Vertigo

Expedition to Isekai

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Duncan broke into a laugh as he watched his friends flail through the air and plummet into the lake one after another, splashing water at his face in the process. It couldn't have been easy for normies like them to make the jump, especially with that asshole Hiroshi spewing math at them, but Daisuke and Maki were real ones, and he'd known they wouldn't let him down.

"Dude, you should've seen yourself! Thought you were gonna chicken out for a sec. You owe Maki one for that," he shouted as he swam closer to make sure neither of the two had broken any bones — and that they weren't actively drowning as he spoke. They seemed more or less alive, so he kept going. "Tell you what Dai, I'll give ya this one. But next tim—"

Duncan's mouth closed and eyes opened wide as he saw everyone's gazes turn back towards the tower. He'd expected them to be joined by others eventually, could already see some of their fellow students sliding into the water at the shore, but to see Sasuke of all people atop the tower was... new. He grinned nonetheless, encouraging the guy all the way down.

"Hey, Maki," Duncan leaned towards her. "The show off's trying to one up you. You gonna take that?" The two might never engage in that epic martial arts fight everyone was hoping for — and that Duncan knew Maki would win — but maybe he could goad them into a dive-off.

Whether he could or not, the day at the lake continued, along with the precarious dives. Many of the latter were courtesy of Duncan himself, every impact with water a new wave of relief crashing into him. He did other things too, of course; challenged people into swimming competitions, nearly drowned holding his breath for a time no human should've been able to, and avoided Asahi once he emerged from whatever distant spot of the lake Duncan had accidentally thrown him into. He laughed, he talked shit, and he pulled some of the more unsuspecting floaters under when they least expected it.

Haruko never came to watch.

Duncan wasn't worried though, not at first. There were far more reasonable explanations to her absence than there were worrisome ones, the sun was shining, the water was cool, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Duncan was feeling great. There was no room for worry in a mind preoccupied by pleasure.

But as the novelty of it all wore off, each jump yielding diminishing returns as far as adrenaline went, Duncan found his gaze drifting back to the shore more and more often in search for a familiar, tiny figure amongst the students. And with every failed attempt, he felt a pang in the back of his mind. Everyone else was here, from what he could tell. Where was she? Was she not feeling well, or something? Resting at the camp?

"Be right back, gotta take a leak!" he shouted back at the others, then swam to shore.

When Duncan first asked whether one of the students loafing about by the lake had seen Haruko, he wasn't terribly upset when he was met with a shrug. But as one shrug became two, three and then five, he could no longer deny feeling an eerie sense of dread. If she was just resting, someone should've known about it.

In the end it was the nerd Fujita that could provide an additional piece of information: Haruko had gone off somewhere — with Akito. At that, Duncan paused, more out of confusion than anything else. What was she doing with Akito, of all people? Dude was a nobody. Had something happened? He knew there'd been some drama between Kogen and Akito last night and that it'd gotten pretty bad, but he hadn't really paid attention to the details, his mind preoccupied by—

Duncan shook away that thought before it could form, asked which way Fujita'd seen them go, and set out without even bothering to fetch his clothes. Maybe Akito'd been more hurt than he realized and Haruko wanted to care for him, Duncan reasoned. She did that, cared about people. But they wouldn't have needed to leave camp for that.

If that little shit had any ulterior motives for being alone with his girl, he fucking swore...

Duncan knew his senses were better now than they'd used to, and for once, it wasn't a nuisance. He focused on listening to the sounds around him, doing his best to filter out the slowly distancing merriment at the lake, the sounds of nature and the quickening of his own heartbeat.

At some point, his hand clenched into a fist.

Chronicles of the Six: Magic’s Awakening: A Magical Boy RP. Reboot

Wip, still need to make the edits to his powers!

