Lugubrious

An Idiot's Dungeon Union [It's Monster Politik Time]

Some good ideas circulating so far, although if an 8-member max is to be enforced, I hope we don't end up competing against one another. In particular, eldritch salaryman is a GREAT idea, I love it. He would work well as Schnupfen's direct report, with Schnupfen more or less being his gofer and being one of the few to respect him for his organization and efficiency, but quick to complain about him behind his back for his magical ability.

An Idiot's Dungeon Union [It's Monster Politik Time]

Alright, let me know if I'm hitting the right notes. Here goes:

The nose knows

Schnupfen

2★ | Shadow | Level 1

Appearance: Schnupfun is a murky, semi-amorphous humanoid mass of darkness about the size of an average person. His typical form is the upper half of a hooded figure clag in dark rags just light enough to contrast the abyssal blackness within, which spills out from the bottom of his threadbare garb in an ever-shifting, formless plume. Though he lacks a face, the shadows within his hood bear one feature, most easily observable in profile: a huge nose, which protrudes outward like a great beak. The arms that Schnupfen manifests are scrawny and clawed, while the eyes he manifests boggle outwards in bulbous, glassy globes, with concentric rings of black highlighted in eerie pink and cyan ever collapsing inward

Personality: As ghosts go, Schnupfen is an interesting one. For starters, he’s a ‘naturalborn’ ghost, and was never human at any point to begin with. Despite this, he has some exceptionally human quirks. He is a humorless, obsessive-compulsive hypochondriac somewhat flanderized by his magic allergy, highly concerned with neatness, cleanliness, order, and organization. He’s reasonably intelligent, fairly passive-aggressive, somewhat paranoid, and very given to complaining, but he’s not entirely antisocial and can easily bond with others through commiseration. Since he’s not great at fighting due to his low attack power and highly abusable weakness, he prefers tricks to straight combat, but within the dungeon he’s quite competent at his other jobs, most notably communication, reconnaissance, spying, and distraction. He takes pride in doing a good job, to the point where he doesn’t mind being compared to a butler, and is quick to criticize those he views as incompetent or lazy, and get into their business; one might say that he is 'nosy'. He’s actually somewhat creative as well, not just in dungeon affairs but also when it comes to dealing with adventurers. He likes clear air, pleasant smells, and anti-magic measures

Abilities:

• Manifest - Having a malleable form, Schnupfen can create new eyes, mouths, and arms wherever on his body he wants them, and he can coordinate the use of a remarkable number of them at once. Of course, other than dark vision, said structures have no superhuman capabilities
• Incorporeality - Being a ghost, Schnupfen can not only float, but phase through walls as long as he’s in shadow form, giving him peerless speed and ease of travel within the dungeon. He’s also practically immune to physical attacks in shadow form, although any kind of magic (even dark magic) can still hit him
• Shadow Puppetry - Schnupfen is adept at creating all kinds of shadow figures with his hands, making use of Manifest to utilize as many hands as needed. The shadows he casts in this manner assume can assume an uncanny level of realism if he’s focused enough. These shadow puppets are purely visual, of course, and can’t act on their own or attack at all, but they can be pretty scary
• Impressions - With a voice almost as malleable as his form, Schnupfen is good at mimicking other people’s voices, and even the noises made by various beasts. Combining this talent with his Shadow Puppetry, he can play some pretty convincing tricks, whether to deceive or just to scare
• Sunlight Weakness - Schnupfen is extremely weakened by exposure to sunlight (as well as holy light) and can’t use any of his abilities in their presence, even floating; he’s forced to drag himself along by whatever hands he had manifested prior to exposure
• Magic Allergy - Schnupfen is extremely allergic to magic. Even being in its presence congests and discomforts him, while direct exposure to magic causes an allergic reaction. He starts sneezing, his nose starts running, his eyes start watering, and he can no longer assume shadow form, which also renders him vulnerable to physical attacks. It takes at least five minutes with no exposure to magic for him to recover and use his abilities again

Notes: By default, Schnupfen has a slight German accent and a reedy, nasal voice, as if he’s always got a slight cold. His physical stats are on par with (or slightly below) an average human male, and as one might expect, he has a magic deficiency

An Idiot's Dungeon Union [It's Monster Politik Time]

Looks like a solid amount of interest! I've got some ideas brewing of my own, mostly centered around a shadowy ghost. If the GM ends up putting together a character sheet sometime soon, I'd be happy to put my thoughts to paper.

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

<Snipped quote by Lugubrious>
Hey, thank you so much!! That really means a lot. I admit this all felt super daunting at first, diving head-first into a hobby I haven’t participated in for a good while, out of the blue like this. But I feel really reassured now. Thank you and everyone else for such a warm welcome, I truly can’t wait to get started!

<Snipped quote by Lugubrious>
I did try to lean more into an enabler/disabler role with Marie through crowd control yes, to help differentiate her from Sandalphon! And also with her being a total fish-out-of-water in close combat. Now that you mention it, maybe ‘Backline support’ does stray a little too close to Support Sniper, so I think I’ll change that to something a bit different. (I’ll also update the original Job title to Occupation, to give her an actual in-world job (class) in the RPG sense. Oh, and I’ll expand her abilities to include more precise numerical values too!)

Speaking of treading close to other characters, I realised Bowser Jr.’s signature colour is also spring green! So I’ve gone ahead and changed Marie’s to an equally fitting yellow-green instead (which might come in handy to others too, as you can simply use the name yellowgreen without needing a hex code).

And oooh, I see. Sorry, I completely missed that somehow, but it makes perfect sense!

In that case, would it be okay for her to still start at level 1, just with a single ability (her signature, Low-Tide Ink Shot)? I can imagine the progression element being really fun and a good way to keep me engaged, levelling her up and gradually unlocking more abilities and skills. And Low-Tide Ink Shot seems strong enough to give her something to do even at just level 1. So if it’s alright with you, I’d like to stick with one ability for now, then. I’ll of course hold onto the others, and maybe we could even workshop those together in the future before they debut to ensure they’re good!

