Homestuck // RP

[Nicola]

Oh hey look, you're Nicola again.

==> Nicola: Doctor head-wound.



There! All better!

==>



Hm? Looks like somebody is pestering you!

==> Nicola: Answer Twilli.



You and Twilli proceed to have the conversation already mentioned.

==> Nicola: Google ways to sober up Twills.

Hm, someone on Yahoo Answers says that it isn’t possible to speed up the sobering process. You’d better listen to them. Yahoo Answers has all of the answers. All of them. Anyway, maybe if you just put the rest of his alcohol stash somewhere he can’t reach it, it’ll allow the effects of the beverage he just had will wear off. And you could always just dump cold water on him, ‘cause even though it might not make him sober, it’ll sure be a heck of a lot of fun.

==> Nicola: Suddenly remember homework you were meant to do earlier.



Oh... Oh no... That physics essay... That’s due tomorrow, isn’t it?

==>Nicola: Check your planner.



Oh wait, no, that’s not due till next week. Looks like you wrote it in your planner early to trick yourself into working on it ahead of time. It’s a paper on the effects of gravity, so at least you know ahead of time some things you can write about. You certainly scared yourself, though. You think you need a towel.

==> All right, that’s enough from this one, let’s be somebody else.

[Quinn]

Time to be Quinn.

==> Quinn: Do something incredibly silly and awesome.

Pfft. You're Quinn. You're already silly and awesome. There'll be time for shenanigans later; give it time. What next?

==> Quinn: Go out and get some sun.

Did you say... sun?

Hisssssssssssssssssssssssssss!

Oh, sure, sunlight is nice. It's warm, it's pretty and it's perfect for napping in, but these things only apply when one is inside. You and the sun have a very complex relationship – you go outside and you suddenly turn all crispy. There isn't even a good reason for you to be out there. You can't tan, you'd have to cross busy roads to get to any of your friends' houses, and your house isn't on fire. Better stay here, where you won't need several layers of sunscreen. Try something else.

==> Quinn: Go pester Sis.

Oh, you're just FULL of excellent ideas today.

You'd really like to know how that would end? Here, we'll show you.

==>



Sis?

==>



Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiis?

==>



Si– GAH!

==>



==>



Dignity lost, makeover gained.

==> This is ridiculous.

Good thing it's only a hypothetical situation.

What do you do instead? Well, the computer pings...

==> Must I?

Yes, you must.

==> Quinn: Answer drunk!Twilli.

You proceed to have an aforementioned conversation.

Aaaaaaand there's the annoying loading screen again. Seriously, you may need to grab a pair of sunglasses to look at it straight.

==> Not worth the effort. Just don't look.

You look away from the screen, thinking of other things to do.

==> Quinn: ...Pester Sis?

You already decided not t–

GAH!

A genuine dead-and-stuffed ANACONDA lands on your desk. Your Sis leans over your shoulder, simultaneously observing the loading screen and guffawing  at your surprise.

==> Quinn: STRIFE!

No way! She practically punted you across the house less than an hour ago!

Your Sis returns your BRUSH (which she had been hogging earlier) back to its rightful place on your DRESSER and leaves, either forgetting the ANACONDA or deciding to leave it there for comedic purposes. You can't really tell which – this happens all too often.

And now Josh is pestering you. Time to answer that.

==> Mm-hrm. Very interesting.

Go be someone else, you utter pill!

==> Fine.

[Jo]

^{(Eep! Really sorry guys, I had this post ready for ages, but I haven't had the chance to get it up until now! I hate how whenever posting falls to me I have to take a week to sort it out. :|)}

^~(*****)~

==> Forget the snowglobe, venture back downstairs, post-haste!

You completely disregard this and snoop around your computer for another excuse to get distracted. Oh look, pesterchum. Who’s online? There’s Twills; you wonder if he’s still drunk.

==>



Eh, you’d rather avoid conversation with him for the time being.

==>

Seems Quinn is online, however!

==> Josh: Pester Quinn



-- ballisticThyroid [BT] began pestering absoluteUproar [AU] at 7:14 PM --

BT: Heya Quinn!
BT: Uh, have you seen Nicola online today?
BT: I need to ask her something. :I
AU: Yup.
AU: But if you can't reach her, I could always phone her for you.
AU: What's up?
BT: Mhm, nothing really.
BT: I just felt like I needed to speak to her before we start playing...
BT: That was all!
AU: Um, okay?
AU: You could have just tried to talk to her to see if she was online...
AU: Y'know...
AU: Instead of asking me. XD
BT: But I don't see her online!
BT: I mean I didn't see her online.
BT: She wasn't on earlier. Is she on now?
BT: I haven't checked...
BT: Hold on a minute.

-- ballisticThyroid [BT] is now away! --

-- ballisticThyroid [BT] is no longer an idle chum! --

BT: Back.
BT: She's not online.
BT: :(
AU: Really? Hn. Well, she was earlier.
AU: Twilli said they were talking.
AU: Probably got distracted by something shiny. -__-
BT: Or she could be plotting our demise, being the manipulative know-it-all she is! :3
BT: Oh well, this can wait.
BT: As long as I can speak to her before we start!
BT: Speaking of which, who's going to start first?
BT: If all four of us are going to play together, we have to start a 'chain' of server-player connections!
BT: That's why we all need this client software and server software, see?
AU: Does it really have to be a chain, making one link at a time?
AU: See, Twilli and I are already loading it; I was thinking you and Nicola could start at the same time, and we'd complete the circle ASAP.
AU: Or is there something against that in the rules? I don't exactly have a manual or anything...
BT: Have you guys already finished downloading? Wow! My laptop is so BLUH.
BT: Hold on a second
BT: Knowing Nicola's mother, that could mean I don't end up playing this game until next week! :\
BT: Are you sure that will work?
AU: Good question.
AU: Maybe we should just go with the flow until Nicola gets back to us.
AU: If she doesn't, we'll just go with the chain-method.
BT: Yeah, that sounds reasonable.
BT: After all I'd hate to have Nicola felt left behind!
BT: Besides, Twills is drunk.
BT: Again. >.>
BT: I can't imagine him being very cooperative as either the client or server manager!
AU: HE ISN'T.
AU: AT ALL.
AU: TRUST ME, I KNOW.
AU: *small cough* Why don't YOU tell him about this agreement?
AU: I'm sure he would be far more receptive to his Englander gaming-pal than some blonde broad.
AU: ...And quick, before he breaks something.
BT: Well damn. Guess I'm gonna have to know, don't I?
BT: Right then, anything you want me to pass on?
BT: Like a message.
BT: 'Trust in your blondest and broadest of friends', perhaps? :B
BT: Only kidding!
BT: You just want me to ask him to sober up before playing, right?
AU: Actually, no. I already told him that.
AU: Don't bother with the messaging. If I need to harp on him anymore, I'll do it myself. 'Kay?
BT: Alrighty then, and if Nicola does end up coming online any time soon, you don't mind giving me a shout?
AU: Sure thing. See you later, then?
BT: Catch you later. :3

 -- ballisticThyroid [BT] ceased pestering absoluteUproar [AU] at 7:21 PM --

==> Josh: Check downloads.

You close the conversation and remember the downloads; your client software finished installing a while back, and to host for your friends, your server software is currently downloading! It’s burned through a reasonable portion of the installation now, despite the odd noises emitting from the disc tray due to your broken disc.

==>

Oh look, there’s even a newly christened shortcut on your desktop...

==>



==> Is somebody there?

Hello?

==>



Well that was hella disconcerting. You think you... kind of want to get out your room now.

