Zeroth

Black Clover: Fool's Arcana

Update is go! Those of you who haven't snagged a sphere yet, if you'd really like to do so feel free to make it happen in your post--just be aware that you might have to keep defending it too... ;)

Black Clover: Fool's Arcana

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The Third Trial

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As the Captains watched their applicants swarm like angry hornets all over the arena, they were hard pressed to keep any particular recruit in their vision for more than a few moments at a time. Still, with sharpened magical senses and their greater experience, they were able to pick out the most notable displays at a glance.

"...An especially bloodthirsty lot we've got this year, it seems." Argos said, shaking his golden head.

"Aye," agreed Giles as he puffed on his pipe, "Ye'd think they'd be tryin' to shoot the li'l things out the air or contain 'em, but all the blighters started a feedin' frenzy as soon as they set sail. Like watchin' sharks after chum." The other captains nodded, some frowning at the lack of tactics while their fellows seemed intrigued by the various kinds of magic on display.

As more spheres were being grabbed, it soon seemed like those who needed to catch up would have to take one that was already in possession...

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@imia@Remram@SilverPaw

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While Solveig had secured her sphere during her fall and now rose again, she could see that Ludo--that boy she'd been about to speak to--was still engaged in another fight. And, as she saw his opponent, she would recognize the same individual she'd confronted about his use of the supposed-hoax potion.

Except, if those pulsations of mana were anything to go buy, the potion wasn't a hoax this year...?

Ludo attempted to counter Edward's Slime Magic by flooding it with his own Poison Element. For a moment he saw the doped up mage's expression blanch. But, as he grit his teeth, Edward made a clawing-gripping motion with both hands. His Groping Tendril spell began to writhe and tighten in place, trying to contain Ludo's venom. It was a bit like watching some kind of internal organ fight against an infection.

The purple miasma filled the tendrils like water filling a hose, and even though it became diluted inside the slime it stretched the tendrils as if they were tubular balloons. Yet as bumps and ridges swelled out of the tentacles, Edward's increased power and control forced them back down. Whichever one of them lost control first would lose this tug of war!

"Hrrrgh! Maybe some of us ain't got as many spells as you 'talented' bastards!" Edward growled as a vein bulged in his forehead from the strain. His face was flushing red, and he was pushing so hard he was forgetting to breathe. "But the ones I got, I'm REAL good at!"

Ludo would feel resistance as his poison was contained...and then, slowly, the slime began to push the purple, cloudy substance back towards its caster. The tendrils started to grow in size every few pulsations...

Then Parin slammed into the distracted Edward with the full weight of body and broom, propelled by her Jet spell!

Slime and Poison swelled into a tumorous bubble before bursting in a toxic explosion, raining volatile fluids down on anyone unlucky enough to be in the vicinity!

"You--!" Edward cursed, grabbing Parin by the front of her shirt and yanking her bodily away from him. "--Gedoffame!" Then, he punched her square in the face, their brooms drifting away from each other while in slow free-fall.

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_{@Databug@ERode@ReusableSword@Expllo}

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Kreszenz's lightning spell struck Maverick's broom from the back end first, charring the straw tips before stunning the big boy. The bright lights comically lit him up, revealing a flashing skeleton for a moment as he cried out, before the appearance of Rio's barrier--the very person she'd been trying to help!--cut off the line of connection between the lightning flowing from her wand and Maverick's mount.

The huge boy was dazed for a few moments, but when Rio offered to team up with him, he sniffed and pushed his bowlcut hair out of his freckled face.

"R-really? W-well, okay--but we both gotta get the flying things!" he said, followed by the barrier mage suggesting they get reinforcements from the ground and then try to take out other competitors who already had their spheres. Maverick nodded. "I'll follow your lead then, little guy!"

Around that same time, Tristan's swords were whirling as he and the two other mages engaged in a free for all to see who would chase after that sphere they'd all lost. One blade deflected the iron bat of his opponent while the other chopped through a watery missile. Another projectile caught the back of his broom, however, sending him into an uncontrolled spin. The guy with the bat was caught by two more, knocking him off balance. As the two of them struggled to dodge the remaining spells and right their brooms, the water mage girl laughed and turned back towards her quarry.

"Serves you right, dummies!" she taunted. She would soon join a small group that was chasing after the same sphere, this time swinging her hand to send a slashing jetstream at someone that had just grabbed it.

Damn it, I don't know if I can fly well enough to outspeed or outmaneuver any of the others OR the spheres! Tristan realized, looking this way and that until he finally saw another glittering orb. Maybe if I try fighting from range? As backwards as that seems for my magic type... He dispersed both of his blades and set off after it--only for that guy with the bat to pop right back up in front of him!

"Oh no ya don't, Red! When Mack Fuely says he's gonna beat ya, he's gonna--!"

Just then, Kohra's Conjured Cyclone scattered a dense group of applicants not too far above where the two of them floated. While Kohra was on one side of the storm, Tristan and Mack were caught in it from the other. Tristan, who was already going in that direction, swept past his tumbling opponent and managed to stay upright on his broom!

The wind's pulling me! Maybe if I stay outside and use it like this--!

