[NEXUS] OoC 22: ALL HAIL THE BUTT HAT!!!

[Ashen Lilies]

WELCOME TO THE NEXUS!
Check your sanity at the door, please.

So, what is Nexus?

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Well, the Nexus itself is like a rift, a single, brilliant point where all the universes in this strange thing we call 'reality' meet. Traveling to, from, and between any world or cosmology is theoretically possible here, and the Nexus itself seems to encourage this happening, often sucking beings and locations out of other universes at random, and dumping them on the world that lies at its center. It was not always like this, however. Once there were two worlds at the Nexus' heart, separate and distinct, though somewhat similar in ways. Similar enough that they slowly and eventually merged, so that only one remained. Here in this world the Nexus' influence reigns supreme, and as such the world has defied almost all attempts at classification. Here, knights of old may engage with Jedi knights. Gleaming spaceships land in Dark Age hamlets. Cowboys and samurai quest together to find holy sandwich boxes. And in the heavens above, Xi Wangmu and the Flying Spaghetti Monster meet every Woden's Day to play bowls with Pelor (it gets pretty epic). Here the possibilities are endless, and the universe without rules (except the Forum Rules, and the general FFRP rules, and the Individual Thread Rules, and oh whatever). Welcome to Nexus. Fun is had here.

Major Locales

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For an endless world that defies all logic and classification, Nexus can be pretty darn consistent at times. As such, several locations have survived the test of time, remaining (somewhat) constant amidst the chaos of the rest of the world.

Inside - Inside mostly resembles a modern city, with high-rise buildings and apartments, alleyways and roads, though the odd Demonic Monument can still be seen rising up above the surrounding suburb, teeming with dark cultists. Inside is under the general rule of the Remnant, the remains of the once powerful Acronymian Empire, but is also headed by a Council consisting of representatives from the major ACRONYMS, as well as Magtok and Zee.

Outside - If you ain't Inside, you're OUTSIDE! Simple as that. Outside is a meta-thread for all those wildernessy type areas that don't merit their own threads, be it wood or lake or tiny shack.

ACRONYMS - Home to adventurers, these complexes provide headquarters and occasionally living space for like-minded Player Characters. Invariably equipped with cheesy names, these structures provide a place for their various members to fight crime, cause chaos, or anything of the sort. Current Acronyms include:

• AMEN - Association for the Malicious, Evil and Nefarious. Evil aligned organization, exists to be EVIL! And sometimes Ebil.
• HALO - Heroic, Anti-evil and Lawbreaking Organization. Non-Evil aligned organization, exists to smite wrong-doers.
• GLoG - Good League of Good. Good aligned organization, exists to redeem evil-doers.
• LANTERN - Lawful Awesome Not-Neutral Truthful Anti-Evil Respectable Nothing Else. Good-Aligned group dedicated to fighting evil and crime of any sort.
• NO - Neutralist Oganization. Neutral aligned organization, exists to perform mercenary contracts for other organizations and individuals in the Nexus without taking sides
• WATCHTOWER - You Know What? Screw It. Non-aligned aligned organization. Exists to destroy threats to Nexus, whatever form they may take.
• PACK - Perfectly Acceptable College for Kids. The local Nexus school. Class mostly occurs offscreen, though...
• Aurora - Not really an ACRONYM, but the brainchild of several disgruntled LANTERN members, an organization dedicated to the betterment of the Nexus in general.

The Taverns
What kind of vaguely DnD-esque adventurer would you be if you didn't visit one of these places at least once? The various Taverns, Grills, Hotels, Cantinas and Restaurant provide meeting places for the Player Characters, areas for quest givers to stand mysteriously in, and also places for people to eat and spend the money they seem to have infinite amounts of. Though there are a vast number of such places in Nexus, some with their own thread and some without, throughout history three major hubs have existed, without which Nexus as we know it wouldn't exist. The Dancing Fox Inn, which is located in What used to be Town but is now another part of the Inside. Taverna Generica, which is located near Inside's more NPC inhabited areas. Finally, there is Trog's Tavern, which is located, maddeningly enough, at every corner of the Nexus at the same time. There is also the Black Dragon's Den, it's located roughly between the docks and the slums of Inside, and is the local hive of scum and villainy.

General Nexus FAQs:

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Is there a guide to getting started?
Besides this post, which you're currently reading, you should also read post 3 of the stickied FFRP Central thread. Once you've read both, you can ask any questions you ask in the current Nexus OOC thread. If you have no questions, post in the Nexus OOC anyway to introduce yourself. And welcome.

What kind of character can I make?
Any. There are no restrictions on genre, alignment, world of origin, etc.

Will my power work the way it does in the source setting?
Almost certainly not. In your setting, you may have been the Mighty Zorlox, whose power to control the world's socks was absolute, but in the Nexus, you may run across Madam Bo Peep, who controls the world's wool.

If my power goes against your power, who wins?
In combat or any type of adversarial situation, the defender has the final say. So if Zorlox tries to turn Bo Peep's wool socks purple, Peep's player gets to decide if her wool power prevails. But if Bo Peep tries to have a pair of wool socks strangle Zorlox, then his player gets to decide if his sock power wins.

