Teach Me, Mothra-sensei!
- Thread starter Guancyto
- Start date
- Original Superhero
- Location
- In Your DNA
Nah, Butterfly probably has, like, an insect control superpower or something, and who's ever made trouble with that?
[X] Cafe! Why do you suspect this involves nectar?
I cannot resist some good gossip.
oh no
I cannot resist some good gossip.
oh no
7. All Wound Up
- Location
- In Your DNA
You can't decide! You pace in a little circle, dithering on it while your wings flutter, and it's only your spectacular wherewithal that keeps you from saying out loud, "think, think, think." Butterfly takes pity on you and puts a hand on your shoulder.
"We'll get a drink some other time. I guess I can do my job and show you around."
Oh! You perk up as you think of something. Humans do have a way to square that circle. A fascinating contraption that spits out bottles of lightly flavored sugar-water. "There were vending machines around, I think?"
Butterfly shakes her head. "Well, yes, but it's not the same! It's all about the atmosphere, the showmanship, the outfits, the tiny umbrellas!"
Hmmm. You had seen a thing on the Internet where a Human put an outfit on their cup and called it a Mug Cozy. You're not exactly sure why it's important to dress up a drink and give it an umbrella and you sort of hope that it isn't an indication that Mugs are sentient creatures somehow, but you're willing to give Butterfly the benefit of the doubt.
You buy the two of you some sugary drinks anyway, and the two of you take your tour of the grounds while sipping on them. Every now and then you come across a strategically placed little platform with sugar-water on it and Madame's butterflies take a break from flitting around her to alight and have their own drink.
Without any students yet the grounds are peaceful and the wind blows through green trees with pointed petals. Rather than one central building there are stone walkways connecting outbuildings with sloped wooden roofs. The frequent fountains and stone lanterns are nearly hidden beneath green and without being close to a given building it more resembles a park than a school grounds.
"It must be really easy to get lost here," you peer around a corner in the path where Butterfly has just disappeared to. When you catch up she's busy checking on a statue of a strange creature (a lion maybe? It looks lion-adjacent), brushing dirt off its back and out of its mouth.
She laughs, "you have no idea. Stick to the path, and if you can't find your way just ask one of these babies to show you the way." She pats the statue and you cock your head at her, not sure if she's serious. She grins at you; it could be she's also not quite above this "haze" thing. "Or call to me, I'm good at finding people in here."
"You'll get used to it in no time! So!" she claps her hands, "aside from the classrooms, there are two big things. First is the first aid kits, in case there's a medical or spiritual emergency. Two in every room."
She faithfully shows you the little cabinets marked with a red cross. You got some of this in your schooling but you're very certain that a stick with paper on the end, little bottles of water and paper strips with strange writing on them aren't part of Human medicine. You pick up a bottle of water and look at her dubiously.
"Sometimes things that get out of the rift are a little slippery," she smiles, "we haven't had to perform an exorcism lately but it pays to be prepared, right? Right, that's the other one."
The two of you cross through a large, centrally-located building with a mostly-empty inside (Butterfly says it's an auditorium now - your Human mecha pilot friend told you to be careful of "Auditors" so you step carefully), to a building at the back of the school grounds fenced in with wood posts.
"And this," Butterfly stands in front of a door, "is the piece de resistance, the creme de la creme, the whole banana! I introduce you to… the Holy Wound!"
She opens the door dramatically. In the build-up you've had some ideas on what it might be, and your conclusion is it's probably like the rift that separates your world from the Human world. "Wound" would be a dramatic way of describing it but not exactly inaccurate.
Looking at the purple and black and red and gray gash that the building seems to have been built around, wound is if anything an understatement. The colored light bleeds out from it and it's only several feet away that the colors start to dissipate. Your eyes start to hurt as you look at it and yet it's hard to look away, the shifting starry patterns of black, the viscous seeping of red, the shifting streamers of purple…
"It's something, isn't it?" Paratha has been sitting on the wooden railing that separates the inner and outer sanctum, kicking her legs and snacking out of a bowl that looks like she grudgingly added some popcorn to her chili powder.
Still, the similarities between it and the Rift are close enough that you take a leap of logic. "Where does it lead?"
"Ooh, new girl is asking the right questions. Usually people are all, 'is it going to end the world' or 'is it growing' or 'my god it's full of stars.'"
"A Netherworld," Butterfly says, coming in and closing the door behind you, "some are quite tame and a safe resting place for Human souls. This one is a mess because its ruler has been destroyed and its Key lost."
