tippler 2021/09/18(Sat)18:48 No. 1010952 ID: eedbeb
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The rumble of thunder wakes you from your nap. It feels like you just drifted off beneath the willow tree by the brook after a long day in the millet fields.

Was there a storm in the forecast? You’d thought the next couple days would be clear so you could get the plowing and planting done.

tippler 2021/09/18(Sat)18:49 No. 1010953 ID: eedbeb
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You try to stretch your arms but it’s like moving through syrup. One hand breaks above the warm mud and you feel fat raindrops on your fingertips.

What is your name? How do you get free?

The fantastical and exotic name of derek.

Skipper. You get free by exploding the mud.

Derek Skipper, It's not that you get free, per se, it's that you just sit up straight and are out of the mud.

Yeah, he just sat up not realizing he was trapped.

Wellllll since we can't go planting or plowing, it's a day off! go have fun swimming in the swamp or mud or something.

Gorrell. An old name, derived from a word meaning "thicket in the marsh".

>>1010966
support Gorrell

and thus begins the adventures of:
Ci-Shor
possibly
(pronounced "sea-shore" cause fish pun)

Oh, right, and wriggle out of the mud like a worm.

>>1010959
I like the name Derek Skipper.

We're not stuck, we were just taking a little dirt nap, and it has now turned into a mud nap. Sit and up and enjoy the calming rain storm.

Derek Skipper

Do you remember becoming a vampire, or is this a new development?

Gorrel tries to plow away the mud with his arms to freedom!

tippler 2021/09/19(Sun)12:51 No. 1011026 ID: eedbeb
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Your name is Derek Skipper and you are a vampire. You had terminal cancer when you were 50 and sought out a vampire in the north to turn you so you’d be able to live out the rest of your conscious life without pain.

tippler 2021/09/19(Sun)12:51 No. 1011027 ID: eedbeb
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>Sit up

There’s a thick layer of dirt between you and verticality. You wriggle your sleek body so that you’re at least facing the right direction and start carefully digging away at the mud. Vampires are very brittle, and sudden movements could easily break bones.

tippler 2021/09/19(Sun)12:52 No. 1011028 ID: eedbeb
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You get your head above ground and peer around. You’re on the edge of an abandoned paddy field with rain coming down in sheets.

It feels like there’s a heavy stone pinching your tail and you can’t pull it free.

Do you:
-Break off tail
-Stay in the mud

Chill in the mud, enjoy the mudbath. It's not like you have anything to do since it is raining and you can't go farming today anyway. Plus you like this tail.

Stay in the mud, you can't die, are effectively immortal, there's no real rush, maybe just slowly push the rock away and if you can't just chill.

>>1011028
Stay in the mud. Wait for someone to come by who can help.

Patience. You'll get your tail free eventually, or find someone who can help.

Stay in the mud and work your tail free.

>>1011028
Stay in the mud

Call for aid.

You can slow down your perception of time, right? Does that let you move faster (relative to the world) or are you just as slow and weak as everyone else?

Either way, stay in the mud, but don't just do nothing; start working on digging around the stone.

Don't break off your tail, this mud is infected.
Gently attempt to remove whatever the heck is clawing at you.

tippler 2021/09/19(Sun)20:09 No. 1011099 ID: eedbeb
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>Stay

You’re not about to risk your beautiful tail to get out of the mud. The benefits of vampirism include not needing to eat or drink, though you’d appreciate some fresh soul, so you get comfortable and wait for someone to wander by.

You don’t recognize your surroundings, which is odd. You went to sleep on your property, and a freak flash flood couldn’t have carried you that far.

tippler 2021/09/19(Sun)20:09 No. 1011100 ID: eedbeb
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The rain stops after a while and a fresh wind blows the clouds over your head. It feels more like a breezy spring day than midsummer.

You rapidly become bored out of your fucking mind. There are chores to be done, grubs to be grown, and you’re not used to being left with your thoughts immobilized from the neck down.

tippler 2021/09/19(Sun)20:09 No. 1011101 ID: eedbeb
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Hours pass. You perk up when you hear the sound of paws on drying mud.

“Hey, I need help over here!” you call.

The noises get louder and you crane your neck to see a werewolf come into view. You’re not pleased to see a fellow monster, and a raccoon, from what you can tell. You need someone with access to a spade and opposable thumbs and it could be a while before the werewolf transforms.

The wolf comes over to sniff your head and then sits primly next to you without comment.

Try and get the wolf to smack you on the head.

PET. IT.

>>1011101
Are you sure that's a werewolf and not a regular raccoon? Well, try to get on their good side, and pass the time. Can't be more than a few hours for them to change back.

Can't vampires manipulate their perception of time?

Go back under the mud.

"Are you in control of your faculties at the moment? I need help."

Oh, it's that asshole again.
Sure, let's pet him.

I suppose you could wait around for the mud to get thick enough to somewhat hold it's own wait. Move at juuust the right time and you can dig yourself out miss the window and your stuck stuck tho.

...
Strike up a conversation, even if the raccoon doesn't respond right away it'll be nice to have someone nearby to listen.

Strike up a conversation, you're bored and waiting and he seems to be just chilling there. Maybe talk about yourself a bit to pass the time.

If he doesn’t help then just start digging yourself out until you can free your tail.

tippler 2021/09/20(Mon)08:44 No. 1011152 ID: eedbeb
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>Manipulate the passage of time

Whoa there cowboy, if you’re not careful with time business you’ll end up dormant, which is certain death or at least oblivion.

>Pet

You work your arm free and reach for the werewolf’s haunches. He snorts with surprise but lets you run your thin fingers through his fluff.

“My tail is stuck under a rock. Can you dig some of this mud free so I can loosen it? It’s dry enough that it should support our weight.”

The wolf considers you and stands to paw carefully around your shoulders. You stay very still and chatter while he works.

tippler 2021/09/20(Mon)08:44 No. 1011153 ID: eedbeb
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“Are you from around here? I didn’t know we had a werewolf in the area. There aren’t even that many witches out here, you have to go to the city for that.”

The wolf is silent.

“I prefer the country, though that was a heck of a storm we just had. I grow grains and raise grubs for protein. If you’re from Xiamen you’ve probably eaten my food.”

tippler 2021/09/20(Mon)08:44 No. 1011154 ID: eedbeb
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The beast slowly excavates most of your chest, and, at your instruction, uncovers the small boulder squeezing your tail.

“Can you lift that rock?” you ask hopefully.

The wolf shakes his head and with a full-body shudder, collapses into a small, squat raccoon who coughs politely into his paw.

“I have friends coming who can help.” he says, voice smooth.

Sweet. No rush though.

From the look of things, you uh... probably kind of were dormant for a while there.

"Er, what year is this? I don't remember being six feet under when I nodded off."

The "friends on the way" bit seems suspect, but if he meant you any imminent harm, he could have easily inflicted a lot of it by now. At least for the moment, he wants to keep you alive and in one piece.

Thank him and ask him what year it is, you’re not sure how long you were out.

Wait, when did he contact his friends? Did he know you were here somehow?

Hmm, maybe with the mud no longer weighing it down, we can probably lift it ourself now.

Oh. That's cool then. I really owe you one. It would have been an awful pain to have to get this reattached. Lemme know if there's anything I can do for ya once I get out of here!
Also, you can talk like that? Clever guy.

What's bringin' yall out here anyway? Some sorta shindig?

tippler 2021/09/20(Mon)14:56 No. 1011169 ID: eedbeb
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“That’s great, thank you, let me know if you need a hand once I’m out of here.” you say. “Um, how do your friends know where we are?”

The raccoon pulls a water bottle from a pocket space by his left thigh and takes a swig. “Tracking spells. I haven’t moved for a while so they’ll know I found something.”

You nibble your fingertip. You’re starting to wonder if you were dormant for a while. It’s very rare that vampires awaken after falling into a time trance since they’re either inadvertently killed or stuck in museums and inadvertently killed.

tippler 2021/09/20(Mon)14:56 No. 1011170 ID: eedbeb
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“Hey, what year is it?” you ask.

The raccoon considers the question. “861. The era of monsters.”

Ah. You lean on the side of your mud hole for support. Ominous addendum aside, that’s a solid 300 years from your time which means everything you held dear is dust.

Do you:
-Ask the raccoon about himself
-Ask why he was looking for you
-Flirt
-Think about your future (suggest what Derek’s goals are)

There was no flash flood then. I've just been...
Asleep.
...
Well that frees up my year...


I've lived the normal life.
I've lived the hard life.
I've lived the simple life.
In this "Age of Monsters", as you call it... how would one live an Exciting life?

Think about your future:

Learn more about the era of monsters
Figure out if you have applicable knowledge that could give you a leg up in this new world
Don't panic that most if not all of your friends are probably dead

Oh. Well I suppose you haven't had any of my food then. And I find myself cast adrift upon the waves of an uncertain future. What were you looking for out here, and do you need any help?

>>1011170
Ask the raccoon about himself, ask why he was looking for you.

