PL: The EPIC OOC - closed thread

[Cerillium]

Want to join? Visit our current thread: "PL: Demens Chosen" OOC

OOC THREAD ITERATION XII SPEAK, MEMORY— Of the cunning hero, The wanderer, blown off course time and again After he plundered Troy’s sacred heights. Speak Of all the cities he saw, the minds he grasped, The suffering deep in his heart at sea As he struggled to survive and bring his men home But could not save them, hard as he tried— The fools—destroyed by their own recklessness When they ate the oxen of Hyperion the Sun, And that god snuffed out their day of return... Of these things, Speak, And tell the tale once more in our time. ICARCHIVE - SETTING DRAMATIS PERSONÆ RULESSITREP Welcome to PERSONIFICATION LIFE. You're here because you belong here, having applied and been accepted. Or you're here because you think you want to belong here, and thus you should fill out an application. Or perhaps you're here because you've seen this thing in the sidebar for several years and you've always wondered what it was. PERSONIFICATION LIFE is a character-based, story-driven role play. New players do not need to know everything contained in the information boxes. We work your characters in, allowing you plenty of time to learn the setting as you play. This is a combination sandbox-railroad role play. It does not have a specific prescribed storyline, although there is an overarching plot. The world is set and the PCs are free to wander where they will and find adventure where they will. There are occasions, such as when we hold a major event, where the play fluctuates between sandbox and railroad based upon need and GM inclination, railroading to move the story on when the players lose momentum and sandbox otherwise; this tactic lets the players be free when they want to be but gives them structure when they're feeling lost. Players are encouraged to improve their writing skills, to fashion layered characters rather than 2D caricatures, and to try their hands at GMing their own small adventures. Players of all skill levels are welcome here. ...And remember to keep the Personification Life theme song in your heart whenever you play! And steel your minds. It's real. The limited edition MLP: Personification Life collectable cards have arrived! Willow Streaks | Sterling Venture | Rache

"The essence of a role-playing game is that it is a group, cooperative experience." - Gary Gygax

[Cerillium]

GamePurpose OP EXPECTATION Characters are expected to work with each other for the common good. This is why "lone wolf" characters don't thrive in the setting. The structure is very basic: Characters live at the Building Characters are free to develop friendships/relationship with other characters Characters may not spend all their time sitting around chatting - we aren't a CLT Characters may choose to serve on a Mission Team or else use the Gates to craft stories Young players tend to have their characters sit and chat. This is understandable if the characters are teenage mallrats. However, this is PL Epic. The focus is on stories and not chat. The teens live life as fully as adults do. There isn't any choice. Shit happens, death comes knocking, or a threat rears its head routinely. Adults seldom have the luxury of spending all day sitting around. They have to work, they have college courses, they have errands to run, they have places to go. Our lives are mostly lived in motion, and conversations warp themselves into our activities. When something is dire, we do sit and talk things out. However, we can't indulge ourselves in 24 hour conversations and expect to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. I expect characters to be active. I expect players to volunteer their characters for missions or involve them in other people's stories. If your character starts to turn into a dialog-heavy, drama-imbued mallrat, I'll find ways to motivate the character into motion. Threat of death is a great motivator. Sometimes the Building explodes. Sometimes something dreadful comes out of drain. Sometimes a cultist will walk in and shoot one of the mallrats to motivate you into developing your character by having them react to splattered brains. Don't give me the opportunity to snuff your character: keep them active, have them contribute to the setting, develop their personalities through action as well as words. DEMENS REVEALS THE CHARACTERS' PURPOSE IN LIFE "I have always drawn the adrift to me. You. All of you, mortal and god alike, that we might take a final stand against the Devourers. The Greater Beings and their gods would allow all of you to perish from their own apathy. "I gather here all the forgotten things in the universe - the downtrodden, the forgotten magic, the mysteries, the lost keys and odd socks and neglected people - and house them together so that they might prove just how wrong the gods and Greater Beings are. Call me spiteful if you wish. Call me proactive in combating the Strife. We must make things right out there, and we must bring the forgotten things here where they won't be sought out by the Devourers and destroyed before they can join forces with us against the Devourers. You are not here because of serendipity. You are Serendipity, and I have chosen you to change the fate of others. Each of you. Mortal, god, or menace alike." AND SO it was that Demens explained that he needed Residents to retrieve his Chosen. They were to utilize the Gates to enter the dimensions, though the Guardians would keep at bay anything foolish enough to try to gain access without his permission. MISSION TEAMS Team Selection Teams are formed based upon mission need, dimension, Resident ability, and species. You would not send a six-legged space weasel to recover a person existing in a mundane, real world environment. Likewise, you wouldn't send a mundane human on a supply run to a location hostile for human life. Team Missions Missions range from "Chosen One" retrieval to supply runs, though some people occasionally venture into dimensions in search of information or for research purposes. Team Directives The Gate is to be used for one purpose: the furthering of Demen's work. Teams are not to reveal their abilities, nor take any action that would draw the attention of the Enemy (Devourers and their agents), unless threatened with physical demise. Teams are not to interfere save only as it pertains to retrieving the principle. Teams are to respect the native species and its dimension. Species are not for experimental purposes. Teams may not bring back any living being, sophont or not, without Guardian approval. Comms To the eye, it is nothing but a wooden chair and end table. However, those sitting in the seat will see a full display, including Gate status, mission information, environmental readouts, communications console, and other vital equipment. One must be trained to use Comms. Currently, trained characters include Myra, Dora, John, and Alexia. Lockers Each team member has a personalized locker accessible behind a sliding panel along one wall. The locker is stocked with whatever items the character has placed there (no asspulling tech). Tactical vests, firearms, blades, body armor, gloves, etc can be found here. Team Mission Resources Med kit x 5 Comms Card w/earpiece and mic (designed to accommodate various species) Tracer devices (for team recovering/Gate travel) Databall (for lead leaders) Armory In addition to private stores, the Gatehouse has a small armory with weapons that will fit the situation beyond the gate. A NOTE ON GATES AND PLAYER-RUN STORIES Gates can be used by players to launch their own (approved) stories. They will need a Databall in order to get back. Some rules MUST be followed. Directives for Gate Use Players are allowed to create the world beyond the Gate Participants should respect the native species and its dimension. Species are not for experimental purposes Do not abuse these Gates by using them to satisfy your love of porn/gorn/graphic violence. Keep the shit PG13 Players may not bring back any living being, sophont or not, without Guardian approval Please don't assume you can grab a bunch of +1 items from outside the dimension. Try to maintain setting balance. Special items should be a quest rather than picked up on a shopping trip. It's a living... It was a beautiful morning for such an outing. Though the air was still crisp, it carried with it the early promises of spring as it billowed the bathtub's shower curtain sail. Bulbs and flowering trees cast vibrantly colored dots on the ground far below. Minerva watched them pass until the sea replaced land, and then she laid back in her tub to enjoy the somewhat automated ride. Really, the darn things only went to the Gatehouse and back. She didn't bother to peer over the lip until the sound of rushing water drew her from her silent musings. To understand Gallimaufry Mundi was the understand the workings of chaos. Demens' odd thought patterns were readily manifested in some of the strange planetary formations, but nothing stood out quite so much as the Hole surrounding the Gatehouse. This massive square of ocean - for it was indeed a square! - was a window into the planet's very core. Or so Minerva assumed. The ocean's waters were held back by some odd, invisible barrier, although the fluid occasionally sloshed over the edge to be swallowed up deep within, but nobody could ever explain what the barrier was nor where those waters went, nor how the ocean replenished what was lost. It was unsettling for Minerva, actually. It reminded her that her entire world was held together at the whim of a single Greater Being. "Almost there!" she called out as the Gatehouse came into view within the Hole. The bathtubs changed course slightly as they floated towards the chunk of ground suspended over the Hole. Minerva's tub lowered itself until Opa's feet could touch the grassy soil, and then it patiently hovered while the cultist leader undid the hoisting straps. Soon three bathtubs were neatly lined up in front of a squat marble building settled squarely on the island. Minerva wasted no time in ushering Residents towards the Gatehouse door. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the darker interior. Nothing had changed since she was last here. The room still contained the same things: a wooden chair, a side table, a dormant silvery ring large enough for several Opas to step through at once, and the Guardian. The latter was hideous beyond all reason, though Minerva guessed Insidious might have found it attractive. Its body shifted, never assuming any fully recognizable form, as it kept watch over Gate and door. It never slept. It required no food nor did it need water. It simply Was, and what it was could not be defined. Demens had warned the cultists when they first arrived. He had extended that warning to all the Residents once he had unveiled his plan: Do Not Fuck With. Minerva had lived long enough under his employ to take his words to heart.

[Cerillium]

Rules Every role play has them. Ours haven't changed in years: Hierarchy PL's OP is Cerillium. I function as the overarching GM. CoOPs are Mincaldenteans, Swith Witherward, and Tiltjuice. Our word is law. Only the OP or CoOPs are permitted to change the setting, change the city, open portals, adjust time, or insert an invincible character (PL syntax: the character is in "tool mode"). CoOPs are always available to answer questions, and to settle disputes. PG-13/Sex/Violence We have minors ergo our IC and OOC are PG-13. Keep it that way. I have a ZERO TOLERANCE policy. PL is not the place to act out your violent or sexual fantasies. Violence and sex are allowed, of course, but we employ a "fade to black" rule rather than expose minors to graphic content or obscene material. You can obtain further guidance here. Rape is taboo. NPCs are not there to be spindled, mutilated and torn apart unless, of course, it's combat. Role Play Etiquette Godmodding and metagaming are not allowed. We don't use multi-colored or oddly formatted fonts for dialog. We also don't use asterisks to denote action. You must use proper punctuation and grammar; we aren't here to teach basic English. If you have a problem with a player, take it to TG. If that does not work, bring it to the OP or a CoOP's attention. Do not turn the OOC thread into chaos. Bogging down other players through lack of posts or low-quality posts without offering satisfactory OOC explanation (esp. if posting of high quality in other RPs) will earn a warning; further problems will lead to player removal from the roster. Stories Players do not need to request permission to run stories unless that story will impact the setting. Invasions or the creation of businesses must be authorized by the OP, for example. A story involving John and Mary searching for a magical tome does not need to be cleared. Ignoring established IC canon (concerning the government, the police, the city itself, and NPCs) in order to advance one's personal plots will earn IC consequences. If this becomes a problem, the offender will be ejected at staff discretion.

[Cerillium]

