>>5980900
>Go to a theme park with the kids
And after that, to be nostalgic...
>Go on a date with Etsy (preferably in places we went with her when we were young and dating)

>>5980900
Archive: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=Curse+Carrier

Random info: https://rentry.org/mdo67afk

>>5980900
First thing
>Call Sawyer and ask her to join us
THEN
>Visit your old house
>Wander the town to see how much changed

>>5980909
Welcome back OP

>>5980900
>Look into Mia's dissapearence
>Go to a theme park with the kids
Glad to see you back, OP

>>5980900
>>5980907
+1
Good to see you back DM.

>>5980907
>>5980918
>>5980933
>>5980952

You've actually never been to the town's theme park. It has a lot of attractions, from rollercoasters to bumper rides. You'd think a town like this wouldn't have enough tourism to make something like this profitable, but everything here is cheap enough that people don't care about the nasty rumors surrounding this town, the housing's also relatively affordable.

You decide that now's a good time to try the theme park out. You also call Sawyer to hang out, since you know she likes kids and her power isn't an issue anymore.

Etsy checks the tags one last time on your kids before you leave the hotel. "A-Are you sure it's s-safe? W-What if a ride breaks, or-"

You tell her you'll make sure nothing happens. As far as you can tell, the rides have never once malfunctioned in all the years they've been active, which is pretty impressive considering this town has a tendency of blowing random buildings up on a whim.

"Mom, we came here in a plane," Sophia says. "There are more deaths in planes than in theme parks, stop worrying so much."

"I-I personally checked that plane, i-it's not the same!"

"I-I still think anywhere else would be better. W-Why did you pick a theme park anyway?"

You tell her you considered bringing her to the theme park instead of the anime convention at the end of your first year together, and you think it's a good opportunity to do so now.

"T-That was a long time ago. I-I remember the cosplay, actually i-isn't that what...?" Her eyes rest on Sophia for an uncomfortable amount of time.

"What?" Sophia cocks her head to the side.

"N-Nothing, just happy I picked the r-right clothes back then." She ruffles Sophia's hair.

"Grn- what does that even-"

You ruffle her hair too, if you give your daughter time to think she might realize what Etsy is implying. Once the unwarranted bullying is over, you finally leave for the theme park. Sawyer is waiting for you at the entrance of the Hotel.

"Aww! Your kids are so cute! They're a little different from what I imagined since, well, a future past is now a past future know what I mean?"

You tell her you don't.

"Haha, yeah! Anyway kids, I'm Sawyer! I knew your dad waaay back in the day. About uhm... 5 years...no, that's not right err- help me out here, Weavy!"

"T-Twenty years ago," Etsy answers.

"Oh. Uhm, sorry. Way longer than I thought, anyway, I'm kind of like your aunt!"

Mikhail raises his hand. "Hi Auntie!"

The other kids don't join in, Sawyer is a complete stranger to them, after all.

Sawyer forces a smile and turns back to you, "ah, that reminds me. You've realized by now, right? About the thing."

You tell her you don't know what she's talking about.

"It's over. Someone won, someone you know, I'm sure you already figured out who that is. A big change is going to happen, but it should be fine! So yeah, congrats. You also 'won' in a way, so have I! Happy ending for...nearly everyone."

>>5981422

Sophia asks what she's talking about, but you tell her it's nothing important. This just makes her even more curious, but Sawyer deflects by saying you two were talking about some old games you two used to play. It's not technically wrong, but Sawyer is phrasing it as if this was just some kind of inside joke.

You make it up to the theme park, it doesn't have a lot of people, but that only means you don't have to wait too long to try out most of the attractions. Aleksander's a little too young to do any of the more 'fun' rides, and Sawyer volunteers to watch him while you have fun. Arachne stays attached to him just in case, but it's not like you expect Sawyer to do anything to him -- you wouldn't have invited Sawyer otherwise.

Mikhail and Sophia have a lot of fun, but Ana, not so much. She keeps complaining that she'd rather be home right now, and that the rides are making her sick. She's a little bit of party-pooper, but Sawyer manages to calm her down by buying her ice cream. To your surprise, Ana even says that Sawyers is 'okay', which is as high a compliment as it gets with her.

Soon, the day is over, and it's time to go home.

"We don't have a theme park in Vladivostok," Sophia says. "This town isn't that bad, why did you move out?"

You tell her Etsy had a business opportunity overseas.

"Is that true?"

You nod.

"Doesn't add up. I looked up this place online, did you know that there's basically nothing on this town's history? How it was built, who the mayor is. I expected a ghost town, but it's just a regular city? Feels weird."

Etsy takes notice of the conversation and nudges you with the shoulder.

"M-Maybe we should tell her," she whispers to you. "S-She's an adult now, a-and it's better than her finding out by herself."

You're not sure it's a good idea. Telling her about it gives the risk of her 'digging too deep' and finding things she shouldn't, but keeping it a secret also means she won't be prepared if she does encounter the supernatural on accident.

Should you tell her?

>Tell her, she's already starting to figure things out anyway. You'll need to tell the other kids when they come of age too.
>Don't tell her, it's too dangerous.

>>5981424
>Tell her, she's already starting to figure things out anyway. You'll need to tell the other kids when they come of age too.
It feels right

>>5981422
>Someone won, someone you know, I'm sure you already figured out who that is
Congrats Leah. Go make anime real.
>Happy ending for...nearly everyone
We can't save them all. That's how it is

>>5981424
>>Tell her, she's already starting to figure things out anyway. You'll need to tell the other kids when they come of age too.

>>5981424
>Tell her, but not right now
I mean, the game's over right? So there's no more battle royale. But we shouldn't ruin the vacation for her with this crazy-ass revelation. Just tell her we'll explain it later.

>>5981474
I personally want Weaver to show off without any danger for once

>>5981424
>Tell her, she's already starting to figure things out anyway. You'll need to tell the other kids when they come of age too.
she's a big girl

>>5981579
for you

>>5981639
I was going to post that too but I held back. Thank you for doing this for us

>>5981424
>Tell her, she's already starting to figure things out anyway. You'll need to tell the other kids when they come of age too.

>>5981424
>Tell her, she's already starting to figure things out anyway. You'll need to tell the other kids when they come of age too.
And ask Sawyer who won! I suspect it's Leah but not 100% sure. She'd have had to steamroll the Dusk for that, eh?
Also welcome back, OP!

>>5982151
Speaking of Leah, I wonder if she and Infinite Reflection guy were still a couple by the end? He was a thrall to Mona before, but what did he do after Mona died and he was freed? Did he break up with her, or did he decide to stay?

>>5981944
>>5981579
>>5981474
>>5981433

You tell her you need to discuss something with her in private. Sophia nods with a worried look on her face. Once back at the hotel, you wait for the rest of the kids to go to sleep and tell her nearly everything. About your past, about the U.S agency, about the reason you moved out and what you've been up to. It's a lot, and it doesn't always make you look good, but if you're going to tell her the truth, you might as well go all the way.

