Can we get to the Transformations, already?

And with that, Serena froze in place for a moment, before letting out a sigh and shifting out of her super-excitable persona. She turned back to everyone on the stage, “Alright, now that the audience is watching their own version of a rules explainer, we have a brief window of time. I’m going to explain a little bit more about the transformation round that will be coming up. Afterwards, I’ll take any questions you have, alright?”

She was somewhere between the almost manic personality she displayed on stage and the almost emotionless one Nate had experienced before. Serena looked at him first, and he nodded in assent. This was what they signed up for, so it would be good to get more information.

Serena then looked at all the Contestants and, seeing no objections, continued on, “Alright, so everyone recalls that you’re going to get one of three possible transformations as voted on by the audience, correct? I’ll remind you that while you can ask the Master for advice, as he can see the linked transformation but can’t outright tell you it, the only way you’ll be able to influence the vote is if the voters listen to you. Which means you all need to work hard to appeal to them, especially because each time you get a transformation, you will lock-in that transformation’s archetype for future rounds. Let me give an example to explain.”

Serena gestured, and a massive, floating screen appeared in the air. It read:

A: Cushion for Pushin’ – CENSORED [Bimbo]

B: Tongue-baths FTW – CENSORED [Catgirl]

C: Steamy Sessions – CENSORED [Seductress]

“Now,” Serena continued her explanation, “Ignore the censored bit, can’t give away too much information, and this is all an example – I’m not the one who makes up the transformations anyways, so those aren’t legitimate transformation names, even.

“The important part here are the words in brackets at the end. Normally, none of you, Master or Contestants will be able to see those words, but each transformation is a part of an archetype. Think of it like a theme that ties similar transformations together. Feel free to speculate on them as you wish, but the important part is based on what transformation is decided for you by the audience, you will be ‘locked-in’ to one of the transformation archetypes.

“This means that you will be given a transformation from that archetype as an option in each successive round. Additionally, the most popular archetype that was not locked-in is guaranteed to return the next round as well. Let’s continue this theoretical example with what the next round for this Contestant might look like if they had been given the Bimbo line transformation, option A.”

The screen changed:

L1: Legs for Days – CENSORED [Bimbo]

A: Teacher’s Pet – CENSORED [Schoolgirl]

B: Territorial – CENSORED [Catgirl]

C: This is Special – CENSORED [Special]

“In this case, Bimbo won last round, and is considered locked-in, while Catgirl came in second and so was retained for the next round. Note that even though Catgirl was retained, there is a different transformation offered since the previous round.

“Let’s also talk about the C option. This is a Special option, which are rare – I doubt most rounds will have one across all Contestants. Special options tend to be unique, one-time transformations that don’t fall into an archetype, and also are tied to powerful and unique superpowers, so look out for those.

“Finally, let’s talk about what happens when you reach 3 locked-in archetypes.”

The screen changed a final time:

L1: Permanent Face – CENSORED [Bimbo]

L2: Heavenly Purr – CENSORED [Catgirl]

L3: Not Even Trying – CENSORED [Slacker]

A: Omai Wa Mou Shindeiru – CENSORED [Ninja]

B: Hit Single – CENSORED [Songstress]

C: Sweet Burn – CENSORED [Athlete]

“When you have reached 3 or more lock-ins, at the start of each transformation round, you have the opportunity to ‘finalize’ your archetypes. What this means is you will only be given transformations from your locked-in archetypes going forwards. In this case, for the given round the Contestant would only need worry about L1 through 3, not A, B, or C.

“Now, there are pros and cons to finalizing your archetypes. The obvious pro is that you limit the paths your transformations can take. A second pro is superpower synergy. You see, for each archetype, successive transformations are guaranteed to be linked to either direct upgrades or synergistic powers for the superpower initially granted in that archetype. If you don’t finalize your lock-ins and stretch yourself across too-many archetypes, you’ll find yourself a jack of many trades but master of none.

“There are cons, however. Firstly, finalizing your lock-ins prevents you from expanding your power diversity. It also removes the possibility of receiving a beneficial transformation from another, non-locked-in archetype. And lastly, finalizing changes the way the Special transformations work.

“For a finalized Contestant, you may still be offered a Special transformation as an extra option. However, if this Special transformation is the winner in your vote, you will find yourself receiving the Special transformation and its superpower, in addition to the second-most-popular transformation. Which means you run the risk of two transformations per round after finalizing your archetypes.”

“Now, any questions?”

Sam spoke up, “Do we also get the second superpower with the second-most-popular transformation in that last example.”

“No,” Serena shook her head, “Only one superpower per round, and the Special superpower would take priority in that case.”

“I have a question about the game as a whole,” Vivian said.

“Go ahead.”

“Are you going to punish us if we try to find loopholes in the rules?”

“Viv!” Alex and the rest of them reacted in shock. “Why would you ask her that!”

Indeed, Nate was surprised Vivian would give up the element of surprise like that. Let it be know that despite Vivian’s bubbly exterior, no one who knew her would call her dumb. She was towards the top of her class in the Psychology department for a reason.

To everyone’s surprise, Serena actually smiled at the question, though she shook her head in exasperation shortly after.

“Look,” the demoness said, “I am trying to be reasonable, and believe me when I say that compared to many other Hosts, I am practically a saint when it comes to Hosting. It’s not a lie to say that this is one of the few versions of Harem Hotel where the Contestants have consented to be here – a lot of other versions rely on very dark methods to acquire their talent.

“I understand if you want to look for loopholes. And I won’t hold them against you if you find them, but if you use them, make sure to tread carefully. If you are using them to play the game, you might get a slap on the wrist at most. But if you’re using them to break the game… Let me just say that I will come down on that hard enough to make you hate me, truly despise me, because no one, not you, not me, not the audience, wants to see what happens if the show breaks. We do not want to get the Producers involved.”

That last line was delivered with such coldness that all Nate could do was gulp.

Seeing everyone take that in with its intended gravitas, Serena nodded. “Alright, if no one has any other questions, we should move along, because it’s time for some transformations.”

Nobody responded, so the show resumed.