Grand Opening Fanfic Mafia

[Negrek]

Grand Opening Fanfic Mafia​

All is not well in the worlds of Pokémon fanfic. From story to story some unseen force has been moving, causing beloved characters to vanish into thin air. Rumors speak of a shadowy organization, motive unknown but undoubtedly sinister, spreading its influence throughout emptying stories. As heroes from tales of all kinds come together, one thing is clear: it will take all of them to root out cause of the mysterious disappearances and restore peace to their narratives.

For our first Thousand Roads event, we're going to be playing mafia! The premise is simple: you choose a fanfic character (your own or one belonging to someone else) and are randomly assigned to one of two teams. Either you'll become part of the mafia, working to take control of the board by eliminating your opponents, or you'll become one of the innocent, working to discover and jail the members of the mafia before they can take over your home.

If you haven't played mafia before, it works like this:

1. Players are split into either mafia or innocent factions. The mafia know who belongs on their team, and they may freely communicate with each other outside of the game thread. The innocents do not know the alignments of any of the other players, and they can interact only by posting in the game thread at designated times.

2. The game proceeds in a series of "day" phases and "night" phases.

During the day, all players are "awake" and able to post in the game thread. This is the time when the innocents need to discuss who they think the mafia are, based on other players' posts or what they believe may have happened at night. Ultimately this leads to players voting on which person should be sent to jail. If the jailed player turns out to have been a member of the mafia, the innocents are one step closer to winning--but if they guess wrong, they'll only help the mafia in their quest to eliminate the innocents.

At night, the mafia choose one player to make disappear. They're free to talk with each other, plan, and strategize, but the innocent players cannot communicate. However, some innocent players may have a special ability that they can use during the night. What kind of ability a player might have will be determined by the character they choose to use in the game.

3. The game continues until either the mafia make up the majority of remaining players (meaning that they can control all day-votes) or the innocents successfully jail all of the mafia.

Right now we're in the sign-up phase. If you'd like to play, post in this thread with the character you want to use. This can be one of your own fanfic characters, or a character from someone else's story, but if you'd like to use another person's character please get their permission first.

Sign-ups are open until midnight UTC on Tuesday, April 30th. I'll get everything set up, and then the game will begin Wednesday, May 1st.

 

[Negrek]

Just a quick post to clarify a couple of things:

1. You choose characters before you know what side you're going to end up on. This could mean that your purehearted character ends up stuck with the mafia, or your totally evil character gets thrown in and expected to cooperate with the good guys. This is to make sure that people can't spot the mafia simply by calling out all the villain characters. From a storytelling standpoint, it might present you with a challenge--is there something that just might convince a goody two-shoes to start erasing people? Is there some way they might believe it could be for the best? On the other hand, just how might your dyed-in-the-wool evil type handle having to cooperate with a bunch of do-gooders? Would they be able to stand it, even to save their own skin?

2. You can choose to make your game posts in-character or not! It's a matter of what would be the most fun for you. If you don't post in-character, your character choice will still influence what powers you're granted in the game and the game flavor posts that will accompany the start and end of each in-game day.

 

[DeliriousAbsol]

Okay! This sounds like a LOT of fun, and I am no stranger to putting my cast through the wringer. Bring it on.

I'm not writing a Pokemon fanfic atm, but I'd really like to use a character from a completely different franchise, because he's not exactly unfamiliar with random world-jumping. (I do have a crossover with System:Reboot planned for this story, anyway!) It'll be a fun way to work on his character a bit, too. I'll try to attach a picture of him if I can get it to work:

Much needed information:

Name - Infinite
Species - Jackal
Gender - Male
Age - Cannot age physically, so stuck in the guise of a 27 year old
Home world - Originally the Sonic world of Mobius. Now it's the colourful cyberpunk world of Mainframe.
Allignment - Neutral. His opinion of 'evil' is very much lenient. If he thinks someone is evil, he won't hesitate to do something about it. He finds it very difficult to actually care about anyone, and has a very low opinion of the world as a whole. He stands by his opinion and can not be easily manipulated.
Powers - illusion and reality manipulation, however due to the nature of it, it is physically draining and limited. Can teleport in a poof of pink smoke. Randomly, much to his chagrin. He can also tell what someone truly desires by touching them. Of course, this is only surface deep as far as the mind goes. So... hide away? (I can't go too much into this without spoilers.)
Weaknesses - As well as his limitations, people can use his powers if they get hold of a piece of the jewel in his chest. Given this would drain him like a battery, he tends to keep this under his hat.
Quirks - Limited social skills, no boundaries. Insane. Loves peanut butter. Can't stand the colour pink (or anything that tastes pink).

