View source for 960/Post-Holidays in the RPG Club!

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2024/01/03
|Location=Club Building
|Synopsis=Mana discovers the RPG club, where Amy and Mie are. There are discussions of the merits of being in an RPG club, talking to plants, and using ones imagination responsibly. When all is said and done, Mana leaves the club with two new friends!
|Cast of Characters=28,107,211
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:28|Mie Kitamura (28)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Even though school isn't in session, that doesn't mean that the RPG club doesn't get together for their weekly game of D&amp;D. The actual session doesn't start for a while, but that doesn't stop Mie from coming in early since, let's be honest here, she doesn't have that much to do, save for occasionally terrorizing Tokyo and getting her butt handed to her by magical girls. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She sits at the table, dressed casually. Jeans and a warm looking red cable knit sweater. In front of her she's got her character sheet, some pencils and her dice, which are a deep emerald green. Currently, she's idling away the minutes by spinning her dice like a top. She's been able to spin all of them save for the d4, it's pyramidal shape causing her no amount of consternation.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dungeons and Dragons. SATAN'S GAME. Your children, like it or not, are attracted in their weaker years to the occult. And a game like D&amp;D fuels their imagination and makes them feel special, while drawing them deeper, and deeper, into the bowels of EL DIABLO. The Radiant Heart Watchtower invites you to sit in on an actual gaming session. Observe the previously unobservable as a hidden camera takes you into the inner sanctum... of<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; DUNGEONS &amp; DRAGONS&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy comes in early too. She shrugs off her american mil-surpplus backpack and her oversized coat -- allegedly once her uncle's, and plenty warm -- hanging latter up and dragging the former over to the table as she sets out character sheet, pencils, dice (in a crown royal bag! It's purple with a yellow drawstring) eraser, phone across from Mie and sits down smiling. "Happy New Year! 2024, huh? Old movies always made it sound like this was the future." She deepens her voice a little bit. "In the grim future of 2024..." she giggles a little at her joke.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Under the coat, she's still dressed sort of Christmassy? Sneakers, long candy-cane-striped socks, her comfy red jersy knit skirt, and a green T-shirt with a picture of a simplistic-style chibi cartoon tiger meowing and 'nyo' written over it in romaji.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Perhaps it's pushing it to wear the shirt here, but then again, if she's trying to subtly identify anyone else in a similar situation... aren't the chances good she'd find them here? There are a lot more girls in computer and RPG club than she expected, although maybe that's just the bright future of the 2020s!<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She scoops a couple d20s from her bag and idly rolls them across her sheet, then looks at her phone. "So. You looking forward to today's session? Get anything good for Christmas?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:211|Mana Soga (211)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Given it wasn't unusual to see Mana alone, wandering the halls and club rooms by herself, usually to the tea club or gardening club, today the young girl's wandering brought her to the door of the RPG club. Stopping just at the threshold, she rather pointedly bites down on her lower lip and stares for a moment in silence as if weighing her options on entering or not. A war that wages in silent within her mind for several minutes as she holds her hand out hesitantly towards the door whether it were open or not as if trying to decide to enter or close the door. The truth of the matter was far more dire however. Mana had already glanced inside the room and seen a pair of people she didn't recognize, and that had gripped her mind tightly with anxiety on wether or not she should approach.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;After a few moments, she firmly grasped the door opening it - or holding it open as she enters the room and gives a polite bow that might come off a bit too formal before she makes her way into the room. Taking an empty seat at the table, she quickly looks for something to look at besides the other two so that she doesn't have to make direct eye contact at first. Of course, having taken notice of both present rolling their dice, she tries to fit in by doing similar with a spare pare sitting on the table and flicks one gently with her index finger.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:28|Mie Kitamura (28)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Good afternoon," Mie greets Amy gruffly. To an outsider it would look like she's just barely tolerating the other girl's presence but, really, that's just a front. Anybody who's been to the RPG club knows that's just how it is with Mie, and that she really gets into the game once it gets started, and her somewhat unpleasant exterior cracks. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To Amy's question there's a rare show of emotion other than annoyance, by blushing a little. "Yes," she says. "It was most unexpected. I... usually do not get Christmas presents." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then people start filtering in. Well. Person. A new one at that. Red eyes size up Mana as she sits down at the table. "I did not know we had a new player today," she says. "I am Mie Kitamura, eighth grade."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy inconsistantly jumps between gushing about nerdy things and withdrawn, afraid of weirding people out. And sometimes she uses rules lawyering to save the party's ass. She smiles at hearing that from Mie, "Good to hear it."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A third arrives, and not one of the usuals. A second pair of red eyes joins the first in sizing her up, double-taking at *floor length drills*. Real people actually *do* that?!<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She would be utterly flabberghasted if she had an idea how much effort that took. Her own magic continues making her own hair easy to take care of. The same magic that generated the socks and shirt. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She smiles. "A new person! Hi!" She leans over and reaches out a hand to shake. "I'm Amanda Faust, nice to meet you! Are you here for today's game? Do you need help making a character? Or are you just curious about what we do here?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:211|Mana Soga (211)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mana turns her head when Mie speaks first, finally making eye contact even if only for a moment before she glances to the items on the table then seems to somehow go even more silent for a moment before she nods respectfully. The girl's cheeks redden slowly as she works up the courage to say something, anything, so that the first greeting to Mie wouldn't be as awkward as humanly possible before she replies, "....Hello... I am... Mana Soga, Ninth grade..."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The tone of her voice is almost rediculously quiet, as if she's never spoken above a whisper in her entire life. Then she happens to catch the double take towards her, though with some confusion as she doesn't really understand why Amy seems so shocked. "Ah... C...Curious, mostly... I happened by and..." She pauses her words trailing off slowly as she remembers these are both two entirely new people, her eyes widening a bit. "What... Do you do here...?" She asks, hoping to have the other two talk more so that she has time to recompose.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:28|Mie Kitamura (28)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mie nods in satisfaction when Mana shows proper deference two the other two members of the club. "Why, we play roleplaying games," she explains. "Far superior than dull board games. In these games you pretend to be somebody else! ''I'm'' playing a Dragonborn paladin. It's only the best race to play since dragons are the natural superior species. She's tough, and romantic, and always saves the damsels in distress!" Of course Mie's opinion of what a damsel is and what distress can be is, perhaps, a bit askew of normal. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Do not worry about making a character for your first session," she says, sounding confident that Mana will stay. "Our GM has premade characters that you can choose from."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Oh, I'm in ninth grade too!" Amy smiles, although just a little bit of it is forced as she's reminded of the *ridiculousness* that she herself is in ninth grade. It's like something out of those stories she's always reading, after all.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mie begins explaining and Amy nods, "Yup! It's a mix of tactical board game and improvised storytelling. You can view it as pretending to be someone else, or a sort of collaborative storytelling where you make one of a cast of characters and discover together with us what their adventures will be and where their story will go!"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She points to her sheet, "I'm playing a fey-touched wizard. She was isekaied to the fey realm when she was eighteen, and was taken in by fox spirits. Kitsune and the like. She got into wizardry because she felt kinda... being surrounded by spirits who could do magic and having none herself kinda got to her, you know? Anyway she's lived there for a long time, kept ageless by the fey world, but has now come back to the mortal realm trying to see what other mortals think is so great about it, and help people. She's practical-minded but keeps suspecting everything will be crazy magic or fey weirdness. ...Occasionally she's right."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy's grin becomes a little bit nervous as explaining that all out loud again just highlights the... parallels in her mind. Then again, the *point* of the character was that it would take little thought or effort to jump into when she's so busy with crazy magic shit in her real life.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She fiddles with her phone a bit. "I tried AI generating some art." She shows it, and then sets the phone down. "Oh, and if you don't like any of the GM's pregens, I have a bunch more!" She reaches into her bag and pulls out a sheaf of papers, the top of which helpfully breaks down the characters by role. "You can change any personal details and stuff, the backstories I wrote are just to generate ideas."