Ninjas - Recruitment (Training Started)

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LooksAndSmiles
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Ninjas - Recruitment (Training Started)

Post by LooksAndSmiles » Thu Jul 18, 2013 3:52 pm

EDIT TL; DR: Training has begun! Visit the link to start.

Image
It has been a while...

The great clans of the past, forgotten.

The great clans of the present, ruined.

The great clans of the future... may never come.
The thoughts of the writer wandered. Indeed, in these perilous times, it was hard to find any warrior worth of legends. Honor, cunning, skills, all abandoned on the path for power and glory, only to be substituted by treachery and deceit.

Still, if there is hope left for the ninja traditions, then there must be a clan, or maybe just a group of individuals, who can emerge like firm rocks of the ever clashing tides of chaos.

The writer lit an incense. As the smell of santal filled the room, he took the brush and closed his eyes. A deep inhale, and his wrist began to move slowly, painting elegantly symbols after symbols. When he finished, he just sat there, eyes still closed, letting the strange feelings wash away as a cold breeze in the night stirred up the still air.

The assasin entered silently. There was the old man, sitting with his back towards him, one hand resting on his legs, the other one still holding the brush. Was he asleep? Was this only a trick to lure him into a trap? He moved closer and closer, feet edging forwards firmly but silently, like a cat, hunting down the mouse. He could hear his breathing: slow, rythmical, definitely not asleep but calm like the lake on a summer night. He wrinkled his forhead. Didn't he know? The thought seemed uncanny, and soon forgotten as he began to grin. It went almost too easy...

Blood sprinkled onto the paper. Only a few drops, almost apologizing for the mess, as the body slumped backwards. The assasin cleaned his sword with a piece of smooth silk, put it away, and then picked up the paper. It had only one word:
Kinzentaru

Hello and Welcome everybody!

I hope you don't mind the narrative, I feel it's my stronger part then doing drawings! :D This is the recruitment thread for the game:

:ninja: Ninjas :ninja:

This will be a platform game, much like the very first games of LSN and ECR. The basic art asset is provided by LAYF, and cobbled together by my hands in an attempt to look good... ;)

I am taking five players. It just doesn't feel right to have a lot of you around, small groups of people can act much more efficiently, especially in silent operations. Still, this doesn't mean that this will be the maximum limit! If I can manage to run the game well, it proves to be interesting and people will keep their enthusiasm, I will find a way to hop more people in the fun!

I'm not disclosing much of the rules, as it's not important at this stage, everyone is only interested in how to apply, anyway.

So, how to apply? Post your character name and color. Posting a background story is obligatory! Your character can be a ninja already, or just an apprentince learning ninjutsu in a dojo, or can be a total stranger to martial arts finding himself in a situation he wishes never happened... be creative! The era is about the late medieval, and fictional Japan-like world, no gunpowder weapons, no magic, just handheld weapons and bows. Feel free to be anyone and come from anywhere, this world is not bound to any real places or names anywhere on Earth. :)

I will select the two applicants whose description I liked the most, and roll the other three randomly. You won't know who got in the game by what, so no hard feelings!

I intend to update the game at least once per week. Probably this game will require the most art, hence the slowness. If I can manage to make more, then I will try to update as soon as I can, but that is just an "extra" and not a promise. :)

Apply now!
Official GM Notice - 24 hours Warning

Application closes tomorrow (Monday, 22th) at 22:00, (GMT+1, summer time), which should be about 24 hours from now on.

I will re-read everyone's application, so if someone would like to change theirs, they have time to do so, as the final decision will be made at that point.

As I find the Roleplaying fun, I'm offering the possibility to start or continue to do it in a separate, dedicated thread after the application closes - regardless if the player has gotten into the actual game or left out. Be aware that the preparation of the participating players and initial setup will take priority, which means the RP might have a delay from my part (noone stops you RPing together, though).

People participating in the RP, and those who haven't been chosen take priority of entering the game, in case someone falls out. (Summer vacation, illness, or In-Character reasons like stepping into a trap with blades.)


