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Excluding the jokers and the clubs suit there are 39 cards in the deck. Both players start with 13 cards. On your turn you can play or pass. Passing means you don’t want to play on any of the battlefields. When both players pass it enters the war phase, but if only one player passes then the other can play as many cards as they like. After the war phase both players draw back up to 13 cards, the loser from the previous war phase draws first. The deck is never reshuffled so there’s only a pool of 13 remaining cards to draw from. So if you dump all your cards on the first round, deliberately losing 2 battlegrounds by going over 21. Then a) you push a ton of cards to the opponents side whilst only losing 2-3 stacks, b) you draw back up to 13 but then the deck is empty so your opponent draws nothing, c) game continues until both players have no cards left so having X more cards in hand means X guaranteed stack wins if you only play 1 card per stack. Edit: The only wrinkle is that the loser of the previous war round plays cards first. And playing first is bad. The sum of 2 cards will always be 21 or lower, so if you play first and the opponent plays into the same stack as you then you can only win if you play an additional card into the stack. Elite fucked around with this message at 00:47 on Aug 12, 2023 |
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Aug 12, 2023 00:33
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Huh, it’s pretty interesting to see inside the head of someone running a grift. He’s an rear end, but an interesting one.
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Aug 12, 2023 05:26
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We haven't seen much of either of them, but would you vote for Aija or Bach?
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Aug 12, 2023 08:44
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Junpei posted:We haven't seen much of either of them, but would you vote for Aija or Bach? I’d vote for Laverna 
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Aug 12, 2023 10:24
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Junpei posted:We haven't seen much of either of them, but would you vote for Aija or Bach? I guess the question is, how bad is the situation in the city right now, and would Bach actually be able to change it for the better? Because right now he comes across as a bit of a naive idealist, who would probably end up getting torn apart between the organized crime syndicate and big corporations running the city. Yeah, Aija is more than likely corrupt, but she is a power in her own right. I'm not convinced that Bach would be able to hold his own in a power struggle. So, probably Aija? Also, Back's backstory stinks. He just one day up and decided he was going to run for mayor, overthrew his entire life and succeeded to the point where he is considered a credible threat to Aija's rule? With no backing at all, just through the power of his speeches? Yeah, right. BassMug posted:I’d vote for Laverna Laverna probably wouldn't want the job. Or she'd end up arresting half her staff before the end of the first month.
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Aug 12, 2023 12:28
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Junpei posted:We haven't seen much of either of them, but would you vote for Aija or Bach? Bach. Yeah he’s a bit out of his depth and definitely doomed for failure, but at least he seems like an actual person. Aija seems on the other hand just seems utterly fake. Aija posted:Ah, Officer Baldera, was it? Thank you, really. I'm glad to have such reliable members of our city's esteemed police force at my aid. Truly, it moves me to see Panthea's justice in action. Does anybody think she actually means that? Aija posted:My point is, I believe in second chances... and the people. And I believe in forgiveness. Why, that's why I've given the most gubernatorial pardons of any of Panthea's governors throughout history. Or that. Aija posted:Well then, don't let me bother you. Go on and catch a criminal! ...On behalf of dear Mr. Athen. Or that she’s deeply concerned what happened about Mr Athen? Everything about Aija feels aggressively fake, except for when she’s kind of being an rear end in a top hat to Laverna / the cops for doing their jobs. She offers Laverna a job but it still seems like she doesn’t like her, she just thinks she might be useful. And there’s almost certainly some level of corruption around Aija. The other party guests on Devon’s route mention “paying their dues” as “it’s not worth the hassle otherwise”. Which seems to suggest there are some material rewards for supporting Aija or some negative consequences for not doing so. The Duats seem to operate quasi-openly (for some of their ventures anyway) and Kane says this is a good thing as it brought order so it seems there’s some kind of quid-pro-quo arrangement between the Aija administration and gangs (possibly related to all those pardons she mentioned).
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Aug 12, 2023 18:55
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Aija is disingenuine, and Bach lacks killer instinct. We need Chara to be the dark horse and take over this town. I see why the thread determines the # of chips to bet by the ratio of losing votes to total votes. That's the counterintuitive-ness this game has, where payout scales with the risk you took to win.
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Aug 12, 2023 20:56
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 [BGM: Double Down]   Bach, be a pal for me, shuffle that deck of cards in front of you. Sure thing.Bach did as asked, giving a fairly basic Hindu shuffle a few times. A cut or two. He was at the level of somebody who interacted cards somewhat frequently, but not nearly often enough to be called an expert. Finally, once he had mixed the cards up to his satisfaction, he put the deck in the middle of the table. You wanna draw first, or should I? You can choose. Don't want you to think I did anything funny with the deck or anything. I didn't until you said something incredibly suspicious like that. Think I'll be drawing first, if you don't mind. Sure, sure, go on ahead. I reached out and slid 13 cards over to my side of the table, and began grouping them up into a little pile. After I was done, Bach reached over and did the same thing. I picked up my cards and quickly looked through them. An Ace, three face cards, a few low-value cards; it was an okay hand... if I was playing legitimately. And indeed, with two slight tweaks, this game was one that could be played legitimately. But it wouldn't be tonight. Usually, the first person to place a card is the person who lost more of the battles in the previous round. However, since there hasn't yet been a round, we're kinda in unprecedented territory. Since you're the newbie at this, I'll let you choose: do you want to go first or second? ...Second. Oh? And why's that? Since the person who's behind usually gets to make the first move, you'd be inclined to think it was better to move first. However... I think I'd like to be the one reacting to you. Well, that's a unique thought process. But no take backs! I looked through my cards and selected one. Then I placed it face down on the far left side of the table. Let's make this the first battlefield. Your move.I expected Bach to respond in a reasonable amount of time. However, on the very first move, he went deep into the thought chamber. These cautious types were the least fun. Whatcha thinking 'bout, pal? ...I'm just working through the possibilities. I've never played this game before, so forgive me if I'm a bit slow. Considering both players have hands of 13 cards, you have to assume that your opponent has, more or less, every value... You could only rule that out if you had 3 of the same type of card. Cards worth 10 points value are by far the most common. If you placed one down, and I responded in kind, then the only way you could win was if you placed an Ace down.  But Aces are super useful cards, and putting it down as the third card seems like a risky prospect. After all, if I placed a relatively low value card down on the stack instead, and you placed an Ace, I could place another relatively low value card on the stack and more or less secure it for my own. Therefore, the alternative play, playing an Ace down first, is actually a pretty attractive option, isn't it? If I played a 10-value card on top of it, if you then placed a 10-value card on top of that, the battlefield's yours. Worse, even if I didn't place a 10-value card on top of it, it's impossible placing your 10-value card would ever bust the battlefield to a value above 21. And even if I placed a relatively low-value card, it's difficult for me to put a fourth card on the stack, not knowing the first or third card. In gambling, winning the early rounds nets you momentum. This Ace maneuver seems pretty solid. I think that's what you tried. So...Hesitantly, Bach placed a card on top of mine. I had to say, I was decently surprised. Bach had better analytical skills in him than I gave him credit for. Not good enough skills, but decent ones. Heh. You know I could hear all that, right? I know. Oh, some reverse psychology going on. I can dig it, I can dig it. Personally, I love me some chatty opponents. The chattier, the better. ...Anyways. I grabbed another card from my hand, and placed it in the middle of the table. New battlefield!Bach eyed me with some suspicion at this move. He weighed his options carefully for a full minute. Then, nervously, he placed a card on the left-most battlefield. Yeah, this guy had no idea what I was up to. Now... it'd actually be better to give this one some thought, just in case. … With my options considered, I carefully placed a card to the right of the table. And there, all three battlefields defined. ...I don't quite get your strategy. Oh, no need to get it. Your turn. Bach continued to eye me with skepticism. Still, he proceeded to place a card on the center pile. Without much hesitation, I placed a card of mine on the right-most pile. Bach responded to this by placing a card on the right-most pile. Well, I wasn't backing down. I placed another card of mine on the right-most pile. Here, Bach hesitated. He was clearly considering passing. However, he decided to place one more card on the middle-most pile. To this, I placed a card on the left-most pile. He looked up at me, and then, with a slight grin, spoke. Pass.I smiled right back at him, and without even looking at my cards, placed one on the middle most pile. Pass.There was a bit of hesitation in this statement. Again, effortlessly, I tossed a card of mine atop the left-most pile. Pass?Bach had devolved to full-on confusion. That wasn't stopping me. I placed a card on the middle-most pile. This pattern continued, with me placing cards alternating on the left and middle piles and Bach continuously passing until I was completely out of cards. Then, and only then, did I let up.  And, pass! What was that? I was playing the game, Bach. I thought I explained the rules well enough. I mean, you did, I think. I just don't...Bach stalled out. He was just generally confused. He wouldn't be for long. Well, time for the War phase. As you could guess, I 'own' all three of the battlefields. Now it's time to see who wins the battles![BGM: Burn Card]  I turned over the left-most pile first. It didn't take a mathematician to calculate this one. Ooh, just a bit north of 21 it seems. This one's your win, Bach.I slid him over the stack. Reluctantly, he placed the stack right on his edge of the table. Now for the middle battlefield...Once again, I flipped over the cards... once again, the result was clear. Another bust! This one goes to you.I slid this stack over to him, and once again, Bach centered the stack and placed it on his edge of the table. Now for the main event...I turned over the cards.  The bottom two cards – the ones I led with – were a two and a three. Bach threw a Jack on top of that. And then the top card that I played was a five. That's 20. That's a victory for me. Well played, I guess? Why thank you.I slid the pile over to my side of the table. Well, 2-1, looks like you won this round. Since I lost more battles this round, I draw cards first.Then, suppressing a smile, I leaned over to the deck of cards and picked up the whole thing. Woah, woah, woah, what is this? A flash of irritation suddenly crossed Bach's face. What on earth are you doing? I'm reloading. You're taking the whole deck! Yeah, exactly. …Bach was smart enough that he realized what had happened by himself. Still, spelling it out was fun. I mean, a deck of cards without one suit is 39 cards in total. We each started out taking 13 cards. 13 x 2 = 26, 39 – 26 = 13. Now I'm just drawing back up to my full hand size: 13. Unfortunately... that means you won't be able to draw any more cards.  I laid it all out for you at the start, Bach. What are you getting surprised for?Bach just remained silent, a sour expression. You confused about anything? No, no, just... you were planning this from the start. I thought this was meant to be a friendly bit of fun. It is! I'm having fun. I don't have fun playing a game rigged with phony rules to screw over somebody playing for the first time. You don't? Well, guess people have their own definitions of fun. Bach, buddy, I gave you all the rules from the start– And I'm not contesting that, I'm just... disappointed. I don't quite see what you're getting out of this. I just said, I'm having fun! … Well, let's keep playing. I haven't lost yet.On this point, Bach was absolutely right. This little trick gave me a pretty decent advantage... however, its utility was more muted than you'd first think. Bach only played a total of 5 cards, which meant he still had 8 to work with. I had 13 cards, a 5 card advantage, and was only down one point. At first, you'd think that'd mean playing conservatively, I could just force 5 more points than him. But, if we both passed, the round would end, starting anew. And if he placed his cards atop mine, he could still win. This was why actually winning the right-most pile was a priority of mine.  So, I lost the last round, so I'll place a card down first.Gingerly, I chose a card and placed it to the right of the table. Bach took a minute to think. Then, he placed a card in the middle of the table. Pass.Instantly, Bach recognized his mistake. Then, with some careful consideration, he placed a card on the right-most pile. Hmm... Bach understood that the longer the game progressed where we were at an equal amount of points and we lost cards at an equal rate, the worse his position would be. Therefore, he was extremely unwilling to let a round pass where we played an equal amount of cards and gained an equal amount of points. With that in mind, I selected my card carefully and placed it atop the right-most pile. Bach's turn. Some hesitation, and then Bach placed a card on top of the right-most pile. Pass. Pass. Okay, War phase. I flipped over the middle pile, and revealed a 7 card. You own this pile, it's under 21, so that's a point to you.I slid it over to him, then flipped over the right pile. I had played a 9, then he had played an Ace, I had played a King, he played a 4. You also own this pile, but I'm afraid that this is 24. That's a bust, so this one goes to me.I slid the pile back over to my side. It was 3 points to 2, Bach's advantage. He was down to 5 cards, while I still had 11. One look at Bach, and you knew he understood how bad this looked for him. Well, no cards to draw, so onto the next round. Oh! And it appears I never laid out the rules for what would happen if we won an equal amount of battlefields in the previous round. I think it's fair that whoever played the first card the previous round continues the trend. Is that okay with you? Fine.Bach was just done with this. The only reason he was still playing was spite – a motive I could respect. Okay then, I'll go first.I grabbed a card and placed it in the middle of the table. Bach, with an uncharacteristic amount of speed, placed a card atop mine. I played a card on top of that one. ...Pass. Pass! War time! I own the sole battlefield, so here's hoping we're below 21.I flipped over the cards. I had played an Ace. He played a 10. I had played another King. Magic 21! Point to me.[BGM: Silence]  I slid the stack over to my side of the table. We were now tied, 3-3. Bach had 4 cards, I had 9. I won, so you place first.Without much thought, Bach placed a card in the middle of the table. I placed one on the left side of the table. He placed one on the right side of the table. Pass. Pass.Bach had given up. At this point, his loss was inevitable. He scored two more points, I scored one. He had 2 cards left; I had 8. I started the next round, and placed a single card down. He passed, I passed. 5-5. 2 cards to 7. He had to place a card the next round. I just passed, and he followed suit. 6-5. 1 card to 7.  I placed a card down. He passed. I placed another card down. He passed. I placed a third card down. He passed. 6-8. 1 card to 4. He had to place his last card down. I placed a card of mine to the right of his. Pass, pass. 7-9. 0 cards to 3. Well, it's honestly a little sad at this point, but might as well finish up the final round. I go first...I placed a card in the middle of the table. Pass.Bach was 100% checked out, which was great for me. Would make this last step so much easier. I placed a card at the right of the table. Pass.I placed a card at the left of the table. Pass. Pass! All right, I own all three battlefields, so time to check them. Do we have to do this? It's a matter of policy!I flipped over the three cards and dragged each one over to my side. At the same time, I stuffed my left hand in my pocket. Okay, new round, but I'm afraid...[BGM: Crawford Game]  Suddenly, I pulled three decks of cards out of my pocket and tossed them over to his side of the table. The War Is Over! What the hell? Let's go over just what's happening here. Firstly, the payout. The rules state that the loser owes the winner a white chip for every [round the winner won/stack on the winner's side of the table/card on the loser's side of the table] Lot of cards on Bach's side of the table, I must say. But we'll get to that in a second. After all, to get that payout, we need to decide the winner. And the person who [won the most stacks/has the most stacks on their side of the table/won the most cards/with the most cards on their side of the table] is the winner. So, uh, that'd be me. Which is great. Now let's look at the delicate matter of scoring. The score is based off of [when the final cards have all been placed/when the final war phase had started/when the final war phase had ended/when the phrase 'The War Is Over' is shouted], so let's look at that. Based on everything, Bach owes [12/52/162/174/208] white chips. Of course, let's not forget one key thing. Based on the rules, Bach owes [only what he has in his pocket/a white chip for every card on his side of the board]. Obviously. What else would Bach owe? That's what was said to Ossa, so that's what it is. [You won 7 chips!] [BGM: Kicker]  Okay, so, counting the stacks, I think I do win this, my 12 stacks to your 7. Now it's a matter of calculating the payout. On your side of the table that's three decks of cards, each with 54 in them, so that's a base of 162. Then amongst your stacks, there's 1, 2, 3– What the hell?! What is this?! ...174. You owe me 174 white chips. Hold on, what the gently caress is this? That's nonsense! What are you unclear about? Those decks of cards you just pulled out of your rear end! Out of my pocket, actually. When you said that you'd have to pay a chip for every card on your side of the table, I didn't think you could just pull cards out of wherever the gently caress! You were clearly talking about the cards that we were sliding across the table ourselves! Oh, were you confused about that? That's a shame. You should've asked for a clarification. Clarification?! Any reasonable person would interpret the rules the way I did! Sure about that? 'A white chip for every card on your side of the table' is pretty straightforward, if you ask me. This can't be legitimate! Afraid it is, my friend. Afraid it is. Right, Ossa? Lock is correct. The bet is valid.Bach recoiled as Ossa spoke up solemnly. He clearly had forgotten about Ossa's presence... and his presence reminded him of how thoroughly he was doomed. Of course this was bullshit – this whole thing was bullshit! So artless a move that I could barely qualify it as a 'trick'. This would never normally fly. Normally. But Bach had forgotten where he was. Bach had left the realm of common sense at this point, and entered a realm where the outcome is king. The rules of gambling were unbreakable in Nohoi's Nest. If rules were agreed upon by both parties, then they would be followed, no matter what. This was a precedent every single gambler who entered this underground casino knew quite well. Even if the rules were misleading or cheap, they'd be enforced. Ossa would make sure of that.  B-but, Lock, you said that if I lost more than I had on me, you wouldn't fleece me for anything more than that. Needless to say, I don't exactly have 174 white chips worth of cash on me! Huh? What are you talking about? What do you mean 'what am I talking about'? You said that! You promised it! I don't remember anything like that! I can't... this isn't...Bach's face was completely flushed with anguish at this point. He saw his doom spiraling around him. Ossa, did you hear anything like that? ...No such stipulation was stated while the rules were being settled. Even if Lock did say something like that, which you cannot prove, if it wasn't as a part of the rules of the gambling, they won't hold up.[BGM: Silence]  Jeez, Bach, the hell's up with that desperate lie? I mean, 'I won't take you for more than you have in your pocket'? What sort of provision is that? There's no way I'd make such an unreasonable concession!Bach wasn't in a state where he could respond. He didn't even have it in him to conjure up anger, he was working on pure despair at this point. I could see his legs wobbling. He looked close to keeling over then and there. This fool. He didn't have it in him to play at dens like this. He didn't have the brutality Panthea required from you. No wonder this guy'd never become the governor. Okay then. Time to pay the piper, Bach. As I said, you owe me 174 white chips worth of cash.
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Aug 14, 2023 23:23
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Regallion posted:For example, there is no rule that you can't just push all your stacks to the loser, once you win, to make them pay more. Elite posted:So if you dump all your cards on the first round, deliberately losing 2 battlegrounds by going over 21. Then a) you push a ton of cards to the opponents side whilst only losing 2-3 stacks, b) you draw back up to 13 but then the deck is empty so your opponent draws nothing, c) game continues until both players have no cards left so having X more cards in hand means X guaranteed stack wins if you only play 1 card per stack. Well between us we got that almost exactly right mechanically. Pulling 3 extra decks of cards out of his pocket was some extra level bullshit though.