"I understood maybe a quarter of that," you pout. Sultana described herself as a Key, does that mean she has some kind of connection to a resting place for Human souls? And whatever caused this problem is apparently stronger than you, because Sultana took a full-force hit from you just to show off. You don't like the sound of that!
"Don't worry about it," Paratha laughs and offers you the bowl of popcorn.
[ ] Might as well try it!
[ ] Politely decline the burning-death-fire popcorn.
"All you need to know is that ghosts and gribblies come out of it sometimes. Your job if you're on guard duty is to stall them and figure out whether or not they're nice, and if they are, get one of us so we can figure out a solution that doesn't involve them going back."
You chew on your tongue, trying to find your feet in this strange situation. "So they're not harmful? But it has to be guarded."
Butterfly nods. "Most aren't really that dangerous. But they'll often be... confused. Even if they used to be Human, the world won't be as they left it and the process is disorienting." You feel a sudden pang of sympathy for these Humans or former-Humans or whatever they are, thrust into a new world beyond their imagining.
"And they won't want to go back?" You won't deny having felt homesick, but you can go home any time you like.
"Hell no!" Paratha scoffs, "well, maybe you'll get one that's just curious but things kinda suck on the other side. We've been, it's not a good place." She gets a little mischievous smile. "I could show you. You're definitely tough enough to cross."
"Paratha…" Butterfly furrows her brow in consternation and her ambient butterflies swirl around her faster.
"You're giving her orientation, right? This is part of orientation! We'll be quick," the lizardlike Human hops down from her railing and beckons you over. "Come on. It'll be a good lesson. "
[ ] Accept. You've already explored one alien world, might as well have a look at a second.
[ ] Decline. You're just figuring out this weird alien world, no need to complicate your life.
"We'll get a drink some other time. I guess I can do my job and show you around."
Oh! You perk up as you think of something. Humans do have a way to square that circle. A fascinating contraption that spits out bottles of lightly flavored sugar-water. "There were vending machines around, I think?"
Butterfly shakes her head. "Well, yes, but it's not the same! It's all about the atmosphere, the showmanship, the outfits, the tiny umbrellas!"
Hmmm. You had seen a thing on the Internet where a Human put an outfit on their cup and called it a Mug Cozy. You're not exactly sure why it's important to dress up a drink and give it an umbrella and you sort of hope that it isn't an indication that Mugs are sentient creatures somehow, but you're willing to give Butterfly the benefit of the doubt.
You buy the two of you some sugary drinks anyway, and the two of you take your tour of the grounds while sipping on them. Every now and then you come across a strategically placed little platform with sugar-water on it and Madame's butterflies take a break from flitting around her to alight and have their own drink.
Without any students yet the grounds are peaceful and the wind blows through green trees with pointed petals. Rather than one central building there are stone walkways connecting outbuildings with sloped wooden roofs. The frequent fountains and stone lanterns are nearly hidden beneath green and without being close to a given building it more resembles a park than a school grounds.
"It must be really easy to get lost here," you peer around a corner in the path where Butterfly has just disappeared to. When you catch up she's busy checking on a statue of a strange creature (a lion maybe? It looks lion-adjacent), brushing dirt off its back and out of its mouth.
She laughs, "you have no idea. Stick to the path, and if you can't find your way just ask one of these babies to show you the way." She pats the statue and you cock your head at her, not sure if she's serious. She grins at you; it could be she's also not quite above this "haze" thing. "Or call to me, I'm good at finding people in here."
"You'll get used to it in no time! So!" she claps her hands, "aside from the classrooms, there are two big things. First is the first aid kits, in case there's a medical or spiritual emergency. Two in every room."
She faithfully shows you the little cabinets marked with a red cross. You got some of this in your schooling but you're very certain that a stick with paper on the end, little bottles of water and paper strips with strange writing on them aren't part of Human medicine. You pick up a bottle of water and look at her dubiously.
"Sometimes things that get out of the rift are a little slippery," she smiles, "we haven't had to perform an exorcism lately but it pays to be prepared, right? Right, that's the other one."
The two of you cross through a large, centrally-located building with a mostly-empty inside (Butterfly says it's an auditorium now - your Human mecha pilot friend told you to be careful of "Auditors" so you step carefully), to a building at the back of the school grounds fenced in with wood posts.
"And this," Butterfly stands in front of a door, "is the piece de resistance, the creme de la creme, the whole banana! I introduce you to… the Holy Wound!"
