Today is just like yesterday, tomorrow will be just like today. It's starting to look like you'll never escape the UGN and their strange protocols, events, and even weirder membership. Case in point, you are in an elaborate ballroom in the middle of a veritable castle. You were sure that no matter how strange things turned out, you would never see something as out of place as a secluded castle on New Zanzibar Island. The ballroom is absolutely shining with crystal, jewels, fine silks, and furs. The floor is a meticulously waxed and impossibly clean slab of granite, covered by strips of bright red carpet that's so plush you can feel it through your shoes. Long tables filled to the brim with food are placed along each of the walls. You've been told that they would be brought out for dinner, but it doesn't look like the tables have been set upon casters. Are they planning to lift those massive things up and set them in place when the time comes? You cast your eyes across the room and see the Chief lavishing more attention on her idol. "Flawless" Sniper Hawkeye...a fellow branch Chief. Your initial impression of him is something of a wimp, but something about how seemingly perfect he is makes you lock your jaw tight whenever you're forced to look at him. It doesn't help that Chief hasn't shut up about how amazing and great he is from the moment you've arrived. You begin to wonder if this is how Seven, the suspected terrorist now living in your basement, must feel whenever Claire decides to have a word with her.
>>30924151Speaking of your earnest, loyal, and yet undesired companion, she has taken to staring at you rather intently for the past few minutes. You try not to look at her directly, as something about the way she's been eyeing you this evening makes you more uncomfortable than usual. Not to mention you're less than enthused about sticking around her, because it would be plainly obvious to anyone that you've somehow been duped into wearing coordinated outfits. Given that she's utterly convinced that she's finally been allowed to wear your colors, you feel hesitant about simply leaving the room either. Who knows what Claire has on her mind now?Given the situation, the most sensible thing to do is...>Swallow your bile and go talk to Hawkeye.>Ditch the ballroom, just like you planned.>See about an early dinner.
>>30924195[ Twitter is here https://twitter.com/DXR27291052Setting document is here https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rqpLh08K6gZ2EgxGs3oxAzWeh7ZsuSGlKC2sk755928/Archive listings are here http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Double%20Cross%20QuestAs usual, we're going to give this first prompt a little longer than usual, to make sure everyone makes it here on time. Also, beware, I teeter on the brink of exhaustion]
>>30924195>>See about an early dinner.
>>30924195>Swallow your bile and go talk to Hawkeye.We could at least see what the night's plan are, if it's too much of a hassle ditch and hide on the can.Also >You begin to wonder if this is how Seven, the suspected terrorist now living in your basement, must feel whenever Claire decides to have a word with her.Dear god poor sept
>>30924195>See about an early dinner.Getting hungry, hombre
>>30924195>Ditch the ballroom, just like you planned.C'MON CLAIRE WE'RE GOING SNOOPING
>>30924195>See about an early dinner.
>>30924195>FOOOOD
>>30924195... I get the strange feeling that Hawkeye is our 'reverse trap'... Wait, check for his adam apple!>Swallow your bile and go talk to Hawkeye.
>>30924195 >See about an early dinner.
>>30924195>>Ditch the ballroom, just like you planned.Bounce
>>30924195>Ditch the ballroom, just like you planned.>See about an early dinner.Either of these works for me. Just don't talk to that snooty faggot Hawkeye
>>30924306So we have loli, possible sister, tsun, Miss stockholm, the walking fetish bar and what are we missing?
>>30924195>Ditch the ballroom, just like you planned.The plains are right there man. Just start running and don't stop.
>>30924195>>Ditch the ballroom, just like you planned.
>>30924195>See about an early dinner.When terrorists attack, I hope we can just sit by the food eating while we watch everyone duking it out.
>>30924195>>Ditch the ballroom, just like you planned.I don't like how we're slowly being indoctrinated.
>>30924195>Wallow in bile and act like a prick towards Hawkeye.
>>30924195>Ditch.>>30924351With how Diablos treats us, the terrorists will prioritize us as a target.
>>30924195>Ditch the ballroom, just like you planned.
>>30924334A mature women archetype?
>>30924384Next time we see him do you think he'll stop attacking if we tell him we have his loli self hostage?
>>30924405That's Captain
>>30924405a christmas cake
Ditching the ballroom just sounds like asking for an ambush, like the past few times we ditched, and then got ambushed, by Diablos.
>>30924405We also need incompetent moe, childhood friend, and a fit girl that doesn't cry all the time
>>30924334The non-psycho male friend?
>>30924440I think we'd overheat Claire's brain if the cap was gay
>>30924438I don't know... Miss Stockholm can fit the incompetent moe bit.Childhood friend is potentially ClaireI guess we're looking for a fit tomboy girl who will be our bro
>>30924438>incompetent moeRin.>childhood friendClaire.
>>30924461This would be the most hilarious thing ever, seeing Claire's reaction if Captain was gay.
>>30924473>>30924482eh guess Rin is close enough, I do hope that Claire is a friend and the girl from the dream is someone else.>>30924499Cap should come out of the closet the next time he needs to distract Claire for awhile
>>30924522I'm not particularly enthused about the likely change in tactics that would provoke.
How about we disregard everyone and go find normal people to hang out with?
>counting, then writingI will be slower to write tonight because my everything is sore. However, I will attempt to have a much longer thread than usual, unless you guys hit some kind of plot crescendo that's better to leave as a cliffhanger.>>30924633>normal peopleDon't exist.
>>30924633Because Captain hates normal people just as much as he hates weirdos.
>>30924620It would be funny. Or Claire would being using her powers to appear male 24/7. That would be hilarious >>30924633Oh you know thats not an option, Captain isn't allowed norms to be near him
>>30924647A hot bath will fix that shit right up.
>>30924690>questing from the bathSounds electro-comfy.
>>30924690Great way to get your daily dose of electricity
>>30924740>>30924714Obviously you don't take the computer into the bath. That's just asking to get put in the obituaries.
>>30924771But then how will he continue questing?
>>30924633>"Normalfags should all just die"-Captain, Valentines Day 2014
>>30924793Clearly he will dictate his words to another while relaxing in the bath.
>>30924793His obituary will be his next post, and begin a chain of increasingly complex riddles to lead to each new segment of the arc.
>>30924855Anon: 'It reads, 'Here may be found the last words of DRX of Double Cross. He who is valiant and pure of spirit may find the Quest in the Thread of aaarrrrggh'.'Captain: 'What?'Anon: '...The Thread of aaarrrrggh.'Fem/anon/: 'What is that?'Anon: 'He must have died while posting it.'
>>30924195You made plans, time to act on them. You give some half-hearted excuse under your breath and duck out of the ballroom, heading into one of the side corridors. The smell of melting wax fills your nose as you leave the overwhelming brightness of the ballroom and make your way through the twisting hallways of the castle. While the construction of the estate has not changed in the least, the seemingly infinitely reflections of crystal and glass take much of the glare out of your eyes. Looks like most of these hallways are only lit with small candles, spaced at regular intervals. You imagine it must be a gigantic pain to have to walk through and blow each of these out every night, but you've long since stopped questioning the eccentricities of anyone associated with the Renegade."A candle-lit evening walk with just you and I, Captain...It's so exciting."Oh right, she's still here. Of course she is, what were you thinking? Claire's always been here, hasn't she?You frown and look back at your escort, who is uncharacteristically fussing with her hair at the moment. You're still upset about being tricked into wearing matching clothes, but you must admit her suit has been meticulously tailored. Your school's uniform often makes her look a little thicker than she actually is, but now you can see just how small her frame actually is. You wonder how she even manages to survive even one of your gentle shoves, let alone the few times you've unleashed your fury upon her. You shake your head and look back in front of you. Looks like the hallway splits into three corridors. One that heads up, one that heads down, and one that simply continues straight forward.>Go up.>Go down.
>>30925066>go straight
>>30925066How did this last one not post?>Go forward.
>>30925066>Go straight
>>30925066>Go up
>>30925066>Go down.Into the wine cellar, acquire booze!
>>30925066FORWARD!TO VICTORY
>>30925066>Go down.I'm betting there's a games room in the basement.
>>30925066Up is too much effort, down would require the Cap to redirect himself.>>Go forward
>>30925066>go up
>>30925066>go downON MUH DIK
>>30925066Agggh, repeated words and phrases. This calls for more mountain dew.
>>30925066>Go down.Going up will lead to a romantic view of the night sky. This must be avoided at all costs.
>>30925066Ordinarily, I would say ground level is the easiest level to run away from, but with Chimera, that's probably a higher floor.>Go up.Try to ditch Claire while we're at it.(jesus fuck I posted the wrong direction twice.)
>counting, writing
>>30925197Going up might lead to the offices where we might find out more about Falcon. Going down will lead to the dungeons and Claire rape fantasy comments, which we should avoid. Going straight will either lead us outside or into security, in which case we're back at the dinner and not getting another opportunity to snoop around.
>>30925277It doesn't really matter what direction we take. It's Claire we're talking about here
>>30925066You decide to stay the course and keep moving forward."Captain."No."Captain."If you ignore her, she'll just go away right?"Captain."You sigh. "Captain, you dislike Hawkeye, don't you?"Now this is an unusual turn. Claire rarely shows interest in what you think of other people. You've usually got a pretty good poker face, so you're not sure what tipped you off this time. Not that it really matters or anything."I spend thirteen hours a day watching just your face, Captain. Of course I know when you don't like somebody."You wish she'd apply some of her expertise right now. Why does Claire even care about something like that to begin with?"I wanted you to know that you shouldn't feel threatened by him. I...no, everyone at our branch has the utmost faith in you. You may not be one of us yet, Captain, but we all have come to enjoy you and rely upon you in our own ways."You feel Claire's hand grasp your own, and she gives it a small tug. You turn back, intent on yanking your hand free from her and setting her straight. You don't feel threatened by Hawkeye at all, you're just already sick of his pomp and circumstance. Instead, you see Claire holding your hand up to her face."Especially myself, Captain. I'm not sure why, Captain. At first, I thought it was just your luxurious hair and fur, or perhaps that steely gaze you have but," Claire tilts her head to the side, her eyes unwavering,"It's more than that. Something about you simply..."Okay, that's far enough. You jerk back suddenly, putting far more force into this than you really should have. You fling yourself back, slamming into a nearby door which buckles under your overspent strength. You rub the back of your head as you look around you. This room actually has electric lights. Piles and piles of paper flutter around you, disturbed by your sudden entry. A couple catch your eye immediately, but...do you really want to read them?>Read.>Don't read.
>>30925617>Read.
>>30925617>>Don't read.Don't care. Can we just leave?
>>30925617>> Don't Read.Last time we read something it lead to plot, no more reading
>>30925617>Read.May as well. Setting fire to the place is also an option.
>>30925617>>>Read.Plot here we come.
>>30925617>>Don't read.Reading is for gaylords, I'd rather go to the arcade.
>>30925617>>Don't read.
>>30925617>Don't read.
>>30925617>>Read.So, tax forms or a record of our parents' assassination?
>>30925617>>Read.
>>30925617>>Don't readI vote we have a flash back to what we read at the UGN building and get even more annoyed
>>30925617>>Read.You know what, I want to know about what the hell happened to our parents. I mean, we're freakin' autistic Captain Go Home, but not having parents and having mind possibly tampered with is not cool
>>30925617>Don't read.We can read suspicious papers after we've caught up on our backlog of Heartbeat: Darkness and Monster Musume High. I imagine UGN work has kept us too busy to read at our leisure.
