What's about that thing in the left corner? If there's nothing else left use a blanket to make some makeshift knapsack for your meager possessions, also bring your shovel. To the town I mean, where you should be going next.
And what's with your tail anyways? Looks all thin and silly.

>>213044
Can you use your blood as ink?

If you're one of the few people who can manipulate the substrate of reality, why are you poor?

>>213044
you should try to get a fountain pen as soon as possible. Brushes (that I've used) always seem to absorb ink and become stained, whereas with fountain pens you could use every single drop of ink.

>>213193
Probably because her ink supply is so limited? Pay attention!

>>213193

Everyone can do it. Few people are _good_ at it.
Do pay attention, Bond

>>213225
But why's she have so little? Or is there almost none left anywhere in the world? If so, how do normal people get by?

>>213235
Semantics.

>>213261
>"The world runs on ink, and the ink is running out."
Test, I'm disappoint.

There's still the question if more mundane ways of creating ink work. It's not that complicated I think.

>>213263
If the world runs on ink, presumably there's more than a few half-filled jars left.
I'm just asking. There's no need to be rude.

>>213173

Yeah, it looks kind of like a giant brush...

Perhaps you should procure some graphite, even with its disadvantages; temporary creations will be more useful than none, and worth it to save on ink.

What of other substances? Is there charcoal? Crayon?

Muriel 2010/07/28(Wed)23:08 No. 213440 ID: 272add
File 128038368564.jpg - (111.34KB , 800x600 , iqpge4.jpg )

>what if you try to fabricate a jar of ink?

When I was very young, I had that bright idea. I drew the phial and the ink, and ended up with a phial and a blotch of dry ink. Penn had a good laugh, and told me that he had tried the same thing. Ink only stays usable when it large enough quantities as not to dry up.

>even healthy people need to eat
The Sefa does not live like any of us. He is in some way transcendent. In that case, I am not sure what he eats.

>>213261
Most towns have heavily guarded ink-wells, and the townspeople receive sparse rations. At least, that is the way it is in Pang. Back when ink was plentiful, the business was not in trading ink, but in selling more outstanding fabrications. There was even established currency, though that has since burned out.

>And what's with your tail anyways? Looks all thin and silly.

How courteously put. That is just how my people's tails look, I guess.

>>213194
My brother had one that was issued to him during the war, but it has since been lost. I will take one if I come across one.

>Can you use your blood as ink?

That sounds like a really bad idea.

>>213048
I am going to start heading for Pang now. I have my brother's BACKPACK from the war which I can use to store my things. It would be better for me to make a weapon now, I suppose, than to wait until I really need one. There should be enough ink here for me to make a very simple implement. What type of weapon should I make?

Muriel 2010/07/28(Wed)23:10 No. 213441 ID: 272add
File 128038382428.jpg - (121.01KB , 766x850 , iqinventory ONE.jpg )

Here are the contents of PENN'S BACKPACK, along with my current ration of INK.

I do not think that I want to carry around the shovel that I buried him with. The backpack is weird enough.

Crowbar.

I'm serious, here. Useful as a bludgeon and as a tool.

We're going to have to ask what you're skilled in using first, some things may be better depending on how you answer.

A crowbar would be good if you can make it. If you don't have enough ink, let's go with... well, can you make stuff like magic wands or guns or what?

A laser rifle.

Failing that, a hand axe.

>>213440

Transcendent, huh? Well that means there's some connection with him and the outside of your world, as to be transcendent is to transcend the world you're in. To get ink you'd have to duplicate that connection. Some way beyond your finite world of limited ink to another place or form of existence where it flows endlessly. Hm...

How long do you think it will take you to get to Pang? Do you expect to need to use your weapon before you get there, or after you're inside? I can't imagine cities are all that safe a place these days. Then again, who has anything worth stealing?

>>213441
You should bring along the shovel. You never know when you might need it, and if it's sharp enough it can be used as a weapon in an emergency.

I guess you really need to explain to us how fabrication works. Could you create complicated tech with mechanic and electronic parts for example? How much ink to you need to crate stuff? What are the limitations on what you're able to create.
Well, considering
>very simple implement
A sling is a mighty fine weapon with free ammo, if you know how to use it. A knife if you can't handle the sling.
And yeah, a shovel is a surprising useful weapon. Or maybe just the shaft, would make a decent walking staff/club.

>>213440

Alright, I gotta ask: Could you dilute the ink? Like take 1 part ink to 3 parts water?

