redzonejoe
Vaguely Pastafarian
- Location
- Canada
I was Ninja'd. Minami'd?
Telepathy Chizuka and other suggestions to be processed momentarily
Puella Magi Imperatrix Mundi, or: Wherein Half Of Japan Tries To Kill You
Telepathy Chizuka and other suggestions to be processed momentarily
redzonejoe
Vaguely Pastafarian
- Location
- Canada
V3, now with less --lines!-- New changes in blue. V2 changes in red. Neither implemented yet in official vote.
[] Put your game face on.
-[] It looks like you don't deal in 'cute and adorable', so I'm going to try to speak in your language for a moment.
-[] Telepathy Maiko for information on the girl we're talking to. We want to pass ourselves off as knowing this stuff with our own wish magic. Stall for time conversationally if Maiko needs it.
-[] I have it on good authority *tapping on gem* that Chizuka is an excellent teammate with a poorly chosen team. If you give me a reason to believe you are mistreating her, *insert name here* I will be very cross.
-[] Now here's the carrot; there is room in my city. You don't need to make any 'regrettable' choices. If plentiful hunting and the protection of yours truly is something you want, we can come to an easy understanding. Talk to me tomorrow. Or don't, but I'll be keeping an eye out all the same.
-[] Bring up whatever other information Maiko gives us as necessary to sell the act.
-[] Back to friendly: Well, I've got to go, but it was nice meeting you all! Bye for now!
-[] Telepathy Chizuka, let her know she's welcome to return on more peaceful terms anytime. With or without her team. We'd even treat her to ice cream!
-[] To Minami: I've got to finish up here, but I'll be with you in a few. Do what you can until I get there.
-[] (After conversation) Go look for the calligraphy girl
-[] Search for a reasonable amount of time. If you can't find her within a half hour, head off to do other things
[] Put your game face on.
-[] It looks like you don't deal in 'cute and adorable', so I'm going to try to speak in your language for a moment.
-[] Telepathy Maiko for information on the girl we're talking to. We want to pass ourselves off as knowing this stuff with our own wish magic. Stall for time conversationally if Maiko needs it.
-[] I have it on good authority *tapping on gem* that Chizuka is an excellent teammate with a poorly chosen team. If you give me a reason to believe you are mistreating her, *insert name here* I will be very cross.
-[] Now here's the carrot; there is room in my city. You don't need to make any 'regrettable' choices. If plentiful hunting and the protection of yours truly is something you want, we can come to an easy understanding. Talk to me tomorrow. Or don't, but I'll be keeping an eye out all the same.
-[] Bring up whatever other information Maiko gives us as necessary to sell the act.
-[] Back to friendly: Well, I've got to go, but it was nice meeting you all! Bye for now!
-[] Telepathy Chizuka, let her know she's welcome to return on more peaceful terms anytime. With or without her team. We'd even treat her to ice cream!
-[] To Minami: I've got to finish up here, but I'll be with you in a few. Do what you can until I get there.
-[] (After conversation) Go look for the calligraphy girl
-[] Search for a reasonable amount of time. If you can't find her within a half hour, head off to do other things
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- Location
- The Beach
I like it, I'm a sucker for the calling-her-by-her-name-even-when-she-didn't-give-it trope though.
Maybe also add something like "I can be a friend, an ally, or a partner, but only if you let me" in the pitch.
They may also think there is some sort of catch to the pitch, since it may sound too good to be true.
"Now here's the carrot; there is room in my city. I have territory, but I need girls to fill/police/*insert word here* it with. You don't need to make any 'regrettable' choices. . ."
This tells them that we aren't just being nice for nice's sake; we have a need and they can fill it. Instead of some kind of meguca charity, it's framed more as a deal.
Depends on if you want to go with that though. I'm out of practice with getting into Yui's head
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Noumero
Omit Needless Words
@redzonejoe, any particular reason for dropping the bit about help in emergencies? Consider the following:
Mentioning their crisis and our ability to help to them would give them a reason to contact us for help on their own — if they're actually unpleasant people, likely to use us as a naive meatshield. While if Chizuka, and only Chizuka, would be offered this, she would see us as a personal way out. Bonus points if her teammates would be opposed to the idea if it first came from her, being too stubborn/untrustful of us.
Of course, it creates a kind of an obligation to Chizuka, and is possibly too manipulative.