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Aug 14, 2023 23:42
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…Wow, that was artless as hell. This guy 
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Aug 14, 2023 23:46
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It's amazing how disgusted I felt after reading that. I didn't think it was possible for Lock and Ossa to go lower than Olif. There is no way that Nohoi's Nest should be able to operate like this and retain a player base.
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Aug 15, 2023 01:27
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NeoRonTheNeuron posted:It's amazing how disgusted I felt after reading that. I didn't think it was possible for Lock and Ossa to go lower than Olif. I believe the point is supposed to be that Nohoi's Nest expects a level of cutthroat thinking that Bach wasn't even close to, and that the usual clientele would have not only called out Lock's BS long before this point, but also have had their own counter gambit running against him.
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Aug 15, 2023 03:06
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This really is the Dog route, huh.
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Aug 15, 2023 05:08
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How has lock not gotten a bullet to the head, old western style? If he pulls this kind of nonsense on the regular, you'd think someone would have just blasted him and taken their money back.
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Aug 15, 2023 06:12
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There's nothing exciting about this scam, and I don't see what Lock is getting out of targeting Bach. I want to know why Bach has to be targeted, why he decided to come to Nohoi's Nest, and how he knew the value of a white chip without knowing the risks of gambling here. If Lock's goal is to swindle Panthea, he's off to a poor start. This scam is dull and uncalled for; Bach is not a worthy mark. Lock has shown that he can only pull off these scams under the protection of Nohoi's Nest. The only worthy mark I can see is Polly Deisma. Aija is not coming here. Lock posted:For every card on the loser's side of the table once the scoring phase begins, the loser has to pay the winner a white chip. After losing the game and suffering through Lock's gloating, a competent Bach can still argue his way out. Ossa will have no choice but to acquiesce since there won't be any rules broken with these approaches. Lock posted:Time to pay the piper, Bach. As I said, you owe me 174 white chips worth of cash. Competent Bach posted:Oh, did you mean now?
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Aug 15, 2023 08:02
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NeoRonTheNeuron posted:There's nothing exciting about this scam, and I don't see what Lock is getting out of targeting Bach. See, now I’m gonna be disappointed if this doesn’t happen, because drat that’s good counter-sophistry.
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Aug 15, 2023 08:13
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NeoRonTheNeuron posted:It's amazing how disgusted I felt after reading that. I didn't think it was possible for Lock and Ossa to go lower than Olif. Lock himself points out that no actually canny gambler would ever accept this challenge, since he's so clearly trying to pull something with the "I'll pay double if I lose" nonsense.
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Aug 15, 2023 13:45
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I think Lock is trying to prove a point here, either toward Bach or about him...?
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Aug 15, 2023 18:56
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I mean, his plan is to swindle pandora as a whole and he just put a big mayoral candidate into comical debt, however much suspension of disbelief was broken by him being an obnoxious munchkin rules lawyer. I imagine the next stage involves forcing him to do stuff to work off the debt.
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Aug 15, 2023 19:04
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FoolyCharged posted:How has lock not gotten a bullet to the head, old western style? If he pulls this kind of nonsense on the regular, you'd think someone would have just blasted him and taken their money back. He doesn’t pull this on the regular though. Ossa said before that Lock doesn’t make enough money gambling for his lifestyle to make sense. So it seems like he only does this kind of thing rarely, and tries to milk it for all it’s worth when he does. Thing are a bit inconsistent though. “Trying to pull bullshit on people” seems like kind of the point of this venue - that people propose weird gambles and their opponent has to try to figure out what the trick is. But Ossa also warns Lock not to pull any scams/swindles and this gamble definitely seems like more of a swindle than a game. NeoRonTheNeuron posted:After losing the game and suffering through Lock's gloating, a competent Bach can still argue his way out. Ossa will have no choice but to acquiesce since there won't be any rules broken with these approaches. Until Lock pulled 3 packs of cards out of his rear end I think Lock could argue that the game was “fair”. Yes there’s a trick to it but, A) It was reasonably possible to grasp the trick from the stated rules B) Both players could have performed the trick C) Using the trick gave an advantage but not a guaranteed win. If Bach had realised what Lock was doing and also dumped his hand round 1 then Bach would win. If Bach started playing cards again when Lock’s hand was nearly empty then could take ownership of all the battlefields and be the one to draw up. And it wouldn’t be 13 cards vs 8, it would be 13 cards vs ~0. When Lock adds more cards is when things get bullshit, because it’s subverting obvious reasonable expectations. And at that point Bach can say he’ll pay 32nd of Nevervember and there’s nothing in the rules that prohibits that. And what’s really compelling Bach to pay? I can buy that a weird underground gambling den might have some burly blokes they can send to get people to pay their debts, it just isn’t clear why they’d do this for Lock’s sake. Collecting that debt isn’t their problem, it’s Lock’s. And it’s money Bach doesn’t even have - so investing any amount of money/resources collecting this debt is a losing proposition because he can’t pay it even if he wanted to. Also if someone roughs Bach up to press the issue then that seems like the sort of thing that could blow up in their faces. “Thugs beat up Mayoral candidate” is an awful look for the police so it’s something they’re forced to take seriously (in a way that they might not if it happened to Joe Slob). And if someone is brazen enough to intimidate a Mayor candidate to pay an obviously bullshit debt then why bother with the debt in the first place, might as well just try extorting money from him from the start.
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Aug 16, 2023 21:36
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 content warning: brief sexual harrassment/duress [BGM: Danrasu]  ...I don't... Oh, you don't have that on you? That's understandable. Well, I'm a reasonable guy, Bach. We can go together to a nearby bank, or– I don't have that kind of money... Huh? Who do you think I am?! Do you seriously expect me to have that sort of money? Woah, woah, woah, easy there. Good thing there's a table between us, huh? I mean, it's a healthy sum, don't get me wrong, but it's not that unreasonable. You sure you couldn't scrounge up that kind of money? Even putting together all your assets? No, okay? No, I can't, I don't have that sort of cash! I'm almost flat broke! Flat broke? Bach, if that's the case, why'd you agree to a gamble like this? Don't tell me you entered the bet with no intention on paying back what you owe! That's the biggest taboo a gambler can make! I thought the maximum I'd have to pay would be, like, maybe 14 or 14 white chips! Hell, I thought the maximum would be what's in my pocket! Bach. You're saying you can't pay your debts?Ossa's hands were in fists, casually hanging to the side. Bach looked on with a looming horror covering his face. Nohoi's Nest made the most out of being an underground casino. There was nothing Ossa hated more than those who welched on what they were owed. It was a major no-no. This wasn't something that could just be swept away... if you lost a bet, you had to pay up, one way or another. Best case scenario, Bach was in for a major beatdown. ...Like, unbelievably best case scenario. Bach was shaking, looking from Ossa to me in disbelief, life flashing before his eyes. Perfect, perfect. I knew from the start that Bach had no ability to pay off anything north of 162 white chips. Researching his poor financial situation was one of the first moves I made when beginning to plot my scheme. I took a few steps forwards, putting myself between Ossa and Bach.  Woah, woah, Ossa. No need to jump to any hasty conclusions! This is probably some sort of misunderstanding. Bach and I will just sort this out in one of the private rooms. By the time we come back out of it, I'm sure we'll have worked it all out. ...Fine. Great! Come on Bach, let's settle this somewhere with a bit more privacy, huh?Like that, I began to walk over to the side of the room, where there were a few private rooms meant for special gambles. They were small rooms with one entrance and one exit. From the expression on Bach's face, he had absolutely no desire to follow me. But he also knew that this was his only option to avoid Ossa and maybe save his own skin, so he had no choice. So he walked right besides me, and the two of us exited the scene into the closest room. Now I had him. The two of us were separated from the main hall. Absolutely no witnesses. If he left, he'd get the poo poo beat out of him. I was entirely in control of the situation. Now to squeeze this sucker for all he was worth.  That's much better. I prefer this atmosphere, don't you think?Bach was, understandably, even more nervous than he was before. Look, please, you don't have to do this. I mean, with your skills, your cunning, shouldn't you have enough money? You do, don't you? So what's the use of extorting a poor, uh, poor old man like me, already down on his luck? … Do you really want this on your conscience? When you go up to the pearly gates, do you want to be denied over what you did to someone like me? Is that a worthwhile sacrifice? … Let me go, and your soul will be cleansed. Repent, I say! Let the light enter your heart, and you will be saved, my son. … You done with your little outburst? … Good. In that case, why don't we get down to business? First things first, I'm gonna need you to unbuckle those pants and drop trow. E-Excuse me?! Sir, please, I know you require payment, but just think about it for a second... Are you really going to get any enjoyment out of this? In this setting? I mean there's not even anything in this room like a couch or a– It's not what you're thinking, perv. Hate to break it to you, but you're not my type. O-oh, good... Uh, was that disappointment I heard in your voice just now...?? I don't know, I didn't think my looks were that bad. Oh yeah, old men are sure in style nowadays. Less bitching, more exposed genitals.With a reluctant look on his face, Bach acquiesced. Honestly, I'm surprised that it was that simple. This man truly had no dignity left, it seemed. All right, the next thing I'm gonna need is for you to get in the most compromising position you can manage. Uh, okay, something like... this? This'll work.I fished around in my pocket and took out my phone. Then I took a few photos; got a variety of angles, just to be sure. Uck. Even when I deleted these, it felt like my phone was now somewhat permanently tainted. ...Oh well. Alright, you can get up now and stop making an rear end of yourself. I mean, you're a politician for Christ's sake... Bach did as he was told. That was– Insurance. Huh? Now if you attempt in any way to wriggle out of your debt to me, I can make sure those photos are at the top of Kamapa in a matter of minutes.Bach very visibly gulped. What was he expecting I was gonna do with those photos? This guy seemed too dull to be running for office. So then, with that in mind, I would think that you would be very incentivized to try and repay me. Um... Let's hear it. How you're gonna make it up to me. Look, I am very sorry, from the bottom of my heart. The last thing I want to be known as is someone who can't make good on their word. I'm truly a man of honor! These photos would suggest otherwise. Sir, do you really have to kick me when I'm down? I don't have to, but it's a bit of fun. Do you think I'd go through all of this if I actually had the funds to pay you back? If you could just give me a bit of time, then I'm sure I could accrue enough capital, with a bit of work– And how much time is 'a bit'? Well that's... Would it be after the election? ...Probably. Then I'm afraid that's too long. … Hey, I don't want to curse the internet with those photos either. We're on the same side here. So think long and hard. Do you really have no way to repay me? No assets, no connections, nothing you think that might be worth the amount you bet? Right now? I'm throwing everything I have into this election! …[BGM: Challenger]  I mean, maybe if I won the election... If you won the election... There are plenty of things being the governor can do for you. Power, information, resources. All things that I accept for repayment! And I'd be happy to do it for you, really! It's just the fact that I don't know if I can realistically promise you any of that.I had him. I mean, you're Panthean, right? What do you think the odds of my victory are? Not great, I have to say. Exactly! With every passing day, my chances of actually defeating Governor Aija dwindle and dwindle. I had a bit of a boost at the beginning, promising change and an end to Aija's reign. There were plenty of radicals looking to shake things up. But those sorts of promises only get you so far. People like to complain, but the honest truth is things have gotten better with Aija in charge. Not as fast as some people would like, but sometimes change is slow. If you separate the current problems facing Panthea from its leadership, you'll see Aija has an actually impressive record with what legislation she's introduced. Hell, I don't even think she's that bad a politician, if you want my honest truth. And most importantly, she has a bunch of experience governing Panthea. Then you look at me. I've got no applicable skills that'd help me with something like this. No real selling points other than not being Aija. I mean, look at me – I ended up pantsless in an underground casino in the dead of night. Is this the sort of behavior a governor should be engaging in? A fun governor, maybe. Despite my words, Bach threw his hands up to his face. I'm pathetic. Utterly, utterly pathetic. And the difference in our capabilities extends to this election, too. Aija's won every election she's ever run in. This is my first campaign. She has brand recognition, she has a track record, she has plentiful resources... and I have nothing. Lock, I'd love nothing more than to promise you I could repay you once I became governor. But like I said, I'm a man of my word. And I can't promise that I'll win the election. Because winning the election is basically impossible at this point.And with that, Bach's head hung low. Perfect. I walked closer to him and put my arm around his shoulder. He looked confused. What are– Sounds to me, mon ami, that you're thinking about this all wrong. Sure, things are bad right now. But I think with a more skilled campaign manager, you've got a real chance at turning this thing around. And, lucky for you, I know just the guy. You're not sayin– Afraid so, buddy o' mine![BGM: Stand]  You are going to appoint me as the chief strategist for this upcoming political election. With my help, the two of us are going to take Panthea by storm! We're going to have you win that election. ...And then, once you're properly in power, you're going to pay me back with double the interest.For his part, Bach just looked stunned. I couldn't quite get a read on his thoughts. I don't... I don't know what to say. You can never go wrong with a 'Thank you!' Uh, thank you, I guess. B-but, um, this isn't... How exactly do you intend to turn this election around? Oh, that? ...You know, we can get to petty details like that when we get to them. Petty details?! Lock, do you have any experience with running a political campaign? Define 'experience'. ...Oh, and 'political campaign'. And 'run' while you're at it.Bach threw his hands up in despair. I can't believe it. This is the final nail in the coffin. Woah, woah, it's that sort of negativity that's dragging you down! Campaign Manager Order 1: No more being a Debbie Downer. The people want a leader who smiles. Oh yeah, I really feel like jumping for joy right about now. So I don't have the most traditional experience in political management. We'll work around that. That's literally your job! All right, hot shot, if you're the political expert, what would you say is your biggest impediment towards winning the election? The biggest impediment?Subtly, I noticed Bach straighten his back and adjust his collar. It seemed he was starting to take this a bit more seriously. Right now, I'd say that'd be the massive disparity in funding between Governor Aija and me. In the political world, cash is power. If you want to make any moves – offensive, defensive, whatever – money is the means to do it. Governor Aija is able to host galas filled with the richest people in the city to gather funds... and I can't even pay back your measly debt. Yeah, what's up with that anyways? How'd you get this far when you're this poor? Look, I poured most of my resources into the primaries. It took a lot of work getting this far. Ah, can't last long? I feel you there, man. The primaries were a seriously competitive point in the election. They were determining who would go up against Aija. Naturally, there were a lot of talkers. So you're saying our first step should be acquiring a large amount of cash in a short period of time to use as leverage. I mean, that'd be ideal. Well, your luck keeps on getting better and better! Scoring a boatload of cash just happens to be one of my special skills. I shudder to think of how you intend to go about that.I let out a hearty laugh, and put my arm back around Bach's shoulder. You and me, my friend, have a lot of work to do.… [BGM: Silence]   I'd vote for Lock. He certainly has the fundamentals down already – the right blend of Machiavellianism, as exhibited by this little display. I should be clear here – I mean that sincerely. In no way do I level that as some sort of slight. I genuinely believe a great leader should be Machiavellian, at least to some degree. I have to ask: why do we despise Machiavellianism? Because we can't relate to it? Because it seems oddly distant? Cold? Because it's 'evil'? I don't know. Sure, it might enable evil actions more readily... but you could say the same thing about religion, and you don't hear me saying religion is evil. ...You don't hear me saying that. There are plenty of traits people despise – narcissism, sociopathy, the like. But really, they're not inherently negative on the face of it. In fact, I think we should have sympathy towards those who possess just tendencies. Not like most of the people with those traits made a conscious choice about it. More to the point, a master Machiavellian has far more capacity to do good then some naive sucker. Who has more desire, well... that's up for debate. But without the power to make change, your desires are worthless. People whine and bitch about elections, how behind the scenes they're corrupt, how there can be no moral politicians. It depends entirely on what you call 'moral' – you ask me, you need two things to lead well: the capacity, and the desire to do good. As of now, we don't have any way to truly learn someone's desires, as much as we might like to fool ourselves otherwise. So why not rank the other metric? Seems sensible to me.…  Next update, it's back to Vels.
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Aug 17, 2023 02:15
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i feel i should probably make a note this is basically the only point in the whole LP where this particular content warning is ever gonna have to be used 
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Aug 17, 2023 02:17
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Well, back to a trio of boring perspectives.  (It'll probably get better for those guys... maybe.)
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Aug 17, 2023 05:08
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Olif is many things but I don't think 'boring' would be one of them. Like, they're lovely, but the shittiness is magnetic in a way. At least to me.
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Aug 17, 2023 05:15
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I don't find Bach winning realistic, even with Lock's semi-antagonistic help. Still, I'll take it. This is one of the few ways Lock's route can continue its plot. Let's hope that Vels's route picks up too.
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Aug 17, 2023 06:05
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Elite posted:Thing are a bit inconsistent though. “Trying to pull bullshit on people” seems like kind of the point of this venue - that people propose weird gambles and their opponent has to try to figure out what the trick is. But Ossa also warns Lock not to pull any scams/swindles and this gamble definitely seems like more of a swindle than a game. It was a swindle UNTIL Bach explicitly agreed to the rules, as they were stated. There was no rules stating that there was X number of cards, no rule... etc. And Lock gave Bach an opportunity to ask questions to clarify the rules a bit more. That's not on Lock if Bach failed to do so.
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Aug 17, 2023 18:26
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Marluxia posted:It was a swindle UNTIL Bach explicitly agreed to the rules, as they were stated. There was no rules stating that there was X number of cards, no rule... etc. Nah, the whole thing was pretty goddamn ludicrous. Right down to Locke going "did I say that? I didn't say that in front of this guy. Can you prove I said that?" He pretty blatantly and clearly reneged on the bet terms as given. And suddenly made the stakes comically higher by lying about the initial agreement to the neutral third party.
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Aug 17, 2023 19:33
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Marluxia posted:It was a swindle UNTIL Bach explicitly agreed to the rules, as they were stated. There was no rules stating that there was X number of cards, no rule... etc. If rules need to explicitly prohibit every possible unintended action then you’d need an infinite number of rules to cover every conceivable way to cheat or sabotage the game. There was no rule against pulling out a gun and shooting your opponent in the face to win by default. There was no rule against marking the cards. There was no rule against stealing cards from your opponent’s hand. There was no rule against having accomplices spy on your opponent’s hand. There was no rule against refusing to take your turn and trapping the game in infinite limbo. There was no rule against players using additional cards. There was no rule against players looking at the face down cards (stacks can’t be be altered, but looking at something isn’t altering it and you need to be able to move stacks for the purposes of scoring) There was no rule against adding, removing or changing rules during the game. There was no rule against refusing to pay owed money. There was no rule against demanding “double or nothing”. An infinite number of times. They also didn’t explicitly define a “card”, “white chip”, “side of the table”, or “paying”. Yes any reasonable person knows exactly how to interpret those things but reasonable interpretations aren’t an element of the rules.
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Aug 17, 2023 19:46
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Elite posted:If rules need to explicitly prohibit every possible unintended action then you’d need an infinite number of rules to cover every conceivable way to cheat or sabotage the game. This. Worth noting that Lock explicitly says: "We're gonna be using a totally normal deck, minus the Jokers and the Clubs suit." He very explicitly sets the number of cards in the game at this point. Technically he didn't say that those are all that will be used for scoring, but he also didn't mention any of the things you did, so it's complete bullshit that he threw extra cards on the table after defining the number of cards that are part of the game.
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Aug 17, 2023 20:08
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It's all bullshit of course. But anyone in that underworld casino should have known better. Lock was throwing up massive red flags, and Bach got manipulated into it anyway.
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Aug 17, 2023 20:40
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I can't help but feel that, considering you already stack a lot of cards on your opponent by ditching your hand at the start, the tossing of the decks is just a bit... over the top? With the cost of the white chips it's already in the territory where Themis could have Bach go "Look, I just have no real money." And Lock go "Well, lucky for you I have this option!"
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Aug 17, 2023 22:24
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Tylana posted:I can't help but feel that, considering you already stack a lot of cards on your opponent by ditching your hand at the start, the tossing of the decks is just a bit... over the top? With the cost of the white chips it's already in the territory where Themis could have Bach go "Look, I just have no real money." And Lock go "Well, lucky for you I have this option!" Yeah, it turned something clever into something stupid. Tossing the decks is more petty than clever, and it would have been entirely justified for Bach to retaliate in kind and weasle his way out of the deal with any number of excuses presented above.
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Aug 17, 2023 23:17
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Agreed. Each step in the progression soured me on Lock and Ossa. Tricking Bach with the ruleset to easily win the bet. --> Lock is clever! Ossa is professional. Forcing Bach to owe the full amount, beyond what was in his pocket, was nasty. --> Lock is cruel. Ossa is a stickler. Throwing on 3 extra decks of cards and forcing that to count as part of what's owed. --> Lock and Ossa are trash. Taking blackmail photos of Bach --> Still trash. Forcibly becoming Bach's campaign manager in exchange for future bribes/access --> Delusional trash.
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Aug 18, 2023 05:18
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 [BGM: Bidding]  For such a dense city, it wasn't often you saw many people gathered together in Panthea. Especially not in a back alley such as this. So many people were occupying the space that frankly, it looked like it was some sort of health hazard. Perhaps a narrow alleyway in the middle of nowhere wasn't the best location for a group meeting... then again, considering the nature of this meeting, perhaps it was the perfect spot for it. Either way, something told me that Yi wasn't exactly thinking about spacial accommodations when choosing the spot. That, or he hadn't realized how many people would be showing up - maybe he just thought that it'd be a much smaller group? Lord knows I did.   It's pretty amazing, huh?Krish approached me from behind, wearing their typical poo poo-eating grin; an expression made only more annoying now that they were justified in it.  Surprising. What's there to be surprised about? You should know just as well as I how much the Duats are a complete shitstain, er, how they are a kin to a plague of locusts swarming our whole, uh, city and stuff. They're bad for business, bad for branding, bad for walking down the street! So of loving course people'd be sick of it! Of course they'd be willing to stick it up their asses! That's what they want! The people, 'course. Not the Duats. If the Duats wanted it it'd sort of defeat the whole point, ya know? … Uh, yeah, you get me. So yeah, it's completely expected that people hate the Duats. That's not what I mean. Oh? Oh, oh I see. You're thinking, 'Sure, people might not like the Duats, but that's true about a lot of things; you'd have to be living a pretty sweet life if you didn't have stuff you hated. There are plenty of things I don't like! I don't like what's going on with our government, but you don't see me storming Capitol Hill!' ...Actually if you did that, the government might, like, fight back and junk. So bad example.That point is actually what makes it an incredibly apt example.  But like, okay, if you don't like a rapper's newest album, you don't go out to find and harass them. Some people do but that's besides the point. But the thing is, this ain't like that at all. It's a matter of, uh, of liberties – civil liberties. It's a matter of not letting your rights get trampled on! On taking a stance! If you don't like how a cookie tastes, you can spit it out! Don't like a TV show, stop watching! But if you don't like being harassed by a gang, you can't just opt out. ...Unless, like, you moved. But then that's a whole thing that most people can't easily do and everything, so it doesn't count. Point of order – some things are bad enough to move people to action. Way it stands? Things are like 1984 up in here. It's, like, Handmaiden's Tale. Like, uh, The Giver. Like Fahrenheit 451.I was mildly impressed that Krish hadn't named a single contemporary YA novel when floundering for dystopia-themed titles.  So again, nothing surprising to me about people being willing to mobilize on this. Again, not what I meant. For real? I'm surprised that you were able to mobilize all these people.Krish looked genuinely surprised. Seriously? I thought you knew me better than that! Clearly not. Tch. See, it's poo poo like this that makes it crystal clear you ain't local. Everyone in Panthea knows me. I'm a beloved figure 'round here. Beloved? ...Okay, well, maybe not universally, but you get the gist. I mean, my pops' cafe was one of the hottest attractions in this whole place. Back when it was, ya know, functioning and all that. So these people all know you from your father's cafe? Weelllll...Clearly there were a few other ways in which people might know Krish, but pushing on the subject seemed unnecessary. Regardless, you did good work. Really? You mean it? Like, great work? Or good work? I called it good work. But given how surprised you were at the results, wouldn't great be like, more, uh, apt? Am I using that right? You are. And it isn't. What surprised me the most about the crowd was the sheer variety of people present. This wasn't just a singular group of like-minded peers gathered. It was a coalescence of people from all walks of life. Certainly, the group skewed on the younger side – plenty of people in high school, some a bit older than that, some a bit younger. But there were full-fledged adults as well; people in their 20s, people in their 30s, in their 40s, even people in their 50s, 60s, and 70s, out and about, gathered by some kid in a random back alley. As if reading my mind, Krish spoke up. ...Kinda impressive, right? That so many different people showed up? See, that's what I'm telling ya, this poo poo affects all of us. Old, young, don't make no difference. Whether it's your father or your son being run out of business or being fleeced by loan sharks or whatever, still affects you the same. Still drives you to fight. That's why our little crusade has gathered all types.Krish said this, but I had actually noticed a unifying theme amongst those gathered. There was one thing in common with every person I saw: not a one of them looked particularly well to do. Okay then. So, a decent group's been gathered. Decent? Small alley helps the perception. We're talking about dealing with a city-wide threat. It's not about the size of the dog in the fight, it's about the fight in the dog! Sure. So, the group's been gathered. What exactly do you hope to get out of it? Huh? What's the purpose of this meeting? Hm. That's a good question, Vels!That's a question you should already have an answer to, Krish. Well, it's kinda like a marketing session, ya know? ...Marketing session? That's... not right, is it? ...Networking, that's what I mean, networking. In business and stuff you gotta meet people who are on the same wavelength as you. In the same field. It 'opens doors', having the right connections. And you know this because? Uh, a friend told me 'bout it.Does this “friend” happen to have the last name of Carnegie? So this is sorta what this is. We're creating a network of those against the Duats. That gives us a leg up, you see? Now when we're in trouble, we'll know who we can turn to. United we stand! And that's it? That's it? That's it??? That's it????? Saying it more incredulously isn't gonna change anything. I'm just surprised about how much of a buzzkill you're being 'bout this whole thing. You don't see the value of bringing a network of people together? Not really. You know, I think this might be something of a 'you' problem. Maybe.There was an awkward lull in conversation. I couldn't help but notice many of the group's eyes were being pulled in our direction. Made sense, since I was standing next to the organizer of the whole thing. So it's just to network? Not to plan? W-we can plan. We will plan! Of course we're gonna plan, this is like... plan central over here, baby! Planet Plan... population: us.You're overselling it.  Okay, so what is the plan? Well, you know, that's– So you don't have a plan. I've got a plan! Or I will! Look, that's what the meeting's for. It's a planning meeting, you know? A meeting to plan poo poo. What, did you think I was going to plan the whole revolution?Sort of what you made it sound like, buddy. You know me! You know that ain't my strong suit. So why would I be the one to come up with some master plan, when we got a whole alley full of people, most of 'em probably more qualified to plan poo poo than me?A surprisingly valid point coming from Krish. That's right. I accept my weaknesses. Little thing called 'humblebility'. Maybe look it up next time you open a dictionary, 'kay? 'Kay. And hey, actually – we already do have something of a plan.Then why didn't you lead with that? It's all right here.Krish held up the binder they had been clutching in their right hand. We're gonna discuss how to use this pretty little thing. And what's that? This, my compatriot, is a nuclear missile. It's a weapons silo; a loaded gun.Krish... really needed to work on cutting to the point.  See, the Duats don't like leaving a lot of evidence of all their crime poo poo. ...Because they're criminals and all. I follow the concept. Right, so, not a lot of traces... and actually sending their men to prison is an issue for a whole host of reasons. Corruption, witness intimidation, pawns willing to take the fall, blah blah blah. So mounting a front against them on the whole evidentiary side of things always seemed like a kinda tricky task, ya know? But I think that line of thinking's total bullshit! Just 'cuz it's hard to get evidence on their men, and just because there ain't a clear use for that evidence, that doesn't mean jack! Hard to get doesn't mean impossible, and no clear use doesn't mean no use.On a technical level, they weren't wrong.  So see, when I was gathering everybody up, I asked them to try and take whatever evidence they had against the Duats and bring it. I wasn't expecting much, since it's not like anybody here's been digging into their poo poo... but when you're terrorized day-in day-out, you're bound to take some souvenirs. Picture here... screenshot there... a discarded bullet shell or two...Hey, hey, hold up, that last thing seemed a bit more extreme than the first two examples! And guess what? As usual, the group pulls through! We've got a lot of pretty good poo poo collected here – enough to, uh, I don't know... do... something. You didn't think the next step through? Like I said, this poo poo's all 'bout planning. Maybe we try, like, uh, I dunno, like an online campaign or something. Maybe we present it to a private eye? Heard from a buddy that there's this new chick in town, maybe she'll help somehow. Maybe we do try the police... you know, hope and pray. Point is we can do something with all this, maybe. Good to see you've got all this figured out. Hey, you're giving me a lotta poo poo for someone who's not doing much of anything yourself!To this, I just shrugged; they raised a decent point. And you know, there's one more thing working in our favor. What? What do you think? Remember what started this whole thing! We got Mr. Yi on our side. Hm. That's definitely gotta give us an edge! I mean, like he said, he's actually a Duat. He's on the inside! He's like, uh, an inside man! So if there's anyone who would know about how to take down the Duats, it'd be him. Now that we've got somebody who, like, knows their weak spots and poo poo, we can be super tactical. Insider knowledge! Ha, they'll never know what hit 'em! Actually, gently caress that! I wanna make 'em know what hit them. ...Mmm, we'll figure the details out later. But you get my point, right? I do.On paper, it was a solid idea. If we really did have a member of the Duats of decent standing on our side, taking them down would certainly become a lot easier. Having just a single point of contact on the inside of a gang like this really made a world of difference. ...Which is why I had concerns.  Krish, are you sure about Mr. Yi? Oh, he's definitely a member of the Duats! I've seen him with some of their regulars; he's been with them for a while. That's not...I took a deep sigh. It sounds like he's in decently-high standing with the Duats... to me, it doesn't make a lot of sense why he'd flip on them. Yeah, I totally agree! It is pretty weird, huh? … Well, lucky us! Krish, I'm asking if we can trust him. Pssh. Can we trust him? Come on, you gotta know the answer to that!I suspected I did. Look, I've known Yi for like, a looooong time. He's completely different than most of these Duat assholes. He's been good to me since I was, like, a kid. Hell, he's lent me cash loads of times. He's solid! Then why is he a Duat?Krish's expression went blank for a moment. It was as though they could do nothing but blink. Ah, don't worry about it. Why is he a Duat, Krish? Pretty sure it was out of necessity or something. He was in some pretty bad legal trouble a while ago? I think? The Duats helped him out, and now he owes them? Eh, I forget details. But I'm pretty sure it's not his choice....If you say so, Krish.  I guess I'll trust you. What do you mean, 'you guess'? Still, it's worth taking some precautions. Precautions? Like what?Out of my pocket, I pulled out a dark purple switchblade knife. Krish's eyes instantly flashed with recognition. With just a glance, they knew what this was, even without the blade having to be protracted. Only kind of precaution worth a poo poo.'I slid out the blade and began spinning it around my hand. The movements felt natural, like riding a bicycle. It had been many years since I'd first learned how to use a switchblade. Back then, I was clumsy and hesitant; I nicked myself quite a few times. Now, flicking it around in my hand was akin to using a stress ball. ...Which is why I found it so incredibly rude when Krish grabbed the knife from my hand. The hell? That's what I should be asking you! To my surprise, Krish looked legitimately miffed – it had been a while since I last saw this expression on their face. This is a gathering of allies! This is a united front! It's no place to be bringing weapons! By bringing something like this, you're undermining the trust this whole thing is based off of! You bring a knife when confronting enemies, a knife among allies is useless!And with this cry, Krish turned around and dramatically flung the switchblade up. it went sailing high in the air, then landed on a nearby balcony overlooking the alleyway. The whole scene had drawn a number of eyes in our direction. … … … On second thought, that might've been a bit of an overreaction. Oh, you think? For the record, I bring that knife everywhere I go, dumbshit. Oh. Heh heh... whoops? ...I'll go get it.[BGM: Silence]  Without another word, I moved in the direction of the flung knife. For most people, it having landed up high would've been an issue... but not for me. There was a convenient storm drain in just the right spot. I gripped around it and began to scale the wall – really wasn't hard in the slightest. And, just like that, I made my way to the balcony. There you are, my old friend. Just as I had this touching reunion... I heard the sound of footsteps. Well, considering how many people were gathered up in this area, that might not be too big a surprise. No, what was disconcerting about those footsteps was the direction from which they were approaching. Someone was coming from outside the alley. No, not just one person, a few. On nothing more than a whim... I decided to stay perched for a few moments longer. And, as those figures turned the corner, I instantly felt validated in my decision. In came Yi. Expected? Sure. But the expression on his face immediately set off alarm bells in my head. This wasn't a meeting you should feel happy about attending. It certainly wasn't one where you should flash a grin as soon as you see the scene. Nervousness would probably be the most appropriate expression. Or, at the very least, caution. That alone, however, wasn't enough to warrant suspicion. [BGM: Trick Score]  What really tipped me over the edge was the company Yi had brought along. To his left, a giant of a man lumbered behind him. He was, what, 7 feet? It certainly felt that way. He had both a grimace and a scar plastered across his face, and it was hard to tell which was more threatening. He wore a dark grey trenchcoat with a number of questionable stains across it. To Yi's right, a heavy-set man followed his lead with much more pep in his step. His outfit was, put simply, garish – he wore a bright yellow overcoat and a fedora which was two sizes too small to fit atop his bald head. In contrast to the giant, this guy's expression matched Yi's. The group seemed to collectively recoil as the three approached... but Krish, as usual, didn't seem to share the group's sentiments.
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Aug 18, 2023 22:56
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Do you find Krish's optimism endearing or frustrating?
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Aug 18, 2023 23:18
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Junpei posted:Do you find Krish's optimism endearing or frustrating? Largely annoying but the —Yeah, I totally agree! —It is pretty weird, huh? -… —Well, lucky us! exchange was pretty funny. And I for one am shocked shocked that Mr Yi turned up with gangsters in tow.
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Aug 18, 2023 23:26
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Krish is endearing for now; they continue to carry this route. Some people do not think things through when they try to make something happen. But things might never happen if people think too much.
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Aug 19, 2023 01:41
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It's definitely more of a 'Krish' route than anything, but I guess Vels being the spectator to it still works.
