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can we try and tame the Jade Emperor
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Oct 11, 2022 18:33
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dervival posted:can we try and tame the Jade Emperor He's not a contestant with a piece as far as we know and thus is untargetable on the tablet, sadly.
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Oct 11, 2022 22:57
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 Attention! Dog is currently attempting to tame Jade Emperor. During this challenge- Wait... very funny.
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Oct 12, 2022 03:52
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PepperedMoth posted:Given Bunny and Dog's shared contentious past, giving Bunny the code so he can try to tame Dog is guaranteed to be a drama-bomb.
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Oct 12, 2022 17:36
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 [BGM: The Undying]  Dog casually walked out of the room.  Dragon, I bet you'll be a lot more cooperative. Tch. Like hell I'd work for you! Yeah, yeah, we'll talk again when you're properly tamed. Don't think you're going to get to just do what you want! I'm gonna beat you to such a pulp, you won't be able to lift a card! Careful, that could be considered interfering. If you do something that'd help Dragon win, you'll be executed.  I already said I'm willing to put my life on the line! I'd happily die to show you your place. Then this is a real problem. You want to punch me and I don't want to be punched. Horse, mind stepping in? What? If I die, you die too. So it's in your best interest that Tiger doesn't hurt me too much.Horse thought about it for a second. Then, he moved forward and started to restrain Tiger.  Hey! what the hell? Get your arms off me! Nothing personal. Don't resist. Like hell I won't resist! The two began to struggle, but it was clear neither would be punching Dog anytime soon. So the room's attention shifted back to Dog and Dragon. Dragon looked down the list of games she could choose. Ox looked over her shoulder.  Think carefully, Dragon, you have a chance to turn the tables here. If you beat Dog, you can wipe out the biggest threat to our co-existance. But you know, you don't need to really stress about it. You're kinda in a win-win situation right now. If you win, congratulations, you defeated the big bad guy. But even if you lose, you get a ticket to ride an easy train to survival. I already said I'm not working with you! And I already said we'll talk later. Now pick a game.  Fine. We're playing Concentration. Oh? I'll tell you now, whatever you think about me, you're wrong. I get that I don't look like I'm the smartest and that's because I'm not. I won't lie about that. But my memory is killer. You think you can just challenge anyone to anything and it'll be cool? You've got another thing coming. My. You're certainly confident. So what are the specific rules. We'll spread out 50 cards randomly in a 5 by 10 grid. We'll take out a pair. I'll flip them all faceup, we'll have 20 seconds to look, then you'll flip them back face-down. Pairs are going to be cards of the same value and color. So a 3 of Hearts and 3 of Diamonds would be a pair. On a person's turn they can flip over two cards. If they are a pair, they pick up the pair, put it in their stack, then can try again. This continues until they flip over two cards that aren't in a pair, or all the cards are gone. When all the cards are gone, the person with the most cards in their stack wins. Oh, and I get to flip first.The rules were simple, but far from fair. If Dragon really had as good of a memory as she claimed, going first was a humongous advantage. It was possible she could sweep the whole thing in one go. I expected Dog to argue back, to try and agree on fairer rules. However...  Sounds fine to me. Really? Of course. Why, are you so surprised by that? Uh, no, not at all. Smooth. Shut up.[BGM: Silence]  I'll take out the Ace of Spades and Clubs, then shuffle the cards.Dog did just what he said, and the two gathered around a table. Just as simple as that, this life-and-death game was beginning. Meanwhile, Horse and Tiger were still struggling at the side of the room. The rest of us had just been watching all of this unfold. What else could we do? Dog placed a stack of cards on the table, and Dragon began placing the cards face-up in the grid she described. After the last card was placed, she began to count to 20 aloud. 3... 4... 5... When she reached 20, Dog leaned forwards and started frantically flipping cards over. Unlike Dragon's cool and methodical approach, Dog used both hands to reach all over the grid and quickly flip them over in a random, rapid order. The technique seemed to annoy Dragon, but she didn't see anything. Finally, all the cards were face down again. [BGM: Fire Breath]  And here we are. Here we are. I'd wish you good luck but, well, you know how it is. I understand. I wasn't relying on luck anyways.A confident smirk came across Dragon's face. She knew what she was doing. She started by flipping the card in the top-left position. 8 of Spades. She then counted 4 rows down, then 3 columns over. There, she flipped over the 8 of Diamonds. She picked up both cards and put them in a stack right next to her. Then she flipped over the card which was to the right of the top-left card and found its match in a similar method. This pattern repeated itself over and over again. Dragon wasn't just winning this game, she was crushing it! I had my doubts, but she wasn't bluffing. Dog also looked surprised, impressed at Dragon's skills. But on the inside he must be regretting things. He was so confident when he challenged her, but he was getting his rear end handed to him.  This was the weakness of letting the opponent choose the game. They could choose what they were strongest at. I was feeling confident in Dragon's victory until the 11th pair, where she failed to get a matching pair. Instantly her face turned to confusion.  What? Oof, that's gotta hurt. Good run though. No, this can't be right. That card wasn't supposed to be there! Must've got it mixed up in your head. No way! Hey, happens to the best of them. Quit worrying so much. You've got a real lead on me. I'd have to be a miracle worker to make a comeback from here. Despite his words, the creeping smirk on his face made me instantly realize that Dragon was about to lose. In a whirlwind, Dog flipped over pair after pair, mowing through the board. Midway through his rampage, Dragon's eyes perked up again. That card too, that wasn't supposed to be there! Don't know what you're talking about, a little busy winning!Pair removed. Pair removed. Pair removed. Dog ended up sweeping the entire rest of the board. Apparently Dragon wasn't the only one with impressive memory. In the end, Dragon had 20 cards in her stack, but Dog had 30. [BGM: Silence]  Dang, that was a close one. Good game. gently caress that! There's no way... it's bullshit!It looked like Dragon was on the verge of tears. She walked over to the wall and kicked it hard.  