Long Game 97: Midnight Whimsy

[Mark IV he/him]

Oh look, it's that time of the year again! 

I'd like to sign up as Mark! Don't have the most free schedule, but I've been itching to play a game, and a blackout LG is rather enticing, I won't lie.

I'll be keeping an eye on you this time, Devo 

Nice to see some old faces and some (kinda) new ones! Look forward to the stabby nights and likely confusing days

[Szeth Pancakes he/they]

A day and a quarter left in signups! I would appreciate a couple more players than this, if you’re on the edge

[Experience he/him]

@Frustration would you want to play?

[Mat he/him]

Ooooo that’d be fun

[DeTess she/her]

Just a quick fyi, I'll probably be late in checking in the first day.

[Frustration]

11 hours ago, Experience said:

@Frustration would you want to play?

Sure.

I have no idea what I'm doing.

[Aeoryi she/her]

6 hours ago, DeTess said:

Just a quick fyi, I'll probably be late in checking in the first day.

Same. Expect inactivity from me for 33 hours from now.

[Frustration]

Can someone please explain to me what this is?!

[Szeth Pancakes he/they]

Just now, Frustration said:

Can someone please explain to me what this is?!

Have you ever played mafia?

[Frustration]

Just now, Szeth_Pancakes said:

Have you ever played mafia?

Yes, is this just that?

[Szeth Pancakes he/they]

Just now, Frustration said:

Yes, is this just that?

Basically. I’d recommend reading this before the game, just so you’re up to date on the SE-specific lingo and stuff.

[Frustration]

11 minutes ago, Szeth_Pancakes said:

Basically. I’d recommend reading this before the game, just so you’re up to date on the SE-specific lingo and stuff.

Oh alright.

Wait this goes for weeks!

Um.....

Alright, I will most likely not be here for the whole thing, but maybe?

[Szeth Pancakes he/they]

2 minutes ago, Frustration said:

Oh alright.

Wait this goes for weeks!

Um.....

Alright, I will most likely not be here for the whole thing, but maybe?

I'm torn between wanting more players and not wanting the players I do have to be inactive.

Use your best judgement. It's okay to take a bit of a backseat for your first game, but please make sure you'll be able to actively participate for most of the game. I don't have a good estimate for how long this one will go, but it will probably be over two weeks.

[Mat he/him]

I am of the opinion that if you can’t play >80% of the game, you shouldn’t sign up, it messes with balance ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ but yeah use your own judgement 

[STINK he/him]

If sign-ups are open I'd be down to join please good GMs

[Frustration]

1 hour ago, Szeth_Pancakes said:

I'm torn between wanting more players and not wanting the players I do have to be inactive.

Use your best judgement. It's okay to take a bit of a backseat for your first game, but please make sure you'll be able to actively participate for most of the game. I don't have a good estimate for how long this one will go, but it will probably be over two weeks.

I can go to the end of October, but not beyond that.

[Szeth Pancakes he/they]

1 minute ago, Frustration said:

I can go to the end of October, but not beyond that.

That's probably good.

12 minutes ago, STINK said:

If sign-ups are open I'd be down to join please good GMs

Totes!

[Experience he/him]

1 hour ago, Frustration said:

I can go to the end of October, but not beyond that.

I'd be surprised if it isn't over before you've gotta go

[Szeth Pancakes he/they]

Signups are now closed. The first turn will be up shortly.

[Szeth Pancakes he/they]

LG97 Day One: You Got Tired of My Scheming (For the Last Time)

One week ago

The Floral fixed his gaze on Cochalis for what felt like days, but was likely only a few seconds. “Well?”

“Yes. Uh, business proposal,” Cochalis repeated, buying time. To his relief, the Floral removed his hand from his face. “What. What is it? Your Floral.”

The Floral laughed, darkly melodious. “Please. Call me Ilze.” Cochalis wasn’t sure if he was joking or not. “We’re getting ahead of ourselves,” he said, leaning back and forming a tent with his fingers. “Tell me about yourself. Who are you? What do you value?”

“Well.” Cochalis cleared his throat. “I grew up poor, in the Upper Roots. When I got into the University on scholarship–” he meant the Apex University, of course; the most prestigious school in the world, located in a prime position near the top of the Tree– “I decided that what I wanted to do was to help those who didn’t make it out. It was–”

“I’ll stop you there,” the Floral said, making a cutting motion with his hand. “You’re trying to be magnanimous. I respect that, of course. But I want to know what you actually want.”

“That is what I want,” Cochalis protested mildly.

Abruptly, the Floral stood. “Don’t,” he growled, his eyes dark with malice. “Test me.”

Cochalis realized what he was insinuating. “I… want a place in your House?” he said.