Join PERSONIFICATION LIFE This is a mixed genre RP which allows you to play things that are near and dear to your heart, within reason; some characters concepts are no longer allowed due to heavy saturation or game mechanics conflicts. Other players may currently have characters that are part of your favorite genre... bear that in mind when you apply. Their established canon takes priority. If you sign up and are approved but don't post, your character is dropped from the roster. Be sensible when making your character. He or She will not be the most powerful thing in the Building. You don't need to worry that Residents will try to kill you, so please don't waste time attempting to find ways to be immune to sudden attacks by them. Be sensible when running your character. He or She may have the skills and the swagger and the attitude, but they're a tiny new fish in a pond filled with little girls, waterbears, rabbits, and other harmless creatures. The only difference between your character and theirs is that the current Residents have survived invasions by powerful aliens and Cthulhu, and are on the good side of both good and evil gods. Think about it before trying to come across as cock-of-the-walk. A precautionary tale all new RPers should read: One of Miss Gio's finest works during her illustrious tenure here. Not only entertaining to read, but packed with subtle snark and offhanded commentary. This is, indeed, how NOT to play a new character in PL. Nicely done. Emperor King Lord Sir General Nuke McBadass NotHitlerButHitler Awesome the Third was very pleased to finally be moving into the intriguing Building he had heard so much about from diplomatic tales of far and wide. Being the scholarly and adventurous sort, it was obvious that he had little choice but to investigate, and was in fact sorely looking forward to taking a break from running his beloved homeland, The Unstoppable Badlands of Dictatoria, the greatest authoritarian regime the world had ever known. Ah yes, Dictatoria. There was nothing about the fatherland that one could not pride themselves over from within or envy from afar. Every citizen young and old was enthralled in thorough devotion to their leader, himself, and, well, why wouldn't they be? Emperor King Lord Sir General Nuke McBadass NotHitlerButHitler Awesome the Third was a suave, dark, learned gentleman who was never caught off guard or perplexed, always walking about with a self-assured smile upon his lips and even had the decency to refrain from sighing whenever he calmly explained his superiority to upstarts. There was no question for which he didn't have the answer, no atrocity or battle plan with which he did not regard with total casualness, no extreme he did not see as merely an everyday reality of walking in his shoes. He was the man that Hitler and Napoleon and Stalin's bastard three-way love baby conceived in a mass grave on Halloween night aspired to be, and he looked damn good in a suit while doing it. There was no dinner he attended that did not end in the successful invasion of the country hosted. His generals walked about with so many buttons and medals attached to their coats that he had to invest in cybernetic enhancements just so they could walk from one place to another. Men tripped over one another and punched babies for a chance to enter his eleventh official super soldier program thus far. Citizens were trained to walk in lockstep goose march everywhere from birth. His jeep had missiles that could destroy submarines. He had thirty nukes for every man, woman, and child. He had super undetectable satellite technology that spied on every household on the planet so he knew everything. He could turn into a wolf made of shadows and fire. He order genocides on superfrankguy173 from steam who trolled over the chat WHAT THEFU objectively impure people, because although he had never bothered to read any of Darwin's works, he had watched the Discovery channel a few times and was pretty sure they said that they deserved it for not being as strong and badass as him or something. It was science that he was better than you, you silly pacifistic crybabies! Ohohohoho! LAUNCH THE NUKES! And all of Bielefeld was going to see that. "Please sign here," Volker slid over the forms. "Did I ever tell you about the time I conquered an entire dimension when I was only fifteen years old?" Emperor King Lord Sir General Nuke McBadass NotHitlerButHitler Awesome the Third asked with a smug yet calm smile, adjusting one of his medals. "They declared me the God of Fear and Destruction from their prophecies, but really, it was just a regular Tuesday testing about the newest-" "That's nice, sir. Would you please sign?" And so he did, loudly and proudly singing his nation's anthem as he did. Ah, finally his vacation could begin! Perhaps first he could mingle with the natives here? There wasn't a time he could remember when complete strangers weren't entertained listening to him talk for hours on end about how amazing his country was without interruption or break. Why, if they seemed nice enough, he might even let them have the honor of being intimidated with one of his guns! Everyone loved being demonstrated to how objectively less awesome than someone else they were! He had a feeling he was going to be quite the popular character here. Not many people seemed to be out and about currently though, unfortunately, which was somewhat understandable given how early in the day it was. Listening carefully though, the leader thought he caught onto a conversation, and quickly made his way toward the source. The chatter lead him out onto the outside patio, where from his perspective, he glimpsed the backside of a little girl with white hair dressed in pink sitting at a table covered in a tea party set-up. A sweet little girl! Those were always easy to impress. He could use a naive, charming admirer to demonstrate his fatherly side upon. It was in walking towards the girl that something else entered his vision that made his heart stop: It was grey. It had four legs. It had wings. It had wide, expressive eyes filled with the basic calculation known only to sapience. A ponyyyyyyyyyy... The leader felt shooting pain fly up his legs as his knees hit the hard floorboards and he desperately tried to gag back the vomit that was building up in his esophagus. He flipped his head back and howled a great roar before punching several holes in the walls and floor around him and eating the bills that Demens rained on him. A PONY. HERE. HOW. WHAT. WHY. NO. HE WOULD NOT STAND FOR THIS. "And that's why I think people are just way too hard on kitsch," Giovenith wrapped up her explanation to Willow while stirring her tea. "I know we want to avoid giving too much credit to more vapid works, but at the same time, we can't assume something is vapid just because it's happy for the sake of being happy, y'know?" "Mmmm," Willow dabbed at the lingering crumbs of chocolate cake around his mouth with a napkin. "I see where you're coming from, but you have to take into account the known effect that commercialization can have on-" "YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!!!" a savage cry suddenly captured both artists' attention. They simultaneously snapped their heads to see a strange man dressed in gaudy, overdecorated military garb marching towards them, his fists clenched so tightly veins were popping out and an absolutely maniacal grin on his face. A single finger snapped at Willow. "YOU! YOU thought you could escape me here! BUT YOU WERE WRONG! HA HA!" Giovenith turned to give a concerned look to her roommate. "Willow, you know him?" "No...?" Willow said, looking back at her with an equally confused look. "Oh, you do not know me..." Emperor King Lord Sir General Nuke McBadass NotHitlerButHitler Awesome the Third hissed while climbing atop their picnic table. "But I know YOU! I've seen your smoopy-woopy-coochy-foochy-cutesy-wootsy-mootsy-slimy PATHETIC face a million times beneath my boot!" He demonstrated by deliberating smashing his foot into what was left of their chocolate cake, smearing it all over the table cloth. "Hey!" Giovenith cried, visibly distressed. "What the hell's your problem?!" Willow put his hooves on the table and lifted himself up slightly. "Don't come onto me, sun-worshiping heathen scum!" the leader of Dictatoria roughly shoved the stallion back into his seat with surprising force. "I am Emperor King Lord Sir General Nuke McBadass NotHitlerButHitler Awesome the Third! Conqueror of lands, epitome of the superiority of evil over good!" He fanned out his arms in sublime pose. "And if there is one thing I hate more than democracy and vegans, it's sapient equine slime like YOU!" Giovenith gasped but Willow just raised an eye skeptically while rubbing the place where the leader had shoved his arm. "You picked three things out of the entire world to hate the most, and you chose democracy, vegans, and ponies?" he asked. "Yes!" the leader smiled simply, relaxing and straightening out his posture. "Allow me to explain..." He began to pace back and forth on the table, seemingly ignorant of all the cups and plates he was smashing and knocking over. "It's a man's world out there, and as such, it stands to simple reason that those who deserve to inherit it are those who best understand what it takes to reign as the apex. HOOWAH!" He struck a pose. "FIGHTING." He struck another pose. "STEEL." He struck another pose. "And of course, the proper physique!" Willow wiped a smear of frosting the leader's posing had kicked in his face. "What is, 'the proper physique'?" The leader scoffed. "Well it isn't obvious! Look at us..." He gestured between Giovenith and himself, the former of whom wasn't too happy to be grouped in with him. "... and look at you!" "What's wrong with me?" "Well for starts," he wiggled his fingers demonstrably. "We have hands, you silly moron. We can hold things, build and use tools, oppose our thumbs! You can't even shoot a gun!" "I can hol-" "SECONDLY!" the leader continued. "We are much taller. We can also swim, and climb, and fight!" "So can-" "NO TALKING WHILE I'M TALKING! Worst of all is your simpleton species philosophies," he scoffed. "Friendship? Magic? Happiness? Wasting your lives away in pursuit of childish ass tattoos and coddling the weak, flitter-flatter on your dainty little wings and do some levitation with sparkly pink magic? LOOK AT YOU! JUST LOOK AT YOU!!! Need I say more?" "You're really starting to piss me off," Willow pointed slightly at him, narrowing his eyes. "Yeah!" Giovenith rose to her friend's defense. "Willow can do a lot of those things you just said! And just because him and the ponies value nice things doesn't make them dumb or bad!" Emperor King Lord Sir General Nuke McBadass NotHitlerButHitler Awesome the Third rolled his eyes and wiggled his fingers condescendingly. "Oooooooooo, I'm SO scared of a tiny little girl and an eternal-baby horse! I didn't know I'd be facing off against Rainbow Brite and Starlight! Do you even know what I do to your kind?" he sneered, leaning in towards Willow, who sighed. "No, but I'm sure you're going to tell us," the pony rolled his eyes and propped his cheek on a hoof. The ruler of Dictatoria smiled evilly and chuckled. "No, I'm going to show you." His hands flew to the front of his coat and ripped it open. "BOOM, BOY!!" The entire inside lining of his jacket was made from the pelts of flanks, the once-cheery cutie marks grimly brimming back at the pony, and clacking was heard as stringed horns and wing bones dangled about within. "AHHHH!" Giovenith cried. "Pffft, that could be fake," Willow dismissed, ever the Scully. "Oh my actual god, Willow," the godling growled, attention momentarily diverted from the horror scene. "Well," Emperor King Lord Sir General Nuke McBadass NotHitlerButHitler Awesome the Third reached further into his coat. "Is THIS fake?!" And he pulled out a bigass, heavy gun of indeterminable type and aimed it directly at Willow's face. "SWEET CELESTIA!" the male artist finally gasped in genuine fear, pinning his ears and bringing his hooves to his mouth. "YEAH I BET YOU THINK CELESTIA IS SWEET!" The dictator grinned. "Say good-bye, sugar-shit-" CRASH! Pink porcelain shards and searing hot tea exploded against the back of the leader's head, causing him to fall forward (assisted by the massive weight of his gun), Willow flying out of the way just in time to avoid being squished. The gun landed to the side of him with a loud boom and the leader cried out in pain as his face scraped the pavement. He quickly got up to try and figure out what had just happened. "Wh-" THWAP! The wide length of a heavy red purse with a flower clip collided into the side of his face. It's strap was wielded by Giovenith, who was standing above the tyrant looking about as frighteningly furious as a teenage girl dressed in pink could. Willow stood off some feet behind her, ears folded and body crouched slightly in astonishment and concern. "You are a bad, bad man!" Giovenith yelled, nailing the dictator with the purse again. "How DARE you threaten my little pony like that! You should be ashamed of yourself!" She swiped the purse at him yet again. It knuckled into his cheek and snapped his chin to the left, leaving a dark bruise in its place. The leader yelped in pain. "What the hell is in there?!" Giovenith blinked, but still looked cross. "My pet rocks!" Another strike. "They're mad at what you said to Willow too! Apologize!" Strike. "Are you insane?!" the man tried to block her strikes with his hands, but to little avail. "I'm not apologizing to some pathetic fucking- OW!!" "You will apologize!" Giovenith added an extra arm to the strap to give her beating more momentum. "He may belong to Celestia but I blessed him with my favor! You don't touch him without invoking my wrath!" The young goddess' wrath came down again, leaving a daisy-shaped bruise against the leader's forehead. "You won't know the meaning of wrath until I'm done with- OW, MY EYE!!" One of the buckles nailed him right in the peeper. So this continued, with the once-mighty Dictator Among Dictators falling in classical tragedy form for his hubris in overstepping the patience of the gods. God. Five-foot-two Godling. Same deal. Giovenith may not have been ready to reign down curses and disaster on those who displeased her and molested her mortal favorites, but it was far from true that she did not have ways of making that displeasure known. And it was that fact that caused Willow to slowly stand full height again and erect his ears, slowly giving a lopsided smile as he watched true friendship prove itself once again in the most absurd way possible. Find Help: Cerillium, Mincaldenteans, Swith Witherward, or Tiltjuice. Androids (Drones, somewhat like Borg) Aperture Science, Inc. Cthulhu Cyborgs (Various themes) Doctor Who The Fae Judeo-Christian Pantheon MLP:FIM Nazis Time Cops (including Chronos and Fate) Velociraptors Warhammer 40K Character concepts no longer permitted: gods, demigods, angels, demons/daemons, daevas, djinn, ghosts, spirit characters or ghosts, fae, anything Cthulhu-based. We have too many and it's becoming impossible to maintain balance. Also, please, no babies or young children. They don't fit in well and may not last long. Likewise, self-inserts (player personifications) are hereby verboten. If in doubt, ask in the OOC prior to fashioning a character app. Gods/Demons run by current players or OPs: Beelzebub, Pride, Envy, Wrath, Loki, the five 40K Chaos gods, Anubis, Satan, Elohim (Christian God), the Fae courts. IMPORTANT PERSONIFICATION LIFE is a game about daily life. There needs to be balance. Mortal/average PCs are just as important as everyone else. Thus we have a point system. OP reviews all applications; overpowered characters will be denied. MUNDANE SKILLS These do NOT require points. These are the average, daily things your character can do. Examples are "drive a car", "speak a normal Foreign Language", "play a guitar", "write poetry". Some mundane skills come from your bio and are freebie. A soldier knows very basic training (shoot a gun, basic drill). Medic, martial arts or sniper would be a Specialized Skill or Talent. SPECIALIZED SKILLS AND TALENTS These are specialized skills that set you apart from the average person. You have 7 points to spend here. Examples are swordsmanship, sniper, coercion, piloting etc. OPTIONAL SUPERNATURAL CHARACTERISTICS You have 7 points to spend here on supernatural skills or abilities. Sonic Scream, Levitation, Spell Casting, Shape Shifting etc. Superman MUST have his kryptonite, so Restrictions are what can't they do with their power or what balances it. They can only use it when they genuinely need it? They can't use it for more then five minutes without serious side-effects? Some things are allowed without points. A Pegasus has wings thus it can fly. A raptor is fast thus no points are spent in speed. These "natural" abilities should be listed in the character's description, however. A Powers listing can be found here. A more in-depth guide to what some powers are can be found here. If in doubt, send Cerillium a TG. The Scale Power Equivalence Levels (borrowed from Nightkill and adapted) 0 – No Powers You're an average human being. Mundane in all regards. 1 – Whoopty Doo Magic: We're not impressed. Maybe you have a better sense of smell, or can heal a zit if you focus hard enough. You might be able to set things on fire with a lot of effort but, honesty, it would be quicker to use matches. Your power sucks hind tit. Physical: Yeah, you can run a marathon just like all the other physically conditioned mortals in the world. Skill: what? You want a gold star for having this level of knowledge? 2 – Meh Magic: You call this a power? It's very low-tier. You might be able to slowly regenerate, teleport yourself a little bit, do some decent shapeshifting, or maybe actually create more than a match-head of fire. Still not that impressive, to be honest. Physical: You can run a marathon. You'll still end up with bleeding, chafed nipples at the end. Skill: You have a basic knowledge of the subject. Pizza Maker Level 2 means you can make the pizza without looking at the pictures above your station to see what goes on it. 3 – Low Superhuman Magic: This is decent. Maybe you can launch a hadouken every once in a while. Your power is still "enhhhh". Physical: Your dexterity lets you load a magazine quickly. You can compete in Weightlifting in the Olympics, and might actually win the Bronze. It'll wear you out afterwards. Skill: Meh. Commercial airline pilot. You won't be landing a plane on the Hudson. 4 – Below Average Superhuman Magic: Alright, this is your average magic user. Think an average demon's fire power (assuming we're talking about demons that have this type of power). You can manipulate at higher rates, produce stronger attacks, stuff like that. If you have a healing power, you should be able to heal most minor injuries in thirty seconds, and major in minutes (Cannot start regenerating until damage has stopped, AKA if you’re being burnt or electrocuted you can’t begin the regeneration process until you are no longer being attacked.). Things like regenerating a lost limb would still take almost a day and would be impossible in a battle. At this point, you might be able to do a bit of illusionist-type stuff, perhaps a little bit of transfiguration, pretty decent shapeshifting, okay elemental powers, stuff like that. You're a bit lower than the average wizard. Physical: Your keen eyesight allows you to hit targets at a distance without a scope. Your Endurance lets you run a distance without tiring quickly. Four points in Dexterity lets you move quickly. Skill: You can land that plane on the Hudson and know how to properly fill out the forms afterwards. You're a damn good sniper. Your smart enough to work spells out of your magic book. (AH! Yes, wizards need points in knowledge!) 5 – Average Superhuman Magic: Alright, this is a pretty damn impressive power. You can shoot fireballs out of your hands, teleport a pretty decent distance, control elements pretty well (think like, one of the better benders in Avatar, because there isn't really a better way to describe it), things like that. Your power probably won't be too useful against higher-tier supernaturals, but you can slice through your basic human/demon/angel pretty quickly. You can summon a demon - you need a means to contain it because he'll kill you if he gets a chance. Physical: Not bad! You could jump onto a second story balcony from the ground floor. Skill: Very impressive. You can man a Gundam. However, you' need at least a 4 in Dexterity to fly it well. You have a bunch of spells memorized from your spell book. You can easily identify types of demons. -Paradox Danger begins here for non-physical powers/skills- Paradox is that nifty thing your OP keeps track of. The more you use a power in one situation to alter reality, manipulate things, fuck with atoms, tweak dimensions, etc the higher your paradox number goes. Too high? POOF. It's like building up a static charge. Paradox dissipates over time. There are ways to wick away paradox but you'd need to be fairly powerful to do so. An example, for those who remember it, was Ogoti's shield over the restaurant during the Drone final assault. He dealt with Paradox by dying and rapidly reanimating. Three skills used, all were at a 12.) Paradox may also manifest itself in an unintentional result. Healing a large group for a sustained amount of time? You might find your patient's body suddenly and uncontrollably mutating into a hideous blob. Paradox does not apply to physical traits or skills. 6 – Above Average Superhuman Magic: You are a damn good wizard. If your power is healing, you have an amazing healing rate. Your hand is gone? Pfft, that's not a problem. It's back within a minute. Most higher-skilled wizards/supernaturals have this type of power. Your power is dangerous. You might even be able to project, reanimate, etc...your power is pretty decent. Physical: You're pretty good. You can lift a car. You might be able to dodge a single bullet. You'll need points in endurance for that car, and points in dexterity for that bullet. Skills: Wicked! Aragorn can track the orcs at a dead run. You can fashion your own spells. 7 – High Superhuman Magic: You're better than your average wizard, but you aren't, like, godly. Your shit's impressive, though. You can summon a demon and maintain a bit of control over him. He'll still kill you if you give him a chance. Physical: Remember that car? You'll be able to throw it. Skills: You're ready to take on apprentices, if you're a wizard. You can calculate complex mathematical formulas and understand the principles behind them. 8 - Master Superhuman Teleport is easy for you. Group teleport is a cinch. You can rip holes in dimensions/universe with ease. Energy manipulation? Think along the lines of the Avatar - you can do some seriously awesome shit. You could probably make a tornado if you wanted. No, screw that, it would be easy for somebody like you. However, the cost is high. Ripping holes in dimensions would occur a fuckton of paradox. Chances are good that paradox will rip a hole through you right afterwards. Use your powers at full strength very wisely. Very wisely. All things in moderation. Physical: you can lift that battleship or airplane that's just landed on your friend. You can dodge multiple bullets if you blow the rest of your points in dexterity. Skills: You're Hawking. 9 - Someone's feeling a little demigodly Magic: No one operates at this level except OP/CoOP characters and one grandfathered character. You can summon a demon and bend the motherfucker to your will. You can fashion paper birds and use them as deadly weapons. You can breathe life into a golem and it functions independently of your will. Physical: You can throw that battleship at your foe. 10 - Kamehameha! Magic: You can fuck with time. You can fuck with the laws of physics. Physical: throw that battleship at your foe! 11 - Fuck Yeah! Magic: You're a god. You fashion demons. Physical: lifting a skyscraper size structures and being capable of moving mountainous figures at top strength. You probably have other powers to support this. 12 - Chaos God But that's tempered by limitations: - Balance, gravity, and mass still affect the user. - Users are still susceptible to Newton's Three Laws of Motion. - Having one power doesn't mean having all powers. Strength does not equal durability. If a user were to attempt to lift something extremely heavy over their head, their bones and joints could snap. - May damage environment/other people without meaning or noticing. - There may be a limit to how strong a user can become before it's dangerous for themselves to use. (Ex: Gentle.) - May be limited to certain limbs. - May land the user in serious trouble, such as telepathically "reading" a Daemon will result in succumbing to the Daemon's will/insanity, etc. That's where other powers come in to assist the character. Structure Weakening, for example, allows for a bit less effort (and lessons risk of injury for larger structures). Enhanced Durability allows the character to pick some things up without bones snapping. Flaws These aren't social traits (antisocial, bitchy, alcoholic). Flaws apply to your power. Flaws are built in to give balance to a character. Even the gods have flaws. The flaws tie in to paradox. ALL powers which are NOT physical are prone to paradox. New Players: Fill out the short application by clicking "select all" and pasting into a new post. Cer will need to approve it. OP has final say on applications. Questions? Ask Cerillium, Mincaldenteans, Swith Witherward, or Tiltjuice. Entering into the game: characters are brought from their home dimension to the Galli dimension. All new characters enter the game this way. A team is dispatched to retrieve them, so keep that in mind. We'll let you know when it's time to post. Why do we do it this way? Because it's an complicated setting. APPLICATION Give us URLs to pictures - do not hotlink here. Do NOT change or add anything to the formatting in the application, please. Do not spoiler your application. If you don't have any RP examples from prior games, make your character's bio very good so we can see your writing style and creativity. We reserve the right to deny any application. A note about my CoOPS: I have chosen my CoOPs very carefully. Each of them is extremely experienced and capable of running this megathread as an OP. Do not quarrel with them when they state that a character concept may not work. Part of their job is to review applications in my stead, although they can not approve them, and such is their experience that they fully comprehend the PLverse. I no longer permit gods, demigods, angels, demons/daemons, daevas, djinn, ghosts, spirit characters, fae. We have too many and it's becoming impossible to maintain balance. No babies or young children. No "girls turning into things" ala Upotte!. No self-inserts or "personification player". Code: Select all      [size=10]#PLAPP[/size]     [align=center][img]http://i.imgur.com/en0At5K.png[/img] [size=150][color=#206187][b]PERSONIFICATION LIFE CHARACTER APPLICATION[/b][/color][/size][/align][hr][/hr] [align=justify][color=#a72b97][size=150]PLAYER INFORMATION[/size][/color]     [b][size=150]NS[/size] nation nickname:[/b]     [b][size=150]S[/size]kill Level (beginner, intermediate, advanced):[/b]     [b][size=150]H[/size]ow often can you post?[/b] [color=#842279][size=150]CHARACTER PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS[/size][/color]     [b][size=150]C[/size]haracter Name:[/b]     [b][size=150]C[/size]haracter Gender:[/b]     [b][size=150]S[/size]pecies (nation personification, human, alien, etc):[/b]     [b][size=150]A[/size]ge:[/b]     [b][size=150]A[/size]ppearance:[/b]     [b][u][size=150]U[/size]RL[/u] to Character Picture, if any:[/b]     [b][size=150]C[/size]haracter Occupation:[/b] [color=#6e317d][size=150]OBJECTIVES[/size][/color] [b]Primary Objectives[/b] are your character's main goals. This should be the thing that drives their part of the plot. When not engaged in stories, these are what occupy your character's thoughts or keep them busy. Examples include: acting on a desire to become a powerful and respected leader; attempting to overcome some horrible thing in the past which hinders the character on a day-to-day basis; seeking to break out their shell by overcoming profound shyness (getting involved with stories); comping to terms with a major flaw that inhibits the character from reaching full potential; etc. Secondary Objectives are minor goals. These should be an undercurrent for your character when they are engaged in stories or on their free time. Examples include: acquiring weapons and becoming proficient with each one; improving sundered relations with a companion; improving their reading comprehension; mastering news spells; researching a cure for a plague; etc.     Objectives such as "making friends" or "finding love" are NOT acceptable. Please put much though into your character's objectives - they are what flesh out your character and one of the most important aspects necessary to portray the character as 3D.  [b][size=150]P[/size]rimary Objective:[/b]  [b][size=150]S[/size]econdary Objectives: [/b] [color=#64367e] [size=150]MUNDANE SKILLS[/size][/color]      These do NOT require points. These are the average, daily things your character can do. Examples are "drive a car", "speak one Foreign Language", "play a guitar", "write poetry". Some mundane skills come from your bio and are freebie. A soldier has gone through Basic training. However, Medic, martial arts or sniper would be a Specialized Skill or Talent.         [u]List Mundane skills here[/u]    [color=#593d7f] [size=150]SPECIALIZED SKILLS AND TALENTS[/size][/color]     These are specialized skills that set you apart from the average person. You have 7 points to spend here. Examples are swordsmanship, sniper, coercion, medic, wizarding, piloting etc.        [list][*] Ability 1 and Points Spent:     [*]Ability 2 and Points Spent:     [*]Ability 3 and Points Spent:     [*]Ability 4 and Points Spent:[/list]     [color=#504280] [size=150]OPTIONAL SUPERNATURAL CHARACTERISTICS[/size][/color]         You have 7 points to spend here on supernatural skills or abilities. Sonic Scream, Levitation, Spell Casting, Shape Shifting etc. Superman MUST have his kryptonite thus weaknesses are things which inhibit the ability. Restrictions are what can't they do with their power or what balances it. They can only use it when they genuinely need it? They can't use it for more then five minutes without [u]serious[/u] side-effects? Some things are allowed without points. A pegasus has wings thus it can fly. A raptor is fast thus no points are spent in speed. These "natural" abilities should be listed here, however. What isn't allowed: teleportation beyond a few feet; the ability to alter or go back/forward in time.    [list][*] Ability 1:     Power Level:     Strengths:     Weaknesses:     Restrictions:     [*]Ability 2:     Power Level:     Strengths:     Weaknesses:     Restrictions:     [*]Ability 3:     Power Level:     Strengths:     Weaknesses:     Restrictions:     [*]Ability 4:     Power Level:     Strengths:     Weaknesses:     Restrictions: [/list]    [color=#4a4781][size=150] MAGICAL OR SPECIAL ITEMS[/size][/color] If it's not on this list, your character doesn't have it. Magical items are rare and hard to come by. Please list what they can/can't do - treat them like a supernatural thing. Items not allowed: anything that can alter time; anything that allows a character to teleport beyond a few feet.     [b]List:[/b] [color=#4a4781][size=150]EQUIPMENT[/size][/color] This is what your character has [u]on their person[/u] at the very moment when they are pulled from their home dimension. Don't abuse this. They won't be clutching an entire bunker.     [b]List:[/b]    [color=#3c4f83] [size=150]BACKGROUND[/size][/color] Be detailed please. You must explain how your character aquired their skills, talents, abilities, and special items. Wrap your primary and secondary objectives into it.     [b][size=150]E[/size]ducation or Training:[/b]     [b][size=150]C[/size]haracter Background/Biography:[/b]    [color=#2e5885] [size=150]OTHER GAME MECHANICS[/size][/color]     [b]URL to Apartment Picture: (What's the inside of their apartment look like) [/b]         [b]Link to RP examples:[/b] (this MUST be a [u]DIRECT LINK[/u] to your [u]IC post[/u] in an RP, NOT a link to the RP thread itself. If you don't have examples, make your biography good.)    [color=#216289] [size=150][u]IMPORTANT FINAL STEP:[/u][/size][/color]     [b]One paragraph that sums up your character. This paragraph is what we'll use on your player tab on the first page of the thread. This MUST be brief. Your tab will contain a link to your application so people will have full details.[/b] The nickname you go by on NS: Character Name: Image Link: Brief Description for Bio: Please direct questions to the OP or the CoOPs. Thanks for applying. Bear in mind that it can take several days for applications to be approved; check back often.[tab=10][/tab][/align]