Muriel 2010/08/01(Sun)20:01 No. 214699 ID: 272add
File 128071807272.jpg - (61.24KB , 800x600 , iqpage5.jpg )

>>213480
To be transcendent is only half of the battle. I would then have to learn how to begin to excrete ink. As for Pang, it is only an hour's walk from here, all out in the open. I probably will not need a weapon on the way. In the city, well, I can only hope that I will not need to use one.

>>213535
To make very complicated things like guns, or any other mechanical device with many moving parts, much skill and ink is required. Penn could create a gun if he put his mind to it, but I do not know enough to. To simply draw a gun would produce a functionless likeness. It is best done layer by layer, or by drawing separate pieces and assembling.


>>213822
Diluted ink is a problem in what is left of the ink market. Ink that has been cut with other substances produces weak fabrications that crumble and break easily.

Muriel 2010/08/01(Sun)20:02 No. 214700 ID: 272add
File 128071816242.jpg - (127.69KB , 800x600 , iqpage6.jpg )

>>213446
A crowbar may take a bit of extra ink because it is so substantial, but then again, it is as much a tool as it is a weapon. I'll go for that.

I will arrive at Pang shortly.

>>214700
Whoa, so you just... draw it in midair? Cool.

What is the surrounding terrain like?

>>214699
What about Ink cut with Oil Paints?

>>214709

Very Harold and the Purple Crayon-ish!

>>214699

Well, I was thinking more like... making a pipeline to the ink...dimension or something. Hey, it happened before right? It just happened to be a squid at the time! Mostly I'm curious about your brother's friend. He sounds like an upstanding and interesting fellow.

So, do conventional Wood/Stone/Metalworking industries exist at all? Or does it not work that way?

Muriel 2010/08/02(Mon)19:48 No. 214943 ID: 272add
File 128080369373.jpg - (135.05KB , 800x600 , iqliites.jpg )

>>214714
This place has always just been called The Li Flats. It was drawn by a master fabricator named Li like a thousand years ago. If you ask me, it is a pretty lame looking place for a master to draw. Still, though, his descendant was Pang, founder of... Pang.

Maybe the most notable things about this place, though, are the Liites. They are easily recognizable by their LARGE POINTED EARS and THIN, WISPY TAILS.

>>214943

What makes you different from the Liites? Or are they your people?

Muriel 2010/08/02(Mon)20:46 No. 214964 ID: 272add
File 128080718240.jpg - (116.56KB , 800x600 , iqpage7.jpg )

>>214719
The lower the percentage of pure Sefa ink, the less reliable and less safe the fabrication is.

>>214751
I can not match what the Sefa did to create this world. I do not even really know. I am not sure that anyone does. No one since the Sefa has been able to fabricate life.

Peter Lucky was an old war buddy. Penn only said that he was from a place called Sophiatown. I have no idea where that is.

>>214754
Industries like that exist, but raw materials just come from ink. Stronger, higher quality things are made from raw materials that those simply drawn. For example, this crowbar is not as durable as it could be, but it took only seconds to make.

As ink becomes scarce, so do the non-renewable resources. Luckily, agriculture and foodservice have something of a leg to stand on in most small towns.

>>214964

Girl, you got a paintbrush on your butt. If anyone can do this it's a Liite. Just keep your eyes open, okay? Find Peter. Get safe.

Guess you'd better get going then.

Yeah, let's go to town.

>>214964
Well, if trees grow and plants are farmed... life won't end when the Ink runs out. Things will just get more difficult. That's good to know.

Suggestion 2010/08/04(Wed)15:18 No. 215641 ID: 67c611
File 128096033144.png - (143B , 16x16 , Ink_Quest_favicon.png )

report and put "use as favicon" as the reason

Muriel 2010/08/11(Wed)21:55 No. 217545 ID: 272add
File 128158892996.jpg - (125.15KB , 600x600 , murielawesome.jpg )

>>215641

Dealing with college-related crap, real update coming soon! Thanks for your patience.

Muriel 2010/08/24(Tue)19:44 No. 221944 ID: 272add
File 128270424482.jpg - (119.54KB , 800x600 , pang.jpg )

>>215477
Yeah, I guess you're right. There are a few things to lean back on today, but it is hard to be optimistic.


I will admit that it has been a while since I have seen Pang. Penn used to always run errands there. That is a lot of machine guns...