I think we can infer a few things about his presence and the "age of monsters" thing. Vampires must be waking up, and you were known to be in a trance. So he's here to find you. Gotta find out what organization is collecting vampires!

think about future: well obviously starting up your farm again is a good plan.
What was that about vampires eating souls?

"... I suppose it would be comically optimistic of me to ask if this plot of land still belongs to me?"

Thinking about the future, it would be nice to start over and go back to working your property, but if we’re gonna do then we should learn more about this time period and make friends who can wake us up if we go dormant again.
Ask why it’s called the age of monsters.

tippler 2021/09/20(Mon)20:11 No. 1011214 ID: eedbeb
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You’d like your farm back, but you want to figure out the situation first. If there’s a war or something going on you don’t want to get pillaged while trying to build back up. Maybe it’s time for some excitement, albeit excitement that doesn’t risk your fragile body.

“What were you looking for? Can I help? My name’s Derek by the way, what’s yours?”

The raccoon sips his water. “My name is Rancid and I work for a foreign government. My team was sent here to find rare monsters and after weeks of tracing a faint soul signature we started manually searching.”

tippler 2021/09/20(Mon)20:11 No. 1011215 ID: eedbeb
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“Your government wants me?” you blink with confusion. “I’m afraid vampires aren’t very good at fighting.”

Rancid nods. “Vampires remain physically weak, but the influx of lose soul energy has given almost every monster an increase in magical ability and that means your time distortion abilities can act in reverse with the proper stimulus.”

“Oh, so you mean I could perceive time as going faster than it actually is instead of slower, like a superhero who can move when everyone else is frozen. That’s—“

tippler 2021/09/20(Mon)20:12 No. 1011216 ID: eedbeb
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The sound of a helicopter interrupts your next question. You watch as the military green craft lands about 50 meters away and two people dismount.

A middle-aged dog and a tall squirrel with a fan of fox tails dismount and hurry over to Rancid.

“They saw us head over here and followed us pretty close most of the way.” the dog puffs.

“Then remove the rock that is trapping Derek and we will leave.” Rancid says.

“We need to leg it.” the squirrel agrees. She crouches at the edge of your hole and sizes up the boulder. “Hiya Derek, I’m Lori. Max can I get some anti-gravity on this thing?”

So, i know im fragile, but can i join your gov? I pretty much lost my farm and got nothing better to do, as long as i can get a new farm too... uh, youre in a rush? Whats the hurry?

Ask what the stimulus is. You may need to use it soon.

Hello Lori, thanks for the help. Who is following you?

You need to ask yourself if you want to end up recruited by a government you hold no loyalty to in order to fight. Because it looks like you're getting shanghaied.

BY JOVE A FLYING CARRAIGE!

>>1011268
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS FANCIFUL CONTRAPTION?

Remember that humans got all killed during modern times, so helicopters, at least dilapidated ones, existed last time Derek was around.

The sound of a helicopter? wait you yourself know what a helicopter is?
can you remember what was the general advantage level of technology and everyone opinion of it 400 years ago compere to today at least so far?
where you or someone you know familiar with this kind of stuff?

>>1011279
I disagree, but I'm also not willing to argue about it here.

tippler 2021/09/21(Tue)18:39 No. 1011306 ID: eedbeb
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The dog Max reveals his witch vision, casts a spell, and Lori carefully reaches down to pull the rock free and heave it away from the pit.

You check your tail and tentatively shake it back and forth. You worm on your belly out of the hole and get to your feet for the first time in centuries.

"Thank you very much." you beam. "I'd like to help if y’all need it."

"Get in the helicopter then." Lori says cheerfully.

tippler 2021/09/21(Tue)18:39 No. 1011307 ID: eedbeb
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"A marvelous floating carriage you have. A truly fanciful contraption." you tell her. You mean it as a silly joke but the squirrel stops in confusion.

"What's a carriage? Is that some kind of weapon that was lost in the first Judgement?"

"I think it has something to do with cars." Max says nervously. "But helicopters aren't cars."

"Helicopters are like cars and Derek should have been exposed to both." Rancid adds.

Rancid is right, you might have been out in the country but you used a truck on the bumpy old asphalt road to transport your crops and saw a helicopter when you visited the city when you were young. Early history isn't too clear, but some old civilization left behind piles of metal and machines and animals learned to use those tools.

tippler 2021/09/21(Tue)18:39 No. 1011308 ID: eedbeb
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You notice a distant shape in the post-storm fog, hopping towards you. The carriage conversation delayed you enough that the group Lori mentioned is catching up.

"What is that?" you ask. "Who's following you?"

"Our enemies." Rancid says curtly.

"Idealistic twenty somethings." Max offers.

"Pretty nice folks when you get to know them." Lori says.

Do you:
-Wait for the other group
-Leave

>>1011308
Wait for the other group.
You have no stake in whatever conflict is taking place here. However, when it comes to having allies in this new world, having the strongest allies available is best. And seeing as this group is running from that group, it should be obvious which group is the better option.

Yay, new friends!
Put on your best karate pose in case they are hostile.

Tell them you'll catch up later. You want to meet these folks too, so you can make a more informed decision as what to do with your future.

Lets just leave.

Leave

"I thank you folk for helping me and all that but I'm afraid if there's conflict I'd rather be out of the way as I'm not really a fighter. Now if you need other help that doesn't involve conflict I can be of service once the trouble's gone but for now I think I'll sit here and mull through my oncoming existential dread."
Wait, at a distance. See what comes of the two groups if they meet each other but distance yourself from any fights.

A handful of youngsters surely don't sound like a terrible threat.
Would it be so bad to at least hear them out?

Youngsters incoming!
Quickly! Think up some old people jokes!

tippler 2021/09/22(Wed)16:04 No. 1011371 ID: eedbeb
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"Youngsters! I like the sound of that, let's meet them." you say.

Rancid frowns, but Lori and Max shrug. "Whatever makes you happy.” the squirrel says.

"You're still my best friends." you assure Rancid. "I just want to see what the young people are up to these days. I was quite the scamp and I have good stories to tell about rolling around in the mud."

The strange noodle slows as it approaches, and you can make out a car clutched in its coils. It carefully lowers the vehicle to the ground and the youths start driving towards you.

tippler 2021/09/22(Wed)16:04 No. 1011372 ID: eedbeb
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The Jep trundles through the mud and grass and parks a few meters in front of you. Three animals emerge, two cats and an abnormally thin bat who glares at Rancid with undisguised hatred.

The broader cat waves at you. You wave back.

"They found the vampire first." the bat growls.

"More time for tourism at least." the broad cat says hopefully. “Xiamen has great street food."

Max steps forward. "You don't need to interfere, but I said that the past three times we ran into you lot and nobody’s listened yet."

Hell yeah, these youths are rebelling against authority.

tippler 2021/09/22(Wed)16:04 No. 1011373 ID: eedbeb
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The broad cat plucks at their whiskers. "We're on the same side here—"

"No we're not." Vlad and Rancid say simultaneously.

"Well, we're both trying to stop the monster uprising."

"Are we?" says the tall cat drily. "Vlad seemed to have a lot to say about tearing down the Big Magic industry."

Talk about how magic worked in the old days.

Egad! Big Pharma turned to using the dark arts now? What won't they do in the name of coin?

>>1011373
Ask the really skinny person why they're not eating properly? It's not healthy for them to be so thin and they should be eating more!

Oh my fine sir bat, you really MUST tell me the secret to your figure! If I were that thin I'd surely break in half, but there you are right as rain! How do you do it?


If there is opportunity, wax poetic about a time in your youth you were naughty.
Perhaps that time when you stole the pastor's pantaloons.

Ooh! I sense both history AND drama! Irresistible!

"Izzat what this 'Age of Monsters' thing I hear of's all about? Well, shucks, way I see it, I can understand monsters getting all emboldened, but has the good ol' status quo really been all that bad since I laid down?"

We will probably need a history lessen in the near future, things are supposedly happening.

For now let’s introduce ourselves.

"Did the apocalypse happen while I was asleep? Why are you not immediately aggroething each other?"

Vlad will probably try to tell you something about how that Raccoon is bad news but you should ignore it because the raccoon helped you out and you promised to help them, and you're helpful! maybe offer to help them too but then like the government agents just drag you away and you wave bye at them

hey rancid, what say we all pile in the flying machine and swap stories? im sure i could regale these kids with a tale or two from the old days!

nudge rancid with your elbow as you say this. you get the feeling that he is a stick in the mud which ironically enough is your favorite kind of person to play off of.

tippler 2021/09/23(Thu)10:58 No. 1011435 ID: eedbeb
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You practically fold yourself in half to whisper in Rancid’s ear.

“Say bestie, my drama sense is going haywire. Care to fill me in? What’s the hot goss?”

“It is not very complicated.” the raccoon says at normal volume. “Before our truce, both sides harmed the other either in retaliation or for some greater purpose. Neither of us relishes the rise of revolutionary forces in our country so we have been searching for a vampire to help. I have no particular grudge towards them but they are not our allies.”

