester's mind right now. At least some sort of representation of it.

>>675499
Tell him, "Remember when I said me and Diego went inside your head? Well, that's what's happening right now, except for the fact that it's me and you and we're inside of Lester's head."

Toxoglossa 2015/10/13(Tue)17:38 No. 676301 ID: ab25fe
File 144478312158.png - (78.83KB , 600x434 , 5-35.png )

"We're in Lester's head. Somehow, you must have been pulled in when I entered."

>"Urgh, I hope my mind wasn't so..... bleak."
"Nah, yours was a technicolor wonderland compared to this."

He snarls
>"That bastard, I can't believe him..."

"Who? Lester?"

>"Yeah, is there some way to fuck him up in here? I'm not going to miss a chance like this to stop him."

"I have no idea. To be honest I may have fucked it up already..."As if to emphasize things, something clangs in the distance. "Weeeeeee should probably keep moving."

He looks anxiously in the direction of the sound.
>"Good idea. Where to?"

You stand in the silent mist for a few moments and look around. You spot several sounds, but its hard to tell what they are from where you are.

Ooh! A red one! I'll take that.

>>676301
Easy on him, Zeke, he's mentally sick, much farther along then either us. He doesn't even get help because his condition won't allow him to. LEt's not try to make him worse, because he might kill us and maybe even more people if we fuck this up. Like murdering the whole building.

Honestly, I'm hoping I can make him more sane in here, not worse. And see if there's some form of legitimacy to his claims. I'd feel like shit if his daughter or wife or sister is in trouble and lost it forever if we give up this chance. Whatever you feel about Lester, well, it doesn't go on to his daughter or sister or wife. She doesn't deserve whatever terrible thing happened to her.

So just look around for bits and pieces, and be careful, I've already lost a leg in here. That's fine for now, but I don't want to test what being entirely mutilated will do to me or you. Could be worse than what happened to Diego.

>>676301
And go red.

I say pink since that's the color we've repeatedly been spotting but not quite catching.

>>676304
Most of this. Lester is still waiting for his miracle moment of someone to save him.

>>676310
Pink does appear to be the running figure. Let's close that loophole rather than poking another hornet's nest.

>>676310
This.

>>676310
Pink definitely.

Try to calm Zeke down on the way if possible.

Toxoglossa 2015/10/17(Sat)16:08 No. 677259 ID: ab25fe
File 144512330409.png - (91.20KB , 600x360 , 5-36.png )

Together, decide to keep heading towards the pink sound.

"Come on Zeke; Lester's sick, we can't make things worse for him..."

He responds with a surly grunt.
>"Yeah okay, we'll just hug it out, right?"

Before long the sound of footsteps draws close. They sound small, light and close together. Zeke nods at you; he can hear it too.

Imagine a kung fu fighting stance.

Looks like a kid Lester. Reminds me of the lab girl's mind. I wonder what was up with her, come to think of it.

Zeke can hide behind something if he wants to keep the possibility of an ambush open.

Toxoglossa 2015/10/19(Mon)20:18 No. 678089 ID: ab25fe
File 144531111736.png - (96.69KB , 600x600 , 5-37.png )

You signal Zeke to be quiet and to circle around. He nods and slinks away into the mist.

You approach the mysterious person.
"Lester? is that you?"

They stop running and as you get closer you can see that they seem to be a child. They slowly turn around to face you.

>>678090
What the fuuuuuuck

Get away from him. I want no part in that. Go find one of the other sounds.

don't touch them, try to read their face.

Yeah, my best guess would be that it's some sort of manifestation of a traumatic flashback or dissociation or something else equally unpleasant. Do NOT touch.

Don't panic, but also don't touch. Calmly ask him... well anything expect for what is wrong with his eyes.

>>678090
This is the personification of his mental scarring. His mind has been damaged. Memories of this "her" he was talking about have been stolen from him. He's desperate to remember who "she" is and he thinks you're from some government conspiracy group here to make sure he never remembers who "she" is. Let's fix that, shall we?

Try asking how his mom is doing. Try poking at the relevant female figures in ones life to try and see who "her" might be.

Toxoglossa 2015/10/22(Thu)18:16 No. 678818 ID: ab25fe
File 144556298913.png - (129.74KB , 600x476 , 5-39.png )

"Lester? Is that you?

