[FWM] OOC 5: Egocentric Changeling Hive

[TheAmishPirate]

That said, here's what I propose:

*snip*

All looks good to me. We can also use the Backstage thread as a way for characters to interact in the more goofy, slice-of-life, in-between missions scenes. Even if the Cirrus crew is out of town, they can still hang out with folks there.

Unrelated, but one of these days we need to throw Es and Sandy in the same room and see what happens.

Most of that sounds good to me. I believe I offered one of my characters to join the Cirrus, and that Night Jewel would be interested.

I'm cool with that. Sandy could always use more tormentors friends.

[HalfTangible]

All looks good to me. We can also use the Backstage thread as a way for characters to interact in the more goofy, slice-of-life, in-between missions scenes. Even if the Cirrus crew is out of town, they can still hang out with folks there.

Unrelated, but one of these days we need to throw Es and Sandy in the same room and see what happens.

......

yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssss...

.... *backs away slowly from the author*
... *hands sandy a cologne spritzer* Spray her with this if she gets uppity. It's either water or a soporific muscle relaxant, i can't remember which.

[Kelvin360]

I think I need to start keeping a list of these villains I have in my back pocket in case they need to come back. The Loki's to the canon aggressors' Thanos, if you will. I think that makes Cirrus SHIELD, the Backers HYDRA, and...I guess Luna is Nick Fury? No, wait, Prose is Nick Fury, he has an eyepatch. I'm thinking too much about this.

I do think that if we can manage it, following the classic 'team combines, team has trouble, team unites and overcomes obstacle' would be a neat overarching plot. The problem is it could instantaneously lead to another clique situation.

[MCerberus]

I think I need to start keeping a list of these villains I have in my back pocket in case they need to come back. The Loki's to the canon aggressors' Thanos, if you will. I think that makes Cirrus SHIELD, the Backers HYDRA, and...I guess Luna is Nick Fury? No, wait, Prose is Nick Fury, he has an eyepatch. I'm thinking too much about this.

I do think that if we can manage it, following the classic 'team combines, team has trouble, team unites and overcomes obstacle' would be a neat overarching plot. The problem is it could instantaneously lead to another clique situation.

I took away from that that Mach should either start drinking or [spoiler redacted]

[Benson]

Lessee pone inventory up (minus Gear and Fox)

Spoiler: Pones

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Ember Sol- Had a plot thread in regards to restoring his family name and taking back the Sol's estate near Trottingham. Made deals with the fey and had dealings against a local mob....but with Orzel gone that plot kinda went down the drain. I am considering retconning the fey and local mob noise to not...well happened :I

Aubade Bell- ^
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Idle Chat and Silent Snow- Those Two Guys, now fully recovered just going about their guard duties, normally assigned to the South gate, they may have gotten promotions.
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Gwyn- Holed away in her tower with her toadie cultist bootlicker, has little interest in the affairs of others ever since Soft Serve disappearified as well.
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Gwen-Joined the Cirrus as an honorary member, not really seeking anything beyond easy-ish pay and easy access booze.
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Miss M- With her dear Zephyr dead, she left Bridle Shores taking along those vamponies who wished to follow her. Somewhere off in the world, partaking in a little Walk the Earth/Equestria trope.
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Balboa and Co

Well, he would be continuing with his slow and steady campaign of anchoring his control of running Equestria in the shadows position among the common pone. Strengthening his image, wealth and power through his varied connections and own capabilities. Maneuvering himself into a position among the noble council despite not being of noble blood, petitioning that a non-noble join the council with an ulterior motive of him just wanting to give the noble houses a giant F-you. (He loathes the concept of nobility and monarchy after all :D...)

[Grif]

Unrelated, but one of these days we need to throw Es and Sandy in the same room and see what happens.

"I dunno. Sandy's a little bit on the small side..."
"Just... no. Es. No."

In any case, how are going a timeskip? Is a summary of what happened required?

As for my characters...

Spoiler

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Silverpine - Probably took off with the Cirrus during the timeskip.

Tyrol and Lemongrass - Doing their usual guard duties, in between spending time with their new fillyfriends.

Icy/Es - Depending on what the cure is, they might be both in separate bodies now. Either way, they're both getting into quarrels daily. Also getting a little pudgy.

Pulp Fiction - Hanging around town, writing her new novel.

Shell Shock - Not sure where this one went.

[MCerberus]

Hey Grif, is Tyrol available for shenanigan meeting with Staccata's parent(s) post-skip or are you wanting to switch up character interactions?