[Jessica]

==> Twilli: Be Twilli!

You cannot be Twilli trying to be Twilli, because you are Twilli trying to be Twilli who is trying to be T- Oh nevermind.

Anyway, you need to pass time while you wait for the game to load.

==> Go get food.

You wonder if that'd be a good idea. Eh, not really. Still, decisions are not well made whilst drunk. And hunger pangs are stubborn throes. You open the door and strut out to kitchen. And by strut, I mean stumble as awkwardly as possible down the hall way, knocking over as much stuff as possible. You arrive a full minute later, even though the distance is no more than ten metres, covered in water, envelopes and postal stamps. After relieving yourself of the various postage, and changing clothes, you survey what you have to make food with. Not much. You appear to have on hand in the mini-fridge situated on top of the counter: Sugar, butter, and apples. A freshly washed pot and cup are also awaiting you on top of the fridge. This is clearly a sign.

==> Skip ahead five minutes.

You now have Caramel apples, and some of the leftover sauce in a cup.

==> Drink the sauce!



OH DEAR GOD IT'S SO HOT.

==> .........Just get back to Quinn and the game.

Yes'sir.


AK: good news
AK: nicola said se'd look up ways to sober people up
AK: it's just about odne
AK: ehhh doesn't matter
AK: i think it;s starting to waer off a little
AK: ........
AK: o hey
AK: there you are!
AK: you look cooler awake
AK: but thats probably cuz ive only seen you aslep
AK: and in your dersit clothes
AK: oh well
AK: also
AK: talkin to josh i see
AK: oh well
AK: maybe
AK: maybe I'll jut get your attention

==> Twilli: Get Quinn's attention.

You explore your domain as Quinn's server, and see what you can do. Considering you DID in fact look up a small guide to the game already, you know perfectly well what you are going to do. Gliding your mouse and weird cursor across Quinn's room, grabbing a book, and dropping it on her computer desk, get her attention. Power. All of it. Yours.

==> Quinn: Respond to impatient drunk.

AU: Impatient as ever, I see.
AU: Well then, now that this thing's loaded, we may as well get started.
AU: Lemmie see... tutorials, tutorials...
AU: Right. You start setting up the machinery, and I'll operate it.
AU: Just don't block anything important.
AU: Like you're probably planning on doing.

==> Twilli: Block something important.

Oh c'mon, she just said not to. You're not that BIG of a douche.

==> Twilli: Deploy something.

You open the PHERNALIA REGISTRY. There are three fancy looking machines inside. The CRUXTUDER, ALCHEMITER and TOTEM LATHE. You have no idea what to deploy first, or where. Quite frankly, there aren't a lot of places in Quinn's crowded house to fit these items. Well, we certainly have to do something about that!

==> Be incredibly awesome, and put them all close together so there isn't any fuss in case of some disastrous event.

Are you crazy? That's a stupid idea. However... You're drunk, and that sounds like a good idea. Hm...

==> Ransack Kitchen!

You consider this.

Not for a while. Much to Quinn's dismay, she soon realizes that her KITCHEN CHAIRS are being redirected up a floor, and into her bedroom. In the most disorderly way possible of course. Ya know, 'cause you're still drunk. You didn't stop being drunk or anything. Quickly after, you move the KITCHEN TABLE into the LIVING ROOM. Somehow, the TV is preserved. The COUCH is tipped over though, with the KITCHEN TABLE on top of it. Oh well.

==> Deploy Cruxtuder in place of table.

You almost deploy the Cruxtuder in place of the table. However, when you realize how much that will bug your OCD later, it is moved to the corn- And it's outside. GOOD JOB.

==> Revise Kitchen Wall.

You quickly try and right your mistake before Quinn finds out. Frankly, adding an entire section to her house isn't all that inconspicuous, but you digress. You alter the dimensions of her house and give the Cruxtuder it's own little home.

==> Check GRIST CACHE.
 
Seventeen of Twenty BUILD GRIST? Okay. There are also four other types of GRIST that you are too lazy to read, simply because you don't have any of them, anyway.

==> Ransack LAUNDRY ROOM.

You remove the WASHER from the Laundry Room. It quickly finds a home OUTSIDE in the SUNLIGHT. It is soon joined by the CLOTHES DRYER. Oh well. You place the TOTEM LATHE in the cozy little area. Quinn might have to hug the wall a little bit. OH WELL, WOE IS QUINN.

==> Deploy ALCHEMITER in kitchen, right next to Cr-- Answer Troll.

-- arsenicCatnip [AC] began trolling apocalypticKitsune [AK] at 7:24 PM --

AC: :33 < *ac trots up to the busy fox*
AC: :33 < "h33 h33 how are you today twills"
AK: *ak points to teh empty bottle of scothc*
AK: 'Quite fine ACshully." *grins*
AC: :33 < *ac giggles at the foxs pawn*
AC: :33 < "you are so furry twills!"
AC: :33 < "and funny too"
AC: :33 < *ac still expurrses concern over the foxs bad habits*
AC: :33 < "you shouldnt drink that stuff twills"
AC: :33 < "its like poison"
AK: *ak paps the distressed the hunter on the head*
AK: "Dont worry neps, i can handle ti."
AK: "also, do"nt worry about the spelling errors"
AK: "they are delusions."
AC: :33 < *ac frowns at the fox*
AC: :33 < *and bites his finger for head papping*
AC: :33 < "twills"
AC: :33 < "that stuff is bad and you know it"
AC: :33 < "you can usually type perfectly!"
AC: :33 < "You know.. Like this?"
AK: I know. I still can.
AK: It just takes longer.
AK: See?
AK: "i slept most of it off, anyway.
AC: :33 < "..."
AK: stop worrying! besides, I need to get back to my friend.
AK: n33d*
AC: :33 < fine!
AC: :33 < oops.

-- apocalypticKistune [AK] ceased being trolled by arsenicCatnip [AC] --

==> Twilli: Get back to friend, yo.

Okay. You even have the ALCHEMITER on cursor. Now where were you going to put it?

==> Uh.. Right next to the Cru-- GUEST BEDROOM.

You deploy the Alchemiter in the Guest bedroom upstairs on sudden impulse.

==> Await further instruction from Princess.

[Quinn]

Too bad; you'll have to wait for those instructions, as you are now said Princess.

==> Princess Quinn: Pester Nicola.

Didn't Josh just say she wasn't online? ...Oh, right. You mentioned earlier that you could simply call her. Well, better get to that.

You take out your CELL PHONE and dial her number, listening to the accompanying ringing sound. The ringing is followed by the sound of someone else pestering you. Twilli. He can wait; brethren before delinquents.

“Hello! You have reached--”

****, it's the answering machine. Apparently, Nicola's family still doesn't recognize your cell phone number and decided not to answer. You would leave something on your voice mail so Nicola would know to call you back, but you hit the End Call button when something falls onto your desk.

Would you look at that. It's a book. Specifically, one of your prized, ancient, leather-bound fairy tale anthologies that should not be mishandled. After hazarding a glance around your room to see if it was your sister (she's not in sight; probably Twilli), you inspect the book for damage. Sure enough, the spine is broken.

==> Quinn: Answer Twilli.

You make a mental note to beat the everloving crap out of him before returning to Pesterchum with a fairly calm reply. Usually, you would just yell at him for the duration of the game, but that would be unwise. Sburb seems to require concentration, so you can't just lose your ****. You need to be practical and civil until this is over.

You hear several loud noises.

==> What was that?

It would seem that all of the kitchen chairs have been dispensed into your room.

==> Anything else?

