>>29604418
>If you're looking to recruit me, I'm afraid you've missed your chance. I have my own people and they expect to get me back in one piece.

>>29604418
>Well, appreciating that the two of us have vastly different impressions of the source of these powers, it's quite accurate. I'm not interested in converting, I'm afraid.

>>29604533
This

>>29604418
>Reticent. "I'm similar to her, yes."
Hopefully they don't get any dumb ideas of keeping us cooped up with the other one.

"After you take into account that the two of us have very different ideas of the source of my powers, it's quite accurate. I'm not interested in converting, I'm afraid."

George tilts his head. "You have been empowered by the Goddess herself, yet you linger in unbelief?" There's a tiny snort. "I must admit that I thought that sort of thing was only the excuses of false faiths."

You manage a shrug through the restraints.

"Are you familiar with the story of the blind men and the elephant? Rather trite, but there is an ounce of truth to it. Even a false impression can reveal truths." He gives you a very intense look. "What is your idea of the source of your powers, then?"

>Write-in.

>>29604669
"There is a small creature in my head that gives me power. I talk to it roughly once a week, actually, and it has never mentioned the Goddess or her opposite - so please excuse my skepticism."

>>29604669
>Ah, well that's quite personal I'm afraid. Suffice it to say I have good indication that there's nothing divine about the source. I doubt the girl would appreciate my version of things, however. That said, given I have affirmation that you've experienced the...freak-out that comes with this questionable gift, how do you reconcile it with your belief that it's a divine power?

>>29604669
>"Aliens."

>>29604669
>What makes you think I'm the blind man here? Do you have one of these things talking to you?

>>29604694
This

>>29604799
Seconding.

>>29604669
>[jokingly] nanomachines, son

"There is a..." you fumble for an accurate description for a moment before continuing, "thing in my head which gives me my powers. I talk to it occasionally, and it's never mentioned your Goddess. Excuse my skepticism."

"Does an orphan always know the name of its mother?" He's giving you a smile that's supposed to be re-assuring, you think, but given the situation and your readings on the subject of social psychology, it's mostly just making you feel like he's manipulating you, which is kind of pissing you off.

"What makes you think I'm the one with the false impression here? You know that it kills people every so often, you don't have one in *your* head - what makes you think it's divine in nature?"

"I have heard the voice of the Triune Goddess herself. The view of a tiny piece of damaged shrapnel is hardly relevant in comparison. As to the killing... well, it's hardly difficult to understand, if you're familiar with the doctrine of the Church. The Triune Goddess is creator, preserver, and destroyer alike. All things have an end, and she sees to them. A tiny fragment of her, divorced from the whole? It would of course, in part at least, seek an end to things."

He fixes you with his gaze, trying to get his measure of you, then puts his hands out in surrender. "But you remain unconvinced. Very well. I want to know what you know of Sylvia's condition, and how it can be dealt with. She is my responsibility, now, and I must see to her well-being."

>"I think I'd be more inclined to be helpful if I wasn't restrained."
>"Let her out and I'll teach her all she needs to know."
>"Fine. It's like this..." Explain.
>Write-in.

>>29605025
>Well frankly, I'm afraid you're kind of in a bit of a pickle here then. For relevant info, well, if things were to continue as they have, she would be having those killing fits a couple more times in the next few months, before losing control entirely in an even larger manifestation and killing everything until something - almost certainly someone else of our kind - puts her down. As you can imagine, most people in the know aren't exactly eager to see that kind of development. Before we continue, do you actually have any qualms about things going that way, or are you as charmingly disregarding of human life as your doctrine seems to indicate?

>>29605025
>If the Triune Goddess is all things, how is it that every "fragment" of her seems to embody her destroying aspect, rather than any of the others?

>>29605025
>Her condition's bad, and the only solution that takes her well-being into account is to keep her around other people like us, as much as possible. I guess that sounds somewhat suspect coming from me, which is unfortunate.

>>29605107
Well, she's a healer so she's already shown other 'aspects of the goddess' to the church herself.

>>29605025
>before I say anything, you should know that government has extreme interest in people like me
>one of my associates has been told to contact them if he doesn't hear from me soon
>he has hard evidence that I'm one of the people they're looking for and that I was last seen coming to you
>so don't get any ideas

>>29605025
>It can be dealt with by hanging around people like her.

>>29605134
Eh, I feel we should save this for when we actually need it. No reason to make things frostier right now.

