https://talehole.com/w/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=Gnome&feedformat=atomquestden - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T05:22:01ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.31.1https://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Earth_Defense_Force&diff=13780Earth Defense Force2012-10-17T09:40:55Z<p>Gnome: </p>
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<div>{{Infobox|author=Gnome|image=EDF_Splash.png<br />
|thread1=220690|thread2=245129|thread3=296874|thread4=424044<br />
|disthread1=331895<br />
}}<br />
[[image:EDF_Prices.png|thumb|right|FX Prices for villainous wares.]]<br />
You are James Blacwick. Your father has died, passing on his legacy of supervillainy to you. Now you must perform great heists for FX and cash.<br />
<br />
=Characters=<br />
==Black Wick, The Baron Obsidian==<br />
The central character of the quest, a hapless grocer turned ambitious villain after inheriting his father's supervillain contract.<br />
*[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/220690.html#220692 First Appearance - Introduction]<br />
*Near-constant appearances since.<br />
*Actual name James Blacwick. Supervillain name is generally written "Blackwick", although it's officially two words.<br />
*Powers discussed in detail below, but center around teleporting all over the place and a strong fire and stone theme.<br />
*Motivation centers mostly around doing what he wants. Add spin as necessary to sound appropriately villainous.<br />
*Wants to be a classy villain and dislikes unnecessary violence. His ninja butler helps out on both counts.<br />
<br />
==Earth Defense Force==<br />
The first heroes introduced, who are inexplicably convinced that Blackwick wants to destroy the world.<br />
*[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/220690.html#220693 First Appearance - Introduction]<br />
*[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/245129.html#246379 Second Appearance - Melting Glaciers]<br />
*Superhero names Blue, Green, and Pink; actual names James Whitewick, David Whitewick, and Maria Gelinskiwick.<br />
*Blue has super-speed, Green has flying and energy blasts, and Pink has toughness and healing abilities.<br />
*Currently seeking someone to take up the role of Red; apparently they want a bruiser type.<br />
<br />
==The Mayor==<br />
The supplier of all villainous powers in Adventure City, frequent dispenser of verbal abuse, and infrequent dispenser of valuable information.<br />
*[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/220690.html#220795 First Appearance - Introduction]<br />
*Name is Mayor Bloodswick. His first name may or may not actually be "Mayor".<br />
*Refuses to show Blackwick his actual villain contract.<br />
*Appears between just about every mission as Blackwick returns to him in order to get more powers.<br />
*Apparently his counterpart amongst heroes is the police commissioner.<br />
<br />
==Wrench Monkey==<br />
A monkey-faced hero with remarkable powers of construction and a terrible track record.<br />
*[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/220690.html#222040 First Appearance - Monkey Business at the Concert]<br />
*[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/245129.html#246380 Cameo Appearance - Melting Glaciers prelude]<br />
*[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/220690.html#222040 Second Appearance - Heroes of Irony aftermath]<br />
*First name Greg, last name unknown. Presumably "Greg Constructionwick" or something similar.<br />
*Can build things fast. Really, really fast. We're talking multi-story staircases in seconds. He's also quite strong and tough.<br />
*Was rejected by the Earth Defense Force when applying for a job as Red.<br />
*He asked Blackwick to throw a fight because he's just that terrible at everything. Blackwick offered him a duel with lackeyhood on the line in response.<br />
<br />
==Mr. Bewick==<br />
The manager of the grocery store where Blackwick works, Pig'Em's Grocery, and a huge villain fan.<br />
*[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/220690.html#226828 First Appearance - Angel in the Deli]<br />
*[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/245129.html#245803 Cameo Appearance - Date with a Don aftermath]<br />
*[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/245129.html#268958 Second Appearance - Heroes of Irony prelude]<br />
*First name unknown. Hopefully it is not "Pig", as he is much too cool for that name.<br />
*Promoted Blackwick when it came out that he was now a supervillain.<br />
*Is a generally awesome guy, and Blackwick's primary source of information on other villains.<br />
<br />
==Angel Frost==<br />
A fairy-themed hero who <strike>has some pretty great pornographic fanart</strike> Blackwick was immediately charmed by and asked out. They now date.<br />
*[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/220690.html#226901 First Appearance - Angel in the Deli]<br />
*[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/220690.html#229904 Second Appearance - Date with a Don]<br />
*[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/296874.html#299104 Third Appearance - Heroes of Irony aftermath]<br />
*Full name is Deborah Snowick.<br />
*Has an assortment of very powerful ice-related powers, plus a fairy form.<br />
*Always loved fairies, and is <strike>mostly</strike> only a hero for the theme and cool powers. Blackwick is considering turning her into a villain eventually, but getting paid for 'working dates' is pretty sweet.<br />
*Provides an opportunity to make a near infinite number of ice based puns, along with Blackwick's usual fire-based puns. Keepin' it classy.<br />
<br />
==Don Dice==<br />
A mobster villain who had the misfortune to walk in on our date with Debbie, but eventually turned out to be a pretty cool guy.<br />
*[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/220690.html#229907 First Appearance - Date with a Don]<br />
*Full name is Nathaniel Bloodwick.<br />
*Has a huge number of gangster minions with machine guns, a gigantic monkey boss minion, and is an extremely tough bruiser type personally.<br />
*Calls Blackwick "kid" all the time, and dispensed some helpful advice regarding minions.<br />
<br />
==Hollow Queen==<br />
A pumpkin-themed villain. Much more terrifying than that sounds.<br />
*[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/245129.html#245649 First Appearance - Date with a Don aftermath]<br />
*[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/245129.html#264191 Second Appearance - Heroes of Irony]<br />
*Real name unknown.<br />
*Has extremely dangerous claws, great strength and speed, and can regenerate severed limbs in a matter of seconds.<br />
*Masterminded the Heroes of Irony operation, calling in Blackwick, Blood Knight, and Delirium for support. Ended up in jail afterward.<br />
<br />
==Delirium==<br />
A drug-themed villain from Iron City. She has a reputation for being crazy that seems well-deserved, if a bit exaggerated.<br />
*[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/245129.html#270494 First Appearance - Heroes of Irony]<br />
*[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/296874.html#298504 Second Appearance - Heroes of Irony aftermath]<br />
*[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/296874.html#404376 Third Appearance - Nefariously hanging out]<br />
*Real name Sarah Peregrine, PhD. The lack of a -wick suffix on her last name boggles the mind.<br />
*Suffers from crippling depression, anxiety, and nil self-esteem. Takes drugs of her own design to keep life tolerable.<br />
*Has four tentacles attached to her torso, two of which have hands and two of which have drug-injector claws.<br />
*Actually really nice, if a bit strange. Evacuated an injured and incapacitated Blackwick from battle at the end of Heroes of Irony.<br />
<br />
==Blood Knight==<br />
A villain from Corneria who fights both heroes and villains in duels to the death. <br />
*[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/245129.html#270494 First Appearance - Heroes of Irony]<br />
*Real name unknown.<br />
*Has impressive blood-themed powers, and seemingly also the ability to return from the dead.<br />
<br />
==Happy Time==<br />
A clown hero who alternates between depressed and batshit crazy.<br />
*[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/245129.html#273668 First Appearance - Heroes of Irony]<br />
*Real name unknown.<br />
*Uses lots of knives and impressively fast reflexes in combat.<br />
*Is not at all funny and is generally an even worse clown than he is a hero.<br />
<br />
==Mana==<br />
A hero who has turned into a robot girl. <br />
*[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/245129.html#273668 First Appearance - Heroes of Irony]<br />
*Real name unknown.<br />
*Can rapidly shapeshift her hands into a variety of weapons, has some kind of threat-analysis vision, and is rather tough.<br />
*Wouldn't smile even when Blackwick told her she was pretty. How rude.<br />
<br />
==Law Legs==<br />
A powerful hero who has only one arm, but generally kicks ass. Carries a bible and has church bell noises when he uses his abilities.<br />
*[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/245129.html#273668 First Appearance - Heroes of Irony]<br />
*Real name unknown.<br />
*Very fast, extremely strong, regenerates from wounds, has powerful ranged attacks, can jump off nothing to move through the air. Scary bastard.<br />
*Had a remarkably epic fight with Blackwick which consisted mostly of Blackwick desperately trying to not get his ass kicked.<br />
*Is a National hero, which presumably reflects competence. Asked Blackwick why he fights and gave him a chance to give an epic speech, the style points from which pretty much carried Blackwick into National status himself.<br />
<br />
<br />
=Superpowers=<br />
==Teleportation==<br />
Blackwick can teleport about 100 kilometers per second of charging. Blackwick can create choose to create obsidian gates when he teleports, and permanently bind the beginning and end point of the teleportation together, until the portal is dismissed or one of the obsidian gates is destroyed. Blackwick can carry another person with him when teleporting. <br />
===Potential Upgrades===<br />
*'''Distance (3 FX):''' Increases distance per second tenfold. Five of these and the moon base is within an hour's reach. Eight of these and the charge takes half a minute.<br />
{|border=1 cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 style="text-align:center"<br />
! # of Upgrades||M/S||Time to Moon Base||FX cost||Total FX cost<br />
|-bgcolor=#FFFCAF<br />
|1||10||1y 79d 21h 51m 40s||3||6<br />
|-bgcolor=#FFFCAF<br />
|2||100||44d 11h 47m 10s||3||9<br />
|-bgcolor=#FFFCAF<br />
|3||1'000||4d 10h 46m 43s||3||12<br />
|-bgcolor=#FFFCAF<br />
|4||10'000||10h 40m 5s||3||15<br />
|-<br />
|5||100'000||1h 4m 5s||3||18<br />
|-<br />
|6||1'000'000||6m 25s||3||21<br />
|-<br />
|7||10'000'000||39s||3||24<br />
|-<br />
|8||100'000'000||4s||3||27<br />
|-<br />
|9||1'000'000'000||400ms||3||30<br />
|}<br />
*'''Carrying Capacity (3 FX):''' Double the amount to bring with. We currently have one upgrade, allowing one extra person, or something about that size.<br />
*'''Teleport String (3 FX):''' Teleport an additional time in quick succession, before needing to wait on the power to recharge. We currently are allowed up to two successive teleports.<br />
<br />
==Fire Aura (Invulnerability + Flight)==<br />
A thin, fiery aura that cushions blows, and allows flight. Very stylish, and teleporting leaves fiery afterimages while it's active. It could be upgraded to protect from most environmental hazards. Being made of fire, it can be used to burn things. It is deactivated whenever Blackwick is fully immersed in water, but small amounts of water have no effect.<br />
<br />
===Potential Upgrades===<br />
*'''Reduced Impact (3 FX):''' The shield is better able to prevent damage from attacks. Can be specialized against specific kinds of attacks. <br />
*'''Faster Flight (3 FX):''' Fly more quickly. Blackwick is not sure this is absolutely necessary, considering he can teleport. <br />
*'''Fire Shield Strength (3 FX):''' Increase the heat/damaging potential of the aura.<br />
*'''Environmental Shield (3 FX):''' Protects from various environmental hazards, specified when the upgrade is purchsed. Breathing in space seems to be one of the options! <br />
*'''Shield Ally (3 FX):''' Blah blah can protect someone else with fire who cares.<br />
<br />
==Forge Obsidian==<br />
Allows to create and shape obsidian with bare hands. We have a single upgrade to creation rate, and can make a longsword in an instant. Larger things require more time. We can create at up to ten meters distant.<br />
<br />
===Potential Upgrades===<br />
* '''Faster Creation:''' This would let me make larger obsidian objects in less time. The general quality still wouldn't improve without putting effort into shaping it. The single upgrade we have so far is enough to make a spare obsidian sword on the fly. An additional rank would let the Baron make two swords at once, or something of similar size. This is one of those exponential growth rate upgrades, where it doubles every time we take it.<br />
* '''Intricacy:''' Allows the Baron to shape the obsidian as he makes it, as well as making it easier for him to shape and in general making him a better sculptor. This is probably going to be a must have for general shenanigans outside of making pointy rocks. Only really needs to be taken once, but a second time would allow for intricate details and simple machinery, and a third time would allow Blackwick to make fully functioning mechanisms, such as a pulley or a wheel-and-axle. Obsidian robots! Not sure how feasible they would be with how brittle and sharp obsidian is, but it's worth thinking about. <br />
* '''Distance Shaping:''' Blackwick can make Obsidian at ten yards away. This only costs 2 FX to purchase, and doubles the distance each time.<br />
* '''Lava Manipulation:''' Or any other kind of material manipulation, really. As a power add-on, the Baron could only make Obsidian or Lava at any given moment, not both, but otherwise this would basically let him buy an entire new power with its own upgrade tree for 3 FX. The mayor tells us it is "less like lava and more like liquid fire," however, because actual magma is extremely lethal and all sorts of beyond Blackwick's capability to control right now. The Distance Shaping and Faster Creation upgrades would apply to both Lava and Obsidian manipulation, but the other Obsidian Shaping upgrades listed here only apply to solid materials. <br />
* '''Durability:''' Allows the Baron to make his obsidian significantly less brittle, so it doesn't crack so easily. A single rank of this would basically prevent it from being destroyed through normal means, although enough super strength could still snap it. A rank of this would let Blackwick use his Obsidian Shaping as a Deflection type defense.<br />
*''' Shattering:''' Allows Blackwick's obsidian to shatter more easily and more violenty. Obsidian made with this property is more prone to breaking, and it really hurts for anyone near it when it does. A rank of this would let the Baron use Obsidian Shaping as a Deflection type counter attack.<br />
<br />
==Reignition==<br />
A healing power that only targets the Baron and is only useable once per day. The normal Heal power costs 6 FX, but with the above drawbacks, we got this at the base level for 2 FX. It heals all superficial wounds, can heal one moderate wound entirely, or can stabilize a severe wound.<br />
===Potential Upgrades===<br />
* heal more wounds at once<br />
* heal more severe wounds (3 FX)<br />
* heal other, specific problems, such as poisons, diseases, or unconsciousness (3 FX per recovery option). In the case of unconsciousness, your Second Wind power would activate the moment you lose consciousness, healing whatever wounds it has the power to do so and also reviving you.<br />
<br />
==Paragon Powerset==<br />
The Paragon Powerset is the powers you got just for becoming a supervillain, and includes: Endurance, Reflexes, and Faster Recovery.<br />
===Potential Upgrades===<br />
Improving Endurance effectively doubles the amount of punishment your body can take. Improving Reflexes improves your reaction time by a marginal amount. Faster Recovery improves your body's natural ability to heal itself, but not the need for medical attention.<br />
<br />
==Potential Future Powers==<br />
===Obsidian Body===<br />
Would let the Baron turn his body into Obsidian at will. This would grant him immunity to any side effects of his own obsidian, as well as granting him greater toughness overall. This would be an on/off all or nothing similar to Angel Frost's Fairy Form, without some improvements, which the Mayor says he can list for us if we decide on buying this. "It's not important if you don't. I just thought it would be neat if you did the same sort of thing as your dad. And, you'd be so damn shiny." <br />
<br />
Some of the upgrades we could give to this power would overlap with fire aura upgrade options, and some would not. The mayor also mentions that combined with my Obsidian Shaping/Sculpting power, this could let him reattach, regrow, or resculpt broken body parts, allowing for a strange kind of self-healing power. <br />
<br />
The Mayor says if I take a power like this, I can never take other body-element powers, so I should think on it carefully. Fire, lava, or Smoke might also be good choices, with my theme being what it is.<br />
<br />
=Drawbacks=<br />
The Baron may gain extra FX by negotiating "drawbacks" with the mayor, such as weaknesses, limits on power capability, and narrowing a power's focus. The mayor gave a couple example drawbacks:<br />
<br />
*'''Instant Limit:''' Putting a limiter on how far Blackwick can teleport in a short amount of time. As the Mayor put it, "do you really need to teleport halfway across the planet in the middle of a fight?" This would 1 FX back for every "level" of teleportation barred in a single minute of charging. Essentially, it would add a 1 minute charge time to all teleports above a certain attempted distance, which isn't too bad. <br />
*'''Bane:''' The Baron could take some sort of weakness that saps his powers. How many FX he gets out of this seems to vary based on how strong the bane is, and how common it is. The mayor says the upper limit Blackwick could get for this is 10 FX, for something common that completely paralyzes a power. He offers "being submerged in water" as a reasonable example, although adds that it would make more sense if that Bane only took away my fire aura. We now have Water negating the fire aura for 3 FX. <br />
<br />
*'''Weakness:''' Similar to Bane, but instead of weakening the Baron, this would be something that hurts him more than usual. Much like Banes, these give a pretty meaty FX return, usually ranging from 3 FX for a rare attack type, and up to 10 FX for something more common. <br />
==Water Bane: Fire Aura== If the Baron is completely submerged in Water, his Fire Aura shuts off. So, he can't fly or burn things underwater right now. He can still teleport out of the water and then reignite his aura.<br />
=Minions=<br />
==Black Knights==<br />
Pack of six Black Knights. Tough, slow, heavy-hitting types. Replenish at the end of the day when defeated.<br />
==Walter==<br />
Ninja Butler. Weak in melee combat, but as you might expect, very fast. Being a ninja, doesn't require Blackwick to carry him around, appearing and vanishing on the fly. He has been upgraded to have a personality.<br />
<br />
= Allies =<br />
The people we have met and exchanged contact cards with.<br />
<!--The cards of the characters we've met go here--><br />
<gallery><br />
File:114.png<br />
File:115.png<br />
File:218.png<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
=Trivia=<br />
This quest is very awesome.<br />
{{-}}<br />
=Gallery=<br />
== Official ==<br />
<!--Iconic frames of a quest go here--><br />
<gallery><br />
File:Black Wick copy.png|Character Sheet<br />
Image:EDF_Candles.png|1 FX<br />
File:EDF_63a.png|Rule 63<br />
File:EDF_63b.png|More Rule 63<br />
</gallery><br />
== Fanart ==<br />
<!--Fanart goes here.--><br />
<gallery><br />
Image:StyleBrainstorm.png|Ideas for a villain theme.<br />
Image:FlightBrainstorm.png |Brainstorming our superpower's visual aesthetics.<br />
Image:Thin_Aura_by_Reka.png|By [[Reka]], in discussion thread.<br />
</gallery><br />
{{Gnome}}<br />
[[Category:Image Quests]]<br />
[[Category:On Hiatus]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Apocalyption&diff=10218Apocalyption2011-08-26T20:40:58Z<p>Gnome: </p>
<hr />
<div>{|cellpadding="2" border="1" align="right" style="width:300px"<br />
|<big>Apocalyption by Gnome</big><br />
|-<br />
|[[image]]<br />
|-<br />
|Day 1:<br />
[http://www.tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/17690.html Chapter 1]<br><br />
[http://www.tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/22038.html Chapter 2-4]<br><br />
----<br />
Day 2:<br><br />
[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/29450.html Chapter 5-6]<br><br />
[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/543258.html Chapter 7-9]<br><br />
----<br />
Day 3:<br><br />
[http://www.tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/57434.html Chapter 10-12]<br><br />
----<br />
Day 4:<br><br />
[http://www.tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/137704.html Chapter 13-14] <br><br />
[http://www.tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/143775.html Chapter 14.5-15] <br><br />
----<br />
Day 5: <br><br />
[http://www.tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/193832.html Chapter 16-17] <br><br />
[http://quest.lv/kusaba/quest/res/226057.html Chapter 18] <br><br />
----<br />
Day 6: <br><br />
[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/343078.html Chapter 19] (Current thread)<br><br />
|-<br />
|[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questdis/res/968.html Discussion]<br><br />
[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questdis/res/913.html Better Discussion] <br><br />
|}<br />
[[File:Annotated List.png|thumb|right|Remember this, this is important.]]<br />
Apocalyption is in progress, still being updated by [[Gnome]]. It is set in the [[Rastin-Vresch Continuity]], along with [[Kara Quest]], [[NicQuest]], [[The Protagonist Dies]], and [[BlazeQuest]].<br />
<br />
<br />
==Characters==<br />
{{Spoilers}}<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Image:Dresscolor.png|thumb|left]] <!--picture accompanying heading--><br />
===Coralina===<br />
<br />
The girl with the [[Orb of Infinite Psyche|Orb]], Coralina is a shy girl who's not good at talking, but wants to do the right thing. Whatever that is.<br />
<br />
Coralina considers herself a talented mage, with good reason. A completely self-taught conjurer (ironically, this is kinda what led to this whole mess), she appears to be considered a first rate caster even among circles of magic users such as the Sorceror's Guild. She has demonstrated the ability to summon various living beings, ranging from a large Gorilla in a tuxedo named Mr. Bananas to Ace of Ruby Quest fame. The downside to this ability is that summoning anything seals the vision from her only functioning eye, rendering her blind except through whatever it is she has summoned.<br />
<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:Vresch Ref.png|thumb|left]] <!--picture accompanying heading--><br />
<br />
===Vresch===<br />
<br />
