Steeldancer

oi edit: does everyone have to keep capitalizing Steel? It's confusing.

You claimin bro? Not that I mind, I'm an advocate of winning with as many people as possible. As long as I'm among them. I'm not sure what to make of the flurry of votes, or how to read into them. I feel so incompetent on day one, have ever since I got back from my mission. Whatever I vote on is more of a shotgun in the dark. That being said, I'll vote sometime tomorrow. I'm going to bed now, and am uninterested in utilizing any more brain cells than absolutely necessary before bed. Including to RP.

This player list is so much fun a part of me doesn't want to see anybody die But then what's the fun in that.

Me and fifth... What could possibly go wrong I am really excited to play this game. With no steel, that means anyone burning steel this first cycle is definitely elim. Or... Actually strike that they could have just spawned with one. I'm going to be busy for the next 24 hours or so playing the new Genshin Impact update, so don't expect anything from me for a while. Also, we're all mistborn? Huh. ~~ Leets walked into the cafeteria to grab food. As he walked in, a mountain of a man stopped him. "This is for you," he said in a suitably gruff voice. He gave Leets a medallion. Recognizing it for what it was, he looked up in surprise. "A mistborn medallion? I thought these were really difficult to make!?" The man grunted, then walked away. Leets sighed, and patted the spikes in his pocket. "Guess I won't be needing allomantic steel anytime soon." Honestly, between the two spikes, the feruchemical spike was much more valuable. But... Well he wouldn't use it. There was no reason too, despite the feeling of anxiety coming from those in the cafeteria. Something was wrong with this ship, more than just the cognitive drive malfunctioning and coming under attack.

Question. Has anyone ever experimented with in-thread actions before? I'm thinking about making a game basically without a traditional exe, and was thinking the flavor of The Abyss would work well for a more interactive thread experience.

its nice to play a game every now and then. Looks like this one is shaping up to be a fun one. hopefully I won't die before I finish my RP

Wow, so many people, I wonder what happened to StrikerEZ's perfectly set up distribution...

Ah, cool. I was just curious

Incidentally @StrikerEZ is this game based on the WoB about cognitive FTL I got a few months back?

I haven't RP'd in so long I have no idea how to do it. I'm going to utilize my old character from the last Shard game I played, in which Steeldancer eventually became a returned. My character now is... idk, his upstart son? He received spikes from his father as a parting gift, that give him the ability to compound steel. He doesn't have a spren like his father did. But he inherited the mantle of Steeldancer, so, Leets the Steeldancer he is. ~~~ Leets had always hated Scadrial. It reminded him of heroes. Of his father. His father had passed away some time ago, giving away his breath for some noble cause. He could have kept compounding to feed his divine breath, but he had said his time had come. He hadn't been born with any useful allomantic power. He could burn aluminum apparently, but who cared about that? However, before his death, his father had given him two spikes. The power of compounding steel had been given to him. How his father had managed to use hemalurgy without dying, he wasn't sure, but either way he had taken his father's last gift. And along with it, he had apparently inherited the title of "Steeldancer." A hero of the Cosmere, a man who moved faster than anyone else could, but did good with his speed. Leets was no such hero. He hadn't even used the spikes. Although he kept them safe in his quarters. Leets had always rebelled against his father's ideology of helping everyone he could. Why was it his job to fix everyone else's problems? So, at least for now, no one filled the mantle of the "Steeldancer." So when he had been privy to the opportunity of going to Roshar and doing some good to bring peace to the cosmere, he had to decided to come along and provide some muscle. And perhaps, being able to attract a Cultivationspren would prove that he was actually worthy of the title that his father had bestowed upon his unworthy son. His son who had spent his teenage years more interested in getting in as many beds as possible, in trying out the newest and most exciting fads, than trying to actually do any good for anyone. These were the thoughts in his head, relaxing in his cabin in the Survivor, when suddenly the ship came under attack. He wasn't a pilot, but rather a guard. He was here to beat people up. And as of yet, there wasn't anyone to beat up. He watched out the windows, confused to see the physical realm outside. The stars were beautiful, it was true, but they were nowhere near any planet, and certainly not in the Rosharian system as of yet. What had happened to the Cognitive drive? Something deep within him whispered, that something vast was about to happen. He frowned at the odd feeling. Fortune? Destiny? It felt like when he had tapped things like those before from the strange metalminds held by certain individuals. What was about to happen? Leets went back into his cabin, deep in thought. Like he often did when contemplating himself, he opened the small box under his bed. 2 spikes, preserved in his father's blood. Something within him trembled. "Guess it wouldn't hurt to be prepared," he mused aloud. He placed the box into his pocket, and grabbed a set of steel bracers, along with some small chunks of steel designed for compounding use. He placed it in a small backpack, and headed out of the cabin to go find some grub, then find out what was going on on this ship. ~~~ If I get the chance, I'd like to play Leets off of some other characters. We'll see how much time I have to RP this week.