You walk downstairs to see just how much Twilli ****ed up your house.

==> Quinn: Examine chaos.

The kitchen seems to have gotten a shoddy remodeling job to make room for the CRUXTRUDER. The larger couch in the living room is tipped over, with the kitchen table resting on top of it as if it had been there all along. As you note the new piece of furniture, two squarish objects fall past the window behind it – the washing machine and clothes dryer are now in your back yard. A thud from the laundry room tells you that something else has replaced them. Another sound comes from upstairs.

Your mental note changes from severe beating to death sentence.

Screw practicality and civility. There is obviously an utter moron at the controls.

==> Quinn: Activate CRUXTRUDER.

You proceed to so, absently scheming several ways to make a death look accidental. As you had previously read in the guides, a KERNELSPRITE pops out of the machine and happily follows you. The timer on the Cruxtruder reads 4:13:00. Plenty of time.

==> Um, are you forgetting something?

Oh, for the love of– how could you possible forget that you're not the only one who lives here?

You sprint up the stairs to check on your Sis. There she is, lounging on her bed and texting her boyfriend, playing rock music on full blast. She doesn't seem to mind what you're doing, as long as MOM and DAD don't blame her when they return to find the house in absolute disarray. Oh, and don't mess with her stuff.

That's fair enough, you guess. Though the thought of your parents does make you wince.

The fact that you shouldn't mess with her stuff reminds you of that snake carcass in your room. You should probably return that before it NO KERNELSPRITE DON'T DO THAT THAT'S BAD!

==> Uh-oh.

Uh-oh is right.

You must admit that the new SNAKESPRITE does look pretty badass, but you still just broke the new rule seconds into its decree. This takes failure to a whole new level.

And now the Sprite, programmed with a freaking snake, of all things, decides to do what it likes and slithers through the floor without you.

==> Quinn: Give chase!

That wouldn't work too well. Now that you know the Sprite can move through solid objects, it would only waste time and effort. You have to go through the rest of your objectives first.

==> To the next objective, then.

You return to the Cruxtruder and turn the wheel to obtain a CRUXITE DOWEL. Now you have to put your PRE-PUNCHED CARD in the TOTEM LATHE to...

To...

Crap.

You're getting too far ahead. You don't have the Pre-Punched Card yet; it's still in Twilli's inventory.

Time to go bug him about that.

==> Back to the computer.

Man, you really need something portable. You can't just rush back and forth all the time.

AU: You still there?
AU: I would sarcastically commend you on the redecoration job, but I'm guessing you'd be even less cooperative.
AU: So. Getting to the point. Do you see that card thing in your phernalia registry?
AU: The pre-punched one?
AU: I kind of need it.
AK: Huh? oh..
AK: kay
AK: oh siht
AU: Did you just do what I think you just did?
AU: You better not have done what I think you just did.
AU: You did what I think you just did, didn't you.
AU: *sigh* Good thing I have, what, four hours?...
AU: So where is it? The yard? The neighbor's yard? Canada?
AK: worse?
AK: i think
AK: since you said you had a bad relationship with your sister
AK: um..
AK: it's in the room right next to yours
AK: your sisters room
AK: which is actually pretty sick
AK: its full of snakes
AU: Actually, surprisingly not-bad.
AU: We're pretty good friends; she just has the tendency to fly off of the handle.
AU: If/when I do anything stupid.
AU: Like when I enter her room without permission oh ****.

==> Quinn: Sneak around.

You abandon the computer to cautiously creak open your sister's door. She thankfully didn't see or hear it, due to the texting and music. Unfortunately, the card seems to have landed on her dresser, which you can't get to without walking past her. And did we mention that you absolutely suck at sneaking around?

==> D:

Precisely.

There's no way you're going to ask Twilli to retrieve it. He'll probably use his amazing skills of knowing-just-what-not-to-do yet again.

You have four hours. Maybe she'll go downstairs for a snack or something so you can go in there without notice. And maybe she won't notice that her stuffed anaconda is now slithering around the house. Maybe.

==> Beautiful.

[Nicola]

==> Nicola: Be Nicola.

You can't be Nicola, because you're already Nicola trying to be--

==> We don't have time to repeat every joke for each one of you. Just get on with it.

Oh fine.

So now that you know you don't have homework, what will you do?

==> Nicola: Sweet Rave Party?

Don't be ridiculous. A one-person party isn't much of a party, especially with you being the goody two shoes you are. You'll save this idea, though. Maybe when more people are around you'll be in the mood for one of these.

==> Nicola: Adore plushies!



Yay, plushies! This one is S’mores, also known as Static King from how much he shocked you when you first got him. You even made him a superhero costume, including a crown! Isn’t he cute?

==> Adorable.



And this is April! She’s really, really big, which is why you bought her. Mom let you get her a few Easters ago, and you named her April because you got her in April. Isn’t she cute?

==> Uh-huh, sure, that’s nice.



And this is Teddy. Your parents got him for you years and years ago. He seems a little beat up, and his one-eyed gaze is a little unnerving, to be honest. On occasion, he wakes you up at night, too, but that’s okay, you think he has bad dreams sometimes. Isn’t he cute?

==> Kinda scary, actually.



And this is Canada! Twills gave him to you as an ironic gift a few weeks ago. He let you name it whatever you wanted, so you decided to name him after your favorite fictional land.

==> What do you mean fictional?

You didn’t know? Canada doesn’t exist.

==> It’s just north of the United States.

Conspiracy.

==> Your friend Twilli lives there.

Wrong.

==> You’ve been there before. You saw Niagara Falls.

Lies.

==> Oh, whatever. Can we just move this along?

Gladly.

==> Nicola: Have sudden hunger pangs!

You want food. Now that you think about it, it’s late afternoon and you haven’t had breakfast yet. Maybe you’ll go down to the kitchen and fix yourself a meal. It’s strange, but for some reason, whenever you decide to go get yourself some food, you always seem to forget one way or another.

==> Nicola: Jump out the door! Wait, what?

No way! You already tried jumping out the window, and look what that got you! Do you really wanna see the sad puppy dog face again?

==> No.

Didn’t think so.

==> Nicola: Create some amazing UTAU music!



Ooh, that’s a good idea! You start writing your own original song! You know you’ll never finish it, but you’re okay with that, ‘cause it’s fun anyways. You also mix a cover of Renai Circulation and jam to it while surfing the webs.

==>Nicola: Attempt to contact Quinn, as she just called you.

Ah, that’s right! The phone was ringing while you were busy freaking out over physics, and you couldn’t reach the phone before the other person hung up. You recognized the number on the caller ID, though, and it was definitely Quinn. You’ll pester her.

==> Nicola: Pester Quinn.



-- dottyProfessor [DP] began pestering absoluteUproar [AU] at 7:26 PM –

DP: You called?
AU: Oh. Hey.
AU: I didn't think you noticed.
AU: I'm a li
AU: *little busy at the moment.
AU: Josh is looking for you.
AU: I'll tell you when things die down.
DP: Wait, what? He's looking for me?
DP: I'm logged in and so is he, why doesn't he just start up a conversation himself?
DP: He of all people should know that I never log off of anything.
AU: *shrug* He said you were offline.
DP: ...Yeah, nothing's happening.
DP: Gah, I guess I've gotta do all the work around here.
DP: M'kay, well, I'll leave you to get trolled by Twilli.
DP: I'll try to download the server disc first and distract Twilli with it so that you can get on with your business in peace.
DP: Ah, assuming my mother says yes, that is.
AU: Okay thanks that's fine I guess but there's a snake wandering around my house now bye.

