Sandy

[QUOTE=Kura][size=1] And I agree, RPGS of late are dying like flies. [/size][/QUOTE] They always have been. I personally try to keep my own games up as long as possible, but there've been cases when I felt the game was going nowhere and I've put an end to it myself. What comes to short RPGs, the most important thing in it imo is a [B]predetermined plot[/B], or at least preset beginning and end. Also a limited amount of players is quite a must, because it lessens the chance of the game derailing off the preset track. I can't see much fun in that type of games, though, other than the point that you get to create a story arch (meaning what happened in between the beginning and the end). If I search for examples, Blayze's "Stranded" was quite a short game, yet we played it to the end properly, without skipping important stuff. The game had a simple plot with one intriguing twist, and that was that. It was much fun, though.

[QUOTE=Jokopoko][color=teal][size=1] Also as per Arena rules and regulations this thread should have a rating. [/size][/color][/QUOTE] I agree with you, Jokopoko, in every other thing you said except the one I quoted. This is a generic thread concerning OB roleplaying, so this is an exception to the rating rule. Only those Underground threads that concern [I]specific[/I] games (most often those that are already started) should have a rating. Well, you [I]should[/I] know this...

[CENTER] [IMG]http://www.kristasalter.com/gamesguru/ffx/iron_giant.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://www.kristasalter.com/gamesguru/ffx/barbatos.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://www.kristasalter.com/gamesguru/ffx/gemini.jpg[/IMG] [B]Boss battle against Moon Gigas, Earth Gigas and Sun Gigas![/B][/CENTER] [indent]"Hey, you piles of rusty junk!" Rikku taunted. The three monstrous giants turned to face the source of the irritating voice. "Pick somebody your own size!" Then she launched her Wishing Star, but it bounced off Sun Gigas doing minimal damage. "I don't think they're in the mood for chit-chat, Rikku!" Gippal warned. He raised his sword and his machine gun, and dashed at Earth Gigas. "Don't count me out!" Zelex said with a grim smile, following Gippal. "[b]Heftiger Schlag[/b]!" he howled and rammed into the spiky giant. "These aren't my type of fiends, they're too hard to crack", Paine murmured. "Hey Rikku, could that monkey of yours steal something for me?" "Let's see... Gigi Jr.! [b]Mug![/b]" The little monkey bounced to Moon Gigas and snatched a Lunar Curtain. Rikku retrieved it from her pet and gave to Paine. "Hurry!" Rikku exclaimed as she noticed that Sun Gigas started to glow. "It's readying an attack!" "Got it! I'll mix this one with a potion, and voilá!" Paine tossed the alchemic mixture into the air, raising [b]Grand Wall[/b] over everybody. "This should even up things..." "Watch out!" Rikku shrieked, but too late. Sun Gigas's [b]Solar Slash[/b] hit both of her and Paine, throwing them back several feet. The two men were pummeling Earth Gigas but with little success. "Grah, he's too tough!" Zelex grunted as he striked the fiend with his twin swords again. Earth Gigas retorted by stomping it's feet and creating a minor earthquake. "Wait, I've got an idea!" Gippal said and ran to the Highwind. "[I]Lnaf! Nayto dra syeh lyhhuh![/I] [Crew! Ready the main cannon!]" he shouted in Al Bhed. Rikku noticed that the large cannon in the front of the airship started to turn. "Gippal! What are you doing?!" "It's risky but it's our last hope!" the man shouted back. "Take cover!" Zelex and Gippal crouched to the shadow of the airship. Paine ran back to the rocks, followed closely by Rikku. But suddenly Rikku noticed that Gigi Jr. was no longer with her. She spun around and saw it clawing Moon Gigas. "No, Gigi!" It all happened in a blink of an eye. Just as Rikku reached her pet and grabbed it, the Al Bhed cannon fired a huge energy beam that hit all three monsters - and Rikku as well. Gippal didn't see Rikku's accident at first. "Now they're weak, let's finish them off!" Paine came running from the other direction, waving her arms. "Wait! Rikku was hit!" "Oh no!" Gippal exclaimed in terror. He reached the girl and helped her on her feet. "Uh.. feel... dizzy..." Rikku whispered. The three giants wobbled towards each others, lining up. "What are they doing?" Zelex wondered. He got his answer soon as all three monsters began emitting an eerie light. Sun Gigas, glowing in gold, stood still as the silver-lit Moon Gigas walked in front of it. Earth Gigas, with a green glow, became the first in the strange line. Then they spoke a single word with their deep, otherwordly voices simultaneously. "[b]Eclipse![/b]" Sun Gigas released all the golden pyreflies inside it, transferring them to Moon Gigas and then fading away. Moon Gigas did the same to Earth Gigas, and with a mighty explosion, the last of the three giants was gone too. All four party members were slammed to the ground by the Deathblow. [B]Reward: +3 Levels Rikku: Level 5 -> Level 8 Paine: Level 5 -> Level 8 Gippal: Level 1 -> Level 4 Zelex: Level 1 -> Level 4[/B][/indent] ~~~~~ Rikku woke up in a brigh room. Air conditioners hummed in the walls. She sat up in the bed she was lying in, and saw several other beds, all empty. At that moment the sliding door in front of her opened, and a familiar figure stepped in, carrying Gigi Jr. "[I]Famlusa pylg, tyikrdan.[/I] [Welcome back, daughter]", Cid, the leader of New Home in Djose and Rikku's father greeted. "Glad to see you made it back Home safely." ~~~~~ [SIZE=1][B]OoC:[/B] Frankie, levels are gained per battle, not by the amount of slain enemies. So you did nothing wrong. Now Rikku, Paine, Gippal and Zelex all made it to New Home. It is built by using the old Djose Temple of Thunder as a base. With the Aeon gone, however, all the electricity is supplied by Al Bhed machina. Feel free to describe the outerior and interior as you wish, but keep in mind that the New Home is still at last partially under construction. Also, besides Cid, other NPCs from the games can reside there as well. I'm personally thinking Brother and Shinra...[/SIZE]

