[TINY CAT PEOPLE] VOID SESSION: ACT 4

[skinstealer]

TCP: VOID SESSION
ACT 4

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[full size]

READ FROM THE BEGINNING HERE

You pull away from the mask’s focus to a frantic Dad and the sound of clanging metal and hissing. Bryce and Jetter are standing protectively near Seaspray, Dana guarding Jasper and prepping what looks like a stun gun in hand, not quite ready to aim for the door. Jasper’s still down for the count, but by the sound of it, Raw sure isn’t. 

VOIDSY: What’s going on?!
EASTWOOD: Burn type’s active again and wailing on his own teammate. 
EASTWOOD: Cage is holding up okay, all things considered-
MILLER: But Marvel’s still inside!
MILLER: It’s blocking the entrance and buying us time, but unless we figure something out, we’re trapped in here!

[IamPANKANK]

can we get an ETA on back up?  and a visual on the fight,
its unfortunate but we might have to leave the burn type behind for now we have helped alot of Spits TCPs and we took some hits for it we can't risk the others to help someone that is already attacking right now.

[Guest]

Alright.
Everyone, we need to get into a more defensible position until we can evac. Move Jasper over with Seaspray, and move Hark as far away from her weapons as possible. We did what we could for her, but she's still a potential threat.

[The Stygian Blues]

Inventory and detailed Status report please.
Jasper Still has the Tazer chain, yes? Dad should take it.
If the Cage type's occupant is going berserk, she could use it to stun them again.

Of course, cage is metal. While I doubt they would even feel it, such an action would likely hit Marvel as well.
A last ditch option, but one that needs to be on the table.
We need someone out there.

[Guest]

We should consider letting Dad talk to it or at least try to calm it down, Dad has a good head on her shoulders and talking to Spit tcp's has been successful so far, besides Dad being a dad type increase the chances of it working but I wouldn't want to do it without Dad having some protection in case of things going wrong so if possible definitely grab those chains, Dana could help with her soothing effect but Miller tcp's being well... Plants I think it is best to keep them far away as possible, last but not least Marvel being a brain type should not get more injuries, that has to be critical! Also the cage type is our best chance of a tcp going rogue and that could inspire others so let's try and not taser the poor baby.

[Guest]

We should also see if we can use Poppy fluid to wake up Jasper, it is worth a shot and if not I don't think there's a better time for a agility and energy boost, besides if we decide to let Dad talk we would either leave Hark or Jasper unprotected and something did take our guys out of the sky pretty fast, also if Jasper doesn't wake up we should probably tell someone to pass the wand through the bag, our only real fighter right now is Jetter and we have a pretty big area to protect. And what about Eastwood drugs can't the cage type just eat it and that would put Raw to sleep?

[1011686]

Okay. We have four people in this room, we don't need all of them to keep watch, so I suggest we send Dad and Dana out, since Jetter's health is poor. It would help if Bryce and Jetter could move Jasper's body away from Hark though, just in case she tries anything.
Where is that magic wand? If someone here has it in their inventory or can get it through the bag, I think it would be a good idea to do so, and give it to Dad. Seconding a general INVENTORY check as well, so we know everything we have at our disposal.
So here's my plan. On her way out, have Dad grab the god-blocking collar that was on Seaspray. She tells Raw to stop attacking, while Dana helps calm them down. Once they're pacified, or at least distracted, have Dad run up to them, put on the collar (maybe just around a leg if she can't reach their head), and then Teach them using her Teaching skill. Teach Raw about respect, justice, mercy, mortality, game theory, rationality, and psychoanalysis (stockholm syndrome). Oh yeah, and teach them speech as well, if they don't have it. Hopefully, this will over overload their mind and incapacitate them for a bit, which is unfortunate but necessary, while also seriously make them view everything they've done under Spit in a different light.
Additionally, she can teach Writhe speech on the way. This is the most important part and if you support any of this it should be teaching Writhe speech.

Also it seems like there's been a bit of a misunderstanding? Why in the world would we taser Writhe (the cage type), they're hopefully on our side and are currently being attacked by Raw just outside this room. Raw is the foe we need to deal with here, not Writhe.

(It might be helpful at this point to brush up on the story since there's a lot of details about skills and items and stuff that might be difficult to remember, so dropping a link to the mirror here https://mspfa.com/?s=24796&p=1 There's also this page which has all the text in one place so you can ctrl-f search for anything if you need to https://mspfa.com/search/?s=24796)

[Lilium Mortem]

We should do a check on all our tcps and an inventory of their inventories. what resources do we have available to us?

