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4 days ago
Current @Krasnaya: Try journaling in private, or saying your thoughts out loud under a hot shower. It's the expression of our feelings in more tangible form, not necessarily having an audience, that helps.
1 like
11 days ago
Phew, novel outline done. Now to tally how many characters I'll need, based on outline roles. Protag, Antag, yep, lackeys, support cast...Okay so in total I need to fill out--EIGHTY CHARACTER SHEETS?!
9 likes
24 days ago
@Kuro: Congrats, you've received the "Fully Developed Frontal Lobe" DLC!
10 likes
1 mo ago
Happiness is the acceptance of problems, not their solutions. *eats the fortune cookie*
6 likes
2 mos ago
If an argument/spirited debate/conversation takes up more than a handful of back-and-forth statuses maybe that means it should be in PMs instead.
4 likes

Bio

On CST time, United States. Typically busy most of the week and do most posting/replying on weekends.

Most Recent Posts


??? — Dilapidated Shack


《 Level 1 Loser 》
@ERode@TheMushroomLord@PKMNB0Y


After his outburst, Connor clapped a hand over his mouth and shrank down like a child afraid to be beaten. Face flushed, though unclear whether out of excitement or embarrassment, he turned around towards where the other two figures were stirring.

The one under the tarp had...shrunk? No, it was like one part of the tarp had swollen...like a big ravioli, or a gross boil on some prepubescent kid's face. And then the lump moved, but there were no arms or legs to accompany it. But as it peeked out from under the edge of its cover, a slender hand reached down to pick it up, palming it like a basketball with long, delicate fingers--

Neither of those are human! Connor glanced towards the glowing screen still floating in the corner of his eye.
Name: Connor Goodwin [+]
Level: 1
Stats: STR [1] | DEX [2] | MAG [3] | DEF [1] | RES [2] | AGI [2] | LCK [1]
Skills: Kinetic Magic [+]

Contacts: 0 [+]
Quest Log: Current - N/A [+]
STATUS


With a trembling finger he poked the "expansion" tabs of the windows. Indeed, his own Race was Human, and his age was still correct. But as the elf spoke to the blob, Connor observed the ears and other features that made it obvious that it--or he, presumably, from the voice at least--was indeed an elf. And so the blob...

"C-careful!" he blurted out before he could stop himself. "It, it m-might just be a m-monster!" Slimes were always some of the first enemies in a JRPG, right? What if it attacked them? Connor quickly looked around the dilapidated shack for any spar of wood that might serve as an impromptu weapon. He had something called "Kinetic Magic," as well, but other than what it implied by the description--a conversion of magic power to applied forces--he had no idea how it worked. Did he have to chant or move his hands?

"If, if it attacks...maybe killing it will get us some EXP?" Despite his shivering limbs, something like a hint of giddy anticipation crept into the boy's voice...

??? — Dilapidated Shack


《 Level 1 Edgelord 》
@ERode@TheMushroomLord@PKMNB0Y


Connor opened his eyes like someone coming off a sedative after months of insomnia. He took a deep breath, stretched, and made some lip-smacking noises that for some reason everyone associates with deep sleep in visual media. He rolled over, wincing as something splintery jabbed his side, and reached for a blanket that wasn't there. Upon realizing said lack of comfort item, he started to sit up--and the floorboard under his hand see-sawed indignantly at being touched without consent, thunking him lightly in the back of the skull.

"Ow, you motherf--" Connor recoiled, sat up straight, and finally came out of his stupor. He froze like a gazelle that knows a lion waits behind it.

This was not a plane. Not good. Neither was it a line in front of a pearly gate on a bed of clouds. Not bad? He could not remember how he'd gotten here. Not good. He was not alone. Possibly worse. His eyes darted around the dilapidated shack, his mind already conjuring shadow demons in the unnerving silence.

Wooden building--looks like crap. Light coming through...uh, everything? Daylight? What time was it when we crashed? He tried to think back--and his head started to hurt. There was...a hole...in his memory?

Slowly, trying to be as quiet as possible, Connor picked himself up. He ducked his head under a support beam that now dangled down from the ruined building's roof in a way OSHA would certainly never approve of, and looked at the two dark lumps nearby. One of them had a blanket, he thought derisively as he looked at the shape he couldn't quite make out. Although it was one of those rubbery tarp things by the look of it...and it almost looked...wet? Or slimy?

He wasn't going to get close enough to try and look at them in detail, because he was afraid one of them might have those near-death-experience reflexes and grab him by the throat in a jump-scare scene. Instead, he turned to the shack's windows--although he probably could've used one of the rotted holes in the wall just as easily.

We must've been rescued? How far into the flight were we? If we went down in the ocean...maybe we washed up somewhere in the Phillipines, or...

Outside there were more ramshackle buildings, a true shanty town right out of those third world countries he'd never been to. The streets were cobblestone, chipped or cracked in places, and covered in filth--some of it clearly originating from a human or animal's body. But beyond that, as he leaned his head further to see from different angles, it seemed like this place was at least partially walled in? Huge stones bound by mortar rose up higher than any of the crumbling rooftops, and at the top...

