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MSPA: THREAD BORKED, PARADOX SPACE TO BLAME

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Posts

  • NeoTomaNeoToma Registered User regular
    edited October 2011
    Didn't Lexxy suggest that
    I Suggest You Come To Terms With It.

    because we are all richer because of it

    NeoToma on
  • EmperorSethEmperorSeth Registered User regular
    Anyone else think the flash will be exactly 10 minutes and 25 seconds long? And there will be a countdown timer during its entirety as we see the final moments pre-scratch in real time?

    And, what the hell, important shit happens at the 6:12 and 4:13 marks?

    You know what? Nanowrimo's cancelled on account of the world is stupid.
  • ASimPersonASimPerson Cold... and hard.Registered User regular
    Duke 2.0 wrote:
    ASimPerson wrote:
    Okay, just pretend I posted that fanart of lil-Vriska reading lil-Kanaya a page from Mindfang's journal and then going "8OOM ALL THE BUCKETS WERE FILLED THAT DAY! ALL OF THEM" followed by a phone call between their lususes because I've been combing old threads for it and can't find it.
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    Thanks!.png

  • ASimPersonASimPerson Cold... and hard.Registered User regular
    Troll roll call: ?

    03543.gif
    Well, son of a bitch.
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    Your rise to omnipotence has had a regrettable influence on your vanity it seems. Have you forgotten the original grievance with frivolous attire that got you here?

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    It used to be that when you were bored with paperwork, you would go distract yourself by sharpening one of your favorite knives, or give your most disapproving scowl through a fenestrated wall to survey the kingdom. But those were simpler times. There is only one cure for boredom befitting a demigod, and that is more senseless killing.

    You consult your proud long snout for assistance with the hunt. You pick up the maddening scent of one of the young graveyard stuffers. You are sure it is the same one you slaughtered earlier, and yet his stench remains, confounding you from every direction. It is as if THE BREEZE which carries it deliberately seeks to obfuscate the odor's origin. Your thoughts become more murderous with each blustery taunt.

    > Jack: Suppress thoughts of unfathomable Snausages.
    This is one of my favorite commands ever.

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    Hehehehe.

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    You could not do it.

    You could not kill the girl.

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    He says you mean the COURTYARD Droll? He wants to be sure this is the same droll you're talking about. You say yeah, what's the problem? He says, you mean the very same droll who couldn't manage the one simple task assigned to him, to steal the White Queen's ring from the very same adoring, wonderful girl and master and friend in question? Wait. He says he just means girl. Just girl. You didn't hear any of that.

    You don't say anything.

    He says fine. You win. Sic the stupid droll on her, what does he care.

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    He says fine, if you really must examine a meaningless and extraordinarily dangerous exhibit of meteorological phenomena, then go ahead. But be ready to embark on the mission not a moment later. You say alright, and wonder what you should do to prepare. He asks if you have a good winter hat.

    You nearly drop the radio in excitement.

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    You are momentarily afforded the peace of mind to resume a dull, quiet life of semi-restrained murder. Maybe you will wait here and see if the boy shows up. It's reasonable to assume he will seek these adults. Certainly easier to let him come to you than follow an untraceable scent. Or maybe you will take a look inside this castle. Perhaps there are survivors here fit for the offing? You GUESS that could serve some amusement.
    This is why you find all those dead soldiers in [ S] Seer: Descend.
    You wish you could consult the clouds for answers. But they never show you anything.
    I always feel like it's important to note that Skaia will only show certain people things in the clouds.

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    Hours ago, you entered an unfamiliar session. You killed a thousand robotic assailants. You destroyed twelve planets with ease, methodically and cyclically, like a single stained hand of a defective clock smearing each number it passes. You reduced Prospit and Derse to dust, and murdered a whole bunch of alien kids in yellow and purple pajamas.

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    You are now the Maid of Time, recently resurrected from the crypt of Derse. Your name is Aradia Megido, and for the first time in your life, you feel truly alive.

    What will you do?

    Aside from die, that is.
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    This is our first look at the actual Green Sun.

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    Soon, friends will arrive. They will need your help.
    I would guess that will be quite soon, from our perspective.



  • ASimPersonASimPerson Cold... and hard.Registered User regular
    NeoToma wrote:
    Didn't Lexxy suggest that
    I Suggest You Come To Terms With It.

    because we are all richer because of it

    I seem to recall this as well!

  • AvrahamAvraham Registered User regular
    http://mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=005454
    Couscous wrote:
    We should over analyze this more. The green tennis balls look sort of like a green sun. The hydrants are the color of blood. The Beggin’ Strips represent his victims begging for relief. Snausages in a Blanket are similar to bodies in a funeral shroud. The mail represents those human souls he sends to the afterlife with the grim reaper playing the role of the postman. The bones represent delicious bones.

    :bz: :bz: :bzz:
  • ASimPersonASimPerson Cold... and hard.Registered User regular
    03568.gif
    Whose memory is this?
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    It's hers.

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    Yay!
    TA: ii feel liike we had thii2 conver2atiion before and that'2 what iit wa2 about.
    AA: yeah
    AA: me t00
    AA: what d0 y0u think it means?

    TA: probably nothiing. but now not only doe2 iit feel liike we had the conver2atiion before, but iit'2 goiing diifferently thii2 tiime.
    TA: 2o iit'2 extra weiird. maybe your voiice2 are iinvolved?
    AA: i d0nt kn0w maybe
    AA: maybe y0urs are t00?

    TA: ii don't hear a goddamn thiing.
    TA: do you?
    AA: wait
    AA: yes
    AA: shes very quiet th0ugh i cant tell what shes saying!

    TA: oh well.
    TA: why don't we pretend there ii2 no 2pooky paranormal phenomena goiing on ju2t once and talk about what you wanted two talk about.
    Hehehehe.

    AA: i did find s0me 0ther neat things d0wn here t00 which are strange but quite harmless and n0t f0reb0ding in the least!
    TA: liike what?
    AA: like this AMAZING hat!
    AA: it is an authentic arche0l0gists hat its s0 hard t0 find them in this style
    AA: there are n0 h0rn h0les but i l0ve it anyway its great

    TA: pretty 2weet aa.
    Sweet indeed.

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    I love how Robo-Aradia continues to wear the hat through this sequence. What I don't love is that she changes her text color so I have to remember which is which! Grr.
    AA: you should be able to relax now that youve been released from the curse of your vision twofold just like you said youd be
    AA: you are now merely doomed!

    TA: 0h.
    TA: that's... awes0me?

    AA: being d00med isnt that bad
    AA: i spent m0st 0f my life that way remember
    AA: at least y0u have the luxury 0f understanding
    AA: and the best part ab0ut being d00med is y0u 0nly have t0 put up with it until y0u die

    AA: thats the spirit hahaha

    AA: jade is very nice and she did nothing wrong
    AA: none of them did so when you wake up maybe you should try to reconcile with them or at the very least just say hello
    Yeah!

    AA: to navigate the furthest ring you need to have mastered the flow of time!
    AA: that is why i am here
    AA: i am alive again so i may assist the dead in this way

    AA: im wearing a hood and have butterfly wings what else would you like to know
    TA: man, being blind is dumb, can i like gr0pe y0u 0r s0mething t0 get up t0 date 0n y0ur appearance, w0uld that be weird?
    AA: yes sollux that would probably be pretty weird
    Yeah...

    AA: you see those encounters you had with me before have not happened for me yet because ive only just arrived
    AA: time follows strange paths here as does space
    AA: if you travel a great enough distance you may discover you are also traveling either backwards or forwards in time as well!
    AA: just as if you stay in one place for too long the geometry of space surrounding you will become unreliable
    AA: you may swat the air to your left and discover you have just slapped yourself!
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    AA: the only way to make sense of it is to understand either property very well
    AA: and since i am new here i have some learning to do just like everyone else
    AA: but i do know one thing
    GG: what!
    AA: i knew that the first bubble i would enter would be an important one for us to visit

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    GA: It Seemed Obvious
    GA: Either Im Sleeping Or Im Dead Which Is It

    AA: oh i am sure you are alive
    AA: you are unconscious now and will likely wake up as your new self very soon
    GA: My New Self
    AA: yes
    AA: you are undergoing a metamorphosis which you have been groomed for since you were very young
    ... huh. This is about as much detail as we currently know about this, I'm pretty sure.

    GG: yes but you probably havent yet
    GG: not from your perspective..... i could not help but overhear you are asleep now
    GG: you told me all about what happened after you woke up!
    GA: About What
    GG: about how you turned into a vampire

    GA: Whats A Vampire
    TA: thith ith ribicul0uth.
    AA: thollux is right
    AA: i mean sollux
    Hehehehe, "thollux".

    Okay, I am probably going to end up quoting most of this but it's kind of important!
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    AA: an incomplete fragment consisting of four symbols
    AA: comprising the first word of a binary refrain
    AA: a pair of sounds emerging from the belly of a fabled tyrants menace
    AA: but you authored only one sound of the pair

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    AA: in the soot of my ruined hive i scrawled my part of the code
    AA: completing the phrase of legend
    AA: the persisting sounds said to accompany the ultimate demise of the tyrant less an arm and an eye
    Is this a hint? This has to be a hint.


