Hederik

I need some base, stat. Don't debase me or give me anything basic, just a base! No? Ok, it went away anyway.

@@Redeye The look of eager anticipation slowly died down on Tara's face as the wait lengthened. At one point, her ear began to itch as she caught an echo of a name being spoken despite the din of the crowd in which the sound was drowned. There was no time to react to it at present, however, as her appointed target entered the scene. A smirk crept onto her face as she observed the slow-moving creature stagnate in place in front of her. "I get the first lead, then?" she said calmly, more to herself than the onlookers, though it wasn't exactly a whisper. "Splendid." Deciding upon a tactic to approach her opponent she spun the right blade in her hand. As she stepped a cautious step to the side of the slug, her left hand was free - but when all of a sudden she sprang forwards, a mean-looking, aged machete was held in it above her head. "Let's see if you have anything in Swords!" she shouted gamely, as her weapon bore down on the exposed part of the snail's body, almost exactly where its shell ended.

@ While Calandra spoke, her interlocutor stared at her with all the non-understanding fascination of a deer caught in the headlights. His face remained as it was since first becoming visible to her - not quite emotionless, but somehow... empty, as though its wearer was only partly conscious. Having heard the word, he began repeating 'edgy' in a loud whisper that turned to muttering as he moved to look towards the arena once more. The motion was slow, but deliberate, and there was no sign that it should be considered temporary. But the woman didn't give up... and the last question elicited an immediate answer, delivered in a clearer voice than may have yet been heard from the behemoth. "Alexandr Kazimirovich Sparrow, at you ser-" all of a sudden, he froze at the end of the syllable and slumped a little, gripping the temple of his nose with two fingers, a pained expression crossing his face. A few breaths later, however, he let his hand fall away, as though its only defense against gravity was its attachment to his face. Turning again towards the female, he furrowed his brow, visibly straining his memory. "Ser..." he began again, clearly unsure of what he was supposed to say, then the brows returned to their usual positions as he articulated carefully, "cer-tee-ly, Tara good friend. I'm Alex. You?" the fully-operational corner of his mouth rose in a semblance of a smile, although the expression didn't reach his eyes, which still appeared rather absent.

@ For the longest time, no response came from the mountain of a man, and as he never let his eyes wander away from the young woman awaiting her trial to begin in the arena, it could have been taken for ignoring the speaker equally to the heat she emitted. After a span of time in which any other man would have been able to come up with a carefully-phrased, flowery speech, there came a sound somewhere between a grunt and a snort from the man's throat, after we which he rumbled, "Tara strong," nodding his head ever so slightly and actually turning his head to look at the much shorter girl, but saying nothing more. (Ba dum tsss)

@@Redeye The cards spread in Tara's one hand snapped loudly into her other hand, collapsing and seemingly disappearing as her attention, heretofore loosely focused around the brief fight starring one of the other recruits, was sharply drawn towards the speaker. She moved half a step towards the central arena, then halted after feeling more than seeing her large friend following her. Turning towards him (which required much more of an upwards head movement than it did turning around), she chastised gently, "They only called one name, Alex, didn'tcha listen?" No answer came, as the man's gaze clouded and lost focus, visibly straining his memory to recall the utterance. Shortly thereafter, he replied, "Must be mistake. We always do together." He looked determined, his brows closely knit together. "Not this time," Tara replied, shaking her head and thinking rapidly how to explain the concept of a trial to him. "It's a solo performance, like, uh..." her eyes suddenly lit up, "like a chess game! Relax, we've faced more dangerous beasts than that in our sleep!" she added cheerfully, clapping him on the wrist as she turned away and strode briskly towards the arena, knowing that the delay won't be appreciated... but she could care less. Instead what gnawed on her mind was how to explain to Alex what he'll have to do when his turn comes. Outwardly, however, she kept a cocky grin plastered to her face. "My dreams scary too," she faintly heard a rumbling voice mumble behind her. "Ok, be safe," this came in a louder voice and made a little warmth light up her eyes for a moment. Stopping at the center, she made a theatrical bow towards the podium, flashing her empty hands outwards. When she straightened back up, there was a knife in each of her hands, around a feet long each, handle and all. One of these, held in her left hand, was slightly curved, while the other had a short row of saw-like teeth near its handle. Though she decided to show some respect and skip vocalizing the thought, her smile and stance were clearly saying, 'Bring it on!'.

