[Complete] Vanilla Mafia Simulator 1.0 - Game Thread

[windskull]

Just when it seems like the hexagon flooring will stretch forever, shapes appear on the horizon. And as the wanderers came close, they would recognize the structures as small, uniform homes, seemingly made of the same material as the floor. The houses are arranged loosely in a circle, surrounding several hexagons raised up to create a stage. And beyond the strange town, there is nothing but the same empty plains like the places they came from.

At first, the area appears abandoned. All the houses are empty, little more than shells. But soon they see others wandering about. Others that hold orbs like they do, approaching from different parts of the little village.

For some, the setup may be hauntingly familiar. Others have no clue what happens next. But one thing is clear, they’ve been gathered here for a reason. And if the two countdowns that have

---

The thread is now Open for Day 0 RP. Signups are still open for the next 24 Hours. Day 1 will begin in 48 Hours

@Flyg0n
@Sinderella
@ShiniGojira
@HelloYellow17
@Dragonfree
@SparklingEspeon
@IFBench

 

[Flyg0n]

"Yeehaw."

 

[ShiniGojira]

A mask peeked out from one of the houses and out stepped a person dressed in a suit that looked like they were a overly-dramatic comic book supervillain.

The masked person glanced around, nodding. "Alright. Yup, definitely not my world," she said, her body covered in a flash of white. Luckily, it didn't seem like anyone was close enough to be blinded by the light.

She let out a sigh, her hair flowing in an ethereal breeze and with the light quickly fading away, she walked around the empty town without any thought or purpose.

 

[windskull]

One timer hits zero, while the other ticks on. Something shifts in the atmosphere. There’s a flash of light at the center of the stage, bright and blinding. As the brightness fades, its clear that a figure appeared in the center. The porygon spins around lazily, eying the other arrivals.

“Ah, excellent, everything worked just as expected,” they begin. “Listen up everyone, this is important! My designation is Alex, and I will be your host for this game. I’ve called you all here for a test, of sorts. A simulation of deception and distrust. Some of you may be familiar with it already.”

Alex began to circle around the stage. “Each of you has an orb. Keep it close, as this is your lifeline. Very shortly, when the next countdown reaches zero, you will be silently sorted into two groups. The town, and the mafia, as it were. SOme of you may gain powers, while others will only have your wit. This is a design of the game, do not let it worry you.”

The porygon returned to the center of the stage. “If you have any other questions about how the game works, you can request more information from the orb with a touch. Now, do any of you have questions for this unit?” They seemed to be referring to themselves.

---

Day 1 Begins in 24 Hours

 

[Chibi Pika]

Great, another distortion.

"Vanilia Zoroark Simulator Version 1.0" That's what the sky said. Along with a bunch of bizarro digital holographic imagery stretching as far as the eye could see. Dungeons didn't usually go for this sort of technology vibe, but with the sheer amount of human-world shit showing up lately, it wasn't that out of left field.

No, the weird part was that some small, annoying part of Starr's head was telling her that she'd been in a place like this before. No, not a dungeon, something specific to this space. And she would have just brushed it off as a sign that she'd been pushing too hard and needed more sleep, but then that Porygon showed up and started explaining shit, and everything started to feel eerily familiar.

And familiarity wasn't something so easily ignored when she'd barely been able to remember anything from her human life.

The second red flag was the fact that there were humans here. Literal, actual humans, flesh-and-blood, not like the 'humans' in fursuits that you couldn't tell from a Pokemon beyond some aura bullshit. For a half-second, it made her wonder if she'd... no, still a Torracat. Just like she'd been for the past few months. God, she couldn't even remember what she looked like before.

So this definitely wasn't a dungeon, then. But if that was the case, then...

Starr whirled around, pulse pounding. "Brisa...?" she called out, a sinking feeling already telling her there wouldn't be an answer.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

The migraine-inducing disorientation of being somewhere else hit her like a hangover on a stormy morning. She stared at the tessellated blue ground with her paws on her temples, and took careful breaths. This was a different world, she felt damn sure, though she hadn't the faintest idea how she could know that. A different world – one where she could be alone. Alone.

Without Starr.

"Brisa...?"

She looked up, and that now-familiar dark face was there, not far from her. A torracat, her torracat, with that sharp green glare of hers, giving way to a measure of relief to see Brisa looking back. Starr was here too, at least, and every other question and fear felt tolerable for it. Gods, that was more than a mercy.

"Howdy, gal. What, didja reckon I'd let ya leave my plane of existence without taggin' along?" she drawled, wearing an easy grin, though Starr knew her well enough by now to catch the tinge of anxiety – and relief – in her timbre.

As Brisa's eyes adjusted to the unnatural, alien environment, all angles and cold light, she spotted a singular light apart from the rest lying between herself and the other cat. An orb. She padded closer to it, and to Starr, hoping that she'd clap a paw on Brisa's shoulder, or even, maybe, hug her.

 

[Chibi Pika]

Starr relaxed noticeably. She hadn't been expecting a reply. She'd been alone last time. (Last time? Was there really a 'last time'? Was there any reason to think that had actually happened?) But whatever the reason, Brisa was here.

