[TOWN WIN] Fourth Anniversary Vanilla Mafia

[HelloYellow17]

You don’t remember how or when you got here, wandering aimlessly through an empty white mist. You think it might be a strange dream, and yet something about the place feels too real to simply be a dream.

Your feet carry you onward, though you’re not sure where to. Eventually, clouded shapes loom on the horizon, and as you come closer you realize they are houses. A dozen of them, all exactly identical, arranged in a perfect circle, with a plaza in the center. In the center of this plaza stood a fountain—very ordinary-looking at first, until closer inspection reveals that water is moving a bit strangely, a bit…unnaturally.

The whole space is dead silent and utterly still, until other shapes emerge from the mist, looking as lost and confused as you are. Then, with a sudden pop, a slender pink feline bursts out of the fountain, scattering multicolored bubbles through the air.

Mew is delighted that you’re all here, though she doesn’t speak it in words so much as inserting the emotion into your mind. You can feel her amusement at the sight of you, and she’s practically giddy at what lies ahead. She’s been so bored, you see, and this is the perfect source of entertainment.

Zooming in circles over your head, she explains why you’re here, once again in flashes of emotion and mental images. Somehow, even without precise words, her explanation is clear: there are bad guys and good guys. The bad guys will kill someone each night, and the good guys have to catch them all before they all die. Oh, but there are more good guys than bad guys! And some of them have special powers to help catch the baddies.

She creates more multicolored bubbles as she explains, popping some to demonstrate the bad guys killing their targets, then somersaults through the air in a fit of giggles. Oh, this is going to be so much fun!

She leaves you to get acquainted until her return. But you better not have too much fun while she’s gone! With one last giggle and several playful twirls, she vanishes with another pop!

Then, the water in the fountain sprays upward, the droplets twirling around to form a message visible to all in the square:

DAY ZERO HAS BEGUN. COUNTDOWN TO NIGHT 1 HAS COMMENCED.

 

[Dragonfree]

Jean looked around eagerly at who else was there. A game, and it was being hosted by Mew! Of course Mew had chosen her for the game. This was going to be so much fun! What sort of awesome power would she get? Would she get to play a good guy or a bad guy?

 

[Seren]

K-killing people?! Fun?

Kari never imagined she'd meet any pokemon of legend during her studies, and yet, she was face to face with mew. She didn't even find the creature; it had found her! But Kari couldn't help feeling anxious. Perhaps even more so than normal. A killing game was not an interest of mew's that Kari would have guessed.

The eerie setting didn't help undo the knot in her stomach, either. A dozen perfectly identical houses, all half-concealed by a mist or fog. It resembled a scene out of a horror movie. At least it was daylight; Kari shuddered to think what this place might look like at night.

Mew seems to think this is going to be fun. A form of entertainment. Mew's excitement is almost palpable in Kari's brain, drowning and blending with Kari's anxiety.

Well... at least she wasn't going into this blind. The rules were laid out clearly enough. And there were other players, too... though of course, she wasn't sure which of them she could trust. Some humans, some pokemon, and some... others.

She wished Ana was here.

She assumed the houses were meant to be the player's shelter for the nights, and considered retreating into one. But something told her she'd be better off waiting, hovering around the group in case she missed something important. So instead she found a quiet corner and pretended to blend into the wall.

 

[Flyg0n]

Loaf sat at attention, scanning the area. Game? This was no game. Maybe it was to the one called 'Mew', or to others, but 'bad guys' were no joke. He vowed to sniff them all out, no matter who they were. No stone unturned. In the absense of Marcel, he would see justice was served.

 

[windskull]

From deep within the mists, two bright dots of light appeared. A dark figure emerged shortly, quiet and still as he listened to the to the strange pokemon. He nodded along. Then, as more and more of the players became visible, he cleared his throat and began to speak in a deep, gravely voice.

"It seems fate has brought us together to play this cruel game yet again. As our numbers dwindle, we will all see the true cruelty of humanity as we tear into one another, accusing each other of wrongdoing and ripping each other apart, all for the sake of weeding out the evil in our midst."

He paused to cough and take a deep breath. And when he spoke again, his tone was higher pitched and more uncertain.

"But, it's all a game. And just. Like a test. So everyone should be fine in the end. I think."

 

[Starlight Aurate]

Maressa stared at the place where Mew vanished, the feelings of joy lingering in her mind. But it wasn't her joy--it was Mew's joy. Goosebumps raced up her arms. It behaved just like Jirachi did: putting emotions into people, scanning through their memories, revealing whatever they wanted people to see...

She thought of what Mew said about good guys and bad guys. What made someone "good" in this game? Truly, there were no "good guys" and "bad guys." Everyone justified their viewpoints, and everyone viewed themselves as morally superior to those around them...

