[LP CYOA] 傳

[Nevill]

It appears we have another tie.

Since C doesn't look like it would pan out, its votes mostly absorbed by the previous choices, it falls to The Brazilian Slaughter, Anabanana, and Elfberserker to determine the outcome. Unless we get an influx of new votes - I think Ganymede , Bloodshifter, ScubaV , Grimgravy and kazgar haven't voted yet.

 

[Elfberserker]

I know that I am going to regret this but I flop to C>B.
If we are going to do something with the ghost, I think we should play on our strengths, namely on our charisma and speech skills. If I understood correctly our actions doesn't necessarily open the door and we wouldn't anger the ghost based on what we know. It looks like C won't win and I have no idea how A or B will work, since we are not exactly in normal situation here. Plus I hate how long this has been in stalemate.

 

[ScubaV]

By process of elimination I choose B.

C is going against Jing's instincts and sounds like the classic ghost story "you walk in the darkness, it envelops you, you die" spiel. So that's out.
And A is pretty pervy, which also does not sound like it would mix well with the supernatural. Angry ghosts FTL.

 

[Elfberserker]

C>A. Changed my mind. Maybe it's best for trying to gather more information and not to reveal ourself. I think the reward is worth the risk.

 

[Absinthe]

Elfberserker, there is no good reward from this. Why you should peek on a bathing girl as if it is going to grant some profound negotiation benefits when we could just talk on positive terms instead I do not know. You just acknowledged our Speech and Charisma are the appropriate tools, so please don't fuck it up with the A vote that ensures we're off to a bad start. The benefit is possibly "we know something more" and the highly probable risk is "we just fucked up the quest."

 

[Baltika9]

You're too stuck on thinking about negotiation, that's not the point of A. The point of A is to get information on what the hell is going on, we have no way of knowing if these ghosts even want to talk to us on friendly terms, just like we have no way of knowing whether or not they're luring us into a trap.

The whole point of going for A is to get educated on the situation in general, not for diplomacy.

 

[Absinthe]

It doesn't matter. We can't do much against the ghosts and running into the dark sounds like a bad end. Our only choices are how we want to interact with the ghost, so I think polite interaction is better. There's also the point on the last page that Jing is being lured into the A vote at which point bad shit will happen.

 

[Baltika9]

There's an equal argument that Jing is being lured into the B choice with a Ghost Mind Trick, which I personally think is stronger, Jing is lecher and not a gentleman. But this is the "ghosts fucking with our mind" speculation, we have no idea if it's true. Maybe our guy is just spooked?

And yes, it does matter, if we knock on the door and get approached by it, if by some chance it is hostile, there goes our chance of escape. If we peek on it and get spotted, at the very least we get a three second head start. If it turns out the ghost is friendly and acts as a normal human being, the worst it will do is screech and yell (...or rape punish us for being a bad, bad boy.)

 

[Nevill]

How do you negotiate with a ghost? What do they like, what do they dislike, what pleases them and what offends them - Jing does not have a clue about any of it. I don't know whether CHA is the right tool for the job, or if our enhanced PER is better suited for it, allowing us to spot some oddities in her appearance, behavior, or her manners that would help us understand who she was in life and maybe put her spirit to rest. At the very least, it would help if we could describe the ghost to the exorcist - maybe he would know how to deal with it then.

And I still think that just looking at the ghost is less dangerous than trying to interact with it.

 

[Baltika9]

We type and come up with all kinds of different theories, but that doesn't mean they will be right. We can cover ten possibilities and have this turn out to be possibility eleven. Bottom line is, we don't know squat about squat when it comes to ghosts, ergo it is smarter to observe and learn.
That, and I want to hear her singing for a while longer, perhaps it will jog Jing's memory. This has me intrigued, but it could be the mansion just screwing with us.

 

[Nim]

A

 

[Absinthe]

There's an equal argument that Jing is being lured into the B choice with a Ghost Mind Trick, which I personally think is stronger,

There isn't any weight behind that. We acknowledged that we are being lured to the room, but between the choices, the only choice that sounds like you are being influenced is the A choice. Avoiding B is just a sign you're scared of straightforward options. On the other hand A has all the vibes of trying to create justifications for an inexplicable urge to peep on a bathing woman, which doesn't sound right for an intelligent and composed man like Jing.

Jing is lecher and not a gentleman.

That's highly debatable. Jing's lechery has had little to do with his sexual appetite and more to do with other benefits, which doesn't make him a lecher but an opportunist, which he is. And favoring good behavior over this crap is just plain decent fucking sense. Your logic sounds like you want to be the guy who goes to bars, leers at women, gets on all fours, and sniffs their butts because "holy shit man being a gentleman is not my style. I'm a lecher!" even as it results in a beatdown and a permanent ban. Consider the possibility that decent sensibilities and a decent upbringing can result in deciding to be a decent human being when appropriate.

