Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Sappho]

Disaster. Everything has gone wrong. I crafted the Avians a distress beacon, as they asked. I wanted to show them that there is no shame in asking for help, no weakness in peace and cooperation. I was to be their savior. I was to show them the ways of peace and love, to value life above all.

It was a simple device, and of course anyone could have picked up the signal. How sheltered and ignorant I have been, to assume that such a signal would actually bring help. I have always imagined the universe as a place full of intelligence, curiosity, and benevolence. The spirits who guided my people must be at work across all of space, and in such places as are still subject to violence, I would bring the word of peace and love to all.

The ship did not even bother to greet us when it arrived. It immediately began firing on us all. The Avians fought back, defending themselves and their ship, and I had no choice but to help them, to defend us all against the monster that I had unwittingly summoned.

The Avians let me keep the power drive from the ship, and some documents explaining its origins. It seems the universe is not so benevolent after all. In my travels so far I have seen more violence, hate, fear, anger, and death than anything else. What are the spirits trying to teach me? What must I do?

Perhaps there might be some answers in the depths of this planet. That is where my ancestors found the dwellings of the spirits back home. Such a calming, peaceful place. I need some peace after all I've been through.



Words cannot express the absolute horror I feel. There is blood everywhere. Everything is made of flesh. Meat. Brains. As though I am suddenly digging through a living creature. It pulsates. Is it alive? And the smell... Spirits help me, is the planet itself alive? What have I done? And what are the horrible creatures I find in here?

I must leave this place. The technology of the alien ship offers me more resources and possibilities than I had before. All I can do now is move forwards, and try to forget the nightmares I have seen this day.

[EuchreJack]

May the spirits protect you, kind pacifist.

Amazing how horrific this game is when viewed in this lens.  Please continue!

[Itnetlolor]

I wonder if you can cook fleshy terrain? I mean, cheap source of protein, and as far as we can assume, we're not killing a creature in it's entirety, kinda like how mosquitoes feed on us. Only danger is removing the fleshy terrain, and not getting retaliated by said land by antibodies or some such.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I remember playing a level in Unreal 2 which involved grabbing an artifact from a living planet, as in hairs were trees, acid pools everywhere, oddball flesh pods (I'd assume were lymph nodes) and such here and there, mucus ponds, and after you grab the artifact, the level retaliates by sending out antibodies the size of basketballs, overwhelming a trooper out to gun you down. I almost wanted to help that poor sap, even though he was out to kill me; he got torn the fuck up by those antibodies, and mind you, a full crapload; as in, I had to empty out magazines to clear them out. We were the virus here, and having BBQ sauce and some sriracha sauce on me (plus a few herbal ingredients) was probably a bad idea. My trusty combat knife was pretty useless in harvesting some land to feast on during the long hyperspace flights. Given the color, I would assume it would have tasted similarly to beef or lamb, however, rather lean.

Now I'm curious, how would certain fleshy terrain levels taste if you were to cook them? How many can it feed, and for how long? Does a flesh world's hair have the same consistency as a tree?

EDIT:
Here's the level in action. Tasty.

[Orange Wizard]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I remember playing a level in Unreal 2 which involved grabbing an artifact from a living planet, as in hairs were trees, acid pools everywhere, oddball flesh pods (I'd assume were lymph nodes) and such here and there, mucus ponds, and after you grab the artifact, the level retaliates by sending out antibodies the size of basketballs, overwhelming a trooper out to gun you down. I almost wanted to help that poor sap, even though he was out to kill me; he got torn the fuck up by those antibodies, and mind you, a full crapload; as in, I had to empty out magazines to clear them out. We were the virus here, and having BBQ sauce and some sriracha sauce on me (plus a few herbal ingredients) was probably a bad idea. My trusty combat knife was pretty useless in harvesting some land to feast on during the long hyperspace flights. Given the color, I would assume it would have tasted similarly to beef or lamb, however, rather lean.

Now I'm curious, how would certain fleshy terrain levels taste if you were to cook them? How many can it feed, and for how long? Does a flesh world's hair have the same consistency as a tree?

That's a very interesting idea.
Also very scary, but interesting.

[Sappho]

At last, I believe I may have found a proper home for myself. I have visited several planets, all of them barren and hostile. I tried several arid and desert worlds, hoping to find my calling in a place that fit well with my name, but it is so hard to imagine constructing a temple to life when surrounded by death and violence.



This planet is lush and verdant. It rains frequently, and heavily, but when the downpour ends, the sun shines brightly on endless forests and jungles.



There are a strange group of life forms that resemble giant mushrooms. Their constructions are made from leaves and earth, and feature a great deal of water. They are not exactly friendly, but they did not attack me. They seem to have a language, but I do not understand their words, only their desire to be left alone. There are also some avians living solitary lives here and there. They greeted me peacefully, and even allowed me to take shelter in their homes more than once.



This planet is not terribly large, and although it is full of life, most of the animals are violent and hostile. I have therefore decided to begin construction of a network of tunnels which will traverse the entire world and allow me to travel where I please without need for violence. Once these tunnels are complete, I can begin work on my grand temple. I hold on to the hope that I can educate and uplift the crude mushroom people, and perhaps even the avian residents of this world.



This project will take a great deal of time and materials. I have accumulated a great deal of sand in my previous explorations which I will use to create glass windows, but I will need much more. I have also been packing the dirt into bricks. I will set up great gardens to plant the many exotic seeds I have gathered from various planets. Eventually, there will be a grand temple. I look forward to the day when I can summon my Hylotl brethren here to experience the life force and spirits of this world. For now, it is a process of putting one brick down after another...