Incidentally I'm inclined to tell Richard to make the call no matter how this turns out.

Four completely distinct votes:
>Inform him about final manifestations, ask if he's "in."
>What about creation and preservation?
>I have a dead man's switch.
>It can be dealt with by hanging around people like her.
I think I'll go with a mix of 1 and 4. That good with you guys?

>>29605254
yea, I guess

>>29605254
yep

>>29605248
Yes, let's piss of our very useful potential ally (the healer). No way that could go wrong. Nuh uh.

>>29605254
Sure, note that I explicitly refused to mention the way thins actually will go in >>29605086 i.e. either he lets her go with us or we/the government/someone else will come to kidnap or kill her. Gotta see how he reacts without that out there. And obviously, no mention of killing other incubators being a help.

"It can be dealt with by hanging around people like her."

"You mentioned that already, and I caught it on the recording," he says, dismissively. "You're stalling."

"If you leave things as they are, she's going to manifest for a few more brief periods before she just stays that way until she's put down. As you can imagine, most people aren't eager to see that happen." He nods along. "Do you have any qualms about things going that way, or are you as charmingly disregarding of human life as your doctrine seems to indicate?"

He actually fucking smirks at you, one side of his lips rising as the other remains still. You've read that contempt is the only emotion that manifests in asymmetry. Though you're not certain how true that is, this is definitely a contemptuous smirk. "Those who are too caught up in the Christian religion often labor under the misapprehension that accepting death as a part of life means one does not value life. 'The last enemy that shall be abolished is death' and all that. I value life, as my behavior has shown. Or do you think that I keep Sylvia alive and safe from hurting others because it is fun? Do you think I see to the health needs of my flock merely to further my own agenda?"

"The second, at least, seems a distinct possibility."

"Well, it isn't the case. Now, are you going to drag this out for longer, or are you going to tell me what you know?"

>"Fine. It's like this..." Explain.
>"I think I'll drag it out for longer. What does she look like when she turns into a monster, out of curiosity?"
>"Our current positions hardly seem good for building mutual trust and respect. Perhaps, as a show of good will, you could let me out of these restraints?"
>Write-in.

>>29605519
>"I think I'll drag it out for longer, I'm feeling just so comfortable lying here. What does she look like when she turns into a monster, out of curiosity?"

>>29605519
>"I prefer stalling, lets me get a better grasp on you really. Let's assume I don't elaborate further, what would you do about her situation?"

>>29605519
I second
>>29605556
>>29605571

>>29605556
thirding

>>29605519
>a minute ago you were the expert and I was 'damaged shrapnel', and now you're asking me for advice?
>how about you make up your mind first?

"I think I prefer stalling. It's just so comfortable lying here, you know, and it lets me get a better handle on you." He glares at you in irritation. "Let's assume that I don't elaborate further, what would you do about her situation?"

He gives you an icy look, and there's a long silence. He looks to the side, sighs, then looks back at you, defeated. "I would keep her where she is. If she really does get as bad as you claim, then I would have to kill her. I hope that doesn't happen, though. I hope you're just lying."

"Fas-cin-at-ing," you say, drawing out each syllable. "What does she look like when she's in her monstrous form?"

"Her skin becomes sort of like a liquid and reshapes itself. It can grab people, wrap around them, pop, congeal, that kind of thing. There's also more of it, and it hangs off her."

"In-ter-est-ing," you reply, again drawing the word out.

"Please, come on, I need to help her," he half-begs. "She's a good kid, don't let whatever distaste you have of me ruin her life."

>"The best way for you to help her is to have her come work for me."
>"Fine. It's like this..." Explain.
>"Our current positions hardly seem good for building mutual trust and respect. Perhaps, as a show of good will, you could let me out of these restraints?"
>Write-in.

>>29605889
>>"The best way for you to help her is to have her come work for me."

>>29605889
>let me out and then we can talk

If he does let us out go ahead with the first option

>>29605889
>"I'm afraid it's a bit late for that part, even if I had nothing to do with it. Frankly, there are only two ways to prevent it from happening, neither likely to be very palatable. The first I already alluded to, let her out of your restrictive care and allow her to hang around me and my allies. Obviously she could still stay here most of the time, and do healing and whatever other things she does here when she wants to. This would be the reasonable choice, I hope you're willing to discuss it? The alternative is worse, but I can tell you if you're sure you need to hear it."

