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quote:I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?  There was a calmness on the lake that Will had never appreciated until now. Even though there was movement, waves, wind, birds, etc, those details only appeared when you focused on them. When you zoomed in with a microscope. When you stepped back and looked at the world as a whole, everything seemed to freeze, letting to take it all in. This was the first time Will had looked at the lake and woods surrounding the cabin like this, though he had been here at least once a year since he was a kid. He supposed the closest he got to similar enlightenment is when he and a neighbor kid got high during Fourth of July. Between the pot and fireworks they had both been a little over dramatic and acted like they had unlocked the secrets of the inner workings to the universe in their ditch weed. Most of the time though the woods, and the cabin, were just the backdrop to a summer vacation spent reading on the back porch. Just there, a place where loons, bullfrogs, and motorboats were the background noises. He’d never appreciated it, he reflected. As he took a long final drag off his cigarette, he thought there was something sad in that, but couldn’t be bothered to think of anything beyond that. He crushed the butt on the deck railing and flung it in the direction of the lake. He took a quick inventory of the other buildings near the cabin, the “teahouse”, sauna, and guest house, then he turned and went back inside. The others were due soon, even with the cabin being out of the way they shouldn’t have trouble getting here. He admittedly wasn’t the best at playing host, but hopefully that wouldn’t matter. He’d gotten enough food and drinks from the c-store to at least get everyone started. As he puttered around the main room of the cabin he kept glancing at the small wooden box sitting innocuously on the bookshelf. Soon.
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Jun 14, 2019 14:24
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For the third time in as many minutes, Sofia checks the route on her phone. The whole 'meet the game club at Will's cabin' sounded like a no-brainer when it was pitched. Hell, it's probably the first vacation of any real sort that she'll take since she graduated. And with the crunch she's been putting in to move copy... ugh. Any vacation was better than another weekend holed up in the coffee shop across the way with her laptop. It'll be good to catch up with Win, Tony, and Will. It'll be fun. Sofia repeats that to herself, like a mantra. If she keeps saying it... maybe it will be. Maybe it won't just be a sad reminder of high school. Still, this is further out of the main drag than she'd driven in... well, basically ever. One tree-lined road looks about the same as any other to her eyes. If not for the soft, insistent tones of her GPS telling her when to turn, it's safe to say she would have gotten horribly lost. One last turn, though, and her beat-up hatchback pulls into the drive leading to the cabin. Sofia turns off the engine, a touch of worry over whether she was actually at the right cabin twinging in her chest, then sighs and looks at her reflection in the rear-view mirror. A little make-up hides the dark circles, but she still looks tired. She feels even moreso. Sofia squeezes the bridge of her nose, then looks determinedly at her reflection. She says, "drat it, you can do this. You can do anything." The positive self-talk isn't exactly convincing, but it does help her break the sense of anxiety and general ennui keeping her planted in the driver's seat. She opens up the door and gets out, the sounds and smells of nature washing over her, then grabs her bag from the trunk. It'll be fun. It'll be fine. The mantra keeps running in her head as she walks towards the cabin door.
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Jun 15, 2019 18:09
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The door jerks open and Will fills the doorway. During high school Will used to be a lanky, bespeckled kid with curly locks. Over the last few years he’s filled out a bit and gotten some meat on his bones. His curly hair has been shaved in an attempt to win the battle against a prematurely retreating hairline. In place of his mop of hair, he’s grown a beard. A brown thatch that seems more aspirational that exceptional. But the eyes twinkling out from behind the glasses are the same, as is the infectious grin. “Welcome to the end of the world! We have booze and wifi though, we’re not barbarians. Here, lemme show you to your room.” In what would become almost a ritual when each of his guests arrived, Will showed Sophia her bedroom while asking frivolously, nervous, small-talk questions (What are you binge-watching? Have you read X? You keep in touch with the others? Burgers okay for dinner? And half a dozen other questions). Finally, when avoiding more weighty topics becomes more embarrassing than simply talking, Will goes back to the kitchen and cracks open a beer, as casual as he can. “Thanks for coming,” he says.
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Jun 15, 2019 22:18
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"God, I can't believe I'm doing this..." Tony has been trying to put large chunks of his high school life behind him since starting college. He barely kept in touch with anyone, so the invite was a pretty big surprise in a lot of ways. Getting together to catch up with high school friends? Nothing wrong with that. But this group...they were barely friends. Well, he corrected himself, I was barely friends with them. Which just raised more questions about the invite: Tony barely talked to Will outside of the club, and even then it was only about game stuff, let alone Sofia or Winona (and that's a name that still carries some guilt with it). It wasn't anything rude, it was...just... Well, he was from a different social world than the others. Yeah that wasn't much of an excuse, but that's high school for you. He walked up to the door, knocking after a moment's hesitation. Nervousness aside, it might be nice to see these folks again. And hell, I can't believe I'm saying this but it'd be nice to roll some dice again.
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Jun 15, 2019 23:34
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Winona pulls up behind the wheel of an old hybrid, her stereo briefly blaring. She pockets a hefty-looking vape, drains the last black coffee out of a thermos, and goes back to open the trunk. The shot reveals a long, black, locked case, a loosely folded camping hammock, and a collection of cardboard boxes and trash bags holding most of her belongings. She hefts a duffel bag over her shoulder, picks up a half-full handle of Maker's Mark, and lets herself in. Win's black hair is in a top knot. She's wearing a denim jacket over a striped blouse, with round sunglasses sticking out of a pocket, fitted black jeans and fancy neon high-tops. "Hey guys! Sorry I'm late, but I come bearing giiiifts" she jiggles the booze with a grin. "Is that Will? Never pictured you going for the Walter White look. I can dig it." She has a hearty hug ready for Will and Sofia. "I should wash up, been on the road a while. After maybe we can go out on the lake or... whatever." Win makes no mention of gaming though by the time her shower starts her old figurine has somehow appeared on the table, finally painted. malbogio fucked around with this message at 00:14 on Jun 17, 2019 |
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Jun 16, 2019 10:05
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The whirlwind resulting from the sudden appearance of both Tony and Win throws Will for a bit, but he recovers as best he can, making himself busy as Win showers and making small talk with Tony and Sofia. It’s awkward, of course it’s awkward. But Will has committed to this, and he’s determined to see it through, so once Win reappears, Will launches into a semi-prepared speech. “I just, I wanted to thank you three for showing up here. I know that...the invite may have come out of nowhere but…” he trails off for a moment. “WIth my parents...I..you know life changes, pretty quickly sometimes. And, man I thought I’d have all my poo poo together by now back in school. And, Red Moon was such an important part of my life for so long. It..and this sounds dumb I know, but it saved me in a lot of ways. So, I guess I wanted to thank you guys for that too.” He takes a swig of beer and walks to the bookshelf. “I know we’re not in high school anymore, I know we’ve changed. So, I wanted to play a new game with you guys. A special game. It’s not Pathfinder, and you won’t be playing your old characters. But that means you won’t have to worry about me making Regulus own you all again,” a smirk as Will takes the wooden box off the bookshelf and sets it at the head of the table. “You guys might have heard of this if you do a lot of deep dives about 90s RPGs, or are into true crime podcasts. See, there was this group of kids who were playing an RPG and just disappeared. For two years. All six vanish with no trace, no note, nothing. Two years later, five turned up. None of them ever talked about where they were or what happened to the sixth guy. There was a whole investigation… Anyway, it took some time, and I dunno, it might be a scam altogether, but..this is the game they were playing. You guys up for it?” ____________________________________________________ OOC: Feel free to argue or seem like your persona doesn’t want to play. We also don’t need to dive into the game right away, I just wanted to make it an option for people. Also, in your next post, either in character or not, please reference what your longest-running character from the Red Moon game was. This is NOT your DIE character. This is standard Pathfinder. For example, a GMNPC that Will was fond of using was Regulus the Necromancer. Disgraced minor nobility that eventually hires enough mercenaries to stage a coup against his Evil Uncle.
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Jun 17, 2019 01:07
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Tony rolls his eyes, grateful for a change of topic; it's hard to catch up with people when you realize you really don't have anything in common with them. "I don't think Regulus ever really 'owned' us, man. I mean, he was a fun recurring villain and all, but he wasn't exactly a master planner or anything." He chuckles and shakes his head. "Every plan of his boiled down to throwing skeletons and zombies at us. Not that it wasn't fun having my barbarian mow them down, of course." He takes a sip of his beer, and adds, "I still can't believe you took Gragnor down with that drat crit, though. I still say that was horseshit." Gragnor was Tony's first character, made before he started actually caring about the game. He was a barbarian because they were pitched as "simple", and Tony played him as a zero-personality brick of meat who was constantly picking fights with NPCs. It actually was his longest-lived character, but it'd be another three embarrassing characters before he made one who was serious just before the campaign ended.
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Jun 17, 2019 15:30
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Sofia answers the small talk as best she can — "Oh, mostly procedurals. White noise for when I write, but I do like Lucifer." "Yeah, burgers are great." "Not since I fell off of Facebook, how about you?" — but as she pops the cap off of hers, she says, "Yeah, thanks for the invite. It's good to see you, Will." And... so far at least, it was. Maybe it was just the lack of a real social life, past work-slash-interview lunches and the occasional office happy hour, but it was what it was. By the time that Win and Tony arrive to break up the heavy atmosphere, Sofia has made short work of another beer and started on her third. Ah, alcohol. The universal social lubricant. She looks over at Tony, a half-grin on her face, "I told you to hang back a round. If I could have used Lay on Hands, you would have been fine even through that four-times multiplier." Sofia's longest running character was Lady Pendragon, a paladin by way of Arthurian knight. She enjoyed the roleplaying opportunities that a strict code of honor brought, though she rewrote some of the mechanics and specifics of it (ex: doing your honest best is enough to avoid falling from grace) after one too many Sophie's Choice scenarios by way of Will. She was everything that Sofia wasn't, a powerful and charismatic warrior with iron will and a holy sword. It was blatant wish fulfillment, though she worked it nicely into the ongoing narrative.
