[OOC] STOMP Remembrance Project
- Thread starter CoffeeHorse
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I can't find it now (except a suggestion he should be punched in the face for staring at Anchors cutie mark). Coulda sworn there was a bit of not liking him after what he did to Silent Belle. *shrugs* Maybe I was mis-remembering.
Still, he did have a rough start in the RP, some could say divisive. So I am supremely proud of how his character arc turned out. He was still rough around the edges even at the end. But he was absolutely one of the good guys.
Then the bar in Mayhem happened.
Eh, that's a completely different Static though.
Still, he did have a rough start in the RP, some could say divisive. So I am supremely proud of how his character arc turned out. He was still rough around the edges even at the end. But he was absolutely one of the good guys.
Then the bar in Mayhem happened.
Eh, that's a completely different Static though.
He didn't mean to stare at Anchors' cutie mark. The awkward silence was just getting to be too much, so he went for awkward talking instead.
One bit I'd love to read again is Silent Belle's prison break. One of my favorite memories in this game was being shoved under a desk while unconscious.
I mean, Night Cap had dignified moments. Both passing the first aid exam and getting the party through the nightmare of the Snow Shark immediately stand out. I can't think of a recurring player character who didn't have stand out moments. Granted, GM perspective may be different than player perspective.
I always felt like Amber was a relatively serious character at baseline, and I was always excited to find ways that she could undercut herself as the silly pony she was. She had a couple of moments where dignity intersected with a scene I really enjoyed, like, yeah, standing off with Barometz, but for the most part I thought of her as a character who could be quietly competent in between opportunities for adorably embarrassing pratfalls. She had a presumption of dignity that made it never stop being funny to see her become trapped under a blanket. I still remember the bit near the end of the second arc where she heroically shouts to Zig Zag (I think?) that they're going to save her and immediately attacks her, and of course things like the wasps. Have you found the wasps, Fnu? X ]
And god, Sunbeam did me a lot of favors in that respect. Snowy Skies was an odd character who was all reals all the time, and I really loved how he could work as a foil for Amber, because she could be taking herself entirely seriously and consistently if Snowy Skies was in the room, everything Amber did came with a glaze of comedic irony, whether he was internally monologuing at the time or not.
And god, Sunbeam did me a lot of favors in that respect. Snowy Skies was an odd character who was all reals all the time, and I really loved how he could work as a foil for Amber, because she could be taking herself entirely seriously and consistently if Snowy Skies was in the room, everything Amber did came with a glaze of comedic irony, whether he was internally monologuing at the time or not.
Oh man, Snowy did so much for Static too. Like even from the beginning I was hoping to start Static off angry and gradually lighten him up.
I wasn't sure how I was going to achieve this, mostly hoping it would just come naturally as things happened. Snowy and Maple opened so many doors for that to happen.
Like when Snowy met Static at the store before Nightmare Heights and they had a heart to heart about life (and quiche).
I wasn't sure how I was going to achieve this, mostly hoping it would just come naturally as things happened. Snowy and Maple opened so many doors for that to happen.
Like when Snowy met Static at the store before Nightmare Heights and they had a heart to heart about life (and quiche).
I'm putting this next on the list. I love that moment.
Amber really did faint at every opportunity.
STOMP and and Mey Hem's story notes pages are the same but different. The intent was so the players could keep a record of items they've recovered and important events. In each, a player stepped up to add something major. For the one from STOMP, Caldwin made a record of things Dazzling Midnight said or did. There's level of piecing together clues to a mystery that I was glad it happened and wish it got applied to some other things in the campaign. For the one from Mey Hem, GSO made a running text list of all the NPCs in the campaign. Moreover, after the loss of the old forums, he started a summary of the prior campaigns. Everyone pitched in details but a single player got it started.
Aspirations of Harmony revisions
Hello! This document is designed to act as a revisal/errata/new edition for the out of combat half of Pony Tales: Aspirations of Harmony. This is born out of experience using the system and a desire to make it more usable for both players and GMs. This will encompass a few changes to universal r...
docs.google.com
I made a document of various changes for Aspirations of Harmony for those who who might like to run their own pony campaign.
The police receptionist finished writing. "We'll certainly be on the lookout. Unless you..." She paused and blinked. "I'm sorry sir but we're going to need you to wait here."
Steel Flint stuck her head into the lab and addressed Amber Spark and Snowy Skies. "Sorry to interrupt. There seems to be a bit of a concern down at the police station involving Night Cap so if you could please take this folder, it would! be appreciated. It's simply verification of his prior location."