She shuddered. Her stomach churned as memories of Team Aqua flashed before her eyes, and a cold, stabbing fear penetrated her heart. She hugged herself.

She reached down to her pockets--but there were no Pokeballs.

No Pokemon.

Her heart, already sick with fear, sank further. Inhaling deeply, she looked up at the circle of people and Pokemon around her. She had been in situations more dangerous than this. Whatever this "game" was, she would play as best as she could--and pray that she could get out alive.

 

[Sinderella]

For a moment, Noel thought he was in a club. Honestly, he'd been through weirder club entrances; a little bit of theatrics from a fog machine wasn't shit. At least there weren't any strobe lights because nobody gave a shit about epilepsy nowadays.

But, as he walked forward, he couldn't help but realize how...alone he felt. It also dawned on him that he simply...had no recollection of how he'd gotten there. Either he'd managed to work himself over into "blackout drunk," or there was something far more amiss here. He didn't feel blackout drunk; in fact, he felt perfectly sober. But there was nobody around him--he couldn't see the top of Odette's head or the red and blue of Elton's feathers anywhere--and everything was oddly quiet. Couldn't be a club, unless it was some weird silent disco.

But, the fog cleared, and it became abundantly clear that this was no club. In fact, he wasn't even sure if he was in Kalos anymore. A fountain with some gravity-defying water (which he wasted no time in flicking at), some very confused-looking individuals, human and Pokemon alike, and...Mew. Just Mew.

Well, he wasn't expecting to see a legendary today. But, he also wasn't expecting to be mysteriously whisked away into some trippy park clearing, so. He supposed this was just on brand.

As Mew excitedly explained what was going on, all of Noel's questions and curiosity were quickly replaced by excitement and even some determination. "Oh, say fucking less," he exclaimed. He knew this game; this was Mafia, right? Or Odette called it 'Lycanrock' or something. No matter, the rules were virtually the same. And he knew for damn sure he was an ACE at it.

Fuck the clubs, and fuck whatever he'd been doing before. This was gonna be fun, and he was so down for some fun. He could ask his more "reality-based" questions later, once he got a better grip on the space and what he assumed were going to be his opponents.

He couldn't help but be disappointed, though, because there was a disturbing laugh of male eye candy in the space. That was definitely the first crime of the game, but he wasn't sure that was one he could report. Oh well.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Whiskey strode through the mists with a growl rising deep in his throat. This was some bullshit lucid dream. One he appeared to have no control over. One which connected to nothing from his waking life. One which he was finding increasingly hard to refute the reality of without dipping into some solipsistic horseshit. Okay. He was playing 'Mafia'. Fucking waste of time.

"I don't recall accepting an invitation to play a social deduction game," he announced, to no-one in particular.

He thought of asking to be sent home. Then he thought better of it. He put a finger to his horn – still sharp, but somehow he doubted the game's effervescent host would permit him any use of it. On consideration, he couldn't see how he was going to get out of this besides playing.

"Fine," he muttered. "Hopefully this can be the slightest bit engaging, at least."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

[[List of players and their characters]]

Flyg0n: Loaf: Dachsbun: Male

Sinderella: Noel Massè: Human: Male

Dragonfree: Jean Ambrose: Vulpix Pokémorph: Female

Chibi Pika: Stygian: Absol: Female

windskull: Anti-Bravoman: Human...ish: Male

FauxFox: Theodore: Zorua: Male

SparklingEspeon: Espurr: Espurr: Female

Seren: Kari: Human: Female

unrepentantAuthor: Whiskey: Absol Pokémorph: Male

Starlight Aurate: Maressa: Human: Female

 

[SparklingEspeon]

Espurr knew this game - it was the detective one, right? She'd had a feeling something like this would happen before she opened the letter (who even got weird unadressed mail anymore these days), so she wasn't too surprised when the world around her suddenly rippled away, replaced with a slightly fuzzy environment defined by vague buildings and lots of bubbles. This was strike ten. She was long past the point of being phased.

She did have to admit, Mew had a very strange idea of fun... but she could vibe with it. A little murder here and there never hurt anymon. Shaking the last of the lingering foreign thoughts from her mind, she looked around at the others in the square - a disheveled-looking absol on two legs, a vulpix (also on two legs) who looked appropriately excited given the game concerned killing, a dog that looked like they were made out of... bread?

Since everymon else looked pretty confused and still getting their bearings, she conjured a stump for herself out of thin air and sat down, huddling in on it and watching them all intently. She'd observe and learn as much as she could about them until the game properly began.

