BrokenPromise

Do You Have RP Pet Peeves?

When I think of pet peeves, I think of mostly harmless behavior that just annoys me personally, like loudly chewing with your mouth open in public and smacking your lips when you clean the Dorito dust off your fingers oh my God James please stop you're actually a savage.

@Emeth

A pet peeve, pet aversion, or pet hate is a minor annoyance that an individual finds particularly irritating to a greater degree than the norm.

Google supplied description

I'd have to say that's spot on.

Symphony on High

"Ganbare."

— Elroy Bates

@Ponn@Majoraa

Mika kept looking at Ashley after she confirmed her course of action, but she said nothing in return. Perhaps she was content with her promise, or not. They were both professionals, even if they were both young. She swung her eyes over to the nuns, who smiled back once they realized they had the cat girl’s ire. With a huff, she marched over to her companions to help defend them from the spirits. Like Finn, Mika’s weapon was better suited for dealing with monsters, and she was able to swiftly clear the spirits around Cerise and Raven. The specters wouldn’t be an issue so long as the other espers didn’t attack them.

”Yes." Elroy told Finn. ”Holy man employed me. I don’t think you know him. He came here from rome."

Finn was also ordered to speed up the train, and like the “good little killer” he was, he did it. It was hard to tell if it had any effect. Such a melody would have a noticeable effect on an esper, but it was harder to tell when you were riding on the back of a behemoth that was speeding through the city. Not only was Peace Train much bigger than an esper, it was much faster as well. Thus, the improvement was hard to notice.

What was a certainty was that the trains were headed towards each other. Peace train started to gain altitude as it came over one of Pax’s many parks.

---

”My point still stands.”

— Regina Bates

@Vertigo@The World@Nakushita

Extinguishing the fires was trivial, but it would take time to properly do so. Time that the sisters could use to prepare another trick. Again, Nova threw up another smoke barrier in front of Regina as the pyro surged forward. Gunfire ripped through the smoke. While they had no clear view of their target, you could only miss so many times as two espers firing akimbo blind, especially when they were noisy. Regina’s manic laughter was cut off with a yelp as a bullet ripped through her. However, neither pistol toting esper would have the satisfaction of seeing her fall.

Before the nuns could appear, Ciri walled them off with shadows. For some reason, creating a physical barrier out of shadow made a lot more sense than a shadow spider catching fire, that she was riding around like a mount. The wall was not particularly tall. In order to stretch the wall across the crazy train it couldn’t be any taller than the nuns were. But better that then some cloud of smoke, which didn’t seem to inhibit their aim at all.

The first thing to pop up over the wall was Lenore. She pulled herself on top and looked out at Himiko and Ciri. They moved their guns to fire, but her arm was already crackling with arcane blacklight. She hopped backwards as the dark beam left her fingers. And then…

The shadow spider rider was no longer Ciri. Lenore had swapped places with her and, as she was mid fall when the switch took place, had little difficulty plunging her sword into the back of the spider. The creature lost all structure and melted into the ground under Lenore’s feet. She stood up and pointed her blade at the greedy gunslinger. The glow in her eye intensified.

”Why not? I’m ready for a duel now!”

But when did Lenore play fair? A flaming eye opened up in the sky, and out came a hail of burning rocks. Regardless of where Himiko moved, They tracked her like the IRS. They looked like falling stalagmites punctuated with neon trails of flame. But as dangerous as it was, it didn’t stop Lenore from rushing towards her position. Even as another nova erupted.

Where was this happening? Ciri knew.

Her daring escape had been stopped by a melody that placed her on the other side of her wall and in the air. The fall to the ground didn’t hurt. Ciri was able to unfold from her riding position and land on her feet okay. What hurt was being hit by another flame nova. Regina was just outside of striking distance, clutching her ribs and her knife in one hand. Though now that Ciri was closer, and if she cared to focus while being set aflame, the knifes she held looked strangely like tambourines. Circular blades with small symbols suspended along them.

”Hit and run…” She lifted her hand off of her wound. Her skin melted like wax, and under the flames on her skin, her wound was closing before Ciri’s very eyes. She stood up strong and tightened her grip on her blades. ”Ain’t exactly my style!” With a growl, Regina lunged for Ciri. Close quarters wasn’t her specialty, but it was a toss up if this was preferable to being in the vicinity of Lenore. Speaking of the nuns, that creepy one with the cigarette was likely nearby, but she couldn’t be seen.

But there was a silver lining. While Trixy wasn’t visible, Ciri could feel it was very close.

And then there was Marrie, seemingly forgotten by all the other combatants. With the train burning up under her, what else could she do but try to give back to the creature they were protecting. She focused her mana into a light healing mist that poured down over Crazy train’s wound. And it seemed like it might have healed some of its pain. Then the burn mark started to turn brown, like a normal bruise. Then the burn mark went away and skin started to grow on all of the exposed sinew across Crazy Train. Then…

Then Peace Train shot past her. It glowed with a holy radiance and mended away the other behemoth’s wounds. Even the other espers could feel its restorative powers in a more subtle way. Just by being near the target of its healing magic, their wounds didn’t feel so severe anymore. Crazy Train’s endless wail finely ceased.

But only Marrie could see the Gemini espers, and Elroy.

"Huh." Elroy scratched his head. "It’s not like Regina to show mercy. She must like you, Shark girl!"

Symphony on High

"...Wait, did that actually work?"

— Elroy Bates

@Ponn@Majoraa

Usually, having a casual conversation with a giant shield with evil nuns shooting out from either side of it was a recipe for disaster. Ashley had to shout her words to overcome the sound of howling wind and roaring flames. The shield surged towards her position, but it came to an abrupt halt and spun sideways. The barrel of Bobo’s flamethrower was struck downward while Lexi’s staff was shoved upwards. Both of the nuns missed their targets and turned to look at Elroy.

Bobo grit her teeth. ”What are you doing, you oaf!?”

"If she doesn’t want to fight, I’m not going to force her." Elroy kept his shield up and on its side. Only a fool would expose himself during a ceasefire, regardless of the opponent. "I cannot guarantee anything, Techno girl. Too much has happened that no one can explain. But what I know is the holy man told me this pendant would protect us from the spirits that guard the train. The fact that they do not attack me and continue to assault your squad shows me that they work. I must also trust him when he says the train is here on a holy mission and has never harmed anyone. The storms are just an effect caused by the other train. I do not imagine he would have me oppose you unless he was certain of this." He looked over her shoulder at Finn, who was still fighting off the spirits. "They won’t hit each other. I’m sure they will move out of each other’s way when they get close. If they don’t, it’ll be because this train wants to destroy the other one. They are angel and devil, if you believe in the holy man, that is."

"A little help?"

”Hang on, hang on, so what’s the deal with them goin’ after my sister like that?” Cereza asked Elroy, hurrying over to fire a volley of arrows at the spirits that swarmed Cerise, and by extension, Raven.

Lexi scoffed before jingling the cross shaped pendant she, Elroy, and Bobo were wearing. ”Weren’t you listening?”

"They are here to protect the train, and see you as aggressors." Elroy clarified before another spat could start. "Our pendants are preventing that, but they shouldn’t attack you if you retreat." Neither he nor any of the nuns did anything as Cereza’s arrows struck down the spirits. But this momentary culling would only hold them back so long.

But the nuns weren’t the only ones that were barely holding back their murderous intent.

"...Orion." Mika stepped up beside the squad’s commander. "Since when have monsters ever been able to do good? The nuns are part of the group that killed Angel. We know they are capable of brainwashing people and that is what happened to Elroy. Are we really going to stop our mission on account of what he claims?"

The train drew into a clearing, and overhead it looked like there was another shape snaking across the sky like a serpent. Soon the trains would be very close to one another.

Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread Number Two

If you enjoyed Helltaker, you should play Awaria.

If you didn't enjoy Helltaker, you should play Awaria.

It's free, so there's no reason not to try it. Especially if you like arcade "puzzle" action or ghost waifus.

Do You Have RP Pet Peeves?

@Letter Bee I do not find that annoying. Maybe if it's done excessively, but anyone can get annoyed with anything.

Do You Have RP Pet Peeves?

This has serious “Bitching Thread V3.0” energy, but if we all act like adults maybe it won’t get locked.

For the time I’ve been roleplaying, many of my pet peeves have come and gone. I’ll often move past some only for others to spring up in their place. But the one thing that consistently bugs me is people who publicly complain. We all talk about our grievances from time to time, but I feel that is best done as privately as possible. If a player or GM has an issue with a post, it should be a matter addressed between those people in PM/DMs. If you just want to vent, one on one with a friend or group is fine for that. Matters involving an entire RP (which rarely happens) could be hashed out in the OOC, or preferably over an IM service like Discord. But I see little reason to vent one’s grievances to everyone.

The status bar is probably the most egregious example of this. You have people taking to the status bar to overshare family drama report every time their writing partner does something annoying. Why are you trying to put this in front of a stranger’s eyeballs? Are you trying to validate your position by fishing for a few likes? Do you hope that your writing partner will see you complain and change because you can’t talk to them directly? I have a hard time finding flattering reasons for people to vent in this way even if they have a good reason to do so.

Another problem with complaining, and especially chronic complaining, is that everyone has learned to read between the lines. Complaining about ghosting creates the perception that you are impatient and/or not worth playing with. Rushing to the status bar to mention icky writing practices makes you come off as a Mark Twain wannabe that can’t write to your own standards. Complaining about the size of a long post can oust you as someone who finds it painful to read. Your complaining might resonate with a few, but every time you do so you alienate a group of potential writing pals. It’s the same reason most people won’t join RPs where there are 20+ rules. Even if half of the rules seem reasonable, it starts to feel strict and controlling when taken too far.

If a status bar complainer saw this post, do you think they’d change their ways or just write me off as a jerk?

Battle Toyale — Christmas Rumble!

There are many horrific fates that can befall a sailor, more so a pirate. In addition to the risk of drowning or being eaten by a sea creature, a pirate is also at the mercy of other pirates and their hunters. From Kurosame’s experience, humans could be more cruel than any force of nature. She had heard stories of men placed in wooden boxes and buried where their treasure used to be. While Kurosame was in a box, it was not made out of wood, above ground, and all of her effects appeared to be with her.

Though something was off.

The pirate’s surroundings were not familiar to her. Nor was her body, which seemed to be made out of a hard, wood-like material. Before the absurdity of the situation sunk in, a flood of thoughts entered her mind. Yes, she had agreed to be here. While many of the specifics were left out, she understood this was a free for all and only the winner would get their wish granted, allegedly. Thinking further on her predicament would have to wait until later. Across the aisle she could see someone systematically walking past toys and ending them with a skewer of their tail. There would be no rest here.

Rather than bursting out of the front of her box, Kurosame took hold of her sword and shoved it through the top. She grabbed her hat before climbing out and landing on the edge of the shelf. A quick look around didn’t reveal any immediate threats, so she took stock of her equipment. As she did so, she was starting to understand how her equipment had been altered in this world. Even her blade was a great deal thicker now that it was encased in some crystal composite. It was fine. She had trained with many swords, and just because this wasn’t going to behave like a standard katana didn’t mean she couldn’t use it.

Next order of business was figuring out what had become of her magic. She could feel that she still had it, but she was so… dry. Nothing but air left her lips as she tried to conjure a simple droplet. She would need to hydrate somehow, and the water pelting the glass window let her know how she might do that.

She ran to the edge of the shelf and jumped, soaring across the isle and landing before the window. With a hefty swing, she managed to crack the glass. Part of her would have loved to have smashed right through it, but a simple crack would work for her purposes. She raised her hand to the crack, and the falling rain began to pool over the crack. Then it seeped through, racing down her arm and behind the seam between her face and the back of her head. Before long, the space in her chest would be filled.

In addition to all the curious things going on, a voice told Kurosame of a mask hidden in the center of the toy store. Given how few of the awakening toys were headed in that direction, it seemed safe to assume that it hadn’t been relayed to everyone. Though she couldn’t confirm that it wasn’t a trap of some sort. Maybe another toy had simply whispered such a thing to her, but it wasn't something that could be ignored. If such things existed in the toy store, holding as many as she could would increase her chances for survival.

After pulling as much water through the crack as she dared, she allowed the water to surround her and launch her through the air. She held her breath inside the water droplet as it soared towards Kanohi Kama, unaware of what would be waiting for her.

Intro!

I just saw your status about soft pretzels.

I made these about a week ago and they were very good.

saltandbaker.com/homemade-soft-pretzels

Also, welcome to the guild.

Battle Toyale — Christmas Rumble!

@Shinny Just for clarification, does this mean that everyone with an accepted character can post?

Related to that, were you going to randomize our start positions, or are you letting us start wherever?

Symphony on High

"At least she didn’t try to blast my stones."

— Elroy Bates

@Ponn@Majoraa

Elroy’s gauntlet latched onto Ashley’s shield when she brought it up to defend herself. As big and imposing as Elroy’s shield was, its size did make it hard to fit into small spaces. His own arm prevented him from intercepting Ashley’s wand, which she was able to slide her wand under her shield and blast his torso. To a normal esper this would have been a fatal if not battle ending attack. But rather than green techno energy burning through his intestines, his abbs cracked and spewed magma out of them. But he didn’t stop moving forward. He didn’t stop moving up.

Elroy jumped into the air. He was still holding onto Ashley’s shield, so she came up with him. The rushing air would have thrown them both off of the train, but the barrier that was keeping the rain out had also locked the air in place. Though that didn’t explain how Elroy was hovering twenty or so feet in the air.

"Maybe you’d be happy to know my sister is dismantling Crazy Train as we speak."

Below her, Ashley could see the battle unfold. Finn had almost become dashed against the rocks, but the time kid’s quick thinking and quicker melody manifestation saw him teleporting right back aboard. But instead of engaging the nuns, he ran for the incoming spirits. The wall of spectral humans split up, with some crossing arms with Finn and the rest swooping towards the other agents.

Raven was clearly toying with the idea of shooting Elroy, but with Ashley in such close proximity, and Bobo trying to fry them, it wasn’t worth the risk. That, and she was about to receive backup.