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    AA: there was another half by scourge in two parts
    AA: one part three symbols


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    AA: and the other
    AA: five
    AA: why the scale was tipped in this way between sisters
    AA: i cannot say!

    AA: each fragment would be transcribed in our rulebooks
    AA: sealing the collaboration between rust bloods and blue bloods
    AA: completing the code for our sessions architect

    AA: not exactly
    AA: there was another fragment

    AA: oh?
    AA: yes
    AA: an additional eight symbols
    AA: from a wild card source i suppose


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    AA: it came from a timeline not meant to happen
    AA: the one i came from to ensure it wouldnt
    AA: thus sealing my fate

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    AA: i believed the fragment was gibberish from a lunatic
    AA: after completing his rampage through our session
    AA: since it was not part of the scripted chronology i was oblivious until it was too late to stop it
    AA: not that it would matter if i did the timeline had already gone astray
    AA: i pieced together what had happened by sleuthing the various scenes
    AA: and discovered the text which the code was recorded in
    AA: i decided to return to the alpha timeline with the text
    AA: as evidence for his madness i guess
    AA: in the alpha timeline this text was destroyed
    AA: in an explosion caused by a computer virus
    AA: this explosion did not take place on my timeline
    AA: i identified this event as the difference prompting the offshoot
    AA: and returned to our planet via the reckoning just as i did at the end of my life
    AA: though that time deliberately
    AA: to influence events quietly to make sure it happened
    AA: and later joined the rest of our doomed selves to help defeat the king
    AA: the others surely had similar responsibilities along the way

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    AA: as for the book
    AA: i lost track of it shortly after i arrived

    AA: yes we all lost track of our books

    AA: they were gathered surreptitiously by agents assigned to the task
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    AA: and in the veil their codes were merged with the ghost imprints of other mysterious artifacts
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    AA: our first guardian was brought to life on the seed to pass through skaias final gate of defense
    AA: the first to find alternia

  • Duke 2.0Duke 2.0 Time Trash Cat Registered User regular
    I still love the dream sequence because of how above everything else it confuses people who don't know what's going on.

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  • MizuumiMizuumi pet dog you've been eating my video game how could you eat my video gameRegistered User regular
    hey mspa thread i was going to do my art homework but i realized that the paper i had was too small then i was going to play vindictus but the servers blew up again

    so

    what's

    up

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  • BaidolBaidol I will hold him off Escape while you canRegistered User regular
    We're watching Drunkstuck.

    Steam Overwatch: Baidol#1957
  • ASimPersonASimPerson Cold... and hard.Registered User regular
    03611.gif
    [In fact, I think it would be for the best if I commandeered the narrative completely for a while. I trust you won't mind if I speak in white.]
    Depending on how you view the forums this may or may not be total pain in the ass!

    Actually, the text color thing is one of the things that sunk my Doc Scratch OP... too many folks (like myself) use alternate forum themes to really do the OP justice.

    Okay, I just checked this on Chrome. This will be a total pain with the default theme. Well... when we get to the [o] pages I'll use the default text color since I can't change the background color. Okay? Well, I may spoil some parts of the post. That should make it easier as well.
    I know the identity of anyone who stands behind this door, even in those cases where I have not extended an invitation to the visitor personally. Pardon me while I let Jack inside.
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    Not going to tell me? Fine, I won't tell you my name either.
    What's that? I see. You think you already know my name. You do not know my real name, Jack, just as none of your adversaries on this planet know yours. You only know my nickname.
    For Jack... he means Jack, which is the name of the game construct. But I believe we speculated about this earlier in this thread... what, then, is Doc Scratch's actual name?

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    I will proceed to beat you severely until you agree to do what I ask. I trust you won't take it personally.
    We've got a few months before that, though.
    Now please excuse me. I have to talk to a teenage girl from another universe.

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    I am right to be smug. I am omniscient, extremely powerful, and very charming.
    TT: Well,
    TT: Two out of three isn't bad.
    TT: Can you use your limitless intelligence to figure out which ones I mean?

    That was clever.
    If I plead ignorance to the fact that you are denying my charisma, it invalidates my claim of omniscience.
    But if I must adhere to my all knowing status, it forces me to validate the unfortunate reality that you are feigning the opinion that my demeamor is unpalatable.
    Not that it matters, because I have all three qualities and you know it.
    Almost, Rose, almost.

    TT: I thought you didn't lie.
    TT: Aren't jokes essentially humorous lies?
    TT: At least, those like the one you just attempted.

    Jokes are only temporary lies.
    If the falsehood is never exposed, there is no punchline. If the punchline is never delivered, the lie is sealed forever, regardless of initial humorous intent. Lies are not funny.
    TT: I think if you're going to risk tarnishing your record of honesty, you should probably get better material.
    My joke was objectively funny. Who would know better than I?
    TT: Ok.
    TT: So you're saying an inaccurate statement doesn't count as a lie, as long as you say "just kidding" later?

    Basically.
    TT: What if it's much later? Is it still "just a joke?"
    No, that would be something closer to a prank.
    I don't play pranks very often.
    TT: Are you allowed to lie about playing pranks? If I asked you if you were playing a prank on me, would you tell the truth?
    I am allowed to do whatever I want. I choose never to lie. I also choose to tell jokes now and then, and to play pranks quite sparingly.
    But I can say that I have never played a prank on you, and no statement I have made to you thus far, or will make in this conversation, will contain any trace of falsehood for the sake of setting up a joke or a prank, with the exception of the joke I just made, and another one I will make very soon.
    This guy is like a logic puzzle from my discrete math class in college.

    Also, if you were millions of years old, you would find that nearly every lady you encounter is quite young, relatively speaking.
    There should be no reason for you to feel uncomfortable with this interaction. Try to think of me as one of your kindly human uncle figures.
    In fact, if I were in your presence now, I would offer you candy to prove it.

    TT: Oh my god.
    That almost has to be a joke, doesn't it?

    TT: It's a large plateau shaped like a record. It's called the Beat Mesa.
    I know.
    TT: Is the game construct different in other sessions?
    Yes.
    It will always be an edifice of similarly cryptic design, located on the planet that is home to the Hero of Time.
    Its environment dictates the nature of its construction. Its power is dangerous, and is meant to be utilized only in emergencies such as yours.

    TT: You mean, in sessions where victory is no longer possible?
    Among other things, doesn't this imply there will always be a Hero of Time?

    I didn't lead you to believe anything.
    I told you to find the construct and await advisement on the Scratch. The plans you were making were based on assumptions and fabrications of your imagination. You were writing more stories, much like those about your false magical men.
    I have to believe there's a bit of meta-commentary going on here.

    Yes, Jack will exit your session later, but this has nothing to do with the Scratch.
    Not directly, as you imply.
    TT: I don't understand.
    TT: I thought that was the point of the Scratch, to open a rift in spacetime as it were, and banish him into the trolls' session.

    No.
    That is not the purpose of the Scratch at all. The Scratch does not open a rift in spacetime.
    I still thought it did that until I read this again. This is an important detail, I feel.


    This has also been discussed a lot in the past two threads, but it bears repeating:
    TT: You say you don't lie, but what about lies of omission?
    Lies of omission do not exist.
    The concept is a very human one. It is the product of your story writing again. You have written a story about the truth, making emotional demands of it, and in particular, of those in possession of it.
    Your demands are based on a feeling of entitlement to the facts, which is very childish. You can never know all of the facts. Only I can.
    And since it's impossible for me to reveal all facts to you, it is my discretion alone that decides which facts will be revealed in the finite time we have.
    If I do not volunteer information you deem critical to your fate, it possibly means that I am a scoundrel, but it does not mean that I am a liar. And it certainly means you did not ask the right questions.
    One can make either true statements or false statements about reality. All of the statements I make are true.

    TT: Unless you're joking.
    Yes.
    TT: Haa haa, hee hee, hoo hoo?
    Exactly.

    TT: What exactly does the Scratch do, then?
    It resets the game.
    TT: Oh.
    TT: That's it?
    Yes.
    TT: Then,
    TT: We all start from the beginning again? When John entered?
    No.
    The release of temporal energy will be quite massive.
    This is a hard reset. It will reboot the conditions in your universe well before you began playing the game.
    You will have lived different lives after the reset. The different initial conditions will ideally lead to a more favorable scenario in the new session.
    Unfortunately, you will have no memory of anything that has happened in the session you are in now.

    TT: What will happen to us? Everyone in this session now?
    You will all cease to exist completely if you remain here during the Scratch.

    Since this timeline will undergo such a violent upheaval, such a merger of memory cannot happen.
    You will be resigned to absolute oblivion.
    Unless you can discover a way to preserve yourselves.
    But it's not really my place to advise you on that.
    After you have dealt with the Scratch and the sun, what happens to you is not any of my business.
    More omission, perhaps? Presumably, the plan for the kids and trolls to meet is based on self-preservation more than anything.




  • Speed RacerSpeed Racer Scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratchRegistered User regular
    it's readable on the default theme, if it's in quotes or a spoiler

  • ASimPersonASimPerson Cold... and hard.Registered User regular
    edited October 2011
    I'm getting close, you guys. I may actually even get to the end of Disc 1 tonight.

    Mostly spoiled again.