 

[HelloYellow17]

Morning dawned on the small square, allowing the surrounding mists to lift slightly. As everyone emerged from their houses and glanced around at one another, the atmosphere shifted from cautiously tense to fearful.

Two of them were missing. Gone. Without a trace.

Mew popped into the air over their heads, twirling through the air with squeaks of amusement. Her thoughts filled everyone’s heads once again.

Not one, but two of you gone! Whoops! What a start! She summoned ten colorful bubbles and popped two of them with a giggle. If there’s going to be any hope for the good guys, they better act fast!

She flipped over onto her back and hovered above them as though she was lazily drifting in a pool. With a flick of her tail, the fountain below sprang to life, shooting up into the air and projecting the words:

ANTI-BRAVOMAN AND KARI HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED. THEY WERE TOWN.
COUNTDOWN TO NIGHT 1 HAS BEGUN.

Spoiler: List of players

Flyg0n: Loaf [Dachsbun, Male]

Sinderella: Noel Massè [Human, Male]

Dragonfree: Jean Ambrose [Vulpix Pokémorph, Female]

Chibi Pika: Stygian [Absol,Female]

windskull: Anti-Bravoman [Human...ish, Male] ELIMINATED—TOWN

FauxFox: Theodore [Zorua, Male]

SparklingEspeon: Espurr [Espurr, Female]

Seren: Kari [Human, Female] ELIMINATED—TOWN

unrepentantAuthor: Whiskey [Absol Pokémorph, Male]

Starlight Aurate: Maressa [Human, Female]

 

[Sinderella]

[Am at a Cinco De Mayo party getting crunk so I’ll get some thoughts up when I sober up :>]

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Whiskey frowned, more out of puzzlement than frustration.

"Two town players were eliminated immediately," he observed, muttering to himself. "Judging by the list of included roles..."

Villager
Goon
Doctor
Cop
Rolecop
Bodyguard
Bulletproof
Strongman
Vigilante
Serial Killer
Lovers

"It's reasonable to assume that one elimination was by the Mafia team, and the other was by a Serial Killer. In a game this small, I suspect the Mafia is a two-person team which may only perform one kill per night, and the Serial Killer may be limited to odd nights. I would be surprised if a Vigilante player chose to perform a kill on the first night – if one even exists, which I wouldn't count on."

He rhythmically tapped his claws on his horn, as if it were some cognitive aid, or a means of counting something.

"...Assuming further that we will benefit from protective roles once or twice and perform no more than one miselimination, we nevertheless run the risk of losing on Night Three. As we have eight players now, two further Town eliminations without an Anti-Town elimination would put us – if my assumptions are accurate – at Town/Anti-Town parity. Possibly as early as Day Two."

The absol-morph grinned darkly. "Unless, of course, the Mafia and Serial Killer target each other in the night. Now, that would be fine fortune."

He shrugged, and adjusted his shirt buttons to let some neck-ruff free, then sat down on the rim of the central fountain and crossed his arms.

"I think I'll leave it to you rabble to figure out who to eliminate in today's vote. Persuade me."

 

[Flyg0n]

Loaf growled. This was bad. Two of them were killed? How was this even possible?

(Wait two deaths so did mafia get two nightkills or smth or is there a vigilante then?? oof.
Also I have a mild headache so if I'm not here a lot thats why )

 

[Starlight Aurate]

Maressa watched Mew vanish as her stomach churned. She felt nauseous; her mouth tasted sour.

"Two deaths..."

How many more would die?

And both humans (or a human-like-thing), too. Was there something going on that was targeting certain people?

She looked at the absol-person, pondering his words.

"I think it was a strongman kill. A serial killer in a game this small would end the game very quickly. But if it was a strongman kill, I wonder why they targeted Kari or Anti-Bravo-Man.

"I wonder... were both of these deliberate deaths? Or could at least one have been redirected? I wouldn't have thought these two to be the first to go."

She shivered. She wished Golduck was there.

 

[Chibi Pika]

An Absol sat quietly off to the side of the gathering, tensed and quiet. She hadn't asked to be here, she didn't want to be here, and now not one, but two of their number had been picked off in the night. Mew was twirling around like an idiot, as if this were some sort of fun party.

Someone stood up and began talking. He was... an Absol? Or some twisted mockery of an Absol with a humanish gait. An experiment? None of the other experiments she'd met looked anything like that. Looking at him unsettled and unnerved her.

A tattered book lay next to Absol's paws that seemed to contain the rules of this so-called game. She'd tried experimentally destroying it in the night, and it had reformed itself. Worse still, when she looked at the nonsensical human scribblings inside, the meaning took hold in her mind, and she found herself understanding how to play this ridiculous game. Terrible.

