What Will Happen Next - THE GAME (Episode 6)

[Jormungandr]

Doh!

Monday Spec:
DoN Riff tells DoR Riff in no uncertain terms that he *is* contacting Izzy.
DoN Riff gives DoR Riff a What the hell, Hero? speech to match the one DoR Riff gave DoN Riff on Thursday.

Ok... I could renew for tuesday but I wana do some piggyback riding... so instead a renew with an addendum:
DoN Riff tells DoR Riff in no uncertain terms that he *is* contacting Izzy.
DoN Riff gives DoR Riff a What the hell, Hero? speech to match the one DoR Riff gave DoN Riff on Thursday.
piggyback DoN Riff uses R.E.V.I.E.W. machine for his own exposition
piggyback DoN Riff claiming the culprit behind the REA 6's is down in Steve's Lab with them.

Gotta say... lots of other interesting theories floating around...

[Jormungandr]

...i dunno

EDIT: Actually this would probably be a more accurate sentiment:



That's really begging to become a sluggy specific meme...

[Xane]

...

Zoë lives.

Riff dies at the hands of Harbasisari.

Unlikely, but that would be one hell of an end to this story.

What a twist!

P.S. It's amusing just how depressed poor little stick figure Torg looks there. At least he got his awesomeface in time for Memorial Day

[The Malkavian]

Harbasisari. Sounds like some kind of Japanese.... something or other.

I'm guessing Riff will go along with DoR Riff's plan, but that Izzy will find her way down on her own

[Jormungandr]

Harbasisari. Sounds like some kind of Japanese.... something or other.

I'd like some Harbasisari with my Habachi Steak please.

*ducks as two pick axes, a dozen throwing knives, and the kusari end of a kusari-gama stab into the plate in front of him*

Arigatou gozaimasu! oh wait, chopsticks please...

[jmpuglia]

Shotgun:

Perspective change to the ground-level, at the central tower. Izzy, the executives including Mr. Dee are trying to figure out what to do now. Citizens are looting.

Addition to long-term spec:
Rebooting the citizenry will revive Harbinger and she begins to thwart the plans to restore the dimensions because she is on an uncontrollable rampage due to the lack of Schlocky to help contain some of the more unruly commands given to her automatically.

[Jormungandr]

heh... that's *very* interesting...

I'm beginning to think I've completely missed something regarding the whole dimensional time shift issue. DoR Riff didn't see anything weird about it... and even DoN Riff didn't see anything weird about it. But Pete *has* to know about it... or that we think we know about it. I was under the impression he looks here so even if he hadn't thought about it beforehand he knows about it now.

I can't help but think... Pete is up to something... and that's making me very very paranoid.

Wonder if DoR Riff isn't infact K'Z'K or similar. Maybe Schlock ported him to another dimension to get rid of his demonic influence. Maybe this demon, as DoR Riff, perfected the DFA very rapidly and returned... only to discover the annihilation event had already happened and this dimension no longer suited it's needs... and is now trying to fix it so he can rule over it? No... unless the annihilation event happened almost simultaneously with the betrayal it still causes a time shift. He would have to be lying about everything... and be able to spew fake thoughts onto the REVIEW machine. His apparent age would also have to be faked.

I don't think that's it... too... implausible... Too overcomplicated. It negates the purpose of all the exposition Pete is doing now... and we know how much he hates mountains of exposition. Don't think he would do all this exposition only to negate it later with It Was All a Lie.

Regardless... Pete is up to something. Mark my words.

Wednesday Shotgun:
DoN Riff contacts Izzy anyway
Harbinger attacks DoN Riff
DoN Riff stumbles upon something of DoN Zoe's.
DoN Riff learns DoN Zoe's Identification number (of course she is/was part of the populous... Pete just demonstrated how easy it would be for Riff to have no idea where people he knows are at in the city)

Alteration to long term multispec (overriding the old one): (1) There is yet another His Masterness, (2) this one initiated the replacement of the REA 5s with REA 6s, and (3) DoN Zoe is his unwitting pawn.

