BrokenPromise

AI Art Generation: Beneficial or Problematic?

I think everyone has more or less decided their stance on AI art. It's hard to find someone who's not all for it, dead against it, or apathetic to the entire thing. Myself, I was dead against it, but decided to start using Stable Diffusion so that I could understand how AI art even worked. What I discovered was that AI art is a horribly named tool that has the potential to be great but might be getting misused.

For the uninitiated, AI art generators work by filling an image with a "seed," which is just colored noise/static. It then looks at your prompt and uses the images it was trained on to shape the seed into the image you want. It's really just an art sorting algorithm.

The biggest grey area with AI art seems to be that they've all been trained on scraped images. People for AI art believe that shouldn't matter, as most artists learn by copying things they see. I'd say what AI does is a little different as it has the potential to perfectly replicate these images. Most artists will copy from life, other artists, etc, but will eventually come up with their own style. AI isn't capable of doing something like that. Due to it being an algorithm, it's kind of stuck piecing together images from its library. We could talk about the limitations of AI all day long, but it's been getting better at an exponential rate. It can generate beautiful faces, and will eventually get hands sorted out too. But it will never be able to create something truly original. Whatever it makes will always be an amalgamation of the images it was trained on.

And that's the one hurdle that AI art will never be able to jump. It needs tons of reference images for something to draw it accurately. By its very nature, AI art cannot make anything truly original. You need thousands of references for the AI to draw on before it can replicate it.

I don't have a strong opinion on "AI art artists" getting paid. It takes work to make an AI image look good. The art might be created in seconds, but then you need to regenerate the bad looking parts, or port it over to your favorite paint program for a touch up. I laugh when people submit art they made to art station and are too lazy to remove the extra leg their character was generated with. The AI may be stealing artwork, but there are a lot of "starving artists" that have no respect for copyright laws and have made careers out of drawing IP they don't own. Art is one of those things that how much it's worth is very much up to the person who is buying it. especially in the case of commissions.

I can see why less known artists are scared of AI. Especially places like Pixiv where most of the artists have made a living out of drawing "character X" in the only ten poses that ever get on the front page. Places like this where originality is dead are ripe for an AI takeover. Perhaps AI is the great equalizer we need to push artists away from tried and true methods for success and to start taking more chances with their art. Or maybe we'll sink deeper into a sea of unoriginal works and styles as everything becomes a single bland amalgamation of everything. Just like what the you tube algorithm did to most of its creators.

Also AI written works are hilarious.

Kurai Majokko

”Yayoi splashed me. And no, that’s not an innuendo!”

— Suki Oyama

Suki did not move.

She stood there, blinded by her creation. She couldn’t be bothered to wipe any of it away. With how shameful the dinner service turned out to be, she would rather remain blind and hidden from her surroundings. Endless eclipse dripped onto her chest and ran down the front of her body. All while she stood as still as a statue. She could hear her surroundings, but chose to ignore them. If she got hit by a laser that might end her misery.

Endless Eclipse had almost reached Willow when Nyxia’s laser carved through the center of it. But rather than dying on the spot, the monstrous food waste split in half. Oddly, both halves were smaller than the original creature, but not by much. It was almost as if it had grown while it was being split apart. But this did not stop Nyxia, who’s lazer simply curved to strike them again. And again, they would split into two slightly smaller versions of their original self. Willow needed to teleport and play jump rope with Nyxia’s laser to avoid getting vaporized.

One of Yayoi’s water bubbles burst and splashed Suki. Anything that wasn’t washed off of her face was thrown off by the violent impact. But what Suki saw wasn’t what she was expecting.

Yayoi was eating her food?

Nyx was laughing?

Willow was playing jump rope with her creation?

Even some mogalls had come to help clean the dishes. They used their tendrils to draw Endless Eclipse from the uneaten bowls.

Some weren’t enjoying her food in the conventional sense, but anyone could make food that nourished the body. But what about the soul?

”I’m glad your baby’s going to be well fed tonight.” It was unlikely that Suki’s voice could be heard over the roar of magical lasers. She stepped behind Tsubomi and patted her shoulder. ”That’s too bad about your diet. It looks like Nyx and Eyeball have the leftovers taken care of, so don't worry about it. I’ll have to make a bigger batch next time!” Yayoi was the one she really wanted to see. Other than the mogalls and Roche, she was the only person who was enjoying her food the normal way. At least she was pretty sure she was enjoying it. She’d never seen anyone make a face like that in her life. ”If it’s too hot, we do have popsicles!” She patted the magician on the shoulder before making her way to Rei. ”All done? I can clean up later. But we should go shopping before the stores close!” She held up her list. ”Let’s grab Bastet! We can get everything we need at the grocery store. The twinkies and pork rinds are the most expensive ingredients, so this won't hurt your purse too much.”

