2/3 Hazel 2022/11/19(Sat)12:08 No. 1049625 ID: 481e64
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My name is Hazel. I live in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by miles of wilderness and lakes.

So remote that they don't drive busses here. The nature around here is beautiful, but I've seen it all a million times before. New technology is slow to make its way over and internet is slow so as a result, entertainment can be hard to come by.

This proves to be a problem as I like to have entertaining things to occupy me. Ancient video games, board games and card games only keep me going for so long. I'm so bored right now that I resorted to cleaning my room. That only took fifteen minutes and it's still morning. Looks like it'll be a long day.

It is a Saturday today so that means most of my friends aren't working and they are free to hang out. The town gets pretty lively during the weekend so that's nice.

I'm trying to play my Guitar, but I can't play anything that sounds good. If I play one note at a time it sounds... meh. I've owned this thing since my eighteenth birthday but never bothered to practise much. Maybe I should ask Mire for lessons.

3/3 Hazel 2022/11/19(Sat)12:08 No. 1049626 ID: 481e64
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Ugh. This is annoying. I had plans to go canoeing but my friends flaked on me, so now my schedule is all cleared up.

What's a gal to do around here?!

Start fires in the backyard. Cook some roast bird.

No masturbation under any circumstances. Watch TV, take a shower, go tree-climbing, literally anything other than that.

Tend your garden! If it does not take too long then you can go to the lake and see if you can see any neighbors doing the same

Go hang out with friends. How lively does it get?

Sounds like a good idea to learn a bit about the thing you've had for so long, but also you could go laze around the lake, that's always fun. Or go bother someone until they get sick of you.

nothing, just do nothing for the rest of the day

Go pick some flowers in the forest, maybe your Jackalope friend will help

Quickly review your VHS collection for classics, then call up a friend and ask if they want to watch whatever you find!

See if another friend will come over to hang out.

>A short quest about living in Northern Michigan
DON'T DRINK THE WATER! we all heard about Flint.

Maybe go for a quick drive, listen to the radio and see what you can see.

>>1049636
I agree. Everyone has one friend who'll totally hang out to watch some old VHS tapes. Maybe something from the niche QDTV channel? Such hit shows like 'Silly Lilac', 'Oxvette', 'Dungeonator' 'CometQuest' or 'The Peruvian'?

>>1049641
Can't forget of course, Tobak quest!

There's that supposed UFO circle people were talking about that cropped up (pun intended) recently, not too far from here. Normally you'd think that was just a prank, but something was unusual about it that has gotten some folks real riled up. Maybe you can go see what, you know the farmer and if someone's been messing with their crops, maybe you can help them figure out what that's all about.

Go find a nice inspiring place in the woods and please the spirits by trying to play some music. Somebody had to think on how one plays a guitar in the first place, you've even got the advantage of hoofy fingers.

Basic media consumption is all but exhausted, eh? Seems like enrichment activities (like actually learning the guitar) is a good fallback. Who's Mire? They sound like a weirdo, but like... the good kind.

If they aren't free, maybe try learning the town's history? This certainly seems like the sorta town that'd have a Historical Society.

>>1049644
The circles are made by the SPESS MARINES from SPESS!!!!

>What do?
C R I M E S.

Go looking in the woods for new subjects for your taxidermy hobby

What friends do you have to pester? Mire sounds like an option.

Summon the undead

>>1049670
G A Y C R I M E S

>>1049626

be gay, do crimes.

Also maybe go hunt for cryptids in the forest, since like, it's Michigan. Probably has loads of weird shit.

You have internet, which suggests you have a computer, so, learn computer programming. It's a hobby that could consume multiple lifetimes, grants you sorcerous powers, and people will pay you to do it, too.

Or learn the guitar. That burns a fair bit of time, too.

1/2 Hazel 2022/11/21(Mon)01:18 No. 1049743 ID: 481e64
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>Start fires in the backyard.
I could. I need to find cool stuff to set on fire first.

>Tend your garden!
I'm not much of a green thumb as experience shows. I can take a look but it's in a pretty sorry state.

>you could go laze around the lake, that's always fun
Not a bad idea. I like lakes. They are pretty. I'll need to bring someone along, going alone can be pretty dicey.

>bother someone until they get sick of you.
With how tame I tend to be, the opposite tends to end up happening.

>nothing, just do nothing for the rest of the day
Tried that, it doesn't work.

>Go pick some flowers in the forest, maybe your Jackalope friend will help
Flowers are nice but I don’t have a special someone to give them to. I don't have any Jackalope friends. Are Jackalopes even real? I've heard a story about a Jackalope spirit that hangs around the forest. I'll need to ask my witch friend about it.

>Quickly review your VHS collection for classics, then call up a friend and ask if they want to watch whatever you find!
I scan over my vast collection of VHS media to see which are worth rewatching. As expected, all the classics are here! The Peruvian, Oxvette, Dungeonator - oh! look, Comet Quest! that's a classic. I remember someone really liking that recommendation. I wonder if she's still in prison.

>DON'T DRINK THE WATER! we all heard about Flint.
Everyone's a critic. The metallic flavour is an acquired taste, that's all.

>Maybe go for a quick drive, listen to the radio and see what you can see.
I don't have my own car yet, but I’ll hitch a ride with Mire.

>There's that supposed UFO circle people were talking about that cropped up
I did hear about some crop circle appearing close by. I don't believe in aliens but at least it's the kind of supernatural that people around here are willing to talk about.

>Go find a nice inspiring place in the woods and please the spirits by trying to play some music.
I can find many inspiring places in the woods, but I am sure to anger any spirits with my music.

>maybe try learning the town's history?
Sorry to say, but nothing interesting has ever happened in this little town called Hendry. There are rumours about the surrounding areas, but we don't talk about those.

>C R I M E S.
Perhaps if it's one of those victimless crimes like trespassing or destruction of property that no one was using.

>maybe go hunt for cryptids in the forest.
Nuh-uh. That sort of thing is a taboo subject up here and doesn't get brought up. We don't even joke about that.

>You have internet, which suggests you have a computer, so, learn computer programming. It's a hobby that could consume multiple lifetimes, grants you sorcerous powers, and people will pay you to do it, too.
I spend enough time on the computer as is, I don't need to spend my whole life on it!

>Summon the undead
hm. I know just who to go to for that. Just need to know who to bring back to life.

2/2 Hazel 2022/11/21(Mon)01:18 No. 1049744 ID: 481e64
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>Go hang out with friends. How lively does it get?
I've got plenty of friends! Getting a hold of some can be tricky though. Not everyone is connected up to the world wide web. Lots of folks are busy today but some of the less occupied are as follows.
First that comes to mind is Mire - The hard-boiled Sheep-Wolf. She and I have known each other for as long as I can remember. She likes to live to the extreme, doing all sorts of crazy stuff that have nearly gotten her in trouble. She does it all; from camping to shooting to mostly harmless crimes. . Everything besides sitting inside all day. She would be nice to do almost anything with.
Second is Hunter - the jaunty Reindeer. He is very much the indoor sorts. He spends a lot of time playing games and watching the same sorts of stuff I do. I borrow VHS tapes from him from time to time. I still need to return a few actually. I could try inviting him over but getting him here may prove to be a challenge. Alternatively, I can go to his place.
Third is Nifa. Nifa is a cat who believes she is a witch. She is the most outdoorsy person I know, and she spends her time trying to cast spells and making 'potions'. She told me she tried to summon a demon to destroy all pants. She is weird. It's hard for me to tell to which degree we are friends but I do have her contact. She's up to hang out if I want to look into supernatural weirdness.

>See if another friend will come over to hang out.
I take out my phone and look down my list of contacts. First and foremost is my good buddy Mire. I give her a call to see if she has anything planned for today.

The phone rings and I wait. I hear her pick up.

>"Yo. Hazel. How's it hanging?"
"Good. Kinda bored actually. I'm looking for something to do today."
>"What good timing. I've been driving around looking for something to do myself."
"Feel like hanging out for a bit?"
>"Hell yeah. Waddaya feel like doing? Feel like hitting the town? I need to stop by the party store to pick up some more beer. I'm on my last bottle right now."
"Huh? You're not drink-driving, are you?"
>"Of course not. I only take a sip when I stop - meaning I'm not drinking while driving. The cops might disagree, but I don't see any around."
"I sometimes worry that you're a bad influence."
>"The only influence you need to worry about when you're around me is of the alcoholic variety."
"How close are you to my place? Would it be ok if you gave me a ride?"
>"Of course, I can give you a ride. I'll be in front of your place around... I'd say ten minutes time. If you decide to come out, I'll stop to pick you up. We can hang out or I can drop you off if you wanna go somewhere."
"Hey Mire, think you can give me guitar lessons?"
>"You don't have to keep calling me Mire. I also go my Marsh. I can give you guitar lessons if you bring your guitar and some beer."

Yeah, don't go riding with her if she's been drinking. Instead, we'll convince her to stay at our place and do guitar lessons here in the safety of our home to prevent her from going anywhere drunk.

but yeah, still get the beer ready for her

>She's up to hang out if I want to look into supernatural weirdness.
By chance have there been homeless people disappearing? (Childhood friends even?)

>I've heard a story about a Jackalope spirit that hangs around the forest. I'll need to ask my witch friend about it.

Summon demon, sleep paralysis demon even... Maybe hot? Always a gamble

>or destruction of property that no one was using.
Y e s. Smash the (not actually) Government.

>but we don't talk about those.
Lets talk about those...

>Everyone's a critic. The metallic flavour is an acquired taste, that's all.
They want to distract you from reaching your True Potential, Sticks and Stones dont fuck with Lead Bones, as the saying goes...

Well you now have a plan, hang out with friend, drink beer, and learn how to play the guitar

Ask if Mire is up for driving you out to look at those crop circles, maybe pick up Nifa on the way. It'd be worth a gawk and Nifa sounds like she's bound to have some funny theories, plus if she's so outdoorsy maybe she can look for tracks - or the mysterious absence of them!

>>1049757
Do that and bring snacks, drinks and your guitar.

Let’s bring beer and guitars to the woods.

>>1049760
Ditto. Hang out with Mire and see if we get to play a minigame of practicing guitar.

There's one spot in the woods kids would go to and dump a bunch of stuff like an old couch, a mannequin, a bathtub, a basketball net stapled to a tree, and a bb gun range with random cans and shit for target practice.

Time for crimes, guitar and beer with Marsh!

just hanging out is good, could be fun to go check the crop circle thing while at it

Call her Marshmellow and ruin your entire relationship.

And go investigate the crop circles. One of you acts masculine yet wide-eyed, the other acts femenine yet skeptic.

Seems we're torn between guitar and crop circles. In the interest of avoiding being driven anywhere by a drunk person, I vote learning the guitar without going anywhere - it's possible that Swamp is some kind of consequence Houdini who never dies, but no promises are made for anyone in her proximity.

"Pretty sure those laws are about not being inebriated while driving. I got beer at home, so no need for us to go anywhere else."

Sick, lets the raise the dead while under the influence.

Chill out by the lake and get some guitar lesson

>>1049744
nice we a friend to hang with instead of packing away food from our fridge into our gullet and drinking booze to numb the feeling of emptiness, guess we could have guitar lessons with crop circles and like pack a pick nick basket

Let's gather some more peeps and try a seance in the most likely to be haunted place in the area

Hazel 2022/11/21(Mon)22:34 No. 1049844 ID: 481e64
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>Chill out by the lake and get some guitar lesson
Sounds like a fine afternoon to me!
"Hey Mire, feel like chilling out by the lake and teaching me to play some guitar? There'll be snacks with the booze of course, courtesy of yours truly."
>"Now we're talking. I've got my guitar with me, meaning we're all set. By the time the day is over, we'll both be playing Classical Gas like it's nobody's business."
"Know any good spots by the lake?"
>"Of course. There's a place with all sorts of junk and furniture we can mess around with. We can shoot empty cans and bottles with the old twenty-two. There's also a secret fishing dock around there, I got my rods with me in case you're keen for a cast."

>Ask if Mire is up for driving you out to look at those crop circles, maybe pick up Nifa on the way.
"Hey Mire, think we can head over to the crop circles after we visit the lake?"
>"Sure. I've been wondering what those are about myself. Don't forget the beer because if we get kidnapped by aliens, I won't be able to fight them all off while sober."
"Think we can bring Nifa along? the supernatural seems right up her alley."
>"Do we have to? The smell she left behind after riding in here last time still lingers. Even the air fresheners I got don’t cover it fully..."
"Pretty please?"
>"Fine, whatever. As long as she sits in the back and keeps her hands to herself."

>Call her Marshmallow and ruin your entire relationship.
"Marshmallow."
>"Ok you can go back to calling me Mire. See you soon."

The call ends and I go to pack by things for the trip. I put my guitar in its case, and I back a backpack with the essentials. After I'm ready I say my goodbyes to my family and head to the road outside my property. Standing outside, I admire the atmosphere.

>Yeah, don't go riding with her if she's been drinking
I'm not worried about Mire being drunk. She's no lightweight that can get drunk off a single beer. Also, even if we crashed, her tank of a truck will keep us safe... even if seatbelts and mirrors didn't come with it at the time of its production.

