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1025593 No. 1025593 ID: eedbeb

Previous Thread: https://questden.org/kusaba/questarch/res/1018817.html
Wiki: https://questden.org/wiki/Stare_At_Explosions

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tippler

Your name is Body Lewis and you're about to celebrate your 8th birthday.
373 posts omitted. Last 50 shown. Expand all images
>>
No. 1030800 ID: c92a02

Good job, Selene!
Help Evelyn, then upgrade. Evelyn will hopefully still be sympathetic to your more harsh language and now direct methods. Spend your remaining money on buying out the condo - it's hers to live in or rent out as she pleases, now - and hack the mainframe to get Evelyn her license. Better to hack first and figure out who was blocking it later.
>>
No. 1030803 ID: ce39da

>>1030800
Yeah, this seems good, but do check to see if the problem didn't solve itself in the wake of Sobek's death and Selene's secured victory, first.
>>
No. 1030823 ID: e5709d

Concentrate on Toughness and Evelyn this month. In your remaining time, your primary focus should be on the self-propulsion system and dealing with Jadis, possibly by keeping her stuffed in your compartment and blasting off.
>>
No. 1030832 ID: 93072d

>The recently deceased crocodile’s bad luck is usually only seen from kitsune government agents.
Pfft!
Love this quest.

Let's focus on keeping track of Jadis' activities and finding out who is the jerk that's annoying your friends.
>>
No. 1030843 ID: eedbeb
File 165133139184.png - (120.98KB , 500x500 , p106.png )
1030843

>Action 1: Get Evelyn her license and find out who was behind blocking it
>Action 2: Finish Toughness upgrades

You’re practically buzzing with the drive to finish Evelyn’s goal. You’d put it in the top 3 most important things ever in your life and every second you aren’t addressing it you’re filled with rage.

A quick trip back to the licensing office, where the receptionist flinches but doesn’t try to beat you up and the flounder shakily informs you she still can’t give Evelyn a fishing license, does not help this boiling feeling.

Evelyn can’t understand why you’re so upset. The tall cat is very cautious with her words so that she doesn’t start you on an angry tirade against Sobek. The seeds of fear you planted in the office several months ago are growing, and it pains you to see that Evelyn is putting emotional distance between you.

How do you find the person responsible for this mess?
A. Summon Sobek’s soul to interrogate (+0.5 Hunger)
B. Ask for the person to come forward to tell the truth without repercussion (50% of success)
C. Put Lita and Truffle on the case (They’ll find out by the end of month 10)
>>
No. 1030844 ID: e51896

A
Try and get amswers from him on who is preventing Evelyn from fishing, or threaten to reincarnate him as a homeowner's blade of grass if he doesn't give an answer and suffer the evil lawn mower painfully cutting him each week and getting stepped on now and then.

...

Actually, C. That way we can do other actions, like make a Body clone containing your memories for our friends to hang out with next month before we leave earth (without having god powers of course)
>>
No. 1030853 ID: 34dfce

>>1030844
>Body clone
That's actually not a bad idea. Then we could quietly leave before we do something we will regret.
>>
No. 1030857 ID: 96c896

>>1030843
A. Oh right you can just mindread him can't you? He's already dead, who cares about the sanctity of his mind.
>>
No. 1030858 ID: e5709d

A. You already orchestrated Sobek's death for threatening your friends and starting a war. There's not much worse you can do to him at this point even though you really want to, may as well mindrip all his secrets before he's devoured by the Hail Mary.
>>
No. 1030869 ID: c92a02

C. Your intensity is harmful to Evelyn's goals and is not inducing her to pursue them. Work on other stages of the problem or pursue other projects.
>>
No. 1030881 ID: e51896

Reading the other posts, I think I'll switch to A.
>>
No. 1030883 ID: 93072d

Why not doing B and also C in case it don't work?
>>
No. 1030886 ID: eedbeb
File 165137014555.png - (89.17KB , 500x500 , p107.png )
1030886

>A
Some increasingly small part of you is aware you’re acting intense. You’re far outside the normally accepted amount of effort for doing your friend a minor favor.

And you’re not going to stop now! You’ll finish that goal or destroy the world trying. That’s the leadership mentality of a young god and you’re very proud of your ability to get things done.

Sobek is recently dead, so his soul should still be swirling around the Recycler instead of being freshened up and stuck as a blank in some animal baby. You’re going to have a little chat with him.

That translates to extracting all the memory data from his soul. You don’t even bother talking, just mind rip all the good stuff out and consume the excess energy, which helps you break even on the extraction cost. There’s still too much information to comprehend, so you search for the relevant details in slow manual review of the crocodile’s life experience of the past few months. Finally you stumble across a memory with the right key words.

Sobek is having a glass of brandy with a familiar ox, Bruce. You bristle when you realize they’re talking about you, and how they think you’re unstable.