[Sappho]

One day, not so very long ago, the spirits commanded that I should be sent out into the galaxy as a missionary. I would take the peace and the love of life that I have learned since I was a tadpole, and bring them across the stars.

With each passing day, I question more and more the wisdom of those spirits. Did they know what they were doing? Did they know what kind of universe we live in?

Certainly, there are beautiful and wondrous things here. On my chosen planet, I have seen glittering light fall from the sky.



But as I continue my mission, my faith grows weaker. I am constantly faced with new horrors that I never could have imagined existing in days gone by.

Running out of sand to form into glass, I programmed my ship to teleport me to this new home planet from anywhere, and flew to another world, another desert. There, I came across another great Avian temple. When I approached them with a message of peace, they attempted to kill me.



I had no choice but to defend myself. I fell into a trance fueled by confusion, disappointment, and rage. When I regained control of myself, there was Avian blood on my sword.



There was strange technology in that temple. I studied it, deduced a few core concepts, and set out to gather new resources. In the process, I made new discoveries.



More of the strange mushroom-like people, and this time I discovered that they were keeping a Floran prisoner in a small dungeon. Attempting to do right, I freed her, but rather than gratitude, she expressed only disdain.

On yet another world, I found an odd building over a narrow shaft leading deep into the earth.



In my foolish ignorance, I decided to explore it.



It was an unholy place. Within it were monstrosities that should never have been given life. There was toxic ooze and a foul smell everywhere I turned, and one creature whose image shall haunt my dreams for the rest of my life.



How can such horrors exist?

I no longer build shrines to the things I am forced to destroy on my quest to build my great temple. They are not true life, not any life that deserves to be worshiped and protected. Any sin I am forced to commit will be purged when I at last complete my grand work.

I must remain focused on my task, putting one brick down after another. Alone, it will take many years, and I have designed a machine to assist me in this process, based on what I learned from the Avian technology in their temple.



In the meantime, I can at least take solace in the beauty I have already managed to create. This garden will produce enough food to feed many of my people, and with a splendid variety of dishes.



I remain full of hope.

[Sappho]

What perversions of technology have the Avians committed? And how naive was I to trust in their plans, to trust that no intelligent creature would create a being of pure destruction?



I was forced to destroy my robot assistant when it refused all commands and instead attempted to kill me. I have learned a hard lesson here. I am meant to complete this task on my own, because I must not trust anyone else. Not even someone I built myself.

Since learning this hard lesson, I have continued to work on the tunnel. I am coming quite close to completion now, though I will need to spend a great deal of time scavenging other planets for the resources I need. Already, I have discovered many incredible things.



A quadrupedal mammal, left alone in the wilderness. It was as trusting as I once was, allowing me to approach it and even touch its soft exterior. The poor thing will likely be destroyed before long.



There was a cluster of mushrooms growing as tall as trees, surrounded by what appeared to be sentient fungi. Similar in shape to the ones I've met on other worlds, but without language.



I would say they were unintelligent, but they had apparently managed to construct homes from the mushrooms. I took samples and cuttings from the mushroom trees to transplant to my world for the benefit of all life there.



There were clusters of Apex as well. They were not unfriendly, though they seemed to find me amusing.



It would appear the masses are harmless enough. Clearly, they are being controlled by someone, constantly under observation, but they seem content with their lot in life. They laugh at my ideas of peace, but they are as benign as cattle.



Yet not all of the Apex are so peaceful. The horrors I saw in their hidden laboratories defy description. They had to be destroyed, all of them. For their own sake, and for the sake of the rest of the life in this universe.



I came across another group of Avian sky pirates, this batch as friendly as the last. This time, they talked me into purchasing a gun. It was a moment of great difficulty for me. I have always lived, and killed, by my swords alone. And yet, with all the evils I have seen, it seemed prudent that I should be able to defend myself.

It was fortunate that they convinced me when they did.



While I was on board their ship, we were attacked by an enormous beast. It seemed to be made solely of bone, yet it spat balls of flame. Several Avians were killed, and I used my new weapon to assist them in destroying the hideous creature.



In thanks, they permitted me to keep the alchemical dragon's claws, which can be used to construct more advanced devices for the good of all life. They also presented me with a bandana and eyepatch and declared me an honorary sky pirate. I am given to understand that this is a very rare and solemn occasion, and I will treat their title with the respect it deserves.

The ceremony completed, I resumed my journey.



On the next planet, by way of contrast, I discovered unintelligent miniature avians living in the snow. I left them as they were, though I still wonder how they survived the cold.



There was an insane Glitch living in isolation in a sort of castle. I was forced to take its life in self-defense. Not that I feel as much hesitation about taking life anymore. All will be repaid and atoned for with the grand temple, and the pixels, the life essence of the creatures I have killed, will be used to build it.



Close by the former hermit king there was another Glitch, this one calling itself a wizard. It attempted to sell me "enhancement chemicals" which it claimed to have produced via magical means, but I declined, preferring to keep my purity intact.

Back home, I continue to dig and build. Soon, the tunnel will be complete. Soon, I will begin work on the temple. Soon, other Hylotl will make pilgrimages to this planet to pay their respects at the grand home of life and spirit. The spirit of all the beings whose essence paid for this effort.

[Darkmere]

I like that the rigid pacifist dropped that whole routine almost immediately when she saw the innate hostility of the universe. I also applauded "unintelligent miniature avians".