[LP CYOA] 傳

[LWC1996]

Oh.holy.crap! Are you guys seriously flopping to D???

First lets look at this objectively:

“This is Chi Qilin, a veritable pest,” grumbles Master Yao. “She appears every now and then to consult us on poisons.”

“I usually greet the master or Cao’er with a sampling of my latest poison,” she says with a sniff. “It’s not my fault that his latest, most useless apprentice ever doesn’t seem to know how to deal with poisons.”

a) She knows Master Yao and visits regularly.


b) She seems to be travelling by herself. Which means it's not the first time she's out in the world alone and she can take care of herself with no problem. Which means she probably has connections, that's why she feels safe wandering alone.

“She probably obtained it from her father,” says Master Yao wearily before you can say anything. He’s probably going to kick the both of you out if another argument flares up. “He’s one of the fellows of the manor. Now, I want the two of you to stop getting on my nerves, or it’s finger flicks. Do you understand?”

c) Her father is a fellow of the manor aka possibly not some small fry. You wanna mess with a girl who knows poison AND a daughter of a fellow of the manor?

Lost in thought, you are caught off guard when the girl throws her arms around you. She presses up against you, rubbing her cheek against yours. Is it some sort of Miao greeting? “Now, let’s see… “ she whispers gently in your ear. You feel a sharp stinging pain in your back. As the Miao girl moves away from you with a spring in her step, humming lightly, you collapse to the ground as the pain grows. Your muscles begin to convulse and you find yourself staring up at the girl as she looks at you with a dazzling, expectant smile.


“This is Chi Qilin, a veritable pest,” grumbles Master Yao. “She appears every now and then to consult us on poisons.”

“I usually greet the master or Cao’er with a sampling of my latest poison,” she says with a sniff. “It’s not my fault that his latest, most useless apprentice ever doesn’t seem to know how to deal with poisons.”

“Cao’er, Cao’er,” calls out the Miao girl with a theatrical sigh, “I lose to you again. You keep finding ways to defeat my poisons in mere hours.”

“I just heard you were in town,” she smiles brightly. “Figured I could drop by and exchange some medical information with Cao’er.”

d) She's a poison specialist - surely you can tell by the convo in the last update?

“Hush now,” she whispers. “It won’t be long.” Her arm moves up your chest and under your robes. Somehow you can't find the strength to pull away from her. Yao snorts loudly, muttering about kids nowadays. Cao’er is already at the corner of the room, drawing circles with her fingers while making darting glances from between her tangled mat of hair.

You feel something slither into your clothes, traveling down south.

“What was that?”

She’s already pushed herself away from you, a cruel, mocking smile on her face. “Just my pet snake, Xiaoqing. She has all the curves you’d want in a lady.”

e) and JEEZUS! Have you all forgotten her SNAKE?????


And even if you managed to sneak up on her somehow, you'd still die from her snake that everyone seems to have forgotten about. So do you really reckon that she leaves valuable things lying around without protection? This girl is someone whose whole approach appears to be built around surprising people by poison.

Are you going to risk that a girl who's all about tricks has SHOWN YOU all her tricks? What do we have up our sleeves? Our sneaking ability? Just that one? Oy.vey.


If you guys are so intent on not pissing off anybody, why not play it safe and NOT piss her off since we don't know who her backer/connection is???

 

[Baltika9]

She seems the competitive type, though. Let's make her chase us.
Edit:

c) Her father is a fellow of the manor aka possibly not some small fry. You wanna mess with a girl who knows poison AND a daughter of a fellow of the manor!?
d) She's a poison specialist - surely you can tell by the convo in the last update???

we have anti-poison masters though.

 

[LWC1996]

She seems the competitive type, though. Let's make her chase us.
Edit:

c) Her father is a fellow of the manor aka possibly not some small fry. You wanna mess with a girl who knows poison AND a daughter of a fellow of the manor!?
d) She's a poison specialist - surely you can tell by the convo in the last update???

we have anti-poison masters though.

If she hits us with a total fast paralyzing type poison how do you think we are going to find our master for help? Or are you planning on lugging Master or Cao'er along?
Qilin concocts new poisons for shits and giggles... at what level do you think her poison knowledge is?