@@Once In A Blue Moon, It was quite OK the way it was, but the new version will work well too. I'll try to better outline the extent of a typical Valley pony's knowledge, complete with a comparison to what a PC Cadet is aware of... when I find a longer while. I. HATE. HOW THE POSTS. ARE GETTING JOINED WITHOUT A BREAK. Your typical Pony Valley dweller will know: basic living things, like hygiene, cleaning, walking, sports, partying, sleeping, eating, school system, society standards, etiquette, cutie marks. unicorns can use their magic as per usual; pegasi can fly, although they never try to soar so high as to cross the mountain peaks or even see beyond them. There are tales of those who tried and failed, and the popular belief is that pegasi just cannot sustain flight at such high altitude. how to read and write, plus a selection of literature and poetry, however none that deals with history more ancient than the previous generation (so basically nothing more than a grandma could tell you), none that speaks of lands outside the Valley (especially having to do with Equestria). There will likely be a smattering of fairy tales, legends and such, some of them inevitably containing grains of truth about the old world - feel free to experiment with what your character could have read somewhere, but be warned that (prior to the proper Officer training) it will most likely be perceived as tall tales. Things they will not know or understand: when was the Valley colonized, what surrounds it, how long ponies have lived there. winged unicorns or intelligent species other than ponies - while prevailing in legends, these are believed to be make-believe creatures. This would include zebras, dragons, changelings, griffons, minotaurs, etc. what money is and how it functions - indeed, the Valley is a fully operational communist society. Please note, I do not condone or advertise communism in any way by making the Valley so. I heartily invite you to investigate in-character how such a thing is possible and how exactly it works. Bottom line is, everybody works at what they're good at, producing enough for the entire community to be satisfied and expecting nothing in return. Idyllic, dream-like, improbable, but true. some of the more modern technology, like trains, balloons, photo cameras and the like. I don't foresee it being a thing, but am open to discussion anyway - I suppose electricity or whatever its Equestrian substitute is could readily exist in the Pony Valley. while the existence of weapons and their purpose is generally understood, they are something of an abstract idea to the Valley. No sooner than martial school do they learn to wield any of them. I am reluctant to allow any firearms, but as long as they're properly not-overpowered, I might agree. As Cadets, Apprentice Officers nearing graduation, or however you call the state PCs will begin the game in: know that there has indeed been an Equestria, and that it is no more, although how, why and when it disappeared is known to none some of the Equestrian history, from the tales of its foundation as told in Hearthswarming Eve episode, through Celestia and Luna's adventuring years, up to and including the events of Season 1 (the nation-wide important ones, at least). Tales of what has transpired further on, such as Season 2, elements from Season 3 and what non-canon history there happened afterwards may have been hinted at here and there by teachers and/or officers further on with their training, but no solid knowledge of those times can be claimed by any of you. obviously, the PCs will know the extent of weaponry offered to them and be somewhat proficient in wielding at least one. Similarly, wearing and caring for a personal suit of armor is so deeply drilled into their minds it comes as naturally as the weapon handling. there are other tidbits that will be known to all who join, but as they won't influence character creation, I reserve the right to reveal them no sooner than during the RP. importantly, the Cadets realize there actually exists a world beyond the mountains, but had at best caught glimpses of it during the rough training mountain trips. It is said/known to be desolate, hostile and dangerous. above all, the PCs are soldiers. They have military hierarchy and are conditioned to display obedience bordering on mindless. This is not to imply any brainwashing, simply that they're used to being ordered and following said orders without complaint or needless questioning. Well, this should be rather satisfying, but if I left anything unclear or forget to cover an area of knowledge, you need only ask and I'll gladly clarify anything. EDITED AGAIN I should probably point out the level of familiarity between different players' characters. Although Pony Valley has a rather limited populace, it is still probable that not all the ponies know each other personally. An elitist organization like the Officers' School, however, is picky enough that its members will at the very least recognize each other from previous sightings, common meals, morning calls, classes attended, training sessions endured together, etc. In particular, as I intend for all the player characters to share an almost identical level of knowledge, they will be spread over at most two - and preferably one - group of Cadets, and know each other at least by name, likes and dislikes, plus favored fighting style. If someone should like to have their characters closer together, that will also be acceptable (the time for socialization may be limited, but for pony's sake, you are spending entire years together), but the above list is a minimum.