I do have a question (and apologies if this sounds dumb) – I’m not entirely sure how EXP scaling works here. I think I saw a reply where you mentioned that starting at a higher level gives you immediate access to more skills, at the expense of slower levelling. Does that mean that by starting at level 1, Marie will level up faster? In other words, will it always take 10 EXP to reach the next level, or does it scale with level (e.g. 20 EXP to go from level 2 to 3)? Hope that makes sense!

<Snipped quote by Lugubrious>
Aaah, I love the idea of her being out for a music festival somewhere in the world, that sets up the scene perfectly for her to cross paths with the team. It feels like a really natural way for her to be approached (or to approach them), since under normal circumstances I think Marie would probably keep to herself. But being out of her element in a strange, unfamiliar place sounds like the perfect motivator for her to approach and form a bond with the others. I think putting her somewhere on the path to the Frozen Highlands is a brilliant idea! I’ll spend some more time this weekend reading through the IC events, and if it’s alright, we can work on her entry point together when I feel a little more prepared. (Thank you so much again for the patience you’ve extended to me!!)

I’ve gone ahead and edited my original post to implement a lot of this feedback, and made a few other changes here and there. Hopefully now, only the In the Now section needs to be developed further, but let me know if you’d like me to change anything else!

Small note: I’ve also de-aged her to 26. Splatoon characters age in real time, so originally I was going to make her 27 (which would be her age in 2025), but I decided it makes more sense to keep her at the age she was in her last canonical appearance, since, in my mind, the events of this RP follow directly from there. I also made a few other adjustments here and there, because I can never stop myself from the urge to keep prettying things up… Aaand I just discovered you can justify and indent text… Looks so neat now…

@qp

You're welcome! You can definitely start at level 1 with just one ability, doing so will mean faster progression and the ability to branch out if you get new powersets from fusion. You're correct about exp scaling, it takes ten extra EXP for each subsequent level 1->2 is 10, 2->3 is 20, and so on.

Frozen Highlands does sound like a good fit for her, and yeah, we can workshop her entry point whenever you feel like it. Ultimately, In the Now can be pretty brief, no need for too much establishment since characters literally just do spawn into the World of Light. Either way, take all the time you need. I'll look forward to your completed sheet.

An Idiot's Dungeon Union [It's Monster Politik Time]

This seems fun. Hearkening back to the old Dungeon Keeper RPs I enjoyed way back when, but from a less authoritative perspective. I'm interested.

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

Do not underestimate my ability to develop unhinged OC lore.

I'll see about throwing together something this week. Yayama has a bit of a history with light-based corruption, so this ought to be interesting.

@Chevaleresse

Sounds like a plan, I'll look forward to your sheet.

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

'ello folks, been looking into this game since my friend Goggy is in it. I don't suppose I could submit my Warrior of Light (who isn't actually the Warrior of Light canonically, that's her girlfriend) as a character?

@Chevaleresse

Hey there, thanks for the interest in World of Light. You can definitely apply as your Warrior of Light as long as there's a definite personality and history going on.

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

Esaka’s Low Tier - Pao Pao Cafe

Lvl 15 Ms Fortune (140/150) Level 11 Big Band (40/110)
Amaterasu’s @DracoLunaris Roland’s @Archmage MC Zenkichi’s @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN Pit’s @Yankee Sakura & Juri’s @Zoey Boey Captain Falcon’s @Double Harry and Kim’s @Eviledd1984 Terry’s @Terry Bogard
Word Count: 1159 / 801

With Xilgrev gone, the Seekers arranged around the table could let their guard down somewhat and return to more casual conversation as they finished their lunch. For the most part, the team members divided their attention between chatting about their worlds and deciding where to go. Now that the matters of dojos and signups had been taken care of, Band wanted to get a better look at Esaka by walking the beat at his own pace, and he quickly recruited his fellow detectives to the cause. Hopefully with him, Zenkichi, Harry and Kim on the case, and Roland along for some extra muscle, the team could get a workable idea of how life happens in the Tiered City. Band nodded at the assembled investigators. “Right on. Once we’re all done here, let’s head on up and take a li’l looksie at the Middle Tier.” With very little left of his real body to sustain, Band had already finished the morsels he’d ordered, but with plenty of daylight left nobody needed to rush their meals.

Nadia, meanwhile, cracked a gleeful grin as Sakura strung her along a bit, one hundred percent on board for her fellow fighter’s secretive antics. After a little build-up, Sakura finally spilled the beans, much to Nadia’s delight. As one might expect, the feral laughed in the face of danger. “Hell nyeah, sign me up! Guess there’s always gonna be people willin’ to put their money where their mouth is, rules and regulations be damned.” She crossed her arms, her eyes bright. “Once I’m in the mix, these fights won’t just be underground, but pun-derground!”

Once everyone finished their food and Terry took care of the rather substantial bill, the Seekers could set off on their afternoon activities. Sakura and Terry led the way back through Esaka’s Low Tier in search of hidden fight clubs. While said establishments didn’t necessarily advertise their presence on account of their less-than-legal activities, and seldom kept to a consistent schedule, Terry knew the area well enough to recommend one spot infamous for hiding in plain sight–one that even Sakura might not know the true nature of. After a circuitous fifteen-minute trip through the tier, the battle-hungry Seekers arrived at Fengjian Teahouse, a two-story wooden structure of antique Chinese design decorated with red paper lanterns and a variety of potted or hanging plants. One by one the Seekers filed in, peering around at the interior. It took the form of one huge, heavily-furnished square room with a single staircase leading to the second-floor mezzanine, from which a number of guests -and yokai- looked down over the balustrade while calmly sipping tea. There were fewer patrons around the first floor, and most of those sat at tables against the walls, with the exception of a half-dozen standing at the central bar. Nadia could see plenty of alcohol behind the bar, so she guessed that this place served more than tea. She couldn’t see any fighting rings or basement stairs, though, so where were the fights?

“Makes sense that these fights would be in the Low Tier,” she told the others. “They’re not high-cals, after all.”

“Welcome,” an old, white haired-woman with a faded pink dress and lit cigarette greeted the newcomers as she approached. “I am Madam Bo, proprietress. What can I get started for you?”

Nadia took one more quizzical look around before she treated the old lady to a sly grin. “Heya. We’re lookin’ for somethin’ a little spicier than leaf water, actually. Care to ‘spill the tea’?”

