LuckyBlackCat

After the Dawn (LuckyBlackCat and SimpleWriter)

~ Imamura, Seika ~

Hearing the manager's voice, Seika stood up, trying to look as dignified as she could while dripping lemonade. She hoped her inward squirm didn't show - not just from the blunder, or the boss' arrival, but from the pure venom in Hitomi's tone a moment ago. Shame she'd thought she'd left behind burned like a reopened wound.

Whatever the comment had been about to be, Hitomi didn't stick around to finish it. With a flustered apology, the other girl ran to grab her belongings. "Oh for pity's sake, Ogasawara, there's no need to..." Seika began, but Hitomi rushed out into the rain. With a long sigh, Seika stared after her former friend through the window, hands clenching by her sides.

Gritting her teeth, trying to keep her face as neutral as possible, she turned back to the manager. She considered his question in silence. Yes, Hitomi had gone and made bumbling idiots of both of them... but was she truly to blame for that? If not for the tension in the air, the tension Seika herself was responsible for, would things have gone more smoothly?

"I say..." She paused, hiding a cringe. There was no easy answer. "I say she deserves another chance."

Her words brought another wave of nostalgia, an unexpected one. She hadn't intended the double meaning, but there it was. No, she thought, fighting the urge to shake her head as if it would dispel the memories. Things could never go back to how they were before. Both she and Hitomi knew that.

"As long as that's what she wants, of course," she added.

Wrenching her focus from the past to the present, she spotted something lying on the floor by the cafe's exit. A book. Trust Hitomi to retrieve her things in such a hurry she dropped something. "Well, I'd better give this back to her," Seika muttered, heading over and picking it up. She bowed to the manager before gathering her own belongings from the staff room and running out.

Hitomi wasn't the only one who'd forgotten to bring an umbrella. Cold droplets lashed at Seika's face and hands. Not that it made much difference, considering her already drenched state, but water marks started to speckle the book. Holding the hem of her jacket - her driest item of clothing - over it, she sped up her steps, catching up with Hitomi.

As she held out the book, she uttered only one word. "Here."

Be my Sanctuary

Hmm, I think the only question that needs answering is the one Jess asked Roxy, after that I'm ok with skipping to the weekend. It'd make sense for them to focus on work as a distraction for the next few days.

My Hero Academia: Another Story

@Nate1008 Hmm... While that does give us a small amount of insight into the character, I'm afraid you'd need to build on that post a lot more. It still looks rather summarised, and not all that readable for lack of paragraphs.

Also, while a monstrous/animalistic villain would be fun if written with enough care and effort, the more I think about it, the less likely it seems that everyone he met would reject him in a world where mutations are common. Yes he may have a freakish appearance, but this is the same world where a guy with six arms is considered normal. It'd be more believable if some people, including his parents, rejected him because he's just that ugly, and because of this, he fears people in general as he assumes they're going to do the same. That kind of wariness would fit the way he acts like a wild animal.

All in all, though, I won't lie, I'll admit the sample post makes us reluctant to accept this CS. If you can give it a major rework, then show us by all means, but as it is, I'm afraid this just isn't the level we're looking for.

Be my Sanctuary

Yep, seems like a good point to move things along.

Pokemon Spiral

Sophia Danvers

Mesalon Pokecentre

@ItMeGritty @Noxx

Haughty mode

"Hey!" Sophia rubbed her forehead, returning the glare. How did someone so childish have the nerve to call HER a little girl? "You have no idea who you're talking to, do you?"

Stretching out her hands to either side and focusing her psychic power, she did her usual trick of spinning her Pokeballs through the air around her, making her huge curly ponytails billow for extra effect. Three of the Pokeballs opened, recalling Grimalkin, Arcturus and Lumas, before another unleashed Fantoccino.

With her three chosen battlers at her side - Lacey, Clarus and Fantoccino - Sophia returned the capsules to her ribbon belt. Despite her smirk, she resisted the urge to rub her head again, this time for a different reason. Controlling several items at once was tougher than she made it seem, and yesterday's overexertion didn't help. She'd have to make sure to avoid a repeat of that.

Her sneer widened at the sight of the Pokemon Poison sent out, a Koffing. "Oh please, Poison types? I mean the name made it just a tad obvious, but seriously, that means my Pokemon can wreck yours any day. Of course, they'd be able to do that even if not for your little disadvantage there."

At a disapproving squeak from Lacey, some of Sophia's haughtiness deflated as she remembered what had happened with Alexis. She huffed. No way would she let a situation get so out of control again. "But anyway, I'm here for the gym leader, not some nobody. And there's only one person here on the way to glory, so just sit back and watch." She made to stride past Poison, but the man at the counter motioned for her to stop.

"Both of you," he said, his tone as neutral as his face. If he was at all impressed by Sophia's trick just now, or annoyed at Poison's antics, he didn't show it. "You'll have to wait just a moment. Lan's healing his Pokemon right now, but I'll let him know he's got more battles coming up." He pressed a button, paging the gym leader.

Sophia marched over to the arena doors anyway. "And who else should the first one be against than Sophia the Spectacular?" she announced, hoping her dramatic pose hid her jittering - and that Lan wouldn't say anything about their previous battle.

Notes

Pokemon Party: Gothita "Lacey" lv14, Purrloin "Grimalkin" lv13, Staryu "Arcturus" lv13, Darumaka "Lumas" lv11, Shuppet "Fantoccino" lv11, Bronzor "Clarus" lv11
Pokemon in PC:
Inventory: Pokeball x1, TM33 (Reflect), Oran Berry x3

My Hero Academia: Another Story

@Nate1008 Interesting character there, imo the only thing that needs changing is the sample post. It's written like a background section, whereas what we're looking for is an example of your writing style, and your ability to show backstory and personality through that. So if you elaborate on his history with a short narrative, as if you were writing a post, that'll be all good.

