Skittering Hollow (Bleach/Worm)

[Jubjub3000]

[x][Offer] Distrust.
[x][Choice] Trust.

Ok, I'm sold, I changing my vote to distrust

 

[Silverbladestar]

[x][Offer] Distrust.
[x][Choice] Trust.
He seems nice, but he is still a Hollow, and he needs to eat just like us.

 

[MrMig]

[x][Offer] Distrust.
[x][Choice] Trust.

 

[Jraven89]

[X][Offer] Distrust.
[X][Choice] Trust.

 

[R.A.G.]

[x][Offer] Distrust.
[x][Choice] Abstinence.

It's literally Teacher V0.5. And still going with Abstinance because I want to see how far it can be taken and/or if it leads to realizing Arrancar path.

 

[silentshot]

[x][Offer] Distrust.
[x][Alternative Plan] Temporary Alliance

Is there a reason why Taylor can't politely decline the strange ominous invitation to drink something that she has no god damned clue about? I think she could instead make another proposal for a mutual alliance of sorts: she helps him in various ways, like perimeter guard duty, looking after the small spiders, and such whilst Anansi helps her out by giving tips on where possible prey can be found, some of the dangerous places and folks etc.

Even if Anansi declines politely or violently she would know either way what his plans for her is. On the other hand, an alliance will help her grow and develop her level and power plus she and Anansi could hopefully carve out a good territory for themselves now that he has a sort of powerful minion. Also, this option would let her take the time to get to know more about how he acts and what his motivations and methods are.

 

[Planeshunter]

Alright ladies and gents, votes are now closed!

Spoiler: Vote Tally

: Skittering Hollow (Bleach/Worm) | Page 5 | Questionable Questing [Posts: 136-156]
##### NetTally 2.2.3
Task: Offer
[X][Offer] Distrust.
No. of Votes: 14
[x] Smug_Cloud
[x] Fonteius
[x] globalwarmth
[x] InfiniteDarkSide
[X] Jraven89
[x] Jubjub3000
[x] Megagulp
[x] Mikers99
[x] MrMig
[x] Phasehand
[x] R.A.G.
[x] silentshot
[x] Silverbladestar
[x] werdzerg13
[X][Offer] Trust.
No. of Votes: 2
[x] bobbya1
[x] MysticReaper

---

Task: Choice
[X][Choice] Trust.
No. of Votes: 13
[x] goricnac
[x] Fonteius
[x] globalwarmth
[x] InfiniteDarkSide
[X] Jraven89
[x] Jubjub3000
[x] Megagulp
[x] Mikers99
[x] MrMig
[x] MysticReaper
[x] Phasehand
[x] Silverbladestar
[x] werdzerg13
[X][Choice] Abstinence.
No. of Votes: 1
[x] R.A.G.
[X][Choice] Abstinence. All the information Taylor got are things we already knew when making our decision. In character it could be justified as Taylor being too stubborn to change course once committed to something.
No. of Votes: 1
[x] Smug_Cloud

---

Task: Alternative Plan
[X][Alternative Plan] Temporary Alliance
No. of Votes: 1
[x] silentshot

Total No. of Voters: 17

Some votes messed the format a bit, but the result is overwhelming anyway.

[x][Offer] Distrust.
[x][Choice] Trust.

Well, this is a bittersweet feeling. Not sure if I feel glad things are returning to the intended path or disappointed it didn't spiral into madness after all, but it's good to know you guys know not to put strange things in your mouth.

I... Yeah, I pulled an 'are you sure?' on you guys. Just so it's clear, I did have a plan for the abstinence route. But that was a risky path, and it deserved double-checking. The encounter with Anansi the Wise Spider had always been in the schedule and was a nice excuse for that, so I took the opportunity.

Also, since choices have consequences, this last vote has solified something in our Brave Caterpillar's personality. Explanations to come during next update!

It's literally Teacher V0.5. And still going with Abstinance because I want to see how far it can be taken and/or if it leads to realizing Arrancar path.

Click to shrink...

Oh, you're a sharp one...

