"Just us, darling." Her voice isn't very loud, and it shouldn't be heard over the sound of the casino, but it's all you can focus on. "Not many get the privilege of playing at my table."

She has a light lisp; her fangs affect her voice, and they glint in the light as her tongue flickers out to wet her lips. Serpentine idly plays with the roulette ball in her hand, rolling it over her fingers, humming softly. "Do you want a refreshment? You can relax, Enzan."

She says your name with a sort of purr, which seems uncharacteristic for her snake-like features. She doesn't hiss, but she does allure, and she looks at you like you are the whole universe. Like you have hung the stars and moon for her. Like she would do anything for you.

Her hand clicks; beside her a useless servant arrives- navi or human, it doesn't really matter- with a plate in their hand. When lowered, it reveals a small shot glass full of...something. But you know what it is, don't you? Like your focus bled into Serpentine, it now bleeds into her glass, as she takes it up in her hand- she doesn't even need it, what a waste.

"None for you?" She asks- she knows, of course. She knows what she's doing to you. You get the sense she likes it, and demands more of your pride to be played as bet on the table; lacking that, maybe it's your dignity she wants.

Netto blew out an unexpected held breath. He would have to forward the apology, once Rockman was - well. Whenever he would be done hanging out with Blues. And Roll was right on the nose- which mirrored their own, honestly. Meiru and Roll had always been so damn smart, and Netto was too dense to realize that until long after they lived far away.

[MSG ] I think you're probably right
[MSG ] I mean, like. Not to defend myself too much here
[MSG ] But everyone met me under a really bad circumstance, lol

Netto ran a hand through his hair, trying to figure out his next words. What was too much? She was a navi, and she wasn't necessarily a friend. But that also meant he had very little to lose by saying "too much".

[MSG ] You can only be so well adjusted under stress when your brother and your friends get chewed up and spit out, you know?
[MSG ] And all of that happening when I got on leave for the first time in years. Basically I mean, like, you're right, I think. I'd like to think you're right.

He shuffled, sighed, wishing this conversation was not happening over a text message. He was a bad texter- Laika and Enzan had a lighthearted hatred of their groupchat, because Netto constantly left cryptic messages in it. He just wasn't very good at texting!

[MSG ] And I think the other-mes think I'm like- perfect.
[MSG ] I'm what they should have turned into. A good son, a good friend, a good soldier.

Yeah, maybe this was too much. But now he was going and he really suddenly couldn't stop, just like when he was talking to that Rockman.

[MSG ] But like- there's a lot they don't even know. They just assumed that from duress and the way I look. I get it, I don't begrudge them, but- it's not my fault? I guess? It's not my fault all of that awfulness from my world spilled out into everyone else. It's not my fault anyone got infected with my awfulness or whatever.

There was a longer pause between messages. Netto had gotten up, despite his body's protest, to lean against the windows overlooking the view he'd been so obsessed with when he got the place. Felt like he barely looked out of them anymore. Then, in rapid fire:

[MSG ] And like, your poor operator had to see me going fucking crazy.
[MSG ] Pardon the language.
[MSG ] I just think it's apt.
[MSG ] Like I said. I didn't mean for all that to - infect everyone else. It's not my fault. But I guess- I guess, with all the people in that chat and all, we've all seen all this shit. I must look like an enemy anyway. And I don't do myself any favors, with my stupid little outbursts.

Netto tapped his foot, and ran a hand through his hair again.

[MSG ] It's hard to reach out when you're already on the back-foot. So, I guess- um. I appreciate you reaching out ahead of me.

Cometman was huge. This made Rockman a little internally frustrated, as he only had a vague recall of what he looked like back in the Colosseum. Certainly not so huge. Reminded him a lot of navis like MagnetMan, of whom he had no idea how it was practical to be that huge. Rockman stepped back to give him the room to come into himself.

Awkwardly, he shuffled on his feet. He blew a strand of hair out from his eyes. For all intents and purposes, he was quite the different Navi than Cometman had seen in the Colosseum; less bitey, less controlled, and certainly more grounded in reality. In fact, he didn't look much like his bark; he wasn't even making eye contact with Cometman. Just staring a little bit past him.

"Welcome," he said, though it felt sort of stupid to say. Cometman had been to this world before. Wasn't a first time. "Sorry about the whole, like, fight to the death type thing. Not my idea of a pleasant day, that's for sure."

It was becoming more and more obvious to Rockman that all his life, he was using Netto as a proxy to socialize. It was a lot easier then, when they just bounced off of each other. He was terribly adrift on his own. And terribly awkward.

@role

You weren't meant to end up here. You aren't even sure how- lead feet stuck in the same place, a mind full of cotton- it's like you come to, sitting in this chair. The lights and sounds fill your senses first before anything else comes online- you are keenly aware of the smell of floor cleaner and leather, the sound of racketeers and gamblers, and the dazzle of blinking lights.

You know you weren't supposed to be here, but you were. No use in fighting it, right? The roulette table spins in front of you, a repetition of red and black and red and black and red that draws your focus away from the other crowds. You've just been seated and you've bought in. You're not a gambler, you never were, but here you are. Something must be a truth here; and it's not yours.

The dealer smiles at you. You take too long to recognize her, like your mind is in some horrible haze. Her features appear to you one by one- scaly white skin, a lack of iris, and a jacket that undulates an equally distracting pattern.

Serpentine leans in, looking sweetly as ever- she doesn't seem to focus on anyone but you. There's no one else at the table but you.

"Hello darling," she hums, a sweet voice nearly swept up in the current of the Casino. "You're a little lost, aren't you?"

Would you even admit to such a thing? You've already bought into the table.

Netto cradled his PET, mulling over each response as they came in. It was pulling him from his funk, to talk to someone who seemed so damn normal in the face of it all. At least, it was a good distraction. Something to turn his energy to.

[MSG ] I'm not really sure yet why it...called such a...random group together. Sorry you had to get involved. And that it scared your folks

[MSG ] I owe your operator an apology, especially. I'm sure Enzan was a dick to her

There was a long enough pause to indicate he was debating how to say my Enzan, not yours, I don't really know yours that well, all things considered but he got distracted too quickly by Roll's lack of knowledge about that weird virus.

[MSG ] My Rock told me he'd had a...accident, when a hangout turned sour. He didn't have an operator during a tough fight and had to rely on some...old tricks? And it got out of hand.

[MSG ] Between you, me, and your Rockman, he's been kinda mopey about it for a while. So- I mean, he's sorry. He's working on it. You know? We all got things we're working on.

He grimaced typing it all out- he really did talk too much.

[MSG ] Were you- reaching out, for any particular reason? Just to say hi?

Her Rockman? Netto debated the merits, for a moment, on whether or not that possessive was in the world-defining way or the romantic way. He supposed it could have been, and he was almost certain that was the case, but he had no proof. Maybe he was about to gain it?

[MSG: ] I'm ok. Out of the hospital
[MSG: ] I'm sorry I haven't reached out to you and your operator. Are you all okay? You did good work against Serpentine.

(His fingertips twitched– just typing the name felt like incantation, like he would summon her with just those letters.) He quickly added:

[MSG: ] It was nice to chat with your Rock.
[MSG: ] He's sweet.

He felt a sudden urge then to add again:

[MSG: ] Is he alright? He was in a bad way when I saw him.
[MSG: ] I mean, he was okay. Just stressed. I know he had an encounter with, um, my navi.

He was clearly a somewhat anxious texter— it wasn't that he was afraid of Roll, he just had a lot to say. He kept double-texting, mindless of the annoyance.

[MSG: ] Who is extremely sorry for the whole thing, by the way. Um. And so am I, for the— netbattle. You did beat my ass, though.
[MSG: ] Sorry, lol, I've got too much to say.

Hi folks! Most of you will know this information already, but I'd like to keep up posting here for archival and visibility purposes.

If you haven't heard yet, we have a wiki! This is where our character & instance info will live, alongside archives of our threads!

Much like the forum, this will be publicly available through the Tailscale links. I am personally hosting the wiki through Docker (for the technically curious, it's through docker-compose). The wiki is backed up to my NAS, and then also to remote storage. This is currently Google Drive, but it's encrypted as it goes, so Google isn't scraping the data I back up.

The wiki and forum continue to be on an approval basis; Anna and I approve all members, and we aren't currently looking for new ones. (Though, if you think someone is a good fit for the group, please don't hesitate to reach out!)

@snoruntpyro is also a moderator of the wiki. This doesn't change the current moderation structure (Anna and I are still moderators of this space, just like we are on Discord), but Pyro has quite a bit of wiki experience and is able to lend a hand when I'm not able to. So if you have wiki questions, myself or Pyro are a great place to start!

If you're worrying right now about learning how to use MediaWiki, fret not! It's an extremely well documented piece of software (because it's the same software Wikipedia runs on), and I am happy to lend a hand to anyone who needs help setting up pages. There are already plenty of templates, and a lot of good information in the Style Guide.

As of writing this, we already have 50 articles- character sheets, threads, and instance pages included! I'm really proud of the work we've all put in to making a little corner of the internet really ours. So, thank you for coming on this little journey with me!

The more that Rockman read the texts, the more furrowed his brow became, and the more the familiar feeling of dread crawled up his throat. He swallowed, even though he didn't have to.

What we are? What a bizarre thing to say. A navi just knew. What the hell would be the purpose of a navi who didn't know– they wouldn't be very useful, that's for sure. Rockman tapped his foot as he tried to figure out what he should say, how he should swerve out of the trajectory of this impending…thing.

Well- first, the talking part. Cometman asked him about talking to people, his operator, which he found woefully naive, never mind the sword in his side or the pain in his head. He laughed, though the sound was sort of distant to him.

[MSG: ️] I talked to my partner.

Vague enough, and true. More like he shouted incoherently, and Blues listened, because he always listened. Cometman didn't need to know that partner didn't mean his operator in that context. As little personal information as possible…

You really are an antisocial freak, huh. [MSG: ️] I don't need your help. A friendship with the approach of fixing someone sounds kinda shit.

Ugh. The sting of guilt hit him like a lead pipe.

[MSG: ️] …It's nice of you, but I don't need your help.

He was still tapping his foot.

[MSG: ️] We can talk, I guess. If you want. My Net is open.

testing again

Me when I'm testing

"Cometman?" Rockman mumbled to himself, not daring to speak too loudly as he observed Blues and Enzan in a meeting. Some stupid investors, some overseas stuff to make them stay late— but now his attention was drawn into his texts.

He did remember Cometman. He remembered his voice in the cacophony of all of them under Serpentine's influence, alongside his operator's. He remembered the way they fell slowly under the influence, then all at once; both her and the other her, echoing back and forth, their insecurity a perfect knife.

And he remembered their attacks against him, and he remembered– well, he remembered too much. He blinked a few times as if to clear it from his mind. He shot a quick message to Blues to indicate he was going to take a quick walk, and he exited the IPC network.

[MSG: ️] I'm fine

Pause, pause.

[MSG: ️] I mean, from that. All good here. Why do you want to meet?

Prickly prickly. Maybe they just want to know why you were such a psycho? Rockman blew a scoff from his nose.

Netto was finally back in his apartment— it took a lot of reassurance to both Enzan and Pen that he was fine and didn't need supervision, the doctors had cleared him and he felt perfectly able to go from couch to bathroom to bed. He was still sore, still with plenty of bruises that had no name, and scars to match– but he was fine now.

Really, he was more worried about Rockman, who'd been silent and dazed since their whole ordeal. He was away with Blues, and Netto respected their distance; he couldn't imagine what it was like, really, to go through all of that by yourself.

On the couch, he glanced up at the ceiling. His apartment was quiet, and the final rays of the day were streaking into his windows. He had half a mind to fall asleep, too sore to force himself to move to his bed and too full of ennui to even care. Apparently— the doctors had told him— it was normal to get a little funky after getting hurt so bad.

Breaking up his thoughts was the sudden cacophony of noise– his PET rang twice over to him, and he scooped it up with a wince. The message made his eyebrows raise. Roll? That Roll? The one that had a hand in beating their ass?

Damn. Right. He supposed they'd be wondering about him– more likely, looking for answers. He typed up a reply: [MSG ] Oh, hi! What's up?

Though he did find it extremely strange that Roll of all Navis was reaching out to him. Not her operator? Not Rockman or his?

SERVER RULES

Be kind OOC. This forum is welcome to just about everyone. There is no tolerance for hateful and discriminatory acts such as racism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, or general bigotry.

Keep OOC light. This forum's main purpose is for roleplay, writing, and having fun. Life has it's challenges and it can be hard. When you are struggling, it is encouraged that you seek out your personal or professional support systems. Speaking lightly on life's woes is okay, but venting is prohibited.

Everyone on this forum is 18+, and we no longer will have minors. However, this does not make this server R-18, and said topics are not for roleplay.

Respect the Blacklist. This server has listed topics that are either banned or require a censor and content warning.

For RP threads, mark the channel with the "warning" tag. Furthermore, if you feel it needs more trigger warnings, put them at the top of the first post in the thread.

Basic RP etiquette is required. Consent is key. Do not godmod, powerplay, metagame, etc. Refrain from predetermining IC relationships. Discuss with your RP partners in chat or through DM if they are comfortable.

• On the topic of godmodding, infomodding, and communication...
  • Working with your fellow partners is key to everyone having fun. While it's fun to have surprises here and there, don't always assume that what you have as an idea is going to be fun for everyone else. In some cases, it can come off as forcing other people to walk into a trap. If you aren't sure: ask. No surprise is worth the cost of each other's respect, and enjoyment in the server. The admins encourage users to continue to facilitate open, respectful, and honest communication amongst themselves. If you need help, the admins are always happy to assist.

Your RP partners are human. Every user on this server has a life outside of it. Replies are allowed to be short, long, frequent and infrequent. Do not harass other users for quicker or longer replies. A once gentle reminder after a day or two is acceptable.

This is not a public forum. Invites to new users must be cleared with either admin.

Welcome to BNRP BBS!

This is the forum for our roleplay server, MMBNRP. If you've somehow stumbled on this via the internet, how did you get here?

The same rules as the original server apply here. Below is an FAQ about the new forum!

Why are we on a forum now?

Because of Discord's recent decision to enforce ID verification, and my concerns about privacy and agency on the internet, I have decided to begin moving my Discord usage elsewhere. I've owned BNRP as a server for years now, and feel comfortable with our roleplay moving off of the platform.

What forum is this? How did you do this?

This is a NodeBB Forum hosted on personal-terminal, my Proxmox machine! The link you access the forum with is a Tailscale Funnel, which explains the domain name. This allows me to easily and safely serve the forum without exposing all of my self hosted services to the internet.

YOU'RE the host? What does that mean for my data?

Don't put stuff on here you wouldn't want me to see! That being said, I have zero interest in nosing around. This is a forum for roleplaying and not much else. This also means that your data lives on a Dell Optiplex in my bedroom and not in the hands of some LLM-ridden big-box server in a water-sucking data farm. So there's that bonus.

What about uptime? Will we always have access to this? How can you be sure???

I'll be hosting this as long as we use it. I have a backup strategy that I have faith in, but do not rely on me for backups. If you love your threads, please make your own backups of them. I cannot guarantee 100% uptime or perfect services, because I run this in my free time. Maintenance time will be communicated long ahead of time.

I have more questions!

Well, you know where to find me.