ooo bots without limiters.
squishy robot villain in future, calling it now. Maybe even one of the lauded Catboys. that would be funny.


Anyway.
Lamb: why isn't Dog having pizza with the others, anyway.
have a sad laugh about garlic.

or, Lamb: just stream of consciousness a bit, who knows.

Maybe this is a dumb question, but who are we? We had a conversation with Binzy but also make decisions as characters and I'm trying to figure out how diagetic we are.

>>1026398
not dumb! it’s intentionally a bit wishy-washy. when you aren’t directly controlling characters, such as when reviewing info with binzy or making decisions about upgrades to buy, you’re... nobody and everybody. The Spirit Of The Group, or schrodinger’s player character, basically. the dialogue is naturalistic with binzy for the sake of flow but the intent is that these convos could be happening with anyone in the collective — this allows for commentary on everyone without directly breaking the fourth wall or causing conflicts with a “player character” who hasn’t actually been chosen.

when you’re engaged in an event with specific characters involved — like the dog and lamb hangout happening now — you can provide suggestions to any of the characters involved. in all cases outside of combat though, reader suggestions are something that affect the characters in a meta sense, not information that’s being directly communicated to them.

Lamb: Maybe ask dog what he's making? Not a bad conversation starter and he's right about it being a good idea to be at least not hostile with your teammates

Dog: I think being okay with the possibility of a tense silence and letting Lamb engage in whatever way's comfortable for it would probably be the best way to go. Don't want to push too hard and accidentally start a fight

Lamb: Maybe test the waters here to see if Dog With A Gun is being honest about his motives. Something innocuous but could get a good read on him character-wise, like what he thought about those level 1 heroes?

Im just here to say I love Dio and Dog with a gun, and I would love to hear whatever conver with Lamb and Dog, I just have no idea what

dog with a gun, i love you so much

pale woman: fall madly in love with the dog, fulfilling the projections of the prophet Rusty Cage

lamb: ask what the fuq a sweet potatoe is. have you ever even seen one before? why is it orange,

Lamb: Ask what DWAG is even cooking. Comment he seems more calm preparing food. Is the cooking process relaxing for you?

they share one thing in common: can't have garlic

though it'd be funny to sneak some in to give DWAG the toots

I've never read a quest with that perspective type, but it makes sense. Thanks for clearing it up for me!

Let's see, these two are like, the most philosophical of the bunch, right? Personally I don't get how someone can live a truly examined life and *choose* evil, but I bet these two would have some interest comparing how they think they'll know when they've gotten what they need out of villainy.

FRACTAL 2022/03/31(Thu)10:24 No. 1027730 ID: 86f04a
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Lamb peers at Dog With A Gun, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Do you always try to get along with everyone like this?”

Dog With A Gun hums thoughtfully as he rummages through the fridge. When he emerges he’s holding a wrapped styrofoam tray of chicken thighs, labeled with a neatly centered sticky note: DOG WITH A GUN’S. DO NOT EAT. “Almost always,” he decides, “and almost everyone.”

Lamb considers that. Her tone remains skeptical. “Isn’t it hard?”

That makes Dog With A Gun burst into laughter — actual, robust laughter, not a dry chuckle — a phenomenon that is relatively unsettling given the noise comes from between barely moving jaws. Or it would be unsettling, were Lamb not already a member of the ravenous undead, and therefore about as accustomed to unsettling phenomenon as one can be. “It is,” he admits, as he peels away the plastic wrap. “But I believe it’s worth it. Or rather, I only make the attempt when I think it will be worth it.”

He’s digging out another pan and Lamb finds herself wondering if anyone else ever even touches the collection of cooking supplies in the drawers and cabinets. The reason she usually likes lurking in here is because she’s rarely interrupted. “I try to get along when I think it will benefit me, or benefit the team as a whole,” Dog With A Gun continues. Shimmering oil, the rasp of a pepper grinder. Sounds and smells Lamb hasn’t experienced since childhood. “And when I think there’s a reasonable chance of success. Otherwise, no, I do decide it would be too difficult.” The chicken is laid in the pan, and Lamb almost flinches at the sudden rush of noise as the flesh sizzles, but she catches herself. Dog With A Gun gestures vaguely over his shoulder with a set of metal tongs. “Take Fio, for example. There’s no point at all in trying to get along with Fio.”

