Current
Lots of ideas, voices in your head? You may not be schizo, just need to find a plot and start writing.
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8 days ago
Movie Studios don't use AI to generate scripts because they're not copywritable. My writing is mine, not the world's to play with.
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9 days ago
I've no idea what is meant by everyone being a "southern cowboy".
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26 days ago
I like that the Amish gives their kids a chance to decide if they want to stay in their parent's religion.
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2 mos ago
"Badgers?" he said, sweating as he heard gun hammers being cocked unseen behind him. "We ain’t got no badgers. We don’t need no badgers. I don’t have to show you any stinkin' badgers!"
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Bio
I am a seven-foot tall minecraft-playing hindu guru drag-queen alien.
Possessor of an Ancient Device™ Model 17. No, I don't know what it does. No, you can't play with it.
Pronouns: It. As in: "What is it? What does it want? Why is it here? Oh my god, it's got my... <insert random body part or object here>"
Likes: World Domination, Writing, Rpg, scifi/fantasy, anime, sketchup 3d models, and anime music videos.
Companions: a host of characters from other games, my personal muse Penny (as in Bad), and the Badger gang - Toothpick, Buttons, Shark, and Mongo. They grew up in the balcony of an old theatre that played a lot of gangster movies. Normally benign, but may invade the OOC forums.
"So," he begins, adjusting his gloves, "How are we..."
He blinks, then a look of horror creeps over his face. "What are you doing? MIRAGE, seal our internal hatch right away! Only authorized crew to be permitted inside the Ionera!"
"We can't close that hatch now," he explained, pointing to the damaged airlock. "Someone already knows we're here. If they avoid us, if they slip by us, then they can take over the Ionera, leaving us to rot! Rescue missions is how many pirates take ships!"
"And don't tell me that MIRAGE can stop them, it's not impossible to override the ship's AI. Just ask any pirate."
Van scowled as he pulled his pistol out. The damage was done, they best get moving now before the unseen enemy tried to make their move.
"MIRAGE," he said into the wireless headset. "Which way to the emergency signal?"
Van checked the seal of his suit and boots, then loaded a few items into his pack - his tool kit, the first aid kit, his remaining ammo, a week's worth of field rations, canteen with its drink-port, and his one smoke grenade. Into the front pocket, he also slipped in a space-rated red paint marker and a roll of duct tape he'd gotten from the Ship's Locker, along with his personal comm.
He'd have to rely on his pistol. His laser rifle was perfect for sniper shots, but lousy for shipboard combat where one wrong shot could damage the hull. Van really liked breathing air.
The red paintmarker would ensure he could mark the doors to show they'd search them.
Picking up his pack, he stepped out of his berthing compartment and headed towards the docking port and the spacesuit he'd wear across.
Gotta get myself a better suit, Van sighs. Like an Estex suit. Built for a bit of a rough rumble.
Vanborin sighs, the acceleration pushing him deeper into his mattress. To his surprise, the mattress looked just shy of 13 centimeters, offering more support and padding than the usual thin pad or the mesh panels found in the cheaper station capsule hotels. Even the securing net draped over him to keep him in his bed was quality. Unlike the cheaper cabins aboard transports, trying to cram in as many paying customers as possible by using bunk beds and narrow corridors, this room offered twin-sized beds on opposite sides of the room.
Briefly he wondered if like the cheaper cruise ship ships if the beds sat on tracks that allowed the two to be pushed together in the middle of the room, creating one large bed for both?
But then he hadn't actually met his roommate yet, receiving a random bed assignment from the Ionera's AI with its bog-standard female-neutral voice. Presumably they'd did the same as him, cramming their belongings into the nearest locker before rushing to their launch station.
There hadn't even been time to program the e-ink wallpaper or any sign of personalization left by previous occupants.
"MIRAGE," he managed. "What items do we have in storage for personalization?" "I regret to inform you that no personalization supplies have been provided," it said, "due to the accelerated launch schedule." "And why was the launch schedule accelerated?" he asked. "I regret to inform you that no information was provided to explain the accelerated launch at this time." "Of course you don't," he said with a scowl. This was not good.
He had managed to briefly meet with his mother, still working for Astro Ales, but now as a manager. His sister Jen was away at school on Castrovel. It made his eye arch in surprise, but that was all he could learn before he had to report.