-- dottyProfessor [DP] ceased pestering absoluteUproar [AU] at 7:31 PM --

==> Nicola: Pester Josh.

-- dottyProfessor [DP] began pestering ballisticThyroid [BT] at 7:32 PM –

DP: I hear you've been asking around for me?
DP: Y'know, I’ve been logged in for a while, so you could’ve talked to me.
DP: So what was this important thing you wanted to talk to me about?
DP: Josh?
DP: ...
DP: Jooooosh?
DP: Gah, forget it.
DP: You've probably just got Nicola diesease.
DP: When you decide you wanna talk to me, just pester me yourself, m'kay?

-- dottyProfessor [DP] ceased pestering ballisticThyroid [BT] at 7:39 PM –

==> Nicola: Be the one not answering his Pesterchum.

[Jessica]

You are now the guy not answering hi- Oh god damnit Twilli!

eheheheh.

==> Twilli: Get out of this non-existent land, ASAP!

Non-existent? What do you mean? You're pretty sure you're in that country above the United States. Y'know, CANADA?

==> Nonononono. You mean NORTH MEXICO.

No, I do-

==> Oh now what?

You fell asleep.

........
........
........
........
........
........
........
........

==> Dream Twilli: Find informant.

You fly off to find your INFORMANT, one of the highest ranking agents of your DARK KINGDOM. Well, not quite yours. Once you usurp the FALSE ROYALTY, you will rise from the rank of PRINCE, and rule this planet as a KING, as your sister will rule as the QUEEN. If all goes according to plan, then that will happen just before she is AWOKEN, and her gift of awakening will be much more pleasant than yours. You had a REGISWORD to your throat, but with a stroke of GENUIS, a grab of POWER, and a dash of CHARISMA, you were able to over whelm your assailant/gift giver.

==> Dream Twilli: Enter Flashback mode

You enter FLASHBACK mode, again.

You are now Jess Reid, on December 19th, 2008. The day your ORIGINAL GUARDIAN died of OLD AGE.  You were comforted by your MENTOR, and BEST FRIEND from another UNIVERSE. Someone you have modeled some parts of your life after. However, you wept to sleep that night, and woke up in the Dark Kingdom. You are welcomed with open arms. Also, with a sword at your throat. Did I mention that you actually weren't really greeted with open arms? Oh well.

JACK: Ya woke up, eh?
JACK: Took ya long enough.
JESS: Who the hell are you?
JACK: Your end, human.
JESS: Yea? No.

==> Jess: Strife!

You launch into Strife suddenly! You are automatically in a DEFENSIVE position.

AGGRIEVE
AGGRESS
ALTER

You ALTER You are now TWILLI YISDU, PRINCE OF THE MOON. Your opponent staggers back in shock.

JACK: What the hell just happened?
TWILLI: You just met your maker.

==> Flashback Dream Twilli: Interrogate.

You menacingly stand over your aggressor,

TWILLI: Now, who are you?
JACK: Wouldn't you like to know?
TWILLI: Yes. I would.

==> Flashback Dream Twilli: Interrogate in a more menacing manner.

You scoop the REGISWORD off the ground and equip it in your bladeKIND strife specibus. It fills another slot in your STRIFE PORTFOLIO. But you don't really realize that at the moment. The tables are now completely reversed, with you standing over Jack. Oh, and now the sword is at his throat. You now INTERROGATE in a more MENACING MANNER.

TWILLI: I'll repeat the question.
TWILLI: Who are you?
JACK: Jack Noir.. Archagent of this kingdom.

You find out a lot of information from this interrogation. Surpassing several rungs on your ECHELADDER quite early. You are now a BADWAKEUP'S REVENGE. You don't really pay attention to this, though. You are too busy paying attention to your informant, and learning about his kingdom... And the means to overthrow it. Through this, you learn many things that will help you THREE YEARS FROM NOW, when you play a certain GAME.

==> Dream Twilli: And that's the story.

Cool story, brofox.

Indeed, it is.

Oh look, there's Jack.

JACK: How much longer now? I think the b**ch is getting on to us.
TWILLI: Not long. A few hours, and the true queen will enter.
TWILLI: I don't know how long until I'm in, however.
JACK: I don't think we have the time to find out.
TWILLI: You're suggesting we start the plan now? I might wake up any minute.
JACK: Just stage one. We need to get your dream self to your planet, and the princess's to her's.
TWILLI: Fine. You said you had one last thing to give me..?
JACK: Yes, here it is. I have a feeling you'll put it to good use.

Jack hands you a MAGIC CUE BALL.

TWILLI: A cue ball? What use is this?
JACK: It's a 'special' cue ball. Has some sort of magic properties. I don't know why, or how.
JACK: Or care for that matter. All I know is I found it in the Queen's vault. One of my agents told me it could be used by you.
JACK: Apparently a Seer can use it.
TWILLI: Kay, I'll make sure it's used well.
JACK: Good. I have a shuttle waiting. Go get the Princess.
TWILLI: On it.


You fly off back to your Moon. Ascending quickly up the tower of your sister, you regard the veil. The equipment there has always interested you, but you've never dared to explore it. The meteors may be close, but you don't like to desert this kingdom. You will get the chance soon, you guess. You slip in to the room of your sister. You look around her room. Just as it was when you first saw it, an hour after you woke up. Just like it was on the screen, before you dumped the chairs in it.. All memories now... There's a job to be done, now.

==> Get job done.

You carefully pick Quinn up in your arms. You levitate slightly, adjusting for her weight. Slipping out the window, you look up inwards, towards that blue dot again. That inviting glow. So warm, and nice. Maybe you were never supposed to have been tied up in this part of the game. Maybe you should have been the Prince of Prospit's moon. Alas, there is no way to change that now. You float done towards the planet of Derse, thinking. But that's not important. You land by Jack in the shuttle bay. Time's up. This bird has to fly. She squirms in your arms a little bit.

TWILLI: Hush now, only dreams....
JACK: Save the sentiment for later. We have to get out of here, she knows.
TWILLI: Kay, then let's depart.

You enter the shuttle pod with Jack, and lay Quinn on the floor. Motion is quickly felt, and looking out the window, the veil's meteors pass by...

==> There. Now be the guy who isn't answering his pesterchum.

[Jo]

^{(( Yo. Sorry for not being able to post for quite some time, I honestly haven't been able to get online at all in the past couple of days. And with GCSEs in the coming days for the next two weeks, I probably won't be on at all then either. I've had this post ready for the longest time, I just haven't uploaded the images or have the time to post. Again, really sorry about this! Feel free to continue roleplaying and leave me out of the loop in the coming weeks, I'll post whatever I can up when I can. I also have one or two other actions done for the next post; not that it'll make any difference, I'll be the same lazy person I usually am and fail to deliver. /rant ))}

*****

Oh hey, that’s you, isn’t it?

==> Josh: Answer pesterchum.

Oh um, yeah. About that. You didn’t grab your laptop when you left, did you?

==> Josh: Go back and retrieve laptop.



No way! You’re not going back in there!

==> Josh: Tame the wicked hunger.



You’re a little bit too pre-occupied to think about eating right now! But going downstairs... now, that’s a viable option.

==> Josh: Leap downstairs with reckless abandon.



Oh my gosh this is so much fun yet fuelled by so much reckless abandon

==>



Wow you have a long staircase. At least it gives a man time to think.

==> Josh: Fall in a more silly manner.



Silly manner? The notion strikes you as quite preposterous; there is no time to be silly with relatives afoot.

==> Josh: Suddenly realize there are relatives afoot.