At first she, of course, thinks you're just messing with her, but once you start showing your own magic, she realizes that this might be a little too real to be a prank. Etsy is also here to explain what her involvement was, although she lets you do most of the talking.

"Geez dad that's- I don't know. Am I in danger? Is this why mom's so scared all the time?"

"N-Not scared, just cautious. B-But you should be safe now, t-the agency hasn't b-bothered us in years, and our other enemies are g-gone. S-Sorry we didn't tell you earlier, i-it was to keep you safe."

Sophia lays down on your bed, and stares at the ceiling. "I get it. Okay, I don't really get it, but it adds up. It explains a lot, in fact. Wait, can I use magic too? Is it genetics?"

You tell her that as far as you know, it isn't genetics, but that nothing good would come out of her actively trying to awaken her magic in the first place.

"Easy for you to say! I don't- I don't have anything special like you or mom. I at least thought you were a little normal dad, but turns out you're a wizard or something!"

You tell her she's special in her own way, but she doesn't take it well.

"Don't patronize me, dad! I'm not 'special' at anything! Aleksander's good at art, Ana's a chemistry wiz, and everyone likes Mikhail. Me? I barely have any friends, my games suck, the guy I like is with someone else, and I don't know what else. Maybe I'd be a good magic user? Maybe that's my talent?"

You tell her you can't stop her from looking into these things, but a lot of the people that have ended up dead. Just because the game's over doesn't mean that it's an entirely safe thing to do.

"I just- Sorry dad. I know it's not your fault. Not your fault either mom, I know I turned out wrong but-"

"C-Can you stop with that!?" Etsy suddenly raises her voice. "D-Do you think we care how 'talented' y-you are? You turned out r-right! You care about o-others, you work hard, and you've never been a b-burden to us, so stop...stop putting yourself d-down like this...please. You're more than your grades, or what you m-make. You don't n-need magic to be special."

>>5982177

An uncomfortable silence follows. Sophia grabs a pillow and hides her face in it. She says 'sorry' over and over, the apologies muffled by the pillow. After a few minutes of this, she excuses herself and leaves for her hotel room. She needs some time alone, and forcing things won't help.

"D-Do you think we did the r-right thing? I didn't want to sh-shout, I hope she's not mad."

You tell her it's for the best, and that she handled it well. If anything, you're actually proud of her. You also ask her if she wants to spend some time alone tomorrow. You figure Sophia can look over the kids for a day, and it's not like they usually cause trouble anyway.

"A d-date? Do you have any place in m-mind?"

You're thinking of a place that reminds you of not so simpler times. A few locations come to mind...

>The park you passed by on your 'first' day together.
>Sawyer's old store, now long abandonned.
>The old house you used to live in, it hasn't been used after you left ever since it was bought by the agency.
>Write in

>>5982156
(It's mentioned that Leah's fight with Mona actually caused a bunch of her thralls to be freed from her influence, which did include the Infinite Reflection, and is how Leah's relationship started with him. You're not wrong to say Mona still had some influence on him, but she died before she could use it.)

By old house do you mean the apartment we met her in?

>>5982196
specifically your old 'house' that you bought and lived in. Your appartment kind of got nuked by the sword of Dusk a long time ago, and it got replaced by something else. You could always visit what they built over it though.

>>5982182
>The park you passed by on your 'first' day together.
Seems nice, right? We went a long way since then.

>>5982182
>The park you passed by on your 'first' day together.
Ah, nostalgia...

>>5982184
Cool, I wonder how he's dealing with the fact his gf succeeded in becoming god

>>5982182
>The park you passed by on your 'first' day together.

>>5982182
>The park you passed by on your 'first' day together.
Really glad Etsy told Sophia all of this. I think it hurt her in its own way, but at least she has no intention of becoming like our parents were.

>>5982182
>>The old house you used to live in, it hasn't been used after you left ever since it was bought by the agency.
Trips down memory lane are always fun.

>>5982182
>The park you passed by on your 'first' day together.

File: memories.png (340 KB, 731x638)

340 KB PNG

>>5982522
>>5982377
>>5982300
>>5982246
>>5982204
>>5982203

The next day, you bring Etsy to the park. It's one you only passed by as you were talking with her. It was so long ago, yet you still remember the conversation you had. Talking about the apartment's weird history, how she tried to show you something on her phone, how you were awkwardly trying to find a conversation topic she'd like.

"T-That brings back memories. I-I remember when you knocked at m-my door, my first thought was, uhm- 'why is he here?' And when you said you just wanted to get to know me, I-I just wanted to close the door and leave you t-there but..." She locks eyes with you, and kisses you out of nowhere, her arms wrapping around you as if she were afraid you'd fall if she ever let go. "...s-sorry, sometimes I r-remember the life I used t-to live. I-I knew that talking with you b-back then was dangerous. C-Could be an agent, could be d-dangerous, but I wanted to at least try to k-know someone for once. I r-remember when you helped me clean my room. I-I hated you for it, felt p-patronizing, but I liked that y-you cared, I liked that y-you were willing to fight me a little. I-I don't know, that doesn't make sense, sorry for rambling-"

You tell her she's cute when she rambles.

"Y-Yeah, well you're cuter when you, uhm..." She kisses you again, light and sweet. "I don't know! S-Shut up! We're getting to our f-forties, and you're s-still saying that stuff. Y-You haven't changed at all."

You tell you've changed a lot, but your love for her hasn't budged.

"Y-You're just trying to get a r-reaction out of me now."

You are, and you keep trying to for the rest of the date. It doesn't quite hit you yet, that it's all over. The game, the hardship, the danger. Sure, you were 'safe' all the way back here, but now that there's an actual winner, you feel like you can finally breath a sigh of relief. In a way, you did manage to shape the future, if you didn't come to stop the agency from abducting Leah, who knows what would've happened?

Back in that fateful day, you also wondered about a lot of what ifs, what if you stayed in school, or what if you talked to more people, but this time, you can’t say you really regret any of it. Even if you managed to save more people, there’s no telling if it could’ve made things worse in other ways.

You lament the fact that the walls of your room aren’t soundproof when you come back to the hotel, and you may have to hold back until you’re home. You do still have some unfinished business, or at least Arachne does.

>>5983068


You decide to focus on Mona’s memories first, which proves to be a little bit harder than you thought. Mona has been around the world, and seemingly only settled down in the nameless town recently. Well, 40 years ago recently, but she’s been alive for centuries. Most of the place she stayed in have been ransacked and destroyed, probably in an attempt by the agency to make absolutely sure her influence was gone for good. The hotel you’re in is one of the few places that was left alone for some reason.

This only leaves the cemetery as a place of importance. You remember going to it once as a kid for some distant relative’s death, and you always found the place weird. A lot of the graves are nameless, and the place doesn’t have any staff you know of, with the burials often being done by third parties that don’t actually work here.

