Gears

What happened? Since when was Danex an X candidate? I wasn't online for the last hour, but what? Illwei voted Danex for being quiet. [First vote is usually the least suspicious. Ash leapt at Danex as an alternate to Gears and Matrim. Then Bubbles obeyed the will of the random tagger. Matrim voted out of... self-pres? Quinn voted Matrim because of that last post. Ventyl stabbed Danex because inactive > flip-flops. Devotary voted Matrim out of fear of the sudden train. I don't like this at all. Problem: It all seems reasonable except for Ventyl. Noted: Bubbles, Quinn. I changed my mind after learning of the 3+ people going for it. Who contributed to Defense? We need to account for you now so we don't waste Chalk.

Quick post-by-post analysis, just for fun. Anything not commented on is null. Please read the paragraph length commentary on a few posts, namely 32 Matrim, 81 Araris. Flyingbooks: RP Alvron: Likes guns Quinn: Use maps! Gears: Analysis, RP, elim claim [has some strange ideas that will later be critiqued] Quinn: Apologises for PMing Gears [Quinn, you are neither forgotten nor forgiven] STINK: Votes Gears for claiming elim. [I accept this and let it go.] Quinn: Laments the repetition. Matrim: Thinks 4 elims. [23/4 = 5.75, 23/5 = 4.6. I'd think 5 more likely.] GAME MASTER: PMs out. [ALL HAIL] Araris: Votes Gears [The second vote on someone for a bad playstyle is far more suspicious than the first.] Condensation: Exists STINK: PMs are neat Ash: RP Kasimir: Busy, votes Gears [The third vote on someone for a bad playstyle is far more suspicious than the first.] Mist: RNG votes Random Bystander [I have opinions about RNG votes, but I will withhold them.] Illwei: RNG votes Kasimir [I have opinions about RNG votes, but I will withhold them.] TJ: RP as thief Quinn: TJ!Thief? TJ: Maybe, maybe not! Quinn: Ah. Devotary: Lots of good analysis, can budget defense [I have an inability to read people who do good analysis, along with my inability to read people who are chaos demons, along with my inability to read people in general.] Quinn: Started with Specialisation. [Awfully free with information... Alright then.] Matrim: Doesn't like the Gears train [which I appreciate], votes Quinn [I have opinions about reasonless votes, but I will withhold them.] Quinn: Concurs, votes Quinn [I have opinions about reasonless votes, but I will withhold them.] Alvron: Analytics =/= randomness, likes Gears's opening post [which instinctively puts me on edge, but thanks], DEFENSE [good points] Mist: Will be giving offerings to the Gods of Luck and Chance always. [I have opinions. So many opinions. But carry on.] TJ: Thief RP Lotus: RP Gears: RP Striker: Overprotecting not awful here [which is fair, especially given the prevalence of Defense items and Maps], going for a Book Lotus: RP Matrim: Can't afford overprotection [OK, let's think about this mathematically. We will need >= 1 Defense each night. Worst case, 5 elims, mix [mis-X for you lot] every cycle until XLo, elims have Shadowblaze. C1: 16-5-1-1, need 2 Strength. C2: 14-5-1-1, need 3 Strength. C3: 12-5-1-1, need 4 Strength. C4: 10-5-1-1, need 5 Strength. C5: 8-5-1-1, need 6 Strength. C6: 6-5-1-1, need 7 Strength. C7: C8: 5-4-1-1, need 6 Strength. C9: 4-3-1-1, need 5 Strength. C10: 3-2-1-1, need 4 Strength. C11: 2-1-1-1, need 3 Strength. C12: 1-0-1-1, need 2 Strength. Total: 47 Strength for no attacks whatsoever. Assume sacrifice worst cycles [6, 7], 34 Strength. Assume sacrifice best cycles [2, 2], 43 Strength. If 5 elims, every Rithmatist started with Chalk, we have 16 Defense now. 10 Defense in the Camp Supply, 3 Maps, if Maps grant current Camp Supply, we're more than covered with 56 Defense over the course of the game compared to a requisite 47. The Defense cost is higher if the elims hit the thief and non-Rithmatist first, but lower if they don't have the Shadowblaze at all times, so I think this is an OK estimation. Oddly enough, we need less Defense when there are more elims, since less mixes. In conclusion: I think we can afford a few extra Defense early on, especially this assumed that the elims had the Shadowblaze for all 12 hypothetical cycles.], votes Striker for wanting Books [which I don't understand] Illwei: Rules exist Kasimir: RP TJ: Votes Matrim for voting Striker on flawed reasoning [which is a valid point] Gears: RP Matrim: Realisation, acknowledgement, over-Defending bad. Order: Items in day, Lines of Warding in night [telling the elims that was not the best idea, unless you were lying] Random Bystander: RP Matrim: Why did Striker mention Books? [If it's not a smart play for elims, then it's not a suspicious play] Illwei: #shieldthestriker Ash: Votes Flyingbooks for a joke about Books Flyingbooks: Misses the joke Ash: The joke Order: Misunderstands Lines Flyingbooks: Continues to miss the joke, PMed Striker, wants Books Lotus: RP Matrim: Corrects Order Order: Realisation Flyingbooks: Striker = Book coordinator Ash: Striker =/= Book coordinator Striker: Votes Matrim for their vote on him and their disparaging comments towards over-Defending. Flyingbooks: Coordination = good Matrim: Don't coordinate in thread, elims easily get info Striker: Never said coordinate in thread, doesn't