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    By resetting, you will create a session which can bear the fruit of a new universe, even if you will not be the ones to claim the reward.
    Don't you want to fulfill your purpose?
    TT: I guess.
    TT: But it's a little disheartening to learn I'm now faced with not one, but two suicide missions at once.
    TT: One to destroy Jack's power source and defend all of existence, and another to ensure our cosmic progeny at the price of oblivion.

    That frames the dual objectives accurately.
    But if you are inventive, you may find a way to survive the reset and participate in the renewed session.
    It's up to you.
    I know I'm quoting a lot of this but this may really be the most important conversation in all of Act 5 if not Homestuck. The whole thing is basically an expository setup for the rest of the kids' parts of Act 5.

    TT: Maybe this question will suit you better.
    TT: Is it probable?
    That's a strange question to ask someone who is omniscient and therefore knows outcomes with one hundred percent certainty.
    I like it.

    TT: Then what's your answer?
    You have exactly a fifty percent chance of ascending to the god tier.
    TT: That's a strange answer.
    I know.
    TT: Why such a precise probability?
    Because, much like the decisions you must face to complete your dual suicide missions, you have two ways of achieving godhood to choose from.
    TT: Two ways?
    TT: By dying on the Quest Bed on my planet, and some other way?
    Yes.
    TT: Is there another Quest Bed somewhere?
    Yes. Good guess, Seer.
    TT: Where?
    What difference does it make? You already know where the first one is. You have the choice to go there right now and take your own life.
    This is a great mix of things we already know, and some things up coming that we already didn't. For instance, we have already seen what are presumably both methods in action. John and Vriska ascended via the Quest Beds on their planets, whereas Aradia - previously thought to be lacking a dreamself - turned out to be in hers the whole time.

    Of course, given what we know will happen to Rose and Dave, a bed on Derse would be their only available options.

    But on the flip side, notice that while Doc said "50%" he referred to the two possibilities of as ascending via her planet's Quest Bed or the other way, as though each thing had a 50% chance of occurring. More logic crap - is he simply omitting the possibility the won't ascend?


    Of course, the below may be the most quoted part of this conversation.
    TT: A god tier will live forever, with no caveats?
    No.
    One will live forever, unless killed.
    The death must be either heroic or just.

    TT: How are those terms defined?

    Broadly, mysteriously, and according to the case of the individual.
    One may be killed by opposing a corrupt adversary and die for a just cause, as through martyrdom, for instance. This would be heroic.
    Or one may be subject to corruption, and slain by a hero. This would be just.
    Was any other thing quoted as often this past summer? I don't think so. I probably quoted this dozens of times myself.

    My master can't enter this universe until I am killed.
    Such is the nature of the break.
    TT: That almost sounds like martyrdom. Are you sure it won't be a hero's death?
    Quite sure.
    My master is a very evil man.
    TT: Who is he?
    I won't tell you his name.
    But he goes by the title, Lo.gifrd English.
    Two things. First, we learn that Lord English is the entity's title, and not his name. Second, it's interesting that Doc Scratch would describe him as "evil". In reality, I really doubt most anyone thinks they are "evil". Even people who almost everyone would think are evil do not think of themselves that way. Real life villians after all do not twirl their mustaches in dark towers while laughing manically.
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    If this is foreshadowing I will probably smash something.
    But you must decide which objective is more important.
    You may decide to attempt to destroy the sun and end my life. This will neutralize Jack, who is also much more powerful and dangerous than myself by virtue of the ring he wears in addition to drawing energy from the same sun as I. He poses a significant threat to reality.
    TT: But in the process of killing him and you, I release your master, who is just as deadly?
    He's more deadly.
    But the danger he poses is sanctioned by paradox space.
    It is a known quantity. His very existence in a universe will mean it will inevitably be torn apart.
    But there are rules to his entry, and his grim procession through paradox space is rather orderly. The present equilibrium has accounted for him, and will continue to.
    Jack however is a loose cannon. He will not stop until he destroys everything he encounters.
    This is also an old saw. But another old saw - especially in video games - is to a have a lesser villian that you think is the real bad guy and then pull back the curtain to show that, in fact, you have a much bigger problem. Chrono Trigger quickly comes to mind.

    Instances of myself have spawned in countless universes, and my objective is always the same.
    I have never once failed to complete this objective, and I never will.
    There is nothing noble about taking a course of action you believe would prevent his arrival, because that is impossible.
    He will come.
    In fact, he is already here.
    This almost seems like a challenge more than anything else to me.

    I myself do not care to be an oracle. But I can graciously supply you with one.
    TT: Can you?
    An eager consort has brought you one of my seeds. It appears you have amassed followers who wish to please you. How fortuitous.
    TT: Your seeds?
    The white orb.
    TT: Oh. The cue ball. How did I not notice this?
    It will accurately answer any question a curious girl can pose.
    Provided she can see through the surface to read its reply.
    Vriska found one of these somehow (perhaps in the cache she got from her ancestor?), and Scratch caused it to blow up in her face once he was made aware of it. Meanwhile, he presents Rose with one willingly. (Of course, we still don't know how pre-entry Jade got hers, I don't think.)

    TT: Ok. Magic is fake, the wands are useless toys, and there is something else going on. Next question???
    Would it be so difficult to believe the power you've found to devastate your planet and create shortcuts through your session is not entirely by your own device?
    Would it be so difficult to believe a young lady could be unwittingly apprenticed by more powerful entities who meant her potential to be realized later through some arbitrary trigger?
    What would you say if I said a dutiful girl raised in the daylight was protected by a bulb-headed guardian, and learned to glow in the dark after death?
    What would you say if I said a vengeful boy on a path of nihilism was taken under the wings of fearsome angels, and learned to destroy hope with their light?
    What would you say if I said a reserved girl enamored by what dwelt in shadow was selected by the horrorterrors for service, and did their bidding at every step while convinced of her own autonomy?
    1. Kanaya
    2. Eridan
    3. Rose

    TT: That I should renounce my "allegiance" before my grimdark corruption is absolute.
    TT: And while I'm at it, I should discard these useless wands, because apparently the power was in my little black heart all along. Is that right?
    Of course, if we all recall how this ends, we know that her corruption is about to become absolute. But what the hell does it mean?

    To this point the slim morsels we have been given hint that the Gods of the Furthest Ring oppose Lord English - I think (that is how little we've been given). We know that with Scratch's encouragement Rose looks into the ball and becomes grimdark. We also know this leads her to become almost singlemindly obsessed with fighting Jack, which results in her death. Could it be interpreted as Scratch/English allowing the the Horrortenders a temporary victory to get alive Rose out of the picture, and to facilitate her getting back to Derse to complete the Green Sun mission?
    TT: What should I do next?
    Not me.
    The ball, dunkass.

    03631.gif
    03632.gif



    ASimPerson on
  • Speed RacerSpeed Racer Scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratchRegistered User regular
    It's still weird to me that he blatantly tells Rose to ask about the horrorterrors

    and then later on in his apartment he says that he told her not to do that

    unless the SBAHJ reference makes it count as a joke and therefore not a violation of his honesty

    not like it really matters either way

  • ASimPersonASimPerson Cold... and hard.Registered User regular
    03633.gif
    TT: Why would I be upset?
    GG: um
    GG: because
    GG: uhhh i figured you would have found out by now but i guess you still dont know?
    TT: Know what?
    GG: about...
    GG: johns dad
    GG: and.......
    GG: your mom :(
    GG: rose?
    GG: hello???
    GG: oh noo :'(

    03634_2.gif
    Of course, I guess this doesn't help the short-term obession with killing Jack.
    TT: For some reason, despite all the danger, I never thought she was in any trouble.
    TT: I never believed she would actually die.
    TT: I grew up with the feeling that something more significant had always been meant for her.
    TT: That she was a heroine displaced in some way, resigned to the inglorious duty of raising me, and preparing me in her way.
    TT: I didn't actually need the ectobiological verification that she was like a mother and a sister at the same time. I always understood that somehow.
    TT: And I felt she had knowledge and ability beyond what she let on. It was always intimidating, but nonetheless a source of respect which was childishly begrudging on my part.
    TT: I think she was just waiting for me to catch up with her.
    TT: But now I can't.
    This is a blue light special on Scratch speculation right here.

    TT: Whether my existing plan was sensible or not,
    TT: I may have been allowing myself to be manipulated by an omniscient being regardless.
    GG: what? who?
    Hello ladies.
    KGbAM.png

    GG: please dont rose, i know you are angry but you arent thinking straight
    TT: But I am.
    TT: I'm fully aware I'll probably die and fail. Scratch happens, we start fresh. No recollection, no problem.

    GG: nooo :(
    Jade, as an ambassador of Skaia, maybe you'd be willing to talk some sense into your friend?
    You should understand she's been corrupted by various entities with some rather questionable motives.
    Says you!

    TT: They are enormous, ugly, and live in darkness.
    TT: That doesn't necessarily make them bad.

    GG: no...
    GG: but i still dont trust them!

    If only there were a way to make this determination with certainty.
    Through a reliable source within reach, for instance, at this exact moment. Perhaps one that is spherical, and devastatingly handsome.
    This goes back to what I talked about in the last post. Are Scratch and the Dark Ones on the same side, or the former granting the latter a temporary victory?