Even so, the place doesn’t look cursed as far as you can tell from MPR, and you find the one grave that matters the most here, that of an old acquaintance of Mona. The grave’s name is grayed out, but Arachne recognizes it. You let her take control for a short moment, and she puts her hand on the top of the grave.


“I wonder what kind of person he truly was. I hold nothing but spite towards him, but I don’t know if he really deserved it. He said things that Mona took personally, and she held unto these feelings and left them to fester because that was all she had. She only kept the grave so she could revive him when she reached godhood, not because she wanted to see him live, but because she wanted to go ‘I told you so’. What a stupid reason, and yet...”

The robotic arm starts to glow, heats dissipate from its mechanical pores. A flash of light, a burst of heat, and a crater where the dead used to be.

“...and yet I can sympathize with it, but I’m not Mona. Her story is over, and so is his, agonizing over the past is pointless, and that’s not the type of person I want to be. Only two more to go.”

You leave the cemetery without more interference, you almost expected some kind of security to show up, but this place really was empty and unguarded.

You feel like there’s more to Mona, but it’s not like it’d be a good idea to bug Arachne about it, pun intended. This leaves the queen and Oliver. You’re not sure you have enough time to find out everything about the two of them, but you can speed up the process if you only focus on a specific part of their history.

>Focus on their relationship (Location: The old hive)
>Focus on their childhood (Location: your old school)
>Focus on the aftermath (Location: Old Arthis Village & parents)

>>5983069
>Focus on their childhood (Location: your old school)
"Your"? It clearly means OUR, because it is where so many important people began

>>5983069
>>Focus on their childhood (Location: your old school)

>>5983069
>Focus on their childhood (Location: your old school)

>>5983069
>Focus on their childhood (Location: your old school)
Smells like a hornet's nest. OK, I'm in! Let's get ambushed.

>>5983114
imagine if it was somebody else who also went to the same school, haha

>>5983069
>Focus on their relationship (Location: The old hive)

>>5983072
>>5983075
>>5983079
>>5983114
>>5983497

There is a high-school that the two of them shared. You unfortunately dropped out pretty fast, and you never interacted with your classmates much, so it didn't register you actually shared a school with them. You remember they used electronic tags to enter it, it's been a long time since you were here, but you're sure they still use it. Etsy hacks into the system easily enough, and at that point it's just a matter of breaking in. You don't even need to wait for the night to come as no one works here during the holidays apart from a few janitors and technicians, which hopefully won't realize you don't belong here.

You're searching for two things, the paper documents of Oliver and the queen (since all digital school records of them have seemingly been wiped out by the agency) and maybe taking a trip down memory lane with Etsy. She's not physically there with you, but she is on the radio. You did go to the same high school after all, even if she dropped out of it even faster than you did.

You highly doubt they kept file from kids that were there more than twenty years ago, but you know the basement has a lot of file cabinets, so you start searching there. Of course, you could've just looked up the queen and Oliver's dossier, but that's not as fun as digging through old dusty papers, is it?

The basement is actually locked with a regular, rusty lock, one you disrupt and open easily enough. You wonder how often they even go there if they can't even be bothered to replace some old lock.

Whatever the case, you find yourself into a corridor filled with metal cabinet ranged in alphabetical order, which makes searching for Oliver more convenient. As for the queen, her name is actually Isla. You actually remember her, she was this tall, creepy girl that everyone found weird. It didn't really hit you it was the same person as back then, Etsy says she remembers her too. Eventually you find their school dossier, this includes their grades, teacher comments, and even some medical records.

>>5984169

[Oliver:

- Nice kid, his grades could be better, but I believe that is something he can get over with hard work. (History teacher)

- Terrible grades, even though he does his best to pay attention. Talks a lot in class, honestly kind of a troublemaker. (Math teacher)

- Even though he reads the books he is asked to, his media literacy is lacking. Grammar is good, but his essays are terribly constructed. (Literary teacher)

- I believe Oliver may suffer from some undiagnosed form of autism. He is incapable of understanding social cues or when he steps out of line, and this causes him to accidentally anger his classmates and teachers. He is well-meaning, please be patient with him. (School counselor)

- Negligible risk, naive and gullible. Would make a great asset if awakened. Keep an eye on this one.]

[Isla:

- I'm not sure what to do with this one. She is interested in history for sure, but she is incapable of remembering dates or anything not related to war. it does not look like she cares about her grades at all, often throwing away the exam result the moment I give it to her. (History teacher)

- Good grades, although her methods strange. She never writes down the formula she uses to come up with her answers. I thought she was cheating at first, but it looks like she is simply unnaturally gifted when it comes to mental calculus. (Math teacher)

- Obsesses over random details in the books she reads. I appreciate the passion that comes into her writing, but she is very bad at expressing her thoughts on paper. Grammar is awful too.(Literary teacher)

- Isla has been bullied for a while, and it honestly baffles me this issue has not been addressed. Her dad, the only legal guardian she has, does not take care of her in the slightest, and her lack of friends means she has no one to confide in. We need to figure out something soon, or I fear she may do something she will regret in the near future. (School counselor)

- Highly dangerous. Terminate her without attracting attention if possible. Could even result in a class A scenario if left unchecked. (Unknown)]

Huh, what's up with those last comments? Doesn't look like teacher's comment at all. Is the agency involved somehow? That's...not your problem, not anymore. But this does confirm that raising your kids in this town would've been a terrible idea. You try to find your document, but turns out that's kind of hard when you don't have a name. You do find Etsy's though, there isn't much since she quit so soon. But the comment of unknown origin just says 'keep her isolated, then assimilate'.

You hear Etsy sigh from the radio. Her paranoia really only gets more justified the further into the rabbit hole you go. You ask Arachne what she thinks, since she is the reason you're even here.

"I don't know. I don't feel that much closure. I almost want to say I feel worse. I...maybe it's better if we leave, sorry, it's not your fault, but this place makes me feel sick."

>>5984171

You nod to her, and leave the school before attracting more attention. You doubt the agency will start targeting you for your little incursion, but it's better to not take any risks, and once back at the hotel, you tell the kids you're coming back home early. No one complains, since they were getting tired of the hotel room anyway.

You don't think Arachne's fully satisfied with the way things went, but she says that she just needs some time to process it all. Sophia has also been pretty quiet, and she makes more online research on magic in her free time, but she quickly gives up when she sees most of the info she finds is bogus.

She's also 18 now, making her a proper adult, but she says she'd rather live here until she can make her own money. She's unsure what college she'd like to go to, but she says it's a choice she wants to make for herself, so you trust her to make the right choice.

---
14.39M
+
2M (Investments)
-
360K (Yearly costs)
-
500K (Holidays costs)
=
15.503M
---
Sophia: 18 years old.
Mikhail: 12 years old.
Anastasia: 9 years old.
Aleksander: 7 years old.
Etsy & Weaver: 38 years old
---

You've got more money than you need at this point, so you'd rather not spend more time looking at graphs than needed. This gives you more time to take care of your kids, among other things.
>Focus on one of your kids.
>Try to get into contact with the new god. Might be good to have a literal deity as a contact.
>Keep tabs on the U.S agency, they might have noticed you during your school trip.