As Kohra shot upward with her Whirlwind Jump, the Swordsmage circled around her Cyclone to rise in a fast spiral! Tristan leaned into his broom for dear life, one eye closed as the wind whipped dust, spare broom straws, and the occasional flailing body at him! He came out of the top of the whirling dervish just as Kohra grabbed her targeted sphere--should he try to take it from her?

Before either of them could decide whether this would be a fight or not, though, another group of mages tumbled between them. The primary cause of this particular cloud seemed to be the "Ox Boy," steam billowing from his nostrils. He passed by Kreszenz, Rio, and Maverick as well, leaving thick and sizzling clouds in his wake! Both Kohra and Tristan found themselves engulfed in the edges of Hikari's steam-banks, as other applicants around them cried out in confusion. The heat began to rise uncomfortably...

"Hey, I don't guess you could blow this away, huh?!" Tristan called out to the Wind Mage as he began to sweat. His vision was already dimming as the cloud thickened, and he cast Create Sword again just in case someone tried to blindside him out of the fog.

Yet at that same moment, a shadow was rising in the mists behind Kohra. It was a shadow out of a nightmare, stringy hair flowing in all directions as a flittering dress made its wearer's body appear ghostlike...

"BEGONE, YOU TRAMP!" roared Elyssa Barnfield, before slashing at Kohra with two huge sets of claws made from ice!

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Elsewhere within the arena, several successful applicants tried to catch their breath after dealing with all the difficulties of catching an Angel Sphere^TM. Some had been forced to expend a great deal of magic, while others had been able to get their target just by virtue of flight skill and speed. However, all of them knew the trial wouldn't end until all 100 spheres were caught, and until then they'd have to hold on to their prizes...

A pale, tall young man, his green eyes outlined with black guy-liner the same color as his lipstick, looked around nervously as he held his sphere close against his impeccably tailored, all-black, dress-shirt-and-slacks outfit. With the other hand, he produced a brown, liquid like substance which turned into an oddly familiar looking solid bar. He took a bite out of it, apparently in an attempt to calm himself down...

A rotund girl with an olive-skinned complexion and a pink bob-cut, wearing a yellow dress with puffy sleeves and white shin-height boots, held a large U shaped red magnet with one hand. Stuck to its ends was an Angel Sphere, and its wings were still flapping rapidly as it tried futilely to escape...

And a deeply tanned man, his wide grin framed by thick dreadlocks, seemed to be dancing for joy on top of his broom with a tropical rhythm. He tossed his Angel Sphere from hand to hand, quickly enough that despite its attempt to get away he was able to snag it back. His white hooded cloak, over green, scale-patterned robes, marked him as someone from the Seabed Temple...

Reborn in a Fantasy World, This Time I Shall...!

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Neir - Slums

《 Level 2 Panic 》
@ERode@TheMushroomLord@PKMNB0Y

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"What do they look like?" he repeated dumbly, to give himself time to think of an actual answer. "Umm..."

Would she just brush it off as a prank, or call me crazy? Do people tame monsters or keep them as pets? Do slimes have rights? What if she doesn't care? What if she thinks I've been raising monsters for something nefarious and decides I'm a criminal? What if...?

Despite all the fantasy novels he'd read, or attempted to write for himself, and all the games he'd played, and all the memes...Ever since he'd found himself living out an isekai anime, two emotions had dominated his mind: Curiosity, and fear. Curiosity, because he could do freaking MAGIC, and send texts with his mind, and there were elves and catgirls here, and he had STATS so he could actually know if his efforts were being wasted or not...

And fear, because he could not trust anyone. The people he'd shown up in this world with? Not human. So how could he know they were from Earth, too? The first people he'd seen in this world? Vagabonds, addicts, the lowest wretches of society. He couldn't trust that kind of crowd back home, he sure as hell wasn't going to trust them here. He'd been attacked, and then saved, but he still couldn't trust those people either--He didn't know them, or their society, they wanted information about him he wasn't willing to give, because he couldn't know what they might do with it.

What they might do. What could happen. What if? What IF? That was why Connor was afraid.

And now, he was afraid because someone else was in danger. Someone he did know. Someone who...had put their trust in him, to help them because they were helpless. Connor clenched his fists and swallowed his fear.

"They're...they're a Slime. Kind of translucent purple in color. Maybe with a, uh...floating eye-spot, inside them? But! But they're not a NORMAL slime!" He looked Meira in the eye, desperation clear on his face. "They can use Biomancy, so they're able to talk, a little bit, and understand human--I mean, uh, people's speech!" Maybe that was revealing too much. What if it was a dead giveaway that they were--No. No, he needed to help! "But they can't move very well without exhausting themselves, and they can't really see or anything--they'd be helpless if someone wanted to hurt them!" His voice cracked as his lip quivered.

"P-please, h-help me f-find them!"

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CONNOR'S DISCOVERIES

• Acquired "Shitty Cloak!"
• Acquired "Knife Bandolier!"
• "Caliboard, the Holy 2x4."
• Learned "Push!"
• Learned "Cut!"

Black Clover: Fool's Arcana

Gonna try and get an update out within the next day or two! It will likely be a bit of a text wall since there's so much to cover already, but those of you working with collabs please feel free to continue!

