#multiple verses rpg

[seaofsinrpg]

Viktor is seeking his siblings.

We welcome both The Umbrella and the Sparrow Academy, which does include Ben, playing him dead or alive is the choice of the writer, naturally… ALSO the Diego role comes with the potential love interest of Eudora Patch, so if you're interested in joining a forum based megaverse rpg within this verse, or any other we have available, drop us an audition today.

https://bit.ly/JoinSeaofSinToday

[octosan]

I've seen the take that Veilguard's lore handling is the way that it is because it was largely worked on by a team that isn't familiar with Dragon Age, and I... don't know about that.

Like it's kind of funny in retrospect, but

For all the mistakes the Vows and Vengeance podcast made, that show felt more to me like an example of a story trying to incorporate relevant Dragon Age lore, but being written by people who weren't well-versed in it.

They had Tevinter class divide and bureaucratic apathy as a major plot point that affected the main character's life. They had Solas employing middlemen and tricking characters to get some of his work done instead of doing everything himself. They had multiple references to the faiths of the setting, including Davrin referencing worship practices in Dalish culture (they even used the term The Beyond, the Dalish term for the Fade that even Inquisition kind of forgot was a thing even if it was not the Dalish character using it.) They had a cult other than the Venatori as an antagonist at one point. They had an instance of racially charged conflict between Bellara, an elven Veil Jumper, and a Tevinter templar, that originates from the templars looting elven artifacts (something that is implied to happen often.) They at least tried to depict an example of regular Qunari culture in the village in Par Vollen that the protagonists wind up in briefly. They had Lucanis, a Crow, actually carry out an assassination of a non-combatant character. They had multiple demons playing mind games with the characters trying to get their bodies as hosts, in addition to a demon that just rampaged, and even referenced despair demons being ice-coded. They depicted the Fade as a chaotic and emotionally-driven realm, with spirits and demons everywhere--and fittingly Arlathan, a forest with a lot of influence from the Fade, was itself a dangerously chaotic and shifting place. Bellara explains what Veil Jumping entails and actually veil-jumps (and it's accordingly treated like a big deal for the characters). They reference Genitivi and Varric as prominent authors in the world-building. They had grenades. They even brought back the idea of being "Fade touched" with Drayden. They had asfkdksadfgkb HAD A MABARI.

Also the podcast wasn't constantly reassuring you, patting you on the back, and repeating information to you every second so that's nice.

I thought most of the companions came off better here too, with the idea that this is just supposed to be a snapshot of them. I remember enjoying their inclusion the most and trying to speculate what traits and flaws were on display that might get expanded on in the game (for example Emmrich's attitude of trying to "parent" a demon failing spectacularly, or Davrin being depicted as actually taking his clan's faiths seriously despite not being among them anymore.) Taash not realizing they're nonbinary until long after meeting Drayden, who had their own personal issues with their family about their identity, feels like some kind of missed opportunity though (I mean realistically the podcast was just supposed to advertise the game so I know why this is, but still.)

idk if this is a hot take. like imo the podcast wasn't "good" good and again there were clear mistakes in the lore, a lot of the stuff set in Antiva for example, like it was messy. But I had more of a sense that these were people new to the setting but trying than I did with Veilguard.

Idk to me the problem was less that the writers in Veilguard didn't know anything about Dragon Age and more that it was an extremely sanitized and simplified version of the lore, one that couldn't even take into account the world-changing decisions you made in previous games. With a helping of things being shoved under the rug to avoid Discourse. Like it felt more intentional to me, for the most part. And then you have all the visual errors that come from just reusing assets which is an RPG staple at this point (someone pointed out that the Chantry symbols in Minrathous are wrong, for example.)

[milgram-tournament]

MILGRAM Best Song Tournament, Round 1, Match 7 BACKDRAFT vs. IT'S NOT MY FAULT

Propaganda for both options under the cut!

Propaganda for BACKDRAFT:

"Backdraft may be a minute shorter than Bring It On, but it’s still over three minutes long, and it makes up for the lost minute with a complex form. The “Pressure! Pressure!” might be the only part that truly repeats.

At the beginning, Fuuta is showing off, acting cool. Then the music slows down as he ponders his verdict. Then the music picks up the pace again and gets more and more frantic as the consequences of his actions catch up to him.

See that structure in the three distinct verses that sound nothing like anything else in the song: cool, contemplative, and “oh no, what have I done”.

The “chorus” (burn burn!) never stays the same. You’ve got the “cool” first chorus. Then you have the muted second chorus as it sinks in that Fuuta’s victim was a middle-school girl, which leads into the tense final chorus (which is twice as long as the first) as the victim and Fuuta both burn.

The instrumental and the spoken-word from the beginning combine in the end, changing the mood of the stanza from confident and showy to panicked and desperate.

And the words… You can hear the wordplay in the last stanza, even if you don’t understand it.

Appreciate this chaotic masterpiece of a song."

---

- Fuuta being very cocky at first before realizing how fucked he is (it is kinda funny) - The use of spray cans and overall graffiti symbolism, it’s so good - The multiple eyes and people off camera showing how paranoid Fuuta has become, it’s really well done without being obvious - The name backdraft meaning when a fire deprived of oxygen gets a sudden influx of it. A kind of metaphor for what Fuuta did. Then it being shown through a spray can explosion, aaaa it’s really cool! - Fuuta’s overall look changing, being more realistic on how he actually looks contrasting Bring It On’s idealistic version of himself - Es at the end!! The only time Es shows up in a prisoner’s MV!!! And they looks so damn cool - Also the entire eye thing referencing the audience, he perceives us lmfao

---

"Back draft is incredible because it not only has great visual symbolism with the use of the spray cans but its visual symbolism shows a progression from ‘Bring it on’. In ‘Bring it on’ the channelling is glorious , fuuta is surrounded by people and fuuta idealised himself (taller , better teeth , better posture ect) , the people he cancelled were portrayed as these powerful rpg monsters but now in back now the channelling is portrayed as vandalism a crime as destructive , the ally is empty we only ever see others as hands or his victim fuuta is alone and fuuta is no longer idealising his appearance and his mind is now portraying his victim as a harmless cutesy drawing. This shows a change in how fuuta views his crime between T1 and T2. It wasn’t glorious, it wasn't justified , he was at fault. The fire being recontextsied as something out of control , all consuming and out of control which is the opposite of how it was portrayed in ‘Bring it on’ we really see how the vote has changed fuuta."