How strange. Dragon was so confident going into it. To make such a simple mistake, well, it strikes me odd. Simple mistake? You think memorizing a 5 by 10 grid of cards is easy? No, no, of course not. I don't mean to offend. It's an incredibly difficult feat. And judging by how well Dragon did, it's clear that she can accomplish that feat.[BGM: Lucky Foot]  Which is why I think it's odd that despite clearly being capable of the task, she had a few cards switched around in her memory. Um... I could be wrong about this, but, uh... Dog, did you cheat? Oh? I'm offended, Sheep. Why would you make such a hurtful accusation? I'm sorry, it's just that the way you flipped over the cards reminded me of my older sisters when we played Concentration. When we played, I'd always get mixed up.  And I later learned that when they'd flip the cards back up real rapidly, they'd use the speed and confusion to switch the places of one or two cards. If Dragon was really sure of where cards were, could that have happened here? Really? Dog, you scum, is she right on this? Of course not! Frankly, the fact that you'd slander me is so offensive! Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean- Don't back down like that! Just because he said he didn't doesn't mean he actually didn't. Why would he admit it? Well then, I suppose you have some morsel of evidence to support your claim? You wouldn't just libelously state things without any proof, would you? … No? Then I suppose the game is valid. gently caress. Don't despair, Dragon. You're on the winning side. I've got an eye for these things, and I know that the three of us can take down everyone else. It would've been a cleaner stomp if Tiger decided to join us, but that can't be helped. Horse can almost certainly defeat Tiger, and you can defeat pretty much anyone else. Well, it'd be a different story if there were weapons or elements of surprise. But in a straight up brawl? Well, you're the Slugger Queen, right? That- So are you going to let your whole crew down to save a cop, some lawyers, and a bunch of high-class nobodies? Or are you going to make the smart decision? … I'm sorry, everyone. But I'm not a good enough person to refuse his offer. Dragon, no![BGM: Constriction]  Even if I didn't agree, there's a good chance that he would've succeeded anyways. This is just jumping off a sinking ship. There is no shame in your decision. We all must do what we have to. Sure there's shame! Lots of shame! Shame on you and your friends and family for as long as you live! Calm down. Panic gains us nothing. I'm not panicking, I'm convincing! Poorly. Will this really simply devolve into a gang fight? We can take them!  No we can't. Yes we can! *sigh* Now then, lets get started.Bunny was right, this wasn't a fight I felt good about. Tiger was our biggest asset, but she was likely outmatched by Horse. As for the rest of us, we had the numbers advantage, but none of us could likely beat Dragon, save maybe Bunny. It wasn't totally hopeless, but I didn't like our chances. But what about the Taming Whip? If we used that, people like Horse and Dragon could still be saved! I remembered the numbers for it: 3195. drat, I should've thought about things better. I was too far from any separate rooms. Bunny, however, was right next to a classroom. What to do?  Another important vote! The thread voted to give Bunny the code here, so that's what we're going to do.   There was really only one thing I could do. Bunny, the Whip's code is 3195! Quickly, get Dog!Instantly, Bunny realized what I meant. He sprung into action, rushing into the nearby classroom. Horse chased after him, but by the time he reached the room the door was already closed. He tried breaking in, but before he could finish, that familiar announcement played. Attention! Bunny is currently attempting to tame Dog. During this challenge, the Round's timer has been paused. Know that any participant that in any way interferes with the challenge will instantly be executed.Just like the round, so did the brewing fight pause. There was no point so long as the fate of Dog was in the air.
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Oct 12, 2022 18:20
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 we seriously aren't able to say that he marked cards in the first match (and probably this one)? That's easy enough to check on the deck after the fact!
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Oct 12, 2022 19:41
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dervival posted:
once a taming attempt is live they can't because it "could" count as interference, and if they did so between matches then all dog would have to do is pick a game that doesn't use cards altogether, so there's no real loss for him either way
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Oct 12, 2022 19:46
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Narration posted:
These two cards are different colors, so there must be a consistency error somewhere; Dragon indicated that pairs would be cards of the same value and color…
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Oct 12, 2022 19:55
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AweStriker posted:These two cards are different colors, so there must be a consistency error somewhere; Dragon indicated that pairs would be cards of the same value and color… huh. good catch! i went back and checked the game itself to see if i just hosed up and wrote the wrong suit in but no, that's what the narration says, so probably just a slip-up on the creator's part. 
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Oct 12, 2022 20:15
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Mix. posted:huh. good catch! i went back and checked the game itself to see if i just hosed up and wrote the wrong suit in but no, that's what the narration says, so probably just a slip-up on the creator's part. I seem remember promises made in another thread about devs checking their logic in the minigames. I feel lied to.
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Oct 13, 2022 02:17
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No, Rat why?! Dog Faction would not have suspected her at all if she'd gone off to look for more items or run off in distress. In fact, she could have acted sooner. During the game with Dragon, she could have repositioned closer to a room or told Bunny the code quietly. Instead, Rat loudly tells the jury what the code is, opening Pandora's Box. Is this clever behavior? If she's evil, it could be... Rat doesn't get any blood on her hands whether Bunny wins or dies, but it isn't going to end cleanly. At a minimum, this gives the Defeated an extra shot at taking everyone else out. If things look dire for them, the Taming challenge is a quick way to turn the situation around. At its worst, the trial will devolve into a battle royale. I hope Rooster manages to find a one-way ticket out of the game quick.