To make it more Pokemon themed, he's somehow managed to acquire a Sobble. It cannot talk, and is very timid, and he'll do anything to protect it. (This is a bit of a joke I carried over from the Sonic Amino, when I did some daft 'hype train' fanart.) He calls it Fish.


(I kept clicking things. You almost got multiple pictures of him. I mean, sure, he can create clones, but calm down, Del...)

 

[NebulaDreams]

Yeah, sure, this sounds like fun! I’ll do one for an OC of mine that’s only had a cameo at the end of Black Paint, but he’ll eventually end up being the third true protagonist of the universe I’m writing in. I have a good idea of his story in my head, so I’ll try my best to describe him without spoiling much.

Name: Ess
Species: Scrafty
Gender: Male
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Appearance: Tall for his species, and wears branded human clothes as a status symbol.
Background: Ess is the leader of The Griefers, an all-Pokemon gang based in Jubilife that aims to help all stray city Pokemon while opposing the shadowy human groups that operate gangs of organised crime. Having grown up in the streets and around humans in Castelia, he is savvy with technology and has picked up some of their slang.
Goal: His ambition is to grow his follower base and destabilise the status quo by getting Pokemon to rebel.
Weapons: Alongside being a Dark type Pokemon, he also uses improvised weapons such as nailed bats, knives and molotov cocktails.

 

[Dragonfree]

Signing up. Let's torment David Ambrose, miserable asshole scientist extraordinaire, because Dave.

You know him; should I write up a profile anyway? If so, what info should it have?

 

[Negrek]

Signing up. Let's torment David Ambrose, miserable asshole scientist extraordinaire, because Dave.

You know him; should I write up a profile anyway? If so, what info should it have?

Not necessary on my end. Feel free to add a little more info if you'd like your fellow players to know a bit more about him, though!

Sign-ups look great so far! Already looks like we're going to have a fun game.

 

[Namohysip]

I suppose I can enter this. Considering the perilous nature of the event, I think I'm going to use someone inherently disposable: a piece of Hecto! Minor spoilers, he exists.

Name: Hecto
Species: Zygarde (10%)
Gender: Male
Alignment: Neutral ~ Lawful Neutral
Appearance: He's a Zygarde doggo.
Background, non-spoiler version: He scatters himself across the world of Kilo after breaking through his cell limit, focused on watching and observing as much of it as possible at any given time. He rarely steps in to interfere unless he considers it absolutely necessary--at least, that's his spoken policy. It seems that, for some reason, one of him went rogue to directly assist in the strange disappearances in lands across the Overworld... And so, here he is as part of the Mafia game.
Trivia: Generally expressionless unless you have a keen eye. Apparently doesn't laugh. Enjoys libraries. Main weakness allegedly involves belly rubs and compliments.

 

[Virgil134]

This sure looks like it will be a lot of fun! I'll sign up with Cabot:

Name: Cabot
Species: Cranidos
Gender: Male
Personality: Cheery, optimistic, yet naive. Has a strong desire to go on adventure, meaning exploring new areas, helping others in need, and fighting bad guys. He signed up for his world’s navy because of that.
Appearance: Wears an indigo scarf with a white leaf on it as a member of the Royal Navy.
Other notes: Comes from a Pokémon-only world where the only habitable part is a sea with a bunch of islands.

 

[Dragonfree]

Name: David Ambrose (Dave)
Species: Human
Gender: Male
Personality: Has for his entire adult life covered up his many issues and insecurities with anger, sarcasm and general jerkassitude. He is very smart and also kind of an idiot and generally terrible and often pretty self-destructive, including rampant alcoholism that he is somehow still in denial about. He also created (with a team of other scientists whose significant contributions he kind of brushes over) some unholy Pokémon-human hybrid abominations, including his half-Vulpix daughter Jean and the half-Scyther that he likes to take out for hotdogs and try to debate ethics and societal norms with, and they're pretty much what keeps him getting out of bed in the morning. He will be a raging fire of justice for their sake.
Appearance: Human man, average height, level of personal grooming will very much depend on what day you catch him on. If people are disappearing (are the Pokémorphs disappearing, oh boy, is this going to be Fun Dave), he probably Does Not Care, does he.

