I feel sad because the entire intra-Gouketsu situation is bad enough that we need to have a serious heart-to-heart with Yuno, Mari, and Keiko (probably missing someone here), and SOON, before someone gets actually killed, but my ability to write such a plan is worth fuck all.
I don't like this plan, but I cannot stress enough how bad of an idea it is to strike up a conversation with Kabuto for so little (possibly zero) gain.
I don't like this plan, but I cannot stress enough how bad of an idea it is to strike up a conversation with Kabuto for so little (possibly zero) gain.
Unvoting the Kabuto plan because I've been convinced that this doesn't get on Kabuto's good side as much as I thought it did. I'll stick with the other one.
I think it's a lot of discussion without much action. It's mostly just updating people on things and hearing their opinions. I get that that's all important, but it's also uninteresting. I'm not sure you could fit in a major scene where we do something fun to read/write in addition to Having Meetings Part 487, though.
I think it's a lot of discussion without much action. It's mostly just updating people on things and hearing their opinions. I get that that's all important, but it's also uninteresting. I'm not sure you could fit in a major scene where we do something fun to read/write in addition to Having Meetings Part 487, though.
oof, then you aren't gonna like the draft i'm making for faflec lol
I will say implementing the HOWS is a pretty significant and likely fun scene, imo. Sure, we talk to Kumokogo about it right before, but I feel like that's not something you should just dive into
Due to injuries, it may be more convenient to stick your fist out and tell them to run into it really fast
Save the world
[X] Hazou becomes the adult in the room, somehow
Word Count: 299
Defuse ticking timebomb that is Goketsu
Involve Noburi and Akane, sanity check with them
Speak to everyone one at a time
Mari
We know you didn't intentionally provoke Kei. We've also discussed your past at length already.
Simultaneously, Hazou thinks Kei's position is understandable, if not wholly rational.
Eventually, you two will need to discuss...many things.
For now, please be courteous and give her the space she needs.
If Mari feels like talking about anything, we'll always hear her out. We want to support Mari if she needs it.
Kei
Hazou's expressed his thoughts on the conflict when Kei first mentioned it, but it's worth going over again.
Hazou's glad that Kei has become more comfortable sharing her feelings. It's absolutely progress.
Hazou's supportive of Kei's desire for accountability, but doesn't necessarily condone vengeance.
(Tone: Not patronizing, genuine questions) We've asked before: What's Kei's objective? Make Mari experience similar suffering she inflicted on others? Ensure she is remorseful? What would a world where Kei is satisfied with Mari look like? What would their relationship look like?
Think on what you want, so it can be discussed from there.
Yuno
Sorry about banishment. We know that feel.
We found a new home. We hope it becomes that for you, too. You're our family now.
However, Hazou is also clan head, and has to operate with everyone in mind.
We don't want to patronize your beliefs. However, Kei prefers treatment as a peer, not an idol. Can you see her that way?
We don't harm each other. Mistakes aren't worth hurting someone you love, or someone who's loved by someone you love. Loving someone means helping them move past mistakes, not hurting them for it.
Haru
Please stop murdering yaks. Asuma noticed, he's not happy. We aren't exactly pleased either.
Could we make it so we talk with people one at a time, and that we sanity-check this plan with Noburi/Akane so we can ensure that it doesn't backfire and make (as an example) Mari want to HeartBreak us?
"Obviously," Keiko said, so far addressing no one in particular, "please feel free to ignore me if you consider it unreasonable or inconvenient, and I entirely understand if you would rather not... but would you mind, on a purely experimental basis..."—she hesitated—"addressing me as Kei?"
It seems to be consensus that we're getting at least Alertness 39 in the near future, with it unclear whether we can afford to go for Alertness 40. To help resolve this, I made two possible paths involving Alertness 40, one leveling it right after Shadow Clone 40 and one leveling it right before.
For reference, BXP is short for 'Base XP' and refers to XP gained before Shadow Clone training bonuses, making a rough approximation of time. Low BXP = finishes faster. Efficiency, defined as 'Total XP/Total BXP' is the average multiplier on our Base XP during the path. High Efficiency = high XP rate.