During the war, Pang had to fortify in order to guard its large ink reserve, located in the Temple of Li of the Sefa. That's the big dome there. It looks like the door is locked up pretty solid, so I'll talk to one of those guys.

>>221944

Ask them if there's a place in this town for a lonely girl and a crowbar. Say it in a suggestive manner.

>>221944
Contemplate on the possibility of drawing a ladder, in case using your feminine wiles proves fruitless.

Invoke feminine wiles, inquire about current events.

Just say "Hey, can I go into the city?"

Muriel 2010/08/24(Tue)21:01 No. 221964 ID: 272add
File 128270888151.jpg - (126.78KB , 497x600 , iqpage8.jpg )

I approach a guard who was standing away from the others - to the right of the grand entrance - in an effort to keep a rather low profile.

I do not think that I need to lay in on too heavy now. People are allowed into the city after inspection. "Hello sir," I say to him, gagging up my most polite inflection, "I would like to please enter Pang."

He immediately takes note of my freshly-drawn crowbar, and says, "No. You can't bring a weapon into the city."

>>221964
"Not a weapon, a tool. How do you open boxes in there?"

It is a tool. By the same logic a piece of stone is a weapon. A pencil is a weapon. And hands are weapons. It isn't adept to killing anyway, it would be much better to be used to defend yourself against people trying to kill YOU.

>>221974

He must have played Half-Life.

Be all indignant. "It's a sex toy, not a weapon!"

"do you have some place i can put it for later?"

"Comon, use your head. A girl with a crowbar is the least of your worries. I'm not going to start anything with anybody. Especially not against people with firearms. It may as well be a stuffed animal for all the danger it poses. So it's not a weapon because it can't hurt anyone. Not in my hands, anyway. Now will you let me in?"

Explain to him that you're a student at Pang University (or whatever its called) and that this supposed weapon is actually an entry into local Inking contest at said University, with its theme being duality. Then explain that if you leave it with him, you'll won't be able to put anything into the contest, since you don't have any more ink on you.

Muriel 2010/09/01(Wed)14:30 No. 224641 ID: 272add
File 128337662051.jpg - (128.55KB , 800x600 , inpage9.jpg )

>>221966
"I am not stupid, and you are not here to open boxes. If you are, then you are probably a thief."

>>222103
"I do not like the tone that you are taking with me. The city guard are the only ones using firearms. Everyone else inside is under the same restriction that you are. Now give me the crow bar and any ink that you have, or I will not let you into Pang. These things will be returned to you when you leave. Who are you, anyway?"

>>224641
"Fine, take the crowbar, but I'm here because I'm all out of ink."

>>224660
don't admit that. just give him the thing and the jar.

Give him the crowbar, but not the ink nor brush. If he inquires, tell him you used what little ink you had to make the crowbar.

>>224641
Give him your stuff. No reason to make him any more suspicious than he already is.

Muriel 2010/10/10(Sun)19:51 No. 241889 ID: d93696
File 128676549741.jpg - (147.17KB , 800x600 , iqpage10.jpg )

>>224673
Hm, unfortunately, I DID use what little ink that I had to make the crowbar. I might as well give him my empty phial.

>>224882
I gave him the backpack to rummage through. Inevitably, he find the ink and brush and examines it scrupulously.

"Muriel Ming," I reply to his question without thinking. Chances are, if he knows of the name, then he knew Penn. It is still odd to me that he was alive just a day ago.

He returns my backpack with the Choop Bars and Drenk, keeping the brush, phial, and crowbar. "Your things will be returned to you. Just behave yourself in there."

Muriel 2010/10/10(Sun)19:53 No. 241893 ID: d93696
File 128676559443.jpg - (138.43KB , 800x600 , iqpage11.jpg )

CREEEEAAAAAK.


One moment, please...

Muriel 2010/10/10(Sun)19:54 No. 241895 ID: d93696
File 12867656643.jpg - (117.98KB , 766x850 , iqinventory TWO.jpg )

INK and BRUSH and CROWBAR removed.

Muriel 2010/10/10(Sun)20:02 No. 241899 ID: d93696
File 128676612643.jpg - (191.18KB , 800x600 , iqpage12.jpg )

A The Choop Bar and Drenk factory, currently in limited commission due to resource and ink shortage.

B A tavern, "The Corner Box".

C City Hall, the governmental center of the city state.

D The Grand Temple of Li of the Sefa.

E Electricity pylon, also in limited commission.

F One of several apartment buildings to house the citizens of Pang.

