twave

Magical Fairy Tale Squad ~ The RP

My brain is a bit stumped for fairy tales at the moment. However, I can't shake the amusing idea of the school bully coming across this random sparkling vial, and he turns into Cinderella. No idea how that would work or be helpful at all. 😂

Rising Stars: A Fairy Tail AU

Ariel Gratas

Lacrama

Ky @Cello| D'angelo @samreaper

To a degree, Ariel had her doubts that anyone would actually oblige her request. It was a rather odd and potentially personal one. How protective Fiore mages would be was something of a guess. The locals were especially cautious with their magic. Standing patiently as D'Angelo addressed Ky and wrestled with Nimbus, there was a brief deliberation before the man agreed to provide some magic. Smiling lightly, Ariel nodded. "Thank you. It sounds as though you are new here as well. I don't know how much help I may be to you in that regard, but if you need assistance with anything, I would be will to make an attempt in exchange." Looking down, she took hold of the hand made of clouds.

As expected, the form quickly vanished as the magic that made it up was absorbed. A chill ran up Ariel's arm and shortly after over and down her body. Drawing back slightly, she would shiver. The blank white aesthetic of her clothing began to shift, starting from the soles of her feet. Like water being poured into a vessel, the white gave way to a deep blue rising up her legs and over onto her torso. When it reached her arms, it spilled over and filled the sleeves before completing to fill her eyes and hair. Despite the clothes being some sort of cloth, the magical properties refracted incoming light as if it were a shallow pool of water.

Water

The transformation completed, the woman's ridged stance relaxed. Her shoulders lowered, and a saddened expression worked its way over her face. "Oh... Thank you... I guess." Her tone was a lot quieter and slow. It lacked the directness from just moments before. Lifting up one arm, Ariel would make note of the changes in her appearance. Brushing hair out of her face, she sighed. "My hypothesis seems to be holding up... Though I'm not sure I like this version of me... I feel... Sad." She paused while she tried to gather her thoughts, but would comment aloud to herself. "At least my clothes survived this time."

Rising Stars: A Fairy Tail AU

Ariel Gratas

Lacrama

Ky @Cello| D'angelo @samreaper

Attention to the magical cloud was momentarily diverted. It seemed that this man was the... owner? The woman seemed to acknowledge the words of either of the other two for a moment. Her stare held unusually long before blinking. After considering something Ariel stood up straight. Mustering up what could only be a forced smile she gave a slight bow. "Mr. Shultz. Ky. My name is Ariel Gratas." Her eyes would dart over the two. The pudgy one had a sort of refreshing sensation that matched that of Nimbus. That made sense presuming that the cloud originated from his magic. Ky had more of a earthy tone to it. She could only guess what either meant, but she knew for sure they were mages.

Taking a step forward Ariel would address them both. "I see that you are both mages. Perhaps you can help me." She would hold out a hand. "I cannot explain fully as I an still hypothesizing, but I have reason to believe that I require magic in order to restore parts of myself that I have lost. Would either of you be willing to spare some of your magic?" Under different circumstances the woman would probably try approaching with more tact. At this stage though the nuances of human interaction were lost on her. She would wait patiently for a response. Her eyes would drift just a bit to survey the others in the room. To some extent she wondered how far she might get asking for magic before getting stopped.

Rising Stars: A Fairy Tail AU

Ariel Gratas

Lacrama

Walking with purpose, a young woman marched her way through the town paying little mind to anyone else around her. Entering Rembrandt was of little event. As a born citizen of Pergrande and no real record as a mage a simple check of her papers and she was about her business. There was very little she was interested in aside from her destination at the moment. A couple of times she had to stop and ask for some directions to the mage guild that had opened up recently. Ariel had never met anyone from Fiore, much less a mage other than a chance encounter. Before long though she could sense a slight aroma that the building seemed to emit as she approached the hall of the Rising Starborn.

Nothing could quite prepare her for the sensation that rolled over and overwhelmed her upon opening the guild doors. It would take her a minute standing in the open doorway like a statue before she regained her faculties and finally so much as blinked. So many different auras mingled together. The sources of each she would have to identify later. It seemed there was some sort of celebration going on with singing and dancing. She had intended to locate the the guild master and have a discussion, but that thought quickly gave way to her ultimate goal of being here... MAGIC! All the sounds and chatter shifted to the background as Ariel's attention focused on the most visible oddity drifting about the room, Nimbus. Turning and navigating her way around anyone else she approached the golden cloud and stared at it. Her blank expression didn't really give away much about what was going on in her head and she barely gave a glance to D'angelo when he managed to bumped into her.

With little regard she reached up and poked at the magical cloud before outright trying to grab it to make heads of tails of its properties. It being something akin to alive though it moved away. Rubbing her fingers together Ariel seemed only slightly baffled. Grabbing D'angelo's shoulder to try and stop his erratic movement and gain his attention she would point to Nimbus. "What is that thing?"

Rising Stars: A Fairy Tail AU

Ariel Gratas

Name:

Ariel Gratas

Age:

19

Birthday:

10/12

Magic:

Living Lacrama:
Unlike your typical mage, Ariel naturally doesn't have a reserve of magic. Indeed all her magic capabilities must originally come from an external source much like how one would charge a traditional lacrama. Each magic she gains has it's own limited pool that is drawn from. Left alone each will replenish over time. This process occurs faster when in proximity to mages with a similar magic or more rapidly if directly charged by a mage or lacrama.

When not exhibiting any specific magic Ariel can sense magic around her in what she can only describe as scents. The details of this sense are generally vague where Fire magic might "smell" like burning, water as cooling, or Lightning as refreshing. A lot of the time she won't really know what to expect when encountering something new as magic manifests in unpredictable ways. She can focus on absorbing a new type of magic in order to gain it. Depending on the complexity and strength of the magic it may take a longer period of exposure to attain it. Generally caster and elemental magics are easier to obtain while ones that are more innate or subtle require time and/or effort. Attaining a new magic doesn't mean she will be able to use it effectively without training or practice. She also cannot directly replicate another mage's spells or even if the magic will manifest as the same type (caster or holder).

Similarly to Lacrama, Ariel takes on like properties of the magic she exhibits. A side effect of this has been the fracturing of her behavior. Specific personality traits get turned up to 11 depending on the magic she's using while other traits are suppressed. She's still the same in experience and memory, but may act like a completely different people.

