ERode

Iris Ascendis

Alright, time to get cracking.

Iris Ascendis

And there's the first death of the RP. ;3

Guess if nothing else, Davil could start doing shoryukens.

Why Were We Reincarnated as Orcs?!

Aaaand got a quick one out.

Basic intent, Zeroth, is that Esfir is trying to hide somewhere away from aerial view that's close to ten feet of the Tatzelwurm. She's basically using it as a bait for the Harpy; if it takes it, she'll shoot out a Frost Arc to hopefully slow/stun it before she runs in to stab it too. If the wait is too long though (maybe around half an hour), then she'll eventually just return and bring the Tatzelwurm back to camp instead.

Why Were We Reincarnated as Orcs?!

Hesitation!

The description had been correct, the Jackalope horn was as sharp as metal! It pierced with so little resistance that Esfir had overshot, shoving the length of her spear so far in that the serpentine creature practically gagged upon it. Its death-reflexes kicked in moments later, jaw clamping down upon the foreign object stuck inside its mouth, and Esfir leapt back in kind, dropping her spear as it writhed and flailed away the last moments of its life. It was fortunate that [Murderous Intent] had functioned. Fortunate still that she had seen it coming in time, that the lashings didn’t break despite having been freshly tied upon it.

Slowly, she wriggled her Jackalope Spear out from the creature’s mouth, inspecting the status of the tip itself. It still looked sharp. Still looked like it could pierce flesh without an issue. She’d have to check how secure the tip was later, but right now? She wiped it clean best as she could against the leaves of a nearby bush, before turning away from the dead beast and scampering off into the denser surrounding foliage.

And then, once she was immediately out of sight of that humanoid bat, Esfir dropped down into a crouch, calmed her breathing, and positioned her hands outwards, towards the beast she had left there. If the Harpy was an opportunist, if it had no understanding of what may be ‘suspicious’ then perhaps it would descend, would take a bite or two.

Knowing only of the spear, and not of the storm.

Two for one.

Wouldn’t that be a wonderful thing?

Skills

• Ingestion - After consuming a required amount of biomass from a particular Creature, 1 of that Creature's Skills can be copied at its lowest Rank.
• Frost Arc - Rank I - An expanding spray of icy cold, over 10 feet in one direction and 5 feet wide at its furthest edge. The cold is more intense the closer the target is to the origin, reaching its lowest temperature within a span of about 2 feet. It constantly expends Magic Power the longer the cone is maintained.
• Murderous Intent - Rank I - Focus hatred and the desire to kill through the subtle senses. A creature that is weaker than you must exert its willpower or be Intimidated (Intimidated creatures suffer reduced speed). A creature that is already Intimidated, Shocked, or Unaware may instead become Fearful and be unable to act for 5 seconds. Creatures that are stronger than you can only be Intimidated by this Skill if they are already Shocked or Unaware, but their willpower threshold is higher.
• Empty Skill Slot

Equipment and Inventory

• Swaddling Pelts - Equip, Clothes - Old animal skins used to keep an Orc baby warm as they sleep. Once the Runt is old enough to start hunting, these are usually just enough to cover the parts that need the most covering.
• Sharp Rock - Equip, Weapon/Tool, Material Component - A rock with a slightly sharp edge. Useful as a primitive knife or chisel. Can be thrown.
• Jackalope Spear - 2H Weapon - A decent, if primitive spear. Not suitable as a throwing weapon due to its weight, but made of tough, sturdy materials. Jackalope horn is surprisingly sharp, almost as much so as metal.
• Stomach-Bag - Small bag, improved from an Elwet's stomach.
• Elwet Antlers
• Rotleaves x5
• Rotleaf Seedpods x6
• Gizzard Sparkstone
• Elwet Feathers
• Raw Chalcopyrite Ore x3
• Bufonite x3
• Tungem Branch x3
• Jackalope Point x4
• Broken Jackalope Point
• Pimplestool Mushroom x2
• Crushed Pimplestool
• Mushroom Shreds x3
• Mycellium Lash x2
• Frayed Mycellium Lash x2

@Zeroth

Kurai Majokko

_{@CamiCat@FroggRFlowR}

“At least you know to protect yourself then,” Suna sang. With only one other taking her generous offer, she slotted in the coins one by one, before posing in preparation as the machine read the money. The moment it pinged to the correct amount of money, the girl pressed the button as fast as she could, before repeating those presses even more in a clear effort to mess with the programming.