She opens the door dramatically. In the build-up you've had some ideas on what it might be, and your conclusion is it's probably like the rift that separates your world from the Human world. "Wound" would be a dramatic way of describing it but not exactly inaccurate.
Looking at the purple and black and red and gray gash that the building seems to have been built around, wound is if anything an understatement. The colored light bleeds out from it and it's only several feet away that the colors start to dissipate. Your eyes start to hurt as you look at it and yet it's hard to look away, the shifting starry patterns of black, the viscous seeping of red, the shifting streamers of purple…
"It's something, isn't it?" Paratha has been sitting on the wooden railing that separates the inner and outer sanctum, kicking her legs and snacking out of a bowl that looks like she grudgingly added some popcorn to her chili powder.
Still, the similarities between it and the Rift are close enough that you take a leap of logic. "Where does it lead?"
"Ooh, new girl is asking the right questions. Usually people are all, 'is it going to end the world' or 'is it growing' or 'my god it's full of stars.'"
"A Netherworld," Butterfly says, coming in and closing the door behind you, "some are quite tame and a safe resting place for Human souls. This one is a mess because its ruler has been destroyed and its Key lost."
"I understood maybe a quarter of that," you pout. Sultana described herself as a Key, does that mean she has some kind of connection to a resting place for Human souls? And whatever caused this problem is apparently stronger than you, because Sultana took a full-force hit from you just to show off. You don't like the sound of that!
"Don't worry about it," Paratha laughs and offers you the bowl of popcorn.
[ ] Might as well try it!
[ ] Politely decline the burning-death-fire popcorn.
"All you need to know is that ghosts and gribblies come out of it sometimes. Your job if you're on guard duty is to stall them and figure out whether or not they're nice, and if they are, get one of us so we can figure out a solution that doesn't involve them going back."
You chew on your tongue, trying to find your feet in this strange situation. "So they're not harmful? But it has to be guarded."
Butterfly nods. "Most aren't really that dangerous. But they'll often be... confused. Even if they used to be Human, the world won't be as they left it and the process is disorienting." You feel a sudden pang of sympathy for these Humans or former-Humans or whatever they are, thrust into a new world beyond their imagining.
"And they won't want to go back?" You won't deny having felt homesick, but you can go home any time you like.
"Hell no!" Paratha scoffs, "well, maybe you'll get one that's just curious but things kinda suck on the other side. We've been, it's not a good place." She gets a little mischievous smile. "I could show you. You're definitely tough enough to cross."
"Paratha…" Butterfly furrows her brow in consternation and her ambient butterflies swirl around her faster.
"You're giving her orientation, right? This is part of orientation! We'll be quick," the lizardlike Human hops down from her railing and beckons you over. "Come on. It'll be a good lesson. "
[ ] Accept. You've already explored one alien world, might as well have a look at a second.
[ ] Decline. You're just figuring out this weird alien world, no need to complicate your life.
- Location
- France
[X] Might as well try it!
[X] Accept. You've already explored one alien world, might as well have a look at a second.
[X] Accept. You've already explored one alien world, might as well have a look at a second.
Also, as an aside: I really appreciate the way the tied vote was handled; having that result in the in-character-us being indecisive was perfect. Makes it feel like even votes for the losing option still had some narrative weight. I know there won't always be ways to acknowledge close votes this cleanly, but where you can... it's a nice touch.
[X] Might as well try it!
[X] Accept. You've already explored one alien world, might as well have a look at a second.
I'm always in for more trouble. Also we may be a monster but we're not the kind of monster that'd turn down popcorn.
[X] Accept. You've already explored one alien world, might as well have a look at a second.
I'm always in for more trouble. Also we may be a monster but we're not the kind of monster that'd turn down popcorn.
- Location
- In Your DNA
So! Thinking ahead for the future, I'm hoping to have a fairly generous omake policy to encourage player contributions (the details of those will become clear once we finish the prologue), but one of the cornerstones of that seems to be having an actual system to apply omake bonuses to!
So!
I could do it CK2 style, with changes of:
Diplomacy into Cultural Education
Martial into Physical Education
Stewardship into Math/Stats/Econ
Intrigue into Gossip
Piety into Esoteric Education
Learning into Science Education
Personal Combat into Heroism
Omakes could grant roll bonuses, rerolls, bonuses to stats, the good stuff.
