Kawaii Cataclysm (Inactive)

Game Master BastianQuinn

Lots of radio silence from most everyone. Are you guys doing okay?

I feel like I overwhelmed everyone... I'm hoping it's just the season and the weather. I'm alright, and have something to post to bump the thread, I'm just worried.

Three things happened all at once.

--GenCon I was volunteering at Paizo HQ and it kind of ate me
--Massive plot shift The kind of thing I thought Naiad had pretty locked down?
--Two characters I have a hard time running two or characters at the same time. Makes GMing things a challenge sometimes.

In addition to these, we've been exceptionally short-handed at work, so it's rare that I have the energy to be creative for this amazing story, and there's a desire to 'not suck' when I'm posting.

I'll be honest, I sometimes draw inspiration from other people posting, so if I'm in a creative 'lull', and *everyone else is* it... can be kind of thread-killing?

Yeah, I was thinking it might be a combination of a lot of things. Mostly 'you now have another character to consider the motivations of!'

Which is easy for me to do because I only barely know who Tenshi is. So she's going to be a mysterious jerk who thinks she's in control. Judging the main antagonist that appeared as being the same person who antagonizes the coven in American Horror Story midway through left me recognizing that the situation you're in is meant to put you 'in your place'. Your character is meant to be uncomfortable with something that's going on. So, Tenshi is in a losing battle, surrounded by opposition on all sides, and there's nothing she can do about it. Each character is being slapped in what BQ thinks is our personal hell.

Tenshi is annoyed with the antics and annoyed that this guy is messing with her plans, plots, and fishing for more information, so she's acting annoyed and condescending. Her not having what she wants right now just means she's playing the long game. Clearly. Release her at once.

Sora feels like this is another person trying to take her agency away and put her on the stage in a cute little dress to dance and sing for them. And she's right. And she's done with that.

So, if you need inspiration as to how your 'older self' should work somewhat, take a cue from the fact they're supposed to be annoyed at the current situation... or even frightened by it. The bad guy is literally antagonizing your character, so you can tell what your goals and desires somewhat should be based on what he's taken or the position you're in.

I think it's also possible to just let BQ handle your other self, but that might or might not come with consequences, I would think. This is an opportunity to help BQ define what the symbiote inside of us actually wants and what we want them to want. :) Specifically, the consequences of what happens when they step in and do what they want with you if you accrue enough trauma is more defined by BQ's views since they don't have an accurate representation of what you want your past life to want. :)

Is all of that accurate?

See, the impression I got from it wasn't so much future/past as side-by-side different realities that had split from each other and were existing more or less in the same space/time.

Which clearly turns it into one headache-inducing nightmare, if one delves too deep into it?

It's not time-based, no, I don't think. Though I do believe we're all 'frozen'. All of this is happening in our minds, I think.

So, it's this omnipotent godspirit* popping in to play merry havoc with our psyches, picking up on a real fear/anxiety that our characters have and have shown to have, and he's using that as leverage to put himself in a position of power. Because what he wants is the soul you've bargained bits of in order to make a real difference in the world. (To imply intent on both sides :p)

He's separated our past life (naiad) from our current one (alex) which is a game term, not particularly a literal one. I just used the term 'Past Life' to represent the spirit that empowers us.

You've got the right of it, if I have the situation right. Think of him as a really sinister mind/dream/death mage.

*YMMV on Omnipotence and Godspirit's accuracy. :)

The man in the moon has taken you all into his house of mirrors, separating your mundane selves from the composite personality of your past lives. He's put you into separate rooms, with two-way mirrors. Your magical selves are aware that they've been separated from their mundane selves, which they feel protective of (at the very least because they represent their agency in a world of wrongs.) This would have been a lot more hostile if Naiad hadn't cooled it down. Kalfou is a lot more like a traditional satan figure. The person you got instead likes to play games and make deals. He's more of a death figure.

This is an excuse for me to see you more concretely act out your mundane lives and past lives separately, but it's also a puzzle. As always, I'm more than willing to speak over the table so you can be more sure of your part in the spotlight.

For Naiad's part, Naiad is Perdita, and she also isn't. Perdita joined Naiad when she died. The scene she is in is from her past, but it's a backdrop to a conversation, and a lead-up to a question.

Yes, like Tenshi said, Past Lives is a game term. They aren't strictly from the past, and they aren't actually in the times they appear to be now. Tenshi, especially, can see that it's an illusion, because that's their jam. Chell and Airi are from a future. Suzu mentioned that some records of the Magical Girls were more prophesy than legend.

Funnily enough, it hadn't registered mentally just how long it had been. As it was, to a certain degree, I was trying to decipher Airi's scenario, in addition to just figuring out Airi in general.
Junpei' scenario? Less so. I recognise it. IIIIII see what you did there.
In any case, this helps. I think I've got a better idea on this.

Side note...looking again, it's interesting to see the differences in description for how our Past Selves are able to perceive us. I have to wonder if the differences are actually indicative of anything, and if so, just which pieces of the spectrum of possibilities apply.
As it is, I have to wonder about the possible nuances in the interactions overall. There's so many differences in the introductions, some little, some large. It's very, very interesting.

Considering Present!Ao is clueless, Adjacent!Ao might be a bit more informed, though he's not playing part of the game. While he's content to reinforce the barrier, his investment is by choice, rather than obligation— Kyou being involved will likely change their opinions, as he will have a couple ideas involving the "Link" tag, as well as sealing themselves to each other as an experiment (that may or may not be able to be undone, but there's got to be some Ofuda in regards to that, right?)

You'd like to tunnel through to Sakura/Kyou? That's feasible. You're in a place where you can tap into some deeper arts. When Ao slips deeper into the arcane- into the profane... How does that manifest? How does the art of Ofuda manifest inside the nightmare?

*thoughtful* Metaphorically speaking, Present!Ao will have some ideas to test regarding the powers that each of them have manifested, while Adjacent!Ao is presently concerned with the entity that is having the faceoff with the skull— and seemingly preventing it from continuing to undo all before it.

In terms of the ofuda functioning, this really depends on whether or not Adjacent!Ao has enough power to manifest the symbolism independent of the medium of the tags themselves. If he is able to manifest properties of the tags independent of the paper, then he is just trying to identify the circumstances he finds himself in [Identify]/[Resonate], with himself as a fixed point of independence (egotistical, I'm aware), to observe how the things react. Now the conceptual space that he is in is probably completely unlike the conceptiual space that Kyou would occupy, so the first effect would be to understand the space he is in, if he can.

Secondly, his "extension of power" would be to reinforce the manifestation that is preventing the skull [Reinforce]/[Augment], from pushing forward to points that have not been removed, or points that he has not interacted with yet.

Third, provided that the feline is a manifestation from his sister, then there's the possibility of managing a sympathetic link to her through that, or in effect "linking" their powers with each other, though the "Adjacency" idea may skew that somewhat, though there's also the possibility that the shift needed to manage a link from Adjacent!Ao to Present!Ao may flux in the transition.

This seems like a season finale, so a cliffhanger in results seems appropriate. Did I address your questions appropriately?

Tracing symbols in the air is totally possible here. There's no shortage of power. I don't think that first one would require a roll, but rolling well would get more information. Rolling poorly would get you different information.

*thoughtful* I'll risk it. Info?: 2d6 ⇒ (1, 3) = 4

I'm currently going through a lot of mentally exhausting stuff. I'm trying to keep my head above water enough to keep up with posting in my threads. If I slip, please point it out to me and I'll try to do better.

Not a problem. I live in NC, which will prob see some Irma action, and I got robbed last week. I'm only here to maintain a sense of normalcy at this point.

Precisely that on my end. I can't leave because this is the only place that makes much sense right now.

I didn't mean to be dismissive if it sounded that way. I didn't have a lot of time to respond but felt I needed to while the feeling of comradery was there. I really am sorry your life has been flipped around like that, and I hope you get your stuff back. Stay safe.

Not at all. Thank you.

I'm writing an update. I don't want anyone to feel left behind, but I do want to maintain some momentum.

I will admit, I can't really imagine what that's like. I just know that it must definitely suck, and I hope that you come out of all this well.
That you all do well, even.

Incoming thought flow that I may send to ActualFactual. I started as sort of a conversation with you guys but I feel like I moved more towards talking to this person I don't even know about a thing they made. So, what do you guys think. Should I send it to them?

I was thinking of Girl by Moonlight again, just now, and was thinking of a hack that would make it a lot more interesting (at least, in my opinion). What if, while acting in darkness (and possibly only while following your darkness prompt), all of your actions gained potency?

I really like this idea that submitting to your darkness grants you a sort of cold agency; that when things get dark, and you can't stay yourself, fighting through it is the right answer, and that each character's way of fighting through it is different.

Mechanically, it also functions as a sort of anchor against the dice. If you're falling to darkness, that extra edge may be what's needed to close out a mission without the character completely falling.

Narratively, it also offers the option that bad guys are simply always more potent because they're always following their darkness. And it also highlights that they're people who have become slaves to their own desires, but they're still people.

Like, it really excites me to think that Girl by Moonlight could simply swap hands between villainous character themes between seasons, based entirely upon who the actual villain is.

Like, Season 1's main villain was Corvus, a mysterious stranger who never let her true self show until she was shown that she mattered and could make a change by Aquila. An Enigma character is a great villain to ramp up the mystery and tension dramatically, and to slowly expose the world to the players as the mask slips away.

I also really like this idea that Season 1 is completely played in flashbacks as that only adds to the mystery.

Season 2 wound up being all about Fusions, in a way. I really like this idea that Capricorn is a fusion that's missing his other half. That his particular fall to darkness was that his soulmate doesn't exist just now, and that he's trying, desperately, to bring them back by every means necessary, but that that's completely off-screen. The fact that his machinations wind up fusing Scorpio's power with another Scorpio and he becomes a slave to Charybdis and winds up fusing with the stolen power of said Scorpio just sort of all reinforces that he's the dark side of a fusion.

The whole season was ultimately about building relationships, lampshaded by the fact that those relationships didn't really exist prior to season 2. What's more crazy is that season 2 ended by tearing apart the team.

Now, season 3 is coming, and if things go the route I'm hoping things go, that Aquila is powered by their relationship with Aquarius and the promise they made to them, and the struggle to create a future where that light isn't lost seems impossible, right now... and that the player's goals are likely very much in line with dragging their friend out of the belief that this horrible future isn't a forgone conclusion. And playing into Aquila's darkness should come second nature to Hyena... they spent most of the game struggling with it. That's assuming that they could enjoy that.

Finally, I may be implying my own philosophies here, but really bad guys are rare. Most of the problems we run into come from a lack of empathy and understanding. Shining a light on the fact that the bad guys can be amongst the most vulnerable characters in the game is a great concept. That she's fallen to this idea that everything she does is futility. So she falls into the darkness, and embraces it.

Finally, Finally: Having Aquila tell Corvus that she left her just like she always knew she would is just this cold, hard slap in the face, that I really need to see the reaction to. Because I'm a jerk like that.

Another system I've seen some cool social mechanics has been Masks, wherin damage is dealt in insecurities, and villains are tiered by how many core insecurities they embody, and each has its own set of themed moves.

I can see what you're saying. When a character goes dark, it's mechanically caused by a series of unfortunate turns. Empowering characters in the darkness not only balances out that fall, but lays out the temptation of the darkness in a very concrete way.

I also love games where the DM roll passes as a part of the mechanics.

One of my other DMs is planning on starting a new game soonish. Star Trek/Star Wars/Mech Warrior/Traveler/Big Eyes Small Mouth are the current options that he might run. That last one is almost assuredly something that would interest you folks.

If there's any interest here's a link. :)

It's interesting, but I need to get past my writer's block here and get this moving again before taking on any other PbP?

BESM: Easy to learn, difficult to master.

Same. I've hit a wall and need to figure out which way to go.

What say we to the possibility of a Deus Ex Machina simplifying the situation a bit? I'll trigger a few pocket aces to clear up this admittedly convoluted trauma cascade, and put us somewhere where everyone's got a clear idea of what's going on and where the threats are coming from. How does that sound? I'm open to suggestions.

I'm not so sure Deus Ex is the right way to go as much as some Clarity is needed?

Perhaps those who are struggling more get more 'hints' because the 'game' 'isn't any fun' if the 'contestants' are clueless?

Contrasts I'm thinking of...

Jean Luc Picard and Q

VS

William Riker and Q

VS

Benjamin Sisko and Q

etc?

I'm fine with playing it out (and even bearing the brunt of the sacrifice). But I don't want people to feel sidelined.

I'm willing to answer any questions that would help motivate folks to post. Nothing's off the table.

This weekend I'll be pushing forward with Sora, Junpei, and AO's responses.

What level of memory are the two halves at right now?

Alex can start remembering anything that has happened during this campaign. He's realized, or believes, that he's been visited by a death figure, and should recognize with very little experimentation that he has no access to magic.

Naiad is and is not Perdita. She remembers anything Alex would about the past three days, and her memories as Perdita are foggy. She could remember anything shown in spoilers about Perdita's involvement in past events:

• Perdita was recruited by Aratani after she was shunned by Kyou for decimating Obuza with her first use of "Shoot the Moon"

• For some reason, Aratani and Kyou have since buried the hatchet.

• She hand Paresh were intimately involved after Paresh learned to make a male trinket.

• Perdita, Paresh, and Kazue were investigating some suspicious activities

• Kazue killed Perdita with her too-many vorpal trinkets. Kazue was compelled by some combination of erased memory and 7xfractured soul.

• Perdita once took over Alex's body and killed a yokai.

• Perdita has shown hostility toward all yokai.

I Think that's everything shown on-screen related to Perdita... A lot of it was in spoilers to other characters.

It's weird, there being so little activity. It's a strange thing to adjust to, let alone with the amount of players here when I first joined. It really felt lively.

Any news on Kiyomi?

Their player went radio silent forever ago. :( I'm pretty sure we were one of their last posts. With luck, they'll show back up in time. :)

Still around.

I've got this awesome thought for a post but keep getting it eaten when posting it.

I get distracted here or the site goes down.

Horrible excuse, it's inexcusable!

Teaser/spoiler=It's not Alex's Death.

I'm going to be out of state for Thanksgiving. I'll have my kindle with me as well as my cell phone, but no reliable access to a real PC. It shouldn't affect my post rates too much, as I figure most people will want to do things during my normal work timeframe.

*looks up from his intense Arbitrary Power Level calculations*

You're getting what you asked for, but did you have someone in mind when you said the "second-strongest spirit in the space"? I'm just curious because I hadn't considered APLs.

Edit: it may be more useful and important that we both understand who is excluded from that list:

Hugues is not inside the 'space'
Tomoyo does not have a 'spirit'
You would not be able to focus on your host here
Suzu, Ayatori, Zeek, and kitty are also not acceptable targets

Anyone else I'm forgetting would not be on this list?

I figured that Kazue and Sailor Motorcycle would be the two most vibrant souls. If I'm wrong, that just leaves her to pop to another space. Those are just the only two that have seen onscreen reinforcement. To my knowledge, anyway.

But it wasnt a guarantee to pop to her target, just a guarantee to pop to who she expected was her target. She doesn't really have any bonds to follow, after all. So pick the second brightest star and aim a little to the left. :)

I work for a college, so I'll have lots of time off for the next two weeks an no real travel plans.

Merry Christmas :)

Travelling. I'll try to get a post up, but access is relegated to non-functional hotel computers at present.

Just booping in to add some songs that make sense for the portraits. :)

Ao
Sakura
Emi
804-Chan

I don't think I can continue this game with so many key players missing...

Yeah, I can totally understand that. Sorry, BQ. :(

Here is my master notes page. The document history goes all the way back to the beginning of the game.

You can see from the progression of the document how my whole process is a feedback loop, which I think is where this game met its end. As players left, or stopped responding, I had less material to work with, and more threads to perpetuate without the input that made them so rich. So much depended on players that those who weren't sure how or what to contribute didn't get anything back from me to help them out of that hole, and players who had contributed a lot created a huge plot issue when they left.

I'll keep these notes, and maybe in a few months start up the second season, treating this last encounter as a mystery.

I am proud, however, with how far we all got with the original material.

If there are any questions at all, I'd be happy to answer them.

It happens, and it is understandable. Sorry that it happened, but the story that happened so far was fun. I'll be looking for the second season. It was a pleasure writing with you all.

Lots of blank spaces! :O I'd actually expected more notes from you. I guess as a teacher you've learned to take small talking points and expand them into entire ideas (jogging your memory, rather than reading from a prompter), yeah?

Was I satisfactory in my role of instigating all over the place and messing things up? :O

I had no idea I had super strength. I just thought I was tireless. :3

Edit: Totally looking forward to season two. :3

This wasn't everything, and it's stagnated a little in the past few months, but I do try to compress my notes and organize visually as much as spacially.

It was wonderful. Having someone slip in and out of scenes was great, if a little stressful.

I was always waiting for you or chrysanth to do something physical, but I either missed it or it didn't happen.

I apologize for dropping out with little notice.

The weekend of GenCon and whatever the heck happened to the narrative then just killed whatever focus I had for the character and I could not re-focus in on them.

I had an inkling of an idea, but every time I'd go to write it up it'd fall out of my brain, and the last time I'd done anything with it was Alex boldly proclaiming that their opponent wasn't 'their Death', because they weren't nearly goth or cute enough to be that.

Unfortunately, that's about all I can remember from it from repeated tries.

And there's really nothing I can think of with Naiad, as the mindset was too alien/disconnected for me to work with, so that side would also be a factor in trying to write things.

I would be interested in a future running, but perhaps not as...expansive?

It's like we hit cruising speed well enough, and then we went full-on Apocalyptic End Scene and then... well, it wasn't and it was confusing... almost like we had a series-ender that was turned into a season-ender by the studio putting this crazy thing together?

That's not a slam or a dig on the hard work of you as a GM, nor the other players in the game. Thank you for running, and sorry I couldn't match the pace.

This really was fun, and I enjoyed it. Just the amount of stuff going on was fascinating, even if I wasn't part of it.
Which...I guess that's why it was kind of draining when people dropped out. When you hinge a lot on someone, their absence costs a bit of the life that they once contributed. Really, it's not surprising that the constant influx of everybody doing all sorts wasn't going to last forever, but it was really one of the bits I loved. Just all these slices of life, and when a player went, so did the window they provided.

After that...I guess the shift in scenario just came at a bad time.

I'd be happy if we got a season two on this. To continue in the world, and take the chance to reacquaint ourselves with it and build up something that will hopefully work better for everyone. Just...re-establish, I guess.

Seriously though, I loved this. Sorry my involvement fell off.

You been keeping up with Girl by Moonlight? I remember that coming up before. Would that still be in consideration for a future game?