>Sick, lets the raise the dead while under the influence.
Now that's an idea. We can get the undead drunk too while we're at it.

>Have there been disappearances?
Not as of recent. I heard a story or two of someone going missing a decade ago, I’d be surprised if we found them all this time later, but It’d certainly make for a fun story.

>Summon demon, sleep paralysis demon even... Maybe hot? Always a gamble
Hot demons? Seems like the kind of thing Nifa would try to summon. She reads books with hot vampires and werewolves; demons don’t seem too far removed.

>>but we don't talk about those.
>Let’s talk about those...
Let’s not! people act so out of character if I ever try to bring it up.

I'm standing by the road and the fact that I'm back where I started hits me. I'm bored again. What should I do in the ten or so minutes it takes for Mire to get here? Call up someone else? Talk to a random stranger that passes by? Do a cartwheel?

Think about that hot tanuki girl with a rack that would fit in a department store.

Tune your guitar! Or just start playing songs right there.

Chat up the bnuuy while you wait, ponder the power of Big Ears™.

I dunno, can you do a cartwheel?

The place where you live truly looks beautiful and the nature nature all around your house is like something from a ferry tale. But I am just wondering has in your town been cases of people disappearing? Never let your guard down, you don't want to be caught like a deer in a headlights.

Why does it look like the stranger is taking a piss by your mailbox? Also isn’t your house in the middle of the woods with the closest neighbor being over half a mile away? The fuck he doing out here?

>>1049848
I concur

Huh. So, the problem's just with discussing the supernatural with other people, huh? Ever consider the idea that it's a personal subject for them? Like they might be involved in one or more of the supernatural goings-on around these parts?

Even if you can't talk about it with other people, there's nothing stopping you from sharing what you do know of it with us, right? There's a lot of weirdness up here, but being judged for thought-crimes ain't one of them, I imagine.

Also, who's the cute bnnuy boi behind you?

Could say hi to yonder neighbour.

Consider the idea that your the only person not in on the secret regarding weird forest cryptids and be annoyed at the subject.

1/2 Hazel 2022/11/22(Tue)16:22 No. 1049914 ID: 481e64
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>Think about that hot tanuki girl with a rack that would fit in a department store.
I didn't know raccoons could have antlers. I don't personally know of any...

>Never let your guard down, you don't want to be caught like a deer in a headlight.
The worst kind of situation to be for someone like me. I always freeze up in tense situations.

>Also isn’t your house in the middle of the woods with the closest neighbour being over half a mile away?
Our neighbours aren't too far away from each other, but most houses are built a fair distance from the road. That being said it's common to see people taking walks on the footpath in the morning, especially on days like this.

>Consider the idea that you’re the only person not in on the secret regarding weird forest cryptids and be annoyed at the subject.
Is there some big secret I'm being excluded from knowing? I just assumed the subject made everyone uncomfortable. I’d be lying if I say I wasn’t at least a bit intrigued.

>the problem's just with discussing the supernatural with other people, huh? Ever consider the idea that it's a personal subject for them? Like they might be involved in one or more of the supernatural goings-on around these parts?
I've got no doubt that most people have a personal experience or two with strange things. I myself have seen weird stuff, sometimes with others present. When I ask about it, they just say they don't want to talk about it or just straight up pretend they didn't see anything.

>I dunno, can you do a cartwheel?
With ease! I do one but nobody was around to see it. What a shame.

>Talk to the rabbit neighbour
Oh. I'm not sure who that is, there's no one who lives around here that looks like that. Must be a stranger, which isn't a problem. It's refreshing to meet new people from time to time.

"Howdy! Have we met? I don't recall seeing you around here before."

The rabbit turns around

>"Hazel? Is that you? Ha! Long-time no see!"

2/2 Hazel 2022/11/22(Tue)16:22 No. 1049915 ID: 481e64
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No.

Oh no no no.

It's... her. An overwhelming sense of dread washes over me.

>"I almost didn't recognize you!"
"H-hey... Koara... Didn't know you were out..."
>"Eeeyup! I learned a lot during those six months! Now I'm out and I got a really chill parole officer and an annoying beeping foot bracelet."
"I hope jail wasn't... all bad..."
>"Not jail - Prison! There's a big difference, but still eerily similar to our old high school - just with a lot more violence! I made a lot of friends there that I'm starting to miss... committing another crime to get back in is starting to seem a little tempting... but enough about me! How are you doing? Is this your house here?"
"I-I uh... no. I live... far away."
>"That's a shame. Here, let's hug and catch up! Also, can I borrow twenty bucks?"

She reaches her hand out for a shake. I then notice something under her sleeve. Is that...? no. abort. I repeat, abort! I need to find a way to disengage from this interaction immediately.

>>1049915
No matter what you do, don't mention the suit. Don't mention it. Clear it from your mind, do not blurt out anything about the suit.

Suits me just fine. Don’t have a twenty on me, sorry.
Talk about her friends!

quick, trip over your gaiter to avoid shaking her hand and then act all embarrassed about it and quickly try to change the subject of you tripping over yourself and ask what her plans are now that she's out.

Also was she your high school bully or something?

>>1049915
Tell her you gotta go, you're late for a gig.
Walk down the street in the direction Mire will be arriving from.

Do not hug, that looks like a great way to lose your wallet.
And don't panic, Mire is on her way, she will probably be here soon. Well, she will probably be here at some point, anyway.

Do you have a taser or paper spray? Or are they even legal to possess in your town? If the answer to both of them is yes mentally remind yourself how to use it. Just in case, also why saw she in prison?!

Reflect on the nature of your dread involving this woman whose life of crime has taken her to darker places than Mire - and the thing up her sleeve that got you so spooked.

... as you stumble backwards, almost fall, swing around and end up barely saving your beerpack and guitar from disaster, if not your butt.

That’d be one way to avoid a hug...

Call Mire, tell her to book it.

Quick, run! Run to the house of Louis Zen-pie, the handsome exchange student bachellor who can protect you!

Hazel 2022/11/22(Tue)23:01 No. 1049981 ID: 481e64
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>No matter what you do, don't mention the suit
Mention the suit? I don't even want to think about the suit!

>was she your high school bully or something?
Nothing like that. I just don't gel well with those that lack filters or boundaries!

>Do you have a taser or paper spray?
I've never had a reason to carry either of those, we live in a pretty safe town. Worse that ever happens is the occasional trash fire.

>Run
The idea of moving away from her is favourable but doing so too quickly may prove risky. Her legs are much longer than mine, it'd be best to go at a brisk pace where it doesn’t seem like I’m trying to escape her instead.

>why was she in prison?!
I don't know, nobody does! One person says it was second-degree arson, another says possession of illicit substances, another says indecent exposure. I'm kinda leaning more towards that last one.

>Do not hug, that looks like a great way to lose your wallet.
that's what I'm afraid of. I need to find a way to avoid it.

To avoid shaking hands (or hugging), I pretend to clumsily stumble over my guitar case. She takes a step back to allow me to recompose.
>"You alright?"
"Yep - I'm fine. What were we discussing again?'
>"I forgot..." phew!

I take my guitar out of its case and start to pluck a few strings to calm me down.
>"Sounds nice. Do you take requests?"
"Sorry. I'm not that good."
>"Ah. Keep at it and you'll get there some day. Everyone starts somewhere, y'know? My first batch of toilet wine was nothing to ride home about, but I improved."
"...I appreciate the sentiment." even if it's totally gross.

>Call Mire, tell her to book it.
I take my phone out and message Mire inconspicuously
'Floor it. Koara is here. She is wearing the Koara suit.'
>'on it.'

>Tell her you gotta go, you're late for a gig.
"Ah, I just remembered. I gotta go. Late for a gig." I try to walk away.
>"You play in a band? Sweet! Mind if I see you play?"
"I don't think our music is your thing. It's uh... classical. With violins and stuff."
>"Never mind then."
"don't you have plans of your own?"
>"I was planning on going to the thrift store actually. To buy clothes. Hence why I asked for the money. Since my folks moved south to become trolls, I'm here crashing at a friend's place. This jacket I'm wearing is borrowed from said friend, so you'll never believe what I'm wearing underneath."
"..."
>"It's the same thing I was wearing at the time of my incarceration!"
"Would it be rude to ask what that was about?"
>"I like to keep people guessing. Wanna know what the best part about being a convicted felon is? You don't gotta worry about going out to vote!"

We talk as we walk. It's really not all that bad. She's strange, but not completely intolerable. I still enjoy the company on this nice day.

After a moment, something breaks the tranquil silence as I hear a voice coming towards us.
>"Watch out Hazel! T-the brakes are no good!"

Become a deer in the headlights

Freeze!

Hop the fence! Maybe Mire will run into Koara on accident

Tackle Koara into the bushes. You can't let Mire take a hit and run charge for your sake, she'll learn to make toilet wine too!

Advents moment activated avoid the incoming car. On the lighter subject the reason why somebody would need to wear an ankle monitor are Sex offenders, domestic violence offenders, those involved in drug crimes, prior DUIs, flight risks, and others on parole or probation, Also since she brought it up, who did you vote for?

>>1049981
Yeah you might wanna just open that fence gate there and step in.

Get on the other side of the fence

Jump out of the way and push/drag Koara with you.
Also, what is "the Koara suit" ? And maybe you should actually give her money if a weird suit is all she has to wear.

I feel like I'm missing some context here

>>1050000
It sounds like Koara's a streaker. A birthday suit-er. A newdist. Both voluntarily and involuntarily, atm.

Maybe you should just take her to the thrift store and get her some gear. For peace of mind.

>Watch out!
Fail to watch out as you freeze in a panic. Get rescued by Koara, in a very... Koara way.

... then realize it was just one of your friends on a bicycle speeding past, downhill, to a probably-imminent wipeout. Should've checked those breaks before you went for a ride, Nifa!

>>1049981
Accidentally jump in Bunny's arms like Scooby.

Speaking of her, you're being kind of really cold than feels normal with this girl...

It's not that you don't like people with no boundaries... I got it! You smashed at a party once before she went away and were glad it was only one time! And you remember better than SHE does!

Oooh, girl, you're a dick! Well, joking about your past aside, you actually are kind of being a dick to her right now. She just got out of Prison. Wait, six months? Even with Parole, I don't think she can't be a felon! Minimum Sentence for a Felony is a year! Unless, covid circumstances?

Jump in Koara's lap to evade the danger.

>>1049915
>>1049981

>the suit

Oh no. Oh NO. Don't tell me she's secretly one of those MEGA-NERDS who got that costume from the CometQuest promo that's horribly skin-tight and slinky and looks like it was picked up at that "adult novelty" store just off the highway ...

... anyway, probably time to dodge or something? I dunno, what's coming toward you and your friend unfortunate acquaintance?

Is it a voice you recognize? This COULD be Mire (or even somebody else with quick reactions) trying to provide you with an out. And even if not, it may yet still be spun into an out, so I guess act fast and think faster.

Ask what she's using to stuff her trenchcoat.
Glaze your vision with imaginary office plant plushies as she streaks.

You broke the breaks?!

1/3 Hazel 2023/02/07(Tue)08:25 No. 1055406 ID: 481e64
File 167578712974.png - (314.17KB , 800x600 , YQ10.png )

>Become a deer in the headlights.
I see no headlights, so I am fortunately capable of action.

>Freeze!
On a warm day such as this, I don’t think I could!

>Jump in Koara's lap to evade the danger.
She's strong enough, but what if she drops me? Or steals my wallet...

>Hop the fence! Maybe Mire will run into Koara on accident.
>Tackle Koara into the bushes. You can't let Mire take a hit and run charge for your sake, she'll learn to make toilet wine too!
I get the idea to jump the fence (or better yet, open the gate and walk through) and try to get Koara to safety, but pushing her aside proves to be impossible as her size makes her too heavy to budge. I can't let Mire hit... wait, that voice didn't belong to Mire.

I look up the path and see who the familiar voice belongs to. quickly coming towards us is Hunter and a few kids riding in a kart. It's nice to see him outdoors but I don't like seeing him doing more dangerous stuff! Looks like his little brother is covering his eyes and causing him all sorts of trouble.

"C'mon Koara, let's move out the way!"
>"Move? Hah! If prison taught me one thing, it's that you gotta stand your ground! And going by my track record, I eat hit-n-runners for breakfast! Watch this!"
She leans forwards and puts her arms in front of her, ready to stop the kart. I am safely positioned behind the other side of the fence, but Koara seems rather set on taking the unnecessary risk.

"H-hey, the handbrake isn't working, you gotta move!"
>"Like hell I do! YOU WILL NOT PA-!"

2/3 Hazel 2023/02/07(Tue)08:25 No. 1055407 ID: 481e64
File 167578715047.png - (335.46KB , 800x600 , YQ11.png )

The kart directly collides with Koara, but to her credit, she holds on while her boots grind along the footpath, slowing the kart down slowly but surely...

...bit by bit...

...eventually resulting in the kart grinding to a halt.