FRACTAL 2022/03/31(Thu)10:24 No. 1027731 ID: 86f04a
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Lamb leans forward a bit, brow furrowed. “I thought you do get along with Fio.”

“Sure. But I don’t try.” He turns away from the stove, finally, setting the tongs aside as he lets the meat cook. “Trying enrages him. If he can tell you’re just changing your behavior to make a compromise or to appease him, he’ll immediately become more antagonistic. The only thing to do is to speak your mind and stick to your opinions, and if that means a fight, then it means a fight. He’ll respect you more for it after the dust settles, anyway. Some people are like that.” He nods lightly in Lamb’s direction. “Kel is like that.”

Lamb hadn’t ever really thought of Kel that way. The concept that Dog With A Gun knows things about her that she herself doesn’t sets her teeth on edge, and yet she can’t think of anything to say about it. She spits out what she knows. “But you don’t get along with Kel.”

Dog With A Gun closes his eyes in quiet acknowledgement. “She frustrates me, yes.”

“I don’t get along with Fio.”

“Sure.”

“None of us get along with anyone,” Lamb presses, insistent now in ways that she doesn’t particularly understand, “or we wouldn’t be locked in a fucking tower killing everyone who gets near us.”

Dog With A Gun raises his eyebrows, briefly, before turning around to flip the chicken. “We aren’t locked in the tower.”

“That isn’t the point.” Lamb leans back harder against the counter, wrapping her fingers tightly around the edge. “Why try to act like everyone can be normal friends? Like we have an everyday life? None of us are friendly, normal people.”

“Because it is very annoying if we don’t,” Dog With A Gun says, crisply. “Because even if you live in absolute hostility towards the world, you still need to pass your time in it every day while it exists. Because no matter how atypical your work or lifestyle may be, you still need to face other people every morning. Because there’s no award for being intentionally difficult or for sacrificing practicality to commit to the purity of an aesthetic.”

Lamb blinks, digesting this as he wrenches open the oven and shoves the pan of chicken inside along with the potatoes. For the first time, the art of conversation seems to align with what she knows about killing people — in that she sees an opening for a blade, and goes for it. “Are you still talking to me, now? Or to Fio?”

Dog With A Gun slams the oven door and dusts his hands off. “I’d like to talk about something else.”

FRACTAL 2022/03/31(Thu)10:24 No. 1027732 ID: 86f04a
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That felt a little less satisfying than knifing someone, but at least Lamb now feels like she understands something about conversing with people that she didn’t before. She searches her idle thoughts for the next closest topic on her mind, and when she finds it, she throws it on the floor between them. “Are you some kind of werewolf?”

“That’s an unbelievably rude question,” Dog With A Gun replies evenly.

Lamb doesn’t let up. “Something else, then? Were you experimented on? Are you cursed?”

“I am a man with the head of a German Shepherd. I was once a boy with the head of a German Shepherd puppy. I find talking about it extremely boring. New topic, please.”

Lamb hisses at him. He allows that, patiently, but remains silent as he waits for her to think of something else. She sighs, rolls her eyes, and asks the only other thing she can think of. “What are you making?”

“Potatoes, chicken, and rice.”

Lamb stares at him. “I hate talking,” she says, finally.

“And that’s fine.” Dog With A Gun shrugs, leaning back against his side of the counter again. “Perhaps the way we can get along is for me to simply leave you alone. I’m capable of that.”

Lamb tilts her head, looking at him again the same way she did at the beginning of the conversation — suspicious, appraising, but not immediately wanting to bolt. “Okay. Fine. Let’s do that.”

Dog With A Gun extends his hand for a handshake, and Lamb scoffs and swats it away, climbing back up onto the counter. As far as daily interactions go in the Tower of Evil, this was almost wholesome.

RELATIONSHIP AFFECTED: [Lamb of God’s PERSONAL OPINION of Dog With A Gun has improved from NEUTRAL to NEUTRAL++.]

FRACTAL 2022/03/31(Thu)10:25 No. 1027734 ID: 86f04a
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You likely have time for one more free time activity before the next heroes arrive.