In truth, Suki wanted to take a single girl shopping with her, the looser of Rei's little challenge. But Rei and Willow were fine. It was just a shame the latter was so protective of the former. but an outing with two girls was still an outing with two girls!

Endless Eclipse seemed to understand who the bigger threat was. The hundred or so creatures turned around and charged Nyxia. By this point, some of them were small enough to get vaporized by her lasers instantly. There were still a lot of monsters, but the detention club probably had it under control. Probably.

”FeAsT!” Cried out a hundred tortured voices.The monsters barrelled towards Nyxia like a sea wave. Willow had little difficulty slipping away from the sentient food and lasers. They didn’t even pay Suki and Rei any mind as they walked past them. Suki pulled the hairpin out of her head and returned to her normal form.

”Hey Bastet! Wanna go shopping with Boss Baby and me?”

March of the White Rabbit: A Roll-Your-Own Magical Girl Roleplay

@DarkwolfX37

While Aria was initially pleased at everyone’s excitement, that went away as soon as they started assuming she was going. ”I wasn’t going to go. I figured if Summer went with the lot of you, we could relay information with our divining powers. But if she’s staying, I can go along.” It would give her more time to examine Makoto’s tail, at least. ”Don’t expect much out of me. I’d rather not show up near a Mint operation site. I'll look out while the rest of you search for clues.” She approached the TV. ”As for how you get there, do what pleases you. I prioritize efficiency, as such… Aria stepped through the TV and into the relic detonation site. ”Eh, even this is too close.” She walked away from the aria and out frame for the TV.

But someone else was still in frame.

”If you go to bed with an itchy butt, you’ll wake up with a smelly finger.”

— Wisdom

The anti-cradle relic site was nothing more than an open road with a crater in the center of it. A very deep, very large crater that might have been made by an explosive. But an explosion would have cast the rubble somewhere. It would have rained dirt and stones all over the place, and the ground would have been deformed by the blast. But the dirt here had vanished. Not unlike that time SOMEONE decided to overcity shift most of a cathedral. Sitting in the center of the cradle was Wisdom, legs folded in a meditative position. She had the tip of her thumb in her mouth as her other held a katana. The blade was just far enough out of its sheath for her to see a reflection.

”Hmmm.”

---

It didn’t matter who created the portal. At the first sign of one showing up, Binky and Aurora would rush inside. Once the others arived, the talks continued.

”Alright, we’ve moved.” Binky dusted themselves off. ”What’s left to talk about? I’ll have to get back in touch with Maura, but I’m sure she’d be up for helping with this.”

"I’m sure it’ll be good news from Mint once Chloe returns. For as much time as she spends away from the place, she gets awfully mad when she returns and it’s somehow in worse shape." Aurora nodded at her own comment. "But taking out those eggs should set back their forces quite a bit. But Wonderland will attack again if we can’t do something about their main force. They may seem insurmountable, but there has to be a reason why they’re waiting to attack Penrose. It’s almost like they need the eggs to get the nexus."

Binky held her chin. ”I wonder if Beacon’s ‘death laser’ could be used to take out key targets.”

---

"Now i’m ‘bout to go defcon 3 on Sanctuary."

— Chloe Irving

Chloe Irving

03 03 03 03 03
10 10 06 17 04
23/12 | Babe/Baby | Spirit
Mystic orb, Gauntlets | Third Eye, Focused Assault | Horror(!)
Wings, Enhanced Outfit, Big Damn Hero, Blood Magic, Interdimensional Home, Enhanced Transformation
Dominator | Dark Weapon
Marked(?) ??????????????????????????????

6 Gold, 9 silver, 13 bronze

@Archangel89

After teleporting away, Chloe checked her messages. She didn’t communicate with Mint much for obvious reasons, but she did occasionally receive messages from other parties. The first message was not a number she recognized, but she knew what it was in reference to. She exhaled and promptly deleted the message. That was one problem she could put off till later.

A problem that couldn’t be put off until later was Penny, or “Queen Asimov The Builder” as she so modestly named herself. With none of the others around, Chloe could let her mask slip. She allowed herself to scowl before typing up a reply.

How about instead of wasting more time you tell us what you really

Chloe froze in place. Her annoyance evaporated into a cloud of surprise.

"It’s the only thing that makes sense.“

She didn’t respond, she didn’t delete the message.

…

Oh! She was in Al’s presence, wasn’t she?

Chloe looked at the “girl” that Al had introduced. "Warren James?“ She raised an eyebrow. "Well Al, you did it. You found a girl I’ll have no difficulty keeping my hands off of. I don’t think you have to worry about me taking this one anywhere.“ Warren felt something when the two of them locked eyes. This Chloe girl might have been a junior coin broker, but she was also serving a horror. They couldn’t quite detect a bane, but whatever it was, it was the antithesis of life.