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Oct 13, 2022 07:04
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 [BGM: Silence]  Bunny left the room with a confident smirk. drat. I was hoping we wouldn't get to this stage. But fair play, Bunny. You challenged me. Yeah. So I'm protected by the 'no interference' clause, right? Sure, sure. Neither Horse or Dragon is going to attack you.  That doesn't explain why they're not dealing with the others, though. Why would we? Huh? You moron, we're not eager to work with a psychopath like you. If Bunny wins this, he gets control of you, and by proxy, us. In that case, the group can all survive together and you can go die on your own fuckin' dime. Heh. Yeah, you got me. I realized the flaw in my plan the moment I challenged Dragon. Got the feeling this might devolve into a last-man-standing gamble fest. And you know what? That actually sounds interesting. It's been a long time since I've actually been this excited about something. So come on, Bunny. You challenged me. Which means I get to pick what we play. Bring it. If it means stopping an evil-doer like you, I can handle anything! Now that's what I'm talking about, Bunny! Evil-doer, huh? How ironic. Hm? Well, no matter.[BGM: Metal Horse]  If it's a gamble-off we're in for, we should play some of the classics, don't you think? I'll challenge you to a game of classic Texas Hold'em. You're confident because you play against Bowen a lot, aren't you? I'm not sure if you were aware, but I've also played with Bowen quite a bit. Oh, I'm aware. And I know you can't beat him. He's my boss. I let him win. Is that so? Of course. How noble. So let's set the rules. I wanna keep things simple. Standard card things, we each draw 2, 5 community cards in the regular order, yadda de dah, nothing weird there. We'll each take 20 chips. The ante will be 1, and it'll increase every, uh, 12 rounds. That all sound fine to you? Of course. There's nothing to dispute in those rules at all. One thing I'll ask is that the spectators-He gestured over to our group. -stay a good distance from us, and they stand to our sides. I don't want anyone sneaking a peek at my cards and sending signals. But of course. I don't want any outside interference. It was almost fascinating how completely they had isolated the rather large group of people standing around them. In this moment, the principal actors in this story were Bunny and Dog. Everyone else was just to the side. Dog went over to the vending machine and grabbed some stacks of chips. Then he sat at a table and started splitting them up into two groups of 20. Meanwhile, Bunny thoroughly shuffled the cards. Let me be clear. Unlike most people here, I have some card experience. Don't think you're going to be able to pull anything. I'll eagerly use the 'cheaters get executed' rule. Don't worry, I wouldn't try something like that against you. I'm not that dumb. Good. Then let's get started.And just like that, they began to play. They played life-or-death Hold'Em with an audience of nine.  What do you think's going to happen? I don't know. Not a very interesting answer. Sorry. Do you think Bunny has a shot? He certainly has a shot. He's got the experience at least to stop Dog from cheating. And Poker's a game that can be won with one good stroke of luck. Bunny's definitely good at concealing his emotions. I'm sensing a 'but'.  But Dog chose this game. I'm guessing he's really good at it.He was really good at it. His face, despite being fairly expressive, was utterly inscrutable. Unlike Bunny, who stayed silent and maintained a determined expression, Dog liked to chat a lot. He'd constantly say things like 'This hand's really good' or 'God, this sucks!' It was impossible to tell when he was being genuine or when he was trying to manipulate Bunny. He seemed to alternate between the two with incredible irregularity. More than that, he'd bully Bunny out of hands with big raises early on. But he'd also sometimes fold to absolutely nothing. It was just hard to get a bead on him. It certainly seemed to annoy Bunny, but early on the effectiveness of this strategy seemed questionable. Bunny slowly gained a lead through the first half of the game. When Bunny led 26 chips to 14, Dog put in 10 chips on the flop. Bunny, who had trips, called. But Dog had two suited cards which matched the two suited cards in the flop. If a Diamond showed up on the turn or river, it'd be his win. The turn came, and it was the Jack of Spades. But a Queen of Diamonds came on the river. Just like that, Dog gained a 24 to 16 lead.  The game didn't go much better for Bunny after that. He lost minor squabble after minor squabble until he only had 7 chips left. When the flop came down, Dog looked mischievous. Ooh boy, I really shouldn't give you this sort of charity. But I don't want the game to end.He put in 7 chips. Come on, I'll gift you 7 chips. … I'm serious, no strings attached! I've got absolutely nothing, so if you go all-in you can start your comeback. You really like to bully other players when you play Poker, huh? Well, you picked the wrong hand to do it with. Bunny pushed all his chips to the center. I'm all in. Great!Dog flipped over his two cards. He had a Queen of Hearts and a Queen of Spades. That matched the Queen of Diamonds in the pool. Bunny's face immediately flushed. [BGM: Silence]  … What's the matter? You don't happen to have a 5 and a 7, do you? Oof, if you all-inned with a two pair, just for your opponent ot have three of a kind, that'd really suck, huh? … What are you hesitating for? Show your cards!Bunny lay his cards on the table.  Horse. Knock over the card deck. What? If you knock over the deck, mix those cards up with mine, we won't be able to know the outcome of this round. We'll have to do it over again. And why would I do that? Because Dog doesn't have the victorious personality.[BGM: Mousetrap]  I do.The entire room went silent. What? What was Bunny talking about? I looked over to Dog, and saw him trying to hold in a smirk. Bunny, what are you talking about? It's just what I said. I have the victorious personality. Then why is Dog doing all of this? Why'd he try to get Horse and Dragon to grab our tablets? He's probably got the defeated personality. It's mostly the same, but with one real caveat. The only person who can survive with the defeated personality is the victorious personality. Essentially, Horse, Dragon, if Dog wins you're dead anyways. No way... Yes way. So if you're going to die anyways, knock over the deck and help me win!Bunny snapped, shouting at them. But neither Horse nor Dragon moved. What's the matter with you two? Don't you get it? You're already dead! And if you're already dead, you should help me survive, drat it! Heh. You really don't get it, do you? What?! Sure, they can't work with me anymore. But why would they give up their lives to help you? After all, you just admitted to having the victorious personality. You two can actually win and live with me! They can't live if they get executed knocking over that deck. And besides, they want the group to live. So if they're going to make a move against me, it's not going to be when you're challenging me. Oh, Bunny. This is honestly such a disappointment. If you'd just played things a bit smarter, both of us could've survived. I was in the perfect position, if you'd just realized... No, but that wasn't the type of victory you wanted, was it? …[BGM: Silence]  Well, quit stalling. There are two more cards to draw. Who knows, if you get lucky, you can still win.With a trembling hand, Bunny moved to pick up the top two cards off the deck. He placed them face down next to flop cards. Generally the turn and the river weren't revealed at the same time, but Bunny had already gone all-in, so there was no need to delay. He left them on the table, face down. He was paralyzed. It was like he couldn't turn them. Scared, huh? I guess I'll do it for you.Dog casually leaned over and flipped the cards.  A 3 of Hearts and a King of Spades. No! Woof, rough luck buddy. But that's Poker for you.Enraged, Bunny lunged at Dog. He didn't get far, however, before a mechanical sound activated, and he fell to the floor, writhing in pain. He started scratching at his neck, to no avail. The knives in the collar were piercing his skin, choking him. I had to turn around. I didn't want to watch someone die. I wasn't the only one who averted their gaze. After a bit, I didn't hear any writhing. Bunny... I wanted to feel bad for him. But why did he hide his personality from us?  Christ, that was graphic. I'm gonna need to drink a lot to forget that.Dog's words were like a magic spell that undid our group paralysis. Immediately, Dragon sprung to action. 'We can get out together', huh? You want to work with me? poo poo!Dog scrambled to run into a different room. Dragon chased after him, and even though she was faster, the starting distance between the two let Dog get into a room before she could catch him. It was a matter of seconds before that blasted announcement played. Attention! Dog is currently attempting to tame Ox. During this challenge, the Round's timer has been paused. Know that any participant that in any way interferes with the challenge will instantly be executed.