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Jun 18, 2019 02:40
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Winona downs a shot of whiskey in the kitchen before coming out with four more for the group. She'd considered snubbing Tony, but the festivities came first. "Bones had it right. We should have just teamed up and taken over. The royals were a bunch of turds anyway. We would have done a way better job." Win eyes the box with interest, savoring the radiating warmth of the alcohol. "Nice sell. The creepy poo poo is always more fun when it seems real. I'd probably be buying it if I hadn't seen the movie. Do we have to light candles first or what?" Winona's longest running character was Ruby Starfist, a human fighter with bright red hair, an ax she called Choppy, and a "mysterious" (nonexistent) backstory. Not to be confused with Opal Starfist the human monk who thought it would be really funny to surprise everyone by punching a sleeping dragon in the nose (Win found it hilarious), or Topaz Starfist the human paladin who died in a hail of crossbow bolts from the town guard after going full "I am the law". The party was thrown into a cell with Ruby in the aftermath of Topaz' rampage. During the breakout she managed to crit her way into ownership of a crown, which she figured basically made her a queen, a claim she would continue to press throughout the campaign.
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Jun 18, 2019 08:13
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"No candles or anything," Will says. "Though I suppose there is some buy in, right? It's not a storygame, but it's definitely not as crunchy as Pathfinder. It won't be the same as when we were kids. It does require us all to want to be here at least." Will pulls his chair back and sits. After taking another swig of beer, he opens the box. There are folded papers, golf pencils, some other knick knacks, and the Dice. They look like a collection of normal gaming dice, various polyhedrons sitting on a small velvet cushion. But they are made out of something other than simple plastic. It looks like both steel and quartz somehow. Heavy and, in the cabin's soft light, slightly luminous. Will looks at them for a moment and gestures to the chairs around him. "Who wants to play?"
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Jun 18, 2019 14:24
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Tricky posted:"I told you to hang back a round. If I could have used Lay on Hands, you would have been fine even through that four-times multiplier." Tony eyes Will after Will's speech, trying to see if he's being sarcastic or is already greened out. "Uh, yeah, I guess I could play again. I didn't bring any RPG stuff though." He peers at the dice, clearly impressed. "drat man, where'd you get those? They look like they cost a fortune. Are they from that place that makes the dice from gems and poo poo?"
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Jun 18, 2019 14:32
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Will shrugs, "Nah, they came with the game. Everything we need to play is here." Will looks over the dice for a moment, then glances at Tony. After a second he picks up one of the die and a paper character sheet. He slides the sheet over to Tony and holds up the pyramid-shaped die, locking eyes with the other man. "Dictator. This is your d4. It is the only one in the game. It is special. It's yours." _________________________________________________________ OOC: Once your personas agree and "sit down" ad you are given your dice, I'll send you a link to an editable PDF. Download it and fill it out as you want. You can keep your choices close to the chest, or you can share them with the other personas if you want.
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Jun 18, 2019 22:19
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NinjaPete posted:Will shrugs, "Nah, they came with the game. Everything we need to play is here." He takes the (oddly heavy) die and looks at the sheet. "Oh, 'Dictator' is the class name, okay. So it's a social character, huh? I guess you really are sick of my usual characters after all." He sits down and starts reading the sheet, looking more confused as he does so.
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Jun 19, 2019 00:51
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Sofia slides into a seat, interested in the odd system as much as the prospect of playing. She says, "So, what, this is like Dungeon World? Class dice and the whole bit?"
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Jun 19, 2019 02:44
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Tony posted:"Oh, 'Dictator' is the class name, okay. So it's a social character, huh? I guess you really are sick of my usual characters after all." "Like I said, there's a bit of buy-in." Sofia posted:"So, what, this is like Dungeon World? Class dice and the whole bit?" "Kinda," Will admits. "Though, if you believe the story, this has been around since the 90s. So, I guess it predates Dungeon World?" Without much of a pause he grabs another dice and peice of paper, holding them up to Sofia, he recites: "Emotion Knight. This is the only d8 in the game. It is special, and yours."
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Jun 19, 2019 05:12
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Winona makes a small noise as she suppresses the urge to laugh at how ridiculous it sounds. A despot and a sailor scout walk into a tavern? It felt like a joke but she couldn't come up with a punchline. Were they supposed to be on a team? Maybe they were the baddies. Win quickly comes to the realization that the contents of the box have nothing whatsoever to do with that Jack Black movie. So... this was just Will's newest creation and he wanted to sell them on the atmosphere? It made more sense than the alternative. Her curiousity piqued, she maintains an air of indifference as she takes a seat. "Yeah, I'm in I guess. What've you got left? A dragon? Or am I stuck playing a telephone sanitizer?" She cracks a grin.