>>30925617>Read
>>30925716>we're freakin' autisticno, we have schizo personality disorder or just Depression
>>30925617>Read.It's right in front of us, may as well.
>>30925617>Don't readAin' nobody got time for dat.
>>30925617>>Don't read.Because if we read it, it'll say something kinda of important but not really and then we'll be interrupted by security or Hawkeye or some gay shit and we'll be escorted back. Leave.
>inb4 Hawkeye catches us reading the papers, but it's actually Diablos
>>30925761Doesn't that tryhard edgemaster have anything better to do than inconvenience us?
>>30925617>Don't read.Go away plot you're not welcome here
Holy samefag batman.
>>30925832Both sides are samefagging. It's ridiculous. Although, I guess I understand.
>>30925741Captain is manically depressed schizophrenic.
>>30925832I actually voted to read, then I changed my mind, and being too lazy to delete my first post, just posted "Don't Read". But that's just me.
Here's the vote count:Read>>30925657>>30925671>>30925691>>30925706>>30925713>>30925716>>30925737>>30925747>>30925767>>30925774>>30925797Don't read>>30925815>>30925799>>30925756>>30925751>>30925721>>30925714>>30925700>>30925698>>30925676>>30925666>>30925660Samefagging is pointless because both lead to plot in equal amounts.
>>30925848Actually DXR's twitter now has thirty people following, so it's not far fetched to assume that they are all individual voters.
>>30925875>Samefagging is pointless because both lead to plot in equal amounts.Damnit
>>30925875CURSES, FOILED AGAIN!
>>30925875Wait, am I miscounting (I'm barely awake, so it'd possible) or are we tied?
>>30925890>>30925900After thread 2, no choice has not had plot implications and developments. I figured I can no longer let you guys have that toy. >>30925924You are. This is gonna be fun on a bun. Choice, or the lack thereof, locked.
>>30925941>After thread 2, no choice has not had plot implications and developments. I figured I can no longer let you guys have that toy.I always knew free will was a lie
>>30925875>Samefagging is pointless because both lead to plot in equal amounts.Ugh. Then why even bother making it a choice?
>>30925941So we may as well just start flipping coins instead of actually voting?Obfuscated options are shit.
>>30925941damn, didn't get to use my tiebreaker image>>30925968Same AMOUNT of plot, but not the same threads
>>30925968>>30925973The choice is not to plot or not plot. The choice is about which plot.
>>30925968>>30925973I'm gonna guess they lead through different plots lines
>>30925968Because while the destination is the same the path to it changes?
>>30925982Yeah, but we're not actually making a choice, because the options you present offer no clue as to where they might lead.I'm just going to coinflip from now on.
>>30925989I think it's more which destination are you heading to than just how you get there.
I hope the captain get fucking wreck because of the stupid decisions he takes because the players want to avoid plot.Choices have consequences.
>>30926004You should just vote about what you want to do or what sounds interesting to you. It's been working for you so far, yes?
>>30926004Higher level reading man. If the papers that are on Hawkeye's desk then they will no doubt relate to his affairs, so reading them will give information on his affairs whereas not reading them will just result in continuing on with this information.You've got to infer things.
>>30926045And why would Captain give a shit about Hawkeye's affairs?
Anyway, we can have a long talk about this later. Let me get to writing the indecision decision. Will take me a bit longer because I didn't predict this as much in my notes, so we're synthesizing something new.>writing
>>30926066Hell if I know. Could be unease with the UGN at large, or it could be something else entirely. People are going to have different motivations for voting the way that they do.
>>30926066Because he instantly took a dislike to the guy? I mean, if I feel into Cap's situation I probably would read the headers/stationary just to get a feel for what the guy was upto. I don't think DXR would give us a middle ground on information gathering on this one though.
>>30926039I have no opinion on anything because the options you present don't mean anything.On top of that you don't seem to give a shit about blatant samefaggotry.
>>30925617You hold the paper in your hand. You're holding it and yet...you can't bring yourself to actually look at it. Some words pass through your vision. AIR Project, Subject One, Remission, but most of all, the word Renegade printed over and over again. But you don't...no, you refuse to put these words into any meaningful context. Something inside of you reaches up to reject this document and everything on it. You cast the paper to the ground, as if it were burning your hand and get up. You need to get out of this room. You need to get out of this terrible, awful place. It's wrong. This whole rotten hallway is wrong. You push past Claire, who is busy asking you stupid questions and constantly pulling at your suit jacket. You don't have time to listen to her right now. You just need to get out of here. You practically sprint down the hallway, heading back toward the ballroom you just ran away from. You don't stop until the bright light and sounds of Chief's flattery are clear and present. That room. You're never going back to that room."Wild Card? What's the matter? If you're looking for the restroom, it's just..."A piercing screech fills your ears, and everyone in the room winces. That sound is familiar, it sounds just like..."Ah. Ah. Testing. One, two, three..."A PA system? You wouldn't put it past Hawkeye to have one of these installed, but really..."Yes. I trust you all can hear me..." It's a woman's voice. From the sound of it, she's rather old and probably smoked a carton of cigarettes every day for breakfast.
>>30926489"We are the organization known as Xenos. We are a fraternal order of Renegade Beings which promote the needs and desires of our own kind and its necessary evolutionary path. This land has long since been a refuge where our kind learns and lives apart from humanity, and this...affront to our natural order shall no longer be tolerated. Therefore, we have taken it upon ourselves to chase you out. I have dispatched several of my agents to flush you out. I am not as cruel as some of you petty human beings, however. Therefore, I shall allow you to stay if you can fulfil the following condition. Remain alive and occupy this building until dawn. If you can do so, we shall withdraw. If you cannot, we shall hunt you down and tear you to pieces."What? You turn to Hawkeye and Chief, who seem just as flabbergasted as you do."No objections? Well, it wouldn't matter even if you had any. The laws of the wild don't care about the petty objections of humans. If you survive, perhaps we can speak again.">Shout at the voice.>Check with Hawkeye, is this some prank?>Check the exits immediately.
>>30926516Are you fucking kidding me?>Check the exits immediately.
>>30926516>>Check the exits immediately.
>>30926516>Bug out.Doesn't matter whether the exits are sealed. We can break through if we have to.
>>30926516>>Check the exits immediately.Yup, something had to have happened at the shindig.
>>30926516>Go get something to eat, we're in for the long haul
>>30926516>The laws of the wilddoes she mean theRULES OF NATURE>Check the exits immediately.Nope the hell out of here, we are not paid NEALRY enough for this shit
>>30926516>>Check the exits immediately.Because TWO autistic groups weren't enough.
>>30926516>Check the exits immediately.We have two options since these Xenos folks obviously won't leave us alone, we can stay on the defense in here and let them attack at their leisure, or we can go into the woods and hunt those fuckers down like the predator we are.
>>30926244The options certainly mean something. There is simply no choice which has no narrative impact and does not advance one plot or another in some direction. The only way to avoid plot is not to play.I attempt to not dwell on samefagging as much because to make a big deal of samefagging invites more of it and introduces an unhealthy atmosphere into the playerbase. I would rather promote an attitude which maintains that there is no point to samefagging.Again, we can have a more detailed conversation about this later.
>>30926516>Check the exits>The laws of the wild don't careRUUULES OF NATUUUURE
>>30926553This. Fuck all the bullshit, acquire food like a normal person who isn't apparently at the center of some renegade conspiracy.
>>30926516>Check the exits immediately.
>>30926553We're going to be fighting, and we haven't eaten? That won't do at all.
>>30926516>Check the exits.See what happens when you acquiesce to the Chief?
>>30926592we could Eat Claire
>>30926592Just grab a huge hunk of meat as we go and eat it as we check the exits.
>>30926516>Shout at the voice!What? I want to see if the room's bugged. I assume the entire complex is and that the sooner we take out all the surveillance equipment the better.
>>30926516>>Check the exits immediately.And ACQUIRE FOODWe'll scoot by the food table and grab a chicken or something
>>30926608Save the emergency rations for an emergency.Also, I'm very sad we had no opportunity to drive Chief to take a bite out of crime, er, Wild Card.
>>30926592We could eat whatever enemy comes into the area.
>>30926516>Other"WHAT IF I'M NOT WITH THEM?"
>>30926652There will be more opportunities for Chief to rip open your jugular in the future.
>>30926653From the sounds of it, they're not human renegades, so probably not edible.
>>30926516plot train! choo choo!>Check the exits immediately
>>30926703i can actually see her just treating wild card like a tub of ice cream while wallowing on why can't she be more like her idol.
>>30926703Well of course, but doing it here has the side benefit of making her look juvenile in front of Haweye.Also, using that name is doing interesting things to my mental image of the character. My primary association with Hawkeye is the badass Spanish swordsman from One Piece. I can't reconcile that with the dandy man you've described.
>>30926714We're a Purebreed Chimera, I bet we can eat most organic things without any trouble.If need be we can drag their corpses back to Claire and have her cook them for us.
>>30926774Instead of just eating already prepared food? Why?
>>30926748>Well of course, but doing it here has the side benefit of making her look juvenile in front of Haweye.Who says it can't happen here?>My primary association with Hawkeye is the badass Spanish swordsman from One Piece. I can't reconcile that with the dandy man you've described.I got his name from a foxhound name generator. If it helps, imagine him as some wavy-haired fop from shoujo mango instead.>Counting, then writing.
>>30926794This is for if we get hungry later, we're going to be here for a while. Besides, it'll be entertaining to catch our own food for once.
>>30926748>Animus and mangos>Not a comic korean war army doctor
>>30926800So he looks like one of those old 80s shoujo mangas? You know, like Rose of Versailles or From Eroica with Love?
>>30926830Exactly like that.
>>30926800>>30926830So he looks like a huge faggot?
>>30926846This is what I have implied, yes. He's also much, much prettier than Captain, but still kind of faggy.
>>30926846Indeed. Here's a good picture of a 80s shoujo manga with a 'pretty boy'.Look at the picture of the wavy haired guy.http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AgentPeacock
>>30926828I only read a few manhwa, don't recognize the reference you're making.>>30926800That... actually doesn't help, my first shoujo manga was Utena. Now I've got the right mental image, but I'm going to be waiting for him to turn into a car.
>>30926909>TV Tropes
>>30926948>Homestuck
>>30926930I wasn't referencing a manga, I was facetiously deriding you for your association with Hawkeye coming from one, instead of superior 1970's black comedy.
>>30926516You don't believe this. You rush to the exit, to the massive front door. Surely there's nothing they could do that would bar you and your incredible strength, right? You pull on the latch, finding that the door opens surprisingly easily. What you see takes your breath away. The rest of the landscape is...gone. There's nothing outside the door except empty space. An infinite blackness stretches out in front of you. In total disbelief, you toss some spare change into the void, hoping to dispel any illusion which may be clouding your mind. The moment the coins cross the door's threshold, they immediately cease all momentum and plummet into the endless abyss beneath you. Whatever has happned to the landscape escapes you, but one thing is clear at this point. There is no running. There is no escape.You return to the ballroom and slump down on the floor. You put your head in your hands and wonder where your life went wrong. Maybe you should have just called in sick that day so many months ago? Maybe you should have honestly listened to Ayase's prattling, on the off chance that some inane butterfly effect would have spared you such suffering?While you continue to ponder the cruelty of your fate, you manage to catch Chief shouting her head off at you. In your despairing daze, you only manage to make out the movement of her lips and her beat red face. Oh well, it doesn't matter. It's not like anything she says matters anymor--
>>30926958>not liking homestuck just because its fans are retarded>2014
>>30927023With an odd popping sound which should concern you more that it really does, the Chief's teeth tear into your neck. Immediately, you're brought kicking and screaming back into reality. The Chief pulls back after a moment and licks your blood from her lips, her expression one of pure rage."Pay attention, Wild Card! If we are to survive tonight, we must be able to depend on your thuggish nature and violent disposition!"Is she really one to talk?"Please pay attention when I speak! Or would you rather hear the plan from Flawless Hawkeye?">...Go ahead, Chief.>You'll get the details from Hawkeye.