Upon hearing Static Signal's comments, Brisk Iron responded with, "Hmm. I'll certainly be following up with the police about this. The biggest problem is the lack of leads. Whoever hired him seems to have tried to cover their tracks but there's bound to be a slip up somewhere.
As far as more direct Keep news, *sigh* I've acquired the funds so that the film you and Night Cap found will be fully restored and multiple copies made."
"Yes ma'am," said Amber, stepping forward and levitating the folder. "You do study your colleagues closely, Mr. Skies."
Snowy grins widely. It felt good to be right. "Extreme cases like Night Cap are easier than others. I know the way to the police station." He set out down the hallway, Amber (hopefully) in tow.
The police receptionist said, "Simply be patient and all should be resolved."
After some continued back and forth inquiry and deflection between Night Cap and the receptionist, Snowy Skies and Amber Spark arrived at the police station.
Amber nodded and followed Mr. Skies out. She couldn't quite be sure whether to be embarrassed not to know where the police station was, but thought back to their earlier conversation and reminded herself that it didn't really matter.
As Snowy Skies steps through the threshold, he hears a conversation that sounds not unlike a game of ping pong.
Ping?
Pong.
Ping?
Pong.
Ping?
Pong.
He pauses, just inside the doorway, watching Night Cap and the poor receptionist talk back and forth with morbid fascination. Query and answer, query and answer. How long had the rally been going on? How long could it persist?
"Hold on one moment." The police receptionist turned her attention from Night Cap to Amber Spark and Snowy Skies. "How may I help you?"
Snowy coughs to cover a laugh. "We're with him. We have some paperwork that should clear up any number of questions."
Amber drifted the folder toward the receptionist. "I'm not certain how 'with him' we are until you can tell us what happened here, but we were asked to deliver this for him."
"Thank you." The police receptionist looked over the paperwork. "Sorry for the holdup, Night Cap. You're now free to go." Just then, the clock struck Noon and a wooden cuckoo popped out once. It returned very slowly and didn't pop out any more times. "Odd. I wonder if the clock is broken. Shouldn't be since it's brand..." The police receptionist suddenly fainted.
A part of Amber couldn't help perking in curiosity at the mention of the malfunctioning mechanism, but it quickly joined the rest of her on the way to the floor.
Snowy looks expectantly at the clock, then staggers to one side as...something washes over him. He wasn't certain what it was, but he knew what it felt like to worm your way into someone else's head. A mental guitar riff transformed into a physical electric wail, reverberating through the room as he forcibly emptied his head. Breathing a little heavily, he squints at Night Cap. "Now what?"
His vision steadily clearing, Snowy regards Night Cap curiously. "You're either really good at keeping people out of your head, or nobody wanted you asleep. Now help me get Amber behind the counter." He bends down and begins to drag her towards the secretary's window.
Snowy grunts in acknowledgement of the help.
"We call the police." Snowy says drily, pushing Amber's limp form over the edge of the counter and wincing as she slid over the other side. "But I suppose what we should do first is see who's outside. If the entire town is asleep, then something bigger is happening. If it's just the police station, then I bet heading straight for the--" His eyes widen. "We're going to jail. Right now. Follow me." He darts off, heading towards where he thinks the jail cells might be. Could their old assailants still be held here?
He didn't have his violin.
The thing that Night Cap and Snowy Skies immediately noticed was that all of the unicorns in the building were unconscious. Some of the earth ponies and pegasi were attending to the unicorns while others seemed to be headed in the same direction Night Cap and Snowy Skies were--towards the jail cells. Upon reaching that area, they found several officers on the floor groaning in pain and a single sheet of paper suspended in midair with slowly withering edges.
"At least they didn't want to talk to you, specifically." Snowy comments as they see more waking souls. He takes a quick glance at the jail cells before inspecting the paper.
There was a single entrance to the cell block and it could be seen that all the jail cells were closed and a few prisoners were in them. Snowy Skies could feel that the paper was being affected by a lingering spell that was slowly dissipating but was making him feel ill as he tried to inspect it with his magic. While there was something written on the paper, it wasn't large so it wasn't easy to see from a distance.
