Mirandae

Regalia

@Mirandae I like that. Lets there be consequences for Beth's actions, while not inflating the situation with a false sense of stakes or suspense. (There's no use pretending two Guys with Guns^tm stand much of a chance against someone who can Za Warudo their asses back to grade school.)

Is it my understanding, then, that from now on we must assume Dominant Form before wielding our chief Abilities? Should I edit the post?

@TokyoPewPew

That's true! Beth is pretty intimidating. Although, some of these soldiers with powerful Crystals can overpower Regalia if they're trained well enough and work as a team. Laura would chicken out right away, probably, she's a wuss :P

No no, you don't have to edit anything. But, yes, the rule in this universe is that Regalia must fully transform in order to use the "ability" and some of the magic that comes with being in the Dominant Form. We will go through all this with the combat details. We'll also add a Combat section to the character sheet, where you can explain everything about your character's training, magic, and everything.

Hey gang, will work on getting a post up in the next couple of days, but I'm moving home next week -- so if I'm radio silent for three or four days, you know why! (Shouldn't break @Mirandae's post schedule though!)

@Tlaloc

Oooh, lovely! :) Tell us how you like the new place later.

Regalia

@Mirandae I'll look forward to that, then.

<Snipped quote>
Whatever is more interesting to you. If a chase scene sounds boring and/or you need to just move things along to this inciting incident, we could easily say that residue defeats gas mask/CBRN filtration apparatuses, and so the guards don't even remember they had been having that conversation.

@TokyoPewPew

Let's say they circle the festival, looking for Beth, and then they can resurface at some point or just as the inciting incident is happening. It could make for a funny scene :) they're arguing about a fine while more serious things are happening lol.

Regalia

Thank you, Mirandae!! As for authorial intent, @Silly is spot-on. With only one caveat: that being that I've chosen to present Beth's "Dominant Form" not as a transformation, but more akin to a Stand from JJBA. She does not herself don her Dominant's likeness in order to perform the Last Rites move but instead summons Him as something of an obedient familiar. Mostly this is for flavor, but because Odin is written as a wise god, and one content not to be worshiped with any largess or regularity (or, in truth, sincerity), I've interpreted these eccentricities to mean he prefers more intimate relationships with his Regaliae, appearing personally by their side when they conjure His strength and invoke His dominions. They walk among Him (perhaps even converse with and confide in Him!) but in exchange, their relationships with their Dominant, and their entitlement to His power, are even more fragile. After all, the transgressing Odinite has not merely abused His abilities but outright forced His complicity in those abuses. An even deadlier sin than simply using His magics to exploit, brutalize, and bully people...

@TokyoPewPew

I see, I see. I'm all for creative liberties, but one of the reasons for a full transformation is 'narrative balance', should we call it? The size and the high profile that comes with it. However, I did chat with @Tlaloc the other day about sort of 'half-way' powers. Although, then everyone should be able to have one. I have another solution, though. With the combat stuff that I'll show along with the third GM-post, there can/will be sort of 'character perks' or 'exceptions' that you'll be able to create yourself. Such a perk could be this 'stand' variation as opposed to the traditional transformation.

Also, I suppose those guards that Beth tricked will react to her simply vanishing? Or what happens there? Just curious :)

Regalia

@TokyoPewPew
Such a lovely post, such orchestral language! Mind giving us a dummy-summary for dummies such as myself? :P Does she change form there at the end or was it some kind of vision, or what happens?

Regalia

_{[Location] Near the harbor of Landow, Estren
[Time] Sunday, 06:00 AM
[Interactions] @Teyao@vietmyke}

The conversations with various people had taken Laura to a small patch of grass overlooking the Landow harbor. The shrines were still close, but the hymns given by the officials were somewhat overshadowed by the delightful sounds of water and wind. It was a relaxing morning, and people seemed to follow the rules set forth by the festival organizers quite well. While curious attendees did not form a line, they did gather around Laura and wait their turn so to speak. When she had finished speaking with one or two individuals, the next lost soul or admiring pair approached. Laura was quite popular with children and teenagers. One reason for that was likely because she was fairly young herself, but there was also the ‘Earth Mother’ vibe that came with being associated with Gaia. There was a carnal trust for the Dominant beneath everyone’s feet embedded into the very flesh and blood of all human beings. As such, this trust often extended to its Regalia.

“Gaia, Gaia, Gaia!” a chipper, young voice approached with hasty steps. It was a young boy, no more than four or five years old, nearly throwing himself into Laura’s arms. A bright smile broke onto the blonde’s lips, and she received the boy with the chimes of laughter.
“Oh my, you’re fast! What’s your name, cutie?” Laura asked, adjusting the boy to sit comfortably in her lap.
“Jacob!” The boy replied with a huge grin and smiling eyes. In the same moment, an apologetic voice approached almost equally fast. It was a woman, presumably the boy’s mother.
“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! Please forgive us, Earth Mother, but he slipped out of my sights for just a second. He is such a little rascal,” the woman said while slowing her pace to a stop just in front of Laura.
“Oh, it’s no worry at all,” Laura said and met woman’s eyes, holding on to the smile she had given the boy.
“So, what’s on your mind, Jacob?” Laura returned her attention to the boy while his mother found a seat on the grass next to them.
“I want to go in the ocean!” The boy said and pointed at the sea.
“You do?! It’s a pretty big place! Do you want to swim or go on a boat?” Laura gasped at first, making the boy giggle, and then asked him about his wish.
“Both!” Jacob exclaimed with happy tones.
“He loves water, always has,” the mother chipped in.
“Well then, you should speak with Leviathan, the great serpent of the sea! She will give you all the blessings you need to be safe,” Laura spoke with a theatrical voice to entertain the child, and casting a glance over her shoulder to see if the Regalia in question was present – and she was.
“See, there she is,” Laura adjusted herself to turn toward Aethalos, whom was a small distance away from the little patch of grass, and pointed at her for the young boy to see.
“Okay!” Jacob said and gave Laura a hug, which she returned. Laura gently handed the boy over to his mother, who seemed very grateful for the well received encounter. All of them waved at each other as the little one and his mother walked away.