Otherwise, I have no objections to the vote as presented. Maybe tapping-the-gem bit should be removed, since it draws attention to our obvious weakness...
Mentioning their crisis and our ability to help to them would give them a reason to contact us for help on their own — if they're actually unpleasant people, likely to use us as a naive meatshield. While if Chizuka, and only Chizuka, would be offered this, she would see us as a personal way out. Bonus points if her teammates would be opposed to the idea if it first came from her, being too stubborn/untrustful of us.
Of course, it creates a kind of an obligation to Chizuka, and is possibly too manipulative.
Otherwise, I have no objections to the vote as presented. Maybe tapping-the-gem bit should be removed, since it draws attention to our obvious weakness...
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Echo
Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before
- Location
- "echolocation" dur hur hur
I was wondering if anyone would remember that line!
Based on the circumstantial evidence available, it's most likely "Her Town" as well--she's probably a Nagamioka native contracted after Momoko's death out experimenting with her magic, though that's not guaranteed.
Note to self: aim for at least 27 outstanding plot threads/imminent crises at all times.
I think the basic rule is either "has a synonym for red in the username" or "has used a red-themed magical girl as an avatar for a reasonable length of time". Also, Mura counts as a Kyouko even if he changes his avatar so long as Ugo still has a Sayaka avatar. UbeOne qualifies now as long as the Ruby avatar is quasi-permanent.
Inspector Tsunemori's given name is written as a kanji that means vermilion, scarlet, etc. The color of fresh arterial blood, give or take.
I would totally allow it as a username, but as the name of a non-magical-girl character in an avatar it's one step too far removed, unfortunately.Oh, and an avatar of the Witch Gertrud also counts, on account of her being a red-themed meguca in this quest.
That's my favorite kind of case!
Empirically speaking, meguca with SV at the helm are demonstrably incapable of comprehending the concept "not our business".
The girl you're talking to has her Soul Gem in a less visible position and Maiko can't get a good angle to observe the other girl. So yes, you'll need to delay a bit longer if you want info from Maiko.
I will say that letting Maiko get a read on this girl will reveal some significant info about their group but probably won't be super helpful in the short term.
Guile
Having a really great time right now
Echo, if you want us not to bite, then you have to not dangle plot threads in front of us. It's like a shiny lure on a hook. Even when we know it's sharp and likely to end in pain, we can't help ourselves.
- Location
- Here
While I don't greatly object to fishing for more information or playing mind games with the neighbors, I don't agree with this offer. Yui has thus far imposed a reasonably high standard of conduct on the meguca of Nagamioka, and "easy understanding" does not convey that. If this is meant to be intentionally misleading, I don't think that's a good idea either. In negotiations with potential immigrants, I think it pays to be completely straightforward because, well, we'd be living with them.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
I think the current vote is the case of 'too many cooks spoil the broth'. Now instead of handling it swiftly by ourselves we are talking about weather with people who want nothing to do with us until Maiko shows up to pull a trick that frankly no one needs (as we have already done so with Chizuka and her name)... and why would we play the charade with introductions if we could just read their mind (which is, by the way, also incredibly rude)?
Finally, we are again trying something that we turned down before - deliberately trying to break Chizuka away from her team when her defining characteristics is loyalty, and now doing it in front of the team. That pretty much sets the tone as hostile - we are clearly after 'divide and conquer' here - and makes a civil conversation when they are already suspicious of our motives very difficult if Chizuka ever mentions our proposal. And she is not the type to deceive her teammates, is she?
Inviting Chizuka without the team under a threat of invasion means that her team is dead or scattered. That is what the offer translates to. We need to warrant their safety before we do anything with Chizuka as a separate entity, or their blood is pretty much on our hands.
I don't think the vote gained anything from those additions since v1.
Finally, we are again trying something that we turned down before - deliberately trying to break Chizuka away from her team when her defining characteristics is loyalty, and now doing it in front of the team. That pretty much sets the tone as hostile - we are clearly after 'divide and conquer' here - and makes a civil conversation when they are already suspicious of our motives very difficult if Chizuka ever mentions our proposal. And she is not the type to deceive her teammates, is she?
Inviting Chizuka without the team under a threat of invasion means that her team is dead or scattered. That is what the offer translates to. We need to warrant their safety before we do anything with Chizuka as a separate entity, or their blood is pretty much on our hands.
I don't think the vote gained anything from those additions since v1.
Does it not? I think we only have two or three rules. The standard of 'don't kill anyone, please' is pretty easy to understand.
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UbeOne
Daydreaming CPU
- Location
- Philippines
- Pronouns
- She/Her
*now imagines Jaune and Ren as magical girls*
- Location
- Here
The agreement with the Rio Trio (3.11) seemed pretty extensive, including:
- No killing
- No fighting with locals
- You're all working for me. No acting independently.
- Yui mediates disputes.
- Biweekly in-person meetings
- Bring newbies to me
- Help anyone allied with you, within reason. Witch hunts, if they're attacked or otherwise in trouble, mundane personal problems, whatever
Among other things.
I think it's quite reasonable to expect as much from meguca who move into Nagamioka. We don't want a loose coalition of meguca who don't kill people and sometimes acknowledge Yui's authority. I for one want to build a group of meguca with some semblance of cohesion.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
The rules are very simple:
1. Me boss.
2. No infighting.
3. Forward megucas to me.
The detailed breakdown with fifty sub-clauses is the result of SV's soul of a lawyer.
- Location
- Here
And I still claim that any list of rules, however simple, that starts with "Me boss," is only an "easy understanding" in the eye of the bunnycat.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
We have heavily rephrased that away from sounding 'why are you still with your team that is trying to get you killed?' as it was first put, and into a much more inocuous question. And she vehemently denied that she was sent alone or that she was sent, period. You can see her being protective of her team the moment we've suggested it.
In any case, saying 'maybe your pals are selling you short' is a bit different from 'you are free to ditch them and come with me'. I do not expect anything positive to come out of the latter.
Noumero
Omit Needless Words
Yes, we decided on a subtler approach because we figured a heavy-handed one would backfire. That doesn't mean we didn't attack her loyalities, we just did it subtler.
Also, nobody is suggesting to Chizuka to ditch her teammates. I agree that this approach would be counterproductive. At least I meant to offer help to the entire team, but make that offer known only to Chizuka.
Albeit I was under the impression that we were doing "divide and conquer" here. We aren't? If so, yes, a reconsideration may be needed.
Echo
Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before
- Location
- "echolocation" dur hur hur
"Using distracting shinies to lead a bunch of innocent people to their self-inflicted demise": job description of a QM or a QB? Or is there even a difference?
When the problem is too many cooks, the solution is obvious: sudden genre shift to Iron Chef! Starring Chairwoman (Yumi) Kaga, Yui and Asami as commentators, Minami as kitchen reporter, Sayuki as the obligatory celebrity judge, Maiko as the grumpy old lady judge with high standards...
- Location
- St. Petersburg
Same here, that was my suggestion and Genial Precis' vote. However, the new one tells a rather different story:
I found it objectionable.
I dunno, how do you imagine the results of division going?
I'd like to either fix this team (because they appear to have declined out of poverty rather than of malice), or break it up painlessly once the pressure is no longer there.
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- Location
- Here
That's a discussion to have. Word of Grimoire says that Chizuka's teammates are somewhat untrustworthy, so absent a clear reason to recruit them I'm against it. Chizuka would be kind of nice to have, but not nice enough to spend a lot of effort on, since we have a reasonably well-occupied plate already, and we're due for a whole bunch of interlopers, some of whom will be much better prospects for recruitment.
You know, although the Rio Trio was kind of a special case, it kind of wasn't, in that Yumi was also a random encounter, and in that out of seven invaders, three were decent enough folks to recruit on the spot. I think we'll recruit plenty of interesting and useful meguca out of the talented roster of invaders. No need to force a recruitment like Chizuka just yet if doing so would take a lot of effort, and Chizuka's supposed to be loyal.
Also, I think my "If you're in over your heads, call me and I'll be reasonable," isn't a terrible recruitment pitch for someone loyal like Chizuka. I don't see her coming to Yui unless her team gets in trouble anyway, and that line spins Yui pretty well.
Noumero
Omit Needless Words
Hm. @Genial Precis raises a good point that makes my whole approach moot. I still like @redzonejoe's sudden intimidation mode more, since it plays well with our previous attempts to intimidate Chizuka...
@Genial Precis, would you mind modifying your vote so that Yui drops her cheerful demeanor? Also, Echo said that letting Maiko get a look at their Soul Gems would give us important info; we probably want to do that as well.
