Remember When Everything Was Normal? Me Neither!
- Thread starter SlugSLinger
- Start date
- Original
In_lurk_shadow
[ ]
- Location
- here and there
[X] Beyond being annoying, not much.
-[X] Thanks for scaring them off by the way.
-[X] You haven't seen him around before, is he a transfer student?
-[X] Thanks for scaring them off by the way.
-[X] You haven't seen him around before, is he a transfer student?
SlugSLinger
Seeker of Originality
- Location
- Somewhere in the Jungles of S.E.A
Of course she's not. She's looking for you, after all. According to the dice, she'll find you once you've spoken to your rescuer.
JoshieWoshie
Mister Doge
[X] Beyond being annoying, not much.
-[X] Thanks for scaring them off by the way.
-[X] You haven't seen him around before, is he a transfer student?
-[X] Thanks for scaring them off by the way.
-[X] You haven't seen him around before, is he a transfer student?
ConfusedPotato
Unverified Verifier
- Location
- Australia
[X] Beyond being annoying, not much.
-[X] Thanks for scaring them off by the way.
-[X] You haven't seen him around before, is he a transfer student?
-[X] Thanks for scaring them off by the way.
-[X] You haven't seen him around before, is he a transfer student?
- Location
- Somewhere
[X] Beyond being annoying, not much.
-[X] Thanks for scaring them off by the way.
-[X] You haven't seen him around before, is he a transfer student?
I say we treat her normally and keep the magic stuff away for now, unless a good reason shows itself. We can deal with that once school's over.
-[X] Thanks for scaring them off by the way.
-[X] You haven't seen him around before, is he a transfer student?
Well then... that'll be interesting.
I say we treat her normally and keep the magic stuff away for now, unless a good reason shows itself. We can deal with that once school's over.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
lol@Larry
Kind of funny to meet him right after the interlude. And of course, it's our school that every magical weirdo gravitates towards.
[X] Beyond being annoying, not much.
-[X] Thanks for scaring them off by the way.
-[X] You haven't seen him around before, is he a transfer student?
What year is it, by the way? Seeing as how it seems to be the same setting as the previous quest, I wonder how much time we have left before the Clash between mundanes and supernaturals.
Kind of funny to meet him right after the interlude. And of course, it's our school that every magical weirdo gravitates towards.
[X] Beyond being annoying, not much.
-[X] Thanks for scaring them off by the way.
-[X] You haven't seen him around before, is he a transfer student?
What year is it, by the way? Seeing as how it seems to be the same setting as the previous quest, I wonder how much time we have left before the Clash between mundanes and supernaturals.
- Location
- Germany
[X] Beyond being annoying, not much.
-[X] Thanks for scaring them off by the way.
-[X] You haven't seen him around before, is he a transfer student?
I can not place the guy....
-[X] Thanks for scaring them off by the way.
-[X] You haven't seen him around before, is he a transfer student?
I can not place the guy....
SlugSLinger
Seeker of Originality
- Location
- Somewhere in the Jungles of S.E.A
Huh. Didn't think anyone would still remember that old thing. If you don't mind me asking, what was it that you found memorable about No Heroes Here?
*absently/curiously checks old notes*
Anyway, the year this quest takes place in is roughly around the 2020's. And that's not Larry. Larry Proudmoore is this Proudmoore's grandpa.
[X] Beyond being annoying, not much.
-[X] Thanks for scaring them off by the way.
-[X] You haven't seen him around before, is he a transfer student?
Here's your daily dosage of invisi-text reveal.
-[X] Thanks for scaring them off by the way.
-[X] You haven't seen him around before, is he a transfer student?
Here's your daily dosage of invisi-text reveal.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
Oh damn, I missed that the interlude ended in 1979 and Thana has a smartphone indicating 2010+. My bad. 
In no particular order, what I remember about it:
- wacky setting. Say what you will, the sheer madness of the place was endearing, even though it eventually became too much and I started missing some normal interaction.
- fairy genocide. That was, uh, weird.
- assholish protagonist was refreshing. Punching the resident hero-boy in the face was surprisingly satisfying, telling him off doubly so.*
* the arena fight with Iori was badass.
