ooc Salem University OOC (Open)

[Buck Testa 5,503]

Just now, Duality said:

Accurate. 

Ooh, almost makes me feel bad about the tooth incident. Approved, and I would like to note that the external connections put him in a unique position for narrative description of the school's portal hall, if you choose to mention such. 

There is also the fact that when I write Dru, I color the world with her perception of things. He was being a jerk sure, but from his perspective he wasn't being THAT bad. Then she went and did that and scared the ever loving shit out of him lol. 

I thought It'd be a neat thing to have a character who lives and works outside of the school. We can certainly do things with that. 

[Denim&Venöm 16,446]

40 minutes ago, Duality said:

Approved, and I would like to note that the external connections put him in a unique position for narrative description of the school's portal hall, if you choose to mention such. 

That's something I was gonna ask about. I kinda had the idea that students live on campus and aren't allowed to leave unless it's the holidays or there's an emergency. Like a boarding school or most college campuses. 

I also imagine that keeping students on campus is a good precaution against having a frustrated youth decide to drop out and strike it out on their own in the world as an untrained magic user. I also imagine that it keeps students from failing class, as if you fail, you're gonna be stuck there for another year and not be allowed to leave until you gain the knowledge of controlling your powers. 

[Duality 10,738]

8 minutes ago, Denim&Venom said:

That's something I was gonna ask about. I kinda had the idea that students live on campus and aren't allowed to leave unless it's the holidays or there's an emergency. Like a boarding school or most college campuses. 

I also imagine that keeping students on campus is a good precaution against having a frustrated youth decide to drop out and strike it out on their own in the world as an untrained magic user. I also imagine that it keeps students from failing class, as if you fail, you're gonna be stuck there for another year and not be allowed to leave until you gain the knowledge of controlling your powers. 

Most students do live on campus, but the school is no prison. It's pretty well-recognised among the students that if they don't get a magic-control qualification from the University, people are going to be exceptionally uncomfortable with them using their powers and they certainly won't be able to get a job that involves them using magic, but if people want to strike it out on their own in the world regardless, the school won't stop them (and it also won't help them if they land in hot water for causing problems with their magic). There are magic users without an SU qualification who can control their magic quite acceptably from their own self-learning; it's a perfectly valid path to just mind your own business in your part of the world with a mundane career and without messing with anyone.

Students have to sign in and out of the school if they want to use any of the portals (obviously not allowed during class times without an exceptionally robust Salem Script permission note) and, since there are portals going to most major cities across the world, students also have to have a suitable passport on hand to get through the school's in-house border control office. Every student absence from class without excuse is followed up on, and if you're absent without excuse too often you can get kicked out of the school (since governments subsidise a fair proportion of the costs of education there). Properly dropping out, though, requires signing of suitable paperwork - and if you try to just ditch campus and scarper it's frankly a matter of whether the school or the government finds you first. Mages do not simply 'vanish'.

[Passion 3,478]

2 hours ago, Duality said:

Every student absence from class without excuse is followed up on, and if you're absent without excuse too often you can get kicked out of the school (since governments subsidise a fair proportion of the costs of education there).

Poor them. If only they could afford it by themselves!

 

I'll need to seriously review everything that is being discussed here, because all the 'canon writing' has been beginning to heavily interfere with my plans for Ley's and her family's story. Mainly the heavy bureaucratization of magic which is starting to put severe limits on flexibility of my idea which have not been given in detail as I wanted to relay them through RP. Needless to say, none of them have any impact on any remaining characters or the world in itself.

I might end up having to ask to have Ley's lineage and family to be exempt from a number of those based on some kind of governmental pardon/immunity. I am definitely not planning to paint them as saints. In truth, based on all that's being said, the more detailed stories of Ley's past could have effectivelly long time ago turned the world's attention to her family. What a pain, honestly. This is putting me in a really awkward spot, I wasn't expecting we'll reach the moment we start limiting ourselves so heavily so fast.

 

I mean, originally speaking the concept was to have villains here as well. I imagine they would not stray away from performing some nasty deeds from time to time. But y'all have already established that you have basically nationwide cooperation, special task forces, anti-mage squadrons and honestly who knows what else? A single, serious deed would instantly drive a villain into hiding as if he was a hounded persona non-grata.

[Buck Testa 5,503]

8 minutes ago, Passion said:

Poor them. If only they could afford it by themselves!

 

I'll need to seriously review everything that is being discussed here, because all the 'canon writing' has been beginning to heavily interfere with my plans for Ley's and her family's story. Mainly the heavy bureaucratization of magic which is starting to put severe limits on flexibility of my idea which have not been given in detail as I wanted to relay them through RP. Needless to say, none of them have any impact on any remaining characters or the world in itself.