Oh dear.

[Quinn]

==> ...It changed again, didn't it.

Why, yes! In fact, [insert a sentence that introduces the fact that you're Quinn now here.]

Staking out your sister's room doesn't seem like such a good idea. It doesn't look like she'll be leaving any time soon. You'll have to go with a more direct approach. Sneaking.

==> But didn't you say you suck at sneaking?

Shut it. That's your only option right now.

==> Maybe if you asked politely–

Are you crazy?!

You've been politely asking her to do things for years, mostly about things she was already supposed to do. Depending on her mood, the varying answers are A) laughing it off, B) making a thinly-veiled excuse to leave or C) threateningly asking if you're ordering her.

==> There's no way you're getting to that card, is there.

No! There is always hope! All it takes is proper planning. After all, as the prolific m00t of 4chan once said, "He who fails to plan, plans to fail."

...That was m00t, right?

No matter. First, you'll wait until she turns around, maybe to look out the window. Then you'll dive for the dresser, grab the Pre-Punched Card and YOUTH ROLL the hell out of there.

It's perfect. There's absolutely no way that any of this plan could go horribly, horribly wrong.

==> Shouldn't you think this through a little more?

No time. She's taping a drawing to one of her walls. This could be your only chance.

==>



FOR ASGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARD!

==>



Uh-oh.

==>

You suddenly realize why this wasn't such a good plan after all: diving for something on top of a dresser tends to have disastrous results.

==> And?



Your forehead has a new acquaintance. Forehead, meet Corner-of-the-Dresser.

==> Quinn: Black out.

Playing possum seems like your only defense, but it would take a lot of effort to actually black out on purpose, so – oh, look. You blacked out.

==> Quinn: Wake up.

Which Quinn? Wake up where? Your brain has two different places it could wake in. Decisions, decisions. Your consciousness drifts over to one of them, farther away.
uie are mayjehk
You can hear almost-undetectable whispers in your ear. They're... kind of annoying, actually. You attempt to cover your ears before you remember that you're not really awake, and therefore shouldn't be moving at all. But it's a little funny that you can. As you stop yourself from moving, you realize that you're being carried. Your thoughts are somewhere between “wondering who the heck can easily lift a 125-pound being” and “calculating the probability of this person being good or evil”.
pavuna you gi
Hush now, only dreams....
vy sicd tell iea
Save the sentiment for later. We have to–
do rit dramd tru freda–
Your brain gets bored of the suspense and you wake up next to the dresser after all.

==>

Strangely enough, your first thought when you wake up is that you could practically hear the Twillillipsis.

==> The what?

Never mind. Inside joke.

You reach for the wound on your head and find it covered by a bandage. Your Sis must have done that when you blacked out.

==> Quinn: Remember strange dream.

What are you talking about? Do you mean the one with the sweet rave party? That was your favorite. Ooh, or maybe the marble castle? That one was great until some random monster ate you.

==> Forget it. This is hopeless.

Anyway, you find your sister cleaning the blood from her dresser with the tails of your TRENCH COAT. You suppose that it isn't so bad a retaliation, considering you just, well, rushed into her room and hit her furniture. She simply sighs at your stupidity, pats your head and motions towards the door.

Crap. You didn't even get the card.

==>



Wait, there it is! It must have fallen off of the dresser when you heedlessly rammed your head into it! Your ridiculously long hair covered it when you were knocked out.

You surreptitiously take it and leave.

==> Mission accomplished?

Hell yeah.






((Hurp-durp, I just realized that I forgot to color my symbol in the last two images. Oh well.))

[Jessica]

You are now Dream Twilli.

==> What about that other girl? The one that doesn't live in the nonfictional land known as Canada?

Who cares.

==> Fair enough. Where were we?

Here. Flying around in this little pod. You've been alerted to the fact that this might take awhile. Oh well. You could probably take a quick na-

BBOOOOMM!!

==> What in the hell was that?

You quickly assess what in the hell that was one of the veils meteor's being blasted into pieces by a torpedo type-thing. Oh, well, that's kinda disconcerting. Not to mention, that very intimidating and large looking purple battleship tailing you.

==> Quick, Cliffhanger!

[Nicola]

==> Nicola: Draw some cool arts!



You don’t really feel like drawing cool arts. You draw a visual for your speech in Spanish class instead.

==> Nicola: Captchalogue that suspicious looking pumpkin!



What pumpkin?

You see no pumpkin, and frankly it is hard to imagine there ever was a pumpkin, suspicious-looking or otherwise.

==> Nicola: Try and pester Twilli!



You decide that maybe a little pester with Twills will get this strange pumpkin business out of your mind.

-- dottyProfessor [DP] began pestering apocalypticKitsune [AK] at 7:41 PM –

DP: Hey-a, Twills. You around?
DP: You're not treating Quinn too badly, are you? XD
AK: No, I'm pretty sure I have her pretty good right now.
DP: Whoa, you're not typing like you're drunk!
DP: I'm impressed.
AK: How goes the killing on your side of things?
AK: LOFAB treating you well?
DP: LOFAB?
AK: Wait. 7:41?
AK: Sorry, I see why you're confused. You're about seven or so hours in the past, when I was drunk.
AK: Before any of us were in the medium. Huh, I should probably figure out why Trollian is being stupid...
DP: I guess I was wrong, it sounds like you're still drunk. XD
DP: Or maybe you were just pretending to be drunk before?
DP: Or did you just feel like trolling me?
AK: I'm afraid I'm not trolling you at all.
AK: I feel like I shouldn't say all that much, but I will say this.
AK: The game we started playing, Sburb, is a lot different than what any of us thought.
AK: Or in the case of seven hours ago, the game I just connected to with Quinn.
AK: When you get the chance to actually talk to current me, tell him he's an idiot for getting drunk. Like, seriously.
DP: Oh, o-o-o-okay, mister future Twills.
DP: To-o-o-otally taking this game seriously now. Uh-huh.
DP: I'll give you the message from yourself next time I talk to you.
DP: I'm sure you'll get a kick out of your joke in our next conversation, right?
AK: I'm quite sure.
AK: Between me and him, we've already figured out that I'm an elusive jackass.
AK: Among other things. Trust me, he'll believe you when you say me from the future said that.
DP: ...
AK: And yea, I know you're skeptical now, but you'll believe me soon enough.
DP: Well okay, whatever you say.
DP: I'm still not believing what it is you're saying.
DP: But... yeah. I'll pass the message along.
AK: This would be a LOT easier if you were awake.
DP: I -am- awake, silly, or else how am I talking to you?
DP: Ooh, or is this a dream?
AK: No, this isn't a dream.
AK: You are perfectly awake by your standards.
AK: HOWEVER.
DP: However...?
AK: However, to me, and you in I think it was... I don't remember how long exactly, not too long after this conversation if I hazarded a guess, when you actually woke up on Prospit.
AK: You'll know what I mean when it happens. But just as a hint, the first description I got of your dream self's homes was, and I quote: '4 V3RY D3L1C1OUS HON3Y C1TY FOR COOL P3OPL3, NOT L1K3 YOUR D4RK 4ND D3PR3SS1NG GR4P3 JU1C3 C1TY'
DP: Um. Um. Um. I don't know what to say to that.
DP: ...I think I'll just go ask my mom about the game now.
AK: Yea, I'm pretty sure that's the end of this. Have fun in honey land, before it gets recklessly destroyed. Apologies in advance.
DP: Um, laters, I guess.
DP: *earliers

-- dottyProfessor [DP] ceased pestering apocalypticKitsune [AK] at 7:53 PM –

That was a strange conversation. That’s okay, though, at least Twilli can enjoy his joke. 