Notes:
+ Not enough time has passed for there to be new INFO, UPGRADES, or RECRUITS at Binzy’s command + center.
+ Checking the BULLETIN BOARD is a free action, and only selecting a task to complete will count as using a free time slot.
+ You can repeat activities, such as hanging out or training more than once with different villains.
+ If choosing to send one or more villains on a DAY TRIP, remember that team members who do not arrive back to the tower before the next hero attack cannot participate in combat.

let's check the bulletin board!

bulletin board and then possibly another hangout? dearly and kel could be fun, or cleveland and tios!

if it's a free action, there's no reason not to, right? but i think our final action should be spent training once the chips are down

Does Binzy and Kel training together sound like a bad idea? Because that's what I want to see.

We should definitely check the bulletin board and either do some training or another hangout. Not sure who wiyh though, maybe Dearly and someone else? I would also love to see Kel, maybe both of them together would be interesting.

>Because there’s no award for being intentionally difficult or for sacrificing practicality to commit to the purity of an aesthetic.
I can prove Dog-With-A-Gun wrong with multiple references and witness testimony. Of course, the award is typically the kind that tries to exsanguinate you with its own weight...

>What Do
Training, pick 2 random villains.

Training: Kel and Cleveland. Lock a sniper and a berserker in a room and see if they can cover each other's weak ranges or if Kel just ends up throwing her around like a chew toy. Hm, that's a neat idea for a tactic actually, tossing her up to ledges and stuff.

Let's check the bulletin board before we commit to anything. As checking it is a free action, bulletin updates could be done as automatic notifications rolled into future posts.

check bulletin board! im always a [redacted] for a free action!

maybe some training with Kel and Fio? they must be bored, they didn't get to kill anything other then pizza!

Bulletin board before we commit to anything else, i think!

>>1027734
Bulletin board

I want the bullets in

Fio and Kell hanging out souns cool !

FRACTAL 2022/04/11(Mon)07:58 No. 1028858 ID: 6be390
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Here you can view the current bulletin board requests. Not all team members will have a request up at all times, and requests may change frequently, so if you like you can default to automatically re-checking the board every time you return to headquarters.

You can choose a specific team member (or members) to fulfill a request, and successfully doing so guarantees at least two points (++) of relationship improvement with the villain who posted the task, either personal or professional depending on the nature of the errand. Some requests may take more than one unit of free time to complete, so you can pick away at them on and off whenever free time is available (though the potential time limitations/consequences of villains travelling outside the tower still applies).

Would you like to work on one of the bulletin board requests, or would you like to choose another free time activity?

im bringing cleveland driving and dwag with his head out the window tongue a-flappin to the table. however we just had a dwag scene so that one goes in the ass pocket for later

This was a mistake.

To the training center!

we can get dwag to go on a car ride to get dry cleaning and cb's snacks! but i guess we don't have to right now, i'm kinda curious what training looks like

I wanna spend some time with Kel

I want to see Kel training with Cleveland! Lamb and TIOS watching

much as I wanna se DWAG hanging his head out the window of a car training is probably a better use of our time

Get Fio a catboy, this is top priority

Defaulting to check the board sounds like a good idea. Also yeah, sad as i am to miss out on a car ride for dwag lets get some Kel training time in

>>1028858
Yeah defaulting on Bulletinboard when returning to HQ and agreeing with >>1028859

I think training with Kel is a solid use of our time, thicken up that absolute murder chonk.

can we go back to info and check everyones stats? itd be good to see who needs training the most. otherwise, id suggest a pair that has a bad relationship- maybe fio and lamb, maybe with lamb taking dawgs advice into consideration to try to get along better?

please god let us get a catboy. consider the possibilities for even just 5 seconds. it would be so fun

Man, I just realized Dog With A Gun shortens to DWAG. That's witty.

Um, what if we let Binzy take DWAG and Cleveland on a car ride to buy grosseries and dry clean and then spend the rest of the day hanging out?

CLEVRLAND AND DWAG CARRIDE

This sounds like a day trip. Three villains sounds like a lot to take out all at once, at least this early.
I think it would be better to get some training in - maybe Fio and Kel?

Cleveland and DWAG shopping + errand outing? Could be a good opportunity for interpersonal bonding.

GET A CATBOY. oh my god. what kind of villain team doesn't have an evil pet. fio can get this easy. it's just like picking one up at the shelter, right?

>>1032873
They're really fucked<3up tho.

I am voting for the catboy

>Catbo-
NO.

I think I agree that we really do need one of those fucked up catboys. Watch dog with a gun chase them around the building. Its good team building.

>>1033531
Gonna have to say that as fun as the fucked-up catboy (FUCB) recruitment plan sounds we should probably just stick to

>>1031248
this.