Oh no! Someone's already using my character concept!
In the Nexus, all cosmologies are true. Just because someone is playing the incarnation of Death doesn't mean you can't as well. You are very unlikely to come up with a character concept that is wholly unique while remaining playable; there is nothing new under the sun, and so on.

Sometimes you'll say 'I just came up with a great character idea - they have x race and y abilities and z backstory and I'll call her Linda' and someone will say 'You mean like my character Lynda over there that I introduced last week?' No one really knows why these sort of coincidences occur, but the Nexus seems especially prone to them. When they do, the best thing to do is to fiddle with your character concept a bit to set them apart.

Where should I start? Long answer, you can start in any thread that isn't a private thread or a plot t
hread. Short answer, Trog's. Just start at Trog's.

Do I need to get pre-approval for my character, or fill in a registry form before I start?
Nope. You can if you like, but it's not required. And sometimes it's better to get a feel for your character first, before deciding all the details about them.

What if I disagree with another player about how the scene should go?
Talk to them, either by PM or in the OOC thread. If you've gotten angry, wait until you cool down to post. Ask non-involved players to act as mediators if needed. If it gets to the point where neither player is having fun, it's probably best to just agree on a way to quickly conclude the encounter and move on.

But I'm really mad! *ragequits and deletes all posts*
Well, first off, that's not a question, that's an declaration, Mr. Smartypants. Secondly, no one can really stop you, but it's not very courteous and makes problems for other players. Retconning out a scene can be done, but that's not the right way to do it.

So what's the best way to handle a retcon, then?
Talk to all of the players involved in the scene and make sure they're okay with it. Remember, they all put their time and effort into roleplaying with you. Once everyone involved has agreed how the retcon will go, post a summary of the retconned changes in the thread involved and in the OOC thread so that other players will be aware.


I think I should win this fight! But the other person thinks they should win too! Should I make up a new power for my PC to win?

No. Never do this.

If you're planning on having a fight with another player's PC it's sometimes a good idea to work out ahead of time how the conflict is going to end. Especially if both sides go into it wanting to win. Because when that's the case things often spiral out of control and people get mad.

We aren't here to get mad, we're here to have fun.

So instead of getting mad save yourself some trouble and shoot a few PMs back and forth first.

Your first character (copied from FFRP Central)

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So, you're ready to make your first character. One of the hardest things to get used to in ffrp is that you don't start out in an adventuring party, and there's no DM to push characters together. You'll have to actually find people to interact with on your own. Here are some tips (not requirements!) for making that easier on your first character:

• Don't be the quiet person in the shadowy corner. If you roleplay as someone who is outgoing and talkative, you'll find it easier to make IC friends. Someone who is curious or greedy will be more open to plot hooks and adventure opportunities. But if you roleplay someone who is shy or quiet or wary of other people, you're likely to be left alone.
• Don't be openly evil. If you walk into the tavern and start murdering npcs, you are unlikely to make a lot of friends and very likely to get jumped on by a bunch of PCs who were looking for a fight.
• Consider starting low-powered. It's tempting in a freeform system with no scores or points to decide that your character is the best at everything, but where will they go from there? They can always gain powers or magic items or skills as they go on.
• Don't be too needy. Remember in ffrp, you are not THE hero of the story. You are A hero, and there are many stories. The characters you meet at first are likely to be involved in their own affairs. Some players start by having their character immediately in need of rescue, healing, training, attention, etc. This can work well, but make sure you have a plan B in case there is no one willing to drop everything to devote themselves to being your rescuer! Can your character make it if they receive only a minimal amount of help, or none at all?
• Don't be too self-sufficient. Remember in ffrp, you are not THE hero of the story. You are A hero, and there are many stories. If you are a combat powerhouse and a healer and a master of obscure lore and a spellcaster, people are likely to get weary of their characters taking a back seat to yours and decide you can do just fine without them.
• Be aware of deadtimes and real life. Sometimes, not many people are online and active. Sometimes the people who are may only have a limited time to play and want to use it to progress their favorite storyline instead of meeting new people. Try to be patient and remember that it won't be long before you'll be the one wrapped up in your own favorite storylines. Talk to people in the ooc thread while you wait for your character to get 'stuck in'.
• Have fun! Remember this is a game, and if it isn't fun, you aren't doing it right.

Note: This is the OOC thread. Not a roleplaying thread. That's what the actual roleplaying threads and SMBG are for.


Nexus Character Directory
Nexus Digest

And while you're here, why not join us on Formspring?

[Reinholdt]

Yeah it was Kal who got the phoenix feather cavalier hat we were talking about earlier. That got blown up. Such a tragedy. T_T

Now he wants to replace it with a cavalier hat with a feather belonging to a FALLEN ANGEL instead. Because why have ordinary fire on your head when you can have HELLFIRE instead, amirite? =D

Of course, he missed his chance when he was in Hell for three weeks, so he has to find an alternate way now...

He clearly needs to make an angel fall.
Haruki likes peering into the abyss. Give him a nudge!
>>

[Morty]

You know, I just noticed a small thing that should perhaps be changed in the OP of this thread... namely, the part about Inside being the seat of the Acronymian Empire.