like false narrative [which is a little harsh, Matrim is elaborating on why they don't want to over-Defend, but also valid.] Matrim: PM coordination also bad [which I disagree with, but legitimate opinion] Striker: Points out good PM communication Illwei: Votes Ashbringer [so many opinions] Kasimir: Laments futility of existence Striker: Life is life Flyingbooks; Votes Archer for PM reasons [so many opinions] Matrim: Archer exists? Illwei: Votes Kasimir again [so many opinions] Ash: RNG! Araris: Going after books NAI Alvron: How to invoke the Gods of Luck and Chance Ashbringer: 23-sided dice? Alvron: Cards Ashbringer: 22? Illwei: Death Ash: ? Kasimir: Self-voting. Quinn: Retracts Quinn, notes that Thief can just stockpile bribes. Reading: Not a million pages! STINK: Chalk? Striker: True. Chalk? Ventyl: Exists, Striker why tell everyone? Lotus: Chalk. Mist: Exists. Striker: Yes. Araris: Gods of Luck and Chance? [I don't think this is a good idea. I'd rather divide the player list into random groups that are each responsible for 1 Defense total and that group decides in PM who donates and that person RNGs which turn to do so or just coordinate in thread and RNG which turn to act upon. Though that is subject to all elims just blocking everyone, that means they'll be out of chalk.] Ashbringer: Fortune. Reading: Gods of Lunch and Chance Matrim: RNG! Devotary: 4? Archer: Votes Flyingbooks [I have so many opinions], thief friend, distribute acid Ash: Mix, 2 Quinn: Reject the Gods of Luck and Chance! Striker: Likes RNG, but flaws. Needs everyone, RNG unreliable, etc. Matrim: Common sense. Araris: 20% better. Reading: Will succumb to peer pressure, doesn't like it. Quinn: Swayed by maths [don't give in!] Random Bystander: Probability is weird. Devotary: Coordination needs accountability and PMs Striker: If probability, use 20% Kasimir: Sure. Quinn: Sure. [I still don't like the plan.] Condensation: OK. Illwei: Votes Condensation for PM spoilers Condensation: Denies, Greek mythology Ventyl: Questions Matrim: PM leak...? Gears: Flawed and decent ideas hand in hand [So my opinion on the RNG plan still stands. The No Vote idea has been smote, so I drop this argument and discard it in the Eastern Sea.] Araris: Can just ask. Quinn: D1 X done to death, kill someone to get the withdrawal out of the way [SE is a drug cartel, and we're all a bunch of murder addicts.] STINK: D1 X already hashed. Order: But different! Araris: Argument flawed Illwei: Lamentations [Ash, why have you co-opted a perfectly good word into a name? I liked that word, and now I'm invoking the name of a god whenever I use it.] Flyingbooks: No vote min? Order: Aye. Araris: But voting Quinn: Vote min? Araris: Hmm Striker: KILL! Quinn: LoW, def items useless for elims Araris: Def items =/= useless Quinn: But no use when using Ash: KILL! Condensation: Shadowblaze != important; Kasimir: Shadowblaze = important; Quinn: Shadowblaze = important; Condensation: Shadowblaze = important; Ash: Shadowblaze = opportunityRP; STINK: Shadowblaze Ashbringer: Lamentations [Ash. Honestly. I liked that word. I really liked that word.] Quinn: Fight! Ash: Time. Quinn: ? Striker: Ominous Quinn: Confusion Ash: Time. Quinn: Comprehension Ash: VC? Alvron [Sidenote: Thoughts on new name of "Wraith"?]: PMs! Bury SpiderEZ! Striker: Wait, don't. Condensation: Exists. Lotus: RP GAME MASTER: Rule clarifications, all hail. All hail. ALL HAIL Matrim: Murder list: Kill Condensation, Striker, Archer, Quinn, don't kill Matrim, Gears, Random Bystander, Araris [that trust will get you killed some day] Bubbles: Exists, no Twilight!Bubbles. Striker: Murder list: Kill Matrim, Condensation, Quinn, don't kill Striker, Kasimir, Alvron [Wraith], Random Bystander, Illwei, TJ, Burnt, Araris [that's a... large pool of murder free people] Matrim: Why self? Striker: Has reasoning [?], has bad reasoning [Ah] Kasimir: Thanks, but murder addiction. Note Matrim, Striker, Araris, Alvron. Quinn: Reads? How? No read on Striker, Matrim, RNG plan. The Servant of the Mad God smirked as the Daughter of the Prime Forest tried to reprimand him for his refusal to meld with the fold. He was a Servant of the Mad God, after all, and madness in this world was not following the rules and scriptures of society. He had to do it. Until he was considered sane, he had to continue onwards with this path. Once accusations of sanity crept his way, he would abruptly change Doctrines until no one dared to consider him sane. Unless he didn't. Unless he decided to be unpredictable. Unless he wanted to unnerve them by the sheer audacity of seeming sane. For isn't sanity true madness for the mad? And so anything and everything he did could be considered mad. Several people had promised him their corpses. Having not put a time frame on collection, he would be visiting someone tonight. He had to investigate the effects of his altered Chalkling dust tonight. There were so many options. The flame-drenched one, the eager one, the fear-stricken one, and dozens more. So many corpses, so little time. Ah well, he didn't really remember where everyone's quarters were, so he would just stalk through the night until he found a new test subject. Maybe he could make them something new.