[Cerillium]

Archive Links PL was spawned in the dank early autumn days of 2012. Unchecked, and fed by insanity, it grew into a megathread of epic portions. Whereas some games start threads every new chapter, or each time the game lags, PL has seen most of her threads through to page limits. Feats as of our anniversary this year: 1,460 days straight with no breaks between, and at least one post a day in either IC or OOC 112 characters active IC at one time A total of 29 threads: 4,792 IC pages 4,575 OOC pages 2 Archive pages 24 battle arena pages 26 Deus Ex Machina pages 12 Crucible IC pages 25 Crucible OOC pages A wiki A tropes page A website We also have one crossover - Iridescent, a project between us and another megathread RP, Elfen High (15 IC pages, 45 OOC pages). I think we just might be the oldest and largest perennial megathread in P2TM. I'm not sure if any other P2TM RP can claim that fame, nor boast our accomplishments, though I hope they will in time. Take pride in that. PL is your game. You breathe life into it every time you post - Thank you. To play the game, you gotta know the setting. We moved the game data to our archive thread this year. It was too much to contain in the OOC thread's first page. The spoiler below contains an index to help you quickly access vital setting information. COMPLETE LINK LISTING THE PHYSICAL GAME CURRENT IC | ARCHIVE THREAD | CAST ONE-SHOTS Neglected Characters - Swith Spaghetti - Swith Chicken Soup for the Artist's Soul - Gio The Cat Incident - Agy Dawn - Kass No Exit - Agy MLP: Biology is Magic - Gio The First Genocide - Agy The Diary - Torsi The Titan - Agy The Eight - Agy Acid Spit - Mon Origin of Russian Batman - Bran They - Agy Revelation - Cer Thanksgiving - Swith Family - Torsi Swith's Christmas One-Shots 2012 2013 2014 2015 GAME SETTING AND WORLD MECHANICS PLVERSE PL Terminology PL Omniverse Greater Beings Gods and Other Beings Metaphysical GALLIMAUFRY The Forging Gallimaufry Dimension Planet Gallimaufry Zones Gates & Gatehouses - to include dimensional travel and M-Theory Guardians & Oracles DEMENS' TOWERS - AKA THE BUILDING BROOD OF ALLESIO THE FREYWOLD The Fae JÉGVIDÉKEM NORTH WARNBOROUGH Location Industry Military and Peacekeeping Districts The District of North Warnborough Near Knoll Please note: business directories can be found under districts. THE OUTERMARK Location and Description OOC Precautionary Advice Zones Settlements Districts THE ISLAND OF NI RP GUIDANCE TIPS, TRICKS, LESSONS PÆDAGOG PRIOR THREADS IC IC Part I The Beginning IC Part Deux New Building, Same Nonsense IC Part III Island Living for the Holidays IC Part IV Returned to Building, Oh My Gods! IC Part V Five Golden Threads! (aka Oh My God... They're Breeding!) IC Part VI The Day the Drones Destroyed the World IC Part VII Return to Civilization IC Part VII.5 The Soup Thickens IC Part VIII Hello and Goodbye IC Part IX A Year's Journey IC Part IX++ //Oddsbodikins & Atomic Kittens// OOC Original OOC thread OOC thread Part II OOC Thread Part III OOC Thread Part IV OOC Thread Part V OOC Thread Part VI OOC Thread Part VII OOC Thread Part VIII OOC Thread Part IX OOC Thread Part X OOC Thread Part XI MISCELLANEOUS PERSONIFICATION LIFE WEBSITE | PERSONIFICATION LIFE WIKI | PERSONIFICATION LIFE TV TROPES PAGE | PERSONIFICATION LIFE WMG | MAKE YOUR BUSINESS LISTING | ONESHOTS, TRIBUTES, AND OTHER QUIRKY STUFF | HONOR WALL

[Cerillium]

