So I hope you enjoy it, or at least find it interesting; since if you don't like this, well... ...you certainly like reading about things you dislike!
Plot summary
Hey there. I've placed the Plot Summary in its own page over here.
Plot Analysis
This is going to take a while to dissect, but, here goes. First things first: this is probably the freakiest, most unusual Season going. Not due to the plot (which is one of the most common plot types and set the stage for many more like it), but rather... the OOC circumstances. First, the Season actually is two half-seasons that occur across three years. The first half starts late in 2002 and ends in 2003; this was Wolfman's time.Wolfman's half was compounded by difficulty. Wolfman was seeking a new GM, so he let Star Steel GM; but Star Steel GMed so poorly at the one mission he did (the one with the laser helmets and parasites) had to be completed by Wolf and Nick. He was definitely out as a candidate. Wolf also gave Nick the reigns; Nick proceeded to invent the Anti-Quester "Quester Hunter" organization, an evil organization consisting mostly of vampires from Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, some other source, and Castlevania, as well as Zio. Dracula led the group, but soon it got twisted into it being a proxy for someone else.
That someone was Kuja; and there was a big problem. Kuja was headed towards a 'Darker and Edgier' SSQ, and Wolf didn't want that. So, at the expense of the RP itself continuing, Wolf cut the Kuja plot off at the knees and undid what Nick did, making it so few Questers died and Kuja was randomly trapped in a transformer, never to be heard from again.
He then GMed a session which is lost to time--an 'ending' one, in which the Questers went to a castle filled with quicksand, the two alternately lying and truth-telling gargoyles, and other old rehashed traps. At the end was a weird Voltron-like enemy consisting of Bowser, Ganondorf, Dracula, and Dr. Wily. The Questers defeated this enemy by literally giving away their powers and throwing them at it--the thrown away Smash Powers blew it away. That, and the guns and other things the Questers suddenly could use, now that their old powers were gone.
However, Wolfman was busy contradicting himself. His search for a GM continued. Nick's pick was GM_Link, who at the time was a decent GM, if a bit railroady. It seemed like he would lead SSQ, but instead, Wolfman opted for a more risky pick--Metal Man. I was chosen instead. Nick left in disgust and began GMing Phantasy Star RPG, and Wolfman left for College, leaving me with no help on how to continue the story.
So I made a huge amount of bad sessions, recruited a bunch of poor picks for sub-GMs (sans Hal Emmerich, who was good, but ultimately in the wrong type of RP to do what he wanted) and picked up Nick to help me at various times. These were later explained away in that recent Chapter 60 I made as 'Training holo sessions' for Metal Man.
The joke being that he/I didn't really learn from them.
Anyway, the next half of the madness began in mid-2004. It was fast and furious Summer RPing, but somewhat disconnected from the old. In fact, the Season 2 first and second halves are almost PERFECTLY disconnected. Metal Man survived between them, and so did Aribar, but practically no one else did. The new group looked nothing like the old one, and fought with entirely differently moves. So why is it all bunched together? ...Neither half can stand on its own. The first half is a truncated speech of the Quester Hunters and Kuja's failure; the second half is a chaotic mess about four factions bickering inconclusively. Together, they resemble a full piece, although only in length.
The other part of this insanity is that there were eight GMs for this mayhem. Me, Nick, Wolfman, Aribar, Razor, Yurie, Star Steel, and Locos, in that order of 'Contributed to the plot without wrecking it.' The first three are all equal, naturally; Me, Nick, and Wolfman MADE the main plot, well, pieces of it anyway. But as you get down the list, you have Razor: his first attempt added a little filler but didn't advance must, and had an incongruous mention of Dr. Wily. Aribar's holo-mission wasn't 'real', so it was benign. Yurie... tried ever so hard to be the alpha GM, but wound up only muddling the issue on multiple Smithy things. Things get bad lower down, as Star Steel's sole mission just sucked. After that sucking, is Locos.
Locos, I don't hate as a person. Locos, I even liked some of his stuff. But in this season... to paraphrase his character... "Bbbbbbrrrrr.... bad." He was trying to be the main villain AND main protagonist, all at once. He godmodded to try and destroy the Questers. He constantly interrupted plot with his own made-up nonsense. And worse yet, we LET him derail the plot with it... repeatedly. In the end, it would have been better had he just stayed a Quester and shut up for the latter half of the season; he was an eyesore by then.
He wasn't alone, however, for I, the deviously bad GM, held Locos in good company. Cheap Robotnik fights, that STUPID Reality TV show revelation, and Metal Man's ever-shifting reactions made it more or less impossible to stay on track. Even I forgot who was who side-wise, and wound up spilling multiple references to Metal Sonic such that no less than three different ones are implicated to exist. Not to mention the ending.
The ending was a waste; Metal Sonic was not the main villain, Smithy was. If we truly combined what was going on, the final villain SHOULD have been Smithy and Robotnik, with the Heartless Ganondorf. But that latter half is another story.
For Nick also had his little foibles. He brought in the Heartless with little explanation, rarely followed them up, and gave me no assistance in trying to continue them--so they wind up being a 100% dropped plot thread by the end. Not to mention Sora, who appears as a heroic aid... ...and then drops off the face of the planet.
So to be honest, no one was perfect; Wolfman himself brought in some weird Worms stuff for no reason. And there was also that downright bizarre voice-chat session on Paltalk. If I had to say what the theme was of people's GMing... it was mostly bringing in what they liked, and disregarding the plot consequences. It could be fun, sometimes... in-between the confusion.
This Season in general was sort of a 'simple fun' one; it has an absolutely rotten plot, and nothing fits together between more than, say, 5 sessions, but in the end it still is sort of fun to read. Some of them, at least. Some others are best left ignored. Which is the greatest tragedy of Locos, for he wanted to be something, say, that was very interesting... but in his self-absorbed quest to do so, wound up becoming the annoying, overused Jack Sparrow wannabe running around, changing sides every 15 minutes, and not really having any character.
Let's see... anything I forgot? Probably. I think the main thing here is to look at this season as the prototype for future ones; a little bit of everything wound up being tried, and while it may have ranged from good to bad, it was the seed from which most of SSQ grew. Even though during this season there were constant doomsday proclamations of how it sucked and there would be no more sessions, heh.
Oh. The system was also constantly exploding; Razor broke d20 Modern to bits, while the earlier Move system with Melee Moves (from Alpha to Omega, depending on how much you used them) became broken with the introduction of weapons. This ties in part to Kuja, who was supposed to represent how the Questers now had 'magical' moves and that they were moving in an FF-like direction. Wolfman's U-turn denied Kuja that, and ultimately denied Season 2 from having a complete Kuja plot. even the Kuja revival in Season 6 isn't the same... ultimately, I will just have to make up writings of what the REAL Season 2 would have been like, complete with Kuja's rise and fall.
There were also multiple morons in this season, who were publically destroyed... I feel that was a good idea, and am annoyed at how I sort of dropped the ball on that later on... and didn't do the same to Locos' character once he went off the rails and into cheaterville. Oh well...
Word Map (Made by Wordle)
There are two for this season; this mostly because the combined one ignores most of the older Questers, which is unfair to them. So first, the old half (Season 60 and older). This half was GMed by Wolfman and Nick, for the most part. This one mostly highlights stuff by itself--my only note is that it consists of old Questers and old enemies. It's vaguely unexceptional, mentioning the themes of good, evil, and... being quick about it, apparently. Also, before I removed it, this one had a massive 'QUESTERS' word in it... so huge, it was 3/4 of the picture long!
Next up, is the meat and potatoes. Well, the part I have more comments about. Maybe. Once again, the Questers of this Season are front and center. But now we also see cubes, MTAs, and the infamous Face Base here. Dark power, fighting, cannons, eyes... lots of chaos going on in this season. While the previous image was dominated by a few people, here this Season has a whole group of people; there's no one real winner, and a large 'Questers' word as well.
Cast (In order of Appearance)
This one may get a little weird... there will be two lists; the first of the first half, the second for the second half. In the second half, so you don't get bored, I'll only mention those who have changed in some (entertaining) capacity, rather than repeat myself senselessly.Alys - Quester - Saucy Destroyer of Evil
Dr. Wily - Villain - Santa Impersonator
Bowser - Villain - Second-String Badguy
Ganondorf - Villain - Man of Many Strategies
Dracula - Quester Hunter - Insidious Quester Hunter Leader
Wolfman - Quester Leader - Failed Leader
Mewtwo - Stadium Staff - Serious Mission Giver
VG - Stadium Staff - Failed SSS Head SP
Ruvyn - Quester - VG's Greatest Fan
Sky High - Idiotic Quester - Self Destroyer
Dojo Master - Holoroom Hologram - Face Meeeeee
Roybert - Quester - Not Much to Say Here
Soril - Quester - Same
Tempest - Quester - Epic Elf
Soursurfer - Quester - Lemon Grenadier
Gibby - Quester - Expert Quipper
Fox - Smasher - Dynamic Quester Saving Duo Member #1
Falco - Smasher - Dynamic Quester Saving Duo Member #2
Star Steel - Quester - Heroic Sacrificer
Klumsy Koopa - Undead Holographic Super Nerd - Schwartz Packin' Challenger
Metal Man - Quester - Well-Intentioned Maniac
"Xan Belmont" - Vampire Hunter - Who?
Lying Gargoyle - Holo Tomb Trap - Doesn't Know Castlevania
Truth-telling Gargoyle - Holo Tomb Trap - X-Ray Vision Haver
Zio - Quester Hunter - Persistent, Demonic Foe
Simon Belmont - Vampire Hunter - Ridiculous Hair of Doom
Radioactive Rick Moranis - Dark Helmet - Weird Final Challenge
Positron - Quester - Victim of the TRUE Schwartz
King Demon - Quester - Helmet Slayer
Setzer - Quester - Alcoholic friend of Klumsy's with no Alcohol
Link X - Quester - Questionable Linkbot Predecessor
Aribar - Quester - Don't Mess with the Jentanian Wizard!
Kopaka - Quester - Defeated A Lot
Tiff - Kirby's Friend - From That TV Show Nobody Remembers
Kirby - Smasher - Tough Puffball
Tuff - Kirby's Friend - Ironically, the Weaker One
Buggzy - Dedede Goon - NOT Fred the Spanyard
Mr. Shine - Dreamland Enemy - The Sun
Mr. Bright - Dreamland Enemy - The Moon
Digifanatic - Quester - Non-Tactical Non-Stealth Mindless Action
Meta Knight - Smasher - That Ally Guy Who Helps People
King Dedede - Villain - Knows his Minions Better Than You
Max's Zubat - Friendly Pokemon - SQUEAK!!! SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK!!!
Max the Pokemon Trainer - Stadium Ally - Quester Defeater
Mario - Smasher - Question Asker
Luigi - Smasher - Question Joiner
Link - Smasher - Quiet Question Adviser
Marley - Max's Pokemon - That Tough Nidoking
Captain Falcon - Smasher - Quester Fetcher
Coop - Quester - Just Another Version of Ruvyn
Young Link - Smasher - HEY LOOK AT THIS AHHHHH!!!!!
Zelda - Smasher - Thirsty Pretzel-Eater
Darunia - Head Goron - Quest Explainer
Shop Goron - Shopkeep - Redwall Mole Reject
Kinnin - Quester - Cautious Swordsman
Dagon - Quester Hunter - Fiery Fool
Abe - Quester Ally - Trap Fearer
Munch - Quester Ally - Abe Silencer
Mudokon Shopkeep - Shopkeep - Head Asplode
Volvagia - Dark Being - Fluffy Mushroom Guardian
DK - Smasher - Wants to Find Candy
Bluster - DK Enemy - I dunno
Etti - ??? - Stupid Abridged Mission, Don't Know What's going On
K. Rool - Kremling King - Random Encounter
Candy Kong - DK's Object of Finding - Yeah... I dunno Either
Meier Link - Quester Hunter - Vampire Creator D
Evil Ferret - Quester Hunter - Um, Bye?
Supamushroom - Quester - Pre-Deloth Prototype
Max's Umbreon - Friendly Pokemon - Beaten by Mushrooms
Max's Raichu - Friendly Pokemon - Mushroom Destroyer
Max's Blastoise - Friendly Pokemon - Roybert's Target
Max's Tyrannitar - Friendly Pokemon - Cliff Jumper
Ghagael - "Friendly" Pokemon - Destroyer of Opponents
Jessie - Team Rocket - Evils of Love Denouncer
James - Team Rocket - Star Reacher
Meowth - Team Rocket - Train Launcher
Santa Claus - Saint Nick - Gift-Giving, Flamethrower Packing Guy
Linkbot - Quester - Shredder Inspector
Slippy Toad - Stadium Ally - Wormhole Warper
Space Pirates - Villains - Hapless Phazon Abusers
Omega Metroid X - Screwed Up Mess Of An Enemy - Mostly Invincible
Samus - Smasher - The Ride Home
Holographic Armadillo - Holo Tomb Enemy - Aribeater
Professor Oak - Stadium Staff - Transformer Wielder
Pichu - Smasher - Item Deliverer
Evil Quester Clones - Quester Hunters - Zio's Creations
Tuna - Zora - "Helpa" (Actually Meier Link)
King Zora - King of the Zoras - Not Very Helpful
Morpha II - Dark Being - Ripoff of Morpha I
Trek - Quester - China Leader
Boggy B. - Worm - Dead Hero to the Light
Ammonster - Worm - Napalm Avoider
John - Quester - Under Domain Item Recognizer
Buffalo of Lies - ??? - Beats Me
Cucco Lady - Townsperson - Lady in Distress
Kraigan/Kraegan - Quester Hunter - General Creep
Marcus - Quester Hunter - Mind Control Failure
Pinach - Helpful Gnome - Short-lived Weapon Maker
Game & Watch - Shopkeep - Item Miser
Locos Docos - Quester - Really Poor Leader
Mack and the Shysters - Generic Enemies - BoING BoING boING!~
Mushroom Chancellor - Townsperson - Congratulator
Grandma Toadstool - Townsperson - Polite Mistress
Jigglypuff - Smasher - Sleeper Hit
Cranky Lady - Townsperson - Locos-hater
Ghost Metroid - Legendary Thing - Star Steel's Most Feared Enemy
Belome - Vile Enemy - Non-Purple People Eater
Monstermama - Townsperson - Mayor of Monstro Town
Kuja - Ultra Villain - For Un-Want of a Transformer...
Auron - Ghostly 'Aid' - Traitorous Trance Giver
Magnus - Quester Hunter - Star Steel Burner
(The old Quest Explodes here)
(The new Quest Begins here)
Gibby - Quester - More of the Same
Metal Man - Quester Leader - Questionable Choice of Leadership
Razor - Quester - ANNIHILATE! RESURRECTION! METEOR REVOLUTION! TOTAL DESTRUCTION!
Alex Gorva--er, Garrick Fy'aar - Quester - X-buster Shooter
Aribar - Quester - Now not a Vampire!
Peach - Smasher - Scarecrow Warner
Wario - Stadium Staff - Magical Sadism Storage Supervisor
Smithy - Smithy's Gang Leader - Cube-Obsessed Toaster
Pat VanDusen - Idiotic Quester - Skyhigh Wannabe
Hydro - Super Idiotic Quester 10,000 - Discoverer of the X-Zone
Billy - Pat's Fish - Pat Hater
SkyHigh - Fallen Quester - Not The Brightest
Sora - Quester - The AWOL Keyblade Master
Professor Oak - Stadium Staff - Fraudulent Sneaky Thief of Bazooka Doom
Yurie - Quester - Elitist Leader Wannabe
??? - Townsperson - Smithy Victim
Machine Made Yaridovich - Smithy's Gang - Toad Dangler
Axem Rangers - Smithy's Gang - Super Get-Blown-Up Gang
Evil Gopher - Bowser Minion - Cannon Manner
Goomba - Bowser Minion - Whaaaaaaah!?!?!
??? #2 - Jacketed Heartless - Digi Prognosticator
DR. DONEZ! - BIG TEXT - YEAHHH
Guard 1 - Holo Guard - Blue Lover
Guard 2 - Holo Guard - Speed Deather
Robot - Holo Guard - Trespasser Slayee
Guard 3 - Holo Guard - Beer death of blimp!
Robot 2 - Holo Guard - Guard Protector
"Dr. Robotnik" AKA "Bob, Lord of Electric Death - Holographic Abomination - Predecessor of The Void
Smash Dex - Quester Tool - Yeah, it Appears Earlier Than This, But It's Just a Tool
Phantom - Fallen Quester - Satellite Gun User
Locos Docos aka "Charles Magellean" - Annoying Non-Aligned Lunatic - Should Have Been Destroyed
Robot #2 - Robotnik Machine - Robotic Escort
Dr. Robotnik - Homocidal Killing Machine Designer - Destruction Answers All Questions!
Surfer - Random Homicidal Lunatic - Failed At Killing Locos
Mortal Kombat Announcer - Disembodied Spectator - FINISH HIM
Ganenod - Dark Four Swords Abomination - Didn't Give Ari an Arm
Metal Man Hologram - Holographic Metal Doppelganger - SIMBER Wannabe
Deloth - Quester - Lego User
??? #3 - Holomission Briefer - Elemental Isle Disclaimer Man
Bandit 1 - Holo Enemy - He Is Travelling
Bandit 2 - Holo Enemy - Cares a Lot
Bandit 3 - Holo Enemy - Pledge Drive for Better Lines
Orlando Florida - Holo Enemy - Oranges Not Included
Gobbu - Evil Miniature Marshmallow Air Conditioner Person - ...I don't know what I was smoking when I made this
Lumis Dongthar - Annoying Anti-Locos - Like Locos Needed An Evil Twin
Computer - Holo Control Device - You Have Beaten Goomba Difficulty, Loser
Penguin - Weird Holo Being - Believes Yurie is Queen of the Heartless
Zidane - Holographic FF Guy - Man of Few Words
Cloud - Holographic FF Guy - Expositor Extraordinaire
Blond Haired Kid - Holographic... Guy - Don't Engage the Heartless
MB Troopas - Smithy Gang - Biological Failures Detected
Ninestein - Smithy Gang Base Security System - We, The Second Person Speakers
Goron - Townsperson - KSSSSHK.... Evilll.... KSHHHSSK... help...
Joel - Smash Dex - SkyHigh's Former Dex
Dr. Light - Stadium Helper - MTA Maker
Star Wolf - Team Star Wolf Leader - You Can't Win!
Leon - Team Star Wolf - Die! Die! Dieeeee!
Andrew - Team Star Wolf - Takes out his Uncle's Death on everybody
Pigma - Team Star Wolf - Prefers Easy Targets
Computer #2 - Smithy Gang - You're Worthless. They're Worthless. WORTHLESS!!!
Matek - Dark World Ganondorf Lieutenant Freak - Idiotic Screamer
Robot #3 - Smithy Gang - The Card Does Not Fit, You Must Condemn!
Robot2 - Smithy Gang - Has a bad Processor
Robot3 - Smithy Gang - Why Can He Smell?
Ruvyn - Fallen Quester - He's Just Bitter Simon Didn't Tell Him His Hair Secrets
Blond Digifanatic - Fallen Quester - Digi's Evil Slytock Clone
Linkbot - Fallen Quester - Now He Can Shoot His Arms Off For REAL!
Roybert - Fallen Quester - From Zero To... Also Zero
Jeff Maxwell - Fallen Quester - Escaped the Dark Ages... and Evaded Death... A Lot
ROB 64 - Star Fox Member - Backup is Arriving, Press C>
E Li Three - Extra-dimensional Trap-Controlling Cyborg Freak - Banana Torturer
Priest1 - Metal Temple Guy - Reach Inside!
Priest2 - Metal Temple Guy - It's a Vase!
Priest3 - Metal Temple Guy - IT'S ROUND YOU IDIOTS
No New Characters In Chapter 76
??? #4 - Mysterious PA Announcer - No, I Don't Know Who This Is
Lakitu - Stadium Match Announcer - YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!
Metal Sonic - Dastardly Killing Machine - Likes To Change Personality For No Reason
Bird that happens to be flying by at the time - What the? - Randomly Mentioned
Alucard - Dracula's Son - Non-Evil Mission Giver
Luthiel Moonlek - Quester - Last Character of Star Steel's Player/Heal-Happy Priest
??? #5 - Smithy Satellite Distress Beacom - OMTAK OMTAK OMTAK
Samus - Smasher - Is NOT a HE
Reploid1 - Smithy Gang - Where's the Cream Fill--Destroyer?
Reploid2 - Smithy Gang - The Clone is a Shadow of Its Power!
SA-X2 - Horrible Samus Clone - Can't Talk
Phantom Clone - Fallen Quester Clone - One wasn't Good Enough
Running Bull - Not Quite a Quester - Never Got Through The First Few Rooms
Jay Resop - OOC Commentary - Only In The Log For Laughs
N00b - N00bchat Anchor - OMG WTF LOLZ
N00b2 - N00bchat Anchor - YELLING LOUDLY LOLZ
Aribar's MTA - Quester Equipment - Run Away And Die!
Nodal Whisk - Quester - Bum Who Owed Metal 100 Coins
Eggrobo - Robotnik Machine - Wants Technology and Money
Eggrobo2 - Robotnik Machine - Wants a Moon Pearl
Eggrobo3 - Robotnik Machine - Can't Speak English Right
Yaridovich - Smithy Gang - Yes, The Real One Came AFTER The Machine Made One
Bowyer - Smithy Gang - Missing a Speech Impediment
Shopkeeper - Dark World Shopkeep - Just Wants a Trillion Coin Cube
Olde Smashdex - Old Quester Equipment - No Upgrade
??? #6 - Morphing Dark World Illusion - Has Plans of Uselessness
Shadow Link - Dark World Enemy - The Bouncer
Shadow Link 2 - Dark World Enemy - The Smart One
Shadow Link 3 - Dark World Enemy - The Stupid One
Mage - Dark World Enemy - Fake Moon Pearl Specialist
Koopa1 aka "Ricky" (though not in this Season) - Locos Supporter - Idiotically Loyal
Koopa2 - Locos Supporter - One-Line Wonder
Tridus - Metal's Evil Doubler Clone - Lackluster Locos "Supporter"
Locos' Belt - Smithy Gang - The Only Sane Machine
Machine Made Fallen Questers - Smithy Gang - Now They're Desperate!
Zeters/Zeta - Locos Supporter - Oops, There Goes The Rear Half Of The Ship
Robokoopa - Smithy Gang - Day Counter
Computer #3 - Robotnik Machine - STATUS! ANNOUNCER!
Even More Eggrobos - Robotnik Machines - You Get The Idea
Mecha Wart - Locos Supporter - Annoying Gag Gift
TV - Evil Lying Box - Reality Show Lying Device
Wolfman - Not A Leader - Insane, Un-helpful Maverick
Multiple MTAs - Quester Equipment - Structure Detectors
Metal Razor - Robotnik Machine - Failed Alpha Testing
Computer #4 - Locos Supporter - Unnecessary Exposition Giver
John - Quester - E Li Three Mediator
Shadow (no, NOT that one) - X-Zone Being - Evil Tempter
MechaKoopa - Smithy Gang - Weak Last Line of Defense
Computer #5 - Smithy Gang - Doomsday Announcer
Toad - Townsperson - Mysterious Mount Questmore Constructor
Final Notes
This Season, while not the 'best', was definitely the beginning of the real SSQ. That first one had little to no influence on anything beyond itself, and mostly served as an extended season of SSS. For Wolfman had not yet really realized how to run an IRC RPG. Things were now in good shape after this Season; at least, besides idiotic drama which had created a number of fissures in the player base and my own thoughts on what to do next.Unfortunately, as we will see, my plot making abilities don't get any better. If anything, Season 3 is an even MORE disconnected mess. Season 2 would have to wait nearly 3 seasons before the idea of a sensible, logical plot would be attempted again, and even then, it took much longer to properly apply the Quester Hunter mold to a plot. In the meantime, I guess we'll just have to wade through all the wacky Quester Hunter knockoffs...