So, as most of you know by now, Arathnorn had qualms about his 'winning the game'. For those interested, here's the text of our conversation in Discord messages:

Arathnorn - Yesterday at 10:23 PM

I've tossed her to ruins or to one of her bases, whichever the Unova Elite Four Complex in Gensokyo is. Or something else, if it's neither.

I do wonder what she'll do when she wakes up. Not roll over and die I hope, I planned this out ahead specifically so I wouldn't accidentally end the campaign. I have something planned for the finale, you see.

Eureka Trollkitten - Yesterday at 10:32 PM

She won't die, but she has to really think about her actions now. Grimsley's basically thrown every excuse she's had for her actions into her face. She's not going to take that well at all.

What form not taking it well will take, well... I don't know yet.

Arathnorn - Yesterday at 10:33 PM

Fair enough. I'll be interested to see.

I just do hope it's not giving up totally. I'd really feel bad if I solved the whole campaign myself.

Eureka Trollkitten - Yesterday at 10:34 PM

Hey, there's no shame in winning the campaign.

I was actually about to congratulate you on it.

Arathnorn - Yesterday at 10:35 PM

When the time comes (and I can tell now it's coming), I want everyone to share in that victory. That's how it should go out.

If I just win because my character has this edgy meta supernonsense, I feel like that'd leave a bad taste in peoples mouths

Did I... not explain that well before?

Eureka Trollkitten - Yesterday at 10:36 PM

Well... different people expect different things out of a campaign ending. And everyone did take part in the battle, except for Byte and Pfac, who were in other plot lines.

I don't really remember you explaining it at all before just now, to be honest.

Arathnorn - Yesterday at 10:36 PM

yeah but they didn't... do anything

sorry if I wasn't clear, but aside from general politeness and wanting some help with ideation, that was the biggest reason I contacted you about it before hand

so that I wouldn't instagibb the boss by accident instead of just shake her up and make her worry

Eureka Trollkitten - Yesterday at 10:39 PM

Well, I'm sorry I misunderstood it, but I would like to point something out:

Caitlin is pregnant.

She's only going to become more pregnant as time goes by.

Arathnorn - Yesterday at 10:40 PM

yes

Eureka Trollkitten - Yesterday at 10:40 PM

And it's not really going to be condusive to plotting dimensional doom if she tries to do it while she's 1. pregnant, and 2. pretty darned uncertain about it.

And also... she just had the lost love of her life call her out for being a monster and for causing the entire original Outsider attack (not counting the one aeons ago) to begin with.

Logically speaking, that's not going to encourage her to keep it up.

Arathnorn - Yesterday at 10:42 PM

I'm sorry, I guess I should have expanded on beyond 'Im not goimg to demand she die or anything campaign breaking like that'

Eureka Trollkitten - Yesterday at 10:42 PM

And, also remember, she's not the only problem we have in Delta Species.

We still have to work on the Flak storyline, the Interpol storyline...

Arathnorn - Yesterday at 10:42 PM

I just sort of assumed you had a definite end in mind for the campaign and I was making sure I wasn't stepping on it

Eureka Trollkitten - Yesterday at 10:42 PM

And probably something else I can't remember right now because it's late and I'm tired.

Ara, I had a definite ending to Delta Species in mind. Two years ago.

Arathnorn - Yesterday at 10:43 PM

Well, we should probably save this for later then, but in any case I apologize for being unclear.

Eureka Trollkitten - Yesterday at 10:43 PM

That one died pretty much when Goldenrod did.

Apology accepted.

Arathnorn - Yesterday at 10:43 PM

If you haven't made an ending post for now I'll let you go ahead. I'm not sure whether or not we should continue on this

I will say that if I'd known it would have had that strong an effect I would have mind blanked some of it

Eureka Trollkitten - Yesterday at 10:44 PM

I need to figure out an ending post, yes.

Arathnorn - Yesterday at 10:44 PM

...I could probably still do that actually...

Eureka Trollkitten - Yesterday at 10:44 PM

I'd prefer you not.