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Oct 13, 2022 17:46
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We're going to be finishing this route next week, so it's time for you all to vote on what route you want next! ...Without knowing what route you're voting for, of course. Vote here: https://forms.gle/LpRstSrsajdX728R6 Normally this update would've gone up tomorrow but one of our cats is getting spayed Literally Tomorrow so I'm going to be away from my computer dealing with that, woops!
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Oct 13, 2022 17:48
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so guys you're not going to check that that deck isn't marked either? they're really bad at making sure that 'cheaters get punished' rule is actually enforced
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Oct 13, 2022 17:57
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PepperedMoth posted:And if Dog was lying about his assigned personality... watch the real Victorious person be Bunny. Well, I guess I called that bit, at least! Hopefully people get their collective act together and do something sensible to stop Dog, but given that this route is set to end pretty soon...  I'd think he'd go for Rooster next if he was actually Defeated, since Rooster's ability would be super-useful for that personality, and since nobody believes he's Victorious any longer there'd be no reason for them to be his bodyguards/enforcers--since if he's Defeated, they die whether he wins (by being in last place, in which case everyone else dies) or loses (by failing to meet his own "win" condition, in which case all his tamed players die along with him). At least we've gained some information about two peoples' personalities in this route! Even if it's not 100% confirmed that Dog is the Defeated personality, I'm pretty sure Bunny wasn't lying about being Victorious. Now I'm curious whether any of the other Major Trinkets can counteract/protect against taming, since again... while the whip has a heavy penalty if a player tries and fails to tame, it's pretty OP if you're as good at games (or cheating) as Dog clearly is. (I imagine any good ending would require preventing Dog from learning the Taming Whip's code.) (I voted 7-8-9 on the poll, just for giggles. Though the current, soon-to-be-completed route is more Dog-ate-Bunny.)
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Oct 13, 2022 19:28
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Bunny no  Hoping Dog gets his comeuppance this route. Even if Bunny lost at poker, he did plant seeds of doubt.
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Oct 14, 2022 01:21
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I actually hope Bunny was lying about having victorious, because it's hilarious that he basically killed Dog. Cause there's zero rules indicating you can't kill other players directly, and tamed people will die regardlesd when Dog crosses the finish line (since he has to have defeated personality, no reason to actually admit it) so the best he can hope is taking everyone else with him, cause the moment he runs out of tames Dragon is gonna rip him apart.
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Oct 14, 2022 07:59
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A Defeated personality does fit Dog better than Victorious. We learned this route that Bunny isn't working with Dog, despite them knowing each other. We also confirmed that Bunny is neither strategic nor kind. The real winner in all this is Rat, who gets away with murder by proxy and broke Dog's hold over the Tamed at no risk to herself. The protaganist has been quite clever and callous, hasn't she? NeoRonTheNeuron fucked around with this message at 01:59 on Oct 15, 2022 |
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Oct 14, 2022 09:53
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In fairness, Mouse had solid reasons to give the code to Bunny rather than using it herself--not only was he closer to an exit, he actually had previous personal experience with Dog that could potentially grant Bunny a much-needed edge. It didn't work out in the end, but she couldn't have known ahead of time that Dog was (almost certainly) lying and Bunny was Victorious (assuming Bunny himself wasn't lying). It's not necessarily a matter of callousness on Mouse's part. Though I'm interested to know what rules, if any, might be given for the other personalities--or whether embodying or defying those personalities has any in-game effect. I could imagine that Mouse taking opportunities to demonstrate cleverness might be conceived as a sort of "redemption" if the Jade Emperor feels Mouse's father failed to save his client due to a lack of cleverness... or that stepping back and letting others figure things out might meet with the Emperor's approval if he blames Mouse's father's failure on trying to take on a task he wasn't capable of. (Also, I hope the spaying goes well/the kitty is doing okay!)
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Oct 14, 2022 22:02
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PepperedMoth posted:(Also, I hope the spaying goes well/the kitty is doing okay!) she is home and is very, very wobbly but otherwise doing a-ok  ....her older brother on the other hand experienced every stage of grief when we took her away this morning and came back without her, and is now just very grumpy we won't let him play with her yet
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Oct 15, 2022 01:16
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She just really wanted to join the race.