You bob your head with agreement. “So true, so true.”

tippler 2021/09/23(Thu)10:58 No. 1011436 ID: eedbeb
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You slide over to the thin bat’s side. “Greetings my fine mammal, I’m Derek. You must tell me the secret to your figure, I would tell you to eat more, but that would be frank hypocrisy.”

“Rancid tortures people for a living.” the bat says baldly. “He is not your friend.”

Huh. You’d thought Rancid was more of a stick in the mud type but torture is very spicy. You abandon the bat for the friendly cat.

“I’m Body, this is Kibble and Vlad.” they beam.

“Hello Body.” you beam back. “I like your Jep. Are you a witch?”

tippler 2021/09/23(Thu)10:59 No. 1011438 ID: eedbeb
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“Oh no, I was made by a witch, my friends are both monsters, kind of.”

“Well shucks, back in my day witches couldn’t do anything like that.” You admire Body’s body. “Have times really been that bad while I was out?”

“We learned God is real and was trying to kill us before we talked it out.” Body says. “Other than that it’s been okay.”

Max fakes a cough. “Derek, could we please move? We need to figure out your trigger and get on a flight home as soon as possible.”

Well good luck in your side of mission, if we're compeating I'm sure we'll see each other soon.

Sing "We can work it out" by the Beatles and tell them to team up.

Hmm, stick with the government, they'll pay more. You can arrange a contract that allows you to exercise your own judgement, so you won't have to do anything nasty.

Did the government of your day get down with torture?

trigger?

Ask to go with the gov

Ah. It seems it's time I bid you all Adieu for now.
Perhaps we can speak another time.
Good luck "Sticking it to the man" as they say.
Although... Vlad was it? Know This:
The hands that turn the world are never clean.

Toodles!

tippler 2021/09/23(Thu)20:44 No. 1011466 ID: eedbeb
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You salute Body. “It’s been an honor to meet you rebellious youths, but I must away with my pals in their flying carriage.”

“What’s a carriage?” Kibble mutters at Body. Vlad blocks your way as you turn to leave.

“I just told you they’re evil.” the bat hisses. “They’ll force you to help them.”

You lean forward conspiratorially. “The thing about being a vampire is that people can’t really force you to do anything if they want you to stay in one piece. I’ll keep an eye on Rancid and I’m sure you’ll be checking in on me soon.”

tippler 2021/09/23(Thu)20:44 No. 1011467 ID: eedbeb
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Lori straps herself into the pilot’s seat and starts the powerful engine. You sit in the back with Max and watch through the window as the mysterious noodle wrap itself around the Jep and start moving away.

“What’s a trigger? Is that the stimulus thing Rancid mentioned?” you ask the dog.

“Yes, from our limited intel we think you’ll need some catalyzing event before you get your new time powers. Hopefully we’ll find something in the city that works.” Max replies.

What do you do during the short flight?

Sing a song of your people from your time period. (It's rather annoying)

>>1011467
Ask what they're hoping you can do for them with your new time powers.

Though Time powers do sound cool. What is the purpose of unlocking them in you? Farmers aren't particularly known for their combat ability if that's what they're after.

Also consider if there was anything you cared about that was lost along with your farm and home. Cross your fingers and hope that something's recoverable.

Ask if blood banks are still a thing in this time period, because you're a vampire, and might need some blood packets.

ask if they have some dang pants

tippler 2021/09/24(Fri)09:00 No. 1011497 ID: eedbeb
File 163249920714.png - (167.79KB , 1000x900 , p28.png )

The view from the helicopter is so inspiring you burst into song. You belt out deep tonal sounds that make Max wince and clap his hand over his ears.

“It’s loud enough with the engine, could you keep it down.” the dog says through gritted teeth.

“Sorry.” You didn’t think it was that bad and you tap your armrest to the beat in your head.

After a few minutes you turn back to Max. “I told Rancid earlier, I don’t know how to fight, so I don’t know how much help I can be.”

“You’ll figure it out and you won’t have to fight anyone head-on unless it’s another vampire.” Max bites his lip. “But there will be other vampires.”

tippler 2021/09/24(Fri)09:00 No. 1011498 ID: eedbeb
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You’re feeling hungry and naked by the time Lori lands the copter on the roof of the embassy. You eye Rancid’s neck. Feeding from other monsters isn’t ideal but Max is using so much magic that he barely has soul to spare.

“Can I get some clothes first? Also, I need to feed soon or I’ll get cranky.” you say.

Lori leads the crew to a shopping mall a few blocks away and you start searching for an outfit. You’re very tall and thin, so most clothes don’t fit too well.

Draw Derek’s outfit and choose who to feed from (Lori, Rancid, Max or Other).

ask the clothes store clerk if you can feed from them. it mught be cool for them to have gotten bit by a real life vampire

We shall wear a happy maritime gettup. Fishes love water.

And we are either biting Rancid eating some borgers.

Suggestion 2021/09/24(Fri)12:42 No. 1011504 ID: 80c712
File 163251252823.jpg - (130.36KB , 647x720 , 20210924_124119.jpg )

cant draw but considering our background how bout the letterkenny special

Feed from the one using the least magic.

Wear a GODDAMN TUXEDO

>>1011505
>>1011504
combine both. letterkenny with a bowtie and jacket.

It is time to reveal our true identity: FLANNEL MAN
All will look at your rustic but elegant criss-cross patterns and despair, for they are city folk and have never seen such true beauty before in their busy lives!

Don't forget to cry the entire time about willy falling off!

>>1011509
That's the good shit.

L&L 2021/09/24(Fri)22:32 No. 1011527 ID: 2870a3
File 163254796399.png - (182.06KB , 1000x1100 , pds hat.png )

With Derrek having been a farmer, i feel like a good set of work coveralls and boots would suit him.
then just add some accessories like a hat and a neck-kerchief to finish it.

L&L 2021/09/24(Fri)22:34 No. 1011528 ID: 2870a3
File 163254806527.png - (167.27KB , 1000x1100 , pdo.png )

also obligatory shirt

>>1011527
Support. But make the shirt a flannel under the overalls

Edmango 2021/09/25(Sat)10:42 No. 1011545 ID: 0838d6
File 163259173004.png - (262.45KB , 995x1095 , 0001.png )

>>1011498

I got busy and forgot to make it last night so have a shitty paint edit.

Basically im imagining a rather posh slightly fancier suit coat, big ol collar. Very victorian vampire style but just the coat. and with like a flap for his tail.

>>1011545
if we use this change the material of the coat to flannel and tuck it into some tight jeans

tippler 2021/09/25(Sat)12:50 No. 1011548 ID: eedbeb
File 163259944240.png - (213.41KB , 1000x900 , p30.png )

You collect a mishmash of clothes and eye yourself in the changing room mirror. When you worked in the fields you usually wore overalls over a flannel shirt and you feel like you want something a little different.

>Cry about your lost willy
Your willy isn’t missing! Just because you’re not waving it around doesn’t mean it’s not there. For shame!

>Tuxedo
You settle on a suit jacket with a particularly foppish neck ruff and a high collar. On second thought you grab a sturdy pair of boots for shin protection.

tippler 2021/09/25(Sat)12:50 No. 1011549 ID: eedbeb
File 163259945077.png - (195.00KB , 1000x900 , p31.png )

“Nice duds.” Lori remarks as you emerge. There’s an ominous sphere of light spinning around her pointer finger that she dispels before paying the nervous clerk for your clothes.

Rancid and Max are waiting outside with a box of take-out. You watch, consumed with envy, as the three agents chow down.

“Can I feed from one of you?” you ask once they finish.

Max looks nervous. “Er, no offense but I don’t want to get the soul sucked out of me.”

“I use the least magic, so I can volunteer.” Rancid says.

tippler 2021/09/25(Sat)12:50 No. 1011550 ID: eedbeb
File 163259945936.png - (184.21KB , 1000x900 , p32.png )

Rancid offers you his arm, which you take between your thin fingers.

“Don’t move until I’m done or you’ll break my teeth.” you say sternly. You carefully sink your sharp fangs through the skin and tap into both the blood and soul beneath.

Blood goes in the top tooth, filters through your digestive system, and exits through the bottom one. Rancid stays perfectly still and you finish in about five minutes.

The werewolf essence leaves a dirty taste on your tongue, but at least you’re full.

“So how do we find my stimulus thing?” you ask cheerfully.

“It usually involves an abrupt shock, or a fear response, so we need to find something dangerous or thrilling.” Max explains.

Roller coasters!

Though the sun is terribly terrifying too

Scary movies!

What about going REALLY FAST, like jet plane fast?

Let's look for family, friends and livelihood.

We get to learn about Dereck's past AND probably get some shocking revelations about what became of everything and everyone he loved.

>>1011552
Scary movies!!!

You could shove me out of one those Helo-Carriages.

tippler 2021/09/26(Sun)08:56 No. 1011615 ID: eedbeb
File 163267180729.png - (216.54KB , 1000x900 , p33.png )

“But not something actually dangerous, right?” you say.

“I mean, you have to have a genuine reaction but we don’t want you to get hurt.” Lori answers.

You ponder the problem for a moment. You grew up in the country and your scariest experiences mostly involved cancer and bad weather.

