A babbling brook, my hands holding the auditor's head underwater. Try to assess me now!

... of how close you are to changing the world, on how you just have to figure out one little thing and your invention will finally be complete.

Well. Dang it. Lost an 1-2 hours of work. I was literally on the save dialog, and I disconnected my tablet, being done with it - which caused gimp to crash. I keep almost being angry, but it just feels too futile. At least I got my drawing practice in. This'll re-teach me to save, save, save, I guess. Well, I won't let this impede the story! You're gonna have to use your imagination on this one, tgchan. Imagine a calico cat-girl with yellow-brown hair in a ponytail, rapidly sitting up on a grassy hill.

Aha, yes! So close! So long have you struggled with your teleportation device, and you are so close! You just can't seem to get the activation energy into a concentrated enough point....

You came out for a break a few minutes ago, but it's difficult to relax, what with all this on your mind. Should you lie back and try to still your rampaging thoughts, return to the lab to puzzle out some more details, or maybe go visit with Uncle Ben? He's always up for a visit, and it might help to have an outsider's perspective, even if they aren't really technically inclined...or necessarily have any idea what you're talking about....

Lie back and try to relax. You need a fresh perspective and a clear mind before you return to the problem.

Yeah, relaxing on our own for now sounds like a good idea if we've got this much stress. Strangling that auditor in our mind has always been so relaxing, at least when we're done imagining that the gurgling stops.

>>563609
this is starting to sound like a personal problem.

anyways relax for now, who knows you might actually came up with some ideas once your mind is cleared.

Erhannis 2014/02/21(Fri)05:18 No. 563699 ID: 0b54f4
File 139298873569.png - (179.33KB , 900x600 , 0002.png )

Haaaa.... You breath deeply of the early afternoon air, lying back on the grass. Gradually, your mind grows calm, and you lose hold of the thoughts plaguing you like auditors, and before you realize it, you find yourself standing on a foggy road. Or rather, at the center of the intersection of several roads. Dimly in the mist, you can see dark shuffling shapes down many of the roads. Others lie empty.

Any constructive comments on facial structure would be appreciated. Seems decent, but also seems like it could be improved.

do you hear anything coming from any of the paths? do you see any paths that look like they'll help you? If it seems all the paths won't lead you to where you want to go I say forge your own path as you always have, it may not be easy but it will get you places that no one has ever been before. Just like when you invented your teleporter.

Erhannis 2014/02/22(Sat)07:08 No. 563816 ID: 0b54f4
File 139308169650.png - (202.90KB , 900x600 , 0003.png )

You hesitate. You have a distinct impression that making your own path, here, is not lightly done.

Fixed a typo, sorry.

Huh. Not much to go on. There's no visible destinations, and all the figures are pretty obscured.

...maybe go to the figure right 3, up 1? It's the only one that seems to be paying attention to you. It's facing you, at least.

sigh, then head right, you only need to make your own path when all paths given to you are paths you'd rather not walk.

Erhannis 2014/02/23(Sun)05:06 No. 564002 ID: 0b54f4
File 139316080897.png - (107.01KB , 900x600 , 0004.png )

You walk the slick path up and over towards the dark figure. His piercing gaze remains fixed on you. Your steps slow as you draw nearer, coming to a halt about 10 feet away.

There is a long, rattling inhalation.

Figure: You.
Figure: Why are you here?

"I'm searching for something"

Looking for a path forward, to avoid the mistakes I made before.

...why are you interested?

just killing time, I guess.

Erhannis 2014/02/26(Wed)00:51 No. 564381 ID: 0b54f4
File 139340469724.png - (315.44KB , 900x600 , 0005.png )

"I'm...searching for something." Something vitally important, you know it is.... If only you could remember what it was....

Figure: Hah. Searching?
What was it....?
Figure: I can help you, but you must answer me the following questions. First, what would you give up to find that which you seek? And, secondly...
His eyes narrow as he gives you a crafty smile.
Figure: ...what wouldn't you?

What was it what was it what was it?

You were searching for a place called peace.
Is that not why you are working on a teleportation device?

Ask the shadow what does he want for helping you as answer to the first question. Two can play this game.

There's no one you can answer those questions without remembering what it was. Try to think back.

oh you'll give it up alright. wink wink.

say, is it a dragon dildo you were looking for?

information, you're so close to finally making the teleporter reality, something that will allow you to teleport safely, without worrying about whether or not you'll teleport from point A to point B while your arms go to point C.

But what would you give up and what wouldn't you? why do you ask?

...I wouldn't give up who I am, or what I believe in.