Madam Bo gave a knowing smile as she looked over the newly-arrived group. “Oh? Hmhmhm.” She took a drag of her cigarette, then rubbed her fingers together. “Well, whatever you want, this isn’t a charity, you know…”

“Uh…” Nadia fished around in her belt pouches. It took a moment for her to produce a handful of zenny, the last bit of cash she had.

Though she looked disappointed, and unconvinced by the feral’s sheepish grin, Madam Bo pocketed the money. “Ah, thank you, dear customer. Here’s the ‘tea’ then, as requested.” She shrugged offhandedly. “My humble establishment is plagued by a terrible reputation, you see. For whatever reason, we seem to attract an awful lot of ‘kombative’ customers. They have a strange habit of lurking at that bar there.” She pointed at the central bar with a cigarette. “If a man orders a drink, it seems like it’s only a matter of time ‘til another joins him to do the same. One thing leads to another, and they invariably come to blows.” Madam Bo gave an overblown sigh. “The nerve of some folks, hm? If you can’t handle your liquor, you shouldn’t be here to begin with. As for rumors of betting going on upstairs…” She waved a hand dismissively. “Nonsense, I assure you. Just nonsense. So…” The old lady pursed her cigarette between her lips and crossed her arms. “Where would you like to sit? Upstairs…or down?”

While Nadia wasn’t always the sharpest tool in the shed, she was hearing Madam Bo loud and clear. “Ohh, I dunno,” she looked around at the others, feigning indecision. “Downstairs sounds purr-etty good to me, right guys?”

The proprietress bowed her head. “Of course. Please be careful.”

As Bo showed the Seekers to a table, Nadia noticed just how many eyes were peering at her and the Seekers. The stares of the drinkers at the bar looked especially intense, and Nadia returned the favor with a probing look of her own. Right now, she could see four prospective fighters waiting for a challenge. One happened to be a bipedal panda from Esaka’s neighboring bamboo forest, a gourd of rice wine in his paw. Another was a badass black lady in pink and black leather. Not far away rested a muscular brawler with long ginger hair and a chip on her shoulder, as if daring the onlookers to take her on. A serious-looking fellow in flashy red lounged at the bar as well, very composed. Above all of them loomed a living statue with a broad-shouldered body of stone and bronze beneath an orange jacket. There were other fighters waiting in the wings though, so if any Seeker issued an open challenge of his or her own, there was a chance someone else might swoop in to accept it. Meanwhile, spectators looked down from the top floor, eagerly waiting for a fight to break out.

It hadn’t occurred to Nadia to fight and free Terry instead, so if someone else wanted to officially bring their new friend into the fold, they’d need to handle it themselves.

---

At the same time, Band’s group was traveling upward through the tiers. There seemed to be no restrictions barring intra-tier travel, so once the detectives found a lift, they could ascend to the picturesque but empty Pools and shortly thereafter to the Middle Tier. If the Low Tier had been a sprawling but underdeveloped village, mired in the past, this new level was a modest but modern Japanese town, its buildings smaller and less upscale than those of the shining metropolis one tier up, but still quite nice. Sandwiched between extremes, this tier probably represented what life looked like for the average, middle-class Esaka citizen, free from the Low Tier’s poverty but unable to break into the High Tier’s elite. It also boasted actual streets, if not vehicles, so the new arrivals could set off along the avenues to see what they could find.

As he stomped along, surveying the scenery, Band workshopped a handful of questions he wanted answers to. None concerned anything he’d consider sensitive information, so he figured any random civilian might be able to answer them, but there were still right ways and wrong ways to go about asking. More than anything, he wanted to learn more about the Four Kings, who Xilgrev had fingered as the Seekers’ true targets. After all, these co-Guardians really broke the mold; they weren’t giant monsters hidden in some remote, perilous place, but actual people. That said, he couldn’t imagine such rich, powerful, influential old men out and about in public. Band paused as he looked up at the four huge, multi-million-dollar skyscrapers protruding from Esaka’s Top Tier. More than likely, the Kings spent their days staring down at their domains from the lavish balconies of those ivory towers, with well-armed security details between them and any potential intruders. Still, it didn’t hurt to ask.

When Band’s group came to a stop at an alleyway at the edge of the Middle Tier’s large Chinatown Marketplace, he figured now was as good a time as any. He approached a redheaded martial artist in magenta who was practicing with her nunchaku, watching for a few moments before clearing his throat. “Scuse me, miss? Don’t s’pose you’d happen to know much of anythin’ about the Four Kings?”

“The Four Kings?” The young woman relaxed, tucking her nunchaku under her arm, and scratched her temple. “No more than the next girl, but yeah, I guess. What’s up?”

The detective motioned his head toward the Top Tier. “Those towers, they belong to the Kings, right? They mostly stay up there, or do they come down among us common folks sometimes?”

Kim shook her head. “Nah, they stay up in the Top Tier. Sometimes they make announcements from the railing up there, surrounded by their goons, but that’s about as close as they get to the rest of us.”

“For the men in charge ‘round here, they sound awful reclusive,” Band remarked.

Rolling her eyes, Kim let out a dry chuckle. “Yeah. Unless you’re press or, like, a chef or something, the only way you’re gettin’ up there is if you win their tournaments and go for the ‘Boss Fight’. Boss Fights go down on top of the kings’ skyscrapers, they’re always super hype.” Kim pumped her fist with a confident smile. “That’s gonna be me someday, you know! Once I win World Warrior, I’m gonna chuck that Bison bastard off the roof. Things are gonna change around Esaka, mark my words!”

Rather than mention his own participation in World Warrior, Band gave her an encouraging nod. “Sounds like a plan to me, sister! Good luck out there, and thanks for the info.” He made as if to go, then looked back at Kim, one eyebrow raised. “Oh, uh, one more thing. You ever seen anyone in pinkish-red armor ‘round the city? Wearin’ a funny-lookin’ helmet and a big black cape?”

Kim’s furrowed brow suggested that the description rang a bell. “Huh…maybe? I think I’ve seen someone like that watching the tournaments sometimes. Usually on finals day, never far from one King or another. That’s all though, don’t know her name or anything.” She shrugged.