[Mindfreak]

*Pokes Quinsar to Serious Plots*

[TechnoScrabble]

I learned something last night. As wonderful as being able to get internet anywhere is, satellite is rather slow and becomes useless the moment it gets stormy.

[Ashen Lilies]

"But, if he fell into the Abyss, wouldn't that make him a demon? I can't go around wearing a DEMON on my hat!!! D=
*psssst* Not that Abyss, Kal.
"Oh."
Also, I bet you could TOTALLY wear a demon on your hat, as long as it was a DEAD demon. You know, battle trophy and all that.
"Yeah, but they're UGLY! I don't want to have an UGLY hat!"
...
Point.

@Morty: Fixed? I think? I'm not sure how accurate my description is.

[Mina Kobold]

Oh right, the fight. Well, there's not much for Sophie to do at this point... but I posted anyway.

Friend just spoke to her, so she could do something about that!

Also, is the Cthulhu-plot still going? And the ninja school?

[TechnoScrabble]

There was a Cthulhu plot? Riley would have been perfect for that!

[Morty]

@Morty: Fixed? I think? I'm not sure how accurate my description is.

Looks pretty accurate to me.

Friend just spoke to her, so she could do something about that!

That he did. I didn't notice it, sorry.

[Gullara]

Aww. Kirk is dead.
Our band just fell apart... and it hadn't even started yet!

Clearly the band should lie outside of every form of continuity and reasonableness possible. And perform for children's birthday parties.

Kirk should have stuck with Ilpholin. She'd have at least kept him alive for future curtains.

*counts on fingers* And that's the... forth time? I think. Geez, Kirk is gonna get as bad as Rot.

And I'm sure Ilpholin's slaviness is looking pretty good right about now. >.>

[Haruki-kun]

He clearly needs to make an angel fall.
Haruki likes peering into the abyss. Give him a nudge!
>>

[ThirdEmperor]

I do not think that word means what you think it means.

[happyturtle]

Toby is in the medical labs, teaching some backwater NPC village healers how proper hygiene and frequent washings can prevent education.

Good for Toby! The eradication of education can't come soon enough, since it means more rp time for all the students in ffrp.

*goes to wash hands vigorously*

[TechnoScrabble]

I do not think that word means what you think it means.

My name is Darth Montoya, I am your father, prepare to die!

[ThirdEmperor]

NOOOOOOOO!!!!!

*falls out of twelth story window*

[Mindfreak]

NOOOOOOOO!!!!!

*falls out of twelth story window*

>.>
<.<
*Pokes to AMEN*

[TechnoScrabble]

I can't decide which of my characters should participate in one of the many DOOM plots if the chance pops up...

[FireFox]

Good for Toby! The eradication of education can't come soon enough, since it means more rp time for all the students in ffrp.

*goes to wash hands vigorously*

... What. Did I really type that? I must be tired. Infection. I meant infection.

[BladeofOblivion]

*Pokes TE to CARP Station Plot*

[Rebonack]

I guess you could call it a Cthulhu plawt.

That Day is coming.

The Stars Are nearly Right.

Star-spawn and repulsive hybrid things will be appearing around the Nexus.

And Zee is giving out lil' quests to help stop it.

Just make sure you follow her instructions to the letter. Otherwise unspeakable things will happen to your PC.

[TechnoScrabble]

I guess you could call it a Cthulhu plawt.

That Day is coming.

The Stars Are nearly Right.

Star-spawn and repulsive hybrid things will be appearing around the Nexus.

And Zee is giving out lil' quests to help stop it.

Just make sure you follow her instructions to the letter. Otherwise unspeakable things will happen to your PC.

Sounds sexeh.

Also, Cthulhu plawt sounds perfect for Riley, Sigwhite, the three steampunk 'heroes', or...poop, I just forgot the fourth one's name. Eh, I'll remember later.

[Lost_Deep]

Is there any objections to me dumping a pair of alien scientists into this chaos? There are some things I want to try.

[Rebonack]

I don't see why not!

=D

Just keep in mind that I have lotsa places to post, so responses may come slowly.

[Mina Kobold]

Aww man, turns out my grandma's birthday is tomorrow and I might not be home until Sunday.

Will the stars still be right then? Or will they have started the bus without me?

I'm thinking about throwing Nach'tt or Lucy at it, a Mechanikobold riding a magical Wolfhound or a Silent Hill based nurse. Which to choose, which to choose.

EDIT: Not that I don't like birthdays, they're neaty-neat! but this has stars in it! And insaity! O_O

[Morty]

*Pokes TE to WATCHTOWER*

[Lost_Deep]

Now that you mention it... *Pokes TE to GLoG*

[The Bushranger]

We interrupt this OoC thread for an important public service announcement!

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Also, Quinn thinks that Toby's hat is the Best Ever.

[Devixer]

Wait, what about a hoard of hordes?

[Lost_Deep]

1,200 Gold golems: hoard horde

[ThirdEmperor]

I could see that. A hoard of armies, all turned to stone and hidden somewhere or other, waiting for a true hero to show up and be heroic and.... Stuff.