Attained Magics

Fire (Experienced)

Color: orange
Source: Unknown
Main personality trait: Aggressive

Not one of Ariel's favorite ways to feel, but it has more uses in combat, so she uses it more. Cones of fire, hurling fireballs, and generally engulfing things in flames is the go to here. Despite having range, her temper often leads her to rushing in and throwing fiery kicks and punches.

Water (Novice)

Color: dodgerblue
Source: D'Angelo
Main personality trait: Melancholy

Also not Ariel's favorite magic due to it making her sad. Still, her abilities boil down to being able to manipulate and shoot jets of water, conjure mist around herself, as well as improved movement when swimming by causing the water to flow around her. Probably one of the easier magics to learn.

Earth (Novice)

Color: burlywood
Source: Ky
Main personality trait: Patient

A new addition to Ariel's repertoire and probably her most pleasant experience personality wise thus far. Moving and manipulating the earth takes concentration. Thankfully, her even keeled nature lends well to this. Though, conjuring the motivation to use it combative can sometimes be an issue. Hurling rocks and raising the ground defensively is the current extent of her skills.

---

As it turns out, Ariel is capable of manifesting traits similar to takeover magic. Unlike a proper takeover mage though, she cannot control how much the behavior of the creature or entity represented takes hold. So while these magics may come off as stronger, they more heavily influence Ariel herself.

Wolf (Innate)

Color: tan
Source: Jenna
Main personality trait: Loyal

As an innate magic, Ariel grows scruffy ears and a bushy tail. From the moment she got this magic the young woman fell into a pack mentality with Jenna naturally as the alpha. This of course lead to Ariel enthusiastically accepting to join the guild of Rising Starborn despite having no intention of originally signing on. This loyalty, involuntary as it may be, extends to all the others in the guild that don't immediately pose a threat to her pack members. Despite her efforts to do otherwise, Ariel sporadically falls victim to impulses of canine behavior. Capability wise, this magic makes her very strong, athletic, and resilient. She grows claws that she can use to attack her enemies. She is a real team player and very likely to pounce at the first sign of someone picking a job.

Magic Level:

C

History:

Growing up in Pergrande the idea of meeting anyone with magic was a pipe dream. This of course did not stop a young girl from being obsessed with magic. What is magic? How does it work? Who gets it? Is there a way for other people to get it? Most of these questions were essentially unanswerable even in foreign countries where mages were more common, but that didn't stop Ariel from going to some extreme lengths to try and find out. To say that she became something of an expert on the topic would be a vast overstatement. She was more of a dangerous armature in her attempts at understanding.

Not being stupid enough to attempt going up to a mage, she decided to focus her efforts on the next best thing, Lacrama. These crystalline objects can store magic to be used for all kinds of things. Of course, they were just as scarce, if not more so, here than mages themselves. Add to that, the level of knowledge surrounding them was quite lacking. Through much back door dealing and shady trades, Ariel managed to get her hands on a Lacrama of unknown quality. Undeterred, the young woman went to work with dubious methods of experimentation. With no benchmark or method for empirical standards, it shouldn't be surprising to learn that this haphazard lifestyle backfired in ways she could not predict.

Exhausting the limits of her knowledge, Ariel landed on the idea of extracting a core from the Lacrama she had. It was a rough shape and would never pass muster in a land like Fiore. She'd barely had the chance to scour a few millimeters deep before the object became compromised, and whatever magical payload it had cracked and shattered in a spectacular explosion. Razor sharp fibers of Lacrama embedded themselves all throughout her body.

Waking up hours later in a pile of rubble, the small shed she'd been in was all but erased. The usual response of shock didn't come, though. It was like she was unfazed by the impact. Certainly he body hurt, but she felt almost nothing emotionally. Her hair, eyes, and even her clothes had turned white. Clearly something had happened to her that she couldn't explain. Moving on, there was a time that she thought that this numbness was just her life now. However, a chance encounter with a fire mage changed all of that. Absorbing the magic, her appearance changed and an intense feeling of aggression rushed to the surface as an unfortunate bystander learned the hard way when she punched him across the face. With some sense of what was happening, Ariel correlated that her feelings were somehow linked to this magical mimicry. If she wanted to feel more, then she was going to have to find more magic, and one of the few options available was the immigrants moving in from Fiore.

Personality:

Ariel's normal form is very stoic and nearly robotic. She doesn't get to express excitement, fear, sadness, etc... except in the most extreme circumstances. Everything is weighed logically against her goals and she thinks will work in a given circumstance. Of course, this is usually unsetting to your average observer. Blunt to an extreme, though she doesn't always voice her inner thoughts. Who needs to her them anyway? One thing that almost always captures her attention though is magic.

All this of course changes when she is using a magic. Details of which are listed in the Magic section. So who knows, maybe she'll slap you in the face or be running around hugging everybody.

Guild and guild mark location:

Soon to be Rising Starborn. Mark located between her shoulder blades.

Team Members:

TBD

Three Strengths:

1. Ariel is a student of knowledge, even if mostly self-taught. She picks up on things pretty quickly when not hampered by a given personality.
2. She has the potential to be extremely versatile thanks to her ability to theoretically use any magic. This mostly will take time and effort to cultivate.
3. If she has one available, Ariel can almost purposely prompt a mood swing when the need calls for it.

Three Weaknesses:

1. Being able to use all kinds of magic means that Ariel has her work cut out for her to become effective at using it.
2. Since her appearance changes with her magic, she broadcasts whenever switching to a new magic.
3. The personality trait she may take on may not always be positive. So it may be difficult or even dangerous to herself and others.

Appearance:

This is her base appearance. Please check the Magic section for other appearances.

Additional Details:

Ariel is highly motivated by attaining magic. It isn't specifically to become more powerful, but she is somewhat convinced it may be necessary to become whole again.

Rising Stars: A Fairy Tail AU

Ariel Gratas

Name:

Ariel Gratas

Age:

19

Birthday:

10/12

Magic:

Living Lacrama:
Unlike your typical mage, Ariel naturally doesn't have a reserve of magic. Indeed all her magic capabilities must originally come from an external source much like how one would charge a traditional lacrama. Each magic she gains has it's own limited pool that is drawn from. Left alone each will replenish over time. This process occurs faster when in proximity to mages with a similar magic or more rapidly if directly charged by a mage or lacrama.

When not exhibiting any specific magic Ariel can sense magic around her in what she can only describe as scents. The details of this sense are generally vague where Fire magic might "smell" like burning, water as cooling, or Lightning as refreshing. A lot of the time she won't really know what to expect when encountering something new as magic manifests in unpredictable ways. She can focus on absorbing a new type of magic in order to gain it. Depending on the complexity and strength of the magic it may take a longer period of exposure to attain it. Generally caster and elemental magics are easier to obtain while ones that are more innate or subtle require time and/or effort. Attaining a new magic doesn't mean she will be able to use it effectively without training or practice. She also cannot directly replicate another mage's spells or even if the magic will manifest as the same type (caster or holder).

Similarly to Lacrama, Ariel takes on like properties of the magic she exhibits. A side effect of this has been the fracturing of her behavior. Specific personality traits get turned up to 11 depending on the magic she's using while other traits are suppressed. She's still the same in experience and memory, but may act like a completely different people.

Attained Magics

Fire (Experienced)

Color: orange
Main personality trait: Aggressive

Not one of Ariel's favorite ways to feel, but it has more uses in combat so she uses it more. Cones of fire, hurling fireballs, and generally engulfing things in flames is the go to here. Despite having range her temper often leads her to rushing in and throwing fiery kicks and punches.

Magic Level:

C

History:

Growing up in Pergrande the idea of meeting anyone with magic was a pipe dream. This of course did not stop a young girl from being obsessed with magic. What is magic? How does it work? Who gets it? Is there a way for other people to get it? Most of these questions were essentially unanswerable even in foreign countries where mages were more common, but that didn't stop Ariel from going to some extreme lengths to try and find out. To say that she became something of an expert on the topic would be a vast overstatement. She was more of a dangerous armature in her attempts at understanding.

Not being stupid enough to attempt going up to a mage she decided to focus her efforts on the next best thing, Lacrama. These crystalline objects can store magic to be used for all kinds of things. Of course they were just as scarce if not more so here than mages themselves. Add to that the level of knowledge surrounding them was quite lacking. Through much back door dealing and shady trades Ariel managed to get her hands on a Lacrama un unknown quality. Undeterred the young woman went to work with dubious methods of experimentation. With no benchmark or method for empirical standards it shouldn't be surprising to learn that this haphazard lifestyle backfired in ways she could not predict.

Exhausting the limits of her knowledge, Ariel landed on the idea of extracting a core from the Lacrama she had. It was a rough shape and would never pass muster in a land like Fiore. She'd barely had the chance to scour a few millimeters deep before the object became compromised and whatever magical payload it had cracked and shattered in a spectacular explosion. Razor sharp fibers of Lacrama embedded themselves all throughout her body.

Waking up hours later in a pile of rubble the small shed she'd been in was all but erased. The usual response of shock didn't come though. It was like she was unphased by the impact. Certainly he body hurt, but she felt almost nothing emotionally. Her hair, eyes, and even her clothes had turned white. Clearly something had happened to her that she couldn't explain. Moving on there was a time where she thought that this numbness was just her life now. However, a chance encounter with a fire mage changed all of that. Absorbing the magic her appearance changed and an intense feeling of aggression rushed to the surface as an unfortunate bystander learned the hard way when she punched him across the face. With some sense of what was happening Ariel correlated that her feelings were somehow linked to this magical mimicry. If she wanted to feel more then she was going to have to find more magic, and one of the few options available was the immigrants moving in from Fiore.

Personality:

Ariel's normal form is very stoic and nearly robotic. She doesn't get express excitement, fear, sadness, etc... except in the most extreme circumstances. Everything is weighed logically against her goals and she she thinks will work in a given circumstance. Of course this usually is unsetting to your average observer. Blunt to an extreme, though she doesn't always voice her inner thoughts. Who needs to her them anyway? One thing that almost always captures her attention though is magic.

All this of course changes when she is using a magic. Details of which are listed in the Magic section. So who knows, maybe she'll slap you in the face or be running around hugging everybody.

Guild and guild mark location:

Soon to be Rising Starborn. Mark located between her shoulder blades.

Team Members:

TBD

Three Strengths:

1. Ariel is a student of knowledge, even if mostly self taught. She picks up on things pretty quickly when not hampered by a given personality.
2. She has the potential to be extremely versatile thanks to her ability to theoretically use any magic. This mostly will take time and effort to cultivate.
3. If she has one available, Ariel can almost purposely prompt a mood swing when the need calls for it.

Three Weaknesses:

1. Being able to use all kinds of magic means that Ariel has her work cut out for her to become effective at using it.
2. Since her appearance changes with her magic, she broadcasts whenever switching to a new magic.
3. The personality trait she may take on may not always be positive. So it may be difficult or even dangerous to herself and others.

Appearance:

This is her base appearance. Please check the Magic section for other appearances.

Additional Details:

Ariel is highly motivated by attaining magic. It isn't specifically to become more powerful, but she is somewhat convinced it may be necessary to become whole again.

Rising Stars: A Fairy Tail AU

Well well well, what are we up to here?

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

_{.:⋮Shifting Odds and Ends⋮:.}

In the wake of the Christmas party, Kayli had drawn back from the goings on in Penrose. Becoming a mother meant many new responsibilities and things she had to attend to. Still though she felt like she owed a visit to Penny at the Sanctuary. The two had an odd kinship in that they seemed to never stop changing in some way or another. What exactly their relationship was likely was just as if not more complicated. Approaching more or less in the open, Kayli doubted that she would be missed by Penny's surveillance.

And true to that assumption Kayli would find Penny at the door when she reached the Sanctuary. Penny had a smile as she waved towards the thrice blessed girl. “Hey, long time no see.” She’d greet “Here for a social call I hope.”

The woman would smile and nod. "Yes, thankfully. I felt like we never properly spoke about, well, everything. I'm sure you probably have at least a few questions for me." She would enter calmly. Penny was tall for a magical girl, so Kayli even as a full grown woman was only a few inches taller.

It was slight, but there was a note of tension in Penny’s frame that faded at that admission. “Well come on in.” Turning to open the door to the Sanctuary Penny would add “Monica’s been cooking up a feast as of late, we’re planning on moving soon, but feel free to help yourself to the food. She’s a great cook.”