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Oct 15, 2022 01:26
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 [BGM: Ox's Logic]  Phew. I gotta hand it to you, that was a close one. This whole thing's really giving me a heart attack. You're the one getting a heart attack? Ah, I guess you're right. That's not fair. Without the help of Horse and Dragon, what's your 'long-term' plan here? Are you going to play against each and every one of us until we're all under your control? Why would I tell you that? You can sit back and watch the plan kick into action. I don't think I want to. Oh, I guess I didn't think about that. Would you all just be quiet? I'm trying to pick a game that I can actually win. By all means, take as long as you want. … ...Whatever. If I think about this for too long, I'm going to get a migraine. How about we play 'Two Truths, One Lie.' 'Two Truths, One Lie', huh? I've no objections to it. Seems like sort of a random game for you to choose, though. Not what I'd expect. It's basically a game of interrogation, which isn't entirely far away from my actual line of work. A game of interrogation, huh? Not how I'd characterize it, but to each their own. We'll keep the rules simple. Every round will consist of two phases, your phase and mine. On your phase, I will make three statements. One will be a lie, the other two will be true. You need to guess which one isn't correct. If you guess right, you get a point. If you guess wrong, you don't. Then we do the same thing, but I have to guess and you have to make the statements. The game will end whenever a round finishes with one of us in the lead. So basically it'll keep going until someone both 'attacks' and 'defends' successfully, huh? If you wanted to think about it like that, I guess that works. I've no objections to that on the face of things. However, there's a bit of a problem we might run into that I'd like to address. Unlike a friendly game of this, there's a bit on the line, isn't there? So how do we know if the other person is being genuine when they reveal which statement was the lie? We'll simply have to write down the false statement beforehand. Mm, that works on the gritty mechanics side of things, but how do I know your 'truths' will genuinely be true and vice-versa? How about this: Brian's observing these matches live, right? He's clearly done quite extensive research on our backgrounds before this, and he has access to the internet. Behind the scenes, I would ask Brian to reasonably vet our statements, and if anyone says anything is true that isn't true, or vice-versa, that person instantly forfeits the match. You know Brian doesn't know everything about us, right? True, but we are both unaware of what he does know. I would think the risk of instant disqualification will be motive enough to not cheat. Alright. Yeah, I can roll with that. We're just burning daylight as it is. Let's just jump right into it. Fine. We can start now. I will go first.[BGM: Silence]  Ox stood in thought for a few moments. He then looked around for a nearby sheet of paper. It took an awkwardly long amount of time to find some, but once he did he scribbled something down and folded the sheet up. [BGM: Stampede of Truth]  Okay. 'I wanted to be a singer when I grew up.' 'I have a younger sister.' 'I am currently single.' Which is a lie? Uck. Those are your three statements? Those blow, my dude. But alright, I guess that's what we're going with.Dog stood in silence for a bit, before sighing. You're really no fun. Those were, like, nothing statements. It could honestly be any of them and I wouldn't be surprised. I'll, uh, go with you being single I guess. You seem like a pretty charming fellow. I'd think you probably have a lady friend on the side to have fun with. Prosecution's stressful work, right? You need someone to help with that.With a taciturn face, Ox simply unfolded his paper.  I am, in fact, an only child. Gasp. What shocking revelations. You've really blown my mind with that. This isn't supposed to be a slumber party activity, this is a life-and-death battle! Really? Then why did you choose the most middle school statements ever? You didn't ask any follow up questions, no wonder it was boring for you. You think this game is about follow up questions? Look, I'll show you how it's done.On Ox's paper, Dog scribbled his own statement, then folded the paper once more.  Chief of Police Bowen currently is desperately afraid of something, and therefore is secretly conducting a very intense investigation. Brian regularly showed up around my bar before this game started. I lied during the testimony I presented during Mr. Morris' trial. … So? What am I lying about?The fact that two of those statements had to be real, should have been real, made me shudder. What was Dog talking about here? What did he know? It also seemed to shake Ox. That's probably why Dog posed such questions.  Those are some big claims you just made. Let's go through them one at a time. How did you learn about Bowen's desperation? … … … Are you going to say something? Doesn't say anything in the rules about having to answer. So that's how it's going to be, huh? Figures. Guess I'm on my own. The third statement is so preposterous I'm tempted to pick that. However, if it's true, it's the type of thing that would explain why Brian would pick you for this sort of game. You're also not saying that the whole testimony was made up, which I know isn't true, just that at some point during it you lied. It could be something minor. It's plausible. But the second statement. That's actually something you already said. It was brief, but you mentioned it offhand back during the first round. Back then, you had no motive to lie. So we can safely assume that that was genuine. But why would you choose something that you had already mentioned? Did you just forget that you had said that? No, despite your outward appearances, you've proved to be an exceedingly shrewd person. You would remember that. And I bet you know I would too. In that case, even though I don't know why you'd lie about it, I think you did back then. And you remembered such a strange lie, and you're using it to your advantage now. I believe your second statement is a lie. Nah, sorry.Dog held out the paper. I didn't lie in the court. I'm a very good boy who would never sin against the Lord by committing perjury. Uh huh. So what was that about the Chief of Police? I've no obligation to tell. That's private information. We tied this round, right? Both our offenses failed? Then it's your turn to make some truths and lies again. Very well. If you disliked my strategy last round, I very much doubt you're going to like what I'm about to do. However, I think this is the best strategy.Ox took the paper and quickly wrote something on it. He folded up the paper and put it in his pocket. I drew a smiley face on that paper. I drew a frowney face on that paper. I only drew one face on that paper. You were right when you said I was going to hate this. This is literally nothing, Ox. You've made this a guessing game. Precisely. I hate it. Alright, here we go.Dog walked right up to Ox. Right away, I'm going to eliminate the third option. You definitely only drew one face. Knowing you, you probably drew a frownie face. That's just basic psychology. But that's probably what you thought I'd think. So then you drew a smilie face? Hm. I couldn't differentiate between your reactions when I suspected one than when I suspected the other. Is that because you really did draw both? No, no you didn't. Because I just saw you get less tense when I mentioned that. And now that I've flipped, you've suddenly got more tense. So which did you draw? You definitely drew a smilie face, didn't you? That was an audible sigh of a relief. Way too blatant. Now that you realized I'm reading your reactions, you tried to throw me off. So... You drew a smilie face!Ox's face grew visibly concerned. He held out the paper and sure enough, it was a smiley face. Ha! Wicked.