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 What is Star-Crosst? Star-Crosst is an indie romance visual novel developed and published by Lunatic Moon, and this is their first ever game. All of the story, setting, dialogue, and characterization was written by a Something Awful goon who has requested to remain anonymous, so please give some support to up-and-coming game developers and writers! Consider getting a copy for yourself. To head off any speculation, I wasn't the writer of the game. This is a "pure" visual novel in that the story changes depending on key choices made as it progresses. The setting of the game is the far future, when humanity has expanded to the stars and met friendly alien life, but has faced a harrowing and existential war against another alien species for over a decade. After a sudden victory by the humans and their allies, the hostile alien forces retreated and left the survivors and young people growing up in the shadow of war with a simple question: what happens next? Of course, they'll only start looking for answers to those questions after a lot of booze, sex, and partying! The main character will meet three potential suitors to date and discuss the future with. Note that this game is not the pornographic kind: while dialogue will sometimes refer to sex, there is no erotic sound or graphical effect showing any sort of sexual image. This game falls strictly on the "romance" side of "romance visual novel." Still, I'll say this LP has a light NSFW content warning to it, given the nature of the story. You've been warned! What kind of LP is this? This is a screenshot LP. As the story progressed, the good readers voted on choices to select and actions to take. This is a single, non-completionist playthrough of the game. There are three endings to the story and different dates to take on different days with each romantic interest, so if you want to experience other options, alternate dialogue, or events in the story, I recommend that you pick up a copy of this game for yourselves! There is also some extra information found in the in-game's Databank, which acts as a sort of codex for the lore of the story. This information is at the end of certain updates. The game has some voiced lines noted and linked to Polsy's YouTube player with this icon:  . The game's soundtrack is linked to Polsy's YouTube player with this icon:  . Finally, any comments made about the story, the characters, or my opinions on the writing during transcription are in italics without a character portrait next to it.A note on the game's creators... As mentioned previously, Star-Crosst is an indie game. Pretty much everyone in the credits is an amateur or newcomer to the game development scene. The game's writer (again, a goon!) has asked me to note the voice actors who have lent their voices to the characters we've met, and for me to link to their social media to give them the recognition and exposure they rightfully deserve. Hannah Schooner plays Carla. Zoe D. Lee plays Isol. John Patneaude plays Nikita. Lucas Schuneman plays Vance and Nathan. Liam A. Cunningham plays Gabriel. Laila Berzins plays Kirby/Jocelyn. Caitlyn Elizabeth plays Eden.                            
Olive Branch fucked around with this message at 09:51 on Jan 19, 2024 |
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Sep 17, 2023 10:21
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 There is goon participation in this chapter!  The first thing we need to do on starting a new game is choose our protagonist's sex/presentation: male or female. This has no bearing on gameplay other than dialogue changing slightly to account for our body. There is no option to choose our pronouns or a nonbinary protagonist, and the game's text sadly doesn't account for this possibility. Ultimately, we can date anyone we want: the game doesn't lock us out of a romantic interest just because of our sex. The first vote that was considered was whether we play as a male- or female-presenting protagonist and what our pronouns were. Our protagonist was voted to be a female-presenting character with she/her pronouns. The game's introduction is spoken. Click here to listen!  "They had arrived two days prior in the skies above central Africa; visible to the naked eye, and we still weren't ready for it." "They didn't attack with conventional weapons – the largest two ships each had a superweapon that could upset Earth's atmosphere. Within the first day of their arrival, unprecedented weather phenomena struck out all over the globe." "Water evaporated from the oceans and was brought down as raging hurricanes in the middle of sprawling deserts. Tsunamis sank whole islands. Swaths of continents baked to nothing, while others froze solid." "We could have mounted a defense against a conventional assault, but the very Earth – our home, our cradle – was turned against us. What chance did we have when the ground beneath our feet could split apart and devour us at any moment?" "Our enemies made no attempts to communicate. They rarely invaded with ground troops. To this day, we still don't know what they wanted." "We had taken to calling them the 'Riklid.'"  "Mars had been colonized for close to one-hundred years by then, and it didn't fare any better." "All the work that we had put into terraforming the red planet was upended over the course of a few weeks. The greater lakes that we had managed to cultivate and the forests we had planted – all of it was in jeopardy." "Just as we were finally beginning to explore the deeper reaches of our universe, some of us were beginning to really believe that humanity's final chapter was being written. Our defences could hardly even breach our own skies – what chance did we have?"  "But we had one defence that the Riklid perhaps didn't anticipate – the Moon. The pearl in Earth's night sky. It had no atmosphere for the Riklid to manipulate." "All of our hopes and efforts rested on the colonies that we had established on the Moon. Compared to the combined resources of Earth and Mars, it wasn't much... but that was all we had." "It may have been just one little celestial satellite orbiting the Big Blue Marble, but we were going to prove that it wasn't the size of the dog in the fight – it was the size of the fight in the dog." "After all, all of humanity depended on it." "At four-fourteen P.M. UTC, on June twentieth, Twenty-Three-Twenty-Three, we made a decisive retaliation."  "We had destroyed one of their motherships – and with it, one of their superweapons." "From that point forward, the Riklid couldn't pin down both the Earth and Mars at the same time. The tide of the war had irreversibly changed. With our societies on the Moon maintaining their defences, we could finally begin to regroup and push the Riklid back." "It took thirteen years. Thirteen harrowing years where our Earth and our very homes were toxic to us. Thirteen years where we questioned our odds of survival because of the Riklid." "And on that day, we had proven the indomitability of the human spirit." "Although, we did have some help."  "This is Ezra Foy." "For the last thirteen years, every human, alien ally, and human-built robot was involved in the war somehow. From the moment you could walk, you were taught where to hide if the Riklid warships appeared in the sky." "Ezra is no different. She has been studying to be a robotics engineer: designing and manufacturing the next generation of robotic soldiers to take the fight to the Riklid." "In fact, the last exams are only a few weeks away..." Before we continue, I want to make a note about the introduction. I like the idea of the Riklid being an alien race capable of using a planet's own atmosphere against its denizens. I don't know if the writer was making a commentary or allegory about climate change with the Riklid, but the idea of humanity choking on its own waste is given an interesting twist here. I wonder if Earth is even worth inhabiting now?   : And since there is no pilot, the androids no longer need to be personalized to each soldier, meaning they can be mass-produced. Taking the androids into account, this improvement alone will increase conscription rate by over twelve-hundred percent.: It's projected that these androids will eventually replace our human soldiers entirely by the year Twenty-Three-Thirty-Five.: Further–*The sound of a buzzer plays.*   There's news! Everyone, turn to your class projectors! *The sound of a roaring, cheering crowd.* : I repeat, the alpha mothership has been destroyed! "Less than twenty-four hours later, the remaining Riklid cruisers, warships, and fighters retreated back into the darkness of space." "And after thirteen years of torment, uncertainty, low morale, wondering if there's a point to fighting back – the war was won. It was over." "The Riklid War, as the thirteen years had been called, was officially decided in Earth's favour on June twenty-third, Twenty-Three-Twenty-Three." "All exams were cancelled and grades at the time were considered final. The students were given their extended summer leave a week early and encouraged to celebrate." "And as was tradition for concluding a hard-fought war with an evil superpower in a victory for the Good Guys, there was revelry to be had." The Riklid must have scarpered off fast beyond any readout abilities, because calling it a win seems a bit premature. Or maybe everyone just needed a goddamn break from the war, like the Christmas truce in World War One. Maybe the Riklid are just an amoral (or bizarrely moral?) force that doesn't seem to bother with reinforcements. Only two superweapons for... however many planets humanity had settled by then? StarcoholOh, and before I forget: I ripped and named the soundtrack for this LP myself. There is no official soundtrack for this game as far as I'm aware, and Lunatic Moon never mentioned what the track titles are.   : And I haven't stopped smiling since yesterday.: But... all I can think about is –  Carla's line is spoken. : Oh, whoops, would you look at that! Don't mind the empty bottles on the table; I, uh... I don't know how those got there. *The beer bottle slides across the screen to the other corner.*  : Cheers!: Cheers! : So, Ezra! I can't help but notice you've been sitting here by yourself for far too long while everyone else is pairing up.: When are you going to stop sitting on your rear end and make a move on someone already?: Carla Vaughn, why, I never! What would your mother think with the language coming out of your mouth?: My mom's single; I sort of doubt she's doing anything other than exactly what we're doing and what we're trying to do!: That said, let's immediately change the subject away from my mom hooking up with strangers during our carousing. Let's talk about literally anything else.: Nine out of ten people in this room are going to score tonight.: Is your mom here?Nice one. Shame this game doesn't have that option. : Shutting your mouth might be a good move right now, Ezra. : Anyway, it's our job to make sure that we're not in the ten percent that strikes out. The odds are in our favour! But it's not going to happen if you just sit there and drink alone.: Well, then, if we're 'not pretending' anymore, then...: Carla? I have to come clean with you.: The truth is, ever since... uh... three... beers ago, I've been madly in beer-goggles with you. I can't stand holding it in anymore, and I don't care who knows it!: Hey, everyone! I'm madly in beer-goggles with Carla Vaughn!*The crowd cheers.*  : Hear, hear!: Hahahaha!: Well, if that's the attitude we're having with each other, then I have a confession to make, too.  : Would you... be my plan B for tonight?: Excuse you!: Hey, take it as a compliment! You should see who I have lined up as my plan C. And I'm going to need some thicker beer-goggles of my own before I seriously consider plan D!: Give it to me straight, Carla. Do I at least measure up to plan A?: I'll tell you when I meet them!: ... : No, no, of course not. It's just...: I guess I'm still just trying to... wind down from it all, you know? Thirteen years of wondering– : I guess... but I was thinking more about– : What comes next, right?: ... Yeah.: I think that's been on everyone's minds. Hell, it's clearly been on mine.: But like I said: that's the point of this party. It's as much a celebration of our victory as it is an opportunity to not worry about our future for one night.: After worrying about what tomorrow might bring for the last thirteen years, I think we've earned ourselves at least one night to not give a drat, don't you?: ...: You're right, Carla. We've been spending so long protecting ourselves today so we can do it again tomorrow.: Tonight's the first night in a long, long time that I can afford to put it off and have future Ezra worry about it. : Talking about making problems for our future selves to deal with: hurry and chug that bottle so I can get you another one!: Cheers, Carla.: Cheers, Ezra.I like how Carla and Ezra interact with each other. Ezra would be the responsible superego-angel on your shoulder, while Carla is the id-devil, but together they make a sweet pair. *Time passes...*  : But I don't want to get so drunk that I come off as a total fool. An imbecile. A buffoon. One that is so sloshed as to only get up to the typical chicanery of... someone that's more drunk than I am.: I can't feel the bottom half of my face. : I'm at the point where, if I want to not come off as a drunken idiot to anyone that's feeling nice enough to give me the time of day, I should probably stop.: I am not sober. But I'm also sober enough to have that sort of judgment.: How about you? Has plan D moved himself up a slot or two?: I actually haven't seen him for, like, an hour and a half by now.: Ah, which means that the guy that you put fourth on your ladder managed to bat a home run before either of us did. : One that lasts ninety minutes? Hot drat, could you imagine? You're not supposed to bring the beers into the washroom! : In any case.: Wanna hop to the next bar over? I'm done feeling this one out.: You think plan A isn't going to show up here?: Well, you know what they say: if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself. : Whatever, it does now. I'm down to beat it if you are.: I could take that alley-oop, but it'd be too easy, you know?: Hah, imagine you're playing a game of basketball, and your teammate sets you up for the world's easiest dunk, but you just drop the ball to your side and you say 'nah, I didn't feel like it. I need something more challenging than that.': Hah!: Yeah, let's get going. Mind Your Poise (Carla's Theme)  : Can you remember the last time the energy was this... tangible? : Not recently, and not over something positive. It's like I'm in a whole other world. : Maybe it is. We've all been given a new lease on life, Ezra. It's been thirteen years, and if we can't go back to the world we had before... well, at least, we can make a better one tomorrow.: ...: Hey, Carla. What's the first thing you're going to do? : I meant after that. : I don't know, and personally, right this red-hot minute, I don't care. I don't want to think about the future, no matter how bright and colourful and full of unicorns it might be. I want to focus on the here and now.: And you should too! Get your head out of those clouds right now, missy! You're too drunk to be putting stock into what you're going to do with your life anyway.: Yeah, you're right.: I know I'm right.: I'm gonna keep doing it, though.: I know you are. You're not sober enough to listen to the voice of 'party hard now, drat the consequences for later' reason.: 'Reason,' you call it. : It's a type of reason! It's just not a good one.The British id-devil is right. If I were in Ezra's shoes, or anyone else's in this... planet (?) I'd be celebrating too. It reminds me of when I was in Rio de Janeiro when Brazil won the World Cup in 2002. That was a party that went hard that night. : So, what're you feeling? We got Dragonsbreath; My Aunt's Hidden Stash; The Gnawty Beaver; there's that new bar-and-grill that opened recently, The Draft Bastard... : Don't go to Aunt's Hidden Stash.    : And summer vacation is starting early, too; it might be a dry summer this year. : Not unless your own stash is well-stocked. And you show restraint. : Hah! Good luck convincing anyone to show anything resembling restraint this month! : If history is anything to go by, roughly nine months from now, we're going to be knee-deep in babies. Humans are historically very bad at keeping to themselves in the face of victory.: Ghians are a likewise storied kind. A worldwide success story like this one always leads to... 'excess' later.: I'm Carla, and this is Ezra. And you?: Isol. I study war rations and nutrition.Here is the best drat character in the game and I will not hear anyone say otherwise. Obviously here as xeno-furry bait, and having snaketits is just cheating, but don't lie, you'd romance her too.  : I imagine they would! My mom is a soldier on the front lines; I bet the first thing she'd like to eat when she gets back is a fat, juicy burger.: Actually – I just realized... she ought to be coming home soon, now that the war is over. drat, I gotta get ready for that.: Do you intend to do that tonight?: She's had a bad habit of not thinking in the here-and-now for tonight. Even after I got half a dozen beers into her.: I can't say I don't understand. It's hard to not dwell on the outlooks ahead. Hell, it's hard to relax at all.: Especially now that the taps are starting to run dry! : Yes, alcohol would certainly assist with that.: Or sex. That would work too.: Well, if it's not going to be one, then it's going to be the other. : Let's just say that we're all warm-blooded where it counts, Isol.: And what are you two? Are you with each other, or are you 'on the hunt', as it were? : Dunno yet. We're each other's plan B. We're still feeling the night out, and seeing how it goes; if either of us can find someone else.: Ah, you are... 'on each other's wings', as the Earthlings would say it?: We are each other's wingwoman, yes. : And just what are you implying, Isol? : Look, we're all clearly sloshed. We don't need to try any harder than we need to. Why don't we three just cut to the end?drat, she moves fast! I don't know that I'd have the courage to just walk up to anyone and say "let's you and me get to bed," even if there was an all-out citywide celebration!  : Is that an issue? : Far from it. I'm randy and I'm a sucker for a bit of mystery.: What do you think, Ezra? Ever had a threeway with a Ghian before? : ... If I'm honest, this hit kind of quickly.: That's just a part of the fun! We're all horny and drunk and excited. Tonight's the perfect night for doing something a little crazy!: Let's just head back to my place and we'll see where the night takes us. I got a couple extra beers in my fridge if any of us need any extra loosening up.: Not that that's a concern.: Jumping straight into a threeway with Carla and Isol? I mean, Carla, sure, but I've only known Isol for a few minutes, and, I don't know, maybe the alcohol would affect my performance...? Who'd pick the second option on their first runthrough, honestly? * * * Goon participation! This chapter has two votes I'd kindly like your opinions on. First, we need to choose Ezra's sex, and optionally, any pronouns, non-cis labels or gender identity-related matters. (Note: this was already chosen, the chapter's been updated to reflect this.) Second, what do we do with Carla and Isol? Do we take the threesome or pass on it? Don't worry, I'll remind you that the game does not portray any sex scenes or pornographic images. Olive Branch fucked around with this message at 00:08 on Oct 1, 2023 |
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Sep 17, 2023 10:21
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No vote on 1, I'll let people who care about that make decisions they can relate to. 2: Plan AB sounds great right now. What could possibly go wrong? (If this wasn't clear, I mean 'Take the Threesome'.)
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Sep 17, 2023 16:34
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1) For playing along at home purposes, AFAB she/her. 2) Fuckit, let's find out what happens if we go for a threesome as early as possible. I confess I had a moment early on in this game that threw me out of the immersion - I don't drink, so "myself" instantly going to bars and getting hammered felt really weird. But then it was a weird month for gaming back when this game launched, so... I should give it another go!
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Sep 17, 2023 19:19
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I vote for being And, well, might as well find out what happens~
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Sep 17, 2023 19:46
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AFAB they/them Sure sounds fun
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Sep 17, 2023 20:20
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Gonna vote for female-presenting and she/her. Whether Ezra is actually cis or not is her business I guess And go for the threesome, there is no way that could go terribly wrong, we're far too drunk for that
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Sep 17, 2023 20:35
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Riklids did nothing wrong
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Sep 17, 2023 20:35
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How could you post this without the historical record of the end of war negotiations? Raitzeno posted:No vote on 1, I'll let people who care about that make decisions they can relate to. This sounds good.
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Sep 17, 2023 22:20
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Not entirely sure why this is a game that exists, except presumably "for the hell of it", but it sure seems like it could be entertaining. Voting for femme-presenting enby and to go for the threesome, if only to see how horribly our protagonist is going to fumble that.
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Sep 17, 2023 22:41
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Quackles posted:female body with she/her pronouns.
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Sep 17, 2023 23:49
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how horny is this game, since it seems really horny
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Sep 18, 2023 01:37
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Nissin Cup Nudist posted:how horny is this game, since it seems really horny
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Sep 18, 2023 02:05
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Quackles posted:I vote for being Also this.
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Sep 18, 2023 19:49
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Looks like Ezra will have a female body with she/her pronouns! The first chapter's already been updated with the relevant changes. And of course, we're gonna smash that sexually aggressive lizard with our buddy, too!
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Sep 18, 2023 20:46
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FoolyCharged posted:How could you post this without the historical record of the end of war negotiations? I love this historical record, because literally my first thought (well, second, first was "why is title screen borderline Rimworld ripoff") was "why lizardperson has boobs".
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Sep 18, 2023 21:21
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This looks fun. I was going to vote, but it would have been very redundant. Maybe next time. I do wonder what kind of person would 1) pick up this game and 2) choose the second option on their first playthrough.
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Sep 18, 2023 21:44
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Qylvaran posted:This looks fun. I was going to vote, but it would have been very redundant. Maybe next time. That’s me! I came to date lizards, not to go instantly into drunken threesomes. I want (fictional) relationships before anything horny. I also don’t drink, I guess you could profile me as a square. 
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Sep 18, 2023 22:23
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There is goon participation in this chapter! Mind Your Poise (Carla's Theme)  : Are you the one that wants out now, Carla? : I'm... glad that your opinion of me is so high. : Two... associates in the cot ought to get things nice and toasty. : You're the one that went with it in the first place! Why is this so surprising to you?   *The screen fades to black. The music and ambience fade out.*   : But then again, maybe I was too drunk to notice.  : I had been holed up in school for so long, thinking about my future fighting against the Riklid that I never had the chance to really... look at it.: I've lived here in Four-Four-Eight all my life, but in the last thirteen years, I'd nearly forgotten what it even looks like. The blue skies; the running water; the green ivy growing off the buildings...: Was I ready to put my life on the line for this?: My mom was. My dad... sorta was. Sometimes, I wondered if I had a choice.: But for so long, I was psyching myself up for being in the war... that I nearly forgot what it even was that I was going to war for.: ... I wonder if this is normal? I wonder if other people are feeling this way? Or if they aren't still partying from the good news last night?Huh. Just entirely glossing over the fact we had a threesome last night with our best friend and an alien, Ezra? No reflection on how this could affect your feelings in having to fight a war if the Riklid come back?  : ... Oh, I'm not alone. : Maybe that's what she's here–: She?: She looks like a 'she.' That'd be some awfully pretty hair for a man. And some awfully soft curves.: And–: Just – wow, she's cute.: Should I say hi? But she's probably here for some peace and quiet. Maybe I shouldn't; I bet she gets bothered all the time in the city.: And I'm just coming down from a wild night with two other ladies; maybe I shouldn't be thinking about another one like this.: But it doesn't need to be a thing; there's nothing wrong in saying 'hello,' right?: Could I really live with myself if I didn't at least try?: Man, talking to pretty girls is hard. I spent all my life learning about robots; I don't know the first thing about being social without alcohol.: Maybe I should just– This person's line is spoken.: Oh, thank God, she made the first move.: Oh, uh, hi. : It's rude to stare, you know.: Oh, God, no!: Uh... I'm sorry. I, uh... I couldn't help it. : ... Okay, she's letting you recover. Don't screw this up now. * * * Goon participation! What do we ask this bewitching person? * * * Databank: Earth In the year 2029, a satellite of unquestionably alien origin and design was found passing through Earth's solar-airspace, its trajectory aimed to Earth's orbit and Venus's. It was intercepted and brought to Earth, where it was found to contain technology that mimicked the passage of Earth's technological evolutions - some older, blockier cartridges and devices had a similar design to Betamax cassette tapes and VHSes, all the way up to modern devices similar to touchscreen tablets, and onward to light-emitting devices that existed only in science fiction. Although each device also contained pictographic instructions on how to view them, and the satellite itself was designed to act as a power source for them, it nonetheless took weeks to understand how they functioned and what contents the devices contained. Six years later, Earth was visited by a benevolent species known as the Ghians, hailing from the planet Ghi in the Andromeda galaxy, a trip they made with warp-speed technology in just five years. The Ghians landed off the coast of Tokyo, Japan, and with their arrival, humanity's progress as a starfaring, interplanetary species was jumpstarted. Earthlings and Ghians enjoyed a prosperous relationship: whereas Ghians had more advanced interplanetary capabilities, humans had a more thorough grasp of medical sciences, to name just two among the myriad of differences between them. Their shared knowledge advanced each other further than either could achieve alone. Like the Earthlings, the Ghians had not found any trace of other alien life throughout the universe; that they had found each other was a miracle to both species. Ghians enjoyed Earth's hospitality and it wasn't long until Ghians were finding homes on Earth just as earthlings were finding homes on Ghi. On March 28th, 2311, the Earth was attacked. Olive Branch fucked around with this message at 06:40 on Sep 26, 2023 |
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Sep 19, 2023 04:58
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Calmly refer to the common denominator. I personally dislike this anime art style but I'm here for the plot and I want to believe that love can bloom on a (previous) battlefield
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Sep 19, 2023 07:02
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Hell of a last night, huh?
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Sep 19, 2023 07:10
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BraveLittleToaster posted:Hell of a last night, huh?
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Sep 19, 2023 11:34
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I like the first answer, since it relates to what we were contemplating while we thought we were alone. Maybe I'm overthinking it though.
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Sep 19, 2023 19:29
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Qylvaran posted:I like the first answer, since it relates to what we were contemplating while we thought we were alone. Maybe I'm overthinking it though. Same. The last option is also a little close to bringing up the after bar stuff.
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Sep 19, 2023 19:34
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I like Beautiful morning, isn't it? as it's just a nice thing to say.
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Sep 19, 2023 20:23
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It IS a beautiful morning
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Sep 19, 2023 20:54
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C is kind of a weird thing to say to a stranger. It's a beautiful morning.
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Sep 19, 2023 21:57
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megane posted:C is kind of a weird thing to say to a stranger. It's a beautiful morning. presumably it is less weird after twenty-four hours of strangers thinking of new ways to say "Wink wink nudge nudge grin grin say no more guvnor"
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Sep 19, 2023 22:44
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  : But I guess it isn't cloudy or rainy. But sometimes I prefer rainy days, y'know? Nothing really beats the sound of a light rainfall and the smell of the morning dew.: I guess, as far as mornings go, this one's pretty okay. That's my ranking for this morning. Pretty Okay.: Alright, we're off to a start.: My name's Ezra Foy. Soul Searching (Nikita's Theme): Nikita Klein.: Your turn, Ezra Foy. What brings you here? A spot like this is usually a little out-of-the-way.: You're right. I don't often come out this far; I'm usually a big city girl.: But... I don't know. I guess I'm still processing the big victory from last night and I just needed to start wandering, you know? To help sort my thoughts out.: Actually, Nikita, you're a total stranger, so maybe you can give me some unique insight. Is that weird? Am I the weird one for having that kind of reaction to the victory last night? Or are you here for that too?  : But yeah, I don't think that's 'weird.' I mean, we've all been in a certain state of mind for the past decade-and-some-change, and just last night, it all flips like a switch. Everyone's going to have different responses to it. : Yeah, I guess that's true.: Thank you for the insight.: Glad I could help. : Robotics engineering. I was going to start working on the next generation of combat androids to help with the war effort. : Oh yeah? Those Gen Three models, right? I thought they had just started rolling them out.: Yeah, we were learning more about them just yesterday when the lesson was interrupted by a broadcast of that mothership exploding.: I was probably going to start working on those and their upgrades and maintenance... and on their successors, if the war lasted long enough.: How about you?: ... I was... : Really? On the front lines? You were going to be in one of those outer-space fighter spacejets? : Yep, that was going to be me. I had just gotten my butter bars and everything; I was only a few weeks away from my first tour on the front lines.Nikita's reference to "butter bars" means that they are a junior commissioned officer, either an ensign or second lieutenant. That seems like a pretty high rank for a pilot, honestly, but maybe the Riklid have wiped out so many soldiers they are promoting youngsters as fast as the enlisted soldiers were dying up in space. Maybe that's why Nikita doesn't look so happy about being a pilot... : Hey, my mother is the same way! She's a soldier on the Moon, right on the very front lines, staring those bastards in the eye. : Yeah! She's on her fifth deployment right now. I get to speak with her once a week. Now that the Riklid have finally retreated, I bet she'll be coming home in a few days. : ... Wow. There's... a lot to process here.: Is that so unbelievable?: About your mom? It's not just her: it's this whole conversation.: What I'm having a hard time understanding is someone immediately believing me when I say I'm a fighter pilot. They look at a body like mine and long hair like this and they immediately think I'm, like, a call girl that gets most of her business at the base, or something.: Whoa.: Well, it'd be hypocritical of me to think that a woman couldn't be a badass, at the very least.: You're off to a good start, Ezra. : She's definitely the bravest woman I know. I was too scared to follow in her footsteps; that's one of the reasons why I put my focus on robotics.: You're a close second, Nikita. It takes guts to want to put yourself in the hot-seat like that.: 'Close second,' what?: You're a close second in bravery, I mean.: Yeah, I know that. But you said that your mom was the 'bravest woman you know...' : ...does that make the second bravest woman you know?: ... Uh....: Go ahead, just guess. I won't be offended.: In fact, if you couldn't tell, this is a lot of fun for me.: ... Well... I kinda assumed, what with the hair, and the curves, and the clean, pretty face–: Oooh, keep going.: – that you were a woman...?: Really? You thought that all of this was your idea of feminine?: ... Yep, sure did.: Well, Ezra, it was a coin flip, and it came up tails.: Which means... you're a guy?: Is there something wrong with a guy wanting to look pretty?: And we've established that 'women can be badass,' too. Really, it's kinda the whole package, if you ask me.: Pun not intended.: Okay, Ezra, calm yourself down. You had a lesbian threesome with your best-friend-with-benefits and a Ghian last night and now you're speaking with a very pretty, very accomplished man. Things are moving fast.: ... I wonder if I should introduce him to Carla and Isol...?: U-uhhh, anyway–: That just means that you're the bravest guy I know. Most of my other guy-friends only want to get as close as the Moon, and not directly in combat.: I can't blame them. I've had a lot of sleepless nights thinking about what my future has in store for me. : That's not stopping me from going through with it, though...: ... But hey! We don't have to worry about stuff like that anymore. The war is over, Nikita! You and I, we can do whatever the hell we want!: Yeah... it's a good feeling to have.: What will you do now?: I have no idea. And frankly, I've been hoping for someone to ask that question since last night.: Like, no doubt it's been on everyone's minds, right? Not just mine? We're an entire generation of soldiers-to-be to join the cause against the Riklid, and suddenly, there's no Riklid for us to rally against.: Which is a great thing! It's amazing. We – all of us, all of humanity – have been fighting a massive fight that's lasted thirteen years, and we, and the generation after us, have been getting ready to join in against the war effort.: And in the blink of an eye, it's done. It's all gone.: I know it's too early to be getting wound up over it. We should be celebrating. Last night we were getting drunk and pairing up like it was the last night of our lives, and tonight, I wouldn't be surprised if we do it all again.: I sure hope so, anyway. And maybe with less booze so I remember more of it.: But, like... what now, y'know? What happens next? What do we do with our lives?  : For thirteen years, our generation has had to deal with an uncertain future, with the only 'absolute' being that we were going to participate in the fight for Earth and our solar system. How we were going to do it was different for everyone, but we were all going to do it.: But now...: Well, the future is still uncertain. : But in a good way!: It's like we've had a huge, terrible weight on our shoulders for over a decade. Which doesn't sound like a long time, but each day is an eternity while it's bearing down on you. And now it's gone! Lifted, all at once, with no warning, just like that!: You and I, Ezra, and everyone – the future is what we want to do with it. You and I can make our own decisions about what we want to do with our lives now that we don't have to worry about invading aliens and interplanetary combat.: You've been thinking about this as hard as I have, haven't you?: Heh, no comment.Nikita is cool and down-to-Earth. Or not-Earth, wherever we are. The land really doesn't seem too badly affected by the Riklid, if this is Earth or Mars...  : Haha! I met a Ghian last night that said it's not different for them.: I think you're asking the wrong question, Ezra. The question isn't 'what do we do now?': The question should be 'what do we want to do now?': What do we want to do?  : ...: ...?: ... I don't know. I've been so caught up in what I need to do that I don't even know what it is I want to do.I like how the game used this "choice" to illustrate how Ezra really doesn't have a clue what to do. More games need to mess with game mechanics to make a thematic point. : Just so you know, I think that's a normal response to our situation.: We've all been through a lot, and it's a lot to process. Nobody has the right idea about what to do with themselves going forward, and if they try to tell you otherwise, they're lying right through their teeth.: Take me for instance. I have no idea what I'm going to do tonight, much less what I'm going to do with my life from now on.: And it's great! I love having that sort of spontaneity available to me!: Up to a point.: We're all figuring it out as we go, Ezra, and for the first time in nearly a decade, we can take our time with it.: ... Yeah. That's all true. There's no rush.: It just feels like there is, y'know? There's a sudden vacuum in... agency? Direction? Point is, I had – we all had a plan going forward, and now, we don't.: Yeah, I get it.: But look on the bright side! The plan that we had sucked. I'd much rather have no direction in life than the direction we were all going in.Nikita speaks truth here. What would you rather face: a certain future where you're all going to commit to a war where you may just die in the long run, or a peace where you don't know where you'll end up? : Hah, yeah, I agree. I was barely a teenager when the war broke out. I hardly had a chance to enjoy my adolescence and now it's nearly over.: Just a few minutes ago, I was paralyzed with indecision on how to approach a pretty gi– a pretty man, which I think is a skill I should have learned when I was a teen, but never had the chance. And I don't think I'm the only one.: I'd rather have the opportunity to fill in the blanks than to dedicate the rest of my life to designing war androids.: That's the spirit!: Let's try an easier question.: What do you want to do right this red-hot second?: Right this red-hot second?: Right this red-hot second.Carla used the same line earlier. Must be an expression the writer likes? : Hmm... : That's not a bad idea! I've never been there either. Maybe seeing past our skies and across the land will give us some perspective on what it is we want to do with our lives going forward. : Oh! Uh, I shouldn't presume. Let's make this an official thing. : Would you mind if I tagged along? I've got nowhere else to be and it's nice talking with a girl that's on the same wavelength as I am.: Yeah, I wouldn't mind the company. You're a pretty cool guy.: You know, being complimented on my looks is one thing, but being complimented on my personality is a different sort of feeling.: Which is to say: thank you. You're pretty cool to talk with, too, Ezra.: Shall we get going?*The screen fades to black. The music and ambience fade out.* Olive Branch fucked around with this message at 06:56 on Sep 26, 2023 |
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Sep 20, 2023 18:24
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I actually really like Nikita from this brief conversation.
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Sep 20, 2023 18:33
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Hmm, interesting. I wonder if those slots fill in after we've played a few routes?
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Sep 20, 2023 19:02
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I like Nikita. I also like this game so far, it reminds me a little of "I Was A Teenage Exocolonist" but without stupid minigame. I'll definitely give it a go.
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Sep 20, 2023 21:44
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Quackles posted:Hmm, interesting. I hope not. Their appearance after being so confident in the part of the sentence leading up to the "choice" was a good way to convey the sudden realization of "uhh.... poo poo. I don't know"
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Sep 20, 2023 22:37
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  : It was a lot easier to get in than I had expected. I would have thought it'd still be out of use for the public.  : Observatories had been repurposed as lookouts during the war effort. They hadn't been used to explore the stars that whole time; instead, they were focusing on Earth's immediate sphere of influence.: That's like buying a pair of binoculars and using them to inspect your fingernails. With the war over, we can finally start studying the stars again! : That sounds great and all... but on the other hand, we just dealt with one evil, invading alien species for the past thirteen years. Do you think we'd all be excited at the prospect of finding more?  Whoa, Nikita. That's pretty speciesist, comparing a sentient alien race to dogs! : I think that's an unfair comparison. That's like comparing dogs to coyotes.: ... What were we arguing about again?  : But hey, we're here! Neither of us have been to the observatory in all our lives, and now, here it is. Here we are.: Yep. Here we are. We're at the observatory.: We sure are.: Now what?  : Yeah, we didn't think particularly far ahead on that one, did we?: But hey, this place has an observation deck. And it's got a handful of those standing, pay-for binoculars.: If we can't see the stars, maybe we can at least see the city we live in at a different angle.: That's not a bad idea. I feel like I've only ever seen fifteen feet in front of me.: I don't know if it'll give us any ideas on what to do with our futures, but hey, at least it'll be fun!  : It's a lot different seeing your city in person, and at an angle like this, than it is in pictures or paintings. : See any spots you recognize?: Yeah, a couple... I can see my engineering school. I can see the lookout platform that we met on.: Let me ask a really pretentious question: have you found what you're looking for?: Heh. I'll tell you when I've found it.: Well, that was nice while it lasted.As far as I know, this was meant to be a moment where the player could click around the sights of the city to get context about where we are and what's there to do in town. Sadly, it was entirely scrapped and never written, not even cut content to piece together.   : Wha – jeez! Carla!  : And as soon as I laid my eyes on the observatory, I figured, 'yeah, Ezra would be sentimental enough to want to spend her first morning as a free woman going to a place like the observatory. That or a museum.': And lo and behold, here you are! : Sometimes, I wonder. : ...: *Sigh* Yes, Nikita, she's a friend. : ... She certainly has a different energy than we do.  : And there's only so much low-energy to go around in Subsection Four. If I acted like Ezra, we'd both be too sleepy to do anything in the day.: Although, we'd make great sleeping aides for each other. : No, those eggshells would break. I am too fat.  : Nikita Klein. Ezra and I have known each other for maybe an hour.: Carla Vaughn. Ezra and I live in the same dormitory at school. : I can give you the quick-and-dirty version:  : We were only classmates for most of our childhood, but once we became teenagers and we happened to move into the same dormitory, well... I'll let you fill in the blanks.  : They said that proper socializing and merriment was to help keep our morale from dropping too low, what with the Riklid trying to destroy everything we hold dear and whatnot.: Ezra and I bonded over the fact that 'mandatory socializing for the betterment of your mental health' seemed oxymoronic when they could have just, I dunno, given us a three-day weekend or something. We've been pretty close friends ever since.Close friends, but not dating friends? Just with benefits? Interesting. Perhaps either Ezra or Carla weren't ready to declare their relationship official all this time?  : 'Pretty close friends,' she says.: ... I can't say anything.: We just had a threesome with a Ghian last night, but Nikita doesn't need to know that. She knows she could bring it up, but I know she won't.: Telling her not to mention it is as bad as me saying it myself. Not saying anything puts all my trust in her to not be weird by bringing it up.: Look at her. She knows what she's done. She's enjoying this.: So, you say you two just met? drat, Ezra, you work fast. She's cute as heck.: Oh, before I forget–: No, Ezra, don't take this from me.: *Ahem.* : Who is cute as heck, Miss Vaughn?: It's you, cutie pie!: And what was the exact sentence you said to Ezra just now?   : A really good looking one. : drat right I am.: ...  : Wha?: Oh. Yeah, you're a ten, or whatever. : Now, now, you two; there's no need to get so upset over me.: She's not upset, Nikita. She's fishing for attention. Change the subject before you give her what she wants.: Here, like this: Carla, what really brought you to the observatory? If you wanted to track me down that badly, you could have just called. : But anyway, let me answer that question with a question:: Did you come here because you looked up, saw the observatory, realized that you've never been here before, and then realized that you have nothing but free time for the foreseeable future?: ... Yes, actually, that's the total and complete reason I'm here.: Same. It's a small world, Ezra.: For as drunk as we got last night, I still remember the conversations that we had fairly clearly. And now I'm sober enough to take the concerns that you had a little more... personally.: Knowing you and your 'I need to let everyone know how I think the sky is falling' attitude, you've probably already spoken with Nikita about how we should be taking our approach to the future a little differently now that the war is over.  : Sure am... but a big part of it is that Ezra is just that predictable.: I prefer 'consistent,' thanks.: Sure, you're definitely both of those things.: But... yeah. Now that I've gotten all of that partying out of my system, I woke up today wondering the same things. And I imagine a lot of others will. : Not any more than you two have, I think.  : Personally, I'm... I'm still kind of reeling from the news. I had gotten so... I guess the right word would be 'inured' to the idea that, in less than a year's time, I was going to be doing my training tour around the asteroid belt before I was put on the front lines.: For years, I had been grappling with the idea of: 'Holy poo poo, I'm probably going to die' if I did that. I was probably going to die at twenty-five years old, in a pressurized, rocket-propelled, one-seater spaceship the size of a trailer in the cold vacuum of space.: And this morning was the first time that that thought didn't cross my mind.: ...  : ...: Now that's an attitude I can empathize with!Carla absolutely picked up on something, but didn't push. Good on you for knowing when to stop, Carla. : The future isn't going anywhere, and now, we don't have to worry about it coming to us. I'm all for just kicking back, opening a cold one, and letting the world pass me by for a few days.: That, or, well, more of last night. Which I think is safe to say is going to happen for... at least a few more nights.: Which part? All of it?: I'll decide that when I get there.: So! Here we are in an observatory.: This place was always open to the public, but I can't imagine it got a ton of tourism during the war. I wonder how they plan on handling the influx of visitors they're no doubt going to get.: Nikita and I were just wondering that earlier, actually. It's probably going to take a while, but eventually, we're going to relax enough to stare at the stars for the science and the wonder of it rather than keeping watch for enemy combatants again.  : During the day? : ... That's a good point.: Yeah, Nikita and I also realized that too late.: That's a shame. I was kind of hoping we'd be able to see Earth. I've never seen her before. : Oh, you never have?: No, never. I was born in Subsection Three, but I moved here when I was five, and I haven't left ever since.: We have that in common, then! I've done all of my training in simulators and gravity chambers; I've never actually seen Earth, let alone even been in her airspace.: What about you, Ezra? Have you ever been to Earth? Or even seen her in something other than a picture?: No, not me. And as far as I know, neither has my dad; the closest he's gotten is Mars, where he did most of his military time.: The only one in my family that's physically been on Earth is my mom.: Isn't that funny? Three Earthlings, all together, but we've never even seen the Earth with our own eyes!So then, where is everyone at? You'd think by now it'd be clear. The introduction of the game said only the Earth, Mars, and the Moon were colonized or fighting back against the Riklid.  : Hmm...: Carla, look at that one monitor, the one closest to our left.  : ... Well, I'll be darned.: ... Today's Sunday, right?: Last I checked.  : But that will be then, and this is now. And right now, I'm in the mood for some lunch. Who's with me?: Yeah, I could stand to go somewhere. What about you, Nikita?  : In fact, let's trade registries. I want to get back in touch with you both sometime soon.: Uh, if that isn't too forward of me, I mean. : Are you kidding? I'd love nothing more than a guy friend I can trade hair-care tips with!: Oh, perfect! : Any hints on what this other appointment of yours is, Nikita? Or is it something personal?: No, it's fine; I just wanted to go check in on some family of mine, and after that, I need to call my CO to check in.: While our training has been formally concluded in the wake of the war's end, I got a message earlier today saying to check in for our final evaluations.: And, well, now that I'm mostly sober and the war is over, I have a few questions about my academic future that I'd like clarified while I'm there.: Yeah, that all makes sense to me.: It was great meeting you two!: Likewise! Say 'hi' to whoever for me!  : Well, either way, you know he's walking out of that door thinking to himself, 'what could Carla have meant by 'whoever'?'  : That's how you get people to remember you, Ezra. Just say something stupid every now and again. That's very true, although there's a fine line between "stupid" and "idiotic." People can only give so much slack! : Well, I suppose if you don't mind people thinking that you're occasionally a buffoon. : I'm no buffoon. But I do enjoy tomfoolery from time to time. I am a tomfoolerist on my off-hours. : Oh, and he could definitely tell that we had sex last night.: What makes you so sure?  : But there's no way a guy that looks like that couldn't sniff us out like a bloodhound.: You think Nikita gets a lot, too?  : I get the better impression that... he's not a prude, exactly, but, well... just because someone wants to look like he does, doesn't mean he's available, you know? His tone and body language implied that he wasn't interested.: He said he was a fighter pilot, too. Which I believe. A stomach like that takes effort, and I hear the Aerospace Force is pretty easy on hair styles compared to the military. But I'm sure he gets a lot of harassment on the base for it, and he knows how to spot the signs, as it were.: I get the better impression that he's after emotional connections first.: I say that after only a few minutes of talking to the guy, mind you. That's not a lot to go on.: ... So, all of that was you talking out of your rear end?: My gut, actually. But it all comes out looking the same in the end, I suppose.: Changing gears: did you have any plans for where you wanted to go for lunch?: No, not especially. After all the booze last night, any decent, warm meal is probably going to taste like a gift straight from God.: Perfect. I've got just the place.*The screen fades to black.* Olive Branch fucked around with this message at 06:57 on Sep 26, 2023 |
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Sep 21, 2023 19:31
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Starcohol  : Do you expect it to? : Well... I guess you got me there. What did you even eat that wasn't typical bar junk food?: Nothing. Not that I remember.: But I distinctly remember them having a real menu, offering steaks and pastas and the like. And I do remember thinking, 'Man, I'd totally order that if I didn't think I'd throw it all up in a few hours.': So, here I am, wanting to order it. Is that a good enough reason for you to come back?: It all works for me. I haven't eaten all day; I'll take anything. : Oh, this is why you wanted to come here.  : Can you calm down with the innuendos for a bit? We're in public and it's the middle of the day.   : Anyway, let's start over. Isol, pretend that I didn't arrange this.  : *Ahem*   : I had recalled that you and Ezra had started your crawls here, and I wanted to, you know, see where the wonder had started.: Us encountering each other here is strictly chance, I assure you.: Last night, if I remember right, you said that you studied war rations and nutrition. Is that right?: Yes! It's nice that you recalled.: This is probably a little presumptuous, but you'd think a nutritionist wouldn't be so keen on, well, getting drunk and eating junk food at a bar. : You know what? I honestly can't. : That said, when it's cuisine that you're trying to get, you could just ask. : That actually sounds like a good deal to me. It'll probably be cheaper, too.: Carla, let's leave and go to Isol's, or whatever it is she wants to do.Read the room, Ezra, drat! And inviting yourself to someone's place is such a social faux pas, no matter how far in the future we are. : Oh, come now, Ezra. Going to a bar or restaurant for the food is only half the experience. : But she also said–: Isol, what would you rather do?: Eat here. Cooking at the dwelling is untidy and costs ingredients. I can do greater than this kitchen; that's not to say that I want to. : There, riddle solved. Now untwist your panties, Ezra.: I can't. My panties are chronically knotted.: And since you brought it up – : What? What's so wrong about me asking some questions? : The woman's been here for less than five minutes, and you're already going to badger her about what she has planned for the future. Let her at least pick out something from the menu first!: You're the one who invited her here! It's been, what, five hours since we all woke up in the same bed? : Listen to you two!: You two trade hits like you had known each other your whole existence. One knows what the other is going to say and the other knows exactly how to counter it. : It's cute, in its own way.: We've known each other since before the war, actually. So... yeah. Most of our existences, at this point. It's gotten pretty easy to pinpoint exactly what makes Ezra tick.: And you, Ezra? Can you cause Carla to 'tick,' too?: Not as well as she can.: It's all in good fun, anyway. I could call her a messy, smelly bint and she'd know that I still love her. Jeez, Ezra. That seemed a bit too much. : In any case.: Ask your question, Ezra.: Thank you.: Carla's right, though. I've been asking this question a lot, not just to myself, but to... well, you'd be the third person I asked, after Carla and... someone else I had met this morning.: Was this 'so'one else' the earliest character you had seen today?: ... Yes, in fact, they were the first person I saw. : Hahaha!: Hah... sorry. I just imagined you walking down the street, grabbing the first person you found by the collar, looking them dead in the eye, and saying "But what comes next?!": Hahaha! Glad I wasn't that unlucky last night!: I mean... that's nearly something that I did, I won't deny it. Although I sort of danced around the question and Nikita asked it for me.: Somehow, I don't believe that helps your case, Ezra.: Anyway... ever since last night, I've been wondering what might come next for us.: As a whole?: Well, yes, for all of us – but I was actually referring to us individually. What you, me, and Carla are going to do now that... our whole 'reason for being' for the past thirteen years has gone. : Not me, no. I've been asking people for their own takes on it ever since last night.: Well, by 'people,' I mean three people total. You know what I mean. : Nope, and I haven't put nearly as much thought into it as Ezra has.: Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't care.: It's that I... don't care yet. I just want to keep living my life, at least – you know what? At least for the summer. Give me two hot months to go to beaches and hike in forests and get real lazy in between all the swimming and hiking.: I just want to not worry about it for now. I get where Ezra's coming from, really... but she and I just have different approaches to how to handle life-altering, the-world-is-spinning-the-other-way good news. : That's not a wrong idea to own, I should think.: It narrows down to the one you're asking, Ezra. There is no wrong way to take the news and how to answer it.: Right, which is why I'm asking you. It's why I've been asking it a lot.: Maybe I should stop after you, if I'm honest. The more I think about it, the more I think Carla is right, and I'm being some weirdo that walks down the streets asking people what their opinion is on something... abstract? Is that the right word?: I'll answer it, at least. : The truth is, I started thinking likewise thoughts earlier today. And I think the conclusion I had was that... I won't change what it is I had studied to do since the start. : Really? You're going to keep being a war ration nutritionist?: Nutrition is what I originally studied. Using that knowledge on war rations started later.: Though, yes: I intend to continue. The war ending doesn't change the... zeal I own with the study.Before we continue, let me just mention I'm very impressed with how the writer is avoiding certain sounds or letters in the writing for Isol. She has that strange affect and strange alternate vocabulary that implies she is a second-language speaker, but also it makes sense because she doesn't have lips to form those sounds with. Nice! : Huh.: Isol, you're the first person I had asked that decided that they're going to be sticking with what they had been doing before news of the war's end reached us yesterday.: Carla wants to forget all about it for a bit and the other person – Nikita is his name – he seemed pretty relieved to be able to choose another path for his life.: Was Nikita training to join the struggle?: You mean, to fight in-person? Yeah, he was training to be a pilot.: Then there's no need to wonder there! Surely all the soldiers and warriors are all relaxed at the good news!: Studying nutrition was always a cushy, no-risk trade in the war industry. I didn't need to worry on relocating to Earth or its stellar area to do it.: Yet, it was always what I wanted to do. Earthlings and Ghians are two unlike genera, though the one thing we all share is that we enjoy a good dinner.: The way you talk, Ezra, suggests you think that our trades decided during the war industry were decided in our stead. It's like you're asking the traditional 'destiny against choice' question, and you're unsure that we all had a choice at all. : Well, I don't study psychiatry. There's a good chance I, as you Earthlings say, 'talk out the rear end' on an issue as intrinsic as this one.: In the end, the answer I can grant is that... I don't intend to change, war or not.: ... Hmm.: I had never thought that I was framing it as a question of free will. I thought I was always framing it as... well, as a simple question on what it is we do now.: That doesn't mean you are framing it that way, Ezra. It's just another viewpoint.: And Isol is answering by saying the concept of 'fate' can shove it. She wants to study food because she wants to study food. I want to take time off because I want to take time off.: Whether you want to keep studying robotics, war or no war, or if you want to do something else entirely, is something that you'll have to decide for yourself eventually.: It all loops back around to the main point I've been making, though: the choice is ours to make. Nothing and nobody says that we have to go back to school next semester, and if we do, it doesn't have to be for what we were studying.: Is that what this is? Do I feel like I'm having this crisis because I need to keep preparing for the war effort? Is some part of me resigned to feeling like the decision was never mine to make?: Or are these just... residual feelings towards the work I've put in this past decade? It's only been two days. In a way, I still feel like I'm a coil that's been wound too tight, ready to snap.: Maybe I just need a bit more time.: While we're on the issue, I was thinking on storing adequate credit to start a Ghian restaurant here. Ghian eateries are so scarce, what with a journey to Ghi taking a little longer than three years one-way.: In that case, wouldn't it be next to impossible? If you wanted to open a Ghian eatery and have it be an authentic experience, importing the right food and spices would be... exorbitant.  : I imagine Isol's thought about the logistics by now.: It's true; I would struggle with creating truly authentic Ghian quality cuisine.: That's why I study what I study. There's a way to... denote correct Ghian tastes and textures in Earthling sustenance. I just need to locate it.: All without risking our health, naturally.: Well, that'd be pretty exciting! You could invent new foods or toppings or spices that taste just like what you eat on Ghi.: Although, that sounds like chemistry, not culinary arts.: Yes, well... one challenge at a stage, you understand. I'll need to get real, authentic Ghian ingredients until I can recreate their likeness. I can't rely on recollections alone.Hasn't it been over three hundred years that the Ghians and humans know each other and have been to both planets? A sort of cultural exchange of cuisine, music, fashion, and more would have taken place way earlier, and Isol's plans to make artificial food would probably have been achieved by now. Maybe in this place, wherever we are, there was no effort to import or promote Ghian culture? Or maybe the Riklid War just completely stuffed any sort of thought about this in the new generation and now there needs to be a rediscovery of the arts?   : Do I have it right?: I await the struggles. The cost alone would shock anyone.: Yet now that there is no war and no direction laid out, I think it's a good way to use what I learned.: A Ghian restaurant could also assist likewise Ghians in dealing with...  : Uh...: Oh! Homesickness?: Yes, that!: While we're talking on it: Ezra, what did you study on during the war? Was it a thing that you wanted to do? Or was it a thing that you were told to do?: Oh! Oh! I know this one! Pick me!: Now, now, Carla, you'll get your turn. I asked Ezra. : I was a tinkerer when I was a kid. I liked to pull things apart and put them back together to see if they still ran as well as they did before.: Not a lot of electrical-based toys were interesting to do that with – I'd find a circuit board and I wouldn't know the first thing that I was looking at.: But if, like, a toy had a button, and the button was connected to the board with a wire, then a five year old could figure out that if you disconnected the wire, the button would stop working. And it'd start working if you plugged it back in.: And then I'd start seeing what would happen if I plugged a different button's wire into a different slot, and, well, now I study robotics.  : Yeah, that's fine. I understand the context.: That's good.: Androids, huh? That sounds like a nice, cushy trade that's not on the lines.: Taking a job that wasn't directly on the front lines was a perk, I won't deny that, but studying robotics – everything from the design and engineering to the learning AI that went into operating them – is a fascinating subject to me.: Using advanced artificial intelligence to help humans and Ghians with their daily lives had been a goal since as early as computers were a thing. We've had robots since as early as the two-thousands, but the technology in those science-fiction stories always felt so distant.: Up until the Riklid invaded – then, there was a huge push towards using every resource that we had to help with the war effort.: War has a tendency to quicken the study and research on certain things that can later assist with general health and wellness. It's likewise on Ghi, too.: Your study in the area will likely realign towards society now that the war struggle has ended.: That's what I'm hoping for, too.The cynic in me says that all those shiny tools and war machines are going to be turned inward. : With any luck, I'm hoping that we recall the latest Gen Three models that were recently put into production so we can refit them for helping civilian life. Now that the war is over, they don't need those shoulder-mounted gatling guns or the metal-piercing thermal vision.: And, well, while we're at it, I'm hoping we redesign them. They look really creepy and off-putting. Which was an intentional design feature to unnerve the Riklid, but if they're going to live with humans, ideally, they'd, uh, not carry such an 'expressive' array of details.: If I were Isol, I would have accepted a 'yes, Isol, I like robots.' We didn't need your student's thesis in response.: Luckily, neither of us asked you!: Don't misunderstand me – I think it's endearing. I said I would have accepted a five-word response, but this works too.: ... With all that said...: Robotics is what I've been studying, but you might understand why I'm having such a difficult time coming to terms with what it is I'm going to do now that the war is over. Going from war robots to, I don't know, vacuum cleaners or something else is a bit of a... change.: I had spent thirteen years of my life – my entire teenage life – on studying robots meant for war. Do I change course entirely?: It's what I know, and even if making killer robots wasn't what I wanted, it's what I'm good at now. Do I stick with that? Or do I try to, like, pick up an art or something? If I can even figure out which one I want. It's easy to think that I'm too old and it's too late. : Ezra, you're in your mid-twenties. Your life hasn't even started yet. I don't want to hear any nonsense about how you think it's 'too late' to change course if you want.: First of all, it's never too late, and second of all, you're practically still a baby.: ... Then what does that make you?: I'm also a baby. A baby that needs coddling and pampering and occasionally someone to burp me.: Point is, you have your whole life ahead of you, and that hasn't been more true than any other point in the last thirteen years. I know you're struggling to come to terms with that, but if you just remind yourself every now and again, you'll eventually drill it into yourself.: ... Yeah, you're right. I just need to keep that in mind.This is true no matter your age. I mean, you may be over forty and reading this, but it's never too late to change what you want to do with your life. Good advice on the writer's part.  : ... Ezra, on curiosity's sake, do you know what the destiny is with the current Gen Two androids? And the Gen Threes that are already in circulation?: Well, the war only ended yesterday, so it's tough to say.: Gen Twos and Gen Threes were designed specifically for the Riklid War. We had already started slowing down production on Gen Twos when their successors started rolling out. I imagine we're going to stop production on all of them altogether.: And for the ones that are already out there... I imagine they'll probably be broken down and recycled. There's a lot of expensive tech in each of their bodies that could be repurposed for other stuff now that the war is over.: Although, if they could feel humility, I imagine it's going to be a bit of a downgrade, going from a machine built for war and defending the cradle of all humankind... to having your parts converted into a foot massager or something.   : Have we decided what it is that we're after tonight, or do we need a little bit more time?I hunted down an "anime waiter" image for this character. Credit (?) goes to Kyoukashirayuki and their tumblr page where I found it.  : ... We haven't even looked at the menus yet.: You know, having sat at this table in this busy restaurant for a while now, I had been getting the impression that we had forgotten something!: We'll, ah, need a bit more time.: Yes, of course. Can I get you three something to drink while we're at it?: I'll take a Crackle Rain with extra ice.: Do you have any Grit?: Not since the lawsuit last year. Is Freddy's okay?: ... Water it is.: Haha, you'd be surprised how often I have this exact same conversation with customers. And you, hon, what'll it be?: Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I dunno, we're still in the middle of a system-wide party, but it's also the middle of the day, so... something chocolatey. A chocolate milkshake? I'll take that.: Coming right up. Take your time looking over the menu, there's no rush – not anymore.*Time passes...*  : ... What?: Carla picked this place because she was curious on how the bar food tasted.: You go to drinking holes to taste the cuisines?: Yeah, I thought it lacked imagination, too.: Oh, cram it. The mouth knows what it craves and it craves bar food.: Was it even any good, in your opinion?: It doesn't exactly hold up to the legends I've heard regarding some of the restaurants on Earth, but it was alright. I ordered food and they fed me.: They certainly fed me better than I could have fed myself, I'll tell you that much! And it would have taken me hours!: I could do that too, you know. And greater than they did.: And they do the cleaning for you. : I wouldn't need cash as a reward, in that case.: Hmm. Free food, but we'd need to do the dishes.: I dunno, I'm kinda liking the idea of throwing money around and being serviced instead.: You're getting it, Ezra! They've got the pampering and the coddling down pat; you think if I tipped extra, the staff would burp me?: Only one way to learn.: Hah, are you going to do it? You're a grown woman, Carla; are you going to ask the waiter to burp you for the giggles? : Hmm... it would be funny....: Nah, not this time. And I'll need to get drunk first.: That milkshake of theirs tasted really good, actually. Do you think I could get them to spike it?: Yeah, probably. And if they won't, what's to stop you from ordering two drinks and mixing them together yourself?: ... My god.: What are you two doing once we're done here?: I got a thing I need to do, unfortunately, so I was going to bail after this and leave you two alone.: That sounds like you're trying to hook us up.: That's because there's some truth to that, Ezra.: Not that we need excuses to see each other again.: There are... certain social exclusions that don't relate any longer once you see each other naked.: I like this one, Ezra. Let's keep her.: B'yeah, it's starting to get a little late. That thing of mine that needs doing isn't going to get done any sooner the longer I keep sitting here.: And the sooner it gets done, the sooner I can go out drinking again!: Man...: Hmm?: Is this just what life is, now? Spending the days celebrating, meeting new people, exploring our own backyard, and spending the nights getting drunk and having dinner with people we just met?: I don't think so. I don't think this isn't what existence is going onward.: At least... not eternally.: It's likely that this is existence at least until next week or so, I'd guess.I'm not quite sure what Isol is trying to say here. She's disagreeing with Ezra, but then uses a double negative? I think she ultimately means loafing around isn't the future past a week. : I'd give it... a couple of days minimum.: We're going to run out of confetti eventually.: Hah, and that's when the party is over, is it?: Well, it'd certainly be the beginning of the end.: Anyway, I'm gonna dip. You two have fun without me.: But not too much fun.: Or do! I'm not your mom.: Leave if you're going to, already.: Don't stay out past curfew!: Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee : She didn't used to be this pushy. Back when we were still young, she was actually pretty quiet and timid. It's wild what a bit of time and a change in atmosphere can do to a person.: But she isn't, like, malicious about being pushy. And she's never, like, pushed it too far, you know? She knows just how much gas to give. : That sounds really annoying.: It sure as hell can be, but... well, I keep her around for a reason: she's a good friend. I wouldn't have made it this far in life without her and her energy.: She's the reason why you and I are here together at all, and she's the one who instigated... the incident last night, so, I can see what you say. : I wouldn't have kept her around as long as I have if I couldn't keep up with her.: Not that the choice is yours. She'd stick to you like glue whether you want her to or not.: It's clear that she enjoys your attendance.: We've been friends for a long while, now. We found each other pretty quickly during our studies when the war started and we've been hanging around each other ever since.: ...  : You don't engage in a three-way with a girl and stay as 'just acquaintances' with her. You're either greater than that, or it's a 'throw away' and you stay strangers later.: Not necessarily. There's another term for that.: Who are you trying to kid, Ezra?That's facts, although what does this mean to Isol? She's the one who actually instigated the threesome by propositioning us. Carla and Ezra agreed to it, but it seems a bit hypocritical or judgmental of her to comment on Ezra and Carla's relationship. Maybe Ghians don't believe in friends-with-benefits after all? : ...: What about you and me? Are we just 'acquaintances?': We aren't throwing each other away yet, so that's a good start.: Though... I think that's what Carla wants us to learn.: Let's walk and talk, you and I. There's a garden that I want to go to. The night is young and there's a lot to talk on.*The screen fades to black. The music and ambience fade out.* Olive Branch fucked around with this message at 06:50 on Oct 3, 2023 |
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Sep 23, 2023 01:19
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quote:Earthlings and Ghians are two unlike genera, though the one thing we all share is that we enjoy a good dinner. That mention about them being unlike genera makes me wondering how exactly does human-Ghian sex look like. Either Ezra and Carla had some night adventures with Ghian before or their threesone has very awkward "where exactly are your genitalia" moment included.
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Sep 23, 2023 20:30
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I really like Isol's writing here; she's obviously a lot more mature than Ezra and Carla, but there are hints that she doesn't have things quite as figured out as she might want others to think. And it's kind of impressive how believable and non-intrusive her accent is; it's pretty much all fluent, but there are some noticeably odd turns of phrase, and apparently some words that she simply can't pronounce. Making it that subtle is really not easy to pull off.Szarrukin posted:That mention about them being unlike genera makes me wondering how exactly does human-Ghian sex look like. Either Ezra and Carla had some night adventures with Ghian before or their threesone has very awkward "where exactly are your genitalia" moment included. Carpator Diei fucked around with this message at 00:51 on Sep 24, 2023 |
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Sep 24, 2023 00:47
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I do appreciate how the writer managed to make Isol sound "alien" or at least an English as a second language speaker with her odd vocabulary and use of expressions, and also to recognize the fact that Ghians, being reptilian, have no lips to make labial (?) sounds with. Better than doing the elongated S sounds talking snakes in pop media are wont to do.
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Sep 24, 2023 16:49
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  : Would you believe that I've also never been to the public gardens? Far From Home (Isol's Theme)This is my favorite of the character themes. Nikita's smooth jazz is cool and all, but Isol's vocalized theme puts me in mind of an alien savannah.  : A what? : Oh. Yeah, it was repurposed as an outlook station during the war, but it's been open to the public this whole time. I'd never taken advantage of the opportunity until today.: How have you not noticed? The whole building lights up like the sun during the night. It's got the big, bulbous top and the telescope can be seen jutting out of one side every hour of the day. You can see it pretty clearly from the lookout at East Peak. : ... I guess, if you squint, the telescope could look like a cannon of some kind from a distance.: But did you never think that would be odd? We live in an aerodrome. If the observatory shot missiles, they'd have to go straight through the dome and expose the rest of us to the vacuum of space. : I did! I always considered us lucky that the Riklid hadn't reached us yet on that exact reason!Okay, Isol's cluelessness here is endearing to me. : Hahaha! Would you like to go sometime? I can take you, if you'd like. : Well... I probably would never have come here to the public gardens if you hadn't suggested it. I'd either have gone straight home, or I would have loitered until it was time to get drunk again.: So, I guess you can say that I owe you one. : I think I'd like that. And with the ongoing carousing, our scheduling is unrestricted. Just choose a day and things ought to work out.: I'll keep that in mind. : Yes. Now, no more questions. : ...: I'm kidding, Isol, you can ask me anything. : Right, that's what I wanted.: Why did you take Carla's suggestion in joining the three-way?: Uhh... well... there's a bunch of answers to that.: You said it yourself last night that the Ghians aren't unlike humans when it comes to getting randy over good news. I imagine the whole solar system is celebrating, whether it's having parties that last for days...: ...or hooking up with strangers to do something wild. Or both.: Back in the nineteen-forties, all of the nations of Earth were wrapped up in a war with each other. Once it ended, the population on the winning side, well... nine months later, there was an entire generation of babies being born, all at the same time.: Ghi is... likewise storied. Our greatest-renowned generation was written into history once a drought lasting two hundred years ended with rains that lasted weeks with altering intensity.: Point is: humans generally take any excuse they can to... enjoy themselves. We're a pretty sexual species like that. Some people might try to disagree, but don't let them fool you – the topic comes up way more often than you might think.: But we're also fairly monogamous, and we usually only take one partner at a time. Having more than one is usually just a fantasy.: One that I took the opportunity to fulfill. And you might be surprised how often 'having sex with an alien' is a fantasy, too.: ... But that's a pretty heavy-handed answer. The short version: I was drunk and two hot ladies asked if I wanted to get into a threesome; I wasn't about to say no. : Ghians aren't unalike Earthlings. We usually take one equal at a stage, yet we're known to get a little... wilder when the resources are right.: ... Did your relation with Carla guide your decision at all?: I mean, in the sense that she was the one to pitch it in the first place, yeah. I certainly wouldn't have had the guts to ask a strange Ghian I had never met if she wanted to jump into bed with two humans.: Hnn.This conversation would have played out a lot differently if we had chosen to pass on the threesome. But Ezra is misremembering: it was Isol who suggested joining her in bed. Carla only agreed to it. How much of Isol's sexual aggressiveness is forced? I'd ask why she wanted two partners at once at this juncture, myself. : But now that you mention that, it's my turn to ask: why do you ask? What made you bring that up?: It's not such a wild thing to ask, is it? We saw each other naked last night, and here we are again, talking as though it was a regular thing. Like we had... gone to the theatre instead. : Calling what happened last night a 'performative show' is one hell of a way to put it.: I guess it's fair to say that things are... going pretty quickly between us, yeah. I can get wanting to slow down and just, you know, assess where we are right now.: ... : It's not? : What you said is correct, yes. Things are going quickly right now, and taking a while to understand the... cadence, I guess, is a good thing to do.: It's just– : Sorry, I didn't intend to get all intense like that. We had a good night last night and I don't want to take that away.: The reason why I asked was one-sided. Idiosyncratic, as it were.: ... You mean 'personal?': I do, yes, though I can't say that word. Earthling languages are hard.: Well, I mean... is there anything I can do to help? It sounded kind of heavy.: Like you said, we've already seen each other naked; I don't mind helping you sort your personal thoughts out, if it'd help.: Although, I guess there's a pretty big difference between 'getting drunk and having sex with two strangers on the assumption that you'll never see them again afterward' and 'airing out your dirty laundry with someone you met yesterday.' : Hahaha!: You're sweet, Ezra. And you're kind to suggest a thing like that to assist.: It's alright, though. You're doing all that you need to do when you say things like that, I assure you.   : No, I got it too.    : That's what it looks like. : Hnn.: Luckily, I should wake earlier than when it starts. One day isn't adequate to ruin our wake cycles.: Depends on how drunk you are, I think. I sleep like the dead if I get too much booze in me the night before.: That's true. That's not unlike how the Ghians can react to alcohol, too.: I, though, wake at six o'clock, each day, regardless on what had occurred a night ago.: On greater or worse. It's easy to get seriously... 'hung-higher-than,' to say it one way.: Did you? I hardly noticed.: But then again, well... I slept like the dead.: Ghians are a quiet race, Ezra. I also wake like the dead.: ...: ...: Wait, that sounds wrong. That saying doesn't quite work like that in your language, does it?: Uhh... well, usually, the dead don't wake at all. And according to popular fiction, whenever they do, they're usually loud as hell about it.: But I get it.: Well, that's good.: Anyway, I enjoyed tonight, Ezra.: I did too. As much as I enjoy the merriment and the gallivanting, it's nice to relax and... take in what's happened recently, you know?: It's going to take more than a few days for all of us to adjust, but... this is our life now. No need to worry about interplanetary wars or evil, invading aliens. We can finally go back to what we were doing just over a decade ago.  : I... would retire each day, wondering when the Riklid would turn their sights elsewhere. To what they hadn't yet touched in the solar galaxy. To us.Given the Ghians' home planet hasn't been mentioned as being invaded or turned against itself, did the Ghians send reinforcements to save their own kind and assist their human allies? They must have, but the Riklids' might must have been tremendous to be able to fight on two fronts. Isol mentioned Ghi as being three light-years away, and if we assume there is either faster-than-light travel or even just lightspeed travel in this universe, the Ghians should have been able to mount a defense against the Riklid too. Maybe the Riklid have been wiping out other life, and that's why the Ghians only found humanity? : And when I woke, I wasn't at all rested. Dozing wasn't its own reward.: Now that they're gone... I know what it's like to rest well again. To not retire and need to stay alert as I doze.: I said earlier that I usually wake at six o'clock, right? Today, I actually woke earlier. I woke entirely rested and ready. It was a struggle to doze again, at least until I usually wake.: Wow, and after drinking like a fish? It's been one night and you're already taking to civilian life, Isol.: Hnn... not yet, I think. It's too soon. Yet...: I want to. It's like... going to where I was thirteen years ago and starting again.: *Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn*: Speaking of sleeping...: Yes, it's getting rather late. As nice as this is, we should start heading down, I think.: Tell Carla that round two will need to wait. She's an adult; surely she'll understand.: Ah, bummer. We were both really looking forward to it. : Hah, no, not really. Regularly getting into parties with multiple people is a hard thing to keep up with and, frankly, we're privileged enough to have it once.: Besides, it's not like you need a reason to say 'no.' The word 'no' is all that we need.: Thank you and your understanding, Ezra.: Like I said, tonight was nice.: We should do it again soon, Ezra.: Message received.   : Now it is.: Now, walk us to the train.: You got it.*The music fades out.*  "Twice, my entire world had been turned upside down. Once, thirteen years ago... and again two days ago. It was like turning on a light in a dark room: my reality was changed forever." "Three days ago, I was nose-deep in my studies, believing that I was going to design war machines for the good of humanity. And now I'm asking every person I meet what they make of the situation." "All it took was one alpha mothership falling out of the sky and after a night and a day of revelry and reflection... I barely knew what to do with myself." "The night was still young, and the partying hadn't even slowed since the day before. When I went to bed, I could still see the lights of the city behind my eyelids." "But as for me... I took Isol's advice and just went to bed. I wanted to try and sleep with a clear mind; to get some real rest unlike any I'd had in the past decade." "Turns out, I had needed it more than I realized." Olive Branch fucked around with this message at 18:13 on Sep 28, 2023 |
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Sep 25, 2023 07:13
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There is goon participation in this chapter!   : Man. It's Day Two of the rest of my life. Of the rest of everyone's life.: I feel like a million credits! Like I've slept for ten hours and I'm ready to fight a bull!: Actually, what time is it?: ... : Oh, jeez, it's nearly noon! No wonder I feel so rested.: ...: But it's not like I'm missing out on anything today, right? The war is over. School's already been canceled and our grades are final. I have no appointments, no responsibilities, no places to be, and no worries about invasions or attacks.: ... My shoulders feel amazing. Have I always been so tensed up until recently? Is this what it feels like to finally feel like the galaxy isn't on everyone's shoulders? We should get invaded by evil aliens less often.: I could spend all day in my underwear if I wanted. I don't have to leave the house. I don't have to make my bed. Hell, I don't have to leave my bed. I have the total peace of mind to do whatever it is I want.: ... But I should probably get up and get dressed.*Time passes...*  : Anyway, that's enough sitting around. It's noon. It's a beautiful day. It's the beginning of the galaxy's new future – one we had been wanting for the past decade.: ...: I still don't have anything to do. I could clean my place, but... nah.: Maybe I should give someone a call. I can't be the only person that's struggling to think of what to do to kill some time. And there's that press release that Dean Hawbert messaged us about last night. I really do wish we had more than three romantic interests to work with. One comment I got from a friend was that this game didn't offer much choice to a heterosexual woman, other than the very feminine-looking Nikita! Of course, this doesn't mean I don't dislike having three very different people to date. So far, I like all their characterization and personalities! * * * Goon participation! This is it, everyone! The big decisions of the game start here. Who do we go on a date with this morning? You can choose Carla, Ezra's best friend, Nikita, the fighter pilot, or Isol, the Ghian nutritionist. We go on two dates today, but we cannot date the same person twice. Also, going on a date with someone in the morning is not the same as going on a date with them in the evening! Olive Branch fucked around with this message at 00:45 on Sep 29, 2023 |
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Sep 25, 2023 07:13
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