You know what to do.

Heck yeah we do.  Fill this one with a crackfic secondary timeline of a story too.  Two games in one!
This message was last edited by the player at 12:44, Mon 06 Nov 2023.

It was a dark and stormy night.  In space.  Somehow.  Meara entered the home, drenched from the storm.

Oh, wait, not that kind of crackfic.

Drenched with ions.  Because it was an ion storm.  Because.... Space.

Brun called from the kitchen, "You're late.  Again.  And don't ionize the rugs.  I just got them clean."

Meara was always ionizing the rugs.  A constant battle.  That Brun lost.  Every.  Time.

"The ions make me feel tingly!"

Brun sighed.  That was her response to everything.

The meatloaf makes me tingly.

Watching holovids makes me tingly.

Sleeping makes me tingly.

What did it mean??  Brun agonized daily over this question.  Was it a good thing?
A bad thing?  Both?  A stroke?  He'd never figured it out, but he had to keep trying.  The Space Kingdome depended on it.  Somehow.

If I wasn't working from home I would have to explain to my coworkers why I just burst out laughing.

I feel victorious....

Does it make you tingly?

Yes.  Oh crap!

Tingle, Tingle, Kooloh-Limpah!

Alternately, my favorite part of Final Fantasy XIV to date.

Water, water, froth and foam!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ldTM27mlc4

Can't watch the video right now but will try later.

Just wanted to note that the above sounds like some dirty Teletubby stuff and I'm confused again....

Tingle is very much supposed to illicit that kind of reaction, yeah.

Y'aaaall XD

Also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tingler

FP for Gwydion!

Yay! Now if only I could transfer some of these over to poor Franz. :P

Franz can get a bunch of hunting compels when Fiona distracts him with a string.  Or a ponytail.  Or she just bends over to work on an engine.

None of these distractions would be intentional.

I wouldn't. You aren't quite on dear ol' Dad's level yet and he got Wrekt so...

To be fair to both dear ol' Dad and Gwydion, trying to parry being eaten by something whose jaws are bigger than you are doesn't work so well.

*takes off helmet*

I am no filthy casual.

I can't believe I actually rolled well.  I was sort of hoping for a -4 because this is what Meara's really bad at doing.

Woman wears her emotions on her sleeve at all times!  Except now, apparently.

It could be that she's overreacting just the proper amount that people expect. "Euryleia moves? Whaaaaaaaaaaat?!"

It would be more the "I was there and already knew this and didn't bring it up and also was the one who brought it up before and then asked MerLN and oh gods why is this coming up NOW" panic setting in.  Which is exactly what it is.

Meara operates on the idea that everyone knows more than she does about most things because it hasn't failed her yet.

It's fine.  Everything's fine.

Try on this noose?  I suppose, though I'm not sure why...  Odd request.

There does seem to be a lot of rope you're giving me with it too...

Quite possibly enough to hang my...  Oh.  I see.

Thank you, Brun, for dashing Meara's hope upon the rocks with a casual smile as if it was just another Tuesday.

She's basically the Alex Norris "oh no" right now.

You are welcome.  Brun will always choose dashing!

Another thought!

Could I try Create Advantage - Respectable Knight?  To represent trying to give no other cause to doubt, to give the impression of someone who has been and can still be trusted?

Expecting to use on a roll to Overcome or "Attack" in a social "conflict" with the stakes being his and Euryleia's freedom?

Conflicts don't always have to be violence, eh?

Absolutely! That feels like a Chivalry roll to me. Go for it!

Done and edited in!

Hot damn, Brun.  That's an amazing roll.

Gonna need it!

Meanwhile, Meara is doing her best not to squeak her disappointment in finding out she might be very, very right with her worst worries.

Aw c'mon...  Do it!

Or is Meara just not wanting to interrupt Aunty Val?

Mostly the latter.

She also doesn't want to be brought into the limelight, as it were.

But at this point, she feels super guilty about the whole thing while also knowing now it needed to be brought up sooner than later.

Meara does not like having to deal with hard decisions with no clearly good outcomes.  Hell, she'll probably take mental stress from this!
This message was last edited by the player at 18:23, Tue 07 Nov 2023.

Nobody tell the poor dear that she's going to inherit a duchy with the population of a small state that's going to be all her responsibility.

And possibly even more if Arthur and Val don't have kids.

We know they're certainly trying!

Hey, Brun is feeling super guilty too!  Twins!

Guilty for not thinking more about it.

Guilty for not reporting.

Guilty for answering and possibly painting a target on Euryleia rather than running off somewhere to live away from all this luddite discrimination that doesn't understand their love!

And hurt that Gwydion and Meara didn't feel comfortable in bringing it up with him first...  Which means, they thought it was possibly real bad....

Guilty for telling Euryleia it's okay to mess with the Old Man now that he realizes the old man is MerLN...

It's okay.  I'll bet Mimi still thinks Sir Brun is cool.

Especially if she got to meet Wigglesworth!

The good news is she didn't have any time to implement her plan.

Oh yes!  WHEW!  Dodged a bullet there.  Man, they'd be really mad if she pranked MerLN.

Amusingly (from an audience perspective), I'll bet the prank would only serve to confirm suspicions.

Ha!  Yeah...  She still could.  Right now would be awesome....  MerLN's nose starts to grow but he doesn't notice...

STATUS:

Meara: Mortified
Euryleia: Giggling madly
Brun: In even deeper trouble
Val & Arthur: Equal parts horrified and amused
Gwydion: Innocently unaware of the situation
MerLN: MerLN

FTFY

I see we typed the same thing in different words!

Perfection.

I appreciate that Meara's showing she's at least feeling bad about how she went about it while admitting she didn't know any better, while Gwydion's like "I do not understand why everyone is so worried, there's no way we've been compromised, she'd have done something by now, nobody just lies in wait like a sleeper agent, waiting to learn as much as they can before performing a sabotage at the most critical juncture!"

I'm so sorry, Venus and Avaluna, but the current heirs to the thrones share one braincell and it's lost in transit.

I think we have all learned some important lessons today...

Yeah.

If we want that polycule, we're gonna have to include some members we weren't thinking about before.

What? We're not including Uncle John and Auntie Val. Gwoss.

You're also excluding MerLN.  r00d.

It's also not a proper royal relationship without ensuring the bloodline is pure!

Give us a handful of generations, we'll make sure the blueblood aspect is literal again.

Incest is best when blue blood is the test?

I think that's how the rhyme goes.  You royals are weird.

No robot grampa please, thank you. XD

You leave the robots alone!

Look at this guy and his demands for a polycule suddenly being exclusionary!

Hey, hey now. Mom and dad kinda, and also grampa. That's why. :P

Once you go bot, you like it a lot.

In reply to Gwydion (msg # 55):
Freud would be disappointed in you.

Also he's a hack, so that's generally a good thing.

In reply to Meara (msg # 57):

As would Oedipus!

Freud wanted to bang his mom, Oedipus was super not okay with it. XD

Technically only not okay with it /later/.

Yeah, Oedipus did it because nobody told him who his bio parents were so he left the ones he wasn't going to murder and/or bang and then went "I shall stab this dude at a crossroads and then bang this MILF.  Oh no, that was my dad and mom!  Oh well, I'll keep banging her."

He says he wasn't okay with it but he never stopped.

Alternatively, we have my personal favorite Greek play, Lysistrata.

Go give that a lookies.  Not for children!
This message was last edited by the player at 23:49, Tue 07 Nov 2023.