But this is the "ghosts fucking with our mind" speculation, we have no idea if it's true. Maybe our guy is just spooked?

He is spooked, but since this is a ghost story we can acknowledge there's more at play than that.

And yes, it does matter, if we knock on the door and get approached by it, if by some chance it is hostile, there goes our chance of escape. If we peek on it and get spotted, at the very least we get a three second head start. If it turns out the ghost is friendly and acts as a normal human being, the worst it will do is screech and yell (...or rape punish us for being a bad, bad boy.)

Dude, the head start doesn't matter much. Jing has 5 agi now, and then we run off into the darkness of the haunted mansion. If you want to run, just run now and exit the ghost's story. Otherwise, max your chances of diplomacy success by voting B. Don't half-ass with a side of "seriously pissed ghost" by voting A. Also, even hostile ghosts can respond politely so long as you are polite towards them. Politeness protocols are serious fucking business, especially when it comes to dead spirits in Chinese mythology. And even a friendly ghost can turn hostile if you commit a serious taboo, which A would be.

 

[Nevill]

A is the straightforward, true-to-his-nature option for our character. In fact, B is so uncharacteristic for Jing that it is №1 candidate for the "under the influence" option.

Of course all of this is just nonsense and finger-pointing. "You are playing in the ghosts hands!" "NO U!"

On the other hand A has all the vibes of trying to create justifications for an inexplicable urge to peep on a bathing woman

> inexplicable urge to peep on a bathing woman

If you want to run, just run now and exit the ghost's story. Otherwise, max your chances of diplomacy success by voting B. Don't half-ass with a side of "seriously pissed ghost" by voting A.

And what if I don't want to run and don't want to engage in ghost diplomacy without knowing a single thing about them?

 

[Anabanana]

Yeeeeep. A is classic "peek on the ghost girl -> die horribly for being a perv" ghost story narrative. That said, in B all we'll be hearing is the girl's voice, if she even responds, so I'm thinking we're going to get a conversation that sounds perfectly normal and reasonable BUT IN ACTUALITY IF WE COULD SEE HER SHE TURNS OUT TO BE SOME KIND OF MONSTROUS BEING CRAAAP. A is most likely to anger her out of all the options and will probably lead to some kind of ghost fight, but might give us some useful information from the visuals she presents us, even if it's an illusion. Then again that's true of B too.

I guess it's useless to talk about C now since nobody's going to flop to it.

Overall, though I can kinda see the merits of A for information-gathering purposes, I'd rather take a risk with ghost diplomacy in B, because we can gather information that way WITHOUT angering her. Forgoing the chance to potentially see what is inside the room is a risk I'm willing to take; and who knows, depending on how the negotiations go, we might be able to see that too.

brb editing my original post

 

[Absinthe]

A is the straightforward, true-to-his-nature option for our character. In fact, B is so uncharacteristic for Jing that it is №1 candidate for the "under the influence" option.

I already provided several counterarguments to this perspective Nevill. You'll need a better counterpoint than "but I still think you're wrong."

Of course all of this is just nonsense and finger-pointing. "You are playing in the ghosts hands!" "NO U!"

Then look to the cost/benefit of each action.

inexplicable urge to peep on a bathing woman

The obvious explanation is as useless as Jing is avoiding it.

And what if I don't want to run and don't want to engage in ghost diplomacy without knowing a single thing about them?

Then grow a pair of balls.

 

[Nevill]

It seems like I've made a mistake. Correcting now.

 

[Anabanana]

Re: Jing's sexual appetite

I don't think anybody can deny that he's a horny teenager, I mean just look at all those orgies with the palace maids, but there is a time and place for horniness and in the middle of a haunted mansion is not it. Hello, there are bloodstained nooses dangling right above our heads.

 

[Nevill]

That said, in B all we'll be hearing is the girl's voice, if she even responds
[...]
Overall, though I can kinda see the merits of A for information-gathering purposes, I'd rather take a risk with ghost diplomacy in B, because we can gather information that way WITHOUT angering her.

I'd question the quality of the information you can not verify. It does not appear that the place is friendly, and we will be angering her/whatever it is behind the kidnappings regardless - we have the exorcist with us for that very purpose.

Hello, there are bloodstained nooses dangling right above our heads.

After Zhang's training he is rather unamused by this stuff.

 

[Baltika9]

Yeah, and we were taught by the Southern Maniac, stalked and punched tigers in the face and just took on a hundred pugilists (and won!). Jing always had a lowered sense of danger and isn't quite all there (which is to say, he's crazy) so I could totally see him going for A.

I already provided several counterarguments to this perspective Nevill. You'll need a better counterpoint than "but I still think you're wrong."

