Yeah I get the feeling that this middle of the road plan is going to end up as a failure in all counts, we'll fail to intervene before NPC-kun pisses his pants and we won't be able to have the meeting because Hotaru can't go to the original meeting place due to the fire alert.

So do you think that the QM explicitly allowed this option just to fuck with us for no reason? That is the logical conclusion of your argument.

Basically you should truly think about the consequences before you decide it's the right course of action.

Ok.

1. It's illegal. We're also a ghost.
2. The panic. Dude, accidental fire alarms happened at my high school. We didn't run around like chickens with our heads cut off. The sound of a fire alarm is recognizable and people know what to do in those situations.
3. Firetrucks and resources. This doesn't impact us in any way? Also, do you consider every cascade effect that could occur when you make a choice? Actually, no, the fact that you are supporting the option of letting somebody get potentially assaulted indicates that this is not the case and you are employing a ridiculous double standard.
4. Do we know where the fire alarm is? This is kind of our school, as I recall. If it's somewhere accessible, and it logically should be if this is an option we have been allowed by the QM, we'll have probably seen it before. And even if more harm is done than if we directly interfered, less comparative harm will have mostly probably been done than if we did nothing.
5. Pulling the fire alarm might change her plans? Given that all the kids are out and about and this entire display is going on at all, it's a safe assumption that lunch has started. So given how much this whole situation impacts her, she'll already be up on the roof. And when she does hear it? She'll not see any fire. She'll not smell any fire. Again, given that this is something pretty damn important to her, without actually seeing any reason to leave right away, she's probably going to wait at least a couple minutes, which will give us time to get there and meet up.

5 was your only good point and it was pretty weak. As Gish Gallops go this one gets a 2/10. Would not read again.
 
So do you think that the QM explicitly allowed this option just to fuck with us for no reason?
Without addressing the rest of your argument, which I have no issues with... that's how write-ins are supposed to function. The can be either brilliant out-of-the-box solutions, or horrible ideas nobody should ever try at home or anywhere else.

Most QMs only track whether the option would be in-character or possible. Or, well, if they would be willing to write it at all. Whatever the consequences of such a decision may be, they are not on QM's head.

That said, I do not expect to see anything drastic in this case.
 
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[X] Ignore it. (You did nothing wrong, and you don't want to get on her bad side even now that you're dead. You have a meeting to get to, anyway, and this makes for a good distraction...)
 
Without addressing the rest of your argument, which I have no issues with... that's how write-ins are supposed to function. The can be either brilliant out-of-the-box solutions, or horrible ideas nobody should ever try at home or anywhere else.

Most QM only track whether the option would be in-character or possible. Or, well, if they would be willing to write it at all. Whatever the consequences of such a decision may be, they are not on QM's head.

That said, I do not expect to see anything drastic in this case.

See, that's fair enough, but typically if a write-in is going to be deeply problematic it will at least not be acknowledged until it becomes prominent (and then likely vetoed), vetoed right off the bat, or explicitly noted "Hey guys you can do this BUT" in my experience? Instead giving it is as an explicit option is portrayed as a decently reasonable alternative. But he is arguing that this is essentially the QM giving us an option that will result in absolutely nobody being happy that wasn't even explicitly outlined and saying "Yes I will explicitly add this as a viable option and not note that there could be any issues with it". That's a bit different.
 
[X] Indirectly Intervene (Pull the fire alarm; it should be a good distraction to Hotaru without making you late.)

I said I'd vote for this if it was confirmed as valid, and it has been.
 
[X] Ignore it. (You did nothing wrong, and you don't want to get on her bad side even now that you're dead. You have a meeting to get to, anyway, and this makes for a good distraction...)
 
[X] Indirectly Intervene (Pull the fire alarm; it should be a good distraction to Hotaru without making you late.)
 
Are you sure you guys really want to pull that fire alarm?

For a start it's absolutely a crime to pull a fire alarm when there isn't a fire.

Second it can cause a panic which can cause people to be injured (unlikely but possible).

Third it will cause firetrucks to be called in, not only is that an expense to the school it will also potentially pull away vital resources if there's an actual fire elsewhere.

It's kind of pain in the ass for everyone, seriously no one wants to lose a shitload of time because of a fake fire alarm.

Also do we even know where the alarm is? It seems unlikely we'll be able to actual find and pull it before anything happens here in the room (although I don't think anything major is going to happen except for NPC-kun crying like a baby at being threatened). However even if something were to happen like NPC-kun being hit we're probably not going to be able to find and pull a fire alarm before that happens.

Pulling the fire alarm may cause Hotaru to change her plans and not meet us in the original spot.

Basically you should truly think about the consequences before you decide it's the right course of action.

Hmmm... well...
[J] Smash another desk, then leave.



[X] Indirectly Intervene (Pull the fire alarm; it should be a good distraction to Hotaru without making you late.)

I'll go with this now, it indirectly involves us, so using an indirect intervention is appropriate. Consequences, probably, but I can't endorse turning a blind eye to this.
 
