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The bar graphs showed the thrallcount of the major Masterminds. He was nervous. Of the people he ended up picking, half of them had ambitions far beyond what was considered acceptable for the [b]well being of Cognizant[/b]. He wasn't sure what would happen. And the options he DID want were either unlikely or extremely complicated. Like what would a toonified simulation do? Would his brother be able to keep it from breaking? \n\n\"And we're nearing the lockout time for Cognizant Pier Paradise. It's looking like a definite shoe in for Ante Sontheimer! But we don't call it until the very last second the thralls come in!\" Frida reported on the main broadcast screen.\n\nShit. Shitshitshit. Ante was probably the most dangerous of the four to end up winning cognizant. He said something about magic and restoring his family and Naga lords getting power was NEVER a good thing. The Parole Authority was going to want to audit cognizant if if they deduced their influx of power came from him. He stared shellshocked at TV, cracking open a beer, the foam fizzing over the spout. \n\n\"But what's THIS?!\" Frida exclaimed. Putting her bust on the desk as she pulled out a hand microphone despite being in the well lit newsroom. \n\nThe other bars were rising. Rapidly. Far more than what had been registered all month. \n\n\"Now Cyndi's in the lead! Now TwoTone! It's neck and neck, the votes aren't going down, they're going up! up! up!\" \n\n\"NO WAY!\" Kai Tyde sat up. She was right. He checked the computers and saw the votes were piling in. He didn't even realize there were that many thralls in Ayurveda. \n\n\"BRO. You seein this?! Is this legit?\" Kai Tyde was bouncing like it was the last quarter of a basketball game. \n\n\"Yeah, it's legit. I don't how they're doing this. Whatever's happening, the guests are going nuts.\" Jasper responded over the side screen. He looked more confused than Kai did. It didn't matter to him. What mattered was he might come up all roses.\n\n\"Wait! There's a new development! Now Esme's rising! I don't believe it!\" Frida was practically bouncing out of her seat. There was hope! Kai Tyde jumped enthusiastically. \n\n\"GO! GO YOU ADORABLE TOXIC HAZARD!\" Kai Tyde yelled at the screen. The bars got down to the double digits. The single digits. It was anyone's race. \n\nThe Tally ended; Kai Tyde dropped his drink. It bounced off the floor with a clink. He turned around at the sound of a voice.\n\n\"You could have seen this coming, right?\"\n\n-----\n[b]ANTE SONTHEIMER[/b]\n\n\"Yes. YESSSS. The Shadehoods will reign supreme!\" The Naga squeezed one of the silver sharks in his coils like a stress ball. The metallic shark never broke her statuesque grin. He cackled. He felt the magic start to swell. The number was rising. New dedicated thralls. souls eager to see him succeed. To channel the ritual that would imbibe his father with enough magical power to escape without a contract. To grow their empire again. To restore the Serpentis Triumverate with the Shadehood Nagas as their rightful leaders. He closed his eyes and raked his fingers though his hair.\n\nHe pictured the lively snake pits of grateful concubines. He salivated at the scents of rare dishes presented by thralls he wasn't obligated to know the names of. He bristled at the warmth of mirrors all directed to his glistening body. A Ziggurat dedicated to his glory. He imagined the statue erected to his brilliance. No. A ROOM of statues. \n\nHe opened his eyes and a smiling bipedal snake in a witch's hat smiled cheerfully at him. Incanta.\n\nIf nagas could jump, he would have. \n\n\"Oh, It's you. Come to pay your debt?\" He grinned a smarmy smile. The look of a sore winner. Incanta, surprisingly, kept her poker face.\n\nIncanta was a bipedal naga. One he had the mistake of calling half breed when they first met. She was a wild card. Someone far more powerful than Kai Tyde or anyone else in Cognizant. Maybe even Darkwitt, if one could assume someone with immense magical power created a place like Cognizant. She travelled as a witch of the dreamwish magics, a rare and powerful source of energy. One that his own magics would pair well with. If he gained a boon from her, he would be able to make up for more than just the magics of his thralls. They could bring back the Serpentis Triumverate all in one spell. All he had to do was win Cognizant. If he won, he would get his boon. But if she won... all of his thralls would be released, and he'd be back to square one. \n\n\"Oh no, I came to see the end of the vote!\" She cheerfully intoned. He folded his arms but kept his smile. \n\"Aha... you take losing in stride, miss. I do hope you won't find it too distasteful.\" He slithered over to the bar to pour a drink, releasing his grip on the card shark so she could stride effortlessly back over to the entrance of the room and call additional security. \n\n\"Are you sure? What's the score?\"\n\n\"They've already voted, there's nothing else TO vote for. I made sure I had a comfortable lead with my thralls early on. They cannot disobey, they are property, one and all!\" \n\n\"Then what's the score?\" She asked again. He turned around to see the screen. The numbers were rising. But not just his. They were ALL rising too quickly. And there were only a few minutes to go. He frowned, looking at the bipedal snake. The damn lady's cheerful 'hospitality services' smile. He couldn't help but assume a veneer of smug satisfaction on the borderline of guilt. \n\nBut then the tally concluded, and the entirety of the casino erupted in a cacophony of cheers.