>""L͚̇̅ͣ̚e̩͎̟͑s͕t͉̞̒̆̊́͛ͮe̲̪̼͚͇̓ͫ͆̿r͈ͭ ̄̒ͩ̌̇i̩̳̜̗̱͓͙s̫̫̍͂̒ ͕̩̅̽ͩ̿t͔͙̟̬͔̼̖̀̀̓h̰͕̭͎̲̀̋͆ͫǎ̯̱͎ͨ̽̈́̂t̞̣̰ ̤͉y̺̮̯̣̫̖̬͗ͪ̐ͧͧö̮͎͖̠̙́̔̏́ͅú̮̭̝?̮͚̬̯̫͇ͫ͌"̦̟̭̼̲̜̿̇͑̊ͤ̄"

"Um... My name is Nate, I want to help you..."

Lester(?) cocks his head.

>"...W͔̫̳͍̥̭̙͇̫͒͆ͦͦͩͥ͋͝a̘̻͚̯̣͛ͫ́ͮ̈nͨ͛̒̀̚͢҉͇t̷̨͚͖̩̾ͦ̄̓̌͋̑͟ ͦ̾̿ͮͩ҉̫̗̫̻̞̪̰̕ṱ̵̩͇̫̼̳̄͑ͬo̟̦̥͕̫̭̖͙ͫ̾̏̎̃̒͢͞ ̴̧̢͇̳̥̳̟͎̟̑̐ͬͭh̻̾̐͋̃̿̈͌͡e̥͈͓̱͙̰̦͖̊͒͆̽̏ͤ́ͮͨ͜͞͠l̨̯̪̭ͫͯͫ͐̅̋̂͊͘p̪͖̟̝̪͎̮ͥ̊̔̀̕..."

"Yeah, you said you wanted to find someone?"

He steps closer, and despite yourself you stumble backwards on your missing foot, bumping against something large and greasy.

Duck and cover! And RUN.

Conjure up Levar Burton's visor from Star Trek and give it to him.

>>678818
Don't let the spinning top hit Lester, deflect it with a riot shield or something.

Oh god. You just backed into a giant roach, one of his guardians. It might be a good time to armor up or something. Or get help from Zeke, if the roach tries to attack you.

It's not one of the machines, guys.

>>678869
The curbed lines here and there make it hard to tell whether it's a roach with antennae or a garbage bag. You're right though, if it is a roach he needs to get away quickly.

>>678869
>>678880
The roached hasn't attacked... in fact I think it might have been the roach the saved Nate from the spinning blades. Custodians are very good at maintenance and preservation... not so good at change and improvement.

With that said, the roach is actually keeping Nate from backing away too far from Lester... maybe some physical contact is what is needed?

In any case, this probably looks worse than it is to a first time. Be ready to call off Zeke if he does something overly aggressive.

>>678907
If Physical contact is what's needed, then my suggestion for Geordi La Forge's glasses being given to baby Lester still stands.
He looks blind, and metaphorical sight may help the real Lester see more clearly. And nothing is better than Geordi La Forge's visor when it comes to clarity.

I am very serious about that suggestion, and it was serious from the start. I just needed to make another post clarifying that it wasn't a joke post because my earlier one is brief.

Toxoglossa 2015/10/25(Sun)11:52 No. 679311 ID: ab25fe
File 144579912869.png - (153.08KB , 600x461 , 5-40.png )

Instinct takes hold and you dive forward, as something spiny and black reaches for you. You duck behind Lester (?) and turn to face your attacker: a massive, black cockroach, still chewing idly on your missing foot.

A wind picks up from somewhere and the mist starts to thin, revealing a swarm of insects surrounding you.

Nate: Freak out at the gravity of the situation.

Welp, you're completely surrounded by Lester's custodians, but Zeke's already shown that custodians don't always attack on-sight and can actually be helpful. No assumptions are safe, though, so let's just try and defuse this peacefully. Push the line of helping Lester find "her." Not only would that keep him occupied, it'll be valuable information once we're done mind-diving. Don't give his custodians a reason to defend him; no sudden movements, keep your own custodians in check unless you absolutely have to. Speaking of Zeke, what's his situation?

Okay, get your dead space armor on, give you a robot leg, but put some brown antenne up top to confuse them!

Tell them you aren't here to fight, or to mess with anything they don't want you to mess with. Ask for your foot back. Maybe you can reattach it?

wait, that one has your foot, it's the one that pulled you over to avoid the dervish. it hasn't eaten it so i think your foot just broke off from the force of the drag.

explain lester is attacking people in the real world, you want to stop that.

>>679369
Two things.

One: make sure to emphasize that you want to stop the fighting by helping him. You don't want them to perceive you as a threat.

