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Evocation's Wake (OOC Thread)
#638168 - Mon Sep 29 2008 08:57 PM
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Edit: A later post details setting and sign-up information.
I've had an idea for a Lovecraft-esque story thread kicking around in my brain for a while. With Halloween coming up, and sadly being marginalized this year, I thought this might be the best time to try it. I want to go for some subtle stuff near the beginning, but getting far more sinister at a rapid pace, then have it get quite disturbing near the very end. The nastiest part of this whole concept, of course, is that the real thing you're fighting against can't be killed by normal means, and can't even be truly understood.
Now, I wasn't planning for people's avatars to drop in like a normal thread, here. Everyone's avatar would have the same personality, but likely not the same powers, as they'll be stripped down to mundane reality, in a modern society that's never heard of real magic, or real psychic powers. Thus, almost any avatar would fit, but not without having always been "normal" in this other universe.
Oh, and anthropomorphic avatars and humans only; working around non-bipeds would stretch things a little too much. The otherness of some of the things you'd deal with in this story works best if there's little difference from the norm.
Last note is that, while I tend not to like to kill off avatars, this is one story where it might be part of the plot. Those familiar with this sort of game might know what I'm talking about. I'll try at all times to keep it fun, although it will get creepy, and it will screw with the minds of your alternate-universe avatars. Do something stupid, of course, and much worse can happen.
Who's up for a quick thread of this type? Something that'll last maybe two months at most, with rapid-fire sessions about once each weekend?
And no, I won't be abandoning my other threads for this. Far from it.
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Silas
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Member #6043
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Posts: 85
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(OOC:
I haven't done any RP'ing in a long while. I think I'd be up for something like this.
If you'll have me.)
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I know I've mentioned it before, but of course I'll have you for this one, Silas! Though I'm hoping for more people, of course.
I'd say around 2 to 5 would do nicely. More than 5 would get a little too hectic, especially if we're doing weekly sessions!
I'll wait for more takers, then. Water's fine, folks!
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I have a question.
What if the stripped down mundane version of a character would have a vastly different personality? Such as the characters that are adversely afflicted by their abilities and situation.
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"With Courage and Determination, Stoney Grey will hide me!"
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So, for those of us who avoid the Horror/Suspense section of the bookstore like the plague, what exactly is Lovecraft-esque? I've heard no lack of references, but no real meaty explanations. IS the point of the RP to simply survive as long as possible?
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Kei Unit01 said:
I have a question.
What if the stripped down mundane version of a character would have a vastly different personality? Such as the characters that are adversely afflicted by their abilities and situation.
Good question, there! I'd assume you could play it out either as the character without those changes occurring, or make some arrangements in the alternate's history that affect them in a similar fashion. Obviously you can't have someone who has a phobia of psychics in a world where they don't exist (or at least, not in the way they do in the Dream proper), but something equally common in the mundane world, maybe.
In the case of a high-powered soldier with some PTSD or similar issues, perhaps being a mundane soldier or mercenary who's never quite left the battlefield would suffice. The main difference there, perhaps, is that a mundane can take the physical armor off and drop their weapons, while some of the Dream's soldiers can't.
Bar Gamer said:
So, for those of us who avoid the Horror/Suspense section of the bookstore like the plague, what exactly is Lovecraft-esque? I've heard no lack of references, but no real meaty explanations. IS the point of the RP to simply survive as long as possible?
In some cases, yes. But the main themes are investigation, discovery of horrible truths, and maintaining one's sanity in the face of the incredible. I'll be trying to enforce this -- acting like certain things are perfectly normal is a sign of insanity, if they're clearly not normal. No matter what, the true nature of what the protagonists are up against can't be known completely, and knowing too much about it is bad for their sleep and mental health.
In some of the stories, the good guys lose, so to speak. In others, they win, but at a cost. I'm aiming more for the latter, here, and the players determine what that cost might be by their actions. No-one necessarily needs to die, and you can actually "win" this one, at least in the short term of the thread.
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I think my Lawrence Highton character would be nice in this scenario. I would class him as nice and mundane enough  .