    GG: well
    GG: since we dont know much about the gods...
    GG: why dont you ask it about them?
    TT: So, you're saying I should ask it if the gods are evil?
    GG: i guess that is a way to put it

    Even though at this point neither of you is highlighting my text to read it, this idea gets my vote.
    Go ahead.
    Ask, Seer.

    03637.gif
    03638.gif
    03639.gif
    You slip into the fabled blackdeath trance of the woegothics, quaking all the while in the bloodeldritch throes of the broodfester tongues. You advise the members of your Complacency not to be alarmed, as they chronicle the event in tomes bound in the tanned, writhing flesh of a tortured hellscholar, with runes stroked in the black tears bled from the corruption-weary eyes of fifty thousand imaginary occultists.

    But they fail to not be alarmed.

    03640.gif
    This is because, as is now painfully obvious to anyone with a brain, you have basically gone completely off the deep end in every way.

    You have officially gone grimdark.

    03642.gif
    Alas, one is not easily shaken from the broodfester tongues.
    They are stubborn throes.

  • ASimPersonASimPerson Cold... and hard.Registered User regular
    It's still weird to me that he blatantly tells Rose to ask about the horrorterrors

    and then later on in his apartment he says that he told her not to do that

    unless the SBAHJ reference makes it count as a joke and therefore not a violation of his honesty

    not like it really matters either way

    As I said, I think there's definitely some shenanigans going on there.

  • NeoTomaNeoToma Registered User regular
    Asking a magic ball that always tells the truth if Eldritch beings beyond human comprehension are "evil"

    Was probably not your best move

  • ASimPersonASimPerson Cold... and hard.Registered User regular
    If there's pattern I've noticed at all, it's that we usually get some sort of self-insert interlude after most major plot events - especially in act 5. This is what you need to know from this one:
    03655_1.gif
    03655_2.gif
    There were actually some people at the time who complained about these soundless mini-flashes. Not only does this prove that people will complain about anything, it also shows those people forgot how many of these were in Acts 1 and 2.
    03657.gif
    03658.gif
    What are those doing there? And note Dave's has a crack going through it.
    03659.gif
    03660.gif
    03661.gif
    Presumably, the countdown to end of the reckoning.

    03662.gif



    03666.gif
    But your love for Liv is not fatherly, oh no. This reunion is with no loving daughter, but a loving movie star fantasy crush, who happens to be in the form of a robot bunny which has traveled through time, and been given as a gift on five separate occasions, twice by you and thrice to you, and originally fished out of a sewer by Nicholas Cage on the silver screen.
    I really like the "your love for Live is not fatherly, oh no" line, but the rest of this is a good refresher if you've forgotten your bunny history.

    03667.gif
    03668.gif
    03669.gif


    But whatever could we do with such a tiny hammer?
    03671.gif
    I'm going to break this note down.
    John!!! One more thing...
    First off, the text color is the EXACT SAME as Jadesprite's. No two other characters with non-default text colors share the same color.
    This rabbit im sure youve noticed is armed to the stitches! Hes got all four of the funny little weapons i mentioned thatre all deadly as the fucking dickens but that doesnt mean they are meant exclusively for the paws of mr terry kiser. (That is the name i call him.) Heck no.
    "Terry Kiser (born August 1, 1939) is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of the dead title-character in the comedy Weekend at Bernie's, and its sequel, Weekend at Bernie's II." -- Wikipedia
    You see i adapted terry with some doodads you may deem practical. An infinitesimalator which i used to littlefy them down in the first place as well as a monstrositifier for when you would like to hugen them up and wield them yourself! Hes surely got enough juice in him to make them enormous if you wish. But thats silly what would you even do with say a magic needle the size of a skyscraper for instance? Preposterous!
    Well, gee, I don't know! I bet you could for sure scratch something up real good with a needle like that!
    I borrowed this technology from my grandmother who had quite the way with manipulating space. Legend tells she was something of a witch with the stuff! Once she was a brave hero like you and i john and the stars themselves twinkled in her cauldron. I would like to tell you who my grandmother is i really would. But i cant. I think i have trouble keeping secrets. I like to be honest just like you and a lot of secrecy after a while gets me feeling a bit jaded. Heh heh.
    More understatements, and more questions. First off: "Once she was a brave hero like you and i john." Who the hell is "I" here and when/in what reality was he a hero? Honestly, based on his usage of slang it's hard not to think the original speculation was right and this is actually Jade's grandpa. Or, if you want to put a scratch theory twist on it - the equivalent of Jade's Grandpa in the scratched session.
    Green means grow red means shrink! See you soon pal.
    Wait... what?
    J.
    And what does this "J" stand for?!?

    Jade's Penpal - probably one of the longest running mysteries in Homestuck. And, for now at least, remains that way.

    03674.gif
    03675_1.gif
    03675_2.gif
    CD, you are so incompetent.
    There she is. Forged in fire by the smiths of Pipplemop, commissioned by the sage Lord of the Wozzinjay Fiefdom in the Realm of the Snargly Fruzmigbubbins.

    Note, for those of you who have been reading along: The Warhammer of Zillyhoo is not this hammer from earlier in our adventure. There couple a couple of reasons why:
    1) Hussie forgot, which I doubt, because otherwise he probably would not have shown how much grist it cost to make Zillyhoo.
    2) It actually is a different hammer, because the unknown one uses the Problem Sleuth book whereas Zillyhoo is from one of the non-canon bonus comics.
    3) Some other reason

    Also, I guess that thing with Gamzee and Karkat didn't really pan out?

    03678.gif
    Um, it's good thing we didn't need the green monstrositifier for anything.

    03680_3.gif
    The squat fellow mediates between the two bickering parties, and patches up Liv's missing eye.
    I JUST GOT THIS.

    03682.gif
    03683.gif
    You give your wallet to your loyal chauffeur familiar. He looks puzzled. You inform the party that you will not be going on this journey. You must remain behind and continue looking for your father.

    But you insist their mission is the most critical of all! You know they can handle it. You believe in them.

    You instruct Captain Tyler to set a course for the ship's home. They must fly to Derse, and deliver the Tumor to the moon. Everyone salutes their intrepid friendleader. This is what teamwork is all about.

    03685.gif
    You are quite sure you have not failed to account for even a single thing.

    03686.gif
    GG: i cant say for sure because i cant see her with my goggles anymore for some reason, but i am fearing the worst
    GG: just in case, you should to try to intercept her before she does something stupid like try to fight him!!!!!
    GG: also, um...
    GG: i guess you probably still dont know about your dad yet do you?

    03687.gif
    GG: oh god please dont tell me your computer was in the wallet you just gave that guy.....
    GG: dammit john!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    GG: one of these days you will learn the value of having plenty of backup computers
    GG: in fact whenever you finally leave the battlefield i am going to give you the code for a nice pair of lunchmuffs
    GG: and then i am going to force you to keep them on your head AT ALL TIMES!
    GG: yeah, youre never going to read this are you :|
    John, I swear. Maybe I should've kept a tally of how many computing devices he has lost over the course of the story.

    Of course, if you remember the image from the beginning of Act 5: Act 2 John is wearing said lunchmuffs.

    03690.gif

    Wait, there's one more chatlog before the flash:
    AG: John!!!!!!!!
    AG: You're heading into the 8lackout, so I won't 8e a8le to see you until you leave.
    AG: 8ut don't worry, I can still sense you are there. 8ecause of awesome powers, remem8er?
    AG: Smooth move, ditching your computer like that, 8y the way. That was some incredi8le leadership you showed!
    AG: Now I have to contact you through Rose, thus exposing me to the risk of actually having to taaaaaaaalk to her........
    AG: Your carelessness has put the Heroes of Light in a very awkward position, John. I hope you're satisfied.
    AG: Hahahaha, just kidding. She's o8viously a little too "preoccupied" at the moment to 8e sassing me.
    AG: Just 8orrow her computer and talk to me when you get the chance, ok?
    AG: I will 8e w8ing. ::::)

    Up next: Let's Play: [ S] Seer: Descend.

  • ASimPersonASimPerson Cold... and hard.Registered User regular
    (huff) (puff) less than 500 pages to go now! Actually, 405 pages to go!

  • Cilla BlackCilla Black Priscilla!!! Registered User regular
    god damn it I love John

  • ASimPersonASimPerson Cold... and hard.Registered User regular
    Oh goddammit I knew this wasn't the first time I'd typed this up: http://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/18850624#Comment_18850624

  • Speed RacerSpeed Racer Scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratchRegistered User regular
  • ASimPersonASimPerson Cold... and hard.Registered User regular
    edited October 2011
    A SNEAK PREVIEW OF LET'S PLAY: [ S] SEER: DESCEND:
    gottafindjack.gif

    ASimPerson on
  • Romanian My EscutcheonRomanian My Escutcheon Two of Forks Registered User regular
    Everything I know about Homestuck, I learned from Drunkstuck.

    [IMG][/img]
  • GoatmonGoatmon Companion of Kess Registered User regular
    edited October 2011
    ASimPerson wrote:
    A SNEAK PREVIEW OF LET'S PLAY: [ S] SEER: DESCEND:
    gottafindjack.gif

    Rose: AFLSIAUEFGOIWUEGOIUWEG

    John: What?

    Rose: AFSFIEOFGIUWEPFGU

    John: What's that Rose? Timmy's stuck down the well?