#Accurate

Answer cautiously, Brun, for you now face...

The rugged beard.

Brun out here getting the "I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed" speech.

The worst kind of speech you can get from people you respect.

It hurts so much.  Just look what it did to Meara.

She spent a FATE point to not chase a ghost!  Do you know how cool it would have been if she got to chase the ghost?!

In reply to Meara (msg # 61):

Wasn't there something about tearing out his eyes?

In reply to Gwydion (msg # 66):

Oh, probably.  The characters in Greek tragedies tended to be exceptionally dramatic.

He still continued to bang his mom, though.  They had multiple kids.

There's even a sequel play/story about them!

Well, they were married...  What were they supposed to do, Stop??

But you don't understand, DAD!  WE'RE IN LOVE!

*brushes back his emo hair* You wouldn't understand...

Brun: "I was happy.  She was... real."
Meara: *lightbulb moment* "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH, they're fuckin'.  It totally makes sense now."

Everybody else (except MerLN) standing around be all judgey next to their SOs....

XD

Brun!  Use "Sincerity Attack!"

Brun uses "Unstable Delusions"

Dammit Brun...

I think, at an estimate, we have, in a few months, equaled the in character posts from the original Tournament threads!

We're pretty close! If we can keep this rate up we might be able to complete the campaign in a couple of years. That's crazy for PbP--I once had an adventure I ran in about four hours as a demo IRL take 18 months in PbP.

Crazy indeed.  And I took have experienced that same thing with translating tabletop experience to PbP.

PbP is much slower, yeah, but at the same time, you don't have to use 5th dimensional spreadsheets to figure out how to schedule a time a bunch of working adults (often with kids) can get together.

#Truth

Edit to add - I also find that I really enjoy the writing aspect of PbP.  While slower, I find it can more easily make for more interesting stories..
This message was last edited by the player at 16:54, Wed 08 Nov 2023.

Being able to roleplay more effectively is absolutely my favorite thing about PbP. I feel a lot less awkward than when using my voice. And ye, scheduling means sometimes PbP games move faster than in person games simply because people can actually play rather than canceling months of sessions.

Scheduling is the big appeal of PbP, especially when your work schedule can vary from week to week.

Love the writing aspect as well! I don't get awkward RPing at the table. I used to love doing different NPCs when GMing back in the day, but you can definitely write a really satisfying game in PbP.

Oh my god, if I had to use my voice to roleplay as Meara I'd be so awkward and embarrassed.

Stupid autism and ADHD and mrrgrrgrr

Gwydion is surprisingly similar to many of my other characters, so I'd probably be pretty comfy as him, but RPing romance with other humans over voice? Mega awk.

Yeah... There are many characters that I could do in person.

Brun is not one.

Oh, I can channel disaster lesbian energy without issue.  It's everything else.

Like, my natural voice is very clearly male.  I almost exclusively play female characters (I'm nonbinary/agender and nondysphoric).

It's really hard for me to reconcile my voice with how adorable my characters tend to be.

I have seen it done by a dude in my RPG group in college. My first FATE game actually. He could do a perfect high pitched voice he used for a gnome character. It was great, though he claimed doing it for too long at a time gave him a headache.

Yeah, I was having similar problems playing as Linkle in a Zelda game. Clearly masculine voice, but bubbly ditzy energy girl. (Who murders monsters like they kicked her dog.)

As someone who plays a female, minimum-height Lalafell in Final Fantasy XIV (the tiny race we lovingly call potatoes/popotoes), I understand the Fighting Monsters Like They Kicked Her Dog energy.

No ankle is safe!

Potatoes, aaa. XD

I get all that.  I've always favored halflings and such for alot of games, but am personally the physical opposite of halflings in most ways.  I used to play on MUDs and MUSHES too.  The ability to not have your physical self distract from the persona does help.

Time is a factor as to why PbP and text brings me back, but that ability to be "seen" as the character you describe is nothing to scoff at.

I also tend to play shorties.

I'm 6'3".  I'm too tall!  Nothing fits me off the rack!  Shoes are hella expensive and I've got like four choices unless I wanna shell out for custom work!

6' 4" here.  I always assumed I was a size 13 shoe, because that's as big as they seemed to go at most stores.  It was a dream when I found larger options...  Not many, but some.  Then my wife introduced me to shopping at places that offered long and tall size things...  But I'm a very plain person, which tends to be mostly easy to find...  I can see how needing more variety would be so much worse!

My feet are 15EEEE in US sizes.

Beeg feet

You can fit at least TWO curious kittens in each of my shoes!

I'm short compared to you guys. I'm 5' 10". I get you guys on trying to find stuff that fits, second hand at least. I dated a chick that was 6' 0" and she had an awful time finding things that fit a lot of the time. Also, it was really fun dating someone taller. As a straight dude, you're used to always being the taller party in a relationship. Having that reversed is pleasantly fun. Like, "Ha! You're the one that has to do the weird bendy stoop for smootches!" Being as tall as you guys are, you definitely understand.

As is so often the case, I am the teemsy one. 5'8". Itsy and sometimes also bitsy.

Strangely, while I find women of all heights attractive, it's the really short or really tall (as in my height or taller) ones that really get my attention.

Either they fit in my pocket or I have to look up at a giant woman.

I don't know why I'm like this.

Who knows! Everyone has odd things they find attractive.

#Truth

Arthur absolutely got the fistbump.  Meara's not gonna leave a bro hangin'.

Also holy shit Gwydion.  You have rooms for a reason!

I knew they were down bad but gods damn.  I'm impressed you can walk!
This message was last edited by the player at 16:55, Thu 09 Nov 2023.

**JA Will Remember this.**


He knew full well what would happen before he accepted the compel. =P

Meara would be a true fool not to provide the requested fistbump to the King.

She'd do the same for Auntie Val, too.

Also for Brun, Gwydion, Iliza, and Irina.

And the entire crew of the Scathach.

... And Euryleia.  She'd figure out a way to do it!

Eighteen meter tall Euryleia kneels and very very carefully shares a fist bump with Meara.  *Ting*

Meara does have a signet ring, so there would be a *Ting*!

Just a heads up. Very busy day today. I don't want you all hopelessly refreshing.

Why don't you all post up as though you all have received a dinner invitation from the Sovereigns and are getting ready, then I will begin the dinner this evening when I am free.

Jawhol, mein Herr!

Dangit

Sorry.  Got game tone confused.

Yes, Your Highnessness.

She may not think it appropriate to call yet, but she might recall Brun seems to know quite a bit about court fashions.  Venusian noblemen often are, of course.

Just as a possible tie in.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:58, Fri 10 Nov 2023.

Oh, she thought about it, but it hardly seems right to say "I want to make a good impression on you, what should I wear, here is my wardrobe."

It would absolutely be funny, though!

Right??

Though asking Irina and Mrs Moss is also very funny.  Iliza would be a better back up bet in this situation.  Probably.  But without that Venusian style sense.

But the thought was there!

Oh, it was absolutely there, and under most other circumstances, Meara would ask Brun.  And probably request his assistance in getting dressed without thinking about it, too.

She's not Euryleia, so there's no worry about tempting Brun.  She might later realize what she did and tell Euryleia, "He is seriously devoted to you, because there was not a hint of hesitation or impropriety when he did it, nor was there the slightest tinge in his cheeks.  At least, until he muttered something about what you would look like in it."

