Four+ White Moon Senshi to Form the Court (Four PLAYERS too) Court HQ Ideas (Access 2x/month + Moon Days) Court Cat? (SYMBOL????) Internal Team Breakouts Allied Cats for aura control Allied Brigades for meat shields Court Wand - visual concept & plot to unlock it. Court Strike - 4 RPs with 4+ *players* & a writeup of the attack.
Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2021 4:36 pm
“We all have a star in our heart... and two curled fists to keep itRIGHT <******** style="color: gray"> there.”
The Court of Thorns is a new Court being spearheaded by Sailor Scylla, formerly a member of the Blood Moon Court.
The Blood Moon was originally created from those senshi who had lost friends, been beaten and defeated, and pushed to the edge of their patience. They could see the various broken teams and groups that made up the 'White Moon' seemed to be rudderless, even with the growing presence of royals, and determined that they were done moving without intent. They were going to make progress- or force progress. They were highly motivated and unafraid to take action, and were unhesitating in their cause- take charge and defeat the Negaverse, no matter the cost.
As Scylla will frankly put it to those who ask, Bad Choices were made. Several Negaverse agents were captured, some died, all were tortured. The Blood Moon lived up to their name, and those Negaverse agents who survived were not all the same, after.
The true end of the Blood Moon Court came when their leader, the Parallel Ares, corrupted and seemingly took those she deemed 'worthiest' with her, creating the first generation of the Dark Mirror Court. This was, admittedly, a rather controversial move. A few survivors left behind tried to reband, but the damage was done; their reputation had become damaged beyond repairing even if they tried, and there was a massive target on their backs from all directions.
The Court of Thorns itself is being built around that while some of the actions that the Blood Moon Court took failed, or were misguided and only bred further hatred (in fact, causing directly the creation of the Dark Mirror Court), there were a number of things that it also got right. Principles and actions were taken that proved to be useful. The lack of hesitation and the comradeship encouraged in its members, along with their training, made it a cohesive, effective weapon against Chaos.
Scylla is not looking to collect a merry band of murderers for her Court. Torture will not be condoned, and prisoners taken by the Court for any reason, will be treated with the same dignity she would want for her own people. She is seeking those people who are willing to think outside the box, practice as a team to be more effective in combat situations, and who will not hesitate to strike when it is called for.
You want to save your own a**. You want to save other people's asses. You want to save a lot of asses, if only to keep their lives from strengthening Chaos.
You are prepared to get your hands dirty for the greater good if you must. It may not be your first option (and, preferably, you will use words first), but you will not flinch if violence comes. You will bust in faces, you will fight to protect both your allies and those weaker than yourself, and you will do your best to thrive and deny Chaos any victory.
You will keep yourself alive. You are no good to anyone if you're dead.
You will be a fighting senshi. You will attend practices, you will learn to throw a punch, you will learn to work as a team with your allies. You will learn to make magic work together, you will help think of tactics, and you will learn to not hesitate. Magic is your tool. You are the weapons.
You will attend one weekly meeting, of about an hour. If you miss a meeting, you make it clear that there was a good reason, and you provide notice in advance if you can. Meetings will typically be held on Thursdays, unless there is ample time to make a change and notify the rest of the group. (You are invited to go to dinner with Scylla afterwards. Restaurant is the group's vote.)
You will not torture. You will not make a game of doing what you have to do. If you have to take a life, you are in a war; but you are not monsters. The Thorns are going to be feared for competence, not cruelty.
Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2021 4:37 pm
Basics
Why did Scylla choose to call them the Thorns?
Trying to properly revive the Blood Moon would have turned out poorly- it is a name that still drags up some bad, old memories on all sides. Including, admittedly, within herself.
Nor does she desire to push herself alone to the forefront of attention- she intends to lead where a final voice is required, but every voice in the Thorns matters. So she didn't want to choose something that had a particular alliance to one senshi homeworld or power set.