"There are so many things in the song that show a progression "

-“ deliciously scorched till your mouth waters” > “I don’t want any more”

-fuuta spray paints the camera hen as the end es spray paints him/the camera

-the pressure graffiti changing

"There’s so many interesting details like the applause towards the start of the song , the personality in the subtitles like them going from “Burn , burn!” To “burn , burn?” But the pressure’s punctuation mark stayed the same:   “pressure , pressure!” , the way FIRE is the only word in full caps till LIES. The thumbs down fuuta does during “the fights up here! Come up to the ring and face me!” Part which is like his T1 art , the way the lighting changes from green towards the start and becomes red by the end (stop go colours) , The way fuuta is constantly interacting with the camera , spray painting it twice and kicking it."

"Backdraft actually makes amazing use of the camera , things are often shown from the (camera)audience’s perspective rather than us seeing the events removed. We are there like we are the ones doing it/looking through the eyes of the person doing it. When fuuta/the others spray paint the graffiti of his victim and the ice gorilla it's from the audience’s perspective , we don’t see them do it, we see it like we are doing it. When the spraypaint can explodes it's like it’s exploding in our face and then when es spray paints fuuta at the end they are spray painting the camera(audience). "

"Backdraft makes the most references to the voting system and uses it well to make the audience re-examine if they really are any different. Aren’t we using little information and inferences to hold people accountable for crimes we have no stake in? Aren’t we causing unintended harm? Aren’t we judging them from the safety of our screens? "

"And on a more silly level"

-ARTHUR CONANT GOES SO HARD IN THE VOCALS!!!! COME ON LISTEN TO BURN BURN AND TELL ME THIS MAN ISN’T GIVING IT HIS ALL!

-cat mouth fuuta :3 how can you not love cat mouth fuuta?

-lowpolydog designed amazing graffiti 

Propaganda for IT'S NOT MY FAULT:

"It's Not My Fault is a beautiful song with a REALLY good song texture. Arisa Kori/Muu's voice is literally so amazing here, fitting perfectly with that confident and snarky appearance that Muu seems to want to give off. And just everything about it????? Muu did everything wrong free my girl- I love her bug design here, the pure drama of it and how she showcases Rei as a human in the bug world is so cool."

---

inmf!! have you heard the instrumental?! its just so good!!

the way rei turns the hourglass at the beginning!!! and it switches to when muu was at the top of the hierarchy!!!! that was such a cool detail!!!

BUG MUU IS LITERALLY SO CUTE. her smile at 1:19 🥺🥺

The way her voice drops at 1:30 and her 'KAWAISO NANO!!' at 1:51!!!

shes having so much fun while singing this weeeeeee

she's always pitiful!! shes always the drama queen 🥺🥺

please her getting the worst ratio while singing the 'im not guilty' song should alone be the reason she wins

---

"INMF is what got me into Milgram in the first place so of course I have to shill for it. I think its one of my favorite MVs Visually as the scenes set in the bug-web location are so visually striking. Muu and the rest of the bugs dark-purple skin and Muu's and neon pink hair stand out so much against it and it's so Pretty and Vibrant.

Storytelling wise INMF is amazing, it's a complete 180 of how Muu is seen in After Pain but not to the point where it feels like Muu is a totally different character. Muu is both a genuine victim and (in my opinion) a failgirl queen. She's trying her best to keep the image up but she is...NOT good at being a manipulative mastermind. And like After Pain before it, you can figure that out just through the visual and lyrical storytelling, that to some extent this is Still Also a Role Muu is Playing.

It's good! It's really good stuff! Muu is a character of cycles and After Pain and INMF work really well as a cyclical story about bullying. I think Muu should Win on having Good Storytelling and Fantastic Visuals and Being a Worst Girl. You should do it for all the girls in the world who are the Worst."

[little-earthquakes-rp]

💜 ― receiver's choice ( simply shout out whoever you want ) 💜 💜

@morgansmornings

Shoutouts! I feel so lucky I've managed to connect with so many amazing writers. I'll use this as a MUMU appreciation shout-out post. Since I'm a multi-muse that formally paraded through a lot of RPGs in the past, I love throwing multiple characters into a verse.

@mythosisms & @theasteria We've a few of these going at this point, and I love the absolute drama we kick up. Creating a verse and throwing all our children in with their micro plots. Oh...wait, I don't have a character for that...insert guest muse.

@dementedbeautyqueens We were able to meet in the backdrop of an RPG, and some of our bbs are still living their best lives in that verse.

@adsagsona We've our little wolfpack going, and I absolutely adore the dynamics between them and the little bit of lore we've carved out.

[ask-postcrash-curly]

Hey, stardust! It’s me again!~ I’ve been noticing the pattern that I disappear for a bit… before coming back like a chatterbox!

Anyways, I just want to share a phrase I really, really like; it’s been on my mind for quite sometime now. “I hope Death is like being carried to your bedroom when you were a child and fell asleep on the couch during a family party. I hope you can hear the laughter from the next room.”

It’s… a nice thought, isn’t it? I am actually kind of unsure how you feel about Death, but I don’t think it should be feared at all! We’ve been dead for billions of years and that hasn’t bothered us at all, yeah? One of good memories I have from childhood is my Mom taking me to the bedroom while I was half-asleep, or pretending to be asleep; it was always so… peaceful. My memory is awful, really, really bad! But I remember it so clearly, it almost feels like it happened a few minutes ago — because if I say “like it happened yesterday,” I wouldn’t remember. Siffrin kinnie moment, yeah?

Oh, stardust. I even got the “yeah?” from you, you! You!!! Ugh, can’t even think of a way to offend you, and even if I did, I wouldn’t want to! Tee-hee-hee!~

And given that the new Deltarune chapters are coming out soon… I am eager to play it with you, too. It may not be the my hyperfixation (like ISAT, NITW and OMORI,) but I still REALLY like it! So, let’s play multiple games together! … Especially RPGs. They’re my favorite (ignore the detail that “Little Nightmares” and “Night In The Woods” aren’t RPGs.)

… Sometimes, I think there is meaning to be found in a stagnant life. It isn’t truly related to anything I said before, maybe slightly to the Death part. I just want to reassure you that… you will make it. I believe in you. Most of us do. You will live a comfortable life, even if it takes a blindingly long time — even your whole life. You won’t need to feel that you’re trying to escape your own life anymore. I said this before, but… Do you remember when you gave hope a chance again? Please, please, keep on. I know you can do it, even if it is uphill — I am here for you and I believe in you and I am so blindingly proud of you!

… Oh, stardust. You will be fine. No matter how long it takes. And my gossipy CURIOUS brain wants to know if anyone said anything yet. If anything, I can kick ‘em for you if they’re mean again! Anyways, music cue!~

https://youtu.be/FdKBGqE30H0?si=kNJV_K3Uzzh0wf3O

https://youtu.be/srw2m18Iuns?si=fmVTsw_baO1nobN5

Memory fails me again, can’t remember whether I’ve already sent you this or not, so— Why not a poem alongside it? “This Be The Verse” makes me think of holding a star — an intergenerational star, a metaphor for trauma that’s passed on (“man hands on misery to man”) and it burns my hands. It deepens, leaves scars on my hands. It is let go of. I will let go of that star, and I won’t choke on it — maybe I will choke on the words, holding everything so close to my chest until my hands are full, but I won’t choke on this star. Not like everybody else.

Oh, where did that come from? I guess my poetic sides is showing, fufufu!~ And… trauma. That, too. I want to make poetry out of everything, everything can be poetic if you put your mind into it. Symbolic, metaphorical… It is so fun to do it, actually.

Either way, Cap’n Curly, I am proud of you! You will make it, I believe in you. I am here for you. With all my love and Compassion—

- Lumi!

Hey again!

...Wow. That's a good one.

I mean— I've been talking with Death for a while now. She seems to be pretty fun. I think she'd like that quote a lot, actually.

Haha. You're not the first to pick up on that quirk. Doubt you'll be the last either.

Thank you. I really want to keep it up. I haven't given up necessarily. Just... Fuck, I'm tired. I'm tired and I haven't processed any of this bullshit and I just want to know what the hell is going on and if my crew is fucking alive—

I'm sorry. Yeah, I... I'll power through. One day and then the next.

Song's nice.

The poem's familiar, yeah... Not entirely sure whether I've seen it, but there's been a lot going on lately, in my defense. It's nice. Thank you.

Poetry's really something. I've never had the hang of it, but I'm properly impressed by it.

Thank you. Talk soon?

[theonlineholytrinity]

Heyyyy

My partners lost a game (more of a bet really) to me, so now we have a group account on here.

I’m Stephanie Lauter but you can call me Steph. I’ll be running this blog alongside my partners in crime, Peter Spankoffski and Grace Chasity. We are currently seniors at Hatchetfield High and, as far as I’m aware, the only out poly relationship in our year group.

Ask us stuff. Individually or as pairs or all three of us, whatever you want. Just don’t get weird. Bother Ruth and Richie with that shit lol.

I’ll answer anything.

The other two? Debatable.

OOC:

This is an RPG/ask blog run by an over 18. (Again, don’t be too weird).

Here’s a quick guide:

Steph’s text is red

Pete’s text is green

Grace’s text is pink

This will mainly be set in an alternate universe where the three get together, no one dies and Grace doesn’t ultimately get corrupted with power/goes insane/etc.

However, as there are multiple universes in Hatchetfield, there are also many variations of Lautskity. Unless specified otherwise, I’ll assume you just want to talk to the ‘normal ones’ above.

But if you do want to talk to the others, here’s the list and the corresponding emoji to include in your ask:

Canon Nerdy Prudes Must Die - 📖

Canon Abstinence Camp - 🪓

The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals/Pokey Apocalypse Verse - 🎵

Black Friday/Wiggly Apocalypse Verse - 🍏

*Role Reversal (prude!Steph, nerd!Grace, cool!Pete) - 📞

*Role Reversal 2.0 (prude!Pete, nerd!Steph, cool!Grace) - 🧪

May update the list as time goes on and more ideas come to me.

*Both role reversals switch all the characters outside of the main trio too!

[ancientforgcd]

An eye for an eye makes the world go blind.

🔴Indie Multi-Muse Blog. 🔴Semi-Selective 🔴Featuring Muses from the Cthulhu Mythos, Honkai Series and many more. 🔴Plenty o’ memes, edits, musings and shitposts. 🔴Crossover, AU & OC Friendly. 🔴Mun is 25. 🔴Written by Joy Boy.

「Home || Rules || Muses || Permanent Starter Call || Promo」

Mobile Links: Rules

@ancientloredump is the blog where I sometimes post the Verses of Muses, Organizations and other stuff too!