\n\nA Tie. \n\nHe stared flabbergasted at the tally. It wasn't just a tie. it was a [i]perfect[/i] tie. Between all four Masterminds.\n\n\"I....I don't understand.\" Ante fell back into his chair, staring at the screen. Incanta strode over and gently pat his head. \n\n\"I thought you enjoyed the game. The excitement of gambling? The Pactweave is satisfied yes?\" Incanta mused almost teasingly.\n\n\"I did not win. The contract stipulates- REQUIRES a victory, not a tie. I don't- I don't even know what this is. you don't TIE. You-\"\n\n\"When the Pactweave makes a contract, it assumes the magical equivalent of its most authoritative entity. In the situation of gambling... That's a Bookie. Don't bookies normally have a contingency for a tie?\"\n\n\"The Pactweave does not deal in half measures. It determines a win... and if it can't....\" Ante sighed.\n\n\"A Push. Which means the deal is voided.\" Incanta stroked her chin. The Naga slumped for a moment, then adjusted his dress coat. recollecting himself. \n\n\"What does it matter? I only put up the casino and the thralls I gained. I don't get a boon from you but I still have plenty for what I need.\"\n\n\"Do you? The Pactweave might not be as forgiving of a Bookie, but for a performance like Cognizant, they're surely not going to be satisfied with taking the ball home.\" Incanta raised her hand and flicked her crystal wand. The screen changed to a map of Cognizant. \n\nIt was reconfiguring. The casino territory slowly spread, beyond one building, showing the logo of Ante's eye oozing outward. It was cathartic to him, for a moment. \n\nAnd then he saw the cigar, the ship, and the sunrise spreading. \n\nEqually. Until the Ayurveda was evenly divided between them.\n\n\"No....no NO NO NO!\" He rose from his seat and brought his hand to the screen. slamming against the glass.\n\n\n\"Everyone sure loves a happy ending. You got just as much territory as the rest of them!\" Incanta was chipper, undoubtedly at his expense.\n\n\"I needed ALL of ayurveda! I needed all the souls that came in from the port! I- I'll trade the port, I just need the port, or the Boardwalk. Just let me have one of those!\"\n\n\"But since you picked the casino. All the land and buildings around it are yours to build however you like.\" She flicked a wand, manifesting a strawberry milkshake with a pink donut wedged on the top. The sound of her drinking gave a loud unpleasant slurping noise despite she had just manifested it. Leaning forward just as Ante slumped back into his seat. \n\n\"You still get to mold the Casino however you like! You even get to keep the souls you gained right when Cognizant started! But now instead of getting enough souls to bring your family to power, you have a nice little vacation spot you can run and indulge right here.\" \n\nIt was a disaster. Once he learned of Cognizant he picked an area close enough to the Ayurveda port so he could ensnare everyone that made their way into the simulation. The population of the territory during a Hypnovember would have been plenty enough for him to cast his ritual. To free his father and restore the Shadehood Naga Lords to their former glory. Now he was stuck having to do this the long way. It was still the solution. but what would have been a month would now take years at the least.\n\nHe gave a long sigh and set down his empty glass before slithering over to the wall intercom.\n\n\"Bar.... Bring up a bottle of the Courvoisier XO to the platinum suite. 19...70.\" He glanced over at Incanta. \n\n\"We have a win to celebrate...\" He slid his finger off the intercom button and straightened up his suit. \n\n\"I know when I'm licked. You're very shrewd for an insane hal-....biped. It's not every day A naga's been outmaneuvered. especially on his own turf.\" \n\nShe strode over and tapped his glass, refilling the drink. \n\n\"And that excites you doesn't it?\" She said. He took the drink but his brow furrowed.\n\n\"I don't...\"\n\n\"I deal in wishes, dear. but the curious thing about wishes...\" She leaned close. \n\n\"We often pretend we know what we want.\" \n\n\"You know what I want, Miss, plain and simple. The restoration of my-\" She shook her head, which was enough to cut him off. \n\n\"Come on, Ante. you could have cultivated plenty of under the table thralls to restore your family in a litany of other ways before the parole investigators caught wise.\" \n\nHe stared at her in stunned silence. Unsure of where she was going with this. The door opened, and a shark came in to pour the cognac. Incanta took the first glass and tilted her hat back.\n\n\n\"Nothing aches in your heart more... than a challenge. One that felt worthy of you.\" She lifted up the glass. His expression softened.... and he thought he had such a good poker face. \n\n\"Wish. Granted.\"\n\n-----\n[b]TWO TONE[/b]\n\n\"OPPPA!!!\" Two Tone clashed a huge mug of beer with the glasses of a few other palookas.\n\nSabri was dancing up on stage with a few other of the ladies in striped suits. A wolf was salivating over her and forming a waterfall from the top of his mouth. \n\n\"Ya in showbiz, hun?\" \n\"duuuuh nope nope nope, why?\" he said dopily. \n\n\"den git yer mitts off da stage!\" She kicked him in the mouth and her back up dancer mice giggled like chipmunks. Two Tone laughed heartily and pressed down one of his nose ridge bumps. his mouth opened like a register as he poured in the beer. closing his jaw with a bell ring and a belch.