Quinch

@@Blitz Boom {Zhu, Vivid Loss} "I could speak in riddles for days on end, delaying what could be and preventing what should not past, but to what end would such an action take things, other than perhaps to shores were no waves should fall? No, there will be a time for that as there is for most other things, but that time is not now." The statement - statements - were met with a wide-shouldered shrug. "As far as I can tell, you're still speaking in riddles. Which is fine by me, honestly," he added. It was true, riddles were annoying, but at least it wasn't poetry, which usually meandered far and wide to the point where it crossed half the world and, if he was lucky, didn't forget where it was going in the first place. Which was slightly less fine what the fact that it seemed that, after Vivid, this weird - not that that particular trait mattered any in these circumstances - person seemed likewise intent on keeping him from reaching the town, only this time instead of trying to stop him with shadow magic, this one seemed to delay him with word puzzles. Which, truthfully, wasn't really a sign of hostility, but it was one data point away from becoming a pattern. Still, it left him plenty of room to go around it, so that much at least was easy to try. "But, if I'm understanding you correctly, mean that the time isn't now. And until it rolls around, I kind of need to talk to some people about getting to my cesspit of a dimension. Hopefully we can talk later if y-" "Something is coming. Something evil." He stopped, mid-sentence, his brain parsing what he'd just heard. In normal circumstances, it would have gone straight past his ears, down to his brain and he'd be up and moving before Vivid finished. Instead, by the time the penny dropped and he looked towards where she was - a few seconds ago, at least - he realized that she already took off running. "OH COME ON!!" @@SugarfootWillie {Andante} He shot the tan pony a glare, once again made entirely pointless by the opaque visor on his head. "Does this mean 'we should follow her'? Because I'm hearing a 'we should follow her'." And with that, he took off running after Vivid, heavy footsteps thudding against the grass and trailing a stream of muttering about really not wanting to have to anyone else today.

Bioshock's story is nonexistent. The history of Rapture from its start to your arrival is hilariously predictable and even the Would You Kindly reveal is wasted entirely by virtue of it being entirely unconnected. HaHA, all this time you have actually been programmed into doing my bidding! Um, all this time I've been slogging through this game just to see what all the hubbub is about, and turns out this is it? Ych. Also, Fallout 2 is trash. The plot is copypasted from the first one with a find/replace of the macguffin and right out of the gate the dialogue turns into a rousing game of Guess the Pop Culture Reference. There's bigger guns and meaner enemies, and companion NPCs have some personality to them, but that's where the improvements end.

Frontier: First Encounters {i.e. Elite 3}. Despite being buggy as hell in the original, the open space exploration and adventuring, combined with actual {if shortish} story arcs drew me in for weeks. Now, though, it just seems... clumsy.

@everyone too Sorry for not posting much, but I'm feeling a little overwhelmed - too much going on in too many places by too many people. Can someone give me a rundown where we're at right now - what's happening with everyone and where?

Anachronox. Gameplay is very reminiscent of Final Fantasy 7, but the atmosphere switches on a dime from gloomy to intense to hilarious.

@@Blitz Boom [just outside Ponyville] Quinch shrugged at Zhu. "Far as I can tell, you're talking in riddles anyway. Which is fine in and of itself, honestly, but I think I've already wasted enough time by accident, I don't really feel like I need to do it on purpose too. Now, by the sound of it, you and Vivid," he nodded at her, "have some things to discuss. I don't mind waiting, though, if you two need to take your time, since if the past five minutes were anything to judge by, it might be worth sticking together just to keep each other out of trouble."

@@Blitz Boom, [Just outside Ponyville] Quinch shrugged at Zhu.He couldn't make out what exactly he was - assuming it was a he. He also began to assume Vivid was actually a she, rather than an it - given the assemblage of so-called ponies around him, there was a variety of implied gender characteristics, as unreliable a way of guessing as that was. "The way you put it, it would seem that 'they' doesn't include 'you'." He looked up at the little flying horse flying around his head, resisting the impulse to swat it away. "And in my experience, myths are usually based on some form of truth. Accurate or distorted, though, that's more of a chance thing." He turned his head around, trying to track the thing orbiting its head, casting around for a response. What were their expectations? What were the myths? Last thing he needed was to be put on trial for some imaginary - or real - offenses of his species. But so far... a little friendliness, even if it was forced, seemed to work well. "I... guess I am?" he said. "I'm definitely a human, or at least that's what we're called when I'm from. Your humans might not be my humans, so I guess that depends on what a human is to you?" He wasn't sure if that explanation would go over the kid's head, but it was the best one he could think of. Besides, assuming it was young, and not just small, but really, he's never seen anyone past pubescence use the words "hey mister" unironically, there was probably a parent around to explain. And if not, he'd just need to use smaller sentences.

@@Blitz Boom Sorry for the short post, I couldn't think of much to say. Any chance of a more detailed description for Zhu, though?

@@Blitz Boom Quinch surveyed the gathered ponies. They all looked, well, weird. Curved features, no digits - it might explain the technological stagnation, he thought - but none of them had the look of demonic influence like Vivid did. Except the figure in the back. He tilted his head sideways at Vivid as Zhu approached. "I'll have to say, between you and him," he mused, "I'm starting to get the impression that my species is common knowledge."

How to play the vibraphone. Unfortunately, even the used ones are expensive as hell.

Well, I'm interested. I'll be watching this thread.

Oh, whoops! My bad!

@@Seamore Sandwich, just to check, I'm assuming Adante is near Quinch and Vivid? If not, I can fix my post.