    Rose: D8<

    Goatmon on
    Switch Friend Code: SW-6680-6709-4204


  • ASimPersonASimPerson Cold... and hard.Registered User regular
    edited October 2011
    Goatmon wrote:
    ASimPerson wrote:
    A SNEAK PREVIEW OF LET'S PLAY: [ S] SEER: DESCEND:
    gottafindjack.gif

    Rose: AFLSIAUEFGOIWUEGOIUWEG

    John: What?

    Rose: AFSFIEOFGIUWEPFGU

    John: What's that Rose? Timmy's stuck down the well?

    Rose: D8<

    John: what's that, rose? are you getting aggravated that i am talking to you kind of like you are a dog?

    Edit: getting ready to post it soon.

    ASimPerson on
  • BeastehBeasteh THAT WOULD NOT KILL DRACULARegistered User regular
    kanaya and aradia are the best trolls

  • CrowbawtCrowbawt Member of the Midnight Crew Registered User regular
    I'm pretty dang excited for the new album, guys

  • ASimPersonASimPerson Cold... and hard.Registered User regular
    edited October 2011
    Drunkstuck presents



    LET'S PLAY
    [ S] Seer: Descend

    Open the spoiler to begin! Don't forget, you can play for yourself here!
    This one was a bit of a surprise.

    001.png
    002.png
    003.png
    It starts off like a cinematic flash.

    004.png
    005.png
    006.png

    But it turns out it's a game!
    007.png

    008.png
    Same basic structure as the previous playable flashes (since Alterniabound, anyway).

    009.png
    I don't think it's too weird (after all, she already got mad about this), but it is KIND OF WEIRD that she really has nothing to say about the bodies on the roof. The same dialgue pops up everywhere.

    010.png
    We have no choice, but to descend.

    011.png
    The descent is pretty long.

    012.png
    But there are a couple of other things to see along the way. However, you can't get any information about this desceased soldier.

    013.png
    Another flight of stairs.

    014.png
    More dead bodies.

    015.png
    And so on. You know, I think I'll just let you guys know if I see anything along the way.

    016.png
    There we go. There's a fuckton to investigate. Let's get started.

    017.png
    And note these are bordered by a red curtain.

    018.png
    It bears an inscription: 'Our Glorious Speaker.'
    His head was lopped clean off, with some sort of sharp, sword-like object. Someone around here sure must hate frogs. You wonder who it could be?

    (It was probably Jack.)

    019.png
    The stairs are blocked. You suppose you could easily remove the obstacle, but that would spoil a perfectly good opportunity to look for secret passages.
    Well, or check out more stuff.

    020.png
    Like this bookcase, for instance.

    021.png
    Or this chest!
    Open chest.
    022.png
    You got A TROPHY!
    I think they're Bro's shades.

    023.png
    So you can examine each individual case here. Let's get down to business.
    You find an ancient unlabeled tome, and read an excerpt.
    'Though we adore Him we shall never enjoy His beateous Croak. We spill our blood on acres of black and white so they may cross the yellow yard. At last in Skaia's reflection through broken glass He may find the pond in which He's meant to squat.'
    > Examine bookshelf.
    'Journey to the Center of the Battlefield'
    Looks to be a fairy tale for youngsters. The hero is a dashing young man in a blue hood. He heals the planet from within, but can do nothing to stop its annhilation from above, nor its soon to follow eradication from reality. It must be sad growing up in a culture whose mythology is centered almost completely around futility.
    > Examine bookshelf.
    This is a book on theoretical physics, and complex spatial geometrics based on the hypothetical addition of orbs to the queen's ring. The shapes in the diagrams are very complex. This sort of nonsense is regarded as crackpottery at best. Why would the queen ever wear more than four orbs? Four towers, four orbs, four heroes; this is a sacred truth.
    > Examine bookshelf.
    'A Foot Soldier's Guide to Combat'
    Most of the diagrams in this book involve a soldier advancing by a single tile, either straight ahead, or diagonally when lunging with a weapon. No wonder these guys are so easy to kill.
    > Examine bookshelf.
    'Advanced Frog Bredding for Beginners: Difficultly Level - EXTREME
    For Idiots!'

    024.png
    Okay, that's that set of shelves. Yes, there's another.

    025.png
    We go to the other side of the room where... we find an alive Prospitian solider?

    026.png
    027.png
    He is too frightened to speak! He seems to indicate that the only reason he survived this massacre was by hiding behind this pillar. Thank goodness for pillars.
    > Open chest.
    028.png
    You got A TROPHY!
    There is no other reaction to finding your mom's scarf.

    029.png
    Hey, more bookshelves! What'd I tell ya!
    > Examine bookshelf.
    'Her hands are in my service but they still shake. They unfasten the first button at my royal gown's waist, clumsily.'
    This...
    This is erotic fanfiction written about the queen in the first person. This doesn't belong in this library.
    This doesn't belong anywhere.
    > Examine bookshelf.
    More books. You really have better things to go do than to read a lot of books written by chess guys.
    Do we, though? Do we really?
    > Examine bookshelf.
    books books books
    > Examine bookshelf.
    'Data Structure for Assholes 2: Now Written to Accomodate the Shortcomings of the Mentally Retarded'
    I didn't like some of my CS textbooks, but geez.
    > Examine bookshelf.
    'Grimoire for Summoning the Zoologically Dubious'
    This is apparently on loan from the Dersite Library. It seems unlikely to be returned at this point.
    I'll say.

    030.png
    I mean, these shelves go on for awhile... oh hey another chest!
    > Open chest.
    031.png
    You got A TROPHY!

    032.png
    Oh hey what's that twinkling thing on that bookshelf?

    Eh, let's ignore it and examine the last three bookshelves for some reason.
    > Examine bookshelf.
    You think you know what you might find on this shelf. Just a hunch... Yep. More books.
    > Examine bookshelf.
    'Rise of the Slayer'
    A horror story meant to scare children. Writers of Prospitian fiction tend to write what they see in the clouds. Hence their fables tend to be events which simply haven't happened yet, or happened in another realm. They like to use the word fiction so that kids don't get TOO scared.
    > Examine bookshelf.
    'Problem Sooth'
    You have been meaning to read this one. Absolutely required reading for any promising young seer who has blundered into entanglement with the occult through an absurd sequence of events.

    033.png
    Okay, I guess we don't have much of a choice now.

    034.png
    035.png
    The shelf disappears.

    036.png
    And we enter this room.

    037.png
    Full of other survivors. First things first - let's check out those chests.
    > Open chest.
    038.png
    You got a FLAMING METEOR CHUNK!
    This isn't even treasure. How is this treasure?
    > Open chest.
    039.png
    You got the BANNER OF THE VILLEIN! You suddenly fell inspired. In a generally rebellious, united sort of way.

    040.png
    You can also talk to the surviving soldiers. They don't speak themselves, but the game tells you some stuff.
    041.png
    He seems to be relieved that he and a handful of fellow soldiers have found a secret hideaway to escape the bloody rampage. Maybe if they regroup, and marshal all their remaining forces, they can TAKE this guy! (Yeah right!)
    > Talk to soldier.
    042.png
    She is all aflutter about a legendary hero. Some guy who was weary of war, apparently. A simple farmer, handsome and brave. You think you are beginning to fall in love with him too.
    > Talk to soldier.
    043.png
    She is apparently swooning over a hero of lore shared by the two kingdoms. A great man who united opposing sides against his tryannical king. The revolt ended in tragedy of course, which is typical of their folktales. But it is no less inspiring.
    > Talk to soldier.
    044.png
    She looks scared and confused. There is nothing left to do but hide.
    > Talk to soldier.
    046.png
    This fellow is mourning the dead. He has probably lost many friends today.
    > Talk to soldier.
    045.png
    First he was frightened when you barged in here, and then briefly excied, and now disappointed. He must have thought you were the great dark kingdom's defector, come to save them. Alas, it was only a spooky girl with magic wands.

    047.png
    That's all of them. Let's go. I am sure they will remain perfectly safe in there.

    048.png
    Yes, this, this is what I need.
    It is a holy parchment. Maimed Clown. Undead Cat. Impaled Crow. Omnipotent Dog. These four shall be held in reverence for the eternity they serve to cut short.

    049.png
    These last three on the row are the only ones we can reach right now.
    You're sick of reading. Gotta find Jack.
    gottafindjack.gif - straight from the source!

    050.png
    ... and that's what the rest of them say. Oh well.

    051.png
    Let's get a move on.

    ASimPerson on
  • ASimPersonASimPerson Cold... and hard.Registered User regular
    Drunkstuck presents



    LET'S PLAY
    [ S] Seer: Descend
    Part 2

    Previous installments:
    Part 1

    Click the spoiler to begin!
    052.png
    Red footprints?

    Something else is definitely alive in this castle. The transportalizer doesn't work at the moment.

    053.png
    Oh dear.
    You have never seen anything so sad in your entire life. A beautiful muscular man-stallion, struck down in his prime.
    WHAT MONSTER COULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS DEED?
    (Hint: it was Jack Noir.)

    054.png
    So up the stairs then.

    Wait, what's...
    112.png
    OH SHIT JACK NOIR JUST TELEPORTED AWAY

    056.png
    The trail ends here on account of Jack teleporting away. For all your dark majjjyks, you cannot teleport, so no choice but to press on.

