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Phil!

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Horatio!

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Barry!

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Ash!

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Link!

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Total Members Voted: 1

[Fniff]

Spoiler: Off the Record (click to show/hide)

He is Forlorn, with Hollow Eyes. He died In hot passion, as he was trampled during a party after blacking out from too much drinking. He woke up with a hangover of death, and it never went away.

Seems good enough! I'd be forlorn too if I was afflicted with a permanent hangover. And also I love the phrase "hot passion".

Hot passion, hangover of death, eat your sad... We're spoiled for choice on what to call the first album.

Alright, we now have a profile for Phil. But we need things for him to do as a ghost. Hopefully, this next song should illustrate. This track: 'Have You Got The Moves?'

Have you got the moves?
Baby, I got them, don't worry.
When I show them, everyone approves.
Try and face me, you'll be leaving in a hurry.

Baby, I got unresolved trauma,
When I roll dark, I'm projecting that shit
Right onto you, and you're blamed, comma,
That'll stick like a tar pit.

I'm a creep, when I see you,
you think you're all alone,
You'll try and grab me, but it'll just pass through.
I got a hold on you, and you're all my own.

I'm vengeful like Batman,
When I lash at you, I roll with dark.
I add one harm and I'm on you like Catman.
To me, all this is a lark.

But I forgive and forget, you know.
When I know you aren't my target,
I let you off the hook, although,
I mark experience and if you screw me, it'll be like you ate ergot.

I'm a hungry ghost and I eat your sad,
Lay all your troubles on me, I dig it,
But I'm benefitting, so don't get mad,
I got a hold on you, so you'd best submit.

And when you try and grab me, I dissipate,
Like that I'm smoke on the water.
You can't outpace me, you can't anticipate,
You try and catch me, it's a slaughter!
*mike drop*

Nice rap there, Phil. Two packs would be proud. And the infamous large. Did I get that wrong? I'm not good with rap...
Anyway, we'll be choosing Moves for Phil now. As usual, the emboldened words are the moves you can pick, but here's another tape to explain it all to you.

Spoiler: Conditions, Harm, and Strings (click to show/hide)

So, some of these Moves rely on game mechanics I haven't explained yet: Conditions, Harm, and Strings.

You get conditions sometimes. These can be anything:on meds, shamed, untrusted. They're generally bad. If you take advantage of a Condition that someone has while making a move against them, you add a 1 to your roll. It has to be obvious in your roleplaying that you're exploiting it, though.

Sometimes you get hurt. Fights and accidents can cause harm. You can use Skin Moves or spend a String (see below) to cause an extra Harm to someone. You die at your 4th harm. You can negotiate, but it's not cheap. You can heal 1 harm when your character is in a safe place

You get Strings sometimes from doing Moves, regular and Skin-based. This represents the emotional hold you have over people. Strings are spent on other people. You can spend them to manipulate things: get a bonus here, extra harm there, get them to do something for you in exchange for experience (More on that when it comes up). You can also have Strings on you.

Spoiler: Moves (click to show/hide)

Here are the moves the Ghost has. You start out with Unresolved Trauma and pick two others. Here's Unresolved Trauma:
Unresolved Trauma
Whenever you project the blame and trauma of your death onto your current situation, roll with dark. On a 10 up, give two people the blamed condition. On a 7-9, give up to two people the blamed condition, but for each, choose one:
 }You gain the delusional condition,
 }You can’t speak during this scene,
 }You suffer one harm,
 }You start re-enacting the scene of your death.

And here's the rest:

Creep
When you secretly witness someone in their most intimate moments, perhaps showering or sleeping, gain a String on them.

Vengeful
Whenever you lash out physically at someone with the blamed condition, roll using Dark. Add 1 extra harm to whatever harm you deal.

Forgive and Forget
Whenever you accept that someone isn’t responsible for your pain and suffering, and absolve them of their blamed condition, mark experience.

Hungry Ghost
You find sustenance in sadness. When others dump their emotional problems on you, roll with dark. On a 10 up, they lose all their conditions, and you choose one:
 }Mark experience,
 }Carry one forward,
 }Gain a String on them
On a 7-9, they choose one:
 }They lose all their conditions,
 }They gain a String on you.
 
Dissipate
You can walk through walls.

So, which two moves should we pick for ol' Phil?

[Harry Baldman]

If anything describes Phil well, it's that he eats sad. He eats sad all day long. Probably why he's up for this in the first place. And he can also dissipate, which means that nobody can stop him from waltzing in at any time of day and eating all of your sad right out of your emotional fridge.

[Salsacookies]

If anything describes Phil well, it's that he eats sad. He eats sad all day long. Probably why he's up for this in the first place. And he can also dissipate, which means that nobody can stop him from waltzing in at any time of day and eating all of your sad right out of your emotional fridge.

I dig this. Go on with it!

[Fniff]

So, Phil has the skills Eat Your Sa--, ahem, Hungry Ghost and Dissipate. Neat. I believe this will be the last track before we hit a commercial break and I take a catnap. Let's make this good. We have a sketch of who Phil is, but we have another leading man: Horatio, the Infernal. Since none of you objected, he's the second band-member.

If you objected but didn't say anything, well... Sorry? Here's his track, 'Cadaver Queen'.

'He says we have to be the worst we can be,
Well I disagree.
I say we play our hearts out,
And we don't fuck about.

I pay my debts,
I owe no favors,
You'd like to think that, but your heart's full of regrets.
As you fall, smell that brimstone, savor the flavors.

Oh God, just one more time and I'll be okay,
I just need another solo and another hit.
Give in, let me hold sway.
The flame in your soul is lit.

I'm the best metal guitarist out of the Philippines,
But I owe the devil his dues and I made my choice.
That's right, lay your head on the guillotines.
Under my spell you will rejoice.

I need fingers that play, I need nerves of steel,
I know you fix me up, so do it.
Ooh, ooh, it may cost you a good deal,
Are you sure? You will hurt a bit.

Yeah, do it, I'm on the road to hell.
You're my driver, I am the passenger, too fucked to care.
When you speak like that, my heart rings like a bell.
I just have one question ask, if you dare?

Just ask me man,
I don't know what you want, but I know what I need.
Do you wanna know who you are, just to plan,
Or do you want to know what you'll do, I'll make you bleed?
My name is Horatio, and I'm not in Phil's band.
I'm a Cadaver Queen, baby, I'm a Cadaver Queen!
Metal solo

Woo. Really reminded me of Anvil, that track. The singing style was something else, though. Before I break, here's the question. We couldn't do every band member like how we did Phil, cos that would take ages. We'll have to use some random number generators *SFX: dice rattling in fist* to choose what moves and looks everyone gets. With Horatio, however, we can choose: do you want to pick his Details (Origin and Look) or his Moves (Moves and Bargain, special spells Infernals get)?

I'll be back after the break to hear what you have to say.

Spoiler: Something I Forgot (click to show/hide)

Every Skin gets a special Move. This is the Romance Move, which triggers when you kiss someone. Here's the one for the Ghost:

When you kiss someone, you get to ask that person a question. They must answer honestly and directly. They also ask you a question, and you must answer honestly and directly too.

And the Infernal's:

When you kiss someone, the dark power loses a String on you and you gain a String on the person you kissed.

This is one of the departures from Monsterhearts. This was originally activated by having sex, but I had a talk with the Toady One and it just wouldn't be appropriate for this forum. We'll just have to get by on Drugs, Rock 'n' Roll, and CUDDLING. I'll see if kissing works as a substitute.

On another note: I'm going to organize a notes section at some point to keep this all straight.

[Hiddenleafguy]

Damnit, I want to do both, if I have to choose I guess I will vote origin! (I can do moves as while, however we need to vote on the country of origin.)

[Salsacookies]

Yeah, I'd rather do origin then moves. Moved should fit the character, not the other way around. I'd vote for origins for the rest of them.