“Let’s start small and work our way up.” you decide. “Do you guys have any horror movies?”

Lori and Max pointedly look at Rancid.

“I may have a few on my laptop back at the hotel.” the raccoon says.

tippler 2021/09/26(Sun)08:57 No. 1011617 ID: eedbeb
File 163267182291.png - (198.89KB , 1000x900 , p34.png )

You follow the group to a clean, unassuming building where the receptionist desk sits next to a burbling fountain.

The suite has a small kitchen and living room with a sofa-bed. Rancid takes his black laptop from a bag and settles himself on a thin cushion.

What do you watch?
-Fleshshaper (based on a true story!)
-Rancid’s home videos
- The Angel

Rancid's home videos.

If the traumatized bat is anything to go by, this'll be spicy.

Fleshshaper. That tagline is always bunk.

Fleshshaper

Rancid home videos, obviously

Rancid's Home Videos!

tippler 2021/09/26(Sun)19:22 No. 1011686 ID: eedbeb
File 163270934546.png - (164.85KB , 1000x900 , p35.png )

You’re curious about what Vlad said, so you point to the collection of unnamed files. “How about Rancid’s videos?”

“Welp, I’m out.” says Max, standing from the sofa. “Keep the volume low, I don’t want to hear anything.”

The dog goes to the master bedroom, followed closely by Lori, who shudders but doesn’t comment.

You sit snug next to Rancid’s warm flank while the raccoon clicks on a random video. He hits the pause button before anything starts.

“You will think less of me.” he says blandly.

tippler 2021/09/26(Sun)19:22 No. 1011687 ID: eedbeb
File 163270936919.png - (250.50KB , 1000x900 , p36.png )

The first video is a series of clips edited together. There’s always someone strapped to a bed, pinned by the arms, chest, and forehead. The camera surveys the scene from above.

“Open your eyes.” Rancid always says.

“No.” say the witches.

And the raccoon cuts into their skin, until he finds the hidden space where each animal keeps their magic eyes and scoops them free, to be discarded in a plastic bucket.

tippler 2021/09/26(Sun)19:24 No. 1011688 ID: eedbeb
File 163270944333.png - (236.71KB , 1000x900 , p37.png )

The next few videos are similarly terrible. Rancid skinning a deer, peeling her hide off while she screams and begs for mercy. Rancid pouring water over a towel on someone’s face. When the raccoon’s face is visible, he looks like he always does: impassive.

You’re shaking slightly. Rancid closes the videos as they finish and opens new ones.

Come to the realization that Rancid isn't evil.
There's not enough in him for even that.
He's basically just a machine following orders.
You can't kill him right now, but you should start making plans to end him in the future.
It'd be doing the world a favor.

You're not shaking over being creeped out by the tortures, you're shaking because you're feeling hungry again from all the blood you're seeing.

Ask if there is some way to get blood without sucking the souls of your friends, like a blood bank.

Realize that the kids are right, and that any government that endorses rancid's behavior is not a government worth defending

"And... And they ordered you to do... all of this?"

I get the feeling that not all of this is "for business." Like, conceptually, you can understand removing magic eyes from witches if they're dangerous, but in what universe was that skinning even remotely necessary?

Whatever answer he gives will hopefully make us afraid enough of being in his presence that we trigger.

You don't know who to trust. You don't who to follow. You don't know what became of the people you cared for. You don't know what to do.

You don't even know what to feel.

Except despair.

"Sooooo... are you a sociopath?"

Well at least Max and Lori seem much nicer than Rancid and was even disturbed by such vids. We should ask them how they ignore their moral values and allow or be alright with Rancid to do such cruel and unusual punishments, especially if they too are disturbed by him when we talk to them next time. That might be one way to change the GIA from the inside, have members start pondering such questions.

Let's stop.

>>1011700

Max and lori are clearly aware of what he does and dont do anything to stop it, so they're on board. They will, at best, stand idly by and shrug when rancod turns on you. And now you're in their hands, and they'll probably let him do horrible things to you in order to get what they want. You're in extreme danger.

Definitely ask why the fuck he skinned that deer. What possible point could that serve?

Start a tally of which tortures would kill you vs the ones that you'd survive.
Silently hope that your comment to Vlad about him not being able to force you without killing you is true.
Actually let's go a step further, analyse the methods he employs to the smallest detail until we can develop an academic understanding of his preferred methods.

Keep going. Even if these don't work out, they'll make subsequent attempts more effective.

If you don't mind me asking, is your impartiality cultivated, innate, or... Imparted?

Why would you film this

tippler 2021/09/27(Mon)11:03 No. 1011735 ID: eedbeb
File 163276583163.png - (91.02KB , 1000x900 , p38.png )

“Stop.” you say. Rancid stills, his small hand on the keyboard.

“You are still here, so I assume it did not work.” he says.

“That was awful.” you tongue feels numb. “Why would you do any of that?”

Rancid lists off the reasons as if they were items to buy at the store. “It is my responsibility as an intelligence officer, rogue witches pose a major threat to society, torturing hostages is an effective means of encouraging others to make the correct choices, and we take recordings for security or blackmail purposes.”

tippler 2021/09/27(Mon)11:04 No. 1011736 ID: eedbeb
File 163276586102.png - (184.09KB , 1000x900 , p39.png )

You dig your fingertips into your skull. “So you’ve rationalized everything. This isn’t wrong to you.”

The raccoon tips his head back to rest on the couch. “I do not have any plans of stopping. If I am killed I will be replaced with someone less competent, but the same methods will still be used.”

“Are you going to torture me too?” you ask softly.

Rancid shuts the laptop and carefully places it on the ground. “No. You do not have any loved ones and we would like you to stay at least somewhat on our side.”

You give a nervous laugh. “I wouldn’t count on that anymore.”

tippler 2021/09/27(Mon)11:04 No. 1011737 ID: eedbeb
File 163276588844.png - (160.37KB , 1000x900 , p40.png )

“Regrettable.” Rancid lies down on the unfurled cushions and closes his eyes. “Do not attempt to leave the hotel room without one of us.”

You stare at the raccoon, who folds his hands over his chest and appears to go to sleep.

“Is it over?” Lori pokes her head into the living room, nose twitching.

“Why do you let this happen?” you ask her coldly.

She shrinks away from your accusatory glare. “It’s not something I agree with, at all.” she says. “It isn’t used too often, but it does work.”

She's complicit all the same.
You should have gone with that other group.

The method they're using to deal with rogue witches is actually very reasonable, if gruesome. Torturing prisoners to force cooperation from family members is monstrous but potentially effective, and if the prisoner is a murderer or something you could even spin it as for the greater good. Skinning someone alive though? That's just torturing someone to DEATH. You can't use that as leverage because the victim dies afterwards! What's their excuse for that?

The fact that they even allowed you to watch those videos is also a clear sign of dysfunction. That should require some manner of security clearance, and you haven't even agreed to help them yet.

Walk out. You can't condone this, even implicitly by continuing to associate with these people.

"Did Rancid blackmail you to make you think this way? I know youre a good person, Lori, and if something cruel and unusual like this truly something you dont agree with, try to push with Max to get this method of interrogation illegal by the government, try to clean corruption from the inside."

"Actually, heres an idea: I'm a vampie, and vampires have methods of hypnosis on people. Instead of torturing them in interrogations, I can be an interrogator and hypnotise criminals to tell the truth instead of torturing them!"

tippler 2021/09/27(Mon)16:20 No. 1011754 ID: eedbeb
File 163278483492.png - (253.75KB , 1000x900 , p41.png )

>That deer is dead
The video only showed Rancid taking the skin off her chest and right arm. Thanks to the inherent toughness of animals and the marvels of medical magic, she probably survived.

>Vampire hypnosis powers
You’re afraid vampires are sentient pillars of leather and hardtack and the extent of their magical prowess is time shenanigans.

>Walk out
“Eh? Where are you going? Are you daft?” Lori scrambles to catch up as you storm out of the hotel room. “It’s dangerous out there!”

tippler 2021/09/27(Mon)16:20 No. 1011755 ID: eedbeb
File 163278484558.png - (125.03KB , 1000x900 , p42.png )

The sun is setting over the coastal city. The hotel is next to a bustling alley and you smell the rich tang of ginger and fish. In the not too distant distance you can see a Ferris wheel and the hump of a roller coaster track.

Where do you go? Lori will follow you.
-Food corridor
-Theme park
-Other

More dangerous then rancid? You think not. Go to the food place. You may not need food but smells and maybe some finger foods are still fun

History museum! Let's find out what happened to everything and everyone we loved.

Also, let's talk to Lori about the folly of working for such an unnescesarily cruel goverment.

>>1011759
Seconding

>>1011755
"More dangerous than that sadistic lunatic? I think not!"

I also think a history museum is a great idea. It'd be a better source of unbiased information than these government ghouls.

They’ll come to get us eventually and our current lack of anywhere else to go means we’ll probably go back to them when that happens.
Lets blow off some steam while we have some time alone.