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Aug 19, 2023 02:44
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 [BGM: Trick Score]  Hey, Yi! Glad you could make it! Well, glad I could come here, buddy! Yeah, I'm just happy you came. I'm happy to come! Great! Awesome. Gotta say – little late, though. Oh, a little late, or a little early? Ha ha ha ha, get what I'm saying? Oh, ho ho, ha ha. ...Not really. But then again, when do I? Ha ha ha. Heh, got that right! If the surrounding context wasn't screaming otherwise, you would almost mistake this for an amicable meeting of friends. Alright, well, glad you're here. With this, we can really get this meeting started, yeah? That's what I'm talking about!Krish, you absolute moron. Are you really not going to question the two guys he brought with him?! I wanted to shout at them, but given the situation I felt compromising my position might not be ideal. Luckily, there was at least one sensible person amongst the crowd; a white-haired girl ran over to Krish and whispered something to them. A look of understanding crossed over their face, and they nodded back to the girl. Right! So, Yi, can't believe my manners – who are the two guests you decided to bring here? Oh, these two? Don't mind them! Ah, well, kinda have to a little bit. Fair enough. These two are just some buddies that I thought could be useful to the cause. So they're friends of yours? Exactly! Cool! Cool cool cool. ...except, uh, and forgive me if I'm wrong – ain't they Duat members?Acting surprised, Yi looked to his left and right, as though he was examining the men beside him. Why, I do believe you might just be right there, Krish! Friends from work, then. Oh, well, okay. Are they also fed up with the Duats? Well, why don't we ask them? Say, Zaochi, are you getting tired of working for the Duats? The shorter man to Yi's right responded in a similarly glib tone.  You know, I think I am. Great! If I may ask, what ended up being the tipping point for you? The injustice of it all? How unfairly they treat their members? Dental. D-dental? Yeah, they don't cover dental work. I mean, what self-respecting organization can't cover such basics? It's a frickin' outrage, I'm tellin ya! Indeed, indeed, it's pretty unbelievable. That does sound pretty bad.Krish turned to the giant. And what about you, what's your reason for joining our cause? Yeah, Fang, what really grinds your gears about the Duats? For a moment, the giant simply stood there. Then, with a sigh, he spoke in a low growl.  I dislike these new restrictions coming from the higher ups. Hey, bureaucracy – who needs it? I particularly loathe this new talk of 'necessary restraint' when engaging in beatdowns. It thoroughly hampers my ability to do my job. Heh heh, yeah, that's, um... that... kind of sounds like a good thing? I gotta be honest, I can't say I love your reasons for turning against the Duats. Nor do I love yours. Huh. Well... we do need all the help we can get. But, like, morally speaking, is it cool to team up with someone like this? 'Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow'. A little quote from Plato.  Surely his presence is a step in the right direction? There is also the argument that the motives and outcomes of actions shouldn't really be factored in when questioning something's morality. It's too ambiguous and subjective. 'The wise man lets go of all results, whether good or bad, and is focused on the action alone'. That quote comes from Bhagavad, who argues on paying attention to what is evident. If Fang helps a good cause, then you should focus on that. Huh. Hmmm. ...You know, I guess that all makes sense! Alright, welcome to the group, Fang!Fang stayed silent. [BGM: Silence]  Smartly, many among the gathered group had begun to have doubts about the current arrangement. Some began looking around for possible means of egress... and, in that search, they began making their way down the other side of the alley. While the dialogue with Krish had distracted him somewhat, Yi noticed these deserters. And it looked like he was none too happy with what he was seeing. Solemnly, he put his fingers up to his mouth; then, with a surprising volume, he let out a high-pitched whistle. At first, all paused for a moment, curious as to what he was doing. The answer to that became painfully obvious, as a door further down the alley swung open. And, from an innocuous looking shop, two more figures stepped out into the daylight. [BGM: Kicker]  drat it, this location... it was a setup from step one. The two figures who walked out were equally as threatening as the other intruders. It was a man and a woman; both looked similar – siblings, if I had to guess. They both wore a frankly offensive amount of camo gear and denim, and neither of them looked happy to be here. But this time... it wasn't their expressions which gave off a threatening vibe: it was their weapons. The woman had a metal bat draped over her shoulder, and the man boasted metal knuckles on each of his fists. So then, it had become clear – this wasn't going to be a peaceful little meeting. Although, it appeared as though Yi was still content with keeping the 'friendly' song and dance up for just a little longer.  Ah, right, I should probably introduce these two as well! Jia, Xia, say hi!The girl spat on the ground.  Yi, you piece of poo poo. You gotta stop yanking us around for grunt work. You know how long we were waiting in there?Annoyed, the guy turned to Jia and smacked her on the shoulder. She winced in pain.  Can it, numbnuts! That's your superior officer you're talking 'bout!Enraged, Jia turned back around and swung her bat right into Xia's stomach. Idiot! That loving hurt, you know?Xia coughed; the swing clearly took something out of him. Bitch. You seriously can't handle a little hit on the shoulder? You're wearing fuckin' iron knuckles! That's... gently caress off! Uh, are they okay? Oh, them? Pay them no mind, they're always like this. Really? Pretty much. That being the case, I'm surprised one of them hasn't offed the other. It's a real wonder, isn't it? Honestly, I wonder why I keep them around. ...Well, they're amusing enough - that counts for a lot. Not unlike you, Krish. ...Thanks? You're welcome.It wasn't a compliment, Krish. Get your drat head in the game! Luckily, even Krish wasn't blind enough to not see the obvious problem those two posed.  Say, Yi... I don't wanna sound, ya know, accusatory or anything...You do, Krish, you really do. ...It's accusatory, right?It is. Yes, that's proper. Good, good. So, don't wanna be accusatory or nothing, but I have to ask – why do your friends have weapons? It's a dangerous world, Krish. Lot of dangerous people. Yeah, not wrong. So maybe they just have that stuff to try and make themselves feel safer. You're not gonna infringe on their natural right to bear arms, are you? Don't pull a LaFollette on me, Krish. All I'm saying is that this was supposed to be a peaceful meeting. Bringing those things sort of puts out, uh, bad vibes. It's lowering people's trust. Your people don't trust us? Why, that is an issue. Trust is the foundation of every healthy relationship. Exactly, exactly. But then, why wouldn't you people trust us? What reason would you have to distrust us? Well, you guys are all members of the Duats. True, true. So then, what would the Duats have against this sort of meeting?Krish, how painfully is this dude gonna have to spell it out to you???  Well, it's a meeting against the Duats. So it'd make sense if Duat members were against it... Uh huh, uh huh. That makes a lot of sense.Behind him, Zaochi began snickering.  So then, if a Duat member heard about a meeting of people opposed to the Duats, what might they do? Well... they'd probably come and ambush us or something. Right, right. …Krish had circled around the issue for long enough; after enough time, there was no more benefit of the doubt to be given. So then. Everybody, let's start. First things first, you can all get on your knees.The moment those words left Yi's mouth, the temperature of the alley dropped several degrees. The brewing tension spilled out, transforming into pure panic. The crowded bunch began nervously moving amongst themselves, not sure what to do. Everyone obviously wanted out. But, where to go? At the back side of the alley, Jia and Xia stood firm. Their bickering had stopped, and now they firmly held their weapons. At the front side of the alley, Yi stood firm, backed up by Fang and Zaochi. I had noticed Zaochi had already stuffed one of his greasy palms in his pocket; I could pretty easily speculate why that might be the case. So... that was that. Front covered. Back covered. Like fish in a barrel. There seemingly wasn't any option... but that didn't stop Krish. They stood tall, and their expression warped into anger.  What the hell, Yi? The gently caress is up with this? I thought you were on my side! Why are you doing this, it doesn't make an–*THWAP!* [BGM: Silence]  The sound of Yi's backhand swinging across the side of Krish's face echoed throughout the alley. It brought the chaos to silence. Even Krish just stood there, stunned at what had just happened. They didn't know how to react. The stunned silence only lasted for a moment, though.  Yi... Seriously, what the hell are yo–*THWAP!!* Once more, Yi backhanded Krish, this time with his other arm, and with a considerably increased amount of force. Krish faltered, stumbling a few steps back. This time... the silence lasted a lot longer. Krish's face fluctuated between fear and hatred. Once more, Yi reached out to them. But this time, it was with a look of sympathy. Gently, he put his hand on Krish's shoulder.  Krish. Please, could you just be understanding? If you get on your knees now, this whole thing can come and go real simply. I'm begging you. I don't want to have to ask again. Not you.Krish didn't seem to really know how to respond to this. After a few bewildered seconds... they complied, getting on their knees. Seeing Krish acquiesce, much of the group that was still undecided realized what needed to happen. [BGM: The Bomb]  Collectively, the whole crowd got on their knees. Excellent. See, that wasn't so hard, was it?Then, in a much quieter and gruffer voice, Yi barked an order. Check 'em for weapons.Fang nodded, then stepped forwards. Apparently Yi hadn't needed to designate this task between him and Zaochi. Fang began moving from person to person, doing a rough patdown of each. Many recoiled at the sight of this imposing giant; however, none had the strength of will to do anything more than simply pull back. All let the man do his job. At one point, Fang stopped at an older gentleman. He pulled a pistol from the frightened man's pocket. With a stern face he looked at the gun, then back to the man... and then, wordlessly, he flung the pistol down the alleyway, over the heads of Jia and Xia. With that, he then returned to his job. In less time than would be expected, Fang had checked everyone. Well... almost everyone. Then, he returned to Yi's side. Brilliant. Yi then took a moment to clear his throat. He adjusted his tie. He slightly bounced forwards on his heels. Clearly, he felt like he wasn't in any sort of rush... which normally was true. However, he hadn't accounted for one person. Me. To be honest, I couldn't anticipate exactly what was going to happen, but I figured whatever it was, it likely wasn't going to be good. What could I do? On my own, not a lot I suspected. Luckily, there was one force in this city meant to handle situations like this. Now, one could argue the fact that this meeting is happening is a testament to the fact that said force wasn't exactly the ideal choice. ...Ah, well. Beggars couldn't be choosers. And there were limits to incompetence. The Duats might be brazen, but they couldn't just do whatever they pleased. If – no, when – the police arrived, they'd scatter. So then, it was just a matter of calling them. As silently as I could, I slid the phone out of my pocket. I was hyperaware that even the slightest noise could draw attention my way, dooming this whole enterprise. So even though my progress felt painfully slow, it was necessary. Better to be a bit slower here than to draw attention my way. Soon enough, I had the phone to the side of my head. My phone was on vibrate, and the volume was cranked down. And... 9... 1... 1... A faint vibrating... I clutched the phone tight, putting its speaker right up to my ear. Then...  Hello, you've reached the Panthea Police Department.Instantly, in as faint a whisper as I could manage, I began describing the situation. I gave them the address, and emphasized how urgent the situation was. And then, before things could go wrong, I hung up. … Okay, okay. Looking down, Yi had begun his dumbshit monologue. No one had noticed me. So... now it was just a matter of stalling until help arrived. I could definitely do something towards that end, but... right now, I was the Ace up Krish's sleeve. I didn't know how much time I could realistically buy. So to make the most use of me, I needed to wait to the last possible moment. For now... just wait and listen.  