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:211|Mana Soga (211)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mana just blinks, listening to the passion behind Mie's voice as she discusses what they do and the virtues of playing a dragon. Though she does seem to shrink back slightly just a bit from the other girl's intensity as she does so. After a few moments to process it all, the girl grips her own skirt somewhat tensely as she repeats the phrase, "Pretend... to be someone else...?" The questioning tone in her voice suggesting that she hasn't ever really thought about the concept.<br><br>"That... could be fun... But I'm not really sure I can...?" The girl admits after a few moments, she doesn't know alot about roleplaying, but she does know enough to know that most roleplayers were at least confident enough in speaking to raise their voices and actually 'pretend.'<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then Amy goes into such detail describing her character that Mana seems to become almost enthralled as she tilts her head to one side while listening to all of the details, before she finally clasps her own hands together and responds in a voice completely underselling her excitement. "Oh wow.. You really are both very creative... I would definitely take a while creating my own character.. Maybe I should... just watch...? Try to learn the system by following your examples...?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:28|Mie Kitamura (28)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Yes. It is... odd at first pretending to be something you're not," explains Mie. "But soon you get the hang of it. It is good to push your boundaries, I have found. You may discover something about yourself that you might not have otherwise known." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"But you are welcome to watch and ask questions," she says. "Our GM is kind to new players. After all, we were all new players at some point." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She tilts her head curiously at Mana. "Do you belong to any other clubs?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy looks back to Mie. "Dragonborn aren't the best. Elans are the best! They just don't have 5E stats yet."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Wait.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I, uh, looked through some older edition stuff online. And my... uncle, he has a ton of the books going all the way back to second edition! I loved reading through them about the cool stuff characters could do and all the wondrous creatures they could encounter."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nevermind that she gave one story and then immediately changed it. Shut up.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She looks back to Mana. "Elans are humans--or anyone, really--who have had an ideal, immortal body created by psionics and imbued with psionic power. But the publisher just doesn't know what to do with any of the psionic stuff in the current edition of the game."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;An ideal immortal body created by supernatural power, huh. When she says it out loud she can hear it, yeah...<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;...Wasn't there a bit in the lore about how one of the councils that uplifted new elans had a preference for making pale-skinned redheads...?<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Anyway...<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy turns what is about to be a laugh into a cough when Mie says it's odd pretending to be something you're not. "Y-yeah. It...'s good to discover new sides of yourself. But if you want to watch for now, that's fine. It's totally fine if you wanna try it with a pregen temporarily to learn, then make your own character."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Topic change! Conveniently-timed! "I'm in Computer Club, and sometimes I help out the Hero Club."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:211|Mana Soga (211)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mana silently listens to Mie as she explains roleplaying and how it will feel odd at first, though the thought of her 'getting used to it' seems a bit hopeful from her perspective. Still... Being someone else... That could be fun, right? Sure it would take work but...<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The tirl snaps out of her thoughts, just in time to catch the question of other clubs she's in, and her eyes light up a bit as her voice raises just slightly with her enthusiasm. "Oh...! I spend most of my time in the Gardening Club... My plants are my friends. I can tell them everything... and they just listen..." Mana says, while placing her left hand over her chest. "And.. Taking care of them is.. peaceful.." The girl's eyes glance towards one side of the table. "And I enjoy the Tea Club.. Tasting new tea blends, learning propper etiquette... It's all very relaxing."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;hen she tilts her head, listening to the discription of Elans and their powers before she gives a quizical look and puffs up her cheeks a bit. "That sounds.. Difficult to imagine.. An immortal body.." The sudden cough that follows though causes Mana to give a look of concern for Amy that fades once she begins talking again.<br><br>"Discover new sides of myself...? I've never really thought there might even be... other sides of myself." Mana replies, her eyes moving back to the dice in her hands as she considers it. "..I should.. appologize. I don't typically s..socialize all that well, even with other members of my clubs."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:28|Mie Kitamura (28)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Bah!" Mie scoffs at Amy. "Elans are for... what is the term... Mary Sues. Pure self insert!" Pot, kettle much, Mie? "Dragonborn are descended from the most noblest of creatures, the mighty dragon! They're powerful, and strong, and have breath weapons, and are quite pretty if I say so myself." With the way she bickers, it sounds like this is an old argument that they've had many times over. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hmmm. How can you tell that the plants are listening?" she asks Mana. "They just... sit there. They don't ''do'' anything. It's like talking to yourself." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To Amy she asks, "And what does the Hero club do? I've heard of several students who have joined it, but I don't know what one would do in Hero Club. It would be dangerous for normal students to go out and fight people." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Bah. You're here, and you're talking to us," she tells Mana. "When I first came to Tokyo I didn't know how to socialize either. Now I am a master at it!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy gives a scoffing 'pff!' at Mie's opinion of elans, but inwardly supposes she has to give it to her on the self-insert part. Yeah... "They're ''all'' pretty though, unless a character is specifically ugly... I mean, it's our fantasy..." She doesn't view dragonborn as mary-sues though, it's not the same as playing a full-blooded dragon or even a half-dragon.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy's eyebrows raise a bit at 'my plants are my friends', but go back down when the new girl explains what she means. Although when Mana looks at her and comments on how hard it is to imagine an immortal body, she briefly looks awkward... if they knew the truth, she'd quip that you get used to that too..."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Anyway, socializing! Amy smiles. "It's fine. This is tabletop RPG club. We're a bunch of geeks, we're not necessarily all great at socializing either."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She shrugs. "It doesn't have to be about other sides of yourself." She slumps back in her chair, one arm draped over the back. "Maybe it's fun to just act the part of someone different for a bit, like she said! Like um. My character is coming back to the mortal realm after timeless years spent living with a family of trickster fey -- well, kitsunes and similar things, I checked and older versions of the campaign setting mention hengeyokai and huli jing, the Chinese kitsune, so there's precedent -- in a world where timelessness, illusions, magic, and watching fey play tricks on other mortals lost in the fey realm, was normal."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"So she's looking at the same world everyone else is, but from the perspective of being from a weird magic place where weird magic is normal, and all this day-to-day mundane mortal stuff feels new. She hasn't been here since she was a kid."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It was ''partially'' supposed to be a metaphor for how here she is back at school after so many years away, but it only just now hits her that if she plays this up it might help her empathize better with what Hannah, Adora, and many others are going through as foreigners from magical worlds who now have to manage day-to-day life in a world ''she'' sees as normal between all the magic stuff.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"So, like, it's an exercise in looking at what other people see as normal, and going, would that be weird to someone who wasn't used to it? Like, just. I dunno. Broadening your mind."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Uhhh... It's not ''that'' kind of heroing! Like it's inspired by it but no. They just help people with stuff. Helping find homes for shelter animals. Organizing a movie night for the younger kids so they can have fun and their parents can get some time to themselves. It's like, random whatever stuff."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:211|Mana Soga (211)}} has posed:'''<br>"Oh it's really quite fascinating, actually..." Mana says, tilting her head back towards Mie as she asks about the plants. "You see... While they aren't actually 'listening' to what I tell them-" Or maybe they are, magic exists in this world even if Mana doesn't realize it. "-they still respond to the sounds around them.. You can try it for yourself, actually... Plants that we speak to, or play music for, or even just ambient noises like running water or similar, will encourage the plants to grow." She pauses, realizing just how much she said to the two for a moment before she presses two fingertips together again going silent once more to listen to the other two for a moment as they discuss the nuances of Elans and Dragonborn.<br><br>"A world filled with magic and fey, then coming back to the mortal realm... Goodness that sounds exciting and difficult... I suppose that would be a very interesting scenario for your character. That would be almost as jarring as a character with no exposure to magic finding out such things are real." Mana replies, thinking on that for a moment, almost as if tiny little gears of creativity were turning in her mind as she thought about laying the groundwork for her own character.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A short pause later while she thinks, and Mana then smiles before shaking her head. "The Hero club... It sounds like fun - if hard work, and you're doing good things for similarly good people.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:28|Mie Kitamura (28)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I don't like the term 'geek,'" Mie says with a scowl. "I am not a 'geek.' just because I play D&amp;D. Exercising one's imagination is important! Without it then Mar--" Mie cuts herself off, nearly letting slip of Marchenland's existence. "Without it then your mind shrivels up and becomes dull." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Meanwhile, my Dragonborn was an orphan, living on the streets of Neverwinter until a priest of Tyr, who saw Imogen's potential," Mie explains, pride in her voice. "She was then trained as a paladin to bring law and justice into the world!" <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She listens as Mana explains how plants grow when you talk to them. "Interesting," she says. "How can you tell that they grow faster when you talk to them, since they grow so slowly? Do they grow in a matter of days, instead of weeks? That would be quite useful." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Finding out that magic is real would blow a mortal's mind," Mie agrees. "Can you imagine what would happen if a dragon suddenly appeared? All would be stunned with awe and fright. It would be glorious!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy nods as she hears of talking and music helping plants grow. She vaguely recalls reading such online years and years ago.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As jarring as finding out magic is real? Amy turns another laugh into a cough.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Actually, her character was isekaied to the fey realm from mid-2000s ''Earth'', (and she was ready with references to isekai happening in old D&amp;D stuff to support it) and the DM liked it ("Ooh it's a nice twist on the idea that they're from the past" was a comment that made Amy feel very old) but said to keep it secret until they find a way to use this in plot, otherwise everyone will wanna play isekaied characters.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She quirks an eyebrow at Mie. "You sound awfully excited for the dragon. A bit of your character's mindset bleeding through?" She smiles. "I mean, wouldn't the SDF show up? There was an anime about this, Gate, where the protagonist fights a dragon with a rocket launcher... but that's a bit more RIFTS, than D&amp;D."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I don't think it'd really break peoples' minds, though. Life changes ''all the time''. I saw -- I mean, my parents say cell phones, no, even more so, smart phones, heck, the internet and personal computers, go from being science fiction to reality. And like, yeah, we were born into this world, but people who lived through that just saw it as the new normal super fast. And the same thing's gonna happen to us with whatever world-changing technology is next. Magic would just... be like that, wouldn't it?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She smiles at Mana's reaction to the Hero Club. "You should come by some time!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:211|Mana Soga (211)}} has posed:'''<br>Mana blinks as she listens to Mie discuss her dragonborn's origin and her gaze becomes more intense at the mention that she was an orphan, though her fingers just resume flicking the dice back and forth once more until her ears twitch at the mention of plants gain. "It's nothing so simple.. I can't give direct comparisons myself because I talk to all my plants, but studies have been conducted that show plants responding to sound just.. grow better?" She says before she shrugs, not really knowing the actual science behind it.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mana does pause to actually think about it though.. "I suppose... if one day magic became "Real" that it would probably be a massive shock to us.. But yeah some of us would likely get used to it.. others would fear it.. But our kids just born into it would grow up thinking it's 'normal'.." A few moments later, she starts thinking in silence again, though she definitely seems to be warming up to the two as a few moments later she glances to Mie. "You said you're an expert at socializing...? Maybe... Maybe you can help me open up a bit to others."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:28|Mie Kitamura (28)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Of course!" Mie says, puffing out her chest a little. "Dragons are the best! If I could only play a dragon in this campaign I would. Sadly, I have to make do with a dragonborn." Some girls are just into dragons, like how some girls are just into unicorns, you know?<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hm. I will have to watch this anime. It is surprising that the dragon didn't turn around and eat the protagonist, after all, a rocket would hardly hurt a dragon." Not that she would know. She hasn't been hit by one yet. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Mmm," she hums thoughtfully. "I suppose you are correct. People would adapt. It would be interesting to see how they'd adapt, though, if they learned that fairy tales were real. Perhaps they might think twice about using their imaginations so recklessly." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Yes! I will be happy to show you my superior socializing techniques!" She says to Mana with a thump of a fist on the table. "Soon you will become a master, too!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Plants! Amy nods. "I think I remember hearing about that. ...Do you want to play a druid with a focus on plants? Or maybe some sort of... bard-druid, manipulating plants with music?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dragons! Mie wants to play a dragon. See previous musings re: Mary Sue-ness. "I mean, that could be cool, but it's hard to do balanced." She makes a note that they've got a Dragon Hatchling player if they ever play RIFTS, though. "Still, maybe we could find some rules for it if you want to run that by the DM?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A rocket would hardly hurt a dragon. If only they could test this! If only they knew they are, in fact, the exact two people in the whole school suited to test exactly this!<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Uhhhh, wait, you're suggesting a world where whatever people imagine enough, becomes real?" She thinks back to that whole Christmas thing that happened with Santa. That would explain it... Although, who the heck imagined the Heat and Cold Misers?<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She can't offer mastery of social skills, but she can offer: Sitting up and pointing at herself with her thumb and grinning, "If you need help making a character idea work in the game, I'm your man! I mean. Girl." She slumps back in her seat, patting her character sheet. "My character, for instance, is working with a really unoptimized spell selection, but I have a few good options and support tricks so that I've almost always got something to do."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:211|Mana Soga (211)}} has posed:'''<br>"Maybe... something simple... Like... An elf archer..." Mana comments, thinking to herself as she considers characters.. The thought of a druid had crossed her mind but she thought maybe it would be better to do something basic, at first. The girl then presses her fingers together, most of her other thoughts suddenly derailed by both Mie and Amy agreeing to help in their own ways. "So you're both willing to help? With my socializing, and with my character..?" She asks suddenly to their replies. "...Would that make us...friends? That would be nice, I think... Friends, I mean." Mana comments, letting her mind wander all the way to that conclusion before she pauses to look to the others. "I mean, if you would like, anyway..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:28|Mie Kitamura (28)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mie's eyes light up. "Yes! Why did I not think of this? Perhaps somebody made up rules to play dragons in D&amp;D. I will have to scour the internet for such a thing." She strokes her chin thoughtfully. "Of course you would have to play a very young dragonling, else it would be ''very'' unbalanced." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She nods to Amy, growing serious. "Yes. If enough people imagine a thing, then perhaps there is somewhere where that thing exists. A fairy tale land, if you will. Perhaps there are archetypes in this place like The Wolf, or The Oni, or the Witch. Perhaps there's even The Dragon, too." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"An elf archer," Mie muses. "This can be done. There would be several ways to accomplish this. Most people would say that the Ranger is ideal for an archer, but I disagree. You can just as easily make a Fighter an archer. I have been told that Rangers are subpar in this game." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Yes! We are friends now," she declares. "I shall add you to my collection."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She nods at Mie's assessment of playing a dragon. "Yeah." As for her discussion of fairy tale land... "That sounds like a neat campaign setting for an RPG. A world where the world's imagination makes things real... I mean, I know D&amp;D's outer planes are already like that, but that's more, a manifestation of philosophies, than specific myths. This is... different. Man, I think I recall hearing about an RPG once where the whole idea is you ''play'' such things from the world's imagination, from archetypes like that to even, say, the world's perception of a popular anime character."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Willing to help? Of course! Amy nods, an elf archer huh? "You can certainly do that. Do you also do woodsy stuff or magic or have magic trick arrows, or hunt specific foes, or are you just really good at shooting things?" Amy asks what seems to ''her'' the obvious first question, as a plethora of potential optimization paths spread out before her in her mind. She shakes her head at Mie, "That's only the PHB ranger, there's the online remake and lots of variants. DM provisionally okayed that stuff as long as you run the specifics by them, one of the other character ideas I was considering before I made this one was a Horizon Walker ranger."