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Personification Life, the Universe, & Everything [closed]

For all of your non-NationStates related roleplaying needs!
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Cerillium
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Founded: Oct 27, 2012
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Personification Life, the Universe, & Everything [closed]

Postby Cerillium » Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:56 pm

Please join us in our new OOC thread: Personification Life, the Universe, and Everything 2.


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The chances of finding out what’s really going on in the universe are so remote,
the only thing to do is
hang the sense of it and keep yourself occupied.
OOC THREAD ITERATION XIV





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!

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Last edited by Cerillium on Tue Oct 16, 2018 8:08 pm, edited 9 times in total.

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Founded: Oct 27, 2012
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Postby Cerillium » Fri Sep 29, 2017 8:44 pm


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TheBasics


P R E M I S E

"I have always drawn the adrift to me. You. All of you, mortal and god alike - 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 their worth. Call me spiteful if you wish. Call me proactive. We have a job to do. 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." - O.C. Demens

"The principle of parsimony, more commonly known to humans as Occam's Razor, is a theory that states that the answer to a problem is most likely the one that requires the fewest assumptions. In other words, the simplest explanation is usually the right one.

Zan Kraken was quickly learning that this basic scientific principle was only one of the many that this universe would regularly shit all over."
- Zan Kraken

"Demens' Razor: The simplest explanation to a problem is that it was probably the fault of an unfathomably powerful being with way too much free time." - Zan Kraken



C O N C E P T

All pantheons must abide by laws which govern not only themselves but their interaction with other pantheons. It's always been so. Red tape and bureaucracy at its worst. What does a god do when they need something taken care of quickly, quietly... without getting their own hands (or their pantheon) dirty? How do you reclaim what belongs to you without starting a war with the pantheon that stole it? Where do you go when you just don't have what it takes to answer a prayer or solve a disaster?

Demens. His people are masters of supernatural operations.

Who stores the things too dangerous to be left unattended in the cosmos? Who finds the missing artifacts? Who sends teams back in time to fix what's been broken?

Demens. His people have a reputation for doing the impossible.

The Residents are all members of Demens' organization. It has many names - the Agency, the Organization, the Bureau, Demens' Chosen. Its oldest known name is Gesellschaft - the Society. Comprised of gods, supernatural creatures, mundane mortals, and everything in between, think of them as Men in Black on a multidimensional level, or Secret Services with a higher purpose, or whatever trope satisfies your taste. Some are asked to join; most are pulled moments from death.

They haven't any special rank or title. They are simply the Residents - those experts serving the organization in a regular or full-time capacity. It is rumored that they are headquartered in a Building deep within Demens' own pocket dimension. Of course, it's also rumored that Residents can stop Time, raise the dead, lay waste to entire planets, and prefer waffles for breakfast. Perhaps only the organization itself knows the full truth.


T H E S E T T I N G
PERSONIFICATION LIFE plays out in a richly defined setting. Rather than duplicate information here, please visit our ARCHIVE THREAD.



Initial Game Assessment post-feedback from players: viewtopic.php?p=32519523#p32519523
Dialog, and Discord planning logs follow.

Swith Compile: viewtopic.php?p=32559888#p32559888
Swith Change: viewtopic.php?p=32569328#p32569328




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OPExpectation



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 are expected to shoulder some responsibility

Young players tend to have their characters sit and chat. This is understandable if the characters are teenage mallrats. However, the youngest character is 18 and expected to act like an adult.

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 a 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.

PL is not an anime game. While I allow anime powers for characters, the laws of physics apply. Your ten foot long sword is too heavy for your 110 pound, lithe girl to lift. You will have the option of putting it on her wall or else selling it to a character with the mass and strength necessary to use it. I expect players to conform to the setting and the game physics, and not the other way around.




Last edited by Cerillium on Sat Oct 07, 2017 7:02 am, edited 4 times in total.

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Postby Cerillium » Fri Sep 29, 2017 8:56 pm


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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 can and do run stories that contribute to the overall premise. They can also run minor stories for character development, though these are usually local rather than through a Gate. 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.

  • Non-Discrimination Statement and "Ban-able" Behavior
    Personification Life, its players, and its staff do not nor will not discriminate against an individual based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income, political beliefs, or civil rights activity.

  • BANNED PLAYERS
    Urran
    Grand Britannia
    Germanic Templars
    Torsiedelle



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Cerillium
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Founded: Oct 27, 2012
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Postby Cerillium » Fri Sep 29, 2017 9:14 pm


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Characters and Game Mechanics



What can I play?
This is a mixed genre RP which allows you to play things that are near and dear to your heart, within reason:
  • PL is not an anime game or set in an anime universe. Anime physics don't apply. You can run anime concepts, but you won't have a Goku-powerful character.
  • 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. Many are willing to share genre with you.
  • Your character must be 19 or older.
  • You can bring in a character from a dead RP but their powers and abilities have to go by our scale.
    Androids
    Cthulhu
    Cyborgs (Various themes)
    Doctor Who
    Dragons
    Egyptian Pantheon
    The Fae
    Greek Pantheon
    Judeo-Christian Pantheon
    MLP:FIM
    Nazis
    Time Cops (including Chronos and Fate)
    Velociraptors
    Vikings
    Warhammer 40K


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, the Greek Muses, Chronos and Fate, Jesus.

CHARACTER CONCEPTS AND SOME LIMITATIONS
PERIODS IN TIME
Your character can come from any time, be it an ancient past or the far future. Characters from time periods extremely removed from the present will be at a hindrance. The barbarian will never have seen a light bulb, whereas the person from the distant future will understand there's electricity involved but might not know how to change that light bulb. It's okay to play these characters but I expect you to take into account their struggle to adapt to the current time period's technology, customs, etc. Characters will not be able to time travel under their own power or device.

NON-ENGLISH SPEAKERS
Not a problem. That's what bablefish are for. Your character will receive one once he checks in at the Lobby Font Desk.

PERSONIFICATIONS/HETALIA
You can run these. Bear in mind that the personification relies upon the people. Your character is completely cut off from their home dimension. Can they survive as the embodiment of their people if those people no longer exist? Also, personifications are not immortal in PL.

SUPPORTIVE CHARACTERS
These are the botanists , chemists, machinists, researchers, medical personnel, and others that support the organization. They MUST have some skill - or be willing to learn a skill or two - that allows them to adapt to the setting and serve a purpose. The machinist excels at inventing things. The researcher has spent time in the field and knows how to quickly assess data or archives. The medical personnel specializes in triage or surgery, or pharmacology. The botanist is especially adept at breeding new strains. The chemist had working knowledge of explosives or other harmful substances and can apply that knowledge to benefit a team.

MILITARY CHARACTERS
Doesn't matter if he was a mighty general or an emperor - everyone starts off raw. This allows players to learn as they go.

PSIONICISTS
You can run a telepathic character.

Please note: we prefer you to use a set method when writing telepathic speech. A quoted italicized sentence signifies telepathic communication - "This is dialog." Simple italics denote thought - This is a thought. Please do not use brackets or colors to indicate telepathic thought. It confuses the reader and your fellow players.

Bear in mind that we have some potent psionicists already. A beginning character will not be able to penetrate their minds or launch an attack on them. Also, we have characters that are tied in to chaos pantheons. To tap their minds is to tap into insanity - your character will instantly go mad, no saving throw.

MAGIC USERS
Each genre has its own special magic. Fae magic is not the same as magic found in Magic the Gathering. Likewise, some things - such as the Force - are not considered magic at all. It's difficult to balance magic in an open genre setting. I may ask you to tweak your applications to allow that magic or magic ability to work. If your character's magic depends on his surrounds at home, he may not find anything to power him in the PL setting. For example, one of our players runs the Cthulhu genre. While in the setting, or when in a dimension where Cthulhu doesn't exist, his characters rely upon wits and whatever they've brought with them. They can not summon the things necessary to complete a spell.

CHARACTERS THAT ARE NOT ALLOWED
I no longer permit gods, demigods, angels, demons/daemons, daevas, djinn, dragons, ghosts, spirit characters, fae, dragons. We have too many and it's becoming impossible to maintain balance. No characters under the age of 18. No "girls turning into things" ala Upotte!. No self-inserts or "personification player". No preexisting movie/videogame/book characters - you can run a character like Captain Jack Sparrow, but you can not run the actual Captain Jack Sparrow. Likewise, you can bring characters over from another role play game but that character must not be in current use and you must nerf their abilities to match the limits in place on the application.

ANIME/VIDEO GAME CHARACTERS
I do allow these but we are not set in the anime or video game world. We also have to balance anime physics with real world physics. And, as this is a new character, everyone starts off at a low level.

In other words, I'm not going to entertain apps with ungodly powerful anime or video game characters. Your character is just starting out. Leave them room to grow.

Likewise, I'm not going to allow potent weapons that destroy everything they come in contact with.

AGE
Just touching upon this to dispel commonly held beliefs regarding age and knowledge. One does not become smarter the longer one lives. A man in his 40s has forgotten things learned in school if those things don't have relevance in his life. A man in his 50s may quit his trade and return to college to learn a different one. In time, his current knowledge about his old trade will become obsolete - he's been out of it for too long. A character that is over 300 years old will remember a time before electricity was common, but he will have forgotten a great many things as well.

I do not mind if players run characters beyond 100 years old. I expect those characters to possess the temperance and maturity that comes with age, and I will not allow them to have extra points just because they are old.




What will my character do?
Your character should have a Purpose - That special je ne sais quoi - a quality that cannot be described or named easily - which sets them apart from the average person. It's important to keep that in mind when creating your character. School girls and emo boys, Joe Average businessman, a petty thug, or just some guy with too much money will NOT fit in well. They'll be left behind too often. You'll grow bored as a player. Please read The Basics before designing your character concept. Characters should:
  • Be able to function with or without a weapon/magic/technology (sometimes they'll be cut off from it)
  • Be a team player
  • Be prepared to go through Gates (enter foreign dimensions) in order to complete missions
  • Have some skill or trait that will make him/her/it valuable in the game setting (nurse, doctor, researcher, soldier, mechanic, pilot, botanist, business guru, ninja, journalist, politician etc)

Character alignment is meaningless - all individuals work with each other towards the organization's goals.

Players are expected to put in a little research for their character's role/occupation.


How Do Magic and Superpowers Work in PL?
We use a scale in order to help players figure out just how powerful (or not) their characters are. We ask players to be mindful of exactly what their character's limitations are. Many players fall back on this handy List of Supernatural Powers and Abilities when designing their character.

  • TIERS
    There are several power tiers in PL:
    • 0 - Average: this is an average character, regardless of its species.
    • 1 - Above Average
    • 2 - Peak
    • 3 - Below Average Meta: this is lower tier supernatural.
    • 4 - Average Meta:
    • 5 - Peak Meta:
    • 6 - Below Average Arcane: this is lower tier potent. It is dangerous. Using magic or superpowers at this level will occur paradox. Users have greater control, thus their spell or power might be a six, but they habitually operate at a four or less. To have a character operate at this level, you have to prove to me that you're responsible by A)not abusing the power constantly, and B)imposing limitations and restrictions yourself, then abiding by them. Great power requires humility and restraint.
    • 7 - Average Arcane
    • 8 - Peak Acrane
    • 9 - Below Average God (or a Young God/Godling):
    • 10 - Average God
    • 11 - Peak God
    The Scale


    Power Equivalence Levels (borrowed from Nightkill and adapted)

      0 – Average
      You're an average being. Mundane in all regards.

      1 – Above Average
      Magic: You might be able to set things on fire with a lot of effort but, honesty, it would be quicker to use matches.
      Physical: Yeah, you sprint well - just like all the other physically conditioned mortals in the world.
      Skill: You want a gold star for having this level of knowledge?

      2 – Peak
      Magic: 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. You'll need to recover afterwards.
      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 – Below Average Meta
      Magic: This is decent. Maybe you can successfuly 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 – Average Meta
      Magic: 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. Your efforts will still tax you.
      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. You don't need a calculator for equations. You can easily identify types of demons.

      5 – Peak Meta
      Magic: Alright, this is a pretty damn impressive power. You can shoot fireballs out of your hands, teleport a pretty decent distance, or 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 third 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.

    -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 – Below Average Arcane
      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.
      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 and they'll actually work.

      7 – Average Arcane
      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 - Peak Arcane
      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 - Below Average God (or a Young God/Godling)
      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 - Average God
      Magic: You can fuck with time. You can fuck with the laws of physics.
      Physical: throw that battleship at your foe!