We're in Japan or Japan analogue so sucking up firefighter resources whilst very costly is unlikely to cause serious damage elsewhere and panic is unlikely. This would be a very different story if this was taking place in California.

That said, what makes you all think she's going to stick on top of a roof with a fire alarm going off? Being on a roof is one of the worst possible places to be during a fire.
 
[X] Smash another desk, then leave.

Spooky ghost distracts everyone with a spectacle without revealing herself, and that should be enough of a distraction that Delinquent Girl won't punch his face in. It's also quick enough that we won't lose any time!
 
TBH smashing another desk is a great idea. On top of saving npc-kun and not being late, it lacks several issues that pulling the fire alarm has (wasting fire department resources, scaring the pants off everybody, etc.).

It will also start up a rumour that the school is haunted, which is doubtlessly the most valuable thing we could get from this situation.

:V
 
I'm all for it.

If the QM gives the OK to the write in then tag me and you'll my vote. Err assuming I'm around, I guess I might not be.
 
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If I read it right, we were thrown into the desk last night. That doesn't indicate that we can break desks unassisted.
We would also be doing this in invisimode, which is not empowered with strength, I think.

All we might end up doing is making a loud noise and getting an ouch. Which is fine as far as distractions go but doesn't carry that extra oomph that breaking it would.
Could be wrong, though.
 
Alright I'm the one that came up for the idea of the write in so I better speak up.

Charecterization wise I don't like characters that don't take responsibility. And one of the noticeable things with our character is that she always has stepped up after her death despite discomfort involved.

Straight up telling Midori that we are Kikuko. Going after the ghost in the school. Walking away from someone in trouble isn't in the hero job description. Meanwhile magical girl and ghost buster are the only identities Kikuko has right now.

Also it keeps up the distance Kikuko has with the living world. She's dead and I enjoy how it has weight.

I don't particularly see wasting fire department resources as a concern given that I directly fear that if we don't do something someone will get seriously injured.

When she first arrived, many thought her appearance was some sort of joke, but she quickly proved herself to be genuinely terrifying, singlehandedly thrashing the soccer team bloody when they tried to go after her; three of the boys had even missed a few weeks due to hospitalization. After that, nobody dared invoke her wrath, and even the teachers seemed hesitant to attempt to discipline her.

Three students were in the hospital for weeks. And the teachers do not discipline the girl either so there's little reason for her to stop either.

His attempts to placate the situation backfire, as Hotaru grabs him by the throat and pulls him close, hissing in his face. "Oh, I'm suuure it was just an accident. You've always been tryin' to git me kicked out of there, haven't you? I'm sure this was 'yer doing, Daido! Well, now you've gone TOO FAR!" She raises a fist, he whimpers, and you feel your stomach drop.

She's already ready to beat him, and is convinced that it was intentional to her her kicked out. She's not going to go easy and again hospitalized three students before.

Untransformed I don't think we stand a chance, and getting into a MG v normal fight is likely a bad idea. Ultimately I would waste the time of the fire department to stop a kid from being hospitalized.


And the point of it isn't really to allow us to meet with our teammate it's to cut short the time she'd be waiting and thus the likelihood of deciding that someone is toying with her. Which she thought the first time we tried to tell her who we were.

[X] Indirectly Intervene (Pull the fire alarm; it should be a good distraction to Hotaru without making you late.)

TBH smashing another desk is a great idea. On top of saving npc-kun and not being late, it lacks several issues that pulling the fire alarm has (wasting fire department resources, scaring the pants off everybody, etc.).

It will also start up a rumour that the school is haunted, which is doubtlessly the most valuable thing we could get from this situation.

:V

Are we sure that we can smash a desk though untransformed? Also the fire alarm being pulled with the fingerprints of a dead girl would also cause haunting stories.
 
[X] Ignore it. (You did nothing wrong, and you don't want to get on her bad side even now that you're dead. You have a meeting to get to, anyway, and this makes for a good distraction...)
 
Yeah I get the feeling that this middle of the road plan is going to end up as a failure in all counts, we'll fail to intervene before NPC-kun pisses his pants and we won't be able to have the meeting because Hotaru can't go to the original meeting place due to the fire alert.
Let me put it this way. Maybe it's different with other quests you've done, but generally speaking, I am not designing this one with "wrong choices." If there is a choice where one option leads to good things and the other leads to only bad, I will let you know, but otherwise it can safely be assumed I am not out to get you, and the options I provide (including belated ones) will carry both drawbacks and rewards. This quest is a story as much as it is a game.

[X] Smash another desk, then leave.

Spooky ghost distracts everyone with a spectacle without revealing herself, and that should be enough of a distraction that Delinquent Girl won't punch his face in. It's also quick enough that we won't lose any time!
[X] Smash another desk, then leave.
That being said, I do want to warn you both that this particular vote is unlikely to have much of an effect. Kikuko presently lacks both the weaponry and enhanced strength that allowed her to accidentally slice through the desk in the first place, and is unwilling to transform with so many people around. I won't stop you from voting for this, but I would recommend against it.
 