@rpingmemes side-blog for when i make roleplaying & ask memes

@argentarpg new project and OC of mine by the name of Argenta. A RPG muse that levels up via interactions, quests, etc.

Glossary of Terms & Explanations often used on the Blog:

Vacosian: Vacosians are a near-extinct natural born species of Warriors that made their home in the Ultimate Void, on planet Voidal. A majority of the race was exterminated by the God of Destruction Cerveze, however a handful managed to survive, rendering the race close to extinction. They play a cental role in the Cyverse metaseries, where it is revealed that Ruby and Blair are Vacosians who were sent to Remnant. The best way to describe a Vacosian is to think of them as Outer Gods in humanoid forms. Sometimes they have tails and horns too, but it depends from individual to individual.

Dracontine: Dracontines are a natural born species of highly adaptive warriors that were known among the earliest race to have draconic roots, if not, the earliest known trace that had direct ancestry from Primordial Dragons, before the subspecies division of draconic races had occurred. The Dracontines have been relatively under the radar for a good while after the Draconomachy, in which the total population of the Dracontines took a steep decline. However, at present time, the Dracontine race seem to sit very comfortably, with replenished populations, both in Universe 1 and 12, each residing in their own version of Planet Dracorex on both Universes.

Super Vacosian: Super Vacosian, occasionally known as Ascended Warrior, is a legendary transformation unique to the Vacosian race of both the first and 12th universes. It is the signature transformation of the Vacosians relocated to Remnant, all of whom have been able to achieve the transformation, but was famously first awakened by Ruby Rose during her battle with the evil Fall Maiden, Cinder Fall.

Explanation: It’s why some muses have multiple FCs. On that note, they’re not shapeshifters, but rather think of it like Super Saiyan, just changing hair & eye colors.

Universe 12 Kaioshins: The Kaioshins of Universe 12 are the four divine protectors responsible for maintaining balance across their respective quadrants. Purple Heart, the North Kaioshin, is a calm strategist focused on cosmic order. Black Heart, the South Kaioshin, takes a more direct, forceful approach, often resolving issues through combat. Green Heart, the West Kaioshin, is connected to nature and seeks harmony, intervening only when necessary. White Heart, the East Kaioshin, is known for her fiery temper and battle enthusiasm, yet remains deeply protective of her quadrant. Together, they ensure the stability of Universe 12.

Universal Government: The Universal Government (UG) rules over Universe 12 with absolute authority, led by The Boss, UMI, followed by the 5 Celestial Dragons, the Fleet Admiral, and a strict military hierarchy. The UG governs countless planets and species, enforcing its control through a centralized system that regulates trade, taxes, and resources. Its military is vast, with Admirals and Vice-Admirals crushing rebellion and ensuring compliance across the universe. While the UG ensures peace and order, it does so at the cost of personal freedoms, ruthlessly suppressing dissent to maintain its grip on power throughout Universe 12.

God-Key: God Key (or Grand Key/Divine Key when translated) are ten tools/weapons created by Azathoth, that when brought together, would allow entrance into her domain and  ████,  while  granting each of the 10 wielders  ██████.

Blanchimont Kingdom: The Blanchimont Kingdom, ruled by King Blair, is a vast, continent-sized realm located on Remnant. The kingdom thrives on a balance of tradition and progress, with a strong emphasis on military strength, magical innovation, and a diverse economy. Major cities like Montclair (the capital), Valeford, and Ironvale are hubs of trade, magic, and industry, while the Wyvern Spine Mountains and other natural landmarks provide both resources and defense. Though the kingdom follows the voluntary worship of the Sun and Moon Gods, Blair herself is secular, focusing on personal strength and fairness in her rule. The kingdom’s military is a blend of knights, mages, and specialized forces, all reflecting Blair’s martial prowess and strategic brilliance.

Remnant Dragon Balls: The Remnant Dragon Balls are wish orbs created by the Guardian of Remnant, Kami and were later enhanced upon request by said creator after Ruby asked her for an upgrade. These balls are mainly used on Remnant and were the first type of Dragon Balls used in the metaseries. They have played a major role and impact in the series, being used by a variety of characters, including main protagonist Ruby.

Cosmology: The Cyverse is an expansive universe that draws inspiration from a variety of beloved franchises—such as the Cthulhu Mythos, RWBY, the Dragon Ball series, and the SCP Foundation—infused with my own creative twist. These diverse elements come together to form a distinct and cohesive narrative that stands on its own. Originally, the concept began as a role-playing blog on Tumblr under the name phantxmthief, later evolving into Ancicntforged. Over time, the characters and their stories have captivated an audience, with many eager to explore the life of the Cyverse’s central protagonist, Ruby Rose, along with other key figures. Now, let’s delve into the world of the Cyverse!

[weerd1]

Yet another tale of how much I owe Star Trek

So this is something I haven’t talked about in years, but I was feeling nostalgic today and wanted to capture something. I wanted to write down how Star Trek got me through adolescence. 

Now, I’d already begun decoding Trek and it was already untying the knots my conservative upbringing was instilling from a young age. I can talk about “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” being so on the nose, but 11 year old me NEEDING to see that message about skin color so badly. However, this is not about Trek making me a better person (which it did); this is about Trek helping me learn how to BE a person.  Much more after the jump...

When I was in sixth grade, in about 1984 (I’m 50 now for reference) I got a copy of the old FASA Star Trek role-playing game. Please keep in mind that at this point, there is TOS, TAS, three movies, the novels, and a few comics, but that’s about it. I was consuming and reconsuming them voraciously when I got this game. As a small-for-his-age, nerdy, poor kid living in a trailer, the idea that I could roll a few dice and…BE in Star Trek was a potent elixir. 