      11 - Peak God
      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+ - Beyond

    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.
    • - Gauge magic results by physical results. You might have a levitation spell handy, but it will only lift/carry something equal to the limitations established by a physical skill of the same level. In other words, your level 6 levitation spell allows you to lift a car (much like level 6 strength would), but the exertion will tire the magic user.
    • - May damage environment/other people without meaning to 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.
    • - Summoned Things are controlled by the OP.

    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.

    Think of what you want your character to specialize in, then use the point system to sculpt that concept.

    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.




  • MAGIC ABILITY
    Possessing an affinity for magic does not make one more special than a mundane. It takes time and training to master a discipline. If that effort isn't put in, the being with magical affinity is usually useless compared to a trained mundane.

    Magic also follows a few game rules:
    • Magic draws power from a source. It may be internal (your own power), it may be external (nature/a potion/umbra/gods), or it may be stored (battery). Once used, it must be recharged.
    • Magic is not silly wand waving and foolish incantations. It is focus and concentration, effort and exertion. It taxes the user, just as a race taxes the runner.
    • Gallimaufry is a sealed dimension. Magic dependent upon divine or demonic intervention will not work within this hammerspace, nor can characters summon anything to this dimension.
    • White magic: this is the stuff of goodness and morality.
    • Grey magic: this is a mix of good and bad, usually used for a noble purpose.
    • Dark magic: this is the potent shit that will unhinge the mind. We are going to the CoC method a bit here.
      Users of dark magic need to have the right knowledge and pay the price. Because this magic is terrible to cast and terrible to behold, it tends to be hidden away on the shelves of dusty libraries that no one has visited in decades. Finding the right tome is no easy feat. Of course, finding it is only the first step. Spells are incredibly potent, but they always exact a toll. Sometimes that toll is a simple drain on the caster’s sanity as they look into the unquiet void. Sometimes spells require blood to be spilled, and sometimes much more. No, you may not mutilate the NPCS. Go bleed your own characters. Further, I will not let you get away with 'my character welcomes insanity/Satan/Chaos!' Once that character lapses into insanity it becomes my property. This keeps the most deadly magic out of PC hands in a completely organic manner. Why? PCs don't need potent magic for very basic situations, nor should it be a form of entertainment for the writer.
  • NATURAL ABILITY:
    • A MLP genre pegasus can naturally fly and shape clouds. A player will not need to spend any points for this. It's a mundane skill. If she wants the pegasus to fly well or shape clouds into something recognizable, she'll need to spend points.
    • Ocho the thade is an alien. He's naturally very strong, with thick skin, and climbs well. No points need to be spent here as it's mundane for him. However, his physical build makes it difficult to ambulate on land. He needs points in Endurance and Dexterity in order for him to move long distances across flat ground.
    • Mab is Fae. Her mundane skill is Innate Magic. She will need to spend points in other areas to reflect her ability to control is.
    • Maghrl the Jedi has Force Sensitivity as his mundane skill. He will need to spend points to reflect training, as well as his own abilities to influence the Force.

  • SUPERNATURAL ABILITY:
    These are things that the character's species normally doesn't have. Pay close attention to the scale in order to determine just how potent an ability is (or isn't). Increased Dexterity, the ability for a human to Fly, and the ability to Shapeshift, etc are supernatural abilities. Even Superman has his kryptonite. Supernatural powers or abilities need to have balance and limitations.

When in doubt, ask the OP or a CoOP.

Last edited by Cerillium on Sun Oct 01, 2017 6:29 pm, edited 4 times in total.

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Cerillium
Postmaster-General
 
Posts: 12456
Founded: Oct 27, 2012
New York Times Democracy

Postby Cerillium » Sun Oct 01, 2017 6:00 pm


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Join



A P P L I C A T I O N I N S T R U C T I O N S

Please read the above section to get an idea of character and setting mechanics. Thanks.

  • PERSONAL INFORMATION
    This is your character's personal information.
  • FORMAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING
    This is where the character received their knowledge or training. Basically, their major. The biophysicist attended university; the mage learned necromancy from someplace; the soldier went through Basic training (and perhaps Special Forces training after that). How many years were spent learning?
  • BACKGROUND & PSYCHOLOGY
      Biography: should be written in first person. Be detailed, please (as I occasionally hand out bonus points or skills to round out your concept!) Most people write up the character's bio last, after they've spent time figuring out all the little details that come up while filling out the app.

      Greatest Strength: this is what sets them apart from the pack, what they excel at the best, what drives them or motivates them.

      Greatest Flaw: this is what holds them back, what they struggle against, what prevents them from achieving results, etc.
  • OBJECTIVES
    Note: objectives change over the course of time, as influenced by others or by environment, etc.

      PRIMARY OBJECTIVE - What major goal does your character work towards? This can NOT be "make friends", "get a lover", "discover self", or the other various things teens dwell upon. Your adult character has put work into what they're doing. Why? What are they working towards? The primary objective is what drives your character's actions and 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 - these should be an undercurrent for your character when they are engaged in stories or on their free time. They are what your character does to aid them in achieving their Primary Objectives. 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.
  • MUNDANE SKILLS
    These are the things anyone with common sense and education (pertaining to their dimension and time period) would know. Cooking, making a fire, driving a car, speaking a native language, shooting a pistol, etc.

    Please note: some characters have natural talents. A MLP pegasus character has wings and can fly (averagely); a velociraptor can run fast (averagely). Magic users have an inkling magic exists (Magic Awareness) and Jedi are naturally Force Sensitive. Natural talents develop during gestation. However, the Jedi won't understand the Force unless taught, etc. Thought these are mundane, they should be listed under the Supernatural section in order for us to know limitations, etc.
  • SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE, SKILL, OR TALENT/ABILITY
    All players have 10 points to allocate to this category; no single knowledge, skill or talent/ability may be over 4 points.

      Example
      KNOWLEDGE/SKILL/ABILITY: Necromancy
      POINTS SPENT: 4
      HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE IT: Academy of Mages, after ten years of study
      WHAT DOES IT DO/HOW IS IT APPLIED: This knowledge allows Hiro to understand the art of necromancy. He draws upon this knowledge when using spells, or when attempting to heal others.
      LIMITATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS: Hiro only understands necromancy as it applies to Earth's lore, and he'll need time to study necromancy from other dimensions and their pantheons before attempting any spellwork from it.

      KNOWLEDGE/SKILL/ABILITY: Weapon ability - Okinawan Kobudō (staff)
      POINTS SPENT: 4
      HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE IT: Academy of Mages, plus lots of practice as a boy.
      WHAT DOES IT DO/HOW IS IT APPLIED: Hiro's staff is meant to keep the enemy at a distance or ward off blows. Mostly, he uses it when fishing.
      LIMITATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS: Hiro is limited to only the staff, and none of the other weapons found in Kobudō.

  • OPTIONAL SUPERNATURAL CHARACTERISTICS & ABILITIES.
    Each player has 8 total points to spend total, no single characteristic greater than 4. This is for the superhero, the fantastical beast, and so on. Bear in mind: Superman has his kryponite, the Green Lantern needs to charge up, and werewolves have limitations.

      Example
      CHARACTERISTIC/ABILITY: Wings
      POWER LEVEL: 0 She's an average MLP pegasus.
      WHAT DOES IT DO: the wings allow Sparklestar to fly.
      HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED: It's a natural trait and used for regular mobility.
      WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT: Wind, weather. She's not resistant to magic. It makes her useless in zero g.
      WHAT DOES IT COST YOU, MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY: Constant flight will tire her out.
      WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY: None per OP.

  • MAGIC OR FORCE USERS
    This is where you list your character's spells, or his Force abilities. Yes, you can add extra code to this section if you'd like 10 level 1 cantrips.
  • MAGICAL ITEMS
    These are treated just like spells. You can combine more than one spell into an item, but the culmination of all those spells can not be greater than 4.
  • PERSONAL ITEMS
    These are what your character has on their person when they enter the game. These are not magical or supernatural. If it's not listed, your character does NOT have it.
  • Equipment
    These are things your character would need in order to do their job after they arrive. Someone arriving in power armor would need a charging station, for example. Do not worry about weapons or ammo - the organization has plenty to spare. Likewise, do not worry about a laptop. If you feel your character will need something unique (from the time period she comes from) in order to thrive, mention it in this section.
  • OTHER GAME MECHANICS & PLAYER INFORMATION SECTIONS
    Very cut and dry.


Image

A P P L I C A T I O N
Code: Select all
[blocktext][size=10]#PLAPP[/size]   [align=center][size=150][b]P E R S O N I F I C A T I O N[tab=20][/tab]L I F E,
T H E[tab=20][/tab]U N I V E R S E,[tab=20][/tab]&[tab=20][/tab]E V E R Y T H I N G[/b][/size]
     [img]https://i.imgur.com/gCAmedu.png[/img]
    [size=150][b]C H A R A C T E R[tab=20][/tab]A P P L I C A T I O N[/b][/size][/align]
    [align=justify][pre][/pre]
[size=120]P E R S O N A L[/size]
        [tab=10][/tab]CHARACTER'S FIRST NAME:

        [tab=10][/tab]CHARACTER'S SURNAME:

        [tab=10][/tab]GENDER:

        [tab=10][/tab]SPECIES:

        [tab=10][/tab]AGE:

        [tab=10][/tab]DESCRIBE CHARACTER APPEARANCE:

        [tab=10][/tab][u]URL[/u] TO PICTURE, IF ANY:

        [tab=10][/tab]CURRENT OCCUPATION:

        [tab=10][/tab]DESIRED POSITION WITHIN THE AGENCY:

[pre][/pre]
        [size=120]E D U C A T I O N[tab=15][/tab]&[tab=15][/tab]T R A I N I N G[/size]
        [tab=10][/tab]LOCATION:       
        [tab=10][/tab]AREA OF STUDY:
        [tab=10][/tab]YEARS:

        [tab=10][/tab]LOCATION:       
        [tab=10][/tab]AREA OF STUDY:
        [tab=10][/tab]YEARS:

[pre][/pre]
[size=120]B A C K G R O U N D[tab=15][/tab]&[tab=15][/tab]P S Y C H O L O G Y[/size]
        [i][size=85]Please refer to application instructions regarding this section.[/size][/i]

        [tab=10][/tab]BIOGRAPHY (written in first person):


        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT IS THE CHARACTER'S GREATEST STRENGTH AS AN INDIVIDUAL:

        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT IS THE CHARACTER'S GREATEST FLAW:

[pre][/pre]
        [size=120]O B J E C T I V E S[/size]
        [i][size=85]Please refer to application instructions regarding this section.[/size][/i]

        [tab=10][/tab]PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:
   
        [tab=10][/tab]SECONDARY OBJECTIVE:
     
        [tab=10][/tab]SECONDARY OBJECTIVE:

        [tab=10][/tab]SECONDARY OBJECTIVE:

[pre][/pre]
        [size=120]M U N D A N E[tab=15][/tab]S K I L L S[/size]
        [i][size=85]Please refer to application instructions regarding this section.[/size][/i]

        [tab=10][/tab]SKILL:
        [tab=10][/tab]HOW DID CHARACTER ACQUIRE IT:     


        [tab=10][/tab]SKILL:
        [tab=10][/tab]HOW DID CHARACTER ACQUIRE IT:


        [tab=10][/tab]SKILL:
        [tab=10][/tab]HOW DID CHARACTER ACQUIRE IT:


        [tab=10][/tab]SKILL:
        [tab=10][/tab]HOW DID CHARACTER ACQUIRE IT:     

[pre][/pre]
        [size=120]S P E C I A L I Z E D[tab=15][/tab]K N O W L E D G E,[tab=15][/tab]S K I L L[tab=15][/tab]O R[tab=15][/tab]T A L E N T / A B I L I T Y[/size]
        [i][size=85]Please refer to application instructions regarding this section. You have 10 total points to spend, no knowledge, skill or ability greater than 4.[/size][/i]

        [tab=10][/tab]KNOWLEDGE/SKILL/ABILITY:
        [tab=10][/tab]POINTS SPENT:
        [tab=10][/tab]HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE IT:     
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT DO/HOW IS IT APPLIED: 
        [tab=10][/tab]LIMITATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS:

        [tab=10][/tab]KNOWLEDGE/SKILL/ABILITYL:
        [tab=10][/tab]POINTS SPENT:
        [tab=10][/tab]HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE IT:     
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT DO/HOW IS IT APPLIED:
        [tab=10][/tab]LIMITATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS:   

        [tab=10][/tab]KNOWLEDGE/SKILL/ABILITY:
        [tab=10][/tab]POINTS SPENT: 
        [tab=10][/tab]HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE IT:     
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT DO/HOW IS IT APPLIED:
        [tab=10][/tab]LIMITATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS:   