"This game is called 'vanilla' which means most of us won't have abilities. 'Redirection' should not exist here. Whatever the reason, those two were chosen. The Absol-experiment is correct--there is most likely a 'serial killer'."

She disliked acknowledging him, but the strange Absol was making sense, and those who made sense were needed here.

 

[Dragonfree]

Jean came out grinning, and gasped at the revelation of who had been killed. Two people in one night! They'd get them back, just wait.

"It's reasonable to assume that one elimination was by the Mafia team, and the other was by a Serial Killer. In a game this small, I suspect the Mafia is a two-person team which may only perform one kill per night, and the Serial Killer may be limited to odd nights. I would be surprised if a Vigilante player chose to perform a kill on the first night – if one even exists, which I wouldn't count on."

"Ooh, or, or they were lovers!" she suggested excitedly. "Then maybe they only shot one of them, and then bam, the other one died too!"

"I think I'll leave it to you rabble to figure out who to eliminate in today's vote. Persuade me."

At that, though, she frowned. "But everyone's supposed to try to figure out who the bad guys are. If you just sit back and try to make everyone else figure it out, you're not helping. Maybe you're working for the bad guys."

"I think it was a strongman kill. A serial killer in a game this small would end the game very quickly. But if it was a strongman kill, I wonder why they targeted Kari or Anti-Bravo-Man.

"I wonder... were both of these deliberate deaths? Or could at least one have been redirected? I wouldn't have thought these two to be the first to go."

Jean blinked at the girl, brow furrowing. "But doesn't the strongman just kill one person really hard? What does that have to do with two people dying?"

It might have been true that it was weird they were the first ones to go. She didn't really know them.

"The only redirecting in this game is the bodyguard. So if they weren't the targets, maybe one of them was a bodyguard. But that would also mean they couldn't have been lovers."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Two of them were killed? How was this even possible?

Whiskey cleared his throat. "Ahem. I'll say again:"

"It's reasonable to assume that one elimination was by the Mafia team, and the other was by a Serial Killer."

"I think it was a strongman kill."

Whisky raised an eyebrow. "My assumpton would be that any Strongman role would modify the nightly Mafia elimination, not provide an additional, second action available from the first night."

He chuckled, a little nastily.

"Even if that were so, performing it on the first night would be a truly incompetent use of a powerful ability. They'd no longer be able to penetrate protective measures to eliminate a confirmed Cop player."

"The Absol-experiment is correct--there is most likely a 'serial killer'."

Whiskey peered at the other— at the apparently ordinary absol speaking.

"...Yes, I am quite correct," he said, slowly. "And I'd appreciate being called 'Whiskey', which is my name, and not 'the Absol-experiment'."

He narrowed his eyes, contemplating. Proficient Galarish speech in a mundane absol was not impossible, but he suspected this was a conceit of Mew's little pocket dimension in some way. Experiment, though. She'd called him 'experiment'. What did that mean about her, and her background...?

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Ooh, or, or they were lovers!" [...] "The only redirecting in this game is the bodyguard. So if they weren't the targets, maybe one of them was a bodyguard. But that would also mean they couldn't have been lovers."

Whiskey's face contorted into a crooked smile. "This one is entirely correct. There may indeed have been a single elimination action performed against a Lover, a Bodyguard absolutely could have taken an elimination meant for someone else, and these two possibilities are mutually exclusive. I also have no particular concept of whether the targets were unusual, and they may as well have been random for all I know or care."

"But everyone's supposed to try to figure out who the bad guys are. If you just sit back and try to make everyone else figure it out, you're not helping. Maybe you're working for the bad guys."

"Hmph." A glint of amusement showed through his grim expression. "That may be so. It is unlikely that you'd have strong reason to believe otherwise at this early point, after all. Even so..."

Whiskey stretched himself out on the fountain-rim, and closed his eyes, hands behind his head.

"...I'll play this un-asked for game as I please."

 

[Chibi Pika]

"Ooh, or, or they were lovers!" she suggested excitedly. "Then maybe they only shot one of them, and then bam, the other one died too!"

'Lovers'... Absol had absorbed the information from that cursed book, and yet had overlooked that possibility. For some reason, a voice in the back of her head found that word rather exhausting.

"...Yes, I am quite correct," he said, slowly. "And I'd appreciate being called 'Whiskey', which is my name, and not 'the Absol-experiment'."

Absol stared straight back at him, eyes sharp. Fussing over names... he even acted like a human. Still, there was some value to giving the other visitors a way to distinguish them.

"My human-given name is said like 'Blackest River', but..." She frowned. There didn't seem to be any separation of human or Pokemon speech here. There was merely speech.

"The humans would say it as Stygian," she added, unsure if her words would convey the sound.