PotM August

[Admin Choc]

Well, that image says it all, it is August.

In the Netherlands, it means hot weather (seriously, not kidding), and all the schools are closed for 6 weeks, the summer holiday. So one would think we would have all the time and energy in the world but no, grown-ups do not get 6 weeks of holiday (except the teachers ofcourse, hehe)
And to be fair, YOU, the ones-who-nominate do not get any time off as well --> please keep those nominations coming. Not only do you provide work from our (volunteers/ ;-) judges, but you also share your admiration for a post. If it is written by yourself, or the ones you are exploring a dungeon with, or if you have come across a post, no reason NOT to nominate :-)

So, what to do -->

• Please check over here to see if the player has won a previous Post of the Month, if so, they are not eligible to be nominated and possibly win again
• Pass us the link of the post (please set the post as not-private ;-) and explain what moved you, what was it that impressed you, why is this post nomination worthy?
• Yes, no shame in nominating your own post, be proud en share
• Try and refrain from nominating a post that already has been nominated in this thread, no need to add a post with '+1'

Do not hesitate and post/nominate <3

[Starflier]

Nominee: Crocodile
Game: Class of 2001
System: Monsterhearts 2
GM: HexCursed
Post: A friend. And a... secret?

Background: Looking to commune with the other side, Balvinder is in the cemetery late at night when he encounters a classmate visiting a grave. They talk openly and honestly, and before long he reaches out with his own power to help her, only to find out that classmate was visiting her own grave.

Reason: This post is a moving and wonderful end to a short rp storyline between two characters who hadn’t really interacted previously in the game. It’s beautifully written, without being wordy, and concludes things in a satisfying way that leaves room for the relationship between the two to develop openly and honestly.

Game link: A friend. And a... secret?

 

Bal The smoke swirled all about him, dominating his vision. There was nothing at first, just an endless haze concealing his sought after knowledge, but eventually it began to disperse, the clouds in his vision swirling about Ash's figure until they coalesced beside her into a vaguely familiar looking humanoid shape, walking lock-step with the musician as she came forward, and then in the moment that she took the young thespian's hand, the smoky figure placed its own hand on top of the two, as if blessing a new bond, before dispersing in an explosive display into smaller, winged shapes that flitted into the night. A friend. And a... secret? Her secret. The visions had ended, and Balvinder was half-surprised to find that the part with Ash beckoning him forward, leading him by the hand, had been real. She wanted to show him something in truth, and likely that would be the springboard for the closer friendship she craved. Had the Abyss pulled at her somehow to encourage this turn of events? He was not opposed, especially if it would soothe the memory of a someone long gone, but then what truth about her was she hiding from- "Oh." Balvinder had been staring at the tombstone while his thoughts had considered the myriad possibilities, but when he'd finally come back down to the moment and really looked at what he was seeing, it all started to make some sense. Or less sense, as the fae touched boy looked between the name of the deceased and the girl holding his hand, either the most morbid coincidence in the universe or an impossibility revealing itself to him. When her hand passed through his own and her feet left the confines of the ground, there was no longer confusion. This was no trick, no illusion, no madness borne of his recent substance abuse. Everything was as it appeared, and more of the world had at last opened to him. "I have heard, but not believed, the spirits of the dead may walk again... I'm so sorry, Ash." All this time, it was as if nothing were the matter, but she had been through what many thought was supposed to be the end, and yet still lingered. Killed before her life could even really begin. Bal was overcome with emotion, of a sorrow he could not explain on the tail end of his surprise. Not even giving it a second thought, he closed the few feet between the two of them and wrapped Ash in a tight hug, a part of him glad that he had not just phased through her and tripped face first into grave dirt. "I hope I can do my part in easing that loneliness. I couldn't dream of a better role on any stage."

[bananabadger]

Nominee: Humble Athena
Game: Dark*Matter: The Hoffman Institute
System: Traveller
GM: Savoylen
Post: Never mansplain a vampire

Background: Zella is having a rough day. A vampire who tries to contain her bloodlust as she travels and completes missions with an international team of agents from the Hoffman Institute, she is exhausted, troubled by memories of past failures and lost comrades, and being mansplained about vampires and her own personal psychology from Oswald, a well-meaning but slightly presumptuous new agent. Here, Zella literally takes his throat in her hands and reminds him what's what.