Did you have any interests or hobbies you’d like to get back into?
If not then let’s just go to the theme park and see if we can’t enjoy ourselves somewhat.

>deer wasn't fully skinned
Well, alright. Still barbaric, but at least the purpose is valid. Plus, Rancid is right. If he doesn't do it, his replacement will. The person to blame is higher up in the chain of command.

>danger
I mean, pretty much anyone can murder a non-activated vampire, so... yeah. Gotta stick with Lori.

Theme park seems fine. Lots of different emotions there. Fear probably isn't it, maybe having fun works?

>>1011762
Changing my vote to fourth this, history museum sounds cool and I'd love to get more lore of the setting tbh

History museum. I'd like some insight how animalkind coped with suddenly becoming sentient and finding a world of dead humanity around them. Sounds like it'd have been pure anarchy.

History museum... Will be useful.
Get your bearings back about you.
Rancid isn't the problem, its the people who have him do this kind of thing. Maybe the museum will shed some light on exactly what sort of twisted nation this land is ruled by.
Lori can also be asked some questions along the way, you guess.

tippler 2021/09/28(Tue)16:44 No. 1011871 ID: eedbeb
File 163287264236.png - (143.04KB , 1000x900 , p43.png )

You'd like to find out more about what's happened to the world in your absence and you head down the street. When people see your gleaming fangs in the dim light, they shy away or move to the other side of the walkway.

"Can we go back to the hotel?" Lori pleads. She's by your side, keeping a careful distance between her limbs and yours.

"What could be more dangerous out here than Rancid?" you snap.

Lori looks bewildered. "I don't know, a giant monster that terrorizes the city at night? Literally anyone who wants to pick a fight with you? Me?"

tippler 2021/09/28(Tue)16:44 No. 1011872 ID: eedbeb
File 163287265026.png - (198.13KB , 1000x900 , p44.png )

"Whatever. Is there a museum or something nearby? I want to learn about what happened to my relatives and farm in the last 300 years."

"There's a government funded history foundation by the embassy." Lori says. "I don't know if it’s open this late but we can check."

You let Lori lead you back to the building where she landed the helicopter. A few doors down, a wooden sign on a drab stone wall declares the foundation closed.

"I see a light in there though." Lori raps her knuckles on the door.

tippler 2021/09/28(Tue)16:44 No. 1011873 ID: eedbeb
File 163287265993.png - (251.47KB , 1000x900 , p45.png )

After a few minutes of knocking, a giant salamander answers. She adjusts her glasses and squints at the squirrel.

"You're one of the foreign agents. Can I help you?"

"Yes, my, er, friend here is very interested in history, could he ask you some questions?" Lori says.

The salamander turns to you. She's as tall as the door frame and could snap your spine like a toothpick.

"I'm the curator here. What would you like to learn?"

Something is coming. After each explanation there will be a random chance it arrives, so choose your questions carefully.

Find out if they know what happened to the fella who vamp’d you. If anyone’s stuck around, it’d be them.

Tell the curator details she might know about the land you lived in and ask what became of it and its people in the last three centuries.

Ask for a rundown of what exactly the age of monsters is, we’ve been given a very barebones explanation but a fuller picture would be nice.

>>1011873
what the dog doin

tippler 2021/09/29(Wed)16:00 No. 1011964 ID: eedbeb
File 163295641418.png - (275.97KB , 1000x900 , p46.png )

"I'm Derek and this is Lori." you say. "I used to be a farmer to the north west roughly 300 years ago and I want to know what happened."

The salamander nods. You can’t really tell if she’s unimpressed or just doesn’t emote much. "I am Jane. There are few electronic records that survived the first judgement but I have maps and journals from around that time." She slowly turns and beckons for you to follow.

The museum looks more like a library than anything. Neat stacks of books are grouped by subject and era, a case by the wall holds jars of old currency and bits of rubble. Small signs are filled with dense text explaining each collection. You wish you could stop and read them but the salamander is still moving.

tippler 2021/09/29(Wed)16:00 No. 1011965 ID: eedbeb
File 163295642290.png - (211.21KB , 1000x900 , p47.png )

Jane unhooks a courtesy chain blocking a section of the building and leads you to a particularly dusty corner. She puts on a pair of cloth gloves, carefully slides a binder from the shelf, and starts turning pages.

"Today most of our agriculture is similar to what you had then." she says. "Crop rotation and drip irrigation with natural fertilizers to supplement a normal citizen’s diet of grains, fish, and insect protein."

The salamander points to a faded tourist map. "Our farms are closer to the city now than what this shows. Much of this area was converted to wind farms after the rebuilding. Xiamen and other cities on this continent were hit particularly hard by what is now recognized as the first angel attack, but if your relatives were in the country they likely survived."

Excellent, now we know where we can build a new farm, and potentially find a surviving family member. Im sire the GIA has people on record to help us find a relative (what family do we remember having? Did anyone have offspring? Also, we should look into how we can own new land to farm in the area we were showed. We'll need money though...

What do we do now? We need to get scared to gain our power. Go to the theme park and ride a roller coaster!

what was the first judgement exactly? how many have there been?

tippler 2021/09/30(Thu)07:12 No. 1012027 ID: eedbeb
File 163301114298.png - (150.53KB , 1000x900 , p48.png )

You ponder the news. It sounds like you’ll be able to start your farm again, if you get some cash, but you’ll have to get the GIA off your tail first. For now you’ll clear up a few of your other questions.

“People have been mentioning this judgement thing, what is it?” you ask.

The salamander leans back in her chair with a sigh. “It’s a troubling story. Animals were designed by a cosmic force that couldn’t support the growth in our population and sent powerful magical constructs to indiscriminately kill and destroy. After the second judgement just last year, people can now have non-magical children to address the problem.”

tippler 2021/09/30(Thu)07:12 No. 1012028 ID: eedbeb
File 163301115051.png - (259.80KB , 1000x900 , p49.png )

“That’s why monsters are so strong now.” Lori chimes in. “People are avoiding having any kids at all and the souls of the people who die float around and get sucked into monsters instead of babies.”

On cue, something lands outside of the museum window hard enough to shake the ground. Jane flinches and hurriedly shuts the binder.

“You must leave. You’ve drawn the dragon here and it could destroy my archives.”

Not a dragon, but the dragon.

Take the back door to leave, or the fire escape to leave. Whichever is closer. Sneak to the theme park.

"The dragon? Wonder what it wants with us?" Do start leaving anyway.

Walk out the front door and say hi.

>>1012033
This. Would be cool to have a dragon friend, especially if they were looking for us.

Wonder if there is only one dragon in the world, or only one dragon in the region...

Time to leave through the back entrance and aim for the car.

A dragon? Did those exist before?

tippler 2021/09/30(Thu)16:04 No. 1012074 ID: eedbeb
File 163304309415.png - (216.43KB , 1000x900 , p50.png )

Lori reaches her hand out and almost takes your arm before remembering her manners. "Is there a back entrance?" she asks Jane.

"Why not use the front? We can make a new friend." you say.

"Yes." says a very deep voice in your head. "Come outside, new friends."

Everyone flinches.

A large eye blinks at you from the window, the rest of the dragon's face shrouded in darkness. You'd heard a few old stories about dragons in your youth, but no one had ever seen one in person. That baby juice must be strong stuff.

tippler 2021/09/30(Thu)16:05 No. 1012075 ID: eedbeb
File 163304311568.png - (174.17KB , 1000x900 , p51.png )

Lori grips her nose with a paw and her five tails lash the air with frustration. "Derek, we need to leave right now."

"There's an old catacomb in the basement." Jane says quickly. "It's been blocked off since I can remember, but you should be able to break through the barrier and see where it takes you."

Do you:
-Leave through the front (directly approach dragon)
-Leave through the back (indirectly approach dragon)
-Use the catacombs (avoid dragon entirely)

I have no idea why the dragon is even interested in us. But whatever, go with what Lori wants, she knows more. Which would probably be the back entrance.

I suspect if we went into the catacombs, there'd be some form of powerful undead down there, like a wraith or wight.

>>1012077 I have an inkling the dragon wants to eat other, weaker monsters in order to gain more soul energy.

Now that souls are slowly tickling back to the godess they were part of, this dragon wants to hoard as many of them as it can get before they are gone forever!

We might leave through the back exit.
Or! If we don't care the dragon tearing down the library, we can go through the catacombs.

Lori is willing to put up with the things Rancid does, which means we can't trust her entirely. However, if she says we need to get out of here, there's a reasonable chance that we're in actual danger (not that we couldn't figure that out already), so we should do as she says and leave by the catacombs.

Have courage, leave through the front and negotiate, show the GIA we can get what we want through negotiation, not torture or violence

This crew is going to get you killed anyway, might as well go right out the front and take your chances with the dragon. Who knows maybe it'll set off your thingie.

Rancid said he wouldnt torture ypu, but theres no reason at all to believe any of them about that. If none of their other plans work theyll try anything to grt what they want.

yeah no screw this.
catacombs it is

Face the dragon, the fear will help us get our time powers faster

Back door. Seriously, I don't want Derek to face an early death and end the quest too soon taking the front door, and taking the catacombs will just have the dragon destroy the museum with it thinking Derek is still in there.