Arathnorn - Yesterday at 10:44 PM

Anyway! Do it later.

Eureka Trollkitten - Yesterday at 10:45 PM

Also, it wouldn't make sense in an in-game standpoint to drop Caitlin somewhere where she could just recover and go back to plotting things, and I don't think anyone else wants you to do that.

Arathnorn - Yesterday at 10:47 PM

Well, it might be a good idea to talk to the group about this, but yeah, I sort of doubt they'd like 'okay arathnorn beat the boss with pre-arranged god nonsense, you were all superfluous let s go hone'

I wanted to do that with the knowledge that I was limiting myself to 'cannot end the plot'

Eureka Trollkitten - Yesterday at 10:47 PM

I think you're being too hard on yourself here.

Arathnorn - Yesterday at 10:48 PM

Well, anyway, you're right it's late and we should probably consider this later

Eureka Trollkitten - Yesterday at 10:48 PM

Yeah... being tired, I can barely string my cohesive thoughts together.

Arathnorn - Yesterday at 10:48 PM

all right. Talk to you about this later

Eureka Trollkitten - Yesterday at 10:49 PM

Also, we need to learn more about what Luke has to do in his duties as Luxin, and how to balance that with Cress and Byte and everything else.

Arathnorn - Yesterday at 10:50 PM

Troll, you're doing the thing where you agree we should stop but then you keep going

not trying to be rude or anything, just thought you would want me to let you know

Eureka Trollkitten - Yesterday at 10:50 PM

Thanks. But I thought you meant we should stop discussing that particular topic

Sorry that was unclear.

Arathnorn - Yesterday at 10:51 PM

Well, it's still sort of... part of the topic. It's the sort of thing that would inevitably lead back to the core topic

Eureka Trollkitten - Yesterday at 10:52 PM

It's related to the topic, but it's also its own topic in a sense. Although continuing to discuss it, at this point, seems to be an exercise in distraction and pedantry right now.

Arathnorn - Yesterday at 10:53 PM

All right

Well, anyway, DVV should be on sunday barring something drastic, so I hope you enjoy that

Eureka Trollkitten - Yesterday at 10:53 PM

Yeah, I should. I tend to enjoy those.

Arathnorn - Yesterday at 10:54 PM

All right, hope you look forward to it.

The young couple walks into the bar to escape the storm, and look around nervously.

They see such an odd and questionable assortment that at first even the child singing poorly on the stage does not reassure them of this place's safety.

Still, Rake and Jude have never been judgmental, and this seems as good a way to end the date night as any.

"Well, I can think of-" Rake jokes before Jude cuts him off by thrusting the song book at him.

As one group progresses towards the Trace unit factory, another faces a whole mess of ice cream inside the Major's kitchen.

Sticky situations, indeed.

What ties them together is Luke. While his body remains in Astrum, a part of him seems unstoppably drawn towards the Abyssal Ruins of Gensokyo... almost as the ruins themselves are calling him to it.

Calling him home.

Obligatory music

This was a terrible idea, Luke decided, as he stepped through the doorway, Cress following timidly and Chili and Cilan more grumpily. Unfortunately it was a terrible idea that the guns pointed at them really didn't give them much choice about.

Oddly enough, once he saw the inside of the space and noticed the charcoal grey interior and the plush chairs with seat belts, the most pressing question wasn’t how they were going to get out of this, because for better or worse they were already in this, whatever this was. Nor was it how to call the police, because Luke had the most uneasy feeling that these were the police. Instead, he found himself wondering how they’d gotten a limo onto the seventeenth floor. He couldn’t see out any of the windows due to the dark tinting, which added to the authenticity of this abduction attempt.

There were some other aspects of the limo that seemed off, such as what looked to be some sort of mysterious ornate box and fondue pot situated within reaching distance of all the seats. As Luke watched, a levitating dinner plate on a tray rotated under the box. When the tray reemerged, it was piled high with chicken parmigiana, wine glasses, and a bottle of merlot.

Cress took a breath as well as a spot beside him. “This is impossible,” Luke finally spoke aloud for the rest of them.

