I've got a three day weekend so I hope y'all have a good one too!

Loving the activity. [@Hillan], [@LostDestiny], and I are all on Sunstrider with Annabelle and Rico so posts are going to need to be coordinated, meaning we won't need to focus on due dates and stuff (provided everyone posts as they need to). [@Yankee] we're still waiting on but it is what it is. Tomorrow there's posts due for [@pkken], [@Daxam], and me with Coriander (though there's also some collab stuff going so if someone's waiting on someone else, be sure to pass me the message!). [@Restalaan] is due for the 29th, then me and Destiny with Max are due the 30th.

Anyway, as for the topic, I've said I've been enjoying the posts, so I'll put my money where my mouth is. Over the last week or so I've been rereading the IC character by character, and I'd like to share some of my thoughts.

[@Yankee]: It’s in major part because Suiten has the fewest posts of any PC (that old to the game, at least), but Suiten is for sure the character I want to see more of. The current adventure out in the deep sea is pretty unique relative to the RP, which is so focused on towns or developed cities (in that we’ve yet to have any adventures on untamed islands like Little Garden or Skypiea’s Upper Yard). And Suiten herself is an utter delight. She’s a character with so many conflicting ‘halves’: genuinely knowledgeable about sciences and engineering (piezoluminescence didn’t even sound real to me until I looked it up lol) but also kind of a freakin’ dummy. Cute and alluring in her nobility, but also a fucking dope when it come to social aspects and yes she will just flop around the beach like a grounded fish to move around in her fancy clothes. And of course, half human half fish (physically). What you have is super fun and I’d love to see more.

[@Daxam]: I’m really digging the way the Luna’s past has been handled. Not just in the relative vagueness of details and gradual drip of information that adds to intrigue, but in how it’s been affecting her character. She has her ghosts and burdens in trauma, it drives her in her goal to find Sol, and in the completed arc it also works to help her heal as Marcus guides her briefly, offering lessons as a figure from her past to help her in her future. I’m also interested in how she has her dichotomy in battle: the part of her that enjoys fighting, and the part of her that doesn’t. Brawler and assassin, a day and night of sorts. The prologue did a great job at establishing Luna and building up the Nychthemeron Empire, and I’m looking forward to the continuing story, plus the much anticipated inclusion of Sol.

[@LostDestiny]: Maybe it’s because of your familiarity with One Piece primarily being on the early portions, maybe it's just your personal writing style, or even a bit of both, but Annabelle honestly feels quite different from the cast, in very good ways. Where the rest of the RP has a large amount of action and drama (even on the rather peaceful Melody Island with Coriander), when you string up the events in Annabelle’s story thus far, not much has ‘happened’: it’s been rather toned down and methodical in a way that only works in its benefit. Annabelle comes across to me as a character who’s stuck dealing with her pain and trauma on her own, her posts very much focused on her state of mind and feelings. I really like and appreciate what Annabelle brings to the table for the RP! Maxwell is also a cool concept, and we’ve already worked together with him behind the scenes of Pol Stictid, but I’ll give some more meaningful comments on him when we have a bit more time with him.

[@Hillan]: One thing you’ve absolutely nailed with Sunstrider is atmosphere. While Morgan and the large cast is interesting in itself, the general gritty, rough and tumble feel of the island is honestly great. I’m not sure if I’d call it a noir vibe, but all the crime, justice, and politics definitely make it really stand out. And yet, it’s not alien to One Piece as you keep that seriousness in check with the utter ridiculousness of how the physically legal debates work, something right at home in an RP based on a series where ideals are matters of life and death, and as an interesting point of contrast against the seat of justice (Enies Lobby) in canon where law was a formality in a kangaroo court upheld by those with power to give the illusion of law and order. Apparently I needed more Sunstrider enough that I went to take it with my own hands with Rico. I expect every character in the West will likely visit, since it’s such a varied and interesting locale!

[@Restalaan]: It’s pretty interesting what even different formatting can achieve. Rather than larger paragraphs like the rest of the RP, the posts with Haku are all in shorter lines with maybe one or two sentences each, which is an interesting fit to the methodical and systematic no nonsense ways of the men of the Kirin. The focus on stealth and investigation is also an interesting choice for the first arc, and quite unique! It does leave me hungry for more Haku/Cadog interaction, but even the ones they got have enough details for me to understand how they are now and see angles that might be touched on in the future.

[@pkken]: Only a couple posts thus far, but they’re solid! Fun descriptions, friendly familial banter between those of the dojo, and an attention grabbing story connection to another PC right off the bat! Sorry I don’t have a lot to say, but Valery’s journey is only beginning, and it’s one I’ll be having my eye on!

All in all I’m really digging the game. I threw around the word ‘unique’, but I really do mean it. The cast is highly varied and I certainly think everyone’s individual strengths as writers are being realized. I think typical RPs, which focus on reactive posting, also force writing styles that tend to be reactive, so believe the perceived uniqueness is definitely in part a result of this style of RP (standing out to me more here because I’m so focused on the other players, where in the games that inspired this one, there were way too many characters for me to follow >_> ). Thank you guys for taking part, and here’s to more adventures! I also invite you guys to comment on the other’s posts if you’ve been reading along~ Even just a quick comment can mean a lot, I think.