Dramatis Personæ Image credit: Northwest Slobovia. Septimus Alsius Itum Septimus is an augmented human and a researcher in the field of philothanatophy (study of death, lit. "love of death") from a futuristic, multiversal technocracy: Agymnum. He held a... details Alpha Six-Three-B Outer-Patrol-A-Two ("Opa Two") A riot squad droid serving on a dust world, Opa Two knows only combat and is primarily interested in returning to Falkoss-IV and to his operator....details Julia Harker former British RAF pilot and not your typical "sweet nice gentle girl"...details. Deacon Marlowe Fun loving and driven individual with a proud military history in his family. He also had just begun his journey as a soldier when he war brought here for no observable reason. He has a recent past of being a security specialist for places abroad and is well built for this mentally and physically. He seeks to find a way to use his...full details Mikael Lunden Mikael grew up reading, a lot. He was also fascinated by maps, and how to make them. So, he went to Cartography school, but left because his powers happened. He then stole.... details Bones A thing that should not be. Mere existence violates the most fundamental law, that Greater Beings can't die... or so he likes to say, the prick... full details. Kale Kale is a ditsy, clumsy, but incredibly powerful plant manipulator. While not showing the utmost skill and discipline, she can turn you into fertilizer. She is friendly and caring though, showing much... details Otonako Irizari A magical band member picking up the pieces of war. more here. Thaddeus Usseio A old, cursed cyborg...more details. General Romulus Aphrodisiac General of the Wilhelm Imperium that was sent through multiple dimensions and universes to end up stranded here. Now force to contend with the new...details Nivea A'delvi A Nevidan freelance contractor on her way to her death, now having to contend with the Building's usual shenanigans. A considerable improvement she would find, but something to still adapt to and learn to live with...details Sully HRH, Prince Suleiman Saladin Ahmed bin-Salah of the United Arabian Sultanate - Well intentioned hedonist, the embodiment of chaotic good, the irresponsible hero, and the charismatic bad boy. Sully's been called these names and more... You'd think someone born into the strict and secluded royal family of Arabia would avoid ....details Nick A sentient, intelligent cat trying to understand himself and to find a place in the world - sometimes awkwardly. Often friendly and somewhat...details Rmwtyliin Saagve Annvyeelee Fvvarniimalasaakuuliia (Rmw) A teenaged princess from medieval Fvaarniimar who "somehow" ended up in Bielefield. She's not afraid to try... details Giovenith The young daughter of a goddess of Creation... details Willow Streaks A skeptical but artistic pegasus-pony... details Sakarias Viitanen A Synth with the mind of a pre-war Finnish immigrant violinist and carpenter that only wants to ...details. Sterling Venture A unicorn pony born and raised in Canterlot. He specializes in levitation magic and his talent...details Maghrl’laundersando’tamil’reumaur (Maghrl) A Squib Jedi Knight, obsessed with robotics, junk, and mechanical creations.... details Venla the Bold A Huvidu-Zaan Xenologist and Linguist whose goal in life is to learn as much about other species and cultures as she can....details Oecammi Ret Ata-EE (Oecammi will suffice) A genetically modified alien tasked to expand Lumba's Emporium beyond the walls Urbem Ascalon (a wholly owned subsidiary of Lumba's Entertainment, LLC.)... full details. Anais Adarah Anais is the voice of Dwayna’s Vigilant led by Alexia Conrath. Her mission, like any member of the guild, is to seek allies and return home to drive the Charr from Ascalon. While Anais is not an Ascalonian, she sympathizes with her guildmates that are, swearing to stand by them to whatever end. Anais is very polite, serene, and circumspect in her actions that involve the guild as a whole. Her magical talents are mainly devoted to healing, though able to go on the defensive (indirectly) if forced to do so... details Dan Foster Dan is a Fae of the Summer Court exiled to Bielefield (and now Galli) under the pretense of a ‘fact finding’ mission. He’s taken it in stride and hopes to make the best of it until he can return to Faerie, though it is unsure when that will be... details Hunter Evans (Teero Anjar - real name) A former resistance fighter in search of a new life.... details Mab Mab, Queen of Air & Darkness... details Mezran, Son of Jag'oth, of the House of StoH'raQ Mezran has found himself on earth under mysterious circumstances. He doesn't know if going back to his own timeline is possible, but the proud Klingon has pledged to serve in any capacity as long as it is just and does not tarnish his...details CoOP NPC list - used to assist Cer, or as troubleshooting. Dwayna’s Vigilant: These characters stay within the guild hall/Building, they may venture out as support and for plot advancement purposes. Only OP and fellow Co-OPs can use these NPCs. Anais is the only tool-character within the guild, as such OP/Co-OP can also use her if necessary. The roster: Alexia Conrath - Monk, founder and leader of Dwayna’s Vigilant (details) Cherry Valentine - Mesmer (details) Erick Dresner - Dervish (details) Reyna Farris - Warrior (details) Traxt Affinity - Elementalist (details) Grzymislawa Kafka A psychic soldier with psychometric powers, Sergeant Grzymislawa Kafka holds honor and respect in high regard for determining one's...details Brit Nicholson Brit is not quite the average adult girl. She's gone through some paramilitary training with a... details Aegis Aegis is a stoic guard for Primordials Embassy who embodies the military side of the Luxan Empire through his skill and willingness to help others for a price. Coming from an advanced race that has journeyed across the entirety of the Multi-Verse he wields a p... details Insidious Insidious is a Hyper Apathetic Artist that specializes in genetically manipulated... details Primordial old young Primordial is a hyper nihilistic scientist from another universe. Constantly on the lookout of ways of increasing his... details Henry Lawson Everything that you want in friend, Henry has it- Charisma, a good sense of humor, easily able to get along with and many more, he has the potential to woo and befriend everyone. However, he's not really the social butterfly as he seems, so most likely, someone else will have to make the first move in order to...full details. Amanda Bela Amanda is a sorcerer's apprentice's wife. She'd rather be known as a gifted...details Sanford “Sandy” Bela Sandy is a quiet, professional historian turned jumpy, outmatched amateur...details Macy (Service No. 12HM-570R47W) Macy (Service No. 12HM-570R47W) is a civilian-grade android built by AE-Celestia Industries. She belongs to the U-Bot product line, one of the first truly realistic androids in existence. However, what distinguished her from other robots was her...details Hanselmann "Hans" Fleischer-Schaefer Klaus' Cultist Leader. Captain Minerva Blackwater (Conceptual design by Gio) Minerva Blackwater is Charumati's cultist leader. She is no-nonsense (for the most part)... details Myra Bones A mundane teenager living in an extraordinary world. No relation to Bones & Co... details Naomi An Avatar of a Chaos god. Mepsidadelti "Meps" Heltamip (NPC for Gates) The Eudadoti Gate repairlizard...details. NLA 3v2 (Nila Trilb) A lost Swithwardian construct NST 3v1 (Neste Trilb) A lost Swithwardian construct... details (and character images) Rodney P. Bodkins A Triumvir Scientem Representative, Nifid... details Charumati A reluctant avatar trapped with... details. CoOP NPC list - used to assist Cer, or as troubleshooting. With the exception of Charumati, these characters can be used by OP and fellow CoOPs only, for story administrative purposes. Blythe and Xanthe (Daemonettes of Slaanesh, plot advancement) Brisbys (shop owners, Underground contact, plot advancement) Charumati (a god) Chi the Chibi (Building's babysitter) John (Klaus' cultist, might become a character, currently used as plot advancement) Mama Toussaint (a seer, used as plot advancement) Misaki (a court musician, Charumati's cultist, used as plot advancement) Smith and Jones (Bielefeld police officers that patrol the Market District, used as plot advancement) Thomas & Pete (cultists) Will (Minerva's second, used as plot advancement, very rarely a tool) Wren (Thad's daughter, tech priest, used as plot advancement) *Reception Desk Cultist* (Volker the German cultist, only used to work new players into setting) Offspring that are still around but not really characters. They function as fluff: The twins (with Charumati) Sophie (Klaus' daughter) Nash (Klaus and Minerva's adopted son) Dora Dora is a once and present priestess of Fate herself...more details Chrysanthe A Roman-Celtic priestess/guardian... details Hectaros Varinos te Eterri Maginestim the Brave-Sworded (or just Hectaros) An average man, it was foreseen when he was born that he'd be a great hero. Instead, he turned out average and became a soldier for his homeland....details. Flannery of Carim Flan is a blind holy maiden with a specialty in powerful miracles and healing techniques. She’s a devoted healer and generous giver, who tries to live up to the standards of a nun; however, everything is not as it seems with the kind girl, who harbors some untold inner conflicts...details. Jasmine A secretive, independent eighteen year old wanderer with a love of tea and herbal beverages and an equally strong love of food and money. She's a tough fighter, a friendly talker, and a stubborn and somewhat mean motivator. She's easily identifiable by her strange... details Katya Lilya Dimitrov Katya is a diva; she's smart, beautiful, and fiery, though beneath her exterior is a fragile girl. She enjoys art and music, and fancies herself a young Bohemian, though still proper and ever the mature...[/b] details Tora Anastasia Dimitrov Torii is a tomboy. She’s not masculine or bitchy or dirty, but she IS a tomboy, and the more outgoing and aggressive of the two Dimitrov sisters. She has a quick temper and is quick to become emotional or distressed, but she has a heart of gold and is an extremely loyal friend to the few she truly considers to be friends. Despite her being a...details Sozewe Oumech Sozewe, a cybernetic Sith Warrior obsessed with increasing his own power and finding eternal life, Sozewe is dedicated in his search. Despite his insane obsession and brutality as a Sith, Sozewe also still has some moral compass...details Audette Murphy A sleazy, rough-around-the-edges security guard from the United States with a bad attitude and a passion for...details PLAYERS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO CONTROL NPCS THAT DWELL IN THE BUILDING Volker - the Front Desk Cultist, one of Klaus' Men. The Building Manager - a flamboyant sort of magical being with a short temper and a long laugh. You may need to reapply if you've been dropped from the roster. Yer character might also be ded. Ded characters don't return. RIP: Astra Foriano (Saleon); Enali Archdreamer (IJ).

[Cerillium]

SITREP Gallimaufry /ɡaləˈmôfrē/ noun a confused jumble or medley of things. PL: SITREP CURRENT IC CONDITIONS Time: Early evening - the sun is setting and it will be night soon. Temps will drop Weather: 59 °F / 15 °C Forecast: Rain tonight CURRENT GAME EVENTS: None MINOR/PLAYER EVENTS Raiders of the Lost Book [See Slo for details] Trip to Ascalon [See Slo for details] Last Chance of Xo'Lokako [See NA/Lykos for details; closed story] Swordplay for Dummies [See Storm for details] MLP: Hearthswarming [See Gio for details; closed story] Opa and Meps in the Garden of Evil, Honey [closed story] Village Exploration [See Cat, Lykos, Torsi for details] Intro for new characters [See Giovenith, Cer for details] OP/CoOP STUFF: Please read IC and OOC posts prior to posting. It saves confusion over time of day, weather, etc. Players are encouraged to run stories of their own [see above]. Residents (still) need to leave their name at the front desk if they want to help the healers, help the agri people. A holodeck is located on the 5th floor to address training for Residents. Min will set details on it, soon. Creepfest is around the corner. We're waiting to set an exact date - corporate is threatening to send me to NY for a week OTHER STUFFS: We have an Archive Thread! Cer is currently updating it, please do not post there. All compiled Worldbuilding contributions should be posted in this OOC until further notice. We have a website! Because we like to spread ourselves out like a virulent plague love! Welcome to the new setting. PERSONIFICATION LIFE is no longer a faction RP. Please do not bring in faction elements. CHARACTER STORIES Music, please Will the effervescent Chrysanthe balance her personal life (split between residences between her long-time mate Dia and her newer paramour, Hans) while looking after the fire-breathing disco-tortoise left behind by an erstwhile Resident? Can Drova reconcile his future position as his people's king with his desire to do nothing at all? More importantly, how badly will his marriage to Tora destroy his reputation? Will shit hit the fan once the Jedi and Sith finally meet in the halls? Can Septimus actually complete Project Lazarus and revive Titus, or will Neste prove too much of a distraction as they seek to build a life together (if she's ever revived). More importantly, will they ever procure that never-ending supply of quality, 3-ply toilet paper? Will the Godling Giovenith still love her boyfriend once she finds out his mama's a lizard? Will someone finally find a way to sit on all the Cultists and Guild-Members in order to affix name tags to them? The fuck is with those weird animals in the woods? ... only time will tell. Tune in for the next installment of your favorite Slice-of-Life story! Apartment Block Nations, go here to figure out your economy. 1 USD = 1 Bielefeld Dollar.

[Cerillium]

Permissions Personification Life (PL) and all its happy iterations, coding, apps, archive formats and fancy words may not be reproduced without the explicit written permission of the OP. Should the OP meet an untimely demise, authorization is granted to Swith Witherward to create new threads. Should Swith Witherward die, yer all screwed, and permission to create threads goes to Mincaldenteans and Tiltjuice. They must fight for them to the death in a vat of lime Jello while wearing nothing but chicken suits made of crappy stuff found under the Lobby couch. Bawk bawk!