Ah yes, the narrative parts before bossfights. Maybe I just didn't get far enough (I think I managed the second wave of them on the first play-through, but that was so long ago) but from what I recall these are rather well-worded than building suspense. Maybe I'm missing the big picture however, especially since I've never even come near the Darkest Dungeon itself. If it has to be read several times to elicit that feeling, it could most likely use some improving... I'm glad to have caught your interest (again), however. I like it so far. I initially cringed at her even knowing there is a world outside the Valley, especially the part about "potentially one day leaving the valley". The ponies in the valley want nothing to do with outside world when they ever acknowledge it should exist (which is rarely) and they certainly have no insight into what goes on behind the Officers' School's walls. That being said, it was an initial reaction. Considering Cat's area of interest and the fact that martial training would take her beyond what to most is a border of their world, it actually works quite well in a role of dream-like expectation - and her skillset will most definitely prove useful. As far as age is considered, I'd suggest young adult, around the age Mane Six are in the show. Reasons for that include a long training drawing to a close and the fact that for some reason officers beyond certain age, apart from the teachers, are a rare sight in the school. Not that there is anything wrong with pony vitality in general; the Valley has its fair share of seniors. Also, I'm ridiculously pleased at that footnote

Positioned comfortably towards one side of the crowd, a pair stood, silently gazing over their surrounding. The differences between them made them look almost grotesque: a lumbering, square-shouldered giant towering over a lanky, wiry female absently fanning out the cards she held in one hand. Every time, with a single flick of her wrist, she produced a perfectly-spaced arrangement, then easily collapsed it with a second move. "Lookie here," she said with a dry chuckle, pointing her chin towards the stands filled with high-standing officials and bringing the cards she held in hand to eye level. "A king, a queen, a knight and... ugh, two valets. So much for a straight talking to. But at least these are all courts, so we may feel valued," she added, peeling her eyes from the cards and up towards her companion's face, then jabbed a playful elbow into his hips more than ribs, as the second option would require her to jump up. "It's fitting, too, since we're in a courtyard, eh?" she barked a single laugh of entertainment, echoed soon after by a flat, almost emotionless "hahaha" in a deep voice of the huge man. For a while neither of them said anything, again letting their eyes rove over the colorful assortment of other candidates who arrived here alongside them for whatever reasons they might have. The statuesque man hardly moved his head, instead only letting his eyes move slowly, but somehow, they always returned to the people at the stands. Glancing at him, the woman's face softened and she said soothingly, "Aw, don't be so nervous, big guy. Them's the ones who should be nervous that you don't step on 'em!" "Don't know this place," the giant rumbled in response, still unmoving, uttering his word slowly and with great care, as though it required a lot of effort from him. "I know," she muttered agreeably, casting a distrustful look at the other recruits. "I don't like it much either, but it's gotta be better than our last place. And I'm sure we will fit in... or make them fit in with us, ha," the laugh was mirthless, but determined. The big man just stood there, saying nothing.