>>30927038>Punch Chief in the faceIt's her fault that we're in this mess and I'm tired of her biting us.
>>30927038>>...Go ahead, Chief.
>>30927038I second >>30927053
>>30927037>liking Homestuck at allSorry, is it still on Namek?I got bored 2 Acts in.And I say this as someone who loved, and finished, Problem Sleuth.
>>30927022Oh, MASH? I didn't/don't watch TV. Had to Google that.
>>30927038>...Go ahead, Chief.
>>30927038>Punch Chief in the face
>>30927038>You'll get the details from Hawkeye.Though>>30927053 is very tempting. She is really getting annoying.
>>30927053>>30927078Voting.
>>30927038>...Go ahead, Chief
>>30927038Backhand that ho
>>30927038>>You'll get the details from Hawkeye.Sigh, I guess we should hear what our illustrious metrosexual has got to say
>>30927053>>30927065Why don't we bite her back?>>30927038>...Go ahead, Chief.Can't stand fops that have the audacity to call themselves men.
Not counting punch votes. It wouldn't be funny in this context, just violent. No appropriate timing for it.
>>30927053I'm always up for a good beat down. And who the fuck says we have to stop these guys? Fuck all UGN.
>>30927038Can we use our Chimera powers to evolve some neck armor or something?I want that bitch to break her fucking teeth the next time she tries that.
>>30927070It got better, then worse again later on. Then Hussie stopped updating it to work on a game.
>>30927109I didn't post the punch her vote with the intention of begin funny.
>>30927109Pretty sure they aren't intending it to be funny, bossman.
>>30927109Do you think we want it to be funny?
>>30927128>>30927139Then you have my reason for not counting it. All domestic violence must have a comedic aspect.
>>30927109>Funny
>>30927038>You'll get the details from Hawkeye.
>>30927038>...Go ahead, Chief.How is biting even an effective means of innervation? I can only imagine magic blood transfusion, and that makes it even creepier.
>>30927038Let the chief talk, but remain seated afterwards and do nothing.
>>30927149>All domestic violence must have a comedic aspect.Iove /tg/
>>30927149>>30927109Then I vote for doing nothing and letting the Xenu do their thing.
>>30927156Chief is a vampire sort of. Don't question the mechanics too much.
>>30927149If you're going to veto smacking the bitch, then at least work out a suitable alternative antagonistic action.
>>30927156Well it sure as hell snapped the Captain out of his funk, so she is doing something right.
>>30927181Probably because feeling intense pain is something most people tend to respond to.
>>30927118I want this.>>30927038DXR make the neck armor so.It will just force Chief to move on to softer areas.
>>30927175You're getting really bent out of shape over a small bite. It's not really worse than what we do to Claire on a semi-regular basis, and we have absolute insane Regeneration. She could probably exsanguinate us entirely and we'd still get better without any trouble.
>>30927038>...Go ahead, Chief.Someone has clearly been using "Flawless Hawkeye" as an attempt to make us jealous.
>>30927199But most people don't heal from it, or recover from supernatural effects due to it, which is what Chief's bite does. And I changed my mind, the fact that we heal from her TAKING our blood is creepier.
>>30927204Do you actually want her nipping at Captain's ears to get his attention? I do.
>>30927204Ara ara
>counting, writing, getting ice cream
>>30927038...Fine, go ahead Chief."Very well. Since escape is clearly not an option, Flawless Hawkeye and myself have decided we shall fall back to the most fortified area of this estate. From there, we shall rely upon you to intercept and strike counterblows against their aggressors whilst we discern the nature of this entrapment."You're not so sure that shutting yourself in a box is the best idea. After all, wouldn't they be able to penetrate these kinds of defenses pretty easily? You're not an expert on Renegade Beings and their powers, but it seems to you that any saferoom wouldn't really be a saferoom at all with these powerful creatures on the loose."Normally, you'd be right, my good Wild Card," Hawkeye speaks up, putting a proud smile on his face,"But this castle is my very own Territory. Within my final bastion, I have the most control. I can guarantee that they cannot break in without the most direct of tactics. Tactics that you are most excellently equipped to handle.""Just what I would expect of our perfect Hawkeye. Absolutely brilliant!"You stifle a groan. You can hear Claire panting heavily beside you and turn to look. Has she already been attacked?"Locked in a small space with my darling all night...I wonder if there are any private areas. Preferably sound-proof."Augh...---
>>30927552The saferoom is smaller than any other area you've seen in this palace, but it is still quite large, with several accomodating rooms, a fully stocked freezer of food, and what appears to be some sort of command center which comes complete with many closed circuit cameras. You don't imagine Hawkeye needs to use them, so this must be used by either his own lackies or perhaps...No, it would be best not to think about it.Several large steel doors seal themselves shut behind you. One by one, they lock into place, forming a barrier that you must admit would take even you serious effort to tear down."Now then," Hawkeye begins,"As we've taken up our position, we must wait for them to make the next move. I shall begin preparing our defenses. I swear to you all that we shall outlast this siege!"You sigh. You guess there's nothing to be done about it. You take a seat in a spare chair by the food. You have less than a day to wait here, and it looks like there's plenty of food, even for you. Maybe a meal would be in order? Or maybe you should talk about the plan with someone? Alternatively, you could just try to take a nap and let them come get you when you're needed.>Dig in.>Discuss the plans.>Take it easy and rest.
>>30927552Wow. That's fucking disgusting
>>30927565>>Dig in.The one true thing that Captain loves.
>>30927565>Dig in.What kind of food?
>>30927565FEAST.
>>30927565Food
>>30927565>>30927565>Dig in.>Discuss the plans.this way we eat and get told what to do, if Chief insists on using us may as well get it right the first time
>>30927565>>Dig in.NEED FOOD BADLY
>>30927565>Take it easy and rest.>>30927571What's pissed you off this time.
>>30927565>Dig in
>>30927565>Clares gonna feed us, its inevitable
>>30927565>Take it easy and rest.
Heh, so they've trapped themselves in a bunker, and are now relying on us to do things. They just put us in a position in which we can strong arm some more time of our probation period from them.
>>30927284vanilla?
>>30927552>>30927565I'm a little confused. Are we in the saferoom with them, or did they leave us outside to do all the work? I vote we eat the food anyway, we're going to need the energy.
>>30927284>>30927696>chocolate master race
>>30927696I have a vanilla soul.
>>30927702I vote we eat the food and then fuck off. Shouldn't even be here. Should have left before all this garbage went down.
I say we make a boat, and sail of off this island.
>>30927565>Dig in.No point in fighting hungry.
>>30927738You construct a crude boat of twine and sticks and sail away from Zanzibar Island for good. In your travels across the sea, you eventually, you come across the fabled land of Dewritoria, where the dew and dorito flow without end. Unfortunately, this temptation proves too great for you, and you devolve into a mindless beast, feasting on this forbidden fruit and mindlessly wailing over XBOX Live while playing Call of Duty: Urban Recon, Ghost Warfare.
>>30927565>>Dig in.
>>30927795Best end
>>30927795Oddly enough, that sounds a lot like how my last game of Corruption of Champions went.
>>30927795good work gentlemen
>>30927795>Goddamnit, I am going to mute that fucker if he doesn't quit with the micspam>It sounds like he's killing a bear>WHY IS HE SO FUCKING GOOD?!
>>30927565You've been here all night and not had a bite to eat. You grab what looks to be a leg of mutton and bite into it, not paying the fact that it is still frozen solid any mind. "Could you be any more crude, Wild Card?"The Chief takes a seat next to you and shoots you a look of disgust. "Do you not grasp his appeal, Chief? Captain is so manly."Claire takes the spot next to you and props her head up, apparently fascinated by your snacking. "Hardly! What kind of man eats raw meat without bothering to defrost it? And without any utensils either!""That wildness...It makes me shiver, Chief. I hope one day that Captain will be just as savage with me. Have you not also considered it? Captain ravishing you, your normally unwilling body yielding to his assertive, masculine desires. Forcefully marking you, making you his plaything? To use you like you're simply a scrap of meat and cast you aside once he has satisfied himself with your flesh?"Chief visibly recoils."I have never even considered such a thing!"Claire turns her attention from you and stares into Chief's eyes. You don't want to admit it, but even through Claire's stone face, you're starting to be able to discern just what she's feeling at the moment. Claire is...excited?
>>30928081"Have you not requested to read all my literature, Chief? Did you not write several chapters of your own, featuring yourself?"Chief's face goes pale, then bright red. She looks down and grabs her knees so tightly her knuckles turn white."H-how did you-""Ha ha ha," Claire fakes a laugh, raising a hand to her mouth, "I have seen all your reference and research materials, Chief. While I am more than happy to be degraded by the man I love, it seems that you actually prefer to be taken against your--""Ah! That's right! Wild Card you have to go on patrol! Now! Now! Out!"The Chief pushes you up against the sealed doors. How does she expect you to..? The metal suddenly gives way and you slip through the doors like they were nothing more than air. Confused, you attempt to stick your hand through the metal again, only to see it part like mist at your touch. "Did I not say that this room was the heart of my Territory, Wild Card? Even the consistency of materials are under my control at this distance! Fear not for our safety, for only you shall be permitted entry. Now, if you would begin, I shall direct you to what I believe to be one of our root problems. Naturally, it is...">Upstairs?>Downstairs?>Back in the ballroom?
>>30928081Oh jeez, let's go eat somewhere else by ourselves.
>>30928094>>Upstairs?Let's chill out on the roof.
>>30928094Hold your horses, Chief.We're getting time off of our probation for this right?
>>30928094>Back in the ballroom?FOOOOOOOOOOOOD
>>30928094>>Back in the ballroom?She can't stop us. And we don't work for her.
>>30928094Upstairs, let's find a good spot for a nap. Leave these fuckers to die, Captain has to be nearing the end of his rope with this shit.
>>30928094I'm confused on whether to go upstairs and ignore all this shit or to go back into the ballroom and eat more.
>>30928132>Captain has to be nearing the end of his rope with this shit.Captain's rope is precisely as long as 仕方が無い
>>30928094>Back in the ballroom?>>30928116Seconding asking this before we go
>>30928094>Back in the ballroom?There's more food in there. Be sure to complain about how we're doing all the work.
>>30928094>>Back in the ballroom?>>30928116I expect time and a half for this chief.
>>30928094>>Downstairs?what's with secret rooms and basements?
>Honestly believing that if we do work for her she'll lower our sentenceDoesn't mean shit.
>>30928155That may be, but the disconnect between that reality and the Captain's apathetic persona is becoming increasingly difficult for me to accept. We can't keep insisting that we don't care about anything only to hop to it every time we're given orders. I understand this is part of the game, but something's got to give at some point.
>>30928232This.
>>30928232
>>30928094>Back in the ballroomJust lay down and sleep. It's not like they can even kill the Captain.
>>30928232Yep, I feel as if you're beginning to force us to give a shit, even when we don't want to give a shit, that in and of itself isn't bad, but you're also not allowing us to retaliate to the forces forcing us to give a shit, i.e. punching Chief in the face.
