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It was inevitable

15 (42.9%)

Winners don't do drugs

6 (17.1%)

I'll be back

2 (5.7%)

Drink the Kool Aid

6 (17.1%)

Groovy

3 (8.6%)

Insane in the membrane

3 (8.6%)

Total Members Voted: 35

[Harry Baldman]

Campaign, Ike!

"Hello, sir or madam. You wouldn't happen to understand my language, would you? If so, I would like to point out that I make a far better accomplice to murder than I do food, though I suspect you may know this already, or at least that you have a very keen appreciation for freshness in your human flesh, given how I am not dead yet."

Fingers crossed for beetlemen (or beetlewomen) understanding the most common local dialect.

If Mr. and/or Ms. Beetle choose to try and end me, though, try and free myself in turn!

((It's not that I want the death of all things or anything, it's just that everyone exploding in a nuclear manner after steadfastly refusing to do anything at all reasonable is tragically (in the theatrical, entertaining sense) satisfying to me. We had it coming, we fucked up in a big, wonderful, interconnected way and this terrible thing could have been averted, but we just failed to collectively do so. It's cathartic, so to speak. And the catharsis is somewhat lessened by the seemingly inexplicable survival of Ike, to say nothing of the rest of the gang, maybe except Alan.))

[Parisbre56]

@Xantalos and Wolfkit: I hate to mention this because you're being funny, but each of you is talking about a different pun.

@DAF: Like the map and description of the room I provided in various points, including the moment you entered it?
I don't know, maybe I do things too complex or difficult. Or maybe my descriptions are not well because of my English or because I write too much. Sorry, I'll try to do better. That's why I experiment, try to figure out what works.

[DarkArtemisFowl]

Yeah, I think that was my fault for missing whatever you put in there. Sorry for the trouble.

[Harry Baldman]

@DAF: Like the map and description of the room I provided in various points, including the moment you entered it?
I don't know, maybe I do things too complex or difficult. Or maybe my descriptions are not well because of my English or because I write too much. Sorry, I'll try to do better. That's why I experiment, try to figure out what works.

((No real way to get people to read attentively - I know that I often don't. I have this unfortunate habit of reading the first paragraph, the last paragraph and then whatever's in the middle, and then I get confused, and then I either reread it two more times or just go ahead with what I've gleaned, damn the consequences.

Though it is probably overly optimistic to consider the possibility that a player in an RTD is ever likely to put two and two together due to a general habit of missing details in writing. Just look at ER. The general idiocy of the HMRC is rooted at least halfway in people failing to pay attention at a critical juncture. It's somewhat hard to avoid.))

[Parisbre56]

Staging Area

"Not planning on it. I like existing in a solid form, how am I supposed to do mad science if I am naught but gas? _{Though I suppose it could be a good chance to expand my area of expertise...} Anyway, why do you ask, have you had anyone sublimate mid-conversation recently?"

The man snickers a bit at your pun.
"Oh, just that one guy." the man says as he starts filling a second mug. "One moment he was there, the next he was... 'Poof'!... Gone."
"Who knows. Maybe it's related to all this end-of-the-world crap going on. But that's up in the air."
The man sets the drinks down on the counter with a giddy expression, but that changes a moment later to a momentary frown. They are noticeably not-foaming.
"Ah, so it's going to be like this, huh?" he says to nobody in particular.
"Well, I'd just like to say you just wasted a perfect opportunity for a practical joke. Just because you're frothing doesn't mean our drinks can't."

Campaign

Campaign, Ike!

"Hello, sir or madam. You wouldn't happen to understand my language, would you? If so, I would like to point out that I make a far better accomplice to murder than I do food, though I suspect you may know this already, or at least that you have a very keen appreciation for freshness in your human flesh, given how I am not dead yet."

Fingers crossed for beetlemen (or beetlewomen) understanding the most common local dialect.

If Mr. and/or Ms. Beetle choose to try and end me, though, try and free myself in turn!

((It's not that I want the death of all things or anything, it's just that everyone exploding in a nuclear manner after steadfastly refusing to do anything at all reasonable is tragically (in the theatrical, entertaining sense) satisfying to me. We had it coming, we fucked up in a big, wonderful, interconnected way and this terrible thing could have been averted, but we just failed to collectively do so. It's cathartic, so to speak. And the catharsis is somewhat lessened by the seemingly inexplicable survival of Ike, to say nothing of the rest of the gang, maybe except Alan.))