Vresch is an evil technodemon. However, the "evil" part is hotly debated - he seems more like a well intentioned extremist than anything truly evil. His stated goal as far as we know is to create a perfect society in Neotis that stretches across the earth and potentially beyond. The reason for this seems to be nothing more than simple pride: As functioning ruler of the planet, he will not settle for anything less. That, and fostering intelligent thought among humankind results in new technologies for him to toy around with, which he apparently likes.<br />
<br />
His abilities are vaguely known, but according to Coralina, Vresch is capable of subverting and taking complete control over any technology he can come into contact with: GPS, launch codes, computers, security systems, household appliances, etc., Vresch can control them the instant he comes across it.<br />
<br />
{{-}}<br />
<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<!--INSERT RASTIN PIC HERE--><br />
===Rastin===<br />
<br />
Rastin <strike>is</strike> was the puppet-ruler of the world, and an epic troll. Also kills people a lot, maybe.<br />
<br />
{{-}}<br />
<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<!--INSERT JACOB PIC HERE--><br />
<br />
===Jacob===<br />
<br />
Our new butler. Looks like someone we knew.<br />
<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<!--INSERT LAVERNE PICTURE HERE--><br />
===LeVerne===<br />
<br />
Another of Vresch's and Rastin's staff.<br />
<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<!--INSERT ROB7 PICTURE HERE--><br />
===ROB7===<br />
<br />
British robot butler.<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<!--INSERT REMI PICTURE HERE--><br />
===Remi===<br />
<br />
Political leader for the Nihilism Tech Movement. Slightly creepy, might have been hitting on Coralina. Might also be dead, depending on how honest Rastin is.<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<br />
===Naveen===<br />
Political leader for FurReality, the media group of Neotis. A total pervert, she tried to rape Cora. We talked her out of it by using a gorilla.<br />
{{-}}<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Plot== <br />
{{Spoilers}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<br />
===Chapter 1===<br />
Apocalyption is about Coralina, a girl who accidentally the whole world, and would now like to do something about it. The quest begins with her finding the [[Orb of Infinite Psyche]], and explaining how she summoned Vresch, a demon of technology, who burned out her eye and then went on to screw over the planet. In chapter 1, she is talked into confronting him, and begins the journey to Neotis, his city.<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<br />
===Chapter 2===<br />
Chapter 2 brings us to "Vresch Manse," where Vresch offers to let us rule the world. Of course, only as a puppet replacing his current puppet, Rastin, who has fallen out of favor with the people.<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<br />
===Chapter 3===<br />
In chapter 3, we consider Vresch's offer and are given a tour of what would be our home if we accepted the offer. We also meet the inhabitants of the place, including Jacob, who provides the tour and a pizza.<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<br />
===Chapter 4===<br />
In chapter 4, we are trolled by Rastin, go to breakfast, and meet Remi, a techno-nihilist who wants everyone to live longer so they can die better.<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<br />
===Chapter 5===<br />
In chapter 5, we go down to the basement, where Vresch keeps the source of all magic on the planet, which contains and is owned by Hope. We have a nice and cheerful chat with the psychopath, and then reluctantly accept Vresch's offer. To see what happens, Coralina touches the [[Orb of Infinite Psyche|Orb]] to the source of all magic. Something weird happens, but we sadly don't seem to gain telekinesis.<br />
<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<br />
===Chapter 6===<br />
In chapter 6, we learn about Neotis directly from Vresch himself, and the general consensus is that it would be a pretty cool place to live. We discover Vresch's reason for doing all of this - selfish Pride in owning the best city in the world. Then we finally discover what task he wants us to do: Get a political organization to back up our candidacy for Ruling the City, so we are not connected to the old regime.<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<br />
===Chapter 7===<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<br />
===Chapter 8===<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<br />
===Chapter 9===<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<br />
===Shapter 10===<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<br />
===Chapter 11===<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<br />
===Chapter 12===<br />
{{-}}<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Gallery ==<br />
<br />
=== Official ===<br />
<!--Iconic frames of a quest go here--><br />
<gallery><br />
Image:Image:Imagename.filetype|Caption<br />
<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
=== Fanart ===<br />
<!--Fanart goes here.--><br />
<gallery><br />
Image:Imagename.filetype|Caption<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
{{Gnome}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Image Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Series Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Running Quests]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Apocalyption&diff=10217Apocalyption2011-08-26T20:40:33Z<p>Gnome: </p>
<hr />
<div>{|cellpadding="2" border="1" align="right" style="width:300px"<br />
|<big>Apocalyption by Gnome</big><br />
|-<br />
|[[image]]<br />
|-<br />
|Day 1:<br />
[http://www.tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/17690.html Chapter 1]<br><br />
[http://www.tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/22038.html Chapter 2-4]<br><br />
----<br />
Day 2:<br><br />
[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/29450.html Chapter 5-6]<br><br />
[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/543258.html Chapter 7-9]<br><br />
----<br />
Day 3:<br><br />
[http://www.tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/57434.html Chapter 10-12]<br><br />
----<br />
Day 4:<br><br />
[http://www.tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/137704.html Chapter 13-14] <br><br />
[http://www.tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/143775.html Chapter 14.5-15] <br><br />
----<br />
Day 5: <br><br />
[http://www.tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/193832.html Chapter 16-17] <br><br />
[http://quest.lv/kusaba/quest/res/226057.html Chapter 18] (Current thread)<br><br />
----<br />
Day 6: <br><br />
[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/343078.html Chapter 19]<br><br />
|-<br />
|[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questdis/res/968.html Discussion]<br><br />
[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questdis/res/913.html Better Discussion] <br><br />
|}<br />
[[File:Annotated List.png|thumb|right|Remember this, this is important.]]<br />
Apocalyption is in progress, still being updated by [[Gnome]]. It is set in the [[Rastin-Vresch Continuity]], along with [[Kara Quest]], [[NicQuest]], [[The Protagonist Dies]], and [[BlazeQuest]].<br />
<br />
<br />
==Characters==<br />
{{Spoilers}}<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Image:Dresscolor.png|thumb|left]] <!--picture accompanying heading--><br />
===Coralina===<br />
<br />
The girl with the [[Orb of Infinite Psyche|Orb]], Coralina is a shy girl who's not good at talking, but wants to do the right thing. Whatever that is.<br />
<br />
Coralina considers herself a talented mage, with good reason. A completely self-taught conjurer (ironically, this is kinda what led to this whole mess), she appears to be considered a first rate caster even among circles of magic users such as the Sorceror's Guild. She has demonstrated the ability to summon various living beings, ranging from a large Gorilla in a tuxedo named Mr. Bananas to Ace of Ruby Quest fame. The downside to this ability is that summoning anything seals the vision from her only functioning eye, rendering her blind except through whatever it is she has summoned.<br />
<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:Vresch Ref.png|thumb|left]] <!--picture accompanying heading--><br />
<br />
===Vresch===<br />
<br />
Vresch is an evil technodemon. However, the "evil" part is hotly debated - he seems more like a well intentioned extremist than anything truly evil. His stated goal as far as we know is to create a perfect society in Neotis that stretches across the earth and potentially beyond. The reason for this seems to be nothing more than simple pride: As functioning ruler of the planet, he will not settle for anything less. That, and fostering intelligent thought among humankind results in new technologies for him to toy around with, which he apparently likes.<br />
<br />
His abilities are vaguely known, but according to Coralina, Vresch is capable of subverting and taking complete control over any technology he can come into contact with: GPS, launch codes, computers, security systems, household appliances, etc., Vresch can control them the instant he comes across it.<br />
<br />
{{-}}<br />
<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<!--INSERT RASTIN PIC HERE--><br />
===Rastin===<br />
<br />
Rastin <strike>is</strike> was the puppet-ruler of the world, and an epic troll. Also kills people a lot, maybe.<br />
<br />
{{-}}<br />
<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<!--INSERT JACOB PIC HERE--><br />
<br />
===Jacob===<br />
<br />
Our new butler. Looks like someone we knew.<br />
<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<!--INSERT LAVERNE PICTURE HERE--><br />
===LeVerne===<br />
<br />
Another of Vresch's and Rastin's staff.<br />
<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<!--INSERT ROB7 PICTURE HERE--><br />
===ROB7===<br />
<br />
British robot butler.<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<!--INSERT REMI PICTURE HERE--><br />
===Remi===<br />
<br />
Political leader for the Nihilism Tech Movement. Slightly creepy, might have been hitting on Coralina. Might also be dead, depending on how honest Rastin is.<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<br />
===Naveen===<br />
Political leader for FurReality, the media group of Neotis. A total pervert, she tried to rape Cora. We talked her out of it by using a gorilla.<br />
{{-}}<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Plot== <br />
{{Spoilers}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<br />
===Chapter 1===<br />
Apocalyption is about Coralina, a girl who accidentally the whole world, and would now like to do something about it. The quest begins with her finding the [[Orb of Infinite Psyche]], and explaining how she summoned Vresch, a demon of technology, who burned out her eye and then went on to screw over the planet. In chapter 1, she is talked into confronting him, and begins the journey to Neotis, his city.<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<br />
===Chapter 2===<br />
Chapter 2 brings us to "Vresch Manse," where Vresch offers to let us rule the world. Of course, only as a puppet replacing his current puppet, Rastin, who has fallen out of favor with the people.<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<br />
===Chapter 3===<br />
In chapter 3, we consider Vresch's offer and are given a tour of what would be our home if we accepted the offer. We also meet the inhabitants of the place, including Jacob, who provides the tour and a pizza.<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<br />
===Chapter 4===<br />
In chapter 4, we are trolled by Rastin, go to breakfast, and meet Remi, a techno-nihilist who wants everyone to live longer so they can die better.<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<br />
===Chapter 5===<br />
In chapter 5, we go down to the basement, where Vresch keeps the source of all magic on the planet, which contains and is owned by Hope. We have a nice and cheerful chat with the psychopath, and then reluctantly accept Vresch's offer. To see what happens, Coralina touches the [[Orb of Infinite Psyche|Orb]] to the source of all magic. Something weird happens, but we sadly don't seem to gain telekinesis.<br />
<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<br />
===Chapter 6===<br />
In chapter 6, we learn about Neotis directly from Vresch himself, and the general consensus is that it would be a pretty cool place to live. We discover Vresch's reason for doing all of this - selfish Pride in owning the best city in the world. Then we finally discover what task he wants us to do: Get a political organization to back up our candidacy for Ruling the City, so we are not connected to the old regime.<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<br />
===Chapter 7===<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<br />
===Chapter 8===<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<br />
===Chapter 9===<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<br />
===Shapter 10===<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<br />
===Chapter 11===<br />
{{-}}<br />
[[Image:image|thumb|left]]<br />
===Chapter 12===<br />
{{-}}<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Gallery ==<br />
<br />
=== Official ===<br />
<!--Iconic frames of a quest go here--><br />
<gallery><br />
Image:Image:Imagename.filetype|Caption<br />
<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
=== Fanart ===<br />
<!--Fanart goes here.--><br />
<gallery><br />
Image:Imagename.filetype|Caption<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
{{Gnome}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Image Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Series Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Running Quests]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Princess_Quest&diff=10215Princess Quest2011-08-26T05:42:02Z<p>Gnome: </p>
<hr />
<div>{|cellpadding="2" border="1" align="right" style="width:200px"<br />
|<big>Princess Quest by Project5</big><br />
|-<br />
|[[image:Princessq_title.png|200px]]<br />
|-<br />
|<br />
<br />
[ [http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/70749.html Part 1] ]<br><br />
<br />
[ [http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/76355.html Part 2-3] ]<br><br />
<br />
[ [http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/80604.html Part 4] ]<br><br />
<br />
[ [http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/91170.html Part 5] ]<br><br />
<br />
[ [http://tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/111628.html Part 6] ]<br><br />
<br />
[ [http://tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/168360.html Part 7] ]<br><br />
<br />
[ [http://tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/343011.html Part 8](Currently active) ]<br><br />
<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
A [[quest]] authored by [[Project5]]. <br />
<br />
You are in charge of young MARIA, who is a PRINCESS and a FAIR MAIDEN. <br />
<br />
Maria is aware of both you and the NARRATOR. <br />
<br />
Maria's mother, the QUEEN, has implied that she should do the LAUNDRY. <br />
<br />
<br />
Things got worse. <br />
<br />
==Walter Quest==<br />
You are in charge of WALTER -- MARIA's cousin, best friend, and potential suitor.<br />
DEMONS ensue.<br />
(side story to Princess Quest)<br />
<br />
==Characters==<br />
<br />
===Maria===<br />
A cute 13-year-old princess with a loopy mother and a confusing and frightening skin condition. Has a bright star on her forehead that is somehow a birthmark. Cannot cast PRINCESS BEAM, and is extremely agitated with the idea such an attack could even exist. <br />
<br />
===Walter=== <br />
Maria's cousin and best friend. Came to the castle as a suitor. Becomes extremely bitter and jaded after a while, but he gets better.<br />
<br />
===The Raven===<br />
Evil. Likes singing.<br />
<br />
===The Demon===<br />
Later dubbed Tom. The type of demon who eats things that are already dead. Oddly polite. A bit apathetic and has a hard time comforting Maria. <br />
<br />
===Vandis===<br />
Friend of the brothers. Has Shiny glasses. Raising a young RedEye boychild named Leral.<br />
<br />
===Leral===<br />
Mute. Can summon pure darkness. Possibly has a crush on Tom. <br />
<br />
===Cain&Abel===<br />
Two of Maria's twelve brothers, and twins. While Cain is an asshat with a very vague sense of morals, Abel has a recessive personality and does whatever Cain says.<br />
<br />
===Hadrian===<br />
Maria's 18-year-old Fiancé. Only not really. Extremely charismatic when he wants to be.<br />
<br />
===Neida===<br />
A Scorpion Demon with enormous breasts and a mismatched accent that lives in the tunnels underneath Woman Eater Forest. <br />
<br />
===Emin===<br />
A Scorpion Demon being raised by Neida. A bit spoiled. His relationship with Neida is unknown.<br />
<br />
===Cory===<br />
Apparently some sort of young wizard. Occasionally narrates. Seems to know The Raven quite well (and possibly personally). <br />
<br />
{{Project5}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Running Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Image Quests]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Princess_Quest&diff=10214Princess Quest2011-08-26T05:41:36Z<p>Gnome: </p>
<hr />
<div>{|cellpadding="2" border="1" align="right" style="width:200px"<br />
|<big>Princess Quest by Project5</big><br />
|-<br />
|[[image:Princessq_title.png|200px]]<br />
|-<br />
|<br />
<br />
[ [http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/70749.html Part 1] ]<br><br />
<br />
[ [http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/76355.html Part 2-3] ]<br><br />
<br />
[ [http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/80604.html Part 4] ]<br><br />
<br />
[ [http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/91170.html Part 5] ]<br><br />
<br />
[ [http://tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/111628.html Part 6] ]<br><br />
<br />
[ [http://tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/168360.html Part 7] ]<br><br />
[ [http://tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/343011.html Part 8](Currently active) ]<br><br />
<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
A [[quest]] authored by [[Project5]]. <br />
<br />
You are in charge of young MARIA, who is a PRINCESS and a FAIR MAIDEN. <br />
<br />
Maria is aware of both you and the NARRATOR. <br />
<br />
Maria's mother, the QUEEN, has implied that she should do the LAUNDRY. <br />
<br />
<br />
Things got worse. <br />
<br />
==Walter Quest==<br />
You are in charge of WALTER -- MARIA's cousin, best friend, and potential suitor.<br />
DEMONS ensue.<br />
(side story to Princess Quest)<br />
<br />
==Characters==<br />
<br />
===Maria===<br />
A cute 13-year-old princess with a loopy mother and a confusing and frightening skin condition. Has a bright star on her forehead that is somehow a birthmark. Cannot cast PRINCESS BEAM, and is extremely agitated with the idea such an attack could even exist. <br />
<br />
===Walter=== <br />
Maria's cousin and best friend. Came to the castle as a suitor. Becomes extremely bitter and jaded after a while, but he gets better.<br />
<br />
===The Raven===<br />
Evil. Likes singing.<br />
<br />
===The Demon===<br />
Later dubbed Tom. The type of demon who eats things that are already dead. Oddly polite. A bit apathetic and has a hard time comforting Maria. <br />
<br />
===Vandis===<br />
Friend of the brothers. Has Shiny glasses. Raising a young RedEye boychild named Leral.<br />
<br />
===Leral===<br />
Mute. Can summon pure darkness. Possibly has a crush on Tom. <br />
<br />
===Cain&Abel===<br />
Two of Maria's twelve brothers, and twins. While Cain is an asshat with a very vague sense of morals, Abel has a recessive personality and does whatever Cain says.<br />
<br />
===Hadrian===<br />
Maria's 18-year-old Fiancé. Only not really. Extremely charismatic when he wants to be.<br />
<br />
===Neida===<br />
A Scorpion Demon with enormous breasts and a mismatched accent that lives in the tunnels underneath Woman Eater Forest. <br />
<br />
===Emin===<br />
A Scorpion Demon being raised by Neida. A bit spoiled. His relationship with Neida is unknown.<br />
<br />
===Cory===<br />
Apparently some sort of young wizard. Occasionally narrates. Seems to know The Raven quite well (and possibly personally). <br />
<br />
{{Project5}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Running Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Image Quests]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Monomyth_(Project5)&diff=10138Monomyth (Project5)2011-08-12T04:15:05Z<p>Gnome: </p>
<hr />
<div>The little cyclops boy, Noce, wants to be a hero! <br />
<br />
[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/312588.html Thread 1]<br />
<br>[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/338847.html Thread 2] <br />
<br />
{{Stub}}<br />
{{Project5}}<br />
[[Category:Image Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Running Quests]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Monomyth_(Project5)&diff=10137Monomyth (Project5)2011-08-12T04:14:54Z<p>Gnome: </p>
<hr />
<div>The little cyclops boy, Noce, wants to be a hero! <br />
<br />
[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/312588.html Thread 1]<br />
[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/338847.html Thread 2] <br />
<br />
{{Stub}}<br />
{{Project5}}<br />
[[Category:Image Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Running Quests]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Monomyth_(Project5)&diff=10136Monomyth (Project5)2011-08-12T04:13:46Z<p>Gnome: Created page with "The little cyclops boy, Noce, wants to be a hero! {{Stub}} {{Project5}} Category:Image Quests Category:Running Quests"</p>
<hr />
<div>The little cyclops boy, Noce, wants to be a hero! <br />
<br />
{{Stub}}<br />
{{Project5}}<br />
[[Category:Image Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Running Quests]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Earth_Defense_Force&diff=9491Earth Defense Force2011-04-30T04:23:06Z<p>Gnome: /* Notes */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Infobox|author=Gnome|image=EDF_Splash.png<br />
|thread1=220690|thread2=245129|thread3=296874<br />
|disthread1=331895<br />
}}<br />
<br />
You are James Blacwick. You have recently become a supervillain. What do.<br />
<br />
=Notes=<br />
[[image:EDF_Prices.png|thumb|right|FX Prices for villainous wares.]]<br />
*1 FX costs $300. FX are also obtained by having encounters.<br />
*Villains get $1000 per encounter, plus $100 per hero in the encounter. <br />
*Encounters with an arch nemesis garner another $250.<br />
*Trying to rules lawyer will make Gnome kill you. Don't kill a good quest.<br />
==Superpowers==<br />
===Teleportation===<br />
Blackwick can teleport about 1000 meters per second of charging. A minimum of one more upgrade is required to reach our secret base, or two to viably live there. A third would make the commute trivial.<br />
====Teleport breakdown====<br />
{|border=1 cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 style="text-align:center"<br />
! # of Upgrades||M/S||Time to Moon Base||FX cost||Total FX cost<br />
|-bgcolor=#FFFCAF<br />
|1||10||1y 79d 21h 51m 40s||3||6<br />
|-bgcolor=#FFFCAF<br />
|2||100||44d 11h 47m 10s||3||9<br />
|-bgcolor=#FFFCAF<br />
|3||1'000||4d 10h 46m 43s||3||12<br />
|-<br />
|4||10'000||10h 40m 5s||3||15<br />
|-<br />
|5||100'000||1h 4m 5s||3||18<br />
|-<br />
|6||1'000'000||6m 25s||3||21<br />
|-<br />
|7||10'000'000||39s||3||24<br />