        [tab=10][/tab]KNOWLEDGE/SKILL/ABILITY:
        [tab=10][/tab]POINTS SPENT:
        [tab=10][/tab]HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE IT:     
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT DO/HOW IS IT APPLIED:
        [tab=10][/tab]LIMITATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS:   
   
[pre][/pre]
        [size=120]O P T I O N A L[tab=15][/tab]S U P E R N A T U R A L[tab=15][/tab]C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S[tab=15][/tab]&[tab=10][/tab]A B I L I T I E S[/size]
        [i][size=85]Please refer to application instructions regarding this section. You have 8 total points to spend total, no single characteristic greater than 4.[/size][/i]

        [tab=10][/tab]CHARACTERISTIC/ABILITY:
        [tab=10][/tab]POWER LEVEL:     
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT DO:
        [tab=10][/tab]HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT COST THE CHARACTER, MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY:   

        [tab=10][/tab]CHARACTERISTIC/ABILITY:
        [tab=10][/tab]POWER LEVEL:     
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT DO:
        [tab=10][/tab]HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT COST THE CHARACTER, MENTALLY  OR PHYSICALLY:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY:   
       
[tab=10][/tab]CHARACTERISTIC/ABILITY:
        [tab=10][/tab]POWER LEVEL:     
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT DO:
        [tab=10][/tab]HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT COST THE CHARACTER, MENTALLY  OR PHYSICALLY:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY:   
 
[tab=10][/tab]CHARACTERISTIC/ABILITY:
        [tab=10][/tab]POWER LEVEL:     
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT DO:
        [tab=10][/tab]HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT COST THE CHARACTER, MENTALLY  OR PHYSICALLY:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY:   

[tab=10][/tab]CHARACTERISTIC/ABILITY:
        [tab=10][/tab]POWER LEVEL:     
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT DO:
        [tab=10][/tab]HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT COST THE CHARACTER, MENTALLY  OR PHYSICALLY:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY:   

[pre][/pre]
        [size=120]M A G I C[tab=15][/tab]O R[tab=15][/tab]F O R C E[tab=15][/tab]U S E R S[/size]
        [i][size=85]Please refer to application instructions regarding this section. You have 10 total points to spend total, no single spell or ability greater than 4. Magic users MUST have specialized knowledge in order to use these; that knowledge MUST correlate appropriately. [/size][/i]

        [tab=10][/tab]SPELL/FORCE ABILITY:
        [tab=10][/tab]POWER LEVEL:     
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT DO:
        [tab=10][/tab]HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT COMPONENTS DOES IT NEED:         
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT COST THE CHARACTER, MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY:   

        [tab=10][/tab]SPELL/FORCE ABILITY:
        [tab=10][/tab]POWER LEVEL:     
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT DO:
        [tab=10][/tab]HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT COMPONENTS DOES IT NEED:         
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT COST THE CHARACTER, MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY: 
       
        [tab=10][/tab]SPELL/FORCE ABILITY:
        [tab=10][/tab]POWER LEVEL:     
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT DO:
        [tab=10][/tab]HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT COMPONENTS DOES IT NEED:         
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT COST THE CHARACTER, MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY:   
 
        [tab=10][/tab]SPELL/FORCE ABILITY:
        [tab=10][/tab]POWER LEVEL:     
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT DO:
        [tab=10][/tab]HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT COMPONENTS DOES IT NEED:         
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT COST THE CHARACTER, MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY:   

        [tab=10][/tab]SPELL/FORCE ABILITY:
        [tab=10][/tab]POWER LEVEL:     
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT DO:
        [tab=10][/tab]HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT COMPONENTS DOES IT NEED:         
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT COST THE CHARACTER, MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY:     

[pre][/pre]
        [size=120]M A G I C A L[tab=15][/tab]I T E M S[/size]
        [i][size=85]Please refer to application instructions regarding this section. You have 8 total points to spend total, no single item greater than 4.[/size][/i]

        [tab=10][/tab]ITEM:
        [tab=10][/tab]SPELL/ABILITY:
        [tab=10][/tab]POWER LEVEL:     
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT DO:
        [tab=10][/tab]HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT COMPONENTS DOES IT NEED:         
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT COST THE CHARACTER, MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY:   


        [tab=10][/tab]ITEM:
        [tab=10][/tab]SPELL/ABILITY:
        [tab=10][/tab]POWER LEVEL:     
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT DO:
        [tab=10][/tab]HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT COMPONENTS DOES IT NEED:         
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT COST THE CHARACTER, MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY:   


        [tab=10][/tab]ITEM:
        [tab=10][/tab]SPELL/ABILITY:
        [tab=10][/tab]POWER LEVEL:     
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT DO:
        [tab=10][/tab]HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT COMPONENTS DOES IT NEED:         
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT COST THE CHARACTER, MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY:     

[pre][/pre]
        [size=120]S C I F I / B I O T E C H[tab=15][/tab]I T E M S[/size]
        [i][size=85]Please refer to application instructions regarding this section. You have 8 total points to spend total, no single item greater than 4.[/size][/i]

        [tab=10][/tab]ITEM:
        [tab=10][/tab]WEAPON OR NON-WEAPON:
        [tab=10][/tab]POWER LEVEL:     
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT DO:
        [tab=10][/tab]HOW DOES IT DO IT:
        [tab=10][/tab]HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT COMPONENTS DOES IT NEED TO OPERATE:         
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY:   


        [tab=10][/tab]ITEM:
        [tab=10][/tab]WEAPON OR NON-WEAPON:
        [tab=10][/tab]POWER LEVEL:     
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT DO:
        [tab=10][/tab]HOW DOES IT DO IT:
        [tab=10][/tab]HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT COMPONENTS DOES IT NEED TO OPERATE:         
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY:


        [tab=10][/tab]ITEM:
        [tab=10][/tab]WEAPON OR NON-WEAPON:
        [tab=10][/tab]POWER LEVEL:     
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT DOES IT DO:
        [tab=10][/tab]HOW DOES IT DO IT:
        [tab=10][/tab]HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT COMPONENTS DOES IT NEED TO OPERATE:         
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT:
        [tab=10][/tab]WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY:

[pre][/pre]
        [size=120]P E R S O N A L[tab=15][/tab]I T E M S[/size]
        [i][size=85]Please refer to application instructions regarding this section.[/size][/i]
[list=1][*]
          [*]
          [*]
          [*][/list]     
       
[pre][/pre]
        [size=120]E Q U I P M E N T[/size]
        [i][size=85]Please refer to application instructions regarding this section.[/size][/i]
[list=1][*]
          [*]
          [*]
          [*]
          [*]
          [*]
          [*][/list]   

[pre][/pre]   
        [size=120]O T H E R[tab=15][/tab]G A M E[tab=15][/tab]M E C H A N I C S[/size]
        [i][size=85]Please refer to application instructions regarding this section.[/size][/i]
       
        URL TO APARTMENT INTERIOR:

        ONE PARAGRAPH THAT SUMS UP YOUR CHARACTER. THIS WILL APPEAR ON THE OOC FIRST PAGE:
 

[pre][/pre]   
        [size=120]P L A Y E R[tab=15][/tab]I N F O R M A T I O N[/size]     
     
        YOUR NICKNAME ON NS:
        YOUR EXPERIENCE LEVEL (beginner, intermediate, advanced):       
        HOW OFTEN CAN YOU POST:
        LINK TO RP EXAMPLES (YOUR IC POST, NOT THE RP ITSELF). IF YOU DON'T HAVE A LINK, WE'LL ASSESS YOU BASED ON YOUR CHARACTER'S BIOGRAPHY.
   [list][*]
          [*]
          [*]
   [/list]   

[tab=10][/tab][/align][/blocktext]


Last edited by Cerillium on Sun Oct 01, 2017 9:04 pm, edited 3 times in total.

User avatar
Cerillium
Postmaster-General
 
Posts: 12456
Founded: Oct 27, 2012
New York Times Democracy

Postby Cerillium » Sun Oct 01, 2017 6:15 pm



Image

Dramatis Personæ




P L A Y E R' S R E S I D E N T C H A R A C T E R S


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


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


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

Desmond Beckett
Desmond is a man haunted by scars of the past, both mental and physical. He harbors a long-kept secret that he was likely responsible for the deaths of dozens, in stark contrast to his branding as a hero. Running away from his past, he ends up working in a Mars colony, responsible for maintaining everything from suits to life support systems. Des can fix almost anything, but has yet to figure out how to fix himself...more info


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

Zan Kraken
In order to win the war against the Galactic Empire, the Rebel Alliance is constantly recruiting fed-up freedom fighters to their cause. Enter Zan Kraken, a Mon Calamari scientist from the subjugated planet of Dac who escaped...more 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

Etzic Vkayl
Shaman of the Whiskerbrew clan capable of... 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:


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.
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).



Last edited by Cerillium on Sun Oct 01, 2017 9:14 pm, edited 2 times in total.

User avatar
Cerillium
Postmaster-General
 
Posts: 12456
Founded: Oct 27, 2012
New York Times Democracy

Postby Cerillium » Sun Oct 01, 2017 6:27 pm


Image
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.

Image
Bawk bawk!



User avatar
Cerillium
Postmaster-General
 
Posts: 12456
Founded: Oct 27, 2012
New York Times Democracy

Postby Cerillium » Sun Oct 01, 2017 6:39 pm


Image
One-Shots, Tributes and Quirky Stuff


Image
Poster credit: Swith
((apologies to Nice Peter and Epic Lloyd))
Highfort wrote: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

Primordial Luxa wrote:"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
Swith Witherward wrote: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.

Transgravitas Directorate wrote: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.

Cerillium wrote: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.


The character history will remain recorded here because it is canon for other characters. The player, Germanic Templars, remains persona non grata. We don't tolerate anyone abusing women via TG, nor do we tolerate them abusing women through email. His ban remains in effect in perpetuity. He does not have permission to post in any PL threads, both main and franchise.
Cerillium wrote: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.

The BranRiech wrote: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 wrote: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 Witherward wrote: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!

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:
Highfort wrote: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)



And steel your minds. It's real. The limited edition MLP: Personification Life collectable cards have arrived!
Willow Streaks | Sterling Venture | Rache | Mab



SYNOPSIS BY THREAD - KEY EVENTS, SETTING, CHARACTER ORIGINS
Special thanks to Tiltjuice for compiling this stuff!




Last edited by Cerillium on Sun Oct 01, 2017 6:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Cerillium
Postmaster-General
 
Posts: 12456
Founded: Oct 27, 2012
New York Times Democracy

Postby Cerillium » Sun Oct 01, 2017 6:40 pm


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Gentlemen, Behold!

★ AWARDS AND ACCOLADES ★

2013 Best of P2TM Awards
Most Improved Player - The Branriech
Novelist Award (Best Writer) - Giovenith
Best Overall Role Play - Personification Life
Best Lore/Worldbuilding RP - Personification Life
Funniest Character - Charumati, by Swith Witherward
Best Fight/Fight Scene - "Battle of Avatars", Cerillium and Swith Witherward
Best Tearjerker Post - Cerillium and Swith Witherward

Second Annual Best of P2TM Awards
Personification Life and her players bowed out in silent protest of dogpiling by a specific group. The "small fry" role play groups were shattered because they would never have enough players to win votes for (in my opinion) truly deserving players, role play, and posts - it was a pissant popularity contest. Our large group stood in solidarity with these players to show our support of their talents.