"But yes, I can chat with them a bit later. For now, the deal.“ Chloe placed a rolled up page on Al’s desk before folding her arms. "It’s not exactly good, but you should be happy it happened at all. The fact that we got anyone to agree to it is a miracle.“ With a “hmph,” Chloe looked away. "We can’t do research on Penrose's magical artifacts. They want to give us less territory and gradually expand it so long as we play nice. Kayli wants anyone who’s become corrupted to have the choice to see her and get that fixed. And of course, they want the violence to stop. So no killing, torturing, or anything like that inside Penrose.“ Chloe sighed. "It’s not ideal, but this could work out well for us in the long term. But the interesting part is that Alicia said that Beacon would sign. Who knows what this could mean in the long run?“ She sighed through her teeth. "But the real interesting development happened as soon as I got here. Our budding queen has been rather combative towards the idea of everyone working together. She’s made it apparent she’d rather try to fight wonderland without our help. I understand the sentiment. She has her own spaceship that she can just fly away on whenever she pleases. Sanctuary is Penrose to her. But it becomes a bit more chilling when you take her recent message to me into consideration. Try to see past what she’s asking for, because that’s not why I’m sharing this.“

If you bring me, signed and notarized paperwork stating and confirming the nullification of all Debt for Everyone living withing Sanctuary’s boundaries for the past three weeks, up to and including today.

I’ll be willing to come to the negotiating table in regards to Contract terms for Mint presence in Penrose.

This annulment is not, and will not, be considered as part of the contract at large if you choose to comply. It is simply for you and Al to prove your good will.

I will give you three days to make a decision.

Queen Asimov The Builder.

After Warren and Al had a moment to look at it, Chloe picked up her phone and threw it into an interdimensional door. It faded away seconds later.

"I forgot she had my phone number.“ She was pretty sure Penny hadn’t hacked her phone, but why take a chance? "So yes, she’s giving us three days. Isn’t that a funny time frame?“ Chloe placed her hands on her hips. "How does she know when Wonderland is going to attack? She was practically begging me to give up that information but it seems like she had it the entire time! Is she working for them?!“

March of the White Rabbit: A Roll-Your-Own Magical Girl Roleplay

@DarkwolfX37

Aria was about to fall asleep when she suddenly sat up.

”Oh! I’m sorry. The current situation has me on the edge of my seat, and I can’t wait to see where everyone decides to hold the meeting! It feels like it’ll be months before this is all over and my little heart just can’t take the drama.” It wasn’t clear how Aria was getting her intel, but surely someone could message her about what was going on. Her phone was in her lap, and Binky was a trusted friend of hers. ”But before you go to sleep, Summer, that isn’t really how you feel is it?” She folded her hands together. ”I mean, your condition is related to your specialization. I would think using a red coin, getting a wish, or any other such tool could be used to remedy that with ease. Everyone likes to hate on Penrose because of how violent it can be, but I find it hard to want for anything. If you’re unhappy about anything, you can change it with nary a thought.”

This was one of the few times the smiling gourd member pursed her lips. ”Though it is difficult to be unique in Penrose, or even effective. Just a few hours ago I told Binky that Mariette had made a coin specialist just like her by using a red coin. Can you believe it? Imagine all of the studying and hardships that she had to endure, and someone else got access to that knowledge for free. Poof! They just used a red coin and acquired the knowledge. Initially she felt cheated by this, but do you know what she told me afterwards?” a grin crept onto Aria’s face. ”She said that was fine. She knew the coin maker wouldn’t be able to make anything significant because they hadn’t suffered like she had. It was enduring all that pain and all those setbacks that gave her the drive to see her dream to the end. Sure enough, I haven’t seen any coins appear anywhere.” She pointed at Summer. ”Your situation isn’t all that different. ‘Copycats’ aside, the effort the lot of you put forth is the only reason Kain is here now. Penny wasn’t going to save him, neither was Beacon, Mint, Cradle, or even me. Maybe you didn’t shape the stars, but you did get a small victory for yourself. If it matters to you, the struggles you endeared in your little ‘side plot’ was a hell of a lot more interesting than…” Aria waved her hand at the TV. ”Whatever the fuck this is suppose to be.”

Maybe Summer decided to continue laying down, maybe she had something else to say. Aria wasn’t going anywhere. Or was she? ”It’s so out of character for me to give pep talks. What are the lot of you doing to me?” With a sigh, she folded her arms. ”Anyway! Who wants to see if we can track down Miss ‘All A stat’ Mac? I think there may be some clues where that relic exploded!”

Kurai Majokko

“Mind those teeth!”

