Sandy

I will make my final post to this game asap. You'll see why it's final when I'm finished. ;P EDIT: With that post, Gadget bows out of the game. I really had only two options: to either kill him off or let him live but make him leave. I chose the latter option since despite what's been said about Gadget, I've really grown fond of him, and I've written enough death scenes in this game already. I also wanted to give the "main character" (as Malkav referred to him) an ending he deserved. Although he's practically death to the other characters, the idea of him living as a "ghost" in another country was intriguing to me. Here's the concept image that inspired me: [IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/almagest-gadgetghost.jpg[/IMG] Just to note, Gadget didn't wipe out the entire Underdog army, just the ones around the cannon. Donner Stark obviously died, but Litheway and Blair could very well be elsewhere at that time. The explosion was also restricted to the hill, explaining why Leonhart got out of there alive. So there. If someone wants to end the airbattle now that the cannon is out of the equation, it's probably best to do it now before other people start posting their final posts.

I'll wait for the airbattle to begin before I make my post. Kathy, do you want to post something with Catherine before Gadget comes to rescue you? I imagine he will give the compass to Catherine and Leonhart so they find their way out. There will be some dialogue between Gadget and Leonhart, resulting in Leonhart uttering the command phrase I mentioned earlier, and then... well, you'll see. ;D Josh, I will leave Blair alive if you really want to, but I can't see how Primas would want to negotiate with her about anything. There are still a lot of people in New Czenoble who don't have anything to do with the Underdogs and who would really appreciate that their opinions would be taken into account for once. Negotiating with them would be more fruitful, I think. ;D

[quote name=''[Sound_Nin];807546'][COLOR=Navy']I would love to know Finnish, being as I was born there. Jyväskylä, to be exact. And I have a friend that knows quite a bit of Swedish, and I heard that it's easy to learn.[/COLOR][/quote] Quel surprise! I was born in the capital, Helsinki, although I now live in another town. Swedish [I]is[/I] quite easy, especially if you know English and German, since the languages are related. Finnish, on the other hand... it has totally different grammar rules and vocabulary from most European languages, so you'd have to be a little crazy to study it volunteeringly. XP

[QUOTE='[Sound_Nin];807541'][COLOR=Navy][FONT=Book Antiqua] Je déteste L'Espagnol. C'est nul. >.> [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] C'est plus facile que Francois. ;P No tenía tantas problemas estudiando español en la escuela que tenía en francés. But it really is nice to know different languages. Since Finland has two official languages, Finnish and Swedish, I know how to speak those too. ;D

[quote name='Malkav']I was looking more towards a genetically engineered Ubermensch created from the Dynast King's sperm in an effort to create an heir more worthy than his other children, who could shoot freakin' lasers. Of course, I thought too far ahead.[/QUOTE] Remember that there were supposed to be hundreds of people like Gadget as a result of Project Alchimaera, but due to the inability of humankind to sustain the magitechnological substance, he was left as the only one. As for why the project was started, I was going to reveal that in the final post, but I have to work it out with Josh first. I can probably tell now that in the beginning, I planned that Gadget and the Starks would be relatives to the Almagests as descendants of Celsius' brother who moved to New Czenoble after some dispute, and was subsequently erased from the family tree. Because Almagest blood is special and ancient and stuff, it would enable the use of machines like the cannon as well as help Gadget survive the injections. But that idea wasn't approven by Josh, so I gave it up and made the Starks family commoners. I also heard from Josh that some of you guys have been worried whether or not I will be a part of the sequel in the planning, and you may be happy to hear that I'm giving it up. Not because I don't want to participate in it, but because apparently I'm not good enough to play with some of you guys. I'm sorry to sound bitter, but that's how it is. Almagest was my concept which I started to expand with Josh and you guys, and it hurts me that some people want to push me away from it. But I know I can only blame myself for that. I know I've made some foolish decisions during the game, and I know I haven't been active enough to make you turn to me in your game-related worries as well as Josh, and I know now that the co-operative hosting is a joke which I will never do again (not because of Josh, he's a great guy, but because co-hosting simply doesn't work when there are two people who want different things), but I hope we can put all that aside and focus on bringing this game to an end. Together.