I'm rather a fan of Lovecraftian works so this is certainly something I'd be interested in! I do have a query, of which I seem to be stupid about since no one else has asked.
You say 'sessions', is this then to be a Chat or is it still a thread?
If it's a thread then I'm all in, but a Chat isn't very practical for me as they usually take place at a far too inconvenient time slot for me over here in The Old World. 
- Britt.
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Well, what I'm hoping for is a thread, but one which would likely take place in rapid-fire sessions on the weekend. That's probably going to translate to "about a post or two a day, Friday through Sunday," plus whatever people can manage in the week in between. But, if people can manage a solid block of about three hours or more at some time of day, I can do rapid-fire posting in that block instead! That would work a bit closer to a tabletop style session, and if it's possible, that's what I'd aim for.
I don't think the descriptive style I'd use here lends itself well to the chat, simply because I'd end up with monstrous blocks of text to read through. They're not quite so imposing in a thread.
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So, now that we've got a few interested parties, I'll put up some explanation of the setting, so you know what you're signing up for.
Heliopolis
It's just your standard, run-of-the-mill city along the East Coast of North America. While a bit hard to place, on Earth it would probably land somewhere near Boston. It's only moderately populated, however, and has nowhere near the restrictions on arms Boston has, though modern gun laws are in effect (lock box rules, no discharging in public without cause, licensing is required to carry or own, concealed carry permits may be issued only for one handgun, etc). There's a port, and several historic landmarks here and there, plus all the comforts you'd expect from city life. There's also a somewhat seedy underground element, mostly present in the night life.
Otherworldly occurrences, while not proven or well believed, are still considered by a good number of people in this city, as elsewhere. Several odd goings-on have turned up of late, including a mysterious fire with no apparent source two years ago, and an unexplained disappearance with some disturbing rumors surrounding it, not two weeks ago now. There are many channels you could use to learn about these things, but one in particular is, not so surprisingly, online.
There's a forum -- Supernatural Heliopolis -- where these strange occurrences are pointed out within the greater Heliopolis area. People discuss the possible reasons and explanations for everything they run into. Quite a few are shot down with reasonable explanations, especially the many "ghost videos" that keep turning up on the channel. And of course, there's your usual collection of loonies stirring up trouble. But sometimes...
Anyway, you're each playing a resident of this city. Maybe you moved in fairly recently, maybe not. But either way, the world you're living in is where you've always been, and it is, by all appearances, a normal world. You have a place to live (likely an apartment) and a job to keep that place (which could be just about anything, from retail to a desk job to a tabloid writer, or perhaps part of the underground). That mundane vision may be shattered for you at some point, not too long from now.
Also, whether by natural curiosity, or by virtue of your job, one incident in particular will catch your notice. No doubt you'll run into each other shortly after you start searching, and where it will lead from there, who knows?
If you're signing up, let me know who you're playing as (by posting as that avatar), what changes need to be made to them so that they'll fit in the world, and basically where they'd be living and what they do for a job. Any other details you'd like to add would be welcome, too!
If you have any further questions, feel free to ask those as well.
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Silas
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Member #6043
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Posts: 85
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I don't think Silas needs to be changed much for this. Her only talents are defensive fighting and eating. If there's anything about her you think needs changed, though, just let me know and we can work something out.
Due to Silas preference for exploring and digging, her job (apart from pirate, which I'm sure isn't an option...) would be best as a scientist (archaeologist, paleontologist, etc.. something to do with digging?).
Ideally, this is what I see. Silas is a graduate student, working with some professors on an archeological dig near the city. She has a small apartment on the third floor near the university, that she just moved in to the beginning of the last semester.
Nothing extraordinary about her situation. Low on funds, but the drive for discovery and digging keeps her interested in her job. Spends a lot of time at the library, digging, or, well, eating! She's an intellectual to a point, but nothing beyond the average, for a graduate student.
If there's anything else you need to know, just let me know!
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The character for this thread shall be one of Kakemaru's past lives by the name of Jonathan Nichols.