“Huh, interestin’.” Band tipped his hat to bid Kim farewell, then moved on. By now, the other members of his little investigation squad had spread out to make some inquiries of their own, but were all in the same general area still. Spotting a temple surrounded by loitering yokai that sat on the edge of the tier at one end of the marketplace, Band began to head over, keen to learn more about Esaka’s strange spiritual economy.

Krat Zoo - Flooded Safari Zone

Lvl 8 Sandalphon (70/80) Level 5 Heismay (33/50)
Edward’s @DracoLunaris Blazermate & Sectonia’s @Archmage MC Geralt’s @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN Ace Cadet’s @Yankee Roxas & Ganondorf’s @Double, Ramattra’s @XoXKieroBombXoX
Word Count: 1520

Nameless Stagecoach
𖥞: 8/8 | 🛡️: 7/8 | Equipment: Stewpot/Windchime/Lamps/(None)/(None)/(None) | Companion: Ratshaker

When the first wave of Seekers opened fire (literally, in Mokou’s case) on Tom, Sandalphon lent her efforts to the barrage. Purple arcane rays from the tip of her Hexagun pelted the giant alligator’s head, but like the plumes, Radiance swords, and many of the team’s other projectiles, they didn’t amount to much. The enormous beast’s leathery, scaly hide, inches thick and soaked with ice-cold water, shrugged off magic as easily as it did the elements. Turbo’s Screech helped a little, but not enough to make a huge difference. Tom’s resilience really hammered home the idea that this was no ordinary animal, and as demonstrated by the foliage growing from his back, it wasn’t just a matter of disproportionate size. When Sandalphon scanned his vitals to confirm how little damage he was taking, she got an odd reading from him, very unlike the horrific mutants she’d observed so far. He gave off an almost spiritual aura, in fact. Whatever his nature, though, the fact remained that he meant to swallow the Reindrix whole, and the archangel doubted that he’d stop there.

She continued to shoot as the panicked Reindrix picked up the pace, urged on by Edward. They were fast, but the path to safety on the other side of the flooded Safari Zone was long, and Tom would have plenty of time to attack. As her ammo drained and the alligator failed to transfigure, Sandalphon quickly came to the conclusion that her new weapon’s polymorph effect simply wouldn’t work on such a huge, magical creature. Keeping a cool head, she stowed her Hexagun and thrust her hand at the incoming behemoth. Icy mist curled around her gloved fingertips as a Frost Lock sailed across the water. The frigid cluster smacked Tom between the eyes, spreading ice across his scales, but it would take twelve seconds before a second Frost Lock could freeze him.

By that time, Tom was dangerously close. The copper golems meant to delay him got thrown against the rocks or into the water as he smashed against the boardwalk behind the stagecoach, destroying the only way back to solid ground. A moment later, the Engineer’s sentry and the majority of Ganondorf’s moblins followed suit. Unable to attack from afar, Heismay stood his ground atop the vehicle, his teeth clenched as his grip tightened around his blade. As much as he hoped that a well-timed Dark Sword from his Archetype would deter the beast, he knew that Tom would be nigh-impossible to stop once his massive bulk built up momentum, whether Sectonia cast Slow on him or not. Before Tom could get too close, however, the newcomer Mokou ignited Edward’s tallow barrel, knocking the gator off course with an extravagant fireball. Finally, after the tactician marked Tom with Designate Target, Geralt jumped in as a Molar Boatworks Fixer to pile drive the behemoth right in his glassy eye.

KABOOM! With a roar of pain, Tom recoiled, putting every ounce of his strength into wrenching Geralt free as he beat a hasty retreat. Heismay breathed a heavy sigh of relief as the stagecoach thundered on, narrowly saved, but Sandalphon spotted the Witcher as he fell into the freezing water. Even before his report she knew he needed help, but for once the archangel had no idea what to do. Neither her healing miracles nor teleportation nor freezing nor razor wires could be of help in a situation like this. Fortunately, as White Team’s leader, Sandalphon need not rely on her strength alone. “Sectonia, he needs a rescue,” she commanded.

Floralia’s queen was preoccupied with spellcasting, but Blazermate picked up the slack by yanking Geralt from the water with Leap of Faith. In so doing the Witcher managed to avoid Tom’s first bite, but since Blazermate was airborne and not really strong enough to carry Geralt’s new form, he wasn’t safe for long. As they struggled to maneuver toward safety, Tom burst from the water with his maw wide open to snap up both Geralt and Blazermate in an instant. At his size, the gator didn’t need to chew or tear one bit, but simply swallowed the pair whole.

Tom’s stomach was, however, not what the two might expect. His insides turned out to be even bigger on the inside, and full of all kinds of random things that Tom had eaten to try and satisfy his agonizing hunger, from buildings to vehicles. There was also an infestation of thorny dark vines that amassed on the far side of the organ in a large, nasty-looking tangle that pulsed with malevolent crimson energy. Judging by how the thorns pierced the flesh around them, the tangle had to be causing Tom no end of pain. Of course, getting over to it to investigate further would be tricky, and not just because of the abhorrent smell in here; as Tom moved, the stomach acid pooled in his belly sloshed around, threatening to consume Geralt if he wasn’t careful.

Outside, the battle continued as Tom shook off Sectonia’s antlers. An anguished grimace overtook Heismay’s face when he saw two Seekers seemingly get eaten. He’d known these people for less than a day, but he was loath to see any of them fall, especially with such jarring suddenness. “Damn it,” he seethed, tightening his grip. The stagecoach was only halfway around the Safari Zone, and Tom was swimming toward it once more, driven by his muscular tail and insatiable hunger. Ace and Ganondorf were doing their best to hold the gator back with a mix of raw strength and empowered fire breath, but after snapping at Ganondorf to drive him away Tom doggedly pushed toward the easier, more appetizing targets in front of the stagecoach. Resolved to not fall in the water like his predecessor, Heismay readied himself to leap to the wagon’s defense in Geralt’s stead. “Come, then, and do your worst!”