DUNN DUNN DUNN!

[Marcus]

...

Zoë lives.

Riff dies at the hands of Harbasisari.

Unlikely, but that would be one hell of an end to this story.

I'm sure Habasiari is a Japanese motorbike

[jmpuglia]

So I finally figured out that 01209 was Min. I didn't realize that the community had already come to that conclusion. Oh, well. And I thought I had stumbled upon something new.
Along that line, review this comic. I found it strangely appropriate.

Shotgun:

My spec for now is that she follows Riff because it will make her "even happier!".
Red? As in 4-U city Red? As in Mr. Dee of RED Durango? Oh, yes. Here he comes.

[popplarity]

Whenever we find out what this countermeasure is, I'm betting it's harbinger. I'm not really sure how to fit this into the rules of the game, so I'm just gonna say that that I'm putting my money on red 16 and we'll be on with it. It might be tomorrow as a friday cliffhanger, or it might end up being end of next week while some more stuff happens.

[Jormungandr]

I KNEW IT! BUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! and the real (and current) His Masterness surfaces...

I've long suspected the "His Masterness" mentioned here was, in fact, NOT Riff. DoR Riff gives the impression that he has been out of touch with the city above for some time... likely assuming everything was just peachy. That it's an AI is a bit unexpected but I'm certain that's what's going on.

Any way... enough (quite possibly premature) gloating.

So I finally figured out that 01209 was Min. I didn't realize that the community had already come to that conclusion. Oh, well. And I thought I had stumbled upon something new.
Along that line, review this comic. I found it strangely appropriate.

It does seem to make sense doesn't it. I never suspected it until I saw her in panel 10 and then all of a sudden she looked familiar. My cloudy thoughts went instantly to Zoe... then I thought, Riff would know instantly if that's who it was... thinking more about it now Min would make perfect sense. It would also explain Riff's smile. Also... if it's Min... then my spec about Riff finding something of Zoe's in the building goes out the door... cause Min would recognize her sister... drugs or no drugs.

Friday Shotgun:
Harbinger attacks DoN Riff
Rammer is unable to swap places with DoR Riff so he can take control.
The AI is revealed to be modeled on Dr Schlock's mind
The AI begins activating the DFA satellites.

[Xane]

Ugh, I don't like where this is going. Reboot 4 was altered somehow, therefore:

The city has gained sentience (bleh clichés) or...

Damnit. This is so stupidly cliché. Though we have yet to see whether the AI is sentient or simply running in Paranoid Mode. As I said in Reactions, I really hope Pete has a way to make this a bit more original.

My other spec was that someone possessed by a demon was running the city. What if it's both? Demon program!

[jmpuglia]

Oh, man! Could we all have missed it thus far? Is it right in front of our faces? Should I re-invent the entire speculation process? Should I ask more rhetorical questions to keep building suspense before I finally say...

IT'S NANITES!

I don't know exactly how to fit this into a previously agreed upon spec. It's somewhere between a long-term and an HM spec. But the nanites have taken over to a degree.
The REA-6s are a product of the nanites taking over where Schlock left off as well as responsible for a number of other "automatic" functions of the city. They are responsible for some of the things we the readers and they the characters would have seen as His Masterness' actions. But I'm not giving up that Mr. Dee is mixed up in this all. I think he's even harnessed these happenings: you could say "riding the wave." But he's responsible as well. Oh so responsible.

Friday Shotgun:
01209 comes back into the picture, following Riff. Doing so makes her even happier.
The DFA is targeting a whole district, the south one. But the button still has to be pressed.
Either Izzy or Leo exclaims, "Where's Executive McPinata?!?"
WE. SEE. MR. DEE.
FINALLY!

In other notes. I don't know if anything else has been right in awhile, but my prediction of Old Riff's "I dunno" was spot-on.