While he is extremely devoted, I believe there would absolutely be a tinge and a polite turning of the back.  And that Euryleia would be there now too, finding the whole thing very funny and then changing her hologram to try it on and see what happens to Brun.

Right, she would be!  Yeah, Euryleia would have a blast teasing Brun about the whole situation.

Post up. Don't feel trapped by any conversation or thread. I was just trying to set the mood. Take it where you want and have anybody talk to whomever.

Engage Power Couple!  Euryleia!  Use Talent Admiration!  Brun!  Use Humble Servant!

It's super effective...

Euryleia totally would be into other Armours, haha!

I went to look at Irina's profile and noticed one of the image links is broken.  So I went and found the original image elsewhere and saved it to my imgur gallery, as well as a higher resolution version of the one that isn't broken.

Here are links to replace the images so they don't break later:

Broken Link:
https://i.imgur.com/qMmdVgxl.jpg

Functional Link:
https://i.imgur.com/ZRv6W94l.jpg

Replaced the links.

Gwydion, you're up bro!

Shall I kick forward from here and leave Meara's questions tantalizingly unanswered? Seems like a good spot, but I am happy to leave you to continue if you choose.

I can give Euryleia's answer real quick if you like.

Then yes.

I think Brun and Euryleia's goal of showing off that's stes different and probably not an agent of doom were accomplished.

Unless any rolls are needed to sway Arthur and/or Vals opinions positively.

Answered!

Cool. You posted as the Brun profile and I think you meant to use Euryleia, so I swapped that real quick.

Everyone else good to bounce forward?

Dangit!  Thanks

Oh, and so long as he's all cool with the royals now...

Does Euryleia become public knowledge or does the King opt to rule that a secret in some way?

I'm good with bouncing forward.

Gwydion mentioned in Discord he was too, so I will push us along this evening.

Charge!

Oh my god Meara you can't just ask someone how they boink.

I can and I did!

This isn't something Meara can look up herself, after all.  Otherwise she totally would, and likely get an equal amount of exciting misinformation as well as actual<i> facts about it.  Right now she only has her imagination, and as someone who was <i>not a virgin before this game's events started, she's got quite a vivid one.

They can't just walk around in those steward uniforms and not expect a girl to get a bit excited, after all (it was 100% consensual and yes she likely got in trouble for it, but also Irina is still the first one she showed romantic interest in and not just looking for a fun time).

I did not expect to type any of this today but here we are.

Life happens

Or they could help the King!

Yes, either player or even their S.O.s could definitely argue against, Brun.

I figured Meara's mostly middle-of-the-road because she doesn't like picking sides amongst those she cares about, but she also has personal experience on both sides of this issue (the suspicions and the "welp so that got out without damage control").

I don't have enough of a read on Irina to know what she'd try to argue just yet.  Or if she'd try arguing at all unless asked.  This is so far out of her wheelhouse it's in another post code.

Meara, I updated your post with the results.

Yay!  I did a help!

It really does seem like Gwydion is arguing against Meara's point. Meara's "let it out" seems geared towards not causing a panic, while Gwydion's "let it out" seems to be to control a strategic advantage, aka actually keep it a secret or at least a controlled asset, only releasing what is necessary.

Gwydion, I will give you a FP to take the Royals' side on the matter. Regardless of what side you take roll something appropriate to create advantage.

Also, who's talking about dissection?! OMG, Gwydion was the Callisto spy all along!
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:21, Sat 25 Nov 2023.

Gwydion saw that episode of Star Trek!

And ye, I'll take the FP. I think I fundamentally misunderstand Meara's point. The idea was to more or less parrot her from a different perspective. But ye, siding with John seems like the Gwydiest thing to do.

Gwydion, what do you want to call your advantage. Spending the FP, would give you a total of 5, meaning you would make an aspect with two free invokes.

For Brun's Defense, looks like he can slightly beat if I use both boosts.

Before I post up, I wanted to bring up something.  I just don't see Brun going hammer and tongs in on this debate.  Or any disagreement with the King.  At this point.  He owes too much and is not sure himself of the best thing.

So far, the King has suggested that they will tell about Euryleia when the time is right (though Brun wonders if it ever will be).  I feel like he would concede here before either do any lasting consequences.

So, King would get to dictate when the word is shared publicly.  But, would it be possible, as part of the concession, to say Brun would be allowed to inform Captain Smalls, being attached to his house and housing Euryleia?

Absolutely. That's exactly how conceding works. You get taken out, but on your terms and the other party gets what it wants. So in this case, keeping Euryleia a secret from the general public, but having it be known to House Stjernevold personnel. It fits perfectly.

So it is written!

Or it will be!

As soon as I can written it!

Right!

So I have been thinking of distraction and protection for dark lance ideas.

Here's the first (because it only works if we could have brought it in with us):

"Bright Lance" Sensor Decoys
-The idea came up after the first meeting and Brun has been working, off-camera, with Avaluna Smiths to build decoy drones.  Maybe from old fighters or shuttles.  Brun provided tech support and programming while the were built during the mission to earth.

The Bright Lances are decoys designed to look exactly like Dark Lances, using Brun's sensor ghosts and Holo tech.

Would they have had time to bodge these dragon baits?  If yes, I'll roll Cunning for Brun's dirty tricks programming?

If No, I'll move on to idea two

I say that something like that is absolutely appropriate and could be something that Brun worked on, or at least started the ball rolling on during the three day period where he was completing Euryleia before traveling to Earth. Even if he didn't have time to do the work himself, it is something that could be accomplished by Avaluna's staff once Brun drew up the plans.

So, yes, very appropriate. Roll away!

Hope that attempt makes sense!  I actually agree with the dice here.  What gives him the right to order around knights beyond his lance?

Also, just to be clear, in my head there are two waves of Avaluna knights.  The first attack/distraction wave.  The second as reserve and defense for when the dark lances announce themselves.

Does that fit?

That fits perfectly. Spending the FP would let you tie to get a boost.

Are you good with the Host spending that boost to try to get the Dragon into position?

That's exactly what it was for.  To support the Host.  Go for it!

I was content to spend a FP to give someone else a +2

Updated my total

Oooooh!  Is it possible to take stress for other people?  Say, taking mental stress via War is BULLSHIT Shattered Innocence to reduce the stress the host just took?  For story purposes, I mean.  As in "oh look there's more survivors but Meara's a broken wreck" kind of thing.

There's no way to use that and have positive results all around, after all.  That's the whole point of it being a Trouble.

Or would that just be compelling it to get a FATE point and take mental stress/mental condition because of it?  Either works for me!

I was expecting casualties but I wasn't expecting the host to basically be wiped out before we even got to fire.

First, you don't need to spend a FP to use the Target Lock boost. It just gets used up. So either get a FP back and be at 3. Or remain at 2 left and invoke something else for another +2 to bring you to 12 total result.

As for the host, it's not wiped out as in everyone is dead, mostly in the sense that it has absolutely lost combat effectiveness. There are definitely casualties, but mostly it's scattered and ineffective. Don't miss.

Generally it's not possible to take other's stress without a stunt, aspect, or setting up an appropriate advantage. Given the way we have abstracted everything for this scene, I don't think it's necessarily appropriate for Meara to be absorbing stress for the decoy party, but I am fine with her compelling her trouble for FPs. I will say, given the circumstances, she can have a FP for each two stress-hit she willingly takes, but she had to decide now. How much angst is she willing to channel at the beast?

Updated my post!  I spent a FATE point to invoke Synchronized Targeting Data and leave the free invoke for Gwydion.

I'm also taking two Two Stress mental hits, so that fills my third box, right?

I seem to remember we went through and decided instead of having the boxes like that, though, we just went "you have X amount of boxes" but my sheet doesn't seem to have been updated like that.

I'm sure I'd understand this better if I hadn't spent so many FATE points and good lucky rolls evading stress to avoid this mechanic like the plague.

I'm on it. o7



It depends on whether you're to treat it as two separate incidents of stress that you resolve individually, or one big four stress hit. If it's four stress, you could fill your first and third boxes. If it's two individual hits, you can fill your second and third boxes, or more economically your second box and Mild Consequence slot.



That was for FC, so here we're using normal Stress boxes.



The idea is to not die! XD

I took the second box stress hit and a "mild" consequence of "Fear of Loss."

Shopping's only gonna get rid of the stress box later!  That consequence is gonna take therapy.

Meara, Gwydion, which part of the Dragon are each of you targeting and in what order do you want to shut down the systems of that part?

Going for the Legs with Armored Underbelly being highest priority, followed by Reinforced Skeleton.  If I do enough to get past that entire section, then the next system to target is Vast Wingspan.  Get rid of its ability to take hits and evade them!

After your edit, things should be as follows.

It rolled a 0, +4 Zeal, Going to spend FPs on Legendary Monster, Gargantuan Size, and Armourbane (+6), it'll take it's free invoke of Meara's consequence to say the fear caused her to hesitate slightly (+2). 4+ 6+ 2 = 12 Total: 12 vs. her 20. Eight left. It'll take a hit on its three box, meaning five left over. It'll absorb six by shutting down 2 systems. Meara chooses Armoured Underbelly. It chooses its Superstructure pylon.

That all look right?

Looks good to me!  That means Gwydion's is gonna be even harder hitting!

I've edited the target into my post: Head, and the post has preferred system shutdown order.

It rolled a 1, +4 Zeal, Going to spend FPs on Legendary Monster, Gargantuan Size, and Armourbane (+6). 1 + 4 + 6 = 11 Total: 11 vs. 33 (29+4). 22 left. It'll take a hit on its three box, meaning 19 left over. It'll absorb six by shutting down 2 systems. Meara chooses Armoured Underbelly. It chooses its Superstructure pylon. 13 left. Even at an Extreme Consequence of [-8], there's still 5 stress left. So we'll say the head explodes. That whole section is gone.

But the rest is still running wild somehow!

Smart move going for the head. Much harder for it to retaliate now.

Extreme Consequence: "Head No Longer Exists"

I've had characters for whom this would be a Mild Consequence.  Possibly a Created Advantage with Free Invokes.

Amusingly, so have I.

She regularly got a critical hit with a one-hit kill against her opponent after literally losing her head in combat.

It was hilarious.

Then the party had to help her fix it and reconnect it to her body.

Playing a clockwork girl was fun.

Ha!

Gwydion are you sure you really want to fire the Dark Lance at the Legs when Brun/Euryleia are there? Remember the whole collateral damage bit? The lance doesn't even have to hit them to cause collateral damage. The sheer kinetic force is /extreme/.

Do I need to make a roll to verify it's going to self destruct?  Or if that destruct can be stopped?

In making either roll, will I still have time to run away and/or signal others to do the same?

You can make a Smithy Overcome vs. 3, which will tell you both things.

Yes, the roll won't stop you from taking other actions.

Smithy Total +7.  May Brun also guess at size of detonation and how many would he caught in today sphere?

10:20, Today: Brun rolled 2 using 4 Fudge dice with rolls of 1, -1, 1, 1.  Overcome - Smithy +5.

Feel free to post your scan IC. I will reply with the results there. >=)

It's healing?!

Hax!  I call hax!

Trying to establish in-game justification for some crazy last-ditch effort. Brun gathering data to find something to go after to disrupt or finish it. Like...

-Brun determines how to hack or jam the Dragon.  Healing process at the very least.

Or, more spectacularly and possibly suicidal, Brun and Euryleia hacking their way into a wound and down to the core while it repairs around them.


As a side note, in my head, the Dark Lances couldn't fire again without more build up.  More reasonably, we should have just stayed back and shot it to death.  But I got into the spirit of sword swinging knights and charged....

Also, it really does feel, story-wise, like a sacrifice to slay the dragon is justified.

Brun and Euryleia are right there....  I'm perfectly willing for them to be that if it seems best story wise?

Makes sense.


Mine too. There's a reason I stouted up the Dragon's defenses and made the DLs require FP expenditure. I wanted them to be big meaningful shots, not spammable. Long charge time. Devastating power.



Does it, now? >=)

What would that accomplish, I wonder?

Who would make the play? Would the beast even die or simply claim another noble victim?

Brun and Euryleia would.  By digging down to the core of the beast from the inside.

And yeah, it's a story plot point offer.  Exchanging Brun/Euryleia to end the Dragon as part of a cool story arc.

That's literally what I was saying!  :)

We don't have to!  Just making the offer of that for collaborative story purposes!

Of course, there's also various ways for Brun and/or Euryleia to survive it....

Brun was exposed to high levels of "chroniton" radiation and the energy released by Ember Rend's reacts with it, throwing them somewhen.

OR

The last bit of the repair field gets absorbed by Euryleia, allowing her miraculous survival and a new ability....

OR

More crackfic-ally, Euryleia's impossible program overtakes the dying Ember Rend's core.  Now she's part cyberdragon!  RAR!

Oh, I know what you meant. I was being completely rhetorical. =P

You're right that I have tried to build this up as a pivotal story moment for...reasons.

I hope that the clues I have planted along the way pay off. I am not saying that there is a right or wrong way to resolve this, just that I have carefully seeded a few things along the way that should support whichever way this turns out. TLDR, planning while avoiding railroading is hard. Sometimes you have to cheat by setting up for multiple outcomes.

Well, just be aware, that I may have seen clues but probably have not connected anything together.  You may have to highlight if you have something! :)

But if my idea works for everybody, we can just do that with the understanding that Ember-rend dies too.  I ain't no king.  No free sacrifice.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:24, Tue 12 Dec 2023.

I mean, Brun's the only one left with FATE points, so if you wanna burn 'em for a "we die together" moment, I'm not gonna say no.

Hey, Meara can get more FATE points by taking more mental stress from watching Brun die!

Just invoke that trouble until she's an empty shell Thankfully she'll have friends to mourn with.  And yeah, we've got enough space magic sci-fi excuses for a possible survival from both Brun and Euryleia.  Don't even need a body for Brun!

Another possibility is Euryleia's core survives again, and thanks to Neuro-helms and a quirk in Euryleia's existence, they both now share the core.  So we'd be able to plug them into something and have Brun basically control a drone projector to interact with everyone "normally" while using other assembly and machining systems to rebuild Euryleia again.  Sci-fi equivalent of a suit of armor possessed by a very determined and stubborn knight's spirit.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:11, Tue 12 Dec 2023.

I love reading you guys plotting. It's so good.

Ooooh... I dig it.....

The only drawback to the "fully digitized" Brun is the booty will only be a projection (also hugs will be difficult).

Upside, he can directly connect with MerGN-A and she'll see the booty in perfect code.  Also, being "one" with Euryleia means they can totally be having cybersex and nobody would know.

There are no downsides to this plan.

Well, that settles that.

Unless Gwydion has an idea?  But I called sacrifice first!

Meara and Gwydion don't get to sacrifice themselves because their lovers aren't there do to it with them.