Two: don't use the term real world to the custodians use... physical world instead. Remember, this world is far more real to them.

Toxoglossa 2015/10/28(Wed)19:44 No. 679979 ID: ab25fe
File 144608667739.png - (70.95KB , 600x398 , 5-41.png )

You back away from the child with your arms up defensively, ready to imagine a set of armor at any second.
"Its okay, Its okay! I don't want to hurt him. We're looking for someone, can you help?"

The custodian's antennae flick upwards and its vicious black wings buzz to life. It seizes Lester by the shoulders and launches into the air. It flickers across the sky clumsily and heads towards a structure looming out of the thinning mist. A moment later the rest of the swarm joins them in a noisy clatter of wings.

Toxoglossa 2015/10/28(Wed)19:44 No. 679980 ID: ab25fe
File 144608668125.png - (97.75KB , 600x369 , 5-42.png )

In the eerie silence, you hear the squeal of metal in pain....
"Uh... Zeke? You still out there?"

Zeke rushes towards you, a look of panic on his face.
>"NATE! FUCKING RUN!"

>>679980
OH GOD

Don't run, fly! Think up some bee wings like you had during Zeke's dream. Or a jetpack. If you can't do that you're gonna have to do something like get fully armored because you can't run on that stump. Tell Zeke to imagine up something to let him fly! Or move faster, whatever.

Next destination is the structure.

Now, now, who's the expert brain spelunker here?
Stay and see what's got poor Zeke all riled up.

Follow the bugs, they're fleeing to safety, the robots must be hostile! Lester uses trashbags to feel safe, so when we released one from it's bag prison and greased one up, a hostile force could then attack!

Well, maybe just ask Zeke while you run with him.

And for god's sake, get your self a peg leg!

>>679980
Jetpack time! Grab Zeke and fly out of there.

>>679980
Color is a bit different, but based on the shape we now know what the far right sound was... pity we may never know what blue was.

>>679984
>>679991
Jet pack might be asking for a bit much... though... back in Zeke's mind Nate mentioned the bees swarming him as soon as he landed. Landed implies he was in the air before. So yeah... just do whatever you did to fly there Nate, assuming you can take Zeke with you. Walking is just not gong to cut it here.

>>679980
Well, running's out of the question, seeing as one of your feet has been reduced to a stump. So I suggest you either summon a jetpack that can support the combined weight of you and Zeke or ask your wasps to help carry both of you!

Or maybe Zeke's bees will come and help both of you!

Toxoglossa 2015/11/02(Mon)18:37 No. 681000 ID: ab25fe
File 144651825550.png - (161.94KB , 468x600 , 5-43.png )

Zeke rushes past you and as you turn to follow, a swarm of spinning rusty engines come swooping out of the fog. In a panic, you stumble and concentrate on a means of escape.
You feel armor wrap itself around you and kick you forward as its boosters activate.

>>681000
Time to fly around like a drunken bumblebee until you figure out how to deal with iron man-style propulsion.

Consider grabbing Zeke.

>>681000
Your armor is both a weapon and a means of propulsion... so be very VERY careful.

Toxoglossa 2015/11/05(Thu)17:35 No. 681662 ID: ab25fe
File 144677371379.png - (159.36KB , 600x550 , 5-44.png )

You swing low to pick up Zeke, plowing into him and carrying him skyward. Unsure of how to control yourself, you do your best to aim yourself in the same direction as the roaches.

Toxoglossa 2015/11/05(Thu)17:35 No. 681663 ID: ab25fe
File 144677371779.png - (46.32KB , 600x365 , 5-55.png )

Together you trace a series of drunken loops before crash landing on the lowest platform of the mysterious structure.

>>681663
Oh jeez. Check self and Zeke for injuries. See what you can do to brace yourselves to keep going, then see if you can find where the roaches went.

Use hand repulsors to blast your way through the structure to the top.

>>680000
>>681663
Oh. Hey. The blue noise. Neat.

>>681663
This. Looks like there's an incline to the mesa you're on, forming a spiral path up to the top... either that or everything just slanted to the left due to your impact. Either way, once you're ready to move, just walking to the incline should get you on the right path.

Toxoglossa 2015/11/08(Sun)17:32 No. 682517 ID: ab25fe
File 144703277713.png - (110.34KB , 600x600 , 5-56.png )

You groan and flop yourself over, staring up at the structure looming over you. There seems to be something at its peak, but its strange and difficult to identify from your point of view.

Zeke sits upright.
>"Dude! How'd you do that? With the suit and everything?"