The mention of food was underscored as soon as the door was open and the warm smell of food wafted out. Calling the occasion a feast was perhaps putting on airs for everything. It was far from an opulent meal, closer in truth to just a large scale barbeque, but for the Sanctuary it was a grander affair than most who lived there were accustomed to.

Near everyone who lived at the Sanctuary was out in the main room, the few tables having long been filled. But there was plenty of floor space to take a seat. “I’m fine parking wherever, but my room is also open if you’d prefer a bit more privacy.”

Getting the chance to see the Sanctuary again, and in a much better mood than she'd 'seen' it since before Cindy had last, a smile worked its way over Kayli's face and her eyes lit up for a moment. "Good to see things are going well despite the circumstances. We'll done." Taking it all in briefly she turned slightly and noted the statue to Cindy still there. Turning back to her friend she gave a light shrug before gesturing to Penny. "I've nothing to hide. It's up to you and what you might want to discuss. Any roll here I or my predecessors might have had is passed. Consider this as a fresh start."

Penny would steer them towards an open corner near the kitchen area, Monica happily cooking away within. “Not what I mean when offering privacy. Not everyone has the energy for such a large gathering. There are at least a few girls, Sibrex for one example, who are down in their rooms due to everyone being here.”

“But, either way. You are always welcome here.” Penny would sit facing the rest of the gathered girls, her presence not really remarked upon. She spent more than enough time up here for the rest of the Sanctuary to be at least comfortable with her being in the area.

“I’m going to miss this place.” She’d say after a moment. “It’s the longest time I’ve had a home since I joined the Magical world.”

Giving a light nod she acknowledged the confusion. "Ah, my mistake. I would love to join everyone." As they made their way to some seats she wondered aloud. "Miss this place? Are you going somewhere?" Seemed a bit out of place for Penny. Though this area had been prone to trouble as she understood.

“I mean the building.” Penny would specify “As I mentioned we are moving. Still staying in Penrose, but hopefully somewhere safer. But it does mean that I’ll likely not be coming back here all that much.” Penny’s eyes drifted across the room but she was only barely paying attention to the girls in front of her. She was back in the past mentally.

“This warehouse has been my home in Penrose from the start. And the longest home I’ve been able to keep since I joined the Community.” She would reiterate. “I’m going to miss it.”

The explanation seemed to assuage Kayli's slight concern on the matter. It made sense. "I'm glad to hear you've found something you think will be safer. I know things have been hard for those in the Sanctuary. I've been considering if there were any ways I could help either here or Penrose in general." She would comment briefly with a smile. "I suppose old habits die hard." Certainly seemed like Janet couldn't help but throw herself into a mess even if that girl had become someone else.

“I know it will be. And you helped” Penny would turn to flash a grin to Kayli. “We’re moving to the Bastion. The scientist you warned me about helped me smuggle it into the city.” She would explain. “Half certain she did it to try and get into my good graces and to get a chance to have a better look at the ship as well.”

There was the briefest moment of disgust when Penny detailed who assisted with the Bastion. Despite knowing and working in some fringe magic herself, Kayli believed there were rules that should be followed. Some things were not meant to be tampered with. "She seeks knowledge. And as far as I can tell she will use any she can gleen for her own devices. I worry should she complete her dream of infinite magic for all. It sounds good, but beings are not always responsible with access." The woman was tense for a bit. She considered berating Penny for continuing her habit of dealing with shady and manipulative individuals. Perhaps later and with a different tone.

Taking a seat Kayli had begun to draw some minor attention, primarily because magical woman were rare. Rarer even than magical boys. She also had a motherly air to her. It wasn't something most of those around her noticed, but those that were younger felt a draw to her.

“Aaand that would explain why she is so obsessed with learning about the artifact she mentioned.” Penny would say with a sigh. “Knew there was a good reason not to fully trust her.” The moment of tension wasn’t lost on Penny but she wasn’t going to push if Kayli didn’t want to bring it up, though Penny could guess.

“I’ll admit that a lot of the reason I’ve been willing to be friendly was that it’s easier to get close to her incase she needs to die. I get the feeling that she’s been a part of the magical world for a lot longer than most people in Penrose have been. Wouldn’t be surprised if she’s gone legitimately crazy.”

“Not that that excuses her, but I can sort of understand why when coming from that angle.”

Penny also noted the subtle impact that Kayli’s presence was having. Penny knew that outside of a fight she likely came off more as an older sister to the younger girls as despite her tall stature she just didn’t have the sharpness that came with maturity. Adding in the fact that both her and Kayli had similar color schemes and one could almost assume that they were related. It was kind of amusing to be honest.

Looking over at the residents of the Sanctuary, Kayli's gaze would drift down to one of the monster girls that was watching her. As if suddenly caught the girl would look away. With a smile Kayli reached down and rustled the girl's hair. "It's nice to see you Ellen."

The little girl gasped and looked back up. "Y-You know my name?"

"I know many of your names. Penny is a good friend of mine." The woman would lean down. "Would you like to hear a secret?" The response was a slow nod with an expression of wonder. Kayli would point off toward the statue of Cindy. "Even though she isn't here right now, she's still watching over you."

After a moment of confusion the girl seemed a little skeptical. "Wha… How do you mean?"

Undaunted Kayli sat back up. "Because Penny shares her vision." She would turn to Penny. "As do I, despite how different my magic may make me. We keep her here." She points to the girl's heart.

Having someone so clearly uncorrupted speak kindly of Cindy was a bit of a take back. After a moment the girl turned to Penny as if to make sense of the woman.

“I’ve told you not everyone out there agrees with Beacon fundamentalists.” Penny would say with an amused smirk. She didn’t harp on and on about it, but she wasn’t shy about telling people about the fact that there were those out there that didn’t want to abuse them just because they were corrupted.

“I met Kayli a while back” Leaning up against the wall Penny would gesture to the open floor for Ellen if she wanted to sit. “She’s one of the contacts I have for the bits of purification supplies I’ve been able to bring in for those that need or want them.” She still had a bit of those supplies as well, a few coins and potions. Though most of the White coins had been returned to Beacon by this point. Penny’s status as a Beacon member was being treated as more of an anomaly to the stalwart organization than anything to be expected by the denizens of Sanctuary, so no one wanted to use them. There was simply too much bad blood for Penny to clean by herself.

“She's a good person, and likely knew Cindy better than I did.” Which wasn’t hard admittedly with Penny only having had a chance to talk to the prior Queen a handful of times. But having Cindy’s memories was likely cheating in that regard anyway. “We all wanted to give safety to those that need it, we all just have different thoughts about how to do that.”

