networkinthenight | [text] @carrotcupcake

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[text] @carrotcupcake

O-kay! Imagine me dusting my hands off in accomplishment just there. I have some things to share with you all!

First, thanks to everyone who came down and helped clean up the Helix Station and get things running down there again. Home sweet home. I've run a few tests just to make sure, but it seems like our portal is safe and functional again. Credit where it's due, your Dr. Ingram does actually sometimes know what he's doing. So! If you guys need special tools or materials from home, or just want something to make your stay a little easier, we can get right back to doing those special orders! Just run it by me first, since there are still some limitations - can't be too big, for one, and I do kind of feel a little responsible for the stuff that comes through there so don't be too offended if I say no to your request for napalm unless you have a really important use for it.

This thing sucks up a lot of power when we pull in specific items, so let's start by just asking for one thing per person and I'll see how that goes. Got it?

Second, more good news! I've been trying out a few things based on Alastair's research. Repayment for the cleaning and all that, as promised. I tried doing the opposite direction this time - sent a note to a world, then was able to pull it back through, so that works. Does it work with living people, though? No idea. Let's not try until we get rid of the World Eater that's bearing down on us all, because I don't really like the idea of having you all turn yourselves to ambiguous goo by mistake and spending the rest of my days hiding under the lake by myself.

Lastly, I know some of you saved some samples of the other World Eater, right? Has anyone had a chance to look at it? Because it might be helpful to compare it with what we learned about the green-eyes we had here. I'd like to see if my ideas are right. It could be really helpful in making a more effective weapon. I want to help, and I've got the tools to build another bomb, but I want to do it right in case this is our one and only shot, so let me know if you've found anything out. Or if you have more plutonium, for that matter.

All right? All good? If we can beat this thing, this world might finally get to catch a break. I'd like to see life here. Real life, not like us. I think we've got a chance.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

If you think napalm would work against the World Eater it's not entirely a poor choice.

What's been found out about the Green Eyes? Are you trying to weaponize their seeming psychic abilities against the World Eater?

Actually it's probably pretty useless and a waste of our time and resources, since I don't think it would burn. Is there an ice version? That would be more worth looking into. Liquid nitrogen?

As for weaponizing the green-eyes, no, that's.... An interesting idea, actually. Except I'd be afraid of a repeat of what happened down at the station. I wasn't part of the team that was trying to study them but I think it was mostly anatomical, or chemical? Trying to find ways to harm them that aren't just blowing things up.

But if you have ideas about weaponizing them, well - I hate to go for the obvious pun but I'm all ears. Have you guys made much progress trying to speak with them?

Liquid Nitrogen doesn't have a very long shelf life after it's depressurized. How large is this exactly? I could potentially freeze it. Or part of it, maybe the legs.

My thought was that the spirits prey on our weaknesses, they know them somehow. So if we could turn that against the World Eater and know it's weakness that would be incredibly useful. Or even if we could simply disorient it that might be enough.

As for how that could be accomplished, we'd have to see if those studying them found anything. And I personally haven't tried to talk to them, but Soldat was going to try I believe. I don't know if he had any success though.

I don't know exactly how big this one is, but from what little we know of the previous one (ones?) they get to be hundreds of feet tall. Count on at least one leg, and cross your fingers for more? But holding in place could be really helpful for us targeting it. How close do you have to get?

I'm just worried that the green-eyes will turn on you guys the moment they hear the World Eater. That's what happened here. We thought we had them under control. I like the concept, I really do, but the last thing I want is for everyone here to have to go through what we suffered down here. But... whether you try to weaponize them or not they might still do that. They're all over the woods, still, aren't they? Have you seen many lately?

For something that large I need to be fairly close. Especially if I'm trying to ice it to the ground, I'm sure it's strong enough to break free but it might be distracting if nothing else.

10-20 feet away maybe.

I've only seen the regular spirits lately, and they've been far more active than normal. But you're right, they'll definitely turn on us immediately. The green-eyes seem to be able to compel the regular spirits, I'd assume the world eaters could do that to all of them. A hierarchy of sorts.

I don't know about you, but being that close to a fully-grown one sounds like a death sentence. You saw just as well as I did what happened with the little one that was trapped.

What if it's coming this way through the lake? How much of the lake can you freeze from a distance?

A hierarchy... I wish we had ever figured out how to translate the World Eaters' vocalizations. The lighthouse signal was an altered recording, but I don't know who originally made it. It definitely compels everything, though, that was the point. I hate to say it, but the green-eyes might be one of our few remaining resources on that topic. I wish it wasn't so risky to talk to them, and that we weren't running so low on time.