Gah! There must be a hundred light sources in the original image and I feel my (however limited) belief in my flashy abilities crumbling to bits. And they somehow look so natural, while however I might try to tinker with the values, hues, percentages, shapes and sizes, the lighted areas always come out fake at the edges. That being said, I think as long as you don't hold the original picture in the other hand while looking at this one, it should serve its purpose well, even in its unfinished state. All that's left to do is the abominable lighting, anyway.

If we get as far as any stat getting capped, then that will probably be a matter to discuss. Although the differences, which are huge now (up to 300%, or 3 to 1) will get halved no later than at level 4 (150% or 6 to 4) and at level 9 will be mostly of no consequence (120% or 12 to 10). All in all, I expect the stats to play the role they're supposed to -- and that is, background, mechanical. Your birthrune should define the way your character behaves, and will behave, as their skills develop. Just because you'll have as good a chance to block an attack as a Brute, won't stop an Assassin from trying to be sneaky or flanking the enemies.

Yeah, these four days must feel like almost two months. Although as a detached thought I find it to be true - at least partially, for there are many worse things lurking in the dark corners of RP reality...

Whoa, it worked. I wonder when AdBlocker starts hiding my posts

I know you said few of the presently available RPs are of interest to you, and these are somehow still visible on the first page but you might have (dis)missed them for whatever reason. Anyway... Put your mask on is an EQG-like AU where heroes possessing certain gods' powers battle evil or something. And Crimson Requiem follows a group of humans possessing superpowers (thus being superheroes of sorts) battling monsters/mutants/criminals. Both sound like they meet both of your criteria. And no, it is no coincidence that I applied for both, albeit given the compatibility with your expectations proven above I feel absolved of any guilt that might result from such shameless player hunting

It needs a little more work, mostly with lighting - especially on the walls. Plus the crystal pillars. But other than that it seems ready. Should be done by next weekend probably.

Ok, now my thirst for knowledge is temporarily slaked. Coincidentally, here's a WIP version of my OC, the WIP being mostly his backstory, which I didn't have the time to conjure up and pen down today. Name: Vivid Locus, aka Vivaldi Gender: Male Age: 25 Element: Loyalty Persona: Svarog Slavic mythologies differ wildly from place to place, so there are many gods whose roles and areas of influence overlap; each of them is the main god in a sense. That being said, Svarog is one of these "main" gods. Under his powers was said to be the sun, which he himself created and his sons carried across the sky, his domain. He was also the patron of fire and blacksmithing. He is often compared to the Greek god Hephaestus. His appearance is most often similar to that of Thor or Christian God: a tall, muscled, bare-chested man with a flowing beard. His attribute is a smith's hammer. Weapon: Two two-feet long wooden sticks (Impact-type) Skill 1: Weak One Target Physical Impact Attack Skill 2: Moderate One Target Attack Buff Skill 3: Strong One Target Magic Fire Attack Skill 4: Strong All Targets Defense Buff Skills are subject to change if something should be needed to better suit the party, however I think this is a well-rounded set. Appearance: Vivid Locus isn't the tallest man that's ever been seen. In fact, he is a head shorter than most of the other students. This doesn't stop him from being presentable, a feat accomplished easily thanks to the impressive girth of his arms and clearly cultivated muscles of the upper body. While at first this might bring to mind a beginning body-builder, he is nothing of the sort. Instead, it is a result of scrupulous training, mostly bench pressing -- and playing the drums, which had been his chief hobby for many years. This, in conjunction with the similarity of name, earned him the nickname of Vivaldi, gladly used by him to this day. Playing the drums is also what prompted him to pick up fighting with sticks when he began attending martial arts trainings in junior high school. He kept it up throughout high school, but then neglected once he moved away after work and then began studying as well. His skin is a very dark red in color, leaning towards brown*. His chin sprouts a thick, black beard, cut in a straight line at merely an inch's length. Other than that, he sports almost no facial hair - aside from brows, of course. That is not to say he's bald, but without looking closely that might well be assumed, so closely does he trim his hair. As far as clothing is concerned, his outfit of choice is a faded and worn black leather jacket paired with jeans and one of his favorite bands' t-shirt. His right ear is pierced, as though or an earring, but he never wears one, nor any other jewelry aside from plain black leather braces -- but these can hardly be called that, and are an accessory he usually uses only during concerts. * - What Wikipedia calls "Maroon" and I'm more inclined to call "#990000". Personality: Neither overly outgoing nor outspoken, Vivid is nonetheless gregarious enough once he gets to know someone. Partly due to his lack of enthusiasm towards actively trying to get to know new people, he is fiercely loyal to those whom he already considers friends, to the point of lacking assertiveness towards their decisions. He is very slow to anger, prone rather to suppress his emotions than let them out, but he's easily irritated by the spitefulness of inanimate objects. Because he's often alone, even in the midst of a crowd, he has acquired an innate ability to focus even in the weirdest circumstances and process well what's going around him at the same time. Adept enough at the things he's expected to be learning in the school, he nonetheless much prefers to spend the time in front of a computer otherwise. Background: (will get filled in soon)