Or I could do it Maugan Ra style, with broad narrative categories of what you're good at that take exponentially more xp the higher your skill level in them. Omakes would grant xp.
I'm not particularly worried about you rolling too high or leveling up quickly in either case, you're already hilariously good at the Hitting Bad Guys side of the game thanks to being a dang kaiju and we've already established that Mothra learns like a sponge, so if people make a ton of contributions and turn her into the ULTIMATE TEACHER that's... well, I can't really see any downside in that.
What would you all prefer?
So!
I could do it CK2 style, with changes of:
Diplomacy into Cultural Education
Martial into Physical Education
Stewardship into Math/Stats/Econ
Intrigue into Gossip
Piety into Esoteric Education
Learning into Science Education
Personal Combat into Heroism
Omakes could grant roll bonuses, rerolls, bonuses to stats, the good stuff.
Or I could do it Maugan Ra style, with broad narrative categories of what you're good at that take exponentially more xp the higher your skill level in them. Omakes would grant xp.
I'm not particularly worried about you rolling too high or leveling up quickly in either case, you're already hilariously good at the Hitting Bad Guys side of the game thanks to being a dang kaiju and we've already established that Mothra learns like a sponge, so if people make a ton of contributions and turn her into the ULTIMATE TEACHER that's... well, I can't really see any downside in that.
What would you all prefer?
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- Location
- St. Petersburg
I am for doing something interesting with it, like granting traits (and possibly not just to our character if those are tracked), contacts, advantages and/or disadvantages in certain situations, unlocking possible plot threads etc., offered by QM and picked by the omake author.
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- Location
- England
The question I have is that if we've established that our PC can handle most threats as it is and this is more a slice of life or internal as opposed to external problems Quest, why bother with stats at all? Mechanics like that are only necessary if for some reason the GM needs to handle in a transparent manner difficult external issues or major opposition. Without those, they kind of just get in the way a bit.
The tone doesn't really need serious stats, but I think it'd be quite fun to use our horrific combat stats to try solve timetabling issues, those kids who keep smoking behind the bike sheds and awkward social situations
- Location
- In Your DNA
...I will admit, I was going to use what mechanics there were for things like teaching people or convincing them of things, but narrative probably works better where that's concerned anyway, and omake bonuses being interesting things sounds much more fun than xp or small numerical bonuses.
(Fear not on overkilling the bike sheds, it will absolutely be an option)
So! I may ask for specific things on occasion, but the what I'd be looking for in general would be:
Side stories! The more the merrier. This world is Twenty Minutes Into the Future, where the top-tier heroes have all left. But before they did they tried to Reed Richards all the Human problems so they wouldn't have to come back. This probably didn't actually solve much, if anything, in the long-term. These do not have to be remotely canon, but I'll definitely up the reward if I decide to make them so.
Characters! With at least a short paragraph describing what they're like. Pictures are also aces.
-Academy support staff, who you'll interact with at school (school nurse, headmaster and teachers are written, the rest are not. Staff do not have to be Human but they can't be fellow Kaiju yet, since Mothra-sensei is a pioneer here). Pick a position and salary level, which do not necessarily need to correlate.
-Academy students, who you'll interact with at school. Also don't have to be Human. Choose 1st, 2nd or 3rd-year (bearing in mind that nonhuman lifespans and developmental schedules mean you can be a 3rd-year student until you feel like stopping) and if they're in any clubs.
-Villains, who may cause Incidents (currently locked up in their boxes, since Mothra-sensei started before Year Zero; the event where they all bust out will be our first Incident). Mothra-sensei will pretty much stomp on any purely physical threat, so quirky is better. Choose superpowers, origin and organizational affiliation (if any).
-2nd-string/3rd-string/new Heroes, who you may interact with outside of school and during Incidents. When Incidents start they'll be intensely beleaguered, right now they tend to have their own thing going on. Choose a superpower and a new lifestyle now that Heroes are barely needed. You can also make up a superteam that they were on, bearing in mind that most of those bands broke apart.
Organizations! Imprisoned villainous organizations, defunct hero organizations, etc.
Rival schools! Can't be comprised of Villains unless it's a supervillain prison that's also a school (but after they bust out a Villain school can and should absolutely be a thing, so if you want to make one it won't exist yet but will later)
Otherworldly species, alien or otherwise. Something you'd want to interact with and make characters of, hopefully. The Character Creation options are a rough guideline of what's already there (Greys, Space Bunnies, Kaiju are aliens. Faerie is the realm of chaos and the wellspring of souls, Netherworld is the realm of order and the resting place of souls, both can have an abundance of weird people. Hell is a bunch of chuunis who need to make contracts to get souls and secretly treat their souls real nice because Hell lacks the metaphysical authority to actually keep them there, so they can leave any time they want).