Night Cap found that there were two spells at play. One was swiftly fading and seemed to be what knocked out the unicorns. However, the paper seemed to be shifted just slightly outside of time. Upon touching it, the paper returned to a normal state instead of hanging in the air. The unicorns started to awake and Amber Spark could hear the cuckoo clock chirp eleven times. Night Cap could see a single sentence written on the paper in a fairly expensive purple ink in a particular shade he had seen before: 'Sorry for the mess.'
Amber slowly stood up and shook her head. "I assume this is your emergency, Night Cap?" she asked, her voice trailing away as she realized that Snowy and Night Cap had gone. She ran through what she knew - she didn't remember being attacked, but found herself beaten and stuffed behind the counter. Somepony must have come in behind them and - had they taken the paranoid paranormalists with them?
Amber stepped out from behind the counter, keeping alert. Whoever had attacked could return at any moment - they clearly had the run of the station. She "hooved" the inscribed brass orbs in her saddlebag with her magic, not drawing them out but keeping them at ready, and peeked down the hallway at the back of the room.
There were at least two possibilities. Whoever had attacked might have knocked everyone out on the way in and still be inside. That would explain why Amber felt she'd been hit by an apple cart. But if the attack had been a magical one, a simple sleep spell or something of that kind, the attackers might well be gone already, letting up the spell only after they had left. The clock may have helped decide the question - if it wasn't broken and running backwards.
The best thing would be to cover the exit and hope someone with information showed up. Amber stepped toward the front door, took a quick look outside, stepped back to the center of the room, and tried very hard to look intimidating.
"Hold on, son. That's evidence." Detective Gem Champron walked into the room looking directly at Night Cap.
"I still want to find out if anyone's missing--" Snowy was cut off by the imposing-looking detective who was, unfortunately, confronting Night Cap. "Did something happen while everyone was unconscious? Did anything--or anyone--go missing?" He sounds curious rather than frustrated.
Amber Spark found an unconscious Savant Sard with a large box setting on her back. Meanwhile, Snowy Skies could hear several officers respond to his inquiry as they started to stir:
"Silent Belle is gone."
"I remember her frowning and then she said, 'Oh no, this is gonna hurt' before laying flat on the ground."
"Black sparkles...just like the last time."
"Some mare popped up and smiled at all of us. Shouldn't be possible, you can't wink out of here."
"She's a suspect behind a recent robbery attempt. 'Dazzling Midnight' I believe."
"Wait, who are you?"
Detective Gem Champron walked towards Night Cap and outstretched a hoof. "If it's dangerous then there's even more reason you shouldn't have it. Your concern is appreciated but there are safe places outside city limits to study it. I'd rather we talk, especially if you have any leads. You can either give me the paper and be free to go or we can put you in a nice, uncomfortable jail cell. Your choice."
Removing the box, Amber quickly looked over her coworker for signs of - whatever it was that ponies looked for signs of when somepony was unconscious.
Silent Belle was a familiar name. She was one of the COIN operatives from the assault that had started the whole Strut business. Dazzling Midnight was only vaguely familiar. He'd heard the name at least once before. Her name had been said with a certain measure of...fear. Where was that? It wasn't long ago...
Savant Sard tried to shake off the dizziness. "What happened?" Elsewhere, Detective Gem Champron very carefully placed the paper in one of his pockets. "The other ponies on the force are certainly my friends so I understand your concern. In fact, it seems Mr. Skies is doing the right thing as a friend and making sure you stay out of trouble. Come with me to my office. If anypony else you know is here, let me know so we can have this meeting together."
"Honestly, ma'am, I haven't an inkling. I was as unconscious as you a few minutes ago and stuffed under the desk. I'm beginning to think that ponies suddenly losing consciousness is something that just happens around Mr. Cap and Mr. Skies. Are you alright?"
"I don't believe we've met." Snowy says, glancing around the room. "I just know how to communicate with authority figures." Not bothering to explain, he continues. "Amber's out at the front desk. I think Savant Sard was there too? After watching your back and forth with the receptionist, she looked a little relieved to be passing out."
Steel Flint stuck her head into the lab and addressed Amber Spark and Snowy Skies. "Sorry to interrupt. There seems to be a bit of a concern down at the police station involving Night Cap so if you could please take this folder, it would! be appreciated. It's simply verification of his prior location."
Upon hearing Static Signal's comments, Brisk Iron responded with, "Hmm. I'll certainly be following up with the police about this. The biggest problem is the lack of leads. Whoever hired him seems to have tried to cover their tracks but there's bound to be a slip up somewhere.