"Huh? I just kind of imagined it, and it popped up. Ive always had a pretty active imagination."

He stares at his hands for a moment before giving you a frustrated look.
>"I can't- it wont work. "

A swarm of the rusty spinning engines swoops out of the fog and starts to assemble around the base of the structure, with more converging with every moment.
"Shit, time to go, Zeke."

You figure the safest place to be would be at the top of the building, and you definitely want to examine the object up there. It looks like there are entrances leading inside at odd intervals, or you could try using your jump jets again to take you up.

Jump jets. Hey, have you considered imagining a helmet too? Safety first and all that. Maybe you can fill the gaps in for Zeke's imagination too.

>>682517
Imagine another armor for Zeke or something. A jetpack, whatever.

A dancer.
Is it a music box?

>>682523
Flying is probably going to be a last resort thing for the moment. Try walking to heaven for now.

As you walk, talk Zeke through what you know of item creation. Like, there is a limit to how much one mind can create at once and that different minds are inclined to different objects. For instance you're obsessed with space, and while you can make armor they've almost always been fictional space armors. Aside from that you've managed to create simple hand tools, but even a handgun was beyond you.

Ultimately suggest Zeke he should try and manifest something really personally as the true test of if he can manifest anything, and then move one degree from that object to something more useful to his immediate needs.

>>682711
Likely. The machines down there seem to be all about spinning as well...

I'm guessing Lester has some sort of important memory involving a spinning dancer music box. The dangerous ones are probably some sort of distortion of the memory.

>>682517
I think you should just go inside. Can't fly reliably while carrying Zeke and it won't do to be separated.

Toxoglossa 2015/11/11(Wed)18:42 No. 683407 ID: ab25fe
File 144729616513.png - (135.61KB , 600x500 , 5-57.png )

Worried you'll end up crashing again, you decide to stick to the ground instead of using your jets and step through the door. Your eyes take a moment to adjust to the gloom, but you find yourself standing on a catwalk crossing over a massive open space. the floor below is cluttered with strange, crystalline gears and coils of black, wiry ivy.

Man I hate symbolism. Is this a good machine? Should we clear out the ivy? Were those other machines bad in general or just damaged from being rusted?

Guess you just got to go with your gut and try to help if you can. Something in there represents the damage done to him. Are the robots a symbol of the military messing with his head? Or were they here and all spinning nicely before?

Is it a good thing that this machine is not running? Or would starting it up help fix things?

Whatever the color is much nicer so its probably a good machine. Figure how to start it up.

>>683407
Strange, the spinning things outside haven't swarmed in yet. Yet, I bet if we cleaned up that stuff down there, things would improve.

This is definitely a music box... Fix it. Maybe block the door to make sure no spinny shit can get in.

...I wonder if Zeke can't do any imagination stuff because you didn't fix his internal problem? If it could even be fixed. It occurs to me we never found his queen bee, maybe we can try again later, but stockpile some honey from somewhere in the dream before heading into the hive, so that we have multiple doses of bee-disguise.

It's obvious that fixing that machine would make things better. The question is, would getting rid of the black stuff fix the machine or break it more? Maybe the black stuff is keeping a perfectly good machine from keeping the world in balance, or maybe keeping a broken machine from spinning it's wheels and damaging itself.

We made a mistake by starting up one of the robots. Let's not make another but acting rashly like we're the heroes. We're pedestrians jail walking at the moment, gotta look both ways.

In summary, the real question isn't whether we fix the machine or not. The question is if we investigate the problem by getting up closer to the machine or climbing the tower to see if something is missing there.

>>683427
Oh you make a good point. We should make sure to look at the entire mechanism so we can fix it properly, and maybe get permission to do so besides.

Go up, find the roaches maybe.

I'm guessing the machine is definitely related to the Axle, judging from how that pole and line in the middle resemble it.

Toxoglossa 2015/11/15(Sun)15:50 No. 684197 ID: ab25fe
File 144763142329.png - (105.78KB , 600x600 , 5-58.png )

"Its a music box! But its all tangled up like Lester's face..."

>"Wait, you saw Lester?"

"I'm pretty sure, but he was just a kid and there was something... wrong with him."

>"Yeah I'll say."

"No I mean his face was covered in some kind of static or something. And he wasn't speaking normally either. This probably has something to do with that."

>"Well, if we go down there, those things will probably swarm in and tear us apart. Lets go upstairs instead."

You follow the ledge as it coils its way upstairs, while outside the clattering of machines increases.