[Guest]

Would it be possible to do a quick switch of people? Let out marvel, then let the cage type catch the burn type and/or hark? The limit of people in it is quite alot, so if we're able to catch them, theoretically we would have all off, if not most of spits tcp's out of commission or about to go rogue. Not complete abandonment, but we'd have alot of her army contained

[skinstealer]

VOIDSY: Can we get an ETA on backup?
MILLER: It’s a long trip, but we’re moving as fast as we can. 
MILLER: You got us some more wiggle room by talking to Hark, but now that Spit’s burn type is active again, we’re in real trouble...it’s hard to focus on so many things at once!
WRETCH: you focus on gettin to spits place ok
WRETCH: i got my eyes on jetter here
MILLER: But I have three TCPs in this fight-
WRETCH: it’s ok mills
WRETCH: yr the one with a TCP driving 
EASTWOOD: Hey, one of my TCPs is driving a freaking golf cart and I have to split my focus-
WRETCH: oh my goddd please chill for two seconds mills has got this
WRETCH: she doesnt have her TCP in a fuckin cage 
EASTWOOD: And I don’t have a TCP just recently vivisected on the ground!
VOIDSY: Can we please save this bickering for later?
VOIDSY: Please?
EASTWOOD: Fine.
VOIDSY: Okay. Wretch, Eastwood, we’re going to need our magic wand through the bag. 
WRETCH: where the hell is that
VOIDSY: Uhhhh shit. Dad’s room, I think?
WRETCH: ok, i’m gonna send poppy up to get it. we’ll try to be quick bout it
VOIDSY: Thanks, Wretch.

You see her smile for just a moment, even if it’s a bit strained. You can’t linger on it now though, filing it away for later.

You tell Dad you’re going to need the collar from Seaspray, and move Jasper away from Hark. Dad calls Bryce over and the driftwood type hurries it up, passing over the collar and helping Dad drag the phantom type off towards Seaspray and the bag of holding. 

You stop to praise Dad briefly before telling her she’ll have to be careful, but she needs to sneak over to the fight and tell Raw to calm down. Hopefully, her ability will get him to actually do it, and from there her job is to put the collar on Raw and TEACH him some skills. Writhe too, while she was at it.

Just...be careful about it. 

Dad rushes back over to the entrance, getting a proper look at the fight. Raw is threatening Writhe with his syringe, the cage type cowering as the burn type clashes the needle against its bars. It’ll be a tight squeeze, but she’s pretty sure she can fit underneath the cage…

Dad gets on her hands and knees, scooting underneath the cage type and avoiding its frantic stomping around. She thinks for a moment, whispering that she’s got a change of plans in mind. She slaps the collar on Raw’s leg without hesitating, the burn type stepping back in confusion. She crawls out from under Writhe, standing proudly in front of it and demanding Raw stand down.

...But it has no effect. 



Before Raw can lunge, Dad wastes no time and dashes forward, tapping Raw’s leg.

>TEACH RAW: RESPECT, JUSTICE, MERCY, MORTALITY, GAME THEORY, RATIONALITY, PSYCHOANALYSIS (STOCKHOLM SYNDROME), SPEECH

Raw is overloaded with all of the new information, dropping his syringe, clutching his head and making horrible hisses and burbling sounds- but this time, you can understand him. He doesn’t know what’s happening, he’s so confused...what is all this stuff in his head, why does it hurt so much? 

Where’s his mother?

What’s happening to him?

Dad takes this opportunity to hurry back under Writhe, tapping its underside. 

>TEACH WRITHE: SPEECH

Writhe says nothing at first, at first appearing completely unaffected. It’s only when Dad hears a grating whisper that there’s confirmation that the skill passed over, a terrified plea to go home and have all of this go away. 

VOIDSY: We need a detailed inventory and status report, and quick. We don’t have much time.

 

Everyone sounds off on their TCPs, trying to speak as quickly and efficiently as possible. 

Dad’s health is at GOOD, and she is currently equipped with a HUNTING RIFLE, RIFLE BULLETS, and TRANQ ROUNDS. Hark is still wearing her MASK OF COURAGE. 

Jasper’s health is at GOOD, and they are currently equipped with a TASER CHAIN. They are also still STUNNED. 

Marvel’s health is still at CRITICAL, and he has no items. He is still unconscious, and is inside Writhe. 

Seaspray’s health is at SUFFERING, and they have no items. They have also been stripped of their clothing, presumably by Spit’s TCPs, and have had their wounds sewn up by Bryce and Jetter. As best as they could with the tools they had, anyway.  

Bryce’s health is at GOOD, and his DRAWSTRING BAG is full of items. He has a GRAPPLING HOOK, a COMMUNICATOR, a WEIGHT GUN (you have no idea what that is), a SLINGSHOT, SLINGSHOT AMMO, a MULTITOOL KNIFE, and ROPE. 

Jetter’s health is at POOR, and he is equipped with a BACKPACK and a SHEATH for his BOX CUTTER. In his backpack is a GOD COMMUNICATOR, a JOURNAL, GEL PENS, a SEWING KIT, a COMMUNICATOR, a FLASHLIGHT, and a SODA CANTEEN (full). 

Dana’s health is at GOOD, and she is equipped with SILK POUCHES and a KNIFE HOLSTER. Her holster holds a KNIFE, and her pouches contain HEARTSEA PETALS, a GOD COMMUNICATOR, BANDAGES, and a STUN GUN.

You have no idea what Raw or Writhe’s health is at, and from the brief glimpse you got, you can tell that Raw still has his HORROR TANK and SYRINGE. Hark’s health is at OKAY, and she is, as far as you know, unarmed aside from her SPIKE BOOTS. 