“I have Saul under control, but I’m concerned about Ms. Lewis.” Sobek murmurs to Bruce. “We should keep as many of her vulnerable friends within reach as possible if we need leverage.”

“I agree. I’ll see what I can do about getting Evelyn Shade’s fishing license delayed.”

“Why does she need a fishing license?” Sobek asks, confused. You don’t stick around for the explanation.
>>
No. 1030887 ID: eedbeb
File 165137015598.png - (87.85KB , 500x500 , p108.png )
1030887

Bruce! It was the third mobster all along, playing both sides so he’d come out on top whoever won. Oh, you’re very upset by this betrayal, but you’re already planning to use your second action for more upgrades, so it’ll have to wait.

You’re frothing mad by the time Saul and Mary can meet with you in your apartment. They’re doing disgusting lovey dovey stuff like gnawing on each other’s fingers and you tell them to cut that out right away or you’ll extract all the energy from their satellite bodies to become even more powerful.

“Gee, is it that bad already? You still have 8 sanity.” Saul remarks.

“It is good for our child to assert herself.” Mary says firmly. “If she is able then she is welcome to consume us.”

Hunger prices have gone up again in preparation for your last or second to last upgrade.

A. Advanced Space Warping Abilities: 2-in-1 propulsion method and toughness upgrade. +1 Toughness, +6 Hunger

B. This Isn’t Even My Final Form: Your physical body is no longer the real you, instead you’re stored in an inaccessible alternate dimension location. No cosmetic change. +2 Toughness, +7 Hunger

C. Wild Space: Put some crazy shit in here! +2 Toughness, +8 Hunger
>>
No. 1030888 ID: ce39da

Assuming that 7 isn't some arbitrary cutoff for bad stuff happening, and we'll have sufficient mobility, either way, then B is the most efficient choice by far.
>>
No. 1030889 ID: c92a02

A. Oh right, you do need some way of getting between planets don't you. The next and last hunger expenditure's gonna be the big one.
>>
No. 1030890 ID: 96c896

>>1030887
Turn off Selene's boost. The situation is stabilizing, you found the other traitor, and you need that energy. With our income going back to 2.5, we'll be fine after spending 7 energy.

B.
>>
No. 1030891 ID: 34dfce

Fuck it.

C. Become Eldritch Horror and consume all of our friends so they are always a part of us and never leave.
>>
No. 1030897 ID: e5709d

>>1030887
I'm creeped out now.

Oh, and choose C. You are now a bloated, floating hunk of steel with a gooey, oversexualized center that pops out when you get horny.
Oh, and the center generates a toxic-but-useful chemical which can be ignited to propel yourself out of the stratosphere.
Hm... not weird enough... centaur form, add giant hands that turn into eyeballs when you clench your fists and a waist so thin it's literally contained within a controlled black hole. Your head is now a set of golf clubs that sprout tentacles to form a face.
>>
No. 1030902 ID: 93072d

B makes me think of old-school Planeswalker stuff, and I'm all for it, baby!

(Also, I don't want her to end up eating her friends)
>>
No. 1030933 ID: eedbeb
File 165143268815.png - (106.51KB , 500x500 , p109.png )
1030933

>B
You have a high-pitched growl in your throat the whole time you’re casting the spell, just daring Mary and Saul to smooch each other in your presence. When the spell is complete you feel a little strange and have to get used to controlling your quadruped physical body from a slight distance, like playing a third-person view video game.

“You’re going to be extra hangry, so you might want to leave next month.” Saul recommends.

“I still have an unfinished goal.” you snap.

He raises his hands in a placating motion. “Up to you, up to you. That’s just my advice.”

Month 10:
Sanity: 5/20 (-3, you are unbelievably pissed)
Hunger: 6.5/10 (-1.5)
Toughness: 10/10
AFA: 5/10

Your interpersonal interactions are now shit. If you don’t leave this month (by using an action to get some means of shooting yourself into space), you’ll force yourself to complete the Evelyn goal the following month, no matter the consequences.

Reminder that your abilities can be found here if you’d like to take an action to alter any of them: https://questden.org/wiki/Stare_At_Explosions/Log
>>
No. 1030936 ID: e51896

action 1. Bruce is part of the GIA. Lita and Truffle is also our loyal followers and also part of the GIA. So order Lita and Truffle to get Bruce to stop preventing Evelyn from getting her license already!

action 2. modify your body to add a rocket propulsion to leave this planet already.
>>
No. 1030938 ID: ce39da

... Think about it for a second: When we go away, so does the reason behind Evelin's problem.

> ACTION 1
Cut off support to Selene and binge-consume electricity to get our hunger down for...