 

[Umbramatic]

Name: Loki

Species: Zygarde

Gender: ORDER (nonbinary)

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Appearance: About the same as any other Zygarde in all their forms... Except their human form:

(commission by kynimdraws.tumblr.com)

Background/Personality: Boy Loki was doing just fine until those pesky humans showed up. Now that they're messing with their definition of order the Yangverse's resident Zygarde will do whatever it takes to subvert and eventually destroy them, even disguising themself as the very thing they hate to screw with humans from the inside. Petty, mischievous, and all around not a nice enby, seems there's also some jealousy of humanity going on here...

 

[Sike Saner]

Hmm... wynaut. Or rather...

Name: Ekunasic Karo
Species: Nosepass
Gender: Male
Personality: A good egg... for the most part. Something of a joker, with a mischievous (and, occasionally, a bit sadistic) streak. Very loyal toward friends. Doesn't take most things very seriously at all and will usually downplay any concerns he does have for as long as he can manage it.
Background: Part of a gym leader's team, trained in such a way that he knows very few techniques but is especially proficient in them. Has lived for several millennia but has spent most of that time asleep. His world is one in which humanity has been extinct for several years, but he has remained certain that his trainer is somehow, somewhere, still alive. Whether or not he's right is a matter for elsewhere.
Abilities: Magnet pull ability, plus four moves: lock-on, zap cannon, explosion, block. He has developed the last into a defensive technique; he can shift and expand the block field into a shield around himself or any other space/being he chooses, provided the target(s) aren't overly large. His species has a strong, albeit slow regenerative factor; while not immortal, and perfectly capable of being incapacitated, he is difficult to actually kill.
Appearance: Nothing out of the ordinary, for a nosepass: a squat, blocky blue-gray thing, about three feet tall, with a huge red nose.
Other notes: Good lord does he ever love belues.

 

[The Walrein]

This'll be the first Mafia game I've ever played. Looking forward to this!

"Ah, Mafia. A game where the arbitrariness of that hoax society calls "morality" is made manifest. Players are divided into 'good' or 'evil' sides by a roll of the dice, and then take turns doing away with each other according to the cruel caprices of mob mentality. I think I might enjoy this- I mean, I might experience a temporary decrease in the existential and physical agony that haunts all my waking hours."

Name: Psyduck
Species: Psyduck
Gender: Female
Personality: Psyduck is a pretentious, nihlistic duck with a flair for the dramatic. She rarely misses an opportunity to bemoan her supposed suffering or to proclaim her superiority to the uncultured plebians who surround her. Although usually content to sit back and observe society from a distance, Psyduck despises authoritarians and anyone else who'd try to take away people's freedom to live the way they choose, and will go to great lengths to thwart them.
Abilities: Nothing too out of the ordinary for a Psyduck. Her psychic powers aren't very strong, and are mostly limited to bursts of close-range telekinesis, but her water gun attack is pretty decent.

 

[Chibi Pika]

Name: Starr Sakari
Species: Human
Gender: Female
Personality: Grumpy, contrary, and easily annoyed. Likes to complain about everything, even things she's generally in favor of. Her primary means of showing affection is through teasing and light insults. Enjoys traveling, sparring with her pokémon, and making fun of bad movies. Basically the kind of person whose favorite conversation is finding something to mutually bitch about for hours.
Appearance: Eighteen years old, medium-height, muscular build, auburn hair, green eyes.
Other Notes: Ex-mafia, (or IS she???) so this will be a lot of fun. Will probably punch anyone who implies she's still with them.

Spoiler: Art

 

[kyeugh]

ok, i don't think i'm going to finish my new thing in time to use a character from that, so i guess i'm stuck using a character from my old fic if i want to play, hehe.

Name: Lachlan
Species: Human
Gender: Male
Personality: Quiet, bashful, enjoys reading. Lives in his head and rarely says what he's thinking. Likes to run and holds his few friends very dear. Doesn't seem to like talking about his past very much, though apparently he grew up on a farm rearing tauroses.
Appearance: Slightly taller than average, wiry build, blue eyes, olive skin, black hair.

 

[NonAnalogue]

Sure, this looks like fun!