G A statue of Pang, ancestor of Li. This is mostly a place where young couples make out.

-> To DOWNTOWN PANG.

Where to first?

to the tavern. rumors and stuff.

Check out that electricity pylon. It looks interesting.

Head to the apartments. See if any of them are registered under Lucky.

You're here to track down Peter Lucky. Do you know anything about him other than his skill with a brush?

Would he have been registered at City Hall? Would he be known at the Grand Temple? The tavern? These seem better options than wandering door-to-door at the apartments, but if you have no other leads then F is an acceptable choice.

B, the tavern.

Everybody knows that mysterious old friends of close family are always drunks.

Let's be genre savvy and go to the tavern.

Be on the lookout for an AIRBRUSH. Barring mechanical deposition devices such as the BUBBLEJET PRINTER, it is the most efficient method for laying down the thinnest possible layer (i.e. using the least amount of ink) without losing pigmentation.

Muriel 2010/10/12(Tue)21:55 No. 242728 ID: d93696
File 128694572854.jpg - (266.42KB , 800x600 , iqpage13.jpg )

It looks like the bar, then, is the place to go. I have never been in there. Penn took me into Pang when I was younger and went in himself, but generally not for long. It feels odd now not to be the one waiting outside.


Wow, there are a lot of drunk guys in here. As I enter, they all at once eye me with varying degrees of... something. I wonder how long it is been since they have seen a lady-face inside.

>>242481
I will keep that in mind, I suppose. Anything is better than that old brush.

>You're here to track down Peter Lucky. Do you know anything about him other than his skill with a brush?

I only know that Peter Lucky is from Sohpiatown. Oh, and Penn mentioned that Lucky was not his real name. If only I could remember what it was.

Don't take drinks from strangers.

Do you have cash or whatever to actually pay for a drink? This would have been a good thing to check before coming here.

Sooo, time to play it cool. Head to the bar, grab a drink - something hardcore, like a shot of that Old Crow stuff or maybe the Pink Dragon. Let them know that you're looking for a man, goes by "Lucky." First name Peter. A friend of the family, met back in the war.

You really should try to remember what Lucky's name is.

>>242728
Ignore everyone but the bartender, but if more than one of them starts to approach you, be wary. We need to ask for information and get out quick.

>>242728

Guy at the bar closest looks tipsy. Guy at the bar farthest is being a lion. Sit right between them.

Where are all the lady-faces? If something happened to them this could imminently concern you.

>>242728

Maybe he's Peter Rabbit, otherwise known as the Lucky Rabbit, or Peter Lucky.

Muriel 2010/10/14(Thu)16:44 No. 243572 ID: d93696
File 128709987015.jpg - (266.21KB , 800x600 , iqpage14.jpg )

>>242802
I take a seat between the two, and the others in the back already begin to crowd. I think the reason that women do not come in here often is because it is a smelly dive filled with lewd boozers. The man to my left startles me by touching my shoulder, then tells the barman, "Get this girl a drink of her choice on my tab."

I never have been much of a socialite if that is not obvious. I spent most of my childhood holed up in that hovel with Penn. I have never had a drink before.

The bartender is probably in his late forties, and a bit bony. "Well it looks like you have it made, young lady. What will you have?"


...

Muriel 2010/10/14(Thu)16:44 No. 243573 ID: d93696
File 128709989598.jpg - (207.64KB , 800x620 , inkquestliquors.jpg )

Which drink should I choose?

Let's stay classy.

Umlauts are classy. Try the Lüqor.

the incompetence looks like it's for new people, get that. also say that you are mostly looking for information.

>>243573
Incompetence looks like it would make for a hardy tope.

As their ad campaign goes, if you drink Incompetence it's like admitting you don't know how to liquor.

>>243572

Smelly, huh? It's definitely full of booze. But lewd? Wouldn't the lewd men be going where the girls are? The ones who come to the bar are certainly flat footed and fancy free, but I can't imagine their ultimate goal involves female companionship. In fact they'll probably attempt to get you to leave, by pretending to be lewd and creeping you out. It's a territorial sort of thing, harkening back to the days of the red tent. A worldly bar wench will know this and simply abuse their ill mannered advances for a free bar tab, then make herself scarce that the regulars can enjoy their ordinary regularity.