(Fear not on overkilling the bike sheds, it will absolutely be an option)
So! I may ask for specific things on occasion, but the what I'd be looking for in general would be:
Side stories! The more the merrier. This world is Twenty Minutes Into the Future, where the top-tier heroes have all left. But before they did they tried to Reed Richards all the Human problems so they wouldn't have to come back. This probably didn't actually solve much, if anything, in the long-term. These do not have to be remotely canon, but I'll definitely up the reward if I decide to make them so.
Characters! With at least a short paragraph describing what they're like. Pictures are also aces.
-Academy support staff, who you'll interact with at school (school nurse, headmaster and teachers are written, the rest are not. Staff do not have to be Human but they can't be fellow Kaiju yet, since Mothra-sensei is a pioneer here). Pick a position and salary level, which do not necessarily need to correlate.
-Academy students, who you'll interact with at school. Also don't have to be Human. Choose 1st, 2nd or 3rd-year (bearing in mind that nonhuman lifespans and developmental schedules mean you can be a 3rd-year student until you feel like stopping) and if they're in any clubs.
-Villains, who may cause Incidents (currently locked up in their boxes, since Mothra-sensei started before Year Zero; the event where they all bust out will be our first Incident). Mothra-sensei will pretty much stomp on any purely physical threat, so quirky is better. Choose superpowers, origin and organizational affiliation (if any).
Here are the ones I've got already:
Children of the Spider (Genetic origin)
Once the kinks in genetic engineering got ironed out it became a huge fad and lots of babies got modified for increasingly stupid reasons. You aren't the poor soul gene-engineered to have spider limbs so you can take better selfies, thank goodness, but you're of the same sort. When the fad was over and everybody decided it was as passe as 3D printing there were an uncountable number of people who didn't really have a place in the world any more, and so led by the first-generation test subjects (many of which were legitimately turned into actual monsters) the Children of the Spider were born to carve one out by force.
The Seven Seven Seven (Magic origin)
At the heart of the Netherworlds there is a prison bound by seven-hundred-seventy-seven locks, containing a being whose exact nature and powers have passed entirely into myth and rumor. The Rulers of the Netherworld rule by the mystic power endowed when they bond their soul with a Key (which is considerable) and are united only in their complete opposition to letting it out. So of course there's some ****ing idiots trying to do exactly that. "Cult" is such a judgmental term, you preferred "grassroots alternative religion."
The Flat Earth Society (Science origin)
These are not the people who make videos on social media trying to prove that the Earth is flat. No, they acknowledge that the Earth is round… and that this is an impossible, unconscionable, absolutely unsustainable state of affairs! Their goal is not to prove the Earth is flat, their goal is to make the Earth flat! If not for their tendency to take in mad scientists and failed magicians they'd be even more laughable than the first guys, and most of their villainous schemes involve trying to get people to take them seriously.
Comcast (Technology origin)
Truly one of the most evil organizations in the world, bent on controlling all the world's communications infrastructure in order to charge whatever they want for it. Once superhumans got involved they started making mecha and power armor to enforce their will against technical heroes trying to build decentralized instant-transmission telecommunications technology (it turned out to be cheaper than lawyers). It didn't work out, but that doesn't mean they haven't stopped trying.
The Bats (Natural Origin)
"Batman" should have been public domain years ago, but after a worldwide time-slippage event caused Mickey Mouse's trademark to expire the laws were hastily rewritten to allow retroactive reclamation of intellectual property. The Bats are a bunch of meganerds dedicated to the idea of training hard to be the best at everything and starting fights with heroes to show off that preparation is the ultimate superpower. They are not, fortunately or unfortunately, the best at everything.
Make another one (choose origin)
A freelancer
Children of the Spider (Genetic origin)
Once the kinks in genetic engineering got ironed out it became a huge fad and lots of babies got modified for increasingly stupid reasons. You aren't the poor soul gene-engineered to have spider limbs so you can take better selfies, thank goodness, but you're of the same sort. When the fad was over and everybody decided it was as passe as 3D printing there were an uncountable number of people who didn't really have a place in the world any more, and so led by the first-generation test subjects (many of which were legitimately turned into actual monsters) the Children of the Spider were born to carve one out by force.
