Legolover-361

Thanks, Zar. I have experience with hospitals as well, so this story is rather personal for me.

Hello, fellow Ambage writers. Maybe some of you remember the Lesovikk's Hiatus contest I've been running; maybe some of you don't; or, more likely, maybe all of you don't. Whatever it is, I'm not asking for entries this time. I'm asking for judges.The number of entries in the Lesovikk's Hiatus contest isn't very big. As a judge, you would read all of the entries, then PM me your lists of the top five or so.If you're interested, please PM me posthaste. Thanks!In other news, I think it would be a cool idea to have some sort of co-writer competition in which each entrant pairs with another entrant and co-writes a story. I think the first co-writer competition should be short stories, and we could branch into mini-epics later if there's interest in running the competition again. We could even make it less of a competition and more of a team-building exercise (except less useless than those in Dilbert ). What do you guys think of the idea?

First, thanks for the feedback, Levacius. I don't mind criticism as long as it isn't condescending. If I haven't addressed one of your points, it either didn't need addressing or I didn't have a response for it.

 

(Credit to Legolover-361 [or whoever else created it] for the banner, which I shamelessly stole and murdered to create the above monstrosity)

 

I did design the banner but used a desert image (I believe public domain) that I found online.

The opening certainly does have me asking questions, so if that was one of your goals then you certainly accomplished it.

That is one of my goals, especially because I want people to search for answers to those questions in-game. They aren't going to be answered except through exploration.

Which immediately begs the question how many moons are we dealing with?

I believe it's safe to say that, in Tides, you will be dealing with zero moons.

Im going to ask a few questions here that dont get very clearly answered later. Namely, how many people are in this caravan, exactly? Is this Turaga guy in charge? If not, then who is? I understand the idea of not wanting to reveal too much, but unless our characters are amnesiac or goldfish, they should at least know the workings of the place. If you dont want us to know how the caravan operates, then perhaps you could add in that all characters are pretty much just found in the desert by the caravan when they start off the game; perhaps dying in the sand, or riding over the hills to join in like a triumphant nincompoop?

I don't want to give an exact number of people in the caravan, but I could provide a rough approximation. It would likely be around fifty to sixty people.Turaga Aiken is in charge. It's funny how I only realize after receiving feedback that I didn't make that clear. (I suppose it seemed so obvious to me, I didn't bother to state it for people who haven't been planning and writing the RPG for over a week: a common pitfall of writing. )

Do you know what happens to a Scarabax swarm when it gets hit by lightning? The same thing that happens to everything else.

...including what would happen to the poor soul covered in scarabax at the time of the lightning strike. I know scarabax aren't very deadly, but they can be stealthy, and if they, say, swarm someone who's sleeping, the resulting scene won't be pretty.

Ignoring attack of the funny sidekicks, we have things like wolves. Now, Im not zoologist, but I do know this wolves dont attack large groups. Unless these are packs of like forty wolves, nobody should be worrying. And even then, do you know what happens to a wolf when it gets struck by lightning?

They're large wolves with killer reflexes that do tend to hunt in large packs, though I don't think they'd hunt in packs of over twenty, maybe thirty at the absolute maximum.I'd like to note that I had the Turaga talk about wolves and scarabax mainly to discourage people from separating permanently from the nomadic group. Perhaps I didn't give off that impression in the RPG text, but that was the main point. Also, I've been considering adding another dangerous animal; I'm not certain what animal yet.

The first problem is the species. Matoran and Toa is perhaps the worst allowed species list that you can have. Even Matoran/Turaga would work better. By placing Toa into the mix, you kill off all tension. One of my greatest personal praises for City in the Dark (though I dont know how much I elaborated on it) was the focus on species not typically touched in canon; in this case, we look at ones we constantly look at. If youre going to restrict us to two species, you should either play it in a way to strengthen the threat of the RPG (if we could only play as, say, Matoran and Turaga, it gets rid of most of my complaints about the above section), or you should try to use it as a way that furthers the story. Perhaps exploring a lesser known group of species? Touching upon stuff left open to be explored in canon? As it is here, this is one of the RPGs weakest points.