Name: Melanie 'Mel' Rylan
Species: Human
Gender: Female
Age: 28
Personality: Sardonic and generally annoyed, but also incredibly loyal and has a strong sense of duty. She doesn't get along well with most other humans; she usually chooses to spend her time with her companion, a Ditto named Repeat. Mel has low-grade psychic abilities, but they only extend to picking up emotions off of people near her, unless they're good at hiding it.
Other: Mel works for her family's Pokemon shelter in Fuchsia City, and she abhors the sight of a Pokemon in pain.

Spoiler: Appearance

 

[M&F]

well, then! since we already have Dave here, why don't we go ahead and make this... Dave and Mia Discuss The Scummy Players?

(if anybody would like to see me try to summarize a character I don't own, at least wait until it's less 3 AM)

 

[Negrek]

Awright, twelve players is definitely a solid number. Sign-ups are now closed, and I'll get to work laying out the role messages and opening post.

I also want to announce a rules change. Because I know this is several people's first game, I want to try and give everyone at least some chance to play; being eliminated on the first night of the game without getting a chance to do anything at all feels pretty bad! With that in mind, the first night's disappearance will work a bit differently than in a standard game:

On the first night only, INSTEAD OF choosing a character to eliminate, the mafia will choose one other player to recruit. If that player remains alive two nights later, they will at that point lose their ordinary role power(s), if any, and revert to a "mafia goon" with generic mafia kill powers. Their alignment will change so that they win with the mafia faction rather than with the innocents. They will be informed of the identity of the other mafia players and be allowed to communicate with them outside of the game thread.

The recruited player will not be informed that they have been targeted for recruitment until the actual alignment shift takes place.

The recruitment action can be blocked, redirected, detected, and otherwise interacted with like a typical night action, but does not count as a killing action and therefore cannot be blocked by abilities that would ordinarily protect a player from elimination from the game. If the recruitment action on the first night fails for any reason, the mafia may continue to use it IN ADDITION TO attempting to eliminate a player each night until it is successful. Once a target has been selected, the mafia will no longer be able to use this recruitment power, even if their chosen player should end up being eliminated before they can change alignments.

 

[Namohysip]

I'm posting this here because I have the feeling that a lot of others are wondering the same thing:

How exactly will the participants' integration into this game be like? Yes, we have our actions that will be done privately with Negrek, but how will the stuff that happens during the day be done, etc.? For example, in the N0 thread, we have a brief mention of everyone who had gathered to investigate/participate. Will we be making some replies there to interact with everyone? Obviously we (strategically) shouldn't be revealing what our roles are in this game of Mafia, at least not so early, but I meant just in terms of the... rp flavor of this game and our characters all interacting. Will that be going on until 48 hours is up, and then Negrek makes a hard cutoff by announcing sundown, distributing action results, and then...?

I think a cycle timeline would be warranted so we know what we can do when, and what to expect per round.

I'm mostly asking in the context of this odd N0 phase, since I'm not sure when the game actually "starts" in terms of the roleplay part, and I'm not sure when actions get distributed relative to the roleplay portions.

 

[Dragonfree]

The night phase of a mafia game is only for night actions; all player interactions (except for the mafia, who can communicate with each other privately at any time, and sometimes other roles that explicitly permit out-of-thread communication) take place in the thread during the day.

So, right now it’s “night zero” (N0), so nobody should be posting in the thread right now. After the 48 hours are up, Negrek will post the results of the night actions (whether anyone died and so forth, though nobody should die N0), and then after that the thread will be open for day discussion for 72(?) hours, after which night falls again, new night actions are submitted, and the thread is closed until the next day starts.

 

[Negrek]

Sure. Night phases and day phases will alternate. Nights are 48 hours each, days are 72 hours each, with the potential for a time extension if it looks like the discussion isn't going to reach a conclusion in three days.

There is no RPing godDAMNIt Dragonfree

Anyway, what Dragonfree said is correct. I'll add only that when the night ends, anyone who sent a night action that would warrant a response will receive that response from me, and then I'll make a brief post similar to the one currently in the game thread to set the scene, and then announce any information that all the players get to hear. At minimum this will be whether anyone was eliminated during the night. That's when you can RP or generally play the game, posting in the game thread, and then once 72 hours are up I'll announce the start of another night and you'll go quiet until day rolls around again.

So that means that the part of the game where you can post and chat and RP and so on will roll around in around 24 hours now, when Day 1 starts.

(I do like this little feature that lets you know if you've been post-ninja'd.)