>>29605889
>the truth is she's dead no matter what you do
>the best you can do is feed her hobos and maybe postpone it for a year or two
>sorry, that's how it works

"Our current positions hardly seem good for building mutual trust and respect. Perhaps, as a show of good will, you could let me out of these restraints?"

He swallows, indecisive. After taking in a deep breath, he makes a hand signal and nods to someone behind you. Which is actually surprising, since you hadn't noticed them, and you're very good at noticing people. A man in his mid-twenties comes around and starts undoing your restraints, giving you a glare of his own as he does so.

You step out, stretching your neck and arms.

There's you, George, and a man and a woman of about the same age. The woman has her hands behind her back, and her spine straight. She seems vaguely military, not that you'd know.

"The best way for you to help her is to have her come work for me."

"I don't know if I can trust you not to kill her, much less to truly help her. I need more information. Work with me."

>"Nah." Beat the shit out of the woman and the man, then moon walk on outta there. "You know my number."
>"It's like this..." Explain.
>"I'd let her come back as often as she liked to do healing, and you could stay in regular contact with her."
>"You may not like what you hear. Are you certain you want to know?"
>Write-in.

>>29606160
"My ally is of equal power to myself. We also have someone who can fly. We seek out those who hurt others with this power and eliminate them. She would, at worst, stay back home and ensure we don't die from infection."

>>29606160
>"It's like this..." Explain.
About how to delay manifestation that is. Be upfront about the fact that you try to only kill shitty and/or manifested people when looking for incubators, but you're hardly on some kind of obvious moral high-ground about things. Also, ask how the girl will take finding out about all this shit.

>>29606160
"We need to kill others like us to delay the manifestations. She would need to come with us when we make a kill, but otherwise she would be free to continue her work here"

>"I'd let her come back as often as she liked to do healing, and you could stay in regular contact with her."

"It's like this. The process of Manifestations is a semi-regular thing up until the Final one, but they can be pushed back by killing others like us. I, and one of my compatriots, have abilities fairly well-tailored for locating them. I have thus far managed to only kill shitty or Manifested people. She would need to come with us when we make a kill, but otherwise she would be free to continue her work here, and come back to see you often if she wishes."

"What guarantee do I have that you won't kill her?"

"I wouldn't do that, she's a good person from everything I've seen." He seems to doubt your honesty on that point, so you proceed to the rational argument. "She's *useful*. I don't know how long it would've taken me to heal up my wounds from that last fight without her, but it would have been a while. Killing her would be a waste of a valuable resource. Pissing her off would be much the same."

"I see," George says, eying you warily.

"How do you think that she would react to this news, incidentally?"

"Fatalistically," he replies. "I would like some time to consider this. I wouldn't want to be rash and risk her life."

>"So you'd risk her Manifesting again, just to because you want to seem 'cautious'?"
>"I don't think that's in her best interests."
>"Very well. I'll eagerly await your call."
>Write-in.

>>29606761
>"How long since her last manifestation?"

>>29606761
>Ok, just remember that the longer she goes without contact with us, or carrying out these activities, the sooner she will manifest again. There's no way to get that lost time back.

>>29606761
>it's your call, just remember this offer the next time she does her Alex Mercer impression

>>29606803
This.

"Very well," you say, as diplomatically as you can (which is, objectively, not very diplomatically, given that you've spent a substantial portion of this conversation antagonizing him, stalling, and dodging his questions). "Just remember that the longer she goes without, the sooner her next Manifestation will be, and by extension, the sooner that her Final Manifestation will be. To put it another way... the longer you delay, the sooner she dies."

"I understand, but I won't be rushed to any unnecessary action."

"Will that be all, then?"

"What is your ability, if I may ask?"

>"You may not."
>"Information gathering, recall, and analysis."
>"Intelligence."
>Lie. "I see the future."
>Lie. "I'm a telepath."
>Write-in.

>"Perception and Intelligence."

>>29607153
>Intelligence

>>29607218
Sure, let's go with this one.

"Perception and intelligence," you respond, curtly.

There's a thing called micro-expressions, where the face shows an emotion for a fraction of a second before the conscious mind can even become aware of it and clamp down. His face flickers for just a fraction of a second with one that suggests he finds it *very* amusing that you are claiming to be intelligent. "I see. That does sound like a particularly useful ability.

"You can leave now, unless you have something you wish to ask."

>Ask a question. [write-in]
>Leave now, go [write-in].

