[TINY CAT PEOPLE] VOID SESSION: ACT 4

[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."

[Verager]

Doing things like this is always a long shot. We have to undo what was presumably a lot of well practiced conditioning, and we can't be the first to have attempted something like this, meaning it wouldn't be out of the question for there to be some efforts to preempt us. Some of them might not take well to our efforts, especially since we have to go to these extremes.

However, we spoke to Hark, in the presence of Spit. We did what we could, made our pleas and asked our questions. Of course, she still took Spit's side, but we saw what we needed to: doubt, and just a little bit of hope she was too afraid to nurture.

And that's more than enough to make this worth doing.

[Clockwork Citrus]

If we can’t achieve anything else at least, the least we can do is get Writhe out, this isn’t a good environment for them, and as we seen it’s not safe if they stay, because spit and her tcps might hurt them more

[skinstealer]

You say there’s no way to know until you try, and that hope is just the flipside of doubt. Doubt says that you’re not sure things will go well, and hope says that you’re not sure it’ll go badly. The only way you’d say there’s no hope was if you were certain of anything, but you’re not. It may not be the largest chance, it may not be easy, and you’re definitely rolling the dice- but you might win. You just have to put in the effort and keep on believing in each other, and you have no plans to stop that any time soon. The most you can promise aside from that is that no matter what happens, you’ll take responsibility for it. That’s all you can do, really.

But...you know they want particular reasons as well, solid evidence. The truth of it is, you’re pretty confident you can get ahead of Spit, and you’re already finding cracks in her methods. Her way of doing things is self-destructive, and she’s acting against the nature of her TCPs. It’s fragile tactics, and the more you work her grip loose, the more slippery it’s going to get for her. If you could get all of her TCP’s out of her base, away from her influence, and into the unhallowed sanctuary, you’ve basically won. She won’t be able to hurt them anymore or make anything, and you’d have the chance to sway them from her influence. It’s going to require a lot of undoing conditioning, and there’s always the chance that they won’t take well to it...but there’s the chance that they will, and that’s the chance that you’re going to take, no matter what.

At the very, very least...Jasper could try and get Writhe out. Jasper agrees completely, as soon as you say it- it’s clearly being hurt here, all of them are, but Writhe seems the most delicate, at least to your phantom type. You’re going to need its help as well, and if Jasper wanted, they could try and help calm the cage type down before you get to it.

Jasper agrees, and floats over to Writhe.



Writhe can’t stop looking at its stunned teammate, Dana and Dad doing their best to keep it from poking at Raw. Jasper gives it a careful tap on the bars, backing up as the cage swings to face them. They’re surprised to hear Writhe speak, the cage saying hi to them in its low, rattling voice. Jasper says hey back after a moment of hesitation, glad to see that it can understand what they’re saying now. Their name is Jasper, and it’s good to meet them. Again.

Its name is Writhe, says the cage, looking a little shy. It doesn’t really know what to think of its name, it sounds weird, but...Jasper stops it before it can go much further than that, saying that it doesn’t sound weird to them. It’s a cool name. Writhe perks up immediately at the praise, saying that it’s happy Jasper thinks so! That makes it easier, to know someone thinks it’s cool!

Jasper has to calm the cage from bouncing around and making a ton of noise, trying to shush it as politely as possible. Okay, enough of that. Please. Things are still pretty scary right now, and they’re going to need Writhe’s help if they want things to go well. Could Writhe go along with things Jasper asks it to?

Writhe hesitates before asking whether it’ll hurt or not.

Jasper says it won’t, not if they have anything to do about it. They extend a hand for the cage to feel, the large storage type TCP fiddling with the ectoplasm immediately. It’s still weird for Jasper, but it seems to reassure Writhe so easily that they don’t mind, not really.



You thank Jasper for their help, relieved that things are starting to turn towards your favor again. You need them on recon, and they’re going to need to use their abilities to scope out the rest of Spit’s base. The focus should be on extraction, with the end goal of getting everyone out of there- your team, allies, and Spit’s team. Yes, all of them that you can, but especially Writhe. You need a spot where everyone can be rescued, and it’s their job to help find it. 

Jasper takes it in and nods, relaying this to Dad and Dana. Dana says that she’ll fill in the others, and rushes back into the room to talk to Bryce and Jetter. Dad gives Jasper a pat on their side, unable to quite reach up to their back- she’s proud of them-

Jasper swoops Dad into a hug before she can go on a big speech. 

They didn’t know if they’d ever see her again, or any of the others. They thought they were going to die down here. 

Dad is silent for a moment, not sure what to say. She settles on returning the hug as best she can, saying that no matter what, this team is like a family, and Jasper is included in that if they want to be. And if you’ve taught her anything, family sticks together.

Jasper says they know, and that they don’t plan on going anywhere soon. They set Dad down and get back to business, seemingly a little embarrassed at their emotional outburst.



You ask if there’s any way to get Raw into Writhe’s cage, but Jasper immediately nixes that idea- there’s no room in that cage for another big body type, not with all the spikes. Marvel’s barely fitting in there as is, and it doesn’t look like those spikes are easy to remove either. 
 

VOIDSY: Hey, Eastwood?
EASTWOOD: Yeah?
VOIDSY: Sorry for the radio silence, Jasper needed our help...we’re not going to use that healing fluid.
EASTWOOD: Why not?! I said it was safe!
VOIDSY: There just, there has to be some catch. It’s Spit we’re talking about.
EASTWOOD: It’s just straight up healing potion, same as what you’ve got back at base pretty much. Literally no difference.
VOIDSY: We’ll discuss it later, just...send some jelly instead.
EASTWOOD: Fine, but we’re running low.