Looking at the above, it should be clear that going SC first is optimal in both BXP and Efficiency, which should not be surprising as Alertness is not a FOOM stat. To proceed further, I will point you to my previous effortpost on the matter for a reference point:
Okay big effortpost time on FOOM AB columns. For each person I examine their possible paths to making Resolve their capstone stat under a variety of paradigms, and attempts to quantify how good they are with a couple metrics detailed below. I also don't really know which ones are optimal because I never actually got around to comparing them against each other, but if I've done everything right the pros and cons of each should be clear.
Reading guide:
BXP = "Base XP", the amount of XP we'd need to earn before SC gains. If you get double XP from your Shadow Clones, then 50 XP takes only 25 BXP to gain. Approximates actual time spent.
Efficiency: XP/BXP. Describes our average XP rate, and factors in gains like 'these supporting stats are now higher'.
For depictions of columns, the location of Resolve is bolded and the location of Shadow Clone is underlined.
Notes:
Getting SC 40 between these two extremes is functionally impossible. Pushing Resolve to 40 clogs up the AB tiers until Resolve 50, meaning you can either get SC 40 no earlier than Resolve 50 or no later than Resolve 40. The latter inherently poses an unsustainable chakra drain, even with our miniature koi farm, so SC 40 as the first step is mandatory.
(Arguably you could go Resolve 39 before SC 40 to be a little quicker, but here I also concede that narratively Keiko wants SC 40 ASAP so Snowflake has more time to do things other than training. Putting that off just doesn't feel right, and it's not like Keiko's falling behind.)
Path 1: Early SC, no skips:
Upgrades
Cost
Columns
Starting State
N/A
18-8-5-3-1
SC 40
355
18-8-5-2-2
Resolve 30
140
18-8-4-3-2
Presence 20, Physique 30
90 + 25(ish)
18-7-4-4-2
Resolve 40
355
18-7-4-3-3
Resolve 50
455
18-7-4-3-2-1
Total XP: 1420
Total BXP: 819
Efficiency ratio: 1.7338
Notes: Because Hazou does not have a stat in the 50's already, we can end the projection when his Resolve hits 50 instead of 60, because by then we've already reached the 'Resolve capstone' state. We could bump something to 50 ahead of time to equalize Hazou's endpoint, but that would just be a waste of XP.
The main no-Alertness paths have BXPs of 986 and 877 and Efficiency ratios of 2.1947 and 2.0502. However, this measures the difference between no Alertness and Alertness 40. How does Alertness 39 stand in comparison to the two? Well, we can simply take both no-Alertness paths and add in a burst of Alertness training early on, and see how that changes things.
For the sake of brevity, I'll just state the metrics and leave the results spoilered below. Path 1, 'no skips', with Alertness 39 has a BXP of 1144 and an Efficiency ratio of 2.1399. Path 2, 'small skip', with Alertness 39 has a BXP of 1034 and an Efficiency ratio of 2.0135.
'no skips' w/o Alertness
'small skip' w/o Alertness
'no skips' + Alertness 39
'small skip' + Alertness 39
Alertness 40, SC first
Alertness 40, SC second
BXP
986
877
1144
1034
1302
1323
Efficiency ratio
2.1947
2.0502
2.1399
2.0135
1.8157
1.7868
My conclusion from this is that Alertness 40 alone costs about as much in terms of BXP than Alertness 32-39 does in total, and significantly more in terms of Efficiency. I can recommend avoiding Alertness 40 unless absolutely necessary, because it is heavily detrimental to Kei's FOOM goals.
edit: It also appears that if Alertness is left at 39, then when Resolve hits 50 it becomes possible to raise Alertness to 40 with only a new 30-stat taking its place. Combined with the greater number of shadow clones, that is the threshold where I would say it becomes acceptable to push for Alertness 40 if Kei does not want to wait all the way for Detour 1.
Path 1 Revised:
Upgrades
Cost
Columns
Starting State
N/A
15-8-5-3-1-1
SC 40
355
15-8-5-2-2-1
Alertness 39, PH 20, CR 30, Physique 30
284 + 155 + 174 + 115 = 444
15-7-4-4-2-1
Resolve 40
355
15-7-4-3-3-1
Resolve 50
455
15-7-4-3-2-2
Resolve 60
555
15-7-4-3-2-1-1
Total XP: 2448
Total BXP: 1,144
Efficiency ratio: 2.1399