One of my goals for this RPG was to harken back to the early Bionicle storyline, not necessarily completely, but in the base concept of a mysterious, low-tech setting with only a few species (or sub-species, whatever you call 'em). Having only Matoran and Toa as the available species leads toward that. I do understand your point about Toa characters being overused, but I don't want to remove Toa from the equation... Eh, I have over a week to think about it.

I dont really follow your pattern for the allowed and not allowed elements. I can see why youre not allowing water and ice (easy way out, eh?), but why do we still have plant life, which accomplishes a similar goal, along the lines of food. And why is magnetism gone? Gravity, psionics, those are sort of OP. But if youre going to tell me magnetism was more easily abused than sand (which, mind you, is canonically not an element in the Matoran Universe or at least not a common one) could be in this setting then youve gone crazy. And along that note, iron is allowed. Wut.

The elemental restrictions are largely based on the RPG's backstory. I wish I could clarify the reasons for a bunch of the restrictions, but doing so would ruin the surprise (and I certainly hope the "big reveal" will be worth it). That said, the list of available elements is not completely set in stone at the moment.

And really? No history section? Only the biggest hack of an RPG writer would ever do that. Heh wait a minute

They're amnesiacs; they don't need history.

(BTW where is appearance? Are all of the characters blind because that would be really cool!)

A-ha, I knew I was forgetting a section in the profile.

Which brings up the big problem I havent addressed yet the plot. What exactly is our goal? We just happen to live in a vaguely defined desert caravan moving through Bara Magna towards the Red Star in a world where apparently there was a mass genocide of some three or four dozen species. This suffers basically the exact opposite problem Loophole had. That RPG had lots of plot threats, but spread them out too far for the average attention span of players; this one keeps everything compact, but has nothing to grab onto. While I imagine if it wins that you or Gravity will start something up pretty quickly, this is not reflected on the RPG itself. This is the set-up for an episodic TV show, a format it would be interesting in, not a three-month RPG. Luckily, this problem is corrected easily. Introduce a plot. Thats all you need to do is add some kind of clear plot. And when you consider that the entire point of this theme is a bad guy who is a phony, then the real theme behind the theme that it tries to express is working towards a goal, and upon reaching it, learning something. Right now, we have no goal to work towards except for a very vague one walk at that star. And sure, that may have inspired an entire religion (since Im a Christian I can make that joke) but it doesnt necessarily inspire dreams for an RPG.

I'm not entirely sure how to introduce a plot without surrendering too much information. Whatever I do, I won't outright state, "Do this," because I feel the players should think of the ideas themselves. That said, there is at least one thing I could add that may hint toward more exploration being required, and I do have ideas for inspiring exploration and / or mystery-solving once the RPG starts.

The backstory begs lots of questions, which actually has me quite interested in how things would turn out. How did these people get here? How much time has passed? Where are the canon characters? Why is Bara Magna so big again if its been almost completely turned into a paradise by Mata-Nui? Who could the bad guy be, since we know so little (this last one suffers from the lack of any clear NPCs).

Thankfully, I have answers for all of these questions, and I hope all of them will have the chance to be revealed.

So, is it a good RPG? It can be, but at the moment, its missing too many things for me to really say that it is. In my personal opinion, not looking at it with bias, I think it has the potential to be a very good one. It just needs to be worked on a little more. So its a good thing you submitted it earlier on instead of waiting until the last few days of the contest. Regardless of what you do/dont decide to change, I wish you the best of luck for the contest.

Thanks again for the feedback, and good luck to you as well!

I couldn't get inspired in time for the other themes. I barely wrote a story in time to enter the Sunset theme.

Thanks for the feedback, Lorax!

I'm also wondering if the restricted elements and masks are important. The immoral ones are all banned, but that isn't necessarily out of place in an only Toa and Matoran group. The puzzle comes when water and ice are not allowed, when they would be very useful in a desert, and stone and sand are present but not earth. No light and shadow isn't too unusual, but magnetism, gravity and psionics... Once again, I'm puzzled.

The omissions of Kanohi and elements are important mainly for backstory purposes. I'll consider adding water to the list of allowed elements, but I won't promise the addition.

You have "god-moderator" in the rules section. No. 3

Apparently the first three letters of "moderator" are filtered to the whole word.

So, trekking across a desert with a bunch of amnesiacs doesn't initially sound too interesting initially, but the promise of secrets to uncover might do it.

There's definitely a mystery element to the RPG. I may need to expand its text a little, though, to make the presence of secrets to discover more apparent so people don't assume it's really sandbox.

Good luck in the contest.

Thank you, and same to you!

You don't know that! I could have been using "he" in its gender-neutral form!<<>><<

I've just posted my entry, Tides, and am open to feedback. Before you ask -- yes, there's a villain; yes, he's important; and yes, he is a puppet. I'm just not telling you who the villain is.

 

 

by Legolover-361

 

* * *

 

Hello. You were asking for Turaga Aiken? Yes, I am he.

 

Please, take a seat; my tent is your tent. Do close those flaps, please — I don’t like sand blowing in when I’m trying to relax. It’s terrible for the lungs.

 

No, I don’t remember why we ever set out on this long walk. I’m too weary from our trekking to do any thinking. I only know where we’re going: The Red Star that hangs over the horizon like a lantern. Yes, that star will lead us to our destination; I’m certain of it...

 

I’m sorry, did you say something? I’m afraid my ears aren’t what they used to be.

 

No, I wouldn’t recommend splitting off from the group. We’re much better staying together. There are many dangers in this desert — animals, sandstorms, cyclones, quicksand, and the list goes on. We must remain unified if we want to survive long enough to find... whatever it is that we’re trying to find.

 

History? There is none. We have been journeying across this desert for as long as we can remember. Ask anyone; they’ll echo my words. But though we have no history, we do have a future, and it is over the western horizon yonder.

 

* * *

 

THE LOCALE AND FAUNA

 

We don’t know much about Bara Magna, the Great Desert, except that it is big, windy, and hot, and it contains a lot of sand and nasty vermin. There’s no official map, for what would be the point of studying a location only to move on and never see that place again? Besides, we’re too focused on foraging and hunting for food, and preventing ourselves from becoming food, to bother with mapmaking.

 

We’ve passed a few dead forests and salt flats during our journeys. The forests are where we scavenge most herbs; the salt flats and occasional riverbed provide water to those willing to dig deep enough for it, and we are so willing; the only other nourishment we receive is garnered through hunting rodents, avians, and lizards that thrive in the heat and sand.

 

Sometimes we find pieces of wreckage littered across the landscape: here a broken sword, gears, or worn pottery; there an overturned, rusted chariot or decrepit dwelling. We tend not to linger too long to scavenge items from the sand, but if we find anything on our way, we’ll pick it up.

 

Each solar cycle lasts about twenty hours — at least, that’s my estimation — which means ten hours of scorching daylight and ten hours of freezing night. We break camp at the sound of the camp supervisor’s horn and set it again upon the same signal.

 

Despite the heat, the daytime is the safest time to travel. The only animals awake tend to be small: sand-mice and sand-rats, dune lizards, sky-hawks, and desert vipers — we will hunt and eat any of those animals for food if we can find them. The only large, diurnal predator we know, the large, four-legged Skopio, is very rare; we usually only see them once in a blue moon and at a distance.

 

At night, however, other predators emerge. Scorpions and flies are the least of our worries. Scarabax beetles, though small, can burrow through the sand and attack prey in swarms difficult to stem or disperse. Venomous rattlesnakes have rough, khaki scales that allow them to blend into the sand. Large desert-wolves with stiff, bristled fur and sharp teeth have been known to attack outliers of our group.

 

Rock Steeds, Spikit, and Sand Bats, though thankfully not very common, are a danger almost around the clock. The first rule of survival in Bara Magna: Be wary.

