"A pirate is a scoundrel who takes, and a privateer is a mercenary that delivers."
Holy goddamn shit that is a good line. Reading this whole Omake was wonderful. You nailed the atmosphere and the genuine dread that Wolf instilled, despite never raising his voice. Pigma, Leon, and ESPECIALLY Wolf was written in character. I liked how you worked in reports of the UFOs into the omake and sprinkled in references to the Starfox games, F-Zero, and even Monkey Island of Lechuck booze is anything to go off.
You captured the dangerous, draconian nature of Starwolf masterfully and it was a treat to read this.
It was a bit tricky to nail down which way I wanted to handle the characters, but I focused on returning Wolf to his Red Baron-esque vibes from Star Fox 64 and the rest flowed from there. I peppered in pirate elements like the feuds between "pseudo-maritime" space powers and a reference to LeChuck to show what things are like outside of the City: An intergalactic free-for-all, waiting for the right daredevils to exploit it.
The radio was my way of keeping things "on topic" with the quest, which is Bound to the City. The Strike Force is saying everything is fine, and as such the spacers that are already lightyears away from home will be less inclined to double-check. Are the forces of Giygas sabotaging the broadcasting system, or have they infiltrated the Strike Force deeper than that?
I've been thinking of new ways you can all spend EXP, and I came up with what I feel is a satisifying one!
For 1000 EXP, you can request me to draw something. It has to be related to the quest, characters, or at the very least the setting of 8-Bit Dystopia.
I have the right to refuse, or to make stipulations (please don't try to make me draw a mosaic of hands or something torturous like that), but I feel this might be something fun for you to spend your points on at some point~
I'm done with all that now. Expect the next turn in a few days. I'm going to sleep now, someone remind me to update the EXP tracker with all this when I wake up.
This was a really creative Omake. Dense, detailed, and exploring an angle I genuinely hadn't considered. If Kart or Floppy ever did catch wind of any of the things CD has , and will, talk about she'd likely come off completely CRACKED. You sold the concern, confusion, and utter helplessness of a poor child dealing with what they're convinced is a mentally unwell sibling. The bit at the end where they just fold up on the couch and silently cry as CD rants in the background is a powerful image. Excellent job!
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE *ahem* thank you for your kind words.
This is my first time since high school (which was a while ago) writing anything whatsoever. I kind of expected it to just crash and burn. I'm glad you enjoyed it! Kind of tempted to write a sequel during upcoming turns now.
Initializing...
Set-up concluded. Processing....
Error, executable not found. Initiate backup protocol. Scanning...
Backup found. Analyzing systems...
Systems operating at 97% efficency. Data loss minimal.
Back in the real world, Mayl Sakurai, sitting in her cramped dust-covered room, exhaled, smoothed out her skirt, and, while she waited for the start-up screen to fade, double checked that her security programs were still operational. She was worried about the most recent crash caused by that power outage, but her back-ups seemed to be in good condition.
Bomb Man's pursuit of a group of ATARI rebels had run into her neighborhood, with...Predictable results. Honestly, given what had happened to her family recently, she couldn't blame them entirely. Her dad had been laid off, replaced by one of Wily's machines after he objected to...Shadier associations Wily Corp had been making recently. Mayl didn't like thinking about that kinda thing, honestly. It made her feel helpless. She had heard from her parents about how beautiful the City was in its early days. What had happened? So Mayl sighed and focused on her project.
She clicked on the pink icon on her desktop and waited for the program to initialize. ROLL.EXE. While her first love was and would always be piano, she hadn't had much inspiration for song-writing recently. So she'd turned to coding. Hard to find much on it in the city, but she'd picked it up to a degree and learned how to code a basic chat bot. Meant for emotional support more then anything. But...She could swear there was something more there.
She started typing: Hello, Roll.
The response came quickly, as her cute pink avatar popped up: Hello, Mayl. What would you like to talk about today:
How are you doing?
Hm. My systems appear to be working as normal, but...What was that?
What do you mean?
I feel as if my system has recently....Rebooted.
Mayl took a sharp inhale. Wait...Did this mean...
How can you tell?
I feel....It's like...I was in a void for a moment there. I...Hm. It was odd. Not unpleasant, though! Don't feel bad or anything.
Hm...This is....
I feel...Different. Perhaps check the cache, see if there's undue build-up?
I don't plan to do that, Roll. It's just...
I understand. You haven't been doing well. I'm sorry if i've bothered you.
Bothered me? This is amazing! Unexpected, yeah, but...You've evolved in a way. I don't know how this happened
Neither do I. Would you like some time to process it?
...Yeah, honestly. Sorry. See ya later!
As Mayl minimized the window, she didn't see something happen in the program. A strange pink being materializing atop the text, as if manifesting to life. The being, unnoticed, said quietly, See ya later...My friend.
This one is a bit off the cuff and probably not accurate, but I wanted to do some Mega Man stuff, with one of the human characters. Not sure if it's good though.
Over the local radio late one night the mayor made an abrupt announcement specifying that due to the increase in vandalism in the city a change in the monthly budget would be made.