|-<br />
|8||100'000'000||4s||3||27<br />
|-<br />
|9||1'000'000'000||400ms||3||30<br />
|}<br />
Upgrades:<br />
*'''Carrying Capacity (3 FX):''' Double the amount to bring with. One upgrade equals one extra person, or something about that size.<br />
*'''Distance (3 FX):''' Increases distance per second tenfold. Five of these and the moon base is within an hour's reach. Eight of these and the charge takes half a minute.<br />
*'''Teleport String (3 FX):''' Teleport an additional time in quick succession, before needing to wait on the power to recharge.<br />
<br />
===Fire Aura (Invulnerability + Flight)===<br />
A thin, fiery aura that cushions blows, and allows flight. Very stylish, and teleporting leaves fiery afterimages white it's active. It should also protect from most environmental hazards, since it is an actual aura instead of just iron skin or something, but water would probably trump it. Currently has the Fire Shield upgrade.<br />
<br />
Upgrades:<br />
*'''Reduced Impact (3 FX):''' The shield is better able to prevent damage from attacks. Can be specialized against specific kinds of attacks. <br />
*'''Faster Flight (3 FX):''' Fly more quickly. Blackwick is not sure this is absolutely necessary, considering he can teleport. <br />
*'''Fire Shield Strength (3 FX):''' Increase the heat/damaging potential of the aura.<br />
*'''Environmental Shield (3 FX):''' Protects from various environmental hazards, specified when the upgrade is purchsed. Breathing in space seems to be one of the options! <br />
*'''Shield Ally (3 FX):''' Blah blah can protect someone else with fire who cares.<br />
===Forge Obsidian===<br />
Allows to create and shape obsidian with bare hands at a slow rate, as well as small, basic weaponry on the spot (dagger size). Larger things require more time.<br />
==Minions==<br />
===Black Knights===<br />
Pack of six Black Knights. Tough, slow, heavy-hitting types. Replenish at the end of the day when defeated.<br />
===Walter===<br />
Ninja Butler. Weak in melee combat, but as you might expect, very fast. Being a ninja, doesn't require Blackwick to carry him around, appearing and vanishing on the fly. Personality not included in base package. Personality upgrade cost: 3 FX<br />
==Limited-Time Offers==<br />
*<s>Invulnerability</s><br />
*Super Strength<br />
*<s>Flight</s><br />
*Minion Six-Pack<br />
{{-}}<br />
<br />
<br />
== Allies ==<br />
The people we have met and exchanged contact cards with.<br />
<!--The cards of the characters we've met go here--><br />
<gallery><br />
File:114.png<br />
File:115.png<br />
File:218.png<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
=Trivia=<br />
This quest is very awesome.<br />
{{-}}<br />
=Gallery=<br />
== Official ==<br />
<!--Iconic frames of a quest go here--><br />
<gallery><br />
File:Black Wick copy.png|Character Sheet<br />
Image:EDF_Candles.png|1 FX<br />
</gallery><br />
== Fanart ==<br />
<!--Fanart goes here.--><br />
<gallery><br />
Image:StyleBrainstorm.png|Ideas for a villain theme.<br />
Image:FlightBrainstorm.png |Brainstorming our superpower's visual aesthetics.<br />
Image:Thin_Aura_by_Reka.png|By [[Reka]], in discussion thread.<br />
</gallery><br />
{{Gnome}}<br />
[[Category:Image Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Running Quests]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=File:218.png&diff=9490File:218.png2011-04-30T04:21:08Z<p>Gnome: </p>
<hr />
<div></div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=File:115.png&diff=9489File:115.png2011-04-30T04:20:40Z<p>Gnome: </p>
<hr />
<div></div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=File:114.png&diff=9488File:114.png2011-04-30T04:20:07Z<p>Gnome: </p>
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<div></div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Advice_for_Running_a_Quest&diff=9478Advice for Running a Quest2011-04-25T00:03:48Z<p>Gnome: /* Predicting /Quest/'s Behavior */</p>
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<div>[[File:Let me explain.png|thumb|right]]<br />
A basic guide on how to do run a [[Quest]] correctly, with advice written by various <s>successful</s> [[Quest Authors]]. These are all rules of thumb, and as such, can be broken when necessary, but following these is a good start.<br />
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Important Note: If you feel like you have any advice to give, go right ahead and add it! We are all ears.<br />
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(DoubleHope Note: This isnt really a basic guide so much as it is quest theory.)<br />
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=Starting A Quest=<br />
Advice for preparing to make a quest. See also: [[Plot]].<br />
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==Cooperative Story Telling==<br />
[[File:WallyWoods.jpg|thumb|right|22 techniques for drawing dialogue]]<br />
The first thing you need to know about a quest is that it isn't something you tell to others. It's cooperative story telling. You may be laying the groundwork for the story, but it's the observers that influence how it goes. How much you let them have a say is up to you, but without any, you will not be doing a quest, but writing a story. As the author, you have the final say in what actually goes, but remember - you're not working alone. The players are working with you to create something unique.<br />
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'Input' from the readers can come in many shapes or forms. Sometimes, it's like [[RubyQuest|commands in a Sierra-like adventure game]]. Usually it involves the readers describing courses of action for a given situation. In the instances where the players are made a character ([[Orb of Infinite Psyche|in some shape or form]]), usually input comes as conversations with the characters inside the quest.<br />
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I'm sure there are thousands of other ways for the readers to interact with a quest -- one uses [[The Icon|bi-monthly development schedules]]. We just gotta find them out.<br />
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==The Cool Stuff Theory of Literature==<br />
I think Steven Brust (author of the Vlad Taltos series) has a theory that works well for quests.<br />
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"The Cool Stuff Theory of Literature is as follows: All literature consists of whatever the writer thinks is cool. The reader will like the book (quest) to the degree that he agrees with the writer about what's cool. And that works all the way from the external trappings to the level of metaphor, subtext, and the way one uses words. In other words, I happen not to think that full-plate armor and great big honking greatswords are cool. I don't like 'em. I like cloaks and rapiers. So I write stories with a lot of cloaks and rapiers in 'em, 'cause that's cool. Guys who like military hardware, who think advanced military hardware is cool, are not gonna jump all over my books, because they have other ideas about what's cool. The novel should be understood as a structure built to accommodate the greatest possible amount of cool stuff."<br />
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Corollary: This works in both directions. For best results, suggest things that the author will think is cool.<br />
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==Character Creation==<br />
Do you want to let your suggesters create the main protagonist, or do you want to have a completely pre-made protagonist? Either way works. Both ways can provide an entertaining time for all.<br />
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====Make Your Characters More Than Stereotypes====<br />
Sometimes it's fine to have a villain who is pure, unmotivated evil, or a hero with a 100% pure soul and a [[Dong_Quest|raging hard-on for justice]], or a girl whose one personality trait is LOLRANDUMB or a love of cheese (okay, that's never fine). Usually, though, it's good to fill your characters out a little more. Start with their driving inner objective. It has to be something broad and general, not "Get a cake" or "fuck that chick" unless you want them to be shallow (which, of course, can work. [[NicQuest]] started with a quest for lolcats). Make it something more like "Make a lasting difference on the planet", "ensure those who wrong me pay for it", or "Be accepted by my comrades". Something to drive them forward, like "[[DiveQuest|Become the Devil]]" or "[[Kara Quest|Purify the World]]". I think it was [[Reka]] who gave the advice that every character begins with one driving objective, which gives them, well, character. Build them up from that to flesh them out.<br />
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Once you've got that down you can move on to their stated objective, or how they present themselves to the world, whether that's in contrast to or bolstering their inner objective. It's the personality they put on for the benefit of others. [[Dive Quest|Muschio]] pretends he’s a gentleman, [[MudyQuest|Mudy]] uses flowery language, [[Kara Quest|Hope]] disguises herself as a sweet little girl, [[Journey|Demesi]] steadfastly maintains a blissful naiveté even as he beats the shit out of his enemies with his sword feet ([[Nedynvor|SWORD FEET]]).<br />
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After that, work on their flaws. Even good people aren't ever perfect. It could be anything from [[Quest With No Name|a hot temper that arises at unfortunate times]] to [[MudyQuest|a penchant for screwing your own sister]], but without it people will have less to identify your characters as people rather than ideals. They can be paragons of good while [[Apocalyption|still having a crippling fear of rats.]]<br />
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The exterior, interior, and flaws are the three biggest fish to fry. Now focus on your character in the now. What’s their status in the world they live in? How aware are they of their surroundings, and what others think about them? Do they care about that? What was the last thing they had to eat? When did they last sleep? Laugh? Screw? If they’re interacting with someone, how do they feel about them?<br />
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OK so some of those questions were sort of bullshit, and at any time there’s really no need to answer them all every fucking update. But you’d be surprised how much the minutiae can affect actions and words. Remember that every time someone opens their mouth to speak, they’re censoring themselves. Picking their words. What’s on their mind right now, and how do they translate that into how they are speaking?<br />
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====But Stereotypes Are Sometimes Okay====<br />
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* [[Farmer]]'s Bad Advice Corner: <br />
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You don't need the character ready from day one. Starting with a simple archetype or stereotype and letting the story shape and develop the character is perfectly acceptable. Everything, from quirks to background to motivations can be fleshed out as the story goes on. Sometimes, this procedure is mistaken as character growth.<br />
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* [[BiteQuest]]'s Disagreement: <br />
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I'm not so sure this 'no stereotype' nonsense is really good advice. It depends on what kind of quest you want to run. If the quest is more about exploring and interacting with the world, it's better for the protagonist to be more of a blank slate. They'll develop personalities over time on their own for the most part. I will say it's a pretty bad idea to make the protagonist completely beholden to the majority suggestion unless you're doing something interesting like [[Narus Quest]], or something plot-light and fun. If the quest is more about the main character's personal issue, then of course they need to have a strong personality that is merely influenced by what the suggesters recommend. <br />
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Still, for main characters, I'd say don't develop them too deeply. You want the players to feel like their input matters, and the story is always better when it actually does. The players will also feel rewarded when their suggestions begin to actively shape how the character views the world. That being said, the above advice is great for NPCs and other characters not directly controlled through suggestions. <br />
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I think [[Farmer]] is more on point even regarding NPCs, though; start them out as stereotypes with a couple of quirks, and they'll sort of develop on their own. Just think from the perspective of the NPCs: Instead of moving them around like chess pieces to make your story go where you want, the whole thing will be better if you just consider what each character would reasonably do in the situation. That, plus the usually random input from the suggesters will make the entire quest more organic, realistic, and unpredictable.<br />
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* [[Bromeliad|Brom]]'s corollary:<br />
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Yeah, this advice is for NPCs and to make your dialogue a bit more snappy, not to railroad your characters. Make your main protagonists a bit more freeform off the bat and let 'em get fleshed out. By no means plan everything for yourself. That's a comic book, not a quest.<br />
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==Opening Exposition==<br />
If you have a good idea of the world and/or the characters, you have a couple of choices. Instant Immersion, or Opening Exposition. Instant Immersion lets you get right into the action and explain the world and/or characters as you go along. Opening Exposition lets you introduce a few concepts about the world and/or characters before you get into the fun ''The World is in Danger'' bits of the quest. Both have their cons to go along with their pros. With Instant Immersion, if you aren't careful, you can miss out on explaining a key element of the quest that might have been important or even helpful in prior situations. With Opening Exposition, you stand the risk of dragging the exposition on for too long, letting things get dull and stale.<br />
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==Have Events Planned==<br />
Have a few different things planned that will happen to the protagonist, and think of a few ways he might react to them. Come up with a general idea of the order in which these things will happen, and a reason for them to happen.<br />
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====Events Happen That The Protagonist Has Nothing To Do With====<br />
The rest of the world is still happening. Maybe some small time NPC we met 5 chapters ago got married since the last time we saw him. Or while we are out adventuring, we come home to find the city has a new mayor because the old one was caught cheating on his wife. Life still happens, and having a few things like this will help add realism to the world, and make the players think that more is out there than what we see.<br />
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==Have an Ending Planned==<br />
This may sound like railroading to some, but knowing how you want to end it will help you have a goal in mind, and help you keep going and (hopefully) help you finish.<br />
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=Running A Quest=<br />
Advice for once you have it off the ground. See also: [[Plot]].<br />
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==The Most Important Rule==<br />
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(And if you think this should go somewhere else, put it there.)<br />
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'''''Don't kill yourself!'''''<br />
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Don't spend days finagling over how to make the next update look exactly perfect. I'm not trying to say that you shouldn't put effort into what you're doing, but if you find that, say, [[Vapor Quest|a month has passed and you're still on that same frame (''*ahem*'')]], you are probably killing yourself for nothing. <br />
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==Always Present Options==<br />
This is most important. There always needs to be something for the players to suggest, or else nothing can happen. So, do your best to give them something to work with. If they don't bite and do something entirely different, that's fine too, but at least they had options. There are a few guidelines to help ensure you are doing this, which can be tl;dr'd as follows:<br />
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* [[TestPattern]]<br />
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Yelling at PCs < Faffing about < Boring exposition < Interesting exposition < Stuff that reveals new options<br />
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* [[Farmer|Farmer's Corollary]]<br />
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Cutscene your way to hell if you have to; do not stop to wait for a choice until there is a choice to be made.<br />
* [[Nahkh]]'s handy little suggestion suggestions<br />
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If you want to be quick and dirty, throw a bunch of small reminders at the bottom of a post to tell the posters of possible actions. <br />
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End with a question whenever the character is legitimately confused about something.<br />
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====Don't Present Options That Are Not Actually Options====<br />
*There is a path going left or right.<br />
*>Go left<br />
*The left passage ends in a locked door! Nothing else is here.<br />
*>...Go right I guess<br />
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Don't do this. If you present options to them that don't actually affect anything if they are taken, don't present them. The locked door above could have easily been right at the intersection, and it would have worked just as well. Making people waste time doing things that aren't actually doing things directly relates to the guideline below this one.<br />
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However, in the above example, if we already happen to have the key for the door on the left, then it's not a false option. We could then use the key and proceed. If the key is actually down the right path, however, then the left door was never an option, and going right first was the only choice.<br />
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====Present Options That Matter====<br />
On a similar note, the options presented should always be at least marginally important. If you have a long hallway with doors all along the length, don't have the character stop in front of each door and ask the suggesters if they want to go in. If any of them are different or interesting, then point that out in the text (unless its a secret hidden in the image or something) and just generally posit or inquire about inspecting any of them. <br />
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If you get bogged down with describing every action independently, or you wait for suggesters to just make the single, obvious suggestion, your quest will become boring pretty fast. For instance, if the character is a kid and has to go to school, you could have them getting dressed in the morning (pervert), but don't sit around waiting for the suggesters to say "get breakfast" "brush teeth" "wait for the bus" "get on the bus" "Take a seat" "get off the bus" "go to class" unless there are other legitimate options. This isn't to say that the character couldn't go through these motions. The story can start with the bedroom and end with the classroom, but it's probably more interesting and involving if you just have the character do these things automatically and have the suggesters' decisions bear on other interactions in each scene.<br />
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====Don't Waste Updates====<br />
Don't have an update not actually update anything. If it doesn't present new information, new choices, or new stuff to work with, then it isn't really an update. For example, yelling at the players for being stupid is a waste of an update. Yelling at the players for being stupid and then pointing out information that they seem to have overlooked is not great, but it's okay. Working with their stupid and showing them why it was a dumb idea is even better.<br />
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====Don't Wait For Suggestions When There is Nothing to Do====<br />
One of the problems that people seem to have when they start running Quests is that they feel the need to wait for suggestions between every frame, even when this isn't reasonable. If there is no decision to make that will impact the story or reveal information, skip ahead until there is. There are several ways to do this. <br />
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The first would be [[Dungeon Game|to use "cutscenes"]] and continue to update without waiting for input. This method should only be used sparingly, as it doesn't fully take advantage of the medium that the Author is operating in, and can sometimes lead to cries of railroading. However, there are definitely times when you want to show a lot of things happening all in rapid succession. This is when cutscenes shine.<br />
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Another way, and one that takes time to get right, is just to make sure that the next frame will give a choice, option, or lead to the something that will make a difference in their decisions or require their input. The main advantage to this method is it cuts down on cutscene drawing. Done poorly, however, this can make the narrative too choppy or difficult to follow, but some good writing and a bit of pacing can avoid this.<br />
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====Predicting /Quest/'s Behavior====<br />
These are just some observations about the way /quest/ tends to act that authors might want to keep in mind. (Feel free to add other observations or corollaries to this list.)<br />
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* /Quest/ picks chicks in chargen, almost always. They also show affinity for things like sergals.<br />
* /Quest/ almost always prefers NPC interaction to anything else.<br />
** On that note, /quest/ will often form an almost obsessive attachment to the first NPC they run into, especially if said NPC is female.<br />
** /Quest/ also likes to form parties if you let them.<br />
* If the character expresses a preference for a particular action out of a set of options, /quest/ will generally try to please the character. (This can be used by the author as a form of "nudging;" if the character makes the desired action their goal independently of /quest/, /quest/ will almost automatically start working toward that goal.)<br />
** In general, /quest/ tries to actively help whoever they're currently suggesting for (even in cases where this character is actively working against the interests of another character they were suggesting for previously).<br />
* /Quest/ will often try to talk their characters' opponents down, and even recruit them; if/when this fails, they will likely engage in extremely vindictive behavior.<br />
* There will almost always be that one suggester who is completely off-the-wall and irrelevant. As a result, punishing /quest/ for the questionable actions of a single suggester is probably not a good idea if you like having readers. (Punishing /quest/ for the questionable actions of a bunch of suggesters, on the other hand...)<br />