“Good.” The Floral sat.

Cochalis let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. He’d work out the implications of what he’d said later. Right now he needed to keep the Floral from throwing him off a branch. “What’s your proposal, then?”

***

House Carnation

Certificate of Death

4.23.135

Name: Carnation Shivi

Cause of Death: Natural Causes

Shivi was found dead by our gracious Floral earlier this day. He explained that she’d had a heart attack while on duty. More information has not been divulged.

----------

Welcome to LG97! Sorry this is late, I guess. I mean idk. It's just a game. Who really cares? (*^‿^*)

The turn ends at 5:30 PM PDT on Monday, October 9.

Players

Spoiler

1. @The Known Novel - Cain Abbel
2. @Experience
3. @Matrim's Dice
4. @Araris Valerian - Whamsy, who ran into a wall really hard one day, “WHAM!” and now thinks he’s a shard.
5. @Aeoryi - AMBITION, who ran into a wall really hard one day and now believes she is a shard.
6. @DeTess
7. @Devotary of Spontaneity -Calephor, a Mage of House Azalea.
8. @Archer - Aschu the Blessed
9. @JNV - Jellin
10. @Mark IV - Mark
11. @Frustration
12. @STINK

Spectators

Spoiler

 @Labyrinth

 

Edited October 8, 2023 by Szeth_Pancakes

[Szeth Pancakes he/they]

I'll clarify that complaints do not stack. You have one complaint, and it renews every two cycles.

Also: Do not use them for in-game reasons. Or else....

☆ ～('▽^人)

[Devotary of Spontaneity]

Complaints are the most lethal part of the game. We can have all but one player dead in 3 cycles.

For example, starting from the top of the list, we exe #1, elim kill #2, and complaint-kill #3-6. #1-3 complain on #3, #4-6 complain on #4, etc.

The Known Novel exe
Experience elim kill
Matrim's Dice complaint-kill
Araris Valerian complaint-kill
Aeoryi complaint-kill
DeTess complaint kill
Devotary of Spontaneity 
Archer
JNV 
Mark IV 
Frustration
STINK

Since we’ve killed off the top half of the list arbitrarily, it’s only fair that C2, we go from the bottom of the list and exe #12, elim-killing #11.

The Known Novel exe
Experience elim kill
Matrim's Dice complaint-kill
Araris Valerian complaint-kill
Aeoryi complaint-kill
DeTess complaint kill
Devotary of Spontaneity 
Archer
JNV
Mark IV
Frustration elim kill
STINK exe

C3, complaints refresh so we can exe #10, elim-kill #9, and complaint-kill #8

The Known Novel exe
Experience elim kill
Matrim's Dice complaint-kill
Araris Valerian complaint-kill
Aeoryi complaint-kill
DeTess complaint kill
Devotary of Spontaneity 
Archer complaint kill
JNV elim kill
Mark IV exe
Frustration elim kill
STINK exe

Everybody on my side wins. If we all had to pick one player other than ourselves to win (since it’s meaningless if people vote for themselves), it would be DeTess for being the chosen survivor in the version of this post I did when there were 11 players and we could kill everyone in three cycles.

 TKN.

---

“Do you understand your task, Magi Calephor?” the Azalea Floral asked. Even well into her seventies, House Azalea’s leader commanded respect from almost everyone she met.

“Of course Grandmother!” Cale replied in her resonant, carefree voice. “Investigate House Carnation! Confirm Cochy’s cause of death. House Rose is offering us lots of delicious Investiture he no longer needs.” She licked ellas lips.

Phor sighed internally, trying to pay attention in the calming, paralytic state of not being in charge of ellas body. She trusted Cale, but hearing ella speak so casually to ellas House leader was agonizing every time. She would feel better if she knew what Cale was going to say, but her better half was never one for forming words in ella thoughts before saying them. A moment of emotion and intent beforehand was the best she could expect. “Don’t worry,” Cale told her, picking up on her emotions. “Grandmother Elina likes us.”

“Is that why she gives us such boring jobs?” Phor responded. Even internally, she spared the effort to enunciate each word in a clear and precise manner. “The best mage of some minor house doesn’t look where he’s going and falls out of the Tree. Whimsy knows we would have fallen to our deaths plenty of times if I hadn’t been paying attention while you collected Investiture.”

“No, I’m sure of it! Grandmother wouldn’t send us on this mission just because you’ve kept our body in great shape for climbing. There’s bound to be secrets. We’ll get to question or even kill people, your favorite!”