"You say that like I wanted to be here," Starr replied with a snort. She kept her voice casual, but there was still a churning unease in her gut as Brisa approached the orb, some feeling of danger, and the sense that it would be really bad if they separated now. And she didn't want it to mean anything, and felt stupid for paying it any mind, but...

"Wait," Starr said, placing a paw on Brisa's shoulder. "We should"--god, she felt dumb--"we need to touch it at the same time. Or else we could get separated."

Separated, that was all. No need to say that she seriously believed there was a chance that the stupid thing could turn them against each other.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa nodded, ears dipping in acknowledgement. She felt it too – an intuition too strong to ignore.

"Sure thing, partner. I trust yer instincts, 'specially when yers an' mine are in agreement."

She reached out a paw, and waited for Starr to match her. Careful... careful. Their paws met together against the orb, and the little light shone outward, lighting the way. The uneasy feeling evaporated, replaced by the certainty that nothing could separate them.

"How 'bout we let this oddity lead the way?" she asked, relaxing into another tired smile. "Looks like we got an unexpected adventure to be contendin' with, partner."

Whatever awaited them, they could handle it together. Of that much, she was damn sure.

 

[windskull]

"Nine players, but only eight orbs. How curious." Alex's tone was unperturbed. "No matter, this was the first test after all. There are bound to be anomalies." There would be time to dwell on that later. For now, the second countdown has reached zero. In a matter of seconds, the sky changed. Now it looked like… a normal blue sky. Well, normal, save for the new countdown that had started.

"You should have heard your role in this game now," Alex began. "If you have any questions about how to play, feel free to ask. But I am unable to answer any other questions about the game." Alex settled themselves on the center of the stage. "Town, your goal is to eliminate the mafia. Mafia, your goal is to reach majority. You may begin discussions… now."

---

All roles should be given out now. If you did not receive your role, please DM me asap! Day 1 ends in 48 hours.

If you decide to cast a vote, please end your post with a Vote: Name and ping @windskull.

@Flyg0n
@Sinderella
@ShiniGojira
@HelloYellow17
@Dragonfree
@SparklingEspeon
@IFBench
@unrepentantAuthor and @Chibi Pika

 

[IFBench]

Lusamine cast her eyes over the crowd, a bored look in her eyes. None of this mattered. She needed to get back to her research. She needed to find that world. She needed to. She needed to.

Her gaze paused upon both the Espurr and the Torracat. Both had something beautiful about them. She could feel it.

They had something to do with her goal. They must. They must.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

So, there were others here. Humans, even. How strange they looked. What did Starr look like, in her human body? The human-torracat had explained the rules of Mafia to her on the way. Fucked up, but Brisa was ready to give it a shot. She was used to pressing people on their bullshit, it shouldn't be too hard to root out and lock up any "scum". She hoped.

She eyed a human with an oddly intense stare, directed largely at Starr...

"Y'got somethin' to say t'me an' my partner, best spit it out," she drawled.

Brisa groaned as an unaccountable fatigue took her.

"Starr, can you... take point, fer the first part of this? Reckon I'll feel better in a bit..."

[[Time for Brisa's Voice to sleep.]]

 

[ShiniGojira]

A simulation? Huh, y'know, for advanced as uncle Briggs and his friends may be, I don't think I've ever seen them use simulations. She hummed in thought, tapping her chin. But then again, it wasn't like she frequently visited them nor did she do it long enough to really see much.

Jenn glanced around, taking note of the people and strange creatures around. She blinked as a strange wave of familiarity washed over her. Are those? She hovered over to them and yes they were definitely familiar. They were Pokémon, actual living breathing Pokémon!

Her daddy had always said he was doing something with them for his creator or some crap but he never brought her to a world that had Pokémon no matter how many times she asked.

Gosh, she even remembered what mon this was. Has it really been ten years? She hadn't touched the games in so long but she knew she had one in her team just around the time when she was–

Okay, yeah. That got dark pretty quick. She shook her head before descending and placing a hand on the Luxio's sleeping form. "Aw, you're such a cute sweepy wittle cat-thing," she cooed.

 

[Dragonfree]

This again. Of course.

Dave sighed, sitting against the edge of the stage, dozing off with the orb in his hand. He awoke with a start to the Porygon announcing everyone had their roles; in some detached way he already knew his. Great. Okay, they could get started already and then--

He blinked. That fucking Luxio. The pointed ears, the silver and brown fur, nothing like any other Luxio he'd ever seen. "...Brisa?"

...And there was a Torracat with her, wasn't there.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Aw, you're such a cute sweepy wittle cat-thing," she cooed.

"Get yer motherfuckin' hand off me, or you'll soon lose it," Brisa growled back.

 

[SparklingEspeon]

She'd been here before. It was years back, and most of the players were different, but Espurr remembered enough. Enough to know they were playing a waiting game right now, and she'd best sit back until the first big development occurred. It did mean she'd have to do some networking; there wasn't a point talking to people you barely knew who were going to be dead by the dawn anyways, but there was a bit more of a point if you didn't want to get ostracized afterwards.