Alas, her index finger wasn’t nearly as fast as the electric signals shooting through the vending machine’s circuitry, and only one can plopped out, which she tossed over to Homura. The one that she got for herself was the same, and she cracked it open, downing it with all the gusto of someone enjoying the first can out of a six-pack. The subtle sweetness and warmth spread down her stomach in a way that was always most comforting, like a heat pack against a sore back.

Kaeru was really feeling herself tonight though, wasn’t she? “You’re gonna get wrinkles like that, Kaeru,” the blue-eyed girl replied. “You can think of ‘em as the types to hunt Miseria for personal gain though. Can’t get the Miseria big and juicy without feeding them, right? So…”

She stuck out her tongue and tilted her head back, shaking out the last drops of the soup. Satisfied with its emptiness, Suna placed it between her two hands and clasped them together, crushing it flat, then returned her gaze to Homura.

“…you can see how that goes, right? If us Magical Girls are hunters, then those Dark Magical Girls are farmers.” She threw the crushed can upwards, a three-pointer that clattered against the rim of the recycling bin and then bounced off to roll against the stained pavement inside. Suna let out a little giggle as she slid between her two companions to pick it up and toss it in where it belonged. “But you can form your own opinion on em, Homura. I’m more curious about, y’know, where you came from? Kaeru’s born here, and I moved here for work, but what about you?”

Iris Ascendis

Each breakfast cost a single silver coin, apart from the Twiggy's Special which appeared to demand a two silver tithe instead. Sides also consisted of various hot pastries, freshly baked and ready to consume with fervor, costing two copper per.

SMH, a gathering of the most promising youth around the world, a literal academy for raising heroes, and they can't even offer free food for the kiddos. Funding's going nowhere except Raja's pockets, I see.

Iris Ascendis

_@Nanaya

“That was a fair bit more dangerous,” Otis spoke, squatting beside his test subject once more. There was scientific evidence that one’s legs were stronger than one’s arms three-fold, so perhaps to compensate, Davil had unconsciously sent triple the usable amount to his arms instead. And, perhaps sensing self-destruction at hand, his prime essence recalled its current bits, bringing everything back before the wind itself could be entirely released. “The imagery you’ve utilized to envision your Ethos may not be well-suited for such purposes, but in this case, at least, it’s possible to do so.”

And if it was possible, then it could be practiced.

The Strigidae’s Adapa expanded once more, showing large chunks of prime essence breaking off, the clear indication of an outwards, rather than upwards, propulsion, only to slingshot back into his core. It was a self-explanatory graphic. Otis offered a waterskin to Davil, one filled with a cold-brew tea, just for him to clear out his throat and wash out any curious tastes in his mouth. “Tell me more about what you’ve just felt, and what you were thinking. As far as the recording goes, I can see that it’s possible once you gain a more granular control over your Prime Essence, but if there is a ‘psychological’ limitation that’s placing itself upon you, that’s something I can only learn from recording your thoughts.”

Which could be done with magic too, but he wasn’t planning on lobotomizing Davil this early on. They took a break just long enough for Davil to finish speaking, before Otis pulled him up to his feet again. Now, what was the process again? Ten seconds for take off, ten seconds for landing, and five seconds to gain control, leaving five seconds for controlled flight.

He’d have liked to experiment with the charging of the Ethos while performing regular movements, to test if it was another ‘limit’ of the Ethos, but for now?

“Third test should be easy enough. Show me the process of your regular flying habits, Davil. Once again, prioritize maximizing your initial burst of speed to ascend as fast as possible. Don’t worry about the landing. We'll use up your remaining time here.”

Expedition to Isekai

---

//Night 1 | Location: Nameless Forest - Lakeside
_@Vertigo
It wasn't as if the walls were that thick. They had done what they could, substituting plaster with mud, but that didn't do much to block out the noise. And anyways, Duncan's senses were sharpened to a point beyond even his best basketball games. He could hear them all outside still.

He could hear the faint beat of Yuki's own heart still, the shallow breathing. When they had healed him, Yuki's complexion had gotten better, but that had been all. Something was lost. Perhaps Asahi simply couldn't fix certain wounds. Perhaps if he tried, it wouldn't be Yuki anymore.

Duncan sat there. He could hear the fighting now, the threats. Asahi's declarations, the psychic threads that he commanded. Masato, shouting, a desperation that only increased. Ayana, having lost all sense of self to whatever possessed her. And the other, normal students, struck by a dawning realization that the power that had saved them on that first day would be a catalyst that ripped them apart as well.

Footsteps at the entrance.