Allocating significantly more funds for the O.P.F's services in and around Onnet. The mayor stated it was to ensure the "Safety of Onnet" and to "bring an expedient end to the turmoil requiring the lockdown".
They went on to explain that residents should expect increased police presence in and around the city.
Days passed however and nothing changed.
The amount of police, patrol cars, and general attitude of the O.P.F didn't shift. Though it seems the O.P.F are watching the roads into town more intently now.
[The O.P.F…?]
Shark Fangs
The Sharks have always been weirdos. They're always zooming around on skateboards, roller skates, pogo sticks, or seen with hula hoops of all things.
Not bikes though. Never bikes.
Apparently some other region tried to inflate the price of bikes to 1,000,000 a top or something insane like that.
And they rapidly lost favor in certain places, the Eagle Quarter being one of them.
Outside of their transportation (or hoops) it's actually incredibly rare to see the Sharks carrying any real weapons. Just another reason why the cops haven't been able to bust them.
Lately however, some of the Sharks have been walking around like they're loaded to bear. Despite not looking any different from normal.
…At first glance.
There are rumors that Frankie has been trying to 'upgrade' the Shark's gear.
Skateboards ideal for bludgeoning, roller skates that actually make the wearer harder to knock over, pogo sticks that double as hand held pile drivers, and hula hoops with bladed Chakram-like edges and gyroscopes in them.
Of course, it's unclear if any of these things have actually come to fruition?
And the few potential examples that have been seen are still very few and far between.
However the fact the Sharks are getting these at all make it clear they're trying to arm themselves up.
[The Sharks find limited success in improving themselves…]
It's Quiet…
There are yet MORE bugs in the forest since the last time you checked. It's much harder to approach the Entertainer's Shack than before. These 'Attack Slugs' as Buzz-Buzz refers to them are all over the place. Hidden from sight, but lurking under rocks and fallen bark. The other insects, the 'Antoids' are less numerous than before. You can only wonder in concern as to where they might have gone, or what they might be doing…
[The Aliens in Onnet take an UNKNOWN action]
Terrorist Plot Thwarted!
Tokyo-To broadcasts aren't coming in right now and the lockdown is smothering any outside information as usual.
However, rather freakishly, the O.P.F are the ones that spread some information. People in town end up hearing it directly from the mouths of several cops.
----
Several dozen bombs were discovered wired up in the guts of a WilyCorp office building, hidden and ready to be detonated at a moments notice.
The bombs were a mix of conventional explosives and potent, as of yet unidentified, nerve gas bombs.
While it was believed initially that the bombs would have "only" destroyed the office building, further investigation revealed something terrifying.
The office building sat at the 'crossroads' of various utilities, including old oxygen filtration systems and ventilation networks.
Bombs were planted in such a way that the nerve gas would have been flooded into the pipes and flushed across an incredibly wide area before collapsing the office building via blowing the structural supports.
Had the bombs gone off gas would have flooded into homes, factories, and onto the streets all across one of WilyCorp's most heavily populated sectors.
Instead of killing a few hundred people, the bombs and otherwise 'small' amount of nerve gas could have easily killedtens of thousands of people at the lowest.
Thankfully a WilyCorp security guard found a destroyed detonator bundle in a trash can within the call center section and the following investigation turned up the bombs elsewhere in the building.
Instead of commendations however, Dr. Wily is believed to have fired many of his flesh and blood security personnel in the region for missing the planting of such bombs in the first place.
An investigation has determined that the bombs were made almost exclusively out of EggDyne parts and the nerve gas contains 'unusual energetics' tied to some of Eggman's unusual pursuits.
While initially assumed to be a failed act of terrorism by EggDyne, various bits of evidence instead suggested the bombs were in fact an attempted false flag attack.
The excessive use of EggDyne parts among other things indicated that someone wanted to try and spark open hostilities between two members of the Big 3.
Tensions between WilyCorp and EggDyne have increased, but with the knowledge that someone is trying to pit them against one another there is unlikely to be any real hostilities.
The culprit behind the bombs however remains unknown.
All security footage for the building is missing and no employees hold any recollection of anyone suspicious who might have owned the satchel bag the detonators were in.
Factionless
Note: (At the moment C.D is not in control of a faction. As such the 'faction actions' they take at the start will be re-contextualized as personal actions.)
(While factionless they will have five actions to take per turn and no personal actions, since they will start with effectively nothing and will be working from the bottom up)
(Once C.D has gained control of or founded their own organization, the setup will transfer to the standard 4 Personal Actions + 5 Faction Actions setup.)
Faction Actions
Current Funds:☆10☆ Effects of Note:
[CD] is Psychically Strained: They suffer -20 to all PSI related checks for the next turn.
[CD] is Depressed: CD is incapable of taking certain actions while depressed. This status can only be mitigated or buried using certain Personal Actions.
[Recerd's Absence]: CD is no longer financially supported and must pay the bills herself. She will lose 1 Fund every turn following Turn 5 until some passive revenue is established. The funds needed to support CD and her siblings will not impact the funds gained from passive income.
Items of Note:
Prefilled Mayoral Paperwork: A paperwork form for a 'mayoral decree' with blank spots that can be filled out to be just about anything. It was pre-signed and pre-stamped for the mayor's convenience. It can only be used once, but this could potentially be used to give out a fake order to those working for the mayor...