@Genial Precis, would you mind modifying your vote so that Yui drops her cheerful demeanor? Also, Echo said that letting Maiko get a look at their Soul Gems would give us important info; we probably want to do that as well.
kinigget
Best Demon
- Location
- People's Republic of Portland
Alright, given how weird the tally program is being right now, I'll go ahead and do this
[X] Genial Precis
I just don't like it because of that one time I saw voting by name end with players literally just voting for someone's name because they forgot to "X" their own vote
[X] Genial Precis
I just don't like it because of that one time I saw voting by name end with players literally just voting for someone's name because they forgot to "X" their own vote
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redzonejoe
Vaguely Pastafarian
- Location
- Canada
Easy understanding isn't meant to convey a hands-off approach or a lack of rules. It's meant only to imply that the rules of conduct would be... Well, easy to understand.
"Me boss" is a good example, but even the full list of 7 rules quoted earlier is pretty simple and straightforward. Nothing that'd require a contract or potential for misunderstandings.
Re: too many cooks
There's a reason i haven't implemented those changes. V1 is still the active vote. However, I'm not to arrogant as to think I know best for everybody, either. I'm sounding out these different versions to see what works and what doesn't. V4 might see some info removed, and V5 could be an entirely new version, rewritten by you with the same general tone and objectives.
Re: inviting Chizuka
Offer is for both team and individual. However, having her be the one to deliver team invite is absolutely suspect, you are correct. Dividing their team is a goal, but if I'm being too obvious about it it might be best to change tactics. Otoh, maybe being even more obvious is the way to go. Obvious helpfulness rather than malicious manipulation. Being upfront about our desire to recruit her might actually be a viable tactic.
Re: stalling for Maiko
This information might be important even beyond this conversation, but stalling is grating, yes. I can understand the distaste when we've a Caligruca to find. Not sure what to do about it though, difference in priority I suppose. To me it's a necessary evil.
Re: Soul gem is weak spot
Meh. I mean, technically yes, but it's not like they haven't seen it. It's not exactly hidden. Pointing to it isn't a risk.
Re: Mind magic stalling something something?
We're implying only that we know things and leaving them to guess how. Doesn't particularly matter what conclusions they reach as long as it's not Maiko. Her grimoire is as invasive as mind reading anyways, so offense is justified.
Anyways, too many things to consider since i last checked in, gonna take time to process.
V1 is still the effective vote, haven't seen much support for the newer versions. Feel free to continue to let me know your thoughts
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- Location
- St. Petersburg
We sent Maiko away to deal with this personally. We knew she would be unable to use her Grimoire unless she sees the gems with her own eyes, and thought it unnecessary for this round of talks.
Why would we be recalling her now?
The entire Genial Precis' vote is to give them means to contact us should they want to, wrap up the conversation, leave Chizuka with a private, less official offer 'if anything happens, call me', and move on.
redzonejoe
Vaguely Pastafarian
- Location
- Canada
Not really? We specifically asked them to continue to follow us as we went to the border, Minami is using her satellite to look for Caligruca. Nobody was sent away.
Maiko is remaining hidden, yes, but she can find information while remaining so. She's done so practically every time so far.
- Location
- Here
I don't think it has any cutesy bits? But having Maiko snoop on them for useful strategic information, on her judgement as to the practicality of doing so covertly, seems reasonable.
Edit: Think I misread. Yui was... clearly willing to be friendly, but I wouldn't call her demeanor in the last update exactly "cheerful." I mean, really, QB impression, for meguca? Youch. Thus far I have declined to specify any particular demeanor, because Yui's default choices for are usually effective, unless there's something specific we're trying to achieve.
[X] Invite further negotiations at a later time but mostly thank them for their time and move on.
-[X] Ask for Maiko's read on the situation
-[X] Send Minami off to search for calligraphy girl while you negotiate
-[X] Ask Maiko to try to get a look at the Nerima girls' soul gems, if she can do so while confidently remaining undetected, and then join Minami.
-[X] "okay look, I actually was trying to do something before I got sidetracked here so I'll make this short: I'll leave you my contact information and with the promise that I will not interfere with your business if you don't interfere in mine."
-[X] "If you want to set up a more formal arrangement later we can do that. I'd honestly prefer it, but I won't force the issue"
[X] QBmail Chizuka: "Listen, you've seen that I can be reasonable. If you or your team get in over your heads, contact me and I'll be at least as reasonable with them as I was with you."
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