I've never been to the other side of the lake so I'm not sure how large it is, but a substantial amount. It wouldn't be so thick that it couldn't break out, and it would fall through if it walked on it. But it would probably keep it submerged for a while if you think it will come from the lake?

I don't think it's worth the risk, the damage they can do is substantial and anything they tell us is open to interpretation. I don't think they lie, but what the spirits say doesn't usually make a lot of sense. Unless Soldat has gotten better about interpreting it.

You're right, and I don't know any better myself. Downsides of working in weapons instead of the biological research team, I guess.

[Then again... She's here to talk to them, and medical/bio isn't.]

The reason I think it will come from the lake is that I do know they tend to take the quickest path to the light, from the little I heard about past encounters. If the spirits say it was on the other side before, then it's probably not going to go all the way around.

It's a big lake. Also, it's already partly frozen. Maybe you can make it freeze more solidly if it looks like that might help?

I can do that, if we can lure it into the lake I might be able to trap it beneath the surface, but I'm not sure for how long.

And of course the closer I get the more susceptible I am to whatever hallucinations it might bring on. We definitely need more of the concoction the group who went down to the station had that helped resist them. I'll have to find out how that was created.

At some point someone is going to have to get close to it, and that will do no one any good if they succumb within seconds.

From the pictures I've seen of the others, unless this is another juvenile it'll probably be able to get its head above water even if it walks straight through the deepest part of the lake. But even if you can only pin its feet for a few extra seconds, that could save someone's life, or let me aim my drone.

But you're right, don't put yourself at so much risk that you're just a sacrifice. Can't any of you fly or teleport or something? Thought I saw that in the fight down here. Maybe someone can be there to get you out faster than you can run if it gets too close.

Failing that, stand in the submarine and I'll program it to automatically deliver you down to the station after a countdown. You'd only get one shot, but you could get close and then it could seal you in and get you out of range. Well, unless the thing decides to eat the submarine. I'd probably consider that a last resort kind of plan but I know a few of you were hoping to use it as an emergency backdoor of some kind, right?

Stone can fly. He can turn into a huge dragon, but I know he and Rosinante tried to fly out over the lake and something caused him to crash. Maybe with it iced over like this whatever caused that can't attack him again. I'm not sure they've tried again since the destruction of the lighthouse either.

If it's close enough to eat the submarine it would be close enough to eat someone who tried to fly or teleport me - so probably better to be alone with a submarine.

Soldat was talking about using it in an emergency, but it seems like running may make things worse. Once it arrives I don't think we get a second shot at it.

You're right about that. Something like this isn't going to let us mess around.

I think I can add you and a few others as authorized to command the second submarine, if you're dead set on this. You and a few, because if something goes wrong for you I'd still want someone able to control it in a pinch. I can connect it to your tablets for remote access. That's probably better than a countdown. Normally not something I'd do, but... Obviously if I can't trust you guys now, there's no point to any of this. Might as well throw everything we can at this plan.

Come meet me at the harbor with maybe two or three others, and bring your tablets.

I appreciate the trust. But it's true, should anything go wrong we'll all be dead. I can't think of a reason anyone would sabotage our attempt.

Not a resident anyway. Unless they were a spirit in disguise, which would be incredibly unsettling.

Very well. I'll meet you there.

[ a few months ago this would have been a heavily-locked private communication, but the time for secrecy is well over. ]

Thank you SO much, Weaver. I'm sorry we haven't spoken more - you are an incredible asset and I'm glad we can help one another.

This is extremely specific, but I'd like to request a special ammunition from home.

They're called Candy Jackets, made specially on Whole Cake Island. They're armor-piercing rounds engineered specifically to penetrate living exoskeletons as hard as steel. I don't know exactly how much damage they'll do to a World Eater but trying is better than nothing.

I'd like some in .36 caliber and [ insert the ammunition size for Soldat's and Rosinante's firearms here ]. If anyone else who sees this uses another caliber of weapon please feel free to add on to this request.

Candy jackets? That's a fun name for some deadly ammunition. I like it.

I'll see what I can get. A bunch of different calibers might not fit well within the parameters for what the system would consider a single search but hey, if we cross our fingers, maybe we'll get lucky. Mind if I keep one for myself? I'd love to see how they're put together.

Home is an oddly whimsical place. [ Heh. ]

Please do! Anything to help.

You bet! Even if they don't do much against that World Eater, they might pay off in defending everyone from the spirits that hear it talking and come running to help it out. We can't all hide down at Helix and fight from there. Have you thought about defenses yet?