- lack of direction and lack of challenge. The story seemed to alternate between club activities and special ops, and being fit for the latter trivialized the former quite a bit. At the end of the day I probably favored the club work.**
** the entirety of the park scene with Bianca was hilarious.
- character interaction. I didn't like Derek/Bianca (too much tsundere, swearing and juvenile jokes), but the rest were entertaining.***
*** amusing dynamics between Iori with his-elven-childhood-friend-forgot-her-name and our 'delinquent' asses. Liked Bianca in general, she was a deterrent for our less socially acceptable tendencies done right.
- random encounters with promising characters that went nowhere. I can't believe we never saw the wounded girl we found bleeding out in our bathroom or the pickpocket again. I liked those!
- choice design... was uneven. Too often there was a single easy choice to pick - in that case why have a choice at all? This quest seems like an improvement when it comes to disagreement between the voters.
- planning out the mansion siege was fun, even though not a lot of people ended up engaging.
Things that were memorable are not always interchangeable with things that I'd call good.
In no particular order, what I remember about it:
- wacky setting. Say what you will, the sheer madness of the place was endearing, even though it eventually became too much and I started missing some normal interaction.
- fairy genocide. That was, uh, weird.
- assholish protagonist was refreshing. Punching the resident hero-boy in the face was surprisingly satisfying, telling him off doubly so.*
* the arena fight with Iori was badass.
- lack of direction and lack of challenge. The story seemed to alternate between club activities and special ops, and being fit for the latter trivialized the former quite a bit. At the end of the day I probably favored the club work.**
** the entirety of the park scene with Bianca was hilarious.
- character interaction. I didn't like Derek/Bianca (too much tsundere, swearing and juvenile jokes), but the rest were entertaining.***
*** amusing dynamics between Iori with his-elven-childhood-friend-forgot-her-name and our 'delinquent' asses. Liked Bianca in general, she was a deterrent for our less socially acceptable tendencies done right.
- random encounters with promising characters that went nowhere. I can't believe we never saw the wounded girl we found bleeding out in our bathroom or the pickpocket again. I liked those!
- choice design... was uneven. Too often there was a single easy choice to pick - in that case why have a choice at all? This quest seems like an improvement when it comes to disagreement between the voters.
- planning out the mansion siege was fun, even though not a lot of people ended up engaging.
SlugSLinger
Seeker of Originality
- Location
- Somewhere in the Jungles of S.E.A
@Nevill
All in all, I think I've learned quite a bit about GM-ing quests since then:
- Arrange ideas and plan out the plot before doing anything.
- Add new ideas when appropriate. Otherwise, save them for future quests.
- Let the players have their fun, but be strict and precise when the situation calls for it
- Following the crowd is nice and all, but new things are fun too!
Also, I'd put up a vote tally but everyone's bandwagon-ing so there isn't much point. I''ll lock the vote in another hour or so, then start working on the update.
Too ambitious and throwing whatever stuff came into mind first. I'll have to curb that tendency if it ever comes back up.
Originally, I'd planned for the a rival fairy hive to have charmed/cursed the old landlady into manipulating a third party (the players) do the dirty work for them (genociding/exterminating the first fairy hive) so that they could move in. Then I though about how well that would be received by the players and, well...
At the time, I saw a lack of Knight in Sour Armor/Good is Not Nice protagonists in SV and thought: 'this is some uncharted ground worth exploring!
*jots down notes*
Thanks. I've been training myself on how to write people and not just characters. Good to see it paid off, no matter how little.
Yeah. She was supposed to join the team, but I couldn't figure out where to insert her.
I'll chalk that up to QM inexperience.
You only have yourselves to thank for that experience. All I gave you was the situation and possible outside factors.
All in all, I think I've learned quite a bit about GM-ing quests since then:
- Arrange ideas and plan out the plot before doing anything.
- Add new ideas when appropriate. Otherwise, save them for future quests.
- Let the players have their fun, but be strict and precise when the situation calls for it
- Following the crowd is nice and all, but new things are fun too!
x-x-x-x-x
Also, I'd put up a vote tally but everyone's bandwagon-ing so there isn't much point. I''ll lock the vote in another hour or so, then start working on the update.
Talking and Bumping into Vivian [Morning - 2/4]
SlugSLinger
Seeker of Originality
- Location
- Somewhere in the Jungles of S.E.A
[] Beyond being annoying, not much.
-[] Thanks for scaring them off by the way.
-[] You haven't seen him around before, is he a transfer student?