>>243573
pink dragon

first time drinking?
pink dragon will prolly taste sweet, stay away from the strong stuff

you see, im the one that usually does shenanigans to get the characters laid in a strange attempt of trolling the lack of social development in games, and im tottaly not seeing what this is about.

a nameless dude just made a move on you, no cantrip, charms or beauty let alone relevance to your goals, and now you are picking weird alcoholic drinks whose content you do not know.

are you hoping for a "interesting" night, that he somehow knows this dude you are looking for or that you can cold shoulder a fugly dude in a rought bar without getting bitchslapped?

wait i think i see a plot device.

if you can use ink spot to make other stuff, get it. at least we can make a weapon if shit gets real.

>>243781
>Ink Spot
Too obvious. In a world where ink runs everything, and is being rapidly depleted, do you really think any actual ink will be found in a drink at some diver bar, that isn't even being kept in a cabinet?

Is this going to be one of those rape things?

I'll throw my vote in for Pink Dragon.

Pink Dragon

Im gonna second Lüqor but pink dragon? god damn it why? D:

INCOMPETENCE

LETS DO THIS

Incompetence all the way in.

Incompetence sounds delicious, go for that.

Muriel 2010/10/16(Sat)21:15 No. 244526 ID: d93696
File 128728890653.jpg - (163.33KB , 800x468 , iqpage15.jpg )

>>243898
There very well might be ink in there, depending on the age of the drink. Either way, it does not look cheap, and this guy buying me a shot does not look rich. I agree, though, and probably would not try it. Liquid ink is actually highly toxic at a certain quantity because it dries inside of the organs.

>>243583
I do not really understand men all that well. They are at once direct and convoluted. If what you say is true, then you certainly would not have to tell me twice not to spend too much time in places like this.

>Is this going to be one of those rape things?
Wow, I hope not!


***

"Uh..." my thoughts are more coherent than my speech, admittedly, and I do not read well. "In...comp...eh...tence. The one with the triangles."

He looks to be the most gathered of the group of guys as he pours me the clear, bubbly drink. I give it a few sniffs before sipping it. It is odorless, and very weak. It tastes like sparkling lemon water. The man to my left seems to be smiling at me still.

So the drink initiates social behavior? This does not seem all that difficult. "I am looking for a guy named Lucky. First name Peter." The quiet rabble falls silent for a moment.

"What was the name?"

"Peter Lucky," I repeat, and the men to my right and left appear puzzled. The bartender, however, immediately smiles.

"There is a name that, sadly, I have not heard in a number of years," his voice has a relatively high timbre, but is nasally, "The last time I saw him was, hm, about fifteen years ago. He was living in an apartment right on the square. He barged in here and bought the whole house a round of drinks."

"Why did he do that?" I ask.

"Heheh, yeah Barty, where's my free drinks?" one of the others chimes in in a bassy, throated tone. Forced laughter ensues.

Bart the barman begins again twice unsuccessfully over the crescendo of chatter, then finally continues, "He said... he said that he was off to do big things. Haha. Him and his friend were war buddies. You know, I've never seen that guy draw, but from what I hear he could do some pretty great shit."

"Where is he now? Do you-"

Bart interrupts me, "What are you doing asking about him, anyway? You can't be as old as the war's end, can you?"

"I am seventeen. When the war ended, I-" What is that noise outside? All of the large-eared men seem to notice as well, turning their attention to the source. It sounds like popcorn popping.

Hah, what a compliment. Don't worry about the popping noise for now; it's probably nothing. Ask about available work for a decent sketcher; you could maybe use those fine tuned hands for something? Anyway finish your drink, thank your benefactor and the bartender, then go out to investigate that popping noise!

>>244526
It must be someone roasting corn over a fire. I suggest you look outside for a moment and then hide in a closet until you don't hear anything anymore or they think you're dead.

>>244526
GUNFIRE

HIT THE DECK

check it out. it must not be a normal thing otherwise everyone in here would already know.

DIVE FOR COVER! MOVE MOVE MOVE

The muffled crack indicates supersonic rounds, and no audible report means the rounds are arriving from far enough away that the gun itself is inaudible. Rifle rounds will go through the walls and bar of this building with absolutely no problem, so ducking will do little good.
If the sound is coming from the square you just left (I think from this angle that's the far wall?), then ask the bar man if you can use the door behind him, and take the rear exit.

Ask out loud "Is that gunfire?"

be calm, dont panic unless everyone does that too. you have nil offensive and defensive power, making yourself noticeable so soon is sure death.

also date rape, here we go!

>>245220
Concurred.

saged because I don't know if it's cool to bump week-old updates