[Jormungandr]

IT'S NANITES!

*stares slack jawed*
I AM NOT WORTHY!

Freaking genius... the nanites are EVERYWHERE! Even the freaking cables have nanites in them. And why else would Pete have Riff comment on the nanites if it wasn't a plot point? I was wondering that this morning.

So much to rethink... hmmmm...

oh crap... what if they have taken over Zoe's body ala Dr. Crabtree... frak frak frak frak frakity frak frak! Pete wouldn't do that... would he? *blinks a few times while considering what he just said* FRAAAAAAAAK!

I need to refine my long term multispec now:
Alteration (again) to long term multispec (overriding the old one): (1) The "His Masterness" mentioned here is not DoR Riff or Schlock (even if the executives have no way of knowing that), (2) Whoever or whatever it is initiated the replacement of the REA 5s with REA 6s, and (3) DoN Zoe is being controlled by him/her/it.

My spec for Friday remains the same

EDIT: eventually I'll find the sweet spot between overgeneralized and overly specific... I just keep erring too specific because being too general is... well... It seems a bit cheap... almost like cheating. There comes a point where you're being so vague that your specs become "something bad happens, one of the Riff's has a plan, Rammer schemes, Frog says something crazy, Oasis/Harbinger does something scary or badass, Schlock does something cowardly, Gwynn gets angry, Torg does something goofy, Sam demonstrates how NOT to impress a lady, Zoe ends up on the recieving end of the Monster of the Week or this week's Negative Space Wedgie, Bun Bun threatens some one, Kiki commits 'Daaawwww'." I could shotgun that every day till the end of Sluggy and just rake in the points. And none of that is explicitly against the rules :-/

I'm sure our generous host would put an end to it rather quickly but any rule regarding it would be highly subjective and likely subject of heavy debate... not a good thing in the long run.

[Jormungandr]

DOHHHHHHH! Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, STOOOOPIIIIID!

freaking cable unplugs... stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid... Gah how in the bloody freaking hell did I not see that coming. Did any one else see it coming?

Pete... I would just like to tell you... I fear... we are all... not worthy. *shoulder punch* You big meany!

...stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid...

In any case... keeping the presence of DoR Riff a secret from the city just went out the window. Some one is going to have to take control of the military forces in the city. Well... I suppose they could just let the outsiders have a gay ol' bloody time... but that doesn't strike me as being an option even Rammer would consider. And Riff *is* the "Commander." I suppose DoN Riff could manage it too... but he would end up letting the truth slip eventually.

...stupid, stupid, stupid...

Ugh... any way... spec...

Monday Full-Auto Shotgun Extravaganza:
*BOOM*

REA 5s walk in the door and mow down the outsiders (hey... tell me it isn't the single most obvious solution that no one would think of cause it's too obvious)
DoN Riff calls 01209 "Min" on accident
01209 thinks the outsiders are part of the city (remember, only REA 5 pilots and executives were aware of the outsider problem)

*chikOOM*

Rammer is unable to swap places with DoR Riff so he can take control.
Rammer tries to assume command of the REA 5 forces... no one trusts him enough to follow him
DoR Riff assumes command of the REA 5 forces... outing his presence to Izzy in the process

*chikOOM*

The AI is revealed to be modeled on Dr Schlock's mind ("terrified behind its smile?" if ever there was a better description of Dr Schlock I haven't heard it)
There is war between REA 5's and Outsiders in the streets of 4U City
Torg's... rebooted memories... are some how reversed... bringing him back into the fold.

*chik*

heh... with that much lead flying I'm bound to hit something...

Edit: oh my... and in refernce to the guy who mentioned the similarity between no-fun monsters and DoP Demons... my doesn't that big guy at the front look like Reakk

Edit #2: oh... oh my... if Riff saves 01209... he will likely take her to Dr Steve's lab... through the dna scanner... heheheh... this is going to be interesting.