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Poll

Alan

It was inevitable
- 15 (42.9%)
Winners don't do drugs
- 6 (17.1%)
I'll be back
- 2 (5.7%)
Drink the Kool Aid
- 6 (17.1%)
Groovy
- 3 (8.6%)
Insane in the membrane
- 3 (8.6%)

Total Members Voted: 35


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Author Topic: Special People: Mechanical Syndrome  (Read 1141527 times)

Harry Baldman

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Re: Special People: Mission 5 has started
« Reply #4620 on: August 15, 2015, 03:32:06 pm »

"I nearly got myself and Ike killed again, because I was too trusting and honest. This place keeps reminding me of home in lots of little ways, and I dropped my guard and tried to simply enjoy myself and relax. If I had simply focused on our assigned mission, nobody would have gotten hurt."

"What? You nearly got yourself killed because you were unnecessarily hostile and jumpy like an amphetamine dealer. Not saying that's not a perfectly reasonable reaction to a wizard of unknown power, but he seemed perfectly nice up until the point where you openly disregarded his instructions, kept mentioning your general contempt of him and got into a magical standoff with him at least once if I remember it right. It's sort of like you were trusting at first, but then backpedaled with the fury of a thousand suns, you know what I mean? 'Hey man, I really want this to be a peaceful exchange, but do know that I don't trust you at all and will incinerate you as soon as you make a wrong move!' That's kind of how it was, wasn't it?"

"Granted, I'm not sure it would have been a good idea to trust the person who did actually say 'tell me how to kill you or swear an oath of fealty, then we can be friends', but this was at best a failure in decency and conversation skills on both sides, to be perfectly fair to everyone involved. After all, imagine if you had to deal with a magical alien who threatens to set you on fire with its mind every few seconds or so."


Estimated Time of Departure: when Alan stops vomiting.
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Lenglon

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Re: Special People: Mission 5 has started
« Reply #4621 on: August 15, 2015, 05:27:06 pm »

"I was honest. What you are calling threats was nothing but the simple truth. It would have been deceptive to not give him fair warning of the danger. I had no intention of initiating hostilities, and I explicitly told him so. Him attacking me, in my weak-appearing form, would be responded to with lethal force, even if he wasn't using the same. If I had actually wanted to fight, I would have issued no such warning, and I trusted him, someone who should be well versed in literalisms, to understand the truly peaceful intent behind such a declaration."

((Irine is voting to wait as well))
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((I don't think heating something that is right above us to a ridiculous degree is very smart. Worst case scenario we become +metal statues+. This is a finely crafted metal statue. It is encrusted with sharkmist and HMRC. On the item is an image of HMRC and Pancaek. Pancaek is laughing. The HMRC is melting. The artwork relates to the encasing of the HMRC in metal by Pancaek during the Mission of Many People.))

Toaster

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Re: Special People: Mission 5 has started
« Reply #4622 on: August 15, 2015, 05:34:26 pm »

((Probably jumping the gun a bit since we'd probably need either campaign or Mission 5 to finish first, but any thoughts on next mission type?  That's directed more at players since Paris usually puts up a poll.  Personally, John would like to do something with Alan since they're such best buds now, but it's tough to say when that mission will finish.  John would like in on Galactic Adventure if it ever rolls, but I'm not necessarily pushing for it.))
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HMR stands for Hazardous Materials Requisition, not Horrible Massive Ruination, though I can understand how one could get confused.
God help us if we have to agree on pizza toppings at some point. There will be no survivors.

Harry Baldman

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Re: Special People: Mission 5 has started
« Reply #4623 on: August 15, 2015, 05:41:58 pm »

"I was honest. What you are calling threats was nothing but the simple truth. It would have been deceptive to not give him fair warning of the danger. I had no intention of initiating hostilities, and I explicitly told him so. Him attacking me, in my weak-appearing form, would be responded to with lethal force, even if he wasn't using the same. If I had actually wanted to fight, I would have issued no such warning, and I trusted him, someone who should be well versed in literalisms, to understand the truly peaceful intent behind such a declaration."