"Beyond being annoying, not much." you rub the sore spot on your arm. "I'll be fine by tomorrow. Tahnks for scaring them off, by the way. God knows what I would've done if they kept going."
"Hey, don't mention it. Assholes like them have egos like weeds; they need a little trimming now and then so that they don't fuck anything up." your rescuer shrugs. "Anyone with a heart and some courage would've done the same thing, I'm sure."
You nod, keeping your opinion on the subject to yourself. You start walking and your rescuer falls into step beside you, slowing a bit to let your shorter legs keep up.
"Actually, I haven't seen you around before. You a transfer student?" you ask. Proudmoore laughs. "What?"
"Nothing. It's just," he calms down. "If I had a nickle for every time someone said that to me, I'd be freaking rich by now."
"...So, you're not?"
"'Course not. I've been living in Rockafeller for as long as I've been alive. I'm actually in my sophomore year here, though you probably can't tell from my charming good looks." he runs a hand through his hair and bats his eyelashes at you, making you giggle. "Name's Theodore Proudmoore. Nice to meet'cha."
"Thana Loering." you answer. He blinks.
"Huh. You wouldn't happen to be related to Vivian Loering, would you?"
"She's my sister. Twin sister, actually." you clarify, to his apparent fascination. "She took after my mom while I took after my dad."
"Ahh. Well, you learn something new every day." Theodore nods to himself. "If you see her, could you tell her Theo's still waiting for her to pay off her tab? Fifty bucks worth of snacks ain't something anybody can just wish away, number one customer or no."
You nearly trip over empty air. A fifty buck tab? On snacks?
"Damn it Viv." you murmur under your breath. Theodore grins. "I'll see if I can get her to pay up, but don't expect anything any time soon. Also, number one customer?"
"Well..." Theodore shrugs sheepishly and shifts one of his bags. He unzips it to reveal--
"Wow." You breathe at the amount of sweets in it. And not just limited to the cheap kind, either. Snickers, Kit Kats, Toffy drops, Twinkies, Mars, lollipops, red and black licorice, marshmallow chocolate sandwiches, gummy bears both large and small. There is no shortage of things to eat inside of it. "That's a lot of sugar. I know a few people who'd kill to eat that many sweets at once." you look back up at him. "So, what, you go around selling them?"
"Sometimes. I sell a lot of other stuff on the side; stationery, phone cases, spare shirts and clothes, shoes and scrunchies. Even contraband like ciggs or tiny pocket knives." he makes a face. "I don't touch drugs or alcohol, though. I draw the line there."
You make a noise of acknowledgement. At least he's honest to himself.
"So, what're you doing up up here?" Theodore asks. "There aren't any classes on the second floor this early."
"Oh, just walking around. My classes don't start in another half hour, so I got so time to spare." you shrug. "No homework to work on and nothing better to do but relax and enjoy the free time, I guess."
"Lucky." Proudmoore murmurs. You raise a brow and he shakes his head. "I mean, I get where you're coming from. Just a bit jealous of your free time, I guess."
"Why's that?" you blink, eyes flickering to his candy bag. "Oh, wait..."
"Yeah, looking for dudes to sell all these to is time consuming. I do a quick sweep on every floor every morning, so I don't have much spare time to myself then." Theodore smiles to himself. "You never know if anyone's peckish enough to want to eat something not on a vending machine just before class and has extra change to spend. And believe me, a lot of people get pre-class peckishness."
"Is that even a word?"
"It is. Kinda. Sorta. I think." Theodore tilts hi head sideways. "Maybe? I dunno, it sounds right."
"Fair." you smile, enjoying the lighthearted banter.
You and Theodore move down the stairs on the other side of the building, eventually rejoining the flow of Featherdale students on the first floor. A few even come up to Theodore and buy stuff, some sweets some not, but none bat an eye at your presence next to him.
They do start whispering when you aren't looking, though.
You reach the stairs to the ground floor after a long meandering walk alongside Theodore with bits of conversation here and there to liven up the air around you both. You intend to separate once you reach the ground floor and head to class.
But then you bump into Vivian, and for brief moment, the world slows down as you give her a once over.
She looks about the same as she always does; blonde ponytail, amber eyes, angsty teenager outfit. You note her shoulders are slumped down slightly, her eyes are downcast, and she has her hands in her pockets. All in all, a picture of a depressed teenager with deep emotional turmoil. Her gaze lands on you and some of her depression dissipates, eye lighting up.