Inserting tally.
Adhoc vote count started by Storyteller on Sep 10, 2018 at 1:54 PM, finished with 70 posts and 33 votes.
 
That being said, I do want to warn you both that this particular vote is unlikely to have much of an effect. Kikuko presently lacks both the weaponry and enhanced strength that allowed her to accidentally slice through the desk in the first place, and is unwilling to transform with so many people around. I won't stop you from voting for this, but I would recommend against it.
I think they meant kick or otherwise slam the desk so it makes a loud noise. Not literally destroy it.
 
I think they meant kick or otherwise slam the desk so it makes a loud noise. Not literally destroy it.
I wonder if that would really have the desired effect, though, in comparison to other options. "Oh, a loud noise from over there. Anyway, back to the fight!"
A fire alarm is omnipresent, much louder, lasts a while, and would be more likely to directly distract the delinquent girl from beating up the innocent.
 
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Charecterization wise I don't like characters that don't take responsibility. And one of the noticeable things with our character is that she always has stepped up after her death despite discomfort involved.
Well, if we are talking characterization, I'll chime in too.

I'd prefer to avoid sainthood, aka 'every wrong in the world is my responsibility' type of character. This mess is entirely on Hotaru, who is trashing someone she doesn't like on a mere suspicion. The monster from yesterday? Magical girl business (the one reason why we are as alive as we can be). The possessed soul? Ghost business. Midori and her depression? Our personal business (and she is a work associate besides). But this one, right here?

Kikuko doesn't know the guy, doesn't care about the girl, and frankly, I am not sure why she should give a damn. Do we really want to make the misfortune that befell a Random NPC-kun - by the way, the guy has a name... can you recall it without looking back at the update? - our business, on par with the three above?

I don't, which is why I am in favor of not interfering.
 
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Well, if we are talking characterization, I'll chime in too.

I'd prefer to avoid sainthood, aka 'every wrong in the world is my responsibility' type of character. This mess is entirely on Hotaru, who is trashing someone she doesn't like on a mere suspicion. The monster from yesterday? Magical girl business (the one reason why we are as alive as we can be). The possessed soul? Ghost business. Midori and her depression? Our personal business (and she is a work associate besides). But this one, right here?

Maybe it's just me but I don't see giving a damn about someone about to be beat up in front of you as being a god damn saint. Just a non shitty person.

But then again I broke up a random fight between on a school bus at all of 5 foot 1 so my perspective might be borked.
 
Three students were in the hospital for weeks. And the teachers do not discipline the girl either so there's little reason for her to stop either.

She's already ready to beat him, and is convinced that it was intentional to her her kicked out. She's not going to go easy and again hospitalized three students before.
Frankly, I don't believe Hotaru really will badly thrash this boy.

Kikuko's school doesn't look like a shitty school in shitty neighborhood where a student can send several other students in the hospital and nobody will care.
Note how it happened:
she quickly proved herself to be genuinely terrifying, singlehandedly thrashing the soccer team bloody when they tried to go after her; three of the boys had even missed a few weeks due to hospitalization.
So, bunch of guys ganged up on a single girl and were badly beaten? Looks quite bad... for them.

But now we have a very different situation. She's a clear agressor and there is enough vitnesses around to confirm it.
If she punches the boy, she'll be in trouble. And, truthfully, if she's stupid or impulsive enough to ignore it, I'm willing to sacrifice the boy to get rid of her.

But I doubt it'll come to that. Most probably, Hotaru will threaten the boy some more, make it clear it's not enough to push her from the Art club and leave to brood about assholes surrounding her.

Maybe even she'll come on the rooftop in the middle of our heart-to-ghost with Midori and then we'll be able to explain what's really happened.
 
Well, if we are talking characterization, I'll chime in too.

I'd prefer to avoid sainthood, aka 'every wrong in the world is my responsibility' type of character. This mess is entirely on Hotaru, who is trashing someone she doesn't like on a mere suspicion. The monster from yesterday? Magical girl business (the one reason why we are as alive as we can be). The possessed soul? Ghost business. Midori and her depression? Our personal business (and she is a work associate besides). But this one, right here?

Kikuko doesn't know the guy, doesn't care about the girl, and frankly, I am not sure why she should give a damn. Do we really want to make the misfortune that befell a Random NPC-kun - by the way, the guy has a name... can you recall it without looking back at the update? - our business, on par with the three above?

I don't, which is why I am in favor of not interfering.
I'm in agreement with you there, but in this case, his misfortune is still an indirect result of our actions. If Hotaru were going after him in a different context, I could see the justification for leaving it be, especially since Kikuko was apparently pretty socially isolated and introverted from the start. In this case, though, there is a measure of responsibility here, juuuust on the borderline. So I can understand saying it's none of our beeswax, but all the same I feel this warrants stepping in or at least finding some way to divert her attention.
 
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