"Machicolations?" Connor quietly breathed, in the pseudo-excited accent of a youtuber he liked to watch sometimes. Then he saw the people passing by. They were not Filipino, nor Japanese, nor Chinese. And their clothes looked like something out of a Ren Faire--except, the ones who took historical accuracy really seriously. Like, seriously enough to smear some of that previously mentioned biological filth over themselves.

"Officer Toto, Status Report." he again whispered to himself, this time in a Patrick Stewart impression. Then he changed voices to what he imagined a cairn terrier would sound like. "Not in Kansas anymore, sir!"

However, he flubbed his own imagined joke halfway through. Because when he said "status," something interesting had happened.

"Oh?" His eyes widened. He started to read. "Oh. Oooooooh..." His heart began to beat faster, and louder, as his hands began to shake.

Then he threw his fists into the air and shouted, more than loud enough to wake the other two.

"THE ISEKAI! THE ISEKAI IS REEEEEEEEEAAAAL!" The meme's music didn't kick in, but he could hear it in his head.
I was really trying not to make a mage again after the last RP, but you can't throw out something like "do you want to learn magic?" and not expect a person to jump at it.


Keep in mind, she's a Shaman, not an academic. "Spell-type" Skills definitely count for what would be considered "magic," by most, but Monsters and Demons can't always "learn" Skills the way the Enlightened Races can by actually, well, learning.

Also you could always just use Healing magic the wrong way and stay a punchy-kicker, lol.

@PKMNB0Y
Here's what I've got so far, let me know if there's anything that needs to be adjusted or tweaked. If there's any worry about the "edgelord" refusing to participate in the party antics because he's too busy brooding in the corner, let me assure you he's too much of a rizzless coward to try and pull that off and will immediately go for safety in numbers when possible XD



Heeeey Z, fancy meeting you here

Playing Snake lady. Leaning towards mage.


Of course! *poses with one palm over my eye* A Demon King is always in search of new worlds to conquer! *exaggerated arm flourish*

I haven't decided yet what I'm going for in terms of class/combat archetype, but as far as characters I'm thinking either a ridiculously edgy doomer going through internet withdrawal, or a legally-distinct-Amazon employee whose new life is all about trying to recover from clinical levels of burnout. I could potentially combine them but I currently picture them as the Genocide vs Pacifist routes, respectively.

@PKMNB0Y Thanks for the answers! One more for the road, though---on a scale of like, Rune Factory to Berserk, where's this fantasy world's general atmosphere/difficulty rating going to fall?
Potentially interested, but I have a few questions!

Is it possible to choose to reincarnate as a monster/demon of some kind? If so, is "evolution," "skill adaptation," or any similar concept at play in the world for non-standard humanoid creatures? Like a goblin transforming into a hobgoblin, or an infant dragon's elemental breath/scales being determined by its environment/diet, things like that?

Are reincarnates just sort of spawned in an open field, or could some people find themselves swapped with former hapless identities in native families? Like waking up in the bunk of some low-rank noble's 3rd son who got shipped off to military school, or as an adventurer the Guild has listed as a missing person, etc?

And lastly, do the character's Skills need to be something influenced by their first life (like a HEMA nerd having something like "Basic Swordsmanship") or could it be pretty much anything as long as it's reasonably balanced for Level 1?
Okay folks sorry that one took so long, hopefully I'm back in the saddle now! End of the first day should hopefully come soon given everyone's quest progress, and I have plans to speed things up a little more either way, whether it's plot-focused (if people choose to engage with various hooks) or continues to be everyone doing their own survival-crafting grind.
Orc Camp


@ERode

The orc captain raised an eyebrow as he listened to the Runt. Then he looked out over the throng of other brutes still vying for the cooked victuals.

"Good, then." he growled to Esfir, taking the sausage she offered and holding it between his lips like it was a cigar. Despite talking out of the side of his mouth, he boomed his voice across the crowd.

"C'mon ya buncha mukhs, git lined up! Keep tings bidness like over here or I'll club ya worse'n I did that 'un!" He pointed at the orc still laid out cold by his punch. "It's us Orcs against da world! Don't fight over scraps like a buncha dogs!"

There was still plenty of pushing and shoving and cutting in line, but the little fire pit soon looked more like a proper breadline. Flipping his sausage over his tusks and chomping it down, the captain gave Esfir a nod of appreciation.

"Youse still a liddle'un, but dat's how ya get tings done around here--hand out da beatings all liberal-like! So make sure ya eat and fight enough to get big and strong, Runt, like ol' Xolkug here!"

QUEST DETAILS HAVE BEEN ALTERED!
Quest Details: Fulfill Duties within the Tribe (3/2 Minimum!)

