And look, a cute girl came to talk to Camilla! I bet she'll be happy to swap her dwarf smoking conversational partner for this new, shiny and substantiually better-smelling one!
Women really do just wish all men under 6' would die, huh? XD XD XD
Zeroth
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Say "thanks," when they compliment you and smile. Watch more of what's going on around you instead of staying inside your head. If eye contact's hard, stare at her forehead.
14 days ago
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14 days ago
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Say "thanks," when they compliment you and smile. Watch more of what's going on around you instead of staying inside your head. If eye contact's hard, stare at her forehead.
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28 days ago
@ColdAtlus: Cheems.
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1 mo ago
If commissioning an artist isn't possible, could look into using AI and then editing what it puts out. Lots of ppl are salty about AI art so maybe use a disclaimer, but it's an option.
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2 mos ago
1-liners become impossible if you actually write. What're your characters' 5 senses picking up? What emotions/thoughts do they have as they speak? What body language do they show? No bulli, just fact.
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2 mos ago
In the AI era, you can only get ghosted if you choose to be.
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Bio
On CST time, United States. Typically busy most of the week and do most posting/replying on weekends.
Most Recent Posts
Women really do just wish all men under 6' would die, huh? XD XD XD
Went ahead and put in an update, since it's still mostly just interactions. I'd like my next update to be a full GM post though, moving into the start of the exams, so don't feel pressured to extend any interaction past what feels natural!
If anyone who hasn't made their intro yet needs help with a summary of events, or suggestions on how to slip in, etc, just let me know!
If anyone who hasn't made their intro yet needs help with a summary of events, or suggestions on how to slip in, etc, just let me know!
@ERode
As Kreszenz escaped her awkward encounter with the servant boy, his noble master, and the seemingly dull-witted giant trodding alongside them, she found herself with an aerial view of the coliseum road. Traveling from rooftop to rooftop would get her ahead of the lines quite easily, but on the last building before she would need to drop to ground level once again, something stopped her. Apparently, she wasn't the only one to have this idea.
Crouched at the lip of the roof was a young woman who, had she been standing straight, would be quite tall for a lady. Her body, too, was packed with defined muscle, especially her shoulders and back. She wore hunters' leathers, a cutoff-shirt and pants made from buckskin along with a thick, brown fur vest. Before Kreszenz had even approached her, the girl seemed to sense her presence and turned to face her without rising from her perch. The allure of glittering amber eyes and a delicate face were somewhat thrown off by her grin; she was missing one of her top teeth on the right side. Her black hair was wild in the front, but bound into a long braid at the back.
"Howzzit goin'?" she chirped at the incognito noble, waving her hand in greeting. "You scopin' out the competition too?"
@Xaltwind
As Camilla entered the Coliseum proper, she would find it a rather plain structure despite its grandiose size. More officials stood within the entrance chamber just beyond the portcullis, directing the applicants and the audience in different directions. Those who were only here to see the spectacle were directed to one of two hallways on either side of the main path, which would rise up via stairs and ramps to the seating areas. The applicants, on the other hand, would proceed under another set of iron bars, before passing through two great double-doors. Camilla, and a hundred other hopeful prospects, stepped onto the arena floor.
She saw that same flash of red hair from before, bobbing up here and there among the crowd. But where she stood, it seemed there were a few others doing their best to stand out as well.
A young man with long, straight blue hair hanging over a furrowed brow stood with his arms crossed. Intense gray eyes set in narrow sockets glared at the upper levels of the coliseum--particularly, at a balcony where nine high backed chairs sat. A thin duelist's scar marred the left side of an otherwise perfectly smooth, chiseled face. He wore a teal vest over a white turtleneck, and navy leggings tucked into black, fur-lined boots. An elegant rapier hung at his side--as did a whole crowd of apparent admirers.
"This test will be a cinch for you, Alwin-sama!" giggled a preppy girl pressing herself to his side. "I hope we end up in the same squad!"
"Hah! As if anyone will even pick you! Alwin-sama, don't you think we'd look good in matching knight robes?" countered another from the other side. A third got into the mix somewhere, but it looked like a couple of male cronies were present as well, just like that pompadouche outside. The apparent object of their affections, however, never responded to any of them.
"Makes ya sick, don't it?" said a rough voice nearby Camilla. The man it belonged to was short, yet thickly muscled beneath his dark red doublet. A pair of riding boots rose to the knee of his beige trousers, their spurs still jingling as he shifted his weight. A flick of his thumb produced a flame to light a cigarette, which he drew from while meeting Camilla's eyes. Black, shoulder-length hair in a tight ponytail revealed an angular, serious face with small, dark eyes. His nose was slightly crooked, and he had the beginnings of five o'clock shadow. Pursing his lips to one side, he blew the cloud of smoke upward before flicking the ash down.
