[LP CYOA] 傳

[Nevill]

No, I'm saying that sometimes it can be difficult to tell from the get-go whether something was a good decision or not.

I should not neglect the parrots, I see.

 

[Absinthe]

Describe to me the amount of fucks either of them have to give at any given time.
I'll wait.

Lets see.

Do you see Zhang Jue passing up on the opportunity for a glorious brawl?
Do you see Shangguan Chuji staying out of a super important fight where supreme sword skills are necessary to keep shit in order?
Do you see Shangguan Chuji trusting Nie Wuxing?

There are solid odds they would come with us. And then there's the fact that A has some great troll potential and we would restrict their movements.

 

[Nevill]

I can totally see Shangguan Chuji staying out of a super important (for someone else) fight where supreme sword skills are necessary.

I can also totally see Zhang Jue chasing him across the country shouting 'are you healthy yet?'

 

[Baltika9]

Do you see Zhang Jue passing up on the opportunity for a glorious brawl?

Against the biggest no-talent hacks of the Eight Sect leaders? Fuck yeah. The only person our Master was interesred to fight was Shangguan and he's selling that business right now. The rest are boring to him, otherwise bed have been here.

Do you see Shangguan Chuji staying out of a super important fight where supreme sword skills are necessary to keep shit in order?
Do you see Shangguan Chuji trusting Nie Wuxing?

The same Shangguan that had zero fucks to give when Nie took over the leadership of the jianghu?

I'm not saying that they will or won't come, just that the odds are good/solid/leaning towards/etc... that they would ignore this because their fucks for the day are already spent.

 

[Esquilax]

Do you see Zhang Jue passing up on the opportunity for a glorious brawl?

Against who? Nie Wuxing? Lord Zhang can't be bothered to give a fuck about such a small-fry of a fighter like that. The pugilistic world might be duped into believing he's the best, but Master Zhang came here to fight the Sword Saint and not the head of Huashan for a reason.

Do you see Shangguan Chuji staying out of a super important fight where supreme sword skills are necessary to keep shit in order?

Considering that the Sword Saint is a recluse who hasn't given a fuck about the pugilistic world since... ever, yes, yes I could see him staying out of things.

Do you see Shangguan Chuji trusting Nie Wuxing?

No, but it's not like Nie Wuxing's douchebaggery was enough for Master Shangguan to get involved up till now, so I don't see why things would change at all.

Lastly, what are these "odds" you speak of, and how do you calculate them? I think I need to have a word with your bookie, I think he might be fucking you over.

 

[Absinthe]

If there's enough of them swinging a bunch of legendary swords, yeah, he could get curious.

And Shangguan Chuji did have fucks to give, he just stayed out of politics. If the stakes are high enough in a fight, he gets involved.

 

[treave]

Nevill - A
asxetos - A
ERYFKRAD - C
Kz3r0 - B
Elfberserker - B
The Brazilian Slaughter - A
Akkudakku - A
Baltika9 - B
Grimgravy - B
Absinthe - A
Kipeci - A
Kashmir Slippers - B>A
Lambchop19 - B
Esquilax - B
ChumBucket - A

***

Current tally:

A - 7
B - 7
C - 1

Votes close in 3 hours, possibly.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

Oh! Oh! Guyse, I know the perfect counter to that! We just use our WQS to copy Qilin's Liedu Zhanhua Skill along with her neigong!

Checkmate, Lambchop!

Because I argue for WQS every time? I don't, you know.

Look, I don't see what is so bad about Wuxing trying to kill us (if he does try). It means we have derailed his plans enough for him to resort to desperate measures.

No, it would mean he doesn't like us. Which he doesn't. What's bad about him trying to kill us is if he succeeds. Given that he took part in orchestrating the deaths of masters, I wouldn't put it outside his capability.

And what if he doesn't try to kill us? What if we go with him, nothing happens and we arrive at our destination with the sword still in his possession? What if the sword is cursed and we have nothing to prove it because NW was on guard the whole time?

We just have to avoid getting killed rollback, and that is one area we are fairly proficient in.

Fixed.

 

[Ganymede]

If the chat with Nie Wuxing made anything clear it's that we don't need to be worried about him or his ambition. Observe this exchange:

The Ten Swords Conference II

Madam Nie lets out a heavy sigh. “That it may be… but the two of you should heed my words and marry as quickly as possible. Who knows what could happen in the near future… even tomorrow? Life is short. For example, what would you do if my husband offered you Shuixian and Mudan in marriage as a show of his desire to be your comrade?”

“I never-“ begins Nie, but a glance from his wife cuts him off. He nods.

That is whole new levels of whipped.

The fact that Nie Wuxing would be destroyed if the sword was lost in transit is irrelevant, because you can bet the plan originated with wifey, and any attempt to take it will come from her end too.

I can see only two possible goals from her plan to take the sword to Chang'an. And there is a Plan going on here, with a capital P. She wouldn't offer bargaining chips as valuable as the Twin Flowers to gain Jing's support if there wasn't a Plan.

A) Steal the sword away from the island and it's mysterious owner.
For this the talk of patriotism is just a pretext, it's so you don't have to deal with all the other great swordsmen while you look righteous absconding with the blade. Go on to use it for whatever nefarious purposes. But there are problems with this plan; if all you want is the sword then why bring the Emperor into it at all? You have the votes to carry the floor regardless of anyone's arguments, the Sword Saint and Zhang Jue aren't even here, so you have the numbers if it should come to a fight. Just go in there, call in all your favours and take the damn thing. No need to dissemble.

B) Use the sword to gain influence over the Emperor.
This line stuck out to me:

The Ten Swords Conference II

“I believe you have many misunderstandings about us, Xu Jing,” says Madam Nie. “Do you think that we seek to overthrow the Emperor, or to cause him harm in any way? We do not. We are loyal to him and his rule. But the Emperor is surrounded by sycophants and foolish advisors, and if we do not deal with these pests they will do irreversible damage to the Empire.”

The unspoken assumption here is that "I would make a much better advisor." If you crave legitimacy like Nie Wuxing, or have some inscrutable motive like Madame Nie, then handing over the sword to the Emperor makes perfect sense. You ingratiate yourself with the Imperial Court, gain a reputation as righteous and upstanding, and put the most powerful man in the country in your debt. The only person that's going to oppose such a plan at the Sword Conference itself is Zhang Jue (or maybe that lunatic disciple of his, better be ready with some bribes). Remember to them Shun isn't Shun, he's The Emperor, a figurehead sitting atop a vast, corrupt bureaucracy. He's just a man and like any man he can be manipulated.

One possible alternative is that the sword is trapped/cursed in some way, meant to harm the emperor. But that plan is certain suicide for the Nie clan, and I can't believe they'd knowingly pursue it.

So that leaves only the question of what to do about this? Our buddy Shun is clever enough to see through them right? But he could be pressured into fulfilling an obligation to them if the sword is seen to come from just Wuxing. So lets vote A, having so many formidable individuals in one place should be fun. It's Zhang Jue's idea of a smorgasbord.

 

[Nevill]

Because I argue for WQS every time? I don't, you know.

Because the WQS argument is irrefutable in principle.

And yes, I know.

No, it would mean he doesn't like us. Which he doesn't. What's bad about him trying to kill us is if he succeeds. Given that he took part in orchestrating the deaths of masters, I wouldn't put it outside his capability.

Well, they weren't expecting that. We would be.

And what if he doesn't try to kill us? What if we go with him, nothing happens and we arrive at our destination with the sword still in his possession? What if the sword is cursed and we have nothing to prove it because NW was on guard the whole time?

It would be best if nothing happens. Unfortunately, I don't think his plan was just to take a hike to Yangzhou and back.

If the sword is cursed, then it will rot in the Imperial treasury. Shun does not have to wield it to own it, you know?

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

If the sword is cursed, then it will rot in the Imperial treasury. Shun does not have to wield it to own it, you know?

As if mr. "comes to the conference himself even though he could be killed" wouldn't want to wield the sword himself too.

Have to admit those were some pretty good arguments, Ganymede. I still strongly suspect the whole cursed blade angle though. Why would it be suicide for them to give him a cursed blade - especially if the curse was not readily identifiable? For arguments sake, it could be any kind of curse. One that slowly drives a man mad, one that puts a man in a comma, one that makes a man controllable by an outside party (ie, the one who wields the sword of leadership is the one who is being led).

Eh, I'm not going too argue to hard on this. It's the end of the LP and the codex has already doomed Jing to wander the earth possessed for the next 1000 years. Bah.

 

[Nevill]

As if mr. "comes to the conference himself even though he could be killed" wouldn't want to wield the sword himself too.

Naturally, we will volunteer to field test it.

That's how we will avoid the God of War ending in favor of The Great Devourer one.

one that puts a man in a comma

Ugh, that one is painful even to read about.

 

[Nevill]

There simply ins't much in Nie giving that sword to the zhang clan to use in a coup.

I'll mention it for the sake of the argument only, since I don't believe in this myself.

Seeing how it is Madam Nie calling the shots, we might not want to discard the outcomes in which the Nie clan gets the short end of the stick if it somehow elevates Madam Nie as well.

Being a wife to the head of the orthodox community has its perks, but does it compare to being an Empress?

Just throwing it out there.

Edit: Also, I find the advisor angle unlikely. What use is an advisor if his liege is pressured into accepting him and does not heed his words? I would find it more likely that Wuxing will ask for a favor that would be instrumental to manlou's plans - if that is what he is after.

 

[Ganymede]

I still strongly suspect the whole cursed blade angle though. Why would it be suicide for them to give him a cursed blade - especially if the curse was not readily identifiable? For arguments sake, it could be any kind of curse. One that slowly drives a man mad, one that puts a man in a comma, one that makes a man controllable by an outside party (ie, the one who wields the sword of leadership is the one who is being led).

"Boy the Emperor sure started to act strangely after he got that sword, wait a minute, who was it that made a big song and dance out of gifting it to him?" If the Nies pulled a stunt like this they'd have Jing, Gao Ying, The Secret police, The Constables, and every other friend and ally Shun has crawling so far up their asses they'd still be shitting pugilists when they got to heaven. I'm not saying that the sword isn't cursed just that giving the emperor such an obviously poisoned chalice isn't a smart play when you're a political entity and everyone knows where you live. Now maybe they are being manipulated by shadowy figures or maybe madame Nie plans to jump ship, or maybe the curse is so subtle and profound that nobody will ever know, but really the only evidence that there's anything wrong with the sword is that Jing says it feels a bit odd. That could mean absolutely anything.

Eh, I'm not going too argue to hard on this. It's the end of the LP and the codex has already doomed Jing to wander the earth possessed for the next 1000 years. Bah.

Don't worry bro, there'll be a chance to salvage a proper ending for this thing I just know it.

 

[Rex Feral]

I'll go with B

 

[Akkudakku]

Why do you hate miss Bai so much and vote B?

 

[Nevill]

Don't worry bro, there'll be a chance to salvage a proper ending for this thing I just know it.

All I want is for Jing to not become a WQS-loving attention whore.

Just have him believe in what he does, and act in a truly selfless way instead of craving for love, recognition and worship. Have him believe that the world really needs the cycles of turmoil and stagnation to progress.

As it is now, the demon defiled the very foundation we have build Jing upon. Not subverted, not bent to his needs. He flat out crossed it out.

Jing never did any of his deeds to be worshipped.

Really, it changes nothing in the actual ending and we are still a villain - or at least an anti-villain. All it changes is a character interpretation, but for me that aspect is a damn important one.

 

[Sunnmøring]

I'll vote for A and freedom!

 

[treave]

I suppose A wins.

Don't worry bro, there'll be a chance to salvage a proper ending for this thing I just know it.

 

[Nevill]

Was that in any way related to this

I'm also pretty sure that when the time comes, the majority will vote to cast away this ending in favor of what they hope will be a happier one.

or to a general possibility of turning things around?

Because for me it was one of the main attractions in favor of continuing.

Well, that, and the Order of the Burning One-Eyed Serpent looked pretty damn cool.

 

[treave]

More the possibility of dying like a chump.

 

[Ganymede]

More the possibility of dying like a chump LEGEND.

Frankly anything is preferable to becoming a needy anime attention whore.

 

[Kz3r0]

Frankly anything is preferable to becoming a needy anime attention whore.

Wait, what, aren't we alreday one?

 

[treave]

Different tunes will be sung and a reset/rollback/continuesavescum gone for when the time comes, regardless of the current posturing. Been that way for three times in a row now, probably not going to change as long as I provide the choice.

 

[Kipeci]

Jing always did have some measure of the attention whore to him, the demon didn't take it out of nowhere. If anything I expect it'll result in all the better trolling opportunities... and maybe this time Jing will be compelled to take the Brown Wedding options so that we can't convince him otherwise. I'm going to say that that's my worst screw-up thus far in these CYOAs.