[LP CYOA] Epic

[treave]

Never underestimate the power of song.

 

[Baltika9]

Oh, B will have CFs too. Naim needs stunt pilots to beat up.

That seals the deal, Baby! Let's see if we can guilt-trip him into being useful, or revealing something useful. In any event, telling him that Kyrie is actually alive is bound to have some interesting effects.

The real retarded thing is thinking a celebrity will be a more useful ally than a massive smuggling organization loaded with weapons, tech, and probably high-level connections if they're able to smuggle entire CFs.

Whatever. Codex gonna codex.

You are neglecting the fact that her value isn't only that of a movie star, but that of a socialite. If we can get in good with her and protect her long enough to get famous, we can start using her as a means to get in good with the big wigs of he world.
You are also assuming these smugglers will fall in line behind a government agent, instead of just shooting him on the spot once they find put he's a snitch/is trying to take them down.

I agree with you about the CFs, though, and treave did tease us with this bit

Chapter 20: Ean Flips Out and Fights Giant Mechs on Foot.

Shame we'll never see that now. On the other hand, we'll hopefully get to polymorph into a Giant Space Kraken and have fun that way.

 

[treave]

No Earth immortal back in the old Empire era could have taken a CF head on except Shulgi and Tree Ean. Just not powerful enough.

 

[Esquilax]

No Earth immortal back in the old Empire era could have taken a CF head on except Shulgi. Just not powerful enough.

Was this before Ean jumped into the rift? Shulgi being more powerful than him comes as a bit of a suprise.

Edit: Ah, you meant in Chapter 8, I'm assuming. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

 

[treave]

Sorry, clarified. Too much wasted time in slumber. After absorbing the Tree, yeah, but he hasn't grown much in power compared to Shulgi before that.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

Oh, B will have CFs too. Naim needs stunt pilots to beat up.

That seals the deal, Baby! Let's see if we can guilt-trip him into being useful, or revealing something useful. In any event, telling him that Kyrie is actually alive is bound to have some interesting effects.

Interesting effects. Like him telling the empress where we are? Never underestimate the level of non-bro Theseus 2 has in him. He's probably worse now after all this false hero shit. Up his own ass just to live with himself, I'd imagine. Maybe I'm wrong though... Maybe he'll turn out to be our staunch defender and will stick his neck out just to save us and Kyrie. Yeah...

No Earth immortal back in the old Empire era could have taken a CF head on except Shulgi and Tree Ean. Just not powerful enough.

"Could have" maybe. "Would have"? treave, treave, treave...

edit: I'm all for baltika's space kraken plan though.

 

[Baltika9]

You know, bros, something tells me that, mechs or no mechs, we don't stand a chance in a direct fight with the Masters. They had untold millennia to build their technology, we had about six thousand years. With all the tricks and powers they have up their sleeves, any serious invasion attemp for them would be laughably simple.

Our best hope is to prevent them from getting a chance for a solid foothold in our world in the first place. At least, that's my take on it. I do wonder why they have such a strange obsession, almost a fetish, with our world.
Edit:

Interesting effects. Like him telling the empress where we are? Never underestimate the level of non-bro Theseus 2 has in him. He's probably worse now after all this false hero shit. Up his own ass just to live with himself, I'd imagine. Maybe I'm wrong though... Maybe he'll turn out to be our staunch defender and will stick his neck out just to save us and Kyrie. Yeah...

I'm not that naive. He loves Kyrie, or at least has a crush on her, and if the Empress lied to him about her fate, he'll begin to have doubts... doubts that we can exploit.
Besides, he doesn't hate us, otherwise why would he allow us to get away without a fight, when he had two fully battle-ready battleships nearby?

 

[treave]

See, that's the problem with meta-knowledge.

Why do you think they're still concerned with Earth beyond considering it a niggling irritation that they managed to misplace a planet somewhere?

 

[Baltika9]

Oh you dirty little troll, you. Write in all these allusions and play on my fears of the Masters. And in the end, it turns out they had very little, or nothing to do with this, just the Illuminati up to their usual NWO agenda. Classic!


Edit: although I still wouldn't piss them off or give them any openings.

 

[treave]

Well, I'm sure that you guys already did something to attract their attention anyway.