[Grif]

Hey Grif, is Tyrol available for shenanigan meeting with Staccata's parent(s) post-skip or are you wanting to switch up character interactions?

I don't mind.

[Merellis]

Wellll.

Character wise, I'm down to mainly two PC's and a bunch of villains that I'm not sure what to do with.

Bitter Herb will be hanging out around Bridle Shores and maybe frequenting the rougher pubs in town while traveling around town with, and assisting, Pulp.

Branching Paths is a bit more complicated for me because I was mostly gonna see if I could get her recognized and such within Canterlot for her skills within the investigation. So, I need some help with where to go with her for now, as she's mostly a neglected pony within the Stoutheart house that has some talent and a stubborn refusal to quit.

Any ideas?

[MCerberus]

Wellll.

Character wise, I'm down to mainly two PC's and a bunch of villains that I'm not sure what to do with.

Bitter Herb will be hanging out around Bridle Shores and maybe frequenting the rougher pubs in town while traveling around town with, and assisting, Pulp.

Branching Paths is a bit more complicated for me because I was mostly gonna see if I could get her recognized and such within Canterlot for her skills within the investigation. So, I need some help with where to go with her for now, as she's mostly a neglected pony within the Stoutheart house that has some talent and a stubborn refusal to quit.

Any ideas?

We can bring the duchess of the griffons into Canterlot for a meeting, she'd want to get Branching Paths into her visit as a snub to the Equestrian nobles who aren't giving a voting seat for her clan

[Merellis]

-already imagining Branch being shoved into a tub and scrubbed forever before she even meets the Duchess-

That does sound interesting, especially considering she's not so good at the politics and wouldn't even consider such a thing to be a snub towards her house and other nobles!

[Grif]

Here's what I got for the timeskip post:

Spoiler: Beep

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Over the next two months, the town of Bridle Shores returned slowly to normalcy. Some might even call it peace. The damage was repaired in that time span, and the defenses fortified further. Most of the town's denizens would resume their normal life before long.

The Cirrus took off after adding a few more crew to their roster, courtesy of the Backers. Gearstride would probably be pleased by the additions, if only she could have more targets to tease.

The Dark Army soon retreated and disappeared without warning after the successful raid on their base of operations. Rusty Falls would be liberated by a metaphorically red-faced Royal Army who arrived a week too late to even catch a whiff of the enemy. The reception to their arrival was predictably mixed. Fortunately, they did not linger long, having more pressing matters to deal with.

As for the innocent vamponies that found themselves caught up in the mess of Spectre et al, most eventually chose to leave with Miss M. A few chose to stay, and tried to resume their former lives, with varying degrees of success. A degree of suspicion remained with these unfortunates, and the town guard took special precautions with them.

[MCerberus]

semantics note:

Spoiler

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is that a ROYAL army or a NOBLE army? Is there even still a royal army?

[TheAmishPirate]

Here's what I got for the timeskip post:

Spoiler: Beep

Show

Over the next two months, the town of Bridle Shores returned slowly to normalcy. Some might even call it peace. The damage was repaired in that time span, and the defenses fortified further. Most of the town's denizens would resume their normal life before long.

The Cirrus took off after adding a few more crew to their roster, courtesy of the Backers. Gearstride would probably be pleased by the additions, if only she could have more targets to tease.

The Dark Army soon retreated and disappeared without warning after the successful raid on their base of operations. Rusty Falls would be liberated by a metaphorically red-faced Royal Army who arrived a week too late to even catch a whiff of the enemy. The reception to their arrival was predictably mixed. Fortunately, they did not linger long, having more pressing matters to deal with.

As for the innocent vamponies that found themselves caught up in the mess of Spectre et al, most eventually chose to leave with Miss M. A few chose to stay, and tried to resume their former lives, with varying degrees of success. A degree of suspicion remained with these unfortunates, and the town guard took special precautions with them.

Seems fair to me.

[Luka]

I have some confusion about the timeskip, since my character just arrived and would be interacting with others before the skip (unless it is corrected and said that it happened after the timeskip), how should it be played?
I mean, would that character's interactions be before the timeskip while the others' are after it, Luka's reintroduction be corrected to, or something else?

[Kelvin360]

We can bring the duchess of the griffons into Canterlot for a meeting, she'd want to get Branching Paths into her visit as a snub to the Equestrian nobles who aren't giving a voting seat for her clan

I totally forgot about this, but I might swap out Feathergrin for Crashing Nimbus if this goes through. No way the Thunderguard would miss an opportunity to snag Hurricane's tongues like this, and they haven't been introduced yet.

[Merellis]

I totally forgot about this, but I might swap out Feathergrin for Crashing Nimbus if this goes through. No way the Thunderguard would miss an opportunity to snag Hurricane's tongues like this, and they haven't been introduced yet.

I sort of feel bad for the Duchess depending on how much she values cleanliness, because Branch is a complete mess.

But messing with nobles just makes me grin.

[MCerberus]

Well that really depends how much their behavior can be used to annoy mainland Nobles

[Grif]

semantics note:

Spoiler

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is that a ROYAL army or a NOBLE army? Is there even still a royal army?

I'd assume they still use her name and titles. Much like how the UK still uses Royal Navy and Royal Army despite being a democracy in all but name.

I have some confusion about the timeskip, since my character just arrived and would be interacting with others before the skip (unless it is corrected and said that it happened after the timeskip), how should it be played?
I mean, would that character's interactions be before the timeskip while the others' are after it, Luka's reintroduction be corrected to, or something else?

Before. So Luka has plenty of time to settle in if he wishes.

Since there's no major disagreement, I'll just commence the timeskip.

[Kelvin360]

I'll commence with Arvadraa. Very basic, general stuff for anyone who wants a starting hook.

Cirrus and the Supers are going to be in Backstage, yes? When are we kicking that off?

[TheAmishPirate]

Cirrus and the Supers are going to be in Backstage, yes? When are we kicking that off?

Going on with this, those who want to be running plots/adventures should advertise/put out hooks now. Things will start when people who are running them are ready to start.

[MCerberus]

So at the current moment has Mach been moved into the Cirrus or is in the process of moving in due to being roped in by the mysterious backers?

[Kelvin360]

Going on with this, those who want to be running plots/adventures should advertise/put out hooks now. Things will start when people who are running them are ready to start.

Fair enough. Are Grif and Benson going to draw straws on who gets the former?


Let's Get STATIC

World threats aren't always as simple as who pulls the bigger sword. It means danger, strange locales, and unknown magic. The Starheart Tactical Appropriation and Transitional Initiatives Commission is given the capacity and authority to conduct missions of vital importance all over Equestria. Its members are diplomats, mages, warriors, thieves, scholars and more, but they all share the distinctions of being the absolute best in their fields. STATIC operates outside of any governmental jurisdiction, but then only in the most dire of circumstances. If the job is done right, no one needs to know how close entire swaths of continent have come to extinction or worse.

That's where you come in.

I'm not going to lie to you, cadets. There's a high turnover rate on this job, and by that I mean we see things on a daily basis that make Nightmares quail in terror. Deaths aren't unheard of, and a good bunch of this isn't going to make a damned bit of sense. But the mere fact you're sitting here means that you have what it takes to join us and keep Equestria out of the grasp of ultimate destruction.

((Multiple characters welcome for a mission-based story focusing on very powerful PCs facing similarly powerful opponents and challenges. An interested response to this recruitment should include your character's name, race, talents, and what they're 'the best of the best' at. Party versatility encouraged, but not required. The story would begin in medias res in the Backstage thread.))

[Grif]

So at the current moment has Mach been moved into the Cirrus or is in the process of moving in due to being roped in by the mysterious backers?

We probably would start with their induction.

[Benson]

I'll commence with Arvadraa. Very basic, general stuff for anyone who wants a starting hook.

Cirrus and the Supers are going to be in Backstage, yes? When are we kicking that off?

Not Backstage Cut! that thread is for the slice of life-ish side business sort of What If?.

The Misc. Adventures thread would be the correct thread for the business of the Supers and the Cirrus.

[Kelvin360]

Scene's open, but rather, uh, amateurishly on my part. Let me know if any of you want to brainstorm with me on how to leap scenes, or if you need Joyous to give you a poke.

[PurityIcekiller]

Okaaay. So I've made my characters open for interaction. I've also figured out what to do with Blueshield: If anypony wants to have some adventures in Mareabia with her, they can volunteer to be her escort, and if not, I've found an excuse to get her back to Bridle Shores quickly.

As for STATIC...
Name: Obsidian "Susan" Flare.
Race: Unicorn.
Talents: Earth magic; some experience in blacksmithing.
Area of Expertise: Earth magic, as mentioned. She has incredibly powerful magic centred around dirt, stone and lava, allowing her to make strong fortifications and cause widespread indiscriminate destruction. She lacks precise control, particularly with larger-scale effects, so is best for situations when a large amount of direct force is needed and collateral damage isn't a concern.

[MCerberus]

Pitch for GoP event:

Duchess Seriana IV, Gretta Highrock-mistress has recently caused quite a stir in the protectorate. Due to recent innovations in alchemy and pollution control, production of steel has increased. The new surplus was purchased by Clan Highrock before it hit the market. The merchants became quite happy. They know not only did they make a profit, but now the steel is a bargaining chip to increase the province's political power AND the house can make a killing reselling it.

Which brings her semi-rare visit into Canterlot a bit more interesting than usual. Among her retainers are her brother, auditor of the sea-merchant's guild, the duke and their cubs, Merchant-Admiral Jakob and even one Heinrich Wolfcliff, a powerful clan lord from the free cities outside the border of Equestrian territory. Clearly there is some dealing to be done.

Also the houses have been annoying her recently, the duchess is going to at least look to snub them for a while. What's her political angle? Are there any military surprises? What trouble will the retinue cause?

[Kelvin360]

Time for some visual imagery!

So, the new guy is Tysel. I already added him to the character bios under my section, but basically his reputation is as an ex-assassin and mage-killer who defected to the surfacers after something something (on the official record, at least). And yes, he speaks Greek with an Eastern European accent; he basically sounds like Age of Ultron's Quicksilver. MST3k mantra, everybody.

Spoiler: Tysel Skoúro, The Harmonic Templar

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We know Dawn already, and he's transferred onto the Cirrus crew, which is gonna get real interesting real quick. This image is sans armor and in a newer incarnation - it assumes he's not currently at war, essentially, thus the smile.

Spoiler: Dawnstrider, the Paladin of the Sun

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They didn't really have an option to make him imposing or gorgeous, but when he's decked in civvies he's trying not to really be either.

Finally there's Joyous, who I elected to portray without his wingstumps because A) there wasn't an item for that and B) holy halibut that would have been dark.

Spoiler: Joyous Boon, the Gatekeeper

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I had a lot of fun with the pony creator, yes I did.

Pitch for GoP event:

Duchess Seriana IV, Gretta Highrock-mistress has recently caused quite a stir in the protectorate. Due to recent innovations in alchemy and pollution control, production of steel has increased. The new surplus was purchased by Clan Highrock before it hit the market. The merchants became quite happy. They know not only did they make a profit, but now the steel is a bargaining chip to increase the province's political power AND the house can make a killing reselling it.

Which brings her semi-rare visit into Canterlot a bit more interesting than usual. Among her retainers are her brother, auditor of the sea-merchant's guild, the duke and their cubs, Merchant-Admiral Jakob and even one Heinrich Wolfcliff, a powerful clan lord from the free cities outside the border of Equestrian territory. Clearly there is some dealing to be done.

Also the houses have been annoying her recently, the duchess is going to at least look to snub them for a while. What's her political angle? Are there any military surprises? What trouble will the retinue cause?

I'm into this. Wee bit fuzzy on her connections to the merchants. Which merchants, and why are they happy her clan has a surplus of steel? Also what's her relation to the current houses, generally and specifically? I'm looking at the mercenaries, the powerhouses, and the Thunderguard, to name a few.

[Grif]

Pitch for GoP event:

Duchess Seriana IV, Gretta Highrock-mistress has recently caused quite a stir in the protectorate. Due to recent innovations in alchemy and pollution control, production of steel has increased. The new surplus was purchased by Clan Highrock before it hit the market. The merchants became quite happy. They know not only did they make a profit, but now the steel is a bargaining chip to increase the province's political power AND the house can make a killing reselling it.

Which brings her semi-rare visit into Canterlot a bit more interesting than usual. Among her retainers are her brother, auditor of the sea-merchant's guild, the duke and their cubs, Merchant-Admiral Jakob and even one Heinrich Wolfcliff, a powerful clan lord from the free cities outside the border of Equestrian territory. Clearly there is some dealing to be done.

Also the houses have been annoying her recently, the duchess is going to at least look to snub them for a while. What's her political angle? Are there any military surprises? What trouble will the retinue cause?

I'm not entire sure at this point. Here's what I think will happen: House Hurricane at least will be repaying the favour with mutual snubbing, so that isn't very notable. (They regard griffons as one of the "others" that should never been invited into the kingdom.) Other than that, the merchant class might be very interested to broker deals with the duchess regarding the supply of steel. And of course, certain minor noble houses might try to jostle for favours. Probably no military surprises, unless some crazy lord wants to start another border war no one can afford. Again.