I'd like to sign up for an LG. It'll be an anime based game, I have 2 possible ideas right now. One is a Re:Zero type game, with a single cycle repeated over and over, it'll be semi-black out (as in it won't be clear how to escape the loop), and the goal will be to escape the loop. How the loop is escaped will determine who wins. My second idea is Made in Abyss, utilizing the setting to tell the story of an expedition to the bottom of the Abyss. Each cycle will progress farther into the abyss, meaning the goal is survival, or some sort of alternate win condition depending from person to person. I'd definitely like to wait until after season 2 if I go with that idea. Also, I'll sign up for an MR, since I'm not sure my LG slot will work for the game I wanted to run. It'll be a thematic rerun of my Dreamer QF with anonymous account body hopping. Last time was an item hunt, this time would be The Olympics. Also, I'd like to declare that I am at least semi active. I think with my current schedule I'd at least be capable of running a game. Setting aside a time each day to work on a game is pretty easy with a school schedule, tbh.

*cough cough* I'm making no promises about activity, but this next week is a bit lighter work wise, so ILL JOIN IN Im also not going to read the rules right now because I'm lazy I'll be Leets, a steel compounder with a spren that's probably a cultivationspren. So original.

Well, I just finished watching Gurren Lagann. It was great. But I had some thoughts around episode 9 or 10 when Nia solidly establishes herself as the best girl of the show. Mainly because you have Yoko from the beginning of the show, but as soon as this new girl shows up, she outclasses her immediately. And this got me thinking: what makes a girl, a best girl? This essay will spoil Mushoku Tensei (including stuff that has not been animated yet, up to about volume 16 of the web novel), shield hero, Steins;Gate, Gurren Lagann, Violet Evergarden, and probably some other stuff. I love anime. It does things no other artform I’ve enjoyed really can do. The sheer ridiculousness of the stories and animation leads to so much potential in… well, everything. But there’s one thing that has become a key part of anime culture: Waifus. They’re everywhere. Husbandos too, but they aren’t quite as prevalent, and I really want to dig into Waifus. But not ordinary waifus. There are trash waifus, there are normal waifus, and then there are the cream of the crop: the Best Girls. Every show can provide a waifu or two, but not every show can provide a best girl. So then, what makes a best girl? First, lets start with the definition of a waifu. I like Gigguk’s definition of a waifu: they’re characters that embody an ideal, that can be associated with an ideal mate. Most of the time, this just means attractive design, and a few fun character traits. Best Girls, of course, are built different. Best Girls, of course, need to be top tier waifus as well. But they need one additional ingredient: character development and plot relevance. I think a Best Girl can fall into a couple of different categories in their relationship with these two things. Spoilers ahead for… anime! The first category is what I call “catalytic development”. It could also be defined as a “best girl who already has a working ship with the main character,” although that doesn’t really cover all the variance in this category, especially as there are plenty of characters who fall into the second description who do not earn the title of Best Girl. This is where the character doesn’t change much, but allows for massive character development to occur in the main character. This is probably my favorite class of Best Girls, but they need a strong personality and character of their own in order to support this. Otherwise, the development feels flat. So really, it’s in its best form when we have 2 characters catalyze each other’s character development, which in my opinion is the best form of romance. That tends to mainly happen when the female lead and male lead are more equal in terms of screen time, which only really happens in Rom-coms. So it is better to generalize and focus on their ability to catalyze character development in the main character. First spoilers for Mushoku Tensei, including the Light Novels! Major spoilers through volume 12, minor spoilers through about volume 16, no ending spoilers. Most harem anime fall under the catalytic development idea, but fail to make any of the waifus actually hold up under serious inspection of their character. Mushoku Tensei does not have this problem, and thus has, in my opinion, one of the most legitimate and loveable harems in all of Japanese media. In this lies in a key fact; each of the main girls both catalyze Rudeus’ character development, and they also undergo their own development as a result of Rudeus. This can even be split into 2 major events per character. Each has an important encounter with him as a child, and then again as an adult. This creates a solid platform for a relationship with him, so that their love for him (and his love for them) feels legitimate, and the story is actually dependent on these girls being there. The first example of this is early on, where Roxy helps him overcome his long-standing fear of going outside. This simple action on her part literally changes his life. Sylphy is his first real friend in this new world, and Eris goes on a long, LONG journey with him, consistently building up a relationship and helping him to actually not be a terrible person to women. And after Eris leaves him, Sylphy helps him overcome the mental block that causes ED. Of course, Eris eventually comes back and saves his butt, finishing her own character development, and proving that she can be a help to Rudeus. Roxy also saves him AGAIN after his father dies, helping him to get back on his feet. We also see when we see future Rudeus’s journal, that without his wives, he goes to pieces and becomes a worse person than he was in the first place, which is kind of horrifying to read. I can’t describe how much I love each of those girls. Their family all together is just… wonderful. And thus, each of these three earns the title of Best Girl. (spoilers end) Other examples I’m a little less passionate about include Raphtalia helping Natsumi overcome his distrust and hate in Shield Hero after being rescued, Makise Kurisu being there for Okabe Rintarou throughout his attempts to save Mayuri over and over, and Rem helping Subaru to choose to continue his story. (Incidentally, this important catalytic moment is what makes Rem outclass Emilia as Best Girl. Emilia has not experienced such strong character development with Subaru, so it feels more flat in season one. Having read up through Arc 6, I PROMISE it gets better though. Emilia is pretty great too!) Incidentally, Catalytic is what I’d also put Nia from Gurren Lagann under. She helps Simon to get out of his depression after Kamina died. Of course, she also has a solid, interesting backstory, motivations of her own, and goes through character development throughout the story (although I’m VERY SALTY RIGHT NOW THAT SHE ENDED UP DISAPPEARING GAHHHH JUST HAD TO END BITTERSWEET DIDN’T YA). Another great example of this is Kaguya in Love is War. She really is a pair with Shirogane, and… well I’m not going to spoil what’s going on in the Manga right now, but seriously the amount of character development she underwent as a result of her interactions with the Student Council is actually stunning. Shirogane also goes through this as well, and definitely earns a place as a Best Boy. Kaguya is actually an example of what I mentioned before, where in a rom com of that type we see 2 main characters experience character growth side by side. This means they aren’t easily separated in the quest for Best Girl, but it is worth pointing out things like Toradora, Tonkikaku Kawaii, and the currently airing My Dress Up Darling. In each of these, our leads are entirely inseparable, and their arcs (and stars) are hopelessly intertwined. It’s good stuff. The second would be character development with our Best Girl as the main character. This is a little more rare, but still has some top tier best girls. The 3 that dominate this category for me are Misaka Mikoto from A Certain Scientific Railgun, Vivy, and Violet Evergarden. Mild spoilers for all. Violet of course has her arc kicked off by the major’s words to her: “I love you.” But her actual character development is affected by her interactions with a variety of different people. What makes her Best Girl is that we get to witness this journey in all its glory. We get to see her move from an emotionless tool of war to a girl that truly understands love. We don’t need a romantic relationship in this case to