Rikku, Gippal, Paine and Zelex ran through the woods until they reached the beach on the opposite side of the island to the village, where Gippal's airship was docked. Rikku couldn't help to stop and gaze at the mighty vessel for a moment. It was constructed from separate machina parts by the Machine Faction, and it glistened silver under the bright sun. "You like it?" Gippal asked as he ran past Rikku. "I call it Highwind!" "Come on, Rikku!" Paine snapped as she grabbed the Al Bhed girl from the shoulder. "This is no time for sight-seeing, the crew is in trouble!" Rikku shook her head to get her eyes off of the machine wonder. "Oh, right..." Paine brought the communication sphere she had attached to a wristlet close to her mouth. "Buddy, get your black ass down here, [I]now[/I]!" Rikku couldn't hear Buddy's reply as she continued running towards the airship. Gunshots echoed in the beach, and grenades blasted up clouds of sand. "Yikes!" Rikku squealed as a bomb went off uncomfortably close to her. "Who are they fighting?!" she asked Gippal as she reached the rock he had taken cover behind. "You mean [I]what[/I] are they fighting", he corrected, pointing at the three colossal figures assaulting the Highwind. "Those are tough fiends", Zelex said seriously. "They are protected by their nigh impenetrable armors, and their insides are swarming with furious pyreflies of people who died an unjust death. Who summoned them here, I do not know." "Well, you do seem to know quite a lot anyways", Rikku remarked. "However, I think I've beaten the likes of those before. Let's see how rusty I've got!" [CENTER] [IMG]http://www.kristasalter.com/gamesguru/ffx/iron_giant.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://www.kristasalter.com/gamesguru/ffx/barbatos.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://www.kristasalter.com/gamesguru/ffx/gemini.jpg[/IMG] [B]Boss battle against Moon Gigas, Earth Gigas and Sun Gigas![/B][/CENTER] ~~~~~[SIZE=1] [B]OoC:[/B] Feel free to continue with the battle, anybody. I'm too tired to do it now. After the battle, we head to Djose and New Home.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Sazabi][SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkRed] To me freeflowing chapters is a good way to lead to confusion and get off track of the rp. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/QUOTE] How can you say that when Hybrid Vigor hasn't even started yet?! But yes, it may have it's risks, but I believe with just a right amount of management it will be a success. The main idea is to give players more liberty than chapter system, but at the same time keeping things in control with posting order. I'm intrigued to be a part of that experiment... Also, I just wanted to add to the discussion about [B]dynamic storytelling[/B] that I'm not sure if it can be done without predetermined characters that all the players know (Digimon Tamers: v2, for example, was a sequel with the same characters than in the original). What do you think? Can it be done with player-created characters?

