2018/01/29 - Fond Farewell

[D-Rock]

[2018/01/29 - Fond Farewell]
Title Text: why even have a total party wipe if there's going to be so many characters still standing

[Gbr23]

No helping? Then no talking

[Saturn381]

Good luck Keene. You're going to need it.

[Welsh Halfwit]

Setting the boundaries, noting the time;
Sealing things in and drawing the line.
Before he showed up she was doing just fine
but, then, that’s the point of Kitsune.
They shift to disaster, before it’s begun
or move to laughter before the bell’s run
They go where they’ll have the most fun
That is the ultimate law of Kitsune.
They act like light, hid in the dark;
a ball game indoors as safe as the park.
Would they have helped Jones find the ark?
That’s the question of the Kitsune...

[Keldor]

And now we see where this arc is headed!

Doom/Housepets crossover.

>.>
<.<

[IceKitsune]

Ok looks like this arc is finally coming to a close. I will withhold my judgment till it is completely over but I have to say I feel like it is unlikely to resolve most of the issues I have with it by the time it is over.

[CHAOKOCartoons]

Wait, that was actually kinda sad. I'm actually kinda worried we might lose Keene now

[leinglo]

Okay, now I'm actually getting a little annoyed with Kitsune. I would've expected there to be some kind of reaction from him over this, some indication of worry, upon having just witnessed a celestial open a warp-portal and get pulled into it by a daemon (to say nothing of how he just watched it happen and did nothing). Instead he just greets Tarot with a smile and quip. I'm actually with Tarot here, just...go back behind the black Kitsune.

On a side note, if completely draining the mana pool will seal the portal, then if Keene can get back in time there might still be some some left over for him to use...

[Douglas Collier]

I wonder if we’re going to have an Avengers moment where Tarot pauses just long enough for Keene (with Breel) to come through the portal before closing it. I mean, it kinda fits - female hero stops magic(k)al portal to stop world-ending event, and wealthy flying billionaire falls through at last possible moment.

[Soerix]

Okay, now I'm actually getting a little annoyed with Kitsune. I would've expected there to be some kind of reaction from him over this, some indication of worry, upon having just witnessed a celestial open a warp-portal and get pulled into it by a daemon (to say nothing of how he just watched it happen and did nothing). Instead he just greets Tarot with a smile and quip. I'm actually with Tarot here, just...go back behind the black Kitsune.

Exactly! In my opinion, Kitsune is getting Petish.

And why are you talking about Tarot winning if you die, Keene? Tarot is not cruel!
And haven't you realized by now that the shortcut way to your goal will cause too much trouble? This shouldn't be a dispute/competition anymore at this point!

[Douglas Collier]

I think he meant the mana pool will be dried up, and he won’t be able to use it. Tarot isn’t completely heartless.

[Argent]

Okay, now I'm actually getting a little annoyed with Kitsune.

Yeh, and the rest of the Celestials. NONE of them are helping Keene rescue ANOTHER celestial? Render unto me a break.

And, Tarot, doing a little "Christmas was inside you all the time" talk with Keene, and then that's it? How about some practical help?

[BasedDook]

I'm definitely getting some Steve Rogers/Tony Stark vibes from Keene and Tarot right now. I hope after this is all over that they can be friendly rivals at the very least.

[GameCobra]

Wellp, there goes everyone's wishes. Sorry kitties, no buff beefcakes for you. :3

I think Kitsune is giving Tarot the Elder Gods treatment - only help if they specifically do something that requires them to help.

Either that, or he knows how this is going to turn out. Not literally, but how this is not as bad as everyone is making it out to be.

[Buster]

Okay, now I'm actually getting a little annoyed with Kitsune.

Yeh, and the rest of the Celestials. NONE of them are helping Keene rescue ANOTHER celestial? Render unto me a break.

I've been questioning for a while now whether or not they even CAN. for all we know, the only thing that makes them different from the pets is being dead, and kitsune is the only one with any actual abilities. it would explain why they're seemingly permanently sidelined.

[NHWestoN]

Well, as Ursala the Sea Witch told Ariel, "Life's full of tough choices, ain't it, cookie?"

And Kitsune now materializes to demonstrate to Tarot that she's not the only on who can be annoyingly superior. Wait for it.."You'll have lived through this experience and grown ("groan") from it".

EXCEPT Rick's probably got more up his sleeve...he's got more sleeves than a squid's tuxedo.

[leinglo]

Either that, or he knows how this is going to turn out. Not literally, but how this is not as bad as everyone is making it out to be.

I'm sure everyone just loves watching Ganon kidnap Zelda too, just because they know it'll end with Link getting her back.
Precognition, or foreknowledge, or whatever, isn't much excuse for a complete lack of concern. At the very least, it would've been polite to fake it.

[vulpinator]

Has Kitsune ever been concerned on a mortal’s behalf? It’d be pretty out-of-character if he did.