>>29607373
>Tell them to get in touch soon with their answer, then ask to say goodbye to the girl before leaving.

>>29607373
ugh he's so obnoxious
if I wasn't almost sure the two others were armed combat specialists and bodyguards I would definitely want to wreck his shit and moonwalk out
oh well

>leave

>>29607424
This.

>>29607373
>I know, I know. Kind of wish I'd gotten the ability to punch through brick walls, but you work with what you got

>>29607479
>ugh he's so obnoxious
To be fair, it is literally impossible to stop yourself from showing micro-expressions.

>if I wasn't almost sure the two others were armed combat specialists and bodyguards I would definitely want to wreck his shit and moonwalk out
Mechanically, normal humans are barely ever a threat to you. Even if they are both well-trained and armed, you would still have ~75% chance of victory (without pulling off any cool stunts; I give bonuses for those).

However, it would *probably* antagonize the girl with healing powers if you beat up the leader of the NRM she's a loyal and faithful member, who protected her when she went rabid, "because he annoyed me."

>>29607681
it's not impossible
he could have healer girl cut the nerves to his face
no more expressions at all, micro or othereise

"Get in touch with me as soon as possible with your answer, one way or the other." You pause, for a moment. "I'd like to say goodbye to the girl first, if that's possible?"

He moves over to the nearby desk, opens a drawer, and removes an earpiece before handing it over to you. "It'll automatically activate when it hears you talking. Just say whatever you want to say."

"Hello? Sylvia? Is this thing on? Sylvia?"

"Mrs. Smith?" The girl's voice comes from the other end of the line.

"I'd just like to say goodbye. Things are a bit up in the air with George right now."

>"But you may get to leave soon, if all goes well." Hang up and leave to go [write-in].
>"That's all." Hang up and leave to go [write-in].
>Write-in.

>>29607922
>"I hope to see you again soon, however. Take care!"

>>29607971
seconding

>>29607971
Thirded

"I hope to see you again soon, however," you continue. "Take care!"

"U-uh, you too," she replies.

You remove the earpiece and hand it back to George.

What now?
>Write-in.

>>29608061
Just leaving is fine. Afterwards, we have to quickly report to Richard so we can close off any loose ends and plan what to do from this point.

>>29608061
Ask them to show you to the exit

>>29608061
Leave and start planning for what we do next

>>29608061
>you should already have a number. Call me when you've made a decision

"You should already have my number," you say. "If you'd show me to the exit."

George leans his head to the side, and the woman escorts you out.

You take out your burner and call up Richard. "Hey, I went to visit the healer. Guess what? She *is* an Incubator! You were wrong, I was right," you brag.

He seems to ignore your bragging rather elegantly when he responds. "So I shouldn't call the entire US government down on the Church's head, then?"

"Nope."

"When's she showing up?"

"That's the thing, it'll take a while to get her out, her circumstances kind of restrict things.

Planning time?
>Alone, consult Richard afterwards.
>Workshop with Richard.
>Write-in.

Plans relating to...
>Going after the Exile Incubator.
>Dealing with our condition.
>TRASH/JOKE OPTION, ONLY VOTE FOR THIS IF YOU WANT YOUR VOTE THROWN IN THE TRASH: Having sex with Tracy.
>Write-in.

And do you have any particular ideas

>>29608358
Why did you include a vote option like that?

>>29608438
Because I know if I didn't label it, you'd all pick it, and because it was amusing to me, and I want to enjoy myself.

>>29608358
>Workshop with Richard.
>Dealing with our condition.
Might as well.
And honestly it's been so long since non-healer stuff was relevant that I can't really remember enough to plan anything.

>>29608358
>Including an option just to laugh at people who take it

I thought you were better than this. And fuck you, I'm voting for it.

>>29608462
Well, screw you. I'm taking it.

>>29608462
To be honest, we need more tracy interaction. So I'm voting for that.

>>29608358
hot sex with tracy

>>29608358
>Having sex with Tracy.

>>29608462
Anons are very fickle, as you well know...

>>29608358
>Having sex with Tracy.

And this is a write-in.

>>29608684
>>29608586
>>29608557
>>29608546
>>29608512
>>29608487

>>29608462
>Because I know if I didn't label it, you'd all pick it

We all picked it anyway. To spite you. You may as well have said "Please don't troll me with gore" to avoid people posting gore.

>>29608478
Looks like this wins.

>writing

>>29608717
>Ignoring consensus.