((Ah, good, I get it now.))

The bug doesn't react. It just stands there, not doing anything, not even moving its mandibles. You'd think it was frozen if it wasn't for a barely audible noise being emitted by its 'mouth', something like breathing. Well, at least it's not attacking you.

As you stand there, staring at each other, the whisper returns. And this time you get a few words.
<.̀͠͏͝.̵̀̕͡.̕͘ ̵͡à̢͝b̡́͡o̶̕u͠҉ţ̸́͘ ͏́͢͞t̨͏͟h̵is҉,̛ ͏̸͢ca̶͢n̡͟ ̸̛̛͝y̶̵҉ò̵̷͟͞ư̸̶̵ ͢.̶̵́́.̷̵̵̴͝.̡͡͠͡ ͡c̶̢o̢̢͝͠m̀͟e̸̢͢͟ ͏̵͘ǫ͜n̡̛͢,̕͢ ̵̡̛D̸̀ù̡͟m̸b͟͏o̢,̕͟ u̴͞se ͞th͢o͞ś̷͡e ̧̛͡͡b̕͟i̧̕͜͢ģ̶̀ ͝͏҉̧.̶̴̷̢͡.̡̛.̷̧͘>
Hmm... That sounds familiar.

OOC

@DAF: Like the map and description of the room I provided in various points, including the moment you entered it?
I don't know, maybe I do things too complex or difficult. Or maybe my descriptions are not well because of my English or because I write too much. Sorry, I'll try to do better. That's why I experiment, try to figure out what works.

((No real way to get people to read attentively - I know that I often don't. I have this unfortunate habit of reading the first paragraph, the last paragraph and then whatever's in the middle, and then I get confused, and then I either reread it two more times or just go ahead with what I've gleaned, damn the consequences.

Though it is probably overly optimistic to consider the possibility that a player in an RTD is ever likely to put two and two together due to a general habit of missing details in writing. Just look at ER. The general idiocy of the HMRC is rooted at least halfway in people failing to pay attention at a critical juncture. It's somewhat hard to avoid.))

Indeed. I remember that time I thought my spaceship had enough fuel.

[Harry Baldman]

Campaign, Ike!

"Ah, would this be telepathy of some sort, then? Or is it that you just talk really quietly? I do hear a little whisper on the wind. Can barely hear you. Or <hear> you, you know. Maybe try a little body language to supplement the whispers?"

Think real hard at Mr. Beetle. Try to establish a clearer telepathic link if it seems to be working.

<Did you hear me think at the surrounding area back there? I hear a bit of interference between us. Repeat, maybe try a bit more body language to make yourself clear?>

[Lenglon]

Irene and Zechariah could had tried to somehow lessen or direct the effect of the blast by shrouding the slabs that were about to explode in crystal and pyrokinesis

did that

Irine, Campaign
I target the area the slabs are in, and redirect the force of their explosions away from us.

I tried to redirect the explosions away from us, sideways, to the outside of the tower...
and when I read the turn, I'd thought it had worked.
until I read Alan's bit.



we were missing a key piece of information the entire time, the knowledge of the giant bomb waiting below us. we had a visible power source in the room with us, and no reason to suspect that there was anything of the kind that nearby. In fact, we had reason to believe there was nothing remotely of the kind anywhere near us, on the simple assumption that nobody is that stupid.

what kind of a moron puts vibration-sensitive explosives on unsecured shelves directly above a gunpowder silo anyway? not only that, but those unsecured shelves are in the same room as a major transport route. It's mind-blowingly insane. If you're going to properly exploit a inter-dimensional portal you need to have the ability to send proper logistics through it. if you're going to have rumbling wagons rolling through the room on a regular basis, and you have unsecured explosive power sources in the room, and the room is directly above a unstable nuclear reactor, then I want to take out a life insurance policy on you and everyone in your workplace, whilst immediately fleeing the city, because this exact thing was going to happen by accident sooner rather than later.

one sloppy janitor bumps one tablet and it chains into the rest and in the middle of one night your entire city just got vaporized.

the only person who had a chance to know this was River, because he understood the system better than we did by far. Yes, we didn't ask him, but we had no reason to ask the question in the first place! "hey, did these people store their explosives directly above a giant unstable reactor?" Do we really need to bother asking those kinds of questions?!?

yes, we could have slowed the process down by keeping the tablets from hitting the floor, but the cracks on them were growing weather or not we kept them from the ground. so they WERE going to go off one way or another, and we had not way to know there was anything ELSE they were going to set off.

so we did the smart thing, and acted to contain / control the tablet explosions, and prioritized them as such. honestly, the parasites were a bigger threat than the tablets themselves so we just went on with what we were doing. at the end, when it looked like a large number of them were going to go off at once, that was also the only threat from them going off at once. a large pack of them ment a much bigger boom. so we took cover.

how on earth were we supposed to know the main power lines weren't the main power sources themselves when the tablets, which are much smaller, were shown to be signifigant power sources?

in short, yes, we could have avoided this if we had known the portal's designer was a suicidal maniac who puts vibration-sensitive bombs directly over a gigantic unstable reactor. We assumed the portal's designer wasn't completely insane, and River never put forth any information otherwise. Do we really need to ask "are there giant bombs waiting to go off hidden in the floor underneath us" all the time?
EDIT: toaster convinced me to re-evaluate this post, and I realized that this is exactly what I wanted to avoid. sorry.

[Coolrune206]

Continue flying. If the wind gets bad, descend a bit, then glide.

[Harry Baldman]

in short, yes, we could have avoided this if we had known the portal's designer was a suicidal maniac who puts vibration-sensitive bombs directly over a gigantic unstable reactor. We assumed the portal's designer wasn't completely insane, and River never put forth any information otherwise. Do we really need to ask "are there giant bombs waiting to go off hidden in the floor underneath us" all the time?

((Well, there was the important hint that these were the same idiot wizards who opened a portal to the land of copper winds and mind-controlling parasites for power and... food. By channeling power into a magical stone (bigger one than we expected, too!) to rip apart spacetime. And they're from a nation that really likes fire. Inefficiency is their primary byword.

Put all that together, and the architecture makes much more sense, does it not?

Besides, the whole thing about the parasites was that they were a non-threat the entire time (mostly being only vaguely aware of the presence of unenslaved flesh at best) as long as everyone stuck together and kept moving, which is why I found it highly perplexing when up to two thirds of the team felt the compulsive need to pick fights with them at any given moment. While in a room surrounded by loads and loads of them or in their home realm, no less. Almost makes me regret at the very least not sneak attack decapitating one or two teammates, taking their soul spheres and then moving out with the rest. That would have been the fun thing to do.))

[Wolfkit]

"End of the world? Also, may I ask who you are talking to and why they are mad?"
Drink

[Lenglon]

Besides, the whole thing about the parasites was that they were a non-threat the entire time (mostly being only vaguely aware of the presence of unenslaved flesh at best) as long as everyone stuck together and kept moving, which is why I found it highly perplexing when up to two thirds of the team felt the compulsive need to pick fights with them at any given moment. While in a room surrounded by loads and loads of them or in their home realm, no less. Almost makes me regret at the very least not sneak attack decapitating one or two teammates, taking their soul spheres and then moving out with the rest. That would have been the fun thing to do.))

((see, this is where communication matters. as in: if you thought that, you should have said so. most of your objections were in personal thought-text, which I make a point of ignoring when deciding my character's actions since my character can't hear it. What little you did say was offensive and as a result, largely ignored.))

in short, yes, we could have avoided this if we had known the portal's designer was a suicidal maniac who puts vibration-sensitive bombs directly over a gigantic unstable reactor. We assumed the portal's designer wasn't completely insane, and River never put forth any information otherwise. Do we really need to ask "are there giant bombs waiting to go off hidden in the floor underneath us" all the time?

((Well, there was the important hint that these were the same idiot wizards who opened a portal to the land of copper winds and mind-controlling parasites for power and... food. By channeling power into a magical stone (bigger one than we expected, too!) to rip apart spacetime. And they're from a nation that really likes fire. Inefficiency is their primary byword.