 

[Fonteius]

It's literally Teacher V0.5. And still going with Abstinance because I want to see how far it can be taken and/or if it leads to realizing Arrancar path.

Click to shrink...

Well, I agree, but to be honest Hollows are one of the most malleable and versatile beings in Bleach, each is unique in several ways, even the weakest Hollows have their gimmick or unique power/skill, this comes from the early Hollows Ichigo fights alongside Rukia, those weren't even Adjuchas, and they had some pretty amazing powers if we take their evolution to their logical conclusion once Arrancar or Vasto Lorde.

Also, Abstinence does lead to Vasto Lorde in some way, that is literally the path Tier Harribel takes after becoming an Adjuchas. But that is far from the only path, Ulquiorra and Stark share the same loneliness as part of their backstory, but the way they deal with it differs greatly.

The only common part of the strongest Hollows, is that they somehow discover, remember or rediscover their old self, or simply accept the way they are as a new being, this is similar with Shinigami and their "Journey of Self Discovery" to Bankai. So, after a certain power (presumably Adjuchas) it seems every Hollow really need a great realization of self in order to become stronger.

Also, since choices have consequences, this last vote has solified something in our Brave Caterpillar's personality. Explanations to come during next update!

Click to shrink...

It's nice to see that choices affect the MC personalities, goals and "Formation Years" as a Hollow, but honestly I still think that even Frenzy can lead to Vasto Lorde during the right circumstances, there doesn't seem to be a "wrong" path as a Hollow, maybe some are bloodthirsty, other easier, other take millennia and maybe some a few months. But every Hollow in the series was strong with plenty of different backstories and methods of growth.

 

[Planeshunter]

Spoiler: Author's mini-rant

So! Visiting my extended family for the next week! That means instead of my trusty PC I'll just have an old laptop without anything worth being called mouse and with an almost twenty minutes startup time. It also means instead of my fantastic chair I gotta make-do with whatever I can find at the time, like sitting on the floor. Still can write, so it could be worse, but it's annoying as heck.
...There, I've ranted. Sorry for taking your time.

[x][Offer] Distrust.
[x][Choice] Trust.

---

I don't trust this thing masquerading as a civilized being.

I don't trust this offer of knowledge.

It reminds me of a teacher.

… Somehow, that word fills me with disgust and suspicion.

No… It's not just the word, but a name. A name that perverted the original meaning of the word. Something that should be safe and trustworthy becoming poisonous and deceitful. That's the feeling I get from this Anansi. Not a teacher, but Teacher. And I don't like it one bit..

I hold back a shudder. Is this a memory from before? From when I was human? If it is, that sucks. Why couldn't I remember my mother or my best friend?

… Whatever. Time to politely disengage. And with that, I mean releasing the ground so my failsafe takes me away from this place. I could try to talk my way out of this, maybe. Maybe not. Anansi strikes me as the kind of people who can talk circles around you, then take your own words and use them as a noose around your neck.

In spite of not saying anything, and having a mask covering my face (or is it having a mask for a face? I don't really know what's underneath), he seems to notice I'm not willing to take his offer, because he raises his free hand my way and makes to say something.

Yikes, scary as hell, those social types. I'm outta here.

*Twang*

Weeeeee!!!

Wow, I can't believe that worked without a—

*Crash*

Ouch!

Okay, need to work on the landing. Now to put some distance, I don't wanna check whether the dancing phosphorescent spiders are actually hypnotic after all. Also, now that I think about it, does what I just did count as dining and dashing, or is it more like stuffing your face with free samples and then leaving without buying anything?

Best to move a bit faster, just in case.

---

After getting a good distance away, then doubling it just in case, I've decided to take a peek back up the desert, if only to orient myself again. Honestly, I have no clue where I am or which way is anything.

While climbing my way up, there's been time to calmly think thinks over. I might have… overreacted back there. Sure, Anansi was one scary fella, once one gets past his friendly façace and realizes he's basically getting enough nourishment to thrive just by sitting there and talking people into taking his deal. Sure, I'm not very confident in my own social skills.

But maybe shooting myself away before giving him a chance to get a word in was a bit extreme. Maybe we could've reached some sort of alternative agreement… No, no. I would've just been screwed over.