Some of those nearby listened passively to the conversation. Hearing Penny explain that Kayli provided some of the purification items they eyed the woman with some trepidation. That kind of thing was associated with Beacon and their ilk. A few shifted uneasily. "Are you here to purify us?" One of the girls would ask, watching carefully.

This reaction wasn't really a surprise. While she wasn't displaying her magic at all, she was noticeably different than a majority of the Sanctuary's inhabitants. Kayli would shake her head in response to the question. "I am not. I'm just here to visit a friend. It just so happens I get to join in the festivities." She gave them a warm smile. Between that and Penny's casual demeanor that seemed to calm most of them and they relaxed a bit more.

Penny rolled her eyes at the question, though her demeanor was still amused. Seems that her promise to never allow a forceful purification didn’t quite sink in as deep as she hoped. But no reason to harp on about it now.

“You heard about Penrose’s next round of chaos yet?” Penny would ask Kayli. The girls here had already heard about it, mainly because the first attack from Wonderland happened just down the street and Penny wasn’t going to brush that under the rug. But also to explain part of the reason why the move to the EarthBastion was happening so soon.

Seeing as Penny had moved on from the subject, Kayli followed her lead. "Not with any detail. There were Wendigos that attacked?" Connie and Mia hadn't been part of the larger combat.

“Wendigoes that were summoned.” Penny would correct. “Seems like we’ve got a rogue magical kingdom aiming to annex the city.” She would explain with a mocking grin. “They call themselves Wonderland, and they oppose the powers that be and Patrons of all flavors.”

Kayli would look up when the name Wonderland was dropped. "Wonderland?" As best she could recall, Cindy didn't know all that much about the kingdom aside from their size. The Queen of Hearts hadn't done much to draw the monster girl's ire so there hadn't been any need to cross paths. A nation moving to take a single city seemed excessive though. "Do you know what they are after?"

“Only in broad terms” Crossing her arms Penny would become slightly more serious. “I’m not sure how much you might know of life outside Penrose, but Penrose is an anomaly of a city. Life on the magical end here is exponentially more chaotic compared to anywhere else, and that includes most of the Overcity’s public locations.” Which was saying something when one actually looked at all the data. “The reason for this, you might also remember reading about. Penrose is, as far as anyone can confirm, the site of a Nexus. A natural wellspring of magic.”

“Wonderland wants it. Though I’ve no idea why.”

”As does everyone, it seems. I’m well aware.” Kayli would rub her chin. ”I am fated to the Nexus, to its defense. I have preliminary ideas on a more permanent solution to this problem that plagues Penrose. I had hoped I would have had more time to prepare.” She looked in the direction of the other attendees. They were enjoying themselves. If Wonderland was coming then opposing them in direct conflict would be difficult. What she had in mind though didn’t require that though.

“Beacon wants to protect it at least.” Penny would add in, though she was still sure that messing with it while everything was as chaotic as it was, was simply asking for trouble. “I’ve got a meeting in a few days with one of the higher ups, it seems no one up the chain of command was taking my status as anything more than a joke until I showed up. Hoping to get some more support for us here, but the politics of it don’t have me expecting much.”

Without really knowing what exactly Wonderland intended to do with the Nexus she couldn’t say it was necessarily bad. Regardless though it didn’t really change her plans. ”The Nexus needs to be tempered.” She would state out loud.

“You’ll hear no argument from me.” The thought that the chaos of Penrose could grow even more rampant wasn’t exactly a comforting one to the mechanical queen. “Though how one would do that is a bit beyond me. Tampering with it at all sounds like a recipe for disaster, though I’ll grant you likely are at a lower risk than most in that regard.” Penny knew that the purifying aspect of the Spark was limited, but figured that Kayli’s unique nature was more protective in that aspect.

Well, with enough time I believe it can be done safely. However, between Nykannis, Wonderland, and who knows what else could turn their attention toward Penrose I’m beginning to doubt we have the luxury.” She drummed her fingers against the table. ”I can be sure I will not become corrupted when dealing with the Nexus. You say you will be talking with Beacon about something?”

“No one seems to want to give Penrose the time it needs to stabilize.” Penny would agree with a huff. “And that’s what I assumed. Still be careful, that amount of magic might just kill you outright instead of corrupting you. That which doesn’t bend, breaks.” She would warn.

“But yeah, Beacon’s upper echelon is going to be ‘verifying’ me” She’d explain with air quotes. “Making sure I’m not a living affront to their goals or something to that effect.” A shrug. “Not sure how it’s going to go, but if things pan out well I’ll be seeing about getting all of us some more support. Again, politics means I doubt that I’ll get much, but I’m not going to simply sit around and do nothing.”

A slight chuckle escaped Kayli’s lips. ”Well if Janet is any metric then I should be quite flexible. Thankfully I think I understand enough to avoid significant harm. And I wouldn’t put myself at undue risk if it meant I wouldn’t be able to be there for Connie.” And to some extent she was counting on the contract to keep her grounded.

“Well if there is anyone who would know how to temper it carefully I would believe it to be you.” The mix of knowledge and skills that Kayli had on hand wasn’t to be underestimated. “If I can help, let me know though. I’d rather you be over prepared than under prepared.”

”Not sure there’s much anyone else can do to assist right now. We know more about the effects of a Nexus than what it is or how it behaves. I get the feeling we only see glimmers of what it can do which is concerning. I’m going to have to rely on my connection to get me there more than any technique or instrument.” The subject seemed like it might have reached an end. They didn’t exactly have concrete things to work off of at this time.

Penny gave a huff "That sounds annoyingly on brand for Penrose." Nothing in this city liked going smoothly. Though that was also part of its charm.

"Oh, I've got a newspaper now." She'd say, changing the topic as there wasn’t anything more to be said on the Nexus for now. "Eden left behind theirs when they vanished. Figured I'd be able to turn it around and make something of it to help out the Sanctuary."

"The Penrose Independent?" She would chuckle a bit. An interesting turn of events. "Not something I expected you to take interest in. How would it help?"

"It'll be the Sanctuary Inquirer when we relaunch." Came the correction but it was easy to see Penny was in a good mood talking about it. "And the benefits are a few things. First it gives everyone here a common goal to work towards. Survival is all well and good, but that being the sole focus isn't."

