Serenity/Firefly: Hole in the Black IC

[Jannex]

Annalise is just putting the finishing touches on the dossiers when she hears Alex's knock. "C'mon in," she calls, tipping back onto the rear legs of her chair, as Alex opens the door. She nods amiably in response to the mention of working on the cargo for on the next run. "Sure, no problem; that's my job, dui bu dui?"

As she hears the other woman's second request, Annalise grins. "Already done, Captain," she says, looking rather pleased with herself as she holds out the assembled files. "Short version is, he was part of some military training program--gengineering and training from childhood, all nice and above-board and squeaky-clean. Opted out when he hit the age of majority. The rest of it's in here." Anna keeps her tone carefully neutral through this recitation, though she allows a hint of skepticism and unease to reflect in her eyes.

[ancalimohtar]

On the industrial moon of Persephone, an entrepreneur receives a wave from a cargo ship captain and thinks about how to respond. Well, he could get them to do the run and the other thing. Hmm...

Two hundred thousand miles away, aboard Hole in the Black, Grace's delicious welcome-aboard dinner calls to the two women talking in the crew quarters. There will be plenty of time to inspect Annalise's research later.

Though nobody on the crew has known each other for more than a few weeks, it seems everybody is bonding rather quickly, and Alex has been successful so far at forming the core of a good crew.

[mainiac]

Alex sighed. "Seems perfectly legit..." she doesn't seem particularly comforted though. "I-" the dinner call comes. "...guess we better head on up. Thanks for the help, Anna, guess I'll check this out later."
Alex heads on up to supper, possitioning herself in the midst of the newer crew member to keep people from clumping up. As everyone's who's been with them a while has come to expect, she thanks Grace for the cooking. Alex offhandedly jokes to Jin and Ryder that the foods the only real reason anyone else is still onboard then asks for a moment of silence and gives a quick prayer, just a couple reverent sentences asking the divine for safety and companionship before they eat.
As the food starts getting dished out Alex strikes up some trivial conversation with Jin and Ryder, recalling a favorite cortex program of hers from a couple years back and asking if they were still running it coreside these days.

[Conners]

I'm imagining that Anna, with a d12+d2 Hacking skill, has access to the Alliance's Person Registration System, and so she can pull up whatever the Alliance has put into that database on each person. This would be the basics, like age, sex, DOB and location, education, tax returns, property ownership, credit history, criminal record, outstanding warrants, and special designations by the Alliance, etc. In addition, Annalise rolled a 15 to get more information scattered about in other records, or just on the tex, on local government sites, or individual/private organizations' sites. Imagine a less-chaotic version of Googling someone's name in 2007. The 15 succeeds at a Formidable difficulty check, so let Annalise know whatever stuff on the tex you think a Formidable roll should uncover.[/I]

((So sorry for not posting so long.... MY family and I became terribly sick, at the same time we have to somehow run our shop, and it's right after the hectic busy days of Christmas...))

Spoiler

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Annalise finds Ryder to be what he said he was. He was born on one of the border planets with his two older brothers, Jagen and Rion, and his younger sister, Rachel. His parents died in a spaceship accident, it seemed at first--but she soon found their deaths to be reaver related...

With the influence of some friends, they were moved to a poorer section of one of the core worlds. The "friends", she discovers, are the leaders of a weaker group of Tongs, who were recently eliminated by another group of Tongs--some dispute to do with one leader's son and another's daughter.

He attended one of the top Alliance Medical Academies -- through "creative" means -- and did very well in the subjects of Surgery and Internal Medicine.
There aren't any dues he hasn't paid, and he has no criminal record--except for "suspicion of petty crime", which had been, for some reason, erased from his main records.

Name: Ryder Kalnen
Age: 21
Birthday: April 20th
Gender: Male
Height: 6' 00"
Weight: 144 lbs
Eye Colour: Blue
Hair Colour: Black
Blood Type: AB
Martial Status: Single
Profession: Unemployed
Qualifications: Class A Surgeon, Class A Internal Physician.
((I don't know what official records look like, especially in the future, so I put in everything basic.))

[Jannex]

Annalise nods, and follows her captain out to the kitchen, taking only a moment to log out of her Cortex terminal and lock it down--a process now nearly as reflexive as breathing. Only now that her attention has been diverted from the 'tex screen does Anna realize that she's rather hungry.

She greets the rest of the crew with a friendly smile, and turns to Grace. "Everything smells wonderful! I keep meaning to come up and help you, if you need an extra pair of hands cooking, but you always seem to start when I'm up to my elbows in electronics or something." A self-deprecating grin pulls at the corner of her mouth. "I guess that means I'm on dishes-duty again, huh?"

[ancalimohtar]

Dinner conversation is light and merry, befitting the commencement of new beginnings for many of the crew. Go ahead and roleplay any get-to-know-you stuff.

When Alex gets done with dinner and has time to check her messages, she'll find a wave from Yuri waiting for her.

"Hello, Alex. Yes, you have good friend in Beck, I know, she's nice girl, and truth is, I need to make deadline, correct? So come to Nieverstad, Lombard, address 19384 Trans forty-five, the big repair yard, next to highway. You can't miss." Here he pauses, and sighs.

"I know you also want make more mahney, but I try to start business, can't deliver mismatched goods. I can't promise my clients you do same level work I do, ni dong ba? But is okay! I have good idea. You want to fix, I give you something to fix. We talk more when you come. Bye!" He grins, and ends the transmission.

ni dong ba? = you understand, right?

[Conners]

((You know, it's hard to RP a doctor when I've little idea what they do in the future--or now.... But, that just makes it more fun ))

In his room, Ryder had been going over the "basics" of his job. Like ((don't bother reading if you're not interested)):

"The purpose of surgery to the ears, nose, throat, head, and neck is to treat an abnormality (defect or disease) in these anatomical areas. An anatomical deformity is a change that usually occurs during embryological development, leaving the affected person with the apparent defect. A disease in this area usually develops later in life, such as head and neck cancer. Additionally, the specialty known as otorhinolaryngology (ears [oto], nose [rhino], and throat [laryn], referring to the larynx or throat) also includes surgical intervention for diseases in the head and neck regions. Most ears, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeons in the United States are referred to as otolaryngologist and the specialty as otolaryngology. Ear surgery is usually performed to correct specific causes of hearing loss. Nose surgery can include different types of procedures necessary to treat sinus problems (sinus surgery). Throat surgery can include complicated procedures such as cancer of the larynx (laryngectomy), or more simple procedures such as surgical removal of the adenoids (adenoidectomy) or tonsils (tonsillectomy). Head and neck surgery may be necessary to remove a tumor or reconstruct an area after disfigurement from trauma or injury."

Some times he just loved his work--like when he was getting paid and not studying it. Still, it was much different when he was treating a patient... then, things got really exciting.

He thought back to when his old boss, Chan-don, was shot in the arm.... Simple procedure: Check the patient's response to simple instructions, such as "squeeze my hand. Now let it go." If the patient fails to respond, put them onto their side and check their airway, treating it as appropriate (see page 19). If the patient is conscious, help them into a comfortable position, keeping the injured area slightly raised. Check for entry and exit wounds--if there are no broken bones, control any bleeding. Once bleeding is dealt with.
Remove the bullet from the wound -- make sure the patient won't injure them self or you from the pain of the procedure -- and place it on your surgical tray. Disinfect the wound, as well as the area around it, before stitching it closed. Bandage the wound. Bullets often leave the wounded area paralysed: Support a limb with a splint, and bandage it in a comfortable position for it to heal. The patient should be put to bed and rest as soon as possible, with the wounded area alleviated. Loss of blood is another symptom of bullet trauma, and a blood transfusion may need to be conducted. Should the patient require a blood transfusion, but no donor of the right jurisdiction can be found soon enough, it is often best to put the patient in a induced coma.
After all the above procedures are carried out, the patient should recover normally with rest--the period of time varying by the seriousness of the bullet wound. Note: Remember to change the subjects bandages and re-sterilize the area around the wound.
Strange, Ryder thought to himself, thinking about bullet trauma surgery doesn't normally smell like food--for me at least. He snapped up to his feet. "Sustenance!" he exclaimed to himself, sarcastically. He then moved to the dining room, Is that what you call the place you eat on a ship? he asked himself.

"Good evening!" Ryder says, loudly and cheerfully, as he enters. "What's that delicious smell? Could something smelling good as that really be protein-stuff?" He sits down between Annalise and Jin if he can, but feels welcome to sit anywhere. He energetically begins and joins conversations with the others. "So, Captain," he says to Alex, after telling someone about the time he was given the wrong patient, "did you find out anything about this Charle?"

((Am I RPing OK? It's hard to tell from reading my own writing, and I'm still sick which makes it harder still...))

[mainiac]

((Hm, you have got a bit of a distinctive style there. Guessing your a bit of a greenhorn?))

Alex let the protein comment slide this time, figuring that Grace's excellent cuisine would speak for itself. Didn't seem to hard to see that Ryder liked to speak for himself, which was alright, though a story that reminded her of poor old Sergio wasn't exactly the best at dinner. She didn't exactly mind the change of topic.
"Nope," she observed while pushing a few remaining vegetables around her plate. "Not too surprising, Peresephone ain't the easiest place to find folk, specially those that don't want to be found. But I'm not too worried about it. Guy who wants us to find 'im can't be all that hard to track down, eh?"

[Conners]

((Hm, you have got a bit of a distinctive style there. Guessing your a bit of a greenhorn?))

Alex let the protein comment slide this time, figuring that Grace's excellent cuisine would speak for itself. Didn't seem to hard to see that Ryder liked to speak for himself, which was alright, though a story that reminded her of poor old Sergio wasn't exactly the best at dinner. She didn't exactly mind the change of topic.
"Nope," she observed while pushing a few remaining vegetables around her plate. "Not too surprising, Peresephone ain't the easiest place to find folk, specially those that don't want to be found. But I'm not too worried about it. Guy who wants us to find 'im can't be all that hard to track down, eh?"

((That's a good thing?
Not really the type of writing situation I'm good at.... I scarcely know a thing about doctors and their work. I'm also not very good with futuristic settings, preferring medieval swords-and-magic settings. Also, as I said, I'm still sick ....))

"Yeah, I'm sure we'll find him soon enough," Ryder agrees heartily, "so what jobs do we have until then? I'd like something with some action." He grins widely as he opens his sleeve a bit, revealing a well-balanced pistol. "Should I leave my weapons anywhere in particular when I'm not going out," he asked politely, "or should I do with them as I like?"
After his answer, he looks over to Annalise. "Can you fight too?" he asks her curiously. "Everyone on this ship looks like they know how to point a gun."

[Sunfall]

((Incidentally, Conners, Grace looks exactly as if she didn't even know which end of a gun to hold when accidentally given one.

Your style of writing's very detailed, if a bit jumpy on topic changes, but I guess it's a good thing you're starting off researching and trying to get comfortable with how things work for a medic. I, for one, am dreadful at caring for plants IRL - I'm quite apt at killing even cactuses. I've also never played a gardener before, and most of the time have some botanic section of Wikipedia open as I write. But most effort goes into not letting it look like that

Oh, and I hope you and your family get well soon...))

Grace seems quite flattered by everyone's favorable comments on the dinner, constantly replying things like "Only doin' ma job, hon, only doin' ma job." or "Why, that's what I'm here for, after all, ain't I?"

She has laden the table full to the chipped edge with everything she has been able to muster for this special occasion, and Trevor's fears turn out to be completely unfounded. Last thing she sets down is an earthen jug of steaming fresh spearmint tea, and she places it next to Lee, smiling and winking.

To Anna's remorseful remark, her wrinkled eyes twinkle, as she kindly responds. "Oh, Anna, pumpkin, yer don' have ter help if yer don' got the time. Things you do with your electronics 'n stuff are real important for the Hole, after all. As are Alex's and Boran's and that kid Trevor's and everyone else's stuff. And I won't have you doin' no dishes for today, ni dong ba? 'Xept, of course, you'd like ter help an' I can't hinder ya", she adds with a small smile.

During the course of dinner, Grace sits between the others, eyeing her bony brown hands with a sadness in her eyes that makes it seem as if she was not quite part of this little celebration. Now and then, she looks up and around in a bewildered manner, as if she can't remember where all those merry people around her came from. She seems detached, but answers in a perfectly sweet manner if someone addresses her (sometimes for a second or a third time).

[Jannex]

Annalise shakes her head, smiling at Grace. "Don't underestimate the importance of good, real food in keeping the Hole's crew from going a bit peculiar in the brain-pan. And I think I can spare a few minutes after dinner to scrub some pots and pans," she promises.

At Ryder's question, Anna glances skeptically at his weapon, her smile fading slightly. "Well, I know in theory how to fire one... I've had a little practice target-shooting, but I'm not exactly a soldier, if you get my meaning. I'm probably not someone you want watching your back in a firefight, if you've got a choice."

[Conners]

((I've written much better stuff before, anyway.))

Ryder looks at Annalise, a little worried that he upset her somehow. "I'm sure you'd do fine," he says, nice and comforting. "But I'll do the best I can to make sure you don't face the situation." He smiles nicely at Anna, then gets back to his food--complimenting Grace on it skilfully.

[Jannex]

Annalise's smile returns, and she touches Ryder's arm reassuringly. "I appreciate that. And I think that, with you and the others," she glances around the table, indicating Lee and Jin and the other gun-hands, "we'll all be in good hands."

Then she turns to Boran, and starts making conversation about the ship's sensors, and whether he's got any more repair projects in mind.

[roninkelt]

Abel

sits at the table, joining the conversation if addressed but seemingly overwhelmed by having more than one or two people in the same room aboard ship. If asked he'll reply "Prospectin' tends to be lonely work, this will take some gettin used to."

During a moment when she's not busy - "May I ask the Captain what she's got in mind for us?"

[Nelphine]

(Ack! I'm behind again; school has just started, but I'll catch up very shortly. Sorry for being so slow, was sorting out using school computers)

[ancalimohtar]

I'm in transit the next couple days. Won't know whether I get internet access or not.

But don't worry about me, do continue.

[Rachel Lorelei]

(Note on Jin for the hacker and captain:

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I messed up the dates in my previous post. The point is, Jin's actually just barely 20, i.e. underage--he can presumably do a number of things, being over 18, but not the things you have to be 21 for.

)

( Dexterity + Atheltics: (1d10)[10] + (1d8)[5])

Jin accepts the plates and gets to setting the table with crisp efficiency and without objection. When Trevor bumps him, he skitters to the side with that startling speed of his, and shifts so that the plate he let go rolls down his arm. A flick of his wrist tosses it up into the air, and he lets it spin, balanced on a finger, before he sets it down.

"That? Yeah, it's still around, sort of," he tells the captain about her program. "It's gone through a couple of versions. Don't like the latest, actually; too much unnecessary fei-oo packed in."

When the food is served, he gets to eatin' with a will. He doesn't scarf, but when he eats, he eats: after his plate is clean, he leans back, flicks his braid over his shoulder with one hand, and resumes chatting.
"The best hands. Trouble comes shootin', you take cover if you aren't used to shootin' back. Behind me if there's nowhere better; I'll see you taken care of. Have to earn my salary, right? No way to support my addiction to strawberries otherwise."

[Koji]

Trevor Zane

Trevor eats like a mouse, saying little and watching the others while quietly devouring his meal. When the topic turns to gunplay, his mind drifts back to the unassembled heavy sniper rifle he brought along with his "personal effects." He'd fully intended to tell Alex, until she started talking about how she didn't like big guns, and...

Well, probably best to say nothing. If he loses this job, it'll be years before he can pilot anything bigger than a horse-drawn carriage again. He remains silent and when he's cleared his plate, asks quietly to be excused before taking his dishes to be washed and put away.

[mainiac]

Abel

sits at the table, joining the conversation if addressed but seemingly overwhelmed by having more than one or two people in the same room aboard ship. If asked he'll reply "Prospectin' tends to be lonely work, this will take some gettin used to."

During a moment when she's not busy - "May I ask the Captain what she's got in mind for us?"

Alex smiles at Abel's question, feeling upbeat, or at least appearing to do so.
"Oh, didn't ya hear? We got ourselves a milk run cargo run heading right back to the planet. I know y'all didn't sign up to work as dockworkers, but it's better then nothin', eh? And once we get back to the Docks, I figure we'll track this charlie guy down. Yeah, I know we ain't got much to go on, but, eh, the mystery tickles my interest. Hey, pass that will ya?" Alex points towards a dish near Abel's elbow.

((Anyone else think I should gradually turn Alex Canadian, eh? Also, anyone think we should go on ahead to their triumphant return at the dock when our host get's back? Doesn't look like too much for anyone to be doing until then.))

Trevor Zane

Trevor eats like a mouse, saying little and watching the others while quietly devouring his meal. When the topic turns to gunplay, his mind drifts back to the unassembled heavy sniper rifle he brought along with his "personal effects." He'd fully intended to tell Alex, until she started talking about how she didn't like big guns, and...

Well, probably best to say nothing. If he loses this job, it'll be years before he can pilot anything bigger than a horse-drawn carriage again. He remains silent and when he's cleared his plate, asks quietly to be excused before taking his dishes to be washed and put away.

((I don't really think Alex has all that much a problem with big guns truth be told. She did kinda serve in the artillery corps after all, kinda hard to find bigger then that. On the other hand if your piece is anything built by Iskellion she probably thinks it's a piece of fancy, easily broken rubbish.))

[Sunfall]

When Grace has finished, too, she just sits. When Trevor getting up catches her eye, she throws him a worried look. "Y'eat enough, Kid? Really?... No, no, just leave the plate there, don' mind tidyin' up. There's always a time fer cleaning up, an' it's not now. What about dessert, then?"

Grace gets up herself and starts bustling around at the galley, eventually bringing forth a chocolatey-looking lump of... uh... something.

"Not much there, as I had ter use the whole pineapple for tha rice, but it might taste remotely like somethin' that once walked by a bar of chocolate...", she says with a somewhat apologetic air before setting the lump of protein down on the table, starting to remove empty plates and bowls, piling them up on the counter for cleaning.

((My PC died on me , so I'll be dependent on internet cafes for a while. Trying to peek in at least once a week. Anyway, hopefully I'll get it back soon... Keep your fingers crossed ))

[ancalimohtar]

Okay, well, dessert is had by all, and everybody seems to enjoy the unchocolate cake. When dinner is over, Grace and Annalise (and whoever else wants to help) clear the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher.

You guys will reach the moon in the morning, and there will be supplies-gathering to do.

Alex heads back to her cabin and notices the wave from Yuri.

Lee heads back to his cabin and finds a wave too.

[Koji]

((I don't really think Alex has all that much a problem with big guns truth be told. She did kinda serve in the artillery corps after all, kinda hard to find bigger then that. On the other hand if your piece is anything built by Iskellion she probably thinks it's a piece of fancy, easily broken rubbish.))

((I think I remember a conversation about big guns getting people hurt. Maybe Trevor overheard it and read too much into it.))

Trevor shuffles off, seeing that others have decided to wash the dishes, and sits down in the cockpit. He cues up the console to alert him when the ship approaches atmo and makes some final corrections to the trajectory.

Hours later, he falls asleep in the soft chair with his knees drawn up against his chest and his hands clasped around them.

[roninkelt]

Alex smiles at Abel's question, feeling upbeat, or at least appearing to do so.
"Oh, didn't ya hear? We got ourselves a milk run cargo run heading right back to the planet. I know y'all didn't sign up to work as dockworkers, but it's better then nothin', eh? And once we get back to the Docks, I figure we'll track this charlie guy down. Yeah, I know we ain't got much to go on, but, eh, the mystery tickles my interest. Hey, pass that will ya?" Alex points towards a dish near Abel's elbow.

Abel

replies
"I like milk... haven't seen to many cargoes of it tho, cheaper to make locally."

He passes the condiment back to Alex and keeps the rest of his thoughts to himself. Wouldn't do to question the Captain too sharply in public.

After helping Grace and Annalise with the cleanup he'll wander around to the various watch stations starting with the Bridge.
"Howdy Trevor, how's she doing?" He pats the overhead affectionately...

[Rachel Lorelei]

Spoiler

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Gymnastics: 1d10+1d6=11, hitting "hard" difficulty (i.e. 'exhibition-worthy').

Jin is among the first to finish eating, and he starts cleaning up without being asked. A few trips, each hand carrying a stack of precariously balanced plates, clear most of the table.
"Exercise time, I s'pose. Be just out in the cargo bay if someone needs me."
And with that, he trots out and towards the bay, unbuttoning his white shirt as he goes. By the time he's gotten there, it's off; he rushes a railing, leaps onto it and (shirt dropping onto the rail to hang there) pushes off, out, and into space.

There's a second for anyone who's around to watch him hang before he starts to drop--and closes his hands around the horizontal bar he set up earlier. His body goes straight and describes a circle, then another; he releases it for long enough to switch grips, body turning half a circle and hands shifting, and goes through another circle in the opposite direction. He slows, and comes to a stop upside-down over the bar, arms extended; then Jin tips into a drop, letting go just as he starts to come back up. His body turns and twists, flipping twice, and he catches it again. He continues for a number of minutes, changing grips, twisting, flipping, even doing the splits as he goes over the bar. Then he dismounts, more gently than a gymnast might at an event, since he doesn't have a mat out, landing after a single sommersault with the sound of boots on metal and turning the energy of the landing into a jump so as not to stumble.

That jump lets him get hold of the hanging rings he'd set up. He pulls himself up, then spreads his arms wide, until he's suspended in a cross; a shift of his hips moves him back, and from there his legs come up, he turns around, and then his body straightens into the same cross, but upside-down, his arms straining to maintain the position. After a few long moments, he lowers himself into a horizontal position: he looks like a man about to do a push-up--only he's keeping himself parallel to the ground with nothing except his grip on the rings.

Jin's torso is lean and hard, though scarless; whipcord over bone, as though built for pure efficiency. He's got fairly broad shoulders, . His skin gleams faintly with sweat after his exercise on the horizontal bar.


If you want to picture Jin's gymnastics:

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Horizontal bar.
Rings.
Jin wouldn't be quite as good as these fine gentlemen, of course.

[ancalimohtar]

+1 PP (Jin) for the gymnastics bit.

[Conners]

((Didn't my earlier post about how to treat a gunshot injury meet the requirements for plot points...?))

Ryder eats what's left the the chocolate dessert, taking his dishes to the sink. Seeing it already crowded (and not overly fond of menial labour), he leaves them on the bench. "Well, I'll be off to bed," he tells Annalise, Grace, and anyone else around, "good night!"

Back at his room, he slips from the ladder--hitting his head with a very loud bang, against the floor. At first he clasps his head, gritting his teeth and closing his eyes tightly in intense pain. But then he realised this was a good, and painful, opportunity. The young doctor does his best to not show the slightest sign of pain on his face, his head throbbing the whole time. Looking in the mirror, he checks what would become a large purple bruise, as well as an egg-sized bump... He rubs medical ointment onto it, bandaging it appropriately. The wound throbbing all the time, he manages to keep a straight face. After all, if he hadn't learn to, he would've been dead a long time ago...
Having finished his painful little challenge, Ryder picks up another of his medical books and gets to bed. Anatomy and Biology, he sighed, looks like nightmares about Reavers again tonight...
((Can I roleplay my own Traumatic Flashes when they occur?))

[ancalimohtar]

Conners, yeah, you can have your character experience traumatic flashes when appropriate.

[Conners]

((So, if I purposely decide to have one at an inappropriate time I'd get plot points? Also, what was wrong with my other role plays?))

((Note: This nightmare is rather scary and horrorish.))
It all starts with blackness, indifferent from that of closing your eyes. Then, a strange light-purple ogre begins to dance... Ryder said hello to it, barely noticing he was now a rough crayon drawing. The ogre ignores him, suddenly dancing more roughly. Dust is kicked up from the dance, choking Ryder. He tries to make the ogre stop, pulling at its large arms, but it just keeps dancing. So, Ryder decided to walk away, but the ogre danced after him. Choking almost to death, Ryder suddenly finds a giant rifle in his hands, and shoots the ogre with it. It explodes, not with crayon, but blood--red, thick, sticky, foul-smelling blood... He was drenched in it, no longer a children's drawing and suddenly a proper human-3d. "Reaver! Reaver!" he heard being shouted. Rim-world police -- only much larger, tougher and better armoured than they normally were -- suddenly appeared, carrying two large guns each. They aimed there guns at Ryder, intending to shoot. Ryder tried to explain, but the blood tried to crawl into his mouth whenever he opened it. Bang! The police had not been aiming at him, however... they were aiming at a 10 foot reaver, a few feet behind him. The police screamed and ran, losing their armour and getting smaller, thinner, and pale. Ryder tried to run as well, but the blood was sticking him to the floor... The reavers came toward him, oozing blood and mutilated bodies. Struggling against the now rock-hard blood, Ryder brought out his ogre killing gun, but couldn't bring the barrel high enough to aim! The reaver put its hand, its cold, bony, blood-stained and self-mutilated hand, onto his face, increasing its grip so that it could rip Ryder--mutilate him... Ryder shot the gun in a panic, breaking the rock-blood and letting him bring the rifle up. He shot it at the reaver, pushing it back and making it explode with its previous victims. More reavers came, running, crawling, jumping. Ryder kept shooting, shooting shooting--"AHHHAAAHHHHHHGGGHHHAAAHHHH!!!!" Ryder screams, pulling his rifle up from the side of the bed and aiming it.
He sees a figure at the end of his bed. He throws the gun-barrel to point straight at it, and pulls the trigger to blast it to bit... but the safety was on. The figure was just the model human-skeleton he looked at occasionally... For a few seconds, he sits there, still too scared to put the gun away.

[ancalimohtar]

Conners, we have a bit of a problem here.

There is no "requirement" for plot points. I give out plot points for many different circumstances. So far, it's been for well-written roleplaying posts. I don't think people should expect to receive plot points for any particular post they make, like you seem to have. I'm not in the habit of giving out points every time someone makes a long post.

Your bit about treating gunshot wounds was nice. I just didn't think I ought to give plot points for it. It was literally just a bunch of medical text you copied from wikipedia or some other site; more importantly, it doesn't really characterize Ryder at all. I just didn't feel anything when I read it.

The bigger issue, I think, is the way you're approaching this game. It seems you are treating this roleplaying game as a board game. You are trying to "win" it. You've remarked multiple times that you want to get to shooting and killing stuff, both in and out of character. You've asked for PPs multiple times now. You just asked me if giving your character a nightmare at a tough time will earn you PPs. You had Ryder "convince Jin, if necessary," to give Ryder the nicer room earlier. I know you're used to D&D, which is about breaking into other people's homes, killing them, and taking their money, (which I enjoy immensely when I want that kind of game), but this is not D&D.

In the same vein, I think Ryder is going to insult a lot of people if he keeps doing/saying what he has been. Whenever Ryder talks, you always describe him speaking "nicely," or "pleasantly," or "politely"; he's always "enthusiastic" or "cheerful" or something similar. I know he's Sweet And Cheerful, per his trait, but 1) you overdo it way too much, and 2) that's not going to cover you when you're inappropriate. Example:

"Yeah, I'm sure we'll find him soon enough," Ryder agrees heartily, "so what jobs do we have until then? I'd like something with some action." He grins widely as he opens his sleeve a bit, revealing a well-balanced pistol. "Should I leave my weapons anywhere in particular when I'm not going out," he asked politely, "or should I do with them as I like?"
After his answer, he looks over to Annalise. "Can you fight too?" he asks her curiously. "Everyone on this ship looks like they know how to point a gun."

First of all, people are eating. This is dinner. Why would you grin and pull out a gun? It's just not dinner conversation, even among hardy folk on the Rim. Saying that you ask the question "politely" doesn't really excuse the fact that it's not polite at all. The next question to Annalise is also rather inappropriate. Would someone really ask that question like that?

Finally, I didn't comment on your writing style before, but I do think it's getting to be problematic. Take your last post for example. It switches between the present and past tense dozens of times, sometimes mid-sentence. There are no paragraphs, it's just a walloftext. You used "indifferent" as if it meant "not different." What does "a proper human-3d" mean? How can Ryder "barely notice" the ogre is made up of rough crayon lines, when the ogre exists only to him? How exactly does a reaver ooze mutilated bodies through its piercings? Does Ryder throw the gun or point it at the skeleton?

I think the real issue is that you're not used to writing. Which can be improved on if you work at it.

Anyway, PPs given for roleplaying are not going to account for most of the PPs given. This is just the beginning. I'm just giving some points to people for setting up their character's personalities. Just make Ryder believable and realistic, not a saccharine bag of grins. And write for the good of the game, not just for your character.

[Conners]

Conners, we have a bit of a problem here.

There is no "requirement" for plot points. I give out plot points for many different circumstances. So far, it's been for well-written roleplaying posts. I don't think people should expect to receive plot points for any particular post they make, like you seem to have. I'm not in the habit of giving out points every time someone makes a long post.

Your bit about treating gunshot wounds was nice. I just didn't think I ought to give plot points for it. It was literally just a bunch of medical text you copied from wikipedia or some other site; more importantly, it doesn't really characterize Ryder at all. I just didn't feel anything when I read it.

((Only the bit I put down as a quote, and that was just there as some background information - I said not to read it unless interested. With the rest, I was too tired to think up how to make it sound more interesting, plus I've never treated a gunshot injury before... I probably should have gone into a memory of the actual treatment, so I could've described the patient's pained reactions, and how everything had to be fast and accurate. I was tired, however.))

The bigger issue, I think, is the way you're approaching this game. It seems you are treating this roleplaying game as a board game. You are trying to "win" it.
You've remarked multiple times that you want to get to shooting and killing stuff, both in and out of character. You've asked for PPs multiple times now. You just asked me if giving your character a nightmare at a tough time will earn you PPs.

((Not exactly. Everyone is getting PPs ahead of me, so it makes sense that I'd be concerned about catching up. I was wanting to get another medical skill for the crew.
Ryder comes from a planet constantly under attack by reavers, he's a little trigger happy from the experience. I wasn't "asking for PPs", I was asking about the reasons behind plot points being given out.))

You had Ryder "convince Jin, if necessary," to give Ryder the nicer room earlier.

((What? I'm sorry, I didn't realise the nicer room got me a +2 comfort bonus to sleeping checks. Ryder did it because he wanted the nicer room... Ryder is an opportunist--an amount of the reason he became a doctor was that it was well paid...))

In the same vein, I think Ryder is going to insult a lot of people if he keeps doing/saying what he has been. Whenever Ryder talks, you always describe him speaking "nicely," or "pleasantly," or "politely"; he's always "enthusiastic" or "cheerful" or something similar. I know he's Sweet And Cheerful, per his trait, but 1) you overdo it way too much, and 2) that's not going to cover you when you're inappropriate.
Example:
First of all, people are eating. This is dinner. Why would you grin and pull out a gun? It's just not dinner conversation, even among hardy folk on the Rim. Saying that you ask the question "politely" doesn't really excuse the fact that it's not polite at all. The next question to Annalise is also rather inappropriate. Would someone really ask that question like that?

((Ryder is similar to someone I once knew who seemed as nice as anything, but ended up stealing from us--Ryder being without the stealing part, though. Ryder always tries to be incredibly charming--that's how he managed to get himself into such a good academy without coming from a wealthy family. Sometimes cultural differences trip him up, however, and he may inadvertently insult someone.
He comes from a reaver attacked planet, guns are pretty much everywhere around you... EVERYONE knows how to use a gun there. He didn't mean to be rude though.))

Finally, I didn't comment on your writing style before, but I do think it's getting to be problematic. Take your last post for example. It switches between the present and past tense dozens of times, sometimes mid-sentence. There are no paragraphs, it's just a walloftext.
You used "indifferent" as if it meant "not different." What does "a proper human-3d" mean? How can Ryder "barely notice" the ogre is made up of rough crayon lines, when the ogre exists only to him? How exactly does a reaver ooze mutilated bodies through its piercings? Does Ryder throw the gun or point it at the skeleton?

I think the real issue is that you're not used to writing. Which can be improved on if you work at it.

((Unfortunately I do have a habit of changing tenses. However, I purposely intended the dream to be in the past tense to be strange, and also because it reflects his past. I was too tired to work out paragraphs, and I thought it'd give the idea that it was all meshed together.

About "a proper human-3d" - Oops, I missed that. I meant he became a normal human again.

Haven't you had bad dreams before?--things are warped, where you're afraid of things you wouldn't be when you're awake, do things you wouldn't, think differently. It's a dream, how CAN'T it? I've had dreams 100 times weirder than that. OK, maybe I didn't describe the skeleton thing so well.

I'm afraid that I'm not used to writing when you're allowed to describe very little... having to ask "can I do this?" "is this like that?" "do I succeed in doing this?" before I can roleplay anything.))

Anyway, PPs given for roleplaying are not going to account for most of the PPs given. This is just the beginning. I'm just giving some points to people for setting up their character's personalities. Just make Ryder believable and realistic, not a saccharine bag of grins. And write for the good of the game, not just for your character.

((Oh, I thought I'd have to get an awful lot of PPs through role-playing to get any advancement, due to the heavy cost for improvements. I didn't realise most PPs would be given out for other things. Sorry 'bout that.

As to Ryder's character: A lot of characters in Firefly are a bit larger-than-life (Jayne for example). I'll try to cut down on superfluous descriptions, though, and just assume everyone knows by now that he smiles incessantly.))