truly enjoy her character development. It’s great. Misaka Mikoto, was probably my first favorite tsundere. The moment that gets ya is in Season 2. We see the Clone arc, fleshed out much further than in Index. Misaka, third most powerful esper, fights and fights to save her clones. The sheer scale of it is what appealed to me. She was so powerful, and gave everything she had, fighting against academy city itself. And it wasn’t enough. So she decides to give her life. Try and kill accelerator, and definitely die in the process. And then Touma stops her on the bridge. You’d think this would make me lean towards Touma, as this feels like a classic example of catalytic character development, but honestly he never appealed to me as much. Watching her break down her barriers and finally accept help is what got me. There’s a beauty to it. She continues to show her capabilities throughout the rest of the show, but that moment is visceral, and really kickstarts a slow-burn development of opening up more, and of course, love, that just makes you love the little shocker. Finally, Vivy. Vivy was a more recent top tier girl for me. Her reasons for being great are similar to Violet. We see her character development across the course of the series. It’s great, the singing is awesome, and so is the action. Her journey to become human really moved me. The third section, is a bit different. These are not waifus. They don’t really have a particular name, maybe Imouto, or moe? I’m not sure. I classify these as “girls I would adopt.” It’s a short list. First, Klee from Genshin Impact. I love her to death, she’s so stinking cute while also being an arsonist. I’d adopt her in a heartbeat. Second, Kanna from Dragon Maid. She’s so cute, when she eats bugs. I’d also adopt her in a heartbeat. Third, and most importantly, there’s Anya Forger, from Spy X Family. She brings the manga together. No actual spoilers, mostly just the premise here. But we have all these people with secrets, a Spy dad, an assassin mom, a government secret agent uncle. Binding it all together is the one kid who knows everything: Anya. And she’s A LITTLE STINKER. The comedy works so much better because as an esper, she knows all secrets. She also has deep seated fears of abandonment, which increase my desire to adopt her. Even though I love the Forger family. I’d have adopted her the moment I turned 18 if she were real, no matter the cost. I would provide her peanuts. Peanuts for Anya. Seriously, I’m so excited to see it animated in April. They are still best girls. Honestly, I’d probably rather adopt Anya than marry any of the before mentioned Waifus. They’re great, but often they already have a solid pick for a partner. And with such strong characters, I actually feel like rooting for them to get together. With the children, they don’t affect plot as much (except for Anya, who is key), but they don’t really need to, because they’re kids, and they just need to be adorable. Their strengths lie in being primarily very memorable, and putting a gigantic smile on your face every time you see them. Of course, there are many other great Best Girls out there. Off the top of my head, Robin from One Piece, Holo from Spice and Wolf, and of course, Speedwagon from Jojo. But I think I got my point across in what it really takes for a waifu to become a best girl. This is why I could never get behind Chizuru from Rent-A-girlfriend as a best girl. She’s a solid waifu, for sure, but doesn’t really have the depth for me to take it up to the next level. Also I kind of hate the protagonist, which doesn’t help things. Now, is an anime bad if it cannot bring a Best Girl to bear? Nope. I’ve watched many, many anime shows I’ve enjoyed that had no real solid candidates. But I find that my favorite series of all time tend to have characters that really stick with you. And that is truly the essence of Best Girl: completely unforgettable. Bringing things around to Sanderson, who does great characters, does he have any best girls? Uh, yeah. Steris and Vin are best girls of the Cosmere. Fite me. Incidentally, Steris is a type 1, and Vin is a type 2. Vin’s a protagonist, whereas Steris is a catalyst. Both are great. And of course, best boy can only belong to Taln. Susebron and Elend are great, but well… Taln is Taln. Taln will always win. I’d love to hear other thoughts on your favorite Best Girls, and why you love them.