Other people around me were growing up. Toys cast aside, actually interacting with other people in nascent romances; I was rushing home to watch GI Joe and Transformers after school. I was playing with Star Wars figures. I was now going through Starfleet Academy, and all it took was a pencil and 2D10. (Sidenote- the FASA RPG system remains one of my favorite RPGs second only to Fantasy Flight Games’ Star Wars system.) It was a way of adding the unknown to fanfiction I was already writing through  my MEGO Trek figures. 

I created a character, a descendant of my own (the biggest fantasy at that time being that I would ever find someone with whom I could start a line of descendants), promoted them to Captain and looking in the “Federation Ship Recognition Manual,” picked out a starship: the NCC-1754 USS Kitty Hawk.

My adventures had begun. Borrowing PLENTY from my heroes, my character was half-Vulcan, and 100% self-insert. To me, this was the POINT of an RPG. It was me, but the version of me I wished I could be. 

As the year went by, I picked up MORE novels and managed to find more TOS episodes (mostly on videodisc at a local place called “Movies to Go”). My sixth grade teacher, Mr. Toresdahl, was a Trekkie and would spend time he probably should have spent convincing me to do homework talking trivia. I would pick up the supplemental bits of the RPG: The Star Trek III Starship Combat Game, the miniatures, modules, reference books.

Probably the most important was when I got “The Romulans” which were certainly my favorite Trek villain.  This was helped along in NO small part by Diane Duane and her novels starting with “My Enemy, My Ally,” and later “The Romulan Way.” Without a whole lot coming out of Paramount for Star Trek at the time, there was a lot of borrowing between the existing media.

The RPG borrowed from the novels. The DC Comics series which started after the film “The Wrath of Khan” borrowed from the RPG.*

There was a congruence of some sort forming, and being as into the RPG as I was, it made me pretty well versed in all the lore. I started finding (and eventually writing for) fanzines at that point. I scoured “Starlog” magazine for Trek news and opinion. I was dead set that I would not rest until I knew all there was to know about Star Trek. 

When I started 7th Grade, there was a shift in the world around me.  Junior High meant multiple classes and even “electives.” Again, the whole physical specter of preteen sexuality was unfolding (and the examples around a young boy in the mid-eighties were seldom the healthiest). It was like I’d landed suddenly after the summer on a whole new planet, and I wasn’t sure how to cope with it all. 

But luckily, I had access to a version of me for whom landing on strange, new worlds was old hat. 

And so, I began what I can only now call LARPing life. I decided I WAS Captain Daomer. I invented an intricate “campaign” for myself, where 23rd Century Romulans (thanks again, Ms. Duane) had come back to Earth’s past to change our history, prevent the Federation from forming.** Just luckily, the Kitty Hawk was monitoring tachyon emissions in a singularity adjacent to the Sol system, and picked up the coming changes to the causality chain. At the last minute a hasty slingshot maneuver around the black hole had taken me and my crew to the time and place of the primary Romulan incursion: Southern Arizona in 1985. Of course.

Now, was this just a protective shell inside my head where I would pretend to be Captain Daomer pretending to be Daniel dealing with the intricacies of social interaction in the 7th grade?  Of COURSE not. I told anyone who would listen the whole story.

For about the next six years. 

I was in a small enough town that my school, Palominas Elementary, was a K-8.  I’d been with the same folks and staff more or less my entire school career. So, when I had to take a bus 30 minutes away to the nearest town to begin attending High School, did I change the story? Did I keep it to myself?  Oh no; if anything I became MORE flamboyant about it. Still a skinny nerd, I wasn’t picked on. Why? Because that kid’s the “Spock Guy,” and why would anyone mess with that Spock Guy?

Something important DID change between my Freshman and Sophomore year though. Star Trek: The Next Generation debuted. So, I had to update my story a bit.  My half-Vulcan character had returned to the 23rd century, continued his career, and in the 24th century, after being promoted to Commodore and as a fleet commander claiming the new Galaxy-Class USS Kitty Hawk as my flagship, had discovered post-Tomed Romulans were up to their old tricks.  That allowed me a real coup at one point, as I had caught through some fan publication early wind of Denise Crosby leaving the show, and “accidentally” dropped my knowledge that Lt. Tasha Yar was going to die before it happened on the TV. Proof of future knowledge! 

My Junior year, I was approached by a fellow student who was writing for the school paper and wanted to interview me.  We spent a couple of class periods talking about my “backstory” and I realized this person knew at least as much—if not more—about Trek than I did. The school paper never did run the interview, but some 35 years later that kid, Will Schwartz (yes, THE Schwartz) remains my best friend. 

I had already started to slow the story down a bit the summer before my Senior year, but also that summer, well, I met a girl. We were hitting it off. But when she mentioned going out with me, the school grapevine was quick to ask, “Are you dating that Spock Guy?” 

And she didn’t run away. Indeed, when she’d once demonstrated she knew all the lyrics to Neil Young’s “After The Gold Rush,” I figured she was a girl I should talk into marrying me. When she accepted I was that Spock guy, because after all, her Dad was a Trekkie and had an AMAZING collection of science fiction paperbacks, well that clinched it for me. Today, Jennifer and I are celebrating our 33rd wedding anniversary. 

So, as I went out into the world after high school, did I never call on Commodore Daomer again?  I can’t say never. Sometimes in a military career when facing danger, or briefing an officer with stars on their shoulders, a mask of stoic Vulcan control would come out of that box in the attic of my brain and get me through. But more directly, Star Trek, and my immersion thereof got me through 7th to 12th grade and gave me a broader world view, a friend for decades, and helped me identify the love of my life.  

Thank you Star Trek for all of that. Thank you creators for the assist. Thank you fellow fans for helping it be such a rich world, and thank you Commodore Daomer for your 24th Century wisdom.