I might end up having to ask to have Ley's lineage and family to be exempt from a number of those based on some kind of governmental pardon/immunity. I am definitely not planning to paint them as saints. In truth, based on all that's being said, the more detailed stories of Ley's past could have effectivelly long time ago turned the world's attention to her family. What a pain, honestly. This is putting me in a really awkward spot, I wasn't expecting we'll reach the moment we start limiting ourselves so heavily so fast.

 

I mean, originally speaking the concept was to have villains here as well. I imagine they would not stray away from performing some nasty deeds from time to time. But y'all have already established that you have basically nationwide cooperation, special task forces, anti-mage squadrons and honestly who knows what else? A single, serious deed would instantly drive a villain into hiding as if he was a hounded persona non-grata.

Well your character's family is largely from another dimension right? So your creative freedom isn't necessarily bounded by what's going on on earth. 

I have a villain character running around in the background, and Dru could go either way at this point really. She's been leaning more on the good side lately, but she could easily be tipped in the other direction if the rping was good enough. 

I think Ley would be smart enough NOT to show her cards right away though. The thing with RP's is you can't really control how the other characters respond to yours. Truly devious people get into their good graces and then strike when the moment is right, not proclaim from the rooftops that "HEY LOOK AT ME IMA BAD GUY" 

In fact, you could use Dru as a reason to be more discreet. They shackled Dru when she went haywire, meaning they could likely do the same to Ley if not worse. 

I'd be very interested in making a bond between Dru and Ley, perhaps Ley looking to make her an Ally. Cause although Dru is very smart for her age, and quite powerful, she is still a kid and susceptible to manipulation. 

[Passion 3,478]

27 minutes ago, Buck Testa said:

1. Well your character's family is largely from another dimension right? So your creative freedom isn't necessarily bounded by what's going on on earth.

2. I think Ley would be smart enough NOT to show her cards right away though. The thing with RP's is you can't really control how the other characters respond to yours. Truly devious people get into their good graces and then strike when the moment is right, not proclaim from the rooftops that "HEY LOOK AT ME IMA BAD GUY" 

3. In fact, you could use Dru as a reason to be more discreet. They shackled Dru when she went haywire, meaning they could likely do the same to Ley if not worse. 

4. I'd be very interested in making a bond between Dru and Ley, perhaps Ley looking to make her an Ally. Cause although Dru is very smart for her age, and quite powerful, she is still a kid and susceptible to manipulation. 

1. No, not really. They're are absolutely Earth based. Family with hundreds of years of legacy, living in a remotely secluded deep lands of Russian country, whose infuence diminished heavily as the time passed. Still, the fortune as well as certain connections established over the years remain. But we've started predefining the setting into much more modern times than I was initially expecting it to be. Technically the past of the family should be easily accessible due to globalization and technological advancements, however that would literally mean I'm giving away all the hints about their story and secrets. I've put special effort to put in just enough backstory for Ley to give you all a very fine starting point, but I wanted to expand on it in RP. Naturally, I am not planning to jump out with some weird sudden events that will suddenly make everyone die/derail the story/make no sense or something (just an example of course), I've been attempting to draw her story as secluded from the RP story and other characters as possible. As I've described it in past, tell a story within a story.

 

2. Want to dish it out, Ley wasn't applied as a villain. She has no ultimate goal in bringing pointless destruction, annihilation or other weird things. That would be a hassle. Yet, she has a personal goal to achieve and finds any other people's needs irrelevant in comparison, and for a good reason. Combine this with her belief that her social position and status should open all doors without question, and that everyone should always obey her demands (as they did so far), and you simply get a character that, although not a villain, will certainly at times behave in villainous ways.

That being said, I admit I have NEVER roleplayed a personality like this, so it's new waters for me as well. Finding it challenging to decide how far should I go with Ley in certain moments.

Perhaps it would be possible to describe her as... a neutral being? She doesn't care for whatever is going on within the University just as she doesn't care about its opponnents. People she meets are just means to reach her own goal.

 

3. Ley's certainly in "full" control. I am just waiting for an appropriate occassion to expand upon this idea.

 

4. Trust me, been giving this some thought. I seem to have made an error and created a story which left me with little room to wiggle in terms of implementing other characters into it. A mistake I am most certainly willing to learn from. Therefore I am now untangling the knots of it to see how I can weave it differently.

[Duality 10,738]

17 minutes ago, Passion said:

I'll need to seriously review everything that is being discussed here, because all the 'canon writing' has been beginning to heavily interfere with my plans for Ley's and her family's story. Mainly the heavy bureaucratization of magic which is starting to put severe limits on flexibility of my idea which have not been given in detail as I wanted to relay them through RP. Needless to say, none of them have any impact on any remaining characters or the world in itself.

