BrokenPromise

Gush about your favorite characters!

I'm slowly working on a response for this, it's just taking some time. Currently at 300-400 words.

Symphony on High

Awwwrighty, Got Mika's Leito updated.

Somebody’s Watching Me! (EX)

Mika knows she’s being observed, just not by who. At least, not yet.

GRADE: Silver
SPECIAL: Mika knows when she's being watched. This prevents her from being ambushed so long as she's not already fighting.

Also did some updates to the DoCS:

-Push/Pull has been reworded for clarity

-As have Zone/Aoe

If a note’s effects are dependent on what part/side of a target they hit, the caster may choose any part of a target so long as it’s inside the zone and can be seen from the zone’s center.

If a note’s effects are dependent on what part/side of a target they hit, the caster may choose any part of a target so long as it’s inside the area of effect and can be seen from AoE’s center.

-Rain was renamed to “Sky Call” as the original name no longer reflected the note’s purpose. You may need to open and close your copy of the Melody Cost Calculator for it to import the new list.

-Restrain note clarified, along with slow

-Healing note revision for clarity

There's some other stuff I want to do along with the elemental note buffs, but that'll do for now.

SoE Patch Notes

Post SoH First Operation Patch Notes:

-Push/Pull has been reworded for clarity.

-As well as Zone/Aoe.

If a note’s effects are dependent on what part/side of a target they hit, the caster may choose any part of a target so long as it’s inside the zone and can be seen from the zone’s center.

If a note’s effects are dependent on what part/side of a target they hit, the caster may choose any part of a target so long as it’s inside the area of effect and can be seen from AoE’s center.

-Rain was renamed to “Sky Call” as the original name no longer reflected the note’s purpose. You may need to open and close your copy of the Melody Cost Calculator for it to import the new list.

-Restrain note clarified, along with slow.

-Healing note revision for clarity.

Symphony on High

With that, Operations have concluded. Now we start Downtime.

As mentioned before, downtime is a non-combat phase that happens at the end of every Operation. They tend to run for about a month and allow for the following:

-Collaborative/flashback posts can be written.
-You may make changes to your Genre's notes. (Be sure to tell a GM you're editing your sheet)
-Posting is not required, but still encouraged!
-A greater emphasis on character building and setups to lead us into the next set of operations.

Also during this time, your GMs will be discussing how to move things forward and make changes to the DoCS.

In the past, downtime has largely been put up as a sort of playground for the players to interact in ways that operations don't allow for. Unfortunately, they haven't been all that active and most of the collabs that got written tended to be between players and at least one GM. My theory is that while most of us enjoy collaborating, it tends to not be very organic and not everyone wants to brainstorm why their characters should meet up. So! We're bring in downtime scenes. It's nothing special, it's just some scenes that you can populate with your espers. Depending on your faction, drop your character into GEMINI HQ or the Great Escape and enjoy a few weeks of posts where nothing's trying to kill your esper. Talk to other players, talk to NPCS, all I ask is that you don't try to do a collab that takes place in the middle of a downtime scene. Collabs in crowded places get messy fast. Do note that you may still write and post collabs that take place during the week. Just treat it as a flash back.

Oh! And I was asked about players using NPC characters in their posts a little while back. There's going to be plenty of NPCs running around during downtime, and we have a lot of new players that could use the extra interaction. That said, you're free to use your own NPCs in collaborations. That said^X2 I would appreciate it if you didn't get too crazy. You can make espers, monsters, normal people who live around Pax, but nothing with super crazy high power levels. And emphasis on that "people who live around Pax" bit. I don't have an issue with a character's long distance relative calling them, but I'd prefer if you didn't write posts that took place inside the elemental chaos or were largely about the elemental chaos. I'd also rather not feature powerful entities that are on par with the main antagonists. If you're unsure, ask.

Anyway, about Backup Glamors...

I'm going to assume you read the DoCS and skip their introduction. But as far as getting them, you just need to get friendly enough with someone that they're willing to share some of their power with you. Espers will often create totem objects in their spare time and hand them off to comrades and friends.

In short, all you need to receive a backup is to have a nice interaction with another character, or at least leave an impression where they want to help you survive. Backups can be acquired from befriending NPCs or Players. The Backup does not need to be handed off during downtime. We, the readers, just need to understand why you're carrying around someone's backup.

Rules for Backup creation are in the DoCS, but I want to remind everyone that the recipient has the most control over what the Backup actually does. The Giver, however, has their element considered with its creation and decides how it looks. Though ideally the two of you will have a conversation and decide on something that makes sense. The exception to this rule is if you get your Backup from certain NPCs. Backups such as this have fantastical effects that can't be compared to a melody. We'll cover how to rank up Backups later.

And lastly, I'm going to explain the newest, yet-to-be-added feature to the DoCS: Swan Songs

A Swan Song is a part of every esper's kit. They can unleash a powerful, decisive spell that can turn the tide of battle. The only issue is that an esper can only sing a swan song once... Because it kills them. The esper's true self is slain, and the mana created from their memories is used to fuel the esper just long enough to invoke their most powerful spell.

The exact effects of a Swan Song are too varied to mention. They can be powerful attacks, restorative spells that perform far beyond what melodies can do, and more. The effects are dramatic, but it will be the last thing your esper does should they choose to invoke it.

Swan Songs are not added to your Character Sheets. However, they do have grades, which determine how strong the effects are. The grade can be determined by the "age" of your character.

Bronze: New character. Powerful enough to harm an elite enemy or do significant damage to a mob. Can return an unconscious or severely wounded esper to fighting form, if only momentarily.

Silver: Esper survived at least two operations. Powerful enough to kill or incapacitate an elite enemy/mob and can bypass protection. Can return an unconscious or severely wounded esper to fighting form, or grant an esper a brief moment of invulnerability.

Gold: Esper survived at least an arc, or four operations. Powerful enough to kill or incapacitate multiple elite enemies/mobs, or harm a boss, regardless of protections. Can resurrect an ally, heal several espers, or grant their allies a brief moment of invulnerability.

Diamond: Esper survived at least two arcs. Effects unknown, but are sure to make all but the most challenging operations much easier for the survivors, as well as trigger a few GMs into breaking their keyboards.

There are only two restrictions on Swan Songs: It needs to be a heroic sacrifice, so if you use it, it needs to help another esper. And two, an esper needs to be conscious for a full turn after using their swan song for it to activate.

Oh yea, and @Majoraa? Here's your new Backup. Like any backup, you can only have one on at a time. So you need to pick between this or Eddy.

BACKUP: Black Swallowtail

An immaculate clock. Why does every tick strike a chord of nostalgia and melancholy?

GRADE: ?????
BACKUP MELODY: [Unique]
SPECIAL: Upon activation of Finn's Swan Song, he becomes the Iron Duke. Permanently.

Symphony on High

"’It ain’t monday. BUT…"

— Mika Fang

Mika did little to engage with the others. Even though the mission wasn’t over, a sense of calm was starting to lower over everyone. This was especially evident (to Mika) when Estelle pointed out that Tony was at large somewhere.

"’Why would a bad guy like Tony be guarding Binky?” She rapped on the concrete wall of the underground prison. "’The only place out of here is that elevator. If I was Tony, I’d have everyone wait and have the elevator explode when we were inside it. Waiting down here like a video game boss would have been totally stupid.”

With a huff, Mika walked to the back of the room and wandered inside one of the prison cells. It had been open, but visibility to the rest of the group was limited. Once she confirmed no one was watching her, Mika covered her face and leaned into the wall. Her entire body trembled as she slid into a sitting position.All the blood that had soaked into her dress was smeared on the wall. She wanted to scream, but she restricted her voice to a whimper. She pulled back her hands to look at them, and they were covered in blood. No doubt some had gotten on her face, but there was nothing to wipe off on. She was a mess, and would need to take a shower when she got back. Regardless of how clean her normal form was. With a groan, Mika stood up and raked her claws against the wall.

"’Yea.” Mika mumbled the words. "’It doesn’t look like there’s any other way out of here. Are we ready to go?.”