Starman JR Corpse: The semi-intact corpse of an alien invader. Physical proof of extraterrestrial presence.
Martial
[] Vent Your Frustrations: Nothing feels good. It's hard to think straight as you bounce between blinding anger and numbness. Playing baseball doesn't appeal to you right now. Nothing does. Maybe nothing will ever again. Going into the woods and smashing some things up might provide you some reprieve. However brief it might be… DC: ???/???/???
[] Check Lier X. Agerate's Shack: Lier is straight up gone. The lights in his shack haven't been turned on for some time. He's probably skipped town, or buried himself alive. With how he acted to you before? Good riddance. Still, if he's not around (or dead) then there's no reason you can't go up there and help yourself to whatever's in his shack. Or below it. DC: 25/???
[] Fight Local Wildlife: You need something to distract you. There seems to be more animals around lately and they're not any friendlier then they have been. Wild dogs, crows, and snakes might not be as impressive as aliens, but they're still more than capable of tearing you a new asshole. Smashing them up will help you forget things for a little while, maybe even teach you a thing or two about fighting. DC: 25/50
[] Confront the Sharks: The Sharks tried to take advantage of your injured state previously to ask you some questions.Of course, that seemed more of an isolated incident then anything that came down from 'on high'. Doesn't make you want to smash their faces any less. Gangs like the Sharks only respect strength. Want to make nice with them eventually? Beat the shit out of them. Want to fuck them over down the line? Beat the shit out of them more.
DC: 45/70
[] Protection Racket - Mach Pizza: It's a lot to run a one person protection racket, but with the way you're feeling you're sure as fuck willing to try. Threatening the pizzeria with damages and offering 'protection' should they pay up would provide passive income. It won't do anything good for your reputation and it'll be hard to keep up, but just let them try to call the cops. DC: 85
[] Oppose the Police: Fuck the Police. Fuck this city. Fuck this entire god awful planet and all it's stupid, self-serving pieces of shit! You don't feel like you're in control of your own life anymore, so it's sure as hell time to make these fat pigs realize they definitely aren't in control. Force feeding them their own teeth and shattering a few of their arms will get across to everyone you are not playing. DC: 90
Diplomacy
[] Found an Organization: No more pussyfooting around. You have everything you need to form an organization besides a flow of actual cash. But if the kids in this town aren't willing to stand up after the shit you're going to show them, then fuck em'. Make the call, gather at the tree house, and put together a group.
This is where you'll decide what kind of organization you'll make, maybe even decide on a flag or some crap like that.
[Taking this action will lead to a faction creation segment with additional voting] DC: [AUTOPASS]
[] Demand an Audience with the Sharks: The Sharks are dumbasses and Frankie might very well be getting his strings pulled. But they're a proper gang and the closest thing this town has to a local power besides the goddamn cops. Fucking up the O.P.F's signs endeared them to you a little, but they're starting to take notice of you in ways that aren't particularly beneficial.
If you force an audience and drag along the alien corpse, then you can cut the bullshit and talk to them bluntly.
Even if Frankie does listen, you doubt he's going to hand over the keys. Either you'll end up joining the Sharks as an underling and be forced to make your way up, or you'll have to throw down with Frankie for control. But who the fuck knows? Maybe talking can actually solve things or some shit. Provided they'll even see you at all. It can always be attempted later though.
DC: 40 (additional rolls and choices will follow)
[] Baseball Bat Factory Deal: *A crumpled up note is thrown in CD's trash bin* Maybe the Baseball Bat Factory could be talked into some sort of deal? It depends on what kind of group I make. Even if it's not totally legal, like a sponsorship, I'm sure some sort of deal could be worked out.STUPID STUPID why did i even bother thinking i could ever play baseball. I'm an IDIOT no wonder she left us. -Action cannot be taken without a faction-
Stewardship
[] Sell the 'Meteorite' Shard: You don't know what this space rock is made out of. And at the moment you don't particularly care. Selling this ugly paperweight to someone with more money than functional brain cells sounds ideal. DC: 20/80
[] Buy Stock in the Baseball Bat Factory:Apparently the Baseball Bat Factory isn't a privately owned business, despite first impressions. It has investors, though how many they have or have ever had is anyone's guess. You've learned that the factory would be committed to paying their investors, or stockholders, or however the fuck this works, a portion of their profits. You'll need to pay out the ass for the passive income to be meaningful, but it'll be something. DC: 40/80/90 , -6 Funds Maximum (barring SMASH fail), margins of success will decrease cost by 1 per tier.