This thought came to me just today, as I was thinking about roleplaying here at OtakuBoards. In the olden days, all the games worked practically as "create a character and post at will", i.e. the [B]traditional way[/B]. In the few past years a new system has arisen, kudos to the likes of James and Shy (although who did it first is kind of hard to tell...). It implemented pre-determined [B]chapters[/B] to RPGs, where the characters post in a specific order about very specific events. Now that James's Hybrid Vigor is starting, we'll see what James means with his new franchise, [B]"freeflowing chapters"[/B]. I got the idea that James created this system as a compromise between the traditional system and chapters, which both have their own advantages and disanvantages. But the reason I created this thread is to reintroduce yet another possible system that hasn't been used in an RPG (at least to my knowledge) since the collective Digipeeps project [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=12335&highlight=digimon+tamers][COLOR=red]Tamers: v2[/COLOR][/url], started up by Sara (but later dominated by me *evil laughter* and after that, Takuya). The thread was much like modern RPGs, but with one big difference: there were no characters preset to specific players, all roles were fair game to all who wrote in. Sara had a nifty name for this style, but it escapes me now... *checks the thread* Oh yeah, [B]dynamic story[/B]. And boy, was there plenty of story included! Practically dozens of sideplots crisscrossed throughout the lifespan of the thread, until in the end everybody kind of lost the "big picture" along with motivation, and the thread died. Now I want to ask you guys, what do you think about this type of roleplaying. What are it's pros and cons in your opinions? What does it require for a game to use this type of system? Would you be interested in doing a bit of experimentation with this thing? I'd also like some overall discussion about the different systems, since they clearly divide people's opinions. [I]What's the future of OB roleplaying?[/I]

[quote name='Avenged666fold']Mine is the Jabberwocky. I saw a picture of one in my Literature book this year.[/quote] Too bad that what ever the picture looked like, it isn't authentic. Jabberwocky is a character of a poem in the book "Alice through the Looking Glass" (better known as "Alice in Wonderland" by Disney) but in the poem there is [I]no description[/I] what-so-ever about Jabberwocky's looks. Of course, I can be proven wrong about this too... What comes to the topic at hand, I would have to go with [B]oriental dragons[/B] myself. As opposed to western dragons, they are more often associated with water than fire, and although they can fly (despite not having wings), they are used to symbolize rivers and lakes and seas. I had a (cheap) pendant depicting a Chinese Dragon but I gave it to my boyfriend as a token of love. [I]He's my own Bunny Dragon![/I]

Good, so now everybody have got their profiles up properly. Just remember to update them as the game progresses! What I want to do next is to ask your opinions about what's going to happen in the game later on? Now Rikku, Paine, Zelex and soon Gippal are united. As things are cleared up, they will head to Djose, where the New Home is being built. Ria is in Bikanel Island (remember that it is ruled by Nhadala, leader of "Sanubites" aka the Diggers). Jyulan is in Moonflow, heading towards Djose, where Axel apparently is. I suggest that after some exposition and events in Djose/New Home, the party heads to Bikanel Island to persuade Nhadala and her people to join the reunited Al Bheds, at which point Rianna joins the rest of the gang, and then something BIG happens. What it is, remains to be seen...

Rikku marched back to the temple by the path they had cleared through the woods, but when she got there, the horned figure was nowhere to be seen. "What do you think, Gigi Jr.? Did he go back in?" Rikku asked her new pet, not expecting it would answer, of course. "Let's go check it out!" The Temple of Fire was a dark and chilly place now that all the fires had gone out. Rikku dug up a flashlight sphere from her belt-pouch. "Come out, come out, where ever you are..." she hummed. She walked deeper into the sancuary, took an elevator down and entered the corridors that once consisted the Cloister of Trials. Summoners and their guardians had to solve the Cloister in order to prove their worthiness to call upon the Aeons. Rikku snickered as she remembered Tidus, who really could've used some help solving the Cloister, but was too proud to ask. The stubborn mule... Suddenly a long blade slashed from the shadows, knocking the glowing sphere out of Rikku's hand. Gigi screeched and jumped at the assaulter. "Uargh!" a deep voice bellowed and staggered forward, allowing Rikku to get a good look at him. He was a tall man with peculiarly Ronso-like features, like blue hair, a tail and a single long horn growing from his forehead. He was holding a long katana, and another sword was attached to his hip. "Who... [I]what[/I] are you?!" Rikku gasped, taking a step backwards. "Take... this critter off me... and I'll explain!" the half-Ronso pleaded, trying to tear the purple monkey from his face. "Gigi Jr., enough!" The monkey let go on command, to Rikku's surprise, and leaped back to her shoulder. "Now... You were the horned figure that killed the two Al Bheds, right? Why?!" "Is that what you think?" the man asked astounded. "No, I was trying to save them, but I came too late. The only thing I could do was to carry them back up to their family. I didn't expect they would turn into fiends that fast. Maybe it was because..." "What?" Rikku asked, still unsure whether to believe the odd man. "I'll show you", the man said and started to walk deeper into the Cloister. Rikku followed him until they arrived to a small chamber. "The... [I]thing[/I] that killed the Al Bheds came from down there", the man said, pointing at a large, bottomless hole in the center of the room. Rikku remembered the holes. They used to be covered by Fayths, bodies of those people whose souls turned into Aeons, guardian spirits. Three years ago, Vegnagun stole the Fayths, creating holes that lead to the world beyond, Farplane. "F-Farplane?" Rikku whispered. If this man was speaking the truth, this opened a whole plethora of new possibilities. "Rikku!" Paine called out from the door. She pointed the Caos Timer at the half-Ronso. "Who is this man?" "My name is Zelex", the man introduced himself. "I'm an outcast from both my mother's and my father's tribes. I think I can help you solve this mystery."