Who is Jonathan Nichols? Well, what's important about him is that there's nothing too special about him from what he can tell. He's 29 now, dreading becoming 30 in a few months still. He lives and works mostly out of his apartment as a copy editor.
Once you've got the manuscripts, you can edit copies pretty much anyway. He's the task boy of a local publishing house that does everything from books to magazine articles, so technically he has a cubical there, but so long as he gets all his work done (And they hand him all the really weird stuff, too...), meets his deadlines and keeps in touch, they don't mind how much he's actually in the office.
As a boy, his dad put him through the boyscouts and he liked that well enough. Growing up, he particularlly liked the roleplaying games they would play on trips and Jonathan kept with that later, going on the occasional LARP with foam weaponry and other recreational societies. Other than that, he's sort of a conspiracy nut and plies his trade to the website Supernatual Heliopolis, checking their facts and their spelling. For all the books, short stories, and literature he ends up reading, he has the dream of being an author himself. At least, he hopes his active imagination, and occassion dream about a wandering man often garbed in red endlessly searching through time and having adventures is his asperations to be a writer.
Otherwise... he fears he could be a little nutty above and beyond what his hobbies suggest.
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I'd just like to say that I like what I've seen here, so far! These two characters should fit well into the city, and the storyline. I know there's three more people who've expressed interest in this story, and they know who they are. When they have characters chosen, with changes, job and home listed, and I've had a chance to okay it, they can join in.
I'm planning to start up the thread itself, later tonight.
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Evocation's Wake has now begun.
Those of you who've signed up can post to it; I'm assuming it's the end of most peoples' shifts, and they've already gone home. This means they can catch the post and respond to it, as they wish. Some of our NPCs will be responding as well, and some are even recurring avatars of mine.
Those of you who still want to join, the sign-ups are still open for the next week! I'll keep taking new people until Sunday, the 26th of October, 2008. Past that time, it wouldn't be feasible to take new people.
I also think I should limit this to only six people, and at present, four have offered to join and shown enough interest to try and create a profile. One has shown great interest, but has to wait to enter, so I have, perhaps, one slot left.
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Santo
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Member #8486
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Posts: 222
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Created a new avatar for this thread if you accept him, SM Austin Kane #10788 if you want to look him up. He's a retired Sergeant Major from the military who works in a mechanics shop of some sort. He'll have the combatives experience from the major wars of the immediate histories. The best thing about him I believe is his PTSD if you know anything about it. I've known others who had it, so I know what it is like. I'll make sure his profile is up to date by the time the request goes through. I thought about having Santo join, but this might not be the best place for him. I always wanted to make a military member anyways. Thanks for the opportunity to bring him in properly.
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Mikalya Ivanna
Currently working as a Body guard for Vicky Locke, Mikalya has been a student of martial arts and close quarters armed combat almost all her life thanks to her parents and grand parents. It is also thanks, primarily to the Japanese side of her mixed Russian Japanese heritage, that she has extensive training in Asian languages. It is in fact these mixed qualities, and the blades she inherited from her family, that brought her into contact with her current employer.
She demonstrates a level head, professional attitude, and a distinct like of avoiding direct conflict in her work. Through conflict happens and she is known to wear low profile ballistic armors for when things do go sour in her line of work. She is also licensed to carry and can typically be seen open carrying a 45 when on the job, though truth be told she dislike firearms and almost always has a Tanto blade or two on her.
((She is sans all her higher then modern day tech for the purpose of this thread, along with the knowledge that would be outside the scope of the time period. Her age is a more sedate 26, and she retains all her limbs and both eyes. ))
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I'm also accepting Mikayla Ivanna, of course; I checked over that profile before it was posted. The character Vicky Locke is a named NPC, of sorts, and will appear in the thread fairly soon!
I'm still waiting for a profile from Dietrich Farkham, if he's still interested. There was one other, but I think that's still pending.
Santo, I do appreciate your interest! But, if you want that character accepted, the profile itself needs a lot of fleshing out. Then, you'd need a mini-profile explaining where he lives and what he does in Heliopolis, of course. I'd assume it's similar to what he does in the main Dream.