Meanwhile, enough time had passed for Sandalphon to use her Frost Lock again. As she readied it, though, she scanned again, leading to a couple surprising discoveries. For one, Titan’s Curse had taken effect, but it wasn’t draining 25% of Tom’s health every ten seconds–it seemed to inflict a value equal to 25% of Titan’s, a much lower number. It wasn’t all bad news, though. “They’re still alive in there,” Sandalphon reported through her comm line, having confirmed Blazermate and Geralt’s status by attempting to reopen a comm line to them. “Hang in there, you two. I can warp in to heal you if needed.” Her pupils became reticles as she narrowed her eyes. “Everyone, I am about to attempt a freeze. Concentrate fire on the frozen target to increase damage taken upon thaw.” If everyone lent a hand, the Tom would suffer a severe enough Dissociation to stagger even something like him.

After calculating the perfect timing and trajectory, the archangel hurled her Frost Lock forth and froze the giant gator solid, inside and out. Courtesy of Sandalphon’s Cold Storage skill, the freeze would last two seconds longer, but that still only amounted to five seconds total in which they could rack up damage. After that, it would be up to the Seekers to keep Tom busy until the stagecoach reached the safety of the tunnel at the end of the boardwalk.

“No quarter!” Heismay shouted, having leapt from the coach’s roof to follow the Frost Lock through the air. His faith in Sandalphon’s plan gave him first dibs as he landed on Tom’s icy snout a moment after he froze. “Ee-yah! Yah! Yah-yah-yah-yah-YAH!” As he slid down the massive reptile’s length weaving in between the trees on his back, Heismay slashed again and again. His longsaber’s blade did not bite deep into the frosty scales, but the eugief gave it everything he had, and his teammates joined in with gusto.

After five seconds, Tom broke free from his icy shell, and Dissociation kicked in based off all the punishment dealt by the Seekers during that time. The giant gator took a boatload of damage and reeled, half-conscious as he sank in the water. Still sliding, Heismay ramped off his curled tail just in time, then glided through the air to land at the end of the boardwalk by the tunnel. “Hurry!” he shouted back. “This way!” Even as he spoke, though, the water began to stir. It was up to the others to keep Tom busy while the stagecoach raced toward the finish.

At some point during the fight, Ramattra and an unknown Organization member appeared from the direction of the desolated food court on a dog sled, unable to follow the stagecoach any further on its path around the flooded Safari Zone thanks to the damage dealt by Tom to the boardwalk. Chaos was unfolding in front of the two, and while at least they weren’t in much danger, they couldn’t unite with the Seekers this way. “Hmm…” Addux crossed his arms. “I can get us over there.” He glanced over at Ramattra, wondering if he’d try to help from here beforehand. “Just say the word.”

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

Hello! I’m very new here. I’ve been looking around the site for a while, and this RP really caught my eye. It’s honestly exactly what I’m looking for: group setting, beautiful, great writing, interesting locations, deep lore, and video game-themed. I’d really like to join! Though it’s not unlikely that I’ll struggle at first to blend in with more experienced players, my first few posts might not be very long, and I may not be so sure of myself or what I’m doing just yet…

I’ve read through the entire OOC thread and a good chunk of character sheets. I’m not very far into the IC events yet and not at all caught up with what’s currently happening, but I’m super motivated to read through everything just so I can feel fully comfortable posting (even if it takes a week or two before I’m ready to officially jump in IC).

In the meantime, I’ve been quietly working away and have actually already prepared a character sheet (sorry! I may have gotten a bit ahead of myself…). I’ll leave it here so you can review it when you have the time. It was sooo fun coming up with abilities and skills for her. I honestly struggled a little to rein it in, but I feel like I trimmed it down to a good starting point. Please let me know if she’s doing too much! Super excited to level her up and expand her kit if I get the chance.

In particular, you may notice I left certain mechanical aspects a little vague – mostly around status effects, IC cast times, durations, and the like. Any help would be much appreciated if those things need to be more specific! I’m still figuring out what would be considered over- or under-tuned, so please feel free to guide me in balancing things however you think is fairest.

Thank you so much! Have a great day.

@qp

Hey there! First off, welcome to the forum in general, and welcome to the RP in particular. I'll gladly accept all your lavish praise for the World of Light, but there's no need to worry about fitting in, comparisons, or experience levels, we're all just here to have a good time and I think I speak for everyone in saying we'd be happy to have you! Kudos to you for doing your homework ahead of time, you've already pretty much gone above and beyond. It's great to see your motivation, and I'd be happy to extend you all the time and help you need to get situated and started.

Your character sheet is mostly good. A different flavor of support sniper than Sandalphon, definitely. I have no problem with your skills or abilities, I would encourage you to add more numerical details if you want, though you don't have to be too specific either. I do have a couple of small notes. One is that your starting level should be 5, the sum total of the number of starting Abilities and Skills.

The other note has to do with the 'In the Now' section. The whole 'starting cities' thing was more for new characters at the start of the RP. Right now, the PCs are divided into White Team (following the Midnight Walk on an expedition through the Frozen Highlands to Moon Mountain) and Gold Team (participating in tournaments in the fighting game inspired city Esaka). In order to link up with a group I would recommend some changes. You could keep Marie's situation at Meridi-at-han, but she would need to be in Esaka for a music festival or some such instead. Or, you could put her somewhere in our path in the Frozen Highlands.

Right now, the team is at Krat Zoo and will be for another 2-3 weeks. The next stop on the expedition, 2 weeks after we leave, is Orca Space Center. The Frozen Highlands may not work as well in terms of theming, but White Team would probably suit her better than Gold Team since she isn't a physical fighter. Of course, she doesn't need to participate in the tournaments to be part of Gold Team, but it is the main event we'll be focused on while there.

Regardless of what you decide, I'm eager to see what you can do, and to welcome you to this all-star roster!

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

Esaka’s Low Tier - Pao Pao Cafe

Lvl 15 Ms Fortune (138/150) Level 11 Big Band (38/110)
Amaterasu’s @DracoLunaris Roland’s @Archmage MC Zenkichi’s @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN Pit’s @Yankee Sakura & Juri’s @Zoey Boey Captain Falcon’s @Double Harry and Kim’s @Eviledd1984 Terry’s @Terry Bogard
Word Count:

As the unannounced Organization member probably should have expected, the Seekers had a lot of questions for him. Nadia wasn’t one them, though. Interrogating him was no concern of hers, especially since the delivery of his pizza heralded the imminent arrival of the other orders. To her delight, her roast duck happened to be one of the first meals brought over, so while the others grilled the man in black Nadia got busy chowing down on succulent, crispy waterfowl. True to its name, the dish was both wonderfully aromatic and fiercely spicy, not to mention deliciously fatty. In order to eat with gusto, Nadia found herself obliged to guzzle cola in equal measure, both to quench the flames and offset the savory, somewhat greasy mouthfeel. After gruel and trail mix aboard the Avenger this morning, and a healthy amount of exercise on the way to Esaka, the feral had known she’d be hungry, but not until the duck hit her tongue did Nadia realize how famished she really was.