* /Quest/ is easily distracted and has a poor long-term attention span. (To be fair, suggesting on /quest/ is a bit like playing one or two dozen adventure games at the same time, all of which advance at different, typically erratic paces. It can be hard to keep things straight!) If they seem to be getting off-track and you want the quest to move forward, it might not hurt to remind them of what they're supposed to be doing, even if they themselves came up with the plan.<br />
** A difficult decision or puzzle ''will'' get fewer suggestions. You will still get some (unless your readerbase was tiny to begin with), but the odds are that most of your readers will be afraid of screwing up and just not pick anything.<br />
* /Quest/ is probably ''not'' going to uniformly agree on something. [[Dungeon Game|A mechanic requiring near-uniform agreement has been tried before; it failed rather spectacularly.]] You're probably not going to make it work any better, and you're more likely to spur infighting among your readers than to accomplish anything novel.<br />
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==Proper Pacing==<br />
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====Don't Bog Things Down With The Mundane And Unimportant====<br />
When planning out arcs and plotlines, you may find that at some points, things will be moving too "quickly" for people to reasonably follow. When this happens, you may be tempted to slow down the action with things that normally would happen automatically, or without much input or difficulty. Be aware that you're doing this, and try to accurately estimate your reader's lust for action. If you do slow things down, be sure that the obstacle that is halting the plot is related to the rest of it, so people aren't staggered by the gear change between plot and unimportant problem.<br />
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====Don't Block Information(AKA Sanya's Folly)====<br />
In a quest where investigation and discovery are important aspects, sometimes people skip ahead a few steps in their thinking, and they ask questions and create theories long before they are supposed to. When this happens, you WILL need to adjust your planning accordingly. If a line of thought is followed too soon, it is important that you do not just block it off, or it will never get looked at again. If you want people to ask the question later, you need to present a clear obstacle preventing them from learning the information, either at the time, or in retrospect (although for the latter option a refresher might be needed on what the suggesters were thinking at the time), that is later removed obviously enough for people to get the hint of "okay, NOW try thinking about that". If you completely shut down a path of thought that you may later wish to explore, people WILL mark it off as a dead end, and nothing short of necromancy will get them to think of it again.<br />
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====Notepad is useful====<br />
[[File:Notepad is Useful.png|thumb|right]]<br />
I find that writing your posts out beforehand in a document like Notepad really helps to organize your posts, and helps improve pacing. If you write it all out and find multiple different actions being described, divide the post so you can show the changes in action with appropriate images. It also helps you to organize what you want each image to actually show ahead of time, so you don't forget anything. Also if you have internet issues you won't lose everything you typed up.<br />
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==Always Have Ideas (But Don't Get Too Attached To Them)==<br />
Even when your options are left open and possibly vague, it's good to still have a few 'correct decisions' thought of beforehand. This helps you plan ahead, prods the players towards possible courses of action when stuck, and gives you an idea of what might happen in your ''next'' update.<br />
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But if the players come up with something different, consider just rolling with it. Part of the fun of questing is the effect players have on it, and you might be surprised with the results.<br />
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====Know When to Yield (AKA Listen To Their Theories)====<br />
Admit it: you can't think of every possible thing. And the players will, sometimes, invariably, think of stuff that would never cross your mind. So, steal their ideas. Show no shame!<br />
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How often you'll do this depends on how crazy / random your players are, and how fast-and-loose you are handling your own plot. And when done well, they'll never notice you cheated. Hell, they might even think they 'guessed your plan', and that tends to make them happy. If you need examples, ask your favorite quest writers.<br />
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==TGchan is always a cupid==<br />
It's been said, often by posters themselves, that they will always seek to pair up as many people as possible. It's up to you whether to encourage or discourage this, but remember to remain consistent about it! If you don't mind and want to encourage pairing off, offer multiple options of equal viability. If not, you can either set up a girl/boy to be there already, or you can make the situation not possible (the character doesn't care, the situation doesn't allow for it, etc.).<br />
*[[Driblis]]' Addendum: <br />
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While it's nice to allow some [[Romanticar|romance]] if you like, be wary of making your quest that was supposed to be about adventuring veer towards being about [[MudyQuest|Sex]] or [[Gobbo Quest|breeding]]. [[Reaver|Some]] [[Gnoll|authors]] are rather prone to this. It's a thin line to walk, including romance or sex in a quest, and while it has been done [[The Protagonist Dies|correctly]] in the past, it's a razor's edge.<br />
*[[BiteQuest]]'s Two Cents: <br />
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This is something that is totally in the hands of you, the Quest author. If you don't want the players to constantly try to pair up characters and focus on romance or sex, just shut those types of suggestions down EARLY. Have the main character state in unequivocal terms that they aren't interested in either that person or sex in general. You will still get ''some'' suggestions like that no matter what, but it won't derail the quest unless you, as author, let it. Even if the character is mostly a vessel for the players to use exploring the world, you can and should make them have a few strong characteristics or sticking points to keep the quest from going places you don't want it to go. Even Ruby wasn't ''that kind of girl''. If you are serious about keeping the romance to a minimum, you can also create a protagonist that is physically incapable of doing the sorts of things you don't want to draw them doing, although even this will only minimize suggestions, not eliminate them.<br />
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==[[BiteQuest]]'s 'Arc' Method==<br />
I basically run quests the same way I've run my tabletop games for the most part (Lahamu being the exception). Essentially, you determine three goals, one extremely long term (which could be the quest goal), one moderate long term (whatever the protagonist is working towards - you can have more than one going on at a time, too) and a session or immediate goal. The goal doesn't have to be something you accomplish or that the character has to do before the session ends, it just needs to be what is generally going to happen in that session. I think this keeps the story focused, and minimizes confusion about what is going on and where the characters are headed. As a for-instance: BiteQuest is divided into three big 'arcs,' essentially. The first 'arc' was supposed to end with him going into the Sea of Oblivion (or deciding never to go there, whatever), and has just finished. The multi-session mini-arcs are pretty obvious - each 'delivery' in the beginning of the quest, like going from Suri to Radia's tower. Each session or immediate arc would be whatever is going to happen during those six or eight hours when I update: Spikesby's going to find Glory all crucified up in the first session for the 'Radia' miniarc. <br />
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This doesn't have anything to do with railroading or anything like that - as a matter of fact, I tell stories by writing up situations and just seeing what the players do. I, of course, think of a few ''likely'' outcomes, but I'm very open ended with what actually occurs. It's more of just thinking long term, and dividing big goals up into steps so things dont happen too fast and the players have something to look forward to. Your whole quest will seem a lot more tight story-wise if you keep this advice in mind, and you can even generate all three 'arcs' based on suggestions. Even Lahamu, which is essentially a sandbox game, falls into this pattern. It looks like the 'longest term' arc is to create some kind of unified multi-racial nation out of the local area, which is something the players absolutely decided to do on their own. I'd say the middle arc is probably to explore each of the cities or whatever, which is also totally something the players decided on. The current short arc is to try to bribe the goblins into working for Lahamu, which will probably finish in 3 or 4 frames. I don't even know where they'll go next, or what the next middle arc will be, but the story still falls into this rough format. <br />
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If you'll notice, there's been very little faffing about in Bite Quest, and I think this is the reason why. <br />
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I'm not attempting to imply that this is the only way to run a quest, but I think a lot of good authors seem kinda unfocused or scattered in their storytelling, and maybe they could find this advice useful.<br />
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=Ending a Quest=<br />
Advice on how to actually finish one of these things. (Finish? A [[Quest]]? HAH.)<br />
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==Plan Some Potential Conclusions Before You Start==<br />
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DO NOT start a quest unless you at least have a vague idea of where you want it to go. I would strongly discourage you from actually planning out *the* ending beforehand, but have some potential conclusions planned. Know what the main conflict is going to be, and have some potential resolutions thought out in your head, even if you don't end up using any of them. I'd say this is good advice for the story arcs in the quest as well, actually. I don't plan out stories, I just set up situations and see what the players do. I won't say that this is the only way to plan for a Quest, but I think it's the best. <br />
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==End it with a Bang==<br />
People like a good show. Give it to them, and make them remember it forever. You should try to really outdo yourself here, even if the quest is ridiculous or silly (some would say *especially* if it is!) Do animations, sprawling pictures, whatever. The longer you've been moving toward this moment, the greater the payoff should be, both for you and for the players. I know that drawing those last chapters and those last few frames gave me an exhausting feeling of completion, like I'd made something worthwhile. <br />
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* This does not mean the players/protagonist necessarily has to win. Something can be awesome and epic and still end sadly or poignantly. Even if the actions themselves aren't "epic," they can be done in an epic style. <br />
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==Where Are They Now?== <br />
Be sure to 'reward' the players with a look of where the characters are, maybe five years later or ten or whatever you feel is appropriate. Make sure you include who ended up in a relationship with whom. (see point: tgchan is always a cupid.)<br />
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==Bad Ends==<br />
If for whatever reason you decide that your quest must have a bad end, you should do it very, '''''very''''' carefully. Quests are pretty much one-chance things, so failure is a much bigger deal than it may seem to be at first glance. If it is a frequent bad end kind of quest, show that measurable progress is being made, no matter how small or gradual. For everything else, show that even though the ultimate goal is out of reach, impossible, or otherwise unattainable, the character, with the help of the board, has made significant and lasting changes to the world around them. Nothing frustrates like spending time on what is ultimately a complete failure, especially if there is no way to reattempt.<br />
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==Accepting Defeat==<br />
Sometimes, though, a quest doesn't take off. Perhaps the premise doesn't click, or the site isn't interested, or doesn't think it's good enough, or maybe you just don't care enough to continue.<br />
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Often, the hardest part about something is knowing when to let it go. Will you just let it slide into obscurity, or give it closure?<br />
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*[[Farmer]]'s Rule of thumb<br />
If it isn't fun anymore, its time to stop.<br />
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*[[BiteQuest]]'s Merciful Axe<br />
Always make an ending. Even if it's stupid, even if it's poorly realized. End it. That sense of finality means that you still accomplished something, even if maybe it wasn't what you wanted. It's better to have the finished quest in the archives than the aborted .jpgs forever adrift in the merciless void of the graveyard.<br />
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You can also just continue to a logical stopping point and then put things on hold for a while. Think about what you might change and how much you care about the story you were telling. Sometimes restarting later with some new ideas and possibly fresh beats can rejuvenate your stuff.<br />
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==Protect your data!==<br />
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Several quests have been disrupted or outright killed by a sudden loss of data in some way. Maybe your computer dies, maybe you lose the physical notes, or maybe you simply messed up on a copy/paste action or similar. It's important, then, to keep multiple copies of said notes in as many divergent areas as possible! A best case would be to have a physical copy, a cloud copy (like on a hidden pastebin), memorized, in a text file, and any other reduntant way you can think of, perhaps on a flash drive! This will keep your quest safe from burglars/housefires/meteors/viruses/your own stupidity.</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Earth_Defense_Force&diff=9467Earth Defense Force2011-04-18T00:12:14Z<p>Gnome: </p>
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<div>{{Infobox|author=Gnome|image=EDF_Splash.png<br />
|thread1=220690|thread2=245129|thread3=296874<br />
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You are James Blacwick. You have recently become a supervillain. What do.<br />
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=Notes=<br />
[[image:EDF_Prices.png|thumb|right|FX Prices for villainous wares.]]<br />
*1 FX costs $300. FX are also obtained by having encounters.<br />
*Villains get $1000 per encounter, plus $100 per hero in the encounter. <br />
*Encounters with an arch nemesis garner another $250.<br />
*Trying to rules lawyer will make Gnome kill you. Don't kill a good quest.<br />
==Superpowers==<br />
===Teleportation===<br />
Blackwick can teleport about 1000 meters per second of charging. A minimum of one more upgrade is required to reach our secret base, or two to viably live there. A third would make the commute trivial.<br />
====Teleport breakdown====<br />
{|border=1 cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 style="text-align:center"<br />
! # of Upgrades||M/S||Time to Moon Base||FX cost||Total FX cost<br />
|-bgcolor=#FFFCAF<br />
|1||10||1y 79d 21h 51m 40s||3||6<br />
|-bgcolor=#FFFCAF<br />
|2||100||44d 11h 47m 10s||3||9<br />
|-bgcolor=#FFFCAF<br />
|3||1'000||4d 10h 46m 43s||3||12<br />
|-<br />
|4||10'000||10h 40m 5s||3||15<br />
|-<br />
|5||100'000||1h 4m 5s||3||18<br />
|-<br />
|6||1'000'000||6m 25s||3||21<br />
|-<br />
|7||10'000'000||39s||3||24<br />
|-<br />
|8||100'000'000||4s||3||27<br />
|-<br />
|9||1'000'000'000||400ms||3||30<br />
|}<br />
Upgrades:<br />
*'''Carrying Capacity (3 FX):''' Double the amount to bring with. One upgrade equals one extra person, or something about that size.<br />
*'''Distance (3 FX):''' Increases distance per second tenfold. Five of these and the moon base is within an hour's reach. Eight of these and the charge takes half a minute.<br />
*'''Teleport String (3 FX):''' Teleport an additional time in quick succession, before needing to wait on the power to recharge.<br />
<br />
===Fire Aura (Invulnerability + Flight)===<br />
A thin, fiery aura that cushions blows, and allows flight. Very stylish, and teleporting leaves fiery afterimages white it's active. It should also protect from most environmental hazards, since it is an actual aura instead of just iron skin or something, but water would probably trump it. Currently has the Fire Shield upgrade.<br />
<br />
Upgrades:<br />
*'''Reduced Impact (3 FX):''' The shield is better able to prevent damage from attacks. Can be specialized against specific kinds of attacks. <br />
*'''Faster Flight (3 FX):''' Fly more quickly. Blackwick is not sure this is absolutely necessary, considering he can teleport. <br />
*'''Fire Shield Strength (3 FX):''' Increase the heat/damaging potential of the aura.<br />
*'''Environmental Shield (3 FX):''' Protects from various environmental hazards, specified when the upgrade is purchsed. Breathing in space seems to be one of the options! <br />
*'''Shield Ally (3 FX):''' Blah blah can protect someone else with fire who cares.<br />
===Forge Obsidian===<br />
Allows to create and shape obsidian with bare hands at a slow rate, as well as small, basic weaponry on the spot (dagger size). Larger things require more time.<br />
==Minions==<br />
===Black Knights===<br />
Pack of six Black Knights. Tough, slow, heavy-hitting types. Replenish at the end of the day when defeated.<br />
===Walter===<br />
Ninja Butler. Weak in melee combat, but as you might expect, very fast. Being a ninja, doesn't require Blackwick to carry him around, appearing and vanishing on the fly. Personality not included in base package. Personality upgrade cost: 3 FX<br />
==Limited-Time Offers==<br />
*<s>Invulnerability</s><br />
*Super Strength<br />
*<s>Flight</s><br />
*Minion Six-Pack<br />
{{-}}<br />
=Trivia=<br />
This quest is very awesome.<br />
{{-}}<br />
=Gallery=<br />
== Official ==<br />
<!--Iconic frames of a quest go here--><br />
<gallery><br />
File:Black Wick copy.png|Character Sheet<br />
Image:EDF_Candles.png|1 FX<br />
</gallery><br />
== Fanart ==<br />
<!--Fanart goes here.--><br />
<gallery><br />
Image:StyleBrainstorm.png|Ideas for a villain theme.<br />
Image:FlightBrainstorm.png |Brainstorming our superpower's visual aesthetics.<br />
Image:Thin_Aura_by_Reka.png|By [[Reka]], in discussion thread.<br />
</gallery><br />
{{Gnome}}<br />
[[Category:Image Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Running Quests]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=A_Series_of_Extremely_Short_Quests&diff=8905A Series of Extremely Short Quests2011-01-10T22:48:14Z<p>Gnome: </p>
<hr />
<div>Exactly what it says on the tin. Started by [[Gnome]], but any author can chime in. The first thread is found [http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/53585.html here.]<br />
<br />
Later on, [[Cirr]] created a new thread, A Lot of Tiny Quests, in the same vein. This new thread can be found [http://tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/266542.html here.]<br />
<br />
{{Gnome}}<br />
{{Cirr}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:One-Shot Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Quests]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=A_Series_of_Extremely_Short_Quests&diff=8904A Series of Extremely Short Quests2011-01-10T22:46:24Z<p>Gnome: </p>
<hr />
<div>Exactly what it says on the tin. Started by [[Gnome]], but any author can chime in. The first thread is found [http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/53585.html here.]<br />
<br />
Later on, [[Cirr]] created a new thread, A Lot of Tiny Quests, in the same vein. This new thread can be found [[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/266542.html here.]] <br />
<br />
{{Gnome}}<br />
{{Cirr}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:One-Shot Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Quests]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=A_lot_of_tiny_quests&diff=8903A lot of tiny quests2011-01-10T22:44:42Z<p>Gnome: Redirected page to A Series of Extremely Short Quests</p>
<hr />
<div>#REDIRECT [[A Series of Extremely Short Quests]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=A_lot_of_tiny_quests&diff=8902A lot of tiny quests2011-01-10T22:44:11Z<p>Gnome: Redirected page to A series of extremely short quests</p>
<hr />
<div>#REDIRECT [[A series of extremely short quests]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Lets_Play_Quest&diff=8901Lets Play Quest2011-01-10T20:31:24Z<p>Gnome: </p>
<hr />
<div>A quest by [[Gnome]]. Gnome is on a pokemon adventure! But things are a little different than usual.<br />
<br />
[http://www.thatquestsite.org/kusaba/quest/res/265656.html The first thread.]<br />
<br />
[http://www.thatquestsite.org/kusaba/questdis/res/338496.html The discussion thread.]<br />
<br />
{{Stub}}</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Gnome&diff=8900Gnome2011-01-10T18:37:48Z<p>Gnome: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:gnomukun.jpg|thumb|right|Artist's Rendition]]<br />
Gnomu-kun, gnomu-kun. I made you a profile page. :3c<br />
<br />
Author of the wildly successful and epically long [[Dorf Quest]]. Gnome has shifted his focus from /tg/ to tgchan.<br />
<br />
Favorite Touhou: Captain Murasa Minamitsu<br />
<br />
===Quests===<br />
*[[2who]]<br />
*[[A Series of Extremely Short Quests]]<br />
*[[Amaranth]]<br />
*[[Apocalyption]]<br />
*[[Changeling]]<br />
*[[Crossover Quest]]<br />
*[[Dorf Quest]]<br />
*[[Earth Defense Force]]<br />
*[[How To Raise A Princess]]<br />
*[[Lets Play Quest]]<br />
*[[Little Ben]]<br />
*[[Nevermore]]<br />
*[[Pill Popper]]<br />
*[[Quest From North America]]<br />
*[[Secret_of_Nevermore]]<br />
*[[Shambles]]<br />
*[[Team9]]<br />
*[[Wake Up Dreaming]]<br />
<br />
{{Gnome}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Quest Authors]]<br />
[[Category:Radio Hosts]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Lets_Play_Quest&diff=8899Lets Play Quest2011-01-10T18:37:15Z<p>Gnome: </p>
<hr />
<div>A quest by [[Gnome]]. Gnome is on a pokemon adventure! But things are a little different than usual.<br />
<br />
[http://www.thatquestsite.org/kusaba/quest/res/265656.html The first thread.]<br />
<br />