You bet your bippy that Meara will help fund the funerals for everyone lost, especially Brun and Euryleia.  Mother you don't get to be angry about it this time, because you'll be getting massive reputation points for this happening.

Also, Brun's family now, and you don't turn your back on family.  Just ask Captain Smalls!

Oh no!  Poor Thames....

EDIT: They find the core/miraculously survived Euryleia and/or Brun while searching the battlefield!
This message was last edited by the player at 18:42, Tue 12 Dec 2023.

How big is the core, anyway?

It's about.... Um...

The size the plot requires I think....

In reply to Meara (msg # 180):

Compared to people? Big. Compared to giant robot? Not all that big. Medium-sized car-ish size.

Good to know!

I was thinking, "Would it be possible to be carried gently by a person?  I should ask before I try to describe Meara doing that."

Brunhildr can carry it gently, but Meara sure can't!

So Brun will create the Open the Wounds advantage with one free invoke.

Brun, are you okay with G using that free invoke like he mentioned in his post?

Let us know and I will post up IC.

"Meara!  You have to fire the Dark Lance!  It's the only way!"
"Would you PLEASE get out of the way first?!  I'm not telling my aunt that I blew up both of you because you were too stubborn to dodge!"

Yes!  The intent was to make an opening!

See, and here I was thinking Ember-Rend was a few hundred feet tall and the core would be like 30 feet in diameter. Wait, we're in sci-fi.

I was thinking Ember-Rend would be about a hundred meters tall and the core would be like ten meters in diameter.

Ember-Rend is shockingly huge, yes.

I thought Meara was referring to Euryleia's Neurocore which is what I was giving sizes for.

Oh sure, the Dragons core.

She meant Euryleia/Brun's core after the sacrifice you possibly stole!

OH! That makes a lot of sense, yeah.

Meara!  Self Compel!  Unfortunate Reputation maybe?  As she is sometimes rebellious by nature?  Heir to a Duchy as she stands up for what she believes is right?

It's gonna cause trouble, so....

Meara, 1 does fail. You could succeed at a cost if you want. Shut down one of Brunhildr's systems in order to get your invoke. Say she's using the armour's reactor to juice up the capacitor faster than it normally recharges.

Brun is right offer up some pain and get those Fate Points. This is a desperate time. What price victory?!

Gwydion, I accept your two compels on the grounds that you are seen disobeying the Queen AND you pointedly don't rebutt what L4-NC3-L07 is saying. Given Gwydion's well-known tendency to fight over way less egregious insults, people are going to thing you agree with him. You good with that?

In reply to MerLN (msg # 192):

Oh they are super allowed to think that right up until the fight ends. We are gonna Have Words.

But also I got the impression he was cut off because he died in a fireball of some sort.

Nope, L's still there. He just got drowned out because the Dragon is broadcasting a horrible terrifying roar to all in range.



As for the compel, it's gotta have consequences somehow. You can't have the FP if it isn't actually going to bite you in the ass on some level. People having a bad impression for five minutes while fighting for their lives isn't really going to hurt Gwydion. If you don't want that lasting impression, offer a viable alternative.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:13, Wed 13 Dec 2023.

In reply to MerLN (msg # 194):

Hm. Well, it could be a chance for people to lose faith in Gwydion's ability to work for the greater good and instead focus on his own self-interest. In this case that would be displayed as his continuing to fight the thing out of revenge rather than listening to the Queen and regrouping to kill it.

Ignoring the wise talking to you isn't good for a King-To-Be.

In reply to MerLN (msg # 192):

I'll succeed at a cost and shut down the Reflex Enhancers.

Okay.  I'm gonna do it.  I'll write it.  The Open the Wounds aspect is still there, so there's still a way in.  I see Brun/Euryleia cutting their way through the healing internals to get to the repair system, knock it out, and fo hella damage inside.  They will also have activated a direct link beacon to at least Meara so she and Gwydion know exactly where to put those lances to finish (and the beacon would also make it clear Brun/Euryleia weren't able to come back out.). In story, this was also clearly the best most sure solution.

I just don't feel like this moment should be up to dice.  I'll drop all my FP anyhow, compel most every aspect I can for any extras, and arguably there would be extras for shutting down systems as they went to boost it.

I just ask that the dragon does end at that point.  Cuz I'll be very sad if the noble sacrifice gets turned into a foolish act, y'know?

If that's not an okay deal, we can still dice it up but without giving up Brun/Euryleia.  It's a good story moment!

Sure, that covers the Young Prince of Avaluna. That one made sense already. Happy to give you that one.

I was more concerned with Louder Than Words. That's the one I don't think there was enough of a negative on. Leaving Brun to get the big honking gun makes sense in this situation. You aren't flat-out abandoning him. You're just making a tactical decision. That's not really FP worthy itself. I made a suggestion on how to make it FP worthy. You didn't really seem to like that suggestion, so give me a good alternative.



I figured. Good choice. It's going to get very overloaded though. Might go on the fritz during the rest of the scene. =P

I am down with Brun making the Sacrifice to 100% perma-annihilate Ember-Rend IF the other two players are okay with it and IF I can make a small stipulation about how Brun is taken out, for story reasons.

Sure! I'm all for Reasons!

I'll just wait on Meara and Gwydion to agree to this idea.  Especially since they have to shoot lances at Brun/Euryleia!

Go big or go home!
This message was last edited by the player at 15:13, Wed 13 Dec 2023.

I'm also okay with it!  Brun is your character, and it's suitably dramatic.

This is also the first system Brunhildr has had to shut down this entire game.  It's about time!

Hm. On thinking after sleep, I'll take your suggested consequences.

What about my question!?

*Hand hovers over Post Message button on main thread*

C'mon!  Meara needs to be 2-0 vs Brun!

*dies.....laughing*

I couldn't not make the joke!

At least, OOC.

Meara might use it as black humor to cope later.

I dun wanna. ;_;

But it is thematically appropriate. I give my very sad okay.

I enjoyed writing it and was sad.  Writing is weird sometimes!

Also, I'll Compel Armour Is Powered by Trauma for Meara and Gwydion, if that's cool.

I'll take the compel but I think that's just how mechs work in space.

Outside of Battletech/MechWarrior, at least.  In there, they work by nuclear reactors and Urbie Grit.

True facts.  Battletech mechs are /weird/.  Everyone knows about Mecha and trauma.

Maybe that's what the heat rating really is though....

Does that means flushing the coolant is taking anxiety meds?

YES.  That does sound right!  Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Also!  Do you guys think Meara and/or Gwydion would need a last message to get the idea of the beacon?  Don't Miss didn't feel very Brun....

Maybe Once More or For the King?

Or not.  I felt like they'd get the idea....

Oh, Meara will understand the beacon meaning "shoot here" loud and clear.

She just won't understand she's targeting Brun and Euryleia until just after she can't abort the firing sequence.

Gotcha.

That's better.  I just couldn't see him sending any explanation, just doing it.

This is very much a time of "act now think later"

Gwydion, Meara, I would like you both to post up taking your shots knowing you are about to kill Brun.

No need for dice. Brun and I agree that if he wants Brun to go out this way, then you guys definitely put an end to Ember-Rend 100%.

Once you guys post, I will handle the fallout.

Edited for clarity.

Got my trauma post up!  Your turn, cousin!

Man, Meara's gonna feel so good that she ever had suspicions before.  Yep.  Not gonna haunt her one bit.

Got it!

Also aaa

Nice Princess Bride reference!