Put all that together, and the architecture makes much more sense, does it not?))

so their method was channeling power into a stone, which is typically a stabilizing agent, what's wrong with that?
their nation likes fire, what does that have to do with anything?
opening a portal to -snip-
where they were opening the portal to doesn't matter because it was clear they didn't know where the portal was going. they made it blind and had to explore to find out what was there. the process of finding out was how they lost control of the portal, because the parasites took over.

so the only clue was that they dared to make an interdimensional portal...
again, what does that have to do with anything?

sorry, no, that was not a hint.
EDIT: extension of why I struck-through my above post, road I don't want to travel. shouldn't have gone there in the first place, sorry.

[Harry Baldman]

((see, this is where communication matters. as in: if you thought that, you should have said so. most of your objections were in personal thought-text, which I make a point of ignoring when deciding my character's actions since my character can't hear it. What little you did say was offensive and as a result, largely ignored.))

((Oh, I'm not saying I'm blameless or anything. Lack of communication and initiative completes the stupidity and is indistinguishable from stupidity. That's why each and every one of the people caught in the blast did, in fact, entirely deserve what they got, at least in my possibly rather harsh opinion.

In any case, probably best not to obsess over it too much. I know I've obsessed over potentialities in games far too often in the past when greatness has just escaped me (such as when Ike failed to confirm the kill on Irene during Target Amethyst), or critical failure has happened for the silliest possible reasons.))

so their method was channeling power into a stone, which is typically a stabilizing agent, what's wrong with that?
their nation likes fire, what does that have to do with anything?
opening a portal to -snip-
where they were opening the portal to doesn't matter because it was clear they didn't know where the portal was going. they made it blind and had to explore to find out what was there. the process of finding out was how they lost control of the portal, because the parasites took over.

so the only clue was that they dared to make an interdimensional portal...
again, what does that have to do with anything?

sorry, no, that was not a hint.

((The idea that a stone is a stabilizing agent is backwards alchemy, since anything with energy poured into it becomes unstable to one degree or another. Physics, you know!

Wizards that like fire are generally a red flag in terms of responsible behavior. Try and name me a wizard who likes fire and is also associated with any form of mature, reasonable behavior.

Opening a giant two-way portal to a place you don't know anything about is dangerously irresponsible (especially when practiced in the middle of a densely populated city), as is generally trying to rip through spacetime for food and power (aka the classic "let's let loose demons/harness the power of the gods/explore the furthest reaches of experience" type of dealie that inevitably kills everyone any time that people try it).

Finally, they're wizards, which means a nebulous understanding of what they're doing and absolutely no safety compliance in their work. And they're wizards that like fire, which is at least 50% worse in this regard.

What I'm saying is, these people clearly weren't scientists, rational people, terribly clever or even all around sane, and this sort of highly unstable, dangerously irresponsibly made technology just completes the portrayal and lets it coalesce into a cohesive whole rather than comes as a surprise.

In addition, note that the portal itself was screwed around with quite liberally by us as far as I recall, so perhaps the reactor thingy wasn't unstable at all in the first place, but we merely deprived it of an energy output when the portal closed (at least that's what I think it did by the end).

(the above is struck through in the spirit of not traveling the yellow bickering road and because I am a petty human being who tends to try and squeeze in the final word and because I already wrote that when you struck through yours)

In any case, be chill. All these negative vibes in here, I swear. It'd almost make me less mellow if not for such a pronounced reaction being so unimaginable to me that I cannot properly empathize and just find it rather funny in spite of kinder impulses within me.))

[Alarith]

((Apologies for not posting often, I'm feeling quite busy))
Bryan Survival
"Sounds like we want to go for the tunnel, not feeling good about that, but it is worth a shot"
Head to the tunnel, people wanted the quick way, right? Either way continue to be the chauffeur and follow their directions.

[Parisbre56]

Campaign

Campaign, Ike!

"Ah, would this be telepathy of some sort, then? Or is it that you just talk really quietly? I do hear a little whisper on the wind. Can barely hear you. Or <hear> you, you know. Maybe try a little body language to supplement the whispers?"

Think real hard at Mr. Beetle. Try to establish a clearer telepathic link if it seems to be working.