"Gunnar Einsley." he introduced himself, holding out a rough palm to Camilla. "And if ya don't mind me sayin' so, you are the definition of high class." He winked at her as he brought the cigarette back to his lips.
@Expllo@Databug
As Hikari and Kohra exchanged words, then made their own way towards the coliseum gates, they would be able to see the aftermath of the pompadour-styled noble as Camilla left him hanging like wet laundry.
"...You hear that, boys?" The noble slowly turned to his two lackeys, before throwing an arm over each of them as they engaged in a huddle like some kind of sports team. "She's gonna go freshen up for me! I do believe I have her, as they say, in the bag!"
"Yeah, big bro! She was eyeing you up, I saw it!"
"Did ya see the way she was shaking her hips!? She wants him bad!"
"Dohohohoho!" Pompadour chortled as he threw his head back. One could practically see his nose growing with pride. "Well, don't fret too much, boys! I'm sure we can find a few more nice wenches for the two of you--there's got to be a few good-looking commoners out and about, as many of them have swarmed the city today!" His cronies joined in the laughter, shaking each other back and forth with much patting of the backs as boys are wont to do.
@imia Of course, this meant the three of them weren't paying any attention at all to the crowd around them...
Meanwhile, trailing Hikari and Kohra from a different direction, was a girl currently chewing on the hem of her own dress (luckily, the white shift beneath preserved her modesty). Her eyes blazed with hatred as they locked onto the young woman at Hikari's side, completely unnoticed by the other two applicants.
"Who is that hussy!? How dare she touch his arm so...so...so callously!" Elyssa hissed, a gust of cold air rolling off her like heavy fog. Others in the crowd were giving her a wide berth, and a few of them even crossed themselves with a prayer under their breaths...
@Remram
"O-oh, um, it's...it's okay, really! I'm the one who should apologize!" Maverick held his hands up in supplication as Ludo and Isvelt expressed their guilt over their quick judgments. "Besides, I'm, I'm used to it...I am really big and clumsy, after all..." He rubbed his arm self consciously as the three of them proceeded down the road. At the offer of glasses, however, he suddenly brightened up. Grabbing Isvelt's whole forearm with his palms, Maverick "shook hands" the way a gorilla shakes a snake to death.
"R-really!? Oh gosh, oh wow! Mr. Isvelt--no, Lord Isvelt, you're so kind! I don't know how to thank you enough!" With a sniffle, he wiped a tear away from his eyes as he positively beamed at his two newfound friends.
When Ludo bumped into Kreszenz, and the noblewoman started charging up some kind of electrical magic, Isvelt once again jumped behind his manservant in the case of any violence--and the huge Maverick jumped behind the nobleman, sticking out like a comically sore thumb as he shook with an audible rattling noise like some kind of small dog.
Luckily for them, however, it seemed this lady had a flair for the dramatic as well as a forgiving heart. She disappeared over the rooftops in a crackling flash. As Maverick stared up after her, a bright red blush crept over his granite-like face.
"...She should be careful going up high like that. People m-might see her, her p-p-puh, puh, puh p-panties..."
@Th3King0fChaos
"Shoo amf!" Bryant confirmed through the last mouthful of his pretzel, giving Illios a thumbs up and a wink. As he gulped, then shifted the towering kebab of various meats, he nodded at Illios's own badge. "I'm from Kokki, right on the edge of the Common Realm and the Forsaken Realm! What about you, huh?" They walked side by side towards the portcullis, past the odd sight of a giant following two other boys, and coming up on what seemed to be some kind of huddle session among three nobles, one of whom had a rather outlandish hairstyle.
"What's your name? Where ya from?" Bryant took another huge bite, juice from the meat drizzling down his chin. "Ann whash yore majjick laik?"
@Duthguy
"No money?! We-he-heelll, that means we're in the same boat, m'lad!" the old man chortled. "How's about this, huh? You give me a name, and if I don't already know it, I give you a name! Maybe even yours? Or..." The informant shrugged, and twirled his graphite stick between his fingers. "Maybe, I cut you a little credit, and if you make it into the Knights, you can pay me back later? Huh? How's that for ya?"
The man again looked around as if expecting to shoo away eavesdroppers, then back to Albie.