For years, he'd lived under a very strict hierarchy, but they had non of that aboard ship. How was this expected to run, he wondered.
A smoke grenade deals no damage; instead, it releases a cloud of dense smoke. Each character who inhales smoke must succeed at a Fortitude saving throw each round (DC = 15 + 1 per previous check) or spend that round choking and coughing; he can do nothing else. A character who chokes for 2 consecutive rounds takes 1d6 nonlethal damage. (Active environmental protection from a suit of armor prevents this effect altogether.) Regardless of the armor a character wears, smoke obscures vision, providing concealment.
Vanborin was two when his mother Olthana Queilthe-Fraser and recently born sister Jenphira arrived on Absalom Station in a desperate attempt to escape from the victims of their diminutive father’s cons. They wound up in the Spike, living in a modest apartment paid for by the Queilthe family. By their standards, it was abysmal, but the children grew up running through its colorful corridors and places their mother never knew about while she worked as a waitress in the lower level bar Astro Ales. While the stipend they received was scant on luxuries, Thana craved contact with others.
Part of Van’s world was the various vents and chutes of the mysterious station, and by the time he was thirteen, he was as skilled as any master climber clambering inside them. Jatembe Park began to irk him, at once so unusual and yet so familiar. Friends pulled Van into a small burglary gang headed by Boss Cage, who originally wanted to use him to climb through the chutes and vents in the skyscrapers, but decided the young man would be of better use working for a boating concessions stand, taking visitors onto the long spindly pond that threaded its way through the park.
However, Zeke became jealous of Van’s being the one boating with the young ladies, and began whispering into Boss Cage’s ear that the boy was keeping secrets from him and selling him out to station security. So he showed up one day, leaving Zeke ashore as Boss Cage and Van took a trip to the middle of the largest pond. What happened wasn’t clear, but the tiny boat capsized. Van, wearing his safety gear was recovered, but Boss Cage had somehow gotten tangled into the boat’s minimal rigging, drowning. Zeke immediately began spreading the story that Van had killed him, so Van went into hiding within the vents, surfacing rarely. Most of his time was spent tapping into the station’s library network.
Thanks to a chance encounter with Operative Bernlack,
Van managed to escape off station to the relative safety of the Verces army. Despite his deficiency in formal schooling, his military aptitude tests showed keen intelligence, so he was put into general education development classes and following completion, trained and assigned as a field technician to make good use of that education (two-year contract extension). His sergeant, Edward Hogg, was a bit of scrounger and would requisition surplus items (that were just old and unused or needed only minor repairs) to make sure the soldiers under him were kept comfortable and well equipped.
Unused to relationships, Van met Mary Scott at a unit mixer, then discovered she was the wife of his unit commander, Lieutenant Andrew Scott. When she later strayed into a live training area, Van pulled off a rescue, receiving some injury from shrapnel and a citation. While nothing was said between the three of them, Van felt it wise to terminate his contract when it came time for renewal.
When Van went to muster out, Sergeant Hogg asked to meet him in the Spanner Monkey Pitt, an off-post bar mostly known for 1 Cr pitchers just before payday. When he got there, he found Sergeant Hogg at a table with two others wearing Starfinder Society badges, but he was taking to
Bernlack
, who gave him a nod and quickly melted into the crowd before he could reach the table.
A few hours later, the newest member of the Starfinder Society found himself sitting drunkenly on a bench behind the Spanner Monkey Pit, in a small patch of jungle they mockingly referred to as their garden. There, he was to spend his vigil, contemplating his choices while awaiting for the sighting of the Snark that supposedly lived there. Clearly, it was a hazing, but gentler than any he'd experienced before in the Army, so he didn't mind it so much. However, the creature that stepped out into the clearing was like nothing he'd ever seen before, bitterly complaining loudly in English to nobody he could see as to why he had to be the one stumbling about in a jungle, then turned startlement to stare at Van when he burped.
"Oh," it said, flustered as bright colors in odd patterns seem to flow over its exposed skin, "Excuse me!" and stepped back into the forest it had fought moments before to extract itself from.
"That snark," he said quietly to himself, remembering one of the odd poems he'd read for his GED, "Is a boojum."