2015 Best of P2TM Awards
Best Role Player - Comedy: Northwest Slobovia (tied)
Best Role Player - Horror/Thriller: Monfrox
Best Role Player - Life-Based: Giovenith
Best Role Player - Romance: Highfort
Best Role Player - Science Fiction: Mincaldenteans (tied)
Best Worldbuilder - Swith Witherward (tied)
Best OP/GM - Cerillium (tied)
Funniest RP'er - Cerillum (tied)
Best Writer (The "Novelist" Award) - Highfort (tied)
Best Role Play - Life-Based - Personification Life
Best OOC Thread - Personification Life
Most Fleshed-Out/Rounded Character - Septimus Itum, by Highfort
Most Original Character - Pippa-Michelle, by Giovenith
Best Character Death: Neste Trilb, by Swith Witherward
Best Action or "Fight or Flight" Single Post - "Requiem | Sir Gefrei de Bataille", by Warpspace
Best Heartwarming/Tear-Jerker Single Post - "Regret", by Highfort
Best Romantic Scene - "Esma and Temir", by Highfort and Swith Witherward (tied)
Best Comedy Collaborated Post - "Woolly Bowl", by the Carlisle, Northwest Slobovia, Swith Witherward

2016 Best of P2TM Awards
Winner - Community Choice Award For Favorite Comedy Role Player: Tiltjuice
Recognized by the Community for Exemplary Talent in Fantasy: Mincaldenteans
Winner - Community Choice Award For Favorite Horror/Thriller Player - Primordial Luxa
Winner - Community Choice Award For Favorite Life-Based Player - Northwest Slobovia
Winner - Community Choice Award For Nation Role Play Player - Highfort
Winner - Community Choice Award For Romance Player - Swith Witherward
Winner - Community Choice Award For School-Based Player - Stormwrath
Winner - Community Choice Award For Science Fiction Player - Mincaldenteans
Winner - Community Choice Award For Favorite OP/GM - Giovenith
Winner - Community Choice Award For Most Improved Role Player - Chedastan
Winner - Community Choice Award For Life-Based Role Play Game - "Personification Life: Epic"
Winner - Community Choice for Best Megathread Series - "Personification Life: Epic"
Best Action or Fight or Flight Scene - "Raiders of the Lost Book", by Northwest Slobovia, Primordial Luxa, Highfort, Fvaarniimar
Best Heartwarming or Tearjerker Scene - "Reflections", by Highfort, Swith Witherward
Best Heartwarming or Tearjerker Single Post - "Futility", by Swith Witherward
Best Horror/Thriller Single Post - "Duster", by Giovenith
Best Romantic Single Post - "Loss", by Highfort
Best Action or Fight or Flight Collaborated Scene - "Raiders of the Lost Book", by Northwest Slobovia, Fvaarniimar, Primordial Luxa


★ 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.




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Cerillium
Postmaster-General
 
Posts: 12456
Founded: Oct 27, 2012
New York Times Democracy

Postby Cerillium » Sun Oct 01, 2017 6:42 pm


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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:
  1. Anais
  2. Alexia
  3. Cherry
  4. Traxt
  5. Erick
  6. Reyna
I had four objectives to accomplish with each character, and each objective was/is intrinsic to the other:
  1. Outline their personalities
  2. Identify strengths/weaknesses and goals (whether group or individual)
  3. Balance and adjust powers/abilities
  4. 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.

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.
Giovenith wrote:
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.





Others:



User avatar
Cerillium
Postmaster-General
 
Posts: 12456
Founded: Oct 27, 2012
New York Times Democracy

Postby Cerillium » Sun Oct 01, 2017 7:02 pm


Image
SITREP



Gallimaufry
/ɡaləˈmôfrē/
noun
a confused jumble or medley of things.


PL: SITREP
1 OCT, 2017

CURRENT IC CONDITIONS

  • Time: 8:30 AM (0830 hours)
  • Weather: 60 °F / 15.5 °C
  • Forecast: Clear skies in the morning followed by evening thunderstorms


CURRENT GAME EVENTS

  • REBOOTIE
  • Future Stories:
      TBA


PLAYER-SUGGESTED EVENTS

  • Run another Personification: Player
  • Run "A Day in the Life of:" (This is where everyone writes a one shot on what their character does for a 24-hour period)
  • Return to the Antiverse
  • Character Swap Weekend (This is where players analyze other player's characters and run one of them for short duration)
  • Creepfest ("Cer, you asshole. I want to be scared!" - Swith)
  • Zalgofest (slated for after Halloween)


OP/CoOP STUFF

  • Please read IC and OOC posts prior to posting. It saves confusion over time of day, weather, etc. As always, please don't advance time in your posts.

  • Archive: Oh my goodness, Swith has been busy. She's also been in hospital, so not much has been uploaded. (I'll access her account shortly to drop her CoOP box below.)
  • Characters apartment assignments have been updated. I will need to redo tabs after we all complete the new apps. Bios will be added to the Archive as Swith's time and and health allows, though I might end up doing it.

  • Stories: Players are encouraged to run stories via the Gates. There are a few rules for this:
    1. All Gate stories must have OP pre-approval. They must pertain to the overarching premise.
    2. Players may not use Gates to gain powerful things for their own use without first consulting with me. Powerful items and spells tip the balance and give an unfair advantage to only a few characters.
    3. You may use the Gates to intro your new character (the team would need to bring a tracer along for them.)
    4. You may not use Devourers, Agents, or Minions in your stories.
    5. No video game/movie walk-throughs. I realize we have PCs based on a genre or franchise. Do not force your players to sit through a story based on that game or script.
    6. GM should plan out their game. It should be BRIEF and SIMPLE. Go in, go out.
    7. Your gods and other supernatural beings must align with the overarching power scale. Look at your Big Bads and other NPCs and perhaps run them through a character app sheet for reference. This is because your Players are stuck using those power scales. You'll unbalance the overarching game if your NPC are Too Potent.
    8. Use the OOC to plan and answer questions. This allows others to provide input. PL is a group, not just a segmented population of individual RP stories.
    9. Please keep collabs to a minimum. I'd prefer short posts rather than long stretches without any posts.


User avatar
Cerillium
Postmaster-General
 
Posts: 12456
Founded: Oct 27, 2012
New York Times Democracy

Postby Cerillium » Sun Oct 01, 2017 7:03 pm


Image
Reserved for OP






Image
...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.


User avatar
Swith Witherward
Post Czar
 
Posts: 30350
Founded: Feb 11, 2012
Democratic Socialists

Postby Swith Witherward » Sun Oct 01, 2017 7:05 pm



Image
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:


User avatar
Tiltjuice
Post Czar
 
Posts: 33978
Founded: Jan 20, 2012
Ex-Nation

Postby Tiltjuice » Sun Oct 01, 2017 7:11 pm


Image
Penguin's Co-OP Whiteboard


CODE

PENDING APPS
  • Prim's, for Archive, when he's finished retooling (?)

PENDING SHEETS

MISC

STORIES!!!


Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart. -Khalil Gibran
Cut red tape with the Red Book / Bureaucracy is a system - #ApplyTNI / Think globally, act locally
At fifteen, I set my heart on learning. At thirty, I was firmly established. At forty, I had no more doubts. At fifty, I knew the will of heaven. At sixty, I was ready to listen to it. At seventy, I could follow my heart's desire without transgressing what was right. ~Analects, 2:4
I wear teal, blue, pink, and red for Swith.
mumblemumblemumble

User avatar
Mincaldenteans
Powerbroker
 
Posts: 9453
Founded: Feb 17, 2013
Ex-Nation

Postby Mincaldenteans » Sun Oct 01, 2017 7:13 pm



Image
PAW-PRINTED TASK BOX OF A CIVET

AS OF 10/16, PENDING APPS BELOW



PENDING APPS:
• Player: Koth
Char: Zan: viewtopic.php?p=32608400#p32608400

• Player: Min
Maureen: viewtopic.php?p=32608619#p32608619
Devine: viewtopic.php?p=32685431#p32685431

• Player: Ched
Romulus: viewtopic.php?p=32618745#p32618745

• Player: Zark
Meritari: viewtopic.php?p=32620974#p32620974

• Player: NA/Holy Lykos
Etzic: viewtopic.php?p=32640273#p32640273
Venla: viewtopic.php?p=32641364#p32641364
Maghrl: viewtopic.php?p=32643784#p32643784

• Player: Souls
Desmond: viewtopic.php?p=32640651#p32640651

• Player: Prim
Primordial: viewtopic.php?p=32654634#p32654634

• Player: Tilt
Calani: viewtopic.php?p=32685550#p32685550

CODE:

OTHER:

Last edited by Mincaldenteans on Mon Oct 16, 2017 7:31 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Chedastan
Negotiator
 
Posts: 5746
Founded: Jul 25, 2013
Corrupt Dictatorship

Postby Chedastan » Sun Oct 01, 2017 7:30 pm

I gotta say I like the new look already. :D

Here's to another great installment and to more stories to come! And oh my that new app format is a big difference to the old one, but I'll try and find the time when I can this week to make reapps for Romy and Nivea.
I wear teal, blue & pink for Swith.

User avatar
Primordial Luxa
Postmaster-General
 
Posts: 12092
Founded: Oct 30, 2012
Left-Leaning College State

Postby Primordial Luxa » Sun Oct 01, 2017 8:11 pm

Have done a bit of work on my new apps.

Will need to do a bit of reevaluation given the new system but looking forward to it.
Swith Witherward wrote:But I trust the people here. Well, except Prim. He has shifty eyes but his cute smile make up for it.

Monfrox wrote:But it's not like we've known Prim to really stick with normality...

P2TM wrote:HORROR/THRILLER Winner - Community Choice Award For Favorite Horror/Thriller Player: Primordial Luxa


Factbook (underconstruction)
Personification Life and GAU Posts
Luxan Imperial Narcotics (The ONLY narcotics store on GE&T)

User avatar
Stormwrath
Negotiator
 
Posts: 6898
Founded: Feb 08, 2014
Ex-Nation

Postby Stormwrath » Sun Oct 01, 2017 8:12 pm

It's 42.

42, ladies and gents.

What, you were expecting some other answer? It's 42. :p

User avatar
Giovenith
Retired Moderator
 
Posts: 21421
Founded: Feb 08, 2012
Left-wing Utopia

Postby Giovenith » Sun Oct 01, 2017 9:50 pm

And many tickles were had.
⟡ and in time, and in time, we will all be stars ⟡
she/her

User avatar
Reventus Koth
Ambassador
 
Posts: 1119
Founded: Apr 03, 2016
Psychotic Dictatorship

Postby Reventus Koth » Sun Oct 01, 2017 10:33 pm

#PLAPP
P E R S O N I F I C A T I O NL I F E,
T H EU N I V E R S E,&E V E R Y T H I N G

Image
C H A R A C T E RA P P L I C A T I O N


P E R S O N A L
FIRST NAME: Zan

SURNAME: Kraken

GENDER: Male

SPECIES: Mon Calamari

AGE: 31

PLEASE DESCRIBE YOUR APPEARANCE: 5' 8" with typical reddish-brown skin and yellow eyes. Uncharacteristically for Mon Calamari, he has somehow managed to grow a thin neckbeard. Wears a red hat that reads "MAKE THE GALAXY GREAT AGAIN", which he insists on wearing even in extreme situations.

URL TO PICTURE, IF ANY: https://i.imgur.com/blr5p5B.png

CURRENT OCCUPATION: Chemist, Researcher, Mechanic, Techie. Last employed by the Balmorran Roughcuts.

DESIRED POSITION WITHIN OUR AGENCY: Research specialist. Zan wishes to use chemistry to unlock new solutions to the agency's problems and research/experiment on recovered artifacts.


E D U C A T I O N&T R A I N I N G
LOCATION: Mon Cala University, Dac
AREA OF STUDY: Chemistry
YEARS: 8 (from age 18-26)


B A C K G R O U N D&P S Y C H O L O G Y
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section.

BIOGRAPHY:
Data below was extracted and pieced together by the Rebel Alliance from a broken, discarded datapad which contained Zan Kraken's personal journals.

I've been told that keeping a journal is important these days, because records of our people may survive on the holonet long after we've outlived our usefulness to the Emperor. I've never really been any good at writing personal stuff but I suppose I'll try now. My name is Zan Kraken, and I was born in 26 BBY on the planet Dac. My mother was an accountant and my father was a mechanic that marketed himself towards off-worlders. Much of my childhood was spent in the garage, playing with my father's tools and messing with scavenged robot parts.

My interest in biology and chemistry emerged at a young age when I was given a microscope for my tenth hatching day, I used to spend hours just analyzing random samples out of the water all around me. I began to spend a lot more time on the surface, admiring the way everything about the way science works changes when you're out of the water. I started learning strategy games like dejarik, and it was around then I realized that I was a cut above the other teenagers, intellectually speaking. That didn't earn me a lot of friends; the dumb ones ignored or bullied me and the smart ones resented that I was better than them. I found companionship in the form of little robots I made and certain holonet groups, for the most part.

I pursued higher education with funding from some of my father's off-world business partners. They were interested to see what I could do for them once I had formal training, and that was my first taste of what it was like to be bound to someone else's whims. I don't like to compare it to the Empire slavery that was to come, but it's worth mentioning. My thesis paper, funded by that company, analyzed the potential of Whaladon eggshells as a potential binding agent in lightweight construction frames. The actual chemistry of it was my focus, but it didn't stop a minor controversy from Whaladon activist groups from rising up against me. They didn't have too long to whine, though, because the subjugation of Dac by the Galactic Empire followed soon after. My family and neighbors were forced into manual labor by the Empire, my scholastic achievements are the only thing that brought me to the point I'm at now, trapped in an Empire lab developing whatever meaningless garbage they want. At least when the Whaladon people were on my ass, they recognized my work. Now, I'm just another faceless labbie keeping the ships flying on time and being jostled between projects like one of a billion pawns on a galaxy sized chessboard. What they don't realize is that even a pawn can become a queen if they could just get to the other side of the board...