Of course, that was going to be a bit uncomfortable with the creepy one staring at her. She'd never even seen a Human before, or at least, she couldn't remember having seen one. That was the point where she was from, apparently. Now that she was back here, things she couldn't recall before were returning, and she could remember enough to instinctively tell that was a Human. A clearly interested Human.

Gulp. She was just going to roll back the sick feeling in her gut of memories, her memories, being toyed with again, and try her best to focus on keeping it together. Given what she knew was coming, it was probably better if she just started that now.

"Need something?" she asked the creepy Human, trying to keep her voice stable. She didn't know why it was wavering.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"...Brisa?"

Brisa cocked her head at the stranger.

"Do I know you, fella?" she asked, disconcerted. For a moment her gut lurched at the notion that this was her pa returned to human form, but no, surely not. His voice was dead wrong, for one.

"Don't recall ever meetin' a human afore today," she added, not counting her father or Starr, given the context.

 

[Chibi Pika]

Starr's head hurt. That would've been the case just from being here, but there had to be extra things on top screwing with her head, starting with the man in front of them, who looked like a real mess. Hazy, half images of herself, human, jabbing a finger at him and barking out some accusation in some other place what felt like a million years ago. Except that wasn't the only time she'd seen him--he was Brisa's... what? He was her what? God, none of this made any fucking sense.

"I'm not gonna pretend like I've got any idea how the hell this place works," Starr grumbled. "I know I've played this sort of 'game' before, but that's about it."

 

[Dragonfree]

Brisa cocked her head at the stranger.

"Do I know you, fella?" she asked, disconcerted. For a moment her gut lurched at the notion that this was her pa returned to human form, but no, surely not. His voice was dead wrong, for one.

"Don't recall ever meetin' a human afore today," she added, not counting her father or Starr, given the context.

The first look on her face was a weird mixture of confusion and anxiety, and for a moment it shook him somehow, before he realized. Oh. She wouldn't know his actual human self, would she? Or... technically she had seen him that one time, but briefly, a younger version, probably hopefully she barely even remembered that fucking thing anyway. "Right. It's Dave. Mightyena Dave, from Cibus, the less furry version." He lifted a hand before looking over at the Torracat. "And you're Starr, right?" Had to be. The voice sounded like her.

He glanced toward the other humans present, rubbing his forehead. God, he must sound fucking insane. He just... Brisa was here. Never thought he'd see her again, but here she was, like nothing had happened. And she came here with Starr? What, they'd managed to find a way to meet again? Only Starr was a human, so... she'd gotten summoned by some Diyem-like entity to cowboy world? What. Good, for some value of good, cowboy world was still fucking nuts, but what.

 

[Sinderella]

Clovis flipped his lighter on and off, his eyes silently moving between any prominent features in the space. The houses, the orbs, the others who had been gathered here. Suffice to say, he felt relieved that he’d chosen not to arrive in a suit this time, but wasn’t entirely eased by setting. This looked like a virtual reality. Could it simulate them going into the woods? Or space? He shuddered at the thought and just lit the cigarette clamped between his lips.

Before pocketing it, he shot one last look at the lighter, turning it over in his hands. He remembered the lad who’d given this to him—at the last game he played, before Odette decided to steal his fucking invites—and sighed at the thought. What an absolute shit show that had been. Though he’d gotten confirmation everyone who had “died” was alright, he still couldn’t help but wonder…

Closing his eyes, he shoved the lighter into the pocket of his jeans and proceeded to take a long drag off the cigarette.

“Well. Hopefully things will be more tame this time around,” he said to himself.

 

[HelloYellow17]

Gods-dammit, this? Again?

Wes wasn’t sure whether to be furious or wearily resigned. The latter soon took over, and with a huff, he wandered his way into the totally-not-creepy-as-hell town square. Or…he assumed it was, anyway. It was the closest thing he had to describe it.

These places were always wildly different and unnerving every time, but this one especially so. Maybe it was the giant clock in the sky, counting down until someone met their doom. Or the eerily empty houses all around them.

Not that it mattered too much. It could have been a perfect paradise and he’d still be sick of this shit.

The number of people was significantly smaller than he last remembered. Wes wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing. He scanned the others for a sign of a familiar face, maybe, but…no. Most of them were Pokémon—talking Pokémon, that’s right, that was another weird thing about these places—and there were a few humans, but…well. One looked as though he hadn’t slept for three months, another looked a bit too mischievous for Wes’ liking, and the other looked…a little unhinged. The coldness in her eyes was far too reminiscent of Gonzap, so Wes made a mental note to stay far away from her.

As far as Pokémon, there was a…oh, was that Chappie—? Ah, no, whoever it was nearly took the hand off the younger girl. Someone else, then. And a fire-type looking feline next to her, and another creepy cat-looking thing with the biggest damn eyes Wes had ever seen, and—a rodent. Of some kind. Wearing a cowboy hat.

Gods, he already had a headache.