What he's told me is supposed to be more or less common knowledge so I can trust an information broker would be truthful about it, if only because it was low-value intelligence I could get anywhere and being caught in a lie would ruin his cred. Valuable information, on the other hand, is rare by definition. Since I would've had no easy way to double check, he had no reason to be truthful with it. Specially after declining the deal he actually wanted to make.

I would've spent my whole life looking over my shoulder.

And speaking of what he told me… I have been a big idiot, haven't I? Jumping to conclusions and swearing off eating like that. My instincts are part of myself and, if I can't trust myself, then who can I trust? Maybe this reluctance is just a bleedover from my past life as a human, like those depressing memories from before? Things are a bit different now that I am a… Hollow.

Sure, I'm not letting my mind go anytime soon, I like making rational decisions and all that tripe, but it was thanks to my instincts that I knew how to fight back against the Mofo, that I knew to consume its essence afterwards and that I knew to move towards a long term goal. No more rejecting them without a good, tangible reason.

---

Due to your instincts never failing you before and being proven wrong in doubting them, you've learnt a bit more about yourself and gained a new trait: Resolute.

Spoiler: Resolute

There are many things in this world you cannot trust. Yourself isn't one of them. You aren't inclined to second guess yourself, and even situations specifically designed to cause hesitation will be solved with unwavering swiftness. Grants the perk Unflinching. Never stop! If you retreat, you will age. Be afraid, and you'll die.

Spoiler: Unflinching

You can be surprised, like anyone else, but you don't let those surprises startle you. Be it a dramatic revelation or just someone putting a hand on your shoulder with the worst timing, you can ignore penalties derived from surprise. Within reason.

---

There's something else I've been wondering about, back during my existential crisis. Man, I can't be more than a couple of weeks old and I've already gone through an existential crisis, how depressing is that?

Anyway, my point is, other Hollows appear to be the only munchable thing in Hueco Mundo. Sand is unmunchable and stupid-ass cheating trees are unmucnhable, and the only non-sentient thing I've been able to get something from so far is what comes out of my butt (blerg, let's not look at it that way anymore, okay?) no matter how little sense it makes for an ecosystem to work like this, we've already stated this place ignores logic.

That's how it is and that's what my instincts have guided me from the start.

But!

There's something else I've been attracted towards all the while! Something that didn't look out of place and I never paid attention to, but still something that draws attention when I'm consciously looking for it. Oh, it's still subtle, specially down here in the forest, where the stupid-ass cheating trees block the sky so completelly.

But I can still feel it, and it's subtle pull. It never stopped.

What am I talking about?

Why, the moon, of course! That's half the reason why I'm even climbing back up in the first place.

There it is. A giant pearl in the sky, shining brightly over this shitty afterlife I'm stuck in. From the very start, I felt attracted to it. Never thought of it as strange though, because humans often lose themselves into looking at the night sky too, but now that I'm paying attention there's… a pull, of sorts.

I watch the moon, it hasn't moved an inch from its position in the night sky, I'm sure of it. Not an inch, in who knows how long. There's an immutable feeling to it, something the human world's counterpart never had. If I ever thought both moons were the same, I'll never make that mistake again.

I listen to the moon, not sure why, but letting that stop me. At first, there's nothing. As I keep listening though, I finally start hearing something in the silent night. There's a... song. A song that's barely there, and yet I keeps all my attention. It beckons tenderly, and makes me feel at peace, dulling the worst of the hunger.

I close my eyes, and bathe myself on the moon. There's a… I won't call it warmth, nothing is warm here, but there's definitely something caressing my skin. It feels the same tender and peaceful way the moon's song did.

I don't drain it. It doesn't even cross my mind to try and do so. Instead, I imply allow it to permeate me, filling an emptiness deep inside…

When I open my eyes again, I know everything will be fine in the end.

---

-By accepting the moon into yourself, you've unlocked the Power Luz Lunar (Moonlight).