Still, despite enjoying her food, the catgirl didn’t completely tone out the others’ conversation. Her allies questioned the Organization member and received their orders one by one, then digested whatever information he’d divulged as they ate their lunches. Roland got almost nothing out of the man, then settled for talking about himself instead. His mention of angel wings struck Nadia as a little tactless with Pit in their midst, and judging by the team captain’s reaction, he probably felt the same way.

Being a little behind, Harry asked what Organization XIII was, seemingly directed at her and Band. Busy with her food, she shrugged to tell him I don’t know, which honestly wasn’t far from the truth. She knew that the Organization existed, and that they seemed to be interested in helping the Seekers beat Galeem, but that was pretty much it. Band didn’t know much better than her, either, but at least he offered his fellow detective an answer. “From what I gather, a third party faction opposin’ Galeem, like us. Been around a lot longer than we have, though. Seems like they show up to steer us in the ‘right direction’, but whether that’s right for us or them, I can’t say.” Not the most glowing endorsement, but considering what he’d heard about some of the Organization members, his description was actually rather charitable.

While Harry ate and drank, Kim asked something else. “Nothing that you couldn’t look up yourself,” the stranger told him. “The Kings’ fighting styles are very heavily documented. You can find all sorts of videos, and even supposed counterplay, on the inter-knot. Be warned that knowing counterplay and putting it into practice are two very different things, however.”

Band kept up only the barest pretense of being interested in the meagre lunch he’d ordered as he listened to the questioning. Sakura managed to wheedle more from that man than Band would have expected, including his codename. Xilgrev, he mused. That scrambled-up hoo-ha ain’t like any name I ever heard. Ramaxi, Gneidxick, Hallextram. Do all these clowns have ‘x’ in their names, or what? Pit got some clarification about the circumstances in which the Four Kings would need to be beaten, while Zenkichi probed Xilgrev, trying to get under his skin only to wind up a lot more rattled than he was. Band couldn’t blame him for looking into the ten-year problem, since that was something hanging over everyone’s heads. If Band had a kid or two in that same boat, he’d probably be even more desperate.

When the questioning came to an end, Band mulled over what he’d wanted to ask. As Roland proved, Xilgrev could be quite tight-lipped unless someone appealed to his reason. He’d more or less already told the team that the Organization intended to help them defeat Galeem, which tracked with what Band knew of the Organization members in the Sandswept Sky and Deep Blue Sea. Unfortunately he’d been stuck in Edinburgh MagicaPolis while the Seekers conquered the Under and Dystopiascape, so his intel could easily be outdated, but the lack of outright hostility told him that his teammates were at least amenable to the idea of an alliance. All his thinking must have shown on his face, since after Xilgrev pushed out his chair and got to his feet, the darkness within his hood turned Band’s way. “You look like you have something to ask me.”

Band exhaled slowly. “Just one thing. You say y’all wanna help us beat Galeem. I believe that. But lemme ask you this. When we do whoop its ass, will that restore everythin’ to how it used to be?”

To the detective, a second of hesitation spoke volumes. Xilgrev knew the answer; he was just deciding how much of it to reveal. After a moment, he replied. “Not…automatically. That’s why we must take a passive role. Organization XIII is biding its time, so that when Galeem is finally gone, we can give this world the push it needs to get the ball rolling.”

Band snorted. “How vague.”

“Indeed.” Xilgrev waved wryly. “With that, I bid you farewell. Fight, win, and take every ounce of power you can get. You’ll need more power -much more- than you think.”

He turned to go. In the silence that followed, the slurping sound from Nadia’s straw revealed that her glass was now empty. “Uh, whoops,” she said unconvincingly, crossing her arms. “So…now that’s over with, and we’re all signed up, I guess we got the rest of the day to ourselves.” She grinned. “Could do with somethin’ sweet, though. Anyone got the ‘scoop’ on whether or not Esaka’s got ice cream shops?”

Band removed his hat and began fanning himself with it. “First order of business oughta be findin’ a place to stay,” he remarked. “I’m guessin’ we can’t crash at our dojos, after all.” Metal Revolution, of course, happened to be a lot less hospitable than the average dojo, but he couldn’t imagine any dojo offering lodging. “Plus, we got a lot to learn about Esaka and how things work around here. Might be worth it just casin’ the joint for a while. Y’know, gettin’ a feel for everything.” With enough experience, any cop worth his salt could tune into the very soul of a city, obtaining an almost preternatural awareness of how, when, and where things went down. Whether through the whispers in one’s ear or the shivers down one’s spine, a city could have an awful lot to say. Of course, that sort of understanding took years, and Band probably didn’t have a week. Still, having one eye open would be better than going in blind.

“Uhhh…” Nadia not-so-discreetly checked her magic wallet. “That reminds me. I ain’t exactly flush with cash right about now. Havin’ sushi every night in Mafia Town kinda ate into my savin’s.” She looked between Sakura and Terry. “Hey, I bet you guys know everythin’. How’s a girl make a quick buck around this town, huh? Are there, like…” She lowered her voice. “Underground fightin’ rings?”

A sigh issued from Band. He was not at all surprised. He couldn’t necessarily argue with her, though. In a city where everything revolved around fights, the Seekers’ options were limited on such short notice.