One little coda.  I still watch a lot of Star Trek. Old, new…I don’t like everything that comes out, but I love it all, and that’s something I think some fans struggle with. However, there was a lovely new starship introduced not long ago, and I had to immediately find a fan produced model and make some custom changes.

The Kitty Hawk-A goes boldly... Second star to the right, and straight on 'til morning.

*The DC series had some wonderful early issues ALSO written by Diane Duane! Who can forget the Ajir and the Grond? Or McCoy accessing Spock’s katra still lurking within? Wonderful. The fact I’m mutuals here on Tumblr with someone who was such an influence to young me is probably the thing about my life now the kid in the trailer would be most skeptical of. 

**Thanks to Strange New Worlds for canonizing this, by the way. 

[fantasyfantasygames]

Virtue

Virtue, Dupré, 2009

Virtue is an ambitious game. It tries to tackle two very difficult challenges simultaneously.

First, it's an Ultima RPG, specifically focused on the games from Ultima 4 to 6. The "Age of Enlightenment" games, as they're called, focus strongly on virtue in word and deed. They play heavily off the existing standards in computer and console RPGs, where running into someone's home and looting all their stuff had no real consequences. In Ultima, not only will people notice what you do, but your character's "virtue" scores are quietly changed behind the scenes to reflect your actions. Do enough bad stuff and the world is doomed, no matter how mighty your character is.

Second, it's written entirely in poetry. No technical writing or prose fiction - poems only.

Both of those are extremely hard to tackle. Virtue set a very high bar for itself and didn't manage to clear it.

The mechanics are all centered around Truth, Love, and Courage. (The eight virtues that come from combinations of them don't come into it directly, though they do inform some of the setting.) You have values of those in the 1-10 range (usually 2-5), roll 1d6 and add to get a total, and compare to get a winner. You can also spend points to switch the contest to a virtue you like better, which ends up mostly just being a bidding/exhaustion mechanic.

The hardest part of the mechanics is that everyone knows you're here to build virtue, and so the choices are made much more obvious. To its credit the book does provide a lot of sample moral dilemmas, but you're still in a situation where the players know that it's win/win, win/lose, or lose/lose and are most likely going to metagame it. Like, there's literally no incentive to not metagame it. The GM can't have much earlier choices turn out to be wrong without making the game feel pointless and arbitrary, and they can't put you up against an unbeatable challenge without it feeling unfair. Those would be dick moves. There's no option for a real sting to your choices that doesn't also make it un-fun.

As far as the writing goes, I'm not a great judge of poetry. It seems ok. It rarely rhymes, which is for the best. It's mostly free verse and meter, but it is most definitely poetry. The biggest problem is that you have to sort of collect the rules from multiple places in the game, and it's all semi-buried in flowery language and intimations. Good organization is basically impossible in this format. You could theoretically read this whole thing and just think it was a weird, slightly disjointed collection of poems about virtues and colors and not realize it's a game.

Being an unofficial Ultima game, Virtue was never published. It started life as a text-only netbook back in the early 2000s. I've seen a three-ring binder of it (unusual even back in 2010) with images, and a PDF generated off an early LaTeX doc, so it seems likely this came from an engineering college. I haven't found a place to get a legitimate copy yet.

[mycomicbox]

Random Thoughts on Triangle Strategy

[Progress: Chapter III, Part II completed]

I first caught wind of Triangle Strategy when it was revealed in a 2021 Nintendo Direct. I didn't think much of it at the time, but then I played Bravely Default, which is now one of my favorite RPGs. After hearing about the two games' connections, as well as positive word of mouth, I decided to check out the demo for Triangle Strategy last spring, and it was enough to convince me. I bought the full game off eBay and let it sit on my shelf.... where it proceeded to stay for the following 8 months.

I'm well-versed in RPGs, but this is my first strategy RPG. As such, I'm opting to play on Normal difficulty. I'm also playing almost entirely blind.

This plot seems to involve heavy in-universe politics, which I believe is the norm for this sub-genre. After having just finished Mario & Luigi: Brothership, this'll be an interesting change of pace for me.

Pressing the X button to bring up a character's profile in the middle of a cutscene is a fantastic quality-of-life feature. This should be standard in any game with a sizable cast. However, I kind of wish the profiles had a bit more information, like age and a family tree.

There are a lot of names and story elements to keep track of. Features like the Profiles, Log, and War Chronicle make this easier, but I still found myself listening/reading very carefully to make sure I don't miss anything. I've even started taking some notes on my phone, just in case.

The combat and UI are far more detailed than I'm accustomed to. I like it! It's so cool that I can see exact damage before I attack (even accounting for follow-up attacks), and that I can see the exact percentage chance of inflicting a status ailment. Simulation Mode is very handy for strategizing, which I have to do a lot.

For things like dialogue options and voting decisions, I just kinda go with whatever my heart says (e.g., when Frederica asked what Serenoa thought about her hair, I said that it was beautiful). I assume that this isn't like Persona, where there are objectively good and bad responses. From what I've read, Triangle Strategy does have multiple endings, but there are apparently features that make New Game+ replays faster.

I love Frederica. I would die for her. That is all.

Prediction: There's going to be a big reveal where a character of high status is caught concealing their Rosellan heritage, with hair dye or a hat or something.

Overall, the game has left a very positive first impression. The story is intriguing and the gameplay is very involved. Although, Triangle Strategy does have that common "RPG curse" where the beginning is loaded with story and cutscenes before you can get to the main gameplay, which is a bit unfortunate because, as I said, the gameplay is very fun. Still, it's not like the cutscenes are boring (quite the opposite); they're just very frequent.