 (Plus, I'll be fine with the whole kiss thing, rather than sex. Find that odd to roleplay with anybody in the first place. My prude self would rather remove the whole sex connotation in the first place. Why not something like trust or friendship, or something like that )

[Harry Baldman]

You can substitute doing the horizontal bop with other expressions of trust and companionship, yeah. The Moves of Ultimate Friendship and Broness!

And yeah, origins for all! Then pick some moves to fit that.

[Fniff]

~Sugar-crusted ultra-tactic caffeine trucker pills!~ Confirmed to be not radioactive by several reputable journals.
And we're back! Lemme check the fax machine... *SFX: shuffling papers* It looks as if the votes are for personal details. Lariat light --my catchphrase, as you consent listeners know--, the album's calibrated and ready to go. This next track is called 'The Weight': hope you enjoy it.
I thought I was flying,
Guess I'm not.
I won't do it, I'm not crying.
I'll never be caught.

It hurts me, this late.
I'll always be distant, a mile below.
Always be quiet as the grave.
Always be anxious, wouldn't you be?
Always be tense, hell isn't chill.
Always be frantic, chasing that high.
No matter what, I'll always be a vicious little bitch.
That's the weight.

It seemed so nice at the time,
It propped me up and let me fly.
But debt isn't a crime.
I should have known it would lie.

It hurts me, having to wait.
When you look in my eyes,
All you see is empty holes.
I'm calculating all the ways I'm dead already.
Cos I'm burning up, in the atmosphere.
I'm a meteorite, on fire and only a flickering in your eye.
When I stab right through your heart, I'll be piercing.
That's the weight.

There's a devil on my back,
And she tells me, I will never belong.
She tells me she's got the one thing I lack,
A legion of fans and a good song.

*Sudden fade, violin picks up*
No matter what you say, in this hallowed hall,
It'll never own you, no, not you...
Cos you know, no matter how far you fall,
You can always pick yourself up, too.
*Lead guitar fades back in, more gentle this time.*

It hurts me, this hunger to sate.
Why am I here?
Did I Barter My Soul, for something stupid?
Am I a Last-Chancer, forever and always?
From death, did I Return? I'll take it next time...
Maybe I'm an Emissary of something worse.
Maybe I'm Legion, a dozen demons thinking they're a man.
More likely, I'm just a Lackey: another dumbass.
But I just can't shake it, that feeling I'm Chosen...
That's the weight.
My weight to bear.
And that was 'The Weight'. Did I get a hint of the Blue bandmember there? Wonder what that's all about.
Anyway, as usual, we're picking looks. Another night, another prerecorded message.

Spoiler: Infernal Personal Details (click to show/hide)

Looks
Distant, quiet, anxious, tense, frantic, vicious.

Empty eyes, calculating eyes, burning eyes, flickering eyes, piercing eyes.

Origin
Bartered soul, last-chancer, returned, emissary, legion, lackey, chosen.

On the subject of Romance Moves... Hrm. Sure, more security in making sure management doesn't get annoyed is good, but the thing is that while having a sweet time with a friend is great, there's nothing as definite as a kiss. And rare, too; can't have those Romance Moves triggering all the time.
If anyone has any suggestions for something that's as significant as a kiss and not nearly as censor-worthy, I'll be happy to hear them! For now, what's the looks and origin for Horatio?

[Harry Baldman]

The Weight, you say?

He bartered his soul, naturally. Theoretically that ought to cost him his free will, but nobody can spot the difference. Satan says the whole thing's a wash, actually. Though now that you mention it, he does seem a bit distant and robotic at times, with empty eyes with an impression of missing agency behind them. Fortunately his now-unavoidable fate seems to involve some decent, catchy and completely soulless guitar riffs.

[Digital Hellhound]

completely soulless guitar riffs.

Insert joke about least favorite band.

Nah, I say he was one frantic son of a bitch. Pers'nally, I figure that's all 'cos of his Last-Chancer nature. There's a fire in those eyes, something real desperate, like he knows next time he ain't gonna be so lucky...

[Fniff]

Spoiler: Off the Record (click to show/hide)

The Weight, you say?