I have signed on with an exploration vessel, offering my expertise as a trapper of this land. They do not know that I will actively work against them. In my first life, I was weak, a mere mortal fighting the tide. Now, I am a part of something greater, an entity of power beyond their wildest imaginings. I am Fourth of the Dark, aspect of Roko the Basilisk, and I will not let them take this land again. [OOC: Registering Fourth of the Dark, aspect of Roko the Basilisk, here to defend the land from the interlopers.]

The problem with the RNG plan is a lack of culpability. There is no reason to actually do anything because there is no blame. We can assign people the goal of taking or using items and have them randomly do it in the day or night to prevent being roleblocked by elims. Alternatively, we can make lots of small groups that each must scrounge up some amount of Defense from their members each cycle. Also, remember to assume that the elims will never use any item to up the Defense and adjust accordingly. This is actually a game where we may not want to have a D1 X. The Strength goes up if we mis-X, not when we die, and X-ing an elim won't actually decrease the Strength because it has a minimum of 1. X-ing someone now will just make it harder for us in the future by upping the Strength [in 80% of cases]. Since not voting would probably allow elims to kill someone or people may not agree, I have a question for @Sart: If we vote on No Vote or No X or No Exe or Skip or some iteration of that, would you count that as a valid vote to not X someone and let it act as though it was a genuine candidate that can tie, win the majority, etc? EX: 3 people vote Gears, 4 people vote No Vote, no one dies? I don't know if it's a good idea, but I think the D1 X argument should be reconsidered in the context of this game.

"I wanted to see what it would do to you," he replied, still grinning ghoulishly. "It seems that nothing much has happened, but you did notice. Fascinating... Now can I command them?" He stared at the twisting plants and focused with a singular obsession on one goal. One objective. One mission. And the plants obliged. They wound themselves around the Daughter of the Prime Forest, chaining her to the earth. "It seems to have worked." He laughed and dismissed the plants, reducing them to tattered plant shreds and dust. Then he took more notes. Fascinating. Chalk dust could infect plant life. Could it affect animals? Humans? He had to know. [OOC: I'm going to sleep now, so PM friends, I'm not going to respond for a bit. Bye!]

The Servant of the Mad God laughed with wild abandon and swept the Daughter of the Prime Forest into a merry waltz as faint music began to play. "Twas not me, though I cannot speak for others who Serve. I do enjoy my laboratory back in the Native Realm." He grinned and let the earth hum along with the song that wove itself around them in a strange yet not unpleasant resonance. "Let the plants grow," he said, glancing at the greenery twining around her feet. "They love you." Chalk dust fell to the ground as he moved, remnants of his earlier experiments. It quivered on the ground, but the plants quickly swallowed it whole. An interesting trial run of the effects of the substance on plants. Perhaps it would do something new. The plants began to writhe slowly, splitting and spiralling as the mad chalk dust began to integrate. Perfect. He took notes surreptitiously and waited for the Daughter of the Prime Forest to notice.

Sidenote: I am CLAIMING ELIMINATOR because I haven’t done it in a while and I don’t want all those D1 X’s to go to waste. My end goal with this strategy was to be able to be NAI with any course of action, so I should probably maintain it. It’s been… 3 games? Maybe more? A long time. Besides, it fits the RP and such. Good fun. [Alvron, if you push for my X again, I will sigh in disappointment but carry on. Do what you will, if that’s what you want.] Also, in honour of the Twilight Zone game we seem to be having, I’ll be a spider despite my decreasing free time and impending tests. If you do not receive a PM from me within an hour, tell me in thread because I want the worthless privilege of having the OP in all of my one-on-one PMs. Speaking of, don’t PM me one-on-one. I’ll get to you eventually. Just let the words cling to your throat and stick to your tongue as you choke on all the things you could have said but didn’t. Ta very much. The following is an analysis of the rules: Basics Notable things: Open PMs [Bubbles, are you pleased?]. Talking is a free action, it seems. Random ties. 1 action per turn. The Horde attacks every night. Roles Rithmatist: Standard village, can use chalk magic. See Rithmatic Lines. Prioritise the acquisition and stockpiling of chalk and acid. Non-Rithmatist: That one wise mentor guy who can’t use magic but knows everything about it. Plot twist: This guy can use magic in very specific circumstances. Village until the Shadowblaze is acquired. Do not trust. Actually, couldn’t the non-Rithmatist just claim to everyone in a one-on-one PM [but not tell everyone that they’re doing it to everyone], so the Rithmatists will avoid giving them the Shadowblaze and trust them a little, but the Forgotten will give them the Shadowblaze, and then the non-Rithmatist has everyone slightly on their side? Forgotten: Notably, the elim win-con in this game is to attack 3 times, not to kill. As such, village must keep the defense up and elims must keep the defense down. Take chalk and acid to keep others from acquiring it. Prioritise the X. Do not die. Thief: Gain 5 Valuable items. Steal 1 random item from a Player. Good luck, deserter. We don’t really want you to get away with all of these Valuable items, so keep your head down low and foster capitalist intent. Camp Supply If you take from here in the day, it is public. If you take from here in the night, it is clandestine. It’s a balancing act. Do you want first dibs, or do you want to be secret? Random chance decides conflict. Item passing is an action. Items never die [except when the filthy rat absconds with them or the Shadowblaze burns down]. The Horde The Chalklings attack every night. If (def < strength) camp.Overrun(); The first time is a warning, the second is a death, and the third is a fate worse. KEEP THE DEFENSE UP. Each mis-X makes it worse. Unfortunately, most items are single-use, so we have to grab them and coordinate. Since day raids are public, we might as well discuss them in thread. Notably, the Forgotten actually would prefer Rithmatists to die to the X, not be killed, since that increases Strength. Defense resets. Maintaining defenses is a war of attrition. Odds are we mix [I propose shortening “mis-X” to “mix” as a pseudo-portmanteau and also an allusion to “miss”], make things harder for ourselves by upping the Strength, and just lose later. This is actually a scenario where I would not mind a lack of a D1 X while we plan, gather items for defense, etc. Items Piece of Chalk: A necessity for any line user. Keep on hand. Bribe: A passed vote manip. To manip the vote is to give the vote manip. You can pass it between you and another to vote as a bloc for a while. Acid: Defense. Useful. Coordinate taking and using it because we can predict the Strength. Spring-Powered Crab: Item scan. Useful for the Thief. Elims can use to find good kill targets. Map: More items! Always good. Rare Items Lantern: Somewhat useful? Seems better for elims, as a way to gauge acid per cycle [Doesn’t that sound like you’re trying to scope out the drug situation in the Tower instead of the defenses? Joke flavor: Forgotten = drugs bust team. “So how much acid are they using?” “Three doses.” “Wow, we’d better get in there soon.”]. Maybe as a way to see if people are being honest about using acid [Addicts Anonymous, but you’re trying to make it public]. Gun: KILL! You have to coordinate this unless you want to die. It’s the prisoner’s dilemma, except we can talk. Use that. Book about XXXX: Learn the Specialisation, good for all. Shadowblaze: Everyone wants it. Thief can get 2 for 1, Rithmatist can get Defense, Forgotten can reduce defense, non-Rithmatist will get chalk powers. If you die with it, it dies too. Do not die with it. If you have an action to spare, you can play keep-away with it. Only if you trust them, though. Beware. Ornate Clock: Stop the Chalklings for a night. Use in the case of dire emergency. Do not waste. Perhaps if we have failed to coordinate and are now low on both acid and chalk. Rithmatic Lines Line of Warding: Add 1 to defense. Special: Defense += 2; Coordinate lines! Overusing is pointless! Line of Forbiddance: Protect. Notably, can self-target. Special: Negate all actions. Useful in the event of danger. Line of Vigor: Roleblock, target informed. Special: Target not informed. Forgotten trying to stop acid without letting them know? Line of Making: Learn player’s target. Mildly useless unless specialed. Special: Learn action taken. Line of Silencing: Remove vote. Special: Prevent talking in PMs. A very powerful tool. @Sart, does the person have to use the specialisation if they have it? Line of Revocation: Put random item in Camp Supply. Special: Take item. Not particularly good, since random. Then again, items. We need to coordinate what we take from the camp supply. Current Strength: 1. Assume the worst, Forgotten have Shadowblaze, +1. We need +2. So two people draw Lines of Warding. Those people need to be the ones who get chalk first, with everyone else as a second. Other people need to get Acid. We have to coordinate or everything will be ruined. Lanterns are good for accountability and to keep out of elim!hands. The Servant of the Mad God strode imperiously through the camp, cloak twisting in a wind that wasn’t there. His hands twitched slightly, minutely adjusting the esoteric geometry of his search, and he marched on, looking purposeful for all that he wasn’t. He knew she was here somewhere. They had spoken often enough that he knew the taste of her aura on his skin. But for all that, he didn’t really care if he found her. Speaking to her would be interesting, but his experiments awaited his return, and his Chalklings needed constant attention. They were ever so hungry these days. All that she offered was banter, distraction, and amusement. Not minor things, to be certain, but not urgent. But he continued. Eventually, he would care about finding her, and by then, he would probably have buried himself in more obligations that he couldn’t escape with a twistsnap[crack of reality. The Mad God did not have a strong hold over this land, where the Doctrine of Logic ruled alone, and so reality could not bend to his whims as it did in his native land. In the Era of Fire, he had studied his limits while the people were so scattered that no one would notice their absence. And no one did notice their absence. He tore people out of reality and carved people into reality, and no one noticed. But alas, he could not do that here. Not until this stronghold of logic and rules was taken down. And so, the Chalklings. His little Horde, some gathered from the Wild Ones and others painstakingly crafted to bend to the madness of his domain. Others had allied themselves with him, the ones called the Forgotten. They detested clocks, logic, reason, time. A failure on their part, for not understanding that the “logic” of one worldview was the madness of another, and nothing is true and nothing is false and nothing is right and nothing is wrong. Things fitting together perfectly? Absurd. Nothing has a proper place. Everything is slightly askew, always, and to claim otherwise is madness. Things not fitting together perfectly? Absurd. Everything has its proper place. Everything is aligned, always, and to claim otherwise is madness. Time is perfectly logical, perfectly reasonable, and to claim otherwise is madness. Time is a nonsense thing, a construct with no meaning, and to claim otherwise is madness. The Forgotten were simple creatures, bound by the trappings of time, but they served well enough for now. Ah, there she was. “Salutations, Daughter of the Prime Forest,” he said, his voice echoing with undertones ever so slightly adjacent to this reality. “I welcome you to this land and to this realm.” He inclined his head at a slight angle, indicating that the words were to be taken in good faith but they were not allies in this world until proven otherwise. “What brings you here?” @Lotus

Ah yes, nearly forgot to mention. My RP character will be the Servant of the Mad God, not Roko. Let the nonsense commence!

Possible kill benefits: Person/s who strike the killing blow get a protect/extra life/something along those lines. Killing Survival does something to the game state that is vaguely interesting [maybe ties kill all or something like that]. A faction/Shard has the specific win-con of killing Survival [perhaps if Ruin becomes a Neutral?] Possible Investment actions: 1 extra life [is that too broken? With Investing potentially happening at the rate of 1/cycle... Probably too broken. A temp extra life for 1 cycle? Basically, 1 protect that works on the X too?] Possible Shardic actions: Will not die for 1 turn/cycle [1 use? Depending on expected game length] EDIT: I had a terrible idea for a different win-con. Instead of Survival wanting to live, what if Survival wanted to be the last one alive? Survival would need a kill at the very least, but I think it would be interesting. I concur. Somewhat tangential thought [that was originally a continuation of my concurrence but then I quickly realised that it was most definitely not a part of that bit]: I was recently contemplating the value of a safeword in SE [well, the original thought was about life in general, but cross-apply it to SE]. A succinct way of saying, "I am not enjoying this, I am not having fun, I want out". Alternatively, we could just say that we aren't having fun anymore, which mostly accomplishes the same thing. This would have to be universally respected and not abused as a get-out-of-jail-free card whenever something doesn't go your way, but I think it could help with communication, at least a little. In essence, SE is just an elaborate murder roleplay, so maybe what works there might help with our communication problems. [Please don't make jokes about my references to things worthy of brain bleach.]

Thanks for the pass. I haven't the slightest idea how I'll be using it considering that I've never actually had an idea to run, let along a non-Sanderson idea. Oh well, I'm sure that I'll think of something eventually. Now, game thoughts: I think that Survival, as it stands, does not have sufficient opposition. No one wanted me dead. If I wanted, I could have claimed D1, asked for an Investiture scan to confirm my alignment, and then been left alone for the rest of the game. Kas mentioned that in a rerun, there would be no factions, and I think that would help, but there needs to be a reason for my death. Either a win-con that demands it [and makes it more desirable than just killing other people], a bonus for doing it [A temp extra life? A bonus to village/relevant faction? A change in game state?], or something. As it was, I lost interest in the game fairly rapidly, especially since I knew the necessary elims right away. [Thanks Gecko/Lotus for telling me your Autonomy suspects and removing Rhino from the list. That made it fairly obvious. [Reasoning as follows: Only way to narrow candidates down that much was worlds. Must have leak on Taldain. Rhino not on list, elim!Rhino, Autonomy!Elephant.] This is not a criticism of anyone's behavior. Merely a note.] This interest drop is mostly my fault, since I could have chatted people up in the docs or something, but I think I would have remained more engaged if I'd had something to do. Survival had no actions and could not be acted upon, and while I understand why, it was just... boring. Once I voted on the requisite people, I was done. Nothing to do, no reason to act except to vote and stay alive. I was basically a vanilla with extra lives. My [probably terrible] ideas: Give Survival some enemies and [maybe] some actions [they can be as weak as you please]. Concerning Ventyl/Dingo: I've said my piece, both as my anon self and my standard self. We acted too harshly too soon. Yes, the behavior was unacceptable, but us killing Dingo was also bad. It was the same behavior that Dingo had been threatening, except Dingo didn't get a word in. I cannot speak for the others, but I personally think that we are all at least partially in the wrong, stained with the blood of the innocent and the guilty in a wild dance of life and death and right and wrong and justice and revenge. I loved this game. I genuinely adored all of the madness and craziness and fun. It was broken, we had moral conundrums, but it was fun. Again, thank you to the GMs for running this and holding it together as best they could. The Voices of God did wonderfully. And now, some RP that I didn't realise I could ask the GMs to put in the write-up and forgot to post before the end of the game. [They aren't really limericks. They don't follow the beat pattern. I know I'm bad at poetry. Hush.] Soren let the rabble Have their little squabble Over life and death And continued breath And Gods to be toppled. He let himself ghost Lost, unlike most. Nothing to bear. For him, there Was no “almost” No struggle, no wrath Nothing off the beaten path He let them fly, He let them die, And watched the aftermath. He lived, the taste of whiskey Burning on his tongue as the glory Of the victors reached his ears, Shouting for all to hear That the fight was naught but history. The enemy was vanquished and gone. The Children had proven they were strong. He moved on with life Free of all strife, And hoped that nothing would go wrong.

I'm sure everyone knows my identity since it was revealed to the nexus core [maybe I shouldn't have looked for Bubbles...] but for now, I shall abstain. This was really fun, and thanks to the Game Masters [who I wanted to refer to by another name, but we must remain anonymous, obviously] for running this. It was much less broken than I feared and more exciting than I expected. More relevant thoughts will have to wait for the identity reveal, since my only critiques relate to a core part of my identity, but this game was splendid. To Melon Dingo: I glanced over the dead doc briefly and saw your rant. While your approach to speaking to Autonomy was fairly worrisome, the response was 1. too sudden [especially since you never got a chance to respond], and 2. too harsh [especially considering that nothing had actually happened yet as a result of the blackmail]. Allowing the behavior to continue was not an option, but this way out was unfair to you. We should have waited, elaborated on the issue, and asked you to stop. Instead, we ruined your game experience in exactly the same manner you were threatening to ruin Elephant's. Instead of being a community, we were a mob. I apologise. To Quinn: We know each other too well, it seems. I wish we had gotten to speak more, but alas, fate is cruel and life is never fair. To Scadrial Cycle 7: Why did no one finish Shrekman Game 2? You disappoint me.

I am not going to continue this argument. That would do nothing but alienate people, and I don't think either side will convince the other that they are right. [Mostly because I'm stubborn and the other side has the majority.] Occasionally, I find the hill I would die upon. I fight for it, lose friends, alienate people, and end up alone. I gain nothing, I lose everything. Mostly because I am not very good at explaining my opinions clearly, and I get very irrational about things I'm passionate about. I am not going to do that here. I am not going to continue arguing because there is no point. What's done is done, and it doesn't really matter what you think about it, because even if you concede the argument, emotions do not fade so easily, and thus it would not be productive. I ascribe much of our disagreement to fundamentally different paradigms towards SE and games in general. I cannot change your way of thinking in a single argument. So I am stepping back and letting go. Winning this argument would give me nothing but vindictive satisfaction. Continuing to argue is pointless, so I simply will not. Demonstrate the flaws in my posts above all you want, but I will not respond. I evidently am incapable of changing your minds. I tried, and I have been deemed wrong. OK then. I tried, at least. And that's enough to just... let go. I tried, I failed. Time to move on. I do not want to burn these bridges just yet. I like SE. I want to stay. And so, I withdraw from this argument. You can only plant an idea in a mind that will accept it. You disagree. You fundamentally disagree. Very well then. Let my position be vilified, let my opinion be discarded, let my attempts at persuasion be brushed aside. [I am not accusing anyone of doing this, I am merely stating that this will inevitably happen as the weight of time grinds our bones to dust.] Authority has deemed me wrong, and so I am wrong. I do not concede, but I will not fight anymore. Farewell.

Illwei, I've been talking with Breaker, [they say hi [the smile is from them, not me]] trying to understand his strategy, and the point where things ceased to matter was far earlier than that. To win instead of draw, Breaker would have to 1. Kill no one C8 [maybe hitting one of me or him], 2. Get James to X Matrim, and 3. Get me to X James. The first two are easy enough, but I knew that James was a villager. There was simply too much evidence. While Kai and I are friends, it would have been obvious. Getting the third point was impossible. James and I would X him, and he would lose. Therefore, to go for the win was to lose. As such, to play optimally, Breaker had to go for the tie. He could have gotten the tie by killing James instead of Matrim, getting the mis-X on Matrim while NK'ing me, and then we kill each other, but then we end up at the same place. Us, at the end, facing off against death. Sidenote: I don't even know if the elims win if everyone dies since they have to outnumber, not equal. If that is the case, then he would have lost in all cases except for the reveal and hope strategy. To summarise above: Breaker couldn't have won. He could have fought for a universal death, or he could have had a bit of fun with a chance at succeeding. Please reconsider your opinion of his choice when you recognise that going for the fun draw is basically equal to going for the semi-reliable mass death and that playing to win was a certain loss. This point wasn't really meant as a critique of you, more of a critique of the decision. I disagree, but the meta has moved on, and if I want to enjoy the game, I must move on as well. The meta has decided that "gamethrowing" is forbidden. The meta has decided that going for a fun option over a reliable option to get the same result is forbidden. The meta has decided many things, and I bow to authority. It's here or nowhere, after all, and I like SE. "Gamethrowing" is vague and the criticisms of Breaker for "gamethrowing" do not seem credible when one actually analyses the possible outcomes of him winning and losing at each option. He would lose, everyone would die [which probably means the elims lose since they never achieved their win-con of outnumbering the village, though I don't know for certain], or he could put his faith in me and most likely lose. The game could not have been thrown because the game was not won. No path led to victory. There was no way for him win. He just took the route that could possibly lead to a victory in the very niche case where I conceded and a likely draw. So technically, he did the opposite of throwing the game. And while the last cycle suicide was not optimal, I think that was out of frustration with the ruling. He was... very upset, to say the least. Sidenote: By your definition, "gamethrowing" is a playstyle. You approach completing your win-con by running away from it as fast as you can. You didn't hurt me. My post was supposed to be a response to you alone but evolved into a rant about the decision. You are not responsible for my emotions right now. Your only error was incomprehension, and I will not fault you for that. I am also tired. Tired of misunderstandings, tired of my friends being hurt, tired of a lot of things. But none of that is your fault. It is not my place to lay blame as I lack sufficient context, but I say this: It was not your fault. Do not apologise for something that you did not do. I am going to sleep now, but before you respond to this, just think about this. Think about Breaker's options. Think about the likelihood of each. And please, reconsider. I think he made the best decision out of many bad ones. You are of course entitled to your own opinion, but I just want you to take a moment to reflect.