==> Nicola: Ask mother about Sburb... again.

You suppose it’s been long enough that your mother’s probably checked out the game already. You’ll go check and see if she’s done that yet.

==> Nicola: Go be the girl with the pre-punched card.

[Quinn]

((==> IRL Quinn: Initiate sequence: FIVE-PAGE POST.))

==> Wait, isn't Josh next?

Nope.avi

==> Oh. Okay. Quinn, then.

Indeed. There is no doubt behind that statement. The idea of being Quinn is most definitely fitting with the current situation.

==> Right... what was that card thingy for again?



Oh! You mean the Pre-Punched Card? As mentioned quite a few posts ago, you're supposed to insert it (and a CRUXITE DOWEL) into the TOTEM LATHE. And then you're supposed to figure out what in all nine hells to do with the resulting TOTEM. Probably something to do with that other piece of machinery.

==> Get to it, then.

To the Cruxtruder!

...Well, you'd like to do just that, but your ears are kind of ringing from hitting that dresser so hard. Not even ringing... more like some kind of whisper. Is that even possible? Whispery ringing? It's a little difficult to think.
uie are mayjehk
==> Well, stop it.
pavuna you gi
Thinking?
vy sicd tell iea
==> No. The headache.
do rit dramd tru freda–
Fine. Suit yourself. If head injury caused the echoing sound, maybe head injury can reverse it.
do rit dramd tru freda–
==> Wait, what?!
do rit dramd tru freda–
You slam your face against the nearest wall.
d– ri– dra– tr– fre–
==> Smooth.
–o –t –md –u –da –
Ack. You hit your wound from earlier. Little black spots crowd your vision. You get a little dizzy, your consciousness wavering a bit.
do rit dramd tru freda–
BBOOOOMM!!
–ONE
DO RIT DRAMD TRU FREDA ONE
DO RIT DRAMD TRU FREDA ONE
DO RIT DRAMD TRU FREDA ONE
DO RIT DRAMD TRU FREDA ONE
DO RIT DRAMD TRU FREDA ONE
DO RIT DRAMD TRU FREDA ONE
DO RIT DRAMD TRU FREDA ONE
DO RIT DRAMD TRU FREDA ONE
DO RIT DRAMD TRU FREDA ONE
...

Huh.

==> Huh?

The sound's gone. Your twisted logic may have worked after all.

==> Quinn: Obtain Cruxite Dowel.

To the kitchen!

...Okay, that sounded a little lame.

You hurry your way to said area, almost tripping down the stairs and bruising your shoulder on an unsuspecting wall. You turn the wheel of the Cruxtruder and out pops a Cruxite Dowel.

You also remember the Snakesprite, which had originated from the same device.

==> Oh yeah. That thing. Where is it this time?



You see it as soon as you enter the adjoining LIVING ROOM. There it is, rifling through one of the CABINETS where your family keeps the PHOTO ALBUMS.

==> Quinn: Go stop it?

Nah. Though it is a little worrying to have a snake around, there are far more pressing matters, and you never really liked those albums anyway. Your FATHER was something of a ONE-MAN PAPARAZZI, so every quasi-important piece of your mundane existence  is trapped in those books, and it's not too pretty. You'll deal with the snake later.

==> Quinn: Insert stuff into Totem Lathe.

To the laundry room!

That one sounded even lamer.

The room looks really weird sans WASHER and DRYER... but whatever. You, as commanded, “insert stuff into Totem Lathe”, and by that we mean you put the Cruxite Dowel into the drill-like mechanism and slide the Pre-Punched Card into its suspiciously card-shaped opening.

==> Quinn: Initiate Totem creation.



You start the machine, and it carves deeply into the dowel until it resembles a modern statuette. Meaning it looks like a skinny, wavy tower of plastic that no one should ever pay much money for due to its uselessness. That being said, is it really useless?

==> Probably.

Yeah, probably.

PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!

Oh my. It seems that Pesterchum has gotten a little impatient. You could hear that all the way from downstairs.

==> Quinn: Check out Pesterlog.

Crap. It's another one of those stupid future-message-things.

And quiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiite a lengthy one at that.

You scroll through it, skimming the finer points. You reach something particularly entertaining near the end of it.

---
AU: GOD, YOU'RE SUCH A BRAT. WHY DO I EVEN TALK TO YOU ANYMORE?!
AU: STUPID DUMB**** MOTHER******** TROLLS!
CG: WE WOULD HAVE GLADLY LEFT YOUR SESSION ALONE, YOU ***-MONGERING PATHETIC EXCUSES FOR SENTIENCE
CG: SINCE YOU WERE JUST A TYPO IN OUR SESSION-SEARCH
CG: BUT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, YOU WERE BORED OF YOUR FELLOW HUMANS AND YOU JUST HAD TO EXTEND OUR LAME-O CONVERSATIONS
CG: TO GIVE YOURSELF AN ILLUSION OF WHATEVER THE HELL FRIENDSHIP IS
AU: YOU COULD HAVE LEFT ME ALONE ANY TIME YOU WANTED TO, PRICK. BUT NOOOOOOOOOOO, YOU WERE BORED OF YOUR FELLOW TROLLS!
AU: HELL, YOU COULD HAVE JUST LEFT MID-SENTENCE.
CG: SO COULD YOU, DUMB***
AU: OH, NO. NO NO NO NO NO THIS IS NOT OVER AND YOU ARE GETTING THE GOD**** LECTURE YOU DESERVE.
AU: I THOUGHT WE COULD HAVE BEEN FRIENDS. I THOUGHT YOU COULD'VE HELPED US OUT. I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE NICE TO TALK TO WHEN TWILLI WAS BEING TOO MUCH OF A HARD*** TO BEAR.
AU: BUT THEN YOU JUST HAD TO CALL ME A ****, AMONG OTHER PROBABLY PROFANE ALIEN NAMES!
CG: I HAD PERFECTLY GOOD REASON TO CALL YOU THAT
AU: BECAUSE I USED A ******* STORAGE UNIT AS A STEP-STOOL?! HARDLY!
CG: A STORAGE UNIT?
CG: A ******* STORAGE UNIT?
CG: IS THAT WHAT THEY CALL IT THESE DAYS? STORAGE UNIT?
AU: WHAT, DID I STUTTER OR SOMETHING? OF COURSE IT'S A STORAGE UNIT, YOU DUMB ****! WHAT THE HELL ELSE WOULD IT BE USED FOR?!
AU: LOOK, DOES THIS HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH YOUR STUPID TROLL CULTURE OR SOMETHING?
CG: YOU DON'T KNOW THE MEANING OF CULTURE, YOU ******* EMPTY-HEADED PILE OF ****-FILLED ****S
CG: YOU ARE SO ******* UNCULTURED THAT HIGHER SOCIETY SHRINKS AWAY IN DISGUST WHENEVER YOU ROUND A ******* CORNER
CG: YOU ARE EXACTLY THE KIND OF ****-BRAINED ****** WHO NEEDS TO BE DRAGGED OUT BACK BY YOUR RIDICULOUS HAIR AND SHOT SEVERAL ******* TIMES MORE THAN NECESSARY
AU: WHAT THE **** EVER.
AU: I AM CUTTING OFF THIS CONVERSATION NOW AND YOU ARE GOING TO SIT THERE AND THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU DID.
AU: I HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO WITH MY LIFE.
CG: WHAT ARE YOU, MY MOIRAIL?
AU: WHATEVER THAT MEANS.
-- absoluteUproar [AU] blocked carcinoGeneticist [CG] at ?:?? AM/PM? --

-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] started trolling absoluteUproar [AU] at ?:?? AM/PM? --
CG: YOU DO REALIZE THAT DOESN'T WORK, RIGHT?
AU: Oh, **** off.
CG: DON'T WORRY, ****HOLE
CG: I'M LEAVING YOU ALONE
CG: NOT BECAUSE YOU TOLD ME TO
CG: BUT BECAUSE I'M SICK OF YOUR ****
-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] ceased trolling absoluteUproar [AU] at ?:?? AM/PM? –
AU: What a *****.
---

Aaaaaaaaaaaaand you decide to stop there. You'll read the beginning later, if you get bored enough.