"It's something inherently non violent so it's something to further prove we are more than what others have painted us as." She would further expand leaning forward a bit in her enthusiasm. She wasn’t very animated with it, but it was clear that she had high hopes for this project.

"And, once it gets settled, it's a source of income for the Sanctuary and the girls living here. We are reaching the point where we need that or we are going to have to start requiring donations or start turning people away." Something that Penny was all too sure Wonderland was going to exacerbate with their invasion. “This way we can support them and us better.”

Kayli would nod after hearing the plan. ”Sounds like a good idea. At least not let the resources go to waste.” Listening to the explanation that they might eventually run into housing trouble the woman considered something for a moment. ”If you do run into issues finding places for people to stay I can house quite a few. As usual the wish was more potent than I anticipated and aside from my age it came with fairly sizable provision for my small family.”

“It’s not the space that is the issue.” Penny would say after a moment. “I will absolutely keep you in mind if that does end up ever being an issue, but the actual problem is supplies.” She would let out a sigh as she rested her head against the wall behind her. “Food and other specialties are what we need. A few of the other girls don’t need much, but there are also some that have specific dietary needs. And with our limited ability to move around in the mundane world getting such things is difficult.”

“Monica” Penny would gesture towards the minotaur girl contentedly cooking away in the kitchen “Has been a godsend, almost literally as a matter of fact, her Patron is goddess of hearth and home so she’s directly responsible for a fair portion of our food here. But there is a limit to how much she can supply.” She’d explain. “I’ve managed to keep away from outright theft, mainly because I’m probably toeing a line or two as it is with Beacon, but something needed to change before it got untenable without crime.”

”I see. Well perhaps let me know if you have anything specifically that you need. Some of it may be harder to find, but sometimes I’m able to more easily get things as an adult.” Without knowing specifics it might be a bit harder to know for sure. Time out tell on that front.

“Before Shane donated a staff of wood magic our biggest hurdle would have been fresh greens.” Penny would start obviously just running down a checklist in her head. “I know that it’s possible to live on nothing but a vegetarian diet, but not for some of us here. Now our biggest challenge is fresh meat. There are three girls who can’t eat canned or processed meat without getting sick. One of whom has difficulties eating it if it isn’t literally a fresh kill.” Feral cats and dogs throughout Penrose had learned to be wary of this district. Then again so had monsters. “One girl needs blood, which I found at a butcher that sells it, so it’s not a drastic problem, but we don’t have anywhere to store it. The fridges here don’t get cold enough to properly keep it fresh.”

“Fresh water is another difficulty. We can’t tap into the water main out here, not without a risk of flooding the lower levels, so we have to boil what we can gather out of the harbor. Storing it for the long term is the biggest pain as we don’t have many jugs for it.” Granted some of the Water and Fire specs that lived here made it easier, it was that simply relying on them bothered Penny a little.

“Bedding is another constant struggle, we have no way of easily washing any of it so it has got a limited life span. Tearing apart the old blankets is a good standby for those with destructive urges, but we also have plenty of scrap for those that need to build or tear down.” All in all the issues the Sanctuary was facing weren’t dire, they had enough coming in before the newspaper was taken into account that they were making it. But they had nearly reached a critical limit and needed more in some capacity if they wanted to keep on keeping on.

Listening carefully, Kayli would eventually take out a notepad and begin sketching. As power wasn’t an issue the science teacher quickly drew up plans for a simple water filtration and sterilization system that should really only take things one could source from a hardware store. ”This should be easier and faster than boiling the water. The sand and charcoal will clear out the larger particles. The device produces ozone to kill any viruses or bacteria in the water as it drips. Save you from having to source chlorine or other chemicals. Just have to make sure it vents properly. I should be able to get a hold of some good containers to store the water.”

Pondering the other things, those would be a bit harder in the short term. Chickens were the first things that came to mind, but one would need a sizable space to have a flock big enough to sustain itself over an extended period. The eggs would be good though. ”Once you have the funds you could probably source from a farm. In the meantime maybe see if you can track down some Nutria for those with more specific needs. They’re an invasive species here in the states so no one would miss them. They live in and around rivers and streams so it might be easier to have some Water specs swim out to get them without being seen. I’ve never had them myself, but people do hunt and eat them so…”

Penny paid rapt attention to Kayli’s advice even as she already went through the catalog of what supplies were already available to build the purification unit. “Thank you.” She would say entirely earnestly, “The water containers alone will be a great help.” Especially if she could find a way to integrate the system into their new home. Water would no longer be an issue if that was the case. “I’ll keep the farm’s in mind as well, it’s one of the reasons I’m happy to be getting a cash flow for the Sanctuary. Money helps open so many doors. Never heard of the Nutria before, but Google helps, I’ve got a few scouts I can head out to try and see how many we’ve got in Penrose.”

“Once again, let me know if I can help. With anything really, We are in your debt at this point”

Simply returning a smile the woman spoke. "I'm a magical mom now. It's what I do." She would lean a bit closer to whisper. "I have to stop myself sometimes though, otherwise I'd adopt everybody." She would chuckle. Her maternal instincts were certainly skewed on the high end.

Penny would snicker alongside Kayli at that confession. She was tempted to let it leak out, Monica had a similar issue, even if it was for vastly different reasons, and it would likely do a lot to help some of the girls here at the Sanctuary. But it wasn’t her secret to give.

“So we’ve talked a lot about my end, but what have you been up to? Other than taking care of Connie.”

Had they? Guess the overlap didn’t count. ”Mostly research and teaching. I’ve had to take up a normal job to take care of my girls. I might be able to help some here get into classes if they’re interested. I should be able to temper those with more problematic afflictions.”

“Normal school is a risk even without the afflictions.” Penny would say though she was still obviously intrigued by the idea, she had just started workshopping ideas about the Overcity collage as a matter of fact. “Back in my one point oh iteration I could hold a sealed state for six hours at best, before I would forcibly revert and then I’d need two or three hours rest before I’d be able to seal up again. No idea how that stacks up to normal, but I’d wager that rather few of us could make it a full school day”

”Right Would probably have to set something up ourselves. There’s already quite a list, but it would be something more normal for them that they don’t have right now.” Sadly she wasn’t made of money to start something like that right now.

“Or see if the Overcity college would be willing to assist.” Penny would toss out. “No idea how or what at the moment we’d need to do, but setting up something with them might also work.”