"'I could definitely kill you, Irine. Could just slit your throat with my blade, disembowel you, leave you dying on the ground or maybe stab your brains out with a single fluid move and it'll be over before you know it. You know me and my reaction times, right? But that's okay! I'm only saying this 'cause I trust you! We cool!' You see the problem there? Or do I need to elaborate why threats of death - by which I mean conditional statements including somebody's murder, because yes, that's what a threat of death is - don't make for smooth conversation, friend-making and socialization, or why mutually assured destruction isn't a recipe for harmony?"

((Probably jumping the gun a bit since we'd probably need either campaign or Mission 5 to finish first, but any thoughts on next mission type?  That's directed more at players since Paris usually puts up a poll.  Personally, John would like to do something with Alan since they're such best buds now, but it's tough to say when that mission will finish.  John would like in on Galactic Adventure if it ever rolls, but I'm not necessarily pushing for it.))

((Ike's definitely not going on a campaign ever again - dude's learned his lesson by now.))
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Xantalos

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Re: Special People: Mission 5 has started
« Reply #4624 on: August 15, 2015, 05:51:03 pm »

"Yeah, it's like, would I be such a chillaxful dude if I told people I can shoot bathtubs at them?
The answer's yes, but that's just because it's me."
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DreamerGhost

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Re: Special People: Mission 5 has started
« Reply #4625 on: August 15, 2015, 05:52:50 pm »

<Team A, Svajoklis>

The hell we are even still doing in this room. We can't just let this nonsence go on. I give you five minutes before I'm going find something flamable to light up this jokster.

Last chance. Use the sometimes working flashlight to illuminate what is outside of the room we had been dropped in. Only for a moment though, then attention back to the starting room, I know how the jokster looks, if I see something else, prioritise the one that tried to kill us before. search for something that would be able to produce fire. If I happen to have a lighter, search for something to set on fire.
« Last Edit: August 16, 2015, 06:35:25 am by DreamerGhost »
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The point of keeping the golems on fire isn't for the value of fire as a weapon. It's more to keep the golems functioning at a reasonable speed.
It was never a promise. It was a dirty lie, and you all knew that. You should all know by now that you can't trust a word I say.

Lenglon

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Re: Special People: Mission 5 has started
« Reply #4626 on: August 15, 2015, 06:03:03 pm »

"I was honest. What you are calling threats was nothing but the simple truth. It would have been deceptive to not give him fair warning of the danger. I had no intention of initiating hostilities, and I explicitly told him so. Him attacking me, in my weak-appearing form, would be responded to with lethal force, even if he wasn't using the same. If I had actually wanted to fight, I would have issued no such warning, and I trusted him, someone who should be well versed in literalisms, to understand the truly peaceful intent behind such a declaration."

"'I could definitely kill you, Irine. Could just slit your throat with my blade, disembowel you, leave you dying on the ground or maybe stab your brains out with a single fluid move and it'll be over before you know it. Y-"
I interrrupt at this point
"Yep! What do you-"
"-ou know me and my reaction times, right? But that's okay! I'm only saying this 'cause I trust you! We cool!' You see the problem there? Or do I need to elaborate why threats of death - by which I mean conditional statements including somebody's murder, because yes, that's what a threat of death is - don't make for smooth conversation, friend-making and socialization, or why mutually assured destruction isn't a recipe for harmony?"
"Oh. So... I'm supposed to be bothered by you being stronger than me right now? Why? In any relationship someone is going to be stronger anyway, right? Why would that make me trust you less? Your restraint in not doing that right now when you can is telling me that I can trust you not to do it later either unless you have a reason too."
Logged
((I don't think heating something that is right above us to a ridiculous degree is very smart. Worst case scenario we become +metal statues+. This is a finely crafted metal statue. It is encrusted with sharkmist and HMRC. On the item is an image of HMRC and Pancaek. Pancaek is laughing. The HMRC is melting. The artwork relates to the encasing of the HMRC in metal by Pancaek during the Mission of Many People.))

Harry Baldman

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Re: Special People: Mission 5 has started
« Reply #4627 on: August 15, 2015, 06:37:28 pm »

"oh god I actually have to fucking explain this to you don't I well here goes" Ike mutters exasperatedly, then clears his throat before speaking.