What is it you desire, oh great one?

tippler 2021/10/01(Fri)09:09 No. 1012122 ID: eedbeb
File 163310458196.png - (307.89KB , 1000x900 , p52.png )

You follow Lori back to the main room and stand in a corner where the dragon can’t see you.

“I want to go through the front and talk to them.” you say stubbornly.

“They’ll try to eat you.” Lori says.

“Maybe that’ll activate my time powers then.” you retort.

“Oh.” The squirrel scratches her head. “That’s a good point, but if it doesn’t work you’ll just be dead. Let’s go through the back.”

“Won’t the dragon still notice if we leave through the back? They found us here somehow.”

Lori summons one of those scary orbs in her palm. “I can get the drop on them and do some big damage.”

“You can go do that after I talk to them.” you say firmly, and trot off to the wooden door.

tippler 2021/10/01(Fri)09:09 No. 1012123 ID: eedbeb
File 163310459168.png - (286.59KB , 1000x900 , p53.png )

You struggle with the stiff lock for a moment but get everything open to see the dragon crouched in front of the entrance.

“Hi, can I help you with anyth—“

A toothy crimson maw shoots towards you and stops about centimeter from your face.

tippler 2021/10/01(Fri)09:09 No. 1012124 ID: eedbeb
File 163310459885.png - (372.61KB , 1000x900 , p54.png )

Congratulations, you’ve activated your time powers! You start with a base 6 time points. Every time you use your powers you’ll get two more time points added to your base.

Use time points to influence yourself or others:
-Walking anywhere within 20 meters takes 0.5 TP
-Using a small object takes 1 TP (anything you can pick up easily)
-Using a large object takes 3 TP (example: car, furniture)
-Interacting with a person takes 5 TP (unfreezing part of them, unfreezing all of them)

Suggest how you use your points to address the current situation. Once you use all of your points, time will return to normal.

Walk over to an ancient currency jar. (0.5-1 points)

Pick up and unscrew currency jar (1 point).

Walk back to dragon. (0.5-1 points)

Empty out currency jar into mid-air in front of the dragon's eyes, nose-slits and open mouth. Nudge coins in place before the former two so they will really lodge in there, considering the speed and impact to come. Empty out the remainder of the coins so they'll hit the inside of the mouth like a lead ball. (1 point)

Walk away from the dragon, maybe in the direction of, oh, the catacombs... or a sewer pipe. (remaining points)

Hope Lori's got this with her worrisome powers and the tiny bit of advantage you could afford her.

Alternative: Find a bag of salt, flour, spices, and do the same.

It might be cartoony, but the physics of it won't be. Or maybe it will. Time to find out!

>>1012124
Close tbe dang door (1tp)
lock the dang door (1tp)
pick up lori (3tp, dont unfreeze just treat her as a large object)
move towards catacombs (up to 1 tp)

>>1012143
actually amend my destination to back entrance, lets let lori do her thing

Now's not the time to experiment, obviously - we can't know if any frozen momentum shenanigans will work a la [KRAFTWERK]/Breath of the Wild. Just stick to something you know will work, like >>1012143's suggestion.

>>1012124
Get something sharp, spike the dragon's eye with it. You could also put something nasty between its jaws.

So, 2 TP for the objects, probably 2 TP to move around to use them.
End by closing the door and walking away from it.

>car
How the hell would we interact with a car? Can Derek lift a car during timestop without hurting himself? If so, tossing a car at the dragon sounds pretty boss.

>>1012124
Being able to stop time is great, but what's the catch? Do we have to wait 5 minutes before we can stop time again? Does the amount of TP we use affect how long we have to wait in between time stops?

tippler 2021/10/01(Fri)19:52 No. 1012162 ID: eedbeb
File 163314316617.png - (178.09KB , 1000x900 , p55.png )

You take a free action to stand still and think about your newfound powers.

>What’s the catch?
There has to be some downside to this ability, besides the fragility problems you already have to deal with as a vampire. You’ll keep an eye out for anything weird as you use it and when you try to trigger it again.

>Car
You wonder if you could drive a car like this. Forces should be conserved across the time fields, and once everything’s released, something like a speeding car or a bullet would keep moving.

tippler 2021/10/01(Fri)19:52 No. 1012163 ID: eedbeb
File 163314317371.png - (303.17KB , 1000x900 , p56.png )

For now, you’ll stick to what you have on hand. You feel a vague resistance on your body as you move to one of the shelves (0.5) and touch a jar of old coins (1). The time field on your hands spreads over the glass and brings it into your reference frame, allowing you to pick it up and unscrew the lid.

You take a few coins and toss them in the air. A few centimeters from where they leave your fingers, your influence wears off and they slow to a stop.

The dragon is waiting for you just outside the doorway (0.5), and you very carefully shake the coins into the air, where they’ll intercept the beast’s path. You shut and lock the door (1) and head towards the back (0.5).

tippler 2021/10/01(Fri)19:53 No. 1012165 ID: eedbeb
File 163314321751.png - (304.35KB , 1000x900 , p57.png )

Lori has already made her way around the building and is charging a massive energy orb. If you touched her, you could cause a serious accident, and you decide to pat the house until your powers wear off instead.

There’s a loud crunch as the dragon collides with the solid wood door and the plink of coins on gravel. Lori, unaware that you’re behind her, darts around the corner and releases a blast that lights the whole block.

The dragon roars in distress. The combined confusion of your disappearance and the pain of Lori’s anime beam seem to have done the job, and you watch the regal creature wiggle into the sky and zoom away.

Say "Still not as dangerous as Rancid"

>>1012166
SECONDEEEED

>>1012166
THIRDEEEEEEEED

Also, don't bother asking why a dragon wanted to eat you personally. I think it'd be funny if this was never explained, just random dragon. Accept it!

What is my luck that I just keep running into psychopaths?
If I had any money I’d bet the next guy we meet wants to eat my eyes or something.

Beats home movies.
Hey, we kicked a dragons ass. We're awesome.

So it's not quite like The World, huh. We're timestopping everything, but it's impossible to interact with a timestopped object, because they have infinite inertia. Only by spreading our time field onto something do we bring it into our reference frame and are able to meaningfully apply force. Though I guess we'd have to confirm it by picking up something like a baseball bat and hitting something with it. Would the bat bounce off? Or would it plow through as if it's moving at lightspeed? Or something in between, like it absorbs the impact instead of bouncing, but the second object doesn't react to the impact until it's unfrozen?

Difficult to use offensively unless you have a gun, or a throwing weapon. Throwing a regular object doesn't work. This could also be used to very easily poison people. Or steal things.
Hey, if we timestop and then start driving a vehicle, do we have to spend TP as if we're walking around? Or can we drive as much as we want?

First, snark. Then ask Lori if she knows of any downsides to this ability. Is it draining to use repeatedly?

>>1012172
Yeah, I mentioned this simply wasn't the time for experimenting. However, with some allotted time, I do wonder if we can try to exert kinetic force on something without pulling it into our power's effect, such as patting or tapping it over and over again within what amounts to a single microsecond. Being able to [KRAFT WERK] a screw or a coin into launching at someone's skull with the accumulated velocity of a fired bullet would be wild.

> WHAT DO
Snark, then join Lori back at the base. Regardless of which ideological side you agree with, seeing some of this "monster uprising" firsthand has convinced you that you'll stick by and train with these guys at least until you run into the other "team" again. Going it alone ain't smart.

"So, uh, with my powers unlocked, what's the actual plan here? Are both of us good-guy groups still focusing on just recruiting for now, or should we start dealing with some of these troublemakers at some point soonish?"

>>1012165
Let her know that you’ve unlocked your time powers. You’re probably gonna end up startling her since she might not even know you’re behind her.

Prank her: "Hey, I'm Derek's twin brother Eric. What happened to my brother Derek?"

Better than the home movies. Then ask where Derek went?

tippler 2021/10/02(Sat)20:45 No. 1012269 ID: eedbeb
File 163323274816.png - (268.79KB , 1000x900 , p58.png )

Lori slumps against the wall and catches her breath. You decide to speak up since she still doesn’t know you’re there.

“Hey it’s me Eric, have you seen my twin broth—“

“Bloody FUCK!” Lori spins around and almost clocks you in the jaw.

“Alright, I admit it, I’m not Eric I’m Derek.” you say apologetically. “I got my time powers though! And almost getting eaten by a dragon is still less scary than Rancid’s home videos.”

“Blimey, I thought you were dead for sure.” Lori says, eyes a bit watery in the dim light.

tippler 2021/10/02(Sat)20:45 No. 1012270 ID: eedbeb
File 163323275880.png - (231.84KB , 1000x900 , p59.png )

You check your limbs to make sure they’re all still attached. Vampires have a deadened sense of pain, so you could have lost something without noticing. “Nope, I’m fine. What’s the plan now?”

“Uh, I need to rest after that so we should go back to the hotel. Tomorrow we have a long flight to Sorth Canica and we can tell you our strategy on the plane. Basically we need your help to dislodge the rebel forces in places where they recruited vampires.”

