Author Topic: Chapter 40: Discussion  (Read 27256 times)

SparcMan

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #30 on: March 29, 2014, 04:54:47 am »


Edit: Well, looks like Lehm actually has the funds. Guess he means "you didn't ask me what it is I wanted you to do, what the risks are, or why it's WORTH 20 million."

Agreed. She's all but agreed to help Lehm if he can prove he has at least 50M in gold, but so far has no idea what it is she needs to help him with (or DOES she? Hmmmmm..)
If he can give her a partial payment first, she she be able to afford bailing out Bern and her sexy friend from Marvallo and probably have enough left over to buy her talk-show.

In other developments, I'm very interested in what's going to happen when Suspira catches up with Lehm. Will May still be there? Will someone be able to talk her down or will there be a big battle.

mittfh

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #31 on: March 29, 2014, 05:47:49 am »
If he can give her a partial payment first, she she be able to afford bailing out Bern and her sexy friend from Marvallo and probably have enough left over to buy her talk-show.

Except she doesn't yet know what Bern and Penny are up to - the last she heard from Bern, Bern was staying a while to help get dad back on the proverbial straight and narrow.

As for the wrong questions, she hasn't yet asked what the required task is or (crucially, given the money on offer), what the risks are, or the question it's probably best not to ask - who's funding him and why...

Daisuki-chan

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #32 on: March 30, 2014, 04:51:06 am »
There is the non-trivial problem of actually moving that much gold into Maytag's "possession". Even if you could easily move it (say with magic), the way that amount has been played up in value I can't imagine that you can just drop it off at a convenient pan-continental bank chain (any bank that can absorb that much with no problem should have owners/stockholders with even more wealth and likely more money, and you'd expect yet more from high rulers, etc.). You'd need to spend money to guard it, or would preferably convert it into assets (businesses, property, estates, farms, mines, etc.) that will not decrease in value due to the inflation you're causing by spending it (although Maytag probably wouldn't be considering inflation due to her world, it would still be safer to spread the money out, and better to have the money be earning you money than to have it just sitting there in a pile awaiting an unfriendly sorcerer, dragon, or whatever can overwhelm your expensive, mandatory guards).

Lehm of course has a secret hideout and only associates with "trusted" people (or can just generate gold with magic, so he doesn't consider it a big risk, or only himself or himself and "super-trusted" people know the vault location(s)), so it would be convenient for him to hold onto that money in the form of gold, but Maytag can't exactly take possession if Lehm is the one who holds it, and I doubt Lehm would give up his location so easily unless he has another...perhaps he does (whether this is the location of the gold, or the gold is here and he'll just move there, I don't know). Either way, "giving" the gold while holding onto it is pretty flimsy, as Lehm could just take it "back" whenever, and I doubt the gold would be at a convenient location to withdraw sums of money from regularly.

Of course how he got the money and what Maytag's task is are important, too.
« Last Edit: March 30, 2014, 04:53:05 am by Daisuki-chan »

SparcMan

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #33 on: March 30, 2014, 11:57:27 am »
If he can give her a partial payment first, she she be able to afford bailing out Bern and her sexy friend from Marvallo and probably have enough left over to buy her talk-show.

Except she doesn't yet know what Bern and Penny are up to - the last she heard from Bern, Bern was staying a while to help get dad back on the proverbial straight and narrow.


This is true. I would think if wouldn't take long for her to find out once she leaves the Thin Man's lair and is unable to reach her via the communication device she has. No doubt she'll either go there herself or (if not allowed to because of her task) send someone to find out and report back. That's why I'm hoping she'll get an advance payment as I have a feeling things are just going to get worse and worse for Bern.

Azure Priest

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #34 on: April 01, 2014, 09:50:23 am »
Well. We now know the terms. Sure, Lehm is happy to SHOW the 50 mil, just to prove that he can actually pay the 20 mil. The 20 mil, however, is only payable upon completion. No partial payments. No one to date has ever COMPLETED this "task" whatever it is, and May is just the latest "candidate."

Going by track record, failure means getting mind-wiped (as to Lehm's identity, his location, and anything you may or may not have agreed to have done upon you) and set loose upon Ishkarot as a walking engine of destruction to be hunted down by the Phalanx, trigger happy knights, adventurers, etc.

We have only one case where Lehm actually delivered on a task as promised, and that's the lady with the "killer tattoo." So we have to wonder if he'll actually keep his word regarding payment, or how in the blazes he expected any candidate to be able to move that much gold. Then again, he may simply leave the logistics up to the candidate, and if said candidate can't figure it out, he or she obviously isn't deserving of the payment. Which means more funds for "research" and one more task completed "for science."

sunphoenix

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #35 on: April 02, 2014, 05:43:15 am »
LOL.