Spoiler: Luz Lunar

The power to derive strength from Hueco Mundo's moon. By bathing in moonlight, you can diminish the effects of the Oblivion and increase your own regeneration. The effects of this power can be increased by meditating under the moonlight, but are unavailable outside Hueco Mundo.

-Your four basic Power slots are full, you won't be able to develop new basic powers for now.
-Oblivion Compensation! You lose 10130 EE!! (Luz Lunar Lv1 prevented the loss of 2065 EE)
-Luz Lunar is now Lv1-(50%)!!

---

You're done with Anansi's encounter and self-discoveries for now, what's your next step? (Remember, just because a vote has sub-votes, doesn't mean you have to pick one of them. You can always just pick the main one, meaning neither of the options included feel particularly interesting.)

---

[x][Hunt] Actively.
[x][Hunt] Passively.
[x][Hunt] Trap.
[x][Hunt] Hide.

---

[x][Travel] End of the World.
[x][Travel] Explore the Forest.
-[x][Forest] Visit Anansi
--[x][Anansi] Accept the Deal
--[x][Anansi] Negotiate a new Deal
--[x][Anansi] Hunt down
[x][Travel] Take a break.
-[x][Break] Nest in the Skull-things stronghold
[x][Travel] Other.

---

[x][Train] Disparo Demora
[x][Train] Chupavidas
[x][Train] Punto Veneno
[x][Train] Luz Lunar
[x][Train] Take a break

 

[mrttao]

So! Visiting my extended family for the next week! That means instead of my trusty PC I'll just have an old laptop without anything worth being called mouse and with an almost twenty minutes startup time. It also means instead of my fantastic chair I gotta make-do with whatever I can find at the time, like sitting on the floor. Still can write, so it could be worse, but it's annoying as heck.
...There, I've ranted. Sorry for taking your time.

Click to shrink...

Laptop mice are utter torture. you can grab a cheap one on amazon for 7$ though. Will make using a laptop significantly less of a torture.

 

[goricnac]

[x][Hunt] Passively.
[x][Travel] Explore the Forest.
-[x] Move by the tree trops using Disparo Demora
[x][Train] Punto Veneno (hunt anything you find with this skill)
-[x][Train] Luz Lunar (after feeding on your prey you look to the moon for an answer and comfort in this mad world)

need to get Punto Veneno to the point where it affects bigger things and we should finish exploring the forest

 

[Jubjub3000]

[x][Hunt] passively. (Run around aimlessly and hunt anything you cross path with)
[x][Travel] Explore the Forest.
-[x] Move by running and jumping across the lower branches/ground (you might unlock a form of shunpo?)
[x][Train] Punto Veneno (hunt anything you find with this skill)
-[x][Train] Luz Lunar (after feeding on your prey you look to the moon for an answer and comfort in this mad world)

 

[goricnac]

[x][Hunt] passively. (Run around aimlessly and hunt anything you cross path with)
[x][Travel] Explore the Forest.
-[x] Move by running and jumping across the lower branches/ground (you might unlock a form of shunpo?)
[x][Train] Punto Veneno (hunt anything you find with this skill)
-[x][Train] Luz Lunar (after feeding on your prey you look to the moon for an answer and comfort in this mad world)

Click to shrink...

we got confirmation we aint getting another power tho, unlikely to unlock sonido till we get some sort of evolution

 

[werdzerg13]

[x][Hunt] Passively.
[x][Travel] Explore the Forest.
-[x] Move by the tree trops using Disparo Demora
[x][Train] Punto Veneno (hunt anything you find with this skill)
-[x][Train] Luz Lunar (after feeding on your prey you look to the moon for an answer and comfort in this mad world)

 

[Jubjub3000]

we got confirmation we aint getting another power tho, unlikely to unlock sonido till we get some sort of evolution

Click to shrink...

But the character don't know that, plus if we start getting fast without using the technique that means we will be extra fast when we actually learn it right?

 

[MysticReaper]

[x][Hunt] Passively.
[x][Travel] Explore the Forest.
-[x] Move by the tree trops using
Disparo Demora
[x][Train] Punto Veneno

 

[Milkers99]

[x][Hunt] Passively.
[x][Travel] Explore the Forest.
-[x] Move by the tree trops using Disparo Demora
[x][Train] Punto Veneno (hunt anything you find with this skill)
-[x][Train] Luz Lunar (after feeding on your prey you look to the moon for an answer and comfort in this mad world)

 

[Megagulp]

[x][Hunt] Passively.
[x][Travel] Explore the Forest.
[x][Train] Luz Lunar

 

[Demetric]

[x][Hunt] Passively.
[x][Travel] Explore the Forest.
-[x] Move by the tree trops using Disparo Demora
[x][Train] Punto Veneno (hunt anything you find with this skill)
-[x][Train] Luz Lunar (after feeding on your prey you look to the moon for an answer and comfort in this mad world)

 

[R.A.G.]

Want to see what's over there, and want to drink more moon juice for future jokes "I live off air and moonlight".

[x][Hunt] Passively.
[x][Travel] End of the World.
[x][Train] Luz Lunar

 

[globalwarmth]

[x][Hunt] Actively.

[x][Travel] Explore the Forest.
-[x] Move by the tree trops using Disparo Demora
[x][Train] Punto Veneno (hunt anything you find with this skill)
-[x][Train] Luz Lunar (after feeding on your prey you look to the moon for an answer and comfort in this mad world)
​

 

[Planeshunter]

Alright ladies and gents, votes are now closed!

And a happy new year to you all!!

Can... can someone else tally this vote please? I don't have vote tally on my laptop and it's not worth downloading just to use it for a week. I'll just tally manually otherwise.

Thanks!

---

EDIT: Ok, done it by hand after all. Not going to paste the tally for obvious reasons, but the winner is:

[X][Hunt] Passively.
[X][Explore] The Forest
-[X][Forest] Move about (ab)using Disparo Demora.
[X][Train] Punto Veneno
-[X][Train More] Slip in some Luz Lunar training after munching something.

As I see it, you guys are voting for varied training while wandering around. Normally, this would provide between mediocre and shitty returns (depending on rolls) due to the sheer width of scope. But for the sake of story advancement I'll assume you spend a good while doing this, so there's some tangible progress and there are chances to roll something interesting that I can, you know, write about? .

On less bright news, please have a bit of patience with me this days, I not having a lot of time to sit down and write.

 

[Planeshunter]

[X][Hunt] Passively.
[X][Explore] The Forest
-[X][Forest] Move about (ab)using Disparo Demora.
[X][Train] Punto Veneno
-[X][Train More] Slip in some Luz Lunar training after munching something.

Spoiler: A/N

Finally! Getting this update ready has been a headache and a half. Man, can't wait to be back home...

---

Spider-bug, Spider-bug~! Does everything a spider does~!!

...Laugh all you want, don't care. I can finally swing around without faceplanting on every other tree. I'm even graceful! Can take turns, and stop short, even. Been trying acrobatics and everything, nothing too flashy, but switching from thread to thread with a small twirl and flourish is elegant enough. There's no need to show off either.

And that's not everything! I can feel the potential for so much more just… out of reach. It's a bit frustrating, to be honest. The breakthrough is just a burst of inspiration away though, so there's no point in getting impatient.

Travelling like this through the treetops has some advantages over using my stubby legs or even worse, walking on the ground like a plebeian. Why, just yesterday…

Yes, yes, I know, there's no day here, nor any reliable way to tell the passage of time. But it was a while ago, thus I'll say it was yesterday.

Anyway, as I was saying. Just yesterday I encountered a monkey-like Hollow lurking amongst the branches. It had too many arms, and I'm preeeety sure monkey arms aren't supposed to end in pincers, but it was monkey-like enough. It was also quite big, I'm not sure the fight would've been as easy as it was if not for the fact that I fell on him from nowhere like an angry dropbear. He had his ugly head covered with gorgeously poisonous hair before he could say uncle. Then he had his ugly mouth full of gorgeously poisonous hair and wasn't physically capable of saying uncle.

My point is, besides how icky if feels to find your hair full of monkey spit, nobody here expects an assault from above. Even the mythic monkey lobster, who took to the branches like I do, was only watching out from below. So there, tactical advantage. What do you mean 'just common sense'? Using common sense is already a pretty good advantage when you're surrounded by idiots.

Like I am.

Cuz apparently Hollows are idiots as a species. Makes one wonder how they survive.

… Oh, wait, they don't.

Guess it's easy to remain relevant in an ecosystem when you pop out of nowhere without rhyme or reason, your only competition are creatures of your same species and you cannot actually die of hunger.

I wonder if we Hollows all grow smarter as we evolve? Anansi and myself were clearly outliners and the only other Hollow with a modicum of smarts I've ever met was the skull-thing. I'm pretty sure it was one of those gestalt-like Gillian things.

Will I grow smarter too? How will I be as an Adjuchas? Or a Vasto Lorde? Then again I'm already pretty intelligent, so maybe I'll just get stronger… Meh,win-win. I can't wait to be big.

---

Turns out, this forest wasn't as empty as I initially believed. Thinking back, the apparently scarce population was probably due to the fact I was wandering through the Skull-things territory, and obviously other Hollows would avoid a Gillian capable of organizing an army under itself.

Now that I'm further away from the place, it's not rare to find targets here and there. Not enough to call the place crowded, but good enough to keep the hunger at bay.

I've taken to dragging my prey up to the branches once I got them neutralized. It's not hard once they're poisoned to the gills, and munching them while moonbathing feels… calming. It kind of helps me think. That with, you know, not being stuck in flight or fight mode for once.

That has allowed me to give some thought to Hueco Mundo as a whole, and the moon in particular. This place… is obviously not Heaven, but you can hardly call it Hell either because, what kind of Hell actually gives you a fighting chance? I guess you could call it the afterlife or, more precisely, an afterlife.

The place is stupid-ass ginormously huge, but the collective lives of all humankind are really stupid-ass ginormously numerous. And this place is a bit too empty to contain us all. So there must be more places. Or maybe Hueco Mundo is even more ginormous than I imagine. After all, what looked like a forest from the distance turned out to be just an entry to a whole different layer of Hueco Mundo, as stupidly huge as the desert above.

A-NY-WAY the place seems designed to drive you nuts. You're just dropped here, without any sort of tutorial or guidance, and only your instincts to help you survive. It doesn't even seem designed for humans. Just animals. Or hungry spirits.

Didn't the buddhists have an afterlife along those lines?

… Right, not the point. Don't distract me. Case is, I'm starting to think the moon in this place is special. I mean, it's the only thing out there in the sky, right? And it never moves? That has to mean something.

Or it could be just a pale reflection of the human world, like this stupid-ass cheating trees or the impossibly white desert above.

B-But! The moon is different! It doesn't just call to me, it gives feels!! Cool and calm peaceful feels that let me catch a moment of peace amongst all this craziness. It also gives me strength.

Not a lot, sure, but it's there. And it's always been there, even if I've only recently noticed. And maybe my skills at leveraging the moon's energy are nothing to write home about, but there's time to learn. I'm sure with practice and maybe some time to reflect on it it'll improve.

My point is, there's more to the moon than just a stupid white circle in the sky, and sometimes, when I've just stuffed my face with something tasty, I could swear I hear its song again. That or isolation is finally making me go crazy and I'm just hearing things.

...I'll keep you posted.

---

Your wandering around the forest has been met with plenty of prey! You've earned 2892480 EE!
-Power Level Up! You're now Level 33!!
The usage of your various powers have yielded results!!
-Abuse of Disparo Demora for mobility and acrobatics has greatly increased your expertise. You're on the verge of a breakthrough! Disparo Demora is now Lv 9-(85%)!!
-Usage of Punto Veneno to nearly the exclusion of anything else during combat was risky, but it paid off. Punto Veneno is now Lv 7-(50%)!!
-You didn't use Chupavidas much, but it remains your only munching method, so it still saw some use. Chupavidas is now Lv 6!!
-Meditating under the moonlight, trying to find the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything was quite the trip, but you think you're getting somewhere. That or you're going mad. Luz Lunar is now Lv 5!!
Oblivion Compensation!! Waived due to a particularly inspired usage of Luz Lunar (Nat100)

---

I've been hunting quite a bit lately. In that sense, finally losing my reservations has helped a lot. Being aware I can hit way above my weight class didn't hurt either. Oh, I know there are things out here I cannot hope to match, like the skull-thing Gillian, but I've been careful.

Keep to the high branches, study my prey, hit hard and unexpected. With all that, some targets still manage to put up a fight, but I've never again felt that foreboding aura of utter hopelessness the Gillian had. If that ever happens, I'm outta there faster than you can say 'thread slingshot'.

Of course, because Murphy loves to prove me wrong, that's when I feel a foreboding aura of utter hopelessness. And I don't even have a thread slingshot ready because I wasn't stalking anything.

The shock lasts enough that I freeze for a moment, but my brain is soon working overtime again. The feeling comes from behind and it's closing in fast, far too fast. I cannot hope to lose them if it comes to an open chase, and while they're some distance away, there's not enough time to lay a reliable trap.

If it comes to a straight-up fight I would likely end up relying on Escalada again, just for a chance to survive.

Can't run, can't fight… Can hide?

… Maybe? I don't really know how perceptive my potential demise really is and, considering how outmatched I am, there's a chance I'll be overlooked if I just stay quiet against a branch.

Not like that's a strategy I can be proud of, but needs makes musts and all that. To think I was having such a good feeling nicely… Damn, why can't I ever catch a break?

---

So! You're suddenly in an uncomfortable position. There's a threatening presence closing in and it has caught you with your pants down. How do you plan to get out of this mess?

Run. A timely retreat is a victory. You don't like your odds, nor do you particularly enjoy incurring on Karmic Debt. So you'll do your best to disappear from the scene. There's a chance the presence isn't here for you (heh, as if). So you obviously won't run in the same direction the presence is moving towards, because that's just retarded.
Trap. You can't lay a perfect, sure-fire trap, but you might be able to pull off something 'good enough'. So let's do just that. 'Welcome to my home, said the caterpillar to the ominous presence.', or something appropriately cool along those lines.
Fight. The depressing truth is, there's an infallible method that has seen you through all your problems so far: Good ol' fashioned violence. Get to the heights and drop on the presence when it least expects it. When you have a hammer, all your problems look like nails.
Hide. Might be your best chance at this point, really. Just stick to a tree trunk and pray very hard (but very quietly) the presence isn't here for you and it just passes through.
Faint. A time-trusted technique used by defenceless princesses everywhere: lose consciousness and hope you live to wake up. You have the distinct feeling that's not going to work… Why is this even an option?
Banter. You can always try and talk things out. What are the chances this presence is another Anansi? Pff! You could talk circles around your everiday dumbass Hollow, assuming they aren't too dumb to understand speech, that is.

---

[X][Plan] Run.
[X][Plan] Trap.
[X][Plan] Fight.
[X][Plan] Hide.
[X][Plan] Faint.
[X][Plan] Banter.
[X][Plan] Write-in.

 

[Demetric]

[X][Plan] Hide.

We rarely notice an ant when we run by, no?

Also, can we please keep this quest free of the hard R word? I'd prefer this be kept free of slurs.

 

[LokKi]

[X][Plan] Run.

 

[Fonteius]

Thanks for the chapter.

Really looking forward to the part where she learns about Garganta, it should be one of the easiest skills to learn once they get even a glimpse of its possibility, even the lowest levels of Hollow seem to do it a lot with no problems. Also, I want to see her meeting Tattletale again, and maybe some revenge on a few Worm characters.

[X][Plan] Run.

 

[globalwarmth]

[X][Plan] Hide.

 

[Jubjub3000]

[X][Plan] Hide.

Hide by setting up a little market stall that sells various web products like beds and clothes... don't forget the fake moustache and glasses!

The market stall can be made with sticks from the trees stuck together with some sticky web

 

[Megagulp]

[x][Plan] Hide

 

[CatOnFire]

[×] Plan: Sticky Tread and Run
[×] Trap
then
[×] Run