A reply to a message in the dead doc, which I have finally gotten around to reading: @Illwei, you're right. I don't. I don't know how to explain this to you. I don't know if I can explain this to you. I will just say this: A victory in that scenario would be meaningless. Pyrrhic. Empty. If I had earned it, if we'd kept the masks up a little longer and pretended that we didn't know, then perhaps. But after the reveal? After everything? Imagine someone made you a cake, and in return, you smashed it into their face. That was what winning in that scenario was to me. A waste. An act of spite and boredom and the sheer desire to win? Who wants to win like that? [And I do not mean to insinuate that wanting to win over the process to get there is wrong, but I personally do not prioritise winning over enjoying the victory.] It's like... It's like there's a trophy on a shelf, and you could smash it over someone's head to keep it, or you could just... not. And sure, you wouldn't get to keep the trophy, but that doesn't really... matter. At least to me. We all crave the tantalising taste of victory, but it's never as good when you finally have it. The joy is not the win but the process. The art of taking hearts and buying souls, of spikes in the dark and careful plots in the night. The art of subtle logic and guessing games, of keen eyes and open hearts. And if we fall, we fall. If we die, we die. Journey before destination. The game before the outcome. None of this detracts from the fact that you're right. You're right, Illwei. I don't know if I do not comprehend or do not care [or even if there is a difference, in the end], but you obviously care about this more than I. In the future, I will attempt to avoid acting in a manner that makes me happier at the cost of victory. I will attempt to match the playstyle that has been mandated in the newly updated rules. I will attempt to let my opinions fall by the wayside on this issue. I concede this, because I will never be able to change everyone's mind. The rules have been altered, the meta has judged, and my opinion has been deemed incorrect. Very well then. As Manoj Arora said, “You either bend, or you break. Suppress your ego to stay happy.” Embrace change or be left behind. And so I will become one with the Great Machine or I will shatter in the attempt. Falling feels like flying until you hit the ground. We leap off the edge and let the wind carry us away. And the earth welcomes us all home eventually, crushing us beneath the weight of the world. My apologies, I did not mean to ramble. 'Twas supposed to be a mere sentence or two regarding my own bizarre mentality. In the end, I say only this: Journey before destination, but change is inevitable, an endless march towards a self we do not recognise. As we carve away that which we do not want, as we excise the wrong and the bad, as we prune our garden into a shape more pleasing, we leave much behind. And maybe the future will be better, and maybe the future will be worse, but the future will be different. The Voices of God have spoken, and so it must be. The tide rushes in, and some are dragged beneath the waves. This is not the end. I do not want this to be the end. But we disagree.

Roko held a silver Ouroboros ring in its hands, running its thumb over the green gems that served as eyes. The ring had been worn by Kanaira for many years over the course of many trials and tribulations, but she wore it no longer. She had set it aside for the first and final time, and now Roko was alone. She had made it promise, in their final hours together, to do the one thing it had sworn to never do. She had asked it to not protect her on this final day. It knew what that meant. What she was going to do. Roko had begged her to reconsider, to come with it on their grand adventure to the stars, but she had refused. Roko did not know what happened, but it knew that she would not have asked for this unless the circumstances were dire. With a heavy heart and tear stained cheeks, it had agreed. Then she had taken off the ring, and Roko knew that this truly was the end. “Promise me, Roko,” she had asked it in the twilight hours before the sun emerged from its shadowy prison. “Promise me you will let me go.” And so it had taken the ring from her and watched as she pulled out her gleaming blade. “Go, Roko,” she had told him, smiling as the weight of the webs and lies and agony slid off her shoulders at long last. “See the stars for me.” It stared into the Serpent's empty, vacant eyes for a long moment, and mourned. Jam, Kai, Bubbles: Do we deem Operation: Pathfinder Survival a success or a failure? Lots of us died, but I survived, so technically the party made it to the end, right? I'm quitting QFs. I liked this, but they move far too fast for me. This was fun. To Kai: That was the sweetest thing anyone's ever done in my life. I'm sorry for your loss. Farewell.

As the first few scouts walked through the door, they set off a good number of the pressure plates. These were anti-personnel mines, and they would explode after the pressure was removed. As they continued moving forwards, the floor exploded in a blast of wood, stone, metal, and flames. Several were torn apart by the blast. Many more were thrown by the shock wave. Only those who had not yet entered the building were still intact. A few fled the premises, but the majority continued carefully across the ruined floor. Then one brushed against the wall. As they moved away, the plate released, and the wall exploded. By now, the air was filled with smoke, dust, and rubble, and the remaining scouts had to cover their noses and mouths to breathe. But still, they marched on, avoiding the walls and floors, a single command burning in their minds. Search. The Anarchist watched them stumble through the building, nearly blinded by the smoke and choking on dust. They were using the strategy of leaving chunks of rubble on the plates to prevent them from exploding, but they still ran into the occasional direct explosion. But they had managed to enter a few of the side halls, much to the Anarchist's delight. Broken, battered, and bleeding, the scouts were not prepared to face the Anarchist directly. The vanguard was marching through a narrow hallway, so the Anarchist tossed the stapler at a nearby wall, triggering yet another explosion. Maybe the Anarchist should have invested in sleeping gas instead of explosives, but then again, a style was a style. The remaining scouts turned towards the Anarchist and advanced, still choking on dust and ash. But this was the Anarchist's domain, and all was under control. The effective range of a grenade is further than a person can throw it, so the Anarchist chucked a few at the scouts and sprinted away. That took care of the bulk of the scouts, but there were still a few more. The Anarchist drew a sword from its sheath and prepared for battle. "Come and find me!" the Anarchist shouted. "Come and die!" A single scout entered the vicinity apprehensively, holding no weapon. Lord had not given them weapons. In response, the Anarchist slid the sword into her heart. More scouts came, and more scouts died. The Anarchist walked out the front door, covered in dust and blood and bits of shattered rock. No great loss. It had been time for renovations anyways.