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Am I too late, did I miss the sign-up? I don't think I did. I'll post, if I'm not allowed in just say and I'll take the post down again.
I really don't think that there's much at all I need to changed.
Lawrence is still a reporter, working on the crime in question. He's still in his wheelchair.
I think I might be a little confused about how this weekend posting works. If we're all posting at the same time won't we end up muddling posts (for instance if two of us reply at once, we might say something that contradicts the other). Still, if it's just a case of 'post frequently on weekends' then that's fine . Hopefully some of my time slot will mix with your time slots...
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I finished Kane's profile which shouldn't need changing for this thread. The only difference is that he wanted a change of scenery and went there. I'll post immediately tonight...if you don't feel for him to be added, I'll delete it and leave...thanks.
Kane
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Mmm... Though I prefer residents of the city, as I stated, I suppose a visitor won't be out of the question. It will probably put him at higher risk, however.
Also, he does need some alteration. He likely won't be coming with his companions, I'd think, as they still have work to do back home. There's no reason he couldn't keep in touch with them, though.
Also... The XM8 Assault Rifle is both a prototype model (and thus would not be available!) and would be considered illegal to own or carry. I'm not even sure why he would have his old main arm (if that's what you meant it to be -- once again, not possible) when not on active duty. That would be kept in an armory.
The pistol is fine, as long as it's carried open or kept securely packed. He'd need to acquire a permit to carry it concealed legally, and that would take time.
The armor you stated weighs in with a $4600 price tag; rather steep, I'd say. The bodyguard, Mikayla Ivanna, is wearing a $500 Level II concealable vest, for comparison. I'm rather confused by the helmet as well. Yes, I can see how some paranoia would come with the PTSD, but this might be going a touch overboard. (Not that it's likely to matter...)
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Oh, and Lawrence-PG: I still need to know what Lawrence's home is, in the city. It can be relatively vague, like an apartment or somesuch, but it helps to keep track of that, for the story's sake. You should be fine after that, so there's no trouble with having posted (minor issue with the post, but I told you that). But in the future, try not to jump the gun on entering the story!
Ah, and yes, the idea is to have rapid posts on the weekend, with some in the main week as well. People tend to have more time on the weekends. I've been less than my best recently. While we're still filling up quite quick, the story hasn't moved forward as much as I'd thought it would, so I'm still taking profiles. However, sign-ups are mostly closed. I'm expecting two people; one (Dietrich) had completed a mini-profile, but hasn't had time to post here yet! The other seems to've vanished, unfortunately. If the last one doesn't arrive this weekend, I have that one slot still.
I don't think I can take more people than that, though, unless I drop the survivability rate a bit.
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He actually is a resident of the city. I might've written it wrong, sorry. They have been there for at least a year. He does have a home if you would like me to post it. He likes to spend a lot of time at his shop however.
I didn't anticipate Jessica and Harold joining him on whatever we were going to go after. They were just fillers for story, that is all. I would like to, however, possibly have radio communication or contact with either them. Don't know the extent of the story and him leaving the area, so I'll leave that open for you.
The assault rifle was his primary weapon before he retired, yet he keeps it in the local armory as of now since it is illegal. I will amend the profile. He will be carrying his 9mm in the open on his belt. How exactly would he acquire a permit for the arm in the thread? Would I just post that he submitted for a permit and is waiting on the mail to send it back completed?
Last, I will tone down the armor (sadly, since I have seen it in person) to a Body Armor ,Tactical Vests SECPRO IIIA ($945) and get rid of the helmet(didn't think I needed it anyways), but he would like to wear a radio headpiece to be able to communicate to others if needed.
The PTSD probably won't come out if you feel it is un-necessary for this thread. All soldiers go through a little PTSD when having combat experience, but his was through many of them. I'll leave it up to you as well on that matter.
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True, but you should have gone through these things and discussed them with me before posting. It's not really appropriate to just post as soon as you pop into a sign-up thread; it's not like an Open thread. I technically need to approve you folks first. I'm still willing to keep you, I suppose, with these changes, but you'll definitely have to give me an idea of where he's staying.
Looking closely at this, I can't see him having a concealed carry permit, for what he's doing and where he works. That's the funny thing with "may issue" permit areas. He has no need of it, being a mechanic; thus, open carry's the way to go, there. He's not a visitor, either, but a resident, so if he'd tried, it would've been earlier.
My comment on the PTSD and paranoia was in response to your over-the-top choices of tactical gear, which seemed way too much for a civilian, even if they're former military. (Edit: His old main arm, whether it be reasonable (an M4A1) or not (the weird prototype) wouldn't be available to him. It might even be put back into rotation.) It wasn't a comment on the choice of illness. The headset's fine, it's not like you can't buy them at good office supply stores (if we're talking an earpiece and handheld radio deal). Same goes with the vest, though I can't see him wearing such a thing with the strike plates all the time. Wouldn't be comfortable.
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I guess there was some miscommunication on the signing up. Assumed on things...my apologies. He is staying down the street about three blocks in an two-room apartment which he walks to and from work. He has a vehicle, station wagon, but he only uses it for traveling and buying large bulkier items he wouldn't be able to carry. I'll be sure to add that to the forum. I could post him coming home as well if you desire.
I'm not trying to belittle the thread or its concept of the city, and I could argue the concealed permit since anyone can have them with the proper training and documentation. I could get one for $150 in North Carolina easily. Kane will have it in the open however; no worries there.
No worries about the tactical gear. Military guys I know would buy anything and everything if they had the money. Believe it or not, wearing the strike plates all the time increase your core and leg muscles. The vest is light enough to not really matter anyhow. As far as being comfortable, he's been wearing vests off and on for almost 30 years now from his military career. He's used to it. I did change the vest to be more of a concealable type, Concealable Body Armor IIA ($489)...It made more sense to be concealed.
I really hope I have not caused a stink with all of this. I apologize in advance. I was just excited about posting in this thread. Trying to compromise, that is all. TY
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Mmm, just one last note, since you can't actually argue the concealed carry like that. North Carolina is currently a "shall issue" concealed carry permit state; that's why it works the way you just described. Heliopolis is in a state similar to Massachusetts (due to the nature of the thread, it's not in a specified country). That state is a "may issue" state, meaning that it's up to the whims of the individual city officials whether you can or not.
In Heliopolis, it's officially a matter of your state of need, in addition to training. If you'd need a concealed carry for your job, you can; otherwise, no. There are other factors as well.
You should be fine, so long as you're reasonable. I hope it'll be enjoyable... I'm going to try and put something together for another post later tonight, with slightly more substance. I'll try to have something for everyone, in there.
Having one of him heading home could be good. It might give me a few more options to set the mood.
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Since this is an unusual thread for this day and age, in the Dream, I'm going to explain one of the key points.
You start with an introductory post, showing us what this projection of your character is like, and giving us a good idea of who they are and how they feel, by demonstrating it. This can be as detailed as you like. Of course, I like to see this after being accepted, here, in case there's anything that needs smoothed out!
After that first post, you can keep your own posts short and sweet. While you can describe more if you want to, one or two paragraphs to respond to what you're seeing is usually going to be enough. This is a very rapid-fire thread, or I hope for it to be, anyhow. With luck, we could get up to a handful of posts per person per day, on weekends.
This is how fast threads ran, before the official chat existed. For clarity's sake, bold-faced location tags might be necessary, at points! Those who've been in the Welcome Center before know all about these.
The only other note, which has sadly come up once or twice, is that you should be careful what facts you make up about the setting. Some elements you can make up (such as random, one-shot NPCs, the interior of your own apartments and work places, and so on). Others, you may not (such as the contents of police reports, or anything pertaining to the clues I have for you -- those are GM material, thank you!) I know this is obvious for many of you, but I feel there might've been some confusion.
There's only two more people I'm waiting for, possibly three depending on how things are going with one of them. I'll carry on with the thread regardless, of course.
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