 

We place torches and guards around the circumference of our camp and keep a fire lit to discourage their attacks, but it’s hard for us to help people who wander beyond the camp’s boundaries. The predators aren’t always present, but they often are. Take care in the twilight.

 

* * *

 

THE GROUP

 

While I, Turaga Aiken, am technically the leader of this ragtag band of nomads, my bones aren’t what they used to be. Call me the organizer-slash-mentor, then. My companion and bodyguard, Toa Rho, and the camp supervisor, Harn, provide most of the physical necessities of leadership.

 

Every sunrise, Harn sounds a horn to alert everyone that it’s time to pack up and move on. Every evening, he sounds the same horn to alert everyone that it’s time to set up camp.

 

Members of our group take turns pulling seven scavenged sleds with much of our gear loaded atop. Shifts are usually determined voluntarily and / or through popular consent, though every so often the leadership needs to force someone to take a turn in the interests of fair division of labor. All the rest of the gear is carried in sacks by hand.

 

Apart from leadership and muscle, several members of our group have found time to pursue studies. For example: A Matoran named Nixie is our foremost astronomer, Kodan our foremost archiver, and Nuhrii our foremost engineer. Specializations are encouraged but not required; sometimes, after all, an individual with a general education is more useful than a specialist.

 

* * *

 

THE PROFILES

 

We require that forms be filled out for all members of our group for the interests of keeping track of everyone. We don’t want to lose someone without knowing; we have maybe sixty people by my rough count, a hard number to monitor at all times, and the desert’s a dangerous place.

 

I see you’re chuckling, but trust me when I say the desert only looks like a flat, open expanse of land. Do you know anything about sand dunes? Quicksand? Concealed pits? No? Then please no longer treat the risks of being left behind so flippantly.

 

Just turn in your profile to our librarian, Kodan, when you’ve filled it out, and he’ll file it away. Thank you.

 

Name: (no canon names; try to make it sound Bionicle-ish)

Gender:

Species: (Matoran / Toa)

Appearance: (description, link to image, or both)

Kanohi: (no Mask of Time, Life, Shadows, Light, Dimensional Gates, Creation, Reanimation, Wisdom, Valor, Corruption, Time Duplication, Repulsion, Disruption, Hunger, Silence)

Element: (one of the following: stone, air, fire, lightning, iron, sand, plasma, water, magnetism, plantlife, sonics)

Abilities: (skills not element-related)

Equipment: (no electrical items or otherwise advanced technology like guns)

Occupation: (if applicable, the role(s) your character has in the group, e.g. guard, hunter, astronomer, healer, etc.)

Personality: (try to write guidelines rather than absolutes)

 

* * *

 

THE RULES

 

Before you recline in your own tent, I’d just like to remind you that we do have guidelines for being in this group. I’m not saying you have disobeyed them; it’s just a general reminder. In most cases, the rules are implied — don’t fight, don’t steal, et cetera — if you have any questions about the others, don’t hesitate to ask me.

 

1. All BZPower rules and RPG forum rules apply.

2. No god-modding, auto-hitting, unapproved bunnying, etc.

3. Your character can and will die if you roleplay recklessly. While typical character preservation rules still apply, if your character is in a position where he or she literally cannot escape, do not godmod, autohit, bunny, etc. to avoid your character’s death. It won’t work.

4. Elemental powers are not as powerful as those in the canon storyline. Thus, no nova blasts are allowed because it’s impossible for anyone to do them.

5. Remember that this is an RPG of many players. You may attempt to run your own sub-storylines, but please don’t go out of your way to prevent other people from interacting with your own characters.

6. No more than three characters are allowed per player, and no more than one NPC per PC.

7. The staff of this RPG, Legolover-361 (GM) and Gravity (assistant GM), are present to ensure this RPG runs smoothly. While they don’t rule with an iron fist, they do ask that you be respectful of their wishes and, if you disagree, do so civilly.