{{Stub}}</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Lets_Play_Quest&diff=8898Lets Play Quest2011-01-10T18:36:44Z<p>Gnome: Created page with 'A quest by [Gnome]. Gnome is on a pokemon adventure! But things are a little different than usual. [[http://www.thatquestsite.org/kusaba/quest/res/265656.html The first thread.]…'</p>
<hr />
<div>A quest by [Gnome]. Gnome is on a pokemon adventure! But things are a little different than usual.<br />
<br />
[[http://www.thatquestsite.org/kusaba/quest/res/265656.html The first thread.]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Little_Ben&diff=8103Little Ben2010-10-29T19:21:28Z<p>Gnome: </p>
<hr />
<div>A quest by [[Gnome]], about a child whose father is eaten before his eyes. We have to man up and fight the monst- QUEST CANCELLED: INTERRUPTED BY ART CRASH.<br />
<br />
Every panel was animated, and when GIMP crashed just as Gnome finished a particularly difficult one (without saving it), he called it quits. It was a one shot for Halloween anyway.<br />
<br />
The thread is found [http://www.thatquestsite.org/kusaba/quest/res/70778.html here.]<br />
<br />
{{Gnome}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:One-Shot Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Quests]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=File:Black_Wick_copy.png&diff=8063File:Black Wick copy.png2010-10-20T23:32:53Z<p>Gnome: uploaded a new version of "File:Black Wick copy.png"</p>
<hr />
<div></div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=File:EDF_Prices.png&diff=8036File:EDF Prices.png2010-10-17T22:25:41Z<p>Gnome: uploaded a new version of "File:EDF Prices.png"</p>
<hr />
<div>From [[Earth Defense Force]]. Useful for reference.</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=File:EDF_Prices.png&diff=8035File:EDF Prices.png2010-10-17T22:25:15Z<p>Gnome: uploaded a new version of "File:EDF Prices.png"</p>
<hr />
<div>From [[Earth Defense Force]]. Useful for reference.</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Rebirth&diff=8014Rebirth2010-10-13T23:21:48Z<p>Gnome: Created page with 'A thing that Brom might have made. [http://www.tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/223628.html Here it is!] {{Stub}}'</p>
<hr />
<div>A thing that [[Brom]] might have made.<br />
<br />
[http://www.tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/223628.html Here it is!]<br />
<br />
{{Stub}}</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=LionsPhil&diff=8012LionsPhil2010-10-13T20:57:51Z<p>Gnome: </p>
<hr />
<div>Used to hang out in drawthreads on /tg/ in the earlier half of 2010 as Angry Drawfag, fielding the daft, cartoonish requests. Ended up drawing quest fanart, including far too much of [[Tozol Quest|Penji]].<br />
<br />
= Quests =<br />
* [[Drawfag Quest]] (finished)<br />
* [[Drawfag Quest 2]] (running)<br />
[[Category:Quest Authors]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=LionsPhil&diff=8011LionsPhil2010-10-13T20:57:41Z<p>Gnome: </p>
<hr />
<div>Used to hang out in drawthreads on /tg/ in the earlier half of 2010 as Angry Drawfag, fielding the daft, cartoonish requests. Ended up drawing quest fanart, including far too much of [[Tozol Quest|Penji]].<br />
<br />
= Quests =<br />
* [[Drawfag Quest]] (finished)<br />
* [[Drawfag Quest 2]] (running)<br />
[[Category:Quest Author]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Earth_Defense_Force&diff=7997Earth Defense Force2010-10-11T01:31:07Z<p>Gnome: /* Fire Aura (Invulnerability + Flight) */</p>
<hr />
<div><!-- Using Quest Template.--><br />
{|cellpadding="2" border="1" align="right" style="width:300px"<br />
|<big>Earth Defense Force by [[Gnome]]</big><br />
|-<br />
|[[Image:EDF_Splash.png|290px]]<br />
|-<br />
|[http://quest.lv/kusaba/quest/res/220690.html Chapter 1]<br><br />
|-<br />
|[http://quest.lv/kusaba/questdis/res/331895.html Discussion Thread]<br />
|}<br />
<br />
A quest by [[Gnome]].<br />
<br />
You are James Blacwick. You have recently become a supervillain. What do.<br />
<br />
=Notes=<br />
[[image:EDF_Prices.png|thumb|right|FX Prices for villainous wares.]]<br />
*1 FX costs $300. FX are also obtained by having encounters.<br />
*Villains get $1000 per encounter, plus $100 per hero in the encounter. <br />
*Encounters with an arch nemesis garner another $250.<br />
*Trying to rules lawyer will make Gnome kill you. Don't kill a good quest.<br />
==Superpowers==<br />
===Teleportation===<br />
Blackwick can teleport about 10 meters per second of charging. No upgrades yet. A minimum of four upgrades are required to reach our secret base, or five to viably live there. A sixth would make the commute trivial.<br />
====Teleport breakdown====<br />
Upgrades(the number). M/S:Time(Avg distance to moon):FX point cost:FX point total cost<br />
# 10:444d21h51m40s:6:6<br />
# 100:44d11h47m10s:3:9<br />
# 1000:4d10h46m43s:3:12<br />
# 10000:10h40m04s300ms:3:15<br />
# 100000:1h04m04s030ms:3:18<br />
# 1000000:6m24s403ms:3:21<br />
# 10000000:38s440.3ms:3:24<br />
# 100000000:3s844.03ms:3:27<br />
# 1000000000:384.403ms:3:30<br />
<br />
Upgrades:<br />
*'''Carrying Capacity (3 FX):''' Double the amount to bring with. One upgrade equals one extra person, or something about that size.<br />
*'''Distance (3 FX):''' Increases distance per second tenfold. Five of these and the moon base is within an hour's reach. Eight of these and the charge takes half a minute.<br />
*'''Teleport String (3 FX):''' Teleport an additional time in quick succession, before needing to wait on the power to recharge.<br />
<br />
===Fire Aura (Invulnerability + Flight)===<br />
A thin, fiery aura that cushions blows, and allows flight. Very stylish, and teleporting leaves fiery afterimages white it's active. It should also protect from most environmental hazards, since it is an actual aura instead of just iron skin or something, but water would probably trump it. Currently has the Fire Shield upgrade.<br />
<br />
Upgrades:<br />
*'''Reduced Impact (3 FX):''' The shield is better able to prevent damage from attacks. Can be specialized against specific kinds of attacks. <br />
*'''Faster Flight (3 FX):''' Fly more quickly. Blackwick is not sure this is absolutely necessary, considering he can teleport. <br />
*'''Fire Shield Strength (3 FX):''' Increase the heat/damaging potential of the aura.<br />
*'''Environmental Shield (3 FX):''' Protects from various environmental hazards, specified when the upgrade is purchsed. Breathing in space seems to be one of the options! <br />
*'''Shield Ally (3 FX):''' Blah blah can protect someone else with fire who cares.<br />
<br />
==Limited-Time Offers==<br />
*<s>Invulnerability</s><br />
*Super Strength<br />
*<s>Flight</s><br />
*Minion Six-Pack<br />
{{-}}<br />
=Trivia=<br />
<br />
This quest is very awesome.<br />
{{-}}<br />
=Gallery=<br />
<br />
== Official ==<br />
<!--Iconic frames of a quest go here--><br />
<gallery><br />
File:Black Wick copy.png|Character Sheet<br />
Image:EDF_Candles.png|1 FX<br />
<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== Fanart ==<br />
<!--Fanart goes here.--><br />
<gallery><br />
Image:StyleBrainstorm.png|Ideas for a villain theme.<br />
Image:FlightBrainstorm.png |Brainstorming our superpower's visual aesthetics.<br />
Image:Thin_Aura_by_Reka.png|By [[Reka]], in discussion thread.<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
{{Gnome}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Running Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Image Quests]]<br />
[[Category:/tg/ Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Quests]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Earth_Defense_Force&diff=7996Earth Defense Force2010-10-11T01:26:39Z<p>Gnome: /* Teleport breakdown */</p>
<hr />
<div><!-- Using Quest Template.--><br />
{|cellpadding="2" border="1" align="right" style="width:300px"<br />
|<big>Earth Defense Force by [[Gnome]]</big><br />
|-<br />
|[[Image:EDF_Splash.png|290px]]<br />
|-<br />
|[http://quest.lv/kusaba/quest/res/220690.html Chapter 1]<br><br />
|-<br />
|[http://quest.lv/kusaba/questdis/res/331895.html Discussion Thread]<br />
|}<br />
<br />
A quest by [[Gnome]].<br />
<br />
You are James Blacwick. You have recently become a supervillain. What do.<br />
<br />
=Notes=<br />
[[image:EDF_Prices.png|thumb|right|FX Prices for villainous wares.]]<br />
*1 FX costs $300. FX are also obtained by having encounters.<br />
*Villains get $1000 per encounter, plus $100 per hero in the encounter. <br />
*Encounters with an arch nemesis garner another $250.<br />
*Trying to rules lawyer will make Gnome kill you. Don't kill a good quest.<br />
==Superpowers==<br />
===Teleportation===<br />
Blackwick can teleport about 10 meters per second of charging. No upgrades yet. A minimum of four upgrades are required to reach our secret base, or five to viably live there. A sixth would make the commute trivial.<br />
====Teleport breakdown====<br />
Upgrades(the number). M/S:Time(Avg distance to moon):FX point cost:FX point total cost<br />
# 10:444d21h51m40s:6:6<br />
# 100:44d11h47m10s:3:9<br />
# 1000:4d10h46m43s:3:12<br />
# 10000:10h40m04s300ms:3:15<br />
# 100000:1h04m04s030ms:3:18<br />
# 1000000:6m24s403ms:3:21<br />
# 10000000:38s440.3ms:3:24<br />
# 100000000:3s844.03ms:3:27<br />
# 1000000000:384.403ms:3:30<br />
<br />
Upgrades:<br />
*'''Carrying Capacity (3 FX):''' Double the amount to bring with. One upgrade equals one extra person, or something about that size.<br />
*'''Distance (3 FX):''' Increases distance per second tenfold. Five of these and the moon base is within an hour's reach. Eight of these and the charge takes half a minute.<br />
*'''Teleport String (3 FX):''' Teleport an additional time in quick succession, before needing to wait on the power to recharge.<br />
<br />
===Fire Aura (Invulnerability + Flight)===<br />
A thin, fiery aura that cushions blows, and allows flight. Very stylish, and teleporting leaves fiery afterimages white it's active. It should also protect from most environmental hazards, since it is an actual aura instead of just iron skin or something, but water would probably trump it. No upgrades yet.<br />
<br />
Upgrades:<br />
*'''Reduced Impact (3 FX):''' The shield is better able to prevent damage from attacks. Can be specialized against specific kinds of attacks. <br />
*'''Faster Flight (3 FX):''' Fly more quickly. Blackwick is not sure this is absolutely necessary, considering he can teleport. <br />
*'''Fire Shield (3 FX):''' Gives actual fire properties. Meaning, Blackwick could burn shit with it. <br />
*'''Environmental Shield (3 FX):''' Protects from various environmental hazards, specified when the upgrade is purchsed. Breathing in space seems to be one of the options! <br />
*'''Shield Ally (3 FX):''' Blah blah can protect someone else with fire who cares.<br />
<br />
==Limited-Time Offers==<br />
*<s>Invulnerability</s><br />
*Super Strength<br />
*<s>Flight</s><br />
*Minion Six-Pack<br />
{{-}}<br />
=Trivia=<br />
<br />
This quest is very awesome.<br />
{{-}}<br />
=Gallery=<br />
<br />
== Official ==<br />
<!--Iconic frames of a quest go here--><br />
<gallery><br />
File:Black Wick copy.png|Character Sheet<br />
Image:EDF_Candles.png|1 FX<br />
<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== Fanart ==<br />
<!--Fanart goes here.--><br />
<gallery><br />
Image:StyleBrainstorm.png|Ideas for a villain theme.<br />
Image:FlightBrainstorm.png |Brainstorming our superpower's visual aesthetics.<br />
Image:Thin_Aura_by_Reka.png|By [[Reka]], in discussion thread.<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
{{Gnome}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Running Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Image Quests]]<br />
[[Category:/tg/ Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Quests]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=How_To_Raise_A_Princess&diff=7979How To Raise A Princess2010-10-10T02:05:49Z<p>Gnome: </p>
<hr />
<div>You are a powerful and wise adventurer, now retiring after having done much heroing. Now you must raise a small child. A quest by [[Gnome]].<br />
<br />
Thread is found [http://www.tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/172250.html here.]<br />
And thread 2 is [http://www.tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/226063.html here.]<br />
<br />
{{Stub}}<br />
{{Gnome}}<br />
[[Category:Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Image Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Running Quests]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=How_To_Raise_A_Princess&diff=7978How To Raise A Princess2010-10-10T02:05:20Z<p>Gnome: </p>
<hr />
<div>You are a powerful and wise adventurer, now retiring after having done much heroing. Now you must raise a small child. A quest by [[Gnome]].<br />
<br />
Thread is found [http://www.tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/172250.html here.]<br />
[http://www.tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/226063.html And thread 2 is here.]<br />
<br />
{{Stub}}<br />
{{Gnome}}<br />
[[Category:Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Image Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Running Quests]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Herbert&diff=7924Herbert2010-10-04T06:16:45Z<p>Gnome: </p>
<hr />
<div>The author of [[Herbert vs. Happiness]]. Probably a ragdoll.</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Herbert&diff=7923Herbert2010-10-04T06:16:30Z<p>Gnome: Created page with 'The author of [Herbert vs. Happiness]. Probably a ragdoll.'</p>
<hr />
<div>The author of [Herbert vs. Happiness]. Probably a ragdoll.</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Herbert_vs._Happiness&diff=7922Herbert vs. Happiness2010-10-04T06:15:59Z<p>Gnome: </p>
<hr />
<div>'''Herbert vs. Happiness''' is a [[quest]] by [[Herbert]] about a ragdoll-man trapped in a facility.<br />
<br />
[http://quest.lv/kusaba/quest/res/228084.html Chapter 1] <br><br />
[http://www.tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/237799.html Chapter 2]<br />
<br />
{{TavStub}}<br />
[[Category:Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Image Quests]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Herbert_vs._Happiness&diff=7921Herbert vs. Happiness2010-10-04T06:15:40Z<p>Gnome: </p>
<hr />
<div>'''Herbert vs. Happiness''' is a [[quest]] by [[Herbert]] about a ragdoll-man trapped in a facility.<br />
<br />
[http://quest.lv/kusaba/quest/res/228084.html Chapter 1]<br />
[http://www.tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/237799.html Chapter 2]<br />
<br />
{{TavStub}}<br />
[[Category:Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Image Quests]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Template:Gnome&diff=7912Template:Gnome2010-10-02T00:55:00Z<p>Gnome: </p>
<hr />
<div>{| id="toc" width="70%" style="text-align:left; clear:both;" align=center<br />
|- style="background:#ccccff" align="center" width="95%"<br />
| '''Quests by [[Gnome]]'''<br />
|-<br />
| style="font-size:11px" |<br />
<br />
'''[[4chan]]'s /tg/:''' <br />
[[Dorf Quest]] |<br />
[[Pill Popper]]<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
<center>'''TGchan:'''</center><br />
''Series:''<br />
[[Crossover Quest]] |<br />
[[Apocalyption]]<br />
<br />
''Possibly series:''<br />
[[Wake Up Dreaming]] |<br />
[[Amaranth]] | <br />
[[Earth Defense Force]] | <br />
[[Secret of Nevermore]] <br />
<br />
''One-shots:''<br />
[[Nevermore]] |<br />
[[Changeling|Rapist Quest]] |<br />
[[Quest From North America]] |<br />
[[2who]] |<br />
[[A Series of Extremely Short Quests]] |<br />
[[Shambles]] |<br />
[[Little Ben]] |<br />
[[Team9]] | [[How To Raise A Princess]] <br />
<br />
''Collabs:''<br />
[[Rurouni]] |<br />
[[MultiQuest]]<br />
<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<noinclude>[[Category:Templates]]</noinclude></div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Template:Gnome&diff=7911Template:Gnome2010-10-02T00:54:18Z<p>Gnome: </p>
<hr />
<div>{| id="toc" width="70%" style="text-align:left; clear:both;" align=center<br />
|- style="background:#ccccff" align="center" width="95%"<br />
| '''Quests by [[Gnome]]'''<br />
|-<br />
| style="font-size:11px" |<br />
<br />
'''[[4chan]]'s /tg/:''' <br />
[[Dorf Quest]] |<br />
[[Pill Popper]]<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
<center>'''TGchan:'''</center><br />
''Series:''<br />
[[Crossover Quest]] |<br />
[[Apocalyption]]<br />
<br />
''Possibly series:''<br />
[[Wake Up Dreaming]] |<br />
[[Amaranth]] | <br />
[[Earth Defense Force]] | <br />
[[Secret Of Nevermore]] <br />
<br />
''One-shots:''<br />
[[Nevermore]] |<br />
[[Changeling|Rapist Quest]] |<br />
[[Quest From North America]] |<br />
[[2who]] |<br />
[[A Series of Extremely Short Quests]] |<br />
[[Shambles]] |<br />
[[Little Ben]] |<br />
[[Team9]] | [[How To Raise A Princess]] <br />
<br />
''Collabs:''<br />
[[Rurouni]] |<br />
[[MultiQuest]]<br />
<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<noinclude>[[Category:Templates]]</noinclude></div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Advice_for_Running_a_Quest&diff=7878Advice for Running a Quest2010-09-25T09:55:31Z<p>Gnome: /* Notepad is useful */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[File:Let me explain.png|thumb|right]]<br />
A basic guide on how to do run a [[Quest]] correctly, with advice written by various <s>successful</s> [[Quest Authors]]. These are all rules of thumb, and as such, can be broken when necessary, but following these is a good start.<br />
<br />
Important Note: If you feel like you have any advice to give, go right ahead and add it! We are all ears.<br />
<br />
=Starting A Quest=<br />
Advice for preparing to make a quest. See also: [[Plot]].<br />
<br />
<br />
==Cooperative Story Telling==<br />
[[File:WallyWoods.jpg|thumb|right|22 techniques for drawing dialogue]]<br />
The first thing you need to know about a quest is that it isn't something you tell to others. It's cooperative story telling. You may be laying the groundwork for the story, but it's the observers that influence how it goes. How much you let them have a say is up to you, but without any, you will not be doing a quest, but writing a story. As the author, you have the final say in what actually goes, but remember - you're not working alone. The players are working with you to create something unique.<br />
<br />
'Input' from the readers can come in many shapes or forms. Sometimes, it's like [[RubyQuest|commands in a Sierra-like adventure game]]. Usually it involves the readers describing courses of action for a given situation. In the instances where the players are made a character ([[Orb of Infinite Psyche|in some shape or form]]), usually input comes as conversations with the characters inside the quest.<br />
<br />
I'm sure there are thousands of other ways for the readers to interact with a quest -- one uses [[The Icon|bi-monthly development schedules]]. We just gotta find them out.<br />
<br />
==The Cool Stuff Theory of Literature==<br />
I think Steven Brust (author of the Vlad Taltos series) has a theory that works well for quests.<br />
<br />
"The Cool Stuff Theory of Literature is as follows: All literature consists of whatever the writer thinks is cool. The reader will like the book (quest) to the degree that he agrees with the writer about what's cool. And that works all the way from the external trappings to the level of metaphor, subtext, and the way one uses words. In other words, I happen not to think that full-plate armor and great big honking greatswords are cool. I don't like 'em. I like cloaks and rapiers. So I write stories with a lot of cloaks and rapiers in 'em, 'cause that's cool. Guys who like military hardware, who think advanced military hardware is cool, are not gonna jump all over my books, because they have other ideas about what's cool. The novel should be understood as a structure built to accommodate the greatest possible amount of cool stuff."<br />
<br />
Corollary: This works in both directions. For best results, suggest things that the author will think is cool.<br />
<br />
==Character Creation==<br />
Do you want to let your suggesters create the main protagonist, or do you want to have a completely pre-made protagonist? Either way works. Both ways can provide an entertaining time for all.<br />
<br />
====Make Your Characters More Than Stereotypes====<br />
Sometimes it's fine to have a villain who is pure, unmotivated evil, or a hero with a 100% pure soul and a [[Dong_Quest|raging hard-on for justice]], or a girl whose one personality trait is LOLRANDUMB or a love of cheese (okay, that's never fine). Usually, though, it's good to fill your characters out a little more. Start with their driving inner objective. It has to be something broad and general, not "Get a cake" or "fuck that chick" unless you want them to be shallow (which, of course, can work. [[NicQuest]] started with a quest for lolcats). Make it something more like "Make a lasting difference on the planet", "ensure those who wrong me pay for it", or "Be accepted by my comrades". Something to drive them forward, like "[[DiveQuest|Become the Devil]]" or "[[Kara Quest|Purify the World]]". I think it was [[Reka]] who gave the advice that every character begins with one driving objective, which gives them, well, character. Build them up from that to flesh them out.<br />
<br />
Once you've got that down you can move on to their stated objective, or how they present themselves to the world, whether that's in contrast to or bolstering their inner objective. It's the personality they put on for the benefit of others. [[Dive Quest|Muschio]] pretends he’s a gentleman, [[MudyQuest|Mudy]] uses flowery language, [[Kara Quest|Hope]] disguises herself as a sweet little girl, [[Journey|Demesi]] steadfastly maintains a blissful naiveté even as he beats the shit out of his enemies with his sword feet ([[Nedynvor|SWORD FEET]]).<br />
<br />
After that, work on their flaws. Even good people aren't ever perfect. It could be anything from [[Quest With No Name|a hot temper that arises at unfortunate times]] to [[MudyQuest|a penchant for screwing your own sister]], but without it people will have less to identify your characters as people rather than ideals. They can be paragons of good while [[Apocalyption|still having a crippling fear of rats.]]<br />
<br />
The exterior, interior, and flaws are the three biggest fish to fry. Now focus on your character in the now. What’s their status in the world they live in? How aware are they of their surroundings, and what others think about them? Do they care about that? What was the last thing they had to eat? When did they last sleep? Laugh? Screw? If they’re interacting with someone, how do they feel about them?<br />
<br />
OK so some of those questions were sort of bullshit, and at any time there’s really no need to answer them all every fucking update. But you’d be surprised how much the minutiae can affect actions and words. Remember that every time someone opens their mouth to speak, they’re censoring themselves. Picking their words. What’s on their mind right now, and how do they translate that into how they are speaking?<br />
<br />
====But Stereotypes Are Sometimes Okay====<br />
<br />
* [[Farmer]]'s Bad Advice Corner: <br />
<br />
You don't need the character ready from day one. Starting with a simple archetype or stereotype and letting the story shape and develop the character is perfectly acceptable. Everything, from quirks to background to motivations can be fleshed out as the story goes on. Sometimes, this procedure is mistaken as character growth.<br />
<br />
* [[BiteQuest]]'s Disagreement: <br />
<br />