 

[Esquilax]

Look, your alternative is to go and undertake a shady mission that we don't even know the details of for the prefect. If this mission involves infiltration on behalf of the prefect, which is not a far-fetched theory at all, that puts us in a precarious position; we either have to carry out his mission, which could be to the detriment of the organization that we're trying to join, or we end up defecting after he gives us the invitation, which means that we get a powerful enemy in the form of the prefect. I don't want to be in that position.

I dislike D, and I think that A is much better, but you're not giving me any information I wasn't already aware of or any reason to pick the mission with the prefect over it.

 

[Baltika9]

Take some anti venoms to go, and ask Yao for snakebait if he can oblige.
Make a sneak attack with our Yinglang step, or just spring a trap. Hell, we've been practsing speech and CHA for the last year. Seduce her, it's about time Jing recalls how to pimp.

Edit: I know it's not the best, but it's better than B.

 

[Smashing Axe]

Actually, whilst I agree with you Esquilax, if our goal is to not make enemies and attain an invitation, we should consider C (Although I agree that A is far superior). It's a bit douchey, but honestly, it's not so bad an idea when compared with B and D.

 

[Baltika9]

I'd go for it if it had a chance and my ideal would be A, but as it stands right now...

 

[LWC1996]

Take some anti venoms to go, and ask Yao for snakebait if he can oblige.
Make a sneak attack with our Yinglang step, or just spring a trap. Hell, we've been practsing speech and CHA for the last year. Seduce her, it's about time Jing recalls how to pimp.

Edit: I know it's not the best, but it's better than B.

If you want Jing to be a pimp, then isn't choice A right up his alley?

 

[Esquilax]

Smashing Axe, I like A because it suits our character. He's charming, he can sneak a bit, and we have a great opportunity while the scholar's out of town. I agree that C is definitely an option, and while the douchiness of it irks me a lot, these guys are at a party with lots of people. A seems a bit quieter too.

Take some antivenoms to go, and ask Yao for snakebait if he can oblige.
Make a sneak attack with our Yinglang step, or just spring a trap. Hell, we've been practsing speech and CHA for the last year. Seduce her.

There are options, but I doubt seducing her after we've broken into her house isn't going to happen. Jing's charming and a quick thinker, but he's not Don Juan ffs. We really ought to go with A here, though even the scholar seems like a useful person to know, it would be a shame if he weren't a fellow in the manor, especially given that he might know something of the Yuchang Sword. All the options have cons, but the prefect's mission seems to be a lot of trouble. I've flopped back to A.

treave, what would a Farmer character who was really dumb (i.e. INT 3 or under), but very charming (i.e. CHA 9 or maybe even 10) be like? Would he be able to pick up the ladies just be being really handsome like Zoolander?

 

[treave]

Let's have some clarification!

Firstly, your choices now are mostly shady. In A, you might end up stealing or lying or worse. In C, you are doing the same. Ditto with D, though perhaps we may add a charge of assault. B is an unknown for now, but may lead to shady things in the future.

The way this sounds... it almost seems like we're advocating doing shady things as long as it doesn't get us into a situation where we offend powerful people. The part about powerful people appears to be more important than the 'shady' bit.

I think that if you want the character to really do what is right, you will take an invitation in a way that doesn't deprive others of their chance to attend. As of now the character is a bit of a scoundrel, willing to do whatever it takes, but that should be fine. Just don't pretend he's something he's not, and if you want to build him towards the 'good and noble hero', you should also consider the choices and the implications they have about someone who would do such a thing.

A really good guy who doesn't want to sully his hands would just take E and come back in four years' time to get an invite the legitimate way, if he's still interested. There isn't any pressing need for you to reach the manor, as I've said - it's not a matter of life and death for you.

What I'm ultimately saying is... this reveals that the Codex gets pissed at losing. :D

treave, what would a Farmer character who was really dumb (i.e. INT 3 or under), but very charming (i.e. CHA 9 or maybe even 10) be like? Would he be able to pick up the ladies just be being really handsome like Zoolander?

He'd be strangely attractive despite speaking dumb things. Like a puppy.

 

[Esquilax]

Yeah, you know what guys - fuck it. Jing is 15, there's plenty of time. Our options involve a mission that we don't even know about from the prefect, and three other options where we steal, or perhaps even worse if things don't go according to plan. What if somebody sees our face as we try to rob them? I think we're getting a little greedy here.

 

[Baltika9]

I'm okay with scoundrels, I'm against playing a douche. And yeah, Jing hates losing, but we established that with Yunzi. Anyway, A>D and I'm happy. This Miao chick challenged us.