On the floor, there is Jasper’s BAG OF HOLDING and a MEAT HOOK, presumably used by the TCP you pulled through the bag. There are strange vials and boxes on the table by the far wall, and you have no idea what any of them do. Hark’s MASK is pinned to the wall. 

[Ten11]

Hark is stunned, Writhe is on our side, Chops is captured in the unhallowed sanctuary, Raw is mentally overloaded, but Spit still has one tcp, somewhere. We need to know where they are, and what they can do. I suggest dad ask Writhe about them, since they were on the same team, and Writhe probably saw them around the place. Though first Dad should comfort Writhe because jeeze this has probably been a hellish experience for it. Getting Dana to come out and help soothe both Writhe and Raw would probably help as well.
In the medium term, we need to see if we can get Seaspray through the bag. I think that was the plan, she's very squishy. It would be good to pass through some of those vials as well, the tcps at the drug lab can probably work out what they do (and also getting some drugs for our own use would be good at this point to. something that helps our tcps' health stay up would be best i think)

[IamPANKANK]

Its time for dad to live up to her type, have dad send Wraite inside (if she can Teach Wraite about HUGS) and Dad can sit down with Raw to talk with them let Dad decide how they wish to do so she doesn't need Voids help to be a good Dad now.
have the Gods split their attentions to different areas if there is a place that needs to be watched (I.E anywhere with a Spit TCP) keep one person watching at all times unless they are absolutely needed with the drive team get miller to watch the TCPs inside the base, Wretch can watch back at base to keep an eye out for anything that might happen, Eastwood we know its hard to calm down when Seaspray is hurt but you need to make sure the renforcements don't come in fully loaded to kill so they don't scare Raw, and remind everyone that unless they want Wax to come in for real dont issue a kill order its easy to panic and think its the only way but more pain will be caused through it.
Void let Dad do her thing and coordinate the other Gods see if you can get some food through the bag or even better a healing potion. tell Buddy Write needs them to comfert them, then keep a mask on Dad and Raw while you keep the team together instead of checking everything at once, your a collective thats your thing!

[IamPANKANK]

put plushies through bag for writhe to hold.

[milgram]

whatever happens right now we need to make sure spit's TCPs that we are trying to convert don't go ape on us out of fear. at least one of the TCPs, probably Dad, needs to focus on calming down Raw. remember, Raw still has the syringe. we need to treat this like a hostage situation basically, he has a loaded weapon. Dad, try and use your fatherly skills to get Raw to calm down, and eventually hand over the weapon.

oh, you know what...

>TEACH DAD CRISIS NEGOTIATION

[knux400]

and so after teaching writhe (pillow) and raw (arlene) about the power of friendship, dad (nermal) goes on to save the rest of spit's tcps from their evil master. everyone lives happily ever after and goes to eat hotdogs.
YOU WIN!!!

Show ContentSpoiler:

Happy April Fools' Day! Your regularly scheduled TCP update will resume shortly.

[skinstealer]

You don’t have much time to multitask here, not wanting to take your eyes off Dad for a second. 

VOIDSY: Can you get Dana in here, Miller? Her ability could come in really handy right about now…
MILLER: On it, but...please be careful, she’s really fragile!
VOIDSY: One other thing-
MILLER: Void, no offense, but this is really hard to all keep track of-
VOIDSY: I know, I know, just one thing- we might be able to squeeze Seaspray through the bag of holding. They’re an octopus, after all.
MILLER: Okay, we’ll try…
VOIDSY: And can you send the vials thr-
MILLER: Void!!! 
VOIDSY: Okay okay! Okay! Gonna get back to it now, jeez…

Dana rushes out to help Dad, trying not to get caught underneath Writhe- what’s the situation? Dad’s immediately grateful for the help, saying that Writhe, that’s the cage type here, could really use some destressing right now. Writhe just makes another strained whisper, no actual words this time. 

What about the burn type currently freaking out in front of them, Dana asks. He seemed like he could use help even more, to be honest...Dad assures her that she’s got it under control, and can handle this sort of thing with her FATHERLY AUTHORITY ability after they get Writhe handled. Easy peasy.



Well...if Dad’s sure. Dana waves at Writhe, catching its attention- does it want to see something nice, something new? The cage type makes the closest noise to a sniffle it can manage, getting out a tiny yes. The heartsea type clasps her hands together and does a little twirl, opening them again to reveal a small flower.

Writhe lets out a gasp as it reaches out for it, but finds itself unable to really turn its body and get a proper grip on it in such a tight space. Dana gives it a little pat, jumping up to place the flower inside of its cage. It’ll help it feel better, she promises.  

Sure enough, the flower seems to have a calming effect, Writhe’s grinding sounds quieting down. Dana makes another flower and does the same as before, trying to keep her tone light as she talks. It was all going to be alright, and these flowers will help it relax, just like that…Dad waits for Writhe to go quiet, trying not to think about the burbling groans behind her. She really needs to know about Spit’s last TCP, the only one they haven’t seen-



Raw doesn’t give any warning before wrestling off the horror syringe pack, rushing forward and pinning Dad to the ground. Dad thrashes, feeling an uncomfortable heat emanating from his hands. Dana panics and hides behind Writhe’s leg, the cage type itself looking a lot less calm after Raw’s outburst. 