For the town... I'm not sure. For us? I... have an idea I haven't tried out yet. It's last-ditch more than any kind of real barricade, but.

[ Hhhhoo boy. ]

I can make anything with memories flashback to a random amount of time ago. Including, at home, there are homunculi my mother animates with little pieces of

[ hhhhhhh ]

years off people's lives. When I had to use it on them, most of them flashed back to memories from those people, well before the homies ever existed. Maybe it could make green eyes flashback to when they were smaller spirits, or spirits flashback to when they were people.

If nothing else, it should - theoretically - startle some of them in place for a bit.

Edited 2021-01-29 06:02 (UTC)

[Uh.

Give her a moment to finish just staring at that text before eventually typing out a reply.

Wow.]

Well. That... sounds like it could certainly help.

You weren't kidding when you said home for you was whimsical!

I don't think my mother ever stopped being five.

[what is the connection between childish immaturity and actually reducing people's lifespans though? does she dare ask?]

I'm so sorry.

Have you tested this ability out since you got here? Maybe you should try it before it becomes a life or death situation. It's hard to know just how things like that translate for the spirits.

[ in a word: tantrums. (oh, please do ask.) ]

Thank you. If nothing else, I'm free to talk about it here.

I haven't. I'm not sure how to ask, or who. I'm kind of passable with spirit language, but I don't want to muck something up and ask a friendly spirit, hi, mind if I scare the hell out of you and make you violently remember something random?

Right, right, that's a good point. I'm not much of a help there, I don't really know the spirits like all of you do, and the ones we had at the station for testing purposes aren't really... available anymore, as you know.

But I'm glad you're being really careful. And I'm glad this is a place you can talk about it. Beacon, and Helix - they're weird, but the station's been a good home to me in all the time I spent here. I hope we can make Beacon into a place that will be a good home too.

[ Weh. Give her a sec. ]

Thank you, Weaver. Genuinely. Even with as strange as things have been here, Beacon has already been a good home for me. And believe me, I do know what that says about where I came from. If I can make it better for everybody else, everyone already here and anyone who can come to it when it's alive again, I want to.

Glad to hear it. I know I didn't like it much here at first, back when I first turned up, but it's kind of a special little place because everyone gets to make it into whatever they need most. I want to make sure it gets the second chance at life that we all got.

Pudding I can probably ask around for someone willing to try.

[ Pudding starts typing sorry, pauses, and then erases it. She doesn't have to apologize for everything she does "wrong." Not here. ]

Thank you. I've been waffling on whether to ask. I don't know if it'll do any good. But I want to try.

[Honey you didn't do anything wrong, they're offering to help with your idea :( ]

can't get you a green-eyes to test but there are some regular spirits I am friends with. the scrapyard dog maybe. librarian might like the idea for curiosity.

[ Something-something not asking soon enough, making him have to offer, etc. It's stupid - but she's getting around to the idea that it's stupid, and she doesn't have to think in constant placations. ]

Thank you. I've been back and forth on how to tell you I can weaponize this. At distance. I do have full control over who I affect, and I won't do it to anyone who's friendly unless they volunteer. I promised.

this isn't so bad. this isn't taking anything away. could even be used to give a memory back I bet.

[And they've had a couple people so far do that.]

and I believe you. thank you for promising Pudding

Thank you. I'm trying.

I don't have any control on how far back, or what kind. It might be something you wanna remember. Or it might be from HYDRA.

I'm not picky about memories I get back, they're all mine. but I was just trying to say that it's not as frightening as the other things you can do.

[ It takes her a minute to figure out how to take that. ]

I'm glad. I wanna get as close to not-scary as I can with you.

[Aww.]

you're pretty close to not-scary Pudding. you're okay I promise

[And the Asset, of all things, suggests they add:]

:)

[So they do.]

(⁄ ⁄> ⁄ ◡ ⁄ <⁄ ⁄)

I am glad to hear that your work is going well.

Would it be a waste of energy to ask for just one thing from home? It's a book.

It's not...useful, like a weapon, so I understand if it's not possible.

That's not a waste at all! It doesn't have to be something for killing world eaters, you know? It's nice to be able to bring some of the comforts of home here. I'd be glad to help you out.

What's the book?

[Please assume that Hope has perked up considerably, Weaver. She felt weird about asking, so getting a positive response is a big boost.]

Thank you. It's Labyrinths, by Jorge Luis Borges. A friend of mine once recommended it to me. It has some wonderful stories.

All right, added to my notes. I'll see if I can find it next time I power the thing up.

Just because I'm curious, what kinds of stories?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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