I might end up having to ask to have Ley's lineage and family to be exempt from a number of those based on some kind of governmental pardon/immunity. I am definitely not planning to paint them as saints. In truth, based on all that's being said, the more detailed stories of Ley's past could have effectivelly long time ago turned the world's attention to her family. What a pain, honestly. This is putting me in a really awkward spot, I wasn't expecting we'll reach the moment we start limiting ourselves so heavily so fast.

I've primarily been describing the status quo for students without formidable political backing and countries on very friendly diplomatic grounds with America. There are plenty of other students and nations who are far less cooperative on the bureaucratic side. Sure, they'll play along to get things they want, but they tend towards the opaque and inertial side. Politics are never straightforward, Ley's family is very influential and secretive, and Ley's already a bureaucratic special case on a number of grounds. Even Dru's mundane mafia grandfather has gotten away with a lot, and he lives in a country far more Westernised than whatever backwoods Russian territory Ley hails from. Outside the school cash-paper still speaks louder than notarised paper, and even inside the school notarised paper is often willing to compromise against large quantities of cash-paper. 

23 minutes ago, Passion said:

I mean, originally speaking the concept was to have villains here as well. I imagine they would not stray away from performing some nasty deeds from time to time. But y'all have already established that you have basically nationwide cooperation, special task forces, anti-mage squadrons and honestly who knows what else? A single, serious deed would instantly drive a villain into hiding as if he was a hounded persona non-grata.

Actually, I explicitly nixed the anti-mage squadrons idea, special task forces usually only operate within countries either exceptionally trusting of them or at war, and the nationwide cooperation is on approximately the same scale we have 'nationwide cooperation' in our world. Mages may find it quite difficult to get far if they go rogue, but mages in families rich and influential enough to bend the ear of the government and/or the law would have significantly less difficulty using their powers nefariously. It bears repeating that Dru's beloved grandpa has gotten away with a fair amount of murder already, and his base of operations isn't half as isolated as Ley's family's is. 

[Buck Testa 5,503]

Just now, Duality said:

Actually, I explicitly nixed the anti-mage squadrons idea, special task forces usually only operate within countries either exceptionally trusting of them or at war, and the nationwide cooperation is on approximately the same scale we have 'nationwide cooperation' in our world. Mages may find it quite difficult to get far if they go rogue, but mages in families rich and influential enough to bend the ear of the government and/or the law would have significantly less difficulty using their powers nefariously. It bears repeating that Dru's beloved grandpa has gotten away with a fair amount of murder already, and his base of operations isn't half as isolated as Ley's family's is. 

It's very true. Dru's Mafia family is about as quintessentially stereotyped as you can get. To the point where its practically parody. They certainly do have quite the body count, and Dru herself has a substantial number on her own. 

12 minutes ago, Passion said:

4. Trust me, been giving this some thought. I seem to have made an error and created a story which left me with little room to wiggle in terms of implementing other characters into it. A mistake I am most certainly willing to learn from. Therefore I am now untangling the knots of it to see how I can weave it differently.

Tweaking your character and their backstory is certainly on the table. Nothing is set in stone here. A good rule is to give your character room to grow into the story they are put in. It's actually a bad idea to have too much of their development happen off screen instead of during the course of the rp. Certainly have bullet points you can build off and incorporate, but don't make it so rigid that it puts yourself in a corner. 

Also a note about loner characters: While your character can certainly THINK they are a loner type, it is important for you to find reasons to integrate the character into the story and rp with other characters. Going off alone and doing your own thing in an rp all the time can end up being a very unsatisfactory experience. Instead of making them more important and mysterious, it actually makes the character more irrelevant and disjointed from the plot.

A smart character like Ley could easily be written as someone who sees Dru as someone useful to have in their back pocket. Maybe Ley could promise to help Dru out of those shackles if they get along. It would put her in a position of power with Dru. They could certainly be a devilish duo if you let that happen organically. Don't cling to a loner concept so much that you stifle character development. It's not worth it. I speak from experience here. 

As far as your character's family's backstory; like I said earlier, It's best for an rp to keep it vague and bullet pointed with a general idea in mind. You have a concept of where you want these plot threads to go, but keep them malleable enough to morph organically with the plot. It's actually a good way to write a story in general, as it gives the structure of an outline while also allowing things to move into a different direction if the way the story is going calls for it. 

 

[dragon4111 914]

@Duality

Hmm well a swat officer then who had to take a more under cover position then for Ghalan?

Edited February 14, 2019 by dragon4111

[Duality 10,738]

35 minutes ago, dragon4111 said:

@Duality

Hmm well a swat officer then who had to take a more under cover position then for Ghalan?