"All forms of communication have an element of power to them. When you communicate with someone, it's polite and efficient to let them feel that they have a position of advantage, or that they stand on equal ground with you even if they don't. If I was smarter than you, for instance, I'd come off as an asshole if I outright said that I am smarter than you, even if it was perfectly true. It's just not in line with etiquette to emphasize our differences, especially when one person tries to claim superiority. It brings up tensions. Nobody likes being made to feel inferior, so you must treat them as an equal or superior. This is called 'being nice', 'being respectful' or 'being a decent human being'."

"In much the same way, you can't talk about murdering each other and expect that not to cast a shade of murder over your conversation. You tell someone you are going to murder them if event X happens, you instantly put into their mind the notion of event X happening, you trying to murder them and them defending themselves, and this establishes you as an actual threat. This spirals into formulating strategies for preemptively eliminating you before you can make good on your threat. From that moment on, you and this someone are silent enemies. The one threatened will feel the need to assert their safety from you in various ways, consider counters to your abilities and maybe humiliate you until they attain a position of equality. They will not feel the need to trust you, because you have already stated a condition on which you will become enemies. Sort of how you felt the need to explain to him that you will kill him if he tries anything to attain a level playing field, you know?"

"Compare that to a situation where you don't mention or give off the impression that you will murder someone if event X happens. This being a worst-case scenario, they will try not to think about it, assuming that surely there'll be no issue that causes this to spiral into outright hostilities because it'd wind up being a very unpleasant situation - and if they do think about it, that's paranoia, a sign of something in your head being out of whack, since there's no obvious cues that such precautions are needed."


Ike pauses and sighs.

"That's the fundamentals of it, anyway. You can't bring up violence without shifting the entire conversation to violence in one way or another. And when you've done that, violence is all anyone will think about. Like you standing around with your butt clenched and ready to turn a guy into ash. Fear, violence, interpersonal power struggles - all this is uncivilized to bring up or evoke in conversation, and I guarantee you that nobody who isn't a social retard in some way will appreciate it. Because it is uncomfortable to deconstruct and discuss, as well as it exposing the insecurity present in pretty much everybody."
« Last Edit: August 15, 2015, 06:46:54 pm by Harry Baldman »
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Lenglon

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Re: Special People: Mission 5 has started
« Reply #4628 on: August 15, 2015, 08:33:44 pm »

"That is not being 'nice, respectful or a decent human being' - that is lying for the sake of convenience and attempting to manipulate others by guiding their thoughts and misinforming them of their situation. Your entire speech just now was slimy and sickening, with no worth because it was entirely based on the person you're communicating with being stupid and unwilling or unable to attempt to understand the person they're communcating with. You are placing your own twisted view of social norms on a pedestal and claiming they are right with no basis for their rightness beyond them giving you the end result you want. I am not a liar Ike, and I would sooner burn my alphabet into your toungue than accept that the only way to coexist is to refuse to try to understand one another, instead simply exploiting them for one's own personal gain the way you just said."

"You're smarter than that Ike. Don't try to convince me your urine is rainwater, get it away from me and try again when you have something of actual value to contribute."
Logged
((I don't think heating something that is right above us to a ridiculous degree is very smart. Worst case scenario we become +metal statues+. This is a finely crafted metal statue. It is encrusted with sharkmist and HMRC. On the item is an image of HMRC and Pancaek. Pancaek is laughing. The HMRC is melting. The artwork relates to the encasing of the HMRC in metal by Pancaek during the Mission of Many People.))

Parisbre56

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Re: Special People: Mission 5 has started
« Reply #4629 on: August 15, 2015, 08:53:48 pm »

Team C: akkudakku, FallacyOfUrist, mydjet
Kick the blasted wall. Hard.
You punch the wall again. This time you actually manage to make a large deep crack on the wall! One more hit and you can-
The next moment, a giant greenblue hand with dirty and broken fingernails bursts through the wall, blindly grasping around. You're too surprised to move.
Luckily, it doesn't manage to grab you, but it does accidentally poke you into the ground.
"Don't say I didn't warn you, you silly wall-banger!" you hear the man yelling through the hole.


Staging Area


"So, what you're saying is...I've been brought here to compete....in the Alien Space Olympics."

...

"And you're my sponsor."
<Yes! Exactly!>

<But also completely wrong in almost every way!>


Yep, she's really enjoying this.