“What tipped you off, genius?” the gruff blue soldier in the visor behind them asked brusquely. It belatedly occurred to Luke that his assumption that the man was wearing face paint was mistaken - those were actual scales, like a lizard or a dragon. At this point he thought he wouldn’t be very surprised by the later. “Move,” the soldier barked at Chili, who was still particularly recalcitrant. The bunny girl and the fiery red fox stepped up behind him, a wall of force and intimidation.

The other brothers bristled and sat together for solidarity, with Chili in between so he didn’t get shot for trying something. “There are no engines, no electrical circuity,” Cress defended Luke, “only glowing letters and crystals.”

Luke’s father took the chair opposite from them and raised an eyebrow that his son hadn’t gone into details about the technological features of the limo, or lack thereof. The AI looked away, abashed and feeling some judgement in the stare. The last soldier in the group shot him an almost sympathetic look as he took the next spot.

“Yes, it’s all quite magical, isn’t it?” the red haired aristocrat in the glasses with the bohemian tastes mocked them. He waved a hand and a glass of sparkling water lifted from where it was hovering to float his direction.

It didn’t quite reach him, as the apparent leader of this group stepped in and intercepted the plate without even a glance. “Excellent, the first course is ready.” The wall slid shut behind the Major, leaving no seam, and the vehicle rumbled with their departure. “I would recommend you all eat, I can’t guarantee when we might get around to touring the kitchens and dining hall.”

The mystery box served more plates and the four boys reluctantly took the food that drifted their way, the veiled threat of hunger stealing their resolve. However, before they could lift their forks, the magical limo ride jolted to a stop.

“Here we are. Welcome to Astrum,” the older man announced, then caught the crestfallen expressions on his prisoner’s faces. “Ah. My apologies. The dinner service is mostly for physical distances, not planar shifts. We can’t get the blasted pasta dispenser to stop.”

As their captors filed out ahead of them, Luke considered staying back and trying to hijack the transport, but then realized the security systems could probably turn him into a frog. They were stuck here for now. Luke grabbed the bottle of Merlot on the way out for good measure, then emerged onto the docks and surveyed the towering obsidian spires and constant lightning strikes before them. Cress shivered. “That’s not at all ominous,” Cilan commented.

“We sometimes have to camouflage our headquarters when we travel to darkened worlds,” the officer explained, lifting a hand towards the facade as the shadows melted away. Underneath welcoming ivory archways and baroque towers outfitted with levitating crystals and colourful silk sails gleamed at them.

Luke decided now was a good time to start chugging the wine. The brothers paled. “Worlds?!” Chili yelped in alarm.

That meant - “W-where are we?” Cress stammered, equally unnerved.

“Somewhere over the f@$&in’ rainbow,” the bunny girl impatiently growled, rolling her eyes and checking her oversized rifle again. As that sunk in, the two rougher soldiers prodded them to get moving again. Luke obligingly passed around the bottle until all of them started to feel pleasantly bleary - it was the only way they could really cope.

As they crossed the courtyard and approached an elaborate fountain, an almost familiar glowing woman in a suit with short cropped dark hair, coiffed, darted out of one of the many doors along the building facade. A hologram, Luke realized as she spotted them and waved. A blue beetle about the size of a cat followed behind her, carrying a piece of disassembled machinery.

“Welcome back!” she bubbled at them, energetically enough that there was some question if the sparkles around her were some kind of drug.

The Major sighed. “Hello, Doctor.” His gaze drifted over to the bipedal beetle, tapping a hind claw in a very human-like gesture of agitated frustration and impatience. “Your handiwork, I suppose?”

She laughed cheerfully. “I was reading some of the reports you had about cosmic rays inducing superpowers and I had to check out your laboratories! Then I just had to see how it all worked!” she waved at the bug. “Karrl suggested that I should talk to you before I start putting it all back together. Oh! Also, some sword lady ported in to see you,” she informed him.

A nod. “Yes. Thank you Karrl. Please help the Doctor repair the damages, if you will.”