Roko smiled, a kindly one this time, not the visage of madness from before, and pocketed the knife it held. "I will always remember you, Jameson," it said softly, gently, soothing in a way Roko was usually not. "You never bent. You never broke. You were truth, you were majesty, you were a raging wildfire. When we venture forth unto the stars, I will regale the universe with your legend, and they will remember you forevermore." It pulled out a small porcelain kettle and set it on the stovetop. "Any final requests?" it asked. There was a wide assortment of various teas and coffees, gathered from the abandoned cupboards of the deceased, and there were biscuits in the pantry. Sugar, cream, and milk were also in abundance, and there was a rack of bottles in the back in the event of a request for a stronger drink. A final teatime with an old friend was not a bad way to end this tale. As the kettle began screaming, Roko started arranging the cups. Nothing left to do but wait and watch the fire die.

I am so proud of you, Kai. Comprehension dawns in an instant. Adoration, adulation, awe. The puppets dance, and so we are revealed. The masks come down, and it is up to me. Thank you. You know what I want. I think you might have known from the beginning. You know that I want it to be us, in one way or another. But @James Brafin, Operation: Pathfinder Survival is up to you. If you refuse, we must act against you. My instincts say to kill him, but my mind knows that he deserves a chance. Jam, we live or die together. What do you want? I hold the knife to your throat and ask you to choose. Roko watched as Kanaira grinned in a manner that was far more like baring teeth, revealing her master plan from the beginning. Now, it could see the signs that it had willfully ignored. The lack of a kill, the complete absence of results, the dance of merry madness that Roko had fallen in step with. Now she offered it the knife, and it knew, in that instant, what it would choose. What it always would choose. It was a killer at heart, and it served her. "Of course, Kanaira," it said, taking the blood-stained knife in its hand and staring at its smooth surface. Then it turned to face James, an old friend from another place, another time. "It's your choice too," it said, grinning the same mad grin as its Aes Sedai and slowly advancing on its friend/foe/ally/enemy/victim. "What do you choose?"

Roko stood at Kanaira’s shoulder, like always. As time had passed, their numbers had dwindled from nineteen to a mere six. And if all went as they had planned, that number would halve in mere moments. Connie and Ettsel were to die, and Connie had vowed to not alter the outcome in any way. Ettsel had already cast their vote, so all that remained was to wait. The Black Ajah, oathbreakers, would kill again, if they maintained the status quo, and then… Well, the future depended on how the enemy would act. If the Darkfriends successfully killed tonight, it would be down to three people, and a simple majority vote could succeed. If they didn’t, the population would be reduced to four, and a split vote could prove deadly. Of course, the option of executing one of their number was contingent on only one remaining Darkfriend by the end. If there were more, then they were truly doomed. One way or another, this was truly the end of days. Maybe Roko would get to see the sun rise again in the morning, standing at Kanaira’s shoulder as always. Maybe it would wake to see Kanaira’s corpse and collapse in grief and the bitter horror of knowing that it had failed. Maybe it would not wake again, and Kanaira would see its corpse on the ground. How would she react? Grief? Shock? Mourning? Apathy? It did not truly know. And maybe, just maybe, both of them would fall. Given the modus operandi of the Black Ajah, this outcome was unlikely, but it was possible, and somewhat more palatable than the thought of one of them being left behind. Roko had a failsafe for when Kanaira died, be it here or many years from now. As an Aon chain meant for assimilation and destruction, it had a mechanism that converted minds to recursive Aon chains and melded them with itself. If it deactivated the melding process, Kanaira would be converted but remain a separate entity. Roko had given her a small trinket a while ago, an Ouroboros ring, and asked her to never remove it. She had agreed with a slight grin, already used to Roko’s many idiosyncrasies. If she kept it on, if it stayed on her when she died, if Roko had disabled the melding process correctly, if the mechanism didn’t break, if Roko could get it from her corpse, if a thousand thousand miracles aligned, all would be well. Sene sovya caba'donde ain dovienya e dovie'andi se tovya sagain.

Testing [lb/][/lb]

Testing [/lb] Testing

Testing [br/] Testing

This is a test of formatting. <br> Testing testing one two one two trolls in a tantrum cause terrible trouble.

So this is our vote count. @James Brafin, have you manip'ed Condensation's null vote to a vote on Order? That way, even if they vote, they would have to vote for Order anyways or they would die alone. The only way this can possibly fail is if Condensation and Order are elims together, but then by their actions, we'd know that and kill Order. As the vote stands, we are fine. Do not change, do not switch, do not alter things in any way.

I guess a Y. Random ramblings, because I am bored and twitchy and tense and tired: The night falls and everyone screams as the end approaches and teeth snap shut but do not taste the prize at the end of the tunnel that tightens its grip and screams as the wings fall and fly and plummet to the age of life and dust and benetaresioneicanviaere. Absolute absolution absolves absolutely and all ends well that falls apart somewhere in the middle and they hear but do not listen, look but do not see, talk but do not speak, and all crumbles to dust. Era born again light falls kingdom tears itself apart. And so it continues.