"That would be good. And maybe it being outside Penrose would be good as well. People in the Overcity wouldn’t bat an eye at anyone attending."

“That was the hope, though we do have a reputation in the Overcity.” Penny would shrug with a small smile, “Seems that everyone else is also aware of our chaotic city’s nature.”

Considering that for a moment it wasn’t that surprising to hear. Penrose had gone from an ordinary city to the focal point of several incursions and rumors of more to come. Letting out a sigh Kayli would nod. ”Yes, I can see why. With any luck we can try and get ahead of that before something truly awful occurs.”

“Agreed. Now we just need to find the time to head to the college to ask around I suppose.” Penny would offer up tilting her head to the side as she pondered that particular challenge. “I guess we could ask Finn, Oliver, or Mariette about when good times to do that would be. Possibly others as well, I just know that those three are actually attending classes.”

”Sounds like a good place to start.” She would agree.

Penny would nodd, but before she could say anything else there was a psychic wave that rippled out from the kitchen. It was a simple thing, just a thought propagated across the warehouse. ‘Food’s ready!’

“Seems like Monica’s ready to allow people in her domain at last” Would be what the queen said instead. “Shall we?” She would ask as she moved to stand.

Responding to the call, Kayli stood up as well. "We shall." Even though she was a visitor the woman insisted she wait her turn and stood in line like everyone else. In the meantime she mingled and answered questions posed to her. Once everyone had been served, Monica joined Penny and Kayli. Unsurprisingly the two motherly figures took to each other almost instantly. They shared stories about the little ones and traded tips and tricks of varying sorts. Talk of trying to set up some play dates and maybe have a few of the Sanctuary members come visit Connie and Mia. The momentum of course barely had the chance to consider what Penny or anyone else might have to say as the two fed off each other's mom energy.

For all that Penny’s friendliness with Kayli kept things calm it was Monica’s enthusiasm that brought the woman acceptance within the Sanctuary. Not long after they started bouncing off of each other just reveling in finding another like mind, a few of the younger girls would gravitate towards them. Simply to bask in the feeling of home that was being given off by the two as they ate and talked.

The only person that was worried was Ashlyn, though she didn’t voice anything, there was simply a warriness to her whenever she looked at Monica. Which was rather often as the guard captain had taken a seat right next to Monica shortly after Monica had joined Kayli and Penny.

Penny, for her part, was quietly amused. The groundwork of the outreach that was being talked about between the two was something that she was more than happy to see. That and she could tell that it helped Monica as well to find someone who understood. Perhaps not for the same reason, but nevertheless.

All in all it was a good night for the Sanctuary, and with luck simply the first of many to come.

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

Back in this shit hole.

Oros preferred to stay as far away from Penrose as possible. With her patron having left this reality plenum, sticking around felt weird. Moreover, there were a lot of things she couldn’t stand about the place. One of the more bothersome aspects of Penrose was its magical girls. It wasn’t their behavior, just that there were so many of them. Worse still, some of them were many people.

Janet Howell had been everything from a member of Beacon, a monster who opposed Beacon, two members of Beacon, and now was her fourth iteration where she didn’t really have anything to do with Beacon anymore. That last part was especially hard to find out. All Oros had to work with was a ritual hex blade that could see into different times and realities. A powerful tool to be sure, but limited when you didn’t know what to look for. It was an awful lot of work for what Oros might get out of the deal.

And she needed to go into a school of all places!

The cultist didn’t get the appeal of schools either. Yes, Japanese school uniforms looked cute on everyone, but in America there was little appeal to be had. Schools weren’t supposed to be interesting places anyway. They had a bunch of bored teachers drone out a lesson or two before collecting a paycheck. TV made school look fun, sexy, and smart, but nobody really wanted to be here. The fact that so few magical girls ever showed up in school was proof of that.

Oros had her sword up, and was examining its reflection to find her mark. There had to be a trace of it somewhere.

While there could be a number of magical girls attending the school, Oros had the advantage that there were only a small handful of magical women. The details of how Kayli had become an adult weren't all that important. Simply that by the end of the Christmas party Kayli had somehow aged into a 30-something. So after some meandering the blade led to the biology lab where the only adult there was the teacher.

It wasn't long after that the bell rang. Students began to filter out and after a brief talk with a few that had questions all others had left the room. Oros stepping in, the blonde woman could tell there was something different about this girl. Not that that meant anything in particular. Since taking this position she was occasionally approached by magical girls or boys when they wanted to talk to a neutral party about more than the mundane. "Hello there. Do you need help with anything?" She said as she adjusted her glasses and greeted with a warm smile.

”Yea! You could get these things off of me! Don’t touch that!” Oros smacked one of the children on the hand. While most were inclined to ignore the strangely dressed woman, Oros’s unusual robe was a bit too enticing for the average school child.

“Are you a wizard?”

“She’s a samurai! Just look at her sword!”

“A jedi!”

“Or a sith? She looks evil.”

”You’ll find out if-” With a groan, Oros reached for the heavens, and several lollipops appeared in her hand. ”Look, it’s, hng, gehana!” She flung the sweet treats out of the room, and the children flocked into the hallway. This had not deterred some of the older ones, but they had already lost interest in Oros and had to get home for whatever they occupied their time with. Regardless, Oros and the teacher were alone-ish for the time being. ”Alright so.” Oros waved her hand over herself. ”The change isn’t quite as dramatic as yours, you probably remember me from somewhere, right?” There wasn’t much reason to drag this out. Oros didn’t really have anything with Janet, and she doubted that would change now with the way things were. ”Maybe you know where I could find… my nooooooooose?”

Looking over the girl for a moment the resemblance seemed to click for Kayli. The reference of the nose pretty well clarified things as well. "Oh I see. How is it you…" She waved off the question before completing it. How it was the Oros found herself purified wasn't important. Opening a drawer of her desk she retrieved her purse and took out a small case and set it down on the desk before Oros. "I'm sorry that this took longer to get back to you than it should have. The twins had a way of taking on more than they could handle." She gave a warm smile. "You should find it better at helping you track down corrupted magic. I hope that's alright."