\n\nHe was hittin' all sixes this month. Felt on top of the world. He wasn't the kind of guy to look a gift horse in the mouth when the thrall counts started rising evenly. He won. and he got the best slice of the ayurveda pie that he could ever have. The question was... \n\nHow the heck was he going to get his little slice of heaven out to the rest of the pier? \n\n\"BOSS!\" A clydesdale in a bowler hat came in through the Inkwell double doors. the end of a cigar smoldering in his mouth. \n\n\"YA GOTTA CUM SEE DIS!! BOSS!!!\" he was sounding pretty alarmed. \n\n\"EY! I can hear ya mouth breather. ya tryin' ta wake the dead?\" The Gator swung round, his belly slammed into a smaller rat who flew across the room and crashed into a table. The other Palookas giggled. but the clydesdale was undeterred. \n\n\"BOSS. DA PIER! IT'S CHANGIN!\" He pointed at the window. Two Tone reached into his pocket, the sound of rattling chains, a duck, and a car crash ripped out until he produced a pair of binoculars. Turning with his big belly bouncing cartoonishly. He glanced outside. \n\nIt didn't take long for his eyeballs to puncture the glass on the outer side of the binoculars. \n\n\"Gah! Dang it!\" he couldn't pull his eyes back in, so he ran outside anyway. The palookas were quick to follow. \n\nSabri's advertisement was playing on the jumbotron along the pier. and as she sang and encouraged people to stay tuned. The black and white from the cartoon started to spread. \n\nhe looked up at the sky. it too was losing its color. Grayscale sun bearing down as it formed a pair of eyes and a beaming set of piano keys for a smile. The inkwell bumped into its sides. the other buildings taking on a bouncier quality to it. The entrance to the pier had a disclaimer warning 'motion sickness.' The streets bent, and the buildings wobbled. \n\nIt was a veritable silent era ToonTown. A paradise in the big gator's eyes. He didn't even think it was possible. he looked at the borders in the distance. where the sky divided into colors of various kinds. The pendulum in the distance retained its color and shape. The boardwalk was his. \n\nBut something else changed. \n\nThe Great Zen left port. The docks and main entrance faded as the boardwalk stretched out wider to resemble more of a coney island style pier. Even the 'Speak Your Mind\" Reception Tunnel melted into the wood. disappearing. \n\n\"hey hey HEY! What the hell?!\" Two Tone bounded down the street in a huff. He positioned himself right at the front entrance to make sure he got first exposure to everyone that came into Cognizant. Where was the cruise ship going? where were the docks?! \n\nSteam billowed out his ears as he stamped the floor. This wasn't fair! He had dibs! \n\n\"Gotta problem, boss?\" Sabri said as she sashayed out onto the boardwalk right next to him.\n\n\"Eh.... nah. I'll get ovuh it.\" he put his hands into his pockets and sighed. A tie was bound to have some concessions. Sabri took the opportunity to squish her gams with her white gloves.\n\n\"Maybe samplin' the merchandise will cheer you up?\" her boobs made a honking noise like a Model T's horn. \n\n\"Toots, no offense but dat ain't my kinda tune.\" \n\n\"Oh..... Wanna watch me slip on a banana peel into the jazz ensemble?\"\n\n\"....see. Now dat's a song I can tap my foot to.\" \n\n-----\n[b]CYNDI SUNRISE[/b]\n\nCyndi took a deep breath as the sky turned orange. Maintaining her Tree Pose as the world itself warped and shift into her ideal paradise. Her students stretched on floating platforms anchored near the bungalows. Incense tingled at her nose through the air. Bungalows grew and spread. entire roads of yoga mats and white sand spread beyond the beaches. meditation bowls ring out as palm trees cascade across the region. with quaint housing and island shopping centers opening up. Tea shops and moss like grass surround the center. Everything she would have ever wanted. \n\nThe turmoil and conflict seemed to fade away. \n\nShe came here to further her brand. to entice others to invest in her company, her holdings and profit. But it faded. \n\nShe thought of how hard she had to work to even get a fraction of the attention in the real world that came so breathlessly here. But it too, faded. \n\nShe thought about her twin sister and their ceaseless competition in the hope that one day their parents might finally tell them apart. \n\nAnd yet, for the first time, that too, faded. \n\nWhat was it about Cognizant that brought her as close to peace as she had ever felt? As her student participation grew, her valid, albeit corrupt motivations seemed increasingly pedantic. This place made all of those things feels so irrelevant. \n\nWhy was this plane of digital curiosities the closest to spiritual balance she'd ever achieve? \n\nas she slid down to a lord of the dance pose, the enlightenment came. A simple eureka that didn't disrupt her posture. If anything it helped her settle more. \n\nRedirecting her focus on this always felt like a game. The people mere players taking part in a performance. It allowed her to set aside her own burdens. Her own material wants and goals seemed less important. Seeing the peace in her students' eyes. Feel how people fell to the will of others. It made things simpler. \n\nIt made her realize her worldly conflicts were truly irrelevant. \n\nMaybe staying here wouldn't be so bad. Perhaps all she needed was a small scale goal. To finally attain the balance in her that she worked so hard to realize in her students.\n\nAs she into her final warrior pose, she closed her eyes and smiled. \n\nHer leg no longer quivered.