As far as more direct Keep news, *sigh* I've acquired the funds so that the film you and Night Cap found will be fully restored and multiple copies made."
"Yes ma'am," said Amber, stepping forward and levitating the folder. "You do study your colleagues closely, Mr. Skies."
Snowy grins widely. It felt good to be right. "Extreme cases like Night Cap are easier than others. I know the way to the police station." He set out down the hallway, Amber (hopefully) in tow.
The police receptionist said, "Simply be patient and all should be resolved."
After some continued back and forth inquiry and deflection between Night Cap and the receptionist, Snowy Skies and Amber Spark arrived at the police station.
Amber nodded and followed Mr. Skies out. She couldn't quite be sure whether to be embarrassed not to know where the police station was, but thought back to their earlier conversation and reminded herself that it didn't really matter.
As Snowy Skies steps through the threshold, he hears a conversation that sounds not unlike a game of ping pong.
Ping?
Pong.
Ping?
Pong.
Ping?
Pong.
He pauses, just inside the doorway, watching Night Cap and the poor receptionist talk back and forth with morbid fascination. Query and answer, query and answer. How long had the rally been going on? How long could it persist?
"Hold on one moment." The police receptionist turned her attention from Night Cap to Amber Spark and Snowy Skies. "How may I help you?"
Snowy coughs to cover a laugh. "We're with him. We have some paperwork that should clear up any number of questions."
Amber drifted the folder toward the receptionist. "I'm not certain how 'with him' we are until you can tell us what happened here, but we were asked to deliver this for him."
"Thank you." The police receptionist looked over the paperwork. "Sorry for the holdup, Night Cap. You're now free to go." Just then, the clock struck Noon and a wooden cuckoo popped out once. It returned very slowly and didn't pop out any more times. "Odd. I wonder if the clock is broken. Shouldn't be since it's brand..." The police receptionist suddenly fainted.
A part of Amber couldn't help perking in curiosity at the mention of the malfunctioning mechanism, but it quickly joined the rest of her on the way to the floor.
Snowy looks expectantly at the clock, then staggers to one side as...something washes over him. He wasn't certain what it was, but he knew what it felt like to worm your way into someone else's head. A mental guitar riff transformed into a physical electric wail, reverberating through the room as he forcibly emptied his head. Breathing a little heavily, he squints at Night Cap. "Now what?"
His vision steadily clearing, Snowy regards Night Cap curiously. "You're either really good at keeping people out of your head, or nobody wanted you asleep. Now help me get Amber behind the counter." He bends down and begins to drag her towards the secretary's window.
Snowy grunts in acknowledgement of the help.
"We call the police." Snowy says drily, pushing Amber's limp form over the edge of the counter and wincing as she slid over the other side. "But I suppose what we should do first is see who's outside. If the entire town is asleep, then something bigger is happening. If it's just the police station, then I bet heading straight for the--" His eyes widen. "We're going to jail. Right now. Follow me." He darts off, heading towards where he thinks the jail cells might be. Could their old assailants still be held here?
He didn't have his violin.
The thing that Night Cap and Snowy Skies immediately noticed was that all of the unicorns in the building were unconscious. Some of the earth ponies and pegasi were attending to the unicorns while others seemed to be headed in the same direction Night Cap and Snowy Skies were--towards the jail cells. Upon reaching that area, they found several officers on the floor groaning in pain and a single sheet of paper suspended in midair with slowly withering edges.
"At least they didn't want to talk to you, specifically." Snowy comments as they see more waking souls. He takes a quick glance at the jail cells before inspecting the paper.
There was a single entrance to the cell block and it could be seen that all the jail cells were closed and a few prisoners were in them. Snowy Skies could feel that the paper was being affected by a lingering spell that was slowly dissipating but was making him feel ill as he tried to inspect it with his magic. While there was something written on the paper, it wasn't large so it wasn't easy to see from a distance.
Night Cap found that there were two spells at play. One was swiftly fading and seemed to be what knocked out the unicorns. However, the paper seemed to be shifted just slightly outside of time. Upon touching it, the paper returned to a normal state instead of hanging in the air. The unicorns started to awake and Amber Spark could hear the cuckoo clock chirp eleven times. Night Cap could see a single sentence written on the paper in a fairly expensive purple ink in a particular shade he had seen before: 'Sorry for the mess.'
Amber slowly stood up and shook her head. "I assume this is your emergency, Night Cap?" she asked, her voice trailing away as she realized that Snowy and Night Cap had gone. She ran through what she knew - she didn't remember being attacked, but found herself beaten and stuffed behind the counter. Somepony must have come in behind them and - had they taken the paranoid paranormalists with them?