The following is transcribed from various conversations with Alliance officials while Kraken was aboard Rebel ships for diplomatic visits.

Well, frankly I don't know what the final straw was. The last few weeks of my time in the lab are all a blur. Long story short, sir, is that I ended up on Balmorra and I know for a fact that I left no trace. I wiped clean all the info from the tech I ran away with, the datapad and stuff. While I was wandering around job fairs, I ended up finding a paper in my pocket from Sergeant Hackle, inviting me to join the Balmorran Roughcuts. No, I didn't know who he was! And I certainly didn't know the history he had with the Alliance! He was just a guy offering a hefty sum of money for jobs that aligned with Rebel interests, and I certainly had no love left for the Empire.

The only other two people who ended up staying with the group Hackle recruited after the first mission were Mefis and Nuu'yan, a Devaronian Force-sensitive swordsman and a Noghri sniper. I didn't really fit in, no, not in the fighting part of it all. But I wasn't useless! I actually did a fair bit with my blaster, you know! I even hacked into the Empire's prison roster on Balmorra. Our group managed to convince some sympathizing factory owners to supply us with enough weapons and equipment to start a revolution on Balmorra...which we're still ready to go through with, by the way. Obviously the biggest feat you all have recognized is when I saved the engine room on the way here the first time, when Hackle sent us to ask for a partnership with the Alliance. You have extensive logs on this already, why do you need me to...okay, fine, basically everything in the ship's internals were going haywire when the Empire ships were chasing our cruiser. I pried into the core and undid the damage and juiced the shields up enough to keep us going long enough for a jump. I was barking orders to the other engineers too, and they didn't really thank me after we landed. It was just like school so long ago, they were annoyed that a random nobody showed up on their ship and made them look like chumps in front of their commander. I know it doesn't matter, but you asked! Can we move on to why you asked me he-[DATA EXPUNGED]


WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST STRENGTH AS AN INDIVIDUAL: Kraken's greatest strength is his ability to extrapolate solutions to unfamiliar problems by adapting his thought process he normally uses during his scientific studies. For example, he is able to come up with a quick-and-dirty healing solution with sub-optimal materials despite his lack of formal medical training because of his extensive knowledge of chemicals. In a word, resourcefulness.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST FLAW: Being a nerd isn't easy. On top of being physically inept, Kraken is rarely able to express himself like a normal person because of his social shortcomings. While able to fraternize decently well with those who operate on his level of intelligence, he fumbles his speech and grows impatient with those who cannot follow his chaotic thought process. He tends to run off at the mouth for far too long about the wrong things, sometimes landing him in deep trouble. He also has trouble intentionally deceiving people, which makes him a liability in pretty much every charismatic situation.


O B J E C T I V E S
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: Through scientific innovations, gain the respect and appreciation of his peers (and eventually the world).

SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: Complete the portable limb regenerator prototype he was working on in his home dimension.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: Become fully knowledgeable of the way his new world works through intense research.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: Seek out problems with the Building's operation that could be solved through innovation.


M U N D A N ES K I L L S
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section.

SKILL: Proficient in use of standard datapads and general holotech
HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE IT: Time spent as a research slave for the Galactic Empire utilizing these technologies.


SKILL: Expert level in most variations of holochess
HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE IT: Many years of participation in university and holonet tournaments, as well as extensive participation in holochess message boards discussing strategic theory.


SKILL: Capable of writing professional quality reports
HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE IT: 8 years of university lab work on top of time spent as a research slave.


SKILL: Able to name and describe most tools in an average workshop
HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE IT: Being essentially raised in his father's workshop, which was both a life backdrop and a place of employment for a time.


SKILL: Knows how to safely operate blaster pistols
HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE IT: Spent time studying the use of blaster pistols when he was given one during his time with the Balmorran Roughcuts.


SKILL: Proper researching techniques for greater learning/time investment efficiency
HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE IT: 8 years of university lab work on top of time spent as a research slave.


SKILL: Speaks Mon Calamarian, Galactic Basic, and Quarrenese
HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE IT: Spending 26 years on the planet Dac, where these languages were regularly spoken.


S P E C I A L I Z E DK N O W L E D G E,S K I L LO RT A L E N T / A B I L I T Y
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section. You have 10 total points to spend, no knowledge, skill or ability greater than 4.

KNOWLEDGE/SKILL/ABILITY: Chemistry Mastery
POINTS SPENT: 4
HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE IT: 8 years of university study on the subject on top of time spent as a research slave. Lifelong interest that is pursued every day.
WHAT DOES IT DO/HOW IS IT APPLIED: Gives Zan the deep understanding of chemistry needed to engage in productive experimentation and innovation given the proper lab materials. Zan's mastery of chemistry is advanced enough that he intuitively knows how to manipulate the world around him using the principles of chemistry. He applies this mastery mostly through exhaustive experimentation in a well-maintained laboratory, but has been known to be able to put his knowledge to the test in the field.
LIMITATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS: Zan's knowledge of chemistry was mostly learned on the planet Dac in the Star Wars universe. He may need extensive study to apply this mastery to new substances in the PLverse. Though Zan is amazingly knowledgeable about chemistry, he still must go through all the necessary steps of the scientific method and cannot just "science" something into working.

KNOWLEDGE/SKILL/ABILITY: Computer and Cybersecurity Expertise
POINTS SPENT: 3
HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE IT: Self-taught through years of holonet study and hacking. Ramped up in secret during his time as a slave and a rebel to gain intelligence and disable hostile systems.
WHAT DOES IT DO/HOW IS IT APPLIED: Zan has an intuitive knowledge of computers and wastes no time in figuring out his way around a new computational device. He is capable of finding out a computer's functions and possible security failings how they can be exploited. He is able to write computer code capable of both repairing and exploiting vulnerabilities. He is able to write computer viruses that spread to other computers to this end as well.
LIMITATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS: Zan's knowledge of computing was mostly learned in the Star Wars universe. He may need extensive study to apply this expertise to the technology in the PLverse. While Zan is capable of working through computer logic, he must still fully understand the context of a computing issue before he can begin working on the fix/exploit. He cannot just rush headlong into a program and start changing things, expecting it to work.

KNOWLEDGE/SKILL/ABILITY: Mechanics and Tinkering Knowledge
POINTS SPENT: 3
HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE IT: Growing up in a mechanic's workshop.
WHAT DOES IT DO/HOW IS IT APPLIED: Zan is able to quickly determine what mundane tools would be needed to fix a mundane mechanical issue, as well as how to improve upon an established design. He is capable of reasoning through appropriate materials and components needed to augment or fix a tool, machine, or other object.
LIMITATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS: Zan's knowledge of mechanics was mostly learned on the planet Dac in the Star Wars universe. He may need extensive study to apply this knowledge to the technology in the PLverse. He is only so far capable of using this skill on mundane mechanics, not supernatural or magitech.


O P T I O N A LS U P E R N A T U R A LC H A R A C T E R I S T I C S&A B I L I T I E S
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section. You have 8 total points to spend total, no single characteristic greater than 4.

CHARACTERISTIC/ABILITY: Aquatic Ability
POWER LEVEL: 0 (natural ability)
WHAT DOES IT DO: Allows Zan to function normally underwater, as his species is naturally adapted to aquatic environments. Can speak, breathe, swim, walk, fight, etc. as normal.
HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED: Whenever Zan is in an aquatic environment.
WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT: A non-aquatic environment. Maybe gill/fin damage.
WHAT DOES IT COST YOU, MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY: Nothing.
WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY: Does not apply in all liquids. Fresh or saltwater only.

CHARACTERISTIC/ABILITY: Terrestrial Ability
POWER LEVEL: 4
WHAT DOES IT DO: Allows Zan to function normally on land, as his species has adapted to both underwater and terrestrial environments. Can speak, breathe, swim, walk, fight, etc. as normal.
HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED: Whenever Zan is on dry land.
WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT: A non-terrestrial environment. Maybe lung damage.
WHAT DOES IT COST YOU, MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY: Zan will begin to feel very uncomfortable if he does not let his body soak in water every so often, as he is more prone to drying out.
WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY: None that I can imagine.

CHARACTERISTIC/ABILITY: Chemical Intuition
POWER LEVEL: 2
WHAT DOES IT DO: The ability to have an innate understanding to chemistry. Zan can intuitively understand all types and forms of chemicals and chemistry.
HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED: Whenever Zan is working with chemicals.
WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT: Example: in a situation where Zan is presented with two almost-identical chemicals to use, his intuition can only help him so much in choosing the right one without testing the chemicals properly (like PH paper, density tests, etc.)
WHAT DOES IT COST YOU, MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY: Zan's mind is constantly fumbling around different chemical applications, explanations, and possibilities. This tends to cloud his judgment in other situations beyond the lab.
WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY: If magic is used to create a substance, Zan will not be able to use his intuition to help him.


M A G I CO RF O R C EU S E R S
At this time, Zan Kraken has no sensitivity to The Force nor any magical inclination.


S C I F I / B I O T E C HI T E M S
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section. You have 8 total points to spend total, no single item greater than 4.

ITEM: Hand Scanner
WEAPON OR NON-WEAPON: Non-Weapon
POWER LEVEL: ?
WHAT DOES IT DO: Medisensors, circuit tracers, materials fatigue and stress-fracture scanners, scanners designed to detect specific gases or minerals, and narrow-band comlink scanners are all examples of devices that fall under the hand scanner banner.
HOW DOES IT DO IT: Most hand scanners can be connected to larger computer systems for the collection and analysis of data.
HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED: Indefinitely, given power.
WHAT COMPONENTS DOES IT NEED TO OPERATE: Power cell, presumably.
WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT: Unknown.
WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY: Though it uses very little battery, it may occasionally need to recharge. Requires hands to operate, I suppose.


ITEM: Datapad
WEAPON OR NON-WEAPON: Non-weapon
POWER LEVEL: ?
WHAT DOES IT DO: A powerful combination of communications device, halo-messenger, handheld computer, and personal database, datapads are designed to combine a number of common consumer electronics in one small, easy-to-use package.
HOW DOES IT DO IT: Presumably transistor-based computer chips.
HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED: Indefinitely, given power.
WHAT COMPONENTS DOES IT NEED TO OPERATE: For communications-based features, a connection to the holonet or internet/intranet equivalent is required. It also presumably uses a power cell.
WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT: Unknown.
WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY: Same as Hand Scanner, but with higher energy usage. Requires valid login credentials to use both the device and to connect to the holonet.


ITEM: Comlink
WEAPON OR NON-WEAPON: Non-weapon
POWER LEVEL: ?
WHAT DOES IT DO: Comlinks are the most common communication devices in the galaxy. Small, convenient, and easy to use, they come in a variety of designs from complex handheld devices that can transmit audio, video, and data to simple headset comlinks worn by Rebel commandos while in the field. Most comlinks, especially those made specifically for military or law enforcement use, can be encrypted for secure lines of communications.
HOW DOES IT DO IT: Signal transmission that may or may not be radio based. Not sure how it works in the Star Wars universe.
HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED: Indefinitely, given power and a signal.
WHAT COMPONENTS DOES IT NEED TO OPERATE: Power, internal signal receptors, and long term information storage requires a datapad.
WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT: While they are largely foolproof, comlinks can be disrupted by certain terrain features, atmospheric disturbances, and deliberate signal jamming.
WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY: Requires a clear signal.


ITEM: Heavy Blaster Pistol
WEAPON OR NON-WEAPON: Weapon
POWER LEVEL: ?
WHAT DOES IT DO: A mid-range, light ranged weapon. Heavy blaster pistols are basically cut-down blaster rifles, utilizing a more highly powered gas chamber, firing larger, more damaging bolts with a wider beam. Though bulkier and heavier than a standard blaster pistol, the heavy blaster's advantage is firepower. It has the destructive power of a blaster rifle without the longer range that a rifle typically provided. Has a stun setting for non-lethal damage.
HOW DOES IT DO IT: Light-based plasma energy. Not to be confused with laser. Energy-rich gas is converted into a glowing particle beam that melts through targets.
HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED: Whenever it has sufficient power.
WHAT COMPONENTS DOES IT NEED TO OPERATE: A power pack, which is generally the same size as a standard pistol and consumed at a considerably higher rate than a typical blaster pistol.
WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT: Magnetic seals, deflector shields, and lightsabers are all capable of deflecting blaster bolts.
WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY: Requires a power pack.


P E R S O N A LI T E M S
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section.
  1. Dangerous Chemicals - A variety of black market compounds purchased in a black market on Balmorra that are not recommended around anything organic, individually. Purchased for the purpose of furthering experimentation on swift tissue regeneration.
  2. Meowlexander the Great - Kraken's pet tabby cat with a slight sensitivity to the Dark Side of the Force.
  3. A credit chip loaded with 167 galactic credits



E Q U I P M E N T
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section.
  1. Power packs to charge his electronics. That's about all I can think of.


 
O T H E RG A M EM E C H A N I C S
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section.

URL TO APARTMENT INTERIOR: https://i.imgur.com/Pk2Rp8S.jpg

ONE PARAGRAPH THAT SUMS UP YOUR CHARACTER. THIS WILL APPEAR ON THE OOC FIRST PAGE: In order to win the war against the Galactic Empire, the Rebel Alliance is constantly recruiting fed-up freedom fighters to their cause. Enter Zan Kraken, a Mon Calamari scientist from the subjugated planet of Dac who escaped Empire enslavement and found himself on the other side. As part of an Alliance splinter group called the Balmorran Roughcuts, Kraken fought to free the planet of Balmorra from the Empire's clutches not with a blaster, but with his mind. Being skilled in chemistry, computer science, mechanical engineering, and feline care, there's no shortage of puzzles for him to solve. And it's a good thing he's so eager to try, because he's suddenly found himself facing the biggest challenge of his intellectual career: being zapped into a new dimension.


 
P L A Y E RI N F O R M A T I O N

YOUR NICKNAME ON NS: Koth
YOUR EXPERIENCE LEVEL (beginner, intermediate, advanced): Intermediate
HOW OFTEN CAN YOU POST: Potentially every day, more realistically every other day. No less than once a week.
LINK TO RP EXAMPLES (YOUR IC POST, NOT THE RP ITSELF). IF YOU DON'T HAVE A LINK, WE'LL ASSESS YOU BASED ON YOUR CHARACTER'S BIOGRAPHY.


Formerly known as Ambroscus Koth, +1843 posts. Trust no one.
Xanthal wrote:Only raiders can win in this war- a defender can keep them from winning one region, one update at a time, but there will always be the next region, the next update, and the next, forever.

User avatar
Highfort
Minister
 
Posts: 2910
Founded: May 11, 2014
Ex-Nation

Postby Highfort » Sun Oct 01, 2017 10:44 pm

Cautiously optimistic about the reboot. Will post apps when I have free time; school is beginning to consume me once more :p
First as tragedy, then as farce

User avatar
Holy Lykos
Ambassador
 
Posts: 1793
Founded: May 01, 2016
Ex-Nation

Postby Holy Lykos » Sun Oct 01, 2017 11:01 pm

Finished Sterling's app I believe, will work on the others over the week when I can, the next two are gonna be killer for me in general :?

#PLAPP
P E R S O N I F I C A T I O NL I F E,
T H EU N I V E R S E,&E V E R Y T H I N G

Image
C H A R A C T E RA P P L I C A T I O N


P E R S O N A L
CHARACTER'S FIRST NAME: Sterling

CHARACTER'S SURNAME: Venture

GENDER: Male

SPECIES: Unicorn Equestrian

AGE: 22

DESCRIBE CHARACTER APPEARANCE: Sterling is a large pony, especially for the normally slim unicorns. His sterling blue eyes are bright and curious, and all in all he's a very expressive pony. His coat is mostly a deep purple color, with the exception of his flanks and snout. His snout has a gradient from gold to his normal color as it gets closer to the rest of his face, along with darker purple speckling across his face. His flanks are speckles purple and gold as well. His mane and tail are generally quite unkempt and a bit wild, but cut a bit short to help him manage them. The pony spends far too much time reading to properly style them after all. Finally, Sterling wears glasses, that mostly stay on his face due to magic, but also because they can. Don't question it.

URL TO PICTURE, IF ANY: Fezicorn, go! (Art by our own Giovenith)

CURRENT OCCUPATION: Magic Scholar/Librarian

DESIRED POSITION WITHIN THE AGENCY: Magical Researcher, Personnel/equipment organizer


E D U C A T I O N&T R A I N I N G
LOCATION: Canterlot School of Magic (Not the famous one, no)
AREA OF STUDY: Magical Studies
YEARS: 8 yrs (Combination high school university)


B A C K G R O U N D&P S Y C H O L O G Y
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section.

BIOGRAPHY (written in first person): Oh, you want me to talk about myself? How strange, I'm not too interesting. Well anyway...

I grew up in Canterlot, the single child of a pair of unicorns. Before my cutie mark appeared, I tried out for Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. However, I was rejected due to an accident involving a... cake, pineapple, and orange paint. No I will not describe the accident it is way too embarrassing... So instead I went to one of the lesser known magic schools. Through much of my colthood, I would spent much of my time at libraries or reading, which, ironically, would led to the situation that earned me my cutie mark.

While I was reading in the library nearby my parent's house one day, a group of bored foals came through and basically threw every book they could on the floor. It was a massive, massive mess. If I remember right, some of the books were even ripped up, which is a shame. I wasn't sure if I should intervene, at first, because it wasn't my job to help clean up the library. It just wasn't my responsibility.

After an hour or so, the librarian was having no luck at getting everything put back onto the shelf. There was just way too many books, and too much damage done. Tartarus, there were even nonfiction books outside, strewn all over the street! The fiction books had been left in a massive pile, with the rest scattered everywhere around the library. So yeah, I realized that the Librarian needed a lot of help. The dumb kid I was, it took about an hour of sitting quietly and reading in the library to realize I could actually help. I finally set aside the book I had been reading and got to work helping out the beleaguered unicorn librarian.

And... Somehow! I'm still not sure how, I rapidly figured out the proper place for every book. Strange, isn't it? I just seemed to know. Well, anyway, since by then I was already well versed in telekinetic magic, I levitated them one at a time into the proper places on the shelves. Though my magic magic wasn't strong enough to lift many books at a time yet, so I had to go one at a time to pace my stamina. It took about an hour or so, but I managed to reorganize the whole library, leaving it cleaner than before! I actually got a job there for the good work! A part time one, but the old librarian was more than happy for the help. I didn't notice the newly minted cutie mark on my flank until I reached home. I've never fully understood the exact symbolism, though it seems to imply noble organization. I guess that encapsulates me pretty well!

Shortly after I earned my cutie mark, I finished my education at the lower level magic school and moved onto the upper level. This usually entails more fieldwork for magical training, so I decided to move out of Canterlot. I was about 18 at this point, by the by. I randomly decided to move to Ponyville, a small little town in the plains near the Everfree. I was supposed to study the Forest and the wild magics near it as part of my coursework. I also wanted to get out of the city and to a smaller town. I've never been one for the bustle of big towns, despite growing up in one. People just tire me, you know? Ponyville seemed like a good compromise. Large enough to have the things I enjoyed, such as the small library I took up residence and work at. I soon met my best friend, Willow Streaks, there too!

Well, then came the whole debacle with me trying to learn some zebra magic. Always been interested in how other species perform magic after all. They normally use cauldrons, recipes, and mixtures rather than the magic flow us ponies use. Well, Willow helped me gather some ingredients but a silly chipmunk accidentally screwed up the batch, leading to the teleportation spell sending us across whole universes! We ended up in a strange world ruled by bipedal apes called humans, and in a strange building with some out-of-this-world people. We ended up stuck as well, trying to find the different ingredients to remake the potion that would let us return home. Never did end up doing that.

Turns out Discord wanted to pull me back home for a while. Still don't understand what that was about. I found myself back in Ponyville, without Willow sadly. Poor colt was stuck in the Building. But a while later, I got pulled through again. I guess this Demens wanted me back! I still haven't quite reunited with Willow, but I plan on doing so as soon as I can. Its been too long, and that weird paper version just isn't the same Willow. I've also been working on more magic again of late! I've gotten teleportation down, but I need to practice other kinds. Unicorn magic is very varied, after all!

Is that good? I hope you don't mind me getting back to my reading here, I was just getting to a good part of the story! You see...


WHAT IS THE CHARACTER'S GREATEST STRENGTH AS AN INDIVIDUAL: Sterling is very intelligent and an expert organizer. He keeps his space clean and tidy by habit and practically compulsion, and if it wasn't for anxiety issues would likely be a moderately good organizer of people/ponies as well. His magic is fairly strong as well, but trumped by his natural talent

WHAT IS THE CHARACTER'S GREATEST FLAW: Anxiety and phobias. Sterling is a bit of a scaredy cat and prefers to stay in places he knows rather than explore and see new things


O B J E C T I V E S
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: Aid the Chosen in research by offering his LS and restoration skills and maintaining the building's library. This includes restoring and helping conserve magical and non-magical texts for others to use.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: Work on his anxieties and phobias on a personal level.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: Increase his magical repertoire to be more useful in more situations

SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: Adapt to life away from Equestria.


M U N D A N ES K I L L S
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section.


SKILL: Basic Adult Skills (housekeeping, cleaning, etc)
HOW DID CHARACTER ACQUIRE IT: Living on his own before coming to the Building, and continued to develop while living in the Building.


SKILL: Equestrian Cooking
HOW DID CHARACTER ACQUIRE IT: Self-taught, and a few cooking classes. Vegetarian/equestrian foods fit for herbivores.


SKILL: Equestrian History and Mythology
HOW DID CHARACTER ACQUIRE IT: Another part of his education, Sterling learned the basics of the history of his own nation and world, and the various creatures and magics. Nothing too in depth, just the surface level

SKILL: Generalized Organization
HOW DID CHARACTER ACQUIRE IT: Equestrian Talent, lifetime of development. This is a less specified and trained level of organization, which his librarian and magic training built on top of.



S P E C I A L I Z E DK N O W L E D G E,S K I L LO RT A L E N T / A B I L I T Y
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section. You have 10 total points to spend, no knowledge, skill or ability greater than 4.

KNOWLEDGE/SKILL/ABILITY: Equestrian Magic Training
POINTS SPENT: 4
HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE IT: Education
WHAT DOES IT DO/HOW IS IT APPLIED: This is the skill to study and learn new schools and spells in Equestrian Unicorn magic, that allows Sterling to train his magic and increase its stamina, potency, and repertoire of abilities. This is the practical side of Equestrian Unicorn Magic.
LIMITATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS: Sterling cannot use non-Equestrian spells and abilities. This teaching only applies to those spells, which are listed as magical abilities.

KNOWLEDGE/SKILL/ABILITY: Researcher: Theory of Magic
POINTS SPENT: 4
HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE IT: Education
WHAT DOES IT DO/HOW IS IT APPLIED: Magical research, experimentation, and the logistics of working as a magical scholar in Equestria. This includes how to deal with the red tape of magical research, being able to read and apply spells, along with experimentation to master new ones or create new spells entirely. The theoretical side of magic for Sterling.
LIMITATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS: Sterling must research to expand his knowledge. He can experiment randomly but this usually can lead to magical blowback or incorrectly formed spells that can cause near anything to happen. For Sterling, he's not yet expert enough to create his own spells, and is largely restricted to learning and iterating on previously created spells.


KNOWLEDGE/SKILL/ABILITY: Library Sciences: Conservator-Restorer
POINTS SPENT: 5
HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE IT: Education
WHAT DOES IT DO/HOW IS IT APPLIED: LS applies the practices, perspectives, and tools of management, information technology, education, and other areas to libraries; the collection, organization, preservation, restoration, and dissemination of information resources. For Sterling, it means he's the only Resident capable of professionally preserving and restoring the texts and scrolls brought back from other dimensions.
LIMITATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS: His ability to restore is limited by the amount of prior damage. He'll need to expand his current knowledge on preservation techniques in order to bring in a modern touch.


O P T I O N A LS U P E R N A T U R A LC H A R A C T E R I S T I C S&A B I L I T I E S
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section. You have 8 total points to spend total, no single characteristic greater than 4.