\n\n-----\n[b]ESME DA SILVA[/b]\n\n\"You could have seen this coming, right?\"\n\nKai Tyde whirled around and saw the Captain standing at attention. Head held high and arms behind her back. Like a soldier awaiting inspection. Kai Tyde's eyes narrowed. Her energy felt different the last time he spoke to her. \n\nIt almost felt like the kind of presence he felt last time he spoke to Darkwitt. \n\n\"Captain. I thought you were on the ship?\"\n\n\"I was. We just made port in the new dock. I took the liberty of submitting the changes to Jasper's staff once the vote was completed.\" She tilted her head up with a kind smile and a playful lick of her tongue. Kai Tyde scratched his head. She was half his size, and yet he felt like the smaller one in the room. \n\n\"Well uh.. congratulations! Ya won Pier Paradise. But uh... aren't you a little bit bummed it was a four way tie?\" \n\nShe kindly shook her head and walked over to the computer counting the tally. replacing Frida's confetti filled broadcast with the graph of a perfect four way tie.\n\n\"Actually Monsieur Tyde. This was exactly what I wanted.\" She took a seat in front of his desk and rested her hands in her lap.\n\n\"Come again?\" Kai Tyde blinked.\n\n\"I was never going to beat out the rest of the Masterminds. A Naga Lord, an ambitious wellness guru, A cartoon? I'm too timid to really do much against them. c'est la vie. But I did have a a little advantage over them I could leverage.\" \n\nThe Dragon looked out the window as the ayurveda slowly began to change and warp. The Landing was moved south, along with the 'speak your mind' tunnel, integrating into a solarpunk rainforest worthy of a theme park. It was beautiful. A mirror like spire twisted upward. opening up into a solar panel tree amidst the forest region. With the Great Zen making port at the wood docks. \n\n\"You had the Zen.\" \n\n\"That's right. I had ample opportunity to meet everyone that came to Cognizant before anyone else. But no matter what I did, I wasn't going to overcome the hypnotic influences of the other masterminds. I just make people dizzy, really.\" \n\nShe folded her legs, resting her hands on her knee. For the first time, she looked confident.\n\n\"So. I simply gave them an order that was compatible with everyone. Everyone I spoke to, I told them 'no matter who's control you are under, you will vote for all of us.\"\n\n\"But- the thrall count's supposed to determine who is under who's control.\"\n\n\"Oui Commandant, but they vote. and they are allowed to vote for multiple, non?\" She stretched out her tongue and gently tapped the computer. Showing last year's hypnovember. While there was a clear winner, among Frida's votes, her voters had also picked dozes of lower ranked master minds that didn't earn enough collectively to compete. \n\n\"I spoke to Mz. Floreana and she had expressed this as a curiosity of last year. which was why it surprised her so much that she won. So I figured, if we're allowed to vote for multiple people. why have any losers?\" \n\nKai Tyde stared. He genuinely had never considered that. \n\n\"If you had this ability the whole time, why have them vote for everyone? Why not have them just vote for you on top of voting for them?\"\n\nShe unfolded her legs and tilted her cap back. Her expression seemed almost... confused. She spoke matter-of-factly.\n\n[i]\"That would have made the other masterminds so sad, non?\" [/i]\n\nKai gave a sharp exhale before slipping into a hearty laugh. Walking over to flop into Darkwitt's office chair. He propped up his legs and shook his head incredulously. \n\n\"You realize we're gonna have to revise the rules after your little stunt.\"\n\n\"Oui, Monsieur. But today? There are no losers.\" She stood and gave a crisp salute. \n\"I must get back to my crew. We have a lot of renovations to make.\"\n\n\"You really are a shrewd little lady aren't you?\"\n\nShe bowed respectfully.\n\n\"Je suis sans voix, Kai. I am here to serve.\" \n\nGiven everything that transpired, he couldn't refute that.\n\nCheeky frog. \n\n-----\nI never imagined we'd end in a tie. \n\nI won't lie, this was challenging to write. It was tempting to do a tie breaker, or have some dramatic upset that brought everything down to one point. But the way I saw the Cognizant community feel so enthusiastic about every one of the masterminds, It didn't feel right. \n\nSo what better way to celebrate a tie than let all of them 'sort of' win? \nThey might not all be happy, but that's okay. I'll be revising the map in the next few days.\n\nI genuinely didn't expect this hypnovember to be as exciting or as prevalent this year. After the first one, I realized how expensive, stressful and time consuming it would be trying to organize it all. But you all made it clear that you still wanted to keep it going. After I worked with Sabri to design the Masterminds this year, people started getting art of them. It was heartwarming. I didn't expect people to adore the work I do on these events. I might not have the money to provide as satisfying a scale. \n\nBut It's not just my project anymore. It's all of ours, and I'm eager to continue.\n\nNext Hypnovember, we'll be making our way to the industrial quarter of grim fog, cold technology, and trade ports. Facility 18 is waking up. and it is ready to make some drones.\n\nartwork by Jintally\nGraciously provided by Flarfenarfle. \n\nA big thanks to everyone who has participated in Cognizant, and helped make this happen. There are too many of you to name, but I am eager to see where this goes next.", "description_bbcode_parsed": "KAI TYDE:

The Dragon sat at the center of Darkwitt's observation theater in the Pendulum. The bar graphs showed the thrallcount of the major Masterminds. He was nervous. Of the people he ended up picking, half of them had ambitions far beyond what was considered acceptable for the well being of Cognizant. He wasn't sure what would happen. And the options he DID want were either unlikely or extremely complicated. Like what would a toonified simulation do? Would his brother be able to keep it from breaking?

"And we're nearing the lockout time for Cognizant Pier Paradise. It's looking like a definite shoe in for Ante Sontheimer! But we don't call it until the very last second the thralls come in!" Frida reported on the main broadcast screen.

Shit. Shitshitshit. Ante was probably the most dangerous of the four to end up winning cognizant. He said something about magic and restoring his family and Naga lords getting power was NEVER a good thing. The Parole Authority was going to want to audit cognizant if if they deduced their influx of power came from him. He stared shellshocked at TV, cracking open a beer, the foam fizzing over the spout.

"But what's THIS?!" Frida exclaimed. Putting her bust on the desk as she pulled out a hand microphone despite being in the well lit newsroom.

The other bars were rising. Rapidly. Far more than what had been registered all month.

"Now Cyndi's in the lead! Now TwoTone! It's neck and neck, the votes aren't going down, they're going up! up! up!"

"NO WAY!" Kai Tyde sat up. She was right. He checked the computers and saw the votes were piling in. He didn't even realize there were that many thralls in Ayurveda.

"BRO. You seein this?! Is this legit?" Kai Tyde was bouncing like it was the last quarter of a basketball game.  

"Yeah, it's legit. I don't how they're doing this. Whatever's happening, the guests are going nuts."  Jasper responded over the side screen. He looked more confused than Kai did. It didn't matter to him. What mattered was he might come up all roses.

"Wait! There's a new development! Now Esme's rising! I don't believe it!" Frida was practically bouncing out of her seat. There was hope! Kai Tyde jumped enthusiastically.

"GO! GO YOU ADORABLE TOXIC HAZARD!" Kai Tyde yelled at the screen. The bars got down to the double digits. The single digits. It was anyone's race.

The Tally ended; Kai Tyde dropped his drink. It bounced off the floor with a clink. He turned around at the sound of a voice.

"You could have seen this coming, right?"

-----
ANTE SONTHEIMER

"Yes.  YESSSS. The Shadehoods will reign supreme!" The Naga squeezed one of the silver sharks in his coils like a stress ball. The metallic shark never broke her statuesque grin. He cackled. He felt the magic start to swell.  The number was rising. New dedicated thralls. souls eager to see him succeed. To channel the ritual that would imbibe his father with enough magical power to escape without a contract. To grow their empire again. To restore the Serpentis Triumverate with the Shadehood Nagas as their rightful leaders. He closed his eyes and raked his fingers though his hair.

He pictured the lively snake pits of grateful concubines. He salivated at the scents of rare dishes presented by thralls he wasn't obligated to know the names of. He bristled at the warmth of mirrors all directed to his glistening body. A Ziggurat dedicated to his glory. He imagined the statue erected to his brilliance. No. A ROOM of statues.

He opened his eyes and a smiling bipedal snake in a witch's hat smiled cheerfully at him. Incanta.

If nagas could jump, he would have.

"Oh, It's you. Come to pay your debt?" He grinned a smarmy smile. The look of a sore winner. Incanta, surprisingly, kept her poker face.

Incanta was a bipedal naga. One he had the mistake of calling half breed when they first met. She was a wild card. Someone far more powerful than Kai Tyde or anyone else in Cognizant. Maybe even Darkwitt, if one could assume someone with immense magical power created a place like Cognizant. She travelled as a witch of the dreamwish magics, a rare and powerful source of energy. One that his own magics would pair well with. If he gained a boon from her, he would be able to make up for more than just the magics of his thralls. They could bring back the Serpentis Triumverate all in one spell. All he had to do was win Cognizant. If he won, he would get his boon. But if she won... all of his thralls would be released, and he'd be back to square one.

"Oh no, I came to see the end of the vote!" She cheerfully intoned. He folded his arms but kept his smile.
"Aha... you take losing in stride, miss.  I do hope you won't find it too distasteful." He slithered over to the bar to pour a drink, releasing his grip on the card shark so she could stride effortlessly back over to the entrance of the room and call additional security.

"Are you sure? What's the score?"

"They've already voted, there's nothing else TO vote for. I made sure I had a comfortable lead with my thralls early on. They cannot disobey, they are property, one and all!"