My Hero Academia: Another Story

---

@OwO @Aviaire @KaijuBaragon @Nyahahameha @Riegal

A short distance from its destination, the police van swerved and screeched to a halt, its roof sporting a sizeable dent. Shouts rose up as several heavily armed officers clambered out, pointing guns at the scorpion-tailed woman holding on to the vehicle. A few moments later, some spun around and stared in the direction of the garage as a high-pitched noise started blaring from it. The unrelenting wail of a car alarm could only mean one thing.

"She's not alone!" one officer shouted. "C'mon, there are other no-goods in there." Some of the guards broke away, hurrying towards the sound and the culprits behind it, while others closed in on the scorpion girl, trying to restrain her.

With the first part of the plan working as intended, now was the villains' chance, albeit a fleeting one. To pull off the rescue, they'd have to put the next steps in motion fast.

Mahou Shoujo no Hex Night: A Magical Girl Battle RP

❅❄ Fuyuko Yamazaki ❄❅

---

@VitaVitaAR @A Lowly Wretch

In a blaze of light, Hikari took on her own kimono-clad magical form, as bold and vibrant as Fuyuko's was pale and ethereal. Dresssed in brilliant red, gripping a hammer the height of her body, Hikari would certainly attract attention if the ghostly girl happened to be nearby.

And attract attention she did, as did Fuyuko, though not that of the child they searched for. Fuyuko stared up at the mass of ravens gathering in the trees, several pairs of beady eyes trained in their direction.

"Wha...?" Fuyuko grabbed the fan from her waist, but the birds didn't attack, their gazes unrelenting. Realisation dawned. She recognised the shadowy forms of these birds, recalled them flitting around Sophia, just before that first glimpse of the watcher.

Letting out the breath she'd been holding, she turned to Hikari. "It... It's ok, I think. I've seen these birds before. The person behind them... The masked figure saw her too." Wasn't it only logical for Sophia to keep a look out after that?

Fuyuko lowered her fan, but her grip on it remained tight. While Sophia had a reason to investigate, was that the sole purpose of sending the birds here? The macabre magical girl hadn't meant or done any harm yesterday, but had she just been waiting for the right moment? Could her new 'friend' truly be trusted? Could anyone?

What guarantee was there that this was indeed Sophia's doing, anyway? Fuyuko studied the ravens, looking for anything that set them apart from the ones she'd seen. Many magical girls had ice powers like hers - probably where the yuki-onna myth came from in the first place - so surely there were others in the city with bird or shadow related abilities. For all she knew, this could be a trick by the very people they were searching for. The watcher had seen Sophia and her ravens, after all.

Be my Sanctuary

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

Jess bit her lip. Laura's question resonated with her, even if the counsellor didn't know about the danger she and Roxy were in. "Well... To be honest, I need to get back into some kind of exercise routine anyway," she said with a slight laugh. During the first few years of isolation, she'd taken self-care more seriously, going for regular brisk walks around the woods to ward off stir-craziness. Eventually, though, it had seemed mechanical and pointless. It wouldn't any more, but Laura had picked up right away that fitness wasn't the main reason. Protection was.

"But now you mention it," Jess continued, "I guess suddenly getting thrown back into the world can do that. I mean I didn't feel like it before." Guarding the truth as carefully as she could, she let only parts of it show, not that even that came easily. As someone who'd tried to solve her own problems in the past, opening up heightened the sense of vulnerability that Laura had brought to light. Asking for help wasn't a failing, she'd come to realise that, but she needed to be strong for the upcoming weekend. For Roxy.

Maybe the training would help with that, at least. As would the increased bond from the questions, as long as they weren't too personal. She could only hope this would help both of them move forward instead of set them back.

"About the questions, thanks," she said, despite her worries. "And you too, Roxy, thank you. I'll just stick with the basics for now. Kicks, punches, escaping holds." She gave Roxy a little smile. "Any activities you want to try?"

Mahou Shoujo no Hex Night: A Magical Girl Battle RP

❅❄ Fuyuko Yamazaki ❄❅

---

@VitaVitaAR

"The watcher even moved like a robot," Fuyuko replied, keeping watch for any sign of the girl, the house, or the person with the rabbit mask. As things were, this seemed the most likely explanation, although she couldn't shake the fear of leading Hikari the wrong way with her theory. "It's just a possibility, though. We've got to look out for any more hints."

She pondered Hikari's words, trying to recall the child's appearance. Having only glimpsed her for a split second, details eluded her. Sighing, she swept a glance through the dappled shadows once more. Nothing.

It was then that Hikari piped up. At her question, Fuyuko's pensive look returned. Draw out the girl? It would be a great deal easier if they knew the first thing about her. All they could do was work with what they had. "Uh well... She might be more drawn to us if we're in our magical girl forms," she suggested. The watcher certainly had been, she thought with a shudder. At least there probably wouldn't be any other magical girls in the forest, not at this time of day.

With a deep breath and a tentative step forward, she focused. Snow swirled as magic flowed through her body like ice water, turning her hair white, lengthening her school uniform into a kimono. The flurry died down, leaving her in her rather more conspicuous form. Tension tightened its grip, but she kept advancing. As much as she hated drawing attention at the best of times, let alone during the Hex Night, this mission made it a necessity. She just hoped she didn't draw the wrong kind.