CHARACTERISTIC/ABILITY: Equestrian Unicorn Magical Aptitude
POWER LEVEL: 0 (Natural)
WHAT DOES IT DO: While all Equestrians have magical potency, Unicorns are unique in their ability to apply it in myriad ways. This represents the magical baseline for Sterling, save any training. It lends a minor amount of magic resistance, minor forms of magic like creating lights and little prestidigitations, and the capacity to train up the skills associated. The magic comes from the unicorn themselves, so Sterling grows tired and fatigued the more magic he uses in a short time, and will pass out when he hits his limit.
HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED: As long as he's conscious he generally can use magic, unless excessively tired or out of sorts.
WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT: Any sort of magical nullification. Certain materials/magics can stifle his magic, use of a magical damper on his horn. Knocking him out will interrupt any spell, and generally surprising him will do the same.
WHAT DOES IT COST THE CHARACTER, MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY: Physical and mental fatigue
WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY: Spells need to be learned, practiced, and experimented with. Eye contact is a general trait for spells, but usually require no materials save his energy and horn. His energy is a limitation as well, and spells usually fatigue Sterling.


M A G I CO RF O R C EU S E R S
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section. You have 10 total points to spend total, no single spell or ability greater than 4. Magic users MUST have specialized knowledge in order to use these; that knowledge MUST correlate appropriately.

SPELL/FORCE ABILITY: Telekinesis
POWER LEVEL: 5
WHAT DOES IT DO: Sterling can use his magic to pick up pretty much anything he desires. This includes himself and others, but levitation through telekinesis is difficult to maintain and can fizzle out easily. Sterling primarily uses this for organization and research.
HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED: As long as he's conscious he generally can use this ability, as its his most skilled spell.
WHAT COMPONENTS DOES IT NEED: Unicorn horn as a focus, magical energy
WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT: Other telekinesis, any sort of magical nullification. Certain materials/magics can stifle his magic, use of a magical damper on his horn.
WHAT DOES IT COST THE CHARACTER, MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY: Physical and mental fatigue
WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY: Weight and quantity of items. Eye contact isn't needed but increases accuracy and ease of use of ability. Living beings are much harder to pick up and move around, himself or others.

SPELL/FORCE ABILITY: Teleportation
POWER LEVEL: 2
WHAT DOES IT DO: He can jump short distances in space without movement on his part. Doing so creates a flash of light where he was at one point before moving to the other one. He can teleport others too, but has to see them and where they're going.
HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED: Infrequently, requires a few seconds of focus to visualize destination and prepare spell.
WHAT COMPONENTS DOES IT NEED: Unicorn horn as a focus, magical energy
WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT: As above, magical nullification or horn dampers. Sudden shock while focusing, distraction from any sort of thing.
WHAT DOES IT COST THE CHARACTER, MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY: Physical and mental fatigue
WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY: Currently, this spell requires visual contact or familiarity with the target location and a good amount of time to focus. There is a limit of distance as well, and too many rapid jumps tires and drains from him. Teleporting others is even more strenuous and difficult. Incorrect casting can lead to embedding user or target of spell in other objects and death.

SPELL/FORCE ABILITY: Magical Flash
POWER LEVEL: 1
WHAT DOES IT DO: Time delay flash of light much like a flashbang, prestidigitation can add noise.
HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED: When conscious, fairly regularly. Not a very strenuous spell as its simply a more intensive application of a magical light.
WHAT COMPONENTS DOES IT NEED: Unicorn horn as a focus, magical energy
WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT: Looking away, closing eyes, blocking light. Magical nullifies and dampers as before.
WHAT DOES IT COST THE CHARACTER, MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY: Physical and mental fatigue.
WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY: Sterling has only started to experiment with this application, and has yet to really master its application. Flash is often weak, and lack of accompanying sound doesn't disorient as well as Sterling hopes. Potential upgrade into Magical Flashbang.



M A G I C A LI T E M S
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section. You have 8 total points to spend total, no single item greater than 4.

ITEM: Equestrian Research Spellbook
SPELL/ABILITY: Magical Scholarly Research
POWER LEVEL: 0 (Mundane save for information contained within)
WHAT DOES IT DO: Sterling records his spell research and progress in this book as a reference and refreshing tool. It has no magic on its own and is a totally mundane book. So far it has information about the spells listed above, and preliminary research into flame
and expansion spells. Written in Equestrian, by ink and quill.
SPELL LIST:
  1. Telekinesis - 5
  2. Teleportation - 2
  3. Magical Flash - 1
HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED: Whenever he can read it.
WHAT COMPONENTS DOES IT NEED: None, its a book.
WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT: Fire, water, uh, mites and bookworms.
WHAT DOES IT COST THE CHARACTER, MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY: Mentally, I suppose, it can be tiring to read a book.
WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY: If Sterling doesn't have it on him, he can't reference on him. IF someone cannot read Equestrian its pretty useless



S C I F I / B I O T E C HI T E M S
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section. You have 8 total points to spend total, no single item greater than 4.


P E R S O N A LI T E M S
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section.
  1. Fez
  2. Bowtie (Contains small pocket)
  3. Glasses
  4. Collection of books (stored in his apartment) from Equestria. Nothing special, mostly mundane books like history, fiction, and scientific books.



E Q U I P M E N T
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section.
  1. Paper
  2. Ink
  3. Equestrian research materials (spellbooks, research papers, etc)
  4. Training room (VR room should work)
  5. Magical materials for some more intensive spells.


 
O T H E RG A M EM E C H A N I C S
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section.

URL TO APARTMENT INTERIOR: Yes, he basically lives in a Library!

ONE PARAGRAPH THAT SUMS UP YOUR CHARACTER. THIS WILL APPEAR ON THE OOC FIRST PAGE: A unicorn pony born and raised in Canterlot. He specializes in telekinetic magic and his talent is for organization and books in general. He can be very skittish and shy, but has a heart of gold.


 
P L A Y E RI N F O R M A T I O N

YOUR NICKNAME ON NS: Lykos
YOUR EXPERIENCE LEVEL (beginner, intermediate, advanced): Intermediate
HOW OFTEN CAN YOU POST: Pretty often
LINK TO RP EXAMPLES (YOUR IC POST, NOT THE RP ITSELF). IF YOU DON'T HAVE A LINK, WE'LL ASSESS YOU BASED ON YOUR CHARACTER'S BIOGRAPHY.


Last edited by Holy Lykos on Sun Oct 01, 2017 11:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Agender - They/Them pronouns
Pansexual Polyamorous
Autistic
Agnostic
Anarcho-Syndicalist
Comp Sci Major
History Enthusiast
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Cerillium
Postmaster-General
 
Posts: 12456
Founded: Oct 27, 2012
New York Times Democracy

Postby Cerillium » Sun Oct 01, 2017 11:02 pm

Looks good, Koth. I'll sort the equip power levels when I'm not so sleepy.
I wear teal, blue & pink for Swith
There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears, and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination.

User avatar
Cerillium
Postmaster-General
 
Posts: 12456
Founded: Oct 27, 2012
New York Times Democracy

Postby Cerillium » Sun Oct 01, 2017 11:37 pm

Holy Lykos wrote:Finished Sterling's app I believe, will work on the others over the week when I can, the next two are gonna be killer for me in general :?

#PLAPP
P E R S O N I F I C A T I O NL I F E,
T H EU N I V E R S E,&E V E R Y T H I N G

(Image)
C H A R A C T E RA P P L I C A T I O N


P E R S O N A L
CHARACTER'S FIRST NAME: Sterling

CHARACTER'S SURNAME: Venture

GENDER: Male

SPECIES: Unicorn Equestrian

AGE: 22

DESCRIBE CHARACTER APPEARANCE: Sterling is a large pony, especially for the normally slim unicorns. His sterling blue eyes are bright and curious, and all in all he's a very expressive pony. His coat is mostly a deep purple color, with the exception of his flanks and snout. His snout has a gradient from gold to his normal color as it gets closer to the rest of his face, along with darker purple speckling across his face. His flanks are speckles purple and gold as well. His mane and tail are generally quite unkempt and a bit wild, but cut a bit short to help him manage them. The pony spends far too much time reading to properly style them after all. Finally, Sterling wears glasses, that mostly stay on his face due to magic, but also because they can. Don't question it.

URL TO PICTURE, IF ANY: Fezicorn, go! (Art by our own Giovenith)

CURRENT OCCUPATION: Magic Scholar/Librarian

DESIRED POSITION WITHIN THE AGENCY: Magical Researcher, Personnel/equipment organizer


E D U C A T I O N&T R A I N I N G
LOCATION: Canterlot School of Magic (Not the famous one, no)
AREA OF STUDY: Magical Studies
YEARS: 8 yrs (Combination high school university)


B A C K G R O U N D&P S Y C H O L O G Y
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section.

BIOGRAPHY (written in first person): Oh, you want me to talk about myself? How strange, I'm not too interesting. Well anyway...

I grew up in Canterlot, the single child of a pair of unicorns. Before my cutie mark appeared, I tried out for Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. However, I was rejected due to an accident involving a... cake, pineapple, and orange paint. No I will not describe the accident it is way too embarrassing... So instead I went to one of the lesser known magic schools. Through much of my colthood, I would spent much of my time at libraries or reading, which, ironically, would led to the situation that earned me my cutie mark.

While I was reading in the library nearby my parent's house one day, a group of bored foals came through and basically threw every book they could on the floor. It was a massive, massive mess. If I remember right, some of the books were even ripped up, which is a shame. I wasn't sure if I should intervene, at first, because it wasn't my job to help clean up the library. It just wasn't my responsibility.

After an hour or so, the librarian was having no luck at getting everything put back onto the shelf. There was just way too many books, and too much damage done. Tartarus, there were even nonfiction books outside, strewn all over the street! The fiction books had been left in a massive pile, with the rest scattered everywhere around the library. So yeah, I realized that the Librarian needed a lot of help. The dumb kid I was, it took about an hour of sitting quietly and reading in the library to realize I could actually help. I finally set aside the book I had been reading and got to work helping out the beleaguered unicorn librarian.

And... Somehow! I'm still not sure how, I rapidly figured out the proper place for every book. Strange, isn't it? I just seemed to know. Well, anyway, since by then I was already well versed in telekinetic magic, I levitated them one at a time into the proper places on the shelves. Though my magic magic wasn't strong enough to lift many books at a time yet, so I had to go one at a time to pace my stamina. It took about an hour or so, but I managed to reorganize the whole library, leaving it cleaner than before! I actually got a job there for the good work! A part time one, but the old librarian was more than happy for the help. I didn't notice the newly minted cutie mark on my flank until I reached home. I've never fully understood the exact symbolism, though it seems to imply noble organization. I guess that encapsulates me pretty well!

Shortly after I earned my cutie mark, I finished my education at the lower level magic school and moved onto the upper level. This usually entails more fieldwork for magical training, so I decided to move out of Canterlot. I was about 18 at this point, by the by. I randomly decided to move to Ponyville, a small little town in the plains near the Everfree. I was supposed to study the Forest and the wild magics near it as part of my coursework. I also wanted to get out of the city and to a smaller town. I've never been one for the bustle of big towns, despite growing up in one. People just tire me, you know? Ponyville seemed like a good compromise. Large enough to have the things I enjoyed, such as the small library I took up residence and work at. I soon met my best friend, Willow Streaks, there too!

Well, then came the whole debacle with me trying to learn some zebra magic. Always been interested in how other species perform magic after all. They normally use cauldrons, recipes, and mixtures rather than the magic flow us ponies use. Well, Willow helped me gather some ingredients but a silly chipmunk accidentally screwed up the batch, leading to the teleportation spell sending us across whole universes! We ended up in a strange world ruled by bipedal apes called humans, and in a strange building with some out-of-this-world people. We ended up stuck as well, trying to find the different ingredients to remake the potion that would let us return home. Never did end up doing that.

Turns out Discord wanted to pull me back home for a while. Still don't understand what that was about. I found myself back in Ponyville, without Willow sadly. Poor colt was stuck in the Building. But a while later, I got pulled through again. I guess this Demens wanted me back! I still haven't quite reunited with Willow, but I plan on doing so as soon as I can. Its been too long, and that weird paper version just isn't the same Willow. I've also been working on more magic again of late! I've gotten teleportation down, but I need to practice other kinds. Unicorn magic is very varied, after all!

Is that good? I hope you don't mind me getting back to my reading here, I was just getting to a good part of the story! You see...


WHAT IS THE CHARACTER'S GREATEST STRENGTH AS AN INDIVIDUAL: Sterling is very intelligent and an expert organizer. He keeps his space clean and tidy by habit and practically compulsion, and if it wasn't for anxiety issues would likely be a moderately good organizer of people/ponies as well. His magic is fairly strong as well, but trumped by his natural talent

WHAT IS THE CHARACTER'S GREATEST FLAW: Anxiety and phobias. Sterling is a bit of a scaredy cat and prefers to stay in places he knows rather than explore and see new things


O B J E C T I V E S
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: Overcome his anxieties to be a better aid to the Chosen. He struggles doing anything outside of what he's used to, but experience in helping save people is making him realizes he needs to get out of his comfort zone.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: Increase his magical repitoire to be more useful in more situations

SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: Aid in research, both magical and nonmagical

SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: Adapt to life away from Equestria.