"I'm tellin' ya, I got good stuff here! If you come up against any of these folks, don't you wanna know what kind of magic they use? What kind of training these noble brats get? It's only fair, ain't it--you and me, we're Commoners, we gotta use our brains to even the scales if our Mana can't do it for us..."
@SilverPaw
As Solveig proceeded up the streets, she would see many sights that hadn't been here the last time she'd visited Kikka. Other mages around her age, of all sizes and shapes, were steadily proceeding towards the coliseum. Some of them had armfuls of food in hand as they chatted amicably, others stood out by their great size, and she even saw one girl suddenly leap onto a rooftop!
There was also a guy whose stall didn't seem to be doing well, yelling that he had "Anything and Everything, On-a-Stick!"
But as she walked, the noblewoman would also see another odd character moving in the opposite direction as the rest of the crowd, despite having an applicant's badge of his own. Gray, frizzy hair hung over a long, sallow face with hollow blue eyes set in dark sockets. A small patch of freckles sat over each pale cheek, as the figure smiled creepily at a glowing blue flask of liquid in his hands. The man had a tall and athletic build, but walked with a wide gait and hunched shoulders. Under his breath he seemed to be laughing to himself.
He ducked into an alley, uncorked the potion, and began chugging it down...
should the player characters have any insight or knowledge of the Magic Knight Orders and their current reputation/standing in the kingdom? Or are we going with everyone being an Asta, and having absolutely no idea about anything regarding the Knights? ^^
What most people would know about them, unless you choose to have your character be less informed (which, just saying, would make sense to not know EVERYTHING), will be introduced along with the captains themselves. The "big three" of Golden Dawn, Silver Eagles, and Crimson Lions would probably be more known among the nobility for sure, while Green Mantis, Coral Peacock, and Black Bulls would likely have more widespread reputations among commoners at this point in time. And there are probably lots of fanclubs for Blue Rose scattered around, lol.
Want me to fetch the original Mighty Morphing Power Rangers OP too? xD
Joke's on you, I was listening to that (and every other season's OP) on my way to the gym this morning! They STILL slap (except, imo, Mystic Force and Operation Overdrive). RANGERS, FOREVER!
@Databug No worries, I'm waiting for several people in-between posts and trying to pace things out so that everyone gets an introduction and some interactions in before the actual exam starts. If you're interacting player to player instead of player to GM/NPC, though, my recommendation would be to either do a collab over PM, or just allow others to post in between your responses (Think A > B > C > D > A > E > B instead of A>B>A>B>A>B>A)
And what Xaltwind said about the Exam is pretty much spot on, the only difference is that the tests I've planned out are slightly different to the ones in canon--after all, anyone familiar with the series would've already seen those! ;)
I didn't actually expect Hikari to affect Elyssa in that way. I'm rooting for her.
Just out of curiosity with no underlying motive whatsoever by the way...does Hikari sleep near any windows, perchance?
The lad is truly courting death.
He has been bewitched by a jade-like beauty! Unfortunately, he has no bamboo in his chest! Trashes will only ever be trashes.
The Official OP for the RP!
Oh God it wasn't this bad in my mind! What have you done?! What have you done to my pristine childhood memories?!
@ERodeDid she only pick the rope? You can take one of each--a piece of armor, a weapon, and a tool. Sorry if the wording wasn't clear, it's meant to be like a "starter kit" kinda thing.
Ey Zeroth, mind going over what the reward is, so I can attach it as part of my post? Esfir's otherwise going to head off to the mountains to figure out the whole water situation.
Upon approaching the warchief's home, Esfir will see Xolkug and another bodyguard standing at the foot of the stairs. When presented with the rat skull, they'll take her up to the first platform and retrieve a big chest from inside the lower chambers, as well as a sack. They dump the sack out to reveal a pile of generic clothes made from pelts, and open the chest to reveal an assortment of gear (anything too big is just stacked against the wall in the back of the chamber).
Esfir and any other runt will get 1 outfit from the pile (player can describe appearances) that grants, overall, a small boost to their defenses like Esfir's makeshift bracers and Akeno's vest.
Otherwise, they can choose 1 item from each of three other "piles" of gear:
OH no, Tubs McFoodbag's gonna get it! D:
However will the orange haired, frckle-faced man-child with an appetite for absolutely everyhign
Also, I'm just now noticing this, but the guy with the carrot top wasn't the one going from stall to stall. He was the one "barging through the crowd with seemingly no care for anyone." The one with all the food is the one Illios interacted with.
