>>727 >>728 Thanks for the answers, i can now adjust my build accordangly. For now i will just go under the nebulous assumption that my telekinesis cap is "Good but not ridiculous"

>>732 Thank you for the questions, friend!

>>731 >Claudius answer As the anon who asked about that particular question, I still find someone willing to kill "happily" reprehensible.

>>734 A righteous man delights in the cleanliness of his home, and smiles when filth is removed from his sight

>>735 Yes, and he should have force the other to understand the problem. Murder is essentially taking the easy way out.

>>736 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. ~ Leviticus 20:13 Your problem is not with me, but with God I didn't make this thread to argue these things, you may have baited me this long but I must move on. Thank you for your questions!

>>716 I ramble too much. >New vessel Sweet, i appreciate it greatly. I might take a while in detailing some small bells and whistles here and there because if i am getting a new body i would like to be satisfied by it, an understandable concern for sure but on the wide strokes i will be A cute 13 year old trap. I wanted to be the little girl but that's outlawed, there is no point in complaining so i will just get as close as i can to what i want. >Psionic awakening Psionic powers are fun and i would like to be able to deal with the unseen properly. Telepathy/Empathy is very handy too. I am not good at speaking but if i can just broadcast what i am actually trying to convey things will go more smoothly. Telekinesis limit being tied to your own bodyweight is a bit bizarre so i will invoke sartre just a little bit so my potential isn't kneecapped because i decided to choose a "lighter" body, it will still go more or less on what it should be according to the intended design. >Life package A standard body just out of the box is kind of fragile in my opinion. This solves this quite nicely, good health is important to be happy. I am picking this mostly because i want to be sturdier against whatever the world will throw at me. >Mental package This package is a bit less "practical" than the life package but i think i will appreciate its effects nontheless. Having my very own tailored soundtrack for any situation will be very enjoyable. The real meat of the package though is superlucidity, i get to enjoy 8 hours of alone time to relax and unwind no issue, my mind is pretty much immune to getting disrupted in a dangerous or undesirable way, and finally i learn faster. It might not be as immediatly useful in combat as factorized healing but i am kind of enjoying a sort of a similar effect on a mental way. The psionic synergy makes this deal even sweeter, less headaches, less problems. >Captain Someone has to do it. I will try my best to be a good leader, i hope it doesn't involve paperwork though i hate that. >Custom dwelling: Zenith Tower I would like to request a tower-like dwelling at the top of The Peak. It's cental location and high elevation make it a perfect spot for overseeing the island and for a good response time(?) to any situation that might arise, also the sights must be amazing from the top there. I suppose some concessions have to be made here and there and it might not be as good as a tower proper but i think it is a good project nontheless. >Guardian It's fun and keeping people safe is a noble thing. Sparring is going to be very entretaining too. >Physician Keeping people safe is a noble thing but if they already have been chewed on by a demon or if they just suffered an accident it is best if i can fix them up on the spot because there might not be enough time to find medical help at all, the last thing i want is someone dying at my hands. I may not have the factorized healing aura but medicine is still effective even without the juju. >Armour book A book full of how to fight and how to deal with my equipment or make more if needed is going to make my job much easier. >Medicine book Very important so i know how to properly fix someone up. I hope my patients don't mind me skimming through the book from time to time to check just in case. EMA's assistance (and mechanical benefit) is well appreciated. It will be my nurse of sorts. >Helmet Soulbound+Hud -2 HUD's are very handy, The information i can get from it is going to get my job(s) easier and it might probably help me keep track of things like objects i am using telekinesis on so i can use it better. >Cuirass Soulbound I already soulbinded the other pieces of my armour so honestly i think i should also do the same with this so i can have my protection with me on demand, it also skips the tedious process of putting it on and off and makes it not burden me at all, very practical. I wish i could afford wings of the cherub as flying is fun and having wings is cool but i think i get more benefit from other options i have just made. Besides i can probably approach similar mobility by lifting myself around with telekinesis (Should be viable as all my armour is soulbound considerably reducing the weight i would have to lift. That being said i will first practice my telekinesis until i am confident i can pull it off before i even consider it.) and jumping on available surfaces. I doubt i will be as fast as i would be with it but it is still pretty nice. No wings though :( >PBG Soulbound+Arms of the mantis shrimp It is a "Simple" power but i simply cannot pass the idea of being crazy strong. It is fun. >CGS soulbound+Legs of the ox This one is also a simple one, but it is also important as being able to keep going at peak performance for so long is going to make me way more reliable for all of my jobs. Considering it also compounds with the life package's stamina boost and synergizes with Arms of the mantis shrimp makes it even more attractive as i can now jump around like a maniac. >Shield >Weapon A shield and a spear intended to be wielded on tandem. The spear would have a blade long enough for cutting actions to be viable too. The shield is going to be center mounted so it can be used better as a weapon. I am not entirely sure about the specifics yet for more optimal use but i will assume that i will use the armour book to help me decide, there isn't that much hurry to have to decide immediatly anyways. >Equipment Aesthetics A dork part of me wanted to go mahou shoujo on this But it isn't practical, specially when considering that my armour is soulbound allowing me to go full coverage with zero drawbacks. Instead, if possible i would like for my equipment to look "crystaline" in nature kinda as if they were cut from massive pieces of quartz or gems. Does that make any sense? If i must adhere to something less "fantastical" i could do that too but it is made of spirit stuff so i assume i can have some silly liberties. >??? (Spouse) I haven't quite decided yet, this is an important commitment. >Luke the abyssal (Battle buddy) Questing about is nice but the way he is handling is liable to end up with him being dead eventually. I plan on organizing his quests on a more controlled manner and asking for reports and the like to prevent tragedies and making rescue attempts easier. Also, i do plan on tagging along when possible (but not too much) as it seems like a good source of excitement. I will probably have to set up a firstmate so things aren't headless during my absence. Gary will do just fine.