M U N D A N ES K I L L S
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section.


SKILL: Basic Adult Skills (housekeeping, cleaning, etc)
HOW DID CHARACTER ACQUIRE IT: Living on his own before coming to the Building, and continued to develop while living in the Building.


SKILL: Equestrian Cooking
HOW DID CHARACTER ACQUIRE IT: Self-taught, and a few cooking classes. Vegetarian/equestrian foods fit for herbivores.


SKILL: Equestrian History and Mythology
HOW DID CHARACTER ACQUIRE IT: Another part of his education, Sterling learned the basics of the history of his own nation and world, and the various creatures and magics. Nothing too in depth, just the surface level

SKILL: Generalized Organization
HOW DID CHARACTER ACQUIRE IT: Equestrian Talent, lifetime of development. This is a less specified and trained level of organization, which his librarian and magic training built on top of.



S P E C I A L I Z E DK N O W L E D G E,S K I L LO RT A L E N T / A B I L I T Y
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section. You have 10 total points to spend, no knowledge, skill or ability greater than 4.

KNOWLEDGE/SKILL/ABILITY: Equestrian Magic Training
POINTS SPENT: 4
HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE IT: Education
WHAT DOES IT DO/HOW IS IT APPLIED: This is the skill to study and learn new schools and spells in Equestrian Unicorn magic, that allows Sterling to train his magic and increase its stamina, potency, and repertoire of abilities. This is the practical side of Equestrian Unicorn Magic.
LIMITATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS: Sterling cannot use non-Equestrian spells and abilities. This teaching only applies to those spells, which are listed as magical abilities.

KNOWLEDGE/SKILL/ABILITY: Magical Scholarly Research
POINTS SPENT: 4
HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE IT: Education
WHAT DOES IT DO/HOW IS IT APPLIED: Magical research, experimentation, and the logistics of working as a magical scholar in Equestria. This includes how to deal with the red tape of magical research, being able to read and apply spells, along with experimentation to master new ones or create new spells entirely. The theoretical side of magic for Sterling.
LIMITATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS: Sterling must research to expand his knowledge. He can experiment randomly but this usually can lead to magical blowback or incorrectly formed spells that can cause near anything to happen.

KNOWLEDGE/SKILL/ABILITY: Bookkeeping/Librarian-ing
POINTS SPENT: 2
HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE IT: Education/job training.
WHAT DOES IT DO/HOW IS IT APPLIED: Book maintenance, organization, and how to maintain and run a library. Sterling knows how to handle and preserve old books along with newer ones for later use, along with transcription of text into newer copies for study and note taking.
LIMITATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS: Specific organization talents involved in running and maintaining a library and its books. Really doesn't help with anything outside of that,


O P T I O N A LS U P E R N A T U R A LC H A R A C T E R I S T I C S&A B I L I T I E S
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section. You have 8 total points to spend total, no single characteristic greater than 4.

CHARACTERISTIC/ABILITY: Equestrian Unicorn Magical Aptitude
POWER LEVEL: 0 (Natural)
WHAT DOES IT DO: While all Equestrians have magical potency, Unicorns are unique in their ability to apply it in myriad ways. This represents the magical baseline for Sterling, save any training. It lends a minor amount of magic resistance, minor forms of magic like creating lights and little prestidigitations, and the capacity to train up the skills associated. The magic comes from the unicorn themselves, so Sterling grows tired and fatigued the more magic he uses in a short time, and will pass out when he hits his limit.
HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED: As long as he's conscious he generally can use magic, unless excessively tired or out of sorts.
WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT: Any sort of magical nullification. Certain materials/magics can stifle his magic, use of a magical damper on his horn. Knocking him out will interrupt any spell, and generally surprising him will do the same.
WHAT DOES IT COST THE CHARACTER, MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY: Physical and mental fatigue
WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY: Spells need to be learned, practiced, and experimented with. Eye contact is a general trait for spells, but usually require no materials save his energy and horn. His energy is a limitation as well, and spells usually fatigue Sterling.


M A G I CO RF O R C EU S E R S
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section. You have 10 total points to spend total, no single spell or ability greater than 4. Magic users MUST have specialized knowledge in order to use these; that knowledge MUST correlate appropriately.

SPELL/FORCE ABILITY: Telekinesis
POWER LEVEL: 5
WHAT DOES IT DO: Sterling can use his magic to pick up pretty much anything he desires. This includes himself and others, but levitation through telekinesis is difficult to maintain and can fizzle out easily. Sterling primarily uses this for organization and research.
HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED: As long as he's conscious he generally can use this ability, as its his most skilled spell.
WHAT COMPONENTS DOES IT NEED: Unicorn horn as a focus, magical energy
WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT: Other telekinesis, any sort of magical nullification. Certain materials/magics can stifle his magic, use of a magical damper on his horn.
WHAT DOES IT COST THE CHARACTER, MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY: Physical and mental fatigue
WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY: Weight and quantity of items. Eye contact isn't needed but increases accuracy and ease of use of ability. Living beings are much harder to pick up and move around, himself or others.

SPELL/FORCE ABILITY: Teleportation
POWER LEVEL: 2
WHAT DOES IT DO: He can jump short distances in space without movement on his part. Doing so creates a flash of light where he was at one point before moving to the other one. He can teleport others too, but has to see them and where they're going.
HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED: Infrequently, requires a few seconds of focus to visualize destination and prepare spell.
WHAT COMPONENTS DOES IT NEED: Unicorn horn as a focus, magical energy
WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT: As above, magical nullification or horn dampers. Sudden shock while focusing, distraction from any sort of thing.
WHAT DOES IT COST THE CHARACTER, MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY: Physical and mental fatigue
WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY: Currently, this spell requires visual contact or familiarity with the target location and a good amount of time to focus. There is a limit of distance as well, and too many rapid jumps tires and drains from him. Teleporting others is even more strenuous and difficult. Incorrect casting can lead to embedding user or target of spell in other objects and death.

SPELL/FORCE ABILITY: Magical Flash
POWER LEVEL: 1
WHAT DOES IT DO: Time delay flash of light much like a flashbang, prestidigitation can add noise.
HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED: When conscious, fairly regularly. Not a very strenuous spell as its simply a more intensive application of a magical light.
WHAT COMPONENTS DOES IT NEED: Unicorn horn as a focus, magical energy
WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT: Looking away, closing eyes, blocking light. Magical nullifies and dampers as before.
WHAT DOES IT COST THE CHARACTER, MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY: Physical and mental fatigue.
WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY: Sterling has only started to experiment with this application, and has yet to really master its application. Flash is often weak, and lack of accompanying sound doesn't disorient as well as Sterling hopes. Potential upgrade into Magical Flashbang.



M A G I C A LI T E M S
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section. You have 8 total points to spend total, no single item greater than 4.

ITEM: Equestrian Research Spellbook
SPELL/ABILITY: Magical Scholarly Research
POWER LEVEL: 0 (Mundane save for information contained within)
WHAT DOES IT DO: Sterling records his spell research and progress in this book as a reference and refreshing tool. It has no magic on its own and is a totally mundane book. So far it has information about the spells listed above, and preliminary research into flame
and expansion spells. Written in Equestrian, by ink and quill.
SPELL LIST:
  1. Telekinesis - 5
  2. Teleportation - 2
  3. Magical Flash - 1
HOW FREQUENTLY CAN IT BE USED: Whenever he can read it.
WHAT COMPONENTS DOES IT NEED: None, its a book.
WHAT COUNTERS/NEGATES IT: Fire, water, uh, mites and bookworms.
WHAT DOES IT COST THE CHARACTER, MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY: Mentally, I suppose, it can be tiring to read a book.
WHAT RESTRICTIONS APPLY: If Sterling doesn't have it on him, he can't reference on him. IF someone cannot read Equestrian its pretty useless



S C I F I / B I O T E C HI T E M S
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section. You have 8 total points to spend total, no single item greater than 4.


P E R S O N A LI T E M S
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section.
  1. Fez
  2. Bowtie (Contains small pocket)
  3. Glasses
  4. Collection of books (stored in his apartment) from Equestria. Nothing special, mostly mundane books like history, fiction, and scientific books.



E Q U I P M E N T
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section.
  1. Paper
  2. Ink
  3. Equestrian research materials (spellbooks, research papers, etc)
  4. Training room (VR room should work)
  5. Magical materials for some more intensive spells.


 
O T H E RG A M EM E C H A N I C S
Please refer to application instructions regarding this section.

URL TO APARTMENT INTERIOR: Yes, he basically lives in a Library!

ONE PARAGRAPH THAT SUMS UP YOUR CHARACTER. THIS WILL APPEAR ON THE OOC FIRST PAGE: A unicorn pony born and raised in Canterlot. He specializes in telekinetic magic and his talent is for organization and books in general. He can be very skittish and shy, but has a heart of gold.


 
P L A Y E RI N F O R M A T I O N

YOUR NICKNAME ON NS: Lykos
YOUR EXPERIENCE LEVEL (beginner, intermediate, advanced): Intermediate
HOW OFTEN CAN YOU POST: Pretty often
LINK TO RP EXAMPLES (YOUR IC POST, NOT THE RP ITSELF). IF YOU DON'T HAVE A LINK, WE'LL ASSESS YOU BASED ON YOUR CHARACTER'S BIOGRAPHY.



    KNOWLEDGE/SKILL/ABILITY: Magical Scholarly Research Researcher: Theory of Magic
    POINTS SPENT: 4
    HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE IT: Education
    WHAT DOES IT DO/HOW IS IT APPLIED: Magical research, experimentation, and the logistics of working as a magical scholar in Equestria. This includes how to deal with the red tape of magical research, being able to read and apply spells, along with experimentation to master new ones or create new spells entirely. The theoretical side of magic for Sterling.
    LIMITATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS: Sterling must research to expand his knowledge. He can experiment randomly but this usually can lead to magical blowback or incorrectly formed spells that can cause near anything to happen.
He understands theory and can research, but he'll have difficulty grasping theory outside his own Equestrian brand. At a 4, he won't be creating new spells.

That will change as he starts working more with other magic users, especially Sandy and Primordial. He'll be exposed to more "schools of thought", so to speak.

His purpose is fairly vague. What if we gave him something to assist him in being an asset? Scrap this:
    KNOWLEDGE/SKILL/ABILITY: Bookkeeping/Librarian-ing
    POINTS SPENT: 2
    HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE IT: Education/job training.
    WHAT DOES IT DO/HOW IS IT APPLIED: Book maintenance, organization, and how to maintain and run a library. Sterling knows how to handle and preserve old books along with newer ones for later use, along with transcription of text into newer copies for study and note taking.
    LIMITATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS: Specific organization talents involved in running and maintaining a library and its books. Really doesn't help with anything outside of that,

Follow's Gio's advice in the chat:

    KNOWLEDGE/SKILL/ABILITY: Library Sciences: Conservator-Restorer
    POINTS SPENT: 5 [3 added as a bonus]
    HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE IT: Education
    WHAT DOES IT DO/HOW IS IT APPLIED: LS applies the practices, perspectives, and tools of management, education, and other areas to libraries; the collection, organization, preservation, restoration, and dissemination of information resources. For Sterling, it means he's the only Resident capable of professionally preserving and restoring the texts and scrolls brought back from other dimensions.
    LIMITATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS: His ability to restore is limited by the amount of prior damage. He'll need to expand his current knowledge on preservation techniques in order to bring in a modern touch.

Rather than sequester him in his apartment, make his area of the Building the Library itself. This gives him a presence. The Library can be expanded to house rare work, as well as a small workroom for him.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservation_and_restoration_of_books,_manuscripts,_documents_and_ephemera
Last edited by Cerillium on Sun Oct 01, 2017 11:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I wear teal, blue & pink for Swith
There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears, and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination.

User avatar
Holy Lykos
Ambassador
 
Posts: 1793
Founded: May 01, 2016
Ex-Nation

Postby Holy Lykos » Sun Oct 01, 2017 11:57 pm

Edits in!
Agender - They/Them pronouns
Pansexual Polyamorous
Autistic
Agnostic
Anarcho-Syndicalist
Comp Sci Major
History Enthusiast
Furry

Some Political Charts: 1 2
Official Squirrel
of
Personification Life


I wear teal, blue, pink for Swith

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