 

[Esquilax]

Okay, I've flopped to A. I think that while speculation is alright, we need to at least base it on something concrete or plausible. I don't think that ignoring this Cyber Jack guy is wise, and if we vote for A, that will be the second time that we've ignored a growing threat. On the other hand, the possible advantages in terms of criminal connections and possible leads on Kyrie is a serious advantage that would be hard to pass up.

So if you're voting, base it on something like that instead of some wacky theory about some vague connection to the Masters that might be horribly wrong. That being said, I do think that there is more to B than meets the eye as well.

 

[Baltika9]

beyond considering it a niggling irritation that they managed to misplace a planet somewhere?

That gives me an idea:

Diogenes Pictures and Dimension Studios
Produly Present

"DUDE, WHERE'S MY PLANET!?"

After losing contact with a frontier reality, the hyper-advanced being known only as the Masters, decide to send a detachment of elite agents to one of their last Control Worlds, to reclaim the lost relics and evetually re-establish control. Things did not go as planned, however, as the newly-minted Immortals realized that they owe nothing to their "benefactors" and could, in fact, subvert the strange powers to their ends and fight back against their inter-dimensional opressors.

Too late did the Masters realize that they fucked with the wrong planet.

Starring
A younger Clint Eastwood, as Ean
Sir Sean Connery, as Shulgi
Al Pacino, as Diogenes Camna
Toshiro Mifune, as Senya Hoshikawa
Liam Neeson, as Naram
The Dude, as Edem
Brad Pitt, as Marduk

Also Starring
Arnold Schwarzenegger, as Ares
Jennifer Connelly, as Sekhenun Me'kras
Scarlett Johansson, as Artemis
Angelina Jolie, as Athena
Audrey Hepburn, as Kyrie Francesca de Shinar
Barbara Streisand, as Julia Canaria de Shinar
BLOBERT, as The Great Idea

...And Zeus, as Himself​

 

[Baltika9]

So if you're voting, base it on something like that instead of some wacky theory about some vague connection to the Masters that might be horribly wrong. That being said, I do think that there is more to B than meets the eye as well.

Funnily enough, just this once I'm not voting based on theories: this idol can be a very useful back-door into the social elite if we build a good relationship with her and her fellow socialites; Naim will be present, allowing us to work our magic and either bend him to our purpose with truth, or milk him for information one way or another (yes, Senya is intelligent enough to do that and not get caught).

And I'm not saying this hacker fellow is connected to the Masters, although it is possible, I am saying that he is one dangerous motherfucker: we neglect him for an update and he stages a mass-suicide of ten-thousand people, so his involvement here troubles me greatly (he's like what Senya would have become had we stuck to his wangsty cyber-terrorist begginings), especially since it's an actress scheduled to debut in the great propaganda film of the century. No, something big is up with this guy. I don't know what, but we'd better find out ASAP.
I also completely fail to see how these low-ranked smugglers will know much, if anything at all, about Kyrie.

And, last but not least, we already acquired resources over the last four updates, so we'd better build some connections and hop onto this Cyber Jack case while we still can.

 

[Smashing Axe]

B - I like the idea of subverting Naim to our side. You want contacts? He has the resources to help us track down Kyrie.

 

[GreyViper]

B

 

[Azira]

Senya has a dark side. His sister already said as much. The Lothal plan? All Senya, from before his coma stuff.

And the voice he heard in the previous update? His old self starting to resurface. Soon, we'll have a proper split-personality protagonist. Jekyll/Hyde thing.
Yeah.

 

[ScubaV]

Alright, since treave shot down the "mass suicide as gate to Master summoning" theory I'm flopping back to A like I always wanted.

 

[Baltika9]

poor, guilt-ridden Naim will get used by the now ruthless (fucking surprised at that, too) murderer Senya. Black Nightmare, huh? not bad.

Hmm, maybe we can use our positive deeds (all of our "hero" moments) and emotions (the power of True Love!) to either overcome our psychotic younger self, or come to terms and make peace with it (after all, what can drive a child to be such psychopath?), but I don't fancy turning into a villain, because "lol, evulz."
As for the name of the group, " Black Ice," maybe?

 

[treave]

Strange, you guys willingly picked the option to slaughter all the cultists just because you wanted to use the girl for your own advantage and you were concerned they'd give you away. It is admittedly a devious, if ruthless move, but think about it again.

You're basically stating your intention to kill them - fellow humans, though they might not have clean hands and are on the opposite side - just so you can advance your personal goals.

Even if you disregard the sadistic and brutal nature of the killings, that's a pretty psychopathic reason.

 

[Smashing Axe]

I have no problem with Senya being a psychopath intent upon changing the world to fit his ideals. As long as he is more palatable to others than Dio and has some concerns for those he defines as his "friends". It'll be cool. Yet on the other hand, I suppose it's pretty easy for him to justify to himself if he thinks his old personality was trying to take over. Any excuse will do to absolve him of responsibility.

 

[Baltika9]

"Wun't me, it was the other guy."

Personally, I didn't wish the girl any harm, would've spared her even if it meant playing "big brother." The others died because, well, they massacred innocent people and sacrificed them for power (who knows what else?). Tough shit, although I didn't expect us to go full "slaughterhouse" on them. That was overkill.

 

[Esquilax]

Personally, I didn't wish the girl any harm, would've spared her even if it meant playing "big brother." The others died because, well, they massacred innocent people and sacrificed them for power (who knows what else?). Tough shit, although I didn't expect us to go full "slaughterhouse" on them. That was overkill.

That's a rationalization. The choice clearly stated that the motivation behind killing them was to cover our own ass:

A. Once I join the fight seriously, 'Brother Falco' and the rest of the cultists will likely know who I am. They will need to be silenced. Besides, I have no need for them. They won't set one foot in the real world; I don't plan on letting any of these idiots live.

Clearly, Senya's dark side is coming through. Not sure if being an anti-hero is really possible in this case: given that he was the one who initially thought up Lothal, he is clearly capable of some incredibly nasty, ruthless shit. You can't be a psycopath and concerned for those you define as your friends - we either embrace that side of us, or we try to fight it.

 

[Baltika9]

Tally so far, let me know if anything is off.
A-8 Lambchop19, TOME, Azira, ScubaV, Storyfag, Esquilax, Tigranes, Stygian Lurker
B-8 Zwist, m4davis, Baltika9, Rex Feral, Kipeci, Smashing Axe, Grey Viper, root

I don't want to look for the exact quote, but basically the gist of it was this: for a Master to manifest in our dimension, it neeads to displace sentient lives to make its transition between dimensions possible. The more human beings are "displaced" (i.e. killed), the closer the Master is to the original power that it has on home turf.

treave, how close was Zeus' avatar to it's original power?

You can't be a psycopath and concerned for those you define as your friends - we either embrace that side of us, or we try to fight it.

Beasically what I want to do with Senya. it's clear that the new one isn't comfortable with this shit

I recall what I did to the cultists. Bile begins rising in my throat. It's not like I haven't killed before, but those men had died in their CFs. It was a detached killing. This is different... so different. I didn't need to kill them, and definitely not in that manner. Groaning, I close my eyes and see nothing but the warm red blood pooling on the grey floor. Then, I vomit, remembering the state I had left the bodies in. I blink back the tears that had formed from the acrid taste of stomach acid in my mouth.

Why the hell had I done that?

This gives me hope. Although I am curious as to how soon until we start craving human flesh.

Clearly, Senya's dark side is coming through. Not sure if being an anti-hero is really possible in this case: given that he was the one who initially thought up Lothal, he is clearly capable of some incredibly nasty, ruthless shit.

You know, this makes me wonder: if dropping the asteroid was Plan A, the what is plan B? Triggering a thermonuclear reaction int Jupiter's core and creating a second sun in our system?

 

[Tigranes]

I skimread, but is there a reason we're assuming B means contact with Naim and an opportunity to convert him?

A for now.

 

[Baltika9]

Well, this

Oh, B will have CFs too. Naim needs stunt pilots to beat up.

implies his presence, so we're covered on that front.
As to why I think we can turn him to our side, well, the Empress is probably lying to him, he knows his glory is fake and that we saved his life many, many times. Sure, he's most likely envious, but on the other hand he did just let us walk/fly free when he could've taken us into custody.
Senya is a good bullshit artist, as I've stated previously. I am confident in his ability to either subert Naim or milk him for every drop of information we can. Besides, if anyone else would want to find Kyrie and rescue her, it would definitely be him. He may not exactly like us, but he does love her. So if we want to work our magic on him, I'm confident we'll succeed.