Edit: done ay

Noah aka Mr. Dumpster Fire aka not-actually-fire-dude

Human

Name: Noah Park

Age: 19

Appearance: Noah stands at an average 5'9'', though his attitude alone adds a few inches to his perceived height. Failing that, so do his combat boots. He's lean and tan with sharp, narrow facial features, further accentuated by the many piercings and tattoos scattered throughout his body. The most visible one, a large, roaring dragon, runs the length of his back all the way up to his hairline. He has tattoo sleeves on both arms, and tribal tattoos on his knuckles. Noah's eyes are brown, though they are a peculiar shade that teeters on red — or maybe he's just wearing contacts and not telling anyone about it.

Noah's hair, jet black, is styled in a sidecut with a high ponytail at the back. As uncharacteristic as it sounds, Noah is pretty fussy about his appearance — especially his hair, and hates anyone touching it. He doesn't own a lot of different clothes, but the few pieces he does have tend to be kept neat and stylish, all grey, black and red. Notably, he also wears black nail polish and red eye makeup. He dares you to talk shit about it.

People tend to say that Noah's face has exactly two expressions: a deep scowl and a shit-eating grin. Those who know him the best know there's a third, elusive option of a smile, reserved only for situations that really call for it.

Personality: The first impression you get from Noah isn't wrong, exactly; he is just as difficult to approach and prone to anger as one would expect, with no patience for pleasantries and small talk — particularly the deceptive kind. He has a violent streak and a giant chip on his shoulder for most of the general public, with a tendency to say the wrong thing at the wrong time and not stop to apologize for it. He is impatient, flippant and cocky, but much the same way a cat is; strutting around like he owns any given place, yet constantly on the lookout for things that might threaten whatever temporary peace he's clawed out for himself. He's fiercely and stubbornly independent, and has trouble accepting help.

What many don't know however, is that few of his vices are deliberate, and that he's fully aware of his shortcomings — even working on fixing them, little by little. It's not that he doesn't apologize after a rude comment because he doesn't care, it's because he knows he'd just make things worse if he tried. It's not that he wants to get mad, but it's just so damn easy. Much easier than trying to express himself through words. That shit's embarrassing, and if there's something Noah hates, it's being embarrassed.

Luckily, he's had better luck fixing his problems when around his friends — the ones that actually matter to him. Passionate about things he cares about and loyal to those he feels have deserved it, Noah's a somewhat decent person around his own. With them, many of his extremes mellow out; the fire that so readily burns strangers to a crisp turns into a more pleasant smoulder. Unfortunately for them, being close to Noah and making him feel more at ease also means they're prime targets for him to mess with. But only for him to mess with; any outsider trying to start shit with his gang better be ready to pay.

History: It likely comes as no surprise that such a turbulent youth would have a turbulent past to match. Having lost his mother at birth, Noah spent most of his childhood in the care of various relatives. His father, until the man's grief for his wife turned into anger towards the boy who'd "taken her from him"; his grandparents, until they were too old to look after a troublemaking child; an aunt, until she grew too frustrated at the teenager who seemed intent on breaking every rule ever made just for the hell of it, and wanted him out of her house. Noah didn't even wait for her to stop screaming before he slammed the door behind him, never to return.

He went in an out of foster homes afterwards, and after being arrested for assault — fuck it, he was just defending a friend! — he eventually ended up dropping out of high school. A fact he claims doesn't bother him, but he's never been good at lying. Unfortunately, he hasn't stayed out of trouble since despite his best efforts.

Still, not finishing high school with his friends doesn't mean he can't share one last camping trip with them before they all go out there and live the way he never could. His various "homes" never made him feel like he belonged, but his tight-knit group of friends always did. Noah couldn't choose his family, but he could choose his friends — and he's pretty damn sure picking this lot was the only good decision he ever made.

Or would ever make.

Magic

Magical Form: Upon transformation, Noah gets cloaked in a spherical shield made of solid earth, which then infuses into his skin, making it tough, durable, and scale-like in appearance. His sclera turn black, and his eyes gain the uncanny glow of precious gems. Horns made out of rock and gemstones sprout from his head, and his canine teeth extend and harden, turning red as rubies. He also gains a black suit with dragon motifs.