>>30928288>but you're also not allowing us to retaliate to the forces forcing us to give a shit, i.e. punching Chief in the face.Which she totally deserves, by the way.
>>30928296second
>>30928232>>30928255>>30928269>>30928288>>30928296キャプテンの自己反省は信頼できない。 彼は不正直である。すみませんが、私は、これは明らかであると考えられて。
>>30928312I don't speak arabinazi.
>counting, trying to figure out where to go from here.
>>30928232Just to elaborate a little further, from the Captain's point of view, why would we be doing anything these people say? Have they demonstrated that they can overpower us, or even control us? Why did we just let them move into our house? Where are our parents? Who are these people again? What are we getting by helping them, a promise that we won't be caged? Which they haven't even shown they can follow through on? I find it hard to believe that none of the above thoughts have ever occurred to the Captain. Either show us what happens when we are truly recalcitrant (and hence why we should, out of fear, obey these folks), or make the Captain into a hero.
>>30928232I don't have a problem with circumstances forcing Captain into action, but our actions to resist such circumstances are curtailed too greatly.>>30928312Also, the Japanese is a bit annoying, and I really hope it's not an excuse to stop conversation threads you don't like by giving replies we can't understand or respond to.
>>30928360>Also, the Japanese is a bit annoying, and I really hope it's not an excuse to stop conversation threads you don't like by giving replies we can't understand or respond to.It's to answer you but also to put it off to later.
>>30928360>I can not trust the self-reflection of captain. He is dishonest. I'm sorry, but I thought that this is clear.Two seconds on google translate
>>30928312Yer tellin me that this teen has the length of indefinable rope that just keeps getting shorter the same rate its made? Let captain have his fun, what little he has left.>captcha: Fekyou faltering
>>30928349There's more of them then there is of us.Even if we could win one-on-one, then wear us down and destroy us eventually.Assuming they don't just drug us to do a hard reset on our memory back to before we had such a colossal hateboner for them.Cap can easily assume all this from what he has seen and experienced so far.
>>30928383Sure, there's Google translate, but it's nowhere near as good as knowing the language. The previous Japanese bit is especially hard to understand; Google translate just gives "It can not be helped." What is that supposed to mean in the context of the post?
>>30928423See that's implying they are forcing us to do these things, we don't have to do shit. They've asked us to do this things and the only motivation they've given is time off of our parole. Which after a while, is starting to not be worth it. What you've described is more relevant to the terrorist organization.
Alright, so apparently I should address this right now instead of putting it off till the end of the thread. Going full anime meant many different things. One of which was a stronger representation of Captain's type, and he's always been this type. If you're weeb, you know what type he is. If you don't weeb, then understand that Captain is not actually possessed of a cool-headed indifference or genuine anti-social tendencies and never has been. Reexamine him with this in mind.
>>30928470It's actually a Japanese saying explained here.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shikata_ga_naiAnd comes down to. more or less, meaning Captain has a nigh infinite patience. WHich I call bullshit on.
>>30928483So I should stop playing because the decisions I made in the first couple of threads is now not possible?
>>30928483So Captain is actually a completely different character from what you've BUILT THE ENTIRE FUCKING QUEST ON FROM THE BEGINNING.Gotcha.
>>30928483>cool-headed indifference or genuine anti-social tendencies and never has beenhoping some key events will change that somewhat
>>30928483So you're making us care, when the best thing about this quest was the fact that Captain gave no shits? This sounds like a very clear bait and switch.
>>30928483That's not how we've been playing him. I was attracted to this quest specifically for the opportunity to play a character who doesn't like the people around him or care about their problems. I've made every vote with that in mind.
>>30928483His reactions getting routinely dismembered (and to Claire) made it pretty obvious, but who doesn't like to imagine they're the too-cool-for-your-social-structure guy?
>>30928483I... what? You're saying that every facet of your presentation to us, your players, of the main character that we are supposed to be controlling... has been a lie?Holy shit what the fuck are you even doing.
>>30928483Wait, you actually needed to tell people this? I thought it was obvious.
>>30928483I've been playing Captain as a guy who would not have anything to do with this kind of shit from the very fucking beginning of the quest. If that's no longer possible, and to be honest, it's been like that for a while now, what incentive do I have to play?
>>30928483You're a fantastic writer, seriously, and I love the combat system, but this is a bit too much for me. Not what I signed up for.
>>30928483I imagined it like this from the beginning anyway. I'm surprised the players are so polarized by this.
>>30928505>>30928512>>30928515>>30928525>>30928530Cool-headed indifference would mean we can't HATE the people around us with the RAGE OF A THOUSAND SUNS.So, yes, the Captain is, and has never, had cool-headed indifference.Just varying levels of tolerating the bullshit of others.
>>30928512>>30928505>>30928530>>30928546Since I am weeaboo, Cap was never a give-no-shit, take-no-shit kind of character. He's a very specific kind of protagonist. I understand if that bothers you, though, and won't begrudge you anything if you want to back out.
>>30928568Where do you think you are? /tg/ never votes to hate people.
>>30928579Tell that to the edgemeisters trying to punch Chief out.
>>30928575>Cap was never a give-no-shit, take-no-shit kind of character.Then why the fuck did you present him as such?
>>30928483>people getting so enraged by thisThe hell? It was obvious from early on, people just misinterpreted his character to make him seem less sane and more interesting for themselves.This is not a case of Captain's character becoming disjointed, but him developing, if we think logically.
>>30928607>people just misinterpreted his characterNo, DXR misrepresented the character.>but him developing'You were playing someone else all along' is not development.
Can we just get on with the quest?
>>30928649No.I haven't yet passed out from sleep-loss.
>>30928649yes please.
>>30928592Because that's how Captain presents himself in his internal narrative.We're not playing a blank slate, and haven't from the start.>>30928631He presented a character whose behavior didn't match his words. I really hate to say it, but there was enough there to see this.
honestly I'm still trying to figure out when people thought Captain was "give not fuck/take no shit" cause i never got that from him
So should we be waifuing Claire and declaring our eternal love or should we keep feigning tsun or what?
So, again, I apologize for not being clear enough with my inspirations and stringing some people along who weren't on the same page as me. I felt like I should tell you this now so that you have the opportunity to back out if it's not your thing, rather than continually being upset or disappointed. If you're staying, I'm glad you're still having fun. If you're leaving, I'm glad you had fun while you did.
>>30928676Fuck it, we're raping Claire right here right now.
>>30928676as long as she agrees to let Captain decide the pace and not turn it into "oh look, its RAPE o'clock" all the time then we can pursue her
>>30928701How do we know that Claire is actually the way that she's been presented to us?What if Captain is actually incredibly narcissistic and she hasn't been behaving like an obsessed freak at all and Captain just doesn't realize it?
>>30928676We aren't feigning tsun. What DXR is saying is that Captain is neither a sociopath or a cold robot. His constant annoyance, bad temper, love for games and good is proof of this. Captain is still a guy who still dislikes everyone around him, it's just that with time he can develop.
>>30928676We should drag her to the top of a set of stairs, then throw her down those stairs. She has obviously been doing things that we haven't been able to catch her doing. Hell, I don't think she even sleeps.
>>30928607I'm not enraged at all, and feel free to criticize me, but I find the unreliable narrator thing very difficult to play. I can't keep choosing the "right" choice when everything we are being told paints it as "wrong." Maybe it's a credit to DXR's skills as a writer, but the tension is too high. The way I am reading this, and I'm unfamiliar with this anime archetype (or any, really), there won't ever be an epiphany or moment when the Captain realizes why he does what he does-- or there will be, but it won't be for a very long time. I'd prefer to just read it in the archives rather than suffer through it. I won't shit up the thread any longer, I'm the guy who originally got this ball rolling. Sorry for the derail.
>>30928676>keep going tsun for now, just tsun the road blocks off the Clare route
>>30928717How do we know that people other than Captain even exist? Maybe he just made them up. Maybe Captain is really in an insane asylum and this whole world is just his imagination?
This is fascinating and all, but I'm still going to play Captain as an apathetic asshole.
>>30928721>We aren't feigning tsunLike hell we aren't. DXR just confirmed that everything is a lie. Captain doesn't actually hate her, so his tsun as fuck actions must be feigned.Is it all an act as part of his established character to manipulate the girls? Chicks notoriously want what they can't have, so the false tsun must be part of his pre-established character.
>>30928676We keep up the tsun, at least for the time being. Captain's not going to suddenly start talking about our feelings, and he'll still generally not acknowledge his feelings. And then we can make a controlled descent into waifu territory.
Holy shit this is amazing
>>30928752>Like hell we aren't. DXR just confirmed that everything is a lie.He didn't. You're just overreacting.
>>30928777He did and you're in denial.
I honestly don't know how to feel about this.
>>30928758>Controlled descentFuck that. The only reason I wasn't barreling full speed ahead to waifu town is that I respected Captain's character.Now that I know that I was wrong about Captain, I'm going to be pushing for Rin as hard as I can every thread.
>>30928752You're reading it wrong. Captain's internal narration is much more restrained than his actions are. There's a dampener on his emotional reactions, in both positive and negative directions. Everything he's feeling is real, but you need to add two or three degrees to get how he's actually feeling.
Okay, things are clearly still running hot at the moment. I'm going to have a smoke, then come back after that. We can talk a little more about it then, if you're up for it. Otherwise we can pick up where we left off.
>>30928798Personally, I don't give a fuck....or do I?
So, can we continue with the quest or are we still busy with the anal apocalypse?
>Not coldly indifferent or antisocial>Everything is a lieWow guys,Nobody ever even wanted to be coldly indifferent, since everyone wants to dislike certain characters / the UGN in general.And I think a lot of people misunderstand what antisocial means. It isn't Captain of the Go Home club; that is introversion. Antisocial PD is criminal activity and a complete disregard for the rights of others.
>>30928759looks like someone is still drinking actually.
>>30928802Just answer one quest, honestly.Is all of this just one big fucking dream/hallucination/delusion/whatever, or is it real?
>>30928806Good one, Anon.
>>30928820It's a quest on /tg/Of course it isn't real
>>30928806I certainly don't care. except on the inside not that you could tell Even if you were in my mind
>>30928820This quest is happening in a physical reality and Captain is not currently under the effects of any illusions. Everything that has transpired within the scope of this quest has, in fact, happened.
>>30928820Hah.Please.It's not as if there's people with mind-altering halluci-OH MY GOD IT'S ALL JUST A DREAMTHOSE UGN FUCKERS
>>30928807It's going down.
So we should join False Hearts, right? Or Hell even these Xeno guys.
>>30928836I don't believe you.
>>30928808As someone that has been told by a Psychologist that they're antisocial, I take offense to this. The word you're looking for is "sociopath".
>>30928845Probably. Now that we know Captain is capable of doing more than just going with the flow to lower his probation period, I think some meaningful resistance is in order.
>>30928833>not that you could tell Even if you were in my mindSo is Captain now Ii-chan? Because I can roll with that.
>>30928867No, he's still the same as he's always been. All DXR told us is that he isn't a psychopath.
>>30928845These Xeno guys seem pretty chill, with the whole being able to separate parts of reality. Let's join them, we can get into the bunker and tear Chief and that gay dude apart ourselves.
CAPTAINxCHIEF SHIP SETTING SAILWOO WOO
>>30928877It was a joke, because Ii-chan is an unreliable narrator.