I'm not so sure this 'no stereotype' nonsense is really good advice. It depends on what kind of quest you want to run. If the quest is more about exploring and interacting with the world, it's better for the protagonist to be more of a blank slate. They'll develop personalities over time on their own for the most part. I will say it's a pretty bad idea to make the protagonist completely beholden to the majority suggestion unless you're doing something interesting like [[Narus Quest]], or something plot-light and fun. If the quest is more about the main character's personal issue, then of course they need to have a strong personality that is merely influenced by what the suggesters recommend. <br />
<br />
Still, for main characters, I'd say don't develop them too deeply. You want the players to feel like their input matters, and the story is always better when it actually does. The players will also feel rewarded when their suggestions begin to actively shape how the character views the world. That being said, the above advice is great for NPCs and other characters not directly controlled through suggestions. <br />
<br />
I think [[Farmer]] is more on point even regarding NPCs, though; start them out as stereotypes with a couple of quirks, and they'll sort of develop on their own. Just think from the perspective of the NPCs: Instead of moving them around like chess pieces to make your story go where you want, the whole thing will be better if you just consider what each character would reasonably do in the situation. That, plus the usually random input from the suggesters will make the entire quest more organic, realistic, and unpredictable.<br />
<br />
* [[Bromeliad|Brom]]'s corollary:<br />
<br />
Yeah, this advice is for NPCs and to make your dialogue a bit more snappy, not to railroad your characters. Make your main protagonists a bit more freeform off the bat and let 'em get fleshed out. By no means plan everything for yourself. That's a comic book, not a quest.<br />
<br />
==Opening Exposition==<br />
If you have a good idea of the world and/or the characters, you have a couple of choices. Instant Immersion, or Opening Exposition. Instant Immersion lets you get right into the action and explain the world and/or characters as you go along. Opening Exposition lets you introduce a few concepts about the world and/or characters before you get into the fun ''The World is in Danger'' bits of the quest. Both have their cons to go along with their pros. With Instant Immersion, if you aren't careful, you can miss out on explaining a key element of the quest that might have been important or even helpful in prior situations. With Opening Exposition, you stand the risk of dragging the exposition on for too long, letting things get dull and stale.<br />
<br />
==Have Events Planned==<br />
Have a few different things planned that will happen to the protagonist, and think of a few ways he might react to them. Come up with a general idea of the order in which these things will happen, and a reason for them to happen.<br />
<br />
====Events Happen That The Protagonist Has Nothing To Do With====<br />
The rest of the world is still happening. Maybe some small time NPC we met 5 chapters ago got married since the last time we saw him. Or while we are out adventuring, we come home to find the city has a new mayor because the old one was caught cheating on his wife. Life still happens, and having a few things like this will help add realism to the world, and make the players think that more is out there than what we see.<br />
<br />
==Have an Ending Planned==<br />
This may sound like railroading to some, but knowing how you want to end it will help you have a goal in mind, and help you keep going and (hopefully) help you finish.<br />
<br />
=Running A Quest=<br />
Advice for once you have it off the ground. See also: [[Plot]].<br />
<br />
==The Most Important Rule==<br />
<br />
(And if you think this should go somewhere else, put it there.)<br />
<br />
'''''Don't kill yourself!'''''<br />
<br />
Don't spend days finagling over how to make the next update look exactly perfect. I'm not trying to say that you shouldn't put effort into what you're doing, but if you find that, say, [[Vapor Quest|a month has passed and you're still on that same frame (''*ahem*'')]], you are probably killing yourself for nothing. <br />
<br />
==Always Present Options==<br />
This is most important. There always needs to be something for the players to suggest, or else nothing can happen. So, do your best to give them something to work with. If they don't bite and do something entirely different, that's fine too, but at least they had options. There are a few guidelines to help ensure you are doing this, which can be tl;dr'd as follows:<br />
<br />
* [[TestPattern]]<br />
<br />
Yelling at PCs < Faffing about < Boring exposition < Interesting exposition < Stuff that reveals new options<br />
<br />
* [[Farmer|Farmer's Corollary]]<br />
<br />
Cutscene your way to hell if you have to; do not stop to wait for a choice until there is a choice to be made.<br />
* [[Nahkh]]'s handy little suggestion suggestions<br />
<br />
If you want to be quick and dirty, throw a bunch of small reminders at the bottom of a post to tell the posters of possible actions. <br />
<br />
End with a question whenever the character is legitimately confused about something.<br />
<br />
====Don't Present Options That Are Not Actually Options====<br />
*There is a path going left or right.<br />
*>Go left<br />
*The left passage ends in a locked door! Nothing else is here.<br />
*>...Go right I guess<br />
<br />
Don't do this. If you present options to them that don't actually affect anything if they are taken, don't present them. The locked door above could have easily been right at the intersection, and it would have worked just as well. Making people waste time doing things that aren't actually doing things directly relates to the guideline below this one.<br />
<br />
However, in the above example, if we already happen to have the key for the door on the left, then it's not a false option. We could then use the key and proceed. If the key is actually down the right path, however, then the left door was never an option, and going right first was the only choice.<br />
<br />
====Present Options That Matter====<br />
On a similar note, the options presented should always be at least marginally important. If you have a long hallway with doors all along the length, don't have the character stop in front of each door and ask the suggesters if they want to go in. If any of them are different or interesting, then point that out in the text (unless its a secret hidden in the image or something) and just generally posit or inquire about inspecting any of them. <br />
<br />
If you get bogged down with describing every action independently, or you wait for suggesters to just make the single, obvious suggestion, your quest will become boring pretty fast. For instance, if the character is a kid and has to go to school, you could have them getting dressed in the morning (pervert), but don't sit around waiting for the suggesters to say "get breakfast" "brush teeth" "wait for the bus" "get on the bus" "Take a seat" "get off the bus" "go to class" unless there are other legitimate options. This isn't to say that the character couldn't go through these motions. The story can start with the bedroom and end with the classroom, but it's probably more interesting and involving if you just have the character do these things automatically and have the suggesters' decisions bear on other interactions in each scene.<br />
<br />
====Don't Waste Updates====<br />
Don't have an update not actually update anything. If it doesn't present new information, new choices, or new stuff to work with, then it isn't really an update. For example, yelling at the players for being stupid is a waste of an update. Yelling at the players for being stupid and then pointing out information that they seem to have overlooked is not great, but it's okay. Working with their stupid and showing them why it was a dumb idea is even better.<br />
<br />
====Don't Wait For Suggestions When There is Nothing to Do====<br />
One of the problems that people seem to have when they start running Quests is that they feel the need to wait for suggestions between every frame, even when this isn't reasonable. If there is no decision to make that will impact the story or reveal information, skip ahead until there is. There are several ways to do this. <br />
<br />
The first would be [[Dungeon Game|to use "cutscenes"]] and continue to update without waiting for input. This method should only be used sparingly, as it doesn't fully take advantage of the medium that the Author is operating in, and can sometimes lead to cries of railroading. However, there are definitely times when you want to show a lot of things happening all in rapid succession. This is when cutscenes shine.<br />
<br />
Another way, and one that takes time to get right, is just to make sure that the next frame will give a choice, option, or lead to the something that will make a difference in their decisions or require their input. The main advantage to this method is it cuts down on cutscene drawing. Done poorly, however, this can make the narrative too choppy or difficult to follow, but some good writing and a bit of pacing can avoid this.<br />
<br />
====Predicting /Quest/'s Behavior====<br />
These are just some observations about the way /quest/ tends to act that authors might want to keep in mind. (Feel free to add other observations or corollaries to this list.)<br />
<br />
* /Quest/ picks chicks in chargen, almost always. They also show affinity for things like sergals.<br />
* /Quest/ almost always prefers NPC interaction to anything else.<br />
** On that note, /quest/ will often form an almost obsessive attachment to the first NPC they run into, especially if said NPC is female.<br />
** /Quest/ also likes to form parties if you let them.<br />
* If the character expresses a preference for a particular action out of a set of options, /quest/ will generally try to please the character. (This can be used by the author as a form of "nudging;" if the character makes the desired action their goal independently of /quest/, /quest/ will almost automatically start working toward that goal.)<br />
** In general, /quest/ tries to actively help whoever they're currently suggesting for (even in cases where this character is actively working against the interests of another character they were suggesting for previously).<br />
* /Quest/ will often try to talk their characters' opponents down, and even recruit them; if/when this fails, they will likely engage in extremely vindictive behavior.<br />
* There will almost always be that one suggester who is completely off-the-wall and irrelevant. As a result, punishing /quest/ for the questionable actions of a single suggester is probably not a good idea if you like having readers. (Punishing /quest/ for the questionable actions of a bunch of suggesters, on the other hand...)<br />
* /Quest/ is easily distracted and has a poor long-term attention span. (To be fair, suggesting on /quest/ is a bit like playing one or two dozen adventure games at the same time, all of which advance at different, typically erratic paces. It can be hard to keep things straight!) If they seem to be getting off-track and you want the quest to move forward, it might not hurt to remind them of what they're supposed to be doing, even if they themselves came up with the plan.<br />
** A difficult decision or puzzle ''will'' get fewer suggestions. You will still get some (unless your readerbase was tiny to begin with), but the odds are that most of your readers will be afraid of screwing up and just not pick anything.<br />
* /Quest/ is probably ''not'' going to uniformly agree on something. [Dungeon Game|A mechanic requiring near-uniform agreement has been tried before; it failed rather spectacularly.] You're probably not going to make it work any better, and you're more likely to spur infighting among your readers than to accomplish anything novel.<br />
<br />
==Proper Pacing==<br />
<br />
====Don't Bog Things Down With The Mundane And Unimportant====<br />
When planning out arcs and plotlines, you may find that at some points, things will be moving too "quickly" for people to reasonably follow. When this happens, you may be tempted to slow down the action with things that normally would happen automatically, or without much input or difficulty. Be aware that you're doing this, and try to accurately estimate your reader's lust for action. If you do slow things down, be sure that the obstacle that is halting the plot is related to the rest of it, so people aren't staggered by the gear change between plot and unimportant problem.<br />
<br />
====Don't Block Information(AKA Sanya's Folly)====<br />
In a quest where investigation and discovery are important aspects, sometimes people skip ahead a few steps in their thinking, and they ask questions and create theories long before they are supposed to. When this happens, you WILL need to adjust your planning accordingly. If a line of thought is followed too soon, it is important that you do not just block it off, or it will never get looked at again. If you want people to ask the question later, you need to present a clear obstacle preventing them from learning the information, either at the time, or in retrospect (although for the latter option a refresher might be needed on what the suggesters were thinking at the time), that is later removed obviously enough for people to get the hint of "okay, NOW try thinking about that". If you completely shut down a path of thought that you may later wish to explore, people WILL mark it off as a dead end, and nothing short of necromancy will get them to think of it again.<br />
<br />
====Notepad is useful====<br />
[[File:Notepad is Useful.png|thumb|right]]<br />
I find that writing your posts out beforehand in a document like Notepad really helps to organize your posts, and helps improve pacing. If you write it all out and find multiple different actions being described, divide the post so you can show the changes in action with appropriate images. It also helps you to organize what you want each image to actually show ahead of time, so you don't forget anything. Also if you have internet issues you won't lose everything you typed up.<br />
<br />
==Always Have Ideas (But Don't Get Too Attached To Them)==<br />
Even when your options are left open and possibly vague, it's good to still have a few 'correct decisions' thought of beforehand. This helps you plan ahead, prods the players towards possible courses of action when stuck, and gives you an idea of what might happen in your ''next'' update.<br />
<br />
But if the players come up with something different, consider just rolling with it. Part of the fun of questing is the effect players have on it, and you might be surprised with the results.<br />
<br />
====Know When to Yield (AKA Listen To Their Theories)====<br />
Admit it: you can't think of every possible thing. And the players will, sometimes, invariably, think of stuff that would never cross your mind. So, steal their ideas. Show no shame!<br />
<br />
How often you'll do this depends on how crazy / random your players are, and how fast-and-loose you are handling your own plot. And when done well, they'll never notice you cheated. Hell, they might even think they 'guessed your plan', and that tends to make them happy. If you need examples, ask your favorite quest writers.<br />
<br />
==TGchan is always a cupid==<br />
It's been said, often by posters themselves, that they will always seek to pair up as many people as possible. It's up to you whether to encourage or discourage this, but remember to remain consistent about it! If you don't mind and want to encourage pairing off, offer multiple options of equal viability. If not, you can either set up a girl/boy to be there already, or you can make the situation not possible (the character doesn't care, the situation doesn't allow for it, etc.).<br />
*[[Driblis]]' Addendum: <br />
<br />
While it's nice to allow some [[Romanticar|romance]] if you like, be wary of making your quest that was supposed to be about adventuring veer towards being about [[MudyQuest|Sex]] or [[Gobbo Quest|breeding]]. [[Reaver|Some]] [[Gnoll|authors]] are rather prone to this. It's a thin line to walk, including romance or sex in a quest, and while it has been done [[The Protagonist Dies|correctly]] in the past, it's a razor's edge.<br />
*[[BiteQuest]]'s Two Cents: <br />
<br />
This is something that is totally in the hands of you, the Quest author. If you don't want the players to constantly try to pair up characters and focus on romance or sex, just shut those types of suggestions down EARLY. Have the main character state in unequivocal terms that they aren't interested in either that person or sex in general. You will still get ''some'' suggestions like that no matter what, but it won't derail the quest unless you, as author, let it. Even if the character is mostly a vessel for the players to use exploring the world, you can and should make them have a few strong characteristics or sticking points to keep the quest from going places you don't want it to go. Even Ruby wasn't ''that kind of girl''. If you are serious about keeping the romance to a minimum, you can also create a protagonist that is physically incapable of doing the sorts of things you don't want to draw them doing, although even this will only minimize suggestions, not eliminate them.<br />
<br />
==[[BiteQuest]]'s 'Arc' Method==<br />
I basically run quests the same way I've run my tabletop games for the most part (Lahamu being the exception). Essentially, you determine three goals, one extremely long term (which could be the quest goal), one moderate long term (whatever the protagonist is working towards - you can have more than one going on at a time, too) and a session or immediate goal. The goal doesn't have to be something you accomplish or that the character has to do before the session ends, it just needs to be what is generally going to happen in that session. I think this keeps the story focused, and minimizes confusion about what is going on and where the characters are headed. As a for-instance: BiteQuest is divided into three big 'arcs,' essentially. The first 'arc' was supposed to end with him going into the Sea of Oblivion (or deciding never to go there, whatever), and has just finished. The multi-session mini-arcs are pretty obvious - each 'delivery' in the beginning of the quest, like going from Suri to Radia's tower. Each session or immediate arc would be whatever is going to happen during those six or eight hours when I update: Spikesby's going to find Glory all crucified up in the first session for the 'Radia' miniarc. <br />
<br />
This doesn't have anything to do with railroading or anything like that - as a matter of fact, I tell stories by writing up situations and just seeing what the players do. I, of course, think of a few ''likely'' outcomes, but I'm very open ended with what actually occurs. It's more of just thinking long term, and dividing big goals up into steps so things dont happen too fast and the players have something to look forward to. Your whole quest will seem a lot more tight story-wise if you keep this advice in mind, and you can even generate all three 'arcs' based on suggestions. Even Lahamu, which is essentially a sandbox game, falls into this pattern. It looks like the 'longest term' arc is to create some kind of unified multi-racial nation out of the local area, which is something the players absolutely decided to do on their own. I'd say the middle arc is probably to explore each of the cities or whatever, which is also totally something the players decided on. The current short arc is to try to bribe the goblins into working for Lahamu, which will probably finish in 3 or 4 frames. I don't even know where they'll go next, or what the next middle arc will be, but the story still falls into this rough format. <br />
<br />
If you'll notice, there's been very little faffing about in Bite Quest, and I think this is the reason why. <br />
<br />
I'm not attempting to imply that this is the only way to run a quest, but I think a lot of good authors seem kinda unfocused or scattered in their storytelling, and maybe they could find this advice useful.<br />
<br />
=Ending a Quest=<br />
Advice on how to actually finish one of these things. (Finish? A [[Quest]]? HAH.)<br />
<br />
==Plan Some Potential Conclusions Before You Start==<br />
<br />
DO NOT start a quest unless you at least have a vague idea of where you want it to go. I would strongly discourage you from actually planning out *the* ending beforehand, but have some potential conclusions planned. Know what the main conflict is going to be, and have some potential resolutions thought out in your head, even if you don't end up using any of them. I'd say this is good advice for the story arcs in the quest as well, actually. I don't plan out stories, I just set up situations and see what the players do. I won't say that this is the only way to plan for a Quest, but I think it's the best. <br />
<br />
==End it with a Bang==<br />
People like a good show. Give it to them, and make them remember it forever. You should try to really outdo yourself here, even if the quest is ridiculous or silly (some would say *especially* if it is!) Do animations, sprawling pictures, whatever. The longer you've been moving toward this moment, the greater the payoff should be, both for you and for the players. I know that drawing those last chapters and those last few frames gave me an exhausting feeling of completion, like I'd made something worthwhile. <br />
<br />
* This does not mean the players/protagonist necessarily has to win. Something can be awesome and epic and still end sadly or poignantly. Even if the actions themselves aren't "epic," they can be done in an epic style. <br />
<br />
==Where Are They Now?== <br />
Be sure to 'reward' the players with a look of where the characters are, maybe five years later or ten or whatever you feel is appropriate. Make sure you include who ended up in a relationship with whom. (see point: tgchan is always a cupid.)<br />
<br />
==Bad Ends==<br />
If for whatever reason you decide that your quest must have a bad end, you should do it very, '''''very''''' carefully. Quests are pretty much one-chance things, so failure is a much bigger deal than it may seem to be at first glance. If it is a frequent bad end kind of quest, show that measurable progress is being made, no matter how small or gradual. For everything else, show that even though the ultimate goal is out of reach, impossible, or otherwise unattainable, the character, with the help of the board, has made significant and lasting changes to the world around them. Nothing frustrates like spending time on what is ultimately a complete failure, especially if there is no way to reattempt.<br />
<br />
==Accepting Defeat==<br />
Sometimes, though, a quest doesn't take off. Perhaps the premise doesn't click, or the site isn't interested, or doesn't think it's good enough, or maybe you just don't care enough to continue.<br />
<br />
Often, the hardest part about something is knowing when to let it go. Will you just let it slide into obscurity, or give it closure?<br />
<br />
*[[Farmer]]'s Rule of thumb<br />
If it isn't fun anymore, its time to stop.<br />
<br />
*[[BiteQuest]]'s Merciful Axe<br />
Always make an ending. Even if it's stupid, even if it's poorly realized. End it. That sense of finality means that you still accomplished something, even if maybe it wasn't what you wanted. It's better to have the finished quest in the archives than the aborted .jpgs forever adrift in the merciless void of the graveyard.<br />
<br />