[]Try to Heal People for Money: You still feel like your head is going to split open and what's left of your brain will crawl out. And that's just how you feel physically. Still, you need to pay the bills now. The last time I worked, sort of, and rumors got around. So it should be a little easier this time. Of course, even if you hide your face, rumors will only continue to spread. DC: 20/40/80
(Uses PSI stat. Heroes without Lifeup PSI cannot assist)
Intrigue
[] Falsify Mayoral 'Tax' Law Change: Porky had a heinous idea, made you want to punch him. Not that you don't want to punch everyone right now. Using the mayoral paperwork and some monkey suits, you could trick the factory into thinking the local tax code has changed. Then offer them a chance to be the 'exception' and pay you regular bribes in cash. Peanuts compared to what they'd pay in taxes, apparently. Sounds like a waste, but it won't be an 'official' decree so the mayor won't know about it, and it'll give you passive income. DC: 15, -Mayoral Paperwork
[] Try to Sneak into the Arcade: This cloak and dagger bullshit gives you headaches. But you've got shit to do and the Sharks are quickly becoming a pain. Are they an enemy, or potential allies? Time to figure that out. By breaking into the Arcade you might be able to confront his suited ass over what's going on. Either he'll see reason, or you'll learn his shit stinks just like everyone else. DC: 45/75/???
[] Break Into the Hospital: Despite wanting to punch him as soon as he brought it up, Porky has suggested a plan to break into the hospital. Normally the security there is, well, actually existent and the hospital is a big draw to the town's coffers. However the hospital is probably the second biggest thief next to the goddamn CEO Mayor. Maybe robbing their asses wouldn't be 'bad' per say. They have real medical drugs, lab equipment, and who knows what else? Porky's trick will only work once though… DC: 50/???
[] Falsely Blackmail Bakery: The Bakery is so close to the police station that if you so much as thought about doing anything to it, the cops would be on top of you before you could breathe. However it might be possible to turn that proximity to your advantage. After all, if any evidence of illicit activities were found at the Bakery it would be terrible for the business. As far as you know the bakery isn't doing anything but the cops don't know that, and probably won't care if they find planted evidence. Blackmailing the bakery for money would provide passive income, and they wouldn't even need to know it's you. DC: 70
[] Investigate the Police's Plans: Fresh Breeze Movement, additional funding, what the FUCK are the cops doing? They don't actually think a bunch of signs are going to do anything do they? It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out they're scheming, but guessing doesn't do you any fucking good. If you want answers you'll have to go and find them, and that could mean trouble. DC: 75/90
Learning
[] Just Read Some Books: You can barely think straight when you're like this-! Maybe just reading some books would help you? Probably not, but fuck it. At least you can pretend you're not a dumb half-wit... DC: 15/45/???
[] Just Go to School: …What's the point? You hate that place and it hates you. If you want to feel worse there are shorter alternatives. DC:30/60- CD is too Depressed to take this action.
[] Obscure Talks with the Treehouse Boys: You're not in the mood to hear them prattle, but then again you're not in the mood for anything right now. However, apparently, they're setting up something so they can watch some pre-Crash films they've gotten ahold of. It's probably going to be artsy garbage, but sitting in a dark treehouse and watching movies sounds like a good way to try and fucking relax. Maybe you'll accidentally learn something. DC: 35/60
[] Try to Identify the Meteorite Shard: All you know about the Shard is that it can be sold for a lot of money (presumably) by virtue of looking cool and being from space. However what the chunk of space rock is actually made of is a total mystery, more so then what your morning breakfast cereal is made out of. Since you don't exactly have a lab, or someone who knows 'science', all you have at your disposal are whatever books you can get around town and a few people whose arms you can twist to get their insight. It's not going to be easy and may not even be worth it if it turns out it's just a really fancy rock… DC: 90
Personal Actions
Note: The Player Character will not have access to personal actions of their own until they establish a faction. As their personal actions are currently making up the 'faction actions' being taken.
Buzz Buzz
[] Fly on The Wall: You're not a fly. However it's a turn of phrase that could be appropriate. By using your own time to do some personal spying, you might be able to learn some things that C.D wouldn't be able to learn otherwise. Especially with how negatively people seem to react to them. The risk of discovery could lead to someone trying to swat you however.
[] Practice your own PSI: Outside of PSI Shield Σ, your capacity to use PSI abilities is very limited. However you still harness your PSI energy in order to fight, so practicing your abilities never hurts.
[] Find Small Objects: Being able to get into tight places has benefits when it comes to scrounging around. While the idea of delving into storm drains and floor vents is far from appealing, ensuring C.D has some amount of the local currency would likely assist with their efforts. Plus, who knows, maybe you'll find something interesting. Beyond moth balls and trash that is.
[] Help Around the House: CD is...beside herself. You can only imagine how she'd blow up if you tried to talk to her about things. In this state she's letting things slip a bit. It might be a small gesture, and will require avoiding her siblings, but maybe you can do things to help around the house?
Porky
[] Loaf Around: Outside of doing what C.D expressly tells you to do, maybe you don't feel particularly compelled to do much else at the moment. Stuffing your face and lounging around might not be 'productive', but it'll ensure you'll do better at whatever you attempt later.
[] Get some GOOD Snacks: While you're not particularly caught up in the quality of what you eat, you do enjoy some fancier snacks now and then. Always in bulk of course. During your snooping around you think you might know a guy who can hook you up with some good fricking stuff. And it shouldn't cost you anything in the long run.
[] Try to get a...mole?: That's how it works in shows and movies. People have informants and spies and stuff? You have no idea what you're doing, but you're pretty sure you know some ways to get people to tell you what you want regularly. That or you'll end up spending the month in and out of trash cans people will likely cram you into. On second thought, just trying to get one person who tells you important things sounds better. Also, less effort! It all works out.