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She smiles. "I would like more friends." ''Gods,'' that's one cool thing about being young again. You can just make friends like that! None of this 'how do you make friends over 30' problems...<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Although... Mie words that weird, and Amy quirks an eyebrow as she looks at the other girl. "Uhh... that's a weird way to say that..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:211|Mana Soga (211)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mana has begun taking notes, at this point. Jotting down small key points Amy discusses so the way Mie worded her statement doesn't spark the same reaction Amy has. Though once the other girl calls attention to it, Mana lifts her head to look towards Mie questioningly for a moment before she smiles, her thoughts returning to the other things that were said. "Then it's settled. The three of us are friends now..." She pauses. "...Friends..." Manaplaces her pen down in thought and starts to think about that. "...I don't.. think i've called anyone a friend in a long time." She thinks before she shrugs her shoulders, then stands up and bows. "Thank you... Both of you. I stay on campus in the dorms, so .. Please feel free to seek me out there - or at my other clubs as well..." She pauses, glancing to Amy before she smiles. "I might come visit your other clubs as well... Though please understand if i'm not so talkative there, the first time I visit... Being around new people is... difficult for me." Mana states, looking like she's preparing to leave as she bows to both girls.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:28|Mie Kitamura (28)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Oh?" Mie says looking intrigued. "Which RPG is this? The one where you play people's imagination. Perhaps we can convince somebody in our group to run this." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She nods in agreement when it comes to how to build an archer. "Indeed. There are options, and we can help build your character." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She blinks innocently at Amy. "Do you not collect friends? Most people say they make them, but you're not really making anything, no? A friend is something precious, I have learned, and should be guarded and treasured like anything else you might have in your hoa-- collection." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Yes! We are all friends, now." she agrees. "I live off campus, but I am frequently on campus." She looks thoughtful for a moment. "Perhaps we should exchange phone numbers. This is what friends do, correct?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Which game? Amy shrugs, "I don't remember, I'll look it up between turns or when I get home. I think it was actually an expansion or weird campaign option in a game about angels and demons? But maybe I'm misremembering..."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She nods at collecting friends, but quirks an eyebrow at Mie nearly calling her friends her horde. This girl is ''really'' into the dragon mindset, huh?<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy smiles at the announcement by Mana that they're friends now. She stands up and hugs the newcomer. "Me too! My dorm room is ###." As she prepares to leave though, Amy cocks her head to one side. "Wait, aren't you staying? The rest of the group should be here any minute, you can watch and see how the game works. And oh right, yeah, we should swap phone numbers too!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:211|Mana Soga (211)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mana quietly smiles as Mie continues saying strange things, actually catching that one herself for once now that she's not preoccupied trying not to panic. "Oh.. OH! I see... You're so into the mindset of your character that it's affecting the things you say... That's so cool!" Mana comments before she giggles then glances to Amy. "Actually, I just remembered i've got something I need to take care of, I would love to sit in during your next meeting though... Maybe by then you and I can meet up and come up with a character for me to use instead."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mana pauses, pulling out her own phone, the device covered by a case that makes it look like a little sheep. "My number is xxxx-xxxx-xxxx.. I look forward to speaking with you both.." Mana says before she bows politely once again, and waits to recieve their numbers before she leaves the club room.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:28|Mie Kitamura (28)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mie blinks, and realizes her mistake. "... yes. That's right. I'm getting into the mindset of my character because we're about to be playing." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She nods at Mana's departure. "It was good meeting you, too. My number is &lt;insert number here&gt;," she says, pulling out her phone and entering her new friend's number.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy nods, trading numbers with Mana and waving as she heads out. "It was great meeting you! Hope to talk to you again soon!"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then she sits back down in her seat and starts searching things on her phone. What ''was'' that game?<br> <br>
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