<Did you hear me think at the surrounding area back there? I hear a bit of interference between us. Repeat, maybe try a bit more body language to make yourself clear?>

Mr. Beetle starts walking towards you, hunched over to prevent hitting its head on the outcroppings in the ceiling.

<Ơh̵̸͘͜͠ ͟͟͞͡.̴̷̧̛.̴̸̡̡.̴̵̨͜ ̶̢̛͘ẁ̸͝ơ͝r̀́ki̡n̵̵͏g̵̕?̴ ̕O̶k̢a̸̧͠͝y̴̶̡͟,̶̡̢͜͠ ̧͟h̵̨̛͜ơ̛͝͞w͏̴̢ ̀͢҉̢̀.͢͏̸.̴̶.͝͠>

It keeps walking until it is close to you. When it reaches you, it just stands there for a few more moments.

<Th͢ere̢.̷ I͠s ̵t̨h̶at̕ ̵bet̡t͝er? I t̵h͘i̵nk ̷that'͟s b̀èt̀ter҉.Y͜ou̵ ca͢n̛ h͠ea̢r̵ ͠mé,͠ r͝i͡ght?͢>
Oh, hey, it's that guy.

The bug thrusts the half-roasted arm it is holding towards your head. You take a step back to avoid being hit. It keeps standing there. You're not sure if it's trying to give you a hand or trying to get you to back off.

<Ca͟n't̕ re͞ąlly̧ ̶d̀o m͜uch͢ f͞or bo͟dý l̷ang͡u̵a̸g̛e͠, si̵n̡c͏e̶ I'̧m just̛ a͡ voi̴ce͡ in͢ ͞y̨our ̀h͜e̷ad. I̶ ҉gu̸e̛s̸s̵ ̷I c҉ou̵ld i̵mág̡in̴e̸ I'̡m d͠oi̧n̛g ̨so͢me̵thing a͜nd t́ry͘ to ̀s͡end̵ th̷a̵t i͡mage͟, ͞bu͠t the͡n͝ g҉o͜o͞ḑ l̢uck ͡ŕe̕ce͠iv̴i͝n͡g̴ t͘h̕at͠.̸ U͞n҉l͝ȩs̷s͠ ̸t̷he ͢éa̕rs h̸e͜l̨p̀. Ỳǫu̵ ̴k̀now,͏ ac̷t҉ ҉li͞ke͢ sate̕ĺlit̀e ̷d̸i͡şhe̴s͝? A̧n͘yẃay҉,̧ w҉hy̕ ͏t̨he̴ ҉h҉e҉ll͘ a͝re̢ ̵y̢o͜u͢r messa̧g̡e̛s ̨ad̵d҉ress̀e͞d t̡o̕ a 'M͟r.͞ ̕Be̡e̕t̀le̢'?͟>
And still as talkative as ever.

Staging Area

"End of the world? Also, may I ask who you are talking to and why they are mad?"
Drink

"Oh yeah, the universe is shrinking, the apocalypse is upon us, we're all going to die, same old, same old." the man says very matter-of-factly before pausing to drink from his mug. Another tremor happens, this time even weaker. After a few gulps, he exhales audibly and puts it down.
"Well, not really. I'll be just fine. But you'll probably die."
"As for who I was talking to, it was the harbinger of the apocalypse, screwing with my magical drinks."
"If this place has a god, then he's something like the holy spirit.
You know the pigeon?" he adds, putting his hands close to his waist and tilting them up and down a bit in a flapping motion.
"Yeah, well he's like that, in a grumpy sort of way. A big flying rat that supposedly is really important and powerful but really doesn't show up or talk that much or do anything helpful."
"As for why he's angry, I haven't  the faintest idea. You're some sort of sciency guy, right? You ever hear of- Oh, wait, that guy's been dead a long time... How about- No, you probably don't know that thing either... Oh, I know! Who's your guy? You know, who brought you here?"

Survival

Tunnel it is then. Okay. The journey continues.

Survival
"Is the bridge unusable?  I think it'd take too long and be way too obvious to make this thing fly; let's just go around.  Let's get there as quick as possible."

Keep working on fixing the legs.