Knew I was ripping off something, but at least The Band is a good one to rip off.
The Band is not to be confused with {A Band}. Note the curly brackets and the indefinite article.

Okay, looks like we got two suggestions that are equally interesting! No-one's voted one way or the other, so we will have to activate... THE COMPROMISE MACHINE!
Stand back, this could get ugly.
*SFX: rolling dice*
Okay, Horatio's a last-chancer (Whatever that means, we'll figure it out) and is frantic. However, he's got empty eyes. Maybe that fire burnt him out? This next track is 'Insist, Resist, Persist'. Don't make me get out THE COMPROMISE MACHINE again, you guys.
*SFX: threateningly shaking fist full of dice*
"You're such a drama queen, you douche."
"I got a lot of problems no-one else has."
"Okay, okay! So share em!"
"If. You. Insist.
I hang by fingernails, I'm holding on,
I will resist and I will persist.
One touch and I'm gone.

I got a Soul Debt.
A dark power's got my name.
When it gets a hold on me, that's a threat.
I'm a puppet then, my Darkest Self stuck in it's game.

I can't Save Myself,
When you're hellbound, no-one will help.
But if you could, you'd learn something,
I'd dig my claws a little deeper in you, whelp.

But I'm not all debts and regrets,
I made some Bargains with Lucifer,
I'm not just it's pet,
It's not just some abuser.

If I cajole it, I can control it,
I can ask for something I need,
But there's Strings Attached, I have to admit,
Gift horse got a razor in it's mouth, make you bleed.

And if that won't do,
I got some Elsewise Power,
Steal a move off of you,
Just this once, I'm the zero hour.

But that doesn't matter, does it?
When you don't know my name,
You'll give in, submit.
What's my name? Face the source of your shame.

I don't know, but I know mine.
*musical crescendo*
Insist, Resist, Persist.
"Dude, you're ripping off my raps now? C'mon, I invented bragging about supernatural powers. You just did that with a shitty voice."
"*rolls eyes. Audibly, somehow. Probably sounds nasty*"

Hello again. Well, that was certainly a song. Horatio... Has an interesting style of singing. Anyway, one last thing we need to detail. Horatio has a dark power at his back. Who could it be? All you need is to come up with a name and a title, maybe a little description to tie it all together.

Spoiler: Infernal Dark Power's Titles (click to show/hide)

 The Poisoner
 The Trickster
 The Connoisseur
 The Fallen
 The Glutton
 The Emissary
 The Butcher
 The Tyrant

Spoiler: Horatio's Moves/Bargains (click to show/hide)

Soul Debt
Name a dark power that you owe a debt to. Choose two
Bargains that it has made with you. It can hold Strings
against you. Whenever it collects 5 Strings against you,
trigger your Darkest Self.

Can't Save Myself
When somebody saves you from forces too powerful for
you to reckon with, they mark experience, and you gain a
String on them.

Strings Attached
You can ask the dark power for something that you really,
really want. The MC will attach a price to the thing you
want, and hint at an undesired twist in its nature. If you
pay the price, you’ll get what you’re after.

Elsewise Power
You can give the dark power a String to use a move you
don’t have, just this once. This move can come from any
playbook.
Note: this kinda requires knowledge of the rulebook. So if you don't wanna peek at that, just ask me what move you want and I'll find something that matches. Or I'll make one up, you can do that.

Spoiler: Darkest Self (click to show/hide)

When Horatio's dark power gets five strings against him, his Darkest Self is triggered. What does that mean?
Sometimes your character goes into a dark place. When you are your Darkest Self, you are stuck to a script based on your Skin. You should play this script as hard as you can: this is meant to be where your character loses all sight of their humanity and goes nuts. This is your Carrie moment. There is always an escape clause, detailed in the script, which requires doing certain actions. Below are the darkest selves of the Ghost and the Infernal.
The Ghost
You become invisible. No one can see you, feel you, or hear your voice. You can still affect inanimate objects, but this is your only avenue of communication. You escape your Darkest Self when someone acknowledges your presence, and demonstrates how much they want you round.
The Infernal
You can’t get what you need, anymore. The world has left you cold and alone, shivering in the wake of your own addictions. The dark power will make some open-ended demands of you, and it’ll promise you some lucrative (and perhaps volatile) things in return. Every demand you fulfill brings you a little closer to feeling whole again, to rekindling the fire in your heart. Whenever you fulfill those demands, remove a String it holds on you. You escape your Darkest Self when the dark power has no more Strings on you, or when you agree to an even worse bargain with an even more dangerous dark power.

[Harry Baldman]

He's under the purview of the Machine Tyrant, an infernal mix between an automated response service and an unfavorable contract, a systematic algorithmic violator of all things beautiful and pure. It's undercut a whole lot of demons in costs, actually, so evil are its methods. Cheap, effective, merciless, the Machine Tyrant is Satan's main weapon against the groaning masses of soul-sellers that once put quite a strain on his call center.

[Salsacookies]

He's under the purview of the Machine Tyrant, an infernal mix between an automated response service and an unfavorable contract, a systematic algorithmic violator of all things beautiful and pure. It's undercut a whole lot of demons in costs, actually, so evil are its methods. Cheap, effective, merciless, the Machine Tyrant is Satan's main weapon against the groaning masses of soul-sellers that once put quite a strain on his call center.

yes. This is metal

[Fniff]

Spoiler: Off The Record (click to show/hide)

I was listening to Herr Faust from the Wolfenstein: The New Order while I was writing this. I think they work together pretty well.

... Wow.
That's pretty metal.
... Next track: "I Am Machine".
"Hello. You have reached the bottom.
To be damned if you do, press one.
To be damned if you don't, don't press anything: your hands have fallen off like leaves in autumn.
Heaven's shining glory has fallen, God's work is undone!

I AM STEEL.
I AM TYRANT.
I AM MACHINE.

None more efficient,
I will crush and transform your soul.
Your synergy is deficient,
I will cast you down the hole.

I AM BRIMSTONE.
I AM TYRANT.
I AM MACHINE.

The devil has me on speed-dial,
Each soul will have it's turn.
Evil is back in style.
Soon, all of you will learn...

I AM DARKNESS.
I AM TYRANT.
I AM MACHINE.

I'm ascending the corporate chain,
Your soul is mine, don't lie to me,
Sign here, here, and here for the pain.
You're not you, I'm not me, we are WE!"
... Still pretty metal! Is that a pun?
So, that's Horatio taken care of. But, what about our Blue bandmember? What Skin are they? Let me get the Skins up now...
*SFX: Dice rolling*

Spoiler: Skins for Blue (click to show/hide)

The Vampire
What the game says: Icy, manipulative, pretty, hypnotic. The vampire is all about emotional entrenchment and emotional dominance.
High stats: Hot, Cold. Low stats: Volatile, Dark.
What I say: Huh, and I was just reading a Vampire the Masquerade Let's Play. Expect references if we go this path.

The Witch
What the game says: Manipulative, secretive, judgemental, brooding. The witch is all about casting silent judgement, and powerful hexes, from the safety of their own bedroom.
High stats: Cold, Dark. Low stats: Hot, Volatile.
What I say: This is similar to the Infernal, except instead you have Hexes. These trigger when you either have a sympathetic token of that person (Like a hair or fingerprints) or if you yell at them in tongues. Fun skin! Not necessarily a female, despite the name.

The Fae
What the game says: Alluring, exotic, fickle, vengeful. The Fae is all about extracting promises, and delivering faerie vengeance when those promises are broken.
High stats: Hot, Dark. Low stats: Cold, Volatile.
What I say: With the Fae, if someone breaks a promise/contract made to you, you get a String on them. Could be handy when a club owner forgets to pay you.

Alright, that's the Skins. Since Horatio was the second option for Phil, please say any ideas you have and they could end up being the fourth bandmember.

[Salsacookies]

I'm going with the Fae. Have a nice variety of band members. Also, Romance moves can be known as "Fade to Black". It can stand for anything, but the two players involved can interact with anything, due to fading to black. Alternatively, "Left to the Imagination"