Thanks for running a good quest so far. Sad to see it die over something so fucking petty. Bye.

>>29608760
>being this worked up over a joke vote
You have some issues anon.

>>29608816
Enjoy your railroads

He should have just held a revote without the options or just not included the option at all.

"So..." you start awkwardly. "Do you have any advice on how to deal with my condition? Beyond the obvious? It's... kind of bothersome."

"How do you mean, specifically?"

"I mean... how do you know you're not going to wake up in the middle of the night as a monster and kill your family? You know, that kind of thing."

"It doesn't tend to work like that. It's related to the whole voluntary control of the Cambion over Manifestation, I think, it doesn't want things to get too dicey because it explodes in a place where you're a prime suspect. It still has the whole 'if you try to manipulate these rules I'll explode anyway' deal that it does with other Incubators and imprisonment."

"Is... I don't know, if I went on a date with Tracy, for example, would my Cambion come out in the middle?"

"As long as you keep up your Incubator killing, you won't have to worry about that for a long time. Even if you didn't, that wouldn't be a concern for a while."

"But in the indefinite future...?"

"Hrm. I'm kind of a loner, so I never really hung out with anybody but other Incubators, and only then because I had to. You don't have a lot of friends either, right?"

He can't see your expression, which is probably for the best. "Pretty much just Ned and Tracy."

"Yeah, so it's not as big of a deal as it could be. Hrm." He pauses. "Yeah, no, there's really no way around it. And while Manifestations are easy to predict when they're in the roughly-one-month range, they get really vague at the year-to-two point. You can kind of feel them out in advance, but it's still really fucking vague up until the minute before. I guess you could move out of state and have an LDR? That seems like a thing you could do?"

>"I have an idea..." [write-in]
>"I want to discuss something else." [write-in]
>Write-in.

>>29609473
>So, about how long a warning will I actually have, probably? I realize we're talking seconds and minutes, but it would be nice for planning.
>And I'm guessing things like knocking yourself out before it happens don't work at all?

>>29609473
>Don't vote for anything, it'll just be called a joke and ignored.

I voted for Tracy interaction, you fucker.

>>29609617
>I voted for Tracy interaction, you fucker.
I would've accepted something other than "having sex with Tracy" that involved or revolved around Tracy.

>>29609473
>Vote to talk to Tracy
>Gets conflated with HURR DURR

k

>>29609652
"We haven't had enough Tracy interaction, so I'm voting for that."

But hey, it's your call if you want to ignore something. I just don't feel like posting anymore in fear of being misinterpreted. Again.

>>29609684
Sorry, my bad on that one. It was hard to differentiate. The quest will run for a few more hours, so you can vote for it now or later.

>>29609715
I no longer give a fuck. It's too late now.

>>29609715
Why should I vote when it will be ignored? I doin't even want to continue along this path, and it was chosen without my input. The quest isn't interesting to me because my voice is ignored.

Can you not understand that? I'm done.

>>29609811
Same here. I can't really vote if it might get confused for something else and thus ignored or worse, misinterpreted.

>>29609999
>>29609811
Just gonna go with these guys to say that I would have voted for calling Tracy. Somethings not right there.

>>29609811
apparently not, seeing as how you're still here

"So how long of a warning will I actually have? I realize we're talking minutes and seconds, but it's still useful for planning."

He pauses, thoughtful. "I don't really know. Based on my experience... thirty seconds to a minute? Maybe a minute and a half?"

"That's not a lot." You sigh. "I'm guessing things like knocking yourself out before it happens don't work at all."

"Yeah, they don't. Your body is just a focus for the Cambion to Manifest, not something it uses to morph. Like, that Ballista Cambion we killed? That's what they always look like, whether it's a Partial or Final Manifestation. Even though it makes no fucking sense that they can just crucify their body and be just fine and dandy the second the effect wears off."

"I see, thank you."

>Ask Richard further questions.
>Hang up on Richard and call Tracy, just to say hi.
>Hang up on Richard and call Tracy, to set up the details of your date.
>Write-in.

>>29610236
Agreed. It's a shame it's too late now without pissing off Richie or looking like a fucking idiot.

>>29610403
>Hang up on Richard and call Tracy, just to say hi

>Hang up on Richard and call Tracy, just to say hi.

>>29610403
Hmmm...that doesn't leave a lot of options for getting away. Still, I guess as long as we get some people between us and Tracy/Ned/whoever, they might have enough time to run away.
>Hang up on Richard and call Tracy, just to say hi. Try and fail to be smooth.