Very fitting.

Oooooh!  That is nice!

Thank ye, it wouldn't leave my head until I put it somewhere. :P

That's how references function for me as well.

I feel like I may have overstepped, but also aaa. So that's where I'm at.

Just thought I'd clarify.  Just in case.

Captain Smalls and the Thames can provide a safe, no judgement space for Gwydion and Meara if you guys think they'd want, need, or realize it was available.  Smuggling trips to the battlefield.  Simple work, simple meals, simple friendship and listening. No pressure.  They don't work for anyone and can't be successfully ordered around too much.
 These guys have had a rough life of loss in the Wreck, they are probably pretty good at helping with grief.

Either way, Thames is watching out for them.  Quieting the worst rumors if they can.  Mostly just cuz they think Brun would have liked it.  Stand between.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:44, Thu 14 Dec 2023.

I cannot read Smalls's post in anything other than Vin Diesel's voice. Full on narration.

Right!?  Glad it comes through.  His voice is in my head...

I thought that was the intention!

It is!  Just glad it comes through!

Also, how awesome is it that our show is doing so well we got VIN DIESEL to sign on for a recurring character spot!?

I just relooked at the character sheets and noted something ironic.

Brun had the aspect "I Will Survive"

Would've been (darkly) hilarious to specifically invoke that during his sacrifice.

If I was letting dice decide, I absolutely would have.  Survive just long enough....

Since we're in the denouement of the arc are there any scenes we want to cover before we enter the closing portions?

Well, I would have liked to cover the weddings, but things have sort of changed.  Those'll definitely happen during the timeskip.

In reply to Meara (msg # 233):

That'll happen post arc, but before the big time skip kind of a 2.5 episode. It's DEFINITELY happening.

Yeah smooches! Give!

I have no other particular scenes desired for Smalls and/or Thames before time slippage.

Also!  If MerLN convinces Smalls in most any small way that it was important to Brun's mission, then he'd go.  So long as MerLN doesn't say it's lethal dangerous.

If so, Smalls will rig a small shuttle and go alone, leaving Thames safe.

So, the plan for Thames is to keep the ship at a distance to observe, but send in a shuttle piloted by Rupert's sister because she wouldn't let him fly it himself.

They are going to, if Bossman agrees, rig the shuttle with some spare sensors they'd stocked for Euryleia to get the best scans they can manage from the shuttle.  It's gonna transmit everything live back to Thames.  Thames will be scanning from the safer distance as well.

Sound good?
This message was last edited by the player at 15:08, Mon 18 Dec 2023.

That's perfect.

I'm sorely tempted to have Meara discover that the Thames is heading out for something, make the reasonable deduction it's Brun and/or Gwydion related, and then show up just before they seal the bulkheads to take off while wearing the jacket and say "what knight?  I'm clearly just another member of the crew" to tag along.

Wigglesworth would be coming along, and so would Irina if she wanted (and let's face it, she probably would).

If/when she learned it was G.R.A.I.L. related, nobody would be able to make her leave.

That sure sounds pretty fitting.

Heck, Captain Smalls doesn't /know/ it's GRAIL related.  Just that it has to do with the Secret Mission.

Meara's crew.  And MerLN didn't say anything about NOT bringing anyone....

Probably hard to sneak Brunhildr onboard though.

Yeah, an armour would definitely attract attention!

I actually figured bringing Brunhildr would be detrimental.

Yes.  Exactly that!

Tooooo much attention and time.

Would Meara prefer to be assigned to Gunnery with Clegg, the former Gehenmis navy gunner?  Or shifting cargo for exercise and stress relief with Adaku?

Irina would be helping a very grateful Kinsey install Armour sensors and various other repair projects for all the new carrier systems he's learning.

It's a work hard, play hard kinda ship.

Meara will happily do whatever is asked of her so long as she can actually do it.  No ship will turn down good laborers, after all.  She'd be quite happy lugging things around and wriggling into difficult to access places for others.

Probably Gunnery then.  They are still learning these systems and Clegg could use someone with weapons experience to help train their gun crews.

Not that it matters, but I like to know fur my head canon!

[Party member join sound effect]
Meara has joined the crew in Typical Meara Fashion.

I can't see Smalls letting the third in line to Venus and/or Avaluna on that shuttle.  Bad Bet wouldn't go for it either because Meara's knightly skills mean nothing on a little cargo shuttle.

BUT

Irina....  Irina has useful skills to offer.  Repairs, computer tech, sensor knowledge.  I'll even bet she's got piloting hours on repair craft or the family yacht. Secretly, she also has knowledge of the GRAIL sitch.

So....  Compel Meara's Heir to More Than A Duchy.

Does she realize that Irina is the better option and that Meara herself would be risking too much??  Or does she attempt to convince Smalls & Bad Bet (who are not easy to convince) to let her risk it anyway...just...because she doesn't want Irina to go without her??

I may have wandered far and we can of course write it out, but wanted to throw it out here first.

I really like that Compel. Smalls, take a FP for suggesting it.

Meara, how do you feel about it?

It's a good compel!  Meara will reluctantly accept the argument that she needs to stay back, but will be fretting the whole time.  It's gonna activate her current mental consequence something fierce.

... She's still sending Wigglesworth with Irina!

Also Meara doesn't have any FATE points until she gets one from the compel so she wouldn't be able to resist anyway.

She will be curling up into a ball with worry, though.  She could only put on a strong front with so much going on because she was with Irina the whole time.

Bonus points if Cap tries to help Meara through it, but it falls flat and she says....

"You're killing me, Smalls.  You're killing me..."

I know it's not a perfect fit but IT'S RIGHT THERE....

I don't think that'll be happening (at least I hope it won't), but if it does, I'll be sure to use the line.

Fair.  Just realized it and couldn't let it go

I fully understand.  If it had popped into my mind, I'd have mentioned it here, too.

Okay, gave an opportunity for everyone on the Thames to have a reunion at your own pace and dropped a bit of a bombshell on Avaluna.

EXCUSE ME
We're supposed to WHAT

We're supposed to WHEN.

Brun, you broke Meara!

Nice.

*Salutes* Happy to be of service.

Hey Bossman, I want to spend that FATE point to Succeed at a Lore Check to theorize if what happened with Brun and Euryleia means it's possible to potentially duplicate and rescue King Arthur.

Also, you know what would be a good compel for Gwydion right now?

I Stand By Iliza.

SECONDED!

This isn't really something you could/would have learned in school. Nor do I think that there is enough evidence to say one way or another whether it is possible. This isn't so much something you could know as much as it is uncharted territory that needs a lot more work/research.

I will definitely say you know enough to know that attempting it would be SUPER dangerous.


Sustained. Gwydion, have a Fate Point!

In reply to Meara (msg # 263):

This is Mad Science, not the normal kind. :P

In reply to Meara (msg # 264):

In reply to Euryleia (msg # 265):

In reply to MerLN (msg # 266):

Aw hecc yeah! Oh, did we undergo a Refresh at any point after Ember-Rend, by the way? It has been weeks or such.

Gotcha.  I forgot that last bit of detail there, which is super important.

Teach me, Iri-sensei!

"Where did you learn theoretical physics, Princess Meara?"

"In bed."

---

As for a refresh, no. We're approaching the end of Arc 2 and the characters are very much still reeling from the fallout of the Ember-Rend, so it makes sense thematically for it to still be the same "session." Refresh will happen soon though!
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:28, Fri 22 Dec 2023.