Time is up. Results at about the 76th reply or so.
Last edited by LooksAndSmiles on Tue Jul 23, 2013 4:19 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Inventing forum games since '10 ...
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WearsHats
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Re: Ninjas - Recruitment

Post by WearsHats » Thu Jul 18, 2013 7:00 pm

Name: Beni Hana
Color: Orange

Background: Beni is a chef. But working for the local shogun is boring. Working in the kitchen is lonely. Recently, the daimyo announced a contest for a new form of entertainment. Beni, cheerful, showy by nature, had an idea. So he enrolled in ninja school in order to learn some new knife skills. For better chopping! If he can combine the skills and acrobatics of a ninja with his talents as a chef, he just might have a chance to put on a show worthy of the daimyo, win the contest, earn fame and glory, and get out of the kitchen.

Edit: Corrected "shogun" to daimyo. Got stuff mixed up in my head. He's not working in the Emperor's palace. Even daimyo might be a little grandiose here, but it'll have to do.

Side note: 5 does seem like the upper end of things. Wouldn't want to fall prey to the inverse ninja law.
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Dlover
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Re: Ninjas - Recruitment

Post by Dlover » Thu Jul 18, 2013 10:04 pm

Name: Anra
Colour: Dark Green #408000

Background: Anra is a violent brute, one who used to enjoy fighting for money, either by defending the honour of those who could not fight, or by winning bets on his strength. Though he lived well as a simple fighter, when he was offered the opportunity to work for a gang of lawbreakers, as what can best be described as a basher, for high pay and great respect, he couldn't pass it by. To advance his standings, he was tasked with becoming a greater warrior, one who does not rely on brute strength.
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Hunters of Letrua; Character list
Also Player / Monster stats, skill lists.

My characters:
Tugs Tails, the goblin that was sort of a trapper and wears a bear's tail at his neck, for some reason - Lair of the Mountain King (Run by Thinks)
Alex Sparo, A city boy, poor of sight, who has learned to manipulate people and make the most of what he, and others, have - Trinity Isles (Run by Mort)
Mehriv Turajin, a Noble Dragonborn Sorcerer sent from his clan because he wasn't dragony enough. - The Wandering Archipelago (Run by Thinks)

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kida
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Re: Ninjas - Recruitment

Post by kida » Thu Jul 18, 2013 10:59 pm

Name: Mutzu
Color: Blue #0000FF

Background:
When he was a child Mutzu wanted to be a guard. He worked for it all his life.
Learning fighting skills until he was appointed to the royal guards of the emperor.
He served as a guard for the emperor for 10 years until the emperor died from old age.
Knowing that tradition dictates that all 1000 royal guards to the emperor dies with him, Mutzu escapes.
After breaking his oath Mutzu need to hide so he turns to the way of the ninja.
He lives his life as a ninja without honor, always hidden or else his enemies will find him.

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Re: Ninjas - Recruitment

Post by Nerre » Fri Jul 19, 2013 12:52 am

Name: Roshi Yasai
Color: Black #000000

Background: Roshi started his ninja training, but then they found out, that although he is not a bad swordsmen and fighter, he is a much more gifted black smith. So he was introduced into the secrets of folding steel and even working with blue steel, which is the sturdiest known to his clan. He is already said to become the next Hatori Hanso. While he is proud about that, he does not let it get to his head. He is very diligent and can get totally bound in his work. But still, he joins the early morning and evening lessons, especially in sword fighting, since he thinks it is a shame if one can craft fine swords but do not know how to use them.
:zzz:

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Re: Ninjas - Recruitment

Post by nikohl » Fri Jul 19, 2013 5:59 am

Sakura
Colour Pinky pink #BF80BF

Sakura is a girl. For most people, that's all they'd need to know. So, most people don't know. She had a twin brother at birth, but the boy died. Her family, more progressive than most, knew that her life as a boy would be much more advantaged than life as a girl, and so they made the decision to tell their village that their daughter died, and raised Sakura as her brother, Ichiro.