Krat Zoo

Lvl 8 Sandalphon (67/80) Level 5 Heismay (34/50)
Edward’s @DracoLunaris Blazermate & Sectonia’s @Archmage MC Geralt’s @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN Ace Cadet’s @Yankee Roxas & Ganondorf’s @Double, Ramattra’s @XoXKieroBombXoX
Word Count: 2515

Nameless Stagecoach
𖥞: 8/8 | 🛡️: 7/8 | Equipment: Stewpot/Windchime/Lamps/(None)/(None)/(None) | Companion: Ratshaker

As it finally began to roll forward out of the Hall of Adventure, Sandalphon retired to the stagecoach for a few moments. She didn’t need to rest or anything since Geralt and Ganondorf did the bulk of the work when it came to pushing open the heavy metal door, but she did want to check on the stew pot, which seemed to have started bubbling shortly after the Seekers arrived at Krat Zoo. Sure enough, the pot appeared to be slowly filling, even though nobody had added any ingredients as far as she knew. Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, the archangel chalked it up to some sort of magic, and estimated that it would be full by the time the team found a way out of the sprawling zoo complex, just in time for a midday meal.

Sandalphon remained in the stagecoach just long enough to exchange a few words with Ganondorf, whose newest quirk demanded that he replenish his biomass well ahead of lunchtime. Their brief discussion bore no fruit, so by the time the stagecoach reached the Endangered Species Zone, she was back outside in the wintry wind, her boots crunching the snow with each step. Just as planned, Roxas and Heismay had gone ahead to investigate the mysterious blaze in the Rainforest zone, and if its source proved to be half as ferocious as it sounded, even from this far away, Sandalphon suspected they’d need backup. Until then, though, the rest of the Seekers could contend with the carcasses roused and flushed out by the scouts’ sudden passage.

Though uniformly grisly, most of the mutants were of no consequence, since few of the area’s endangered species had been particularly large or dangerous creatures to begin with. The exception was the cassowary carcass, the flightless bird twisted into a vicious facsimile of its distant ancestors, the primeval raptor. Sandalphon lent a hand with that one, creating a blue tile she crouched over before setting her sights on the monster. Two well-placed shots were enough to put it down, though she took no pleasure in it. A fate like this struck her as especially terrible knowing that these beasts had been rare and precious in life. “What a waste,” the archangel murmured. With the carcasses taken care of, though, the Reindrix could be coaxed forward, and the stagecoach could inch further into the zoo.

At the same time, Geralt had devoted himself to studying one particular specimen. Even if the team hadn’t already seen a mangled giraffe corpse out by the main gates, the sight of one in good condition and barely bothered by its macabre surroundings would have invited suspicion. Sure enough, it wasn’t long after the Witcher entered the giraffe’s enclosure, and both disappeared from sight, that Sandalphon began hearing a series of warped, unnatural roars, accompanied by the telltale sounds of combat. She couldn’t climb the exhibit fence like Geralt did, but she could Vault over or warp inside if needed. Still, she decided to hang back and let the man do his job unless he called for her. The Seekers needed a leader, not a helicopter parent, and Sandalphon felt it necessary to demonstrate her faith in her team. When Geralt did contact her, she made the call without hesitation. Her comrades weren’t here to study whatever plague had befallen Krat Zoo, and it was all too easy to imagine the disaster that excessive scientific curiosity could invite. This place was too far gone for any cure; only scorched earth would set it to rights.

By the time the stagecoach fully rounded the Endangered Species bend and reached the boardwalk of the Rainforest Zone, the battle against the advanced elephant carcass had reached a fever pitch. The monster squaring off against Mokou, Roxas, and Heismay was a true abomination, even by Krat Zoo standards. It had been dangerously strong and durable before its nightmarish mutation, so the addition of almost a dozen assorted animal heads, all spewing freezing vapor, made it a foe to be reckoned with.

The same could be said of both the Seekers and their fiery new acquaintance, though, and the three were making progress. Heismay concentrated on keeping the nightmare’s attention, his longsaber gleaming in the overcast darkness as he slashed, dodged, and leaped. Outside of the occasional Mudo, the hermit was an obligate melee fighter, so he kept himself tantalizingly close to the monster’s snapping jaws while the others barraged it with elemental magic from a safer distance. It was a very risky business, since just one mistake could easily prove fatal, but the former Shadowguard knew what he was doing. “How simple!” he taunted as the horror’s crocodile jaws, twisted vertically, snapped shut mere inches from his red greaves. He delivered a quick slice to its jowls, his blade barely biting into the scales, then kicked off the monster’s snout. “Hyah! It’ll take more than that!”

He landed on the wooden railing of the boardwalk roundabout, staying only long enough to tense his legs and then spring again as the monster smashed through the fence. He narrowly somersaulted through a gap between Mokou’s pinions, noting that her fiery feathers were really starting to pollute the arena. This fight was too fast-paced to keep track of both the horror and whatever safe spots she left for him. After latching on to a dead tree for an instance, Heismay leaped away from an icy blast, only to clip a couple flying feathers. “Ack!” He extended his wings to catch himself as he fell, only barely managing to glide before he hit the ground. A quick pat-down assured him that his fur hadn’t caught fire, and the next second Heismay was off again before the carcass could catch up. Better to suffer the girl’s not-so-friendly-fire than a blow from that monster, he reasoned as the horror snapped at his heels.

His distraction gave Mokou the opportunity she needed. After diving in, the girl set off a tremendous point-blank blast that scattered sizzling, foul-smelling chunks in all directions and left a smoking crater on one side of her target’s upper body. “Can’t argue with results, I suppose,” Heismay muttered. Orange magic streaked across his body as he transformed, darkness roiling within the Thief’s palm as he prepared a follow-up. “Some darker arts!” His Mudo struck the carcass’s main head in its midst of its thrashing, knocking its bulk neck askew. Hoping to open the wound left by Mokou even further in hopes of severing the trunk completely, Heismay dashed in with the Thief’s curved greatsword at the ready. “How about this!?”

Too late, he realized that this area wasn’t the blind spot he thought it was. While Mokou’s detonation destroyed several of the horror’s heads, it had left others mangled, but still operable. As Heismay slid in for a huge slice, the head of a hyena split open to disgorge a freezing torrent. “Bah!” After disappearing for a moment in the blast, Heismay reverted to normal covered in frost, his movements slowed as the cold coursed through his bones. The next second, the monster’s neck swung back toward him. He was lucky to avoid its heads, but the sinuous bulk still batted him away. “Blast it!” Heismay slid into a snow drift at the base of the railing, where he languished for a moment, numb.