Your ALL forgetting the accessibility of extra-dimensional spaces.  May uses a fairly small one to hold all her stilettos, potions and what not...

No reason Lehm could not do the same an had her a bag of gold ... that seemingly never runs out, well until 20 million gold pieces had been removed!


But as for the task at hand ...NOW we get the catch... so Maytag has to subject herself to an experiment to enter this Dark Cell or entering this 'Dark Cell' will subject her to weird harmful mutating magics!  Not a bright position, but perhaps the Dark Cell enhances what your heart's desire or idealized version of yourself is?  Basically turning your wish on its head twisting it into something monstrous.... like whatever happened to Bloody Mary?  I'm just posting suppositions here...

Gonna be really interesting to so what Maytag does! I just hope our sexy liberated jester is not maimed!
"...no amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free.  No, not the rack, not fission bombs, not anything - you can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is Kill him." - Robert A. Heinlein

weirdguy

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #36 on: April 02, 2014, 04:26:39 pm »
I imagine that there are parallels to the magic test, except that there's no protections on this one preventing it from outright harming the participant.

Daisuki-chan

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #37 on: April 02, 2014, 06:46:23 pm »
Well, I guess it's a matter of how convenient magic is if you can really move and store 20 million (or even one million) gold in a D-bag. If you can then there's virtually no meaningful volume or weight limit to them (unlike for bags of holding). You'd probably want someone(s) to verify that all of it is legitimate currency, at least, so you'd probably need to pay guards as well as that person(s) for a "short" while, anyway, unless you seriously wanted to do that yourself (and trusted yourself to know well whether or not each coin was a trick to boot).

Azure Priest

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #38 on: April 03, 2014, 05:35:12 am »
So Lehm wants "information." That sounds simple, on paper. In practice, there's nothing "simple" about collecting information, especially if it's information you actually want. So there's a guaranteed payment of 1 mil for a "good effort." The strange thing is, Lehm hasn't detailed what a "good effort" means.

In the Chronicles of Pern saga, there's an artist who, upon commission, goes to paint the portrait of a rather unscrupulous lord. The contract is rather solid, and reputable, but he gets trapped in the lord's mansion for months, painting and repainting the portrait, getting no additional pay because the work was not "satisfactory."

To add insult to injury, after the artist has escaped the mansion JUST BEFORE WINTER SETS IN (which would trap him there with their "wonderful" company for several more months, where he'd then have to pay rent), the Lord then goes to the artist's guild demanding a refund because it's still not "satisfactory." After the guild insists that there's nothing wrong technically or artistically with the work, does he finally get to keep his commission.

Fear not, readers. That particular lord does actually get his comeuppance later when his rather deplorable history fully comes to light.

As it is, Lehm now has a loophole for non-payment. He can claim Maytag's efforts were not "good."

SparcMan

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #39 on: April 03, 2014, 09:25:44 am »
I could be wrong here, but I've so far gotten the impression that Lehm is not the conman type, despite the fact that he operates on shaky if not outrageous moral and legal grounds. I think that the way he works is because (a) He truly believes his work is extremely important, (b) there may be those in the authorities that do not want his discovery to be known and (c) even though he probably considers that "the ends justify the means" in many of his "experiments", the authorities and general public usually don't share that sentiment.

Tyris

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #40 on: April 04, 2014, 03:04:43 pm »
"We want information... information... information."
You can't look dignified when you're having fun.

mittfh

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #41 on: April 04, 2014, 04:05:47 pm »
Perhaps The Dark Cell is their world's equivalent of an anechoic chamber - Lehm's theory being that in the silence and stillness, the candidate will be receptive to information the Qualia supposedly reveal but is inaccessible to people in a normal environment. Just as in an anechoic chamber, the complete absence of sound and light can quickly make people long for escape, with speculation that if someone was cooped up in such a chamber for an extended period with no chance of escape, they'd go slightly mad. Hence the reason for the large bribe...

Stargoat

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #42 on: April 07, 2014, 02:02:31 pm »
"We want information... information... information."

You won't get it!

sunphoenix

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #43 on: April 07, 2014, 09:53:38 pm »
"You can't stop the signal... {stargoat}..."! :)
"...no amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free.  No, not the rack, not fission bombs, not anything - you can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is Kill him." - Robert A. Heinlein

weirdguy

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #44 on: April 09, 2014, 08:56:13 pm »
i hope this was worth all the pages getting here lol

edit: I feel like we've been here before, but I'm not exactly sure when
« Last Edit: April 12, 2014, 10:05:56 pm by weirdguy »

Abstract Vagabond

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #45 on: April 16, 2014, 03:57:52 pm »
"Inside that door was something worse than death."

A community full of people taking selfies?

Azure Priest

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #46 on: April 17, 2014, 05:38:25 am »
"Inside that door was something worse than death."

A community full of people taking selfies?

The horror, the horror!

maddhopps

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #47 on: April 18, 2014, 04:37:18 am »
I find it kind of funny that Dark Cell was a literal dark cell. Seems like it has the same effect on people that Mary's fear demon does.

Azure Priest

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #48 on: April 21, 2014, 11:15:34 am »
I find it kind of funny that Dark Cell was a literal dark cell. Seems like it has the same effect on people that Mary's fear demon does.

That would explain where Melter got the idea.

...

Maytag, you're scary. Most people don't LIKE being terrified. Scared, maybe, terrified, not so much.
« Last Edit: April 25, 2014, 06:44:52 am by Azure Priest »

weirdguy

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #49 on: April 25, 2014, 01:57:23 pm »
I am having thoughts about taking the pane with Bloody Mary eating May's arm and replacing the munching with "nom nom nom"

maddhopps

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #50 on: April 25, 2014, 07:50:24 pm »
I wonder what the most terrified Maytag has been in the story? The two times Bernadette looked like she might die were the first things to come to mind. Non-Bern related moments, the only thing I can think of is when Moss was torturing her in Book 0.

I am having thoughts about taking the pane with Bloody Mary eating May's arm and replacing the munching with "nom nom nom"

I'm pretty sure that is Mary's superhero catch phrase.

Stargoat

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #51 on: April 28, 2014, 10:40:34 am »
The horror, the horror!

The only thing you have to fear, is fear itself.   And flesh eating monsters.  Fear itself and flesh eating monsters.  Flesh eating monsters and fear itself.  The only two things you have to fear are fear itself and flesh eating monsters.  And the dark cell.  The three things you have to fear are fear itself, flesh eating monsters, and the dark cell.  And an almost fanatical devotion to the Thin Man.  The four things you have.... No.  Amongst the things you have to fear are such elements as fear itself, flesh eating monsters....   I'll come in again.
« Last Edit: May 05, 2014, 09:49:06 am by Stargoat »

sunphoenix

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #52 on: April 29, 2014, 05:15:41 am »
OH CRAP! Maytag ...DON'T!  Your being poisoned/drugged/{fed whatever screwed up all the other 'subject/victims'}!!!  The Tea.. the Tea!
"...no amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free.  No, not the rack, not fission bombs, not anything - you can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is Kill him." - Robert A. Heinlein

Azure Priest

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #53 on: April 29, 2014, 05:41:21 am »
Whatever shred of doubt once existed is now gone, Maytag is certifiably INSANE!

weirdguy

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #54 on: April 30, 2014, 12:45:03 am »
yeah, it's funny that they didn't just pick her as the first candidate for their project

mittfh

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #55 on: April 30, 2014, 02:18:59 pm »
It's interesting that Lehm is sweating - maybe he's realised he might have to part with a substantial part of his fortune after all... :)

I wonder if Maytag's got any bright ideas as to how she can get over the threshold, given last time she felt rooted to the spot, pscyhologically unable to continue further. Perhaps donning a blindfold immediately beforehand, or taking a running jump into the abyss?

weirdguy

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #56 on: May 01, 2014, 01:55:34 am »
Since Maytag's usual tactic is to attempt to accept the feeling as part of her own being, she'll probably try that first.

sunphoenix

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #57 on: May 01, 2014, 09:38:43 am »
Uhm.. who the hell is bob?!?
"...no amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free.  No, not the rack, not fission bombs, not anything - you can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is Kill him." - Robert A. Heinlein

sunphoenix

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #58 on: May 02, 2014, 09:16:18 am »
If I didn't say this before.. I'm saying it now...

"I got a very bad feeling about this..."

{also.. neat not-sword...}
"...no amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free.  No, not the rack, not fission bombs, not anything - you can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is Kill him." - Robert A. Heinlein

weirdguy

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Re: Chapter 40: Discussion
« Reply #59 on: May 02, 2014, 11:48:59 am »
She's probably just going to use it to retrieve her without having to step inside.

also it's cooler than just tying a rope around her waist