    057.png
    058.png
    059.png
    Ah, yes, the curtain room.

    > Open Curtains.
    060.png

    061.png
    There's a bunch of 'em.

    > Open Curtains.
    > Open Curtains.
    062.png
    So that was a total of four red curtains, followed by a blue one.

    > Open Curtains.
    063.png
    Followed by another red one.

    > Open Curtains.

    064.png
    Followed by a stairwell.

    065.png
    066.png
    067.png
    Another room, a lot like the one we were just in.

    068.png
    Except this time the curtains are green.

    The sixth one is closed.
    069.png

    070.png
    The trail picks up again.

    071.png
    And up the stairs.

    To...
    113.png
    John?

    072.png
    073.png
    Err..
    074.png
    John: also, why are you all gray like that? you look weird.
    075.png
    076.png
    077.png
    078.png
    079.png
    080.png
    081.png
    082.png
    John: it's ok rose, don't worry. we will find a cure for your stubborn throes.
    John: but i'm still trying to find our parents! i thought my dad might have come to this castle to check out that huge black rain cloud.
    John: did you see the cloud, rose? it's pretty awesome.
    Rose: Fnlth gohluyng j'rg hothaht!
    John: what? you sound kind of upset. what is it rose?
    Rose: Jgngn, fnlth gohluyng j'rg HOTHAHT!
    John: wait, are you talking about our parents?
    083.png
    Rose: Shgvb throl. Goors fn'nnyuld hothahty'j otot!
    John: are you saying they are in trouble??
    John: oh no! rose, we have to go help them!
    084.png
    John: yes, i am frustrated too. but there is no time for such lamentations!
    John: do you think you can find them again?
    Rose: Shruggot.
    John: great! i can't wait to see my dad. it feels like it's been forever since i saw him.
    John: please lead the way, rose!

    085.png
    JOHN has joined the party!
    Er, the game doesn't say that or anything.

    086.png
    087.png
    Oh hey, a blocked transportalizer pad. Where could that go?

    088.png
    I'll tell you where it doesn't go, this back room.

    089.png
    This is different.

    114.png
    090.png
    Ah, that's why.

    091.png
    They make such a cute couple. The king and queen are pretty nice too. Heheheh.

    Okay, let's head through that other doorway we saw.
    092.png
    Oh, guess we can't.

    093.png
    094.png
    The trail resumes.

    095.png
    Uh oh.

    096.png
    Yeah :\

    097.png
    Rose: Yyjyrn yulk frobithh.
    John: was it jack? are you saying it was jack, rose?
    Rose: FRU'FRNUHUH JGOG HHGH.
    John: what's that, rose? are you getting aggravated that i am talking to you kind of like you are a dog?
    098.png
    John: that is a really nice pillow, by the way.
    John: it goes well with your weird dark skin and gothy ensemble.
    099.png
    John: you're welcome!

    100.png
    The trail continues.

    101.png
    :(

    102.png
    Yes, that is Jade's banner that is untouched, and that is Dave's that is sliced in half like his logo.
    > Examine tapestries.
    Ripped to shreds. All but one, for some reason. WHO COULD HAVE POSSIBLY it was Jack stupid.

    There's nothing else down here.

    103.png
    No choice but to ascend.

    104.png
    And ascend.

    105.png
    And ascend.

    And...wait, what is it, John?
    106.png
    OH YES THIS IS CLEARLY THE CORRECT TIME TO BROACH THIS TOPIC
    107.png
    108.png
    John, you are precious.
    John: sorry, i'm just making conversation.
    John: i guess i am a little nervous...
    John: because technically, this is the first time we have ever met, and also, you are talking like an eldritch monster, so i'm kind of babbling.
    John: we don't actually have to get married though. i mean, not if you don't want to.
    109.png
    110.png

    115.png
    111.png
    And that's it.

    Thanks for reading Let's Play: [ S] Seer: Descend. Sorry there wasn't that much commentary in this one so feel free to provide your own! Regularly scheduled Drunkstuck updates should resume shortly.

  • ASimPersonASimPerson Cold... and hard.Registered User regular
    So hopefully you've had a chance to read or play [ S] Seer: Descend again! Because otherwise the following flash page won't make a lot of sense.

    > [ S] ==>
    For lack of a better title, this is The One Where the Hero Gets Stabbed Through the Chest.
    The song is "At the Price of Obvlivion". It's amazing how versatile the Chorale has been, eh?
    Anyway, well, we'll revisit those two in a bit.

    For now, let's have an end-of-disc chat with Dave and Terezi. I originally had a lot more for this but I needed to cut it down because this supposed to be a recap. Also, I am tired. As in, I want to get some sleep and my arms are sore from doing this for probably about 12 hours now.

    Urgh, why did I waste my Saturday night?

    Anyway.

    03694.gif
    TG: pulling swords out of things isnt how i roll
    TG: im not john remember
    GC: 1 4M NOT FOLLOW1NG
    TG: im not a hero
    TG: my bro was
    TG: john is
    TG: im not
    GC: Y3S YOU 4R3!
    TG: no
    GC: Y3S, W3 4LL 4R3
    GC: 1 4M TH3 H3RO OF M1ND
    GC: YOU 4R3 TH3 H3RO OF T1M3
    GC: TH4T 1S WHO W3 W3R3 CR34T3D TO B3
    TG: fine its a title we inherit as phlegm babies or whatever but what have i done to earn it
    TG: pretty much nothing but horsing around through time and swindling retarded alligators out of their life savings
    TG: if that swords coming out of his chest its coming out clean
    TG: taking it vertically means drawing more blood
    TG: but horizontally means a clean break
    Wouldn't Dave's modus prevent him from just grabbing it anyway? Nonetheless, between this and his last conversation with Davesprite Dave's inferiority complex regarding heroism is starting to come to the fore.

    Anyway, I bet this is going to be totally sweet.
    03697.gif

    03699.gif
    Okay, maybe not.
    GC: YOU MUST ST4ND T4LL, ONLY 4 TRU3 H3RO COULD PULL OFF SUCH 4N 4CROB4T1C FUCK1NG P1ROU3TT3 OFF OF TH4T H4NDL3 >:]
    TG: that is basically what i just did isnt it
    GC: Y3S
    TG: thats what im doing here im making a point of makin every little thing take place what was once mentioned in passing no matter how seemingly trivial or pointless
    TG: thats how all the best adventures get strung together
    TG: you havent heard me bleat like a goat for ironically humorous purposes yet have you
    GC: NO!!! >:o
    TG: that was something that was mentioned at some point by someone i forget when or why
    TG: i bet you are on goddamn pins and needles waiting for that arent you
    Careful Dave, you're getting awfully meta here!

    GC: BUT TH4T 1S 4LL 1 W1LL S4Y
    GC: R3M3MB3R, TH1S CONV3RS4T1ON 1S K1ND OF NOT SUPPOS3D TO B3 4BOUT YOU, 1 KNOW TH3 1D34 1S UNPR3C3D3NT3D
    TG: thats practically unthinkable
    GC: 1 KNOW >:p
    TG: but i mean ok we can talk about your troll problem but this is pretty important here
    TG: the god tier thing and whether i can actually do it or not
    TG: it might be kind of hard to tell on account of me chilling face down on the pavement and also because downplaying feelings is the chief rule of cool but im pretty pissed about this
    TG: which is weird
    GC: 1TS W31RD TO F33L M4D?
    GC: 4R3 YOU TOO COOL FOR TH4T TOO??
    TG: no its not weird to be mad its just weird it feels like im the only one who is
    Er, didn't we just get done watching... well actually I am pretty sure that this conversation occurs before the stuff we just saw with Rose and John.

    GC: BUT FOR SOM3ON3 WHO JUST TOLD M3 TO FUCK OFF YOU 4R3 SUR3 B3ND1NG MY 34R SUDD3NLY >:]
    TG: but ok i mean isnt that what heroes should be doing
    TG: working to take down the bad guy without a whole lot of this fuckin grandiloquence and these huge sweeping plans that got nothin to do with fighting him
    TG: like always biding our time and tiptoeing around the unbeatable god boss
    TG: johns too nice to get mad
    TG: rose spends all her time calculating
    TG: too focused on machiavellian ploys of sabotage to try anything drastic
    TG: jade is
    TG: i dont even know
    TG: probably more a liability if she got it in her head to take him down
    TG: if anything id bet she just needs protection
    From our perspective, John just got mad and got rewarded with a sword through the chest, Rose is fighting him, and Jade... well, she's okay for now because he can't lay a finger on her.

    But again, that's the future.
    TG: maybe i am supposed to be a hero and rise to the occasion because there seems to be this little persistent voice in my head nagging me about it
    TG: insisting someones gotta pay
    TG: and its hard for me to disagree
    GC: TH3N 1T COULD M34N ON3 OF TWO TH1NGS
    GC: OR BOTH OF TH3 TWO TH1NGS, L1K3 1T D1D FOR M3 >:]
    TG: what things
    GC: 1T COULD M34N TH4T TH3 4G3NT PR3S3NTLY 1NFLU3NC1NG YOU 1S...
    GC: 4 CONSC13NC3
    GC: 4ND/OR
    GC: 4N 3X1L3

    03701.gif

    Okay, this is where I skip ahead a bit because while Dave being controlled by AR is hilarious it's also kind of time consuming.