Raw demands to know what the hell Dad thinks she’s doing, asking about that! She thinks she can just come in and mess with their heads, make them think all of these things that they can’t understand? Take their mother away from them? He could kill her, right now, and she’d be too small to stop him-!

Dad places a hand on Raw’s telling him to back off, slowly. She isn’t here to start a fight, but she’ll throw down if he keeps pushing, and she doesn’t want that. No one here wants that. Nobody wants any blood to be shed here.



Raw releases Dad enough for her to get into a sitting position, the fatherly TCP trying to get a grip on herself now that the horrible heat’s gone. She tries to keep momentum, saying that she’d honestly like to be friends-



Raw grabs Dad by the throat, holding her up high and ripping her gun off her back, sending it clattering to the ground.

Why would he ever be friends with someone who came into their home and put all this stuff in their heads? Why would he want to be friends with someone who told him that he was some...some kind of hostage, and that his mother was horrible?

Dad manages to squeak out that she didn’t say any of that, that it was the skills she taught, the knowledge of, what was it, Stockholm Syndrome?, sinking in- if Raw came to the conclusion that that’s what was happening to him, that wasn’t on her! 

Raw squeezes, Dad crying out as the heat around her neck intensifies. 

He could burn her to a crisp right now, and get past Writhe, and then everything would be back to normal.

[Lilium Mortem]

I could make a speech here, say something inspiring, but I think that would go against what's happening right now. They don't have to fight, there's no need to fight. I'm saying we should trust Dad. She's made it this far, and I think the only thing that can stop raw right now is Dad. No one else move until the situation is difused... or escelates. We love you, Dad, Do your thing!

[IamPANKANK]

Believe in Dad, She can do this, sometimes being a good parent means being hurt to help your kids.  
besides if Raw hasn't already killed Dad while they have her and is screaming at them instead because they are hurt then they just want someone to take their anger out on, he is scared and hurting but at this point he is just lashing out because of that.
Right now all anyone can do to help is be there for him, while he goes through his grief.

[Dzib 9001]

Believe in Dad.

[Thk]

At this point this is largely between Dad and Raw. However, Dad has not taken health damage from this yet. (that we have been informed of) This probably means Raw is holding back. Raging at the world and lashing at the messenger for upending what he thought he knew. It may be worth telling Raw we have a place no gods can talk to him, (directly anyway) only other TCPs, if he wants time to just think things over.

[1011686]

I agree that giving some grand speech through Dad probably wouldn't be the best way to go, though i think we should still give some advice to her, tell her that right now, the most important thing is deescalation. Raw is clearly disturbed at the new things he's learnt and the sudden change in worldview he's experienced, so it might help Dad to tell him that he will still have Writhe and the other tcps, his siblings (do they think of themselves as siblings? they all seem to think of Spit as their mother so far, at least). Possibly getting Writhe to talk to Raw might help, however, I'll leave that up to Dad's judgment. We can't provide much help beyond saying things to her, and she can probably come up with better things to say to Raw in this situation than we can.
Since we're not actively involving ourselves in the current situation, we should spare a moment for other things. Quickly switch to Jasper, see if they're able to move yet and ask them how they're doing if they can respond. Also, not sure whether this is a thing we can actually do, but it'd be good if we could quickly zoom out to see if that 5th tcp was nearing our location. And while we have the brief window of time, we could also hear if Eastwood, Miller, or Wretch have anything important to tell us right now. They're probably using the groupchat, so we could just listen in and hear what's going on without saying anything.

[Shifter55]

De-escalation is important, but I doubt anything is going to go back to normal with so many new TCPs here, this all started when Spit's TCPs pulled two of ours down, should that be pointed out to Raw? Death doesn't remove the knowledge Dad has given Raw...

[seppawku]

i.. do believe in dad but i don’t like the idea of sitting calmly back and watching her get hurt cos she can handle it.. we may not be able to do much ofc but i dont think being so passive is the way to go. can anyone help her? or can type skill get raw to put her Down.

[Guest]

This has escalated pretty far, and while no physical harm has happened, it's possible that it might. While I advise against it unless absolutely necessary, we did teach our tcps self defense, specifically Dad knows Kung Fu. Perhaps disengaging before further words?

[King-Clod]

I don't particularly like it, but we do sort of have something Raw wants. He wants Spit back, right? He just can't hear her without the collar? Dad could tell him about how the collars work, and try to work something out with that.

[Verager]

We're (unironically, truly) Sorry, Raw, but we can't trick you with what you already know. It can't be the same as it was, no matter what you do now. But it can be better. And we want better. For you and everyone else. We aren't here to fight you, we're here to save you. We want a happy ending, for everyone. We can help, but only if you let us. No one has to hurt anymore.

I believe in Dad, but she doesn't have to do this alone.

Make the attempt, but if the heat gets too bad, get out of there, however you can. We have a real chance here, but we can find others if we have to.

[skinstealer]

You tell Dad that you trust her completely, and believe in her ability to handle this- any decisions she makes from here on out are her own, and that all you can offer is advice. She gives a tiny nod to this, just enough for you to notice- you can’t help but feel a little bit of pride at her stealth. You don’t have long to think on this, quickly suggesting what you can- supporting Raw right now when his worldview’s been so shaken will be crucial, and there’s always the option of talking about the sanctuary-

Dad picks up conversation immediately after you give your advice, managing to choke out that the other TCPs here, they’re still here for him- Writhe and the rest of his team aren’t going anywhere, even with all of this new knowledge in his head. Not everything is going to change.

She doesn’t mention the sanctuary, and you remind yourself that you have to trust her judgment on it. You watch with baited breath as Raw processes her words, a tight feeling in your chest swelling as you see her begin to squirm and try to get away, a burn spreading across her cheek. Dad’s health decreases, but is still at GOOD, and she is now lightly BURNED.

Before Raw can launch into a hissing rant, Dana steps forward, her hands shaking as she readies her stun gun. It’s not quite like the tasers you’re used to, more like a literal gun- but you’ll have to take Miller’s word on it that it does what it’s supposed to, alien tech or not. Her voice is just as shaky as her grip, saying in the bravest voice that she can muster that Raw should put Dad down, now, or she’ll shoot him. She’ll shoot him and he’ll be out cold again. 



She’ll do it. She swears she’ll do it. 



Raw drops Dad and lunges.



Dana shoots.



Raw takes the bullet and collapses, falling just barely in front of Dana. He is now STUNNED. The heartsea type steps back slowly, trying to get a grip- she really just did that. She shot the enemy. 

Dad struggles to get back to her feet, her health thankfully not knocked down from her fall. She thanks Dana with a gruff noise of affirmation, looking back at the fallen burn type. He’s going to be pissed when he gets up. Dana whispers that the alternative was Dad getting possibly killed, and she wasn’t willing to take that chance, even if this was definitely, absolutely the scariest moment of her life.

Writhe makes a grating whine behind the two of them, Dana rushing towards it and trying to make soothing coos. It’s okay, it’ll be okay, he’ll get back up, he’s just knocked out for a little bit, like what Jasper did earlier...



Writhe doesn’t seem calmed down at all, babbling that it doesn’t want anybody to get knocked out or hurt anymore, it just wants things to be okay, and for Raw to stop being so mean to people, it just wants everybody to be friends… 

Dad glances away awkwardly, not sure what to say. Dana’s just as stumped, trying to pat Writhe and calm it down...until she gets an idea.

She approaches Raw’s unconscious body, creating a few blossoms in her hands. She very gingerly places them on his neck, creating a small vine to hold them all in place, almost like a collar. There...he’ll feel better when he wakes up, now. Does that help, Writhe?

Writhe wobbles up and down in an almost comical nod, saying that the flowers really did help it out...maybe it’ll help Raw out too. 



You try to pull away and zoom out, checking the room- but nothing seems out of place, it’s just the same big central area with a firepit, no other TCPs to be found. Coast is clear. 

VOIDSY: Status report?
EASTWOOD: You first.
VOIDSY: Raw’s knocked out again...Dana did it.
MILLER: What?! Is she okay?!
VOIDSY: She’s okay, really shaken up, but she did it to help Dad out. Dad got burned, but it would have been a lot worse if she hadn’t stepped in.
MILLER: God...okay. Okay. And she’s unharmed?
VOIDSY: Not a scratch on her. Cross our heart.
MILLER: I don’t think I could handle losing another TCP…
VOIDSY: Wait, losing? Isn’t Seaspray still alive?
MILLER: Yes, but...I don’t know, they look so terrible! We got them through the bag, but to see them so messed up is really messing with me, too.
MILLER: I knew that it’d be rough going in, but-
EASTWOOD: Chitchat later. Tell them what else is going on.

Miller sniffles a bit, but presses on. 

MILLER: We got a sample from the vial over as well- we didn’t take the whole thing, out of fear of it spilling.
EASTWOOD: Confirmed it as a healing agent, one that can rapidly restore fluid as well. Why they were giving it to Seaspray is beyond me, but that’s what it is.
WRETCH: poppy sucked up the damage from gettin shit through the bag
WRETCH: dude’s at GOOD now but he should be fine and he can heal up on his own bein a food type and all
WRETCH: lil trooper
VOIDSY: And the wand?
WRETCH: sent it thru too
MILLER:  Bryce took it. He’s at GOOD as well.
WRETCH: primus n slop are gettin buddy ready for surgery...slop asked if primus wants you there for it but he says hes got this and that he knows he can do this
WRETCH: hes a good lil cat 
WRETCH: so we got things covered there
EASTWOOD: Miller and I are still en route to Spit’s. She had to tear her attention away to check on Seaspray, but thankfully her TCPs seem pretty competent at navigation. 
MILLER: We’ll be there soon, we’re just now passing by Wretch and I’s bases...I’m glad that this world is so relatively tiny, and our vehicles are so fast-
EASTWOOD: Miller. Chitchat.
MILLER: Sorry…
WRETCH: dude lay off
WRETCH: yr fine mills
EASTWOOD: ...point is, we’ll be there shortly. We have no idea what to expect from Spit’s base, and I don’t like the look of that hell spiral. 
EASTWOOD: Your job right now is to get shit set up there so we can do a proper rescue mission. Look for a pickup point, get the TCPs situated. When we’re here, we’ll need your help navigating to where you’re at. 
EASTWOOD: If we work together and try to figure out where the outside is in relation to where the TCPs are now, we should be able to make this go smoothly. 
EASTWOOD:  So for now, get your shit together and help guide the TCPs. Give Marvel some of this healing shit that Spit’s got brewing, let’s see if we can get him walking again.
VOIDSY: Are you sure that’s safe?
EASTWOOD: Drug tests say it’s clean. Worth the risk.
VOIDSY: We’ll try our best.