[] Just a LITTLE Scheming...: There's a lot to be done here. But C.D doesn't exactly have the right mindset for this sort of thing. You don't need to go to them about every little thing, right? Taking some action on your own to help them out can't be considered a bad thing. Right? (This Personal Action will allow a second Intrigue Action to be taken with all the usual bonuses. However it will be chosen at random from the Intrigue Actions available this turn that weren't chosen prior and it's exact outcome will not be made apparent to the players until later. C.D and the others will not be aware of this action being taken under normal circumstances)
Well i'm cooking up a plan based on the certain actions we have but overall the depressed status effect definitely needs to be migrated by letting some steam out.
I heard it's therapeutic to break stuff like there's smashing places where you pay money to just break things.
[] Plan Rest And Found:
-[] Vent Your Frustrations [Buzz Buzz]
-[] Found an Organization
-[] Try to Heal People for Money
-[] Falsify Mayoral 'Tax' Law Change [Porky]
-[] Just Read Some Books
-[] Buzz-Buzz: Fly On The Wall
-[] Porky: Loaf Around
Reasoning: This plan is focused on getting letting CD let off steam and getting money. While spending our mayoral paperwork this quickly seems unwise and morally dubious, fact is, we need funds, which is also why i'm willing to try healing again. Then again, it could spoil our relationship if they figure it out. Plus, I think helping some people in a concrete way could help CD's depression a bit. Not sure on founding an org while she's in this state, but we need it. Our action economy is a major weakness right now.
[] Revolution In Onett
-[] Fight Local Wildlife (Buzz Buzz)
-[] Found an Organization
-[] Try to Heal People for Money
-[] Falsify Mayoral 'Tax' Law Change
-[] Just Read Some Books
-[] (Buzz Buzz) Help Around the House
-[] (Porky) Try to get a...mole?
Get important shit fast, allow us to get easy moolah and vent our frustrations.
still need to look in detail myself, but just as a heads up we've still got a major malus to PSI actions so healing will probs work out poorly. buzz buzz probably can't help us with this action, they only have PSI shield listed on their skills.
also, venting fustration might be a trap. whatever happens is unknown, but if there's consequences of doing it(or poor rolls, I guess) that might make everything worse. but if we do decide on this, probably set buzz buzz with us as backup/a friend? would change up the narrative flavour of things some.
[] Plan: Dealing with our feelings along with social interaction
-[] Confront the Sharks
-[] Found an Organization
-[] Buy Stock in the Baseball Bat Factory
-[] Try to Sneak into the Arcade (Porky)
-[] Obscure Talks with the Treehouse Boys
-[] Personal actions
--[] Practice your own PSI
--[] Get some GOOD Snacks
[Recerd's Absence]: CD is no longer financially supported and must pay the bills herself. She will lose 1 Fund every turn following Turn 5 until some passive revenue is established. The funds needed to support CD and her siblings will not impact the funds gained from passive income.
Items of Note:
Prefilled Mayoral Paperwork: A paperwork form for a 'mayoral decree' with blank spots that can be filled out to be just about anything. It was pre-signed and pre-stamped for the mayor's convenience. It can only be used once, but this could potentially be used to give out a fake order to those working for the mayor...
We could use the prefilled decree to implement a better social welfare system and kill two Flying Mans with one stone. The mayor won't remember approving it, but he wouldn't be able to overturn it right away without significant blowback.
[]Org and Setup
-[] Vent Your Frustrations
-[] Found an Organization
-[] Try to Sneak into the Arcade
-[] Break Into the Hospital [PORKY]
-[] Try to Identify the Meteorite Shard [BUZZ-BUZZ]
-[] Help Around the House -[] (Porky) Try to get a...mole?
Current tentative plan. The main focus is setting up our org to help us with actions next turn.
Vent your frustrations for obvious reasons. We'll need to find a less, uh, Violent way of getting rid of Depressed in the future, but we don't live in the future. I'd like to check out Lier's shack next turn if at all possible.
Founding an Org because, well, duh. I assume we'll form a Criminal Org, given that we're a Crime Gal who is starting to get pretensions of revolution.
I do not think we should blow the mayoral paperwork on bribes and I also think we should hold onto the meteorite shard. As such I'm not picking a Stewardship option this turn. Instead I think CD should try and sneak into the Arcade. Its chancy, but if we devote EXP to it its possible. I think learning more about the Sharks, and what Franky is planning, is the way to go if we're gonna meet with them after we've founded our faction.
I'm having Porky break into the Hospital because hes good at it, we need the funds and lab equpiment will be nice. Next turn, unless something amazing in Intrigue pops up, I want him to investigate the OPF. His personal action will hopefully help with that.
Meteor shard because its the only thing Buzz-Buzz can do without it being, uh, weird. Also I think we might as well give it a shot. I don't think we'll get it but whats the worst that can happen. This is the action I'm least sure of so I could be convinced to change with a good argument.
Buzz-Buzz helping around the house is just a general, nice thing for him to do. Also puts him out of danger. BB dying right now would wreck CD, we can't let that happen.