Erhannis 2014/02/28(Fri)05:56 No. 564675 ID: 0b54f4
File 139359579346.png - (115.16KB , 900x600 , 0006.png )

>>564404
"How? How can I answer? There's no way I can answer those questions without remembering what it was!"
His smile widens.
"Am I just supposed to drop to the ground and say, 'Anything, I'll give anything'?"
You straighten a bit.
>>564428
"No...I wouldn't give up who I am....or...what I believe in."
You feel something strange...something in the distance behind you is stirring, the world is rippling slightly....
Figure:So be it.
He begins to turn away.

>something in the distance behind you is stirring
Look behind you.

flip yourself turnways and be ready to run in either direction.

are we simply waking up or are we going to have to run now?

>>564676
Yup.

Erhannis 2014/03/02(Sun)06:10 No. 564900 ID: 0b54f4
File 139376943051.png - (180.97KB , 900x600 , 0007.png )

You ignore the figure as he begins to walk away into the mist. The creeping feeling up the nape of your neck compels you to turn around.

"What...."

yup, it's running time.

C'mon, you're a scientist, right? Watch it. Try to understand. Not like running would likely help right now, anyways.

>>564905
>>564911
We'll study it as we run, this way we can get the most time to study it as the world is falling down around us.

1/3 Erhannis 2014/03/04(Tue)02:47 No. 565160 ID: 0b54f4
File 139393004618.png - (188.72KB , 900x600 , 0008.png )

Yeah, uh, seeing as how it's coming this way, you're going to have more trouble NOT seeing what it does, close up. You spin and run for it. It would appear, however, that the effect precedes the visible phenomena.

Your weight splinters the path beneath you, and you begin falling.

3/3 Erhannis 2014/03/04(Tue)02:48 No. 565162 ID: 0b54f4
File 139393009722.png - (125.77KB , 900x600 , 0010.png )

What the...what the HECK was with THAT dream? THAT WASN'T RELAXING AT ALL!

Geeze, that was even a little weirder than usual...another one to put in the dream journal, I guess.

Man.... Now what do I do? I am not going back to sleep.

Well, not right now, I mean.

I could go see Uncle Ben, I could go back to the lab (though I don't know if I'm currently in a great state of mind for that), or heck, I could just go down to the market and wander around. Or maybe the library.

go see Uncle Ben and do your chores, little Mr. Parker. responsibility is important.

>>565164
Not the worst idea, really. Human (or whatever) contact might be what you need after than unsettling nightmare.

Apparently you're more stressed than you thought, if even trying to relax is difficult.

see ben to calm down, then lets get working on that teleporter

Erhannis 2014/03/05(Wed)04:55 No. 565284 ID: 0b54f4
File 139402412817.png - (186.02KB , 900x600 , 0011.png )

You walk the few minutes down to Uncle Ben's bar. When you walk in, he's busy washing dishes.

"Hey, now, if it isn't my favorite niece-who's-not-actually-my-niece! How's it going up there in that dim dank old cave of a lab? D'you come out for some fresh air? I'm the one supposed to be able to hold my breath for an hour, y'know."

He gets you a soda.

"So, what's new?"

tell of him your dream and maybe anything else that's bugging you and hopefully it'll calm you down

>"So, what's new?"
Still can't quite the teleporter working, and I had a weird-ass dream. *sip soda*

FYI, when you fell asleep, you were working yourself apart, not slacking off in the meadow.

Erhannis 2014/03/07(Fri)04:58 No. 565521 ID: 0b54f4
File 139419709009.png - (125.46KB , 900x600 , 0012.png )

You take a long drink of the soda, and launch into a diatribe.

"So I still can't get the teleporter working, blah blah activation energy blah, babble desynchronized quantum field blah! So I go out into the field to relax, and I fall asleep, right? And I end up having this freakyweird dream about searching for something and the world literally going to pieces, and - hey! That jerk never helped me! Though I guess I didn't actually answer his questions...."

Ben raises an eyebrow at you. You explain.

"Hmmm...." Ben muses for a few moments. "Short-shrouded-'n-creepy may have had a point. It's easy to lose sight of the bigger picture, sometimes."

"Yeah, but, I'm so close...I just know it...."

"Well, alright. Still, it might be good to take a break for a day or two...rather than the hour or two I know you usually do. Sometimes I think the brain takes a while for all the pieces to settle back into place."

He refills your soda.

I don't know.... I feel so close to finishing it, should I just power through? Or take a break? What would I even do?

head is whirling and crazy, my mind is scattered...I'll rest, yeah, I'll rest.

ask Ben what he think you should do to kill time then, it would help just to be able to do something otherwise your just going to keep thinking about the teleporter and won't get any rest at all really.

Let's stop and think a moment. If you weren't working on your project, what would you be doing?

since you seem to be too nerdy to have a high probability of having a girlfriend, I suggest masturbating, eating, watching TV and falling asleep.

Erhannis 2014/03/09(Sun)07:12 No. 565711 ID: 0b54f4
File 139437432207.png - (219.64KB , 900x600 , 0013.png )

>>565164
>>565680
Ack dang it; I thought I made her girly-looking enough - did it not come through?