The Seven Seven Seven (Magic origin)
At the heart of the Netherworlds there is a prison bound by seven-hundred-seventy-seven locks, containing a being whose exact nature and powers have passed entirely into myth and rumor. The Rulers of the Netherworld rule by the mystic power endowed when they bond their soul with a Key (which is considerable) and are united only in their complete opposition to letting it out. So of course there's some ****ing idiots trying to do exactly that. "Cult" is such a judgmental term, you preferred "grassroots alternative religion."
The Flat Earth Society (Science origin)
These are not the people who make videos on social media trying to prove that the Earth is flat. No, they acknowledge that the Earth is round… and that this is an impossible, unconscionable, absolutely unsustainable state of affairs! Their goal is not to prove the Earth is flat, their goal is to make the Earth flat! If not for their tendency to take in mad scientists and failed magicians they'd be even more laughable than the first guys, and most of their villainous schemes involve trying to get people to take them seriously.
Comcast (Technology origin)
Truly one of the most evil organizations in the world, bent on controlling all the world's communications infrastructure in order to charge whatever they want for it. Once superhumans got involved they started making mecha and power armor to enforce their will against technical heroes trying to build decentralized instant-transmission telecommunications technology (it turned out to be cheaper than lawyers). It didn't work out, but that doesn't mean they haven't stopped trying.
The Bats (Natural Origin)
"Batman" should have been public domain years ago, but after a worldwide time-slippage event caused Mickey Mouse's trademark to expire the laws were hastily rewritten to allow retroactive reclamation of intellectual property. The Bats are a bunch of meganerds dedicated to the idea of training hard to be the best at everything and starting fights with heroes to show off that preparation is the ultimate superpower. They are not, fortunately or unfortunately, the best at everything.
Make another one (choose origin)
A freelancer
Organizations! Imprisoned villainous organizations, defunct hero organizations, etc.
Rival schools! Can't be comprised of Villains unless it's a supervillain prison that's also a school (but after they bust out a Villain school can and should absolutely be a thing, so if you want to make one it won't exist yet but will later)
Otherworldly species, alien or otherwise. Something you'd want to interact with and make characters of, hopefully. The Character Creation options are a rough guideline of what's already there (Greys, Space Bunnies, Kaiju are aliens. Faerie is the realm of chaos and the wellspring of souls, Netherworld is the realm of order and the resting place of souls, both can have an abundance of weird people. Hell is a bunch of chuunis who need to make contracts to get souls and secretly treat their souls real nice because Hell lacks the metaphysical authority to actually keep them there, so they can leave any time they want).
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For omakes, I'll toss in a third option - something I've been considering using if/when I get around to running my own quest. Omakes (or other interesting/useful posts) earn fate points; you can spend a fate point to declare some small detail to be true (subject to QM veto, of course). This could be anything from "There's an inconveniently placed pebble that will make the villain trip at just the right time" (i.e. a basic combat bonus, just with a bit more flavor than "Well, you get a +2 on your roll") to "And there's a really good coffee shop a few blocks away called 'Neutral Grounds', with walls plastered with newspaper stories around various superheros and villains; back in the day it was literally neutral ground - a place where heroes and villains could meet. And have a coffee, and talk shop, without any of those annoying explosions."
If you're curious, this is basically cribbed whole cloth from Welcome to Fate SRD | Fate SRD - FATE is a story-focused RPG system that's designed to allow the players some amount of narrative control via fate points.
I have also seen quests that reward omakes with a choice of one off of a QM-generated list of upgrades/advantages that are thematically linked to what the omake was about; that seems to work fairly well. (For an example, Devourer of Worlds does this.)
Also, looking at that organization list with its origins... I'm guessing someone used to play City of Heroes?
If you're curious, this is basically cribbed whole cloth from Welcome to Fate SRD | Fate SRD - FATE is a story-focused RPG system that's designed to allow the players some amount of narrative control via fate points.
I have also seen quests that reward omakes with a choice of one off of a QM-generated list of upgrades/advantages that are thematically linked to what the omake was about; that seems to work fairly well. (For an example, Devourer of Worlds does this.)
Also, looking at that organization list with its origins... I'm guessing someone used to play City of Heroes?
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- Location
- In Your DNA
I'm not gonna say that the setting originally came to be because I missed City of Heroes so much, but, well...