Kikka - Coliseum Road
@Xaltwind@Databug@Expllo
As Hikari approached the shy girl and basically forced her forward in the line, she let out a squeal and looked back at him like a frightened animal. Her long, wavy chestnut hair hung over a face with fine features, but anguished eyes. She wore a long sleeved white shift and a plain, dark blue dress over a lean frame, but aside from that it was hard to make out much about her form. Her posture was somewhat hunched and she held both of her arms close to her body, as if hugging herself.
"I-I-I-I-I'm s-s-s-s-sorry!" She practically hyperventilated on the spot, until she realized Hikari was helping her instead of shoving past her like everyone else had. As he spoke, all she could do was stand in place, shivering and wringing her hands, and then nod when he finished. She turned around, and straightened up a bit. With visible effort, she gave the official her information--
"I-I'm Elyssa Barnfield. F-F-from S-Sosshi...F-fifteen..." She flinched when the man handed her the badge. Numbly stumbling out of the line, she simply stared it for several moments...before a big smile broke out over her face. She turned back to Hikari as he was given his own badge, and seemed like she was about to say something.
Then he turned and walked swiftly away without a word. Her outstretched hand fell, and she settled for holding her badge to her chest and sighing wistfully. As she did, the next person in line got their badge as well and strode past her, bumping her shoulder hard in their rush.
"Get outta the w--" They bit their remark back as Elyssa turned to them with a new glare in her eyes. She held up one hand, fingers curled into a claw, as a sudden, bone-chilling breeze swirled around her. The shadows cast from her hair gave her an outright menacing look, causing the boy to shrink back.
"No, you get out, maggot!" she hissed. The other applicant held his hands up submissively as he backed away, one careful step at a time, then ran for his life.
Elyssa turned back towards the direction Hikari had gone, and started to giggle as she made her way towards the coliseum gates...
Meanwhile, Tristan was beginning to think he would need to get forceful after all. Pompadour kept taunting him, while the two lackies behind him laughed in typical "hur hur hur!" fashion. But the fact that both of them fell silent at the exact same time was what cued the redhead in that something had just changed. With a grunt of effort, he straightened his back against the noble's grip, almost dragging the other youth's arm off of him--
"Hey, c'mon! Fine, how about six--" Pompadour now noticed who his two cronies were staring completely slackjawed at as Camilla made herself known. Tristan felt his own cheeks flush a bit as he averted his eyes from the young woman, his stoic expression now wavering.
Good LORD! She blows all the girls back home out of the water! he thought. Was she a noble as well? Surely she had to be--that kind of skin, and complexion, and...figure...didn't come from working on a farm and eating Nomotatoes with every meal!
"W-well, y-you know," said pompadour with a gulp. Both of his cheeks were practically shining pink, and his eyes were clearly not on Camilla's face. "I just thought, these poor urchins! Maybe they wouldn't be, um, so willing to put themselves in harm's way, if they, uh, had a little coin!" He withdrew his arm and actually patted Tristan's head, despite the commoner being an inch or two taller than him. "They're so desperate, you know--but we don't want them getting themselves hurt, now do we?" Some of his swagger seemed to be returning...
At that moment, both of his lackies let out an "oof!" sound as Hikari grabbed them. Tristan turned as the taller, more well-built boy challenged the nobles. Pompadour didn't seem very pleased to have his attention taken away from Camilla, either. His nose wrinkled as he clenched his fists at his sides.
"How dare you! Unhand my friends at once, you uncouth--what are you, anyway?" He pointed at Hikari. "Ah, I see! You're someone's dumb ox that got loose! That explains the nose ring!" Beside him, Tristan reached up with one finger and pulled down the hem of his cloak's collar to reveal a growing frown as his brows furrowed...
At that moment, one of pompadour's lackies decided to use the moment of distraction to escape. He worked two fingers up to Hikari's ribs and pinched, hard, before pulling away from the bigger boy's headlock.
"Commoners can't lay hands on nobles, you gutter trash--!" As he stumbled backwards, the young man smacked right into poor Kohra, who'd been observing the whole fiasco. He flailed his arms to regain his balance, which would've made the situation worse--had Tristan not caught him by the collar and yanked him back onto his feet, setting him down sternly before glaring at the others. His other hand had reached out to steady Kohra, if she needed it, but now he crossed both arms.
"Enough!" He said, raising his voice for the first time. Pompadour blinked. The blacksmith's son looked from him to Hikari. "Thanks, but...Don't start fights on my behalf I didn't ask for." He then turned to Camilla--eyes squarely on his own feet--and bowed his head. "Miss, your concern's appreciated as well. Please, don't mind me." And to Kohra, a simple, "Sorry about that." Then he turned on his heel and headed for the gates again.