That misstep, however, gave Roxas the push he needed to pull out all the stops. A moment after the mutated colossus finally sagged to the ground, defeated and disintegrating, Heismay got to his feet, shivering but free from frost. “...Well done,” he managed after a moment, unconvincingly reassuring his ally. “I’ll be fine, but I would not decline some healing power, either.” Heismay rubbed his hands together, then tucked them into his armpits to try and warm them up faster. As Mokou approached, the hermit looked your way. “Greetings, miss. I hope you do not mind our interference. Your firepower is most impressive, and you no doubt had the beast in hand, but I could not allow myself to stand idly by.” He looked around, scanning the snowy gloom of the once-verdant Rainforest Zone for other dangers. “So, what brings you to this accursed menagerie? Its no place for children, no matter how powerful.”

Once Mokou set him straight, and informed him why she was here, Heismay held up his hands in sheepish placation. “Ah, forgive me. Where I’m from, elda are very rare, so I am a poor judge of age.” Of course, she probably wasn’t an elda, but hopefully she’d accept the excuse. He cleared his throat. “Ahem. As for your mission, I believe it’s one-third complete already. I was fortunate enough to find one viking, Erik, hiding in the Hall of Adventure.” After stepping forward, Heismay held his little hand up to shake. “If you’re amenable to joining forces, at least for the time being, we can continue the search and rescue together. My name is Heismay Noctule.” In a realm gripped by winter, Mokou’s firepower would be a welcome addition to the team, but she didn’t look hurt enough to be friend hearted yet. With any luck, the chance would come soon. At the clatter of hooves and creak of heavy wheels on wood, he glanced over toward the boardwalk to see the stagecoach approaching. “Ah, here they are now.”

With the advanced elephant carcass out of the way, and the zone’s mutant kangaroos cleared beforehand, the Seekers and their new acquaintance could continue. The staff center opened by Mokou could be seen and accessed by anyone else before they pressed on, as well. The Rainforest Zone harbored no other enemies of note, so only dreary, leafless trees and dead, frozen plants confronted the team as they moved. Though the winding, narrow boardwalk kept the stagecoach’s speed down, its pattern still distinguished it as the Midnight Walk, so Sandalphon judged that they were on the right track. Toward the end of the Rainforest Zone, they did run into another small problem at a fork in the boardwalk. On the right side was a dead end, another roundabout that surrounded the area’s largest tree. A few normal-looking birds still huddled on its branches, and a sign at the base of the tree read do not disturb the wildlife - no shouting or whistling. To the left, a bridge leading over a frozen river and out of the area had collapsed, but thanks to Sectonia and her crystals the problem was easily solved.

Up next was what seemed like the central location of Krat Zoo, a large food court themed after the nearby Safari Zone. In addition to a variety of food and drink stalls, as well as covered tables, it featured four small glass exhibits in the center, formerly the homes of tarantulas, scorpions, snakes, and turtles. Now, though, the whole food court lay in frightful disarray. No doubt something like the elephant carcass had rampaged through it. Sandalphon was tempted to request that the others loot the place, but she was skeptical of any food found therein being safe to consume, especially after the discovery of parasites. She did see something curious, though, and asked Edward to stop the stagecoach for a moment as it passed by. “Best to check to see if another viking is hiding here,” she told the team.

She herself did not search the buildings for any vikings, though. Against one of the reptile exhibits leaned the half-frozen corpse of a strange man, his pale, stony skin festooned with strange tubes and brass apparati. Her keen eyes spotted an odd canister half-hidden beneath his body, as if he’d died protecting it. Leaning on her gunstaff, Sandalphon stooped and retrieved it. “Some sort of storage device,” she murmured as she shook it, hearing something rattle around inside. A quick study of its workings led her to an intriguing conclusion. “Encrypted. Curious. I am tempted to puzzle out whatever secrets it might contain.” With one last look at the body and the food court, Sandalphon returned to the stagecoach and climbed inside. “It should not take me long to decipher it. Please notify me if anything requires my attention.”

Just beyond the food court lay the Safari Zone to the left and the Aquatic Center, but even a cursory examination was enough to reveal the problem that concerned both. At some point, the enormous tanks inside the aquarium had suffered enough damage that the thousands of gallons of water had broken through the glass, washed through the ruined building, and flooded the neighboring Safari Zone. After ascending a small, squat flight of stairs to the Safari center, the Seekers could step out the double doors and witness a large area with its entire central exhibit submerged. Now, the second-story wooden walkway was more like a boardwalk encircling a lake, and all the trees and towers meant for the primates that once inhabited this place protruded from the water. In order to make it to the zoo’s final area, where that huge greenhouse towered above the complex, the stagecoach and its Reindrix would need to circumnavigate that boardwalk.

Of course, that was easier said than done. A handful of mandrills remained, using the suspension bridges to run between the towers and pelt the Seekers with projectiles. If they triggered the gleaming Reindrix, the team would definitely have a problem on their hands. That wasn’t all, though.

After about thirty seconds, the water began to ripple, and a copse of trees in the water began to shake. Sandalphon, unbothered by the clank of projectiles against the stagecoach’s armor, immediately looked up from her cryptic vessel, then set it down and swept out of the vehicle. “Immense life signal detected,” she reported, her pupils in the shape of radar scanners. There wasn’t enough room for the coach to turn around. The only way was forward. “Get ready to move.”

The trees rose from the water, but the island beneath them wasn’t rock or dirt. It was scales–enormous, heavy, snow-white scales. The scales and ridges kept coming and coming, until a gargantuan, primeval head finally emerged from the water, the head of an unnaturally enormous albino alligator, with just two toes on his left front foot, and a snout wounded by some prior battle. His glassy, colorless eyes locked onto the Reindrix, and his jaws hung open, drool running out between his terrific fangs. A low, rumbling bellow issued from his starving belly, followed by a deafening, hollow roar. He flailed his muzzle and tail, destroying the primate towers and bridges in mere moments.

As shrapnel -and mandrill parts- flew everywhere, Heismay stood atop the stagecoach, his longsaber couched and his teeth gritted. “What in blazes is THAT!?”

Sandalphon vaulted onto the roof and landed beside him, her Hexagun in hand and her voice much more commanding than usual. “Edward, go!”