Yeah, Chrome isn't so hot on that. And hardly ever does software point out using similar-looking words in incorrect places (like 'badger' where you'd expect 'badge' or 'bellow' instead of 'below'). Furthermore, I know myself how hard it is to find one's own errors even if an attempt is made to thoroughly proofread the written text. Ok, ok, wait. I didn't mean in the slightest that you should give away the storyline as a whole, or reveal anything you hadn't already. I just couldn't make heads or tails from the introductory post, but only now do I see that the "chi"s and "chiya"s serve as separators between the three scenes, rather than being dramatic noises in a single scene -- which made very little sense. Consider that remark withdrawn. Absolutely. Being one to favor a mystery-uncovering RP type, I share and fully support this view. Ok, now that I see the proper shape of the first post, I can agree with ignoring some of these questions. But I'll rephrase some of them, and perhaps add a few new ones, because to play as a character I need to at least have a feeling as to the extent of their knowledge in these topics. So... 1. Do the students (PCs in particular) know anything about anything strange going on in their school? 2. If so, is it public knowledge (known beyond the boundaries of the school), or are the school-goers the only ones informed? 3. Do the PCs know they (may) have any superhuman powers? 4. If not, do they know that such powers exist in their world? Sounds reasonable. Ok, cool. I already have further questions, but I guess they're best left for the in-character revelations. So, the masks are non-existent except for when combat ensues, at which point they somehow materialize, already on the faces? Yet based on the introduction, these can also be carried by hand... I reiterate the question, however, whether the masks are in any way made by the characters, or obtained in any other way? Just this much information will suffice until the proper explanation of the topic in the RP. No, thank you for making me interested. And I'll be posting a more fleshed-out draft of the character in a few days. One quick question -- just to be sure -- the names will (should) all be MLP/EQG-like, correct? Otherwise, Twilight and the rest would sound queer in the midst of your Janes and Johns. EDITED IN: As an afterthought, are we expected to yell these Japanese-y skill names every time they are used? Not that I'm going to oppose that, I'm just not big on the eastern style of fiction.

Wow, this was a heck of a read. Now, let's hope I'll remember all the thoughts I wanted to put down. First off, it's Urðr! With a slashed d, not an o. And since the 'r' at the end is just added in Old Norse to certain nouns that had no grammar applied to them, you can shorten it to Urð (or Urd, really) without any harm. Secondly, you could use some serious proofreading. Beyond the occasional, harmless typos, a lot of what is happening in the introductory story is rather unclear. Colors are a nice way of denoting speaking characters, but should not be used exclusively to differentiate between them, and a little description of what's happening here and there wouldn't hurt the dramatic tension at all. Thirdly, this color is absolutely unreadable. Ok, enough of criticizing. Now let me try and understand better what this is about. From what I gathered, the eight main characters (Mane Six, Sunset and Starlight) have almost conquered the school (for whatever purpose), which in itself is a kind of a sinkhole for all that's wrong in the world...? But they failed, lost 5 of them and now need to start over? Or just push beyond a certain point already reached by them? Are the students evil? Are they even aware of what the school is? You say they are weak willed and prone to attack the players -- will they be aware of that having happened before, or forget such events entirely? Is any knowledge of this Shin Megami Tensei necessary to understand what is going to be happening? Are you willing to start with fewer than five players? Because from a few months' experience, this is a high number to expect if your introductory post contains upwards of a hundred words. Why are there only 14 Major Arcana, rather than the full set of 22? (Or 21. I'm not actually sure if the Fool counts into the Majors.) Are you willing to reveal which of these are included? Are the personas supposed to perform attacks in the character's stead? Or are they just visual manifestations of a character's power being used openly, and connected (however loosely) to the type of the powers available to them? Are the masks something kept secret? Do the characters possess any powers without them? Are their properties dictated (like, do they have to be carnival-like, or could they take other shapes as well)? Have they been made by the characters themselves, handed to them by the divine or otherwise superior beings, or just somehow found? ...I probably forgot to ask half the questions I had. Well, I may remember something by the time you reply. Oh, and dibs on loyalty, a tank/healer male character. I have no idea about any further details of the OC, but my persona will most likely be from the Norse or Slavic mythology.

Maybe it doesn't take that much, but we're talking an age-old laptop that gets stuck even while loading pages in Mozilla or opening Word/Excel files larger than a couple hundred kB. Trust me, no Flash possible here With my expectations and capabilities to use the extent of Flash's powers, I've worked on Macromedia Flash 6 for years and only changes it for CS6 a few years back. But I do nonetheless understand the craving for being up to date with the tools you really do use.

No problem at all, and here's a version that should be zoom-appropriate. Unless you have something different in mind, then you're welcome to make any changes. Or request them with me, something of this proportion I could probably do during a coffee break if my computer in work could handle Flash As above, so below (.fla, 4.1 MB)

I thought for a while I wouldn't make it, but the sky turned out way simpler to do than I anticipated, and the little vine sections were really little. All that's left for me to do is to fiddle with the gradients on the walls and add all the little bricks there to finish the whole picture off. I should have the finished piece uploaded either tomorrow evening or somewhere on Sunday. And I suppose #5 ready by yet next weekend, unless that's too late... then I'll try to push it a little and have it done by Thursday, but I can neither promise that nor be ready earlier than that. EDITED IN: Plus, the shadows under vines, these will be some pain too, but nowhere near what the vines themselves were. Also, I'd like to know whether you intend to do crazy zooming on the window in which Twilight originally appears -- then I'll fill in the details behind it, otherwise I think I'll normalize it a little, because it stands out too much from the others. WAAGH, THE POST MERGING IS DRIVING ME CRAZY Made it, with hours to spare before the weekend in fact! All the above statements concerning my third assignment stand, however. Flashy, vectory goodies be here (.fla, 4.1 MB)

48.5 Also, munch on this wrench in the gears, as this wretch tries a silent revolt of the RP's pacing. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Cursive were be derided and babied for such nonsense, but I remain intrigued as to what will actually happen.