In another forum I joined recently I was automatically taken as a girl because my screenname is Sandy and my profile says something about my boyfriend. The funny thing is that I haven't even bothered to correct them (although I probably wouldn't lie about it if somebody asked directly). Why? Because it's a gaming forum (Final Fantasy XIII themed), where almost everybody are male, and as I'm "posing" as a girl, I get more respect/admiration/attention than I would if I was acting as what I am. I can also get away with plenty of things, such as acting as a moderator when there in fact isn't any yet (it's a budding community). I'm not doing this out of malice, I just want to experience "the other side of the coin". No harm done, huh? Although my boyfriend didn't like it very much when I mentioned this to him, I think he's afraid I'm turning into a tranny... XP

I don't know what happens after we die either, no one does (yeah, not even you, Hanabishi Recca ;D ), but my brains tell me, on basis of how things work in our everyday life, that [I]nothing[/I] happens. When the bodily functions turn off, so do our thoughts, senses and memories and everything. That's what I believe, at least. Some people have said to me that my thinking is awfully pessimistic and unemotional. I think it's more pacifying than anything else. As we cease to exist, we will leave our earthly worries behind. Isn't that Heaven to you? If there's nothing except this life, doesn't it also encourage you to live it to the fullest? Why waste your time here worrying about what comes next? Nobody is going to give you the ultimate truth about it, so why wait? Our time is now.

[QUOTE=visualkei] [B]Sandy[/B], sounds like you're going to be working at one heck of a place. I don't think I'd mind working at a place like that so much except for the hygiene thing. Is it just bathing and cloting them or even more? I kind of don't understand the concept of that center you're talking about. Do you make trips to the patients' homes and help them, or do they basically live at the center, and you take them out to run their errands?[/QUOTE] The latter. It's a seven-floor tall building with about 50 appartments. All the residents can walk and take basic care of themselves, it's just a selected few that need guidance in showering and brushing their teeth etc. The high amount of medication they use also has effects on their lives, both good and not-so-good. I never thought I'd be doing this sort of job either, my studies focus on children and youth (and I've worked in kindergartens before), but this is my fourth week in this job and it's going well. It's been a whole new experience for me, and I'm taking what I can from it - especially the money. ;P

[QUOTE=Ecstasy][COLOR=Navy][SIZE=1]I changed the Auto-Regen to include [b]any[/b] character, but I didn't change the two "hole" magic. I thought about it, and it didn't really fit what I wanted it to as Paine's new abilities, so I'm keeping them the way they are. I know that origionally, they do gravity/holy magic, but the non-elemental seems to work out better...in my oppinion, anyways. If you really want me to change them, though...I guess I shall just have to, eh? Also, one last thing...I changed her weapon a bit. Hope that's okay! For full details, check out my finished sign-up! ~Ex[/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE] It's okay that you keep the last two abilities as they were, but [I]please[/I] change Auto-Regen to the spell Regen, because there's no point in calculating HP in this type of game. And if you excuse me for turning into a fan-wanker, automatic abilities [I]cannot[/I] affect whole parties in any game. You should also add more possible outcomes to the Mix-ability, because now it seems too simple and overpowered for Level 1 ability (it felt absurd to me that I had to make Bomb Fragment and a Potion mix up to become Great Wall because of the lack of options, honestly). Sorry for pin-pointing your abilities this closely, I just feel that there isn't a proper healer in our party of seven, and since Paine is the closest we have to one, she should lean more towards it. Take it as caring for you! ;D And I hope you don't mind me playing around with your character in the game thread, I just love Paine's attitude! Feel free to jump in at any time.