But just what the hell was that about aliens?

==> You'll find out eventually.

Guess so. What now?

==> Check out that other thing to put the Totem in.

That other thing? Right. We're guessing that would be the ALCHEMITER.

==> Stop making fun of me!

But it's just so easy...

==> I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU!

What, did that yell-fight up there rub off on you?

==> Do you seriously think I can remember all of those stupid, fancy words of yours? Hell, I can't pronounce a single one of them, much less spell them out right! Do you really think I'm going to look up their random, made-up meanings on Google every other sentence? I'm doing this for you – you need me right here at this keyboard 24/7 to advise you so that you can survive this damn game thing! Good God, you're such an ungrateful, melodramatic, annoying waste of oxygen! Shut your stupid face and go to the nearest convenience store so you can buy yourself some freaking courtesy!

Hey, t-that was harsh, man.

==> Hrmph.

No, really. That felt like crap. And I'm sorry I treated you like crap.

==> Quit blubbering. It's not going to help.

But we can work this out later, right?

==> Maybe. I need a breather.

Yeah... I think I need some time alone, too.

==> Go be someone else so we can forget this happened.

Good idea.

[Jessica]

(Yes, I'm experimenting with starting pesterchum conversations outside of PM's)

You are now someone else. Twilli, to be exact. What? Who were you expecting? Josh? Pfft.

==> Do something about that huge ass Dersite Battleship!

Unfortunately, you cannot do anything about the huge ass Dersite Battleship, because the explosion knocked you out! Which is to say, woke you up.

==> Fall back asleep!

....No.

==> Why not?

Because that would ruin a perfectly good cliffhanger CHANCE TO GET ANOTHER DRINK.

==> Twilli: Go get another drink.

Hey! You inserted that one yourself.
Shut up. I'm sterssing out, okay? I can't completely sobor up, now can O?
Oh fine.

==> Twilli: Go get another drink.

You advance towards the kitchen, in hopes to get another drink, but suddenly, you decide to quickly leave a message for Quinn whenever she can get to her computer. Wait. Someone was on your comput- Oh god dammit this again. You scroll through the rubbish, and take a mental note to shoot Nicola down before she can say something about. Wait. Maybe that's exactly what he wanted. Ugh. Too much. You really need a drink. But priorities.

-- absoluteUproar [AU] began being pestered by apocalypticKitsune [AK] at 7:41 PM –

AK: Hey. Whenevar you get the chance, message me back, kay??
AK: Just somr things yous hould know before you enter the game.
AK: Or wake up which you might do that soon awell.
AK: Kay, I'm gonna go get drunk ahgain.
AK: <3

There. That's done with. Time to go get a dr- Ping!

==> Twilli: Answer Troll.

-- arachnidsGrip [AG] began trolling apocalypticKitsune [AK] at ?:?? --

AK: Ugh, what do you want?
AG: Pissy, much????????
AG: Just wanted to see how you're doing.
AG: Like, you now, since we're kinda friends????????
AK: But I want to go get a drink. I hate prioritie.s
AG: You are such a wimp sometimes.
AG: Now is not the time to 8e getting drunk, you idiot!
AG: You need to 8e getting Quinn into the game, without her doing something stupid!
AG: Also, you're out of 8ooze anyway.
AK: You lie! I KNOW I NAVE MORE.
AG: Go see for yourself.
AK: I will. AND THERE WULL BE MORE.

-- apocalypticKitsune [AK] being trolled by arachnidsGrip [AG] at ?:?? --


==> Twilli: Advance to kitchen, post-haste!

You set all motions in gear, and run as fast as your feet carry you down the ha- Oh crap.

==> Twilli: Strife!!!!!!!!

[Quinn]

((JOSH DIED. JAKE'S FAULT.))

We're going back to Quinn now. You good?

==> Yeah, I'm good.

Cool.

==> Quinn: Go use the... Alchemizer?

Actually, it's ALCHEMITER.

==> But wasn't it Alchemizer in that last post?

Drat, you're right. We're going to have to edit that.

You walk from your room to the Guest Bedroom, Totem under arm and head full of questions. Questions such as "What the hell am I doing?", "What does the Snakesprite want with old photos?" and "Alright, just how am I going to end up screwing up our entire game?" Only the first question can be answered right now. And you probably won't even understand said answer, as you have a killer headache from all of the... well, you know. You're pretty sure that the bandage from earlier has fallen off, but you don't feel like checking. You're also absolutely sure that it isn't partially important to anything in any way.

Anyway, in the once-emptyish room is now a large, complex-looking device with two complex-looking platforms.

==> Quinn: Put the Totem on one of the platforms.

You're tempted to place the Totem on the larger platform for a blatant excuse to walk up there. It just looks so cool. However, it obviously belongs on the smaller, Totem-sized platform. So it'll have to go there.



==> Cool.



==> Wha...?



==> OH GOD.



==> ...

You are now the proud (and slightly shocked) owner of a shiny-looking CRUXITE HEART.

==> Christ, that almost gave me a heart attack.

Har. I can't believe you had the heart to make such a bad pun.

==> Shall we discuss this calmly? Maybe a little heart-to-heart?

Okay, just stop it.

==> Ahem. Right.

You are now the proud (and slightly shocked) owner of a shiny-looking CRUXITE HEART.

==> Sooooo this is for whatnow?

Good question.

Ack. Your computer's pinging away again. Why do these message things always come in clumps? Better check that out.

==> Quinn: Answer Pesterchum.

Righty-roo. First one's from Twills.

-- apocalypticKitsune [AK] began pestering absoluteUproar [AU] at 7:41 PM --

AK: Hey. Whenevar you get the chance, message me back, kay??
AK: Just somr things yous hould know before you enter the game.
AK: Or wake up which you might do that soon awell.
AK: Kay, I'm gonna go get drunk ahgain.
AK: <3
AU: Wake up?
AU: The hell d'you mean, wake up? You're the one who was sleeping.
---

You'll just leave that there for a bit. Ol' Whitey's talking to you again.