You can also just continue to a logical stopping point and then put things on hold for a while. Think about what you might change and how much you care about the story you were telling. Sometimes restarting later with some new ideas and possibly fresh beats can rejuvenate your stuff.<br />
<br />
==Protect your data!==<br />
<br />
Several quests have been disrupted or outright killed by a sudden loss of data in some way. Maybe your computer dies, maybe you lose the physical notes, or maybe you simply messed up on a copy/paste action or similar. It's important, then, to keep multiple copies of said notes in as many divergent areas as possible! A best case would be to have a physical copy, a cloud copy (like on a hidden pastebin), memorized, in a text file, and any other reduntant way you can think of, perhaps on a flash drive! This will keep your quest safe from burglars/housefires/meteors/viruses/your own stupidity.</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Advice_for_Running_a_Quest&diff=7877Advice for Running a Quest2010-09-25T09:54:29Z<p>Gnome: /* Proper Pacing */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[File:Let me explain.png|thumb|right]]<br />
A basic guide on how to do run a [[Quest]] correctly, with advice written by various <s>successful</s> [[Quest Authors]]. These are all rules of thumb, and as such, can be broken when necessary, but following these is a good start.<br />
<br />
Important Note: If you feel like you have any advice to give, go right ahead and add it! We are all ears.<br />
<br />
=Starting A Quest=<br />
Advice for preparing to make a quest. See also: [[Plot]].<br />
<br />
<br />
==Cooperative Story Telling==<br />
[[File:WallyWoods.jpg|thumb|right|22 techniques for drawing dialogue]]<br />
The first thing you need to know about a quest is that it isn't something you tell to others. It's cooperative story telling. You may be laying the groundwork for the story, but it's the observers that influence how it goes. How much you let them have a say is up to you, but without any, you will not be doing a quest, but writing a story. As the author, you have the final say in what actually goes, but remember - you're not working alone. The players are working with you to create something unique.<br />
<br />
'Input' from the readers can come in many shapes or forms. Sometimes, it's like [[RubyQuest|commands in a Sierra-like adventure game]]. Usually it involves the readers describing courses of action for a given situation. In the instances where the players are made a character ([[Orb of Infinite Psyche|in some shape or form]]), usually input comes as conversations with the characters inside the quest.<br />
<br />
I'm sure there are thousands of other ways for the readers to interact with a quest -- one uses [[The Icon|bi-monthly development schedules]]. We just gotta find them out.<br />
<br />
==The Cool Stuff Theory of Literature==<br />
I think Steven Brust (author of the Vlad Taltos series) has a theory that works well for quests.<br />
<br />
"The Cool Stuff Theory of Literature is as follows: All literature consists of whatever the writer thinks is cool. The reader will like the book (quest) to the degree that he agrees with the writer about what's cool. And that works all the way from the external trappings to the level of metaphor, subtext, and the way one uses words. In other words, I happen not to think that full-plate armor and great big honking greatswords are cool. I don't like 'em. I like cloaks and rapiers. So I write stories with a lot of cloaks and rapiers in 'em, 'cause that's cool. Guys who like military hardware, who think advanced military hardware is cool, are not gonna jump all over my books, because they have other ideas about what's cool. The novel should be understood as a structure built to accommodate the greatest possible amount of cool stuff."<br />
<br />
Corollary: This works in both directions. For best results, suggest things that the author will think is cool.<br />
<br />
==Character Creation==<br />
Do you want to let your suggesters create the main protagonist, or do you want to have a completely pre-made protagonist? Either way works. Both ways can provide an entertaining time for all.<br />
<br />
====Make Your Characters More Than Stereotypes====<br />
Sometimes it's fine to have a villain who is pure, unmotivated evil, or a hero with a 100% pure soul and a [[Dong_Quest|raging hard-on for justice]], or a girl whose one personality trait is LOLRANDUMB or a love of cheese (okay, that's never fine). Usually, though, it's good to fill your characters out a little more. Start with their driving inner objective. It has to be something broad and general, not "Get a cake" or "fuck that chick" unless you want them to be shallow (which, of course, can work. [[NicQuest]] started with a quest for lolcats). Make it something more like "Make a lasting difference on the planet", "ensure those who wrong me pay for it", or "Be accepted by my comrades". Something to drive them forward, like "[[DiveQuest|Become the Devil]]" or "[[Kara Quest|Purify the World]]". I think it was [[Reka]] who gave the advice that every character begins with one driving objective, which gives them, well, character. Build them up from that to flesh them out.<br />
<br />
Once you've got that down you can move on to their stated objective, or how they present themselves to the world, whether that's in contrast to or bolstering their inner objective. It's the personality they put on for the benefit of others. [[Dive Quest|Muschio]] pretends he’s a gentleman, [[MudyQuest|Mudy]] uses flowery language, [[Kara Quest|Hope]] disguises herself as a sweet little girl, [[Journey|Demesi]] steadfastly maintains a blissful naiveté even as he beats the shit out of his enemies with his sword feet ([[Nedynvor|SWORD FEET]]).<br />
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After that, work on their flaws. Even good people aren't ever perfect. It could be anything from [[Quest With No Name|a hot temper that arises at unfortunate times]] to [[MudyQuest|a penchant for screwing your own sister]], but without it people will have less to identify your characters as people rather than ideals. They can be paragons of good while [[Apocalyption|still having a crippling fear of rats.]]<br />
<br />
The exterior, interior, and flaws are the three biggest fish to fry. Now focus on your character in the now. What’s their status in the world they live in? How aware are they of their surroundings, and what others think about them? Do they care about that? What was the last thing they had to eat? When did they last sleep? Laugh? Screw? If they’re interacting with someone, how do they feel about them?<br />
<br />
OK so some of those questions were sort of bullshit, and at any time there’s really no need to answer them all every fucking update. But you’d be surprised how much the minutiae can affect actions and words. Remember that every time someone opens their mouth to speak, they’re censoring themselves. Picking their words. What’s on their mind right now, and how do they translate that into how they are speaking?<br />
<br />
====But Stereotypes Are Sometimes Okay====<br />
<br />
* [[Farmer]]'s Bad Advice Corner: <br />
<br />
You don't need the character ready from day one. Starting with a simple archetype or stereotype and letting the story shape and develop the character is perfectly acceptable. Everything, from quirks to background to motivations can be fleshed out as the story goes on. Sometimes, this procedure is mistaken as character growth.<br />
<br />
* [[BiteQuest]]'s Disagreement: <br />
<br />
I'm not so sure this 'no stereotype' nonsense is really good advice. It depends on what kind of quest you want to run. If the quest is more about exploring and interacting with the world, it's better for the protagonist to be more of a blank slate. They'll develop personalities over time on their own for the most part. I will say it's a pretty bad idea to make the protagonist completely beholden to the majority suggestion unless you're doing something interesting like [[Narus Quest]], or something plot-light and fun. If the quest is more about the main character's personal issue, then of course they need to have a strong personality that is merely influenced by what the suggesters recommend. <br />
<br />
Still, for main characters, I'd say don't develop them too deeply. You want the players to feel like their input matters, and the story is always better when it actually does. The players will also feel rewarded when their suggestions begin to actively shape how the character views the world. That being said, the above advice is great for NPCs and other characters not directly controlled through suggestions. <br />
<br />
I think [[Farmer]] is more on point even regarding NPCs, though; start them out as stereotypes with a couple of quirks, and they'll sort of develop on their own. Just think from the perspective of the NPCs: Instead of moving them around like chess pieces to make your story go where you want, the whole thing will be better if you just consider what each character would reasonably do in the situation. That, plus the usually random input from the suggesters will make the entire quest more organic, realistic, and unpredictable.<br />
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* [[Bromeliad|Brom]]'s corollary:<br />
<br />
Yeah, this advice is for NPCs and to make your dialogue a bit more snappy, not to railroad your characters. Make your main protagonists a bit more freeform off the bat and let 'em get fleshed out. By no means plan everything for yourself. That's a comic book, not a quest.<br />
<br />
==Opening Exposition==<br />
If you have a good idea of the world and/or the characters, you have a couple of choices. Instant Immersion, or Opening Exposition. Instant Immersion lets you get right into the action and explain the world and/or characters as you go along. Opening Exposition lets you introduce a few concepts about the world and/or characters before you get into the fun ''The World is in Danger'' bits of the quest. Both have their cons to go along with their pros. With Instant Immersion, if you aren't careful, you can miss out on explaining a key element of the quest that might have been important or even helpful in prior situations. With Opening Exposition, you stand the risk of dragging the exposition on for too long, letting things get dull and stale.<br />
<br />
==Have Events Planned==<br />
Have a few different things planned that will happen to the protagonist, and think of a few ways he might react to them. Come up with a general idea of the order in which these things will happen, and a reason for them to happen.<br />
<br />
====Events Happen That The Protagonist Has Nothing To Do With====<br />
The rest of the world is still happening. Maybe some small time NPC we met 5 chapters ago got married since the last time we saw him. Or while we are out adventuring, we come home to find the city has a new mayor because the old one was caught cheating on his wife. Life still happens, and having a few things like this will help add realism to the world, and make the players think that more is out there than what we see.<br />
<br />
==Have an Ending Planned==<br />
This may sound like railroading to some, but knowing how you want to end it will help you have a goal in mind, and help you keep going and (hopefully) help you finish.<br />
<br />
=Running A Quest=<br />
Advice for once you have it off the ground. See also: [[Plot]].<br />
<br />
==The Most Important Rule==<br />
<br />
(And if you think this should go somewhere else, put it there.)<br />
<br />
'''''Don't kill yourself!'''''<br />
<br />
Don't spend days finagling over how to make the next update look exactly perfect. I'm not trying to say that you shouldn't put effort into what you're doing, but if you find that, say, [[Vapor Quest|a month has passed and you're still on that same frame (''*ahem*'')]], you are probably killing yourself for nothing. <br />
<br />
==Always Present Options==<br />
This is most important. There always needs to be something for the players to suggest, or else nothing can happen. So, do your best to give them something to work with. If they don't bite and do something entirely different, that's fine too, but at least they had options. There are a few guidelines to help ensure you are doing this, which can be tl;dr'd as follows:<br />
<br />
* [[TestPattern]]<br />
<br />
Yelling at PCs < Faffing about < Boring exposition < Interesting exposition < Stuff that reveals new options<br />
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* [[Farmer|Farmer's Corollary]]<br />
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Cutscene your way to hell if you have to; do not stop to wait for a choice until there is a choice to be made.<br />
* [[Nahkh]]'s handy little suggestion suggestions<br />
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If you want to be quick and dirty, throw a bunch of small reminders at the bottom of a post to tell the posters of possible actions. <br />
<br />
End with a question whenever the character is legitimately confused about something.<br />
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====Don't Present Options That Are Not Actually Options====<br />
*There is a path going left or right.<br />
*>Go left<br />
*The left passage ends in a locked door! Nothing else is here.<br />
*>...Go right I guess<br />
<br />
Don't do this. If you present options to them that don't actually affect anything if they are taken, don't present them. The locked door above could have easily been right at the intersection, and it would have worked just as well. Making people waste time doing things that aren't actually doing things directly relates to the guideline below this one.<br />
<br />
However, in the above example, if we already happen to have the key for the door on the left, then it's not a false option. We could then use the key and proceed. If the key is actually down the right path, however, then the left door was never an option, and going right first was the only choice.<br />
<br />
====Present Options That Matter====<br />
On a similar note, the options presented should always be at least marginally important. If you have a long hallway with doors all along the length, don't have the character stop in front of each door and ask the suggesters if they want to go in. If any of them are different or interesting, then point that out in the text (unless its a secret hidden in the image or something) and just generally posit or inquire about inspecting any of them. <br />
<br />
If you get bogged down with describing every action independently, or you wait for suggesters to just make the single, obvious suggestion, your quest will become boring pretty fast. For instance, if the character is a kid and has to go to school, you could have them getting dressed in the morning (pervert), but don't sit around waiting for the suggesters to say "get breakfast" "brush teeth" "wait for the bus" "get on the bus" "Take a seat" "get off the bus" "go to class" unless there are other legitimate options. This isn't to say that the character couldn't go through these motions. The story can start with the bedroom and end with the classroom, but it's probably more interesting and involving if you just have the character do these things automatically and have the suggesters' decisions bear on other interactions in each scene.<br />
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====Don't Waste Updates====<br />
Don't have an update not actually update anything. If it doesn't present new information, new choices, or new stuff to work with, then it isn't really an update. For example, yelling at the players for being stupid is a waste of an update. Yelling at the players for being stupid and then pointing out information that they seem to have overlooked is not great, but it's okay. Working with their stupid and showing them why it was a dumb idea is even better.<br />
<br />
====Don't Wait For Suggestions When There is Nothing to Do====<br />
One of the problems that people seem to have when they start running Quests is that they feel the need to wait for suggestions between every frame, even when this isn't reasonable. If there is no decision to make that will impact the story or reveal information, skip ahead until there is. There are several ways to do this. <br />
<br />
The first would be [[Dungeon Game|to use "cutscenes"]] and continue to update without waiting for input. This method should only be used sparingly, as it doesn't fully take advantage of the medium that the Author is operating in, and can sometimes lead to cries of railroading. However, there are definitely times when you want to show a lot of things happening all in rapid succession. This is when cutscenes shine.<br />
<br />
Another way, and one that takes time to get right, is just to make sure that the next frame will give a choice, option, or lead to the something that will make a difference in their decisions or require their input. The main advantage to this method is it cuts down on cutscene drawing. Done poorly, however, this can make the narrative too choppy or difficult to follow, but some good writing and a bit of pacing can avoid this.<br />
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====Predicting /Quest/'s Behavior====<br />
These are just some observations about the way /quest/ tends to act that authors might want to keep in mind. (Feel free to add other observations or corollaries to this list.)<br />
<br />
* /Quest/ picks chicks in chargen, almost always. They also show affinity for things like sergals.<br />
* /Quest/ almost always prefers NPC interaction to anything else.<br />
** On that note, /quest/ will often form an almost obsessive attachment to the first NPC they run into, especially if said NPC is female.<br />
** /Quest/ also likes to form parties if you let them.<br />
* If the character expresses a preference for a particular action out of a set of options, /quest/ will generally try to please the character. (This can be used by the author as a form of "nudging;" if the character makes the desired action their goal independently of /quest/, /quest/ will almost automatically start working toward that goal.)<br />
** In general, /quest/ tries to actively help whoever they're currently suggesting for (even in cases where this character is actively working against the interests of another character they were suggesting for previously).<br />
* /Quest/ will often try to talk their characters' opponents down, and even recruit them; if/when this fails, they will likely engage in extremely vindictive behavior.<br />
* There will almost always be that one suggester who is completely off-the-wall and irrelevant. As a result, punishing /quest/ for the questionable actions of a single suggester is probably not a good idea if you like having readers. (Punishing /quest/ for the questionable actions of a bunch of suggesters, on the other hand...)<br />
* /Quest/ is easily distracted and has a poor long-term attention span. (To be fair, suggesting on /quest/ is a bit like playing one or two dozen adventure games at the same time, all of which advance at different, typically erratic paces. It can be hard to keep things straight!) If they seem to be getting off-track and you want the quest to move forward, it might not hurt to remind them of what they're supposed to be doing, even if they themselves came up with the plan.<br />
** A difficult decision or puzzle ''will'' get fewer suggestions. You will still get some (unless your readerbase was tiny to begin with), but the odds are that most of your readers will be afraid of screwing up and just not pick anything.<br />
* /Quest/ is probably ''not'' going to uniformly agree on something. [Dungeon Game|A mechanic requiring near-uniform agreement has been tried before; it failed rather spectacularly.] You're probably not going to make it work any better, and you're more likely to spur infighting among your readers than to accomplish anything novel.<br />
<br />
==Proper Pacing==<br />
<br />
====Don't Bog Things Down With The Mundane And Unimportant====<br />
When planning out arcs and plotlines, you may find that at some points, things will be moving too "quickly" for people to reasonably follow. When this happens, you may be tempted to slow down the action with things that normally would happen automatically, or without much input or difficulty. Be aware that you're doing this, and try to accurately estimate your reader's lust for action. If you do slow things down, be sure that the obstacle that is halting the plot is related to the rest of it, so people aren't staggered by the gear change between plot and unimportant problem.<br />
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====Don't Block Information(AKA Sanya's Folly)====<br />
In a quest where investigation and discovery are important aspects, sometimes people skip ahead a few steps in their thinking, and they ask questions and create theories long before they are supposed to. When this happens, you WILL need to adjust your planning accordingly. If a line of thought is followed too soon, it is important that you do not just block it off, or it will never get looked at again. If you want people to ask the question later, you need to present a clear obstacle preventing them from learning the information, either at the time, or in retrospect (although for the latter option a refresher might be needed on what the suggesters were thinking at the time), that is later removed obviously enough for people to get the hint of "okay, NOW try thinking about that". If you completely shut down a path of thought that you may later wish to explore, people WILL mark it off as a dead end, and nothing short of necromancy will get them to think of it again.<br />
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====Notepad is useful====<br />
[[File:Notepad is Useful.png|thumb|right]]<br />
I find that writing your posts out beforehand in a document like Notepad really helps to organize your posts, and helps improve pacing. If you write it all out and find multiple different actions being described, divide the post so you can show the changes in action with appropriate images. It also helps you to organize what you want each image to actually show ahead of time, so you don't forget anything.<br />
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==Always Have Ideas (But Don't Get Too Attached To Them)==<br />
Even when your options are left open and possibly vague, it's good to still have a few 'correct decisions' thought of beforehand. This helps you plan ahead, prods the players towards possible courses of action when stuck, and gives you an idea of what might happen in your ''next'' update.<br />
<br />
But if the players come up with something different, consider just rolling with it. Part of the fun of questing is the effect players have on it, and you might be surprised with the results.<br />
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====Know When to Yield (AKA Listen To Their Theories)====<br />
Admit it: you can't think of every possible thing. And the players will, sometimes, invariably, think of stuff that would never cross your mind. So, steal their ideas. Show no shame!<br />
<br />
How often you'll do this depends on how crazy / random your players are, and how fast-and-loose you are handling your own plot. And when done well, they'll never notice you cheated. Hell, they might even think they 'guessed your plan', and that tends to make them happy. If you need examples, ask your favorite quest writers.<br />
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==TGchan is always a cupid==<br />