You continue your work as a medic for magical metal golems. You do a considerably good job, considering your lack of prior expertise on the field and the fact that you are in a moving vehicle. It's not the best weld that you have ever seen and his legs look a bit shorter than before, plus the runes on them aren't lighting up, but it looks like he can use them or at least move them, which is better than before.

"Try to take it easy until it's properly sealed. No running, no heavy weights, use a crutch if you can. Come back in two weeks for a followup so that I can check the seams and change your oils. Ask my robo-secretary, she'll set you up with an appointment and give you a lollipop."

Survival

Same thing as before - anything dangerous gets slapped away by the bling-arm.

You carefully try to turn around so that you can let John work on the back of your legs, at the same time keeping an eye on your tail. Bryan is doing a quite admirable job driving this hot rod. They've been left quite far behind and disappear from sight behind a turn from time to time.

John does an OK job on your legs. You can move them but you should probably avoid injury or more strain on them, lest they become detached again.

((Apologies for not posting often, I'm feeling quite busy))
Bryan Survival
"Sounds like we want to go for the tunnel, not feeling good about that, but it is worth a shot"
Head to the tunnel, people wanted the quick way, right? Either way continue to be the chauffeur and follow their directions.

You keep driving, doing your best to not break for anything without loosing control. The car must be completely aerodynamically unstable at this speed, because it feels like it wants to enter a spin with the slightest turn. Probably has something to do with the fact that it's scalier than a fish. Even the wheel is multiple pieces of metal screwed together. You suddenly become very fearful for the durability of the vehicle.

You continue to do a very decent job driving. A quick look on the rear view mirror (oh gods, even the rear view mirror is two mirrors held together by the casing) shows you that you have left your pursuers a great distance behind. On your left the sea is replaced by the docks, warehouses, administrative buildings, cranes, piers and trucks hiding behind a simple chainlink fence.

You feel a very powerful mix of emotions moving that joins the one coming from your pursuers towards the main road. Mostly a sense of urgency and anxiousness. Must be really powerful if you can feel it at that distance. They don't feel like they're moving very fast though, so they're probably not in a car. They're probably five or six people.

Thunder strikes somewhere far away, momentarily illuminating the clouds in the night sky. Soon after, it starts to drizzle, an occasional drop of water splashing across the wind-shield before it is swept away by the wind.

Survival

In all the chaos, go and grab that rocket launcher. Find a rocket too, so that I can actually fire it.

You approach the group of four men from behind. They've stopped running and are currently very loudly arguing with each other in between pants.
"Well how was I supposed to know they wouldn't go out the same way they went in? Boss said-"
"Boss said to keep following them and get them if they do anything fishy. How are you going to explain this to him air-for-brains? Because there's no chance I'm taking the fall for it."
"Hey, he told me he heard from the radio they were coming this way."
"Woah, don't blame this on me, I said they might be coming this way. Might! They were facing this way, how was I supposed to know they were going to turn?"
"Oh, yeah? And I might crack your skull open with my big metal tube."
"I like your rocket launcher."
"It's not a rocket launcher you peckerhead, it's an anti- Huh?!" the man exclaims in confusion as he realizes that the statement did not come from one of his comrades, but instead from someone behind him.
"Yoink!" you say as you yank the weapon out of his hands.

Continue flying. If the wind gets bad, descend a bit, then glide.

You continue to glide downwards, getting closer to the bridge, a wide suspension bridge. Looks like the police have gotten some construction vehicles and are preparing to push through the barricade. It's probably going to get messy once they get to the other side...

It's a good thing you've gotten lower. A lightning bolt strikes one of the lightning rods of the bridge and soon after it starts to drizzle, a drop of water occasionally falling on you.

OOC
Again, I'm sorry. I guess I should not try to create suspense that way again, it leads to bad things.

[Wolfkit]

"It's not going to be the apocalypse that kills me, I've got plans for that. In true mad scientist tradition, I expect to be horrifically killed when one of my expirememts goes terribly right. _{Although, that already happened yet apparently I am still alive, so I suppose I shall live forever instead?}
Anyway, guy who brought me here... Do you mean Charlie? If not I can't help you as I haven't met anyone else. Well, there was Charlie's secretary, but I'm not sure she counts. Also, there were two voices that provided Charlie with no useful information, but I dunno who they were."