"Woah... Are you okay? D-did that hurt? I'm sorry I-"
”Woah! that was awesome! do that again!" says the fox kid.
>"psssh. It barely put a scratch on me. nothing my armor can't fix. I might throw up. Can I borrow twenty bucks?"
"I uh... Who are you?"

>Oh no. Oh NO. Don't tell me she's secretly one of those MEGA-NERDS who got that costume from the CometQuest promo that's horribly skin-tight and slinky and looks like it was picked up at that "adult novelty" store just off the highway ...
That's the one! I like CometQuest as next person, but she took things in a weird, uncomfortable direction!

Hunter looks over at me with a sorrowful expression.
"I'm sorry Hazel- I should've checked the brakes before taking it out for a spin."
"It ain't no thing. It's nice to see you out today. I'm going to spend time with Mire, hope you don't mind us stopping by the farm later to see the crop circles."
"Oh, sure! the folks won't mind. Come see em' quick before they start charging the gawkers and tourists."

They eventually stop the kart from rolling so they can see what was wrong with it. Koara seems to lose interest when neither of us give her money, so she eventually heads on her merry way. Hunter and I talk about video games and trading cards before I go back to waiting for Mire to show up.

3/3 Hazel 2023/02/07(Tue)08:26 No. 1055408 ID: 481e64
File 167578717751.png - (495.24KB , 800x600 , YQ12.png )

After a little while Mire shows up in her truck which she affectionately calls 'captain.'

>"Ok I'm here to save you from the crazy latex rabbit... Where is she."
"Oh, don't worry. I think she ran off when she saw you coming."
>"Ah. Looks like she knew what was good for her then. See? Not all heroes wear capes. Or seatbelts. Looks like hunter's out and about, and with a different set of wheels by the looks of it. C'mon, hop in."

I step into the truck and move all the empty beer bottles off my side of the seat. I go to plug in my seatbelt before remembering that this truck doesn't have seatbelts.

>"We good to go? If there's something you wanted to do before we go, now's a good time. And let me know if you want to take a quick stop somewhere before we head to the lake."

Stop by a convenience store for some more beer and trail mix. Maybe jerky for Mire. It should be next to a trading-card shop to see which legendary cards the owner seeks.

Before we go, fashion a seat belt out of your actual belt.

Drive by the crop circles before we get to the lake. Maybe we’ll see an alien!

stop somewhere to grab snacks... you do have cash on you right?

>>1055408

Nothing too important comes to mind, but say goodbye to Hunter and his buddies, first! It's only polite (and he's kinda cute).

(Maybe also count the bottles and ask how many of them are from the last time Mire drove this thing.)

Ahhh!! Another update! It's good to see you back at it.

>>1055415
This sounds good, let's grab some snacks on the way out. Just make sure you don't stop at the one with the old prophetic weirdo guy who's always talking about "the black goat of the woods" out front. Dude's creepy...

Ask for the boys' helmets since they clearly kept them in the backseat while nobody was looking at their unprotected heads.

Hazel 2023/02/07(Tue)22:46 No. 1055491 ID: 481e64
File 167583879466.png - (537.06KB , 800x600 , YQ13.png )

>say goodbye to Hunter and his buddies, first!
I make sure to wave Hunter and the others goodbye. They wave goodbye back.

>Ask for the boys' helmets since they clearly kept them in the backseat while nobody was looking at their unprotected heads.
Even if they did have helmets, I don't think any would fit me. I hope that for Hunter's little brother's sake that serious injuries don't run in the family.

>count the bottles and ask how many of them are from the last time Mire drove this thing.
There must be at least a dozen. I ask Mire how many are from the last time she drove.
>"Maybe a dozen. I dunno. I'm not great at keeping track."

>you do have cash on you right?
About twenty-ish bucks. should be enough for the necessities.

>Drive by the crop circles before we get to the lake. Maybe we’ll see an alien!
Everyone knows that aliens only show up when it gets dark! that's why we're saving it until later.

>Stop by a convenience store.
Convenience store it is. Or in the convenient sense- a general store. I ask Mire to head there and she agrees, wanting to pick up booze, smokes and more magazines to hide in the back of the glove compartment.

We park out front and head inside, Spotty the zero-tail opossum is there to greet us at the counter.
"Oooh! Hey there Hazel and Mire! What can I get the both of you?"
>"You got smokes and beer?"
"You know we do. What about you Hazel?"
"What can a little over twenty bucks get you nowadays?"
"You could buy like-… eight or nine bags of ice with that! What're you gonna do with all that ice Hazel?"
"I may have had other things in mind."
"Just name it and we probably got it. Newspaper? We got it. Snacks? We got it. Fishing tackle? You know we got it. Magazines with pictures of cute boys? Ask Mire to share."
>"Hey!"
"I'm only kidding! Anyway, what'll it be?"

Bombs? Ropes? Lamp oil? I'll take three of each, please.

Trail mix!

Drag Mire over so she doesn’t get tempted to take the five finger discount on cute boy magazines.

we were told there would be snacks there, so we don't need to buy snacks here.

maybe a flashlight, or matchbox to start a bonfire with. I'd say fishing bait, but we have no fishing rod

>>1055495
Oh yeah, no snacks required.

In that case, I’ll just vote for telling Spotty what a great job she’s doing at customer service.

Well if mire has the drinks covered you should grab the snacks

You got any newspapers covering fishing tackle-based snacks? But really, you gotta have some good snacks to have with smokes and beer.

Also go along with the bit, ask Mire to share!

Hazel 2023/02/08(Wed)07:40 No. 1055518 ID: 481e64
File 167587085875.png - (440.81KB , 800x600 , YQ14.png )

>Also go along with the bit, ask Mire to share!
"C'mon Mire, why don't you let me have a peek?"
>"You won't like what I'm into. The guys I like have probably never touched an old video game console in their lives."
"They're missing out for sure."

>Bombs? Ropes? Lamp oil? I'll take three of each, please.
We're only hanging out by the lake, we don't need adventure stuff! Besides, I don't think she takes credit.

>Drag Mire over so she doesn’t get tempted to take the five-finger discount on cute boy magazines.
That shouldn't be necessary, Mire is wary of being put on the 'Do not serve' board of the last place that'll have her.

>maybe a flashlight, or matchbox to start a bonfire with. I'd say fishing bait, but we have no fishing rod.
Mire does have some fishing rods in her truck and bait is cheap. May as well. I obtain a flashlight with batteries and a matchbox as well, all for a good price.

>I’ll just vote for telling Spotty what a great job she’s doing at customer service.
"You're doing a good job at the whole customer service business Spotty."
>"I appreciate you saying that, otherwise this would be a thankless job. People seem to think it's simple, but there comes times where you are faced with hard decisions."
My eye is immediately drawn to the corkboard behind her.
>"Shoplifters, loiterers... fox spirits. Oh, and before I forget, I should let you know that we've updated our 'No shirt no shoes no service' policy to include pants. I will allow skirts too, thanks."

>Well if mire has the drinks covered you should grab the snacks.
Seems fair enough. I brought a few snacks with me so maybe I should look for something I don't have packed.
I end up deciding to get trail mix and ice cream for the road.

>"Was that all? You can use the change to buy a scratch ticket or something. No need to rush, it's a bit of a slow day."

Eh, a newspaper and thats all maybe. We ca read the funnies or ads.

I will note that I love the effort that goes into the art here.

>Do Not Serve board
What a vicious band of vagabonds and ne'erdowells!

>Leftover purchases
A local newsrag or some chewing gum both seem like good calls. Wait - actually, maybe a lighter? In case your inner pyromaniac needs you to set something on fire today. Or tomorrow.

Really, with a lighter you will have made the world of the future your pyroyster.

Besides, everyone knows lottery tickets are for only gullible chumps or extremely lucky people and you're not feeling like exhausting your extremely good luck yet.

Definitely a lighter or matchbox, and a scratch ticket. Do you feel lucky?

Good thing the new policy covers skirts, we’d be done for otherwise.

>Do Not Serve Board
Dang foxes getting in the trash and dragging it everywhere. The gall of some foxes, demanding proper recycling sorting!

I see Koara on the board of do not serve, anyone else on there you recognize that we should look out for?

>>1055518

While we don't rush, there have GOT to be some great stories behind that corkboard. Maybe even whatever the hell Koara did to get on it. Maybe.

Also, what's up with that funky goat guy and "just in case"?

Buy a scratch ticket then! You never know. Might get $20 as a prize.

>>1055529
I doubt she'd ban someone based solely on reputation - such a "you're not welcome in this town" measure would come off more as being 'cute' in the eyes of a bad enough dude to warrant such a measure.

No, the more likely scenario is that he did something to warrant a ban, but his current status is MIA, probably presumed dead, but not confirmed to the point that she can risk taking his picture down.

But man, I bet there's a story there. Have you ever considered starting a lore journal or chronicle? Sure, the town's past is presumably nothing to write home about if you don't even have a historical society, but it seems like the present day here is chock-full with enough interesting oddities to fill such a book.

On that note, I support getting the paper whenever you can (and it isn't redundant); you want the scoops, even if it's impossible to tell which tips are hiding icebergs.

>(shirt AND shoes AND pants) XOR (NOT service)
... Shops like this need to give out free clothes if they think they can spam subtly racist policies and pretend they aren't oppressive.

>Fox spirits
Do they just call themselves that or are we talking actual magical shapeshifting spirits?
Also what did they do.

>Anything else you'd like to purchase?
A hot dog. Use the remainder for lots of cup ramen.

Scatch ticket and ask Spotty how much she likes ice and ice powers.

Always get the good snacks

Hazel 2023/02/09(Thu)10:12 No. 1055632 ID: 481e64
File 167596636763.png - (516.64KB , 800x600 , YQ15.png )

>I see Koara on the board of do not serve, anyone else on there you recognize that we should look out for?
Besides Koara I only recognize the two at the bottom. The raccoon lady is from the town over and I'm not sure what she did.

>there have GOT to be some great stories behind that corkboard. Maybe even whatever the hell Koara did to get on it.
One mustn't need to stretch the imagination too far to conceive of what she might've done wrong.

>>Fox spirits
>Do they just call themselves that or are we talking actual magical shapeshifting spirits?
Actual shapeshifting spirits exist as far as I can ascertain. It's just one of those things you don't talk about.

>Dang foxes getting in the trash and dragging it everywhere. The gall of some foxes, demanding proper recycling sorting!
Knowing Spotty and her reputation of being protective of her trash, the incidents were likely trash related.

>Also, what's up with that funky goat guy and "just in case"?
No idea. Never seen him around these parts. Maybe he tried paying for gas and a bag of cashews with only a quarter.

>maybe a lighter? In case your inner pyromaniac needs you to set something on fire today
I already got matches. Did you know that lighters were invented before matches? That's wild.

>Do you feel lucky?
Like a punk. Hence the collar.
>Buy a scratch ticket then!
I'm tempted. I'm sold. I get a scratch ticket. I am left without change and cannot use a coin to scratch it... I'll scratch it later. I was tempted to get a newspaper but I'm really not that into reading and the funny comic strips have too many words in them these days.

>everyone knows lottery tickets are for only gullible chumps or extremely lucky people and you're not feeling like exhausting your extremely good luck yet.
I'd be lucky to break even all things considered. However, A worthless lottery ticket weighs less than loose change, so there's that I suppose.

With the snacks and miscellaneous items in hand and the beers in Mire's hands, we are satisfied enough to head off. We give our goodbyes to Spotty. Or was it Spotti? I should get around to asking sometime.

We throw everything into the truck and take off to the lake spot post-haste. It only takes a short while and we're there already. There are lakes everywhere in Michigan so it isn't hard to find a good spot. We step out and start bringing out some of our stuff.

>"This spot look good to you?"
"As good as any I reckon'."
I take another lick of my ice cream bar. I gave Mire one but she just bit into it and consumed it in a manner of seconds. Does the cold really not bother her?
>"So, what did you want to do first? I'm up for just about anything, you name it."

She's already got her fishing rod out, let's fish for now while you play your guitar to keep her entertained. Who knows, there might even find another fisherman we can talk to as well... or a fish person? a fish fishing fish?

Crime time! Property crime.

>>1055633
I agree to strummin' the ol' guitar while she fishes. And if you run out of songs just talk about the pocky'man trading cards you get free from every carton.

Find clues about the cult that throws people down a hole to preserve the town like a total trash mammal.

>>1055632

Wait, is that fluff Mire's natural fur and not part of her jacket?

Sometimes you just gotta fish.

"Well, I asked you to meet me 'cause I wanna actually learn how to play this thing. I've pretty much exhausted all my stay-in options for boredom-slaying, so it's either this or I start investigating town mysteries like some corny 70s cartoon or some quirky 2010's cartoon. Nobody wants that, I'd wager (even if nobody will say why they don't wanna talk about anything...)"

Let's have some guitar lessons. You did bring the beer, after all, yeah?

>>1055632
Time for some tunes and good vibes, maybe some of the new ones we've been working on? The one about "Just wanting to die, anywhere else," or "Weird Autumn."

well she's already got the rods out, go fishing.

>>1055632
You brought a radio that can play cds, right? I've got some song suggestions here: "Die Anywhere Else" by Alec Holowka and Scott Benson or "Weird Autumn" which is also by Alec Holowka and Scott Benson.

Hazel 2023/02/10(Fri)04:21 No. 1055689 ID: 481e64
File 167603171279.png - (473.07KB , 800x600 , YQ16.png )

>Who knows, there might even find another fisherman we can talk to as well... or a fish person? a fish fishing fish?
Well would you like at that, there's someone like that across the lake fishing. How much fish could a fishman fish if a fishman could fish fish? I may have to enquire sometime. Hopefully he doesn't mind the music.

>Crime time! Property crime.
Crime isn’t as cool as it used to be. Kids my age used to do it all the time until the adults started getting into it which made it lame.

>Find clues about the cult that throws people down a hole to preserve the town like a total trash mammal.
It's fine, cult problems usually resolve themselves.

>Wait, is that fluff Mire's natural fur and not part of her jacket?
I've asked about the wool thing but I’ve never managed to get a clear answer. I've always seen her with it so it may as well be a part of her - must be why she prefers the winter.

>You brought a radio that can play cds, right?
I knew I forgot something! It's no big deal though. I like the quiet moments between my shaky guitar playing.


>She's already got her fishing rod out, let's fish for now while you play your guitar to keep her entertained.

Sounds good to me. I take my guitar out of the truck and tune it while Mire sets up the fishing rods. She gets the rod that was for me and sets in up in the ground while she holds onto hers.

>"Watch me catch a trout."

I take a seat on the ground next to Mire where the grass is nice and soft. Mire opens a cold one and starts to unwind.

"Now about those guitar lessons, are you ready?"
>"As ready as I'll ever be. Play me a tune and I'll try to give feedback."
"A tune? What specifically?"
>"It doesn't matter a whole lot. Play something you’ve practised. How about smoke on the water?"
"Okay! here we go..."
I start to play for a minute before Mire speaks up.
>"Slow it down. learn the chords one at a time."
"Oh. Right."
I start over and Mire stops me again sooner than last time.
>"Avoid looking at your hands."
"Huh? Why?"
>"Looking away from your hands will help you connect the feeling of a correct chord placement as good as looking at it. Close your eyes and only look every once in a while, so you know your hands are in the right place. If you're really having trouble not looking, try standing up."
"Ah."
>"Sit down for now. Are you holding the guitar properly?"
"Depends on what that's supposed to look like."
>"Rest it on your right leg. Like this"
She leans over and adjusts my guitar so it rests on my leg comfortably.
>"And make sure the neck is parallel to the floor. Like this."
She proceeds to spend the next few minutes teaching me techniques on how to posture myself. I start to play for the next while, Mire occasionally chiming in with her wisdom. My fingers start to hurt, and I take a break.
>"Get some thinner strings or develop calluses, but besides that you're already getting better. Next time we do this I'll bring my metronome and other music stuff you can practise with."
"You know more about the guitar than I thought."
>"Yeah, I had a phase where I wanted to be a rockstar. I couldn't find others to join the band so I guess that dream wasn't meant to be."

What next?

>"Yeah, I had a phase where I wanted to be a rockstar. I couldn't find others to join the band so I guess that dream wasn't meant to be."

Ask her if that was her asking you to join her band.

Join in the fishenenenening and chat about interests and fun stuff while you do, maybe fantasize up what sort of rockband Mire would've created if she'd found rad and music-proficient enough badboys and coolgirls to join her. Which band members would die in what compromising positions, or the degree to which they'd become famous and for what.

Pretend scenario: you're still a noob, but would you have qualified for an invite if you'd started earlier and gotten gudder sooner or was the guitar-plinking slot taken?

Could always discuss a li'l more involved and present-reality stuff - like if she's got any other cool long-term plans for what to do now that the rock band dream's died. Does she have ways to contribute to making the local area more entertaining?

Because boy, you do have a mighty hungr for the funs. Just not the 'drink-and-drive' kind. At least not all the time!

>>1055691
This. It kind of sucks living where there’s so few people, makes getting a band together hard.

Talk about your dreams about where you’d go if you had the money to get started.

>>1055700
This. What dreams do you have outside of this little town?

You don't need a full band! People get by with just two. Start making mixtapes.

As for the immediate thing to do next, maybe fish with Mire and talk about hopes and dreams--but ultimately accept fate that this calm, quiet life will last now and forever. But as long as you got each other nothing will stand in the way

Talk about some movies you both seen recently

>>1055529
>>1055547
The photos look to me like, in English reading order: Dotti (from Lazy Fairy), Momo (from Unbalanced), Koara, and Lak (a murderer from Tobak Quest). The bottom two I'm not sure of, but if the one on the right is "the raccoon lady", she might possibly be Riley from Cedar Ridge.)

1/2 Hazel 2023/02/11(Sat)02:43 No. 1055742 ID: 481e64
File 167611221494.png - (478.37KB , 800x600 , YQ17.png )

>Ask her if that was her asking you to join her band.
"Was that you asking me to join your band?"
>"Heh. nah. If I wanted to ask, I'd ask straight up. then it'd just be the two of us guitar players, and I don't know how well that qualifies as a full rock band."
"I can learn another instrument if you'd like. I'm thinking the triangle or maybe the cowbell."
>"I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't think I'm cut out for that kind of career. I couldn't even figure out a concrete name for the band."

>You don't need a full band! People get by with just two. Start making mixtapes.
That might be fun to do. Maybe we can organise that some other day, if only just for pretending like we’re gonna be big rock stars.

>fantasize up what sort of rockband Mire would've created if she'd found rad and music-proficient enough badboys and coolgirls to join her. Which band members would die in what compromising positions, or the degree to which they'd become famous and for what.
I can fantasize about all that but to make it accurate I'll bring it up with Mire directly.

"What kind of band would you have created if you'd found that ensemble of musical badboys and coolgirls to join you?"
Mire gets a candy cigarette out of her pocket and bites down on it.
>"It would've been a rag tag group of totally radical punks, I'll tell you that. I'd be the lead guitarist and lead singer, though I figured you'd already knew that."
"You can sing?"
>"In the shower. My shampoo bottles can vouch for me. As for the band, I'd have this badboy bass player and we'd have a little rivalry, but we'd still have respect for each other, y'know"
"A-huh."
>"Then there would be the drummer who would play so hard, the drums would break after every concert! That'd be a chick and she'd be a real rough one, but she'd secretly have a soft and compassionate side."
"I feel like there's one more spot in this band of yours."
>"That’s right! Last but not least would be the rhythm guitar player, which would be this cute ripped purple goat boy who doesn't wear shirts and smokes a pipe with pink smoke."
"Wait a minute! Isn't that guy already a rockstar? Isn’t he already in a band?"
>"Maybe. If he isn't taken, then I'd want you to take that position."
"Oh! Really? I'd still qualify for an invite even though I'm basically a beginner?"
>"Absolutely. I'd be your mentor and all, bringing up your skills so that you're nearly as good as me."
"Why me? Surely there's people out there with more natural talent."
>"To tell you the truth? It's because I want someone who'll stick with me even if the band breaks up."
"Oh. I wasn't expecting that."
>"What did you expect? You're my best pal."
"That's sweet."
>"Don't mistake that for me getting all soft! I'm just saying it cuz it's true."

>Could always discuss a lil more involved and present-reality stuff - like if she's got any other cool long-term plans for what to do now that the rock band dream's died. Does she have ways to contribute to making the local area more entertaining?
"You got any long-term plans?"
>"Eh. Not really. Everything is confusing at this point. Working at the parts store is fine but I don't see it lasting forever. The things that I wanted to do seem more unattainable by the week and I might just have to settle for something more realistic.
"Hopefully you have ways of making the local area more entertaining."
>"There’s never a dull moment when I’m around – you can be sure about that. I will leave no stone unthrown through any window."

2/2 Hazel 2023/02/11(Sat)02:44 No. 1055743 ID: 481e64
File 167611224338.png - (428.48KB , 800x600 , YQ18.png )

>maybe fish with Mire and talk about hopes and dreams--but ultimately accept fate that this calm, quiet life will last now and forever. But as long as you got each other nothing will stand in the way
I fish with her with more small talk about the future. Even with that, we still both see ourselves in the present, right here and right now living in this moment. It really is a nice day today.

I get tired of holding the rod and lay down on the grass to stare up at the trees on the other side of the lake. I hold the lottery ticket over my head, imagining it like it was some winning jackpot ticket.
>Talk about your dreams about where you’d go if you had the money to get started.

"Hey Mire, where would you go if you had the money to get started on your dreams?"
>"You may as well ask me what I'd wish for."
"That's more fun, let’s go with that. What would you wish for?"
>"Uh... do I only get one wish? Infinite wishes."
"I'll let you have three instead."
>"Hmmm. Y'know... I'd have to think about it carefully. Right now, I'd just wish for the fish to start biting. For the sake of going along with the hypothetical, let’s say that I give one of those wishes to you. What would you do with it?"
"What would I wish for, huh?"

What indeed.

I feel something change. Something small happened. The atmosphere hasn't changed, and Mire didn't seem to notice, but the card feels lighter in my hands.

I'd wish for something simple and and clear, like being taller. If I was tall enough, maybe I could see a future past the edges of this town! About the only way I could, at this point...

>I wish...
... you’d wish you always knew where the real adventures around you where - so you could choose to go on them or not.

As if you were the protagonist in a mystery novel series, but not bound to always have to solve crime or whatever - just an uncanny ability to find fun and interesting times with your friends and acqaintances.

Sounds like a decent way to mix excitement with a regular livelihood, doesn’t it? You wouldn’t want to completely give up one for the other, after all.

> I couldn't even figure out a concrete name for the band."
That's it! You could name it Concrete!

Never mind, that sounded better in my head.

As for what to wish for, the Irish say it best.

"If God sends you down a stony path,
May He give you strong shoes."

So let's wish for awesome shoes.

>>1055743

You know, that popsicle stick might make a decent scratcher. Or at least no worse than using a nickel to do it.

I'd wish for this town to become relevant, for something interesting to finally happen. Not something too big, but just enough to shake things up, you know?
Right now the only interesting thing that could happen to me is getting 10 dollars off this scratch ticket.

>>1055765

Whoa, wait ... what if people finally started talking about The Things. Like all the stuff nobody in middle of nowhere Michigan talks about.

Maybe there's a ton of cryptids and supernatural things, and it's just being kept a pointless secret.

Travel is always good, see some of the real crazy sights in the world.

I wish Mire was a big werewolf with biiig anime eyes, instead of always squinting.

>>1055743
>Wish?
Since actual shapeshifting spirits exist, that means there should be other things like that in the world, right?

Or, with your luck, this probably won't actually happen, so you might as well wish for something ridiculous.

Wish that you could transform into a dragon whenever you want to.

>>1055765
This sounds most plot-advancy, haha

>>1055755
and this comes second, but is more like an actual rules-lawyery wish

>>1055743
Here's something practical: Wish that you'd always have an exact amount of money for anything you want.

That way, no matter what it is, all you have to do is reach in your pocket and you'll always have the money you need.

Want to buy some candy? Reach in your pocket and pull out the money needed! Want to buy a car? Reach in your pocket and pull out the exact amount of money you need!

>I couldn't even figure out a concrete name for the band."
call yourselves "complicated simplicity" with your first album being called "simply complicated"

>two man band
look up a band called the "black keys". Hell I think "21 pilots" is also a 2 man band so give them a quick look as well. it's possible.

>wish
Well given what we were just talking about wish for something that you two would be given a chance to actually pull off the whole band thing. That you'd have the skills to make it and an opportunity to get your music out their but the two of you would still have to push yourselves to get to the top and earn the right to be stars, because just being handed stardom sounds boring but every famous person ever always says you need just as much luck as you need skill to get noticed so I guess my wish would be for the opportunity to get noticed with the skills to back it up just to be on the safe side. Would suck to wish for the opportunity only not to have the skills to back it up after all.

>>1055765
Yeah this one

>>1055784
This one sounds both fun and useful.

Wish for the freedom to live life more like the way you want to.

1/3 Hazel 2023/02/13(Mon)01:04 No. 1055910 ID: 481e64
File 167627905388.png - (272.60KB , 800x600 , YQ19.png )

>wish for something simple and clear, like being taller.
I full foot or two of height wouldn't hurt. I'd be able to see over the head of every person who sits in front of me at the movies! Though I'd feel bad for the one who has to sit behind me.

>you’d wish you always knew where the real adventures around you where - so you could choose to go on them or not.
Like some sort of sixth sense just for adventure? That'd be neat. That way I don't have to keep missing out.

>let's wish for awesome shoes.
I like the boots I already have though. If I needed new shoes, I have money to buy them, I don't need to waste a wish on new ones!... Unless they are magical spring shoes.

>I'd wish for this town to become relevant, for something interesting to finally happen. Not something too big, but just enough to shake things up, you know?
That would be good. Like if a meteor crashed nearby or a big rock band decided to tour here.

>Whoa, wait ... what if people finally started talking about The Things. Like all the stuff nobody in middle of nowhere Michigan talks about.
I think I'd wish to know why people are so tight lipped about it - surely there's a good reason?

>Travel is always good, see some of the real crazy sights in the world.
I'd wish for a bunch of extra tickets so I can bring my friends with me. I hear Italy has a whole tower just made of pizza! though I hear the structural integrity isn't doing so well.

>I wish Mire was a big werewolf with biiig anime eyes, instead of always squinting.
I'd have to ask Mire if she would be cool with that. She would probably just start squinting again after giving her the big new eyes. She didn't always squint, that's only a thing she started doing when she began smoking.

>Wish that you could transform into a dragon whenever you want to.
What kind of dragon? a red one or an orange one? What about pink? This wish would be far too stressful to decide for!

>Here's something practical: Wish that you'd always have an exact amount of money for anything you want. That way, no matter what it is, all you have to do is reach in your pocket and you'll always have the money you need.
Isn't that just called having a credit card?

>Wish for the freedom to live life more like the way you want to.
freedom huh? like having big wings so I could go anywhere I want? that'd be really neat.

After thinking about it, I decide to scratch the card do dispel all that unhealthy wishful thinking. I pick up the bottle cap from Mire's bottle and scratch away.

>"I think I caught something!" Mire starts to reel something in.

three...

three!...

three! Three in a row! I won a... three? three what? three bucks? awww, I really did get my hopes up for nothing.

Suddenly everything around me goes quiet.

2/3 Hazel 2023/02/13(Mon)01:04 No. 1055911 ID: 481e64
File 167627907145.png - (276.54KB , 800x600 , YQ20.png )

I look up to see that everything around me has gone still. Mire has struck a pose with the fishing rod while a fish at the end of the line stays in place.

"Hey Mire, are you good?" She doesn't respond.

Nothing moves. The river, the grass, and the leaves on the trees. It is completely quiet all around, but that somehow removes all the tranquillity.

3/3 Hazel 2023/02/13(Mon)01:04 No. 1055912 ID: 481e64
File 167627908694.png - (94.86KB , 800x600 , YQ21.png )

I feel a presence behind me in the forest. A presence that is very much aware of me. That is when I hear a voice, a voice which dispels any and all fear I would have had in a moment like this.
>"You won! Talk about Lucky!"
The voice sounds awfully playful and youthful to be some kind of forest demon.
"Huh?"
>"You matched three in a row, right? That means you won."
"What did I win, exactly? the number three?"
>"Three wishes! just like you asked for. I'll be upfront with you, I may have tweaked the odds when I overheard all the chit chat."
"What are you? Are you supposed to be a W-"
>"STOP DON'TSAYTHAT- No! I'm not... that. Didn't anybody ever tell you not to speak about these things so openly? sheesh."

Okay, so.., when can I expect to start getting taller?

Express despair you didnt bring a box of condoms for that Wendussy. Golden opportunity...

Actually seriously, ask it what catches there are with said wishes, and how it's doing the whole time stop-y powers.

Is this a Monkey's Paw kinda scenario or something? :V

Soooo...how much to you want to minmax this, and how much do you just want to make some acceptably cool wishes? You should probably ask what the rules are - are there things you can't wish for, are there costs, do you need to make all the wishes now, etc. Try not to get monkey-paw'd; good luck.

soooo... why'd you single me out and not my friend over there?

What magical being are you, and why can't we talk about magical beings?

Also, this is too much power; let's eat the ticket instrad!

>>1055910
>Isn't that just called having a credit card?
No it's not! Credit cards eventually run out of money and you'd be in debt with the bank!

Pulling out an exact amount of money whenever you want would be infinite because it wouldn't come from a credit card! You won't run out of money and you won't owe anything to a bank!

>>1055912
However, with this mysterious being saying they're giving you 3 wishes, you should be careful with what you want. There might be some unfortunate consequences attached to your wishes!

See if your profit can benefit the world.

1) "I wish for all sapient beings which will ever exist to be granted the nascent superpower to determine the true form, nature, and intent of the things which they observe."
You need to know if she'll screw you over, but you can fix the world in the process by giving everyone the ability to catch on to being suckered. Like any skill, it will require training and talent to overcome a manipulator's natural abilities with obfuscation, but turning this skill into a universal ability will make it far more commonplace and easier to train.
2) "I wish for the laws of death to be rewritten, so that any and all beings who die (definition: the general grouped system that prevents total chemical equilibrium ceases to function completely), shall be resurrected via total-body-reconstruction at the point of any nearby leyline which has the conditions required to continue their existence relative to the amount of time they have existed, at the cost of losing a relatively small portion of their memories and skill experience and being fundamentally changed on a minor level, and this law will cease to function for any being that is both dead and has lost their sapience, instead reverting their mind to a random point before they lost their sapience and sending them to the afterlife."
You can't erase death without turning the world into Hell. But you can rewrite its rules to suit the cycle that mortals are trapped in.
3) "I wish that all sapient beings will have the inherent superpower to change their form, mind, and soul in any manner they desire with sufficient practice and resources."
And now everyone gets shapeshifting, among other things. But they'll have to work for the hard stuff.

Before you make wishes, find out what the limitations are.

A likely wish that would work is the ultimate sandwich recipe. Or whatever your favorite food is. This will reward you with deliciousness, and you can sell the recipe!
>bunch of travel/flight related thoughts
Kinda sounds like you want to be able to fly, but also to bring your friends with you. Might require multiple wishes, or an alternate form that can already do that, like a dragon or a gryphon or something. If you can't decide on a color, leave that up to them.

Instead of this >>1055921 you could just wish for bigger boobs, so that you're not the flattest chest in town anymore!

Definitely find out if this is a Monkey’s Paw situation.

>>1055912

Okay, actually, yeah ... good point. WHY can't we talk about these things? Every time we try to bring it up, everyone just shushes us like that and won't explain. Like, sweet shit, we're (probably) old enough to drink and we STILL don't know the reason behind it.

Simple wishes have less chance to backfire. You should wish for an ice-cream.
If for some reasons you think ice-cream is a waste of a wish, wish for flight. That's a wish that can't really go wrong on its own, and flight is fun.

>just wish to know what's up
Mysteries and puzzles tend to lose their shine once someone just tells you the solution. Figuring it out on your own can be much more satisfying!

>I may have tweaked the odds
Well, thanks? No, really. This is... new. Cool, even. As ominous and scary as it should be, what with everything being frozen - and there being a sudden - uh, well-horned person chatting you up from the uncanny shade... in a way, that's already a wish of yours granted for today! So hey, thanks.

Anyway... do you just gotta declare here and now? Or can they explain how to best make your wishes and any logical limitations? You don't want to prevaricate or overthink it for too long, mind. Probably just best to speak from the gut. Assuming this isn't some monkey paw situation. You've seen movies! Terrible, terrible B-rated movies.

>Wishes
Consider wishing to have a sixth sense for where to find adventure.

Consider wishing for the ability to swiftly and safely travel where you want with others.

Consider wishing for the people of this town to all get something neat and magical; a blessing, a trinket, a vision, an experience - something. Pass it forwards, you know? Unless that sounds like too much work. In which case, you could limit it to people you know.

... that might still be the entire town. Maybe just friends and close acquaintances, then!

>>1055929

Just wish for broad ranging organic and biological and genetic manipulation superpowers with the appropriate skill and secondary powers needed to use them. That'll get you bigger boobs and more, besides! Also you'll be the world's best doctor.

You know, for a spooky shadow being that was eavesdropping on you, they're kinda cute and have a nice rack... At least you're meeting someone uniquely interesting, even if they're a little shy.

More seriously, ask about the scope and urgency of the wishes. Are they small, here and now, or farther reaching and need time to consider type of wishes? And if 'species' names are dangerous, what about names in general? No sarcastic wishes if you can help it, assume you only get 3.

If you're going to wish for extra height, a pair of sweater puppies, or something primarily cosmetic, and can't opt for a straight up super power like shapeshifting, why not go for a reusable 'character creator screen'? Have a bit of fun with the wish.
Consider wishes that will include/benefit your benefactor, so they're less inclined to screw you over either way, whether from emotional investment, or self interest.

"I wish for something amazing to happen. Seeing you is a good start, but I want to know the real inner-workings of things. My whole life I've spent just lazing around, waiting for nothing, I want something anything to happen. To see amazing things, to feel accomplished, and to live happily ever after in the end."

>>1055912
You did win a scratch off, which normally means you win some money, so it would make sense if you wished for a large amount of money.

>>1055951

Organic manipulation and readjustment powers are better than pure shapeshifting powers if you want to be in a form long term, and changing gradually is okay; you can tweak for your ideal form and permanently change into it and probably add cool features that you likely couldn't keep long term with a traditional shapeshifting power.

Hazel 2023/02/13(Mon)18:42 No. 1055981 ID: 481e64
File 167634252055.png - (327.24KB , 800x600 , YQ22.png )

>You know, for a spooky shadow being that was eavesdropping on you, they're kinda cute and have a nice rack.
I suppose I'm inclined to agree. That is a nice rack.

"What magical being are you, and why can't we talk about magical beings?"
She reveals herself from the shadows, appearing to be some sort of hobo ghost. The rack appears much less impressive than it did in the silhouette. Even so, that's at least one of my wishes granted for today. Something cool is happening."
>"I am a mythical Jackalope spirit, one of uh... generosity! I usually crash at this here lake, but I come out to pla- give things every so often! because I'm so generous and all."
"So why can't we talk about certain strange things."
>"Look, it's just a taboo, ok? you can talk about aliens, those are fine. just not the other stuff. Talking about the other stuff out loud can lead to bad things happening, ok? They know when you talk about them. Can we move on? I'm moving on."
"What if I wish for-"
>"I'm not telling you even if you wish for it. It's a rule – made It one, just now. Trust me - it's in both of our interests."
"I'm old enough to know! I'm tired of getting shushed."
>"People don't wanna talk about it because they barely know what's really out there and it's better they didn't. End of discussion. Anyway, three wishes! Woohoo!"
"We're frozen in time... did you do this?"
>"That's right. I can unfreeze it when I'm done going through all the specifics and introducing myself."
"Introductions huh? My name is Hazel. Who're you?"
>"Nashi. Nashi the Jackalope spirit - inhabitant of this lake."
"Nashi? That doesn't sound like a name from Michigan."
>"It's of Japanese origin. It means pear. I like peaches better but... whatever."

"Okay, so... when can I expect to start getting taller?"
>"All you need to say is 'I wish' and I can do the rest!"

"soooo... why'd you single me out and not my friend over there?"
>"Two reasons. First is that it's hard to divide three wishes between two people, and second is that you're the one who scratched the card."

"Are there things I can't wish for? are there costs? Do I need to make all the wishes now?"
>"You can't wish for infinite wishes, so let's just get that out of the way. As for costs? perhaps in a metaphorical sense, but nothing requiring payment. As for whether you need to make all the wishes now, I say take your time! I'm not busy after all. One more rule you should know about is that you can't make a wish that affects other living things without their permission. That should be it, pretty simple!"

"Is this a Monkey's Paw kinda scenario or something?"
>"What? Psssssh. Do you see any monkeys around here? nope. Nuh-uh. No monkey business going on around here."
"I'm still sceptical."
>"You're too paranoid, perhaps a wish could fix that?"
"I've seen many terrible B-rated movies, I know what it's all about."
>"I'm not a mind reader, I gotta do my best to interpret the wording of your wishes - Don't blame me for you not being specific enough. Let's keep things simple for now, yeah? Your wish is my command! What is your first wish!"

>You did win a scratch off, which normally means you win some money, so it would make sense if you wished for a large amount of money.
That's true that you can 'wish for a lot of money' but you can't 'lot of money a wish.' if that makes sense.

>wish for flight. That's a wish that can't really go wrong on its own, and flight is fun.
>Kinda sounds like you want to be able to fly, but also to bring your friends with you. Might require multiple wishes, or an alternate form that can already do that, like a dragon or a gryphon or something.
Wishing to be a dragon could make me a cool dragon and let me fly wherever I want!

>Consider wishing to have a sixth sense for where to find adventure.
Seems hard to monkey paw but also seems hard to define. I should formulate something clearer.

>Consider wishing for the ability to swiftly and safely travel where you want with others.
Like teleportation? I'll never have trouble getting out of bed ever again!

>Just wish for broad ranging organic and biological and genetic manipulation superpowers with the appropriate skill and secondary powers needed to use them.
Like some form of shape shifting? I wonder if that wish would be allowed seeing as it's essentially infinite wishes concerning physical form. If I went with that, I bet there would be necessary limitations. Maybe I could use the shape shifting wish to accomplish the 'turn into the dragon' wish?

>why not go for a reusable 'character creator screen'? Have a bit of fun with the wish.
That seems interesting. While I'm not unsatisfied with my appearance, I've sometimes wondered what other ways I could've looked like.

>"Well? What'll it be?"

Is it okay if we talk the wishes out? Like, I sort of describe what I'm thinking of, the caveats, some of the things I think would be cool to do and all that, and you tell me how many wishes it would use up? Cause otherwise we'll be here all day and my wish will be a gigantic paragraph of legalese starting with a 'Wheareas' that's a huuuuge run-on sentence.

Also, can you give me a rough idea of your power and versatility limits? Cause otherwise I'd totally wish for something that will turn the entire planet into a post-scarcity utopia where everyone can be whoever or whatever they want and do most whatever they want or something and no one has to die or suffer if they don't want to. Like if I wish for a starship, how badass and amazing could it be? If I wish for superpowers, how cosmic can those be? Stuff like that.

Seems like Hazel and Mire are stuck in the middle of nowhere with little chance to escape and live a new, exciting life. But it also risks that you both will split if one seeks for success outside N.Michigan.

If there's nothing to do in this dead-end town, perhaps wish that life in Northern Michigan can never be dull or boring, that every day is an adventure and friendships grow stronger as a result.

Before we make any wishes...

Have they granted any to other people before? What'd they wish for, and how badly did it go for them?

I wish you consider me your best friend forever, whom you trust and desire to help.

>>1055989

I don't think this is a good idea. We still need to talk about limits to things. One of the things we ask, 'Can the wish effect you? Would you do a wish that impacted your nature or desires or opinions or behavior?'

Okay, I wish my clothes would change size along with me! Then I wish I was way taller! The order is very important, there...

Yep it’s a monkey’s paw.

I wish you would go bother someone else.

What if I don't wish? Can we chill? Like, just talk. I mean getting to meet you is pretty cool and interesting in of itself and pretty much grants one wish for me already.
I don't think "I wish for you to be my friend." would be a nice thing to do though, you gotta earn friendship.
Do you play any instruments? Would you be willing to join a band? That's be pretty cool, a spirit playing the drums.

Otherwise I'd wish for insane constitution, like make it pretty much impossible for me to die by normal means and I never get sick. Make me super sturdy. Also mean's I could pull all-nighters for an entire week.

You can't wish for infinite wishes, but could you wish to be able to grant other people's wishes, if at least for shits and giggles? Like what she's probably doing.

Alternatively if you want adventure, you could wish for the ability to always find or do something interesting, adventurous, and/or entirely beneficial that may or may not involve supernatural hijinks whenever and wherever you wanted in such a way that it will never immediately endanger you and/or yours and also in such a way that you and/or yours will always have an out if you need it and then also it will never come at horrible unforeseen cost(s). Alternatively an infinite and endless risqué or more photo album of the cute ripped purple goat boy who doesn't wear shirts and smokes a pipe with pink smoke to show to Mire. You know, the essentials!

>>1055996
>>1055997

Can we, uh, not waste potential cosmic power? Like even if we're going to get screwed over, we have an obligation to try and... yaknow... fix things, don't we?

Wish to have the ability to turn into a bronze dragon and back, without destroying your clothes in the process.

>>1056012

A Dragon made of Bronze or a D&D Bronze Dragon?

And you can ask for shapeshifting and clothes alteration powers with the biological manipulation or something.

>>1055981
>Wishing to be a dragon could make me a cool dragon and let me fly wherever I want!
As long as you phrase the wish so that you can change to a dragon and change back to normal whenever you want with no risk of getting stuck in the dragon form.

>>1056012
A giant dragon or just a normal sized anthropomorphic dragon? Or both?

>>1055981
Wish to have D cup boobs because you don't want to be flat chested anymore!

She sounds bored, ask if she wants to come hang out with you and your friends tonight. Tell her you got beer and snacks.

On the topic of wishes, in addition to previous suggestion...

- Console Commands for Reality (except the only guide is a /help command)
- Character Editor Menu at will (for yourself, and/or willing others? Possibly could fall under Console Commands, aka /OP wish)
- Invite Bnuuy to Hang Out.

Don’t worry Nashi, I promise to use my third wish to set you free!

Hazel 2023/02/14(Tue)07:08 No. 1056051 ID: 481e64
File 167638733568.png - (381.47KB , 800x600 , YQ23.png )

"Can I talk some of these wishes out?"
>"Of course."
"Can you give me a rough idea of your power and versatility limits?"
>"I'm just a lesser forest spirit inhabiting a lake in northern Michigan, I'm afraid I cannot grant you the power to blow up the earth. That being said, I can do much to fulfil your physical and material desires. I also cannot effect the future much, but I can do my best to nudge things in particular directions."
"Like if I wish for a starship, how badass and amazing could it be?"
>"It won't be able to blow up a planet. What is your obsession with blowing up planets?"
"If I wish for superpowers, how cosmic can those be?"
>"I cannot make you any more powerful than myself. Though I figured that was obvious. Anything I can do, you could be able to do - only a wish away!"

"Have you granted any wishes to other people before? What'd they wish for and how badly did it go for them?"
>"I don’t do this kind of thing every day you know soooo... last time must’ve been over a hundred years ago. Some hunter boy who I gave a wish to in exchange for 'sparing me' heheh."
"What did he wish for?"
>"A love potion. To make a long story short he drank it by accident and fell in love with his reflection."
"How did that end?"
>"Not as bad as you'd think. Moral of the story? There's nothing wrong with a little self-love. Plus, I got to see a guy make out with a mirror."

"Could I wish for your friendship?"
>"Why? Are you desperate? Or do you just want someone you can bum free wishes off from time to time? Just don't throw any trash in the lake and I can assure you that we'll get along just fine without a wish."

"What if I don't wish? Can we chill? Like, just talk. I mean getting to meet you is pretty cool and interesting in of itself."
>"Don't wish? Surely not! Nobody gets a wish and just passes up on it! As for chilling and talking, I try to not get too attached to mortals. Try to understand my position - I see lots of people come and go. Being an immortal spirit is pretty comfy though, too bad someone like you will never understand.


"Do you play any instruments? Would you be willing to join a band?"
>"Hmmm. Only instrument I know how to play is the Theremin. I play frequently but haven't touched it in years."

"Could I wish for insane constitution? like make it pretty much impossible for me to die by normal means and I never get sick. Make me super sturdy. Also means I could pull all-nighters for an entire week."
>"You hate being a mortal that much huh? I won't say no but I wouldn't choose anything close to immortality if I were you."

"Don’t worry Nashi, I promise to use my third wish to set you free!"
>"Free? I'm already free! I love being a spirit because I get to have all the fun I want! and I don't smell bad if I don't bathe. No offense."

"You sound bored, want to come hang out with me and my friends tonight? We got beer and snacks."
>"Me? Hang out? eheh... I'm afraid I don't do that sort of thing. I'm a spirit, remember? This form limits me. When I am away from this lake, I am bound to one person only. To be able to hang out, I'd have to be physical, and I’m glad I’m not! I hear you guys need to worry about all sorts of things to avoid perishing.

"Can the wish effect you? Would you do a wish that impacted your nature or desires or opinions or behaviour?"
>"What? Uh... I'm actually not sure. Nobody has ever wished anything like that before to my knowledge. Probably... not? Don’t quote me on that. The rules only specify needing expressed consent from physical, living beings. I have no clue if that applies to me. Why?"

"Can I have the power to turn into a dragon and back?"
>"Of course, you can. If you want to be more specific it'd make my granting easier."
"A giant dragon or just a normal sized anthropomorphic dragon? Or both?"
>"Whatever you want!"
"What about shapeshifting? So, I can change my body however I want? Dragon included? And have it so my clothes don't tear?"
>"Absolutely. Some terms and conditions may apply, but that seems on the table. It's something I can do myself after all. Wanna be a dragon? boom. Wanna be taller? Boom! Insecure? Not anymore! easy as that."
"Hmmm. I don't know."
>"You're being very careful, aren't you? I'll tell you what. I don't usually do this for people but... I'll let you have one take-back if you aren't satisfied with one of your wishes. To clarify I'll remove the effect of a wish of your choosing, but I won't refund it. Do you accept that? If so, make your first wish."

Alright. Three Wishes. Please only grant the wishes when I again say 'Execute'.

Wish One: I wish for a broad suite of organic, biological, genetic, or otherwise 'manipulate the nature and structure of life' superpowers; the sort of thing that will let me and my family and friends ageless, let me grant myself raw talent and aptitude if not learned skill in anything, that will let me cure myself or anyone I want of any disease including things like cancer or diabetes, that will let me slowly give myself all the weird superpowers found in the animal kingdom like seeing heat or removing the need to sleep or regrowing limbs or various super senses and super speed or super perception, or all the actual reasonable ideas found in lots of books containing this or that type of sci fi super-soldiers, with the understanding that all of the changes are 'real' and take time to grow in 'normally', so that if the power or what's powering it ever turns off, that will let me make pearls or super spidersilk or saffron or other odd organic substances as I need to, whenever I need to make faaabulous clothes or super-armor or something for some cash or whatever, or make custom plants that can end hunger and be perfect fuels and building materials and medicines and the like, that all the improvements I've made function under the 'normal' laws of physics and the bigger boobs I gave myself over a few nights of growing them are actually bigger boobs, and of course the power has the associated skills, knowledge, and assumed 'support' powers to make it viable.

Wish Two: I wish for a broad shapechanging power, including size, mass, shape, material, volume, density, viability of forms, keeping my ability to function in implausible forms, and all that associated stuff, so if I want to 'poof' I'm a dragon I can poof I'm a dragon and then 'poof' back; or if I wanted to give myself bigger boobs with this power, I could adjust it actively in front of a mirror or something, whereas if I wanted to turn into a dragon that could fly with the power from wish number one, I'd have to slowly turn into a wyvern-looking thing that somewhat resembled a pterosaur cause it'd have to be physically and organically viable, but with this power, the magic helps sustain the form so I don't have to worry about dragons not actually reasonably being able to fly or whatever, but I would have an intuitive understanding of how much magic or whatever is fueling these forms to 'work' as they should, so this power would allow me to 'preview' and work out bugs or issues for using in the first power if I want to temporarily give myself experimental and weird stuff like, oh, organic radio manipulation powers or let my cells make laser light or something, and of course this power has the associated knowledge and skills, as well as the aforementioned secondary support powers to enable it to function.

Wish Three: I wish you'd have a deeper understanding of various sorts of empathy, reciprocal altruism, helpfulness, cooperation, thankfulness, and even the purely logical/rational bases for taking a cooperative stance with others, like from decision theory and iterated game theory and the like, than you currently have, and that you were also freed from any sort of unwanted geas or imprisonment or enslavement or similar restriction on your ability to act according to your wishes and desires.

Execute.

>>1056051
>>1056052

(fyi, I had posted my update before I realized you just posted yours, I may have to add tweaks)

if you could turn into a dragon, anthropomorphic dragon, and your normal self at well that could be pretty fun. Plus you could totally fuck with people by going dragon, letting them see you then when they run away go back to normal and act like you never saw anything strange.

Also I guess you could wish to be good at playing every musical instrument there is and really give that band idea a go.

I accept! Make that the big but still anthropomorphic kind of dragon. I like having hands! Wings might be cool though…

Wish for the ability to swiftly and safely travel where you want with others!

Wish for a sixth sense for adventure with an easily adjustable configuration!

Wish for Nashi to be able to hang with people while still being spiritual! If they wanna. That can be the takeback if they don’t. You get if they don’t want to get involved with mortals overmuch.

I wasn't thinking of a spaceship that could blow up the planet, though any true starship can render a planet uninhabitable by dropping rocks, and the canonical version of this ship could totally blow up the planet. I was thinking of a starship that could uplift the planet and everyone on it, which would be the abilities I'm more keen on being functional for it, like, oh, a Culture Mountain-Class General Contact Unit, with associated Mind of a helpful and keen to uplift disposition, as from the series of novels from Iain M. Banks. Could you make that?

>>1056054
>>1056056

Dude, wish for something less limited than to turn into a dragon, that also happens to give you the ability to turn into a dragon as a matter of course! Stop aiming so low!!

>>1056060
you're right, we could turn into 2 dragons!

"I wish for myself and my lineage to have the ability to breed any spirit."

If she gets offended, posit that while you are offering, there's two fox spirits in your town you were planning on dating.

>>1056052

For wish 2, add something like, 'this will allow implausible abilities like true dragon fire breathing, while wish 1, limited to plausible nature, would be limited to scalding superheated oil or something like that one beetle'. For wish 3, add 'morals and ethics and philosophy' to the list of things she gets a greater understanding of, and add the clause, 'including weird restrictions and constraints that you are not actively aware of' when discussing her limits.

I wish my friends and I will live happily ever after.

Regarding immortality, how carefully can you parse nuances for that? Like, the differences between things like not be subject to senescence from aging, having an extended lifespan, not being bothered by the passing of the years, being truly ageless, being hard to kill, being hard to permanently kill, being truly unchanging, and all the nuanced ways people have thought of what 'immortality' might mean? If I wish for one of the non horrible types of immortality, or the means to grant that to the entire species, what would you do?

Maybe you should not use all the wishes in one go? Just keep one so you can undo something in addition to the "take back", and if nothing go horribly wrong with the first two you can use the last one too.
Anyway, the "being able to turn into a dragon" one looks nice. Just make sure to ask to be able to turn back too, a size that's not too unpractical but not too small, fine control in your hands and the ability to talk in that form. And the ability to breath fire or a magical breath of some kind, because if you can't you're only a big flying lizard.
I think being able to turn into a set form is probably easier to use than being able to turn into anything, you only have to worry about learning to move in your new form. And if it does end up being a "be careful what you wish for" situation the consequences of being able to shapeshift into anything are probably a lot more horrific. I'm still not entirely sure if I trust that spirit.

>>1056065
Agreed. Just imagine what two of you could accomplish!

There IS a type of immortal that's okay. The type where you can die, and stay dead, like via violence, so that's always an option, and you can still learn and grow and change, but once you hit your physical prime, you are not subject to either senescence or death or sickness from old age. And then you use a different wish to help you be resistant but not immune to violent death and able to do stuff like regenerate limbs and not get cancer and whatnot. Or you give yourself the means to grant or remove your own immortality so you can tweak the parameters as needed.

>>1056051
Remember to add in some safties for any shape-shifting:

1.) Make sure you can't get stuck and will always be able to return to your original form whenever you want.

2.) You'll never be able to forget what your original form is supposed to be.

Alright, let's do this:
"I wish to possess a 'plot-sense' for what people, places, things, or imagined courses of action will lead to more excitement, that can discern between genres, so I can be the primary arbiter of what sorts of 'stories' I get roped into up here. Anything can happen down up north, after all. Anything."

"I wish to become an all-powerful shapeshifter - or at least one possessing the same upper and lower limits as you when it comes to size, power, toughness, agility, etcetera, but with failsafes to prevent me from zapping my own intelligence away or accidentally turning into something that immediately collapses in on itself and can't generally function, ya know? I guess if the rules of biology would no longer apply to me, that'd make me effectively ageless... but that's fine, since I'm only nigh-invincible when I want to be. See? Immortality is cool as long as death is still 'on the table' when I decide it's finally my time!"

"Can I give my third wish to Mire here, and also give her the option of extending one of my two wishes to apply to herself as well? (Also, please don't just interpret her words just now as her wish - I think we both know she wasn't being serious when she said she wished for a fish to bite.)"

Basically, this covers giving ourselves agency for what kind of nonsense we get ourselves into, an ability that can see us through most any situation we do choose to engage with that would normally be too dangerous or otherwise unmanageable, and doing unto Mire what she would have done unto us (with hopefully a bonus).

>>1056094

And you keep your capacity for thought, and can use all limbs or features without having to spend months re learning how to walk.. Really, any superpower needs a bunch of secondary powers and abilities and skills to make it work and not be horrible!

Hazel 2023/02/14(Tue)13:05 No. 1056101 ID: 481e64
File 167640872966.png - (318.16KB , 800x600 , YQ24.png )

I think I finally made up my mind that my first wish should be some kind of ability, and that ability should be some form of shapeshifting. There's still plenty of ideas I have for other wishes, but this one sounds safe for now I will refrain from wishing for everything all in one go. I think the other two should be reserved for something more generalized and the other to be something for my friends. Mire wouldn't be very happy if she knew I had three wishes and didn't consider her!

>I wish my friends and I will live happily ever after.
Even without the wishes I feel like this outcome is probable. Perhaps I'm thinking to naïvely.

"Can I give my third wish to Mire here, and also give her the option of extending one of my two wishes to apply to herself as well?"
>"I'm saying yes to the former and a ‘depends’ on the latter."

"I've decided. I wish to be able to shapeshift my form in the same upper and lower limits as you when it comes to size, power, toughness, agility, etcetera, with the safeties in place to ensure that I cannot get stuck and will always be able to return to my original form whenever I want, that I'll never be able to forget what my original form is supposed to be, that I keep my capacity for thought, that I can use all my limbs or features without having to spend time learning or relearning those functions and that transformations be instant or gradual based on my choosing. Oh, and also my clothes shift with me and don't get torn up resulting in me being both nude and embarrassed."
>"Trying to prevent all the monkey paw potential, eh? As expected! Alright, your wish is granted!"

She snaps her fingers and slowly folds her index downwards.

...

"Did it work?"
>"You tell me!"
"Um... okay... how does it work?"
>"Give a verbal command. Just say what you want to be, and you'll become it. Go ahead, give it a spin! After you're nice and comfortable with being able to use it, I will return time to normal."

“By the power of Greyskull, I am now big and tough enough to stand up to Koara!”

"Big strong jackalope spirit!"

Adorable Small Fairy Dragon Form.

Make sure to check with her that if you are in a form without spoken speech, that you have a known means to change forms!

Form of: Rokoa!

Before you command, the safeties thing implies that you'll be able to talk regardless of form... Unless it changes somehow?

Okay, form of, an idealized/peak mortal version of yourself? (Pressumably 'older', taller, a bit more model/olympian-esque, just a general badass) Might learn a little bit about your own self image, and/or what your future self might hold. Plus if it's secretly a one and done thing, there are worse things to be.
Then, Dragon Up!

Sounds like the wishes are generally more fanciful, based on how that self love one went. Also, a boy making out with himself would be interesting, but it's a little surprising he opted for a mirror when the water is right there.

At some point be sure to try: "Me, but with all the physical ailments I'm not necessarily aware of fixed, much better baseline fitness, and with slightly bigger boobs!"

>>1056104
Supporting that one.
You should also check that you don't transform involuntarily when you speak the name of something but don't intend to transform into it, just to be safe.

Big strong dragon form! As big as it goes!

Could try out having a nice rack yourself, as Nashi makes it look good. Start reasonable though.

>>1056112
This. Getting rid of any unknown aches, pains. and illnesses is a superpower unto itself, plus improved fitness/physique is a no brainer. Boobs would be fun too.

>>1056118

Ya check and see if the aches you didn't know you had because you forgot what it felt like to not have them come back when shifting back to your default form, too!

>>1056102
You are now Koara but embarrassed as @#$%.

turn into a Wendigo, surely this won't have consequences

Say “Become a physically perfect version of myself, but without altering my facial features.” As mentioned elsewhere, this is the best outcome if you only get one.

Then, think the words: “Hulk out of my clothes to become a bipedal half-dragon, as strong and tough as I can make myself without outgrowing the treeline.” This tests to see if nonverbal transformations are possible, while also letting you indulge in a transformation you can’t really get away with outside of time stop (with one line at the end to minimize witnesses if Nashi cheekily unpauses right then).

Then (regardless if the last command works), say “instant undo” with the intent to return to your prior form. (And will some clothes back on if that doesn’t automatically do it.)

“Hey, I’m pretty sure the laws of biology no longer apply to me. Is that true, and does this mean I no longer age in a way I can’t shift away? If I don’t, that’s fine; agelessness and potential nigh-invincibility that I can turn off whenever I feel it’s my time is pretty much ideal, come to think of it.

>Slowly folds one finger down
Aw no, it did the monkey paw!

>give it a spin
Adorable Small Fairy Dragon Form, obvs. That's clearly more exciting than pretending to be someone else. Plus, if that appendment regarding your clothes at the end there didn't work you at least won't shred or stretch them or anything.

>Save your wishes for something general
Being able to swiftly and safely travel wherever you wanna go with your friends is a pretty good wish!

>One for Mire
Agreed!

>>1056101
Try changing into Mire, but you keep your fur color.

>>1056106
I believe that falls under one of the safeties of "Not getting stuck in a form". So even if we do change into a form without spoken speech, we shouldn't have to worry about being stuck.

But just in case, we should double check with our wish granting buddy.

Become Bnuuy + Drgn combo

Embrace the NOODLE, E L O N G A T E

>>1056112
Supporting this. For all we know we could have a predisposition to cancer or something we don't know about. Better be safe than sorry.

Do you have a mechanism for making selected shapechanges permanent in a meaningful way? What happens to your 'normal' body when your power is active?

>>1056106
>in form without spoken speech, that you have a known means to change forms!
>>1056129
>falls under one of the safeties of "Not getting stuck in a form".
Sounds like we'll always be able to speak, no matter what form we're in.

Turn your breasts into giant toasters, stuff some bread, have them eject the moment the time-stop ends.

>>1056159

Maybe we save the beep-boop robot form for later, AFTER the dragon form?

Adding onto my previous suggestion...

Ideally keep two wishes banked for later, especially if this one has some undesirable side-effects. Or if Godzilla decides to visit town for some reason. (If Genies exist, does Santa? The Queen of England!?!?)

Also try mimicking our new bnuuy friend, and before time resumes...


Mimic Mire, but with solid white eyes, become Mirebrine.

Something Something "i am your twin sister ooOOOOooo" :V

>>1056175
Well, honestly, I get the impression that Godzilla would be in for a rude awakening if he tries to step to this town. Heck, there's decent odds that we could go toe-to-toe with him as an individual, now!

And yeah, when time (along with Hazel) returns to normal, we immediately give Mire our second wish.

"Ah- Wait, is it no big deal that we currently have a third party across the lake to witness us, or is that something you've taken that into account already?"

>>1056101
Out of curiosity, ask if she can tell you if she's granted wishes to anyone else recently? It'd be interesting to run into someone that also wished for powers or something like that.

1/3 Hazel 2023/02/15(Wed)16:40 No. 1056209 ID: 481e64
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"Without further ado... I'll turn into a dragon! an eastern - no - western one! that can breathe fire and has those bendy legs. And have the form be as big as it gets!"

In a flash and through a plume of magic smoke and glittery stuff, I emerge as a real dragon! Just like I asked for!

"Woaaaah! Check me out! I even got the bendy legs and everything!"
>"Looks like you got the hang of it quick."
"Is this... as big as I get?
>"Your transformative abilities are equal to mine, so yes. Is that a problem?"
"I won't complain, I'm at least double the size as I was before! And look at these wings - think I can fly with them?"
>"I've never seen a lizard fly but there's a first for everything. Why? Is there a local village you want to burn down or a nearby hoard of gold?"
"No way - I wanna be a good dragon! One that everyone loves and gets autographs from! Dude, check out my tail! It's sooooo long! My neck, too!"
>"You didn't just want to be a dragon, did you?"
"Of course not! Watch this!"

I proceed to transform into a fairy - then a dragon fairy - then a looooong dragon fairy. I turn into Koara! then Nashi! Then a dragon again!
>"You're a natural! let's see what else you can do."

2/3 Hazel 2023/02/15(Wed)16:40 No. 1056210 ID: 481e64
File 167650805487.png - (292.89KB , 800x600 , YQ26.png )

I turn to Mire to get an idea for my next transformation.

>Try changing into Mire
That could be interesting... Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery after all.

>robot form
Oooh like that movie with the - wait! what if...

CYBORG MIRE

Ok here we go.

I approach Mire of dimension C-4891

"GREETINGS - I AM M1R3: MODEL T-798 PLUS 2, AKA YOU FROM THE FUTURE. I AM HALF LIFEFORM - HALF MACHINE. BEEP BOOP! heheh."

Mire would be so psyched if she could see this right now.

"COME WITH ME IF YOU WANT TO GET TO ZEE CHOPPER! BEEP BOOP! YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN LEAD THE DRUNK DRIVING RESISTANCE."

>"Is there a dorky reference I'm not getting?"

"Y-yeah. beep boop."

3/3 Hazel 2023/02/15(Wed)16:41 No. 1056211 ID: 481e64
File 167650807770.png - (301.71KB , 800x600 , YQ27.png )

>Okay, form of, an idealized/peak mortal version of yourself? (Presumably 'older', taller, a bit more model/olympian-esque, just a general badass)
>Me, but with all the physical ailments I'm not necessarily aware of fixed, much better baseline fitness.

"Let me try something... How about me, but like, an idealized version of myself? healthier, taller, stronger? No physical ailments and a body that I'd get if I were some kinda athlete."

A wait around for a moment. Did anything happen?
"Did it work?"
>"Yeah. At least - I'm pretty sure it did? It's hard to tell honestly. Your hoodie is hiding everything. I... think you got taller? It's hard to tell because your clothes seem to accommodate any sort of physical change."
"Oh. yeah, I guess there isn't much point to shapeshifting myself a set of rock hard abs if I wear a baggy hoodie that'll just end up covering it. Though on the bright side – I feel great! "

>"Anything else you wanted to do to alter your form?"
>Could try out having a nice rack
"Oh yeah! I know what I want! A nice rack!"

I suddenly feel a large weight brought down on my neck.

"h-huh? hey! this isn’t what I meant! I wanted a rack to hold all my guitars that I was gonna shapeshift into existence! "
>"AHAHAHAHAHAH![i/] That really [i]is a nice rack!"
"It's not funny! this thing is really heavy!"
>"I bet it is! I bet it's giving you all sorts of back problems! I can't help but be envious though, your rack is way bigger than mine! I bet you'll make all the deer boys jealous! AHAHAHAH!"
>"Y-you! I didn’t ask for this… This is one of those monkey paws, isn't it!? You tricked me!"
"It was bound to happen eventually. No wish is watertight... not without wish lawyers. good luck going up against mine though. I must say, it feels so satisfying seeing you slip up after how careful you tried to be!"
"You're awfully cheeky towards someone who still has two wishes left!"
>"Awww. You still haven't caught on yet, huh? AHAHAHAH! - Nah I shouldn't say. I want to keep having fun with you. Or would you like to wake up?

"If this is a dream sequence, i am going to be PEEVED at you, missie. Peeved, i tell you!"

Do NOT take back. If she gets Mire to casually wish for a meteor to strike your town...

But in case you do have a wish remaining... hm...

Wish for the ability to 'capture' events in history: you will retain ripple-effect proof memory of the events you have rewritten. However, you may only capture a limited number of events at any time, which may improve with training, and the events will attempt to restore themselves, which can be overcome with training, and you will require more slots to hold events that happened in the distant past proportional to the ratio between the time since the event happened and the amount of time you have existed, which can be made efficient with training. If you manage to hold onto an event for a sufficiently long period, it will fade out of existence and only you will remember what you did. This ability cannot affect the following, which are now fixed points in relation to this ability: >>1055910, >>1056101, and this post.

End time stop, undo your rack wish.

wait, you mean I feel asleep? ahh, guess that would explain how all this is happening. On the bright side though I do think this is the first time I every got to experience lucid dreaming so that was kind of cool.

"I mean, am I really trapped? But absolutely nothing's stopping me from just shapeshifting the antlers away, right? Revert to previous form!"

"... Wait, what did you mean when you said 'wake up?' Is this all a dream, and none of this is actually happening? I'm not gonna request what you just suggested, by the way - you could be trying to trick me with that."

>>1056211
Okay, so, the problem with the wish is that you shapeshift by saying things, which means it can activate when you don't want it to, and might not interpret things correctly. That's fine though, you can just shapeshift back every time. The negative part of the wish has no lasting effects, so it's just an awesome superpower that's kindof annoying sometimes.
Interesting that the shapeshifting allows you to manifest equipment along with it.

You didn't say you wish for the nice rack so it didn't count, no need to undo that. We can unfreeze time and let Mire have a wish.

One last experiment with shapeshifting powers (especially if this is just a dream and you dont have any really)...

Can you turn into a slime, and/or even become SEVERAL Hazels/split apart (without horrible agony)? Or does the shapeshifting only allow for a single object?

Here's what you have to do. You have to stop trying to lawyer the rack thing and embrace the fun of it, to laugh at the prank as well. DON'T be indignant. Start talking about how this rack is amazing and your amazing new neck muscles are totally up to the task of keeping it up!

No need to add more wishes, for now. Just enjoy playing around with your existing powers, and laughing at the silly amusing things that happen, and honestly, genuinely thank the spirit for helping you take a load off.

But yea, time to be a dragon! You aren't going to give up your chance to be a dragon. You probably have limited time in this layer of reality, and even if she messes with you, it's WORTH IT to try and be a dragon!

>>1056246
This is a fine plan

Remember. Lean into it, enjoy it. Ask for a mirror so you can check out your amazing rack, but not as a wish. Maybe hug her thanks.

Oh! Right! "Transform my self to one of those beautiful antlered Chinese dragons, making sure to keep the amazing rack!"

You are a spirit of mischief instead of generosity, right?

To be honest, despite that, you are pretty fun and you DID give me cool powers.

Wanna hang out again after the wishes are over? Also, why do you have a Japanese name if you are from Michigan?

Dragon Hazel is cute. Though, every form of Hazel is cute, it seems.
Staying 'asleep' sounds better for the moment. Even if this turns out to be just a dream, and you've wasted/never had those wishes, even just hanging out with Nashi has been exciting and worth it. Just take care not to use any wishes accidentally, and enjoy how things are going, have fun while you can.
And maybe tease/rib Nashi a little: your rack might even be big enough to catch some other antlered spirits' attention, but she's gotta know, size isn't all it's cracked up to be.

>Antlers
And away they go again! That is a pretty funny downside, buuut you could probably cancel it out by saying any transformation will be suuuper slow unless you state otherwise!

>Or should I wake you up?
Pff, I want to keep having fun with you too, trickstery nature aside. This is too lucid to just be some dream! Even if it is one. Though you suppose you should wake up and speak with Mire soon if time actually is passing.

>Haven’t caught on yet
>I want to be a good dragon
>I want a big rack
Uh. So would any expression of desire have counted as a wish?

Hm. Nah. Must just be the ‘it was all a dream’ thing. If you’d wished to be a beloved dragon the idealized self transformation would’ve revealed it. Since your self would then have been a dragon! Unless your ideal self wasn’t a dragon even if you were one. Dang. You made things really complicated with your first wish, didn’t you?

>More transformations
Before you wake turn into a spirit like them and boop them on the nose. Spirits can touch spirits, right? Dream logic!

Then hug them and thank them for raising your spirits today. Whatever else they did, this was a fun and exciting aside. They’re welcome in your dreams any time, if they wanna. Unless they make a real nuisance of themselves!

Let's keep having fun! I could be a jackalope, or a slime or a giant... I wish that I'll remember this when I wake up, dream memories can be fuzzy sometimes.

>>1056211

>Would you like to wake up
Awww ... that's no fun. Way to be a dick about it. Maybe we'll even rescind that offer to hang out and have a few beers with us and Mire.

But for real, though, mean tricks aside, this HAS been pretty cool, except for the moose-antlers. Time to go back to normal, but maybe faff around a bit more. It's not every day you get to meet a weird jackalope spirit-of-the-lake who's actually willing to talk to you.

I'd like to point out that the spirit specifically said that in order to wish for something, you had to say "I wish".

>>1056211
Honestly! Pretty funny. This is kinda like a nice rack, and even if this is some how a dream, its at least a fun one we can hopefully remember.

>>1056211
>dream
That explains why we had to give a verbal command in order to transform. She needed to hear what we wanted to be in order to change our appearance for us.

1/2 Hazel 2023/02/16(Thu)18:14 No. 1056308 ID: 481e64
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I revert to my original form as nothing is really stopping me from doing so.

"I'm sure there were antlered animal spirits around here who'd have liked to see that."
>"I don't have a lot of spirit friends to invite over. I guess we don't really see eye to eye. Also, most of them are more powerful than me - that's certainly a contributing factor."

"So, the downside of this wish is that it sometimes misinterprets what I ask for and can sometimes activate when I don't want to? Seems like I can easily just revert back. It's a good ability that's a little annoying at times."
>"You're not wrong. but the bigger catch is that your wishes are still only as capable as I am, and I can't do much in the physical world. The bigger catch is that you can't shapeshift outside of the dreamworld."
"Wait, did you mean to say that I fell asleep?"
>"Since you were close to the lake, I was able to get you and your friend to fall asleep, yes. This is the best place I can interact with the living as I'm not really one of those spirits that is able to inhabit the physical world."
"Guess that would explain how all this is happening. On the bright side I do think this is the first time I ever got to experience lucid dreaming so that was kind of cool."
>"While this is all in your head, I'm the one in control of things... most things. I can't stop you from pinching yourself and waking up. I'm guessing you don't want to take the wish back?"
"Not a chance!"

>But yea, time to be a dragon! You aren't going to give up your chance to be a dragon. You probably have limited time in this layer of reality, and even if she messes with you, it's WORTH IT to try and be a dragon!
Time to dragon up. This time I ask to be a dragon with fur, a fluffy dragon one might say.

"Even if it wasn't real, I thank you for helping me take a load off. This whole experience was fun and amusing."
>"H-huh? I wasn't expecting that. You're not mad?"
"Nah. Easy come easy go. I don't need wishes to be happy."
>"You still have a couple more though, even if they are only valid in limited capacities."

>hug her as thanks.
Partially to show my gratitude and partially to see if I can actually touch her, I lean in for a hug and wrap my arms around her while in my fluffy dragon form.
>"Uh... What're you doing?"
"A hug."
>"I uh... don't really do those. I cannot feel this, I'm a spirit, remember?"
"You're missing out - there's nothing better than a nice, warm hug."
>"Describing warmth to me is like describing color to a blind person. The way you flesh bags accept the way you exist weirds me out, it must be so cumbersome. "

"Want to hang out after this?"
>"I cannot. I'm only able to exist through dreams and to a minor extent places around this lake. For the most part, I am bound here."
"Can't you turn yourself physical? just for a day?"
>"I've been saving up magic for centuries and barely have enough to affect any of the physical world. I could only reasonably grant one or two physical world wishes and I'm not wasting either on becoming 'alive.' which is overrated by the looks of it."

>does the shapeshifting only allow for a single object?
I try splitting into multiples but cannot seem to be able to do so. Looks like there can only be one Hazel - not that I have a problem with being so unique.

>"Well, uh, this has been fun. I'll let you go for now - but don't forget that you still have a couple dream wishes left."
"Well ok. I'll see you again then."
>"Yeah, maybe."

2/2 Hazel 2023/02/16(Thu)18:14 No. 1056309 ID: 481e64
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With a snap of her fingers, I wake up laying on the soft long grass by the lake. I look around and see Mire beside me. It appears she also fell asleep.

Did... any of that really happen? Is there really some spirit dream world which I just entered and had three wishes given to me? Can I really shapeshift now?

"I wanna be a dragon!... riiiight... now!..."
Nothing seems to happen. I guess it really was all just a dream. I look over at the scratch card to see that it remains unscratched.

I stand up and stretch. By the looks of things, the sun is at the very top of the sky meaning it must be around noon. I start picking things up to return them to the truck. I look over the grass and peer into the lake. In the lake I notice something. It's Nashi, smiling and holding up two fingers.

I now know why people don't talk about the supernatural, nobody would believe me if I ever said anything about this.

We can probably think of more wish uses that are practical to use in a dream. Like being able to share the dreamspace with other people sleeping by the lakeside, or seeing visions of things happening later that day (like lotto numbers!).
Wake up Mire and ask if they had a good nap.

There is only one thing to do: we must find someone who can give Nashi a body so she can hang out and be our friend!

Probably the aliens we will be seeing tonight.

huh, well that was cool. wave back and make a mental note to come back here some time. As for what to do next, you said it was starting to get dark? Guess now would be a good time to start heading out to the field like you were planning on doing.

Yeah, dreamworld powers can still be useful, like prophetic dreams or traveling into others' dreams... or even, time dilation inside the dream so that you can "live" longer, even if it's just to learn new things. Like, imagine if you could learn a new language in your sleep, or something like that! ...then there's the possibility of ensuring you live on in dreams after death. Like, sure "immortality is a curse" but dreams are not like the waking world; there is no constant weight of past memories and traumas, there is no seeing your friends die of old age, there is no looming threat of having to endure the end of all things.
Though, I wonder if maybe she can grant wishes that can affect the physical world? She stated that your shapeshifting only worked in the dream because *her* shapeshifting works like that. Next time you gotta ask if any wishes can affect the physical world.

Wish for the ability to enter the dreamscape at will!

One potential wish...

Wish for her to have more power? :V

This can, of course, go TERRIBLY wrong, but not out of the question...

So this spirit thinks she can't do a lot in the physical world.

However, I think she isn't QUITE considering exactly how much she CAN do, probably because that stuff is 'normal' to her, due to her nature. Here are some possible things that she can do which might somewhat impact the real world, which you can't:

-Bond her soul/identity/whatever/spirit to some large living body of water, so her body is essentially the reservoir, and not in a squishy and vulnerable meatsack, and this form of her has at least an extreme form of longevity compared to you!
-Enter the dreams of others, and communicate with them at a distance, or at least without 'speaking' audibly. THIS IS A FORM OF TELEPATHY, albeit not the most direct one! Think of what you could do to those that are 'locked in' with this!
-Enable others to remember their dreams, and force them to be lucid dreams, and not just that, but force a bit more capacity for reasoning than is common in even lucid dreams! She may even be able to enable odd directed sorts of cognition in dreams! Possibly useful for enabling certain forms of creativity and problem solving, maybe even skill gain!! This might be used to help with various mental health issues, or possibly snap people out of comas!! She can even, apparently, permanently induce changes in the patterns of how others dream! She could help cure people with PTSD!!
-She can probably manipulate the environment of a dream beyond what even experienced lucid dreamers can do.
-Gather and store and use and manipulate 'mana', which is probably some sort of novel energy source of some sort
-She has some sort of perception at a distance, if only in a limited range around her lake
-She may have some sort of ability to adjust the cognition and behavior of animals within her lake or something like that
-She can force those near her lake to fall asleep, and enter a dreaming state
-If some sort of 'dreamscape' or 'dream realm' exists, like are in several religions or mythologies, she no doubt has access to it
-She can grant at least some of these abilities to others, apparently without extreme expenditure of her own power!

ANY of these things would make a wonderful wish for you to ask of her!

>>1056314
This sounds good, and you get to use your dream powers! Have dream adventures and such!

>>1056320

Oh! She might be able to see the future, or even just have an intuitive understanding of events that take place around bodies of water similar to her, or if not true future sight, some very good probabilistic modeling that she can sort of do intuitively or something. Honestly, you don't know WHAT weird or cool mental abilities a Genius Loci has that she could permanently grant you which might help your waking self, even if the abilities only take place in your dreams or in odd dreamlike trance states!

>wish suggestions
We probably shouldn't immediately use our 2nd wish. Let's at least think it over for a bit before we make a decision. We've gotta make it count, since we'll be giving the 3rd one to Mire.