Weapon: Two ornate pistols of red and black (instead of the white in the picture). He can create bullets of various materials at will with the help of his magic, and will therefore never run out of ammo. Reloading does still take a few seconds of concentration however.

Abilities: Noah's control over the element of earth allows him a versatile control of not only earth itself, but the various minerals relating to and found within it as well. He can cause small, concentrated earthquakes, make ground burst upwards, hurl stones far larger than any man can lift, as well as rise pillars for protective, obstructive and offensive purposes, among other things. Notably however, he cannot create new things, only mold what's already there — and as such, he's at his strongest when given direct access to earth. In a pinch, any soil or rock will do, however.

Companion

Name: Muk (short for Dotori-muk, since Noah claims they have the same consistency).

Appearance: Muk takes the form of a tiny, dark red dragon about the size (and flexibility) of a cat.

Personality: Once a powerful, ambitious sorcerer capable of transforming into a mighty dragon, Muk retains little of his original personality. Cursed while in his dragon form, his human mind has slowly deteriorated, leaving him more an intelligent beast than an evil sorcerer. With that said, his ambition to take over the world and devour all in his path hasn't dwindled; it's just a lot harder to accomplish in his current body. As such, he's had to settle on devouring each and every edible (and sometimes inedible) substance in his path, so he might grow big and strong once more.

... But while he's waiting, he likes belly rubs.

SPIRITUM

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Once it became clear that no one was hurt by her little runaway explosive, Silje stopped trying to hide her amusement altogether and let herself break out into a giggle. She caught the soda Gerard sent her way, sticking her tongue out in gratitude. Before she could open her next dose of sugary goodness however, she noticed movement in her peripheral vision.

Silje turned, staring directly into the barrel of a gun. It was Kalina, serious as ever, ready to eliminate whatever threat she mistook her fireworks for. Silje waved her soda at her friend, but whatever feeling that was supposed to convey, if any, was left unclear.

The soda didn't make it far out of the can before they met another pothole.

-

As much as Silje had enjoyed their ride, getting to actually move her legs was a refreshing change of pace. She stretched every limb in every way she could think of, looking like a woman possessed as she furled and unfurled herself on repeat. Her legs itched from where she'd concentrated Mist on, and she kept scratching as she walked up to the others.

"Seems boring," she commented idly, taking in both their surroundings and her friends' comments. "Sleeping in a mineshaft would be cooler!"

Tony broke off from the rest and started towards a nearby store. Silje, with the contents of her last can still soaking through her shirt, followed suit. She needed to restock too, and maybe find some snacks.

She was browsing through a rack of magazines, sidetracked from her original quest, when she heard Tony's sudden burst of laughter from the counter. She raised her gaze from the upside-down magazine she didn't remember having picked up, and smiled. Oh, wow, Tony was making friends! And one of them was-- oh, she had to tell Kalina-!

Silje peeked back out of the store, looked around until she found who she was looking for, and started wildly gesturing behind her with a rolled up magazine. "Kali, Kali, come look, Tony's making friends! And one of them is just as clueless about jokes as you are. Look, that big one over there, the one that looks like he's been ran over by a buffalo!"

If she'd meant to make matters worse, her genuinely cheery tone gave none of it away.

Expedition to Isekai

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Asahi didn't get far before Duncan caught him, and from there on out, the chances of escaping the ace's adrenaline fueled grip were slim. If Asahi did make attempts at it, Duncan hardly noticed. All he saw was his next hit; another dive, another rush.

With the eyes of his classmates at his back, Duncan scaled the tower in record time, a human-shaped King Kong carrying a very reluctant, very pissed damsel. Rin was gone by the time he got to the top, which meant she avoided being thrown off the damn thing herself — at least for now. Duncan might've not remembered her right then and there, but once the memory surfaced, Rin would go under the surface, stat. He never left a prank unrepaid.