You run one hand through your hair. "Thanks. Yeah, fuuuuck this sucks."

"No shit," Richard replies, a tiny note of humor in his voice.

"That's about it for me. Bye?"

"Bye."

You hang up. Close your eyes. Adjust your posture. Open your eyes. Snarl at nothing. Then go buy *another* phone, this one to call your friends on regularly. Thank Christ flip phones are so cheap nowadays. Really is a pity about your smart phone, though. Stupid Ballista Cambion.

You call up Tracy. "Hello?" Her voice comes in from the other line. Someone speaks in the background. "Well, I don't know yet, now do I?" She hisses back at them, apparently trying and failing to cover the receiver on her own phone. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Tracy," you say. "Finally bought a new phone. You know, since my old one got trashed."

"Oh, that's great to hear," she says. "Hold on, can you give me your number?" You can hear her scramble around the room, apparently to find a pen and paper. You hear her speaking to someone else. "It's Abby." "You said-" "I'm not going to fight about this." "Please, just... leave it."

After that bit calms down, you give her the number; she repeats it back to you; you confirm that she has it right.

"Now that that's out of the way!" She declares, and you hear her plop down on a couch or the like. "What do you want to talk about?"

>"Date plans. I have none. Any ideas?"
>"What was that about?"
>"How are you? Everything good?"
>Write-in.

>>29610938
>"How are you? Everything good?"
Do we want to discuss mom with her? On one hand, safe topic (relatively) of conversation that we can blame any distractions on, and maybe she has an idea of how to handle things. On the other, it might be a bit heavy to throw at her, and of course worst case, mommy brings up the bloody bathtub thing in her presence later down the line.

>>29611009
Seems safe.

"How are you? Everything good?"

"Yep! Everything's great over here!" She whispers to you conspiratorially. "Jim's here and he's being an itty-bitty bit annoying, but it's no big deal. He's secretly a softie."

You hear an "I heard that" from someone else, presumably Jim.

"Yeah, Jim's just a big old softie when you get right down to it, he'd never do a~anything to hurt me," her voice raises, "isn't that right Jim?" There's a pause, an exaggerated gasp. "Whoa, big brother! My virgin eyes! Making that sort of gesture! And to your little sister!"

You can't help but smile a little at that.

"Everything good on your end, Abby? No..." she pauses meaningfully, "problems?"

>Lie. "Yeah, Jim sent some more guys after me, but I beat them up, so no biggie."
>"I think my mom's getting worse. Sucks."
>"I checked out one of the Church of the Triune Goddess's buildings. It was interesting."
>Write-in.

>>29611544
>"I think my mom's getting worse. Sucks."
Might as well talk about it.

>"I think my mom's getting worse. Sucks."
Also do we have any interests that Tracy shares? The problem with chit-chatting on the phone is that we don't know enough about either to actually pick topics to fill a decent amount of time.

>>29611544
>my mom has probs

>>29611594
Presumably we do, never really come up much though. One disadvantage of starting the quest at this point of their relationship - asking about her interests/hobbies would be extremely moronic IC, but vitally important OOC.

>>29611594
>Also do we have any interests that Tracy shares?
Secret answer containing dark QMing secrets, do not click unless your soul is ready: I have no idea.

Abby and Tracy are pretty much the only out lesbians in their school, and wound up together more-or-less automatically. Their little social group (Abby, Tracy, and Ned) is pretty much completely self-contained, with each having their own reasons (Abby the nerdy butch lesbian, Ned the cultist, Tracy the kid sister of a gangster). They have the good fortune of decent chemistry, but not too many shared interests.

You can make one or two up, if you want.

>>29611763
Hmmmmm

Clearly this means it's time for hobby-storming. It's like brainstorming but fun!

>>29611796
I say one geeky thing that Abby finds interesting and Tracy is embarassed about should her gangster brother ever find out, and one 'normal' thing both enjoy. The geeky thing would be how they met and the normal thing is what they talk about.

Maybe PnP games and shopping? Or bad movies? I have no idea.

>>29611884
They're both massive Star Trek fans.

>>29611884
Well, if IC they don't have any shared interests yet, we can just ask Tracy out for lunch and try to brainstorm along with her. See what she might be interested in trying.

"I think my mom's getting worse. Sucks."

"Oh, jeez," she replies. "I'm sorry. What happened?"

