It's nice to see an RP that has some visual aids to go along with it. A banner to go with the title, and maybe a few other images. But I don't let that determine whether or not I'd join in RP. Sometimes people overdo it with the images and banners, which makes it a bit difficult to read what's actually been typed up. RPing is a largely text-based activity. So while it's nice to see a bit of visual aesthetic, I ultimately make my call based on the plot given; is the story interesting to me, and did the writer put effort into THAT is more important to me in the end. I haven't made an RP in a while. I try to find at least a base image to use to set a mood or fit the setting of the RP. But I don't bank on them. I'd rather let my words spark peoples' imaginations. N/A. Up until only about a year ago I would usually include theme music in my character sheets. It was something of a customary thing that I picked up over my time as an RPer. But I've since strayed away from that. I do sometimes put in links to music if I feel that it will be appreciated or help set the mood. If I do post a link to a song, it's usually a song that I listened to while making the respective post. Since the music tends to inspire my writing in those cases, I feel that it becomes intrinsic to the post. So naturally, I want try and share it with the others who read the post. All that really matters to me in this case is the appropriateness of the music selection. The music has to fit the scene being depicted in the post. If the scene is characters fitting, then I'd prefer something a bit darker or with more drive, etc.
Faust gave no further words to the young man; he didn't want to have recant any tales over again when he arrived amongst the boy's friends. He remained silent, amusing himself with whatever manner of dark humor his mind saw humorous as he followed back up to the top of the tower. The boy seemed to have forgotten about him completely, judging by the fact that he said nothing to draw Faust to the others' attention. Faust didn't mind though. He slipped into the top room of the tower behind his 'guide' and sulked back into a discrete space and watched the events unfold before him. Another young man had just woken up, given the look of him. The other, who seemed to be more alert than his companion, was another Faust recognized from the underground back in town; it was the same one he had seen fighting the harmonica man. Could these have really been the people Faust's contract had to be with? It seemed likely. They were the only denizens of light running around Twilight Town and they were preparing to make a move against the Darkness. Faust launched himself away from his comfortable wallflower position. "Well then, you'll be needing some expert assistance no doubt!" he chimed. "Neverland can be a rough place..." He fell into a courtly bow and made a quick introduction. "Faust Baneheart, Soldier of Fortune. Your friend there said you were all up here, so I couldn't help but follow his lead."
The door of the tower flung open, and Faust found himself being greeted (if it could be called that) by a trio of warriors. He immediately recognized one as someone he had seen in passing back in Twilight Town. Though they all seemed ready for a fight, they made no attempts to start one. Whether out of some sort of fear or simply a caution, Faust didn’t know. What he did know was that he wished that they HAD just attacked him. Instead, the three were standing outside the doorway bickering with each other over whether they SHOULD have attacked first. Through this, Faust remained at the ready, eying the trio carefully with a look of mild disdain. Either you’re going to attack or you’re not going to attack, he thought with a mental sigh. Then, almost at once, one of the three strode up to him casually, poking him in the face. Where in the middle of your nonsense was I supposed to have answered you? He wondered. It’s only been like two seconds since you asked the damn questions. Having then lost all interest in fighting the trio, Faust lowered his guard and dismissed the energies he had been gathering. They weren’t worth fighting, not when they acted like that. Then, he was about to answer one warrior’s inquiries, when they were suddenly sucked in through a Dark Corridor. When all was said and done, Faust let out an audible sigh, and gave a slight smile at the other two. “I don’t know about you two, but that one was starting to annoy me just a bit,” he said. “Anyways, if you’ll actually give me a window of opportunity to explain myself…” He inclined forward into a courtly bow before the two remaining warriors. “Faust Baneheart,” he said. “I noticed your group leaving from Twilight Town. I didn’t have a chance to catch up with you when you boarded the train here, so I hitched a ride on the roof. It’s not nearly as effective as the movies make it seem, I’m afraid. Sorry, I’m rambling. The point is, I am under contract with a group of Denizens of Light based in the world of Radiant Garden. They have ordered me to aid this little group of yours, and that is what I intend to do whilst under this employment. So, to conclude: I am humbly at your service. Now, weren’t there others with you?”
Well, as I'm sure I've implied already, you can definitely expect to see Faust using some abilities similar to those of Xemnas. Though more than likely, he won't have any transformed state.