Sergeant Hogg and the fellows of the Starfinder Guild found him passed out on the bench minutes later.
Personality Description (Optional) Van is very creative with a strong interest in art, but a bit of a pessimist and harsh, not one to mince words.
Friends Sergeant Edward Hogg, Verces Army
Operative Bernlack
Enemies Seth Fraser (Father, wanted con-artist)
Romantic Partners/Lovers Mary Scott (in a committed relationship with Lt. Andrew Scott)
Contacts NONE
Feats Bodyguard Last-chance Grab Repair Specialist Adaptability (Racial) Elven Blood (Immune to magic sleep affects, +2 racial bonus to SW vs enchantment spells and effects.)(Racial) Keen Senses (Racial) Low-Light Vision (Racial)
Appearance: Yellow scales with black lines stretched along its spine, SKA is a newly hatched Biped-Serpentine. He is a little bit larger for a newborn of his kine, about the size of small dog despite being mere a day old. But, given that average adult can reach the size of a large cow, SKA still have much room to grow into. Nevertheless, his scales perfectly encapsulate the environment his specie usually found in. The gold and black to fit in with the rotting leaves scattered inside dungeon, or near poorly lit torches. Meanwhile, the white underbelly blends with the grey stone ground.
Personality: SKA is a curious and energetic little fella. Well, curious and energetic for his reptilian kind. He was the first to crack his eggshell. The first of his brothers and sisters to venture from their nest. He loves to explore, given how far he has traveled from his nest. However, the tendency of snakes is still there. SKA is an opportunistic hunter. He can waits for hour for an almost perfect time to strike. In time, he would learned to actively hunt his meal like his parent did. But for now, SKA prefer to hide beneath the rotting leaves and musky waters for a full meal.
Species Historical Examination and Speculation:
The Biped-Serpentine is a very common denizen of large underground dungeon and caverns that dotted the world. But, just because they are common doesn't mean they aren't dangerous.
The adult Biped-Serpentine could reach the size of a cow, with the female usually larger than the male due to sexual dimorphism. Every spring, the male would usually compete for a chance at mating. They do this by displaying the color of their scales, raised their frills, or just outright fight the other competitors. The females would usually select her mates based on the size of the male, his scales, and his ferocity. Unlike normal serpentine, the Biped-Serpentine is one of the few reptilian where the male actively maintain and build their nest. The nest are usually situated inside a cave or some hidden crevices close to a body of water. Then, if the female chose her mating partner, she would lay anywhere from 40 to 60 eggs per time before returning to her territory. Her mate would then inseminate the eggs and guard them for the next eight months.
After eight months, the shells cracked and the infant are ready to be on their own. They must be quick from their brethrens, however, as Biped-Reptilian does display cannibalism from a very young age. If they succeed in escaping their brothers and sisters' jaws, they would spend their first three years subsisting on small preys like rodents, fishes, and occasionally small dog. They hunt through ambushed, relying more on their lethal venom than having chase after prey like their parents. After three years, they reached juvenile. At this stage, they must adapt to the life of an active predator. Ambushing preys are no longer a sustainable way of life. Instead, the Biped-Reptilian hunts anything that they could. This stage is the most punishing for the specie, as roughly half of those that reached this stage slowly starved to death due to inability to adapt. But for those that make it, they would saw a drastic increase in size. From a medium sized dog, they would easily become the size of a bull. After five years of juvenile, the Biped-Reptilian has now reach its adulthood and ready to mate. And a new cycle begin. Birth, grow, mate, die.
The Biped-Reptilian. Some called them Lindworm. Or Lesser Wyrm. Most just called them Biped-Reptilian as they doesn't really exhibit the tendency to hoard treasures, more like just oversized snakes with legs. They have existed along with this world's denizens for a long time. And their existence had proved to be a nuisance if not a threat. They hunt cattle, lost travelers, sometimes posed enough threat to have a local legend scaring the children at night. As such, scholar speculated where they originate from. Some assumed that they originate from some lesser dragons. Most of those people attributed Wyrm or Lindworm to be ancestor of the Biped-Repitilian. Others proposed that they originate when poisonous lizard moved into caves to hide from their terrible cousin. Some historians even proposed they originate from the machinations of some terrible Dark Lords, monsters of some Tyrants from bygone eras...