>>5984172
>I don't feel that much closure. I almost want to say I feel worse. I...maybe it's better if we leave, sorry, it's not your fault, but this place makes me feel sick.
>You don't think Arachne's fully satisfied with the way things went
Look, I know the "correct" choice might have been parents and the village for the real closure, but you can't blame me for the school thing! That curiosity got the better of me! Can't we go solo back there again?
>Try to get into contact with the new god. Might be good to have a literal deity as a contact.
How do we contact reflection man?

>>5984172
>Try to get into contact with the new god. Might be good to have a literal deity as a contact.
Kinda wanna mock Leah, if that's indeed her. I don't think anyone confirmed it.
>>5984187
>How do we contact reflection man?
Look into a mirror and insult his sunglasses

>>5984172
>>Keep tabs on the U.S agency, they might have noticed you during your school trip.

>>5984172
>Focus on one of your kids (Mikhail)
Hmm, guess we didn't show some love to Etsy after getting back after all. We haven't done anything with Mikhail in a long time, so we really should.

>>5984220
>+1

File: oliver.png (569 KB, 923x866)

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sorry, not feeling like an update today, have this though. I couldn't ever nail the dynamic pose, but I remember wanting to draw Oliver's stance and weapon during the fight. He should actually be in a chitinous armor but couldn't be bothered so it just looks like a green shirt, it's kind of a useless fact, but the spear (although it's actually more of naginata) was basically made using Arthis uniquely grown to produce claws capable of withstanding his pushing speed, the weapon itself isn't even that sharp, but it is incredibly sturdy, which is why he can parry bullets with it.

>>5984998
That's ok this is still cool. Take care OP

>>5984998
Nice. Thank your QM.

>>5984998
handsome chap, a shame we had to off him

>>5984998
Hang in there lad

File: himb.png (65 KB, 816x686)

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>>5984187
>>5984194
>>5984212
>>5984220
>>5984294

You decide to focus on Mikhail, since he's reaching puberty, which can be a troublesome time in a boy's life. You don't quite remember what you did at his age, but you know it wasn't a great time. You wonder what young you would think of what you've become? You're sure he'd think you're pretty cool, that thought makes you pretty happy.

You knock on Mikhail's bedroom door, and after he tells you to come in, you enter to find him finishing the last of his homework. His secondary school is actually easier than his primary school, so he's actually at the top of his class. While you wouldn't consider him a natural genius, he's a hard worker and that's probably more than enough to succeed in life. He asks you a few questions about schoolwork, but you feel like he's doing it more to make you feel useful than because he actually needs the help.

Once he's done, he pulls up the collar of his sweater, slightly hiding the bottom of his face, he only does that when he's about to ask something he's ashamed about, which means...

"Uh, dad. How did you meet mom, anyway?"

You tell him you technically first met her when you were kids, but you only really got to know each other as neighbors. You tell him that one thing led to another, and you ended up falling in love. You're letting out a few key details, but he doesn't need to know them right now.

"How did you know she liked you?" He pulls the collar further up, half his face is under his sweater now.

That's a loaded question. Looking back on it, your relationship went fast with all the danger you faced. It was a mix of adrenaline and being dependent on each other that forged a bond that you doubt a casual friendship could've replicated. You didn't even know for sure if what you felt for her was real for the first few weeks, even today you'd struggle to say when exactly you fell for her. Maybe it was more gradual? Maybe-

"Dad?"

Right, the question. You tell him you ended up kissing after an argument, you wonder how many details you can leave out before he starts noticing inconsistencies.

"So if you argue with a girl a lot, that means she likes you?"

You tell him that not every girl acts the same, but that some show affection in very peculiar ways.

"...sis said my friend liked me, but I'm not sure if it's true. I asked her about it, but she starts talking about something else whenever I do."

Okay, so he asked her about it, and she didn't say no, she just evaded the question. You haven't talked to his friend that much, but she doesn't look like the type to string a guy along with her charms, which means the only reason she'd have to not answer is because she's afraid of what would happen if she said the truth. Sophia's probably right about this, and you'd say she's be pretty good at recognizing girls with unrequited feelings.

>>5986735

You ask him how he feels about her.

"I don't know, I just haven't thought about it much. She just feels like a friend to me? Dad, what's the difference between a friend and a girlfriend? I know there's kissing and stuff, but that can't be just that, right?"

You don't bring lust into it considering he's 12 and that it would be a very awkward conversation, instead you tell him that it's a complicated feeling and that if he feels the need to be very close to her -- physically and emotionally -- then it might be love.

"Okay. uh, thanks dad, I guess."

You leave his room, and let out a breath you didn't know you were holding. You hope he'll figure it out, but for now, there's something else you have to take care of.

You want to get into contact with the new god, which after a little bit of research, is basically confirmed to be Leah. Now the question becomes as to how you'll even talk to her. Actually, assuming you even manage to contact her, should you even ask her for anything? She owes you that much after you saved her life.

Contact her:
>Call her phone, maybe someone she knows will pick up.
>A prayer should work, she's a god after all.
>Maybe you should look for her sister, she did dissapear after all.

Ask for anything?:
>You'd rather not have a monkey's paw situation, ask for nothing.
>The safety of your kids.
>Immortality for you and Etsy.
>Give Arachne a body of her own.
>Write in.

>>5986737
Hmm, well, let's see. Immortality is right out of the way, that shit gets bad soon. I don't want to have to outlive our children. Giving arachne a body of her own seems nice enough, but it's nothing 'cool'

Any ideas?

>>5986746
"Make anime real"

>>5986746
"De-age us by like 10 years so we can have a threesome with Sawyer"

>>5986791
But we'd need Etsy and Sawyer de-aged too

>>5986794
That's what I mean by us

>>5986795
I like the sound of that then. Let's do it.

>>5986796
I mean as much as i want to it's not very in-character, sad as that may be.

>>5986737
>A prayer should work, she's a god after all.
>Give Arachne a body of her own.

>>5986737
>Maybe you should look for her sister, she did disappear after all.
I want to see the old edgy chuuni teacher again.
>Write in.
"Make anime real."

>>5986737
>Call her phone, maybe someone she knows will pick up.

>Give Arachne a body of her own.
>>5986791
glad to see you back, anon

>>5986859
That's not the guy who wanted the threesome. Because that's ME.

>>5986737
>Call her phone, maybe someone she knows will pick up.
>You'd rather not have a monkey's paw situation, ask for nothing.

>>5986737
>Call her phone, maybe someone she knows will pick up.
Best shot here
Ask for anything?
>Keep an eye on my ankle-biters for me when I'm gone. No need to cover them in blessings, but just a little favoritism to ensure they don't have a shitty life

File: WelcomeBack.png (527 KB, 666x672)

527 KB PNG

>>5986999
>>5987485
>>5986859
>>5986823

You decide to call her, it's unlikely she'll pick up, but maybe someone she knows will. No one answers the phone at first, but since it doesn't say the number doesn't exist, you keep calling every day until you get some sort of answer. You know you're being annoying, but it gets result, as someone eventually answers, not her though, but her boyfriend, the Infinite Reflection.