To be fair, so will you. Your claims and speculations are no more valid than anyone else's without any backing, which none of us have. Fear-mongering with "A WILL PISS HER OFF AND WE DIE!" is possible, but so is "B IS A TRAP AND WE'LL DIE!"

Like it was said previously, I'd rather get a better understanding of the situation. And listen to that rhyme of hers a little more, since it's so familiar to Jing.

Edit: The Brazilian Slaughter, the tussle is between A and B now, which one do you want?

 

[Absinthe]

Yeeeeep. A is classic "peek on the ghost girl -> die horribly for being a perv" ghost story narrative.

Aye, that's what it seems like to me too.

I guess it's useless to talk about C now since nobody's going to flop to it.

You'll have to forgive us if after choosing to enter a ghost story, when our first option is "...walk away?", we're not particularly enthused about it. Also his instincts warn him against it and he has a new Spiritual Instinct (Reikan) ability, so I'd like to think there's something to the instinct.

Your claims and speculations are no more valid than anyone else's without any backing, which none of us have. Fear-mongering with "A WILL PISS HER OFF AND WE DIE!" is possible, but so is "B IS A TRAP AND WE'LL DIE!"

My claims are backed by my interpretation (which is echoed by others) of the unusual phrasing of the A choice. Possibility of dying (which I didn't quite say - don't put words in my mouth - there is a master exorcist here to mitigate our fuck-ups, so we most likely won't actually die) is backed by the presence of bloodstained ribbons and nooses. Also, it seems like the A train is largely founded on fearmongering that "B WILL PLAY INTO HER HANDS AND WE DIE!" or "JING WOULDN'T POSSIBLY THINK OF B SO CLEARLY IT'S BAIT AND WE'LL DIE.", so if you want to look beyond that, by all means do so.

Like it was said previously, I'd rather get a better understanding of the situation. And listen to that rhyme of hers a little more, since it's so familiar to Jing.

And my counterpoint is that it's more productive to just talk to her without offending her first.

 

[a bear named spigot]

You've convinced me, dude.

B.

 

[Anabanana]

I'd question the quality of the information you can not verify. It does not appear that the place is friendly, and we will be angering her/whatever it is behind the kidnappings regardless - we have the exorcist with us for that very purpose.

Take into account the possibility of illusions being part of the spirit's repertoire. One of the most classic tropes in Chinese mythology is demons presenting themselves as beautiful women to deceive and seduce human men.

Let's not pretend that A and B have an equal chance of angering her here. Really. On one hand, you're peeking on a young woman bathing; on the other hand, you're just knocking and attempting to engage in conversation. The former is what would traditionally get you punished in a typical ghost narrative - but then again, if you think that getting a solid look in is worth the risk, than that's your decision to make. Personally, I wouldn't risk it.

Hmm, now I'm wondering if this situation has any relationship to Changfeng... being betrayed by men seems to be a common thread here.

After Zhang's training he is rather unamused by this stuff.

See the wording of choice B again. But I don't put much stock in what people think what's in character or not for him anyway - if the option is there, it's something that he would do. treave's said as much before.

 

[Nevill]

Take into account the possibility of illusions being part of the spirit's repertoire. One of the most classic tropes in Chinese mythology is demons presenting themselves as beautiful women to deceive and seduce human men.

Ok, let's suppose so. It does not mesh well wth you next argument, however.

Let's not pretend that A and B have an equal chance of angering her here. Really. On one hand, you're peeking on a young woman bathing;

What does it matter, if that is an illusion anyway, and there is a demon behind it? Actually, isn't it worse to talk to a demon that wants to deceive you?

If it isn't an illusion, I am willing to take that risk for the information it provides.

A is classic "peek on the ghost girl -> die horribly for being a perv" ghost story narrative.

Yu would laugh his ass off at us for missing such a chance.

 

[Anabanana]

Oh, it meshes perfectly well. Imagine that it's a demon, who's, say, been wronged by a horny guy in the past and this is a test of sorts to see whether or not we're a horny bastard who should die horribly. *shrugs* Recall the whole "ALL MEN SHOULD DIE" spiel way back at the beginning of this LP from a woman who had experienced deep suffering at the hands of a guy who couldn't keep his dick in his pants? Think that, but with more GHOSTS and MAGIC.

If it's going to deceive us anyway, I'd rather choose the route that is less likely to turn them immediately hostile. It might also be more open to dialogue if we approach it directly, and give us a bit more background (ghosts tend to like talking about their grudges, you see).

 

[Absinthe]

What does it matter, if that is an illusion anyway, and there is a demon behind it? Actually, isn't it worse to talk to a demon that wants to deceive you?

Are you seriously saying that if a demon is out to seduce you into a grave, it is worse to establish polite dialogue than to leer upon her naked visage?

Anabanana is also raising a point I've been wondering about throughout this ghost narrative: that our interactions with the ghost will have repercussions when we find Chanfeng or the Black Dragon Society.