8. The first time you break a rule, you will receive a warning. Depending on the severity of your next offenses, you may be given more warnings, have your character punished in-game, or outright banned according to the discretion of the staff.

9. Remember that you’re playing this to have fun! Treat other roleplayers with respect and feel free to explore the world within Tides.

Member Name: Legolover-361Theme: SunsetWord Count: 798Link: http://www.bzpower.com/board/index.php?showtopic=10067

The Best Thing to Say

 

Kate Huong was awakened in the morning by the ringing of a phone. She opened her eyes and blinked them sleepily. Her momentary disorientation faded fast; she was not at home but in the tidy if small guest bedroom of her grandparents’ house, lying on one bed while her younger brother, Zachary, lay on the one to her left.

 

Yes. In her grandparents’ house. But only Grandmom was home.

 

Her stomach grew suddenly upset. In response, she curled up and shifted underneath her blankets, too cold to forsake their comfort. The digital clock on the bedside drawer read 6:38 AM. Too early. Kate shut her eyes again, hoping sleep would follow soon after.

 

The ringing stopped. Her grandmother’s voice filled the silence in its place.

 

“...Yes... Right, I understand... Thank you...”

 

Click. Kate tried opening her eyes again. She could hear more voices now: her parents engaging Grandmom in conversation. The murmurs proceeded for perhaps a minute; then footsteps approached the guest bedroom, the door opened, and Grandmom delivered the news.

 

* * *

 

The Saturday morning was cold in the manner of most autumn morns, but it was not unpleasant. The Huongs, however, had no time to enjoy it. They, plus Grandmom, were packed in their well-worn black Chevy Equinox and off to the hospital within minutes.

 

Zach, as most twelve-year-old boys would, complained about the lack of breakfast but was stymied by his mother’s terse censures. This, said Mom, was more important.

 

They entered the hospital, where the parents and grandmother whisked the children through hallways that looked the same, into a set of elevators with mirrored interiors, and down another hallway into one of the patient wings.

 

Grandpop’s room number was engraved in Kate’s memory as it was in the gold plate that was mounted beside the door.

 

He was wheezing weakly when his family entered. Transparent pipes ran up his nostrils and, Kate had been told, down into his throat. Kate had asked her grandfather on a visit some weeks ago if the pipes bothered him, and her parents had made very clear on their way back home that such questions should not (the word “not” was emphatically iterated and reiterated) be asked of a patient, and Kate had learned in her sixteen years of life that vocal disagreement with her parents would accomplish nothing.

 

The question about the pipes seemed moot then and there, in Grandpop’s ascetic white hospital room, as he took what the doctors said would be his last breaths and Kate’s stomach levitated.

 

When Grandmom got nervous, she also got fussy, hence why she was asking for the second time if the doctor to whom she was speaking had given Grandpop painkillers.

 

“Yes,” said the doctor, a dark-skinned woman with braided hair and a nameplate on her medical coat that read Von Dyke, and she proceeded to list a series of names that sounded more dangerous than helpful.

 

Grandmom seemed appeased. The doctor left soon afterward.

 

Alone now, the Huongs crowded round the bed. Grandpop’s eyes seemed closed, but his eyelids were twitching. “Can you hear me, John?” asked Grandmom; Grandpop seemed to nod slightly, but the movement could have been involuntary.

 

“Shh,” said Mom unnecessarily. “Come on, now, tell Grandpop how much you love him. Zach, you first.”

 

Zach took his place by Grandpop’s head, leaned over, and said, “I love you, Grandpop.” He paused, trying to think of more words, but then sucked in a breath and held it as he moved aside for Kate.

 

Grandpop’s breaths sounded more painful up close. Kate bent her knees to move her mouth nearer to Grandpop’s ear but couldn’t speak. She breathed through her nose to calm her jittery nerves and thought.

 

“I love you” seemed inadequate, but “we’ll miss you” was too depressing; “get better soon” was out of the question, as was a simple goodbye; and Kate, at this moment, felt nowhere near eloquent enough to vocalize, without being depressing, how hollow she felt and how sorry she was that her Grandpop wouldn’t live to see her and Zach grow to adulthood. She felt acutely the barriers of spoken language and, on a whim, wished Grandpop could read her mind.