"Uh, um, m-yes, well!" The noble with the pompadour tugged at his petticoat dismissively, and gestured to his followers. "As milady says, we're wasting our time here! Clear out, you ragamuffins!" Turning his nose up at Hikari and Kohra, he smiled in a way he no doubt thought charming before offering his hand to Camilla. "Shall we, then?"
Food Stalls
@Th3King0fChaosThe young blonde man Illios called out to peered around a kebab of some sort stacked a foot high, and a paper tray in the other hand piled with nomotato wedges, cheese, and diced bacon. Between his fingers he held a Fried-Pie-On-A-Stick, an extra large pretzel, and a chain made from interconnected onion rings.
"Oh? Thanks man, I appreciate it!" he smiled, before handing off the tray. This mostly freed one arm, which rapidly whipped the whole fried-pie into his mouth, pulling it off the stick as his cheeks expanded. His short hair bristled above an oblong face with a large, smooth forehead. As he chewed, the movement of his facial muscles made a pale scar on his right side apparent--it was a pale gap between his right eyebrow that trailed next to the eye, not quite down to his cheeks. As he chewed, his bright blue gaze fell on Illios, and he returned the other youth's cheerful expression. "Yoowa nishe gai, ya nodat?"
His tall, skinny frame was draped by a plain green tunic over black pants. A pair of thick, elbow length leather gloves were tucked into his belt, and he wore boots of the same material. It was hard to place his social status--his clothes seemed finer than most commoners' but they weren't as fancy as nobility. He swallowed with an audible sound and licked a flake of pie crust from his lips.
"I'm Bryant! Nice to meetcha!" He nodded by way of greeting rather than shaking hands, given his current predicament. "What's your name?" He then took an extra large bite out of the pretzel, crunching through the thickly baked dough without issue.
@RemramAt the sound of Ludo's voice, the orange-topped giant stopped. A huge build, with broad hands and thick legs, slowly turned. Roughspun clothes dyed in fading colors stretched over the broad mass, dark sleeveless shirt and blue pants held together by a rope belt. Dum, dum, dum came the heavy, plodding steps as a large shadow fell over Ludo and his employer.
"Are you talkin' to me?" growled the...youth(?)...as he tilted his thick neck. His hair fell in an untamed mop over his eyes--until he brushed it aside with one hand, revealing a large and watery pair of doe-brown orbs.
"Cause you didn't have to insult me! M-my name's Maverick!" he sniffed as his lip quivered. "I'm stressed enough as it is, I didn't even get to town until this morning! I'm scared I'm gonna be late!" He looked at Isvelt, then bashfully bowed deep at the waist. "I'm very sorry I knocked you over! M-My eyes aren't s-so good, but, ya know, it's hard for a Commoner to afford a good pair of glasses..." He straightened, and then turned back towards the coliseum. "A-anyway, l-let's hurry! They might start without us!"
@DuthguyAs Albie was hastily urged out of line by one of the less patient officials, the hub and bub of the moment surrounded him. Up ahead, he could see the (really, rather unmistakable) figure of the blue haired noble girl he had been following, along with several others--an odd mix of commoner and noble, it seemed.
However, before he could follow, someone stepped in his way. They were so close they almost ran right into him--but it wasn't another mage come for the exam. Instead, the figure was an old man with a scraggly beard and a big, hooked nose. Clad in ratty robes, he looked like a vagrant of some kind.
"Psst! Hey kid!" The old-timer adjusted his hood as he peered around in a conspiratorial fashion. A bit odd, to be wearing such a thing when the sun was bright in the sky. "You, you're a Commoner, ain'tcha? It's unfair, competin' with all these nobles, ain't it?" He reached out as if to take Albie's arm like a long time friend. "Howz'about it?! I got..." He looked around once more, before whispering, "Information~!"
He then whipped a notepad and a stick of graphite out of one sleeve, dangling them before Albie's eyes.
"Which noble families had kids get their grimoires, this year and last year? I can tell ya! Any famous names coming to apply this year? I know 'em! The juicy gossip from the Royal Capital on the Captains?! I know it all! What they're lookin' for, what they hate to see, and who knows what else! I knows what else, that's who!"
He took the graphite in hand and flipped open the notepad, licking the tip of the writing implement before he looked at Albie again.
"So, whaddya say?! Willin' ta make a little trade, kid?!"
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