"See?" Duncan breathed out, turning around atop the tower to let Asahi take a better look at the scenery around them. "Pretty damn cool up here, huh?"

If Asahi was about to say something, Daisuke's shout drowned it out. With a grin, Duncan leaned over the edge and cupped one hand over his own mouth in turn. "You got it dude! Watch this and fucking weep."

Right after he made sure Asahi got into the water. Duncan yanked his fellow student off his shoulder and, before the poor guy could get a word in edgewise, shoved him off the tower with so much force he practically sent the poor guy flying, much further away from the shore than he'd intended. "Oh, shit. Sorry man! You know you weigh like nothing."

Having heard the satisfactory splash of Asahi making it down, probably in one piece considering he wasn't any old human either, Duncan rolled his shoulders and gave a thumps up to a mostly imagined audience of his fellow students. He took a few steps backwards, ran up to the edge and kicked himself off, diving down head-first as far away from the tower as he could muster.

This time there was no fear, no pain, just a pleasant sinking feeling in his stomach, followed by the shock of cool water against his skin and the triumph of success as he broke the lake's surface in one clean line. Duncan was in no hurry to resurface, eager to see whether his ability to hold his breath had improved along with the rest of his body, so he kept diving and diving, kicking himself further away from the light at his back. The deeper he dove, the further behind he left all the world's noise, the steady hum and drum of water the only sound in his ears. He could practically feel his thoughts dissipating, dissolving into the water around him. There was a part of him that never wanted to surface.

... But if he didn't, he couldn't get back up there and do all of it over again!

"Yo, Dai!" Duncan gasped once he got back to shore. "You're up. We're what, 0-80 now? C'mon." He wiped his face with one arm, only to suddenly peer past his friend. "Wait, where's Haruko? She's gotta see this. I'm gonna do it backwards next. With a somersault. Three. Standing on my hands. Race you up."

Duncan slammed a hand into Daisuke's back, then called over to the others as he started for the tower. "Come on, chickenshits! The water's great, and the work ain't going anywhere!"

The rest of Duncan's cigarettes lay abandoned in the soaking wet pocket of his pants, discarded on the grass. He'd be upset once he realized as much — but for now, he'd found another addiction to tide him over, and he was going to make it everyone's problem.

Journey Through Aereos

Any chance there's still room? Might go for a druid, or cleric if it isn't yet taken. (Though two very different clerics of very different gods could be fun too).

Epyllion: Beyond Moonlight's Reach

Happy New Year!

Symphony on High

I didn't go out of hiatus for this because I wasn't on a hiatus, but I am in if there's still room.

POKeMON: A Mystery - Always Open

Just letting the people I interacted with know I'm bowing out of the rp, so they don't wait for me. We can say Joshua ran off after his Shuppet and was never heard from again.

Expedition to Isekai

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“We’ll start by splitting that in half.”

Duncan blinked, tracking her gaze to the punctured tree behind him.

... Was she fucking with him?

Whether she had been or not, an hour into their work, Duncan was far past caring. Even with Rin's abilities on an apparent cooldown, they'd worked fast, efficient, and hard. Duncan's body felt heavy with familiar strain, a comforting warmth enveloping every muscles and joint. His face was flushed, speckled by beads of sweat, shirt stuck to damp skin — a feeling he once found uncomfortable, but which he now welcomed with open arms.

Literally, Duncan realized, as he stood atop the watchtower with arms spread wide, letting the wind fan the heat from his skin. To the extent a warm summer wind could, anyway.

From this high up, everything really did seem different. The mountains, the lake, the forest; in the light of the day, without a monster in sight, the world spreading out in front of him seemed less like an uninhabited hellscape and more like a world full of potential. A land yet to be explored or charted. Yeah, there were the monsters lurking somewhere out there, but honestly, those existed in the real world too. They were just more difficult to spot.