The theories are everywhere. But most think they are nuisance. They are vulnerable to magic, but their venom make them lethal to farmers' cattle. The adults' quickness and sizes may even warrants aids from a few knights to cull the problem. But, for the most part, the Biped-Reptilian is just that. A problem to the non-professionals, a challenge that begins a hero story, and just one monster that most adventurers had ample experience of.
Abilities:
Vestige of Lindworm: Unlike its ancestor, the Biped-Serpentine's limbs are in the process of degradation over generations. Comparing with the great Wyrm of ancient, who could bend trees and support the upper half of their bodies with their arms, the Biped-Serpentine arms are much weaker. Their shoulder width are smaller, easier to fit in crevices of dungeon environment that they usually called home. Currently, they still possessed the ability to grab and hold tools with their front limb. However, all lacks the intelligent necessary to use it in any meaningful way.
Venomous: All Biped-Serpentine are venomous. All possessed lethal dosage enough to kill 20 grown adults (or an elephant).
Snake's smell: Able to pick up their prey's scent (like most snake)
Heat pit: Most Biped-Serpent hunt at night or near murky body of water, where they would utilize their heat pit to detect crossing prey before delivering a lethal bite
Nikos stared wide eyed back at the strange officer who gave him an order to drink...! before moving on to someone else.
Truly, he did not understand the nature of the problem, none of them did. They were all drinking the General's booze! But then most of them weren't Inburian.
If so much as a drop touched his lips, the General, where ever he was, would know. That much he was certain about. But then they raided the empire's gold reserve and were, without doubt, pirates!
It was too much. Turning to face the bar, he saluted the General's liquor collection, then did what any sensible soldier does - he left, heading towards his quarters. They weren't safe yet, and they were going to need sharp minds for the next emergency that came along, not ones reeling with hangovers or still drunk the next day.
He'd save his drinking where any sailor does - when safely tied up and on liberty.
"Whenever that is," he muttered as he walked into his tiny cabin.
I’m going to say 15 feet for both. But for the wail. It’s most affective within 5 feet. Every 5 it becomes weaker.
I have no intention of omnibeam being used often. It’s mostly as a last ditch effort. A Hail Mary effort that is basically I’m dead but you are coming with me. Once he uses it he’s spent and becomes a lifeless statue until his energy replenishes.
Wail affects all within 15 feet, best at 5, after 15 gets weaker every five feet. good to know. Understood about the beam. Please add your limits and post your character.
I am a seven-foot tall minecraft-playing hindu guru drag-queen alien.
Possessor of an Ancient Device™ Model 17. No, I don't know what it does. No, you can't play with it.
Pronouns: It. As in: "What is it? What does it want? Why is it here? Oh my god, it's got my... <insert random body part or object here>"
Likes: World Domination, Writing, Rpg, scifi/fantasy, anime, sketchup 3d models, and [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmKRgqWGrWc]anime music videos[/url].
Companions: a host of characters from other games, my personal muse Penny (as in Bad), and the Badger gang - Toothpick, Buttons, Shark, and Mongo. They grew up in the balcony of an old theatre that played a lot of gangster movies. Normally benign, but may invade the OOC forums.
<div style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I am a seven-foot tall minecraft-playing hindu guru drag-queen alien. <br><br>Possessor of an Ancient Device™ Model 17. No, I don't know what it does. No, you can't play with it.<br><br>Pronouns: It. As in: "What is it? What does it want? Why is it here? Oh my god, it's got my... <insert random body part or object here>"<br><br>Likes: World Domination, Writing, Rpg, scifi/fantasy, anime, sketchup 3d models, and <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmKRgqWGrWc">anime music videos</a>.<br><br>Companions: a host of characters from other games, my personal muse Penny (as in Bad), and the Badger gang - Toothpick, Buttons, Shark, and Mongo. They grew up in the balcony of an old theatre that played a lot of gangster movies. Normally benign, but may invade the OOC forums.</div>
Pathei Mathos
Sadie
Timemaster
Guardian Angel Haruki
N3v3rM0r3
KactusPunch
Iracebeth
Blue Wolf
Fetzen