For Porky I want him to get a mole to help him infiltrate the OPF next turn. I do think that we should have him get snacks sooner than later though. Keeping him happy and loyal is gonna be important. He is our biggest back stab danger atm.
I'd like to apologize up front that I missed this Omake originally.
This is probably my favorite of what you've made thus far. The setup is very clever, re-writing the Oda-period of LiveALive to be in the outlands works beautifully. Ryoma being an ancestor to the original fits super well with the themes of Castlevania, considering the Belmont legacy.
Ryoma and Carrie were written perfectly. With Ryoma being positive, cunning, and somewhat playful while having a clear sense of timing. The line from Carrie about the guards being men not monsters, and wanting to give them the chance to repent, read seamlessly coming from her.
Carrie going to the WRONG evil castle under the assumption Dracula was there is both as humorous as it is understandable. Ryoma and Carrie honestly make such a cool duo that it just nails what makes 8-Bit Dystopia so much fun.
If anyone sees this, please give this Omake another read. I feel a lot of people slept on it, myself included.
Dog Chasing The Sun
…If this is a "Town with No Name" reference then that's impressively subtle. If not, now I have to live with the realization that would actually *fit* into the Outlands.
Anyway, this was a VERY cool Omake! I have to say I love your dedication to doing the LiveALive series in 8-Bit Dystopia. Working with a theme and playing with an already great game gives your Omakes a lot of charm.
I recognize Half-Fast Pete from some Atari game. Pairing him up with Maddog and having their contrasting personalities, and fight styles, honestly makes them a great duo. You did a great job characterizing Pete, who otherwise doesn't have an established personality.
Thank you very much! I might come back around to these premises once I'm done with my initial pass at Live A Live. Still gotta do Prehistoric, probably gonna loop in some Chrono Trigger. Not sure what to do for China yet.
Also, gonna pop in to remind you, please remember to add this stuff to the EXP tracker and the Omake Awards thing. Also if possible I'd like you to threadmark the stories that you haven't yet. I don't think you Threadmarked Castle Bound in Shadows, or the Star Wolf Omake.
Edit: I'm late posting this, you already posted the next Turn. I thought I had time.
[] Plan Getting The Gang Together
- [] Fight Local Wildlife [Buzz-Buzz]
- [] Found an Organization
- [] Buy Stock in the Baseball Bat Factory
- [] Try to Sneak into the Arcade [Porky]
- [] Obscure Talks with the Treehouse Boys
-- [] Help Around the House
-- [] Try to get a...mole?
Martial is there because it's a way to de-stress while getting a stat boost out of it (no, I am not salty about being hunted by evil bugs due to one lousy point). Somewhat more importantly, Buzz-Buzz and CD are not a well-oiled combat machine, and this got CD beaten within an inch of her life during the Jaeger fight. Hopefully putting them together on a + Martial action will tighten them up. Diplomacy is there because I will track down and pummel anyone who suggests otherwise. We are founding a faction, end of story. Stewardship is because we currently have ten funds, and can afford to spend a chunk of cash to keep the shiny and not risk police attention. We can actually afford to lose the full six. Plus, if we roll a tier 2 success, we'll effectively bu funding our org with the mayor's money, which is hilarious. Intrigue is because we need a talk with either Franky or the Chief ASAP, and Franky is a lot more willing to listen. We need to find a way in to the cave behind the shack, and Franky has a tankmobot. He might also be able to make Buzz-Buzz a vehicle to keep him from dying. I had hoped to put this in Diplo, but needs must. Learning is because CD really needs a friend right now, and the Treehouse Boys can hopefully help. Buzz-Buzz is trying to keep CD from self-destructing any further, and . . . Porky is trying to get us some more passive intel ticks. Knowledge is power, and we need more of it.
I don't know about the rest of any plans, but I don't think we should be falsifying the documents at all. Not only is it a waste of those documents, but it's temporary and the moment we are found out we lose that.
Plan Action, Faction, Scientific Distraction
-[] Vent Your Frustrations [BUZZ-BUZZ]
-[] Found an Organization
-[] Buy Stock in the Baseball Bat Factory
-[] Break Into the Hospital [PORKY]
-[] Obscure Talks with the Treehouse Boys
-[] (Buzz-Buzz) Help Around the House -[] (Porky) Try to get a...mole?
Identifying the Meteorite Shard is very difficult, and may require lab equipment. And in the hospital one of the possible loot categories is... lab equipment. So it would be reasonable to first steal some of that delicious equipment and only then to try and discover all the awesome properties of a Meteorite Shard.
I'm still high on my proposal to found the Sport Association (implore you, beg you - Sport Association😝), therefore feel obliged to buy stock in the Baseball factory - and to butter it up before doing the Factory Deal next turn, after some organization is found.
Venting Frustration and Helping around the house could mitigate the Depression thing. Obscure Talks with boys could possibly too, or provide CD with some weird tangent from a weird movie - depending on luck. Also I ssupect that between treehouse boys should be someone nerdy enough to help with identifying the meteorite shard later.
I don't know about the rest of any plans, but I don't think we should be falsifying the documents at all. Not only is it a waste of those documents, but it's temporary and the moment we are found out we lose that.
if we're already making plans, how about this one? focused on things that will help us deal with both stress and finances, as well as helping our faction going forwards [] Plan: putting a game face on -[]martial: Fight Local Wildlife: (buzz buzz) -[]diplomacy: Found an Organization: -[]stewardship: Buy Stock in the Baseball Bat Factory: -[]intrigue: Investigate the Police's Plans: (porky) -[]Learning: Just Read Some Books:
personals
-[]buzz buzz: Help Around the House:
-[]porky: Get some GOOD Snacks:
thoughts on these Martial's option for fighting wildlife might not be too helpful for progression, but it seems in line with what we need right now (assuming there'd be consequences for not venting, this relieves stress without taking on a risk we don't know about). plus it could boost our stats which would be nice.
could also potentially reveal more about how gygass is influencing things? either their other plans we can't see, or just explaining more about them making things more angry (which might help us know more about their modus operandi and the like)
would also be happy to check out lier's shack (especially with last turn's medusa revelations) though now seems a bad time? and all the other options look risky for vague benefits right currently.
Diplomacy probably doesn't need clarification (there's only two options anyhow:),
it also looks like we can talk to franky about the aliens after doing this? though it might have a malus then, but that seems like something we can deal with. negotiate from a position of "i have support already" so we're less desperate, even if it means we seem more like enemies/competition
Stewardship
spending up to 6 funds may be risky, but it's probably the least criminal investment style action (i.e, least likely to blow up terribly, i'm sort of cowardly about breaking the law where people might find out). we *have* funds for the time being, so it might be wise to do something with them before they evaporate? accrue interest and the like, it's not like there's many options around
plus, even if it fails, our situation won't be super bad since next turn our PSI malus will go away so we can resume PSI healing if needed. (it might serve as decent training too?)
we don't need to worry about running out of funds immediately unless there's notable enemy actions to limit our options, which would be oddly specific of them). basically, we're almost certain to have better options in future turns, and currently this seems like the best-est stewardship option to do before then.
Intrigue has a high DC, but a failure here might be managable and a success might equip us for future turns with a faction.
right now the police seem the most relevant faction in terms of who can do the most damage to us specifically (as opposed to the sharks, who are aggressive but not actively in our way, since they're probably not compromised.). whatever they're planning may really damage us if it completes
other options might produce funds, but any supply could easily cut off in future turns. (attacking the hospital looks cool, maybe after we get a faction so we can take advantage more?)
Learning looks to be a good spot for some relaxations as well. reading might not seem like something CD is interested in, but the DCs there look like something we can succeed in reliably. might be more distracting than other stuff, too?
going for a movie night is also worth considering. seems more diplomatic, so could improve our relations(friendship) with the treehouse boys more, but could also fail harder. it's worth considering, though I'm leaning towards books since they have a lower minimum success threshold and higher maximum result.
personals: buzz buzz has a lot of options right now, and many of them could benefit them, like increasing stats/finding new plot threads/loot. this is all great, but I'm interested helping around the house since it's probably time-limited, and might be a safer way to soften the whole "buzz buzz is a thing" flow to kart/floppy, or at least prevent them from suffering as much while we're unable to support them. like, make them worry less about our financial situation so our home life doesn't get even worse?)
porky's "Get some GOOD Snacks" seems a good way to improve their mood. might not have the most potential, but them being less grumpy means they'd be more likely to get along with others. could even give some temporary bonuses (though probably not to martial:)
~
all in all, this probably isn't really a "take action against every other faction" time, and trying that would probably work out poorly. i'm more leaning towards taking a bunch of actions that are useful on their own, alongside founding a faction and being able to leverage it when needed
(in my books at least, sorry if i'm writing in a biased "you must do this everything else sucks" way, it's just how I'm thinking things through.)
not many of the other options people are considering seem actively harmful, but some might be likely to fail/not be the most useful for our goals of dealing with our personal life and working against gygass-associated factions?
nice find here, didn't put those together. not sure about it this turn since we won't have use for the loot without 1: a secure place to store/use it and people to make use of it, but even if it's just easily portable measuring equipment (probably what we'd get without robbing the place blind) that's quite a difference
maybe worth doing in a future turn as part of a larger campaign? if we can increase the scale of our psi healing (get some semblance of legitimacy, minimise negative rumors, have multiple people doing it etc) that would be a multi-pronged attack, and might be more successful overall
Pretty sure Cross already said no to something like that earlier. We're still only allowed 1 action per action type. So no ignoring Stewardship for Intrigue or what have you
[] Plan: Struggle against Depression, Social Interaction and the Economy
-[] Vent Your Frustrations [Buzz Buzz]
-[] Found an Organization
-[] Buy Stock in the Baseball Bat Factory
-[] Investigate the Police's Plans [Porky] -[] Obscure Talks with the Treehouse Boys
-[] Help Around the House
-[] Try to get a...mole?
I really like how all the action texts have been rewritten to fit CDs current mental state.