I'd like to end Gadget's part in the story with at least one of his parents. I've been planning that he would have a verbal command recorded to his magitech-infused brains (don't ask me to explain the mechanics, please) by Callisto Prometheo. If anyone would say the command, Gadget's power would "detonate", releasing a powerful blast of energy capable of killing all those around him. So he is a walking time bomb, so to speak (like Callisto hinted in the post she died in). So I was thinking that Leonhart would utter the command at a critical moment, and Gadget would explode, taking his parents (or at least one of them) with him. It would also give Gadget a proper meaning in the story. Whether Macey knew about it or not, that's up to D'Ann to decide. Aside from that scene, I have planned the final post to this game which was sent to Shy. I won't spoil it for the rest of you, though. It doesn't mention anyone's characters, if you're worried about that, so you can end your own storyarchs in whatever way you wish.

[COLOR="Green"]Hey samuri sheath (and other new members)! It is like MaskedRider said, those threads will give you the basics on how things operate here. If you're still confused after reading them, don't hesitate to contact me or the other Theater moderators (Ozymandius Jones and Ezekiel). It's our job to help the newcomers, so we'll be happy to help. Welcome to OtakuBoards! - Sandy[/COLOR]

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial]You [I]chatter[/I] Spanish. Umm. Methinks you wanted "hablar" there. :D [/FONT][/QUOTE] I said I get mixed up with the two languages! XD Naturalmente es "hablar", no "parlar". Soy estupido... X/

[quote name='The13thMan'][COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]... and i thought pomme frite meant french fries. [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] But "pommes frites" [I]do[/I] mean French Fries. After all, potato is "pomme de terre" in French - apple of the earth. ;D I also studied French for about four years, but I quit it in high school because I started studying Spanish (I constantly mixed up French "qui" and Spanish "que"), and because my teacher was also a kind of b**** - the type that wore way too much perfume and was way too pretentious for her own good. XP Seriously, another girl had to drop out of French because she would get allergic reactions from the teacher's scents. :/ But yeah, je parlais un petit peu de Francois, pero puedo hablar Español mucho mas. ;D

[quote name='MoyakuKeramushe']One thing that has taken getting used to for me on OtakuBoards is that most of the RPGs on here grant some form of character control to everyone, though messing with anyone else's character is, of course, limited. I usually play in RPGs where you don't have any say in another character's actions, period.[/QUOTE] I'm repeating myself here, but your post defined clearly the difference between "chat format" and "story format", MoyakuKeramushe. See, in story format, it would be nearly impossible [I]not[/I] to control other people's characters to a certain limit - the only way to do that is to have the characters never interact or even meet during the game. In chat format it goes like "I say a sentence, you say a sentence". That type of gaming is also possible on message boards, but it leads to very short posts and frustration in waiting for other people to post before you can say something else. Thanks for helping me clear it up to both me and maybe to others as well! ;D

[quote name='Raiha'][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Well she'd be slightly more upset that Gadget simply ran off without so much as a 'by your leave' if anything else.[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] But she wouldn't hold it against Gadget, I assume. He did apologize for what happened, after all. Macey has been quite reserved in showing her emotions thus far, so I figured she wouldn't start bitchslapping Gadget either. ;D [quote name='Raiha'][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]And she doesn't really think she was blinded by Vincent, so much as she was shoved at him by political fiat.[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] But she did love him, didn't she? Maybe Macey was speaking in metaphors rather than actually being bedazzled at the sight of Vincent. Really, I just wrote that part to get some lyrical style into the dialogue, to give the moment a bit of magic. So we don't have to read too much to it, right? But I'm glad you approved. I wouldn't have wanted to finish this game without Gadget getting a chance to solve things with Macey. ;D

Okay, I exaggerated when I said that the players are strictly divided between the two type of games. My mistake. The division between the players is of course not the same as the division between chat format and story format, if one could call them that. You're right, Crystia, there aren't many RPGs that follow the chat format I was talking about anymore. I've seen some, though. Almost all RPGs are written in story format (familiar from literature) nowadays. But the playing styles of the two groups of players are still different. I think it comes down to what Kathy said initially about planning things ahead versus going with the flow. I like to plan things to a [I]certain[/I] extent, but I don't want to do it for every post I make. It depends on the game, too. But this hasn't got anything to do with etiquette anymore, so excuse my rambling. XP

[quote name=''[Sound_Nin];807165'][COLOR=Navy][FONT=Book Antiqua]Actually, what I'm used to was descriptive. That is, unless there was a typing limit. (On AOL, we used scrollers for that purpose. So it wasn't much of a hinderance.) But I'm not sure you got what I meant... so yeah.[/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote] Oh, okay... I just imagine that it would be more difficult to write descriptions rather than dialogue on chat format. The old RPGs here were more like: [quote]Sandy walks to Sound. [B]Sandy[/B]: Hi! *waves* [B]Sound[/B]: Hi to you too![/quote] That's what [I]I've[/I] become used to call chat format, at least. ;D

[CENTER][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/gadgetgerrault2avatar.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/maceyellen-chronicle.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [FONT="Georgia"]Gadget was both excited and nervous to see Macey again. They hadn't known each other for long, and they had been separated for days, yet somehow it seemed that Macey had always been a part of his life. When he saw her at the stables, she gave him a look that Gadget couldn't quite decipher. After Gustave Archard arrived and they found out that Victoria had went off on her own, Gadget managed to steal a moment with Macey. [B]"Macey..."[/B] he started, cursing his nerves for the blush that rose on his cheek. He wanted to be decisive and confident, but it just wasn't possible in the precense of Macey Ellen Almagest. [B]"Hush, my treasure"[/B], Macey said with a smile. [B]"I don't know what happened between us after you went with Vincent, but I just want you to know that I hold nothing against you."[/B] [B]"Oh, me neither! You helped me so much! Without you, I'd be..."[/B] Gadget swallowed the end of the sentence. He realized that he hadn't been grateful enough towards Macey. [B]"I've been an idiot, Macey. I was blinded by Vincent and his charisma, and I didn't think it through..."[/B] [B]"I was once blinded by him, too. But unlike me and him, you two were meant to be. It was a great misfortune that things ended up like this. What are your plans from now on? Did you talk with Eva about the treatments?"[/B] [B]"Yes, but I think they have to wait for now. The Starks... I found out they're my real parents. I know it's foolish, but I have to talk to them again. I have to do [I]something[/I] to stop this madness! Going down to those tunnels again freaks me out because of that. How can I face them when they've repeatedly turned me away?"[/B] Macey sighed. [B]"I'm afraid of the tunnels as well. But in times like these, we have to stand strong, treasure. For the things that we cherish."[/B] Macey wrapped her arms around him, and embraced her protégé - her own creation.[/FONT] [CENTER]~*~*~*~*~ [IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/blair-avatar.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/donner-avatar.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [FONT="Georgia"]Donner Stark entered the tent where the Underdogs had taken their wounded. Some of the captured Potionists were treating them under observation. [B]"What's the situation here?"[/B] Donner demanded. [B]"What do you think?"[/B], a man called Dr. Victor Rawlings said. Donner knew he didn't have any sympathy towards the Underdogs, but it's not like he had a choice. "We cannot treat these people with these unsanitary equipment! Several have already died of infections!" [B]"Well, that's the best you can get in New Czenoble, doctor. Welcome to our life"[/B], Donner remarked and walked out. He had been accustomed to seeing people die for their cause, but never before had the battle been this extensive. But they still had one ace up their sleeves, although whether they could use it or not depended on two Almagests, as much as he hated to admit it. They had been lucky enough to persuade Litheway on their side and acquire the cannon, now Donner hoped that their lucky strike would continue. As he returned to their newly-acquired headquarters in Clockword Boulevard, he saw that his wife Blair was already there waiting for him. [B]"How did it go with the princess?"[/B] Donner inquired. [B]"Well, we don't have to worry about that pampered witch anymore"[/B], Blair answered, washing the dirt of the tunnels from her hands. [B]"Blair! You didn't..."[/B] [B]"It wasn't me, darling. I think it was the twin brother she was rumored to have. In any case, I think we need to inform our benefactor about this latest turn of events."[/B] [B]"Our victory doesn't depend on their support anymore. We have reached the point where all paths lead to our destruction. We just have to make sure that we take High Czenoble with us."[/B] [B]"Will there be anything left for Gadget?"[/B] Blair asked suddenly. [B]"What do you mean?"[/B] Donner said, irritated. [B]"I thought the discussion was done with! That boy, Gadget, he doesn't belong to our life! We made that decision almost twenty years ago, Blair! He's better off in Brigit Town, anyway. He'll live a free life, and that's about everything we can give to him."[/B] Blair fell silent. Donner grew agitated. Was the woman he had always been able to trust wavering at this crucial moment?[/FONT]

I'm going to write a bit from Gadget's perspective (not going into the tunnels yet), as well as something with the Starks, which I hope will clarify their stance. D'Ann, if you think that the things I made Macey say were somehow off-character, let me know and I'll be more than happy to change them for you. ;D I just wanted to say to Jamesy that I admire how well you've managed to incorporate Audrey into the story. I'm saying this because I had my doubts about if she was too distant from the main group to fit in, but you managed to turn that into her strength. Well done! ;D

[quote name='indifference'][COLOR="Indigo"]Oh I don't know about that, to a certain extent I don't even know what you are talking about since those type of rpg's must have fallen into disuse before I joined. So there's no division on my part, I don't even really know the difference. :p [[SIZE="1"]I'm serious by the way, I really don't know[/SIZE]][/COLOR][/QUOTE] You really don't know what I'm talking about? Then let's look at the current RPGs on the front page of the Theater. One "tribe" of players participate in games like: - Silver One - Almagest Legacy - Gifts and Curses - Shinigami Dance - Project Starship - The Ragnarok While the other "tribe" plays in games like: - The Chosen Eight - Dragon Wars - Project Restoration - Naruto: Path to Light - Into the White - The Holy Ocean - Endless Waltz If you look at the posters in these thread, you see that the same names appear frequently inside each list, but only rarely on both lists. And these are just the games with the most posts on the first page. Now, it could be that the two tribes are just different cliques - gathering of people who think alike - but if you look at the contents and the style of the games, you can see a clear difference. Some call it difference in quality, some say it's about approachability, and some say it's just newbies versus oldies. Whatever the difference is, saying it doesn't exist is ignorant in my opinion. Whether this division is a problem or not, that's another issue.

[QUOTE='[Sound_Nin];807100'][COLOR=Navy][FONT=Book Antiqua] I'm taking it that chat RPGs aren't exactly... smiled upon here. So please excuse, but it's what I'm used to. :animesmil [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] If you look at the old threads from five years ago, they consist of nothing [I]but[/I] chat-type RPGs. The other variety of games, where there's more descriptive text than dialogue evolved from those games. In my opinion there's room for both types here. ;D The players are quite strictly divided between them, at least... It's almost as if there are two tribes of players. But I don't think that has much to do with [I]etiquette[/I]. Etiquette is how you treat other players, no matter what your style of playing is. I've experienced my share of godmodders, powerplayers and dictators, but with some flexibility and understanding they can be usually dealt with. That's not to say I'm a perfect player myself, but experience [I]does[/I] bring talent on how to handle different situations in RPGs. Losing temper towards the co-players isn't the solution in any case.

[quote name='Shy'][size=1] Especially since a large portion of Alexander, Alecia's and Henry's stories are love stories, I don't see the need for their stories to end with them invading an Underdog base underground. -Shy[/size][/QUOTE] [I]Again[/I], that's not what I meant. They can be involved without being on the same spot as the others. And I'm not forcing anybody to do anything, I just said it would be nice if everybody would activate their characters for this final spurt. I thought we were in agreement that this game would end after this event, so this is about the final chance for everybody to do something with their characters. I hope I have made my point now. I wasn't trying to dictate anything.

I bought this a few days ago (it was just released in Europe, without FES, of course), and I'm really loving it. The characters are very realistic but also very likable, the setting is intriguing and I love that the game offers more than just fighting. I'm only at the end of May, so nothing much has happened yet, but I still feel like with every day that I can't spend on raising the Social Links is a wasted one. XP The calendar system is innovative, but it's also kind of restrictive, since you can do only one major thing per day - if you spend your evening outside as well, you'll lose your chance to explore the dungeon. Speaking of which, having only one dungeon to fight in felt restrictive at first, but it's also a good thing since it shifts the focus on the story and the characters rather than grinding levels. I'm loving all the different types of Personas, and since I unlocked the compendium, I now get this "gotta catch'em all!" mentality. XD I also find it interesting that although the game was translated, they stuck with the Japanese setting. It shows how different their school culture is to ours - just the fact that you gain popularity for being smart is strange to me. XD A personal gribe of mine is that the main character's sexual orientation cannot be decided. I'd rather have him date the exchange student Bebe with his foppish fan than some ditzy schoolgirl. XP But I guess it cannot be helped in a world where heterosexuality is still the norm... [spoiler]Kudos to the makers of Bully for breaking that norm, though.[/spoiler] But yes, I'm greatly enjoying Persona 3. It's the first game in the whole SMT-series I've played, and though it's very different from what I've grown used to seeing in RPGs, it's also very refreshing - and not too difficult, thankfully.

[quote name='Rachmaninoff']I am curious to know what you mean by[I] "it would be great if all of them were at the center of the final events"[/I] Are you speaking in the sense that all of them are involved in some way or literally at the same location or rather in the same central drama as it were? And by central I mean all involved in the same event like Henry and Alexander are in the mess at the RPG headquarters together. I'm a little unclear as to what you are referring to.[/QUOTE] You're overthinking it. All I meant was that everybody should be involved in the final events [I]somehow[/I]. I wouldn't want anybody left home wondering where everybody else went. This is the beginning of the final showdown, as I said earlier.

[quote name='Rachmaninoff']Uh, don't be so sure of that. After all that's Beth's call as to whether or not Alecia sticks to her promise to wait for Alexander. And I don't know if Muse has other plans for Henry or not. It is the most likely outcome... but only the other two know for sure. I only know that Alexander will of course try to get to where Alecia [I]should[/I] be.[/QUOTE] *rolls eyes* I realized that, Darren, hence I said "I'd imagine". ;D I do not know what plans people have to their characters, but it would be great if all of them were at the center of the final events.

[quote name='Aaryanna_Mom']I will write up brief notes to forward to you so you'll be on the same page as to what I have in mind.[/QUOTE] Much appreciated. ;D Is there anyone else the group needs to pick up before heading down to the city? It would be ideal if all the players got to play a part in the end-game. I'd imagine Harrison and Dawlish will be with Daedalus, and Alecia will end up with Alexander and Henry, but is there anyone else not accounted for?

Ooh, the suspense! Great action, guys! ;D [B]Regarding upcoming events:[/B] the last time we spoke, me and Josh agreed that Gadget and Eva would join Fauntleroy in following Victoria, just to get them where they need to be. I imagine the journey through the tunnels will take a while, but eventually they should reach the underground city, thanks to Victoria's maps. It'd be great if the cannon was operational by then (maybe Catherine is threatened so that Leonhart will agree to use it, Kathy?), as it would lead us to the true climax of this game: a battle between Daedalus in his airship and Leonhart at the cannon. How would that sound to everybody? Pulling off that kind of event would require everybody's cooperation.

[quote name='Aaryanna_Mom']No, I did not. Not her death but rather the impression I'm getting from the posts here. I'm referring to this:Did you even talk to Shy dear? Because it sounds like you didn't. She may have been an NPC and therefore you felt like she was fair game to kill off to advance the plot. But if you didn't talk to Shy... I know that if I was one of the people developing her personality, I would be very offended if someone killed her off without asking me first. [/QUOTE] First of all, she was [I]not[/I] Shy's character just because he has written from her point-of-view, since I have done that too (although to a lesser extent). If we start hogging up NPCs as our own, this game will turn up to be impossible to play. It's a different matter if people have plans where they need a specific NPC, but I knew Augustine was pretty much useless from now on, and with so many characters around, she really was expendable to advance the story. Secondly, I posted my intentions here a full day before I actually did the post - if that's not collaboration, then I don't know what is. I honestly thought that since nobody was against it, I could go on. So though I appreciate your (frequent) lectures, Kathy, this time I knew what I was doing. I'm trying to step up here, collaborate and take responsibility of the plot, so you should be happy. [B]Gavin[/B]: Actually, Augustus made an appearance earlier in the game, after the Deacons had dinner with the Dynasty. So he didn't come out of nowhere. ;D

Well, I went ahead to get rid of Augustine. Thanks for everyone who gave their thoughts upon the matter, even though I went with what I saw best in the end. Since this wasn't an extremely important turn of events, I didn't see a need to prolong it. Crystia, I didn't want to get rid of Augustine just because she had no use in the story anymore, but as you can see from my post, there was one detail I wanted to point out - that the Underdogs were funded by someone else as well, and by a much greater extent that Augustine. She came to realize that she had betrayed her family for nothing, and although her crimes didn't come out in the public, I think it was a sufficient punishment for her. Aside the battering to death, of course. ;P As for the rest of my post, I tried not to make Augustus just a raging disabled person, but to give him depth as a person who cannot control his impulses. Despite the way he had been secluded from the rest of the world (or perhaps because of it), he was strongly attached to his father. All he ever got from Augustine was loathing, so when he found out about her betrayal, the results were drastical. I also tried to emphasize the fact that Blair Stark believes strongly that ends justify the means - she knows they're doing wrong, but she also thinks they don't have a choice. I hope you liked it, anyway.