Amber stepped out from behind the counter, keeping alert. Whoever had attacked could return at any moment - they clearly had the run of the station. She "hooved" the inscribed brass orbs in her saddlebag with her magic, not drawing them out but keeping them at ready, and peeked down the hallway at the back of the room.
There were at least two possibilities. Whoever had attacked might have knocked everyone out on the way in and still be inside. That would explain why Amber felt she'd been hit by an apple cart. But if the attack had been a magical one, a simple sleep spell or something of that kind, the attackers might well be gone already, letting up the spell only after they had left. The clock may have helped decide the question - if it wasn't broken and running backwards.
The best thing would be to cover the exit and hope someone with information showed up. Amber stepped toward the front door, took a quick look outside, stepped back to the center of the room, and tried very hard to look intimidating.
"Hold on, son. That's evidence." Detective Gem Champron walked into the room looking directly at Night Cap.
"I still want to find out if anyone's missing--" Snowy was cut off by the imposing-looking detective who was, unfortunately, confronting Night Cap. "Did something happen while everyone was unconscious? Did anything--or anyone--go missing?" He sounds curious rather than frustrated.
Amber Spark found an unconscious Savant Sard with a large box setting on her back. Meanwhile, Snowy Skies could hear several officers respond to his inquiry as they started to stir:
"Silent Belle is gone."
"I remember her frowning and then she said, 'Oh no, this is gonna hurt' before laying flat on the ground."
"Black sparkles...just like the last time."
"Some mare popped up and smiled at all of us. Shouldn't be possible, you can't wink out of here."
"She's a suspect behind a recent robbery attempt. 'Dazzling Midnight' I believe."
"Wait, who are you?"
Detective Gem Champron walked towards Night Cap and outstretched a hoof. "If it's dangerous then there's even more reason you shouldn't have it. Your concern is appreciated but there are safe places outside city limits to study it. I'd rather we talk, especially if you have any leads. You can either give me the paper and be free to go or we can put you in a nice, uncomfortable jail cell. Your choice."
Removing the box, Amber quickly looked over her coworker for signs of - whatever it was that ponies looked for signs of when somepony was unconscious.
Silent Belle was a familiar name. She was one of the COIN operatives from the assault that had started the whole Strut business. Dazzling Midnight was only vaguely familiar. He'd heard the name at least once before. Her name had been said with a certain measure of...fear. Where was that? It wasn't long ago...
Static knew her. Static feared her. Night Cap apparently knew her, too, but now was not the time to talk about that. He was still hesitant to magically grip the paper, so he steps forward and dips a hand into Night Cap's bag, pulling out the paper and handing it to the detective. "I came down here to make certain you didn't end up in jail, I'm not about to screw that up." He says sternly, almost glaring at Night Cap. He wanted to exit the station, quickly.
Savant Sard tried to shake off the dizziness. "What happened?" Elsewhere, Detective Gem Champron very carefully placed the paper in one of his pockets. "The other ponies on the force are certainly my friends so I understand your concern. In fact, it seems Mr. Skies is doing the right thing as a friend and making sure you stay out of trouble. Come with me to my office. If anypony else you know is here, let me know so we can have this meeting together."
"Honestly, ma'am, I haven't an inkling. I was as unconscious as you a few minutes ago and stuffed under the desk. I'm beginning to think that ponies suddenly losing consciousness is something that just happens around Mr. Cap and Mr. Skies. Are you alright?"
"I don't believe we've met." Snowy says, glancing around the room. "I just know how to communicate with authority figures." Not bothering to explain, he continues. "Amber's out at the front desk. I think Savant Sard was there too? After watching your back and forth with the receptionist, she looked a little relieved to be passing out."
Thank you so much! 
Sadly my side of the Ping Pong match is lost to time, and one of the receptionist's responses is missing or I just haven't found it yet.
Just in case, I'll promote this here: Nighthaze - Pony Shadowrun
I'm thinking of getting a campaign started for it, if there are enough players. Maybe it could focus around a futuristic version of STOMP?
I'm thinking of getting a campaign started for it, if there are enough players. Maybe it could focus around a futuristic version of STOMP?
Isn't that what Shadowrunners are?
Static does have skills that could carry over, and a resume of shadowy organizations trying to recruit him into espionage jobs.