 

But he couldn’t. Kate knew that. She also knew that her whispered, “I love you too, Grandpop; we all do,” was not the right thing to be saying. If it wasn’t the best thing to say, though, what was?

 

She sat soberly on the chair nearest the window as her parents and Grandmom said their goodbyes. The sky outside was streaked with clouds that glowed with incandescent colors, red and orange and gold: a beautiful sunrise, but when she was called to leave the room with Zach and her parents led them to the hospital cafeteria, she could only think of sunsets.

Hmmm... I did have a good idea for an RPG premise, but I'll have to either tweak it or write something new.I do have a question that should influence my decision: Does the antagonist have to be a person, if you get what I mean?

You're right that the core issue of inactivity would not be solved by the runners-up system: It would only draw the curtains over inactivity. However, having runners-up replace inactive winners would, even in a period of high roleplaying activity, potentially allow more RPGs a chance at the limelight and prevent "dud" RPGs from hogging a spot for the entire duration of that RPG season. I believe the system would be a good feature for the RPG forum whether it is active or not.Solving the core issue of inactivity is a problem whose load is shared not just by the RPG contest format but by RPG creators. If there is enough incentive to play good RPGs, they will be played. We just need determine what that incentive, or those incentives, should be.

I personally would prefer the idea of letting a runner-up RPG run if one of the victors becomes inactive.

First off is the number of winners. I know in the past people have asked for more winners, but I don't see that helping here. I don't want to reduce the number of winners, but it could theoretically condense the number of players and keep activity up.

This could work, but it would mean that some good RPGs will get less of a chance to be played.

We could hold contests more frequently. I don't know that my schedule really wants me to do that, but if RPGs are slowing down after two months having new ones sooner could help.

If RPGs tend to become stale after two months, holding contests more frequently should help. The RPGs that don't become stale could just be entered in the next contest, and if they're considered good, they have a healthy chance at winning.If you don't have enough time on your schedule, you could have someone assist with running the contest.

Contests have been light on themes for a while - do you guys think a theme helps or hurts the entries and activity of the winning RPGs?

Themes can make contests interesting but can also somewhat limit the types of RPGs that can be entered. I think introducing, perhaps once every other contest, a theme either vague or with multiple interpretations would spice things up.

I know in the past sometimes a GM gets busy and can't run a game anymore. We could require at least two hosts for each RPG so that hopefully at least one is around at all times.

I would prefer this idea:

How about this: The revival limit for an RPG is shrunk down to say, two weeks. Whenever an RPG dies, the next in line in the contest takes over. So it would work like this: There are RPG Contest Winners One, Two and Three. If Two doesn't get a post for two weeks, then RPG Contest Runner-up Four takes its spot.

Have any idealist groups been formed with the goal of reestablishing peace between the Koros? I'm trying to think of a good way for Nova to become involved in the RPG.Regarding Kynaera, right now I could place her anywhere. She'll pursue justice in her own special way (cough underhanded tactics cough). If any criminals are loose, she could go after them; otherwise, I'd rather not get her inolved in anything big.EDIT: Okaaaaaay, I just found out I had a Kanohi Matatu listed in Kynaera's BZPRPG profile instead of a Kanohi Kualsi. I'm not sure how that happened, and I forget if Kynaera ever used a Matatu instead of a Kualsi (if it did happen, my apologies) -- I'm guessing I changed my mind about what mask she would have but forgot to edit her profile before posting it. Either way, Kynaera's profile has been corrected, and I am assuming for continuity purposes that she has worn a Kualsi all along.