”Leave ‘em, we gotta deal with this one first!” Cerise seemed to agree with her notion. With the added intervention of Peace Train’s attendants moving in to attack them, there was no way they’d be able to keep coordinated on just Elroy. The miko nodded to Raven before swiftly moving to rush Bobo and slam her shield into her, channeling a melody through to add a bit of fuel in the resulting impact.

Bobo put her mace between herself and the incoming Miko before bracing herself for impact. Then the specters rushed past her and clamored to Cerise. Her melody vaporised the first ghost, but more quickly took its place. Bobo had plenty of time to dive into the air, where, much like Elroy, she floated in place. She aimed her flamethrower at the Miko before pouring napalm over her. But the massive shield held fast, and even Raven rallied behind her for protection. The ghosts were unbothered by the flames, nor did they seem to mind Raven’s shots.

"This isn’t good…"

Elsewhere, Mika rushed Lexi. Her bestial magic surged towards her hands as she closed in on the nun. After seeing what happened to Finn, she knew she needed to be careful. But unlike Finn, Mika had recently developed an innate ability to tell when something was being aimed at her, and from where. If Lexi was hiding again, she’d pick up on it immediately. But it didn’t seem like that was at play. Perhaps Lexi was banking on Mika being too cautious about sharing Finn's fate. Mika didn’t care.

As Mika closed in on Lexi, she took to the sky. She soared over to Mika’s flank and swat her with her staff, casting Mika off Peace Train. As she fell, Mika groaned in annoyance that she had managed to fall to a similar trick as Finn, but this could work to her favor. Moments before smashing into the ground, her emergency power activated and placed her right behind Lexi. She swiped at the nun’s back, but only managed to cut into her shoulder before she pulled away. The nun clenched her teeth and floated over to her allies.

Then Peace train passed through Pax Septimus. It was hovering high enough that it passed over the streets. Even at its speed, it passed over parked cars, traffic lights, and overpasses without destroying a single structure. "My oh my." Elroy scoffed. "Look at all the destruction this thing is subjecting the populace to!" He hurled Ashley back at the train before lifting his shield. "Why didn’t you guys attack the other train first? Doesn’t this seem weird to you?" But what were these questions at a time like this? Hadn’t the time for discussion passed?

With Elroy’s allies grouped together, he soared towards the GEMINI agents. Bobo and Lexi fired over either side of his shield. Blazing napalm and winged lanterns filled the air on their approach.

---

”The trick to enjoying a good 3v1 is to be on the winning team!”

— Regina Bates

@Vertigo@The World@Nakushita

Again, it was Marrie who acted as the spearpoint for the team. While most espers would regard a smoke barrier with caution, especially one that turned angels into rolling heads, the fog charged into the smoke. Most would call the action foolish, but it was a gamble that might pay off. The smoke that Nova had created was only a wall, and Marrie could see everything once she flew through the veil. The nuns were already changing positions to make their positions less obvious to those that could no longer see them.

Lenore’s eye glowed bright as Marrie closed in. Sword met chain, but both parties passed each other without incident. Once Marrie landed, she stole some of Crazy Train’s mana through contact with her weapon. Maybe it wasn’t a lot, but monsters used mana differently than humans did. Mana wasn’t used for casting melodies, but it was needed to stay alive. Monsters that lost too much of their mana would grow tired and fall asleep, or worse. Surely Crazy Train wasn’t so far gone that such a small amount would be important, right?

Lenore (and Nova) appeared to be running towards the smoke wall. Lenore sidestepped the incoming rogue shadow projectile. It flew through the smoke screen and didn’t hit anything. But just as they got close to the wall, the two of them hugged and walked into the smoke wall. What was going on?

Where was Regina?

Back on the Maverick’s side of the train, the Ruinous Meteor barrelled through the smoke like she was breaking through the atmosphere. A rock appeared in her hand, and not a moment later did it burst into flames. She lobbed it at Ciri’s face afterwards. A simple burning stone might have been easy to dodge, but why was Regina’s body catching fire? She was from the jungle.

A mighty nova of flame blasted out of Regina in every direction. It came too fast to avoid, and it rolled right through everything it touched. It set Ciri on fire, it set her spider on fire, it set her spider on fire, it set Crazy Train’s back on fire, and it set Marrie’s portal on fire. Even Himiko wasn’t able to avoid it during her casual, lackadaisical stroll back over to the combat area. If she had pigtails right now, she’d have burned them off. Only Marrie had been spared due to her and Regina rushing in different directions.

Regina was soon joined by the nuns, who came out of the smoke screen just moments behind her. They had managed to avoid the scorching, even as the flames crept along the giant train’s back. With a war cry, Regina brandished her daggers and closed in on the burning goth punk oni.