"Then what's the score?" She asked again. He turned around to see the screen. The numbers were rising. But not just his. They were ALL rising too quickly. And there were only a few minutes to go. He frowned, looking at the bipedal snake. The damn lady's cheerful 'hospitality services' smile. He couldn't help but assume a veneer of smug satisfaction on the borderline of guilt.

But then the tally concluded, and the entirety of the casino erupted in a cacophony of cheers.

A Tie.

He stared flabbergasted at the tally. It wasn't just a tie. it was a perfect tie. Between all four Masterminds.

"I....I don't understand." Ante fell back into his chair, staring at the screen. Incanta strode over and gently pat his head.  

"I thought you enjoyed the game. The excitement of gambling? The Pactweave is satisfied yes?" Incanta mused almost teasingly.

"I did not win. The contract stipulates- REQUIRES a victory, not a tie. I don't- I don't even know what this is. you don't TIE. You-"

"When the Pactweave makes a contract, it assumes the magical equivalent of its most authoritative entity. In the situation of gambling... That's a Bookie. Don't bookies normally have a contingency for a tie?"

"The Pactweave does not deal in half measures. It determines a win... and if it can't...." Ante sighed.

"A Push. Which means the deal is voided." Incanta stroked her chin. The Naga slumped for a moment, then adjusted his dress coat. recollecting himself.

"What does it matter? I only put up the casino and the thralls I gained. I don't get a boon from you but I still have plenty for what I need."

"Do you? The Pactweave might not be as forgiving of a Bookie, but for a performance like Cognizant, they're surely not going to be satisfied with taking the ball home." Incanta raised her hand and flicked her crystal wand. The screen changed to a map of Cognizant.

It was reconfiguring.  The casino territory slowly spread, beyond one building, showing the logo of Ante's eye oozing outward. It was cathartic to him, for a moment.

And then he saw the cigar, the ship, and the sunrise spreading.

Equally. Until the Ayurveda was evenly divided between them.

"No....no NO NO NO!" He rose from his seat and brought his hand to the screen. slamming against the glass.


"Everyone sure loves a happy ending. You got just as much territory as the rest of them!" Incanta was chipper, undoubtedly at his expense.

"I needed ALL of ayurveda! I needed all the souls that came in from the port! I- I'll trade the port, I just need the port, or the Boardwalk. Just let me have one of those!"

"But since you picked the casino. All the land and buildings around it are yours to build however you like." She flicked a wand, manifesting a strawberry milkshake with a pink donut wedged on the top. The sound of her drinking gave a loud unpleasant slurping noise despite she had just manifested it. Leaning forward just as Ante slumped back into his seat.

"You still get to mold the Casino however you like! You even get to keep the souls you gained right when Cognizant started!  But now instead of getting enough souls to bring your family to power, you have a nice little vacation spot you can run and indulge right here."

It was a disaster. Once he learned of Cognizant he picked an area close enough to the Ayurveda port so he could ensnare everyone that made their way into the simulation. The population of the territory during a Hypnovember would have been plenty enough for him to cast his ritual. To free his father and restore the Shadehood Naga Lords to their former glory. Now he was stuck having to do this the long way. It was still the solution. but what would have been a month would now take years at the least.

He gave a long sigh and set down his empty glass before slithering over to the wall intercom.

"Bar.... Bring up a bottle of the Courvoisier XO to the platinum suite. 19...70." He glanced over at Incanta.

"We have a win to celebrate..." He slid his finger off the intercom button and straightened up his suit.

"I know when I'm licked. You're very shrewd for an insane hal-....biped. It's not every day A naga's been outmaneuvered. especially on his own turf."

She strode over and tapped his glass, refilling the drink.  

"And that excites you doesn't it?" She said. He took the drink but his brow furrowed.

"I don't..."

"I deal in wishes, dear. but the curious thing about wishes..." She leaned close.

"We often pretend we know what we want."

"You know what I want, Miss, plain and simple. The restoration of my-" She shook her head, which was enough to cut him off.  

"Come on, Ante. you could have cultivated plenty of under the table thralls to restore your family in a litany of other ways before the parole investigators caught wise."  

He stared at her in stunned silence. Unsure of where she was going with this. The door opened, and a shark came in to pour the cognac. Incanta took the first glass and tilted her hat back.


"Nothing aches in your heart more... than a challenge. One that felt worthy of you." She lifted up the glass. His expression softened....  and he thought he had such a good poker face.

"Wish. Granted."

-----
TWO TONE

"OPPPA!!!" Two Tone clashed a huge mug of beer with the glasses of a few other palookas.

Sabri was dancing up on stage with a few other of the ladies in striped suits.  A wolf was salivating over her and forming a waterfall from the top of his mouth.

"Ya in showbiz, hun?"
"duuuuh nope nope nope, why?" he said dopily.

"den git yer mitts off da stage!" She kicked him in the mouth and her back up dancer mice giggled like chipmunks. Two Tone laughed heartily and pressed down one of his nose ridge bumps. his mouth opened like a register as he poured in the beer. closing his jaw with a bell ring and a belch.