[Cerillium]

One-Shots, Tributes and Quirky Stuff ((apologies to Nice Peter and Epic Lloyd)) EEEEEEEEEEEPICCCCCCCCCCCCCCC RAP BATTLES OF PLISTORRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY BARON PRIMORDIAL versus.... SEPTIMUSSSSS ITTUMMMMMMMMMMMMMM BEGIN! My names is Septimus Itum Been sent here to crush scum Drop you harder than your outer gods Struck you dumb Luxans sending in a cultist in with a temper tantrum I'll beat your ass and drop the Confederation anthem Cause we're all about science Blinding you fools with violence Burn all your filthy worlds Crush your unholy alliance If I thought I could learn something I'd vivisect your head But you're empty like your gods I'll be leaving you for dead And you'd better cower, boy, when I'm finished with you You'll be begging for forgiveness and cursing Cthulu "You act like I’m supposed to be scared. Of an overgrown monkey who needs some repairs. I’m the next step in our evolution because It takes ten gallons of jet fuels to give me a buzz. I am metaphysically transcendent You’re technologically dependent You can keep your petty mortal science. I’ll use higher realities to make a magical alliance. I can summon Atomic clouds with a single magic word. I let the unspeakable stay unspoken but for you it’ll be heard. Relative to me you’re still playing with sticks and stones. I’m way up here using geometry to change the cosmic zones. That which is not dead may eternal lie And with strange eons even death may die So try and kill me all you want, give me the best you got. When the stars come right I’ll come back with another shot. Primordials what I am. I’ve been around and seen it all. And sorry buddy, you’re still just an insignificant little thrall." WHO WON? WHO'S NEXT? YOU DECIDE! EEEEEEEEEEEPICCCCCCCCCCCCCCC RAP BATTLES OF PLISTORRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY You helped shape us. For that, I'm grateful. ~ Cerillium The evening sky on Gliese was peppered with stars. Swith, who had gone on vacation with her mate and children, slipped from bed and opened the French doors leading out to the balcony. The palace below was still in celebration. Swith's eyes weren't on them, though. She looked up at the stars and drew a shuddering breath. It was a silent keen that traveled on a plain that no mortals could hear. It was a greeting and a goodbye wrapped in a gossamer strand that couldn't be broken by mortals or gods or even the Greater Beings. It was a patient and gentle understanding buoyed by her gratitude and admiration for a foe who had, in a sense, become a cherished entity in her world. She stood silently amongst the sounds of revelry and joy from below, and she wept tears that were neither sad or happy. They were simply tears, and they fell from her eyes and landed on her chest without any further preamble. "Farewell," she whispered to the stars. Her mind reflected upon octopus and pizza parlors, replicants and tea with scones. She sighed and her head tilted as she keened again. And then, because there wasn't anything left to do, she stepped inside and closed the door to block out the noise for a while. The strains of Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C# Minor echoed throughout the darkly lit ether of Cuisine's apartment. He and Luce sat together over beers, toasting an honorable acquaintance and an enigmatic mind. They spoke of Aetherians and shards, of yachts and cars, and of sand and sea. Conversation intermingled with the hopeful beginning, haunting progression, and chaotic climax. Dim blue and green highlights from the wall panel displays gave them tranquility, however, and the hope that things would someday be better. And finally, as the closing notes brought the piece to an end, the pair sat in silence. Ceril navigated the business end of the soldering iron between fine wires coupled to an old circuit board. The white hot light flared and briefly illuminated his face and the face of the servator next to him. He sighed and examined his work. Not bad. Needs more. Possibly - He yawned and removed the iron from the confines of the cabinet. "Needs more later. It's late as it is." The servator, a replica of the D7-N1-X8 blinked stupidly at him. She could never replace the actual thing she was copied from. "It is late," she said. "No shit. I just said that." "Yes." Ceril rubbed the skin under his optics and groaned. "Go dock, Mavis 12." He watched the drone clone gracefully cross the workroom to join her "sisters". He'd done many things with those clones - dressing them in hula outfits or programming them to sing show tunes - but he'd never lost respect for the beings who fashioned the original Mavis. The old cyborg checked his work a final time and walked from the workroom. His hand paused on the light switch. "Goodnight ladies." "Good night," they replied in unison as the overhead flickered off. Germanic Templars Leaving, Part 1 Germanic Templars Leaving, Part 1 Demons, Archangel, and Daemons, Oh My! Ogoti Tribute Thriller is Dead From OP Cer: Thanks, man. Thanks for making our world richer. It's been a pleasure and an honor gaming with you. You're gonna be making a difference no matter where life takes you. Good luck in Basic. From Co-OP Tilt: You've been a solid sort here in PL, and you'll be a solid sort in Basic - so no need to tell you not to let the bastards grind you down. You've got that covered already. Stay frosty and you'll be back laughing it up with us 'fore we know it. Best red. From Co-OP Swith: *crying* Can't type. Can't see keys. Seriously, though... we'll miss you. I'll miss you. You've been a good friend and it's always hard when friends ship out. We made a lot of good memories together and shared a lot of laughter. So, this isn't goodbye. It's just "farewell until we meet again." And remember... you don't want to eat BT mud. It's nasty. Ceril sat on a rocky outcrop and bid silent farewell to the raptors. They'd been part of this madness far longer than he. It had been his honor to track things over the years. He recalled the story of the day Neil (as NVE) first stepped into the building. "Can I come in? I have cake!" NVE had shouted before affixing a large fake mustache to his snout. "Can sombody let me, a completely ordinary person, in? I lost my keys, not in a fire!" He just was about to move into this building because his last apartment building was vaporized by the small nuclear reactor he built. Perhaps he would have been left out in the cold were it not for Dabfia. Dab (the normal Dab and not evil Dab) had let the velociraptor in and, after making Dab promise to not mention the initial offer of cake, the raptor had scampered off to steal a stranger's an occupied room in order to plot a means to own the first building thus forgo the necessity of rent payments. The most logical (for a raptor) conclusion was to build a nuclear device of some kind and use it somehow. (*cue evil laugh*) Sadly, the only thing NVE had available was what was available. He slipped into the basement, unfastened the heavy water heater and then ran afoul of Bones (whose room he had stolen.) Flassshback! Bones was staring out the window when he heard shouting. He looked down and saw a talking velociraptor knocking on the door. Dabfia let him in. Interesting. This is something worth looking into... My, my, there's some interesting characters moving into here. He clasped his fingers together and smiled. Things will definitely be getting interesting around here... Excellent... Bones watched the strange creature drag the water heater. "You do realize you don't have a room, right?" "Of course I have a perfectly legitimate room that exists. Otherwise I just stole a total stranger's room. I definately didn't not do that!" NVE replied. Of course, that is exactly what he did. Bones wasn't convinced. "Suuurrreee... and what are you going to do when that stranger comes back and finds you in his room?" "Ummmmm...I AM HIM! Don't you reconize me? I got a haircut and grew a mustashe!" NVE replied and pointed to the fake mustache. "Riiigggghhhhtttt... what's your room number?" "Ummmmm...Pi times R squared divided by zero!" NVE said hoping to confuse him. "I wasn't expecting some kind of Spanish Inquisition!" he added. "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition. And that is my room, by the way." "Oh really? Then prove it!" NVE said as he made a dash for the door and locked it behind him. Then NVE locked all the extra locks he added. "You missed one," Bones said, pointing over NVE's shoulder. He turned around and walked into his bedroom, locking the door behind him. "Dammit!" NVE cursed after discovering that he was now locked out. "Fine! I'll just find another better room that doesn't smell bad! Crap, I left my suitcase in there!" he added. NVE didn't want Bones to touch his suitcase, he needed to get in there fast. NVE looked at the water heater. "BINGO!" The velociraptor scampered outside and grabbed a car battery out of one of the parked vehicles on the street. He ran back in and wired it to the water heater, then smashed off all the safety devices with his wrench. He positioned the water heater in front of Bone's door. "If it worked on Mythbusters, It'll work here." NVE muttered to himself. Bones heard loud noises coming from outside his door. Looking outside, he saw that the dinosaur had positioned an improvised explosive right outside his door. Bones grabbed the water heater and dragged it inside, disconnecting it from the battery in the process. He locked the door again behind him. "Dammit!" NVE had been thwarted. His next course of action was to run to the hardware store where he 'legally purchased' some rope. He climbed onto the roof of the apartment building and tied down one end. With a firm grip on the other end, NVE jumped off the roof and smashed through the window of Bones' apartment. "Ta Da!...I mean...Hand over my suitcase and nobody gets hurt!" NVE threatened and held out... his empty hands. "Wait a second." NVE opened his suitcase and pulled out two Uzis. "Much better," he said and closed his suitcase. "Now hand over my suitcase before I fill ya full of lead fiery death...something!" NVE threatened. BUT...... The room was empty, save for the water heater, which had been hooked up to another battery. The suitcase was strapped to the bomb. There was a note on it: Here's your suitcase. "Dammit! Well at least I got my suitcase back..." NVE was interrupted by the water heater exploding. The old cyborg's laugh was softly huffed breaths that escalated into thunderous laughter. Those were the days, my friend! Those were the best days: the salad days when everything was sparse and absolutely nothing was sacred. He hadn't a glass to raise in toast to the raptors. He lifted his eyes to the heavens and named a constellation in NVE's honor instead. Bran, simply humbled to be in the presence of his friends (And evil genius'), was already shedding tears as the Raptor's left their presence. Whether it was venturing into Neil's mind to save him from himself, or venturing up to a Moon prison to once again save them, he always knew he'd have loyal friends in them, wherever they were. There was of course, the share of bad times as well, but hell, all friends went through them. Bran had long since forgiven them for that. "Farewell, old friends." He whispered as the house vanished, Rachelle watching from atop his lap (Which she was getting way too big to be sitting on!) Rylli too, was thinking the same things, and Natiya too. Giovenith was more than a little confused at the disappearance of the raptors' house and household, spinning and tilting her head toward the now-empty space, momentarily entranced by how it faded like a state of consciousness on the brim of twilight. Which one, though? Awake, or asleep? Suddenly, she felt silly for trying to guess which... of course the raptors would never allow themselves to be that simple. They danced on the edge of that which was known, in their own way. It was a rather magical thing, despite that Giovenith knew they preferred science, the smart cookies... magic, science, it was all a talent. It took talent to the spin the world round in a way you wished, to make the glass half full and half empty, or to knit riddles that were only satisfying with no answer. Pressing both hands to her mouth, Giovenith set a kiss down in them, then stretched out her arms theatrically to send it flying on the wind toward the spot the house had once been. "Buh bye!" she called out without sorrow, stretching one hand to wave widely at the sky. "See you soon! Love you! Don't forget to come back home and play again!" They wouldn't forget. She didn't know where they had gone, why, or how soon they'd be back, but that didn't matter. One of the most important lessons friendship taught you was how to say good-bye, to not feel heartbreak over the sunset... and to be confident that, like sunrises, there would always be another hello. Reminding herself of this with a deep breath, Giovenith folded her hands in front of her and began to walk off from the remains of the party. She wouldn't go home just yet; sunsets were just as lovely as sunrises, especially on a place as Eternal as an island beach. The land would assist in nurturing her reflections. Swith watched Torii run off to her hut. A sense of peace settled in her chest. It was good to see spark from the girl again, and even better than she'd returned to join the group in cooking things over the fire. That's how it should be... community, family, kinship. She nodded to Cuisine and helped herself to his thoughtful drink. The stars were twinkling overhead now, and Swith lifted her glass of liver towards them and towards her first friend. Somewhere out there, raptors zoomed along in a House. Somewhere out there, a Velocidoctor sat in a Construct's kitchen and sipped tea. Somewhere out there, their handler perhaps sat in a quiet room and longed to return. "It was a lovely dinner, NVE," she whispered to the sky. "It's a lovely friendship." They'd return. She believed that in her heart. She'd hunt them down if they didn't. It would be her personal quest, of course, to bring back a bit of non-Chaos chaos to this universe. Swith chuckled. "Only those who attempt the absurd will achieve the impossible. I think it's in my basement... let me go upstairs and check." She spoke the words of M.C. Escher with conviction, relishing the twist in thinking. "And rabbit holes really do lead to Wonderland, my dear. So everyone move over, get a clean cup, and if the dormouse gets finicky, just dab his nose with jam." Swith finished her beverage and handed the cup back to Cuisine. She wanted to visit Thriller's old hut, but someone had completely redone everything and she doubted even the factory was the same. She couldn't walk down memory lane there. It was just as well. Yes, we have one. YouTube "I Can't Decide" It's not easy having yourself a good time Greasing up those bets and betters Watching out they don't four-letter Fuck and kiss you both at the same time Smells-like something I've forgotten Curled up died and now it's rotten I'm not a gangster tonight Don't want to be a bad guy I'm just a loner baby And now you're gotten in my way I can't decide Whether you should live or die Oh, you'll probably go to heaven Please don't hang your head and cry No wonder why My heart feels dead inside It's cold and hard and petrified Lock the doors and close the blinds We're going for a ride It's a bitch convincing people to like you If I stop now call me a quitter If lies were cats you'd be a litter Pleasing everyone isn't like you Dancing jigs until I'm crippled Slug ten drinks I won't get pickled I've got to hand it to you You've played by all the same rules It takes the truth to fool me And now you've made me angry I can't decide Whether you should live or die Oh, you'll probably go to heaven Please don't hang your head and cry No wonder why My heart feels dead inside It's cold and hard and petrified Lock the doors and close the blinds We're going for a ride Oh I could throw you in the lake Or feed you poisoned birthday cake I wont deny I'm gonna miss you when you're gone Oh I could bury you alive But you might crawl out with a knife And kill me when I'm sleeping That's why I can't decide Whether you should live or die Oh, you'll probably go to heaven Please don't hang your head and cry No wonder why My heart feels dead inside It's cold and hard and petrified Lock the doors and close the blinds We're going for a ride (Thank you, NVE!) Need you ask? Summoned by Bones and Swith deep in the Lair, Zalgo causes all current story lines to pause for the duration of the Festival. Movie trailer to ZALGOFEST 3: WHY DO WE KEEP DOING THIS TO OURSELVES Bone Fort wrote: *Announcer voice, a la Pablo Francisco impersonating Don La Fontaine* In a world, *shot of the world* where some fictional characters are being driven into oblivion by crushingly over complicated plots and lack of mindless shenanigans... *montage of our characters doing whatever we normally do around the island* Two friends decide to fight back, *shot of Swith and Bones walking down hallway in slow motion towards the camera* These unlikely heroes, one a goddess of lust and hedonism, *cuts to Swith* the other a genetically engineered god-killer, *cuts to Bones* must join forces to do the impossible.. *rapid montage of scenes from Zalgofest* and save their friends from this horrible fate... *fade to black* From the creative minds who brought you [post=p11240733ZALGOFEST[/post] *Shows up in big letters* And ZALGOFEST 2: HERE WE GO AGAIN *shows up in big letters* Double the action, *explosion* Triple the excitement, *shot of Bones yelling "Get down!"* More the excitement, *Shot of Bones in the same position as previous shot, yelling "Get down again!"* With soundtrack by Aaron Neville, *shot of Bones and Swith running in slow motion, only sound is a heart beating* Two Friends, *Bones cocks a shotgun* One solution, *fires it at the screen* Tonight... ZALGOFEST 3: WHY DO WE KEEP DOING THIS TO OURSELVES *appears in big letters* This time, you really won't know what hit you. ZALGOFEST I | ZALGOFEST 2: HERE WE GO AGAIN | ZALGOFEST 3: WHY DO WE KEEP DOING THIS TO OURSELVES | ZALGOFEST 4: WHY DO YOU KEEP MAKING ME DO THIS | ZALGOFEST 5: WHY NOT KICK IT UP A NOTCH?! | ZALGOFEST 6: MY BUT IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME! Personification Life TV Tropes Page WMG: PL Gio The Reptile The Faceless One Branflakes NA The Talking Rabbit Branflakes II NVE - Take 31 Returned of the Tilty: Q&A 1 Gio Says More Hi's Bran Strikes Again! Aeten Chimes in! The Bunny Returns! GT learns to lock his locker at AIT Green (Tilt) Return of the Muffin (Bran) PL Video 1 - background and sound advice (Agy) Miss Swith, Thanks, and The Fiddlehead Godling's agency, golem's words, pony's maltheism, player's pets, oh my! (Gio) Intriguing material courtesy of Slo: Azathoth the Microbiologist A family tree by Gio: here PL Gashlycrumb Tinies A is for Aegis, who went bump in the night. B is for Belas - they had quite a fright. C is for Calle, recycled with cans. D is for Drova, we chopped off his hands. E is for Eva, so warped and depraved. F is for Fortu, we pooped on his grave. G is for Giovenith, who died from a scare. H is for Hunter - set fire to his hair. I is for Insidious, we tore off her tits. J is for Jacob, his brain did the splits. K Kale, strangled with strings. L is for Lucius, stripped off his wings. M is for Marcus, who breathed the wrong gas. N is for Neste, who capped her own ass. O is for Ocho, speared by some trees. P is for Primoridial, cut off at the knees. Q is for Qi, stuck at the bus station. R is for Romy, death by evisceration. S is for Septimus, tortured by dread. T is for Torii, off with her head. U is for Uno - he wasn't creative. V is for Varona, raped by a native. W is for Willow, who hung from a tree. X The Xarada, wiped from Progeny. Y is for Yuna, slated to die. Z is for Zarkani, drowned in VI. Sauce The Guild members nestle together now. Tomorrow, the fruits of their labors to reap. Your PC should be in their bed, my dear. Please put your PC the fuck to sleep. The Priests are working their magic, child. Summoning machine gods from the deep. They'll bless one very last trinket if you swear Your PC will go the fuck to sleep. The Luxans who slink through halls are at rest And the cultists who spy, poison, and creep. I know you don't have extra bullets. That’s bullshit. Stop lying. Lie the fuck down, damn PC, and sleep. The wind whispers soft through the ash, hon. The dragon-litch makes not a peep. It’s been five RL days already. Jesus Christ, what the fuck? Put your character the fuck to sleep. All the other PCs are in dreamland. The polite players have made their last peep. Hell no, your PC can’t go to the lobby. You know where the PC can go? The fuck to sleep. The CoOPs fly forth from their dens. Over PL threads, they linger and they weep. A hot crimson rage fills my heart, love. For real, shut your PC the fuck up and have them sleep. The NPCs and others are snoring, Wrapped in a big snuggly heap. How is it you can write all this other great shit But you can’t make your PC lie the fuck down and sleep? The quest information is on the first page now All that valuable information to reap. No more questions. This interview’s over. I’ve got two words for your characters: fucking sleep. The civet reclines in the simmering jungle. The fennec has silenced her cheep. Fuck your applications, I’m not giving you shit. Stretch your fingers. Cut the crap. Write them to sleep. The plot line awaits in the meadows And high on the mountains so steep. My life is a failure, I’m a shitty-ass GM. Stop fucking with me, please, and sleep. All the other P2TM RP are advancing As I sit here and openly weep. Sure, fine, whatever, I’ll let you finish your scene. Who the fuck cares? You character's not gonna sleep. This IC is all I can remember. The posts crappy and cheap. You win. Your character runs down the hall. As I nod the fuck off, and sleep. Bleary and dazed I awaken To find you say you're finished -- I keep My fingers crossed tight as I open the IC, And pray that you’ve put your PC to fucking asleep. We’re finally ready to advance the plot. I'm ready! I write, hit submit - sweet! Oh shit. Goddamn it. You’ve gotta be kidding. You posted?! Come on, have them go the fuck back to sleep. The TAB IRC is on esper. #TAB. PL and TAB members only. Log in under a name we recognize. Please do not park your name in chat. Log out if you intend to leave. You can also access the chat using your mobile phone. Agy recommends HoloIRC. It's a good app. Instructions for setting it: For everyone who wants to use IRC on their mobile phones, if you need help setting up HoloIRC (available on Android devices) please see the steps below: 1. After installing and opening HoloIRC, you will see a plus sign inside a circle in the upper right corner. This is to add a new server to your serverlist. There's a couple of defaults already to the left that you'll see that come with the app. Click the plus sign. 2. Enter the following information: Server Title: The Apartment Block (this is for you, so you know which server to start up when you open the appl) Server URL: use whatever Esper.net server is closest to you (for California: ranger.esper.net, for Texas: chaos.esper.net, etc) Server Port: 6697 Nick Names: [your IRC name to show when you log in] Real Name: [actual name, not sure what this does, but it never shows up] Username: [your user name, in case you're a mod like Swith, Tilt, or Cer] Password: [optional, only if you have a username] 3. Enable "Use SSL" and "Accept all SSL certificates". DO THIS OR YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO LOG IN 4. Click "Auto-join channels" and click the plus button that appears in the upper right-hand corner of the new screen. Add "#TAB" to the auto-join channel list. 5. You're done! Go back to the main screen and you should see The Apartment Block added to your server list. Simply click to connect, and you'll log in automatically. On logging out: 1. To log out from the channel but stay on the server (if, let's say, you want to log into a different channel, though that's not very relevant for Apartment Block's IRC), simply click the "Actions" button in the upper right corner of the channel and scroll down and click the "Part channel" button. This will log you off the channel. 2. To log out from the server, which is the only way to log in from any other device, swipe left and select "The Apartment Block" (you're currently in a channel if you see anyone typing away). While in the Apartment Block, you should see a bunch of links and nonsense as well as the words "End of /MOTD command". This means you're in the server, not a channel. To log out from a server, simply click "Actions" and click "Disconnect". This will log you out from the server. IMPORTANT: Make sure you have a stable connection. If you're logging on and off constantly, it might be best to disable any options you have for automatically switching between Wifi and 4G (I always use 4G to ensure a smooth connection, and it doesn't take up that much data anyways). Any switches on network or from network to roaming data will result in you being kicked off the server and forced to reconnect under a new nickanme due to your old connection not yet timing out. Thanks, and happy IRCing! (Edit: Servers for those too lazy to check: California/Southwest: ranger.esper.net Oregon: pandemonium.esper.net Washington: nova.esper.net Texas/Southern Midwest: chaos.esper.net (currently down) Illinois/Great Lakes Region: brutus.esper.net New York/East Coast: calamity.esper.net Florida/South: aperture.esper.net Quebec/Eastern Canada: warden.esper.net Norway: availo.esper.net Sweden: portlane.esper.net France: insanity.esper.net, anarchy.esper.net) SYNOPSIS BY THREAD - KEY EVENTS, SETTING, CHARACTER ORIGINS Special thanks to Tiltjuice for compiling this stuff! 1. End of the First Invasion 2. Intro to the Stars 3. Building Clinic established 4. Bomb Shelter established 5. Trip into Totenkopf's head 6. Beginning of Swith's security system 7. Chi 8. Lobby Art! 9. First Drone Invasion 10. Dab nukes the building and resolution 11. Natiya 12. The Case of the Disappearing Pizza Deliverymen 13. DNA-based security system 14. Ties between Swith and Bran 15. Fortu 16. NVE steals holy weaponry 17. Asmodeus and Beelzebub 18. Swith lets Naomi have her apartment 19. Gio is a badass 20. Gretta 21. Second Drone Invasion 22. Dani is humanized 23. The return of Cuisine 24. Aeritha 25. Dani's lab 26. Superbia 27. Trip to the Nikanors' childhood 28. Prim 29. Rylli 30. Start of 'Dani the Octopus' 31. Chaos' decor 32. Attack of the Weeping Angels 33. Third Drone Invasion 34. Do not meddle in the affairs of Time; not even if you're a matrix 35. Ceril 36. Rachelle 37. Naomi should not have caffeine 38. D12 39. Monique 40. Bran's first brush with mortality 41. Sapphire 42. Someone needs an intervention 43. Torii (and Katya, technically) 44. D12's end 45. End of the Third Drone Invasion and its cause 46. Darius 47. Reaction to Darius which should be read by all newcomers who want to have god characters 48. Restoration of Souls 49. Moar security! 50. Respect its authoritah! 51. Darius' purpose 52. More about Darius 53. Winter island break start 54. UNICEF and Smith and Wesson merge 55. Mer-ination 56. Swith's pet, Pookie 57. Irish Wrestling Chicken 58. NVE's volcano lair on the island 59. Deader leaves 60. Enter Dora 61. There goes the neighborhood Antarctica 62. Start of the god fight 63. Whirled peas! 64. A cyborg in winter 65. Brief bio of Katya (and Torii) 66. Christmas! 67. Thriller's backstory 68. Original attempt at Mirror Universe 69. Kei 70. Bran's bachelor party, courtesy of NVE 71. Meet my friends, Intro and Spection 72. Marcus 73. Aegis' backstory 74. Swith's backstory 75. Torii's backstory 76. Saving Swith 77. When World Dominators Go Bizarrely Into That Good Tofu Heap 78. Prim invasion 79. Swith rescues Thriller 80. Dora's security system 81. Kei and Tony are related? 82. Very beginning of Dora's final arc 83. Levi