    03702.gif
    GC: D4V3 1 D1D NOT R34L1Z3 YOU H4D SUCH 4 P4SS1ON FOR L4W 3NFORC3M3NT
    GC: 1 MUST S4Y TH1S SHOCK1NG D3V3LOPM3NT 1S COM1NG D4NG3ROUSLY CLOS3 TO G1V1NG M3 4 C4S3 OF TH3 V4PORS >:O
    Okay, I couldn't resist this one because imaging Terezi with a Southern belle accent is also hilarious.

    03707.gif
    Now it's Terezi's turn. This conversation has a lot of parallels with Vriska and John's last chat.
    GC: D4V3 D1D YOU KNOW TH4T C3NTUR13S 4GO ON MY PL4N3T, L3G1SL4C3R4TORS W3R3 NOT CONF1N3D TO STUFFY COURTBLOCKS 4RGU1NG C4S3S B3FOR3 H1S HONOR4BL3 TYR4NNY?
    TG: oh shit are you fucking serious
    GC: Y3S! 4LSO, SHUSH
    GC: 1 KNOW YOU 4R3 S4SS1NG M3 DU3 TO MY US3 OF T3RMS UNF4M1L14R TO HUM4NS, BUT 1T 1S TRU3
    GC: TH3Y W3R3 D3PLOY3D THROUGHOUT TH3 G4L4XY TO 4PPR3H3ND CR1M1N4LS BY 4NY M34NS N3C3SS4RY
    TG: no i got that theyre like your alien death lawyers who were sorta like bounty hunters in olden times pretty simple to decipher through context
    There's something I like about "alien death lawyers" but I'm not sure what.

    GC: WHO DO YOU TH1NK??
    TG: spidertroll

    03709.gif

    Okay class, this is the important part.
    GC: 4DD1T1ON4LLY, 1 H4V3 D1SCOV3R3D SH3 1S COMPL1C1T 1N J4CKS R1S3 TO POW3R
    GC: WH3N 1 F1RST L34RN3D H3 C4M3 FROM YOUR S3SS1ON, 1 M1ST4K3NLY BL4M3D YOU 4LL, 4ND TOOK 1T OUT ON 4 H4PL3SS 3GB3RT >:[
    [...]
    GC: 4ND 1N SP1T3 OF 4LL H3R P4ST CR1M3S, TH3S3 4R3 NOT 3V3N TH3 MOST 1MPORT4NT R34SONS TO STOP H3R!
    GC: SH3 H4S D3C1D3D TO F1GHT J4CK H3RS3LF
    GC: WH1CH 1S 4N 3XTR3M3LY D4NG3ROUS 4ND STUP1D TH1NG TO DO!
    And if you don't believe her, well, check back in a few updates.

    TG: then whats the big deal
    TG: why not let her go get her shit ruined by jack and let justice happen that way
    GC: B3C4US3 1 4M QU1T3 SUR3 TH4T 1F SH3 GO3S TO F1ND H1M, 1T W1LL T1P H1M OFF TO OUR LOC4T1ON 1N TH3 V31L
    GC: 1 H4V3 S33N 1T 4LR34DY
    This is kind of buried in the conversation, so I'm stopping here. Again, well, if you doubt her powers, check back in a few updates.
    TG: you mean you cant beat her in a fight
    GC: NO, 1TS NOT TH4T
    GC: 1T JUST TH4T WH3N TH3 T1M3 COM3S
    GC: 1M NOT SUR3 1F 1 W1LL B3 4BL3 TO K1LL H3R
    TG: i thought trolls were all about gratuitous murderings
    GC: Y3S 1TS TRU3
    GC: W3 4R3 SUPPOS3D TO R3V3L 1N BLOODSH3D 4S W3 GROW UP
    GC: 4ND SH3 S33MS TO B3 3MBR4C1NG H3R R1T3 OF P4SS4G3 W1TH R3CKL3SS 4B4NDON, 4S 1 WOULD 3XP3CT
    GC: GR4BB1NG TH3 BULL BY TH3 HORNS, SO TO SP34K
    GC: 1TS 4 L1TTL3 1NT1M1D4T1NG
    GC: B3C4US3 1M NOT SUR3 1F 1M R34DY FOR TH4T
    GC: WH1CH 1 GU3SS 1S NORM4L??
    Doubts, again. Like I said, there's a parallel to Vriska's last conversation with John. Only instead of doubt after the fact, this is before.

    TG: didnt you say youve killed people before
    GC: TH3R3 1S 4 B1G D1FF3R3NC3 B3TW33N M4N1PUL4T1NG P3OPL3 TO TH31R DOOM W1TH TR1CK3RY, 4ND K1LL1NG SOM3ON3 BY YOUR OWN H4ND
    GC: 1T 1S 4 B1T L1K3 H4V1NG TO F4C3 YOUR OWN D34TH...
    GC: 4ND D1SCOV3R1NG TH3 D1FF3R3NC3 B3TW33N L34V1NG TH3 R3SPONS1B1L1TY TO SOM3ON3 3LS3, 4ND DO1NG TH3 D1RTY WORK YOURS3LF
    GC: M4YB3 YOULL UND3RST4ND SOM3 D4Y >;]
    Here's the other parallel. Both of the scourge sisters have been responsible for the death of many a young troll, yet when it comes down to taking out someone they've spent all this time with doubt creeps in. She tries to deflect some of it back to Dave, referring to his own inability to face mortatility that we already saw.

    TG: id like to help you out but i dont know what advice i should be giving
    TG: to a member of a murderous species whos gunshy on going off to justicemurder a murderhappy murderer whose done lots of murders
    TG: it feels pretty weird and inappropriate for me to be the one to tell you fuck yes go for it shes got this huge murder with her name on it anyways and its cruising right at her down comeuppance boulevard
    "comeuppance boulevard" may be my favorite synonym for "hubris" now.

    TG: so i dont know
    TG: do you want me to tell you to be a better human
    TG: or to be a better troll
    GC: 1 C4NT T3LL YOU WH4T TO 4DV1S3 M3, CHUMP4SS!
    GC: M4YB3 1M NOT 3V3N LOOK1NG FOR 4DV1C3 P3R S3
    GC: BUT JUST W4NT TO T4LK TO SOM3ON3 4BOUT 1T
    TG: alright well all ill say is
    TG: maybe if you kill her at least we can finally stop obsessing over her
    GC: *S1111GNNNN*
    GC: Y34H, F41R 3NOUGH


    Anyway, time to loop back to the god tier conversation.
    GC: TH4T SOUNDS 4BOUT R1GHT BUT WH4T DO 1 KNOW
    GC: YOUR3 TH3 T1M3 GUY 4FT3R 4LL
    GC: LUCK1LY 1 W1LL NOT H4V3 TO P4RT1C1P4T3 1N TH3S3 CH4R4D3S TH1S T1M3 4ROUND
    TG: does luck actually matter
    GC: >:o

  • ASimPersonASimPerson Cold... and hard.Registered User regular
    03712_1.gif
    You have no idea what the hell this thing is, or why you would need another disc.

    You just captchalogue it and proceed. There is justice to be done, and you are running out of time.
    I have a feeling this is a bit of metacommentary on Act 5. The Doc Scratch thing we're about to do was done as a way to accelerate Act 5 and it still took 3 months.
    This looks like a playable flash, but isn't.
    You find a note on the floor, embedded there by Nepeta's claw and written in purple blood on a page from Vriska's ancestor's diary.
    The note sets off a trap door, putting you in the music room with a dancing Gamzee shadow.

    03717.gif
    Something in this room smells funny.

    And fast.

    03720.gif
    The identity of the puppetmaster behind all of this is now painfully obvious to you.

    Spidertroll.
    Sigh. I think Andrew said in a Formspring later that part of Gamzee's array of powers was to trick people like this. Well, maybe.

    Obviously, the most constructive thing we could do right now is listen to some tunes.
    The available songs are: Trollcops, Havoc to be Wrought, Rumble at the Rink, Unlabeled Record, Xrom, and I'm a Member of the Midnight Crew.
    :whistle: I'm a member of the Midnight Crew
    I'm a night owl and a wisebird too
    Home with the milk in the morning
    Signin' the same old song
    Rise with the moon
    Go to bed with the sun
    Early to bed and you'll miss all the fun!
    Bring your wife to trouble
    It will never trouble you
    Make her a member of the Midnight Crew! :Whistle:
    03724.gif
    WHOSTHISDOUCHEBAG.gif

    03725.gif
    Hey waitaminute.

    03726_2.gif
    Yay!

    > [ S] Terezi: Play tiny record.

    03728.gif
    Whoops.
    Predictably, you scratch the surface of the disc. What were you expecting? It's almost like you don't even know what a CD is.

    With the disc damaged, who knows what sort of effects it will have on the data. Better store it somewhere safe to prevent any more mishaps.

    03731.gif
    You got your NEOPHYTE REDGLARE ROLEPLAYING OUTFIT!

    What is this doing in here? You have not worn it since your Flarping days. The only part of it you kept on hand was the stylish pair of glasses, which of course since the incident has managed to become a regular accessory.

    03733_2.gif
    You got your PYRALSPITE PLUSH!