I can't wait to learn more. Who is Hyzante's Goddess? What was the Rosellans' "original sin"? Why does the Hierophant keep themself concealed? Why are Frederica's half-siblings such assholes, and why can't I slap them?

[seaofsinrpg]

It's February!

This month we're going to complicate things, just a little bit.... We are working with one of our affiliates, owned by a member of our lovely rpg, and our owner (myself) is in fact also in it.... Do you like Descendants? Enough to join two rpgs? Don't worry the stories aren't even remotely related, so you can bring a different life to each of your characters. Wicked Legacies RPG, is actually looking for some villain characters, so stop on in and check out their beautiful selection of both canon and premade oc roles to see which baddie you'd like to bring into the mix! https://wickedlegaciesrpg.jcink.net/index.php?showforum=4 Then when you're done there, stop on by and see us and check out the roles we have written up, or request to take on a role that we don't already have filled, to see just who it is that you want to bring into our world! Current Roles: Mal, Ben, Uma, Harry, Red

https://bit.ly/JoinSeaofSinToday

[thesiltverses]

Does the Cairn Maiden have any distinguishing prayer marks? I would love to get a tattoo of them, the stewards' beliefs really resound with my own and I wanna carry them with me. (I guess I'm basically asking you to design a tattoo, so no worries if it's too much hassle) Also congratulations on the new season, it's insane! Much love to you!

Thank you very much and much love right back!

To be honest, we actually haven't come up with anything in the show that fits the bill (in general, the logo / Wither Mark aside, we've deliberately tried to avoid describing prayer marks entirely so we don't get into the complexities of creating multiple pictographic languages) so we may not be able to help much here.

But the folks at the Gauntlet have - I believe - been working on some visual designs for the various faiths as part of the upcoming Silt Verses RPG, so maybe keep an eye out in case there's some cool inspiration there?

[ednito]

YOU'RE GONNA MAKE A GAME OF YOUR VERSE?!?!?! THAT'S SO COOL WHAT!!!!

I'm punching the wall right now /pos. I really really admire the determination to make a whole ass game for your version of the universe and the characters!! I'm ready to wait as long as you need and support the project because really, your designs and your story is so awesome and I really love it and I get super excited when you post stuff about it!!!

Yeah!!! I've had different game building softwares like rpg maker 2022 (or 2023? I forgor) and a couple visual novels! I've been wanting to make games for a long time and I've had different ideas for some more original concepts so this is a good way to introduce myself into game development!!

Thank you though for your support and excitement! I'm happy your excited! I'm excited too! I have some big ideas for it and I'd love to at some point maybe get some volunteers! Like to help with music or even maybe voice acting though that's for much later! This game will obviously be free since it not official but I'd still make it free anyway cause I want as many people to be able to play it ya know?

I'm thinking of doing something similar to deltarune where there's multiple parts/chapters, I think it would be easy for the story telling but also easy on development! And most if not all chapters will be specific for a character in the story. I'm unsure how many chapters but just to be safe I'll assume 10 LMAO

[rockerb0y]

#𝚁𝙾𝙲𝙺𝙴𝚁𝙱𝟶𝚈. a highly private & mixed media portrayal of r. talsorian games' 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡𝗡𝗬 𝗦𝗜𝗟𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗗. as based on the cyberpunk tabletop rpg sourcebooks , cyberpunk 2077 , & personal analysis. no knowledge of the series is required to interact. extremely low activity & plot-based. rarely follows first.

𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚢 𝚒𝚗 : music as a means of catharsis , cigarette smoke & unreleased demos in the green room , the war against the fuckin' forces of entropy , the pious bond between parasite & host , to become a deserter after early enlistment , the black dog in your head , love will tear us apart again , an imperfect copy of the soul , and never fading away.

note that this blog contains highly sensitive & potentially triggering content. follow at your own discretion. 𝙷𝙴𝙰𝙳𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙴𝚁𝚂 : 𝚗𝚎𝚞𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚢𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚗𝚣𝚊

¹ 𝙸𝙽𝙵𝙾 ² 𝙿𝙻𝙰𝚈𝙻𝙸𝚂𝚃 ³ 𝚅𝙸𝚂𝚄𝙰𝙻 ⁴ 𝙿𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙿𝚃𝚂

i. basic roleplay etiquette applies. do not impose your personal headcanons about johnny upon me, do not assume anything about my portrayal, and do not steal my ideas/headcanons, or graphics for yourself. please note that this blog is also 21+ and i'll only be writing with partners who have their age visible on their blog. personal accounts dni.

ii. original character & multifandom friendly. i don't expect you to be familiar with the source material (although i highly recommend it!). in his main verse, he's a human and well-established in the music industry so he's adaptable. i also have a long-term case of cyberpunk brainrot so i'm more than happy to workshop a verse with you if you're game! live action icons are available as well.

iii. my writing style is descriptive and heavily formatted. this may include coloured text. please let me know if you'd prefer me to keep the formatting to a minimum so i can accommodate.

iv. this blog may feature violence, sexual situations, substance abuse, gore, and other mature content. triggers will use the '___ cw' format. if you are currently playing the game for the first time (please do!) and care about spoilers, let me know and i can tag game-related media posts with 'cp2077'.

v. although i rarely follow first (mainly to ensure that you're receptive to his characterization), there's a good chance i'll follow back if you have detailed character information and a descriptive writing style. i may ask questions about your character as needed but i can almost always find some common ground to work with!

at this time, however, please note that i'm not comfortable following duplicates

i also won't follow v writers first out of personal preference but i value every portrayal that i interact with and will do my best to individualize my interactions with them. expect a message from me if i follow back!

lastly, if you already have a main johnny (or if you already write with multiple), i'm less likely to engage/interact as i prefer not to step on anyone's toes. thank you for understanding!

vi. i practice ship exclusivity and if we do develop an established dynamic (whether it be platonic, romantic, familial, or antagonistic), i'd greatly prefer the same practice on your end!

for v writers, i do treat them all as original and standalone characters. in those rare cases, i'll be lifepath and 'name' exclusive; i won't write with other v writers with your v's particular lifepath and first name (ie. a streetkid named valerie or a corpo named vincent) out of respect for our developed dynamic. if they have a face claim, i'll apply the same exclusivity to them as well

vii. this blog will only be engaging in threads with mutuals and will prioritize plotted dynamics. ideally, i'd like to plot with all my mutuals (even if it's barebones). it makes our interactions that much easier to write and i love to chat about our characters. let's be excellent to each other!