 

[treave]

Well, perhaps not outright robbing if you can help it, but you are still taking something that you haven't earned via proper channels. You might be able to get it in A with permission if you want, but it'd involve lying and/or/possibly seduction, which is again fine but you have to be aware it's not the right thing to do; you have little justification besides 'he doesn't need it' and 'I would like to have it'.

It's totally different if the wife approaches you openly asking to trade sexual favours for the invitation though. Then you're just a gigolo, and it's all professional, with no hidden intentions involved. Perfectly acceptable, I'd say.

 

[Nevill]

I was hoping for less assault, more interaction with D, as the girl will kick our ass effortlessly, should we attempt a show of force. But if that's how treave sees it, fine. Flopped to A.

 

[treave]

I was hoping for less assault, more interaction with D, as the girl will kick our ass effortlessly, should we attempt a show of force. But if that's how treave sees it, fine. Flopped to A.

Unfortunately the way the choice was worded doesn't exactly make it seem like you're attempting to go there for a nice friendly chat and persuasion. It's stated that you are to 'sneak up' on her and 'take' her invitation, before we even get to the name-calling. Consent is not implied.

 

[Esquilax]

Consent is not implied.

Jing is Rance.

 

[treave]

Alright, let's all just keep chill and look at pictures of Yunlong Lake.

 

[Baltika9]

Consent is not implied.

Jing is Rance.

I say this a lot, but.
Let's do it!

Edit: B has it, then.

 

[Tigranes]

Once again, Baltika9 thinks with his balls and not with his head.

I'm OK with A, I assume the scholar will not be using his invitation.

 

[m4davis]

E

 

[Baltika9]

Yeah, you know what guys - fuck it. Jing is 15, there's plenty of time. Our options involve a mission that we don't even know about from the prefect, and three other options where we steal, or perhaps even worse if things don't go according to plan. What if somebody sees our face as we try to rob them? I think we're getting a little greedy here.

But what's the plan from there, then? We work until summer and do what? Since we're here already, we'd better take full advantage of the opportunity: the Fellows may indeed know at least a partial cure for our qi,(which kinda does make it urgent) not to mention the techniques and knowledge we may pick up from them. Didn't you just finish saying this?

No matter what, regardless of whether you like the choice or not, you have to be true to the character and consistent. If you don't like that the character has gone unorthodox, you can't say "no fuck this, PLEASE TAKE ME BACK WUDANG BROS!!!" - you're just gonna have to go with it. We're an unorthodox guy who fortunately hasn't made any mortal enemies yet - it's only a matter of time before the Emei are on to us - but while unorthodoxy doesn't necessitate alienating every civilized person out there by doing things that would make Dio look like a saint in comparison, at the same time, our priority is us.

All lulz about Rance and seduction aside (they're just that, Tigranes, I'm not factoring the lulz into my decisions, but they are a nice bonus when they do happen Except Yunzi, her and Jing are cuter than two kittens playing ) we're in a sucky situation right now. It doesn't mean we have to be a dick about it and steal other people's hard work (the poets), but from Jing's perspective I see nothing wrong with getting back at the Miao girl (for one, I hate losing, and two, she just challenged me in the most humiliating manner possible)or going for the scholar's invitation (he doesn't need it, but I really need the cure or I may eventually die, pills aren't the most reliable way to sustain myself; I've picked pockets and stolen money for less reason than that).
No, I think both A and D are consistent with him; B a little less so, since we haven't made him two-faced yet, but that may well change and really soon.

 

[treave]

I'll close the voting in about one and a half hours or so. Then we can see if we can finally get an invite or something.

 

[Tigranes]

A

 

[TOME]

I flopped to A>B in my original post.

 

[Zero Credibility]

Unfortunately the way the choice was worded doesn't exactly make it seem like you're attempting to go there for a nice friendly chat and persuasion. It's stated that you are to 'sneak up' on her and 'take' her invitation, before we even get to the name-calling. Consent is not implied.

Whoa, too much blunt force for me. I'm definitely for avoiding D if this is the case. I thought this implied a pickpocketing at most, not outright mugging her.

Just plain assaulting her is going to end up with a reputation hit and

a) getting our ass kicked (again), or

b) getting an enemy that is a really good poisoner

Screw that.

edit: updated my vote