"Mochi Mochi~ Sorry for not answering earlier, had to look up who you are. Unfortunately, Leah is a little bit occupied at the moment, so you have to go by me first."

Isn't mochi food? Anyway, you tell her you're someone that helped her a long time ago, and that you were wondering if you could talk to her directly.

"I'll ask her, should get an answer in a few business days. Ah, almost forgot! I know you're not too buddy buddy with the agency, but they won't be much of a problem anymore. They're still here, but let's just say that they'll be kept in check from now on."

It's nice to know that Mona hasn't messed him up too much, you ask him what Leah's like now.

"Hard question. She's different now, for sure, but I still love her, it's just a little harder now! If you do get to talk to her, you'll see what I mean. Oops~ I overcooked my lasagna, see you later friendo!"

And just like that, he hangs up. It takes a few days to get your answer, but instead of getting it from the phone, you instead get it from a more private place: your dreams.

There is no room, or space, only you and her. Leah looks different from how you remembered her, she's a little slimmer, although you wouldn't call her skinny. She looks pretty normal for a god, but a part of you can't help but feel like this isn't what she actually looks like, there's just something that doesn't feel real about her.

"Been a while, hasn't it? I didn't know you were trying to contact me, since I get like ten thousand prayers a second. Let's cut to the chase, you're here for a favour, and I do owe you that much. I won't grant anything, consequences are a bitch and a half, but I'll try my best to make things happen within reasons."

She speaks more casually than you expected. It's only hitting you now that you're talking to a god right now, you wonder how your parents would react if they knew that.

You ask her if she can give Arachne a body.

"You're wishing for someone else's desire, fuck man, you haven't changed at all, have you? I'm glad I didn't give myself omniscience, being surprised is one of the few pleasures I have left. Alright, done. Your tulpa will find a body in about a year. I'm a god, but doing things too fast fucks things up. Think about it like coding a game, you can change the code at any point, but doing that can create bugs, and then you have to clean up your mess or people start getting mad."

>>5988026


You tell her you thought gods lost their sense of self when they ascended.

"They'd be right. I've only ascended very recently, but it's just- fuck, you're only seeing a part of me right now, you know? My real self, it's different. Your intrusive thoughts happen, always. 'hey, wouldn't it be fucked up if I turned this guy's life into a god damn nightmare', and then it happens, and you can't set it right because that intrusive thought gained a mind of its own actively fighting against your own power. I can't listen to everyone and help everyone, because the more stuff I do, the stronger my presence will be, and the stronger my presence, the harder it is to control those intrusive thoughts. Am I making sense? I don't know, I don't know what I'll be like in 50 years, I could know if I tried, but as I said, being surprised is one of the few pleasures I have left. At least I'll never lose my empathy, as it's the very thing keeping my power going."

You ask her if she's planning to do anything else with the world.

"I'll do a big god decree, I need to for reasons that would take too long to explain. It'll be a mess at first, but people will adapt fast enough, and it should be a net good in the long term. I know you've got more dumb questions, and even though I already know what they are, some of them are embarrassing enough that I'll give you the opportunity of picking the best ones. Actually, screw that, there are too many questions, I'll let you pick three, otherwise I'll never hear the end of it."

You do have questions, and unlike Sawyer, there shouldn't be any limitations in what she can answer.

(The three most popular questions will be picked, in the case of a perfect tie, the first votes will take priority.)

>Ask 3 questions (Write in)

>>5988028
Hmm...this is pretty hard....i can't think of a lot. Let's see. For something simple to start with,
>Any advice for the kids?
I mean we got a pretty good life, right? We're happy with Etsy and that's enough. But some of our kids like Sophia and Anastasia seem like they need some help.

>>5988028
>some of them are embarrassing enough
HEY, WANTING TO KNOCK UP OUR CHILDHOOD ACQUAINTANCE AS "PUNISHMENT" FOR TAKING THE FIRST KID AWAY (even though he'd be a problem as Sawyer said) IS PERFECTLY FINE. It's also a bonus that she wanted kids all along because her power cucked her out of it for so long.

>>5988028
>"Have you considered creating a whole immortal copy of yourself but with no magic power possible? This way even if you end up losing your sense of self, you'll have a reminder of who you were and where you came from."
She probably already thought of ways to account for her future, while she's still the Leah we know.

In fact, FUCK THIS QUESTION I WROTE UP THERE. I'M GOING FOR IT
>"Is there a timeline where me and Etsy... do that one thing with Sawyer after I change her powers and cure her addiction? You know... THAT? It just puts itself into my head a couple times every year, out of nowhere. Anyway, how does that end up?"
NOW OR NEVER, FAGGOTS. THIS IS MY VOTE

>>5988063
It wouldn't really be a copy of herself if she was immortal though would it?

>NOW OR NEVER, FAGGOTS. THIS IS MY VOTE
If you're gonna ask that, then you should just ask about a timeline where *that* happened in general, not specifically when we cured her. We were already like nearly 40.

>>5988028
>Any advice for the kids?
>How did the game to become god start?
>Is there anything that happens in the future that I should be worried about?
Sounds reasonable enough to ask.

>>5988063
It's over anon.

>>5988066
You're right, but I meant more a copy of how she was before she became god but without any magic at all. This way she has a reminder for herself. This does make things weird with infinite reflection bro now having two of his gf, but I don't know.
>ask about a timeline where *that* happened in general
GOOD IDEA, THOUGH I MEANT "WHAT IF WE CURED HER SOME TIME BEFORE DITCHING TO RUSSIA BUT AFTER WE GOT UNRELIABLE EXISTENCE, SO STILL EARLY 20S

>>5988028
WHAT >>5988066 SAID

>>5988069
YES I KNOW BUT LET ME HAVE SOME FUN AND CLOSURE AT THE SAME TIME
I'm still happy with how things went this quest so far. Quite a good run we had.