He was hittin' all sixes this month. Felt on top of the world. He wasn't the kind of guy to look a gift horse in the mouth when the thrall counts started rising evenly.  He won. and he got the best slice of the ayurveda pie that he could ever have. The question was...

How the heck was he going to get his little slice of heaven out to the rest of the pier?

"BOSS!" A clydesdale in a bowler hat came in through the Inkwell double doors. the end of a cigar smoldering in his mouth.  

"YA GOTTA CUM SEE DIS!! BOSS!!!" he was sounding pretty alarmed.

"EY! I can hear ya mouth breather. ya tryin' ta wake the dead?" The Gator swung round, his belly slammed into a smaller rat who flew across the room and crashed into a table. The other Palookas giggled. but the clydesdale was undeterred.

"BOSS. DA PIER! IT'S CHANGIN!" He pointed at the window.  Two Tone reached into his pocket, the sound of rattling chains, a duck, and a car crash ripped out until he produced a pair of binoculars. Turning with his big belly bouncing cartoonishly. He glanced outside.

It didn't take long for his eyeballs to puncture the glass on the outer side of the binoculars.

"Gah! Dang it!" he couldn't pull his eyes back in, so he ran outside anyway. The palookas were quick to follow.

Sabri's advertisement was playing on the jumbotron along the pier. and as she sang and encouraged people to stay tuned. The black and white from the cartoon started to spread.  

he looked up at the sky. it too was losing its color. Grayscale sun bearing down as it formed a pair of eyes and a beaming set of piano keys for a smile. The inkwell bumped into its sides. the other buildings taking on a bouncier quality to it. The entrance to the pier had a disclaimer warning 'motion sickness.' The streets bent, and the buildings wobbled.

It was a veritable silent era ToonTown. A paradise in the big gator's eyes. He didn't even think it was possible. he looked at the borders in the distance. where the sky divided into colors of various kinds. The pendulum in the distance retained its color and shape. The boardwalk was his.

But something else changed.

The Great Zen left port. The docks and main entrance faded as the boardwalk stretched out wider to resemble more of a coney island style pier.  Even the 'Speak Your Mind" Reception Tunnel melted into the wood. disappearing.

"hey hey HEY! What the hell?!" Two Tone bounded down the street in a huff. He positioned himself right at the front entrance to make sure he got first exposure to everyone that came into Cognizant. Where was the cruise ship going? where were the docks?!

Steam billowed out his ears as he stamped the floor. This wasn't fair! He had dibs!

"Gotta problem, boss?" Sabri said as she sashayed out onto the boardwalk right next to him.

"Eh.... nah. I'll get ovuh it." he put his hands into his pockets and sighed. A tie was bound to have some concessions. Sabri took the opportunity to squish her gams with her white gloves.

"Maybe samplin' the merchandise will cheer you up?" her boobs made a honking noise like a Model T's horn.  

"Toots, no offense but dat ain't my kinda tune."

"Oh..... Wanna watch me slip on a banana peel into the jazz ensemble?"

"....see. Now dat's a song I can tap my foot to."

-----
CYNDI SUNRISE

Cyndi took a deep breath as the sky turned orange.  Maintaining her Tree Pose as the world itself warped and shift into her ideal paradise. Her students stretched on floating platforms anchored near the bungalows. Incense tingled at her nose through the air. Bungalows grew and spread. entire roads of yoga mats and white sand spread beyond the beaches. meditation bowls ring out as palm trees cascade across the region. with quaint housing and island shopping centers opening up. Tea shops and moss like grass surround the center. Everything she would have ever wanted.

The turmoil and conflict seemed to fade away.

She came here to further her brand. to entice others to invest in her company, her holdings and profit. But it faded.

She thought of how hard she had to work to even get a fraction of the attention in the real world that came so breathlessly here. But it too, faded.

She thought about her twin sister and their ceaseless competition in the hope that one day their parents might finally tell them apart.

And yet, for the first time, that too, faded.

What was it about Cognizant that brought her as close to peace as she had ever felt? As her student participation grew, her valid, albeit corrupt motivations seemed increasingly pedantic. This place made all of those things feels so irrelevant.  

Why was this plane of digital curiosities the closest to spiritual balance she'd ever achieve?

as she slid down to a lord of the dance pose, the enlightenment came. A simple eureka that didn't disrupt her posture. If anything it helped her settle more.

Redirecting her focus on this always felt like a game. The people mere players taking part in a performance. It allowed her to set aside her own burdens. Her own material wants and goals seemed less important. Seeing the peace in her students' eyes. Feel how people fell to the will of others. It made things simpler.

It made her realize her worldly conflicts were truly irrelevant.

Maybe staying here wouldn't be so bad. Perhaps all she needed was a small scale goal. To finally attain the balance in her that she worked so hard to realize in her students.

As she  into her final warrior pose, she closed her eyes and smiled.

Her leg no longer quivered.

-----
ESME DA SILVA

"You could have seen this coming, right?"

Kai Tyde whirled around and saw the Captain standing at attention. Head held high and arms behind her back. Like a soldier awaiting inspection. Kai Tyde's eyes narrowed. Her energy felt different the last time he spoke to her.

It almost felt like the kind of presence he felt last time he spoke to Darkwitt.

"Captain. I thought you were on the ship?"

"I was. We just made port in the new dock. I took the liberty of submitting the changes to Jasper's staff once the vote was completed." She tilted her head up with a kind smile and a playful lick of her tongue. Kai Tyde scratched his head. She was half his size, and yet he felt like the smaller one in the room.

"Well uh.. congratulations! Ya won Pier Paradise. But uh... aren't you a little bit bummed it was a four way tie?"

She kindly shook her head and walked over to the computer counting the tally. replacing Frida's confetti filled broadcast with the graph of a perfect four way tie.

"Actually Monsieur Tyde. This was exactly what I wanted." She took a seat in front of his desk and rested her hands in her lap.

"Come again?" Kai Tyde blinked.

"I was never going to beat out the rest of the Masterminds. A Naga Lord, an ambitious wellness guru, A cartoon? I'm too timid to really do much against them. c'est la vie. But I did have a a little advantage over them I could leverage."

The Dragon looked out the window as the ayurveda slowly began to change and warp. The Landing was moved south, along with the 'speak your mind' tunnel, integrating into a solarpunk rainforest worthy of a theme park. It was beautiful. A mirror like spire twisted upward. opening up into a solar panel tree amidst the forest region. With the Great Zen making port at the wood docks.

"You had the Zen."

"That's right. I had ample opportunity to meet everyone that came to Cognizant before anyone else. But no matter what I did, I wasn't going to overcome the hypnotic influences of the other masterminds. I just make people dizzy, really."

She folded her legs, resting her hands on her knee. For the first time, she looked confident.

"So. I simply gave them an order that was compatible with everyone. Everyone I spoke to, I told them 'no matter who's control you are under, you will vote for all of us."

"But- the thrall count's supposed to determine who is under who's control."

"Oui Commandant, but they vote. and they are allowed to vote for multiple, non?" She stretched out her tongue and gently tapped the computer. Showing last year's hypnovember. While there was a clear winner, among Frida's votes, her voters had also picked dozes of lower ranked master minds that didn't earn enough collectively to compete.

"I spoke to Mz. Floreana and she had expressed this as a curiosity of last year. which was why it surprised her so much that she won. So I figured, if we're allowed to vote for multiple people. why have any losers?"

Kai Tyde stared. He genuinely had never considered that.  

"If you had this ability the whole time, why have them vote for everyone? Why not have them just vote for you on top of voting for them?"

She unfolded her legs and tilted her cap back. Her expression seemed almost... confused. She spoke matter-of-factly.

"That would have made the other masterminds so sad, non?"

Kai gave a sharp exhale before slipping into a hearty laugh. Walking over to flop into Darkwitt's office chair. He propped up his legs and shook his head incredulously.

"You realize we're gonna have to revise the rules after your little stunt."

"Oui, Monsieur. But today? There are no losers." She stood and gave a crisp salute.
"I must get back to my crew. We have a lot of renovations to make."

"You really are a shrewd little lady aren't you?"

She bowed respectfully.

"Je suis sans voix, Kai. I am here to serve."

Given everything that transpired, he couldn't refute that.

Cheeky frog.

-----
I never imagined we'd end in a tie.  

I won't lie, this was challenging to write. It was tempting to do a tie breaker, or have some dramatic upset that brought everything down to one point. But the way I saw the Cognizant community feel so enthusiastic about every one of the masterminds, It didn't feel right.

So what better way to celebrate a tie than let all of them 'sort of' win?
They might not all be happy, but that's okay. I'll be revising the map in the next few days.

I genuinely didn't expect this hypnovember to be as exciting or as prevalent this year. After the first one, I realized how expensive, stressful and time consuming it would be trying to organize it all. But you all made it clear that you still wanted to keep it going. After I worked with Sabri to design the Masterminds this year, people started getting art of them. It was heartwarming. I didn't expect people to adore the work I do on these events. I might not have the money to provide as satisfying a scale.

But It's not just my project anymore. It's all of ours, and I'm eager to continue.

Next Hypnovember, we'll be making our way to the industrial quarter of grim fog, cold technology, and trade ports. Facility 18 is waking up. and it is ready to make some drones.

artwork by Jintally
Graciously provided by Flarfenarfle.

A big thanks to everyone who has participated in Cognizant, and helped make this happen. There are too many of you to name, but I am eager to see where this goes next.", "writing": "", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "", "pools_count": 0, "title": "Paradise Elysium (Jintally)", "deleted": "f", "public": "t", "mimetype": "image/jpeg", "pagecount": "1", "rating_id": "1", "rating_name": "Mature", "ratings": [ { "content_tag_id": "2", "name": "Nudity", "description": "Nonsexual nudity exposing breasts or genitals (must not show arousal)", "rating_id": "1" } ], "submission_type_id": "1", "type_name": "Picture/Pinup", "guest_block": "f", "friends_only": "f", "comments_count": "0", "views": "34" }