---
Hello again.
There is something that you should know.
AU: Is it what I do with this heart thing? I think I need to know that.
No, but I can tell you that anyway.
You need to break it.
AU: Well, I always knew I was a heart-breaker, but that sounds kind of morbid.
Hee hee haa haa hoo hoo.
Puns aside, I have something far more important to tell you.
AU: Go on.
This information is really quite essential in order for things to run smoothly, but I'd firstly like to propose a deal.
AU: ...Doesn't sound too pleasant. Making deals with creepy people I don't know usually causes things like pain, death and movie rights.
What an astute observation.
The deal goes thusly: I tell you everything you wish to know in relation to the oncoming game.
This includes things such as codes, secrets, ways to circumvent the glitches and ways to keep from certain obliteration.
Speaking of glitches, the ones pertaining to you could easily turn you into the most powerful being in your session if you play your cards right.
In return, I simply ask for one favor in the future.
Of course, the choice is yours.
AU: Extreme power in exchange for a request. Tempting, but that's gonna be a no.
Suit yourself.
However, you must realize that without my help, there is a price to pay.
AU: Probably better than whatever you're plotting.
Then your cheerful little friend a few streets down will die.
Farewell.
AU: waitwaitwaitwhat
I'm quite sure that you read it correctly.
AU: You can't just kill Nicola!
I won't, per se.
In a cliché twist, your ignorance of upcoming danger will be her undoing.
AU: ******* clairvoyants.
AU: I guess I have no option, then.
Of course you do.
AU: KILLING MY BEST FRIEND IS NOT AN OPTION.
AU: …
AU: I'm in.
Well, that settles everything.
Before I begin explaining the deeper levels of Sburb, you may want to answer that boy.
He's been replying for a while now.
---

---
-- apocalypticKitsune is an idle chum! --

-- absoluteUproar is an idle chum! --

-- apocalypticKitsune is no longer an idle chum! --

AK: Sorry for the delay, back. LSS: I hate my dog.
AK: Anyway, that's exactly what I'm saying.
AK: What I mean by wake up, is something that has to do with the game.
AK: Also, I have reason to believe that you've already been told that Sburb is going to be more important than you think.
AK: By a certain jackass that types in white text. However, he's good for squeezing information out of.
AK: However, 'Your time is limited on what I'll tell you. You'll be on your own then, but with much more of an advantage than you may realize at the time.' Whatever that means.
AK: ....Are you even there, or am I just rambling to myself?
AK: Oh whatever. What I meant by wake up is that you, and all four of us for that matter, have two alternate selves.
AK: Our 'Waking Self,' which you are right now, as with me.
AK: And then you have your 'Dream Self,' who under certain circumstances, would be you whenever you fell asleep. That's is when they are 'awake,' which is what I mean by awake.
AK: Mine has been awake for a few years now. I think Nicola's might have woken up already as well, albeit much more recently. Oh well.
AK: Your dream self, is currently, in a small pod trying to out run a battleship, in space. As is mine. Both passed out on the floor of course.
AK: Whenever you get back, I'll tell you some more about why that situation is under place. Until then, I'm going to try and fall asleep, to try and make sure neither of our dream selves die. Okay? Okay. Get back to me ASAP.
AK: Also. If you've been blacking out randomly, having weird 'dreams,' hearing things.. That's probably your dream self being restless. I think you're getting close to waking up. However, I can't be sure yet. If that is happening, at least take the knowledge so you kinda know what's happening.
AK: Ta-ta for now. <3
---

...******* clairvoyants.

And really, must he end every message with those dumb little hearts? You've made your single status quite clear time and time again.

==> So one could say he hasn't stolen your–

NO MORE HEART PUNS.

==> Sorry.

As for the whole dream idea... it's ludicrous. But you suppose that's just Sburb.

You grab a nearby notebook and a pen to... take notes. For some reason, you start at the back. There's really no logical need for this, but it just seems like a really good idea.

---
AU: Alright, tell me about Nicola.
Read carefully.
The two of you have three hours left...
---

==> Quinn: Fade exposition dramatically and be someone else.

[Nicola]

==> Be Nicola.



You are now Nicola. You said you’d go ask MOM about that game, so you guess you’ll go do that.

==> Waaaaaait. Your hair is darker now.



What? Your hair has always looked like this, and to suggest that it ever looked any different than this is frankly quite disconcerting. Perhaps it was just the lighting?

==> Nicola: Go find MOM.

There she is. At the computer. Checking out the game, maybe?

==> Why don’t you go ask?

That wasn’t a command.

==> Nicola: Go ask.

You go and ask if she’s looked at the game yet. Seems that’s a no, but that’s only to be expected. It usually takes her a day or two to review a game before giving it the okay or a thumbs down, so you didn’t really expect an answer just now.

==> Nicola: Go back to your room.



You climb back up the stairs and go to your room to find that somebody has been pestering you. It’s Quinn! You’d better respond.

==>



-- absoluteUproar [AU] began pestering dottyProfessor [DP] at 7:50 --
AU: Nicola?
AU: I've just gotten a disturbing little bit of news.
AU: You there?
DP: Oh, hey there, Quinn.
DP: What's up?
AU: It's about this game thing.
AU: Apparently, in order to actually play the game, we have to finish the first section in three hours.
AU: Otherwise none of us will be able to play at all.
DP: Oh, okay?
AU: Now, I don't know if your mom's said anything yet, but this is kind of a big deal for us.
AU: And even if she said "no", we both know she's a very understanding and forgiving person.
AU: So, yeah. Three hours for the first section.
DP: Ah, actually, my mom hasn't looked at the game yet.
DP: She'll probably get back to me sometime tomorrow.
DP: I just need to finish the first section within the first three hours of starting the game, though, right? I could do that tomorrow once she gets back to me, no problem.
AU: ...No.
AU: Well, yes. But no. Gah.
AU: Yes, within three hours of starting the game.
AU: However, I'VE ALREADY STARTED THE GAME.
AU: And since all four of us are supposed to be in the same game... you see where I'm going with this, right?
AU: Again, the two of us have a limited amount of time. The time amount's different for Josh 'n' Twills. Something about the area code.
AU: So it's technically now or never.
DP: Well, maybe I could try and get Mom to speed it up a little bit?
DP: If I push for it really hard, there's a possibility I could get approval within the next three hours.
DP: But, if not, then we might not be able to play, sorry. D:
AU: Maybe you could... I dunno... start without her?
AU: I know it's kind of rude, but you could always finish the first part and then wait for her approval later.
AU: She probably wouldn't find out, and if you get rejected, it'll at least get the others here without trouble.
AU: Just imagine that thousands of meteors will fall from the sky and crush us to death if we don't get this over and done with.
AU: Weird metaphor. I know. But please? :(
DP: Ah...
DP: Well, I...
DP: If this game means that much to you...
DP: Then... I guess I can at least start it.
AU: Thank you so much.
AU: Really. I just can't express
AU: No, that sounds stupid.
AU: Anyway, I'm pretty sure Josh is your server player. Talk to 'im soon, 'kay?
DP: I tried earlier, but he wasn't online.
DP: Well, maybe a second try will produce better results.
DP: Talk to you later?

You don’t get to see the end of that conversation because there is suddenly a knock at the door to your room.

==> Nicola: Go see who it is.



It’s MOM, and she says that since you were so excited about playing Subard or whatever it was called, she looked it up earlier than she would have gotten to it. But it seems that there isn’t enough information online about it for her to make a decision, so maybe you can ask her about it again in a couple of months, when there’s more information that she can look at.

==>



You tell her that your friends have already started playing and that you have to finish the first section of the game in the next three hours or you won’t be able to play at all. She assures you that you’ll be able to live for the next couple of months without having played the game. You protest, but she still isn’t budging. It’s time to pull out the big guns.

==> Nicola: Deploy puppy dog face.

NICOLA used PUPPY DOG EYES!

MOM is unaffected!

MOM used MY DECISION IS FINAL!

It’s a one-hit KO! NICOLA has been defeated!

MOM saunters away!

==> Well, that didn’t work.

Of course it didn’t work. You may be a manipulative know-it-all, but nobody can beat your mother in a guilt-off. She is simply the best there is.

==>

Unfortunately, you are now at an impasse. MOM said no, but this game means so much to Quinn and you already agreed to play... How can you choose?

==> Be someone else as Nicola ponders what to do.