Lori leads you back to the hotel and quickly excuses herself to the bedroom. Rancid is still snoozing on the sofa bed and Max is munching on something in the quaint kitchen.

You don’t need to sleep but it’s a nice way to relax and pass the time. What do you do before bed? Where in the hotel suite do you sleep?

>>1012269
>eyes a bit watery in the dim light

Awww, she really does care and was worried about us... or maybe it's just stress.

Chill with Max before bed, ask how he became a GIA member.

Well, we start plotting our escape.
What else?

>>1012270
Look up Sorth Canica, find out why they're rebelling. Probably the kidnapping and torture?

Ask to use the computer and search for what's going on in the other parts of the world, the rebellions and whatnot. Sorth Canica, look into it, even if you suck at computers and it takes forever to figure out how to use it, it'll be useful.

sleep in the most inconvenient place possible

>>1012270
Sleep hanging upside down from the ceiling, like the vampire you are.

As rancid is sleeping in the lounge room, elect to sleep literally anywhere else. Go to the kitchen and sleep in a cupboard or something.

It's a long-shot, but there might be an enormous Cost-Co style coffee can you can use as an alliterative alternative to a coffin in the pantry.

tippler 2021/10/03(Sun)09:03 No. 1012307 ID: eedbeb
File 163327702907.png - (206.91KB , 1000x900 , p60.png )

>Plot your escape
You definitely want to part ways with Rancid and co. at some point, but not until you’re sure you can leave safely.

>Sorth Canica
There are five major inhabited regions in the world. You’re from and currently in Guojia, which had the highest population last you heard, though after that first judgement that might not be the case anymore. Lori’s accent makes it sound like she’s from NUK, the Not United Kingdom, a particularly conflict heavy region where a patchwork of cities are constantly arguing over trade.

tippler 2021/10/03(Sun)09:03 No. 1012308 ID: eedbeb
File 163327703867.png - (221.98KB , 1000x900 , p61.png )

>Go to the kitchen and talk to Max
The dog gives you a nod over his spoon of peanut butter. “I thought I’d let myself have a little treat. We’ve been working hard to find you.” he says sheepishly.

“Do whatever makes you happy. Just curious, how’d you get involved with this stuff?” you ask.

“Oh, I joined the government so they could pay for my witch education since it’s pretty expensive there. Ended up in the intelligence agency since my specialty is surveillance spells, and been there ever since.” Max sighs and eats another mouthful of peanut butter.

“Is Sorth Canica the only place with a large scale rebellion?”

“Basically, yeah. We have the biggest cities and a sizable monster population and things to be mad at about. Everywhere else monsters are mostly peaceful.”

tippler 2021/10/03(Sun)09:04 No. 1012309 ID: eedbeb
File 163327706652.png - (260.30KB , 1000x900 , p62.png )

You scout out the kitchen for a suitable empty cupboard and nestle yourself inside. It smells like old paint and pleasantly musty wood, and you quickly slip into a light trance.

The next thing you know, someone’s tapping on the cabinet door.

“Time to move.” Rancid says.

Lori flies the helicopter to a small airport on the outskirts of town. There’s a tiny jet waiting on the airstrip and some familiar faces waiting to board.

Oh, they're coming with us? Sweet. If not, try to convince them, vampires are probably going to be hard to deal with and their help would be appreciated. They can probably straighten things out with Rancid too, call him out, and we can get a better idea what is going on between the two opposing forces. Consider mentioning the rebelling happening against the government in where you are going vs monsters being peaceful everywhere else in the world is due to the GIA's mistreatment of monsters such as Rancid's tortures.

Yeah, I think they are flying with us. Hop aboard and start a debate with the GIA and Body's group. chime in now and then on some of the BS the GIA does like torture but also how they helped protected you from a dragon by teaching time powers to us.

We'll decide who to join at the end of the flight, though obviously, we'll escape with Vlad regardless on what the GIA says because fuck them.

>>1012309
Hey guys GUESS WHO CAN FREEZE TIME

“I was under the impression you guys were enemies, is there some part of this relationship I didn’t catch on to?”

tippler 2021/10/04(Mon)07:45 No. 1012357 ID: eedbeb
File 163335873491.png - (245.40KB , 1000x900 , p63.png )

“Hello Derek!” Body starts waving at you immediately.

You wave back vigorously. “I can freeze time now!”

“Wow, that’s so cool. We got fish curry and went to the theme park.”

“Are you guys taking the plane too?” you ask.

“Yeah! Otherwise we’d have to wait another couple days for this guy to come back and private flights are so expensive. Travel this far isn’t usually a thing.”

tippler 2021/10/04(Mon)07:45 No. 1012358 ID: eedbeb
File 163335874395.png - (170.87KB , 1000x900 , p64.png )

The door opens and the pilot, a seagull wearing sweats and a t-shirt, waves everyone inside. There are four rows and eight seats and you sit across from Body in the middle.

“So are you guys coming to help us fight the monsters?” you ask.

“Uh, I don’t know.” Body lowers her voice. “Kibble is trying the pacifism thing and Vlad has more of a defensive power. We want to stop the rebels because they’re causing a lot of damage and instability, but like, we kind of sympathize with them so we don’t want to kill them.”

The seagull clears his throat to get everyone’s attention. “Wear your seatbelts when the light is on, and don’t blow up the plane or we’ll all die.”

tippler 2021/10/04(Mon)07:45 No. 1012359 ID: eedbeb
File 163335875458.png - (262.68KB , 1000x900 , p65.png )

There’s some turbulence on take-off, but soon you’re cruising above the ocean with the light shining cheerfully. It’s a long-ass flight, so you have opportunities to do various activities:

-Watch a movie (Fleshshaper or The Angel)
-Talk to anyone
-Snooze
-Read one of Kibble’s books
-Other

Sing the song of your people... again.

Tell Body and Lori maybe a temporary truce can take place between them to stop the rebellion

practice using your time-freeze powers by stacking random objects on everyone's heads

including your own

>>1012362
Support. Also, move Vlad to sit next to rancid with powers

Practice phenomenal time-powers by setting all the screens to different movies and films for optimal enjoyment, then avail yourself of some reading.

Actually, that brings up another point - can this newfound incredible time power facilitate incredible feats of speed-reading, to finish many pieces of literature in a matter of moments?

Don’t practice time powers in a moving vehicle, there are better methods of figuring out if our momentum carries over than to potentially catapult yourself towards the front of the plane
Instead, let’s strike up a conversation with that one armed girl, I don’t think we’ve spoken to her yet.

Talk 2 Kibble.

consider the sociopolitical alignments of Team Secret Agent vs Team Nude, and decide where you want to stand in all this

tippler 2021/10/04(Mon)19:30 No. 1012408 ID: eedbeb
File 163340103576.png - (205.99KB , 1000x900 , p66.png )

>Time stuff
You need to be in serious danger for your time powers to work, it’s not something you can use on a whim. Lori could chuck a death orb at you but the pilot made it clear he didn’t want that.

>Sing the song of your people (again)
“Stop that!” Max howls, hands clapped over his ears.

“Eh? I like it.” Body says. “Very throaty.”

You grudgingly shut your mouth.

tippler 2021/10/04(Mon)19:30 No. 1012409 ID: eedbeb
File 163340104491.png - (248.38KB , 1000x900 , p67.png )

The plane is flying smoothly so you unbuckle your seatbelt and approach Kibble, who’s reading a thick fantasy paperback.

She lets the book close, keeping her one hand between the pages to save her spot. “Yes?”

“You’re the only one I haven’t talked to so I thought I’d say hi.” you confess.

“You’re not missing much.” she says drily.

“Whaaat?” Body leans against the back of Kibble’s seat. “Kibble’s the coolest! She’s been working on a novel about a young lizard who goes on an epic quest and doesn’t even get traumatized.”

“Good for you.” you say cheerfully. “Do you have a strong opinion about forming an alliance between Team Nude and Team Secret Agents?”

Kibble taps her chin with her book. “I can see that working if we separate Vlad and Rancid. Having two mixed sub teams and eyes on each other might be helpful.”

Honestly I doubt anyone really wants to be near rancid all that much so he's only really around cause he's useful. Also I doubt rancid would be of much use in diplomatic settings and the only things we'd benefit from involving him is logistics and strategy/battle so we can probably just arrange things so they rarely have to be near one another except in vital situations where infighting would be ill-advised such as in the middle of a battle.
Maybe we can plan meetings so that each group meets and discusses plans and ideas amongst themselves and then both groups meet and discuss further. This would mean that even if an individual wasn't in the main meeting they would have been in the preliminary meeting and their colleagues could represent them. Then we just have Vlad involved in meetings where we talk about how to diplomatically approach a situation and have Rancid join in on the meetings where we talk strategy and battle plan as, no offense to Vlad but I doubts he constitutes as a heavy hitter on the team.

Bond with Team Naked while watching The Angel.

Since your now on team naked, and team secret agents, go pantless. Now you're half naked, half secret agent.

Wait, is Derek already pantsless? Excellent.