Well, you decided to gaslight your mom on this, so why not lie? Couldn't be bound for a worse part of hell on that account. "I don't know. She just freaked, I guess. Happened this morning."

"Well, maybe it was just a bad dream," Tracy says, trying to reassure you. "It might just be a one day thing."

"I hope so." You sigh. "Ugh, it sucks. I mean, it sounds cool, right? Your mom doesn't bother you, ever. Except that you get reminded that your mother is sick and broken and has been for years every time you wake up in the morning, every time you eat dinner, every time she makes you go fetch groceries or something."

"At least your mom might get better."

"Oh, right, I didn't mean it like-"

"I know how you meant it, Abby. It's not a competition." She sniggers. "Though if it is, I'm winning."

"I suppose you are," you grudgingly admit. (Even though she actually isn't.)

(Since she will probably get to live past the age of thirty, unlike you.)

"Anyway, I'm just saying, things might be crappy now, but they could get better, right?"

"Yeah. You're right. I just... I thought we were making progress, you know? Just a little but... progress."

"It's frustrating," she guesses.

"That's the word. It's nice to talk about it with someone. Makes me feel a little better. Thanks."

"You're welcome," she cheerily responds.

>Write-in.

>>29612382
>(Since she will probably get to live past the age of thirty, unlike you.)
Oh ho, SOMEONE doesn't appreciate the chance of manifesting right on her ass.
>Suggest out for a lunch date and do some brainstorming for hobbies you might both want to try out.

>>29612382
>ask if she'd like to spend a night in with some pizza and a copy of the Rocky Horror Picture Show

"You want to spend a night in with some pizza and a movie?"

"Oh, I'd love to, Abby, but Jim's already cooked up a nice dinner for us. Sorry." She turns away from the phone. "In a minute!" Back to you. "Sorry. Uh, you mind if I let you go? He's kinda getting antsy about the food getting cold." She quietly adds: "Though, just between me and you, I think he doesn't like me talking to you."

"Whatever could have given you that idea?"

"I know, right? He seemed just ~so~ okay with it, what with the thing and all, but now it seems he's not. Oh well, he'll get over it."

"Talk to you later."

"Bye!"

You hang up.

>THREAD END

Pick out a shared interest or two for Abby and Tracy, it'll become canonical and I'll do a modicum of research into it.

>>29612972
Dr. Who.

>>29612972
Badminton.

>>29612992
Please no.

>>29612972
McGyver

>>29612992
>Modicum of research
>Dr. Who

Seconding. If only for torture.

>>29612972
>>29612992
thirding

>>29613025
you're gonna suffer and like it

>>29613058
I've spent something like 80 hours on QMing alone, written literally tens of thousands of words, and always been consistent with updating when I said I would, even when I wasn't in the mood. Not to mention the planning, pre-writing, archive maintenance, writing a program to simulate my combat system in order to get it properly balanced, and all the other logistical/support things I've done. I've somehow managed to update regularly in roughly thirty minute chunks even though I generally eat two meals during the quest period. I haven't eaten since this thread started. I've QMed on only a few hours of sleep because I said I would. I've done all of this for free.

Please don't make me watch Doctor Who.

>>29613138
You can just read the wiki or something. Well okay, that would still be really long and even less interesting.

>>29613138
Personally I'd be happy with Star Trek, but only the original series.

>>29613138
ok now I kinda feel bad
I guess I can support badminton

>>29612972
>>29613138


I'll Support Star Trek as well. And I'm in agreement about only the original series..and the one with Picard.

>>29613409
Abby prefers the original series, while Tracy prefers the next generation. This is a frequent source of disagreements between them.
They do at least both agree that voyager was bad.

>>29613472
Agreed.

>>29613519
ugh, go back to saiyan quest, stay out of quests that are actually good plz

>>29613472
Wouldn't a lot of shows be rendered unwatchable by hyperintellect and perception?

>>29613569
As long as you treat the technobabble and plot holes as incosequential to the actual show then such things don't really have an impact on it.

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>>29613560

>>29613619
> technobabble and plot holes
Also idiot balls, inconsistent characterization, etc.

But yes, generally, it would depend on what your tastes are in media. Some tastes would be exacerbated (for example, if you liked scientific or medical accuracy); others would be unaffected or even improved (for example, if you enjoyed catching plot holes).

>>29613715
If a person enjoys plot holes then they'd LOVE voyager.