I was lucky enough to get a summer job on the same field I study (social care). My classmate was kind enough to call [I]me[/I] when she heard that the place she was going to work this summer needed another employee. I went to an interview and they hired me instantly. So now I'm working as a counsellor/nurse in a service accomodation center for the mentally ill. The job basically includes directing the residents in their daily lives (like cleaning up, following scheduels and taking care of their personal hygiene in some cases) and running errands with them (like going shopping or to medical center). It's not as hard physically as it is mentally. The people living there have gone through a lot as they've tried to live with their psyche. The residents comprise mostly of schizophrenic, depressed and dementic people, and their illnesses show. Although it's an important work, I wouldn't do it if it weren't for the money I get from it. I would've settled for less, but I'm extremely happy that I got this job, because I no longer have to live in the poverty of a student.

[SIZE=1][B]OoC:[/B] Keyblade, is Gippal really in Kilika too, or did you mean Besaid? Because Kilika doesn't really have sandy beaches, at least not in the games...[/SIZE] ~~~~~ Rikku and Paine - and the purple monkey - stumbled from the undergrowth to the base of a stone staircase leading up the mountainside. There was a pair of pedestals located in both ends of each flight of stairs. They once held the holy fire of the temple that used to warn people of danger. But now the beacons were extinguished like the old beliefs. "Phew! Almost there!" Rikku chirped. Gigi Jr. had found a comfortable spot to rest on her shoulder. "Sure, count out all the 999 steps we still have to take..." Paine grumbled. Of course she was exaggerating, but not much. When the two girls finally made it up the stairs, the sun was beginning to descend towards the western horizon. "I wonder if we make it back to Djose by nightfall?" Paine wondered, gazing to the sky. They could clearly make out Kilika Docks from here, and Celsius hovering over it. "We will if we hurry hurry hurry!" Rikku laughed, and ran up the last steps. But she did not expect to see what she saw. Two fiery fiends - one red and one blue - were causing havoc on the temple yard, ramming themselves against a door next to the main gate. Rikku could make out muffled screams coming from the other side of the door. "There are people inside! It must be Old Mach and his family!" Rikku shouted and ran towards the monsters. "Rikku, wait!" Paine hollered after her. "Don't think you can battle without me!" [INDENT][IMG]http://www.kristasalter.com/gamesguru/ffx/bomb.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://www.kristasalter.com/gamesguru/ffx/grenade.jpg[/IMG] [B]Boss battle with Bombard and Combustion![/B] "Go away!" Rikku screamed at the two bombs. "It's no use, Rikku! We have to fight!" Paine said, and aimed the Caos Timer at the blue Combustion, which after being hit grew in size. Bombard replied by casting Fire on Paine. "Are you alright?" Rikku asked worriedly. "Oh, you're not getting away with that! Gigi Jr.! [I]Mug![/I]" The monkey jumped off Rikku's shoulder and skimmed its way to the red Bombard. Gigi Jr. attacked the bomb with fury, and managed to snatch a Bomb Fragment from it. "Paine, can you use this?" Rikku asked, throwing Gigi Jr.'s loot to her friend. "I'll try! Let's [I]mix[/I] things up a bit!" Paine gave the monsters a vicious smile, and added the bomb fragment to a potion vial. The result raised a magical barrier in front of her and Rikku. "Now they can't hurt us." "Let's finish this off!" Rikku shouted, and shot Combustion with her Wishing Star. Suddenly the blue bomb bloated, turned purple and exploded to a fiery cloud. "Uh, not a good idea..." Rikku moaned, wiping cinders off her clothes. "It was lucky we had the barrier." But Paine didn't settle for that. "I've had quite enough of this burning! It's time to go Overdrive! [I]End in Pain![/I]" Paine took off the pendant from the Caos Timer, spinned it above her head and created a dark vortex that sucked Bombard into it. [B]Reward: Three Levels Up! Rikku: Level 2 -> Level 5 Paine: Level 2 -> Level 5[/B][/INDENT] "That settles that!" Rikku said, wiping cinders of her sleeves. Then she walked to the door that the bombs had tried to break. "Come out, the danger is over." "W-who is it?" a thin voice belonging to an elderly man came out. "Old Mach? It's me, Rikku, Cid's daughter. [I]Nasaspan sa?[/I] [Remember me?]" The door opened carefully, and an old Al Bhed stepped out, followed by another man, couple of women and many children. "Good news! We've come to get you to Djose, where my pop is building New Home! But why do you all look so sad?" "Oh, Rikku!" Old Mach moaned, with tears running down his cheeks. "Something terrible happened! My oldest son and his wife ventured down to the Cloister of Trials to check it out, but when they came back, they were mortally wounded. They spoke of a one-horned man! They passed away in our arms, but before we could fetch for a Sender, they turned into fiends! We managed to lock the door behind us, but if you two hadn't come, we all would have met the same destiny soon." "Oh, Mach! I'm so sorry to hear that... I don't think it's a safe place anymore for you to live. Come with us to New Home, where you can live without fear." "Is that a promise?" Old Mach asked unsurely. "It's a promise! With the Al Bhed tribe reunited, nothing can stop us!" Old Mach nodded. "Very well then. Everybody, pack your belongings, we're going Home!" As Mach and his family had gotten everything ready and were descending down the stairs, Rikku gave a last glance at the former Temple of Fire. To her surprise she saw a dark figure standing in the doorway, with a single horn curving from it's forehead. ~~~~~ [SIZE=1][B]OoC:[/B] sorry for the cliffhanger. The dark figure is obviously Zelex, and next Rikku will accuse him for killing Mach's son and daughter-in-law. How you respond to that, Venge, is up to you. I was thinking Zelex was trying to protect the two victims from whatever lurked inside the temple (where he had retired to live in recluse, possibly), but failed.[/SIZE]