You step out onto the roof, finding the young Lester at the apex standing behind a massive glass sculpture and flanked by a pair of roaches. You assume that the machinery on the first floor would allow it to spin if it weren't entangled. Instead it groans as if under strain.
Zeke looks at the massive custodians and leans close to you in a stage whisper.
>" Dude, you never told me they were so big... Holy shit."

>>684197
Ask them if they want the music box fixed. Say you might need some help doing so.

>>684197
Bow to his Majesty, Lester the First of his name.

ask if they want the box to spin again.

you probably wont need to cut all of the vines, just a few and the released tension will allow he other sections to overpower the vines.

>>684198
>>684272
This. It's question time.

Also, casually mention to Zeke that they are only this big in people's minds. Though they can get VERY numerous when people are upset.

Toxoglossa 2015/11/19(Thu)19:10 No. 684946 ID: ab25fe
File 144798904519.png - (107.42KB , 433x600 , 5-59.png )

You whisper back to him
"They normally aren't so big, its only inside someone's head. They're, like, guardians or something. To be honest, I'm not sure what they're supposed to do..."

You raise your voice to address the trio.
"Hello? Lester?"

His voice crackles and carries faintly like a badly tuned radio.
>".̖͕̦͎ͣͧ̊̿.̧͎̹̙͕͖͈̲.̼͔̥͕̣͂͋H̨̯͒ͦ̉̓e̵͆ͬ̄͒̈́̀ͪl͎̩̬̬̭̊̂͌̃̒l̨͇̺͈͊͊̿̀͆̑̌ͅͅo̳̺̮̖̽̍.̩̺̳̰͎̈́͋͑̓̏̚̚͞.͚̒̀̍̔.̩͙̈̏̂̓ͪ̈́ͥ͢?̣ͮ
"

You and Zeke share a worried glance.
"Uh, we'd like to help, you know...with the music box? Shouldn't it be spinning?"

There's an awkward pause as he seems to work out what you said.
>"H͓͍͖̻̽̾̏̈ͣ̔̋̕eͬ͑ͤḽ̀p̴̙̼ͫ̊.͇̝͚ͯ͒̃̓ͨ̚.̶͔̜̦͔̖͔̗ͫ.͉͢.ͫ͒̑ͩ̓ ͉̬͙̟̖͈̫͊ͤͧ̒̒b̙̞̬̑̌̓ͯ̈̀oͬͫͤ̑̄̆̅͟x̓ͯ̇͐ͭͨ.͖̖̹͚͝.̄͏̲̬̻̝͍.͓͓̳ͩ͜.̥̱̬̱̲̰̎ͧ̀.͓̭͔̻̝ͅ ̮͇͎ͨ͂̐ͦͫͪs̯̼̞͒ͫͮͧͥpͥͬḭ͔͓̲͚̰̋́ͅn̪̗̰̦ͨ̌ͤ̏̐?̡̫͙̺̤̼̤ͬ̃̊̌"

"Yeah!" You step forward with a clank. "You'd like that?"

>"Y̺̥̜̥e̙̦̯̪̲̔ͪ̑̇͒͝a̧͕̯̰̙̝̫̠͂ͨḩ͒̎͒͊.̺ͦ̏̇ͨ̋͜.̜̥̜ͦͪ̋.̠̿͊͑̐ ̜̫̈̏̽L͌͒i̵͖̲̳̻͂͌̉͑̋̈k̤̤̭͕ͦͬ̕è̘̟̭̻̙̙̰.̚.̹͈̝̙̫̂̈́̇̈͋.͉̦̤̟̘̥͒̾"

>"He's really one for conversation, isn't he? The hell is wrong with him?"

Toxoglossa 2015/11/19(Thu)19:10 No. 684947 ID: ab25fe
File 144798905095.png - (190.59KB , 600x600 , 5-60.png )

You're about to respond but your thoughts are interrupted by an angry metallic screech. A whirring amalgam of clockwork looms overhead before swinging down in an attempt to engulf you.

>>684947
Holy shit run for it. Blast your jets for a quick burst of momentum.
Ask for help from the Guardians, see if you can summon up anything to disable the mechanisms of this thing. Glue? Hydrogen peroxide and salt is the fastest way to rust metal. Once it's dealt with, you can go down and fix the music box.

>>684947
Take to the air and observe before doing anything. You need to get an idea what is going on before you try clogging anything. This machine could be an invasive force... or could be a part of Lester that is running out of control without the music from the box.

Blast the Claw with your repulsive thrusts! -Er, your repulsor thrusters!