Just a moment later, the next person approached Laura. It was a handsome young man that asked if he could bother her for a chat, even calling her ‘miss’. A breathy chuckle escaped Laura’s lungs, although with an inviting smile. “Sure, what’s on your mind?” She asked him, gesturing for him to make himself comfortable next to her on the grass.

Laura had never seen this man before, but she did know about the Dominant named Ifrit. It was a fairly new hobby of hers to watch ‘lore’ videos online about Dominants and their Regalia. Laura knew about the popular ones and what their Regalia looked like. She had also seen a couple of videos about herself, of course, and corrected a few details in the comments. However, the more obscure and lesser known Dominants were far more interesting to get into. Some of the videos even pondered certain clues to look for in people related to specific Dominants. For example, one video said that the Regalia of Bahamut likely had purple colored eyes. They had come to this conclusion by researching old records about the previous Regalia for that Dominant. There were even plenty of conspiracy theory videos concerning Dominants, government research, hidden corporate interests, and experimental deep scanning of the stars. Laura had recently seen a video about a Dominant named Rintrah, and how some shady sub-divisions of said government research and corporate interests were trying to ‘summon’ or bring it to Libra. It was all very fascinating, and Laura had watched so many videos that she was a bit of a fangirl of all the Regalia.

“Oh, wait,” Laura quickly added, nearly interrupting her own question to the man. She could hear the booming laughter and overall loud demeanor in the background somewhere that she had come to know so well over the years. Laura was always happy to see him, however, especially if she was away from home. Akamu was like a piece of Accadia walking around, quite literally sometimes as he was Titan’s Regalia, and reliable like any old rock.
“This will take just a moment,” she whispered to the man just before being swept up from the ground and embraced by that massive frame. Laura’s addicting laughter rang out into the early morning as Akamu handled her akin to a feather. It probably was not the most appropriate behavior for the two of them to engage in, but they were Accadians and people would understand – this is just how they were, loud and happy.
“Bien sûr tu m'as manqué!” (Of course I missed you!) Laura exclaimed with intoxicating joy. As if that was not enough to make the blonde overflow with feel-good brain drugs, the plushie certainly did the job. Her eyes widened and a gasp escaped her at the sight of the thing. Laura instantly cuddled the cute seal into her arms, nestling her nose into the fabrics of it, taking in its scent. She returned her eyes to Akamu and smiled as widely as she could, blinding the world with her unnaturally white teeth.
“OMG, j'adore, merci!” (I love it, thank you!) She said and gestured for him to bring that cheek of his down a notch so she could give it a kiss. Laura inspected the burn mark on the plushie’s rear and figured that of course it would have one if it came from him. “Let me guess, you were in a fire somewhere with this?” She asked, rhetorically. “You really shouldn’t do that, it’s not safe. Who is going to rescue you if you get into trouble?” Laura questioned, raising an eyebrow. But, she would not have it any other way. The Plushie was perfect just as it was. Laura sat down on the grass again while Akamu exchanged pleasantries with the unknown man.
“We’re Accadians, so please forgive us for being a bit loud.” Laura tried to save face with the man that must have been quite bewildered by now. She also cast a few glances around to find that some people stared at them, being visibly annoyed by the ruckus. Laura bowed her head slightly at them and gesturing forgiveness for the intruding noise. However, the kids around them were elated by Akamu and swarmed him, wanting to be lifted up and spun around.
“So, tell me, what’s on your mind?” Laura finally asked the man again, snuggling with the plushie as she held eye contact with the stranger.

_{[Time] Sunday, 06:30 AM}

Regalia

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Environment Art

Landow, Estren

^{♫ 2}

Regalia

Lovely :) that's everyone, then. Intro posts all done. I've got my next one coming up soon.

The GM-post will just be art and the 'tactical map', so there's no story progression yet. I'll introduce the 'inciting incident' of the story in the GM post after this one. It's not an instant happening, so it won't interrupt things right away.

Regalia

Before we get into flags and stuff, I made this very scuffed 'tactical' map so that we have some sense of where everyone is, roughly. It doesn't have to be super precise, but like "in the realm of"-this position where a character is.

Let me know if this placement seems fine as it is or if I have to move someone. Some characters haven't been placed, as they're not there yet or on their way.

scuffed map

Regalia

@Tlaloc
It's possible, but the results vary a lot depending on the character reference you have. I will experiment with it, though, and try at some point.

@rabidbacon
See if you can make one :) I'm sure there are flag making tools online somewhere.

Regalia

@Silly
Do you want to? :) I was just playing with the AI. I can try more if you want to change your IC-banner.

I can fix it so it's an actual top instead, something stylish.