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Jun 19, 2019 08:32
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Win posted:"Yeah, I'm in I guess. What've you got left? A dragon? Or am I stuck playing a telephone sanitizer?" "Godbinder," Will replies, passing her the die and sheet. "This is your d12. This is the only one in the game. It is yours." Will pauses a moment and takes the lone d20 from the box. "This one is mine. I'm the Master." Minutes pass in relative silence as the players create their characters. There is the scribble of pencils and the clink of beer bottles, but that is more or less it for long stretches. Finally, Will puts down his pencil and looks around the assembled group. He speaks casually, with none of the formality he used in handing out the dice. "So, the classes are obviously not uh...D&D standard, but they are pretty neat. I figured we should share who we are. Who's first?" _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ OOC: Share as much or as little as you like. You may reference world building or setting stuff here as well. Red Moon is as much your creation as it is mine and I'm going by the old Improv rule of "Yes, and.."
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Jun 19, 2019 13:19
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Winona finishes first and slaps a slightly crumpled sheet in front of Will. "Riot." She pulls the sheet back long enough for a quick scribble. "Riot Starfist." Win sits back in awkward silence until it becomes uncomfortable. "She works for Turing and Euphoria. Her tattoos are sorta bulletproof I think? Oh and her hammer turns into a gun." Win downs a shot and waits in resignation for Will to tell her what part of the sheet she messed up.
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Jun 19, 2019 21:10
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Tony puts down his pencil, and begins fidgeting with the D4. "Okay, so I think I get how this class works? It's sort of a social-monster-slash-bard, right? And I know the characters I always played in the old game were basically based around doing the most damage output. So, like, how about I make someone more...positive, I guess? And I was looking at this emotion wheel thing and I thought it might be cool to play someone who's really about emotion through music. Bard, right?" "My older sister was always into this old cartoon and comic book called 'Jem and the Holograms'; it was this whole thing where a woman and her friends become these really neon-80's pop stars by using holograms and poo poo. But remember that big wizard city that was floating around the world? Preladan? I bet a big celebrity diva from there would be pretty great at illusion magic for big stage shows." He looks at his sheet again. "So I have to pick four emotions I'm really good at using, so I picked ecstasy, vigilance, amazement, and terror. And I only picked terror because you need that and amazement to create awe. This whole wheel is pretty weird, I gotta say." "Anyway, I see this character as basically a pop star with magic instead of a stage crew. I'm still not sure on her name, though. I like the sound of 'Chanteuse' but that's just, like, a word. I'm not sure how to fantasy that up; does anyone have some ideas on that?" He looks sort of embarrassed, then adds "Oh, and don't worry, this won't be another Enchatrina situation." Enchantrina was Tony's second character, the obligatory Lesbian Stripper Preladan was the big city of magic that was more "developed" and "wise" than most of the rest of the setting. It was ruled by the most powerful wizards, and the overall tone of the place was 'magic makes us better than everyone who doesn't have it'. Unrelated: Tony has always been terrible at coming up with names, and this is probably more thought than he's ever put into his character's background.
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Jun 19, 2019 21:21
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Evil Mastermind posted:"Anyway, I see this character as basically a pop star with magic instead of a stage crew. I'm still not sure on her name, though. I like the sound of 'Chanteuse' but that's just, like, a word. I'm not sure how to fantasy that up; does anyone have some ideas on that?" Win catches herself before she can bite her nails, still anxious as her sheet is reviewed. "Octavia, like octaves? Madrigal? What about cantata?" Win didn't know exactly what the terms meant but was confident they were close enough as to not expose her ignorance.
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Jun 19, 2019 23:13
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"Octavia...I kind of like that. Thanks!"
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Jun 19, 2019 23:25
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"See Tony? I knew you'd rise to the occasion," Will says, looking over Win's sheet. "And Win, I like Riot. Her hammer definitely turns into a gun. Now..is she related to the other Starfists? Or are you starting fresh?" EDIT: hosed up a name. NinjaPete fucked around with this message at 03:31 on Jun 20, 2019 |
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Jun 20, 2019 02:02
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Sofia has been quietly considering the options while the others talk and, then, discuss their characters. The Emotion Knight needed her, first and foremost, to... pick an emotion to embody. What sort of character did she want to play? A barbarian? Some sort of terrified rando? Nah, nothing like that sounded interesting. She'd had a concept for a ranger-type character bouncing around her head lately... After a moment's more consideration she scrawls VIGILANCE in the blank at the top of her sheet. Sofia looks up at the rest of the table, "Well, uh, I'll be playing a Vigilance Knight named Hawkins Sandheaver. I'm still working on the actual backstory part and some of the mechanics, given that's a really big choice off the bat, but I'm thinking some sort of ranger. Or investigator, maybe? Both? Interest is keyed into this spoke too..." She falls silent a bit longer, checking boxes and scribbling notes in the margins of her sheet. While she works, Sofia doodles a pair of matched swords, covered in shadowy energy, and starts to sketch out an outfit as well. After a moment, she adds sleeves to make it a long overcoat. Very Holmesian. The actual person under the gear is less distinct, though it looks like a halfling from the proportions. "I think that she'll be from Kheenai. It's a really dark and grimy place, so I think that she does a lot of investigating and crimefighting in the alleys. Kind of Batman-ish, if Batman had magic swords. Anyways, I guess the easiest way to describe the Emotion Knight is like a barbarian or berserker with a magical connection to their weapon. Good in a scrap, but they can do crazy things if they get charged up enough. Of course, since I'll be playing a Vigilance Knight, she'll get charged up by being on guard or investigating interesting things." Kheenai was a city the group added into the setting when all of the Pathfinder gun stuff got added in. It's very much a lovely Victorian industrial hellhole, but in a way where it's also one of the technological centers of civilization. Tricky fucked around with this message at 02:36 on Jun 20, 2019 |
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Jun 20, 2019 02:16
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Tony looks at Sophia's sheet. "Oh, you've got that emotion chart thing too? I wonder if we can get some sort of ability synergy or something going on since we both picked 'vigilance'."
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Jun 20, 2019 03:30
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Sofia looks at Tony and shrugs, "I think so? It seems really hard to charge past Level 3 emotion, but the chart goes up past six."
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Jun 20, 2019 03:53
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"You should be able to," Will furrows his brow. "Sort of buffing I guess. Though, I'd be careful, the Dictator abilities being turned on other players is a..double edged sword." "I have Khovai. A hedge wizard, drop out slash exile from Preladan. He's good with mind stuff but that's about it. Basically, he's a true mercenary for all intents and purposes. At least that's what he'd told himself. I think deep down he wants to do good, or be thought of as heroic." Will pauses and takes a deep breath. "Anyway, I think these are all awesome characters. Does anyone have anything else? Or should we jump in?"
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Jun 20, 2019 04:03
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NinjaPete posted:"And Win, I like Riot. Her hammer definitely turns into a gun. Now..is she related to the other Starfists? Or are you starting fresh?" Win freezes. First in surprise that she'd actually filled out the sheet correctly (a first for her). Second as she considered the question. "Yeah. They're related. They're cousins or something." NinjaPete posted:"Does anyone have anything else? Or should we jump in?" "Good time to hit the head. I'll be right back." Win picks up her vape and takes it to the back porch. She returns a couple minutes later.
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Jun 20, 2019 04:19
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"I think I'm ready whenever," says Sofia. While Win steps out, she begins fiddling with the D8. It has a certain heft to it that she can't put her finger on, but it doesn't seem right to roll just yet. Everyone knows a roll with no point is just a chance for your luck to escape.
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Jun 20, 2019 07:22
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Will nods to himself when everyone is ready. “Alright now, last step. A little more buy in. First, everyone pick up your die,” he swallows as he does so, there is a pounding in his head as he continues, his nerves growing with each instruction. “Okay, close your eyes,” Will does this as well, though he goes last to make sure everyone is following directions. “Okay, when I say so, we’re all going to roll our die at the same time. Okay?” Will licks his lips nervously. He is unable to keep his eyes closed and sneaks a peek at his parents cabin, at his friends with their eyes closed. The enormity of what he is attempting to do hits him then, but he power’s through it. “Okay. Here we go.. Three. Two One.”  There is a clattering as the dice are rolled, when the echo of them rolling dies, Will immediately opens his eyes. It looks almost like the cabin dining room. The furnishings are all there, though they are covered in dust. The walls are the same but they see at wrong angles. There floorboards are heavily scarred, and something viscous seems to be seeping between them. The “cabin” has a stagnant, dead feeling to it, like all the life has been sapped out of it. And through the windows, there is a faint red glow. “It worked!” Will leaps to his feet, “Holy poo poo it worked!” Snapping to his senses, Will snatches his d20 off the table. As soon as he touches it, there is a pulse of light and Will changes. Will is now dresses in simple, light colored robes. Small archaic designs have been picked out over them in gold and silver threads, the cut is a cross between Jedi robes and WoW Warlock. He holds a white staff in one hand, a jagged crystal seems to be growing from the end of it. But Will has been physically transformed as well. The excess pounds have been melted away, or rather reshaped into lean swimmer’s muscles. His hair has regrown, thicker and more glossy than it ever was before. His beard has filled out and been properly groomed. His face more angular, speaking of hidden lore and great intelligence. In his forehead, peeking out from the locks of hair, his die glows faintly, sunk into his skull like a third eye. “I’m sorry,” Will says to the others. “I’m so sorry it had to be like this. Good luck.” His die flashes blindingly and, when the other’s finally get their vision back, Will is gone. _______________________________________________________________________ OOC: Will spends 1 token and is gone.
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Jun 20, 2019 15:13
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Tony is nowhere to be seen. Sitting in his chair now is an attractive woman in a brightly-colored outfit, looking like a cross between a swashbuckler, an 80's glam singer, and a punk rocker. Leaning against the back of her chair is a mic stand. She blinks in the manner of someone snapping back to reality after being tuned out of current events, then looks around in clear confusion. "What the hell was..." She trails off, looking even more confused. She raises her hand to her throat and asks, "What's...my voice?" She then looks at her hand. "Wh...what the gently caress?" Then down at herself. She stands up suddenly in clear shock, trying to back up. She trips over the chair and mic stand, hits the floor, and starts scrabbling backwards, as if she was trying to back away from herself a quickly as possible. The tips of her hair, which seemed to be dyed a light pink, suddenly shift color to a deep green as she panics. "WHAT THE gently caress? WHAT loving HAPPENED TO ME?!"
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Jun 20, 2019 16:48
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Win lets off a drunk cackle at Tony. "Holy poo poo. Will dosed us." She lets out another chortle, then stops to catch her breath. "Or the dice? It's the dice right? Was he saying he got this on the darkweb or something? gently caress. Wash your hands and lay down. I'm going to go look for Will. He's probably running naked through the woods right now." As Win gets up she tips over a massive hammer which falls with a clatter, blue runes dimly glowing on a block of black stone, shaft encircled by regularly spaced metal coils. She doesn't notice, balancing herself against the furniture as she makes her way to the sink. As she turns the handle it rips off entirely. The pipes groan and rattle before expelling a handful of muddy water and falling into silence. Win's eyes trace down from the broken handle to the tattoos now encasing her arm: a tiger in a cloud of smoke, a scale with one chain broken off, a heart wrapped in barbed wire with yellow eyes peeking through a rupture, they go on and on. "New plan." Win makes her way with uncertain legs over to the couch and buries herself in it face first.
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Jun 20, 2019 18:53
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Sofia is a half-second too slow to say anything to Will before he transforms (?) and vanishes. Questions like "What do you mean you're sorry? What worked?!" die half-spoken and somewhat mumbled, particularly as the others start to react. She looks over at Tony, shock evident on her face, then she looks down at herself. She finds... nothing unusual. Same tired-feeling muscles, same slightly rumpled clothes. This, of course, provokes an immediate look back at Tony. She says, "Um, Tony... You're Tony, right?" A beat, then she powers through. "Did you pick up your die too? After things changed? I think that might be what, uh, does it." Now, of course, is about the time that Sofia's mind starts spinning with possibilities. With her sample size of, uh, probably two, these things were capable of making you completely different. Will knew something about this all... and it didn't seem like they'd get too far without tracking him down for answers. Let alone the really ominous change in decor. She didn't remember the pitch being for, like, Silent Hill... but then again the pitch was pretty silent on the whole becoming-your-character thing, too. Poor Tony. Though, there is a twinge of wild jealousy in the back of her mind. The way he — she? — effortlessly manages to look more beautiful than anyone she's ever seen before, celebrities and models and all, is just a little unfair. Like this was the sort of look that suggested airbrushed magazine covers and legions of cosmetologists working in shifts. Straight up Helen of Troy bullshit, the face that launched a million ships. She looks at her D8, the gleaming octahedron all but begging her to grab it, and... she does. Maybe it's just the sense of wanting to discover what it really does. Maybe it's having noticed that everyone who's touched theirs turned into some sort of greco-roman god (or goddess). Maybe... maybe at the end of the day it's just wanting to escape from herself. Is that so wrong? For a split-second, nothing happens. Before Sofia can even manage disappointment, the D8 pulses and sinks into her chest. Rippling tides of shadow burst outward from the obsidian die, spreading out and seeming to consume her. Shadowy tendrils weave themselves into a cocoon around her and, as her view of the room blanks out, she feels herself start to change. Muscles ache as they stretch and reweave, bones almost audibly cracking as they shift and reshape and become so much more. After a long moment, the cocoon recedes. The first observation that Sofia makes is that, somehow, the room has gotten much bigger. Instead of towering over the backs of the chairs that they'd been sitting at, they seem to be more at eye level. The second is the pair of shadow-limned longswords she's now holding... and they way they're whispering in her head. It's too indistinct to make out for the moment, but she can tell that it's rapidly clearing up. Soon. Her clothes have changed as well, into a very noir-esqe fantasy detective's outfit. The black dragon-leather duster — or at least that's what she had doodled down, so... — suits her new build perfectly, the matching hat at a jaunty angle on her head. Were she to have a mirror handy, some of that jealousy over Tony's new visage would surely fade. Though it's clear she is a halfling, albeit one that's very recognizably Sofia, she'd be one with a solid 18 in Charisma. Maybe not the 20+ of Tony, but... well, there's certainly something to be said for second place to a goddess. Sofia looks at her swords a moment longer, then moves to sheathe them in the scabbards across her back. The move seems practiced, almost instinctual, as the blades seem to slide through the air and into their scabbards in one impossibly smooth quicksilver motion. After all that, Sofia lets out the breath she'd been holding. It worked like she thought. For better or worse, it was the dice. She says, voice now a crystal-clear tone that oozes charm and poise, "So... what now? Will's out there — wherever there is — and we're all... different." It's a struggle not to say better. It really is, though she manages for Tony's remnants of dignity. "Did Will tell anyone what the campaign was supposed to be about? He mention that Jumanji urban legend, so... do we have to kill a god or something to... y'know, finish the game?" Thinking that Sofia is charging her way up to Level 1 Interest through her attempts to understand the mysteries of the situation.
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Jun 20, 2019 19:18
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Tony/Octavia stands up slowly, still looking on the verge of a panic attack. "What...what the gently caress? Where are we? Why am I a woman?" He looks at Sofia, and adds "Why are you short? Where's Will?" Tony looks down at himself, clearly not sure how to react to the overwhelming changes now that the initial panic has settled a bit. "This is real? That legend stuff wasn't preamble?" Stumbling over to the table, Octavia reaches and picks up the D4. A sudden lance of multicolored light pierces through the back of his hand, causing him to cry out more in surprise than pain. When the light fade, there's a crystalline triangle on back of his left hand, a sort of tattoo of the die seen from above, made of strange metal. It reflects the light oddly as he rubs it in confusion. Tony looks around, once again feeling his throat as he speaks. "I don't believe this...I'm...I'm Octavia?" He blinks, and starts looking pissed. The green highlights in his hair shift to dark red as he growls "Where the gently caress is Will?"
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Jun 20, 2019 20:19
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Evil Mastermind posted:The green highlights in his hair shift to dark red as he growls "Where the gently caress is Will?" "Probably off getting knighted by some forest creatures. Or shouting 'Fireball' at a bush." Win rolls over reluctantly on the couch "I don't feel high. Are you guys feeling it?" As Win takes in their transformations she feels a sense of unfairness before remembering that it's all just in her head anyway. Winona tries blinking really hard while picturing her idealized form. Nothing happens. Fine. Dream logic it is. "Hey did anyone see my die? It's not on the table." She'd lost it. Of course she'd lost it. Typical Winona. Couldn't even hallucinate right. Win tries to lift the sofa to look under it but snaps it like a twig, unveiling only dust bunnies and hair ties. A panic starts to build. She goes to the phone and lifts the receiver as though it were as delicate as a butterfly's wing. The tone is quickly interrupted by the sounds of an old dial-up modem sequence, followed by static and silence. "Hello?" She tries dialing 911 to no effect. "Hello?" "Desynchronization error. Status update requested: Primary target. Status update requested: Secondary target." Win hangs up. "Having a bad trip. Going to go look at some trees." Winona looks like herself as she faces the group. Big-boned and tall, with olive skin, black hair, and bloodshot eyes. Except for the tattoos which cover every visible inch of skin aside from her face. She throws on her denim jacket, picks up her handle of whiskey - seemingly full now and encased in silver filigree - "Score", and heads out the front door. Behind her the frame splinters, dropping the door off its hinges. A set of diodes glow from beneath the surface of the block of the hammer. It lifts itself up on metal spider legs and scurries out behind her. malbogio fucked around with this message at 21:01 on Jun 20, 2019 |
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Jun 20, 2019 20:51
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Sofia puts her hands on her hips as she looks up at Tony. Her newfound stature still communicates a certain gravitas, particularly the menacing blades on her back, but it's definitely a touch ridiculous in the moment. She says, "Hawkins is a Halfling, so... I guess I am too. And since you chose to play a bombshell pop star, I'm guessing with maximum charisma, well..." She gestures at Tony's everything. "You're a bombshell pop star. Can you do the Dictator whatever or are these just physical changes?" Calling after Win, she says, "Hey, wait! We don't know what's out there! What if there are monsters or something?" A beat later. "Did you already touch it? You've been wrecking up the place like nothing!"
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Jun 20, 2019 21:22
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Win steps out into a different world. Though the forest still presses around the cabin, everything else is different. The trees crowd in close, swallowing anything not within a five food radius. Gone are the outbuildings and the groups cars. The cabin seems to have moved as well, it sits on a steep slope, overlooking a deep valley far below. On the other side of the valley, craggy mountains heave out of the forest blanket. High above everything, suspended in space like a drop of blood, a red moon hangs in judgement. From nearby in the darkness of the trees, something screams with the sound of metal being sheared in half. Around Win, the boards of the cabin start to shake violently. "That doesn't sound good," says a voice in Win's head. "You'll need your die or you'll..well...die." OOC: Something is coming, you can all post once before whatever it is outside shows up. You had also better roll your initiative, just in case. Roll your Dex, anything above 4 is a success. I tend to use Orokos for dice rolls. Win - This is Jack talking. what does he look/sound like?
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Jun 20, 2019 22:07
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Sofia's head snaps towards the door, the scream and shaking and awful vibes blaring in her senses like a giant, neon warning sign. Something was coming. Her hands are heavy all of a sudden. She looks down, realizing she's drawn her swords, but can't for the life of her figure out when that happened. Time seems to slow, her senses becoming hyperfocused, as she scans the cabin. Sofia looks at Tony, "Uh oh. Hope you're ready to fight... or run. Maybe running would be good. Let's get Win and get the gently caress out of here." It wasn't like she had any idea of where to run to, but that was a problem for future Sofia. Initiative: 4d6t4 2
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Jun 20, 2019 23:00
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Tricky posted:Sofia puts her hands on her hips as she looks up at Tony. Her newfound stature still communicates a certain gravitas, particularly the menacing blades on her back, but it's definitely a touch ridiculous in the moment. She says, "Hawkins is a Halfling, so... I guess I am too. And since you chose to play a bombshell pop star, I'm guessing with maximum charisma, well..." She gestures at Tony's everything. "You're a bombshell pop star. Can you do the Dictator whatever or are these just physical changes?" malbogio posted:Win tries to lift the sofa to look under it but snaps it like a twig, unveiling only dust bunnies and hair ties. quote:A set of diodes glow from beneath the surface of the block of the hammer. It lifts itself up on metal spider legs and scurries out behind her. As Sofia runs after Win, Tony hesitates, and without thinking grabs the mic stand and spins it deftly in his hand. The shape changes slightly; the flat stand part melting into a point, metal flowing around the actual microphone to form a handguard, and without even noticing Octavia sheathes her rapier and follows. Thank god I imagined her just wearing boots instead of heels or something, he thinks as he runs outside. Initiative: 3d6t4 0
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Jun 21, 2019 00:17
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NinjaPete posted:"That doesn't sound good," says a voice in Win's head. "You'll need your die or you'll..well...die." Win's first instinct is to shout at the hallucination to shut up. But the words...they're just so wrong. Like each one was ripped from a different throat. Tricky posted:Calling after Win, she says, "Hey, wait! We don't know what's out there! What if there are monsters or something?" A beat later. "Did you already touch it? You've been wrecking up the place like nothing!" "I think I'd remember something like-" Win furrows her brow in concentration. The camera quickly rewinds, following Winona back into the cabin. It replays from a different angle. Everyone has their eyes closed as the dice are released. The D12 bounces and spins high in the air. Winona paws blindly at a glass. Plop. The camera cuts back. "Oh." A violet light emerges from her throat. Win closes her eyes as her nose starts to bleed. It feels as though her head is splitting in two, and then just as suddenly it's over. Her eyes open wide and shine like a lighthouse, the rotating D12 behind them barely visible through the radiance. She offers a hand and the spider-hammer slips into the gap. Riot gives it a tentative one-handed spin back and forth and steps towards the tree line. Riot shouts "Hey ugly. If you came here for trouble I've got good news." OOC: Will - Jack defines itself by stories. Wraps itself up in them like a suit. Jack's favorites tend to be urban legends. Winona pictures it as a large hare with antlers and fangs, but it could just as easily appear as a mothman, chupacabra, Jersey devil, tooth fairy, etc. Initiative: 3d6t4 1 malbogio fucked around with this message at 01:15 on Jun 21, 2019 |
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Jun 21, 2019 01:01
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As Win’s challenge rings out there is a moment of silence. And then, something slides out from between the trees and steps into the light. It looks humanoid, in that it has two legs, two arms, and a head. But the similarities end there. Take a human, hastily skin them, fuse them with a nightmare from H.R. Giger, and then slap some steel armor on. It’s head is a fleshless skull, with fiber optic wires trailing out of it like hair. Two eyes burn within it’s sockets. “Hunger…” it growls and steps closer to the cabin with a shambling gait. “Hunger…” “Hunger,” a deeper voice growls from the darkness. Behind the first creature steps a second one. This one nearly ten feet tall and pulsing muscles twitch beneath it’s armor plates. “Hunger..” There is a squealing sound, like steam escaping the kettle, from within the cabin. Between the floorboards black ichor flows up, like a stain in reverse, and resolves itself into more “normal” sized creatures. “Hunger..” they both say as they lurch forward, something thick dripping from their claws. ________________________________________________ OOC: There are four..things..now. Two inside behind you all, two outside near the trees. The ones outside are Close distance and the ones inside are essentially in Melee range. Big Thing - Defense 2 Things - All Defense 1 Initiative: *Sofia Riot Tony/Octativa Things Big Thing Though you do need to post in order, feel free to not wait for me to react to each post. So, once Sofia goes, Riot can act. You can also post OOC here or in the Recruit thread to strategize.
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Jun 21, 2019 02:08
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