Well unfortunately break is now over, so I really do have to go back into retirement. I'll try and make another return when the semester finishes.

Well I'm dumb. I claimed to Archer, thinking he was crew mainly because I didn't read the rules very closely. Sorry And devotary was a reaver too.... Sighhhhhhhhhhhhh I pretty much threw the game.

After doing a reread of the szeth/archer situation, I'm reading harder village on szeth than archer, so I'll go ahead and yoink Archer

Welp I failed on the "sign into the shard every day" front. Lol. In my defense I was reading a *really* good light novel, but I still should have hopped on. Uh, so we killed someone of... a faction. I'm assuming they probably wanted to do me (in general, not specifically) in, so yaya. I don't have much to say. Incidentally we have 10 people left, so about 3 more cycles at the current pace. I think, I did that mental math in about 2 seconds. I feel bad for not voting last turn, so let's throw my hat in the ring too with a nice Lotus

I need to remember to open the shard every day so I stay active. I have the time, I just need to be responsible. I'm going to invest in spending some time reading the rules before I say or do something dumb. Ok it's time to question. So roles can be attached to any alignment, correct? And there's lots of alignments. So it's essentially a faction game. Cool beans. Also in terms of Christmas gifts, I got my girlfriend a doomslug. Doomslug is always a win.

Hi I'm signing up as Steel.

Oh wait we won? Nice, I guess. I didn't really do anything sorry that RL got in the way I think this solidifies my need to go into retirement for the moment, I just have way too much going on in life to even remember the game, much less be active. I feel bad about that, because I miss being as active as I was before my mission. Anyway, despite that, feel free to summon me if you ever need an SK. I also walk away from the game with 2 skeletals to my name. Woo hoo.

Alright hi I'm back. This week I'll be a lot more available. I'm going to do a full reread of thread and get a sense of what I missed. I know I don't have a lot of time until turn ends but I'll try and get a vote in. Ok time for a thing. Araris, it looks like you saved my inactive butt last turn, which leads me to trust you on the idea that an elim probably would have just let me die before I could reactivate. So I'm going to trust you on this one and vote Mage . I'll finish my reread of thread after church when I have more time, I just wanted to make sure I got a vote in this turn.

AAKK I AM SO SORRY This week kind of went insane in terms of workload and I literally did not remember this game until right now. Unfortunately my life won't be calm until my concert tomorrow evening is over, so I'm going to hold off on making any game related post until then. I apologize profusely, RL just kind of hit me like a brick again.

Are you saying I never contribute to discussion? Because sadly... You're right. I've been a lot less vigorous ever since I returned from my mission. Also tani, I would say use it when you feel like using it. However by asking the question you're gonna draw unwanted attention on yourself, whether you actually have a scepter or not. These are my thoughts so far: Araris is being typical araris. Nothing new there. Araris being araris is NAI, imo. But at the very least it's not unduly suspicious. And... That's pretty much it for now. Orlok Im always wary of just because of how brilliant he is, but given that he hasn't joined a game in so long I see literally no reason to attack him just for that. The new players are well... New so I'm not going to get a good read on them yet. If I don't vote now it's kind of doubtful I'll have time to vote tomorrow, so I'll go ahead and vote TJ in the interest of gathering some information.

... Proverbs?

Ugh I knew it was going to be hard to remember this game, even with a lighter workload. So, Danex ended up being voted off, and Ashbringer ended up getting killed. Given there was only 2 kills, that solidifies the LYLO point around 5 turns. Notably, there was only one death besides the exe, which was most likely the elim kill. This means a couple of things: nobody used a scepter (including Ashbringer, RIP), and if there is a kill role, they're either not too aggressive or there isn't one. I have to agree with Venture, the vote count itself doesn't give much information. I'll have to go and take a look at posts at some point to actually generate some relevant thoughts beyond speculation about where LYLO will lie. Thankfully I have another day to find some time to do that between real life.