Okay, cool. Honestly I was wondering how far into Act 3 we already were. :P

"What."
"Where else would I study?  My bed is super comfy!"
"I guess that makes sense."
"Also I love it when Iri talks science when we're having sex."
"I did n-"
"POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT!"
"Princess, plea-"
"Now I just need Liza to teach me statecraft!"
"oh my goddesses please let me end this conversation"

They way things are going, that's not even crackfic. You degenerates. =P

Humans are fascinating.

Look, that's not how Meara's going to actually learn things from them.

She is, however, going to prompt them to talk about their favorite things so she can listen and see how happy they look when they talk about such things.  Meara might even retain something from it!

She'll probably pick up Intrigue next time we get something at +1 to show she's actually been putting in the effort to learn now that, well, that's gonna be her job.  She'd left that to Freyr for so long expecting Freyr to always be there as her support that it genuinely never occurred to her that she'd have to actually do it on her own.

Darn reality getting in the way of a good time!

Meara, did you want to respond in the Thames scene before I push it forward and respond to Gwydion?

I think I'm good for now!  Meara's got some new shit to process on top of the old shit now, so she's mostly going to be bluescreened for a bit.

And she's still missing something to process! :D

But wait....  THERE'S MORE

...And here it comes...

Or is that more of a Create Advantage for Discovering Aspects?  I forget to think of it that way

Not that she'll tell anyone, but Euryleia will continue her analysis until she feels confident that there's nothing more to it than normal, human physiology response.


I feel that she spent....a long time in that other space basically alone with Brun experiencing All Time.  She's....still very worked up, attentive, and protective...

Probably anyone who piques her attention by being...different...

Can't wait to find out if someone was interfering with Meara and Val's correspondence or not.

Nope. She's being scolded for going AWOL and for doing so in a place which has been clearly indicated to cause major issues if she'd been discovered. I figured it was pretty clear Mars was off-limits, officially speaking, given the situation presented in the play thread.

It was why MerLN asked the Thames to follow up on the Grail stuff, since they wouldn't immediately cause a political incident by showing up.

It is true that Aunty Val did not expressly forbid Meara from pursuing Grail leads, but going to Mars she feels should have been an obvious no-no.

To be fair, it was Mars that declared we aren't allowed there, we didn't say we can't go. :P

Oooooh....

Lawyered.

Also, Meara didn't even get into orbit.

I don't think.

Regardless, she technically didn't break any rules, including the ones set out by L4-NC3-L07.

Even with Meara logic I am not sure that conclusion holds up. If someone says, "You aren't welcome at my house." Of course they mean the yard too not just the house itself. Especially when that yard is actively patrolled. =P

Technically correct is still the best kind of correct...

And you KNOW Mars doesn't have good lawyers...

If we're gonna split hairs on that, then the Thames isn't allowed either, what with being House Stjernevold and all.

Boom, lawyered! *drops mic*

Being serious, though, Meara was really riding on the technicality of "I'm not here as a princess or a knight, I'm here as a mere member of the crew."  Which is one of the reasons she left Brunhildr behind.  Super thin defense, but hey, so long as she didn't advertise her presence it would be fine!  She could also justify it as spycraft to Auntie Val.  Another super thin justification!

"If you layer enough of those together it becomes solid!"
"Thaaaaaaaaaaat's not how it works..."

Paper armor was a real thing.  Just keep adding thin arguments, layer by layer

But without the glue of reasonable arguments, Meara won't be able to make the paper armor!

But yeah, as a player I knew Meara was taking a risk with her actions and could only do so much mitigation.  She does (currently) have the vain hope that she could talk with L4-NC3-L07 to at least let civilians travel to and from for trade purposes (she's not so naive as to expect talks to allow nobility to visit Mars without HUGE caveats that'll likely be more trouble than they're worth in both the short and long term without a great deal of actions to back them up, which will absolutely take time).  And it's very much a vain hope, but hope nonetheless.

Personally, I don't see trade being allowed until both sides have a chance to grieve and cool off, and then the negotiators cannot be L4-NC3-L07 and Val directly.  Honestly, Gwydion would be 50/50 as "he's the nephew of the one I cared about" or "I will not be swayed by this blatant attempt to garner my sympathy" with L4-NC3-L07 regardless of when it's attempted.

Meara, however, doesn't care.  She's fine with Mars being sovereign.  All she cares about is cooperation to help the common people.

Which is why she's really bad at politics.

Brun, Euryleia, and Thames can lead the negotiations.  Stjernevold kinda exists on the edge.  Helped to creation by Arthur, but technically never sworn to Avaluna.

-Thames has proven useful as a go-between.  Independent ship under charter to a Edge Knight hero.

-Brun was a martyred knight to save everyone from the dragon, but now is a walking miracle.

-Euryleia is a warrior and can deal with L4-NC3-L07 on a professional level.  Also cheats in diplomacy by reading bio-signs.

I was thinking Stjernevold could start maneuvering as neutral arbitrators, peacekeepers, messengers, etc.  Or something.

Honestly, I think that's the most likely way to make negotiations work.

It shouldn't be hard to convince Meara of that.

Meara, Auntie Val seems different. Make a Mark roll @ +2 due to familiarity.

Here's my attempt!

12:49, Today: Meara rolled -2 using 4 Fudge dice with rolls of 1, -1, -1, -1.  Mark +3 (Familiarity +2) to Read the Queen.
Invoking Heir to a Bit More Than a Duchy Now for a +2
Total of 5

So Aunty Val has always been graceful and measured, but she seems kind of imprecise. Like she's not quite looking at you when she speaks.

I've updated my post!

I'm thinking that's a really good place to close the scene. We're really close to the end of the arc. Do you want to handle what happens with Irina and Iliza on screen? If so, I will let you guys write those scenes.

There's one scene I had in mind for Brun, but I may hold that over until the wedding episode as it might fit better there.

I was considering writing a Euryleia pov scene where she finishes crunching the data and makes the blindness realization.  She then proceeds to research the biological structure of the human eye and the history of ophthalmological intervention.

All while helping Brun deal with the heartache of a bad breakup that happened years ago, but for him it just happened...

Not necessary, but it amused me!

Fir the TV show, ending with the reveal and the hugs is the way better end!
This message was last edited by the player at 01:50, Fri 29 Dec 2023.

If you want to make a post feel free, especially if the others decide on having those conversations on-screen.

Otherwise we will just discuss how it shakes out OOC.

OOC is fine.  Mine is a good after credits scene.

As much as I would like to try and to write the scene where Meara and Irina discuss the fact that their engagement is cancelled and what to do about it, I don't feel I could write that well (I have tried multiple scenarios in my mind and they just didn't work out or hit blocks where I couldn't figure out how to continue them).  Especially since Meara would want Valerie's opinions and suggestions on how to continue their relationship without causing scandal (there's gotta be a way, clearly, but what?)  I'd like to think they have preliminary ideas by the wedding and definitely have it figured out by the timeskip.

I even figured out how all four family lines can still have heirs!

Gwydion x Meara:
 - Son: King of Avaluna
 - Daughter: Queen of Venus
Gwydion x Iliza: Heir of House Gehenmis (the house would be elevated in status from a barony to a duchy and likely rebuilt by the time of inheritance)
Meara x Irina (the tech HAS to be there by now especially considering Venus): Heir of House Chonaill

How do we ensure that they have both a son and a daughter?  Narrative fiat, that's how!  Just have to be sure nobody is named Mordred.  It's a great name, but something tells me it's not the best idea...