"Ichiro" is strong, well muscled, polite, and extremely reserved - if a little short. He is recognised in his village as prime marriage material, drawing attention from many local mothers who are eager to pair their daughters with such an eligible young man. He has successfully maintained his distance, which has only made him more desirable as an honourable and respectful boy. But recently certain...Developments have made it difficult for him to remain in the town of his birth, so he has made his excuses and left "to seek his fortune."

He is undecided on whether to enter a new place as Ichiro the teenage boy, and deal with hiding his body's progress towards inevitable womanhood - or accept who he is, take his birth name of Sakura and try to muddle through as an uncouth, manly young woman with no idea of how to behave and no family to guide him.

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Jibjib
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Re: Ninjas - Recruitment

Post by Jibjib » Fri Jul 19, 2013 7:42 am

Hiro color=#FFBF00

Hiro came to his monastery after Osata, the town where he was raised, was destroyed, along with all his family and friends. He made a vow over their graves to prevent atrocities like this from happening again. Not possessing the skills to track or fight, he set off to find somebody who could teach him what he needed to know. Wandering through a town one late Autumn, he found an inn and settled there for the night, but was awoken by shouting from the floor below. Downstairs, a skinny, masked man, dressed all in black was being shouted at by a large, muscular one, clad in furs, who drew a great broadsword from his back. Hiro didn't see the large man go down, but he did hear the sound of his head hitting the floor.
Instantly, Hiro knew that this would be the man to teach him, so he followed the masked figure out of the inn, and down the road, not stopping to rest for many miles. At last, he saw the man stop by a river and dive in, at which Hiro followed. However, the currents were too strong, and he was pulled under the foamy white waters, his hands flailing helplessly as he gasped for breath, and his eyes dimmed.

He awoke to burning pain in his lungs, and he hacked up water as his eyes adjusted to the darkness.

"That was a really stupid thing to do, son."

The thin man from the bar sat on the end of the bed, looking at him curiously.

"Where did you come from, and why did you follow me?"

"I need your help. My family, my town... they were destroyed by bandits," said Hiro.

"So you're here for what, revenge?"

"No, I'm here... I'm here so no one else ever has to feel like I do."

The thin man smiled. His eyes twinkled, and Hiro could see for the first time, they were pure white with no pupils.

"Yes... Yes, I think I may be able to help you after all."
Psychosis is such an ugly word... I prefer Internalised Reality Warping.

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thinkslogically
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Re: Ninjas - Recruitment

Post by thinkslogically » Fri Jul 19, 2013 7:43 am

Hayato
#008080

Hayato meditates at the top of the temple steps. The view over the forest has always brought him peace, and today the blossom dancing on the morning breeze carries his thoughts to distant times.

"There is a storm coming."
"I know brother."
"And you know the time has come for you to leave us."
"Almost, brother. But not quite yet."
"Do you hear the wind? It is speaking to us today. Whispers of change."
"Kinzentaru."
"It is time for you fly Hayato. Fly fast, strike silently. There is much resting on you."
"So soon... "

With a sigh and a last look over the forest, Hayato stands and bows to the old man at his side.

"Watch over my son while I am gone. If I do not return... tell him I have gone to find his mother."
"Of course."

The old man turns and walks back inside the temple. With another sigh, Hayato picks up his katana, turns away and walks into the forest.

------------------------------

Hayato was a trained ninja of some fame and esteem before he retired to the forest temple shortly after the birth of his son. The reasons why he came to the temple with the new child are known only to him, but the public are not starved for rumours. Some say he fled to keep his child safe from political enemies; that he stole the child in anger when its mother refused to stay with him; others that he murdered the child's mother and escaped justice by fleeing to the forests; still others believe he was simply grief-stricken by the loss of the woman he loved...

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BadgeAddict
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Re: Ninjas - Recruitment

Post by BadgeAddict » Fri Jul 19, 2013 9:47 am

Name: Mesa Stabyu
Color: Red

Frederick crouched there on the peak of the village tower and scanned the area. He had been here for three days now, stuck in this god-forsaken place, ever since his time-machine had zapped away without him on board. "Blast it to hell" he muttered to himself as clouds began to spit big drops of rain, this only made his day even more unbearable. "I'll have to learn to blend in with the natives somehow but still be able to remain unknown." he murmured out-loud to himself. A flash caught the corner of his eye, a black shape flitted across the rooftops of the village below easily jumping from building to building without making a sound. As he tried to remain unmoving so as not to draw attention to himself, an idea formed in the back of his mind. "A ninja has all the qualities that I need, I must become one." he mused aloud.