Technically, the BZPower members I know best are Darthbrandon and Celu because I'm good friends with them in real life.Regarding people I only know through BZPower... Honestly? I don't think I can call any of them a best friend. It wouldn't fit because a lot of people here I don't socialize with enough for us to be considered close friends. That said, recently, I've been conversing with Dovydas the most, so I suppose he's my current closest BZP comrade. (A bunch of people in the Ambage could vie for my top spot if I talked with them more. D;)

Thanks for the review, Zaxvo, though my story actually isn't from the perspective of a strand of spaghetti; rather, it's from the perspective of a fork. Was the story too unclear in regards to its narrator's identity?Regarding the second-person perspective: It's a subjective issue, I think, because I don't mind the perspective (probably in part due to Choose Your Own Adventure books), but I can understand your point of view.

Name: Nova

Gender: Male

Species: Toa

Alignment: Lawful Good

Appearance: Nova's build is similar to the Toa Metru's. His armor is light blue with silver undertones. Behind his light blue Kanohi Kakama are golden-yellow eyes.

Mask: Kanohi Kakama, the Mask of Speed

Weapon: Sword with long hilt

Powers: Fire

Biography: Nova has always wanted to be unique; his light blue armor, highly unusual for a Ta-Matoran, is just a fraction of that goal. Through little more than luck, he found a Toa stone that transformed him into a Toa of Fire. In a fit of wistfulness, he began pushing himself to his limits with a strenuous training schedule that left him with legs like jelly every night. One day, he pushed himself to charge a nova blast, just to know what it felt like; but the immense power required proved too much for Nova, and, afraid he would burn the island of Mata Nui to the ground if he released the fire, he reabsorbed it into his body. The action left him weakened and trapped a large amount of power within his body that he cannot release at once, no matter how hard he tries; his body is stressed from storing such power, irking Nova to no end.

Nova now tries to remain neutral in conflicts between Koros but finds his values challenged by what can be best termed as peer pressure. He can't believe Mata Nui could turn on itself, is scared by the corruption gripping the island, and often spends nights thinking he is alone in the world.

Personality: Unlike most Toa of Fire, Nova is generally subdued. He often fears he is on the brink of insanity: Because of the power locked up inside his body, he is often under mental stress, suffering from numerous headaches and odd bouts of annoyance. Apart from his condition, however, Nova is sociable in a quiet way. He doesn't like being in the spotlight and thus can normally be found in the corner of a room. He's determined to correct his mistakes and continues to train hard. His dream is to become a legendary Toa warrior; thus, his devotion to his friends and the Toa Code is indefatigable.

Weakness: Sometimes Nova can't help but try to release all his power in one go; in doing this he drains his actually available power and can be greatly weakened because of this. His swordsmanship is only decent, so he generally makes up for it in usage of his Kakama and hand-to-hand fighting.

 

~

 

Name: Kynaera

Gender: Female

Species: Toa

Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Appearance: Somewhat on the short side for a Toa: only six feet, ten and a half inches, eleven if her back is straight as a ruler. Healthy weight-to-height ratio: not skinny, not thick, just average. Sleek purple armor over flexible black and silver under-armor. Wears a wispy black cloak and a belt, upon which are mounted three throwing knife holsters and a carry-pouch. Keen green eyes behind a purple, feminine variant of a Great Kanohi Kualsi.

Mask: Kanohi Kualsi, Mask of Teleportation

Weapon: Three throwing knives on her belt; a staff with a blade on each end (the blades are retractable via a mechanical switch).

Power: Gravity

Biography: Soon after the Makuta took control of the island Mata Nui, Kynaera decided she would be of no use fighting him and so sought audience with him, devoting herself to servitude under his rule. When Makuta's rule collapsed, so did Kynaera's purpose. Without a victorious side to support, and with so much sin in her past, she feels lost and sullied, and so serves as a neutral sort of mercenary.

Personality: Cynical, thoughtful, logical. Kynaera has always been more interested in mental discipline than physical conditioning; she thus became skilled in eye-hand coordination, elemental and Kanohi techniques, meditation, and playing the eye of the storm in battle. Her focus tends to be on subtle things--facial expressions, small irregularities in scenes, emotions, the warning bell in the back of her mind. She often trusts her gut feeling despite receiving mixed results. She has no trouble making eye contact with people. She has learned to limit her expression of emotion. Despite her general patience, misunderstandings, unneeded hesitations, and illogical thinking all easily catalyze her frustration. She has a fear of being vulnerable and compensates by exuding confidence. She prefers to work alone, but if she must work with others, she wants control so she can keep others from screwing up.

She refuses to kill anyone except those most despicable.

Weakness: Kynaera's strength is only passable; she tends to compensate for her lack of grappling capacity with speed and acrobatics, though this can't help her if she's trapped at close quarters. When she's helpless, trapped, or both, her moderate claustrophobia surfaces.

I know I'm really tardy to the party (my laptop died, and I had to wait for a replacement), but I'm excited for this year's RPG. It will provide a lot of opportunity for character growth; I think my characters will flourish should I find the time to roleplay as them.

Gossamer by Passion Pit, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix, and Morning View by Incubus. I feel so proud of myself for obtaining the aforementioned albums.

The entry period is over as of about two and a half hours ago. Barring unusual circumstances (such as unexpectedly losing power, internet connectivity, or a computer), no more entries will be allowed. Thank you to all who have entered, and I would like to add that I'm still looking for judges.

IC: KynaeraMiddayGa-KoroKynaera's spear struck Greed's side. The winds ceased as if in shock. Greed's eyes were wide, glowing almost as brightly as the sunlit wave that now bore down on the lily pad the three Daedra occupied.It struck with a roar like a Muaka's. Greed was washed away. Sloth vanished behind a wave; Kynaera couldn't see what happened to him before she, too, was struck by the water and spun into the murky depths of the waves. She flailed, turned right-side up, was turned upside down again by the current, and finally surfaced a few meters from the lily pad with a gasp and her cloak's hood stuck to her head, covering one eye.Greed was nowhere to be seen. Neither was Kynaera's spear.She tread water for several seconds, cursing her misfortune, before kicking out and swimming back to the lily pad.She didn't notice the Rahkshi on the shore till she had lifted herself onto the edge of the lily pad.

4.5/5. The song is actually pretty catchy. I love its eerie mood, and the beat complements the music well. It sounds a bit like a song Radiohead would make, except with a female singer and what sounds like a turntable.Speaking of Radiohead..."15 Step" by Radiohead.

IC: KynaeraMiddayGa-KoroSloth's tsunami and Greed's hurricane met with a raucous roar. Flecks of water and eddies of air frayed the edges of the lily pad. Kynaera was buffeted by the shockwave but turned her lithe figure to the right to cut through the wind. A great mist was kicked up, but through it, Kynaera could glimpse the two combating figures still staring each other down in a battle as much intimidation as it was brute force.The eyes of the one on the right burned holes through the veils of moisture. Greed.Kynaera let the swirling winds draw her into the barrier between air and water. Her cloak wrapped about her in fright. She hefted her staff, its blades gleaming with excitement, prayed, and charged.Her arm went back and forth like a catapult. The staff pierced a hole in Greed's pet hurricane, a hole that led to the Toa's side.

IC: KynaeraMiddayGa-KoroKynaera inclined her head and turned round again. She exhaled.Teleporting never felt like moving; rather, Kynaera's concentration seemed to draw her target toward her. Perhaps her movement was so subtle and quick, it escaped her notice. Perhaps her body failed to recognize motion through extra dimensions. Or perhaps she just had never really thought about teleportation.Whatever the reason, she found herself on the edge of the lily pad that had been adjoined to the one whose debris were now scattered across the waves. Greed stood just a few meters ahead of her, and Sloth knelt beyond him.Maybe Sloth saw her approach, but he looked about to black out.Kynaera grabbed a shard of wood and hefted it, testing its weight. Satisfied, she reared back and let it fly. It spun upward in a narrow arc whose apex was a little farther than midway between Greed and Kynaera.When it passed that apex, Kynaera increased its weight.It fell toward Greed's head with nearly the force of a small meteorite.