Black Clover: Fool's Arcana

Alright, I really want to try again at a character, but there are a couple things I can't really figure out. Magic and background. I wanted to go with some sort of earth magic, but couldn't decide on how I should do it. As for background, I just can't think of anything...

@RoadkilBanana

In addition to what Xaltwind and Remram said, I personally tend to think of Earth as a very "constructive" element. Like, with fire, water, and wind you can just sort of "blast it" at people, but with Earth it always seems like it's better to think of it as "what can I MAKE with this" instead of "what can I DO with this?"

Maybe your character has a spell that makes a giant stone wheel, which then rolls at the opponent in an attempt to flatten them. Or they cause a half-dozen giant stone dominos to rise up beneath a group of enemies, then collapse them all in sequence to try and crush those who can't figure out the "pattern" and escape. Maybe they create a series of "moving dirt tracks" on the ground that allow them to speed up or slow down anybody that steps on them, like treadmills going in different directions.

Or, more simply, create things like walls, armor, or weapons out of solid earth.

Instead of just "shooting rocks" the way others typically shoot fire or lightning, elements like Earth and Metal and so forth seem more suited to affecting the field or environment, creating obstacles, and that kind of thing.

For your character's background, maybe try thinking of similar characters in other media you're fond of, and just changing the flavor of what happens to them? For instance, if you like a character whose home burned down when they were young, maybe replace the fire with an avalanche or a flood, but the general gist that "they lost a home and had to move to a place where they felt they didn't fit in," would be the same.

Rather than worrying about creating a wholly unique character or one that is somehow very different from every previously existing character, just think about what you, as a Player, would like to do in order to have fun within the game. And, as always, feel free to ask any questions, drop me a PM, or whatever if you need help!

Kohra's post is up. I've left a few things about the situation open-ended via the bold text. I haven't actually confirmed this with anyone, but that's how you communicate something essential or to be interacted with, right?

@Databug

It looks good to me! That's typically the strategy I use for bold text, yes. If I think a game like Zelda or Mario would color/bold/underline it to present information to a player, then I put it in bold. I don't usually use text colors myself but plenty of others do, and if you want to use colored text to highlight something readers should pay attention to that's fine by me too!

Late to the party and if it is a good time to join. For a character, how does the son or grandson of an exiled Hino noble sound? Though I am still thinking about their magic, either Moon magic or some kind of summoner magic, if that works, or maybe Obsidian magic.

@Theyra

Xaltwind pretty much got it, "summoning magic" as it usually works in like a JRPG doesn't really seem to be a thing, however there are a few users of "sealing" or "containment" magic who could conceivably pull a sort of Pokemon-esque monster catching act, maybe? We've also seen examples of weapons and items being stored via magical inventories, although whether that's just some kind of enchanted bag or a school of magic in itself might be debatable.

If you want to create types of magic not seen on the Wiki, I typically just take it on a case by case basis--if it doesn't really fit the theme or seems overpowered, I'll tell you and we can work with it to make tweaks or whatever. I like the idea of Obsidian magic, personally--you could use it to make razor sharp blades, or heavy spheres, defensive walls, so on and so forth. So if that's something you'd like to explore, feel free!

With the backstory, again it's a case by case basis. On the first page of the IC and OOC there are the general premises of the RP's story and how it relates to canon, so if you have any questions beyond that feel free to let me know! I don't have any issue with characters from Hino that I wouldn't have with other characters, lol, so give it a shot!

Black Clover: Fool's Arcana

Do you think it's a good idea to turn the rest of Gunnar vs Albie into a collab or is that unnecessary?

@Duthguy

I'm fine with whatever you'd prefer!

Black Clover: Fool's Arcana

@Remram Nah you're good! Anything else comes up just let me know!

Black Clover: Fool's Arcana

I mean, I'm asking because that's what he's gonna try to do. Figured that's what he would do and suffer the consequences before he rips him a new one. Would it be easier to collab this or is that unnecessary?

@Remram

As far as a collab goes either way would be fine with me, it just depends on what kind of back-and-forth you'd want it to be. Ludo has a lot of options he can attempt, and like I said before I'm okay with players taking a few liberties here or there as long as its narratively interesting--just as long as any named/clearly "important" NPC isn't getting outright puppeteer'd, auto-bodied, etc.

Black Clover: Fool's Arcana

Hey, sorry to bother you again. I'm just gonna assume that if Ludo tries to blast his way out that the tendrils won't break?

@Remram

I shall answer your question with another question! Ignore anyone who tries to tell you about my mannerisms as a GM! ESPECIALLY SILVERPAW AND REUSABLE SWORD.

"How would you find out?"

Black Clover: Fool's Arcana

Hey sorry to ask, but I just need some clarification on the pulsing thing. When you mean it's coming from his magic, do you mean the spell itself or his mana?

@Remram

Uh, hmm...I guess it'd be from his mana, but the spell itself is manifested from his mana, so it's probably not evident to someone without a well-developed mana sensory skill? Ludo would probably just be able to feel that he's getting unusually stronger than a normal commoner would be.