Also, I'm not particularly pleased with how this image turned out. I need to allot myself more time to do these, and not wait until 7 AM.

You stare pensively into your cup. Mmm, bluelime soda. "Yeah...maybe I should take a break for a day or so. I don't even know what I'd do, though; read? Sit in the quiet part of the library and meditate? Learn to juggle?"

"Hah! Well, one thing I do when I need to relax is go down to the lake and fish. Dunno if you're one for fishing, though. You're welcome to borrow my boat, though; still a mighty peaceful place to float about."

... know any good fishing spots? If you're willing to help we might as well try it. I mean if we're not enjoying it we can always head back to town and try something else.

A boat could be relaxing, unless we've got any cat instincts that would be upset getting close to that much water.

don't take it personally, I wasn't really paying too much attention to the images.

yeah, okay, you go do that.

Erhannis 2014/03/13(Thu)09:49 No. 566167 ID: 0b54f4
File 139472937234.png - (240.11KB , 900x600 , 0014.png )

Ah, Starbound, why must you prevent me both from doing my homework and from updating my quest?

"...Yeah, that's a good an idea as any, I suppose. I'm not sure whether or not I want to learn to fish, right now."

Ben: "Well, we can go down now, and you can tell me if you feel like fishing after I show you how to use a boat."

"Er...don't you have to run the bar?"

Ben: "Eh, Thursdays are pretty slow."

He locks up and we walk down towards the lake.

Ben: "By the way, I think they had me sign a few things when I got the boat. I'm probably supposed to have you sign some waiver or something, but frankly I have no idea where I left that. I should probably at least know your full name in case anyone asks, though - do you have a middle name?"

Feel free to choose the first and last, too.

Trisha Jay Church

if Trisha is to long just call me Jay, or church, or whatever, just don't call me Trish. Sounds like someone with a lisp saying Trash.

Laugh, slightly. Worst case legal waivers kind of undercut the whole relaxation thing, don't it? You're supposed to be avoiding worry.

Regina Philange

Trisha 2014/03/17(Mon)02:21 No. 566724 ID: 0b54f4
File 139504806105.png - (455.33KB , 900x600 , 0015.png )

"Trisha Jay Philange Church. And may I remind you never to call me Trish - I would sooner be called Philange than be called Trish, and I would sooner eat my shoes than go by Philange."

"Hahaha, you got it."

We eventually get down to the lake, where there's a small rowboat tied up. You eye it a little skeptically, but it looks seaworthy, as far as you can tell. Er, lakeworthy.

"So, did you want to learn to fish?"

I'm feeling kinda like "augh, this is getting boring", and feeling tempted to kinda hurry along until we get to more interesting events, but I'm not sure if that's just me, or if it's actually getting kinda slow, and whether maybe that's fine. Comments?

I just figured you were setting up the plot is all so right now I don't mind

What's there to know about fishing, grab a fishing pole, put some bait on it, and cast it into the lake and see if something starts to bit at it or not.

sure you did. want to learn to fish, that is.

Trisha 2014/03/20(Thu)03:34 No. 567065 ID: 0b54f4
File 139531169569.png - (423.29KB , 900x600 , 0016.png )

"Yeah, I guess. Might as well."

"Sounds good. Maybe first I'll show you how to use the boat, then show you how to fish, then leave you to it."

He shows me how to get in the boat without usually tipping it over, and shows me how to paddle around. Kinda what you'd expect, really. I give it a try for a minute, until Ben's satisfied I can at least make it back to shore.

>What's there to know about fishing
I know, right? ...aaaand that's basically what he says. He sticks some unidentifiable bug on the hook, tells me not to stick myself on the hook, and has me toss it in the water.

"Ok, looks good." He gets a rod, too, and sits opposite me on the pier.

And...we wait. A bit of chit chat. After maybe 20 minutes, Ben says, "Well, I should probably get back to the bar. Just put everything back when you're done with it, ok?" "Ok. See you around; thanks!"

And so I wait. I watch the clouds and imagine shapes in them.

...

After about an hour, I've started to run out of clouds. And other things to think of. I'm not very fond of fishing yet. Maybe that only happens after two hours. I did see a few dragonflies at one point; that was kinda cool.

Good thing I didn't actually want a fish; I could have gone to the market, bought, fried, and eaten three fish in the time I've been sitting here.

So, what now? I could still paddle around the lake. Or not. Maybe they have a sale at that new old bookstore. They close pretty late, though, so it's not like I'm on a timer. Heck, do they even close, period?

close your eyes and relax until something bites.

You seem a little mopey, there. Either relax further, or maybe try paddling around if fishing doesn't do it for you.

wait a few minutes if nothing bites get in the boat and see if you can't find a better spot and try again.