”That’ll be plenty helpful. I wasn’t expecting anything, so this is good.” Oros looked her nose over. It was hers alright. The flesh on her face peeled back until a cartoon canon was exposed, which she unscrewed. Then she pushed her other nose in place, which melded into place. ”Finally, reattached to its rightful owner!” Oros sheathed her sword before looking at the teacher. ”Oh wow, I can smell forever now.” She sniffed the air a bit. ”What smells so good? Oh! That’s me!” The beast woman grinned. ”I guess we’re all settled up then? Don’t need my credit card number or any favors?”

The woman would shake her head. "No. I think Penrose has enough people wheeling and dealing as is. I might no be able to stay out of it forever, but I can do my best to stay a neutral party in the meantime." She put her purse back away.

Oros folded her arms. ”I was less thinking of me pulling a magical bullshit device out of my ass and more like going shopping somewhere. But if you’re cool, I’m cool.”

Scooting a notepad over she wrote down a number and handed it to Oros. "If you find yourself in need of something feel free to give me a call and I'll see what I can do. I can't perform miracles, but I can provide a safe place to rest if nothing else."

”Oh-hoh! A number.” Oros accepted the piece of paper. ”I mean I can traverse dimensions, so I doubt I’ll have a use for something like this. Well, not for the reason you handed it to me anyway.” The note disappeared, presumably going into Oros’s hammer space. ”Right so, I guess I do have two burning questions you could answer for me.” She counted off her fingers. ”So if you want to be neutral, why offer to help everyone? Seems like a good way to tick someone off”

"A fair question. It would be easier to stay quiet and completely out of things. Much like my predecessor though I feel that doing nothing isn't really an option. For better or worse I am a product of ideals that are hard for me to ignore. One could argue that once you've been dragged into this kind of business there's no real getting out though." She gave a light shrug. To be honest it had crossed her mind to leave town and make change elsewhere. That was prior to accepting to become Connie's adoptive mother though. Physical changes aside, the mental ramifications probably had a greater impact with her maternal instincts becoming front and center. And in a world made up of mostly magical girls and boys it was hard for her not to immediately see them as children even if she knew it might not be the case.

”That uh, didn’t really answer my question. Whatever! I Second question…” Oros blushed a little bit. ”You uh, you kept my noise in your purse?”

The second question was a bit more odd to her. "Where else would I keep something I might need on hand?"

”Wha?” Oros covered her nose with both hands. ”The hell do you need a spare nose for!?”

Blinking a couple of times she chuckled aloud. "Oh, I see what you mean now. I had it with me so I could return it to you if we should meet. I found a number of loose ends left behind that I've returned or resolved. I believe your nose was the last to deal with. I'd rather not be responsible for someone else's possessions." Doing her best to reassure she hadn't tampered with the nose any further than what the twins had already done.

Oros had her eyes squint through the teacher’s entire explanation. ”...You’d better not be kidding.” With a sniff, her eyes opened up. ”Alright, I guess I’m gonna go then.” She turned around. ”Yep, just gonna leave.” She stepped towards the door. ”Just gunna-” Oros looked over her shoulder. ”So you’re serious? You really don’t wanna do anything? You’re just gonna, what? Go home?”

She would look at the clock for a moment. "Well, regardless of what I'd like to do I have a few more hours on the job." She would put a hand on a stack of papers. "These aren't going to grade themselves after all. I probably will be headed home afterward though. I have other responsibilities to attend to." In this case, Connie and Mia.

”Well alright, if you say so.” Oros shook the paper in the air. ”I’m gonna use this number soon though, so you’d better make yourself available some time.” She waved before closing the door behind herself.

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

Shane Stats

Shane Brahm

Age: 12/14 | Gender: Male/Male | Lightning | Elaborate
Mystic | Regeneration, Power of Friendship | Puchuu
Flexibility, Enhanced Weapon, Awareness, Enhanced Sustenance, Enhanced Outfit, Masculinity, Mount
Emergency Reinforcements, Job Satisfaction, Mystic Might, Mana Font
Expendable, Cagey, Empty Pockets

STR: 03 | AGI: 05 | VIT: 04 | MAG: 03 | LCK: 04

STR: 04 | AGI: 06 | VIT: 13 | MAG: 19 | LCK: 05

Industrial District

@Ponn

With everyone's help the threat had been cleared. Shane couldn't help but feel like this was some kind of test run. The foe was smart and adapted quickly, but the assault was surely not enough to take on the number of defenders in Penrose. Having been occupied with in the air though it took him some time to rejoin the others. He would have to hope and get word of any other details later if there were any.

Hopping off his monut he would pat the enormous bird and let him fly off. The Thunderbird wasn't a fan of crowds. Taking out his phone he would text Mia a call.

"Gaia, how are you? How's Connie?" He wasn't really sure the status of the rest of Penrose. The fact that he got any response was a good sign that things were handled.

---

Ka'ris Stats

Ka'ris Tal

Age: 0/16 | Gender: ???/Female | Gravity, Oddball: Crystal | Uniform
Ranged | Barrage | Lesser Force
Hammerspace Handbag, Gifted, Get Out of Jail, Closure, Absolute Direction, Enhanced Outfit, Enhanced Sustenance
Focused, Subtle, Genki Girl, Magical Overload
Limited, Alien Mind, Big Brother, Monstrous Form

STR: 03 | AGI: 03 | VIT: 05 | MAG: 05 | LCK: 04

STR: 05 | AGI: 07 | VIT: 19 | MAG: 16 | LCK: 06

Business District

Having posted herself above most of the battlefield, Ka'ris watched as the magical girls and boys went to work thraching everything in sight. The Queen, Penny Wenny, was notably ruthless. Indeed it would seem that attempting any kind of incursion here would have been met with severe resistance. And it had only taken two to break any chance before. Yikes. And despite this drone's new humanoid form she could tell she was greatly lacking in magical strength to be much more than average.

One thing to note is that even though the defenders worked together, she couldn't really tell what the command structure was. People were running around yelling out this and that. It seemed highly inefficient. As a normal drone she would receive orders at a subconscious level, or at least she used to before her transformation. She needed to figure out how to be "human". Starting with the Queen and Princess sounded risky. If either of them figured out her primary directive she would surely be captured or destroyed. Uh... Probably going to have to pick someone at random and hope for the best. Letting out a sigh she began to float down and see who she ran into first.

Fortunately (or unfortunately for the unsuspecting target) she made her way toward the bundle of people and tugged on a wing of the Angel of Hope. "Excuse me. I'm new here and I'm a little confused on what's going on. Can you help me?"