Update
Added 2025-03-20 02:59:44 +0000 UTCThe next chapter will come out in 5-8 hours. We are one ahead of schedule right now so I am taking a minute to get things right.
The rewards chapter will be next week. I've got a lot of decisions to make for that one. If you have any thoughts on rewards for Post-Traumatic, please comment below.
There are only a few more chapters in Book Five and Arc II. We've come a long way. Arc III will start up shortly after.
P.S. To help me out, for those that voted for: By the Slice (Demonic Horror/Survival Comedy) (Teens trapped in a retro pizza parlor must work for demons for much less than minimum wage.) to be the next storyline, I have a favor.
What aspect of this prompt appealed to you? What kind of stuff are you hoping to see? I want to make sure you get your vote's worth. It's a pretty strange storyline compared to what we've done so far lol.
Comments
I think the most appealing part of the next story is the comedy aspect of it. Almost like the scary movie vibes of like making a parody of some of these horror tropes.
Jason blak
2025-03-24 20:22:10 +0000 UTCWOAAHH THIS WOULD BE SO FUN TOO!!!
Kraz
2025-03-21 02:37:27 +0000 UTCRewards suggestions: [Informative Flashback] or [Unfinished Business] for Dina. A construction foreman background Trope for Antoine ("Hardhat History") that enables some structure based tropes, including at least one Engineer AA Trope. Some meta Trope for Riley for escaping the theatre, name suggestion "Breaking the Fourth Wall". [The Killer's Wake] for Bobby. An Eye Candy Trope for Kimberly that buffs her when when a character dies in her arms while declaring they always loved her. "Dying Declaration of Devotion"
Dis Parat
2025-03-20 20:53:33 +0000 UTCI think Riley should get a Rule trope about magic and paranormal entities showing up on cameras. I suspect he will get a Cameraman AA. Kimberley should get a trope about using Heels as a weapon. Not really useful but as fun flavor.
Aguy768
2025-03-20 20:36:02 +0000 UTC[One for the Blooper Reel] for Kimberly or Logan. If a scene starts to go wrong they can break character and if it's funny or charming enough the scene will reset for another take and Riley gets DVD bonus material in his rewatch trope.
Brian Spurlock
2025-03-20 14:09:08 +0000 UTCIt will be regular
Bobby Thom
2025-03-20 13:13:23 +0000 UTCWill by the slice be a regular storyline or a rescue?
jacob joseph
2025-03-20 12:01:19 +0000 UTCAlso, I voted for By The Slice since it sounded like a fun comedy and we haven't had one of those yet. I imagine as we continue to progress forward in the story it'll be harder to fit stuff like that in as the plot gets heavier, so I thought it was the perfect time for a comedy!
TheMortalRuins
2025-03-20 10:25:53 +0000 UTCI had a trope idea for Dina that I think fits with what she did this story: Mothers Wrath Type: Action Archetype: General Aspect: N/A Stat Used: Mettle A mother is always at her most dangerous when when someone dares to step between them and their child. Wielding their fury as an unstoppable weapon, nothing will stop them from defending their child. While equipped, whenever a character that you have a parent and child bond with is directly threatened, you will receive a buff to Mettle scaling to the threat towards that character as you prepare to defend your family. Carousel Loves Families There was also my Death Note idea for Riley that might fit into this since it's a found footage rescue: Death Note Type: Insight Archetype: Filmbuff Aspect: Filmmaker Stat Used: Savvy The heroes of this story may have all died tragically, but that doesn't mean they couldn't get the last word in against their killer. While holding a rescue poster for a player who was the one last alive in a storyline, the Filmbuff will receive a dying message from the victim, as they leave one last warning of the horror that slayed them. "If you are watching this, I'm most likely already dead"
TheMortalRuins
2025-03-20 10:23:10 +0000 UTCHey I chose this one because I LOVE talking about capitalism. Economic inequality is one of my favorite things to talk about. So seeing demons make kids work for less than minimum wage, is such a cathartic and tragicomic thing to see!