    Pyralspite was your scalemate sidekick during your campaigns. He was the model of loyalty, friendship, and righteous retribution. More than could be said for another partner in justice.

    There is no doubt about it anymore. She is clearly baiting you into confrontation.

    You mean 88ing.
    Clearly.

    03735.gif
    D:

    Anyway, we finally read the note, and the ancestor entry. Again, I will try to preserve... relevant parts of the ancestor entries.
    I was sure they'd drawn from the 8ottom of their deck, not intending to squander more competent mercenaries on one who'd made a show of outclassing them all 8efore. 8ut I discovered too l8 that Redglare was their wild card all along.

    How is one allowed to 8e raised 8y a dragon in this era?
    Apparently dragons didn't just become rare on Alternia.
    Something 8locked the light of the un8itten moon, treating the har8or to darkness more grim than what fell this season's apogee. I made the mistake of looking into its eyes, each like a sun concentr8ted into a small jewel, as two hot garnets searing through a 8lack veil. I shut mine quickly, 8ut the more sensitive of them was 8urned irrepara8ly. When I regained sight in the other, there was only red.
    Whoops. A dragon can cause you to go blind? Huh, never heard that before!
    May8e she meant to prove she wouldn't need me in irons to have my su8mission?

    8ound or free.

    Two, one or none.
    This is, of course, similar to the choice Vriska is about to get.
    And so, we try out Disc 2.

    It gives us a link.

    This is, of course, a call back to this.

    More Ancestorstuck:
    03744.gif
    It was kind of the authorities to supply me with phalanx of such impressiona8le spect8ors. The weak wills were nearly as thick in the air as the rust in their veins. Funny how my other senses seem to have piqued since exchanging glances with the dragon.

    03746.gif
    It was simple enough to nudge the hostility of the low8loods from one aristocrat to another. The su8juggl8ors could not have 8een pleased, 8ut nor could they have 8een altogether unamused, I would expect. I wonder if this was part of their unfathoma8le game? I'll never understand their riddles.
    Gamzee is just living up to his inscrutable ancestors.
    Had my escape not necessit8ed her demise, she would have made a lovely rival. If she'd only discarded her childish preoccup8tion with justice, we might have made a striking scourge.
    Upon reflection, Redglare showed the foresight of a true seer in thieving my arm 8efore the trial.
    I just quoted the two things above because of their applicability to the present story. There's more there, but if you wanted the full thing, you'd have read that instead.

    03751.gif
    Though I was free, I had no fleet. No matter. With the gam8lignants decim8ed, I'd em8raced the turn in fortune and pledged to put my seagrifting ways 8ehind me. With any luck, the skies will 8e my future. My thoughts again returned to that dragon.

    8ut first, I was in need of temporary refuge. I sought it with the expatri8.
    8ut the admir8ion he'd won naturally wore thin as he persistently 8emoaned his treason and 8anishment, and I was saddened to find this ha8it holding "STRONG" even now. I wonder if he still 8elieves she was worth it?
    I am pretty sure we learn who "she" is eventually, but our options are limited, aren't they? Aradia's ancestor obviously isn't it.

    03753.gif

    03754.gif
    I cradled the oracle in my synthetic hand, as if appraising 8y w8 the mystic qualities it still concealed. With my vision 8fold seared away, I was as 8lind to its secrets as the old Doctor was to its present wherea8outs. I'd learned to keep it cloaked from the awareness of the man who once called me his protege, a 8ackhanded term of endearment from a smug manipul8or. Loc8ing his so called dark pockets was the only gam8it I had in countering his milktongued dou8lespeak. The expatri8 for indiscerni8le reasons seemed naturally surrounded 8y such a void in the Doctor's awareness, and so was uniquely fit to inherit the or8. The Doctor could not see his treasure, nor I into it.
    Okay, I kept a lot of this intact. I wondered before how the ball had been concealed, and of course she points out many of the things we've come to realize about the Doctor.

    Just in time for us to be guided through the rest of the act by him.
    Knowing his n8ture, I'm surprised I only now recognize it as yet another instrument of his spurious 8enevolence, dangerous 8y way of selective divulgence. The sense of infalli8ility his oracle 8rought me was superficial, and in hindsight weakened my readiness. Knowing my f8 so far in advance, I took Redglare's threat lightly. The gr8est mistake I have ever made was asking the or8 when I would die.

    8ut as I revisited the prophecy surrounding this unfortun8 query, something struck me. I thought of the man I would have as a m8sprit centuries from now, who was said to command an army of 8easts. The one it called the summoner.
    And so it begins.

    03755.gif
    I did not have enough knowledge to ask the right questions when I had the opportunity. Were that the case, I might have asked if it would 8e his rare a8ilities of communion that would 8ring Pyralspite under control. Would it 8e on account of my influence? And if so, would I exert this influence 8y taking his will, or winning his heart?
    Using the summoner to control a dragon would not be without precedent, of course. Well, reverse precedent anyway. See that flash I linked to up there.
    He would rise through the ranks of the cavalreapers and assume command, having proven the most skilled and fearless of them. He would exhi8it a remarka8le pup8tion, the sort only recorded in myth, growing, or perhaps simply revealing, a striking pair of wings. His army thus inspired would spearhead a major re8ellion. Surely one at least on the scale of the sectarian revolt crushed 8y the High8loods, who thereafter for8ade its mention, or any invoc8tion of the heretical sym69ls at all, even in private journals. Which is why I will stick to the fa8le of the summoner, and not risk another execution with even o8lique reference to the compelling tale of the sufferer.
    And this would be, until very recently, our only knowledge of Karkat's ancestor. (Fortunately, we also have some other sources.)
    Resolution to the summoner's mutiny is foggy, as I only understand what has 8een rel8ed to me through the 8rief answers I thought to solicit. Ultim8ely, the ire of the Condesce would 8e such that in the settling dust of the conflict, she would 8anish all from the homeworld, except the young. She would scatter all who reached maturity to the stars to fight her wars, I presume to keep them occupied, existing in a less centralized st8 from which such a coup may arise. This is still an incredi8le notion for me to consider, and I cannot imagine how she would come to enforce such an upheaval in our civiliz8tion. Though I suppose she will have on her side the advantage of an unparalleled lifespan, and the leverage extended 8y the hideous psychic prongs of her deep undul8ing monstrosity. That is, until it chooses another little witch to serve. Nevertheless, I take the prediction as truth, and find it amusing that a homeworld domin8ed 8y children will 8e the gr8 summoner's legacy. One of them, at least.

    More importantly, and less amusingly, his legacy will 8e my demise. You see, I first learned his name when I asked who would 8e the one to kill me.
    And this is where we learn why Alternia is only inhabited by kids.
    8ut as I sit here deciding what to do with the damna8le little sphere, I understand my error. It was not in failing to chart a course through future events to turn my fortune's tide, even so many sweeps from now. It was in 8elieving the future was mine to know, and fortune mine to control. If this hero is meant to 8reathe life into my em8ittered heart, and if he is to earn the right to run it through, then so 8e it. For him, I will commit to this page my highest expect8tions. And for what precious uncertainty is left in my future, I renew my vigorous anticip8tion.

    The oracle I will resolve to part with. I will conceal it in a crypt 8earing the sign of the expatr8, with a map to its loc8tion hidden in this journal. To whomever finds it, 8e wary, for the truth it tells may leave its new keeper 8lind as I was. Though no more.
    I don't think Mindfang meant that to be as literal as it turned out to be.

    > [ S] Flip.
    The disc, is, unfortunately, too badly damaged for us to continue. (Which is a real fucking shame, but alas.)
    You will n««d to seek t÷e §ervice of so‰ê‡ne who is capaðle of fixing a scrath_

    A s[G¤ratch dØctor, if y†[Gù will
    03760.gif
    03761.gif

    And so it begins. This looks like a good point for me to stop, for now.

    Hopefully I can cover the next... three months? tomorrow night.

  • LarlarLarlar consecutive normal brunches Moderator, ClubPA mod
    Your poor liver.

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  • BeastehBeasteh THAT WOULD NOT KILL DRACULARegistered User regular
    he did it

    he did all of the drunk stuck

  • LarlarLarlar consecutive normal brunches Moderator, ClubPA mod
    Silly beasteh, there is yet more stuck to drunk.

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  • Skull ManSkull Man RIP KUSU Registered User regular
    you know

    the flash is gonna be awesome and everything

    I'm very excited about the flash

    but honestly I'm more excited about the return of day-to-day updates

  • SwissLionSwissLion We are beside ourselves! Registered User regular
    It'll be 10/25 here in about an hour and a half.

    I'll make sure to tell you guys all about how cool the EOA is!

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  • TayaTaya Registered User regular
    I remember when I lived in Korea and in the future.

    It was nice when I was raptured before everyone else.

  • LarlarLarlar consecutive normal brunches Moderator, ClubPA mod
    Skull Man wrote:
    you know

    the flash is gonna be awesome and everything

    I'm very excited about the flash

    but honestly I'm more excited about the return of day-to-day updates

    I am, too, especially since Freakangels ended. Now, apart from MSPA, the only other comic I really follow on an update-to-update basis is Dr. McNinja. MSPA fills in my week.

    iwantanswers3.png
This discussion has been closed.