>>30928847Have you consistently displayed 3 or more of these behaviors since 15?1-failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest;2-deception, as indicated by repeatedly lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure;3-impulsivity or failure to plan ahead;4-irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults;5-reckless disregard for safety of self or others;6-consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations;7-lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another;That's APD, minus a few caveats.
>>30928885pls no
>>309289012, 3 & 6.Sloth's a hell of a drug.
>>30928879That's your problem. You can stay, you can go, you can yell and scream about how you're dropping the quest but never actually drop it, you have all sorts of options.
>>30928913Chief is the best girl. Captain needs to hit that.
Alright, I'm back. I'll field a little more of your concerns or just take some more flak if that's what you guys need. After that, I'll see about picking this back up and moving on.
>>30928925>implying he'll leave
>>30928927>chief>best anything
>>30928937Can we join Xeno?
>>30928941Captain doesn't actually hate her, and I fucking love her because she's the best. So she can be the proper waifu now
>>30928946No. Xenos by Renegade Being terrorists for Renegade Being terrorists, and Captain is disqualified on ethnic grounds, since he is a human being.
>maximum moderator damage controlFinally.>>30928937Good to hear.
>>30928958Can we join False Hearts?
>>30928937>Monty Python GET ON WITH IT.gifThis was pretty much inevitable. Some players will leave, some will rage and some will be insufferable about this for weeks/months, but that last group was probably looking for a reason to be upset anyway.On a personal note, what's your opinion of Suashi no Meteorite?
>>30928958They won't make a special case for us? Even if we personally tear apart Chief and Hawkeye?
>>30928965Not if we value our SAN.
>>30928965False Hearts would turn Captain into a monster, at which point the Quest would be basically unplayable as he would be totally insane and beyond any concept of human reasoning and understanding.>>30928968They would not.
>>30928973Can we tear apart Hawkeye anyway?
>>30928973Can we not partake in anymore of UGN bullshit?
>>30928972Apparently it was already at a pretty low value anyway.
>>30928937So, why can't we ever have captain confront people? Like he's got all these people moved into his house, a criminal in his basement, and his parents' shit was gone, all replaced by junk and Captain's ordered around to do stupid shit and he agrees. He can't even get angry at someone who's going and biting his neck out of nowhere all the time.Is him just doing what you want him to do, or not do, while going 'It can't be helped' all we can really expect out of this? I'd actually like out choices to feel like they matter.
>>30928967>Suashi no MeteoriteRegretfully, I haven't read it yet.
>>30928973I think picking up another day would be best.
>>30928993This, the only reason, I felt, he hasn't told them to fuck off was that he didn't care, but since he does care, why hasn't he?
>>30928998Really? Huh, I thought for sure that's where this was coming from.Oh well, put me in the right mindset regardless. Take a read, along with Fukashigi Philia.
>>30928937Just help me understand why the Captain is doing this. I never considered him to be antisocial, sociopathic, or anything like that, just someone who wants to be left alone. I also feel like we don't have any true motivation. It's a tired ass cliche, but we're just a leaf on the wind, moving from one uncomfortable experience to the next with no idea why anything is happening or where we need to go next. You've said that we don't have a choice, but there's been no exploration or discussion of that, either internally or with the other characters.
>>30928967>Suashi no MeteoriteThat's where I got my theory on what happened to Captain.
>>30928937Why can't we ever say the word "no"?
>>30928937I'd like to get back to questing.Sure people might still complain, but you likely aren't going to make them happy by trying to answer their questions, they'll keep on bitching.
Why does this have to happen to every quest that gets popular
>>30929036Because it's popular
>>30928993>>30929014Because DXR said that he is unleashing his powerlevel. Anyone weaboo enough understands what that means.
>>30929036>Qm thinks that popularity means they're a great writer>Come to the conclusion they need to do as the other greats have done>Decide to shoehorn [thing they heard about in highschool English classes]
>>30928993>>30929014>>30929027To explain it explicitly would, I think, sort of take the wind out of some future scenes. However, it's fair to say that Captain's methods of conflict are not of reasoned, or even heated argument or confrontation.
>>30929045You mind explaining that to me?
>>30928993Because full anime. And anime protags aren't allowed to be confrontational or disagreeable, just passive losers who go along with everything even if it's against their personality and nature.
>>30929049>>>/qtg/
>>30929014Because his emotional responses are being muted in the writing. Instead of mentally complaining about them moving in, he's complaining bitterly to Chief and getting ridden over.Is that about right, DXR?>>30929024Pity it's ending, it's been good stuff.
>>30929019>>30929024Care to explain for anyone who isn't reading it?>>30929057So, once again, we can't actually trust DXR to tell us the truth about what's happening.
Are we being railroaded into being with UGN? Because that seems like the direction we've been going in lately. We can't get away from Claire because that would lower our "encroachment rate" whatever the fuck that means. And we can't join False Hearts or Xeno and its obvious that Chief isn't going to let us go ever.
>>30929083>Are we being railroaded into being with UGN?Had you opted to join the UGN, the scenarios would be very different. Many character interactions would be similar, but the context, the events, and the overall trajectory would be different.
>>30929051So we're the protagonist from Bioshock basically. 'Would you kindly do this, would you kindly not react to that?'That or it has to do with some trauma he experienced but can't remember about his childhood, with Captain and Clair being a much worse gender-swapped version of Ayase and whatshisname.
>>30929051So, he's really just a passive aggressive asshole, that pretends not to give shit, but actually does care so does what he's told and can't actually say "no"?The Captains just a little bitch?I am really trying to understand this.
>>30929098>So we're the protagonist from Bioshock basically. 'Would you kindly do this, would you kindly not react to that?'We're clearly a slave.
>>30929083Encroachment rate is a core principle is DX, not just this quest.It simply represents the effect upon the subject's sanity that the loss of humanity causes.You need human, emotional reaction with other humans to keep your SAN stable, to the point that going full hermit would turn us into a bestial super-monster within weeks.It just happens that the negative reaction the UGN, and Claire especially, gives us more than makes up for our current use of powers and superhuman regeneration.
>>30929121So yes, we're being railroaded into being with her.
>>30929130If you like.But it's the game system itself, and your prior reactions, that's doing the railroading more than DXR himself.
I just don't understand why you would do this, DXR.Why would you present the main character in one manner, when the truth is completely different? We only have your word to go on, and if you're willing to mislead us on the most crucial part of the story, we've got no reason to trust you on anything else.Why would you ever believe this to be a good idea.
>>30929130That's kind of like saying that D&D characters are being railroaded into having adventures and growing stronger, or that CoC characters are being railroaded into going horribly insane.
>>30929074You can trust him, but to get the full picture you need to look at how other characters are reacting.In Meteorite, the MC is a perfectly normal highschooler who contracts with a god to fight monsters called Star Eaters. Pretty normal for that kind of manga, right? Except that the MC has a pathological need to act "normal" and shuts down when confronted with the fact that he's not very normal at all. Then you find out he had a psychotic break and erased his memories of his broken family to reach his ideal normal, including forgetting about his younger sister, and his god is actually present to help him do something catastrophic.Kind of irrelevant, DXR says he's not read it.
>>30929152That manga sounds like shit to be honest.
>>30929130DXR said that if we build some meaningful relationship with a different character, we could pull away from Claire without any danger.
>>30929130Being a perfectly normal human would also keep your encroachment stable.
>>30929098>>30929102>>30929023His thoughts and actions are always in conflict, but the conflict is because of Captain himself and it always has been. >>30929143In truth, I had been worried that I was being too blatant. I thought that the contradiction between his internal monologue and how he actually reacted, plus a few other bits and pieces, was leaving far too many breadcrumbs and I was thinking about obscuring it more.
>ITT: People playing a quest from a Japanese TRPG who are notorious for being railroady are complaining about railroading.Personally. I don't mind being railroaded as long it results in getting an entertaining content. In which this Quest keep delivering.
>>30929161The problem is that DXR never really introduces anyone who you would actually WANT to hang out with. They're all insane.
>>30929130Actually yes. If DXR ever allowed us to interact with any other characters, we would gain the same benefit.But all we get is Claire and Chief because DXR thinks it's funny.>>30929152That sounds absolutely nothing like Captain. In fact it sounds like the exact opposite, aside form the memory loss, which is clearly the UGN's doing.
>>30929130It's been pretty clearly established that she's attached to us, and that Captain is attached to her in his own way. And our stalker/watchdog spending a lot of time in our proximity is not railroading. >>30929143He presented the Captain through his own eyes, if you actually paid attention to the characters it was pretty obvious that his apparent thoughts and actions weren't in sync. Not that you'll care what he says since you've decided not to trust him.
>>30929173I didn't say there were any parallels, I was wondering if DXR had read it.
>>30929167Why would you even do this in the first place? Do you gain some sick pleasure from lying to your players? Do you enjoy 'tricking' them into believing something that isn't true, when the only way they could ever know is if you tell them yourself?>>30929183I never assumed that any disconnect was possible because I trusted DXR to be truthful.I guess that was a mistake on my part.
>>30929149but it is, this is why i never played table top games.
Just continue that quest for fucks sake. You fucked up, just learn from it and continue on.
>>30929161Not easy to do when she lives with us. There are just too many "why's" at this point. We, the players, may have ultimately pulled the trigger, but the game was rigged from the start. "Because anime" isn't an excuse. I advocated for taking the Chief's offer prior to her moving in, but got shouted down for stepping out of line with Captain's character. Apparently acting "in character," at least in the way said character was presented to us at the start of the story, was the wrong choice. Good night, I'm done.
Is there gonna be any more updates tonight? Or is the shitstorm just gonna continue?
>>30929169This sort of thing seems to happen pretty often with quests, once they get big enough. People start reading them because they're popular and then complain when it turns out to not be what they expected.
It was pretty obvious that Captain acts however DXR wants him to act at a specific time. Sorry if you were too late to realize it.
>>30929167>In truth, I had been worried that I was being too blatant. I thought that the contradiction between his internal monologue and how he actually reacted, plus a few other bits and pieces, was leaving far too many breadcrumbs and I was thinking about obscuring it more.I interpreted that as simply a somewhat hamhanded way to get the plot moving against the Captain's will. I wish I'd provided feedback earlier; I would have said the threats Captain was caving to were too weak to work, and suggested more direct action by the antagonists to get things moving. Perhaps all this would have come to light earlier. I think some of the other readers actually did complain; I'm not sure, though.
>>30929228This isn't 'not what I expected', this is 'not what the QM presented it as'. Big difference.
>>30929228>People start reading them because they're popular and then complain when it turns out to not be what they expected.Except that's the complete opposite of whats going on right now.
>>30929198>Do you enjoy 'tricking' them into believing something that isn't true, when the only way they could ever know is if you tell them yourself?In all honesty, I did not set out to make complex or difficult to understand characters. I've always attempted to maintain relative simplicity. Most of these characters use gag-manga archetypes as their basis as well. It was never my intent to trick any of you. I even saw players in the qtgs who were more or less spot on, explaining what was going on. I figured that even if you didn't personally believe it, that the idea was at least in your head.>>30929222I think I may have to attempt the thread again later this week. No more than a few days, from now, though. I think we all just need some distance from this.
>>30929245The QM never once said that Captain was genuinely anti-social, and Captain's behavior, not his internal monologue, has been at odds with his claims of indifference for as long as he's been indifferent.>>30929271Damn, I was hoping for more, it's not like the people who want to bitch are going to stop bitching.