8. A Whole New World
- Location
- In Your DNA
While you were studying you were exposed to one very important rule of Human culture: when free food is offered, never turn it down. Your fellow students didn't have your ludicrously powerful digestion and didn't take it quite so literally, so your culinary courage in chowing down on lug nuts that someone told you were food became a bit of a legend.
And hey, the metal didn't even taste bad.
This popcorn, on the other hand, tastes like fire. You know you're a bit of a edge case when it comes to spicy things because your Size Limiter has made your biology somewhat more humanlike, so while a Moth won't have an adverse reaction to capsaicin a Human will. Chilis just have a nice kick to them and you can drink hot sauce by the bottle, so you were expecting something like that.
This does not taste like chilis. It just tastes like fire. Your face feels hot and your throat feels burny and you open your mouth and exhale and a jet of actual, physical fire spews out.
...actually that'd be really useful in the right circumstances, is what you think once you've cooled down a bit.
Paratha appears pleased by your bravery, and hands you the bowl.
"See, Butterfly? New Girl is super tough. Let's go!" she cheers, and plants her feet on the railing. You feel the ground shake a little as she kicks off, diving headfirst into the hole in space.
Madame Butterfly smiles at you even as she's shaking her head. "As long as you're careful in there. It's really not safe."
You pound your fist against your chest proudly. "I'm really not safe! But just in case it and me are different kinds of really not safe, you should tell me what to expect anyway."
"Oh! Yes!" Butterfly puts her hands behind her back and straightens her shoulders, and her hair curls up on itself and goes from a brilliant brown waterfall stretching to her feet to a tight and businesslike bun.
"Make very sure to not touch or press on the edges of the rift; pushing on the wall between dimensions is a lot more perilous than going through a hole," she lectures, "don't accept anything given to you, don't agree to anything, and make sure to keep either the rift or Paratha in your sight at all times. Getting lost in there is much worse than getting lost on the school grounds. Paratha's an old hand at this, so you'll be all right as long as you stick together."
"Is that all?" you ask, "It seems pretty straightforward! I was expecting the 'weave a circle round them thrice' sort of advice."
Butterfly smiles mysteriously. "You shouldn't have to do anything like that if you stay near the entrance. Which you should."
You nod and, following Paratha's example, dive right into the rift. You're very careful to tuck in your wings so they don't catch on the edge - you don't want to lose them for anything!
It is cold.
It is so, so cold.
You came to the Human world from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean and it wasn't this cold. A black wind howls overhead and a feeling deep in your bones (or your feelers, anyway) screams that this is not a place for you. But the environment seems pleasant and homey! You're in a room not unlike the one you've left, with wood paneling and washed-out colors and a Human with long black hair covering her face sits on the floor in a lotus position, wearing some sort of white and red robe. You don't see Paratha.
"...oh, hello!" You wave to the strange Human, your wings fluttering in excitement. Butterfly sold you on it being a scary place and the atmosphere is a bit unwelcoming, but here's a friendly face already! Well, you can't see her face, but you're reasonably sure she's friendly, "Have you seen my friend? You can't miss her, she's a Human with a big tail."
The Human cocks her head to one side at you as though puzzled, her straight hair falling like a sheet, and then cocks it further until it's well beyond the range of what a Human neck is capable of and further still until it's upside-down and her hair should logically fall away from her face but it's just more hair underneath.
"What's your name?" you ask, undeterred. Humans are capable of such strange things! The response is a loud humming that sounds like a chorus of ten voices at once. You're not sure you can exactly replicate that, but you can try.
You give a polite bow. "I'm very pleased to meet you, HMMMMM!" Nope, even with your best impression you can only make it sound like two or three voices. You hope she doesn't mind you mispronouncing her name, Humans are touchy about that sometimes! "You can call me Mothra, Defender of Earth Science!"
You get a lower-pitched hum in response, which you think sounds like an acknowledgement.
Well, Butterfly told you you should keep the Rift or Paratha in your sight, but you don't see Paratha at all. You did take a bit of time with Butterfly's lecture, so maybe she got bored and wandered off? Maybe you should look for her? Or maybe you should stay put and let her find you.
[ ] Chat with your new friend while waiting for Paratha to come back
[ ] Go searching for Paratha, she was supposed to be your guide!
[ ] Propose that you and HMMMMM go on an expedition to find her
[ ] Have a look around!
[ ] Other (Write-In)
And hey, the metal didn't even taste bad.
