text | in which there was an adventure

[carbungle]

hey everyone

me, pyra, and prompto were able to organize an expedition outside of the barrier, beneath the mines of the southern factory so idk this is basically an update on wtf is going on down there. we got a lot of photos, most are posted here, prompto has the rest & we'll put it on the network once we've organized it better & maybe gotten translations or w/e for the stuff we dont understand. there was a lot going on down there tbh

-the mines go down pretty deep, like deeper than we could explore. there's a map that lays it all out, and a lot of it was collapsed and empty. but some good news-

-we found a couple of veins of ore! the worms dug through new areas and its gonna take some time to stabilize and make it fully accessible, but there's stuff down there. we're getting it confirmed but the locals say it's almost def sildar and nicean. they're stoked tbh this is a big deal for them

-safety is gonna be an issue. worms are still digging around, tho looks like they can't access past the barrier anymore. the town is ok but anybody venturing below is at risk

-pyra's barrier crystal experiment is like… partial success? theyre gonna need more crystals and support throughout the tunnels, but with some more work we might be able to expand the barrier to get better access. so thats cool. uhh if anyone's out of the loop on that one she or honerva can tell you more, but basically they built a thing that's trying to help balance out the energy in town to support the barrer. if it can collect that energy the way the barrier does, maybe we can direct how it expands

-we caught some carrot and onion monsters. theyre pretty harmless for the most part, some are p aggressive and attack on sight. afaik you can tell them apart by the size and like. how angry they are. theyre like vegetable chickens, they lay nonsentient baby versions of themselves that i GUESS you can eat if you like that stuff

-we found a really freaky tunnel that looks like something out of a horror movie. train-sized, all blocked up on both sides. there were a bunch of weird patterns covering everything, kinda like graffiti but way more intentional. nobody knows what the signs mean yet but the temples are looking into it, its some kind of ancient language. if you ask me they look like "KEEP THE HELL OUT" tho. we didnt go much further, the whole thing gave off super bad vibes and we werent gonna break down the walls without knowing more.

thats basically it. uhhh q&a now i guess?

[Attached is a collection of photos: long tunnels underground, typical mineshaft scenery, darkly lit and dusty; a series of images of vegetable monsters; a grim tunnel blocked at both sides, covered in indecipherable red markings that paint an unpleasant picture of what may lie ahead.]

Comments

[shroudedsecrets]

it would be stranger if their priorities weren't in order after all of that, but their dedication to the protection of what is "within" has always been higher than examining what is not kept away, even with their close calls of late.

still if they had no signs of any of this coming or any anticipation of letting that be known if they chose to keep it to themselves, that is another matter.

as for better suits, that might be more reasonable to ask for modifications on. it is likely they are poor fitting due to lack of materials and the suitability of them... or perhaps they simply were not better adapted for individual use if they were intended for multiple people to use, and we do not know much about their original forms.

perhaps you could provide more details of what you might find more beneficial. or as some would say 'pros and cons' of the current model.

[carbungle]

i cant blame a community 4 being insular, i grew up in one so the vibe is familiar

oh ya that would be good. actually if we just had a better way of going outside period that would be awesome. like my list of cons would be a foot long, the pro is literally just "helps me not die" which in fairness is a BIG pro but still just 1

[shroudedsecrets]

being able to recognize that is important enough.

unfortunately, one must accept that comfort and practicality do not often go in hand, and survivability is going to be the top priority in this case. protective suits can be designed, but they must still be protective, and this world has proven that so few things are safe against it.

in order to achieve that, any information of course is tantamount to success. however, to make improvements, one has to start with what is known and what can be manageable under circumstances.

[carbungle]

ur so reasonable >:( stop it

im still gonna look into better ways to do this tho. a clumsy suit that hampers movement is dangerous too, esp when theres monsters out there that eat and poison ppl

[shroudedsecrets]

a good way for you to start would be to question them for as much information on their build and materials as possible, and lodge some of those particular complaints. there has to be a reason they settled on that particular kind of suit, and if it causes problems it can be revisited as long as you are clear about them. so long as survivability is not compromised.

I have some experience with studying such things, though to embark on it at all would require a lot more favor from the locals, given the methods of testing it may be something they are less on board with, with potential risks involved.

[carbungle]

that sounds like a lot of work 乁(ツ゚)ㄏ

u should talk to era and pyra more about that one apparently theyre making plenty headway getting chummy with the locals. depending on what group ur trying to make waves with

im not as much for conversation and i dont have anything to negotiate with really so i usually cant do a lot in that department

[shroudedsecrets]

I only meant from the perspective of you have been in the suit and have experienced how it affects your movement or ability to defend yourself. that is valuable knowledge that can be put to use somewhere.

I am aware of which groups Pyra and Era have made headway with, so do not worry there.

[carbungle]

i mean yeah ive felt it. actually communicating those issues effectively is another thing entirely

maybe we can run a demo or something, do a spar with and without it. picture's worth more right

i figured

[shroudedsecrets]

indeed, a demonstration would be quite valuable. perhaps you and Prompto can put your heads together about it. if that is not too much of a homework assignment.

[carbungle]

yeah ok. ill talk 2 him when we've got all this stuff sorted out, see what can be done about it

[shroudedsecrets]

then I shall look forward to your results, whenever that may be.

[carbungle]

(￣ー￣)b