Sieran Yung
2025-03-20 08:56:08 +0000 UTCI think the comedy elements of the story could help the stakes be lower, give the characters a bit of a victory lap, a chance to flex after being way behind the 8 ball for so long. Like it would nice if they were having some fun, even in an horror environment
Rnd per
2025-03-20 08:37:18 +0000 UTCDefinitely the comedy element but also the setting feels very appealing. It’ll be interesting to see how the comedy element affects the importance of demon lore to the narrative, if at all. (Compared to werewolf lore in Stray Dawn.) It’s always cool to see how genre informs what information is important.
Mal
2025-03-20 07:44:21 +0000 UTCOf course they won't be turned into teens... it's basically it's own trope that 30 year old play teens all the time, and I'm pretty sure these guys are younger than 30 IIRC, exept Dina.
Wiggy440
2025-03-20 07:34:27 +0000 UTCBy the Slice appealed to me because of a few factors: 0) I was thinking about Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a dallop of Vogons from Hitchhiker's guide and maybe a sprinkling of Severance when I voted. 1) it's a teen story about a pizza parlor, which gives me late 20th century Americana nostalgia. We've had a run of dramatic horror, so seeing the cast try to land jokes is a fun contrast. 2) I'm imagining humor around low wage teen jobs and overbearing corporate bosses that are literally demons: The idea of corporate bosses being literally demons feels like a very teenage comedy, and I'm excited to see demons engaging in corporate and bureaucratic speak. 3) I think the workplace comedy might allow for some interesting longer character interactions between combinations of characters we haven't seen really interact together, and otherwise bring in characters I feel like we haven't seen much as they weren't brought into recent storylines. As to rewards for Post-Traumatic, I think getting more Writ of Habitation for the jail would be very amusing, on top of other places. I do think it would be super interesting if Riley got a trope that rewarded him for engaging with the Company. And it's interesting if someone got Time Travel tropes that might help them jump through the different versions of Carousel.
Vancouver
2025-03-20 07:29:36 +0000 UTCI think both of these ideas are really good and support them
EDMANGO
2025-03-20 07:21:40 +0000 UTCHmmm for “By the Slice”, first I was kinda expecting the scenario to mix up hires and puts the demon team in the human shop and the humans get put into the demon one accidentally. The demon pizza shop owners are not 100% certain of this (and don’t care that much) so they are just going along for now because they need the workers. Then my imagination was painting a picture of unrepentantly terrible bosses, questionable “ingredients” they have to handle, maybe if they don’t fall in line to work properly or if they they “out” themselves as human they get the “chop”? Kinda imagining them like a more comedic Axe-guy experience.
AlthePal
2025-03-20 06:08:02 +0000 UTCOooo [Last Minute Rewrites] so he can scrawl on the script as a nod to him doing it while dead?
Brian Spurlock
2025-03-20 05:54:53 +0000 UTCIdk how well it could fit into what you have planned but it would be funny to get a writ of habitation for the casino in the broken timeline.
Brian Spurlock
2025-03-20 05:47:16 +0000 UTCIt's about giving that 90s feel. Pizza Parlor/Demon comedy is giving peak B movie vibes.
oakes
2025-03-20 04:58:41 +0000 UTCCamden could get a trope call [trust me that’s how it works] which can change how a monster’s powers work if he explains it well enough and allow the players to take advantage. Riley could get a film buff scouting trope call [the reviews are in] which activates when he buys newspaper it will contain a review of the story line and may give hint about treasure and secret lore if you look hard enough
Rex2000m
2025-03-20 04:52:45 +0000 UTCI loved ranger danger, love the setting, and love the idea of demon capitalists! Like others have said i think a comedy story will be good, and maybe let the comedians shine
Sartrina
2025-03-20 03:55:54 +0000 UTCThe comedy genre was definitely a big part of it, both as a change of pace, but also the behind the scenes. The team working together to make sure a joke will go off just right would be fun. Also how the storyline even became comedy - what happened in the original events to allow that shift?
Nat Kooky
2025-03-20 03:46:32 +0000 UTCGoosebumps is always in my Spotify Playlist, so it's never far from my thoughts lol
Andre Filipe Naves de Barros
2025-03-20 03:44:27 +0000 UTCGOOSEBUMBS IS AN AMAZING EXAMPLE!! YES! Scooby-Doo too!! I'd adore something like that!!
Kraz
2025-03-20 03:37:28 +0000 UTCCamden pulled off the mysterious stranger/mad scientist angle pretty well. Not to mention gambling on his plan stashing the OG guide. Something that gives him greater and greater buffs the longer he is offscreen yet involved in the plot somehow. The longest of cons Maybe it works as a pseudo-Outsider trope
Jentry Lange
2025-03-20 03:33:39 +0000 UTCThe win condition being surviving the dinner rush
Connor Barkley
2025-03-20 03:31:01 +0000 UTCWhat I liked the most about the beginning was the variety of stories and I think it will be fun to evoke that nostalgia. What I'm expecting of the storyline is more like that teenage horror from "Goosebumps" or "Are you afraid of the Dark?" Meets "Scooby-Doo" or "Martin Mystery"
Andre Filipe Naves de Barros
2025-03-20 03:30:44 +0000 UTCThe premise alone is great - will they all be changed into teenagers? - and it provides a good opportunity for Isaac to have some more plot involvement in a storyline
Connor Barkley
2025-03-20 03:29:43 +0000 UTCThere's one movie I highly suggest everyone watch and that maybe you could take some inspiration from: *Willy's Wonderland*, it's a B list movie with essentially the same premise as this storyline, it stars Nicholas Cage who doesn't say a single godamn thing the entire movie. All he does is kill haunted animatronics
Brandon Lydick
2025-03-20 03:27:19 +0000 UTCI think Anna could get something that shares her status as the main character as a nod to her being rescued in this higher budget sequel. [The Gang’s All Here] or something similar giving her scripted relationships with other players and gives them final girl status as a result. A way to spread out the main character energy a bit more through the group to give variety! That also speaks to her and Camden working together. Their plan was key to getting things started in so many ways, but hindered their own growth as a result. [Someone Grab a Marker] - Camden’s use of a visual metaphor on a whiteboard is such a classic smart guy move in a movie. Players taking part in plans using a whiteboard, or other visual representations have bonuses to stats. Buffs are based on the qualities and execution of the scene, the Savvy or Moxie of the Marker wielder.
Jentry Lange
2025-03-20 03:21:36 +0000 UTCI think it would be fun to deviate a bit from the increasingly gory stories into something that’s a sharp contrast! They get time to take a breath, explore some of the new info, and maybe find a way to tie it back to the larger story at hand. It doesn’t feel like much of a stretch to see some Faustian parallels to our current situation with Carousel and the Many Worlds members. Or maybe the gang just needs a slice and a laugh while they talk through the recent and fairly major revelations.
Jentry Lange
2025-03-20 03:13:43 +0000 UTCTHISSSS!! THIS!!!
Kraz
2025-03-20 03:13:21 +0000 UTCAs for the rewards on "Post Traumatic" I think that it would be really cool for everyone to get the same trope, or at least a trope that functions in the same way for every class. Like a trope that passively informs them when they are being watched. Like Riley's trope to see where the camera's Carousel are. Outside of that, I think it would be interesting to see Riley get a trope related to Time Travel, or at least something that enables him to delve a bit further into that line of tropes. It could really open the door for him to do more meta stuff and "peak behind the curtain" so to speak which I really enjoy.
Fabledranger
2025-03-20 03:12:55 +0000 UTCI think what appealed to me is the fact that I have this vivid image in my head that the demons ACTUALLY look like demons and the crew has to just be inconvenienced and made to have close to the worst possible experience. I just want the mischief of demons and it not immediately being a "You're dead if you catch on to the lie." Maybe with the twist being that if they quit, they get chased and die? And thus have to possibly search for a way to banish the demon(s). Their happy ending is either leaving the job once the demon is banished or getting a decent raise (with the demon banished or taught to better his ways?? Idk HSHSHS). I think the "get a raise" ending would get a chuckle out of me.
Kraz
2025-03-20 03:08:59 +0000 UTCWhat appealed to me most about "By the Slice" as a prompt was the comedy element. It's not really something we have seen the team tackle before outside of some really dark humor. It's been back-to-back heavy stuff for a while now, so it's both a nice palette cleanser (heh) and a new genre we haven't really seen in the story before.
Fabledranger
2025-03-20 03:07:33 +0000 UTCMaybe the wrong take, but I adore a good litigious Lawful Evil devil played for laughs.
Joshua clark
2025-03-20 03:01:36 +0000 UTC