So, it's come to my attention that some among you have... well, let's call them 'concerns' with the Duats as of late. And you know what? That's fair. That's on us. It's only natural that an organization as broad and long-lasting as the Duats would run into the occasional issue or two. And see, you might see us as the enemy... but that's not how I see us at all. The Duats are as much a part of Panthea as anything else. We're made up of Pantheans; we're reliant on Pantheans. The city may be hostile towards us, but I don't think that's the right approach to take. I think the Duats serve a symbiotic relationship with the rest of the city. We need the city to be running well to survive, and in turn we do our jobs – and we do them well. So then, as a Senior Officer of the Duats, I'm very concerned with maintaining a solid relationship. Which is why I gathered everybody here together! You guys want to revolutionize the Duats, well... I'm all ears.Behind Yi, Zaochi was stifling another chuckle.  So then, let's hear it people! The Duat Suggestion Box is open right now – in the form of yours truly. You got a problem with the way we're running things, speak up. We'll be sure to hear you, and we'll be sure to address the problem.Almost as if to emphasize the point in a dark irony, Fang began cracking his knuckles. Predictably, nobody had the guts to raise their hand and air their grievances. Besides Krish, most of the people here were pretty good at reading between the lines. This was a hollow, almost mocking gesture. Still, Yi stood there, eagerly waiting for someone to speak up. When it became clear nobody was going to, he clicked his tongue. Nobody? Really? Not a one of you has any complaints?Another pause. Hey Jia, Xia, you hearing this? All these people and not one of them's got any complaints for us. It's incredible, right? I know I sure got some complaints. Yi's asking the people now, Jia. Yeah, I got that. See, even Jia here has her grievances. So, none of you guys have anything to say? Last chance, standing right in front of you.More silence. Well, that's that I suppose. Yi clapped his hands, as though a matter had been settled... as though anything had been settled. Boy. So many of you came here to take down the Duats, and yet not a one of you could vocalize your issues with us. Gotta say – I find that a little peculiar. It's got me scratching my head as to why you all were so incensed with us in the first place. Well, if none of you can offer me any reasons, I can only assume that you guys don't have any legitimate complaints to file. Instead, you were all maliciously teaming up against us for some, well, I don't know, half-hearted grudge perhaps? Now that doesn't sound very fair.People began to squirm. Which brings us to our next order of business.Yi walked over to Krish. They couldn't bear to make eye contact with him. Yi smiled at Krish, then leaned down and yanked the file of evidence from their hands. Let's talk about your plans to 'take down the Duats', huh? Let me guess – you want to try putting us in jail? Makes sense, right? That's what you do with criminals in a just society, so going against the Duats like that seems like a pretty sensible method, yeah? And surely in this big old file, there's plenty of stuff that would lock up Duat members. Hell, if someone were to record all of this, maybe they could lock me up! Corruption can only get you so far, and blatant crime just can't get far. So then, do you all think this file is meaningful?Before waiting for a response, Yi haphazardly flung the file into a nearby trash can. Then he snapped his fingers. Like an automated golem, Fang began moving at Yi's command; he lumbered over to the trash can, took out a lighter, and tossed it in. In an instant, flames began to rise out of the can. The group recoiled. All that work... all that evidence... But, given the circumstances, perhaps this was the least of their worries. Afraid to say, you couldn't be more wrong. Now... I'm just as aware as the next person that a lot of what was in there has backups. That fire? It's symbolic. It's saying what you should do with that evidence. Because – guess what? If you threw me in jail, hell, if you threw all of us here in jail, you wouldn't accomplish jack poo poo. Because right after that, the next in line would round you all up, just like now. Except that person wouldn't resolve things with just talking... they'd silence you in a permanent manner.Yi let that last sentence linger in the air. He wanted everyone to digest it. This was the big point he was trying to make. Throwing individuals in jail, yeah, that might've worked on the Duats in the past. That'd work with a lot of smaller gangs. But you're too late for that. The Duats are too big for that.  There isn't some key point you can strike down to collapse everything. There isn't a heart you can stab, a head you can slice off. The Duats are a shadowy, massive, all-consuming blob that does whatever the hell it wants, and is incredibly cruel towards those who get in its way.At this, there was some whooping from Xia and Zaochi. Look, you all are looking at me with scared faces right now, but you should be thanking your lucky stars I'm the one standing in front of you. I'm a sucker amongst the Duats; I'm soft. If it was someone else, who's to say? For instance, there's this new up and coming Senior Officer in the Duats. Name's Lara. Real uppity bitch. She's really looking to make her mark in the world, cement her place. And being the sadist that he is, I'm pretty sure Marduk would really appreciate a big group slaughter of those plotting against him.Immediately, unrest swept across the captives at his implication.  Hey, relax, relax! This is why you should be grateful that I'm standing here. I trust all of you, I believe in your ability to think logically. I am perfectly sure that you all will be able to get the message from this little warning meeting I've gathered. ...Right?Desperate nodding swept across the crowd. Krish, I noticed, refrained from this. Right, right.Yi leisurely took a few steps back. You know, I really am sympathetic to your plight. I get frustration at the Duats. But there are some certainties in life you simply have to make your peace with and accept. Going against the Duats... it's just something that people like you are incapable of.[BGM: Silence]  So that's it, huh?With an anger burning in their eyes, Krish stood up. The Duats are just too big and bad and scary to be dealt with? Just because they're scary, you're too afraid to stand up to them?[BGM: Grand Slam]  That's bullshit Mr. Yi, and you know it!Yi took a step back, a bit surprised. He looked temporarily lost for words. Krish took advantage of this momentary lapse in Yi's control to continue their crusade. You were asking for complaints, well, I've got some. How about how the Duats have been running small businesses into the ground? Somehow, they don't target those in power, they target those without it! Where's the justice in that?! What's right about hurting people just trying to make a living? What's right about forcing my father's cafe to close down, forcing me into poverty? You say that the Duats have a symbiotic relationship with Panthea, and I say that's bullshit! What do you give us? Protection? Yeah, yeah, is that like how you extort people for 'protection money'? You know who that protection's against? It's against fuckin' you! That ain't what protection means, have y'all opened a loving dictionary? And I know you know this, Mr. Yi! I know you're better than this! You always talked about doing the right thing, so where the gently caress's all that talk now, now that it's needed?! Don't give me some pussy excuse about Duats being unbeatable, that's god drat baby talk and you know it. Give me a straight up answer as to who the hell you've become! What the hell you've done!! At this point, Krish was standing mere inches from Yi's face. Their fists were balled so tight I thought they might hurt themselves. Krish, you loving idiot... Krish, Krish, Krish... I already gave you time to make your complaints. You should've spoken up then.Then, in one swift motion, Yi punched Krish right in the gut. They fell to one knee, clearly stunned. However, this stun didn't last long; Krish began to stand up, in a huff. Yi, what the hel–Once more, Yi punched Krish right in the gut. It's not like he was winding his punch up, and yet I could hear the impact from here. Yi definitely didn't look that strong, but... clearly I was mistaken. Indeed, perhaps it was overly idealistic to imagine that things could be resolved with speech alone. Alas, the philosopher in me gets the better of me once more. On one knee, Krish glared at Yi with an expression of no longer anger, but profound sadness. … Come on, then. Get up.That sadness was replaced with confusion at these words. Still, Krish slowly complied, clearly not entirely sure what the point of it was. [BGM: Silence]  The point was made abundantly clear when once again, Yi struck Krish right in the gut. At this, Krish cried out in audible pain. This loving bastard... ...no, keep it cool, keep it cool. This was still mild enough; it could get worse. Don't get overeager. Krish was now nursing the spot in which they were struck with their hands. Okay. Get up. But– Get. Up.For a moment, Krish just kneeled there, unsure what to do. Eventually though, they conceded, and began to stand up once more. And once more, Yi struck Krish squarely in the stomach. Barely any time passed between Krish falling back down and Yi's next predictable command. Get up.*thud* *thud* *thud* Again and again, this surprisingly mundane cycle repeated. It was very simple. Someone stood up, and then was punched in the gut. Repeat. But by the look on Krish's face, you couldn't argue its effectiveness. [BGM: The Wire]  Get up. I... I can't, please... Oh, I know you, Krish. You've always been remarkably strong in spirit – hey, that's why you were able to call everyone together here in the first place, right? Here, let me help you.Yi leaned in and helped Krish to their feet. ...Then he took a step back and slammed Krish in the gut once more. And then, right as soon as Krish hit the ground, he began to help them to their feet once more. Oh, don't look at me like that, Krish. I know I said this before, but you should be thanking me right now. It's standard protocol for Duat torture to be a lot rougher than this. Usually it'd be something scarring, or maybe something with a lasting effect like breaking your arm. Some have some really nasty ways of doing it. Ever see one of those devices they clamp to your finger that drills under your fingernails? Truly revolting, makes my stomach heave. In comparison, this is getting off incredibly light! Just getting punched in the gut a few times, most people go through something like that at some point in their lives.And without another word, Yi slammed Krish in the gut once again. His point was thoroughly made. Barely anyone in the crowd could stand to even look at the spectacle anymore. I noticed that even Zaochi was beginning to wince at the display. Though, conversely, a slight grin began to form on Fang's face. Anyways, Yi had made himself perfectly clear. And yet... ...You know, somehow, I don't think you're gonna get the message from just this. ...I am. You are? You sure? I am.Krish couldn't manage to maintain eye contact with Yi. ...Probably because they were lying. Yi was right. Something this light wouldn't change Krish. Only reason Krish wasn't fighting back was because of all the potential collateral damage sitting around them. Weeeellll... if you say so. ...Eh, what the hell, one more for good measure. Krish sighed and got to their feet once more. Yi began winding up and then released one final, brutal swing right into Krish's stomach. They were completely knocked to their feet, and in the crash a certain dark-green notebook came falling out of Krish's back pocket. Oh no.
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Aug 23, 2023 00:27
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| # ? May 29, 2024 07:35 |
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Yi is nicer than what Krish and the crowd could have faced. Better to learn their lesson now, than later. I hope this dark-green notebook forces Vels to take action. (I don't count calling the police; almost any NPC could've done that.)
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Aug 23, 2023 05:15
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