[Cerillium]

Gentlemen, Behold! ★ HONOR WALL ★ It's always difficult to say goodbye, especially when one has spent a long time - literally years, in the case of a series - inside a character or two, suffering and celebrating with them. -Lilith Saintcrow BIO - The Drone Empire, a Multi-Galactic Empire of machines which destroys or ruins all that are not like it, most units of the Empire act like a part of a hivemind, completely unwilling to disobey the wishes of the empire. Recently, the Empire has been expanding into the Milky way rapidly, and this planet is now a prime target for possible Purging, but after facing massive defeat, they won't be coming back for a while. The Data Archives Dani has retired from the RP however she was instrumental in shaping us. Her tab will forever remain here. Her characters' descriptions can be found in full on the previousthread. Dani Really, she was once a fully robotic being, but due to necessary intervention, she has since been out into a human body.. mostly human, anyway. She is quite good with constructing devices or computers, pulling from her memories as a Drone, and has a profound hate for birds. All birds. She also seems to lack a large sense of what is right and what is wrong, accompanied by other traits that add to her strange insanity. Thadeus Proxii Ilun-Sile 2 "Librarian" Ilun-Sile comes from the galaxy which lies at the center of the Drone Empire - Thadeus Proxii. Having lived a life of gathering knowledge, he knows little else than the constant hunt for new info, that which was unobtainable before. Now, having fled his home during a time of great turmoil, he has arrived at Earth, where he will only continue his quest, and along the way conform to human society, or remain forever an outsider. Full Details Matuk Durz 36-year-old Orcish inventor from an alternate universe. Brilliant (if over-complicating) engineer and mathematician. Full Details. Raymond Jansma: 27-year-old agent of the Special Projects Research Administration and owner of Talwall Investigative Solutions. Generally serious on the outside, although a inner playfulness is generally lit when around his boyfriend Albert. Hails from outside of the Bielefeld Universe. Full details. Simon Clark: 74-year-old local SPRA commander and Ray's boss. Rather friendly old man who can get angry as a bull. Full details. Cornelius Thriller Crude, shrewd, and well tuned on what goes on around him, Thriller is known to some either as an emperor, friend, and/or a father. While quick at making choices in most situations, he can be stubborn at times such to the point where he can come off as...details. Lucius Lupus An angel whose best friend is a demon and who loves a fallen angel from another dimension. In his spare time he reads, meditates, and...details INACTIVE Players on sabbatical or bogged down with real life. These players may return but will need to fill out a new app (their prior app is an outdated format). Adrisal 'va Iracuse A perpetually young wanderer who's traveled the world and spent the last 500 years on a revenge quest, Adri has returned to Bielefeld with her older sister in tow and intends on spreading her faith, or at least knowledge of her people around... details Crysal 'va Iracuse I Arkadacian / Culdranth An ancient traveler, warrior-queen, and explorer, Crysal has stopped by the region with her younger sister to explore a place she's only glanced over before, and now wants to spend a little more time here. She's also capable of changing her shape, though only between two forms... details Elka Kazatimiru One of the perhaps twenty people who have money to their name in the small, backwater mess known as Reiltam, Elka was an...details. Amaryllis Kalina Nikanorova An Ex-Fighter pilot in the Branriech Air Force, Amaryllis Nikanorova is Bran's loving wife, and mother to both Rachelle and Tolya. Her quick-wits are well-suited to...details Branson Levovich Nikanor A former Air Force child-soldier/mechanic trying to forget his traumatic past by raising a loving family, Branson Nikanor will stop at nothing to achieve a safe and happy future for himself, and those he loves.... details Grand Prince of the Pyersai Drova Kuwori A disenfranchised Prince from the Branriech seeking to find his true self, Drova...details Yuna Kuwori The Enlightened A Pyersai-Priestess in training, Yuna's skillset puts her in a good position for...details Bones [UNAUTHORIZED - ACCESS DENIED] They do have a lovely apartment, however. Full details. Totenkopf [UNAUTHORIZED - ACCESS DENIED] Full details. Herr Doktor [UNAUTHORIZED - ACCESS DENIED] Full details. Eva Naomi's adopted daughter. Back story here and here. Her hair is black and she has odd glyphs on her face and arms. Eumelia (Melly) A geeky teenaged Cyclops making it on her own in the human world. Plucky, optimistic, and awkward. Cue sitcom music. She's an escapee from a dying culture here to study and experience a living one. As such, she's naive but intensely curious and up for almost anything. Full Details. Joe Quinn Jr. Joe is a silver-tongued devil with a charming smile and a face straight from the 1960s. Waking up in present, he's been forced to adapt to the information age and all the dangers that come with it, such as E-cigs. A man in pursuit of his own happiness brings him to a place were he's bound to find something. Whether it's something he's looking for yet remains to seen. Full Details. Sanjay Tagore Sanjay is an Asian Hindu from Uganda, who was expelled from his home with all the other Asians in 1972. He's a bit socially awkward and unsure of how to properly act around people, but has a warm heart regardless, which shows in his powers as a healer. He once attended Elfen High in another world, but you know how portals are, eh? Now he's in Bielefeld and has absolutely no idea to expect. Full details. Lilian Moritz Lilian is one of the fuzziest and possibly youngest members of The Building on Subabsurdus Street. After getting tired of living out of motel rooms and a van with her mother, Lilian has decided to settle down into an apartment. She's lively, loyal, and determined yet gullible and at times just plain idiotic. Lillian likes to make others happy and live life to the fullest. Full details. Tsuyoi A bad person gone good that wants to show everyone she is a good person. Is worried by what will happen when she returns to Bielefeld. With a fiery passion ,promise and high hopes, She knows she will get this done.... details Volturius Full Details Ryn'enth'yn Wyn'cryk'yr aka Ryn Ryn is a Deep One Hybrid, as per usual, his mother was a normal human while his father was the spawn of the Great Old One, Dagon. Like with all hybrids, he began the metamorphosis process from his original human anatomy into that of a Deep One during his fifties. Once completed, he was brought into the underwater civilization of the Deep Ones as another biologically immortal citizen to its numbers. Deciding to now use his unlimited time to pursue the ideas he had in his childhood that were denied originally by his blood, Ryn became an artist- studying for half a century before forging his career during the 1950's in Deep One society. 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[Cerillium]