>>30929271>I think I may have to attempt the thread again later this week. No more than a few days, from now, though. I think we all just need some distance from this.I can guarantee you that that's not going to make a bit of difference.
>>30929198Pretty much, Anon. He was bragging in the hugbox about how he's culling the herd and weeding out the only loyal fans who deserve to play in his quest.Man, DXR, get off your high horse for once.
>>30929228I have read and participated in every single one of these threads. I didn't pick this up because I read about it on qtg. And yes, I'm one of the people bitching about it. I guess I wasn't weeb enough to be in the know from the beginning. Sorry for liking something I thought was interesting without the proper fan credentials.
>>30929271>I think we all just need some distance from this.Except the people who are mad have already dropped and left the quest and the people who are REALLY mad are still going to be here next thread to complain.You're fucked either way.
>>30929238I thought the same thing. A little bit of railroading because we were playing the character as plot-avoidant.I guess we were just playing the character 'wrong', as far as DXR is concerned.>>30929271You're going to have a lot fewer players and a a lot more trolls, regardless of what you do.>>30929288L&M General is still up, anon. Unless you'd like to post some logs?
>>30929288>He was bragging in the hugbox about how he's culling the herd and weeding out the only loyal fans who deserve to play in his quest.Gonna need some fucking citation on that one, anon.
>>30929283>>30929282>Damn, I was hoping for more, it's not like the people who want to bitch are going to stop bitching.>I can guarantee you that that's not going to make a bit of difference.Probably not. I'd personally like some distance from it myself to evaluate how to move forward, and I will move forward. Whether that's through simply changing timezones or just soldiering through anything has yet to be decided.
>>30929293This, pretty much."Because I am this and this, I will now make the quest totally different from what I brought it up to be."It's like an SJW suddenly taking away the concept of gender because xie wants the quest to be more inclusive.
>>30929317Soldiering on worked for PGQ. /tg/ is autistic enough that no matter what changes you make you're still going to have to put up with trolling attempts for the next dozen or so threads.
>>30929317Or you could admit that you fucked up and actually fix the problem.>>30929337PGQ is not a good example of anything except how to write a VN.
>>30929317So you're basically just going to avoid the players you pissed off, huh?
>>30929352>PGQ is not a good example of anything except how to write a VN.Even that's bad
>>30929352The Captain not being exactly who you assumed him to be is not a problem, it's simply something you don't like.
>>30929352I'm not sure what I could possibly change. There have always been some players who caught on to what was happening, and there's clearly a portion who did not or simply didn't like what it was. And they're entitled to not like it, and entitled to feel upset about this situation. Even though I respect their right to be upset and understand their frustration, it doesn't mean I'm going to go back on what I've been doing.>>30929357If it would make them unhappy to see it, then there's no reason to antagonize them. This is all just supposed to be fun, and I don't want to cause any unnecessary unfun. I don't feel the need to fight about this kind of thing.
>>30929317Just soldier through, there'll be some trolling for a while but it'll settle down as long as you don't pay much attention to them.You've lost some players, but you have enough to keep on going without big problems.
>>30929394The Captain being completely different to how the majority of the playerbase interpreted him IS a problem.>>30929413So 'if you don't like it you can leave', then?Okay, guess I will. I just hope the remainder of your player base remembers this the next time fuck up.
>>30929413THEN WHY DID YOU DO IT?
It just feels to me like you were humoring us when we played him as an apathetic jackass. Eh...
>>30929337>>30929451I'll do that, then. I still owe you guys a commission, too, so this friday when I get my paycheck, it's going right to Larro (if he's free).>>30929463I try to treat Quests as fun slices of entertainment. I'd like it if you guys liked it, but if you don't, you just don't.>>30929470I was always doing it, and again, I believed myself to be tipping my hand too often.
>>30928575>>30928690Well... I'm backing out. It's been fun, but apparently this isn't the game I thought it was. I thought our votes had significantly more influence on the interpretation and development of Captain's personality than it turns out they do. I don't share enough of your cultural context to know what kind of character you think we're playing without having it explicitly spelled out for me. My current best understanding of Captain's personality is not a person I want to play. I'm afraid if I stick around and try to enjoy it anyway, we'll only run into more horrible misunderstandings.I hope your quest does well, I hope you and the remaining players have a good time, and I hope your combat system serves as an example to inspire other diceless quests. As for me, I'll... I dunno, probably mope for a while and then play video games. DXQ was fun. I'm sad to lose it.
>>30929512Actually, it *still* hasn't been explicitly spelled out for me. Before I go, I have one last question. What kind of character was I supposed to be playing all along?
>>30929502>I was always doing it, and again, I believed myself to be tipping my hand too often.I fail to see why you felt the need to hide it, only to be surprised when people didn't get it.
>>30929502You autistic little shit. You played all of us for the entirety of your quest. I realize that being on 4chan we have to expect the idiots who want to run pretend games here to have a bit of an autistic bent to them, but you just fucking take it! You're worse than Cosgrove or Shadow Master!I hope all the hugs you get are from foul sweaty hambeasts, you brain-addled 'weaboo'! Even you bring shame to that pathetic little subset!
>>30929413>>30929271See the problem is that you're going and using gag-manga archetypes, which have a simple and usually lighthearted plot, and putting them into a much more serious story.There's been psychopaths, yandere's, and a bunch of serious shit, like whatever happened to Captain's family, so these simple Gag-manga archetypes just don't work.So, when people try to play him as the seemingly emotionless gag-manga archetype, you stomp down on that. And when they try, because of all the serious shit you put on them, to have him act out or confront someone, you stomp down on that too.Like, if this story's lighthearted, the Captain adn Claire shenanigans can be a gag-manga. But when you're going 'but what the captain says isn't what he's really feeling' it makes those scenes of him doing shit to Claire make Captain feel like a very unpleasant person.So, do you want to run a gag-manga that has battles? A serious? What the hell do you want from your audience, how should we view this character?Also, furthermore, telling people 'if you don't like it you can leave' at the reveal that the narrator's entirely unreliable from the start, especially to the people not entirely used to anime stuff and are really caught off guard, is kinda a dick move to do.
>>30929529If the anon post in QTG is to be believed, he's a guy who tries to project the appearance of being anti-social, though he actually isn't.Chuunbiyou, apparently. I can kinda see it, now it's pointed out.>>30929547kek
>>30929512Take care reasonable Anon. Your presence, though unnoticed, shall be missed.>>30929547>You played all of usI'm still bemused there are people who didn't catch the action/description disconnect. I don't feel played at all.
>>30929566Those people trusted the QM, as the sole source of insight into the game world, to be truthful.Those people misplaced the trust, and have suffered dearly for it.
>>30929529Assuming it's gag-manga...Captain was an empty person at the beginning of the quest. It's not that he had no interest in people or things, but rather that he had nothing inside of him to give. While the UGN is infuriating, they also give his life meaning that he can't find on his own. He can't possibly let them know this.
>>30929547I noticed it a long time ago, it's been mentioned before in QTGs multiple times.
>>30929590I've been following QTG for a while and never saw it mentioned once.
>>30929599Same here. I'm beginning to wonder if people are just saying that they have in order to bail DXR out.
>>30929578But the QM WAS truthful. The problem seems to be that he was being subtle at the same time.
>>30929552Being honest, this quest is about as serious as something like Index: which is to say that it sometimes has pretensions of seriousness but it's really just out there.
>>30929625I think you're deluding yourself, anon.
>>30929628Mind rewording that? Because I have no idea what you just said, it doesn't help that it's 5 in the morning.
>>30929599DXR has mentioned his use of gag manga comedy tropes, it's been mentioned that Captain is a disinterested hero and acts as the tsukkomi to Claire's boke.
>>30929642He's saying that this isn't serious in the slightest.
>>30929642If someone were to call Index a serious series, they would be wrong. It sometimes pretends to be serious, but at the end of the day, the main character is still going to have his head gnawed on by a loli nun while he curses his bad luck in an exaggerated fashion.
>>30929642Psh.It's 9 here.Step it up, clapistan.
>>30929628See, now, Index isn't interactive. It can get away with being inconsistent because the reader is explicitly just along for the ride.A quest is a completely different beast. It is shaped by the players' understanding, and that understanding is shaped by how it is presented.>>30929650Gonna need a link or two, buddy.
>>30929642It's 4am here.Good thing I woke up at 7pm.
>>30929658And then Railgun happens.
>>30929628yeah, but the problem with that is that while they're archetypes and can pull off gags, the characters actually have depth to them and any disconnect between the character and their actions are made rather obvious. They aren't gag-manga characters.Also, huge tip? If you try to subtly hint at yuor audience? Expect them to never get your hints. If you want to make a point- say what you mean. I've seen Fate/Stay Again be all but dead because the plot was hinging on hints that the players need to put together and nobody was having a good time.Never, ever try to be clever or subtle with players. It only makes the reveal aggravating to them all, and players aren't as apt to pick up on hints as writers think they are.
>>30929634He's not, there's been an obvious disconnect in Captain's internal monologue and his actions since the beginning. It's pretty clearly a comedy.>>30929683http://archive.foolz.us/tg/thread/29471786/#29475371http://archive.foolz.us/tg/thread/30498088/#30499261
>>30929634Not really. When someone says he's calm but is squeezing a stressball with a tight expression on their face, do you believe their words or their actions?It's the same deal here. The character is claiming to behave in a normal and rational manner, but is behaving in an exaggerated fashion. Do you believe their words or their actions?>>30929658Index is a freshman work and it shows. The author's story about the yokai is much better.
>>30929696Neither of those posts indicate that Captain is in any way different to how DXR has been presenting him.>>30929702>The character is claiming to behave in a normal and rational manner, but is behaving in an exaggerated fashion.The only time I have ever noticed this is in Captain's reactions to Hawkeye, which is obvious self-denial and perfectly reasonable from a narrative perspective.If you could link and quote any other examples I'd really appreciate it.
>>30929702>Index is a freshman work and it shows. The author's story about the yokai is much better.What's it called? I want to read it.
>>30929696>linksAhh, so it comes back to "being in the know."I just don't know anything about anime, so didn't understand what was going on. Considering I'm on /tg/ and not /a/, I feel like this outside knowledge of which I am not privy should have been provided for me to play Captain as the character he was intended to be, however, that not being the case, my initial upset feels justified.
>>30929688Until I noticed the supreme agitation, I didn't think it was necessary for most people to really have it click right away. We're in the stage where that would have started to become more blatant (like I said, I was scared of doing this), but I didn't expect people to be truly put off by it or consider the idea to be so foreign and alien that it makes them question the integrity of the entire situation.
>>30929730Any time he hits Claire, for one. His reactions to food is another. Eating food off the ground is not at all normal behavior. There's a bit in the last fight scene of the last arc where he uses Domination Howl. What was the trigger? Frustration enough to stun like killer intent.>>30929732https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=The_Zashiki_Warashi_of_Intellectual_VillageOne of BT's better recent translations, not that it's saying much.
>>30929784I didn't think it was necessary to actually have a background in order to notice the dissonance. In fact, I thought it might be better for those outside the know, because they wouldn't instantly understand the mechanics of this character type, and then maybe learn some more about it.
>>30929785>I didn't think it was necessary for most people to really have it click right away.>I didn't think it was necessary for most of the players to understand the motivations and behaviour of the player they were controllingReally?>>30929797>Any time he hits ClaireNever seen it playing anything but straight.>foodChimera.>Howl being triggered by frustrationThe fuck has that got to do with anything?
>>30929827>Really?Really. I didn't think it was as important as just choosing options that you thought would take the quest in an amusing direction.