Ask why Vlad is so grumpy.

>>1012429
do NOT sacrifice your cool outfit

“Since, you are apparently writing a book, allow me to ask the question every writer secretly wants to hear.
Ahem, tell me a fun fact about the lore”

tippler 2021/10/05(Tue)16:25 No. 1012474 ID: eedbeb
File 163347633316.png - (274.61KB , 1000x900 , p68.png )

"That's great to hear, I'll ask Max and Lori about how we should split the teams later. I'm happy to be the diplomat with my top half clothed and bottom half naked."

"Yes, I like your thighs." Body says politely. "Uh, Kibble's the strongest by a lot, but I've been working on some magic so I can hopefully help too."

You want to bond with Team Nude a bit more before you go back to business. You sit on the floor at Kibble's feet.

"Can you tell me about your book? What's the deep lore?" you ask.

“I can tell you a little about the setting. I don't want to spoil anything." Kibble says. "There are animals and humans and magic but it doesn't work like how it does in real life, and it’s in a medieval time period with kings and queens and stuff."

tippler 2021/10/05(Tue)16:26 No. 1012475 ID: eedbeb
File 163347637437.png - (232.83KB , 1000x900 , p69.png )

You listen, slightly surprised at how much Kibble is talking, as the cat explains the geopolitics of her world and how far along she is in her draft and the authors she wants to meet one day.

Vlad eventually comes sulking up the aisle. "I'm bored. What are you guys talking about?"

"Kibble's book." Body says promptly. "Do you want to watch anime on my laptop or something?"

"Do you guys have the movie 'The Angel'? I kind of want to see that." you say.

"I'd be down, Duck thinks that movie's hysterical." Kibble says.

Do you:
-Watch The Angel
-Watch anime
-Other

Watch The Angel. Ask who Duck is.

Watch the angel.

Also, look out the window. For a brief moment far in the distance, maybe you think you see a silhouette of a large flying dragon going the same direction the plane you're in is heading. But when you look again, it's gone and you just see a cloud shaped like a dragon. Must be your imagination

Oh, a question:
You had cancer when you were turned. Do you still have cancer? Is it going to kill you? How soon?

tippler 2021/10/06(Wed)16:43 No. 1012533 ID: eedbeb
File 163356380676.png - (188.09KB , 1000x900 , p70.png )

>Cancer
Being undead has the perk of being cancer free!

>The Angel

Everyone settles into the aisle to watch the movie on Body's laptop. It's a mix of a psychological thriller and a gory slasher. The titular angel, an ominous mass of wings and eyes, isn't shown for most of the movie, only speaking as a disembodied voice telling parents to strangle their children and other unpleasantness.

Kibble is sitting above you, so it takes you a while to avert your eyes from the screen and notice that her chest scar has cracked open slightly to allow a white lump to look out.

The moment you make eye contact, its pupils flash and you hear a voice in your head.

Act normal. Do not tell anyone. Before the flight ends, kill the pilot.

At some point, you have to make a sincere attempt to kill the pilot.

tippler 2021/10/06(Wed)16:43 No. 1012534 ID: eedbeb
File 163356381797.png - (189.81KB , 1000x900 , p71.png )

"What the fuck is that?" you ask, pointing at the lump.

Kibble snaps her chest closed with a start. "Uh oh. Duck, did you talk to him?"

I would never. Let me back out so I can see the ending. Duck says primly.

Body pauses the movie. "Is everything okay?"

"Derek might have been influenced." Kibble admits.

tippler 2021/10/06(Wed)16:44 No. 1012536 ID: eedbeb
File 163356386674.png - (224.04KB , 1000x900 , p72.png )

"What's going on?" You're starting to get freaked out. Not about having to kill the pilot, of course, that's just something you need to do. "What was that white thing?"

Body twiddles her thumbs together. "Um. Well. That's Duck. We've been watching a movie inspired by it."

It's a very unrealistic film. Duck remarks from within Kibble's chest. A real scout would aim for a powerful government figure and try to start a war instead of scaring normal people.

>>1012534
>"Derek might have been influenced." Kibble admits.
Ask what that's supposed to mean? Influenced how?

>>1012536
>You're starting to get freaked out. Not about having to kill the pilot, of course, that's just something you need to do.
Is it? Think about it. Why would you need to kill the pilot before the flight ends? That would just cause the plane to crash and kill everyone on board. Why would you do that when all of you are supposed to be working together on a mission? That doesn't make sense, does it?

You don't need to kill the pilot.

"Yes, well. Let me get my priorities in order:
1) Save World.
2) Drain Duck Dry.
3) Kill the pilot.
... Why are you all looking at me like that?"

>>1012536
Ask why Kibble has that... thing inside her.
Also you'd like to meet the pilot.

Psssst! Dereck!

Yo, Dereck!

Pay attention, stay quiet. Calmly ask to hold the Duck and suck on him a little. He needs his powers lowered a notch.

Oh, and forget about the pilot. Not worth the time.

Cool? Cool! We'll talk later, mud-gator!

Well we just met someone on their team that is just as bad as Rancid on our team.

But yeah, we'll need to suck the pilot's blood, that way, he'll be dead, but also undead as a vampire.

Alright, first of all let's ask them what they mean by influenced, if it's some sort of mind control and you don't already notice it then we need to take things slow.
First things first: Catalogue our goals, feelings, and thoughts. How was the movie? What are our plans for helping these people? How are we gonna kill the pilot? Now that we have these all catalogued we need to cross-reference them with our memories, usually everything we think or want can be traced back to some memory that sparked that, so we thought the movie was neat because we watched it, we want to help these people because they helped you by digging you out of the mud, why did you want to kill the pilot again?
Alright, we've got an outlier, killing the pilot, now that isn't enough to be skeptical of the thought, random thoughts appear all the time and you're reasonably certain you wanna kill the dude flying this plane.
That's where our next step comes into play; cross-referencing our personality. Look over our experiences and choices, why we did those things and how things made us feel in the past and use that as a perspective to view this thought with.
Let's see... We waited for the nude group because we wanted to be on friendly terms with them, so we must be a friendly chap which wouldn't necessarily fit in with killing the pilot. We were horrified by Rancid's home videos so we don't like violence, this doesn't really fit in with the murderous intent towards the pilot. We opened the front door to the dragon because we wanted to talk things out and figure things out without immediately jumping into conflict, killing the pilot is kind of jumping into conflict.
From this we can see that killing the pilot is a thought that came out of nowhere that goes against our very personality and as such is under reasonable suspicion for actually being mind control.
At the very least we should at least bring this up to the group, get their two-cents in on killing the pilot.

"Oh, well since that's cleared up. After this movie can we switch to one of my favorites? It's a comedy about some guy that attempts to crash a plane but the guy's so weak they just hold him down for the entire flight. The movie's a little old but then again, so am I."
Queue innocent smile.

Well, your best chance of killing the pilot is going to be activating your time powers. You're going to have to try to trigger them. I assume you don't have a firearm or anything you could aim at yourself? Because I bet that would do it.

Welp, I need to use the loo. Be right back. *Head toward the front of the cabin*

tippler 2021/10/07(Thu)12:52 No. 1012571 ID: eedbeb
File 163363637659.png - (182.46KB , 1000x900 , p73.png )

“So you’re saying that an angel is living inside Kibble and it probably mind controlled me to do something except I don’t know what it is.” you say.

“Sorry.” Kibble stammers. “I’m not used to being around people that can be affected. It’s long story, but I have to keep Duck trapped, except it’s a living thing so I try to be nice and let it go outside sometimes.”

“We’ll keep a close eye on Derek.” Body assures her.

“If it’s magical, I could try to drain it.” you say.

“Maybe once we figure out what Duck did. In the meantime you can’t be trusted.” Kibble says.

tippler 2021/10/07(Thu)12:53 No. 1012572 ID: eedbeb
File 163363638725.png - (233.13KB , 1000x900 , p74.png )

“I’d like to watch anime now, please.” Vlad says. Body nods and closes the movie.

“I need to use the loo.” you say automatically, rising to your feet.

“No you don’t, you’re a vampire.” Vlad snaps. “If you don’t want to stay here, stick to the seats behind us.”

Darn. It looks like you’ll need your time powers to get to the pilot without anyone interfering. You retreat awkwardly to where Lori is listening to music while gazing out the window. Rancid x-rays you with his black beady eyes and you decide to tell him about the cooperation plan.

“The young’uns want to work with us. They said we could form mixed teams and try to stop the rebels together.”

tippler 2021/10/07(Thu)12:53 No. 1012573 ID: eedbeb
File 163363639325.png - (181.22KB , 1000x900 , p75.png )

Rancid hesitates before speaking. “That would be helpful. How were they planning to arrange us?”

Time to choose the teams. Each group can be as balanced or unbalanced as you’d like, as long as Rancid and Vlad aren’t together. There are seven people total.

Question: who can Duck affect? Can't put Kibble with anyone who's vulnerable to mind control.

>>1012574
kibble won't let duck out again, but only vlad and body are immune because vlad's soul is a special dog and body is jesus