[B]New rule:[/B] boss battles in this game should be somehow related to the events, and be much more difficult than normal battles. As a reward, all characters participating in the battle will gain [B]3 levels[/B] instead of one. See my second post to the game thread for an example.

[CENTER][FONT=Century][SIZE=3][U][B]FINAL FANTASY X-3[/B][/U][/SIZE][/FONT] [IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/Final%20Fantasy/ff10-2-celsius2.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Clouds rolled past the airship that was crossing the sky like a red lightning. Three people stood in the cockpit, gazing forward. "Ah, this is life!" Buddy said from his pilot seat. "Plying the skies, free as a bird." "Talk for yourself!" Rikku exclaimed and shook a finger at the dark-skinned pilot. "I feel like I'm a mere servant to Pop, running around doing mindless errands for him!" "Come on now, Rikku," the third person, Paine, replied dryly. "All you had to say was 'no' ". Buddy laughed at his companion's remark, making Rikku blush. "[I]Fryd tu oui ghuf ypuid Al Bhed fyoc?[/I] [What do you know about Al Bhed ways?]" she muttered in her own language. "[I]Oui yna vunkaddehk dryd E ihtancdyht oui[/I] [You are forgetting that I understand you]," Paine retorted, and Buddy laughed again. "Calm down, girls! We're approaching our destination." The red airship, Celsius, descended through the clouds all the way down to the surface of the ocean below. The airship roused huge waves from both sides. In front of them lay a large island with a tall forest-covered mountain rising in the center. "Kilika Island", Buddy declared. ~~~~~ Celsius was left hovering above the docks of Kilika while Rikku and Paine teleported down. Immediately they were surrounded by a cheering crowd. "It's the Gullwings!" a little girl shouted. "Can I have an autograph, pleeease?!" "It's been three years, and we're still celebrated as heroes", Paine sighed. "I for one never get tired to that!" Rikku said cheerily, leaning towards the girl and signing her notebook. "Well well well, look what the waves carried to the shore", a bored voice said above them. Rikku flinched and glanced up. "You should practice welcoming guests to your village, Dona. For a mayor, you're not very good at that," Rikku remarked, streching her back. Dona, the former summoner and current mayor of Kilika, descended a staircase leading down to Rikku and Paine, with Barthello, her husband and bodyguard, following her like a loyal puppy. "Seriously, what business have you two got here?" Dona asked. "My father Cid has ordered me to gather all the Al Bhed to Djose, so that the tribe can become whole again", Rikku answered with pride. "Just a moment ago you were moaning about what a drag this task is", Paine whispered to Rikku's ear. "Well, [I]she[/I] doesn't have to know that!" Rikku shushed back. "So..." Dona smirked. "You are here to retrieve Old Mach and his family, huh?" "That's right! Any idea where I could find them?" "Oh, they've settled to the old Kilika Temple. The fires have gone out so nobody really goes there anymore, so I gave it to Mach and his lot." "Thanks, we'll go get them", Rikku said and started walking towards the mountain where the temple was located. "I should warn you that the forest is still infested with fiends", Dona said with a nasty smile. "It's nothing we can't cope with. Let's go, Paine!" ~~~~~ The forest closed everywhere around them. Rikku felt hundreds of eyes staring down at them, perhaps curiously, perhaps hungrily. "I don't remember this forest to be this tangled. I can barely see the paths!" "Nobody's bothering to clear them out anymore, so of course they've grown shut", Paine said. "But why did I leave my sword behind?" she cursed. Suddenly something jumped on Rikku's head, slid down her hair and clinged onto one of her long braids. "Yeaowch!" Rikku screamed. "Take it off!" "Don't worry", Paine said with a faint smile on her lips. "It's just a monkey." "[I]Monkey[/I]?!" Rikku reached to her braid and got a hold of the little creature. It was a purple fuzzy monkey with a long tail, and it was shivering with fear. "You poor thing! Aren't you cute! Calm down now, there's nothing to fear. I'll keep you safe." "You're [I]keeping[/I] it?!" Paine asked in surprise. "You betcha! It reminds me of the monkey I once had. I think I'll name this one after it. Listen, little guy, you're Gigi Junior now!" she said to the monkey and tickled it under the chin. Then something else fell from the trees as well, but it was far from a cute little monkey. "Watch out, a fiend!" Paine shouted. Rikku spun around and saw a two-tongued monster shaking its large clawed fists. [INDENT][IMG]http://www.kristasalter.com/gamesguru/ffx/arenacreations/eartheater.jpg[/IMG] [B]Battle against Monkey Eater![/B] Paine lifted her Caos Timer and shot at the monster. Rikku attacked from the other side with her projectile Wishing Star. "We got it pinned!" Paine shouted. Monkey Eater glanced at both girls, trying to decide which one to attack. It made it's decision and assaulted Rikku, but she was too fast for it and evaded the attack easily. "You're not getting Gigi Jr., you ugly suckling!" Rikku taunted. With a few more strikes the fiend dispersed into pyreflies. [B]Rikku: Level 1 -> Level 2 Paine: Level 1 -> Level 2[/B] [/INDENT] "You're safe now, Gigi Jr.!" Rikku comforted the little monkey. "And [I]we've[/I] got a job to do", Paine said on the bringe of frustration. ~~~~~ [SIZE=1][B]OoC:[/B] so the game is on! I was thinking Rikku and Paine would run into Zelex at the Kilika Temple, after which they would return to New Home and find Gippal and Axel there. The rest of the characters (Rianna and Jyulan) should adventure on their own for a while, but pretty soon find the others. If any of you have any other ideas how to advance with the game, be sure to let me know! Oh, and don't forget to insert your character's battle data to the [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?p=732261#post732261][B]Menu[/B][/url] in the Underground.[/SIZE]