 
Jasper gets a double-sized fistful of jelly from the bag, once again revulsed by the texture...but this was more important than their comfort. They float back over to Marvel and Writhe, the cage type allowing its door to be opened. Marvel’s still out cold, but as Jasper presses the jelly against his hand, he begins to stir.

Marvel’s health is now SUFFERING. 



He pulls himself into a sitting position, swaying from side to side. Jasper is immediately taken aback, his calm monotone replaced with a shaky, almost stuttering voice. He asks where he is, and Jasper says that they’re in Spit’s base, and that the scouting mission failed. It takes him a moment to realize what Jasper’s talking about, giving a slow nod. Right. The scouting mission. He had forgotten about that.

He takes a look at his hands, noting the massive holes going straight through. The brain type says nothing, Jasper reaching out and giving his shoulder a shake. Is he alright? Like, obviously he’s not alright, but…

Marvel says that he’s sure he’ll be fine, it’s just. Hard. It’s hard to think straight, everything feels all scrambled and- He can’t find the word, something that means not all there. Incomplete, Jasper suggests, and he nods. Scrambled and incomplete. It doesn’t feel right. 

Jasper says that whatever happened, they’ll find a way to fix it. Marvel gives another slow nod, looking around. Jasper says they can catch him up on everything, but it’s going to take some explaining.


 

VOIDSY: Miller, could you tell us about Bryce’s ability, and his weight gun? We have an idea.
MILLER: Well, sure! Bryce can turn things into driftwood and control it, but he can also make objects lighter thanks to his synergy bonus.
VOIDSY: How about living things?
MILLER: Well...yes, he can do that, but it isn’t reversible. That’s what the weight gun is for. 
MILLER: The weight gun can make things heavier or lighter, but by switching the weight of the user with the target. This means it’s only really effective on a single target at a time, BUT, testing shows that you can daisy chain it a bit if you’re careful. 
EASTWOOD: ...what the fuck?
EASTWOOD: You didn’t think to mention something that potentially broken?!
MILLER: No one asked!
VOIDSY: Mind if we try a thing, then?
MILLER: Go ahead, just be careful.
VOIDSY: Okay...we want to try making Writhe lighter. Those stairs are way too big for it to get out, and if we can make it lighter-
MILLER: Ooh! Jasper could just float it out, couldn’t they?
VOIDSY: Exactly.
MILLER: I love it! I’ll go get Bryce in on it immediately, and we’ll give it a test. 

 
It takes a moment or two, but Bryce wanders over to your group just as Marvel’s being helped out of the cage. You tell Jasper that you’ll need Marvel to sit on the sideline for a second, and you’d need their help with something. When they ask what, you say that you’re going to help Writhe get out of here, and relay the plan. Jasper passes this on to Writhe, who looks shocked. Is it even possible? It’s so deep here, and the stairs- Jasper shushes the cage, saying that they’re sure that you’ve figured it all out.

Bryce steps forward with the weight gun, bracing himself for impact as he fires at Writhe. Sure enough, he staggers, falling over as soon as the bolt hits. Writhe on the other hand, hops around almost gracefully from foot to foot, delighted. 
 

MILLER: Success!
 

Jasper sneaks over, trying to get Writhe to stay put before getting underneath it, picking it up with relative ease. It’s a little unwieldy to hold something so big, but with Bryce’s weight, the cage is no problem. Writhe tries not to wiggle too much, but from the sound of its giggle-like clangs, it’s having a blast.



They peek up from underneath Writhe, trying to get a good look at what hangs above them.

[victorianflorist]

I fucking hope that isn't Spit's last TCP and it's just the mount.

Anybody have a spyglass or some other way to get a better look at that thing before we start ascending?

[Guest]

HOSTILE FLIER! GET TO COVER!

[Lilium Mortem]

Jasper, try to vary your flight path, zig and zag; we don't know if that thing has a ranged attack. since Bryce has the weight of a giant metal cage right now, it would be great if they could take a shot at that thing with the weight gun, it would take it out of the air instantly, but only if it's acted hostile. Anyone else with ranged weapons start lining up shots in case it aggro's, suppressive fire, try to keep it away from Jasper and Writhe until they get out of the pit.

[Dzib 9001]

Can we get an ETA on the carriage?

[1011686]

Let's bring Writhe back down, and quickly ask them what we had wanted to ask before: What is Spit's 5th TCP? And additionally, does it happen to know what that creature in the sky is?
Also, it's hard to tell how large that thing is from down here, but since Writhe is probably the largest tcp we've seen so far (Jasper is small compared to it, and Jasper is big), and since the material it's made of is probably heavier than the body of any creature type tcps, i feel confident that the flier weighs less than Writhe, so if Bryce shoots it with the weight gun, it should come tumbling down. Too bad being a crack-shot probably isn't one of his skills (where's Whipp when we need her), but he should at least try, if the weight gun has no penalty for missing or hitting inanimate objects.
(also if it happens to be something from one of our teammates yell at them in the group call for not warning us)

[IamPANKANK]

ask writhe about the last TCP. (WHY DIDn"T WE DO THIS BEFORE!?!)

[knux400]

Wait, Miller, you've had a weight gun this entire time and you never thought to use it on Bubbo? Make a note for when we get back, HoverBubbo will soon be the most powerful entity to grace the TCP plane.