You take a look in the other room, relieved to see Jasper coming to. You tell them you’re so happy that they’re okay again, and ask how they’re doing. Jasper shakes off their grogginess, floating off the ground once more. They’re...alive, and that counts for something. Looks like you got backup, too…

They stretch out, grabbing their chain. What can they do to help?

[victorianflorist]

Jasper, you're on recon.

We have a rescue team incoming composed of some of our friends, your job is to use your abilities and skills to scope out the rest of Spit's base so we can execute the rescue mission and extract you, the rest of the forward team, and Spit's victims. I.E. her team.

Try to restore your health however you can, some of the fluid Spit was using on Seaspray is apparently a healing agent.

We're counting on you, Jasper. We know you didn't ask for this responsibility but you're strong, kind, and resilient. You should be proud of yourself and even if you don't want to hear it, we're proud of you too.

[1011686]

Good to have you back, Jasper. There's nothing urgent going on right now, though Spit's 5th tcp is still unknown, Dad and the others can catch you up on the details. There was something you wanted to talk about earlier, and we've got a bit of time, so we can talk about it now if you want. The medium-term plan is to get to a spot where the others can rescue us, or, well, rescue Writhe and Marvel, since they won't be able to fit through the bag. You don't have to if you don't want to, but Writhe would probably like to talk to you, since you were quite possibly the first person to ever show them kindness with no strings attached. If anyone needs healing, I think it would be safer to get it from Crunk's jelly through the bag than the potion Spit made, it just doesn't seem likely to me that it's simply a straightforward healing potion, despite what the drug analysis said.

How are you going Dad? Your ability didn't really seem to be working there against Raw, do you have any ideas about that?

Miller, can you tell us about Bryce's weight gun? His ability to make things lighter plus the magic wand might be our best way of getting Writhe out of the pit, since there's no way they'll be able too climb the steps.

[IamPANKANK]

Writhe might like to get a hug from Jasper, or they can rest and recover for the inevitable fight when the 5th comes into play, sending her off on her own when so much is happening to keep track of won't help right now. Don't split the party when we don't need to at this point, focus on extraction and next adventure we can return with all of the Spit team members safe. We are proud of you Jasper.  Dad try to get Writhe to take Raw with you back to Jasper and the others.

[Dzib 9001]

some of the fluid Spit was using on Seaspray is apparently a healing agent.

Give Marvel some of this healing shit that Spit’s got brewing, let’s see if we can get him walking again.

It may be healing agent, but i don't trust it. something about it seems off. It may have passed the drug/poison test, but that doesn't mean nothing's wrong with it.
Think about it, why would Spit give Seaspray a clean healing agent? What benefit does it give her? I don't trust it. Eastwood what kinda test's did you put the liquid through? Do we know what it's made of? how does it work? Until we know for sure what it does, we shouldn't use it.

[Verager]

Yes on Jasper scouting if they're up for it.

"worth the risk' - Can we get more info on what this drug test is? We might want to save the mysterious chemicals that were explicitly used in torture for emergency healing only.

[cosmo]

i think we should still give marvel the healing agent if eastwood insists. in the end, marvel’s on eastwood’s team and i don’t want our friends to feel like we won’t respect their wishes in a situation as intense as this one. still definitely voice our concerns and stuff but in the end idk if it’s our choice to make really. we can only hope to convince eastwood but i think directly refusing to do what he asks is a bad idea.

[skinstealer]

You tell Jasper that you need them to do some recon and help look for a way out. You have allies on the way that are going to help them get out of there, but they need to start moving too. The hard part is, well...your goal is to get everyone out, Spit’s team included. It’s going to be a lot of TCPs on the move.

Jasper seems hesitant at this suggestion, asking if they’re going to need to use force...they don’t think Hark or Raw are too inclined to come with them, even if Writhe is. This is kind of what they wanted to get at earlier- you stop them to say that you actually wanted to bring that up yourself, so now’s a perfect time.

Jasper mimics taking a deep breath, trying to find the words. They just...feel like it’s kind of cruel, to befriend these people. They’re still the enemy, and it looks like it’s going to go either with them being forced to befriend and ally without it being genuine, or getting their hopes up when they inevitably have to fight. It doesn’t feel right.