Reason: This is an excellent balance of a player playing with the party, but also playing with the consequences of the game. Humble Athena is reminding the party that the curse her PC has been given does adversely affect her character's actions and choices, no matter how supportive other PCs might be. It's a great balancing act of promoting group cohesion (by letting all the players in on her turmoil) and allowing previous actions and rolls shape the story.

 

As he spoke of letting someone down, she thought back, to Aurora and the plane crash, back to Reuben prosting as the rest of the team signed Morgan's contract with Dracula, back to first meeting up with this team and Reuben informing her of the sweet little doctor's death. The crash itself, and her inability to learn anything of use from the local wildlife as the team froze and starved half to death. The loss of her dear familiar. Before that, the decades of hiding away in her cozy library, turning a blind eye to her forsaken responsibilities, tired of her impotence in the face of an increasingly struggling world. Further back past that, growing hazy in the fog of time, she thought of her coven, nearly tearing itself apart simply because she was there, part of it loyalties vying with jealousies among the young. Turbulence like a devouring void seemed to churn around her, eating away at the ground beneath her feet. Any moment now, she would stumble, and be gone forever. She snapped her eyes back to Oswald, who continued to talk. With precise slowness, she crouched down again, though not as low as before. There was tension in her legs, like a cat about to pounce. She reached out and cupped his face in her hand- gentle as a lover, loose enough to allow retreat, but her two ulnar fingers drift down to rest against his throat. "Typical. Cocksure. Man." she murmured, leaning in. "You say you want to help me, but I'm not sure you do. So many words trying to impress your ill-formed perceptions on me, but so few actually seeking to understand what I need. It isn't about being liked or being perfect. It's about risk assessment, risk mitigation, and risk versus reward. At what point is it no longer worth keeping a liability around?" Her thumb stroked along his cheekbone thoughtfully. "I am a danger, not because of who I am, but because of what I am, and the one who forced this on me. I call it a virus, because it behaves like one, but it is very much a curse, as well. There are parts to it that science would falter to even begin explaining. I was ravenous when it happened, and the only reason I didn't near immediately sink my teeth into someone was because he ordered me not to. Ostensibly, he let us all live so we could hunt for this evil artifact for humanity's safekeeping, but I'm not sure he wasn't at least also hoping I would be taken back into the Hoffman ranks, and gain some influence there. Influence that, as my master, he could exploit down the line sometime. Fortunately, I don't believe he can command me from a distance. Unfortunately, I don't have definite proof. Either way, if he ever decided to show up in person, I would be thrall to his commands. As it is, I am his eyes and ears if he so wishes. So there is a danger that goes beyond me. But perhaps I'm wrong, and he has already forgotten about me once he got the team off his doorstep. Even without that threat, there is this thing that shares my skin. If I hunger or I'm hurt, it may lash out on instinct. Even here and now, you can't be sure that I won't attack you. What small trigger it might take." Her eyes softened slightly, and she pulled back just a fraction, letting her hand drop. "I do appreciate your trust, by the way, but trust can lead to unnecessary vulnerability." She crossed her arms again. "Certainly, I'm weak. No doubt you could draw your pistol and injure me enough somewhere vital that I would be incapacitated and you could escape, or restrain me, before I could do serious immediate damage to you. But if even one scratch from my teeth broke your skin, you'd be exposed to it. And long after I were gone, it might grow within your veins, until either you died, or you turned. So do pardon me if I'm a mite preoccupied with keeping the team safe from myself. It is my responsibility to do so."   PHYSICAL STATISTICS Str 5/5 Dex 5/5 End 8/8 Int 9/9 Edu 10/10 Soc 4/4 Psi 0/0 DMs: 0: -3, 1-2: -2, 3-5: -1, 6-8: +0, 9-11: +1, 12-14: +2, 15+: +3 Senses: normal Rad. Dose: 5 Non-Combat: Initiative Result : Current Armor: Combat: Free Actions: Minor Actions: Significant Actions: Reactions: