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Kaiveran hugs and I love your references. (Bartleby is GOAT.)
Back in game: my read on TexCat is neither simple nor mechanistic. I just don’t know how to articulate it. I perceive small differences in tone, and I change my mind very fast. I’m going to try in this case to be more specific for you because you don’t know me (oh the earworm):
1. There was a subtle difference in her vote for Mahaloth last game and her vote for him this game. Last one was naked and strategic (I don’t know if you saw this but I was scum with her there, she was nailing down a mizzle we needed). Here she voted and gave a reason. I didn’t like the reason (here) but it does seem a normal TexCat policy thing.
2. I don’t trust Mahaloth here (see 4 in a minute) and part of what I do that I find hard to articulate is to see how certain individuals react to other certain individuals. For example me and Vanta- if I’m town and we’re arguing really hard, he’s almost certainly going to flip town. That’s why I unvoted him and I was right about that.
3. I don’t think you’re scum here. If I’m wrong I have egg on my face and the thing gives me pause is that Meeko who knows you better and whom I think is town does, but I just don’t. So part of my equation is how people are reacting to you, and if you’re town, TexCat not pushing you makes her look townie to me. (If I’m wrong about you then I would think TexCat is a scum mate from this.)
4. I don’t like the run up on her now and I liked her reaction to Charlie’s flip, it seemed real to me.
5. I absolutely think the thing from Vanta was a breadcrumb. That’s breaking my mind right now because it makes me think I need to vote you but I don’t want to.
6. If I’m not voting you I have to either vote TexCat strategically, because she said she’s not a town power, or vote guiri because he’s been coming for you the whole game. Part of me wants to vote guiri because he can always fool me.
7. Or I could vote Mahaloth because I think he’s just scum here. But there are no votes for him and I am town and I need my vote to matter toDay.