This popcorn, on the other hand, tastes like fire. You know you're a bit of a edge case when it comes to spicy things because your Size Limiter has made your biology somewhat more humanlike, so while a Moth won't have an adverse reaction to capsaicin a Human will. Chilis just have a nice kick to them and you can drink hot sauce by the bottle, so you were expecting something like that.
This does not taste like chilis. It just tastes like fire. Your face feels hot and your throat feels burny and you open your mouth and exhale and a jet of actual, physical fire spews out.
...actually that'd be really useful in the right circumstances, is what you think once you've cooled down a bit.
Paratha's Popcorn: This excessively hot snack allows you to breathe fire for a short period - if you're tough enough to take the heat.
Paratha appears pleased by your bravery, and hands you the bowl.
Paratha will remember this.
"See, Butterfly? New Girl is super tough. Let's go!" she cheers, and plants her feet on the railing. You feel the ground shake a little as she kicks off, diving headfirst into the hole in space.
Madame Butterfly smiles at you even as she's shaking her head. "As long as you're careful in there. It's really not safe."
You pound your fist against your chest proudly. "I'm really not safe! But just in case it and me are different kinds of really not safe, you should tell me what to expect anyway."
"Oh! Yes!" Butterfly puts her hands behind her back and straightens her shoulders, and her hair curls up on itself and goes from a brilliant brown waterfall stretching to her feet to a tight and businesslike bun.
"Make very sure to not touch or press on the edges of the rift; pushing on the wall between dimensions is a lot more perilous than going through a hole," she lectures, "don't accept anything given to you, don't agree to anything, and make sure to keep either the rift or Paratha in your sight at all times. Getting lost in there is much worse than getting lost on the school grounds. Paratha's an old hand at this, so you'll be all right as long as you stick together."
"Is that all?" you ask, "It seems pretty straightforward! I was expecting the 'weave a circle round them thrice' sort of advice."
Butterfly smiles mysteriously. "You shouldn't have to do anything like that if you stay near the entrance. Which you should."
You nod and, following Paratha's example, dive right into the rift. You're very careful to tuck in your wings so they don't catch on the edge - you don't want to lose them for anything!
It is cold.
It is so, so cold.
You came to the Human world from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean and it wasn't this cold. A black wind howls overhead and a feeling deep in your bones (or your feelers, anyway) screams that this is not a place for you. But the environment seems pleasant and homey! You're in a room not unlike the one you've left, with wood paneling and washed-out colors and a Human with long black hair covering her face sits on the floor in a lotus position, wearing some sort of white and red robe. You don't see Paratha.
"...oh, hello!" You wave to the strange Human, your wings fluttering in excitement. Butterfly sold you on it being a scary place and the atmosphere is a bit unwelcoming, but here's a friendly face already! Well, you can't see her face, but you're reasonably sure she's friendly, "Have you seen my friend? You can't miss her, she's a Human with a big tail."
The Human cocks her head to one side at you as though puzzled, her straight hair falling like a sheet, and then cocks it further until it's well beyond the range of what a Human neck is capable of and further still until it's upside-down and her hair should logically fall away from her face but it's just more hair underneath.
"What's your name?" you ask, undeterred. Humans are capable of such strange things! The response is a loud humming that sounds like a chorus of ten voices at once. You're not sure you can exactly replicate that, but you can try.
You give a polite bow. "I'm very pleased to meet you, HMMMMM!" Nope, even with your best impression you can only make it sound like two or three voices. You hope she doesn't mind you mispronouncing her name, Humans are touchy about that sometimes! "You can call me Mothra, Defender of Earth Science!"
You get a lower-pitched hum in response, which you think sounds like an acknowledgement.
Well, Butterfly told you you should keep the Rift or Paratha in your sight, but you don't see Paratha at all. You did take a bit of time with Butterfly's lecture, so maybe she got bored and wandered off? Maybe you should look for her? Or maybe you should stay put and let her find you.
[ ] Chat with your new friend while waiting for Paratha to come back
[ ] Go searching for Paratha, she was supposed to be your guide!
[ ] Propose that you and HMMMMM go on an expedition to find her
[ ] Have a look around!
[ ] Other (Write-In)
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- Location
- England
[X] Chat with your new friend while waiting for Paratha to come back
This is following the advice. If we go on an expedition then we have neither rift nor guide in sight, which is bad news.
If we go with this Ring-looking thing then that's probably even worse.
This is following the advice. If we go on an expedition then we have neither rift nor guide in sight, which is bad news.
If we go with this Ring-looking thing then that's probably even worse.