Mika Stat Block

16 | Female | Gemini | Somebody's Watching Me!
Nails | Hands | Arcane | Cat Scratch Fever
Eye of the Tiger | Survivor
Spirit Animals | Nature | ANIMAL
[Poison, Transform], Pull, Restrain, Construction, Heal, Stabilize, Extend

DAMAGE: C | SPEED: B | SENTINEL: E | 500

PHYSICAL: D | ARCANE: B | CHAOS: C | 404

---

_{@Ponn@ERode@Izurich}

…

…

…

Elise stayed behind a bit longer to watch the agents leave, lingering in the front doorway. Hopefully she’ll be able to salvage a few things here and there and scram before Tony decides to check in on the place. Not like she was concerned about what happens next after tonight.

After all, he wasn’t who she really worked for.

”...Are you sure it’s okay to just…let them have her like that?”

…

”Yeah I know, but we could’ve put more effort into this shit than that. Tony’s not gonna be happy they took the other captives with. Not to mention they took the hired gun into custody.”

…

”Right. Did I really have to play the damsel card though? Getting bitten by hand-wolves isn’t what I had in mind for a night out.”

…

”Understood. But next time, I’m kicking his ass.”

---

_{@The World@Nakushita@TaintedMushroom@FamishedPants}

After looking over the truck’s shipment, Marrie could verify that only a small number of cases had been tainted by the palemaster’s influence. At least, that had to be why only a few bottles looked foggy and opaque. It didn’t take long for Marrie to get a private response back.

Thank you for the update. We have a team on standby to recover the truck and do any necessary clean up. Just stay in the area so that you can get paid and put in a report when we drop by.

Further away, and without warning, a snake dove out of the darkness and bit one of Himiko’s arms. Its rows of serrated teeth cut through it instantly, before the snake buried itself in the parking lot. Himiko’s arm hit the pavement afterwards.

”Oops! I missed! I’d better get out of here before she kicks my ass! Again!”

---

”So.“ Fritzi paced back and forth in front of Finn, who was anxiously avoiding eye contact with her. ”I gave you some time off, but apparently you love being an esper so much that you decided to join some random freelancers.“ Fritzi grabbed the collar of her lab coat and tugged on it. ”I am a doctor, you know? If I give you time off, it’s not to be used, well, ‘being on.’ Do I need to prescribe you some Ritalin? I was hoping it wouldn’t come to that.“ She placed her hands on her hips. ”And that was before we realized Oros had it out for you. Why were you out there?“

Finn flinched, straightening up in a snap. ”I-I’m fine, really! I’m so sorry, I was going back home but t-they needed the help! I didn’t even know Oros had been involved, much less that she had gathered her own followers!” He tried to explain himself to her.

”Quite frankly, I would be surprised if she didn’t have so many followers. This city is not well, Finn, that’s why we’re here.“ She leaned in. ”But that’s also why we can’t afford any more casualties. We were fortunate that Breacher’s grimoire responded to Cerberus the way it did. But I’m not so sure we’ll be so lucky with you. That said, I doubt your sister would consider herself very lucky if she got wrapped up in this because you got yourself killed.“ Fritzi placed a hand over her face. ”Did Faith not make it clear how volatile your situation is?“

The boy’s eyes widened.

_{”S-Situation…?”}

Fritzi slowly spread her fingers until she could see through them. ”Your curse? You know, you fell unconscious in the arcade and there was sand everywhere? That doesn’t happen to normal people I assure you. It was a curse.“ When Finn continued to give her a dumbfounded look, she lowered her hand. ”We recovered Binky recently. That was a very important operation. I would have included you in the squad if I thought you were fit for combat. It’s infected both your true and esper forms, that’s why-“ Her arms swung at her side. ”That fairy really- Well okay, I’ll have to talk to Faith about relaying information later.“ Fritzi tapped her foot. ”Finn, something has control of your mind. It’s in your subconscious, and we’re not sure exactly how it operates. It’s comparable to a dark blessing, and we can’t just blast it out of you.“ She sighed. ”I don’t even know what triggers it. It happened to you in an arcade, and again when Oros cut your legs off. Is it adrenaline? Hypothetical question, don’t answer that. But.“ She folded her hands together. ”Do you remember anything? Like a tingling sensation, a vision? Maybe a weird dream?“

Christ, that was a lot to take in. With a shaky breath, Finn did his best to explain:

”Besides the sand? Vivid dreams. To the point where I swear I could’ve died if I didn’t wake up. A-And I think… I think I’ve been seeing things, stalking me. Ever since I took that job at Dante’s, that thing that damn succubus summoned in her little dream world’s been haunting me ever since. I tried to tell Ashley about it, but not even I knew what it was. Or this…” He deeply frowned, hugging himself tightly. To think he’d somehow ended up in a situation that not even his employers could easily help with. ”I’ve been meaning to go back to investigate the diner, but I haven't had the time. I-I don’t even know if it’s all in my head or if something’s after me.”