[BGM: Bullfighter]  It's not over yet. I can still make a comeback if I guess your lie properly. Of course! It's far from being over, I wouldn't dare say that. Now let's see, what's a good one for this...Dog thought to himself, then started writing something down on the paper. He folded it and placed it on the nearby table. Here it goes. I wasn't the first one to read the whip's tag. Mouse wasn't the first one to read the whip's tag. Bunny wasn't the first person to read the whip's tag. Those were his statements? What was his game saying that? So you're just asking who read the whip's tag first in your group? Then-Ox started to turn around to look at me, then stopped. Hold on. If I read anything useful off of Mouse's face, that would count as 'interference', and she'd be executed, wouldn't she?I would? Is that why you picked this question? To try and get Mouse executed? No comment. Wow. And I thought you couldn't go lower. Yeah, yeah. Just make a guess. I'm not going to just make a guess when my life's on the line! Since you used the whip, it would make the most sense if you were the one who directly found it. But I can hardly be sure of that. However, I think you know I would be driven away from choosing you as the reader. And therefore, maybe that's why you posed the question like this. And therefore, I'm guessing that 'I wasn't the first person to read the whip's tag' is a lie!Dog just chuckled, and in an instant Ox's face fell. Too bad, so sad. Tell 'em, Mouse! ...I read the tag off the whip first.[BGM: Silence]  Man, Ox, you should've had more faith in your good pal Mouse! So that's that, then? I'm under your control now? Yup. So the round's over? I suppose.Dragon smirked, and Dog ran into another room. Instead of continuing to chase after him, Dragon just stopped when she realized he would make it to the room. Everyone waited for him to challenge someone with the whip.  However, no announcement came. Hey, what the hell, Dog? Why aren't you challenging someone? Why would I challenge someone? Uh, because you want to stop me from beating you up. Why would you beat me up? Are you dense? Dragon, think about things a little more clearly. The last thing you want right now is for me to challenge someone. As the challenger, if I lose, I die. Yeah, and? Have you not been paying attention? If I die, you die! That's... It would be much better for you if the group won after challenging me. Then they'd get control of me, and by extension you, and could lead the group to a mutual win. Hold on, Dragon, if you don't make him challenge someone, he gets to pick the game! That lowers our odds of winning! Winning doesn't matter if that victory will kill you, aren't I right? … Sorry Mouse, but Dog's right. As much as I want to kick the poo poo out of him, I'm transitioning to be his bodyguard. If you want to get to him, then one of you needs to be the one to challenge him. But we'd be at an advantage. I have to ask- must we challenge him? Can we not simply run the clock out on him? So long as so many are unwilling to cooperate with him, it'll be exceedingly hard for him to get out alive. If you try doing that, I won't input any actions for anyone I control this round! That way, they'll be executed! You fucker! I'll beat the hell out of you! Don't get mad at me, get mad at them! If you want to survive, your only option is to get someone who hasn't challenged me to challenge me, and for them to win! So come on, get to convincing! Dragon looked painfully at us. She was in a really tough situation. I didn't envy her. On the other hand, it was a tall order to convince anyone to challenge Dog. After all, everyone so far had lost to him, even when they got to choose their ideal game. The prospect of dying upon losing to Dog was an incredible disincentive to challenge him. And there wasn't any real motivation to challenge him. At present, even though Dog had plenty of leverage, it was mostly an empty threat to those he hadn't yet challenged. If things stayed on course, Dog would still be unable to fulfill his personality's win condition. Not with everyone against him. He could use the people he had currently tamed as leverage, but once they died he'd be forced to resort back to challenging us one at a time if he wanted to win. But... If we did nothing, Horse, Tiger, Dragon, and Ox would all die. Was it right to abandon them like that? It wasn't. I steeled myself. [BGM: Dance of the Snakes]  However, right as I was about to say something, Snake stepped forwards. Very well. I suppose the task falls to me.
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Oct 17, 2022 16:44
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Get his rear end,
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Oct 17, 2022 17:22
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Mix. posted:
well no poo poo, the Jade Emperor was the first person(or 'one') to read that tag. does it not count as lying if you don't know you're wrong? E: hold on, first 'one' vs first 'person' for Bunny is troubling dervival fucked around with this message at 17:50 on Oct 17, 2022 |
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Oct 17, 2022 17:43
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quote:Dragon smirked, and Dog ran into another room. Why is nobody standing between Dog and the doors at this point??? He's already tamed four players in a row by running out of the room as soon as possible to use his tablet, for heaven's sake! Show a little foresight and self-preservation! Re: "one" versus "person"--it's subtle enough that it could just be a fluke on the writers' part, but... yeah, it could be hinting at something about the way Dog views Bunny (though I'd think he'd be less likely to see Bunny as a "person" instead of a "one," given that he has negative history with Bunny). Best of luck to Snake, because boy am I sick of Dog steamrolling everyone.
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Oct 17, 2022 20:22
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Yeah, I'm really hoping there is a solid payoff of dog getting owned. What a jerk!
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Oct 18, 2022 01:27
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Rat posted:At present, even though Dog had plenty of leverage, it was mostly an empty threat to those he hadn't yet challenged. If things stayed on course, Dog would still be unable to fulfill his personality's win condition. Not with everyone against him. I don't understand what Rat means. If there are no more Whip usages, then Dog should be able to pull off a solo victory. Dog already has more than enough people to secure being last place. Dragon blocks movement for herself, Dog, and Ox. Horse can Steady Gallop to the end with the remaining time. Tiger can always be forced to the prior River. The other contestants have no way to push themselves backwards, so they cannot force a 9-way simultaneous victory or cause Dog to no longer be in last. People who won't make it to the end: Dog, Dragon, Ox, Tiger, and Bunny People who might make it to the end: Horse. Rat, Snake, Sheep, Rooster, Monkey, Pig Since there are only 7 eligible people to make it to the end, and Dog can remain last, Dog wins (assuming he's really the Defeated). In fact, he didn't have to challenge Ox. After Bunny's defeat, challenging Ox only gave him style points. From my perspective, the remaining cast have a strong incentive to challenge Dog. If none of them do, they're all dead. The real question is which of them should try first. Luckily for Rat, Snake seems to be volunteering.
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Oct 18, 2022 06:37
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NeoRonTheNeuron posted:Dragon blocks movement for herself, Dog, and Ox.
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Oct 18, 2022 07:29
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I note that at no point did "Brian" acknowledge his given role here, which suggests that either it's a recording (or primarily a recording), or that the Jade Emperor is not the kind of person who is going to let themself get used by the players in any way.