[caseofthestolenspecs]

Questions! 1) Are you a megane IRL? 2) Do you enjoy other FF games, or just XV? 3) Do you prefer the Ep Ignis ending, or the main ending to their story? 4) Who do you ship Ignis with the most, if at all? 5) What's your favorite color? 6) Has anything come out recently you really enjoyed?

Ahhhhh YAY thank you so much for sending me an ask! I'm excited!!

1) Are you a megane IRL?

Sort of?? I'd always wanted glasses and got my wish a few years ago! I'm a bit farsighted (objects turn blurry once they get a few inches close to my face) so I typically only wear glasses when I am focusing on screens (such as my computer monitor, TV or phone), otherwise I don't need them and can see quite well. But does this classify me as an Official Megane™? I guess so, since there is usually a screen involved in my day to day life. 😂

2) Do you enjoy other FF games, or just XV?

While XV is my favourite for a majority of reasons, I've played and enjoyed quite a few other FF games over the years! I especially love 6, 7 and 9. My favourite RPG series are actually non-FF though!

3) Do you prefer the Ep Ignis ending, or the main ending to their story?

I assume you mean the "Verse 2" ending of Episode Ignis when you say the Episode Ignis ending - and the answer is… I like both of them, but ultimately I prefer the main ending of the game. I love a good tragedy (as much as it makes my heart hurt!!) and there is beauty in it through the tears. However, I am also not opposed to the idea of "happy, everyone lives" AUs, which Verse 2 delivers quite nicely, so I can enjoy it purely in a "what if" scenario.

4) Who do you ship Ignis with the most, if at all?

Prompto of course!! The Promnis pairing has had me in a chokehold since the game first came out and it's still going strong. It's the main pairing that I write (ha… writing.. what's that…?? 💦💦) and just the mere mention of it evokes strong emotions in me to this day. I won't write an essay here, but I do think they are perfect for each other in every way.

5) What's your favorite color?

Purple! My phone is purple, my bedspread is purple, my childhood room was purple, my hair has been dyed purple multiple times…. if I could have everything be purple, it would be. It's such a happy colour.

6) Has anything come out recently you really enjoyed?

Video game-wise, there have been SO many. My favourite game of all time is Super Mario RPG for the SNES, and when the remake for the Switch was announced I actually cried watching the trailer. Playing it was absolute perfection and I couldn't have asked for anything more! More recently though, I played through Sea of Stars (AMAZING GAME I loved the heck out of it) and just finished Little Kitty Big City, which was a super cute delight!

[thecallofthewildgeese]

"those frivolous extracurricular needs" excerpt, pt. 1

My relationship with writing has been an on-and-off affair. As a pre-teen, I’d write detailed backgrounds and wordbuilding in ruled school notebooks, ambitiously planning stories that would span multiple books. I never got farther than a few chapters, but it was fun to think about.

Then, I discovered the wonderful world of RPGs and fanfiction, which encouraged me to create new original characters, explore original ones and develop my writing, besides allowing me to meet some of my dearest friends. But, although I had multiple ideas for fanfics, I’d stumble and halt when it came time to actually write, a pattern which repeats to this day, with only a few short stories to my name.

However, there’s some joy to be found in the act of creation, even if unfinished, so I continue writing. The nice thing about having hobbies is that you’re not expected to be good at them, or in fact to do them at all unless it strikes your fancy. I may not be a famous writer, or even a prolific fanfic writer, but I do enjoy putting some words together until they sound nice.

Today I’ll share a piece of writing from my current project, an “Our Flag Means Death” fanfiction titled “these frivolous extracurricular needs”. It’s centered on the courtship of Izzy Hands by Stede and Ed–with him completely unaware of it, and pining after them both. I’ve been trying to be more colorful with my writing, the famous “show, don’t tell”. This particular excerpt came about when I wondered how I could dig deeper into the metaphor that first came to mind: “It made Izzy feel like a starved mutt begging for scraps”. It adds some flavor to the story, don’t you think?

“Stede and Edward could not be more openly and overtly in love with each other if they tried. They were always touching, arms and hands and legs and lips, eyes seeking and finding each other in every room like the sure needle of a compass.  Watching it was unbearable, enough to make him flinch for the first few months. Their love made him feel small, insignificant. Izzy was well-versed in the art of bottling his emotions up, though, and so perhaps only Ivan and Fang (and Ed, always Ed), who were more familiar with his mannerisms, had been able to catch the minute twitching of his eyes at every revolting display of affection. Every time he thought about this, he could not help but remember a scrawny, grimy mutt that lived near his orphanage as a boy. It had big, wet black eyes and shaggy fur. The dog would beg for scraps and pats from every passerby, only to be kicked  down and screamed at.  Its whines of pain were always so very quiet.  The first and only time Izzy approached the mutt to pet it, it suddenly bared a mouth full of sharp yellowed teeth and bit his hand, hard, not letting go until Izzy kicked it away. He was feverish for weeks afterwards, the wound leaking a sickly yellow pus, but somehow didn't die. He still had the scar, a jagged half-moon on his left hand.”