[suggestions from the last update remain tallied/in effect, and will be used as soon as this conversation is completed]

[IamPANKANK]

Jasper your right this is cruel, but the alternative is to leave them with a monster who preys on them and others for fun, sometimes to help someone you have to offer a hand, sometimes you need to show them another way, and sometimes they are too far gone.  We didn't plan on attacking Spit inside her base and having to tear them away without talking to them first, its truely horrible that we are doing this to them.  HOWEVER look around you and ask if you think this place is ok in anyway , this isn't a home its a torture chamber designed to hurt people who know nothing else and make you beg for the slightest sliver of affection from the only person you know to give it, warped and twisted in pain to make you think that this is good and normal.
(it might be nice for Jasper to talk with Wax TCPs after this they are still young compared to everyone else and got rushed into things, they might be helped by seeing a perspective that isn't on our team.)

[Lilium Mortem]

You personally don't have to like them, you don't have to get close to them. I'm asking this of you because, well, even if we do end up fighting, even if it does go bad, I'd rather have given them every chance I could then not. Everyone deserves a chance to grow beyond how they were born, how they are, into something better. It might fail, there might be no redemption, But I'd rather live in that world, where there's hope for everyone, than take the easy way out and close my heart to those that might hurt me, or get hurt because of me.

We might just be an idealistic fool, you might be right. Still, despite that, will you help us?

[victorianflorist]

Jasper, it's not cruel to do what we're doing. What's happening here, in this base, it isn't like what we do back home. This isn't a home. This place, this team, our enemies, they have been manipulated and groomed into the people they are today. They weren't given the opportunity of choice like you have. Right now, at any moment. You could choose to go rogue and leave our team, you have that freedom. But Hark, Raw, and even Writhe, they don't have that freedom. They don't even know they get a choice. It would be cruel to leave them here, to be used.

And, thinking pragmatically, removing them, taking this team away, it disarms Spit. Spit wants to torture her enemies and unfortunately that's us. She had Seaspray chained to the wall and was harvesting their fluid for lords sake. Without her TCPs, she can't hurt you as easily.

[cosmo]

I think trying to “force” them to ally might be the kindest possible outcome here. since like... well I don’t know what spit does to her tcps when she wins but I can’t imagine it’s good. I know trying to.... win trust like it’s some kind of prize is like. I mean it feels bad and in most situations it probably is bad. and I think it speaks to your kindness and empathy that you are worried about this. but if the only choice we have is to leave them to their fates or... you know, directly harm them i think this might be the best path to take. it still sucks though.

[1011686]

At the end of the day, this is a bad situation Spit's tcps are in, and we want to get them out of it. It can be tricky, incredibly tricky sometimes, to save someone from something they might not want saving from, to give them something they might not want, and to know that you're doing the right thing against their wishes. But c'mon. I feel confident saying this is one of the few times where the situation is pretty black and white.
Your concern is entirely valid though, and we can still change how we go about the exact process even if we don't change the end goal. Can you think of any ways of going about this that would be better, less hard on Spit's tcps?

[Verager]

You make an excellent point, Jasper. And they really can't be our friends just yet. They don't have the agency. They are part of a cult. And while, in this world, that's a strange line, it fits. They've never been allowed freedom. One of them, at least, was never Taught to speak. If we leave them here, where we have little power, Spit will fight everything we try with words in their minds and physical reinforcement, and we'll just have to kill them.

But there's another way. The first steps of deprogramming, followed by exit counseling once they have any semblance of choice in their lives. We can Teach either(if you ask), but the first one can be... unpleasant in some circumstances. It will be necessary here, though, as death threats, torture and abuse will keep her TCP's from seeking help, and their god is a consummate expert in all. And all of her TCP's are going to try and kill you, or as this lab has shown, forcibly mutate you into monsters that will kill everyone you've known. They will be free once they value themselves as individuals, and we have no expectation for them to stay with us if they ultimately decide not to.

The problem is that Spit doesn't value her TCP's as individuals with thoughts, hopes and dreams. We do. We want to empower them to be themselves first, and really really hope they'll still be our friends, freely, afterwards.

Thank you for questioning us. Continue to do so whenever you feel the urge. Keep us honest. Does that address your worries?

(echoing 1011686's offer for Jasper's feedback on what they feel would make this better)

[Dzib 9001]

you're not wrong Jasper.

[King-Clod]

I can see why you're worried about that Jasper. It's rough, with these sorts of things. It's hard to tell if any charity given is for their sake, or for yours. If it helps, Jasper, we won't be forcing them to befriend us, or be our allies. And they don't have to be caught up in the fight. If we can help them see their own self worth and get them away from Spit, they can go rouge and never speak with us again. We can befriend them, sure, but our main goal is getting them out of Spit's clutch.

[skinstealer]

Jasper isn’t wrong- this is cruel. It’s horrible that you’re being put into this situation, and that you have to do this to Spit’s TCPs...and their concern is valid, their points are sound. It really speaks to their kindness and empathy that they’re worried about this, and you appreciate the honesty. You tell them that they can question you whenever they feel the urge, and you’d never punish them for that.

You know that trying to win trust like it’s some kind of prize feels bad, and in most situations, it probably would be. It’s rough, and it’s hard to tell if any charity is really given for Spit’s team’s sake over being given for their own. But the truth of the matter is...Jasper could choose to go rogue at any time. They could leave the team without hesitation, and that’s a significant freedom that Spit’s TCPs will never have.

The alternative to this strategy is to leave them with a sadistic monster who makes them beg for the slightest sliver of affection, and twists their minds to make them think that this is good and normal. She doesn’t value them as individuals with thoughts, hopes and dreams...they have no freedoms, not any of them. 

They weren’t even taught to speak aside from Hark, and it’s likely they don’t even know they have any choice in this at all. They’re being kept from seeking help, and frankly, they’re part of a cult. You don’t expect them to know much about cults, but you ask them to trust you- they’re bad news. And not only that, but Spit is willing to consider your team as her enemies, and she does horrible, horrible things to her enemies. Her team is going to try and kill them and everyone they love unless you do something, and god knows the extent she’ll go to.



Besides...look at this place, and compare it to the base back in the meadow. This is no home, and this is no family. This is a torture chamber that’s been created to hurt people and manipulate them into whatever Spit wants. If you leave them there with no support, Spit will only reinforce their grooming, and your hand will be forced- killing being a mercy at that point. You don’t want that.

Everyone deserves a chance to grow beyond how they were brought into this world and become something better- you’ve always wanted to give them that opportunity, and you want to extend that to Spit’s team as well. It’s up to Spit’s TCPs whether they’ll still be their friends after all this, and there’s no way to know whether that’ll happen or not...but it’d be far crueler to leave them here to be used, and you’d rather try than refuse to give them a chance of redemption. If you can help them see their own self worth and get them away from Spit, their life will be truly theirs. From there, they can make whatever choice they want, even if that’s going rogue and never speaking with them again. 



This is a terrible situation all around. Spit’s TCPs deserve better, and it’s going to be tricky to get them away from something they may not even realize is bad. They might have to go against the enemy team’s wishes to get them help, and there’s a chance that they might be too far gone by the time you try. But this is something that you have to do. You can’t just let them be hurt here.

Does that address their worries? Can they think of any ways of going about this that would be better, less hard on Spit's tcps?

Jasper lingers on this massive dump of information, taking it all in. Well...this is a lot to process, and they’ll definitely have to think about it. 

Do you really think there’s hope for them? For everyone to get out of this okay. Please, be honest.

[IamPANKANK]

Indeed we do think there is hope for everyone of you.  This isn't going to be easy though and people have already been hurt.  we need to check on everyone else now though stay safe Jasper.

[Jukashi]

Hope is just the flipside of doubt. Doubt says "I'm not sure this will go well"; hope says "I'm not sure this will go badly". If we were certain of anything, we could say there's no hope, but we aren't. We're rolling the dice, and they might not come up the way we want, and we accept that - but we might win. Of course, you want particular reasons it might go well, beyond just not knowing. We have those, too: Spit's tactics are fragile. The more we work her grip loose, the slipper it gets for her. She's playing against herself as much as she's playing against us. The way she does things is self-destructive, and all we need to do is speed that up and reduce the collateral damage. She's acting against the nature of TCPs, and we've already seen some signs of hers waking up a bit, of cracks in her methods. There is hope for them, and when it comes to all of you getting out of this ok? That's about believing in you guys, and that we definitely do.

[Thk]

Do you really think there’s hope for them? For everyone to get out of this okay. Please, be honest.

Yes. It may not be the largest chance, but it certainly exists.

[Dzib 9001]

Do you really think there’s hope for them?

Won't know unless we try.

[victorianflorist]

There's always hope, it's up to us to put the effort in and manifest the things we hope for, Jasper.

[1011686]

It is definitely possible that everyone gets out of this okay, and our plan is aimed towards making that as likely as possible. But the chance that someone dies isn't insignificant, it's still there. The most we can promise is that if that happens, we will take our responsibility for it, and not forget the role our actions played in it occurring. But really, if we get all of Spit's tcps out of her base, out of her influence, and to the unhallowed sanctuary, we've basically won. She won't be able to do anything to them there, she won't be able to create or make anything, and Writhe, Hark and Raw have already shown signs of doubting her, despite the time she's had to mold them, so we'd probably be able to turn all her tcps away from her if we just get the chance for some uninterrupted conversation. That's all we need to do.

...though, speaking of death actually, it would probably be a good idea to heal Marvel, since he's on Critical health, and since Writhe still counts as one of Spit's tcps she kind of has the ability to kill him at any time by placing a KILL command on him. The fact that she hasn't done so yet is pretty worrying, but no more than basically every other aspect of Spit's strategy in this game I guess. We're probably out of health potions, so Jasper or someone else would have to pull some jelly through the bag and give it to Marvel. Actually, can food from food type tcps even be administered to unconscious tcps? The health potions could, but it might be the case that the liquid in them is automatically absorbed by any tcp who touches them, while food is only absorbed consciously. If that's the case, then we would need more health potions, either that or hopefully one of Eastwood's drugs can either restore health or consciousness. Anyway this is more a discussion/brainstorming thing than a suggestion, it's probably best to wait until after this conversation with Jasper to bring this up.

[seppawku]

"There's hope, Jasper. I'm scared too, I'll be honest; Spit always wins we've heard. But I'm not going to give up, nor are the rest of our team. This could have gone so much worse."