[HundKatzeMaus]

Has Kitsune ever been concerned on a mortal’s behalf? It’d be pretty out-of-character if he did.

Well Kitsune once explained to King, back when Pete and Dragon were still playing the game, that he won't let the pets get hurt, and Kitsune did gave the...magic lamp thingy (I forgot what it was called) to hide them from Dragon and Pete during Heaven is not enough, which did helped them to end the game in their favour.

As strange it may sound, but...he is the next best thing they got as some sort of "Big good".
I guess he really wants to teach the mortals a lesson, even if that lesson is a bit ugly

[vulpinator]

Has Kitsune ever been concerned on a mortal’s behalf? It’d be pretty out-of-character if he did.

Well Kitsune once explained to King, back when Pete and Dragon were still playing the game, that he won't let the pets get hurt, and Kitsune did gave the...magic lamp thingy (I forgot what it was called) to hide them from Dragon and Pete during Heaven is not enough, which did helped them to end the game in their favour.

As strange it may sound, but...he is the next best thing they got as some sort of "Big good".
I guess he really wants to teach the mortals a lesson, even if that lesson is a bit ugly

I guess we'll see if they all make it through unscathed. If he meant not letting the pets get hurt, does Breel qualify as one since he's a celestial? Keene most likely will return completely intact and will have learnt more about his goals and how to accomplish them. Although even if he has resolve to act differently, I'm not the least bit certain that he'll resort to being purely good. It's not his character. As he said, he's not a monster, but he's not above doing evil.

And I think back then he helped them because he was most interested in them winning over the celestial gamer geeks, not out of concern for them.

[Cesco]

That's good Tarot, if you can drain the mana pool, then there was no need to tell Keene to don't touch it. Maybe even some residue of it can be dangerous. Now Keene has a great responsibility, good luck! Eheheh, Great Kitsune is the usual jerk. I'd say he's right, anyway. Indeed, since there's also you, and I'd really forgot of also your presence there, give an help.

[jonas]

GK may not be as manipulative or condescending as Pete, but he's still a cosmic being. From his POV, all the sturm and drama probably seems like nothing more than a cutscene in a video game. If I had to engage in wild fan-speculation, I'd guess that Heaven has some kind of containment measure if things got really out of hand. (Maybe GK is the containment measure?)

[NHWestoN]

Well, Jonas, wild fan speculation is wildly welcome on this forum, so enjoy!!

Kitsune is an intriguing creature. A Celestial with serious cosmic powers, he seems to find the beings of our world fascinating, entertaining, and rather likeable. His abiding principle, as he professes, is "the rule of Intrinsic Benevolence", which apparently means "things are allowed to get totally insane but no mortal gets seriously hurt, let alone killed." He is not a passive observer or, as be says on another occasion, when Dragon accused him of not being impartial, "impartial isn't the same as uninvolved."

But if Kitsune is protective, he is also a compulsive prankster and seems at times to enjoy watching mortals get into really deep deep trouble and danger. He does, for example, maintain a statue of himself in KingMilton's quarters, and he and King occasionally chat. Kitsune seems to genuinely like King, Bailey, and the new puppies but, while King knows this, he's terrified of getting pranked. Bailey, on the other hand, thinks Kitsune would be a good baby-sitter...to King's hysterical horror!

(Quick commercial ... a story with the three puppies and "Uncle Kitsune" would be a scream.)

At times, then, Kitsune comes off as rather mean and smug as Tarot's annoyance suggests. I mean, you coulda stopped that ghastly thing from carrying poor, dear Breel off into Satan's cesspool, right? You want us to learn a lesson - What's wrong with a postcard? He does, then, at times, seem to enjoy the tormenting more than the teaching and the turmoil more than the moral.

But, hey, he's a Kitune ... as he says to Joel, almost apologizing for letting him to through all the craziness with Pete, "it's kinda my thing" ... and, besides, he's handsome, witty, slightly androgynous, brings about happy endings, and has nine tails and a knock-out smile.

Now if he'd just get Breel home ... Oh, and there's Sophia, too ... and Thomas. Yeah.......Thomas.........

[tsMKG]

So, farewell, farewell my dear Keene Everyone's here waiting for you if you ever come back. I wish all the luck in the world, in the universe and in the mana pool if Tarot let me so

So yeah, Great Kitsune, you're kind of right, unfortunately, that's not time for you to do affirmations, specially if you're not helping anyways.

Waaait...
Some coincidence brought me to something:
https://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/20 ... sundering/
I was thinking about this coincidence with Keene being a Dream Sunderer somehow :thinking_face:
Then I remembered what Chaoko said about mortal feelings activating the mana pool:

Ooooh, that's actually really clever! What if the HPU's hell is the equivalent to just reliving and remembering all the bad things that happened to you in life, and that's how you're tormented?