>>30929841Not even the anon you've been replying to.I don't particularly care about this shitstorm, but I feel the need to tell you that that was rather naive of you.
>>30929827You're right that the hitting was being played straight, but it was being played straight along the lines of Japanese slapstick comedy routines.The food is clearly being exaggerated. Yes, Chimeras need a lot to eat, but imagine your tabletop RPG character eating scraps off the ground. That's what you should be getting.Comedic exaggeration explains howl. It's not the life or death situation, or hate or anything serious that triggers Captain's super move, it's frustration at not being allowed to take a nap.
>>30929821Well, that didn't happen. But there is nothing I can do about it, except bitch and moan, and that will get me no where. I guess I'll just read it in the archives.
>>30929821You were expecting the players to understand a character type they didn't even know existed, that you were deliberately obfuscating, while they were trusting that any dissonance was purely for the purpose of guiding them towards the plot.Wow.>>30929841Except any time we tried to do so, you shut it down and threw PLOT and COMBAT at us.You stated in this very thread that it has not been possible for us to avoid advancing the plot for quite some time. Literally any action we take pushes us further along the rails.
>>30929872Yes, it was.
>>30929841See, the problem I have is that there's too much of a dissonance with the setting, characters, and events that you've given us compared to the forced tone for it to be funny. Like, this feels more like higuarashi 'funny start, events build up then terrible things happens.' Eventually you just stop being amused by the happier events because you know the horror/seriousness will be coming. That's more of what your story feels like, especially with the arcs. Furthermore, if you want to show the dissonance between Captain and his actions, be obvious about it! >'I don't care that Chief's talking about this guy or whatever the problem is this time!'>CRUNCH>"Captain ... you've got soda all over you now etcetcetc"you want your players to play it as a humorous story that people think of things like a gag-manga? make it saturday morning villains and cut out the serious bits. Otherwise, people will always suspect there's a more serious plotline waiting in the wings at all times.
>>30929890>You were expecting the players to understand a character type they didn't even know existed,Not at all. I expected them to just choose options that were amusing.>You stated in this very thread that it has not been possible for us to avoid advancing the plot for quite some time."The plot" isn't reflective of how this generally works. Instead of a single pathway, there are several divergent branches, each with smaller subpaths. I really don't understand what the goal is in having the narrative simply stop, flounder, and die. I do not understand what possible offense could arise from having the story progress in one of many directions by a measurable amount with every choice you make. Would you like me to write descriptions of our hero sitting in a room doing nothing?
>>30929877>Japanese slapstick comedy routinesSee, that's the thing, I guess a lot of us weren't familiar with this, so didn't pick up on it.>eating scraps off the ground.I have seen people do this, why? I don't know, but it's not something I am unfamiliar with, I guess I just chopped it up to chimeras being inhumanly hungry, instead of the MC being a weirdo .>it's frustration at not being allowed to take a nap.I get cranky as hell when I'm tired, cranky as hell.I'm not trying to justify those things, I just want you to understand where I'm coming from, and how I personally interpreted them.
>>30929925I...thought it was very light. I wouldn't consider this more serious than the otaku-aimed late night anime, which is usually anything but heavy and serious, aimed at hardcore nerds that are just looking to have a good time.
>>30929925>Otherwise, people will always suspect there's a more serious plotline waiting in the wings at all times.Point.Looking at post Arc-1 events, it could be seen as potentially going that way.
>>30929952The very first fucking thread had a bus crash that killed all but two occupants.HOW IS THAT LIGHT?
>>30929926>sitting in a room doing nothing?Will he actually think in a way that represents his actions of sitting there, and will it be descriptive enough to fill in updates the size of what you usually type?
>>30929965In fairness, with their generic facelessness and their faceless genericness, they were kind of asking for it.
>>30929965Unnamed characters aren't people.
>>30929977>>30929978What about the terrorist organization that beats people into insanity until they cooperate?
>>30929986What serious terrorist organization employs lolis?
>>30929965It's very typical for even a non-serious show to decimate extras by the dozens.
>>30929978>>30929977>>30929965I think a fairer point is that we have a villain that tries to kill us and have to crush his/her heart JUST to temporarily stop them. They also planned a terrorist attack at a highschool sports day to kill tons of people.That's not a lighthearted villain.Cobra commander wants to carve his face onto the moon and GI Joe has to stop him is lighthearted.>captcha: hatelog success...what captcha?
>>30929986That's part of the setting beyond his writing.True, he could have chosen not to incorporate it, but the way he did - with the Saturday morning villain-esque Diablos - works.
>>30929986Or the government agencies that use Overeds as biological weaponry?Or False Hearts' mass-murder plans at the sports festival?Or whatshisface feeding deathpills to his girlfriend?This shit is NOT light.
>>30929939The last piece that you're missing is that all of this is being done by someone who takes himself absolutely stone cold seriously. The silly stuff he gets up to is done so matter of factly that it's supposed to add an extra level to the comedy, or charge a serious scene with humor.>>30929965Genre is a description of tendency. Light series have dark moments, and dark series can have light moments. The original Star Trek is light-hearted, even when no one in a red shirt lasted out their introductory episode.
>>30930011Fucking this.
>>30930011>>30930024This stuff is normal for late night, and usually has little bearing on a show's relative seriousness or lack thereof in of itself. I mean, really, Rin was a candidate for the US Military's Black Ops squad. I'd hoped this informed you of what the rest of the squad would potentially be like.
>quest canceled due to shitstormswell fuck
>>30930024Or the fact that Captain's parents are dead (most likely murdered in some sort of Overed incident) and the UGI has been hiding this fact from him by erasing his memories?
>>30930060We'll be up again in a day or so.
>>30930051Man there's some serious disconnect between what you're writing and what I'm reading. I don't even fucking know any more.
>>30930061What if THE CAPTAIN WAS HIS OWN PARENTS!
>>30930051This seems like a classic case of "QM intent and player's interpretation".
>>30930061Dead Parents? Missing Memories? Not something that really darkens the mood for a series. Maybe a scene or two.
>>30930093Unless you're Batman.
>>30930074How about another example? Kill Me Baby has two assassins as 2/3rs of the main characters, each of whom have killed dozens to hundreds of people and have some quirks that are clearly inspired from trauma or emotional hardening. This is a gag series and they are treated as funny and cute.>>30930108Batman is taken way too seriously.
>dat archive description
>>30930093When at least half the threads in th arc have serious business in them, it doesn't recover into comedy because dark shit's happening all the time. Like this arc- YOUR PARENTS MIGHT BE DEAD AND YOURLIFE A LIE thread 1, LIVE UNTIL MORNING OR YOU'RE DEAD this very thread.D-Frag is lighthearted comedy, Original GI JOE (barrring movie) is lighthearted, Gundam Build Fighters-even with some serious moments is lighthearted. This setting is Code Geass at best- dark with some very lighthearted comedy moments, but we were aware from Ep1 that it would be that way.
>>30930132You are using anime to justify to players the lightheartedness of your quest, when the problem itself stems from several of them being unfamiliar with anime in the first place, therefore not understanding exactly what your quest was about, why?
>>30930214It's the perspective I've always written from and been upfront about. I can't do anything to change how players perceived this, but I can at the very least explain myself honestly.>>30930198I feel like overall, I've spent much more time on just being silly than anything else. I didn't feel that anything so far has been a significant downer at any point, but you know, my perspective is clearly very different. I didn't think that a simple lack of powerlevel would impact it that much.
>>30930198It's only dark if you take events as depicted to their logical conclusion. You're not supposed to, really.The Index example is a pretty good one. Whatever the spin-offs might do, whatever the villains in this series might do, at the end of the day what it's really about is a guy making stupid-simple arguments that so shock his opponent that he can sock them with a magic hand, add another girl to the pile and have his head chewed by a loli.>>30930214Considering he advertises the quest as based on a particular style of anime, I think that's research failure on the player's part. That or bad faith. The latter is malicious though, so I hope it's the first.
>>30930195Next proper thread will get tagged with an appropriate marker for future archive readers. I don't mind this being up for show
>>30930264That's because you're really intent at forcing players to do silly things. Like with Parents thing- find it out and go to basement to look for any sign your parents existed- WHOA NAKED GIRL-things are suspicious and they telling tons of shit about me to a criminal we've got locked up- WHOA CLAIRE FEEDING YOU TIME TO GET READY TO GO!You want lighthearted humor? Captain goes to find parents' stuff - finds junk and note 'by this time you'll notice we've moved to the bahamas without you. Couldn't stand the shame of a NEET son- MOM AND DAD'
>>30930429I think the humor is to be found in making what should be very serious into something that you can't take seriously in the end. Everybody thought Diabloli was being torture, but what was she doing? She was getting gossiped to death. Claire comes clean about not telling us everything, but instead of it being this foreboding conversation, she ends up deepthroating a spoon.
>>30930501Should have been a toothbrush. Claire shares Karen's hairstyle, at least.I know this isn't THAT scene, but it's the closest I've got.
>>30930525Don't give DXR more ideas. On second thought since only weebs are in here now i guess we can go give him ideas
Woah. Okay. So I just caught up with the thread. Not how I expected to spend my morning.DXR, Shit nigga, what are you doing?Seriously, what the fuck man? How did you manage to blow such a "reveal" so badly out of proportion like this?I think the punching Chief thing is actually a perfect example of just what the fuck is going wrong right here.If Captain is a completely asocial guy, sure I get it, he wouldn't punch Chief. But you've just admitted he's not, and he has all of the feels, he just downplays them. That includes negative emotions.He's just been locked into a life-or-death struggle until dawn, has decided to collapse onto the floor in despair, and Chief has pulled him out of it by TEARING A CHUNK OUT OF HIS NECK.I dunno about you or your anime tropes, but I would have punched the bitch in the face. Automatic reaction."Light-hearted"? Fuck no. As can be pointed out here, you have a dark and/or sickening reveal AT LEAST ONCE PER THREAD.And it's not even the level of "oh boy, that's a little dark".You have a bus-full of people murdered for no reason. You have an antagonist who kills you multiple times before you EXPLODE HIS HEART, you have a terrorist plot to murder hundreds of school children. You have a little girl who is joining said terrorists because her brother is being held hostage, and is apparently being sent back to her in little bits.You have a little girl being strung up naked on electrified shackles, and tortured endlessly despite clearly having no useful intelligence to give.In this very thread, you casually tossed the main character into a life-or-death situation, along with every other member of the party.I mean seriously? You are seriously going to wonder why your players might suspect that something dark, sinister and plot-like might be lingering around the corner when we can't even go to a ball without being thrown into battle?Hell dude, your genre is under threat of straying from -dark to -derp.
>>30930587>her brother is being held hostageDidn't they send her his hand in the mail or something? Whatever happened to that? Is Rin's bro dead now and we're just not supposed to care because faceless background character haha so lighthearted?
>>30930587All that's pretty normal dude. Anime is casual about a lot of things that would autodark a story in other media. dxq would be called a run-of-the-mill, standard story.
>>30930623i think chief was supposed to have taken care of that. the whole thing probably fell apart when diablos died again
>>30930587Is the problem perhaps that you simply aren't used to the tone and themes of anime?
>>30930623Probably fake Diablos fingers, just like those missing people were also Diablos.