> ACTION 2
Modify your body to 1: Move through space, and 2: Satiate itself in a way that doesn't rely on animal-made electricity storing/transporting structures that you won't find in space.
>>
No. 1030939 ID: c92a02

Action 1: Make Bruce's house hover ominously three feet off the ground. No other change. Put a post-it on the door that says 'Fishing license.'
Action 2: Let's go to space! Try just jumping to the moon. Put an unearthly amount of force between those legs, an minimum of mass at a maximum of toughness into that robo-Bod, and let's jump into orbit from a nice isolated hill.
>>
No. 1030941 ID: 96c896

>>1030938
-3 sanity
Oh, I didn't know low AFA affected sanity too.

Go talk to Bruce. Tell him to give Evelyn her license or else he'll suffer a fate worse than death. If he refuses then we can use an action to force the issue.

Then get some space propulsion and go.
>>
No. 1030943 ID: 93072d

Go to Bruce's home and turn him into a tiny newt for one week.
Tell him you are gonna do worse if he doesn't leave your friends alone.
>>
No. 1030945 ID: eedbeb
File 165144273026.png - (164.36KB , 500x500 , p110.png )
1030945

>Hunger
If you were planning to cast some big spells or stick around longer, you’d want to lower your hunger, but at the moment harvesting more energy or canceling your support of Selene takes an action you can’t spare. Once you get to space Big Saul and Big Mary will feed you.

>Action 1: Talk to (threaten) Bruce
It occurs to you that if you left the planet, Bruce would have no incentive to keep denying Evelyn her fishing license. Hm, but then he’d probably forget he even blackmailed the flounder in the first place and your poor friend would be doomed to her lesser existence as a normal functioning member of society. You simply must do something about this.

Bruce is surrounded by irrelevant coworkers like the governor when you charge into his office. The ox picks up the nearest flagpole in an impressive display of strength and attempts to run you through, on primal fear instinct. The grotesque robot cat is knocked over and wiggles its legs sadly in the air.

A. Threaten Bruce with a fate worse than death unless he emails the flounder right fucking now (80% success)

B. Mind control Bruce (similar to Angel powers) to leave your friends along (100% success, +1 hunger, mars your reputation)

C. Intimidate Bruce with a display of magical power (levitate nearby objects, turn the governor into a newt. 100% success but will limit your propulsion option because of the hunger cost of +2)
>>
No. 1030946 ID: e51896

Mainly A
>>
No. 1030947 ID: e5709d

A) Reveal you 'resurrected' Jadis by stuffing her in a flesh blob and threaten to turn him into her newest protrusion. Then bluff that you'll keep an eye on his mind forever - literally, by making a module of cyberware made of your eyeballs and then jam it straight into his brain.
>>
No. 1030949 ID: 96c896

>>1030945
A, but also tell him you're leaving the planet this month so there's no point in *not* doing it. That should raise the odds to 100%.
>>
No. 1030950 ID: 96c896

also ffs stop feeding Selene.
>>
No. 1030951 ID: eedbeb
File 165145408940.png - (67.60KB , 500x500 , p111.png )
1030951

>A
You’re so intimidating and strong and powerful and you threaten to stuff Bruce into a little gasping tumor that’s forever in pain and agony and there’s no way he’ll say no to you!

>He says no
“Get out of here! Scram you horrible rascal!” Bruce doesn’t seem to realize it’s you, or is in such a heightened state of fight or flight that he simply doesn’t process your threat. He smashes the pole into your false body repeatedly, denting the metal and dealing psychological damage to your raging megalomania. You ready a spell to blast him to bits when you run into Saul’s rule barrier. You took your action, made a choice, and it didn’t work out, so now you’ll have to take another action to try again.

A. Use your second action to do B or C from the previous choice (please specify)
B. Stay with the propulsion into space true combo plan and get outta here (rip perfect run)
C. Use your next action to stop feeding Selene (you have no reason to do this)
>>
No. 1030953 ID: e51896

B. Screw it, it's not worth it. I'm sure Evelyn will figure something out on her own. Plus we need all the points we can get to get out of this planet safely before we destroy it.
>>
No. 1030954 ID: 96c896

All we did just now was talk. That does not take an action.
Make good on your threat, stuff him into a tumor.

Why does stopping feeding Selene take an action? That doesn't make any sense. This feels very hamhanded.
>>
No. 1030955 ID: 96c896

Oh and once we're out of here, confront Saul about mind-controlling you. That sanity stat is his doing.
>>
No. 1030956 ID: e51896

>>1030938
Plus, it's as Detective said, if we leave, there is no more reason for Bruce to hold the fishing license hostage.
>>
No. 1030957 ID: c92a02

B. You haven't really marred anything, since Evelyn is still capable of chasing her goals and again, no Body no problems.
That said, you can use his office as a launchpad.
>>
No. 1030959 ID: e5709d

B - and use a free action via email to explain why Bruce is an asshole.
>>
No. 1030960 ID: e51896

>>1030957
support on using his office as a launch pad.
>>
No. 1030961 ID: 96c896

>>1030959
Oh right if we're not actually turning him into a tumor we can at least tell Selene.
>>
No. 1030964 ID: 93072d

A
Make him very tiny for one hour.
>>
No. 1030966 ID: eedbeb
File 165146276230.png - (82.75KB , 500x500 , p112.png )
1030966

>B
There’s a moment of vertigo, staring at the robot as your ghost self while Bruce keeps clobbering it to no effect. You were really about to kill this guy or torture him eternally over a fishing license. There’s something really wrong with you.

It takes a supreme effort to resist the pull of the last goal, Saul’s influence pressing deep furrows into your fragile mind. Does Evelyn even want to be a fisherman still? You’ve been totally ignoring her, maybe she’s changed her mind and you don’t know. Good lord, you were going to turn the governor into a newt!

I hate you and your fake rules. Mary had said the first time you saw her in the flesh, while digging her thumbs into Saul’s eyes. You’d assumed she’d meant the standards for animal society, and now you’re not so sure.

Tims are part of Saul’s rules too, aren’t they? Keeping animals limited to this realm by stopping them from casting advanced space and time spells. It slowly dawns on you that despite all his faffing about and submissive personality, Saul is a massive control freak.

You force the robot to its sturdy nub feet, ears drooping, and make your escape back to your apartment.
>>
No. 1030970 ID: eedbeb
File 165146321686.png - (106.30KB , 500x500 , p113.png )
1030970

You have to leave the planet before you really hurt someone. You shoot a quick text to Selene explaining that Bruce was behind the fishing license business, and thanking her again for killing Sobek so you didn’t have to. Surprisingly, your paws are still clean after all this time. A pounding headache is growing behind your ghost temple, despite all your toughness Big Saul is still unfathomably stronger than you in ways you can’t comprehend.

You’ll leave, you’ll go to space and be improved—and then you’ll come back. Kibble will be waiting.

You message Saul and Mary to come to the apartment one last time.

The FINAL CHOICE:
You have plenty of energy to propel yourself into space using a spell or a new power from any of the options below. You’re going to go out in a deserted field so you don’t hurt anyone while you do it.

A. Space-bending Angel powers
B. Old fashioned rocket propulsion, hot exhaust gas outta your ass at high speeds
C. Pure fuck you parent vibes
>>
No. 1030973 ID: 96c896

>>1030970
I mean, I figured Saul was doing this as a test. To see if you could handle absolute power. A dick move, but an actual goal behind it instead of being controlling.

A is copying them, B doesn't seem sustainable...

C it is.
>>
No. 1030974 ID: e51896

>>1030967
If we choose B, request to Saul and Mary to add a pointless loud fart sound effect to the rocket propulsion whenever it is activated, just to make this a memorable moment for all the wrong reasons for your friends. Put a smile on their faces as you leave earth and not see them for a long time... or disgust them. Especially Vlad.

(B is my choice btw)
>>
No. 1030975 ID: c92a02

C. Would you get a Tim to throw you into outer space? Just extend your neck to space, then retract your body up to it?
>>
No. 1030976 ID: 0055dc

>>1030970

C
Pull your devil trigger https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k79j9Eh5uh8
>>
No. 1030979 ID: e5709d

>Saul is a massive control freak.
Well, yeah.
The last time he blindly trusted his girlfriend with free reign to do what-the-flip-ever on a simple date, she committed mass-genocide.
I'm impressed that at least one of his avatars isn't a shattered, banhammer-happy maniac.

>Propulsion
B - Enhance Knockers.
You know why~~~~~~~~~
>>
No. 1031006 ID: eedbeb
File 165150204250.png - (116.58KB , 500x500 , p114.png )
1031006

>C into B
Okay you need a realistic way to generate thrust and while raging against authority is plenty good in concept, it’s not going to get you anywhere. You’ll say it’s because your mad and then shoot out butt gases anyway.

“I’m very upset with both of you.” you tell Saul and Mary. There’s a hint of spring in the air and little green sprouts are peeking out from around the dead brown grasses from last year.

“But I recognize you have your own trauma and you’re trying to, uh, mostly do your best and what you think is correct from your point of view. I’m used to have extremely powerful morally dubious parents, I guess.”

You focus your magic to reroute some of that hot water you use for nuclear power generation to a series of nozzles. You stick the cat robot in a little rocket and prepare for liftoff.

Steam isn’t the best gas propellant, but you have a lot of it. The rocket shoots into the air, dragging your ghost along with it.

In the instant before they’re out of sight, you see Mary and Saul waving goodbye.
>>
No. 1031007 ID: eedbeb
File 165150205253.png - (38.70KB , 500x500 , p115.png )
1031007

Thanks for reading.
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