Also, I gotta know what breakup just happened for Brun temporally, because Meara never said no.

Well worked out!  We'll get Herald Godwin working on the family trees and paperwork to sort it all out.

It's hardly the weirdest royal line....

As for Brun, he had a whole crazy, sad, traumatic life amongst pirates after being a prince in a tower for most of his life.  Meara met Pleasure Hall Brun.  His first "job"

It is very well worked out, I agree. It's also the exact thing that Queen Valerie wants to avoid because it will be very problematic. Just look at history. Even the history they have left shows just how bad of an idea all that is.

As far as Meara/Irina what are your approaches/thoughts/road blocks?

How do Gwydion and Meara feel? I imagine it has to be weird on some level. Neither of them really put up a fight...

If it helps, Brun and Euryleia may be inadvertently starting a cult....  We could influence Avaluna society to be more okay with new marriage and lineage ideas.  Be cool, my people.  Be groovy and go with your heart.

Meara's been putting aside her feelings for the sake of her aunt, but she's not against the idea so much as upset it means she can't marry Irina.  She does like Gwydion, but has always seen him as a cousin and friend, not someone she might have romantic feelings for.  I see them ending up more as feeling like friends with benefits than an actual romantic couple.  No longing gazes, but more, "hey bestie, wanna make an heir?"  They will absolutely engage in swordplay as a form of foreplay, though.  The bedroom will need a regular contractor for repair.

Also, for the heirs bit, what's also important is birth order.  Meara and Gwydion's kids would be born first, thus being Heir Apparent.  Non-heirs are traditionally made archdukes/dukes and inherit duchies, of which Chonaill already is.  House Gehenmis would 'upgrade' from a Jovian barony to an Avalunan duchy.  There would definitely be space in there for the royal heirs to be well established before the other two children would be conceived, with the additional aspect of them being 'backup' heirs for emergencies (they always seem to want backup heirs as if that wasn't a weird concept already).

It's also not scandalous for royalty to have children with people who aren't their spouse (although that's usually been "not their wife").  In fact, it's been sort of the norm.  They're just generally not mentioned as heirs unless all the mainline heirs have, uh, "accidents."

So, with careful planning, my idea is feasible with minimal fuss (people would complain about the lack of heirs for Chonaill and Gehenmis otherwise so there's really no winning with Noble Politics).

It could also be possible to name Irina as heir to House Chonaill and just have the "father" be a "mystery."  I suspect Meara's dad might find that a delightful idea once Irina has won him over (which shouldn't be hard, we've pretty much decided the man is an absolute delight and probably would have loved gossiping with Arthur).

Just throwing out ideas.  None of them have to come to fruition.

But if we're making a polycule, things will happen.

Looks like Meara's having Gwydion's kids after all, though.  A joke of mine had always been, "Hey Iliza, can I borrow your husband to make an heir?  I'll give him back mostly in tact, promise!"

Oh, the idea is wonderful. I was mostly just lamenting the inevitable civil war storyline that such an idea demands. =P

Plus, so many kids to track. I am but a humble (and incompetent) cripple.

Look, we all know the solution is to name Mimi Heir to Everything, but the nobles would never go along with it.

EDIT: Also, by the time civil war would occur, we'd be done with the story for Brun, Euryleia, Gwydion, and Meara with the G.R.A.I.L. and could just... terraform new kingdoms for the kids.

"Do you want to rule the moon, the skies above Venus, or like... North and South America in their entireties?"
"Can I also have the Pacific Islands?"
"Ask your father."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:25, Fri 29 Dec 2023.

I've read LotR, next he'll say we shouldn't take his simple walking stick!

LIES!  He's trying to trick us with deprecating humor!

Look, the last person who had a walking stick near me has one that is a proper shillelagh made of Irish Blackthorn, so I don't take those from people on account of I don't want to be beaten.  Also it's just rude.

Besides, taking Gandalf's staff really wouldn't stop him anyway.  How would it stop a GM?

True! You can only delay a GM with unexpected chaos!

Free Will, bay-bee!  WWOOOOOOO!

Swordfights are always foreplay, just not necessarily between the ones fighting. :P

Gwydion has an adorable little crush on just about everyone, so would be excited to marry Meara if he hadn't been engaged to Iliza first, and since his cousin is hot as hell (as all nobles are in these universes), making an heir will be a lot of fun. But yeah, their relationship as almost-siblings and best friends will also make romance super weird from an outside perspective, like childish rivals who make out a bunch between betting the other can't climb up that evil robot to stab its optics while it's still shooting.

Between Iliza, Meara, Brun, and Euryleia, Gwydion is going to need to sleep on a saline drip to reconstitute. XD (I figure Irina might not be interested because of boy bits, but Brun is an exception because of free invokes on Dat Booty.)

Infinite free invokes on Dat Booty.

Okay folks, every may add one skill to their pyramid following the normal rules and everyone's refresh goes up by one. You can keep the extra refresh or spend it on a stunt.

Please let me know what you choose.

I've got new stunt for Brun:

Flawless Booty: +2 on any checks to be recognized or otherwise relating to Dat Ass

I'm good with that.

Hey!  I am more than just booty....

Yes yes.  You have many good qualities.  Now, get the special pants.  *Checks calendar* Looks like it's Meara's birthday next, Gwydion's after that...
This message was last edited by the player at 02:42, Wed 03 Jan.

As for Stunts....  For Euryleia:

My Knight - +2 Will when defending Brun or overcoming separation from him (I feel like Brun should replace Beyond Our Limits with a matching stunt, My Lady)

OR

Another stunt highlighting her non-biologic physical toughness/endurance

As for Brun...  Kinda feel like he's a whole different character now...  Thoughts?

Does he have a full sheet still, or is he gonna be built like an extra?

I want to mostly play Euryleia, because I want to highlight their duality by highlighting which if the pair is in the forefront.  Also, Brun's time lost thing is fun, but would be hard in many situations (especially mecha combat).  But he still feels like a main character.  He's in the title sequence!  And want to continue exploring what happens with him and maybe get him back.

Not trying to power game or anything (which seems really hard to do in Fate)

That being said, I think it would be awesome to have a scene with Brun, Irina, and Iliza as the mains saving the day while the Knights battle in the background.

Brun definitely still is a main character in my mind,  even if he's still going through something at the moment. I do think Euryleia having a Brun-themed stunt is appropriate.

I do like the idea of Brun, Iliza, and Irina saving the day. I will work on ideas for it.

Gwydion, on the updated Armour, Ghost Blade should probably have a stipulation on Weapon:2 like Weapon: 2 with Melee attacks.

So I'm clear...

Val's eyes are on the road to mending.  This was Secretly Done at least from general public?

Before the wedding?

Wedding scene next or is folded into timeskip?

I ask a lot of questions....

Oh!  Would Queen Val have any orders, while on Avaluna, regarding just who Euryleia actually is?

Do they go full public??  Yes, Brun was thrown across the temporal barrier and brought back by his Armour.  Oh yes, his Armour is sentient and rebuilt herself at a more human size because she is part G.R.A.I.L now and can do that and so many other things!  But it's FINE.  REALLY.  Don't Panic.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:50, Wed 03 Jan.

Yep.


Yep.


Next. It's going to be it's own Mini-episode.


I find that the best people do.

This is going to be addressed as part of the Weddi-sode, so I don't want to answer too much of it yet. I will ask which Euryleia would prefer though, because Val would be inclined to give Euryleia her preference after her help. ;)