Then her gaze lands on Theodore and she pales, however slightly. Theodore himself grins.
"Mornin'." Theodore greets, grinning a little too wide.
"H-Hey, Theo..." Vivian greets back, her eyes flickering between you and Theodore uncertainly. "How's business?"
"Good, good." the white haired teen nods slowly. "How's your tab? Thinking on paying up, one of these days?"
"C-Can I take a raincheck of that?" she looks at you. "I... Thana and I, my sister ya'know, we... uh..."
Theodore looks at you.
"Family issues. It's complicated." you apologize. "I'll make sure she clears up her tab. Eventually." Theodore sighs ruefully and you laugh. "See you later?"
"Yeah." Theodore nods. "Later."
You give him a quick smile as he walks away, eventually melting into the crowd. You turn back to your sister, who is fidgeting nervously in front of you. Her mouth opens and closes as she tries to say something, but failing.
[] Write-in
-[] Thanks for scaring them off by the way.
-[] You haven't seen him around before, is he a transfer student?
"Beyond being annoying, not much." you rub the sore spot on your arm. "I'll be fine by tomorrow. Tahnks for scaring them off, by the way. God knows what I would've done if they kept going."
"Hey, don't mention it. Assholes like them have egos like weeds; they need a little trimming now and then so that they don't fuck anything up." your rescuer shrugs. "Anyone with a heart and some courage would've done the same thing, I'm sure."
You nod, keeping your opinion on the subject to yourself. You start walking and your rescuer falls into step beside you, slowing a bit to let your shorter legs keep up.
"Actually, I haven't seen you around before. You a transfer student?" you ask. Proudmoore laughs. "What?"
"Nothing. It's just," he calms down. "If I had a nickle for every time someone said that to me, I'd be freaking rich by now."
"...So, you're not?"
"'Course not. I've been living in Rockafeller for as long as I've been alive. I'm actually in my sophomore year here, though you probably can't tell from my charming good looks." he runs a hand through his hair and bats his eyelashes at you, making you giggle. "Name's Theodore Proudmoore. Nice to meet'cha."
"Thana Loering." you answer. He blinks.
"Huh. You wouldn't happen to be related to Vivian Loering, would you?"
"She's my sister. Twin sister, actually." you clarify, to his apparent fascination. "She took after my mom while I took after my dad."
"Ahh. Well, you learn something new every day." Theodore nods to himself. "If you see her, could you tell her Theo's still waiting for her to pay off her tab? Fifty bucks worth of snacks ain't something anybody can just wish away, number one customer or no."
You nearly trip over empty air. A fifty buck tab? On snacks?
"Damn it Viv." you murmur under your breath. Theodore grins. "I'll see if I can get her to pay up, but don't expect anything any time soon. Also, number one customer?"
"Well..." Theodore shrugs sheepishly and shifts one of his bags. He unzips it to reveal--
"Wow." You breathe at the amount of sweets in it. And not just limited to the cheap kind, either. Snickers, Kit Kats, Toffy drops, Twinkies, Mars, lollipops, red and black licorice, marshmallow chocolate sandwiches, gummy bears both large and small. There is no shortage of things to eat inside of it. "That's a lot of sugar. I know a few people who'd kill to eat that many sweets at once." you look back up at him. "So, what, you go around selling them?"
"Sometimes. I sell a lot of other stuff on the side; stationery, phone cases, spare shirts and clothes, shoes and scrunchies. Even contraband like ciggs or tiny pocket knives." he makes a face. "I don't touch drugs or alcohol, though. I draw the line there."
You make a noise of acknowledgement. At least he's honest to himself.
"So, what're you doing up up here?" Theodore asks. "There aren't any classes on the second floor this early."
"Oh, just walking around. My classes don't start in another half hour, so I got so time to spare." you shrug. "No homework to work on and nothing better to do but relax and enjoy the free time, I guess."
"Lucky." Proudmoore murmurs. You raise a brow and he shakes his head. "I mean, I get where you're coming from. Just a bit jealous of your free time, I guess."
"Why's that?" you blink, eyes flickering to his candy bag. "Oh, wait..."
"Yeah, looking for dudes to sell all these to is time consuming. I do a quick sweep on every floor every morning, so I don't have much spare time to myself then." Theodore smiles to himself. "You never know if anyone's peckish enough to want to eat something not on a vending machine just before class and has extra change to spend. And believe me, a lot of people get pre-class peckishness."