— Suki Oyama

Suki groaned when Roche attempted to help set the table. "Can you sit down?” Whatever. Roche might have been trying to needle Suki, but she was doing it in a really subtle and underhanded way. It wouldn’t do to get flustered by her. It was like one of her teachers said: If you don’t react when they push your buttons, they won’t know what buttons to push.

But the bigger issue was their bowls of piping hot, still wiggling Endless Eclipse. They were practically begging to be eaten, but everyone was just looking at their bowls. Nyxia voiced her concern immediately, comparing it to something that came out of the toilet.

"No?” Suki’s tone implied the answer was obvious. "But you know, Pruno is fermented in toilet tanks, and a lot of people go out of their way to try that stuff. So don’t knock it ‘till you’ve tried it!” Her smile perfectly masked her nerves. But her smile only lasted until Roche commented on her food. Suki looked over her shoulder and that was it. Roche was the only one to take a bite. Willow fled, and no one else had done as much as picked up their spoons.

It was going to be one of those nights, huh?

"Alright, here.” Half of the girls were transformed, so what was one more? Suki reached into her skirt ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) and pricked her finger on her tattoo. Then she took her bleeding finger and pressed it against the side of her head. An ornate hairpin jetted out either side of her head, and the hemorrhage briefly covered her body in blood. Oros the Joyful had returned.

Did this offer Suki any advantages while eating? No, but she was way cuter while doing it!

Suki picked up her own bowl and nodded at Nyxia. "I’ll have some first. I bet I can get at least half of the bowl down in one go!” And then she lifted the bowl to her lips.

Some might even say she had kissed her food.

The amorphous blob in her bowl shuttered. "Weird. Miseria usually do that before they backla-” With a bang, Suki’s food exploded all over her face. But most of it coalesced into a single black blob that flew into the pot. In a matter of seconds, the pot seemed like it might boil over. But what eventually emerged was more than the burnt remains of an under prepared meal. A fist larger than the pot reached out and pounded the ground. Then a torso with a mouth on it, a smaller arm, and then some legs. It was almost like watching a group of clowns emerge from a clown car. Now a giant, nightmare version of taz the tasmanian devil emerged from the pot. Endless Eclipse had become sentient.

It looked away from the picnic table to the one escaping on foot. A fool that would excuse themselves without so much as tasting what had been lovingly prepared for them.

”FeAsT…”

With freakish speed, Suki’s casserole charged after Willow. Each step shook Hibusa Town as the behemoth followed after the cat girl.

March of the White Rabbit: A Roll-Your-Own Magical Girl Roleplay

"Out with the new, in with the old."

— Bonnie

@FamishedPants

Samantha’s wandering eventually took her into downtown Penrose. There wasn't much happening at this hour, but she still stayed out of people’s way. Ever the shadow, Samantha did not chance being spotted by enemy magical girls before she spotted them. She stuck to the back streets where the narrow walkways where fewer eyes could see her. It would be a shame to get jumped by a Mint agent right after waking up. As good as she was at hiding, Penrose was the sort of place where nothing stays hidden forever.

A giant tombstone shaped rock fell from the sky. Samantha might have poised herself from an enemy attack, but there was no threat here. The stone's decent slowed untill it was hovering a few feet off the ground. A portal opened on its surface, and a hand reached out to toss a tube into Samantha’s waiting hand.

"You’re my last stop in this city." If Bonny noticed that Samantha looked out of it, she didn’t show it. "My condolences for what happened to Cradle. Here’s hoping things look up in the future."

The portal closed, the stone flew into the sky. It was like Bonny was never there. The only sign she had even been here was the canister that contained a hunt for Samantha.

---

It was a gray day New York. The sky was overcast without a single speck of blue. The steel and concrete buildings were covered in windows, but they reflected no colors. In this chromatic wasteland was a girl in a red cloak. She was walking down mainstreet, which was filled with girls in black. Black outfits, black weapons, but skin as pale as the sky. They parted as the scarlet stranger drew near. She made her way to the other end of the crowd before ascending a podium. They waited for her to speak.

”We've taken the city.”

Three simple words, but it caused the entire to erupt in cheers. Some were so elated that they fired their weapons into the sky. But when the cloaked girl snapped her fingers, all was quiet again. It was as if the city itself ceased moving at her command.

”Garnet Gemini, we have accomplished so much in so little time. But it would not be fair to ignore the accomplishments of Crimson Cradle; a precursor to all we have achieved.” Despite how stoic the girl was, her arms were animated. Not unlike a certain famous German politician. ”The red coin was first conceptualized by a magical girl named Binky. It was her dream, but it wasn’t until she joined Crimson Cradle that she could realize that dream. Without them, her idea would just be a fantasy. But the Cradle gave birth to her desires.” She waved her arm at the masses. ”You used to be nothing more than familiars! Doomed to serve those above your station. You control your own destiny now. Equality is here, and you’re afforded the respect you deserve. The Cradle has been kind to you as well. It’s soaked with the magic of artifacts contained within.” And the magic of magical girls, but that part was unspoken. ”Using the red coin has allowed you to tap into that magic. It took your weakness and replaced it with strength. The energies that surround each and every one of you comes from the Cradle itself!” When she cast her arms into the heavens, the crowd cheered again, but it was less intense this time. ”Others covet your gifts. The greedy and ever displeased were seduced by the red coin. They used it in hopes of forwarding their selfish desires. In doing so, they have forever embedded their soul with traces of the Cradle’s magic. Should they try to stop us, they will only end up joining our ranks. They seek to take what is not rightfully theirs and are taken instead. The Cradle’s power is our power!”

Behind the girl were two other girls. One with an uno aesthetic, and another was a maid with a sniper rifle. The uno girl looked at the maid. ”What’s she doing this for? Aren’t they all-” But then she stopped. ”Eh, never mind.”

The red cloaked girl continued. ”Crimson Cradle became a shadow of its former self, but they did hold the line. The last great thing they did was destroy the Lotus Eater, just hours ago. No one knows what happened to Crimson Cradle's members. Dead or missing, their sacrifice was not in vain. With that artifact out of the way, the time to return to Penrose has come.” She slammed her fist into her open palm. It created a thunder clap that could be felt at the back of the crowd. ”Wonderland wants to make a move for the Nexus, but our smaller force will beat them to it. With the number of red coin users as high as they are, we merely need to arrive and pluck it from the city’s heart. Once it is in our hands, even the gods wouldn't dare try to stop us. The only thing left to answer is this: Who among you is ready to march right now?”

The crowd of magical girls roared like some prehistoric animal. They discharged their weapons, but the scarlet stranger would not stop them this time. She only grinned before turning to face Penrose.

”Onwards! Run amuck! Eliminate our foes with extreme prejudice! Fixing this broken world is but a march away!”

---

To the North: Conquest of the Scarlet Stranger

Slay or drive off the Scarlet Stranger and save Penrose from a hostile takeover! We’ve had enough plots involving mind control and giant armies...

Challenge Rating: SSS+

Notes: This hunt can only be undertaken by a party that contains Finn and/or Samantha. Taking someone who has used a red coin is ill-advised as they will fall directly under Garnet Gemini’s control.

STORYCRAFT: For Roleplayers

Relationships, and why Characters are not People

I am not a romance writer. I have no idea how the advice I’m about to give holds up in a full blown romance RP. But if you want to do a romance subplot or a platonic relationship, this should be effective.

To start, your characters have to want or need something that the other one provides. You might have one character who’s unsure of himself, but capable. You could pair them up with a brazen character who talks a big game, but can’t back it up. They can feed off one another and move closer to their goals. Alternatively, you could make a toxic relationship by pairing a character who wants to be loved with one that wants to control. There isn’t a huge difference between romantic and platonic relationships. Aside from some sexual tension, both types of relationships follow the format of “We benefit from spending time together, thus we do.”

And that’s it, really.

But we’re not here to write relationships, we’re here to write interesting relationships. Anyone who’s been reading along knows my favorite method for creating interest is to have some conflict. The relationship could have internal conflict. Maybe some loser needs to “get gud” to impress the girl of their dreams, or two characters with diametric flaws need to learn how to deal with each other while trying to overcome their weakness. Alternatively, you could have external conflict. Two characters instantly fall in love, but their social status, race, or occupation makes such a pairing undesirable due to external factors. That creates tension outside of the relationship. Not every relationship needs to be founded by flawed characters. You can certainly have “static” characters that had all that development in their background already. But there’s a reason stories about happily married couples don't focus too hard on relationship drama.

You might be tempted to put two characters in a relationship because they fill a dynamic you like. “That cute girl and that serious guy would make quite the couple.” And that might be true. Opposites attract and all that. But it can be hard to work out why these two want to be around each other if they gain nothing out of their union. When the going gets tough, when something better comes along, why do they continue to stick around? It’s fine to have couples with wildly different personalities, but make sure there’s more to it than that.

But not too much more. I’m willing to bet that a lot of new writers want their work to be good. They aren’t afraid to do a little bit of work to make their character more complex. I know some people who try to figure out every detail they can. They will flesh out their character's parents and siblings, even if they never show up in the RP. They’ll create lists of their favorite foods, where they go out to eat, down to their most trivial hobbies. Pets past and present, modes of transportation, irrelevant hobbies. Because all of this extra detail is sure to make a great character. Because characters are people and-

No, no that’s not quite right.

Characters are distilled versions of people. They’ve been stripped of unnecessary fluff so that a story can be told. Rilla, my German steam suit pilot character, would likely order a draft beer if she went out to eat. She does this for no other reason than she’s German and they like the good stuff. If you let me order, who can say what I’ll get? Some days I feel like an Arnold Palmer and other times a water will do. Maybe I want to try something new? This isn’t a problem in real life, but in a RP my actions would be hard to keep up with. Never mind ordering food, these “inconsistencies” in behavior become more baffling during critical moments. If I had to choose which of my friends to prioritize saving from a burning building, I would be expected to panic. No one would assume that who I chose to save had any bearing on my personal feelings. But Rilla would be scrutinized for her choice. Who she chose to save would (and should) be seen as revealing a truth about her character. Not only the readers, but other characters would form opinions based on what she did. This “keep it simple, stupid” mentality also works for relationships. Many have written books on how to get a partner, and they still fail to illustrate the complexity of navigating relationships. That kind of depth isn’t needed or wanted to explain why two people choose to stick together. A simple, logical reason will suffice. We want a story at the end of the day.

Let’s put it all together and give Rilla a boyfriend. We’ll start by listing off her strengths and flaws. Rillia is quite the craftsman. She made her mech suit herself and performs all of her own maintenance. She’s also crafty enough to repair machines that she didn’t personally build. Rilla is fiercely motivated and shows more bravery than anyone else in her squad. She’s not afraid to take charge and doesn’t let setbacks slow her down. Her weaknesses are just as numerous. Rilla’s mech suit may be a sight to behold but her craftsmanship is better than her marksmanship. She also gets a lot of her drive from her desire to avenge her parents, so she’s rather passionate about killing the Italians. Sometimes her actions are more reckless than brave.

Distilled to their simplest elements: Great with steam tech, motivated and brave, angry and a weak fighter, reckless. For a good relationship, we should pick someone that can benefit from her strengths and cover her weaknesses. We’re not looking for the ying to Rilla’s yang, just a few areas of compatibility are fine. We could address her combat ability and bravery with a war hero who suffers from PTSD and feels he can no longer fight. He could teach her and rekindle his fighting spirit. Maybe she encounters a fresh recruit like herself who loves and tolerates everyone, but doesn’t know how to properly maintain his steam tank. Maybe she hits it off with the squad’s operator. He’s lethargic but cool under pressure. These are three very different guys that would all make a great romantic interest for Rilla. They can both grow from one another and will have plenty of tension between them.

So there you have it. I didn’t really cover a whole lot of new stuff here. We just took the basics we already knew and applied it to a complex topic like relationships. The only thing I didn’t explicitly cover is the chemistry between players. The above assumes that you are writing your character's love interest yourself or writing with someone who values good story craft. Theoretically good relationships can still fail to be interesting if the players change how the characters behave. I’ve seen relationships that promise to have strong development fall flat because the players decided that the characters can overlook all of their partner’s flaws. Even ones that run against the character’s morals or logic. So strive to understand your character’s needs, and they’ll never (theoretically) enter a boring relationship.

---

Has it been three months already? I went on a bit of a bender there where I was joining roleplays left and right. Now that most of them have died slowed down I’ll probably get the next one out sooner. I don’t think I’m going to do many more in this style. I have a few more articles on Storycraft left in me. We’ll see how many I have before capping things off with that collaboration tutorial I’ve been putting off for a few years now.

Length of a Roleplay

What do I mean by this?

@DeadDrop

I have no idea.

How long do you think a roleplay should last, not OOC day wise but in terms of content.

@DeadDrop

I find it really hard to separate the two. Generally speaking, most people can stick with an RP for a few months. If you're lucky, you might get a few years if you have your shit together and found dependable players. How much content you can move through an RP depends entirely on how long you can hold your player's interest. I wanted to run a danganronpa RP that was just as long as the games were. Thing is, stuff happens a lot faster when you're playing a videogame Vs making a story. I could have easily gotten together a small team and made a fan game over the run time of the RP. That RP lasted 4-5 years. That was kind of long, and I don't think many people can stay excited about something for that long.

But if you want a formula, I'd say use something like...

(Duration of RP in IRL days) X (Number of posts per player per week) / (Players steadily growing apathy) = Perfect amount of content!

How much content everyone wants to experience before moving onto another RP differs from player to player.

Do you plan acts, sections?

@DeadDrop

Not always at the start of the RP. I tend to think in very broad "strokes" like figuring out what the main "quest" is and what the "game play loop" will be. Then I populate the world with characters, but I don't worry about individual arcs until I'm sure I know what my players want/expect. It would be silly to try and force a romance plot on players that are more interested in making shit dead. It really depends on the RP.

Does everything just flow freely, do you have a general idea of how things will go?

@DeadDrop

I let things flow freely so that I have an idea of how things will go.

The opening acts of my RPs tend to be pretty open and I don't go out of my way to demolish players out of the gate. It's more a chance to observe their play style and see how they tick. Then I can use that to plan a bit further ahead. I also feel like most players are figuring out how to play their characters. Things like the nuances of their behavior aren't something I know until I play my characters for a bit. But I don't do much sandbox stuff. I imagine you'd leave things open for longer.

Kurai Majokko

"I too can bold text and make it really big.”

“But I prefer the big bold flavor of my Suki Special Casserole!^(™)”

— Suki Oyama

Suki exhaled as soon as Roche left the kitchen. There was a lot she could have said about how Roche did things, but there was no reason to. The rule keeper was stubborn and resistant to change. She’d have better luck convincing a mountain to move out of the way. If there was a silver lining, it was that Roche had decided not to beat her up.Suki. Not that a little pain would pose an issue. The bigger problem would be if this snowballed into something bigger. It was too early to tell, but it didn’t seem like there would be any long term ramifications for her actions. Not with Roche at least. She was more concerned with how Nyxia may regard her. Even Suki felt that whole exchange was a lot weirder than it had to be.

But that was an issue for future Suki to worry about. Dinner was ready. It was bad enough that Misoka, Aria, and Roche had all walked in on her. She wasn’t going to give a fourth chance to interrupt her. Everything was poured into a single pot and ready to eat.

"Mmmm.” She put her nose over it. "It smells even better than last time.” She grinned from ear to ear.

---

Suki promised that the meal wouldn’t take long to prepare. Whether she kept her word or not was a matter of opinion. Twenty minutes wasn’t a long time to prepare a meal, but it was a long time to wait if you were expecting something on the level of fast food.Regardless, seeing Suki wander out of the kitchen with a pot of food was sure to please the hungriest of the group. The pot was fairly large, and Suki’s small frame looked a little awkward carrying it. She had a stove mit on each hand and an apron that read “kiss the cook.” Roche might note that Suki wasn’t wearing this while she was in the kitchen, so she must have decided to put it on before coming outside. As Suki got closer to the picnic tables, everyone would fill a chill run through their hearts. It wasn’t unlike what most everyone felt when Rei transformed, but even she could feel an unsettling aura rest over everyone. But there were no rival magical girls to be seen.

"Dinnnnah is served!” Once Suki got to the table, she set down the pot and placed bowls and spoons in front of all the seated magical girls. "Thanks for waiting everyone! It’s still hot, but there should be plenty of ice in those chests if you need to cool it off more.” When Suki pulled the lid off of the pot, the Detention club could swear they smelled a powerful miseria in their vicinity. The sort of thing that even their combined might may not be able to destroy. Somehow, even the darkness of night seemed hollow compared to the bleak presence of what was approaching them. It felt as though some eldritch being was looking at them from just beyond the veil of reality. If Aigorost were to appear, Hibusa town wouldn’t be a bad place to start.

This feeling of unease did not relent when Suki picked up a ladle. With glee, she scooped the contents of the pot into everyone’s bowls. The “food” was almost indescribable. It was hard to believe that something like this could even be made without the assistance of magic. The gelatinous food bubbled and moved, more like a living creature than a proper meal. Had Suki created a miseria?

"I use to call this one the ‘Suki Special,’ but that feels kind of generic. This is a working title, but I’m thinking about calling this dish Endless Eclipse.” She looked at Nyxia. "A-anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it. But don't be afraid to tell me your honest opinion!”

A claw seemed to reach out of the pot, or was that just a trick of the light?

March of the White Rabbit: A Roll-Your-Own Magical Girl Roleplay

"My precious Penny..."

— Chloe Irving

Chloe Irving

03 03 03 03 03
10 10 06 17 04
23/12 | Babe/Baby | Spirit
Mystic orb, Gauntlets | Third Eye, Focused Assault | Horror(?)
Wings, Enhanced Outfit, Big Damn Hero, Blood Magic, Interdimensional Home, Enhanced Transformation
Dominator | Dark Weapon
Marked(?) ??????????????????????????????

6 Gold, 9 silver, 13 bronze

Binky’s eyes jumped between magical girls as they came forward with their requests. She pushed a sigh through her teeth once the conversation came back to the big two. Chloe had made an effort to change how the Mint operated in Penrose. Would that change things?

The way Alicia started her address didn’t make it sound so. Chloe was already rolling her eyes when she mentioned “shady people. But when she got to the end, Chloe looked at Alicia wide-eyed. "Wa- Really?“ Chloe’s cool exterior had broken wide open as she stared at Beacon’s representative. "Oh, uh, heh.“ She straightened out her posture and rubbed the back of her head. "Really? No extra conditions? But you’ll, sign?“ Her voice trailed off into a whisper. Then she placed her hands on her hips. "I mean it’s a pretty good contract, so I can see you wouldn’t want to jeopardize things by making more demands. How about we do a charity thing then, eh? Like let’s have 5% of Penrose Mint’s profits go to a charity of your choosing. Just make sure it’s a good one, because way too many of those are just a scam created by terrorists or billionaires that want even more money. And uh…“ Chloe looked away. "I’m pretty desirable with my new promotion and everything, and I don’t think it would ever work out between us, but I think we should go on one date some time. Just so that we can say there’s no hate between us. It’ll be a fun thing, nothing serious. Are you and the cat still an item? Were you ever an item? A-anyway, just something to think about.“

As cool as Binky tried to be, even she could help but smirk at Chloe’s behavior. But it was warranted. Alicia wasn’t the type to go easy on anyone, but Binky was glad Alicia wasn’t a robot and was capable of changing her mind.

The actual robot wouldn’t budge however.

”Of course.” Binky said under their breath. In the end, nothing could be done to change Penny’s stance on things. She could claim whatever she wanted, but Binky knew that Penny desired her own power and freedoms above all else. Signing a contract that forbid her from fully controlling Penrose even if it saved lives was never in the cards.

"Debt annulment for those presently living at Sanctuary.“

Chloe tossed one end of her scarf over her shoulder. "That’s something I could do. The last thing the Mint wants to do is beat on your gates for debt collection. I think we can agree it’s a waste of everyone’s time. But making debt annulment a permanent feature of Sanctuary is a mistake. Entities will cross dimensions just to stay at your home and you really don’t want that.“ Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Satisfied? I’m sure Mint would be willing to sign this just to have Beacon and the others with us. But it would be nice to keep Mint out of Sanctuary too, wouldn’t it?“

Binky groaned. Of course “proving she wants to better the city” meant “bettering Sanctuary” to Penny.

"Since you’ve chosen to publicly slander me, I would like to explain my side. Keep your back turned to me if you must. You may not like it but words and contracts are all I have right now.“ Chloe smiled, but her eyes were cast at the ground. "It’s not a complete lie when you say I betrayed you. I have disappeared numerous times in the past. I never gave any warning, and I said it would never happen again. But you’re overlooking that I always came back. You forgot to mention the times I helped you. When I invited you into my home, when I saved you from Regina, even when I parted your conflicted souls. You would have met your end numerous times if it wasn't for me. But I never asked for anything in return because you were enough.“ She raised her head. "You probably think you know why I disappeared. It was to acquire power, right? I was there to manipulate and control you, and I only returned when I realized I still needed your help. I don’t blame you for feeling that way. The first time you were probably right. But not the second or third time. Believe it or not, I had decided I wanted us to be together. I was thinking of our future.“ She fret her brow. "But you are Laat'AlOfan’s champion, and leaving his side didn’t change that. Some might say that was part of his plan too. Bit by bit you were cut apart and replaced. Your connections, your body, your soul. You were a living Ship of Theseus and I wanted to put an end to it. But in the end… He won.“ Chloe’s eyes softened. "I couldn’t save my Penny. There isn’t a single part of you that’s remained the same. After everything I still came up short. I don’t hate you. I don’t even know who you are. I’m just disappointed the one person I cared about is gone forever.“ Chloe turned on her heel. She was done looking at Penny. "Aurora.“

"Y-yes!?"

"I need to speak with Al for a moment. I trust you’ll hold the fort while I’m gone?“

"Will do!" Aurora hadn’t even finished speaking before Chloe and Sonia vanished in a flash. Sonia swiftly returned by herself. "Um, well it sounds like the coins are the way to go for me! I’m not really corrupted or anything, but thanks for the offer!" he patted Rose’s shoulder. "I don’t know what it’ll cost, but it’s something I’m interested in. Um, maybe we could talk again after the meeting?" Aurora hung around just long enough to hear Rose’s response before joining everyone else. "I think that the more we move around, the more chances we give Wonderland to find us. If we’re all cool working together, we can just go prepare, right? Information can only get leaked when it’s shared, so if we do our preparation apart, it’ll be harder to figure out what we’re doing. Once we’re all done, we can share what we’ve been working on when they have no time to prepare."

Binky shrugged her shoulders. ”Moving the meeting makes things more complicated for those arriving late. If we want to make sure there are no spies, we just need to make sure everyone here is a familiar face. But if we’re going to move, we should go to Beacon HQ. Their anti-scrying magic is top notch, and we can trust they are invested in Penrose’s protection. What do you think, Alicia?”

"Ah, it might be difficult for Chloe to join us if we do that." Aurora looked to Alicia. "Just because the anti-scrying magic would make it harder to locate everyone. I’m not even sure how you get to Beacon HQ. Not to mention that even though I’m sure she’d love to meet everyone, there might be some issues with a literal broker showing up at a secret location. Regardless, we should pick a location soon. The longer this drags on, the less time we have to prepare."