The black shape that had been swiftly moving across the roof-scape suddenly stopped and looked straight at him. A sharp jolt of fear ran through his body as the shape quickly vaulted in his direction. In a flash the black shape which he could now make out to be a woman covered completely in black clothing faced him, her sword was drawn and pricked threateningly at the base of his neck. "What is your name" she hissed, prodding his neck with the tip of her sword to show she had no problem with offing him if he dared to try anything but answer. Thinking quickly through the information that he had about this time-line, he quickly came up with a name. "Mesa" Frederick said "My name is Mesa Stabyu, but please don't kill me, I wish to be a ninja, let me serve as your apprentice."

A smile flirted at the edges of her lips only to quickly be replaced by the tight thin lips that were there only moments before. "You are in luck Mesa, as my last apprentice just died. I will take you on, but you must do as I say or die." A quick nod from Mesa sealed the deal, and Mesa's journey into the world of the Ninja, had just begun.

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LooksAndSmiles
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Re: Ninjas - Recruitment

Post by LooksAndSmiles » Fri Jul 19, 2013 2:15 pm

Hmm, folks, you are not making this an easy choice. :D

I'll leave the application open for the weekend, hopefully people will have time to decide whether they want to join or not!

I've been listening to Ennio Morricone this afternoon and almost thought I have to make a Western shoot-out game too, but then decided against it. :D If anyone can link me fine japanese or theme-fitting music, I'd appretiate it for getting into the mood.

Also, since I need to practice poses to make this game worth your expectations, here are the first pictures to look at while reading about the Game Lore! WALLS OF TEXT AHEAD, READ ONLY IF YOU HAVE NOTHING BETTER TO DO! :D

Image

Swords (katanas)
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Image

Sickles (kamas and kusarigamas)
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Image

Weapons on chain (nun-chucks, the chain of thousand power, kusarigama)
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Personal Comment 1:
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Personal Comment 2:
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Inventing forum games since '10 ...
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Random dragons I help growing up:ImageImageImageImage And my own dragons are here. The hatched ones like the clicks! :D

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LAYF
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Re: Ninjas - Recruitment

Post by LAYF » Fri Jul 19, 2013 3:04 pm

OOC:
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-Best regards LAYF

nikohl
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Re: Ninjas - Recruitment

Post by nikohl » Fri Jul 19, 2013 3:13 pm

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BadgeAddict
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Re: Ninjas - Recruitment

Post by BadgeAddict » Fri Jul 19, 2013 3:55 pm

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LooksAndSmiles
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Re: Ninjas - Recruitment

Post by LooksAndSmiles » Fri Jul 19, 2013 4:48 pm

@Badge:
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Spoilered and noted RP with the aim not to distract others from application. Disregard these posts at your own leasure! :)

RP posts can be replied to at any convenient time. Maybe I should start a separate thread?

@nikohl (RP stuff)
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Inventing forum games since '10 ...
Skill Table Cheat Sheet for my players in the Minesweepers game.
Random dragons I help growing up:ImageImageImageImage And my own dragons are here. The hatched ones like the clicks! :D

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Wolfie
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Re: Ninjas - Recruitment

Post by Wolfie » Fri Jul 19, 2013 5:39 pm

Rae Tyr
color: Orchid BF4080 Purple 800080

Rae grew up on a rice farm, listening to the tall tales of her grandfather after dinner, as she helped her mother weave mats and blankets to sell at the market for extra coin or food.

After, she would silently follow her father outside to the forest and watch him dance with his sticks. She had watched him for so long that she knew the motions by heart. Each graceful step. Every weaving motion of his arms as he slid through the motions of his dance. He never saw her, except that one time. She'd never forget the fear and anger in his face or the rage in his voice as she ran to cower in her room, on her knees with her head down and silent tears on her face as she awaited the inevitable punishment to come. It never did. Her father never spoke of it, and she knew that he knew she watched, but he'd never seen her doing it again.

From her perch on the large tree branch, she would mimic his movements as well as she could. Silent and, while a bit less graceful than her sire, she was getting better. She had even moved on to wielding her own long stick.

Her perch would be her salvation.

The bandits came like a summer storm, suddenly and with a ferocity that frightened her out of her wits. Frozen in her hideaway, she listened to the screams of her mother and grandfather as they burned in their house, and then she watched as her father tried to fight them off with his sticks. Never had she seen him move so swiftly. Never had she seen such ferocity. Only when the bandits lay in puddles of their own life's blood and her father had slumped to the ground at the base of her tree did Rae descend from her perch.
"Rae"
"Papa!"
"Rae, you must go. You... must." He closed his eyes and labored to breathe, to find the words he needed to say.
"Papa! Get up. You'll be fine. You have to be... "
"Rae!" Startled, she stared at him. "Rae, you must find my pack in the woods. Find it and go. Leave this place. They came for me, Rae. They... came... for... meee"
"Papa?"... "Papa?" ... "oh papa".

She spent her tears while she buried his body under the tree. Over the next two days she searched for his pack in the woods, and after finding it, she chose a direction and began to walk.
"This is my therapy dragon, she's for my panic attacks. I attack, everyone panics." (Quote found on http://outofcontextdnd.tumblr.com/)

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askstoomuch
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Re: Ninjas - Recruitment

Post by askstoomuch » Fri Jul 19, 2013 10:26 pm

Insert background story here for laters
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2020 - Come have a drink

nikohl
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Re: Ninjas - Recruitment

Post by nikohl » Sat Jul 20, 2013 3:42 am

Sakura
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LooksAndSmiles
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Re: Ninjas - Recruitment

Post by LooksAndSmiles » Sat Jul 20, 2013 4:37 am

@Sakura
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Inventing forum games since '10 ...
Skill Table Cheat Sheet for my players in the Minesweepers game.
Random dragons I help growing up:ImageImageImageImage And my own dragons are here. The hatched ones like the clicks! :D

nikohl
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Re: Ninjas - Recruitment

Post by nikohl » Sat Jul 20, 2013 5:41 am

Sakura
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LooksAndSmiles
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Re: Ninjas - Recruitment

Post by LooksAndSmiles » Sat Jul 20, 2013 8:35 am

@Sakura
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Inventing forum games since '10 ...
Skill Table Cheat Sheet for my players in the Minesweepers game.
Random dragons I help growing up:ImageImageImageImage And my own dragons are here. The hatched ones like the clicks! :D

nikohl
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Re: Ninjas - Recruitment

Post by nikohl » Sat Jul 20, 2013 9:44 am

Sakura
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LooksAndSmiles
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Re: Ninjas - Recruitment

Post by LooksAndSmiles » Sat Jul 20, 2013 12:24 pm

@Sakura
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Btw, I hope to start everyone "near" to ninjas. Some of you are just wandering off, and in case you'd like to get to other ninjas too, we could RP it.

Although I'll take only 5 players, I think I will find a way for the others to affect the events (and maybe join later on, too).
Inventing forum games since '10 ...
Skill Table Cheat Sheet for my players in the Minesweepers game.
Random dragons I help growing up:ImageImageImageImage And my own dragons are here. The hatched ones like the clicks! :D

nikohl
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Re: Ninjas - Recruitment

Post by nikohl » Sat Jul 20, 2013 12:35 pm

Sakura
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askstoomuch
Fumbles More Than Fumbles
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Re: Ninjas - Recruitment

Post by askstoomuch » Sat Jul 20, 2013 12:53 pm

wait is the game already starting what are you and nik doing ??

oh and making a half decent bacfround story is hard
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2020 - Come have a drink

nikohl
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Re: Ninjas - Recruitment

Post by nikohl » Sat Jul 20, 2013 1:38 pm

We're just roleplaying because we can, Asks. The game hasn't started, my character might not even be in the game yet because Looks hasn't done the roll - we're just messing around in the setting.

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