For this turn I really want to focus on actions that'd help out CDs mental state. Spending some low-talk time together with Buzz buzz and the Treehouse Boys seems like a good fit for CD given how unfit she is for talking to people right now. Setting up passive income through the baseball factory shares should also help by removing a major stress factor, and maybe give an in for setting up a deal later. It means we'll have less money for setting up the faction admittedly, but then again we don't have many people either, so it's not like we'd have a lot of expenses. And the passive income + potential hospital theft next turn + new options will refill our coffers.
Mutants are a fact of life in the city, one often hidden from public eye in the far less tolerant zones but one that still exists all the same. The Pipeworks that they make their homes within are immense in scale... perhaps so much much so that the city we 'know' is merely the tip of a proverbial iceburg of metal and mutation..... In truth it is very possible that mutants actually make up an immense majority of the cities population, but of course that is only supposition.
These are some but a few of the many, many different species of mutants that make the city their home.
Sidesteppers: Angry crab like mutants that energed shortly after the founding of the city Sidesteppers are highly agressive and have the odd ability to change the pygmint of their shells. These changes typically correlate with a rush of hormons that cause the Sidesteppers to become far faster and more agressive.
Fighter Flies: Strange bug like creatures that reside within the upper Pipeworks the Figher Flight is too large for its wings to carry it any appreiable different and as such it instead manuvers via hoping around. It gives these horrifying abominations an almost comical look to them at times.
Proto Visceroid: Some of the earliest mutants ever encountered the Proto Visceroid is a strange red blob with many, many, many human eyes scattered through they're form. They are aggressive and typically attack by trying to suffocate their enemies via covering them in fleshy biomass. Thankfully they are weak to ice based attacks, something not shared by their more 'advanced' counterparts. It is unknown what proto visceroids mutated from and unlike other variants of visceroid they do not have a known source. Unlike other versions of the Visceroid they are not Chaos Mutants.
Alpha Visceroid: Despite holding onto the traditional blob like shape and having the eyes of the Proto-Vsceroid the Alpha Visceroid is a Chaos Mutant a creature born from unique chaotic energies radiated by certain gemstones and crystals. The Alpha Visceroids eyes however are blind and the creatures attacks via its acidic body as opposed to suffication. The most common source of ALpha Visceroids are humans or uplifts unfortunate enough to be exposed to excessive amounts of chaotic radiation. Thankfully they cannot reproduce.
Beta Visceroid: Much like the Alpha Visceroid except they lack eyes entirly and instead of being created by simple exposed the Beta Visceroid is the result of being exposed to a chemical gas suffused with Chaos Radiation. Additionally these Visceroids possess two staged, a baby stage during which they are relativly docile and an adult stage in which they become a threat even to large vehicals or robots. It is unkown if they have any further stages or if they can reproduce but few people want to take the risk of either of those options being true.
Crystal kin: A relativly stable human mutation, Crystal Kin are a Chaos mutation that has become common in humans that don't become visceriods for one reason or another. While the extent of the organization is know many Crystal Kin have gathered together in an organization known as the 'Forgotten'. The motivations of this groupare as of yet an enigma.
Chaos Fiend: Large black dog like mutants typically seem with rows of green crystals growing on their back. Chaos mutants are savage being able to burrow at incredible speeds and capable of launching barraches of crystals capable to easily shredding tank armor from their back. They have a pack like social structure and many other mutants, especially Crystal Kin have been known to tame them. Rumors of Chaos Fiends with different color crystals on thier back and different properties as a result are unconfirmed.
Chaos Floaters: Have been descriped as a 'Floating Jellyfish of Hate' Chaos Floaters true to their name primariy move about via hovering close to the ground. When they contact anything they see as prey they grapple it with their tenticals and shock it with enough elecriticy to reduce metal to slag. On top of that they also release poison gas infused with radiation that will cause most living things that die of it to turn into Beta Visceroids.
Veinhole Monsters: Large disgusing Chaos Mutants composed of a 'mouth' build into the ground with 'veins'that act like Kudzu within the sorrunding area. Veinhole Monsters are known to attack anything that traverses them above a certain weight class and additionally are know to release poison gas that, much like the gas of the Chaos Floater, turns life forms killed by it into Beta Visceroids. The Brotherhood of Nod is rumored to have weaponized this substance by deploying specialized 'Weed Eaters' to collect parts of the creatures biomass and convert it into a highly toxic chemical weapon.
Pretty sure Cross already said no to something like that earlier. We're still only allowed 1 action per action type. So no ignoring Stewardship for Intrigue or what have you
[] Plan: De-Stress to be Refreshed!
-[] Vent Your Frustrations
-[] Found an Organization
-[] Buy Stock in the Baseball Bat Factory
-[] Break Into the Hospital
-[] Obscure Talks with the Treehouse Boys Buzz Buzz
-[] Help Around the House Porky
-[] Loaf Around
Priority of this plan is mainly to get CD some serious R and R. Sure, she's the hero, but she's also still a kid who just nearly got killed AND just had someone they cared about abandon her and her siblings suddenly, back-to-back. Have her hit some shit, watch some movies, and spend some time with Buzz Buzz.
I'm honestly a little surprised Founding an Organization isn't one of the locked actions due to Depressed, but since it isn't then I'm fine with creating one now.
Would now be a good time to revive discussion on what kind of organization CD should create?