Fritzi held her chin. ”Could be a coincidence, could be something else. A succubus is a curious threat to encounter before experiencing dreams and hallucinations.“ With a click of her tongue, she straightened her posture. ”It’s worth looking into. But I don’t want you going back there yourself. Who knows what will happen if you go back there by yourself. I’ll set up an operation and we can see if there’s anything that can be learned. I will have to keep you in the dark about some details. If someone is projecting illusions and dreams on you, they might be aware of everything you do.“ Fritzi turned to walk back into her office when she stopped and spun around again. ”Unrelated, but you’re still interested in learning about ‘other worlds’ and such, right?“

Finn glanced back up at her with a nod. ”Mhm.”

Fritzi pointed at a door beside her office. ”Someone decided to stop by. We’re still in the process of getting her acclimated, so try to ask too many silly questions. Otherwise, I think you’ll find her rather interesting.“

It wasn’t like Finn had anything else to do right now. He entered the room without expectations. By now he knew that Fritzi loved her theatrics, but there wasn’t anything too unusual here. It was just a small office space furnished with some plants and an overhead fluorescent light. There were only two chairs, one of which was occupied by a smaller woman donning a coat similar to Fritzi’s. She didn’t look up when Finn entered, and seemed to be playing around with a tablet.

”Oh my, that’s certainly-” She fretted her brow. ”Why does the UI need to change after every update?” At last, she looked up at Finn. ”Ah, Finn, right? Fritzi told me a little bit about you.” She set the tablet aside. ”You have an interest in other worlds? What sparked your interest in that? Is it just a passing curiosity, or were you hoping to meet other versions of yourself in far off dimensions?”

The boy sat down in the other chair. ”Well, uhm, I had an interesting encounter with someone who explained to me about… ‘Reality Plenums’, if I remember what he called them correctly? He made this machine called the Syllogismobile to traverse across the multiverse, but he hadn’t been able to master inter-reality travel entirely yet since he’s been struggling to return home.” Finn explained. ”I’ve been considering a device of my own since then, but preferably in a more compact form than a whole vehicle, yeah?”

”A Syllogismobile, you say?” She grinned. ”Wouldn’t that be a little parbaked without a proper flux capacitor?” The scientist placed a hand on her chest. ”My name is Doctor Webber, but you may call me Sharr. I was a close friend of Doctor Muller a long time ago. We did a lot of research together, primarily on what might lay beyond the elemental chaos. Since then I’d been abducted by Oros the Mad and went on a tour around the country. I had expected a warmer welcome, but it seems like she doesn’t fully trust me yet.” She leaned forwards. ”I thought you might be interested in what lay beyond the elemental chaos as well, but I can’t tell if you’re pulling my leg or not. A Syllogismobile? What child’s show did that appear on?”

”How old do you think I am??” Finn rose a brow at the jab. ”If you had already been looking into what’s beyond our realm of comprehension, I would’ve figured you’d already be aware of the possibility of denizens from alternative realities trying to travel through it themselves. We wouldn’t exactly be the first to achieve such a feat, by that logic, but having an easy way to cross through would help push our research further wouldn’t it?” He lightly kicked his legs back and forth. ”Been thinking since monsters from the Elemental Chaos are led here by the overflux of mana, that there could be a way we can harness it in a similar manner. Kinda like how grimoires work. But at the same time I don’t really know how the things are made, much less if it’s possible to replicate or whatever else. Though, from how you talk about this…” Finn glanced back at Sharr. ”You know more than you let on.”

Sharr blinked. ”You had all that to say, and you still chose to open with a Syllogismobile?”

”I’m not the one who named the damn thing.” He tiredly retorted. ”If I did, I’d probably just shorten it to something like, the Syllogis. Same derivation from Syllogism, just a bit more to the point.”

”If it wasn’t apparent, I don’t know anything about this Syllogismobile. It’s not a term I’m familiar with. But I’m fine moving the conversation past it.” Sharr leaned back in her chair. ”As you’ve pointed out, monsters have been coming to our world for a long time. While Gemini isn’t known for showing monsters much hospitality, we did attempt to talk to them about it. The issue is that nothing they say lines up very neatly. They all come from somewhere else, but there are too many different ways for them to get here. Many traverse the elemental chaos like it was just a hike, others use powerful rituals, a few even use vehicles to get here. Perhaps this Syllogismobile is an example of such a device. But we haven’t had a lot of luck communicating with monsters in the past. Even recovering the vehicles does not provide us with much. They are often made of materials not found in our world. We can’t even use them because while they can safely transport a monster, they do not offer humans the protection they need. Replicating their rituals is something else that has eaten through a lot of tax dollars without yielding much in return. Magic is a very volatile thing, but it’s easy to forget that when a grimoire is doing all the work for you.” She raised her finger. ”There’s only one human who has ever safely traversed the elemental chaos, and that’s Oros the Mad.”

”Okay, yeah, I am not going to the woman that sliced my legs off.” Finn quickly knocked that idea out. ”And after the Holy Diver I doubt it’d be easy to even find a monster, much less one willing to hear us out.”

But then again, Amanda and Cherno…Baphomet? Cherno-Baph, seem chill with me. Maybe they can help?

Finn crossed his arms in thought. ”Still, if anything, I can try and toss my hat in if I’m lucky enough to cross paths with one.”

”There’s no need for you to consult anyone, especially Oros. As I’ve mentioned, I’ve been with her for some time and was able to witness her traverse the elemental chaos. She used a ritual, but it’s not something I could easily replicate or that she would willingly do for me. Especially now that I’ve returned to Gemini.” Sharr propped up her head with her arm. ”I find it a lot more interesting that Gemini’s current poster boy knows someone with a ‘Syllogismobile’. They wouldn’t happen to be a monster, would they?”

”Uhm… I guess a sharply dressed talking dog counts as one? He had a monocle. But he left as quick as he appeared.” Unfortunately.

”That does sound like a monster, but I suspect their contraption wasn’t fit for human use anyway. But I believe you said you wanted to make a more compact version? How would you do that without having the original version to study?”

Finn’s eyes widened.

”I-I hadn’t… _{thought about that…}”

”You asked me what I thought your age was. I do not think you would be flattered by the answer.” After looking smug for a bit, Sharr sighed. ”If you’re interested in seeing other worlds, that’s certainly something we can work towards. It won’t be easy though. You’ll probably need to spend a lot more time here. I’m sure Fritzi can come up with an excuse that will satisfy your care takers. But is that what you want? Are you willing to leave what little of your old life you have behind to pursue such a goal?”

”I don’t exactly have much to lose in the first place…” The only thing he was concerned about was juggling school and work. Lydia might catch wind of something amiss, but she was almost as busy as their parents. ”How long do I have to think it over?”

”The question was hypothetical. Naturally, Fritzi is skeptical about letting me go right back to work. While Oros did abduct me, I’ve been traveling with her for some time. It’s reasonable to question my allegiance after such a long time. But Gemini needs espers, and I don’t see her holding out on me forever.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a closed fist. ”I did enjoy our little chat. I’d like you to have something. A token of a budding friendship, perhaps?” She presented her hand to Finn. When she opened it, there was a pocket watch in her hand. There was something alluring and frightening about its aura. The gothic clock face was like his own grimoire, but the watch was made from a very dark steel. It was almost black.

”Wh-What is this?” Finn carefully took the watch from Sharr’s hand, inspecting it more closely.

”I call it the Black Swallowtail. At a glance, it looks like a normal, if well made, pocket watch. Surely you can sense it’s not an everyday item? If you’ve been doing the esper thing long enough, you may be fortunate enough to find someone willing to share a small portion of their power with you. And, well, that’s exactly what that is.” Sharr folded her hands together. ”A special boy deserves a special gift. It took me some time to make, so I do hope you can go a few operations without using it.” She laughed. ”Ahh, but when faced with ultimate despair, don’t hesitate to use it. If my gift saves your life, I won’t mind that you used it.”

Finn blinked in surprise. ”Well, u-uhm, I don’t know what to say! Th-Thank you, I guess!” He pocketed the watch. ”I’ll try my best to save it as long as possible!”

”As you should.” Sharr chuckled. ”Ahh, but enough discussing business. How has your tuition been? Surely being an esper is no reason to skip one’s studies?”

---

Things were relatively quiet in Pax for a time. It had been a few days since Binky was recovered, and Fritzi already had her hard at work. She was in Fritzi’s office arranging documents and evaluating reports about the stolen semi that the freelancers recovered.

Fritzi herself had locked herself in a room with Sharr and was pressing her for questions. Anything GEMINI could learn about the Elemental Chaos could be used to fight monsters, or perhaps even keep them out of their world. Though anyone who knew Fritzi for any length of time could likely tell she didn’t fully trust her old colleague.

Faith was around. Somewhere. Mika probably was too, and Fritzi had mentioned Betty was healthy enough to have her vampirism cured today.

The GEMINI agents were on standby for the moment. Fritzi was going to give them all a briefing, which should commence before long. Until then, they had time to talk amongst themselves or find other ways to entertain themselves. There was a ping-pong table in the break room and a copious amount of magazines ranging from modern science to beauty and even paranormal topics.

---

Espers come in all ages, from teenagers to elders. As a result, any hangout where Freelancers congregated needed to appeal to all age groups. That meant no teenage hangouts and no strip clubs. But for their diversity, the Freelancers always had a habit of copying what the most successful of their lot did. Because Elroy frequently visited the Great Escape, that was where everyone else went as well. It had an old vintage aesthetic, and sold every meal under the sun. They were also known for having really good ice cream. But the reason why Elroy and Co came here was because they served good orange juice. Elroy’s love for the stuff was legendary, to the point where Freelancers will say a place “serves good orange juice” if it’s a Freelance hangout.

There were quite a few espers hanging out here already. Elroy was seated at a table by himself, though he seemed like he was trying to ignore some bickering between his sister and someone with a bunny puppet on their hand. There was also a nun sitting in the corner of the place. She had one leg folded over the other, and her habit was just tall enough to be seen over the newspaper she was reading.

Symphony on High

@Letter Bee

Short answer: I do not think that would be a good idea. The setting is far more oppressive than the RE:Zero RP I ran some time ago. That wasn’t to your tastes, and this definitely won’t be either.

Long answer: Check your PMs.

Symphony on High

@The World We talked about it, we feel Arctic Storm has a super situational activation condition. We think it should be something like this:

SPECIAL: The "armor" on her cheeks can stop critical attacks from hitting her head. This special can activate twice per operation.

Basically, the attacks can be physical, magical, etc, so long as they are life threatening she'll be protected. Gotta protecc that smile.

@ERode 30 foot radius and we gucci.

@Nakushita You nearly killed the co-GM when you made the meme into reality, but they begrudgingly accept it as canon.

Symphony on High

@Ponn That works.

@Majoraa So does that.

Symphony on High

@Bartimaeus Alright, Co-GM gave your new power the nod.

Yeet the kitty into the character tab and hope they land on their feet.

Things are wrapping up here, so it might be wise to wait until the next GM post to do anything. Alternatively, you can just write a post with your character vibing somewhere knowing there's going to be a time skip at the end of the week. The world is your oyster.

Symphony on High

@Bartimaeus I could have tagged you on discord, but I like to post stuff of this nature on the forum so that you don't have to shovel your way through memes to unearth it.

I spoke with Majora, and we don't see any issues with "Trickshooter." It's strong, but it's also specific enough that it shouldn't be a problem.

The feature that we'd like you to rework is "Feline Senses." It's a little vague as to what it does and when it would activate. We'd like a definitive situation where such an ability might activate. One idea that Majora had was that He could pick up on the presence of hidden opponents, so long as they aren't being magically hidden. Or maybe they can even bypass magical forms of concealment, but only if they are nearby. Otherwise, your character looks great.