@@Blitz Boom @ Quinch smirked under the helmet. Yeah, as segues went that one was... bad. But it was progress and in all honesty, the entire encounter could have gone better. He'd gotten used to testing everything, from things to people and when it came to the latter, he didn't care much about how it made them feel as long as it made at least someone safer. On some level he was aware that emotions mattered despite safety, and it bothered him a little how comfortable he was with the fact that he would probably test some other stranger the same way again. But here and now, he at least seemed safe. He'd listened, patiently, carefully, as Vivid deflated. He chose his words deliberately, playing on its fears and self image, trying to pinpoint what mattered to it and show how its own momentum threatened them and, with a faint feeling of loss, wondered what it would was like to not be so callous. "Sure, why not?" he said, trying to relax his voice in return. The adrenaline was still going and he had to make an effort to slow down, both his mind and his breathing. He thumbed at the approaching ponies. "Although it might be a good idea to talk to the locals first, before they get any...." He paused. "Wrong impressions."

@@Blitz Boom Oh yeah. So, any other thread participants around? {also do you get a notification if I do a mention in a post edit?}

@@Blitz Boom Well, here goes. Quinch's diplomacy tends to be of the wrecking ball type when it comes to subtlety, but at least he's made it clear that the situation they're in is not sustainable. {and magic or no, he can be a force to be reckoned with}

If she could have seen past the mask, Vivid would have seen a grimace flash across Quinch's face as he fought the urge to shoot back. He wasn't the only one, apparently, with the ability to touch a nerve, and being called the H-word was something that never stopped bothering him. He took a breath. He was getting angry, and that was not a good place to be... well, anytime. Vivid was getting in over her head, and he'd never had to talk someone off a ledge before - on the few occasions, he either left it to the professionals or let some cape all to eager to show off their flying skills deal with it. "Okay," he said. "You know what? You have a point. I'm not going to say you're right - not yet - but I didn't trust you, and you probably didn't deserve it." That much was true enough, at least. If Vivid was capable, and definitely willing to use magic as a weapon, it could have done so by now. This cage, threatening though it seemed, was apparently more to keep him contained so Vivid could rationalize its actions to him, find some sort of justification, and if it couldn't, well, things might get messy. "Truth is, I still don't trust you," he continued. "But instead of not trusting your intentions, I doubt your judgement, or at least right now. Not that it helps that I've made a point to push your buttons, and yeah, that one's all on me. But this," he pointed up, making a finger circle at the cage of shadows surrounding them, "Is this really what you want to do every time someone insults you? I mean, hell, what if someone sees you now, what are they going to think? What's the princess going to think? So, the way I see it, you can drop this cage and I'll even go with you if that's what you still want, you can keep it up and I can pound you into the dirt and I really, really don't want to do that, or we keep this back and forth until someone outside runs away screaming. But for whatever it's worth, I am sorry."

@@Blitz Boom Back atcha. He's not being very nice, is he?

@@Blitz Boom Quinch listened patiently to Vivid Loss's rant, occasionally glancing around at the enveloping magic. It seemed... sincere. Heartfelt. Even tormented. "Oh, spare me." Except it was complete BS. "You've accosted me from the moment I arrived here," he continued, glaring at Vivid behind his helmet. "You have all but ordered me to go where you told me to and nowhere else. You say you could have treated me as an invader, but from this end, you've done nothing but! With nearly every sentence you've talked to me as though I'm supposed to prove my innocence from, well, whatever deranged fantasies you've conjured up in your head when I haven't, not once lifted a finger against you." With those last words he lifted up his hand, enveloping his entire forearm in orange lightning, streaks of electricity crawling between his fingers with sickening crackles. "And when I tried to distance myself from you, to try and introduce myself to the same people you have such an insulting lack of faith in that you think they'd run in panic at the sight of anything different, did you actually call out? 'Wait?' 'Stop?' Tell me, is the word 'please' not part of Equestrian language, or is it just reserved for other people?" He shook his hand, dismissing the charge, "No, instead you block my path with barely feet to spare and dark magics in tow, drag me down when I try to get away from you - frankly, if you have a different definition of imprisonment, I would love to hear it," he added, dripping sarcasm. "I didn't call you you a villain. I didn't even call you a monster. But if you're looking for an inconsiderate, suspicious savage with no regards for others' feelings..." He leaned in close, the red polished glass of his helmet's visor reflecting her face in a distorted image. "You are looking in the wrong direction."

@@Blitz Boom Posted at last. Let's expand this little game, shall we?

@@Blitz Boom Quinch took some small comfort from the fact that he at least wasn't alone in feeling annoyed. He got his answer, at least, to either run to the edge of town and walk in calmly if Vivid Loss decided to let him go, or just keep going and see if he could get the attention of someone not hell-bent on keeping him controlled. As the spectral claw grabbed his foot, his first instinct was to put full power into the boot thrusters and see if he could just overpower its grip. The problem there, he quickly realized, was that he might succeed and between the busy street and unpredictable trajectory, the last thing he needed was to go ballistic - literally - on the locals. It would probably be difficult to leave a good first impression on top of somebody's crushed spine. He hated hostage situations. "It know it's a little much to ask, but could you at least not insult my intelligence?" he asked, openly peeved. "You have no intentions of allowing me to do either. I don't know what you're expecting to receive from this princess you're ostensibly taking me to, but it's pretty obvious that - " Annd amplify. "HELP! I'M BEING HELD PRISONER!!" " - you're not an actual authority figure around here.... are you?" He smirked under the helmet. One thing he'd learned while heroing was that people usually didn't expect an attack mid-sentence even though unfortunately, he happened to learn that by being those people. Either way, though, this should get the attention of anyone within a fifty-meter radius and if the natives really were friendly, he figured he was in at least a stable position to introduce himself. Unless it turned out Vivid Loss actually did have influence on the populace. But as bluffs went, it was the best one he had.