Phor wished she shared the optimism Cale was projecting though ellas internal communication. Assassinating colleagues was strictly forbidden and enforced by thorough mental probes, so the best way to advance through the mage ranks and gain access to a greater share of House Azalea’s Investiture was by completing dangerous missions. Any mage, especially a mindmage, who attempted to claim the title of Floral would be swiftly assassinated, but Archmagi wasn’t out of the question, no matter how much the current ones thought themselves immortal and unassailable.

Floral Elina was still talking while Phor was distracted, but Cale’s short attention span hadn’t expired yet. Ella telepathically retransmitted the words to her as they were being said.

“We cannot afford open conflict with House Carnation. I trust your discretion to make sure no attention is drawn to us.”  Ella paused. “Aw, she trusts us.”

“Yes Grandmother,” ella said out loud.

Floral Elina gave one final instruction before dismissing ellas. “Attend to Archmagi Cerrevan before you leave. My Fragment of Whimsy is… disturbed. They may know more of this.”

Ellas bowed and left. “How ‘bout you talk this time!”

Phor acceded and took control of ellas body, feeling the familiar jolt of overwhelming energy and vibrancy as ellas temporarily co-fronted, before settling to the lower intensity, but much more easily maintained, state of sole control. She began walking towards Archmagi’s chambers, trying to rehearse what she would say to them as Cale began wondering in ella preferred wordless imagination what could have disturbed Whimsy.

---

“Cerrevan’s node body looks vaguely familiar,” Phor thought.

Cale sent out a mental query to Tanya. Even after being psychically tortured until personality death, Tanya’s memories remained intact, including information on Cerrevan’s other nodal minds. “Ric, a Protector Mage apprentice.”

Ric still had possession of himself, even Mindmagi as extraordinarily powerful and experienced as Cerrevan found it incredibly difficult to suborn a body not suited for them for any appreciable amount of time. Even Cale? had put up a long fight against ella despite possessing far less willpower. Instead, the person Cerrevan had traded to Ric in exchange for a copy of his mental patterns in their hive mind stayed dormant most of the time, allowing them no control over Ric besides what a telepathic link could offer.

“It was worth it,” Phor insisted in response to Cale’s rapid reminiscence.  “If we’d let Tanya exist in our body unobstructed, Cerrevan would be able to gain access to our thoughts with just a hint of Investiture. Preventing that makes up for the inconvenience of having to meet one of their node bodies in person.”

Ric had just handed a sealed bag emblazoned with a rose to the other people in the room, Lian. Ellas fellow Mindmagi turned as towards ellas after xe slipped the bag beneath xer robes.

“Ah, shall we receive assistance?” xe asked.

“No :P” Ric replied. “Our dear Callie is headed for House Carnation, not Rose.”

“It never stops being unsettling when they purposefully mimic you so poorly,” Phor complained to Cale instead of letting her displeasure show on ellas face. Ric was the only one to show distress, evidently not being used to conveying Cerrevan’s words.

“You’re the only one who gets the real me,” Cale assured her.

“That is correct,” Phor said after a brief pause. “Floral Elina said you had news of Whimsy’s disruption?”

Ric frowned in the exact same way Cerrevan’s more controlled node bodies did. “Yes, I am concerned. I, of course, was privileged enough to trade with Whimsy Themselves, and obtain a Fragment of Them in exchange one of my node minds. In recent days, that Fragment, usually so capricious, has been sending me the same message, over and over. ‘Meet me at midnight.’ I’ve never experience Whimsy being so consistent about anything.”

“Any idea what it means?” Lian asked.

“That, is for all of you to figure out. Now, I know you’re touchy about having us in your mind Calephor, but I will insist on you opening up Tanya just a little. If you can’t do that, link up with Lian here.”

Phor had no intention of trusting Cerrevan to that extent, but Lian was alright.

“More than alright! Allow me.” Using a slight amount of power, Cale initiated the spell to create a telepathic link with Lian, which the Magi accepted easily. Since the Magi had fully integrated the node mind Cerrevan had given xer, any information Calephor gave xer could easily be relayed to Cerrevan.

“Good? Excellent. You know your missions. Report back with any news of what Whimsy’s message might mean.”

Calephor and Lian went their separate ways, eager to begin investigating.

[Szeth Pancakes he/they]

1 minute ago, Devotary of Spontaneity said:

Complaints are the most lethal part of the game. We can have all but one player dead in 3 cycles.

Did you not see my last post? 

(◕‿◕)

[Experience he/him]

Wait so are complaints only...if like...someone is rude or something? 

????

[Devotary of Spontaneity]

19 minutes ago, Szeth_Pancakes said:

Did you not see my last post?

No, everything was prewritten. So complaints are some sort of collective moderation thing written as if they were mechanics? Like you PM the player you have a problem with and you can't resolve it. The IM gets involved but it's intractable. So you get two of your friends to just kill them and hope they don't do the same to you?