>>30930587 (Cont.)I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying the quest, I'm going to stick around for it, and I could see that Captain wasn't the asocial asshole /tg/ was making him out to be.I, for one, welcome the reveal. Perhaps it means that now we can actually play him for what he's supposed to be. The guy who endlessly bitches and whines about how it's unfair that he can't live a quiet life, but then mans the fuck up and does what needs to be done, possibly without even being asked. Because secretly, he doesn't want terrible things to happen to those close to him, even if he doesn't want to admit to himself that he likes them around.But that does NOT excuse you for shutting us down on our choices. If you're going to railroad our reactions, just admit it.If you're going to make And I'm going to say it right now, if you EVER veto a popular action again because "it wouldn't be funny", I will drop the quest there and then.Yes, yes, I won't be missed, blah blah blah.
>>30930649I'm beginning to think that diablos makes up like half of false hearts just by himself.
>>30930656the punch suggestion was stupid. it's angry whiteboy shit
>>30930645No. And don't try to pull that shit. Don't try to rush to DXR's defence when he has genuinely fucked up in his portrayal here.Hell, even the fucking comparison to Index doesn't fly right here.Yeah, sure, you can call it "light-hearted" because the fucking headcrab won't cut her shit out, and everyone knows that he will end up in the hospital with stupidly high medical bills because Fukou Da!At least Index has the decency to understand that those watching the show are actually expecting the next revealed plot point to be something dark and "serious".
I'm confused as to how "ANIME!" is an excuse to say everything is light hearted. There is plenty of anime that isn't.
>>30930656 (More Cont.)At the end of all this, though, I'm going to chalk it all up to the fact that you've admitted that you're on the brink of exhaustion, and that what you're trying to portray has some slight dissonance to what the players are reading.Hopefully, this thread has allowed you to see that, and you will be able to react accordingly.I would suggest that you go ahead and quit now, go to sleep, take some time to read through this entire thread again and think about it.I'll be waiting warmly for your next thread.
>>30930699The portrayal was pretty spot on for exactly the kind of anime the double cross rpg takes after, which is fucking index. you could totally sad it all up if you wanted, but frienship, courage, and love wins it all, everything resets when its over, and everybody important comes out fine or mostly fine (until their powerup)
>>30930724Not the kind of anime that dxr's been straight up parodying-copying this whole time. it's wish fulfillment for japanese nerds, but you must remember that for japanese nerds, being an assertive, dominant, and aggressive man is not actually seen as an attractive quality.
>>30930735I wouldn't try pleasing the people who want to punch out half the characters in the quest. This just isn't the quest for them.
This whole argument blows my fucking mind. Never mind anime, the unreliable narrator is one if the most classic fiction pulls. How the fuck were people surprised? This wasn't even much of a reveal.And what fucking purpose would punching chief have? You're apparently so wrapped up in being some bizarre emotionless edgelord who wants to exist in a perfectly static universe- because that's what you keep voting for.
>>30930945trolls.
>>30930945>This wasn't even much of a reveal.Yes. It's not like he's actually the murderer or something. It's like, hey, you know the main character probably cares more than he lets on. It's fucking nothing.
That dxr had to veto the punch is insane. You want to portray a guy who wants to be left Alone and live a normal life? Okay. Where does that sync up with punching a little girl? She bit you on the neck to snap you out of it.Ignoring the dv as comedy bit, where in the character you were playing does this come from?At this point I honestly believe half the players in thus thread stomped in from qtg's weeaboo discussion last night just to troll
>>30931041>a little girlShe's short, but she's hardly a little girl.And let's see the leadup to the "punch" suggestion:We're at an event we don't want to be at, we're clearly being rubbed the wrong way by Hawkeye, we've tried to separate from the group but are once again shadowed by Claire who won't stop being annoying, found some papers that apparently were so shocking that they disabled our comprehension abilities, then get forced into an inescapable life-or-death situation.Whilst trying to get one moment to ourselves despairing over our life, Chief tears at our throat in order to bring us back to reality, before insulting us yet again, and openly antagonizing us.This was followed by a vote in which 7 chose to sit like a bitch and listen to chief, though 2 of those were doing it reluctantly. 7 chose to punch Chief, 2 chose to listen to Hawkeye purely on the grounds of "Fuck Chief", and 1 anon suggested that the Punch the Chief votes should AT LEAST be toned down to being a reactively antagonistic response to her.At which point DXR discarded half of the votes because "it's not funny in this scenario". When the players voting clearly weren't trying to be funny.
Drama aside, when does Captain get a chance to rip and tear like a beast? I want to see him let loose and everyone in the box freeze from shock.Also, how many bloody people were there in the ball? Are we the only one worth shit there?
>>30931369This.I'm excited to see him cut loose and vent all his pent-up frustration into tearing the Xenos agents to shreds. It will, of course, result in Claire getting wet for us again. Which can only result in more shenanigans.
>>30931331The only reason I don't throw a fit about hitting Claire is because Claire really likes it and it's usually done as some punchline. Being funny is important because it takes the edge off. Without the humor, it's just mean
>>30931369I think tonight is just the rehearsal dinner,=
>>30931465According to DXR, everything in this quest is humor and light-hearted because anime.
>>30931331They were discarded because the votes didn't fit the character as had already been established or the tone of the scene. Sure, Captain's reluctant hero shtick could have been even more blatantly obvious, or explicitly spelled out since some people managed to miss it, but he's not a blank slate, and it's a good thing that DXR is willing to ignore suggestions that do not fit.>>30931369Hopefully we get that tomorrow. If any of those god damned Xenos fuckers get between us and the buffet table there will be hell to pay. I wonder how Claire would react to us hunting down a wild animal or Renegade Being and giving her the corpse to cook.
>>30931476I can't agree with everything, but vetoing the punch seemed okay. I'm not cool with hitting someone that isn't going to enjoy being hit
>>30931496I want him to waltz back in the box while snacking on a ripped off arm in his beast form.How do ya like this animal, Chief?
>>30931518Captain isn't a blank slate for you to project your edgelord fantasies onto.>Oh look at me>I'm such a hardass>I'm eating the people I killed for no reason
>>30931538The fuck you on about?
>>30931496>They were discarded because the votes didn't fit the characterSo mold them to fit the fucking character. This is the first goddamn lesson when it comes to interactive writing where custom options are involved.The only QM who would outright discard votes like that is an incompetant QM who doesn't understand what his players want.Again, the suggestion was even made FOR him- tone them down into an antagonistic response.If you look at the actual responses given, there are 7 votes for "Sit quietly and listen to whatever she has to say" versus 9 to the effect of "Don't listen to Chief, show some form of spine for once in the quest". But, of course, 7 of those 9 got outright discarded, and Captain once more acted like the little UGN bitch he is.>>30931510Just for emphasis, here, I am NOT condoning the votes to actually punch Chief. However, the majority of the playerbase at that point in time wanted to enact an aggressively negative response to her.I am outright condemning DXR for disregarding the possibility of Captain showing any negative responses.
So are we going to fight ReneGear Ray or not?
>>30931578Quests are not democracies, nor should they be. Sometimes it's best to just ignore suggestions that are too off target, and don't fit the characters, tone, or situation. This was one of those times. He was upfront about those votes being ignored, you can either cope and keep reading, or stop following. Your choice.If they had actually suggested negative responses that made sense I could see your point, or if more than one person showed support for toning it down.Trying to mollify the group of people clamoring to punch Chief in the face by having the Captain be negative towards her would have gone against what the rest wanted, not given the vocally angry players who wanted to punch her what they actually wanted, and would still have lead to a pile of people bitching. You can't make everyone happy, him trying to appeal to everyone under those circumstances would've made things worse. Obviously it's pretty clear where you stand on this, so I'm sure you'll find something else to bitch about.
>>30931904Here's a compromise between punching and not punching.Why not have Captain flick Chief in the forehead? With his strength, it's bound to be painful and still comedic, but it's not as edgy as outright punching her.
>>30931955Biting her back.Telling her to get lost, to leave him alone.Simply shoving her away.Outright ignoring her.Choosing to listen to the plan whilst at least voicing his annoyance.There are plenty of options that would've been less edgy than punching her, AND still appeased both crowds.>>30931904>Quests are not democracies, nor should they be.No, but ignoring the majority because the minority chose the route you preferred also is not a Quest.That's just a writefag circlejerk.
So... the Captain is the kid who pretends to be antisocial but actually just wants friends? Is this that dumb Japanese thing where everybody secretly has identical preferences but some people got beaten as a child or decided to fulfill them in really stupid ways? Explain this to me, I don't understand anime.
>>30932036How about internally resolving to learn how to make our neck as hard as diamonds so she hurts herself next time she tries biting?
>>30932053I like it. It shows active resistance to the treatment, the potential for character growth, and leaves the possibility to inflict humorous pain upon her next time she tries it in a less serious environment.
>>30931955They weren't trying to be funny, that is pretty damn clear. One person suggested toning it down, more said they weren't trying to be funny and another said that since they couldn't punch her they'd rather do nothing.
>>30932044>Explain this to me, I don't understand anime.http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IceQueenhttp://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DeadpanSnarkerTVTROPES IS BAD. I know, but these might help with your understanding.
>>30932070And the best part is that I suggested it earlier when the vote occurred and DXR disregarded it, so it's apparently too edgy/unfunny/grim/whatever for his quest!
>>30932082These seem like really surface level tropes when I'm more confused by what's going on in Captain's rich internal life, and thus aren't very helpful.
>>30932103That's kind of the issue voiced by every non-weeb player throughout this thread.DXR has been using shallow archtypes to define the behavior of what we're seeing as deep and complex characters.
>>30932118Surely someone who reads a lot of anime could tell me what's going on with the Captain, though? What trope/archetype he is invoking? My previous assumption was that the Captain was like a dog and just sort of did things arbitrarily.
>>30932154>read>animeNigga what.http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SugarAndIcePersonalityNot sure if this is it. I don't watch a lot of anime myself.
>>30932228I would describe him as being similar to Kyon. He would always complain but ultimately follow the orders, kind of like Jerk with a Heart of Gold.
>>30932228>Nigga what.What, do you "hear" subtitles?
>>30932322Kyon is probably the best comparison, yes, but unlike with Haruhi, there's no real motivation for Captain to keep working for UGN.
>>30932361There is always the temptation of a reduced observation period.
>>30932361There's the whole "the other guys want me dead/insane and won't take a no for an answer" thing.
>>30932371>>30932373Exactly!
>>30932390Thing is that we haven't exactly been told by how much the observation period has been reduced, so there is always the suspicion that they are just fucking with the Captain to make him their workhorse.
>>30932322If you say "similar to X character," when I'm not familiar with X character, it isn't very helpful.
>>30932420Then why are you asking us, instead of reading more about the series Kyon is from to understand?
>>30932436Because I watched like two episodes of that before I got disgusted and couldn't watch any more.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PunchClockHerohttp://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HeroicNeutralhttp://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Dismotivation
>>30932420Kyon endlessly monologues about how all he wants is a quiet, easy life to himself. However, Haruhi is always there to interrupt his peace and quiet and force more adventure down his apathetic throat. He will bitch and whine during the entire thing about her behavior, and how it's totally inappropriate, and how he basically just wants to go home, but he will always follow her orders to the letter and never raise a finger to try to stop her.Eventually, he gets the chance to be free of her for good, to live the life he's always "wished" for. He ends up turning down this possibility for a quiet life, in order to get her back. Because life without her would be boring.Essentially, our Capt. is the same. He's insisting that he can't stand the entire cast and just wants to be alone, but deep down, he's not going to fight them because he wants them to be there. He's secretly overjoyed that Chief & co. moved in, because now he can socialize with them without having to admit that he wants to seek them out.