[CENTER][FONT=Century][SIZE=3][U][B]FINAL FANTASY X-3[/B][/U][/SIZE] [B]MENU[/B] [B]Party Members:[/B] Rikku [I](Sandy)[/I] Rianna [I](Frankie)[/I] Paine [I](Ecstasy)[/I] Axel [I](PWNED)[/I] Gippal [I](Keyblade Wielder)[/I] Zelex [I](Venge)[/I] Jyulan Guado [I](Dodeca)[/I] [/FONT][/CENTER] Welcome to the "menu" of this RPG. Here you can get answers to your questions, store your character's data and view your party member's statistics. The game itself is about to start in the Adventure Square, but I decided to create this first. What I want you to do first is to transfer information about your character's weapon, abilities and overdrive from the Inn thread to here. Just follow my example, and remember to edit whenever the information changes (your character level ups, gets access to a new ability or attains a new weapon). Here's mine: [COLOR=DarkOrange][U]Name:[/U] [B]Rikku[/B] [U]Level:[/U] [B]8[/B] [U]Weapon:[/U] [B]Wishing Star[/B], a projectile weapon that is shot from a gauntlet, especially effective against machines [U]Ability:[/U] [B]Gigi Jr.[/B] ? she ushers her pet monkey to cause havoc upon enemies [INDENT]Level 1: [B]Mug![/B] ? Gigi Jr. steals an item from an enemy causing some damage [I]Level 10: Liquid Trick ? Gigi Jr. pees on an enemy causing water damage Level 20: Gouge! ? Gigi Jr. blinds an enemy causing some damage Level 30: Frozen Bite ? Gigi Jr. bites an enemy causing ice damage Level 40: Gag! ? Gigi Jr. silences an enemy causing some damage Level 50: Sparkling Claws ? Gigi Jr. scratches an enemy causing thunder damage Level 60: Infect! ? Gigi Jr. poisons an enemy causing some damage Level 70: Fiery Tail ? Gigi Jr. attacks with his blazing tail causing fire damage Level 80: Swarm! ? Gigi Jr. calls his relatives to attack all enemies Level 90: Hanuman ? Gigi Jr. transforms into a monkey god to cause holy damage[/I][/INDENT] [U]Overdrive:[/U] [B]Deus Ex Machina[/B] ? Rikku summons a mighty machina vehicle to ride on and blasts all enemies with laser beams[/COLOR] Now just do the same.

[QUOTE=Keyblade Wielder][COLOR=DarkSlateBlue][SIZE=1][FONT=Tahoma] Anywho, I also wanted to ask you a question, Sandy... about the battles... I know we have to post our new level ups in the Underground Thread, but in the story... how will we show when we're done battling? [/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE] Actually it's up to you. Both ways you showed were fine, and it can be done in a numerous other ways as well (like [B]Rikku Lv.1 -> Lv. 2[/B]). The only important thing is that it can be seen after battle. The sign-ups are now closed, by the way. I will start the game as soon as possible, but here are the players: [INDENT][B]Sandy[/B] - Rikku [B]Frankie[/B] - Rianna [B]Ecstacy[/B] - Paine (you still need to get those abilities up, though) [B]PWNED[/B] - Axel [B]Keyblade Wielder[/B] - Gippal [B]Venge[/B] - Zelex [B]Dodeca[/B] - Jyulan Guado [/INDENT] So we have our party of seven. Most of the characters will start up separated from each other, so the first task when the game starts is to gather together. Let's have a blast! ;D

Phew, that's certainly an impressive list! 26 players, huh? Well, I now agree with using chapters in this game as well... Hope you're still going with the "free-flowing" system though, Jamesy. It'll be very interesting to see how things pick up from here...

[QUOTE=Caine]I don't understand why Kitty didn't just walk up to magneto holding a dart, stick it into him, let go of it, and walk away. [/QUOTE] Because Kitty was [spoiler]inside Alcatraz saving Leech at the time[/spoiler]. ;P I'm sure there would've been different ways to stop Phoenix, but the movie's way was the best and required least casualties. Plus it made Logan the heroic hero once again.

Okay, everybody who has signed in at this point are in the game (although Ecstacy still needs to actually fill in the form...). I will start up the game either on [B]Sunday[/B] or [B]Monday[/B], so there's still time to sign-up. However, I will have to make one more limitation: [B]no more Al Bhed characters[/B], unless you're signing up as [B]Buddy[/B]. I would very much appreciate having at least one Guado/Ronso/Hypello character in this game. In addition to starting up the game, I will create an [B]Underground thread[/B], where everybody should post their character's level, status, abilities etc. and update them as changes occur. But more about that when the game kicks off. But great job, everybody who've signed up this far! This is going to be one heckuva adventure! ;D

Worry not, Frankie, because I got an artistic inspiration and drew your character for you! Here she is: [url=http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/Final%20Fantasy/ff-fic-ffx3-rianna.jpg][B]Rianna[/B][/url] I took some artistic liberties with the colors, and I didn't know what type of hair you meant for her, but hope you like it anyways! ;D [B]PWNED[/B]: You are missing one ability in your sign up! The 80th level one, namely.

[quote name='Rurouni922][spoiler'] Guess four darts wasnt enough :3[/spoiler][/quote] I don't believe [spoiler]that Magneto was the only one who got his powers back (and I don't think he faked losing them in the first place either). I'm pretty confident that in the possible sequel we will see Rogue's and Mystique's powers returning as well, with devastating results. Why do I think this? Well, remember that the boy's (Leech) power nullified mutations only temporarily within certain radius (eg. Beast's hand's hair grew right back when he pulled it back from the boy). So why would a vaccine made out of the boy's genes work any differently?[/spoiler]

[QUOTE=Frankie][font=Century] Oh and also do the abilities have to be pre existing ones or if you are using a new character can the abilities be new too? [/font][/QUOTE] Not really (mine aren't either, not at least all of them), although they should fit the Final Fantasy style. One can use for example the jobs of FFX-2 as basis to the abilities, then change some names and add some new stuff. One should also consider if the character is oriented with physical fighting, magic casting or perhaps healing, and make the abilities reflect on that. Your character is good, just be careful that she won't be too much like Rikku. The weapon she has is a good idea, not generic and so. The Overdrive could and should be something a little more flashy, though... Although nothing stops it from changing over the course of the game. That is, if we ever get to play this game. :/ I don't know what is going on, but I'm a bit shocked that in three days there's only one sign-up. Is there something severely unappealing in this game? Oh well, I hope it gets at least few more players so we can start.