"Is that even a word?"
"It is. Kinda. Sorta. I think." Theodore tilts hi head sideways. "Maybe? I dunno, it sounds right."
"Fair." you smile, enjoying the lighthearted banter.
You and Theodore move down the stairs on the other side of the building, eventually rejoining the flow of Featherdale students on the first floor. A few even come up to Theodore and buy stuff, some sweets some not, but none bat an eye at your presence next to him.
They do start whispering when you aren't looking, though.
You reach the stairs to the ground floor after a long meandering walk alongside Theodore with bits of conversation here and there to liven up the air around you both. You intend to separate once you reach the ground floor and head to class.
But then you bump into Vivian, and for brief moment, the world slows down as you give her a once over.
She looks about the same as she always does; blonde ponytail, amber eyes, angsty teenager outfit. You note her shoulders are slumped down slightly, her eyes are downcast, and she has her hands in her pockets. All in all, a picture of a depressed teenager with deep emotional turmoil. Her gaze lands on you and some of her depression dissipates, eye lighting up.
Then her gaze lands on Theodore and she pales, however slightly. Theodore himself grins.
"Mornin'." Theodore greets, grinning a little too wide.
"H-Hey, Theo..." Vivian greets back, her eyes flickering between you and Theodore uncertainly. "How's business?"
"Good, good." the white haired teen nods slowly. "How's your tab? Thinking on paying up, one of these days?"
"C-Can I take a raincheck of that?" she looks at you. "I... Thana and I, my sister ya'know, we... uh..."
Theodore looks at you.
"Family issues. It's complicated." you apologize. "I'll make sure she clears up her tab. Eventually." Theodore sighs ruefully and you laugh. "See you later?"
"Yeah." Theodore nods. "Later."
You give him a quick smile as he walks away, eventually melting into the crowd. You turn back to your sister, who is fidgeting nervously in front of you. Her mouth opens and closes as she tries to say something, but failing.
[] Write-in
Genesys
(Discrete Mokona)
- Location
- California
This guy... he's the guy who always knows how to get anything!
OverReactionGuy
Verified Sanity
Our sister is in debt to the mob!
edit: -grumbles- late nights effect spelling.
edit2: Wonder if I'm going to need to explain this joke, it is a rather complex one and the obvious one isn't what you'd think. Eh, why not.
Dude came from a random encounter and thus is a mob.
edit3: Is also a double joke saying that he is in the mob since he sells stuff at school and what not.
...I'm going to bed.
edit: -grumbles- late nights effect spelling.
edit2: Wonder if I'm going to need to explain this joke, it is a rather complex one and the obvious one isn't what you'd think. Eh, why not.
Dude came from a random encounter and thus is a mob.
edit3: Is also a double joke saying that he is in the mob since he sells stuff at school and what not.
...I'm going to bed.
Last edited:
JoshieWoshie
Mister Doge
[X]...*flip ponytail in max sass mode and walk away.* Give it a few steps then turn back and ask if she wants to meet up somewhere private later to talk. Make sure to smirk to let her now you're taking the piss out of her.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
[x] "Morning, Viv."
-[x] "Oh, don't be like that. You have a gloom aura a mile wide. It's making me feel bad. If you keep going at it, you'll conjure up rain or something."
We want an explanation, not a public display of penitence.
We are Thana, death incarnate. We are the one who get to be gloomy, brooding and menacing. It does not suit someone who is named after 'life'. Stop stealing our gig, Viv!
-[x] "Oh, don't be like that. You have a gloom aura a mile wide. It's making me feel bad. If you keep going at it, you'll conjure up rain or something."
We want an explanation, not a public display of penitence.
We are Thana, death incarnate. We are the one who get to be gloomy, brooding and menacing. It does not suit someone who is named after 'life'. Stop stealing our gig, Viv!
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[X]So. Magic. Bet that's fun. Bet it would've been more fun TOGETHER! But what do I know about magic anyway. It's not like anybody told me MAGIC was real when I was ten or anything.
I'd be real salty about this not going to lie. Magic. MAGIC. I don't think the Dead Sea would have enough salt to cover this.
I'd be real salty about this not going to lie. Magic. MAGIC. I don't think the Dead Sea would have enough salt to cover this.