George facepalms once again, a poor attempt at hiding his frustration.  I need to find someone else to talk to.  She's just giving me a headache.  Hopefully the disembodied voice can't follow me.

Walk out of my cave and look around.
You try to walk through the water. You get pushed, lose your footing and fall down on the river and the rocks below. You get pushed around by the falling water a bit before the current carries you away. When you finally get the water out of your lungs, figure out which way is up, get to the surface and try to look around, you figure out that you're on a stream, heading straight for a windmill. You can see that the stream continues, going under a stone bridge that leads into a small medieval town with smoke coming out of some of its chimneys. The surrounding area is dominated by steep rocky cliff faces and a small forest.

During all this, the entities find an opportunity to comment.

<That's your new one?>
<Yep.>
<Not very smart, is he?>
<Nope.>
<Going to look for another?>
<Nah, it's not as bad as it looks. Tests show he's smarter than some of the ones here->
<I resemble that remark!>
<Though not much better than it looks either. But he has some interesting traits I'd like to explore. And I think he can do well with some work.>
<Hehe, a fixer-upper then?>
<Of sorts. Besides, too expensive to get a new one now.>

Sure, just wish for it. One level of Power would certainly make things a lot better. Two levels might be pushing it, but it would make things really good and a bit quicker, provided you don't overdo it. Three levels is just asking for an accidental earth-shattering kaboom.

((We'll do that, then.  Also, there's a reason I'm trying not to let power get too far ahead of control...))
Do what? Summon once with 1 level of power and once with 1 level of control?


Campaign

((I'll timeskip tomorrow then, if there's nothing else.
FAKEEDIT: And if you don't get into a fight and kill each other until then.))

River remains standing and looks at Irine and Ike, getting a bit more tense.

"And now I think I'm good!"

Read newspaper.
You find an abandoned building where you could do your business, find something resembling a toilet, sit down and then start reading the newspaper.

It calls itself "The Daily Inquisition" and boasts that it is "the only newspaper in Bargion appearing in authentic-feeling and looking yellow SPLaM, simulating the nostalgia-inducing appearance of newspapers commonly found in museums".

The front page article is talking about how the previous morning "there was a complete and total loss of communication with" there's a few strange symbols here you just skip past "a.k.a. 'Fool's Fortress'. Any attempts to create portals or teleport anywhere close to the colony have been met with failure. Although no official comments have been made by the Dark, some of the info we managed to get before the planet got dark indicates that it was attacked by unknown forces. Forces powerful enough to apparently overwhelm the planet's defences in seconds, causing a high number of civilian deaths in the process. It remains to be seen whether or not the recently mobilized fleets can get there in time to provide assistance. And whether or not they will be able to resolve this crisis once there. More on page 6, where our reporter interviews one of the Guardians responsible for the operation."

To our knowledge, there was nothing out of the ordinary with the colony. The reason behind the attack is unknown. Off the record comments suggest that the invading forces are either a result of or the cause of this blockade. Could this be the appearance of a new outside context threat? Should other colonies be afraid? Is a larger scale mobilisation necessary? Or is this-"
That's as far as you get before the newspaper disappears in a burst of purple light flashes.
Eh, it was kinda boring anyway. Should had started with the comics in the back.


Final Round

Spoiler: Pinned, eh? (click to show/hide)
Rune easily escapes the weight of the blade and lunges at Saevus, grabbing his other leg and starting to melt through it. Saevus doesn't think much, cutting through his leg and through Rune with it, cutting both him and it in half. And that is it. The blob dissolves into an inert clear liquid. Saevus' interface beeps green and announces that his objectives have been complete.

((I'll do the outro and give your rewards later.

Rune, you have a good character but you appear to be underutilizing him a bit. So a bit of advice. Consider it part of your second place prize.

First, get the Stabilised Secretions upgrade, since much of the actions you attempted during this fight and previous ones need that upgrade to work properly.

Second (and this goes to everyone, including Hawk) when you can't harm something directly with your power, see if you can't harm it indirectly. For Hawk, for example, you might not be able to get your weapons stable long enough to reach your target with your summoned corssbow projectiles. But you can use your gravity arm to launch rocks at people or find some normal arrows or... I dunno, use a mace like a golf club to shoot rocks if you have to.

Third, try to find ways to attack that will be unexpected and hard to counter. You can also make them fun, if you want. For example, if you had gone through Saevus' helmet and went inside him, Saevus could not get to you directly while you could take your time melting him. Of course, Saevus could counter by summoning a certain piece of equipment to stab inside himself or setting himself on fire but you could counter his counter and so on. And the most important thing would be that I could make silly jokes about how much you want to be inside him.))


OOC
((Probably jumping the gun a bit since we'd probably need either campaign or Mission 5 to finish first, but any thoughts on next mission type?  That's directed more at players since Paris usually puts up a poll.  Personally, John would like to do something with Alan since they're such best buds now, but it's tough to say when that mission will finish.  John would like in on Galactic Adventure if it ever rolls, but I'm not necessarily pushing for it.))
Well, we have 4-5 active people in the staging area right now. That's enough for a small mission.
I'll also put another assault I've thought of in the missions once I have a bit of time.
And you can always suggest a mission.
Galactic Adventure is fun. Much easier to get upgrades during it too, I think, since it's a bit more segmented. Unless you try to do things the hard way and end up floating in space. I think I need to think of a way around that, since with your luck it will probably happen at some point...

((Probably jumping the gun a bit since we'd probably need either campaign or Mission 5 to finish first, but any thoughts on next mission type?  That's directed more at players since Paris usually puts up a poll.  Personally, John would like to do something with Alan since they're such best buds now, but it's tough to say when that mission will finish.  John would like in on Galactic Adventure if it ever rolls, but I'm not necessarily pushing for it.))

((Ike's definitely not going on a campaign ever again - dude's learned his lesson by now.))
Hey, don't blame the campaign! I mean, sure, you've risked permadeath and gotten horribly hurt several times and it looks like everything is trying to kill you and you are no closer to finishing your objective.
...
Hmmm... I'm sure I was supposed to put a but there somewhere.
Oh, I remembered! You can get almost all of those things on any mission!
...
Wait, that doesn't sound like a good thing.
« Last Edit: August 15, 2015, 08:57:18 pm by Parisbre56 »
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FallacyofUrist

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Re: Special People: Mission 5 has started
« Reply #4630 on: August 15, 2015, 09:03:09 pm »

"At last, something to beat into a pulp!"

Beat the hand into a pulp! Then do it again!
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FoU has some twisted role ideas. Screw second-guessing this mechanical garbage spaghetti, I'm basing everything on reads and visible daytime behaviour.

Would you like to play a game of Mafia? The subforum is always open to new players.

Xantalos

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Re: Special People: Mission 5 has started
« Reply #4631 on: August 15, 2015, 09:19:50 pm »

"Huh. That was probably really important to someone and I fucked them over by summoning it over to me. Ah well!"

Alan pauses and tilts his head.

"My Irine senses are tingling."

Finish up my business, dispose of the toilet paper for the sake of my companions' fragile immune systems, summon a Nerf gun and go shoot Irine in the butt. Or failing that, a slingshot or something like that.

« Last Edit: August 15, 2015, 09:34:02 pm by Xantalos »
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Beirus

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Re: Special People: Mission 5 has started
« Reply #4632 on: August 15, 2015, 09:21:26 pm »

((After Mission 5, I'm totally down for the Galactic Adventure. It makes me think of Star Wars. I'll be R2D2. Also, what about Team A, Paris?))
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Because everything is Megaman when you have an arm cannon.

Parisbre56

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Re: Special People: Mission 5 has started
« Reply #4633 on: August 15, 2015, 09:28:12 pm »

((After Mission 5, I'm totally down for the Galactic Adventure. It makes me think of Star Wars. I'll be R2D2. Also, what about Team A, Paris?))
Did you post an action? I thought you didn't. Wanted to make sure you had a chance to respond, since you are in danger. Just posting THE SAME is enough. I'll do you tomorrow. Got to sleep now.

Xantalos

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Re: Special People: Mission 5 has started
« Reply #4634 on: August 15, 2015, 09:30:38 pm »

((Also, whoever updates the TVTropes page, you a baller.))
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Sig! Onol
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XANTALOS, THE KARATEBOMINATION
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((The Xantalos Die: [1, 1, 1, 6, 6, 6]))
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