>>5988028
>some of them are embarrassing enough that I'll give you the opportunity of picking the best ones.
3some anon won, congrats

>How did the game to become god start?
seems like a good one, coupling with advice for the kids and >>5988063

>>5988028
>"They'd be right. I've only ascended very recently, but it's just- fuck, you're only seeing a part of me right now, you know? My real self, it's different. Your intrusive thoughts happen, always. 'hey, wouldn't it be fucked up if I turned this guy's life into a god damn nightmare', and then it happens, and you can't set it right because that intrusiv
How did Sawyer nuke the Deep Arbiter?
What happened to the Sword of Dusk?
That one question to make coomer threesome anon happy

>>5988028
>>5988069
+1

>>5988425
>3some anon won
Did I now?
>How did the game to become god start?
This is a good question too, especially since there's parts of the fucking skeleton in the ocean right outside Weaver's house in Russia

>>5988461
>How did Sawyer nuke the Deep Arbiter?
We can ask Sawyer this directly, can't we?
>What happened to the Sword of Dusk?
He got rekt offscreen by somebody, clearly, but we don't know who
>That one question to make coomer threesome anon happy
Awww

>>5988028
>The three most popular questions
Curse you QM for limiting our autism so! We have good questions on top of us limiting ourselves already

>>5988522
Hm yeah, we could. I was curious about the first two, so I wanted to ask them, mostly. I feel this is the point of this interaction, "hey, if there are unclear points, I'll clear them up", you know?
As for the last one, I was dreadfully uninspired, and even if I found that anon to be a bit of a pain at some point, I don't mind getting on board with it a little.
If my questions aren't the best, then it's OK to use other ones I suppose. I'm not a very imaginative person

>>5988547
>I found that anon to be a bit of a pain
Thanks for being honest with me, you faggot. And yeah this is still interesting stuff. Whatever we ask, I get the feeling the answers we'll be given are good no matter what

>>5988549
My pleasure, you coomer.
Oh shit, you actually made me think of a good one I wanna know, but Weaver doesn't.
What the FUCK is the deal with the other girl (Mary if memory serves?). SHE's the one I'd have wanted the fuck scenes with (Etsy as a bonus).
But that one's a definite no-go. We're a good husband and father.

>>5988573
No way man. I read all those hints the QM put in the narration. The more Weaver knows about Mary and that timeline, the more that version corrupts him here in this one somehow. Death of personality is some real existential horror I do NOT want our protagonist to go through, especially knowing how it'll fuck with Etsy and his kids and this life he's made for himself.

>>5988028
>Any advice for the kids?
>How did the game to become god start?
>"Is there a timeline where me and Etsy... do that one thing with Sawyer after I change her powers and cure her addiction? You know... THAT? It just puts itself into my head a couple times every year, out of nowhere. Anyway, how does that end up?"
(I gotta try lol)

And, if I'm reading right, she should already know all the questions we were going to ask, so wouldn't giving her advice in a question would be pointless?

>>5988868
Good point. All of these questions are good

OP ?

File: attempt.png (1.02 MB, 896x739)

1.02 MB PNG

Sorry, been a little down lately for a variety of reasons. Will make the update in a couple of hours, thank you for your patience.

>>5990887
Take care!

>>5990887
rest well, OP. also nice punished etsy

>>5988868
>>5988549
>>5988523
>>5988522
>>5988462
>>5988425
>>5988075
>>5988066
>>5988063
>>5988056
>>5988041

advice for the kid 3
'that' thing 3
god game start 3

You think. Then you think harder. Is that really the question you want to ask? You've always been a little curious, and you don't think someone like Leah gets to judge you, you've seen her search history.

You ask her if there's a future where you do that thing with Sawyer. You don't elaborate, but turns out you don't need to as Leah knows exactly what you mean.

"I'll be honest, I didn't think you were actually going to ask. I mean, I get it, it's kinda hot, but not sure your wife would like knowing about it, so keep it under wrap, will ya? Anyway, in THIS future? not happening, you went 'I can fix her', and you did. In another timeline? It...sorta happens, maybe not in a way you'd like. You caught Etsy at a pivotal moment in her life, she would've taken a very wrong turn if you weren't here. In one of those very wrong turn, she would've abused her power to do whatever she wanted to people, which did include your weird fantasy. I'm not saying your wife has some repressed desires like this now, by the way, so I wouldn't try suggesting the idea to her."

Damn, I mean, it's good that there's a future where it does happen but... well, it's a bad future, so you shouldn't wish for it, but some primal instinct tells you it would still be kind of hot even in those circumstances. Maybe it's good to keep it as a fantasy for now.

Next, you ask her how the god game started.

>>5990983

"Well, that one's sorta obvious. God 'died', there was a power vacuum, and everyone wanted to fill it. The truth is you could always absorb other people's magic, this isn't a byproduct of the game, killing was always part of the equation, but the old god was obsessed with 'karma', so if you killed solely for power's sake, you'd get smited. This made most magic users very hesitant on trying to gain power that way, as no one quite knew what kill would be 'bad karma'. As for how gods even started, I dunno, however gods do serve a pretty important purpose, and if this world went without one for a few more centuries, this timeline would just snap. I think Sawyer described time like soup, it's a retarded sounding analogy, but it's not wrong, personally, I see it more like a big pond full of fish. Each timeline is a fish in that pond, and every slightly different action someone can take creates a timeline, but here's the thing, the pond isn't infinite in size, so what happens when the pond can't hold more fish? As far as I know, four things can happen,

the first is that it gets kicked out of the pond, no one knows what happens here, maybe the fish dies, maybe it floats into the void, but no one can get into contact with it once that happens.

Second, is that two fish start merging into one by being smushed up together, the result depends, sometimes it goes well, sometimes it's hell. Did you know Isekai actually happens? Sometimes timelines brush up against each other for a split second and snag a few people from other timelines, except instead of being sent to a fantasy world it's a world where 9/11 never happened or something.

Anyway, third possibility is that a fish willingly kills another in an attempt to survive, this is where gods come into play, and if you see that you're about to get kicked out of the pond, you can start killing a godless timeline to free up space. It happens all the time, and by 'all the time', I mean once very few millennia, I haven't gotten my hands dirty yet, I'm not looking forward to it.

The fourth one is just the timeline dying by itself, maybe the god has had enough and nuked their own timeline, maybe some wizard used a forbidden spell that deleted everything, this is actually the main way the pond frees up spaces, with a near infinite amount of fish, there's bound to be a lot of fish not quite fit for survival.

Anyway, that's a long winded explanation of something you never asked. God game's here because we need gods, even shitty ones like myself. It's that or being kicked out of the pond."

>>5990985

You still don't get how time work, you're tempted to ask her for a more in depth explanation, but she gives you a look that says 'no, I don't know how time travel actually works fuck off', so you decide to instead ask her for advice about your kids.

"Easy one, tell Sophia to work on getting information to the players. Her tutorials fucking suck and her mechanics are unintuitive, but it's unique and interesting, and the moment she can refine her formula, she'll truly make something special. Mikhail is going to do just fine, I can't think of a lot of things that would bring him down emotionally, it's like he has the opposite of depression. Anastasia is... urgh, where do I begin. She's obsessed with her brother, but it isn't incestuous or anything, it's more that she has no real friend, and he's the only person that accept her for who she is. Even though she isn't interested in him in that way, I can't say with utter confidence she won't get a little fucked in the head if things keep going that way. My advice? Use her superiority complex against her, dare her to bring a friend home or something, she's thankfully not smart enough just yet to make mind control juice, so she'll be forced to actually be nice to someone else for once. As for Aleksander, he's a little weird, but don't assume that because he thinks a little differently that he's unhappy. Probably won't have any friends or talk much, but if something bothers him, he'll tell you."

You want to ask her something else, but she shakes her head.

"Nuh-uh, blame yourself for asking about your fetish question first. Let's end that session, we might talk again when you're dead, I just made an exception now because I owed you."

You wake up in a cold sweat, and Etsy flinches and almost drops the laptop she was using on the bed. Looks like she was working late at night.

"D-Did you have a bad dream? You muttered s-something about fish..."

Thank Leah you didn't mutter something else in your sleep. You tell Etsy you just met God in your sleep, since you don't feel like keeping things secrets from her, you just don't omit the first question, both out of shame and because you don't think Etsy's confidence would increase from knowing she would become a terrible person in another timeline.

"D-Damnit, if I knew you g-got questions out of it, I would've p-put suggestions." She closes down the laptop and puts it away. "A-Anyway, you're up, and the kids are asleep, sooo..."

She reaches down under the blanket, and the night becomes longer still.

>>5990986

The rest of the year has nothing noteworthy, You do tell Sophia the advice Leah gave you, but she takes it weirdly personally and thinks you're just telling her to dumb the game down so it has wider appeal. You might need to spend more time with her to get through to her. You can't seem to get through Anastasia either, you'll have to think of a way to bait her into making friends later. Etsy also more or less retired from her job, she says she'll make more designs if you need the money again, but with your investments you've got a pretty steady source of income, so it shouldn't be an issue.

---
15.503M
+
3M (Investments)
-
360K (Yearly costs)
=
18.137M
---
Sophia: 19 years old.
Mikhail: 13 years old.
Anastasia: 10 years old.
Aleksander: 8 years old.
Etsy & Weaver: 38 years old
---

>Focus on one of your kids (Write in which one. Can pick two if going FT)
>Keep tabs on the U.S agency, they might have noticed you during your school trip.
>Write in.

>>5990988
>Focus on one of your kids (Write in which one. Can pick two if going FT)
>Anastasia
>Aleksander
Yeah that fetish question was as useful as I felt it would be. I hope that doesn't become a thing for the rest of the quest.

>>5990990
+1
>I hope that doesn't become a thing for the rest of the quest.
I'm content. I will now move on from this

>>5990988
I'm certain that if we tried hard enough we could have found a way to do that in a non-shit timeline, but what a shame.
>Focus on one of your kids (Sophia, Anastasia)

>>5990983
And again OP thanks for finally humoring me. You are a good QM.
>you don't think someone like Leah gets to judge you, you've seen her search history.
You should take a look at your own, by the way

(also I just realized I kept the vote counts in the first post when I usually delete those, I did count all the votes, just deleted those that lost in the tally.)

>>5990990
There was enough support for it that I felt I might as well include it, and it's not *too* far fetched to have it as some kind of repressed fantasy Weaver may have had. It's still a little out of character in that Weaver probably would've asked a more useful question, and I do try to avoid doing actions that are a little too far fetched for him to take, but since it's just a relatively harmless question, I thought I'd allow it this time.

I'm still not even sure if I'd consider it a 'canon' fetish Weaver has, it's more like an intrusive thought at best, I wouldn't see him actually go through with something like this if the opportunity presented itself

>>5991004
Thank you for explaining it OP. I hope I wasn't too much of a pest through the quest with it. Now you can be sure I won't be any further.

>>5991006
Well it's not like there was really any real attempt at doing it.

Personally, I just liked the idea of saving both Sawyer and Etsy.

>>5991009
There was no real attempt at it because we constantly had to deal with something or other, just surviving month to month at that point. I'm glad we saved both in this timeline, with the downside it took us 10 years to do it for Sawyer. Could have have done it before we left to Russia? Most likely yes. Did we have so much shit to deal with and things were escalating so much with Mona and other factions that we willingly decided to hunker down and wait the contract out? Yeah. I think we did well overall in this quest.

>>5991015
Well by save I meant more that she never got to achieve that Dream of having a Kid. We were already like 40 when we met her again.

>>5991022
Ah. Yeah that sucks, but there's nothing to be done now. She'll have to be content with being the aunt to Weaver's kids this timeline

>>5990986
>You want to ask her something else, but she shakes her head.
>"Nuh-uh, blame yourself for asking about your fetish question first.
Kinda glad Leah called us out on that, but shit, lady, have you seen your search history? Guess becoming a god makes you forgetful, eh?
>>5990988
Spend time with Anastasia and Sophia. The other ones are apparently fine, even if lil' Sasha could use seeing his father sometimes too

>>5990988
Changing vote from >>5990991 to
>Sophia
>Anastasia

>>5990990
>+1
OP was a real one for it

>>5991066
>>5991062
>>5990990
>>5990991
>>5990992
>>5991062

In order to convince Sophia to make her games a little more accessible, you'll have to do something you haven't done in a while, play video games. Well, It's not like you never did before, but you'd usually stick to the same games you'd play with Etsy, and you can't remember the last time you've played a single player game, it just wasn't your thing.

You have to do a little bit of research on how the gaming market changed over the years, and... not much has changed, honestly. Triple A games still hyper focus on graphics with very little innovation, while indie games are thriving in their respective niche. This means Sophia has a lot of competition, and she refuses to pay for advertisement, since she feels like it'd be cheating, maybe she doesn't want to be the kind of person that people think only succeeds because their parents are rich.

You do try a few titles that Sophia recommends to catch up on your gaming knowledge, she didn't think you were actually going to play them, as the games she tells you to play are rather obscure and a little much for someone that doesn't play a lot.

And she'd be right, the games are really unintuitive, but your magic makes it much easier to get the hang of them, she even gets a little mad that you figured out those games so much faster than she did. You tell her your magic does most of the work, but she thinks you're just saying that to make her feel better.

Even so, it helps you understand the type of game she likes and what makes them appealing. It's what some call 'immersive sims', the type of game where a lot of underlying mechanics in the game can be used to find a solution to a problem, and it encourages player freedom and experimentation. The particular brand of immersive sim she told you to play have very little player feedback and expect you to slam your head against the wall until you figure out how the game actually work. Still, the games feel more intuitive in how they teach their mechanics than Sophia's, even though they share a lot in common at a glance. If you had to describe it, the issue is that her game isn't consistent with itself, the rules shift constantly as you progress, and it makes it feel like you never gain full mastery over anything.

You tell her how you feel about this, but you get the same old tirade.

>>5991582

"Dad, you don't get it, the inconsistency is the point. If I let the players adapt, the game will become too easy, and if they can learn everything from the first few levels, what's even the point? By changing the rules, it gives it a bigger air of mystery, like some uncontrollable force of nature you can only survive but never thrive in. It also makes every player's experience truly unique, no one can really win the same way, you know?"

Sure, it sounds nice, but in practice it's just really annoying to play. It doesn't look like she can see the game from the point of view of someone who doesn't already know all the ins and out like her.

You come to a compromise, you tell her to make the mechanics needed to win more obvious and telegraphed, but still keep the more esoteric stuff as optional content. That way, she can garner some attention from people that enjoy the base game, and she'll eventually get more people that can appreciate the weirder part of the gameplay. She's not a huge fan of the idea, but she says she'll try just to show you that it doesn't work.

She still isn't in college, so she has a lot of time to dedicate to remaking the game. It takes a while, but with some feedback, she eventually manages to make the game more accessible without sacrificing too much of her original vision. Her game eventually gains a proper following. Most people only beat the game normally, but a few were very interested in the hidden stuff, and this started theories and discussion which kept the game relevant in public discourse. Sophia even got some help from Etsy to make the game nigh impossible to datamine, which further amped up its appeal, as the only way to find the game's secret was to play it or look up what other players found out online.

Since her game is free, it had a lot of downloads, and even though it's nowhere close to mainstream, it's still pretty popular in certain circles. People asked for a sequel, but she said she disliked the idea of making 'the same thing but better', and would rather add expansions to the original when she felt like it.

She still doesn't admit you were right, and you're not so petty as to bring it up now. She asks if she can see where her game dev career leads instead of going to college, and you tell her that as long as she can make enough money from her games, you don't mind her not going to college.

You wonder if Leah plays your daughter's games, that would be a bragging right, 'this game is approved by god', would look great on the game's cover.

>>5991584

You think Sophia doesn't need your feedback anymore, so you decide to focus on Anastasia now. As usual, you knock, and she tells you to leave her room, even though you didn't even enter yet. Unfortunately, your usual rule of 'don't enter if your kids won't let you' still holds true, and Ana knows that. Still, nothing stops you from talking to her from behind the door. You tell her she should make some friends, but she gets really defensive about it.

"I don't need friends. They're all dumb. Just leave me alone. Why are you here anyway? Just go spend time with sis or something."

Yup, going as well as you expected. Leah did say to use her superiority complex against her, but you're not sure how.

>"Your sister already had friends at your age, you know?"
>"Is it that you don't need friends or that you cannot make friends?"
>"Surely it wouldn't be that hard for someone as smart as you to make friends, right?"
>"Mikhail said he wished you made some friends, you don't want to dissapoint him, do you?"
>Write in

>>5991587
Well, let's see. Using mikhail wouldn't really count as using 'her superiority complex'. Something like the second option would work, but it feels a bit too direct. How about something like...
>"If you're having a hard time making friends that's okay, Ana. I'm sure your sister would help you if you asked her."

This, in theory, would make her want to do it because *not* doing it would be proving her father right that she can't do it without help.

Also, did Arachne get her body?

>>5991592
She hasn't yet, but soon

>>5991587
>"Surely it wouldn't be that hard for someone as smart as you to make friends, right?"
Smells like the best way to "use her superiority complex", but it feels too much like an obvious "right answer"

>>5991592
+1

>>5991608
Yeah, I'd rather back a nice write-in for this

>>5991592
>+1
interesting.
>>5991595
got it

>>5991587
>"Surely it wouldn't be that hard for someone as smart as you to make friends, right?"

>>5991735
>>5991718
>>5991611
>>5991608
>>5991592

You tell her that it's okay if she has a hard time making friends, and that you're sure her sister would be happy to help her if she just asked.

You hear a loud slamming sound from behind the door, followed by high pitched, muffled screaming. "SHUT UP, SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP. I don't NEED her help, or anyone. LEAVE ME ALONE!"

You leave at her request. You wonder if you should be harsher considering how she talked back to you, but you have the feeling that would only make things worse.

---POV change---

Idiot. Who does he think he is? Why is it that everyone treats you like a kid? You've never needed friends, it's not like you can't, you're sure you could if you tried, but you don't want to.

Even though you keep telling yourself that, you can't get what dad said out of your head. If you don't make a friend it'll be proving him right, he might even come back to rub it in. What if he tells sis? No. Nononono. You know you're being manipulated, but you can't help it. One friend, that's all you need, right? Doesn't even need to be a real friend, just someone that tolerates you enough to pass as one. Maybe you could pay another kid for it? No, if they found out you did that you'd die.

This is the weekend, you know where a few kids your age hang. This is good, you can't make any friends from those that are in your school, too bad of a reputation, but someone that doesn't know you? Should be easy. You tell mom you're going outside, she's surprised since you don't do that often, but she lets you anyway. You have to wear this stupid tag, but it's fine.

By the time you reach the park, you already wish you were back home. You hate the sun, you hate the air, you hate the sounds, you just want to be done with all of this. Most of the kids here are with friends already, looks like they're having fun, you wish you could say the same. You need an easy target, someone that's alone, a little pathetic, and that doesn't know you.

You notice a girl with a messy haircut and torn clothes poke the dirt with a stick. No one is playing with her, probably poor, and she doesn't look happy.

Perfect.

You approach her, trying your best to hide the visible discomfort on your face that comes with interacting with others. You can do this, you're smart, your parents are rich, and you're confident, in cartoons girls like this are always super popular, aren't they? They're also often the villain, but you try to not think about that.

"Hey," you start with a brillant opening line, casual, open, mysterious. Yup, you got this.

"...hey?" She looks up, her eyes devoid of joy. "You don't look great."

"Kill yo-" You miraculously rearrange the next word into an acceptable sentence. "-your sadness away."

What was that. Okay, no, it's fine, you can still salvage this. "It's from a poem I read," you add.

>>5992261

"...okay?" She goes back to poking the dirt with her stick.

"Do you want to be friends?" You ask.

"I don't know," she responds with that same annoying monotone voice.

She didn't say no, which means you're doing something right. You just need to do some kind of activity with her, form a bond, you can't have her say something like 'I don't know' if your dad asks if you two are friends. You can't bring her back home just yet, but maybe...

>Hang out with her in the forest
>Hang out with her near the beach
>Ask if you can see her home
>Keep hanging out in the park, some of the kids you know might see you and ruin everything though.

>>5992262
>Keep hanging out in the park, some of the kids you know might see you and ruin everything though.
Eh...sure, who cares about them.

>>5992261
>By the time you reach the park, you already wish you were back home. You hate the sun, you hate the air, you hate the sounds, you just want to be done with all of this.
>"Kill yo-" You miraculously rearrange the next word into an acceptable sentence. "-your sadness away."
I somehow find myself relating to Ana a whole lot
>Hang out with her near the beach
Kraken. Nope.
>Hang out with her in the forest
Necrophage. Nope.
>Ask if you can see her home
Russians. Nope.
>Keep hanging out in the park, some of the kids you know might see you and ruin everything though.
Guess this is it. Worst case scenario she gets bullied and starts swinging around the 13% sentence and N-word. I love this kid.

>>5992261
>"Kill yo-" You miraculously rearrange the next word into an acceptable sentence. "-your sadness away."
damn, she's a schizo
>>5992262
>Hang out with her near the beach
let's swim a little

>>5992326
>let's swim a little
Did you forget there's a cursed kraken at the bottom of the sea?

Unless he was removed or something during that whole 'change' thing Leah was going to do...

>>5992262
>Hang out with her near the beach
Do not neglect cool childhood experiences

>>5992261
>Hang out with her near the beach
Time for the beach episode.