Roleplay Guidance MENTOR NOTE ON DIALOG by Swith Witherward I came across some old notes this morning and thought I'd share them here. It's from a workshop by Holly Lisle. I found a copy of it, and I present it here (with some tweaks for RP purposes). Credit goes to her. The purpose of this is to help people write better when two of their own characters are speaking in the same post, but it works just as well as a reference source when two players are working on a collaborated post. CONFLICT Dialogue is about demonstrating character through conflict, either internal or external. Remember that, and your job becomes easier. Conflict isn’t always something bad that’s happening. It can be something as terrific as winning a million bucks in a lottery or falling in love or discovering your character is going to have a baby. However, conflict always portends change. And dialogue always gives you a window to see into the way that characters feel about that change, or at least the way they want each other to think they feel, which may not be the same thing. WRITING DIALOG Here are a few recommendations about writing convincing dialogue. None of them are cast in stone, but until you’re comfortable enough with the rules to know how to break them, you’ll work better if you keep them in mind. Avoid phonetic spelling and accents. Dialogue of the following sort—“Ah reckon ah don’ haff ta go dowan tuh th’ rivuh tuhday, ‘cawse we gots awl th’ feeush we gwine need”—gives the reader a headache and makes you look like a moron. With dialect, less is definitely more. “I reckon I don’t have t’ go down t’ the river today, ’cause we got all the fish we gonna need,” is much more readable and still suggests a particular character. That said, too much is too much. Keep to the conflict. If there is no conflict for the two characters in a piece of dialogue, then the dialogue has no place in your story. The conflict can be internal (he’s lying to her; she doesn’t like him; she's embarrassed by her friend's behavior, etc) or external (raptors are trying to eat them; an object has triggered a problem they need to solve). But it has to be there. Dialogue illuminates character faster than any amount of exposition, but only if you give your characters something interesting to talk about, and something that moves your story forward. And that means conflict. Don’t let characters “speechify.” What worked in a Shakespeare monologue does not work in a dialogue between two people. Fictional dialogue is about give and take, meant to sound realistic but sharpened by the fact that each character needs something, and by the fact that their needs do not mesh. You won’t get two-page speeches if you remember this. A note on that: I fall into this trap, usually when responding to a long post. Remember that people breathe while speaking. Read your dialogue out loud, in your normal, conversational tone of voice. If you run out of air part of the way through a sentence, rework it. Add punctuation, break it up, rip out the flowery stuff. Avoid “talking heads.” Have characters do something while they speak. THREE KINDS OF DIALOG Swith's rule on orphaned dialog is simple: I don't read the post. Your dialog is bad and you should feel bad. *winks* It's monotonous to read something where we have to keep track of who spoke first. The writer has an idea of emotional response, but they don't weave it in. RP is not script-writing, either. SCRIPT WRITING LISA: [enters from stage right] Jesus, you startled me. I wasn’t expecting you here. JOHN: It’s been a real day for expectations. Where were you? I’ve been waiting here for an hour. You didn’t leave a note or— LISA: [cross to stage left] I wasn’t planning on going anywhere— JOHN: I can see that. Where’s your coat? ORPHANED DIALOG This is the schmutz that kills posts and paints the writer as unimaginative. If someone were to ask me to judge a post on quality for a contest, orphan dialog would have the post disqualified as the puerile garbage that it is. "Jesus, you startled me. I wasn’t expecting you here," Lisa said. "It’s been a real day for expectations. Where were you? I’ve been waiting here for an hour. You didn’t leave a note or—," John said. "I wasn’t planning on going anywhere—" "I can see that. Where’s your coat?" "I left the house in a hurry. I… um… my mother…" "The hospital reached you? God, I’m sorry. That’s why—" "The hospital?" "They called me when they couldn’t get you." "I don’t understand." "Your mother. You said —" "I ran out to buy some flowers for her. She’s been so down." "For three hours you’ve been buying flowers?" "And then I drove around. I’ve had… a lot on my mind. But I’m fine now. Fine." "You didn’t go by the hospital?" "No. Look, I’m freezing. Let’s go inside. Why did the hospital call? Does the doctor need my signature for more tests?" "We have to go to the hospital." "I’ve had a terrible—" "We have to go to the hospital. Now. The rest of your family is already there." "Oh. Oh, God. Mom’s all right, isn’t she? Oh, Christ, she isn’t. I’m being punished… she’s dead." Did you read all of that? I'd wager the answer is "no". EMBODIED DIALOG This is what fleshes out the scene. It allows you to create conflicts which the characters then play off of as the conversation progresses. (When crafting posts Lisa had just gotten out of the car and was heading around the corner of the garage when she ran into Brian. “Jesus, you startled me. I wasn’t expecting you here.” His face looked sort of pale and pinched. He’s found out, she thought. I finally broke it off, but I was too late. He said, “It’s been a real day for expectations. Where were you? I’ve been waiting here for an hour. You didn’t leave a note or—“ “I wasn’t planning on going anywhere—” Which sounded like bullshit when she said it, and she knew it. She was wearing a navy dress with a fitted waist and a low neckline, which had been a gift from Kevin. Heels. Hose. Make-up. The last time Brian had seen her in make-up when they weren’t on their way to church or a restaurant had been right after the second baby was born. Eight years ago? Yeah. About that. He raised an eyebrow. “I can see that.” Pure sarcasm. For a moment his face lost the pinched look, and she saw suspicion in his eyes. “Where’s your coat?” “I left the house in a hurry. I… um… my mother …” The pinched look was back around his eyes, and she stopped, suddenly frightened. He knew she hadn’t been visiting her mother in the hospital. Maybe he’d hired a detective to follow her. The sound of her heart pounding roared in her ears. If he really knew, she would lose everything. The boys. Brian. Her home. Her friends. But he was saying, “The hospital reached you? God, I’m sorry. That’s why—“ Now the scared feeling was worse. Different. But worse. “The hospital?” “They called me when they couldn’t get you.” “I don’t understand.” “Your mother. You said —“ The lie came easily, easier than the lies that had preceded it over the last three months, pouring out of her mouth without any effort on her part. She shivered and rubbed her arms and said, “I ran out to buy some flowers for her. She’s been so down.” Breast cancer and a modified mastectomy at fifty-eight. Mom was in the hospital doing chemo, and she was coming through it like a trooper, but she really had been down. Not that Lisa had done much to cheer her up. She’d had her mind on… other things. No more of that, though. The suspicion was back in his eyes. “For three hours you’ve been buying flowers?” “And then I drove around. I’ve had… a lot on my mind. But I’m fine now. Fine.” He looked a little sick. “You didn’t go by the hospital?” “No.” She’d been saving that for when she could look her mother in the eye again. No, mom, I’m not cheating on my husband. I’m not cheating on my family. I’m a good wife. A good mother. Now she could do that. “Look, I’m freezing. Let’s go inside. Why did the hospital call? Does the doctor need to talk to me about more tests?” He was shaking his head—no, no, no—and his eyes were as bleak as the day. “We have to go to the hospital.” Her mother was being demanding again. She couldn’t face that right now. Not after the scene with Kevin. That had been ugly. Ugly. Never again, she promised herself. “I’ve had a terrible—“ He cut her off. “We have to go to the hospital. Now. The rest of your family is already there.” Everything shifted. He hadn’t come home because he knew about the affair. He hadn’t come home because the hospital had been trying to reach her about another of her mother’s demanding snits. Everything she did to make things right, she had done too late. “Oh. Oh, God. Mom’s all right, isn’t she?” But the look on his face told her what she already knew. “Oh, Christ, she isn’t. I’m being punished… she’s dead.” BONUS MENTOR NOTE IS BONUS REPEATED WORDS ARE REPEATED Proof a post before submitting it. How many times do you use the same word to describe the same action? Try to not use the same verb twice in the same short post. The shorter the post, the more the repeated words stick out. They become fodder for the "drinking game". BAD Max ran to the store. He bought a power cable. Then he ran back home and ran up the stairs. He ran to his laptop to see if it was running. GOOD Max hurried to the store and purchased a new power cable for his laptop. Once home, he took the stairs two at a time, hoping the battery hadn't died on his laptop while he was gone. On Post Blocking by Highfort (aka Agy) link It's come to the attention of several PL players and the PL staff that post blocking is becoming an issue in PL. It always has been, really, and it's about time some guidelines and rules were set down so that players are able to keep up with the RP and minimal time-skipping and consequences are needed to keep players moving and to keep the plot from stagnating. Without further ado, let's begin: What is a post block? Post blocks are times when a group of players role-playing a scene are stopped from posting because a minority (usually one, sometimes two) of players is not posting and thus the rest have to wait for them to post. Post blocks result in the need to time-skip, manipulate other player's characters to get the story moving, and general nastiness and unnecessary bureaucratic paperwork for the OP and CoOPs when it comes time to get the RP moving again. In short, they're not fun for anyone. Post blocks are usually identified after a prolonged, unexpected period of player absence (not posting for two or three days without any heads-up that the player will be unavailable, for instance). Otherwise, players who state that they cannot post usually have characters parked (that is, removed from the scene and stored safely for the player to pick up later) or can ask other players to manipulate their characters for them to avoid the block. Blocking occurs when players do not give a heads-up, resulting in the others being unable to respond and/or park or manipulate the character for fear of angering or misunderstanding the player's intentions. How does one avoid post blocking? It's quite simple, really! Just follow a few simple tips: Check the OOC thread (the one you're reading this post on right now) for regular updates from other players. Read the IC thread regularly so you don't fall behind on the plot. If you're afraid you missed anything, don't hesitate to drop a "What did I miss?" post in the OOC thread so that players can fill you in. Post regularly and at a reasonable pace for all your characters to ensure none of them get stuck and force other players to stop posting. What's "regularly"? How do I know what a reasonable posting schedule looks like? Regular posting is hard to fully define since everyone has a different schedule and some people tend to put more time into individual posts than others do. As a good rule-of-thumb, regular posts should happen at least every-other-day if not once-a-day. Anything less than that will cause players to grind to a halt as they wait for a character to catch up and result in necessary time-skipping to make sure the PL time frame keeps up with RL time, which is necessary for certain events and to make the setting easier to understand and relate to. For posting purposes, the PL staff (OP and CoOP) will count as a single posting entity. Since they have to deal with RP bureaucratic cleanup and updating threads and stories, they will individually post at a reduced rate but should be able to, combined, keep up with the one-post-per-day rule. Please note that while the OP and CoOP count as a single posting entity, do not expect them to play each other's characters or all the NPCs. Not all the staff are comfortable with all the characters or familiar with all the NPCs and thus if one cannot post the other is not ignoring you if he/she posts for only characters he/she is familiar with rather than for all the characters that need posting. Posts will come in time and the staff are more than willing to cooperate if your character is held up by staff characters or NPCs being unable to reply to your post. Most importantly, what are the consequences of post blocking? Post blocking is a serious offense in RPs as it stops other players from roleplaying and seriously hampers motivation and ability to keep the roleplay moving. If a character or characters are post blocking for a sufficient amount of time, prompting a time-skip, their characters will suffer the consequences of whatever they were doing. If they were in danger or in a situation where a time-skip would put them in danger, killing them off is not out-of-the question. Please, try and keep up with all your characters. If you cannot, the staff will be happy to let you shelve a few while you work things out. And if you don't do that, they'll be more than happy to take them off your hands and reassign them to daisy-pushing duty. And no one wants that. Thanks, and good RPing! Objectives by Swith link An objective can be a motivator, but it should also be something that enables a character to take action. A main objective isn't something that can be solved by chatting. It should be a conflict that challenges the character to overcome something (personal flaw, adversary, etc) to achieve that goal (save the princess, convert the atheists into Christians, drop the ring into a volcano.) Frodo's primary objective was pretty obvious: get the ring to Elrond, go home. The objective changed once he realized the situation, and so he surged on to bring the ring to its doom. Along the way, he struggled with his perception of other people changing, the loss of Gandalf, and the loss of his childhood friends once he set off on his own with Sam. Sam's primary objective was likewise to surrounding the ring. He pledged to accompany his beloved Frodo to support him on his quest and, at one point, shouldered the burden in his stead. But Sam's secondary objective changed throughout the story. First he wanted to see the Elves. Once he had, he picked up a new objective. An undercurrent throughout the story is his love for his friends and his undying desire to protect his Mr. Frodo. That love was not an objective. It was what motivated him to complete his objectives. "Make friends" is not an objective unless the goal is difficult to obtain. Myra, a shut-in, seeks to make friends but, due to a stunted upbringing where she was sequestered off from the world, she lacks the confidence necessary as well as the ability to express her feelings properly. She attended school but kept her focus on her classes, all the while dying a little each day as she watched the teens around her living normal lives. Shut out and bullied by them due to being abhuman, Myra would dearly like to make a friend that wouldn't think her odd or loathe her for being inept. Although she's chatted with the other teens, no one calls her or knocks on her door to see if she'd like to do stuff. She thinks that's all her fault. So her objective is to overcome her severe social crippling in order to fit in. She might be able to do this through her writing. She'll support the main story (PL itself) by lending her talents once she realizes she has that ability. Her years of observation and being bullied make her more astute at reading body language, and her ability to blend into the woodwork to avoid notice make her an ideal candidate for missions that require those skills. This is how she'll support the plot. "Relationship" is not an objective unless the struggle is a challenge. Objectives should lend towards action rather than dialog, although dialog is a necessary part of some objectives regarding relationships. Septimus and Neste share a same secondary objective: a normal relationship. At first blush, it seems like a cop-out on the part of lazy players. Yet both characters come from oppressive societies where such things are alien in concept. IIRC, Septimus' people would rather use a vat than deal with pregnancy. Construct procreation is limited to insemination by a MAB; there isn't any emotional attachment. Every day brings with it awkward moments (a kiss on the cheek in public; fears that the taboo relationship will be discovered by Neste's handlers) as well as rewards (the joy of the fleeting intimate moment; the feeling of empowerment). Confrontation is bound to arise once Titus is revived, or once Neste is forced to face the Nifid. So each weaves their secondary objective into their daily routine in an attempt to forge as much as they can before that horrible shoe drops. They don't discuss it. They simply do it, physically adding to it. "Protecting/Providing for family" are motivations and not objectives that support the story unless there's a challenge there - unless those people are constantly in harm's way or unless the failure to provide means the family is compromised. Bran's objective to provide for his family was met when the Luxans handed him a large sum of money, for example. Tora is a mundane running with gods and abhumans; these beings can more easily protect her in a pinch thus she's robbed of the need for this objective. Can personal challenges be an objective? Yes and no. They can also be a hindrance. Thaddeus is addicted to augmentations. His addiction cost him his first wife and alienated his children. His addiction cost him his second wife and newborn son. A secondary objective might be to get Naomi back, but how? Every day, he awakes and finds himself still trapped in a body that he's destroyed over time. He vows to change, and puts great effort into cleaning up (giving his stuff to Septimus, refraining form going to the Observatory) yet he blows it every single time something occurs that needs his expertise. His secondary objective (make himself a better man) clashes with his goal (get Naomi back) because his opinion of "perfection" is grounded in "augmentation". So, his secondary objective is technically destroying his chances of completing that goal. Can an objective be simple? Yes, provided it's not too large for the player to handle. "Return to Equestria" is a very simple objective, yet a daunting task. I imagine Willow will invest time in trying to find ways to return. It might motivate him to seek out knowledge, pulling him towards danger as he chases false leads. He goes on quests with the group because he can't chance that he'll miss some snippet that will lead him home. His objective might eat at him a little each day as he faces a world bereft of Pony laughter. Daunting tasks with simple objectives need strong imaginations. If Gio can't find ways to motivate Willow, or reasons for him to participate, I'd recommend she pick a smaller objective. She's never had a problem with participation or motivation, however, thus her objective isn't too broad. Part of the reason players get bored or state "there's nothing to do" is because they either choose too broad an objective or they choose weak, easily obtained objectives for their characters. There's no challenge in sitting around all day bantering back and forth. Without an active objective, players are at a loss for what to actually write. It becomes "What do you want to do?", which is answered by "Dunno." Players lose interest in other people's stories, bailing on them, because their characters don't have strong objectives to weave into the story. Neither player or character is motivated. One of Marcus' secondary objectives might be to come to terms with his faith verses the fact that he's seeing a godling that isn't part of his pantheon. Heresy! Yet he can't resist the urge to share his pantheon with her. He loves his pantheon. He brought her to hear priests sing. Gio could have been bored by that, but it was a chance for her character to see another pantheon's followers. Her objective is "grow into godhood, and balance her own values versus the values held by other gods in the past." That objective made it possible for Gio to stay interested in that brief side adventure, and the godling now has a memory to muse upon when she does a little soul searching in the dead of night. It's a tidbit to add to the player's ever-growing repertoire of experiences. Let your characters' objectives help define them as people, fleshing them out, and use those objectives as motivation to participate in stories. tl:dr If you find yourself sitting around with nothing to do... If you can't think of anything to write... If you find that the only thing your character does is talk about light things while shopping or eating or over coffee... If other players tend to avoid interacting with your characters... ...chances are high that your character lacks solid objectives ergo you, yourself, are not motivated enough to help your character meet their goals. A final question that came up: "Does my character have to invest every moment of game time on their objectives?" Nope. Objectives are always in the back of the mind, but sometimes characters need to put aside their own goals/stories for sake of the greater good. Their goals will continue to motivate them in some fashion, if those goals are solid to begin with. post link Character Trees (YouTube) by Agy To sum it up for those who don't want to watch the video, a character tree is a method of constructing a character's personality, appearance, habits, behavior, desires, and overall archetype through use of a series of categories which begin at the metaphoric "feet" of the character and ascend to the "head". Please excuse the use of male pronouns, this quite obviously applies to female and gender-neutral or agender characters. Feet: obvious traits about your character: appearance, mannerisms, behavior, etc. The feet are what you'll later use to build the rest of your character - think of them as roots. Details that spring up here can be used to add depth and meaning farther up the tree - from their desires, to their needs, their viewpoints, and even shaping their archetype. Groin: outer desires and wants of your character - desires that he's willing to express to others and to himself The groin is what your character will essentially use when dealing with other people. Er, hopefully your character asks for consent first and isn't arrested for sexual harassment. Anyways, things listed here are essentially your character's overt desires - things they think they want and/or they say to others they want. Good examples include: a stable job, to be left alone, to find love, to make money, etc. Heart: inner desires and wants of your character - things he didn't know he needed to be complete The heart is essentially what the groin wishes it could be - desires that would actually make your character truly happy and fulfilled. Maybe the uptight general who wants things to work just needs to come to terms with not being fully in-control. Maybe the lawyer in pursuit of ever greater fame and glory really just wants to settle down with someone who will love him when the fame is dead and the money's gone. Maybe the starving artist just wants someone to understand him. Whatever the case, these are desires that the character may not even be fully aware of, but which he requires to be satisfied and complete. Throat: presentation and interaction with the world The throat is your character putting his best foot forward. This is how he chooses to present himself to the world - his attitude and how he deals with others. Notice that you can use his feet (appearance, mannerisms), his groin (immediate goals), and even heart (perhaps subconsciously guiding his behavior) to shape his throat. The throat represents artificial interaction - before he lets his guard down, or upon first meeting, how is this character going to behave? Breaking character from the throat typically indicates a level of trust, character evolution, or high stress being placed on the character. Left Cheek: "left brain" - problem-solving and logic The cheeks represent your character's approaches to the world. The left represents his logical and problem-solving side. How does he solve problems, and what is his view behind the causes of things? Is he superstitious, quick to point fingers at eldritch gods or his own deity? Is he cold and calculating, solving problems without a care for how individuals may be emotionally slighted? However your character solves problems and logically views the world, this will impact his abilities with respect to the story. Right Cheek: "right brain" - artistry, ethics, emotional affect, and morals The right cheek does not only represent artistry, but your character's moral and ethical values (note that moral and ethical are different - morals deals with good and evil, ethics deals with proper or just conduct) and his emotional behavior toward individuals. Artistry is, however, also included and this can represent a separate problem-solving skillset your character has that's unrelated to his logical or reasoning abilities. Your characters morals and ethics will determine how he solves interpersonal problems with respect to other characters. Crown: the archetype (Jung would be proud) The crown is essentially a phrase which sums up your character, allowing others and yourself easy-access to what the character is supposed to be and how he relates to other characters in the story. Using the other parts of the tree, you can distill out the essence of what makes your character himself. Note that you can also do this process backwards. Starting with an archetype or general idea for a character, you can work your way down to flesh out the desires and eventually even determine an appropriate appearance for him based on his projection (throat) and his desires (groin). The Mincivet Animation Workshop From the Producers of the Sesame Guild & other Children's Classics… Note: this is text only. The formatting won't work in this post due to existing codes. You can view the entire guide here. Everyone likes a character straight out of or inspired from books, movies, and games that become near and dear; to which we hop onto our beloved P2TM forum and app a character based off that… only to realize just how Mary Sue and generally overpowered they really are. Sadly, the hopeful character extraordinaire falls into the ‘rejected’ or ‘rarely used’ category, left to collect mothballs and virtual dust. This was an issue I had with my group of characters from Guild Wars (a then semi-popular MMORPG), known here as Dwayna's Vigilant, or “Guildies” for short. These chars were no longer used online, as the game progressed to its successor and my work and home schedule made it impossible to spend any significant time throwing fireballs and raising minions. The daunting task wasn't to let them shine (they have shiny to spare), but how to convert my MMORPG characters to a RP format without falling into the aforementioned traps. My original plan was to have all 6 characters be PCs, but after drafting the apps, it was shaved down to 3 mains & 3 NPCs; as time went on in both OOC and IC, it was further reduced to 1 main and 5 NPCs, but I kept the original plan for each character; consequently they fall somewhere in the grey area of NPCs and PCs. I also placed them in order of importance, subject to change, with the intention of developing them as intended should the opportunity - and time - present itself. The priority went as: Anais Alexia Cherry Traxt Erick Reyna I had four objectives to accomplish with each character, and each objective was/is intrinsic to the other: Outline their personalities Identify strengths/weaknesses and goals (whether group or individual) Balance and adjust powers/abilities Reconcile the MMORPG gameplay mechanic to PL roleplay mechanics Like any game, Guild Wars already gave me a generous foundation to work from. I had lore, class specifics/specialty, powers & abilities (stats included obviously), strengths/weaknesses, gear and equipment. Since the game’s focus is to make the player the hero, my task was to take them down a few pegs without losing their significance. PL, after all, is a storytelling format, and dropping OP characters with uber stats would only get a certain badger irritated, muchly. For this, I’ll focus on Anais. This was my breakdown:...full guide [ooc source] A quick commentary regarding ellipse posts. Ellipses are used to indicate an omission, trailing thought, hesitation, or a change in mental direction. The dash - it's a break. It can also be used to clue a reader in. The dash and the ellipse are interchangeable here. If meant as an aside to the reader, dashes and ellipses are alright (although a parenthesis might be better). When used at the end of a post, Ellipses are meant to indicate suspense. She seemed unusually... well, there was no word to describe it. and The explosion blossomed into a raging ball and hurtled itself towards her. So this is my death? Kiyami held her breath... or The explosion blossomed into a raging ball and hurtled itself towards her. So this is my death?- Overuse of them, especially when the poster doesn't know what they want to do IC, infuriates other players. It pitches the ball back into the other players' courts, leaving them with the task of trying to sort that player's character and figure out a story by guessing what the player wants before anything can progress. The "meh" approach makes it difficult to figure out what that player wants to commit to. Never post unless you're sure of the direction you want to take. I recommend substituting a description for an ellipse. Post ending examples: Going to the club will be okay... vs "I guess going to the club will be okay," Amber shrugged. She was content to allow James to make the choice for them. Examples of how not to frustrate: Margaret looked... phased by the question... but not entirely angry. She was... sad, too. She didn't know how to answer. "Well..." vs Margaret was peeved, though the anger was mixed with some sorrow. She didn't have an answer to the question. In fact, she felt rather lost. "Well...," she turned her face away from him, uncertain of herself. Others: Time-Skip How-To's