>>738 >Ayamur's lair Probably the most straightforward greater demon. Bring a light or a couple, Fight through corridors of monsters, try very hard to not be cornered or overwhelmed, then fight her. Hopefully the HUD helps here and that we aren't too worn out by the time the final confrontation comes. After that is done with, elicia's protection is likely going to be very handy on making the island feel safer. I will try to help her however i can from feeling a bit better. >Odlaw's abode This guy is probably going to be a pain to deal with. I guess that the key here is being persistent, pacing ourselves, and sticking close together so we don't get picked off one by one. Eventually his cane is eventually going to run out energy. After that we can probably begin to try to fight him proper as we now only have to deal with his ridiculous speed. If we succeed that cane of unturning is going to be useful for so many things. >Pole of claws I don't have a clear strategy for this one to be honest... I just wanna rescue kuudi and i am feeling a bit tired of rambling so much about my build. >Sands of eedoo Because of his fixation towards attacking the life-trees he is one of the highest priority targets on the list. Sadly, he is also the most annoying to deal with. Thankfully, being a psionic myself probably means i can handle him better. >Little big world No idea what i am supposed to do here i suppose i clear it out of demons and on the way there i find the shield. This one is pretty nice, with my telekinesis is more or less a ghetto tortoise shield. Not as good but good enough. Two shields are better than one. >Sea of lost fortune Punch fish get nekos >Frozen terra Rescue the unnamed. Maybe spouse. Teach her how to captain.

>>738 Your request is... disgusting... but not illegal. Thank you for the build

>Is polygamy acceptable "Spouse" is a singular term. Polygamy is technically not illegal under the Law of Moses but none of the available romantic prospects will entertain it. You could theoretically take multiple wives after your population has gotten big enough, but that will likely cause friction among the original islanders, and anyone still listening to Claudius's preaching (because it is sin). So, much like effeminate girly boys, you can technically do it, it is allowed by the setting, but it will not have my blessing. Of course that hasn't stopped anyone before, lol

>>716 Hi. My first post on this site btw. Why does everyone live in a different place? Isn't that insane? There are demons around, and Tier I and II demons can bypass the alarm from the towers, and they can kill you in your sleep, and everyone needs to sleep at some point. Keeping 1 guy on night watch every night would be a fine protection if everyone slept in the same place so he could keep watch over them, but they don't so he can't. Or does psionic ESP have such huge range that the night patroller can sit in a tower at night with his ESP active and scan the whole island for demons?

>>751 This is a good question. This flaw went completely over my head. Fix: All the houses on the Island have wards against demons. Infrastructure is still vulnerable to attack at night. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I will make an update and upload it by the end of the night

>>756 Thanks for the reply! If it's not too late to suggest it, please add a scale to the map and describe the ranges for telepathy and ESP (I assume the numbers below them go only for telekinesis?).

>>759 I thought about adding scale to the map. I know it's been asked before. Frankly I've had difficulty conceptualizing the scale, and I didn't want to look like more of an idiot so I just left it out. But I realize I shouldn't put it off, I will try to hammer something out. I should probably just redo the entire cyoa with updated dimensions to the image and text font. It's the only way I can see adding enough specifics and changes, specifically to A FRESH START section, without making the text only readable by ants, and I don't want to do that to my readers...

>>759 After some scrounging for information, I was able to take the measurements of some well-known small islands and determine some crude measurements with the help of some friends, which (I hope) should be sufficient. I am not a cartographer. I am an idiot. So... I pray this makes sense to you. According to this scale, the tower islands are about 1060ft long. The graphic for the scale itself is 200px long. The distance from the Northern Tip to the Southern Tip of the Main Island is 1773px. Which is about 9396ft, which is roughly 1.78mi

>New vessel If the superpowers and whatever other genetic tinkering I go through doesn't change my appearance then I won't actively choose to change it. The exercise and healthy eating should be enough to develop a better physique over time. >Blessings Factorized healing, Pisonic awakening, Life package >Leadership Crew >Dwelling East Mountain House >Jobs Artificier, Physician >Books Medicine (Free) Artificing (Free) Armour Don't really care for the boost of armour, I want it so I can become a smith. >Armour Arms of the Mantis Shrimp and Shell of the Tortoise. Soulbound Helmet and Cuirass. >Battle Buddy Celeste the Pugulous Seems the most willing to leave the island for questing, which interests me more than the demons. I can leave golems and other things to protect the island while I go searching for materials and other things. >Spouse None yet. >Major Quests Ayamur's Lair Trunq's Tower Sands of Eedoo >Minor Quests Sea of Lost Fortune Junkyard Japes Frozen Terra I love those cats, would probably spend most of the time with them when not alone. Exploring Junkyard Japes is obviously beneficial for my purposes. And while I'm not confident in my abilities to raise a kid, I can't just leave her frozen and abandoned now that I know she's out there, hopefully everything will turn out ok. Kinda sad the kid only gets to live a maximum of 100 years while the seven of us get 1000, I guess I'll have a chance to bury my child even if I don't get a spouse.

>>800 Interesting choices, friend! The Unnamed lives 100 years longer than an earthly human lifespan, which is on average 75 I think? But maximum 120. So you could mean that out to about 200 years she may actually live, not just 100. Sorry if that was not made clearer. I am revising for a 2.0 version, if you think I should change the wording to be more specific let me know

>>800 Forgot to mention... Zuuru plants a Life Tree for every human added to the Island. Life Fruit essentially reverse aging, 1 year per unit, and they are produced once per year. Life Trees are strong, but can be destroyed. This is explained on Page 1. Zuuru will plant a life tree for the Unnamed. This means that she will only age if she doesn't eat life fruit. Nobody will die of old age as long as they eat at least 1 whole Life Fruit per year

Cerulean Dream age: 20 // Peak physical age, for combat. body: (tall turboathlete version of me) // For combat. blessing: psionics, life, mental // 2 of 6 took psionics, 4 of 6 took healing. Since there is diminished utility in picking healing if many others have it (as it works by aura), I might as well pick psionics. // The most useful part of psionics will probably be ESP. role: captain // For the extra armor point. // Participating in the Sunday mass would be mostly necessary anyway. // And being targeted more by demons isn't really a downside - if they targeted me less, they would target the other inhabitants more, and if any number of us die then we will be weaker as a group so we will all probably die soon after anyway (eg if Helen died, someone else would have to spend time on food production, and this would hamper future combat capabilities, and the troubles snowball from there). // If I screw up but not catastrophically, it is suggested I will just be 'demoted'; but then picking to be crew right from the beginning would be as if taking on the punishment voluntarily for no benefit at all! dwelling: custom dwelling (a comfy bunker with solar panels, electric lighting, a computer with a bunch of basics in it, and materials/equipment for making bullets) at either Northern Tip or Eastern Tip // Free stuff, in reward for picking to be captain? // The location's intent is to protect the Life Trees; I hope agreement can be reached that Celeste will pick the other Tip to protect the other Life Tree(s). Living at one of the Towers is too much of a hassle. // I will have very little free time in the beginning since I don't want to get killed. But later on, with more free time, and given my huge theoretical lifespan, it would be cool to attempt to write my own OS. job: artificer, guardian // Artificer, because it fits some of my present skills, and because the other artificer is primarily involved in church duties instead, so there's probably need for another. // Guardian, because if we will perish before reaching old age, it will almost certainly be because of demons, not because of some other reason (lack of food, firewood etc can all be planned for, and noone on the island is such an asshole that we should worry about violent internal conflict, at least before our numbers increase; meanwhile demons come in a large variety of forms, so no measure taken is ever certain). book: armor, artificing // Armor for the armor point, artificing for free from artificer. armor: helmet+, cuirass++, pbg++, cgs++, weapon (pistol) // Same set as Celeste, turns out. // I start with 7 armor points. It's nice and secure to wear armor almost all the time, so 4 points go to helmet+, cuirass+, pbg+ and cgs+ for unencumberance and lack of need for maintenance. // I'd like to have a ++ attack against demons. If this was through the normal weapon, I'd have to spend 2 points, but since I already spent 1 point on pbg+, I can spend another point there and then skimp entirely on the weapon. // 2 points remain. Shield++ and cuirass++ look the most attractive; again, since I already spent 1 point on the cuirass, I might as well spend the other point there and then skimp entirely on the shield. // 1 point remains. I spend it on cgs++ for its synergy with pbg++. // The weapon is pistol for its light weight. Same type as Helen's for ease of maintenance and ammo production. spouse: none // 2 couples are decided already. // Also I wouldn't be in the right mind for it, as matters of survival take precedence. Also a pregnancy of the only remaining woman, our primary food producer, may lead to catastrophe. // I assume the genetic penalties on incest are waived (as otherwise, 2 generations from us everyone would be related enough that the next generation could only be produced with relatives)? battle buddy: Helen // Again, 2 pairs who stick close already exist; of the other 2, Luke probably wouldn't want to be "battle buddies" and also lacks healing aura. major quests: ayamur, claws, inka minor quests: all except machine maze // 3 major and 5 minor quests. I'll prioritize quests that recruit companions: Ayamur (Major), Claws (Major), Sea of Lost Fortune (Minor), Frozen Terra (Minor). // 1 major and 3 minors remain. The reward of Inka (Major) is the best, and since everyone on the island took Life Package and Mental Package, her mind powers should be weaker. // 3 minors remain. The reward of Machine Maze (Minor) is the weakest, because in a perspective of centuries, the batteries will run out so quickly there's barely time to use them. So I pick the other 3 minors.

>>806 Thank you for the build! >incest question The normal adverse consequences are waived, because all humans in this scenario are genetically identical to Adam and Eve. Only the Unnamed has a lack in Life Expectancy, because her "developer" was not as skilled as Zuuru, and this can be mitigated with Life Fruit. >Artificer Excellent idea. It's not explicit, but Claudius has enough time to help around in ways outside the Chapel. Prayer and study is something he does every day, but the bulk of his ministry is performed on Wednesdays and Sundays. He gets a decent amount of free time every other day for personal projects and maintaining/keeping watch over infrastructure

>>807 Thank you for the CYOA! My thoughts: 1. Do women get some sort of artificial power boost to their bodies? Celeste has sparring matches with Gary, but realistically that would be like a child against an adult (I think, I'm not that knowledgeable; but the difference in muscle mass, by their pictures and descriptions, must be something like 2x!). 2. Getting to ask for your own house is something like a cheat option, since you can ask for lots of free XXI century technology that way, which is a very rare resource. I'm guessing the only players who don't pick that didn't think it through? Even disregarding the armor point, this makes picking to be Crew silly. 3. Why do I get to decide what quests will be undertaken? This is especially weird if I'm Crew. Shouldn't the opinions of the other 6 factor into it equally? 4. What does questing physically look like, do we embark with ships and sail to the edge of the map? 5. IMO the weakest point of the CYOA is the tone that we are only there to participate in something like a reality show, not to fulfill an objectively important task. God won't kill demons because that would be 'boring' (I wish you at least didn't use that word), Zuuru won't bring in all possible tech she can from Earth just because she doesn't feel like it (as evidenced by how easily she can supply anyone a new household full of XXI century tech). The whole venture would feel more tangible if all talk like that was removed, if all the limitations and dangers were formulated as being there due to necessity rather than reality-show-like reasons.

>>819 Thank you for reading, and the questions! Women get the same power boost that men get. It was hard for me to find a character which matched all the attributes I was looking for in a girl that fights. Naturally, Gary is stronger than Celeste. They are not on equal footing in this regard. But they are both beyond normal human strength (something I am making clear in 2.0). Plus, the armour upgrades she is getting will make her effectively stronger than him. 2. It isn't explicit, but all the houses have 21st century technology. I might change it to say that everyone gets to claim certain amenities, but it has to relate to the Home. No vehicles, no extra weapons, no extra food, etc. But being the leader should have its perks above the Crew, and if you didn't pick Captain somebody else would. 3. Technically, you get to decide the quests because you are the player. Storywise, it's because you are the Seventh, and that's just how the rules are written. But Quests take a lot of preparation, time, and expense, so you aren't realistically going to do them all at once, and you won't be deciding HOW they are accomplished if you are not the Captain. 4. This is being added to 2.0, but it is already written that Zuuru gives you residency in her world, making you more than invited guests. You access the Island using a Portal, you leave the island by swimming into the edge of The Shallows and entering a transitional realm. I haven't yet worked out all the details... but it is meant to be dramatic/rule of cool.

>>819 5. I'm sorry if that is the tone you received, but you must understand that God created us all for His pleasure (Ephesians 1:9, Philippians 2:13). The thing is, His ways are not our ways. We were created in His likeness, but He exists at the infinite zenith of power and knowledge. He is not encumbered as we are. His goals and intentions have so many layers and hidden aspects that we can only truly know that which He wrote in the Bible through the prophets. And there is a more serious tone on Page 3. But perhaps I should add at least something to Page 1, to better express to you the importance of your task: You are on an ongoing mission to (1) Survive (2) Improve, both physically and spiritually/philosophically (3) Defeat the enemies of God and those that would do you harm. The Bible explains that there is rejoice in Heaven when a man is saved by turning to Christ (repentance) and receives the free gift of Eternal Life (Luke 15:10), as well as when a man changes his evil ways and does that which is right, for the betterment of his fellow man, and for the glory of God, whose favour is valuable beyond any earthly treasure.

>>821 There is a healthy way to look at life, I think, where Yes, we should be sober, and walk with a purpose, but that we shouldn't be so serious that we can't enjoy it. Because from my point of view, I am an eternal being with a life that will never end. Yes, there are trials and tribulations in life, but God put them in my path to make me stronger. Not necessarily in a physical sense, but in ways that are unseen. Wisdom, fortitude, things like that. So whether I am abased or abound, I always have something to look forward to, and the gravity of any singular situation can only weigh me down so much. My faith helps me see beyond the pain, and laugh at my enemies. And there is a saying that goes something like this: "You are the hero of your own story." We are all being watched. The good, the bad, and the ugly. For those that are watching, it may well be like a show. We are actors, in stories that constantly unfold. As a writer, I am intimately intune with this frame of thinking. My goal is, among other things, to entertain. And that is why you don't see some bombasstic highfaluten narrative in Page 1. I hope that helps. Thank you again for your questions. Very helpful

Any news on the update?

>>891 >the update Thank you for asking. Without boring anyone with details, the past few weeks have been difficult, mainly due to illness and getting a second job. So progress has slowed... time has not been on my side. But I will not stop. Pages 1 and 2 are mostly done, pic related is from Page 3. I've been going back and forth as to whether to release the update with DLC (which I have only barely started work on), or release them separate

What?

Page 1: Prologue, First Choice, Map, Lore Page 2: Main Body of Choices, Companions, Lore Page 3: Lore, Threats, Extra Characters, The Law, Edicts, Epilogue For high-resolution PNG and other goodies, see my stash: https://sta.sh/22cil6evier0 --- Thank you for waiting. I'm still bringing the DLC and Expansion, but I cannot guarantee when. Juggling a few life issues right now that must be sorted out before I can get enough time to produce faster, without so many... distractions. I won't give up. Pray for me, friends. Whatever goes wrong in your life, I pray you find the strength to overcome it, too. God bless, ~Cyrus

Someone asked for a changelog. Curses. I knew I forgot something. Page 1 has mostly cosmetic changes. Page 2... + Houses now have indestructible Strongrooms + Armour has changed defensive specs, weapons soulbound element streamlined between gun-like and non-gun-like types + More cosmetic improvements Page 3... + Threats is reworded, with certain details added for clarity + Destina changed to Level II since III would set off the alarms + The Law section added + Edicts section added + Epilogue expanded, introducing the KeyStone + other cosmetic improvements

>Cyrus, how old does Unnamed have to be before THE LAW allows her to consent to segz 1 Corinthians 7:36 describes a woman that is able to marry "past the flower of her age". Otherwise known as post-pubescence. Being 14, the Unnamed already qualifies in a technical sense, but her unique level of innocence (mentally like an infant and unable to consent), would almost certainly qualify any sexual advance as rapacious. Logic says to wait. Can't say how long. But you should expect at least a year or two. >Crew >Mandatory Free Time (including sleep) >So, Captains don't sleep or? Do they 24/7 do nothing other than their jobs tirelessly? No, the Captain still has reasonable accomodations for sleep and whatnot. But his job requires him to work more on average than the others, and due to the fluid nature of War, you can't expect to know exactly how much time you get off per day. 112hrs for Crew is 2/3 of the week. By that metric, the Captain can expect to have enough time for sleep (about 8 hrs per day, 56 per seven days, which is 1/3 the week) and some diversions, but he carries more responsibility than the others. Sorry but I assumed there wasn't a need to explain

Before I begin work on the DLC, I will be transcribing Cerulean Dream to a text-only PDF. In it, I have added textual details for the sake of the format, and I may include addendums or footnotes in order to answer certain questions I've gotten, for posterity. Temporary stash link https://sta.sh/0su8y76c7b1 Will continuously update. If you want the most up-to-date file, you should be able to find it in the Cerulean Dream stash archive https://sta.sh/22cil6evier0 Thank you

It's finally done. Very sorry it took well over a month. I have been working like mad to pay off some bills, and dealing with various other life issues. The text-only PDF is here, or you can view it through its unique stash page... https://sta.sh/027bol2mtujq --- The current plan with this project, going forward, is thus: [Visions and Stones] DLC A compilation of purely lore. Short stories that flesh out the world and characters. Should answer some questions about the past. Currently in the drafting stage. [Reclaiming Blade] Expansion A continuation of the story, with certain options tailored to your prior decisions. Some new content, including Quests, Rewards, Waifus Currently in the planning stage. [Sundered Stars] Sequel The story culminates. TBD Tertiary Task: Export the credits for all (or at least most) of the used assets into a PDF that is much cleaner than the current text document. --- I will not set release dates, but I will finish what I started. In the meantime, I may produce one or two 1-pager OCs, in order to exercise some weak GIMP muscles, shell out some ideas, and so forth. Thanks to all that care to follow my work

>>1013 Yay, congrats on all your hard work.

>>1014 Thank you friend

Housecleaning complete. Credits to artwork, photography, etc. are now available in an organized PDF. Includes content that may or may not be used in the future. Suggestion: Open links in New Tabs You can also find it in the Stash page here... https://sta.sh/02czw7mpram5 I will periodically update this file on Stash with more content as the project moves forward, and will only upload a new one here on 8chan when it's worth doing.

>>1029 Forgot Jeffy. Added now. https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/typemoon/images/f/f0/Neco-Arc_Chaos.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1200?cb=20120905192337&path-prefix=fr