More importantly, every rose, however fair and innocent, hides thorns. They can draw blood, they can be a pain- and in deference to the quote "thorn in your side"... that is exactly what she wants to help create. A thorn, in the Negaverse's side.
The Blood Moon got branded, didn't they? Does my character need to be branded?
That would be a no. Allegiance to this group is a choice. As with every choice, you can change it, you are not permanently bound to this Court.
Why would someone want to join this Court?
The Thorns will accept anyone, so long as they remember to hold to the rules and support their comrades.
The Thorns are willing to work-- hard. They are proud of their achievements, are celebrated for results.
This is a group that will encourage improvement in all facets of your life, both personal and powered; their members can do anything, and they want to enable you to achieve goals you set up. They want to encourage each senshi to have the confidence to step up and help lead when it is required. When the senshi face the Negaverse again in a chaotic situation, no one will be left behind; and, optimistically, there is someone to help hold shattering pieces together if morale begins to fail.
What are the benefits to aligning with this Court?
Support -- a lot of it. The Thorns believe every member is responsible to be there for their comrades in both civilian and powered life. A senshi who joins the Thorns gets protection. Patrols are scheduled, and there is always a point where returning senshi must check-in before they head home for the night. If someone does not check in, then the senshi on duty will call up a team to go search for that person. The Thorns will not leave a member behind. Ever. A tight bond is their protection and their privilege.
The Thorns are not just about fighting and breaking faces in; they are about togetherness. They are brothers and sisters in arms, and will be until the end. Finances, Housing, a hand to hold or a shoulder to cry on, there will always be a member of the team ready to help them until they can get on their feet.
What are the activities of this Court?
The Thorns meet every Thursday for a one-hour meeting to share stories, catch up for the week, and otherwise go over their status. This is assumed even though they will certainly not always be able to be RPed out. The Thorns will also train regularly.
Eventually, there will be any number of encouraged RP activities- exploring homeworlds for old tactics, for examples, recruiting, identifying new weak links in the Negaverse, and working up to be strong enough to poke the tiger, not just react to it. More will come on that as I gauge interest.
Also, we will hopefully be able to ally with a knight brigade or other senshi teams and courts; cross-group training and patrolling, setting up small battle squads of senshi with an assigned Knight to patrol with, etc; make friends, be known, and be trusted backup.
What are the drawbacks to this organization?
The Thorns are about loyalty. There are consequences if members do not make good on that promise to their comrades. They may be asked to do things that are outside of their comfort zone- if so, it is encouraged that they voice their complaint ready to provide an alternative to the current plan.
[X] Transcendent Eternal Sailor Scylla, Senshi of the Kraken (Infinities) [X] Eternal Sailor Lepus, Senshi of Rabbits (nyamomask) [X] Transcended Eternal Bellatrix, Senshi of Fortitude (Tonberry Yuna X) [X] Super Sailor Skoll, Senshi of the Pack (a-disgruntled-dragon) [X] Super Sailor Cybele, Senshi of the Hunt (stari_maga) [X] Eternal Sailor Puck, Senshi of the Woods (tatterpixie) [X] Transcendent Eternal Sailor Megrez, Senshi of Eggs (Sami-Fire) [X] Super Sailor Nephthys, Senshi of Vampires
The original Blood Moon was incredibly violent. Do I have to be violent or super aggressive to join the Thorns?
No. However, this is a fighting group. Your aggression is not required, but your willingness to punch someone in the face to save the life of a team member, civilian, or allied individual who needs your help? THAT is.
If you hesitate and get corrupted? You'll get your butt kicked when your Court hunts you down later- and we WILL hunt you down. If you die? We'll be REALLY pissed at you. If an ally dies or gets corrupted because you failed to take action? You will get way more than just a little side-eye- and way more than just laps.
The Original BMC did some dark s**t, though! How far will you go? Will you be evil?
The Blood Moon Court would do whatever it took to gain power. They were not aligned with the Negaverse. They did not corrupt people, and they were not corrupted senshi. However, they did possess a gray morality. Sometimes casualties happened. Sometimes good people must suffer for a chance to strike at a bigger evil. BMC accepted this as a hazard of war. They saved lives wherever they could, but it was more important for them to capture a powerful Negaverse agent than to save the civilian who that agent was attacking. All members undestood that desperate times call for desperate measures.
And then the Blood Moon became the Dark Mirror. That screamed that a change needed to be made- the corruption festered within.
The Thorns will not accept a sacrifice. They will save that civilian. They will make that civilian their ally. They will cut down on the Negaverse through positive propaganda, through trying to make people see the senshi aren't evil. They will begin to cut the Negaverse out of their city by making it as inhospitable as possible for their darkness to grow.
And as said before- torture is unacceptable. Kills are expected to be clean, if it must be done.
My character is part of another Team or Court, or a Knight. Can they still join in?
Yes and No! A Zodiac would be expected to prioritize their Princess over their other wants, so could never truly be more than an ally. And a formal Court would be excluded from some bits of the Thorns- proprietary secrets, as it were. (It would be encouraged that a team join as part of the Court to receiving the benefits, unless they are already a full Court of their own.) The Thorns will never turn down another ally group wanting to learn to fight and work towards the common goal of being a pain in Chaos' a**.
Allied Knights would be great! Of course they wouldn't be a traditional part of the group by the rules and nature, but having Knights to help work with and protect squishier Thorns would be a delight. It is actually one of the things on my 'growth ideas' list!
What if I want to join now and long-term plan to leave?
Short-term members of the Team are welcome; my only request from an OOC perspective is that you notify everyone so we can arrange to not lose any Court benefits.
Does Scylla encourage certain age limits?
She would prefer no chibis! Hell, she would prefer no High Schoolers (get your damn schooling!) HOWEVER. Anyone awakened is a part of this fight. regardless of age. If by making sure that they are trained and partnered she can help protect one person? Give one person the knowledge they need to protect a dozen more?
Anyone who isn't a Thorn could be out there by themselves, and she would rather sacrifice her opinions than risk a life.
A chibi character, due to the fact their magic can naturally backfire, will be sent out with a full, and experienced, senshi rather than another chibi.
So who are actually the leaders here? How does the Court Wand work?
Excellent question! Anyone who is an official court member can summon the wand. I will work out details with you specifically!
As far as who the leaders are, Scylla is the figurehead, but those founding members of the team will work as a group to figure out next steps; they are the advisors, the small council. Scylla will take all the blame for failed decisions, because in the end, she will be the tiebreaker. As she would put it, they are her ISS, her Inner Sanctum.
OOCly, I'll be looking at those people who want to help me with it, or who want their characters in that position. It is an ambitious Court idea, and I can use some people to help me plan some fun things to include all members and allies!
A rough idea is to allow for allied knights to join in on groups, though they aren't part of the Court proper; then separate teams, such as (and this is rough)
Yellow Roses - Support - checking in on the members of the Thorns or allies known to have issues Ivory Roses - Peaceful solutions; focus on Inter-Order diplomacy and alliances Red Roses - Special Operations & Combat training force Public Relations & Anti-Chaos propaganda
Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2021 4:41 pm
Sign me up!
No one is getting turned away unless they absolutely just... don't get along with the rest of the Court, are literally 7, are named Acubens, or don't meet the shop rules for joining the Court.
If you have something you want to run for your character (corruption, transcension, DRAMA) that we can help you with, let's DO IT! ALL THE THINGS.
[quote="Infinities"][/quote] [b]Name:[/b] (Asteroid/Planet/Etc name; including rank; i.e. Sailor Scylla, Super Scylla, Transcended Eternal Scylla) [b]How can the Court help you:[/b] (Do you have any personal wants or goals or motivations that made you choose this Court?) [b]General Impression:[/b] (What might other members know about you? You don't need to put too much; we can learn more via RP. This will be general knowledge.)
[b]Do you want to be a full member, or an ally:[/b] (Knights can only be allies; members of other senshi TEAMS can join the Court; members of other senshi COURTS can only be allies; Allies cannot summon the Court wand, but are welcome to meet, patrol, and attend most practices.)
[u][b]MEMBERS:[/b][/u] [b]--Do you have any special requests for the moon headquarters?[/b] [b]--Do you think a private guild would be beneficial for communication and private plots/planning in lieu of the main moonshop guild? Or a Discord DM group?[/b]
[b]Court Name:[/b] The Court of Thorns [b]Leader:[/b] Scylla [b]Captaincy/Court Wand:[/b] This is a Court wand! [b]Founding Members:[/b] Which characters are coming together to form the Court? Players may have multiple characters involved in this, but there must be at least two different players involved in the creation of a Court! [b]What brought this Court together/what are their goals:[/b] This Court came together to try and be as big a pain to the Negaverse as they can- a THORN in the side of Chaos. Also to save as many people as possible, bring as many corrupts home as they can, and gleefully throw a kink into every Negaverse plot they come across. [b]Do you have any requests for their Headquarters:[/b] A large open area for combat practice.
[b]Court Name:[/b] The Court of Thorns [b]Leader:[/b] Scylla [b]Current Members:[/b] TBD [b]What brought this Court together/what are their goals:[/b] This Court came together to try and be as big a pain to the Negaverse as they can- a THORN in the side of Chaos. Also to save as many people as possible, bring as many corrupts home as they can, and gleefully throw a kink into every Negaverse plot they come across. [b]Are you available for plots?[/b] Once we have a wand will be more than happy to help a 4th purify any youma/half-youma who want to be. Court Wands can also sustain starseeds, so there's that. And as the Thorns want to mess up any Chaos plans they can (specifically the Negaverse, though the DMC gets Heavy Side-Eye), please, help us make your plot more violent- I mean, uh, enjoyable.
Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2021 4:43 pm
A form dump
nyamxomask
Name:Lepus, Eternal Senshi of Rabbits How can the Court help you: Lepus just wants to beat up bad guys! The Court might be a good way to keep her in check, keep her out of trouble, not that she'd agree with that lol. She's totally not a troublemaker tyvm. Just tell her she gets to punch baddies and she's sold. General Impression: Lepus is a giant weirdo who's into the occult and horror and all that creepy spooky stuff. She's also a former chibi who is very reckless and a troublesome rabbit overall.
Do you want to be a full member, or an ally: Full member! Or ally. There are no IC or OOC plans for her to join another court, and since she's aged out of being a chibi finally, she's got no plans to make any sort of chibi court anymore lol. She just mentors another troublemaker cheeb instead.
MEMBERS: --Do you have any special requests for the moon headquarters?lepus would like to request if she can have a space to do her occult stuff she promises not to make too much noise --Do you think a private guild would be beneficial for communication and private plots/planning in lieu of the main moonshop guild? Or a Discord DM group? Discord works better for me tbh
Name:Etoile, Guardian Cat (w/ human form) How can the Court help you: Etoile's just goes wherever Lepus is tbh. She can also provide her cheerleading services! General Impression: A very gluttonous kitten with a bottomless pit of a stomach. Might have a second stomach just for dessert...
Do you want to be a full member, or an ally: Etoile can be whatever! She can be the court cat if you want her to be, or she can just hang around and suppress auras in exchange for food.
MEMBERS: --Do you have any special requests for the moon headquarters? meow --Do you think a private guild would be beneficial for communication and private plots/planning in lieu of the main moonshop guild? Or a Discord DM group?
Tonbxerry Yuna X
Name:Transcended Eternal Bellatrix How can the Court help you: Bellatrix's homeworld was long ago fashioned in to a training ground for warriors of Order, and upon her return from her homeworld holding her hostage, it will be her promise that she continue that purpose. As such, her mission is to offer combat training to her fellow members of order, and in this case, would be able to offer a perfect training ground for the Court. General Impression: Bellatrix has been part of this war BS since things pretty much started in DC, and although she isn't exactly fully informed on every little thing that has happened, she is experienced, although a bit....impatient with information delivery. Like, gawd, how do you not know this information!? Ugh, newbies~ Oh, she is also a professional Rich b***h, too. So she overall definitely comes off as the standoffish and jaded 'tough love' take no bullshit - give no bullshit kind of person.
Do you want to be a full member, or an ally: Member
MEMBERS: --Do you have any special requests for the moon headquarters? Bellatrix: *EXAGGERATED GESTURE AT HER STAR* What more do we need!? --Do you think a private guild would be beneficial for communication and private plots/planning in lieu of the main moonshop guild? Or a Discord DM group? Guild would be easier for looking back on info/plots than a discord, and keeping record. >,>
a-disgrxuntled-dragon
Name:Super Sailor Skoll, Senshi of the Pack How can the Court help you: Comradery and back up! Skoll works best in a group! My intention to Transcend her at some point as well. General Impression: She's tall, she's tatted, and you might see someone who bears a STRIKING RESEMBLENCE at the local vet. She also really likes punching nazis Chaos.
Do you want to be a full member, or an ally: Full Member please and thank you!
MEMBERS: --Do you have any special requests for the moon headquarters? Nooope! --Do you think a private guild would be beneficial for communication and private plots/planning in lieu of the main moonshop guild? Or a Discord DM group? I'm good with a discord channel/DM group.
stxari_maga
Name:Super Sailor Cybele, Senshi of the Hunt How can the Court help you: Friendship! Also, check ins and that kind of support would be nice, Cybele has a bit of a target on her back so she's trying to find ways not to be alone. General Impression: She was forcibly corrupted into the Negaverse for a bit before purifying back out, and this still heavily affects her. She does have some information on the structure and people of the Negaverse, though! Outside of that, she's a very determined person and commits fully to things that she cares about. This includes being there for her friends and stopping Chaos from hurting anyone else.
Also, theater. She's into theater.
Do you want to be a full member, or an ally: Full Member
MEMBERS: --Do you have any special requests for the moon headquarters? Maybe a training area? So they don't get ambushed by Chaos and corrupted when they're just trying to get stronger? --Do you think a private guild would be beneficial for communication and private plots/planning in lieu of the main moonshop guild? Or a Discord DM group? Probably Discord.
tattxerpixie
Name:Eternal Sailor Puck, Senshi of the Woods How can the Court help you: Comradery! It's no fun beating up the bad guys alone. Also friendship, training, sharing a common cause and methodology, and backup, both giving and getting. General Impression: What you see is what you get with Puck. He hates chaos (his sworn enemy is General Faustite), loves fighting, and isn't afraid of taking a risk for the greater good. He never does things by halves; it's all or nothing. Mostly all.
Do you want to be a full member, or an ally: Full member!
MEMBERS: --Do you have any special requests for the moon headquarters?A pub! Nope! --Do you think a private guild would be beneficial for communication and private plots/planning in lieu of the main moonshop guild? Or a Discord DM group? Either works for me, so whatever's best for everyone else!
Saxxxmi-Fire
Name:Transcendent Eternal Sailor Megrez How can the Court help you: Megrez feels a surge of determination re-awakening within her. Her mission is to fight to protect the 'potential' of humanity, which she believes Chaos stifles. She wants to find like-minded but reasonable allies who will help her fight the good fight without making a ginormous mess of things, and the Thorns sounds like a good start. General Impression: Megrez's history is... very up and down. Some might know that she was a very violent senshi in her younger days and has a body count. However, she has settled down and is trying to redeem herself even now, talking first and scoping out the enemy before deciding whether a fight is necessary.
Do you want to be a full member, or an ally: Full team member please!
MEMBERS: --Do you have any special requests for the moon headquarters? ...This is half silly half serious, but some kind of guestbook/group journal to scribble things in would be A+. --Do you think a private guild would be beneficial for communication and private plots/planning in lieu of the main moonshop guild? Or a Discord DM group? Discord DM group would be A+!