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Oct 18, 2022 16:28
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 content warning: allusions to suicidal actions [BGM: Dance of the Snakes]  Finally! A challenger. I knew you were a fun one, Snake. Care to join me in a battle of wits? Comparing any of the games we've seen so far to a battle of wits is like comparing a paradelle to poetry. But I'm reasonably confident in my abilities no matter which game you choose. All I've seen from you are parlor tricks designed to exploit your opponent's intellectual blind spots. Perhaps this comes across as arrogant, but I possess no such blind spots. I will be no easy opponent. Yeah, that comes across as extremely arrogant! But I guess you're not that wrong, really. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. And while you've got plenty of weaknesses, Snake, I'll concede that speaking intellectually you're fairly well rounded. I certainly won't be able to pull any cheap tricks. So then the question: what to play against you? Hmm... I could hear Dog tapping his forehead while he looked through the list. Well, let's have some fun, why don't we. It looks like you've already been having fun. Let's play... Russian Roulette!Russian Roulette? Dog re-entered the room. Well, I'm sorry to disappoint, Dog, but I believe we'd need guns for that. Oh, like these?Dog pulled two guns out of his pocket.  Holy poo poo! What the hell, Dog?! When did you get those? They were under the dartboard. Figured I'd hold onto them. If you had those, why have you been acting all defenseless? You literally have a gun! Yeah, well, I didn't think to grab bullets at the time, and if any of you saw me grabbing bullets I'd probably be decked. I figured if it'd be that much trouble to get it set up, I might as well play things fairly straight. But now we've got a great excuse! I must ask, what do the rules of 'Russian Roulette' constitute? The tradition is fairly ambiguous, and not normally a competition. I guess I've gotta come up with rules for this, huh?Dog took a moment to formalize his thoughts.  Okay, let's go with this. To start with, if you ever shoot yourself in the head, that's obviously an instant loss regardless of any other contexts. Also, whenever you shoot, you have to spin the cylinder enough so that it's totally random. We'll each have a gun and 6 bullets. We can then load any amount of bullets we want into the gun. None? 6? Doesn't matter to me. Next, we show our guns. Whoever loaded more bullets, wins. But there's a catch. Right. Both players have to fire the gun at themselves before a winner can be declared. Even the supposed 'loser' has to shoot? Exactly. To avoid a 'both dead' situation, the loser will shoot first. If we put in an equal amount of bullets, the game then becomes who is willing to fire at themselves more. If I fire, then you fire, then I fire and you're not willing to fire again, I'd win. If we've fired an equal amount of times, and neither of us are willing to shoot again, then we restart from the beginning. That all fly with you? I must say, it's a bit unorthodox, but I guess I don't have much choice in the matter, do I? I'm sad to say you don't. In that case, go get the bullets.Dog nodded and obliged. To the side, Monkey whispered to me.   It's honestly quite a fascinating puzzle. Really? It seems pretty luck-based to me. Certainly, chance is a large factor. However, there's also a psychological problem at play. If you put in more than 3 bullets, then win or lose you're more likely than not to die anyways. The worst situation would be having less bullets than your opponent and still having the possibility of shooting yourself. In that sense, if you think you're going to have less bullets, it would be best to put in no bullets and simply hope the opponent kills themselves. But if you put in no bullets, your opponent could just put in one, and they could win with very little risk. It's also worth noting that the loser fires first. If you think your opponent is going to shoot for the moon with 4 or even 5 bullets, it could be worth it to simply put in 6 bullets and hope they kill themselves. That seems way too risky a move. If you put in 5 or 6 and the other person put in 1 or 2, it'd be over like that. One thing's clear: it's almost impossible to win this game without some amount of risk. You're telling me. It's a shame. I've always wanted to try out Russian Roulette. You what?! Are you suicidal? Of course not, of course not. I'm just saying, it's an intriguing premise. Feeling the weight of the gun in your hand, the thoughts that must enter your head as you slowly pull down the trigger, the unsure atmosphere after you've pulled the trigger, between heaven and hell. It's surely a fascinating experience. From a professional point of view, of course. …I subtly took a step away from Monkey, and made a mental note to consider changing therapists after we got out of here. Anyways, while we had been talking, Dog and Snake had prepared everything. They each held a pistol and six bullets. Then they nodded at each other and brought their items under the table. After some time had passed, both were ready. [BGM: Silence]  Ready to begin? I've loaded my bullets. Have you yours? Yup. Then let's show.Snake held up his gun. I've loaded 4 bullets into my gun.Four? My, that's quite a few bullets. What on earth would prompt you to do that? On the one hand, it might seem like it's quite a risk of my life. [BGM: Slithering]  However, my odds should be considerably higher than one third when you consider that by loading four, I have nearly guaranteed my victory. I suspect that you've loaded two to three bullets. That should be the standard move. In the worse case scenario where you've loaded two, you have a one in three chance of killing yourself, and failing that, I have a one in three chance of surviving. Achieving two in three odds for this sort of gamble is perfectly acceptable to me. Neat thought process you've got there, Snake. Unfortunately for you, I'm a real scaredy-cat.Dog held up his gun. I've only loaded one bullet. I have to be honest- I thought you were going to load zero bullets. Well this is quite unfortunate. You're telling me. Looks like we've completely misread each other. I think this works out mostly for me, though. I'm afraid you're right. But I am yet to be sunk. Right, right, I could shoot myself now. Let's see if that happens, shall we?Without so much as a second thought, Dog began rapidly spinning his cylinder. Then he held the pistol to the side of his head and fired. … He didn't roll a one. That's that. Now, time for you to spin. Your unwavering confidence in the face of danger is commendable. I wish I had your resolve. Getting cold feet? Yes. Let us hope my time in the military has served me well. Time in the military? There are many different types of pistol. And there's a funny defect about some of them. Many let weight affect how they spin around in the cylinder. By examining it, I think this is one such pistol. I've loaded my four bullets in a line. By shifting the center of gravity within the chamber so drastically, it should be more likely that I end up with a bullet-less shot. Wow. Cute theory. But will it work? We shall find out.[BGM: Silence] Snake held the pistol straight out, then gave it a few good spins. He let the cylinder come to a natural stop, then he brought it to the side of his head. He took a deep breath in. Plaudite, acta est fabula.Then he pulled the trigger.  *click* Ah. It appears my gambit has paid off. I'm sorry to inform you Dog, but you are no longer in cont- *BLAM!* Snake was shot right through the head. His body went limp in his chair. No!!! What the hell?! Why did he... I felt the urge to vomit. [BGM: Fire Breath]  Sitting across from Snake, Dog held out his gun with a blank look on his face. Dog! What the hell do you think you're doing? I made the rules perfectly clear, didn't I? 'The cylinders must be spun so that the shot is completely random'. Oh, Snake. Always so eager to prove your cleverness. If he had just shut up, he would've gotten away with it. He didn't cheat, the pistols were built like that! Oh really? Then Brian, if Snake didn't cheat, execute me right here, right now.There was a long pause of silence with Dog looking up in the air.  Well, that settles that. So, next up...Dog leaned over and grabbed the gun from Snake's still-warm hand. It took a second to process what he was doing, but once I realized it, I immediately began running. Get away!My warning spurred other spectators to start hiding out. I slid behind the nearby wall as cover. A bullet whizzed right by my side, almost grazing my jacket. Why are you running?poo poo. Using Russian Roulette as an excuse, Dog had gained control of the situation. The only way to approach him now would be to use the Taming Whip. But who could challenge him? Pig? Sheep? Monkey? No, I knew what I had to do. What I should've already done before Snake challenged him. I ran towards the nearest empty room. Then, when I was safe, I turned on my tablet and pressed the ITEM button. I input the code. And...  Congratulations! You've begun an attempt to tame Dog. Please wait for Dog to select the game you will be challenging him to.[BGM: Silence] With that, he couldn't harm me without interfering with the game. I walked back into the Commons, and Dog was looking fairly miffed. Those Dog had already tamed were standing around, but those still clear had fled to nearby hiding spots, scared off by the gun. Well, well, well. So it's come to this. That it has. I had a feeling I'd face you down before this was done. Did you now? Well, to be fair, I had a feeling I'd face most of you people. Before I agree to anything, I've got a request. Hit me. I want you to place the guns over there by the couch. What? Why? I think that even if I win, you might be such a sore loser that you're going to try and kill me. For real? That's a totally uncool thing to do. You really think I'd do something like that? I wouldn't put it past you. Well, if it makes you happy. Dog walked over to the nearby couch and placed both pistols down. That good enough for you? Yup. Now, pick a game for us to play. Okay, okay, on it.Dog whistled as he looked through the list. There were two dead bodies in this room. How could he act so nonchalantly? He really didn't care about anything. No, that couldn't be right. If he didn't, he wouldn't be going through all of this. I could be lame and just choose a game already done, but that's no fun. Let's just go with a classic. You seem to be a very honest person, Mouse. I try to be. Then you should struggle at 'Liar's Dice'.
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Oct 19, 2022 17:47
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??? How is shooting another contestant not interference? If Dog wanted to call out Snake for not following the rules to get him that way, but just loving shooting him can't be anything other than interference, no? Is Dog loving Brian or something? E: actually, how can the hell can Dog's shot be considered random while Snake's isn't? Both guns have the same defect. dervival fucked around with this message at 18:21 on Oct 19, 2022 |
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Oct 19, 2022 17:55
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He proved to Brian's satisfaction that Snake was cheating, but also yes this is kind of irritating.
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Oct 19, 2022 18:08
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As requested by our late friend,  . But you should never reveal your tricks!Also I'm now on board with either "Jade Emperor is just a recording" or "Jade Emperor isn't Brian and thus isn't responding to that name on purpose" theory. ...And if Dog is also in on that theory, it'd explain his confidence. eta: I will also accept "Dog is Brian's/JE's boyfriend" theory, obviously. Oh, oh, potshot time: Dog genuinely thinks Brian's running the game, but doesn't realise JE and Brian are different people. (Sorry, this is the most fun part of these games for me. Potshots for everyone! )
mycelia fucked around with this message at 18:25 on Oct 19, 2022 |
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Oct 19, 2022 18:22
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Honestly this whole sequence has started to feel like it’s dragging on a little. Whether it counts as a “shaggy Dog story” is something else though… does that even apply here?
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Oct 19, 2022 18:24
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at this point I'm just kinda hoping it turns out the Emperor's not responding because Rooster killed him off screen two updates ago or something. that'd at least be amusing. gonna be honest, this has not been a very promising introduction to the game. really hoping we're not in for ten more iterations of "Mouse takes their pick of two puzzles they don't actually have to solve and then stands around watching Player X monologue for the rest of the route."
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Oct 19, 2022 18:26
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AweStriker posted:Honestly this whole sequence has started to feel like it’s dragging on a little. I think the dragging is part of the format rather than the game; I can see this going a lot more quickly when played.
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Oct 19, 2022 18:30
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Yeah, I'm sure it goes by a lot faster when playing but holy gently caress is it irritating to just watch this guy steamroll over everyone else. At least this SHOULD be the final game, win or lose.
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Oct 19, 2022 18:43
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Not to distract everyone from the bullshit rules lawyering Dog just did, but:Mix posted:
We should, uh, make sure Monkey never gets her hands on a trinket. Good thing Mouse has good enough instincts to know when to change therapists!
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Oct 19, 2022 18:52
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Nick Buntline posted:really hoping we're not in for ten more iterations of "Mouse takes their pick of two puzzles they don't actually have to solve and then stands around watching Player X monologue for the rest of the route." without giving specifics, i can confirm now that each route is completely different in terms of vibes/setup (and there are shakeups in how you get the endings for some of them, too), this one is kind of an outlier in terms of its setup, for better or for worse.
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Oct 19, 2022 19:10
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| # ? Jun 7, 2024 21:05 |
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quote:I subtly took a step away from Monkey, and made a mental note to consider changing therapists after we got out of here. Yeah...that's an excellent reason to start looking for a new therapist. Are we sure we shouldn't send Monkey to fight Dog?
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Oct 19, 2022 19:19
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