Yukiko.

Gray eyes blinked, adjusting to the darkness. A petite form, backlit by firelight. She looked weary, more shrunken than she usually did, as she sat down beside the unresponsive youth, hugging her knees to her chest. She had been the one who had thought to pull Yuki to the others during the nighttime ambush. If she hadn't, perhaps he'd have turned out the same as Yuudai. Had exhausted herself, carrying him along when the group all decided to run away, leaving their Awakened friends to handle those hulking monstrosities.

And now, perhaps all that effort was worthless too.

Strange, that an oppressive silence could settle, even when it was so loud outside.

It was the thing that Yuki was always good at breaking.

---

_{@AThousandCurses}
She ran.

Of course she ran.

Her whole power set, the extra ability that she had unlocked, only had to do with running faster. So fast that her scooter was pointless. So fast that she left the others behind within a minute. It had taken so little time to reach the opposite end of the lake. It would take even less time to get back, if she really needed to.

But would she? Why should she?

Yuudai was dead. Yuki was near-death. Ayana was off her rocker, and could've died. It would be better to run, to keep running, to leave it all behind. That's what freedom was. That's what she always desired, wasn't it? People didn't interest her. She could talk with them, could laugh with them, but conversations died around her, and she would turn back to her own interest once more. That had suited her fine for all her life. Why would it change? Moonlight reflected off the lake, human drama doing little to diminish natural splendor. No one came after her. No one was fast enough to follow her. Back on Earth, there were hardly any who could keep up with her boundless energy. Here on the Otherside, there were even less, yet she found herself chained to them.

Did she have to be?

What, really, made her stay with her classmates, when she could take care of herself so much better alone?

---

_{@Yankee@Cu Chulainn[@baraquiel@Nakushita}
Asahi tried to play it cool, but it was hard for anyone who remained to really settle down. His claims were wild, their implications leaning more towards villainy than anything else. Ayane turned, peering into her step-sister's eyes. She didn't want to trust Asahi, not when the pink-haired youth had displayed such disinterest in taking anyone seriously while he spewed out some deeply unserious stuff too, but the question had to be posed still. "Ayana, are you still in there?"

Did the answer truly matter? It wouldn't solve the divide anyways. Sasuke's gaze settled upon Asahi. They had known each other since they were children, and even though his expression didn't change, Asahi could understand that look regardless. Softness must subdue hardness. Tranquility must overcome ferocity. Otherwise, one risked losing all control. Where, in all this, had they lost that control?

Masato's hand wrapped around Kogen's wrist, and yet that glowing armor was cold to the touch and it did not give. The student council president knew though. Knew that any of them, any of the Awakened, possessed strength enough that if they put their mind to it, it wouldn't be strangulation. It would be a decapitation with the blunt force generated by one's grip strength.

Kogen had not lost control. He was perfectly rational, holding back still the superhuman power that he had. Holding it back because he didn't intend on killing someone though? Or holding back because he wanted to prolong it. To drag it out. To watch Akito's struggling weaken over successive seconds, watch his face turn red, then purple, sweat and tears and snot expelled from the vice-like grip that held and held and held.

Hiroshi remained an observer, that amoral curiosity driving him to watch all this with wide eyes and the shadow of a smile.

And Juro found Hana, the two of them sharing quiet words.

AI Art Generation: Beneficial or Problematic?

-snip-

@Zweit

There was this thread, a while ago, if you wanna give that a look.

Anyways, the only issue I have with AI art is that its fundamentally just tracing on crack. I don't vibe with it, and it has a habit of making shit look generic af, which is pretty awk in the hyper-stylized world of weebshit. And if it's not generic? It was probably trained on a specific artist's work, which is an even shittier thing to do.

My bigger issue is with AI artists, especially the ones who go down the path of saying that AI art democratizes art. Fucking stupid first-world bullshit. You can get pencils and paper for free, and now you're saying that it's more democratic because you need access to the internet to do so? Ok, buddy.

And then there's these types.



That being said, I'm an anime RPer, so you know I have no actual morals regarding theft and piracy.

...

On the topic of education in general, ChatGPT exposes the general issue of schools failing to get kiddos interested in learning, while AI generation for 'creative' hijinks exposes the fact that a good amount of people lean towards the gratification of instant generation.

Anyways, gonna have a good laugh if, a decade or two down the line, Prompt Engineering becomes a real major or trade.

Iris Ascendis

I'm guessing that for this round, we're only waiting on Psykers now? Considering Sifr's gonna be busy for a while.