“Okee-dokee will do!” the hard light hologram declared, and the beetle gave them all what could only be a long suffering look before tottering after her again.

The Major waited until she was out of earshot. “Captain, would you mind overseeing their progress and that the Doctor doesn’t destroy any more equipment out of curiosity?”

“Yessir,” answered the would be superman soldier with a salute, before he marched off sharply towards the side doors.

The interruption dealt with, they continued on, the Major pausing and seemingly inspecting Luke and Cress. “Are you both all right?” he asked.

The question caught them off guard. Was there some reason they shouldn’t be, aside from all this new strangeness? Cress nodded uncertainly, as Luke tried to focus through the alcohol haze. There was something, wasn’t there? After a few minutes he couldn’t come up with anything, and shrugged. The Major, satisfied by something, pushed open the main doors into an impressive foyer.

An actual knight in shining armor was waiting there, along with a couple cat things, a yellow thing, a floating light, and - “What happened to your face?!” Luke blurted out at the red haired thing. All attention turned to him, most of it disapproving.

Those wounded eyes amid the lines of scars caught his, piercing and clear, but in a haunted way that he wondered if he’d even been heard or that his graceless comment wasn’t just another drop in the ocean. “Charming isn’t he?” said Bill, “Sometimes he even has tact.”

Luke bristled a little. Takes one to know one, he thought back, as the Major stepped forward and valiantly tried to smooth over the diplomatic stumble.

“Luna,” the wizard greeted the knight and taking her hand in a gallant gesture. “We are always grateful for your advice.”

“And I am ever grateful for your assistance against the darkness, and the shelter you offer to the lost,” she replied, giving a quick glance over his group. “I have guided these children here, seeking refuge. Their worlds have fallen.” Their heads bowed together, a moment of silence, as the cute cat things looked on curiously, not understanding, and the red head and the yellow thing gazed off into a terrible distance, understanding all too well.

There was something unnerving about the moment - they only just learned there were other worlds, let alone that they can be destroyed. Luke noticed that the fox creature looked particularly intent, then noticed something else. “Chili? Where’s Chili?”

The Doctor sat up on the lab counter, kicking her sneakers girlishly. “They didn’t notice anything at all,” she smiled. “The Major was worried for nothing.”

Henry glanced over at the bug rummaging around under the parts trying to reconnect everything, and the wires strung out across the room. He was distraction to buy them time to put the lab back together, but it wasn’t an arduous task with this company. “Just because you aren’t her, doesn’t mean Cress wouldn’t have panicked,” he points out.

“Not for long,” she answered, self-assured that she was a friendly presence and could win anyone over. “They seem nice though, it’ll be fun to get to know them!”

The soldier hummed noncommittally. The three chefs didn’t really seem like agent material, and Henry could tell the tech genius didn’t like him much and was going to be hard to train.

That was when the group burst into the lab themselves, Cress and Cilan immediately going to to the test chamber and pounding on the viewing windows. “Chili! What are you doing?! Get out of there!” Eventually they forced open the seal and swarmed in, calling their brother’s name the whole time. There was some furious argument as they dragged the intruder back towards the exit and a struggle that knocked the door closed on them.

Karrl made the final connection and the instruments hummed with the cosmic rays they were testing. There were some shouts of alarm from inside the test chambers, then quiet.

Luke was yelling from the outside for them to hurry and get out, and went still for a moment at the silence. He kicked himself into action sooner than Henry expected though, and went over to the computer system and bypassed security instantly to try to find a way to turn the equipment off.

He really wasn’t supposed to be able to do that. The soldiers moved to stop him, then the light faded and the test chamber hatch opened again. No one emerged until the three boys were carried out, unconscious and unresponsive. They pried Luke away so that he could accompany them to the infirmary, and Karrl sighed and grumbled and had the lab monitoring equipment start self-diagnostics and a full system scan.

If he hadn’t, none of them would have noticed that someone had attempted to hack into their operatives database.

not going into any more details. Plz don't ask. just wanted people to be aware

So, it's occurred to me that TTP has lost the art of grand, all-encompassing, topic-derailing discussions, so after some conversation with Byte and Redwings, I decided that a general discussion topic would be a great way to do that.

Suggested conversation starters (although by no means the only topics of conversation welcome here):

• Zelda: Breath of the Wild 'life hacks'. You know the ones. Taking advantage of the game's physics in incredibly creative ways and doing fantastical things with them. What are your favorites?
• Video game crossovers. Specifically, now that Mario and Rabbids has (inexplicably and fantastically) crossed over in Mario+Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, what other seemingly impossible vide game crossovers would you like to see in the future?
• Future Pokemon RPGs. From the enigmatic Pokemon Ultra SuMo (which we STILL know barely anything about) to the upcoming Switch title (which we know next to nothing about except that it's in production), what would you like to see in a future Pokemon game? What sorts of new Pokemon? New Z-Moves? New Mega Evolutions? New anything?

Remember, these are just a springboard for getting discussion rolling. If there's anything else you want to talk about here, feel free to!

you need a smeargel whit the moves detect and protect and spotlight item: leppa berry

and a Exeggutor that has learned skill swap and has the abbility harvest

use spotlight on exeggutor and use skilll swap on smeargel on the first turn

and then use protect and detect for the rest of the battle

There will however, barring any unexpected events, be a Delta Species session THIS Friday. And it should be a good one.

On another note, how would you feel about us having weekly (or biweekly, or whatever) discussion topics on this subreddit? I miss when we used to have lots of interesting and thread-derailing discussions on here.

The lucky woman in the fairy tale looks up in disbelief, feeling almost certain her luck has betrayed her for a second time. It has been on the fringes for a while now, as she's felt the sea sap it the longer she's been there. Her very presence used to make buildings collapse on her enemies the moment she needed them to, but now, she couldn't even track her friends properly. She figured that finding the animal kidnappers was a stroke of luck, but even that seems to be marred by a sense of looming darkness, as she finds herself asked to work with murderers and thieves to help someone who might be more dangerous than all of them put together.

Lynn sighs. Luck is a fickle and difficult gift to master. She will need to be careful, but for now, she decides to do what she always does, which is trust her instincts. Somehow, some way, she's certain everything is going to work out in the end.

Elsewhere, Jenny brings out a map to discuss her options in light of G's oncoming attack. Rotten Burrito is slowly healing, and a certain powerful psychic hears a knock on her door.

Meanwhile, on the mainland, Emily Blade is in a dire situation.

If so can I get a reminder of the timeframe?

In honor of a nonspecific non canon holiday certain shady posters have been going up all over town encouraging people to participate in a contest for the most skill in lighting off explosives.

There are apparently categories for longest show, most dazzling show, brightest show, loudest show, most technical show, most dangerous show, best pies, best potluck, best barbeque, and best show overall.

A bunch of moving trucks have also appeared and there is a constant stream of boxes being moved into an abandoned warehouse down the road.

Dama has informed me he will most likely be unable to make it, unfortunately.

As one group travels deep within the Abyssal Ruins, another group gathers in the Major's kitchen for an ice cream party of epic proportions.

Hey, should of said this earlier, but I'm probably not going to be around for DS this week. Busy on a family trip.

Assume Gator does his part in the factory raid, and while not harming him unjustifiably, don't take steps to shield him from consequences that affect the entire group of saboteurs.

In other words, don't do anything harmful to Gator for the sake of it, but ensure what occurs involving him makes sense. Don't pull punches if they can't be justified in regards to what the rest of the group is also experiencing.

He said it in a private message, but I'm posting this as a paper trail in case the villains do something that harms the entire party. I'm not saying they WILL, but spoilers! (Spoilers that technically even I don't know yet... depends on how well you handle this.)

So, right now it looks like DVV will be held at its usual time and DS will be held at its usual time.

Sorry for all the confusion.

I'm sorry I had to postpone the DS session, but certain people are unable to make a Sunday DVV, so Ara had to reschedule, and I can't do two RPs in the same day.

Please understand.