Would Yuki have liked the view? Found the mountains nostalgic?

Glee threatened to drain from his face. Would have, if he hadn't suddenly been seized by the pants — and unceremoniously tossed off the damn tower.

... Rin was definitely fucking with him!

That was the only thought that had time to register before dread set in. It didn't matter what your merits were, or how tough you'd proven to be. During the few heartbeats of a sudden free fall, with your stomach sinking and floating all at once, every human felt mortal.

Duncan didn't know much about falling, but he felt like the gasp that tore out him upon impact should have been his last. Should have filled his lungs, probably trapped under at least a few broken ribs, with water that did him in. But though the impact stung, it was the way a slap in the face did, just delivered to the entirety of his body at once. It left him a little stunned, but more in shock than any real pain. For a few seconds he just floated there, motionless. Then the water he'd gulped registered in full and he started coughing, slipping underwater in his panic.

He sunk, but only for a moment. The pain subsided as quick as it'd come, and it didn't take Duncan long to realize that the light beyond the lake's rippling surface wasn't the light at the end of the tunnel. That he wasn't just alive — he was absolutely fine. No bones had broken, no joints snapped, no organs torn. Hell, it didn't even hurt anymore. Because he was no longer just human.

And, honestly, he should've bitched less and enjoyed that fact a bit more.

Duncan emerged from the lake with a few more coughs and a gasp, struggling to wipe hair from his eyes.

"Holy shit, that was awesome!" He took in the scenery with rediscovered vigour, quickly spotting a familiar pink head that stood out from the green that surrounded him. Distantly, Duncan remembered he still had to thank the guy. Well, here was his chance. He raised an arm from the water, waving to get the other student's attention — as if belly flopping right in front of him from like thirty feet up hadn't already done that. "Yo, Asahi! Did you see? We got a diving tower!"

Duncan reached the shore with a few long strokes, pulling himself up with a splash. He was already making his way back towards the tower as he started to struggle out of his soaked clothes, nearly tripping on a pant leg. "Hurry up bro, get off your scrawny ass and come on! You gotta try it."

If Asahi wasn't willing to follow and not fast enough to avoid it, Duncan was going to grab the guy by the shoulder and drag him with, if he had to. Asahi would not miss this.

Pokemon: Dream

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_{Camphor's Lab}

Despite what it might've looked like, Chloe was, in fact, not late.

What had been late was her ride from the docks to the laboratory. And to top it all off, the old man had the audacity to claim it was her fault for wanting to stop just a couple of times to snap pictures of the sights. Like? What, was she just supposed to ignore everything pretty they passed because he couldn't hit the gas properly? Like just drive faster then!

And none of that would have even happened if the assistant that was supposed to come pick them up from the docks hadn't also been late. So late, in fact, that they never showed up! Chloe had waited for what felt like a fair amount of time, gotten bored, and headed to the tour the nearby shops — only to return an hour later with still no sign of any assistants, meaning she'd had to take a cab that turned out to belong to like the slowest driver ever.

Ugh!

Well, whatever, she was here now.

Chloe adjusted her handbag strap, careful not to wake up Snuggles dozing off inside. The fairy type's head was poking out, drool dripping as she dreamed of what Chloe assumed to be treats and comfy pillows — but might have just as well been murder.

Not wanting the sounds of battle to agitate the Snubbull, Chloe gave the battling trainers outside a wide berth as she made for the laboratory's door. It wasn't locked, so when a few rounds of knocks yielded no results, she strode right on in.

And found the place empty.

Seriously? They hadn't waited for her or anything?

"Uh, hello?" she called out into the lab. When no answer came, she brazenly made her way past the reception desk and through the open doors, looking around for... anything. The professor, mostly, though she wouldn't mind greeting a cute Pokémon or two either. "Anyone in here? It's Rothschild! As in, Chloe? Like one of the people you were going to hire?"