[LP CYOA] 傳

[XenomorphII]

C

 

[Baltika9]

A.

* saved Yifang
* saved Cao'er
* Abbess of the sect is the lover of former Master
Looks at the character sheet

Emei Sect: -20 (Neutral)

Assholes.

Actually dude, we had a -40 rep with them before this. It just went up, so I guess we came out ahead. I am extremely glad we picked B3 in the end, it all worked out.

While we did practice our killing on bound prisoners, people could be imprisoned for a lot of awfully petty things back in the day, so we've probably already done that a few times.

The leap from "may have killed an unspecified number of people of unknown culpability due to backstory" and "definitely murdered a guiltless person in their sleep by a conscious player choice" is a pretty big one to make.

Because if he would have been a "social darwinist/survivalist," he wouldn't give a crap if we killed the nuns, would probably instruct us to kill off the losers of our matches and try to bend us to his point of view. And yet, didn't. I'm just giving the guy the benefit of the doubt, "don't judge a book by it's cover" and all.

Why would he kill the perfect training dummies? Why would he care about them, personally, one bit?
I don't judge him by his cover - he pretty much confirmed his willingness to murder Yao, Cao'er, the nuns that he allegedly cares so much about, and then us, if we didn't submit to him.

Remember the "Oh no! He'll make us an insane killing machine, JUST LIKE HIM!" and how that didn't happen?

Ah, about that...
He made us a killing machine all right, and our sanity is rapidly waning. Look at the votes, we would have totally done the deed if we just had more time until dawn. Because massa Zhang gave us a task, and we have to oblige at first possible opportunity. Did you think it was even conceivable before? Look no further than Songfeng duel! Face it, the change in the psyche have already happened.

You... haven't been reading these debates long enough, have you? The votes are that way because the 'Dex is a bunch of bi-polar motherfuckers that can't make their mind up about anything. In any event, our sanity isn't as bad as you make it out to be.
Suffice to say, I'm convinced there's more to this story with Zhang than meets the eye (was he perhaps Yao's Son-in-Law who married his daughter?), he didn't just up and go crazy one day, something must have happened with him, probably with his qi. Considering our situation, I want toknow what that was.

 

[Baltika9]

treave, what does Jing think of Cao'er? Sister, friend, any romantic feelings?

“Maybe it’s the Shadow Wolf. I hear he’s been spotted in the region.”

“All the way out west, here? I heard he was last seen in Yangzhou.”

Say, I really do like our new nickname. The Ashina would certainly approve.

 

[Kipeci]

Are we the Shadow Wolf that they were talking about?

 

[Nevill]

We've never been in Yangzhou.

 

[Baltika9]

I certainly hope so, otherwise this will get messy.

 

[Stygian Lurker]

C
But first we must explain her our situation

 

[Esquilax]

"Well, though it is not the right thing for me to do, by all rights Miss Song should have handed Yao over to the collective judgement of the Eight Sects, and not act on her own whim. For now, Yao will join a nearby monastery, Shizu Temple, and live as a monk to repent for his countless sins over the years.”

treave, it's not stated directly, but Yao was a Shaolin monk as a young man, correct? I think it's very interesting, the different paths in life that the Abbess and Master Yao took. In her youth, the Abbess was a rough, unorthodox type, but Yao was part of an orthodox sect. But over the course of events, they ended up on opposite sides of the martial arts continuum. Jing might be in his rebellious teen years, but who knows where he'll end up as an older man?

Assholes.

This doesn't surprise me. Okay, we did a good turn for the nuns and maybe they'll call off the Castration Nuns for a little while if we're lucky, but the fact of the matter is that we still have their sect treasure and have no intention of giving it back. Yeah, fuck 'em, but I can see why that doesn't mean they're completely cool with us taking a powerful sword that has symbolic value to them. Still, we're somewhat cool with them and this should get them off our backs for a little while.

As for the choice itself, I gotta dissent with everyone here. If we vote for C and give her a free choice, she'll of course choose to join us because she's in love with Jing, and I can't possibly see that as safer for her in the long-run. Okay, she's useful to us, but if you're really concerned about her long-term safety, you gotta let her stay with the nuns. We'll be running around and making a few enemies in our quest to prove ourselves as the best young martial artist in China, and it's not fair that Cao'er get caught up in it. If she gets captured by bandits or used against us in some way by Zhang to keep us under his tutelage, then it would be very bad. We travel a dangerous road as the disciple of the Southern Maniac, and I just can't let her be part of it.

For the record, I am not a member of the "Zhang haters club". I think the guy is fucking awesome and we should learn from him as much as possible. But we can't form close attachments with other people while we're his apprentice. The man has made it his duty to transform us into the most dangerous pugilist in the world, and he'll do whatever the fuck it takes to achieve it. The man will put us through hell and force us to do anything if it means that we come out on the other end even more deadly than before. But what if he sees Cao'er as an obstacle to that goal? The man is a lunatic who has isolated himself on an island, I don't think that he sees the idea of making a few friends as a positive here.

I don't think that C is a "free" choice at all. Cao'er was told just five minutes ago that she was Miecao's granddaughter, and going to the convent would take her away from the only life she's ever known. On the other hand, she knows Jing and loves him. Of course she's going to come with us, and I suspect everyone voting here knows that she will come with us. But it isn't what's best for her. What's best for her is having her grandmother look after her, we aren't up to that sort of responsibility.

However... I do think that we can gain a few other favours from the Abbess. In fact, I have just the thing in mind:

Besides, when it comes to libraries about martial arts - which is what you want if you are looking for martial information and techniques built around the sword - Shaolin is the place to go. Of course, you could just ask the Emei nuns should you bump into one; it's one of their treasures, they definitely have a technique made for the sword.

We're on a mission from Zhang Jue, and we are missing some sword techniques that could really help us. Sure, we're not giving them the sword, but we gave them a promising young disciple, protected Sister Yifeng, and did it all without causing any problems with the Qingcheng. I'd say that's worth something.

Anyways, I just don't think we can in good conscience let her come with us. She'll be much happier with the Emei in the long run:

A

 

[Kipeci]

Why do you think she'd come with us? Yes, there's love there, but she might also not want to get in the way or be a distraction and decide to leave.

hm

I think treave will just pick the opposite response to what most people here indicate.

 

[Tigranes]

I agree. I'm not a fan of this Baltikan belief that everything with boobs and a vagina is a vessel for our bulging penis, which, by the way, should make all of our decisions for us. Besides which, she's a kind of dirty, weird, freaky girl. Not exactly the best we can do.

What's most important for Jing is (1) the long-term safety of Cao'er that he loves like a younger sister, (2) his own mission for Shun, and what that secondarily entails for him - i.e. apprenticeship to Zhang Jue, his mission to defeat the eight, his eventual entry into Yuhua Hall. Both dictate that A is the responsible answer and the correct one.

Certainly, having Cao'er around could help us in various ways, but given our loss of meridians she really does not have a clearly defined role, unless we want to go around healing people we just defeated or something. And finally, Cao'er may turn out to terribly hate being with the Emei - surely, she won't want to go for now - but we can't really be sure of that. What we do know is that it will mean Yao i sable to indirectly keep an eye on how she is doing.

A for now.

 

[Jester]

C because why not?

 

[Jester]

Wait Treave can Cao help us to develop non lethal approach? Would help if we wish to try win tournament.
Think she has 9-10 int.

 

[Baltika9]

I agree. I'm not a fan of this Baltikan belief that everything with boobs and a vagina is a vessel for our bulging penis

You actually took that seriously?
Dude, she's our little sis, that would be sick!
In regards to Jing's love life, I'll accept Yunzi and no one else, those two were made for one another.

And I'm not against taking Cao'er with us because of her talents, she's still a badass medic, even without our meridians, and will even be able to help us save any accidental casualties from our Rip and Tear style. Plus, she covers our lack of ranged skills.

However, Esquilax raises awesome points and I may very well flop.

 

[Kipeci]

She has her professional development as a healer to consider. Being cramped on a mountain retreat will probably only have her saving the life of the heroine of a korean historical drama every once in a while, as opposed to having regular practice in dealing with shattered faces, everything, etc. if she follows us. If she decides that the safety at the mountain beats that experience, then that's fine, but it should be her decision to make.

 

[Nevill]

Besides which, she's a kind of dirty, weird, freaky girl. Not exactly the best we can do.

She is Yifang's twin sister! Have some faith! And wash her up.

If you're really concerned about her long-term safety, you gotta let her stay with the nuns.

What, and subject her to the vow of eternal celibacy? NEVER!

A is the obviously smart choice here. Which is why I am going with B. Because we promised Yao we would look after her, and Jing keeps his promises, yes?

Dude, she's our little sis, that would be sick!

But Yifeng is our sis's sis. Does it make her our sis, too? I see a fault in your logic, good sir.

 

[Esquilax]

Self determination. Cao'er deserves that.

I have a feeling that you already know that she'll say "yes". She's had a crush on Jing ever since they met, and now he shows up like a knight in shining armour to perform a daring rescue while she's captured by the Qingcheng. Who do you think she's going to with; the handsome, bold young man off in search of adventure, or a bunch of stuffy nuns with a shitload of rules?

Because if he would have been a "social darwinist/survivalist," he wouldn't give a crap if we killed the nuns, would probably instruct us to kill off the losers of our matches and try to bend us to his point of view. And yet, didn't. I'm just giving the guy the benefit of the doubt, "don't judge a book by it's cover" and all.=

I think that there's definitely more to Zhang that meets the eye, the man is as enigmatic as he is terrifying. However, I don't think that the depth behind Zhang is that he cares about the value of human life deep down; he doesn't give a fuck, and he's demonstrated this many times. The only reason that those nuns are alive is because we needed sparring partners. The Maniac fascinates me as well, but we're not going to discover that he's actually a really good guy underneath. He isn't. And if he sees Cao'er as a threat to our progress, what do you think he's going to do about it?

Why do you think she'd come with us? Yes, there's love there, but she might also not want to get in the way or be a distraction and decide to leave.

You know that she doesn't think that. She misses Jing. Look at this:

Besides you, you hear Cao’er murmur quietly, slightly sulkily, “…Jing is a lecher… but it’s okay. I don’t mind being second… or third.”

Jing is the reckless apprentice of the Southern Maniac, he isn't responsible enough to take care of himself, let alone someone else.

I agree. I'm not a fan of this Baltikan belief that everything with boobs and a vagina is a vessel for our bulging penis, which, by the way, should make all of our decisions for us. Besides which, she's a kind of dirty, weird, freaky girl. Not exactly the best we can do.

I don't get it, how is this a bad thing? Why do you want me to flop to B, Tigranes?

 

[Tigranes]

I agree. I'm not a fan of this Baltikan belief that everything with boobs and a vagina is a vessel for our bulging penis

You actually took that seriously?
Dude, she's our little sis, that would be sick!
In regards to Jing's love life, I'll accept Yunzi and no one else, those two were made for one another.

Nothing is beyond you, you depraved little man.

 

[Baltika9]

That hurts, man.

 

[Nevill]

You just told us that the Abbess is our grandma.
THAT hurt.

 

[Baltika9]

What's so bad about that? Dude, she's the most badass grandma one could ask for! Ex-bandit unorthodox badass turned asskicker nun, that's one useful person to know.

In fact, I want her to be our friend and someone we can come to at any time and ask for advice. This is very worldly person, getting her to see us as "lil' bro" will be very useful indeed. In addition to everything Esquilax said, this gives me enough reason to flop to A.

 

[Nevill]

Reverse psychology! IT'S WORKING!

Flopped to A.

 

[Nevill]

And I really think Cao'er going with us is better on the long-run.

For us? Sure, while she is alive.

 

[Esquilax]

She has her professional development as a healer to consider. Being cramped on a mountain retreat will probably only have her saving the life of the heroine of a korean historical drama every once in a while, as opposed to having regular practice in dealing with shattered faces, everything, etc. if she follows us. If she decides that the safety at the mountain beats that experience, then that's fine, but it should be her decision to make.

That's a fair point. She'll learn a hell of a lot more about being a healer if she's in the thick of it. Even if she can't heal Jing, she would be useful in a lot of the challenges that we'll take part in. We won't have to worry about breaking someone's arms and legs if we know that we have a great healer in Cao'er with us.

But dude, you know she's going to pick us if we give her the choice to do so. For her, the choice between Jing and an unknown convent full of strangers and a strict set of rules is a very easy one to make. And I suspect that the Abbess is aware of this - it's easy to spin this as "oh, well, it's her choice" when you are pretty much certain you know that she'll go with you. She is not stupid and she'll see through this "let's give her a choice" nonsense for what it is - complete bullshit. We're giving her the choice to come with us because we know she'll come with us. Not much of a "choice", now is it? treave, being a disciple of the evil unorthodox pugilist known as Master Gaider, is aware of this.

You talk about her professional development, but what about her personal development? She's spent her entire life with a crazy guy in the woods and she's only managed to develop enough social skills to form complete sentences very recently. Being around a bunch of people her age and studying with them will be good for her. It's a better environment than what Yao provided, and it's better than what we can give her.

Look at the facts: Yao's lifestyle caught up with Cao'er, and we only narrowly managed to salvage the situation and keep things calm at Qingcheng. Our lifestyle as the disciple of the Southern Maniac is at least as dangerous as Yao's, and we will be making lots of enemies along the way. She shouldn't have to be part of all the trouble surrounding us.

Wait Treave can Cao help us to develop non lethal approach? Would help if we wish to try win tournament.
Think she has 9-10 int.

Why do we want to win the tournament? We have a year to complete Zhang's challenge, this is a marathon, not a sprint. Anyways, since we're competing, we don't need Cao'er to spot all the flaws in our opponents:

You would pick it up much easier by actually experiencing the technique first hand, yes. If purely by observation, you'll need to see at least two or more matches of the guy to get a feel for the technique; you won't pick up things in a single match. Considering that our INT is at 7, there's also a more limited amount of information you can remember at any given time compared to, say, Goat Adjutant with INT 9.

Experiencing the techniques of our opponents first-hand will allow us to figure this shit out without the need for a PER 10 with Immortal's Eyes to do it for us. Yeah, she'll be helpful in a tournament to spot an opponent's technique before we fight them, but if we're in the ring ourselves, we can develop an awareness of the opponent's flaws quite easily on our own.

And I really think Cao'er going with us is better on the long-run. Because:
1) She won't be able to blossom to her full potential
2) She would be a pretty useful party member - She can't heal with qi (but nothing stops her from healing us with herbs AFAIK) us or kill (until we face down the Uhihihihihihihihi, that is), but she can make better herbs (AND LAXATIVES! VOTE HERE FOR TACTICAL LAXATIVES MKII!), throwns very well (not everyone out there is a servant of Chaos Undivided without Meridians), can heal other people for us (getting them happier with us or less angry after we kick their asses in honorable duel), is very perceptive, has immortal's eyes, etc. She can probably make poisons if we need them, too.
3) She keeps Jing grounded and less liable to succumb to the MAXIMUM FUCK.
4) Harem Ending, Jing is not Ean.

Better... for who? Better for Cao'er, or better for Jing? Because you haven't explained why it's better for her - all of your reasons are selfish ones. You're only thinking about why it's better insofar as it's better for us. Okay, so she becomes a better healer by mending all the bones that we inevitably end up breaking, but why is it better for her? Maybe she'd be happier, y'know... socializing with people her age and becoming a well-adjusted adult instead of getting involved in a shitload of dangerous situations that we'll no doubt get ourselves in. Yao raised this girl in the woods and left her pretty maladjusted, maybe it would be better if she had some semblance of normality in her life, which she'll find in the convent.

4) is a stupid reason. Jing loves the ladies, but he is a gentleman, not some faggy PUA who equates his self-worth with how many women he's fucked. And c'mon bro: Cao'er is just too much like a sister to us, it's fucking gross.

But hey, if you want to think purely in terms of benefits for us, I'm sure that the Abbess would appreciate it if we decided to encourage Cao'er to return to Emei. She might be grateful enough that she'll teach us an awesome Sword technique that we can use with our Yuchang Sword. We have the head nun here with us, she knows how dangerous things are going to get for us, but helping bring Cao'er has done a lot to make her trust us. If there's anyone who knows some skills with the sword, it's her:

Of course, you could just ask the Emei nuns should you bump into one; it's one of their treasures, they definitely have a technique made for the sword.

As for other benefits, well, we'd be in good terms with Emei. Kashmir Slippers, I remember you wanted to be on decent terms with some of the orthodox sects, correct? Well, this is a great chance.

 

[Tigranes]

Now, now, let's not go all Disney about this. It's a pugilist world and many people choose a life of wandering, adventuring and whatnot as a viable lifestyle. I don't see anyone arguing that Jing is being psychologically traumatised by not getting to play with boys his age. Cao'er may become depressed in the convent, or bullied, lose her taste for life, whatever - you can't really attribute that when she didn't seem to particularly suffer or hate life with Yao. I don't think we should infantilise her and say "hey this is good for you the world is too dangerous little girl".

 

[Nevill]

I don't think we should infantilise her and say "hey this is good for you the world is too dangerous little girl".

The world isn't too dangerous for her. It is the part of the world we chose to reside in that is extremely dangerous. With no school to back us up, the only safe haven for us is the Ashina tribe, and the Luoying Manor might also qualify. Everywhere else we are just an outcast.

And then there is a matter of our Master.