[Cerillium]

Reserved for OP WELCOME to the new OOC. If you see something that's missing, please TG me. You can also TG Tilt, Min, or Swith. ...CoOPS, Slo, and Agy ...Because, without you, this game wouldn't run so smoothly. The time - no matter how much or how little - you volunteer between work and classes and personal challenges is reflected in not only the richness of the game setting, but also in the cohesiveness in the stories and the quest to have harmony between players. I don't believe people fully realize all that you do here. I'm humbled by your dedication, and honored by your support. ...Players Because, without you, we wouldn't have a game. You breathe life into the setting, transforming it into something breathtaking. Your time, talents, and humor make this long-running game what it is. We've asked much of you over the years: moar effort into post crafting, moar effort into character development, moar effort into stories. You've met those challenges, each one, each and every time. You never cease to delight me with your imaginations. ...Fans I always marvel at the fact that we have a following. You're masochists, all of you! LOL Seriously, though, we appreciate you, and it never ceases to delight me when I receive one of those "Oh, no! You can't let _______ die!" or "WTF? This is EPIC!" messages. Yes, your opinions in fact do influence the stories I run, and I really do tuck your suggestions into the corners (such as color-changing sheep!) We will continue to strive to entertain you. Thank you for being there along the way.

[Swith Witherward]

Hey, OP! Get to Work! It is while you are patiently toiling at the little tasks of life that the meaning and shape of the great whole of life dawn on you. - Phillips Brooks PENDING APPS: CODE: OTHER: Remove player's tab. viewtopic.php?p=30182288#p30182288 And my crappy seasonal one-shot. viewtopic.php?p=30474526#p30474526

[Mincaldenteans]

Civet Co-OP Bulletin Board PENDING APPS: Beare's Mikael app: viewtopic.php?p=30697878#p30697878 OTHER: UPDATES Character Archiving! Name: Link: PL App: Business Reformatted Apps, by district: Guild District Commerce & Hospitality Downtown Market Agricultural Industry Knoll Burrows

[Tiltjuice]

The Penguin's Co-OP Whiteboard CODE PENDING APPS Beare's app MISC Commerce & Hospitality Downtown Market Agricultural Industry Knoll Burrows Guild

[Highfort]

Welcome one, welcome all - madmen, women, beasts, angels, demons, aliens, enemies, and friends - to the one and only...

PERSONIFICATION LIFE

Writing is the painting of the voice! - (Attributed to) Voltaire

[Cerillium]

Swith's suggestion for the dragon-litch/lich image...

Definitely not what Prim expected.


I'll knock out a few replies before calling it a night. Anything need attention other than lobby/hearths warming?

[Germanic Templars]

Going to be posting slow tonight as I continue to work on Character's bios.

Personal note, maybe starting with Sapphire and Barox would have been smart since they are the most mundane characters I have (one is a weapons master (aka can fix, modify, and create weapons) and the other is a scientist (mostly one who assists). But no, I had to work on Lucius now.

[Primordial Luxa]

Swith's suggestion for the dragon-litch/lich image...

(Image)

Definitely not what Prim expected.


I'll knock out a few replies before calling it a night. Anything need attention other than lobby/hearths warming?

Not at all.
I must admit that a Dragon-lich was probably the last thing I expected from the Ogres.
But I suppose I should have.

[Giovenith]

*think of something PL-related, think of something PL-related, think of something PL-related...!*

... Willow's favorite food is red velvet cake.

*FUCKING GENIUS!!!*

[Northwest Slobovia]

Post for the Belas will be delayed until tomorrow. Rethinking Amanda's thinking.

[New Aksarben]

I have nothing flowery to say, so I'll just link the traditional PL Theme Song instead

Also, Red velvet cake is delicious, Willow has amazing taste!

[Tiltjuice]

*think of something PL-related, think of something PL-related, think of something PL-related...!*

... Willow's favorite food is red velvet cake.

*FUCKING GENIUS!!!*

[Primordial Luxa]

I have nothing flowery to say, so I'll just link the traditional PL Theme Song instead

Also, Red velvet cake is delicious, Willow has amazing taste!

Am I the only one that thinks we should have new song try out?
I mean this is your grandpa's PL this is PL: The Epic.
Maybe we should mix things up.
Just a thought.

[New Aksarben]

I have nothing flowery to say, so I'll just link the traditional PL Theme Song instead

Also, Red velvet cake is delicious, Willow has amazing taste!

Am I the only one that thinks we should have new song try out?
I mean this is your grandpa's PL this is PL: The Epic.
Maybe we should mix things up.
Just a thought.

Maybe. We should figure out what song we want, or if we wanna keep it.

that's why I did say traditional after all