  • ALTERATION: Accept an Optional Quest from another Tribe Member
    • Get Ore for Bowbh
    • Orcs Against The World - You have raised the Orc Tribe's understanding of [Food Preparation]. This unmarked quest will be counted towards your progress.
SYSTEM:Esfir


Though she'd given her Harpy Meat to the blacksmith, preparing the sausages had made use of what would normally be enough scrap and offal to provide another meal. All that was left to fulfill on this Quest, according to her System, was to find her own shelter and then be at Head Warrior Auguz's Training Circle before sunrise the next day. Given the behavior she'd just seen before Xolkug enforced brutal order, not having a shelter might mean waking up without any belongings the next day...

@King Cosmos

The dusky, earth-toned orc woman scratched at the ochre-yellow facepaint covering her wrinkly, leather-faced skull as Akeno approached her. When the orc Runt spoke up, the half-smile broke into a full grin, which of course was missing several yellowed teeth.

"On gud day? Nuffin!" She answered Akeno with a cackle. After a moment she made a wheezing sound, then leaned forward in her seat. Her expression sobered.

"Yambagorn has no letters, youngling, but she reads many tings. Read da clouds and da winds. Read an orc's soul in his eyes and his hands." She stared at Akeno meaningfully. "When da Dwarves drove us out of da old home, Yambagorn read da stars to find dis place." Her gnarled staff tapped the stone beneath their feet. Then she leaned back until her crooked spine straightened out against the rock wall of her cave and sighed, closing her eyes.

"And Yambagorn remembers tings. Remembers da old chief, aye, and da chief before him, and the one before dat. Remembers da ancestors dat have gone into the earth, the knowings of the shamans before me. The makings of tings from da shrooms and da herbs. When it is needed, I remind all youse childrens of dese tings."

When she opened her eyes again, they were once more playful as she picked her round nose with a pinky finger.

"Or, did da youngling just want all Yambagorn's gossip? Keh heh heh!" Again her laugh turned to a wheeze. "Since ya's too scared to go near da Warchief, did ya want to know about his raiding plans? Or how to replace his bodyguards and captains?" Her nose-picking was apparently quite productive, and she scraped the juicy result against the cave wall. "Or are ya wantin' to know where the strongest critters be, for hunting and feasting? Where da Orc's enemies are? How to do magic?" She snorted through the same nostril she'd just cleared, and tapped her staff on the ground again.

"Ask yer questions, Akeno. Yambagorn gives what answers she has."



South Caves


@Kazemitsu

As Grunthor...refueled...the torch, the grunt who'd never been asked his name managed to sit down and use both feet to leg-press the spider's head enough to turn it. With a cracking sound he managed to loosen his knife from the thing's exoskeleton and stood up, still breathing hard.

"I don't have enough MP left for anymore spells, but if it's another spider we can't turn our backs and run---the webs'll get us." He turned towards Grunthor, who now held the renewed torch aloft. "We shou---Whoa, man, nice." He whistled through the side of his mouth while raising one hand. "I like ya cut, G--"

Before any slappage could take place, something in the darkness beyond the orc's corpse hissed. The torch's light had indeed revealed something.



Its body was perhaps six feet in height from tarsus-tip to the end of its antennae, but from the antennae to the tip of the stinger was probably eight feet in length. Its outer mandibles were wide enough to close down on either side of an adult Orc's head, and its long arms had reach equal to its own height yet folded in three joints. The creature recoiled from the light, sank one of its scythe-like forearms into the dead orc's legs, and started to drag the body back into the darkness...



Deep Forest


@ReusableSword

Even before Agar whistled, his movement into the open space caused the wolf-like creature to suddenly go still, just as it was tearing a piece from the Tatzelwurm with its teeth. It turned towards him as the shrill sound broke the forest's silence, and growled as it exposed its bloodied fangs.

Staring intently at a wolf was indeed a form of challenge, but given the distance between them and the fact that Agar had announced his presence, it seemed that at the moment both of them were willing to let the stalemate lie. Still holding onto its kill, the other creature slowly began moving to one side, keeping its body low and its eyes on Agar...

When he pitched the Harpy meat over the grass, the wolf jumped back with another growl. But then its nose twitched, and its movement halted. For several moments...nothing.

Then the creature took an easy step towards the meat. Its body was still oriented in the other direction---if Agar made any sudden moves, it would most certainly bolt. But, if the orcling did nothing...closer and closer it came. Keeping its eyes on him, it would lower its head closer to the meat...then, in a blink, it let go of the Tatzelwurm and snapped up one piece of the grilled Harpy. Like a starving dog it tore at the meat, barely chewing before swallowing.

But it only ate what it could tear off in a single bite, then grabbed its kill and backed away again while giving off a low rumbling sound in its throat---not quite an open growl, but a warning nonetheless. It backed into the brush, trying to hide itself despite its coat's mismatched coloration...but seemed almost reluctant to leave...

Sorry guys, ended up getting busy with some stuff, and not having a particularly good day today. Got some stuff to do tomorrow that might end up keeping me busy for a few days so post may have to wait.
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