It's been said, often by posters themselves, that they will always seek to pair up as many people as possible. It's up to you whether to encourage or discourage this, but remember to remain consistent about it! If you don't mind and want to encourage pairing off, offer multiple options of equal viability. If not, you can either set up a girl/boy to be there already, or you can make the situation not possible (the character doesn't care, the situation doesn't allow for it, etc.).<br />
*[[Driblis]]' Addendum: <br />
<br />
While it's nice to allow some [[Romanticar|romance]] if you like, be wary of making your quest that was supposed to be about adventuring veer towards being about [[MudyQuest|Sex]] or [[Gobbo Quest|breeding]]. [[Reaver|Some]] [[Gnoll|authors]] are rather prone to this. It's a thin line to walk, including romance or sex in a quest, and while it has been done [[The Protagonist Dies|correctly]] in the past, it's a razor's edge.<br />
*[[BiteQuest]]'s Two Cents: <br />
<br />
This is something that is totally in the hands of you, the Quest author. If you don't want the players to constantly try to pair up characters and focus on romance or sex, just shut those types of suggestions down EARLY. Have the main character state in unequivocal terms that they aren't interested in either that person or sex in general. You will still get ''some'' suggestions like that no matter what, but it won't derail the quest unless you, as author, let it. Even if the character is mostly a vessel for the players to use exploring the world, you can and should make them have a few strong characteristics or sticking points to keep the quest from going places you don't want it to go. Even Ruby wasn't ''that kind of girl''. If you are serious about keeping the romance to a minimum, you can also create a protagonist that is physically incapable of doing the sorts of things you don't want to draw them doing, although even this will only minimize suggestions, not eliminate them.<br />
<br />
==[[BiteQuest]]'s 'Arc' Method==<br />
I basically run quests the same way I've run my tabletop games for the most part (Lahamu being the exception). Essentially, you determine three goals, one extremely long term (which could be the quest goal), one moderate long term (whatever the protagonist is working towards - you can have more than one going on at a time, too) and a session or immediate goal. The goal doesn't have to be something you accomplish or that the character has to do before the session ends, it just needs to be what is generally going to happen in that session. I think this keeps the story focused, and minimizes confusion about what is going on and where the characters are headed. As a for-instance: BiteQuest is divided into three big 'arcs,' essentially. The first 'arc' was supposed to end with him going into the Sea of Oblivion (or deciding never to go there, whatever), and has just finished. The multi-session mini-arcs are pretty obvious - each 'delivery' in the beginning of the quest, like going from Suri to Radia's tower. Each session or immediate arc would be whatever is going to happen during those six or eight hours when I update: Spikesby's going to find Glory all crucified up in the first session for the 'Radia' miniarc. <br />
<br />
This doesn't have anything to do with railroading or anything like that - as a matter of fact, I tell stories by writing up situations and just seeing what the players do. I, of course, think of a few ''likely'' outcomes, but I'm very open ended with what actually occurs. It's more of just thinking long term, and dividing big goals up into steps so things dont happen too fast and the players have something to look forward to. Your whole quest will seem a lot more tight story-wise if you keep this advice in mind, and you can even generate all three 'arcs' based on suggestions. Even Lahamu, which is essentially a sandbox game, falls into this pattern. It looks like the 'longest term' arc is to create some kind of unified multi-racial nation out of the local area, which is something the players absolutely decided to do on their own. I'd say the middle arc is probably to explore each of the cities or whatever, which is also totally something the players decided on. The current short arc is to try to bribe the goblins into working for Lahamu, which will probably finish in 3 or 4 frames. I don't even know where they'll go next, or what the next middle arc will be, but the story still falls into this rough format. <br />
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If you'll notice, there's been very little faffing about in Bite Quest, and I think this is the reason why. <br />
<br />
I'm not attempting to imply that this is the only way to run a quest, but I think a lot of good authors seem kinda unfocused or scattered in their storytelling, and maybe they could find this advice useful.<br />
<br />
=Ending a Quest=<br />
Advice on how to actually finish one of these things. (Finish? A [[Quest]]? HAH.)<br />
<br />
==Plan Some Potential Conclusions Before You Start==<br />
<br />
DO NOT start a quest unless you at least have a vague idea of where you want it to go. I would strongly discourage you from actually planning out *the* ending beforehand, but have some potential conclusions planned. Know what the main conflict is going to be, and have some potential resolutions thought out in your head, even if you don't end up using any of them. I'd say this is good advice for the story arcs in the quest as well, actually. I don't plan out stories, I just set up situations and see what the players do. I won't say that this is the only way to plan for a Quest, but I think it's the best. <br />
<br />
==End it with a Bang==<br />
People like a good show. Give it to them, and make them remember it forever. You should try to really outdo yourself here, even if the quest is ridiculous or silly (some would say *especially* if it is!) Do animations, sprawling pictures, whatever. The longer you've been moving toward this moment, the greater the payoff should be, both for you and for the players. I know that drawing those last chapters and those last few frames gave me an exhausting feeling of completion, like I'd made something worthwhile. <br />
<br />
* This does not mean the players/protagonist necessarily has to win. Something can be awesome and epic and still end sadly or poignantly. Even if the actions themselves aren't "epic," they can be done in an epic style. <br />
<br />
==Where Are They Now?== <br />
Be sure to 'reward' the players with a look of where the characters are, maybe five years later or ten or whatever you feel is appropriate. Make sure you include who ended up in a relationship with whom. (see point: tgchan is always a cupid.)<br />
<br />
==Bad Ends==<br />
If for whatever reason you decide that your quest must have a bad end, you should do it very, '''''very''''' carefully. Quests are pretty much one-chance things, so failure is a much bigger deal than it may seem to be at first glance. If it is a frequent bad end kind of quest, show that measurable progress is being made, no matter how small or gradual. For everything else, show that even though the ultimate goal is out of reach, impossible, or otherwise unattainable, the character, with the help of the board, has made significant and lasting changes to the world around them. Nothing frustrates like spending time on what is ultimately a complete failure, especially if there is no way to reattempt.<br />
<br />
==Accepting Defeat==<br />
Sometimes, though, a quest doesn't take off. Perhaps the premise doesn't click, or the site isn't interested, or doesn't think it's good enough, or maybe you just don't care enough to continue.<br />
<br />
Often, the hardest part about something is knowing when to let it go. Will you just let it slide into obscurity, or give it closure?<br />
<br />
*[[Farmer]]'s Rule of thumb<br />
If it isn't fun anymore, its time to stop.<br />
<br />
*[[BiteQuest]]'s Merciful Axe<br />
Always make an ending. Even if it's stupid, even if it's poorly realized. End it. That sense of finality means that you still accomplished something, even if maybe it wasn't what you wanted. It's better to have the finished quest in the archives than the aborted .jpgs forever adrift in the merciless void of the graveyard.<br />
<br />
You can also just continue to a logical stopping point and then put things on hold for a while. Think about what you might change and how much you care about the story you were telling. Sometimes restarting later with some new ideas and possibly fresh beats can rejuvenate your stuff.<br />
<br />
==Protect your data!==<br />
<br />
Several quests have been disrupted or outright killed by a sudden loss of data in some way. Maybe your computer dies, maybe you lose the physical notes, or maybe you simply messed up on a copy/paste action or similar. It's important, then, to keep multiple copies of said notes in as many divergent areas as possible! A best case would be to have a physical copy, a cloud copy (like on a hidden pastebin), memorized, in a text file, and any other reduntant way you can think of, perhaps on a flash drive! This will keep your quest safe from burglars/housefires/meteors/viruses/your own stupidity.</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=File:Notepad_is_Useful.png&diff=7876File:Notepad is Useful.png2010-09-25T09:40:43Z<p>Gnome: </p>
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<div></div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Gnome&diff=7875Gnome2010-09-25T00:10:02Z<p>Gnome: </p>
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<div>[[Image:gnomukun.jpg|thumb|right|Artist's Rendition]]<br />
Gnomu-kun, gnomu-kun. I made you a profile page. :3c<br />
<br />
Author of the wildly successful and epically long [[Dorf Quest]]. Gnome has shifted his focus from /tg/ to tgchan.<br />
<br />
Favorite Touhou: Captain Murasa Minamitsu<br />
<br />
===Quests===<br />
*[[2who]]<br />
*[[A Series of Extremely Short Quests]]<br />
*[[Amaranth]]<br />
*[[Apocalyption]]<br />
*[[Changeling]]<br />
*[[Crossover Quest]]<br />
*[[Dorf Quest]]<br />
*[[Earth Defense Force]]<br />
*[[How To Raise A Princess]]<br />
*[[Little Ben]]<br />
*[[Nevermore]]<br />
*[[Pill Popper]]<br />
*[[Quest From North America]]<br />
*[[Secret_of_Nevermore]]<br />
*[[Shambles]]<br />
*[[Team9]]<br />
*[[Wake Up Dreaming]]<br />
<br />
{{Gnome}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Quest Authors]]<br />
[[Category:Radio Hosts]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Gnome&diff=7874Gnome2010-09-25T00:05:28Z<p>Gnome: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:gnomukun.jpg|thumb|right|Artist's Rendition]]<br />
Gnomu-kun, gnomu-kun. I made you a profile page. :3c<br />
<br />
Author of the wildly successful and epically long [[Dorf Quest]]. Gnome has shifted his focus from /tg/ to tgchan.<br />
<br />
Favorite Touhou: Captain Murasa Minamitsu<br />
<br />
===Quests===<br />
*[[2who]]<br />
*[[A Series of Extremely Short Quests]]<br />
*[[Amaranth]]<br />
*[[Apocalyption]]<br />
*[[Changeling]]<br />
*[[Crossover Quest]]<br />
*[[Dorf Quest]]<br />
*[[Earth Defense Force]]<br />
*[[How To Raise A Princess]]<br />
*[[Little Ben]]<br />
*[[Nevermore]]<br />
*[[Pill Popper]]<br />
*[[Quest From North America]]<br />
*[[Secret of Nevemore]]<br />
*[[Shambles]]<br />
*[[Team9]]<br />
*[[Wake Up Dreaming]]<br />
<br />
{{Gnome}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Quest Authors]]<br />
[[Category:Radio Hosts]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Nevermore&diff=7862Nevermore2010-09-23T18:24:19Z<p>Gnome: </p>
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<div>Was a quest by [[Gnome]]. It was hand-drawn and scanned in, though this proved to be too much effort in the long run. There is now a reboot called [[Secret of Nevermore]].<br />
<br />
[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/graveyard/res/888.html (link)] <br />
<br />
==Plot Synopsis==<br />
After the hunterbold of his village goes missing, a kobold called Jrinifiblin (Jim, in human tongue) is sent to find him. In doing so however, he falls through into a strange desert known as Nevermore, and soon realizes he may not be able to get back home.<br />
<br />
==Chapters==<br />
* Chapter 0: Life at Home<br />
* Chapter 1: The Endless Desert<br />
<br />
----<br />
===Chapter 0: Life at Home===<br />
The esteemed hunter Briflnok never came back from his hunt, and now the tribe has nominated Jim as the "Next Best Warrior" in an attempt to find Briflnok. <br />
<br />
Jim, accompanied by Nifimlis and Jemlin, head north to find what has become of Briflnok, but in doing so encounter a strange floating ribbon. Jim and Jemlin pursue the strange ribbon and in the process Jim falls into it, thus identifying its true nature: a black hole. <br />
<br />
Jim's would-be crash landing is halted by a strange looking woman covered in bandaging who introduces herself as Arlanko. Also, he finds out, she has a tail. Further more, she has no arms. <br />
<br />
Just as he is (not) about to have his many questions answered, Arlanko leaves to resume battle with her companion against an armored rhino-creature.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, Jim discovers a cart sparsely filled with supplies such as guns (which he doesn't recognize), a plant, a horn, a sock and a lighter. Also, there is a bag.<br />
<br />
As Arlanko and her companion argue about something concerning Jim, he finds a bag in the cart. Within the bag, he finds Briflnok. <br />
<br />
"Mission accomplished! Return to base!"<br />
<br />
Jim scurries away from the car, finding out fairly quickly that he has nowhere to go. Meanwhile, Arlanko and her companion, Sage, are still discussing Jim. Arlanko suggests they help the kobold, whereas Sage says otherwise (to put it nicely). Arlanko takes up the responsibility and goes to fetch him.<br />
<br />
Jim attempts to run away to a house on the horizon, but Arlanko, who quite obviously has some kind of telekinesis thing going on, pulls him back and up into the air. We now learn what we already know previously, thanks to Jim being held upside down-- Jim is male. Also, Sage hates males. Also, they kept Briflnok for food. Lovely.<br />
<br />
As the chapter closes, Arlanko prepares to answer more of his questions.<br />
----<br />
===Chapter 1: This Endless Desert===<br />
As it turns out, Briflnok was killed by falling into the desert like Jim did-- he just didn't land as softly.<br />
<br />
More importantly, we find out that Jim has fallen into a pirate dimension, or as Arlanko calls it. "Nevermore": a gigantic sprawling desert from which there is no return, populated by matter and beings stolen from places unknown. Unfortunately, the portals are one-way only. There is no going back.<br />
<br />
Still, life goes on. Jim laments being the only kobold around anymore, but thinks that he'll be okay. He also agrees to let Briflnok continue to be tonight's meal, though informs them that he is poisonous to eat to any race other than kobolds.<br />
<br />
Seeing that Arlanko somewhat mistrusts that information, he goes to talk to Sage about the other potential meal of the day. She starts to inform him of the creature's condition, then sees that Jim is obviously not Arlanko. <br />
<br />
Hastily Jim tells Sage he is a girl, and that Briflnok was his boyfriend, and that he is trapped. Sage, being Sage, says that Jim would do well to not be dead weight or he will be dead weight. You know, literally.<br />
<br />
She asks what his skills are (in so many words) and he informs her that in his life he has been a legendary soap maker, "good with dairy products", a basket weaver and a hunter. The last occcupation is the only one to which she shows any reaction.<br />
<br />
Suddenly a scream rings out, and Jim sees that Jemlin has fallen into Nevermore as well. He checks on her and when he finds that she is still well, he tells her that they must pretend he is a girl all the time. Understandably.<br />
<br />
Jemlin starts babbling at Sage, who apparently does not like to talk and begins to choke her to stop the talky-talky noise. <br />
<br />
Jim pleads with Sage not to murder Jemlin (it's rude, for starters) and promises that if Sage refrains, they'll never come back. Sage then drops Jemlin from her strange, vice-like grip and says good riddence. (Not literally.)<br />
<br />
Running to check if Jemlin was hurt, Jim finds that everything is in order. They ask politely for Briflnok's body and Sage reluctantly accepts, allowing them to take it along with them. <br />
<br />
The quest ends abruptly here, due to reasons given by [[Gnome]].<br />
<br />
==Cast==<br />
===Main Characters===<br />
----<br />
[[Image:Jim.PNG|He's the hero!.]]<br />
Jrinifiblin, or "Jim" in human tongue. Kobold.<br />
<br />
[[Image:Arlanko.PNG|She does have a tail though.]]<br />
Arlanko. Psychic snake lady. She, uh, doesn't have arms.<br />
<br />
[[Image:Briflnok.PNG|Previous occupation: Hunter. Present Occupation: Dinner.]]<br />
Briflnok. Former hunterbold of Jim's tribe. He's dead.<br />
<br />
[[Image:Sage.PNG|More than kind of.]]<br />
Sage. Human. Hates men. Also, kind of a bitch.<br />
<br />
[[Image:Jemlin.PNG|Ooooh, Mysterious Beer!]]<br />
Jemlin. Creator of the Bold Brew.<br />
<br />
===Supporting Characters===<br />
[[Image:Nifimlis.PNG|Didn't fall into a hole to nowhere, though.]]<br />
Nifimlis. Fisherbold. Spoil sport.<br />
<br />
==Status==<br />
The quest has been abandoned, though that terminology is not by any means the official word on it. This quote was given by [[Gnome]] upon asking: <br />
<br />
"Nevermore's reason for being gone is because I was unhappy with the protagonist and how the events were unfolding. The protagonist was a kobold because I asked what he should be on IRC, and I was very unhappy with him as a kobold.<br />
<br />
If I ever go back to Nevermore, it will be a complete reboot, with a new protagonist."<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
This protagonist is one of the few that addresses a board of TGChan directly. He also seems to be a Genre Savant: he knows to some degree about /Quest/ making suggestions to him, and at one point claims that he's been railroaded.<br />
<br />
{{Gnome}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Quests]]<br />
[[Category:Dead Quests]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Secret_of_Nevermore&diff=7861Secret of Nevermore2010-09-23T18:23:38Z<p>Gnome: Created page with 'A quest by Gnome where a space pirate discovers an anomaly. A reboot of Nevermore. The thread can be found [http://www.tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/232364.html here.]'</p>
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<div>A quest by [[Gnome]] where a space pirate discovers an anomaly. A reboot of [[Nevermore]].<br />
<br />
The thread can be found [http://www.tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/232364.html here.]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Squeegy&diff=7823Squeegy2010-09-15T20:40:15Z<p>Gnome: </p>
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<div>hello i am back!<br />
<br />
Favorite Touhou: A dead touhou<br />
<br />
[[Category:Quest Authors]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Reka&diff=7822Reka2010-09-15T20:39:36Z<p>Gnome: </p>
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<div>[[Image:Laloth_Avatar.gif|right|Reka's too lazy to think up an author avatar, so here's a picture of Laloth.]]<br />
<br />
Also known as Rekaens. Author of the highly-regarded rampage of madness known as [[Kara Quest]], as well as [[Sue Quest, Too]] and some other thing nobody's heard of. Is addicted to tropes and tends to pepper them into conversation nigh constantly, which is really confusing if you don't know them. I'm too lazy to think up an author avatar so here's a picture of Laloth.<br />
<br />
Favorite Touhou: Utsuho Reiuji<br />
<br />
Quests:<br />
<br />
[[Kara Quest]] (Completed)<br />
<br />
[[Sue Quest, Too]] (Running)<br />
<br />
[[Category:Quest Authors]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Farmer&diff=7821Farmer2010-09-15T20:29:09Z<p>Gnome: </p>
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<div>{{Stub}}<br />
<br />
The author of [[Dungeon Game: The Quest]] and the semi-series Handle with Care. He's basically a big douche. As of recent studies done by our special operative force, his junk also smells of Play-Doh and peanut butter.<br />
<br />
Favorite Touhou: Marisa Kirisame<br />
<br />
== HWC episode list ==<br />
* http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/135254.html -- Handle with Care<br />
* http://tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/149922.html -- No Animals Were Harmed<br />
* http://www.mspaintadventures.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=7880 -- Highly Reactive<br />
<br />
== HWC; Andrews' Word List ==<br />
These are the parameters I use when rewriting what he says. Have fun!<br />
<br />
* Single numbers. ("Two-zero-mike" instead of "twenty million")<br />
* Single letters. He can't combine them though ('Naomi' would come as "En-Ay-Oh-Em-Yi) so he just avoids them.<br />
* The NATO phonetic alphabet (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO_phonetic_alphabet ). Interestingly enough, he can't use those words for anything ''else'' (cant say 'golf' to refer the game). Except when they are in the other word lists.<br />
* The Basic English word list, as found in http://ogden.basic-english.org/words.html<br />
** He can verb any word, but not tense them<br />
** -s plurals allowed<br />
** 'Agenting' (-r and -er suffix) not allowed.<br />
* Military / Air Force jargon<br />
** If a word can be replaced with one from the Basic Word List, he uses the Basic one ('state' instead of 'status'; I slipped in No Animals Were Harmed)<br />
** If a word is too useful outside military meaning, its not jargon.<br />
** If a word has a meaning specific enough / is too useful / is too much part of the Air Force culture, he knows it ('Wingman')<br />
** He can say every military rank, but not every military position (an officer at Logistics would probably come out as 'Transport Lieutenant')<br />
** He can say air force slang. So far, he just chose not to.<br />
** 'Sir' and 'Ma'am'.<br />
For the record, these are some of his known words. I'll add more as the list grows.<br />
: Wingman, Flank, Sat (from satellite), Acknowledged (ACK, radio)<br />
<br />
Andrews has assembled a vocab of concepts he needed words for. Feel free to let this list grow.<br />
*'''Fire-death Gun'''; The firehose.<br />
*'''Fire Authority''': The Firemen Corps. ''The Authority'' by itself usually means ''The Police''.<br />
*'''The Beautiful Game''': Soccer. Don't take it as him being a soccer fan; I added here mostly to show possibilities, as its an actual term for the game he can use (even if its rarely used). <br />
<br />
It IS of note...<br />
* ... that Andrews is a native English speaker, and can understand perfectly anything that is said to him.<br />
* ... that he knows he's working with a limited set of words, and works around it.<br />
* ... that he speaks brokenly on purpose. The why is left to speculation.<br />
* ... that he can use any word he knows with any meaning he can think of, except for the NATO phonetic alphabet thing.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Stubs]]<br />
[[Category:Quest Authors]]</div>Gnomehttps://talehole.com/w/index.php?title=Freis&diff=7817Freis2010-09-15T07:25:08Z<p>Gnome: </p>
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<div>Author of [[Celeyilo Quest]], [[Stone Soup]] and [[Whitespace]]. Habitual procrastinator. Is known for drawing with a mouse and also being a captain. Got a tablet recently, according to the ancient runes. <br />
<br />
Favorite Touhou: Reisen U Inaba<br />
<br />
[[Category:Quest Authors]]</div>Gnome