Staring incredulously at the wild, uninhibited display of frugal initiation into the world of drinking, Cursive never stopped pondering his options. It was rapidly becoming clear that survival was the name of the game - and having participated in it already, years ago (mostly supportive as his role had been), the stallion had to admit the circumstances weren't pretty. A minuscule group of ponies, locked inside a stone mansion of ridiculous proportion, surrounded by unknown number of (again) unknown possible assailants... and that was just their immediate location. Supposing a successful breakout, there still remained an entire, unknown area of the village. While seemingly deserted, based on the glimpses caught during a hasty ingress, it was highly dubious that the settlement would indeed be so. Logic demanded that there should be some semblance of population, for instance because while the buildings did show signs of disrepair, unavoidable in the absence of dwellers, there were also glimpses to be caught of better preserved architecture. Besides, a noble -- of this caliber especially - never stayed anywhere without a numerous entourage of any sort, whether stationary or moving with him. To sum it up: no information concerning the lay of terrain, the types and placement of inevitable obstacles, the number and nature of ponies (and probably other creatures, if the hosts of this lovely gathering were any clue) that would stand in the way... How was this setting different from a hostile jungle, again? Ah, yes, the environment was much harder to be useful in accommodating any surreptitious movement, and at least equally advantageous to the indigenous. Oh, and there was an actual jungle around, and from the looks of it, none the more pleasant for its geographical location in the 'civilized' part of the world. Thus, any plans of escape appeared to be doomed for failure from the beginning. How has the situation devolved into this mortifying madness? "...it makes you feel really good." Aye, alcohol, the accursed ambrosia. Beautiful beverage, brewed to battle boredom and bring about bliss, then bitterness and behavior besmirching name and life alike. Had he not had been hungover with a humongous headache, he could have sensed the abominable stench of high society intrigue set to devour his existence. Instead, pained and dazed, he had allowed himself to be escorted into a cart and driven into this damnable prison-feast amalgamate. And, like an ambitious acolyte of the abysmal alcoholic deity, he began the process of spreading its dominion amongst other supposedly innocent souls. And spread it did, as he observed dismally a glass of the wine being forced down the throat of his unfortunate conversation partner's friend. It didn't help one bit that the liquid could very well be poisoned. Dragging his look from the two mares he now fully expected to have on his conscience in a near future, the stallion observed a variety of reactions throughout the banquet hall that matched his mood very closely. He felt his ears droop and his shoulders sag as he watched the shushed, nervous conversations, smiles that were clearly forced even to the eye of a layman like himself. One mare was having a breakdown in a corridor just outside the room, washing the gathering in an additional wave of anxiety. And the hosts have vacated the premises, save for the two - currently one - young mares in an unclear position of the supervised having become supervisors. This reflection brought back the thought of escape. A massive outbreak of panic could perhaps make stopping a fleeing group much more difficult a task, especially now that several of their gracious hosts were known to be otherwise preoccupied. Seeing as there was no better occasion foreseeable... How to precipitate such an outburst, though, without risk of being singled out as an agitator or crying something ridiculous like 'Everypony panic!'? He bit his cheek, delving into thought... ...not too deep, however, as the sound of a drinking achievement having been unlocked next to him reached his ears and made him twitch. A coppery taste filled his mouth, accompanied by a sharp pang... and an unexpected idea. He gathered a little saliva in his mouth, then pronounced in a solemn tone, forcing an unnatural stiffness onto his tongue at the same time, "Agreed, quite exquisite. Another round, perhaps?" he added, levitating the same bottle they had all already drunk from and a couple glasses. Turning his head back towards the table, where the glassware hovered, he leaned forwards a little. "The aftertaste is uncommonly bitter, howev-" cutting his speech short, the stallion let his telekinetic aura die down suddenly, at the same moment losing his own balance. The falling glasses clanged, the bottle landed with a thunk and overturned, spilling its precious contents over the table, fortunately away from where the aging stallion's head lay, his eyes upturned and staring into nothingness as he allowed the carefully gathered blood and slobber ooze out of his mouth, hopefully reminiscent enough of a bloody foam to elicit the desired effect from the ponies around. Worst case scenario, he'll have to endure some concerned checkup and a lecture about drinking in his age, or admit to having asthma or something. Best case scenario... all hell breaks loose. EDIT: Corrected the mistaken information about the state in which the town's buildings are.

But are marriages as sure to follow as the RP title suggests? Hint: