VitaVitaAR

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

Perhaps it was childish, but after her experience in the dreamworld Fio's patience had worn quite thin. Scowling at the bound Fomorian, she dipped one dainty hand into the dub of water and scooped out out, splashing it directly at her. Not much of it even made it to Cethlann, most of it simply splashed on the floor.

But it was enough to get her feelings across, and make her feel somewhat less irritated.

"You bit through the gag," she said, flatly. It was obvious, but the small witch's mind had been elsewhere when she emerged from the pool and so she hadn't even considered it until she was reminded of just how sharp the Fomorian's teeth looked, "It wasn't particularly durable, so with teeth like yours it wasn't an issue. I guess you couldn't stand not being able to speak, could you?"

Then again, she needed to eat as well.

"I'm going to tell them to serve up whatever they feel like, then," she continued, before returning her attention to whoever was beyond the door.

"The prisoner needs food!" she called, as loudly as she could manage when her throat was still sore, "But don't you dare come in until I tell you!"

With her underclothes soaked, her insurance against someone barging in on her had become a liability. Left with no other options, she removed them and set them aside, thankful once again that the Fomorian was blindfolded and there was no way to see into the room from outside, before setting about to locate the nearest object she could dry herself off with.

@Rune_Alchemist

Echoes of a Moonless Night

"Figures," Akira commented with a frown, when Akio tried the door only to discover it was locked. Had the owner of the apartment actively attempted to make it more difficult for them to conduct their extermination, or had this been done by the grudges? Or was it an effort to keep something inside that hadn't been thought through?

The deceptively boyish young lady's thoughts were interrupted when she noticed inky darkness oozing out from around the frame of the door, looking almost like strands of hair.

"Akiraaaa, there's something really nasty beyond that door...!"

"I don't need you to tell me that!" she hissed at the spirit as her grip tightened on Hanamaru's hilt. With each thud on the door that followed, her body tensed just a little more. She narrowed her senses, focusing entirely on the very moment the door would open. Her left foot slid slowly back as she lowered her stance, eyes fixed firmly on the rattling door.

And then it exploded off of its hinges. Greasy black hair pooled on the floor, like pools of oil, as gangly pale limbs exploded through the air and lashed out towards the assembled attuned.

In the very same instant, Akira leaped back. In the very same motion, Hanamaru left its sheath, a sliver of moonlight cleaving through the air.

Then she landed two meters back.

Alongside her fell one of the pale limbs, trailing almost-black blood before hitting the ground, twitching and writhing. Drawing her blade and swinging in the same motion was practiced technique, one she had done plenty of times before. And this opponent was not trying to protect itself in the least.

Akira had known her strike would be successful the moment the door had been torn from its hinges.

"Blech, cutting through that felt awful!" came the spirit's voice with a loud complaint.

"Oh, please!" responded Akira, irritated as she sized up the grudge. Its form, or at least what could be seen of it, was a mass of vaguely feminine pale arms, surrounded by enormous amounts of stringy, greasy black hair. All of it looked slightly damp, and each of the hands sported chipped and cracked nails, some entirely uprooted.

"Don't tell me this sword hasn't cut plenty of grudges since you decided to possess it, this isn't even the first one I've faced since I started wielding it!" she continued in frustration. There were no obvious points of attack aside from the limbs.

"That doesn't mean I like it!"

Another limb lashed out towards her.

If that was how it was, then she'd have to start cutting. They all would.

This time she swung the blade upwards from a low stance, advancing in the very same moment. She caught the hand between the middle finger and the ring finger and parted it neatly up the middle until she reached the elbow, splattering black ichor to the ground.

@PKMNB0Y@Silverpaw@Vertigo

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

In spite of being surrounded by water, her throat felt dry. The protective sigils covering her body had done there job, but only barely. Her underclothing was soaked through, clinging to her body in a rather embarrassing fashion. Thankfully the only witness was blindfolded, and the person banging on the door hopefully wouldn't come barging through it.

"I-I'm fine!"

Her voice, unfortunately, didn't exactly convey that. Hoarse, and showing signs of her exhaustion, Fio stood up shakily, gulping in air. In spite of being completely soaked, she rather felt as if she needed a warm bath.

The Goddess of the Deep Lake. The eye that had fixed upon her.

There was much to think about. But more immediately, she had gained quite a bit of knowledge of the Fomorian and her interactions. The fact that she had been tied to the bizarre-three armed warrior, her name, the actions they'd been undertaking leading up to her capture...

The Sword Witch took a deep breath. If only it didn't feel like her throat was so raw.

She sighed.

"You may be a Fomorian, but starving a prisoner is something only a monster would do," she said, stepping out of the tub. Her bare feet felt cold on the prison floor, all the moreseo due to the water coating her.

She had to dry off and gather her clothing before the person outside barged in...

"... You'll get something to eat, Cethlann," continued Fio, giving the bound Fomorian a sideways glance, "And maybe I'll pass on a request for a specific meal if you tell me just how you tore away that gag."

@Rune_Alchemist

Urban Starlight Wonderland: Tokyo Stardust, a team-based magical girl RP!

Become a Star of Justice, and Light up the Sky with Hope

The streets reflected orange. From the concrete, the glass and steel of buildings, as the sun slowly began to sink more and more of it was colored in. The throngs of people in the streets heading to and from work, to get food, to unwind. Some people were looking to have fun, others were looking to desperately unwind from the stresses they dealt with throughout today. For some people, it was minor problems, like simply not getting in line when they wanted or worrying about a quiz. For others, they had to deal with an overly-harsh boss or even fellow students bullying them.

A cauldron of human emotions.

In one case, a particular salaryman's resentment for his boss was threatening to boil over and explode. Pressured on work, facing long hours, it was all getting to him the more and more time he spent at his job this week. And all of that frustration was currently targeted squarely at the man in charge right now. He'd manage to calm down, and perhaps realize his situation wasn't quite as bad as it initially appeared, as the night wore on.

But those strong negative feelings wouldn't simply vanish.

They would go to join others, in dark places.

And some particularly powerful negative emotions had been building up for a little while now.
In these dark places, these negative feelings would coalesce.

Merging, twisting together, uniting into physical forms. Dangerous forms. Creatures that could cause dangerous thoughts to linger in the minds of humans by their mere presence, to amplify the negative feelings that they were already experiencing. The stronger they got, the more this influence grew. And that wasn’t all. When these creatures fully manifested, they were able to affect the world physically. To attack human beings directly.

But that was why they were here.

It wasn’t just negative feelings. Joy. Hopes. Dreams. One could call them warriors who stood for these kinds of things. The young girls who fought to protect the people of Tokyo from the shades manifesting from their darker thoughts and emotions.
Magical Girls.

And in this starlit city, many magical girls were selected to fight for its people. It was a necessity, simply due to the number of human beings living in a place like this.

And in some cases, these girls decided to work together.

As the sun sank lower and lower, one such group was already on its way to meeting.

Shinjuku had recently seen an unusual rise in the number of shades appearing at night. The shadowy, abnormal figures had been congregating in the ward and its neighbors with increasing frequency, in larger groups then they had been doing so prior. It wasn't as if there was any obvious swell in negative emotions, but something had to explain the rise in their numbers, didn't it?

It was only fitting that they’d picked the Shinjuku Gyeon National Garden as their meeting spot. The green grasses and shaded spots provided by the many trees and other flora made for a natural spot in an otherwise bustling part of the city. Even if they didn’t spend much time admiring the scenery, they’d at least be somewhere that was nice.

It was time to plan their next move.

@Ammokkx@Shiyonichi@Rune_Alchemist@King Cosmos@Raineh Daze

I Reincarnated into the World of an Otome Game, But———?! (Now Accepting)

• Name: Anne Marielle(that's the heroine's name?!)
• Age: 16(oh no...)
• Appearance: "This would be awkward enough without everything else!"
• Gender: Female(aaaah)
• Personality: Matsuoka Ryouji is not happy with this situation. Suddenly remembering her original age and name the day of entry into Starveil was a traumatic experience at best, realizing not only was she a girl now but she was the heroine of Cross Heart Academy on top of it. She has absolutely no interest in any of the romantic routes and is desperate to avoid them. After all, regardless of what she is now, she was a straight man prior to reincarnation.
  
  A bunch of varied bishonen are not on her list of romantic interests. A sarcastic and easily-exasperated person, Anne was quick to comment on things that bugged her about the game's world and characters in her past life and she is still liable to do so now. She's also quite concerned with what the future may hold, given her experience with the game itself. Of course, no matter her past memories and experiences, it can be denied that she is also the game character, Anne Marielle, in addition to Matsuoka Ryouji. Some of Cross Heart Academy's Heroine's kindness and willingness to help others has almost certainly remained, perhaps due to the fact that in spite of Ryouji's bitter attitude he wasn't completely without those impulses in the first place.
  
  The fact is that ultimately, Anne's attitude isn't exclusively informed by her past life's memories and experiences, even if those take the forefront. New personal connections are something she cherishes deep down, both due to Ryouji's loss of the few he had in his old life and Anne's friendly and caring disposition. Perhaps it's also due to the fact that, despite her many negative comments about the game's cast, she truly can't say she disliked any of them, especially as the writing got stronger towards the middle and end of the plot. Still, she is absolutely not interested in any of the game's romantic routes. Flags are to be avoided at all costs.
• Abilities/Skills: Lacking in many practical skills save maybe decent cooking ability, it's likely the designers of the game wanted Anne not to excel in too many things to avoid her starting to feel a little far away from the average person. However, it is later revealed that she has incredibly impressive magical power and an aptitude for holy spells, something she is already aware of due to her previous life.
• History: Matsuoka Ryouji was something of a loner, a young university student who had never really had many friends in life. But he did have some positive relationships, and in spite of a rather bitter attitude he got on very well with his young high-school age sister. Even if their relationship wasn't always smooth, it turned out that they had a similar sense of humor in spite of her far brighter and cheerier demeanor, and her interest in video games(primarily otome games) was useful for his desire to get into game development.
  
  This is likely why she came to him with an otome game she was struggling with, due to a surprising difficulty spike towards the midpoint. Ryouji spent much of the early game mocking the writing choices and decision trees, but as things went on he did come to like the characters as the writing grew stronger. And when the game transitioned from a pure VN to a remarkably challenging SRPG with surprisingly engaging story beats, he couldn't deny he was actually enjoying his time with the game. Eventually he beat it alongside his sister, and while he didn't exactly want to say he liked an otome game that much it was difficult to deny it. Unfortunately for Ryouji, a car accident would end his current life when he used his own body to shield his sister's. She survived, but he did not, and...
  She would wake up as the sixteen-year-old Anne Marielle, protagonist of the otome game she had completed the day prior.
• Original Role and Background: Anne Marielle is friendly, kind, and mildly airheaded girl from a very minor, barely-existent noble family with no prestigious history and basically no reptutation, that was in decline already due to the death of her father and loss of a considerable amount of wealth. Considered a commoner in the eyes of the other students who only entered the school due to what they perceived as pity, her life at the academy life started with her being disregarded and bullied. However, due to her kindness and willingness to help others, she found herself attracting the attentions of a certain set of male students...
  From there, in Ryouji's case, things escalated into a rather emotionally intense and dramatic route culminating in a a battle that decided the fate of the world.
• Other:

I Reincarnated into the World of an Otome Game, But———?! (Now Accepting)

• Name: Anne Marielle(that's the heroine's name?!)
• Age: 16(oh no...)
• Appearance: "This would be awkward enough without everything else!"
• Gender: Female(aaaah)
• Personality: Matsuoka Ryouji is not happy with this situation. Suddenly remembering her original age and name the day of entry into Starveil was a traumatic experience at best, realizing not only was she a girl now but she was the heroine of Cross Heart Academy on top of it. She has absolutely no interest in any of the romantic routes and is desperate to avoid them. After all, regardless of what she is now, she was a straight man prior to reincarnation.
  
  A bunch of varied bishonen are not on her list of romantic interests. A sarcastic and easily-exasperated person, Anne was quick to comment on things that bugged her about the game's world and characters in her past life and she is still liable to do so now. She's also quite concerned with what the future may hold, given her experience with the game itself. Of course, no matter her past memories and experiences, it can be denied that she is also the game character, Anne Marielle, in addition to Matsuoka Ryouji. Some of Cross Heart Academy's Heroine's kindness and willingness to help others has almost certainly remained, perhaps due to the fact that in spite of Ryouji's bitter attitude he wasn't completely without those impulses in the first place.
  
  The fact is that ultimately, Anne's attitude isn't exclusively informed by her past life's memories and experiences, even if those take the forefront. New personal connections are something she cherishes deep down, both due to Ryouji's loss of the few he had in his old life and Anne's friendly and caring disposition. Perhaps it's also due to the fact that, despite her many negative comments about the game's cast, she truly can't say she disliked any of them, especially as the writing got stronger towards the middle and end of the plot. Still, she is absolutely not interested in any of the game's romantic routes. Flags are to be avoided at all costs.
• Abilities/Skills: Lacking in many practical skills save maybe decent cooking ability, it's likely the designers of the game wanted Anne not to excel in too many things to avoid her starting to feel a little far away from the average person. However, it is later revealed that she has incredibly impressive magical power and an aptitude for holy spells, something she is already aware of due to her previous life.
• History: Matsuoka Ryouji was something of a loner, a young university student who had never really had many friends in life. But he did have some positive relationships, and in spite of a rather bitter attitude he got on very well with his young high-school age sister. Even if their relationship wasn't always smooth, it turned out that they had a similar sense of humor in spite of her far brighter and cheerier demeanor, and her interest in video games(primarily otome games) was useful for his desire to get into game development.
  
  This is likely why she came to him with an otome game she was struggling with, due to a surprising difficulty spike towards the midpoint. Ryouji spent much of the early game mocking the writing choices and decision trees, but as things went on he did come to like the characters as the writing grew stronger. And when the game transitioned from a pure VN to a remarkably challenging SRPG with surprisingly engaging story beats, he couldn't deny he was actually enjoying his time with the game. Eventually he beat it alongside his sister, and while he didn't exactly want to say he liked an otome game that much it was difficult to deny it. Unfortunately for Ryouji, a car accident would end his current life when he used his own body to shield his sister's. She survived, but he did not, and...
  She would wake up as the sixteen-year-old Anne Marielle, protagonist of the otome game she had completed the day prior.
• Original Role and Background: Anne Marielle is friendly, kind, and mildly airheaded girl from a very minor, barely-existent noble family with no prestigious history and basically no reptutation, that was in decline already due to the death of her father and loss of a considerable amount of wealth. Considered a commoner in the eyes of the other students who only entered the school due to what they perceived as pity, her life at the academy life started with her being disregarded and bullied. However, due to her kindness and willingness to help others, she found herself attracting the attentions of a certain set of male students...
  From there, in Ryouji's case, things escalated into a rather emotionally intense and dramatic route culminating in a a battle that decided the fate of the world.
• Other:

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fanilly's only response when Velbrance continued to speak was a sharp intake of breath, her hands clenching again. Ultimately, no matter how it had been a death in the line of duty, it was true that Sir Rickert shouldn't have died. But he had nonetheless.

The Lord's words served only to remind her of something she had to do all she could to avoid repeating.

When he extended his arm, the Knight-Captain hesitated for a moment. While his words had not been the most cheerful, her memories of Lord Velbrance when they were both children were not unpleasant. He had been polite to her, after all, and they had met a few times at functions held by their families. Surely, there was no harm in having him accompany her in such a manner.

And yet, she was the Captain of the Iron Rose Knights. It wasn't suitable for her to be taken by the arm such as the average noble maiden might be by a suitor. She was a knight. She was the highest authority in an order once lead by a Saint.

She had to conduct herself as such.

"Thank you for the offer, Lord Velbrance," she began, her tone apologetic but as firm as she could manage, "I don't mind if you accompany me, but it's unsuitable for the Knight-Captain to arrive on the arm of another."

Before she could approach the Princess, however, she paused when she realized Sir Renar and one of the Crown Knights(who bore him some resemblance) had apparently arranged to perform an exhibition duel for the benefit of their host. She hadn't been informed? Why hadn't Sir Renar mentioned as much to her?

Regardless, it was certainly a show of skill. Though, somehow, she found herself worried that Sir Renar's treatment of his opponent was perhaps more intense then should have been warranted. And she was certain murmuring had spread through the crowd. Perhaps they agreed with her assessment?

Still, it was concerning it hadn't been mentioned to her... She'd had to speak with him later.

@Raineh Daze

---

It was around this moment, at the conclusion of the duel, that Cecilia may have caught a far-too-familiar face among the crowds. A young woman, only two years her junior. A familiar head of bright, crimson hair. Blue eyes, gleaming slightly in the light of the hall. A lovely green dress adorned with frills and ribbons.

She was eyeing the dual, beside a handsome young man with dark skin and jeweled clothing of a style unfamiliar in the lands of Thaln or even its neighbors. It was likely he was the son of a Asharaad diplomat or merchant, invited to the ball alongside his father. Perhaps he had come along with the redheaded girl. Perhaps he had met her there and struck up conversation.

But there was no way Cecilia would fail to recognize who her eyes had fallen upon while dancing.

Annika Autmere.

@Rune_Alchemist

---

Of all the things Sir Fleuri likely expected during his dance with the 'Lady Cteline', it was unlikely he expected what came next.

Somehow, no-one seemed to notice her until now. Perhaps some had spotted the tall hat bobbing through the crowds, but she had gone largely unmentioned.

Suddenly she was there.

Tugging at the Flower of the North's sleeve. If he chose to look, he would be greeted with the sight of a pale, green-eyed young girl with dark, shiny hair. She had soft, rounded features, perhaps what one might expect when imagining an endearing young girl. The only truly unusual thing was the ill-fitting travelling outfit she wore. While it was perfectly clean, a tall and wide-brimmed hat with an oversized jacket and long skirt probably wasn't what most people would approve of as party wear. She looked up at Sir Fleuri, pausing only a moment to glance towards the disguised Lein before she spoke.

"I can't find the sweets," she began, frowning, "There's so many adults and I just get turned around, can you help me? Pleeeease?"

She seemed to have no idea she was talking to a pair of Knights.

@PigeonOfAstora@Crimson Paladin

I Reincarnated into the World of an Otome Game, But———?! (Interest Check)

Interest.

Bible of Ichor: Septet for the Dead

My, this facade was quite bothersome, wasn't it? Aleksiya wondered why she had even adopted it in the first place. Perhaps it had made it somewhat easier to get in, but now that they were there, it was frankly more frustrating then ever to maintain. Stepping away from her companions, the small vampire ran her fingers through her lengthy hair.

It was time to drop it.

"Aleksiya," she introduced herself, "Aleksiya Ravennart. I'm quite pleased to be meeting the one in charge around here."

Smiling pleasantly, she dropped into a curtsy. Certainly, someone with this level of authority would not have been of important political consideration prior to her death, but in this scenario it was important to speak with him. Aside from that matter, merely because he wouldn't have been an important political figure didn't mean that he wasn't completely beneath any consideration. There was no-one in this world who was not beneath her save for those who stood as her compatriots(at least, some of them) and Ichor above her. But consideration to those beneath her made everything run smoother, prevented reckless abuse of the undeserving, and made it far easier to enjoy herself.

And in this situation, it could only lead them to more blood. Frankly, Aleksiya would have liked to take a new thrall as well, but that would have to wait for a good opportunity.

There was that other matter she'd have to attend to, as well...

But first, the most immediate concerns. Dragan had the right idea, certainly. Their first major human contact with any organization, as woefully shabby as their surroundings were, was in clear need of assistance. Simply waiting out these beasts was merely surviving rather than thriving, and while surviving was the first step that didn't mean that they could not be assisted in doing better.

"These beastmen," she continued, "Do you know where they come from? I'm certain I've seen their remains on the way here. What are their numbers like? Their strength? I'm curious, to say the least."

@Rune_Alchemist@Asuras@Psyker Landshark

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

"Kyaaa, it's Princess Elisandre!"

The voices of two of the three noble girls cried out their delight practically in unison, but Violette simply sighed at the dramatic exaltation of her companions. Still, even she was eyeing the princesses, admiring the manner in which the elder Princess's dress shimmered in a manner unlike fabric should be capable of.

"Have you heard? Have you heard? They say an elven seamstress made her dress," exclaimed Tenessa eagerly, "And her jewelry was from the horde of a dragon!"

One of those rumors was far more likely than the other. It was true that Thaln's crown had originated from the horde of a dragon, recovered long ago when the winged terror laid slain, it was unlikely that the same held true for the jewelry that adorned the First Princess. Still, its quality could not be ignored.

"I heard it was dwarves," commented Angenese, laughing slightly at her friend's fanciful proposal andreplying with a considerably more likely one, "They're not very pretty themselves, but they can make beautiful jewelry."

"Maybe it was the dwarves who made it, and it was found in a dragon's horde?! Ah, ah, Sir Knight, have you ever seen a dragon?!"

Violette merely sighed once more, though her eyes still remained on the elder Princess.

@HereComesTheSnow

---

"My, you flatter me, Sir Knight, Dame Serenity," the Princess replied, placing one hand to her chest, "But even royalty should respect the work of the brave souls who defend these lands."

Something about the way she spoke seemed almost pointed, but it was almost certainly not directed at anyone who was present.

"To be honest, I'm simply excited to meet the Iron Rose Knights," continued the Princess, "While you may be new to the Order, your history is storied to say the least! And you slew such a monstrous killer for the sake of our people so recently."

She paused a moment.

"Ah, forgive me," she commented, apologetically, catching herself before she became too excited, "It's simply that the last time I was in the presence of Knights of your order, I was quite small. Younger then dear Maletha is now."

She took another deep breath, in a bid to steady herself once again.

It was at this moment that Veilena took the opportunity given to her by Serenity to step forward.

"It's lovely to see you again, your highness," the young noblelady said, curtsying and bowing her head, "I was quite pleased when I received your invitation."

"Ah, Lady Cazt, I'm glad to hear it," the Princess smiled as she spoke, "I trust you haven't encountered any unpleasant behavior?"

"Of course not, your highness," Veilena replied, her voice growing just a little louder as she spoke, "After all, only cowards would simply stand by and whisper in hushed voices at the presence of a guest invited by a member of the royal family. Anyone with any self-respect would at least say such things to my face."

If the Princess understood the Cazt heir's intent, it didn't show on her features. But perhaps she simply intended as much.

The younger princess was far less talkative then her older sister, though she was peering up at the knights wordlessly as she stood by. The moment anyone looked in her direction, however, she was quick to avert her eyes. It was only when Sir Fionn knelt in front of her that she found herself looking directly at someone.

She was hesitant to respond for a few moments, glancing up towards her sister. But Maletha eventually slowly reached out with one hand.

"I-it's nice to meet you, Sir Knight," she said, speaking quite a bit more quietly then Elisandre, "My, there, um, certainly are a lot of guests tonight..."

@ERode@VahkiDane@The Otter

@Raineh Daze@Rune_Alchemist@Psyker Landshark@PigeonOfAstora@Crimson Paladin@Psychic Loser@Richard Horthy