Sure thing. He can have encountered a few rogue mages during his career, but there aren't enough rogue mages around for him to only have been dealing with rogue mages. Pretty much any elite law enforcement job should be fine. 

[dragon4111 914]

@Duality

Got it...Hmm well how I picture Ghalan's scars are like Vash's from Trigun.

[dragon4111 914]

@Duality

So what do you think of the scars idea my friend?

[Duality 10,738]

@reader8363 @Skylord Nexus @Denim&Venom @dragon4111 @Passion @Buck Testa 

Announcement!

Arid is stepping down as DM and allowing me free reign over the plot and canon. Flee now while you still can. 

(Also, Skylord, I'm going to slot your character in ASAP. I'll give you more details on Discord after I get up a plot post.)

Just now, dragon4111 said:

@Duality

So what do you think of the scars idea my friend?

I haven't the foggiest who this Vash character is, but facial scars don't sound like they'd interfere with anything important. Go ahead and add that feature in if you like. 

[Buck Testa 5,503]

Arid was DM? I thougtht you were DM @Duality ? 
 

[dragon4111 914]

@Duality

well there's what Ghalan's scars are like except for the grates and the arm is whole. oh and the scars from the stomach.

[Duality 10,738]

Just now, Buck Testa said:

Arid was DM? I thougtht you were DM @Duality ? 
 

We were dual-DMing, ironically. 

Just now, dragon4111 said:

@Duality

well there's what Ghalan's scars are like except for the grates and the arm is whole. oh and the scars from the stomach.

Ouch, that's got to hurt. 

You can add it in, though, sure!

[dragon4111 914]

@Duality

Well I did mention the scars after the dueling fiasco.

[Duality 10,738]

Just now, dragon4111 said:

@Duality

Well I did mention the scars after the dueling fiasco.

Hah, yes, I was thinking about that. I'm hardly going to ask for rewrites if I've let it slide for that long. 

[dragon4111 914]

@Duality

Yep it's when the White hole exploded

[Passion 3,478]

I would not worry yourself with my writing myself into secluded oblivion. I am not in support of non-interaction, but I am also not in support of irrational forced interaction either. With Miko I have simply set a relationship level where Ley does not believe that particular teacher is worth her time currently.

If Miko proves to be as strong as Denim makes her be, she may gradually change her mind. Although I have some severe doubts whether the two would like each other given their personalities.

Denim said something in line that Miko believes teaching should be applied where it actually make sense, long ago. Rather than producing masses of mediocre, clueless students. That's one of rare connections they would really share, but Ley would firmly stand by the belief that it is because of strong privilege to rule over the weak. She knows well she shouldn't use her powers irresponsibly to terrorize others into submission. But, you know... she also knows that she could, if she only needed to or felt like it is necessary. Something she had no scruples for doing in the past.

 

I have all the reasons to interact with characters, but I do need some lone posts as well. Technically, what I want to do now does not require her to be alone, but it also requires certain emotional setup first to give it any proper justification.

[dragon4111 914]

@Passion

Well Ghalan's not weak not in the slightest.

[Passion 3,478]

Why, feel Ghalan is not getting enough negative attention from Ley already? I mean if you insist I can most certainly have her become hellbent on making his life as miserable as virtually possible, but I doubt this is necessary. In fact, he seems to have enough issues atm as is

If he was a weakling she'd deem his little outburst from earlier part of RP as an insignificant event performed by an arrogant man she shouldn't be wasting her time on. Not like a sheer amount of people haven't tried to belittle her name or disgrace her in public in the past. Some succeeded, some failed, others paid the price for their pathetic attempts.

[Guest]

Hey, I'd actually like to try and join this RP if that's alright! I know I'm late to the show, but I've RPed before. The character page on the site seems to be all borked up, do I just create a character profile here?

[Passion 3,478]

4 minutes ago, Key Sharkz said:

The character page on the site seems to be all borked up

We (staff) know D: we are working on it!

4 minutes ago, Key Sharkz said:

do I just create a character profile here?

Basically, yes. Duality will review it later and add to the rooster if all is fine.

 

The more the merrier. As long as we do not attempt to clusterf... ahem, right, as long as we don't try to pack all characters into a single room while not during a widespread event, all should be smooth and fine.

[Guest]

Just now, Passion said:

We (staff) know D: we are working on it!

Basically, yes. Duality will review it later and add to the rooster if all is fine.

 

The more the merrier. As long as we do not attempt to clusterf... ahem, right, as long as we don't try to pack all characters into a single room while not during a widespread event, all should be smooth and fine.

Give me a bit to build them.