And in that way, a creature from such a place would be a physical manifestation of bad memories, the counter to a heavenly being? I did believe that Breel had been greatly softened up by heaven, and that that's just a thing that happens when you go to heaven. You become carefree, and that also means you don't stress yourself thinking about possible outcomes based on past experiences. On top of that, that would explain why Breel couldn't activate the mana but his tears could: Pain and Memories are mortal things, so they can effect things that respond to the mortal plane.

That of course brought me to here:
https://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/20 ... in-heaven/
Which of course there's one remaining question:
Are some celestials sent as mortals to there? Or even better, can be there mortals in there in the first place?
Qouting Chaoko again:

A: This is not the Devil, it's a celestial, godly, or demi-godly being that acts more like a force rather than a deity. According to Tarot this being was summoned in an equivalent to what Breel's tear signified as a wish or desire, and can only understand anguish and destruction, as that is what it is composed of. The Devil would not be this simple, they'd have to be able to be more clever and thoughtful. They are in charge of an entire realm and likely a bunch of celestials as well. They must consider rules and keep things in check, they'd likely be a lot like Bahamut. This, however, has a one track mind and cant think of much beyond what it can perceive about itself.

Which leaves us with the question: What's even inside there?

Also, with that, it seems pausible that Kitsune sent Dragon and Pete to the forgotten realm and that Kitsune is the literal devil.

[CHAOKOCartoons]

I'm pretty sure Kitsune's just a lazy celestial, or a very "hands off" one. Neither Pete or Dragon winning meant that he didn't have to step down as the DM, and not being the DM means you're advised to help mortals deal with Arch Demons and the forces of darkness (which I have a funny feeling this thing actually counts as one or the other). He's stated that he does actually care about this universe, but that doesn't mean he has to help with every single instance of danger. Only when it's 2 inches away from the universe exploding.

The Fallen walked off and the portal COULD be sealed, but Tarot's already got that covered and Keene volunteered to be a heroic mortal so hey! Why bother right? Yeaaaah maybe ya lose one mortal and an ex-mortal but that's fiiiiine, it's not the end of the world! (Also that's not me complaining, I've always loved godly characters that just do as they please )

[jonas]

One more thought: maybe GK is so chill about the Hellmouth is that he knows exactly how it'll play out. As they stated in the letter Spring gave to Keene to deliver to Fox, Spring and Summer knew exactly how events would play out after the DeLorean was struck by lightning Fox was put on administrative leave. So maybe time is all wibbly up in Heaven, and the Celestials know what will happen because for them it's already happened, while simultaneously is happening and hasn't happened yet.

(Yeah, I know, "no weird time junk" in the game. But hey, the game's over, right? GAME OVER MAN, GAME OVER!) x)

[Keldor]

Kitsune's a GM at heart. You wouldn't give your PCs an easy button to get out of their problems - they have to work them out themselves! Now, it's bad GMing to let the group be wiped out, but then we're a long way from that still.

In more practical terms, he believes that people grow the most when they overcome adversity. To directly help would be to rob them of the opportunity to not only grow as people, but also the joy of triumph against the odds. I'm sure he'll step in if he's truly needed, but the smaller his role, the better. Deus Ex Machina makes for a disappointing adventure/story.

Of course, his policy of letting the "players" be the heros doesn't mean he can't stick his nose in now and then and cause a bit of minor mischief! Or perhaps offer a tid bit of enigmatic help. The help needs to be enigmatic enough that the "players" have to work out what it is and how to use it, of course. That's the art of being a GM - offer just enough breadcrumbs to be sure that the "players" figure it out, but can still be clever doing it.

[vulpinator]

Yeah if Kitsune’s the literal god of this universe, having said he’s everywhere all the time, then he knows exactly what will happen. If he meant what he said about keeping the pets out of severe harm, Keene will return completely unscathed.

[Brighttail]

A couple things. First about the other celestials I think they are hanging back to see what Keene/Tarot do. They have been observers this entire time and for a celestial like Kitsune, things aren't at a point that he can't handle it and still at a point where Keene/Tarot and the others can still fix things. The whole point of the Celestials coming along was to make sure no one really got hurt/died, otherwise they were there to observe and advise.

I think Kitsune at this point is being Kitsune, pointing out the obvious that Tarot is helping Keene and Keene acknowledging that. If The Forgotten were to suddenly step through and become a threat to everything, then I think Kitsune might be more concerned. As it is, The Forgotten is focused on Breel. As Keene is at fault for where Breel is, he is giving Keene the opportunity to fix or at least rescue Breel. Tarot at the same time is trying to fix the whole "tear" thingie.

So I'm good with the Celestials taking a backseat on this until they truly are needed, which I don't think we're at that point.

[Douglas Collier]

Kitsune is kind of a "tough love" kind of character, but I don't hold it against him. He's probably just letting them learn the hard lessons in life - like that you shouldn't go barging into a temple to create problems you can't even control . . . and the same with Keene, too.