So!
Probably the first and only big post I will make this game. Apologies.
##Giant Shining FoS: BardicheFor good or for bad is what it is. I doubt he'll flip as town, but even if he does, we'll learn new things.
As I have said (and Yoshi batted around earlier), I am most curious to hear Bard's thoughts on this right now. Because Bard currently leads the scumdar by leagues. The actions at the end of Day 2 were just beyond what.
Bard has pursued Soppy pretty much relentlessly since the start of Day 1. It's an all-out no-holds-barred aggro tactic, and if there's one thing you can't blame him for, it's being consistent in his reasoning. That is, until he starts backpedaling when I (and Yoshi) start mentioning that if the Soppy train goes bust on Day 2 we got a whole lot of nothin'. Alex has already somewhat called him out for doing this as well, but he never responded adequately. Things like
His lynch, for good or for bad, will teach us more about the other people, and in turn speculating about the scant possibilities of all others being scum is not going to be enlightening.
followed by
I doubt he'll flip as town, but even if he does, we'll learn new things. I see no problem with this statement in any way whatsoever, unless perhaps being lightly in doubt of your choices is a scummy thing.
I see problems. Just exactly what will we learn? Just exactly what HAVE we learned? At least Alex went into a fair degree of detail and speculation as to the possibilities we'd be facing tomorrow on Soppy's flip (albeit I was not exactly thrilled with the amount of detail on the scenario that actually happened.) Bard basically handwaves this, insinuates SOPPY'S FLIP WILL BE ENLIGHTENING and ... elaborates no further. Yeah, this argument could've worked for Day 1 when there was absolutely zilch else to go on.
And then Bard claims he's not having tunnel vision, having done a weak jab at Tonfa (who flipped town) and then Delta, backing up and trying to not look as bad if Soppy, in fact, doesn't end up being scum. It is convenient that Soppy's last line is a call-out to those biggest on his case to voice their suspicions on non-Soppy people, making me half-wish I had waited for Bard to get back on and reply. Ah well. Now he can do that.
Now, how does this look to scumBard? On Day 1, Bard was remarkable in that he actually stayed out of the obvious Mage train and kept on Soppy; on Day 2 he capitalized on this (on what I felt was a poor case and argument, as opposed to Tonfa's which actually convinced me to look harder at Soppy). In return he doesn't really have to voice his thoughts on anyone else and in fact complained about being requested to do so. In fact he really could've pulled the "aggro but misguided townie" card well (convinced Soppy even) as a defense if he hadn't pulled that stunt at the end of the day. And it gets us into LYLO.
As far as potential scumBard partners and everyone else goes...
Alex: His poke at Bard at Day 2 end (along with me) is what raises him the most in my eyes to not being scumBard's buddy. Unlike Bard, I find his arguments to be convincing (like Alex normally is) and he actually looks at other people while remaining focused on being productive. He did accuse me of coasting and my jab back at him was more in response to that than any real criticism, but he wasn't nearly as narrow-minded about Soppy as Bard was.
Yoshi: Agreed with me about how the Day 2 trainwreck was possibly running afoul, the first thing I think we've agreed on the entire game. I still think he needs to go after people harder, but he's been active enough that I'm willing to chalk this up in just playstyle difference. Find it hard to see him partnered with Bard, since their playstyles are so opposing.
Delta: The obvious scumbuddy partner, which leads me into a perpetual state of WIFOM. The guy's lay-back-and-fire-lists posts just rubs me absolutely the wrong way, and he takes easy obvious stances... they're bad by itself, but it provided Bard an excuse to raise his hackles at Delta (possibly in an attempt to build cred?) and a way out when Soppy inevitably flips town and gives him a Day 3 lynch possibility. Getting on Delta's case is valid, but that's awful convenient.
Yeah I can definitely see Bard/Delta. Can't really see Bard/Yoshi. Bard/Alex is somewhere in the middle but it would basically mean Alex told his scumbuddy to go hang and NOT stop him from catching himself from end of Day 2 slipup. Somehow I can't see Alex doing that.
Non-Bard possibilities are just an enigma to me. Delta/Yoshi, Delta/Alex, Yoshi/Alex... well Delta is a giant cluster of wtf so the first two are in that field of "yes this could happen but hell if I can pin it down" and, given the interaction between the two, not really buying into the third one. So, yes, this roughly correlates to a suspicion scale of Bard > Delta > Alex/Yoshi.