Kawaii Cataclysm (Inactive)

Game Master BastianQuinn

Don't worry, little magical girl. If Tenshi ever learns of your problems, hopefully she'll be able to help. :)

Dreams, after all, are things of emotion and memory. Perhaps she can help to return things to the way they were... :)

Alternatively, you has Fate. You can manipulate the threads with a reroll!

Anyone else automatically know what's up if I say someone is "simply one hell of a butler"?

*raises hand* Coudln't really get into it but I saw enough that phrase stuck

Same as Indescribable. Pretty much Japanese Batman. With a less cool Alfred. :P

You and I have very different views of that.

Same as Indescribable. Pretty much Japanese Batman. With a less cool Alfred. :P

*scandalized gasp*

:p I also don't care for Tolkien.

I'm a very odd duck.

My friends absolutely love BB, but meh. I went until chainsaw nun and was like 'k, done.'

...don't hate me?

I won't say Tolkien is overrated, but not everyone can write the way he did, which is why high fantasy is such an impregnable fortress of tropes.

But yeah, BB is not for everyone. As good as the story is, not everyone can choke down that Pedo-BDSM-Yaoi veneer, which only gets thicker in the second season. So yeah, almost exactly like Batman.

Bit oblivious, so I have not a clue who you're talking about or if you're just making the reference for reference's sake. I've enjoyed BB myself, but I've only gone through the manga, and not in its entirety either sadly. Ah well.

I have seen clips of the anime though...well really, just the corset scene. Oh god. Some things just get infinitely worse/better when animated.

Bit oblivious, so I have not a clue who you're talking about or if you're just making the reference for reference's sake.

I played a browser game once which was simultaneously in alpha and also about steganography and cryptography. The designer had the best response to bug reports that, while strange, were not a fault of bad programming. He would reply to the report with "as designed."

I always imagined him leaning back in his chair, steepling his fingers and chuckling menacingly whenever he posted this.

For you I'll say: It's not a part of your PC's knowledge, so missing it completely is no great loss. Just know that I'm constantly peppering posts with references and allusions in the hopes that in a couple months, when certain things come to light, a few of you will have that moment of dawning realization that it was there the whole time.

Also, I like stirring the discussion pot. It's always good to encourage over-the-table talk, as well as notes-passing.

Meh, It really just didn't engage with me. Which is sad because it had a great many things that are to my taste. It just didn't blend them in a way I like.

Cascade was exceptional. Everything after that, on the other hand... >.>

I think it's about time you took that back. :) [S] Act 7 is here.

And it is so, so good.

Act 7 is very pretty.

I have nothing else good to say about it.

I have to agree. It's very pretty and finally seeing them live a good life is really nice... but I was expecting something more... I mean the way they just murdered everyone on [S]Collide left me a bit empty.

u_u. I can agree with that. Collide was cool, but I didn't get much gravitas from it. I do like the 'good ending' vibe.

Building anticipation and orchestrating a payoff are two very different skills. Part of what makes anticipation sweet is how you as the recipient of the story try to fill in the holes with what you personally feel would be optimal.

If the storyteller dares to fill in those holes at a later time, it better be at least as interesting as what the recipient imagined. The writers of Lost made fat stax filling holes with bigger holes.

I prefer a hole quota approach. Let things resolve in rolling waves and never hype one answer as being a total braingasm. That way I can resolve things with a reveal that's an answer to a question you never realized was waiting there. The payoff and the anticipation stay apart, and the one does not have to live up to the other.

Are there any differences between Sora's pre-tengu-wish form and her current one? Does she still have a hummingbird heart as if she were mainlining caffeine? :)

Juno, Tenshi and Chell have been returned to Kiyomi, Sora, and May. Sora is no longer under the effects of the Spirited Yokai Shift, so the hummingbird heart effect is no longer in play.

As a heads-up: Today is my last day at mthe first job I ever had. I've worked here for just shy of nine years... But I've decided I need to move on to a job that pays better... As a result, I'm going to be picking up a lot more hours at work, changing my schedule in the process, and ultimately having a lot less time for those things and people that I love. That being said... I'll become less of a post hog in the majority of my games. Things might change in the future, but at the moment, I'm hoping to continue playing in my games.

Don't worry about it. I'm sure we can all understand your new schedule! Also I wish you the best of luck, it sounds like it will be a very big step for you so have ALL the luck! ^^

This is a pretty leisurely campaign anyway. Focus on your own needs, and don't feel bad if you have to make a few short posts while the dust settles.

Yes, some of us get writer's block, even. :P

I'm lucky enough to have a character that mostly writes herself. :) I've found that those are few and far between out of all of the characters I've made. I'd say... something like 10%?

Some characters are just like that. Good on you for having one.

The hardest time I have with her is when I get a DMPush. Because I'm working off of the idea that she's generally in control of how she acts, so she doesn't always act on those feelings, though I try to play them up as alien things she may not entirely understand, and thus slightly out of her control... if that makes sense.

The issue is, that without knowing the -reason- for that feeling it's just a feeling, and I don't know how to react to it precisely. :(

I have no idea what's going on in Naiad's corner of the world... but I dig it. XD

Alex is a cis-male sailor who is largely uncomfortable with the whole MG situation. However, he also can't leave without being the bull in a china shop.

Naiad is attempting to 'average out' Paresh and Ayatori, perhaps even giving each other insight in the process.

It's big, it's rough, but it's also subtle in it's own way and no idea how it would implement.

He may have even started the fight by attempting this.

Well, with a roll like that I have to come up with two penalties just to bring it down to a success with a cost, so count on the two of them mellowing out.

Which is what Alex is aiming for.

There's something special about the way these characters refer to each other. Like, what features and what aspects we use to encode their identities in a way that is individual to the character we are representing.

Interesting. I think I understand what you mean, somewhat. What brought about this train of thought, though? And does anyone else have something more insightful to say than I do?

Well, I put out different descriptors to different groups, and then shuffle the players and re-introduce the actors, and we get this interesting mélange of memes and new descriptors.

Just to make sure, Kaguya is also de-aged to sixteen, correct?

She is a young-looking sixteen. Juno would look like Kaguya's mother.

Also, Sora, remember that no one has told you Tenshi's name, but apparently Aratani used her magic without transforming.

For those who may be interested, most of your characters would have come across Joss paper or spirit/hell money at some point, though it's like knowing what a piñata is in the US. It's mostly a Chinese thing.

The question is, how expensive does this stuff get? I did look it up, but I have no idea how expensive this stuff can get, and I was working under the assumption that Ayatori here had expensive tastes. I'll alter my post depending on the information I get.

Though the excuse to go on a tangent about putting everyone in expensive costumes will be missed.

My sources say about $5/500¥ per pound. It's probably harder to get your hands on, rather than being expensive.

They do come in denominations, though. It's a whole thing.

Edit: just found 800 Billion Joss for $12 There was a huge inflation problem in the 1700s.

Sora: have we ever established what role you play(ed) in your band, or what they were called? We're slowly establishing an internal struggle with a girl named Kazue, and Emi, the girl who got to move on, as well as some awful, embarrassing, Engrish taglines that were forced on you before you aged out, but did you play instruments, were you all Emi's backup singers/dancers? What kind of band was it? I'm looking at C-ute at the moment, but please guide me if you have a better influence. Aratani really likes American stuff, so feel free to pick an influence from home.

Yup, I'm aware of the Lack of Name-knowledge. :)

The band was called BB-Pop! (The BB being a play ong 'Baby'), and like most American Bands, they followed the tride and true role of fitting each person into a well-contained box because of the condescending assumption that a consumer is more interested in consuming something that comes in bite-size, easily understood chunks (See things like Backstreet Boys having 'the shy one' and the like). :)

Sora was both talented, and worked hard when it came to choreography and was the one who naturally enjoyed arts, though she wasn't the best singer in the group by far, which meant that while she was the 'natural' choice for a leadership role, she wasn't a natural choice for lead, which created friction within the group; the 'Lead' on stage didn't work as hard as any of the others, and was just able to take things for granted and has generally kept a strong career while maintaining her prissiness.

Overall, the group was very much a 'young' J/K-pop styling, though with apparently American Overtones. Tenshi is not an instrument player. C-ute is in the right positioning. I was more thinking of the band that sing/dance 'Mister Taxi' and 'Run Devil Run' (Girls Generation), though those are also older young ladies. :)

Once more, the worst part for the entire group is that they'd been friends before their lives were turned inside out. Sora had an easier time than many of the other girls, which added enough friction between her and her other friends to create a rift that's kept them apart when not working.

All that being said, Sora is a very big fan of western culture as a whole (which may be part of what makes her a good choice for the art program... :)). It's fair to say that she's indulged in American culture quite a bit as a means of avoiding the J-Pop culture in her free time.

As a side note: The reason May is living with Sora is due to having won a contest that had been arranged by Sora... she couldn't stand the idea of living alone after having lived and breathed with the rest of the group, so a sort of lottery was held. :) TMYK!

Totally sorry that I missed the call for introductions on my reread for writing that post. Finals have been rough for both work and school. (I work at a college tech lab) I'll squeeze it in when the conversation moves back in that direction.

Don't worry about it too much. Junpei's just going to be very pouty until someone acknowledges it and returns the gesture. Everyone do as you will!

Just poppin' in to keep things fresh. I know it's a rough week for a lot of you with finals and all. Still wanna give Kiyomi, Naiad, and Junpei a chance to react before I drop the next update.

As we move toward our second big moment, are there any questions, comments, complaints, or issues? Anything any of you are looking forward to, or feel like I might have overlooked?

Is it too late for Alex to drag the people away from that spot and go 'incognito'?

It is still possible to avoid her completely. You're welcome to see who you can get out of the line of fire. One of the battle moves is to run away, so even if she arrives and wants to make death, you'll still have an out.

I'm not so sure about Kaguya, Juno, and Tiresias. It's possible, I'm sure. I mean, you're magical girls.

Is it possible without magic? That may be a challenge. There are a few characters who would need convincing for various reasons.

Off-topic: If folks enjoy webcomics and don't read Gunnerkrigg Court... it's pretty amazing. Especially the most recent page, which made me think of our favorite doll. :)

I'm a couple weeks behind, but I honestly take more inspiration for Evangeline A. K. Mcdowell from Negima. Another good one that I'm way behind on is Wapsi square

So do we have any fans of giant robot anime? A friend is looking for a live group to get on roll20 to play Mekton Z. Anybody interested?

Admittedly, I'm probably not good for a live game, but giant robots are amazing just on principle. Care to elaborate on Mekton Z?