Mere feet away from the steps leading up to the tower's front door, Faust came to a sudden but calm halt. He could sense that someone coming his way; someone from within the tower. He had figured that they would be alerted to his presence one way or another. But so soon after their arrival? Well he he was certainly ready for it, but he hasn't given them that sort of credit. At first he suspected it was just one powerful member of the group descending the tower to confront him. But from the other side of the doorway he heard voices, indicating that more than one of them was about to burst out onto the tower lawn any second. The good thing there was that if they did come out fighting, they'd be weaker than he had thought individually. However, on the other hand, they would have strength in numbers, and had the potential to out maneuver him and wear him down if a battle dragged on. Of course, Faust wasn't looking for a fight with the Denizens of Light. But if they were going to start one, he would be more than willing to humor them. He prepared for the ambush, drawing out a well of his magic power, with which he could demonstrate his abilities.
The fighting settled as the strange minstrel made his departure. Still, Faust remained latched to the events that were unfolding. He could tell, from the sound of it, that those remaining in the tunnels were aligned with the Light, or perhaps righteously neutral. Either way, his contract was with their lot for the time being. As the last of them made to exit the tunnel, Faust followed suit. He planned to trail them for as long as he could to gauge their intentions and see their worth as allies. However, one way or another he had managed to lose their trail and fell significantly behind, eventually exiting the tunnel well after they had. As his eyes readjusted to the twilight, he looked around the station plaza, and caught the tail end of the party slipping into the train station. "So they're getting on a train," he said to himself. Hurrying, he made his way into the station terminal. He arrived just in time to the departure of an odd purple train. He had seen it before in the station, though he'd never actually seen it carrying passengers. But there in the terminal, he could see the group of people that he had observed in the concourse. However, it was too late for him to hop on board with them. Immediately after he saw it, the train began to set off towards its unknown destination. Faust figured he'd have to follow this group of people at any cost if he were to fulfill his obligations. As there was no telling that the train would return if he waited, he made a rather desperate move: sprinting towards the then slow moving locomotive, he managed to cling himself onto the back, and fought his way up to the roof. It was a rough ride, but he managed to make the journey with no ill effects. When he was certain that the group had disembarked, dropped off of the roof and onto the ground where the train had stopped. He looked up at the destination in amusement. "A strange place for denizens of the Light to congregate. But then, it is off the beaten path. No doubt that when this war starts, both sides will be this way." He didn't enter the tower at all; not right away anyways. For all he knew, they'd come bursting out any second and find him standing there. All he did was stand cross-armed and glaring up at the highest tower, contemplating. Then, he remembered the information he had been made privy to while in Twilight Town. "The Great Yen Sid has called this place home," he said. "Such a great sorcerer's domain is indeed a worthy stronghold. Doubtless, many knowledgeable minds are gathered here at this moment. Perhaps I should introduce mine to the mix." Casually, he walked towards the entrance to the tower.
I've seen The Matrix, and I'm familiar with Inception. In a nutshell, The Matrix involves the 'dream world' being a simulation of the real world c. the 20th century, in which humans are trapped by machines. Inception, if I understand it correctly, has peoples' dreams as accessible in that certain people can enter the dreams of another, and essentially control the dream, and extract information from the dreamer. I actually once had a 'dream world' sort of RP. It was when I was newer to RPing, but I think it might prove an interesting idea, if you're willing to try it. Though for all I know, it might be too similar to something that's already been done.
Just a quick question, though it probably is self-explanatory: Are the elements we've given our characters meant to dictate what sort of abilities they possess? I'd imagine so, but it does seem like there are some abilities being used that don't exactly connect to the elements at hand.
The music faded from his hearing, and Faust steadily regained his full awareness of his situation. At that moment, he was standing in the concourse's main crossing, with the harmonica man. He had been tuned in enough to know that the man had done nothing to acknowledge him, let alone so much as reply to his statemnt. Such rudness! hemused to himself, half in anger, half in amusement. Either he was talking to someone under a vow of silence, or they were just too stuck up to recognize anyone else. He decided that he'd have to teach them a bit of respect, and so, he took one step forward. As he did, his hands began to glow with a silver-gray luminescent energy. He took another step forward when he heard voices and echoing footsteps through the concourse. More people were coming. Giving his situation a flash second's worth oconsideration, Faust decided to leave the man be. It was too much to risk getting caught by allies of someone he was picking a fight with; even if he COULD handle multiple opponents, it was more trouble than he cared to make for himself at the moment. At that, it would make a good chance to gather some information on the others that had been wandering the town. "Forget you," he said at last. Wasting no time, he slipped out of the concourse crossing and around a corner into a corridor at the opposite end from where the new arrivals were coming. Peaking his head around the corner just enough to catch a glimpse of the procedings. Though it seemed that several people were gathering into the area all at once, Faust's attention was drawn immediately to a young man who arrived to confront the harmonica player. He observed with the highest of interest as the battle between the two. The harmonica man was, without a doubt a Denizen of Darkness; it was obvious by his use of Darkness in his techniques. [i]But where does this young man's allegiance stand?[/i] Faust wondered. Judging by his word, he places family above even the sides of Light and Dark. And interesting fellow indeed. And a strong one at that. I'll have watch out for him...
In all fairness, Starseeker's character overheard quite a bit at the clock tower; enough for his character to have made some inferences, though most of it was made obvious by R's conversation with the siblings. He just didn't have to have his character go blabbing about it. In any case, being upset with one person is no reason to go on a hypnotic spree against the whole cast. We don't need a trance for people to reveal their characters' past(s); that should happen naturally as the RP progresses. Fair enough. And in my book, saying that there's no way to resist the spell, or otherwise break oneself from the effects, to any extent, is a godmod and a powerplay. It's more than reasonable for someone to will themselves to break through a trance; it's psionics, a manner of mind control, for the most part. There's always a way around and/through magic of all kinds; you'd need a damn good reason to argue otherwise. Not my battle. So no comment. This is coming from one that just interfered with every other character in the RP. It sounds to me that Roleplaying isn't the activity for you then. I can just as well say that I didn't much like the idea of my character being interfered with by the trance. I could say that most of the others probably didn't want their characters being trapped in a trance either, because it interfered with their plans. But being interfered with is part of Roleplaying. One way or another, your character WILL have his toes stepped on by another character, especially in an RP like this where everyone will eventually be fighting, and one side working to impede the other constantly. RPing is about collaboration, working together with other creative minds to create a story. So being 'interfered' with is a natural process. By saying what you've said, you sound pretty stuck-up, like no one has any business or even permission getting in your character's way. But once the real action starts, there's gonna be a lot getting in his way. And once other characters realize the importance of the harmonica, it's gonna become a target for sabotage and theft, which you've no business or authority to tell people off for attempting to do. It's there in the open, and if someone just so happens to decide that their character wants to try to disarm it, then you'll have to keep it safe the old fashion way, or come up with something that can legitimately keep it from falling into the wrong hands. I'm sorry if this all comes off as condescending towards you. But a lot of what you've said there is a bit ridiculous, and kind of hypocritical in some places.
Faust was mere steps into the underground concourse when he heard it. A haunting melody playing on a lone harmonica echoed from the depths of the tunnels. "One of them," he said, remembering seeing someone with such an instrument earlier. "But what does he hope to accomplish? Leading everyone into a trap?" As though in answering to his question, the melody reached Faust in its fullest possible effect, which was lessened due to his proximity to the tunnel exit just outside of its range. The effect was intoxicating at best. He suspected that a person with a Heart would have crumbled to tears before the piece itself. That was letting alone what it seemed to bring to the minds of those who would hear it playing. A hypnotic effect, a spell of one sort or another, was carrying through with the sound waves. As if imprinted against the very scene of the concourse around him, disfigured, shadowy outlines moved in front of Faust's eyes. In his head, he could the voice of his younger self, though not much younger. "Come at me!" the voice said with glee, "take me, good Darkness!! Render me Naught! I DARE you!" Then, the words stopped, and a fading laughter followed them, the laughter of that same younger Faust. The real Faust chuckled in amusement; was he supposed to have been stirred by this display of his past? The image itself faded from sight, disappearing into thin air. And Faust stood, listening, unmoved and then unaffected by the melody. He smiled. He shook his head in disappointment. Then, he continued his way through the concourse, following the sound of the music. He stepped with an awkward amble, as though he had enjoyed a strong drink or two; the effect of the trance spell, though broken from their full effect, lingered as a disorienting factor within the normally graceful man. A few more glimpses of random scenes from his memories flashed before him in the same phantasmic form as the first one. Regardless, he managed to make his way to the source of the music; the glimpses of his past were, after all, of no consequence to him. The lone harmonica player stood in one of the larger sections of the concourse, a crossways to which many other corridors were connected and branched out to various spots in town. Rubbing his head as one who was trying to massage a headache, he set his eyes upon the musician. Several times, he cleared his through as loudly as he could in the hopes of getting man's attention. "You know, the ghosts of the past do little to stop those without regret."
Unless one happens to have the mental fortitude to keep their mind thinking clearly. I kinda need my character to confront people; particularly the ones trying to sway neutrals.
Faust only walked a short distance away from Market Street; only about one hundred feet or so lay behind him when he decided on a quicker manner of transportation. Like the Darkness and Light, the essence of Naught was always present to allow its denizens safe passage through its corridors. These corridors had been Faust's primary, and favorite, way of getting from points A to B. One instance, he was walking into a discrete alleyway off of the main road. In the next instance his figure seemed to simply fade into space itself. It reappeared at the top of the hill, at the edge of the spacious Station Plaza. It wasn't very busy at that moment, an unusual sight, though not unheard of. Faust had missed out on most of what had proceeded there, but caught things just in time to know that something had happened. As soon as he had arrived, a small group of people dispersed from atop the Station Tower. One flew off aboard a glider of some sort. Other simply made their way to the ground. But in that moment it was a pair that vanished through a dark corridor that caught Faust's eye. He recognized one of them, the male, from the descriptions of him that had passed through both his clients and other locals. "R," he said under his breath. "Heartless of a world lost to Darkness. Certainly one of his power is pulling some significant strings." As he wondered what the Heartless' was up to lingering in a place like Twilight Town, he observed several other people making theirs leave from the plaza, and tailed them. All at once, it seemed, the lot of them made their way into the underground concourse that connected the town's various districts. One of them, a man playing woeful melodies on a harmonica, intrigued Faust, as did a young girl that had followed him into the concourse. Careful of where he tread, Faust slipped, unnoticed by the others, into the concourse, trailing quietly and cautiously behind the last two to enter.
Twilight Town. If there were ever a place that Faust Baneheart would go to pick up on information, it was there, amongst the infinite sunset of the quaint little town. Many people put their faith in Radiant Garden when it came to the passing of information, simple logic, and effective to some extent. Unfortunately, that world in particular had grown into a massive urban center, as well a major seat of power amongst the worlds of Light. Its worth, in Faust’s opinion, had diminished significantly over the years, as it was more likely for one to stumble across petty pop culture news rather than any real news; of course, it didn’t help that the information was one sided as well, centered entirely on what was going on within the Realm of Light, while blatantly downplaying the other Realms, the result of its exclusive population, which was prominent across most of the worlds in the Light.But there amidst the everlasting dusk of Twilight Town, Faust had found that information was far more potent, even if less frequently and more softly proclaimed. Whispers remained whispers wherever one happened to poke their ears about. But where Faust now tread, he could find out everything he needed to know. Presently, he was drifting idly about the world, inconspicuously nosing in on the various proceedings amongst the commoners of the town. Just as he suspected, news was thinly spread, but very much reliable when it came down to it. The emotion behind the words spoke very clearly, even if the words themselves were obscure: the people in this town sat in a state of tension, lurking well beneath their cheerful exteriors.After a quick excursion through the town, Faust had finally settled upon a rooftop overlooking the Tram Commons on Market Street. This was the hub of the town’s life, second only to the Sandlot during the annual Struggle tournaments. There, the words of the small town traveled like a Gummi Ship on hyper-drive. Every talk was the same: there was something on the horizon, and when it arrived, it would be something big, something that shook the worlds to their cores, and perhaps more. These people, he thought, are very intuitive. The Knights in Radiant Garden have spoken of mobilizing their forces. But this place confirms that open conflict is likelihood. Of course, for Faust, conflict meant opportunity, as was the nature of business, which happened to have him as a soldier of fortune.He had already performed a wealth of acts worthy of his status, including suppressing bandits in Agrabah and quelling a rather harsh uprising of spirits in Halloween Town. These tasks had been more recent, as part of his current contract with the Radiant Garden Light Knights. His contract bound him for a few more operations, one of which involved sleuthing around for evidence of the impending wars. Other than that task, however, he was uncertain of what his final contractual obligations would be. If anything he was hearing and seeing around town held any weight whatsoever, as he was sure it all did, he would be in work for a long while, even after his contract expired. So long as his name preceded him, he’d have more contracts coming his way."This place will become a hotbed for action soon enough," he said aloud to himself. He hopped down from the rooftop, which was a pretty short drop, landed comfortably in a squat, and proceeded to make his way up towards the clock tower, where he was sure to find out even more from travelers coming and going from Central Station.
Username: Ego Imperium Character Name: Faust Baneheart Age: 24 Appearance: Side: In-Between Personality: In every war fought through the ages, there has been a party seeking to capitalize on the conflict and carnage. Faust Baneheart is, perhaps, that person in this age's war between Light and Darkness. He stands as a conniving, underground figure, and has already augmented his image with many strands of ill-repute. His mentality is a blend of a businessman and a military man with slight hints of a joker. This mentality is marked by a cutthroat approach to just about every situation and a relentless tactical disposition. And in the process, he hasn't forgotten his sense of humor either. He's rather rude to most people. His truest loyalties remain, to this day, unknown, as he seems to wander back and forth between ideologies of Light and Dark beings on a whim. Weapon: Faust relies on the amorphous brand of energy provided by his element, with which he is able to forge into the semblance of common weaponry, amongst other forms. Element: Nothingness Starting World: Twilight Town Additional information: It is a little known fact that Faust in fact lost his Heart several years ago. But it wasn't a tragic event in the slightest. It was a planned sacrifice on his part, which he walked into without even the slightest hint of a second thought. Believing that his Heart was holding him back from something more profitable, he willingly allowed for the Heartless to consume him. He gave into them, forfeiting his Heart without a struggle. Since that day, he has faded into something of a drifter, wandering the worlds, and working as a mercenary for various people. In the war that's unfolding, he has positioned himself, presently, amongst the forces of Light, having offered them his assistance in one operation or another for a "generous fee."
Ummm.... I think I might be the only person that's gonna judge the finale. :/
I’d just like to say that it’s been an absolute honor judging for this season of Role-Play Idol. I’ve seen a lot of superb talent over the passed weeks, talent that shocked and amazed me in the best ways possible. So with that said, I will begin dispensing my critique for our finalists. P Spoiler The more I’ve read of Faust, the more I’ve despised him as a person; the more I despised him as a person, the more I loved him as a character. When the premise of the challenge, particularly with the setting and resources available to you is considered, you put up a very dynamic front with him. It’s pretty much how I’d expect a bitter, self-centered, crazy old coot to fight his battles. You used your setting to a definite advantage. The fire alarm and sprinkler set off was a nice touch to his efforts, and something that could easily be seen in the context of a real life mall brawl. While the tree lifting was a bit of a stretch, you reasoned it well enough to keep it in the suspension of disbelief. But in the long run, what I liked best about your posts in this challenge was the spirit in which you took to the fight. You went into the challenge with the mindset of it being a fight (which was, after all, what the intention was). Midnight Star Spoiler I’d have to say that, in terms of posts, this has definitely been one of my favorite rounds for you in this RP Idol season. However, I don’t feel that you were quite up to the challenge. Or maybe it was that you didn’t quite see what I was looking for when I created the premise of it. I don’t, and won’t, doubt the validity of the “live to fight another day” mentality. It’s perfectly viable, and would be available in a real life situation. However, the nature of this challenge was for the two of you to pit your characters against each other, and to display your ability to fight through role-playing. You got a good hit in early on in the challenge, and a creative one at that, which used your opponent’s “weapon” and strike against them. It was clear to me that Ryan had it in him to keep his end of the fight going where he was. Maybe it was a matter of his personality not being one for fighting for long periods. Or, like I said, maybe it was just a miscommunication somewhere between my making the challenge and your reading of it. I just think that you could have taken to the battle with a bit more gusto.
Should we start rolling out the judge carpet on the Season Two Finale?
Your idea is actually more involved than what I had in mind when I posted this thread. Like, by a few good leaps and bounds. I was thinking something more direct and to the point.
Like I said a few months ago, I think that to more accurately judge people on their Role-playing, there should be more challenges that involve extended contestant-to-contestant interactions.
